Intensity Rises

I believe I mentioned before that Ramadan (Muslim fast from sun-up to sun-down for a full month) is going on right now. Today, I received an update from a sister over in Africa who asked for some intense prayer. I want to show you part of her newsletter so that you can know some ways to pray.

"Ramadan has been very intense, and the oppression has increased a great deal! We are in desperate need of your prayers, and so are the people here! It’s been a pretty rough time, and we have seen the enemy working in powerful ways! One day our friend Doola came and knocked on our gate looking horrible. I still don’t know why he came, but he had been out in the fields harvesting millet in the heat, and of course hadn’t had any water or food because of the fasting. He was almost disoriented, as are many of the people that are suffering to “earn rewards” in Heaven, but yet they don’t even have the assurance that they will make it. It’s so heart breaking to see people suffering for a false cause, and they are truly suffering because HOT season is back for this month.

Our guard has been a bit disappointing this month. We have thought all along that he is a believer, but found out that he is truly lost and confused. He told me this week that our God’s grave is in Mecca because Mohammed is God. I don’t know where that came from, but it was followed up by the fact that he is now wearing a string around his neck that is given by either a Muslim priest or a witch doctor to protect him. He refuses to tell us about it, and we have found that he really needs Jesus!

A praise is that H is doing well, although she has had an extremely hard time! She had decided not to fast since she is now a follower of Jesus, and made it for the first week. Then she fell into the pressure of her mom who was asking God to curse her and calling the neighbors that walked by to come over so she could trash her daughter to them and tell them how lost she is now. She just knew that God would honor her mom’s curses since she is the one that gave birth to her, so I shared about Acts 5, and we talked about how you must honor God’s will above man’s. She only fasted that one day and then received strength from the King to say she wouldn’t do it again. We are so proud of her but begging you to really lift her up as she still has 3 weeks of struggling to face. People are saying we are paying her to fast, and that she is following the white people, etc. I know that it’s hard for her, but having her mother that she’s so close to persecute her is the hardest!"

H is someone I've been praying for a lot since my friend mentioned her in one of her updates a while back. My heart has been extra burdened for her with Ramadan going on. She really needs strength right now, and I thought it would be so great if all of us could pray for her. K is also asking us to pray for H to understand baptism, and to feel comfortable praying. Please join me in lifting her up. Please also take some solid, undistracted (if that's not a word, it is now) time to pray for Ramadan and Jesus to show Himself through dreams and visions, etc. The battle is hard, so the more people fighting, the better!

My heart is so burdened right now.

Thank you for praying! Be blessed my friends.