Are you grateful for what God has given you?

This question is something that everyone should truly ask themselves.  Are you truly greateful for what God has given you?  God has given you an abundance of things to praise him for, do you take the time to recognize them, or do you just take them for granted because you are used to them?  Waking up each morning is something that should never be taken for granted, having food or clothes, shelter or water, are things we should never take for granted.  God has given us so many blessings that those blessings should pour over to others, who haven't been so fortunate.  Do you actually set things aside to bless other with from your overflow?  If not, this is something you should start praying about, and seeking God about.  We are called as christians to be a light and a blessing to others in this dark world. We can be like the world, and say it saddens us to hear of poverty and children hungry, or we can actually be REAL chrisitans and get a plan and actually do something.  God has given so much to us, so we need to give back to everyone else and share the love of God.  Please I encourage you, with the amazing things God has given you, please be a blessing to others and share Gods love.   Share kindness, food, words of wisdom, whatever you are able to do. 

Recognizing Stay At Home Moms.....

This is to honor and recognize Stay at Home Moms!! This job i did not know anything about, until I had my second baby where God blessed our family where I could now be a Stay at home mom.  Before I became a stay at home mom I had several different jobs: I worked in several different law offices as a legal assistant/paralegal.  I then played college tennis and actually was able to become a national champion in 2008 with our amazing tennis team.  I then worked as cancellations processor at another company.  So i understand the pressures and stresses of office jobs, training hard for tennis on and off the court, etc.  I was blind to "what being a stay at home mom is."  This job has been the most challenging and the most rewarding.  The most rewarding part: to spend every moment with your children and see all of their "firsts." They are able to have their mom at all times to where a very strong bond can be established, you get to play a key role in molding and shaping their beliefs and values.  The challenging part: that "alone" time you get when you take a lunch break at a job, or breaks, say bye bye to them. Sometimes they nap and you get a break and sometimes you don't.  As for having smooth quiet car rides, that goes bye bye, but the good news is that you get used to it, so it becomes the norm.  The house is always needing to be picked up from all the toys around.  My husband and I have had many nights where we are walking through a room and we step on a toy or a car and it jams into our foot or a noise starts going off.  :)  You are constantly washing bottles and sippie cups, changing lots of diapers,etc. You may or may not have a good visit at a store or running errands, it is the luck of the draw, there may or may not be a tantrum. :)  To finally be an official stay at home mom, I am so much more appreciative of how much God has blessed our family to where I am able to be home with my children.  It has helped me become more creative to where I am finding new things for us to do each week, and new adventures to go on. I am more creative with learning new dishes to cook, I am not so OCD with having the house clean all the time, because I enjoy seeing there things around.  My patience has gotten so much better because I am learning it through them, and also I have developed a new sense of humor.  I now learn to find joy and laughter in everything.  Before I became a stay at home mom i used to think that title meant:  sitting around all day watching tv, eating,, etc.  Wow was I wrong!!! This job is constant, no breaks, and always serving your children, you can no longer be selfish and focus on yourself and your needs.  I love this!!! I am so greateful to add this to my occupations, and this by far would be at the top of my list.  This job isn't respected enough or appreciated. It can be overlooked when someone hears that you are a stay at home mom.  But if you are in this industry, then you know how important this job is.  I feel like I am part of a secret club now, and it is special because not everyone is blessed enough to be a member of this club.  So Stay at Home moms, enjoy every moment, everyday, and just hug and kiss those children!!! Children are a gift from the Lord, so raise your children up in the lords ways and raise godly kids.  This world needs godly people!!! Keep up the amazing work, and know that you have a new member in your "club"  me!!!! ;)  God bless, Katy Rose

Around Our Victorian Home

What it takes to be a REAL Christian

We as people can say with our mouth what sounds good, and what pleases others.  It is nice to "feel" good and go with that feeling and see where it takes us.  This is "worldly Christianity right here."  We want others to KNOW we are a christian because are church attendance shows it, because we say it out loud, we can post scriptures from time to time and say nice things, etc.  This is all surface right here.  To be a REAL Christian, it goes way beyond the surface.  If we TRULY have God in our life and Jesus as our Lord and Savior then our life should show it.  Why are we in church? Because we WANT to be in church because there we are in fellowship with other believers and we can actively serve as members in the body of Christ.  Why are we doing bible studies? Because we WANT to seek God and get with other fellow believers and study the Word of God.  Why do we read the bible? Because we WANT to have revelation and wisdom from the Lord, we want to hear his voice.  Why do we forgive? Because we WANT to be obedient to God because we love him and fear him.  These few characteristics I have mentioned are REAL Christians.  I can be in church but that doesn't make me a Christan, I can post christian songs, but that doesn't make me a christian.  To be a REAL christian my actions WILL stack up to the word of God because I love the Lord and he is first in my life.  Will REAL Christians be in places that grieve the Holy Spirit? (nightclubs, bars, etc) No because the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Lord and our bodies are a temple and we were bought at a price, and we are to not grieve the Holy Spirit, we are the Lords.  Being a REAL christian takes practice, it is about being sensitive enough to understand when the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.  We have to honor the Lord with our lives and with our actions.  There are so many people that are turned off to Christianity because of so many "FAKE" Christians.  If so called Christians are being "the world" just as everyone else in the world, then why would anyone not saved need Jesus as their savior?  We need to be a light to this dark world, and stand up for a better cause!! We need to be disciples of Christ, we need to know the bible, so we can go out and preach the word and become fishers of men!! There is MORE to this life, there is an eternal life that REALLY matters, not this earthly life!!! So it is time to stand up and be a REAL christian!!

