The Most Sacred Right of All
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Our God-given right to freely worship Jesus was at the heart of the inception of our nation. Our Founders escaped England’s religious persecution. They prized religious freedom so much, they included it in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Thomas Jefferson stated that freedom of religion is “the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.”
Under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the President of the United States annually reviews all the countries in the world to determine if any engage in or tolerate violations of religious freedom. This includes “torture, prolonged detention without charges, forced disappearance, and other flagrant denials of life, liberty, or security of persons.” Currently, twelve nations are on the “Countries of Particular Concern” list, while four others made the “Special Watch List” for such violations.
Whether directly or indirectly, censorship of free speech is often the first attempt to suppress “disagreeable” information, along with undermining election integrity, which goes against the very premise of the IRFA. Consider many wars were fought for our freedom. Yet today, we see elected officials and representatives flagrantly restrict conservative and religious viewpoints through social media platforms and voter suppression. This assault to our freedoms constrains our expressions of worship, threaten biblical-conviction, and interferes with the sharing the Gospel.
Guiding Points:
Call to Action: Religious freedom doesn’t disappear in a day but is taken little by little until it is gone. We cannot let this happen on our watch! What can we do and how can we pray?
• We can use our voices to our elected officials, making them aware of any suppression we may be experiencing, and encouraging them to be vigilant about protect religious freedom.
• VOTE! When legislators weaponize the government against believers, it’s time to vote for new representatives to replace them.
• Pray for courage to fill the hearts of people who can make a difference, including whistleblowers to come forward, exposing corruption.
• Donate to organizations that are affecting real change and supporting God- honoring issues and candidates.
• Ask the Lord for discernment in all matters, while allowing His Word to strengthen your faith— God CAN move mountains!
Prayer: Father God, we praise Your holy name today! We pour our hearts out to You, not only for the great country You have given us but for the people in it, including those who are lost and influenced by the enemy. We pray today, Lord, that You will move in the hearts of our elected officials and people in positions of power, to protect and fight for the religious freedom we hold so dear.
We pray there will be a rushing wind of change on both sides of the House of Congress, every branch of our military, and in every courthouse, government building, and schoolhouse in this country. May sparks of revival catch like wildfire. May the light of You, Lord, burn so bright that any residing evil will flee and run away in Jesus’ name. We plead the blood of Jesus for our country. We know that Daniel 2:21 says YOU control the course of world events. YOU remove kings and appoint kings. YOU give wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to the scholars. Hear our prayers… know our hearts.
Your Presence is with us. We have faith in You, and believe positive change is coming. We know You are working all things together for good, for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. We thank you, Lord, for being so good to us. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Final Thought: “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18). Government will never determine our salvation in Christ!
Tuesday, February 28th, 2023
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Million Voices is a movement that gives voters and potential voters the foundation they need to confidently act from a biblical worldview.
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