Woman Conceived In Rape Thankful For Life, Christian Couple Beaten In India & Praying An Uncomplicated Prayer

Chrystal York was 13 when she learned she was conceived after her mother was raped by a man whose advances she rejected.

York’s biological father played keyboard and sang in a band that was playing at her 18-year-old mother’s place of work. He wanted to go out on a date; she wasn’t interested. He held a knife to her throat.

And when she asked why her mother chose life for her — even when people told her she had every right to abort her unborn child because of the circumstances of her conception — she said, “You were innocent.”

You can read the full story about the York family and their life and faith at Baptist Press.
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A mob of 300 people beat and threatened to kill a Christian couple at a police station in Karnataka State, India, after the wife was falsely accused of forced conversion, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said Jan. 23.

Religious conversions are criminalized in Karnataka and 11 other states in the majority Hindu country, punishable by years-long prison sentences and monetary fines.

Spiking persecution of Christians in India has led the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and other groups to urge the U.S. State Department to designate India a County of Particular Concern (CPC) for systematic, ongoing and egregious religious liberty violations.
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Every day, hundreds of thousands of people die without the hope of Jesus. Your faithful prayers will make a difference. That’s why the IMB created a free 18-month calendar, called “Impacting Lostness Through Prayer”. It provides guidance, reminders and encouragement as you pray for individuals and communities who have yet to hear the gospel. Learn more about this free resource at IMB.org/prayercalendar.
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As an evangelistic pastor, Charles H. Spurgeon felt a passion and sensed an urgency for the salvation of the lost in his city. As a result, he once said, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

The need for intercessory prayer is obvious. Today, we live in the age of the “nones” when approximately 30% of Americans tell pollsters that they are atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious preferences. That’s a 10-point surge from a decade ago, while during the same period the number of self-proclaimed Christians dropped 12 points.

If we want to see more lost people saved, our uncomplicated, direct prayer for their salvation can make an eternal difference. Why not make a list of those you know who need to receive God’s gift of eternal life? Every day pray for them to be saved. It is as simple and as straight forward as that. This is a matter of praying an uncomplicated prayer – “Lord, save them.”