But Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says idolizing a leader isn’t just a North Korean issue. 

“Children of God have always faced times in their lives where someone rises up to be kind of like a god-like, savior-like figure,” he says. 

In some cases, the societal pressure to worship is explicit — like when early Christians were required to treat the Roman emperor as divine. Or in the case of North Korea’s Kim dynasty.

Mansudae Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea, depicts Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il (Image courtesy of Peteranta of Pixabay)

“Instead of the 10 Commandments, [North Koreans] have the 10 Principles,” says Brobbel. “They have hymn books, and the tunes will be very familiar, except that they’ve changed the wording and it’s all pointed to the Supreme Leader.”

But in other parts of the world, societal pressure to idolize a leader can take subtler forms, calling for great discernment. 

“There are tensions that we have in place as Christians,” says Brobbel. “The Bible urges us to respect the governing authorities. But also recognizing that that respect is not limited [to total acceptance], right? So this means that real authority always needs to be accountable.” 

Brobbel reminds others that God calls His people to be lights and witnesses to the truth, in whatever earthly kingdoms they live in (Matthew 5:13-16; Acts 1:8).

“Christians have a responsibility, therefore, to stand up to recognize when power is stepping into places it’s not meant to. We serve as an example and a witness to the world of the power of God, the glory of God, the supremacy of God in all things,” Brobbel says. 

“We do so, again, gently with love but boldly with truth. And we pray that that would make a difference to those that we’re speaking to, or those that are watching.”

Take a moment for a heart check. Are you placing your hope in Christ alone? Do you worship Him in the way Romans 12:1 calls for, with your entire being as a living sacrifice to Him? Pray for greater boldness and truth in your Christian witness, wherever you live.

“We’re not disparaging others, but we simply call in truth into the situation. We readily recognize that when we do so, there needs to be a willingness to suffer,” says Brobbel. 

“I think the average person we meet on the street is just as confused and searching as other people are. There’s an opportunity to engage them.”

Header photo courtesy of Amir Mortezaie via Unsplash.

Yet an old danger is rising within Syria itself: ISIS. 

In January, government troops under President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria. American intelligence agencies believe that during that campaign,15,000-20,000 people were freed from detention camps. Many of these people were affiliated with ISIS.

Aleppo, Syria (Photo courtesy of Ahmad Sofi via Unsplash)

“There is legitimate concern that we are walking back into the same ISIS war that we left a few years ago,” says Duane Friesen with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “And what will that mean for the Christian community? What will it mean for the neighboring countries?” 

Regardless of new labels or badges that Syrian militant groups might take, Friesen observes, “they seem to run back to the same narrative, and that is, ‘Anyone who’s not like me is somebody that’s worth killing.’ And anytime you’re into that mindset, the story seems to always go the same way.” 

In the past year, Syria’s Christian, Alawite, and Druze minorities have endured episodes of terrible violence — sometimes at the hands of government forces, and sometimes at the hands of other ethnic or militant groups — including ISIS.

“I hope that this government that’s now in place will take seriously some of the honest conversations in regard to religious freedom. They have been approached on this topic very clearly. They have an opportunity right now,” says Friesen. “Will they take up the mantle of justice for all who are Syrian? That’s still to be seen, and that’s the concern.”

For Christians, uncertainty and even fear under the government of President al-Sharaa continues, but so does the call to share the gospel. Please watch and pray for boldness for Syria’s Christians under tremendous pressure. 

“Believers want to have the courage to do what God has called them to do, even in the midst of the challenges,” says Friesen. “Pray that God would open a way in the minds and hearts of the new government to see the value of providing religious freedom for all who live in Syria.”

Header photo: What is left of a street in Daraa, Syria, an ISIS stronghold. Stock photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash. 

Within Yemen, persecution of Christians also occurs, whether or not the rest of the world hears about it. Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “We don’t always hear about these things because the information is not easy to leave the country.” 

Yet a February 9 news report from Human Rights Watch says more than 20 Christians have been arbitrarily detained by Houthi authorities in recent months. Enforced disappearances can look like this, says Brobbel: “Their relatives don’t know where they are. They can’t communicate with anybody. The officials who arrest won’t even give any indication that they have these Christians.”

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

Brobbel says the detentions point to broader issues in Yemen — issues that merit advocacy and which other governments should be aware of. “Religious freedom is virtually non-existent in the region,” he says. “There’s been violence and tortures. There have been martyrdoms of pastors in the past. Christians are forced to hide.” 

