https://clarionproject.org/pressure-pays-trumps-threats-pakistan/
“Although Pakistan claimed it was fighting terror (the military says it lost more than 7,000 soldiers fighting al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and ISIS since the 9/11 attacks), you rightly said it wasn’t enough.
The country’s obvious support for the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network (another Afghani terror organization) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba was more than enough reason for you to tighten the purse strings.
Not to mention the threat that Pakistan could be the next country added to the travel ban.
So, not only did Pakistan’s president order the detention of Saeed and start enforcing the country’s anti-terror laws, he also appointed a new head of the military, Gen. Qamar JavedBajwa, who insiders say has a reputation for being religiously progressive and pro-democracy.”
Let’s continue to pray that Pakistan will completely root out radical Islamic terrorist sympathizers and supporters from its government and society.
Christian Post has highlighted that as many as 1,000 Christian families are fleeing their homes in Lahore, Pakistan, fearful of extremists who've threatened to set their houses on fire in the wake of a mob demanding a Christian teenager be hanged for alleged "blasphemous" Facebook posts.
Let’s also pray for Masih and all those affected by this situation.
Pray that the country’s blasphemy law will be overthrown and that the Christians' lives and rights as a minority will be protected by the government.
Thousands of Christians are being butchered in Nigeria and whole villages being destroyed.
Why are we so unconcerned?
Why don't we care?
I believe the biggest reason is that we simply don't know about what's happening there. Well, now you know. Here are the facts.
For the last several months, one of my good friends, a Christian missionary serving the poorest of the poor in Nigeria, has been sending me emails with terrifying news. Fulani tribesmen raping and killing villagers. Children being used as Islamic suicide bombers, resulting in scores of casualties. One horrible report after another.
Yet with each email I received, as I scoured the major news agencies in the West, I found nothing reported. Not a word.
At the same time, Nigerian news sources were ablaze with reports of the latest atrocities.
Today, I saw this shocking headline on Jihad Watch: "Nigeria: Muslims wipe out 15 villages in mass slaughter of Christians, government does nothing."
The article began with this quote, "Despite several calls to the governor and his deputy, and other security apparatus, the government remained silent as the atrocities continued. The Fulani were able to carry out their deadly attack. They stayed for hours in the vicinity, moving at will, unchallenged."
How could this be? According to Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, it's because "Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari clearly has no sympathy for the victims. He shares the world view of the jihadi attackers."
When I emailed my friend in Nigeria to ask if this was true, she wrote back immediately:
"This article doesn't state which villages, so I am not sure. It is happening every day. The worst this year was the New Year's Day massacre, followed by a mass burial of 73 victims. There have been many attacks since then. Villages razed, girls and women raped, men butchered. Cutlasses have been replaced by AK-47's. The military has, at times, seemed complicit.
"The president only gets upset when there are reprisal killings of Fulani. He himself is a Fulani man and a cattle-rearer. The stated reason is grazing rights. If you object to cows eating your crops, you, your village and maybe surrounding ones will be attacked. It is in every paper, every day. The nation is smoldering. Only Jesus." (Her closing sentence meant, "Jesus is our nation's only hope.")
She also sent me this YouTube link, viewed over 180,000 times at present, in which a Nigerian social commentator who lives in the States blasts the president's alleged inaction (and, worse still, alleged wrong actions).
The video begins with a clip from a pastor, boldly denouncing wickedness in the government and stating plainly that, "The killing, the killing that is going on in Nigeria shows the irresponsibility of the president called Buhari."
And the pastor urged every Nigerian to fight back, not with weapons but by getting their voter's cards, urging the people not to let wicked men in government to decide their fate. Yes, he bellowed, "Enough is enough!"
As a result of his sermon, we are informed that a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Outrageous? Absolutely. But Nigeria is a nation divided, with a Muslim majority in the north and a Christian majority in the south, with terrorist groups like Boko Haram still on the prowl, and with systemic governmental corruption.
And as Christianity continues to spread across the nation at an exponential pace, so also persecution is spreading. As reported by Christian Today in 2016, "Muslims are converting to Christianity in northern Nigeria amid rapidly rising levels of Christian persecution, which has seen more than ten thousand Christians killed in five years, according to a new report released today.