My HEART

People always say "do what is in your heart to do."  My heart is after Mothers and their babies.  It literally brings my heart great pain, when I hear these mothers being in pain and feeling like they have no other choice except to have an abortion.  The enemy lies to these women and makes them think that they can't raise their child, that their child was a mistake, that this child has no future, that they have put their life on hold now because of the child, and having these thoughts go through their head brings fear.  Fear is "False Evidence Appearing Real"  Women fall for these lies from the enemy, and he is father of lies, he will make you think you have no other option except for the one he places infront of you.  These women put their bodies through something that is not natural.  Having a miscarriage is something the body does naturally, and God has his hand on that.  An abortion is something forced, it is doing something that is not natural.  The mother can have serious health complications from this, emotionally they suffer (even if they think they don't right away) and an innocent baby that played no part in it, has died a horrible painful death.  If someone was driving by and saw a mother abusing a baby, they would be furious, but people don't look at it the same.  Our Nation has lost God in it.  God is being pushed out more and more of it, and there is going to be a day where God is going to pour his wrath out on this world, because ENOUGH is ENOUGH!!!  Psalm 139:14  I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, wonderful are your works for my soul knows it very well.  Psalm 139 is all about how God creates life, and that he created specific detail for that life.  It may not be in our "human plan" but God has the ultimate plan for that life, so we have to trust him, even if we don't know what to do.  Having volunteered at a pregnancy center I have had the opportunity to learn all about the options women have, and have sat down with women who were contemplating abortion, or have already had several abortions.  These women are deeply hurting, and they don't have God in their life.  They get caught in this process that cycles and they are in pain, and don't understand the root of it.  These women are believing the lies of the enemy and they are getting all the pain from this choice. As women we need to be loving and supporting other women, especially if there are hurting women.  We need to be sharing the love of Our Lord Jesus to these women.  These children are being killed daily, and our nation is ok with it because we stand on the fact that "each has a right to choose life or death."  I have shared my testimony to where I was scared to the point of death when I almost had an abortion with my first child.  I honestly felt my life was over, and wasn't ready.  God fought for my child by putting certain people in my path that prayed and fought for me and my baby.  The enemy also put other people in my path to try and encourage to have an abortion and that i would be ok.  I can only imagine the spiritual realm of angels and demons fighting for me and my baby.  I thank the Lord every single day for my faith in him, and love from him that I received for me and my child.  The Lord loves my child more than I do, that when i didn't want him, he did, and when i didn't want myself, the Lord did!!! God IS Love!!!!  God is the definition of Love and Life.  If you don't have God, you don't have real love.  The definiton of Love is John 3:16, that is TRUE Love, not this "love" our world tries to throw around.  So go after what is in your heart, whatever that is, get involved and have you and God go after what is in your heart.  If you have a heart for children, women, men, prisoners, homeless, etc.  Get involved and do something about it.  Pray, and get involved.  Go out into all thee nations and be disciples, be fishers of men!!

what the bible says about abortion

Abortion

"Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of The Judgment"
(Matthew 5:21).


by Katie Stewart'

Preface

n any war, inhumanities become the norm instead of the exception. When humanity wars against itself, many innocents of the young and old pay the ultimate price for the sins of others. "They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood" (Psalm 94:21). What we have before us, with the inhumanity of war against the unborn, is abortion "on demand". But the loss of infant life can also happen from sheer necessity. There are abortions, that are, in the strictest sense of the letter of God's own Law, true abortions, but that sadly must take place in order to save the lives of the mothers. These abortions are the casualties of pure necessity-- not of mere desire. By the legal letter of man's law, an abortion ends life-- nothing more. But by the Spirit of God's Law, abortion doesn't just take life. It gives life to the mother of the infant whose life was conceived in her womb. "Not of the letter [in this "interposed" case, the letter of the human law of the land], but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth Life" (2Corinthians 3:6). These necessary abortions are the result of unusually difficult and/or varied medical situations in which there are literally no other choices. The concern of this article is NOT with abortions which occur because of the complete lack of other alternatives. What this article takes "issue" with, are abortions, which, in the general usage and practice of our modern age, i.e., "on demand", do take place even though there ARE choices and alternatives. These are legal abortions, but only by the letter of an evil law, "for the letter killeth" (3:6). "The Earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the Laws, changed the Ordinance, broken the Everlasting Covenant" (Isaiah 24:5).

