Called to Speak up for Jesus....

The body of Christ. The body of Christ is made up of people from different countries in the world, from all races - it matters not what the color of your skin is, male and female, rich and poor, we come with a vast range of gifts and experiences.

 Romans 12: 4-6 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

 What joins us together is Christ Jesus our Savior. With this thought as a background, I question the message of a speaker I heard recently - speaking in my church. I agree with some of what he said but not entirely. He suggested that we should not be one issue Christians. That is completely true and I doubt that any of us really are "one issue Christians" except of course for the fact that Jesus alone saves each of us as individuals. I felt like the speaker was trying to silence those who strongly stand for the truth of the Bible regarding sin issues. In his list of  so called  "one issue" concerns, he listed taking a stand against violence, homosexuality,and immodest dress, etc. as well as the discussions around end times and the coming of our our Lord Jesus.  His list was quite extensive.

I believe that as Christians, God has sent each of us out to be a witness for Him and to seek to win souls for His Kingdom. But I also believe that God has gifted each one of us to use the experiences in our life to speak up for the issues that matter to Him. This includes standing strong against the homosexual agenda, against violence ,against pornography, etc and also to speak up for issues that He lays on our hearts. I believe God lays something on each one of our hearts that becomes our "issue" that we are called upon to stand for and speak up about - and we are NOT to let anyone SILENCE us as we speak up about that which God has called us to speak about. 

In my community the issue of homosexuality is a hot topic right now. The government is pushing it to become an accepted lifestyle, using the public school system to influence our children. This is despicable and many Christian parents in our area and in our church are opposing the homosexual agenda and are taking a stand. Of course this brings divisions and it is even felt in the church. I believe this is why the speaker in my church was using his place of authority and power to try  to silence the opposition that these parents are bringing to meetings etc. This is kind of upsetting.

In my own personal life, I also have some issues that I feel God has called me to take a stand for. This also can be traced back to experiences in my life.God can use what you and I have gone through to help and encourage other who find themselves in similar situations.  The issues that I have been called to include standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves - those with disabilities and and handicaps. I believe God has called me to be a voice for them  so when the opportunity arises, I try to speak up. This is one of my passions because of the fact that I have a daughter who has down syndrome and she cannot express herself verbally very much. If someone mistreats her, she cannot defend herself. There are many other people in this world with disabilities who need someone  to help others understand that they are real people with real feelings and real needs and need to be loved and accepted as they are.

Another issue I take a stand against is abortion. I believe life begins at conception. Due to the premature death of one of my children while still within my womb, I have experienced death through the death of my unborn child. I can honestly say I could feel in my spirit that the spirit of my child had departed from within my womb. This was well before the doctor did any tests. So I take a stand against abortion.

So if the Lord has allowed you to experience a trial or has laid a burden on your heart for a certain issue - please be faithful to the Lord and speak up for Him. Don't let others silence you even if the one trying to silence you is close family or a close friend or even someone in your church!

God bless.

Romans 12: 4- 10⁴ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:⁵ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;⁷ Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;⁸ Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.⁹ Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.¹⁰ Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Tragedy in Newtown - sharing in the grief in death of many innocent...

Matthew 19: 13-15 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.   But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Today we are grieving the death of twenty seven human lives lost in that senseless shooting in Newtown. We ask how could anyone commit such a horrific crime? What is this world coming to with all these kinds of things happening almost on a regular basis? What can or should be done? These are the questions everyone is asking and I can tell you I do not have the answers. But I can tell you that my heart is grieved and broken for these precious children and adults who died completely in innocence and I have shed many tears as I have watched the news on television. The tears and the grief of this tragedy ripple around the globe. It may surprise you to know that this morning even in my children's school here in Manitoba Canada, right after the singing of our national anthem, we held a time of silence and remembrance for the victims in Newtown. Our thoughts and prayers are with our all American friends as we are all stricken with grief.
Jesus loves children and he took special time for them during his ministry here on earth. When the disciples rebuked those who would bring their children to Him, Jesus said " “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 
So we can be sure the everyone of these precious little children are now in heaven with Jesus in perfect happiness in the presence of God Himself.  So while our hearts are broken here on earth, the children are safe in the arms of Jesus. That is a real comfort.
There is one other thought that keeps coming to my mind and that is the fact that these deaths in Newtown are getting much publicity and public grief and it is absolutely 100% the right thing - no question about it at all.  BUT- is there anyone out there who will mourn and grieve the lost lives of the babies killed by abortion. Each one of the babies who have been killed through abortion all have experienced death. - They also will never be able to celebrate a birthday with their friends, have Christmas or birthday parties, graduate, find love and get married, experience the joys of having a baby etc. Who will grieve for these children? Who will mourn for these children? Who will stand up and say - "enough is enough" the abortions must stop NOW!
As we pray for comfort for those grieving in Newtown, please lets also not forget the unborn babies murdered everyday. May God have mercy on us and help us.
Genesis 4: 9-11  Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.   So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
 

A Child in His Eyes...the value of every human life!

