WEDNESDAY, 23rd SEPTEMBER 2020: LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PRAYER GUIDE
ISAIAH 51:15-16 (NKJV)
15But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16And I have put My words in your mouth; [Emphasis Added]
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth, [Emphasis Added]
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
JEREMIAH 1:9,10 (ESV)
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
EZEKIEL 37: 3-5, 7, 9, 10
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, [Emphasis Added] O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live….
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, [Emphasis Added] and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone…
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, [Emphasis Added] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on
these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, [Emphasis Added] and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
MARK 11:13-14
And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he
came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, [Emphasis Added] “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. [Emphasis Added]
MARK 11:22-24
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, [Emphasis Added] whoever says to this mountain, [Emphasis Added] Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says [Emphasis Added] will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, [Emphasis Added] believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
GUIDING TEXT FOR THE FASTING SEASON
ISAIAH 32:1-8
1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And a cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5The foolish person will no longer be called generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Day |
Day of the Week |
Date |
Area of Focus |
WEEK SIX |
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| 36 | Wednesday | 23rd September 2020 | Local Government |
| 37 | Thursday | 24th September 2020 | Public Service |
| 38 | Friday | 25th September 2020 | The Army and the Reserve Force |
| 39 | Saturday | 26th September 2020 | Border Control |
| 40 | Sunday | 27th September 2020 | Justice, Law and Order |
| 41 | Monday | 28th September 2020 | The Police and LDUs |
| 42 | Tuesday | 29th September 2020 | Prisons and Rehabilitation |
WEEK SEVEN |
|||
| 43 | Wednesday | 30th September 2020 | The Legislature |
| 44 | Thursday | 1st October 2020 | Political Organizations |
| 45 | Friday | 2nd October 2020 | The Electoral Commission |
| 46 | Saturday | 3rd October 2020 | The Electorate |
| 47 | Sunday | 4th October 2020 | The 2021 Elections |
| 48 | Monday | 5th October 2020 | Post- Election to Swearing-in |
| 49 | Tuesday | 6th October 2020 | Marketplace Restoration |
CONCLUSION |
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| 50 | Wednesday | 7th October 2020 | Dedicating the Decade 2020 -2029 |
| Thursday | 8th October 2020 | Dedicating 2020/2021 | |
| Friday | 9th October 2020 | THANKSGIVING |
DATES TO NOTE
CONCLUDING VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Monday, 5th October to Wednesday, 7th October 2020 (6 pm to 9 pm)
CONCLUDING NIGHT VIGIL & DEDICATION OF 2020/2021
Thursday, 8th October 2020
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Decentralisation and delegation of duties is a biblical principle. God began the principle of delegation on earth by entrusting man with His creation. Psalm 8 says, “What is man that you are mindful of him…You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” Jesus began delegating responsibilities to his disciples early in his ministry, and continued to do so throughout his ministry culminating in the Great Commission where he delegated his mission to the world. God has entrusted his creation and the working out of his plan on earth to sinful, mistake-prone people.
In Exodus 18 an account is given of what has become known as “The Jethro Principle”. Moses the national leader over millions of Israelites had been serving “as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.” Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro gave him advice: “…Select capable men from all the people … and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens…That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.” Uganda’s constitution provides for a system of decentralisation and local governments, which is further consolidated in the Local Governments Act 1997 (Cap. 243). Uganda’s governance system is comprised of the central and local governments. The urban areas have city, municipal, division/town, ward and cell councils while rural areas have district councils, counties (which are administrative units without a council), sub-county councils, parish councils and village councils. The Local Government Act provides for a minimum of 30% of council seats to be reserved for women. The primary source of income for local councils is the Consolidated Fund of the Central government; however local governments are mandated to raise revenue locally through property taxes, licences and user fees. Responsibility for transport and environmental protection is shared between the central and local governments. Districts and municipal councils are also responsible for the provision of primary and secondary education, safe water supplies and public health, and are encouraged to devolve some services to the lower tiers. Local economic development (LED) is the responsibility of the districts and lower tiers of government.
