How to Keep From Getting Desensitized to Abortion

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:06.400 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours and me. Lord, 2 00:00:07.389 --> 00:00:10.669 Welcome to the Gospel Center pro live podcast and this episode we're going to 3 00:00:10.710 --> 00:00:14.750 talk about biblically, how to keep from being desensitized to the issue of abortion. 4 00:00:15.070 --> 00:00:19.030 It's easy to do, specially when we're facing something as horrific as abortion. 5 00:00:19.149 --> 00:00:27.620 So join us as we talked this through. I felt show passish touch 6 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:38.250 your welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. This episode we want to 7 00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:43.929 talk about how to keep from becoming desensitized to the issue of abortion. And 8 00:00:44.170 --> 00:00:47.969 that can happen, especially for us being on the sidewalks in front of the 9 00:00:48.009 --> 00:00:53.119 abortion clinic, seeing women go in, seeing massive amounts of lives destroyed the 10 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.359 abortion. It can happen for people, you know, in a pregnancy center 11 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:00.920 context where they're dealing with abortion minded women. It can happen just in general 12 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:04.510 as a society becoming desensitized. We get the sensitized all kinds of stuff, 13 00:01:06.150 --> 00:01:10.230 and we want to talk in particular about the issue of abortion because, you 14 00:01:10.269 --> 00:01:15.989 know, we're dealing with an issue of mass violence, really right, and 15 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:22.180 it's easy for us to lose, I don't know, just lose sensitivity to 16 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:26.060 what's actually going on. I think it's some sense. It's almost like a 17 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:30.659 human mechanism where are or sensitivity shut down. I share with you, before 18 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:34.609 we started this podcast, as we were talking through the article that you rode 19 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:38.489 and some of the things that you wrote down, that my pastor, some 20 00:01:38.569 --> 00:01:42.450 weeks ago, had he was preaching in particular about empathy and just how we 21 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:45.090 can be empathetic toward people and how we, as a congregation need to be 22 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:49.079 more empathetic, entering into people's suffering situations and that sort of thing, and 23 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:53.560 he said we have to guard ourselves against a compassion fatigue. Right, we 24 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:57.000 just get worn out and just being compassionate because we love Jesus and we love 25 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.909 people, and so that can happen. So how do we keep from that 26 00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:05.829 happening to us? And if it does happen to us, how do we 27 00:02:06.069 --> 00:02:08.629 will that thing back? Yeah, and yeah, be what God wants us 28 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:13.229 to be for these babies, for these women that we minister to, in 29 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:15.180 the context that God has called us. Right. Not. And not only 30 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:21.780 that, but how do you keep from being if you're so overflowing with compassion, 31 00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:25.659 how do you keep from destroying yourself? Yeah, with just continual despair. 32 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:30.810 And how can you endure in a ministry for very long if if there's 33 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:35.530 all this yes, sorrow, yeah, yeah, you know. This ties 34 00:02:35.569 --> 00:02:38.289 in, I guess, in one sense. But you know, how do 35 00:02:38.370 --> 00:02:42.129 you keep from being taken advantage of, to which you we won't talk much 36 00:02:42.169 --> 00:02:46.560 about that, and this podcast we actually talked about that some weeks ago. 37 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:51.280 We talked about enabledly able and versus and power, powering. There's two episodes 38 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:53.800 there you guys need to listen to. So how do you keep from getting 39 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:57.240 taken advantage of? Because, you know, we're compassionate people by our nature. 40 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.949 The Bible tells us that the love of God has been shed abroad in 41 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:02.069 our heart, you know, far from Christ we could care less, you 42 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:06.270 know, if we were still in our sins and still unregenerate people, we 43 00:03:06.949 --> 00:03:08.830 could care less about what's going on. You know, when I was not 44 00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:12.590 born again, I could care less about the issue of abortion. I could 45 00:03:12.629 --> 00:03:15.819 care less, you know, focused on myself. When you become a Christian, 46 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:20.699 your heart is toward those you know, hopefully we're become a more and 47 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:23.259 more like Jesus and our heart is toward those who's God's God's hardest, toward 48 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:27.650 so yeah, how do we keep from becoming the sense as how do we 49 00:03:27.729 --> 00:03:30.610 keep from being taken advantage of? How do we keep, you know, 50 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:36.689 out of this pit of despair when we realize the truth of what abortion really 51 00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:39.689 is and and in the implications of that? Yeah, yeah, when I 52 00:03:39.810 --> 00:03:43.919 Bible have anything to say, it does, of course it. You know, 53 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:47.439 the Bible has the answer to every problem in life if you dig very 54 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:51.319 far. But you know, I've been doing this, you've been doing this 55 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.520 even longer than I have, being on the front lines of an abortion center 56 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:57.590 on the sidewalk, and I've been out there about six and a half years 57 00:03:57.750 --> 00:04:01.030 now. Really I've seen it all, I'm sure, as you have, 58 00:04:01.270 --> 00:04:06.069 we've seen some really terrible situation. Yes, over and over again, we're 59 00:04:06.110 --> 00:04:12.180 out there often, many, many times during the week for many hours and 60 00:04:12.340 --> 00:04:17.860 and you know, you do start to kind of just lose some of that 61 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:24.449 immediate sense of horror, yea, of what's happening. I don't I don't 62 00:04:24.529 --> 00:04:28.449 focus on that. I personally focus on more of the positives. What's that 63 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:30.529 going to do today? How many saves? That kind of stuff. But 64 00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:38.759 but I would say that it's probably very natural to lose the truly abject horror. 65 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:41.920 Yeah, of what you're facing, not not to lose it totally, 66 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:46.959 but to be become somewhat de sense a test to it. Well, I'm 67 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:50.040 I know you'll share. You know you've shared your testimony. Yeah, some 68 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:54.389 podcast to go in our first couple of podcast I shared mine. You know, 69 00:04:54.430 --> 00:04:57.110 the first time I was standing in front of an abortion clinic. You 70 00:04:57.189 --> 00:05:00.670 know, I just began to weep right right and you know, I'm just 71 00:05:00.790 --> 00:05:03.750 thinking about it. It's been a while since standing in front of that abortion 72 00:05:03.829 --> 00:05:06.899 clinic that I've she had tears right understanding what's going on side of here, 73 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:12.100 and I think there is a certain, I guess, for lack of a 74 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:15.860 better word, maturity that we come into because, you know, we can't, 75 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:18.180 we can't be useful in that round if we're going to sit out there 76 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:21.930 and ball the whole time. No, we can't write what. It's understandable. 