That morning, one student had decided to take her own life because of her past decision to abort. When she received a model baby with the scripture "you are fearfully and wonderfully made" she cried and prayed with the students and her life was saved, both physically and spiritually with the forgiveness of God.
Christian students suspended for bible doughnut handout
http://www.kiowacountysignal.com/topstories/x1869673448/Christian-students-suspended-for-bible-doughnut-handout
By Anonymous
Liberty Council
Posted Sep 17, 2010 @ 11:36 AM
Roswell, NM — Roswell, NM - A New Mexico School principal has retaliated against three Christian students by suspending them for giving fresh Krispy Kreme Doughnuts with Bible verses to each of their teachers. This school is already named in a pending lawsuit filed by Liberty Counsel on behalf of families and students who were bullied, and one suspended, for exercising their freedom of religion by distributing abstinence wristbands and plastic models of babies at 12 weeks gestation to bring attention to the life of the unborn.
About 25 Christian students in the group, Relentless in Roswell, expressed appreciation for their teachers by giving them dough nuts. Since the closest Krispy Kreme shop was in Texas, some of the group drove almost six hours round trip, stayed overnight, got up at 3:00 a.m. filled their car's back seat with fresh doughnuts and got back to school on time to deliver the doughnuts. When the doughnuts were handed out, a scripture verse was included. One student was immediately sent home and two others were forced to spend a Saturday morning sitting alone in the classroom for four hours as a punishment.
In the past, the same student group had handed out sandwiches, hot chocolate, and candy canes to the student body and faculty. They helped staff with the trash and fellow students with their lunch trays. They also distributed rocks with affirming words like "U are wonderful' painted on one side and "Psalm 139" on the other. When the plastic babies were handed out school officials said "It's time to shut this down. Some people are getting offended." That morning, one student had decided to take her own life because of her past decision to abort. When she received a model baby with the scripture "you are fearfully and wonderfully made" she cried and prayed with the students and her life was saved, both physically and spiritually with the forgiveness of God. However, the students were then pulled out of class and instructed by Principal Ruben Bolaños to cease their "Christian" acts because they had made their point. He later said, "I don't like Christians. All they do is smile at you and then stab you in the back."
Pastor Troy Smothermon with the affiliated Church on the Move said, "Our motives were not rebellious. If they were, we would have just bought a box of doughnuts down the street. The whole purpose was to encourage those in the school. We are challenging the constitutionality, but our motive here was to love. Faith without works is dead. We want them to know that we love them and that Christ loves them."
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "Some teachers are worried about their students giving them bullets, and this school suspends students over a Bible verse! These students are living their Christian beliefs by showing kindness. It is outrageous that the Roswell school officials are mean to these students solely because they are hostile to their Christian faith."
Friday, September 17, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Abortion Creates Health Problems
AlterNet Misleads Women, Says Abortion Not Linked to Breast Cancer, Infertility
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 4, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a new hit piece the liberal political web site AlterNet posted against pregnancy centers, they are accused of giving women inaccurate information about abortion and its link to breast cancer and infertility. However, AlterNet is apparently not up on the latest research confirming both links as true.
"Under the dubious free speech protection, CPCs are going to disgusting lengths to scare women out of seeking abortions -- with the help of federal and state funding," AlterNet wrote.
The report featured an interview with a California NARAL operative who led an "investigation" of pregnancy centers -- though she failed to record or video any examples of the claims she provided the web site.
"NARAL volunteers reported being told that abortion can lead to breast cancer, infertility and mental health problems," AlterNet complains. "NARAL's goal isn't to shut CPCs down; it's to get them to be more upfront about the type of information or services they offer."
AlterNet may want to heed those words.
Just this year, a study called abortion a "known risk factor" for breast cancer and cited a prior study conducted by the prestigious Janet Daling group of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Daling and her colleagues showed between a 20 and 50 percent increased breast cancer risk for women having abortions compare to those who carried their pregnancies to term.
The newer study, conducted by Jessica Dolle, appears in the April, 2009 issue of the epidemiology journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
As Dr. Joel Brind, a prominent breast cancer researcher, says, "what was striking was the way in which the finding of a significant ABC link was characterized."
"Specifically, abortion appears in the data table which lists the associations found for 'known and suspected risk factors,'" he explains. "In the text, the effect of the significant risk factors, including induced abortion, were described as 'consistent with the effects observed in previous studies on younger women.'"
Last year, studies from Turkey and China also reported statistically significant risk increases for women who had abortions.
Dr. Vahit Ozmen and his colleagues at the Istanbul Medical Faculty at Istanbul University and Magee-Women's hospital in Pittsburgh conducted a retrospective study.
They published their findings in the April 2009 issue of the World Journal of Surgical Oncology and examined women who, between January 2000 and December 2006, were admitted to clinics of Istanbul Medical Faculty for examination.
The researchers said that their findings showed abortion was "significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk."
"Breast cancer risk was found to be increased in women with ... induced abortion (95% confidence interval)" and an age above 35 years-old at the time of a first live birth. "However, decreased breast cancer risk was associated with ... presence of spontaneous abortion."
"Our study revealed that spontaneous abortion was associated with the decreased risk of breast cancer in univariate analysis whereas induced abortion was associated with increased breast cancer risk in both univariate and multivariable analyses," they wrote.
As far as infertility is concerned, abortion has been documented in a link with infertility in nations across the globe.
The 2009 Investigative Report on the Current State of Infertility in China, released at the China International Summit Forum on Infertility in August, 2009, found, in a survey of 18,000 people, seeking treatment for infertility in Beijing, that 10 percent had been trying to conceive for a year since getting married, 15 percent had been trying for two years and 25 percent for 10 years.
For women, the leading cause of infertility is the blockage of the fallopian tubes, mostly induced by abortions, the report said.
Research shows that abortion can lead to infertility by increasing the risk of miscarriages.
A 1986 report in the medical journal Epidemiology reveals women with a history of abortion have a greater risk of fetal loss than women who had no previous abortions. Women with two prior pregnancies carried to term and no abortions had the lowest risk, while women with two prior abortions had the highest risk.
Also, a 1991 British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology article revealed that women with a history of abortion had a 1.5-1.7 times higher risk of ectopic pregnancy than women who had previously carried a pregnancy to term.
According to the Elliot Institute, an Illinois group that studies abortion's effects on women, about three to five percent of women who get abortions are left inadvertently sterile as a result of an abortion. The risk of sterility is even greater for women who are infected with a venereal disease at the time of the abortion.
Even Planned Parenthood of Australia has acknowledged the future risk of problem pregnancies caused by abortion.
Its web site includes consent forms that list 12 serious complications from a first trimester abortion.
It says that some complications include: "infections ... a tear in the cervix that may require stitches ... incompetent cervix/stenosed cervix (too tight or too loose cervix which may impair future fertility), Asherman's syndrome (cessation of periods and adhesions in uterus that may impair future fertility), depression or mood disturbance, suicide. ..."
The risk of post-abortion problems in future pregnancy is also seen in countries with abnormally high abortion rates, such as Russia and Vietnam.
Vladimir Serov, the deputy director of the Russian Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology Center at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, told the Russian media source Regnum that 120,000 women are injured each year from legal abortions.
He said numerous Russian women suffer from sterility, endometriosis and other problems following abortions.
This has led to a significant problem of premature births and Serov said Russian women typically have 160,000 miscarriages a year and there are 60,000 premature births annually.
Vietnam is experiencing high rates of infertility among women there.
Dr. Le Thi Phuong Lan, deputy director of the Central Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology’s Reproductive Assistance Centre, has noticed the recent infertility problems. He said that a survey conducted by Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City found that women who had abortions were 5.2 percent more likely to suffer from infertility.
SOURCE: http://www.lifenews.com/nat6396.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 4, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a new hit piece the liberal political web site AlterNet posted against pregnancy centers, they are accused of giving women inaccurate information about abortion and its link to breast cancer and infertility. However, AlterNet is apparently not up on the latest research confirming both links as true.
"Under the dubious free speech protection, CPCs are going to disgusting lengths to scare women out of seeking abortions -- with the help of federal and state funding," AlterNet wrote.
The report featured an interview with a California NARAL operative who led an "investigation" of pregnancy centers -- though she failed to record or video any examples of the claims she provided the web site.
"NARAL volunteers reported being told that abortion can lead to breast cancer, infertility and mental health problems," AlterNet complains. "NARAL's goal isn't to shut CPCs down; it's to get them to be more upfront about the type of information or services they offer."
AlterNet may want to heed those words.
Just this year, a study called abortion a "known risk factor" for breast cancer and cited a prior study conducted by the prestigious Janet Daling group of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Daling and her colleagues showed between a 20 and 50 percent increased breast cancer risk for women having abortions compare to those who carried their pregnancies to term.
The newer study, conducted by Jessica Dolle, appears in the April, 2009 issue of the epidemiology journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
As Dr. Joel Brind, a prominent breast cancer researcher, says, "what was striking was the way in which the finding of a significant ABC link was characterized."
"Specifically, abortion appears in the data table which lists the associations found for 'known and suspected risk factors,'" he explains. "In the text, the effect of the significant risk factors, including induced abortion, were described as 'consistent with the effects observed in previous studies on younger women.'"
Last year, studies from Turkey and China also reported statistically significant risk increases for women who had abortions.
Dr. Vahit Ozmen and his colleagues at the Istanbul Medical Faculty at Istanbul University and Magee-Women's hospital in Pittsburgh conducted a retrospective study.
