I Prayed have prayed
God, we thank You for the boldness of the athletes who have courageously glorified You. We pray that more would follow their example!
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The opening ceremony of 2024’s summer Olympics was offensive, brash, and decidedly blasphemous, whether the organizers intended for it to be or not. However, since the opening ceremony, we have seen several athletes from around the world present strong displays of Christian faith.

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Some of these displays were covered on last week’s episode of Headline Prayer Live. We covered how a Brazilian teenager signed the gospel on camera, and how a Serbian tennis player proudly displayed his cross necklace. Now, a week later, we are still seeing brave displays of Christian belief.

In perhaps the most blatant display of Christian faith yet, Canadian skateboarder Cordano Russell recently shouted “Jesus is King” on live television. You can see the clip below:

Russell, an outspoken Christian, is no stranger to putting his faith on display. According to the 2024 Paris Olympics website, he finds his identity in his faith:

“In devoting himself to all his passions there is also a sense in which Russell is fulfilling another part of himself: his faith. And with that soothed, the skater feels unassailable.

‘Honestly, it empowers me,’ he shares candidly. “I know where my true identity is, and that is in the Lord. So, I wanted to use my time, talents and treasures and ultimately be able to inspire others through that, through my faith, through who I am.'”

However, while the displays of faith above may be encouraging, the organizers of the games are also cracking down on faith elsewhere. In one instance, Brazilian surfer João Chianca was ordered to remove images of the famous Brazilian landmark Christ the Redeemer statue from his surfboards.

Supposedly, Chianca was ordered to do this to promote “true neutrality” since Christ is a religious figure. As others have pointed out, however, the Olympics seems like it is violating its own rules, outright mocking religion in the opening ceremony while banning it during the games.

We pray that God would change the hearts of those in charge and that more athletes would boldly proclaim and glorify Christ!

How are you praying about the Olympics? Share your prayers and scriptures with us below.

(Photo Credit: Like tears in rain – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151182739)

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Loren Markel
August 10, 2024

I am concerned because there are athletes there from countries that don’t allow the preaching of the Gospel. Perhaps Gospel will be shared with them.

NanJohnson
August 7, 2024

Jesus is Lord !! Those who disagree or deny this truth do so to their own peril. Two choices; one the way, truth, and life ; the other eternal separation from God. Heaven or hell ??

4
RICH
August 6, 2024

LORD GOD:
LET THE CONSEQUENCES FLOW, WE DESERVE THEM FOR ALLOWING THIS BLSPHEMY/
PLEASE CORRCT US, INSTRUCT US, SEVE US FROM OUR FOLLY AS HUMANS.
I ASK IN JESUS’ NAME
AMEN

2
Jacquelene Nowarah
August 6, 2024

Its a distraction, keep your eyes on Jesus and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

GEOGRAPHIC STORMS

We need to pray what God is doing in these flares…

3-4 Aug Weekend Summary and 5-7 Aug Forecast Outlook
published: Monday, August 05, 2024 14:32 UTC
A G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm occurred on Sunday, 4 Aug, while flare activity continues to be expected.

1
Mary Beth
August 6, 2024

You, Oh Lord, will not be left without a witness!! I ask that You richly bless each and every athlete and attendee who boldly witnesses to Your Lordship in their life. Please increase the platform for their message of faith, and use them mightily to strengthen and increase the Kingdom.

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