This series on intercessors training for Singapore is based off my written notes, which I took as I attended a church conference on this topic in Feb 2025.

Speaker: Ps John Mulinde

I understand you had a wonderful morning today.

This afternoon I want to talk to a subject that is well-known to you.

And that is the prayer altar.

Even in Uganda, there is a need to periodically come back to the need of a prayer altar.

Because it’s so easy to reduce it to the prayer meeting.

Secondly, it’s one thing to say to the Lord, here I’m send me.

It’s another thing to know what to do, and do it right.

Now open your heart, and ask the Holy Spirit teach you and give you understanding.

Let’s go to the book of Ezek 22.

Ezek 22:30: So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of them, but I found none. Therefore I poured the indignation of my wrath on them, repaid them according to their deeds.

There was a time in Uganda where I went into a fast for 30 days, because our ministry was shaking, and almost breaking up.

So it’s my love of my ministry, and not wanting to see it collapse, so that’s why I fasted.

And as soon as I fasted, God opened my eyes to see things I had never seen before.

He showed me how we all have been deceived by the enemy one way or another, the ways of the enemy.

But he also brought me solutions, who was involved in the matter, and how to address it.

And after 2 weeks I could see clearly how to resolve things.

So I was so excited, as I had all the answers to resolve the problem in my ministry.

So on the 14th day, I went to the Lord and ask him if it’s ok to break my vows, although I vowed for 30 days.

And the Lord showed me my attitude was wrong, because all I thought about was my ministry, and my calling.

And he announced to me that if that was all I see, I would never fulfil that calling.

Why? Is it bad to be single focussed? No.

But if all you see is your calling and ministry, it means you don’t see the bigger picture of what God is doing.

And how you blend in with others and their ministry, the big picture you fit into to.

The first lesson I want to leave with you, is none of us is an island, and equipped with everything God wants us to do.

Like what God said in the book of Corinthians, one part of the body cannot say to another part I don’t need you.

We need one another.

And to learn to step back, and behold what God is doing.

What God is doing through the body in the land, not only through my ministry, my denomination, but through the entire body.

And sometimes even to ask him, master what are you doing, and how do I fit into the picture.

Because God is not only doing things with you, but things in his kingdom.

Unless we overcome this selfish focus, we might never be able to move with God.

So as I was there and trying to grapple with what the Lord is doing.

He asked this question, do you know what am I doing in your nation?

Of course I didn’t know, because all I knew was my ministry.

Then he asked, do you know what I’m doing with the nations of the world.

So God said continue fasting, but now go back to the word, and adapt an attitude like you never read it before.

Don’t try to interpret meanings, just read from Gen to Rev.

Secondly as you go, take note when you see the word “nations”.

So I started, and one thing I need to confess, I never noticed how nations play a central role in God’s plan.

When God wants to bless the whole world, he raised a nation Israel.

Saying I will bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you.

And I will use Israel to bless all nations of the earth.

I also noticed of all prophecies mentioned were to nations about 90%, rarely to individuals.

The Bible has more of God talking to nations, then individuals.

It came to seem like nations are the building block of God.

And then I begin to notice something in the Bible.

The rising and falling of nations in the Bible is not accidental.

It is the Lord who raised up nations in his seasons, and he is the one who pulls them down.

He is the one who blesses his people in a given season, and strips them naked when he chooses.

Suddenly the world, look like a little ball in the hands of the Lord.

I saw how one thing led to another, from generation to generation.

Then I said God this is exciting, do you have something to say about my nation.

Because I saw all nations were in his hand.

And when my heart begin to focus on my nation, he begin to talk about my nation.

First he showed me about the history, when the gospel entered the land, and the land prospered.

And how the gospel produced revival in Uganda, although it was not the fastest to get the gospel.

And he showed me the battles of darkness, through politics, culture.

All these revolving the theme of faith.

He showed me how revival started out like a small fire in Uganda, and spread around to other nations, until it reached the biggest revival in history, the South African revival.

It touched Europe, New Zealand, and many countries.

Then the Lord asked do you see a pattern how I have been working in your nation?

Then he pronounced his redemptive purpose and destiny for Uganda.

What he wants to use the nation for, among other nations.

How he wants to use the men, women, and children.

Then he showed me the history of Uganda.

And I said Lord what makes Uganda so special.

Then he said every nation have a redemptive purpose, destiny and gift of the Lord.

The problem is the church is so narrow minded, everybody is looking at their ministry.

That they don’t see the bigger picture of God working in the nation.

And everybody is so busy building their own, instead of partnering with God building the nation.

That they don’t lament the defeat of the nation.

He says my spirit yearns to speak to every nation, but many do not have the time to listen.

He said even you, I have to force you into that place.

So I said what should I do with all these information.

How should I begin to teach people you told me the destiny of Uganda.

And God said go back to the word, and study my dealings with Israel.

As you understand the principles of building a nation, and bringing it to destiny.

Apply those principles to your nation, and you will begin to see it work.

So I begin teaching daily, every lunch fellowship, and many people begin to come, government officials, businesses man.

As though here is a church talking about something different not just talking about heaven, but day to day life of the society.

And we reached full capacity soon, and begin to hold the meeting in the evening to skip traffic jam.

The meeting would start at 5pm, and end at 9pm.

So the place filled up.

Again word was going around the city, about these very powerful sessions of prayer, at our church.

And not only did God talk about Uganda as a country, he begin to open our understanding to the different tribes / ethnic groups of the country.

So we were going deeper into ethnic groups, so we had even more people.

Some people had heart more for their ethnic group, than their nation.

Then every Saturday the whole morning was for prayer, no worship, people just kneeled down and prayed.

One morning it was crowded, I treaded through the people, found a small space, and then put my mat down to pray.