They published their findings in the April 2009 issue of the World Journal of Surgical Oncology and examined women who, between January 2000 and December 2006, were admitted to clinics of Istanbul Medical Faculty for examination.
The researchers said that their findings showed abortion was "significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk."
"Breast cancer risk was found to be increased in women with ... induced abortion (95% confidence interval)" and an age above 35 years-old at the time of a first live birth. "However, decreased breast cancer risk was associated with ... presence of spontaneous abortion."
"Our study revealed that spontaneous abortion was associated with the decreased risk of breast cancer in univariate analysis whereas induced abortion was associated with increased breast cancer risk in both univariate and multivariable analyses," they wrote.
As far as infertility is concerned, abortion has been documented in a link with infertility in nations across the globe.
The 2009 Investigative Report on the Current State of Infertility in China, released at the China International Summit Forum on Infertility in August, 2009, found, in a survey of 18,000 people, seeking treatment for infertility in Beijing, that 10 percent had been trying to conceive for a year since getting married, 15 percent had been trying for two years and 25 percent for 10 years.
For women, the leading cause of infertility is the blockage of the fallopian tubes, mostly induced by abortions, the report said.
Research shows that abortion can lead to infertility by increasing the risk of miscarriages.
A 1986 report in the medical journal Epidemiology reveals women with a history of abortion have a greater risk of fetal loss than women who had no previous abortions. Women with two prior pregnancies carried to term and no abortions had the lowest risk, while women with two prior abortions had the highest risk.
Also, a 1991 British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology article revealed that women with a history of abortion had a 1.5-1.7 times higher risk of ectopic pregnancy than women who had previously carried a pregnancy to term.
According to the Elliot Institute, an Illinois group that studies abortion's effects on women, about three to five percent of women who get abortions are left inadvertently sterile as a result of an abortion. The risk of sterility is even greater for women who are infected with a venereal disease at the time of the abortion.
Even Planned Parenthood of Australia has acknowledged the future risk of problem pregnancies caused by abortion.
Its web site includes consent forms that list 12 serious complications from a first trimester abortion.
It says that some complications include: "infections ... a tear in the cervix that may require stitches ... incompetent cervix/stenosed cervix (too tight or too loose cervix which may impair future fertility), Asherman's syndrome (cessation of periods and adhesions in uterus that may impair future fertility), depression or mood disturbance, suicide. ..."
The risk of post-abortion problems in future pregnancy is also seen in countries with abnormally high abortion rates, such as Russia and Vietnam.
Vladimir Serov, the deputy director of the Russian Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology Center at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, told the Russian media source Regnum that 120,000 women are injured each year from legal abortions.
He said numerous Russian women suffer from sterility, endometriosis and other problems following abortions.
This has led to a significant problem of premature births and Serov said Russian women typically have 160,000 miscarriages a year and there are 60,000 premature births annually.
Vietnam is experiencing high rates of infertility among women there.
Dr. Le Thi Phuong Lan, deputy director of the Central Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology’s Reproductive Assistance Centre, has noticed the recent infertility problems. He said that a survey conducted by Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City found that women who had abortions were 5.2 percent more likely to suffer from infertility.
SOURCE: http://www.lifenews.com/nat6396.html
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
1939 Quote: "We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population" Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood's Founder
Georgia Right to Life billboard in Atlanta, GA
Another Planned Parenthood abortion clinic built next to a black neighborhood
March 23, 2010 5:39 PM
Virginia Beach Conservative Examiner
Dave Gibson
source
A new Planned Parenthood clinic is under construction in Virginia Beach, right next to the Lake Edward neighborhood, a predominantly black community. Of course, this is business as usual for the group which many black leaders say is responsible for carrying out a genocide against black babies.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there were 11,156,700 black babies aborted between 1973-2001. Today, that number is estimated to be at least 13,000,000. We hear so much how violence is taking a tremendous toll on the black community an of course it is, but it cannot begin to compare to disaster of abortion.
Students for Life America recently reported that black women are 4.8 times more likely to have an abortion than are their white counterparts. Black babies account for 36 percent of abortions, while only accounting for 17 percent of live births.
In April 2008, a group of black pastors held a vigil outside of a Washington D.C. Planned Parenthood clinic, they did so to protest what they characterize as a “genocide” carried out against black babies.
Angered, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny said: “Every day … over 1,500 black babies are murdered inside the black woman’s womb. This is a race issue.”
At that same rally, Day Gardner, President of the National Black Pro-Life Union said: “Black America must wake up and stand up to this racist organization that purposefully plants abortion facilities firmly in black and minority neighborhoods and urban communities -- sometimes, right next door to schools.”
In 1921, Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League which eventually became known as Planned Parenthood. Sanger was a racist who advocated eugenics, so-called 'selective breeding', euthanasia, sterilization, and abortion. She published several books in which she often referred to blacks as "genetically unfit" and "human weeds."
Sanger promoted something she called "race hygiene" for groups of people of whom she apparently thought had no self control nor any real purpose. In her 1920 book, “What Every Girl Should Know,” she said: "It said that a fish as large as a man has a brain no larger than the kernel of an almond. In all fish and reptiles where there is no great brain development, there is also no conscious sexual control. The lower down in the scale of human development we go the less sexual control we find. It is said that the aboriginal Australian, the lowest known species of the human family, just a step higher than the chimpanzee in brain development, has so little sexual control that police authority alone prevents him from obtaining sexual satisfaction on the streets."
In 1929, Sanger even accepted an invitation to speak at a Ku Klux Klan meeting in New Jersey, which she described in her autobiography.
You will never hear that previous bit of information from any pro-abortion activist. In fact, the organization which Sanger founded has tried to hide her racist motivations and claim that some of the hateful quotes attributed to the woman who could easily be described as the American Hitler, were simply taken out of context. Planned Parenthood has a section of their website dedicated to Sanger in which she is painted as a cross between Mother Theresa and Medgar Evers (My apologies to the families of both).
Here are a few telling quotes from Margaret Sanger:
“Give dysgenic groups in our population their choice of segregation or sterilization.”
-Birth Control Review, April 1932
“Eugenics is...the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial and social problems.”
-Birth Control Review, October 1921
“Our failure to segregate morons who are increasing and multiplying...demonstrates our foolhardy and extravagant sentimentalism.”
-The Pivot of Civilization, 1922
“Eugenic sterilization is an urgent need. We must prevent multiplication of this bad stock.”
-Birth Control Review, April 1933
“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”
-Woman, Mortality, and Birth Control, 1922
“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”
-Sanger's letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble, Dec. 19, 1939
Despite the preceding collection of well-documented racist quotes by their founder Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood makes the following statement on their website: “There is no evidence that Sanger, or the Federation, intended to coerce black women into using birth control.”
While there is no doubt that the roots of the abortion movement stem from a great hatred of black people, it would seem that Planned Parenthood's desire to kill black babies is just as strong today. Over 78 percent of that organization's abortion clinics are located inside or within close proximity to black neighborhoods.
Planned Parenthood operates more than 850 abortion clinics across the country, and receives a third of their funding from the U.S. taxpayers. In Fiscal Year 2008, Planned Parenthood was given $349 million in government grants.
--- end ---
Reader Comment:
Black Genocide from abortion is very real. In fact, I recently watched a 2 hour documentary loaded with quotes and original works of Margaret Sanger and The Eugenics Groups who founded Planned Parenthood. The film was called: Maafa21 Black Genocide in 21st Century America, and it shocked me to say the least. I was totally unaware of how the early black civil rights leaders warned that abortion clinics were strategically being placed in black neighborhoods and would be used as genocide against black people. How come no one is saying this? But what was really surprising was the video clip of former Planned Parenthood President admitting that Planned Parenthood receives racist donations. Maafa21 is extremely well documented and over 2 hours long. I urge everyone to get this stunning film - it will shock you as it did me and reveal the truth about Planned Parenthood. Maafa21 was produced by Life Dynamics , view a preview at Maafa21com.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Broken
Have you ever wondered if you can be forgiven for the unforgivable?
This four minute animation offers an answer from an unexpected vantage point.
Visit http://www.brokenbyabortion.com/ for more to think about
source
This four minute animation offers an answer from an unexpected vantage point.
Visit http://www.brokenbyabortion.com/ for more to think about
source
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Isaiah 61: Beauty for Ashes
\
source
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
source
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Story of Gianna Jessen
Gianna Jessen, saline abortion survivor, tells her story of God's mercy and love, and why this horror called "abortion" needs to stop.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Stages of Grief
Grieving
Source: Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane
Is grieving a normal and healthy response after an abortion? Absolutely. The child that was lost became a major loss through death. Grief is painful, but it is necessary in relieving our sorrow. After an abortion, women may attempt to bury their grief, turn off their emotions, and run from God. Eventually, they face the fact that abortion ended their unborn child's life.
The grieving that follows an abortion is similar to the grief of a woman who has a miscarriage. Both experience stages of denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. Both experience guilt, but the source of their guilt is not the same. Women who had a miscarriage feel guilty because they don't know what role they played in their child's death. Women who choose abortion feel guilty because they do know what role they played in their child's death.
For men, they are usually the silent, wounded warrior...suffering because they are not given a choice. Because they had no choice, they question their right to have feelings following an abortion. Make no mistake, abortion leaves both men and women wounded. They both struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, grief, and depression. For men, there is in most cases, an unexplainable need to defend their masculinity; that need causes much confusion and strife in most of their relationships and they don't even realize the effects of abortion was the root cause of their problems.
