August 2013 prayer guide for Aprayed4city

August 2013 Prayer Guide

““Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  Matthew 25:34-40

The United States determines the official poverty rate using poverty thresholds that are issued each year by the Census Bureau.  The thresholds represent the annual amount of cash income minimally required to support families of various sizes.  A family is counted as poor if its pretax money income is below its poverty threshold. www.npc.umich.edu/poverty

This month AP4C is highlighting poverty.  It is our intention for believers from all ethnic, socio-economic and denominational backgrounds to unite in prayer and use this guide as a catalyst for our on-going prayer and the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. 

Let these Scriptures and your time with God renew your heart for our Metroplex.  Please prepare your heart before you begin to pray through the AP4C   categories. 

Salvation

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

“This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for My  salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.”  Isaiah 56:1

· Pray for the Lord’s presence to surround individuals living in poverty and for their hearts to be open to respond to Him and His salvation.

· Pray that by helping and ministering to the poor, the Church will demonstrate God’s love for them in such a way that people will respond to the Gospel.

· Continue to pray for the salvation of individuals within your sphere of influence.

· Pray for the Lord to use this prayer guide to bring salvation to the city.

Discipleship

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”  Proverbs 14:31

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear  children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”   1 John 3:17-18

· Pray for God to move His people to become acquainted with what breaks His heart and to give us a God-centered perspective of the injustices that we have allowed to be “socially acceptable,” both within and outside of the Church’s walls.

· Ask the Lord to empower the Church and to give us opportunities to reach the lost, outcast and forgotten.

· Pray for the Church to be good stewards of the resources we have been entrusted with and to use them for Kingdom advancement among the poor, answering the call to extend ourselves and our resources according to the Spirit’s leading.

· Pray for the love of the Lord to be exhibited through believers as they volunteer and advocate for the poor. 

Community

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.  Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’—when you already have it with you.”  Proverbs 3:27-28

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:28

· Ask God to open doors for those looking for work—doors that will lead to financial and food security.

· Pray that the veil will be removed from the hearts of people who have the working poor employed in their home or at their place of business—that wages will be fair, even generous.

· Pray for the people who are experiencing medical problems due to living in poverty.  Ask the Lord to provide the care they need and to restore their health.

· Pray that as believers in our community we will set Kingdom priorities.

· Pray that believers will be united across all socioeconomic boundaries, displaying the kind of community that reflects our shared life in Christ.

Transformation

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  Proverbs 31:8-9

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  Jeremiah 29:7

· Pray for God’s Spirit to work in the hearts of elected officials about the impact of poverty in their community, causing them to identify and advance policy solutions to resolve this injustice.

· Pray for all sectors of society to be a voice for those that don’t have a voice.

· Pray that individuals in situational poverty (job loss, illness, death of a family member, divorce, incarceration) will receive economic opportunities to move out of poverty.

· Pray that God will build relationships/partnerships across the public and private sectors to fight poverty.

The State of Poverty

Misconceptions About Domestic Poverty www.worldvisionusprograms.org/us_poverty_myths

Myth: No one goes hungry in America.

The Reality: One in six Americans lives in a household that is "food insecure," meaning that in any given month, they will be out of money, out of food, and forced to miss meals or seek assistance to feed themselves. Nationally, more than 50 million Americans were food insecure in 2011—a 39 percent increase from 2007. Among the hungry are nearly 17 million children. (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 2012)

Myth: Poverty has little lasting impact on children.

The Reality: Research is clear that poverty is the single greatest threat to children's well-being. Poverty can impede children's ability to learn and contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Poverty also can contribute to poor physical and mental health. Risks are greatest for children who experience poverty when they are young and/or experience deep and persistent poverty. (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2012)

Myth: Few U.S. children are homeless

The Reality: More than 1.6 million of the nation's children go to sleep without a home each year. Homeless children experience a lack of safety, comfort, privacy, reassuring routines, adequate health care, uninterrupted schooling, sustaining relationships, and a sense of community. These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars. (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2012)

Myth: People who are poor are lazy.

Fact: More than 10.5 million people in poverty formed the “working poor” in the U.S. in 2010, meaning they were in the labor force for at least 27 weeks. (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012)

Myth: Those living in poverty just want to stay there.

