Pro-Life Youth Pledge

We are a loud and determined voice for Truth and Life in this culture of death. We stand on the truth of Jesus Christ whom all of our strength comes from. We stand for the protection of all human life from conception (fertilization) until natural death, with no exceptions, no compromise, and no apologies. We are fed up with the lies that MTV, Planned Parenthood and our government are pushing down our throats. We will no longer sit silently by as our generation is being systematically slaughtered through surgical and chemical abortion. This is OUR generation, these are OUR brothers and sisters and we commit to fighting for their lives. You will not silence our message, you will not mock our God, and you will stop killing our generation! -ROCKFORLIFE www.rockforlife.org

“Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it… Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it.” (Ezekiel 4:2-3 NKJV)

A Silent Siege is just this—we build up a wall and stand in the gap on behalf of our nation (Ezekiel 22:30). It is an incredible strategy given to us in a dream from the Lord. The media has taken hold of this image and spread it everywhere. It has become a phenomenon that catches the eyes and hearts of the world. When we make a stand outside of a courthouse or an abortion clinic, our stand is for life, justice and mercy.

When LIFE is written on a piece of red tape and placed on our mouths, we are identifying with the silent cries of the unborn and of those who have no voice.

Our stand is not a protest, but a silent prayer meeting. We make our appeal to the Judge of the earth and ask Him for speedy justice to be released. It is a plea— “Oh, that God would subpoena the conscience of America!”

We dream of the day when all 740 abortion clinics in America will have long lines of people, young and old alike, standing strong on sidewalks praying and fasting with LIFE covering their lips. If 740 churches would rise up and take on one abortion clinic each with sustained fasting and prayer, what would happen? - www.bound4liffe.com

Jesus,

 I plead your blood over my sin's and the sin's of my nation, God end abortion and send revieval to America.

-band prayer

My heart is deeply grieved by the murder of late-term abortion provider George Tiller on Sunday. My prayers go out to the Tiller family for this tragic loss of life.

I AM PRO-LIFE.

Therefore, I believe that all human life is sacred, unique and precious to God. When the Lord called me directly into the pro-life movement, He first established that my posture was to be rooted and grounded in the prayer movement. As we all process this horrendous event even as the debate heats up concerning the next Supreme Court nominee and tax-paid-for abortion in health care reform I'd like to offer some encouraging words.

We are not easily reduced to prayer. We who grope toward praying today are like a city gutted by fire. The struggle against injustice has exacted from us an awful cost. In a similar period with similar struggles, Camus wrote, "There is merely bad luck in not being loved; there is tragedy in not loving. All of us, today, are dying of this tragedy. For violence and hatred dry up the heart itself; the long fight for justice exhausts the love that nevertheless gave birth to it..."

Unprotected by prayer, our social activism runs the danger of becoming self-justifying good works, as our inner resources atrophy, the wells of love run dry, and we are slowly changed into the likeness of the Beast.

Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers, p. 297-298

By "changed into the likeness of the Beast" he means to be transformed into the very thing that you set out to abolish or counteract. In the case of the pro-life movement, it is imperative that we maintain an approach that grows out of the place of prayer, love and compassion. The act of abortion is so completely and unredeemably violent that it can only be opposed in the "opposite spirit." We cannot and will not respond to violence with more violence. Only the continual atmosphere of prayer and intimacy with the Lord can keep our hearts tender in the face of injustice.

Nearly every pro-life leader has been swift to publicly denounce this heinous act perpetrated by a reportedly disturbed individual. My hope is that the media will clearly report the fact that this DOES NOT reflect the overwhelming majority of people in the pro-life movement. I believe it is the strategy of hell to frighten and derail the movement even as the polls have recently demonstrated that America is increasingly embracing a culture of life. I have a great concern that this will be used by the pro-abortion agenda and related political leaders to stifle pro-life voices when they are needed most.

Right now we are winning the debate.

Praying for a culture of life in America,

Matt Lockett
Bound4LIFE Director

                                                                   YOU CAN’T PLEASE PEOPLE

   "I, even I, am He who comforts you and gives you all this joy.  So what right have you to fear mere mortal men, who wither like the grass and disappear?  And yet you have no fear of God, your Maker--you have forgotten Him, the one who spread the stars throughout the skies and made the earth.  Will you be in constant dread of man's oppression, and fear their anger all day long?"  Isaiah 51:12-13 TLB
  
   I've lived long enough to have discovered a very important fact of life--you can't please people.  One of the things I love most about serving God and living for Him is that I no longer have to live in fear of people's disapproval.  All I have to do is concentrate on pleasing God, Who never changes, and I'll succeed in life.  It's a freedom that I appreciate and can't live without.  I began experiencing this freedom for myself when I started studying the Bible and discovering what God says about trying to be a people pleaser.  Proverbs 29:25 NLT says, "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the Lord means safety."  Trying to win the approval of people can lead to disappointment, frustration, and emptiness.  But seeking God's approval brings peace, contentment, and fulfillment.  Those who strive to please others are often unstable.  You can't count on them, and neither can God.  They are often easily intimidated, and they can be talked into or out of something, even though their own hearts condemn them for it.  The Bible says, "Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled." (1 Peter 3:14 NASB)  Right before Jesus' departure, He leaves His disciples His perfect peace and tells them, "Do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled." (John 14:17 AMP)  Trying to please people will rob us of our peace, and because of that, it can harm our mental, emotional and physical health.  On the other hand, "The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble." (Proverbs 19:23) 

   The good news is that we can depend on God all the time.  He tells us in His Word, "I the Lord do not change." (Malachi 3:6)  And James tells us that our God "does not change like shifting shadows." (1:17)  Can you imagine if people recorded their own laws?  They would have to be altered continually to keep up with our tendency to change the rules as we go along.  But God won't ever change, and neither will His Word.  God wants to bless us and use us for His glory, but He can't do that if we're busy trying to please others, instead of seeking His perfect will for our lives each day.  The Bible says that "All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Romans 8:14 NLT)  It's God's will for us to be Spirit-led, not people-led.  Otherwise, God will not be able to count on us, and He will have to put us on a shelf, instead of using us to make a real difference in this world.  The apostle Paul was a great example of a God pleaser, and the Lord used Him mightily.  In Galatians 1:10 NLT, Paul exclaims: "Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser!  No, I'm trying to please God.  If I were trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant."  If we want to be true servants of Christ, we're going to have to actively seek God daily, ask for His guidance, and then yield to the promptings of His Spirit.  Sometimes what people want us to do and what God wants us to do will be the same, but many times they will conflict.  It’s up to us to choose who we will obey.  If you are in the habit of trying to please people, remember this--it can't be done.  My prayer for you today is that in everything, you'll set your heart on pleasing God, and discover for yourself the peace and freedom that only He can give!

   Lord, help me to seek Your perfect will in everything each day.  Teach me to be sensitive and obedient to the promptings of Your Spirit.  Guard me from the fear of man, and grant me a holy fear and reverence for You.  Thank You for the peace, joy, and freedom I'll enjoy as a result!

*For more devotionals by J. M. Farro, please visit http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/devotionals/archive.asp