Posted on 02/12/2013 3:26:33 PM PST by Salvation
Vision and mission
40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.
The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion.
The 40 Days for Life campaign
40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a three-point program:
40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion.
The 40-day campaign tracks Biblical history, where God used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities ... and the entire world. From Noah in the flood to Moses on the mountain to the disciples after Christ's resurrection, it is clear that God sees the transformative value of His people accepting and meeting a 40-day challenge.
Prayer and fasting
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Want to end abortion? If you do, the first thing you must do is pray.
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Christ told us some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. The two go hand in hand. Prayer keeps us rooted in the fact that it is our desire to carry out God's will. Fasting is a sacrifice that helps us reach beyond our own limitations with God's help.
Pray outside an abortion facility. Pray at church. Pray at work. Pray in the car. Pray at home with your family.
Each day during 40 Days for Life, individuals, churches, families and groups will be asked to join together in prayer for a specific request so the entire Body of Christ can unite around a common focus.
These specific prayer requests will seek God's help for:
People of faith are also invited to fast throughout 40 Days for Life. Christ said there are demons that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. A fast is not a Christian diet; it is a powerful means of drawing closer to God by blocking out distractions.
Fast from certain foods. Fast from television. Fast from apathy and indifference. Fast from whatever it is that separates you from God.
We believe that when God’s people fast with a broken, repentant and contrite spirit, our heavenly Father will hear from heaven and heal our lives, our churches, our communities, our nation, and our world.
Peaceful vigil
The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a focused, 40-day, non-stop, round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a single Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in your community.
It is a peaceful and educational presence. Those who are called to stand witness during this 24-hour-a-day presence send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.
If you do not have an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office in your town, you can still conduct 40 Days for Life; however, you will need to select a different location which has some strategic significance – perhaps near city hall, a courthouse, or a highly visible intersection.
Community outreach
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During 40 Days for Life, the pro-life message is taken proactively to every corner of your community. Media outreach is conducted through carefully targeted news stories, talk shows, editorials and opinion pieces. |
This enables you to get the pro-life message out to many people who would never see the inside of a local church.
Church involvement begins by meeting with local pastors, other church leaders, and members of different congregations. The Body of Christ is invited to pray together and participate in 40 Days for Life, uniting in one focused mission that can save lives and make an eternal impact.
A door-to-door petition and education drive reaches out to every household in your town or city. Informational flyers are distributed in neighborhoods to raise awareness about the local crisis of abortion. Citizens are invited to sign a petition of support for the sanctity of human life, and people are given the opportunity to visibly show their support for 40 Days for Life by wearing wristbands, placing signs in their yards, or displaying bumper stickers on their vehicles.
This one activity alone can help a community rapidly identify hundreds, or even thousands, of pro-life supporters during the 40 days. These people can then be encouraged to pray and join local pro-life efforts.
If your community has a college campus, many students can be impacted through an intense 40-day campus outreach. This can consist of flyer raids, public witness, petition drives, table displays, and much more.
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The 40 Days for Life campaign is firmly rooted on a foundation of prayer and fasting. To help maintain focus on the Lord and stay in tune with His guidance, we have prepared a series of daily devotionals — one for each of the 40 days of the spring 2012 campaign. |
We fervently believe that prayer and fasting will end abortion, and your prayers are very much needed and appreciated. Please follow the links below to read and meditate upon these brief reflections.
Printable versions are available; please click the link at the bottom of each devotional.
©2013
— 40 Days for Life — www.40daysforlife.comDevotional for Preparation, February 12, 2013
Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life board of directors
Intention:
For God’s blessing upon the coming 40
Days for Life campaign.
Scripture:
If My people who are called by My
name will humble themselves, and
pray and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven, and forgive their sin and
heal their land.
