SOME HEALING THOUGHTS ABOUT FAITH AND LOVE
By David Wilkerson

Let me share with you some very healing thoughts about faith and love. I believe God works miracles in answer to the prayer of faith.  And I believe every promise in God's Word as is. But, through much suffering and tears, I've discovered something wonderful about the way God works. What you are about to read should help renew your confidence in the Lord and set you free from the bondage of trying to figure out faith.

If you can't give God perfect faith, give Him perfect love. "Perfect love casts out all fear." Not perfect faith, but perfect love. Perfect love is the rest God has for His people. He wants us to rest in His love, trusting that He will always come to our aid as a father to a hurting child in spite of our inadequate faith.
Stop evaluating or grading your faith. And stop trying to figure out faith. The Bible says, “Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Corinthians 13:13.)
If you are going to specialize in anything, specialize in love. The Bible says, "Faith works by love." Without love, all faith is in vain.
   If God does not answer certain of our prayers, you can be sure He has some great eternal reason for not doing so.
It boils down to this: God has all power and can do anything. Nothing is impossible to Him. He has promised to answer every prayer in Christ's name. So we must ask, in full assurance of faith, expecting an answer. But should God delay that answer or choose another path for us, He must have a mighty good reason for it all. And we must believe that whatever God permits in our lives, it will one day all work to our good. “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Our Heavenly Father knows exactly where we are going and what we need.  He will give us what is best. in proper Holy Ghost timing. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him" (Matthew 7:11).
God will not permit you to be overcome by your trials.  You may come to what you think of as your breaking point.  Yet, if you will not harden your heart but fall into His arms, trusting His everlasting love for you, you will survive and tell of His faithfulness.

(Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA)

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Church, exercise your faith and pray and believe that our God is a prayer-answering God!    Pray that RLS through the Missions and Manna ministries continue to  help the poor and needy around the world.

Below are some articles extracted from ‘The Voice of the Martyres” newsletter .  We encourage you to pray for those who are being persecuted for their faith.  In his book, “Tortured for Christ”, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand said, “When I was beaten on the bottom of the feet, my tongue cried.  Why did my tongue cry?  It was not beaten.  It cried because the tongue and feet are both part of the same body.  And you free Christians are part of the same Body of Christ that is now beaten in prisons in restricted nations, that even now gives martyres for Christ.  Can you not feel our pain? …Will you hear our message:  Remember us, help us?” “Don’t abandon us!” 

Orissa:  Persecuted, but NOT Abandoned

Christians make up only two percent of the population in India.  In a small section of Orissa where the violence began, nearly 30 percent of the population is Christian.  The growth of Christianity in this region angered Hindu radicals who follow Hinduvta, an extreme nationalist ideology that believes no other religion should exist in India.  VOM (Voice of the Martyrs) contacts report that the Hindu radicals organized the anti-Christian attacks in an effort to stop the spread of the Gospel and claimed that Christians were bribing or forcing people to convert.

Since August 2008, it is estimated that Hindu extremists have displaced over 70,000 Christians, destroyed 4,000 homes, burned 450 churches and killed at least 87 Christians.
The violent attacks in Orissa have slowed but they have not disappeared.  “This violence is part of a movement that is not going away,” said a VOM staff member.  “Orissa is the newest and the worst example of ongoing persecution against Christians in India.“…they do not know the love of Jesus.

“Namrata Nayak is a 10 year old Christian girl from Sahi Panchayat village in the district of Kandharmal, Orissa.  On 26 August 2008, a bomb planted by Hindu extremists burned 40 percent of her body.  She spent 45 days in hospital recovering and is now staying in Bangalore with her mother Sudhamani and 20 other believers. Namrata said she is thankful to Jesus “who saved me from the fire… I am one of the few fortunate ones who escaped death,although I had to spend a long time in the hospital.” Namrata’s parents (Akhaya Kumar 45, and Sudhamani, 38)are agricultural day labourers.  They have three daughtersand one son.  To help supplement the family’s meagre income, the eldest daughter, Trusita (18) worked as a maid in the home of a Hindu convert, Harihar Das.  When the violence broke out, Akhaya and Sudhamani sent their children to hide in the home of Harihar Das, thinking they would be safe there.  Akhaya and Sudhamani fled to the forest.

On the night of 26 August, Hindu radicals broke down the door of Harihar’s house and began destroying and burning everything.  Namrata and her sisters huddled on the floor of the bathroom with Harihar’s family, hiding from the attackers.Before they left, the radicals put a bomb in a cupboard.  When everything was quiet, the Christians emerged from their hiding place and ventured out of the house – all except Namrata who stayed inside to look at the damage.  The bomb exploded; shrapnel and flames wounding her face, hands and back.

“The next day, I and my husband came out of the forest, running to the house of Harihar,” Sudhamani said.  “We saw everything burned, and feared that everyone had died in the flames.  Instead, thanks to God, everyone was safe.  Only my daughter had been wounded.  But after 45 days of care, she’s well now.“Hope is our only treasure now,” Sudhamani said.  “We were poor, and now even the little we had has been destroyed.  But Jesus came down from heaven to save us from this misery, from the pain, from abandonment, from our homelessness.  His power fills us with hope, love and forgiveness.
Ten year old Namrata holds no resentment against her attackers.  “… we forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes,”  Namrata said.  “They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus.  For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us.  This is my future.  I want to dedicate my life to spreading the Gospel. (Source: AsiaNews)

  Nigeria: Thousands Displaced by Persecution

On 28-29 November 2008, Muslim fanatics attacked Christian homes and churches in the city of Jos, in northern Nigeria.  According to Compass Direct News, at least 500 people were killed including six  pastors, and around 40 churches were destroyed.  More than 25,000 people were displaced in the two days of violence, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).                                           
Jos is located in the Nigerian state of Plateau, a predominantly Christian area.  Muslim extremists from the neighbouring state of Katsina joined forces with local Muslims to attack the Christians. 
VOM staff in Nigeria provided medical assistance for Christians injured in the attacks.  Victims have been treated for bullet and knife wounds.
In December 2008, VOM Australia sent over A$56,000 emergency funding to assist displaced Christians in Jos who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the attacks. 

China:  Illegal Wrist Band

This prayer band has been declared “illegal” in China.The Chinese governmnent views it as a symbol of revolution. Police have stopped Christians on the streets and taken the bands off their wrists.  Some believers have been interrogated and arrested; at least three families were evicted from their homes.  House church Christians refuse to be intimidated. They say that prayer for China is even more critical now that the Beijing Olympics are over and the world is no longer watching.  Persecution has increased.
A prominent house church leader, Pastor Bike said, “They can arrest me or put me in prison, but I’m not going to stop praying for China.  Although the prayer band is banned in China, prayer can never be banned.

Will you join this revolution of prayer for China?”

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