In the wake of SCOTUS decision to strike down Roe v. Wade and the so-called “right” to abortion, we praise God for the dozens of states in the nation that have moved to ban or greatly restrict this heinous practice. In blue states like Illinois however, those who love death are busy establishing new death chambers, expanding to strategic new locations and inviting people over the state line to destroy innocent human life. Illinois State Lawmakers are going out of their way to support an industry committed to ending the lives of innocent pre-born babies.

As we once again recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (January 22, 2023), Christ followers must respond intentionally, bringing both salt and light to this desperate situation. (Click HERE for a bulletin insert.) Here are some suggested deliberate steps we all can take:

Be intentional in prayer. If we truly believe that the fervent prayer of the righteous “avails much” (James 5:16); and if we truly believe that God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17); and if we truly believe that we are called to “deliver those who stumble toward death” (Proverbs 24:11); and if we truly believe that the second great commandment in God’s law is to love our neighbor—born or unborn (Matthew 22:36-40); we should be offering up earnest prayers regularly throughout the day.

We should pray for mothers who are facing an unplanned pregnancy or who are facing threats, abuse, and coercion to end their pregnancy. We should pray for abortion workers to leave their work that enables the “termination” of pre-born life. And we should pray for our local community, elected officials, leaders, and neighbors who do not understand the gruesome truth that abortion takes a human life.

We highly recommend that Christians intentionally participate in 40 Days for Life prayer vigils. If we truly believe that God’s ears are attentive to our cries and that He answers every prayer that aligns with His perfect will (1 John 5:14, Psalm 34:15 and 5:3), we can wait in eager anticipation for His hand to work when the time is right.

• Pray that human life would be cherished at every stage of life, regardless of circumstances.

• Pray for the end of abortion in all states.

• Pray for the pregnancy resource centers that are helping women facing an unplanned pregnancy.

• Pray for political and church leaders, and that they would be willing to stand up for life.

• Pray that God will open the eyes of policymakers and candidates running for office to the sanctity of life. Pray that they will become defenders of innocent human life and not enablers of sexual immorality and death.

• Pray for a softening of hearts and minds. May God give us opportunities to minister to those who are hurting and may our conversations be filled with His grace and love.

Be intentional to educate yourself. Being pro-life is much more than being anti-abortion. Contraception, sterilization, IVF and, on the other end of the spectrum, the so-called “right” to die movement, all foster and promote a culture of death. Read and/or watch experts on these topics to learn how to defend the pro-life position with reasons.

Also, be cognizant of the ways contemporary negative attitudes toward having and raising children undermine the culture of life. Avoid making critical remarks about children being a burden or interfering with your sleep/work, schedule or budget. Start seeing them through God’s eyes, as a blessing and a reward. (Psalm 127:3-5)

Moreover, Bethany Bomberger’s book, Pro-Life Kids, is an excellent resource that reinforces the importance of every human life and Ryan Anderson’s newest book, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing, discusses the lasting impact that abortion has had on our country.

Be intentional and proactive in your church. Talk to your pastor and church leaders about supporting a local pregnancy center, recognizing and celebrating Sanctity of Life Sunday, and explaining the importance from a biblical view of voting for candidates committed to supporting pro-life legislation. There are a variety of resources that you can share with your community. You can find these at sanctitysunday.com.

Encourage your church to host meetings throughout the year to highlight the battle for the right-to-life. These can include documentary film screenings, special speakers, right-to-life apologetics, and Bible studies on God’s view of every human life.

Encourage your church to have a ministry that reaches out to post-abortive women who, like all of us, need to know that Jesus paid for all of our sins on the cross and that His love, mercy, and forgiveness are available and sufficient. The local church can be a place for these women to start healing.

Be intentional to be an advocate. Whether with a large audience or just your family, start a conversation about life and its value.  Need help talking about abortion? Check out the pro-life apologetics organization Life Training Institute. They have been equipping Christians to defend their unborn neighbors since 2004.

You can also attend the Annual SpeakOut Illinois pro-life conference. This year’s event will be held in Oakbrook Terrace on February 25th. For more information, click HERE.

Additionally, we encourage you to join us for the annual IFI Worldview Conference on March 18th at the Village Church of Barrington. This year we are featuring three well-respected Pro-Life Christian leaders who will help us better understand, debate and persuade people in our spheres of influence to the sanctity of human life. Learn more HERE.

Promote, help, donate to, and fundraise for your local crisis pregnancy center and/or local pro-life group. Attend a Hike for Life fundraiser or banquet.

Speak out against pro-abortion legislation. Most people have absolutely no idea what bills are being decided in Springfield or Washington, D. C. It is vital to get alerts from IFI and other pro-life groups who will let you know when to speak out on specific pending legislation.

