40 DAYS FOR LIFE - DAY 32 - Help America Return to a Culture of Life

http://www.40DaysforLife.com ^ | October 24, 2009 | Faith

[Faith]

40 Days for Life consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion,
40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices
and 40 days of active pro-life community outreach.

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters... and the land was polluted with blood. Then the anger of the lord was kindled against his people, and He abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hands of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. (See Psalm 106:37-43)

Your community may be participating in this prayerful vigil.
If so, please join others in your area
or unite with thousands across America
during these 40 days in Autumn
as we pray for an end to abortion in this nation.

[Faith]

DAY 32 INTENTION

Pray that we display an attitude of humility as we stand in peaceful vigil, as we fast, as we knock on doors in our communities. Though we proudly proclaim Christ's truth, may our boasting be only in His grace.

SCRIPTURE

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

-- Proverbs 6:16-19

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, Point of View

The Lord who made us knows us well. I can't help but think that perhaps as He inspired these words, He knew that our tendency might be to make the judgment call on which sins should be labeled as detestable.

He wants us to be absolutely clear, however, that the sinfulness of man encompasses much more than the external sins that we easily identify.

Lest we assign a particular sin as that of an abortionist, or a worker in an abortion facility, or an abortion activist, the Holy Spirit insured that our sin of pride would be listed first.

In this passage that speaks of eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet we realize than every part of our being is subject to the curse of sin.

We all need Jesus Christ who saved us from the penalty of sin, saves us from the practice of sin as we abide in Him, and will one day remove us from the presence of sin. Praise His Holy name!

Proper self-esteem in a follower of Christ is a matter of recognizing and confronting yourself in your humanity, including the tendency to sin. It is also a matter of embracing Jesus' work on the cross -- His grace that covers a multitude of sins.

The Apostle Paul sums it up best in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18: "But he who glories let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends."

PRAYER

Dear Father, guard my heart. Prick my conscience and may I be receptive to your rebuke at any moment I drift towards pride. May I remember in fear and trembling that You cause the proud to fall, but the humble You raise up.

Lord, may I never forget my true identity is in Christ and that apart from Him I am nothing. By His grace, I pray, Amen.

[Faith]

Merciful God,

Were it not for Your grace, we ourselves might be the ones in need of rescuing from a death in the womb. Help us to recognize our responsibility to defend those who cannot defend themselves, for as we do this unto the least of these, we do it unto You. Grant us the strength to stand against evil in any form. In the Name of Jesus Christ, who died that all might have life, Amen.

[Kitty Mittens]

Amen to your Prayer and Post, Dear Sister Faith. Praying with you, with Thanksgiving for your Ministry.

'Arise for our Help, and Redeem us for Thy Mercies' Sake.' (Ps.44:26)

[Salvation]

Today's heartbreaking stories of women who have experienced abortions.

Today's short video report comes from the front lines
in Lexington, Kentucky:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=447

During this powerful 6-minute video, you will hear
from several faithful 40 Days for Life volunteers
about why they are involved, including:

 * An Evangelical pastor whose brother was almost
   aborted...
 
 * A mother of a Down's syndrome son...
 
 * ...And a post-abortive woman who was on the verge
   of suicide before getting involved in 40 Days for
   Life and finding healing in Jesus Christ

Throughout this 40 Days for Life campaign, God has
blessed us with more than 400 stories of babies
spared from abortion -- and mothers spared from
abortion's aftermath.

We also know, of course, that too many women
unfortunately continue to make a very poor "choice"
when it comes to the lives of their unborn children.

We stand and pray for them as well.

One of those women had an abortion at a Planned
Parenthood center. The very next day, a friend was at
the clinic, and spoke to the people praying at the
40 Days for Life vigil.

The woman who had the abortion, the friend said, "was
now depressed and not like her usual self at all."

Another woman arrived at the 40 Days for Life vigil
in Manchester, New Hampshire last week. Vigil
participants watched as she walked up with flowers
and laid them against the clinic fence. She had been
there just weeks before -- for an abortion.

"People praying on the sidewalk spoke to her and
offered her words of hope," said Julie in Manchester.
"It appears that this woman feels very badly about
the abortion she had. Please pray for her, and know
that your prayers may have led to her change of
heart."

From coast to coast, people with abortion experiences
are joining the 40 Days for Life campaign in an
effort to let women know that abortion leaves a
lasting imprint -- and to let those who have had
abortions know that Christ forgives and Christ heals.

To see a photo from the 40 Days for Life campaign in
Miami that illustrates this outreach, go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=447

Abortion is often portrayed as a "women's issue." But
of course, every abortion impacts both a mother AND a
father.

Six men were praying outside the abortion center in
San Antonio, Texas one night at 10:30. At that hour,
of course, the clinic was closed. But a car pulled
into the parking lot, and a young couple got out and
wanted to talk.

The man told the 40 Days for Life vigil participants
that before he became a Christian, he had taken a
former girlfriend there for an abortion. He is now
painfully aware that abortion is a sin.

"The man asked us to pray for him," said one of the
vigil participants. So they did, "asking that God
would grant him peace and forgiveness." The couple
then drove into the night.

Thankfully, he is on the road to healing. Others
still need to find the way.

That is one of the reasons that Operation Outcry --
http://www.operationoutcry.org -- a post-abortion
healing outreach, is calling on its friends to join
40 Days for Life vigils all across America today as
part of "Operation Outcry day" of this campaign.

Theirs is a story that must be told -- and must be
heard by those who are contemplating the life-
changing decision to abort.

We know what happens when no one is there to share
the truth.

A car pulled up next to the 40 Days for Life vigil in
Houston, Texas recently, and the woman inside
motioned for vigil participants to come over. One
person walked over, and quickly saw that the woman in
the car was crying.

When she was 27 years old, she had an abortion at
this same Planned Parenthood facility -- a decision
she regrets tremendously.

If someone -- anyone -- had been there praying, she
said, she would not have gone through with the
abortion. But no one was there.

Your presence in prayer at a 40 Days for Life vigil
really does make a difference!

[Pegita]

February 1997 - National Prayer Breakfast in Washington attended by the President and the First Lady. "What is taking place in America," she said, "is a war against the child. And if we accept that the mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another." Mother Teresa ...

[wagglebee]

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