bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Speak Truth in Love

2016 Ramadan GraphicIn an attempt to debunk the statement, “Islam teaches Muslims to kill Christians and Jews,” a popular Christian website states, “There is not a single command in the Qur’an for Muslims to go out and kill Christians or Jews.”

Unless the author of the article on the Christian website believes you can have a war without any casualties, this statement is misleading because it ignores passages in the Qur’an such as sura 9:29 which says, “Make war on those who have received the Scriptures [Jews and Christians] but do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day. They do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. The Christians and Jews do not follow the religion of truth until they submit and pay the poll tax [jizya] and they are humiliated.”

The Reliance of the Traveller, a classic manual of Islamic Sacred Law, is a foundational theological manual. Al-Azhar University, known as Sunni Islam’s most prestigious university, certifies that the Reliance of the Traveller “conforms to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni Community” (Reliance, p. xx).

The manual explains sura 9:29: “The Caliph makes war upon the Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians, provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax Jizya…– while remaining in their ancestral religions (and the war continues) until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax in accordance with the word of Allah Most High” (Reliance o9.8, p. 602).

As ISIS captured Christian areas in Iraq and Syria, residents were forced to “convert or die.” In a few areas, Christians were given the opportunity to pay the poll tax, however ISIS leaders increased the amount of the tax to an amount that made it impossible to pay so many Christians were forced to flee their homes. In October 2015, Assyrian Christian business owners living in Sweden found the “convert or die” message on the walls of their businesses. The graffiti also included the message: “The Caliphate is here,” along with the ISIS logo. It is reported that the Swedish city of Gothenburg where the graffiti was found has had at least 150 people leave the city to join ISIS.

Recent history demonstrates widespread persecution against Christians. TheReligionofPeace.com has a list of targeted acts of terrorism on Christians by Muslims since September 11, 2001. In the last five years (since January 1, 2011) there have been 7,420 Christians killed and another 7,754 injured in jihadi attacks. This list is of those that have been identified specifically as Christians and according to the website, it is not a complete account of Islamic terror attacks on Christians since much of the violence against Christians goes unreported, and often the victims of Islamic terror are not identified as Christians.

Overall during the same five-year time period there have been 14,203 Islamic terror attacks in which 107,857 people have been killed and 132,433 injured.Speak Truth in Love

Christians should be aware of the teachings of Islam – not to invoke fear, but to understand why Islamists feel compelled to conquer other religions. Love for Muslims comes from God’s heart to Christians. To misrepresent the teachings of Islam denies truth.

Prayer Point:

The word of God tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Pray that Christians will be informed regarding their own faith and be able to speak the truth about Islam to receptive hearts.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

People of the Book

2016 Ramadan GraphicIn Islam, the term “People of the Book” refers to Christians and Jews. Because Islam has a dualistic nature there are verses that speak positively about Christians and Jews, but there are also verses written later that call for Muslims to make war on Christians and Jews. In Islam the verses that Muhammad received later in his revelations abrogate the previous verses, which means the later passages take precedent over the early passages, but they are not negated because the Qur’an is considered the verbatim words of Allah.

The early Qur’an (the portion Muhammad received in Mecca) accepts Christians and Jews, “Those who believe and those who are Christians and Jews and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and Judgment Day shall have their reward with the Lord” (Quran 2:62). But the later Qur’an (the portion received in Medina) states, “Make war on those who have received the Scriptures [Jews and Christians] but do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day. They do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. The Christians and Jews do not follow the religion of truth until they submit and pay the poll tax [jizya] and they are humiliated” (Qur’an 9:29).

When Muhammad began to supposedly receive his “revelations” in Mecca, the revelations came through the angel, Gabriel – an angel from Jewish scriptures. Therefore Muhammad considered himself in the lineage of Jewish prophets.

