#2417 (9/2) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "Immigrants: Turn Back---America Stinks, According to the Left"

ATTENTION:  SCROLL DOWN  to get TODAY'S article entitled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. And 
PLEASE be sure to note the various PRAYER REQUESTS listed BEFORE and AFTER the posted article. (NOTE the list of DAILY prayer requests for the persecuted church.)  They ALL deserve  your intercession. THANK YOU.

PRAYER ALERT:

1) Pastor Brunson - 

7/25 - UPDATE: Pastor Brunson was suddenly  moved from prison to his home in Turkey, though still under house arrest.[ "Trump, Congress Play Hardball on Brunson" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, July 27, 2018; https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA18G42&f=WU18G15  PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY that this will finally lead to his being freed to return to the U.S.!] [PRAY  that this will lead very soon to the pastor finally being released to return to the U.S.!]

 2) SUPREME COURT NOMINEE - Let us be in prayer that - should he be confirmed - Judge Kavanaugh  will be someone who will consistently uphold the Constitution in his/her decisions and in doing so will protect the cause of LIFE and of regligious freedom in America.

3) Continuing Wild Fires in California - PRAY that they will finally be put out.

PERSONAL UPDATE: 8/22 Note my latest entry in the JOURNAL section on the right side of this page.

9/1 - PRAY for the President and others in leadership (1 Tim. 2:1-3)

Heavenly Father,

 I pray that you will guide President Trump to seek you with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength in the New Year. May he act with wisdom and strength against those whose actions would bring harm to this nation and the world now and for generations to come. I pray that you would strengthen his marriage and deepen the love he and his wife Melania share. Pray that you give them wisdom to speak into the life of their son Barron. Please protect him and his family and others in our leadership from physical harm that any might seek to do against them. May all that our President does bring honor and glory to YOU and cause him to draw in closer relationship with you. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
P.S. - 3/27: I just finished reading the newly released book, "The Faith of Donald J. Trump" that the public library had and sent to me. Greatly recommend you read it to better understand our 45th President.

(from Intercessors For America) As the Lord Leads, please pray:

*For rest and rejuvenation for the President and First Lady as they stay in Washington D.C. over the weekend.
*For encouragement for their son Barron Trump as he begins school this week.
*For wisdom for Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Mattis as they meet with leaders from Pakistan and India.
*For restoration for the Vice President and second lady as they vacation for the weekend.
*For the McCain family and national leaders as they honor the life of John McCain as part of the services in Washington D.C. today.
*For guidance for US Senators as they meet with members of the Russian parliament today.
*For guidance as he and Congress work together to create initiatives and legislation to help the American people."
*For discernment for the Senate as they will have to vote on the confirmation of the Supreme Court Justice,  that they make a decision which will have a lasting impact on the nation.
*For transparency and guidance for Judge Kavanaugh as he goes through the process and that God would make clear whether or not he is the right person for the position.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he continues to make decisions concerning those who will fill the vacancies in the government.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he makes decisions concerning trade, that his decisions (esp. regarding trade and tariffs)  would have a positive impact on the economy.
*For God to use the elections in November to accomplish His will.
*For God’s will to be accomplished through the efforts of our leaders regarding foreign policy.

     BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION 

(...because ALL Babies Matter! - http://www.lifenews.com/2017/03/01/why-do-unborn-babies-matter-just-because-they-are/ : Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/  

Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE:Go to:"Tactics" - 

http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017; http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/

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"IMMIGRANTS: TURN BACK---AMERICA STINKS, ACCORDING TO THE LEFT" -  Jerry Newcombe: Aug 01, 2018; https://townhall.com/columnists/jerrynewcombe/2018/08/01/immigrants-turn-backamerica-stinks-according-to-the-left-n2505904  [AS I SEE IT: I've always wished to visit the U.S. Capitol and walk through the Smithsonian Museum. But reading now how it's presentation of the story of America has been skewered by the American Left makes me wonder what other American institutions have had our history re-written to reflect their warped views. When you reflect on this and what too many of our young people are probably hearing in their public schools, it's not surprising to see so many wanting a socialist America! As Charlie Brown might say, "Good grief!" God help the future generations to know the truth! [P.S. - Be sure to check out the article referenced at the end of this article.] - Stan]

     Those poor people at the southern border. So many of them are risking their lives to try and get what they think is a better life here in America. They don't realize how bad things are here. They haven't been exposed to the constant America-bashing message coming from the liberal institutions that dominate our schools, our culture, our entertainment, and even our museums.

I love museums. Recently, I visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC. I must admit I was very disappointed. The overall impression one can easily be left with is that America, for the most part, stinks.
     For example, in the display on World War II, the big headline-grabbing focus is on the terrible, ugly chapter where Japanese-Americans were interred during the war. That was done by the liberal icon, FDR. Years later, the Supreme Court ruled that those prison camps for Japanese-Americans were unconstitutional and regrettable. 

    But was that the sum total of America’s experience in World War II? What about all those millions of young Americans who served in both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the war? My dad was one of those (Pacific, to be specific). There were a few hundred thousand Americans that died in places faraway like Normandy, Iowa Jima, Luzon, and Okinawa.

In the display on American democracy and voting, the overall impression one is left with is that, for too long, Americans denied voting rights to certain segments of the population.
"
     Our founding fathers pledged their “lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor,” while relying on God, so that “we the people” shall govern. In America we govern by the consent of the governed. Obviously, the nation was slow in getting that privilege to be extended to African-Americans and women. But we did ultimately get it right.

