Prayer for our Nation, its Leaders and Topics of Concern for 11/1/13 to 11/7/13

Notice:  New Prayer Post will be available on Fridays of each week, God willing.

Group Dynamics Affinity groups are frequently small clusters of people who engage in a common activity. Working alone can be a daunting task in which you could feel somewhat powerless. But when you put your activities together with those of others who are like-minded, strength is consolidated and multiplied exponentially. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Colossians 1:3 Paul knew this. On his missionary  journeys,  he watched people band  together in the cause  of Christ and His Kingdom, amplifying their purpose and expanding his efforts. It’s no wonder, then, that when he wrote to them, he gave thanks  for them.   And he always prayed for them. Perhaps you are part of a small prayer cell at church or are in a community Bible study. You have experienced exponential results in working and serving together, and have seen an increase in the power of prayer by being united as you call upon the Lord. In this month of Thanksgiving, give your gratitude to God for them, and for America where you can still gather. Then today as you pray, whether by yourself or in the company of others, intercede for the nation’s leaders to grasp both the significance and importance of public and private prayer. Recommended Reading: Colossians 1:3-14

 

The Davion Effect   Raising Christians’ responsibility for adoption by Holly L. Meade Every year approximately 800,000 children become a part of the foster care system. According to the Administration of Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 20,000 children each year never leave the system, but remain in foster care until they “age out” and are no longer eligible for adoption. Currently, there are over 100,000 children ranging from infants to age 21 waiting to be adopted. Most people probably have never been aware of this epidemic…that is... until recently. Davion Only has lived in foster care his entire life. His mother was in jail when he was born. She died earlier this year and Davion lives at the Eckerd’s Carlton Manor residential group home with 12 other boys in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, the 15 year-old Davion made headlines when he recently stood before the entire 300-plus congregation of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church and begged for a family to adopt him. “I’ll take anyone,” Davion said. “Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be…I know God hasn’t given up on me. So I’m not giving up either.”   James B. Comey, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation President Barack Obama on Monday paid tribute to James Comey at his installation ceremony as the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Senate voted to confirm Comey on July 28. Among the issues the new Director must face are serious reductions in the work of the bureau because of a lack of funding.   Peter T. King, United States Representative for New York “We’re not doing this for the fun of it,” New York Representative Pete King said Sunday, responding to a report from Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine that the NSA began tapping Merkel’s cellphone in 2002. “This is to gather valuable intelligence, which helps not just us, but also helps the Europeans.”   Andrew Marshall, Director of Department of Defense Office of Net Assessment Since the Nixon Administration, the Pentagon’s secretive and obliquely named internal think tank, the Office of Net Assessment, has contemplated military strategy decades into the future under the leadership of Andrew Marshall, often referred to by the nickname “Yoda.”   Judge Dolores Sloviter, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Delaware’s legal industry suffered a blow when a federal court found the state violated the U.S. Constitution with its novel system of allowing judges to arbitrate private business disputes, which critics called secret trials.   Cavalry Rides To The Rescue   Suit for military religious freedom succeeds by Dr. Tom Askew In a delayed display of justice, the Department of Justice reversed a policy which forbade contracted priests from performing religious services on military posts during the recent government shut down. In order to appreciate how this decision for religious freedom came about, consider the players in the drama: the Executive Branch, Congress, mid-level policy wonks, unpaid volunteers, and religious freedom watchdogs. First, the buffoons and the belligerent As everyone knows, the “shutdown” was a token response to the chess match between the Executive Branch and the Congress, a power game over federal spending. When one side would not agree to fund the other side’s programs, the other side took the ball and went home, shutting down the game altogether. Anyone who has been on a playground knows this means that everybody loses. Unfortunately, some of the “tokens” chosen for shutdowns revealed administrative biases concerning what is “non-essential.” One controversial decision was that of not renewing a general services contract which pays civilian priests to compensate for the shortage of Catholic chaplains in the armed forces. While many other services (catering, maintenance, etc.) are outsourced to civilian contractors on military bases, this function was singled out, a direct challenge to religious liberty.   Christian Duty To Country   Examining Norman Geisler’s take on faith in politics by Nikolas Grosfield Samuel Adams was one of America’s best-known Founding Fathers. He helped incite the Boston Tea Party in 1773. He was just a few miles away from “the shot heard ‘round the world” in 1775. He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. And, in 1788, he helped Massachusetts ratify the new U.S. Constitution. Samuel Adams was also a Puritan. Like many Founding Fathers, no matter their religious beliefs, he felt that “while the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” Perhaps this sounds like the fall of the Roman Empire or maybe it echoes prophetically with some problems in America today. Either way, well-known Christian author, professor, and speaker Dr. Norman Geisler noted a few weeks ago that “all” Founding Fathers “showed an inseparable unity between integrity and liberty, between virtue and our freedoms.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she is responsible for technical problems in the ObamaCare rollout while deflecting charges that the Administration misled Americans about keeping their plans. James R. Clapper, Jr., Director of National Intelligence, said the White House had long been aware in general terms of the National Security Agency’s overseas eavesdropping, stoutly defending NSA methods and practices. Pray about the issues conflicting President Obama and his Cabinet and advisors on foreign and domestic policies.

