Why Christians Must Obey God and Not Obamacare

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act informally referred to as Obamacare, (hereafter called the ACA) requires individuals not covered by employer- or government-sponsored insurance plans to maintain minimal essential health insurance coverage or pay a penalty.

Government spending on healthcare is growing – it was about 7 percent of our GDP in 1970.  It was 17 percent in 2011.  It is projected to rise past 20 percent in the next ten years.  At the same time, the price of healthcare and insurance we personally pay is also rising rapidly.  So what are we to do?  Do we go along with the good intentions of so many politicians who want to try to reduce the cost and increase the availability of health care, so that sick and needy people supposedly get more help, or do we fight this?  And if we do fight it, what’s the alternative?  There are at least seven important biblical factors and two solutions we should take into consideration:

Caring for the sick is a good thing to do.

God cares about the sick and needy – and we should too.

The terms “needy” and “sick” are often used synonymously in Scripture.  In Biblical times, the lack of advanced medicine rendered the injured or sick unable to work and create income, so they and their families became poor.  In 1 Samuel 2:8, God describes His compassion:

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.”

Jesus, in Matthew 14:14

“…felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

Jesus then commands believers in Matthew 10:8-9 to

“heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons.  You have received free of charge; give free of charge.”

God cares for those who have fallen victim to physical or economic hard times, and commands believers in Christ to be His hands and feet to minister to them.

Historically, Christians have actively cared for the sick and needy. The early church historian, Eusebius, points out for us one cause of Christianity’s rise in number of converts and cultural influence. During a plague of the early fourth century in Caesarea, Eusebius says,

…the evidence of the Christians’ zeal and piety was made clear to all the pagans. For example, they alone in such a catastrophic state of affairs gave practical evidence of their sympathy and philanthropy by works. All day long some of them would diligently persevere in performing the last offices for the dying and burying them (for there were countless numbers, and no one to look after them). While others [ie. Christians] gathered together in a single assemblage all who were afflicted by famine throughout the whole city, and would distribute bread to them all. When this became known, people glorified the God of the Christians, and, convinced by the deeds themselves, confessed the Christians alone were truly pious and God-fearing.
– From Ecclesiastical History 9.8.13-14

Have you ever noticed a large number of hospitals have a church or biblical name?  Lutheran, Methodist, and Mercy hospitals are just a few.  Why is this?  Christians understood the heart of God for the sick, and started hospitals to care for the sick and needy.  After the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., a hospital was established in every cathedral town.  We should be very concerned about the sick, but we ought to also consider who should be caring for them, which will be discussed in section II.

We should care for our own body.

Paul asks a rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 6:19, accentuating his point that we ought to care for our physical bodies because they are the “temple of the Holy Spirit”.  If we have a broken bone, we should find a doctor.  If we are seriously ill, we should seek treatment.  Paul commanded Timothy to treat his illness instead of ignoring it (1 Timothy 5:23).  Earlier in 1 Timothy, Paul mentions that “bodily exercise profits a little” (4:8).  Yes, Paul was contrasting the little gain of physical exercise to the greater gain of spiritual discipline, but the point stands nonetheless – physical exercise to keep our body healthy is a good thing to do.  But we are also reminded that this body is a temporary dwelling that will eventually die anyway and be replaced with an eternal body (2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10).  The goal is not to have eternal life in this body; it is to serve God as best we can, with the strength that he gives us while in this body.  We should exercise and take care of our body so that we can serve our Lord and King with it better and longer while in it!

What your lawmakers should know: Caring for the sick is an honorable thing for a society to engage in, and healthy living should be encouraged.

Caring for the sick, however, is not the role of the government

Allow me to give an illustration:  Loving my wife is a good thing – but it’s a role only I can fill.  You can desire for her to BE loved by me, but it’s not your role to love her FOR me.  You can even encourage me to love her, or disciple me to be a better husband, but you can’t fulfill the role that I should be filling.