77 00:05:21.930 --> 00:05:26.569 I mean we've had people on the sidewalk who, rightly so, their 78 00:05:26.569 --> 00:05:29.170 first time out there. They can't do anything but ball the whole time. 79 00:05:29.170 --> 00:05:31.050 Yeah, kind of happened. That's what happened to me for that whole hour 80 00:05:31.129 --> 00:05:34.089 after I left, and I'm so glad that that you mentioned that because I 81 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:39.879 actually think that that will enter into the discussion as a as a way of 82 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:45.959 preventing becoming desensitized. Because when you said you can't remember the last time that 83 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.720 you actually bawled in front of the abortion center, I can remember the last 84 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:57.110 time and it was when I saw a man pulling a woman out of his 85 00:05:57.350 --> 00:05:59.629 truck. Yeah, and she was screaming no, no, no, I 86 00:05:59.750 --> 00:06:03.300 don't want to do this, and he was pulling her out and the policemen 87 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:09.139 were standing right there and doing nothing. Yeah, and I was so outraged 88 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:13.500 and so upset by why what I was watching that I started crying. Yeah, 89 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:16.139 and that was the last time, and that wasn't that long ago. 90 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.170 That was a few months ago. But something happened just a couple days ago. 91 00:06:20.290 --> 00:06:25.129 Not In front of the abortion center, but I was actually actually out 92 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:30.850 of town and I was scrolling through facebook and I saw a video of my 93 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:35.920 news feat is filled with pro life stuff, pro life groups, videos and 94 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:43.399 of babies and baby saved, people arguing about different pro life issues, but 95 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:46.910 this one was of a video of a cute little baby in the womb, 96 00:06:47.029 --> 00:06:50.589 bouncing him around and looking like he was just having so much fun, and 97 00:06:50.670 --> 00:06:55.029 I paused and I wanted to watch it. I wanted to see this this 98 00:06:55.310 --> 00:07:00.310 adorable little baby in the womb. And as I'm watching with horror, I 99 00:07:00.589 --> 00:07:04.899 see the baby's leg ripped off and then he's gone. Yeah, he's ripped 100 00:07:05.060 --> 00:07:10.660 in, he's just sucked away in in a vacuum abortion. Yeah, and 101 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:14.459 I had no idea that that was what I was going to be watching. 102 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:17.290 I certainly probably wouldn't have watched it, right. Yeah, I'm very visual 103 00:07:17.490 --> 00:07:21.329 and I carry those images in my head for a long time. So and 104 00:07:21.449 --> 00:07:28.610 I sat there and just out loud I started crying and out loud said Oh 105 00:07:28.689 --> 00:07:33.560 my father, forgive us, and felt the guilt of humanity, just oppressive 106 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:38.519 guilt of humanity, what we have done, yeah, as a nation, 107 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:44.350 just overwhelming and I thought, okay, well, what God was telling me 108 00:07:44.470 --> 00:07:50.509 at that moment was that one of the best an adults to desensitized, becoming 109 00:07:50.589 --> 00:07:58.470 desensitized to horror, is to look at the destructive aftermath of evil. Yeah, 110 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:03.939 and none of us want to, but just as when I was watching 111 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:07.420 that man pulling the woman against her will out of the truck to try and 112 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:11.300 abort again, it was watching evil in action, right. Yeah, and 113 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:16.649 and seeing it. So much of we're visual of what's actually going on. 114 00:08:18.370 --> 00:08:20.930 Right, we alway to rent see when we're when we're standing in from the 115 00:08:22.050 --> 00:08:26.930 building. Yeah, see them walking in, but we're not truly seeing what 116 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:31.360 happens to that baby, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, 117 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.159 there's a point. This was, you know, couple of years ago, 118 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:39.120 where I realized what I just confess to you now, that it's been 119 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.549 a while since I've wept, you know, over what's going on inside of 120 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:45.149 that abortion clinic. And I was at my house. My family actually was 121 00:08:45.190 --> 00:08:50.029 out of town. My wife been taking the kids to on a trip with 122 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:52.230 my mom. Anyway, they're out of the house. I was I was 123 00:08:52.269 --> 00:08:54.549 at home alone and and I, you know, I was just taking some 124 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:56.460 time to pray and the seek the Lord and I realized it, Lord, 125 00:08:56.500 --> 00:09:01.700 I haven't wept over this thing in a while. I'm becoming desensitized. Lord, 126 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:05.179 soften my heart. And then I realize, you know, when my 127 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:07.379 my kids had went out of town, my wife and kids, they had 128 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:11.929 taken we had an abortion victim image sign in the vehicle and they'd said it 129 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:15.929 in the house to pack all the bags and stuff and there was a victim 130 00:09:15.929 --> 00:09:18.809 image over there and I was like I need to look at this thing a 131 00:09:18.929 --> 00:09:20.409 fresh you know, I hold up of you know held up those signs and 132 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:24.639 show those signs, but sometimes you just I don't know, you just kind 133 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:28.600 of glaze over it or glance over it. And I was like I need 134 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:31.919 it, I need to look at that sign a fresh I need to take 135 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:33.559 a hard look at it. And it was the baby Malachi sign. The 136 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.120 baby twenty one weeks it has been murdered through abortion. The looked at that 137 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:43.230 side and wept again. Yeah, and and I think seeing you getting the 138 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.830 visual understanding, also asking the Lord. You know, I think it's a 139 00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:54.740 mercy sometimes from God that we don't see all of the right the depths of 140 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:58.539 evil that humanity is giving itself to. God, Merciful, I guess, 141 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.419 mercifully blinds our eyes to that, but sometimes he gives us a glance. 142 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:05.940 Man, can you imagine what God sees? You know, the I have 143 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:09.490 the Lord is in every place. Can Imagine that? The grief and the 144 00:10:09.570 --> 00:10:11.090 heart of God? You see it all through the Old Testament. Is God 145 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:15.169 grieves over his people. Turn in a way, yeah, it's like you 146 00:10:15.210 --> 00:10:18.649 think he gives us a little bit of his heart and a little bit of 147 00:10:18.690 --> 00:10:22.120 the grief and let's a share in some of that. I think sometimes asking 148 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.759 him to God help, just give me a glimpse of what you see. 149 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:28.519 Don't give me the whole thing, because I would die, yeah, under 150 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:31.000 the weight of it. Yes, give me a glimpse of what you see 151 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:35.639 in the issue abortion. That can be a way to really keep us from 152 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:39.149 being desens atized. Yeah, it can. And the other side of that 153 00:10:39.389 --> 00:10:43.429 is thinking that not only does he see all of that horror that we have 154 00:10:43.590 --> 00:10:48.389 perpetrated on each other, but he still loves us. Yeah, he's still 155 00:10:48.549 --> 00:10:52.019 died for us. I mean that's incomprehensible and that we're going to get into 156 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:56.379 that. I think, as you're going to be talking about some things that 157 00:10:56.500 --> 00:11:00.980 you worked through, as how you kind of do, there's some key point 158 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:03.330 and so keep in the back of our minds because we are going to get 159 00:11:03.529 --> 00:11:07.769 into that. But the love of God is critical. Yeah, I think 160 00:11:07.889 --> 00:11:11.129 absolutely. That's you know, as I was brainstorm and through like some of 161 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:13.490 the you know, the Lord is really helped me because, listen, I've 162 00:11:13.529 --> 00:11:18.559 seen people in you know, pro life or anti abortion, you know, 163 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.480 abolitionist roalms. I've seen people go off the rails, right, and I've 164 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.559 seen people, you know, disconnect from family and from the almost go into 165 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:31.000 like a cult sort of state of mind. We're abortions all they think about. 