John Eldredge says in his book, “Waking the Dead” that there are three eternal truths in the Christian life:
1. Things are not what they seem.
2. We are at war.
3. We have a crucial role to play.
As children of God living in a fallen world we are going to experience attacks from God’s enemy (and by association, our enemy), Satan. If we are actively serving God and others, the attacks will come all the more frequently. This enemy is stealthy and cunning, and because he and his army have been observing us since our youth, he knows our weaknesses, often better than we do ourselves.
As a result, if we are not continually drawing close to the Father, if we are not keenly aware of his tactics, or if we get so busy “doing” ministry that we neglect to partake of essential spiritual food daily (the Word of God), we will fall prey to the enemy’s schemes.
In my own struggles in this area I have learned that knowing what to look for and recognizing the source is half the battle. Following are some of the warning signs I look for to see if the enemy is at work in my life doing what he does best: lying, deceiving, and destroying.
Signs that Satan is Seducing* Me:
·When I doubt the goodness of God.
·When I doubt the character of God.
·When I doubt that I am worthy of Him.
·When I obsess over my mistakes.
·When I am tempted to despair.
·When I feel hopeless.
·When I lose sight of my identity in Christ.
·When I am tempted to be afraid.
·When I feel inadequate.
·When I feel inferior.
·When I am tempted to wear a “mask.”
·When I feel the need to put up walls or defenses in order to self-protect.
·When I fear what God may allow into my life.
·When I feel like withdrawing from others.
·When I feel "it" (life, my calling, etc.) is too hard....
·When I feel that change will never come....
·When I am tempted to judge others harshly.
*[The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines "seduce" in the following manner: to lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to entice or beguile into a desired state or position; to win over; attract.]
The other half of the battle is found in Ephesians 6:10-18:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
God never promised us that this journey would be easy, but He did promise us victory! He has provided the tools and the strength (i.e. everything we need), the rest is up to us.
God help us run the race well and finish strong for Your glory.
In Christ Jesus,
Amen.
The Elliot Institute reported the following in their most recent newsletter (Volume 4, Number 10).
United Nations Member Says Abortion is Bad for Women
Calls Choice an "Illusion" at UN Committee Meeting on Women's Rights
A member of a United Nations committee that is known for advocating abortion has said that abortion is "bad for women" and that she hopes that one day it will be seen in the same way that people now regard torture.
According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, the comments came from a member of the UN committee that oversees compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW). Krisztina Morvai of Hungary was quoted as saying during a committee session, "One thing that is invisible and lost in the debate is that abortion is bad for women. . . . No woman actually wants to have an abortion. We have this illusion that women have free choices. But abortion is a terribly damaging thing psychologically, spiritually and physically." [Emphasis mine.]
Morvai also reportedly stated in an earlier session that the majority of women undergo abortions because their partners don't support the pregnancy and called for more emphasis to be placed on "the responsibility of men." She is one of 23 committee members who are elected from among the 180 countries that support CEDAW.
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Information about the harm abortion does to women is documented in Detrimental Effects of Abortion, a 365-page bibliography published by the Elliot Institute, documents hundreds of studies from around the world showing the risks that abortion poses to women's physical and emotional well-being. To order a copy, contact Acorn Books at 1-888-412-2676. Visit www.afterabortion.info for pricing information.
We returned on Saturday from a week at Horn Creek Camp in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of Colorado where we got some much-needed rest, family time, and the opportunity to meet some wonderful folks from around the country who also bear the name of Christ.
One of the more interesting couples turned out to be a pastor (Brad) and his wife from Arizona. This pastor was charged with the responsibility of adding a spiritual dimension to our vacation experience -- which he did quite nicely. And of course I couldn't resist telling him a little about this ministry during the course of the week -- which made for some very lively conversations.
Initially I was discouraged by his reaction to our purpose here at In Our Midst. He was not opposed to what we are doing, but neither was he optimistic that it would make any difference. Unfortunately I allowed his "supportive opposition" to frustrate me, and in the end I missed an opportunity to encourage him. You see, his job is to minister to the college/singles under 25 at his church, a group of young people that by definition is one of the most challenging to lead, instruct, and positively impact due to their age, emotional maturity, and the capricious stage of their development.
During one of our conversations Brad said something to the effect that it doesn't matter what you tell them at this age; they do what they want and they don't believe any of the consequences you tell them about will ever happen to them. I found this troubling, especially coming from a pastor who taught such incredibly dynamic lessons during the week. He told me (in regard to his efforts with this group of young people) that he feels like he is trying to "hold back the ocean." This being the larger reality of the situation which unfortunately didn't occur to me until the end of the week.... Brad is apparently suffering from some pretty significant burnout.
I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to encourage him while we were at camp together, although you can be sure I will follow-up with him via email. One thing we have to remember in this difficult and cutting-edge type of ministry is that the opposition we encounter will take many different forms and come from many different directions -- even from our own. The other thing to remember, and perhaps it is the more important of the two, is that opposition is not always what it appears to be; sometimes there is a deeper issue at work that is less obvious, and to miss it might be missing the opportunity to encourage a fellow traveler on this long and difficult road.
I learned a lot from this experience which just goes to show that even though we take vacations, God never does! :) He is always working in and through the events of our lives for our benefit and for His glory.
David Reardon of Elliot Institute reports the following on his web site, AfterAbortion.org: "Women with a prior history of abortion are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times more likely to use illicit drugs, and ten times more likely to use marijuana during the first pregnancy they carry to term compared to other women delivering their first pregnancies, according to a study published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology*."
