Displaying items by tag: faith

Thursday, 15 September 2022 22:13

Thailand: Chinese Christian refugees

Sixty members of a Chinese church have submitted applications for asylum in Bangkok, after being denied refuge in South Korea. They had fled the communist regime to escape religious persecution. Pastor Pan’s church has been on the run for years. He said the persecution is growing worse. The group remains stateless, jobless, and homeless, but not without faith. ‘We're thinking of our children's future. We refuse to put their education in the hands of the Communist Party, to give them an atheist education, and to turn their backs on God. So we are willing to pay this price to flee China to allow them to keep going to church school and to know God. Although we don't know what we will encounter in the future, what our God gives us is the best. He will lead us through these issues; God always has the best plan and arrangement.’

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 24 March 2022 21:36

Christians remaining in Kyiv

Alexander, Iryna and their children are in Kyiv and tell us how their faith helps them to live under siege. ‘Millions are praying for Ukraine and we believe that God has the victory. It's scary, we feel fear and don't know what the next hour will bring, but God is still the same as 2,000 years ago. We see military helicopters, hear shelling, but we believe we will win. People will have to give lives for this freedom but we know our nation is strong. We know that the truth will win, and the darkness and the lie will be exposed. Sometimes we don’t see God's intentions, but he hasn’t stopped doing his work and we must trust and believe. Our God came to give us life and no doubt, it's a spiritual battle. We are on the prayer frontline. God's word is alive, God’s word comforts. His word is active and gives us strength, his spirit is within us. God is big, he's bigger than any enemy.’

Published in Praise Reports

On 25 November prime minister Scott Morrison introduced a controversial Religious Discrimination Bill, which will allow faith-based organisations to prioritise hiring and enrolment of people from their faith. The bill, tabled just months before next year’s election, is seen as an attempt to woo votes from religious citizens, as Mr Morrison is a Pentecostal Christian. When introducing the bill to parliament, he said it would protect those who expressed their religious faith outside the workplace as long as it did not cause financial damage to their employer. ‘People should not be persecuted or vilified because their beliefs are different from someone else’s. Australians shouldn’t have to worry about offending an anonymous person on Twitter.’ The bill will be put to vote in the lower house next week, but is unlikely to pass into law before the elections.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 29 October 2020 22:14

Olympic star’s daughter upheld by faith

‘Volleyball has taught me many valuable life lessons about integrity, hard work and perseverance, but my athletic experiences and lessons learned pale in comparison to my greatest passion, living a life committed to the person of Jesus Christ,’ said Jenny the daughter of 1960 decathlete gold-medal winner Rafer Johnson. Jenny grew up in the world of sports and joined a highly competitive UCLA college programme. ‘When I made it to the collegiate level I was just learning how to own my faith and what it means to have God in my sport, that they’re not separate things’ She had a Christian coach who encouraged her to keep up her Christian testimony. As she accepted the challenge, she got even better at volleyball and became the team captain. Her team won All-Tournament Team honours. Later, she and her partner won the silver medal at the beach volleyball world championships in Marseille.

Published in Praise Reports
Thursday, 18 June 2020 21:53

‘Just practising my faith’

An old video has appeared on social media of Premier League football star Angel Gomes being prayed for to be healed of pain from football-related injuries four years ago. When Gomes was 16 and captain of the England national under-17 team, he visited TB Joshua's Synagogue Church of All Nations for a service. The video shows a controversial prophet praying for healing which resulted in Gomes jogging, shaking his legs and squatting showing he was healed of pain. This week Gomes received questions about the 2016 video and replied saying he was from a Christian family and was going through some pain issues. ‘From the outside looking in it looks crazy, but I was just practising my faith.’ He added that he didn't really need to explain himself but a lot of people were asking him what the video was about, I was just practising my faith’.

Published in Praise Reports
Friday, 22 May 2020 00:53

He asked for a Bible, not for relief goods

‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4) The Philippines have been on lockdown for weeks, and many people are bringing aid to those struggling to meet daily needs. But one elderly man blessed the volunteers’ hearts when he asked for a new Bible instead of relief goods. His unusual request has been circling around social media. Dyn Nah shared her amazement on her Facebook page. She said that in a country full of citizens calling for relief aid, ‘here's to this man. May we be reminded that in this crisis, it is not only about the material things we need but also His Word as we walk through our everyday challenges.’