Fact: Millions of Americans move in and out of poverty over a lifetime. More than half the U.S. population will live in poverty at some point before age 65. (Urban Institute, 2010)

Poverty in America

The Census Bureau reports that 46.2 million people were living in poverty in the United States in 2011 -- the largest number of persons counted as poor in the 53 years of poverty measurements.

The Census defines people in deep poverty when they make 50% below the poverty line; Census figures show that, in 2011, 6.6 percent of all people, or 20.4 million people, lived in deep poverty. www.nclej.org/poverty-in-the-us.php

Poverty  in our Community

A study presented at the Communities Foundation of Texas reported that 39% of the people in Dallas would be at the poverty line in three months if they lost their job.  www.nbcdfw.com/news/local

The poor population in DFW suburbs has risen 111% since 2000. http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/20/4871483/poor-population-in-dfw-suburbs

Thank you for praying, Valley Ranch participants!  i am having a few challenges with the blogspot parameters.  Hopefully i will get the bugs worked out by next month.-Pam Woller

 

APRAYED4CITY JULY 2013 PRAYER GUIDE

Thank you for joining with us to pray for the Dallas Metroplex today, July 7 and throughout the month of July.  

JULY 2013 PRAYER GUIDE

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”  Proverbs 4:13

According to the 2013 Kids Count study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Texas ranks 30th among U.S. states for economic well-being, 36th in child healthcare, 48th in families and communities and

31st in education.

“Children aren’t faring very well in our community and across Texas.  What we see is kids are really suffering before they really get their shot at life,” “This is something that collectively we all should be concerned about.  Children of all circumstances make up our future.”

Daphne Barlow Stigliano,

President of the Boys & Girls Clubs

of Greater Fort Worth

This month AP4C is highlighting education.  It is our intention for believers from all ethnic, socio-economic and denominational backgrounds to unite in prayer and use this guide as a catalyst for our on-going prayer and the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. 

Let these Scriptures and your time with God renew your heart for our Metroplex.  Please prepare your heart before you begin to pray through the AP4C   categories. 

SALVATION

Start children off the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11-12

Thank the Lord for the Christian students, administrators, teachers and staff He has placed within our schools.

Pray for God to open the door for the Gospel to be proclaimed on our school campuses in the context of genuine personal relationships between students, teachers, administrators, parents, and volunteers.

Pray for God to touch the hearts of those who don’t know Him so they can respond to God’s love and free gift of salvation through Jesus.

DISCIPLESHIP

And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  James 2:15-17

Pray that Christian teachers and administrators will be wise, godly, caring individuals who will have a powerful impact within their schools.  Pray for wisdom and guidance as they navigate topics such as world religion, literature, science, and history.  Help them watch for opportunities to teach truth and dispel lies.

Pray for Christian students to be powerful witnesses for Christ even when that’s difficult. Pray for them to hunger after truth and righteousness and learn how to think through the lens of God’s Word.

Ask the Lord to open all our eyes to see injustice and oppression and to move us to advocate and volunteer.  Pray for the Church to respond with urgency to the education needs within the Metroplex.  Pray that God will raise up faithful intercessors to pray for students, parents, teachers and administrators on an on-going basis.

COMMUNITY

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”  Proverbs 12:12

“Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”  Nehemiah 1:11

Pray that parents would be genuinely interested in their children’s education; that they would take an active role in their children’s lives; and that they would respect, support, and cooperate with teachers.

Pray that students will be academically and emotionally prepared for college, the military, and/or a living-wage job when they graduate becoming productive members of our communities.

Pray for God to watch over our schools and to keep all students, staff, family, and volunteers safe from harm.

Pray that God will grant favor to the Church and open the hearts of all district and school administration, allowing us access to serve every public school. Praise the Lord for opening most of our local districts.

TRANSFORMATION

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Pray for God to raise up devoted teachers and principals who will serve as positive role models for our students. Pray for wisdom for them as they make efforts to improve the schools and endurance as they face daily trials.

Pray for emotional and physical protection for the superintendents, principals, and other administrators of our school districts as they make tough hiring and firing decisions.

Pray for curriculum creators and textbook writers to be guided by the Spirit of Truth as they develop future educational materials.

Pray for the state of education in our country.

THE STATE OF EDUCATION

Every year, 5,000 students in Dallas County fail to graduate.

