Pray for 2024 and blogging plan

Happy 2024 everyone!! Hope that you all had a great one and spent some quality time with loved ones! This New Year was a quiet one for me as I spent it with just my wife – we played games, talked and then watched the fireworks from our window and prayed – it was nice! How was your New Year?

Today I went for a beautiful 12KM walk with 2 close friends early in the morning, some photos will be shared at the end of the post.

Now that another year is upon us, no doubt we wonder what God has install for us and for His Church throughout the world. One important thing that we believers can do is pray together – so let’s pray!

Father God, thank you that because of your faithfulness we have made it to another year of this precious life you have given us. We pray that the lessons we learned in 2023 will equip us for the challenges we face in 2024. We pray that the mistakes we made will not be repeated but learned from. As a New year has begun, we are reminded of your faithfulness that your mercies are new everyday. May we face this year with boldness and let your Holy Spirit be our guide and strength. May we meditate your word and allow it to transform our minds and souls. May we share the good news with this world that hears so much bad news! May people come to know about the saviour who saves and call upon the name of Jesus Christ. We pray for those who are grieving to be comforted, for those who are sick to be healed and those who are lonely to be brought into families. We pray that soldiers who are at wars around the world would bow the knee to Jesus Christ. We pray that the greatest weapon brought onto the battle field will not be guns but the bible. We pray that their will be a shift in global governance that allows room for the true one and only God Jesus Christ to move. We pray the church to be obedient to your will, that those who have fallen away will return with a holy zeal and that those who never fell would have an even greater zeal for Gods glory. We pray that we will overcome the devil and will not allow disappointments to turn us from faith. We pray we will not allow constant distractions to lead us from prayer, reading your word and sharing the good news. May you fill us with a holy fire and burn off all impurities. Whatever resolutions we set, that are Godly and obtainable, may they be achieved. May we have all the provisions necessary to be successful this year, according to your plan. More than anything else, we pray your will be done, your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven! In Jesus Christ name – amen

Here is a short snippet of blogging plan this year…

First week of the year – finish praying for the persecuted church series, this will start from the 02/01/24

Blogs will generally be released every Monday, Tuesday and Friday for now – themes to be discussed in future but will most likely restart the praying for the persecuted church every Tuesday.

Just to finish, here are a few of the beautiful pictures taken from this mornings walk!

Love and God bless

Deano

New Years resolutions?

Well, here we are… again. Another year has passed as we reminisce of what has been and plan about what may be. Here’s some common things we will hear people say for New Years resolutions…

⁃ I’m gonna lose weight

⁃ I will aim for a promotion

⁃ I will find a better job

⁃ I will be a better wife/husband

⁃ I will be a better Father/mother

⁃ I will start a business

⁃ I will write books/blogs or various things

⁃ I will… quit smoking

⁃ I will… and the list could go on

Yet there’s one thing missing on this list… can you guess? We will get to it soon.

I’ve made my fair share of New Years resolutions and I can plainly say I’ve broke them all! Is it because I’m lazy? Is it because I’m not capable of achieving it? Is it because of my circumstances? Or is it perhaps I was setting the wrong resolutions?

You see, I’ve made some of those resolutions listed above and sure some I have achieved, such as quitting smoking after 12 years – let me say that was purely by Gods strength and was not from the 1st January! – but many resolutions I never achieved the same year I made them.

How to we set achievable resolutions and what’s the most important resolution we can make? Well, firstly, resolutions are not always about what we stop or start doing, it’s about how we maintain that new habit or how we starve off the old bad habit we are quitting. To achieve this we need to break down our resolutions into simple achievable goals. Example… you want to get in shape for new year?

First – weigh yourself and take a few pictures of your current shape. Set yourself a half way point target, that is after 6 months of the year. For example – the beginning of the year you weigh 90KG but want to be 80KG by 6 months – that’s a loss of 10KG to be achieved by that time. Break that down for each month and you need to lose on average about 1.7-8KG a month. That’s the target, next is the now to achieve it – you put a training plan together, a time to train and then start! This same

Principle can be applied to most things such as writing books, learning new skills and so on.