The same goes for government regarding health care (among other things).  The government is to protect our borders and keep us safe from foreign threats as well as protect us from domestic violence, execute justice, and encourage righteous behavior (Romans 13:4; I Peter 2:13-14; Preamble to the Constitution).  That’s their role.  They can encourage churches, individuals, and companies to care for the needy, but they are not tasked with the responsibility to care for those in need, because when they do, they can’t help but intrude upon the lives of their citizens.  Conversely, the Church (as an institution) shouldn’t be involved with enforcing the law or protecting the borders.  The Family, the Church, and the Government are all institutions which have their respective responsibilities, and they should be doing the best job possible filling those responsibilities.

What your lawmakers should know: The role of Government is to protect its citizens and establishing order within a society, not to care for the sick.

 The ACA forces compliance.

Freedom means real choices.  Bondage is when you are not free to make your own decision.  An addict is enslaved by their addiction.  A non-believer is in bondage to sin (Romans 6:15-23) – they can’t help themselves.  The ACA claims to allow choice, but fines are imposed if you don’t make the choice they want you to make (which will continually increase every year until they are more than the cost of the insurance itself).  Is that really a free choice?  When we do not have the real freedom to choose if or how we want to spend our earnings and care for our own person and family, we are in bondage.

God hates bondage.  Scripture makes clear that bondage is a result of evil oppressors (Exodus) or of our own sin (Romans 6).  Paul teaches that, if possible, we should not become slaves of men (1 Corinthians 7:23).  In summary, freedom to make the best decisions is God’s preferred situation for mankind in this post-Eden condition.

God has given mankind the privilege of being made “in His own image” and then gave us some specific responsibilities.  First and foremost was to procreate and to work and provide for ourselves and our dependents.  We see this in Genesis 1:28 and 2:15, when God put man in the Garden of Eden to “work it and watch over it.”  Proverbs 10:4 encourages productivity:

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.

If we are provided care “free” of charge, it removes the dignity of creating and providing for ourselves.  We can choose to purchase our own health insurance, or do without and deal with the consequences of that decision.  That is freedom and liberty – the ability to make our own decisions.

What your lawmakers should know:  Government should respect the dignity of personal responsibility.

The ACA violates religious liberty. 

It is immoral and a violation of religious liberty to compel someone to subsidize an activity which they do not wish to support.  The ACA currently forces Christians to violate their conscience and subsidize abortions, sterilizations, and contraceptives.

Hobby Lobby, a company who has beenclear they will not participate in Obamacare because it violates their religious beliefs, has been in court battles for months as a result of the ACA refusing them an exemption on religious grounds.

God give a vivid demonstration of His thoughts on violations of religious liberty.  In Act 5, the Apostles had been thrown into the Jerusalem prison under accusation of the Sadducees.  Their trial was set for the next morning.  However, when they called for the prisoners, the guards came back empty-handed!  God Himself had sent an angel to release the apostles and commanded them to, “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.”  God actively assisted them and commanded them to defy the government authorities when it came to issues of religious freedom.  Peter then later explained to the convened Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men.”

What your lawmakers should know: Government is not above the Christian principles upon which it was founded, and cannot force Christians to do something that violates their consciences.

The ACA is theft. 

Taking money to give to another is stealing – even if it is for a good cause.  The ends do not justify the means.  This principle is illustrated in 1 Samuel 26:9-11: David had two chances to kill King Saul and claim the throne, but he restrained himself and his men and said,

Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?

Even though Saul was a bad king and it would have been “better” if he was dead, David understood that doing the wrong thing for the right reason was still the wrong thing.

Anytime money is taken from us involuntarily to fulfill purposes not expressly stated in Romans 13 and our Constitution, it is theft, even if is for a “good” cause of giving to others who may be in need.

What your lawmakers should know:  It is our own responsibility to give to the sick and needy, not our government’s responsibility to take money from one person to give to another.

No government program, including the ACA, can reduce the cost of medical care.

