'Aspiring Dictator' Inflicts Chaos on Venezuela: Christians Call for Godly Solutions

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is insisting he will proceed with plans to hold an assembly to rewrite the country's constitution, CBN News reports.
   
His intransigence comes despite last weekend's vote where 98 percent of more than seven million voters rejected making constitutional changes.
   
The country's evangelical Christians are speaking out, asking God to restore unity and prosperity to the nation. Opposition parties say a constitutional assembly is just an attempt by the socialist president to impose a dictatorship in Venezuela.

Many are at a breaking point after suffering for months from food shortages and heavy-handed government control.

The crisis has motivated Venezuela's churches to action. Leading up to the vote, public plazas around the nation echoed with the prayers of Christians.

"I believe the church has awakened to how difficult the Venezuelan situation is, and that each of us Christians needs to become active in this process of change," explained Hugo Diaz of the Movement for the Defense of the Constitution.

"Today you can see joy in the streets. You see the desire of people for a change, and above all we see the active presence of the Christian church of Venezuela," he said.
Many Venezuelan Christians believe their country will prosper only as people look to God, not politicians, for solutions.

"We have been fasting before the Lord, asking him to turn the heart of the people to him. We had this idea to participate in this activity because it's not a matter giving support to any political party," said Pastor Jose Rivero of Alliance Youth Leadership.

He says the government should submit to the authority of God and the constitution.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, former Mexican President Vicente Fox, and members of the European Union called on President Maduro to honor the will of the voters and cancel the planned constitutional assembly.

President Trump described the Venezuelan president a "bad leader" and "aspiring dictator." He's threatened to take "strong and swift economic actions" against Maduro if he tries to rewrite the constitution.

Maduro fired back, saying he won't "be governed by the northern empire."

With possible economic sanctions and more hardship ahead, Christians are stepping in to the conflict to pray, and shine a light of hope in the midst of economic and political upheaval.

Evangelical Council of Venezuela spokesman Juan Maraver urged Venezuelans to take heart.

"This is your hour. This is your time," he said. "While many are seeing chaos, while many are seeing that Venezuela has no solutions, that restoration will take a long time. God says: I will raise you up. I will bless you!" -- ends

Actor and Comedian Jim Carrey Has Message of Hope for Ex-Prisoners: 'Suffering Leads to Salvation'

Actor and Comedian Jim Carrey Has Message of Hope for Ex-Prisoners: 'Suffering Leads to Salvation'



Actor and comedian Jim Carrey had a surprising message for a group of former gang members and prisoners at Homeboy
Industries in Los Angeles.

Homeboy Industries is a rehabilitation center led by Jesuit Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, according to Christian Today. Carrey was invited to speak to a group at the center and he gave a clear Christian message, Christian Headlines, reports.

“You are heroes to me, and I admire you,” Carrey began. “'When you stepped through these doors, you decided to be a part of this family. You've made a decision to transcend and to leave darkness behind, and it takes a champion to make that decision.”

Carrey has himself experienced some dark times with his depression and with an accusation that he supplied drugs which led to his girlfriend’s suicide, although he denies these charges.

Carrey shared with the crowd what gives him hope in the midst of life’s trials:

“And ultimately, I believe that suffering leads to salvation. In fact, it's the only way...that we have to, somehow, accept, not deny, but feel our suffering and feel our losses. And then, we make one of two decisions. We either decide to go through the gate of resentment, which leads to vengeance, which leads to self-harm, which leads to harm to others. Or, we go through the gate of forgiveness, which leads to grace.

Your being here is an indication that...You've made the decision to walk through the gate of forgiveness to grace, just as Christ did on the cross.

He suffered terribly and He was broken by it, to the point of doubt and a feeling of absolutely abandonment, which all of you have felt. Then there was a decision to be made. And the decision was to look upon the people who were causing that suffering with compassion and with forgiveness, and that's what opens the gates of heaven for all of us. I wish that for all of you. I wish that for myself.'”