Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…
Matthew 5:11-12
They say the comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there. It’s safe to say that as a congregation and ministry, we’ve never had the luxury of spending too much time in a comfort zone. Over the past 20 years, Beit Hallel has faced all types of persecution, pressure, opposition and obstacles which have not only fortified us but have also often given us an impulse to our growth and increase to our reach.
God’s favorite situations to work in are the impossible ones, that’s where His glory is revealed most.
Especially during these months of war, we have mobilized our teams and expanded our reach to help many families and soldiers, sharing the message of hope and salvation with them. As we have continued to grow, both as a congregation and as a ministry that reaches thousands of Israelis with the gospel, we have also seen the forces of darkness rising against us to try and stop the Lord’s work through Beit Hallel.
The enemy will always fiercely resist growth and breakthrough.
Jesus told us that persecution will be part of our lives as believers and that we should find encouragement in the fact that we are targeted, it means we are on the right path. Through the years we have faced physical persecution, as well as demonic attacks, with curses hurled at us, to try and tie us up from continuing to serve Yeshua in our city. God’s divine protection over us is what kept us safe through it all.
The latest attack on us however comes in the form of legal battles over the usage of our congregational facilities. We are being targeted through legal loopholes to try and limit the usage of our building, claiming we are not allowed to use it for gatherings. This is absurd since there’s no hindrance for people to gather there to receive humanitarian aid, but supposedly there is for worship purposes. Persecution is never pleasant, especially if it is wrong as it is in this instance. If it were any other organization, they wouldn’t face the pushback that we face because of our faith.
These attacks always come backed by spiritual warfare.
We know for a fact there is witchcraft and curses released into the spiritual world against our ministry. The devil doesn’t intimidate us. There’s no place in our hearts for fear because it is filled with Jesus. However, I can testify to how difficult it feels to face these spiritual attacks, the heaviness that we all feel, as well as the mental and emotional pressure we experience. Our entire team has been dealing with these demonic attacks on some level. There is, however, one solution: prayer.
We take up our shield of faith and proclaim God’s protection until He guides us through and we come out on the other side victorious in the Lord, just like we did in previous times. If there was ever a time we needed your intercessory prayers, it is now. The light of God’s blessings, the joy of salvation, and the message of hope have been reaching more people than ever in Israel. The attacks against us, especially during this time of war when we have done so much to help, reaffirm the threat we pose to God’s adversary, and for that we give the Lord glory.
We’re not here to be comfortable, but to pose a threat to the powers of darkness. You have been a remarkable and faithful friend who genuinely cares and stands with us, so we felt we needed to share this with you because we know what a powerful prayer warrior you are, a true watchman on the walls of Israel. Pray with us in this situation.
The more pressure we are under, the more miracles we see, as difficult as it is to go through this season.
We need you! We need your prayers!
Until we see God’s victory and His power, we rely on your strength and prayers to help carry us through this spiritual battle. We couldn’t ask for better allies, partners and friends than YOU who will help pray us through whatever we are facing. The victory God will eventually give us will also be YOURS.
