A Biblical Motivation For Sidewalk Ministry

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:06.000 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, sin. Welcome 2 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:10.029 to the Gospel Center prayer life podcast. There's various motivations that people have for 3 00:00:10.189 --> 00:00:14.189 getting involved in Ministry at our local abortion center, and this episode we examine 4 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:17.350 some of those motivations and then we look at what we believe should be our 5 00:00:17.350 --> 00:00:26.260 primary motivation for ministry. Say tuned me, Lord. I felt show passish 6 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:39.409 touch your heart. Welcome back to the Gospel centered prayer life podcasts. Appreciate 7 00:00:39.450 --> 00:00:42.810 you guys joining us and, as always, we appreciate if you guys would 8 00:00:42.810 --> 00:00:47.490 share this podcast with others on show the social media, however else you would 9 00:00:47.490 --> 00:00:51.560 share things like that. We just want to be a blessing to people. 10 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:57.600 Want to equip people and encourage people, specifically folks that are involved in sidewalk 11 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:02.200 ministry at abortion centers, but in any area of pro life ministry. We 12 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.670 want to want to help, equip and encourage people. Amen, this is 13 00:01:06.709 --> 00:01:11.430 a necessary battle that we as believers need to fight and we want people to 14 00:01:11.469 --> 00:01:15.870 be well equipped to fight this battle in a way that honors the Lord. 15 00:01:15.870 --> 00:01:19.500 Yes, and so we're going to talk in this episode about very important topic 16 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:26.299 as it pertains to any kind of ministry, but in particular the sidewalk ministry 17 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:30.260 in front of abortion centers. Okay, and that's our motivation for ministry, 18 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:34.890 because I think really this podcast, this episode, could apply to any area 19 00:01:34.010 --> 00:01:38.650 of ministry, but since our area of ministry is sidewall counseling and abortion centers, 20 00:01:38.689 --> 00:01:41.930 we're going to focus on that. But Hey, was that if you 21 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.650 got other folks that you know? Maybe they're not ministering as of yet in 22 00:01:46.730 --> 00:01:49.680 front of an abortion center, but they're minister and other capacities. There's all 23 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.959 kinds of things that God calls his church to do, not just abortion center 24 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:59.319 ministry, although we feel like that's, I would say, the most important 25 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:02.189 ministry, just not because we're involved in it, because children are dying. 26 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:07.510 Yeah, but not to go in a rabbit shaw with that. I think 27 00:02:07.549 --> 00:02:10.189 this would be a blessing to people at all areas of ministry. So please 28 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:14.909 do share it and we'll give you, guys, as we always do, 29 00:02:14.949 --> 00:02:17.060 our email addresses at the end if you have things that you want to add 30 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:20.740 or things that you subjects you want us to cover. It may be a 31 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:24.060 different angle to this subject that you think would be a blessing. We'd certainly 32 00:02:24.060 --> 00:02:28.180 love to hear that from you, but let's jump into this, Vicky. 33 00:02:28.379 --> 00:02:34.770 Yeah. Yeah, our desire is that if someone decides they want to Minister 34 00:02:35.090 --> 00:02:37.770 on the sidewalk of an abortion center, that they're in it for the long 35 00:02:37.849 --> 00:02:42.169 haul. Yeah, and we see so many people disappear so quickly. You 36 00:02:42.569 --> 00:02:46.479 fall away because of discouragement, and I think a large part of that discouragement 37 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:50.039 arises from what was their motivation for? Yeah, for being out there. 38 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.319 Absolutely. So, if you can identify early on what your motivation is and 39 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:57.039 if it's one of them, that what we say is, okay, we 40 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.030 understand it, yeah, but it's not going to be the one that's going 41 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:05.590 to sustain you. Maybe you can realign your priorities of why you are out 42 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:09.469 there. Yeah, that was the purpose of writing this article. So the 43 00:03:09.550 --> 00:03:15.219 the first one that I think everyone can identify with as a motivation, and 44 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:19.379 I think all these were going to mention, all of us have all of 45 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:23.460 these motivations if we're out on that sidewalk. But I guess in a way 46 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:28.569 what we're trying to point out is it can't be your primary motivation until we 47 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:30.289 get to the last one. That should be what and we're not going to 48 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:32.729 tell you what that is to the end. So listen to hope, to 49 00:03:32.770 --> 00:03:38.009 stated kiss. That's right. But so the first one is just the horror 50 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:43.919 and grief of abortion. Yeah, yeah, I mean we should be understanding 51 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.639 the truth of what abortion actually is. We should be horrified by it. 52 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:51.240 Yeah, it should. It should burden our hearts, it should grieve our 53 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:54.199 hearts because it grieves the heart of God. Yeah, I mean, what 54 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:59.789 are we actually talking about? Because we can get ourselves into all kinds, 55 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:04.349 I think I've shared this on podcasts before, because we can get ourselves and 56 00:04:04.389 --> 00:04:09.550 all kinds of mindsets, and we can, we could, we could forget, 57 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:13.419 like what we're actually talking about. And I had a situation a couple 58 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:15.339 of months ago, maybe a year or so ago, where this kind of 59 00:04:15.459 --> 00:04:18.139 came to bear for me, and it was when I was going through our 60 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:21.420 pamphlet, our hope is here pamphlet that we hand out of the abortion centers, 61 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:26.449 and I was kind of refining the part in the middle that panel that 62 00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:29.930 talks about abortion procedures. Write what happens in it, what happens and an 63 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:31.889 abortion, and so we have, at different stages of development, also the 64 00:04:31.970 --> 00:04:35.689 different types of abortions, the cost. Yeah, and so we have all 65 00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:39.600 of that there. As I'm going through, I get toward the end of 66 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:44.759 it when I'm doing third trimester abortion and kind of explaining what's going on there 67 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.120 and try to really be technical about it, because I think it's important for 68 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:51.560 us to know these things and use technical terms but also practical terms it people 69 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:55.990 can relate to it. All of that and I just stopped kind of in 70 00:04:56.389 --> 00:05:00.670 mid sentence when I was kind of refining one point and I begin to think, 71 00:05:00.709 --> 00:05:03.870 okay, what am I what am I writing about? Yeah, and 72 00:05:03.990 --> 00:05:10.300 it came just fresh to my mind. I'm riding and I'm getting technical and 73 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:12.860 I'm not that it's bad or anything like that, but let's let me not 74 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:16.339 lose the reality what I'm actually talking about, that I'm not just talking about 75 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:23.569 abortion as a medical procedure, but I'm talking about the murder of innocent children, 76 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:26.610 right, and in that moment it was and I think this is this 77 00:05:26.769 --> 00:05:30.209 happens and shit happen to us on a regular basis where we're reminded, because 78 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:33.730 we can lose the grasp of what we're really dealing with and it can become 79 00:05:33.730 --> 