Now this quote is really only referring to subsequent pregnancies, but we believe this statistic applies to many women who have survived an abortion, whether during a subsequent pregnancy or not. My question for you is this:
For those who have had an abortion in the past, how many have dealt with the following in relation to your abortion experience? (Please identify all areas that apply to you):
___Substance abuse/addiction (either drugs or alcohol or both)
___Eating Disorders (Bulimia or anorexia)
___Cutting
___Food addiction
___Failure to seek medical attention
___Other forms of self-abuse (please explain)
___Clinical Depression
___Thoughts of suicide
___Suicide attempt(s)
___Frequent rage
___Abusive relationships
___Deterioration of relationships (divorce, inability to bond with children or grandchildren)
___Promiscuity
___Abuse of others
Please also note if you are currently a Christian or not and if you were a Christian at the time of your abortion._________________
Please also specify if you (a) attended church during your childhood; (b) attended church at the time of your abortion; (c) attend church now. ____
And finally, are you struggling with any of these issues currently (including the past year)? Explain. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Note: If you wish to remain anonymous, please take care to maintain anonymity in your personal information as you submit your comment. (One way to do this is to set up a free email account through Yahoo! using a different user name.) Or you may print this entry and mail it anonymously (the old fashioned way!) to In Our Midst Ministries, Inc., PO Box 30621, Edmond, OK 73003.
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*American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. December 2002; 187(5)
My family and I watched an excellent Christian movie tonight and I wanted to recommend it here. It's called Flywheel and although it's an extremely low budget movie, in all honesty it is probably the best Christian movie I've ever seen! The script was good, the acting was very well executed, and the message was incredibly powerful.
I don't want to spoil it for you, but the basic plot is about a man who puts on a "church" face but is as lost as can be. Everything in his life begins falling apart and well, God gets hold of him. The main character has some pretty tough choices to make, even to the point of making restitution....
Anyway, you need to see this with your family! It gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk about God's faithfulness even in great difficulty.
I laughed, I cried. I gave it a 10! :)
It has nothing to do with abortion or sexual sin, but the message of this movie is for everyone! Watch it. You won't be sorry!
I am always learning things about myself.
A couple of nights ago my husband and I went out for a farewell dinner with some friends that are moving out of state in a couple of weeks. They are friends we know and love but in all honesty there's a lot about them we don't know. We've really been more of "friendly acquaintances" in the couple of years that we 've known them. We've shared the illness and loss of a dear friend and sister in Christ, but our relationship with them has not deepened on many levels.
Anyway, they were asking about this ministry and what we are doing. As I thought later about the conversation I realized something very uncomfortable about myself.... As I talked about what we're doing through In Our Midst I didn't look the wife in the eye. In fact I looked everywhere but there.
As I realized that I asked myself, "Why?" Why didn't I look her in the eye? Why was I hesitant to share my passion for the post-abortive with them openly?
I questioned my motives quite thoroughly, even repeatedly passing over the answer that was screaming at me inside.... I didn't go into great detail, I didn't look her in the eye because I didn't want to see what might be there.... I wasn't afraid she would be uninterested or condemning or critical... I was afraid that if I looked her in the eye I might see that familiar look that says, "I've had an abortion."
In my attempt at an evening of normalcy, in my desire to have an enjoyable evening with friends without the outing of another abortion secret -- or worse, the refusal to share the secret -- I looked away. I'm not in any way suggesting that she is most likely post-abortive; this is not about her at all. It's about my own weakness; my own area of denial and lack of availability. And should any of you think less of me for it you are not alone.... I'm feeling pretty awful about that part of myself as well.
The missing (or perhaps 'less obvious' might be more accurate) piece of the puzzle, however is what it always is... Jesus. He knows my weaknesses, He even sympathizes with them. [Hebrews 4:15] How I praise Him for that! And the beautiful thing about this whole ugly scenario is that He has brought this weakness to light, and even in His sympathy He has dealt with this dark corner of my heart. The result is that I will never again be able to look away.
I tell you this for a few reasons: (1) because we are instructed to confess our sins to one another, (2) for accountability, and (3) to encourage you to never stop learning about yourself. When we stop examining ourselves in light of God's truth we become rigid and inflexible (spiritually speaking), and perhaps by doing so we let pride get a foot in the door of our hearts.
The bottom line? I am fallible. If any of you think I should be farther along in this journey, you're probably right! But the truth is that "this" is where I am and yes, I have a long way to go. Thanks be to God, He will take me the rest of the way, and someday He will take me home! [How I long for the day...!] In the meantime I remain a work-in-progress. But although I may be faithless at times, He is always faithful!
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13 NASB
Do you want to see more churches begin abortion recovery programs? Me too! One easy way to do that is to begin with your church. Talk about how abortion has affected your life and the lives of those around you. Talk to your pastor. Talk to your women's ministry leader. Talk to the counselors on staff at your church (if you have any). Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors. Talk about it every chance you get!
I know, it's not an easy topic to discuss, especially with people whose views you may not be aware of...views that may be harsh or judgmental or indifferent. You aren't sure where they will go in their response. You're not sure how you will respond if they are...um...unkind, or worse, obstinately opinionated. ;) But as I have begun learning, God reveals His strength most beautifully in my weakness. He takes an uncomfortable mire and transforms it into ministry. He takes the bricks of confrontation and builds a bridge. And yes, sometimes He allows us to fall face-down into a puddle of humiliation, but even then He is working, always working to complete His purposes and to bring glory to Himself. (And that, my friends, is what we are here for!)
If you want others to be able to find hope and healing through Jesus Christ at your church, start by talking about it. You never know how many -- or whose -- lives will be transformed because of those conversations.
"I, the LORD, am your God...
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10 NASB
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