Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Today We Join With Operation World in Praying for the Kingdom of Spain, Europe
Spain
Kingdom of Spain
Europe
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 504,783 sq km
The major part of the Iberian peninsula and Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. Also included are the Canary Islands off northwest Africa and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the North African coast.
Population: 45,450,497 Annual Growth: 1.02%
Capital: Madrid
Urbanites: 77.4%
HDI Rank: 15 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Official language: Catalán, Galician and Basque are official languages in the respective autonomous regions. Castilian (Spanish) is the only official language for all the Spanish territory. Spanish is the first language of over 340 million people; the world’s third most widely used language Languages: 21 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 35,055,968 | 77.13 | 0.1 |
| Evangelicals | 461,998 | 1.0 | 3.4 |
Answer to Prayer
Spain’s transformation since 1978 is astonishing, from dictatorship to liberty, poverty to wealth, isolation to integration into Europe and religious discrimination to religious liberty. Spain has had only two brief periods of religious freedom, 1868-1875 and 1931-1939, before the new Constitution passed in 1978. Thank God for more than 30 years of liberty, and pray that Spain’s believers would take full advantage of it. For an additional 2 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
a) Morality, and values in general, have suffered. Decadent behaviours and hedonistic lifestyles, combined with increased material possessions, cause greater degrees of depression, addiction, debt and lost direction. The younger generation rejects the idea of absolute truth. Pray that Christianity might still be able to provide a moral compass and demonstrate moral authority.
b) Spiritual confusion. False beliefs are quickly multiplying – a natural consequence of the rapidly formed vacuum left by departure from religious faith. Spaniards flirting with occult practices is common. New Age deceptions abound. Marginal cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons have a large presence, augmented now by the arrival of new foreign sects and other religions.
c) Drugs are a blight on Spain, one of the world’s heaviest users of cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Around two million take drugs, most of them young people. Cocaine dominates the drug trade, but heroin wreaks particular havoc on the health of users. As yet, there are no signs of drug abuse or addiction abating.
d) Gambling addiction remains a problem for the nation as well. It is estimated that 15% of net household income is spent on betting, possibly one of the highest proportions of any nation in the world. Bookmakers and gambling companies press in harder on the lucrative Spanish market, well aware of the breadth of addiction.
e) Sexual ethics and behaviours are a battleground, since immorality, prostitution and abortion are common. Children are sexualized at ever younger ages, while an “anything goes” mentality characterizes young people especially. The Spanish have all but stopped having children – they have one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, lower still if excluding immigrant families. All of these will have devastating future consequences in terms of disease, social attitudes and demographic pressure.
Pray for Spain to wake up to the lies that have blinded it to the truth of the gospel. Pray for social renewal, and that those working for the salvation of the Spanish might be endowed with love, power and wisdom.
For an additional 12 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Spain’s modern transformation is not all positive. Secular materialism brought religious freedom and economic advancement, but it has also struck a crushing blow to traditional foundations of society and created a spiritual vacuum that is being filled with many dangerous elements.a) Morality, and values in general, have suffered. Decadent behaviours and hedonistic lifestyles, combined with increased material possessions, cause greater degrees of depression, addiction, debt and lost direction. The younger generation rejects the idea of absolute truth. Pray that Christianity might still be able to provide a moral compass and demonstrate moral authority.
b) Spiritual confusion. False beliefs are quickly multiplying – a natural consequence of the rapidly formed vacuum left by departure from religious faith. Spaniards flirting with occult practices is common. New Age deceptions abound. Marginal cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons have a large presence, augmented now by the arrival of new foreign sects and other religions.
c) Drugs are a blight on Spain, one of the world’s heaviest users of cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Around two million take drugs, most of them young people. Cocaine dominates the drug trade, but heroin wreaks particular havoc on the health of users. As yet, there are no signs of drug abuse or addiction abating.
d) Gambling addiction remains a problem for the nation as well. It is estimated that 15% of net household income is spent on betting, possibly one of the highest proportions of any nation in the world. Bookmakers and gambling companies press in harder on the lucrative Spanish market, well aware of the breadth of addiction.
e) Sexual ethics and behaviours are a battleground, since immorality, prostitution and abortion are common. Children are sexualized at ever younger ages, while an “anything goes” mentality characterizes young people especially. The Spanish have all but stopped having children – they have one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, lower still if excluding immigrant families. All of these will have devastating future consequences in terms of disease, social attitudes and demographic pressure.
Pray for Spain to wake up to the lies that have blinded it to the truth of the gospel. Pray for social renewal, and that those working for the salvation of the Spanish might be endowed with love, power and wisdom.
For an additional 12 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 Spain.
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty, by Maranatha Music
SONG LYRICS;
Father in heaven how we love You
We lift Your name in all the earth.
May Your kingdom be established in our praises,
As Your people declare Your mighty works!
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come.
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who reigns forevermore.
Oh God most Holy we adore You,
We lay our all before Your throne.
May the fragrance of Your presence be about us
As we purpose to worship You alone!
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come.
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who reigns forevermore.
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come.
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who reigns forevermore.
Psalm 64
Psalm 64
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 64
Psalm 64[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear.
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, “Who will see it[b]?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.
10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!
Footnotes:
- Psalm 64:1 In Hebrew texts 6
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Psalm 63
Psalm 63
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 63
Psalm 63[a]
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. 1 You, God, are my God,earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 63:1 In Hebrew texts 63:1-11 is numbered 63:2-12.
Today We Join With Operation World in Praying for the Republic of South Africa, Africa
South Africa
Republic of South Africa
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 1,218,363 sq km
A republic with nine provinces at the southernmost point of Africa. Relatively well watered in the east; arid with increasing desertification toward the west coast.
Population: 50,492,408 Annual Growth: 0.99%
Capital: Cape Town (legislative). Pretoria (administrative). Bloemfontein (judicial)
Urbanites: 61.7%
HDI Rank: 129 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Official language: – all the major ethnic languages. English and Afrikaans are the main languages in higher education Languages: 11All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 37,990,488 | 75.24 | 0.9 |
| Evangelicals | 10,649,521 | 21.1 | 2.2 |
Answer to Prayer
Prayer initiatives started in South Africa have gone on to impact the entire world. The Global Day of Prayer started in Cape Town and is now observed in every country in the world by hundreds of millions of Christians. Groups such as Transformation Africa and Jericho Walls also have profound spiritual influences far beyond South Africa. The Mighty Men weekend conferences impacted the hundreds of thousands who attended with a muscular and uncompromised gospel message. For an additional 3 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Government and leadership are challenges for the future. Finding another unifying figure such as Mandela, with his benign statesmanship, would be a miracle in itself. But lesser subsequent presidents have in turn seen the ruling ANC party lose its two-thirds majority in parliament, which could itself be another step toward a more progressive democracy. Corruption, cronyism and demagoguery are widespread, but greater transparency and a more mature democracy and free press are helping to address this. Many fear what may happen once Mandela’s presence no longer restrains more radical actions. Pray for all in leadership, that justice, wisdom, righteousness and economic betterment for all may be their priorities and their legacy. There are many committed Christians at every level of society.For an additional 11 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 South Africa.
Naomi Karanja: Thaburi 91 Kikuyu Gospel Song
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty... Psalm 91
Chorus: Show up now, my Lord that they may not ask where my God is. "The one she prays and calls to, can He not hear her now?"
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