# 40 DAYS for Life . . .



## Laela (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi all... Happy MLK Day!

At service on Sunday, we agreed in prayer with other Believers nationwhide against abortion, and for all those whose lives have been affected by abortion ... if anyone is interested, here's a link to the upcoming campaign. There are local local events as well, so you can click on the map to see what's going on in your area!

http://40daysforlife.com/location.cfm


_We can do all things through Christ, who givs us the strength..._

_*ETA: link had been changed on this site; corrected it*_


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## Shimmie (Jan 22, 2013)

Laela said:


> Hi all... Happy MLK Day!
> 
> At service on Sunday, we agreed in prayer with other Believers nationwhide against abortion, and for all those whose lives have been affected by abortion ... if anyone is interested, here's a link to the upcoming campaign. There are local local events as well, so you can click on the map to see what's going on in your area!
> 
> ...



Laela...

Thank you for sharing this.   So many women are heartbroken over a decision that they made mainly from 'fear' and other pressures to have an abortion, only to regret their decision later.  

What you are sharing is 'Loving them through the pain' and guiding them to sure deliverance and receiving their forgiveness in God with all of His heart for them.   

Your post is so confirming as I've been involved with the following Ministries as well which relate to this. 

http://www.ifapray.org/

http://www.causes.com/causes/320777...vity_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=causes

God bless you for your loving heart and for taking a stand for 'Life'.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 22, 2013)

The National March for Life is taking place in Washington DC this Friday with a vigil at the National Shrine the night before.  They are expecting record-breaking crowds (more than those who attended the inauguration).  Of course, the media doesn't really cover it.  

http://www.marchforlife.org/

Abortion is a grave evil and until we as a society face up to it, this country (and others) will continue to go down the tubes.  To paraphrase Mother Teresa, if a mother can kill her own child, what stops me from killing you?  Nothing.


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## Shimmie (Jan 22, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> The National March for Life is taking place in Washington DC this Friday with a vigil at the National Shrine the night before.  They are expecting record-breaking crowds (more than those who attended the inauguration).  Of course, the media doesn't really cover it.
> 
> http://www.marchforlife.org/
> 
> Abortion is a grave evil and until we as a society face up to it, this country (and others) will continue to go down the tubes.  To paraphrase Mother Teresa, if a mother can kill her own child, what stops me from killing you?  Nothing.



  Hi Lady Belle...

I truly believe that if abortion were not so readily available, many would reconsider being so 'free' with unmarried sex.   The seeded 'thought' is already planted that they have an option 'out' should they become pregnant, which is abortion with no questions asked.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 22, 2013)

Shimmie said:


> Hi Lady Belle...
> 
> I truly believe that if abortion were not so readily available, many would reconsider being so 'free' with unmarried sex.   The seeded 'thought' is already planted that they have an option 'out' should they become pregnant, which is abortion with no questions asked.



I'm going to take it one step further 

*Contraception *is actually what leads people to be so free and promiscuous.  As we all know, contraception fails and when that happen, abortion becomes the back up plan.  In _Humanae Vitae_, Pope Paul VI predicted in 1968 the general moral decline of society if contraception became accepted and widely available.  He said:

1. Contraception would lead to conjugal infidelity. CHECK

2. Contraceptive practice would lead to a “general lowering of morality.” CHECK

3. Contraception would lead men to cease respecting woman in their totality and would cause them to treat women as “mere instruments of selfish enjoyment” rather than as cherished partners. CHECK

4. And finally, widespread acceptance of contraception by couples would lead to a massive imposition of contraception by unscrupulous governments. CHECK

Christian churches were unified on the topic of contraception being immoral until about the 1930s when the Anglican church broke away.  Now, you would be hard pressed to find most Christians today think that there's anything wrong with contraception.

I know,  I know, it seems so backwards and antiquated.  What's the big deal?  However, if we really think about how contraception really undermines man and woman from becoming *one flesh* and *bearing fruit*, we see how wrong it is.  I know most would disagree with me (even on the Christian forum) but IMO contraception is really the first step down the slope to moral decline.  

I should add that I don't think people have to have 10 babies LOL.  I believe in natural family planning.  Most of us are too lazy though to figure out how our bodies work and how to regulate our fertility naturally. 

ETA: Contraception itself can be an abortifacient.  Women can ovulate on the pill but the way the pill primarily works is to keep the lining of the uterus thin and not primed to support a pregnancy.  If a woman ovulates and that egg is fertilized, that embryo is prevented from implanting when it normally would.  If you believe life begins at conception, then clearly that is a big no-no.


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## Laela (Jan 23, 2013)

Awesome, Shimmie... thanks for sharing your link as well... God bless all those who are also standing for 'Life'...




			
				Shimmie;17759509Your post is so confirming as I've been involved with the following Ministries as well which relate to this. 
 
[URL said:
			
		

> http://www.ifapray.org/[/URL]
> 
> http://www.causes.com/causes/320777...vity_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=causes
> 
> God bless you for your loving heart and for taking a stand for 'Life'.


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## Laela (Jan 23, 2013)

Belle Du Jour ..thanks for the link on this weekend's event...I'm glad there is more than one way to show support. ITA with you on contraception!


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 23, 2013)

Laela said:


> Belle Du Jour ..thanks for the link on this weekend's event...I'm glad there is more than one way to show support. *ITA with you on contraception*!



Thanks for saying that.  
It was like, crickets chirping over here.


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## Laela (Jan 23, 2013)

It's such a 'controversial' topic for Christians these days...it's unfortunate, because  times have changed so drastically from days of old. Thankfully, God remains the same 


 @ _'crickets'_.. that's the CF for ya.. lol


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## Nice & Wavy (Jan 23, 2013)

Laela said:


> It's such a 'controversial' topic for Christians these days...it's unfortunate, because  times have changed so drastically from days of old. Thankfully, God remains the same
> 
> 
> @ _'crickets'_.. that's the CF for ya.. lol


Love you, Laela!   Thanks so much for posting this!


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## menina (Jan 23, 2013)

Good points in here ladies.

While i agree that certain tools make it easier to commit certain sins, i know that they are not the cause of people committing those sins. People have been committing all types of sexual sin before modern contraception. I blame the flesh.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 23, 2013)

menina said:


> Good points in here ladies.
> 
> While i agree that certain tools make it easier to commit certain sins, i know that they are not the cause of people committing those sins. People have been committing all types of sexual sin before modern contraception. I blame the flesh.



Access to contraception has facilitated the process of sinning, however the Church still teaches that use is also a sin.  There is also Biblical precedent against contracepting (if you recall the story of Onan, who basically withdrew before he completed intercourse).  The devil is so clever!  He basically subverted a truth that all Christians believed until recently and has basically made the average person think it's "no big deal."  

Look at it this way: some churches are now performing gay marriages ie the National Cathedral.  I wonder if 80 years from now, people will look at it like they look at contraception--no big deal.   Christians need to get hold of themselves!  This is not the time to be falling asleep on "little" issues that are actually life and death issues--lamps need to be trimmed and ready.


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## menina (Jan 23, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> Access to contraception has facilitated the process of sinning, however the Church still teaches that use is also a sin. There is also Biblical precedent against contracepting (if you recall the story of Onan, who basically withdrew before he completed intercourse). The devil is so clever! He basically subverted a truth that all Christians believed until recently and has basically made the average person think it's "no big deal."
> 
> Look at it this way: some churches are now performing gay marriages ie the National Cathedral. I wonder if 80 years from now, people will look at it like they look at contraception--no big deal.  Christians need to get hold of themselves! This is not the time to be falling asleep on "little" issues that are actually life and death issues--lamps need to be trimmed and ready.


 
i understand the church's stance on certain contraceptions and support the use of natural birth control methods. However i'm not convinced that it's sin to use other types of birth control. Preventing pregnancy is preventing pregnancy.

I also agree that we need to stay aware of satan's tactics in these last days. Unfortunately things seem to get worse before people will wake up and acknowledge the truth.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 24, 2013)

menina said:


> i understand the church's stance on certain contraceptions and support the use of natural birth control methods. However i'm not convinced that it's sin to use other types of birth control. *Preventing pregnancy is preventing pregnancy.*



That's what I used to think too except the truth is, failed contraception is why many go on to have an abortion and hormonal contraception is an abortifacient.  That combined with barrier and withdrawal methods that prevent a married couple from becoming one flesh, the only acceptable method IMO is natural family planning.  I would challenge any Christian who believes contraception is okay to do his or her own research. . .  

I'm no expert and I'm probably not explaining it well, but there's a reason the Church has a doctrine on sexuality (Theology of the Body).  Contrary to what most people think, the Church doesn't teach that sex is dirty or bad.  It's very very good and sacred.  It's actually worship.  Satan knows that sex gives humans the power to participate in the co-creation of life with God and has (almost) completely corrupted it.  *55 million* aborted babies since Roe vs Wade.   We have become a culture of death instead of life.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 24, 2013)

For anyone interested, the vigil mass for the March for Life taking place tonight at 6:30pm at the National Shrine in DC will be broadcast live on EWTN: http://www.ewtn.com/


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## Laela (Jan 24, 2013)

Thank God for the faithful on earth who pray and honor the sanctity of life!  We win.



Belle Du Jour said:


> I'm no expert and I'm probably not explaining it well, but there's a reason the Church has a doctrine on sexuality (Theology of the Body). Contrary to what most people think, the Church doesn't teach that sex is dirty or bad. It's very very god and sacred. It's actually worship. *Satan knows that sex gives humans the power to participate in the co-creation of life with God and has (almost) completely corrupted it.* *55 million* aborted babies since Roe vs Wade.  We have become a culture of death instead of life.


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## Belle Du Jour (Jan 24, 2013)

Watching the vigil mass now. . .that was such a long procession! LOL

Church looks packed.  Yes!  We DO care about life!


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## Laela (Jan 26, 2013)

^^ Amen and amen!

I look forward to a local vigil.


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## rafikichick92 (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks for posting this! I had forgotten that the spring 40 Days for Life was coming up.


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## Laela (Feb 2, 2013)

*Re: 40 DAYS for Life UPDATE*

The largest-ever spring 40 Days for Life campaign starts
in two weeks -- and we are thrilled about one location
that will NOT have a campaign!

*From Wednesday, February 13, through Sunday, March 24,*
40-day campaigns of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil
and community outreach will be held in ...

... 261 cities ...

... all across the United States (44 states and the
District of Columbia) plus Canada, Australia, England,
Spain, Poland and four NEW countries:

 * Nigeria
 * South Africa
 * Wales
 * Russia (right in the heart of MOSCOW!)

Twenty-one of the cities are launching their FIRST-EVER
40 Days for Life campaigns.

This will be the biggest spring campaign in 40 Days for
Life history, and YOU can be a part! To see the location
closest to you, go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/location

Now for the great news.

We were about to announce the launch of campaigns in
262 locations ... but we lost one.

Doesn't sound like good news?

Well, the reason there will not be a campaign in that
262nd city -- Lima, Ohio -- is that the local abortion
center shut down this week ... and PERMANENTLY went
out of business.

Praise God!

"We called the Capital Care abortion center," said one
of the volunteers, "and they said they were 'all done
in Lima' and not taking appointments."

"We were a little skeptical, but we went out to pray,"
she said. "At the end of the day, one of the abortion
workers started throwing furniture from the abortion
center in the dumpster! They were taking boxes out of
the building and putting them in their cars. It was a
wonderful sight!"

Faithful Christians have held FOUR 40 Days for Life
vigils in front of that abortion center in Lima, Ohio.
"God has heard the prayers of all those who have been
praying and witnessing to life," said the volunteer.
*
This now makes 27 abortion facilities that have gone
out of business following peaceful 40 Days for Life
vigils outside their doors.*

To God be the glory!

If you've not taken part in 40 Days for Life before,
I hope this shows you what can happen when you put
your trust in God and step forward in faith.

Could YOUR community be next?

Find the 40 Days for Life campaign nearest you and
learn how you can help make a life-saving difference
in your own community by going to:

http://40daysforlife.com/location

Look for your nearest location, click on that city's
name, and then sign up to help however you can.

I'm excited ... and I'd like to invite
you to join us on this journey. Together, let's look
forward to what blessings God has in store!

Yours in Christ,

Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life


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## Belle Du Jour (Feb 3, 2013)

*Re: 40 DAYS for Life UPDATE*



Laela said:


> Well, the reason there will not be a campaign in that
> 262nd city -- Lima, Ohio -- is that the local abortion
> center shut down this week ... and PERMANENTLY went
> out of business.
> ...



Wow, that's amazing!  Prayer is still our biggest defense against the enemy


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## Laela (Feb 5, 2013)

So true... the prayers of the righteous avails!


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## Laela (Feb 11, 2013)

Just fyi for those interested...this nationwide event starts in two days, Feb 13.

Be blessed!


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## Laela (Feb 12, 2013)

Tomorrow kicks off the  40 Days...  I can't make my local kickoff vigil, but will head to church instead since they're participating as well. I know this issue isn't on everyone's radar in this forum; but each day of this event, I plan to post an encouraging story or update or prayer, as encouraged to do so.  Everyone is invited to share and post, as the Spirit of God leads you to.

