My heart for Abortion

jus·tice

1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.

2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.

3. the moral principle determining just conduct.

Whats your burn for justice? 

How do you operate everyday while millions of girls and boys are being trafficked throughout the world for sex?  

How do you get by moment to moment knowing that every second another baby is being put to death even before its had a chance to see? 

PRAY!

It's crazy, no, more like unthinkable...that about two years ago I agreed that abortion should be an option.  I didn't think that any woman should have the option; but only those who were raped or too young to handle the responsibility of having a child. Both horrible situations. None the less, I see now that both of those are just rationalizations for the murder of an innocent God-given life. There is no middle ground when it comes to murder.

As my relationship with the Lord grew deeper, as did my heart for justice. Thankfully, as grows our relationship with the Lord, often times our rationalizations disappear. As the Lord dismantles our rationalizations, he develops in us clarity. With clarity comes rational thoughts, and rational thoughts teamed with the Holy Spirit produce righteousness. Since we serve a God who cries out for justice amongst His people, this righteous thinking produced in me a heart that began to yearn for justice. . I began to pray for more... I began to pray that God would give me the burden for which he feels when we allow abortion to happen. I wanted the eyes for which he sees His children who abort their unborn. 

Without the emotion and hurt for the causes before me, my cry against the unjust of the world would be nothing but empty words. Furthermore, my actions would be fruitless. My cry needed the power of a God who desires to set captives free. Furthermore, it isn't for vain that I desire to see justice prevail, but its that Christ lives in me, and I cant serve a righteous God and not have a heart for righteousness and justice to be brought forth while my heart is consumed by Him. It's just not possible. To glorify God is to preserve and honor His heart, His ways, and to be one who speaks with His voice. 

Two years later here I am, president of the Tacoma Bound4Life chapter. For those unfamiliar with Bound4Life, here is a brief description:


After 50 days of round-the-clock corporate prayer and fasting before the 2004 elections, a group of prayer warriors, young and old alike, packed up their sleeping bags and headed to Washington, DC, filled with purpose and confidence that prayer could change the course of a nation. Their goal: the ending of abortion and the spread of revival.

In a dream during an extended fast, one of them had seen the image of their mouths covered by tape inscribed with the single word LIFE. For 31 days they stood at the United States Supreme Court in silent prayer with Life Tape. In their silence they identified with the silence of the preborn who have no voice to defend themselves. Their prayers rose day after day to the court that’s higher than the highest court in the land. At that time it was 31 days of prayer for 31 years of legalized abortion in America (Ez 4:4-8). What was birthed during those days of intercession has continued to impact the entire nation, as well as other nations.
It’s clear is that God is looking for people to “stand in the gap” because of the holocaust of abortion (Ez 22:30). It must be a committed, ongoing stand with the intention to remain until justice is released. If you go to the Supreme Court today, you’ll find a company still there. Through rain, blizzards and scorching heat they have never abandoned this “silent siege” against the ideology of abortion—against the political agendas—against the spiritual power structures that prop up the abortion industry (Ez 4:1-3). They are there until the Judges reverse the decree of death.
It’s spreading. What started in DC has now become a movement.
Bound4LIFE is a grassroots prayer mobilization movement targeting the ending of abortion, the increase of adoptions and the reformation of government and society through spiritual awakening. Our mission is to mobilize a massive surge of prayer through:

•   Public stands of silent prayer wearing Life Tape in front of courthouses and abortion facilities around the nation.
•   Millions of Christians wearing a red wristband engraved with the word LIFE. Wearing the Life Band is a covenant to PRAY, VOTE & OBEY.

Our stand is NOT a protest. It IS a silent prayer meeting. We make our appeal to the Judge of the earth and ask Him for speedy justice to be released. (Lk 18:7-8). Oh, that God would use the image of Life Tape to subpoena the conscience of the nation!
The media has taken hold of this image and spread it everywhere. It has quickly become a phenomenon that catches the eyes and hearts of the world.
In our silence, we intercede on behalf of our nation and cry out to God for mercy. It is a silence that speaks louder than words as it is also a prophetic statement to all who see it. We’re building up this wall of intercession. You can be a part of this movement now right where you live.

