Audio of this message – https://soundcloud.com/walking-as-christ/why-bible-reading-and-prayer-have-been-taken-our-of-the-public-school
Video of this message – https://youtu.be/Uqn8EbAzvHI
In the past time, in the United States of America it was common place/normal for students of public schools(paid for by the local taxpayers) to be required to read a portion of Scripture and Pray each day in school. Public schools in many different countries around the world did and some still do have similar policies.
In the 1960’s through several court cases, the Highest court in the United States of America ruled essentially that public schools sponsoring Bible reading and Prayer is Unconstitutional(against what the country stands for) and would no longer be permissible/allowed.
Generations and Generations of children would regularly read the Bible each day and pray in school and around the year 1963 all of that changed. Since then until now, it is no longer legal for public schools in the U.S. to sponsor/require children to read the Bible and Pray.
We shared this post on the WalkingAsChrist.com Instagram page and asked
“Should the Holy Bible and Praying be Prohibited in Public Schools?”
The consensus was NO, the Holy Bible and Praying should not be prohibited in public schools. Basically, that Bible reading and Prayer should be encouraged to the students and the law should have never changed. A Sister then sent us a message inquiring about why Bible reading and Prayer was removed from the public school.
To answer the question I initially went to share with her a video that explains the court cases that led to this Supreme Court ruling, but then the Lord helped me to think about what the REAL reason is behind why Bible reading a Prayer have been taken out of the United States public schools.
In short; the Lord allowed us to clearly understand that:
Bible and Prayer have been removed from the public school system because the enemy(satan/lucifer) is the prince of this world.
John 12:31 and John 14:30 Jesus calls satan the Prince of this world.
2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul refers to satan as the god of this world.
The enemy is the boss of the system and that system is working effectively and our nations are becoming nearly Holy Bible illiterate/Unlearned.
From the Beginning, it was God’s direction that His Word and His ways be taught to the children at home. The man is responsible for leading his home in the way of God. The man is held responsible by God to teach His children the Word of God.
As Born Again believers in Jesus Christ, we must realize it is NOT the job of the school system, the church, or any other institution to teach our family the ways of God. The responsibility is in the hands of the man of the home(the parents).
“And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
Genesis 18:17-19 KJV
-Abraham had a Testimony with the Lord of Faithfulness! God knew that Abraham would guide his family in the way of the Lord. This is the expectation of God for parents and Especially Dad’s.
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
Deuteronomy 6:1-12 KJV
*God gave instruction to His people to DILIGENTLY teach their children His Word and His ways. Not just a morning prayer, but throughout each day. Notice here that God is not intended to be just a part of our lives, but instead He is to be the focus of our lives.
“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.”
Deuteronomy 11:18-28 KJV
“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”
Psalms 78:4-7 KJV
‘ We will not hide them from their children, But [we will] tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the L ord , And [tell of] His great might and power and the wonderful works that He has done. For He established a testimony (a specific precept) in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach to their children [the great facts of God’s transactions with Israel], That the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born May arise and recount them to their children, That they should place their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,’
PSALM 78:4-7 AMP
This world is NOT promoting the will of God, but instead this world is against the will of God. It is important that we realize this and take action accordingly.
As we learn in 2 Corinthians 6:17 We were called to be separate from the world.
Let us be sure not to rely/depend on anyone else to guide our homes in way of God besides us and the Holy Spirit of the Lord. Take time each day to read the Holy Bible for yourself and with your family. Pray with your family. Society is not interested in the things of God, they prefer to abandon the ways of God. The first step in the right direction is in our own homes.
#ReadTheWordOfGod
#ReadBibleWithYourFamily
#ReadBibleWithYourChildren
#BeConsistentInTheWordEachDay
It is not the school’s job to teach our families the things of God, it is not the church’s job to teach our children the things of God. The responsibility starts with the man of the home. The responsibility starts with the parents. If the man of your home has abandoned this responsibility, no worries/don’t fret, take the responsibility upon yourself and read the Word of God and share with those around you. It is no one else’s fault if we nor the generation to come does not know the things of God. The fault/guilt is in our own hands. The Lord has allowed us to have His Holy Word easily accessible. The Lord has provided for us in this modern world to have easy access to the teachings of His Holy Word AND He has Blessed us with His Holy Spirit to guide us each and everyday if we obey.
This is the will of God concerning our lives today. We all must have a solid foundation of God’s Word. Read Bible and Pray each day. We can never know the Word of God too much. ❤
We have many resources to help you available at www.WalkingAsChrist.com.
Join us each Sunday – Friday morning for the Word of God: https://www.facebook.com/walkingaschrist
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Listen to our past messages helping to explain the Word of God:
http://www.walkingaschrist.com/podcast-archive/
Here is a video explaining why the Bible and Prayer are not allowed to be required for students attending public schools in United States:
https://youtu.be/eyuh2gxn9Fo
Remember, it was never mandated by God that the Public School system be the ones to teach our families the ways of God. Instead, it has been clearly mandated by God multiple times in His Word that the man of the home/parents teach their children the Word and ways of God.