Kevlar - The Whole Armor of ManThe Word - The Whole Armor of God

In the movie "The Incredibles" (Disney/Pixar 2004) Lucius, aka "Frozone", is getting ready to take his wife out for their anniversary dinner when he sees the public in danger and springs into action to save them, only to find his wife has put away his "super suit."

Lucius: Honey?
Honey: What?
Lucius: Where's my super suit?
Honey: What?
Lucius: Where - is - my - super - suit?
Honey: I, uh, put it away.
[helicopter explodes outside]
Lucius: *Where*?
Honey: *Why* do you *need* to know?
Lucius: I need it!

Frozone's suit had to be able to withstand the cold of his icy breath. And when Mr. Incredible's original suit was damaged, Edna makes new suits for the whole family. She makes Dash's suit able to handle his "incredible" speed.

Edna (speaking to Elastigirl): "Your boy's suit I designed to withstand enormous friction without heating up or wearing out, a useful feature."

Could these suits have been made of Kevlar®?

Five times stronger than steel, Kevlar was discovered almost by accident in the DuPont Labs in 1964. Chemist Stephanie Kwolek was searching for a new lightweight fiber strong enough to replace the steel belts in tires. The gas crisis was looming and such a fiber would help improve gas mileage. Working with para-phenylenediamine and terephthaloyl chloride in an attempt to form a new polymer, she took the portion usually discarded from the reaction and spun it to test for a fiber. The unexpected result was Kevlar.

Kevlar is a long chain poly para-phenyleneterephthalamide fiber, and it is more properly known as a para-aramid. Aramids, an abbreviation for aromatic polyamides, belong to the family of nylons. Kevlar's structure consists of relatively rigid molecules which tend to form mostly planar sheets similar to that found in silk protein. The polymer owes its high strength to the many inter-chain hydrogen bonds that form between the carbonyl (C=O) groups and the N-H centers. Additional strength is derived from aromatic stacking interactions between adjacent strands. Like graphite, Kevlar laminates can be made thermally stable. Unlike graphite, Kevlar is very resistant to impact and abrasion damage.

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Kevlar acts as Man's Physical Protection
As the Word of God is Man's Spiritual Protection

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Kevlar is a space-age material designed for high stress applications. It has superior resistance to heat and wear, is difficult to cut, does not stretch and is inflammable. Its strength is far greater than almost any other reinforcing material.

General Properties of KEVLAR®

• High Tensile Strength at Low Weight
• Low Elongation (Structural Rigidity)
• Low Electrical Conductivity
• High Chemical Resistance
• Low Thermal Shrinkage
• High Toughness (Work-To-Break)
• Excellent Dimensional Stability
• High Cut Resistance
• Flame Resistant, Self-Extinguishing

Kevlar is one of the most important man-made fibers ever developed. Because of its unique combination of properties, it is used today in a wide variety of industrial applications. Kevlar comes in a number of grades depending on the properties needed for a specific use.

Some Commercial Applications of KEVLAR®

• Body Armor (Bullet-proof Vests)
• Armored Vehicles
• Bicycle Tires
• Racing Sails
• Drum Heads
• Ropes and Cables
• Loudspeakers
• Brake Linings
• Thermal Standoff in Cryogenics
• Motorcycle Safety Clothing
• Sports Equipment (Tennis Rackets, Basketball and Soccer Shoes)

Kevlar is probably best known for its use in bullet-proof vests. Because of its strength, heat tolerance, light weight, resistance to cutting and flexibility, it is perfect for use as protective gear in fire and rescue operations and for police officers, security, and SWAT.

Kevlar has been used as a substitute for Teflon in some non-stick frying pans. When woven into a cable, Kevlar has been used in suspension bridges such as the bridge at Aberfeldy, Scotland. It has also been used to stabilize cracking concrete cooling towers by wrapping the whole tower followed by tensioning the Kevlar to close the cracks.

Like all good things, Kevlar also has a few disadvantages. Much like kryptonite with Superman, the ultraviolet component of sunlight degrades and decomposes Kevlar so it is rarely used outdoors without protection against sunlight. The fibers themselves absorb moisture, so Kevlar composites are more sensitive to the environment than glass or graphite composites. Kevlar is also very difficult to cut. You will need special scissors for cutting dry fabric and special drill bits for drilling cured laminates. Cutting of cured laminates without fraying is very difficult. A retractable roof of Kevlar was a key part of the design of Montreal's Olympic Stadium for the 1976 Summer Olympics. It was spectacularly unsuccessful, as it was completed ten years late (in 1986) and replaced in May 1998 after a series of problems.

