A Prolife Reality Check

So many claim they can do nothing about the children of abortion. So, I asked God what He thought about that. Here's what He said:

1. Everyone can pray for the effort (to end abortion).

2. Everyone can show up to praise, and entreat Me (God) on the children's behalf. (You don't have to be "called to that area of ministry".)

3. Anyone can hold a sign....

4. Anyone can encourage the onsite workers.

5. Anyone can speak up at their church, request that a speaker be invited, and/or suggest a worker for support (as a prolife missionary).

6. Everyone can write their congressman, senator, and/or president asking that abortion be outlawed permanently.

7. Everyone can vote prolife.

8. Everyone could fund the effort. If all "professing" prolifers/abolitionists gave just $5 a month to an active effort, things that are currently considered "impossible" would get done.

9. Everyone can and should stop being silent. Your silent inaction will not be tolerated any longer.

Hmmmm . . .

Let's be honest. Most "professing" prolifers can do at least one of the things on this list. Many can do several. It is only because all of the work, and the majority of the expense is left to a handful that abortion continues.

So, quit claiming to be prolife while doing nothing to actually save these babies. It's not like He actually believes you anyway. No, as He points out, "Anyone and Everyone can or could . . ."

Psa 141

LORD! I cry unto Thee, make haste unto me. Give ear unto my voice when I cry unto Thee.

Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.

Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity, and let me not eat of their dainties.

Let the righteous smite me. It shall be a kindness, and let him reprove me. It shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head -- for my prayer shall also be in their calamities. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words for they are sweet.

Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. But mine eyes are unto Thee, O GOD the Lord. In Thee is my trust. Leave not my soul destitute.

Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gin of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst I withal escape. -- Psa 141

I'm seeking the Lord's healing right now, having been quite sick for over a week. There is much in the Psalms to aid in this.

Praise Him!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God. It is He ...that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good. His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to ALL generations. -- Psa 100

There is much trouble in the world. Daily we face the reality of the evil amongst us. Our leaders have abandoned us. They serve themselves, and care not for our well-being. They see themselves as above the very laws they demand we obey. They have squandered our wealth and shredded our law. They have taken what we have built, what we have earned, and given it to our enemies. The veteran does not receive what he fought for. The elderly and truly needy do not receive what was held back for them. No, it is given to those who hate and desire to destroy us, because our "leaders" care for them while they disregard us -- the people they have taken an oath to serve, the people who granted their power, the people who have paid their way. There is no honor among such as these, and the horror they prepare for us is appalling.

If we focus on these giants, it is easy to forget there is a Great God in Heaven, a God who will hear our cry if we turn back to Him.

If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. -- 2 Chr 7:14

When a nation turns from the Holy God of Heaven, He gives them sorry leaders. When a people turn from holiness to sin, they are given over to the fruits of that sin. We cannot expect roses when we have planted turnips. It just does not work that way.

As a nation we allowed the Holy God of Heaven to be replaced with many false gods, the largest of these being wealth. Even now pastors seek to promote themselves, attempting to draw large crowds from which they might gain great revenue. They avoid issues that divide or cover them peripherally. And pastors are not alone.

People devote themselves to the acquisition of wealth. It is what we spend our time on. It is what concerns us the most. So much so that many kill their children in order to pursue their careers first. We are literally shedding innocent blood in order to attain the standard of living we believe God wants us to have. We use His love to justify our sin.

Now these are the three primary things that have brought the horror that we now face to our land:

abortion (the shedding of innocent blood),

idolatry (the love of wealth), and

a disrespect of the cross (using His sacrifice as an excuse for sin).

The truly sad thing is that many still see them as "non-issues". They see them so because many of our spiritual leaders have taught them so. So, the treachery of our spiritual leaders has brought us our treacherous political leaders. Yet, many still cling to their teachings.

How do we get out of this? There is only one cure: Full Repentance. It is the only way. We should be thankful that "His mercy is everlasting" and that He does "hear from heaven". We should remember:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. -- 2 Pe 3:9

And that:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments. His praise endureth forever. -- Psa 111:10

We need to fear Him enough to repent and return to obeying His will, because the horror we face is judgment from Him. Our willingness to commit sin upon sin, our lack of regard for His sacrifice, and the rampant shedding of innocent blood has bought us vile leaders and murderous enemy hoards. We planted evil, and evil has come up in our garden.

So, what do repentance and wise fear have to do with praise? If we fear Him enough to truly repent, then we should also realize that He deserves to be praised. So Great a King always deserves praise. Even now, we should be raising our voices in praise of Him. Even now, we should be entering His gates with thanksgiving.

We are reaping what we have sown. Should we blame Him that we did not have the sense to plant holiness? From Genesis through Revelation His word warns us not to stray from the path of righteousness. How is He to blame? No, this one's one us. We did this. We threw Him out and welcomed evil. Evil cannot begat anything but more evil. Holiness comes from God.

Worship Him this morning. Praise Him with all that you are. Weep and plead for mercy. Seek Him with all your heart. If we get serious with our commitment to Him, He will hear our cries. The "giants" will have no power over us if we are truly His. Now that is something to praise Him for, to be able to stand in the midst of a storm like this. So praise, praise the Lord!

