Prayer Targets: Graham; Pro-Life March, Majority; Court & Marriage; Planned Parenthood, Hobby Lobby
January 10, 2013
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Dear Praying Friends
Franklin Graham III, son of Evangelist, Dr. Billy Graham, is President of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan's Purse. Franklin is also a leader in the moral, social and political spheres of our nation. With his dad, Franklin called Christians to support candidates in November who "base their decisions on biblical principles... support the nation of Israel... protect the sanctity of life... support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman." Franklinhas spoken candidly about Islam. In a letter "Calling America back from the edge of a spiritual and moral cliff," he writes:
Our country's financial problems... are nothing compared to the spiritual and moral cliff... Since the recent election, we've seen same-sex couples lining up at courthouses in several states to receive their marriage licenses, and hundreds of people gathering in public places to light up marijuana cigarettes in the states where it has just been decriminalized...
The moral decline we see on television... blatant immorality, senseless violence, media-friendly gay and lesbian behavior-is just a reflection of the moral corruption that has infected our entire nation. The Bible says, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Ps 11:3).
Manasseh was the wickedest king to rule over Judah... the land had been defiled with innocent blood. He led Judah into witchcraft, sorcery, and the worship of false gods...
Josiah, Manasseh's grandson, became king at age 8. Ten years [later they found] the book of the law... lost and neglected for a number of years...[Josiah] tore his clothes and said, "Great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us...(2 Kings 22:13). When the Word of God was read aloud to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, it pierced their souls and the stage was set for national repentance. Idols were smashed, spiritists and mediums forcibly removed, and the worship of the one true God reinstated. Once again, righteousness ruled...
[We] have neglected-even rejected-the Word of God and His commands. Yet the Scriptures are mighty, able to penetrate even the most hardened and darkened hearts with convicting, life-giving power. They are God-breathed, and any new season of repentance and revival in America can only come through a renewed focus on the great truths of God's Word.
[The] Lord used an 18-year-old king to begin revival in a corrupt nation more than 1,500 years ago. He can use us as we earnestly seek Him, stand for His truths, and pray for America. This is the only cure for a sin-sickened country that is about to slip into a moral abyss, and it is why we must proclaim the Good News.
My hope and prayer is that the Lord will once again move in our land. It can happen. Only the Lord Jesus Christ knows what lies ahead of us in the coming year, but I do know that He promises to be with us every step of the way, "even to the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). (See Graham Letter, My Hope with Billy Graham)
In 2013, we who believe must be salt, standing and proclaiming God's truth as it pertains to our culture; and light, holding forth the wondrous gospel to our unsaved countrymen.
Supreme Court to Consider Same-Sex Marriage - On Tuesday, March 26th, the Court will hear oral arguments over the constitutionality of California's Marriage Amendment (Proposition 8). On Wednesday, March 27th, it will hear arguments on the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as between a man and woman and protects states from being forced to recognize same-sex "marriages" performed elsewhere. No society has survived long after defying the natural and biblical order regarding homosexuality as America has done. A wrong decision on either of these cases would be disastrous for America (see Two Days in March).
- Pray for the Court often, each member, especially Justice Anthony Kennedy, who voted to declare sodomy a constitutional right in 2003, and who may be the deciding vote in these cases. May God intervene now to prevent the destruction of marriage in our nation and with it, our nation's future (Dt 25:1; 2 Sam 23:3; Pr 21:1; 29:2; Jn 7:24; 1 Tim 2:1-2).
Pro-Life Month - January 22, 2013 will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled abortion a constitutional right, overturning abortion restrictions in all 50 states. Pro-life organizations are working overtime to magnify life and the horror of the abortion holocaust. Since 1973, legalized abortion has led to the deliberate murder of 57 million unborn babies in America alone (see ProLifeCon; FRC welcomes our friends for warmth and refreshments during the March for Life).
- May God advance the pro-life cause dramatically in 2013, using all who have dedicated their lives to defending the most vulnerable, the unborn (1 Cor 15:58; Gal 6:9; Col 3:23-24)
March for Life - This year's march will be Friday, January 25th to avoid conflict with inaugural events. Over 400,000 participated in the 2011 March to protest the reckless Roe ruling which has produced a culture of death in America (see March).
- May this year's March be the most fruitful yet! May the national media give this event the coverage it should get, something it has not done in 40 years! (Ps 89:17, 24; 132:15; Mt 10:27)
America's Pro-Life Majority - Abortion is still practiced in our nation, but it is in decline: 83% of Americans want to see restrictions on the practice and a majority identify themselves to be pro-life. President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Kathleen Sebelius and others through intrigue, deceit and force have foisted taxpayer-funded abortion upon Americans via Obamacare, pumping new life into the abortion industry. But momentum in the debate has otherwise been on the side of Life.
The cover story in Time Magazine's current issue (Jan. 14) features the fight for "abortion rights." Kate Pickert writes, "In January 1973, the Supreme Court made access to abortion a federally protected right... that seemingly decisive victory 40 years ago kicked off a war that the pro-choice movement has been losing ever since." In 2012, 92 abortion-restricting laws were passed in the states, and 4 states have just one surgical abortion clinic (AK, ND, MI, and SD). This week the liberal New York Times angered some readers with its candid story about the growth and influence of the pro-life crisis pregnancy center movement which "now number about 2,500, compared with about 1,800 abortion providers."
- May we persevere in prayer, and may God and the pro-life majority, "the people," stop the scourge of abortion - soon! (Ps 110:3; Is 1:16-20; Acts 2:36-40; Lk 18:1-8)
Planned Parenthood - Of the "services" Planned Parenthood provided pregnant women in 2011, 91% was abortion. The group's most recent report (fiscal 2011-2012), showed: 1) $542 million, or 45% of the group's total income, came from government funding, 2) while the number of abortions performed in America is declining, Planned Parenthood performed a record 333,964 abortions in 2011, and nearly 1 million during its last 3 reporting years, 3) the group's much ballyhooed contraceptive services have dropped by 12% since 2009 and cancer screening & prevention services by 29%. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) has reintroduced the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, first introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) to prevent federal funds from going to organizations that perform abortion (see Record High, X Factor, What Everyone Should Know about Planned Parenthood).
- May Congress outlaw any further taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and may the evil and sin with which this organization has infected America come to an end! (Dt 19:13; 2 Kgs 21:16; 24:2-4; Jer 6:12-13; Rom 13:9; Is 1:18)
Finally, I've written about David Green and Hobby Lobby, and their principled, courageous stand, suffering fines of $1.3 million for each day they refuse to submit to the Obama/HHS abortifacient mandate. Please watch our brief video and join with us to Stand with Hobby Lobby. Thank you for praying!