Joinn Us in Prayer for our Nation, our Leaders and Topics of
Concern for the week of 5/8/15 - 5/14/15
Calling
all prayer warriors of the Kingdom of God
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State of the Bible 2015
How
does your Bible impact you?
By
Nikolas Grosfield
“Forever, O LORD, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.” (Psalm 119)
“The
grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand
forever.” (Isaiah 40)
“Not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5)
“Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24)
“In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1)
“All Scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable…” (2 Timothy 3)
These and other
verses have given Christians confidence for centuries in the authority
and power of the Bible. But as a cure for a disease is useless unless
used, so a lot of people leave God’s great gift of the Scriptures on the
bookshelf or fail to let it impact their lives.
The American Bible
Society recently reported on the Barna Research Group’s nationwide survey
on the present “State of the Bible” in America. The study found that 88
percent of households in America have at least one Bible. The median
number of Bibles in those homes is three.
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Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Wendy Sherman, a top U.S.
State Department official, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that
the composition of his new government and its approach to the two-state
solution could have serious implications for Washington’s support for
Israel, particularly in the United Nations.
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Jeb Hensarling, U. S. Representative for Texas
House Speaker John
Boehner (Ohio) has asked House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling
(Texas) to devise a plan to deal with the expiration of the Export-Import
Bank in June. Boehner said, “There are thousands of jobs on the line that
would disappear pretty quickly if the Ex-Im Bank were to disappear.” So he
said Chairman Hensarling needs to come up with a plan.
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Brigadier General Paul Kennedy, USMC, Commanding General, III Marine
Expeditionary Brigade
A joint survey team has
arrived in Nepal and is led by Marine Corps Brigadier General Paul Kennedy.
The survey team will help in coordinating the response to validated
requests from the government of Nepal in coordination with the U.S. Embassy
in Katmandu.
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Judge Rudolph Contreras, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
The State Department has
about three weeks to propose a date by which it will release tens of
thousands of work-related emails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
sent or received on her personal account, pursuant to an order issued by
federal Judge Rudolph Contreras.
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America: A land of fear?
From
Tornados to Terrorists
By Holly L. Meade
“So first of all let me
assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear
itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes the
needed effort to bring about prosperity once again.”
These words from
Franklin Delano Roosevelt‘s presidential inauguration speech on March 4,
1933 were his efforts to calm people during the nation’s difficult times.
Yet, these words still apply as the fears of American people, both
individually and corporately, have not dissipated but apparently increased.
Chapman University
recently initiated the first nationwide study on what strikes fear in the
hearts of Americans. The Chapman
Survey on American Fears included 1,500 participants and
the data was organized into four basic categories: personal fears, crime,
natural disasters and fear factors.
According to this
poll, the number one personal fear in America today is walking alone at
night.
Regarding crime, the
research team discovered findings that not only surprised them, but also
professionals who work in crime fields. Despite evidence to the contrary,
Americans do not feel like the United States is becoming a safer place.
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From Survive to Thrive
Hispanic
Evangelicals speak common language
By Holly
L. Meade
Tener fe en Jesús. Translated into English that means have faith in Jesus. And
that, not Spanish, appears to be the primary language of the world's
largest Hispanic Christian organization. The National Hispanic Christian
Leadership Conference (NHCLC) serves as a representative voice for
more than 100 million Hispanic evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S.
churches and another 500,000 congregations worldwide.
The NHCLC recently held its annual multiday
convention of more than 1,000 Latino evangelical leaders in Houston,
Texas. The theme for this year's NHCLC convention was “From Survive to
Thrive.” The Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president of NHCLC, said,
‘Engaging a biblical narrative as a metaphor, we must rebuke the Egypt
mindset, push back on the perpetual desert mentality and accept nothing
less than prospering in the promise land of faith, family and freedom.
Our community must repudiate all vestiges of spiritual, social and
economic failure, and neither tolerate unending survival mode with
dependency on Uncle Sam rather than on the gifts and abilities God
deposited in each and every one of us. We must thrive so we can become a
blessing to others and the answer to someone else's prayer.”
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Following an unprecedented surge in tax scams this year, the Internal
Revenue Service is creating a criminal investigative team to focus on
cybercrime as fraudsters used stolen data to collect tax refunds.
A new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy requires states to
address climate change before they can become eligible for grant funding as
part of a mitigation plan to take effect next March.
Pray
for the authorities in federal agencies as they enforce laws and set
policies and regulations.
