DAY 19 | States: NC & ND
DAILY TOPIC: The Poor
PRAYER FOR THE POOR
Dear Lord, we pray for those who suffer spiritual, relational and/or economic poverty. You said the poor would always be with us. Give us Your wisdom and Your heart for all kinds of lack: those who are poor in spirit, those who are lonely, and those with material needs. Teach us Your will and ways to minister effectively to those who are the least amongst us. Help us to discern their true needs accurately and to give strategically, wisely and generously. Show us how to deliver Your help, healing, companionship and comfort to those who struggle. Bring us to a renewed sense of community in America — neighbor helping neighbor according to the teachings of Your Word. Lord, grant us the heart of the Good Samaritan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27).
Day 19 - Amendment 15 & 16
15th Amendment: Reserves citizens the suffrage rights regardless of their race, color, or previous slave status.
16th Amendment: Reserves the U.S. government the right to tax income.
Prayer: We pray for honest voting procedures and for the government to use taxes wisely to protect our country.
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
Merrick Garland
SUPREME COURT
Chief Justice John Roberts
JUSTICES
Amy Coney Barrett
Samuel Alito
Brett Kavanaugh
Clarence Thomas
Neil Gorsuch
Elena Kagan
Ketanji Brown Jackson
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)
1968: EPPERSON V. ARKANSAS
Opened the door for evolution to be taught as fact in public schools
(RULING: Creation and Intelligent Design were ruled as religious studies in government schools. Government schools are to remain neutral https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/393/97/)
1973: ROE V WADE: OVERTURNED BY THE GRACIOUS HAND OF THE LORD - JUNE 2022
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 state of North Carolina and North Dakota and its leaders.
WE DECLARE THE 1868 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH CAROLINA:
“We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for … our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity …“(12th State admitted to the Union on November 21st, 1789)
NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR
Roy Cooper [D]
NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Josh Stein [D]
NORTH CAROLINA SENATORS
Ted Budd [R]
Thom Tillis [R]
NORTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Jeff Jackson
Wiley Nickel
Deborah Ross
Donald Davis
Valerie Foushee
Kathy Manning
Alma Adams
REPUBLICANS
Chuck Edwards
Gregory Murphy
Virginia Foxx
David Rouzer
Richard Hudson
Dan Bishop
Patrick McHenry
WE DECLARE THE 1889 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH DAKOTA:
“We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain and establish this constitution.” (40th State admitted to the Union on November 2nd, 1889)
NORTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR
Doug Burgum (R)
NORTH DAKOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Drew Wrigley (R)
NORTH DAKOTA SENATORS
John Hoeven (R)
Kevin Cramer (R)
NORTH DAKOTA REPRESENTATIVES
Kelly Armstrong (R)
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.