"While much media attention has been focused on Islamic State and the plight of persecuted minorities in the Middle East, 11,500 Christians in northern Nigeria were killed in five years between 2006-2014, and 13,000 churches were destroyed, forcing 1.3 million Christians to flee to safer areas of the country."
As devastating as these statistics are, they are more likely under-reported than over-reported, which again begs the question: Why don't we care? Why aren't we raising our voices? Why aren't we standing with our fellow-believers in prayer?
Again, I believe it is largely because of our ignorance.
But if you've read this article, you can't claim ignorance any more. And the first thing you can do to help combat these atrocities is share this article with your friends. Let's get educated, let's get praying, and let's get the word out to the rest of the world until the Nigerian government does what is right - or is replaced by leaders who will.
http://prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2033
Please pray for the protection of these suffering fellow followers of Christ in Africa’s most populous nation that is beset by Christian-Muslim tensions. Pray for the president and government to intervene to stop this slaughter of His people and for the Gospel to continue to bring large numbers of Muslims to faith in Jesus.
There have been wild reports that the United States is considering a "bloody nose" preemptive attack of some sort on North Korea's nuclear arsenal. Such rumors are unlikely to prove true.
Preemptive attacks usually are based on the idea that things will so worsen that hitting first is the only chance to decapitate a regime before it can do greater damage.
But in the struggle between Pyongyang and Washington, who really has gotten the upper hand?
With its false happy face in the current Winter Olympics, North Korea thinks it is winning the war of nerves. Yet its new nuclear missile strategy is pretty transparent. It wants to separate South Korea's strategic interests from those of the United States, with boasts -- backed by occasional missile nuclear tests -- that it can take out West Coast cities.
Pyongyang could then warn its new frenemy, Seoul, that the United States would never risk its own homeland to keep protecting South Korea. Thus, it would supposedly be wiser for Koreans themselves, in the spirit of Olympic brotherhood, to settle their own differences. A failed but nuclear North Korea ultimately would dictate the terms of the relationship to a successful but non-nuclear South Korea.
North Korea might even insincerely offer to dismantle some of its nuclear assets, if the United States would just pull out its forces from the demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel. This strategy would also send the message to the United States that it should have little interest risking a nuclear exchange over a distant and largely internal Korean matter.
The playbook is that of the old Soviet Union during the Cold War, when it habitually tried to separate Europe from the United States. Moscow warned neighboring Europeans that America would never risk its cities to keep the Red Army out of Germany. At the same time, it advised the United States simply to let Europe go and not risk its homeland for such ankle-biting ingrates.
Meanwhile, North Korea's patron, China, also thinks time is on the communist side. Beijing still believes that if Pyongyang can tone down the rhetoric a bit and cut back on the missile testing, things can return to the nuclear status quo of the last decade, which serves China's interest.
North Korea can continue to be a passive-aggressive Chinese pit bull that diverts American time, attention and military assets. China can still offer plausible deniability that it has any control over the rogue North Korean government.
Time, however, may actually be on the American side. The situation in 2018 will certainly be better than it was in 2016. Under the prior policy of "strategic patience," Washington apparently accepted having North Korean missiles pointed at the West Coast. But things are changing in several ways.
First, Japan, South Korea and the United States are rushing to expand several missile-defense systems that may soon not just end North Korea's first-strike capability, but China's as well.
Second, there is serious talk in Japan about developing nuclear weapons. Obviously, Japanese missiles would be pointed at North Korea and China, not the United States. The world has assumed over the last 20 years that unstable regimes such as North Korea, Iran and Pakistan would go nuclear and threaten Western democracies. The next round of proliferation is more likely to be among Western democracies themselves. A nuclear Japan (or South Korea or Taiwan) would not be in China's interest.
Third, there is evidence that tough new sanctions are eroding an already anemic North Korea. The U.S. economy is booming; North Korea's is collapsing. China already is preparing for a flood of refugees across the Chinese-North Korean border.
Fourth, the United States has an array of ways to ratchet up pressure on China to force North Korea to denuclearize -- ranging from tougher trade sanctions to denying visas to thousands of Chinese students and property holders.
