Thursday, August 29, 2013

AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the United Mexican States of Latin America

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Home > Aug 29: Mexico

Aug 29: Mexico

Mexico

United Mexican States

Latin America

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 1,958,201 sq km
Latin America’s third largest country. Wide range of topography and rainfall ranging from arid northern plateau, central volcanic plateau and the southern mountains and rain forests. Only 10% of the country is arable.
Population: 110,645,154    Annual Growth: 0.99%
Capital: Mexico City
Urbanites: 77.8%
HDI Rank: 53 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 317 (4% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Spanish; the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation    Languages: 297 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian
Religion               Pop %Ann Gr
Christians105,143,87795.031.0
Evangelicals9,166,3468.33.8
Prayercast

Challenges for Prayer

For 300 years the Catholic Church dominated Mexico. Recent times have seen it stripped of much of its privilege and power, while retaining a high degree of cultural influence. Catholicism in Mexico is very diverse in expression, from liberation theologians to charismatics to conservatives to syncretistic “popular Catholicism”. There is encouraging growth in Christ-centred renewal within the Catholic Church, but frequently the figureheads of such movements leave to start their own independent megachurches. The Alpha course is having a positive impact within Catholicism. Most Mexicans are culturally Catholic but not practicing; only 10% are regular churchgoers. Many others blend elements of Amerindian spiritism, including gods and goddesses, into folk Catholicism. Pray for renewal to spread and deepen by the Holy Spirit’s power, and for the polluting influences of ancient gods and the spirit-world to be broken among those with Christo-pagan beliefs and practices.
Evangelicals have grown, even amid some opposition in certain areas. Growth is in both international denominations and in vigorous newer indigenous movements. Pray that the momentum might be maintained. The highest concentrations of evangelicals are in large cities, in northern states bordering the USA and in southern states where there is a higher proportion of Amerindian peoples. Returnees from the USA are influential in bringing evangelical Christianity back with them. Many Mexicans seek a spirituality beyond what they see as empty religious traditions; both evangelicals and charismatic Catholics benefit from this searching. Pray for this growth to be sustained in both numbers and spiritual depth.
     For an additional 10 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 Mexico.
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Proverbs 29 (New International Version)



Proverbs 29 (New International Version)

Please click on the link below and it will take you to the Audio Feed.
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Proverbs 29

1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

4 By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

5 Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

6 An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

8 Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.

15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

19 A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond.

20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21 If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will bring grief [a] in the end.

22 An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

24 The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify.

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.

27 The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

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Jeremiah 6 (New International Version)

Jeremiah 6 New International Version (NIV)


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

6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
    Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet in Tekoa!
    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster looms out of the north,
    even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,
    so beautiful and delicate.
3 Shepherds with their flocks will come against her;
    they will pitch their tents around her,
    each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees
    and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.
7 As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence and destruction resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant of Israel
    as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
    like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
    Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed[a]
    so they cannot hear.
The word of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
    together with their fields and their wives,
when I stretch out my hand
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.
14 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:
    I am bringing disaster on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
    and have rejected my law.
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba
    or sweet calamus from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;
    your sacrifices do not please me.”
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
    Parents and children alike will stumble over them;
    neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.”
24 We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.
Anguish has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.
25 Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.
26 Put on sackcloth, my people,
    and roll in ashes;
mourn with bitter wailing
    as for an only son,
for suddenly the destroyer
    will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,
    going about to slander.
They are bronze and iron;
    they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,
    because the Lord has rejected them.”

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Romans 6 (New International Version, ©2010)



Romans 6 (New International Version, ©2010)

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

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 Romans 6

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the Republic of Mauritius and the Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte both in Africa

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Home > Aug 28: Mauritius, Mayotte

Aug 28: Mauritius, Mayotte

Mauritius, Mayotte

Mauritius

Republic of Mauritius

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 2,040 sq km
One larger and three smaller islands east of Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. One of these, Rodrigues Island, is 500 km to the east of the others. Mauritius also claims the Chagos archipelago, including Diego Garcia, which comprise the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Population: 1,294,569    Annual Growth: 0.70%
Capital: Port Loius
Urbanites: 42.6%
HDI Rank: 81 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 17 (29% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: English    Languages: 13 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Hinduism
Religion               Pop %Ann Gr
Christians423,45432.711.2
Evangelicals130,80110.13.1
Hinduism629,16148.60 

Challenge for Prayer

Most older churches face slow decline and are nominal in faith. Roman Catholics are seeing Hindu beliefs and practices make their way into churches in some places. But the charismatic movement is making a big impact on Catholics, with many coming to personal faith in Christ. Many of those impacted formed their own independent groups. The Roman Catholic Church is experiencing a move back to Bible reading, and now runs several active ministries on the island. Pray for a greater spread of this spiritual vitality among traditional churches in Mauritius.
     For an additional 8 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 Mauritius.

Mayotte

Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte

Africa

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 373 sq km
One larger island, Grande Terre, and one smaller, Petite Terre.
Population: 199,065    Annual Growth: 2.67%
Capital: Mamoudzou
Urbanites: 50.1%

Peoples

Peoples: 11 (73% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: French; Shimaore (a Bantu language) is spoken by 80%, Shibushi (a Malagasy language) by 30%    Languages: 4 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim
Religion               Pop %Ann Gr
Christians3,2651.642.3
Evangelicals2360.14.0
Muslim194,80597.86 

Challenge for Prayer

There is some very small responsiveness to the good news, generally expressed as curiosity more than receptivity. Students and youth, impacted by French/Western social influences, demonstrate the greatest openness. Children who have demonstrated responsiveness to the gospel have been known to be punished for such interest or even taken to live elsewhere in the islands. Illegal immigrants from the Comoran island of Anjouan are also surprisingly responsive. Pray for a harvest among these groups.
     For an additional 4 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 Mayotte.
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Jeremiah 5 New International Version (NIV)



Jeremiah 5 New International Version (NIV)

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

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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.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
    still they are swearing falsely.”
3 Lord, 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.
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
5 So 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.
6 Therefore 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.
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.
9 Should 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.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;
    we will never see sword or famine.
13 The prophets are but wind
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore 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.
15 People 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.
16 Their quivers are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They 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. 19 And 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:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:
22 Should 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.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They 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.’
25 Your 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.
27 Like 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.
29 Should 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:
31 The 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?

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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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cAfdFHjmC4&feature=share&list=PL50CF0F4DEEBE0755


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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