In the USA, Miley walks the glamorous runway in her white fishnet dress. Her breasts fully exposed except for small circles of black tape covering her nipples; her scanty thong panties leave nothing to the imagination. She smiles, signs a few autographs as fans roar and photos are taken at another celebrity event.

Meantime, in North Korea, an unnamed woman, around Miley’s age, is blindfolded. She is escorted at gunpoint down a muddy runway in clothes that haven’t been washed in months, maybe years. The onlookers roar and cheer her impending execution. There are no autographs, only the blood splatter of the bullet that explodes in her brain as the crowd shouts for more.

The unnamed woman was executed because she publicly professed Jesus as her Savior. Miley, on the other hand, remains exalted on the cover of magazines as she publicly promotes promiscuity and immoral behavior. Is it just me, or has the heart of America become content with treading the shallow waters of complacency? Western media readily presents coverage of Miley’s tongue and inappropriate attire, but turns a blind eye and deaf ear to news of Christian executions.

People magazine has replaced the Bible in the Western world as we obsess over the rich and famous. It’s much more pleasant and conversational to focus on celebrity culture than discuss the faith based torture and persecution going on in other countries. It seems Miley’s wagging tongue and scantily clad body ranks higher in news coverage than a bullet in the brain of a Christian.

The roar of celebrity fans is mere background noise in comparison to those who cheer the execution of those who follow Jesus. This quote from Lori Stanley Roeleveld expresses my heart felt summation:

“While we in the West argue over worship styles, sleep in when there’s a visiting preacher, bemoan having to endure a boring prayer request or off-key soloist, serve up the pastor’s sermon over lunch, or sit home and judge the church unworthy of our attendance altogether there are other brothers and sisters gasping their way to every precious moment when they can gather, in hiding, with other precious believers and hear a whispered message from God, bathe in the reading of His word, and pray with passion and tears for strength to endure and the courage to continue speaking the truth under threat of death.”

It is time for believers to wake up! Christians around the world are being sentenced to death daily for their belief in Jesus. The only red carpet they will ever walk is covered with the blood of those executed before them. As the blindfold is tied, they know death is certain; they understand what Jesus felt when the crowd roared, “Crucify him; crucify him.”

I believe the time is coming when Christians in America will face persecution, even death, for their faith in Jesus. If faced with execution, would your faith in Jesus be submerged in deep waters or would you tread the shallow waters of complacency. The unnamed woman in North Korea took a bullet for her belief in Jesus. Would you do the same?