FREEDOM 21 DAY 8

DAY 8 – The Sleeping Church

 

Today we will focus our prayer and repentance on the issue of indifference in the Body of Christ towards injustice.

Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. –Ephesians 5:14

In the United States alone, it is estimated that there are 2.5 million slaves(1); the US is also the second highest destination area in the world for trafficked women.(2) Mexico is one of the largest source countries in the world; countless numbers of the victims trafficked in the to US are originally from there.(3)

Statistics like these make it hard to deny that the church needs to better engage to bring an end to human trafficking. The reasons for disengagement are many and varied, but are perhaps best summed up in these two reasons:

1. AN INWARD FOCUS

An inward focus on the cares of this life causes some believers to concentrate only on what’s necessary to survive the rat race. The parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10 (vs. 25-37) provides some insight, as believers can neglect to help those in their own backyard. For some, it’s easier to let someone else fix this messy problem, while others may determine they have a higher calling. As a church, we must remember to “stop for the one” that’s right in front of us.

2. FOR SOME SAINTS, WEARINESS HAS SET IN.

For some saints, weariness has set in. There are those who have been hard at work doing good for a long time with little result. (Gal. 6:9) Also, the scope of large-scale injustice like human trafficking can seem insurmountable to solve, so some do nothing at all. (Hab. 1:4)

OUR RESPONSIBILITY

The church must realize that God is moving to restore His kingdom. Since righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Ps. 89:14), it follows that for a greater dimension of His kingdom to manifest on earth, the Church must actively fight injustice.

Isaiah 38 records the story of King Hezekiah, who when ill, cried out to the Lord and was granted 15 more years to live. God hasn’t given up on our nations, and even if He had, there are times when you can get more sand in the hourglass if only you ask (v. 8).

We cannot succumb to the thinking that it is too late for America, or that the issue of trafficking is too large to solve. We must call on the Lord to heal our land, and do our part to carry out His work of justice to completion.

To read the full USRPN article on this issue, please click here.

PERSONAL REPENTANCE

Father God, forgive me for my indifference towards those entrapped by human trafficking. I repent for not being awake and alert to the injustice that is going on around me.

CORPORATE REPENTANCE

Forgive Your Church, Lord, for turning a blind eye to the women and children who are caught in this dark place of depravity right in our own backyard. Instead of calling out to You day and night in prayer, asking for strategies to deliver these victims, we have become too paralyzed to bring about any change. Forgive us for our apathy, unbelief, and unwillingness to engage in abolishing the atrocity of this modern day slavery.

INTERCESSION

• Lord, we ask You to awaken us and all of Your Church to the horrific issues of sex trafficking. Even as Your heart is broken over this injustice, may our hearts be broken, too. Today with thousands of Christians from two nations, we pray that the Church would arise from her complacency and boldly lead the way in the fight for freedom from sex slavery.
   
• We pray for an awakening of conviction upon the Church regarding this issue, a movement that would gain Holy Spirit-breathed momentum in our two nations to end this horrific plague. We pray that the Church would give liberally and lavishly of her time, talents, and resources, forming a coalition with individual churches and organizations to rescue victims and fight for an end to sex trafficking.
   
• We acknowledge the Gospel message holds the power to change hearts and, as a result, change culture. We pray, therefore, that the message of Jesus Christ would sweep our two nations, transforming hearts, delivering captives, and bringing people to abundant life.

TAKE ACTION

1. Drink coffee! Really! Through Project Zoe of Rescue Her you can order amazing coffee and know that the proceeds are going towards safe homes for rescued trafficking victims as well as other organizations daily involved in fighting this atrocity.

2. Prevent the sex trafficking of minors in the US by helping educate high-risk girls about their beauty, God’s love, and the dangers of trafficking. You can donate your time if you are a hair, make-up or nail artist, or you can donate beauty products for Glam Girls events. Find more information here.

3. The best way to awaken the Church to the atrocity of trafficking is to raise awareness. You can do this by supporting and partnering with ministries who are working to raise awareness. One of these that we recommend is Curvine Music, who is working on a new anti-trafficking and awareness album called Death to Chains.

4. Take a step back from the big picture and begin to ask the Lord what He would have you do to get involved based upon your own talents, gifts, and abilities.