Who Are You Listening To?: All the Wrong Voices - Living Free - November 24

Who Are You Listening To?: All the Wrong Voices

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Jesus speaking to Jewish religious leaders in John 8:44)

Thoughts for Today
Kim's thoughts continue …

Maybe you were like me. Maybe you were so far from a life of faith that you didn't stop to ask God about abortion when you made that choice. Maybe you sought counsel from people of faith who led you to believe abortion is strictly a personal choice.

In the heat of battle, a time of confusion when you feel pushed to make a split-second decision that will affect a lifetime, everything depends on who you're listening to.

Consider this …
We can learn much from the first woman, Eve (see Genesis 3). God had created a perfect world for her and Adam and asked them only to refrain from eating the fruit from one particular tree. But Satan approached her in the form of a serpent and enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit. She chose to listen to the wrong voice and the disastrous consequences affect everyone to this day. How many times she must have regretted her choice to listen to the enemy instead of her loving Father. How could I have been so foolish to doubt the goodness of my Father because that outsider twisted his one simple, clear request?

It's so easy to take matters into our own hands just as Eve took hold of that forbidden fruit. From the very beginning, listening to deceiving voices has derailed women's thinking about abortion. Can you identify with Eve's story? Her adversary, the devil, is our adversary today. He's there, just out of sight in the shadows. Jesus describes him in today's scripture as the father of lies.

As the disturbing truth of Satan's presence in the shadow of our abortion comes to light, we begin to see the lies in the deceptive language used for abortion. "Terminating" a pregnancy is not just "removing a blob of tissue" or "triggering a missed period." A new human life had been placed within us. This new human, our growing child, was not just "a part of a woman's body" or "a parasite" to be discarded at will. Calling our child "a fetus" or merely "potential" life could never negate the reality of his or her existence.

It can be devastating to realize our choice to end the life of another human was based on deceptions, half-truths, human wisdom, or even listening to a leader counseling from his or her own deception.

Spiritual confusion and doubt are the weapons our enemy likes best. He may still be whispering accusing words of doubt and confusion into your ear. Words of hopelessness. Choose today to stop listening to those lies. Choose today to listen instead to the words of love and forgiveness and hope in God's Word.
Prayer

Father, help me recognize Satan's lies and deception for what they are. Help me begin to listen to only your Word. In Jesus' name ...

These thoughts were drawn from … Cradle My Heart: Finding God's LOVE After Abortion by Kim Ketola. In this book, Kim seeks to help those hurt by abortion to grieve with hope. Sharing her story and the stories of ten other women, she reveals that God's love is not a casualty of the abortive process. With an appendix of helpful resources and a study and discussion guide included, Cradle My Heart is a timely and important resource for the hurting woman, the counselor, and the church.

With an understanding and empathetic voice, Kim Ketola exposes the hurt in your heart, reveals the healing in God's heart, and brings the two together to create a whole heart where restoration and celebration are possible.

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