“Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].
If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:11-12 (AMP)[1]
I cannot get away from these verses. Reading, memorizing, and reciting it is an act of pulling one’s head out of the proverbial sand, of taking off the blinders, of removing the wool covering from one’s eyes. My head, my eyes. No excuses. This is a powerful word from God and one we should seriously take to heart. We are accountable for our actions. And lack of action.
So I deliberately seek to learn about those “who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter” so that I can have a hand in “holding them back [from their doom].” I also need friends who will challenge me to continue to pursue this task and not get sidetracked from it. (Don’t we have lots of distractions in our world?)
A few of us in Bakersfield are seeking to inform ourselves and encourage one another to obedience through the Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group.[2] We have committed to:
- raising awareness about the needs of women and girls in the hard places of the world, specifically in northern India,
- raising up more Christian women to join us in our efforts to rescue them,
- and raising $15,000 to help fund Transformation Groups[3] in some of the worst areas of that part of north India.
Why India? We need to focus on one place to be effective, though we can certainly pray for other areas where the need is also great. But read these statistics taken from the She Is Safe website:
Why Anti-trafficking is Needed for Girls in India:
- Approximately 1.2 million children are exploited in prostitution throughout the country of India (UNICEF 2010 India Country Report)
- West Bengal (in northern India) is the most unsafe place for women and girls in India. It tops the list of states where the highest number of cases against women and girls are registered. (National Crime Bureau Report 2012)
- Sex trafficking has devastating consequences for minors, including long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease, drug addiction, and even death. (2013 Trafficking in Persons Report)[4]
Why India? Why not, when we have the opportunity to do great good for women and girls in a country of which it is said it is the worst place to be born female?
Pray for the women and girls of India, look through the SIS website, contact me. Join the Bakersfield SIS Advocacy Group as God prompts your heart, or start one in your town. We need more committed Christian women (and men!) to link arms and multiply our efforts to bring redemption, hope, and new life to our sisters in India.
We who live here in the US have had every opportunity for healthy and productive lives. We have been valued and cared for and loved. Our lives are so good because the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ has affected our culture and our personal lives. We have, therefore, the responsibility and the opportunity to share that hope and life with others who do not yet have it.
Please pray for the Transformation Groups (TG) in northern India and if you live in Bakersfield, JOIN us for PRAYER Sunday July 5 at 2PM for prayer for India, or pray right where you are:
- Pray God give the TG leaders courage and grace in the face of the opposition they are experiencing. The enemy doesn’t want to let go his grip on the hundreds of thousands of women and girls trapped in sex slavery there!
- Pray the leaders discover women of influence within the brothel city, the red light district and the train station who will be the “keys” to open the door to those areas.
- Pray for God to tear down all the barriers and strongholds of the enemy, that those in physical and spiritual bondage may be set free by His power.
Father in heaven, Grant us grace and boldness and your power to be faithful to do this for the sake of the Lamb Who was slain for the sins of the whole world, and for the sake of those who need redemption through Jesus Christ—and for our own souls’ sake. Amen.
Reposted from the Abide Women’s Prayer Group blog.
[1] Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation https://www.biblegateway.com
[2] For more info on how you can get involved in an Advocacy group contact me at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com or go to http://sheissafe.org/engage/
[3] For more information on Transformation Groups contact me at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com or go to http://sheissafe.org/work/india-transformation-groups/