Visit your local lawmakers to thank them for their service and to see how you can pray for them. Let them know how important the life issue is to you and to our culture. Urge them to become a champion for the pre-born.

Make sure you are subscribed to Illinois Family Institute’s emails and Action Alerts to stay involved about bills affecting the unborn! As responsible citizens that love their community, use this information to contact your representatives. Hold them accountable to protect human beings at all stages of life, from conception to natural death.

Be intentional to celebrate life. It is tragic to realize that we are immersed in a culture that does not value life. Many babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb are aborted. Other potential disabilities and/or genetic conditions are targeted as well. Women use abortion as a means of birth control. Senior citizens who need assisted living or who live in nursing homes are frequently mistreated, ignored, or forgotten.

Celebrating the people you know who have challenging conditions can set an example to others not only how to treat “the least of these” with respect and dignity, but to think about them as equally worthy of life as those of us blessed with good health.

Be intentional to promote and support pro-life candidates. In every election cycle we have opportunities to promote pro-life candidates running for local, state, or federal office. You should pick a candidate or two to support in word, with your time, and, if possible, with your finances. They are the ones voting to pass laws that either expand or limit ending precious pre-born human life.

You should make your pro-life views known to your community during election time.

“It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.” ~ George Washington

Additionally, you can support pro-life candidates by putting up yard signs, making phone calls, distributing literature, going door-to-door with the candidate, hosting a meet-and-greet in your home, using social media, attending rallies, and marching in parades.

Go one step further and identify your local pro-life elected officials and write them a letter of encouragement and thanks.

Conclusion

Scripture is clear, God is infuriated with the shedding of innocent blood (Psalm 106:38; Proverbs 6:16-17) and the apathy of so many Christians who remain on the sidelines in the face of evil (Ezekiel 12:2; James 1:22-25). Make no mistake, He sees what is going on in Illinois and in the rest of the world. But God gives us insight into why it appears He may have overlooked this grave evil.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9

God wants us to repent, and He is sovereign. He wants to work through us to change everything–even the hearts of those who work inside these clinics. Let’s not forget that God specializes in cases that look surmountable. (Jeremiah 32:37; Luke 1:37; Ephesians 3:20; Luke 18:27)

God wants us to repent, and He is sovereign. He wants to work through us to change everything–even the hearts of those who work inside these clinics. Let’s not forget that God specializes in hard cases. (Jeremiah 32:37; Luke 1:37; Ephesians 3:20; Luke 18:27)

We are to pray for one another too (Ephesians 6:18; James 5:16), because we tend to grow weary and discouraged. Therefore, we should be praying for the strength and resolve of those who are on the frontlines of this battle as we also pray that God would remove all fear and timidity from Christians who have not yet engaged in the battle for truth, righteousness, and the sanctity of human life.

A national group of Satanists is putting their cards on the table.  They are opposing abortion restrictions and adamantly defending abortion as worship of their god.

Meanwhile, a group of liberal pastors in Maine claims that abortion can supposedly be the Christian thing to do. In an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News, “Why a Christian minister supports abortion rights,” their leader writes of the importance of “reproductive justice.”

Abortion is a spiritual battle. So what does the Bible have to say abortion?

I write this shortly after the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (and its companion decision, Doe v. Bolton) of January 22, 1973, that gave us abortion on demand. And here we are 63 million abortions later. That’s nothing to celebrate—but much to mourn.

Psalm 106:37 speaks of a time of disobedient Israelites, noting, “They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood…and the land was desecrated by their blood. They defiled themselves by what they did.”

Did Christ ever address abortion? Not directly. But note how His brilliant statement on human relations, the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), has direct application to the subject of abortion.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them,” He said in the Sermon on the Mount. You were once an unborn baby. Would you have wanted your mother to kill you in utero? The majority of those mothers feel forced, against their will, to abort.

When Ronald Reagan was running for president in 1980, he was asked why he wasn’t “pro-choice.” He responded, “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” Touché.

Dr. D. James Kennedy once said, “If you’re pro-choice, you should get down on your knees and thank God that you’re mother wasn’t pro-choice.”

Some people say that abortion doesn’t kill human beings. And yet everything you and I are—our sex, how tall we will be, the color of our eyes—all of these things were determined at the moment of conception.

And from conception to birth, it’s all one continuous period of growth. The Mayo Clinic documents the humanity and growth of the preborn baby in the womb until birth.

We look back at previous generations, and we say, “How could they have been slave-owners?” Well, I believe future generations will look back at us and ask, “How could they have been so complacent about abortion—especially when they had 3-D sonograms, giving them a window to the womb?”