When Muhammad moved to Medina, the city was half Jewish. Muhammad saw himself as a reformer of Judaism, however Muhammad had most likely picked up bits and pieces of Jewish scriptures on the trade routes in ancient Arabia so the Jews were able to easily point out some of the contradictions in Muhammad’s revelations and their scriptures. The rabbis in Medina, quite correctly, did not accept him as a Jewish prophet. Because the Jews refused to accept Muhammad, he developed a hatred for the Jews and eliminated most of them either by death, enslavement or expulsion.

The Qur’an retells many of the stories of Moses, Noah, Adam and other characters in Jewish scriptures, but they are twisted to show that all people who deny any of the prophets of Islam are ultimately destroyed. Therefore anyone that denied Muhammad, as a prophet of Allah should be destroyed.

Certainly not all Muslims wish to see the Jews and Christians destroyed, but the “People of the Book” can trace the root of the hatred against them to the rejection of Muhammad’s teachings, which were contrary to Jewish and Christian scriptures.

Prayer Point:

Pray that Muslims and non-Muslims will both begin to question a religion whose scriptures encourage hatred and the destruction of people of other religions.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Orlando: It’s Not Hate – It’s Islam

2016 Ramadan GraphicOnce again our televisions are filled with news of innocent lives being taken by a terrorist as we learn of the deaths of 50 people in a gay Orlando nightclub. As news continued to break we learned the shooter, Omar Mateen called 911 pledging his support for ISIS during the attack. ISIS in turn has taken credit for the attack.

In his remarks about the incident President Obama said, “we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate…. And I’ve directed that we must spare no effort to determine what — if any — inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups. What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred. Over the coming days, we’ll uncover why and how this happened, and we will go wherever the facts lead us.”

Perhaps the President did not yet know the identity of the shooter or the shooter’s admission regarding ISIS, however we now know that Mateen was at least inspired by ISIS. Mateen’s father, Seddique Mir Mateen, claimed, “This had nothing to do with religion.” He claimed that seeing a same-sex couple kiss in front of his family in a public setting had made his son angry. How did Mateen’s anger turn into the largest mass shooting in U.S. history?

Because Mateen admitted his support for ISIS, we need to look at what Islam teaches about homosexuality.

The Qur’an references homosexuality in several places: Sura 7:80-84, 26:165-166, 4:16. It is also found in the hadith. “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Loot, execute the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.” Abu Dawud 4462

Islamic scholar Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid, the founder of the website IslamQA.info provides answers to questions Muslims and others have. Alexa.com, a company that provides web traffic data and analytics says IslamQA is the world’s most popular website on the topic of Islam. When asked about the punishment for homosexuality, Al-Munajjid replied:

The crime of homosexuality is one of the greatest of crimes, the worst of sins and the most abhorrent of deeds, and Allah punished those who did it in a way that He did not punish other nations. It is indicative of violation of the Fitrah [human nature], total misguidance, weak intellect and lack of religious commitment, and it is a sign of doom and deprivation of the mercy of Allah. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound. 

As far as punishment is concerned the question is not if a homosexual should be killed, it is how he should be killed, and the website presents various views of the method of execution including burning, stoning, or finding the highest point in the town and throwing them head first from it.

Homosexual activity carries the death penalty in the Muslim majority nations of Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Although the Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is sin, because God extended His love and mercy to Christians even while they were still sinners, Christians believe in extending the same love and mercy to others. God’s grace does not excuse or endorse the behavior, but it enables Christians to love despite the behavior.

Prayer Points:

Pray for the families of those killed and wounded in the Orlando nightclub terror attack.

Pray that other attacks planned during this Ramadan season will be uncovered and lives will be saved.

Most Muslims are just as horrified at the attack as Christians, pray that these types of attacks will cause them to take a close look at the teachings of Islam.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Are Judaism and Christianity as Violent as Islam?

2016 Ramadan GraphicIn an attempt to refute the statement, “Islam is a religion of violence,” a Christian website made the following statement, “Reality: Islam as a religious system has not been any more violent than Christianity or Judaism.”

