God's Mercy Received By Deborah Ann Saint

Chapter Six

Confirmation of God’s Mercy

Deborah

“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 BSB).

“Jesus made the option of a new identity for all people in His redemptive work on the Cross. He was in the world reconciling us to God.”

Many of us have past self-centered sin-based decisions and actions that have caused deep pain. We cannot change the past but we can apply the Gospel to the past. But to do so, we have to acknowledge and bring these places to the cross of Christ. Sadly many try desperately to hide or live around “these places of past sin,” some are places of “elephant sins.”

In our lives the “elephant sin in the room of our lives was our abortion”. It is our “past, very secret place of sin and shame”. It was hidden from others for decades yet remained “the huge elephant in the middle of our lives”.

If you read the beginning of this chapter, you might consider replacing any discussion of abortion with your own “secret sin” or “place of shame”. If you consider your own personal “elephant sin in the room” or your own struggle, we pray you will come to know it can become your own place of redemption. The very thing that almost killed us, can be used by God to help us and others once we have had our own personal experience of Jesus, His Cross and Christ’s redemption.

I pray if you read on through our struggle and eventual victory, that God will use His Word and our witness to bring you to receive His forgiveness and freedom in a fuller measure or perhaps come to salvation, if you do not know Christ personally already. I pray you will move forward in your life in relationship with Jesus and having allowed the Lord to send “your own personal ‘elephant’ sin(s)” as far as the East is from the West, never to be counted against you (Psalm 32:2 and 103:12).

Coming to a place of knowing God’s forgiveness and mercy helps us re-frame the past with His Grace! If you had an abortion or know someone that has had one or more and is struggling, perhaps some of this writing, and the post-abortive reference guide at the end of the book, will help.

Our hope is to help people be better equipped to understand and recover from their struggles and hardships from the place of our own now redeemed past. Once we know Christ, it is a place of beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3) Also we hope to help those considering abortion to evaluate the enormity of the permanent consequences in this choice by sharing by our experiences, what we have learned.

Sharing from experiences can only go so far. The grief…the anguish, the things I have felt are too raw to write to the public: the letters we wrote to our baby still stagger me to a place of shock and disassociation. I could barely breathe; the fact is there are times that I have wanted to stop breathing. It is hard to live and move forward. I could not, if not for Christ.

My experiences of sexual abuses, occult abuse and abortion were like layers of wounds, deep within my soul. My reactions added to the depth of grief and agony. At times I felt dead. Even worse, if that is possible, alive but feeling worthless and in traumatic stress, emotionally unstable, feeling on or over the edge, misunderstood, misjudged, hopeless—feeling beyond God’s grace and man’s acceptance, triggered by many things, as a way of life. I lived feeling suicidal for many years. (For those who have experienced abuse, you may relate?) I knew suicide was what Satan wanted. This kept me from ever attempting it but the feelings were strong and at times relentless. It took God and consistent time in His Word to help me want to live, and fight to live. It was often a daily “choice”. God showed me in Psalm 118:17 (ESV) “I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD” or as the NLT v17b says: “I will live to tell what the LORD has done”.

I know I would not be alive today but for Jesus! My family agrees. Jesus rescued me, loved me, forgave me, accepted me, healed me and became my best ally, and my life. He taught me His Gospel and its Good News and hope! He helped me feel safe to share with Him my real feelings. I confessed to Him my bitterness, anger, hate, rage, vengefulness, self pity, resentments, depression and the many other feelings and forces so common with abuses and abortion. He taught me to be real with Him, to admit my feelings and if and when I sinned, to run to Him to repent and allow Him to change me: to apply the Gospel to myself! His Spirit of Truth continues to filter out the layers of lies and lead me into greater truth and freedom (John 8:31-32 & 16:33).

Our abortion is the blight of our lives. We could not tell of it if we did not believe and live in the love of God and the assurance and experience of the Gospel. We believe we are being directed by the Lord to share what we have shared.

Many readers may not feel led to share as we have. That is A-ok. My friend Grace reminded me “that people may not share to this level of vulnerability for many reasons, not the least of which would be hurting people they love. But to share as God leads with discretion as to what to share and how to share it, with people God has put in one’s life or will put in one’s life is the goal. Jesus deals with us individually. Some things need to be kept private. They are not meant for discussion with others. Sometimes telling details of a season of dark sin would not edify the hearer and is not what God would want or lead.The hope is for believers to have a willingness to share their journey of God’s love, mercy and forgiveness of sin and failure as GOD LEADS. Sharing our journey’s or reading about someone else’s journey can help others walk out their own.”

