Glory Days

When you think of a prideful person, what do you envision?

Usually we imagine a person who makes it a habit to speak highly of themselves or what they’ve accomplished. Basically someone who is always boasting and putting themselves on a pedestal of personal praise. No one enjoys being in the presence of a prideful person, and Scripture tells us pride is something the Lord hates (Proverbs 6:6-19).

But what we tend to forget is that pride comes from within. You don’t have to be vocal about how great you think you are or how wonderful your last accomplishment was. You can be sweetly silent and yet filled with enormous pride. You can go a lifetime in a visibly humble and lowly state, and yet be the most prideful person ever to walk the face of the Earth.  This is so frightening when you really think about it, because pride leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

Pride can be a silent killer – there may be no visible symptoms or signs of it in our lives. So we must continually check the condition of our heart and use it as a hiding place for God’s Word (Psalm 119:11). And we should never forget that God deserves and demands not some, but all of the praise. All of our “glory days” belong to Him.

I will boast only in the Lord…(Psalm 34:2)

Journaling Answers to Prayer

For the past several weeks I have been reading Answers to Prayer by one of my favorite authors, George Muller. A “rescuer” of orphaned children, called to disciple them and provide for them through nothing but answers to prayer, Muller was a man of great faith. He longed to see fellow Christians experience the same joy and blessing he had as one who was completely and totally reliant upon God for every need. Muller recorded his prayer journey in Answers to Prayer, which documented when and how the Lord answered his many prayer requests. After reading the first few chapters, I grabbed my journal to begin my own list.

As God would have it, I experienced a short trial after deciding to follow in Muller’s footsteps. So I committed to praying every day, several times a day, for specific needs and expecting answers. Whenever I began to feel anxious, I remembered Muller’s declaration that what seemed like a delay was only God’s way of testing his faith, because Muller believed God would always answer.

During this short trial of mine, God did not just give answers – He gave me the answers. He was very specific in His response to my requests. It was a joy to jot them all down and date them, so that I can look upon them in sweet remembrance.

I encourage you to begin recording God’s answers to each of your prayers. In new times of testing, these beautiful pages filled with God’s provisions will bring strength to your soul.

When Surrender is the Only Option

Many of us come to a crossroads during our earthly journey where we begin seeking God’s will for our lives. But this is usually after we’ve gone from adolescence to adulthood without so much as whimper to God for His direction and leading. It is only after every plan of our own has failed or fizzled out that we are able to surrender to the plan of God for our lives. For many of us, surrendering to God is the last resort.

So it is such a blessing and quite refreshing to hear a story about someone who sought the Lord at a very early age and decided that surrendering to God was the only option. I have not heard many stories as remarkable as this -  one that challenges and encourages at the same time, and gives you hope for this next generation.

I’m talking about Katie Davis of Amazima Ministries. Her complete and total commitment to Christ at such a young age – in our increasingly anti-Christ culture – is astounding.

Katie’s life reflects that of James 1:27 which reads, “ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

Take a look at this video and see for yourself.

“I didn’t see no tissue…”

I didn’t see no tissue…I just saw the face of a child.
-Jasmine Guy as “Mary” in the movie October Baby

My husband and I went to see the new movie October Baby this weekend, and we both were very deeply impacted. A pro-life film, October Baby is the story of a young girl named Hannah who finds out that she is adopted, and that her adoption came after her birth mother tried and failed to have her aborted. 

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away, but Hannah, longing for answers, goes on a search to find her birth mother. We follow her on this heart-wrenching journey for truth and closure, and end up witnessing the wonderful transformation of her life and the lives of many others around her.

I’m so proud of this movie and joyful because the Lord is using it to touch the lives of those who have been personally affected by abortion and to encourage the fight for LIFE. It is evident that the Lord is sharing His heart for LIFE in a major way by opening so many doors for the sanctity of life message.

October Baby will make you laugh and definitely make you cry. The pro-life message is beautifully weaved throughout the film, as well as the promise of forgiveness and hope through Jesus Christ.

I am encouraged by October Baby. Our labor for LIFE is not in vain.

How to Really Celebrate Your Birthday

So, I’ve got a birthday coming up next week and I’m starting a new birthday tradition that I hope you will consider as well. Starting this year in honor of my parents who chose life, and with thanksgiving for another year that the Lord has granted me, I plan to make a donation to my local pregnancy center.

Crisis pregnancy centers, or pregnancy resource centers, protect and save unborn babies’ lives every day through client services that include free counseling and ultrasounds. Most centers run on limited funds and are usually in need of volunteers, baby items and financial assistance to maintain programs and services for their clients. Funding is always needed to support center operations and help save lives.

Another way to really celebrate your birthday is to ask friends and family to donate to their local pregnancy center in lieu of sending birthday gifts, or to include a baby item with their  gift, or to throw you a “pampers” birthday party so that you can donate the items to your local pregnancy center. However you choose to donate, whether it’s through your volunteer time, money or gifts, you are helping save lives.