Yet, as great as all those goals listed above may be, there is one goal that was missing, can you guess what it is? Yes… The goal of doing Gods will! One focus for the believer in the next year is to become more Christlike, so that when 2024 is over we can look back and see how much our character has grown. They are saying (those who have platforms to speak from) that 2024 may be a black swan event year – this simply means a year with a global catastrophe. Well, what if those who believe in Jesus made it a “lamb of God” year – a year when revival breaks out globally! A year where we seek God with all our hearts and share the gospel with every opportunity we have. This would be better by far!

If you have set resolutions then focus on the outcome not the struggle to get there. Jesus came to earth and new his purpose from the beginning. He knew he came to earth to die a gruesome death to take our sins away and he knew he would rise from the grave! For the joy set before him Christ endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) it was the eternal reward that got him through the temporary struggle.

Let’s focus on the prize!!

Tomorrow at some some point I will release a blog with a prayer for the year, I would love to hear your prayers too!

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #44

Hello dear bloggers, friends, family! We are pressing forward with prayers for the persecuted church. No doubt the series will not finish before the end of year as I also hope to squeeze in a special new year post, however the aim is to finish the series within the first week of 2024 so it can be restarted once the update world watch list for 2024 comes out. Today we are taking a trip to Tajikistan 🇹🇯

What does persecution look like in Tajikistan?

Tajikistan’s totalitarian leadership treats any perceived ‘deviation’ from cultural norms with suspicion. No religious activities beyond state-run and controlled institutions are allowed and religious laws that restrict religious freedom are strictly enforced.

Tajikistan has the highest percentage of Muslims in Central Asia. Christians make up only 0.6% of the population, the overwhelming majority of whom are Russian Orthodox. While Russian Orthodox churches are registered and accepted in the country, they tend to keep themselves separate from the local population. Protestants in particular (who are regarded as ‘extremists’, unlike Orthodox Christians) face significant persecution. Church services are often disrupted and Christians face harassment and arrests for holding private prayer meetings or possessing ‘illegal’ religious material. Fines are imposed on Christians simply for practicing their faith. Registering non-Orthodox, non-Catholic Christian groups is effectively impossible, making all religious activities carried out by these groups technically illegal.

Indigenous Christians from a Muslim background face huge pressure from family, friends and the local community to return to Islam, believing that a true Tajik can only be Muslim. They will be treated as an outcast, and in the most serious cases they are victims of violent assaults.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Although government officials target Christian communities all over the country, Christian converts from a Muslim background also come under strong pressure from family, friends and community. Families and communities in rural areas tend to enforce more oppressive measures.

Meet pastor Bahrom – who was jailed for his faith in Jesus Christ

“My church was attacked and the church building was confiscated by the court. Our church is now gathering inside a shipping container.”

Let’s pray

Father God, we lift up nation of Tajikistan before the throne room of heaven. We ask for your divine intervention through the government, that they may recognise the right to freedom of religion and enable them to create laws that allows Christian’s to practice their faith freely. We pray that church leaders across the nation will be equipped with Godly resources and be bold in serving the Kingdom of God, knowing that the Lord their provider and protector. We pray that believers from Muslim backgrounds can meet and have fellowship safely without interference. We ask you to bring multitudes to Christ in this nation, in Jesus Christ name – amen.

Info from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/tajikistan/

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #43

Hi everyone! We are doing consecutive days of praying for the persecuted church at this time before restarting early next year. Today we take a trip to Malaysia.

What does persecution look like in Malaysia?

Every ethnic Malay is expected to be Muslim, and Shariah law, which is implemented in certain states of the country, says that to leave Islam is punishable by death, although this has never been enforced.

Anybody who comes to know Jesus from a Muslim background is at risk. If they reveal their faith to their family, they are likely to experience extreme pressure to return to Islam and hostility from their neighbourhood. The family may try to ‘protect’ the family by quickly marrying their daughter or son to a Muslim. If a Sharia judge agrees, girls can be married off below the age of 16. If the authorities find out about their faith, the new Christian could be arrested, interrogated about their Christian network, pressured to name church leaders and potentially imprisoned or sentenced to death.

