Praying for a Strong Economy: Small Business Growth Small businesses have always been the primary source of new jobs, and even in this anemic recovery have produced 60% of new jobs since 2009 despite entrepreneurs facing great uncertainty due to extreme regulations, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and ridiculously complicated tax codes. It takes courage to start a new business, as entrepreneurs risk their life savings and lifestyles (house, cars, education, etc.) starting a new business.  America needs an Entrepreneurial Explosion – as business startups provide the bulk of new jobs for the future. We must empower American small businesses to be the best in the world.  (source: Investor’s Business Daily, 10/15/16) (Jerry Tuma)1 “She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.” (Proverbs 31:16-18; ESV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Call forth an Entrepreneurial Explosion due to positive business solutions and greatly reduced regulation. Ask God to stir individuals to recognize the gifts within them and that more and more would use those gifts to boldly start new businesses. Pray for downloads of God’s wisdom to assist Christian business owners to make their businesses the best in the world. Intercede for the Proverbs 31:16-18 female entrepreneurs to be encouraged and acknowledged. A Prayer You Can Pray: Lord, we call forth an Entrepreneurial Explosion! Pour our positive business solutions and cause the government to loosen regulations, so this Explosion is possible. Stir individuals to recognize the gifts they have been given by You and help them to see how to use them to start new businesses. These businesses can care for themselves and their families, and provide employment to many others. Make them wise and make America’s businesses the best in the world—models for others. We especially ask this for women business owners. Thank You, Jesus! Amen. Today’s decree: We decree an Entrepreneurial Explosion that creates the best jobs America has ever created! 1 Learn more about Jerry Tuma here.

Praying for a Strong Economy: Regulation Federal regulation has gone through the roof. The Federal Register, which measures the sum total of U.S. government regulations, dropped below 50,000 under Reagan, and last year hit a new high of 97,110 pages, extracting an estimated $1.89 trillion a year in compliance cost from the economy, amounting to 15,000 per household. These regulations stifle business creativity, greatly increase cost, discourage firms from hiring, and depress business startups. The OMB estimated 9.7 billion hours complying with federal rules and regulations. Congress passes several dozen bills a year, whereas Federal departments issue well over 3000 new rules and regulations annually, requiring tens of thousands of new pages of regulations and code, plus thousands of new regulators, and thousands of jobs in the private sector purely for regulation compliance. Excess regulation puts American companies and workers at a disadvantage compared to many overseas counterparts, which often have few, if any, regulations to follow. This serves as a “tax” against American workers and companies versus world markets, making our products and services more expensive than they would otherwise be. (Source: Wall Street Journal, 1/24/17; U.S. Global, 1/10/17) (Jerry Tuma)1 “For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?” (1 Corinthians 9:9; NIV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Pray for President Trump who has stated he wants to reduce regulations by 85%, which would put American businesses at an enormous advantage over most of its competition.1 Pray for wisdom for government leaders to know which regulations to remove and which to leave in place. Pray that regulations protecting American workers in the workplace are appropriate and reasonable. Pray that regulations on American companies overseas protect foreign workers working in those businesses. Thank the Lord that regulation rollbacks will help stimulate our nation’s economic recovery! A prayer you can pray: Father, we lift our President to You in prayer. His desire to reduce regulations to benefit American business growth is good for our country. Show those working with him exactly which regulations are hindering, but to keep those in place that protect our workers in certain working situations. We also ask that foreign workers working for American companies in their countries would be granted safety by our nation’s regulations. We look forward to greater economic growth, as many hindering regulations are reversed. Thank You, Jesus. Amen. Today’s decree: We decree that America’s economy will take off as unnecessary regulations are rolled back! 1 Learn more about Jerry Tuma here.