Further, Grace wisely warned me to share this: “Sometimes not disclosing something is about protecting someone else from harm, it’s not about hiding one’s own sin. It feels very much like you are asking everyone to be willing to be transparent in the same way you have been; encouraging everyone to do likewise can be difficult for others to accept.”

We want to make clear we are not pressuring anyone to share as we have!

We hope to encourage all believers to really pray and seek the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to make Luke 12:12 real to you. If you are led, get Godly trusted counsel and share only what The Lord leads in all testimony!

Sharing that you have been forgiven for your sin through Christ, His Gospel, is what is important! (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Again, pray and seek The Lord. Get counsel if you feel the need. Consider researching how to give Godly testimony and ask God for confirmation on how to share your testimony so you share as God would have you share. Be prepared to share as in 1 Peter 3:15:

But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.(1 Peter 3:15 AMP)

Our hope is to encourage readers to live true to sharing Christ as our treasure and the hope we have in Him.

Again, we share our story the way we have because we believe we are obeying The Lord. Also it is timely and needed in light of the fact sexual abuse (The Me Too Movement) and abortions are rampant in our society. Plus, occultism is a factor in our nation and world. Sometimes all of this is connected. It was for me! Forgiving others and being forgiven brings freedom. We want to help people apply the solution of the Gospel to their personal experiences of sin, especially those sins that are not usually, openly talked about. (In particular the “Elephant sins” in the middle of the room/church that so many seem to ignore.) Telling our story, (our elephant sins) we pray, will be a catalyst God uses to help people know God’s Good News, His forgiveness for sin to help others in their journeys of faith!

The rest of this chapter is specific to abortion. We debated long and hard in prayer whether to put this section here or at the end of the book. It seems best to keep it here but readers are free to skip to the next chapter.

I believe this section flows with the rest of the book and shows the overall theme of the book. Thus, I will share about this challenging hot topic. To start, may we recognize there are many factors that play into the decision to have an abortion. As a result, talking with someone who is considering, or has had, an abortion can be very challenging. Prayer for the work of the Holy Spirit is needed.

An article in The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported a study that found a link between those who were sexually abused and those who also have experienced abortion, especially repeat abortion.

{Considering this study, I would like to mention statistics that may relate and show the need for the gospel within inmate populations. While volunteering with Youth for Christ, Manatee County Coalition for Offender Rehabilitation and Re-entry provided a handout with these statistics: 96% of female inmates have been victims of SEVERE sexual or physical abuse. 96% of these women have drug and alcohol problems as a direct result of this abuse. 48% of these women spent their childhood in the Foster Care system. 76% have never received consistent therapy. 89% have children. 75% of children whose parents are offenders become offenders.}

The needs of people are great! Back to the subject of abortion:

One website reports that people are victims of abortion. (American Victims of Abortion Website. “Women have cited "social reasons," not mother's health or rape/incest, as their motivation in approximately 93% of all abortions.”). In June 2018, Jeffrey M. Jones reported a special series on Americans' attitudes toward abortion: 48% identify as pro-choice, 48% as pro-life. Half continue to say abortion should be legal in some circumstances. Slightly more say it is morally wrong than morally acceptable.

Abortion seems to have divided our nation. There are many needs related. Foremost, forgiveness and healing are needed in exponential ways. For post-abortive men and women, real recovery can be mirage-like for some who have repeatedly heard about God’s judgment for abortion but have not known about or relied on God’s mercy for abortion. A question: has judgment been preached and written about, more than God’s mercy?

The Lord’s faithfulness to give me this interaction (Firehouse #1), with this couple brought new hope that the Lord would use my sad past, wounds, and failures to share what I have learned in experiencing sin’s cost and the blessing of true repentance. The role of warning people, like this couple, is part of God’s goodness.

Hopefully, my testimony could prevent the tragedy of abortion for others. Just as important, I pray my testimony would allow multitudes of post-abortive people to clearly hear of and come to know that the forgiveness and mercy of God for sin, especially abortion, is available through Christ.

