A Spiritual Earthquake Beneath the Revolution

-I live in a fairly safe area, so my life has not been affected greatly on a personal level, but I can’t stay out late, and there are places and streets I avoid, she says.

– I have to be careful when I take a taxi and people have put up iron gates in front of their doors. This was not necessary before the revolution, the television producer explains.
-There are also many strange things happening, she adds.

-People try to put things on fire, they steal things, and no one really knows anymore who does what or who is to blame. It is confusing and disheartening. People are depressed. We lost. The election, the referendum, everything is against what we hoped for. The country is divided. It feels like the revolution was stolen from the people who fought for democratic reform. But we have to believe that God is in control and that He listens to our prayers.

A window of hope
Last year, Miracle Channel had a great increase in responses across the Arab world. A large number of the 211,164 responses came from countries that experience a surge in radical Islam, such as Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Syria and Tunisia. Prayer requests come for everything from missing family members, finances, health and personal needs.

– I am also surprised to find that so many viewers are tuning in to Miracle Channel when dramatic news events are unfolding around them. I have to admit that I can’t take watching anymore news, they are so depressing, but I would still have thought that the news channels would have kept people glued to the screen. Yet I think many feel like me, we need hope, we need prayer and we need to think of other things than the tragedies that keep happening in our neighborhoods, says our producer and adds;
-So Miracle Channel becomes a window of hope. A window with a view to God’s heart for them.

One of Miracle Channel’s live programs has focused on recent news in the Arab world and discussions on how Muslims and Christians can solve the pending issues together in a democratic fashion.

-But there are also times when we dedicate entire live programs to pray for the situation in specific countries. We also talk about how not to get defeated by fear while introducing solid Bible teaching on issues related to everyday life. They become building blocks in our lives that can carry us through storms and rough waters.

More calls from Muslims
Our senior television producer also says that it appears as if the turbulence in the Arab countries has created a greater hunger for the gospel among Muslims. Unfortunately, Muslims who turn to Christ are also the ones who are most severely persecuted for their faith.
-Because of the times we live in, we have to be very careful with all the phone calls and messages we get from Muslims, but by far the majority of them are real callers and many are drawn to the Lord.

Increased persecution
According to an updated list from Open Doors, persecution of Christians in Africa greatly increased in 2012.
A number of countries on the African continent saw a sharp rise on the annual persecution list due to the increasing influence of Islam, say Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians worldwide.
And the Christians with a Muslim background are facing the most serious problems.

-We do not necessarily distinguish one overall plan from one source in the whole of Africa. However, we do see that radical Islamic groups are patiently waiting for the right time to show their power,” Open Doors says to Charisma news.
– Apart from the pattern of violent attacks, we see that radical Muslims are infiltrating into politics, business and the judicial power, such as introducing Sharia family courts. On a number of occasions, Muslims were ready to step into a power vacuum. Take Mali, for example, where Touareg rebels and Muslim fundamentalists gained power in April 2012.

Syria Makes Big Jump
Outside of Mali, Syria saw the greatest increase of persecution in 2012. Under the rule of President Assam, citizens born into Christian families were allowed the freedom to worship but not evangelize. Rebels and jihadists fighting against the regime have a strong anti-Christian agenda, making life for Christians in the country virtually impossible. Tens of thousands of Christians have fled.

Libya
Latest news reports from Libya details the fierce persecution of Christians in Benghazi, noting that there may be less than 2000 official Christians left in the country.

Spiritual earthquake
But in spite of increased persecution, reports from the mission field in the Arab world say that dreams and visions, along with satellite television, are introducing Muslims to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.
More Muslims are coming to Jesus than at any other time in the 1,400-year history of Islam.

Tom Doyle, who wrote the book “Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World? “ says to Charisma news that beneath the current revolution in the Middle East, there’s a spiritual earthquake.
-This is the time when hearts are open, people are desperate, governments are changing.

-Everybody’s foundation has massive cracks in it and Jesus is the answer that can come in and fill that need. His wife Joanna, who has served with him in the Arab world, believes that as things heat up politically and spiritually within Islam, the Holy Spirit is moving even more powerfully.

The Doyle’s want believers in the West to join this spiritual revolution.

-Not everybody is going to go the Middle East. But they can pray,” Doyle says.

-And no government, no leader can block intercession around the world.

– So we need to pray as believers that God would continue to push the gospel out to the ends of the earth.Please support Miracle Channel’s ministry in the Arab world with a gift today.