Christians from longer-standing denominations, like Roman Catholics and Methodists, are monitored and watched by the authorities. But non-traditional Protestant groups are purposely targeted with the aim of breaking them up, since they tend to attract more converts and be more active in sharing the gospel with Muslims.

There is evidence that state-supported plans are in place to attempt to convert Christian communities to Islam. More conservative Islamic political parties seem to be gaining increasing power and support in Malaysia, with elections due this year. Things could get even more difficult for Malaysian Christians.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Believers from a Muslim background are at the highest risk of persecution, since Malay law supports the death penalty for apostasy.

Meet Susanna

I’ll run to God, because He’s the only One I can depend on and He always turns up for me.”

Let’s pray

Father God, thank you for the beautiful nation of Malaysia and that you have not forgotten this wonderful nation. We pray that the legal situation for Christian’s will improve with the upcoming elections, may they be protected and kept safe from Sharia law. We pray for Christian’s to be able to meet safely without interference from the local authorities. We pray that the love of Christ will deeply impact the souls of believers so that they may reflect this love on others who they meet. May your love keep them strong and may the Holy Spirit guide them. We pray in Jesus Christ name – amen

Info from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/malaysia/

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #42

Hi everyone! Thanks for continuing this very important journey for praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering! We will be finishing off the world watch list of 2023 before restarting again in 2024 – so it may go on a few days into the new year but it will be finished! Today we are taking a trip to Comoros. This is a nation that I have honestly never heard about! Have you?

What does persecution look like in Comoros?

In Comoros, choosing to leave Islam to follow Jesus is so risky that those who do so have little option but to keep their faith secret. In fact, it can even lead to prosecution. It is illegal for followers of any religion except Islam to evangelise, so any Christian who shares their faith could face legal consequences. This will likely involve a fine and up to a year in prison. In some parts of the country, extremist groups threaten believers with violence.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Those who convert from Islam are at greatest risk of persecution.

Meet ‘Titus’

“Barely three days after I decided to follow Christ, my house was burned down. I was only able to rescue my laptop. All I had was the clothes on my back. I felt this was a test of my faith in Christ, but it turned out to be faith strengthening.”

Let’s pray

Father God, all though this nation may not have been heard of by many, you know this nation and the people within. We pray for those who have to keep faith secret that they may have access to Christian materials and also fellowship and discipleship. May your Holy Spirit enable believers to be faithful witnesses for you. In Jesus Christ name amen

Info from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/comoros/

Love and God bless

Deano

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Dear bloggers! How are you? I hope these times have truly been blessed for you! For those who have struggled know that the God of all comfort comforts you in all your distress, hold onto Jesus for He is with us through the storms!

I just want to send a message of thanks to you dear bloggers! Your support and encouragement has been priceless during the year 2023! I no doubt believe that this will only increase in 2024, I also hope and pray to be a great support for all of you guys!

My wife and I would like to say a huge merry Christmas to you all and a happy and blessed 2024! Whatever challenges you face don’t do it alone, call on the name of Jesus and overcome by His power working through you. May 2024 be a year of victory! A year that history will be written in the name of Jesus.

Merry Christmas family!

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #41

Today we are taking a trip to Turkey.

What does persecution look like in Turkey?

On the face of it, the Turkish legal system protects religious freedoms. However, that is not the lived reality for Christians in Turkey. Religious nationalism is very strong and is putting Christians under increasing pressure.

Nationalism and Islam are intrinsically linked and anyone who is not a Muslim, particularly someone who openly lives out a different faith, is seen to be a disloyal Turk. Christians are therefore not regarded as full members of Turkish society. They have limited access to state employment and experience discrimination in private employment, especially where employers have ties to the government. Since religious affiliation is still recorded on ID cards (nowadays via electronic chip), it is easy to discriminate against Christian job applicants. In recent years, the government has banned foreign Christians with Turkish spouses and children from settling in the country as residents.

Although conversion from Islam to Christianity is not legally forbidden, converts are put under pressure by their families and communities to return to Islam. If their faith is discovered, they may be threatened with divorce and the loss of inheritance rights. Converts from Islam can legally change their religious affiliation on ID cards to Christianity, but it is a stressful process and they may face discrimination at the hands of individual government officials.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Women who convert from Islam to Christianity are most vulnerable to persecution. If their faith is discovered they can suffer violence at the hands of their own families, and in the most serious cases they are subjected to sexual violence. This is more common in rural areas.