The wonder of God’s mercy is beyond my understanding in its greatness. The mercy I have received has been so incredible that I continue to stand amazed and in awe of His lovingkindness and goodness. The magnitude of realization of the fact I deserved judgment has increased the joy of the mercy God has poured out on me. In our seeing a need for mercy, we come to a place of awe. The danger of judgment is real. That danger felt real to me in my own life and when reflecting on my interaction with the couple in Firehouse #1. It seemed confirmed when, after leaving the couple, I arrived at the hotel. The clerk handed me the room key assignment to 911. I gasped in my heart and soul. That number and its symbolism holds the idea of judgment, to me. The 911 room assignment and the events at Firehouse brought a warning and words to mind.

In the book, The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn the judgment America deserves is discussed. Cahn wrote that America has “a tolerance for everything that is opposed to God” and then described how America compares to what happened to ancient Israel. Cahn wrote, “Ten years after removing prayer and Scripture from its public schools, the nation legalized the killing of its unborn. The blood of the innocent now stained its collective hands. Israel had sacrificed thousands on the altars of Baal and Molech. But by the dawn of the twenty-first century, America had sacrificed millions. For its thousands, judgment came on Israel. What then of America? … America is in danger of judgment.”

Thankfully, God’s mercy can triumph over judgment. The Bible’s clear message is that God delights to show mercy and give forgiveness. I believe the message to trump judgment is the great mercy of God! (Micah 7:8; Luke 15:20-24; Psalm 86:5; Exodus 34:6; Romans 9:23; Psalm 130:4; Luke 23:34; Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:77; Mark 2:17; Matthew 26:28; Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 John 2:12; Psalm 103; Isaiah 43:25; 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 55:7; Daniel 9:9 and many other verses!)

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13 ESV).

God’s Word says mercy can triumph over judgment: this is great mercy and hope. The Lord does not want any to perish. (See 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:3-4). When we repent and turn to the Lord, we receive true forgiveness for sin—even for abortion.

However, the more research I have done on abuse, abortion and occultism, the more I am convinced that we, as a nation, deserve judgment. (Remember, with repentance, God delights to show mercy!) The numbers of abortions are staggering and the statistics from post-abortion surveys are surprising. One survey found 70 percent of women who get abortions identify themselves as Christians. “Over 40 percent of women who have had an abortion say they were frequent churchgoers at the time they ended their pregnancies and about a half of them say they kept their abortions hidden from church members, new LifeWay Research shows.”

If the many reports and statistics prove true in revealing how prevalent sexual immorality and abortion is among Christians and church going women there is much hypocrisy.

Sadly it is reported, …“thousands of professing Christians get abortions every year. This unsettling fact was recently reported all too smugly in the feminist magazine Marie Claire. The article, titled “The Secret Evangelicals at Planned Parenthood,” announced, “They may demonize the health clinic in public, but throngs of young Christian women are patronizing it in private for birth control, preventative care, and yes, even abortions.”

The writer of the above article treats abortion as a viable solution, ignoring the fact that it takes an innocent life and saddles some women and men with a lifetime of grief and regret. Sanya Richards-Ross, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and an outspoken Christian, stated that she had an abortion just before the 2008 Games. Though her decision enabled her to capture Olympic glory, she called it “a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal. Abortion would now forever be a part of my life.”

Abortion is probably the most politically charged medical procedure in American history. It’s also fairly common. “About 3 in 10 U.S. women have one by age 45. Over a third of women getting abortions are white. Over half are 20-somethings. Almost half make incomes under the federal poverty level. Most are already mothers.”

A ministry to post-abortive fathers states: “More than 50 million fathers have lost children to abortion in the US alone, since 1973. That number is equivalent to the populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona combined.”

We could camp on the ongoing epic numbers of abortion worldwide. The enormity of the death rate is staggering and holocaust-like daily! There is a website that literally shows the rate of abortions as they have occurred and are reported. Watching the numbers go up is like being at a gas station pumping gas and watching the numbers go up as the fuel tank fills. However, if we were present at these abortions we would be seeing the blood flow! It is a nauseating, surreal experience to watch the numbers go up so quickly and realize the significance of each number! For instance, on this particular date, shortly after the noon hour, there were 1,450.7 abortions in the USA alone.

