Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Finland found Päivi Räsänen guilty under a legal statute concerning "War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity." Räsänen has been a member of Finland's parliament since 1995 and is a former Minister of the Interior for the nation. Her "crime" was writing lessons for her church clearly communicating what the Bible says about human sexuality.

The criminal case against Räsänen—a medical doctor, wife and grandmother—began in 2019 when she posted a picture to social media showing her Bible open to Romans 1:24-27, with a caption asking why her church's leaders had signed on to co-sponsor a "Pride" event. A police investigation recommended no charges be brought; the prosecutor brought charges anyway and then appealed not one but two lower-court findings of innocence.

Listen as Räsänen shares her incredible story of Christian persecution in a Western democracy that claims to protect religious freedom and where a majority of the people identify as Christians. She will also share how God has encouraged her through the Scriptures and through fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ.

She'll give an update on her legal case, which she has now appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

War persists in Iran and Christian persecution is ramping up against believers who face interrogation, beatings and imprisonment.

Joe and Dawn, front-line workers in the Middle East, are helping deliver God's Word into the Islamic Republic of Iran. When one of their Iranian coworkers disappeared, they began to mobilize prayer from believers around the world. They were at a church when the brother called after 58 days with no contact. His first words were joyful: "I didn't deny Christ!" Barely recognizable after so much mistreatment, he found joy standing firm for Christ.

Joe and Dawn will share more stories of believers who have been persecuted in the midst of the Iran war, the state of Bible smuggling into Iran, and how they process putting others at risk to continue providing God's Word to Christians in Iran.

Yet the work continues, and Joe and Dawn will share what the Lord has been teaching them in this season. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Iran who are imprisoned and beaten for their faith, and for the encouragement of the church there in the middle of upheaval and great economic challenges.

Joe shared his testimony of coming to Christ in an American prison during his first visit with VOM Radio.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

The gospel worker from China was stunned by how many biblical resources were available to Christians in America. He created a plan to scan one Bible commentary onto CDs that could be carried back into China and copied for underground Christians there. But he needed help. He reached out to find a more technically-capable person to help with the process—and an international ministry was birthed!

Ken Bitgood was the young man recruited to help with that scanning project. Today he and Digital Bible Society are distributing Scripture resources in more than 4,500 languages!

When Ken first became a follower of Jesus, he was encouraged to live in God's Word. He'll tell how he did that (with the help of a car stereo) and how it birthed in him a passion to see people of all nations, tribes, and tongues access the riches of the Bible and Christian resources to encourage and edify the Body of Christ around the world.

In their 25th year of ministry, the Digital Bible Society is working alongside more than 400 organizations to distribute resources, free and free to copy, in over 6,000 languages. Ken will share a story of a man from Beijing he met at a conference, who pointed to the DBS resources and said, "This is what put me in jail!"

You'll hear more of Ken's heart to see laborers in the harvest fields as he shares his belief that every language should have God's Word translated for them in his lifetime. Visit the Bible Access List to learn more about where there is a shortage of Bibles and places that are restricted from having God's Word.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

On September 11, 2012, Islamist fighters attacked a United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed in that attack. Just a few months later, Ronnie and Anita Smith, a young American couple, moved to Benghazi with their infant son. Their goal was to live out their faith in Christ and have opportunities to introduce Libyan people to Christ.

"We wanted to live our lives out in a place that didn't know Jesus," Anita Smith says.

Anita acknowledges that there was fear in moving to a dangerous place, especially soon after a deadly attack on Americans. But Anita says God gave both her and Ronnie peace about residing in Libya to further God's Kingdom. Days after Ronnie's death in December of 2013, Anita was on national TV in the United States (CNN and CBS This Morning) and on Arabic-language TV all over the Middle East, forgiving her husband's killers and expressing her love for the Libyan people.

Listen as Anita recalls the day she learned her husband had been martyred and how she received comfort from the Lord through her family, church, and Christian friends—the Body of Christ in action.

