Prayer for our Nation, our Leaders and Topics of Concern for 11/29/13 - 12/5/13

President Obama Thanks You for Praying I want to thank you for your message and for holding me in your prayers. My family and I are honored that so many Americans have supported us in this special way. Our country faces enormous challenges, but each day I am uplifted by the enduring spirit of the American people. I know we will meet these challenges if our optimism and hope are met with the necessary will and hard work. President Obama has invited physicians to the White House next week to discuss insurance exchange plans that kick into effect next year, saying the meeting will focus on working in partnership to ensure a smooth transition. President Obama is blending an aggressive fundraising schedule for Democrats with a pitch for overhauling the nation’s immigration system, mixing a powerful issue within the party with the inevitable financial draw from friends. Pray for America’s First Family to have a blessed and restful Thanksgiving holiday time together. Representative Michael Grimm (New York) and other lawmakers are urging the Obama Administration to reconsider its plans to shutter America’s Vatican embassy and move it into a larger U.S. embassy in Italy. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Virginia) called the deal on Iran’s nuclear program “dangerous,” saying Iran is a nation that cannot be trusted and one “which has deceived the world.” Pray for members of Congress who have returned to their home districts to spend the holiday with families. The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the long-running dispute over the so-called contraception mandate in ObamaCare, particularly the “morning after” pill, as a matter involving religious freedom of opposers to the law. Supreme Court arguments over the Administration’s constitutional power to make and implement treaties took a dramatic turn when the Solicitor General warned they were treading on ground relating to Syria’s chemical weapons. Pray for the Supreme Court Justices as they recess for the Thanksgiving holiday. THE WARS In Afghanistan, two fatal attacks on French literary relief workers this week have raised concerns that insurgents have begun deliberately targeting them, after years during which aid groups worked separate from any military forces. Islamic extremism inside Afghanistan continues its upward creep with the bringing back of public stoning, particularly in the case of women charged with adultery, earning sharp rebuke from human rights workers. Pray about whether Afghanistan will fall back into Taliban rule when the Americans and our allies are gone. TERRORISM The United States dispatched two unarmed B-52’s to reinforce its protest over China’s attempt to control the airspace over a clump of desolate islands in the South China Sea which are the subject of a territorial dispute with Japan. An international peace conference aimed at ending Syria’s civil war will be held January 22 in Geneva, the first face-to-face talks with Assad representatives and the rebel groups seeking to overthrow him. Pray about a clear understanding of America’s foreign policy both in Asia and the Middle East. THE ECONOMY Leading U.S. banks have warned that they could start charging companies and consumers for deposits if the U.S. Federal Reserve cuts the interest it pays on bank reserves, because deposit-making should not be a free service. Travelers may soon be able to bring liquids aboard aircraft, after the Los Alamos National Laboratory announced a breakthrough in liquid screening using MRI and X-ray technologies, although it could take years to implement. Pray about the often-unseen influences upon the American economy, from bank fees to airplane security. ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST Israel’s top security adviser will come to Washington next week to discuss the comprehensive nuclear deal the U.S. and other powers made with Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu has labeled the agreement “a historic mistake.” Israel will do “whatever is necessary” to stop Iran from going nuclear, said its Defense Minister. “We were not part of the negotiations,” he said, “and we would not have signed this agreement. Iran is playing with the superpowers.” Pray about the impact of the U.S.-Iran agreement on Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. HEALTH CARE President Obama vowed to fend off attacks on his signature healthcare law. Speaking in California, he said, “The product is good, and the people want it,” and, “We’d be a lot further along but for the dysfunction in Washington.” The Food and Drug Administration made a U-turn from a ruling three years ago, and has now removed restrictions from the diabetic drug Avandia, saying it no longer had concerns about heart-attack risks of the drug. Pray about the issues surrounding ObamaCare, and for the overall health of the American public. Susan Rice, National Security Advisor The White House says that National Security Advisor Susan Rice is in Afghanistan to meet with government officials, including President Hamid Karzai, and to visit U.S. troops for the Thanksgiving holidays. Judge Diane S. Sykes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals became the fifth federal appeals court to weigh in on the contraceptive mandate controversy, holding that the Obama Administration may not enforce the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate for women against for-profit, secular corporations whose owners object on religious grounds. Commander Steven J. Stasick, Commander, U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion (Seabees) The Commander of the Seabees and his Master Chief visited some of the battalion’s detachments on the continent of Africa earlier this month. Commander Steven J. Stasick and Comand Master Chief Moses E. Sampson traveled from the current deployment headquarters in Spain to see the level of progress made on projects and to get some face time with Seabees throughout two of its detachments. Tom Cole, United States Representative for Oklahoma U.S. budget talks are aiming for a two-year deal that would end divisive fiscal showdowns that have plagued Congress since 2011, while also easing the severe across-the-board spending cuts that otherwise would trigger in 2014 and 2015, Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma said. The War on Christmas Humanist organization opposes Operation Christmas Child by Diann Noles The war is on again…the war against Christmas, that is. In what has almost become an annual tradition, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) along with humanist and atheist organizations have once more targeted public religious displays and school Christmas pageants, threatening them with lawsuits. One of this year’s targets – New Jersey’s Bordentown Regional School District – received a threatening letter from the FFRF and initially halted the traditional Christmas carols in their seasonal concerts. However, after consulting legal experts, the Christmas carols have been reinstated. The American Humanist Association (AHA) seems to have taken this “war” to a whole new level when they sent letters to two public charter schools threatening a lawsuit unless the schools “cease and desist” their Operation Christmas Child projects. Operation Christmas Child – a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse founded by Franklin Graham, son of world-renowned evangelist Dr. Billy Graham – provides toys and hygiene items packed in shoe boxes and distributed to poor children around the world. The letters state the ministry project is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Help For Haiyan Aid to the Philippines shifts to private recovery work by Gigi Cook Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm to make landfall this year, struck the central Philippines on November 8, killing more than 5,200 people, displacing more than four million and destroying an estimated $274 million in crops and infrastructure. The devastation is categorized as “total” in several areas and many survivors are still in desperate need of the basics. Jeremy Konyndyk, director for Foreign Disaster Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said the U.S. military is reducing its presence to allow civilian aid agencies to step up their efforts; shifting the focus from emergency relief operations to recovery and rehabilitation. “What we have seen, particularly over the past week, is civilian and private-sector commercial capacity start coming back up again and that is taking the burden off of the military…you don‘t want the military in the long run, they are an interim bridging capacity, it really needs to be a civilian role,” he said. Paved With Good Intentions Affordable Care Act illustrates failure of central control by Dr. Tom Askew By now everyone has heard a litany of stories about failures in implementing the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare): web site shut downs, long waiting periods online, inaccessibility to health care exchanges, cancelled policies, and much more. Those in favor of nationalizing health care are responding to these glitches with blind faith, as illustrated in House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi’s response to reporters’ criticism. “I will tell you this,” Representative Pelosi affirmed on CBS’ Meet the Press. “Democrats will stand tall in support of the Affordable Care Act.” 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

