Stop for a moment. Look inside at what God sees in the UNBORN. What is ABORTION, really?
Abortion. What did you think when you saw that word? Did you feel anything at all? It is such a powerful word, and people react to it in so many ways. Some get angry, but not always for the same reason. It makes some people sad, and indeed many are heartbroken over it. Abortion also provides mighty motivation as can be seen in the numerous prayer vigils, protesting, petitions, elections, court cases, and so forth that focus on this one subject. However, let us leave all of that aside and look at abortion itself. What is it really? What is it fundamentally? In other words, what does God think about abortion? For in truth, His view of abortion is the only correct position to hold. For instance, what does God call the unborn? Does He see them as fetuses, merely pieces of flesh that can be discarded at the whim of the mothers?
To get a view of God's thoughts, take a look at Luke 1:15. There we read about John the Baptist before he was born. "For he shall be great in the sight of The Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with The Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." Observe that John the Baptist was "filled with The Holy Ghost" while still in his mother's womb! Further into the chapter, in verses 41-44, we see what happened when Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, went to see Elisabeth while she was still pregnant with John the Baptist. "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with The Holy Ghost: And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 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." John the Baptist, though still unborn, "leaped for joy" inside his mother's womb when he heard the voice of Mary! So the unborn can be filled with The Holy Spirit and leap for joy. Note also that the name "John" was given by an Angel to John's father before John was even conceived in the womb (see Luke 1:13). Thus, from these proofs we determine that God knows each one of the unborn by name, as a human being, each one as an individual person. And that's not all there is for us to know of what God sees! There is so much more.
Consider what Romans 9:11 tells us regarding the twin sons of Abraham's son Isaac, saying, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil." Note that this Scripture tells us that the unborn are "children" and they are "innocent". Therefore, God sees the unborn as innocent children. Moreover, we find in Psalm 127:3, "Lo, children are an heritage of The Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Hence, in looking at God's view of the unborn children, we can also add these two descriptions, "a heritage of The Lord" and "His reward". So when someone speaks of an "unwanted pregnancy" they are actually saying that "the heritage of The Lord and His reward are unwelcome".
In Proverb 6:16-19 we find, "six things doth The Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...." Is there any wonder that the list of these things that God hates most contains "hands that shed innocent blood?" As we have seen, the written Word of God tells us plainly that the unborn child is innocent. Consequently, if a person deliberately kills, or takes life away from, or terminates before natural completion of, an unborn child, then that person's hands "shed innocent blood". The defenders of abortion argue that abortion must be allowed in the cases of rape and incest. Let us ignore that argument for the moment and consider that tens of millions of babies (families?, peoples?, nations?) have been killed while still in their mothers' wombs. How many instances of those were for rape or incest? Is it one in a million, or one in a hundred thousand? Even if it is the latter, it means that for every pregnancy due to rape or incest, ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine babies are killed who were not for rape or incest. The fact is... we are not told what the real ratio is, and that's because the rape-incest argument is a fraud and a smoke-screen to stir up emotions, in order to hide the reality of the horror, the truth that is abortion.
Imagine a small, close-knit community where everyone is secure. There is no crime, no deceit, and no cheating. The people there are well-fed and every need is met. Only Heaven can provide a better life. Now imagine this serenity suddenly shattered by the terrifying sound of death-dealing machinery. It is a surgical strike, designed to kill the inhabitants while leaving the infrastructure intact. Next, uniformed professionals come in, inspect the scene, then dismembering all they find in order to make sure the slaughter is complete.
That, Gentle Reader, is Abortion.
Special heartfelt thanks to our long-time friend, partner, and co-writer Mr. Bennie Nelson, and to all of our faithful partners without whom the works of TTM would not be possible. To those who have given up houses, lands, relationships, jobs, and their very lives to diligently pursue oneness with God, and resist all manner of distractions to fulfilling God's plan, we dedicate this work to you. In Christ, Keith, Brenda, and Team TTM.
"But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire." (1 Thessalonians 2:17) "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full." (2 John 1:12)"
If you have not invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior in your life, stop right where you are and pray this in communication with God, "Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and The Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as those that I am not even aware of. I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, I pray, Amen." And AMEN!!!WELCOME HOME!