Psalm 139: 13-17  - ( Beautiful words)

For You formed my inward parts;
You 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!

Did you know that when the Bible speaks of the unborn babies, it is referred to and called a "child"? Many people today try to deny the fact that the life of a baby begins at conception. But if we believe that God has  authority in our lives and believe that the Bible is the book God wrote, then our thoughts, beliefs and actions will match up with what God says.
Ecclesiastes 11: 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

In this post I want to first give four examples straight out of the Bible where it describes the account of the unborn baby being called a child, and secondly I want to discuss the value of human life.

Part I

1) The Angel Speaks -- In the story of Hagar, an angel comforts her with these words - Genesis 16: 11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. - Here we see the angel referring to the unborn baby as a child.
2)  Bathsheba Speaks -- When King David commited adultery with Bathsheba, she sent word to David to inform him of her pregnancy and this is the account of it in 2 Sammuel 11: 4-5 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. Here we see that very early in the pregancy the baby is referred to as a child.
3) Matthew Speaks -- And in the New Testament in Matthew 1: 18 we read -  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Here again the unborn baby Jesus is referred to as a child.
4) Elizabeth Speaks -- Another example we can look at is where Mary visits Elizabeth who is pregnant and will soon give birth to John the Baptist. It is recorded in Luke 1. In verses 43 and 44 Elizabeth exclaims -  And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Notice how Mary is referred to as mother at this point already ( meaning that she has a child that being the unborn baby Jesus) and that Elizabeth's baby ( John the Baptist ) leaps in her womb for joy.
It is very clear here that the unborn  is not just a mass of tissue or something that a woman should have the right to rid herself of. No,  it is a human life created by God himself. The unborn are real babies and actual children. Life begins at conception. It is murder for a woman to rid herself of the baby that is growing within the safety of her womb.

Part II

The second major point that we need to consider is the sanctity of the human life. All human life is sacred because we are all created in the image of God. God made it so and He has the final word on the matter.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
 God commands that we protect and defend innocent human life from the very point of conception and to the very end of life. God promises His care for us in this way in Isaiah 46: “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
As believers we are to protect and care for all people, the healthy, the sick, the elderly, young people,babies and children, the unborn babies,  the poor, every color and race, everyone is included and no one is excluded. The value of a human life does not depend on a person's abilities to function but it is based on the fact that we are created in the image of God. Our care and compassion must reach to each person in every stage of of development and life.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thank-you for the gift of life. Thank-you for creating us in your image.  I ask Thee to deal with those who kill the little ones. Help them to see the error of their way and turn from it. We belong to You. I ask Thee Father to protect the lives of the unborn who are at risk, protect the lives of all the children and the sick, the elderly and those who are abused or  disabled in any way. Be near to each one of them and help them to feel Your love and Your nearness. In Heaven we will all be safe with You and for that I thank You. In Jesus Name Amen

You may also be interested in reading the post I wrote some time ago where I shared about the death and miscarriage of my unborn child - link here: http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/baby-darcy.html

Aborting Girl Babies- it's just Wrong!!

It's pretty hard to believe and very sad indeed to hear that here in Canada, people are aborting girl babies just because they are female. I heard about it again a couple of days ago on my local radio station - a discussion on this very topic. I find it very hard to hear these kinds of stories. I am firmly opposed to abortion and in my opinion this should not be happening here in Canada. It is unimaginable to think that anyone could disregard life like that.

According to the radio story, this practice of aborting a girl baby is being done in greater proportions by immigrant families, where in their home countries this type of abortion is an acceptable practice.  It was reported that it is even showing up in the statisical data that has been collected by the government of Canada. It was said that these immigrant families see the birth of a daughter  as a burden. They worry that a daughter will somehow dishonor the family - perhaps by adapting to the secular culture of Canada.  The daughter will not make the family's riches increase while a son will be able to earn a higher income and so the family's riches will increase and he  will be able to take care of the elderly in the family. The radio story went on to say that the birth of a son is preferred as the family name can be carried on to the next generation through a son. A son is considered a benefit to the family much like a retirement plan is a benefit to be desired.
The report stated that some hospitals in Canada are trying to discourage this practice of aborting the baby girls. If the hospital becomes aware that a family is looking to know the gender of the child simply for a possible gender based abortion, the medical professionals are refusing to inform the parents of the gender of the child until such a time as abortion would be illegal here. The problem obviously lies with the fact that people who favor abortion do not place value on the unborn human baby's life.
God is the giver of life. It is his decision to create a new life. God is the one who made us all and He is the one who invented the family.  No one should take it upon themselves to make the choice to end a human life that God has lovingly created. The Bible says very clearly that we shall not kill or murder anyone. Deuteronomy 5: 17  Thou shalt not kill.
Just to prove to everyone that God values human life, He writes in Revelation 13:10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
I would encourage anyone who is looking to have an abortion to stop that idea from going any further and rather seek help from a Christian friend and Pastor. Pray to the Lord God in Heaven, He will help you in your situation when you seek Him with your whole heart.

