In Muslim Countries

Friday, August 26, 2022

Church leaders in Muslim countries face issues, problems and attacks from the enemy that differ somewhat from those experienced by leaders in other situations.

To illustrate, here are a few examples:

• Church leaders in Muslim countries have to determine whether a new contact or visitor in a meeting is an honest seeker or a spy trying to destroy the group.
• They have to counsel new believers and prepare them for certain persecution, mistreatment and possible imprisonment for their faith.
• They have to prepare new believers to withstand the relentless attacks against the Bible and Christianity.

Prayer

Christ our Lord, you are the Savior of the Church, her Head and Sovereign. I pray for a special blessing upon the leaders of your Church in Islamic lands. You have called them and appointed them to be shepherds of the flock. May they care for the people entrusted to them and watch over them willingly.

Help them to live a consistent and blameless life that is Christlike. May they be a shining light never clouded over by sin, culture, or system.

I pray that you will guard and protect them; make your face shine upon them and be gracious to them (Numbers 6:25).

Help them to serve with excellence under the King of all kings. May they never accept mediocrity in what they are or do. Animate them with passion, ardor, and enthusiasm. Help them to lead by good example, to be ever fervent in prayer, ever zealous for the name of Jesus, and ever effective in bringing the lost to God’s Kingdom.

Help them manifest the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

For your glory I pray. Amen.

Promise

When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4, NIV).

Friday, August 19, 2022

When Muslims come to Christ, few of them are prepared for the difficulties they will encounter on the road of discipleship. We need to pray that the Lord will help them to be prepared and that their spiritual mentors will teach them that there is a very high price to pay for belonging to Christ. Yet it is worth it. Grace is free, but following Jesus is very costly.

As a matter of fact, all believers need to be prepared for trials, suffering and persecution for the sake of Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, time and again the Bible tells us that you warned your disciples about the difficulties they would encounter because of their faith in you (John 15:18-20; 16:1, 4, 33; etc.). I pray that Muslims who come to you will be taught to expect persecution.

I pray that they will memorize many Scriptures, so that when the time comes, and they are forbidden to take a Bible with them into prison, your Word hidden in their hearts will be a source of encouragement, joy and hope for them.

Help them, O God, to memorize hymns and songs that will enable them to keep praising the Lord and affirming His victory in the midst of hardships and distractions. Help them to give thanks and rejoice in all circumstances.

Teach them how to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who spitefully use them and persecute them (Matthew 5:44-45).

Remind them that you bless them even when people hate them, ostracize, insult and slander them for your sake (Luke 6:22).

Promise

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for ten days. Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10, NLT).

Friday, August 12, 2022

For many years, the children of Israel suffered abuse, cruelty, and exploitation at the hands of their taskmasters in Egypt. God saw their suffering and came down to deliver them (Exodus 3:7-8). What followed was the great exodus of a whole nation from slavery into freedom.

Today, I believe that more than 1.7 billion Muslims are in worse slavery to Satan. Yet, through the power of the cross of Christ, God is able to deliver them, set them free, and give them eternal life. Our part is to intercede for them and use every possible means to bring them to the Kingdom.

Prayer

Father in heaven, I ask you to count me worthy of your calling to pray for Muslims. By your power, fulfill your good purpose in me (2 Thessalonians 1:11; Philippians 2:13).

You, O Lord, see the misery and distress of Muslims because they are separated from Christ. They are in slavery, and they need to be set free. Yes, they are enslaved to a ruthless taskmaster, Satan. Let the groans of prisoners reach your throne. With your powerful arm, rescue those who are condemned to death (Psalm 79:11).

Hear my prayer, O God, and perform mighty feats against the enemy. Set Muslims free from his control and oppression. Split their “Red Sea” and help them cross over on dry land into Christ’s Promised Land, into the Kingdom of your beloved Son. May a modern-day exodus of an entire population take place by the power of the cross.

O Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, help Muslims to see the light and accept you—the way, the truth, and the life—and live for you.

Glory be to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Promise

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…. I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit…. Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope (John 8:32, NIV; Zechariah 9:11; Psalm 119:49, NRSV).

Friday, August 5, 2022

There are more than 60 million Muslims in China. The highest concentration of Chinese Muslim population is found in the northwest part of the country that borders the Central Asian Republics, all of which are Muslim.

While China has seen tens of millions of its citizens come to Christ in the past few decades, the Muslim population remains little touched by this move of the Spirit. Only a few Muslims have placed their faith in Christ. There are no known churches comprised of Muslim-background believers. Muslims, along with Tibetans, are the least-reached people in China.

Prayer

I fall to my knees and pray to you, Father, Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from your glorious, unlimited resources you will empower the Chinese church with inner strength by your Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-16). We do believe that “A Christianized China is poised to change the face not just of Christendom worldwide, but potentially of the world of Islam.”^[1]

Thank you for the “Back to Jerusalem” movement and their vision to go to various nations to evangelize Muslims. May they also bring their Muslim neighbors to you! Deliver your children in China from reticence and fear. Ignite their faith that the followers of Muhammad can be brought to the Kingdom by the power of your Holy Spirit. Yes, help Chinese believers bring Muslims to Christ.

Give the Chinese church the vision and the ability to translate and publish the Bible in all languages that Chinese Muslims speak.

I pray for workers. Call, prepare, anoint and send workers to the Uyghur, Hui, Dongxiang, Salar, and Utsat. Nor will we forget the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Afghans, and Pakistanis among the Chinese. 

Lord, help Muslims in China to see and feel the difference in the lives of Jesus’ followers. May they become eager to know Christ and be filled with his presence. May they experience the power of Jesus living in them. In his precious name I pray. Amen.

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).

Footnotes

^[1] David Aikman, Jesus in Beijing, p. 13.