To make matters worse, depending on the reference and the stance of the organization, statistical studies report a wide variance in percentages of post-abortive women who report someone forced, coerced, or put pressure on them to abort. If we were to include world-wide statistics, especially China’s policies, and sex-trafficking abortion statistics, the “often forced abortion reality” would be undeniable to any reasonable non-biased individual. These numbers show abortion is not always a woman’s choice. Sometimes she is abused or faces some other pressure or violence or “governing law”. In crisis abortions like these where injustice and coercion seem to reign, God can still do miracles. His redemption can triumph and bring good from evil. Only God can do this and He promises to do so in so many places in His Word. God is the God of forgiveness and redemption. (Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20; Psalm 103, Psalm 51, Psalm 32 and many other verses.)

Research has shown that a woman who is forced into an abortion or a man who has a mate that chooses an abortion against his desire, have a much harder time generally accepting the outcome of abortion and recovering from the trauma. Considering this, these women and men need a different and unique approach to healing. Also, even men and women who willing have chosen an abortion often, after the abortion, have great grief.

The main point: worldwide there is a need for help for post-abortive men and women. The gift of God is Christ and His forgiveness of sin and is the first solution to this worldwide epic need.

This is the main theme of this book: we have, (there is), great sin but we have, (there is), a greater Savior, Redeemer, Treasure, therefore, we are to be willing to share Christ as our greatest treasure! Sharing Christ is caring about people and their eternal souls and leads to fulfilling the call of our lives through the great commission and works Christ prepared for us to do.

Post-abortive reactions vary widely. Some men and women state that they have no grief. Some actually report that they celebrate their decision and are glad for “their choice” and its action. They say it was the right thing for them and they say that they do not have negative affects from the abortion. For others, grief, pain and regret can be debilitating and bring great despair. The negative effects for some are deep and destructive. Sometimes the negative effects eventually are health altering and life affecting.

The need for forgiveness may or may not be realized by the parties involved in the abortion initially, for years and for some, maybe not on this earth. (But, we believe that at some point after an abortion, for most, the reality of what was done will sink in. There will be an impact.) For many, regret or conviction will come. A need to repent and/or to seek forgiveness may follow. The way that forgiveness might manifest itself may be different, depending on the circumstances:

*It may be forgiveness is needed toward the one(s) who coerced. *It may be forgiveness in needed towards “churches or individuals” who have caused further woundings by judging, condemning, and not extending the message of forgiveness and mercy needed in recovery. *It may be that forgiveness is needed to forgive their partner or their self or some report that they feel they even need to forgive God. Each particular situation is unique. Asking for forgiveness from God and the aborted baby (an any other person involved) is usually the start to real forgiveness and healing.

I listened and highly recommend listening to an interview with John Piper and John Ensor with the famous rapper, Lecrae, about the pain and consequences of Lecrae’s sexual abuse and abortion. The lyrics of his song Good Bad and Ugly are Lecrae’s testimony of his abortion with his girlfriend. His confession brought forth his healing. The principle that confession brings healing has been true in our lives and is Biblically supported. Our souls prosper in the forgiveness and mercy of God and the sharing of His grace! Here are three quotes by these three men:

“Sometimes we try to bury our sins, but the healing process begins when we let them come to light.” ~Lecrae

“The guilt and regret of abortion is the most common human experience of our generation.” ~John Ensor

“The gospel teaches us how to live, but it also rescues us when we fail to live the way we are supposed to.” ~John Piper

In this interview, (footnote provides the link) John Piper recounts meeting with a man who performed abortions. The conversation between them was very surprising (below, the statements of Piper with the abortionist is in the bolded section within the interview with Lecrae and Ensor). It showed the thinking of the abortionist’s wife about abortion and may reflect many women’s view. Here is the full verbatim quote within the interview, written with permission:

John Piper: “Well, you are absolutely right that the health issues are a camouflage. That is a ruse. That is a cloud that is put up, because statistically giving birth to babies is safer than abortions. That’s not going to play out. The socioeconomic issues, the lifestyle issues, the education issues, the “my future” issues, carry the day.

And then there are some pretty sophisticated justice issues that are brought up. I mean, the most moving thing I ever experienced was taking an abortionist out to lunch, named Bill Long, and prepared to tell him he is killing babies. He said: “I know I am killing babies.” And I said: “So what do we need to discuss?” He said, “My wife insists that I do this for justice reasons.” I said, “Explain.” And he said: “Look. Two people have sex. Guy gets off scot-free. She’s stuck with the baby. That’s unequal and unjust. One way to fix that injustice . . . abortion.” It’s a justice issue for many people. So that is how complicated it can get in the justification.