Yemen once had 41,000 believers, according to the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But today, there are estimated to be only a few thousand. Brobbel says years of civil war, not just persecution, have also contributed to the drop. 

“A lot of Christians and religious minorities have left, but you’re always having those that stay,” he says. “Despite all these things that we’ve talked about, there is an underground church that is expanding despite the dangers that they’re facing on a daily basis.” 

Pray for strength for Christians in Yemen to share the gospel in the midst of hostile and, in many cases, unknown circumstances. 

“Pray that they would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Pray that they would be effective in reaching their enemies for Christ,” says Brobbel. “You know, with opposition comes opportunity.”

Then ask yourself, what are you doing to share the gospel in your own nation and community? Ask God to help you see and take the opportunities all around you.

Learn how you can help Voice of the Martyrs Canada serve persecuted Christians at www.vomcanada.com.

Header photo is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.

“This is not surprising in a lot of countries that we work in where there are attacks of this nature, abductions, and things like that,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. “We don’t always get the information right away, so, often we sit on a number of stories and we wait to see, ‘Where do the real numbers [land], and how does the story play out?'”

He adds, “In Nigeria, though, it’s been fairly consistent that the reporting has come quickly and it’s been verified. In this particular case, it seems that stories are not being verified as quickly.”

Disinformation tactics could be at work. Brobbel says some might want to downplay a real kidnapping to avoid the chance of another United States airstrike. But others might want that type of intervention.

“Part of the issue is that we’re dealing with a very volatile region. Many of these places are remote, so they’re not easy to get to [in order] to verify quickly,” Brobbel says. 

The bigger picture of Nigeria

Questions about the weekend mass abduction aside, kidnappings and killings are a core part of the strategy of Islamic militants in Nigeria.

Video screenshot of Rev. Gideon Dawel courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

“What I think we’re looking at is acts of terrorism within northern Nigeria meant to destabilize the region, promote fear, gain control, and further create this religious animosity that is happening there,” Brobbel says. (Listen to the story of one Nigerian pastor here.)

There’s another layer to Nigeria’s security issues, not only the clash between Islam and Christianity. One missionary to Nigeria told Brobbel that even posting guards can’t prevent attacks. 

“It’s not like you can look at somebody and right away say, ‘Oh, that’s a Boko Haram fighter,’ or ‘That’s a Fulani herdsman,'” he says. “They blend in. They look alike, and then suddenly they can form and gather together.”

On top of that, when an attack is over, government authorities don’t always cooperate to bring justice.

Brobbel says the Nigerian Church continues to grow and to reach out in love to neighbors, but these believers are caught in a difficult time. 

“Not all Christians respond in a godly way — in a biblical way — to these attacks,” says Brobbel. That’s why VOM Canada helps to equip Nigerian believers with a theology of persecution, in addition to practical aid. (More on VOM Canada ministry projects in Nigeria here.) 

Find your place in the story

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

Please pray every day that God will strengthen the Nigerian church to stand in faith, “that leaders in Nigeria would not be tempted to take up arms and fight with the weapons of the world, but would recognize that their battle is not against flesh and blood,” says Brobbel. 

“Pray for practical relief to be able to get into the country. There are Christians in IDP camps. There are food shortages and a hunger crisis that’s happening there because of the instability in the region. Farmers aren’t being able to get into their field to cultivate their crops.”

Finally, please take action by contacting your government representatives to raise awareness of what’s happening in Nigeria. Ask them to use their influence on Nigeria’s behalf.

Learn more about Nigeria at VOM Canada’s website.

Header photo of people praying in Nigerian church (photo courtesy of David Iloba via Pexels).

“Whenever there’s an election year, there’s always that tension that rises,” Voice of the Martyrs Canada’s Stephen Wesley says.

“It is an opportune time for us to be praying for Uganda.”

Uganda’s current president, Yoweri Museveni, is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, winning every election since 1996. Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known widely as Bobi Wine poses the biggest threat to Museveni securing a fifth term.

Mr. Luyimbazi Nalukoola talks with musician and politician Hon Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, in 2019.
(Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Military patrolled the streets of the capital and secured Wine under lockdown at his home while votes were cast and then counted.

“Eyes are on Uganda more now than ever before, and I think President Museveni is aware of that,” Wesley says.

