Today, I want to remind God’s people who we are in Him.
We know that:
- Without Him, we can do nothing. Therefore, we must always remain in Him through the power of prayer. (John 15:5)
- We must “believe in our hearts that He rose from the dead and profess with our mouth that He is Lord.” (Romans 10:9)
- We choose everyday to live our lives as we have “been crucified with Christ so that it is no longer we that live but Christ living in us.” (Galatians 2:20)
So “when we heard the message of truth, the gospel of our salvation and we believed, we were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13). Therefore, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
“And by Him we cry, ‘Abba Father.’ [and] If we are children of God, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:14-15, 17)
What Does This Mean For Us As Christians?
It means that as we face the world in which we live in and as situations arise that go against what we know is biblical, we are not left alone to fight this battle. Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to encourage us and empower us to persevere through the power of prayer. It means that we are victorious and because of Christ, we have a heavenly Father who loves us and bends down to hear us when we cry for help.
The Bible warns us that we are not “fighting against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) This is why, before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said to us that in His name we will drive out demons and speak in new tongues.
The Helper Guides Our Prayers
Because “we do not know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us… because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
When we are praying out on the sidewalk, we are not just a person “simply” praying. When we use the Spirit’s power of prayer, we step into our identity that Christ has given us through His death and resurrection. That same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Therefore, we do not have the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
I encourage each of you to pray with such authority and power as you intercede on behalf of all who are affected by abortion. Pray believing that God does hear and does answer. Pray knowing that even if you don’t see it, each of your prayers are taking place in the lives you lift up to God. We do not pray in vain nor do we pray to a false god. He is the same God of yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Devotional for Day 7
Intention: We pray for God’s gift of strength as we strive to protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.
Scripture: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? —Matthew 6:25-26
Reflection: Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet plans. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying so much about our bodies, and instead to trust in God’s care for our physical needs What would happen if the people who had started on a low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of heavenly food? For non-believers that diet would include trusting in Christ for their salvation, and for believers it would include a renewed prayer life, a new Bible study, or even a spiritual fast. This diet doesn’t include giving up on certain kinds of foods. What this diet includes is giving up on anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ, trusting that He will provide. Such a spiritual diet also frees us from our worries, and allows us to freely praise Him and serve others. Christ’s words bear repeating: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? This promised provision teaches us the inestimable worth of our lives. He will not allow us to go without. This intimate knowledge and care for human life on the part of our gracious God is what motivates us to seek for the preservation of human life in all its stages.
Prayer: Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of all human beings by the way in which you provide for us. We would ask that you provide also the faith, grace and courage to enable us to protect that which is so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, amen.