The biggest contributors

to currently increasing medical expenses 

are: 

1.Government regulation,

 2. Governmentsubsidies (reduces the need for competitive pricing), 

3. Government requiring insurance to cover costs, which also eliminates competition and increases demand (if you can get something for “free”, you are more likely to get it just because you can).  

Just because medical costs are increasing, doesn’t mean that MORE government oversight will bring costs down.  It will actually increase them exponentially, and we will all end up paying MORE personally – just through different mechanisms than if we paid in person.  The only source of income the government has is from its citizens, so our tax load will increase and it will be taken from us – either before or after we get our paycheck.

Proverbs 31:16, speaking of the capable wife, indicates that she had choices and options to consider when she wanted to buy a field.  When government oversteps its bounds (as detailed in Romans 13:4), and artificially limits choices in the free market, the opportunity for choices is removed.

What your lawmakers should know: The only way cost reduction can be accomplished is by healthy, economical competition.  The goal is to get to a point to where you shop for the best medical care like you shop for a mechanic.  You make a few calls to get some prices, and then make a decision about who will best satisfy your needs.

The ACA creates more debt

The ACA increases our national debt to a point when the ACA will be one-fifth to one-sixth of our national economy!  We are currently spending as a nation more than we possess, and are in debt to other nations.  God commands us to not be bound up in debt in Romans 13:8 and Proverbs 6:1-5, and this principle should extend to our nation.

What your lawmakers should know:  We should not increase our national debt, even if it is for a “good” thing, unless it’s necessary for national survival and for a biblical purpose (i.e. war costs).

The Solution:

Christians must care for the sick and needy.

What if Christians all across the nation would rise up and start caring for the needy in their own neighborhood, and giving them real, lasting solutions to their problems?  The supposed need for government to step in would be eliminated, the crisis averted.  Yes, that won’t happen overnight, but what can your church start doing today to be Christ’s hands and feet?  In the meantime, we should:

Change the personnel in office. 

One of my favorite saying is, “personnel makes policy.”  Policies affect people’s lives.  Policies are created and enacted by people in office. If we want to change the policies, we must change the people that occupy office by electing people who fear God and clearly understand the principles given to us in the Bible.

Who are the best replacements?  Exodus 18:21 says the best rulers to select are “capable, God-fearing, trustworthy, and who hate bribes.” John Jay, the first United States Supreme Court Chief Justice stated:

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.

So we believe the best people to be running for office are the people who are leading and teaching in your church.  Just as you look for and train up people to become missionaries, pastors, and Sunday School teachers, you ought to be looking for individuals who can hold public office.  When you find them, help them by making them ready by answering questions, giving counsel, and aiding in the training process of prospective “ministers of God” going into public service (Romans 13:4,6).

This effort requires the best people from our churches, and the best efforts we can give.  This is not a time for Christians to abandon the people in the culture – we are to be passionate for them and love them through our words and actions!  If we stand by while harmful policies are passed, or while ungodly men attain office, we are not loving people as God commands us to do.

Asking For The Old Paths

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."

In 1962, the Supreme Court banned this prayer from our public schools. Could there be a link between the removal of that simple prayer and many of the social, economic, and political crises this nation now faces?

To help answer that question, we need to be mindful of just how unique America is in all of human history. Our longevity alone makes us remarkable. Our constitutional democracy operating under the same governing documents for over 200 years is unparalleled in all of world history?though that is not the most significant legacy left to us by our founding fathers.

More valuable are the ideas and principles on which they founded this nation, principles that have produced the greatest degree of human liberty, freedom, and prosperity that any nation has ever experienced.

But all is not well in America. I don't have to tell you that. Still, of all the challenges facing our leaders today, one strikes at the very heart of our national health and goes to the root of our problems. And as you're about to see, it has quietly but steadily produced the widespread violence, anger, hatred and corruption that have led to the social crises we face today.