— 2 Chronicles 7:14Reflection:
Not unlike God’s chosen people of Isr
ael,we must humble ourselves, pray,
seek His face, and turn from our wicked
ways, if we expect God to hear from
heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our
land. The need for repentance has not
been greater since the Supreme Court
decision of
Roe v. Wade in 1973.The number one cause of death in
America is the needless sacrifice of our
children at the altar of convenience
called abortion. Conservative estimates
put the number of deaths at nearly 55
million.
And lest we think this is an issue outside
the church walls, 43 percent of
women obtaining abortions identify
themselves as Protestant, and 27 percent
identify themselves as Catholic.
One in four women has at least one
abortion by the age of 45
– both non-Christian and Christian alike. Where
was the voice of Truth
– the church?Mary Comm of In Our Midst Ministries,
Inc. sums up the issue best as she
writes, “We (the church) have been an
unintentional accomplice to the millions
of lives lost and to the multiplied
millions of lives devastated by abor
tion.We didn’t want them to abort. We
didn’t mean for them to abort. But,
becauseof our lack of knowledge, because
of our fear, we have continued to
stand by and do nothing.
“We, God’s hands and feet in this dark
and hurting world, have been unintentional,
unknowledgeable accomplice,
but an accomplice nonetheless.”
May today mark the beginning of
change within the church, as God’s
people, in unity, seek His forgiveness.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we have turned our
backs on you and your principles in
your Word. We have allowed man to
usurp Your role as God over life and
the number of our days.
But we come to you in brokenness and
repentance over our sin.
We cry out for Your mercy and ask you
to remove the scourge of abortion from
our land. Use us as your vessels, Lord,
to bring the light of Your Truth to our
nation once again. Because of Christ we
pray, amen.
Disappointing that the Daily Devotionals have gone to a pdf format.
Dear ,
Yesterday, I spoke at the Jacksonville, Florida 40 Days
for Life kickoff rally and received an exciting report
from their local campaign leaders.
Since 2007 — when they began holding 40 Days for Life
campaigns there — abortion numbers in Jacksonville have
dropped by a staggering 23%, going down every single year:
* 2006 - 8,528
* 2007 - 8,437 (when 40 Days for Life started there)
* 2008 - 7,987
* 2009 - 7,294
* 2010 - 7,113
* 2011 - 6,876
* 2012 - 6,547 (these numbers were just reported)
Now, 6,547 abortions is still a tragic loss of life.
But since 40 Days for Life began in Jacksonville,
abortion numbers have fallen by almost 2,000 a year
— to God be the glory!!
As we launch a new campaign in 261 locations, imagine
what God will do in YOUR city!
One way to get the most out of this 40 Days for Life
campaign is to read one chapter each day from the
brand-new book, “40 Days for Life: Discover What God
Has Done ... Imagine What He Can Do”:
http://40daysforlife.com/book (lowest online price!)
This inspiring book was designed for your use during a
40 Days for Life campaign and is exceeding expectations
from the thousands who have already read it.
But don’t take my word for it! One reader said:
“This is a truly inspirational and heart-warming
book from cover to cover. The stories are so
touching and the short scriptures so perfect for
the stories they follow. I had doubted that the
book could live up to the praise that was heaped
on it, but it far exceeded expectations. Anyone
who could read this book without being deeply
touched does not have a heart.”
That’s just one of the 125+ five-star reviews posted on
Amazon.com — which announced the new book as a “Hot New
Release” and listed it as one of their best-selling
Christian books.
Read more of the reviews from real readers at:
But you can actually get the book for a lower price at:
You’ll read about:
* Hearts and minds changed
* Lives saved
* Abortion facilities closing down
* Abortion workers experiencing conversions
Now, let’s look forward to what God has in store for the
largest spring 40 Days for Life campaign EVER!
For Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: If you’d prefer to get the new book in case lots of
24 — with even bigger discounts — to share with others
during 40 Days for Life, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/multiplebooks
40 Days for Life
10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US
I’m on the road again today, after speaking at 40 Days
for Life kickoff events in Jacksonville and Pensacola,
Florida. The campaign officially starts TOMORROW ...
so NOW is the time for us all to make a decision.