00:05:39.399 technical and it can become just just another ministry or just another aspect of our 80 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:43.920 walk with God or something like that. Right, we need to be gripped 81 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.360 with the horror of abortion. We do. And if, but if we 82 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:54.910 stay there, if we stay ripped continually while we're on the sidewalk, several 83 00:05:54.990 --> 00:05:59.589 hours a day, sometimes several days a week, for many people just one 84 00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:04.180 day week. But nonetheless, if that's what we are experiencing predominantly while we're 85 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:10.660 out there, we will burn out. Oh Yeah, because you cannot sustain 86 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:16.579 that level of horror and grief for very long without just being drained of everything 87 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:20.970 inside of you. So there has to be something that. I think what 88 00:06:21.250 --> 00:06:25.649 what you pointed out. I do think that needs to be revisited on a 89 00:06:25.730 --> 00:06:30.649 regular basis for anyone who's involved in sidewalk ministry. But it can't be where 90 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:33.560 we live, right because if that's where we live, where we are going 91 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:39.040 to be just so sad all the time. The first day most people come 92 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:42.040 out, they cry. They often try to fight their tears and I always 93 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:46.199 say no, this is appropriate. You should be crying, you should be 94 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.829 grieving, but but then you need to get to work. God has given 95 00:06:50.870 --> 00:06:58.310 you a purpose out here and it's very hard to complete that if you're overwhelmed 96 00:06:58.790 --> 00:07:02.019 by grief. Yeah, yeah, and so, as we mentioned, we 97 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:08.540 should be horrified, we should be grieved by abortion, but it cannot be 98 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:14.300 our primary motivation and it cannot be and it is not a sustaining motivation. 99 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:19.370 And I will submit that people that I have had experiences with in this world 100 00:07:19.449 --> 00:07:24.129 of ministry that have kind of gone off the rails and just become almost like 101 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:30.959 nutcases. Yeah, have been people that they're motivation and there their daily thought 102 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:34.040 is the horror of abortion, right, and so I'll say we cannot be 103 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:40.160 motivated and should not be motivated by the horror of abortion, but the beauty 104 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:44.120 of Jesus, abortion is a terrible thing and I do think it needs to 105 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:48.430 be in say in the peripheral but at least a motivation, but it cannot 106 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:53.550 be the primary motivation, I even say, for those that are involved. 107 00:07:53.589 --> 00:07:57.790 We can become desensitized to the reality of abortion, and so I do think, 108 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:00.660 like you mentioned and like I mentioned earlier, that we need to revisit 109 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.259 this, we need to be gripped afresh by it. Yeah, and I 110 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:07.899 do think we need to. I mean I want I make myself on a 111 00:08:07.980 --> 00:08:13.930 regular basis. Look at the graphic images of abortion. I don't like looking 112 00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:18.850 at those, but I need to be reminded of what we are allowing as 113 00:08:18.930 --> 00:08:22.290 human beings. Yeah, that it really does grieve the heart of God. 114 00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:26.129 But again, I cannot I cannot stay there, I cannot dwell on that 115 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:31.120 constantly, or my heart will be consumed just with the horror of abortion rather 116 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:33.960 than the glory of Jesus. Right. And you speak out of in all 117 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.600 of these things, you are going to speak out of what your motivation is, 118 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:41.750 and it does change your tone. I think your tone is dependent on 119 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:45.789 which one of these are your primary motive, motivation, and we talked a 120 00:08:45.830 --> 00:08:48.269 lot about how the tone is critical. Yeah, maybe more so than even 121 00:08:48.269 --> 00:08:52.629 the words that we use as route ministering. Yeah. So let me come 122 00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:58.220 to the second one, the desire to help the moms in heart circumstances. 123 00:08:58.460 --> 00:09:01.899 Yeah, a great desire, absolutely great motivation. We're called to do that, 124 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:05.700 without a doubt. It's biblical. Yeah, it's a biblical motivation for 125 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:11.929 yeah. Yeah, but we know one who ministers in front of an abortion 126 00:09:11.049 --> 00:09:16.090 center is out there very long before they realize that quite often these MOMS really 127 00:09:16.129 --> 00:09:20.490 don't even want our how? Yeah, they're they they are angry, they 128 00:09:20.570 --> 00:09:30.519 are often very abusive towards us in their language and even threatening, and their 129 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:35.559 stories are often very tragic. Yeah, but but most of the time what 130 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.149 I have found is, yes, there are in some cases things that they 131 00:09:39.230 --> 00:09:41.590 could not prevent, that they could not help, but I would say in 132 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:48.750 the vast majority of the cases it's been a series of very poor, anti 133 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:52.019 good choices, yeah, that have led them to that place. Yeah, 134 00:09:52.419 --> 00:10:01.940 and and their circumstances are often so terrible that it would take truly a trained 135 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:09.129 team of social workers community resources to be able to help them. And if 136 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:16.970 your primary motivation is that get these moms out of these hard circumstances, you'll 137 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:20.169 fail. Yeah, you will fail. Yeah, I mean a lot of 138 00:10:20.210 --> 00:10:24.279 times they don't want to be out of those hard circumstances. I think personally, 139 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:28.360 and I know you've experienced this before, about domestic abuse situation. Yes, 140 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:33.559 we've encountered those. We did podcast about those and it's as strange as 141 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:39.710 it sounds, we have dealt with women who are in domestic abuse situations and 142 00:10:39.789 --> 00:10:43.470 we've done everything we can to try to get him out of those situations. 143 00:10:43.549 --> 00:10:46.429 Even find like save houses and stuff like like that, and it's almost like 144 00:10:46.549 --> 00:10:50.700 drug addiction when they go back to the man. Yep, that didn't always 145 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:54.740 happen, but it happens often times. Yeah, and if your motivation, 146 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:58.700 your primary motivation, is to help these poor innocent women in their circumstances and 147 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:03.220 you find out very quickly that they don't want your help, that they're even 148 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:07.889 though you got them out of that domestic abuse situation, they're just going to 149 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:11.370 go right back into it, you're going to get deflated real quick, you're 150 00:11:11.409 --> 00:11:16.889 going to get discouraged real quick and you're going to find yourself no longer involved 151 00:11:16.929 --> 00:11:20.600 in ministry now again. It doesn't mean that this can't be a motivation. 