Posted on 04/06/2009 9:07:49 AM PDT by Faith
SCRIPTURE
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. On this rock I will build my church; the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
-- Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
When we read this verse, we usually think that the Lord is promising that the church, which is His Body, will withstand all the attacks launched against it.
Of course, that is true. But when we think about it more carefully, we realize that in a battle, the gates do not run out into the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still to defend the city from the enemy attacking it.
So when the Lord says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, who is doing the attacking?
It is the church storming the gates!
The church, all of God's people in Christ, is called to take the offensive, to run into enemy territory, and to gain ground for Jesus Christ.
We do not wait for an invitation; we already have a command.
We prepare, but we do not wait for circumstances to be perfect; we already have one who has gone before us.
During these 40 days, we have stormed the gates. We have taken the offensive. We have pushed forward the boundaries of the kingdom. And we must keep doing so, in numerous ways.
Indeed, the gates of hell will not prevail. The gates of falsehood will flee in the presence of truth. The gates of sin will melt in the presence of grace. The gates of death will fall in the presence of the church, the People of Life!
PRAYER
Father, we praise you. We have heard the voice of your Son, and therefore we can make our voices heard.
We have done battle with the power of evil, and therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip. We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness, and therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light.
May the witness of all your people through these 40 Days for Life bear abundant fruit, and may we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until You welcome us into the gates of heaven.
We pray in the victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
As long as we have breath, may we praise You and seek Your intervention in our beloved nation. Until the time when every child is loved and wanted and brought to birth, we shall continue in prayer, both sure and steadfast. We exalt You, Great God, for Your powerful answers as we come to Your Holy Throne of Grace, seeking Your very best, and standing in the gap for these precious children. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Praising the Lord for the many blessings these 40 days have brought!! May this create a continued and increased effort of prayer for LIFE. After all, this is truly, first and foremost, a spiritual battle waged in the heavenlies and then waged here in a physical realm. May all the prayer warriors remember to always be equipped and wearing their armour (Eph 6) through this battle!! Never forget the import of daily refreshing and renewal with personal time with the Lord as a preventative against the enemy. Always pray protection over you, yours and anything related to you. (I find Ps 91 a blessing.) Satan will do all he can to step up his battle against those who are waging this war. In-roads have been made into territory he has long held and he will not go down without a fight. He battled the movement, almost successfully in the past 2 years by using the spirit of division (divisiveness) to split the movement. Those who have been a part of this battle know...the side skirmishes he has set up to deflect the advances >>> illness, job loss, vehicle break downs, accidents, relationship stresses and breakdowns, loss of property, etc. When these happen, 'dig-in'. KNOW they are being brought to pull you out of the war and into a sidebattle. Muster prayer support from family in God around you (and here), and keep on keeping on. Do not be deflected! STAND! Stand strong!! ALways remember, because we belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lord....in the end >>> HE WINS! The VICTORY IS GOD's and thus the victory is ours! My prayers go up for all you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. May God always be with you, before you and behind you (your rear-guard!). Love in Christ, MtnFlwr
God Bless You and Amen!!!
Mountain Flower, I join you in praise and thanksgiving for the blessings of the 40 Days campaign. You are absolutely right---this is a tremendous spiritual battle and we must break down the strongholds that the devil has established. And yes, satan does try every way he can to keep us from working for the Lord, including attacking our family members. How blessed we are that the Lord, the Great God of the Universe, is with us and will strengthen us and help us and uphold us with His righteous right hand. Thank you, Mountain Flower, for the blessing you and Salvation have been to the unborn and for the wonderful words of exhortation and encouragement you have provided. May God reward your faithfulness.
AWESOME!!! I just learned this morning that a female worker in the abortion clinic where we prayed has QUIT HER JOB!!!!! It was a direct response to God’s work in her as the prayers were being lifted up during the 40 Days Campaign.
How Blessed is the Name of the Lord!!!
There’s an article on the site that says that 17 workers quit during these 40 days!
I think wagglebee posted it.
That is tremendous. Abortion workers have blood on their hands no matter if they are there for security reasons, are answering the phones, or are present to assist in the “killing” rooms. May God convict every one of their hearts.
'To Him be Glory both Now and Forever.' (2Pet.3:18)
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