We're not the first nation founded by the agency of God's hand to find herself in the midst of great moral decay. The prophet Jeremiah looked around and saw a similar state of affairs in his day. Listen to his diagnosis recorded in Jeremiah 6:15:

Were they ashamed when they 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.

In verse 16, Jeremiah proposes the remedy:

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.

The prophet is saying, "When things don't go well, when the Lord's blessing isn't apparent, think back to when times were good and go back to those old ways."

America needs to return to the ways that kept the hand of God firmly and obviously upon this great nation. Ways that kept the American dream within reach of anyone willing to work hard enough to pursue it. 

Serving the King and His People,

Pastor Marcos DeSouza

LionHeart Fellowship 

Titusville, Florida

Church Website: www.lionheartfellowship.org

Face BooK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseoflionheart/

Blogs:

www.http://warriorstriumphant.com/

www.http://thegreatphysicianisin.com/

www.http://basinandtowelleaders.com/

The Old Paths... of the Founding Fathers

 "What are the 'old paths' where our nation is concerned?" For us, the old paths are the founding principles on which this nation was built.

One of the things current secular historians would have us believe is that our founding fathers were anything but Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that 52 of our 55 founding fathers with a role in producing the Constitution, most of who also worked on the Bill of Rights, were committed members of either Orthodox or Evangelical Christian churches.

To understand their hearts and what they had in mind for America, let's look at some of the things they said during this founding era.

Let's start with Patrick Henry. He said:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians. Not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Our sixth president, John Quincy Adams,said in a speech given on the Fourth of July in 1837:

"What is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world (your most joyous and venerated festival), returns on this day? Is it not that in the chain of human events the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?"

John Jay,the first chief justice of the Supreme Court and one of the three men most responsible for our Constitution said this:

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

Can you imagine that statement coming from our Supreme Court today?

George Washington's farewell address is yet another example of the intent of our founding fathers. He said this:

"Of all dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars."

There are literally hundreds of such quotations from our founding fathers that make it seem as if they were all cut from the same spiritual cloth, but let's also take a more secular look at the question of our origin as a nation.

For 10 years, the University of Houston's Political Science department researched over 15,000 writings from this nation's founding era, looking for the sources of the ideas, philosophies, and principles behind our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They uncovered 3154 quotes used by our founding fathers for which they could find an identifiable source.

Baron Charles D. Montesque's writings were quoted 8.3 percent of the time. And 7.9 percent of the quotes came from Sir William Blackstone; and 2.9 percent of the 3154 came from John Locke.

The real revelation came when they found that 34 percent of the quotations used by our founding fathers were directly from the Bible!

Not stopping there, they traced Montesque's, Blackstone's, and Locke's quotes back to their sources and learned that 60 percent of those were also derived from the Bible.

These scholars came face to face with the fact that nearly half of the source material used in the development of our Constitution and Bill of Rights either directly or indirectly came from the Bible!

Does that speak something about the old paths? It's undeniable. This nation was founded on the principles, standards and truths of the Word of God.

Serving the King and His People,

Pastor Marcos DeSouza

LionHeart Fellowship 

Titusville, Florida

Church Website: www.lionheartfellowship.org

Face BooK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseoflionheart/

Blogs:

www.http://warriorstriumphant.com/

www.http://thegreatphysicianisin.com/

www.http://basinandtowelleaders.com/

The Old Paths...of the Supreme Court

Were they ashamed when they 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.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. Jeremiah 6:15

Another way to identify the old paths is to look at the Supreme Court's rulings from our early history. Understandably, many Christians have come to view the Supreme Court almost as an enemy because of the rulings that have been handed down in recent years. But it wasn't always that way.

In a case called "People vs. Rugels," The Court of 1811 stated:

"Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civic government."

Now, aren't we seeing the truth of that statement verified before our very eyes? The 1844 case of "Vidal vs. Gerard" centered on a Philadelphia school that decided to try to teach morality without the Bible or Christian principles. Doesn't that sound like our public school system today?

