Displaying items by tag: USA

In this fallen world people in positions of authority break laws. The following are corruption instances in a three week period. Four Baltimore police detectives distributed heroin. A congressional staffer organised fraudulent money laundering schemes. A deputy secretary of state committed perjury. A Detroit deputy chief of police committed bribery and conspiracy. A Navy comptroller accepted illegal gratuities. A state judge dismissed cases in exchange for personal benefits. A Philadelphia judge and a witness made false statements to the federal election commission. Audio evidence in a federal investigation was tampered with for financial gain. A construction company paid $1 million in bribes for Atlanta contracts. A Drug Enforcement Administration special agent obstructed justice, committed perjury and other crimes; a former Task Force officer was also charged. A Pine Bluff man stole $1 million intended to feed hungry children. A Vigo County sheriff’s deputy committed fraud. Corruption damages the economy, reputations of businesses and of those fighting for justice.

The BBC’s America First series reported on Angel, who was 13 when her mother forced her to marry and start a family. ‘I felt like a slave,’ she says of her childhood. Zimbabwe, Malawi and El Salvador have recently banned child marriage, but it remains legal in the USA - and half of states have no set minimum age below which you cannot get married. Recently the Independent reported that in the last fifteen years, more than 200,000 children were married in the USA. The minimum age for marriage is usually 18, but there are exemptions - such as parental consent or pregnancy - which allow younger children, sometimes as young as ten, to tie the knot. See

Awaken the Dawn was a weekend of worship in the National Mall, a vast area of parkland between Capitol Hill and the Lincoln Memorial. Christians from every state and region had a tent on the Mall for the event, each one offering praise and adoration 24/7 all weekend. They desired to bless God and call His presence down on America. ‘It’s all about King Jesus,’ said one participant. ‘We’re lifting His name up. The Bible says, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me”. We want to see a Great Awakening.’ Another worshipper said, ‘Just as you have congressmen and senators representing every state in politics, here every state in the union is represented by Holy Ghost Christian people of all races and colours. We are here to worship the King of Kings 24/7.’

Massive wildfires in California have killed 31 people, and damaged thousands of homes and businesses. 8,000 firefighters, supported by 124 aircraft, are battling 22 wildfires, intensified by strong winds, in areas declared to be in a state of emergency. Flames have charred 170,000+ acres and damaged or destroyed 3,500+ structures, forcing the evacuation of 25,000 residents. Pray for comfort for those who have lost loved ones, and for the healing of hundreds being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. Ask God to strengthen those who have lost everything, and pray for the hundreds of missing people to be found alive and safe. Remember police as they strive to prevent looting, and for hospitals and homes without electricity. One sheriff said the wildfires are ‘one of the worst natural disasters in California’s history.’

The USA and the world are still reeling from the horrific shooting that killed 59 people and wounded over 500 more on 1 October in Las Vegas. While we are all still grappling with this senseless act of violence and ‘pure evil,’ as President Trump termed it, there are also stories of courage and heroism which showcase the best aspects of the human spirit. Many people acted selflessly during the shooting. One couple attending the concert fled from the scene in their pickup truck, but returned to help transport the wounded to hospitals. Another story emerged of a husband who gave his life for his wife by shielding her with his body as bullets rained down on the crowd. Two friends at the concert heard the shots and hid under some tables, then a complete stranger came and shielded them.

Turkey’s president has now confirmed publicly that an American pastor jailed for the past twelve months is being held as a political hostage. In a speech at his presidential palace, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan openly called on the United States to exchange pastor Andrew Brunson for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish citizen living in exile in the US since 1999 who is accused of masterminding last year’s failed coup via his international network of followers.

Taylor was attending the concert at the Mandalay Bay casino when a gunman killed 59 and wounded 527. He said that prior to the shooting he was an agnostic but, ‘In a fight or flight situation you just take it to God and hope that you can make it,’ In the midst of tragedy and fear, not knowing where to flee to, with bodies everywhere, his faith was renewed. The National Day of Prayer president said, ‘The massacre has more to do with the fallenness of mankind than where God is. God is with the people of Las Vegas. He is with everyone who has suffered. We must trust Him, even when we see things like this occur and we have no idea why someone would do it. We are living in days like none before and being called back to God through every terrible event we are observing around the world. The Church must call out to God together.’ See

In the South, the rifle-bearing eagle insignia of the National Rifle Association is seen everywhere, and support of the Second Amendment is as common a topic in country music as sweet tea and tailgates. The bond between the NRA and country music spurred the formation of an entire branch of the gun lobbying group, prompting a series of concerts and events sponsored by the organisation and headlined by country stars to bring the two entities together formally . But the Las Vegas mass shooting at a country music festival has rocked some of the most ardent supporters of gun rights. Country guitarist Caleb Keeter, who performed at the festival, wrote on Twitter, ‘I've been a proponent of the Second Amendment my entire life, until the events of last night. Now I cannot express how wrong I was.’

