Prayer for our Nation, its Leaders and Topics of Concern for 8/22/13 - 8/28/13

Morality In America

An American Revival It starts with you and me by Holly L. Meade “Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work.” – A.W. Tozer Revival. The word may conjure up thoughts of tent meetings with a preacher shouting an evangelistic message and people flocking down the aisle in response. However, author Elmer Towns says, “You can‘t hold a revival. All you can do is participate in one that God is throwing. Revival crashes your Daytimer. . . interrupts TV times . . . demands your full attention . . and wears you out. Usually when we pray for revival, we’re telling God “sic ‘em” on the bad guys. Little do we realize that revival begins with us, the people of God.”

Executive Prayer Focus

Josh Earnest, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Principal Press Secretary The White House has denounced Egypt’s latest round of political violence and announced its opposition to the State of Emergency law imposed by the ruling military. Yet spokesman, Josh Earnest, continuing the Administration’s long-standing policy, declined to weigh in on specific grievances at play in Egypt, and would not say whether the United States considers the overthrow of the country’s elected government constitutes a coup.

Legislative Prayer Focus

Rand Paul, United States Senator from Kentucky Senators Rand Paul and Patrick Leahy called for the Obama Administration to freeze U.S. aid to Egypt. The calls from the left and the right for tougher action highlight bipartisan pressure on President Obama, who late last week said the U.S. would cancel joint military exercises scheduled in Egypt in September.

Armed Forces Prayer Focus

Lieutenant General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Director of the Joint Staff The Pentagon has unveiled a series of new initiatives designed to address the problem of sexual assault in the military and give greater protections to victims. The announcement has been made after some pressure from Congress, which is debating whether such assault cases should be removed from the military’s chain of command. The military vehemently opposes such a change.

Judicial Prayer Focus

Judge Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must resume its long-standing review of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project, which the Obama administration and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have labored for years to kill. “Unless and until Congress authoritatively says otherwise or there are no appropriated funds remaining, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must promptly continue with the legally mandated licensing process,” Circuit Judge Brett Kavanagh wrote for the majority in the 2-1 decision.

Inside Washington

Public Prayer Battle Continues Obama administration joins appeal in upcoming Supreme Court case by Dr. Tom Askew The Obama administration is siding with those who favor allowing prayer at public meetings. Responding to a decision by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the White House is supporting two separate friend-of-the-court briefs filed by various members of Congress. Those briefs urge the Supreme Court to rule in favor of uncensored prayers at local government meetings.

Pray For President Obama & Administration President Obama will offer a series of proposals this week aimed at making college affordable by reshaping the way America pays for higher education to “create a better bargain for the middle class.” The Hurricane Sandy federal task force led by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan reports the East Coast should consider climate change when rebuilding as warmer waters and rising sea levels intensify storms. Pray for President Obama and his Cabinet as they begin their push toward their fall agenda. Pray For Congressional Leaders Representative Marlin Stutzman (Indiana) and other supporters of an effort to defund Obamacare are banking on voter outrage during the Congressional recess to convince their leaders to adopt the strategy. Senators Rob Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado say invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency are just the “tip of a larger iceberg” and have promised to bring more details forward. Pray for the safety of our Congressional members as they travel at home and abroad during August. Pray For Judicial Needs Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says the Court is making decisions that should be left to Congress and the people, from wiretapping to “inventing” new classes of minorities and establishing special protections. Military prosecutors cannot present most of the evidence they sought to show in what motivated the accused Fort Hood shooter, the judge ruled Monday. Major Hassan represents himself and is putting forth little defense. Pray about the issue of judicial activism as courts rule when Congress fails to act. Pray for Current Events WARS AND TERRORISM The commander of NATO coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan, Major General James McCornville, said he anticipates more insurgent attacks now than Ramadan has ended and the Taliban assets itself anew. The U.S. has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond previously known reserves, that are enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself. Pray for America’s military men and women serving in so many capacities in Afghanistan. FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS Syrian opposition accused President Assad’s forces of gassing many hundreds of people – one report says 1,300 – on Wednesday. If confirmed, it would be the world’s worst chemical attack in decades, and cross Obama’s “red line.” Japan’s nuclear crisis escalated to the worst level since a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukishima more than two years ago, as storage tanks continue to leak highly-contaminated water with dangerous exposure levels. Pray for the people of Syria who continue to flee into neighboring states to escape the civil war there. THE ECONOMY U.S. home sales rose in July to their highest level in over three years, suggesting a sharp increase in borrowing costs is having only a limited impact on the housing market’s recovery. The nation’s labor market recovery was uneven last month with unemployment rates rising in 28 states and falling in eight, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pray about the country’s sluggish economic recovery and its impact on family budgets and plans. ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST The Palestinians would not have returned to the negotiating table with Israel but for an American letter of assurances, guaranteeing their main negotiating preconditions such as a return to the 1967 borders. Israeli and Jewish targets all over the world are likely to be sought out by terrorist organizations in coming weeks according to the Israeli government’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau that listed dozens of countries with pending threats. Pray for the peace of Israel as it sits in the midst of conflict all around. HEALTH CARE American workers and their employers saw another rise in health care insurance premiums this year as the total cost of employer-provided health benefits ticked up 4 percent for families and 5 percent for individuals. In recent months, President Obama and his administration have waived or delayed half of Obamacare’ s legally imposed implementation deadlines according to the independent Congressional Research Service. Pray about the coming uneven implementation of the Affordable Care Act on October 1. Presidential Quote of the Week Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th President of the United States At such a time in history, we who are free must proclaim anew our faith. This faith is the abiding creed of our fathers. It is our faith in the deathless dignity of man, governed by eternal moral and natural laws. This faith defines our full view of life. It establishes, beyond debate, those gifts of the Creator that are man’s inalienable rights, and that make all men equal in His sight. … This faith rules our whole way of life. It declares that we, the people, elect leaders not to rule but to serve. It asserts that we have the right to choice of our own work, and to the reward of our own toil. … The faith we hold belongs not to us alone but to the free of all the world First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953   All prayer requests are made directly from our Presidential Prayer Leader.  We ask you all  to pray for our leaders as the scripture says. 1 Timothy 2:1-3  King James Version (KJV)   1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;  2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.   3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;  Contact Evangelist Waters: www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistries.com  Follow my Bible Study Blog: www.PureGoldMinistries.blogspot.com Follow the Weekly Prayer Blog: www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistriesPrayer.blogspot.com