This is an argument often used by Muslim apologists in the West to divert conversation regarding the violence in the Islamic texts. Far too often this puts an end to the discussion and those who are unfamiliar with history and the foundational texts tend to believe that all three religions are equally as violent.

Often quoted passages from the Bible that Muslim apologists use to prove Judaism’s violence and intolerance are found in the story of the military conquest of Canaan by Israel.

“But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).

“So Joshua conquered all the land: the mountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded” (Joshua 10:40).

It is true the Israelites conquered Canaan, but the commands to annihilate other people groups were recorded in the Bible as history. The events were for a specific time and place, and never became part of Jewish law. While the Biblical accounts described the events, the violent conquest never became part of every day Jewish life.

Conversely, certain aspects of Islamic violence and conquest commanded in the Qur’an were not only historical battles that Muhammad led, but they also became part of Islamic law.

“Fight those who do not believe in God, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden, nor abide by the religion of truth-from among those who received the Scripture-until they pay the due tax, willingly or unwillingly” (Sura 9:29).

Modern Islamists demonstrate that they still believe this passage is a command from their god. “Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those who say this are witless. Islam says: ‘Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! Kill them, put them to the sword and scatter their armies’” – The Ayatollah Khomeini (Iranian Supreme Leader 1979-1989).

When one looks at Christianity, it is impossible to find verses inciting violence in the New Testament. In fact, Christians are commanded to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Have their been atrocities perpetrated in the name of Christianity? Sadly, yes, but violence is never commanded by the teachings of Jesus or others in the New Testament.

Prayer Point:

Pray that both Muslims and non-Muslims will see the clear difference between the historical violence in the Bible and the theological violence in the Qur’an.

 

 

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

The Qur’an Compared to the Bible

2016 Ramadan GraphicMany Westerners assume the Qur’an is the Muslim counterpart to the Christian Bible, but if all a Muslim had was a Qur’an, they could not practice Islam.

One of the best illustrations to help Christians understand what the Qur’an is about is to imagine taking all the words of Jesus (the red letter verses in some versions of the Bible) out of context, randomly mix them up and arrange the passages in a book. The result would be similar to the Qur’an. The Qur’an lacks historical and biographical detail unlike the Bible, which contains the gospels with details of the life of Jesus.

Further, and significantly, the Qur’an was authored by one man, Muhammad, over the course of a single lifetime while over forty writers authored the Bible over a period of almost 1600 years. Despite being written by different authors, the Bible does not contradict itself and unlike Islam external tests are not necessary to practice Christianity.

The Hijra of Muhammad – the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Mecca surasMedina in 622 AD marks a significant shift in the tone of the Qur’an. Muhammad arrived in Medina with approximately 150 followers, but by the end of Muhammad’s life the number of Islamic followers had increased to nearly 100,000. Once Muhammad had moved to Medina, the nature of his revelations changed dramatically. The early Qur’an written in Mecca is considered peaceful. “There’s no compulsion in religion” (Sura 2:256) and “Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion” (Sura 109:6). But when Muhammad migrated to Medina the message became much more militant. “I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite their necks and smite of them each finger. That is because they opposed Allah and His messenger” (Sura 8:12-13).

In Islam there is a doctrine of abrogation. This means that the Medina suraslater passages that Muhammad received in Medina take precedence over the Mecca passages. In a way the later revelation supersedes the previous one, however that does not mean the earlier verse is incorrect. Because the Qur’an is considered the actual words of Allah and Allah cannot be wrong, the early Mecca revelations cannot be wrong. So when a Muslim states that Islam is a religion of peace, he can also fully believe that it is okay to “smite” the necks of disbelievers.