You Are Not Alone

I used to blame myself for everything. I worked hard, sometimes too hard, and tried to be diligent and responsible. That's not to say I was perfect. I wasn't, but I did genuinely try to do my best. I was quick to apologize, and steadfastly sought to correct my mistakes. Somehow, though, I was never good enough. I was never acceptable enough. I never met the expectations of those around me. It's no joke that some even said, "ANYONE, but her!"

Then one day I realized, it wasn't... me that was the problem. It was the hardness of other's hearts. It was about what some thought I owed them, and the selfishness of others. It was about who they were, not what I had done or how I looked or anything else that had to do with me.

You can't please those kind of people. You can't reconcile with them. You can't get low enough to placate their need for supremacy. To try to do so is to constantly see yourself as completely unworthy. Useless. Undesirable. Trash.

So, what did I do? I stopped looking at them, and walked away from them, emotionally. I started looking at and living for Christ alone. I started seeing myself beloved in His eyes. I started dwelling on what it took for Him to sacrifice Himself for me.

The hurt went away. The guilt went away. My frown became a smile and my agony, joy.

The evil seeks to tear us down and he will use anyone and anything to do it, but God seeks to elevate us. The evil one is downtrodden. So, he does not want you lifted on angel wings. God is on high, and He desires to bring us to Him. One is a destroyer, a bringer of death. The other the Giver of Life.

Are you alone? Are you downtrodden? Does your heart ache? Do you feel useless, unwanted . . . disposable? Christ took the nails in His hands and feet to prove how very much He loves and desires you. He was spat on and defiled, because you mean that much to Him. Mankind can be heartless and cruel, but God is merciful and loving. So, don't look at man. Look at God.

You are not alone. You are loved. You are not useless. God has a place for all of us. You are not garbage. You were made for a reason. You have a purpose. Fulfill your purpose, and God will fill your life. Focus on Him and you will not have time to be lonely, or sad, or discouraged. There is much to do, and few to do it.

The evil one can pull us down if we let him. I have been there more than I care to admit. The only way I survived was to look full on at Him, to worship and adore Him, to obey and serve Him, and to push away from all the sorrow the evil one laid at my feet. In immersing myself in Him, I would look up and find myself surrounded by angels. Now, the only thing "special" about me is God in me. So, that means if you do the same -- immerse yourself in Him -- you will find you aren't really alone, either.

Abortion: NOT About Choice

Though I was blessed to be able to be at the pit twice this week already, yesterday was a very rough day. It started when I had a divine appointment with a moth...er -- the first mother to come to kill. She was very sad, and very willing to talk, desiring help. So, I was counseling her, comforting her -- "We'll help you. We're here for you"; then the armed guard comes out.

He tells her, "This is a really mean lady. (meaning, me) If you have an appointment, you have to go in. You have to pull into the parking lot." She was stalled outside, hesitant and crying. He's armed, and insistent.

I had said, "You don't want to go in there. If you need help, we'll help you. Whatever you need, we'll find a way. They kill children, and you don't really don't want to kill your child."

She had answered, "Yes, but things happen."

I had answered, "Yes, but we don't kill the children for our mistakes." Which, of course, made her cry all the more, but she also agreed with me.

This mother really did not want to go into the pit. She clearly wanted our help. She was responding to me, and reaching out -- physically to me. I was responding to her as any mother would, touching her gently, lovingly. But the armed guard insisted, and women are often afraid of disobeying an armed man when they are vulnerable. So, in she went. Then, of course, he insisted she drive all the way around to the back -- knowing I would not be able to properly invite her out to continue our discussion -- again, insisting that she "had" to.

She was crying. I was crying, and there was angel watching. So, I sent him in, and he did go. However, angels will not force us. No, they stop at the free-will line. I know he encouraged her to come out, but she did not -- at least not while I was still onsite.

Then a black couple went in, and I said, "Don't Black lives matter to you? This is a precious little black baby. You should love it, not kill it." And, moments later, the father came out glaring at me furiously. Clearly, she did not really want to kill her child, either, but he insisted.

Anyone who honestly believes abortion is about a "woman's choice" has no idea what really goes on at the pits.

Praise and Repentance

Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens. Praise Him from the heights. Praise ye Him, all His angels. Praise ye Him, all His hosts.

Praise ye Him, sun and moon. Praise Him, all ye stars of light. Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created. He hath established them forever and ever. He hath made a decree which shall not pass.
...

Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling His word: mountains, and all hills: fruitful trees, and all cedars: beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth -- both young men, and maidens; old men, and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD; for His name alone is excellent. His glory is above the earth and heaven. He exalteth the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto Him.

Praise ye the LORD. -- Psa 148

God is the answer to any and all problems. If we put Him first -- to honor and obey Him, then He can deliver us. No earthly man can for we have a spiritual sickness. We know Him not enough to fear Him, and we behave all though He were irrelevant. Many are the nations that have been destroyed by this madness. Truly our deliverance depends on our willingness to take it's cure: true repentance as evidenced by works.

Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of repentance . . . Luke 3:8

What will you do to prove to God that you desire to return to Him? Are you ready to take up the children's case as if you truly intend to win it? Or do you say to yourself that "God has had mercy, therefore, we need not fear"?

Woe be unto the people who believe God is not greatly angered by the continued shedding of innocent blood! Woe be unto those who do little to nothing to stop it; for God is GOD, but man is only man.

He hears innocent blood cry out. It is a testimony against us -- a testimony He cannot and will not long continue to ignore. While you are saying, "Peace, peace!"; He will wipe us out like the plague we are. Only a few faithful will remain, if, indeed they do. God's patience with us is gone. Though you ignore it, the evidence is all around us. Not even this once great nation can escape His hand. We have disrespected the sacrifice of His Son, and we have gone a whoring after the gods of self and wealth to our own destruction.

Are You Missing Your Blessing?

Sometimes God uses adversity to trigger blessings. He puts a challenge before us with the intent of blessing us for responding to His glory. Those times can be some of the most difficult, because they are often fraught with very real danger.

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion or fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” – Dan 6:4, 5

Daniel was a very intelligent and honorable man. He was looked on with great favor by king Darius; and therefore, despised by those who wanted his power and position. Sound familiar? It is one of those things many of us face daily.

In this time of self-entitlement it seems there is almost always someone who believes they have more right to what we have than we do. Coveting is alive and well with some going to great extremes to take what isn’t theirs. It’s not uncommon for them to do just about anything to get it, either. In Daniel’s day these men were so intent on relieving him of his status that they plotted to take his life.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statue, and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. – Dan 6:7

Now they did this knowing full well that Daniel routinely petitioned God three times a day, every day, and they knew he would continue to do so despite any decree they might come up with. So it was a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down before Daniel. “Do you love your God so much that you’d risk your very life for Him?”

They already knew Daniel’s answer would be, “Yes.” They had watched him carefully, and they knew he would continue to do what he had already been doing. So, they considered that Daniel was already dead. They considered him defeated by his unwavering attachment to the holy God of Heaven.

What they did not know was that Daniel fully understood what they were up to. He realized they wanted him gone, and would do anything to see to it that he did not survive. Yet, he considered that God was still God, that He had not ceased to be all-powerful simply because these men desired his life.

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three time a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. – Dan 6:10

After Daniel knew he was in danger, he still went before God to openly petition Him. He considered it could cost him his life, but he desired God more than his life. This kind of commitment usually comes from long-term priorities. It’s not to say that the “baby Christian” can’t have it; but rather, than it is seen more often in the mature Christian. Daniel was mature. He had spent his life seeking and desiring God. Now, he served an ungodly, earthly king; but his heart was far above. His heart – his whole heart belonged steadfastly to God. He could no more abandon his proclivity for seeking God than he could stop breathing. It was that intense a relationship. So, when these men set him up using his relationship with God to trap him, Daniel’s reaction was: My God first, then my life!

Then answered they and said before the king, “That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his position three times a day.” – Dan 6:13

As expected these evil men were quick with their accusation, and the king, though it displeased him greatly, was forced to put Daniel in with the hungry lions.

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, “Thy God, whom thou servest continually, He will deliver you.” – Dan 6:16

Right here is where Daniel began to receive blessings from God. All true servants have an abiding desire to honor their Master. We don’t put ourselves at risk because we enjoy danger, nor to draw attention to ourselves. No, we do it because honoring and obeying Him is that important to us. We’re like little children who adore their fathers. We live to please Him. So, when this heathen king encouraged Daniel to look to His God, and assured him that He surely would deliver Daniel; I know Daniel was deeply blessed in his spirit. He must have felt an overwhelming sense of joy, knowing that his witness had made this man realize who God really is. Even with the lions looming before him, it had to be quite satisfying.

Now, Daniel survived the lion’s den just fine. They men who had sought to harm him? They and their entire families turned out to be the lion’s real meal, and king Darius went on from wanting people to worship him as a god to declaring the God of Heaven to be the God He truly is:

Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He IS the living God, and steadfast forever, and His kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” – Dan 6:25-27

Now, Daniel was physically blessed for his obedience, but I believe the spiritual blessing was far greater. His faithfulness opened Darius’s eyes. I’ve been there when people wake from their slumber. It is the greatest feeling on earth. We walk on air afterwards, knowing that we’ve honored the One we adore. It gives our whole life purpose. It fills us with joy. And I know that Daniel felt just this way, because his faithfulness was poured out upon a whole nation! He had to feel extraordinarily blessed to be of such service, but he would have had none of it had he not answered adversity with obedience

Consider the adversity in your life. Could it be that God is trying to bless you? I honestly don’t think Daniel was looking for a blessing when he obediently continued to seek God. No, I believe that’s just who he was. He was God’s. His entire heart was sold out to the holy God of Heaven. He could not just stop communicating with Him. He couldn’t. Truth be told, the way we move ourselves to answer adversity with obedience is to be like Daniel – already determined to be obedient before we face it.