Persecution and Growth of the Church


14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me—they have no regard for you. Psalm 86:14

What’s interesting about this verse is that David equated people attacking him as people having no regard for God. We do the same thing. When someone is persecuted, we say that the person has no regard for the things of God.

God continues to move around the world despite those who persecute His people. Unfortunately those being persecuted are not on the nightly news even though the atrocities against Christians would devastate the average viewer. I only “hear” about them because I read about them and because I know the “nature of the beast.” Satan wants to kill, maim and destroy, and he does it quite effectively. He just hasn’t figured out that when he persecutes Believers, the Church grows.

It’s an odd dynamic. You’d think that when people are killed and hurt for their faith, others would run away. The exact opposite happens. But persecution is extremely hard to go through. It’s hard on you physically, mentally, and spiritually. And it’s even harder on families because they may not know what the person is experiencing.

Pray today for the families of these persecuted Believers. How do you pray? Pray as you would for a normal family: health, strength, guidance, wisdom, protection, daily bread. Choose a country that is known for its persecution of Believers: North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, South Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia


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