Praying for a Strong Economy: The Fact of the Matter “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30; ESV) Economic Facts: The recovery since 2009 has been the slowest in U.S. history. IBD states that had it been “average”, the economy would be $2 trillion larger ($18.5 trillion GDP for U.S. 2016). GDP has averaged 2.1% per year since 2009. By comparison, growth rates often hit 6-8% under Reagan’s administration. Job growth has actually been anemic, as increasingly discouraged workers have dropped out of the workforce (67% participation rate in 2008 vs. 62% now). The unemployment rate would be over 9% currently had so many workers not dropped out. The number of people working more than one job has hit an all-time high. Debt in this nation is at $19.9 trillion dollars or $61049 of federal debt per person! The debt of other nations is at a critical point in many countries worldwide (See org) (source: Investor’s Business Daily, 10/24/16; 10/17/16) (Jerry Tuma and Marc Nuttle)1 Give Him 15 minutes in prayer1: Pray that the American public, especially Believers, would face the cold hard Truth, so that a solid path forward can be created. Ask the Lord to give the President and his Cabinet strategies for true economic recovery. Pray for American employers to know how to create more jobs. Intercede for American workers that we will find or create meaningful, well-paying jobs. That all governments of the world will reduce deficit spending, including the United States. That the United States will work towards balancing its budget and managing the dollar as the world’s reserve currency for the good of all countries. A prayer you can pray: Lord, we pray that Americans, especially American Christians, would get their heads out of the sand and face the truth about our nation’s economy. It is not in full recovery, but You can help our government leaders know how to get it there. Our citizens of all working ages need jobs that can support their families. Help them know how to create them, even how to create them for others. Show our government and private citizens how to get out of debt and live on a balanced budget, thereby moving into financial health and stewardship. In Jesus’ Name, amen. Today’s decree: We decree that the financial system of the United States will come into right and proper order now in Jesus Name! Learn more about Jerry Tuma, President of Cornerstone Financial Services, and Marc Nuttle, Attorney-at-Law

Religious Freedom: The “Johnson Amendment” Not every Christian is aware of “The Johnson Amendment”, but we should be. Most pastors and other religious leaders are aware of it and in fear of it. The story is long, but a former Texas Senator, who later became President, Lyndon B. Johnson, had a statement added to the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1954. It essentially said that if a nonprofit desired tax-exempt status, then they could not promote a specific candidate for office or influence legislation. That’s it. It was meant to keep nonprofit funds from flowing into political campaign coffers. Because it is often misunderstood, pastors tend to avoid preaching along any political lines or even instructing their congregations from the Word on moral matters that conflict with legislation, such as gay marriage, abortion or the transgendered issues. “You are doomed! You make unjust laws that oppress my people.” (Isaiah 10:1; GNT) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Fervently pray that the Johnson Amendment would be removed from the Internal Revenue Code. Intercede for pastors and other Christian leaders that they would be as bold as they can be in teaching the Word of God about political issues without endorsing a candidate or directly influencing legislation, until the Johnson Amendment is removed. Pray that Christians would become the lights in the darkness that they are meant to be. Our nation is in so much darkness now, because we did not open our mouths to prevent its encroachment in the recent past. Write letters of support to your pastor. Write letters of support to your legislators where you agree and letters of concern where you disagree. Create a righteous standard all around you and across the nation, wherever possible. A prayer you can pray: Father, churches will not be fully free of fear to preach the pure Word of the Lord until the Johnson Amendment is removed from the Internal Revenue Code. Lord, our pastors need to be able to preach about why a candidate or legislation is right or wrong for the nation and provide a clear biblical “why”.  Lord, forgive us for fearing man instead of God and keeping our mouths shut. Grant us a grace to openly influence legislation and to stand with those in government who legislate righteous laws. Thank You, Jesus. Amen. Today’s decree: We decree that the Johnson Amendment is struck down in Jesus’ Name!

Religious Freedom: Separation of Church and State? Since the removal of prayer in schools in 1962, there have been many other situations where “freedom of religion” has been misconstrued by the court system as “freedom from religion”. The term in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” has become known as “the establishment clause”. In misconstruing it, the courts have often placed their decisions in direct opposition to the second half of that statement, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. None of the cases where the “establishment clause” has been used by the courts to strike down free exercise of religion in the public square has ever been based on a law passed by Congress. State laws have been challenged by it. At times, the conflict is between the free exercise of the Christian faith in the marketplace and an individual who is offended by the practice, who then sues the former. In additional to the removal of prayer from the public square, there have been cases calling for the removal of the 10 Commandments from government offices and land, removal of nativity scenes from public land, removal of Bible reading in the public square, and inequitable access to public facilities and funds by Christian groups. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12; NKJV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Identificationally repent as Daniel did in Daniel 9, on behalf of our governing leaders and our federal judges, especially our Supreme Court Justices, for laws and judicial decisions that misconstrued the First Amendment. Pray that many of these decisions would be challenged and overturned, so that true freedom of religion is secure in the United States once again. Use the Isaiah 22:22/Matthew 16:19 keys to shut the spiritual door of using the First Amendment to shut down Christian activities outside the walls of our church buildings. Intercede for those who hate Christians and seek to close their businesses or otherwise cause them harm would not find a place in this Amendment to do so in the future. Pray that they would come to know the love of Christ. A prayer you can pray: Father, I repent, as Daniel did, for those who govern our nation, where they have introduced laws and judgments that have not conveyed the truth of our First Amendment relating to freedom of religion. Raise up reformers who will challenge these laws and seek to realign things rightly and righteously. I use the keys of David to shut spiritual doors that prevent freedom of religion in the marketplace. I intercede for those who hate me, just because I am a Believer in Jesus. I choose to love them! Draw them to Yourself, and use me in the process! In Jesus’ loving name, amen. Today’s decree: I decree that God will restore our First Amendment rights completely, as we humble ourselves, repent, turn from our wicked ways, and pray.