152 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:24.200 A love for other people should be a motivation as believers in Jesus, but 153 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:30.000 it can't be our primary and sustaining motivation. Right, and I think love 154 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:35.190 life coming along has really helped in this area, because they really are two 155 00:11:35.230 --> 00:11:39.990 separate areas. Sidewalk, being out there on the sidewalk trying to convince Mot's 156 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:45.389 not to kill the baby and and then providing for the ongoing needs that will 157 00:11:45.429 --> 00:11:50.659 help make an honest life change. And love life provides mentorship programs in training 158 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:54.860 for mentors so that the sidewalk counts are really doesn't need to be doing that. 159 00:11:56.019 --> 00:11:58.340 Should in fact shouldn't be doing that because it's too much. Yeah, 160 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:03.649 so burned out she you do. And you know, I know one story 161 00:12:03.929 --> 00:12:07.610 of a woman that we've helped many times over the years, fully furnished. 162 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:11.529 It was before she started, before love life came along. So I was 163 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:16.840 kind of her mentor and I can remember at least three separate times when she 164 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:22.960 got a new apartment, lost the old one, needed new furniture and we 165 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.240 got it. We got her the furniture, we got her Washer, dryer 166 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:30.590 and everything, and then she loses the apartment and I have no idea what 167 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:33.429 happened to all those that stuff. Yeah, but it disappears and we're just 168 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:37.590 doing it over and over and over again, and that is not unusual. 169 00:12:37.909 --> 00:12:43.230 The cycle of poverty is very hard, yeah, to break out of. 170 00:12:43.070 --> 00:12:48.580 So so anyway, so it's we should desire to help moms but, like 171 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:52.460 you said, it should not be our prime reason for why we're out there. 172 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:56.940 Yeah, yeah, I know. I've experienced in just seeing new people 173 00:12:56.019 --> 00:13:01.210 come along and some of the questions I ask, and even in the applications 174 00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:03.610 that we get people to fill out like what do you feel, why do 175 00:13:03.690 --> 00:13:09.409 you feel called to this ministry? And I don't. I don't marginalize people 176 00:13:09.450 --> 00:13:11.370 and I don't write them all if they write certain things, but I can 177 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:15.039 tell if they write you know, why are you, why do you feel 178 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:16.720 called this ministry, that you know, I want to help these poor women 179 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:22.240 who need someone to be there. I think we kind of zero in on 180 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.440 that and we make sure that, yeah, that's a good motivation, it 181 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:28.909 might bring you out there, but it's not a sustaining motivation and we try 182 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:35.190 to direct them toward actually, our primary motivation is what we're going to talk 183 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:37.429 about the end. Going to give that. We're gonna give you keep. 184 00:13:37.429 --> 00:13:41.779 It's not a big keeping surprising. Yeah, but when I read that kind 185 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:46.899 of stuff, or even like my wife, who's a ultrasound nurse right she 186 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:50.340 has nurses that come along who want to get trained up to do ultrasound and 187 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:52.460 they kind of have this idea that they're going to show up with the awesome 188 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:56.009 power of ultrasound and they're going to change the world. All these women are 189 00:13:56.009 --> 00:13:58.649 going to flock to them for free ultrasounds. Hey, they're going to choose 190 00:13:58.690 --> 00:14:01.690 life because the ultrasound and all of that. It's like, well, that's 191 00:14:01.809 --> 00:14:03.490 cute. Yeah, but you're going to find out how you're going to do 192 00:14:03.529 --> 00:14:09.919 ultrasounds on women who don't necessarily want the ultrasound but for whatever reason they came 193 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:15.000 on the board, the mobile ultrasound unit. Yeah, and but they're not 194 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.080 very happy with you. Right, they're not really happy with some of the 195 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:22.000 things you're saying. Now. Thank God that most of the time by the 196 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:24.909 time we get them on the ultrasound unit their hearts are softened and all of 197 00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:26.350 that. Right, but if you think you're going to show up with the 198 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:30.269 power of ultrasound, you're going to show up with the power of your your 199 00:14:30.389 --> 00:14:33.789 voice, and these poor little innocent women are going to just flock to you, 200 00:14:33.309 --> 00:14:37.549 I'm going to say you're going to be sadly disappointed. You are going 201 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:41.899 to meet this here is. They don't necessarily they again, we've shared stories 202 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:46.100 where there are plenty of women that come that are just looking for someone to 203 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:50.379 share with them and they're praying for a sign and all of that. Yeah, 204 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:56.009 yeah, not not to discount that, but so many more are there 205 00:14:56.129 --> 00:14:58.730 and they don't want to hear from you. You've got to have another you've 206 00:14:58.730 --> 00:15:03.929 got to have a some other things sustaining you to be out there rather than 207 00:15:03.009 --> 00:15:07.360 just a love for the women, even love for the babies. Right, 208 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.200 right, and and we're actually going to get to that as a motivation. 209 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:13.559 The love of the baby be as supposed to love it. But but not 210 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:18.320 yet. Our next one, and this one I have seen maybe people burn 211 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:24.110 out the quickest this one. Political beliefs. Your political beliefs are your motivation. 212 00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:28.870 You belong to one party or another. Yeah, you feel that party 213 00:15:28.990 --> 00:15:33.309 is the salvation. They it's it's that party is what's going to change the 214 00:15:33.389 --> 00:15:39.379 face of abortion. And you're the type that your political beliefs then make you 215 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:43.860 believe that if you can just change the law, if you can just outlaw 216 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:48.980 abortion, abolish abortion, if you can just limit abortion, whatever, and 217 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:54.169 you know, I don't want to get into the argument of abolishing versus incrementalism. 218 00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:58.929 We have done a podcast on that. Yeah, but that you think 219 00:15:58.929 --> 00:16:03.690 it belongs in the political realm. There is a political solution and you join 220 00:16:03.769 --> 00:16:08.480 the political groups and your pres sent on the sidewalk sometimes looks more like a 221 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:15.799 political rally then like a sidewalk NSTRY. Maybe you have tracks that you're handing 222 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:21.629 out, that are pointing you to city council meetings or and none of those 223 00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:25.590 things are bad, please understand. That's not what I'm saying. But if 224 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:29.909 that is your primary motivation, again, what happens when your party loses, 225 00:16:30.429 --> 00:16:33.460 what happens when the laws don't go with the way you want? And what 226 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:37.820 I have seen as a result of this kind of a motivation is great division, 227 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:47.289 bickering and name calling if you don't fit the political agenda of whoever. 