Abortion advocates are aggressive with their campaign....while it's encouraging to see people of faith stand firm, my prayer is that Christians do so with the Love of God.  It all can be done in decency and in order. 


#40DaysForLife


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## Laela (Feb 13, 2013)

DAY 1

*News:*  Bill to Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks Passes Arkansas House
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/b...s-passes-ark-house-89604/#OEFmR9r5OmPjs4rA.99

*Scripture:* _"The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’_" (Jer 1:4-5).


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## Belle Du Jour (Feb 13, 2013)

Woman died following a 33-week late term abortion in Maryland 
http://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/woman-dies-following-late-term-abortion-carhart-clinic

But they are investigating the man who did it--finally!  
http://www.jillstanek.com/2013/02/b...nches-criminal-investigation-against-carhart/


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## Laela (Feb 13, 2013)

33 weeks! Lord, God... 

I'm glad they're investigating....


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## Shimmie (Feb 13, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> Woman died following a 33-week late term abortion in Maryland
> http://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/woman-dies-following-late-term-abortion-carhart-clinic
> 
> But they are investigating the man who did it--finally!
> http://www.jillstanek.com/2013/02/b...nches-criminal-investigation-against-carhart/





Laela said:


> 33 weeks! Lord, God...
> 
> I'm glad they're investigating....



Oh Dear Jesus.... 33 weeks ????  This is so grieving in so many ways than one.


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## Belle Du Jour (Feb 14, 2013)

More info about the mom: http://www.jillstanek.com/2013/02/breaking-carharts-victims-identified/

It looks like fetal anomalies were seen and the mom decided to abort at 33 weeks.  If she carried her baby to term, maybe a miracle would have happened.  Or, maybe the baby would have been born with anomalies but she would still be alive.  This story really hurts my heart.


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## auparavant (Feb 14, 2013)

Abortion at 33 weeks?  When 27 weeks are surviving in neonatal?  I only believe in abortion and early on if the mother's life is in danger.  If a pregnancy became dangerous to her at 33 weeks, I'd opt with my doctor to have an early BIRTH.  This is murder.


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## Belle Du Jour (Feb 14, 2013)

Something about this young woman's story broke something inside of me.  I am going to join the silent vigil at one of the sites in my area.  Pray my strength because people are crazy out there but I believe we are called to be a witness in this life and I believe that prayer changes things.  Thank you to OP for starting this thread.


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## Laela (Feb 14, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 2 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 12:9_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Kevin Burke, Rachel's Vineyard
------------------------------------------------------*

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 committed a 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 everyone's right to life."

Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). To bear the 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, pruning and 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" (Matthew 16:24).

*
------------------------------------------------------
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, according to your Word."*_ 

For Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life



*------------------------------------------------------
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
------------------------------------------------------*
For all the talk of freedom and self-determination, the abortion movement is at its heart a movement denying rights to a silent segment of humanity and soliciting public sanction, support and subsidy to its own cause
- Donald P. Shoemaker, "Abortion, the Bible and Christianity"


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## Shimmie (Feb 14, 2013)

Laela said:


> *------------------------------------------------------
> DAY 2 INTENTION
> ------------------------------------------------------*
> May the King of the Universe, who entered this world
> ...



Amen...  :Rose:


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## Laela (Feb 15, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 3 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*

Pray for your local pregnancy help center: for those
who answer calls from women considering abortion, those
who provide ultrasounds, and those who personally help
mothers prepare to parent or place for adoption.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the
hand of the wicked._
--Psalm 82:4


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
------------------------------------------------------*

When a woman arrives at her local pregnancy help center,
the hard work of "rescuing the weak" begins.

They listen to her. What desperate circumstance is
driving her?

They act. A professional ultrasound and medical care
is provided.

They pray, "God use us." Then, they take up her burdens
and work towards life.

It is cross-bearing for the child-bearing.

Recently, I prayed for one volunteer who was working
with one mother in her struggle. Here is what "rescue
the weak" looked like in this one case:

• Aug 3: She made an appoint-ment for Thursday to get
  an abortion and while she feels terrible about it,
  she also feels like she has no choice. Pray that her
  heart is changed!

• Aug 10: She is 12 weeks along but missed her
  appointment. She had some good conversations with
  people at the pregnancy center. She is now considering
  adoption.

• Aug 13: Things are down again. She now has an
  abortion scheduled for Monday. Pray!

• Aug 17: Missed appointment! God is working in her life.

• Sept 1: We've hit another rocky period. She has an
  abortion scheduled for tomorrow. She found out today
  that her parents are planning a trip to visit her
  and she is panicking.

• Sept 15: Missed third appointment. But feels like
  she has no choice. Please pray today.

• Sept 20: She fears her parents but has agreed to
  another ultrasound (a breakthrough).

• Sept 22: I was there with her for her ultrasound.
  She saw her baby moving and made the realization
  that she wants to carry her baby.

Please keep praying against attack by the enemy. We
are overwhelmed by seeing God's hand move in this
situation and are so very thankful for the prayers
lifted up by each one of you. God is good!

*
------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Father, we praise you for this one sister who gave
herself, heart and soul, to rescue this one mother
and baby. O may you empower the hundreds more today
who are serving in our pregnancy help centers. Grant
those answering calls, providing ultrasound and
following up with a bold spirit of truth, love and
perseverance.*_


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## Leigh (Feb 15, 2013)

Laela said:
			
		

> ------------------------------------------------------
> DAY 3 INTENTION
> ------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ...



I am pro life, however, with adoption there are other risks.  While the woman may not want the child (maybe rape etc) and she places the child in a good home, that child could still come back with a sense of entitlement and attempt to wreak havoc on her life.  

It's a tough position.  So yeah pray she doesn't abort but also pray the decision doesn't cause undo hardship, trauma, and havoc.


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## Laela (Feb 16, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 4 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 by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

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 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. Thank you for hearing our requests for
direction and protection. Thank you for the victory
that is ours because of Your Son Jesus, Amen.*_


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## Blackpearl1993 (Feb 17, 2013)

Leigh said:


> I am pro life, however, with adoption there are other risks.  While the woman may not want the child (maybe rape etc) and she places the child in a good home, that child could still come back with a sense of entitlement and attempt to wreak havoc on her life.
> 
> It's a tough position.  So yeah pray she doesn't abort but also pray the decision doesn't cause undo hardship, trauma, and havoc.



I just wanted to share something on the topic of adoption. My oldest child is adopted, my husband is adopted, and I have had several close friends that were also adopted. My daughter's adoption is open so that she will one day have the opportunity to meet her birth mother if she chooses to do so. My husband's and my friends' were not open. While some (3) of them did search for their birth parents in order to have important information like health records, and to have a sense of where they came from (I don't think anyone could truly understand this unless they were in an adoptees shoes), they typically do not feel at all entitled to meet their birth parent. Their searches are time consuming, emotionally draining, and most often lead to dead ends (I only know this because I have been involved to different degrees in providing emotional support and even going to records offices/following paper trails with friends). In fact, some feel rejected and choose not to meet or search for the birth parents. Many are incredibly happy with the family God gave them and feel that it is somehow not respectful/appreciative of the parents they have to search for the birth parents. Others will extend discreet communications to see if the birth parent will talk with them just once so they may ask questions. Most do not expect the birth parent to take them up on their request, although it can still be an emotional let down if they are rejected again. In my experience, the adoptee has always been very sensitive to the fact that their birth parent most likely has a spouse and/or other children and they are typically very careful not to disrupt the birth parent's life or disclose information to that person's family. 

I shared this information, because there are often a lot of misconceptions about adoption. I had some too until God gave us a very precious and much prayed for little blessing in 2006. I will be forever grateful of how much God and my precious DD have taught us. I tell her that her story is a living example of just how believers are all adopted into the body of Christ. God used this dear child to save us from the heartache of wanting a child to raise up for God's army. She was sent when were still asking God to heal our hearts from 3 miscarriages and an adoption loss. She was an amazing gift; one of the three best and most prized that I've ever received (she's right up there with the gift of my hubby and and of my son). I also add that although DD grew in my heart and not my womb, the moment I first laid eyes on her was just as breathtaking, awe inspiring, and happy-tear filled as the moment I gave birth to my son 20 months later. I just want everyone to know that adoption is not just providing a home for one or more children, it is truly a spiritual journey, a long awaited heart's desire met, and the love of Christ all wrapped up in a brand new creation made in His very own image. We would have never been the same without DD, and I will always be thankful to her birth mom for listening to the promptings that I know God placed on her heart to give my baby life.


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## Blackpearl1993 (Feb 17, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> I'm going to take it one step further
> 
> *Contraception *is actually what leads people to be so free and promiscuous.  As we all know, contraception fails and when that happen, abortion becomes the back up plan.  In _Humanae Vitae_, Pope Paul VI predicted in 1968 the general moral decline of society if contraception became accepted and widely available.  He said:
> 
> ...



Amen, amen! And a big "shout out" to Shimmie too--abortion is too freely available! God intended for the marriage union to be fruitful (this can also mean adoption) and to rear that "fruit" to serve the Lord. God has an individual plan for each family, and only He knows the plans He has for each, which are for their good and not their harm as the Word says. Some families, like the Duggars, He intended to have super sized armies for Him. Other He blesses with 3, 4, 5, or even 1. Nonetheless, it is not our place to decide that we will determine whether we "feel" like being fruitful. Our duty is to simply be obedient to what He directs us to do. This a a trust and faith issue--God will provide for every gift He sends. When something needs to be accomplished, God sends a baby. How many have we as a nation destroyed? How many more will we continue to devalue?


----------



## Laela (Feb 17, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 5 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
_May God's justice sober our society; may mercy triumph
over judgment._


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning;
from the hand of every beast I will require it, and
from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's
brother I will require the life of man.

Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be
shed; for in the image of God He made man._

-- Genesis 9:5-6


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. John Brown, United Friends for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

The value of every human being can hardly be seen more clearly than with this verse. God, the King of the universe, has created all human beings in his image, and declares forthrightly that shedding the blood of any individual will require the blood of the one who shed it.

God's concern for human beings is not limited to any particular group. Indeed, his concern is universal, and includes male and female, young and old, born and unborn, disabled and able-bodied, the citizens of every nation on earth.

Abortion, the deliberate killing of the unborn, is the shedding of innocent blood. Surely the blood of millions upon millions of innocent children cries out to God.

It is true that we live in an age of grace, and yet this passage (among many other texts which express similar sentiments) should give every thinking Christian pause.

Christians of all people, entrusted with the Word of God as we are, must take a stand. We must speak out. We must do all that we can to protect the innocent, to pursue justice, and to encourage the repentance of all those who bear responsibility for this great evil.

Only in this manner can we hope to forestall the judgment that must otherwise surely come. 

This passage should also be seen as an encouragement to educate and disciple our children and grandchildren about what it means to be human and the responsibility that will become theirs in this ongoing struggle.

*
------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*O Father, forgive us for our lack of courage and our
want of compassion for the unborn and for those lost
and hurt by abortion. Fill us anew with your Spirit.

Renew our minds, strengthen us in righteousness, help
us be people of salt and light within our nation.

May every human being, from conception to natural
death, be treated with the respect due those made in
your image.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.*_


----------



## Laela (Feb 17, 2013)

Blackpearl1993, thank you so much for sharing your firsthand knowledge on adoption. So true, that, spiritually, we are adopted into the family of God; and I believe adoption _should _reflect that as well. Just like marriage reflects God's covenant. 

We know not everyone serves the living God...however, I believe people in this campaign are not only praying for these babies to be saved, but that (1) they be placed in God-fearing, nurturing homes like yours if they are adopted, or (2) that the mother has not only a change of mind but change of heart to raise their child with love, no matter what and with the resources available to her. Why not believe that for them? God doesn't do anything halfway and there is no failure in Him. The babies saved are in His Hands, just like when we become born-again. He doesn't save and leave us hanging.

Thank you, again, for sharing your testimony; it put a smile on my heart this Sunday..  I hope it has blessed others reading as well..


----------



## MrsHaseeb (Feb 17, 2013)

This is a beautiful thread. I wish this were discussed more in churches. Abortion has touched many people who I know personally and I know without a shadow of doubt that the residual spiritual effects are as serious as the physical. Abortion is glorified as being a woman's choice but I feel that it's brainwashed women into feeling like there is nothing wrong with it since it's a "fetus" and not a baby. Yes, we need to unite in prayer against the spirit that's driving these abortions. You can't kill 55 million + innocent babies and be convinced that it's ok without there being something spiritual (and evil) that is the driving force for it.

Sent from my 4G HTC Thunderbolt using LHCF


----------



## moniq (Feb 17, 2013)

[USER][/USER]Blackpearl1993 I wish I could thank your post over and over again.  Thank you so much for sharing your story.


----------



## Laela (Feb 18, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 6 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that those tempted to abort may understand that their child is already present, and already a real person.

*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy."_

-- Luke 1:41-44


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
Jesus not only loves unborn children -- He was one himself! Think about this for a moment.

