Four Prayer Encouragements
We are so grateful for all of our prayer board writers who faithfully share encouragements and information for prayer over the Seven Mountains of society. These short articles are shared on our prayer boards in the prayer room and we wanted you to be able to access them as well. Read this prayerfully and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in intercession for the various topics that are written about here.
Prayer for Life:
“You have built a stronghold by the songs of babies. Strength rises
up with the chorus of singing children. This kind of praise has the
power to shut Satan’s mouth. Childlike worship will silence the
madness of those who oppose you.” Psalm 8:2
January 22, 1973 the legalization of abortion was passed across the United States. December 1 st , 2021, the Supreme Court will address the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which holds to abortion being banned after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies and in the case of “severe fetal abnormality.”
Conservative legal analyst Ed Whelan states, “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is the best opportunity the Supreme Court will ever have to overturn Roe.” In contrast, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill states, “By taking this case, the court will be reviewing nearly 50 years of precedent guaranteeing our right to abortion.”
We praise God for the 6 to 3 conservative majority of justices who will be revisiting the case and and for this milestone in the right direction of upholding the right to life for the unborn.
“Twelve republican governors have asked the court to rule in Mississippi’s favor so that they can be free to impose their own state-level abortion restrictions. Yet, nearly 900 state lawmakers from 45 states asked the court in a filing Monday to instead rule against Mississippi and uphold Roe v. Wade, arguing there will be ‘disastrous consequences’ should the abortion restrictions be upheld, allowing other states to follow suit with their own abortion bans.” (Alison Durke)
Join me in praying for the return of the fear of God and the inherent value and purpose of human beings in our land.
Pray:
“Our Father who is in Heaven, hollowed be Your name. Righteousness
and Justice are the foundation of your throne, and it is Your
righteousness that will exalt this nation. We look to You our Lord and
King to bring conviction to the judges’ hearts to stand for truth no
matter what, and to cause the will of the people to passionately be for
life and not death. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
forever, In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”Prayer For Churches:
“Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus,
Who although He existed in the form of God…emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant.” Philippians 2: 5 - 7b
The perfection the heart longs for will be found in heaven. Scripture tells us that no eye has seen or ear has heard the wonders in store for us… no sickness, no tears, just perfect peace and joy there. From reading Biblical descriptions of the heavenly home that awaits all who call on the name of the Lord, do you wonder how Jesus decided leave heaven and come here?
He chose to align Himself with His Father’s plan to send His only begotten Son to earth! To take that step He “emptied Himself”. Jesus warned those who chose to follow him of the difficulties that would come. He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34). He said there would be times there would be no place to sleep, that they would have troubles and trials, that people would hate them, like they hated Jesus.
He never said it would be easy. They would be hungry at times…empty.
But we’re a people who don’t like empty… not on our gas gauge, not in our wallet, not in our refrigerator, and not a chair at our family table. We prefer “full”, sometimes “stuffed” or even overflowing. We have expectations and bucket lists of places to go and things to see and do. Why talk about “empty” in this season of giving? It’s almost Christmas. Isn’t this a better topic for Lent? Well, if Jesus “emptied Himself” to come to earth and minister, probably we should consider it also and take it to God in prayer.
Pray:
“Father, this request challenges me, but I have no recourse in my
desire to follow Jesus! Keep me from giving lip service rather than real
hands-on help to those in need. Empty me of mindsets, possession
and priorities that have no kingdom value.
Keep me from deceiving myself. Turn my heart to align completely to
You! Awaken in me a fierce, endless passion for Your purposes! Crush
any fear and doubt in me! Stir me to always answer Your call with a
resounding “Yes!”. Help me be willing to empty myself of anything in
my life that would hold me back! You loved me first! Now help me to
demonstrate that I love You in return! In Jesus’s Name, Amen.”
Prayer for Media:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and
by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so
much that they were afraid to die.”
Revelation 12:11
Knowledge of God and his ways will fill the earth. It’s not just that his glory itself will fill the earth, but there will also be knowledge or understanding. His glory and goodness will be in the whole earth. He wants truth about his glory to be reported and recorded. As that happens, the enemy and his lies about God will be demolished. God is executing an amazing storyline on earth, and he wants that testimony to be the ultimate witness and evidence against Satan both now and at the judgment seat.
We must advance with testimonies of God’s goodness and kindness. We get stuck thinking that our role is to warn people about every encroaching danger and every conceivable conspiracy of the enemy.
Like the 10 spies in the bible, we find ourselves giving a “realty check” to the body of Christ, thinking it’s been helpful to warn them. God is good all the time and he wants his children to be with him, abide in him everyday of our
lives. (From “The Seven Mountain Renaissance” by Johnny Enlow)
Pray:
“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. In everything give
thanks, knowing God means for good in my life and He will direct
me through the gift of the Holy Spirit. I pray for those reading this to
learn to abide, really abide in Christ everyday of their life. God has so
many blessings, gifts, treasures to show us in our lifetime. Ask and
you shall receive. God Bless and enjoy the Christmas season. In
Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Prayer for Israel:
“Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, in his royal palace, in the
tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, in the seventh year of his
reign.” Esther 2:16
Tevet is the 10th month on the Jewish calendar, counting from Nisan. Its name, which is mentioned in the book of Esther, was acquired in Babylonia, and shares a root with the Hebrew word tov, meaning “good.”
This month begins with the last days of Chanukah. By internalizing the message of the ever-increasing lights of the menorah—reminding us of the power of good over evil—we are able to reveal the good that is hidden in our lives and in the world around us.
The 10th of Tevet is a fast day, commemorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem in the year 3336 (425 BCE), which led to the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) two-and-a-half years later on the ninth of Av. On a fast day, the Divine attribute of mercy is able to be drawn down into this world. By fasting over the destruction of the Temple, one “sweetens” God’s anger with Israel, the cause of the destruction. Our sages explain, “Every generation for which the Temple is not rebuilt, is as though the Temple was destroyed for that generation.”
As such, a fast day is not really a sad day, but an opportune day. It’s a day when we are empowered to fix the cause of that first destruction, so that our long exile will end, and we will find ourselves living in Messianic times. May that be very soon.
Chanukah begins on 25 Kislev and continues for 8 days. This means that the final few days of Chanukah extend into Tevet, an otherwise dreary and ordinary month. In the event that the first day of Tevet is on Shabbat, this Shabbat is one of the few times when three Torah scrolls are removed from the ark during morning services.
Pray:
“Father, thank You for increasing our awareness of our Jewish
heritage. We ask that, as believers of the Jewish Messiah, we would
provoke the Jews to jealousy for their own Savior. We pray for the
peace of Jerusalem and stand on the wall of intercession, that they
may know You very soon! In Yeshua’s Name. Amen.”
Thank you for reading these Four Prayer Encouragements from our prayer board writers! We hope it encourages to dig deeper in prayer and intercession. If you would like to, feel free to share this blog article for others to read and also be strengthened. Blessing from Gateway House of Prayer!
-The Gateway Team