We welcome you to WOM, where we are overcoming through the power of the Word. May God bless you richly today.

According to a new report in Christian Headlines, believers who find it difficult to freely express their beliefs in society due to secular intolerance are practicing “various forms of self-censorship.” The report, titled “Perceptions on Self-Censorship: Confirming and Understanding the Chilling Effect,” was put together by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America and the International Institute for Religious Freedom. The study features case studies from France, Germany, Colombia and Mexico.

The report points out that secular intolerance has a chilling effect on Christians, in that it directly affects their capacity to express their faith freely in society. This leads to various forms of self-censorship, because some people do indeed fear being subjected to legal proceedings or being criminally sanctioned on charges of discrimination, while others fear being subjected to disciplinary proceedings in their work places, the report said. With some exceptions, the majority chose to keep their expressions of faith or their opinions on issues related to life, marriage and the family from a Christian perspective private, because they had witnessed sanctions or prosecutions to which colleagues or peers had been subjected, the report added.

According to The Christian Post, the report’s authors stressed that while some of the incidents cited in the report may seem insignificant, when compounded, they can ultimately cause believers to feel uncomfortable living out their faith in the public domain.  A few cuts do not kill you and sometimes may barely hurt. But continuous small strikes eventually have an impact on you. It was noted that self-censorship not only limits people from expressing their religious beliefs “but also these violations of the right to religious freedom can cause the disappearance of religion in a given context.”

Most Christian participants in the study were unaware of their self-imposed censorship. However, some have censored themselves so regularly that they have stopped seeing the characteristics related to self-censorship as a problem. In other words, they have become so accustomed to concealing their Christian faith that it has now become the norm for them.

In these last days, one of the things that Satan is busy seeking to do is to stifle our Christian witness. But the fact of the matter is that Jesus did not call us as His followers to be secret disciples. He made it abundantly clear, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). Let us pray that God would give His people boldness like never before to make His message known in this final hour. Amen!

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SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK

• TODAY’S ACTIVITIES
  • Baptismal Class, 5:00 p.m.
  • Intercessory Prayer Meeting, 5:00 p.m.

• LUNCH HOUR PRAYER LINE/ PRAYER
  • Wednesday, 12:00 noon – Lunch Hour Prayer Line
  • 5:30 p.m.  – Prayer

• HOUR-OF-POWER PRAYER SESSION
  • Saturday, 7:00 a.m.  – 8:00 a.m.

• NEXT SUNDAY
  • Worship & Ministry, 9:00 a.m.
  • Monthly Charitable Collection at the end of service
  • No Baptismal Class
  • Holy Ghost Stirring Clinic, 5:00 p.m.

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A Funeral Service
Will be held here at
World Overcomers Ministries
For Sister Cicely E. Richardson
On Tuesday August 2, 2022
Viewing from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Service Begins at 10:00 a.m.

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MEDIA MINISTRY

World Overcomers Radio Broadcast: WSTA 1340 AM station: Sundays at 8:30 a.m. & Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m.

• Website: http://www.wom.vi  & Email: info@fea.vi
• On our Website you will find: Live Streaming, free copies of our audio message & radio broadcast.  You also can see Live Streaming on Facebook & YouTube.

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The vision of WORLD OVERCOMERS MINISTRIES, INC. is to be a mighty people who live as world over-comers: being all God wants them to be, doing all God wants them to do, possessing all God wants them to possess, and manifesting the power of God through signs, wonders and mighty deeds.

The mission of WORLD OVERCOMERS MINISTRIES, INC. is to bring sinners to Christ, to establish believers in the faith, and to equip the saints to impact the nation and beyond for the glory of God.