Many times when a pregnant woman contemplating an abortion gets to see the sonogram of her unborn baby, she changes her mind.

David states in Psalm 139, “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

The prophet Jeremiah says this in the very opening of his book: “The word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” So, here’s this little unborn baby being appointed a prophet of the nations by God Himself.

Jumping ahead to the New Testament, in Luke 1, we read of two pregnant relatives visiting with each other. Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, and Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth says, “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” Baby? The Greek word in Luke 1 is brephos, which means baby.

Luke 2:12 says: “The angels told the shepherds, ‘This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” The same word, brephos, is used there. Thus, whether in English or in Greek, the word baby is used for born and unborn alike.

The Bible also says that God has made human beings in His image. He has made us a “little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8:5). But many people today believe that we’re essentially “a little higher than the apes.” As the abortion ethic has spread in our culture, like a cancer, it has cheapened human life all the way around.

It’s time we follow the Biblical ethic and treat the unborn as we ourselves would want to be treated. Let them live.

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

Written by Patience Griswold

The so-called “Abortion Care Network” (ACN) recently reported that independent abortion facilities are closing at an “alarming rate.” In the past five years, 113 independent abortion facilities have closed, including 34 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past decade, the number of independent abortion facilities has declined by 30 percent. The rate at which these clinics are closing is not what is alarming. What is alarming is that they ever opened in the first place and that, far too often, we are numb to the daily massacre committed by the abortion industry.

It’s well past time for these clinics to close. Abortion is a grave injustice that has plagued the United States for too long, and the sooner these clinics close the doors, the better. Although Planned Parenthood continues to commit over a third of abortions in the United States, ACN reports that independent abortion facilities commit 58% of all abortions.

Meanwhile, 40 Days for Life recently celebrated the 20,00th baby saved thanks to their campaign! For 14 years, the group has held a 40-day, around-the-clock vigil outside of abortion facilities praying for the women entering and offering them hope and resources to choose life, and their annual vigil has saved an average of over 1400 babies per year! The pro-life movement is making strides, not just in passing life-saving legislation but also in changing hearts and minds about abortion and offering real care and support to women.

The abortion industry preys on fear. The impact of organizations like 40 Days for Life and other pro-life sidewalk counseling ministries shows that women do not need abortion and that, when shown the reality of abortion and offered life-affirming support, many abortion-minded women choose life.

Time and again, the pro-life movement consistently demonstrates true compassion for women and families. And time and again, the abortion industry has proven that their concern is not the wellbeing of women, as they claim, but their own bottom line. Here in Minnesota, abortion activists recently called for an end to the Positive Alternatives to Abortion program, which provides grants to organizations that offer women support and resources to choose life, including pregnancy resource centers, as well as organizations that offer housing and financial assistance, and help with adoption placement, family, pregnancy, and parental counseling, and post-abortion care. If the abortion movement truly cared about women, they would not consistently target organizations that offer compassionate care and resources to expecting mothers and their families.

Women don’t need abortion. They need the support, compassion, and resources that the pro-life movement consistently offers them. The growing number of abortion facilities closing their doors for good is excellent news for women, babies, families, and a society that has been numb to the reality of abortion for far too long.

This article was originally published at MFC.org.

We recently read a great little sermon illustration in which a young boy asked his father, “Dad, I was watching a TV show about marine biologists. Why do scuba-divers jump backwards into the water?” His father wittily responded, “Because if they jumped forward, they’d still be in the boat!”

Scuba divers jump out of boats to investigate marine life in the coastal waters and oceans of the world. It is a way of visiting another ecosystem on our vast planet. Whether it is sunken wreckage, lost treasure or coral reefs, I can see how these diving excursions are great ways to escape the stresses of daily life.

Yet today, there are many people in our culture, in our families and even in our churches who might be tempted to jump out of the boat when things get stressful, depressing or uncomfortable. Those of us who still live in Illinois understand the added frustration of wicked and foolish political leadership. The temptation to move out of this state and into “calmer, peaceful waters” is very real.

Yet we should consider what Scripture has to say about escaping trials and tribulation. Right before He was arrested, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed John 17:14:

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”  

Jesus could have easily prayed that God would deliver us out of the troubled waters of our world, but He didn’t. He prayed that we would remain in the world and that we would be protected from the evil one. Why didn’t He pray for our complete rescue? His prayer continues in John 17:18:

“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

Our Lord and Savior, the Son of God, prayed that we would remain so we could be on mission in this world for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Yes, our state and our culture is in trouble. But these troubles are a reminder that we are called to be salt and light to a dying world.  David Jeremiah once said, “Today is the day to be a light shining in a dark world, fueled by the joy of the Lord.” May we be that salt and light to a dark and decaying world, all to the glory of God.

