1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
We are invited to participate in the incredible practice of prayer - we can call out to Him, that His Spirit and His principles would have influence on those who are opinion leaders, who serve in a variety of institutions that shape our culture. And, as we become aware of the incredible power, He has given us, we can trust Him to use us in our own sphere of influence, to share Biblical truth, to voice ideas, and to model behavior that is consistent with our Christian beliefs, that people may see and perhaps come to know Christ.
We are entering into a season in which there are several opportunities for God's people in the Faith Radio coverage area are being invited to gather together. Tonight, in Dothan, the "Prayers of the Righteous" meeting will occur at the Dothan Civic Center - a collaborative effort involving a number of area churches and leaders. Next Wednesday night, there will be a nationwide simulcast, "The Gathering," originating from Dallas, to be shown at Frazer United Methodist in Montgomery and Dothan Community Church. Two weeks from today, as part of the Global Week of Student Prayer, "See You at the Pole" will be held.
And, prayer has been and will no doubt continue to be an emphasis leading up to the election. You can download an Election Prayer Guide from the website, FaithRadio.org.
Even though the National Day of Prayer Task Force takes its name from the annual observance the first Thursday of May, its emphasis is year-round. It has developed a 7x7 prayer emphasis: praying for the seven centers of influence seven days a week. According to its website, the seven centers are: Government, Military, Media, Family, Church, Education, and Business.
I actually landed on the National Day of Prayer website in contemplating some of the individuals found in the Politico 50, which is described as "Our guide to the thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics in 2016." In looking over the square comprising the home page with illustrations of these influencers, I began to look for familiar names, especially those who might be known to be Christians.
I had already been tipped off about one - because I received a press release from his organization. That's how I found the link to the list in the first place. That would be Alan Sears, President, CEO, and General Counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who is at #31. A media release from ADF, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund, says:
One interesting note: another professing Christian that made the list is an influencer in the world of media, at #23. That would be former Miss America and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, who had filed a sexual harassment complaint against her former employer, which led to the resignation of its powerful leader and was the first flashpoint in what became a series of women coming forward to voice their experiences. The Politico profile lauded her for calling attention to the need for accountability in media. I would say that needs to be a principal concern from the boardroom to the newsroom.
So, today, we're talking about influence. And, if you have interaction with other humans, as of course we all do, you have the opportunity to make an impact on another person's life. For instance, you may think you don't have a influence over the institution of the family, one of those seven centers of influence, but if you're living out and teaching your values to your own family, the people with whom God has placed you and for whom He has given you responsibility, if you're a parent, then you are strengthening the institution, because if more people are doing that, then it can make a strong statement.
Likewise, you may think that you don't have impact in the world of business, but if you are operating your business according to Biblical principles, if you're an owner or manager, or if you are exhibiting Godly characteristics in the workplace, then you are exerting your influence. I would contend that we can have influence in one or more of those seven centers, and we can seek out ways to do that.
Prayer can have influence in them all - so now as we move from the micro sense to the macro sense, we recognize that people are being influenced in a variety of ways - to do good or not to do good, to receive and/or act in line with Biblical truth. We can pray for Godly wisdom to be released in the lives of those who serve in leadership in these important areas.
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I want to share the passage of Scripture that serves as the theme Scripture for this year's See You at the Pole event, coming up in 2 weeks, which has the theme, "We Cry Out." Psalm 24, verses 3-6 read:
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.
We are entering into a season in which there are several opportunities for God's people in the Faith Radio coverage area are being invited to gather together. Tonight, in Dothan, the "Prayers of the Righteous" meeting will occur at the Dothan Civic Center - a collaborative effort involving a number of area churches and leaders. Next Wednesday night, there will be a nationwide simulcast, "The Gathering," originating from Dallas, to be shown at Frazer United Methodist in Montgomery and Dothan Community Church. Two weeks from today, as part of the Global Week of Student Prayer, "See You at the Pole" will be held.
And, prayer has been and will no doubt continue to be an emphasis leading up to the election. You can download an Election Prayer Guide from the website, FaithRadio.org.
Even though the National Day of Prayer Task Force takes its name from the annual observance the first Thursday of May, its emphasis is year-round. It has developed a 7x7 prayer emphasis: praying for the seven centers of influence seven days a week. According to its website, the seven centers are: Government, Military, Media, Family, Church, Education, and Business.
I actually landed on the National Day of Prayer website in contemplating some of the individuals found in the Politico 50, which is described as "Our guide to the thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics in 2016." In looking over the square comprising the home page with illustrations of these influencers, I began to look for familiar names, especially those who might be known to be Christians.
I had already been tipped off about one - because I received a press release from his organization. That's how I found the link to the list in the first place. That would be Alan Sears, President, CEO, and General Counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who is at #31. A media release from ADF, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund, says:
In its bio for Sears, Politico wrote that it chose Sears because of the involvement of ADF in protecting student privacy over the past year in locker rooms, showers, restrooms, and other intimate changing areas and because he “has built the ADF into one of the preeminent organizations of the religious right, with $44 million in funding, some 3,000 lawyers worldwide and a clear mission to defend religious freedom: As he put it in a March interview with Vice, ‘Tolerance is a two-way street.’”The organization has certainly grown since its founding by Marlin Maddoux, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy, Larry Burkett, and Bill Bright. The ADF press release also says:
Sears leads the efforts of ADF through a comprehensive legal strategy that includes training, funding, and legal advocacy that has resulted in important roles in 49 victories at the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous cases in lower courts.Back to the seven centers of influence: Sears and ADF obviously have influence in several areas: the government, shaping policy and defending religious freedom before the courts. They protect the family and strengthen the church. Others on that Politico 50 list include some of the usual suspects, including politicians who are professing Christians: Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions, Paul Ryan, and Ben Sasse. Venerable political operative Pat Buchanan is also on the list. These are leaders who have an opportunity as people of faith to shape our government and its policies. Some of the influencers share a slot, such as the co-occupancy of Cruz and Bernie Sanders at #1.
Since the launch of ADF in 1994, Sears has provided strategic leadership in the training of 1,889 lawyers from 45 nations who have provided more than $198 million in pro-bono or dedicated time.
One interesting note: another professing Christian that made the list is an influencer in the world of media, at #23. That would be former Miss America and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, who had filed a sexual harassment complaint against her former employer, which led to the resignation of its powerful leader and was the first flashpoint in what became a series of women coming forward to voice their experiences. The Politico profile lauded her for calling attention to the need for accountability in media. I would say that needs to be a principal concern from the boardroom to the newsroom.
So, today, we're talking about influence. And, if you have interaction with other humans, as of course we all do, you have the opportunity to make an impact on another person's life. For instance, you may think you don't have a influence over the institution of the family, one of those seven centers of influence, but if you're living out and teaching your values to your own family, the people with whom God has placed you and for whom He has given you responsibility, if you're a parent, then you are strengthening the institution, because if more people are doing that, then it can make a strong statement.
Likewise, you may think that you don't have impact in the world of business, but if you are operating your business according to Biblical principles, if you're an owner or manager, or if you are exhibiting Godly characteristics in the workplace, then you are exerting your influence. I would contend that we can have influence in one or more of those seven centers, and we can seek out ways to do that.
Prayer can have influence in them all - so now as we move from the micro sense to the macro sense, we recognize that people are being influenced in a variety of ways - to do good or not to do good, to receive and/or act in line with Biblical truth. We can pray for Godly wisdom to be released in the lives of those who serve in leadership in these important areas.
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