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To help maintain focus on the Lord and stay in tune with His guidance, we have prepared a series of daily devotionals — one for each campaign day.
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We fervently believe that prayer and fasting will end abortion, and your prayers will be very much needed and appreciated.
To receive devotionals and campaign information by e-mail, please use the "Help save lives" form at the top right corner of this page.
DAY 34 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Rev. Ben Sheldon, president
emeritus of Presbyterians Pro-life.
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We pray for the conversion of abortionists and all
abortion advocates.
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SCRIPTURE
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Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the
evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for
the widow.
-- Isaiah 1:16-17
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REFLECTION by Rev. Ben Sheldon
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God is just.
Inscribed around the inside of the Jefferson Memorial
in Washington, DC, are the immortal words of Thomas
Jefferson: "I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just."
If the deist, Jefferson, knew in the depths of his
being that God is just, how much more ought we
Christians to reflect on this profound truth?
The justice of God, like his holiness and his purity,
encourages us to seek justice for all people.
It is the evil deeds and wrong, selfish attitudes of
our modern society that have led to the cavalier
acceptance of abortion and euthanasia.
But, as Jefferson also said, "his justice will not
sleep forever."
God is calling us today to seek justice, to encourage
the oppressed, and to defend the orphans and widows of
our society.
It is a noble calling! It is one which every true
believer, every God-fearing man and woman, should heed
with no hesitation and no reluctance.
To follow the God of justice and truth is to stand
unequivocally for the right to life of everyone,
especially the unborn, the physically disabled, and
the terminally ill.
God's word through the prophet Isaiah is as relevant
in today's 21st century world as it was in Isaiah's
8th century BC world.
May God's grace help us to defend the unborn's right
to life as well as that of the already born.
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PRAYER
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O God, our heavenly Father, give us courage and wisdom
as we seek to eradicate the evil in our society.
Help us to realize that your divine Spirit alone can
change hearts and minds so that all your human
creatures may enjoy the fullness of life you intended
for them.
I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, my
Lord and Savior, Amen.
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DAY 33 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Rev. John Ensor of
Heartbeat International.
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As we pray for the end of abortion, let us pray for
the expansion of the pregnancy help center movement
worldwide.
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SCRIPTURE
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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
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REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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DAY 32 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Rev. Paul Stallsworth,
president of Lifewatch (United Methodist Church).
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May we come to know that divine life, in relationship,
creates human life.
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SCRIPTURE
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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
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REFLECTION by Rev. Paul Stallsworth, Lifewatch
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"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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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DAY 31 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Carmen Pate, a member of
the 40 Days for Life board of directors.
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Pray for opportunities to share with an abortion-
minded woman that the newness of life she is seeking
is found only in Christ.
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SCRIPTURE
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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
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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DAY 30 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Rev. Clenard Childress of
Life Education and Resources Network.
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Let us pray that pastors may not be distracted from
the priority of caring for human lives.
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SCRIPTURE
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In those days, when the number of the disciples was
multiplying, there arose a complaint against the
Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were
neglected in the daily distribution.
-- Acts 6:1
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REFLECTION
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More folks learning left some yearning.
It is the dawning of a new day. There is much
excitement in Jerusalem. Many who dedicated themselves
to the faith became disciples (the word disciple means
"learner").
The unprecedented church growth was miraculous and
undoubtedly brought much satisfaction to the new
leadership. The apostles, however, were about to
experience growing pains in their master plan of
evangelism.
Projects that engage the community, especially those
that are evangelistic in nature, are high on the list
of priorities for every duty-bound pastor.
Church attendance is a constant concern for every
pastor and often his or her worth is measured by it.
Unfortunately, just as the original twelve pastors in
Acts, they can be so focused on getting people in that
they inadvertently end up pushing some people out.
Murmuring is a deplorable deterrent to a harmonious
fellowship, yet God used it to get the disciples
attention. Those that needed daily attention due to
their age and social status were being neglected.
This neglect of the Hellenist widows during the daily
distribution of food was causing undue grief and
needed to be corrected by the leadership. By God's
grace the problem was dealt with, but the lesson
remains.
And during these 40 days, let us pray that today's
church not make the same mistake of forgetting the
contributions of our seniors, or the needs of the
weakest among us, the unborn.
