Category: Prayers for Schools

Prayers for public schools

Prayer for the Mountain of Education During the Month of Iyar

May 3, 2018

Nancy's Picture of Magnolia Blossom

Prayer for the Mountain of Education During the month of Iyar In 1985, Then President Ronald Reagan appointed William Bennett as the Secretary of Education. While in office, Secretary Bennett actively sought to reform American education. He supported classical education, school vouchers and curriculum reform. He openly criticized schools for their low standards, once referring to the Chicago public school system as “the worst in the nation.” His time at the Department of Education was a window of opportunity to truly reform education. Since Secretary Bennett left office in 1988 we have not had another open window – until now.

Thirty years later we have another opportunity to transform American education with President Trumps’ appointment of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. She is a strong supporter of public school reform, charter schools, school vouchers, and curriculum reform. In order to succeed, Secretary DeVos and her team of educators at the Department of Education need a dynamic prayer force behind them. If they succeed, we succeed, our nation will produce better educated children with Godly character and have a knowledge of God.

The month of Iyar (April 16 – May 16) is the second month of the Jewish calendar and is the month of light, healing, transition, and revelation. This is the appropriate time for us to combine our faith decrees with our prayers to see change in the whole culture of the Mountain of Education.

• We decree God’s light will shine on the Department of Education and every school in America. All that is good will be recognized and will grow. Evil will be exposed and extracted.
• Iyar is the month of transition. Our schools in this nation will be transitioned to a new level of increased performance. Ideas that were once impossible will transition to the possible.
• We decree that all people with the intent to advance an agenda separate from God’s education agenda will transition out at every level from the Department of Education in Washington, DC to the local school.
• We decree this is a time for love, forgiving and healing of relationships. Love and forgiving will flow at every level as teachers and administrators work together for the good of America’s children.
• We decree that Secretary DeVos and each member of her team will find his/her place of strength during this time. That strength will silence her enemies.
• We decree healing to America’s children who have suffered for lack of educational opportunities.
• We decree there will be increased revelation in America’s schools and especially at the Department of Education. Secretary DeVos and her team will see clearly how to proceed to make America the best place in the world to educate a child.

 

Where are the Priorities in our Public Schools?

April 23, 2018

On Nov. 7, 2017, the “News Journal” published an article titled: In Delaware, 1 in 6 Adults Struggle to Read. That’s about 13% of Delaware’s population—an astounding number but not too off from the rest of the US. The article piqued my interest since I recently conducted a prayer conference call with intercessors across the United States. One of the women on the call from Delaware, requested prayer because Delaware is joining the ranks of California, Washington State, and Oregon in integrating gender identity and sexual orientation into their school curriculum beginning at the kindergarten level. There is a connection between the “extra” material and illiteracy.

First—educational priorities are skewed. Where is the Common Sense in sex education? Where are our priorities as a society when 24% of the nation’s students graduate from high school functionally illiterate? Should we not teach the children the basic fundamentals of reading, writing and math with maybe basic American history and civics thrown in for good measure? It will cost millions of dollars for new text books and supplemental material that includes gender identity and sexual orientation.

Second—a larger political agenda is revealed. When common sense goes out the window with education, there is a larger and darker agenda at play—a different social structure is attempting a gradual takeover. Remember God’s words to Able in Gen. 4:7, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it”

Third—future test scores will decline. Besides the fact that the students’ attention will be diverted from learning what they need in order to function in society—teaching “extra” material takes valuable time. Almost any teacher will tell you that there is not enough time in the day to assure that each student fully comprehends the basic material that needs to be covered for academic success. The article also said that one-third of the state’s third graders can’t read. It is a fact that reading levels are good indicators to project future poverty levels of the students once they are adults. If a student can’t read and do basic math by the time he/she reaches adulthood, they are most likely doomed to a life of poverty. So it stands to reason that if we want a prosperous nation, we absolutely must have students that can read, and read well.

The solution—prayer! It is important that we pray strategically for education—not just “throw a thought” toward the problem. The more we realize that any effort to change education will require prayer, the faster we will see the problem eradicated. Would you take a moment and pray for the Mountain of Education in America.

Here are a couple of points to pray:
Much of our curricula that promotes sex education and a global agenda comes from the United Nations. Pray that the source of the material that tears down our society will be revealed and destroyed at its roots. Pray Matthew 3:10 that every tree in our schools that does not bear good fruit will be cut down.
Pray that God would raise up people to rebuild the ruins of our educational system and would raise up to ancient foundations. Pray Isaiah 58:32

The Perfect Storm in Education

April 19, 2018

Over the past two weeks, we have been inundated with the news of school shootings. The most deadly in recent weeks was the shooting on the campus at Ompaqua Community College in Oregon, where 10 people were killed and nine were injured. The US has had an average of one school shooting per week since January 2012 when 20 children were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. How did we get here? What happened in America that over the last 16 years school shootings have become common place? Who broke that dam of evil? And more importantly, how do we stop the killings? 

