Faith Under the Sword
Abu looked back to the three women, then looked heavenward, and prayed for strength, wisdom, and courage. Even though he felt weak and expected the sword to plunge into him at any moment, he sensed God’s peace strengthening him. “No, I will not be a Muslim,”he stated. “I do not denounce Jesus.”The man raised his sword, Abu bowed his head, closed his eyes, and prayed. Then, he heard another vehicle arrive and exhaled. From this new vehicle came another ISIS official, who inquired about the situation and then walked over to Abu.
A Message of Threat and Defiance
“I have a message for you to deliver to your church leaders as you leave our land,”he said. “We are victorious; and, we will follow you Christians all over the world. We will reach the Vatican and convert the pope to Islam if we have to.”Abu did not know what to say, but he reminded himself not to utter anything disrespectful towards the Muslims. Simply be honest, he told himself. “We wish no harm on your people,”he said. “Only to practice our faith as we please.”The official looked at him and spat. “Get out of here, you dogs,”he said, turning and walking away.
Another Test at the Checkpoint
At a second checkpoint, ISIS soldiers again detained the family. They called officials at the first checkpoint and were instructed to check the car for valuables so Abu surrendered all that he had; but, when a guard found some money that Abu’s wife had hidden beneath a seat, he ordered the family out of the car. “If you convert, “said one guard, “all that we took from you will be given back. You will even be protected. So, tell us that you embrace Islam.”
To Be Continued…
Date: 16th November 2024
Martyr: Abu Fadi
Location: Iraq
Source: Tortured for Christ (The voice of the martyr)
Author: Richard Wurmbrand
Suffering Saturday 117
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