Relief
1st Stage of Grief
What usually goes through a woman's mind after having an abortion? "Thank God, I am not pregnant anymore." Men usually think, "Thank God, the pregnancy is over." Everything that has happened since she found out that she was pregnant and all the decisions since then, have now come to a close...it's finally over. Now, you are left feeling relieved. But, it doesn't take long before the woman starts to rehearse over and over in her mind, what had happened to her and the child. What do I do now? You try to make sense of it all, but you start to fall into the next stage, denial.
Denial
2nd Stage of Grief
Denial is usually long-term and can lasts for many years. Why? It is too difficult to cope with the memories of your abortion. You start to deny that abortion killed your child. You may think, "No, I would never murder a baby. I just terminated a pregnancy". You may begin to think back when you were told that it wasn't really a baby you were getting rid of...it was just a "blob of tissue". You find yourself justifying what you did.
For some women and men, denial ends when they are confronted with the truth of seeing pictures of fetal development. You tend to pay close attention to the stage of development that your own child was terminated. Other women come face to face with their loss when they have a wanted pregnancy. You may wander will this baby make it? I chose to abort a child, do I deserve a second chance? The answer is yes. God is forgiving and He is in the business of second chances. There will be consequences for what you did, but as long as remorse is in your heart, forgiveness from God will be rewarded. Many women and men desperately come to grips with the truth and finally stop running from God. They begin to seek Him from the depths of their hearts, searching for comfort that only He can give.
Anger
3rd Stage of Grief
In this stage, you start to realize the truth about abortion and you become angry. You start to question the actions of others and blame them for your loss. Your questioning begins... "The clinic should have told me the truth about fetal development; they should have told me about adoption, My parents should have been more concerned about me than what others thought, She shouldn't have chosen abortion, Men don't have any choice in abortion or Why didn't God stop me?" If your anger continues and you don't express yourself, it can turn into bitterness and interfere in other areas of your life. Anger is not a sin. It is a God given emotion to help you deal with problems. But, when you let your anger control you, then it becomes a sin. To get rid of this anger, the next step you must learn to do is...forgive.
Forgiveness
4th Stage of Grief
In this stage men and women must learn to forgive the people and circumstances that led to their abortion. It becomes the hardest stage to overcome. But, in order for you to heal, it has to be done.
You start to come to grips with the truth and know that you cannot change the past or change others. What you can change is your own response to your hurt and anger. You can now begin to choose forgiveness. It is the unconditional type of forgiveness that leaves you free, with no strings attached. Then, you can learn to make room in your life for love. Love can conquer all fears and soften the pain. God's love is everlasting. Why? Because, God is Love. He can teach you how to love unconditionally and His love is forgiving and sets you free.
Depression
5th Stage of Grief
The roles men and women played in their baby's death can fill them with guilt, shame, self-condemnation, and self-pity. It is in this stage that harmful behavior such as excessive drug and alcohol use or suicidal tendencies are noticeable. Men tend to also have to deal with becoming more aggressive and abusive. In this stage, you may feel the need to punish yourself, which may show up in psychosomatic illnesses or you may become accident prone. Through these behaviors, you may attempt to ease the pain of guilt, but fail to do so. You began to blame yourself for not preventing the abortion; not learning the truth in time, not choosing life for the baby, and for not standing up for what was right. Men who chose abortion experience extreme guilt because he failed in his responsibility to his child and to his child's mother. In moving forward out of depression, you are no longer angry with yourself but have now accepted responsibility for what you have done. You now start to surround yourself with God's loving forgiveness.
Acceptance
Last Stage of Grief
By now, you have forgiven those who hurt you and have accepted God's forgiveness. You have acknowledged all the emotions that go with grieving and you have faced them head-on.
You begin to show gratitude for all that you have learned and want to share that experience with others. In acceptance, you are fully aware of what God is doing with your pain and watch joyfully as He turns it into a blessing. You have a deeper understanding of God's plan for your life. You wait patiently as He shows you how this painful experience with grief fits into His perfect plan. Is this a process that you would want to repeat? Absolutely not. But, if you learn anything, learn that it was God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that brought you through it all. You learn the true meaning of being forgiven and set free, even when you didn't deserve it.
SOURCE
Source: Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane
Is grieving a normal and healthy response after an abortion? Absolutely. The child that was lost became a major loss through death. Grief is painful, but it is necessary in relieving our sorrow. After an abortion, women may attempt to bury their grief, turn off their emotions, and run from God. Eventually, they face the fact that abortion ended their unborn child's life.
The grieving that follows an abortion is similar to the grief of a woman who has a miscarriage. Both experience stages of denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. Both experience guilt, but the source of their guilt is not the same. Women who had a miscarriage feel guilty because they don't know what role they played in their child's death. Women who choose abortion feel guilty because they do know what role they played in their child's death.
For men, they are usually the silent, wounded warrior...suffering because they are not given a choice. Because they had no choice, they question their right to have feelings following an abortion. Make no mistake, abortion leaves both men and women wounded. They both struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, grief, and depression. For men, there is in most cases, an unexplainable need to defend their masculinity; that need causes much confusion and strife in most of their relationships and they don't even realize the effects of abortion was the root cause of their problems.
Relief
1st Stage of Grief
What usually goes through a woman's mind after having an abortion? "Thank God, I am not pregnant anymore." Men usually think, "Thank God, the pregnancy is over." Everything that has happened since she found out that she was pregnant and all the decisions since then, have now come to a close...it's finally over. Now, you are left feeling relieved. But, it doesn't take long before the woman starts to rehearse over and over in her mind, what had happened to her and the child. What do I do now? You try to make sense of it all, but you start to fall into the next stage, denial.
Denial
2nd Stage of Grief
Denial is usually long-term and can lasts for many years. Why? It is too difficult to cope with the memories of your abortion. You start to deny that abortion killed your child. You may think, "No, I would never murder a baby. I just terminated a pregnancy". You may begin to think back when you were told that it wasn't really a baby you were getting rid of...it was just a "blob of tissue". You find yourself justifying what you did.
For some women and men, denial ends when they are confronted with the truth of seeing pictures of fetal development. You tend to pay close attention to the stage of development that your own child was terminated. Other women come face to face with their loss when they have a wanted pregnancy. You may wander will this baby make it? I chose to abort a child, do I deserve a second chance? The answer is yes. God is forgiving and He is in the business of second chances. There will be consequences for what you did, but as long as remorse is in your heart, forgiveness from God will be rewarded. Many women and men desperately come to grips with the truth and finally stop running from God. They begin to seek Him from the depths of their hearts, searching for comfort that only He can give.
Anger
3rd Stage of Grief
In this stage, you start to realize the truth about abortion and you become angry. You start to question the actions of others and blame them for your loss. Your questioning begins... "The clinic should have told me the truth about fetal development; they should have told me about adoption, My parents should have been more concerned about me than what others thought, She shouldn't have chosen abortion, Men don't have any choice in abortion or Why didn't God stop me?" If your anger continues and you don't express yourself, it can turn into bitterness and interfere in other areas of your life. Anger is not a sin. It is a God given emotion to help you deal with problems. But, when you let your anger control you, then it becomes a sin. To get rid of this anger, the next step you must learn to do is...forgive.
Forgiveness
4th Stage of Grief
In this stage men and women must learn to forgive the people and circumstances that led to their abortion. It becomes the hardest stage to overcome. But, in order for you to heal, it has to be done.
You start to come to grips with the truth and know that you cannot change the past or change others. What you can change is your own response to your hurt and anger. You can now begin to choose forgiveness. It is the unconditional type of forgiveness that leaves you free, with no strings attached. Then, you can learn to make room in your life for love. Love can conquer all fears and soften the pain. God's love is everlasting. Why? Because, God is Love. He can teach you how to love unconditionally and His love is forgiving and sets you free.
Depression
5th Stage of Grief
The roles men and women played in their baby's death can fill them with guilt, shame, self-condemnation, and self-pity. It is in this stage that harmful behavior such as excessive drug and alcohol use or suicidal tendencies are noticeable. Men tend to also have to deal with becoming more aggressive and abusive. In this stage, you may feel the need to punish yourself, which may show up in psychosomatic illnesses or you may become accident prone. Through these behaviors, you may attempt to ease the pain of guilt, but fail to do so. You began to blame yourself for not preventing the abortion; not learning the truth in time, not choosing life for the baby, and for not standing up for what was right. Men who chose abortion experience extreme guilt because he failed in his responsibility to his child and to his child's mother. In moving forward out of depression, you are no longer angry with yourself but have now accepted responsibility for what you have done. You now start to surround yourself with God's loving forgiveness.
Acceptance
Last Stage of Grief
By now, you have forgiven those who hurt you and have accepted God's forgiveness. You have acknowledged all the emotions that go with grieving and you have faced them head-on.
You begin to show gratitude for all that you have learned and want to share that experience with others. In acceptance, you are fully aware of what God is doing with your pain and watch joyfully as He turns it into a blessing. You have a deeper understanding of God's plan for your life. You wait patiently as He shows you how this painful experience with grief fits into His perfect plan. Is this a process that you would want to repeat? Absolutely not. But, if you learn anything, learn that it was God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that brought you through it all. You learn the true meaning of being forgiven and set free, even when you didn't deserve it.
SOURCE
Friday, January 15, 2010
What Does God Say About Forgiveness?
