Family Research Council

Prayer Targets: Shooting, Graham's Final Call, iPledge Sunday, Values Voter Summit; Election Prayer


August 16, 2012

Dear Praying Friends,

Rev. Billy Graham will turn 94 on November 7th, one day after Election Day. Though age has affected his health, mobility, eyesight and hearing, the world's best known evangelist believes God plans to let him live another year and to let him see his ministry launch its most aggressive evangelistic effort to date, the week of his 95th birthday, 2013. Two Graham Blogs tell the story. In "My Heart Aches for America," Graham writes:

My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance.

Some years ago, my [late] wife, Ruth, was reading... When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation's moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me... "If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah"...

"Now this was the sin of...Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen" (Eze 16:49-50).

In the years since [Ruth] made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.

Just a few weeks ago in a prominent city... Christian chaplains who serve the police department were ordered to no longer mention the Name of Jesus in prayer... [D]uring a recent police-sponsored event, the only person allowed to pray...addressed "the being in the room." Similar scenarios are now commonplace... Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone-except God.

Yet the farther we get from God, the more the world spirals out of control.

My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance. In Jonah's day, Nineveh was the lone world superpower-wealthy, unconcerned, and self-centered. When the Prophet Jonah finally traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed God's warning, people heard and repented.

I believe the same thing can happen once again, this time in our nation...

The second blog,"Billy Graham's Final Call to America," explains Graham's powerful, hopeful plan: 1) It projects life beyond the Election and 2) it offers hope for America that transcends politics. If it succeeds it will impact every sphere of American culture, including government and public policy, for years to come. We must pray and work until November to elect candidates who best meet God's requirements for civil leadership (Ex 18:21), and we must support plans like Dr. Graham's. Jesus is America's hope!

iPledge Sunday - Sunday evening, September 9th, Family Research Council, American Family Association and Churches across America will host a live 90-minute "Simulcast" to inform, equip, and challenge believers to exercise their liberty as citizens to advance faith, family and freedom in their own communities regarding the upcoming elections. Participants are urged to take the "iPledge" and: 1) Pray for the nation and the November Elections; 2) Prepare by registering and encouraging two (2) others to vote; and 3) Participate by voting for candidates who will uphold the Constitution and biblical values (see ipledgesunday.org)

Values Voter Summit 2012 - In 2011, thousands of believers and hundreds of news media gathered in Washington DC for what both friends and foes consider the leading Conservative Christian gathering of its kind in America. FRC and our great partners: American Values, The Heritage Foundation, Liberty University, Liberty Counsel, Young America's Foundation, FRCAction, AFA Action and other outstanding Christian and conservative leaders, are laboring to make VVS an informative and inspiring event to equip grassroots leaders and activists to impact what is widely considered the most important election of our lifetime. One secret that contributes to the power of this event is the prayer that goes into its preparation and execution. I urge you to come, and visit us in the prayer room where intercessors will be keeping the prayer fires burning throughout the event. If you cannot, please watch the event and pray from your home (VVS has been Webcast in past years and C-Span has broadcast parts of the event). Visit the VVS Website; watch the video. Please pray that VVS will be what it is designed to be, nation-changing! (Register, Churches, Speakers, Schedule, Sponsors, Exhibitors)

  • Please pray that word of iPledge Sunday and VVS will spread rapidly. May God help those who participate to help fellow Americans be motivated and guided by Scripture, prayer, common sense and good conscience to vote aright, and to elect god-fearing men and women to every level of Government! May God give Americans discernment to distinguish between lies and truth amid the hype, confusion, misinformation and disinformation in this political period. May the prayer and action efforts listed below all be blessed of God! May sufficient repentance be found in the Land that we might find God's mercy (Lev 19:35-36; Dt 10:11; 2 Chr 7:14; Pr 11:1; Mt 10:16; Is 1:16-20; Eph 5:6-16; 1 Tim 3:16 ff).

Election Prayer & Action Initiatives - Here are a few of the many extraordinary prayer and action initiatives that will be underway between now and November. Please find out where you fit, and partner with one or more of these efforts

Finally, you may know that last Wednesday a lone intruder entered FRC headquarters in Washington, DC, and shot Leo Johnson, who serves as our Facilities Manager. Leo, wounded, subdued the man and prevented him from harming anyone else. Others helped Leo secure the intruder until the police and FBI arrived. Leo underwent surgery and is expected to recover and resume his work at FRC. No one knows how many lives Leo saved last Wednesday. The rest of us, though shaken, are okay. The DC Police, the FBI and the FRC staff all see Leo as a true hero. Things could have turned out much differently (see Story). Thank you for your prayers and expressions of concern. We'll let you know more as the investigation unfolds. As always, thank you for praying!

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