UPDATE: Sundown tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the most solemn of all Jewish high holidays.  I have discussed the significance of Yom Kippur HERE and HERE, so check out one or both after you have joined thousands of other Decision America prayer warriors in petition before God on behalf of our nation!

Heading for home as the election draws near!  This week’s stops are the final ones of the Decision America Tour.  Franklin Graham has led us on a prayer journey to every state capital in America.  I hope you attended the prayer rally at your capital when he visited your state.  Beyond that, however, I hope you have been a faithful prayer warrior throughout the tour of every state.  Your prayers matter!  They have been powerful…and will continue to be.  Please don’t stop simply because the tour ends.  We need prayer more now than at any other time in this election season.  Dozens of Bible passages exhort us to pray often and regularly, so let’s do as our Master commands!

This is the homestretch, and Franklin Graham will make stops in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.  Let’s join him in this prayer effort.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016: Annapolis, Maryland

• 54% of Marylanders believe that good works will get you to heaven.
• Only 7% of young adults (ages 18-30) are practicing Christians.
• Maryland has the nation’s highest rate of death for those diagnosed with HIV.

“Dear Jesus, we come in petition for the state and the citizens of Maryland.  We love them and thank You for them, but we also lift up their needs to You.  We are grieved by the death rate due to a disease that arose out of sinfulness.  While we understand that not everyone with HIV has it because of sin in their lives, it is a result of sin in the world and is a staggering reminder of what sin does.  So Lord, we plead Your mercy on those diagnosed with HIV.  May Your mercy bring them to the foot of the cross for grace and eternal healing.  We also pray for those who are misguided by false teaching that leads them to believe that good works will get them to heaven.  That is the mantra of every false religion, so we pray that the truth of Your Word will prevail.  Bless the 7% of young people in Maryland who follow You.  Lord, we pray blessings upon blessings for them and ask  You to grow them up to be influential leaders, strong in their faith.  Meanwhile, please light revival fire in Maryland.  We would love to see young and old alike come to the realization of their need for a Savior.  Do a work in Maryland such has never been seen before.”

Wednesday, October 12, 2016: Richmond, Virginia

• Nearly 25% of Virginians haven’t been to church in the last 6 months.
• The state ranks in the nation’s Top 10 for residents who donate to churches and nonprofits.
• While Virginia is home to five of America’s 10 wealthiest counties, 1 in 3 children live in poverty or near-poverty.

“God bless Virginia!  Praise You, Lord, for the generous nature of Virginians.  We know You bless those who follow Your command to give to those in need, so we ask Your abundant blessings upon them.  Use their gifts to multiply the impact to those in need.  Meanwhile, we recognize those Virginians in need, particularly the children who live in poverty.  We pray You will direct resources to the young and provide opportunity for them to become valuable citizens in their communities as they grow up.  For those who have not darkened the doors of a church, Father, we pray they will be drawn to seek out Your grace and mercy in a local Bible-teaching, Bible-believing congregation.  Virginia, like all other states, needs a spark, Father, and we pray You will provide one, and the means in which to stoke the fires of revival.  Do what only You can do, and do it in Virginia!”

Thursday, October 13, 2016: Raleigh, North Carolina

• Nearly 1 in 3 North Carolinians have never been to church or no longer go to church.
• Over 40% of North Carolinians believe good works will get you into heaven.
• 57% of voters under the age of 45 support same-sex marriage.

“First, Lord, we offer thanksgiving for your servant, Franklin Graham, as he returns to his home state to complete the Decision America Tour.  You have blessed America with the ongoing legacy of the Graham family and we pray that You will continue to grant Franklin Graham and the rest of his extended family as they faithfully minister the truth of Your Word and exhort others to do likewise.  What an honor it would be for revival to start in the state of North Carolina, the home state of such a great spiritual legacy.  Despite the “Graham influence,” however, many in North Carolina have not followed the lead.  Please deliver truth in a very powerful way to those who turn Scriptural principles upside-down in their belief that same-sex marriage is anything but immoral.  Bring truth to that situation across our land.  Lord, we pray, also, that those who do not attend church and those who believe good works will get them to heaven will come face-to-face with the truth of Your Word.  Whether through the testimony of believers, through supernatural revelation or otherwise, Father, we pray that Your Word will prevail.  Give them truth, and open the eyes of people everywhere to see it and understand it.  Revival, Lord….that is our prayer.  Use every state in the union to bring it about.  May every Christian do his/her part.  May every church be committed to teaching Your Word accurately and boldly.  And may God once again bless the United States with grace and mercy as we turn to You.”

PS: We’ll jump back into the Why Israel Matters study tomorrow, so stop by and join us!