228 00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:53.529 Yeah, so it again can become greatly discouraging and follows the cycle and the 229 00:16:53.610 --> 00:16:59.970 flow of politics. Yeah, absolutely, and just practically speaking, listen, 230 00:17:00.289 --> 00:17:03.519 if the especially here in Charlotte, but I think this is this rings true 231 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.839 across the nation. Yeah, the women that were reaching out to at the 232 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:11.519 abortion centers, yeah, are typically African American women, low income people, 233 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:15.279 right, and they would typically not align themselves. It's just face it. 234 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:18.630 What we're talking about is Democrats versus Republican if your motivation is to advance the 235 00:17:18.710 --> 00:17:23.910 Republican Party, right, and you're talking about that on the sidewalk, that's 236 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:29.269 you know, you whatever, you're mentioning politicians names, you're going to shut 237 00:17:29.309 --> 00:17:32.900 the conversation down real quick. You come and you show up add an abortion 238 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:37.059 center, we if you'RE DONALD TRUMP T shirt or your make America great again 239 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:41.500 hat, right. And Yeah, it's not going to go over so well 240 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:44.259 with the people that you're desiring to reach, if your desire is to reach 241 00:17:44.369 --> 00:17:45.609 the women going into the abortion set. Yeah, and you know, the 242 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:51.250 the things that you hope to change. And but that's what I when I'm 243 00:17:51.289 --> 00:17:55.450 saying political beliefs, I also mean whatever you feel needs to be changed in 244 00:17:55.650 --> 00:18:02.680 society, as sexual revolution, the the black lives matter, the whatever it 245 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:07.200 is. If that becomes your agenda out there and you start to wear t 246 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:11.680 shirts, for example, that that have slogans, it is going to put 247 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:17.390 a wall up, yeah, between most of the people that you're trying to 248 00:18:17.589 --> 00:18:23.430 reach. Your your agenda maybe a wonderful agenda, but it's not the time 249 00:18:23.470 --> 00:18:29.980 or place for that on the sidewalk of an abortion center. Yeah, if, 250 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.259 especially if you examine, well, what do I hope to achieve out 251 00:18:33.259 --> 00:18:37.500 here? Do I hope to achieve some sort of societal change in this movement 252 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:41.410 that I feel is going the wrong way, or do I hope to honor 253 00:18:41.490 --> 00:18:48.089 God and speak for the unborn children right and change the minds and hearts of 254 00:18:48.250 --> 00:18:52.650 people bent on abortion. Yeah, I've had just the kind of a funny 255 00:18:52.650 --> 00:18:55.799 story. If you were there in this happened. But we had somebody show 256 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.920 up on the side walk on a Saturday with a Donald Trump flag, oh 257 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:02.839 dear, like wave of the Donald true flag and was hand. Imagine how 258 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:04.400 that went. Yeah, I'm not going to get into all of that. 259 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:11.630 I mean, Donald Trump whatever, right, but I don't care if Donald 260 00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:15.109 trump was a greatest politician that ever lived. Right being out in front of 261 00:19:15.150 --> 00:19:18.549 an abortion center and waiven some politicians flag, it's just not the place for 262 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:22.990 it. If you think about it, the difference, and we never say 263 00:19:22.150 --> 00:19:26.859 protesting is bad. I don't think political rallies, all that stuff that stops 264 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:29.779 great. Do that right. She's not the place where, in front of 265 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:32.660 an abortion center, because with those things, what are you trying to do? 266 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:37.859 With political rally or with a protest? You're trying to appeal to people 267 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:42.289 in positions of power, people who can influence society at large. Right, 268 00:19:42.369 --> 00:19:45.490 that's what you're trying to do in a protest. You're trying to influence society 269 00:19:45.529 --> 00:19:49.009 at large. At an abortion center, when you're doing sidewalk out reach. 270 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:55.359 You're not trying to influence the powers that be, you're trying to influence individual 271 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:59.160 mothers to choose life for their babies. It's a really good point. Yeah, 272 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:03.720 that's a really good point, for your motivation becomes very individualized it. 273 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:07.390 It needs to be looking at each and every woman walking in there and how 274 00:20:07.470 --> 00:20:11.869 can I best reach them? Yeah, it's definitely not going to be wearing 275 00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:15.829 enough or get flat flying Donald Trump flag. I guarantee that. Yeah. 276 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:19.750 Yeah, so, so you'll burn out. You'll burn out quickly if that 277 00:20:19.990 --> 00:20:25.619 is your motivation, because you'll recognize probably right away what's going to happen is 278 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:29.059 you're going to insight anger. Yeah, she in fact fury. I think 279 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:37.250 if people's if the angriest I see the pro abortion crowd and the mother's going 280 00:20:37.289 --> 00:20:41.089 in is when people show up with a political motivation and they tend to be 281 00:20:41.250 --> 00:20:45.529 the angriest people. Yeah, that I have found in my experience being on 282 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:48.730 the sidewalk. Yeah, you don't about angerish people in our side, on 283 00:20:48.930 --> 00:20:52.240 our side, on the pro life side, they tend to in my experience, 284 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.759 I could be wrong, but they seem to be the most angry yeah, 285 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.440 because they have. You know, I think quite often I would agree 286 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:03.549 with what their anger is stemming from. I do feel that there are some 287 00:21:03.750 --> 00:21:08.869 really terrible things happening to our society, not just abortion. Yeah, but 288 00:21:10.430 --> 00:21:12.630 my anger is not going to draw those women out of that place. Yeah, 289 00:21:12.829 --> 00:21:18.549 sure, and and so that then we had talked earlier. So desire 290 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:22.460 to help the mom, but then the next big desire, which is an 291 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:26.700 outflow of that, is the compassion for the baby. Yeah, and actually 292 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:32.220 the mom is sometimes your enemy. Well, I guess always in a sense, 293 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:36.410 because her being there is saying I'm going to kill the baby. Yeah, 294 00:21:36.690 --> 00:21:41.529 and so she is your enemy in terms of your agenda. If is 295 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:45.930 compassion for the baby, that's your motivation, right, which is I mean, 296 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:51.000 God bless you, you should have compassion for the baby. What's going 297 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:56.119 to happen to them is terrible. Yeah, so I would say just these 298 00:21:56.359 --> 00:22:00.119 two are very closely tied together, actually, the helping the MOMS and helping 299 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:04.630 the baby. Now, in the situation with the MOM, obviously the mom 300 00:22:04.869 --> 00:22:10.309 is ultimately that she's we've laid this out before, she's the judge and when 301 00:22:10.349 --> 00:22:14.950 that abortion takes place, if that abortion takes place, then she's a perpetrator 302 00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:18.420 of the crime as well, all right, not just the abortionist, but 303 00:22:18.539 --> 00:22:22.859 she's guilty before God as well. But we have to of course have compassion 304 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:30.329 for her understand her circumstances. We've talked about that. But the innocent victim, 305 00:22:30.410 --> 00:22:33.650 the innocent person in this whole scenario is the baby. That's sure right, 306 00:22:34.329 --> 00:22:37.769 and so we have to have compassion, and this really is a biblical 307 00:22:37.849 --> 00:22:44.130 motivation, compassion for the innocent. You look throughout the whole scripture and you'll 308 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:48.599 see very plainly God is for the innocent, and those who are for God 309 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:52.039 should be for the innocence, should be for protecting the innocent. The reason 310 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:56.920 why God judges nations is because they don't take care of the innocent, they 311 00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:00.509 don't take care of the orphan in the widow. God Judge The Nation of 312 00:23:00.589 --> 00:23:04.029 Israel for that very that very thing, hey. And so, as the 313 00:23:04.069 --> 00:23:08.509 people of God, we certainly should have as a motivation compassion for that baby. 314 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:11.630 Yes, no doubt about it. Yeah, I mean listen, Basic 315 00:23:11.750 --> 00:23:15.099 Christianity, one hundred and one Luke, chapter ten, the parable, the 316 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:18.059 Good Samaritan, the man in the ditch. Right this, this is this 317 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:22.980 baby, is the person in the ditch and there they can't speak for themselves, 318 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:30.089 they can't run way they are. They unlike the other vulnerable people groups 319 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:36.970 in our past that have been annihilated. They truly have no avenue of escape. 