166 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:33.149 Yeah, it's all they talk about, all they can involve themselves in. 167 00:11:33.309 --> 00:11:37.230 I'm like, the Lord is graciously helped me, I think, in 168 00:11:37.309 --> 00:11:39.590 my family, to guard ourselves against going off the rails in this thing, 169 00:11:39.629 --> 00:11:43.870 because when you're involved than in this, it's a it's a big deal. 170 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:48.620 I mean they're actually murdering kids, and so it's easy to lose your mind 171 00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:52.700 over this and I know people that have. So what is the Lord, 172 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:54.379 as I was brainstorm and through, what is the Lord, by His grace, 173 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:58.299 put in place in my life and help me to put in place my 174 00:11:58.299 --> 00:12:01.009 life to guard against that? And one of those things is keeping the main 175 00:12:01.090 --> 00:12:05.889 thing, the main thing, yes, and that means that, first and 176 00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:09.730 foremost, I am out there for the Lord. Right, I'm not. 177 00:12:11.289 --> 00:12:13.490 You know, and I might say this often, guys, you've heard me 178 00:12:13.529 --> 00:12:16.679 on the podcast maybe say this often. They were not out here even just 179 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.600 for the babies. Now I want to minimize that. I want to minimize 180 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:22.200 I don't want it all, to minimize the murder of children. So I'm 181 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:26.360 not trying to do that. But the babies are not even our motivation, 182 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:28.679 not even our first motivation. Our first motivation is a love for God, 183 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:33.269 because we can't love those babies properly, in the women that we minister to, 184 00:12:33.350 --> 00:12:35.190 in the men that we minister to, unless we love God first. 185 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:39.549 You know, the commands, the greatest commands, are love the Lord, 186 00:12:39.629 --> 00:12:43.230 your God, and then love your neighbor. Right. So keeping the main 187 00:12:43.309 --> 00:12:46.899 thing then, the main thing understanding the we're out there for God first. 188 00:12:46.139 --> 00:12:48.820 You know, I told you before, I've said this to other folks. 189 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:54.860 You don't even really view myself as a prolifeer anymore. I don't. I 190 00:12:56.019 --> 00:13:01.450 view myself as a person that loves Jesus, that loves people, that just 191 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:05.049 so happens to love Jesus and people in front of an abortion clinic by bringing 192 00:13:05.049 --> 00:13:07.090 the Gospel to that pains. I'm a I'm a Proclaimer, Preacher of the 193 00:13:07.169 --> 00:13:11.370 Gospel that this so happens to do that in front of an abortion clinic. 194 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:15.039 That's where God has called me. That's where I am again. Not Minimize. 195 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:18.440 I'm not trying to be tried about it. Not Minimizing what's going on. 196 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.279 Yeah, but but just understand putting things in perspective. Yeah, yeah, 197 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.960 and you know, I think that the Bible would support you in in 198 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:31.070 that. Putting God first get validated. I think so. I did. 199 00:13:31.470 --> 00:13:35.590 I think so. You know, wonders will never cease, will be yeah, 200 00:13:35.590 --> 00:13:41.269 that's right. But so let's start with with one of those verses. 201 00:13:41.429 --> 00:13:45.980 Okay, all right. That so you've gone into really and I like how 202 00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:48.899 you use this passage, but you're going into the revelation and you really talking 203 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:54.419 from the perspective Jesus talking to the Church in ephesis. And if you has 204 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:58.850 read through the revelation, I'm sure you have, Jesus talks to seven churches 205 00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:03.929 in the revelation. These are Jesus letters, hey, to the church in 206 00:14:03.169 --> 00:14:07.370 Ephesus here, in particular Philippi Laya to see, and some of the other 207 00:14:07.409 --> 00:14:11.759 ones Africa. Right, but you write these letters, and here's Jesus telling 208 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:16.000 John Write this letter to the church at Ephesis, and this is the church 209 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.399 that has left its first love. So right, so it's talking about becoming 210 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:26.789 desensitized. Yeah, becoming desensitized really to the love that they had for the 211 00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:30.230 Lord. Okay, yeah, but but you know, before I start that, 212 00:14:30.669 --> 00:14:33.909 let me read you the definition. Let's start with definitions. It's always 213 00:14:33.950 --> 00:14:37.149 good, right. Yeah, it's good to define our terms of it, 214 00:14:37.269 --> 00:14:41.019 in our terms desensitization. Okay, because that's really what we're talking to. 215 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:43.460 Make me repeat that word. I won't, I won't, no, I'll 216 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:48.340 be I will say that we're desensitization. Okay, here's the definition. The 217 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:56.929 process which diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative a verse of stimulus after repeated exposure 218 00:14:58.090 --> 00:15:01.889 to it. Okay, so I think that is very right on for what 219 00:15:01.929 --> 00:15:05.289 we're talking about. We are being those of us, especially on the front 220 00:15:05.289 --> 00:15:09.240 lines of an abortion center, but in the pro life movement, have repeated 221 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:13.559 exposure to the horror of abortion over and over and over again. Like I 222 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:18.639 said, it's all most of my interactions are on facebook are about the issue 223 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:20.909 of abortion. My Mode my work is, you know, and from so 224 00:15:22.149 --> 00:15:24.470 it's always weird, right, always you, you pretty much the same. 225 00:15:24.549 --> 00:15:33.110 So, but, but that that can decrease our responsiveness because it's a negative 226 00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:37.259 adverse of stimuli and we're repeatedly exposed to it. Right, and there are 227 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:46.179 desensitization techniques that are used in psychology to help people who are paralyzed by by 228 00:15:46.340 --> 00:15:52.690 fear or that a verse Stimuli. Okay, so they're looking at desensitization in 229 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:56.769 a positive they're looking at it as negative, saying exactly we're saying. But 230 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:03.929 becoming desensitized to adverse stimuli sometimes is a negative thing, right. Yeah, 231 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:08.120 this case it's a negative thing. Now, if if we were overwhelmed by 232 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:14.720 grief and crying all day long because we can't get our mind off of the 233 00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:18.350 horror of abortion, that's a problem. Yeah, then a little bit more 234 00:16:18.470 --> 00:16:22.950 desensitization maybe is necessary. Yeah, but that's not what we're talking about. 