DAY 25 | States: SC & SD
DAILY TOPIC: Culture and Media
Prayer for Israel
Prayer for National Government Officials
State Focus: South Carolina and South Dakota
PRAYER FOR CULTURE AND MEDIA
Father, we ask for Your help in reclaiming our culture from the strongholds of the enemy, praying for You to strengthen, broaden and deepen Christian influence on the culture. We admit to often being discouraged at an increasingly irreverent culture that flagrantly abuses Your Holy Name, mocks the Cross, and easily buys into the lies that defy Your natural order. Protect our culture, Lord, from all attempts to belittle and make fun of Your Gospel and Your people. We ask you, Lord, to open greater and greater opportunities for YourGospel to flow freely across our airwaves. We ask, Lord, for You to grant Americans the wisdom to discern truth from deception. We pray for those in the entertainment industry that they may better serve the families of our country by creating programs and movies that are uplifting in nature and extol positive virtues.
For we do not war against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places(Ephesians 6:12).
Here is a partial list of those in media. Support in prayer those who are preserving our nation as salt and light in the areas of culture and media. Additionally, pray for truth and righteousness for those either fully or partly opposed to Biblical values. (Disclaimer: Although we cannot mention everyone, this is a representative group for our prayers today):
Rush Limbaugh
Glenn Beck
All Christian radio stations
All Christian newspapers
All Christians in the media
Jonathan Cahn
Joel C. Rosenberg/Epicenter Conferences
World Net Daily
FOX
Tucker Carlson
Sean Hannity
Laura Ingraham
CNN
Wolff Blitzer
Anderson Cooper
MSNBC
Chris Matthews
Rachel Maddow
Lawrence O’Donnell
PRAYER FOR ISRAEL
Lord, thank you that the President recognized Jerusalem as the Biblical capital of Israel and moved our Embassy. We pray for peace and prosperity in Israel, and ask for an end to the violence and suffering. We pray for justice, and Your sovereign righteousness over Israel. We pray for mercy and Your Kingdom to rule over the land. Please protect the soldiers and civilians from bloodshed. Give wisdom to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Knesset (The legislature of Israel). May Israel remain strong, not dividing the land You gave as an inheritance to Your chosen people. May the United States continue to fully support Israel, the nation that gave us salvation through Jesus Christ.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper that love thee (Psalm 122:6).
PRAYER FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Lord God, we ask for Your blessing and wisdom on the lives of these leaders in our nation.
EXECUTIVE
President Joe Biden
Vice-President Kamala Harris
THE PRESIDENT’S CABINET
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of the Interior
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Monty Wilkinson (Acting)
SUPREME COURT
Chief Justice John Roberts
JUSTICES
Amy Coney Barrett
Samuel Alito
Brett Kavanaugh
Clarence Thomas
Neil Gorsuch
Elena Kagan
Stephen Breyer
Sonia Sotomayor
Lord, we ask for their courage to do what is right in your sight and to overturn the following decisions ...
1947: EVERSON V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
"Wall of Separation" Between church and state
(RULING: Ruled as Constitutional allocating taxpayer funds (to bus children) to religious schools because it did not breach the "wall of separation”: between church and state. Decision held that the establishment clause of the First Amendment applied to state, local and federal government. Bottom Line: Distributing public funds to parents to cover the cost of busing their children to religious schools did not breach the wall. And, finally, it was this ruling that established the vernacular ‘wall of separation’ which set the precedent for the next two Supreme Court decisions removing prayer and bible reading from our schools.)
Where did the term Wall of Separation come from?
Establishment Clause Definition
1962: ENGEL V. VITALE
Removed prayer from public education
(RULING: Unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. PLAINTIFF: Steven Engel, New York parent / DEFENDANT: William Vitale, the school board president)
1963: ABINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT V. SCHEMPP
Removed the Bible from public education
(RULING: Declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional. PLAINTIFF: Edward Lewis Schempp and family / DEFENDANT: Abington School District)
1973: ROE V. WADE:
Allowed Unrestricted Access to Abortion
(RULING: Unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. PLAINTIFF: Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe / DEFENDANT: Henry Wade, district attorney of Dallas County, TX, where Roe resided)
2003: LAWRENCE V. TEXAS:
Struck down the sodomy law, thus legalizing same-sex sexual activity in every U.S. state and territory
(RULING: The “Homosexual Conduct” law [prohibiting sodomy] was unconstitutional and violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause that protects a substantive right to personal liberty in intimate decisions)
2015: OBERGEFELL V. HODGES:
Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide
(RULING: The Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. State bans on same-sex marriage and on recognizing same-sex marriages duly performed in other jurisdictions are unconstitutional under the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. PLAINTIFF: Jim Obergefell, a same-sex widower / DEFENDANT: Richard Hodges, Ohio’s health director)
TODAY’S STATE FOCUS
We direct our prayers to the states of South Carolina and South Dakota and their leaders.
WE DECLARE THE 1778 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA:
“We, the people of the State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”(8th State admitted to the Union on May 23rd 1788)
SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR
Henry McMaster [R]
SOUTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Alan Wilson [R]
SOUTH CAROLINA SENATORS
Lindsey Graham [R]
Tim Scott [R]
SOUTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Jim Clyburn
REPUBLICANS
Nancy Mace
Joe Wilson
Jeff Duncan
William Timmons
Ralph Norman, Jr.
Tom Rice
WE DECLARE THE 1889 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
“We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties …“(39th State admitted to the Union on November 2nd, 1889)
SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR
Kristi Noem [R]
SOUTH DAKOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Jason Ravnsborg [R]
SOUTH DAKOTA SENATORS
John Thune [R]
Mike Rounds [R]
SOUTH DAKOTA REPRESENTATIVES
REPUBLICANS
Dusty Johnson
We ask that You turn their hearts towards You, Lord. We ask that You soften their hearts, Lord, to recognize and receive truth. Lord, we ask that You grant them the understanding and knowledge that come from the fear of You. We ask that You grant them wisdom and discernment, Lord, and that You make them bold to do what is right in Your sight. Lord, we ask that You direct their hearts to do Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
