Cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares about you.- I Peter 5:7

My soul finds rest in God alone: My salvation comes from Him.- Psalms 62:1

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. – Psalms 119:105

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy and peace. – Galatians 5:22

He covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain, and maketh the grass grow on the hills. – Psalms 147:8

Come unto me, ye who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest.- Matthew 11:28

Only You Are Worthy Of The Prayze!

Hi Troop!!!

I am so sorry that it’s has been the longest since I wrote to you all!!!

It’s been sooooooo HECTIC! More than usual!

I just finished with the Gospel Competition- “Just Out Of This World!”

I hold the title of 2nd place! WOO HOO!- So it’s like I won – but without the pressure!!! LOL ….

I am very, very pleased with my result and I just look forward to my pursuit of the offers and opportunities that are already flowing my way!!! I will definitely keep you all posted on my upcoming projects/ shows/ concerts/ ministrations for sure and I really hope that some of you will be able to make appearances to support at some of them! It will be great to catch up with you!

I will be performing at the event below on the 18th November: It is the launch of a Charity Foundation called Intensify:- The mission of Intensify Global foundation www.intensifyglobalfoundation.org is to help young people transform their lives in the coolest ways imaginable.

We will take kids from:

Impossible

to

I’M POSSIBLE!

—-

I’ll also be ministering for youth conference – “Shaking Times” on Friday 20th-22nd 0f November. www.theincorruptibleword.co.uk – with my church “The Life Connection Centre”. It will be worth taking the time to be at this one!!! Trust me!!! – Registration is free at: www.theincorruptible word.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/AliciaPrayze?v=app_2344061033&ref=profile#/event.php?eid=174555395167&ref=mf

——-

I’LL ALSO BE BRINGING A SINGLE OUT VERY SOON – SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!!- BLINK AND YOU MAY MISS OUT!!!!

You know – God is so so good it is overwhelming!!!

The devil is so so devious it’s hilarious !!!!

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ” (1 John 4:4)

When things are going according to God’s plan in your life the devil will always be there to try and prevent God’s greatness from manifesting in your life! If the devil doesn’t contest something, that you are so sure is of God – I would question it!!!!

I am constantly in stitches at the moment – because all that is happening for me at the moment, can be nothing but God’s intentions for me….. and boy! Is that devil trying to make me fall! – I know you guys want me to spill all the drama, but trust me it will take a while! Just know that I got one over on him and I see his attempts like flashing lights!

Alicia Prayze cannot be PHASED!!!

I got my armour of God on (Ephesians: 6:10-18) and I’m ready for the battle, and I’m ready to win for real! – that’s my God’s promise, and my God keeps His promises!

God is the One I get my strength from!

God bless Y’aaalllllll! (KEEP IT CHRIST!)

Alicia Prayze

Proverbs 19:8

Quote:

‘Do yourself a favour & learn all you can: then remember what you learn and you will prosper.’

Unquote

Proverbs 19:27

Quote:

‘Son,when you stop learning, you will soon neglect what you already know.’

Unquote

Proverbs 15:22

Quote:

‘Get all the advice you can & you will succeed; without it you will fail. ‘ 

Unquote

Proverbs 11:25

Quote:

‘ Be generous and you will be prosperous. Help others and they will help you. ‘ 

Unquote

Proverbs 19: 17

Quote:

‘When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, because the Lord will pay you back.’

Unquote

Proverbs 20:18

Quote:

‘Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan’

Unquote

Proverbs 21:5

Quote:

‘ Plan carefully and you will have plenty; act too quickly and you will never have enough.’

Unquote

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
-1 Corinthians 4:3-4 (TNIV)

The quote speaks for itself.
Don’t worry about what people think of you, live your life lovies.
Don’t be too harsh on yourself, expect to make mistakes.
After all, mistakes build experience and character.
<3 ya.

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his toil?

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

15 Whatever is has already been,  and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

 16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

 17 I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”

18 I also thought, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.

19 Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath  ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-22 (NIV)

God makes me wanna break dance!

