Friday, October 2, 2015

Sufis are Muslim mystics who strive to abandon the world and its pleasures to find God. They seek to be absorbed into God. They worship, pray and fast to reach that goal. Some Sufis’ ultimate goal is to become God (which was Satan’s sin. See Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:2).

Here are some Sufi statements:

I am the truth… the only person under my hat is God… the only one inside my clothes is God.

Glory be to me! How great is my majesty!

To achieve a rapturous, ecstatic state, Sufis use several techniques and movements, swinging, recitations and repetitive words. Some engage in sex orgies and use drugs to attain a desired euphoric state.

PRAYER

Lord God, the only true God, our hearts ache for Sufis. They think they are devoted to God and have very distorted ideas about him and his love.

Only you can lead them to the cross of Jesus and save them. Only you can help them to be truly godly. Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit, convict Sufis of their sin. Save them by the blood of your Holy Son. Bring them into true fellowship with you. May they humble themselves, submit to you, worship Christ and accept his Word.

Help me to befriend a Sufi. Give me patience to know how to bring him or her to Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

In the midst of their darkness, shine upon their hearts with the light of Christ. Make many of them ministers of the Gospel to bring others to you.

PROMISE

I will give you abundant water to quench your thirst and to moisten your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank (Isaiah 44:3-4, REB).

Friday, September 25, 2015

This is the time Muslims the world over celebrate Id al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice (other names are used in different areas). This celebration commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son (Ishmael, according to Islam) in obedience to God’s command. God provided a ram for Abraham to offer instead.

During this time, each family or group of families kills an animal, usually a sheep. Wherever Muslims are, whether in Mecca taking part in the hajj (pilgrimage) or anywhere else in the world, their religion requires that they slaughter an animal.

PRAYER

Merciful and redeeming God, I ask you to open Muslims’ eyes during this season to see the Lamb you provided for the atonement of the sin of the world. May they open their hearts to Christ who was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7), who died on the cross, and who rose again to set us free from sin and condemnation.

Help Muslims realize that Jesus agonized, suffered, and died for them, so that they could have joy, peace, and life in him.

May they accept your provision to redeem them “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18,19). Let them hear his cry on the cross declaring, “It is finished.” Then they will see that it is pointless to try to gain God’s favor through the millions of sacrifices they slaughter during this season.

Compassionate Father, reveal to Muslims the Lamb who now sits upon the throne in heaven. Draw them by your love to join saints and angels in singing the heavenly chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).

PROMISE

Where is the lamb for the burnt offering? . . . God himself will provide the lamb (Genesis 22:7-8, NIV).

There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, REB).

Friday, September 18, 2015

This is the season when Muslims celebrate the pilgrimage to Mecca called hajj. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every adult Muslim who can afford it is required to make the pilgrimage at least once during his lifetime. On the average, more than two million Muslims from about 100 countries travel to Mecca each year to participate in this ritual. A Muslim who fulfills this obligation is said to gain merit with God and thus acquires the honorific title of hajj.

Pilgrims go through special purification rites, don a white, unsewn robe, and circle the Kaaba, the holiest Muslim shrine, seven times. Most try to touch or kiss the Black Stone. These are briefly some of the rituals of the hajj.

PRAYER

O God, I pray that you will manifest your truth to Muslims. In the name of Jesus, I pray against the powers that cause hungry people to seek that which does not satisfy. Deliver them from the enemy’s oppression, darkness and servitude.

I pray for Muslims who have already made the pilgrimage. May they realize that it is only Jesus who satisfies our heart’s yearnings.

I pray for Muslims who are participating in the pilgrimage this year. Reveal yourself to them. Speak to them through visions, dreams, and other means. Show them the cross of our Savior. May they turn to Jesus the holy Son of God—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In his name I pray, amen.

PROMISE

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains (Psalm 107:10-14, NIV).

Friday, September 11, 2015

A true but very subtle and discreet “Jericho march” takes place in Mecca around the Kaaba, the most important Muslim shrine. A few believers in Christ who have come out of Islam travel to Mecca during the hajj
season. They march around the Kaaba and claim it for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.

I have a friend, a believer in Jesus, who used to travel weekly from Jeddah to Mecca. During at least one hajj season he toured the Kaaba, praying and pleading with God to declare his glory to Muslims gathered there, to give freedom to the Gospel in Mecca, and to grant that the name of Jesus would be preached freely inside the Kaaba.

PRAYER

Almighty God, the only true God, worthy to be worshipped and adored, I tread here very cautiously. These brothers and sisters risk their lives to pray for the glory of Christ to be manifested. Multiply their numbers. Protect them and hedge around them with your angelic guard.

Answer their prayers and the prayers of many others who have been pleading at your throne of grace for decades. Open Mecca to the Gospel; dedicate the Kaaba for the preaching of the Truth. Our request may sound like an impossible dream, and for us it seems impossible. But we know that for you, all things are possible.

Father, by your divine power, tear down the walls that Satan has erected to keep people from hearing the Gospel. We look to the cross where Jesus died to redeem all, including Muslims. We draw our victory from Calvary. And we rest at your feet in faith with expectation.

For the glory of Jesus, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

PROMISE

I am about to hand Jericho, its king, and its warriors over to you (Joshua 6:2, GW).

Friday, September 4, 2015

Have you wondered why some Muslim fathers, brothers or cousins are ready to kill a woman in their own family? Here is the answer: The concept of hisbah in Islam teaches that God has appointed Muslim men to be judges over their family, friends and neighbors in order to insure that everyone adheres to the religion of Islam and complies with all its requirements (Quran  9:70; also 3:103). It is the duty of an entire Islamic community as well as its individual members to live out this assignment.

Hisbah is an Arabic word that means accountability. In hisbah, a person interferes in another individual’s personal life and forces him or her to adopt certain beliefs and behavior under penalty of death. Muhammad said: “Whoever sees an evil must change it with his hand [by using force]. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue [through teaching]. If he still cannot do so, then with his heart [through love and compassion], which is the weakest form of faith” (Hadith).

There are four elements in hisbah: the person who errs, the error, the person who performs the judgment, and the act of judgment. The many components of this procedure include the use of advice, harsh words, threats, isolation, beatings, physical violence, torture and finally killing (compare Romans 2:1).

PRAYER

Merciful and compassionate Father, you are long-suffering and full of love and grace. We are sinners. Without your grace, we would all be condemned and lost. Without the cross of Jesus, we would all be miserable and wretched!

Your Word tells us: “God alone… is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12, NLT).

So today, I am bringing to you a people who see themselves as judges over others. Help them realize how you see them, and may they experience your free grace. Forgive them for their sin. Open their eyes so they can see and their ears so they can hear that God has come in Christ. He has visited us to redeem us and help us all.

Shower your blessings upon Muslims of every walk, of every conviction, and in every society.  Show them your face. Bring them to the cross. Fill them with your Holy Spirit. O Great Shepherd of the sheep, make them lie down in green pastures, lead them beside quiet waters and guide them in paths of righteousness. For your name’s sake, amen.

PROMISE

The LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us (Isaiah 33: 22,
NIV).