Ronnie Smith taught chemistry to high school students at the Benghazi International School and was admired for his knowledge and chemistry skill, but even more for his warm personality and love for his students. Anita shares how their Libyan neighbors looked out for them and welcomed them into their families, spending time together, drinking tea, and talking about life and faith. When she hears of Libyans who started following Christ after hearing the testimony of her and Ronnie, it's a powerful reminder of how Christ is using their sacrifice. Listen also as she shares how we can pray for the widows of persecuted Christian martyrs all over the world today.

Anita was one of the four amazing women who shared their stories of persecution and God's faithfulness during the Hearts of Fire Virtual Event.

You can sign up to receive prayer requests from persecuted Christians by email each week at www.iCommitToPray.com, including this request for Christians sentenced to prison in Libya.

The Hearts of Fire Virtual Event is also available in the free VOM App for your smartphone or tablet, which also helps you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran. The app also gives you free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Rich Griffith, Chief Development Officer for Global Action, served as a pastor and played seven seasons in the NFL before the Lord led him to serve pastors and Christian leaders around the world, including many in restricted nations and hostile areas. Rich has had many exciting career highlights, but his favorite is watching these Christian leaders complete their training.

"To me, the most incredible thing I've experienced is a graduation." Rich says, "The tears in their eyes… because they felt a calling of God."

Rich shares his joy at being able to provide tools and knowledge to new pastors in places like India and Cuba and will share more about the curriculum and how the training is tailored to impact each individual culture. The church in these nations is growing, but there is a great need for more pastors to shepherd that growing flock.

You'll also hear how Rich sensed God's call to work for Global Action and how the Lord challenged him on a trip to Cuba, where he saw how persecuted Christians trust the Lord despite their circumstances. One book that God used to challenge Rich was I Am N, a book about persecuted Christians facing Islamic extremists that was produced by The Voice of the Martyrs.

Pray for the Lord to raise up more shepherds who will lead Christ's sheep, especially in restricted nations and hostile areas.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

As a Fulani herdsman, the young man burned churches, threatened Christian farmers and even killed Christians in the middle of the night. But his life changed when he saw how a Christian woman responded to his threats of murder. Today he is a follower of Christ who has experienced Christian persecution as his own family tried to kill him.

Listen as Brother Philip, a field minister for VOM in Africa, tells about meeting this young man and shares stories of other Fulani followers of Jesus. "They know the cost, and they've considered the cost and chosen to follow Jesus," Philip says.

Philip will also share more about the power of being physically present with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and the encouragement it offers them as VOM staff and partners provide wholistic care for both physical and spiritual needs.

Philip continues to be inspired by the growth and faith of persecuted Christians who choose Christ despite the suffering they must endure. You'll hear how VOM provides persecuted brothers and sisters opportunities to start a small business in order to provide for themselves and their families and continue the ministry God has called them to.

Hear how you can pray for persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and around the world. You can also listen on VOM Radio to Brother Malik's testimony of becoming a Fulani follower of Christ. You can also give online to support projects like helping displaced pastors raise chickens to support their families.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Last October, Pastor Wang Lin, one of the leaders in Zion Church in China, was arrested and imprisoned under false charges of "fraud" and "illegal business practices." Sarah Su (Su Ziming in Chinese), wife of Pastor Wang, recounts the day her husband was arrested and the Christian persecution they faced even before he was imprisoned.

Sarah will share about her husband's role in Zion Church's leadership and in training other leaders, how the church continues to reach many people despite persecution from the Chinese Communist Party, and recent updates about Pastor Wang's condition in prison.

"The moment I married Wang Lin, I have decided to face all this together," Sarah says. "I knew that his mission was to train and disciple more Christians in China…I knew something like [this] would happen one day."

You'll hear from Sarah how she continues to face this persecution with courage, faithfully enduring times of worry and loneliness. She will share how she and her husband both are committed to serve the Lord—no matter the cost.

