Prayer for our Pastors...

I feel called today to ask anyone who reads this to say a prayer for their pastor and senior church leadership. As Christians, I feel that we tend to forget about our pastors in our prayers. Forgetting that they suffer the same daily temptations and trails as the rest of us. Let us take the time today to pray for the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit for our pastors and church leadership. Pray that God will lead them in all things concerning the church and that they will seek Gods wisdom in all matters concerning the church. These things we always ask in the name of Christ - Amen

A Prayer of Thanksgiving...

This morning I came across a story that opened like this "A former child slave is rescuing victims of child trafficking in Ghana and has built a school to give them a better future." Many of these children are sold into slave labor for as little as fifty dollars a year, often by a parent or relative. It is wonderful to know that there are people out there who are trying to make a difference in the lives of these children. James Kofi Annan left his promising banking job in order to open a school where freed slaves have the opportunity to get an education. He uses his personal income in order to buy back slave children so that they have a chance at a basic education. Let us pray first that all of the people of Ghana will have the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ in their own language and will come to know him as savior. Let us pray for the fisherman and that they might find a means to continue their trade with out the need for child labor. Pray with me for James Annan and that his work will continue to prosper and we will see more children freed from the bonds of child labor. Lastly, let us pray that more people around the globe will develop a heart of compassion similar to that of Mr. Annan.

Prayer Request from a Military Mother...

The prayer request for our troops and veterans hit very close to home. I am the mother of three enlisted children. In the eight years they have served I have spent a great deal of time on my knees. As our young people are deployed over and over the toll on them and on their families is devastating. PTSD in both the veteran and their families is at an all time high, as is domestic and child abuse in military families, as well as military suicides. Please extend your prayers to include our veterans and enlisted, but don't forget the families here at home that support them. We are a nation sadly in need of Christ....that starts at home.

Praying for those who served...

As a military member, this post hits very close to home and it breaks my heart to think of all the homeless veterans across the United States. The Department of Veterans Affairs states that nearly one third of all the adult homeless population in the United States are veterans. A majority of the homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and substance abuse. These are Americans who fought on foreign soil to ensure American Freedom. They suffered great loss at the hands of their enemies. Their eyes have seen things that would cause most people to turn and run the other way. They know how it feels to have a friend die in their arms from an enemy bullet. They fought some of the fiercest battles our nation has ever seen but now they fight for a place to sleep at night. They fight hunger pains and alcohol addiction. They fight for the basic needs which they once fought to protect. Without their sacrifice I might not have the freedom to sit and write this blog post. We need to pray for these veterans. Pray that they will come to salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray that their basic needs will be met. Pray that God will free them from the chains of addiction. Pray that all Americans will never forget, even for one day, the amazing sacrifice that these individuals made.
I found the following story on the Department of Veterans Affairs website. Let us pray that similar stories continue to pop up all over the country. "To ensure the Minnesota Veterans home in Minneapolis remains a comfortable and safe residence for Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding two grants worth nearly $22.4 million for a new 100-bed nursing home and other improvements." These are the changes that I pray we see in cities across the nation. So the next time you see a homeless person, remember, that there is a very good chance that they once fought for your very freedom.

If you would like more information on how you can help the Veterans of the United States please check out the link below:

http://www.va.gov

Death Toll in Iraq

As of today there have been 114 confirmed deaths after a "relentless cascade of bombings and shootings - hitting at least 10 cities and towns" (Toll in, 2010) in Iraq on Monday. Iraq is land that should be in our prayers and on our hearts continually. Being an American, it is hard for me to imagine living in a world in which war is happening right outside our front doors. A world in which at any moment a loved one could be torn from your life at the hands of a suicide bomber or in crossfire being exchanged by militants. Children left without parents, parents without children, wives without husbands and husbands without wives. On Monday, May 10th 2010, 114 families were devastated and suffered unimaginable loss. James 1:27 tells us that "Religion that God our father accepted as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV) I am here to suggest that one of the many things that we can do to help these widows and orphans is to collectively pray. Pray that they will come to know salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray that they will be comforted in this time of tremendous hardships. Pray that all of their physical needs will be met. Pray that these attacks will begin to cease. Pray for the individuals conducting these attacks. Pray that we all remember that Jesus died for them the same time he died for us.

Reference: www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/10/iraqi-officials-killed-attacks-baghdad-appearing-target-police-military/

Very first Prayer!

I would like to start by thanking God for all that he has done in my life and for the opportunity to start this blog. The idea for Prayer 4 was actually the answer to a prayer. While in conversation with God I asked Him to show me a way in which I could help to further His kingdom. His answer was very clearly Prayer 4. The more I prayed on it the more I began to realize that too often we tend to pray for people within our lives, church, community, state, etc. Sometimes we (myself included) forget that there is a huge world out there filled with people who could use our prayers. I am not saying that there is any problem with praying for those people that we spend our daily lives with. We should all continually pray for the people around us. The goal of Prayer 4 for is to get large groups of people all praying for specific needs around the world. I pray that ultimately all people, in all walks of life, in every corner of the globe will all be praying for each other on a regular basis. With all that being said here is my first prayer:

" I pray God for Prayer 4 and that it will always remain about you. Lord I pray that my pride will never build in me while working in this ministry. I pray God that you will hear our prayers and through them you will not only meet the physical needs but that you will also meet the spiritual needs of the people of this planet. I pray Lord that through this ministry we will see numerous people come to salvation through your son Jesus Christ. God we know that through you all things are possible and we give you the glory. It is in Christ name we pray Lord." - Amen