Prayer for our Nation, our Leaders and Topics of Concern for 11/22/13 - 11/28/13

Home Work and Homework   Minority role models needed to fill the void by Louie Christensen There is no stronger force, no greater persuasion than the power of relatability. It is the draw that brought hunter-gatherers together around fires, formed the earliest tribes and the strongest alliances. Furthermore, the difference between Christianity and the world’s other religions resides in relatability, as Hebrews 4:15-16 lays out so beautifully: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Enough cannot be said about the hardwired-desire to connect with someone who truly understands you; so could relatability be the springboard the United States needs to fix its abysmal educational system? New research published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory shows that an increase in minority teachers could reduce the teen pregnancy rate among those same minorities. The study collected data from Georgia public schools between 2002 and 2006 along with teen pregnancy rates by county.   Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, United States Ambassador to Japan “I am most grateful to President Obama for entrusting me with this important mission,” Caroline Kennedy said in a ceremony the followed her swearing in as the new United States Ambassador to Japan.     Lieutenant General Patricia D. Horoho, U.S. Army Surgeon General France’s National Order of Legion of Honor, Chevalier (Knight), was awarded and presented this month to U.S. Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho by the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of France, during a ceremony held at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.   Judge Emilio M. Garza, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals A federal appeals court asked lawyers for the University of Texas to explain how they would decide when affirmative action for minority students is no longer necessary as it considered a lawsuit seeking to eliminate the schools current policy. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is rehearing the case of a white woman who was not admitted to the University of Texas at Austin because she did not graduate in the top 10 percent of her high school class – the criterion for 75 percent of the schools admissions. The school also passed her over for a position among the remaining 25 percent, which is reserved for special scholarships and people who meet a formula for personal achievement that includes race as a factor. (We must pray for affirmative action to continue or many minorities will be at a disadvantage. Minorities have fought for equal rights and don’t have equal rights in our country today.)   Your Prayer Team in Washington   Representatives of your Presidential Prayer Team were in our nation’s capital last week, greeting old friends and making new ones. As part of their visits, they spent time with Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia, the Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. He was presented with a copy of the “Prayer Over the White House” print that also acknowledged your prayers during the team’s BOLD initiative over the last six months.