320 00:23:37.650 --> 00:23:42.880 Not that the other vulnerable groups did easily have escape, but they were 321 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:47.400 out of the womb. They could run, you know, they could scream, 322 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:51.559 they could, they could it raise something in their defense, even if 323 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:56.029 it's just a scream. But the baby can scream in the womb but no 324 00:23:56.150 --> 00:24:00.750 one can hear it, right. And so it is. I mean again 325 00:24:00.869 --> 00:24:03.670 it kind of goes back to that first one, the horror of abortion. 326 00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:08.069 Very similar. If your motivation is out of compassion for the baby, which 327 00:24:08.190 --> 00:24:11.339 is an important motivation. It can't eat. That can't be absent. But 328 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:18.140 if it's the primary motivation, the sad and horrific truth is most of those 329 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:22.380 babies are going to die. Yeah, so again you're going to be filled 330 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:29.369 with such overwhelming grief and sense of failure if that's your motivation, because no 331 00:24:29.529 --> 00:24:33.849 matter how wonderful a counselor you are, most of the babies are going to 332 00:24:33.970 --> 00:24:37.529 die. That is just the sad truth, right of what happens out on 333 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.000 the sidewalk. Yeah, I'll give you an example of a kind of an 334 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:45.960 extreme example of where this can really derail you. Now again, where we 335 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:51.519 are not saying this shouldn't be a motivation. This absolutely should be a motivation. 336 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:55.549 Yeah, it just cannot be your primary motivation. Yeah, and in 337 00:24:55.630 --> 00:24:57.349 all of these I think we're saying in some measure, these need to be 338 00:24:57.430 --> 00:25:02.029 a motivation, right, they just cannot be your primary motivation. Right. 339 00:25:02.549 --> 00:25:04.269 So there was a story, and I believe I may have shared this several 340 00:25:04.349 --> 00:25:07.420 times, but this is a story that just kind of sticks out of my 341 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:11.740 mind, and this is maybe I don't know, six seven years ago, 342 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:17.059 where there's a young lady who came on board the mobiultra sound unit. She 343 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:22.809 was pregnant with twins, eighteen weeks along. Wow, and the counselor and 344 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:27.690 the nurse poured into this mom every reason why she came to the abortion center, 345 00:25:27.730 --> 00:25:32.250 every struggle that she had. They gave her a corresponding resource. We're 346 00:25:32.289 --> 00:25:34.210 going to help you, you're not alone in this thing. So there are. 347 00:25:34.329 --> 00:25:37.880 There is every reason for her to choose life for and I'm sure they 348 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:41.319 saw the baby on the ultrasound which, as eighteen weeks I mean you can 349 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.680 see everything. Yeah. Well, again, she was a mother of twins, 350 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:48.200 and twins, so twins, she said so too, of those babies 351 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:52.789 on the ultrasound yeah, very clearly at that point you could tell whether or 352 00:25:52.829 --> 00:25:57.069 not there boys and girls. All of that, they gave her again, 353 00:25:57.109 --> 00:26:03.150 every reason to choose life, going to walk with her and, of course, 354 00:26:03.190 --> 00:26:06.940 out of compassion for those babies and a love for her, they're pouring 355 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:10.299 everything into her. Right, but at the end of the day, she 356 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:14.220 stepped right out of that mobile atra sound unit, walked right into the abortion 357 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:18.529 center and kill those twin babies eighteen weeks. Yeah, now you think about 358 00:26:18.569 --> 00:26:23.970 that. How did that feel to the counselor who poured everything they could into 359 00:26:25.009 --> 00:26:29.210 that mother, who who visually was in the room when those babies were in 360 00:26:29.210 --> 00:26:32.650 the ultrasound screen? There's no denying that these are human beings, right, 361 00:26:32.690 --> 00:26:36.000 there's no denying that for everyone who was in that room, including the mother. 362 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:37.839 Yeah, does that feel for the nurse? Right, and tell you 363 00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:45.160 what can happen in those situations is self doubt. Am I even called to 364 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:49.069 this ministry? Is this ministry even effective? Right, that's that's the things 365 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:52.029 that the devil wants to play in your mind and our flesh plays in our 366 00:26:52.069 --> 00:26:55.869 mind. All Gosh, I should have said this. If I if I 367 00:26:55.910 --> 00:26:57.150 would have did this, if I wouldn't have did that, then she wouldn't 368 00:26:57.150 --> 00:27:00.430 have walked out of this, this mobile. Just so on, you didn't 369 00:27:00.430 --> 00:27:03.380 kill those baby. Here is all these things that can come. Yeah, 370 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:07.339 and even like the potential to neutralize you from this battle. If you, 371 00:27:07.779 --> 00:27:11.579 if you were only motivation or if your primary motivation is a love for those 372 00:27:11.619 --> 00:27:15.619 babies and you're seeing things like that take plays, then you're going to be 373 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:18.049 quickly neutralized and you're not going to be on the sidewalk anymore. Yeah, 374 00:27:18.250 --> 00:27:23.049 now, no matter what your motivation is, there's not a person alive who 375 00:27:23.049 --> 00:27:26.809 wouldn't be grieving when that, when that, when that mom walks off of 376 00:27:26.930 --> 00:27:32.559 that mobile. Ultra sound unit. I've been there, I know I've. 377 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:34.640 I'd had a similar situation. I didn't, we didn't see the baby, 378 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:40.880 but I spent I don't know, half an hour pouring car side into someone 379 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:47.670 just last week and I really gave everything I knew to give, including descriptions 380 00:27:47.710 --> 00:27:49.750 of the baby. They were fairly far along and talking about what that baby 381 00:27:49.789 --> 00:27:55.750 could and couldn't do and the development of that child. And and they went 382 00:27:55.829 --> 00:27:59.579 in any way. They drove away at first and then circled back and and 383 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:03.700 so there was then the hope that they had changed their mind, and then 384 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:06.539 they circled back and they told me they'd change their mind, but they circled 385 00:28:06.539 --> 00:28:11.140 back and and I just felt I felt like collapsing. Yeah, I was 386 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:17.410 so worn out from that battle, that spiritual battle, and that's a that's 387 00:28:17.450 --> 00:28:19.890 a natural response in no matter what your motivation is, and we are all 388 00:28:21.009 --> 00:28:26.640 going to be discouraged and sad when that happens. But because I hope and 389 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:30.799 pray my primary motivation is one of these ones, were going to get to 390 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:33.759 at the end. I was able to recover from it. I was able 391 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:37.599 to get past it. Let it go. Know, this was it. 392 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:44.029 It's what happens. It happens, and it wasn't my fault, anymore than 393 00:28:44.390 --> 00:28:47.589 if they had chosen life, it would have been my victory. Right. 