PRAYER ALERT

We cannot stress the urgency of your fervent prayers this week as our state lawmakers return to the Capitol for the second half of the Veto Session. There are a number of bad proposals pending in Springfield. Prayer and action are vitally important.

Appeal to God for His Help

• Praise God that many pro-life activists and pastors are headed to Springfield to speak out against the efforts to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act and the repeal of the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Please pray that these activists would be seen and heard by lawmakers. Pray that their presence and dialogue would help them understand the importance of parental rights and conscience rights. (Read more HERE.)

• Pray that our state lawmakers would understand the wisdom in keeping qualified (or limited), immunity for police officers in Illinois. Pray that the anti-police agenda to dismantle, dishearten and make defenseless would fall short.

Abortion

• Pray for the members of the U.S. Supreme Court as they will be hearing arguments regarding significant abortion regulations in Mississippi and Texas. Pray that God would touch the hearts of the nine Justices on the Court. Pray too, as the debate rages, that eyes and ears would be opened to the abortion industry’s murderous barbaric practices.

• Please pray for the last week of this year’s 40 Days for Life campaign, which ends on Saturday, Oct. 30. Pray that many prayer warriors would take advantage of this opportunity to be a silent witness against the murderous practice of “choice.” Pray that workers at these abortuaries would have a change of heart about their work and leave.

• Pray that every leader in our nation would come to realize that these are real human babies in the womb who deserve protection.

• Pray that the agenda of Satan and his wicked disciples to kill pre-born babies in the womb and encourage immoral sexual activities to innocent young children in government schools would be exposed and stopped.

Public School Exit

• Please continue to pray for our Rescuing Our Children initiative to encourage an exodus from government indoctrination centers. Rev. Ceasar LeFlore, our field director for this project, is meeting with pastors throughout the City of Chicago and suburbs and has been getting favorable responses.

• Pray for Illinois Family Institute and our annual banquet which is scheduled for Friday evening. Pray that the event would be a success, and that our keynote speaker, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, would encourage and challenge us to live up to the high calling of our faith in Christ Jesus.

For Those in Authority

For the next several weeks, please pray for the political leaders listed below. Pray that they would seek God’s wisdom when they make decisions that affect the people they work for. Pray that God would turn their hearts to Himself. (Proverbs 21:1)

Of course, this includes praying for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker and Julia Stratton and those who serve in these administrations. Pray also for our two U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

Please pray for the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court: John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

In addition, please pray for the following officials:

• • U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal Bennet (D-Connecticut)
  • U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri)
  • U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Illinois)
  • U.S. Representative Peter Aguilar (D-California)
  • U.S. Representative Rick Allen (R-Georgia)
  • State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign)
  • State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro)
  • State Representative Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago)
  • State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur)
  • YOUR local City/Village/Township Officials

Join other pro-life prayer warriors in the annual 40 Days For Life campaign to pray and fast to end abortion! This year’s Fall vigil begins on September 23rd and ends 40 days later on November 1.

Through peaceful prayer vigils and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 1,000,000 people to join at locations across the nation.

With God’s blessing, here are the results of 25 coordinated campaigns:

16,742 babies saved from abortion

196 abortion workers left their jobs

104 abortion centers closed

Find a vigil location near you HERE, or join one of these Illinois locations:

Aurora Planned Parenthood
3051 E New York St. in Aurora, IL
Parking available st south side of Waterleaf Women’s Clinic and Auto Zone.
For more information, contact Catherine (224) 999-3701.

Decatur Planned Parenthood
3021 N. Oakland in decatur, IL
For more information, contact james.comerford@hshs.org

Flossmoor Planned Parenthood
19831 S. Governors Hwy. in Flossmoor, IL
For more information, contact karenforlife@yahoo.com

Granite City Hope Clinic
1602 21st St. in Granite City, IL
For more information, contact info@40daysgc.com

Springfield Planned Parenthood
601 N. Bruns Ln. in Springfield, IL
For more information, contact info@springfieldrtl.org

Sometimes the smallest gesture can make a huge difference in a person’s life. A welcoming smile, a phone call, or an encouraging note received at an opportune moment has the power to turn despair into hope. This fall, just one hour of prayer could make a life-changing, life-saving difference in not one but two lives.

If you’ve ever participated in a 40 Days for Life peaceful prayer campaign, you know what I mean. As men and women gather to pray outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic or other abortion mill, the truth of James 5:16 is manifested: the earnest prayers of the righteous followers of God are powerful and effective. And, while prayer is of the utmost importance, the value of the physical presence of prayer warriors cannot be overstated.

