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Christians in Syria Testimony – What it means to be a Christian (Video)

Note: This video is available courtesy of The Endless Love of Jesus Ministries

 

Quick reminder: Pray for those in prison

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Even as you rejoice in life, keep in mind there are others who suffer and are even in prisons. Spare a moment to pray for those in prison, especially those who are imprisoned for bearing witness to Christ. Pray for children in prison. Pray for those who did commit crimes and now sincerely want to repent and even for the prison staff. Pray for the release of those unjustly imprisoned. Also, pray for peace in prisons where you know things are not going right.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3)

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

 

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Prayer for Persecuted Christians

O Lord God we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ your only begotten son. We thank you for every blessing that we receive from you. We give you praise for you are the Lord above all and to you belongs all the glory.

This day we pray for our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world who are being persecuted for holding on to their faith in Christ. We pray for the victims of all such persecutions. We remember in prayer all the families of Christian martyrs all over the world.

We pray that those Christians held captive on prisons on account of their faith are set free. May the doors of favour open to get them out of prison. Let all preachers of the Gospel get a safe release from jail no matter how hostile that region is to the Christian faith. We pray for supernatural intervention for their rescue.

This girl was injured with burns bruises during anti Christian violence. It occured when a bomb was thrown into her house by extremists during August 2008 in India.

This girl  in the picture was injured by burns during anti Christian violence. It occured when a bomb was thrown into her house by extremists during August 2008 in India.

We pray for Christian children who have been at the receiving end of harsh punishments for their faith in Christ Jesus. That they be delivered from all sorrow and that workers of justice rescue them from evil.

Send forth your Spirit O Lord God and give all persecuted Christians across the world, hope and courage in the times of struggle in life and in death, in poverty and distress. May their sacrifice be ever remembered before you in heaven.

We believe that as they have acknowledged Christ Jesus on earth, so will the Lord Jesus acknowledge them before the angels of God in heaven. And for this we give you O Lord God the praise.

We ask in faith for the rescue of all Christians who persecuted. We ask that workers of justice, human and angelic fight and contend with the enemies of the faith both human and demonic. Grant your angels unfailing victory when you send them to keep safe those who are in pain and trouble due to persecution. May those who contend for the persecuted Christians be blessed with your grace and protection even if they are not Christians themselves. As you blessed Cyrus the Persian king to ascend to great power and have mercy on the Jews so that they could go back to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, so bless more such world leaders to intervene on behalf of Christians too. And for this we give you O Lord God the praise.

If you have ordained for someone to martyred so that he or she can dwell with you in heaven and worship you forever uninterrupted, then we pray that even to the end they do not ever waver from their faith in Christ. We pray that their families are able to cope with the loss and despair and that you take care of their families. We ask that such families do not lose their faith and hope in you.

We pray that the kingdom of God prevails over all the powers of darkness.

Amen and amen.

Prayer for those unjustly in prison

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3)

O Lord God, giver of justice and mercy. As great is your justice so is your mercy. We pray for those who are unjustly in prison due to their political, religion, racial and other sorts of affiliation. Grant them O Lord Jesus, true justice and deliverance. Vindicate them with full honor. Give hope and courage to them and their families in their times of suffering. Cause their lawyers to have success in pleading for their release. We pray for the physical and mental well-being of those unjustly in prison. Let all thoughts of suicide be banished from their hearts and let them have that much needed peace in times like this. We pray that they see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Cause the prison staff to have mercy on those who are falsely accused and avoid force on them. Let there be no more prison violence of any sort. O Lord set the captives free and inspire men and women of good standing to rise up against all the false accusers and workers of iniquity. We pray for both believers and unbelievers who are unjustly in prison. Let your mercy save even when all hope is lost for them. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Tip: Try to remember those who are falsely accused by their names in your mind when praying. Also remember the name of the prison in remembrance when you pray.