Fifth, Donald Trump's approval ratings are up somewhat. And with an improving economy, the Trump administration is gaining clout at home and abroad. On foreign matters, Trump is letting subordinates such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and CIA Director Mike Pompeo do the talking. And they are lining up the world against North Korea.
It would be a mistake at this time to stage a preemptive attack on North Korea. Bombing the North Koreans would trigger a wider war and disrupt the world economy. But most importantly, it would be an act of desperation, not an act of confidence.
In the current nuclear standoff, the United States is insidiously gaining the upper hand while North Korea becomes even poorer and more isolated. The world may not recognize it, but the U.S. is slowly winning.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/02/15/whos_really_winning_the_north_korea_standoff_136279.html
Let’s continue to uphold the standoff with North Korea in our prayers that the Kim Jong Un regime will fold under pressure and be willing to denuclearize and enter the community of nations. May the governments of South Korea, Japan and the USA have God’s wisdom to act in concert to bring about this result!
Malaysia at the southern tip of the Asian land mass is a colorful and endearing country of SE Asia. It is now at a tipping point in its history as a multi-ethnic democratic experiment, now going into its crucial national elections anytime between now and June 23rd.
- Please pray for a free and fair election with honest results and that serious governmental corruption will be overthrown as a result.
- Pray for the honest resolution of the unresolved case of the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh and his release from captivity if he is still alive. February will be the 1st anniversary of his abduction. There are concerns about a possible cover-up by the police and authorities that were supposed to investigate the case. Three other Christian leaders and social activists were also kidnapped a couple months earlier and are also still missing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Koh
For a more in-depth article, click this recent update marking the anniversary on 13th February: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/malaysia-under-najib-no-longer-safe-for-christians-pastor-koh-betrayed-abandoned-amid-rising-tide-of-anti-christian-sentiment/
- The freedom of the Christians to use the word “Allah” for God (Jill Ireland 'Allah' court case decision on 23 March, 2018)
https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2017/10/jill-ireland-back-court-malaysia-considers-christians-right-call-god-allah/
- 4. Favor for the Gospel and Christians within the majority Muslim population due to increasing 'anti-Christian' sentiments among Muslims
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/01/321899/other-countries-encouraged-emulate-malaysias-way-combating-terrorism (Christians are equated with ISIS)
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/5196/ (Call to outlaw evangelicalism)
- 5. Pray that Malaysians of all the diverse ethnic groups will get to hear His Good News and that His messengers in that land will be bold and fearless in making Jesus Christ known to all.
“Denis* was just six years old when his house in Ukraine was hit by a shell, leaving him with shrapnel wounds to his skull and body. Doctors were unable to remove all the shrapnel over fears it could cause nerve damage and leave him without movement in his arm, so the remaining fragments remain under his skin.
He is one of at least 357 million children who are now living in areas around the world impacted by armed conflict, a report by the Save the Children charity has revealed.
Since 1991, the number has increased by 75 per cent, with one in six children globally now considered to be living in areas where they are vulnerable to grave violations of their human rights.
Such violations include killing and maiming, sexual violence, the recruitment and use of children, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian assistance…
The number of United Nations-verified cases of children being killed or maimed has increased by almost 300 per cent since 2010, while incidents of the denial of humanitarian access have increased by more than 1,500 per cent, the "War on Children" report said.
The rise has been fueled by a growing lack of respect for the rules of war and indiscriminate violence in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan.
The report found children have increasingly been used as suicide bombers, while schools and hospitals have been deliberately targeted and children maimed and killed as a result of the widespread use of indiscriminate weapons, such as cluster munitions, barrel bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Two in five children in the Middle East live in a conflict zone, the highest rate globally, while one in five children is affected by conflict in Africa. Asia has the highest overall number of children affected by conflict.
Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia were the most dangerous conflict-afflicted areas in the world to be a child in 2016, the last year for which comprehensive data is available.
Keven Waters, CEO of Save the Children, said: “The marked increase in the number of children living in conflict-affected areas, combined with the worsening violations against those children by warring parties, should worry all of us.
“We face a stark choice. Do we stand by while more children die in school attacks or in their hospital beds - or are denied life-saving aid - or will we tackle the culture of impunity and end this ‘war on children’?”