Historical Christian groups like the Armenian and Assyrian Syriac churches face pressure and hostility in southeastern Turkey. For decades, they have been caught between the rivalries of the Turkish army and Kurdish resistance groups. Most of these Christians do not live in their ancestral region anymore but have moved to western areas of Turkey to escape the conflict.

Inland areas tend to be more conservative and strictly Islamic. Socially, they can be hostile towards Christians.

Meet “Hans-Jurgen Louven”

The only reason I can think of for [forcing me to leave] is that we are people of faith, and at times we have shared our faith with the local people.”

Let’s pray…

Father God, thank you that you are faithful and always hear the cries of your people. We lift up believers in Turkey who may have been rejected by families and close friends. We pray that they may know that even though close ones have rejected them, you will not reject them. We pray that the Turkish government may create policies that recognise Christian’s equally to Muslims, that there may be no discrimination. We pray that believers in Turkey will be bold at sharing their faith and that you may protect them whenever they share the good news about Jesus. May Turkey be blessed with many more believers by the end of this year. May they be a salt and light in that land and be filled with joy and wonder in your presence. In Jesus Christ name – amen

Info from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/turkey/

Love and God bless

Deano

If you were arrested for being a Christian would you be found guilty?

I’ve been off blogging for quite some time, for many reasons it’s been difficult to be consistent. These reasons are; extreme tiredness from work, sickness, lack of motivation, stress and multi tasking too many things. I long to be back on it with the consistency of the sun shining on a desert, yet this is easier said than done. How have you been fellow bloggers? Has life been busy? How’s your faith?

Over the last few months my faith has been shaken to its core. Certain personal things have happened that have left me questioning God – why? Yet, just like Job when he suffered, we may never know the reason why… but we do need to believe that ultimately God works all things out for good. Job suffered extremely for a season, almost to the point of death. Yet, after all of that God gave him twice as much as before and granted him such a long life that he saw his great grandchildren! You never know what God has in store after we have been through a trial.

God turns our test into our testimony and our trials into triumph.

I heard a powerful message the other day that struck my heart. If I was arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict me? In all the pain and suffering, do I still demonstrate peace to a world that’s falling to pieces? Through the fire do I show that I’m fire proof because of my trust in Christ – do I dance in the flames knowing that the flames will not consume me? Do I love my neighbour even if they hurt me? Do I pray for my enemies even though they taunt me? Do I hold onto the things of this world knowing that a storm can destroy all I have? Or do I store up my riches in heaven where moths cannot eat away?

I would hope that if I was arrested for my faith (like many are in this world) that I would be convicted for being a Christian. If I was let go because there was not enough evidence, then that would be a sad defeat.

The truth is, over a period of time I have been more worldly than Godly. More consumed with the world than the word of God. More concerned about the future on earth than my future in heaven. More focused on self than Jesus and others – damn no wonder I have been miserable! The definition of joy is Jesus – Others – Yourself – I guess sad could stand for Selfish – Apathetic – Defeated. How awesome it is to seek first the Kingdom and Gods righteousness, you don’t even need to worry about all the extra stuff after, God throws in all the rest as a reward.

When I was without work at the beginning of this year, it was very difficult. Yet I set myself on mission to seek Gods Kingdom first. I started teaching a child from church how to play drums, this blessed him and his family. I served at church and got on with Kingdom work. Within a short amount of time I was doing interviews and after 5 short months I got a job where I have excelled and met some great people! God is good!

So, is there enough evidence to convict us of our faith? If so – great! Let them arrest us so we can show them Gods love! If not, well, let’s seek first the Kingdom and live a righteous life so that we may be convicted. Condemnation from the world means nothing if God has not condemned us.

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added onto you.

