Reviled for The Truth

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12

“In every age God’s chosen messengers have been reviled and persecuted, yet through their affliction the knowledge of God has been spread abroad. Every disciple of Christ is to step into the ranks and carry forward the same work, knowing that its foes can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. God means that truth shall be brought to the front and become the subject of examination and discussion, even through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated; every controversy, every reproach, every effort to restrict liberty of conscience, is God’s means of awakening minds that otherwise might slumber.” – Thoughts from The Mount of Blessing, p. 33

Heart Questions:

When persecution comes, when your reputation is being slandered, when your life could be in danger, then Jesus’ love and truth will shine the brightest. How you react, what you say, what you do when faced with these pressures, will greatly determine the impact your faithfulness can have on those who seek to ruin your life. Why not ask Jesus to help you to be faithful and loving today and everyday so that you are able to show that same love even under persecution? Will you pray to Him even now and ask Him to make you a true Christian who will stand for Jesus though the heaven’s fall?

Praise Reports:

• Pastors, church workers, teachers, and evangelistic initiatives around the world are struggling financially due to the decrease in tithes and offerings. But they are putting their trust in the God of miracles. God is opening many doors for even greater ministry to people with less resources than before.

Day 67 - Prayer Focus

• Pray for the Warwick Seventh-day Adventist Church’s mobile soup kitchen in Sydney, Australia, which serves up soup and is connecting with lonely people in their area. Please ask God to help them build connections in the community.
• Pray for the new medical school for East Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. Pray for the students who graduate from it, and the people they serve.
• Pray for the rebuilding of the South Philippine Adventist College church which was destroyed in an earthquake in December 2019.
• Pray for a center of influence in the midst of a Muslim community in an unnamed city. Some of the Muslims have requested prayer for them during this Covid-19 crisis. They believe that Adventist’s prayers are heard by God.

Going Deeper: Additional reading suggestions for this week

• The Beauty of Humility - (Attached to this week’s reading)

• Melody Mason, Daring to Live by Every Word: Loving God with Heart, Body, Mind and Soul

Download this week's devotional and prayer requests!

Visit the We-Pray Online Prayer room or leave your prayer requests below!