Religious Freedom: God in the Public Square Can you imagine an America where you can only worship, pray, learn about God and talk openly about Him inside a designated, state-sanctioned and overseen building? Such is life for some Believers in other nations worldwide. Sadly, some Christians in America relegate themselves to this position as a matter of course anyway. Break out of your box, Church! Get your faith out in your neighborhoods, cities, schools and workplaces before you can’t. Your gifts weren’t meant to be for the Body of Christ alone, but to show those who don’t yet know Him just how very much He loves and cares about them. Your God-given creative ideas are meant to change society and benefit the populace. Your faith can be an example to the struggling. Get your faith-filled hands on the sick and hurting. Feed the sick, deliver the oppressed, invent something life-changing, write legislation, govern righteously, and change the world in Jesus’ mighty Name! “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.” (Luke 19:32-33; NIV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Commit to the Lord that you will be His vessel in the public square and encourage other Christians to be also. Pray for the Church that they will not fear being open about their faith in public. Ask God to pour out His creativity on His Body, resulting in witty inventions and solutions to systemic problems in the nation. Decree that the Ekklesia will legislate in the heavens and that many will be called into government positions from local city councils and school boards to state and national legislative levels. Pray they do not miss their opportunity to make a difference. Pray for the persecuted Church in the nations of the earth. A prayer you can pray: Lord, I commit myself to You as Your willing vessel to be used by You in the public arena to declare Your greatness and great works. I call forth my brothers and sisters in Christ, that they would make the same commitment. Lord, break fear off of us and grant us a holy boldness! Give us ears to hear and the words to speak to legislate Your Will into the nation. We call the Ekklesia to take their places on governing bodies from the local to the federal levels. We intercede for those persecuted for their faith in Christ in other nations of the earth. We declare, “Kingdom of God, COME!” Today’s decree: I decree that the Ekklesia will declare with boldness the decrees of the Lord in the public arena, and the nation will shift as a result!

Religious Freedom: Prayer in School There is a quote by an unknown author that even President Ronald Reagan used a version of in a national speech. It says something like this, “As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school.” As humorous as that quote is, there is nothing funny about the fact that a simple 22-word prayer was removed from schools on June 25, 1962. The United States Supreme Court decided that day that the simple prayer constituted government-sponsored prayer, and so they removed it. A door was opened to a full-blown attack on Christianity in the public school system that has grown worse year by year. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6; ESV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Student-led prayer is not illegal. Encourage your children to pray at school in a group with their friends, over their lunch, with someone in need. (My daughter once prayed for a teacher’s broken arm to be healed and it was! The teacher loved her after that and returned to church and her faith in Christ, as a result.) Pray that teachers and administrators will be open to prayer in their schools, that those who are Christians would boldly pray for students as they see needs, and challenge laws that prevent it. Intercede for parents to encourage their children to pray in school and to set an example by praying publicly in other places, such as restaurants, etc. Pray that Christians run for School Board positions and change the regulations in their districts, as well as work toward changing legislation affecting education in their states. A prayer you can pray: Father, expand the knowledge that student-led prayer is not illegal in school! The enemies of the cross may rail against it and challenge it, but it is our first-amendment right. Embolden our children to honor You despite any peer pressure. Help them to see the many needs around them and to step in and ask if they can pray. Stir Christian school parents, school administrators and teachers to encourage their students to pray. We call forth those that You have gifted with an ability to govern to take their places on school boards, so that they can affect education in their communities and states. In the name of Jesus, amen. Today’s decree: We decree the school doors are open to freedom of prayer and exaltation of Jesus!