Tempers rage on the "issue" of abortion, but there are no solutions treasured in the egos of human opinion. "The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace" (Isaiah 59:8). All that modern man medically knows, and yet, "thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest NOT the works of God Who maketh all" (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Rights are certainly violated, but whose rights are we really talking about, and why? We shouldn't look at abortion as just an "issue" that "Pro Choice" and "Pro Life" argue over. Look at abortion the way the Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) does. "What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3). Only then can we understand that this emotional and traumatic act of despair, anger, and denial upon the unborn, is in reality, a willful act of transgression against many.

1. Abortion is, first and foremost, a sin against God and His Perfect Law, "thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). The opposite of "giving" life is "taking" life, or in stronger words, "killing" life. The only One with the ability to "give" life is the LORD Creator of Heaven and Earth. "Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL POWER IS GIVEN unto ME in Heaven and in Earth" (Matthew 28:18). The LORD Jesus Christ is the "Faithful Creator" (1Peter 4:19). "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was the Light of men" (John 1:3-4). Therefore, He is the only deserving One to "take" life. Jesus said, "I lay down My Life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:17-18).
   
2. Abortion is a sin against ourselves, "in those things whereof ye are now ashamed... for the end of those things is death" (Romans 6:21). Sin destroys our whole being, from that "which is outward in the flesh" (Romans 2:28) to the heart-core of our "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16)-- our eternal soul. "But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me love death" (Proverbs 8:36).
   
3. Abortion is a sin against another human being. "If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him" (1Samuel 2:25). But abortion is not a sin against just any human being-- it's the ultimate sin against ultimate innocence. "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths" (Isaiah 59:7). Abortion, as it is commonly used, is murder. "Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required" (Genesis 42:22).
4. And abortion is a sin against society. "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

Note: To the many who have been agents in the promotion of, performing of, or receiving of abortions, there is hope for those seeking "space to repent" (Revelation 2:21), and seeing their infants again. Agreeing with God that abortion is murder, i.e., "thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13), is a first step towards the merciful healing found only in a Full Pardon ---New Window.

• "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest" (Psalm 51:2-4).
  
  
• "Let God be True, but every man a liar; as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy Sayings" (Romans 3:4).
  
  
• "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
  
  
• "I have sinned against the LORD... The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die" (2Samuel 12:13).
  
• "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah" (Psalm 32:5).
  
• "So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 21:9).
  
• "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice" (Psalm 51:7-8).

When Does Life Begin?

ome feel that abortion isn't murder because the fetus, or even embryo, isn't alive. They admit the fetus/embryo is growing, but insist that (somehow) life isn't involved. "I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture of Truth" (Daniel 10:21). The LORD Creator says, through David, that He sees the unborn and that they are written in His Book. "13 Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret... 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect [i.e., embryo, fetus, not yet fully formed]; and in Thy Book all my members [limbs] were written, which in continuance [or, period of time] were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them [not yet fully formed]" (Psalm 139:13-16). David said that the LORD recognized him as a person from conception, while his little fetus body still had no limbs, or "members". If God recognized him as a person, should we not conclude that every fetus from the moment of conception is a person? Since "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34), would not God treat all fetuses as people?
The phrase in the King James Version, "my substance, yet being unperfect" (139:16) comes from the Hebrew word golem, Strong's number 1564, means "embryo" or "fetus".

"verse 16-- 'my substance, yet being unperfect' [Psalm 139:16]. One word in the original, which means strictly anything rolled together as a ball, and hence is generally supposed to mean here the fetus or embryo." --quote by J. J. Stewart Perowne, from "The Treasury of David" by C. H. Spurgeon.

Even at conception, when the new human is "rolled together as a ball," God records that a human being has begun its journey of existence. "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy Book all my members were written" (Psalm 139:16). Why can't ignorant man learn from an All Wise God? At that moment of conception, the Power of God's Creation begins another human life. That human life will exist for an Eternity.

If allowed to be born, and allowed to mature to moral agency, that human life will have the privilege of exercising his/her free will in the "image of God." Whether this life will honour God with right choices and ultimately abide in Heaven with his/her Saviour and Father, or whether this life will justify God's punishment in Hell with wrong choices-- one thing is certain. The child, though yet unborn, is none the less a child. Whether the unborn demonstrates his zeal for life by the unusual "kicks" and "punches" from the womb, or whether the babe leaps "for joy" at the entrance of his/her Saviour, as did the unborn John the Baptist at the entrance of his unborn Saviour, Christ Jesus-- the unborn child is none the less a child.

"41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my LORD should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the LORD. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the LORD, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Luke 1:41-47). (Please note, dear Catholic readers, Mary needed saving by her Saviour just like every other human being does. Please see our article "An Earnest Appeal to Roman Catholics ----New Window Or, Roman Catholicism Examined in Light of the Scriptures".)

Even before a woman outwardly shows the form of the one growing inside her, she is said to be "with child".