235 00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:30.429 It Rus podcast. So, so here is the verse from revelation to be 236 00:16:30.509 --> 00:16:37.580 that's a few verses and I think it's the first three. It's it starts, 237 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:40.460 I'm sorry, it starts in revolation, revelation to and I think it's 238 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:45.220 versus one, twenty three. Okay, so it's to the angel of the 239 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:49.450 Church in Ephesus, right the words of him who holds the seven stars in 240 00:16:49.570 --> 00:16:55.049 his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands. I know 241 00:16:55.169 --> 00:17:00.090 your works, your toil and your patient endurance and how you cannot bear with 242 00:17:00.250 --> 00:17:04.480 those who are evil, but if tested those who call themselves apostles and are 243 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:08.759 not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently 244 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:14.519 and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary, 245 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:21.150 but I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had 246 00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:25.190 at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. Repent and 247 00:17:25.829 --> 00:17:29.269 do the works. You did it first. If not, I will come 248 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:33.500 to you and remove your lamp stand from its place unless you repent. Yeah, 249 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:40.900 okay, so that's the first passage and an accompanying passage that again talks 250 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:45.289 about people's love growing cold, because that's what's being held against right the Church 251 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:51.210 of Ephesus, is that their love is growing cold. They've abandoned the love 252 00:17:51.289 --> 00:17:55.609 that they had at first. Okay, so in Matthew Twenty four verses, 253 00:17:55.690 --> 00:18:02.640 twelve to thirteen, because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold, 254 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:07.160 but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 255 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:12.430 Yeah, so in both those passages God's warning his people that there is a 256 00:18:12.470 --> 00:18:18.309 danger in standing against unbearable evil for a long time. Yeah, our love 257 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.950 can grow yeah, absolutely, and you know, of course, there's a 258 00:18:22.069 --> 00:18:26.670 there's an immediate context to this passage, and I think we would all agree 259 00:18:26.750 --> 00:18:29.900 this. This is speaking of our love for God. But remember, as 260 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:33.220 I said in the beginning, we love those babies because love of God has 261 00:18:33.259 --> 00:18:36.140 been shed Abroad Saxony. So if I love grows cold, I mean a 262 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:38.940 lot of times we get the sensitized to know, not just speaking you generally 263 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:44.650 to Christians who maybe not involved in the abortion battle. Yep, every Christian 264 00:18:44.690 --> 00:18:48.490 should be in some measure, I think, but just involving you sharing the 265 00:18:48.529 --> 00:18:52.650 Gospel with people. Yeah, that we become desensitized to the lostness of humanity 266 00:18:52.769 --> 00:18:56.799 and the fact that the majority of humanity is going to hell. How do 267 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:00.759 we? You know, in we get the sense that to the reality of 268 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:03.920 hell, that this is a place of eternal separation from God, and not 269 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:07.160 just that, it's a place of eternal fire and judgment of God. We 270 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:11.109 get sent the sense ties to that and I think sometimes it's because our love 271 00:19:11.190 --> 00:19:15.670 for God grows cold. Right, you know, we get used to life 272 00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:18.990 the way that it is. We I don't know, we get I don't 273 00:19:18.029 --> 00:19:21.549 know. We need neglect being in the word of God, we neglect prayer 274 00:19:22.150 --> 00:19:25.059 and those kind of things keep get us Dis insanitize through the Lord, and 275 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:27.779 then natural outflow that we get this insanties through the world low syest of people, 276 00:19:27.900 --> 00:19:30.619 we get the sensitized to things like abortion. Yeah, yeah, and 277 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:36.259 so the immediate context here is our love for God growing cold. That will 278 00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:38.769 flow our love for our neighbors. Right, growing cold. Right, and 279 00:19:40.009 --> 00:19:44.049 and God commends the effesions for some good things. They tryal they worked, 280 00:19:44.329 --> 00:19:48.569 they endured and they didn't grow weary in the work. And that passage he 281 00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:52.960 also notes that they stood up for the name of Jesus. However, the 282 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:59.440 love that ignited them at first has has grown cold. So their motivation that 283 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:07.150 started all of this wonderful work is no longer the motivation of a passionate love 284 00:20:07.509 --> 00:20:11.029 for God. It has grown cold, and that's of concern. Yeah, 285 00:20:11.069 --> 00:20:18.269 absolutely. So. Well, what what love is is the scripture referring to. 286 00:20:18.390 --> 00:20:25.660 They're they're standing for Christ's name, they're continuing his work, but the 287 00:20:25.779 --> 00:20:30.819 motivation is no longer the proper motivation. Yeah, and that's what we've talked 288 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:37.329 about, what we warn our our volunteers about. The motivation can't be anger, 289 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:41.250 yeah, at the sin that they're confronting in the world or the false 290 00:20:41.410 --> 00:20:45.049 prophets that they're confronting in your church or whatever. Yeah, I mean we 291 00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:49.000 do warn against that when we train our volunteers. You know, on our 292 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:56.079 sidewalks for life website we wrote, I actually wrote an article about the proper 293 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:59.839 philosophy of ministry and I talked about this, how we have to be motivated 294 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:03.309 for a love for God. We can't be motivated by hatred. And it's 295 00:21:03.390 --> 00:21:07.309 easy to be motivated by hatred when you're dealing with something like abortion, because 296 00:21:07.750 --> 00:21:11.589 it's easy to hate, and we should hate abortion, no doubt about it. 297 00:21:11.670 --> 00:21:15.710 It is a wicked thing. It kills children, you know, but 298 00:21:17.029 --> 00:21:21.460 it can't be our primary motivation and we can't hate the people that are involved 299 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.700 in it like you know. I know there are people that make arguments for, 300 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:29.380 you know, the fact that God hates wickedness and God hates wicked people. 301 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:32.970 Okay, but we're never commanded in the scriptures. Matter of fact, 302 00:21:32.970 --> 00:21:36.210 the Bible tells us that hatred is a work of the flesh. We're not 303 00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:40.369 supposed to hate people. So we can't be motivated by a hatred for abortion. 304 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:44.849 We can't be motivated by hatred for the abortion industry or plan parenthood or 305 00:21:45.170 --> 00:21:48.319 abortionist or anything like that cannot be our motivations. Matter of fact, we 306 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:52.720 have to shun that sort of thing and we have to love these people. 307 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.759 Now love is not just being all flower, being nice to him. We 308 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:00.519 need to tell them the truth. You know, the abortion industry, abortion 309 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:03.710 workers and all that. A love for them. One of the most hateful 310 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:06.750 things you could do is with whole the truth from them that unless they repent, 311 00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:08.869 they're going to end up under the judgment of God. But we have 312 00:22:10.029 --> 00:22:11.309 to do that out of the love of Christ. It's been she had a 313 00:22:11.349 --> 00:22:15.230 broad in our heart, not out of hatred for what they're doing right, 314 00:22:15.309 --> 00:22:18.259 for them, right and and so I think you're raising a really good point. 