I was praying about different aspects of a country, and then I had a vision.

I was leading a small team, then we went fishing, and I was holding a very big net like everyone too.

But we were not going to fish in a lake, but a river.

Then we took the net and threw it into the water.

But that’s not how we usually fished in the river, we used fishing net.

And after awhile, the net shook, and we tried to pull it out but it was too heavy.

Then I heard a voice, shout everybody called by the name of the Lord to come and help with the net.

And I shouted for help, but everyone ran away.

Then the dream went away, but came back.

This time, everyone came and in groups too, now with ropes to help.

Then we begin to cheer each other on, as we pulled the net up.

But when it came up, there was no fish, but a big rock and it was the shape of Uganda.

Then that voice spoke again in my right ear, give me your net and I would take the nation from troubled waters to its destiny.

So I got up and told everyone about the vision.

And they asked what is the net, where is it.

And too many questions I had no answer to.

So I went back to pray and brought the questions back to the Lord.

Not all of them were answered that very moment.

But it started to change which unfolded over a few days.

And the Lord said, the net is made up of prayer altars, and every rope is an altar.

He said fill the whole land with prayer altars.

And he was very specific, he said I want every believing family to have an altar.

I want every worship house to have an altar of prayer.

I want every believer’s place of work to become a prayer altar.

And I want every village, to form a prayer network of prayer altars.

Which every now and then come together and said if you fill the land with prayers, then I would take the nation out of troubled waters.

The other destination of prayer altar is your heart.

He said I want prayer in your heart to be unceasing prayer, not prayer you only hold during prayer time.

But prayer continue whether you vocalise it or not, sleeping, even as you are driving.

A prayer that drives you, instead of you to drive the prayer.

I said Lord how do we do that?

And the Holy Spirit taught me.

So we started coming together every evening, spending time on one subject, how to break through the presence of God.

And we call it the breakthrough prayer.

It’s total prayer that hallows the name of the Lord.

Because the call of our prayer altar, is about drawing His presence, not us.

And we come to the altar in praise, worship, and yielding the whole of our lives.

And the Bible say, the Lord abides in the prayers of his people.

So I knew it’s not so much about asking what I want, but offering myself as a living sacrifice before the Lord.

And I’m giving him everything I know how to give, with worship, praise, and a surrender of my way.

And we begin to learn the struggles of a breakthrough prayer.

When we come to the Lord, but we have our own positions.

And he asks us to drop our positions for his, and there’s some struggle there.

The Lord says present your case, let us reason together.

But the more you present your case, the more you see it does not stand.

And he also presents his case.

And he drops a scripture.

But you realised you cannot win him.

Then eventually you align with his position.

And his presence pours down, and from that moment the Holy Spirit takes over.

He brings you the things to pray for, and he groans and travail through you.

So in a few weeks, more and more people were experienced the breakthroughs.

They would share their experience, and by hungry for that.

And then one day we started prayer normally, and in the middle of one and half hour.

The presence poured heavily, and people were lost for another 2 hours.

At the end of it, we were all dumbfounded.

Somebody tell us, how did you breakthrough.

But they said I don’t know, and just found myself in the wave of God’s presence.

Then the Holy Spirit taught us when you are in the crowd like this, they touch a critical mass, and the presence start pouring.

Even an unbeliever would start experiencing his presence.

One day I was in a platform with the worship team, then a group of people started walking in.

But we went on worshipping, and I saw some of my leaders go down to the back and begin talking to these people.

Then they put a piece of paper on the pulpit.

And I opened the note after 45 mins as I was so focussed on worship.

They said it’s a family they have come from hospital, where the father was pronounced dead.

Instead of driving home with the corpse, they brought him here, and want Jesus to raise him.

I had no faith for raising the dead, but we continued to worship, at the meantime talking to Jesus asking how do we handle this.

Reminding him you sit in the praise of your people, come Lord this is for you.

Eventually we finished the prayer and were lost, it was already dark.

And I looked at the back, the whole family was with their hands raised, and I wanted to see the one lying down, but couldn’t see anybody.

So I asked my administer where is he, but he is alive, and was the one raising his hands.

And his wives were all there weeping, saying we never see anything enough, how can I thank God enough.

And we said give your life to Jesus, that’s all you can do.

Then the man also gave one acre of the land to build the church.

And he said there are many witchcraft, so we went to their home and deal with it.

And by this time many people were gathering to await the dead man.

But he was alive so they were shocked, and he gave his testimony, and my team gave an altar call and hundreds gave their life to Jesus.

If you build an altar in every home, and village.

God said find out who stays in your village and bring them to the altar everyday.

Stand with them, and confess their wild doings, you bring petitions before God on their behalf.

God is looking for a man among us, to intercede, setting up an altar to the Lord.

So the whole country, now has someone standing in the gap, not necessarily for the whole country, but for the village.

Our first approach to praying to the nation, was only in a church structure.

But now it has changed, the altars are sprayed over all the country, every town, village and region is covered in prayer.

And the prayer is unceasing whether it is the prayer closet or in the streets, and we will talk more on the pillar later.

God said give me a net (altar), and I will take your nation out of trouble.

Sometimes people have a good fat time in prayer, but they don’t realise there is no prayer altar in the shopping mall.

What do I do to start an altar at work?

Check how many believers are there, and come earlier and pray.

Then go to your desk, and as you work pray all day.

If you need to share something with others, go to their desks and share with them what you have received in your spirit.

You are Christ ambassadors.

Suddenly all believers the students, works went to school and office with a purpose.

God begin to open small things here and there, because they were watchmen and were alert.

When the unbelievers saw nothing, the believers were already celebrating.

By the time it became big waves, it was unstoppable.

SG can be raised from its drowning waters, to it’s destiny.