• "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child..." (Genesis 16:11).
• "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father" (Genesis 19:36).
• "...she is with child by whoredom" (Genesis 38:24).
• "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her..." (Exodus 21:22).
• "Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered..." (1Samuel 4:19).
• "And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child" (2Samuel 11:5).
• "And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do... and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child" (2Kings 8:12).
• "Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs" (Isaiah 26:17).
• "Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:18).
• "Behold, a virgin shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
• "To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with Child" (Luke 2:5).
• "...as travail upon a woman with child..." (1Thessalonians 5:3).
• "And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered" (Revelation 12:2).

If Scripture pronounces the fetus to be a child, and Scripture is God's Own Word, then God verifies to all who would listen, "Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of The Judgment" (Matthew 5:21). "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee" (Isaiah 49:15). "And the LORD said... for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood" (Hosea 1:4).

Life begins when God tells it to begin. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the Breath of Life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). If the LORD is mighty enough to GIVE life (i.e., "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me" [Psalms 119:73]), then the LORD is mighty enough to command WHEN life begins.

"1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, Who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?... 22 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach" (Genesis 30:1-2,22).

Almighty is His Name.

"By the God of thy father, Who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, Who shall bless thee with blessings of Heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb" (Genesis 49:25).

It is only the providence and permission of the Almighty Life Giver that determines if a closed womb will bear the fruit of life.

Elkanah "4 gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb... 8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?... 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head... 19 Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD" (1Samuel 1:4-5,8,10-11,19-20).

When the Almighty Life Giver commands life to begin, even the natural forces of age and impossibility cannot stop the unleashing of that Power of Life.

• "11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son... 21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him" (Genesis 18:11-14,21:2).
• "Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him Faithful Who had Promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable" (Hebrews 11:11-12).

In the Image of God

hat is the "image" of God? "And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth. 27 So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth" (Genesis 1:26-28). Man is not an "evolutionary creature", nor even one of the "animal" species. According to the Creator's own Words, man was created by God to MIRROR Himself. Therefore, a special premium is placed on the Creation of human beings, as well as on our destruction. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man" (Genesis 9:6). The act of murder upon any human being is an insult against God. It is destruction to the image of Himself and everything He embodies. Infinite and unique in person and character, the penalty for such destruction and insult can only be Eternal Death. "Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of The Judgment" (Matthew 5:21).

What Supreme Love was bestowed upon us! "What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him? and that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him?" (Job 7:17). The image of Himself that God shared with us was His ability to make moral decisions. Animals act instinctively. They have no moral consciousness. Man has God's moral capacity. Angels and mankind are honoured above all Creation because we have a moral will to exercise the doing of right or the doing of wrong.

"The Eternal God 'created man in His Own image' (Genesis 1:27), elevating man above the Animal Kingdom, and making him capable of acting in a Benevolent or selfish way. 'I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live' (Deuteronomy 30:19). Angels, also, have this God-given capacity of moral agency, in that the angels, who were the 'morning stars' (Job 38:7), conspired with Lucifer against the Almighty, and a 'third part of the stars of Heaven' (Revelation 12:4) fell, becoming the demons or 'evil angels' (Psalm 78:49). The presence of sin and holiness in the universe indicates that God providentially presides over a Moral Government, with man as His rebellious or obedient subjects. 'And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a Name written, KING OF Kings, AND LORD OF Lords' (Revelation 19:16)." (Excerpted from "The Mainspring of Moral Action" ---New Window by Tom Stewart, "From the Editor's Desktop" ---New Window series.)

Lucifer, the highest angel, envied God Almighty. His free will allowed him the Godlike privilege to choose-- but his choice was defiance. He fell from God's grace, from his blessed heavenly position. And adding to his sin, he seduced others to defiance also and took a third of Heaven's angels with him.

• "12 How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground... 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit" (Isaiah 14:12-15).
• "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). "...drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the Earth" (Revelation 12:4).
  
• "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2Thessalonians 2:4).
• "And The King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:40-41).

Moral beings are in the image of God. It is our great privilege to choose-- and our highest privilege to choose Right. "What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be Righteous?" (Job 15:14). To partake of this gift of life as a man in God's mirror, and to be enjoined by God Himself to partake of His Righteousness and "Divine Nature" (2Peter 1:4) is to be "crowned... with glory and honour".

"3 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? 5 For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:3-6).

To kill this gift of life in God's image is to partake of God's judgment.

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man" (Genesis 9:6).

Despite what the law of our land says, know that God says "taking" life is "killing" life. A person who takes the life of another person indiscriminately and criminally is called a "murderer".

"16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer... 17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer... 18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer... 21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die... he is a murderer" (Numbers 35:16-18,21).

The just punishment pronounced from the Righteous Judge decrees that "the murderer shall surely be put to death... the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him" (35:16-18,21). I didn't say it. No human said it. "The Judge of All the Earth" (Genesis 18:25) said it. Whether it is politically correct, or not, "whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of The Judgment" (Matthew 5:21). The penalty can be stalled for a time and mankind can even offer a pardon, but God's "stay of execution" will end. God's Law will not be mocked. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7).