PRAYER POINTS:

Pray that Muslims will be quickened to realize that the vast majority of their teachings do not come from the Qur’an itself – and pray they will explore the life of Muhammad and his words and deeds.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Foundations

2016 Ramadan GraphicThe majority of Christians who subscribe to this blog would most likely identify themselves as Evangelical Christians. The National Association of Evangelicals have four statements with which respondents must strongly agree in order to be categorized as an evangelical. These statements are:

  • The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
  • It is very important for me to personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
  • Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
  • Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

The criteria to be considered evangelical seems clear, however a 2014 Religious Landscape Study by the Pew Research Center surprisingly revealed that 52% of those surveyed identifying themselves as evangelicals believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. Expanding the criteria to all Christians 66% believe many religions can lead to eternal life.two-thirds-say-many-religions-can-lead-to-eternal-life

This means statistically if you were to conduct a general survey of those self-identifying as Christians, two thirds of those surveyed would not have an understanding of Jesus’ words in John 14:6 where He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Bible teaches that it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that man can be reconciled to God and receive eternal life. Obviously many people who identify as Christians do not understand an essential doctrine of Christianity. If we want to objectively understand the basic teachings of Christianity, we must examine Christianity’s foundational text – the Bible.

Likewise in order to understand Islam, we must examine Islam’s foundational texts. Yesterday we discussed some sects and branches of Islam. It is clear that all Muslims do not believe exactly the same things, however all Muslims do base their beliefs on the Qur’an.

Muslims believe the Qur’an contains the actual words of Allah to Muhammad without any alterations or changes. Muhammad received the revelations over a period of 23 years. After he received a revelation he would recite it to his companions who also memorized it or wrote it down.

The Qur’an contains 114 suras or chapters, which are not in chronological order but roughly arranged from the longest to the shortest. The Qur’an says around 90 times that Muhammad is the perfect Muslim, so in order to properly practice Islam, a Muslim worships Allah as Muhammad worshipped Allah.

The Sunna is defined as “the body of Islamic custom and practice based on Muhammad’s words or deeds.” The Sunna is made up of the Sira (Muhammad’s biography) and the Hadith, a collection of stories and traditions of Muhammad’s life. It is actually the “Sunna” that governs a Muslim’s life more than the Qur’an since Muhammad is the perfect example for Muslims.

Throughout this series we will examine the foundational texts of Islam in order to objectively determine what Islam teaches.

Prayer Point:

Pray that both Christians and Muslims will read the foundational texts of their religions and seek to know the truth about their religious beliefs.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Is Islam Monolithic?

2016 Ramadan GraphicMuslims and Western apologists often claim that Islam is misunderstood in the West. Articles listing myths about Islam are easily found on secular, Muslim and even Christian websites. In the next few days we will be examining a wide range of some common assumptions non-Muslims may have about Muslims and Islam to determine their accuracy.

Assumption: Islam is a monolithic religion in which people all practice and believe the same thing.

First it is important to understand that there is much diversity among the 1.6 billion followers of Islam. Often Westerners see Islam as a Middle Eastern religion, however the nation with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia with over 209 million Muslims. Indonesia is followed by India (176 million), Pakistan (167 million), Bangladesh (134 million) and Nigeria (77 million). Collectively these five nations contain 48% of the world’s Muslim population.

Just as there are many denominations within Christianity, there are different sects within Islam. The two major sects in Islam are Sunni and Shi’a. The split between the two sects occurred following Muhammad’s death over a dispute regarding his successor. 85% to 90% of Muslims are Sunni, and among Sunni Muslims there are four major schools of thought. Shi’a Muslims make up approximately 10% of all Muslims, and there are also sub-sets among Shi’a Muslims with three main schools of thought.

There are multiple branches from the main schools of thought of both Sunni and Shi’a Islam. In addition, there are Muslim sects that have formed in more recent history such as the Ahmadiyya Movement founded in India in 1889, and as Islam has spread throughout the world native folk beliefs and practices have also been incorporated in some regions. Folk Islam can include belief in traditional magic systems and ecstatic rituals along with the use of shrines and amulets. Sufism, a mystical form of Islam and a form of Sunni Islam is often integrated into folk Islam.

Islam_branches_and_schools.

Shi’a and Sunni Muslims use the same Qur’an, agree that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and follow the five pillars of Islam. The main difference is that Sunni Muslims rely on the Sunnah (the teachings and sayings of Muhammad) to guide them while the Shi’as rely on their leaders to be their spiritual guides.