40 Days for Life is merely an invitation. This campaign
cannot happen without a response to that invitation from
people like you. And that leaves just one question:
What will God do over these next 40 days in your
community ... and will you be part of it?
It is our hope that you will join hundreds of thousands
of others who have taken this journey of prayer and
fasting ... peaceful vigil ... and community outreach.
There are 261 locations in all, so please follow this
link and get involved in the closest campaign:
http://40daysforlife.com/location
Thousands of abortions are scheduled across the nation
and around the world — tomorrow ... and the next
day ... and the next. There is something we all can
do. We can pray and stand vigil.
Over these past few weeks, our local leaders have been
filling schedules with volunteers who will be a witness
to hope on the sidewalks.
Will you join them?
http://40daysforlife.com/location
These prayer vigils work ... as seen in Aurora,
Illinois, where an ex-Planned Parenthood employee
spoke — and a baby was saved — all at a 40 Days
for Life kickoff event!
The local leaders in Aurora said they were “amazed
and humbled” at their kickoff rally on a very chilly
morning as they listened to one particular guest
share her testimony — former Planned Parenthood
manager Ramona Trevino!
Ramona had a change of heart and quit her job at a
Planned Parenthood facility in Texas after a single
40 Days for Life campaign was held outside of her
office just two years ago!
They couldn’t have asked for a better start. During
the event, one of the sidewalk counselors told the
group that a woman they had spoken to had decided
not to go into the abortion center after all.
She had changed her mind!
“We will only triumph over the evil of abortion by
changing hearts,” said one of the volunteers, “which
we can only do by a loving, peaceful approach.”
To see the photos of the Aurora kickoff, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/
The abortion industry is responding aggressively to
the threat to their profits. The vigil in Tempe will
be held outside a Planned Parenthood facility that
has increased its hours of operation by 40% ... and
has apparently added additional abortion days to its
weekly schedule.
“Now is the time to bring a cloud of witness,” said
Lisa in Tempe. “We need to lift up our prayers and
put all our trust in Jesus.” If more people stand
witness, others will see this display of faith —
and they in turn will join the vigil as well.
“I pray that God will call you to take at least one
hour for each week of this campaign,” she said. “One
hour, once a week, for 40 days can save lives ...
and souls.”
Can you spare an hour to pray in front of a Planned Parenthood or other abortion facility during the 40 Days for Life that starts tomorrow on Ash Wednesday?
I took it upon myself to look into this for our right to life group here in Gallia Co., Ohio. We had our monthly meeting last night, and I presented the information I had gathered and suggested Columbus for our destination (closest abortion clinic to us—2 hours away one way!).
My suggestion was enthusiastically received, and now I am going to check into coming up with a time frame that would be feasible for many of our group to travel up to Columbus during the 40 Days campaign. My daughter (almost 15) has volunteered to go with us. She recently went with me to Washington for the March for Life and has been inspired to do more.
For many of us, making this trip is not easy due to distance (I guess not having an abortion clinic nearby is a plus if you think about it), but I am considering it part of my Lenten journey towards pushing myself out of my comfort zone in a spiritual sense.
God bless you and your daughter and all the other pray-ers abundantly.
©2013
— 40 Days for Life — www.40daysforlife.comDevotional for Day 1, February 13, 2013
David Brandao, Communications Director, 40 Days for Life
Intention:
That we may use these 40 Days for Life
to plead for God’s mercy and grace u
ponall those involved in the sin of abortion.
Scripture:
Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a
fast, call an assembly. Gather the people,
notify the congregation. Assemble
the elders; gather the children and the
infants at the breast… Let the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, weep and
say, "Spare, O Lord, your people.”
—
Joel 2:15-17Reflection:
The toll of abortion cannot be measured.