The First Murdering Father

he first and most famous of all murderers, and in fact, the father of them all, is Satan. "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the Truth, because there is no Truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). In facing the facts as God sees them, Satan's part in the advancement of abortion is central. While we can't blame him for every time that we've given in to "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2Peter 1:4), we can "amen" the LORD when He says, "he that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning" (1John 3:8). Jesus demonstrated the love He had for His Father by the obedience He willfully gave Him. "I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father... He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him" (John 8:38; 1John 2:4).

The Devil hates the Son of God, and did his best to murder Him on a Cross. "The dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her Child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a Man Child, Who was to rule all nations with a Rod of Iron" (Revelation 12:4,5). His deluded thought was that he had succeeded, until "her Child was caught up unto God, and to His Throne" (12:5). The Son of God had to be born as man and die for man because it was "for this purpose [that] the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1John 3:8). Murder is a work "of the devil". Jesus hates murder, and we know that "whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him" (1John 3:15).

"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him... And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the Man Child" (Revelation 12:9,13).

Satan is at the heart of this "abortion issue". He tried to usurp the Father's Throne (Isaiah 14:12-15), and has proceeded to strip this once-perfect Earth of bounty and blessing, and murdering the innocence of once-pure hearts by enticing men through "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2Peter 1:4) to be of those "that committeth sin [and become] of the devil" (1John 3:8). He has taken out his hatred of the Father and the Son on all humanity. He pulls men down to his level, and with a supremely murderous heart, he lends his powerful aid in their Eternal Death; for all "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" (Revelation 21:8).

This Usurper, "the god of this world" (2Corinthians 4:4), dares to steal from the LORD Creator, The Giver of Life, the infinitely abiding right to control life and death. Even the Usurper's False Prophet of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel ---New Window "had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:15). This "power to give life" is the Usurper's false imitation of life, and is explained in our "Commentary of the Book of Revelation", Chapter 13, which states:

"Jesus said during His earthly ministry, i.e., '4 And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him' (Luke 12:4-5). Pneuma is the Greek word that the Authorized Version (KJV) has translated as 'life' (13:15); but, it is more commonly translated as spirit or ghost, and even as wind, i.e., 'The wind [Greek, pneuma] bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit [Greek, pneuma]' (John 3:8). 'Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life [Greek, zoe], and breath, and all things' (Acts 17:25). Therefore, the 'life [Greek, pneuma]' (13:15) that the False Prophet gives to the 'image of the beast' (13:15) will not be the same kind of 'life [Greek, zoe]' (Acts 17:25) that only the Almighty bestows" --"Commentary of the Book of Revelation" ---New Window, Chapter 13 ---New Window.

Satan usurps God's infinitely abiding right to control life and death by his murderous authorship of abortion. All abortionists are among this group of murderous usurpers.

• "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the Image of God, should shine unto them" (2Corinthians 4:4).
• "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon ALL these" (Jeremiah 2:34).
• "For the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence" (Ezekiel 7:23).

This hatred of the Son manifests itself every time Satan inspires another murder. Satan's murderous hatred of God and His Son is the heart of the "abortion issue". It is the blackness of Satan's hellish heart that authors the death of innocence, and every time a sweet baby is killed Satan's rage increases. His murdering army increases, "that they may add sin to sin" (Isaiah 30:1).

• "The iniquity of the house of [America] is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the Earth, and the LORD seeth not" (Ezekiel 9:9).
• "Thus saith the LORD GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come" (Ezekiel 22:3).

Scoffers mock, "How doth God know? can He judge through the dark cloud?" (Job 22:13). But "woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" (Isaiah 29:15). Beware scoffers! The Almighty, "being full of compassion... destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up ALL His wrath" (Psalm 78:38). But "the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man" (Genesis 6:3). For the warning has gone forth, that "between blood and blood, between Law and Commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you" (2Chronicles 19:10).

Those that work death on the innocent shall have death worked upon them. "12 When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them: He forgetteth not the cry of the humble... 16 The LORD is known by the Judgment which He executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands" (Psalm 9:12,16). "What wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?... shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?" (Jeremiah 13:21).

• "Sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (1Thessalonians 5:3).
• "For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers" (Jeremiah 4:31).
  
• "...when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!" (Jeremiah 22:23).
• "The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him" (Hosea 13:13).
• "Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail" (Micah 4:9).

Judgment is SOON to be poured out.

• "2 Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody [nation]? yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. 3 Then say thou, Thus saith the LORD GOD, The [nation] sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come... 4 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. 5 Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed... 12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten Me, saith the LORD GOD... 14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it" (Ezekiel 22:2-5,12,14).
  
• "6 Wherefore thus saith the LORD GOD; Woe to the bloody [nation], to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it!... 7 For her blood is in the midst of her... 9 Therefore thus saith the LORD GOD; Woe to the bloody [nation]! I will even make the pile for fire great. 10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. 11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. 12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 13 In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee. 14 I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the LORD GOD" (Ezekiel 24:6-7,9-14).
  