We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by saying, "She's expecting a child." Now if one is expecting a package, the package is not yet there. As reflected in our verse for today, however, this is not the case with the mother. Her gift is already there.

The pregnant woman, a mother already, does not have a child "on the way," but has a child, already present and in full possession of his or her human rights, starting with the right to life.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem.

As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb, and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.*_


----------



## Laela (Feb 18, 2013)

--------------------------------------
Testimony of a former abortionist:
--------------------------------------

A former abortionist, who admits to having committed around 1200 abortions, appeared before a U.S. House subcommittee. The hearing was on the so-called Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks in D.C., based upon the fact that unborn babies can experience pain at that stage of pregnancy.

Dr. Anthony Levatino, _who has since turned his life around and is pro-life, _was speaking in favor of the ban. And his testimony is perhaps the most brutal explanation you will ever hear for why abortion is evil - plain and simple. 

For those who may be tempted to write off Levatino’s testimony because he’s just “another pro-life nutjob,” it’s interesting how his testimony has eerie echoes to that of notorious late-term abortionist Leroy Carhart, who is still involved in the gruesome trade. During a preliminary injunction hearing in a US District Court in 1997 on the issue of late-term abortions, Carhart testified that he would sometimes dismember advanced-stage unborn babies during abortions, while the babies were still alive. Carhart described in detail the process of grasping the limb of the baby to be removed, and then twisting it off. When asked if the babies usually die during the process of dismemberment, Carhart responded, “I don’t really know. I know that the fetus is alive during the process most of the time because I can see the fetal heartbeat on the ultrasound.”

How is this considered anything but evil?


Vid of testimony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t--MhKiaD7c#!  [Dr. Levatino delivers testimony on H.R. 3803, the "District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act"]


----------



## MrsHaseeb (Feb 18, 2013)

Laela said:


> --------------------------------------
> Testimony of a former abortionist:
> --------------------------------------
> 
> ...



Mercy Lord Jesus... This is heartbreaking.

Sent from my 4G HTC Thunderbolt using LHCF


----------



## Laela (Feb 19, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 7 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
_Pray that the abortionists and all workers in
abortion facilities would be troubled in their
souls regarding their work and would seek truth._

*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_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_


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

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.

*
------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*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.*


----------



## Laela (Feb 19, 2013)

This is interesting....
*NEWS*

Pregnant Teen Wins Abortion Battle





A pregnant teen who sued her parents, claiming they were coercing her to have an abortion, will be able to give birth to her baby.

Attorneys representing the 16-year-old girl were granted a long-term injunction against the girl's parents in Texas family court on Monday, according to court documents.

The teen is 10 weeks pregnant and the injunction will last for the duration of her pregnancy.

As part of the order, the girl will be able to use her car to go to school, work and medical appointments. Her parents had taken away the use of the car as part of their effort to force an abortion, court papers stated.

The teen's parents will be liable for half of the hospital bill when she gives birth, unless she is married to the baby's 16-year-old father.

"We are extremely happy with the judge's decision today and we are very proud of our teenage client for being strong enough to stand against her parents to save her unborn child's life," Greg Terra, president of the Texas Center for Defense of Life, said in a blog post on the group's website.

Attorneys filed a lawsuit on the teen's behalf earlier this month arguing that her parents "are violating her federal constitutional rights to carry her child to term by coercing her to have an abortion with both verbal and physical threats and harassment."

The teen, identified in the lawsuit only as R.E.K. since she is a minor, was "beside herself" when she called the center for help, her lawyer Stephen Casey told ABCNews.com last week. The group claims it has previously represented teens in similar situations and won their cases.

"These girls are in a bind, particularly in a situation where their parents are forcing them to do something they don't want to do," Casey said. "Regardless of the [situation], that's her parents and she should expect support from them in this situation, not resentment and anger."

When the pregnancy was confirmed, the teenager's father allegedly "became extremely angry, was insistent that R.E.K. was not having the baby, and that the decision was not up to her, according to the lawsuit. He stated he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story."

The teen claimed in the lawsuit that her parents had taken away her phone, pulled her out of school, forced her to get two jobs and took away her car in an effort to "make her miserable so that she would give in to the coercion and have the abortion."'

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-teen-wins-abortion-battle-150554993--abc-news-topstories.html


----------



## Blackpearl1993 (Feb 20, 2013)

Laela said:


> This is interesting....
> *NEWS*
> 
> Pregnant Teen Wins Abortion Battle
> ...



I am so glad that God saved that teen's baby. I can only begin to imagine the hurt and pain to think of your child pregnant/or fathering a baby. However, I've never understood the point in throwing them out of the house or doing things like pulling them out of school. I get that the parents feel embarrassed and disappointed, but now there is a baby to think about. Denying their daughter the opportunity to complete her education certainly wasn't going to allow her to have a bright future. I've worked with a teen pregnancy program within the school district where I used to work. It causes much more harm than good to cut these young girls off and then have them forced to depend on the kindness of strangers or the young father's family (who often do not want them or their baby around).


----------



## MrsHaseeb (Feb 20, 2013)

Laela said:


> This is interesting....
> NEWS
> 
> Pregnant Teen Wins Abortion Battle
> ...



I can't thank this post enough. Praise God the court stepped in and stopped this. I know a young girl who was forced to have an abortion by her family at 13 and it doesn't just effect one person, it effects all. I will pray that God will take care of this young lady because she stood up against having her baby murdered. This was a lovely post to read this morning 

Sent from my 4G HTC Thunderbolt using LHCF


----------



## Laela (Feb 20, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 8 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
We pray for a renewal of our zeal to offer generous
help to the unborn and their families.

*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_If I have despised the cause of my male or female
servant when they complained against me, what then
shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how
shall I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb
make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the
womb?
_
-- Job 31:13-15


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. Rob Schenck, Faith and Action
------------------------------------------------------*

The ground is level as we stand before God.

Job lived with an awe provoking sense of God's expectation of him, particularly regarding his obligation to care for the weak and needy.

He knew that in God's economy everyone stands on level ground when it comes to our status as God's creatures. Because of that central truth, we must take care of each other.

Job also knew that he didn't deserve any of the good things God gave to him. Instead, those blessings came to Job from God's benevolent heart.

As an extension of that knowledge, Job instinctively linked his obligation to be generous to others to God's kindness toward him.

As in Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35), Job knew that it is an egregious sin to deny to others what we enjoy ourselves.

He actually calls down on his own head severe condemnation and even punishment should he fail to share with others out of his own abundance (see verses 16-23).

Proverbs 3:27 reads, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so." Some things are so obvious that we don't even need to pray except to ask of God forgiveness and the power to do what so obviously needs doing.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*
God, forgive us when we try to explain away the
obligation we have to help others who need help.

Enable us to not devalue them because they are in the
circumstance that they are in, but to see them for
what they are, those, who like us, were formed by your
hand in their mother's womb. 
Amen.*


----------



## Laela (Feb 20, 2013)

Blackpearl1993, MrsHaseeb ... I'm glad to have read that, too, that at that age she is fighting for the life of her child.  I agree, God will look out for her and her baby!


----------



## Laela (Feb 21, 2013)

*-----------------------------------------------------
DAY 9 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that the post-abortive woman would be repentant,
accept forgiveness, be healed and restored, and bring
glory to God with her new life.

*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have
not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions
to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin._
-- Psalm 32:5


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

Because abortion is legal in America, many have justified their choice. "If it's legal, it can't be wrong, right?"

We now have an entire generation of men and women who have never known abortion to be illegal; a generation of people who have never been broken over their sin of abortion.

As a result, the consequences of unconfessed sin weigh on their souls, yet they have never connected the dots as to why their hearts are heavy. No wonder we have millions of women who are struggling with depression,
addictions, eating disorders and more.

Post abortion syndrome is very real but recovery begins when the individual agrees with God as David confessed in Psalm 51:3-4, 14, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight -- that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when you Judge. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation."

Brokenness is the key to accessing God's glorious mercy and healing. Christ came to heal the broken hearted and He is waiting with open arms to take the
post-abortive woman on a glorious journey of healing and restoration if she will only run to Him.

God will not waste any sin we lay at His feet. Imagine millions of healed and restored post-abortive women like myself singing aloud of His righteousness and giving testimony of His love and forgiveness.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

*
------------------------------------------------------
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.*_


------------------------------------------------------


----------



## Laela (Feb 22, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 10 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------
*May those who hold life as trivial realize that we
live because God wills it so.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Who among all these does not know that the hand of the
Lord has done this, in His hand is the life of every
creature and the breath of all mankind._

-- Job 12:9-10


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Georgette Forney, Anglicans for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

Job was a man acquainted with grief, trials and tribulation. He had everything taken from him, including his family. He endured sickness, ridicule and judgment from his friends.

Everyone gave him advice about his situation, questioning his spirituality and his God. Job's circumstances were bad but he never loses faith. Why? Because "the hand of the Lord has made all life." Created by God, he knows his life has meaning and purpose, regardless of the circumstances.

In our present culture, we've lost that basic truth; every life is made and allowed to live by God's sovereign authority. As people who pride ourselves on
our independence, we have a hard time acknowledging our dependence on God.

From our creation, when we were knit together in our mother's womb to our last breath, God's word is clear that "in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." 

It's time for us as individuals, and as a society, to recognize that we exist by God's grace and turn back to Him, honoring His word and His teachings. Why?
Because our world is full of Jobs, people who are dealing with trials and tribulations and hurting desperately.

Job's response should be ours as well. Regardless of what we face (even an unplanned pregnancy) God in His wisdom and mercy will redeem it.

How do I know? Job's friends who doubted God's sovereignty cry out to God asking for help, God instructs Job to pray for his friends and after he does, God restores all that Job had lost.

In other words, because Job never lost faith and knew and trusted His Creator, the Lord blessed Job. 

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*Thank you Father God for being the Creator of my life
and every life. Please give me, and the society in
which I live, an appreciation for your gift of life.

Please help us set aside our pride and acknowledge
that we need you. Show me how I can honor you today in
response to all the blessings you bestow freely. In
the name of Jesus, Amen.*


----------



## Laela (Feb 24, 2013)

*Re: SATURDAY*

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 11 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
_Pray that people of faith will have their strength
renewed even in the face of the violence of abortion._


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies
are not spent. They are renewed each morning, so great
is his faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my
portion; therefore I will wait for him."

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the
one who seeks him; it is good to wait in silence for
the saving help of the Lord.

-- Lamentations 3:22-26_


------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------

The Book of Lamentations, a short book of only five chapters, contains some of the most poignant expressions of human grief.

These verses are used in many Churches on Good Friday, since they can be seen to express a prophecy of the suffering of the Lord and the lamentation of his followers on that dark day.

But in the midst of his grief, Jeremiah writes the verses quoted above. "The favors of the Lord are not exhausted." It is a call to hope that no matter how much violence there is, life will prevail in the end.

Why does he say, however, that God's mercies are renewed each morning?

Because early in the morning, on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb -- and they found that the events of that morning changed everything.

*Christ's victory over death came in the morning*, and therefore each day we can renew our confidence that life has the final victory.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Lord, look kindly on your people who weep and mourn
amidst the vast devastation that abortion has brought
upon our land. We cannot even count the children
killed, and the mothers and fathers wounded.

We cannot measure the devastation and corruption
abortion has brought upon the very fabric of our
society. But we declare today that your favors have
not been exhausted, your mercies have not been spent.
They are renewed each morning.

Give us new strength today in the resurrection of
Christ your Son, that we may bear effective witness to
the victory of life! In His name we pray, Amen.*_


----------



## Laela (Feb 24, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 12 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray to God who is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine, to end abortion in America.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.

-- Ephesians 3:20-21_


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate,  a member of
the 40 Days for Life board of directors
------------------------------------------------------*
God's power working in and through His people is unlimited and far beyond our comprehension when we submit to God's Word and Spirit. He receives glory when we are obedient to His calling and faithfully serve Him in His strength.

Consider God's hand of providence on this nation because of the faithfulness of a few who were totally committed to God and His truths.

It is interesting to note the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "Yours is the one great nation in all history which was founded on the precept of equal rights and respect for all humankind, for the poorest and weakest of us as well as the richest and strongest."

Mother Teresa, in addressing the Supreme Court of the United States said, "Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. I have no new teaching for America. I seek only to recall you to faithfulness to what you once taught the world.

She continued, "Your nation was founded on the proposition very old as a moral precept, but startling and innovative as a political insight that human life is a gift of immeasurable worth, and that it deserves, always and everywhere, to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect."

It is time to restore that dignity and respect. Our God is able. Are we willing to remain faithful until His work through us is done?

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*God Almighty, Who is powerful and willing to supply,
our hearts cry in unison for You to restore dignity
and respect to human life, not only in America, but
around the world.

Lord, may our hearts remain faithful to your calling,
and may You begin Your transforming work with me.

Keep me ever mindful that with You Lord, nothing is
impossible; without You, I can do nothing. To You be
glory forever and ever, Amen.*

*NOTE: * printable devotions link:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day12print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Feb 25, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 13 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
We pray for the strength to love those who do not love us.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for
which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which
came up in the night and perished in the night. And
should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which
are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot discern between their right hand and their
left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned
about that great city?"
-- Jonah 4:10-11_


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Dennis DiMauro, Lutherans for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

God doesn't value people and things like we do.

Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.

But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation.

We were created on the sixth day after God had completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created thing.

And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists.

So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who don't love us back.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of
most difficult things you could ask of us.

Please remind us that this is how you love and that if
you ask it of us then you will give us the Grace to do
it. This we ask through Christ our Lord, Amen.*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day13print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Feb 26, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 14 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray for the mothers going into pregnancy help centers.
The personal care, the free ultrasound, the ongoing
practical help is designed to deliver them from those
who profit in shedding innocent blood.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.

-- Matthew 11:28_


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
------------------------------------------------------*

"You have twins. That will be another $350." She did not speak English. But she finally understood that they were telling her to go get more money and return for her abortion.

She had already given them her rent money. But they were not about to give her a two-for-one deal. They told her to get dressed and return with more cash.

A couple, who was praying outside, comforted her. They brought her to their local pregnancy help center. The staff quickly saw that her personal circumstances were so desperate, and immediate, that they would need direct and ongoing help from local Christians and churches. They started making calls. 

Then they did the ultrasound. It showed there was only one baby, not two. This abandoned, immigrant, powerless mother was being exploited. She would do whatever she was told. Who would know? Who would care?

God calls us to "Rescue the weak and the needy; and deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:4).

When you provide an alternative to abortion you are not only rescuing innocent babies, you are delivering mothers from the wicked:* those who profit in the shedding of innocent blood.* Pray for those who rescue and deliver daily at your local pregnancy help center.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Father, hear our prayer! Snatch desperate mothers from
the fire. Bring them out of our abortion businesses
and into our pregnancy help centers. Deliver them from
evil. Use us to help them chose life and see your hand
of provision.*_

Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day14print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Feb 27, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 15 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that we will not become defeated by the enemy's 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 124:2,3,6,8_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

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 adversity your strength is small."

If we are applying God's truths to our lives 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 God's 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?_" Let's stand strong for those who need us most.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
D_*ear 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.
*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day15print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Feb 28, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 16 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
May the mystery of the Incarnation increase our zeal for defending life.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

-- Luke 1:30-33_

*
------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Randolph Sly
------------------------------------------------------*

"God has assumed Humanity, joining it with Divinity, and kindled in men's hearts new love of me." These words were written by a Roman poet in the Fourth Century. He spent his life finding ways to express the greatest mystery of the world: the incarnation, in which God became man.

The womb has been referred to as the "first home of the whole human race." It is the place where life begins, where our stories start.

In the womb the great men and women of history began their magnificent march through life. In the womb Divinity met humanity, and God the Son was born into the world.

As one of the Fathers of the early church, St. Leo the Great, declared, "Within her spotless womb Wisdom built itself a house and the Word became flesh."

I was at the hospital for the birth of my fourth grandchild. Looking through the nursery window at the rows of newly born babies, I began to think of the great stories that would be written about these tiny lives.

During his visitation with the Virgin Mary, the angel prophesied to Mary about the life of her child. Here in this hospital, I pondered, what would he say about each of these?

Would they meet the one who also came from His mother's womb to redeem the world and kindle our hearts afresh for God?

I thanked God for each baby alive and prayed for each story yet to be written.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Heavenly Father, you have made the womb of each woman
a very special place.

Help us to hold fast to the sanctity of this first home of humanity, remembering the wonderful mystery, that God inhabited the womb of a young woman and came forth as the savior and deliverer of the world.

We ask this in the Name of the one who came forth, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
*_

Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day16print.pdf


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## Laela (Feb 28, 2013)

I'd watched this documentary last night... didn't know about it, but just passing it on!


*http://www.180movie.com/*


----------



## Laela (Mar 1, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 17 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
May the Lord of Light and Life unite us, shine in us and through us to make a difference in the darkness.

*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------
*_For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

-- Ephesians 5:8-13_

*
------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Dr. James I. Lamb, Lutherans for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

For centuries physicists debated the nature of light. Two theories surfaced. The "corpuscular theory" maintained that light consisted of particles emitted from a light source. This explained some properties of light, but not all. The "wave theory" stated that light emitted from its source as waves. Again, this explained some properties of light but not all. So, the debate continued. Did light consist of particles or waves?

In the early twentieth century, Albert Einstein answered the question-"Yes!" (And you thought Einstein was complicated!) He showed that light consists of "particles," little bundles of energy called "photons." However, when all of these photons zip along together, they behave as a wave.

Sometimes pro-life Christians can feel like a photon, a little particle of light, and we wonder if we can possibly make a difference in a world of darkness and death. The Bible, however, never talks about a "child of light" only "children of light." When Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world," "You" is plural. When you and I shine in the darkness, others shine with us. We are pro-life "photons" that form a wave of light that can and does make a difference in the darkness.

We are compelled to do so. Jesus hung and suffered on the darkness of the cross and paid the bloody price for our sins. Now the light of His empty tomb shines upon us through His Spirit cleansing us and declaring us "children of light." But we are called to be more than "glow in the dark" children of light. We are to "walk as children of light" and take no part in the "unfruitful works of darkness." But it does not stop with passive restraint. We "photons" are called to action, to "expose" the works of darkness.

40 Days for Life epitomizes this. Our prayer, witness, and truth spoken in love seeks to expose the darkness of death and bring others into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. When we stand and pray, we never stand alone. The Light of the World is there and He joins you with your fellow "lights of the world." The wave of light He produces shatters the darkness. It changes and saves lives. Shine on fellow photons!


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*Shine Jesus, shine in us and through us into the darkness and upon those struggling in the darkness that they might be drawn to the Light of Life. Amen.*



Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day17print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 3, 2013)

*I enjoyed reading today's preface:*
------------------------

Dear ,

Just one item today – a report from Brad Taylor, the 40 Days for Life leader in Perth, on Australia’s west coast. Brad’s words show the challenges posed by abortion are worldwide; but so is Christ’s love and mercy.


*PERTH, AUSTRALIA*

It’s been an amazing start to this 40 Days for Life in Perth. Sometimes when we are on the very frontlines of the battle, we don’t hear all the encouraging news, or really comprehend the tremendous impact of our actions.

Many of us are aware of the strident opposition we have faced, not only to the conduct of the 40-day vigil at all (especially the first time), but in particular to the display of any sort of signage at the vigil site.

This is not surprising given how effective such signs are in conveying the truth about abortion and the alternatives available, and in dissuading women from making a choice they will later regret, at the last possible moment to do so. The signs we use are of course not gratuitous, but life affirming, offering real hope and free help to anyone who wants it.

The battle of the signs is one it seems we have to have - and win - every year, and this year has been no exception. Once again, senior police have stepped in to rule that we do in fact have the right to display life-affirming images and slogans outside a place of death.


The fact that this is so offensive to some in the community speaks much more to their values and agendas, than it does to any innate offensiveness contained in our G-rated images. How else could someone take offense at a sign offering free medical and financial assistance, crisis accommodation and other help to those members of our society who may be at that moment most in need?

*Opposition comes in many forms. *The opposition I personally hate the most is that passive, apathetic spirit that manifests itself so frequently in the Church in relation to critical issues such as abortion.

By contrast, copping some abuse yelled out the window of a passing car is a positive encouragement. I personally experienced no less than six such occurrences in one morning this week; the best one being a young man who stopped to berate me: “Why don’t you go and do something productive with your time instead of making young girls upset and stuff.”

I can’t say how encouraging this was for me, expletives and all, because this young man understood something that most of our fellow Christians have not: women are being hurt in that place, and it is our responsibility as fellow citizens to address the injustice. Sure, the young man hadn’t figured out the real nature of the injustice or the damage being done, but after allowing for that, his response was awesome. When the blinkers come off these men they will be powerful advocates for life.


As Jesus said in Revelation, I would rather you were hot or cold. It is a tremendous privilege to work with a team of prayer volunteers who truly are “hot” – moved by the things that move the heart of God, willing to put their own comfort and reputation at stake, and to take a stand in the public square. No matter the cost. It is a privilege to stand with you in prayer, and before the throne of God.

The fact is that your presence outside the abortion clinic, and your prayers, and your signs, are having a powerful effect. Pregnancy resource centres in the city are reporting significantly higher numbers of women accessing their services, and going on to choose life.

We don’t know their details; chances are as we stand outside the abortion centre through the heat of the day we are even unaware that anyone has even been affected; and yet lives are being saved through your commitment every day.


----------



## Laela (Mar 3, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 19 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that when those representing Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups see volunteers for 40 Days for Life, they see ambassadors of Christ, and may each volunteer be consciously aware at all times of Whom we represent.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.

-- Ephesians 4:1b-2_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
When Carol Everett, a former abortionist and post-abortive woman, was asked what turned her heart from death to life in Christ, she said, "Unconditional love," shown by a man who prayed daily for her in front of the abortion clinic where she worked.

He told Carol that "God had sent him" because there was someone in there that God wanted out.

She left 27 days later and now serves as Christ's ambassador to help others.

We too have been sent by Christ as an ambassador to love unconditionally those God seeks to "get out" of their bondage and sin.

What a high calling it is -- much higher than any presidential appointment to another country.

In his book, Fishers of Men, Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings:

* God has chosen us (John 15:16)

* We are sent into a world that is not our home (1 Peter 2:11)

* Our walk must match our talk (1 Timothy 3:7)

* We must abide in Him for daily instruction (John 15:5)

* Know our purpose -- to seek and to save that
which is lost (Luke 19:10)

* We are to reconcile others to God with His authority (Matthew 28:19-20)

* Do not let kindness and truth leave you (Proverbs 3:3-4)

* Our service is to be grounded and rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17)

Pray that we each will walk worthy of the calling with which we were called!

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Dear Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have called us and appointed us to be ambassadors of Christ in a world that is not our home.

We pray that your Holy Spirit will empower us to walk worthy of the calling. We pray that Your unconditional love will flow through us to those who desperately need Your saving Grace.

In the name of Christ who is worthy, Amen.*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day19print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 4, 2013)

*-----------------------------------------------------
DAY 20 INTENTION
-----------------------------------------------------*
We pray for humility in our work for God's Kingdom.

*-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
-----------------------------------------------------*
_Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

-- Philippians 2:5-8_

*-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Ernest Ohlhoff, National Right to Life
-----------------------------------------------------*
There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit.

Jesus Christ's life on earth exemplifies a total submission to the will of the Father. His humility, compassion, gentleness and thoughtfulness are reflected over and over again in the New Testament.

He was God incarnate, yet He chose to be born to a humble, working class home.

How absurd it must have seemed to the rich and powerful that the Son of God, the Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets, the 'King of the Jews' was born and raised as a simple peasant.

During His thirty-three years on earth, He sought no riches, claimed no secular power and gathered no possessions.

His short time on earth changed more lives, softened more hearts, and gave hope to more people, than all the rich and powerful human 'kings' combined.

And, at the end of His life on earth, by dying on the cross, He opened the door to eternal life for those who heed his words and follow in his footsteps.
*
-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
-----------------------------------------------------*
*O Lord, help us follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Let us humbly and diligently work to restore legal protection for the unborn, the disabled, the medically dependent and all innocent children of God whose lives are threatened.

Let us remember the old adage that "He can never lead who has not first learned to obey."

And, Lord, grant us a peaceful heart as we labor in your name, Amen.*


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day20print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 4, 2013)

Dear ,

Here we are – Day 20. I can’t believe we’re at the halfway point already! There’s still a lot of praying to be done, but it’s OK to pause briefly and count the blessings God has already provided.

As of today, we have reports of …

*… 245 babies (and their mothers, of course) spared from abortion – that we know of!
*
Here are some of their stories.

*MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN*

“I finally met my match,” said Dan in Milwaukee. “I had completely dressed for the worst – but this snow came down fast and hard – and then kept coming,” he said. “At times, it seemed like it was coming down sideways! I would have understood if our vigilers had stayed home – but they kept showing up!”

Around 7:30 that evening, a woman struck up a conversation with one of the volunteers. “How many babies have you saved out here doing this?” she asked. “Are you really doing any good harassing women?”

Dan provided the answer – 294 saves in the past three years. She said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Dan responded, “Let’s hope so.”


Five minutes later, a young mom and her support person came out. She looked lost, so Dan asked her if she was going to be OK. She said, “I’ll be fine.”

Dan then asked, “Is the baby OK?” She said, “Yes – baby is good, too … yeah – I’m keeping him.”

Twenty minutes after that, a young mom came out in tears. “It’s going to be OK,” she said. “I’m keeping the baby.”

When Dan encouraged her to seek help at the pro-life pregnancy center, smiled and said, “Thank you – thank you for being out here for us.” Dan responded, “You and your baby made it all worth it – all of it!”


*GLENDALE, ARIZONA*

Monica had some terrific news to pass along from the 40 Days for Life vigil in Glendale. “Within a week we have had 10 turnarounds!”

For reasons unknown, Planned Parenthood was closed on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday of the previous week.