 

Below I’ve listed three historical events that led us to this place:

  1. The Theory of Evolution Introduced in Education—In the mid 1850s Herbert Spencer proposed that education should draw on new scientific principles to make teaching more efficient as well as pleasant for the child. He proposed that learning was subject to the same laws that shaped the evolution of human beings from simple organisms could be used to shape the development of each child from the earliest moments in life to adults. Out of these concepts, came a new branch of science called child psychology. New discoveries in child learning techniques should give helpful information on how to be a more discerning and caring parent or teacher. The problem with this new branch of science was that it was founded in Darwinism/evolution. Learning disabilities in children began to take names. Eventually, the medical community came up with a myriad of diagnoses for those disabilities, which leads us to the next issue—that of drugs.
  2. Drugs—What came in the 1960s and onwards were a plethora of new drugs on the streets of our cities as well as through the pharmaceutical industries. The street drugs appealed to those who desired to check out of a materialistic culture. The pharmaceutical drugs treated children’s psychological issues as well as learning disabilities. We became a nation that medicated her children.
  3. We Lost our Moral compass Meanwhile the school curricula was steadily undergoing a major shift with the removal of the God of the Christians from the classrooms. With no concept of a creator and therefore no accountability to a higher power, no value is placed on life. When life is cheap, killing the innocent becomes prevalent. When children who grow up deprived of knowing God as a creator are legally drugged there is a recipe for disaster.

These “winds” are some of the strongest influencers that created a “perfect storm” in our educational system.

The answer lies in prayer, but not just a blanket prayer that says, “our thoughts and prayers are with you.” The answer lies with those who know God and the power of the Name of Jesus. Now is the time for believers to come together in unity, in order to pray targeted, strategic prayers that will turn our educational system and consequently our children back to God. Jesus said, “If you believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Let’s come together in agreement to take the Mountain of Education!

 

Prayer for Oklahoma Education

April 16, 2018

This is the Hebrew month of Nissan, the month of Passover! Nissan is the time for redemption, miracles and a time for us to evaluate every political structure with which we are aligned.

With this in mind, I’ve put together some thoughts on the upcoming proposed Oklahoma teacher “walk out” scheduled to take place on April 2, 2018. I ask that you read the overview with discernment and determine to enter into praise so God can reveal His plans for the teachers of Oklahoma.

Teachers across Oklahoma have organized a classroom “walk out” on April 2, 2018, in order to bring pressure on the Oklahoma State Legislature to pass legislation that would give teachers a salary increase of $10,000 per teacher over the next three years. State employees also want higher base salaries and have plans to join the teachers on April 2.

As many of you have already recognized in the Spirit that the “walk out” has more to do with what is happening spiritually in Oklahoma and less to do with actual pay raises. While teachers certainly deserve a pay raise, there are people and organizations that are using this need for a pay increase to promote their globalist, humanistic mindset. They will do anything they can to continue to feed humanism to the students in our classrooms.

Two Organizations to observe and pray about are:

1. The Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) – The OEA is the state office for the National Education Association (NEA – the largest labor union in the US). Recently the OEA hired a Colorado consulting firm, Harstad Strategic Research, Inc. that specializes in getting liberals elected for positions as Governors, Senators, House Representatives, and getting liberal state campaigns passed. There is also a non-profit that is helping OEA to accomplish their goals – The Professional Oklahoma Educators.
2. The Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce – Two newly created Chamber of Commerce backed non-profits that are helping to push the legislature to pass a pay raise are: Step Up Oklahoma and One Voice. The Chamber of Commerce is a humanistic organization that repeatedly pushes its liberal agenda in education. The use the education platform to blame the current OK state legislature for everything going wrong in this state.

What do they really want?
The OEA and the Chamber of Commerce want two things:
1. These two organizations are humanistic and therefore globalists. In order to achieve their purposes, the Oklahoma Legislature must become governing body that aligns with their agenda.
2. They want the children in our state to be taught social curricula at the expense of their learning basic skills. This was John Dewey’s plan that Samuel Blumfiel called “dumbing down” America in order to make them better global citizens.

Unrealistic Request
The OEA and the Chamber of Commerce are both asking for $10,000 per year salary increase implemented over the next three years. With Oklahoma’s budget short-fall, this is unrealistic and will set our governing body up for failure, which is what the enemy wants.