Kevlar is a synthetic compound developed by man utilizing the unlimited properties of God's Chemistry Set in a unique fashion for man's protection. Just as Kevlar provides protection for man in the Physical World, so does God's Word protect us in the Spiritual. Paul, in Ephesians, speaks of the ongoing spiritual battles all around us and tells us how to use the "full armor of God" to protect ourselves and help us fight that battle.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT) - A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹²For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

The Whole Armor of God

• Belt of Truth - (Isaiah 11:5 NIV)
• Body Armor of Righteousness - (Phil 3:9 NIV)
• Shoes of the Gospel of Peace - (Gal 5:16 NKJV)
• Shield of Faith - (Proverbs 30:5 NIV)
• Helmet of Salvation - (Psalms 140:7 NKJV)
• Sword of the Spirit - (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)

All of these elements of protection come from God and are ours to use, we just need to be covered in His Word and pray. He will give us the strength in battle to defend ourselves against the wiles of the Devil. The Armor refers to the vigilant righteousness bestowed on us by the grace of God.

Romans 13:12 (NKJV) - The night is far spent, the day [of salvation] is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

God is with us every step of the way in every battle if we just believe. We need to have Faith and the knowledge of His Word.

Deuteronomy 20:3-4 (NIV) ..."Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) - If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Does DNA Debunk Evolution?

So you believe in Evolution? You and about 200 million other Americans. Does that make it right? Wrong! Evolution is a theory, just like the Big Bang and Intelligent Design. To be absolutely proven, any theory must be directly observable. None of these can be so. For the Big Bang it is obvious, no one was here when it happened. Even looking back at the far reaches of the Universe will not give the full picture. It is the laws of physics and math that show it as the best theory now known to match the evidence. And I believe it too. It is also the best theory to match the Biblical description of the Creation of the Universe. Next, with Intelligent Design, neither can it be proven. The intelligence portended by this concept is, by definition, outside of our physical reality. There is, however, a body of evidence that supports it, much of which uses the argument of Irreducible Complexity, to indirectly show how it is virtually impossible for certain systems to come about by the random chance or natural selection of Evolution. Finally Evolution can not be proven, or can it? I think it depends on your definition. What exactly do you mean by Evolution?

Evolution is generally defined as any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. There is micro-evolution (inter-species evolution i.e. natural or artificial selection), macro-evolution (intra-species evolution - long term micro-evolution) and spontaneous evolution (spontaneous generation or abiogenesis - life coming from inorganic matter).

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The Detailed Intricacy of DNA
Held together in multi-twisted Chromosomes
Literally screams of the Creation

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Evolution defined as abiogenesis relies on controversial research, such as the Urey–Miller experiment, to show how life may have been created in the primitive conditions of a new world. Even if the experiments are true examples of the early primordial soup, it still is a big step (or several steps) from a few amino acids to a fully functioning amoeba. This definition of Evolution is infrequently discussed and most evolutionary debates center around Micro and Macro Evolution.

If your definition of Evolution is a Micro one, that of Natural Selection, I think this has been proven. Man, for years, has used this to domesticate and improve crops and for inbreeding of cattle and dogs. Genetic mutations and combinations result in different characteristics of the resulting population, some beneficial and others detrimental. These types of changes are primarily limited to physical characteristics (the Peppered Moth) and not to the origin of new biological systems leading to the formation of more complex organisms.

But if you extend this definition to Macro-evolution, especially where new, fundamental structures supposedly develop, I can't agree. Since by definition this process takes an extended period of time, even eons, it is difficult to prove and fossil evidence does not provide strong support for it. And in my mind, it bumps up against the second law of Thermodynamics and the argument of Irreducible Complexity - it is debunked by the logical construct of DNA.

I view Macro-evolution to be a process by which life forms of increasingly complex design come about. Although this evolution does not require a "Creator" to move from single celled protoplasm to intricate life systems such as Man, it does require a certain amount of "faith" since it has not and, in my opinion, can not be proven. The shear abundance of exquisitely designed structures within the biosphere could not have developed by the random mutation or transformation of genetic material over a long period of time.

