In early 2024, police arrested Brother Manish, a pastor in India, ahead of a planned evangelistic outreach in his village. Manish was not afraid of being thrown in jail. He trusted the Lord and believed God brought him to the prison for a purpose.

Manish was accused of "forcing" people to leave their family religion and become Christians, violating the state's anti-conversion laws. He told officials he wasn't forcing anyone to convert; he was simply sharing the transforming message of the gospel. People were freely choosing to leave their old ways and experiencing new life.

You'll hear how Manish's family was held at the police station, forcing him to turn himself in. His father encouraged Manish to be bold as a follower of Christ, and his son hugged him in the police station and encouraged him: "Father, we have to do God's work."

In jail, Manish was continually pressured not to share the gospel and to renounce his faith in Christ. He was hung upside down and beaten by the police officers, an attempt to break his spirit and his faith. Yet he remained faithful to Christ.

"Lord, You are bringing me to this jail," Manish prayed, "so here also I will preach the gospel and bring people to Christ."

Pray for Brother Manish and his family and for other persecuted brothers and sisters in India. Join us next week to hear how God opened an amazing door of ministry for Manish inside the prison—with permission from the same warden who ordered his beatings!

November 1 is an important time for you and your church to pray for persecuted Christians: International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. Download VOM's free IDOP Digital Resource Kit and make sure your church will join this global prayer movement on behalf of persecuted Christians.

To receive specific prayer requests by email each week, sign up at www.iCommitToPray.com.

Ali Sassi, from Tunisia, is a former Muslim now walking with Jesus. Ali had been taught, as a Muslim, that the Bible we have today has been changed and corrupted. When a Christian friend challenged him to demonstrate when and how the Bible had been changed, Ali accepted the challenge. He figured he'd read the Bible for an evening and easily identify how the book had been changed.

Instead, he spent two years reading and studying. At the end of that time, he was convinced that the Bible had NOT been changed, and that Jesus IS the Son of God. "What touched my heart and won me back to Jesus was that my heart was to find the mistakes, but God was working in my heart," Ali says.

When Ali became a Christian, his first reaction was to tell his family about his new faith. But his decision to follow Christ was costly as his own family turned against him. Today, Ali works with Crescent Project to help train Christians to reach out boldly to Muslims—the same way a Christian reached out to him.

His story will inspire you to pray for and reach out to share Jesus's love with those around you. Learn more about the church in Tunisia and how you can pray for persecuted Christians there.

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.

Persecuted Christians have physical needs, like food, shelter, and medicine. They also have mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Listen this week as Shawn Wright, President of International Christian Concern, and Nick Baker, ICC's Director of Impact, join VOM Radio to share about ICC's ministry and how they are recognizing and responding to the needs—visible and invisible—of persecuted Christians.

You'll hear about helping persecuted Christians holistically, and a new effort by ICC to protect young Christian girls from forced marriage and forced conversion. Shawn and Nick share how the Lord called them to persecuted church ministry, what they did before serving in their current roles, and how they think about the risks of meeting with our brothers and sisters in restricted nations and hostile areas.

They will both share a story that grabbed their hearts when they first started working with persecuted Christians, and how they see the Lord working even in the midst of persecution. They'll also give practical ways you can pray for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters, and for the ministry of ICC.

One important time to pray for persecuted Christians is the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians, coming up on November 1. Download VOM's free IDOP Digital Resource Kit and make sure your church will join this global prayer movement on behalf of persecuted Christians.