The Faith of the Persecuted

             Today, I read about a man who spent 13 days undergoing intense interrogation in North Korea.  Why?  Because he dared to share the Gospel message in that “closed” country.

            There is another man, who despite being shot three times, refuses to leave his post as the only Christian pastor in a Muslim city.  Why?  Because God called him there, and He hasn’t told him to leave yet.

            The wives of each of these men stand firmly behind their husbands’ decisions.  One prays that God will provide another opportunity for her husband to go back to North Korea, and if He does, she wants to go with him.  The other wife testifies to the comfort and strength God provided her in the hours before and after her husband was shot.  Like him, she realizes that they must stay, despite the danger, until God releases them from the call.

            Fear can be debilitating.  We’ve all experienced it.  That cold, clammy feeling, when your heart is racing and the “not knowing” terrifies us.  These people, and many others like them, live in situations that should be paralyzing every day.  Yet, they stand strong in the face of danger, facing untold risks as our persecuted brothers and sisters.

            What’s their secret?  How do they handle the fear?  Why do they keep risking their lives?  It’s quite simple.  They love Jesus and want to be obedient to Him.  They take the Great Commission seriously!

            As I read these stories, I realized how shallow my faith is.  They make me stop and consider what kind of risks am I willing to take for Christ.  Until now, my “risks” have been very superficial but there’s still time to change that.  To do so, we must overcome the fear and look for the opportunities, for the tugs on our hearts, and for the “risks” that God is putting before us.  Then, we must be willing to step off the cliff, knowing that Christ is there waiting to catch us, so there’s really no risk at all.  Maybe that’s why the Scripture says “fear not” so many times.  With Christ by our side, there’s nothing to fear. 

            What risk are you willing to take?  What risk am I willing to take? 

Joshua 1: 9

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