Category Archives: 10/40 Window

December 12, 2014 · 7:56 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (12/12/2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsQt0PebBc

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Nigeria. 175 million people with 89 million Christians.

Levels of violence against Christians in 2013 remained extremely high, with hundreds of cases of physical aggression, the destruction of nearly 300 churches and the death of 612 Nigerian Christians. Pentecostal leader, Rev. Faye Pama Musa, was shot dead by two suspected Boko Haram members. However, violence from this Islamic terrorist group is not the only form of persecution. Local government and social groups leave hardly any space for Christians to live their own lives; many Christian villages are denied basic facilities, such as wells and schools. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is divided between a Christian culture in the south and a radical Islamic culture in the north that is characterized by massive riots, bombings and a plan to create an Islamic state. Since 1999, when military rule ended and one-third of Nigeria’s states implemented Islamic law, sectarian violence has resulted in more than 14,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. Greed and corruption consume all levels of government in this oil-rich nation, which faces the growing challenge of division along religious and ethnic lines…In 2009 the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, an al-Qaida ally, vowed to rid the north of all non-Muslim influence, including Christians. Since then, more than 3,000 people have been killed…In 2012, Nigerian authorities killed hundreds of suspected Boko Haram members and arrested hundreds more. Most of those detained were held incommunicado without charge or trial, and many died in detention after being tortured. These abuses have only fueled Boko Haram’s campaign of violence. (The Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray for Nigerian believers to rejoice in hope, to be patient in their tribulations, to be constant in prayer, to bless those who persecute them, to not be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good. (Based on Romans 12: 12, 14, 21)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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December 6, 2014 · 12:55 pm

Being Sick Really Stinks, But…

(Click to see)

Maybe I ate too much turkey and stuffing, but regardless of the cause, I was sick last week. I had a fever, a headache, and slept hours and hours each day. Just standing up was a struggle for me. My sickness lasted for five days before it simmered down to a few sniffles and light coughs.

Yes, I hate being sick, but all and all, I didn’t suffer that much. A few writing projects got pushed to the back burners. Yet, we did not suffer financially at all.

Now, what if I had been a Dalit farm laborer with a wife and two children? What if I would have missed five days of work? You see, Dalits are the lowest rung in India’s Hindu society. They are paid only pennies per hour to do backbreaking farm work.

If a Dalit farm laborer missed five days of work, he could lose ten to fifteen dollars of pay for that week. That loss can not be made up. Something will have to be cut from their family budget. Most likely it will be food.

What can we do to help the poor people of India?

Carol and I like to help poor families in India at Christmas time. We look through Gospel For Asia’s Christmas Catalog and choose a gift that will help earn extra income for a family. The last two years, we chose sewing machines, but this year, we returned to our farm roots and chose two goats.

Throughout the year, we then pray for the families with sewing machines and now, the family with the two goats. And you’re right, we don’t know their names, but God knows them. He also knows how to direct our prayers to the proper recipients.

Maybe you’re interested in helping a family in India. If so, click here.

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December 5, 2014 · 10:26 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (12/5/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Libya. 6.5 million people with 35,000 Christians.

The situation for Christians deteriorated in 2013, making this the most difficult North African country in which to be a Christian. In an absence of the rule of law, violence against Christians has increased. Previously, the main source of persecution was the government and its secret services. Now it is Islamist extremist movements, such as the Salafists. Most Christians are afraid to meet with other believers, as any kind of non-Islamic religious gathering for Libyans is forbidden; ex-pats can have their own churches, but Libyans are not allowed to attend. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Only about 124 churches (including house churches) exist in a country of more than 6 million people. There is a limit of one church per denomination per city. Meetings of more than six people are illegal, though this is not enforced. Evangelicals make up just 0.3 percent of the population. Foreigners are free to worship as they please, but the evangelization of Libyans is prohibited. The former Libyan government had an extensive secret police network that made sharing the gospel with Muslims difficult and dangerous. It is uncertain whether these difficulties will continue under the new regime. Libya’s justice system is nominally based on Shariah law. While most Libyans are Muslim, many are indifferent to matters of faith and hate the restrictions of Shariah law. Christian literature enters the country only through secretive means. (The Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, nothing is impossible for You, so I pray for You to set ambushes for Satan and his horde of demons so that believers can use these ambushes as opportunities to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in Libya.

