Sunday, August 19, 2012

Extreme Security

Egypt: Ahmed

“Why do you put your children at risk?” asked one of the three Egyptian officers.

“Ahmed” had been arrested many times for sharing his faith and for giving out Christian literature. But he saw each interrogation as a chance to witness for Christ.

“The security of my children does not come from me,” he told the officers calmly, “It comes from God.”

“Why aren’t you willing to obey the government?”asked the lead officer.

“I won’t stop sharing about Jesus, because He is the Way of Truth,” Ahmed said. “Jesus has changed my heart.”

The officers questioned him about Christian literature that had been secretly printed. They also asked about specific Christians and their activities. Both times, Ahmed remained silent.

“I told them nothing,” he said later. “I would not be a traitor to the Body of Christ.” When they asked him to spy on other Christians and report back to police, he told them, “That’s not my job.”

On another occasion, Ahmed was caught and questioned by the police in Turkey for carrying in bags full of Christian literature. “If you don’t answer our questions and help us, we will lock you up for causing trouble for the Turkish government,” the police assured him.

“Jesus doesn’t tell us to cause trouble for governments,” Ahmed replied. “He wants us to witness about his love and forgiveness.”

Troublemakers. They are the children in class who cannot stop talking. They are the bullies in the school lunchroom who steal others’ lunch money. They are the gossips in the office maligning others and spreading rumors like disease. Christians are not called to be troublemakers. In fact, Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. This rule has one exception, however: We must be troublemakers to Satan and his schemes. We cannot afford to be overlooked by the devil as merely harmless for the kingdom. Prayer is our most effective weapon. How often do your prayers disrupt Satan’s work? Get busy today by praying in Jesus’ name against your adversary’s plans.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

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