“They are normally open on those days,” Monica explained. Six of those turnarounds took place on those days the facility was not open. “The sidewalk counselors were able to help and give information to the local crisis pregnancy center,” she said. “I praise God and thank all the people who are praying to end abortion.”


*PENSACOLA, FLORIDA*

“My family and I just witnessed a turnaround!” wrote an excited 40 Days for Life volunteer in Pensacola.

They watched as a young couple drove into the abortion center parking lot – but never got out of their car. After a while, they backed up to where the vigil participants were praying … and took their picture.

The woman rolled the window down, and announced with a big smile, “I didn’t do it! I’ll bring the baby by to show!”

“Praise almighty God!” the volunteer said. “Peaceful, prayerful witness works!”

-----


----------



## Laela (Mar 5, 2013)

*-----------------------------------------------------
DAY 21 INTENTION
-----------------------------------------------------*
We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.

*-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
-----------------------------------------------------*
_Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

-- Jeremiah 1:4-5_

*-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
-----------------------------------------------------*
To be or not to be?

There is no question!

The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered.

What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer.

We have being because we are known by God.

For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being.

Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do.

The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued.

To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn’t exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth.

That child is known by God and, as such, has being.
*
-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
-----------------------------------------------------*
*Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being.
Because You are, we are.
May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.*

Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day21print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 6, 2013)

*Yes, and what about the fathers? Lifting up the men today...*

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 22 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray for fathers who participated in the decision to abort their child, and for those who did not have a voice, that they would find freedom and healing in Christ.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_If indeed you have heard Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

-- Ephesians 4: 21-23_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
According to the Guttmacher Institute, one-third of American women will have had an abortion by age 45. Seldom reported however is the fact that an equally significant number of men have played a role in terminating a pregnancy.

Some have participated through persuasion, or by providing the financial means for the abortion. Still others were against an abortion, but had no sway in the decision to terminate their child.

Only in recent years have we realized that men suffer from their loss, as more and more seek healing.

Warren Williams, founder of Fathers and Brothers Ministries says he believes men are coming forward for help because God instilled in men a desire to be a protector of their lineage, a provider for their families, to be a husband and father.

Men are suffering and grieving the loss of their children, and though their grief may be expressed differently than that of a woman, it is grief nonetheless and they too need tender care and biblical counseling to experience forgiveness and healing.

Intervention at the appropriate time in the decision-making process may spare both the young man and woman from the lifelong pain and trauma of abortion. Biblical counseling for post-abortive men and women is essential for them to heal and begin their life anew in Christ.


*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*Dear Heavenly Father, We pray for young men who participated in the termination of their child and are broken as You are over their loss.

Forgive their sin, Lord, and bring opportunity for healing and renewal of their minds in Christ Jesus.

For those suffering from an abortion they did not choose, restore their joy as they learn to forgive others and trust You with their future. In the name of Christ, who heals the brokenhearted, Amen.*


*Printable devotion: *
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day22print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 7, 2013)

*Truly enjoyed today's reflection... *


*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 23 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
*For the medical community*, that the truth they know about the human body may become awe and wonder at the God who made it.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

--Psalm 139:16_

------------------------------------------------------
*REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
------------------------------------------------------*
Human beings -- God's tapestries.

Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals the enormity and otherness of God. His divine attributes are on display: omniscience (2-4), omnipresence (7-12), loving-kindness (17-18), justice (19-20), righteousness (23-24), and omnipotence.

Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did the psalmist use -- God's creation of mountains, seas, or far-flung galaxies? No, he used none of these.

To express the wonder of God's unparalleled creative power the writer mentions the fashioning of the human in the womb (14-16).

The Hebrew word used to express God's forming of us in the womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery.

In other words, we are a tapestry that displays God's artistic mastery.

And, like the artist who knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

What is true for this psalmist is true for each human being.

Each is fashioned by God and known by him and we can proclaim on behalf of each, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Gracious God, help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of Your creation.

Help us proclaim on behalf of every one of our fellow human beings, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

May the knowledge that we are intimately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.*_


Printable devotion:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day23print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 7, 2013)

*Passing on this important info for anyone living in GA:*


Dear 40 Days for Life Participants, 
I am taking off work one the morning of March 12th to be at the sate capital for this important act.  What is happening in Georgia is very disturbing and it is up to us to make sure there is a stop put to it.
I do hope you will join me. I will arrive at 10:00 AM. 
Aileen

Message from Michelle Wolven:

Dear Friend!
Please do all you can to join Catherine Davis, myself and citizens from all over Georgia for Women's Day at the Capital on March the 12th.This is a citizen action not a rally. Please show up at the State Capital  located at:206 Washington St.Atlanta, GA 30334 anytime between 10 am and 2:45 pm .  It will only take about 30 minutes of your time but has the potential to possibly shut down half the abortion clinics in our State overnight.  March is Women's History month and we are believing that this day will make Georgia history.   Georgia has 20 abortion clinics , but only 6 of them have any sort of oversight or licensing.  Unfortunately, this makes women who seek abortions in our state very vulnerable . Many are victimized and don't even know it because they are so heavily drugged. Abortion providers are not "good" doctors they see abortion patients as numbers, for the most part they don't even see the patient till they are on the table.  We are hearing horror stories coming out of these abortion facilities from ex-employees and patients.  A large % of the patients at one clinic located in Marietta have gotten infections from dirty instruments, as well as botched abortions that land them in their local emergency room.  ( for more info on this clinic go to : http://drdanielmcbrayerwatch.wordpress.com/ ) 

So please join us at the Capital on March 12.  Join us in demanding that Governor Deal enforce the Rules and Regulations that are already on the books.  In our State.  Ga. law says that any office or part of it that is primarily dedicated to surgery MUST be licensed as an ambulatory surgical center.  These facilities are only doing abortion surgeries and yet they remain unlicensed. Why is this acceptable?  We have tried to meet with Governor Deal to discuss this problem that endangers 100's of GA. women every day but he won't meet with us.  He took an oath of office to uphold the rules regulations and laws in our State now it is time for us to DEMAND that he do it.  We will have volunteers outside the Governors office with post cards for you to sign and bring into his office.  For more info go to our website : www.womentakingbackchoice.com

Thank you and God Bless you!
Michelle Wolven
770-445-5855
P.s. Don't forget to wear something red to show our unity and please pray for God to bless our efforts and multiple them!


----------



## moniq (Mar 7, 2013)

[USER][/USER]Laela Thank you so much for these daily reflections.  I think people are numb to abortion because they use the word fetus instead of a child.  I believe that if people can get in an uproar over the mistreatment of animals that they should really be upset about the killing of children(that is what they should call it instead of abortion).


----------



## MrsHaseeb (Mar 7, 2013)

moniq said:


> [USER][/USER]Laela Thank you so much for these daily reflections.  I think people are numb to abortion because they use the word fetus instead of a child.  I believe that if people can get in an uproar over the mistreatment of animals that they should really be upset about the killing of children(that is what they should call it instead of abortion).



Yes, this is why we need to just call it what it is. Sugar coating only makes it easier for people to continue to do it and not bat an eye. I need to catch up on the daily reflections.

Sent from my 4G HTC Thunderbolt using LHCF


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## Laela (Mar 8, 2013)

moniq, thanks for the encouragement! I totally agree on this...


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## Laela (Mar 8, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 24 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that we may realize the generational impact of abortion.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer and Rebekah his wife conceived.

The children struggled together within her, and she said," If it is thus, why do I live?" So she went to inquire of the Lord.

And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger."

-- Genesis 25:21-23_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by by Rev. Ben Sheldon
------------------------------------------------------*
What an answer to prayer!

Who dares to say that the unborn are not human, with distinct personality and character right from the moment of conception?

This account emphasizes the vitality and uniqueness of the twins who, because of Isaac's prayer for his wife, were conceived in Rebekah's womb.

When Rebekah was told by the Lord that the older would serve the younger twin, God already knew that Jacob and Esau would lead turbulent and conflicted lives.

God knows us and knows all about us, including our personality and disposition long before we are actually born, indeed, from the moment we are conceived in our mother's womb.

What a tragedy of gargantuan proportions that babies, planned and endowed by the Creator, with distinct and unique personalities and with, perhaps, a future and destiny intended for greatness, have their lives snuffed out by cruel abortionists before they ever see the light of day!

May our prayers that the dreadful scourge of abortion in our land may vanish be as fervent as Isaac's were for Rebekah.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
*O, God, you formed us in our mother's womb and planned a unique and special life and purpose for each of us, and we do thank you.

Grant that we may pray and work for an end to abortion, especially in these 40 days, so that no unborn baby you have made may fail to achieve your divine intention for him or her because of intentional abortion.

We pray this for the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.*


Printable devotion: 
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day24print.pdf


----------



## Laela (Mar 10, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 25 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that God will bless us with His gift of strength as we respond in obedience to His call.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------
*D_eliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, "surely we did not know this," does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?

And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

-- Proverbs 24:11-12_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
_In this age of technologically advanced communication, ignorance of human rights abuses is no excuse._

We know there are persecuted Christians in China, there is genocide in Darfur, and there are babies aborted and women and families devastated right in our own communities.

"But I can't save them all," you say.

God isn't asking you to. He has equipped each of us with time, talent, and treasure to do what we can when He provides the opportunity.

He has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us as we abide in Him. He is asking us to be on His side in speaking out and protecting those who can't protect themselves.

When we are obedient to His calling to get in on the work He is doing, we will experience intimacy with Him in a whole new way.

Our faith will increase as we see God at work! You have responded to His call during this 40 Days for Life campaign.

Let your efforts be for His pleasure and His purposes. Pray without ceasing!

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*God Almighty, we pray for continued guidance and strength as we intercede on behalf of the young women and their babies who are stumbling to the slaughter.

Open the eyes of the mother's heart to see her child as you do -- a precious gift to be treasured.

Let her feel Your loving arms around her and may she be assured that you have a plan and a future for her and her child.

Give her reason not to enter the abortion clinic.

Give her wisdom and discernment to find life options through a local pregnancy care center and may she boldly choose life.

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayer. Because of Your Son's sacrifice we pray, Amen.
*_

Printable:  http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day25print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 10, 2013)

Today's is a deep Word (at least for me), concerning unborns .._"Am I my Brother's Keeper"?_

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day26print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 11, 2013)

*UPDATES:*

I just returned from California and am ready to start the new week by sharing great news. So far during this campaign alone, there have *been 319 babies saved from abortion -- that we know of.*

This means that since 40 Days for Life began as a coordinated campaign in 2007, we are now aware of …

… MORE THAN 7 THOUSAND BABIES that God has spared in answer to all of your many hours of prayer.

And this is undeniably God’s work … because sometimes, hearts and minds can be changed without anyone saying a word.

*ATLANTA, GEORGIA*
Two prayer volunteers noticed a white SUV in the abortion center’s parking lot. It had decals on the back indicating a mom, a dad and several kids. The out-of-state license suggested these people had come for a late-term abortion.

They noticed a man sitting in the parked SUV, but were never able to get his attention. So they prayed.

After some time, a woman left the building and got into the SUV. As they pulled out of the lot, said one of the vigil participants, “the driver was beaming and so was the woman sitting behind him. They had a baby who looked to be about one sitting in a car seat, which explained why he never left the vehicle. “

The volunteers asked if they’d changed their minds, and they both shouted, “Yes!” and thanked everyone for their prayerful presence outside the abortion facility.
-----​*SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA*
Patti was at the 40 Days for Life vigil on what was sadly a fairly busy morning at the abortion center.

But as the volunteers stood on the sidewalk, “a car turned the corner slowly … a male driver with a young woman next to him, both watching us praying.”

They just pulled over to the curb and stayed there talking for a few minutes. After a while, they started the car, made a U-turn drove away.

“The young woman was crying and hiding her face from us as they drove past,” Patti said, “and we thanked God! A baby was saved due to peaceful prayer and witnessing!”
-------​*CLEVELAND, OHIO*
“I have some of the most amazing news that you will be so happy to hear,” said a grateful volunteer in Cleveland. “I am still shaking and occasionally bursting into tears of joy.”

This woman was holding a sign as she prayed – a sign with the message “Women regret abortion.”

She watched as a car with a young woman and two young men pulled out of the abortion center. One of the men nudged the woman, so she stopped and rolled down the window.

“She told me that she decided not to have an abortion,” the vigil participant said. “The look of pride on her face filled me with such joy. We really are making a difference!”


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## Belle Du Jour (Mar 11, 2013)

Thanks Laela for continuing to post these reflections.


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## Laela (Mar 11, 2013)

You're most welcome, BelleDuJour!


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## Laela (Mar 12, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 28 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that those standing in peaceful vigil will extend mercy and grace to others as they remember that Christ did not treat us as our sins deserve.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_"You have heard it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

-- Matthew 5:43-44_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
Perhaps it is obvious by now that not everyone thinks this campaign is a great idea! In fact, those on the front lines standing in peaceful vigil are perhaps being cursed and hated for what God has called you to do.

Because we are all fallen creatures, our natural response may not be as Christ-like as we would hope it would be.