315 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:23.539 I think that you're pointing out that there is really a symptom that emerges 316 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:30.809 from us that we are becoming desensitized to our mission and to the horror of 317 00:22:30.849 --> 00:22:36.849 abortion. We're becoming callous even too. It if, rather than the love 318 00:22:36.930 --> 00:22:41.210 of the Lord being the motivator for us, the look that that motivation has 319 00:22:41.250 --> 00:22:45.519 shifted. Yeah, to hatred, hatred of the evil, which we should 320 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:52.079 have, but it shouldn't be the motivation for our ministry and or hatred for 321 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.640 the people who are perpetrating this right, this evil. That's a demonstration that 322 00:22:57.869 --> 00:23:02.269 our love for the Lord is growing cold. Yes, that should be the 323 00:23:02.390 --> 00:23:06.230 motivation. Yeah, behind listen, you know, there's there's an acknowledge when 324 00:23:06.269 --> 00:23:10.190 you have to acknowledge that that hatred can be a motivator for people. I 325 00:23:10.309 --> 00:23:14.500 mean, you see, there's a lot of movements that maybe even might do 326 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:18.779 some good things, that are still just the motivation is hatred. And you 327 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:21.500 know, as believers we can pick up on that stuff and say that's just 328 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:25.579 a stench in the nostrils of odd yeah, what we should what we do 329 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.490 as those who are ministers of the Gospel should be done out of a love 330 00:23:29.569 --> 00:23:32.490 for God, and out of that will flow a love for people. You 331 00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:34.490 know, the other morning, and I think just like the Lord put this 332 00:23:34.609 --> 00:23:37.809 in my heart. I don't know, but I think it was the Lord. 333 00:23:37.890 --> 00:23:41.720 Howe, probably that's certainly wouldn't for my friends, but we were praying 334 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:45.960 Saturday morning before we started ministry. We try to be intentional. That's one 335 00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:48.480 of the ways we can we can just yield our day to the Lord. 336 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.240 Before we start ministering on the sidewalk, we pray together as a group. 337 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:53.240 Yeah, and it's like this dropped in my heart. Lord, love these 338 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:57.990 babies in these women, through us. We're just vessels. So put your 339 00:23:59.029 --> 00:24:02.150 love in us. You Love Them. You love them enough to tell them 340 00:24:02.230 --> 00:24:03.950 the truth. You love them enough for the babies to save them. Yeah, 341 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:07.549 so love them through us, and that should be, I think, 342 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:11.539 our modus operandie right. Yeah, our mode of operation, that God's love 343 00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:15.140 has been ched abroad in our heart and we are yielding ourselves for him to 344 00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:21.059 love through us. Yeah, and you know that can sound kind of you 345 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:23.730 know, I guess, Pansy, I guess man were love through us. 346 00:24:23.809 --> 00:24:29.250 But know, yeah, Jesus Christ is and on it. In de Earthly 347 00:24:29.329 --> 00:24:32.849 Ministry, was one of the most loving people you ever meet. He was 348 00:24:32.890 --> 00:24:36.450 truthful, right, right, forthright. Yeah, didn't hold back the truth, 349 00:24:36.970 --> 00:24:38.960 but loving in the way they held himself, the way he carried himself 350 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:41.960 and the way he ministered to other people. Yeah, we want to be 351 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:47.279 like Jesus Right. Yeah, exactly. You know, even the language used 352 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:51.119 can desensitize us, and even the language we use, Pec particular lead the 353 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:55.309 language of the abortion industry. Yeah, you know, they don't call the 354 00:24:55.349 --> 00:24:57.990 baby a baby, right, they call the baby a product of conception, 355 00:24:59.150 --> 00:25:03.670 or the one that I read on the website recently was gestation, and that's 356 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:07.660 the word pregnant baby, the pregnant baby as a pregnancy. YEA, and 357 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:14.619 those are desensitizing words which and they're purposeful. Their purposeful by the abortion industry. 358 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:18.819 So the women feel that it is perfectly justified and they're perfectly justified in 359 00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:22.490 going in there. They make it easier for them to justify that. So 360 00:25:22.609 --> 00:25:27.369 so, even in the use of our language, I think can be a 361 00:25:27.529 --> 00:25:33.410 key, a tip off to us and whether we are becoming desensitized if we 362 00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:41.319 start adopting the language of the abortion industry. Maybe we've lost sight, yeah, 363 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:44.559 of the horror of a yeah, and I know, you know, 364 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:48.720 my wife works in, has worked in, and doesn't even now work in 365 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:52.470 pregnancy centers. And I know this is a temptation for a lot of pregnancy 366 00:25:52.509 --> 00:25:56.029 centers because they want to appear to be neutral and not appear to be overtly 367 00:25:56.069 --> 00:26:00.789 Christian, right whatever, soften the message. So they might refer to the 368 00:26:00.910 --> 00:26:06.019 baby as a pregnancy or or, you know, maybe even shot away from 369 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:08.579 sharing the Gospel whatever. And I'm say, man, that's such a trap 370 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:12.299 that we can't fall into. We don't need to use the world's language, 371 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:18.539 right, and let the world define terms for us, like it's I'm sorry, 372 00:26:18.569 --> 00:26:22.529 sorry, it's not a pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a thing, it's 373 00:26:22.569 --> 00:26:25.690 a process. That's right. Baby in the womb is not a pregnancy. 374 00:26:26.170 --> 00:26:30.609 It's your fetis. Technically it's an embryo. Yeah, it's a living entity 375 00:26:30.809 --> 00:26:33.160 and we need to refer to it. You know, embryo, fetus, 376 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:36.519 infant, these are all, you know, toddler, at lescent, teenager, 377 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:41.240 all there's our terms of levels of development. Right, and of course 378 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:45.880 we all know, right, when a woman is pregnant and she's excited about, 379 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:49.069 you know, her pregnancy, that process, she knows she's going to 380 00:26:49.109 --> 00:26:52.390 tell everybody I'm having a baby. I don't carry a pregnancy, I'm having 381 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:56.029 a baby. I'm not having a Jotation, an amaze station, I'm not 382 00:26:56.109 --> 00:27:00.150 caring a Blob of tissue. Yeah, you know, she's having a baby. 383 00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:02.740 So, yeah, our language and we could it can help us in 384 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:06.819 our minds that are we fallen into the Trab of desensitization because we're using the 385 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:11.059 world's terms, yeah, to refer to yeah, to these babies or whatever. 386 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:12.539 Yeah, well, I think I've mentioned this on a podcast before, 387 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:18.569 but it bears mentioning here again that I had shied away from the word murder, 388 00:27:18.970 --> 00:27:21.769 not because I didn't believe it was murder. I did, Ye do 389 00:27:22.210 --> 00:27:26.289 believe that that abortion is murder, but it's such a shocking word. Yeah, 390 00:27:26.369 --> 00:27:32.559 and and I didn't really want to shock women into not speaking to me. 391 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:37.920 Sure, however, now I'm starting to kind of throw that out there. 392 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:41.359 Sometimes I try to do it in a tone of kindness, compassion and 393 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:45.789 gentleness, but I you know, I'll say please, no mother was ever 394 00:27:45.910 --> 00:27:52.230 called to murder her own child. Yeah, and that even saying that is, 395 00:27:52.430 --> 00:27:56.750 for me, an an adopte to becoming desensitized, because then I remind 396 00:27:56.910 --> 00:28:02.900 myself this isn't just harming. I have said that before. Please don't harm 397 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:07.579 your child. Yeah, this is not harming for a child. It is 398 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:11.059 so much more than harming a child. That is murdering a child in a 399 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:15.690 very horrific way. So when I use that word even that kind of shocks 400 00:28:15.849 --> 00:28:21.970 me back into the seriousness. Yeah, absolutely, face and you know, 401 00:28:21.970 --> 00:28:26.730 I know there's a temptation and there is a sort of a balance and we 402 00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:29.599 need to, you know, of course, be before the Lord. But 403 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.720 you know, I don't I don't think that personally, that could be wrong. 