We want to call brothers and sisters in Christ from all denominations and traditions to pray for our state so we can see together the hand of the Lord bringing His transformation to every institution and sector of our society.
We seek to accomplish this by sending out a regular prayer guide for the state and by coordinating regular prayer gatherings around the state.
Prayer Guide for August 2013
Prayer for Rain- Thanks be to God for hearing our prayers for rain! There have been a number of good rain storms across New Mexico since our last month’s call to pray for this. Let’s continue to look to the Lord for an end to the drought and the refilling of our lakes and aquifers.
State Prayer Summit- Our next state prayer summit is scheduled for Friday, September 6, from 8:30 am to 12 noon. We will begin in the Rotunda at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe and then probably move to another nearby venue for refreshments and then another session of prayer regarding New Mexico issues. We are asking Governor Susana Martinez and other officials to share their concerns for prayer for New Mexico during the first session. Ministry leaders of all denominations along with youth and children are being invited to take part. If you have a heart to pray for His transformation of our state, please join us for this important time together in the Lord’s presence. For more information, contact the NM Prayer Connect office at office@ipcprayer.org.
Prayer For Our Arts and Entertainment:
The TV program “Glee” is rated as one of the most pro-homosexual shows on television. Those opposed to the lifestyle are portrayed as crude, cartoonish “homophobic” bullies. In contrast to the mandated positive portrayal, the real-life lesbian actress on the show, Jane Lynch, “divorced” her partner of three years, Lara Embry; and the show’s thirty-one year old lead actor Cory Monteith was found dead of an alcohol and heroin overdose.
Pray that our Arts and Entertainment industry would be populated by those guided by the Lord’s commands.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21
Prayer For Our Businesses:
Faced with the burden of Obamacare, many companies have reduced employee work weeks to less than 30 hours to avoid paying for health care. That means that employees are either doing with less or are working two jobs to maintain the same level of income. Please pray for this regulation to be dropped so families can return to a manageable job market.
Prayer For Our Educational System:
Under the administration of Governor Susana Martinez, New Mexico has gone to a letter grade system in assessing school achievement. A quick assessment of school performance can be had by this method. Please pray that the system remains and that schools continue to improve.
(SEE http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/article_599f6e5e-5276-55a5-a4fa-9766493668a4.html)
Prayer For Our Families:
New Mexico is seeing an alarming rise in children living in single parent households. In 2007 there were 177,000 single-parent households across that state. That number jumped to 208,000 in 2011, and continues to climb. The breakdown of the family means an increased number of children living in poverty, a greater reliance on government subsidies and greater social ills. Please pray for marriage to be honored and restored as the norm in our state.
(SEE http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/106-children-in-single-parent-families?loc=1&loct=2#detailed/2/10-19,2,20-29,3,30-39,4,40-49,5,50-52,6-9/false/867,133,38,35,18/any/429,430)
Prayer For Our Government:
The Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act. The Court also allowed the decision of one homosexual judge to stand, silencing the voices of seven million Californians who voted for Proposition 8 and traditional marriage.
Locally, Santa Fe’s County Clerk, Geraldine Salazar, is being sued for obeying state law. Ms. Salazar refused to issue a marriage license to two men wishing to “marry.”
Without notice to the Christian community, the Santa Fe County Commissioners passed a resolution to support homosexual “marriage.” Because the agenda item was not broadly publicized, opposition to the resolution was not heard.
Please pray for marriage as God designed and intended.
Prayer For Our Media:
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that the number of sex scenes on television nearly doubled from 1998 to 2005. An American Academy of Pediatrics report states that “more than 75 percent of prime-time programs contain sexual content” – 8 to 10 times per hour. (SEE http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/3/576.full)
Our homes are connected to the outside world by television and radio. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is the government agency overseeing a decaying standard of decency over the airwaves. The FCC would like to slacken the already lax standards for broadcast programs that we view and hear.
Please pray that the FCC will not slacken their standards regarding what is allowed over the nation’s airwaves.
Prayer For Our Religion:
The question of homosexuality in the priesthood surfaced again. Pope Benedict, the current Pope Francis’ predecessor, urged those with homosexual leanings to stay out of the priesthood. The current Pope Francis has suggested that being homosexual does not make one unfit for the priesthood but homosexual activity does. It is a subtle but significant change from his predecessor’s stance. Please pray that all those called to ministry would be of the Lord and not of the flesh.