That Court ruled:

"Why may not the Bible and especially the New Testament be read and taught as a divine revelation in the school? Its general precept expounded and its glorious principles of morality inculcated? Where can the purist principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?"

In the case of "Holy Trinity vs. the U.S." in 1892, the Court's ruling read this way:

"Our laws and institutions must necessarily be based upon and must embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible for it to be otherwise. In this sense and to this extent, our society and our institutions are emphatically Christian."

And they gave 87 precedents in support of their conclusion. Does this sound anything like our Supreme Court today?

Not One Precedent
For about 170 years, the Courts were very careful to follow the intent of our founding fathers. But let's jump ahead to the Supreme Court of 1947.

There we find one of the justices borrowing the term "separation of church and state" from a personal letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802. Part of his ruling read:

"The First Amendment erected a wall of separation between church and state…(and)…that wall must be kept high and impregnable."

Well, that term soon became so popular that the 1958 Court warned, "If we don't quit talking about "separation of church and state" so much, The American people are going to begin to think it was part of the Constitution."

Nevertheless, the 1962 "Engle vs. Vital" ruling officially and forcefully separated Christian principle from public education by banning organized school prayer.

Subsequent cases banned the Bible, then any mention of God, and then not just in schools, but in any public forum touched by civil government.

Now, you would think that such a far reaching and radical decision would have been backed by a large volume of case history and precedent. Not so.

Incredible as it sounds, the 1962 Court gave no historical or legal precedent whatsoever. In reality, there was no precedent to give and this at a time when 97 percent of the American populace professed a belief in God!

Why is the American dream dying? Because we, as a nation, have banished God from our society.

Serving the King and His People,

Pastor Marcos DeSouza

LionHeart Fellowship 

Titusville, Florida

Church Website: www.lionheartfellowship.org

Face BooK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseoflionheart/

Blogs:

http://warriorstriumphant.com/

http://thegreatphysicianisin.com/

http://basinandtowelleaders.com/

The Turning Point!

It is easy to see that the social upheaval this country is facing today began in earnest after our schools were stripped of their guiding moral standard in 1962. The amorality of our younger generation is reflected all too clearly. 

It ought to be clear. You can't separate Christian principle from civic and public forums and expect things to be good. When you remove the standard of God's Word from our government and from the public square, the consequences are swift and tragic. 

And we're not only suffering moral deterioration, academic achievement is in free-fall as well. Public High School student SAT averages have dropped over 80 points since 1962. Today, Christian school student averages are 80 points higher than that of the public school students. 

Coincidence? I don't think so. But that's not all. 

Even though Christian schools have only 12.4 percent of the student population, they produce nearly 40 percent of the National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, the top half of one percent of all students. 

There is no question that we are now paying a heavy price for our banishing God from all government and public arenas. James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution, summed it up well:

"We've staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments."

Yet our Supreme Court declares that it is unconstitutional to pray in public schools. Even though the man that wrote the Constitution said it had to be that way.

Turning This Nation Around

                          

How could we, as a nation, have let this happen? We've let a lot of people who don't believe in God, or are outright hostile to Him, hold political office and run this country. The good news is that we don't have to let a pitifully small but vocal minority force-feed America with a philosophy we don't want.

As always, the first step is to pray. First Timothy 2:2 declares that we must pray for those in authority. Many Christians labor long and hard in the political arena, but they labor in vain if they're not first and foremost calling on the name of the Lord in prayer. 

God has promised us, "If you pray for your land, I'll heal it" (2 Chron. 7:14). 

But James 2:17 tells us we can't stop there. Faith without action is dead. God needs politically involved vessels to work through. That means a couple of things. Not only are we all called to be actively involved in the political process from the grass roots level on up, we all must never miss a chance to vote godly men and women into office. 

Some believers are called to run for political office. Just as I am called to stand in the pulpit, there are those whom He has equipped and prepared to stand in some kind of public position. If you're one of them, I urge you to be responsive to that calling. 