• "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1).
• "Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall... whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant" (Isaiah 30:13).
• "Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors" (Psalms 73:18-19).

Satan usurps God's right to control life and death by his murderous fathering of abortion. Those in the promotion of, performing of, or receiving of abortions, usurp God's right to control life and death by their selfish murders, and are "...partaker[s] of [Satan's] evil deeds" (2John 1:11). "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).



Precious Castaways: "Thou Becamest Mine"

hen the LORD sees a Tiny Human trashed as man's castaway, this is His Word as to how He feels and what He does. "Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of Love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a Covenant with thee, saith the LORD GOD, and thou becamest Mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen" (Ezekiel 16:8-13). And the Covenant is Eternal Togetherness, "for of such is the Kingdom of God".

• "16 And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the Kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them" (Mark 10:13-16).
• "And they brought unto him also infants, that He would touch them" (Luke 18:15).
• "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4).

"Precious" and "castaway" are contradictory terms which form an accurate title given to any child that is thrown away. In this instance, man's trash is God's treasure. "He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight" (Psalm 72:14). That which man violently discards, God defends in declaring, "I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him" (Isaiah 43:7).

1. Abortion annihilates the miraculous creation of life that is God's gift to every baby.
2. Abortion disregards the process of birth that God engineered for bringing new life full circle.
3. Abortion robs God of His Sovereignty in dispensing life and death.
4. Abortion robs God of the pleasure He derives from seeing His children grow in faith and grace.
5. And abortion robs God of lifetimes of glory and praise that would have honoured Him.

"Thou art worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created ALL things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

If we look closer at the above passage in Ezekiel, we find that Jerusalem was the castaway treasure that God entered into "Covenant" with, and the "time was the time of Love". We can substitute America for Jerusalem, concerning love and judgment, for "he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons" (Colossians 3:25). Since the LORD's treatment of His people is without partiality, we can hear, as well, His compassionate warning to us, "a Christian nation". "Hear ye the Word of the LORD, O house of [America], and all the families of the house of [America]" (Jeremiah 2:4).

Ezekiel 16:1-15,20-23,35-38. "1 Again the Word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, cause [America] to know her abominations, 3 And say, Thus saith the LORD GOD unto [America]... 4 As for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood,I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great... 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of Love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a Covenant with thee, saith the LORD GOD, and thou becamest Mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a [nation]. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My Comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the LORD GOD. 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was... 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 that thou hast slain My children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. 23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD)... 35 O harlot, hear the Word of the LORD: 36 Thus saith the LORD GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; 37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy."

When physical life on this Earth ends for the unborn and the newborn, the LORD takes His precious treasures Home to Heaven, "for of such is the Kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14). King David demonstrated this truth from the Word, while being punished for his adultery and murderous act against Uriah the Hittite.

"Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon" (2Samuel 12:9).

Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, was given a child in her womb-- David's child. And even though repentance was given to the LORD, King David's sin had consequences which bore physical witness to his watching nation.

"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick" (2Samuel 12:13-15).

Even knowing beforehand, that the LORD had predestined physical death for the infant, King David "besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the Earth" (2Samuel 12:16). And though David continued in this way for a week, "it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died" (2Samuel 12:18). David reasoned this way, "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2Samuel 12:22-23). David proved that the only way he could be reunited with his infant son was to "go to him" in that Place of God's Own preparing (John 14:2), because the baby would not "return" to Earth.

"In My Father's House are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).

Truly, the Covenant is Eternal Togetherness. "And thou becamest Mine" (Ezekiel 16:8).



Why Choose Abortion?

et's consider the plight of many teen girls, not that this problem is limited to teens, by any means, but America's teenagers have compounded the number of abortions in our country by a larger portion for many years, "fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3). Before the sin of abortion ever comes into the picture, an unmarried teenage girl commits fornication. "Flee fornication... [s]he that committeth fornication sinneth against h[er] own body" (1Corinthians 6:18). "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers..." (1Corinthians 6:9).

• "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1Peter 2:11).
• "Now the body is not for fornication, but for the LORD; and the LORD for the body" (1Corinthians 6:13).
• "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the Earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5).

She often lies to her parents, her friends, and even to herself. "For from within, out of the heart of [girls], proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders... covetousness, wickedness, deceit" (Mark 7:21-22). Soon, lying is no longer optional. "Behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). One sin leads to another, and another, and sooner than she ever wants to admit-- there is blood on her hands. "By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood" (Hosea 4:2).

"A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood" (Proverbs 6:17).

Usually, an abortion isn't committed without first committing a wide range of other sins, thus breaking many Commandments. "17 ...if thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Commandments. 18 ...Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 honour thy father and thy mother" (Matthew 19:17-19). "For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the Law" (James 2:10-11). "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin... This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the LORD" (Isaiah 30:1,9).

Why do teenagers choose abortion? For the same reason their parents do, and for the same reason all participants choose abortion-- because they're motivated by entire self-love. Their only thought is a consuming interest in the benefit and well-being of self. Regardless of the many ways abortion is rationalized, the deep-seated root is SELF. "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:28).