A few amino acids in a primordial puddle does not a genome make. Proteins with their delicate folding and unfolding; DNA with its self-replicating duplicity, held together in multi-twisted chromosomes by those same proteins. Detailed intricacies in the form of enzymatic engines in mitochondria, stem cells that can form anything, retinal cones, and exoskeletons literally scream that random selections can not create them. Similarities of chemical systems and structures, namely the genetic makeup, do not necessarily signal an evolutionary process. It actually points just as strongly to that of a designer. When man creates, he uses his experience and knowledge as a foundation upon which to build the better mousetrap. As science, within its basic definition, can not support an external force outside of our space-time continuum impacting our existence, it can not recognize a Creator. That Creator, being the God of the Bible or any other conceivable entity, is specifically excluded from the discussion within the realm of scientific discovery. That exclusion does not prevent the possibility, it just limits the search for a scientific explanation. And by limiting that search, it results in a conclusion that is not scientific at all - a conjecture that has not considered all of the available data in the final analysis.

Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) - Nothing in all Creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Romans 8:39 (NIV) - Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all Creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Happy Mother's Day - All We Need is Your Love!

My wife and I have 5 kids (and a niece that is just like a daughter). We were blessed with the financial stability for their mom to stay at home and care for them all. All are now married with children of their own. My wife is an amazing Mom and a wonderful Grandma. I was caught up in the business of life when the kids were young and did not appreciate to the full the blessing it was for her to stay home and instruct our children. Thank you honey for all of the love and care and comfort you have brought to our family. You are truly the glue that holds us so closely together. I love you, Happy Mother's Day!

We all have a Mother. No matter how we remember her, when we were young (and even now) we wanted her to love us. I am sure she felt the same, loving us with all her heart and wanting us to love her as well. God knew we would need a Mom in a special way. We see in His Word His love for this most special person in all of our lives.

The word "Mother" appears 338 times in the Bible. God knew that He needed someone special to raise His children:

• Genesis 3:20 (NIV) - Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
  

So He specially chose Moms to co-create with Him in the generation of new life within the womb:

• Psalms 139:13-14a (NIV) - For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
  

He even chose the woman who would be His mother:

• Luke 1:28 & 31 (NIV) - The angel went to her [Mary] and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."... ³¹ You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
  

And He listened to her and honored her during His life, and His mother treasured all that He did:

• Luke 2:42, 48 & 51 (NIV) - When He was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom... ⁴⁸ When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You."... ⁵¹ Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
  
• John 2:1-3,5,7,9-10 (NIV) - On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no more wine."... ⁵ His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."... ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim... ^9a and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine... ^10b ...[exclaiming] "You have saved the best till now."
  

He even took care of her in His last moments as He hung on the Cross:

• John 19:25a-27 (NIV) - Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother... ²⁶ When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," ²⁷ and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
  

And after His death, His mother continued to pray:

• Acts 1:14 (NIV) - They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
  

So now we all must remember to:

• Deuteronomy 5:16 (NIV) - "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
  
• Proverbs 6:20b (NIV) - ...and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
  

So that "Your father and mother may be glad and may she who gave you birth rejoice! Proverbs 23:25 (NIV).

Power, Pressure, Resistance - The Shocking Truth about Electricity

Flying a kite in a thunderstorm is not too smart, but if you are Ben Franklin, you know how to do it right! We looked at his kite story last time (A Kite, a Key and a Flash of Lightning - The Chemistry of Electricity), finishing with a quick overview of electric current and a few shocking words like volts, watts and ohms. This time, we will look at those terms a little deeper and see just what can happen when you get too many of them pulsing through your body.

My Dad was an electrician and a lineman for Pacific Telephone (now known as AT&T). In the 1950s, before Best Buy and Circuit City, you could order a Heathkit and build your own TV. Well that was just the thing for my Dad so he ordered a fancy black and white (no color in those days, no flat screen either) and he planned to install it in a wall opening he had made so the TV could be built in and would slide out for service (TVs had tubes back then). He got it done but had not yet put it in the wall so he set it up on a cardboard box - the electrical innards all exposed - right in the middle of the Family Room.

TVs in those days used high powered Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) to display the picture. They needed a high voltage to create the image on the screen. And much like the Leyden Jar old Ben used to catch the lightning, the CRT acted as a big capacitor, storing a significant jolt of electricity for hours after the TV was turned off. Now being an inquisitive fellow myself, all of 8 years old, I decided one morning to get a closer look at the inner workings of that TV. As I reached in to check out the tubes and such, my hand contacted the high voltage wire leading to the CRT and I got quite a shock! It knocked me back about 6 feet and onto the kitchen floor. You can be sure I had a new respect for electricity after that experience!

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The Taming of Electricity has changed our World
But It still can pack a Deadly Punch
Treat It with the Respect It Deserves

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When scientists talk about electricity they most often use these four terms: Amps, Watts, Volts and Ohms. A few other terms you may have heard are AC, DC, Hertz and Kilowatt-hours. If we use a common analogy, comparing an electric circuit to water flowing through a hose, the voltage is equivalent to the water pressure (or electric potential), the amps is equivalent to the flow rate (or electric current) of the water, and the ohms (electrical resistance) is like the hose size or surface area of the opening through which the water flows.