Thirdly, it is vitally important that we educate our young people with the value system of God's Word. Here's what the Lord told Israel about this matter:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 
(Deut. 6:6-9)

The fourth and most important thing but probably the least often connected with making right America's problems is our commitment to the increase of the Body of Christ. 

When we have our political leadership and the voters in our community saved and serving God in a local church, things will begin to go God's way once again. This will happen as we invite and bring people to church, get them saved and let the Word change their hearts. 

As they go back into the marketplace and the public square, the negative trends we've been seeing in America will begin to be reversed. 

In closing, look at what John Adams said about the importance of God in our land:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."

In 1962, our nation made a sudden turn away from that great truth. The good news is, with prayer and diligence we can turn things back around just as dramatically. 

We simply must become determined to do our part and to take the steps necessary to continue that legacy of righteousness, freedom and hope.

Serving the King and His People,

Pastor Marcos DeSouza

LionHeart Fellowship 

Titusville, Florida

Church Website: www.lionheartfellowship.org

Face BooK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseoflionheart/

Blogs:

http://warriorstriumphant.com/

http://thegreatphysicianisin.com/

http://basinandtowelleaders.com/

SAN ANTONIO PROPOSAL COULD BAR CHRISTIANS FROM CITY COUNCIL

"The ordinance also says that if you have at any point demonstrated a bias—without defining what a bias is or who will determine whether or not one has been exercised—that you cannot get a city contract." –Pastor Flowers

The San Antonio City Council has proposed an update to its non-discrimination policy which would ban anyone from serving on the city council if they have ever "demonstrated a bias."

The two new categories added to the discrimination ordinance are "national origin" and "sexual orientation."

Pastor Charles Flowers of Faith Outreach International says the outrageous proposal could effectively ban Christians who believe homosexuality is wrong and have expressed that belief publicly.(Photo: Pastor Flowers/Flickr)

Says Flowers, "They said they've never seen this kind of language in any other ordinance, in any other city that they've dealt with. It is unprecedentedly wrong—and of course the citizens of San Antonio must stop it."

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=12160

Abortion: What the Word of God Has to Say About the Battle for Life

Psalms 139:14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

The body is a masterpiece of exquisite design.  Beautifully "engineered," it is governed by several hundred systems of control ‑ each interacting with and affecting the other.  The brain has 10 billion nerve cells to record what it sees and hears.  Our skin has more than 2 million tiny sweat glands ‑ about 3000 per square inch ‑ all part of the intricate system which keeps the body at an even temperature.  A "pump" in our chest makes the blood travel 168 million miles a day ‑ equivalent of 6720 times around the world!  The lining of the stomach contains 35 million glands secreting juices which aid the process of digestion. 

These are but a few of the involved processes and chemical wonders which operate to sustain this wonderful and fearfully made life.  A young student had been impressed with the fact that most new products have some "bugs" that must be ironed out before they can operate efficiently.  As he stood gazing at a chart showing the organs, nerves, arteries, and glands in the human body, he suddenly exclaimed, "Just think, the first time God put it together, it worked!" 

In honor of the unborn that have needlessly been murdered at the hands of abortionists, I would like to talk about the wonderful gift of life we have been given by God our Creator and the battle that ensues for that very life.  Let's give honor to God the Father who is the creator of all things, including each one of us!

As we look at the gift of life, I want to take the time to look at the whole panorama of our lives from the moment of conception in the womb till the time we return to the earth.  I want us to see the battle that goes on between God and the devil for our lives from the moment we are conceived till the time we die.  It is a battle for life!

Job 5:5-12 For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. "But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause; Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields. He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot carry out their plans.

It is my conviction that even before we were conceived, God had a plan and purpose for our lives through His infinite foreknowledge.  As intricately as He as planned and designed our physical bodies, God has also planned and designed the life of our soul and spirit.  But there are an innumerable number of choices and decisions we must make in order to come into the fulfillment of God's perfect design for our lives.  As a result there are tremendous battles that take place in the heavenlies and in the earthly realms that have direct affects on us achieving the fullness of this wonderful gift of life that God has planned for us.

