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Day 21 - October 16

Intention:

Pray that we each will daily put on the full armor of God, so that we are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Scripture:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.

- Ephesians 6:12-13

Reflection:

I am confounded to see how the battle over the issue of life is perceived more often in churches today as political rather than spiritual. Ironically, the enemy has used this twisted perception to silence many in the body of Christ. We must see the battle for what it is and if we are to be prepared to face the spiritual enemy on the issue of abortion, we must daily "put on" the armor God has given us:

Gird your waist with Truth (vs. 14) - Commit your emotions to believe truth and to speak truth, regardless of the repercussions.
Put on the breastplate of Righteousness (vs. 14) -It will protect our hearts - the innermost springs of our beings - from all unrighteousness so evident in this fallen world.
Shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. (vs. 15) -Preparation is vital if we are to be effective in God's work.
Taking the shield of faith (vs.16) - The Accuser will instill doubt, fear, and guilt. Faith acts as an invisible shield that deflects such false accusations.
Taking the Helmet of salvation (vs.17) - A helmet protects the head, the brain and in turn our mind and thoughts. Satan hopes we will set aside divine revelation for human reasoning.
Taking the sword of the Spirit (vs.17) - The Word of God, the only offensive weapon in this armor, was used by the Lord Jesus against Satan. The living Word is powerful and effective.

Our armor is complete. We are ready to wage war, and the next verse tells us how, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit." (vs.18)

Prayer:

Dear Lord, as you lead us into the spiritual battle of abortion may we be reminded that the battle is truly Yours. We thank you for equipping us with Your armor. Lead us daily to put it on! Thank you for allowing us to serve under your command, and for hearing our requests for direction and protection. Thank you for the victory that is ours because of Your Son Jesus, amen.

Carmen Pate
40 Days for Life board of directors

Let’s face it. We need the full armor of God!

With some of the things people have had to deal with
while peacefully praying for an end to abortion, it’s
important to remember this is a spiritual battle.

People praying at the vigil have seen the occasional
negative reaction — rude words and gestures from
people driving by, for instance. But thankfully, the
Lord provides His grace so we may respond to such
anger with Christ-like love.

CANTON, OHIO

There’s a sign-carrying protester who yells at vigil
participants in Canton. Among other things, he insists
that Planned Parenthood does not do abortions.

True, Planned Parenthood does not do abortions at all
of its facilities — but the nation’s largest abortion
chain most certainly refers abortion-minded women to
other locations ... and its annual abortion toll is
330,000.

Volunteers tried to explain Planned Parenthood’s
agenda, but he wouldn’t listen. “The devil is lying
to you,” he screamed. “They do good things here.” He
refused to take literature — “propaganda,” he called
it — and shouted that people praying outside the
abortion center faced eternal punishment “for bearing
false witness.”

When a large prayer group’s vigil time ended and
they were preparing to go, he yelled at them, “Is
your party over?”

Linda, the coordinator in Canton, said this man
clearly “needs our prayers. We pray that the Holy
Spirit will enlighten him to the true purpose of
Planned Parenthood,” she said. “Pray that we continue
to show the love of Jesus with everyone we meet at
Planned Parenthood.”

To see one of the signs the Canton protester carries,
please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3512

SEVILLE, SPAIN

A woman walked up to one of the prayer volunteers and
looked at her “pray for an end to abortion” sign. “How
brutal,” she said. “The law is the law.”

The woman grabbed the sign, snarled that this was
harassment — and broke the sign. “I said that I was
not harassing anybody, but was only peacefully praying,”
the volunteer said.

As she went into the abortion center, the angry woman
said she was going to call the police. “I called the
police,” said the vigil participant, “and they told me
I wasn’t infringing any law.”

After a while, the woman came out. “She told me she
was a psychologist and that we were inflicting a lot
of damage on women who were going to freely abort
their children with defects,” said the 40 Days for
Life participant.

“In Seville we are very much alone,” she said. “I
saw the devil in the eyes of those people and in the
people at the doorway who laughed at me while shaking
their heads with hateful grimaces.”

RENO, NEVADA

Last week, I mentioned the pointy yucca plants
outside an abortion center in Atlanta. That reminded
me that the abortionist in Reno has a row of very
prickly cactus plants along the fence at his business.

Despite the cactus — and professionally-printed signs
with messages such as “Pray to end sidewalk bullying”
— praying, even at this place, can be a very peaceful
experience. The presence of the Holy Spirit can be
felt despite it all.

To see the fence, the cactus plants — and young people
peacefully praying at the Reno vigil along with a baby
in a stroller, go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3512