WEDNESDAY, 30th SEPTEMBER 2020: THE LEGISLATURE
PRAYER GUIDE
ISAIAH 51:15-16 (NKJV)
15But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16And I have put My words in your mouth; [Emphasis Added]
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth, [Emphasis Added]
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
JEREMIAH 1:9,10 (ESV)
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
EZEKIEL 37: 3-5, 7, 9, 10
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, [Emphasis Added] O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live….
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, [Emphasis Added] and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone…
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, [Emphasis Added] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on
these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, [Emphasis Added] and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
MARK 11:13-14
And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he
came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, [Emphasis Added] “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. [Emphasis Added]
MARK 11:22-24
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, [Emphasis Added] whoever says to this mountain, [Emphasis Added] Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says [Emphasis Added] will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, [Emphasis Added] believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
GUIDING TEXT FOR THE FASTING SEASON
ISAIAH 32:1-8
1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And a cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5The foolish person will no longer be called generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Day |
Day of the Week |
Date |
Area of Focus |
WEEK SEVEN |
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| 43 | Wednesday | 30th September 2020 | The Legislature |
| 44 | Thursday | 1st October 2020 | Political Organizations |
| 45 | Friday | 2nd October 2020 | The Electoral Commission |
| 46 | Saturday | 3rd October 2020 | The Electorate |
| 47 | Sunday | 4th October 2020 | The 2021 Elections |
| 48 | Monday | 5th October 2020 | Post- Election to Swearing-in |
| 49 | Tuesday | 6th October 2020 | Marketplace Restoration |
CONCLUSION |
|||
| 50 | Wednesday | 7th October 2020 | Dedicating the Decade 2020 -2029 |
| Thursday | 8th October 2020 | Dedicating 2020/2021 | |
| Friday | 9th October 2020 | THANKSGIVING |
DATES TO NOTE
CONCLUDING VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Monday, 5th October to Wednesday, 7th October 2020 (7 pm to 9 pm)
CONCLUDING NIGHT VIGIL & DEDICATION OF 2020/2021
Thursday, 8th October 2020
THE LEGISLATURE
Psalm 138:2 (KJV) states that God has exalted His Word above His Name. God’s Word is His Law. Simply stated, God obeys His Law. He will never use His Name to disregard what His Law states. Another way to view that is: God does not put Himself above His Law. This is why in order to have any successful dealings with God at any level whether through prayer or doing anything with Him, a good understanding of His Laws is mandatory.
Laws are tools that need a moral basis. Every authority must decide what that moral basis will be; whether it will be faith based or simply the expression of the human will. In a Christian view of government, law is based upon God’s revealed commandments not merely on human opinion or what the society decides. Laws must be rooted in God’s character and expressed word. Formulating laws contrary to that basis is projecting a notion that one’s wisdom is superior to God’s.
Uganda’s legal system is patterned after the British one. Till recently, legal justice in the Western world was mostly based upon a proper, biblical understanding of human nature and human choice. Criminals were held accountable for their crimes without excusing their behavior as part of environmental conditioning. Differences between willful, premeditated acts (such as murder) and so-called crimes of passion (i.e. manslaughter) or accidents were acknowledged. This is situation is fast changing globally as humanism becomes the basis of the law.
Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661) and William Blackstone (1723-1780) were two Englishmen who had profound effects on British and American. Rutherford’s Lex Rex (published in 1644) challenged the foundations of 17th century politics by proclaiming that law must be based upon the Bible, rather than upon the word of any man. Before then the doctrine of the divine right of kings to
make laws held sway, and the king’s word had been the law. Arguing from passages such as Romans 13, Rutherford challenged this idea, stating that the king like every one else was under God’s law and not above it.
Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Law of England (published in 1765) embodied the principles of the Judeo-Christian faith and became the definitive paper on the Common Law in England and in America. He was expert in law and according to him, the two foundations for law are nature and revelation through the Scriptures. Blackstone taught that God was the source of all laws, believing that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. The foundations of legal practice were thus to be rooted in theology and moral philosophy. This is unlike today where lawyers are mostly extensively trained in technique.
The Parliament of Uganda
The Parliament of Uganda derives its mandate and functions from the 1995 Constitution, the Laws of Uganda and its own Rules of Procedure. The Constitution contains articles which provide for the establishment, composition and functions of the Parliament of Uganda and empowers Parliament “to make laws on any matter for the peace, order, development and good governance of Uganda”, and “to protect the Constitution and promote democratic governance in Uganda”.
The functions of the Parliament of Uganda are:
- To pass laws for the good governance of Uganda.
- To provide, by giving legislative sanctions taxation and acquisition of loans, the means of carrying out the work of Government.
- To scrutinise Government policy and administration through the following:
- Pre-legislative scrutiny of bills referred to the Parliamentary committees by Parliament
- Scrutinising of the various objects of expenditure and the sums to be spent on each
- Assuring transparency and accountability in the application of public funds
- Monitoring the implementation of Government programmes and projects
- To debate matters of topical interest usually highlighted in the President’s State of the Nation address.
- To vet the appointment of persons nominated by the President under the Constitution or any other enactment.
Composition
Article 78(1) of the 1995 Constitution prescribes the composition of Parliament as follows:
- Members directly elected to represent constituencies;
- One woman representative for every district;
- Such numbers of representatives of the army, youth, workers, persons with disabilities and other groups as Parliament may determine; and
- The Vice-President and Ministers who, if not already elected Members of Parliament, shall be ex-officio members without the right to vote on any issue requiring a vote in Parliament.