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 21, 2014 · 9:19 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (11/21/2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuixalECVQg

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Eritrea. 5.9 million people with 2.7 million Christians.

The repeated tragedy of migrant boats capsizing in 2013 has drawn attention to the repressive circumstances for Christians in Eritrea. Those in the Coptic Church enjoy relative freedom, but Christians of other denominations suffer house raids, arrests and systematic torture. Gabriella is an influential Christian in the underground church who was interrogated, tortured and kept in solitary confinement – but she never denied Christ. She describes her time in prison as ‘a honeymoon with Jesus’. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

The Eritrean government has banned all Christian groups except the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, the country’s largest Christian group; the Roman Catholic Church; and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea, a Lutheran-affiliated denomination. With the exception of Sunni Islam, all other public religious practice has been banned. Security forces continue to disrupt private worship, conduct mass arrests at prayer meetings and other gatherings, and detain those arrested for indefinite periods without charge. Between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are imprisoned in Eritrea because of their faith, and most of those have never received a court hearing or been formally charged. Prisoners are tortured and subjected to extremely poor living conditions, often locked in metal shipping containers or underground bunkers. Several who have refused to renounce their beliefs have died in custody. (The Voice of Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that You send Your light and Your truth into the nation of Eritrea and that You open up the hearts of the Eritrean people to receive the love of the truth. (Based on Psalm 43:3 and 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 20, 2014 · 2:32 pm

Got Goats?

I love Christmas.

Yes, it is an imperfect holiday. Yes, it may not be the exact day when Jesus was born. Yes, the world system tries to derail the true meaning of Christmas every year. Yes. Yes. And more yes.

But I still love Christmas. I love being with my family and giving gifts and laughing and hugging and eating.

Now, let me share one of our Christmas traditions with you, okay?

Two years ago, Carol and I began giving gifts through Gospel For Asia’s Christmas Catalog program. Because Carol is a quilter, we chose sewing machines as gifts both years. So, today, somewhere in India two people and their families have a sewing business because of our gifts. Just knowing this, blesses my socks off!

If you want, you can start the same tradition for your family, too. It’s so easy, just click here. Eleven dollars buys two chickens. Twelve dollars buys a blanket. Seventy dollars buys a goat. One hundred and fifteen dollars buys a sewing machine. Or four hundred and sixty dollars buys a water buffalo. Check all the gifts out and see if something catches your eye.

There is nothing quite like giving a gift to a person who can give nothing back in return…except thanks.

(Click to check it out.)

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November 7, 2014 · 11:49 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (11/7/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Yemen. 27.2 million people with a few thousand Christians (.1 %).

There is some religious freedom for foreigners here, but evangelism is prohibited, and Yemenis who leave Islam may face the death penalty. Muslim-background believers are forced to meet in secret. If their faith is discovered, they face severe persecution from authorities, family, and extremist groups who threaten ‘apostates’ with death if they do not recant. Insecurity caused by Islamist movements makes Yemen very unstable. Christians are believed to be under surveillance by extremists, and ex-pat Christians can be a specific target for these extremist groups. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Yemen is the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, making it susceptible to infiltration by extremist groups. The country is a haven for Islamic militants, who have kidnapped and held foreigners for ransom…Expressing faith in Jesus is dangerous for Yemenis. It is illegal for non- Muslims to proselytize and for Muslims to convert to Christianity, but expatriates may privately practice religions other than Islam. Yemeni Christian converts from Islam face the death penalty if discovered, and family culture is extremely opposed to conversion. Mosque leaders openly preach an anti-Western message of hate. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray for a thousand Stephens to be raised up in Yemen who are full of grace, power, wisdom, and the Spirit, who do great wonders and signs among the people, and who are willing to debate crowds of Muslims to their faces, not worrying about their lives even unto their deaths. (Based on Acts 6:8-10 and Revelation 12:11)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 2, 2014 · 8:22 am

Got Five Minutes?

Today, (or any Sunday in November), join churches across America in lifting up the persecuted church through unified prayer. If you want, share this video with your congregation or small group, and let them see how their prayers can strengthen believers and expand God’s kingdom into the most unreached places.

Here are the prayer requests mentioned by Pastor Roshan in the above video:

1. Pray that Satan will not discourage the pastors and ministers from serving the Lord.

2. Pray that the Lord will give the pastors and ministers grace to serve Him faithfully.

3. Pray that ministries will grow, with many coming to know Christ and many villages learning about Him.

Just five minutes of your time could make the difference in thousands of lives. And who knows? Someday, you may need them to spend five minutes for you and your family.