Elections also took place amid increased persecution. Previously known as a haven for Christians in East Africa, Uganda is seeing more attacks targeting believers.

“You’re seeing an increase because the arm of Islam [trying to] control and prevent the spread of the Gospel is real. As the government does get more involved, and the police, that will help stem the tide [of persecution,]” Wesley says.

“That is definitely on the heart of Museveni; he wants Uganda to be known as a place [with] freedom of worship.”

Ask the Lord to fill believers’ hearts with peace to rest in Him and boldness to continue to share the Gospel.

“They are not necessarily praying that it (persecution) end, but that they would be able to be strong, stand up under it, and have resilience and courage in the face of it,” Wesley says.

“As they have that strength from the Holy Spirit to endure, they know that the Gospel will win in the end.”

Header image depicts President Museveni addressing crowds during the commissioning of Hamz Stadium. (Wikimedia Commons)

“A lot of the time it’s in the rural areas where there are beatings, and there are burning down churches, pastors arrested, sexual assaults, things like that, against the Christians,” says Musselman. “Say ‘that’s not the government doing that,’ but it’s fueling this animosity against Christians.”

Supporters of the anti-conversion laws claim they protection religious freedom by preventing conversion through deceit or coercion. However, in practice, they have been used to unjustly arrest religious leaders and have fueled persecution against Christ.

Twelve of India’s 28 states, most recently Rajasthan, currently enforce anti-conversion laws. After Rajasthan’s legislation was introduced, the state saw a spike in persecution.

“Much of that persecution are these people that have come from these tribal or, the government would say, Hindu religions, and they converted to become followers of Christ—and then there’s that pressure from their families and then also from the community,” says Musselman.

When rural pastors were asked how the anti-conversion laws are affecting them, Musselman says they responded, “We know it’s out there, and there are some aspects of it that are affecting us, but it’s mainly the community and family members that are upset they left Hinduism to embrace Christ.”

He notes that Muslims also face challenges under the anti-conversion laws, “but it’s primarily the Christians because of Jesus’ command to go to all the nations and bring people to Christ, and so that puts Christians at odds with the Hindu culture.”

In spite of all this, Musselman says he continues to see God at work in India and many coming to know Jesus, especially in the rural areas.

Learn more about what’s happening in India and the work Voice of the Martyrs, Canada is doing at vomcanada.com/india.htm.

Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada.

Duane Friesen with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says all Christians today experience persecution to greater or lesser degrees. “But India has a unique reality upon them that is sad. I’ll give you one story to help give context,” he says.

(Stock photo courtesy of Shiva Verma via Unsplash)

“A 14-year-old girl from the Punjab province had come to trust Christ as her Savior. When her family found out about her newfound faith, the immediate response was outrage and severe oppression.” 

The girl’s family forced her to marry a non-Christian man, and years of suffering followed. Yet the Lord brought other believers into her life — people who encouraged her and advocated for her. 

“She has communicated for the first time in years that she felt seen and she felt loved,” says Friesen. 

That young woman is one of many who are living a reality like this. Pray for comfort and gospel courage for Christians like her. 

Friesen says that in all the hostility that Christians in India endure, “they have been able to find hope and be encouraged that ‘God wants to do something. He hasn’t taken us home yet, so there’s still work to be done. So God help us be faithful with what He’s given us.'” 

God is doing something beautiful through the Church in India. Would you stand with them in prayer?

“[Pray] that they would be all that God’s called them to be,” says Friesen, “and to be encouraged to know they’re not alone in the midst of all the hurt.”

Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Phinehas Narra via Unsplash.

China (MNN) — It’s no secret that believers in China endure pressure under the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a multi-front struggle that needs the prayer support of Christians around the world.

Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada explains that the symbol of the cross, family discipleship, and church leaders are under fire in China. 

“The Communist government has waged war on the cross,” Brobbel says. “We’ve heard that before, where crosses are being dismantled.” A 2020 campaign saw dozens of crosses removed from public view.

(Photo courtesy of Jerry Wang via Unsplash)

The next generation of Christians is also being targeted. The CCP is “waging war on the children’s minds. They’re not allowed to be taught even in Sunday school or Bible lessons,” Brobbel says. (More on regulations for children here.)

Instead of religious education, children have other goals set before them. This summer, a state-sponsored campaign taught kids in Shanghai to resist cults — any religious group not sanctioned by the state.