Just as Christians in different denominations may have vastly different beliefs, Muslims also vary in their beliefs. We must see Muslims as individuals created by God in His image in need of an encounter with Jesus, God’s Son.

Prayer Point:

Pray that you will see your Muslim neighbor, coworker or friend through God’s eyes, and then pray that he or she will have a divine encounter with God’s Son, Jesus.

 

Graphic  Attribution: By Angelpeream (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Islam’s Identity Crisis

2016 Ramadan GraphicIn order to completely deal with a spiritual issue, God looks at the root. At the root of Islam is an identity crisis.

All Muslims consider themselves the spiritual descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. In fact, Muhammad was a direct descendent of Ishmael through Ishmael’s second son, Kedar.

The Biblical account of Ishmael is found in Genesis 16-17. Ishmael, whose name means “God hears,” was the first person to ever be named by God before birth. The Bible tells us that Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born to Hagar, the servant of Abram’s wife. Thirteen years later, when Abram was 99, God appeared to him, changed his name to Abraham and promised to make him the father of many nations. God also told Abraham that His covenant would be established through his son Isaac, the son that Sarah his wife would have.

Abraham petitioned God regarding his son Ishmael, and God said, “as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation…”

Genesis 21 describes the fulfillment of the promise of the birth of Isaac. When Isaac was weaned Abraham had a feast. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, and insisted that Abraham send Ishmael and his mother away. At age 15, Ishmael was cast out of his father’s house. Abraham loved Ishmael so the thought of sending him away was quite distressing. God then said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed” (Genesis 21:12-13).

So at the age of 15, Ishmael was forced from his father’s house. After soon running out of water, he found himself dying in the wilderness. His mother, Hagar, could not bear to see her son die so she left him alone under a shrub to die. Imagine the pain of rejection and fatherlessness, Ishmael must have experienced – in an instant he went from being a son to a servant. The Bible says God heard the cry of Ishmael, and then He spoke to Hagar, “Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation” (Genesis 21:17-18). God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She gave Ishmael a drink, saving him from death. He grew and lived in the wilderness.

Ishmael lost his identity when his father, Abraham cast him out. Without a father, he also lost his inheritance. Even today the religion of Islam reflects the lost identity and inheritance of Ishmael. Muslims see themselves as servants of God but they cannot have a personal relationship with their god, Allah, so they are desperately working in order to please him and avoid judgment.

Prayer Point:

Pray that God will reveal the truth about the destiny of the Muslim people that is hidden in the name of Ishmael – He hears their cries and desires a relationship with them as their Father.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Set the Atmosphere

2016 Ramadan GraphicAs Western Christians, we must face the issues that affect the world around us. We most certainly want to see multitudes of Muslims come to know Jesus (Isa, as He is known in the Qur’an) as their Savior and Lord, but issues such as Islamic terrorism, the encroachment of Islamic sharia law, and the challenge of assimilating multitudes of refugees from the Middle East into Western nations can cause Christians to be confused. On one-hand Western academics and media tell us that Islam is a religion of peace, yet reports about terror groups acting in the name of Islam tell a much different story.

It can be difficult for Christians to have a balanced approach to Islam. Some Christians become angry or fearful over the actions of terrorists and other Islamists and view all Muslims with suspicion. Other Christians in an attempt to compensate for the perceived hatred of Muslims from those who are angry or fearful compromise some of the foundational beliefs of Christianity and ignore the dangers of radical Islam.

As Christians, we must respond to Muslims from God’s perspective rather than reacting as the secular world does. Be forewarned though, it is difficult to step back and listen to what God is saying when we live in a day when we witness terrorist attacks as they happen. From tweets of victims caught in a music hall to graphic news coverage of bomb blasts in airports, modern media brings the violence into our homes.

