Notes from this week's podcast: Something to Praise God About & Be Involved!

Celebrating with you about what our recent legislature has done in Alabama in protecting some of our God-given rights

* It will be for null and naught unless we implement what they have legislated. 

What did they do? Three main acts of legislation that went through the Alabama Legislature. 

(1) The first one deals with the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments would be placed back in the public schools -- acknowledging that it was a foundational roll of our Christian moral principles and how they really played an important part in developing our Western civilization and really the American legal system. 

In all history classes, from grades 5 to 12, the Ten Commandments would be displayed as well as some public areas such as the libraries. They are not merely religious documents intended for persona convictions or direction, but they are historical artifacts and they shaped our common law, that is the underlying development of this country. 

This effort of trying to make a neutral space in our institutions really has been a misnomer. It's a myth. Either you recognize God as the Lawgiver or you don't recognize God as the Lawgiver. They've attempted to replace God as our Lawgiver to just make it neutral. 

This was passed and it will be up to the school boards to get this implemented in their districts. And the funds to place these displays of the Ten Commandments in the public schools will be private donations. 

Bringing them back into the history class and teaching in that context, the State can teach this and teach the truth about why our laws are the way they are. The Ten Commandments provided the template for our rule of law -- protecting life, protecting property, taking responsibility for speaking the truth. This is what our court system is all about -- finding truth in the matter. 

History, historical documents will give the evidence that this nation was founded on Christian principles. And it's a reality that our institutions reflect that. The history -- the founding of this nation -- solidifies that doctrine. 

I'm excited about this because this is a way back to righteousness. But it also means that we, as individuals, have to take responsibility and implement it -- that, yes, the children go to school and they see the Ten Commandments, they learn about the Ten Commandments, but at home, we must reinforce that learning. Even as Grandparents, we can talk about that. So this is hope for our culture, and I believe it's hope for the next generation. 

(2) A second thing that was done in our Alabama Legislature this time was a resolution that designates the entire month of September every year as a time of prayer and fasting in the State of Alabama. Now, this is very significant because it ties back to our Christian heritage. At the beginning of the founding of this nation, the founders, the families depended upon a season of fasting and praying and seeking the face of God. In our nation today, there is a growing recognition that we need to get back to that. The life that we're living right now is unsustainable. We are desperate for God. And prayer and fasting is where it starts. 

Historically, we see that prayer and fasting was very common, even among our leaders -- they would recognize our nation would succeed or fall based on our recognition of the Divine Providence of a holy God. Even in the Alabama Constitution, it says that we lean on the Almighty. We need His favor. We need His guidance. But we must invoke His wisdom. We must lean in and call upon His wisdom. 

Even in the early leaders of our nation, this is what they did. They leaned in. They realized that they needed the knowledge of God. The more independent that we live, the less we see the reflection of God's ways. And this is the way of getting back to God -- seeking the face of God; fasting and praying; denying our flesh in a season of time where we seek the face of God through praying Scripture into specific things and watching God move above and beyond what we can think or imagine. We, as Christians, know that the power of God moves through prayer and fasting and the Word of God. We know that. And that is what invokes and invites the favor of God, the involvement of God -- for God to move in our circumstances, from Heaven to down here on earth. 

We can begin to pray through: how you want to be involved, how you want your family to embrace this, how you want your church to be a part of it. We must pray: what is our commitment? We must everyone be committed to this season, this month in September to fasting and praying. 

We must establish how our individual homes will set aside a time to implement these disciplines. Be committed to it. Don't just talk about it. Begin to pray and ask God how will you, not only you as an individual, but how will your family implement this. For the sacrifice that you put forth in this, God will reward you. Ask how will your church set aside times of fasting and praying. 

Be involved in citywide events that will happening. At His Vessel Ministries, we'll be helping with some of the statewide events and some of the district events that will be going on. 

I praise God that we have this opportunity, but I will tell you, it must be implemented. 

At His Vessel Ministries, we're committed to make that happen -- to help educate people what fasting really is. This is a divine opportunity and we don't want to miss it. 

(3) A third thing that happened in our legislature: A piece of legislation was passed to propose an amendment to our Constitution to protect the right of prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance in our public schools. This is definitely something that we need. 

This is an opportunity for prayer to be brought back, or to be instituted, to be introduced into the hearts of many of our school-aged children. 

So it will be on the ballot coming up this year for us to vote to amend our Constitution to implement prayer in the public school and to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in our public schools. 

By putting this in our Constitution, codifying the right to prayer, our State is really saying we're going to defend our liberty. As a Christian majority, we're going to defend our liberty to exist, and we're going to function according to our conscience. Our conscience as Christians is we pray, we have an allegiance to our nation and this is our way to protect that. 

In my opinion, this is about the next generation. I believe that the future of our nation depends upon us instilling these values of prayer -- praying to the Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- instilling an allegiance to our nation. We must put this value into the hearts of our youth to protect it and that's how this nation will stand strong. 

This will be a bill that we will vote on to amend our Constitution, to incorporate prayer back in the public school and to incorporate the Pledge of Allegiance.

Commend your Legislator for upholding these rights. Be a part, make it happen. Let's get involved.

I believe that God is watching. He wants to prosper us. He wants to rise up and His presence among us. We must invite Him to be there.

Scripture for prayer prompts: Exodus 20:1-17, Ephesians 3:20-21