God's Involvement In The Creation Of Life.

We Are Fearfully And Wonderfully Made By Our Creator.

Psalms 139:13-17 For You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Isaiah 44:24  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself...

As we see from these passages of scripture, even though life comes as a result of a man and a woman coming together in sexual unity, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator, God of the Universe.  As a result we should praise and honor Him for the wonderful work He does in creating us.  We should be eternally grateful.

The Beginning of Life in the Womb.

There has been much discussion and debate as to when life really begins, but David makes it clear that his life as well as ours began in the womb, because God is the God of the living.

Psalms 22:10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God.

·       The 20^th Day after conception.

In the watery world of the womb, the developing child is a complex, dynamic and rapidly growing individual.  By the 20th day the foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and entire nervous system have been established.  The heart begins to beat in irregular patterns by 21 days and in smooth rhythmic contractions a week later.

·       The end of the first month – through the 8^th week.

By the end of the first month, the child will have grown ten thousand times his or her original size, and by birth the child's weight will have increased six billion times.  Lines in the hands and fingerprints begin to be etched by the 8th week, and these will remain a distinctive feature of the individual throughout his or her life.

·       After eight weeks.

After eight weeks, the child bears all the external features and internal organs of a full-term baby.  From now until fully grown, generally around 25 years of age, the body will change mainly in terms of size and gradual refinements.

·       The third month.

In the third month, the child becomes very active.  If the womb had windows we would see graceful and fluid motions as the child sleeps and wakes, makes fists, sucks his thumb, fans her toes, and seeks positions of comfort.  During the remaining months in the womb, the child continues to develop activities, and even to learn, in preparation for the day of birth.

·       The most dangerous stage.

You would think that in this state of life the child would be relatively safe, but this is one of the most dangerous battles for life that this person will ever face.  It's ironic that in the child's most innocent stage of life there is a fierce battle raging for the life of this tiny unborn infant.

Psalms 10:8  He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

Satan has been trying to destroy God's creative beings since the beginning of time, when he first tried to destroy Adam & Eve, God's first created beings.  He is a destroyer and a killer.  His lust for blood and revenge has continued throughout the ages to the degree that he has been successful in the slaughtering of millions and millions of unborn babies, who are in the secret place of their mother's womb fixed in a helpless condition against the forces of evil.

Abortion Is A Ploy Of Satan To Thwart God's Plan. 

Satan attacks and destroys God's creative works with any weapon he can conceive.  He has now been successful at using our own laws of the land as an effective weapon of destruction.  He has infiltrated our society, feeding on the selfishness and greed of man to legalize his pattern of destruction and killing; convincing us that the killing of unborn children is a woman's choice. 

·    Those of us who stand against this tide of violence and killing are considered politically incorrect. 

We have truly fallen prey to the times that God warned us about when "evil is called good and good is called evil."

·       What does God’s Word say about the killing of unborn children?

Does a woman or a man have a right before God to make this critical choice concerning someone God has created?

Deuteronomy 32:39`Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

·       Only God has the right to bring the innocent home to Himself. 

Only God has the right to open or close wombs, but man has taken matters into his own hands.  Mothers with their selfish excuses and doctors with their sharp instruments are playing God!

Exodus 23:7 "Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.

Exodus 21:22-23 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no lasting harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. "But if any lasting harm follows, then you shall give life for life..."

·    If abortion happens unintentionally through unnecessary roughness it is wrong – how much more so when it happens willfully.