Pray for those in prison

The Bible encourages us to remember those in prison and those who are mistreated. So it would be a wise thing to pray for them.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3)

By prisons, I mean actual prisons where people are on death row, life imprisonment etc. That shouldn’t stop you from praying for people in mental prisons of sorrow and pain etc. However, I want to speak about people who are in physical prisons at this moment. People are in prisons either justly or unjustly.

Praying for those unjustly in jail

When you read the news when in print or online, they may read something like this:

  • New York Man Exonerated After Spending Nearly 30 Years In Prison For A Crime He Didn’t Commit (reference link: click here)
  • Wrongfully convicted Missouri man freed after decade in jail for murder (reference link: click here)
  • Lahore, false accusation of blasphemy against a Christian. Fears for his life (reference link: click here)

There are people who are falsely accused of crimes they DID NOT commit. Such people do not actually deserve to be in jail and yet there are imprisoned. There are many reasons why people are falsely accused, like political motivation, religious hatred, racism etc.

It’s a hard and trying time for those falsely accused and their families. I’ve seen the spouses and parents of those falsely accused wait outside the police stations with their little children waiting all night and day to plead with a police officer but to no avail. These family members are met with strange stares by those passing by. Inside, the people who are falsely accused have a lot of anguish to deal with. They wonder why are they there. They wonder who will employ them after their time in jail is over. Some even contemplate suicide. In short, they have very little hope.

This is where you do something relevant. If it’s in your power and scope then arrange for legal recourse to help them out of prison. Especially, if the accused is your own relative or friend then its your moral obligation to help them if they were wrongly accused. Most importantly, whether it’s a known person or not, pray for their vindication. Pray that the false accusation is disproved and the victim is set free. You can also take help from your church’s prison ministry (if your church has one) and direct them to the person who in jail due to a false accusation.

Praying for those rightfully in jail

Of course, there are people rightfully in jail too. These are in jail for crimes they actually committed. Big crimes or small crimes, such things are usually awarded jail time.

In such cases, we pray that the person in jail truly repents of his/her crime. We must also pray that they turn themselves to our Lord Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness for their sins.

Now, there may be people who have truly repented in jail but are waiting for a second chance in life. It’s not that easy to get a second chance for them but we must pray for such people’s needs.

Above, all pray that all those in prison do get a chance to get right with God through Jesus Christ, so that at least they do not go the eternal prison which is Hell.

Praying for peace and order in prisons

Thinking that prisons are places where the prisoners are truly living in justice is uninformed thinking. Just because your region has good jail governance it doesn’t mean that places elsewhere too have the same good stuff. Prisons are places where some of the accused and even the prison staff are true monsters and these won’t bat an eyelid to murder or injure or even sexually assault anyone whom they can get their hands on. Here are a few headlines listed below to prove my point (I do not recommend the last link in the list for any child reading it):

  • Prison violence crackdown promised by government. (reference link: click here)
  • Guards Implicated in Mexico Prison’s Deadly Gang Attack (reference link: click here)
  • Statistics reveal Canadian prisons becoming more violent places (reference link: click here)
  • S** in men’s prisons: ‘The US system cultivates rape. If you treat people like animals, they behave like it’ (reference link: click here)

Pray therefore, that there are no instances of murders, assaults etc by prisoners nor the prison staff. Due to the stigma associated with being in prison, such things are not commonly reported to the general public or justice system. Things like this are kept under wraps. Pray that all such evil acts are exposed and those obstructing right reporting of such incidents are put to justice themselves.

A few tips that I recommend when praying for those in prison:

  1. Pray in genuineness. Pray as if you too were in prison with them.
  2. Pray in line with the Holy Scriptures.
  3. Be aware of the law of the land.
  4. Pray for the acquittal and release of falsely accused people.
  5. Pray for kids who are imprisoned.
  6. Keep in mind that safety of prisoners is a must.
  7. Pray that the prison staff work in true justice.
  8. Pray every time you see a criminal trial mentioned in the news, for true justice to prevail.
  9. Pray that illegal jails are put to an end.
  10. Remember both local and world jails in your prayers.
  11. Pray that prison outreach ministries manage to preach the Gospel to the prisoners, safely and without hindrance from anyone.
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