A bigger hose (or larger diameter wire) will have less resistance (fewer ohms) and will be able to move more water in a given period of time (higher current or amps) when the water pressure (volts) applied is constant. The total water moved would be like the watts of power consumed. A Watt is a unit of power having the dimensions of energy per unit of time. Thus that common term on your Electric Bill - "Kilowatt-hours" - is the total number of Kilowatts (1000 Watt chunks) you consumed divided by the number of hours you consumed them in, usually a month.

Say you used your toaster for 5 minutes every morning to brown up your breakfast bagel. In a month (30 days) you would have run it for 150 minutes or 2.5 hours. Now if your toaster is like mine, it says that at 120 volts (the common household voltage in the US) it will take 1800 watts to operate. So in that month, you used 1800 watts times 2.5 hours or 4500 watt-hours or 4.5 Kilowatt-hours of electricity. At about $0.20 per Kilowatt-hour, your favorite bagel browner costs you about $0.90 a month.

So to classify each electric term, we have:

• Watts = Power - (notated as P)
• Volts = Pressure - (V)
• Amps = Current - (I)
• Ohms = Resistance - (R)

A fundamental electrical equation is:

Power = Voltage x Current (P = V * I)
or
Watts = Volts x Amps

A typical household circuit is 120 volts with a 15 amp fuse or breaker. Such a circuit can therefore handle 120V x 15a or 1800 watts, the toaster in the above illustration. If you try to run the toaster and your coffee maker on this same circuit, you will blow the fuse. However, the 1800 watts for the toaster is the maximum draw assuming that you have it set on the highest setting and your are cooking up four slices. Since this is generally not true, you should not have a problem. But you can see why the fuse will go out or the breaker will pop when your daughter has her hair dryer, curler and portable heater all plugged in at once in the bathroom!

If you run a 60 watt light bulb from the same 120 volt, 15 amps circuit, using the same equation but calculating for amps (Amps = Watts/Volts) you can see that the current in amps will only be 60w/120V or 0.5 amps. You can run quite a few 60 watt bulbs on that same circuit.

And another equation is Ohm's Law:

Resistance = Voltage / Current (R = V / I)
or
Ohms = Volts / Amps

If the resistance of the circuit is higher than the voltage applied divided by the potential current in amps, then no current will flow. This would be like the garden hose example where the faucet is shut off. The resistance to the flow of water is greater than the pressure in the hose so no water comes out. Conversely, if you have the same 120 volt - 15 amps circuit, the maximum resistance of all the appliances plugged in would be 120V/15a = 8 ohms to consume the 1800 watts the circuit can carry.

There were several other terms mentioned back in the beginning: AC, DC and Hertz. Here AC and DC are not the band (maybe with just a little heavy metal) but stand for Alternating Current and Direct Current respectively. Direct current flows in only one direction through the circuit. Alternating Current, used in the majority of homes, changes the direction of the current at a set frequency or number of times per second. The frequency is measured in hertz. One hertz means that an event repeats once per second so when the current alternates 60 times a second, it is said to have a frequency of 60 hertz (Hz).

Electricity can be Shocking!

Now electricity is great for powering your big screen TV, your Surround Sound system and your computer but it is NOT good for you should you get a jolt of it unexpectedly. Electric shock occurs when your body comes into contact with any source of electricity that causes sufficient current such that it can pass through you. Typically, electric shock is an unexpected and unwanted exposure and the effects can range from mildly irritating to deadly.

The minimum current a human can feel is about 1 mA (1 milli-amp or 1 thousandth of an amp) of AC at 60Hz, or 5 mA of DC. If the current is high enough, it can cause tissue damage or fibrillation leading to cardiac arrest. About 60 mA of AC or 300 mA of DC can cause fibrillation. A sustained electric shock from a 120 volt, 60Hz AC current is especially dangerous as it usually exceeds the let-go threshold (where your muscles contract and you can not let go of the electrical source), while not delivering enough initial energy to kick the person away. Death caused by an electric shock is called electrocution. The National Safety Council estimates that nearly 300 people die in the United States each year from electric shocks on 120V or 277V circuits. An electric shock from as little as 50V AC for as little as 1 second can disrupt the heart's rhythm, causing death in a matter of minutes.

Electric Shock is separated into four levels, depending on the physiological reaction of the body to the current.