Prayer can change lives, prayer can alter hearts (it did mine), and prayer can change history and overcome passivity within governments.  It is my prayer that you begin to cry to God for a burden for the unborn, for the pregnant woman thinking about abortion, for the physicians who perform abortions, and for our government who stands by while it happens. That's all it takes to be a part of the solution- a prayer.

My friend: The faceless servant

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago about ministry. We talked about what it means, takes, and looks like to be in ministry. Since that talk, I haven't been able to get the words of his personal testimony in ministry out of my mind. 

Here's the set-up....

When I moved to Tacoma, I already had a strong discernment of God's calling on my life - ministry. However, how, where, and what that looked like were not clear. As time progressed, I continued to call on the Lord for more answers to these questions; and faithful as always he has provided direction and clarity. As things usually are with God, not to the full extent I would prefer, but enough to decide I would wait at least a year before beginning to raise support as a local missionary here in Tacoma. Now, over the past few weeks, he has reveled to me that I need to begin sooner.

This is what spared the conversation with my friend and I. I needed confirmation and advice, and he is the perfect one to ask. He has been in ministry for a number of years and is the most Godly man I know - full of wisdom, revelation, and humility. He is also the type of person who never tells you what you want to hear, but tells you what you need to hear. He speaks the truth. Perfect.

The story...

Sparing the details of his past, it went something like this: suffering, testing, persecution, refinement, all ending in humility, wisdom, and glory. Albeit the personal hardship, there was success; large youth ministries, massive breakthrough in individuals and churches, lives being transformed and souls saved. However, none of this came without him being broken in the process. While he was speaking I saw the deliverance in his eyes. Yet, more profoundly, I heard the genuine thankfulness in his voice. Pure thankfulness. Not because it was biblical or that it was the right response, but simply because he had encountered God and was transformed into a more Christ-like person than he could have ever imagined. Truly allowing God to mold us requires us to have an eternal state-of-mind. You see, in the midst of his trials he was able to find God in the process, and than find solace in the fact God was conforming him. He was able to see the man he was becoming, which in turn enabled him to look past the negativity and focus on the positive outcome. More over, he embraced it. Furthermore, he spoke of his journey to me in a manner in which all leaders should speak to those wanting to pursue ministry; a manner not deprived of encouragement but filled with Godly caution. A caution that requires a response. Being in ministry is definitely not the easy route. The Bible speaks about those in ministry being held to a higher standard. It also speaks about being faceless and nameless; often times two things that are hard to accomplish from the pulpit.

The thing he said that penetrated the deepest, was this line "I have not once asked or sought a position in ministry." This is so counter-cultural to a secular view of advancement, or even within the ranks of current pastors and leaders within the church. These words could only come from a man who is deeply aware of the sovereignty of God. A man who is completely humble. So many times I have found myself trying to prove myself to find the next niche to perform. I find myself trying to place my self in positions rather than allowing God to do the placing. I realize now that only the fashion in which he pursues ministry can God's will fully be aligned with my own. Not only that, but when we allow God to seek us and place us where he wants us, we are in tune with God's timing- which is usually so much different than our own.

This friend of mine is the one who sits in the back at church events. He is the one who doesn't exalt himself, but only exalts the Lord. He performs the work of God in a faceless manner. He is the one who never feels the need to be the face of a certain ministry, but operates so God becomes the only one to receive glory. He completely understands Luke 12:48 which says "To whom much has been given, much is expected." In a world that is certainly experiencing shaking, where the Church is now more than ever before being held to a higher standard, in a country where western culture has over ridden biblical standard, and in a time when we need Jesus more than ever before.... we need more leaders like my friend.

So, here's to the perfect sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is to the peace we discover when we trust in His sovereignty. And here is to pursuing ministry with a faceless and humble approach.