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Silent Courage: Modern-Day Daniels, Standing Firm in Persecution PT II

The Imprisoned

……When faith costs everything, it reveals what matters most …Dr. Eno Iwok

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.’ … Phillipians 3:7

The Watchers in the Fire

But here’s the most beautiful part of Daniel’s story—when the three friends were thrown into the furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar saw four figures in the flames, not three; Daniel 3:25 – Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

The fourth man in the fire
The fourth man in the fire

Jesus walks with His people through every fiery trial.

Pastor Samuel from Part I of our opening story experienced this firsthand. When militants finally reached his home that night, they found the front door wide open and the house empty—but the motorcycles mysteriously wouldn’t start. The believers had vanished, as if protected by invisible hands.

“We didn’t run in fear,” Samuel later testified. “We walked out in faith, knowing Jesus was leading us to safety. And He was“ (Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me).

The Gospel That Cannot Be Chained

The apostle Paul wrote from a Roman prison: “I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9).

Persecutors throughout history have made the same fundamental mistake—they think they can stop God by stopping His people. But every chain breaks, every prison door opens, and every attempt to silence the Gospel only makes it echo louder and louder.

Why? Because the Gospel isn’t just a message—it’s a living, breathing, transforming power that transcends human opposition.

The Lighted Word
His Word! The Light that Shines Through Darkness!

A Question for Our Comfort

As you read these accounts of incredible courage, ask yourself:

  • What furnace am I avoiding?
  • What compromise am I making to stay comfortable?

Most of us will never face martyrdom, but we all face moments where following Jesus costs us something:

  • The promotion that requires ethical compromise
  • The relationship that demands spiritual silence
  • The social circle that mocks biblical values
  • The career path that leaves no room for God

In these moments, we become modern-day Daniels. We choose between the golden image of worldly success and the living God who sees our hearts.

The Fourth Man in Your Fire

Here’s the Gospel truth that persecuted believers around the world know intimately: You are never alone in your trials!!! (Read that again and meditate on it). Whether your furnace is persecution, loss, illness, financial struggle, or spiritual attack, Jesus walks with you through the flames.

Isaiah 42:16 – “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth”.

The same God who shut the mouth of the lions for Daniel, who cooled the furnace for his friends, who broke chains for Peter, and who turned Paul’s prison into a pulpit—this same God is with you, believe it!.

But even if He doesn’t remove your trial, He will use it for His glory and your good. Stay faithful anf courageous.

Standing in the Gap

As you read about these modern heroes of faith, consider how God might be calling you to stand in the gap:

  • Pray – Join the global prayer movement for persecuted Christians. When believers in Nigeria face attack, they need the prayers of believers in Nigeria, America, Brazil, and everywhere in between.
  • Give – Support organizations that help persecuted Christians, smuggle Bibles, and care for families of martyrs.
  • Speak – Use your freedom to advocate for those who have none. Share their stories. Make their silence heard.
  • Live – Let their courage inspire your own faithfulness. If they can worship Jesus facing death, surely you can worship Him facing discomfort.

The Ultimate Victory

The most beautiful truth about persecution is this: it always fails to achieve its purpose. Every attempt to destroy Christianity only purifies and multiplies it.

Why? Because persecution cannot touch what matters most—the relationship between a believer’s heart and their Savior. You can imprison the body, but you cannot chain the soul that belongs to Christ.

The Imprisoned
Imprisoned for the sake of the gospel

As one imprisoned pastor wrote: “They put me in a cage, but my spirit soars with eagles. They silenced my voice, but my life still preaches. They took my freedom, but they cannot take my joy. I am more free in this cell with Jesus than I ever was in the world without Him.”

What a great and inspiraing faith! Can you say this for the sake of the gospel and for Christ? What can you give up to see the kingdom of God thrive in this world of confusion?

Your Fiery Furnace Moment

Somewhere today, a believer will face their fiery furnace moment. Maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s someone you know. Maybe it’s someone halfway around the world whose name you’ll never know but whose courage will inspire generations.

In that moment, remember Daniel’s friends. Remember modern believers who chose courage over comfort. Remember that faith isn’t about avoiding trials—it’s about trusting God through them.

And remember this promise from the One who walks through fire with His people:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2-3).

The question isn’t whether trials will come. The question is: When they do, will you discover that your faith is genuine gold, or will it burn away like worthless straw?

Modern-day Daniels around the world have already answered that question with their lives. Now it’s your turn.

Even if He does not deliver us… we will not bow down!

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For more stories of faith and courage, visit cw.org. To pray for persecuted Christians worldwide, contact your local church or visit persecution-focused ministries online or write an email to me: enoiwok21@gmail.com.

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Hi! I’m Dr. Eno Iwok, a follower of Jesus and the heart behind this blog.
In a world full of noise, half-truths, and shifting values, I created this space to seek and share unshakable Truth—the kind found only in God’s Word. Here, we wrestle honestly, walk humbly, and stand boldly. Because even in the chaos, Truth still stands—and His name is Jesus.

Welcome to The Truth: In a Confusing World!.
Let’s walk this narrow way together, anchored in Scripture, lit by grace!