Anyone can be a thermometer – reporting the current conditions, and passing along the latest reports by simply hitting a share button on our social media accounts. After each terrorist attack, our Facebook feeds will be full of reports, heart-wrenching personal accounts, and opinions. How do we as the body of Christ respond? How do we share the heart of God in these situations?

Rather than simply reporting the current conditions like a thermometer, we have the ability to be thermostats and set the atmosphere.

The words of our mouths, the articles we write, the things we share on social media, and the prayers that we pray corporately all have the ability to speak God’s life, light, truth, and love over horrendous situations. The difficulty is how do we communicate the heart of God for Muslims without seemingly trivializing the suffering of Islam’s victims? For our God so loved the world – all the world – even those deceived and caught in an evil ideology.

We truly live in a time where only God knows how to respond. As the body of Christ may we all seek Him so that we may be thermostats that change the atmosphere and advance His Kingdom in the earth. We must speak life – and pass along His light in the midst of this darkness.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

Why Pray for Muslims During Ramadan?

2016 Ramadan GraphicRamadan, the Islamic month of fasting begins today, June 6. Ramadan, translated as “scorching heat” or “dryness”, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which began in 622 AD. Muslims believe that it was during the month of Ramadan when Muhammad first began to receive his revelations so it is considered the holiest month in Islam.

During the month of Ramadan, most Muslims will observe a fast from sunup to sundown for each of the 29 to 30 days of the month. Muslims are to abstain from smoking, drinking, eating and sexual pleasure during the daylight hours. All Muslims are required to fast when they reach puberty as long as they are sane and have no illnesses such as diabetes. It is to be a time of spiritual reflection and increased devotion to Allah, and Muslims believe the rewards for fasting during this time are multiplied.

In addiction to fasting, “according to Islamic practice, sacrifice during Ramadan can be considered more valuable than that made at other times, so a call to martyrdom during the month may hold a special allure to some,” said a report by the US State Department led Overseas Security Advisory Council. Affirming the report, in an audio message released by the Islamic State, ISIS followers are urged to commit lone wolf terror attacks during the month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan, the month of conquest and jihad. Get prepared, be ready … to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers … especially for the fighters and supporters of the Caliphate in Europe and America.”

Last year during Ramadan, terror attacks occurred on three continents on the same day following a similar message by an Islamic State spokesman. On June 26, 2015, attacks occurred in France, Kuwait, Syria, Somalia and Tunisia killing 403 people and injuring 336.

It is currently estimated that there are 80,000 ISIS members worldwide with 36,000 foreign fighters recruited from 80 countries. Of the 36,000 foreign recruits, approximately 6,000 are Westerners. This past fall U.S. FBI Director James Comey warned that the FBI was investigating more than 900 ISIS suspects in all 50 states. CNN reports that in the past two years since the formation of the Islamic State, they have either conducted or inspired over 70 terrorist attacks in 20 nations killing at least 1,200 and injuring over 1,700. That number does not include attacks in Syria and Iraq.

When statistics and quotes such as these dominate Western news, it can be difficult to separate the Muslim people from the radical Islamist teachings that groups such as the Islamic State follow. In the natural the facts seem grim for the future of our world, Truth Trumps Factshowever TRUTH ALWAYS SUPERSEDES FACTS. What truth supersedes the grim facts? Jesus said, “I am the Truth.” HE supersedes the facts.

The natural, inferior reaction to facts is to be suspicious and fearful, but as Kingdom minded Christians we live in a superior realization. Christ attained the victory over sin and death…and terrorism, so as His children we walk in triumph because the victory is already won.

“Your ancestors have also been taught ‘Love your neighbors and hate the one who hates you.’ However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the ones who hate you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. What reward do you deserve if you only love the loveable? Don’t even the tax collectors do that? How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly do that? Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, you are to be perfect like him” (Matthew 5:43-48 The Passion Translation).

During the next 30 days ask God to give you His heart for the Muslim people. Today ask Him to reveal and cleanse anything in your heart toward Muslims that is not from Him. Then join us as we pray and declare what Heaven is saying each day during this time of heightened spiritual awareness for Muslims.