Category: Life in Christ

Please pray for believers in Lebanon

September 6 | Lebanon – The potential of Christian TV is exciting. Some of the live programs have been made in parts of the Arab World where death is looming, and the response from the local population has been tremendous.

Pray that the Lord will speak to the hearts of people when they see these programs, and for people who are ready to sacrifice their own lives to bring the message of hope to them.

Christianity has a long history in Lebanon – see Wikipedia. Various Christian sects make up approximately 39% of Lebanon’s population – Wikipedia – however, politics and religion are fused and sectarian violence is a reality of life. Added to the tension is the civil war in Syria which threatens to spill over into Lebanon.

Please pray for protection and direction… a willingness to follow Jesus day-to-day.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:21)

Please pray for Syrian believers

September 5 | Syria – Many Syrians have left their homes as they cannot continue living there anymore. Most of them left because of the intermittent fighting; others left because they’ve been asked to get out as fast as possible. And then there are many people who have simply left because they don’t see any future in their old area. Please pray for this situation.

The civil war in Syria is on the TV news daily. Caught in the crossfire are approx 200,000 bekievers representing 10% of the population – see Wikipedia. Before the civil war, Christians were well integrated into Syrian society –

Christians (as well as the few remaining Jews in the country) engage in every aspect of Syrian life. Following in the traditions of Paul, who practiced his preaching and ministry in the marketplace, Syrian Christians are participants in the economy, the academic, scientific, engineering, arts, and intellectual life, the entertainment scene, and the political arena of Syria. Many Syrian Christians are public sector and private sector managers and directors, while some are local administrators, members of Parliament, and ministers in the government. A number of Syrian Christians are also officers in the armed forces of Syria. They have preferred to mix in with Muslims rather than form all-Christian units and brigades, and fought alongside their Muslim compatriots against Israeli forces in the various Arab-Israeli conflicts of the 20th century. In addition to their daily work, Syrian Christians also participate in volunteer activities in the less developed areas of Syria. As a result, Syrian Christians are generally viewed by other Syrians as an asset to the larger community.

The civil war has changed all that… and no one knows how it will end.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26.3-4 ESV

With the civil war continuing to rage, the future of believers in Syria is uncertain. Please pray for an end to the conflict… and protection of believers in the aftermath.

Morning Reading: John 5.41-44 NLT

“Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”
John 5.41-44 NLT