Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Jeremiah 5 New International Version (NIV)

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Not One Is Upright

5 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city.
²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
    still they are swearing falsely.”

³Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
    You struck them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than stone
    and refused to repent.
⁴I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵So I will go to the leaders
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.
⁶Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage them,
a leopard will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.

⁷“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
⁸They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
    on such a nation as this?

¹⁰“Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
¹¹The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹²They have lied about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;
    we will never see sword or famine.
¹³The prophets are but wind
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

¹⁴Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth a fire
    and these people the wood it consumes.
¹⁵People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶Their quivers are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷They will devour your harvests and food,
    devour your sons and daughters;
they will devour your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.
With the sword they will destroy
    the fortified cities in which you trust.

¹⁸“Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹And when the people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’

²⁰“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim it in Judah:
²¹Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:
²²Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
²³But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
²⁵Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.

²⁶“Among my people are the wicked
    who lie in wait like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps to catch people.
²⁷Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
²⁸    and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
²⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
    on such a nation as this?

³⁰“A horrible and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹The prophets prophesy lies,
    the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?

Proverbs 28 (New International Version)

Proverbs 28 (New International Version)

Please click on the link below and it will take you to the Audio Feed.
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Proverbs 28

1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

3 A ruler [a] who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

8 He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.

10 He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

16 A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

17 A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him.

18 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

21 To show partiality is not good— yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.

24 He who robs his father or mother and says, "It's not wrong"— he is partner to him who destroys.

25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

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Romans 5 New International Version

Romans 5 (New International Version, ©2010)

Please click on the link below and it will take you to the Audio Feed.

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Romans 5

Peace and Hope

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Proverbs 27 (New International Version)

Proverbs 27 (New International Version)

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Proverbs 27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.

4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

7 He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.

9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

14 If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

15 A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day;

16 restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

18 He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.

19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

20 Death and Destruction [a] are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.

21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.

22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him.

23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

26 the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.

27 You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.

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AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania - Africa

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)

Aug 27: Mauritania

Join the Prayer Movement

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Mauritania

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 1,030,700 sq km
Entirely desert apart from the north bank of the Senegal River on its southern border.
Population: 3,365,675 Annual Growth: 2.43%
Capital: Nouakchott
Urbanites: 41.4%
HDI Rank: 154 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 19 (74% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Arabic; the Hassaniya dialect is used as the vernacular for two-thirds of the population. French is the language of government and commerce Languages: 8 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	8,414	0.25	2.4
Evangelicals	2,081	0.1	6.7
Muslim	3,357,261	99.75

Challenges for Prayer

Political issues are historical and highly charged, although the elected government is widely seen as progressing forward. Despite slavery being illegal, allegations of slavery persist, and thousands are thought to live in such circumstances. Interethnic and intertribal tensions remain from past violence over the White Moor-dominated government seizing Black African lands and livestock. Pray for justice for all who have been oppressed.
Expatriate Christians in Mauritania are few. Most are from various West African countries working at menial jobs, although some work as professionals. Others work in diplomatic services, development and commerce. Expatriate Protestants are petitioning the government for legal protection from sporadic police harassment in certain precincts. Expatriates suspected of proselytizing Mauritanians are subject to harassment, interrogation, brief imprisonment, expulsion and even murder. The murder of a foreign Christian by Islamic terrorists in 2009, as well as extremist activities, have led to many expatriate believers leaving the country. Pray that the lives of Christians might clearly demonstrate the love of Jesus. Pray also that the Lord might grant them wisdom, protection and make them powerful witnesses for His name.
For an additional 7 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Mauritania.

Jeremiah 4 New International Version (NIV)

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“If you, Israel, will return,
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
²and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
then the nations will invoke blessings by him
    and in him they will boast.”

³This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground
    and do not sow among thorns.
⁴Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire
    because of the evil you have done—
    burn with no one to quench it.

Disaster From the North

⁵“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’
⁶Raise the signal to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north,
    even terrible destruction.”

⁷A lion has come out of his lair;
    a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins
    without inhabitant.
⁸So put on sackcloth,
    lament and wail,
for the fierce anger of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

⁹“In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”

¹⁰Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!”

¹¹At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; ¹²a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.”

¹³Look! He advances like the clouds,
    his chariots come like a whirlwind,
his horses are swifter than eagles.
    Woe to us! We are ruined!
¹⁴Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.
    How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?
¹⁵A voice is announcing from Dan,
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.
¹⁶“Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,
    raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.
¹⁷They surround her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled against me,’”
declares the Lord.
¹⁸“Your own conduct and actions
    have brought this on you.
This is your punishment.
    How bitter it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

¹⁹Oh, my anguish, my anguish!
    I writhe in pain.
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds within me,
    I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
    I have heard the battle cry.
²⁰Disaster follows disaster;
    the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
²¹How long must I see the battle standard
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?

²²“My people are fools;
    they do not know me.
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil;
    they know not how to do good.”

²³I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
    and their light was gone.
²⁴I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;
    all the hills were swaying.
²⁵I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.
²⁶I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
    all its towns lay in ruins
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

²⁷This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,
    though I will not destroy it completely.
²⁸Therefore the earth will mourn
    and the heavens above grow dark,
because I have spoken and will not relent,
    I have decided and will not turn back.”

²⁹At the sound of horsemen and archers
    every town takes to flight.
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.
All the towns are deserted;
    no one lives in them.

³⁰What are you doing, you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers despise you;
    they want to kill you.

³¹I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,
    stretching out her hands and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”

Romans 4 New International Version

Romans 4 (New International Version, ©2010)

Please click on the link below and it will take you to the Audio Feed.
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Romans 4

Abraham Justified by Faith

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."[a]
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them."[b]

9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

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Monday, August 26, 2013

Once again we have the privalage to pray for our Schools, Administrators, Teachers and Students

Here's a declaration that some have been using:

We pray the PEACE, PROTECTION, PROVISION, PURITY AND PRESENCE OF GOD for ______________ school -- over every administrator, teacher, student and the families associated with this school, in Jesus Name.

AFWIS Joins Operation World In Prayer for the Republic of Malta in Europe and the Department of Martinique in Caribbean

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)