394 00:28:48.190 --> 00:28:52.509 So, so it's not a bad motivation and we should grieve when they walk 395 00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:57.500 in there and that baby that we have fought for so hard is killed anyway. 396 00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:03.740 But you will you will be quickly. I love the word derailed. 397 00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:08.140 They Satan will derail you from your mission. Yeah, if that is why 398 00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:12.529 you're out there. Yeah, yeah, but if that is the prim primary 399 00:29:14.009 --> 00:29:17.410 yea out there. Yeah. So the next someone we're going to talk about, 400 00:29:18.329 --> 00:29:21.609 and the Bible says be angry and sin not. So anger is not 401 00:29:21.730 --> 00:29:26.480 a bad thing, right, in every situation. But one of the motivations 402 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:30.799 that I've seen and I've seen others come out there, the primary motivation is 403 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:34.400 anger at the murder of the innocence. Yeah, and really a desire for 404 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:41.190 justice. Right, we should want justice. We should desire for people who 405 00:29:41.230 --> 00:29:44.789 are doing evil to be held to account. Right, we should be angry. 406 00:29:44.910 --> 00:29:48.630 Listen, Plan parenthood is a wicked entity. We should hate plant parenthood, 407 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:52.430 not the people, I don't think as believers we have the allowance to 408 00:29:52.509 --> 00:29:57.700 hate people, but everything that they stand for. We should hate everything plan 409 00:29:57.740 --> 00:30:03.420 parenthood stands for. We should hate, right, the fact that they're involved 410 00:30:03.619 --> 00:30:07.809 in, just as an entity, the murder of more human beings in any 411 00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:11.769 other entity on the face of the planet. All right, we should be 412 00:30:11.849 --> 00:30:15.410 angered at that. The fact that we as a society moving on from plan 413 00:30:15.529 --> 00:30:19.049 parenthood and abortion centers and all that other stuff. But just as a society 414 00:30:19.089 --> 00:30:23.759 and political systems. Talking of again about a political motivation, the Democrat Party 415 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:29.000 being as wicked and pro abortion as they are. We should be angry at 416 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:32.839 that. We should want justice, we should pray that God brings justice, 417 00:30:32.839 --> 00:30:36.910 we should pray that God would grant repentance to the people that are in positions 418 00:30:36.950 --> 00:30:42.549 of power and Democrats and Republicans alike right who are pro abortion. And so 419 00:30:42.589 --> 00:30:48.549 I think it can be in some sense a motivation be angry and sin not 420 00:30:48.750 --> 00:30:52.819 who should be angered? We should be stirred up over injustice. Yeah, 421 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:56.460 will seek justice. Seek justice is over and over a praise in the Bible 422 00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:59.380 with it. And we are made in the image of God and God is 423 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:03.779 a just God. He is a god of justice. So the desire for 424 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:11.410 justice for that child is is an important biblical motivation. But again, just 425 00:31:11.609 --> 00:31:17.369 like in all of those other ones, the reality is most of the time, 426 00:31:17.930 --> 00:31:22.640 well, we're going to see on that sidewalk, is injustice appearing to 427 00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:27.119 win? Yeah, yeah, and so if our primary motivation is justice and 428 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:32.160 we're not seeing justice day by day, right, we're going to get derailed. 429 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:33.710 Yeah, we're going to get deflated, we're going to get discouraged. 430 00:31:33.950 --> 00:31:37.950 Yeah, and so the reason why bitter. I think, what a word 431 00:31:37.990 --> 00:31:41.710 we haven't used up to up to this point, and I think it's critical 432 00:31:41.789 --> 00:31:45.549 because I see it's I do see it. I see it creeping in easily, 433 00:31:45.710 --> 00:31:52.460 a root of bitterness at what you face because you're so angry, there's 434 00:31:52.539 --> 00:31:57.180 so much injustice, there's so much horror that in you begin to be filled 435 00:31:57.539 --> 00:32:02.609 with bitterness. Yeah, and if you're filled with bitterness, that's what comes 436 00:32:02.650 --> 00:32:06.690 out of right. Yeah. And if that's what comes out of you, 437 00:32:06.849 --> 00:32:12.130 guaranteed that's what the women are hearing and that's not what they need to be 438 00:32:12.329 --> 00:32:15.329 right. Yeah, that's not going to change their hearts. Yeah. Yeah, 439 00:32:15.369 --> 00:32:19.000 we're in in one sense, not offering them anything more than they already 440 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:22.279 have. They're already better. Angry. Yeah, overwhelmed. They know, 441 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:25.039 they know life hasn't been just for different reasons. They don't always connect that 442 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:30.670 they're being unjust right towards that child. But but, yeah, so, 443 00:32:30.069 --> 00:32:35.750 so justice. Frankly, it's not going to be served here on earth. 444 00:32:35.869 --> 00:32:38.829 Right. Yeah, I in some ways it will be. In some ways, 445 00:32:38.869 --> 00:32:43.950 our hope is, when abortion comes to an end, that these abortionists 446 00:32:43.950 --> 00:32:47.539 are brought to justice. And people that are involved in abortion to we we 447 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:52.500 want justice. We should desire justice. I believe that's a godly desire, 448 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:57.099 our desire for justice that even people that are that are godless, even so 449 00:32:57.220 --> 00:33:00.849 called atheist, Yep, there's a sense of justice they desire. Yeah, 450 00:33:00.890 --> 00:33:02.769 right, and we should never stop fighting for justice. Right, we should. 451 00:33:02.809 --> 00:33:07.089 We should desire justice and the Bible says seek justice, Love Mercy and 452 00:33:07.170 --> 00:33:10.609 we'll comely with our God. We should seek justice. Yeah, as people 453 00:33:10.609 --> 00:33:15.000 who believe in I believe in the rule of law, I believe that God 454 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:20.640 establishes nations with a certain justice system. I'll believe all of that stuff, 455 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:27.119 but ultimate justice is not going to happen until Jesus Christ establishes his kingdom and 456 00:33:27.630 --> 00:33:31.910 and he's he's the just judge, he's the just king. Right. So 457 00:33:32.029 --> 00:33:37.029 we should desire justice. We should have as a motivation justice and desire for 458 00:33:37.230 --> 00:33:43.619 justice for these babies, but it cannot be our primary motivation because, like 459 00:33:43.740 --> 00:33:45.940 you said, we don't see it day after, day after day, we 460 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:50.339 can become embittered and I've encountered people like that. Yes, I said to 461 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:54.849 look wonderful people who are committed Christians love the Lord, but they're their focus 462 00:33:55.049 --> 00:34:00.049 has derailed them. They have become bitter rather than motivated what we think are 463 00:34:00.170 --> 00:34:05.009 better motivation. Yeah, and I've seen that not just kind of like a 464 00:34:05.130 --> 00:34:09.960 bitterness against society, a bitterness against government entities or whatever, but I've seen 465 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:15.559 it manifest in a bitterness against the church. Like the church should be involved 466 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:19.480 in this battle, right, the church should be, like we should be 467 00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:27.349 the the drivers behind pro life ministry, saving babies, ending abortion. And 468 00:34:27.469 --> 00:34:30.750 yet the church has not been. Sadly, I think we can recognize that. 469 00:34:30.230 --> 00:34:35.070 And I've seen people in this realm of ministry become bitter against the church 470 00:34:35.190 --> 00:34:39.739 because of that injustice, because the church is not seeking justice and loving mercy 471 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:44.739 and walking home humbly before their God in this area. Right, and it 472 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:47.739 manifests itself in bitterness toward the church. People withdraw themselves from the church. 