 

President Obama met with health insurance executives and asked them to reinstate millions of Americans’ health insurance cancelled due to nonconformity with ObamaCare, but offered no federal “bail-out” for costs incurred. President Obama pleaded with senators to hold off imposing new sanctions on Iran, asking them to allow the Administration more time to strike a diplomatic deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Pray for wisdom for President Obama and his advisors as they deal with domestic and foreign issues.

 

Representative Trey Radel (Florida) pled guilty to possession of cocaine in a DC Superior Court. He was placed on one year of supervised probation and will be in a residence rehabilitation program in Florida during that time. Senator Tom Udall (New Mexico) is backing legislation to improve America’s ability to help prevent storm water pollution by restoring natural surfaces such as permeable pavement, green roofs and natural drainage. Pray for our Senators and Representatives to have wisdom in their personal and political decision-making.

 

A federal judge has refused Attorney General Eric Holder’s request that he be allowed to proceed with an appeal in a case where the House is seeking to enforce subpoenas for documents in Operation Fast and Furious. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a widespread National Security Agency surveillance program, suggesting the action must first be brought to lower courts, and to be sure the challenging group has standing. Pray for America’s judges as they consider matters involving the people versus the government.

 

THE WARS U.S. and Afghan officials have reportedly reached an agreement on a critical security pact, in which President Obama will write a letter to the Afghan people acknowledging mistakes made in the “war on terror” in their country. Afghan and U.S. military commanders are bracing for a violent winter, saying they don’t expect the usual seasonal lull when the Taliban slow down attacks, pull back fighters, and go home for a respite and recuperation. Pray about the situation in Afghanistan and for the safety of the remaining American troops during the draw-down. TERRORISM Americans’ philanthropic interest in the Philippines is flagging rapidly as Americans worry about escalating costs of health care and uncertainty about taxes in the new year, while the U.S. military continues its wide assistance levels. The Pentagon is planning to train 5,000 to 8,000 Libyan soldiers in a continuing effort to improve security in North Africa. Training will include basic, general purpose skills. An agreement with Tripoli is still being worked out. Pray about the efforts of the U.S. military, whether in relief work or in training foreign fighting forces. THE ECONOMY The price of goods and consumer services fell by 0.1 percent in October, driven by a 2.9 percent drop in the cost of gasoline, showing inflation to be at its lowest level since 2009, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Next year, federal tax revenues will exceed $3 trillion for the first time in U.S. history, as top tax rates increase, there are no more payroll tax cuts, deduction limitations kick in, and taxes on capital gains “head north.” Pray about the still sluggish American economy and the impact of taxes on family budgets in the coming year. ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST U.S., Greek, Polish, and Italian air forces will participate with an Israeli Air Force combat exercise later this month in the largest international air drill ever held in Israel. Turkey is not participating because of deteriorating relations. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini said his country would never step back from its nuclear rights and that “the Israeli regime is doomed to failure and annihilation,” and “cannot be called humans.” Pray about the inflammatory rhetoric used by Iran’s leaders when speaking of Israel and the United States. HEALTH CARE Global spending on pharmaceuticals is expected to pass $1 trillion for the first time next year. The U.S. leads the world in per-capita spending on pharmaceutical drugs, but China, France, Great Britain and Japan are catching up. The ObamaCare program is facing a problem with the “keep your doctor” promise as major insurance companies are dramatically reducing covered doctors, medical facilities and after-care treatment. Pray about the yet-to-be-discovered unintended consequences of a law as large as the Affordable Care Act.

 

Godless Greek Tragedy   Will the Supreme Court eliminate public prayer? by Jim Ray In the ancient City of Athens, it was often said, there were more gods than men. The Apostle Paul certainly noticed this in his travels to Greece. While waiting there for Silas and Timothy to join him in his missionary work, Scripture says, Paul’s “spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” (Acts 17:16) It’s not just the nation of Greece that has too many gods, but the Town of Greece also … at least according to certain residents of the little-known New York burg. Earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments from lawyers representing two people—a Jew and an atheist—who filed a lawsuit because they were deeply disturbed that the town council opened its monthly business meetings with prayer. The complainants said the prayers created an atmosphere which left them feeling like second-class citizens. It was a surprise to many that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Now, what will they do with it? To be clear, the prayers offered in the town council meetings are hardly exclusively Christian offerings. The Town of Greece allows any resident to offer an invocation to “solemnize the proceedings” irrespective of their faith tradition. Past participants have included Jews, Mormons, a Vietnamese Buddhist association, an individual whose church was listed as “Cherokee Indian,” Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a Wiccan High Priest. Not good enough, said the complainants. Since the majority of the prayers were Christian, they claimed the practice violates the “Establishment Clause” of the First Amendment, which prohibits the establishment of a national religion or church by Congress.

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