The result will be:
1. The Oklahoma Legislature will fail
2. The OEA and the Chamber of Commerce will be able to point to the Legislature during an election cycle and cite lack of teacher pay raise, voting records, public statements, and the budget shortfall as reasons why they should not be re-elected.

The people of Oklahoma have voted down past initiatives that would increase taxes for the purpose of increasing teacher pay, because the increased revenue brought in from taxes would not be specified for teacher salaries – they were tied into additional administrative and higher education expenses.

What’s going on in the legislature that would help the enemy?
There are some in the OK legislature who are party to the one-world government agenda, and do not belong in our governing body. Some, both Republican and Democrat, are hirelings. There has been much contention within our government during this legislative session. With confusion and selfish ambition, the enemy has gained ground. Those who are not interested in furthering God’s agenda for our state are unaware that the enemy is crouched at the door poised for an attack.

Prayer and Praise Assignment!
As Nissan is also the time to enter into violent praise and speak forth what we want to see accomplished over this year in the Mountain of Education.

• The teachers in Oklahoma will not be used as political pawns in a humanistic battle for the minds of our children.
• The teachers will receive a fair, just and equitable pay raise!
• All ungodliness in our state legislature will be revealed and those who need to go will be replaced by Godly men and women who will judge righteously for the good of Oklahoma.
• Thank and Praise God for the unmasking/revealing of all those who have ungodly agendas for our children and our state.
• Our teachers will cry out to God and He will deliver them from their oppression. They will not be a slave to Pharaoh.
• Teaching in our state will revert back to the original intent our forefathers had in education – that they will be able to read God’s Word for themselves.

The Roar of Prayer!

April 11, 2018

 Many of us, when asked where God is, without missing a beat would reply, “He’s everywhere!” And of course that would be absolutely a correct answer. He IS everywhere. But I can tell you, that most of my prayer life has not reflected God was everywhere, because I had a predominate mindset that God was “out there” somewhere in heaven. I knew better, but wasn’t able to truly translate that into my prayer life.

I knew the scripture in Romans 10:6-8 where Paul said, “Do not say not in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming…’ ” (Romans 10:6-8). Somehow, I manage to ignored that scripture and continue to pray to a God in out there someplace. I continually asking Him to come down and hear my prayer.

I knew that I wasn’t the only one who felt the need to cry out to God in heaven. So many of the songs I hear Christians sing in worship, are directed to a God in Heaven. We are all probably familiar with the words of one familiar song, “God, hear us from heaven. Come down and heal our land.” Even when I Googled the word “Intercession” to find a suitable picture to share with you about prayer, most ALL of the pictures showed someone lifting up her hands to the heavens with a colorful cloud burst in the background. Do we have another picture of intercession that comes to our minds more than someone crying out to heaven? Maybe a picture of a lion?

One day as I was praying, and of course, I was crying out to God to come and help whatever situation I was facing. Tears were flowing. I heard the Holy Spirit say a phrase my mother used to say when I would cry without a reason. Simply put: she would say, “Dry up!” And around my house, when my mother issued a direct order. I obeyed immediately! But this was the Lord speaking to me, so I thought, “How does He know I’m sincere if I don’t cry and somewhat beg Him (I couldn’t admit that it was outright begging). I sensed His saying, “I will hear you when you pray out of your inner man with power and conviction.”

So that got me to thinking, Where is God? I mean, where is the God we pray to and go to in time of trouble and in time of worship? I’ve been a believer for a lot of years and this should have been settled a long time ago. As well as being “out there” He is equally “in there.” He is everywhere and as a believer I am connected to Him by His divine matrix.

We have the power and ability of God living inside of us. So next time I’m tempted to cry and beg God, like I have done so often, I will think of the Lion of Judah who lives on the inside of me. He wants me to pray with boldness that comes from the inside out. Let’s begin to roar like the Lion of Judah and believe God for miracles in America and in particular in America’s education. We can make a difference and we will when we come before Him in a Holy Boldness!!

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

 

 

In My Opinion … Maybe We Could Consider Forgiving Them

March 22, 2018

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a talk on forgiveness. There wasn’t a lot of new material that I hadn’t heard before, but as I listened, the Holy Spirit gave new insight, and a way to pray for America’s educational system.

 

Increasingly educators endorse liberal and anti-Christian agendas much to the chagrin of those of us who follow Jesus. The National Education Association (NEA) facilitates the teaching of all things liberal– climate change, sex education, gender identity, etc. Every year the NEA and its 50 state branch offices go deeper and deeper into anti-Christian, progressive, and immoral teaching, all the while, they think they are doing the right thing. For the most part, they believe they are actually setting our children free from the constraints of religion.