404 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:37.039 CRECT ME IF I'm wrong, but I don't think that you don't murder 405 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:40.599 your baby should be the first thing that a woman hears when she gets out 406 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:42.710 of her car and she's walking to door of an abortion and I think there's 407 00:28:42.710 --> 00:28:45.470 other things that would be more fitting for to here. We you know, 408 00:28:45.549 --> 00:28:49.069 we're not in it just for the shock value, but you know, we 409 00:28:49.190 --> 00:28:52.349 do need to use the language that the Bible uses and I think when it 410 00:28:52.430 --> 00:28:56.900 comes through the issue of abortion, you know, I've probably said it myself, 411 00:28:56.940 --> 00:28:59.099 I've heard others say it. You know, don't go in there, 412 00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:02.900 this is a terrible mistake, which is true right on its face. But 413 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:06.180 yeah, it's more than just a mistake, right, right. Abortion is 414 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:08.579 more than just a mistake, right, it's a grievous sin against your baby, 415 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:12.490 against God. Yeah, I think it is possible to soften the message 416 00:29:12.650 --> 00:29:18.970 so much in the desire to be gentle and compassionate that the message is lost. 417 00:29:18.170 --> 00:29:22.289 Yeah, and and I think that's subject might be a subject for a 418 00:29:22.329 --> 00:29:26.160 whole other podcast really, because it's the message. It's not an easy line 419 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:32.480 to travel no, it's it's it's much harder than you would think. So 420 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:34.839 you know the you always rely on the yeah, because they are there is 421 00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:37.440 a trap, not rabbit trailing too much, but it is a trap and 422 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:41.750 just not even caring about the language, not even caring about the tone and 423 00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:44.950 not even caring about how you come across to the woman going into the abortion 424 00:29:45.029 --> 00:29:48.269 clinic. And then there's a trap of caring too much, like so much 425 00:29:48.269 --> 00:29:51.950 so that I won't use the word murder. I want use word San won't 426 00:29:51.990 --> 00:29:53.779 you? Scripture, and you know, we want to fall into that trap. 427 00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:56.380 So it's like, you know, the spirit of God helps keep us 428 00:29:56.420 --> 00:30:02.980 on this tightrope wall of Truth and grace. Yeah, that's hard thing that. 429 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:04.980 That'll probably be a subject for another part. Yeah, but it ties 430 00:30:06.019 --> 00:30:08.769 into exactly what we're talking it does. You know, the the whole stuff 431 00:30:08.769 --> 00:30:12.730 with the delayden tapes. That yea, that happened. What was the twenty 432 00:30:12.730 --> 00:30:15.930 five parents and selling baby parts, right, the Bait Plan parenthood was selling 433 00:30:17.049 --> 00:30:19.250 baby parts and David de Layden went in with, I think, a team 434 00:30:19.490 --> 00:30:25.880 and exposed it through hidden, hidden videos. And when those videos I read 435 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:30.720 an article which, it is kind of does relate to this because the title 436 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:36.910 is how abortion has desensitized people, by Charles Kraut Hammer, and he wrote 437 00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:40.710 that in two thousand and fifteen. But he talked about how, when, 438 00:30:40.750 --> 00:30:47.549 when people full saw on these videos, Dr Deborah Nuckatola, I don't know 439 00:30:47.589 --> 00:30:49.660 if I'm saying her name correctly, but she was the planned parenthood press, 440 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:53.180 not not the president, but she was one of the doctors a plan parenthood, 441 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:57.539 and she is sipping, I think wine or at least water, and 442 00:30:57.700 --> 00:31:04.569 eating salad. Yeah, talking to the David de Layden and and discussing casually 443 00:31:04.609 --> 00:31:10.849 about how the fetal body can be crushed with forceps in a way that leaves 444 00:31:10.890 --> 00:31:15.769 valuable organs intact. Yeah, for sale. And she's laughing and eating the 445 00:31:15.930 --> 00:31:18.279 salad, and I feel I'm I'm feeling ready to vomit. Well, I 446 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:26.440 think a lot of people were like snapped out of this lethargy surrounding abortion, 447 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:33.789 because that even they when they recognized wow, this is someone who has been 448 00:31:33.029 --> 00:31:38.230 desensitized to the point where she's laughing about what she is describing, that is 449 00:31:38.430 --> 00:31:44.150 barbed barrack, while eating salad, while we all want a bar fish. 450 00:31:44.190 --> 00:31:47.420 She's right, you know, talking about this and even people who you know, 451 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:49.099 there are those who just wrote it off and said this was just some 452 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:53.779 conspiracy or something against Plant parenthood. But there were those even in the pro 453 00:31:53.940 --> 00:32:00.140 choice camp that were genuinely like disturbed over that, that lady's behavior, in 454 00:32:00.220 --> 00:32:05.569 the behavior just in General Plant parenthood. And so you know, those videos 455 00:32:05.609 --> 00:32:08.730 did do, I think, a lot to write tear off that Alice, 456 00:32:08.809 --> 00:32:12.369 I guess. Yeah, a side. Yeah, and I've heard many abortion 457 00:32:12.410 --> 00:32:15.400 workers who have left. Again. Those are people that they have to become 458 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:21.039 desensitized. Yeah, they can't do what they're doing. That grewsome work and 459 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:25.400 one in particular, I'm remembering her saying that she saw, as she's putting 460 00:32:25.400 --> 00:32:30.000 the baby back together again to count the parts, when she saw the an 461 00:32:30.109 --> 00:32:34.789 eyeball, a fully intact eyeball, visiting an abortion work before. grouportion work 462 00:32:34.829 --> 00:32:38.029 her in Winston Salem, okay, and she was a manager in fact, 463 00:32:38.150 --> 00:32:43.309 and and she said when she saw that that eyeball floating in the dish that 464 00:32:43.470 --> 00:32:46.660 was like the tipping point for her. That was what again slammed her back 465 00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:53.140 into this is barbaric, right, this is gruesome and and I think that's 466 00:32:53.140 --> 00:33:00.609 kind of the point that we're trying to make throughout is is there are points 467 00:33:00.930 --> 00:33:08.250 in where you're facing this this adverse, I'm sorry, losing my voice circumstances, 468 00:33:08.609 --> 00:33:13.200 circumstances, situations over and over and over again that you begin to lose 469 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:16.119 the horror of it, and one of the things that is good to bring 470 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:22.160 us back are these shocking visibles. Yeah, absolutely, as as she saw 471 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:24.799 what I saw in the video, right, yeah, and like what I 472 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:29.829 kind of describe, and looking at that picture of the baby malick, right, 473 00:33:29.869 --> 00:33:34.829 he's murdering through abortion. You the the silent screen video is one that 474 00:33:35.109 --> 00:33:38.589 I think everybody should watch and maybe even make yourself. It's hard to watch 475 00:33:38.630 --> 00:33:42.619 because there's a baby at tell us about that, because maybe everyone yeah, 476 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:45.059 so that's a baby. I mean, listen, this was made back in 477 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:47.700 I want to say mid S, I think. Yeah, and it was 478 00:33:47.819 --> 00:33:54.180 by Bernard Nathanson, who's now went on has died and from all indications he's 479 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:58.849 with the Lord. He repented and stopped doing abortions. He did abortions at 480 00:33:58.890 --> 00:34:01.769 one time, but he did and ultrasound guide an abortion. This is a 481 00:34:01.809 --> 00:34:06.450 baby at twelve weeks and you can see, and this is the ultrasound, 482 00:34:06.529 --> 00:34:08.250 like the video of the ultrasound and he goes through and describes it. You 483 00:34:08.289 --> 00:34:12.159 can look on Youtube. Just look up silent scream. Probably have to put 484 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.840 abortion in there. Something right in the in the search. But you can 485 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:19.280 see this baby moving around, live and well. And then you can see 486 00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:22.559 the instrument come into the uterus and you know it's a suction tube, and 487 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:25.389 then you see the baby trying to get away from the instrument. Yeah, 488 00:34:25.630 --> 00:34:29.349 and then the heart rate goes way, way up and you can see that. 489 00:34:29.590 --> 00:34:31.789 Then you see the baby such as gone and it's like yeah, Oh, 490 00:34:31.949 --> 00:34:35.750 this is really what we're doing. Like, you know, we were 491 00:34:35.869 --> 00:34:38.619 visual creature. God made us visual. That's why, when you look in 492 00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:43.059 the prophets, and you know they do visual things, often times show that 493 00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:45.179 the people of Israel in particular, they're saying and all of that, God 494 00:34:45.260 --> 00:34:50.500 knows where visual creatures, and sometimes we need a visual in order to remind 495 00:34:50.539 --> 00:34:53.210 ourselves of what. You know, there's a lot in the scriptures of visual 496 00:34:53.250 --> 00:34:59.929 imagery to remind us of the sin and rebellion of humanity. Visual image will 497 00:34:59.929 --> 00:35:04.130 help us to remind us what abortion like, the horror of this thing. 