1.Psalm 130:4
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
2.Daniel 9:9
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
3.Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
4.Acts 13:38
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
5.Acts 26:15-18
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6.Ephesians 1:4-7
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace
7.Colossians 1:12-15
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
2.Daniel 9:9
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
3.Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
4.Acts 13:38
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
5.Acts 26:15-18
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6.Ephesians 1:4-7
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace
7.Colossians 1:12-15
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
Christ is Our Only Hope
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1: 3-5;13-16
Finding Hope in the Healing
source
What are the steps to healing?
Healing involves changing the way you think and act. God has the answer to any problem you face, but you must change in order to apply the solution to your life.
The following six steps are essential for this change:
1. Recognize your areas of sin (1 John 1:8).
2. Repent of your sin (1 John 1:9).
3. Request God's help, depending upon Him to hear you (1 John 5:14-15).
4. Relinquish your sinful thoughts or actions (Romans 6:5-7; Colossians 3:8-9).
5. Replace your sinful thoughts or actions with a godly response (Colossians 3:10; Romans 12:1-2).
6. Repeat the above five steps until your godly response becomes a habit (John 3:21; Colossians 3:23).
Remember - before you take these six steps, you must first accept Christ's atonement on your behalf. Until you come by faith to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, all attempts to overcome your abortion aftermath are done in your own strength. Resolving abortion's aftermath is accomplished through God's power and only if you are His child.
I fully realize the methods of dealing with your abortion presented in this book are contrary to the way the world would have you deal with your abortion. Without the Holy Spirit to guide you, the solutions I've presented would appear foolish, and you would not understand why they will work. As you begin to practice God's solutions, you will find they do work.
Galatians 5:19-21 contains a list of things that God hates. Included are immorality, impurity, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, and envying. These are the things we practiced in the past, but now desire to eliminate from our lives.
As you begin to deal with your sinful reactions to your abortion in a way pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce fruit in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine parts to the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These result from proper responses to emotions that once overwhelmed you to the point of despair. Look for them in your life as you begin to solve your problems God's way.
Your natural tendency will be to return to your negative thought patterns. You may be encouraged to go your own way by people who may ridicule you as you apply biblical principles to your life. Expect it, but don't allow ungodly attitudes and advice to keep you from having victory over your problems. Understand that "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18).
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1: 3-5;13-16
Finding Hope in the Healing
source
What are the steps to healing?
Healing involves changing the way you think and act. God has the answer to any problem you face, but you must change in order to apply the solution to your life.
The following six steps are essential for this change:
1. Recognize your areas of sin (1 John 1:8).
2. Repent of your sin (1 John 1:9).
3. Request God's help, depending upon Him to hear you (1 John 5:14-15).
4. Relinquish your sinful thoughts or actions (Romans 6:5-7; Colossians 3:8-9).
5. Replace your sinful thoughts or actions with a godly response (Colossians 3:10; Romans 12:1-2).
6. Repeat the above five steps until your godly response becomes a habit (John 3:21; Colossians 3:23).
Remember - before you take these six steps, you must first accept Christ's atonement on your behalf. Until you come by faith to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, all attempts to overcome your abortion aftermath are done in your own strength. Resolving abortion's aftermath is accomplished through God's power and only if you are His child.
I fully realize the methods of dealing with your abortion presented in this book are contrary to the way the world would have you deal with your abortion. Without the Holy Spirit to guide you, the solutions I've presented would appear foolish, and you would not understand why they will work. As you begin to practice God's solutions, you will find they do work.
Galatians 5:19-21 contains a list of things that God hates. Included are immorality, impurity, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, and envying. These are the things we practiced in the past, but now desire to eliminate from our lives.
As you begin to deal with your sinful reactions to your abortion in a way pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce fruit in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine parts to the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These result from proper responses to emotions that once overwhelmed you to the point of despair. Look for them in your life as you begin to solve your problems God's way.
Your natural tendency will be to return to your negative thought patterns. You may be encouraged to go your own way by people who may ridicule you as you apply biblical principles to your life. Expect it, but don't allow ungodly attitudes and advice to keep you from having victory over your problems. Understand that "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18).
What About the Memories?
Why Can't I Forget?
Chapter 4
"I don't think about it daily anymore but I probably won't be able to 'forget' about it until abortion is made illegal again so it isn't an issue anymore." Debra
Do questions such as the following plague your mind?
· Will I ever be able to get through a December without thinking
"My baby would be 4 years old, 5 years old, etc.?"
· Why do sometimes I get totally depressed and then other times I'll
be just fine?
· When will I stop missing my children I never knew?
· How long does it take before I stop thinking about abortion daily?
· Will I ever stop crying in late June (which is when the baby might
have been born) or in late October (when I had the abortion)?
· Can I live with the memories?
· When will I stop thinking about it?
Many women seldom think about their abortions. Then the anniversary date of the abortion or the anticipated birth date of the baby appears on the calendar. The woman begins to feel bad. Depression sets in. She may not even know the cause - yet she remembers.
My own abortion took place on Valentine's Day 1971. On Valentine's Day 1972, one year following my abortion, I became absolutely hysterical when Leigh (who was then my fiancé) failed to recognize the day with a special gift. Prior to that time I had not cared one way or the other if Valentine's Day passed uneventfully. Finding myself so upset, I thought it was because I was engaged to be married and wanted to feel loved. I did want to feel loved. But I'd interpreted the reason for my hysteria incorrectly. Many years later I realized February 14 was the anniversary date of my abortion. I have not had a similar feeling since that first anniversary of my abortion. In fact, as I am working on this book and February 14 has just passed, it amazes me that I should be able to cross such a hurdle without dwelling on the traumatic event which took place on that date many years ago. Today I remember with sadness but realize I can go on.
Why didn't the clinic prepare me for the psychological effects to follow - flashbacks, hallucinations, nightmares, and the like?
The obvious answers to this question are that the personnel at the clinic were probably unaware of or refused to believe abortion produces a traumatic aftermath. Also, had the clinic told you of such possible occurrences, you probably would have chosen not to abort your baby. That would be bad for business. But let's go a step further and explore the reason why you have these symptoms.
Your mind may be focusing on your abortion because of unreconciled trauma related to it. Perhaps you are still experiencing guilt, denial, anxiety, anger, fear, or doubt. Something is wrong and your mind is prompting you to take action to correct the problem.
Shortly following my marriage, I began to dream regularly of babies floating down drains or being pickled in jars. The horrible scenes of my dreams were in vivid color. Leigh often held me in his arms for hours after I awoke in a cold sweat from a dream. During my waking hours my mind flashed back to seeing my aborted baby lying dead between my legs after I delivered him - perfectly formed and horribly burned from the saline. I wanted to die in order to rid myself of the torment. I did not consciously call up these nightmares and flashbacks. They came unbidden and unwelcome. They signaled "DANGER! Something is wrong." Once I understood how to deal with them and took the appropriate actions, they ceased and have never returned.
Cheryl offers these thoughts: "For some time after my confession I was haunted by the thought that if I could go back, I would abort that baby again because if I had borne that child, I would never have met my husband. The Lord helped me resolve this. . . . He helped me realize it is sinful to ask yourself 'if' questions about the past. I no longer believe this about myself because I am stronger in my faith and further along in my walk with the Lord."
What does it mean to "forget"?
Forgetting doesn't mean not remembering. I have "forgotten" my abortion in the sense that I can write and speak on the topic of abortion without guilt or grief, without anger or bitterness. Forgetting involves refusing to dwell on the act, refusing to rehash it again and again as a method of self-torture. Forgetting is continuing on with your life without remaining emotionally crippled by your loss.
God tells us that if we repent, He will forget our sins. Isaiah 43:25 reads, "I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins." God being who He is, can never blot out from His mind something which has occurred. But He refuses to call it up and charge it to our account.
I feel a kinship to the apostle Paul. This great man of God had terrible sin in his life. He was a Jewish religious leader who persecuted and tortured Christians prior to his conversion to Christianity. After recounting his life in Philippians 3:4-10, Paul continues in verses 13-14 by informing us he now lived his life, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Is Paul contradicting himself? No, I believe Paul wrote these verses to encourage us that although we have committed sins in our life which we will never forget, we can refuse to dwell on them and instead move forward in our lives. It may not happen overnight. "Forgetting" begins by consciously refusing to dwell on your abortion. Others have forgotten. So can you!
When will I stop thinking about it?
I'm going to share something that happened to me one Sunday during church. Abortion was the farthest thing from my mind as seventeen children were brought forward by their parents to be dedicated to the Lord. Suddenly, there I sat in the midst of six hundred people bawling my eyes out as my mind remembered I have one child I can never physically dedicate to God. At first this rush of emotion baffled me because I know I have dealt with my abortion. Then I realized that, just as with any loss through death, sometimes something will happen that will cause me to remember and feel sad. I'm thankful that embarrassing incident happened, because it's good, occasionally, to remember. It keeps me compassionate toward others.
Liz writes, "I still have a little trouble on the anniversary of the time of the abortion. . . . And I've had trouble near the time that baby would have been born. But both are getting easier. And I don't think I'm supposed to forget. Just to learn from this and be stronger in my faith."
Why does my abortion continue to plague my thoughts?
Sometimes we aren't able to forget our abortion because we actually try to remember the horror of it all. We don't want to forget. We may believe that by calling up our abortion experience, we keep the baby alive. Or we may use remembering as an attempt to punish ourselves.
If you can't forget, it may be a signal that something needs to be resolved. I wish you would take a minute to read Job 11:14-20. How wonderful to know if we put away our sin, we shall shine as the morning, forget our misery, and experience peace through hope.