The Ten Commandments - Ours Today!

The Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses are the basic instructions for living found in the Bible. We are not saved by keeping them. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross where He died in our place. But the Ten Commandments are still very important because they clearly and simply show us what God expects from a person who says that he belongs to the LORD.  I would like to go through the commands and see what we can learn for our everyday lives.  The Lord Jesus says in Mark 12: 29-31 :  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
³⁰ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

So Jesus says we are to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  As we look at the Ten Commandments we will see these exact two points over and over again within every one of  the Commandments:
So what are the Ten Commandments and where are they found in the Bible. They are written for us in Exodus 20.

Commandment 1
There is only One God - There is no other
Exodus 20: 2-3  I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Commandment 2
Worship only God - God requires our complete devotion and loyalty that is 100%.  We cannot be divided in our loyalty. We cannot love both God and the world at the same time.
Exodus 20: 4-6   Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;    And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
   
Commandment 3
Keep God's Name holy and with honor. If we are claiming the Name of Christ and say that we are Christians and we still live in sinful lifestyles, we are not giving the Name of the LORD the honor that He deserves nor are we keeping it holy. Also we are not to use the Name of the LORD as a swear word to just to express surprise or horror. We are to honor the Name of the LORD keeping it only for Him.
Exodus 20: 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain

Commandment 4
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Since the Lord Jesus Christ rose on the first day of the week, that is on Sunday, we now have Sunday as our Sabbath Day. It is a day to rest, and to focus on our Lord with more intensity, to be with our family, and to refrain from doing unnecessary work. We are not to work nor are we to have others working in our businesses on a Sunday.  Things that are needed like preparing food or providing medical help or other physical supports for people must obviously continue to be done even in our Sabbath.
Exodus 20: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Commandment 5
Honor your parents - your Father and Mother  Children show honor and respect to parents by obeying them, doing what the parent asks, and not talking back or lying etc. As adults we still need to honor and respect our parents which then looks more like a solid friendship with our parents and we take care of them as they become elderly.
Exodus 20: 12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Commandment 6
Never kill another person. This includes things such as abortion and euthanasia or mercy killing. God is the giver of all life and only He is the One allowed to end a life. God does not allow murder.
Exodus 20:13  Thou shalt not kill.

Commandment 7
Do not commit adultery - This is a big one in our day and age. Christians are not obeying Christ in this matter. Men and women while being married are getting involved with another person, affairs and sex outside of marriage. Pornography and lust are also included in this commandment. God will judge those who take part in sexual immorality.
Exodus 20: 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Commandment 8
Do not steal - this speaks very clearly. We are not to take what belongs to another person. This even includes stuff that no one will ever notice such as pens or paper in the office.
Exodus 20: 15 Thou shalt not steal.

Commandment 9
Do not tell lies. Lies are used to cover up. The Lord says that everything will be revealed. There is nothing hidden that will stay hidden no matter how much lying is done to cover it up.
Exodus 20: 16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Commandment 10
Do not want or desire anything belongs to another person. This includes many different things - job, possessions, house, car, money, fields, a woman, or a man,
God gives us all that we need and we are contented with His goodness to us.
Exodus 20 : 17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

So we can clearly see that if we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will have fulfilled all of the Ten Commandments of God.  If we are living with the love of Christ in our hearts we will not be lying to people or about others, we will not be living in immorality, or taking what belongs to others, we will not be killing other people. So we can see that God's way is truely the right and only way to live a good life.
God has given us these instructions in the Bible in order to help us to live a good life. God's Word helps us to have a more enjoyable and fullfilling life.

Gender Selective Abortions......