If you have just prayed this prayer, we want to congratulate you for making the greatest decision that you'll ever make! By accepting Jesus Christ, or rededicating your life to Him, as your personal Lord and Savior, you have begun the wonderful process of being grafted into the family of God, and we welcome you "Home" to God's Family. We would also like to invite you to contact us so that we can send you information that will help you begin growing in your relationship and daily walk with God. We would encourage you to begin attending a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.
You will want to begin reading The Holy Bible at least daily, whether you understand it or not. Always remember, God's written Word in The Holy Bible is like no other book that has ever been written! When we rendezvous with The Person of The Holy Spirit as we read what God has written there, it becomes stored in our heart for The Holy Spirit to access and use in bringing The Truth to remembrance. You will find The Scriptures to be applicable to just what you are going through, at any given time!
There are wonderful Bible teachers we would encourage you to begin to receive good teaching from, especially early in your walk with God. However, those programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. There will be times when the transformation process that you have now begun will be difficult, and you will be tempted to go back to your old ways of living your old life you turned away from to pursue God and His Will. During those difficult times, it will be especially, crucially important for you to have connections with strong Christian friends and mentors... It's a fact that there really IS strength in numbers!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to be among the first to welcome you into the Family of God... right where you "belong", now and always! Selah and AMEN!
Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.".
And, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN!
You might consider using our book XII SMOOTH STONES, special collection of 12 of our original, most-requested teaching titles:
No Matter What!
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The Magnetic Mantle or Why Cats... Have Kitties;
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Fire, Pressure, and Them Slithery... Snakes
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The Ultimate Home Gym
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Vampires In The Church
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STOP...
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The Great Deception
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The Invisible Man
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God Is So Much Bigger Than You Think!
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Die Empty!
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Building Godly Friendships
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The Secret To A Happy Life
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This collection of twelve teachings, when taken to heart, will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations... "XII Smooth Stones" available at TowardTheMark online.
Would you write and let us know how this message has fanned the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His Ways, and for God's Plan for your life? If you would like to request a special order of our book "XII Smooth Stones" or any product from Keith Shealy and Toward The Mark, or if you have questions about our work, resources, or giving tax-deductible donations, please click here to e-mail us. We welcome you to also feel free to write us a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
May you be greatly blessed as God writes this message in your heart. We praise Him, with eternal gratitude, for our loving Toward The Mark Family without whose help and support this work would not be possible!
Your friends and servants in Christ,
To Show GOD BIG in a world that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. We are praying for you to be encouraged and edified by our written and recorded product accounts from The Gospel that Jesus Christ preached in our written and recorded products.
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. We are praying for you to be encouraged and edified by our written and recorded product accounts from The Gospel that Jesus Christ preached in our written and recorded products.
We couldn't do this without the help of our friends!
The blog message you have just read, along with each of our original podcast, music, and video recordings, CDs, books, magazines, and other resources in our ministry collection is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Family. If you would like to become a part of the TTM Family, your monthly financial support of any amount will help fulfilling God's call on our lives to make Holy-Bible-based messages available to the churched and un-churched alike. You are invited to partner with us in working with God to fulfill His desire for everybody to know Christ Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life...personally. We "... press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward helping to provide effective, practical outreach tools for ministering the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ.
The blog message you have just read, along with each of our original podcast, music, and video recordings, CDs, books, magazines, and other resources in our ministry collection is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Family. If you would like to become a part of the TTM Family, your monthly financial support of any amount will help fulfilling God's call on our lives to make Holy-Bible-based messages available to the churched and un-churched alike. You are invited to partner with us in working with God to fulfill His desire for everybody to know Christ Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life...personally. We "... press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward helping to provide effective, practical outreach tools for ministering the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ.
Every gift is appreciated and helps.
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the vision and mission God has given to this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
We INVITE YOU...
see and hear, follow and share, more TowardTheMark messages of God:
~ Keith and Brenda "Between The Lines" Podcast on TTM's Libsyn Channel