Your particular memory will keep returning until the problem is settled. Perhaps you haven't asked God's forgiveness for your abortion. Possibly you are still involved in sexual immorality. Do you still harbor anger or bitterness against someone involved with your abortion? You won't "forget" until you resolve the conflict within your mind. You can't resolve the conflict within your mind until your conscience is clear. Only God can provide a clear conscience. You might want to pray David's prayer for cleansing in Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me oh God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (KJV).
I trust one day this woman's words will be true of you: "I have resolved a lot of my emotions pertaining to my abortion so well through Christ, that I can't remember how I used to feel."
Chapter 4
"I don't think about it daily anymore but I probably won't be able to 'forget' about it until abortion is made illegal again so it isn't an issue anymore." Debra
Do questions such as the following plague your mind?
· Will I ever be able to get through a December without thinking
"My baby would be 4 years old, 5 years old, etc.?"
· Why do sometimes I get totally depressed and then other times I'll
be just fine?
· When will I stop missing my children I never knew?
· How long does it take before I stop thinking about abortion daily?
· Will I ever stop crying in late June (which is when the baby might
have been born) or in late October (when I had the abortion)?
· Can I live with the memories?
· When will I stop thinking about it?
Many women seldom think about their abortions. Then the anniversary date of the abortion or the anticipated birth date of the baby appears on the calendar. The woman begins to feel bad. Depression sets in. She may not even know the cause - yet she remembers.
My own abortion took place on Valentine's Day 1971. On Valentine's Day 1972, one year following my abortion, I became absolutely hysterical when Leigh (who was then my fiancé) failed to recognize the day with a special gift. Prior to that time I had not cared one way or the other if Valentine's Day passed uneventfully. Finding myself so upset, I thought it was because I was engaged to be married and wanted to feel loved. I did want to feel loved. But I'd interpreted the reason for my hysteria incorrectly. Many years later I realized February 14 was the anniversary date of my abortion. I have not had a similar feeling since that first anniversary of my abortion. In fact, as I am working on this book and February 14 has just passed, it amazes me that I should be able to cross such a hurdle without dwelling on the traumatic event which took place on that date many years ago. Today I remember with sadness but realize I can go on.
Why didn't the clinic prepare me for the psychological effects to follow - flashbacks, hallucinations, nightmares, and the like?
The obvious answers to this question are that the personnel at the clinic were probably unaware of or refused to believe abortion produces a traumatic aftermath. Also, had the clinic told you of such possible occurrences, you probably would have chosen not to abort your baby. That would be bad for business. But let's go a step further and explore the reason why you have these symptoms.
Your mind may be focusing on your abortion because of unreconciled trauma related to it. Perhaps you are still experiencing guilt, denial, anxiety, anger, fear, or doubt. Something is wrong and your mind is prompting you to take action to correct the problem.
Shortly following my marriage, I began to dream regularly of babies floating down drains or being pickled in jars. The horrible scenes of my dreams were in vivid color. Leigh often held me in his arms for hours after I awoke in a cold sweat from a dream. During my waking hours my mind flashed back to seeing my aborted baby lying dead between my legs after I delivered him - perfectly formed and horribly burned from the saline. I wanted to die in order to rid myself of the torment. I did not consciously call up these nightmares and flashbacks. They came unbidden and unwelcome. They signaled "DANGER! Something is wrong." Once I understood how to deal with them and took the appropriate actions, they ceased and have never returned.
Cheryl offers these thoughts: "For some time after my confession I was haunted by the thought that if I could go back, I would abort that baby again because if I had borne that child, I would never have met my husband. The Lord helped me resolve this. . . . He helped me realize it is sinful to ask yourself 'if' questions about the past. I no longer believe this about myself because I am stronger in my faith and further along in my walk with the Lord."
What does it mean to "forget"?
Forgetting doesn't mean not remembering. I have "forgotten" my abortion in the sense that I can write and speak on the topic of abortion without guilt or grief, without anger or bitterness. Forgetting involves refusing to dwell on the act, refusing to rehash it again and again as a method of self-torture. Forgetting is continuing on with your life without remaining emotionally crippled by your loss.
God tells us that if we repent, He will forget our sins. Isaiah 43:25 reads, "I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins." God being who He is, can never blot out from His mind something which has occurred. But He refuses to call it up and charge it to our account.
I feel a kinship to the apostle Paul. This great man of God had terrible sin in his life. He was a Jewish religious leader who persecuted and tortured Christians prior to his conversion to Christianity. After recounting his life in Philippians 3:4-10, Paul continues in verses 13-14 by informing us he now lived his life, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Is Paul contradicting himself? No, I believe Paul wrote these verses to encourage us that although we have committed sins in our life which we will never forget, we can refuse to dwell on them and instead move forward in our lives. It may not happen overnight. "Forgetting" begins by consciously refusing to dwell on your abortion. Others have forgotten. So can you!
When will I stop thinking about it?
I'm going to share something that happened to me one Sunday during church. Abortion was the farthest thing from my mind as seventeen children were brought forward by their parents to be dedicated to the Lord. Suddenly, there I sat in the midst of six hundred people bawling my eyes out as my mind remembered I have one child I can never physically dedicate to God. At first this rush of emotion baffled me because I know I have dealt with my abortion. Then I realized that, just as with any loss through death, sometimes something will happen that will cause me to remember and feel sad. I'm thankful that embarrassing incident happened, because it's good, occasionally, to remember. It keeps me compassionate toward others.
Liz writes, "I still have a little trouble on the anniversary of the time of the abortion. . . . And I've had trouble near the time that baby would have been born. But both are getting easier. And I don't think I'm supposed to forget. Just to learn from this and be stronger in my faith."
Why does my abortion continue to plague my thoughts?
Sometimes we aren't able to forget our abortion because we actually try to remember the horror of it all. We don't want to forget. We may believe that by calling up our abortion experience, we keep the baby alive. Or we may use remembering as an attempt to punish ourselves.
If you can't forget, it may be a signal that something needs to be resolved. I wish you would take a minute to read Job 11:14-20. How wonderful to know if we put away our sin, we shall shine as the morning, forget our misery, and experience peace through hope.
Your particular memory will keep returning until the problem is settled. Perhaps you haven't asked God's forgiveness for your abortion. Possibly you are still involved in sexual immorality. Do you still harbor anger or bitterness against someone involved with your abortion? You won't "forget" until you resolve the conflict within your mind. You can't resolve the conflict within your mind until your conscience is clear. Only God can provide a clear conscience. You might want to pray David's prayer for cleansing in Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me oh God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (KJV).
I trust one day this woman's words will be true of you: "I have resolved a lot of my emotions pertaining to my abortion so well through Christ, that I can't remember how I used to feel."
How Do I Forgive Myself?
HELP AFTER ABORTION
Chapter 16
Will I Ever Be Able to Forgive Myself?
"I know that I can't change the past, but I can certainly change the future. I want to live the rest of my life free from guilt and I believe God wants this too." Anonymous
“I know God has forgiven me, and I've forgiven those involved, but I just can't forgive myself!" This statement has been repeated to me dozens of time by people who are working through past sin in their lives. Then follows the question, "Is there a way to forgive myself?" The answer is "yes." Let's look at what is involved in "forgiving yourself."
What does it mean to forgive oneself?
Forgiving yourself means that you accept your past sin, for example, your abortion, as over and done with - finished. A part of your past, a terrible part of your past, but a part of your past. Forgiving yourself means you refuse to dwell on your past sinful act of abortion. As discussed in an earlier chapter, this does not means you forget what you have done. You will never forget, in the sense of losing all memory, what you did. But you can learn to say with the Apostle Paul, "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). That doesn't mean you talk about your abortion casually or flippantly. An abortion is a serious offense against God's law. However, you are now free to discuss your abortion when opportunities arise in order to help others. None of us are proud of what we did. But we must learn to let go and go on.
It is interesting to note that the act of forgiving oneself is not mentioned in the Bible. We are instructed to forgive others and to seek forgiveness from others. Never are we told to forgive ourselves. Psalm 51:12 records David crying out for restoration, "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit." In speaking of forgiving ourselves, we are talking about regaining the joy of our salvation. That can happen only when all is right between you and God and between you and your fellow human beings. Think of that special moment when you first trusted Jesus for salvation. That initial satisfaction of knowing all was right is what we want to regain.
Why am I having such a hard time forgiving myself?
Perhaps this question, submitted on my survey, more accurately phrases this question: "What right have I to peace and happiness when a child was killed to achieve these goals?" Paulette Hawkins wrote, "The hardest thing for me to do after my abortion was to forgive myself. I felt that I deserved to be punished. I would ask God to forgive me, but then I wouldn't accept His forgiveness. Mentally I was beating myself to death. I had been praying for God to take me, to let me die because I couldn't stand living anymore. Since I killed my baby, why should I live? I told God if he didn't let me die, then I would do something about it myself. That's when my husband had me hospitalized. He didn't even know about my abortion at that time. He just knew that for some reason I deeply hated myself."
One woman who has never had an abortion, but only contemplated one, asked: "Is it normal to feel guilty for so many years having only contemplated abortion at one time?" The very act of considering abortion has left this woman feeling guilty. Yes, it is normal to feel guilty over something we have thought or done which is wrong. What is not normal is to continue to carry the guilt once we have asked God to forgive us.
Sometimes our actions have caused irreparable damage. The baby is gone. People have been hurt. You must understand that what is done is past. You can't undo it. You can only accept God's forgiveness and go on.
