DAY 17 | States: NJ & NM
DAILY TOPIC: Truth
Prayer for Israel
Prayer for National Government Officials
State Focus: New Jersey and New Mexico
PRAYER FOR TRUTH
We ask for a renewed hunger for Your truth in our land. We ask You to give us a renewed hunger for Your Word. May we rediscover both individually and corporately as a nation, that Your Word not only lights our path, but provides the roadmap for our journey through life. May we discover how Your truth not only protects, but truly liberates anyone who allows its precepts to be written on the tablets of the human heart. Draw us, O God, to a reverence for the truth of Your Word. Grant us the ability to understand right and wrong as defined and determined by Your truth. We ask You, Father, to grant Americans the ability to know Your true character, and to surrender our manmade images of who You are. We ask that self-evident truths become self-evident once again. We ask You, Father, to grant Americans the wisdom to discern truth from deception. We ask that Americans will be lovers of truth, rejecting false witnesses and distortions of the truth.
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32).
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 Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
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:
Invalidated state sodomy laws making same-sex sexual activity legal in every U.S. state and territory.
(RULING: The Homosexual Conduct law was unconstitutional and violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause)
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 New Jersey and New Mexico and their leaders.
WE DECLARE THE 1844 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF NEW JERSEY:
“We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors …” (3rd State admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787)
NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR
Phil Murphy [D]
NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL
Gurbir Grewal [D]
NEW JERSEY SENATORS
Robert Menendez [D]
Cory Booker [D]
NEW JERSEY REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Donald Norcross
Andy Kim
Josh Gottheimer
Frank Pallone
Tom Malinowski
Albio Sires
Bill Pascrell
Donald Payne
Mikie Sherrill
Bonnie Watson Coleman
REPUBLICANS
Jefferson Van Drew
Chris Smith
WE DECLARE THE 1911 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF NEW MEXICO:
“We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty …” (47th State admitted to the Union on Jan 6th, 1912)
NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR
Michelle Lujan Grisham [D]
NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL
Hector Balderas [D]
NEW MEXICO SENATORS
Ben Lujan [D]
Martin Heinrich [D]
NEW MEXICO REPRESENTATIVES
DEMOCRATS
Debra Haaland
Teresa Leger Fernandez
REPUBLICANS
Yvette Herrell
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.
