Through decades of service to the community, we at Dallas Leadership Foundation have learned that God orchestrates ways for us to serve and stand alongside people. We’ve learned that leadership development and neighborhood transformation, while wonderfully organic at its best, just don’t happen in isolation. Every step toward leadership and neighborhood transformation is watered by prayer.

We believe focused prayer is a powerful place for Jesus followers to begin serving their communities. Prayer opens unknown doors, brings in unexpected resources, and defeats unseen spiritual enemies. With that in mind, we invite you to include two prayer requests during your time of intercession. The first request is for the Dallas City Council.

On Monday, the city hosted the 2017 Dallas City Council Inauguration. Four new members joined the council. Mayor Mike Rawlings gave an inaugural speech that covered multiple issues facing Dallas. The Bible instructs us to pray for our leaders, and we can play a role by asking God to give them wisdom, protection, and tenacity for tough times. See how the Holy Spirit may lead you in prayer by reading the text of Mayor Rawlings’ inaugural speech on Facebook. Here’s an excerpt:

I believe the way we conduct ourselves as leaders of major American cities is being looked upon like never before. We, the elected leaders of municipal government, are closest to the voters and the taxpayers. We are the ones that have the most direct daily impact on our constituents’ quality of life. The world is starting to understand it is at the local level where we make progress, keep people safe, create jobs and opportunities.

The second prayer request we invite you to consider is World Refugee Day, which is being commemorated Tuesday. A lot of political discussions can be found about refugees on news outlets and social media channels, but we’re not espousing any partisan views. We’re just asking that you pray.

The Bible says that His people are to be kind and generous to our neighbors. To walk in kindness and generosity means trusting that God will guide as we serve others in His Name. Check out this article from CBN.com for related biblical passages about God’s heart when it comes to helping refugees.

To learn more about the mission of Dallas Leadership Foundation, please visit dlftx.org.