North Korea releases Canadian pastor Rev. Rim Hyon Su, also known as Hyeon Soo Lim

North Korea releases Canadian pastor sentenced to life in prison

(RNS) - North Korea has released a Canadian pastor who was convicted of attempting to undermine the regime of Kim Jong Un.

The pastor was freed on humanitarian grounds, state media reported Wednesday (Aug. 9).
The Rev. Rim Hyon Su, also known as Hyeon Soo Lim, was accused by the state of using religion as a ruse to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2015.

Lim, who is in his 60s, had written to his family members about stomach pains and high blood pressure, according to CNN. In an interview with the network in 2016, he said he prayed daily and was the sole prisoner in his camp, where he was forced to dig holes eight hours a day, six days a week. He asked for a Bible but did not receive one.

The South Korean-born pastor of Toronto’s Light Korean Presbyterian Church had pleaded guilty to trying to undermine the worship of Kim, which is required of all North Koreans.

The state is officially atheist, with a constitution that guarantees freedom of religious belief. In practice, it has one of the bleakest human rights records in the world and harshly persecutes the religious, according to Human Rights Watch.

Lim’s family said he had traveled to North Korea more than 100 times since 1997, where his church ran missions to support an orphanage and to distribute food.

The pastor’s release came a day after Canadian officials confirmed that a delegation had traveled to North Korea to discuss his imprisonment. Concern over his fate increased after North Korea released an American student in a coma in June.
Otto Warmbier, 22, who had suffered brain damage, died six days later.

Rev. Rim Hyon Su

In response, the U.S. State Department announced a ban on Americans’ travel to North Korea. That ban, which goes into effect on Sept. 1, allows those who want to participate in humanitarian missions to North Korea to apply for a special passport to do so.

President Trump and North Korean officials this week are exchanging bellicose words over the regime’s nuclear missile program. Last month North Korea announced the successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach California.

At least three Americans remain in North Korean custody: businessman Kim Dong-chul, academic Kim Sang-duk and self-described Christian missionary Kim Hak-song.

Hak-song, who was taken into custody in May, taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. The university, founded in 2010 with donations from South Korean and American Christians, including the Illinois-based Church of the Brethren, remains the only private university in the country.

The American nonprofit Open Doors, which advocates for persecuted Christians worldwide, lists North Korea as the most oppressive nation for Christians in the world. It estimates that there are 300,000 Christians in the nation of 25 million.






Religion News Service

His Best for Our Life

Today's Scripture: Proverbs 16 (KJV)

1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

11 A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.

12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Scripture Meaning

Verses
1: The renewing grace of God alone prepares the heart for every good work. This teaches us that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think or speak any thing wise and good.
(2). Ignorance, pride, and self-flattery render us partial judges respecting our own conduct.
(3). Roll the burden of thy care upon God, and leave it with him, by faith and dependence on him.
(4). God makes use of the wicked to execute righteous vengeance on each other; and he will be glorified by their destruction at last.
(5). Though sinners strengthen themselves and one another, they shall not escape God's judgments. (6). By the mercy and truth of God in Christ Jesus, the sins of believers are taken away, and the power of sin is broken.
(7). He that has all hearts in his hand, can make a man's enemies to be at peace with him.
(8). A small estate, honestly come by, will turn to better account than a great estate ill-gotten.
(9). If men make God's glory their end, and his will their rule, he will direct their steps by his Spirit and grace. 10. Let kings and judges of the earth be just, and rule in the fear of God.
(11). To observe justice in dealings between man and man is God's appointment.
(12). The ruler that uses his power aright, will find that to be his best security.
(13). Put those in power who know how to speak to the purpose.
(14,15). Those are fools, who, to obtain the favour of an earthly prince, throw themselves out of God's favour.
(16). There is joy and satisfaction of spirit, only in getting wisdom.
(17). A sincerely religious man keeps at a distance from every appearance of evil. Happy is the man that walks in Christ, and is led by the Spirit of Christ.
(18). When men defy God's judgments, and think themselves far from them, it is a sign they are at the door. Let us not fear the pride of others, but fear pride in ourselves.
(19). Humility, though it exposes to contempt in the world, is much better than high-spiritedness, which makes God an enemy. He that understands God's word shall find good.
(21). The man whose wisdom dwells in his heart, will be found more truly prudent than many who possess shining talents.
(22). As waters to a thirsty land, so is a wise man to his friends and neighbours.
(23). The wise man's self-knowledge, always suggests something proper to be spoken to others.
(24). The word of God cures the diseases that weaken our souls.
(25). This is caution to all, to take heed of deceiving themselves as to their souls.
(26). We must labour for the meat which endureth to everlasting life, or we must perish.
(27,28). Ungodly men bestow more pains to do mischief than would be needful to do good. The whisperer separates friends: what a hateful, but how common a character!
(29,30). Some do all the mischief they can by force and violence, and are blind to the result.
(31). Old people especially should be found in the way of religion and godliness.
(32). To overcome our own passions, requires more steady management, than obtaining victory over an enemy.
(33). All the disposal of Providence concerning our affairs, we must look upon to be the determining what we referred to God; and we must be reconciled to them accordingly. Blessed are those that give themselves up to the will of God; for he knows what is good for them.

Scripture Application

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue with the Book of Proverbs with Chapter 16.