Below is a message about this post…

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #40

Hello everyone! Hope that all is well with you and that God is blessing you. Let’s continue praying for the persecuted church, we have reached another milestone, number 40 out of the 50 countries on the Open Doors world watch list – the aim is to finish this series before the 2024 watch list is released so soon I will post 2-3 times a week with this series. Today we are taking a trip to Bhutan.

What does persecution look like in Bhutan?

Since all Bhutanese citizens are expected to follow Buddhism, converts to Christianity can be exposed to harsh treatment from their family and local community in attempts to pressurize them into renouncing their faith. This includes losing their jobs or being disinherited. Some Christians are falsely accused of being bribed to convert. Being ostracized by family makes an enormous difference in a Bhutanese person’s life, since the culture is very communal, and the protection of family is crucial.

No churches have official state recognition, meaning that any Christians holding a service together are technically worshipping illegally. Local authorities often refuse to issue Christians with a ‘non-objection certificate’, which is essential for things such as jobs and registering property.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Converts from Buddhism are particularly vulnerable to persecution in Bhutan

Meet ‘Meena’

“I found life and hope in Jesus. All the time I have in this world I want to use it for His kingdom.”

MEENA IS A YOUNG CHRISTIAN WHO FACES PRESSURE FROM HER LOCAL COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF HER FAITH IN JESUS

What has changed this year?

In general, persecution in Bhutan did not change very much. Despite the claim before the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 that religious organisations do not need to be registered in order to practice, Christians have still not been officially recognised in the country. Christian groups are able to meet, but have to do so without raising any attention. Converts continue to be frequently ostracized by family and society.

Father God, thank you for the nation of Bhutan, may your hand be upon your people in that nation. We pray for those who have suffered loss of family, work or inheritance because of their faith, may they be strengthened by you and may your hand sustain them. May those who call upon Jesus name have fresh revelations of Jesus that will help them in times of pressure and persecution. We ask your Holy Spirit to refresh any believers who may feel discouraged or weary, let your Holy Spirit give them strength and power and equip believers to be faithful witnesses unto you. Let your hand reach out and save many in the nation of Bhutan. We pray in Jesus Christ name – amen

Thank you for joining in prayer!

Information taken from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/bhutan/

You can catch the last post here Praying for the persecuted church #39

Love and God bless

Deano

This powerful testimony brought me to tears!

The story of what happened to this lady cut deep into my heart. Everything was normal, apart from feeling a little sick and drowsy. Then, one day the lady collapsed and had to have life saving surgery. It was a day that changed her life completely and revealed to her a purpose for her life. Let me just quote one thing she said, “if you have a pulse, then you have a purpose”. Those words are so powerful! You can watch the full testimony on a link at the end of this post – it’s well worth watching!

When I heard this story, it made me think of my own faith story. I was in foster care for 13 years, separated at the age of 5 from my mum & Dad and all my 4 brothers and two sisters. These profound psychological effects stayed with me for many years. I was the slowest in my class as a child, but then by the time I was 12 I was an expected A level student. I was bullied because of my deformity (Poland Syndrome) and because of being in foster care. I was often socially excluded and felt alone. Then when I was in my teens, I associated with the wrong people just to fit in, this led to me eventually taking many kinds of drugs such as; ecstasy, cocaine, weed, speed and magic mushrooms. I was in a bad place and on a road to death. Yet the author of life intervened in my late teens and rescued me! I was given a second chance of life through Jesus and found that I have a God given purpose in this world – praise be to God our saviour!

Many people aimlessly wonder this earth not knowing why they are alive. Some focus on success and financial stability as a way to counteract this aimless wondering. Yet when all is done, they look back and wonder what’s really been achieved. We learn new skills, grow and excel, yet without God, we always sense a missing piece in our lives. The missing piece is the King of peace – Jesus Christ.

Do you know what our purpose is? It’s actually quite simple, it’s to believe in the one who was sent (John 6:29). We cannot please God unless we first believe he exists, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). When we come to know Christ, we find our purpose in him. For our lives are hidden with Christ, when Christ who is our life appears, we will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

If you wonder what your purpose is today then I ask you, do you know Jesus Christ as your saviour? If not, then I will be happy to pray with you! If so, then rejoice, for your saviour is your purpose!

Please see below the testimony

Love and God bless

Deano