We are based out of Atlanta, and have a mission to equip families to pray together in the home. Most of our ministry to date has been in Latin America and the Middle East. We are beginning to make stronger connections in the USA, and are hoping to forge relationships with others to see the Lord raise up children who believe it's normal to have an ongoing conversation with the Lord through prayer each and every day.

Our next large initiative is a partnership with the India Gospel League in 2018. We will be training 250 leaders within their network who oversee 400,000 children. We would certainly like prayer coverage for these children, leaders, and all the families represented!

Here is a video that explains a little more about SureFire Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=FDatx_K3ha0

Paige M. Kolb - President, SureFire Prayer International

www.SureFirePrayer.org | "Healthy Families Make for Healthy Churches"

Thank you for your willingness to pray for this unprecedented moment. It is our longing to meet face-to-face with Him on the National Mall. This is America’s Tent of Meetings.

It is our conviction that we must pray like never before as we approach this holy moment before Him. We do not want to show up empty handed. Rather we pray for grace to mobilize a prayer movement now to cover this gathering. What is prayed in secret today before the Father will be seen by all on the National Mall come October.

We want to invite you to pray into these seven themes for Awaken the Dawn.

TENT OF MEETINGS

The Tent of Meetings represent the raw, unfiltered presence of God, unrestrained by cultural norms—extending an invitation to weak men and women to cry out to meet with Him, face-to-face. This is the cry that must arise from the generations as we tabernacle together on the National Mall: We want to meet with you face-to-face!

PRAY: John 1:14 declares that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”—we want Jesus to tabernacle among us on the National Mall in His full splendor.

PROCESSION

The “procession of my God, my King” (Psalms 68:24) is a procession of musicians, singers, worship leaders, evangelists and simply laid down lovers of Jesus from all 50 states converging on the National Mall for America’s Tent of Meetings. Each person in this procession is bringing an offering before the Lord—their very own lives as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) unto the Lord. It will be a procession for the ages: men and women; young and old;

PRAY: Singers, musicians, and worship leaders will respond to this unprecedented call of God to tabernacle before the Lord as they represent their state on the National Mall, and for thousands of praying women to gather at The Call on October 9th.

BEAUTY OF JESUS

In the midst of crying out to meet with Him face-to-face is the need to encounter Him afresh. This is nothing short of the beauty of Jesus unveiled to the human heart. The revelation of the beauty of Jesus causes the human heart to surrender all to His worthiness.

PRAY: The Spirit of wisdom and revelation will unveil the beauty of Jesus to the hearts of this generation.

WORTH OF JESUS

We are going to gather around the indescribable worth of Jesus. The only thing that is adequate to fully communicate His worth is the full surrender of the human heart to Him.

It is our longing to summon a generation to the National Mall to express even out of our weakness the worth that is ascribed to Him—and Him alone!

PRAY: Revelation of His worth—the inexpressible glory of the God-Man, Christ Jesus would be multiplied within the hearts of all.

SACRIFICIAL LOVE

The worth of Jesus compels us out of love to surrender all. Surrender involves sacrifice.

A broken woman broke her alabaster jar containing expensive ointment to anoint Jesus’s feet—this was a love motivated sacrifice. Love sees no sacrifice too great for the One who sacrificed all for us.

PRAY: One aspect of sacrificial love that we must humbly share is the need for financial provision to pull off a gathering of this magnitude. Please pray for surrendered hearts to lavish sacrifices of love at the feet of Jesus.

NEW JESUS MOVEMENT

Jesus responded to the countercultural revolution of the sixties with his own revolution:

The Jesus Movement. This unprecedented move of God galvanized a disillusioned generation into the heartbeat of God. Today we are contending for the unveiling of the beauty of Jesus coupled with the demonstration of signs and wonders to awaken a generation unto the worth of Jesus. There is no backup plan. Only one antidote in this hour will work: the worth of Jesus burning in the heart of the Millennial Generation.

PRAY: Cry out to the Father for a new Jesus Movement to apprehend and capture the heart of the Millennial Generation. Declare Acts 4:30 over this generation: “Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

MISSIONS MOVEMENT

Missions movements historically follow a genuine move of the Spirit as sons and daughters surrender their lives to make Christ known to the ends of the earth. Many in this hour are praying Matthew 9:38—“therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

PRAY: To the Lord of the harvest to send forth—ekballo—laborers into his harvest fields.

Organizers of the Awaken the Dawn  http://www.awakenthedawn.org

Pray for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on each of the 50 plus prayer and worship tents representing all 50 states of the USA. May this lead to a Third Great Awakening that with the revival and transformation of American society and government that so many have been seeking God for!