Electric Current (1 second contact)	Shock Physiological Reaction	Voltage required to produce the current  with assumed body resistance (ohms):
		10,000 ohms	1,000 ohms
1 mA	Electrical Sensation: Threshold of feeling, tingling sensation.	10 V	1 V
5 mA	Uncomfortable Sensation: Accepted as maximum harmless current	50 V	5 V
10-20 mA	Let-Go Threshold: Beginning of sustained muscular contraction ("Can't let go" current).	100 V	10 V
100-300 mA	Ventricular fibrillation: Fatal if continued. Respiratory function continues.	1000 V	100 V
6 A	Sustained ventricular contraction followed by normal heart rhythm. (defibrillation). Temporary respiratory paralysis and possibly burns.	60,000 V	6000 V

While the resistance of skin and shoes are generally high, the resistance of the internal human body can be as low as 500 ohms. Thus, if the skin is broken along the path of current flow, the shock danger increases dramatically.  For our purposes a body resistance of 1000 or 1500 ohms is realistic for most low to medium voltage contact with intact skin.

Shock Symptoms
Possible symptoms may include:

• Skin burns
• Numbness, tingling
• Weakness
• Muscle contraction
• Muscular pain
• Bone fractures
• Headache
• Hearing impairment
• Seizures
• Heart arrhythmias
• Cardiac arrest
• Respiratory failure
• Unconsciousness

A person who has suffered an electric shock may have very little external evidence of injury but could be in cardiac arrest. They may have internal injuries especially if they are experiencing any shortness of breath, chest pain, or abdominal pain.

First Aid

1. Call for medical help.
2. If safely possible, shut off the electrical current.
3. If the current can't be turned off, use a non-conducting object to push the victim away from the source of the current. Stand on something dry and non-conducting but do not attempt to rescue a victim near active high-voltage lines.
4. Once the victim is free from the source of electricity, check the victim's airway, breathing, and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow, initiate first aid (CPR).
5. If the victim has a burn, remove any clothing that comes off easily, and rinse the burned area in cool running water until the pain subsides. Give first aid for burns.
6. If the victim is faint, pale, or shows other signs of shock, lay the victim down, with the head slightly lower than the trunk of the body and the legs elevated, and cover the person with a warm blanket or a coat.
7. Stay with the victim until medical help arrives.
8. Avoid moving the victim's head or neck if a spinal injury is suspected. Administer appropriate first aid as needed for other wounds or fractures.

Do Not

• DO NOT touch the victim with your bare hands while the person is still in contact with the electrical source.
• DO NOT apply ice, butter, ointments, medications, cotton dressings, or adhesive bandages to an electrical burn.
• DO NOT get within 20 feet of someone who is being electrocuted by a high-voltage electrical current.
• DO NOT move a victim of an electrical injury unless there is immediate danger.

It doesn’t take very much voltage to cause serious bodily harm. Always be careful and aware when working with Electricity.

Jeremiah 51:15 (NIV) - "God made the Earth by His Power; He founded the World by His wisdom and stretched out the Heavens by His understanding.

James 4:7 (NIV) - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

National Day of Prayer

Thursday May 3rd, is the 61st observance of the National Day of Prayer. God has truly blessed us and we have forgotten Him. We need to set our eyes back on our Creator and turn towards Him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) states: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

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Blessed is the Nation whose God is the LORD.
Psalms 33:12a (NKJV)

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We were established as "One Nation Under God" and Psalms 33:12a (NKJV) says: "Blessed is the Nation whose God is the LORD." And this is not restricted to us in America but it is true for the entire World, if we will but pray, God will hear and answer us. We, all of us, everywhere, need to set aside some time to pray, on this day of prayer and every day. To pray for our families and friends, to pray for our co-workers, to pray for our employers, our Cities, our States and our Nations.

The 2012 NATIONAL PRAYER
by Dr. David Jeremiah – NDP Honorary Chairman

Every good gift and perfect gift comes from You. You are a faithful God and Your mercy endures forever.

You have promised to bless the nation that trusts in You. Our currency proclaims “In God We Trust,” but in our culture we are far from You.

In the words of the prophet Daniel, “We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.”

We come before You once more, seeking Your forgiveness and mercy. You, O God, are our only hope… Hear our prayer and, for Your honor’s sake, shine Your face upon this nation.

Give our leaders the desire to seek Your wisdom and the courage to follow Your guidance… and watch over the men and women of our armed forces as they sacrifice for the cause of freedom.

We give You thanks for all You have done for us, and we earnestly pray that You will help us become, once again, a nation whose God is the Lord.

In the name of Your Son, and our Savior, we pray this prayer.

Amen