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A group of 25 House lawmakers led by Representative Mo Brooks (Alabama)
is asking the House Rules Committee to remove an amendment to the defense
policy bill that could open the door to illegal immigrants in the military.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) blazed a fresh
Democrat effort to slow down legislation that would speed trade deals
through Congress, saying the Senate will soon take up the bill.
Pray
for our legislators as they deal with issues of national security and the
economy.
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The Supreme Court said it will review whether a federal agency may
require market operators to compensate customers who lower their
consumption of electricity during peak demand hours.
The federal government is urging the Supreme Court to reject Governor Paul
LePage’s request to decide whether Maine can eliminate Medicaid coverage
for thousands of low-income young adults.
Pray
for the Justices of the Supreme Court as they continue to deliberate
same-sex marriage and ObamaCare cases.
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WARS AND TERRORISM
The
White House called a shooting outside a “Draw Mohammed” in Texas an
“attempted terrorist attack,” but said it was too early to say whether the
incident is tied to ISIS, which has claimed credit for the attack.
The leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) remains incapacitated due to
suspected spinal damage received from injuries in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq
two months ago, and has yet to resume any active control of the jihadist
group.
Pray
about the expanded role ISIS is endeavoring to take worldwide, and for U.S.
efforts to degrade and destroy them.
FOREIGN INTERESTS & CONFLICTS
As
the fight against Boko Haram intensifies, President Obama is
supporting Nigeria’s neighboring countries with $35 million worth of
military and defense support services, but has offered nothing to the
Nigerian army or government.
About 214 women rescued from Islamist Boko Haram militants in northeast
Nigeria are pregnant; others are undergoing screening for infections,
including HIV/AIDS. None of the rescued included the kidnapped schoolgirls.
Pray
about efforts to stop the murderous rampages and kidnappings of Boko Haram
and other Islamist groups.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Secretary of State John Kerry raised the specter of using a 30,000-pound
bunker-buster bomb against Iran’s nuclear program in an attempt to reassure
Israelis that America had its back against Tehran even if it means
preemption.
A senior Fatah official said that the Palestinian Authority planned to
appeal the decision to close the French inquiry into the death of Yasser
Arafat over concerns investigators had concealed information.
Pray
about the fears of Israel and other Middle Eastern nations regarding the
U.S. agreement with Iran.
THE ECONOMY
During
the week that ended Sunday, Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence index fell to
minus 9, the lowest level since December, as more consumers are worried
about their jobs and paychecks and are spending less.
Private-sector employers slowed hiring again in April, adding a
disappointing 169,000 jobs – the lowest since January 2014 - as the decline
in oil prices and the dollar’s strength weighed on the labor market.
Pray
about the stalling U.S. economy, and for the more than 9 million people who
remain out of work.
HEALTH CARE
Doctors
say emergency room visits have increased since the advent of ObamaCare,
undercutting one of the key selling points of President Obama’s
health care law, which was supposed to ensure a healthier population.
Legislation that would have accelerated the pace of federal drug approvals
in a way that critics said threatened to erode patient safety was formally
released this week, in a scaled-back version with many controversial
provisions omitted.
Pray
about the efficacy of ObamaCare in the overall scope of Americans’ general
health.
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Teens and Smartphones
How
much is enough?
By Carol
Hatcher
Adults are concerned
about the time youth are spending on smartphones. A new study shows 24
percent of teens are online almost constantly with the convenience of
mobile devices. Nearly 75 percent of teens own or have access to a smart
phone. While this is new technology, is it really a new problem?
When the “Walkman”
was introduced in 1979, Sony predicted it would sell 5,000 per month.
Instead, the portable radio sold 50,000 units the first two months, and
an 80s icon was created. During this decade, teens were seen almost
“constantly” wearing headphones. It was a bone of contention with the
adults – the elders felt the youth were disconnected from the “real
world.” Sound familiar? Replace the headphones with Apple’s iPhones and
the same argument stands. So what’s a person to do?
Set boundaries
Establish some ground rules such as: no phones at
the table. Whether dining out or at home, make a rule to put the phones
aside and place them on silence. Calls and texts can wait. Spend time
practicing face-to-face communication.
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You are welcome to go through any
of the bible studies on your own, by clicking on the link below.
Bible Study
You may visit the site anytime to study any of the posted bible
studies.
Our Next Bible Study Topic is “Sacrifice your Life unto the
Perfect Will of God”
Date: TBD
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Please contact Minister Waters on her website listed below, on the
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