Our vanity says, "It's my body. It's my choice." That's only partially correct. The choice is ours, given to us by God when He made us in the image of His free will to choose right or wrong. "I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil" (Deuteronomy 30:15). But as for your body belonging to you, no. "The Earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1). And the saddest thing in the world, is to find people who profess to know the LORD, and yet contend that their bodies are their own.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1Corinthians 6:19-20).

He made your body and gave it life. "Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3).

But concerning your free will, be forewarned that there are consequences for making sinfully wrong choices. "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" (Genesis 4:7). Sinfully wrong choices are morally wrong. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). For He gives abundant Wisdom from the Counsel of His own Word. "For who hath stood in the Counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard His Word? who hath marked His Word, and heard it" (Jeremiah 23:18). The problem is, people choose not to listen. The LORD said that they, "would not hearken to My Voice; and... would none of Me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels" (Psalms 81:11-12).

Take God at His Word. "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world" (John 16:21)."Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker" (Psalm 95:6).




A Need to Know-- Partial-Birth Abortions

e are going to briefly discuss partial-birth abortions. I am not a person who wants to know "gory details". I do not enjoy the feelings of fear, terror, horror, etc. And rightly so, for the Christian, when dealing with fear understands that "there is no fear in Love; but perfect Love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in Love" (1John 4:18). When there is a time in life where I have a genuine need to know something that I really don't want to know, I proceed carefully. Trust the LORD. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3). I believe the LORD has taught us in His Word, that knowing too much about such topics can rob us of peace and innocence and grieve His Spirit, but that we ought to be "wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:17-19).

"17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our LORD Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:17-19).

Of course, a proper motive for approaching sensitive information is all important. Solomon's motive pleased God.

"9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart" (1Kings 3:9-12).

Christians do not need to bring themselves down to the world's level in order to understand if something is sin. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:14). We are sent forth among the enemy to learn just enough to be "wise" but yet still unlearned, in large part, to remain "harmless". "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

• "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world" (Philemon 2:15).
• "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men" (1Corinthians 14:20).
• "13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom... 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the Wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:13,15-17).

Our strength is that which we understand of the LORD.

• "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the LORD is" (Ephesians 5:17).
• "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2Timothy 3:16-17).
  
• "For now we live, if ye stand fast in the LORD" (1Thessalonians 3:8).

We are not to follow the world's values, but to understand what God thinks.

• "Therefore shall ye keep Mine Ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God" (Leviticus 18:30).
• "For My people is foolish, they have not known Me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge" (Jeremiah 4:22).
• "If any man will do HIS will, he shall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17).

However, there are situations in life which we must, of necessity, confront "head-on"; situations that are profoundly sad and evil. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" (Matthew 18:7). When this happens, our aversion (or, our inner spirit or conscience) is alerted by the Holy Spirit, and causes us to be careful not to offend ourselves. "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth" (Romans 14:22). In the same way that pain protects the outer man, our conscience protects our inner man. These systems of protection were built-in by the Creator for our good. "And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

We all know how sweet and cute newborns are, but to understand just how very human and developed a newborn can be, read this account of Jacob's partial-birth struggle with his twin brother, Esau .

• "22 And the children [Esau and Jacob] struggled together within her [Rebekah]; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob" (Genesis 25:22-26).
• "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed... He [Jacob] took his brother [Esau] by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God" (Genesis 32:28; Hosea 12:3).

This brings us to the brutal truth of partial-birth abortions. Because our nation has condoned abortion "on demand", the progression has worsened until it has now reached this hideous high. This is not easy to read, even though it is stated as simply as possible. Why is it necessary to read? Because the following description demonstrates that these babies are real people, with real feelings, and that, if they could only speak what they obviously felt, they assuredly would shame any guilty which still had a conscience. Some of America's wellknown religious leaders have said,

"the late-term abortion procedure known as 'partial-birth abortion', wherein an abortionist incompletely delivers a baby, leaving its head within the mother. He then penetrates the base of a late-term baby's skull so that he can suction out its brain (thereby collapsing its little head) prior to full delivery. Evidence confirms that these unborn children experience profound pain during these procedures.

[If they could speak, these much-sinned-against baby people could say as the Apostle Paul did, "I bear in my body the marks of the LORD Jesus" (Galatians 6:17).]

A surgical nurse who observed firsthand this gruesome procedure at [an] abortion clinic, recounted the immense revulsion she experienced while participating in a partial-birth abortion: 'The baby's little fingers were clasping and unclasping and his feet were kicking. Then, the doctor stuck the scissors through the back of his head and the baby's arms jerked out in a flinch, in a startled reaction -- like a baby does when he thinks that he might fall.'

It is important to note that most of these abortions are performed on healthy babies carried by healthy mothers who choose to terminate their pregnancies for purely elective reasons.

["Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, that thou hast slain My children?" (Ezekiel 16:20-21).]

