The situation for religious freedom throughout Central Asia seems to be worsening across the region. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have been difficult for several years already. Christians have been arrested and heavily fined and some have spent time in prison for their faith. It has become increasingly difficult to register new churches in these nations.
However, in the past year or so, the situation has also deteriorated in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. New laws have been passed in all of these nations that greatly limit religious freedom. In Kazakhstan, churches have been raided and pastors fined or held for questioning. The new law requires all churches to re-register with the government and churches with under 50 members are not eligible for registration. In Tajikistan, the new law prohibits children or youth under the age of 18 from attending religious meetings, preventing them from attending church.
In spite of the difficulties we are not discouraged! We understand that historically the church has flourished under persecution. We are believing God for the great harvest that He has promised in this strategic part of the world! Would you agree with us in prayer for God to move across the ancient Silk Road in an unprecedented way?
“The warning last month from Representative Peter King, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, was blunt: An investigation by his staff had determined that "hundreds" of people he described as "Iranian and Hezbollah terrorists" were in the United States. But interviews with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, as well as private experts, about the Iranian-sponsored group paint a more nuanced picture. There is a threat, though whether it is imminent or extensive is far from clear, they say. An alarming part of the officials' assessments focuses on the apparent surveillance missions that Iranian diplomats and possible Hezbollah operatives have been seen conducting at sensitive targets such as New York subways and bridges, and at nuclear power plants and tunnels elsewhere in the United States in the past 10 years.”
www.Newsmax.com, April 5
Please pray for the foiling of terrorist plots in the USA and around the world as part of the global jihad by radicals.
A young American English teacher who was executed by Muslims accusing him of proselytizing in Yemen was described by family and friends as someone who "loved his job" and had a heart for the poor. Officials said a motorcycle gunman and an accomplice pulled alongside the vehicle that Joel Shrum was riding in March 18 and opened fire.
Shrum was on his way to work in the city of Taiz at the time of the attack. The 29-year-old served as deputy director of the Swedish Institute, a language school, and spent time offering vocational training in some of Yemen's poor areas. "He was just motivated by especially seeing people coming out of poverty," Shrum's father, James, said Sunday night.
The assailants escaped after the shooting, but an al Qaeda-linked group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. "This operation comes as a response to the campaign of Christian proselytizing that the West has launched against Muslims," an unidentified person claiming responsibility on behalf of the group Ansar al-Sharia said in a text message to journalists. The group, whose name means "Partisans of Islamic Law," also called Shrum "one of the biggest American proselytizers."
Last week, Saudi Arabia's highest Islamic authority said no Christian churches should be allowed in the Arabian Peninsula, which includes Yemen.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah said the Islamic prophet Mohammad taught that there cannot be two religions on the Peninsula and that only Islam should exist there.
Violence has increased in Yemen since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February, vowing to stop al Qaeda. The Islamic group has increased attacks in Yemen as a result.
I'm sure everyone knows that the world is moving toward a pivotal juncture in time. Iran's leaders are aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons while simultaneously pledging to destroy Israel. Israel, on the other hand, has sworn that Iran will not get nuclear weapons. The watching world has increased crippling sanctions on Iran, but to no avail. It seems inevitable that these two nations will meet in a war that will leave few survivors.
America, meanwhile, has pledged to stand with Israel. The Muslim world knows America (and its European allies) are weakened economically and tired of war, yet the U.S. is resolved to face Iran militarily if sanctions do not stop Iran's ambitions.
Though the stage is being set for a massive conflict, I do not believe this dreaded confrontation is inevitable. Let me explain: Islam is divided into two major sects. Approximately 80% of the Muslim world is Sunni and the rest mostly Shiites and some smaller sects. These two major groups have coexisted but have an historical hatred and mistrust for each other.
Iran is part of the smaller Shiite sect. Thus, Iran's determination to develop nuclear weapons is not only a threat to Israel, but it is an unacceptable advantage that threatens most of the Sunni world. A nuclear Iran has the potential, not only to ignite a catastrophic war with Israel, but it could easily spread chaos and conflict throughout the Muslim world and beyond.
However, there is always a third component to determining the future, and that is the “God factor.” The fact is, in recent years Christianity has experienced explosive growth in Iran. I recently met by email a remarkable Iranian woman. Nasrin was born a Muslim in Iran; however, she found Christ through supernatural dreams and visions of Jesus, which led to her study of the Word of God. She now lives in the USA. In a recent email she said,
God is working in Iran in a mighty way. Before the 1979 Islamic revolution, there were approximately 500 known converts in Iran. However, today many mission leaders believe that now close to one million Iranian converts serve Christ in underground house churches. The Lord is exposing the dark side of Islam to the people in Iran and Jesus is being revealed through visions and dreams. People in Iran have come to associate Islam with hate and war, and they are opening their hearts to the Prince of Peace…
God is doing something in Iran. It is this divine initiative that gives me hope that a military option will not be needed. Therefore, I speak to you as people of prayer, faith and vision: let us join intercessors around the world in prayer for Iran! The focal point for our intercession should be the Muslim world in general, but in particular for the leaders of Iran. Let us also pray fervently for the church in Iran, and also Israel.
Can we dare to hope for such breakthroughs? Absolutely. It was not too long ago when the Soviet Union collapsed before our eyes. Since its fall more people have come to Christ worldwide than the sum of all conversions prior to its demise. We are close to the times of judgment, but we are not there yet. The Holy Spirit has yet to be poured out upon ALL nations (See Acts 2), and that includes the Muslim world!