The Ministry of Local Government (MLG), empowered through the Local Governments Act 1997 (Cap. 243), is responsible for formulating and supervising national policy and legislation on local government. The Minister responsible for Local Governments, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), and the Inspector General of Government (IGG) – who is broadly responsible for the elimination of corruption and abuse of office in the public sector – have powers to intervene in the activities of local government if an allegation of misconduct is raised. The IGG has direct powers to intervene, but the Minister and RDC can only conduct investigations through instigating an inquiry, convening a meeting of the council in question or calling on other appropriate bodies to investigate (e.g. the Auditor General or the IGG). In extreme cases the process may escalate all the way up to the President, who may assume executive powers over the council as provided for in the Local Governments Act 1997 (Cap. 243).
In each district there is a Resident District Commissioner (RDC) appointed by the President, whose role is to represent national government and to coordinate the administration of government services in the area. The RDC is the main contact between the local and national government systems.
SCRIPTURES FOR PRAYER AND PROCLAMATION
PSALM 8:3-9
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
EXODUS 18:21-26
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
DEUTERONOMY 1:9-18
“At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.
Nehemiah 2: 17-18
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Isaiah 22:15-24
Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master’s house. I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.
TITUS 1:5
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders
in every town as I directed you…
WORSHIP GOD THE KING
PSALM 22:28
For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.”
THANK GOD FOR:
- The men and women that are in responsibility in Local Governments across the country: city, municipal, division/town, ward and cell councils while rural areas have district councils, counties (which are administrative units without a council), sub-county councils, parish councils and village councils.
- The Local Government structures that have been responsive to the needs of the population, right from Chief Administrative Officers, to Town Clerks, Community Development Officers, and other staff. The RDCs who represent the Central Government have been able to support the Local Governments to enhance service delivery.
- The growth of new Local Government Administrative Units such as Cities and Town Councils that are improving infrastructure development at the local government level.
PROCLAMATION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A Declaration Of What We Are Praying For And What We See As God Answers Prayer
God is raising leaders for all levels of Local Government in Uganda.
For rural areas: village councils, parish councils, sub-county councils, county administrative
units, and district councils.
For urban areas: cell councils, ward councils, division councils /town, municipal councils, and
city councils.
They will lead in righteousness, justice, mercy and truth.
They will be wise, understanding, experienced and able men and women who fear God, are
trustworthy and hate bribes.
As God visits Uganda and the society transforms positively, the criteria of getting into elective
office in Uganda will change.
It will no longer based on bribery, sectarianism, and personality cults.
Rather on integrity of heart and demonstrated ability to lead
These leaders will be as a hiding place from the wind and a cover from the storms that are blowing
across the world.
They will be a source of refreshment and renewal for our communities
as rivers of water in a dry place.
They will be a covering from the heat just like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. They will be servant leaders that will primarily exercise their leadership as servants of the populace.
They will make decisions in line with God’s plan for the nation.
They will have the determination to scatter and punish the wicked.
The righteous will flourish in local government leadership and Ugandans will rejoice and not mourn
or groan.
There will be a hatred for wrongdoing in the local government leadership system.
Those tearing down our communities every day by giving and receiving bribes will be scattered. The wicked in the local government system – the corrupt, murderers, opportunists, idolaters, liars, evil counselors, thieves and all those who do not have the interests of the nation at heart will fall from places of authority in local governments.
The local government system will be locked up spiritually for idolaters; the corrupt; those who practice iniquity and ungodliness; those who utter error against the Lord; those who scheme evil and devise wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words; those who
keep the hungry unsatisfied; and those who cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Rather the generous and upright will stand and the righteous will flourish.
Through the leadership of the local government the eyes and ears of Ugandans will open up so that
our eyes will not be dim, neither our ears dull.
Those who are rash, careless and ignorant will gain understanding of knowledge, and
the tongue of the stammerers will be trained to speak plainly.
Wisdom and honor will have true meanings in the local government system.
Foolishness and wickedness will be despised and overthrown.
Through their leadership our communities will completely turn around.
The Ministry of Local Government will be efficient in its oversight of local governments.
Uganda will have increasingly efficient and well-run local governments in the unfolding years.
AMEN