Religious Freedom: Freedom of Speech The people of God are meant to be salt and light to a dying world (Matt. 5:16). We’re meant to be examples of Christ (1 Timothy 4:12-14). The third chapter of James gives us strong and clear direction on carefulness in what comes out of a Christian’s mouth. We are to remember that the world is watching and listening to us. Let us speak words of hope, words of grace, words of Christ’s loving acceptance and encouragement. We are to build others up and tear down the demonic structures that hold them captive. We are to speak words of faith and life and that abundantly—those things Jesus came to give us. We must speak Truth into a dying world, both in our pulpits and in our daily environments. Political correctness would limit that speech. Media shaming seeks to limit that speech. May we fear our God and open our mouths and speak with the freedom we currently have into the world that desperately needs to hear the message of Truth that we, His people, carry. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29; ESV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Repent if you have kept your mouth shut either out of fear of man or to keep peace at all costs. Ask God to break any fear or the effect of political correctness off of you, so that are able to share the love of God with those around you. Intercede for this nation, that the fear of man and political correctness would fall away. The structure is cracking! May it fall completely! Call for truth in the media. Start today to speak words of life over others. Look for opportunities to encourage and build others up. Speak out those words of life. Tell someone you meet about Jesus, the One that you love! A prayer you can pray: Father, forgive me when I have been afraid to let others know that I love You. There is a time to open my mouth. I do not need to speak in defense of You, for You need no offense. However, keep me from bowing under a spirit of political correctness, so You can use me to set captives free. Fully break the effect of this spirit off of our nation! We call for Truth in the media! Expose twisted words of propaganda. As for the Church, may we choose to speak words of life, so that many come to know Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Today’s decree: The Ekklesia will speak life-giving statements throughout the fullness of our days in every arena of our authority.

Religious Freedom: Freedom of Worship How wonderful it is to worship our Lord and Savior! We may worship quietly and thoughtfully or loudly and boisterously. The point is that all Americans should be able to worship God as we desire without government intervention of any kind. This is not the case in many other countries in the world, where worship is dictated by government or limited by government. In some, individuals meeting clandestinely in homes to worship are arrested, tortured and even killed for doing so. There are those in this country who are pushing hard to limit Christians’ worship to church buildings only. “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.” (John 8:36; GNT) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Worship the Lord for a few minutes in a manner that is comfortable for you. Thank Him for the freedom in America to do so! Pray for the persecuted Church world-wide. Ask God to provide a way for them to freely worship Him! Ask the Lord to make His Church more bold in our public declaration of His loving reality. This is not the time to shrink back, but to be bold and expand His Kingdom in our communities and in this nation. If you have the opportunity today, go to a public place and either alone or with a friend, sing a song of praise or a hymn. You might be surprised to find that others join you! A prayer you can pray: Father, I worship You! (Take a few minutes and worship Him with a thankful countenance.) Lord, we intercede on behalf of the persecuted Church world-side. Strengthen and encourage them. Grant them freedom and grace. Let us not take for granted the freedom of worship that we have. Show us how to be bold in this season. We must expand Your Kingdom in this nation and should not be afraid to do so. May we take every opportunity and even stretch ourselves to publicly worship You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Today’s decree: I am free to worship my Lord Jesus anywhere I desire and however I want to in America!

Religious Freedom: First Amendment to the Constitution This week we will be focusing on the subject of religious freedom. This is a Constitutional right, as outlined in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17; NIV) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer: Thank the Lord for our U. S. Constitution and for the Wisdom He bestowed on men who sought Him, bringing down that Wisdom to lay the foundation of our government. Ask Him to preserve our first amendment right to worship Him as we desire, that we are able to choose where we worship and the manner in which we do. Pray that American Christians would realize how bold they can be to talk about Jesus everywhere they go. This is an American right and it cannot be taken from us! Forgive those who are trying to restrict our religious freedom. Truly, they do not understand that to restrict the First Amendment freedom of Believers, they will eventually restrict their own. A prayer you can pray: Father, we thank You that You supplied Wisdom to those who wrote out founding documents. You gave us the freedom to worship You as we desire. We declare that men’s interpretation of our founding documents cannot remove this right from us! We can boldly pray anywhere we want, including in our schools and government offices. We can speak on any topic we need to, and even dance in the streets to You, as King David did. We forgive those who have misinterpreted the First Amendment or who have acted to stop Christian religious freedoms. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Today’s decree: According to the First Amendment of the Constitution, we have freedom of religion and we will not be afraid to act like it!