498 00:35:04.210 --> 00:35:08.239 Yeah, to help rip the callous off. Yeah, like one I'm thinking 499 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:12.760 of as the book of Josiah. Okay, and Joseiah, the Prophet, 500 00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:15.920 is told to go Mary Gomer, the prostitute. Yeah, and and then 501 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:22.469 he's he's got a she leaves and goes and, you know, is off 502 00:35:22.550 --> 00:35:25.429 with many men and God tells Josiah, take her back, you have to 503 00:35:25.510 --> 00:35:29.269 take her back, get her and bring her bad and I mean it is 504 00:35:29.389 --> 00:35:34.550 such a picture of God's faithful calling us back out of sin that I think 505 00:35:34.550 --> 00:35:37.780 all of us can relate to poor Joseiah. Yeah, how horrific that must 506 00:35:37.820 --> 00:35:43.940 have been for him. So God does use those visuals to shock us back 507 00:35:44.260 --> 00:35:49.940 into the reality of the horror of sin. Yeah, absolutely so. They 508 00:35:50.969 --> 00:35:54.210 there is an answer, I think, a scriptural answer based on the scripture 509 00:35:54.210 --> 00:35:58.449 that I read earlier. But before I we get into that, you said 510 00:35:58.449 --> 00:36:01.570 that you had three other kind of yeah, guiding you, and these are 511 00:36:01.690 --> 00:36:06.039 he's a sort of practical principles that I think the Lord has helped me with, 512 00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:09.599 the keep me from being desensitis and just going crazy and right and right, 513 00:36:10.440 --> 00:36:13.639 because we do with this on a regular basis. So the first one 514 00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:15.280 I mentioned already, to keep the main thing, the main thing. God 515 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:19.110 needs to be first. I love for him is first, not even just 516 00:36:19.190 --> 00:36:22.150 our love for the babies. It's got to be God first. The second 517 00:36:22.349 --> 00:36:23.789 was, and these are not in any kind of order, say, seem 518 00:36:23.789 --> 00:36:28.190 a little out of word. Yeah, me, but make an effort to 519 00:36:28.230 --> 00:36:30.909 talk about other things. What I mean by that is, you know, 520 00:36:30.949 --> 00:36:35.619 if you're in pro life manage tree or if you're you know you're the person 521 00:36:35.739 --> 00:36:37.860 who always talks about the issue of abortion in your church and your circles, 522 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:42.260 they're going to see you as the abortion person, like you go to person 523 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:45.059 when they have a question about abortion or whatever. My family and friends do. 524 00:36:45.179 --> 00:36:47.170 I don't mind it so much, but I do try to steer my 525 00:36:47.289 --> 00:36:52.409 conversations on a regular basis away from abortion and into other things, like Jesus 526 00:36:52.570 --> 00:36:55.809 and how awesome he is. You know, I've even had we have people 527 00:36:55.809 --> 00:37:00.369 over for for lunch or for dinner on Sundays in particular. I'm like, 528 00:37:00.449 --> 00:37:04.880 on Sundays, we're not talking about abortion. On Sunday we're talking about Jesus 529 00:37:04.960 --> 00:37:07.679 and how awesome he is. And you know, it might come up or 530 00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:09.559 something, but I don't want to talk about what's going on at the clinic. 531 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:12.639 I don't want to talk about, you know, what we're dealing with 532 00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:15.269 with the police, opposition to what we're doing at the probortion clinic. I 533 00:37:15.389 --> 00:37:17.909 want to talk about Jesus, I want to talk about my family, I 534 00:37:17.949 --> 00:37:22.269 want to you know, so which make it never your first point, because 535 00:37:22.389 --> 00:37:25.429 you're let making the love of the Lord. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, 536 00:37:25.429 --> 00:37:29.469 yeah, and you know, I've even told my pastor because I've had opportunities 537 00:37:29.469 --> 00:37:31.739 to speak and to share us a man, I'll share any time about abortion, 538 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:35.460 about what we do, and they've given me a lot of opportunities to 539 00:37:35.500 --> 00:37:37.820 do that and I'm so thankful. But also said Hey, man, if 540 00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:40.340 there's any time you want me to share other things, because actually, you 541 00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:45.690 know, I'm sort of a theolog theology Geek and in Church History Geek and 542 00:37:45.769 --> 00:37:47.449 I like some of that stuff. I'm not as knowledgeable as some, but 543 00:37:47.489 --> 00:37:53.570 I'm maybe more knowledgeable than others and and I like God's word, and so 544 00:37:53.610 --> 00:37:57.489 I preach. You give me any subject, brother, I'll preach and they've 545 00:37:57.489 --> 00:38:00.920 given me gracious opportunities to preach about other things. Do Anything, make an 546 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:02.360 effort to talk about other things. That's that's sort of a second thing. 547 00:38:02.599 --> 00:38:09.079 And then the third thing is is we need to be surrounded with encouragement and 548 00:38:09.159 --> 00:38:13.070 accountability. You know, I mentioned earlier, I've seen people go off the 549 00:38:13.150 --> 00:38:16.070 rails who are involved in, you know, fighting the abortion battle. And 550 00:38:17.269 --> 00:38:22.670 some folks I've seen have gone off the rails because they've taken themselves out of 551 00:38:22.869 --> 00:38:24.909 the local church. They're mad at the local church for not doing something that 552 00:38:24.949 --> 00:38:29.300 about abortion or or the apathy of the local church. And Listen, I 553 00:38:29.380 --> 00:38:30.980 get it, we understand it. Yeah, well, yeah, but God 554 00:38:31.099 --> 00:38:37.420 has designed the local church as a context for us to have the accountability and 555 00:38:37.539 --> 00:38:40.019 the encouragement that we need. We all need to be accountable to godly leadership. 556 00:38:40.489 --> 00:38:44.610 We all need the encouragement. You encourage one another daily, as long 557 00:38:44.610 --> 00:38:49.090 as it's called today, right. So we all need that encouragement and if 558 00:38:49.130 --> 00:38:52.289 we don't have that, if we don't have the encouragement you proverbs eighteen one. 559 00:38:52.809 --> 00:38:55.800 A man that isolates himself rages against sound judgment and he seeks his own 560 00:38:55.840 --> 00:39:00.079 some of the people in my experience, which is one of the reasons why, 561 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:01.360 as a ministry, you can't volunteer with us unless you're a part of 562 00:39:01.400 --> 00:39:05.320 local church. Some of the people I've seen that cause the most problems have 563 00:39:05.480 --> 00:39:07.679 been people that are not part of a local church. Now, I'm not 564 00:39:07.800 --> 00:39:10.110 tagging everybody with that. I don't think just because you're not part of local 565 00:39:10.150 --> 00:39:15.510 church your horrible person. That's not what I think, but I have had 566 00:39:15.750 --> 00:39:17.750 some pretty bad experiences with people who who are not part of local church and 567 00:39:17.789 --> 00:39:21.869 I think it's a biblical principle. Yeah, because you need that encouragement and 568 00:39:21.909 --> 00:39:24.539 accountability. You need people in the congregation, people that are close to you, 569 00:39:24.659 --> 00:39:27.780 to say hey, man, I think you're getting off the rail. 570 00:39:27.940 --> 00:39:30.420 Was a little bit. I think you're getting either desensitized are you're getting over 571 00:39:30.820 --> 00:39:35.900 you know, because you make this podcast. Should be more about either being 572 00:39:36.019 --> 00:39:38.809 desensitized or being overly obsessed. Yeah, because it can be a ditch on 573 00:39:38.889 --> 00:39:43.530 either side. Yeah, I remember someone that came to visit the sidewalk once 574 00:39:43.530 --> 00:39:45.210 and I said Hey, I didn't recognize him at all. I said Hey, 575 00:39:45.369 --> 00:39:49.250 how are you? My Name's Vicky. How you do and he said 576 00:39:49.650 --> 00:39:52.610 terrible, I'm and I said, Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. 