www.thesaltmag.com
The Lord is our refuge!
Religion
by Justin Heckel
The Lord is Our Refuge
When you go to the International House of Prayer’s onething conference, one of the first things you notice is the incredible diversity of people who gather there. And it is not just a matter of skin color, but it is the fact that people actually come from all over the world to join in on this conference. There are many people from all over South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. One of the amazing pictures seen at the conference is the strong representation from the Middle East. Believers from Israel are worshipping with believers from Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. It’s an incredible sight. Nadir and Susie are originally from Egypt but now reside in Chicago. They have some tremendous hearts for what God is doing in the Middle East. Nadir: For almost the last three years we have been coming to attend the onething conference. It is good inspiration for how to start the New Year. Right after that, we have our conference that shares what God is doing here in America and in Egypt. SALT: Can you tell us about that? Nadir: It will be here at IHOP from January 2-5. It is our big ministry here at IHOP. God has brought leaders here from Egypt and the Middle East because Egypt is a key country in the end-time revival. The leader here from Egypt is Shady Abadir. He is a doctor, but now he gives all his time for ministry. SALT: Would you like to say anything about that conference or this conference? Nadir: We have a big meeting today for our community. Right now, it is hard for a lot of people to see what is going on in the Middle East, but we, the Church, see God’s hand working. There are a lot of people who are coming to the Lord. SALT: Tell us about what’s going on in Egypt right now. Nadir: Nobody knows! It is a problem. Like in the time of Jesus, nobody knows where we are going, even the government doesn’t know where. The Islamic government, the Muslim Brotherhood, is trying to implement all Islamic Sharia Law against Christianity. But we believe, in the middle of all that, God has a way for the Church and for other people. God is reaching the Muslims everywhere. SALT: You are originally from Egypt; now you live in Chicago. What was your journey to America? Nadir: It was a call from God. I am a veterinarian; I worked as one in Egypt. And God called us to come here. It wasn’t easy, but my wife and I decided to obey God, and He kept His promise. God blessed me very much with a job working in financial and insurance services. I had a career change, but I trust the Lord because He is the Provider. SALT: Awesome! So, how long have you been here? Nadir: Eight years now. SALT: What does that look like with God being our Provider? Nadir: God is great. As much as we trust Him, He will provide our needs for us and our children, Monica and Michael. SALT: Susie, are you part of a ministry? Susie: God moved in me to give all my time to serving the Lord. And God moved through one of my friends to start a ministry for refugees who come here with nothing and give them help in order to reach them, to show them the love of the Lord, and bring them closer to Him. This ministry grows stronger every day for four years now. Hundreds of families have been blessed by this ministry. We
recently bought a truck, and so we are able to serve more. SALT: Is there a website for the ministry? Susie: No, because my friend is Iraqi. Most of the refugees who have come are from Iraq the last five or six years as asylum after the war. Now there are starting to be more Egyptians. But the ministry gives them what they need and God provides. SALT: Are there any prayer requests? Nadir: We pray for our children to have the same desire to serve the Lord. A second would be for God to open doors so we can serve as many as we can, either here or in Egypt, to show them the love of the Lord. SALT: Is it dangerous to go back? Nadir: It is not comfortable like it is here, but it is not dangerous. SALT: What are some prayer points for the country of Egypt? Nadir: We pray for the Lord to shine above Egypt. There are a lot of people now looking for the truth and freedom. And there are a lot of Christian ministries there now. A lot of the Christian organizations are starting to get together. We are praying that God would continue to provide this unity. SALT: Is there anything you would like to say about what is on your heart for Egypt? Nadir: We are praying and believe Isaiah 19 is going to come on Egypt. It will be the return of the Lord there, and there will be a lot of changes in Egypt. SALT: What part of Isaiah 19 are you referring to here? Nadir: That Egypt will have a way for Assyrians, representing Iraq and Iran, where they will all worship together with Israel. Now is a tough time for all Egyptians. So, now many Muslims are rejecting Islam because there are a lot of theories in Islam that are not answering their hunger. And a lot of those people become atheist between rejecting Islam and not knowing the truth. The door is open for outreach. SALT: One last question. Can you give married people wisdom about life and marriage? And can you give some wisdom on life in general? Nadir: I came to the Lord when I was seventeen. But I was a troublemaker and was not successful. But when I completely changed and He gave me new life, I realized one thing: true success is to live for Jesus. The advice I would give to anyone looking for success, give everything to Him and He is able to give everything to you above anything you can imagine. For marriage, it is a blessing from God. Know what it means to be married and to have unity in marriage. Know what it means to live life with the Lord. And each man should know what it is in a woman because most of the problem in families now is that a man cannot treat his wife as a man. God created man and woman as one; this is not to be broken. Every family has its problems, but if it is united properly, it can all be handled by discussion, prayer, and inviting God to be in the middle. But divorce is not an option in our marriage. SALT: Susie, would you like to share any wisdom? Susie: Marriage is not only united between man and woman, but also with God. Also, have a vision for life together and how you are to build the Church together. It is exciting to see what God is doing all over the world at this time in history.