I think we sometimes try to hang on to our sins. We feel we must in some way "pay" for our abortion. We looked at this in Chapter Thirteen which deals with punishment. If God has forgiven you (and He has if you have asked Him), you have begun a new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is not within your "rights" to punish yourself for a forgiven act.
What is necessary now is to thank God for freeing you. The Bible tells you, "If therefore the Son [Jesus] shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36). The weight of your abortion is gone. Think of the freedom God has given you. "How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psalm 32:1-2 NIV). Rejoice! Your sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus - completely and forever.
How do I justify having done something so horrible?
To justify means to make something right. You can't justify your abortion. There is nothing you can do to make it right. Only God through Jesus Christ can make it right.
How can I expect God to forgive me when I can't even forgive myself?
God's forgiveness is not contingent upon your feelings. God extends forgiveness to all people. Some choose not to accept His forgiveness. Receiving God's forgiveness is contingent only upon your trusting in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient to pay the penalty for your sins.
How can I get over feeling like a bad person instead of feeling as though I've done something bad?
This is a good question. The answer lies in understanding that God views people separately from the things they do. Did you know that God loves people who do bad things? How do I know this? Because no one does good! Does this surprise you? Read these words from Romans 3:12: "There is none who does good, there is not even one" (see also Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-4). Then God tells us some great news in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I'm so glad God loves people even though we do bad things (sin). Romans 3:25 says that we are "justified [accepted by God] freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Therefore, once you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are a good person (through Christ) who still sometimes does bad things.
Do I truly understand and accept God's forgiveness if I can't forgive myself?
First of all, there is no such word as "can't" in God's language. We may choose not to do something, but the fact is we could do it if we wanted. When you say you "can't" forgive yourself, what you really mean is you "won't" forgive yourself.
This is how I described failure to forgive yourself in Abortion's Second Victim:
In ancient times when a person was cast into prison, a list of his or her debts was recorded. When the debts were satisfied, the words "It is finished" were written across the list of debts. Now think of Christ as the One upon whom all your debts (sins) were written. Your debts were nailed to the cross in the form of Jesus Christ. When Christ, in His final words, cried out, "It is finished," He was canceling your debt by paying the price for you (John 19:30). If you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior, you now possess a receipt marked "It is finished." It's your proof that the reason for your guilt is gone. The debt has been paid.
Each time you permit yourself to feel guilty about your abortion, it is as if you were running to the cross to pound one more nail into Christ's body. You are saying to God, "I don't believe this one debt is paid." You are not trusting Christ's death as sufficient for paying all your sin - as though it were too big for Him to handle alone. If you belong to Christ, the debt is paid, and the reason for your guilt is gone.[1]
If you still believe you must "forgive yourself," you may understand God's forgiveness and yet have failed to apply His forgiveness to your own life. Accepting God's forgiveness is what forgiving ourselves mean. God willingly forgives all our sins at the moment of salvation when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Forgiveness is like salvation - God extends it to us, but we don't benefit from it until we begin to appropriate it into our lives. We must learn to live what we know to be true.
If God has forgiven me, why do I still feel guilty?
The key word here is "feel." If you have truly repented of your sins, including your sin of abortion, then you are no longer guilty. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Satan would have us live defeated lives. He lost us to heaven when we trusted Christ as our personal Savior, but he wants us to be miserable as long as we live on this earth.
Peter Wilkes says, "Guilt feelings that stem from things we have done can only be removed when our actions themselves are dealt with. Dealing with the feelings alone never works because guilt is not just a feeling. We are guilty because we have done wrong. That wrongness is not a feeling - it's a fact."[2] Second Corinthians 7:10 tells us godly sorrow leads to true repentance. God uses guilt to drive us toward Him in utter helplessness because only Jesus can deal with our guilt.
If you still feel guilty, there may be a valid reason. Ask yourself two questions. Are you truly a child of God, having come to Him through the shed blood of Christ alone for forgiveness? If so, are there any unresolved conflicts regarding your abortion which are bringing guilt? Once you settle the account, so to speak, the guilt will be gone.
In her pamphlet entitled, . . . But I Can't Forgive Myself!, Melody Green advises us to ask ourselves if we are being convicted (by the Holy Spirit) or condemned (by Satan). She correctly states that conviction is specific. Your thoughts say, "You have just lied." On the other hand, condemnation is vague. Thoughts such as, "You aren't any good" or "God could never forgive an abortion" fill your mind. If you aren't certain which it is, ask God to clarify the situation - "God, what are you trying to tell me?" Melody Green adds, "If it's the Lord, and if you are open to being corrected, guaranteed He will tell you."[3]
Mary Ann tells how she handles Satan's attacks: "When Satan tries to tell me that the sin of abortion is too terrible to be forgiven or brought out into the open (and the scoundrel still tries at times to induce me to believe that), I [resist] him [in the name of Jesus] and refuse to believe that lie. I am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Praise Him forever!"
If you have trusted in the shed blood of Christ to forgive your sins, the fact is that God has forgiven you. You are no longer guilty. Live according to the facts, not according to your sometimes inaccurate feelings.
Is there anything else that will help me?
The Bible says you were once alienated from God in your mind by wicked works. God has reconciled you and now holds you holy, unblameable, and irreproachable if you continue in hope and practice of what you know to be true (Colossians 1:21-23). A beautiful portion of Scripture is Colossians 2:8-15. Here we are warned to focus our beliefs and actions in Christ rather than in man because, "In [Christ] all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." The passage continues to tell us although we were dead in our sins, "[Christ] made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt. . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Think about this - if you have asked God to forgive you for your abortion, and then go back to God and ask Him to forgive you for the abortion again, God says to you, "My precious child, what abortion?" Hallelujah! We are free!
Chapter 16
Will I Ever Be Able to Forgive Myself?
"I know that I can't change the past, but I can certainly change the future. I want to live the rest of my life free from guilt and I believe God wants this too." Anonymous
“I know God has forgiven me, and I've forgiven those involved, but I just can't forgive myself!" This statement has been repeated to me dozens of time by people who are working through past sin in their lives. Then follows the question, "Is there a way to forgive myself?" The answer is "yes." Let's look at what is involved in "forgiving yourself."
What does it mean to forgive oneself?
Forgiving yourself means that you accept your past sin, for example, your abortion, as over and done with - finished. A part of your past, a terrible part of your past, but a part of your past. Forgiving yourself means you refuse to dwell on your past sinful act of abortion. As discussed in an earlier chapter, this does not means you forget what you have done. You will never forget, in the sense of losing all memory, what you did. But you can learn to say with the Apostle Paul, "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). That doesn't mean you talk about your abortion casually or flippantly. An abortion is a serious offense against God's law. However, you are now free to discuss your abortion when opportunities arise in order to help others. None of us are proud of what we did. But we must learn to let go and go on.
It is interesting to note that the act of forgiving oneself is not mentioned in the Bible. We are instructed to forgive others and to seek forgiveness from others. Never are we told to forgive ourselves. Psalm 51:12 records David crying out for restoration, "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit." In speaking of forgiving ourselves, we are talking about regaining the joy of our salvation. That can happen only when all is right between you and God and between you and your fellow human beings. Think of that special moment when you first trusted Jesus for salvation. That initial satisfaction of knowing all was right is what we want to regain.
Why am I having such a hard time forgiving myself?
Perhaps this question, submitted on my survey, more accurately phrases this question: "What right have I to peace and happiness when a child was killed to achieve these goals?" Paulette Hawkins wrote, "The hardest thing for me to do after my abortion was to forgive myself. I felt that I deserved to be punished. I would ask God to forgive me, but then I wouldn't accept His forgiveness. Mentally I was beating myself to death. I had been praying for God to take me, to let me die because I couldn't stand living anymore. Since I killed my baby, why should I live? I told God if he didn't let me die, then I would do something about it myself. That's when my husband had me hospitalized. He didn't even know about my abortion at that time. He just knew that for some reason I deeply hated myself."
One woman who has never had an abortion, but only contemplated one, asked: "Is it normal to feel guilty for so many years having only contemplated abortion at one time?" The very act of considering abortion has left this woman feeling guilty. Yes, it is normal to feel guilty over something we have thought or done which is wrong. What is not normal is to continue to carry the guilt once we have asked God to forgive us.
Sometimes our actions have caused irreparable damage. The baby is gone. People have been hurt. You must understand that what is done is past. You can't undo it. You can only accept God's forgiveness and go on.
I think we sometimes try to hang on to our sins. We feel we must in some way "pay" for our abortion. We looked at this in Chapter Thirteen which deals with punishment. If God has forgiven you (and He has if you have asked Him), you have begun a new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is not within your "rights" to punish yourself for a forgiven act.
What is necessary now is to thank God for freeing you. The Bible tells you, "If therefore the Son [Jesus] shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36). The weight of your abortion is gone. Think of the freedom God has given you. "How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psalm 32:1-2 NIV). Rejoice! Your sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus - completely and forever.
How do I justify having done something so horrible?
To justify means to make something right. You can't justify your abortion. There is nothing you can do to make it right. Only God through Jesus Christ can make it right.
How can I expect God to forgive me when I can't even forgive myself?
God's forgiveness is not contingent upon your feelings. God extends forgiveness to all people. Some choose not to accept His forgiveness. Receiving God's forgiveness is contingent only upon your trusting in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient to pay the penalty for your sins.
How can I get over feeling like a bad person instead of feeling as though I've done something bad?