473 00:34:49.460 --> 00:34:52.530 All they talk and think about is abortion and how bad the church is for 474 00:34:52.650 --> 00:35:00.329 not doing anything about abortion, and and they get theologically and then just experentially 475 00:35:00.530 --> 00:35:04.690 derailed. Yeah, and they become people that you just don't really even want 476 00:35:04.690 --> 00:35:08.119 to be around. Right. I think the ultimate end of that, if 477 00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:13.960 it it, if it, that person dwells in that too long becomes bitterness 478 00:35:14.199 --> 00:35:19.119 towards God. Yeah, thanks, because ultimately they say why God? Why? 479 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:22.429 And and there are many, many great people of the Bible, great 480 00:35:22.469 --> 00:35:27.469 saints of the Bible, who call out why God, why are you not 481 00:35:27.550 --> 00:35:31.670 ending this now? But and they do. I mean there's plenty of people 482 00:35:31.670 --> 00:35:36.940 in the Bible that that that call out to God saying why? Yeah, 483 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:44.780 but if that's where they stay, then it just becomes a complaining, bitter 484 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:49.579 spirit and an anger at God, a bitterness towards God. All, honestly, 485 00:35:49.860 --> 00:35:53.610 a lack of trust and faith that he has a plan and we may 486 00:35:53.730 --> 00:36:00.090 not like how we're seeing it played out, but we do have to trust 487 00:36:00.250 --> 00:36:04.289 that he ultimately is the one that will bring justice and is in control. 488 00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:07.519 Yeah, and that bitterness is not going to serve as well. Yeah, 489 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:10.239 you see in some of the psalms you mentioned about people that cry out why 490 00:36:10.360 --> 00:36:14.360 God? Yeah, and you see the Psalms David does that very, very 491 00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:19.829 frequently. Yeah, very frequently. Yeah, but typically in those psalms where 492 00:36:19.829 --> 00:36:22.429 he starts out with why God, what have you forsaken me and all of 493 00:36:22.550 --> 00:36:25.869 this, yeah, it will end with sort of like a reconciliation in his 494 00:36:25.989 --> 00:36:30.630 mind that you're good God and I trust you. Yeah, and that's certainly 495 00:36:30.070 --> 00:36:35.139 you know, as we're crying out through the Lord, any attitude of bitterness 496 00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:37.820 toward God is unfounded, right, and they needs to be reconciled with the 497 00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:40.460 truth of who he is and the fact that we need to trust him. 498 00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:45.219 Yeah, and, like you said, we get in this kind of being 499 00:36:45.260 --> 00:36:49.289 our primary motivation, this desire for justice and anger against injustice and all of 500 00:36:49.409 --> 00:36:53.849 that. Yeah, bitterness is a horrible thing that spreads like a cancer throughout 501 00:36:53.929 --> 00:36:59.010 people and it's designed to destroy people and it will destroy teams. I have 502 00:36:59.170 --> 00:37:04.440 seen it where one bitter person speaking out bitterly can kind of poison the attitude 503 00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:09.880 of everyone around them because everyone the bitterness, the injustice is there. All 504 00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:14.519 of us are feeling it and all of us want it to end. So 505 00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:17.949 that bitterness can spread like a cancer among your team members, and it can. 506 00:37:19.230 --> 00:37:22.550 It can destroy a ministry. Yeah, if that becomes too prevalent, 507 00:37:22.710 --> 00:37:25.789 and I think sometimes it does. Yeah, so now we're getting into the 508 00:37:25.829 --> 00:37:30.940 good stuff. Yeah, now we're coming to I separate them out. They're 509 00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:36.460 really not separate, but I do separate out the last two motivations, which 510 00:37:36.460 --> 00:37:39.860 we think are the motivations that are sustaining. Yeah, and that will ultimately 511 00:37:40.019 --> 00:37:44.769 really should be our primary motive and should be our primary and all of the 512 00:37:44.889 --> 00:37:50.530 other motivations should really come under the umbrella of these two. That's right. 513 00:37:51.010 --> 00:37:55.210 And the first is biblical conviction. Right, as believers in Jesus, if 514 00:37:55.329 --> 00:38:00.559 we can't point to scripture as to why we do what we do and and 515 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:05.280 and how we do in every area of life, right, every area of 516 00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:07.599 life, then we're off base. That's right. We need to see. 517 00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:12.440 What does the Bible say? Yes, and so if the Bible, like 518 00:38:12.679 --> 00:38:16.630 some claim says nothing about abortion, then should I even be involved in in 519 00:38:16.829 --> 00:38:21.110 this ministry? Yeah, does a matter of fact, that the Bible says 520 00:38:21.110 --> 00:38:23.510 a whole lot about abortion. Doesn't use the word, but use the word 521 00:38:23.550 --> 00:38:28.300 abortion, uses the concept over and over over again. I'm killing the innocent. 522 00:38:28.340 --> 00:38:31.500 Yeah, and so we see that and yeah, we're angered at the 523 00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:36.099 injustice, because God is. I was actually talking to one of the pro 524 00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:39.300 boards, which I don't do on a regular basis, or try not to, 525 00:38:39.699 --> 00:38:42.730 and I don't let them be a distraction. You guys know that. 526 00:38:42.769 --> 00:38:45.489 Don't say not our mission, but I was. I was sharing with one 527 00:38:45.530 --> 00:38:50.210 of the pro boards just Saturday about my motivation. I was talking to her 528 00:38:50.210 --> 00:38:54.210 about her motivation, just pointing out to her your obvious motivation is not because 529 00:38:54.210 --> 00:38:57.639 you love and care about these women. Are. You wouldn't be saying some 530 00:38:57.760 --> 00:39:00.400 of the things that you're saying, acting like you're acting, because you're not 531 00:39:00.559 --> 00:39:04.159 helping the women that are going into the abortion center. And so you need 532 00:39:04.199 --> 00:39:07.079 to check your motivation. And she talked about motivation for me. I said 533 00:39:07.159 --> 00:39:13.309 for her my motivation. Listen, if I wasn't a believer in Jesus, 534 00:39:13.989 --> 00:39:15.909 I could care less about these babies, I could care less about these women. 535 00:39:15.909 --> 00:39:20.110 In my selfishness and in my sin, I could care less about other 536 00:39:20.150 --> 00:39:23.420 people. Yeah, because God has transformed my heart and he's given me his 537 00:39:23.900 --> 00:39:29.780 word, the revelation of who he is in his word and what he desires. 538 00:39:30.219 --> 00:39:32.739 His desires, by His grace of have become mind. So I care 539 00:39:32.940 --> 00:39:38.650 deeply about these women. I cared deeply about these babies, but only because 540 00:39:38.690 --> 00:39:43.050 of who god is in my life. Apart from him, what do I 541 00:39:43.090 --> 00:39:46.409 care? Yes, selfish individual, just like that pro board, because it's 542 00:39:46.489 --> 00:39:52.480 really my point with her was your motivation is as really self righteousness. It's 543 00:39:52.519 --> 00:39:57.280 really to try to cover up your own sin and your own past and really 544 00:39:57.599 --> 00:40:00.679 to push your own agenda. You don't care about those women, you care 545 00:40:00.719 --> 00:40:04.400 about yourself. Right. That's my point there. And I would be just 546 00:40:04.639 --> 00:40:08.389 like that if it wasn't for God and how he changed my heart through his 547 00:40:08.510 --> 00:40:13.389 word. Right. And and so we look to his word when we're when 548 00:40:13.429 --> 00:40:16.750 we're motivated by biblical conviction, we are looking to his word. So the 549 00:40:17.230 --> 00:40:22.139 word is filled with action verbs. I think we've mentioned this before. Speak 550 00:40:22.260 --> 00:40:24.940 for those who can't speak for themselves, hold back those on a path of 551 00:40:25.219 --> 00:40:30.619 destruction. Yeah, you know, we've taught the parable of the Good Samaritan. 552 00:40:30.699 --> 00:40:32.659 Get them out of the ditch, GE get them ongoing help. So 553 00:40:34.500 --> 00:40:38.570 our motivation, our actions, follow that motivation of what does the Bible tell 554 00:40:38.610 --> 00:40:44.889 us to do? Yeah, but then that leads kind of inseparable from the 555 00:40:45.090 --> 00:40:52.320 final motivation. Biblical conviction is absolutely a very good motivation. Yep, but 556 00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:54.960 I think there's one I kind of part it a little and say there's one 557 00:40:55.400 --> 00:41:00.119 that that you are certainly alluding to, that is the strongest motivation, and 558 00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:06.110 ultimately that is the love of God. Yeah, yeah, and what we 559 00:41:06.190 --> 00:41:08.949 mean by that is not just like generally, the love of God should be 560 00:41:09.030 --> 00:41:15.469 your motivation, but a love for God, Right, Matthew, Chapter Twenty 561 00:41:15.510 --> 00:41:20.900 Two, verses thirty seven through forty. This is a man asking Jesus what 562 00:41:21.099 --> 00:41:23.539 is the greatest command and Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your 563 00:41:23.579 --> 00:41:25.980 God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. 