Once again, the world has been shocked, saddened and sickened by the brutal and cowardly acts of a radical Islamic group. This time a Nigerian armed organization, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility for the abduction of 276 young school girls by gunpoint. The group whose name means "Western Education is Forbidden" is lead by Abubakar Shekau who boasted by video "By Allah I will sell them in the market place. These girls are our slaves, we will marry them out at the age of 9 and at the age of 12." This group has committed dozens of massacres through the bombings of schools, churches and mosques all over the region. The outrage from around the world is demanding action. These acts are truly "crimes against humanity”. As we ask, "What can I do? Here are six real things that you can do today.
SIX ACTION STEPS:
1. Pray for the girls, for their protection, for their families and for hope. In the words of Dr. Billy Graham, "The three most important steps in any crisis is prayer, prayer, prayer."
2. Take a moment to understand the attitude and the heart of Jesus. Read two of the most talked about times in Jesus’ life where he demonstrated a forceful response that demanded action. First, was in response to how man treated God’s House and His Name and second was how man cares for the souls of the defenseless and the weak (John 2; Luke 17:2).
3. Write to the families of the girls. Our ministry partners, Open Doors, are literally sitting with the parents of these girls right now. You can send prayers and notes of encouragement to the families.
4. Raise Awareness. Use #BringBackOurGirls on your social media profiles.
5. Stay up to date on how you can help with this crisis and others. Become acquainted with the watch list which targets the persecution of people for their faith around the world.
6. Pray for our President and other World Leaders that they will have courage to act.
There comes a time when our actions must keep company with our words. To learn more about the elements and culture for this particular situation, watch Dr. David Curry's video.
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