    This is the same museum system that has a separate building dedicated to exhibiting African-American history, and they slighted one of the most prominent blacks in American history---Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Why? One can only surmise that it is because they don't like his politics. He doesn't march in lock step with the predominant liberal ethos---that America stinks. America always stinks. America has no hope for improvement.

    Dinesh D'Souza disagrees with this ethos. He came from India and has managed to thrive in this country, writing books and making powerful and successful documentaries. In one of those movies, he said that he loved America because in this country you can write your own script.

    To paraphrase Dr. D. James Kennedy, the freedoms we enjoy in America “did not spring full blown like Athena from the head of Zeus. Rather, it took some time and experimentation and trial and error to work out the flaws and perfect the system that was developing.”

What is the net result of the constant drumbeat of how America has always (and often still does) get it wrong? Writing for Gallup Polls (7/2/18), Jeffrey M. Jones observes: “For the first time in Gallup's 18-year history asking U.S. adults how proud they are to be Americans, fewer than a majority say they are ‘extremely proud.’ Currently, 47% describe themselves this way, down from 51% in 2017 and well below the peak of 70% in 2003.”
    I met a lady recently who grew up in Alabama. When she was in high school about 30 years ago, she spent a few months in Soviet Russia as an exchange student. Whatever starry-eyed notions she may have had about the resplendent glory of the Communist state were quickly and completely shattered. She was struck how depressed and hopeless the average citizen was. When she returned to the States, she got down on her knees at the tarmac and kissed the American soil.

America is not perfect. It never has been. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us---America has a good creed, that all men are created equal. Our problem is that we haven’t lived up to the creed.
    I once asked Rabbi Daniel Lapin about the impact of the life of Jesus, including Judeo-Christian influence in the creation of America. He told me: “The easiest way to answer the question of whether life on planet earth is better because Jesus walked Jerusalem or not is very simple, and that is: Just watch the way people vote with their feet. Watch where the net flow of immigration is in the world today. Is it from Christian countries to non-Christian countries or the other way around? It is so obvious.”

But I thought of all those people risking their lives to try and make it into this country. If only they knew how much America stinks (always has and perhaps always will, according to the Left), they wouldn’t do it.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]
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"Top Democrats Show Their True Anti-American Colors"-  Madison Gesiotto : Aug 28, 2018; https://townhall.com/columnists/madisongesiotto/2018/08/28/top-democrats-show-their-true-antiamerican-colors-n2513532

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibility for EVERY believer." - Stan 

“INTERCESSORS ARE THE RUDDER” – A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - Wanda Alger, June 28th, 2017; https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/

I was recently given a word by my good friend, Bill Yount. His word greatly encouraged me as an intercessor. Working for Intercessors for America, I soon realized it was not just a word for me, but for all who have been praying for our nation, wondering if their prayers are truly making any difference. Bill told me, “I kept seeing you as a small rudder on a huge ship. Hidden, but giving guidance. Although it seemed slow it was turning the whole ship. Patience was needed to see the impact of your…ministry. I sense the Lord saying, ‘Don’t jump ship! I’ve made you the rudder!’ ” I was immediately touched in my spirit by this encouragement, knowing that our seemingly small place in prayer was having a great impact.

James 3:4 talks about the power of a small rudder to steer a large ship. In this scripture about the power of our tongue, consider the power of prophetic intercession! In the Forerunner Commentary on this verse we read, “…rudders manipulate the course of immense ocean vessels with a slight movement of a pilot’s hand. Since it is underwater and aft, the rudder of a ship does its work UNSEEN. A passenger is ignorant of its movements most of the time. Yet, when it is in proper working order, the rudder holds more power over the ship than the wind. The wind will blow, toss, even destroy the ship’s rigging, but the rudder guides the ship exactly where it directs.”

This is God’s promise to the intercessors in this hour of national turbulence. Don’t stop praying! Your prayers have great power to turn the ship! Continue praying, interceding, and discerning the workings and movements of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s commands. As we come together to declare God’s faithfulness, this nation will, once again, head in the direction that God intends. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Regardless of the winds of adversity and the fires of the enemy, God’s people have a power that cannot be matched. Let us join in faith and continue to pray and speak of God’s faithfulness in order to bring God’s people and this nation into the fullness of God’s plans. Note this additional encouragement from God’s word:

Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV). 

Psalm 33:8-11 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” 

Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent

PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!"

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS:  1) Pray for President Trump and his advisers, that they would select Godly leaders at the federal level who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will  only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.

SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

1/1 - PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes against ISIS! Pray that coalition forces will be able to  fully destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS.
*For believers in Syria and in this region as they navigate so much uncertainty. May they remain faithful to God through these most difficult times as He sustains them with peace and His Spirit's strength.

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

Praying for Iran At #10 on the 2018 World Watch List and with a Church of 800,000 strong (out of 80.9 million), the main threat for believers in Iran comes from the government. The regime sees Christians, especially converts from Islam, as a threat and frequently imprisons believers for reaching out to Muslims— “crimes against the national security.” Throughout September, we’ll be focusing on our persecuted family in Iran. Please join us in praying with these secret believers.
September 2 | IRAN -  In Iran, Shia Islam is the official religion. Any Muslim who leaves Islam faces the death penalty, although the authorities haven’t acted on this law in recent years. Pray that these laws would change, allowing for freedom of religion. 
*Names changed to protect identities

STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  2 Tim.y 4:16                                                 

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”

He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:

I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.

I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.

I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.

I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.

I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.

I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.

Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.

And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.

But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.

RESPONSE

How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention on their behalf?

PRAYER
Lord, broaden my awareness of the needs of my suffering brothers and sisters. May I not be known for my silence.