 

An influential group of Senators sent a strongly worded letter to President Obama warning of Iraqi President Malaki’s “mismanagement” of Iraqi policies in advance of the Obama-Malaki meeting scheduled for Friday. The leaders of the new House-Senate Budget Conference Committee immediately clashed over taxes at their first meeting Wednesday. At issue are budget cuts, increasing taxes, tax reform and closing loopholes. Pray for a true bipartisan approach to solving the nation’s budgetary and debt problems before the end of the year.

 

New abortion restrictions passed by the Texas Legislature are unconstitutional and will not take effect this week, District Court Judge Lee Merkel ruled, saying the law violates the rights of doctors to do what they think best. The battle between two teen girls and their Pennsylvania school over faddish bracelets that promote breast cancer awareness seems to be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. An appeals court said the bracelets are not lewd. Pray for America’s judges whose decisions have far-reaching implications beyond the cases they hear.

 

THE WARS A senior American military officer warned that insurgent groups are expected to carry out an unusually aggressive campaign of violence in Afghanistan this winter causing disruption to coming political elections and U.S. withdrawal. About 40,000 containers and 30,000 vehicles have been shipped back from Afghanistan in 2013, but a strategic transportation planner said the system has not yet been “taxed” to its fullest potential Pray for God’s protection over the men and women in America’s military continuing their service in Afghanistan. TERRORISM International powers are unlikely to meet their goal of convening peace talks on Syria in Geneva next month as differences emerge between Washington and Moscow over who should represent the Syrian opposition. The UN nuclear watchdog said Iran held “very productive” talks this week on how to advance a long-blocked investigation into Iranian atomic activities, even though Iran continues its foot-dragging about inspections. Pray for the negotiators who seek to find conciliation with Iran and in both sides of the Syrian civil war. THE ECONOMY Each U.S. taxpayer now has a federal debt liability of $1.1 million, and rising. The total national debt just passed the $17 trillion mark – up from $10.6 trillion in five years. With unfunded liabilities, the total is $126 trillion. Confidence by U.S. consumers declined in October by the most since August 2011, while Main Street and Wall Street view the economy differently as stocks continue to soar, closing at record highs. Pray for truth-telling from the government and others about the real nature of the American economy. ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST Israel announced new construction in East Jerusalem – an area the Palestinians want for their future state – just hours after it freed a group of Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal to set peace talks in motion. Palestinian Authority President Abbas has reportedly softened his opposition to an interim peace agreement that could create a framework for two states, but border locations and Jerusalem sovereignty remain sticking points. Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas as they seek to clear the long-held impasse. HEALTH CARE A recent survey of U.S. physicians reports that 57 percent view the Affordable Care Act as a threat to their practice, and six out of ten say they will seek early retirement, setting up potentially widespread shortages of doctors and nurses. Sources deeply involved in ObamaCare say 50 to 75 percent of the 14 million Americans who buy their insurance individually can expect a cancellation or its equivalent over the next year as coverage falls short of law requirements. Pray about the unanticipated results of the implementation of ObamaCare about doctors and consumers alike.

 

We praise God for Christians taking a stand for their rights!

 

Faith and Bibles at Public School   Many Americans may think the U. S. Supreme Court threw prayer and the Bible out of public schools in the 1960s. But don’t tell the kids of Redbank Valley High School. Each Monday in the middle of the school day, more than half of the school’s 600 students head to Bible Club, making it the largest of its kind in the world. These kids carry their Bibles in the hallways, openly share the Gospel, and showing themselves to be an inspiration for kids around America and beyond.

 

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;

 

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