I believe a great harvest is going to occur in the Muslim world. The first stage of an outpouring is the awakening of intercession in God's people. Indeed, let us beseech the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into this harvest field, and beyond into the entire Islamic world. Let us, as followers of Jesus Christ, never forget the God factor when we pray about the future.
*Nasrin Z. wrote an inspired book about her journey. You may be interested in buying a copy. It is called Passing Through the Fire: Pathway to Freedom and is available at both the Amazon and Barnes and Noble web sites.
“Pray4Saudi: Preparing the way for the Gospel of the Kingdom” (Pray4Saudi.com) launched on March 15, 2012. We are convinced that as churches, ministries, prayer networks, and Christians around the world begin to pray, the Lord will visit Saudi Arabia in a powerful way. Please join us in this initiative – and share it with others. Go to www.Pray4Saudi.com to learn more about how you can be part of this historic move of God.
Pray for:
• the Spirit of God to move powerfully in Saudi Arabia. Pray for the Gospel to be proclaimed in this nation and to all those in diaspora (Saudis living in other nations). Pray for multitudes to put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (The Bible, Romans 1:16)
• the Kingdom of God to come to Saudi Arabia in power with signs, wonders, miracles, dreams, and visions. (The Bible, Acts 2:17)
Preparing the way for the Gospel of the Kingdom
After stating repeatedly that the Muslim Brotherhood would not back a candidate in Egypt’s first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was forced from office, the group reversed itself. On Saturday, March 31, the Brotherhood nominated Khairat al-Shater. This former political prisoner now serves as one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s three deputy leaders.
Al-Shater is a millionaire businessman who in recent months has “developed the Brotherhood’s economic policy and met the International Monetary Fund team.” He has also represented the organization in the “meetings with ambassadors, visiting foreign officials and international investors.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is now saying that the victories by Islamists in the parliamentary elections indicate that the people of Egypt want an Islamic state.
Observers believe Shater has a very good chance of winning the election. “The nomination of Khairat al-Shater is a smart choice,“ writes Mustafa al-Zahran, an expert on Islamist political movements, “because he has mass popularity among the grassroots membership and a long history of struggle.”
Egypt’s first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office is scheduled for May 23 and 24, 2012.
Pray for men and women of integrity and honesty to be given political power to lead Egypt into its special destiny and that the plans of the wicked will be overthrown.
PRAY:
• For all hidden activity of the Sinaloa cartel to be exposed.
• For supernatural wisdom and protection for all local and federal law enforcement that deal with taking down all the illegal trafficking by the Sinaloa cartel.
• For all Arizonians to be alert to any unusual activity within their neighborhoods, to have the boldness to call local or federal authorities.
• For the arrest and conviction of “El Chapo” Guzman and the dismantling of the Sinaloa cartel!
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes [Arizona] and makes her the praise of the earth. ~Isaiah 62:6-7
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, whose capture we have been diligently praying for, NARROWLY ESCAPED capture three weeks ago. According to the Associated Press, Guzman had been hiding in plain sight in a coastal mansion in Los Cabos…Rumors also surface regularly that police have shown up in various hideouts just as Guzman is escaping out the back door…Guzman moves frequently among 10 to 15 locations to avoid arrest, and has a security detail of up to 300 men. Guzman's narrow escapes, including this latest one, raise the suspicion that he could be getting tipped off.
U.S. law enforcement officials say no other cartel has the international cocaine distribution networks of Guzman's Sinaloa Federation, which is also making a major push into methamphetamines in Mexico and Central America. Guzman appears annually on the Forbes magazine list of the world's billionaires, and also has been named by the magazine as one of the world's most powerful people. He has a $7 million bounty on his head in Mexico and the U.S., and teams of law enforcement agents from both countries are devoted to his capture.
PRAY:
• That law enforcement, governmental officials or any insider passing on confidential information that interferes with the capture of "El Chapo" Guzman will be discovered and apprehended. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Luke 12:2 NLTse).
• For supernatural strategy, tips and the whereabouts of "El Chapo" Guzman to be given to law enforcement for the successful capture and conviction of Guzman.
• That the Lord would send His mighty heavenly army to position Guzman and law enforcement to be in the right place at the right time for Guzman's capture.
• That confusion will fall upon Guzman's new security chief, body guards and security plans. "Then panic struck the whole (Sinaloa Cartel) army-those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties-and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God" (1 Samuel 14:15 NIV).
• WE DECLARE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT JOAQUIN "EL CHAPO" GUZMAN WILL BE CAPTURED TODAY AND THE SINALOA CARTEL WILL BE DESTROYED!!
But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you (law enforcement and government officials), throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.
~ Deuteronomy 7:23
“Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was one of 43 members of the National League for Democracy party elected to Burma’s parliament on April 1. Her party swept the elections, only failing to win one of the 44 seats it contested. But the elections filled just 7 percent of the seats in parliament with 25 percent of the seats filled by the military as required by Burma’s constitution. Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters are railing against the military’s role in politics, and the United States has announced that while it will lift some sanctions on Burma, it will keep the most significant ones in place until Burma implements more meaningful reform. Can pressure from inside the government combined with pressure from the West bring Burma closer to becoming a democratic state?”
www.Lignet.com
Let’s rejoice at this answered prayer for Burma and its freedom from political repression. Pray for strong and steady progress towards political and religious freedom as well as for the end of ethnic conflict and true reconciliation among all the people of this land.