Over and over again, we’ve heard women recount how their hearts softened and their minds were changed as they witnessed 40 Days for Life participants praying for them and for their unborn babies. Many women have admitted that, though they had decided to have their babies aborted, they had also decided that if one person acknowledged them, smiled at them, or spoke kindly to them, they wouldn’t go through with it.

Will you be that person? Will your peaceful, prayerful presence communicate the message that every life is fearfully and wonderfully made and bears the image of his or her Creator, the Holy God of the Universe? These women need to know that the lives they are carrying are precious to our gracious and merciful Lord. He loves and cares for each mother and her baby. They also need to see that the people of God love and care for them in the midst of their pregnancies and beyond.

This year’s 40 Days for Life campaign begins on Wednesday, September 23 and runs through Sunday, November 1. In order to cover the approximately 960-hour duration of the campaign, many prayer warriors are needed. Families, Bible study small groups, Sunday school classes, choir members, college students, co-workers, and others have traditionally come together for an hour of prayer every week at a nearby Planned Parenthood center. What a blessing it would be if you and your praying family and friends would join with thousands of pro-life supporters this fall as we earnestly pray that unborn life would be valued and preserved, and abortion would be abolished!

Take ACTION: Please visit 40daysforlife.com for more information and to sign up for a location and prayer time. One hour a week over 6 weeks could change a life–just one hour a week spent being a silent witness in loving, prayerful support of two lives. This relatively small commitment could be the most important hour you’ll spend in prayer this year.

Our friend Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus of Moody Church, recently took time out of his busy schedule to record a short video exhortation for IFI readers to encourage Christians to use the power of God in prayer against abortion and for the sanctity of life. Listen to his wisdom and advice:

Join us in partnering with 40 Days For Life and, we hope that with God’s people petitioning heaven, we will see the beginning of the end of abortion in America!

Click on a city near you to sign up to be a part of 40 Days For Life. 

Aurora

Chicago

Chicago-Halsted

Downers Grove

Fairview Heights

Champaign

Downers Grove

Flossmoor

Peoria

Granite City

Waukegan

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Dear Pastors and Church Leaders.

September 23^rd marks the beginning of 40 Days for Life, an internationally coordinated 40-day prayer campaign that aims to end abortion right where you live.

Prayer, fasting, church outreach, and PEACEFUL PRAYING outside abortion clinics are powerful in helping to save lives and—we hope and pray—in ending abortion.

Since 2007 when 40 Days for Life began, 17,226 babies have been saved, 206 abortion clinic workers have quit, and 107 abortion centers have closed! Former abortion workers have confirmed that there is up to a 75% no-show rate for appointments when there are people peacefully praying outside of an abortion clinic.

Check out this recent video (via Facebook) of a young man sharing how he and his wife decided to choose life for their baby after seeing people outside peacefully praying and talking to a sidewalk Counselor:

Abortions in Illinois have increased since COVID-19 invaded the U.S.  Planned Parenthood has taken advantage of the fear surrounding hospitals and healthcare institutions by encouraging use of the abortion pill. They are dispensing the abortion pills and have an abortion app which makes it easier for girls and women to access chemical abortions. This puts at risk the health of aborting mothers.

We are asking you and your church to prayerfully consider joining this year’s Fall 2020 Aurora vigil which runs from September 23- November 1.

We stand as the body of Christ representing Him by peacefully praying to save lives in our community. Can we count on you?

Every Life Matters. 

Sincerely,

For additional information or to sign up your church, please visit  40daysforlife.com/aurora

And/or contact:

Ricki Giersch (Co-Leader)  630-514-2058

Catherine Walker (Co-Leader) 224-999-3701

Join other pro-life prayer warriors in the annual 40 Days For Life campaign to pray and fast to end abortion! This year’s winter/spring vigil begins on February 26th and ends 40 days later on April 5th.

Through peaceful prayer vigils and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 1,000,000 people to join at locations across the nation.

With God’s blessing, here are the results of 25 coordinated campaigns:

16,742 babies saved from abortion

196 abortion workers left their jobs

104 abortion centers closed

Join others who want to end abortion at one of these Illinois locations:

Aurora Planned Parenthood
3051 E New York St. in Aurora, IL
Parking available st south side of Waterleaf Women’s Clinic and Auto Zone.
For more information, contact Catherine (224) 999-3701.
www.40daysforlife.com/aurora

Decatur Planned Parenthood
3021 N. Oakland in decatur, IL
For more information, contact james.comerford@hshs.org
www.40daysforlife.com/decatur

Flossmoor Planned Parenthood
19831 S. Governors Hwy. in Flossmoor, IL
For more information, contact karenforlife@yahoo.com
www.40daysforlife.com/flossmoor

