Last night I went to the International Day of Prayer (IDOP) that my church put on at the Gym at my school. During the night, we heard from several pastors in the area and got the opportunity to pray in groups for the persecuted church around the world. This video was shown:

After this video was shown, the girl featured in this video, Sarah, was brought up and my Pastor got the opportunity to ask her several different questions about her time in chains and why she didn’t sign the document. This was so powerful.

Sarah articulated to us that during the time she was in chains, the reason she didn’t sign the document was because she would be betraying her God and her fellow brothers and sisters, and she couldn’t do that.

She went on to explain that her God had never wronged her. How could she betray him by signing that document when her God had always been good to her?

That is huge. Most of the world would say that God had betrayed her and wronged her by putting her in those chains to be beaten and tortured, but Sarah disagreed. Sarah had been given, by God, eternal life with Him and that was the biggest gift she has ever needed.

That is so accurate. As believers, we NEED Christ. We have an extreme problem – sin. There is only one solution – Christ and his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead to defeat death and sin.

I needed last night. I needed last night to remind me of how my own brothers and sisters in Christ were suffering around the world. I am here in America, comfortable in my Christianity, lazy in my faith, and they are being beaten for the same faith that I have. Something is wrong with this picture. I needed that wake up call.

To Be Continued… =)