564 00:41:27.539 --> 00:41:30.260 This is the first in great commandment. This, this is it, 565 00:41:30.820 --> 00:41:35.409 this is the thing above all things. If you want to know what what 566 00:41:36.050 --> 00:41:37.969 God wants, here's what he wants. Love the Lord your God with all 567 00:41:38.010 --> 00:41:40.210 your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all 568 00:41:40.289 --> 00:41:44.690 your strength. M and then he said the second is like it. So 569 00:41:44.969 --> 00:41:49.199 Jesus is saying these two are very closely tied together. Right, is a 570 00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:51.400 matter of fact. I would say. You can't have one without the other. 571 00:41:51.800 --> 00:41:55.639 You can't. You can't properly love your neighbor, those babies, those 572 00:41:55.679 --> 00:42:00.079 women, you can't properly love your neighbor until you love God first. Right, 573 00:42:00.550 --> 00:42:04.110 because you'll get the cart before the horse and things will be out of 574 00:42:04.150 --> 00:42:07.590 whack. Right, but you can't say that you love God if you're not 575 00:42:07.670 --> 00:42:09.269 doing any. John Talks about this. And First John, how you how 576 00:42:09.269 --> 00:42:12.989 you're going to say you love God and don't love your brother? Practically right, 577 00:42:13.070 --> 00:42:15.710 so to say that you love God. That's what the Pharisees did. 578 00:42:15.739 --> 00:42:17.940 Yeah, we love God above all things, and they rejected their neighbor. 579 00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:22.619 They neglected their duty to their neighbors. So these are very closely tied together. 580 00:42:22.659 --> 00:42:25.179 So he says. The first, this is the first and great commitment, 581 00:42:25.260 --> 00:42:28.900 Love God, and the second is like it. You should love your 582 00:42:28.940 --> 00:42:32.210 neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the Prophet 583 00:42:32.289 --> 00:42:36.369 so all that that God has written. If you wanted to sum it up, 584 00:42:36.369 --> 00:42:39.250 it'd be summed up in this love God and love your neighbor. Right, 585 00:42:39.889 --> 00:42:46.880 but notice that there is a primary motivation here. There's motivations. Love 586 00:42:46.920 --> 00:42:52.280 your neighbor is a motivation. We should but the primary motivation is love God. 587 00:42:52.559 --> 00:42:54.880 That's right, because a true again, a true and a proper love 588 00:42:54.960 --> 00:43:00.349 for your neighbor will float out of a love for God. And that's really 589 00:43:00.389 --> 00:43:04.710 I think. When you get into people who are okay with violence against abortionists, 590 00:43:06.150 --> 00:43:12.349 it's because likely they've they've put the car before the Horse. They've thought 591 00:43:12.349 --> 00:43:16.099 about those babies, they've thought about what those babies suffer more than they've thought 592 00:43:16.099 --> 00:43:20.539 about what God actually says, because God never gives us an allowance to commit 593 00:43:20.579 --> 00:43:23.980 acts of violence, to to make things right in the way that we think 594 00:43:23.980 --> 00:43:28.250 we should. We have the Gospel. We're supposed to bring the Gospel, 595 00:43:28.889 --> 00:43:31.690 and that's that's what God, in his words, called us to do and 596 00:43:31.809 --> 00:43:36.250 because we love him, that's going to be the weapon that we willed, 597 00:43:36.570 --> 00:43:38.889 the Gospel, the word of God. Right, you get the car before 598 00:43:38.889 --> 00:43:42.559 the horse. In the same way you can get the car before the horse. 599 00:43:42.679 --> 00:43:47.079 It manifests itself and really two ditches and the other ditches. Let's just 600 00:43:47.280 --> 00:43:52.280 let's just not talk about God and let's just really be women focused. Let's 601 00:43:52.320 --> 00:43:55.269 be woman focused, because that's being your burs with some people would say that's 602 00:43:55.309 --> 00:43:59.309 loving your neighbors. Let's just meet her kneed. Let's just think about her, 603 00:43:59.349 --> 00:44:02.789 yeah, or let's just think about the baby even and it really manifest 604 00:44:02.909 --> 00:44:07.630 itself, and just let's not talk about the hard truths of the Bible, 605 00:44:07.670 --> 00:44:12.539 let's not talk about God's judgment and all these other things and repentance, none 606 00:44:12.579 --> 00:44:15.260 of them repeaus. I'll make her feel bad, that'll make you feel bad. 607 00:44:15.340 --> 00:44:17.860 I don't you. And so you see how I can manifest itself in 608 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:22.659 two extremes. Yeah, violence, and this is going to this is going 609 00:44:22.699 --> 00:44:25.449 to solve the issue of abortion, or just completely going solved and not even 610 00:44:25.530 --> 00:44:29.289 talking about sin. This is how it's gonna this is how we're going to 611 00:44:29.409 --> 00:44:32.449 really help those women. Yeah, we God, and having the things that 612 00:44:32.610 --> 00:44:37.170 God has put in place in order properly helps us to walk that tight rope 613 00:44:37.369 --> 00:44:43.599 that we're supposed to be walking of Truth and grace. That's exactly what I 614 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:46.239 was thinking there, which is why I think, honestly, not to our 615 00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:51.000 own horn, but I do think that our ministry has that balance and I 616 00:44:51.119 --> 00:44:55.670 think it's because the focus is love God, and out of that motivation you 617 00:44:55.789 --> 00:45:01.110 will speak with a tone of love. But it is not loving to deny 618 00:45:01.150 --> 00:45:06.869 truth and justice. So you'd so you have both and it's attention and and 619 00:45:07.030 --> 00:45:09.940 you're constantly moving back and forth between those two. But but if love of 620 00:45:10.099 --> 00:45:19.860 God is your primary motivation, then everything that happens there is something that no 621 00:45:20.139 --> 00:45:24.010 one and no result can take away from you. Yeah, because you love 622 00:45:24.250 --> 00:45:28.409 God and you're acting out of a love of God, and no matter what 623 00:45:28.530 --> 00:45:32.530 happens, if you're in your head. I'm doing this because I love you, 624 00:45:32.730 --> 00:45:38.519 Lord. Then every moment you're standing before God, loving him, he 625 00:45:38.679 --> 00:45:44.400 has gained the victory, he has been glorified and you feel like you can 626 00:45:44.480 --> 00:45:47.960 come back to continue in that battle. Yeah, yeah, because it's practically 627 00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:52.150 speaking, if you're standing out their day after day, right and you're not 628 00:45:52.190 --> 00:45:54.989 seeing baby saved, yeah, you're not having interactions, or the only interactions 629 00:45:55.030 --> 00:46:00.230 you're having are negative interactions. What if, if these other things are your 630 00:46:00.269 --> 00:46:02.269 primary motivation, you are going to get the real right, kind of get 631 00:46:02.349 --> 00:46:07.460 discouraged right and listen, I'm not saying that there isn't times of discouragement. 632 00:46:07.500 --> 00:46:08.980 There are, even in we're trying to keep the love of God as the 633 00:46:09.019 --> 00:46:12.380 chief. This is a tension that we live in. Yeah, this is 634 00:46:12.460 --> 00:46:15.460 why we really need to be around other believers. If you're if you're out 635 00:46:15.460 --> 00:46:16.619 on the sidewalk and you're going to serve in that capacity, is kind of 636 00:46:16.659 --> 00:46:22.489 like a lone wolf. That itself is going to derail you and discourage you 637 00:46:22.769 --> 00:46:24.809 need other believers with you. You need to be a part of a church 638 00:46:24.849 --> 00:46:29.289 where you get encouragement and that sort of thing. You need to feast on 639 00:46:29.329 --> 00:46:32.400 the word of God, because otherwise you you won't have anything to offer anyone. 640 00:46:32.559 --> 00:46:37.679 Yeah, so we do want encourage you, guys. We do want 641 00:46:37.679 --> 00:46:42.920 to just help you guys alone. We hope that this was helping you guys, 642 00:46:43.039 --> 00:46:45.800 and just reminded you just keep a love for God. You're out there 643 00:46:45.840 --> 00:46:50.510 because you love God and whether you see results or not, you're out then 644 00:46:50.789 --> 00:46:53.869 they're in obedience to him because he's the king of Kings, he's the Lord 645 00:46:53.909 --> 00:46:58.550 of Lords, he's the one that saved you and redeemed you and you're speaking 646 00:46:58.869 --> 00:47:01.500 out of a love for him. And all these other things that are good 647 00:47:01.579 --> 00:47:07.179 motivations don't compete for that. That greatest of all motivations. I love for 648 00:47:07.260 --> 00:47:09.940 God. Right. Yeah, so we hope this was an encouragement to you, 649 00:47:10.019 --> 00:47:13.980 guys. We want to encourage you to reach out to us. You 650 00:47:14.059 --> 00:47:15.650 can reach me, Daniel at Love Life Dot Org. You reach her, 651 00:47:15.690 --> 00:47:20.690 Vicky at Love Life Dot Org, if you have suggestions for other podcasts. 652 00:47:20.730 --> 00:47:23.210 We'd love to cover subjects that you would like for us to cover. We'd 653 00:47:23.250 --> 00:47:27.530 love to hear some feedback from you on these podcasts and again, we'd love 654 00:47:27.570 --> 00:47:30.119 for you to share these podcasts with others. But until next time. God, 655 00:47:30.159 --> 00:47:44.159 bless God. Bless our love for love. Give me our love for 656 00:47:44.389 --> 00:47:55.510 gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious, 657 00:47:55.829 --> 00:47:58.190 and some that you