Beyond The Decade Prayer Guide: March 2024

Dismantling the Complex Voodoo Value System and Mentality embedded in traditional leadership structures, customs & traditions, norms and political structures in Africa and the African Diaspora.

Introduction
It is the will of God, that through Abraham, all the nations of the world are blessed with the knowledge of the true God, as it states in Genesis 22:18, “And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” And as we know, nations are represented by their leaders. Nations in the Old Testament usually referred to tribes and language groups. Traditional leaders are very powerful and influential in African tribes and communities. Our traditional leaders then must be open to receiving this blessing so the members of their communities can share in it.

Richards and O’Brien states in their article, “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes”, that “we deceive ourselves when we think sin is individual and independent of a community’s honor.”

The tragic story of Achan's sin narrated in Joshua 6 and 7 and its consequences of the defeat of the Israelite army by insignificant Ai illustrates this very well. The Achanic sin of most African traditional leaders is that their positions are rooted in Voodoo philosophy and operate by Voodoo principles. Rearing their communities on these Voodoo principles for so long, the people have developed a Voodoo mentality. It is through African traditional leadership that Voodoo enforces its hold on African communities, and this hold must be broken, and the sin removed from our communities. God equates the rebellion of our traditional leaders to divination and witchcraft which is so in every sense. God says in 1 Samuel 15:23 that “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.” Under the influence of these traditional leaders, many ignorant Christians in their communities have been swept into practicing various Voodoo rituals, traditions, and customs, which have been whitewashed as harmless.

God is the God of transformation, so how did he deal with the pagan mentality the freed Israelites in the desert inherited from their long stay in Egypt, especially the leaders among them? The answer may be terrifying! But God in his mercy let them all die (except Joshua and Caleb along with their families) in the desert over their forty years wanderings; and that whole generation that passed through the Red Sea perished. – “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So, we see they were not able to enter [the rest] because of unbelief,” Hebrews 3: 18–19.

SOUND THESE WARNINGS IN YOUR PRAYERS:
Some choked to death in their greed and appetite for unholy food: “While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.” Numbers 11:33

Some were bitten by snakes: “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” Numbers 21:6

Some, the earth opened, and they were swallowed up: “As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!” Numbers 16:31-34

Some were consumed by fire and holy fire: “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” Numbers 11:1 “Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” Leviticus 10: 1

Some were stoned to death: Achan's sin narrated in Joshua 6 and 7

These could not inherit the Promised Land with their kind of mentality.

God is leading Africa into His Plan, His assignment for them in these Last Days, and African leadership unwilling to change their mentality will not make it. Are you a traditional leader in your community, your clan, your extended family, or any of the traditional positions in farming, fishing, and crafts? Are you ready to change your mentality inherited from Voodoo philosophy? You must, else the consequences will be terrible. Pray that your traditional leaders will escape these judgments because they will heed God’s voice and turn to him in repentance.

Pray that God will help you to understand that Jesus’ death and resurrection was to save both individual souls and individual nations of the world. Revelation 21:24 looks forward to seeing various nations in the new earth and heaven, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” And then in Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

Pray that it will be your burden to want to see your nation or tribe or language group in heaven along with your kings, chiefs, and leaders (in the Bible nations refer to various tribes and language groups).

Pray that God will make the hearts of your traditional leaders’ good soil to receive the gospel and repent, so they will not be destroyed in the soon-coming judgement on their Voodoo-clad positions. Proverbs 29:1 says, “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Pray that God will destroy and nullify spells cult priests, fetish priests, medicine men, and sorcerers cast over traditional kings, chiefs, and all who hold any traditional authority in African communities worldwide, as he did with Paul in the court of proconsul Sergius Paulus: “But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.” Acts 13:8-11.

Pray that every traditional leader will be bold to reject Voodoo initiation and installation ceremonies prescribed by priests of Voodoo cults, which bind them to upholding and promoting their devilish customs and traditions.

Pray that God will raise many Spirit-filled ministries targeting traditional courts and offices in African communities worldwide, who will offer deliverance and restoration to those who are willing and unhinge them from the Voodoo cults they have been bound to. “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10.

Pray that through the help of these ministries, many African traditional leaders will reestablish their royal authority using Christ-centred installation processes and empty their courts of every whiff of Voodoo practice, rites, rituals, offices, and symbols. And instead, adopt and institute Biblical law, principles, and rules by which to govern their communities. Then they can be good role models of their communities, “just as the police officer represents an orderly society as he enforces regulations.”

Pray that traditional leaders who come to believe will understand that as long as they walk in the Light, Christ and His Sacrifice continually perfects them, and Voodoo has no authority over their lives. 1 John 1:7: “[But] if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Pray that the Holy Spirit will expose and destroy the corrupting influence of injustice and moral depravity exerted on traditional leaders and their councils by Voodoo.

Pray that each of our traditional leaders will eagerly seek to come under the authority of Jesus, the King of kings, to understand how authority works. The centurion in Matthew 8:8-10 understood this when he requested Jesus’ help for healing, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes.”

Pray that traditional leaders will be able to stand in the day of judgement on behalf of their communities. Matthew makes it clear, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” Your traditional leader will determine the fate of your nation or tribe or language group.

Pray that all traditional leaders will “kiss” God’s Son, or he will be angry, and their way will lead to destruction, as Psalm 2:12 warns because Jesus is the King of kings. “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” Psalm 82:8. “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.” Revelation 19:16.

Pray that traditional courts, offices, and leaders who resist this move of the Spirit will collapse and swept away just as the move of the Spirit swept away many ungodly royal courts in Europe.

Pray that The Spirit of God will fall upon all redeemed traditional leaders, as it happened at Mount Sinai to the seventy leaders, that they will prophecy, and empowered, lead their communities in the wisdom of God and into His will. “So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again. However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Number 11:24-27.

God Most High, thank you for hearing our prayer to you, offered in the name your Son, Christ Jesus. Confirm our prayers based on your promises with signs and wonders among our traditional leaders and in our communities. Amen.

God richly bless you as you endeavour to intercede for everyone of African descent to be set free to fully live for Christ Jesus, our only Lord and Savior, so we can fulfill our assignment as a people God has planned to use in His Last Days Agenda.

Beyond the Decade Vision is led and implemented by Beyond the Decade Coalition. To learn more about the Coalition, its members, and its mandate, visit www.beyondthedecade.org.