Granite City Hope Clinic
1602 21st St. in Granite City, IL
For more information, contact info@40daysgc.com
www.40daysgc.com

Springfield Planned Parenthood
601 N. Bruns Ln. in Springfield, IL
For more information, contact info@springfieldrtl.org
www.springfieldrtl.org/40-days-for-life

Last month, I shared a few stories from 40 Days for Life, a worldwide pro-life ministry of presence and prayer outside abortion centers. Created Equal, a pro-life ministry based in Ohio, focuses mainly on reaching people in urban areas and on college campuses. But they go to abortion centers too, and as they went about their work, they began to detect a disturbing trend. They were being increasingly harassed by abortion advocates who identified with Satanism. Sometimes the opposition came with violence and fury.

“At first,” said president and founder Mark Harrington, “we wondered if our experience was unique or if there was a legitimate connection between the defense of abortion and Satanism.” So, they started investigating. What they found put an end to any doubt. There are direct parallels between the rhetoric of abortion and the doctrines of Satanism. And there are clear links between the practice of abortion and the practice of Satanism.

On that first point, Harrington explains:

Satanists and abortion supporters both believe in “bodily autonomy.” For the Satanist, defending abortion access is a worthy form of worship because one of their tenets states, “one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will.” The Satanic doctrine of absolute autonomy over one’s own destiny has become the pro-abortion rallying cry of “My body, my choice.”

In the short film, Abortion: A Doctrine of Demons, just released on YouTube, Created Equal has captured the connections between abortion and Satanism–the Satanism espoused by the Satanic Temple, to be specific–which identifies itself as “the primary religious Satanic organization in the world” and which was featured in the 2019 film Hail Satan?.

In Created Equal’s Abortion: A Doctrine of Demons, you will see:

• Abortion defenders honoring Satan: “Hail Satan! Hail Satan,” they shout in the face of the pro-life presence. “You know what? [Satanists] are better than you [Christians] are! They’re better advocates for human life than you are!” “Go f*** yourself! Hail Satan, bro!”

• Satanists promoting abortion defense as “a worthy form of worship”: “They’re doing it, little by little, you know, taking away reproductive rights,” says a young woman presenting the activities of the Satanic Temple. “So, it is our duty to worship through activism. That is the key to the Satanic Temple, what differentiates us from other Satanists.” On the large screen behind her, “Reproductive Rights Campaigns” and “Baphomet Campaigns” are listed as the first and second “Campaigns of Note.” On its website, the Satanic Temple specifically connects abortion-related activism with its religious beliefs.

• An abortionist in scrubs hissing and growling demonically and saying, “I love it! I love it!” about what he does. “I do have a darkened heart. I do, I do. Very much so.”

On the second point, and pressing beyond the rhetoric, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, there are clear parallels between abortion and Satan. Like the original rebellion of Lucifer, the act of abortion is an act of rebellion against the authority of God and the truth of the worth of human life. And while the Satanic Temple doesn’t profess belief in the actual being called Satan, they overtly identify with the Satanic cause of rebellion against God, whom they see as a tyrant:

• “Essentially, we view Satan as a symbolic embodiment of the ultimate rebel against tyranny,” said Harvard-educated Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple.

• “The Satanic figure in the Bible is one that really inspires rebellion in mankind against the tyrannical God,” said Jex Blackmore, another spokesperson.

Greaves and Blackmore have zeroed in on, and are actively promoting, the essence of Satan–rebellionagainst God–which inevitably leads to rebellion against what God has made, up to and including innocent human life.

Sometimes, we in the pro-life movement do well to let our opposition make our case for us. In this film, Created Equal has done just that: “Many Christians only consider abortion as a political or educational issue,” says Harrington. “However, abortion is a spiritual battle at its core.” He hopes this film will awaken a sleeping church to the spiritual battle in our midst.

Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. Click here to watch the trailer and here to watch the 20-minute film below. This is the “awokening” that Christians should be provoking.

**Warning: this video includes images that some viewers may find disturbing:

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-and, please-

Rae Ellen had been a faithful volunteer with Santa Cruz, California, 40 Days for Life for sixteen campaigns. Confined to a wheelchair, if she couldn’t get a ride, she would take a handicap taxi to the abortion clinic to pray and keep vigil.

One day, she watched as a couple arrived and went inside. She could tell just by watching them through the window that they were ambivalent about their decision. Soon, the boyfriend came outside and asked Rae if he could see her sign. Then he held it up so his girlfriend could see it through the window. He handed it back to Rae and said, “Thank you for being out here,” and soon afterward the couple left without following through with the abortion.

