DAY 14 | States: MS & MO
DAILY TOPIC: Our Pursuit of Happiness
PRAYER FOR OUR PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Lord, give Americans the desire to realize happiness through the pursuit of virtue. We ask You to lead Americans away from the futility of chasing after false gods. O God, we ask for freedom from addiction for our people. We pray for an end to materialism in our nation. We ask for Your forgiveness for our foolish longings for more things rather than longing for You. Thank You for giving us a hunger that only You can satisfy. Father, we sense that our right to pursue happiness and our own destiny is diminishing in America. We ask You to move on behalf of Your people, O God. Author of life and rights, we trust You to impress upon those in power their sacred duty before You to protect our rights — given not by men, but by You.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
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).
Day 14 - Amendment 6
6th Amendment: Guarantees fair and speedy jury trial and the rights to know the accusation, the accuser, and to find counsel and witnesses.
Prayer: We pray for protection of our borders, honest elections, and transparent trials for accused law breakers.
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 Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
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 states of Mississippi and Missouri and their leaders.
WE DECLARE THE 1890 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF MISSISSIPPI:
“We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work, do ordain and establish this Constitution.” (20th State admitted to the Union on December 10th, 1817)
MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR
Tate Reeves [R]
MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL
Lynn Fitch [R]
MISSISSIPPI SENATORS
Cindy Hyde-Smith [R]
Roger Wicker [R]
MISSISSIPPI REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Bennie Thompson
REPUBLICANS
Trent Kelly
Michael Guest
Mike Ezell
WE DECLARE THE 1845 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI:
“We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, doestablish this Constitution for the better government of the state.” (24th State admitted to the Union on August 10th, 1821)
MISSOURI GOVERNOR
Mike Parson [R]
MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL
Andrew Bailey [R]
MISSOURI SENATORS
Eric Schmitt [R]
Josh Hawley [R]
MISSOURI REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Cori Bush
Emanuel Cleaver
REPUBLICANS
Ann Wagner
Blaine Luetkemeyer
Eric Burlison
Sam Graves
Mark Alford
Jason Smith
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.