Genesis 4:9-11
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
¹⁰ And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
¹¹ And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;


This morning I was listening to the radio as I usually do as part of my morning routine. The discussion involved gender selective abortions. I was utterly disgusted to learn that this practice is going on within Manitoba's health care system. The question they were asking is whether gender selective abortions is founded in a  prejudice against a particular gender whether female or male. It's horrific to imagine that a couple would go for an ultrasound for the purpose of identifying whether their baby is boy or girl, then choose to have it aborted if it is not what they wanted. Seriously, we are not shopping for clothing or a car here, we are talking about a human life created by God Himself. We are talking about a human being's life, a life that is equally as precious as the lives of the  parents who are making these horrible decisions.  I think it is time that people realize there is a God up in Heaven and that each of us will give an account to Him for the things we have done on this earth in our lifetimes.  Abortion is the killing of a child and therefore it is murder and that is how God sees it. As the opening verses that I posted - the blood of the murdered victims cries out to God.

Romans 14:11-12
¹¹ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
 ¹² So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God

  The discussion on the radio went on to the abortion of most babies with down syndrome. Parents are encourage by their doctors to have an ultrasound to check the health of the baby. If down syndrome is detected, then abortion is recommended. This also is a horrific tragedy. God creates each human life with loving care and there is no doctor or health practioner that has the authority to recommend killing innocent children.  How can we as a nation survive if we mess with the authority of God like this? God sees and knows what is going on and such as this grieves His heart. God is God and we as people are not God, neither in a position to pretend that we are.

Psalm 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

I remember when my baby was born with down syndrome. You can read about this in the archives section of this blog. Our baby was born in the local hospital here but was rushed to Winnipeg by ambulance when it was determined that she was seriously ill. So I spent sometime in the hospital in Winnipeg as well. I remember one particular doctor in Winnipeg speaking to me about my daughter's condition and the way he spoke puzzled me. He kept implying that we would be giving her up to adoption. There was no way that I was going to give her up for adoption. So I had to tell him very plainly "We are keeping her". That changed the conversation. I could not imagine a doctor suggesting to me that I should give up my child. There had never been a question in our minds whether we would keep her.  My husband and I knew that God had planned this special baby for us, that he wanted us to love her and raise her and that really she is God's little girl. She is a gift to us for this short time on earth.

Jesus loves all children and we can plainly see that in the following verses:

Luke 18: 15-17
¹⁵ And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
¹⁶ But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
¹⁷ Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter there

So if anyone out there is considering having abortion - Please please do not give your child to be put to death.
Not for gender selection nor for a birth or growth abnormality. It is just not right to abort the baby. God will give you the strength to care for every one of the children that he gives to you - only trust Him to do so!

Baby Darcy...

April 20 - Today is the birthday of my baby named Darcy. Darcy was born in 1995 but went to be with Jesus before being born. You see Darcy passed away while within my womb and was born a couple of weeks later.
Darcy was loved and would have been a much welcomed gift into our family here on earth but that was not God's plan for our baby.
Here is some of our story - My husband and I were blessed with twin babies in 1992 and what a joy and blessing that proved to be.  The twins were soon to be three years old so I was excited to learn that I was pregnant again. But the excitement slowly faded after a while as I realized things were not going so well and wondered if perhaps the baby was gone. I knew needed to get to the doctor. The doctor checked and made sure baby was still in the womb and asked me a few questions. He wanted to know what I was thinking and I answered that I think my baby is dead. Then he asked " Why do you think that?" to which I responded - "I feel so empty inside."  To the mothers out there reading this, you will understand what I am saying. When you have a living baby growing inside of you, it is an indescribable satisfying feeling. So now since my baby had died, I felt empty. I could feel that the soul of my child had departed. The doctor immediately sent me for an ultrasound test which proved my fear true. My baby had died but was still in my womb. Next arrangements were made to induce the baby to be born. So baby Darcy was born at 12 weeks into the pregnancy. And so the grieving process began. We were fortunate to have the hospital give the baby to us to take home with us and we were able to give it a proper burial in a safe place.
Many people will say that it is only fetus, some kind of tissue and not a real baby. I will be bold to tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, it is a baby. From the point of conception it is a baby. We got to see our baby born at 12 weeks but having died possibly at least 2 weeks sooner ( the time of death remained unclear). We could clearly see the baby's eyes, little nose, chin, arms, legs. It's all there right from the very start but grows and matures with time.  So I would like to encourage anyone considering abortion to definitely not have the abortion. That would be taking a life which God has tenderly created with purpose. The commandment of God is that we do not put to death another person.
Family and friends were very kind to us in our grief. As I was in the process of grieving, one day I remembered the ultrasound that the hospital had done and I started to wonder if it would be possible for me to obtain the pictures of it as a tangible memory thing for myself. I contacted the hospital and they agreed to allow me to have the ultrasound pictures for a small fee. I treasure those pictures.
Job 1:21 says - Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Heavenly Father, Thank-you for baby Darcy. Thank-you that Darcy is safe with you and someday we will meet our precious baby. Blessed be the Name of the LORD! Amen.