At a different 40 Days for Life campaign on another side of the globe, Edward noticed a flurry of activity near the front door of the London clinic where he was praying. There were police at the door, and several people were shouting and gesturing. He tried to focus on his prayers, rather than gawk at the spectacle, but then he saw another strange disturbance taking place behind one of the front windows. Shawn Carney describes the scene in The Beginning of the End of Abortion: 40 Inspiring Stories of God Changing Hearts and Saving Lives:

At one of the front windows of the facility, a woman was jumping repeatedly, apparently in a frantic effort to get herself high enough to crawl out the open window. Edward stared, unable to look away. Each time, she came a little closer. He turned away to catch the attention of another volunteer, and by the time he looked back, the woman had made it out. …

He watched as the woman sprinted through the parking lot. Edward couldn’t imagine what would happen when she reached the fence – and then he watched her jump that fence and then two more to escape!

Edward later learned that the woman’s name was Julia and that her family had taken her to the clinic against her will. She had told a sidewalk counselor what was happening on the way in, and the counselor in turn had called the police about a case of forced abortion. Once inside, Julia had refused to cooperate, and while the family was distracted with the police, she stole away to the bathroom and made her escape. She later said it was the sight of the people praying outside that had given her courage to fight for her baby.

By now, you’ve probably seen photos of the new Planned Parenthood mega-clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois — built in stealth across the river from St. Louis, MO. Did you notice this new building’s wrought iron fencing and what looks like mega blockades concealing windows, doors, and even its barriers along the outside walkway? Put some razor wire along the top of that fence, and the compound could pass for a small prison. It’s like they don’t want people on the inside to be able to see what’s happening on the outside. Why might that be?

Shawn Carney told another story in that same book. It was about a history professor he had in college. The professor was rather dispassionate in class, except for one incident:

It was the height of the Iraq war, and our class was discussing global terrorism. It was also the fall of the first-ever 40 Days for Life campaign. In the middle of our class discussion, he abruptly cut the conversation short and said, “If you want to see real terrorism at work, drive by Planned Parenthood and look at the people standing outside praying.”

On the one hand, this came across as comically ironic. Just that morning, Shawn had dropped his new wife Marilisa off at that very clinic to pray. Marilisa … a terrorist?

On the other hand, this gives us a window into the psyche of the abortion-minded. People praying are terrifying. And if the design of the new mega clinic is any indication, preventive measures must be taken to keep patients and clinicians on the inside from seeing those frightening people praying on the outside.

Take courage, pro-life friends. This is an indication that, although abortion is a grave offense against life and the God who created us to live, in the arena of the cultural conflict, abortion in America is on the retreat.

A Night With Rev. Franklin Graham!
At this year’s annual IFI banquet, our keynote speaker will be none other than Rev. Franklin Graham, President & CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Christian evangelist & missionary. This year’s event will be at the Tinley Park Convention Center on Nov. 1st. You don’t want to miss this special evening!

Learn more HERE.

Forty-six years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in America through a 7-2 decision in Roe v. Wade. Then in 1992, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the right to terminate preborn babies in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Over the past 45 years, over 60 million innocent human lives have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience and the non-existent constitutional “right to privacy.”

There is a large Planned Parenthood surgical abortion center located in Flossmoor that is open 5 days a week, ending innocent lives right in your back yard. Christians and non-Christians are their targets. How the Christian community responds is what will determine who will win this urgent battle for Life.

We invite you to join with others who refuse to wave the white flag of surrender and who are committed to disseminating truth about abortion and its victims.

Invitation

We urge you be part of this nationwide, peaceful, prayerful 40 Days for Life effort to save lives and share truth. (See flyer HERE.)

The Southland 40 Days for Life team is hosting a special church leaders’ luncheon on September 19^th at the Tinley Park Convention Center. We want you to hear the vision, understand the importance, and learn the details of the upcoming “40 Days” campaign, which runs September 25th to November 3rd this year, which you can then share with your members.

We must not be silent any longer. In a society that has advanced every form of hedonism, the foundational battle is life versus death.

What does the Bible have to say about life?
For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. ~Psalm 139:13-14

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. ~Deuteronomy 30:19

Yes, there is a battle and Ephesians makes clear who we are fighting:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ~Ephesians 6:12

At the heart of this matter is a spiritual battle, and prayer is our most effective weapon against it.

Enter 40 Days for Life!

We have the tremendous opportunity to pray for expectant mothers to choose life and to pray for those deceived by the lies of the wicked one.

The stated vision and mission of 40 Days for Life:

Vision

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.

Mission

The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40-day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion.

In other words, by partnering with 40 Days for Life we can live out Ephesians 6:13-18: “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace…. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

There is power in prayer! And there is even greater power when we gather with fellow Christians in prayer!