Got five minutes?

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 1, 2014 · 9:35 am

No iPhone 6 for Shanti

Shanti was not one of the twenty million people who recently purchased an iPhone 6 at $650 and up. Her friends never received texts from Shanti announcing, “I got one! I got one! Come over and look at it. It’s so cool!”

But then again, ten-year old Shanti lives in rural West Bengal, India, which is in Northwestern India, near Nepal and Bangladesh. She also doesn’t have a MacBook Computer, an iPod, flatscreen SONY TV, microwave, closet full of GAP clothing, Pandora Bracelet, and NIKE tennis shoes. Her list of what she doesn’t have includes almost everything we consider as necessities here in America.

You see, Shanti is a Dalit, one of the nearly 300 million people in India who are considered “untouchables.” Her parents are poor because her dad works as an agricultural laborer, earning a couple of dollars per day for his backbreaking efforts. Her mom is a housewife and raises some chickens.

An iPhone 6? It would take all of the family’s income for one year to buy one. So, no iPhone 6 for her.

Shanti was the first Bridge of Hope child that my wife and I began sponsoring over three years ago. Since then, we have communicated often by letters and have sent her photos of us

In one letter she wrote: “God has blessed you so much.”

Her words caused me to reflect for a moment until it dawned on me. Yes, we are so blessed that the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord God Almighty, our Father would entrust us to help a beautiful girl like Shanti.

If you also want to be blessed by sponsoring a child in Gospel For Asia’s Bridge of Hope program, click here. Or click on my campaign icon below:

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 31, 2014 · 9:27 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (10/31/2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3aCg2rmDU

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Iran. 77.2 million people with 450,000 Christians (o.6%).

Since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning in 2010 of the ever-expanding influence and numbers of house churches, the treatment of Christians has rapidly worsened. The regime tries to destroy those who reach out to converts and seekers by monitoring services, arresting converts, banning Farsi language services and closing some churches. Attacks against Christian communities have increased, and the prohibition of house church activities is enforced more strictly. Yet the regime’s harsh treatment of Christians only further fuels the flames of church growth. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic that discriminates against its citizens on the basis of religion and belief. Attempts to force political reform in 2011 were quashed by the government, but discontent remains. Young Iranians, who make up a majority of the population, are dissatisfied with both their religion and government. They are very open to the gospel… The evangelical church in Iran is the fastest growing church in the world, according to Operation World. Conservative estimates place the number of Christian Iranian nationals at more than 100,000. Persecution has intensified since 2005. Iran’s state religion is Shiite Islam, and the followers of all other faiths are treated harshly. Protestant pastors are forbidden to preach in Farsi (the official language), restricting them to the Armenian or Assyrian language. Mission organizations are not allowed to enter Iran, and witnessing to Muslims is forbidden. Believers are discriminated against in education, employment and property ownership. Apostates from Islam face the death sentence. Authorities raid house church services, detain worshipers and threaten church members. The publishing, importation or reprinting of Bibles or Christian literature is illegal. But technology is aiding the spread of the gospel. God’s Word is being shared via Internet chat rooms and Christian satellite TV. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray when my brothers and sisters in Iran pass through the waters, that You are with them; that when they walk through the fire, they shall not be burned and the flame shall not consume them. I pray that my brothers and sisters in Iran know that they are precious in Your eyes and are loved and honored by You. (Based on Isaiah 43:2, 4)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 27, 2014 · 8:11 am

2014 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP)

On November 2 (or any Sunday in November), join churches across America in lifting up the persecuted church through unified prayer. If you want, share this video with your congregation or small group, and let them see how their prayers can strengthen believers and expand God’s kingdom into the most unreached places.

Here are the prayer requests mentioned by Pastor Roshan in the above video:

1. Pray that Satan will not discourage the pastors and ministers from serving the Lord.

2. Pray that the Lord will give the pastors and ministers grace to serve Him faithfully.

3. Pray that ministries will grow, with many coming to know Christ and many villages learning about Him.

Just remember: If the effective prayers of one righteous person can accomplish much, then how much more can be accomplished by the effective prayers of thousands of righteous people joined together in agreement. It could be kingdom shaking and life changing.

So, let’s use our faith to pray for the persecuted church on November 2, 2014.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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