So, how do we keep our natural response in check, while allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us to love, bless, do good, and pray for those who hate us or would do us harm?

Consider first the Holiness of God.

It seems that sin has clouded our ability to think clearly about God's nature. We simply don't have a clue of how outraged God is by our sin, what an insult sin is to His person, or how sin fires the flames of His wrath.

Praise God that He didn't leave us in our depravity destined for His divine wrath!

*Ephesians 2:4-5 *says, "_But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sin, made us alive together with Christ; by grace you have been saved."_

Because of God's mercy and grace towards us, we who receive Him receive eternal Hope.

Those who curse you, hate you, spitefully mistreat you and persecute you need that same Hope.

That is the only way we can ever expect them to behave differently.

Ask the Holy Spirit to love them -- through you -- so they are drawn to the Hope that is in you, that is Christ Jesus.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Heavenly Father, may we reflect your character of grace and kindness to those who hate us and curse us.

Guard our hearts and our tongues as we respond in love to words and actions meant to rile us or cause us
harm.

Let others see the Hope that is Christ in all we say and do. In His precious name we pray, Amen.*_


Printable devotion:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day28print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 13, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 29 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
We pray for the grace to be strong when others ridicule or oppose us.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

--Luke 14:27
_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
To stand up for what is right means we stand against what is wrong, and that means that those who love what is wrong will oppose us, just as they opposed Christ. Taking up the cross means we continue speaking and standing for the right even when that opposition comes.

We experience this, in particular, when we are out on the streets, where people are not expecting the pro-life message and where they did not go to hear it. We must remember to never take the opposition personally.

When people ridicule or yell at us, we might get a guilty feeling or be tempted to think we did something wrong. We did not.

The insults are not being hurled at us personally, but rather at the truth of what we are standing for, and at the demands of the moral law.

There are many who are trying to run away from those demands, or who have managed to tuck the abortion problem away into a distant corner of their minds where it can no longer disturb them.

By standing publicly for the cause of life, we have short-circuited that denial and frustrated those efforts to ignore the issue. Therefore, some will be angry, perhaps not fully realizing why.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Lord, thank you for the grace of being pro-life, and of standing strong when others may ridicule or oppose me.

During this 40 Day campaign, may your peace fill my soul, especially when I may endure the opposition of others, and may I become more like your crucified and risen Son. Amen.*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day29print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 13, 2013)

*This is a great recap for today... I'm sure many of you are getting the emails or participating but I'm enjoying these devotions...* 

-----
Dear ,

Babies saved … babies adopted … pastors participating … abortion center owners miffed.

Yes, those are things we hear about at 40 Days for Life vigils on a regular basis. But the blessings are REALLY flowing in one particular location that has experienced ALL of those things!

*LANSING, MICHIGAN*

Volunteers in Lansing have shared the joyful news of lives spared from abortion – but there are many other ways their prayers have been answered during this campaign.

For one thing, there is active clergy involvement at the vigil. Pastor John Hayden of Columbia Road Baptist Church is one of the church leaders who take regular turns at the vigil, stopping by for an hour of prayer each week before heading off to his day’s work.


“He stops to pray and be a witness to hope,” said Cecelia in Lansing. He stands near a very busy corner, holding a “pray to end abortion sign.” He hasn’t counted cars yet, but just watching all the traffic, he estimates "we're reaching a thousand people an hour."

Pastor Hayden occasionally gets an earful from a passing motorist, but he greets that negativity with a positive response. "When drivers get angry and make comments from vehicles – mostly it's the men – I give them a thumbs-up."

About 50 people who gathered for a noontime prayer hour met Kathleen, a young mother, and her two young adopted sons – twin boys.


Kathleen and her family had been praying at a previous 40 Days for Life campaign (an abortion center that is now closed!) after she had lost a child through miscarriage.

Not long after that, a foster care agency asked her if she wanted twin brothers whose abortion-minded mother had changed her mind. She prayed about it and sensed that God was telling her to adopt the boys. So she did!


Rita, a member of the 40 Days for Life leadership team in Lansing (second from left in this photo), shared another adoption story – her own! Rita was adopted when she was three months old.

"I will be eternally grateful to my birth mom for letting me be a gift to a family who wanted me so much,” she said. “One of the pro-life signs that I've seen over the years reads: ‘Adoption – the loving option.’ It can be such a beautiful gift.”


Rita said if abortion had been legal at the time, she might not be here today.

As is often the case, the peaceful vigil is having an effect on the abortion center staff. A man who identified himself as the owner left the building and approached the people praying in the public right-of-way.

“I own the sidewalk,” he told the volunteers. “If you stand on the sidewalk, you have to keep moving. You may not put signs up in the grassy area. I own it.” He added – in rather crude terms – that if the vigil participants harassed his employees, he would throw them all off his property.


A quick call to the city attorney’s office confirmed that the sidewalk and the grassy area are public property, and there was no requirement to keep moving.

It sounds like just another abortion business that can’t wait for Day 40 to get here – and just another reason to keep a regular, continuing prayer presence on the public sidewalk for Day 41 and beyond!


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## Shimmie (Mar 13, 2013)

Laela 

Thank you for your faithfulness in sharing these  posts.   This is vital and God rewards your steadfastness.  

This is Ministry and the Breath of Life to many whom we will never know yet they will live.


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## MrsHaseeb (Mar 14, 2013)

Laela said:


> ------------------------------------------------------
> DAY 29 INTENTION
> ------------------------------------------------------
> We pray for the grace to be strong when others ridicule or oppose us.
> ...



Reading this made me think of the following verses:
 John 3:19-20 KJV
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

We live in a dark world. This is why they hate having their deeds exposed by the truth. Although abortions (murders) are done in the darkness of the womb I appreciate things like this that bring it to the forefront because it reminds the saints of God to pray against this spirit in Jesus name.


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## Laela (Mar 15, 2013)

*UPDATE:* Abortion workers quit

Dear ,

In the first days of a 40 Days for Life campaign, when abortion workers watch your peaceful presence outside their building, they do NOT like what they are seeing. They view us as enemies and a nuisance. Over time, however, they witness your prayers, love and compassion ... in the rain, snow or heat. Eventually, some begin to question the work they are doing.

Of the 76 workers who have had a change of heart and left their jobs, many have done so in the last two weeks of the campaign. This time, it's a first for an international 40 Days for Life campaign.

We’ve just learned that an abortion center worker in Sydney, Australia has quit her job and left for good!

*This now makes 77 abortion employees* who have decided that they cannot continue with their work and walked out during 40 Days for Life campaigns.


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## Laela (Mar 15, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 31 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray for opportunities to share with an abortion-minded woman that the newness of life she is seeking is found only in Christ.


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.

-- 2 Corinthians 5:17
_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
An unexpected pregnancy is perceived by many young women as the end of their life as they know it. News of an unexpected pregnancy pulls the rug from under her well laid plans.

Sadly, these women may choose abortion as a matter of self-preservation, believing that an abortion will help return life to normal and give them opportunity to start anew.

They don't see abortion as killing a child, but rather as saving their own life. Of course, abortion will not bring the newness of life they are seeking, but instead will bring death to their child, lifelong regret, and unexpected -- possibly devastating -- consequences to their own life.

Abortion will be the choice made if we don't meet them at the crossroad between life and death with a better way.

Almost without exception, these young women are looking for love, acceptance, and to be valued.

In their efforts to have those needs met, they have become promiscuous. Most, if honest, will admit the needs were only met momentarily, if at all, during their brief encounter, and afterward the needs returned unmet.

The truth is, only Christ loves them unconditionally with an everlasting love. Only Christ will accept them as they are, and only Christ sees them for their true value in Him.

He has a perfect plan for each woman and her child if only she will allow Christ to transform her life as she surrenders to Him.

No, an unexpected pregnancy is not the end of life, but rather can be the beginning of two beautiful lives if God's plan for them is given opportunity to unfold.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Heavenly Father, you give us a new song, a new purpose, a new direction, a new perspective.

You remind us that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.

Give us boldness to share this Good News with those at the crossroads. May they choose life for their children and enjoy newness of life in You. Because of Christ we pray, Amen.

*_
Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day31print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 16, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 32 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
May we come to know that divine life, in relationship, creates human life.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

-- John 1:1-3_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. Paul Stallsworth, Lifewatch
------------------------------------------------------*
"In the beginning" was God.

Always, before all times, there was God.

This particular God -- the God of the Bible, the God of St. John's Gospel -- is different from all other gods. This God is alive and full of life.

This God is not the picture of deadness and death, aloneness and isolation.

This God is the picture of life, relationship, and unity. For within this God, within this one God, there are three divine persons who live, who love, and who work -- together. This is the glorious mystery of the Trinity.

The Trinity means divine life. The Trinity means three, living Persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- who relate to each other. The Trinity means mutual love and service among three Persons.

The Word was always with God the Father. This Word was, is, and will be the Trinity's second person. The Word is also the Son of God or, as revealed in time, Jesus Christ.

God the Father and God the Son live, love, and work for each other. As one, they create "all things" together: the Father creates all things, including all human life, through the Son.

So the Father, through the Son, creates all human lives. The little one swimming in his mother's womb, the infant smiling in his father's arms, the child crying in pain in a hospital bed, the energetic teen running another mile, the old man gasping for his last breath -- all were created, at their beginning, by the Father through the Son. 

No exceptions. Divine life creates human life.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*O God, may we always be quick to call you Father. And when we call you father, let your Spirit remind us that we, and all people, from their beginning to their last day, are your children.

We praise you, Father, that you sent your Son to reveal to the world that all people are His brothers and sisters, that all people are your children. Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day32print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 17, 2013)

Enjoying today's entry... _"If you subsidize an activity, you get more of it . . ." _(Wendy Wright)
=====


*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 33 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
As we pray for the end of abortion, let us pray for the expansion of the pregnancy help center movement worldwide.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.

-- Revelation 12:4-5_


*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
------------------------------------------------------*
You don't need to be a theological scholar to get the essential point of Revelation 12. Something BIG is afoot. It has something to do with the birth of Christ and the children of God.

It involves a war in heaven, with powers and principalities beyond our expertise. But the battles are fought here on earth.

The crux of the matter centers around the babe of Bethlehem and the cross of Calvary.

It continues to unfold down through the ages, through us, the children of God, who put their faith in Christ and take up their cross and follow him.

We are waging a war of love against all things that destroy body and soul.

*The intensity waxes and wanes, but like labor pains, they grow and culminate in new life.*

The unleashing of legal abortion nearly 40 years ago stirred up prayer (lamentation really). Many were then led to start pregnancy help centers and maternity homes. Today there are over 3,000 such ministries that did not exist 40 years ago.

They reflect a movement of God on our watch: Christians driven to give their time and charity to end abortion one woman at a time.

Let's pray this movement expands worldwide. Let's pray for thousands more Christians to start, serve and support pregnancy help centers.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*O God, from generation to generation, you have called your people to be the very aroma of life amidst a culture of death. Now it is our turn. Prepare me. Send me. Use me. I am eager to do my part. Stir your people everywhere to take up this great work.*_


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day33print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 19, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 35 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that all believers participating in this 40 Days for Life campaign will make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace
(Ephesians 4:3).


*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
-----------------------------------------------------*-
_And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

-- John 17:22-23_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*

Christ prayed that all those who would believe in Him would be united in single purpose and spirit, just as He and the Father were united.

I find it convicting to consider that those who would run to Jesus with their sins, seeking forgiveness, and falling in love with the Savior, often run from Christians today.

Is it because they see division and dissension instead of unity and peace?

No doubt Christ is pleased to see the body unified and praying together during these 40 days.

This is exactly what we see when we read about the beginnings of the church. Both the unity and the prayer are conspicuous, along with the results of unified prayer.

Acts 2:46-47 tells us, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."

No doubt the enemy is disheartened to see the unity in prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil, and he will continuously try to disrupt the bond of peace among brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let us guard our hearts and minds, exhibiting the love of Christ that He so graciously gives us, so that those watching will see the love among us and know that He must love them too!

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Heavenly Father, give us grace in every situation to work toward unity. With humility, gentleness, and patience, may we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There are hurting men and women Lord at the crossroads of life and death who are looking for love and peace in their lives.

May they see Christ in us and be drawn to the abundant life that only He can give. It is in Christ's precious name that we pray, Amen.
*_

Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day35print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 19, 2013)

*Remember in your prayers the Christian folks who are participating in the peaceful prayers; we are fully aware many people don't like this movement, even some Christians, but we pray against any violence toward those on the sidewalks.  They are protected by God! There is no condemnation toward them, nor judgment from them toward the women, the abortion workers... I've learned that it's a bigger picture than that! Amein~*


*UPDATES*

I’m in Baltimore today, speaking to a group of young 40 Days for Life volunteers. I just got back from a visit to Connecticut.


*BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICU*T
When I spoke at the Bridgeport vigil, I noticed that some of the abortion facility workers came out to listen to what I was saying.

Since we are in the last week of the campaign, I talked about how the abortion workers who leave their jobs during 40 Days for Life usually do so during the last part of the campaign.