Underground churches count as “illegal religious groups.” One such church experienced a sharp crackdown this October: Beijing Zion Church. The congregation had lost its building due to state-applied pressures in 2018, but it had since multiplied. In November, eighteen leaders from the church were formally arrested after being detained in October. 

Surveillance by citizens is another strategy the CCP has employed over the years.

“It does hearken back to the days of the Mao regime, where they really clamped down on the churches,” Brobbel says. “But under such severe persecution, the church began to grow.” 

Find your place in the story through prayer. Pray that Chinese believers “continue to present the gospel, preach truth and live biblically and unapologetically — but live wisely as well,” says Brobbel. “[Pray that they] find moments and opportunities where they can advance the gospel and reach out to those that really need to hear.”

Keep watching religious freedom issues in China, so that you can pray in an informed manner. Brobbel adds, “Also then, when we have [an] opportunity to raise a voice to our government, we can do so with a clear understanding of what’s happening.”

Header photo courtesy of Zhang Kaiyv/Unsplash.

The Rajasthan law was passed in September 2025. It prescribes hefty jail time and fines for converting someone by fraud. But the definition of fraud or force is dangerously open to abuse. Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs Canada explains, “Talking about heaven, ‘That’s an allurement away from Hinduism into Christianity.’ Or talking about hell, ‘Oh, you’re scaring people.’” 

Musselman says when persecution comes, Christians have three biblical options: flight, fortitude, or fight.

(Photo courtesy of Parij Borgohain/Pixabay)

“[Fight is] not in the physical way, but through the courts. And we have that opportunity in countries like India.”

Twelve Indian states have anti-conversion laws in place, which lead to accusations against Christians, Muslims, and other minorities. Even a charity founded by Mother Teresa has received pushback in recent years. 

“They are really supposedly to protect all religions. But that’s just not the way it has happened,” says Musselman. “They’re being used against the Christians to try to stop the spread of Christianity.” 

Voice of the Martyrs Canada partners with Christian lawyers to provide legal aid for believers in India. Connect with them to learn how to pray specifically for real-life situations. 

“Prayer is the most important thing. We have a resource called the Persecution and Prayer Alert, which is available on the Voice of the Martyrs website, vomcanada.com,” says Musselman. “There [are] other organizations within the VOM family, Open Doors, other ministries.”

Header photo: A church in Hyderabad, India. (Photo courtesy of Paul Silvan via Unsplash)

India (MNN) — On Friday, November 28, an estimated 3,500 Christians gathered near India’s parliament. Their goal? To peacefully protest the rise of anti-Christian violence and to call for government action. 

Organizers of the rally included the United Christian Forum. According to UCF reports, India saw a 500% increase in anti-Christian violence between 2014 and 2024. 

Duane Friesen serves as Vice President of International Ministry at Voice of the Martyrs Canada. He says Christians in India face “false accusations, mob violence, social boycott, community pressures. Disruption of worship and prayer meetings, raidings under allegations of forced conversion. Hate campaigns, both online and then in person to spread misinformation.”

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

Friesen says stories of hope remain in the midst of suffering in India. Persecuted Christians are relying on the very same gospel they preach. God’s goodness, His purposes, and His mission to reach the world spur them on. (Read one pastor’s story here.)

When these believers are asked for prayer requests, “their answer usually revolves around a prayer for courage, that they would continue to be steadfast even in the midst of hurt, that they would be able to be messengers of hope,” says Friesen. “I get greatly encouraged when I hear that kind of conversation.”

There is also good news in the legal realm, despite intense opposition. Not only is the Supreme Court reviewing anti-conversion laws, but in some incidents of violence, perpetrators and accomplices aren’t getting away with it. 

One example of this happened in October, when a Hindu mob stopped a van of missionaries in Jammu and Kashmir state. The mob smashed the windows and beat the Christians. Police just watched. That police inaction is, unfortunately, all too common.

But in this case, Friesen says, authorities have held the police accountable. 

“So we are seeing where at least some aspects of the legal system does move,” he says. “It’s just unfortunate that the action happens after the event. They choose to leave it for the courts later on. Then the Christian community has to wait a long time to see vindication or validation of their concerns.”

Pray for courage and endurance for India’s Christians in these challenging times. Pray for justice to be upheld by India’s government. 

Header photo: A church in Hyderabad, India. (Stock photo courtesy of Paul Silvan via Unsplash)