Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

Perpetua and Felicity were two African martyrs. These young women chose to die in the Roman Colloseum rather than deny their faith in Jesus Christ. When Perpetua refused to offer a sacrifice to the emperor, her father urged her to save her life by renouncing her faith. She replied, "I cannot call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian." These two women were not the first or last women to suffer for their faith. We read in Acts that, after the stoning of Stephen, women were among those that Saul persecuted. We read in Acts 8: "Saul was going everywhere (like a mad dog) to devastate the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them in jail." Acts 9 records that Saul uttered threats with every breath, eager to destroy the Lord's followers. He went to Damascus to arrest followers of Christ—both men and women—to bring them in chains to Jerusalem. Even today, many of the 20 million people persecuted are helpless women and children. Fortunately, some groups are fighting to abolish this modern slavery and persecution. They say the best way we can help is by educating ourselves on the problems, encouraging our government officials to use their influence around the world, by praying, and supporting groups dedicated to setting people free.