International Day of Prayer

Blessings to you this glorious day!

Today is a day that we are called across the globe to pray. Specifically, we are called to pray for the persecuted.

In Iraq, Africa, North Korea, the Philippines, and around the globe, Christians are beaten and killed, churches burned, and laws passed to restrict worship. Christians today face as much persecution as ever before. Jesus said his followers would not receive better treatment than he did, but he did promise the Comforter. Through prayer, we can encourage those suffering for Christ's sake.

In many other countries, Christians are not allowed to organize freely and are forced to retreat underground just to worship. In countries like China, unsanctioned religious groups, human rights lawyers, democracy advocates and many others are continual targets of repression from a government that fears them as 'undesirable social elements' as noted in an article in Christianity Today.

As Americans, we have a hope and a gift of freedom to practice our faith daily. Our calling today is to practice that faith and freedom by praying boldly and without ceasing for our brothers and sisters across the globe who desire those same liberties.

"If we believe the gospel is life eternal for a person, if it is Good News to the poor, why should that Good News be stopped? It's their choice whether to accept or not, but it is their basic human right to hear that news," declared Sam Paul, secretary of public affairs at All India Christian Council.

Join us at Koinonia Business Women as we praise God that the Gospel will prevail and pray that every person who hears it will turn their hearts toward Him who loves and saves. Pray also that God's hand will move mightily in those countries where there is pain, suffering, brutality and persecution on Christians today, for a safe and free tomorrow.

Pray boldly and without ceasing.

Persecuted for Your Faith?

As a Christian businesswoman, I recently experienced some online persecution on a social networking site. Here is the irony - I was hoping to get feedback from other Christian business owners on the challenges they experience. With the abrupt hostility I faced, my own question was answered!

We in the U.S. experience "persecution" on a much smaller scale (usually) compared to Christians in other countries, where they experience financial, physical and even legal persecution for their faith. However, what we deal with is real none-the-less. Anti-Christian attitudes, unfair treatment, ignorance, slander, prejudice, and more rarely, attacks on property are realities of Christian life in the modern-day USA.

Realize this - the offenders, at the core, are against God, not us as individuals.

What can we do? Pray. Forgive. Do not let our hearts be troubled. Overcome the offense. Seek God on how to respond or if to respond at all. Sometimes the antagonist is actually seeking answers about God.

Are you wondering what I did? I did not respond - it was futile. These folks were questioning, yet not really wanting answers. "Light" and just the mentioning of "Christian" was offensive to their darkness. In this world we will have troubles, but He gives us His peace to see situations and people through His perspective. And now this situation can be shared to encourage others to press on towards the prize, no matter how many others want to trip you on the way!