577 00:39:52.650 --> 00:39:54.320 Why? And he said he just pointed at the abortions and yeah, I 578 00:39:54.440 --> 00:39:58.800 thought, yeah, it is terrible, but I was just asking more kind 579 00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:02.679 yeah, make a conversation. Yeah, well, and that could be because 580 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:07.190 you're desensitizer. Could it could be because he was obsessed. It's too much 581 00:40:07.190 --> 00:40:10.309 obsessed. Exactly in the fourth point that I made, and it might even 582 00:40:10.309 --> 00:40:14.710 tied into a podcast we made a couple of weeks ago, which is talking 583 00:40:14.710 --> 00:40:16.349 about ministering in our mess, and we talked a little bit about you know, 584 00:40:16.429 --> 00:40:20.309 there could be times when we need need to back away from the sidewalk. 585 00:40:20.349 --> 00:40:22.219 If you're one of our volunteers with cities for life, we're not talking 586 00:40:22.260 --> 00:40:24.619 to you right now. You cannot back away. Yeah, you can't, 587 00:40:24.619 --> 00:40:28.940 because we need to now. There are times, you know, Jesus in 588 00:40:29.019 --> 00:40:32.460 his earthly ministry, sometimes he slipped away into the wilderness. There are times 589 00:40:32.659 --> 00:40:37.610 maybe you need to take a week off and step away from ministry and let 590 00:40:37.650 --> 00:40:42.889 it be fresh to you again. Yeah, and it's kind of a general 591 00:40:42.929 --> 00:40:45.530 principle of just, you know, taking a break, shutting your mind off 592 00:40:45.530 --> 00:40:49.170 from the stuff. You know, I had a pastor friend of mine a 593 00:40:49.210 --> 00:40:51.880 couple of years ago when I first came on board with cities for life full 594 00:40:51.960 --> 00:40:53.920 time, tell me, because I was coming out six days a week every 595 00:40:53.960 --> 00:40:57.880 time the abord and clinic was open every day, he actually told me. 596 00:40:58.239 --> 00:41:00.639 And you need to take a day to disconnect. You need to not be 597 00:41:00.760 --> 00:41:05.630 involved, because that's just too much for the for the human heart that loves 598 00:41:05.670 --> 00:41:07.869 God and loves people, to be involved in every day, six days a 599 00:41:07.949 --> 00:41:12.030 week. You're going to go you're going to go insane. Yeah, and 600 00:41:12.230 --> 00:41:15.469 that was wise, counsel. So I take a day of the week off 601 00:41:15.550 --> 00:41:20.780 and I don't come out. Yeah, that one day a week to disconnect. 602 00:41:20.980 --> 00:41:23.260 Right, right, because it will make you go crazy. So sometimes 603 00:41:23.260 --> 00:41:27.780 it's not sended to take a break and step away. Yeah, that's something 604 00:41:27.820 --> 00:41:30.300 before the Lord. You need to seek him for wisdom for, because we 605 00:41:30.539 --> 00:41:36.409 certainly don't want to justify because there's so many they're not active that need to 606 00:41:36.449 --> 00:41:39.570 be active. We shore don't want to justify inactivity when it concerns a murder 607 00:41:39.650 --> 00:41:43.369 of children, by just saying I need to take a break because Pai, 608 00:41:43.369 --> 00:41:45.369 you are flesh. will use all kinds of excuses. Yeah, yeah, 609 00:41:45.409 --> 00:41:50.960 but those are for those are good, those are good principles and in the 610 00:41:51.039 --> 00:41:53.960 verse that I talked about her in the passages that I talked about, God 611 00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:59.960 tells us, gives us his I think I can interpret it as as his 612 00:42:00.280 --> 00:42:07.269 antidote, okay, to to love, growing cold or desensitization to evil and 613 00:42:07.469 --> 00:42:12.789 and desensitized really to the primary love of God right should be motivating us. 614 00:42:13.190 --> 00:42:16.619 So in in that line it, he says, remember, therefore, from 615 00:42:16.659 --> 00:42:21.659 where you have fallen, repent and do the works. You did it first. 616 00:42:22.099 --> 00:42:23.380 So I want to break that down because I think that there are four 617 00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:31.570 keys in and how to prevent desensitization from right becoming an issue. First, 618 00:42:31.650 --> 00:42:36.369 remember, so, remember what God has done for you. Remember who you 619 00:42:36.449 --> 00:42:40.969 were without him. Remember those who are lost there in that same terrible place. 620 00:42:42.090 --> 00:42:45.599 Yeah, that you was were. Remember. The second thing he says 621 00:42:45.679 --> 00:42:51.400 is repent, recognize as quickly as possible the hatred or the callousness that's beginning 622 00:42:51.400 --> 00:42:53.599 to enter your heart and ask God to remove it. I think you talked 623 00:42:53.639 --> 00:42:59.789 about that. That you you you pray to God to help you too to 624 00:42:59.949 --> 00:43:06.829 return to that, that primary love, and and then return do the work 625 00:43:06.909 --> 00:43:09.510 God called you to do, with passionate love for him and what he accomplished 626 00:43:09.630 --> 00:43:15.340 in your soul, as you did when you first knew the incredible moment of 627 00:43:15.420 --> 00:43:20.539 salvation. And then the the final one is that there is a reward for 628 00:43:21.019 --> 00:43:23.699 for all of that. If we endure to the end, we don't give 629 00:43:23.780 --> 00:43:28.650 up, we don't abandon the work that God has given us and we and 630 00:43:28.849 --> 00:43:34.250 we endure with that, that first passionate love for him that motivated us to 631 00:43:34.289 --> 00:43:37.610 do that work in the first place, we will cross the finish line and 632 00:43:38.050 --> 00:43:42.840 and hear those words. We pray, well done, good and faithful servant. 633 00:43:43.039 --> 00:43:52.039 Yeah, so we it's remember, repent, return and reward. Yeah, 634 00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:57.150 it's our clever. That is that's very clever, very clever, and 635 00:43:57.949 --> 00:44:04.150 it's wisdom, wisdom from from the revival. Yeah. So, I don't 636 00:44:04.150 --> 00:44:06.869 know, are you ready to wrap this thing? Yeah, I think we've 637 00:44:06.949 --> 00:44:09.699 kind of note to end on. Yeah. Yeah, we hope this has 638 00:44:09.699 --> 00:44:14.940 been an encouragement. Do you guys? We did do a podcast months ago. 639 00:44:15.260 --> 00:44:17.099 I refer to our podcast because we do a lot of subjects and I 640 00:44:17.179 --> 00:44:22.059 think they're they're really helpful. We did one about fighting discouragement. Yeah, 641 00:44:22.139 --> 00:44:24.449 and I think that podcast, along with this one, will be helpful. 642 00:44:24.690 --> 00:44:29.969 I think so all of these podcasts are rising out of actual issues that we 643 00:44:30.130 --> 00:44:34.449 faced to that others in in our group have faced and we and we talked 644 00:44:34.449 --> 00:44:37.489 about them. Yeah, we figured if we're struggling with these issues. Probably 645 00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:40.119 there are others. Yeah, yeah, and there are. We're getting some 646 00:44:40.199 --> 00:44:45.199 feedback from people who are encouraged by the PODCAST. Do us a favorite. 647 00:44:45.199 --> 00:44:46.880 Guys, if you're listening and you're encourage, you're blessed by this podcast, 648 00:44:47.159 --> 00:44:52.469 share with other people, share on social media, leave us a review in 649 00:44:52.789 --> 00:44:57.469 your podcast APP, wherever you get podcast. We put, I think, 650 00:44:57.630 --> 00:45:00.710 most of o our energy early on into the apple podcast and that platform, 651 00:45:00.750 --> 00:45:05.670 but other people are listening on other platforms, and so share whatever platform you're 652 00:45:05.710 --> 00:45:08.460 listening on and and also get in touch with us. Let us know what 653 00:45:08.579 --> 00:45:12.820 you think. Let us know you know some ideas for podcasts that you have, 654 00:45:13.260 --> 00:45:15.420 some things that we can tweak change, questions we can answer. Maybe 655 00:45:15.460 --> 00:45:19.659 we'll do a QA at some point. We get some questions from some folks 656 00:45:19.659 --> 00:45:22.570 who send us a send US emails and it's Ay, I have this question 657 00:45:22.650 --> 00:45:23.929 of that question. Maybe'll do a QA. That's me. Great, yeah, 658 00:45:24.050 --> 00:45:28.329 be good. So send us some questions then we will try to answer 659 00:45:28.369 --> 00:45:30.889 those the best we can. But if you need to reach out to me, 660 00:45:31.690 --> 00:45:37.360 as we always mentioned, my email addresses d parks cities for lifecom. 661 00:45:37.639 --> 00:45:40.599 She is V custy org at cities for lifecom, the website that we always 662 00:45:40.639 --> 00:45:45.639 mentioned is www dot sidewalks and number four lifecom. It's a sidewall councling website. 663 00:45:45.880 --> 00:45:49.440 And then locally, CHARLOTTE, dot cities for life, Dot Org is 664 00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:52.550 our website here in Charlotte. But we hope you guys are blessed by this 665 00:45:52.630 --> 00:45:55.150 podcast and hope you're blessed as you serve the Lord and and hope you keep 666 00:45:55.190 --> 00:45:59.349 from getting callous to where the Lord has called you, when he's called you 667 00:45:59.429 --> 00:46:06.619 to do so. God bless you guys. Give me O love for love, 668 00:46:09.340 --> 00:46:17.809 give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my 669 00:46:19.170 --> 00:46:25.530 life. Nothing's too precious in some you.