I also shared how we are there for these workers ... and how our message to them is one of hope and love – two things they will not find inside an abortion facility.


*CUTBACKS IN IOWA*
Earlier during this campaign, I told you about a number of Planned Parenthood locations that were closing – including two in Iowa. A 40 Days for Life coordinator in Iowa now says other Planned Parenthood facilities are seeing a downturn in business – and cutting their hours of operation.

“Across Iowa, we've seen great results this spring,” said Jim in Cedar Rapids. “The Planned Parenthood abortion facility here quietly reduced their hours by 25 percent, which included remaining closed on Thursdays, after being open at least five days a week for many years.”

Jim said the center also cut its hours on Mondays and Fridays. “When Thursday came,” he said, “many clients encountered locked doors. They eventually saw the sign.”

Statewide, he said, about half of their sites have scaled back their hours – in addition to the two that closed last week. “Those closures cut over 45 more hours from their statewide hours,” Jim said. “This makes standing in the colder-than-usual weather worth it.”

The Sioux City facility, where 40 Days for Life vigils have been held in the past, was cut by 10 hours per week. “They also discontinued surgical abortions, due to the lack of an abortionist,” he said. “Medical abortions, likely via webcam, are still listed.”

Planned Parenthood in Red Oak, Iowa has also cut its hours and is now open two days each week instead of three. "Currently," said Rod, the local 40 Days for Life coordinator in Red Oak, "they are only open 11 hours per week."

“When God gets involved, the one thing you can count on is that He will keep changing the reason for closures and scaling back of hours,” Jim said. “He doesn't tend to use the same method twice in a row. It will cause the collapse of the abortion industry.”

*WILMINGTON, DELAWARE*
Recently, I told you about the four times in recent weeks that ambulances were called to the Planned Parenthood center in Orange County, California where a 40 Days for Life vigil is under way outside.

There are reports of five ambulance calls at the Marie Stopes abortion center in London's Ealing section, where 40 Days for Life volunteers are praying.

A similar story now comes from Wilmington, Delaware – where four times in five weeks, volunteers have seen ambulances drive up to the Planned Parenthood abortion center … and drive away with women who were taken out of the building by paramedics.

This story has a twist. In the latest emergency call, a 40 Days for Life prayer volunteer – a 63-year-old grandmother – was using her phone to make a video recording of the ambulance.

While she was doing that, a woman (apparently not an employee) came out of the building, heading straight toward the vigil participant. This woman then shoved the volunteer to the sidewalk and took her phone.

The attacker got away – but police are trying to find her.

The volunteer received medical attention, but she said she’s okay. We're not sure about the four women who left this Planned Parenthood center by ambulance.


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## Laela (Mar 21, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 37 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
We are the defenders of true freedom. May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:17_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
Norma McCorvey (the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) used to work at an abortion mill named "A Choice for Women." She now realizes what a cruel irony that title was.

She saw first hand, just as pregnancy resource center counselors see, that women don't get abortions because of freedom of choice, but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice.

They feel trapped, abandoned, desperate and afraid, and have been led to believe that abortion is their only option.

As Frederica Mathewes-Green has written, no want wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." That doesn't mean that the Spirit allows us to do whatever we want or to decide for ourselves what's right and wrong.

Rather, it means that the Spirit gives us the freedom to do what is right, the power to choose what is good, when we see it before us and yet feel pulled in the opposite direction. Liberty means that we no longer have to feel doomed to do what we know is wrong.

We are the people of the Spirit of the Lord, and when we take action on behalf of life, especially by being present at abortion mills, we are acting on behalf of true freedom, and imparting to those who are in bondage the power to do what is right.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Spirit of freedom, the source of all that is good, the power to do what is right.

Fill us, and fill those who are in bondage today, feeling doomed to do what is wrong.

Set them free, and help us to hasten them on the road to freedom, where your grace overcomes every temptation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
*_

Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day37print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 22, 2013)

Lots of people love the peaceful approach of 40 Days for Life and see how God has used this effort.

BUT ... it comes as no surprise to find out that not everybody is a fan.

There are people in the abortion industry who call this campaign “40 Days of Harassment.” No one is being harassed, of course (except maybe the prayer volunteers). 

The truth is that peaceful prayer on the sidewalk is bad for business. So the pro-abortion side is doing whatever it can to minimize the impact … by twisting the truth.

*40 DAYS OF MOCKERY*

There are a number of pro-abortion backlash efforts that have adopted the “40 days” theme. The worst of the lot is jointly sponsored by “Clergy for Choice” and the Planned Parenthood affiliate in Eureka, California.

This effort, “40 Days of Prayer to Keep Abortion Safe and Legal,” is really a mockery of 40 Days for Life – and frankly, of God. They use a collection of 40 daily prayer intentions – sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

But listen to some of the "Clergy for Choice" intentions:

Day 5: Today we pray for medical students who want to include abortion care in their practice.
Day 18: Today we pray for all the staff at abortion clinics around the nation. May they be daily confirmed in the sacred care that they offer women.
Day 27: Today we give thanks for abortion providers around the nation whose concern for women is the driving force in their lives.
Day 40: Today we give thanks and celebrate that abortion is still safe and legal.
To respond to each of those “prayer” intentions:

Day 5: Fewer and fewer medical students are interested in abortion. Aging abortionists are retiring and not being replaced.
Day 18: Abortion -- the destruction of innocent children -- is considered "sacred care"? Unbelievable!
Day 27: The “driving force” for Planned Parenthood is money. There is no prestige in the abortion trade.
Day 40: Safe and legal? Based on numerous ambulance calls at abortion facilities, “safe” couldn’t be any farther from the truth. And of course, abortion is never “safe” for the baby.
Let’s all pray for all of those who’ve convinced themselves that abortion is a moral “choice” – and for all who are deluded into believing that lie.


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## Laela (Mar 22, 2013)

Today's devotion:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day38print.pdf

Be blessed today!


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## MrsHaseeb (Mar 22, 2013)

Laela said:


> Lots of people love the peaceful approach of 40 Days for Life and see how God has used this effort.
> 
> BUT ... it comes as no surprise to find out that not everybody is a fan.
> 
> ...



Praise God for this


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## Laela (Mar 23, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 39 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that volunteers will replace exhaustion or discouragement with rejoicing over the miracles we have seen thus far, and enthusiastic service as God takes us on to victory!
*
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

-- 1 Peter 1:6-7_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
We have reason to rejoice when we consider the many babies whose lives have been saved during the 40 Days for Life campaign.

Add to those lives, the women and men who have been spared from a devastating decision and now have opportunity to make a plan for their baby that is both life affirming and God honoring.

Whether directly, or indirectly, you have contributed to these testimonies of praise with your sacrificial service.

Perhaps you have been grieved by various trials during your commitment to 40 days.

The attacks of the enemy come in many forms -- difficulties in relationships, finances, health.

Or maybe you are physically and mentally exhausted and have been marking off the days on your calendar, eagerly waiting for Day 40.

Consider these trials in light of God's plan for you.

The Apostle Paul understood the big picture when he said in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

This is our Hope and our victory. Let us rejoice in the opportunity to give that Hope to others in our path.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Dear Heavenly Father, we sing to You a new song, for You have done marvelous things. Forgive us when we allow circumstances to defeat us. You give power to the faint and You increase strength in those who have no might.

We rest in You, dear Lord, and ask You to empower us again for Your service as You work out Your plan for us and through us.

May You receive glory through our victory in Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
*_

*Printable devotion:* http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day39print.pdf


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## Belle Du Jour (Mar 23, 2013)

Laela, praise GOD I was able to go and pray outside of a clinic today!  I ended up meeting up with 2 other people and we prayed a rosary.  We prayed in the front of the building but there were people also praying in the back (where the actual entrance was).  We had them surrounded.  Hopefully, a baby's life was spared.  I really like that this is such a peaceful prayerful vigil.  They do this again the fall, right?  I hope to do it again


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## Nice & Wavy (Mar 24, 2013)

I know this is just a 'story', but it is so fitting for this thread:





A  baby was born in a hospital laughing instead of crying.  The more the  nurses beat him, the more he laughed so hard...suddenly, the doctor noticed he had something in his hands, so he pulled the tiny hands apart and discovered he was holding 3 abortion pills.  The baby then turned his head looking at his mother, laughed again and said:

 "NO WEAPON FASHIONED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER!"


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## Laela (Mar 24, 2013)

Yay.. I'm glad you got the chance to get out thereBolded is our prayer.  Yes, it's in the fall as well. Sept. 25- November 4th, I believe... 




Belle Du Jour said:


> Laela, praise GOD I was able to go and pray outside of a clinic today!  I ended up meeting up with 2 other people and we prayed a rosary.  We prayed in the front of the building but there were people also praying in the back (where the actual entrance was).  We had them surrounded. * Hopefully, a baby's life was spared. * I really like that this is such a peaceful prayerful vigil.  They do this again the fall, right?  I hope to do it again


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## Laela (Mar 24, 2013)

*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 40 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Let us keep our eyes fixed on the *New Jerusalem*, where death will be no more.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

-- Revelation 21:4-5_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
Every activity we undertake in defense of the sanctity of life is prophetic, inasmuch as it points to the day when "death will be no more."

Every victory we have when an act of abortion is prevented is prophetic of that day when death itself will be definitively conquered.

Every triumph of grace in this world, whereby someone is brought to see the value of life and given the strength to welcome it, is a breaking into our history of that definitive future in which the old order of things will have passed, and all things will be made new.

As pro-life warriors, we must keep our eyes fixed on heaven, and our hearts secure in the hope that the day is coming when all evil will be conquered.

It is the future that shapes the present; it is victory that informs the battle; it is the destination that determines the journey.

Daily, we are called to reflect on heaven.

When we weep, we are to think of the day when every tear will be wiped away.

When we face the destructive power of death, we are to think of the day when death is swallowed up in victory.

When we labor against abortion, we are to think of the day when we will have the rest and peace of the final triumph of life.

Heaven is as real as earth, and its joys will be as real as our present sorrows.

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------
Father, you are the God of hope. Your word fills us with the vision of the world to come, when every tear will be wiped away, and death will be no more.

Father, how we need that hope, how we are strengthened by that vision! Keep our hearts focused on heaven, and diligent in the labors of earth.

As we struggle against the culture of death, root our souls in the assurance of victory. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen. *


Printable devotion: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day40print.pdf


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## Laela (Mar 26, 2013)

Got one last e-mail to share...

==============================
Before I take a break from email, I do want to thank you for all you’ve done the past 40 days … and to let you know that we are aware of …

… *554 babies *spared from abortion through God’s mercy these past 40 days!

Those are 554 stories of children -- made in God's image and likeness -- who were so close to becoming another statistic. But because of your prayers, and your courage to be there for their moms, they have life.

It is in this spirit of thanksgiving -- for their lives and our lives -- that we enter into the most important week of the year. This week we hand all of our weaknesses and doubts over to Christ, who takes them to the Cross, overcomes death ... and reminds us that with Him, all things are possible -- even ending abortion.
*------------------------​**WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK*
Gerald was praying at the vigil in White Plains when somebody walked off with his backpack. But before he could get too concerned about that, he noticed two women heading his way – an older woman and a younger one.

The older woman told him they had driven two hours from upstate New York. The young woman had an abortion appointment, but now she is “probably going to have the baby.” She asked Gerald for information about pregnancy services.


That information, of course, was in Gerald’s backpack. But he passed along two pro-life pregnancy hotline numbers that he knew, as well as the web address of the Sisters of Life.

The young woman was smiling and said “God bless you” as Gerald waved good-bye. He said he’d been praying about the missing backpack, but “God responded with a much greater blessing!”
*------------------------​**KALISPELL, MONTANA*
Floyd in Kalispell says two babies were saved from abortion. In both cases, the mothers are 16-year-old girls.

One of these young women arrived at the abortion center with her mother, her aunt and one of her mother’s friends. Inside, the girl had an ultrasound exam.

The technician was telling her that she had a “tissue growth” that they could take care of for her. At that point, the girl’s aunt snatched the sonogram printout from the technician’s hand. “Look at this ultrasound!” She said. “It’s a baby!”

“The aunt convinced the young lady that it was in her best interest to have the baby,” said Floyd. “All the ladies left the clinic and haven't been seen since.  We have heard that the young lady went to the pregnancy center with her aunt -- and all is well.”

*------------------------​**ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA*
A man stopped his car next to the prayer volunteers and asked where the abortion center was, since his wife had an appointment. One of the vigil participants talked to him, gave him some information … and convinced him to not keep the appointment.

A while later, the volunteer saw that same car, around the corner, parked off the side of the road.

The man and woman were feeling pressured and confused because the abortionist called to pressure them, asking why they had not shown up for their appointment.

The prayer volunteer assured them they were doing the right thing – that God will take care of them, to leave and not to have any second thoughts. The woman was very grateful, and told him God had sent him.

They contacted a pregnancy support center, where one of the workers confirmed that they had made a definitive choice to keep the baby.

“We at the prayer site are all rejoicing,” said one of the local leaders, “and giving thanks and praise to God for this wonderful miracle of life.”