This is a good question. The answer lies in understanding that God views people separately from the things they do. Did you know that God loves people who do bad things? How do I know this? Because no one does good! Does this surprise you? Read these words from Romans 3:12: "There is none who does good, there is not even one" (see also Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-4). Then God tells us some great news in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I'm so glad God loves people even though we do bad things (sin). Romans 3:25 says that we are "justified [accepted by God] freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Therefore, once you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are a good person (through Christ) who still sometimes does bad things.
Do I truly understand and accept God's forgiveness if I can't forgive myself?
First of all, there is no such word as "can't" in God's language. We may choose not to do something, but the fact is we could do it if we wanted. When you say you "can't" forgive yourself, what you really mean is you "won't" forgive yourself.
This is how I described failure to forgive yourself in Abortion's Second Victim:
In ancient times when a person was cast into prison, a list of his or her debts was recorded. When the debts were satisfied, the words "It is finished" were written across the list of debts. Now think of Christ as the One upon whom all your debts (sins) were written. Your debts were nailed to the cross in the form of Jesus Christ. When Christ, in His final words, cried out, "It is finished," He was canceling your debt by paying the price for you (John 19:30). If you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior, you now possess a receipt marked "It is finished." It's your proof that the reason for your guilt is gone. The debt has been paid.
Each time you permit yourself to feel guilty about your abortion, it is as if you were running to the cross to pound one more nail into Christ's body. You are saying to God, "I don't believe this one debt is paid." You are not trusting Christ's death as sufficient for paying all your sin - as though it were too big for Him to handle alone. If you belong to Christ, the debt is paid, and the reason for your guilt is gone.[1]
If you still believe you must "forgive yourself," you may understand God's forgiveness and yet have failed to apply His forgiveness to your own life. Accepting God's forgiveness is what forgiving ourselves mean. God willingly forgives all our sins at the moment of salvation when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Forgiveness is like salvation - God extends it to us, but we don't benefit from it until we begin to appropriate it into our lives. We must learn to live what we know to be true.
If God has forgiven me, why do I still feel guilty?
The key word here is "feel." If you have truly repented of your sins, including your sin of abortion, then you are no longer guilty. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Satan would have us live defeated lives. He lost us to heaven when we trusted Christ as our personal Savior, but he wants us to be miserable as long as we live on this earth.
Peter Wilkes says, "Guilt feelings that stem from things we have done can only be removed when our actions themselves are dealt with. Dealing with the feelings alone never works because guilt is not just a feeling. We are guilty because we have done wrong. That wrongness is not a feeling - it's a fact."[2] Second Corinthians 7:10 tells us godly sorrow leads to true repentance. God uses guilt to drive us toward Him in utter helplessness because only Jesus can deal with our guilt.
If you still feel guilty, there may be a valid reason. Ask yourself two questions. Are you truly a child of God, having come to Him through the shed blood of Christ alone for forgiveness? If so, are there any unresolved conflicts regarding your abortion which are bringing guilt? Once you settle the account, so to speak, the guilt will be gone.
In her pamphlet entitled, . . . But I Can't Forgive Myself!, Melody Green advises us to ask ourselves if we are being convicted (by the Holy Spirit) or condemned (by Satan). She correctly states that conviction is specific. Your thoughts say, "You have just lied." On the other hand, condemnation is vague. Thoughts such as, "You aren't any good" or "God could never forgive an abortion" fill your mind. If you aren't certain which it is, ask God to clarify the situation - "God, what are you trying to tell me?" Melody Green adds, "If it's the Lord, and if you are open to being corrected, guaranteed He will tell you."[3]
Mary Ann tells how she handles Satan's attacks: "When Satan tries to tell me that the sin of abortion is too terrible to be forgiven or brought out into the open (and the scoundrel still tries at times to induce me to believe that), I [resist] him [in the name of Jesus] and refuse to believe that lie. I am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Praise Him forever!"
If you have trusted in the shed blood of Christ to forgive your sins, the fact is that God has forgiven you. You are no longer guilty. Live according to the facts, not according to your sometimes inaccurate feelings.
Is there anything else that will help me?
The Bible says you were once alienated from God in your mind by wicked works. God has reconciled you and now holds you holy, unblameable, and irreproachable if you continue in hope and practice of what you know to be true (Colossians 1:21-23). A beautiful portion of Scripture is Colossians 2:8-15. Here we are warned to focus our beliefs and actions in Christ rather than in man because, "In [Christ] all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." The passage continues to tell us although we were dead in our sins, "[Christ] made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt. . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Think about this - if you have asked God to forgive you for your abortion, and then go back to God and ask Him to forgive you for the abortion again, God says to you, "My precious child, what abortion?" Hallelujah! We are free!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Where is My Baby?
Found the following this evening...
HELP AFTER ABORTION
Chapter 14
Where Is My Baby Now?
"I have assurance that Jesus is caring for my baby and has been all along."
Phyllis Lefort
I want to believe my baby is in heaven. Every post-abortion woman I have ever spoken with believes her baby is in heaven. Is there any biblical support for our belief?
As I've struggled with the destiny of aborted babies, I knew I would eventually be called upon to speak or write on this most important issue. This is that time and this is what I believe.
What did they do with my baby?
Many women have written with concerns over the physical disposal of their babies. Wondering if the baby was used for "spare parts" or research troubles some women. My own aborted baby was disposed of like a piece of garbage. I know, because I watched the nurse carry his tiny body to the disposal, and I listened as they flushed him down. That was harder to live through than I could ever put into words. But since that time many years ago, I have come to realize an important fact. It does not matter what happened to the physical remains of your baby. God, who created the world and all that is in it, can easily "put back together" a body torn apart by human hands. What matters is what happened to his soul - that part which lives on after the physical body dies.
Does God recognize the unborn baby as a person?
In order for us to better understand God's view of the unborn, it will help to look at His words:
God knew us prior to birth:
For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my substance; And in Thy book they are written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the Lord, and the maker of all things. (Isaiah 44:24a)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. (Jeremiah 1:5a)
Normal human actions occur in the womb:
In the womb he [Jacob] took his brother [Esau] by the heel. (Hosea 12:3a)
And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. (Luke 1:41a, 44)
God places a high value on the life of the tiny person you carried in your womb. Unique and created in God's own image, he was of inestimable value to God. Because God sees the end from the beginning, God saw your baby as a person before he was formed.
God refers to unborn babies and born children with the same word, the term brephos in the Greek. Children are so highly valued by Christ that He told his disciples not to hinder their coming to Him. Yes, God recognizes the unborn as human beings.
Does an unborn baby have a soul?
Philosophers and theologians have speculated through the ages on the soul and its origin (ensoulment) - before conception, at conception, at birth, or somewhere in between. I believe ensoulment occurs at conception.
When God first formed Adam's body, God breathed into him and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Our soul is as much a part of us as our body. Our body permits us to function on this earth, to relate to other people and things. Our soul permits us to relate to God. It lives on after our body dies. Without a soul a human being is dead (James 2:26).[1] Therefore, if an unborn human baby did not have a soul, it would not be alive. We know that the unborn do live. God declares it. We have seen it. Since human life exists in the womb, then he has a soul from the moment he comes into existence - at conception. Yes, your baby, no matter how small, has a soul.
Is my aborted baby in heaven?
Abortion ends God's plan for the baby's life on earth. We know the body is disposed of, but what happens to his soul? This opens the door to some sobering thoughts. If all babies go to heaven, why not abort all babies to insure they spend eternity with God? The answer is that the end never justifies the means. More importantly, God determines the length of one's life. If only some go to heaven, it behooves us to think carefully before conceiving children or aborting them, for we may have sentenced a human being to hell.
As I consider this question, John 3:3-7 stands out clearly in my mind. This passage tells us that a person must be born again - once from the mother and once from the Holy Spirit. Romans 3:23 tells us all people are sinners. David states his mother conceived him in sin (Psalm 51:5).[2] If you have ever seen a small child throw a temper tantrum, you can easily believe the truth of this! You and I must choose to receive Christ to be forgiven our sins, but an unborn baby has never chosen to sin. Not only that, but he was never born a first time and so could not choose to be "born again"!
Deuteronomy 1:39 states, "Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there [the promised land], and I will give it to them, and they shall possess it." Although this passage refers to Israel inheriting the promised land, the implication is clear: children were not held responsible for the sin of their parents. Some people apply this passage to aborted babies, believing it indicates that God will not hold aborted babies responsible for their mothers' sin of abortion.
Other passages confirm God's faithfulness to His children:
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up. (Psalm 27:10)
Can a nursing woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I [God] will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)
To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may cause terror no more. (Psalm 10:18)
When we aborted our babies, we relinquished the opportunity to know whether our child would come to trust Christ as his personal Savior. Although the Bible does not come out and say in so many words "aborted babies are in heaven," we can believe with assurance that God is in control and has done what is right.
Will I ever see my baby again?
The classic passage which infers dead babies are with the Lord and we will one day join them is found in 2 Samuel 12:23b. David says at the death of his baby, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me." The inference is clear - one day David expected to see his child.
Some things are hard to understand and/or accept. God's idea of what is "fair" is based on His infinite and all-knowing mind. Our ideas of what is fair are limited to our understanding of what happens to us and to those around us. God is merciful and just. What He chooses to do is acceptable to me.