The health issues aren’t really there. And beneath that is just really the man’s issue. You can’t walk away, we must not let that guy walk away. We don’t say it is your problem; it’s the-two-of-you problem. In fact, I was so moved just a few minutes ago when you were talking about your background you said “we had an abortion.” I almost wanted to cry at the rightness of that statement. So, yeah, I think you are right on. The kinds of excuses that are brought up are generally not the issue.” (quoted with permission)

The issue of abortion covers a gamut of views of all kinds. I have found some that seem reasonable considering the standpoint of what some women have suffered: Some women believe that if “the right to choose” is taken away that man’s oppression and control of women will increase. Some believe abortion is only about “the right over a woman’s body”: a woman’s right to her own body is what is at stake…that it is a restricting woman’s rights to take away “choice”. (ie: Some are adamant that woman need the right to make their own decisions, that is all “choice” is about! And because that is it, it is not a tough issue). Some are still heart-broken for friends they lost to illegal abortion and some had no choice back then (before legalization) and feel slighted and pained at missed opportunities and want a chance or “a choice,” for those coming behind them. Some have never thought that a woman could be forced into an abortion and wonder how a person could let themselves be forced. Some cannot fathom that it is not always a woman’s choice. Some feel without the option of “choice” women will be forced to bear children and that is a different kind of forcing. Some believe abortion is a protection of a fetus from worse abuse as a child after birth (a possible life of misery) if a baby is born to inept or unfit, unprepared parent(s). Some believe it is financially or medically a necessity. There are all kinds of thoughts and rationale to the reasons why people are taking sides on this topic.

This book is NOT about taking sides. It is about building bridges of understanding and offering help to any wanting help to heal and recover from abortion. My heart aches for all the unfair awful things women (and men) have gone through. My heart is to help people find peace in their past sufferings. It is about helping people faced with a current pregnancy to really consider their decisions carefully. It is about not letting anyone be forced into an abortion…and to encourage people to seek help if coercion is attempted.

Again, some women regret having an abortion but others say they don’t. The articles and statistics on “regret” versus “no regret” vary widely. Yet perhaps most might agree it is a hard choice to feel one has to make, to lose a baby and the life that would have been. Again, my heart is to help ANYONE, male or female, who has had an abortion and is struggling with healing. This is my focus.

With every abortion, forgiveness and healing is needed, whether all parties realize it or not. Only The Holy Spirit can bring conviction. John 16:8 (AMP) “And He, when He (The Holy Spirit) comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment”: (Some other verses to show The Holy Spirit brings conviction &/or that conviction is needed or has happened: Psalm 51:4; Romans 1:18-23; Romans 2:5; Acts 16:30; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 2:1-9; Hebrews 4:12-13; Luke 13:5, John 6:44; …many verses…) I pray that we will be willing to make Jesus the greatest treasure and the Cross of Christ the main boast of every service and life of each believer (Galatians 6:14; 1 Corinthians 2:2). May we recognize that Christ alone can bring the truth to people who are battling with post-abortion regret. God offers forgiveness to us through the Cross. Understanding the greatness of His love and forgiveness enables us to receive and extend forgiveness to others and obtain real healing and recovery.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:7-13) where Jesus taught his disciples to pray states:

Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Matthew 6:12 The Passion Translation (TPT)

“And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors letting go of both the wrong and the resentment.” Matthew 6:12 AMP

All forgiveness is available through Christ. His gospel gives us hope. God’s promise of always forgiving the repentant (see below verses) and bringing redemption is hope. (Romans 8:18, 8:28, Genesis 50:20)

“The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23).

“And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you,The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent” (John 17:3 MSG)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil (John 3:16-19 ESV).

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34 ESV)

Jesus is willing even for those that have killed to come be His, to gather them and be to them like a hen gathering her chicks under her wings, but the verse ends: ‘you were not willing.’ Would you not be willing to come (or share this great invitation to others) so forgiveness can be granted and safety in the presence of Christ realized? The shadow of the Almighty God is an awesome place of refuge! God’s great forgiveness is available. He longs for any who do not know Him to come to Him.

The “Firehouse 1” couple may have been fighting over “the choice of abortion”. They may have gone ahead with an abortion even after my warning and discussion. But, be that as it may, God still offers forgiveness. The scandalous grace of God is the wonder working power of true love. God is incredibly merciful.