As a bonus ... here is one final 40 Days for Life devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.


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## Laela (Mar 26, 2013)

_*Thanks to all of you LHCF members who have been reading and to those who have been encouraging and supportive during the posting of these devotions. God surely has blessed each of you! :Rose: 
*_



*------------------------------------------------------
DAY 41 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------*
Pray that the witness of 40 Days for Life bears abundant fruit, and that we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until God welcomes us into the gates of heaven.

*------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------*
_He will wipe every tear from their eyes. On this rock I will build my church; the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

-- Matthew 16:18_

*------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------*
When we read this verse, we usually think that the Lord is promising that the church, which is His Body, will withstand all the attacks launched against it.

Of course, that is true. But when we think about it more carefully, we realize that in a battle, the gates do not run out into the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still to defend the city from the enemy attacking it.

So when the Lord says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, who is doing the attacking?

It is the church storming the gates!

The church, all of God's people in Christ, is called to take the offensive, to run into enemy territory, and to gain ground for Jesus Christ.

We do not wait for an invitation; we already have a command.

We prepare, but we do not wait for circumstances to be perfect; we already have one who has gone before us.

During these 40 days, we have stormed the gates. We have taken the offensive. We have pushed forward the boundaries of the kingdom. And we must keep doing so, in numerous ways.

Indeed, the gates of hell will not prevail. The gates of falsehood will flee in the presence of truth. The gates of sin will melt in the presence of grace. The gates of death will fall in the presence of the church, the People of Life!

*------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------*
_*Father, we praise you. We have heard the voice of your Son, and therefore we can make our voices heard.

We have done battle with the power of evil, and therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip. We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness, and therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light.

May the witness of all your people through these 40 Days for Life bear abundant fruit, and may we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until You welcome us into the gates of heaven.

We pray in the victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.*_


Printable devotion:   http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2013day41print.pdf


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## Belle Du Jour (Apr 12, 2013)

It's so funny what the media ignores. Today, I saw a couple articles in my Facebook feed about how the media has ignored the Kermit Gosnell case, the abortionist who murdered babies by sticking scissors.into their neck and cut their spinal cord.  

http://m.theatlantic.com/national/a...ls-trial-should-be-a-front-page-story/274944/

Please come soon, Lord.


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## Laela (Apr 16, 2013)

Thanks for posting Belle Du Jour... there was to be a teleconference/web simulcast called BEACON OF HOPE to let people know about the latest abortion clinic shut down; but it was postponed due to the Boston bombing. They are closing down.. praise God! 
___________________
*UPDATES*
You'll definitely want to attend tonight's BEACON OF
HOPE teleconference and web simulcast (participation
details below) to learn about the latest abortion
center that just closed its doors and went out of
business on FRIDAY ... less than three weeks after a
40 Days for Life campaign wrapped up outside its doors!

This makes the 32nd abortion center to shut down
following a 40 Days for Life campaign -- six this
campaign alone! Life-saving victories at the local
level continue to gain momentum, and are providing
a BEACON OF HOPE in the midst of cultural darkness.

During tonight's event, you'll also hear from 40 Days
for Life campaign leaders from Sacramento, California
and Sugar Land, Texas -- two more locations where
abortion facilities have SHUT THEIR DOORS and gone
out of business ...

... and from the 63-year old grandma who was assaulted
while praying at 40 Days for Life outside Planned
Parenthood in Wilmington, Delaware -- and transformed
national media coverage of her attack into a health
department investigation into dangerous conditions at
the abortion center ... which just SUSPENDED ABORTIONS.

You won't want to miss this one-time-only event!

Tonight's teleconference and webcast is the GOOD NEWS
we need after the steady stream of bad news every day
in newspapers, radio, television and the internet.

There IS reason for hope in what God is doing locally.
Join us tonight and hear for yourself!


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## Belle Du Jour (Jul 30, 2013)

I didn't want to start a new thread but do y'all know about this woman?

Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson
-First black graduate from Harvard Medical School
-First female doctor at Boston University Hospital
-First female member of the Boston Surgical Society
-Ronald Regan credited her as changing his views from pro-choice to pro-life
-Found the National Right to Life Committee

This woman (RIP) might be my new she-ro


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## Belle Du Jour (Jul 30, 2013)

New abortion act in Ireland: http://www.smh.com.au/world/irish-president-signs-abortions-into-law-20130731-2qxr2.html


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## Laela (Jul 30, 2013)

Thanks for this... and the updates. Great woman indeed... her words are coming to life:



> “With the obstetrician and mother becoming the worst enemy of the child and the pediatrician becoming the assassin for the family, the state must be enabled to protect the life of the child, born and unborn.”  -* Dr. Jefferson*



July 29- 
North CArolina Governor signs abortion rules bill

July 12-
Texas Senate Passes Abortion bill



Belle Du Jour said:


> I didn't want to start a new thread but do y'all know about this woman?
> 
> Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson
> -First black graduate from Harvard Medical School
> ...


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## Belle Du Jour (Aug 24, 2013)

The next 40 Days for Life campaign runs Sept 25-Nov 3.  www.40daysforlife.com/


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## MrsHaseeb (Aug 24, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> The next 40 Days for Life campaign runs Sept 25-Nov 3.  www.40daysforlife.com/



Thank you Belle. I'll be keeping up with this. This issue has been heavy on my heart.


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## Belle Du Jour (Aug 25, 2013)

Also, the March for Life in DC will be on January 22.  Although the media tries to ignore this event, it's HUGE.  Hundreds of thousands will be marching for life!  I am endeavoring to be there in 2014, God willing.  And you don't have to be Catholic to participate


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## MrsHaseeb (Aug 25, 2013)

I ran across this video on Facebook. I had heard most of this but this video went into details that literally broke my heart. Its time to be praying like never before.... I don't think we've fully grasped what we're up against.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auv6c0-FsjU&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## MrsHaseeb (Aug 26, 2013)

Belle Du Jour said:


> Also, the March for Life in DC will be on January 22.  Although the media tries to ignore this event, it's HUGE.  Hundreds of thousands will be marching for life!  I am endeavoring to be there in 2014, God willing.  And you don't have to be Catholic to participate



Just like homosexuality I don't think abortion support is as wide spread as it appears to be. And those who support it many times have not been educated fully of the natural and spiritual consequences. When you guys have a chance look into Margaret Sanger and how they began using abortion to kill off the black race. There are also more abortion clinics in black communities than anywhere else. I have been praying against this. The birth rate in the black community is equal to the abortion rate. Since this started, the black race has DECREASED from about 17% to less than 11%... That's huge. Its never discussed in most churches. And the problem is widespread but the black race is the only one declining. It breaks my heart.


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## Nice & Wavy (Aug 26, 2013)

@Laela  - FYI

More than 50 abortion clinics across the country have closed or  stopped offering the procedure since a heavy wave of legislative attacks  on providers began in 2010, according to The Huffington Post's  nationwide survey of state health departments, abortion clinics and  local abortion-focused advocacy groups. 

*At least 54 abortion providers across 27 states have shut down or  ended their abortion services in the past three years, and several more  clinics are only still open because judges have temporarily blocked  legislation that would make it difficult for them to continue to  operate. Nebraska and Massachusetts have each added one clinic since  2010, and the other 21 states and the District of Columbia, most of  which have not passed new anti-abortion laws since 2010, were unable to  accurately count their clinics because their health departments do not  license abortion providers separately from other kinds of medical  providers. The Huffington Post's tally did not include hospitals that  provide abortions.*

*"This kind of change is incredibly dramatic," *said Elizabeth Nash,  state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health  research organization. *"What we've been seeing since 1982 was a slow  decline, but this kind of change ... [is] so different from what's  happened in the past." *




_Infographic by Jan Diehm for the Huffington Post._
  A comprehensive survey by The Daily Beast found that as of January 2013, 724 abortion clinics remained operational across the U.S.


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## Nice & Wavy (Aug 26, 2013)

While some of the 54 closures were due to unrelated factors, the  states that have lost the most clinics over the past three years are the  same ones that have seen draconian new abortion restrictions and the  biggest cuts to family planning funding. In Texas, which has lost nine  clinics, lawmakers have slashed family planning funding  in the state budget, required abortion clinics to become ambulatory  surgical centers and required abortion doctors to have admitting  privileges at a local hospital. Arizona lawmakers passed similar  legislation and pushed out a total of 12 providers; the state had 18  abortion clinics in 2010 and now has only six, according to NARAL  Pro-Choice Arizona. 

  "This has turned into a nightmare," said Kat Sabine, executive  director of NARAL's Arizona affiliate. "The kind of efforts the women  have to take to get family planning or abortion services are just  incredible, and you can only get care if you can get out of the  community to do it. If you're on a reservation or rural part of the  state, unless you have reliable transportation, you're not going to get  care."

In Lake Havusu, Ariz., there are several anti-abortion Crisis  Pregnancy Centers and a Catholic charity hospital that does not offer  abortion care, but women have to travel over 150 miles to either Phoenix  or Las Vegas to find the nearest abortion or family planning clinic,  Sabine said. The situation mirrors problems rural women face in other  states. Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota have only one  abortion clinic each, and the first two are hanging onto their only  clinics pending court decisions. Other larger states, like Alaska and  Texas, do not have nearly enough providers to respond to the needs of  women in rural areas, because the clinics are concentrated in a few  major cities.

  Compounding the problem, 26 states require women to wait at least 24  hours between their consultation sessions and abortion procedures,  making it twice as difficult for rural and low-income women to access  abortion care.  "These restrictions have an uneven impact," Nash said. "Women who  have resources, have a car, have some money in the bank, can access  childcare and take time off work can obtain an abortion, and women who  are less well-off and don't have those kinds of resources are not able  to access abortion services."   

While states have been passing abortion restrictions since long  before 2010, the recent legislative trend has been to directly target  abortion providers and make it harder for them to operate. In addition  to passing mandatory waiting periods and mandatory ultrasounds, states  are passing so-called "TRAP" laws -- the Targeted Regulation of Abortion  Providers. These laws often require abortion clinics to undergo  extensive and costly renovations in order to become ambulatory surgical  centers, which are essentially mini-hospitals.

Anti-abortion advocates, meanwhile, argue that TRAP laws are designed  to protect women's health by forcing clinics to widen their hallways,  install specific ventilation systems and build locker rooms for  physicians. Kristi Hamrick, a spokesperson for Americans United for  Life, told HuffPost that the new restrictions are not the reason clinics  are shutting down. "It was the choice of the abortion industry to  locate their profitable abortion businesses in older buildings that  would never pass muster for other outpatient surgical centers," she  said. "It was their choice to ignore the laws of any given state on  building requirements for outpatient medical facilities -- set by that  state in line with a national standards board, not AUL -- and choose  locations that were not as safe."

Hamrick added that the fact that most of the available information on  abortion clinic closures comes from the clinics themselves is evidence  of the fact that states do not regulate the clinics enough. While some  state health departments have specific licenses for abortion providers,  states vary widely in how they count providers. Some only license  ambulatory surgical centers that provide abortions, and others have no  separate category for abortion providers, making it difficult to get an  accurate count of how many providers there are without thumbing through  the phone book.  "While the abortion industry has claimed that their businesses have suffered, we have only their word on that," she said.  

The murder trial of Kermit Gosnell,  the abortion provider in Pennsylvania who performed illegal, late-term  abortions and allegedly "snipped" the spines of fetuses born alive, has  fueled the drive to regulate abortion clinics even further. A group of  House Republicans wrote letters to the health departments  and attorneys general of all 50 states in May, citing the Gosnell trial  and asking what exactly states are doing to "protect the civil rights  of newborns and their mothers." 

RH Reality Check obtained 38 states' responses to that inquiry and published them.  The publication's analysis of the documents concluded that abortion  clinics in most states are aggressively regulated and extremely safe.  "Most states said that they conduct regular inspections of abortion  clinics, or of hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, or other types of  facilities where abortions can be carried out," RH Reality Check  reported. "And most states said they were aware of very few — if any —  incidents of patients being harmed as a result of an abortion." Still, Republicans at the state and federal level are proposing new  ways to restrict abortion every time a legislative session begins,  giving women in their states fewer and fewer options when faced with an  unplanned or unhealthy pregnancy. 

"These restrictions do nothing to reduce the need for abortion or to  reduce unintended pregnancy," Nash said. "I would say that those that  are promoting these very burdensome clinic regulations have as an end  goal the elimination of legal abortion. They don't have women's health  in mind."


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## Laela (Aug 27, 2013)

N&W, thanks for those stats...they speak volumes, and even though 54 clinics nationwide may not seem like a lot, that is a major victory... 

MrsHaseeb, interesting figures on the decrease of the black population...good points on support of homosexuality vs. support of abortion: homosexuality is still criminalized/ restricted in most parts of the world, whereas abortion is more common worldwide than we think. I appreciate everyone's comments, thoughts and prayers on this topic.


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## Nice & Wavy (Aug 28, 2013)

Laela said:


> N&W, thanks for those stats...they speak volumes, and even though 54 clinics nationwide may not seem like a lot, that is a major victory...


 Yes, a major victory indeed!


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