We hear estimates of almost 55
million in
nocent victims, but that’s onlyone aspect of the harm that has unfold
edin abortion’s wake. There are also
the mothers and fathers of these millions,
as well as the grandparents,
brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles,
cousins. Unborn lives destroyed. Lives
of the living shattered.
It’s overwhelming and depressing, but
even in the midst of such unfathomable
darkness, the church teaches us to have
hope. Yes, it was indeed Calvary that
followed Christ’s 40 days in the desert,
but without Calvary there would have
been no Resurrection
– His victoryover death that opened the gates of
heaven to those who believe in and follow
Him.
The psalmist encourages us to go humbly
before God as we seek His will:
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within
me… Give me back the joy of your
salvation and a willing spirit sustain
in me… O Lord, open my lips, and
my mouth shall proclaim your
praise (Psalm 51:12-17).
We are called to be God’s messengers;
or as the Apostle Paul wrote:
We are ambassadors for Christ, as if
God were appealing through us. We
implore you on behalf of Christ: be
reconciled to God (2 Corinthians
5:20).
That is the true message to all we encounter
at the abortion centers and in
our communities who have been deceived
by the Culture of Death. We
don’t bring condemnation; we bring
God’s good news.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask for the strength, courage,
wisdom, determination and stamina to
carry out this mission according to
Your will.
Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and
proclaim Your truth, always doing so
with a spirit of love and compassion, as
was demonstrated to us through the
work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His
name we pray, amen.
Last night, I spoke at a kickoff event near Houston ...
and David Bereit, our national director, spoke at an
opening rally in Fairfax, Virginia.
Those are just two of the 261 locations that start
40 Days for Life at a time when many Christians are
entering the season of Lent to prepare their hearts
for the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.
Just recently, I told you about a city where the
abortion center, where faithful volunteers had intended
to peacefully pray for 40 days, had CLOSED and gone out
of business.
Well, we just confirmed that it happened AGAIN!!!
This time, prayer volunteers in Greensboro, North
Carolina were getting ready for their second peaceful
vigil outside the Woman’s Choice abortion facility. But
now, those plans have changed.
This abortion center has also SHUT ITS DOORS and
is not relocating!
“All glory to God!” said one of those volunteers. “All
the furniture is gone,” she said. “They left like a
thief in the night.”
This now makes TWENTY-EIGHT abortion centers where
40 Days for Life vigils have taken place that are
now totally shut down.
There’s a second abortion facility in Greensboro,
so the local 40 Days for Life team is quickly making
plans to move their peaceful vigil to the public right
of way outside that business.
“All praise and thanks to Christ our King for this
great gift,” the Greensboro team announced. “Come and
pray with us at our new location!”
If you’ve not taken part in 40 Days for Life before,
I hope this shows what can happen when you put your
trust in God and step forward in faith.
Find the 40 Days for Life campaign nearest you by
going to:
http://40daysforlife.com/location
Look for your nearest location, click on that city’s
name, and then sign up to get involved however you can.
Karen, I’d like to invite you to join the
journey — and look forward to seeing what additional
blessings God has in store!
Thank you for this wonderful posting, Salvation. We are up and running here in Dayton, Ohio and had a good steady group of prayer warriors in front of the abortion facility today. May God hear every prayer that is lifted up during these 40 days and beyond, and may there be lives saved as well as lives changed. God bless!
Amen to your prayer.
After just the first day of this 40 Days for Life
campaign, many locations are reporting record turnouts
for their opening events ...
... and babies SAVED from abortion!
Here’s a story of a life spared from abortion at a
40 Days for Life kickoff ...
More than 500 people — including families with their
children — came to stand and pray outside Planned
Parenthood as part of the Orange County kickoff.
“As the prayer ended, we witnessed the first baby
saved of this 40 Days for Life 2013 campaign,” said
Alejandra in Orange County. “A woman came out of
Planned Parenthood and as we approached her, she
told us that she couldn’t abort her baby. She had
tears in her eyes. All glory to God!”
