©2013
40 Days for Life, Inc. www.40daysforlife.comDevotional for Day 15, February 27, 2013
Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life board of directors
Intention:
Pray that we will not become defeated
by the enemys attacks but rather call
on the name of the Lord who is on our
side and our help in time of trouble.
Scripture:
What if the Lord had not been on our
side when people attacked us? They
would have swallowed us alive in their
burning anger. Praise the Lord, who
did not let their teeth tear us apart! Our
help is from the Lord, who made heaven
and earth.
Psalm 124:2,3,6,8Reflection:
The enemy attacks in many ways, but
one of his favorites is to slander us
with hopes of tarnishing our reputation
and character, and ultimately to defeat
our good work for the Lord.
It is interesting to note however that it
is usually not the slander that causes
harm to our testimony, but our response
to the slander. Proverbs 24:10
says, If you faint in the day of advers
ityyour strength is small.
I
f we are applying Gods truths to ourlives moment by moment, we are not
swayed by the lies of the enemy and we
will be strong. Standing on the front
lines, armed with Gods truth, places
you in the battlefield for the mind.
As you are prepared to present words
of love, for the sake of the unborn and
for the distraught and confused women
and men who are entering the abortion
facilities, know that the enemy has
prepared his forces to attack your
mind.
Unkind words from a protester, or vicious
lies in the local paper about who
you are and what your mission is, can
indeed be hurtful.
But rather than give in to defeat, that is
the time to shine for the Lord, standing
firm, as you call on Him to defeat the
enemy.
Remember the words of Romans 8:31,
If God is for us, who can be against
us? Lets stand st
rong for those whoneed us most.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to ignore the verbal
attacks of the enemy and instead turn
to You, our refuge and strength.
Help us to find shelter in the blessed
promises and provisions of Your Word.
Thank you that no enemy can defeat us,
and we praise You knowing that nothing
can separate us from Your love. In
the name of Jesus, we come to You,
amen.
Theres a theme that ties together todays update -- God hears your prayer ... and He answers.
Heres what I mean .
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EUGENE, OREGON
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I want to spread some very awesome news!!!
Thats the email I received from Lynda in Eugene complete with all three exclamation marks. The Bours Health Center the abortion facility where faithful volunteers have prayed during EIGHT 40 Days for Life campaigns has shut its doors.
Vigil participants watched as signs, drapes and banners came down. Later that day, we rejoiced, praising the Lord and hugging and high-fiving during our 40 Days for Life meeting, Lynda said.
The centers web site announces its closing and refers any potential clients to a Planned Parenthood facility in town. So, the Eugene team is planning to move its prayer vigil to Planned Parenthood!
God bless! Lynda said. And share the good news!!!
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PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLOSURES
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One year ago this Friday, our national director David Bereit and I boarded a plane for Iowa where it was quite frigid.
We were on our way to Storm Lake, Iowa where a former Planned Parenthood manager, who was forced out of her job after 17 years, had prayed long and hard before deciding to do the unthinkable ...
she led a 40 Days for Life campaign outside her former workplace!
As a result of this prayerful campaign and her leadership, Planned Parenthood was forced to close that location on March 1, 2012. The closure was an embarrassment for Planned Parenthood, which tried its best to downplay the impact of this courageous former worker.
Their plan was to just send their clients to their center down the road in Spencer, Iowa.
Not quite a full year after closing the Storm Lake facility, Planned Parenthood just announced they are now closing that location in Spencer!
In fact, Planned Parenthood has just announced its intention to close six of its facilities Spencer plus another location in Iowa, as well as four others in Wisconsin.
These are not locations where 40 Days for Life vigils have taken place, but its certainly good news. Its a huge blessing and proof to me and many faithful volunteers that prayer is effective.
There have been numerous 40 Days for Life campaigns in both of these states, and these closures show momentum is continuing to build momentum directly related to this movement of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion.
The former worker in Storm Lake is Sue Thayer. She is now a leading voice against the controversial new procedure known as webcam abortions, where an abortionist in one location examines a client over the internet before pressing a button that dispenses the abortion pill for the woman in a distant facility.
Sues courage and this controversial new abortion technique both challenge us to do more.
Her journey shows what God has done and acts as an invitation to us. Sues invitation to trust God is featured in Chapter 37 of the 40 Days for Life book.