Worrying is wrong because we don't know. Nothing we can do now will alter or clarify our hope. Yet, it is right to hope because we don't know. Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is the substance of things hoped for.[3] Read the words of women who are secure in the hope of one day reuniting with their babies:
"Their bodies were probably disposed of, like trash. But their souls are with their Creator. I see now that God twice offered me the most precious and valuable gift He ever made. Instead of being thankful and appreciative, I took His gifts and ruined them; but such is His mercy and love, that I know I need not fear His rebuke for my ingratitude - I believe He and they, my first two babies, will be waiting to welcome me into heaven when my life on earth ends." (Regina)
"I believe that child is in heaven with the Lord; that he is whole and happy. I believe that He would want me to be happy and that I will meet him someday - we will be reunited. 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven is made up of such as these.' I had to release him to the Father's care." (Laura)
We only torture ourselves by dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. To function normally, we must concentrate on the present. I do not worry about my baby - or about seeing him again - he is in God's hands now. I do think of seeing Jesus. I concentrate not on seeing my baby, but on one day seeing God who has forgiven me. I long to see Jesus.
Will we recognize them in heaven?
First Corinthians 15:35-56 tells us we will receive a new and wonderfully different body at the resurrection. Glorified. Incorruptible. Imperishable. Powerful. The old body was human in appearance and actions. The new body will be like Christ - perfect in every way. Whether the body will be in the form of a baby or an adult, no one knows. Jesus himself was not instantly recognized following His resurrection. But once He revealed His identity, people recognized Him as the one they had loved and lost and had now regained.
An anonymous woman penned this poem to express her conviction:
[1] No scriptural support exists for the concept that souls exist prior to conception.
[2] This refers not to his mother sinning during the act of conception, but to the fact that David was in a state of sin from conception.
[3] "Hope" in this context refers to the secure belief that something will happen, coupled with a longing for it to happen.
HELP AFTER ABORTION
Chapter 14
Where Is My Baby Now?
"I have assurance that Jesus is caring for my baby and has been all along."
Phyllis Lefort
I want to believe my baby is in heaven. Every post-abortion woman I have ever spoken with believes her baby is in heaven. Is there any biblical support for our belief?
As I've struggled with the destiny of aborted babies, I knew I would eventually be called upon to speak or write on this most important issue. This is that time and this is what I believe.
What did they do with my baby?
Many women have written with concerns over the physical disposal of their babies. Wondering if the baby was used for "spare parts" or research troubles some women. My own aborted baby was disposed of like a piece of garbage. I know, because I watched the nurse carry his tiny body to the disposal, and I listened as they flushed him down. That was harder to live through than I could ever put into words. But since that time many years ago, I have come to realize an important fact. It does not matter what happened to the physical remains of your baby. God, who created the world and all that is in it, can easily "put back together" a body torn apart by human hands. What matters is what happened to his soul - that part which lives on after the physical body dies.
Does God recognize the unborn baby as a person?
In order for us to better understand God's view of the unborn, it will help to look at His words:
God knew us prior to birth:
For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my substance; And in Thy book they are written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the Lord, and the maker of all things. (Isaiah 44:24a)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. (Jeremiah 1:5a)
Normal human actions occur in the womb:
In the womb he [Jacob] took his brother [Esau] by the heel. (Hosea 12:3a)
And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. (Luke 1:41a, 44)
God places a high value on the life of the tiny person you carried in your womb. Unique and created in God's own image, he was of inestimable value to God. Because God sees the end from the beginning, God saw your baby as a person before he was formed.
God refers to unborn babies and born children with the same word, the term brephos in the Greek. Children are so highly valued by Christ that He told his disciples not to hinder their coming to Him. Yes, God recognizes the unborn as human beings.
Does an unborn baby have a soul?
Philosophers and theologians have speculated through the ages on the soul and its origin (ensoulment) - before conception, at conception, at birth, or somewhere in between. I believe ensoulment occurs at conception.
When God first formed Adam's body, God breathed into him and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Our soul is as much a part of us as our body. Our body permits us to function on this earth, to relate to other people and things. Our soul permits us to relate to God. It lives on after our body dies. Without a soul a human being is dead (James 2:26).[1] Therefore, if an unborn human baby did not have a soul, it would not be alive. We know that the unborn do live. God declares it. We have seen it. Since human life exists in the womb, then he has a soul from the moment he comes into existence - at conception. Yes, your baby, no matter how small, has a soul.
Is my aborted baby in heaven?
Abortion ends God's plan for the baby's life on earth. We know the body is disposed of, but what happens to his soul? This opens the door to some sobering thoughts. If all babies go to heaven, why not abort all babies to insure they spend eternity with God? The answer is that the end never justifies the means. More importantly, God determines the length of one's life. If only some go to heaven, it behooves us to think carefully before conceiving children or aborting them, for we may have sentenced a human being to hell.
As I consider this question, John 3:3-7 stands out clearly in my mind. This passage tells us that a person must be born again - once from the mother and once from the Holy Spirit. Romans 3:23 tells us all people are sinners. David states his mother conceived him in sin (Psalm 51:5).[2] If you have ever seen a small child throw a temper tantrum, you can easily believe the truth of this! You and I must choose to receive Christ to be forgiven our sins, but an unborn baby has never chosen to sin. Not only that, but he was never born a first time and so could not choose to be "born again"!
Deuteronomy 1:39 states, "Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there [the promised land], and I will give it to them, and they shall possess it." Although this passage refers to Israel inheriting the promised land, the implication is clear: children were not held responsible for the sin of their parents. Some people apply this passage to aborted babies, believing it indicates that God will not hold aborted babies responsible for their mothers' sin of abortion.
Other passages confirm God's faithfulness to His children:
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up. (Psalm 27:10)
Can a nursing woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I [God] will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)
To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may cause terror no more. (Psalm 10:18)
When we aborted our babies, we relinquished the opportunity to know whether our child would come to trust Christ as his personal Savior. Although the Bible does not come out and say in so many words "aborted babies are in heaven," we can believe with assurance that God is in control and has done what is right.
Will I ever see my baby again?
The classic passage which infers dead babies are with the Lord and we will one day join them is found in 2 Samuel 12:23b. David says at the death of his baby, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me." The inference is clear - one day David expected to see his child.
Some things are hard to understand and/or accept. God's idea of what is "fair" is based on His infinite and all-knowing mind. Our ideas of what is fair are limited to our understanding of what happens to us and to those around us. God is merciful and just. What He chooses to do is acceptable to me.
Worrying is wrong because we don't know. Nothing we can do now will alter or clarify our hope. Yet, it is right to hope because we don't know. Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is the substance of things hoped for.[3] Read the words of women who are secure in the hope of one day reuniting with their babies:
"Their bodies were probably disposed of, like trash. But their souls are with their Creator. I see now that God twice offered me the most precious and valuable gift He ever made. Instead of being thankful and appreciative, I took His gifts and ruined them; but such is His mercy and love, that I know I need not fear His rebuke for my ingratitude - I believe He and they, my first two babies, will be waiting to welcome me into heaven when my life on earth ends." (Regina)
"I believe that child is in heaven with the Lord; that he is whole and happy. I believe that He would want me to be happy and that I will meet him someday - we will be reunited. 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven is made up of such as these.' I had to release him to the Father's care." (Laura)
We only torture ourselves by dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. To function normally, we must concentrate on the present. I do not worry about my baby - or about seeing him again - he is in God's hands now. I do think of seeing Jesus. I concentrate not on seeing my baby, but on one day seeing God who has forgiven me. I long to see Jesus.
Will we recognize them in heaven?
First Corinthians 15:35-56 tells us we will receive a new and wonderfully different body at the resurrection. Glorified. Incorruptible. Imperishable. Powerful. The old body was human in appearance and actions. The new body will be like Christ - perfect in every way. Whether the body will be in the form of a baby or an adult, no one knows. Jesus himself was not instantly recognized following His resurrection. But once He revealed His identity, people recognized Him as the one they had loved and lost and had now regained.
An anonymous woman penned this poem to express her conviction:
Where Is My Baby?
Sitting here by the ocean
I reflect upon my abortion
The child that once
Could have laughed and sang
Won't ever be here again.
My arms ache to hold her
The babe so sweet
Hold her all morning
Hold her all week.
My arms are now empty
Along with my heart
When I think of the time
And moments apart
I wonder how close
The two of us
Would have been
Mother, baby,
Child and friend
I love you my darling
Tho this moment in time
I can't see or talk to you
Or say you are mine
When I reflect upon it all
I think of my baby cuddly and small
I know my child is with the Lord
Held in the arms of the Savior I adore
Who I ask you, could ask for more?
Someday I'll see my child so sweet
And then everything will be complete.
[1] No scriptural support exists for the concept that souls exist prior to conception.
[2] This refers not to his mother sinning during the act of conception, but to the fact that David was in a state of sin from conception.
[3] "Hope" in this context refers to the secure belief that something will happen, coupled with a longing for it to happen.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A Few Scriptures
1. Psalm 139
1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
2. Hebrews 10
1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21And having an high priest over the house of God;
22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
33Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
34For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
3. Deuteronomy 31
1And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
4And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
9And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
10And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
13And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
14And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
20For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
24And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
26Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
28Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
4. 2 Corinthians 1
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
8For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
12For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
13For we write none other things unto you, that what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end;
14As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
16And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
17When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
18But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
21Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
23Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
24Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
5. 2 Timothy 4
1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
9Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
10For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
11Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
12And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
15Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
16At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
17Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
18And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
19Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
20Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
21Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
22The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
6. Revelation 21
1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
7. Philippians 4
1Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
2I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
3And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
14Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
15Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
16For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
17Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
20Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
21Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.
22All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.
23The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
8. Romans 6
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
9. Romans 7
1Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
12Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
13Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
10. 1 John 1
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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About Me
- Cathy Palmer
- Over the years my opinions have changed but this will never change: Jesus Christ, Lord, God and Savior, died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay for my sin.