I am Ukrainian my wife is Russian in fact few years ago um and a few years ago trI cities
did an article they put a house divided and yeah so we are not divided though but uh the
nations we come from are right now there's a huge tension that is there the verse i'm going to read
is first timothy chapter 2 it says I urge You first of all to pray for all people
ask God to help them intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them and we were just doing
that we were just thanking God pray this way for kings and all who are in authority
so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity this is good
and pleases God our Savior who wants everyone to be saved and to understand and to understand the
truth we're going to be praying for that conflict today that is happening i'm going to invite um
Roman he was a he's a friend in our of our house he ministered here a few times he's a professor
associate professor of economics at case western reserve university in cleveland ohio
he moved to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, two months ago and shirmita was born in Ukraine in 1982 and lived
there until 204 when he moved to the united states to get his phd from perdo university in indiana
and he's been voted as has a lot of awards in economics world he taught here he's a Christian
born again believer he's also a Spirit-filled believer about a few years ago he's already
started to get offers to launch they're launching a first university in the Ukraine that's English
university and so and he is now the founder and the president of that university in Kyiv hI Vlad
how are You guys uh we're doing better than we deserve better than we did hey man how are You
well i'm doing great thank You so much i'm calling from Kyiv and uh You know i'm really grateful that
You have made this bridge possible roman tell us a little bit more I mean we're seeing this
everywhere on the news right now it's it's just like it's the hot topic right now even though
as i've read a lot of articles uh where where they quoted You that this conflict has been
happening for at least last eight years the Ukraine's been living in this tension
what is underground can You give us just a little bit of explanation of what is actually happening
there from the Ukrainian perspective of somebody who lives there yeah so uh so You'll
understand the the context uh Ukraine stands on the brink uh or a crossroads of two very
different world views uh one is authoritarian with not much freedom and not too much regard for
individual liberties and people are more subject than the citizens and another one is more
democratic where people are citizens they're free to choose and so the tension between Russia and
Ukraine really represents this fight between these two world views and this fight has been going on
for quite some time uh so we can go back all the way eight years ago when Russia annexed crimea
uh again and they also attacked and have been supplying arms and troops to donbass and
luhansk region on the east of Ukraine and now what is happening now Russia has amassed over 150 000
troops surrounding Ukraine and they're staging a precedent to attack Ukraine so for example
in the past two days there have been um shells bombshelling and shots all across uh southern part
of Ukraine and uh Russian media is portraying as if uh Ukraine is shooting at them and so basically
uh it's as if Ukraine is attacking Russia and they're waiting for the president to attack now
Ukraine they have started to evacuate some people from the east into Russia basically it's pretty
serious and uh Ukraine really needs the help of the west uh because also You have to understand
that because of what's going on right now we have a really difficult situation where Ukrainian
rhythm is devaluing the markets are crashing there's been a lot of outflow of investments
out of Ukraine so and it's a pretty desperate moment right now for Ukrainians and we're praying
uh for Ukraine we're praying and I was mentioning before this that my wife is actually from Russia
and so um I just had her on the stage and that we symbolically prayed both of us so that uh
because we're believing for we know that and i've i've read in one of Your articles in the news
media You mentioned that if this will accelerate into war it will not help Russia either it will
really destroy Russia as well and it's and if it doesn't turn into war but the tension remains
it's going to keep on crippling because putin doesn't have to go into war to cripple Ukraine
that's right that's exactly right Vlad a very important point that there is a difference between
Russia and Russian people or kremlin and Russian people it's a very big difference they have
wonderful Russian friends that are supporting Ukraine standing alone in this fight and it's
just the regime and You know better than anybody else Your church that our fight is not against
flesh and blood but against the principalities the underlying Spiritual powers that are bringing this
oppression and this is something that people have to understand it's not just a physical
fight it is also a Spiritual fight thank You thank You praise God for everything I
just wanted to say if You can be intentional also church hunger generation in Your prayers
we need courage instead of fear and despair recently I made a post on on social media showing
how Ukrainian people in kharkiv on the snow on their knees praying asking God to interfere
and to help Ukraine so if You can continue to pray for that sort of courage to be You know expressed
in the midst of fear and despair also ask You to pray for unity within Ukraine and also unity
around the world in support of Ukraine I also want for You to ask to pray for uh principalities
and demonic powers because again as I said that's where our fight is and of course pray for peace so
if You in the evening all throughout the week or throughout the next month please be intentional
about Your prayer may God bless You thank You so much for this bridge that Vlad has built God bless
Your hands and I want my wife to just begin to pray that prayer for those of You online
drop the Ukrainian and Russian flag because we're praying for both of those nations right now in
jesus name we just pray for those two nations Lord we cover them with You in jesus name yes
we ask for Your mercy son of david would You have mercy on both of those countries Lord we ask You
and we ask You that You will steer the hearts of the president's God
towards peace and not poor Lord we just cover them with Your
presence and with the fire of the holy Spirit Lord we ask for the Ukraine and the Ukrainian
people God that You will raise them up from ash's God that You will begin to help them God
that Your supernatural hand of help will be upon that country in the mighty name of jesus we pray
come on let's just take one more minute just begin to intercede right now let's just begin
to intercede right now for peace to come to that area in the name of jesus Lord we pray right now
for the peace to begin to come father we pray for the nation of Ukraine Lord we pray God that You
will begin to even as revivals have been happening there God even as there is freedom Lord God for
the preaching of the good news we ask You God for the peace to begin to come into that area we ask
You that You will begin to defend that nation God we ask You that You will begin to Lord God come to
that nation Lord we ask You father as You said to pray for jerusalem Lord today we pray for Ukraine
today father we pray God for the people that are in there we pray God for the churches that are in
there we pray Lord God for the pastors God we pray for the missionaries Lord that are in their God
we pray for the citizens of this nation Lord let there be peace in that nation let there be
shalom in that nation God we ask You father that You will begin to release Your angels God
to prevent the bloodshed to prevent the shedding of the innocent blood the shedding of the blood
for the sake of the political schemes that are happening Lord God Lord may the principalities
not succeed in that region Lord may the original demons that are seeking to spill more blood God
let them not succeed Lord in jesus mighty name father we speak Lord God that You will right
now push back to darkness we speak right now Lord God that You will begin to push back every agenda
every agenda to bankrupt the nations to bring extreme poverty to bring violence to pray Lord God
hate between these two countries God in the name of jesus we ask for Your mercy we ask for Your
wisdom we ask Lord God for the direction of the Ukrainian president God we ask You Lord God for
the that You would turn the heart of the Russian president toward Your agenda God not toward his
agenda as You did with nebuchadnezzar as You did with the pharaohs of old as You did Lord God with
different kings even with dictators God where You will shift Your hearts in Your direction God
Your word says that You hold the king's heart in Your heart in Your hand and You can shine it the
way You want it to turn in God You are sovereign Lord You are over the earth You are over the
heavens God and we plead for Your mercy we plead for Your grace we plead to extend Your mercy God
we pray God for other nations right now we pray for the nations where american troops are at
we pray for the nations where there is it's illegal to be a Christian we pray for the nations
where Christians are in hiding right now we pray for the nations where there's violence and blood
just runs down the street the blood of innocent people Lord that You will begin to pray in Your
revival dear God in jesus mighty name we plead for Your grace we plead for Your mercy in the
name of jesus in jesus name amen amen amen church I believe that God hears our prayer
and I ask You that as You come every day to pray here that You remember right now
these things that are happening and it's not only in Ukraine and Russia but there's
other places where stuff is happening that You will remember these things in prayer