Listen to the heart cry of one of God's precious unborn children in this poem:

My shining feet will never run on early morning lawn; my feet were crushed before they had a chance to greet the dawn.  My fingers now will never stretch to touch the winning tape; my race was done before I learned the smallest steps to take.   My growing height will never be recorded on the wall; my growth was stopped when I was still unseen, and very small.  My lips and tongue will never taste the good fruits of the earth; for I myself was judged to be a fruit of little worth.  My eyes will never scan the sky for my high‑flying kite; for when still blind, destroyed were they in the black womb of night.  I'll never stand upon a hill Spring's winds in my hair; aborted winds of thought closed in on Motherhood's despair.  I'll never walk the shores of life or know the tides of time; for I was coming but unloved, and that my only crime.  Nameless am I, a grain of sand, one of the countless dead; but the deed that made me ashen grey floats on seas of red.  (Fay Clayton, Christian Crusade Weekly, Jan. 18, 1976)

· What should be the battle plan against the slaughter of unborn children?

Proverbs 24:11-12 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surely we did not know this," does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? he who keeps your soul, does He not know it? and will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

·      We can take a stand for truth and speak with conviction what our convictions are to friends, letters to editors etc.

·       We can pray fervently in this area, wrestling against the rulers of darkness and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly realms.

·       We can picket abortion clinics peaceably.

·       We should not be involved in any kind of violent act against abortion clinics or doctors who perform abortions.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord only!

·     We can offer all the help and support we can to insure mothers to carry their child to full term.

·  We can work with pro-life candidates, helping them to get elected into office.  I do not believe we can legislate morality, but it's a shame to live in a country that has legislated murder.

·      We must continue to spread the life changing gospel – that's when lives are really changed.

·       Melody Green writes, "Abortion is not an issue that you can remain "neutral" on.  You are either for it or against it.  What would you do if you were walking down the street, and looking up, you saw a woman about to throw her three-month-old baby out the window?  Would you turn and walk away saying, `Well, I wouldn't do that, but I won't interfere.  It's her decision – that baby's probably messing up her life anyway.'"

The Battle For Life After Birth.

The battle for man's soul begins in the womb and continues from birth; throughout his life.  As soon as a person is born the sparks begin to fly.

According to the passage of scripture in Psalms 139, God already has our lives mapped out with a plan that will bring us into the fullness of life and His sovereign will for each of our lives.  But Satan will be there every step of the way to lead try and lead us in his destructive paths rather than the Divine design for our lives.

Satan Tried To Destroy Jesus After His Birth.

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Satan shows his total disregard for life when he influenced Herod to have all the male children in Bethlehem and its districts, who were born around the time of Jesus to be put to death.  He tried to destroy the giver of eternal life, the only one who has the power to save our souls from eternal corruption.  Jesus came to give us life abundant, but Satan came to kill, destroy and steal.

John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

As parents, God sets you as guardians over your children to watch out and protect them, just as Joseph and Mary did for Jesus.  They escaped from the hand of the enemy into Egypt.

The Gift of Life Throughout Life.

As I shared earlier in the message, God has a Divine design for our lives that brings us into a greater dimension of the gift of life that we have through Jesus Christ.  But it takes making the right choices to avoid the pitfalls and the snares of the enemy.

·       The first step.

The first step is that of receiving Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith into our lives.  We must be born again of the Spirit to experience the Divine design of God for our lives.  Satan will do everything He can to keep us blinded from the truth.

·       The second step.

The second thing we must do, is to continue to walk in obedience to God, His Spirit and His Word.  We must lose our lives in order to truly find the life that God has given to us.  It is through obedience that we are continually rescued from the snares of the enemy.

Matthew 10:39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The battle for your life will continue right on through to the end of your life here on earth.  The apostle Paul referred to it as the good fight of faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

  

As we have seen, our lives have been fearfully and wonderfully made by our creator.  Just as an artist would be deeply upset if someone were to come along and destroy the masterpiece he or she was painting before it’s completion, this is exactly what is happening with abortion.

God is in our midst of creating beautiful masterpieces out of all of our lives and those who are still in the womb.  The abortionists are on the rampage seeking to destroy all that God is creating before the final brushstroke is made.

Let us pray fervently and labor fervently with our creator to do away with this injustice.