We cannot and should not be silent. Instead, we can be a silent witness and a prayer warrior for those little ones who cannot speak for themselves.

Please join us to learn more. If you are unable to join us, please send another church leader who you think would be interested in this prayer campaign.

RSVP to v.kathy@illinoisfamily.org or call (708) 781-9329.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Dr. Rich Mantoan
Leader: 40 Days for Life
(708) 557-0011 or southlandsmiles@gmail.com

>Download Flyer HERE<

A peaceful way to end abortion. 40 Days for Life brings 24-hour prayer vigils outside abortion centers in Illinois, across the nation, and around the world.

Sign up to fill prayer hours at a vigil near you at https://40daysforlife.com/

Four hundred – that’s the approximate number of human lives ended by abortion each month at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora. If the local animal shelter euthanized 200 dogs and cats each month, that would be sad. The fact that this huge Planned Parenthood abortion mill kills close to 400 babies each month is an abomination of epic proportion which demands our attention.

Please take two minutes to watch this short video appeal from the prayer warriors leading the prayer vigil efforts at this location:

The 40 Days For Life campaign gives pro-life men and women the opportunity to make an impact locally through a 40-day, around-the-clock, peaceful vigil of prayer and presence. Please share this video with your pastor, church leaders, small group members, family, and friends. We need every believer to come to Aurora for an hour or two and take a stand for the sanctity of life!

Take ACTION: For more information and to sign up to participate, please click HERE.

More ACTION: Please ask your pastor and/or church leadership to make this bulletin insert available to attendees to help build awareness of this important campaign.

America has come a long way since her remarkable founding by men who authored our U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, documents intended to create the framework of our body politic.

All Americans should know by heart the historic words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The very first of the enumerated unalienable rights is the right to life, endowed by the Creator — not government nor even the expectant mother. Indeed, without the right to life none of us would have need of any subsequent “rights.”

“To be endowed” is such an archaic term, more likely than not a foreign word to younger generations steeped in a culture of entitlement mentality.

Millennials, coddled and propagandized in the dogma of self-esteem, naturally form a me-centric mentality and worldview. The radical Left has skillfully gained control of academia, media, entertainment and the halls of government, infusing our citizenry with a worldview diametrically opposed to the Bible and our country’s founding.

But a not-so-silent swathe of the country has been awakening.

Mothers and fathers are becoming active in school districts. Children are being homeschooled. Churches proclaiming God’s Word are growing (while those mainline denominations, shirking the Bible and its instruction are dying).

The culture war rages on, with LIFE at the core.

We cannot and should not be silent. We cannot and should not shirk our biblically-prescribed duty.

In a society that has advanced every form of hedonism, the foundational battle is life versus death.

What does the Bible have to say about life?

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

And the pinnacle of all consideration of life is Jesus, the Lord of Life, who announced:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Yes, there is a war and Ephesians makes it clear who we are fighting:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

Consider, we are in a war against darkness and death. The Enemy of our souls is the Prince of Darkness and we are warned:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Ephesians 6:12

But we who follow Jesus have been bequeathed the weapons to fight the enemy, and we know death and the grave could not hold our Savior. And because they could not hold Him, they cannot hold us!

The prophet Micah admonishes us:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Mercy and justice should be our hallmark.

And the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus wrote concerning the weapons we have to fight the darkness:

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:13-18

Enter 40 Days For Life!

We have the tremendous opportunity to pray for life! To pray for expectant mothers to choose life! To pray for those deceived by the lies of the Wicked One.

The stated vision and mission of 40 Days For Life:

Vision

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.

Mission

The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40-day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion.

In other words, by partnering with 40 Days For Life we can live out Ephesians 6:13-18, “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace…Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

There is power in prayer!

And there is even greater power when we gather with our brothers and sisters in prayer!

The epistle of James encourages us, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man [universal meaning] availeth much. James 5:16b”

Over the past forty-five years more than 60 million innocent ones have been killed via abortion. God surely weeps at the calloused and gruesome holocaust of the unborn.

God surely weeps over the needless guilt and burden borne by the mothers who have been duped by the lies of the anti-life cultists who call abortion a “woman’s choice.”

We cannot and should not be silent. We cannot and should not shirk our biblically-prescribed duty.

Choose to speak for those little ones who cannot speak. Choose life and God’s blessing.

Join us in partnering with 40 Days For Life and, hopefully, with God’s people petitioning heaven, we WILL see the beginning of the end of abortion in America!

Click on a city near you to sign up to be a part of 40 Days For Life. 

Aurora, IL

Belleville, IL

Champaign, IL

Chicago, IL

Downers Grove, IL

Flossmoor, IL

Peoria, IL

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