Published in Praise Reports

Faith is one weapon we must use against the fear of COVID-19. Many ask, can faith in God work at this time when COVID-19 is devastating the world? The answer is a big, Yes. Faith in God can make a difference whether we survive this time of adversity or not. Fear kills, but faith keeps alive. The well known Biblical adage, “the just shall live by faith” is very much relevant now. Faith can make a difference between matters of life and death, between our ability to survive or not. In times of adversity, like we face presently, faith  distinguishes those who inherit the promises of God and those who do not. Faith in God gives us strength in the inner man. Like Proverb 18:14 state, “The will to live sustains you when you’re sick, but depression crushes courage and leaves you unable to cope” (TPT).

The most extreme conditions of COVID-19 is not above God’s power and control, therefore trusting God who knows all things, and has all power to control all things, strengthens us. Faith in God, however, does not preclude us from  complying with the rules of social distancing and personal hygiene that is being recommended by medical experts. Times of adversity like COVID-19 don’t last, but those who have faith in God, outlive adversities.

Faith is the assurance that what God says in his word shall come to pass in any situation of adversity. For instance, Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV). Again in Ephesians 6:16, Paul commands us to use the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of Satan. This means, that when Satan assails us with coronavirus, by faith we can reject it from harming us.

Exercising faith against the destructive power of COVID-19 may seem stupid to the carnal mind, but let us not forget that even from Bible times, faith in God has always worked for those who believe in Him. Think of those who don’t have access to medical facilities, or those who face extreme situations between life and death. All they can do is cling on to God in faith. In this time of COVID-19, we are seeing the best of medical practices inadequate, and in some cases fail outrightly.  So, why doubt the intervention of God; why doubt the ability of faith in God to rescue man?

Speaking about the importance of faith, Jesus said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24 NKJV). The key word is in verse 24, which states that whatever things you ask when you pray to God, we can receive them, provided we believe.

David’s attitude in time of adversity is one of persevering faith, “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalms 27:13-14 NLT). We cannot afford to do otherwise now that we face COVID-19.

Pastor Austen Ukachi
IPC Leadership Team / IPC West Africa Coordinator

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thursday, 16 January 2020 20:37

Australia: faith and fires

Australia's prime minister, a Pentecostal, has said, ‘I have always believed in miracles'. Millions have been praying. Recently the crews battling Australia’s wildfires have seen a break in the weather. Cooler temperatures and mild winds have caused the fire’s behaviour to change, so firefighters are now fighting not fleeing. Please join 24-7’s online prayer, ‘God of all comfort, give strength to the emergency services fighting fires, the medics tending the sick, and the pastors conducting funerals and binding up broken hearts. We ask you to give wisdom to politicians as they seek to respond effectively to this crisis and begin to review long-term environmental policies in light of this disaster. Forgive us, Lord, for the damage we do by exploiting our environment and failing to care for your creation. You “cover the sky with clouds and supply the earth with rain”.’ For the full prayer, see

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 05 December 2019 23:06

Global: GO 2020 outreach

Christians will soon celebrate Christmas, BUT hundreds of millions of people have not yet heard of Christ. The great revivals and mission advances throughout church history followed the pattern of prayer preceding evangelism. Now, tens of thousands of churches with hundreds of mission organisations and prayer movements are joining forces for an epic prayer and mission initiative, unlike anything the world has known, called GO 2020. The goal is to reach one billion unreached people with Christ’s Good News. By May 2020, GO 2020 aims to have mobilised 100 million Christians to pray that unreached people groups, at home and abroad, will come to know the Lord, as mission agencies preach and teach. No one organisation can accomplish such a feat, but many can flow together like tributaries into one unstoppable river. To get involved, go to

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 26 September 2019 23:13

Worship killed cancer

Evelyn had an MRI scan and was told that she had an inoperable, benign tumour on her brain. While she went through five rounds of radiation, her husband was dying and she needed to take care of him. ‘God, where are You through all of this?’ she cried. She recruited a prayer group to support her. After six months, the tumour had grown and engulfed the optic nerve. She might go blind. Instead of flagging in faith, Evelyn experienced a surge of faith. She believed God wanted her to stop asking for healing and start praising Him for healing. Evelyn requested her prayer group and family members to do likewise. They reluctantly followed orders. Nine months after her initial diagnosis, the doctor said the tumour was dead. The tumour dissolved, and her husband lived long enough to know that she was well, so she is grateful for that.

Published in Praise Reports
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