Parliament is presided over by the Speaker, and in his/her absence, by the Deputy Speaker both of whom are elected by Members of Parliament from their number.
Administration of Parliament
Article 87A of the Constitution establishes a Parliamentary Commission, which is a body corporate. The responsibility for the organisation and strategic guidance of the Parliament of Uganda rests within the Commission.
It is chaired by the Speaker of Parliament and has seven other members, namely, the Leader of Government Business, Leader of Opposition, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and four Commissioners elected among the Members of Parliament. The Administration of Parliament Act, 1997 provides for the organisation and administration of the Parliament of Uganda and for the employment and remuneration of staff of the Parliamentary Service.
Functions of the Parliamentary Commission
- To appoint, promote and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding public office in Parliament;
- To review the terms and conditions of service, standing orders, training and qualifications of persons holding office in Parliament;
- To provide security staff to maintain proper security for the Members of Parliament and facilities within the precincts of Parliament;
- To provide a Parliamentary reporting service;
- To provide such other staff and facilities as are required to ensure the efficient functioning of Parliament;
- To cause to be prepared in each financial year estimates of revenues and expenditure for Parliament for the next financial year;
- To make recommendations to Parliament on or, with the approval of Parliament, determine the allowances payable and privileges available to the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Members of Parliament; and
- To do such other things as may be necessary for the well-being of the Members and Staff of Parliament.
SCRIPTURES FOR PRAYER AND PROCLAMATION
JOHN 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 13:8-10
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
1 TIMOTHY 1:8-10
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
DEUTERONOMY 28:1
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his
commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the
nations of the earth.
DEUTERONOMY 30:15,16
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
PSALM 119:165
Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
MATTHEW 16: 18,19
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
ISAIAH 10:1-3
Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
WORSHIP JEHOVAH CHAQAQ – OUR LAW GIVER
ISAIAH 33:22
For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
the Lord is our king; he will save us.
PSALM 19:7-9
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
THANK GOD FOR:
- The Leadership of the Legislature: the men and women that are God’s ministers in the Legislative Arm of Government.
- The oversight role of the Legislature that enables the effective monitoring of service delivery.
- The various Accountability Committees in Parliament that have held leaders accountable on a number of high-level cases regarding the mismanagement of public resources and thus promoting stewardship.
- The Parliament of Uganda for their faithfulness in standing up against western influences to support the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Agenda, the LGBT Agenda and the drafting of laws promoting the legalization of abortion in Uganda.
- Laws that have been passed to protect the institution of the family such as the Children Act, Domestic Violence Act, and the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act.
PROCLAMATION OVER THE LEGISLATURE
A Declaration Of What We Are Praying For And What We See As God Answers Prayer
God is raising leaders in the Legislative Arm of Government in Uganda that are righteous and just.
Righteousness, justice, mercy, and truth will be established as the pillars of the Legislature. These leaders will be as a hiding place from the wind and a cover from legal and judicial storms blowing across the world.
They will be a source of refreshment and renewal for Uganda as rivers of water in a dry place. They will be a covering from the heat just like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. There will be servant leaders that will primarily exercise their leadership as servants of the populace.
The righteous will flourish in places of legislative authority and Ugandans will rejoice and not
mourn or groan.
Through their actions, those in legislative authority will be a terror to wrong doers in fulfillment of
the mandate given in Romans 13:3.
They will have the determination to scatter and punish the wicked.
At all levels of the Legislative Branch of Government there will be a hatred for wrongdoing.
Those tearing down our nation every day by giving and receiving bribes will be scattered.
The places of legislative authority will not be surrounded with wicked men and women.
The wicked that surround places of legislative authority – the corrupt, immoral, murderers, opportunists, idolaters, liars, evil counselors, thieves and all those who do not have the interests of the nation at heart – will be removed.
God will deliver Uganda from wickedness and injustice in the legislative branch of Government. The corridors of power to the Legislature will be locked up spiritually for idolaters; the corrupt; those who practice iniquity and ungodliness; those who utter error against the Lord; those who scheme evil and devise wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words; those who
keep the hungry unsatisfied; and those who cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. Rather the generous and upright will stand and the righteous will flourish. Through the leadership of the Legislative Branch of Government the eyes and ears of Ugandans will open up so that our eyes will not be dim, neither will our ears be dull.
Those who are rash, careless and ignorant will gain understanding of knowledge, and
the tongue of the stammerers will be trained to speak plainly.
Wisdom and honor will have true meanings in Uganda Legislature.
Foolishness and wickedness will be despised and overthrown.
Legislators will be mindful of their accountability to God the Law Giver who they called to
represent.
No laws will be established that work against what God intends for each of the institutions He has
created.
Laws passed will not conflict with Biblical truth or morality neither will laws be enacted that are
outside God’s purpose for the State.
Lawmakers will be willing to be informed by Scripture.
There will be harmony between the three arms of government: the Executive, the Judiciary and the
Legislature.
Uganda will have an efficient and effective legislative system, accessible to all citizens, respectful of their traditions, mindful of their aspirations, serving them without bias or discrimination, fear or favour.
Ugandans will be known as a country where righteousness and justice dwell
AMEN
