Pray that the abortionists and all workers in abortion facilities would be troubled in their souls regarding their work and would seek truth.
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SCRIPTURE
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Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.
-- Ephesians 4:31-32
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, Point of View talk show
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We see the evil and oppression in the world, the arrogance of those who mock God, the millions of innocent lives destroyed because of the greed of a few.
Our flesh tells us that we should take justice in our own hands, but instead of vengeance, the Lord calls us to love our enemy, to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
God loves the abortionist and the Planned Parenthood advocate just as much as He loves you.
It breaks His heart to see them in bondage to sin and He is giving you this opportunity to introduce them to the Savior who sets the captive free.
Though you may not experience direct interaction with these souls, your presence will not go unnoticed. Your non-verbal communications speak volumes about the God you serve.
Forgiveness is an act of obedience to God (Colossians 3:13). Forgiveness is not condoning or overlooking the wrong behavior of others, but rather it is freeing ourselves so that God can work mightily through us to touch their hearts for Him.
Let's join our hearts with His in recognizing that those in the abortion industry are not the enemy, but rather they are blinded by the enemy.
God desires that we bring them the message of truth and hope found in Christ, but the messengers He will use are those willing to forgive
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PRAYER
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Dearest God, You tell us in Proverbs that the foolish and the wicked lack wisdom and understanding. I pray you will trouble the souls of those in the abortion industry so that they hunger for truth and cry out for freedom.
I pray that my life would reflect my redemption so others may see it and trust in You. In obedience to You, and by your grace, I choose to forgive others as you have forgiven me. In the name of Christ my Redeemer I pray, Amen.
In San Mateo, California, 40 Days for Life is front-page news -- much to the amazement of the volunteers taking part!
The local leaders of this first-time campaign thought they would never read a word about 40 Days for Life in the San Mateo County Times, but there it was: "Abortion protesters hold vigil outside San Mateo Planned Parenthood."
You can see for yourself at:
The headline calls it a protest, but it's a fair article that recognizes 40 Days for Life for what it is -- peaceful and prayerful.
The story contains the usual Planned Parenthood comment about "extremists," but the pictures in the paper show people standing quietly in prayer. Great job, San Mateo!
Other campaigns have seen their efforts portrayed -- favorably! -- on local TV newscasts.
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, KELO-TV made a point of reporting "that this isn't a protest; instead, they're calling it a prayer service." As vigil participant Jerry Mootz told the station, "I think there's a spiritual significance to it. That's why we pray. We're not demonstrating or pacing back and forth, that kind of thing." Planned Parenthood only got a token mention at the end of the story!
You can read the article and watch the video at:
Kudos to 40 Days for Life in Wausau, Wisconsin, whose story was aired on WSAU-TV. In this story the abortion clinic spokesman said he was worried about the people standing so close to the street!
The people outside are safe -- it's the little people inside who are in danger of death by abortion. But nice of them to care...
This story and video are also online at
In Jacksonville, Florida the campaign leaders were surprised to see they ended up as front-page news -- on the home page of Planned Parenthood of Northeast Florida! "They even gave the dates and that it will be 24/7," said Pat in Jacksonville. "We appreciate the widespread coverage that will get for us."
The web site http://www.plannedparenthoodnefl.org
refers to 40 Days for Life as an "anti-choice group." The abortion group asks for money, of course, and begs for volunteer escorts "to send a message to the anti-choice protesters."
Most amusing of all, the Planned Parenthood web site then offers a $20 coupon in an attempt to lure in new customers!
Finally today, I'd like to share a quick report I received from Tom in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Before 8:00am on the first day of their campaign, there were already two dozen people at the vigil!
Soon, however, one more person arrived -- a policeman. And he was almost apologetic for being there, since the disturbance call he'd received was obviously bogus. But he had to check it out.
"Someone called to complain," Tom said. "40 Days for Life is making an impact on Day 1... Praise God!"
Whatever you're doing, keep it up. It's working!
Today's devotional was prepared for you by Carmen Pate, a 40 Days for Life board member and the co-host of the nationally syndicated Point of View radio talk program.
Amen....