God opens prison door, just like Acts
President Putin’s Faustian bargain with the Orthodox Church has allowed persecution to increase in Russia. Evgeniy, a Ukrainian believer, was imprisoned twice by pro-Russian separatists while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid. The first time was for fifteen days. ‘Then they found a Bible in my car and said I was an American spy. If you are a Christian or a spy it’s the same! They told me I should be killed! During my second time in prison, it was a miracle. On the third day we somehow escaped. It was like the book of Acts when an angel opened the doors of the prison cell,’ he told Mercy Projects. ‘Today, I am grateful that God continues to use me in this ministry. We can laugh now, but it was very dangerous and very serious then.’
IS bride 'potentially very dangerous'
The head of MI6 says that after spending four years with a bloodthirsty terror group, Shamima Begum is ‘potentially very dangerous’, because once someone has been in that environment they will have treacherous skills and connections. A ‘very significant level of resource’ is required to ‘make sure she doesn’t represent a threat’. The Home Office plans to strip her of British citizenship, stating that as her parents are Bangladeshis she can apply for Bangladeshi citizenship. The Syrian Kurdish forces are calling on the UK to take responsibility for its own citizens. If they are not taken back, the Kurds could try them in their own courts for partaking in IS activities. This push-and-pull keeps Shamima and many others in legal limbo, unwanted by either group. See
Redefining British politics
‘We love our country, and believe Britain deserves so much better than our broken politics. Read our statement and join us: http://www.theindependent.group/statement. #ChangePolitics’ was the tweet announcing a break in political parties. Three Tory MPs abandoned their seats on one side of Whitehall to sit with eight former Labour MPs who had themselves left Jeremy Corbyn’s party. These 11 independents might be the outriders of a new party. With Labour leaning further left and Tories shifting to the far right, the new group declare themselves free of extremes. We can pray that as winds of change blow through our Government, God’s Spirit will fill every fracture being created with kingdom values. Pray for Parliament to have at its heart the purposes of God’s Kingdom.
Calm in the midst of uncertainty
Scottish MP John Mason says that people’s conversations and prayers verge on panic at the thought of Brexit. Yet, in the light of eternity and God’s unchanging love for us, why is our relationship with the EU so very important? He quotes the hymn which says, ‘Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives’. He said, ‘We are in the world, but not of it. Even if those around us are worried or even panicking, we should be the ones who are at peace about the future.’ We can pray for those who are fearful about where their family’s future lies, or worried about their jobs or the future of their business. Pray for more people to know the peace that only Jesus can give.