The prayer volunteers learned that the woman was in
her seventh week of pregnancy. She has four other
children and thought her family didn’t have sufficient
resources to care for the new baby.
“We reassured her that this life was precious and
wanted by God — and that we would be there for her
and help her,” Alejandra said. “With God, everything
is possible.”
To see some photos of the Orange County kickoff event,
please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3894
A record turnout of more than 170 at the 40 Days for
Life kickoff event showed the local pro-life effort
is going strong. As was the case in California,
there was a strong family presence.
“Collaboration is what we need to focus on,” said
Cecilia Tombelli, the local campaign director. “Alone,
we will not succeed. But with God — and by working
together — we will.”
A representative of Right to Life of Michigan shared
encouraging news. Five Michigan abortion centers
have closed in the past 15 months, including a
facility in Lansing — a closure that followed a
three-year prayer effort.
David Bereit, 40 Days for Life’s national director,
helped kick off the tenth campaign in Fairfax — a
community in Northern Virginia, not far from
Washington, DC.
At an event near the abortion center where the
peaceful vigil will be held, David encouraged the
volunteers to accept a challenge — 40 hours of
prayer at the vigil over the next 40 days.
“Many of us put in 40 hours a week — or more — at
work. Students put in around 40 hours a week on their
schooling,” he said, “and we do that every week! Why
can’t we make the sacrifice of coming out to pray
40 hours over these 40 days? It could be one hour
every day — or two hours every other day. We know
the need for prayer — here outside the abortion
facility — is great.”
Here’s the link to the list of cities. Click on the
one nearest you — and sign up for the vigil:
http://40daysforlife.com/location
To see a picture of the Fairfax rally, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3894
©2013
— 40 Days for Life, Inc. — www.40daysforlife.comDevotional for Day 2, February 14, 2013
Kevin Burke, Executive Director, Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries
Intention:
May the King of the Universe, who entered
this world as a helpless infant,
give us the humility to be healed.
Scripture:
My power is made perfect in weakness.
—
2 Corinthians 12:9Reflection:
The great mystery of the Humility of
God is very near and dear to the mission
of those serving in pro life and in a
special way, post abortion ministries
across this nation.
For those wounded by their participation
in abortion, the door to healing often
feels like crossing an abyss of great
fear: fear of judgment, fear of being
torn apart by the pain, by self hatred
and rage at those who hurt and abandoned
you, and manipulated you in
your time of temptation.
For men in particular, entering the unknown
waters of emotional vulnerability,
so necessary to healing calls for a
different kind of courage that feels deceptively
like weakness.
The door to healing is humility.
It is born in the inability to no longer
control the pain, to live with the consequences
of that tragic decision to reject
life. The hearts cries out, “I have co
mmitteda grave offense against my Creator
and I am consumed by regret, grief
and sorrow!”
During these forty days let us pray for
all who have participated in abortion
and with love call them to healing and
reconciliation. With healing these
women and men can become as John
Paul II proclaimed in the Gospel of Life,
“the most eloquent defenders of ever
yone'sright to life.”
Jesus pr
oclaimed, “I am the Vine, youare the branches” (John
15:5). To bearthe greatest fruit, the branches must be
pruned. Each level of pruning of the
vine requires a deeper level of humility
so that we can abandon ourselves to
His will.
This is not a lofty theological concept
as much as it is an earthy experience of
pulling weeds, tilling rocky soil, prun
ingand healing the vines. “If a man
wishes to come after me, he must deny
his very self, take up his cross, and
begin to follow in my footsteps” (Ma
tthew16:24).
Prayer:
Lord, during these forty days, we ask
that with each day of this sacred vigil,
everything in us that separates us from
your perfect will would be pruned from
our hearts and souls.
In this blessed freedom may we experience
a powerful anointing of your Holy
Spirit. Filled with confidence and
trust may we proclaim with the mother
of Jesus, “Let it be done to me, accor
dingto your Word.”
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