Samuel Osborne, Helen Hoddinott, Thursday 15 February 2018, Independent.co.uk
Please pray for the United Nations and governments of the world community to work together to end the multiple wars that are destroying the lives of so many children and their families right now. Agree in faith that Satan, the murderer and destroyer, will be bound and that Christ’s peace will come in and rule these conflicted situations. Here are some of them in the news right now:
1) Syria
The United Nations has called for an extension of Russia's daily five-hour pause in military activity in the besieged eastern Ghouta area while the European Union has urged Russia, Iran, and Turkey to fully implement a UN order for a cease-fire.
"Five hours is better than no hours but we would like to see any cessation of hostilities be extended," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on February 26.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on February 26 that President Vladimir Putin ordered a "humanitarian pause" from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, Russian news agencies reported.
A humanitarian corridor will be opened in Ghouta to allow civilians to leave, Shoigu also said.
Yury Yevtushenko, a Russian official based in Syria, said on February 26 that Syrian government troops would not carry out any air strikes during the daily five-hour-long pause.
The announcement comes after the UN Security Council on February 24 passed a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire "without delay" to allow aid deliveries and medical evacuations in Syria's conflict areas.
The move followed a week of intense bombardment by Syrian government forces in the besieged area near Damascus that killed more than 540 people, according to activists.”
Russia has ordered a daily pause in fighting on the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta to start from tomorrow after a UN-ordered ceasefire failed to hold.
Vladimir Putin's demand to his ally Bashar Assad offers hope for residents inside the contested zone to escape - and for humanitarian aid to come in.
Children were among those killed and injured a fresh wave of what are said to be chemical attacks on the area today.
A UN Security Council resolution passed at the weekend which called for a 30-day cease-fire across Syria failed to stop the carnage in the eastern Ghouta region.
Nearly 90 have been killed since the vote was taken since Saturday.
The priority now is to get urgent humanitarian relief to those in eastern Ghouta.
That is more likely to be possible, thanks to Russia's demand for a five-hour pause in military operations in the area each day.
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Putin has ordered daily "humanitarian pauses" between 9am and 2pm, starting from Tuesday.
But in a war where ceasefire deals have failed many times before, those inside eastern Ghouta are still watching and hoping to see if it holds.
Radio Free Europe and ITV News
2) Yemen
“A proxy war between Iran-aligned Houthis and the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by a Saudi-led alliance, has killed more than 10,000 people since 2015, displaced more than 2 million and destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, including the health system…
Yemen relies heavily on food imports and is on the brink of famine. The United Nations says more than 22 million of Yemen’s 25 million population need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million who are in acute need.
Salama said the country had also had an outbreak of diphtheria, a vaccine-preventable disease that usually affects children and which has largely been eliminated in developed countries.
Both cholera and diphtheria outbreaks are a product of the damage to the health system in the country, he said, adding that less than half of Yemen’s health facilities are fully functioning.
“We’re very concerned we’re going to go from a failing health system to a failed one that’s going to spawn more infectious diseases and more suffering,” Salama said.”
Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Alison Williams for Reuters.com
3) South Sudan
“South Sudan is close to another famine, aid officials said on Monday, after more than four years of civil war and failed ceasefires in the world’s youngest nation.
Almost two-thirds of the population will need food aid this year to stave off starvation and malnutrition as aid groups prepare for the “toughest year on record”, members of a working group including South Sudanese and U.N. officials said.
“The situation is extremely fragile, and we are close to seeing another famine. The projections are stark. If we ignore them, we’ll be faced with a growing tragedy,” said Serge Tissot, from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in South Sudan.
A total of 5.3 million people, 48 percent of the population, are already in “crisis” or “emergency” - stages three and four on a five point scale, according to a survey published by the working group.
The oil-rich east African nation has been torn apart by an ethnically charged civil war since late 2013, when troops loyal to President SalvaKiir and then-Vice President Riek Machar clashed.