I want to thank everyone who has been of support to me, and all those who haven’t – who have probably been a bigger help to my career – by the way of my perseverence and determination to succeed!

I am pleased to announce that you will be able to hear some of the awesome songs I have been working on. Long awaited but worth the wait!

By December I will have released some stuff so I’ll keep you posted on dates and details and I’d love your feed back and opinions when it all unfolds!

God bless you all!

Keep a look out for events I have coming up too!

”Keep It Christ!”

  Christ Is Real and He Can Heal!

Bother’s and Sister’s,

First and foremost – I am here to ‘rep’ my Lord, second I’m here to love all of y’aaaalllll! So if it’s alright I’m going to do just that!!!!!
Each and every one of you is here for a reason, never doubt that! There is not one of you that doesn’t have a purpose in life! I love you and I pray that you never give up on your dreams, hopes or gifts that have been given to you by the grace of God, and that you all “may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ!” (Ephesians 3:18)

GOD ROCKS AND HE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE IF YOU ALLOW HIM TO!
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11)

I MADE IT THROUGH TO THE FINALS!!!

Not sure if the word has been spread far enough to reach you all, but recently I entered a competition, like the x-factor on a smaller scale, but only gospel. I got through all the auditions to the live shows and then got through 3 live rounds to the final! YAY!
The grand final will be on the 7th Nov @6.30pm- 8.30pm, at Gateway House, John Wilson Street, Woolwich, London SE18 6QQ.
I would love if I could have you there to support more than anything else. It makes such a difference when you have people there in person – rooting for you. So If you can make it please purchase your ticket at the below link and I really look forward to seeing you there.

http://www.justoutofthisworld.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

Thank you so much to all who supported me and voted to keep me in the competition!!! I am so grateful for you and overwhelmed by your encouragement!!!

Have an amazing week

My Prayer: “Father, I am so grateful for all Your splendid majesty and mercy! Thank You for dying on the cross and suffering my consequences. Yet more than anything, thank You for conquering death that I may be with you forever and ever! Help me to keep focused on You. May I never look right or left, but continue to faithfully walk on Your holy path. Continue to guide me in all my ways!”

Alicia Prayze!

This week we continue our exploration of John Templeton’s twenty-one steps detailed in The Templeton Plan with more on Step 18: Giving as a Way of Life. Today we’ll look at some of the quotes from various world religious traditions that John Templeton considered to be foundationally important to his understanding of this principle. Though these come from spiritual sources, it is interesting to note that they all seem to speak in terms of worldly economic concerns.

“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also real boutifully…for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6-6)

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38)

“They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.” (Hindu Proverb)

THANK YOU lORD, FOR YOUR MERCY AND GRACE!

Dear Lord, I humbly admit my own insufficiency to produce the life You want me to live. Nevertheless, I confidently confess Your grace as my sufficient resource for abundant fruitfulness. Lord, I want to know You better, that humility and faith might be growing realities in my life, Amen.

I did a random and uncharacteristic thing. The context was that I was explaining to a friend how there are plenty of verses in the Bible uplifting the poor, exhorting charity, and condemning wealth that we should use to combat the twisted I-got-mine-screw-you theology of the Religious Right.

Then I sat down and spent my entire Saturday night researching just those kinds of verses in the Bible.

So below you will find some of the gems, which I pulled out because of the incisive or ferocious language or because of their poetic beauty. The Bible can indeed be used for good, as I hope these verses will demonstrate. I grew up Christian, and my first inklings of social justice concepts came from reading Bible verses such as these. Though I am no longer Christian, I still find them inspiring.

Below the fold, you will find a massive compilation of verses that deal with poverty, charity and wealth.

Job 20:15
He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

Job 36:19
Will [God] esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

Psalm 9:17
[T]he needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

Psalm 39:6
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

Psalm 72:4
He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.

Proverbs 23:5
[R]iches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Proverbs 30:14
There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

Proverbs 31:7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

Ecclesiastes 5:12
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

Matthew 19:24
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

James 2:6
Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

James 5:1
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

A hella lot more verses below! The majority come from the King James Bible, except where noted. I went with the New International version whenever the language of King James got too obscure for me.