Zion Church made international headlines during President Trump's visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing in May and with the release of Zion senior pastor Ezra Jin from prison during America's July 4 celebrations. Sarah thanks God for Jin's release, and says the case against Zion Church continues, with eight church leaders remaining in prison. She asks that we pray for their release, the dismissal of charges, for their physical and spiritual health, and for her and her children, along with family members of the other persecuted Christians from Zion Church.

Visit Prisoner Alert to write an encouraging letter to Pastor Wang Lin, and letters to other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran, Eritrea, and China.

Becky Graves was living a comfortable American life when her husband suggested a family mission trip to Haiti. She told him—forcefully—NO! But then God changed Becky's heart; that "short-term" trip became a defining moment in her life. Fourteen years later, Becky is still serving the people of Haiti.

She's also waging a battle with cancer. Becky has chosen to find joy—regardless of her circumstances—in the work of ministry in a difficult place and in the cancer fight.

"Cancer and Haiti both taught me that I have to be comfortable with uncertainty and rely on the Lord," she says. She also says that suffering can be a gift.

Becky leads a ministry called Haiti Awake. She also serves as a security trainer for global gospel workers through Concilium. (Scott Brawner, founder of Concilium, has also been a VOM Radio guest.)

Listen as Becky recounts her first diagnosis in 2019, how she's found opportunities to witness even in hardship and how her perspective on suffering has been shaped.

Becky blogs about her work in Haiti and her cancer journey at Fear is Not My Future. She's just published a devotional book (affliate link) by the same name. Hear more about gospel work and sacrifice in Haiti in this VOM Radio interview with David and Alicia Lloyd.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

When the pastor began to weep, Cade Jefferson, the leader of VOM's work in the Middle East and North Africa, wasn't quite sure how to respond. He had just explained to the pastor how The Voice of the Martyrs comes alongside persecuted Christians and how the ministry was ready to help should a member of his congregation be persecuted or arrested for sharing the gospel with Muslims.

"We've found the people that are going to help us," the pastor exclaimed.

Listen to VOM Radio this week to hear about the dream that pastor had the night before meeting with Cade, and how Christian persecution may look different for Christians in different parts of the region, depending on whether they live on the Arabian Peninsula, in North Africa, or the Levant.

Cade will also share how he and his team view their region through the lens of the persecuted church and how they see the differences for Christians in countries with historic, infant, or predominantly immigrant churches. You'll hear specific kinds of persecution our brothers and sisters experience in places like Mauritania, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya and more, including the danger they willingly endure to boldly engage in gospel conversations with Muslims.

Pray for unity among Christians in nations with very young churches; for stamina for immigrant churches as they reach out; and for boldness among Christians in countries with a historic church presence. Also, please lift up brothers and sisters currently imprisoned for their faith in Libya.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Growing up in a Buddhist family in Vietnam, Brother Daniel went through a lot of pain. He felt hopeless and wanted to kill himself. But on his way to get a gun, he stopped by a church. Everything changed.

"I don't know why I went to the church." Brother Daniel says, "I met the pastor and he gave me a small New Testament."

The pastor told Brother Daniel that the book could change his life. Daniel will share how reading God's Word changed him and, eventually, also his family.

Seeing such dramatic changes gave Daniel a desire to see more people have Bibles. Since then, he's helped deliver thousands of Bibles all over his country. He's never lost his love for God's Word and continues to find creative ways to get Bibles to the people of Vietnam.

Listen to hear what Christian persecution looks like in villages around the country—and what they can do to appeal for the religious freedom promised by the government. Today, Brother Daniel's number one priority is training more leaders to know and love the Lord, strengthening new leaders in the church to overcome persecution and encouraging them to help one another.

Pray for Christian brothers and sisters in Vietnam like Daniel. To learn how you can pray specifically for persecuted Christians and share your prayers for them, visit www.icommittopray.com.