 

This is the same attitude the Jews had who crucified Jesus. They actually thought they were doing humanity a favor by killing a person they perceived as a horrible imposter. But Jesus did something unheard of in return for the cruel treatment they gave Him—He forgave them! As He hung on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).” Later when He appeared to the disciples and commissioned them he said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven, if you do not forgive, they are not forgiven (John 21-23).”

 

Forgiveness has many benefits but, one thing it does that is significant is that it rewrites history. Jesus on the cross is not the end. He rewrote history when he rose from the grave and made salvation available to all of us. Because He forgave, we can now identify with Him and live our lives serving a living God who provided a way for us to know Him personally. We have a future because Jesus rewrote history!

 

In DC next week, I want to rewrite history. I will take a team of intercessors will go to pray at the NEA building and we will do an act of forgiveness. Because it’s nearby and needs prayer, we will pray at the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society is one of the main perpetrators of evolution.

 

Would you agree with us as we pray and forgive, that these institutions can, and will, be redeemed and history will be rewritten?

 

Common Core is Dead!

March 19, 2018

Did you hear the news that Common Core is Dead? The obituary was rather short, a mere 250 words, not much for such a weighty historical effort, and for the most part, the media paid little, if no, attention. My guess is that they long suspected that Common Core would find its way into the graveyard of programs developed by past US Presidents that did nothing to improve this nation academic test scores. Every President since George H. W. Bush has had a national educational program implemented through the Department of Education: Bill Clinton—Expanding Educational Opportunities; George W. Bush—No Child Left Behind; Barak Obama—Race to the Top which included Common Core. The surprising thing is that none of the federal programs worked!

 

January 18th Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke at a conference hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on “lessons learned”  about school reform specifically during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Her conclusion was that the only thing the two Department of Education programs had in common was that they were federal programs. Secretary DeVos said, “Common Core is a disaster, and at the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core is dead.”

 

Many times we pray and we never see the answer to our prayers.  I dedicate this article to the many prayer warriors who have prayed in small home groups for years for America’s schools. Their prayers intensified when Common Core became the . Yes, some of the teaching methods of Common Core were questionable, but teachers know new methods of teaching come and go. It was the clandestine agenda that lingered in the background of Common Core that was more dangerous than teaching methods. The curriculum was produced by globalists who want a moralist society that is easily controlled. They followed the footsteps of Communists like John Dewey who began in the late 1800s and worked diligently (and successfully), in our public schools to produce global citizens for the 21st century.

 

Secretary DeVos’ new plan for education is for the states to exercise control over their individual educational programs, and for more “parental empowerment.” She stated, “Ideally, parent and teacher work together to help a child discover his or her potential and pursue his or her passions.” Her statements do not mention the federal government.

 

Secretary DeVos’ statement on Common Core is a brave move. In her declaration, she stood against the largest, most powerful, and most liberal labor union in the United States, as well as a lot of other liberal educators who will consider her demented. Let’s pray for Secretary DeVos—protection from verbal attacks as well as safety. Also, pray for her to complete her mission to reform American education. Pray for our schools to teach students to grow in the knowledge and the grace of God!

 

In my opinion…the cost and rewards of being a Christian in education

March 14, 2018

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Okay, let’s take a personal survey. Please put a check-list by each of the following instances that have happened to you, in order to be fair—lets say, in the last ten years?

____ heckled in public

____ spit on in public

____ run out of town for your views

____ had your words misconstrued by the media

____ falsely accused of mishandling money

____ faced an angry crowd that didn’t want to hear what you had to say regardless

____ accused of not caring about those whom you serve

____ assaulted for your beliefs in Christian values, i.e. marriage is between a man and a woman, a child is born with a specific sex, etc.

 

I can check off two on the above list, and if I stretch it three. That’s not enough to claim the rewards of someone who has been persecuted for righteousness. But there is a lady who can check off every item and then add a few on the list, and that’s the US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. I’m not stretching the truth—thanks to the media, every incident has been documented in great detail.

 

When Jesus was on the earth, He demonstrated the Kingdom of God, and many times the result was that people demonstrated demonic activity. That’s exactly what is happening today. It’s not Secretary DeVos’ policies they dislike, it’s the fact that she’s a power broker for the Kingdom of God. So it doesn’t matter what policy changes she proposes like school choice, vouchers, state’s rights, diminishing the role of federal government in education, etc. All her ideas are rejected simply because she knows Jesus and cares for the well-being of the children in our nation.

 

Would you join with me in praying for Secretary DeVos?

  1. Pray to dispel the spiritual darkness around our educational system.
  2. Pray Matt. 5:11-12 for Secretary DeVos. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”