So, this will be a birthday tradition for me – protecting life on the day I was born by supporting my local pregnancy center. You can click here to find one in your area and join me!

Wanted: Intercessors

We Can Slay the Abortion Goliath

If there’s one thing that gets my blood boiling, it’s whenever I hear someone act as if Planned Parenthood should get a pass by saying ”they do more than just abortions.”

I don’t understand this defense. I wouldn’t support an organization that killed dogs, nor would most people, regardless of their religious background or political party affiliation. Yet, when it comes to babies – lives that God created for a purpose – millions of people in our country choose to look the other way.

Abortion wipes a human being completely off the face of the earth forever. It steals, kills, and destroys lives and Planned Parenthood aborts more than 300,000 babies every year. Unfortunately, the abortion goliath has a tremendous amount of influence, support and control in this country as evidenced by the Komen – Planned Parenthood debacle last week. 

So what can we do?

• Pray for an end to abortion, for the eyes of abortion doctors to be opened, and for the doors of abortion clinics to be closed. 
• Get educated about abortion procedures and statistics and start dialoguing with family and friends to create awareness.
• Talk with your church leaders and members about starting a pro-life ministry and an abortion recovery group at your church. Also, encourage them to support a local pregnancy center.
• Pray that more pastors will speak up and that the Body of Christ will stand in unity for the sanctity of life.
• Volunteer your time and/or donate money or goods to local pregnancy centers to help assist clients.
• Start a pro-life blog.
• Vote for true pro-life leaders in government.

We can slay the abortion goliath. Have no doubt – God the Father is on our side.

The Great Reversal

When I first heard that the Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity had decided to pull funding from Planned Parenthood this week, I was ecstatic. It was a staggering blow to the largest abortion provider in America and it felt like a huge victory for LIFE.

But as we all know, soon after, the Komen organization decided to reverse the decision to defund Planned Parenthood and “apologize to the American public.” It felt like such a letdown and I wondered what effect it would have on the fight for LIFE. 

I began perusing all the online news stories and blogs and reading comments from supporters of both sides. And what I found was that many people up until this week’s breaking news story had absolutely no idea that the Komen organization had been funding abortion giant Planned Parenthood all this time. I myself didn’t know about the Komen – Planned Parenthood relationship until some three years ago. I was shocked that an organization that exists to save lives would support an organization that exists to take lives - more than 300,000 lives a year in fact.

When I found that information out, I knew I could never support the Susan G. Komen foundation. And then I began researching other well-known charity organizations, corporations and nonprofits and found that many partner with Planned Parenthood through funding and support. It was an eye-opening experience and since then I’ve vowed to become more informed and be more selective about where my donated dollars go.

So there is a bright side to all of this, because I believe more people will now begin to do their research about an organization’s partnerships and network of support before donating their hard-earned dollars to it. And many will reverse their funding decisions for LIFE. 

This Is Why We Must Pray

As we look forward to Sanctity of Life Sunday on January 22, I am reminded of the tremendous need for fervent, consistent prayers for pregnancy centers and pregnant women faced with the decision of life or death for their children.

There have been more than 50 million innocent lives cut short since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. And every day, 4,000 lives are added to that astronomical number of deaths.

This is why we must pray for an end to abortion. Really pray. Because the fight for LIFE is real. Women are hurting, and babies are dying. It is a heartbreaking reality.

We must pray as if it is our own daughter faced with this life-threatening decision, or our own grandchild who may never see outside of his or her mother’s womb.

Pray for pregnancy centers that operate on faith and shoestring budgets, and for staff that have dedicated their lives to saving the lives of others.

Pray that the Lord will reveal sanctity of life truth to women, even as they sit in an abortion clinic anxiously waiting for their name to be called. That they would have a change of heart and mind, like Mia did in this Sanctity of Life video. 

Pray for Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, that she would have a Damascus road experience and be completely transformed through Christ Jesus.

If the horrific 1973 Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion is ever overturned – and we must pray that it is - a woman’s decision to have an abortion today can never be overturned. A tiny innocent life will be gone – the decision is permanent. And the guilt, pain and shame that many post-abortive women carry will continue, in some cases, throughout the rest of their lives.

Please know that you can and should pray. You can also call your local pregnancy center to inquire about other ways you can help.

“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NLT)

Heart Song

I am so thankful to be working for a Christian organization that incorporates a time of prayer and worship every morning. This week, we came together before the work day and sang a beautiful worship song by Christy Nockels.

This song ministered to me in the deepest way. It reminded me that everything I need is in Jesus Christ my Lord and King, and that “no matter where I am” healing is in His hands.

Be blessed by this heart song today, and may you be forever reminded of His love for you.