Dr. Haskel, the man credited with perfecting this procedure, said in 1997, 'I'll be quite frank. Most of my abortions are elective in (the fifth and sixth month) range.'

["15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known" (Romans 3:15-17). As the enemy has done to Thy children, LORD, do so even to them. "Thou shalt break them with a Rod of Iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psalm 2:9).]

Initially, the president and his pro-abortion allies utilized the argument that partial-birth abortions were extremely rare and conducted only in dire situations. But, you'll recall that the source of that misinformation, Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, admitted that as many as 5,000 such abortions were performed each year.

Fitzsimmons also confessed that 'they are primarily done on healthy women and healthy fetuses.'

["The innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked" (Exodus 23:7).]

Dr. Dominick Caselnova of the American College of Ob-Gyns, called the practice 'not only a brutal mutilation of the baby, but a threat to the health and safety of the mother.'

According to Linda Pratt Shafer, the partial-birth abortion procedure, wherein a woman's cervix is forcefully and mechanically dilated, weakens the cervix and poses risks of miscarriage in future pregnancies."

A weakened cervix which risks future pregnancies isn't the only judgment a woman carries who has done this to her own child. "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters... and the land was polluted with blood" (Psalm 106:37-38).

The Most Common Symptoms of Post Abortion Judgment:

1. Guilt - "So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 21:9).
2. Depression - "By sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Proverbs 15:13).
3. Grief - "Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow" (Jerusalem 45:3).
4. Shame - "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God: for [my] iniquities are increased over [my] head, and [my] trespass is grown up unto the Heavens." (Ezra 9:6).
5. Nervousness, anxiety - "An evil spirit from the LORD troubled [her]" (1Samuel 16:14).
   
6. Lack of concentration, confusion - "O LORD, to [me] belongeth confusion of face... because [I] have sinned against Thee" (Daniel 9:8).
   
7. Anger - "For the wrath of man worketh NOT the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).
   
8. Fear - "Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me" (Psalm 55:5).
9. Flashbacks - "For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them" (Isaiah 59:12).
10. Problems communicating even with family members, and especially with their children - "So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away" (Psalm 64:8).
    
11. Sleep disorders - "I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest" (Jerusalem 45:3). "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isaiah 57:21).
12. Eating disorders - "Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap" (Psalm 69:22).
13. Pain, either sympathetic and/or physical - "Sin shall have great pain, and... shall have distresses daily" (Ezekiel 30:16).
14. Numbness, mental and/or physical - "For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I [the LORD] should heal them" (Acts 28:27).
    
15. Hallucinations of a baby crying - "Thine heart shall meditate terror" (Isaiah 33:18).
16. Horrific dreams of dismembered babies - "But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:33).
17. Abusiveness - "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience... put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth" (Colossians 3:6,8).
18. Sexual perversions - "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4).
19. Substance abuse - "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
20. Self-mutilation - "Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed" (Jeremiah 20:14).
21. Thoughts of suicide - "Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures... so that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life" (Job 3:21; 7:15).
22. Suicide - "I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years" (Isaiah 38:10). "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us" (2Corinthians 1:9-10).

The ONLY hope of erasing the guilt and shame, the ONLY hope of ever having hope again, is to, first, acknowledge God's condemnation. "2:34 In thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these... 3:3 ...thou refusedst to be ashamed... 5 Will He reserve His anger for ever? will He keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest" (Jeremiah 2:34; 3:3,5). Repentance is your agreement with God that you are the wretch that He says you are. "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God" (3:25). God cannot forgive you until you repent.

• "If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1John 1:9).
• "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).[Please read the NOTE above about receiving a Full Pardon.]

Conclusion

o all of life on the whole of the planet, abortion "on demand" not only murders the innocent, but degenerates life for the rest of us. Not just in the sense of living physically for the sake of the physical, but abortion degenerates our life in the sense of living life for God, in His image, for His pleasure and praise, and for the sake of God Himself. "13 Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psalm 139:13-14). We must listen to the Word of God, and obey Him. "10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the Word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in... 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19 Hear, O Earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto My Words, nor to My Law, but rejected it" (Jeremiah 6:10-11,15-19).
"And now they sin more and more" (Hosea 13:2).

• First, abortion "on demand" is the sin of murder, "and ye know that no murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him" (1John 3:15).
• Second, if we can rationalize early term abortions, then we can rationalize late term abortions-- even partial-birth abortions. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2Timothy 3:13).
• Third, if we can rationalize the brutal dismemberment of a newborn child, then we are next ready to selectively eliminate any child that society deems to be inconvenient, physically unfit, socially unacceptable, or politically undesirable. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves" (2Timothy 3:1-2).
• Finally, if we allow "these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31), i.e., we will become completely demoralized, desensitized, deceived, and willing for the future Final Solution of the Antichrist to eliminate the world of the religiously "undesirable elements", who refuse to worship the Antichrist and receive the 666 Mark of the Beast, "and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:15).

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"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the Only Wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen" (Jude 24,25).





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