In our text today we see more wisdom for daily living as our text advises us to put the Lord first in all we do. In making application we see how pride cometh before a fall and when we put ourselves before the Lord we are is really performing self worship which ends in failure. How about you? Do you put yourself before the Lord? Let us learn from our test today to remember to put the Lord first so we will experience His best for our Lives.

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests

Amanda | Help. Finding. A. Good. Paying. Job. Financial. Blessings. Health. For. Entire. Family

VERA BANKSTON-JONES | FATHER GOD, LIFE HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER, AND I WOULD BECOME A MORE SUBSTANCIAL PERSON DOING SOMETHING TO HELP OTHERS AND MYSELF AS WELL! SHOW ME WHAT I NEED TO DO, AND OPEN A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ME! YOUR GUIDANCE IS SO NEEDED!.......SELAH

Michelle | My son has a drug promblem with meth and needs prayers for the chains of bondage to  be released

vijay aggarwal | Plz pray for money in abundance for a comfortable life

mariam | PLEASE PRAY FOR MY SICKNESS SINCE I AM CANCER STAGE 2,MY HUSBAND WHO IS SICK ALSO OF TB,MY FAMA
ILY.,MY FINANCIAL AND MY FRIENDS..

Trust, the Basis of Our Hope

Day 7 (13 Aug 2017, Sunday) 

To believe is to trust

It’s as simple as that. We practice trust all the time, without thinking much of it, hardly ever
questioning. An example is when you order a Big Mac to eat, you are in effect saying by your action, that you trust the food you are consuming is what it claims to be. You don’t have a second thought on whether it is made of kangaroo meat instead of beef! That’s
trust!

Every time you get on a plane, you are expressing trust that the plane is airworthy, and though you have never grilled the pilots in an interview, you trust that they are qualified to fly the plane. You are, in effect, placing your very life into the hands of the captain and the co-pilot!

Now the question is this: if we live our everyday lives with such a trust, why is it so difficult to trust God and take Him at His Word? There is a serious inconsistency at work in our lives without us realising it!

And so, this is the right time, as we pray, to remove all our fears of truly trusting in God. The writer of Hebrews wrote of the necessity of faith. If we are to please God, we must trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6). The heart of the king is in God’s hand. It happened with Pharaoh
during Moses’ time. It was so with Nebuchadnezzar during Daniel’s time. And it can
certainly be so during our time.
God bless Malaysia! And yes, we can trust our God! Pray!

Pray for the States of Malaysia : Pahang

Pahang is the state which has a large majority of Peninsular Malaysia’s aboriginal peoples residing in. Declare the blessings of God to be upon Pahang’s population, from the jungle tribes to the villagers and to the town residents. Pray that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their personal source of hope and strength.

Pray for the relevant authorities to fervently impose and enforce stricter regulations curbing the extensive bauxite mining which has caused severe pollution and detriment to the environment.

Pray for the welfare of aboriginal tribes in Pahang (Semai,Jakun, Semoq Beri, Semelai,Jahut, Bateq, Temuan, Che Wong and Temoq) that they will be provided with the necessary aid and infrastructure for improved living conditions.



Sources : Necf Malaysia

Download 2017 NECF Malaysia  40Days Fast & Prayer (Prayer Booklet)

‘God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong-Un’ says Rev. Robert Jeffress

 Texas pastor: ‘God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong-Un’

God has given President Trump the “authority to take out Kim Jong-Un,” according to Rev. Robert Jeffress, one of the president’s key evangelical Christian advisers.
Jeffress’ statement on Tuesday (Aug. 8) followed the president’s warning earlier in the day that North Korea would “be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” if its leader continues to threaten the United States.

The Texas preacher, who leads a congregation of more than 10,000 people at First Baptist Church in Dallas, has been an outspoken Trump supporter since early in the presidential campaign. He is one of dozens of conservative evangelical leaders who has enjoyed what one described as “unprecedented access” to this president who, they say, seeks their views on policy.

Jeffress released his statement early Tuesday evening as tensions between the two nuclear powers have escalated, and as Democrats and some Republicans criticized Trump’s remarks as reckless.

For the first time last month, North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach California, according to The New York Times. And The Washington Post reported this week that North Korea may have miniaturized a warhead that could fit inside such a missile.

In his statement, Jeffress said he believed the Bible makes clear that “God has endowed rulers full power to use whatever means necessary - including war - to stop evil.” The senior pastor praised Trump for not tolerating North Korea’s threats while panning previous administrations’ “sheepish stance toward dictators and oppressors.”

“When President Trump draws a red line, he will not erase it, move it, or back away from it,” he said. “Thank God for a President who is serious about protecting our country.”

In an interview with The Washington Post, Jeffress cited biblical verses from Romans 13, saying it “gives the government to the authority to do whatever, whether it’s assassination, capital punishment or evil punishment to quell the actions of evildoers like Kim Jong Un.”

Jeffress was a member of Trump’s evangelical advisory committee during the 2016 presidential election and since has attended several meetings of prominent evangelicals at the White House. That includes a dinner ahead of the National Day of Prayer, at which he assured, “Mr. President, we’re going to be your most loyal friends.”

Jeffress also recently hosted a Fourth of July concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where the president pledged his support to the military and to people of faith. First Baptist’s choir and orchestra premiered a musical arrangement of Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Trump, who identifies as Presbyterian, has gone out of his way to embrace evangelical Christians. White evangelicals gave him 81 percent of their votes in November, a higher percentage than any other religious group.





Religion News Service