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PRAYER
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Father, in the Church's desire to engage our
communities with the Gospel let her not disengage from
those who need their care and company the most.
Let us gain wisdom from those who have gone before us
and cherish their experiences and perspectives. Help
us to appreciate every soul in the body of Christ and
minister properly to everybody. Amen.
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DAY 29 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national
director of Priests for Life.
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We pray for the grace to be strong when others
ridicule or oppose us.
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SCRIPTURE
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Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
--Luke 14:27
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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DAY 28 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Carmen Pate, a member of
the 40 Days for Life board of directors.
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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.
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SCRIPTURE
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"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
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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DAY 27 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Rev. Ben Sheldon, president
emeritus of Presbyterians for Life.
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We pray for the gift of openness to children.
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SCRIPTURE
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Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the
field." And while they were in the field, Cain
attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother
Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's
keeper?"
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your
brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
-- Genesis 4:8-10
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REFLECTION by Rev. Ben Sheldon, Presbyterians Pro-Life
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God's intention is that we multiply and fill the
earth.
One of the most pernicious lies that sociologists have
foisted off on the public is that the earth is
becoming overpopulated.
What kind of a sadistic god would create the earth and
human creatures on it, only to have them literally
reproduce themselves into oblivion?
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is
our divine Creator, has commanded us to multiply and
fill the earth and far from letting the population get
out of control, He has, in fact given his human
creatures a dominical role over all the lesser
creatures.
The "birth control" movement, which had its beginnings
with Margaret Sanger in the early years of the last
century, has led, in many parts of the world, to a
birthrate that is drastically below the normal
replacement rate.
God's Word assures us that children are a blessing,
that they are a reward of faithfully trusting and
serving God and that they are the crown of their
parents' old age.
The spread of the contraception mentality that has so
permeated our culture is, undoubtedly, a factor in the
ready acceptance of abortion.
God's commandment to multiply and fill the earth has
never been withdrawn. May He help us to accept the
gift of children and give him thanks for every baby
who is born into the world.
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PRAYER
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Father of mercy and grace, we thank you for the gift
of our children.
Grant that every fiber of our being may rejoice when a
new baby, our own or any else's, is born into the
world.
Help us to welcome them as we would welcome you, for
whenever a new baby is conceived, another life to bear
your image and another voice to praise and worship
you, is beginning.
In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
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DAY 26 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national
director of Priests for Life.
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Pray that we fully recognize in the unborn child our
brother, our sister, and we recommit ourselves to care
for them.
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SCRIPTURE
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Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the
field." And while they were in the field, Cain
attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother
Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's
keeper?"
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your
brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
-- Genesis 4:8-10
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REFLECTION
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After Cain committed the first murder in human
history, God asked him, "Where is your brother?"
He replied by saying, "I don't know."
In 1973, the Supreme Court was asked the same
question, and gave the same answer.
Unable to admit that the unborn children are our
brothers and sisters, the Supreme Court said in its
Roe v. Wade ruling, "We need not resolve the difficult
question of when life begins."
Boil all that down to three words, and it's, "I don't
know."
The question, "Where is your brother?" will be asked
at the final judgment. Each person will answer it and
be judged by it. May we be judged to have recognized
and loved all our brothers and sisters, born and
unborn.
By participating in the 40 Days for Life, we have been
answering that question each day, going to where our
brothers and sisters are killed, and proclaiming that
we have a responsibility to them.
By all the pro-life work we will continue to do, we
likewise answer that question which reaches from one
end of human history to the other.
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PRAYER
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Father, today we hear your voice, and we respond to
the question you ask each of us: "Where is your
brother?"
We recognize in the unborn child our brother, our
sister, and we recommit ourselves today to care for
them.
Yes, Father, you have entrusted us to the care of one
another. We rejoice that you have given us the grace
to respond.
As we work to renew our culture, we look forward to
the great day of the coming of your Son, when every
eye will see him, even of those who pierced him, and
every knee shall bend, and every tongue confess, to
the glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is
Lord! Amen.
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DAY 25 INTENTION
Today's devotional is from Carmen Pate, a member of
the 40 Days for Life board of directors.
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Pray that God will bless us with His gift of strength
as we respond in obedience to His call.
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SCRIPTURE
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Deliver 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
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
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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!
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PRAYER
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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.
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