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Silent Courage: Modern-Day Daniels, Standing Firm in Persecution PT I

When faith costs everything, it reveals what matters most …Dr. Eno Iwok

(‘But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.’ … Philippians 3:7)

The Prayer That Changed Everything!

| …our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” …Daniel 3:17-18 |

Christians with one mind in prayer

In the dim glow of candlelight, Pastor Samuel’s weathered hands trembled as he held his worn Bible. Outside his modest home in northern Nigeria, the sound of approaching motorcycles sent chills through the small gathering of believers huddled in his living room. They had heard this sound before—it meant danger was coming.

But instead of scattering, something extraordinary happened. The dozen Christians present clasped hands and began to pray, their voices rising in unison: “Even if You do not deliver us, we will not bow down to fear.”

This scene, repeated countless times across the globe, echoes a story written over 2,500 years ago in ancient Babylon, where three young men faced a blazing furnace rather than compromise their faith.

The Furnace of Our Time

Today, over 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution worldwide—that’s one in seven believers. From the underground churches of North Korea to the bombed sanctuaries of Nigeria, from the imprisoned pastors of Iran to the silenced congregations of Myanmar, modern believers are walking through fires that would make Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego proud.

But here’s what the persecutors don’t understand: ~every attempt to silence the Gospel only amplifies it.

Voices from the Fire

  1. North Korea – The Underground Light

|‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ …Matthew 10:28|

Korean female christian not giving up on the gospel

In a country where owning a Bible is punishable by death, “Grace” (not her real name) smuggles handwritten Scripture verses for believers to keep their spiritual light shining and keep hope alive, sewn into her winter coat and delivered from porch to porch. When authorities discovered her small house church, they arrested twelve believers who were found there at the time of the raid. Grace’s response? “I told them that even if they kill my body, they cannot touch my soul. Jesus already paid that price.”

Six months later, three of the arresting officers secretly requested to meet with the surviving church members. The very persecution meant to destroy the faith had planted seeds of curiosity about a God worth dying for.

2. Nigeria – Refusing to Bow

When Boko Haram militants stormed the village church during Sunday service, they gave the congregation an ultimatum: “Deny Jesus or die!”. Seventy-year-old Mama Esther stood up first. “I have followed Jesus for fifty years. I will not stop now.”

Northern Nigerians refusing to bow
Northern Nigerian christians refusing to bow

What followed was not a massacre, but a miracle. One by one, the entire congregation—men, women, and children—stood with Mama Esther. Faced with such unified courage, several militants lowered their weapons. Later, two of them secretly converted to Christianity, saying they had never seen a faith so strong as this.

3. Iran – The Growing Underground

Despite facing imprisonment, torture, and death, Christianity is exploding in Iran. Pastor “David” runs an underground network of house churches from his basement.

Iranians in underground churches keeping faith

He was later caught and arrested, but this was what he had to say:

 “When they put me in prison for three years,” he says, “I led more people to Christ inside those walls than I had in ten years of freedom. Persecution doesn’t stop God—it reveals Him.“

The Daniel Connection

These modern believers are walking in the footsteps of Daniel and his friends, who faced their own impossible choices in Babylon. When King Nebuchadnezzar demanded worship of his golden image, three young Israelites delivered one of history’s most powerful declarations of faith:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)

Notice the key phrase: “But even if he does not…”

This wasn’t conditional faith. This wasn’t a prosperity gospel promise. This was raw, unconditional surrender to God’s sovereignty, regardless of the outcome.

The Fire Reveals True Gold

Here’s what persecution does—it burns away everything false and reveals what’s genuinely precious. In comfortable Christianity, we can coast on tradition, family expectations, or social acceptance. But when following Jesus costs you everything, only those with genuine faith remain.

And that’s exactly what’s happening around the world:

  • In China, despite government crackdowns, Christianity grows by 7% annually
  • In Iran, the underground church has grown from 500 believers in 1979 to over 1 million today
  • In North Korea, defectors report that secret Christian networks are larger than the government realizes
  • In Nigeria, (especially in the north with so much persecution from Boko Haram), churches continue to meet despite constant threats, with many reporting supernatural protection and miraculous escapes

These testimonies underscore the remarkable resilience and expansion of faith, even in the face of opposition from the kingdom of darkness masked by governmental opposition. It is anticipated that attempts to suppress Christianity will ultimately prove ineffectual over time.

To read more about this, click on Part II for the continuation of the exciting Silent Courage of the modern day Daniels!

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Dr. Eno Iwok

Hi! I’m Dr. Eno Iwok, a follower of Jesus and the heart behind this blog.
In a world full of noise, half-truths, and shifting values, I created this space to seek and share unshakable Truth—the kind found only in God’s Word. Here, we wrestle honestly, walk humbly, and stand boldly.
Because even in the chaos, Truth still stands—and His name is Jesus.

Welcome to The Truth: In a Confusing World.
Let’s walk this narrow way together, anchored in Scripture, lit by grace!


Welcome to Truth: In a Confusing World.
Let’s walk this narrow way together, anchored in Scripture, lit by grace!