Only 9% of DISD students who do graduate are college-ready.

By 3rd grade, only 40% of Dallas County students are reading at a level on track for college.  By 4th grade, that number has already dropped to closer to 30%.  Not reading at grade level by the 3rd grade is a strong indicator of future drop-outs, poverty and incarceration.

There is an overall low level and a consistently wide gap between the testing achievement for literacy between students who are economically disadvantaged compared with students who are not.

There are over 460,000 K-12 children in Dallas County.  91% of them go to public schools.  87% of DISD families are eligible for government benefits.

Think this is limited to Dallas County?  There are 24 campuses in Plano ISD alone attended by mostly low-income children.

“In these kids eyes, going to college is as achievable as going to the moon.”

Byron Sanders, Dallas Education Foundation

Should a child’s future success be limited by their parents’ income?  With the right opportunities, they can accomplish as much as any other.

What additional obstacles do children in low-income families have outside of the classroom?

Their families typically move more often.

Children in many low-income communities across the Metroplex don’t have access to healthy, affordable food outside of school.  Lack of a balanced breakfast makes it harder to pay attention and to think.

To make ends meet, parents often have to work long hours sometimes leaving the children unsupervised after school. 

Poverty is stressful—not only for the adults but also for the children.

What can the Church do?

Over 160 church-school partnerships have been identified across Greater Dallas.  The goal is for every low-income school to eventually have at least one church partner.

Hundreds of cross-trained tutors/mentors are needed at the beginning of the school year and the 2nd semester.  Strengthening and empowering low-income families and communities—especially through churches located in those communities—will create homes and neighborhoods more conducive to learning.

JUNE 7 APRAYED4CITY PRAYER GUIDE

THANKS FOR JOINING US IN PRAYING FOR THE DALLAS METROPLEX . FRIDAY, JUNE 7

HERE IS THE PRAYER GUIDE SENT BY APRAYED4CITY.

 ___________________________________________________

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.  The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.”  That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 2:18; 21-24

The approval of the Texas Marriage Amendment by voters in Nov. 2005 specifies the definition of marriage in the Texas Constitution as the union of one man and one woman. It protects the longstanding social practice of recognizing only the union of a man and a woman as a marriage, and reinforces the Texas Defense of Marriage Act of 2003 prohibiting any political entity in the state from recognizing the union of two people of the same gender.

This month AP4C is highlighting the institution of marriage.  It is our intention for believers from all ethnic, socio-economic and denominational backgrounds to unite in prayer and use this guide as a catalyst for our on-going prayer and the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.  Let these Scriptures and your time with God renew your heart for our Metroplex.

Please prepare your heart before you begin to pray through the AP4C categories. 

TRANSFORMATION

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:10-12

· Pray for God to reveal to members of the U.S. Supreme Court (members listed on back page) the importance of His design on the institution of marriage.

· Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict hearts across this city to protect marriage as the foundation for our society.

· Pray for God to bless, heal and/or restore the marriages of our educators, business leaders, media members, health care providers, elected officials, and church leaders.

· Pray for God’s people to respond with grace and truth, loving those who disagree with us about the sanctity and importance of marriage.

THE STATE OF MARRIAGE

Please find below information and statistics to help facilitate your on-going prayer, conversation and/or service:

Moral Acceptability Percentage       2001                     2013

Gay or lesbian relations      40%                    59%

Sex between an unmarried man & woman           53%               63%

Divorce  59%                     68%

Polygamy           7%                 14%

According to Research:

· The #1 cause of divorce is lack of communication

· An estimated 1 million U.S. divorces occur annually

· 83% of children born in S Dallas were to unmarried mothers

· 93% of children in S Dallas are being raised in single parent homes

· 2 out of 3 study participants say they are scared of the social, legal, emotional and economic consequences of divorce

U. S. Supreme Court Justices

Chief Justice John Roberts • Associate Justice Antonin Scalia •  Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas  Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Associate Justice Stephen Breyer 

Associate Justice Samuel Alito • Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor • Associate Justice Elena Kagan

The Supreme Court is reviewing the following two challenges to laws that define marriage as the

union of a man and a woman:

· Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - federal law passed by the U.S.   Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 

· Proposition 8 (Prop 8) - amendment to the California constitution passed by voters in 2008