Praying Out Corruption: Kingdom Overcoming “When we step into a dark room in our home, our very first instinct is to turn on a light, and that instinct has influenced the position of the light switch: it’s generally right near the door. Flip the switch, on comes the light, and immediately away goes the darkness. It ceases to exist where the light is present. It is relegated to the shadows where the rays of light are not yet infiltrating. But even so, the darkness is compromised. Darkness cannot abide where there is light. Let’s review Jesus’ instructions to the 70 in Luke 10. First, he told them to speak peace to every house (v.5), in essence, turn on the light. Bless, don’t curse. Second, He said, ‘Eat what they set before you.’ Fellowship, don’t avoid. You don’t have to talk. Just eat and drink, but keep the lamp burning. Then He told them, ‘Heal the sick who are there.’ Minister, don’t ignore. Finally, at the close of His instructions, Jesus said, ‘Tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  Understand this, that even though your ‘peace-speaking’ may seem but a flicker of light in a very dark place, Jesus says that flicker is impregnated with all the power and resources of the kingdom of God.” (Dave Thompson)1 “The kingdom of God has come near you.” (Luke 10:9; NASB) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer1: Review Luke 10:1-18. Accept and embrace the truth of every verse in prayer. Armed with greater understanding and faith, speak peace more boldly to every house you enter, physically or in prayer. Reclaim every dark place for which Jesus has already paid the price of redemption. Make this your lifestyle, for you and your family, from this day forward. Determine to let no corrupted word leave your mouth, but that every word be full of the peace of God. Speak peace, and follow the trail, because now you know that there is a trail. A prayer you can pray: Father, let the truth of Luke 10:1-18 penetrate deep within my soul. Let it transform me. May I enter every dark place I go each day knowing that I am filled with Your Light. I am a Kingdom-expression. May I speak truth and peace into each dark place, shedding abroad the depth of Your Love for each one there. May my words be filled with grace and faith! Let miracles follow me as I minister Your reality everywhere I go, and may this nation change as every one of Your precious Saints does the same. In Jesus’ powerful Name, amen. Today’s decree: In reclaiming the darkness by showing forth His Light, we spread His Kingdom abroad in this land! 1 Dave Thompson, Sr. Vice President, Harvest Evangelism.

Praying Out Corruption: Partnering With God “Ten years ago, the City of Parañaque, The Philippines, was barely hobbling along under the weight of a 1 billion peso debt. Crime was on the increase. Jails were full. City streets were largely left without lights at night due to lack of funds. Fraud and collusion were rampant in government and in the marketplace. Drug trafficking seemed unstoppable.  Morale was so low and city services so lacking that the inhabitants had allowed their cemetery to literally become the garbage dump for the city, with refuse piled so high it spilled over the walls. It was said, ‘You can tell when you are in Parañaque by the smell.’ That’s when King Flores went to the Mayor to ask what his felt need was, to which the Mayor responded, ‘We don’t have funds because people are not paying their taxes, and when they do, it is too often the result of price-fixing and bribes.’ King and his team offered to pray and asked permission to come once a week at City Hall to do it. Less than two months later, the Mayor came to report that, strangely, people were starting to pay their taxes, and to inquire of King if they could come to pray more often at City Hall!” (Dave Thompson)1 “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  (I Pet. 5:8; NASB) Give Him 15 minutes in prayer1: Say, “Yes, Lord,” to His invitation to partner with Him to change your community and nation. Using your newspaper and newsfeeds, begin to identify the felt needs of your community and of the people who are influencing it. Wherever you find the evil one roaring, roar back! Ask the Lord to open doors for you to offer prayer to people who are in authority in your city. Entreat the Lord for insight, words of wisdom and words of knowledge to pray with accuracy. Pray with faith! Righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a disgrace to any people. (Prov. 14:34) A prayer you can pray: Lord, we cry “YES!” We say yes to partnering together with You to change our community and nation. We do not understand the fullness of what You have put within us, Your Church. If we did, we would surely not shrink back! Help us to find the places where the enemy is trying to gain or keep a demonic stronghold in our realms of influence. We will roar back against it! Please open doors for us to pray with those in governmental authority over us in our cities. Thank You for providing words of wisdom and knowledge that are accurate and will touch their hearts. Jesus, we desire to exalt You in this nation! Amen. Today’s decree: Our cities will change as the Ekklesia partners together with the government leaders, providing prayer, encouragement and Godly advice. 1 Dave Thompson, Sr. Vice President, Harvest Evangelism.