Since then, more than 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, creating Africa’s larges refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide…”
Tom Miles; Editing by Peter Graff and Andrew Heavens for Reuters.com
Please hold up these tragic and horrible conflicts before the Lord, asking that He bring about peace negotiations, effective humanitarian relief, and willingness by the combatants to declare ceasefires that hold, bring about reconciliation and become lasting peace agreements. Only God in His mercy can bring about a real solution as His people pray, both within these affected nations and around the world.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields[d] with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46:9-10)
King Abdullah clearly announced that he believes in a recent media interview.
https://youtu.be/NMMvswyDIpI (TRUNEWS Christian News media in Miami )
Let’s pray for other political leaders of Middle Eastern and other nations to come to faith and speak out boldly, giving their citizens the freedom to also confess and practice their faith!
In one of his many interviews, Billy Graham said that as a busy international evangelist, if he had his life to live again, he would devote more time to prayer and study of God’s Word.
Let’s pray that we may follow his example and that the rich legacy of this world-famous yet humble, loving and wise man of God will continue to impact our world not only during this coming week during his funeral but also in the future.
Here is a brief tribute and some timeless quotes from Dr. Graham:
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99 on February 21, 2018.
Billy Graham preached the message of Christ’s freedom and forgiveness around the world, reaching over 200 million people in more than 185 countries. He led hundreds of thousands of people to pray to receive Jesus Christ into their lives as Lord and Savior. His integrity and wisdom opened doors to offer spiritual support and guidance for United States presidents from Eisenhower to Bush. He was a friend to celebrities, politicians, athletes, and leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Bono, Muhammad Ali, Johnny Cash, Larry King, and WWII hero and Olympian Louis Zamperini.
Billy Graham was named by Americans as "One of the Ten Most Admired Men in the World,” a record-breaking 59 times with the Gallup poll. He was known through the years as not only a world-renowned evangelist, but as a kind, non-judgmental, accepting, and humorous soul.
His message is timeless, powerful, and relevant for today. The phrase, “the Bible says,” resounds throughout his sermons, and the truth he preached for years still transcends all barriers of denominational differences, age, nationality, and culture. It has stood the test of time and generations, pointing millions to Christ.
The Reverend Billy Graham preached God’s Word with conviction and passion for over 60 years. Here are just a few of his words of wisdom.
On Heaven:
“My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.”
“Heaven is full of answers for which nobody ever bothered to ask.”
“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.”
“The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.”
On Jesus:
“God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
“Christ not only died for all: he died for each.”
“We say to our children, 'Act like grown-ups,' but Jesus said to the grown-ups, 'Be like children.'
"The only hope for enduring peace is Jesus Christ."
“Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”
“The cross shows us the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.”
On God's Will and Purpose for Us:
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”
“God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.”
“Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with."
On How to Live with Eyes Fixed on Eternity:
“I've read the last page of the Bible, it's all going to turn out all right.”
“There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.”
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”
“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.”
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
“Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity!”
“World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.”
On Loving God and Loving Others Well:
“It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love.”
“A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.”
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”
“The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”
“They asked her (Ruth Graham) did she ever think about divorce and she said, ‘No, I’ve never thought of divorce in all these 35 years of marriage, but,’ she said, ‘I did think of murder a few times.’”
“Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone – except God.”
On Evangelism:
“We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.”
“I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”
“Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.”
“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”
"The message I preach hasn't changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn't changed."
On Suffering:
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”
"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys."
“When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God."
“Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to him in trust and confidence.”
“Believers, look up – take courage. The angels are nearer than you think.”
“Quit beating yourself up. We all live under grace and do the best we can.”
From Billy Graham's 9/11 Message at the Washington National Cathedral:
I’ve become an old man now. And I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago, and proclaimed it in many languages to many parts of the world.”
That hope he speaks of so passionately, is the powerful message of Christ and the cross.
“The cross tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for he took them upon himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. From the cross God declares, 'I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel. But I love you.'
The story does not end with the cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell. Yes, there is hope.”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Just as I am.
All is grace.
(From “Forty Powerful Quotes of Billy Graham” by Debbie McDaniel Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer)
References:
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Watch a Live Stream of Billy Graham's preaching from the Billy Graham Evangelical Association:https://memorial.billygraham.org/live-stream/
This is a magnificent reminder of whom we are praying to, the Awesome God, presented in all His names. This beautiful recounting of His diverse names in Scripture will uplift and encourage you to meditate on and pray to the Lord of Eternity.