Deuteronomy 15

³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

⁷If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

⁸But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

⁹Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

¹⁰Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

¹¹For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

1 Samuel 2

⁵They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

⁶The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

⁷The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

⁸He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.

2 Samuel 12

¹And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

²The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:

³But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

⁴And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

⁵And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:

⁶And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

Job 20

¹⁵He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

¹⁶He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper’s tongue shall slay him.

¹⁷He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.

¹⁸That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.

¹⁹Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;

²⁰Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.

Job 24 (New International Version)

¹ “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?

² Men move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.

³ They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

⁴ They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

⁵ Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.

⁶ They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.

⁷ Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.

⁸ They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.

⁹ The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

¹⁰ Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.

¹¹ They crush olives among the terraces ^[a] ;
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.

Job 27

¹⁶Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

¹⁷He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

¹⁹The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

²⁰Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

²²For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 31

¹⁶If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

¹⁸(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)

¹⁹If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:

²²Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.

²³For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

Job 34 (New International Version)

¹⁷ Can he who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

¹⁸ Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’
and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

¹⁹ who shows no partiality to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?

Job 36

⁵Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

⁶He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.

⁷He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.

⁸And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;

⁹Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.

¹⁰He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

¹³But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.

¹⁴They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean.

¹⁵He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.

¹⁶Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.

¹⁷But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.

¹⁹Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

1 Kings 3

⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

⁶And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

⁸And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

⁹Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

¹⁰And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

¹¹And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

¹²Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

Psalm 9

¹⁷The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

Psalm 12 (New International Version)

⁵ “Because of the oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”

⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times.

Psalm 39 (New International Version)

⁶ Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

⁷ “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

⁸ Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.

⁹ I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.

¹⁰ Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

¹¹ You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth—
each man is but a breath.

Psalm 41

¹Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

²The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

Psalm 49

¹⁶Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

¹⁷For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

Psalm 52

⁵God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

⁶The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

⁷Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

Psalm 72 (New International Version)

² He will ^[a] judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

³ The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴ He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.

Psalm 73

¹Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

²But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

³For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

⁵They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

⁶Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

⁷Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

⁸They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

⁹They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

¹¹And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

¹²Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Proverbs 13

⁷There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

⁸The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

Proverbs 14

²¹He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Proverbs 21

¹³Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

Proverbs 22

¹⁶He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

Proverbs 23

⁴Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

⁵Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Proverbs 28 (New International Version)

³ A ruler 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.

…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.

Proverbs 29

⁷The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

Proverbs 30

¹⁴ There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

Proverbs 31

⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

⁵Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

⁸Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

⁹Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Ecclesiastes 5 (New International Version)

⁸ If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. ⁹ The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.

¹¹ As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?

¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

¹³ I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

¹⁴ or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.

¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand.

Jeremiah 17

¹¹As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Isaiah 3

¹⁴The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Isaiah 32

⁵The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.

⁶For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

⁷The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

⁸But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

⁹Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.

¹⁰Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

Ezekiel 16

⁴⁹Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Ezekiel 18

¹⁴Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

¹⁵That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,

¹⁶Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

¹⁷That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

Amos 5

¹¹Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

¹²For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

Matthew 19

²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

²⁷Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

²⁸And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

³⁰But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Luke 1

⁵²He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Luke 6

²⁰And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

²²Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

²³Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

²⁴But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

²⁵Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

²⁶Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

²⁷But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

²⁸Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

²⁹And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

³⁰Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

³¹And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

³²For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

³³And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

³⁴And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

³⁵But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

³⁶Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

³⁸Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 12

³²Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luke 14

¹²Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

¹³But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

¹⁴And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

1 Timothy 6

⁵Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain.

⁷For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

⁸And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

⁹But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

… ¹⁷Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

¹⁸That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

¹⁹Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

James 1

⁹Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

¹⁰But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

¹¹For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

James 2

¹My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

²For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

³And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

⁴Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

⁵Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

⁶But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

⁷Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

⁸If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

⁹But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

… ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 5

¹Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

²Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

³Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

⁴Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

⁵Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.