I am thankful for the opportunity God gave me to share with this couple. It gives me hope. I pray the Lord will use our deepest pains and sadness over our abortion to warn others of how they may feel after. It cannot be undone, once it is done. For us, that choice has been a horror and brought life-long pain and regret. Hopefully, our testimony can help others to choose life. If not, just as importantly, I pray our testimony will bless multitudes of post-abortive people to clearly hear of and come to know that the forgiveness of sin, and a clear conscience due to received forgiveness, even for abortion, is available through Christ.

“When God extends grace, he doesn’t just go to the cabinet and grab some mercy and forgiveness. God is holy. His character requires Him to justly punish sin. And the just punishment for sin is wrath and death. We have to remember that although grace is a free gift to us, grace was not free. Punishment toward sin had to be carried out; the price had to be paid. And it was, on the Son of God-who perfectly kept the law of God-on the cross. Grace was not free, it cost Jesus everything.”

~Matt Slick

“God’s blessing through Christ, to me, who deserves His curse.” ~CJ Mahaney

A prayer based on 3 John 1:2 NIV: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Our soul’s getting along well is what most want. The grace of forgiveness is needed for our souls to truly prosper. After abortion many experience that this need is great. No matter how many have had abortions, our God can forgive and save and rescue all of them from the wages of sin if we will but turn to Christ in repentance. The Lord offers His great forgiveness. Our mission as believers is to show others the precious gift of God. His gift is Christ and his forgiveness and salvation. Christ paid our sin debt by purchase through His broken body and spilled blood on the cross and by His resurrection. Enabling our forgiveness cost Christ everything while He was on earth. We must tell the greatness of His forgiveness and love.

What will it take for us to break the silence that seems to be the norm inside many churches and begin heralding the good news? When will we begin to fully depend on the blood of the Lamb and live out Revelation 12:11 by giving our testimony (as God leads us, see explanation of this earlier in chapter), while leaving the results of our lives to the Lord?

God is loving, kind, and gracious. His character is only good. Jesus has done everything we need to be made right with His Father eternally, to grant forgiveness for our sins even though we deserve judgment. Anyone who refuses His mercy, His taking what we deserve, will receive what they have chosen-the absence of God. There is so much at stake. But ultimately God gives every individual “this choice”: judgment or mercy!

Prayer

Lord of all, who became sin (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) so we could be forgiven, made right, reconciled to Your Father, please draw your people to Yourself. May you bring conviction and a need for forgiveness about in those who need this. May all who have experienced abortion that seek You, find that the weight of the reality of their sin is overcome by the power of God’s love, mercy and grace. May any feelings of guilt, shame, or a need to be punished be taken away in Christ by His bearing that guilt, shame and punishment at the cross. May those who confess their sin find healing. May their repentance and renouncing of their sin bring the realization of the enormity of the love and forgiveness Christ pours out on them so that they know they are truly forgiven. May the truth of being washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God be a truth known and experienced by those who have come to Jesus for forgiveness of sin, even that of abortion. May the truth of hope found in Scripture point us to Christ. LORD, may Your Church make Jesus and His Cross the main message. May boasting on Christ alone be lived out. May people gain understanding of the Gospel to bring them to have a personal experience of Christ and His Cross for themselves. May the truth that only in the cross is eternal forgiveness purchased for us through Christ. May we gain greater understanding and experience of the greatness of Your Love, LORD and Your Forgiveness and please assist us to receive and extend forgiveness to others. Cause us to live the way of the cross, being In Christ and In His Word: may wisdom and ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit bring forth real revival and recovery. May we recognize that you, Lord, take pleasure in those who fear You and in those who hope in Your steadfast love. Fill us with your love which turns us from ourselves and our sin to Jesus. Make us a delight to those who choose to hope in the strength of your amazing grace. Thank You LORD that You delight to forgive and extend mercy! May all be willing to come to Jesus, know their hope is secured because of the blood of Christ shed for them. May we want You and honor You, Lord. May we commune with You daily and live out our salvation. May a clear conscience with relief from the burden of sin and guilt be fully recognized through the truth of the Gospel and the receiving of Christ in relationship. Thank you Lord that you are not slack concerning Your promise,…but You are long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). Help us be devoted to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Help us pray for others, too, that God may open a door for Your message Lord, so that we all may proclaim the mystery of Christ. Help us pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as we should” (Colossians 4:2–4 ESV). In Jesus Name