Be A Witness For God

Be A Witness For God “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1st Peter 3:12 During all my years in Health Care Administration it was always so obvious just how much the eyes of all my employees were on me. Corporate America has a way of taking a toll on a Christian, as almost all business settings have similar environments, consisting of backstabbing, rumor mills, brownnosing up to the boss and pushing to get ahead. With all the emphasis to move up the corporate ladder it is a wonder that any work gets accomplished with all the individual agendas among the employees. If you are a Christian working in this environment you come even more under the watchful eye and scrutiny of all the other members of the workforce. They watch to see if you are prone to lose your cool, to become angry or to say words that are disrespectful to others when things do not go your way. Any kind of behavior that is unbecoming of a Christian gives others room to doubt your actual Christianity. A Christian has a very big responsibility in their workplace to be a person of character at all times, and in all situations. You cannot be caring and respectful one day and uncaring and disrespectful the next. Your daily walk, your actions and your behavior quickly tell others the true person you are, and you will either be known as a true witness for God or you will not. There is little room for error if you are not truly walking and being a witness for God as people will quickly find you out. I would encourage each of you before you go out into your workplace each day, to ask God to give you the patience, the understanding and ability to conduct yourselves in the way that will be pleasing to God, as you are His witness wherever you go. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 14 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Use Words Wisely

Use Words Wisely “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 Have you ever thought about your choice of words that you use daily? Just being able to say the right word, the helpful word, the encouraging, correcting, guiding, blessing word is like apples of gold set forth in a stunning and beautiful way as the scripture above indicates. There is something incredibly powerful about our words, especially when the right word is said in the right way at the right moment. We all need to take time to reflect on the nature of our own speech and the words that we use. We need to ask ourselves if our words reveal us to be a believer, blesser, builder, encourager, teacher, counselor, consoler and friend, which is what our words need to convey to others. If we find that our words convey us as a grumbler, complainer, criticizer or blamer we need to try to adjust our attitude, as this is not the nature that God would want us to have and convey to others. James 3:9 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” Perhaps you may find that you are a little bit of all these things, the up-lifter and encourager at certain times, and a demoralizer and discourager at other times. God wants us to be a positive influence at all times in our lives; to be uplifting and encouraging; to be faithful in all things, and to be a witness of God’s grace wherever we are and in whatever we do. We must guard our use of words so that they always show the love in our hearts. Your words can carry a powerful message, and be a blessing to others, and you must allow the Holy Spirit to be the master of your tongue, so that what you say, when you say it, and how you say it, may build people and honor your Lord with apples of gold in a setting of silver. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 13 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Sow Good Seeds

Sow Good Seeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Matthew 13:24-26 In a nearby city there is an annual festival called the Johnny Appleseed Festival named after the legendary character that supposedly went around the country planting apple seeds. This is a fun festival where hundreds of families get together each fall to celebrate this historic event. The scripture above also tells us a story about planting seeds, and the result of the type of seed we sow in our families. Parents have the choice of sowing good seeds like the wheat, or bad seeds like the weeds in their homes and families. The dysfunctional families that are springing up all around us are prime examples where the parents have sown weeds in their homes, and they are choking the life out of families today. The divorce rate is growing astronomically in our society. The weeds of contention, strife, hostility and unkind words are so prevalent in families today, that the children that come from these broken homes carry this baggage to their own families and the trend continues. I recently heard a program from one of the leading pastors in the country about disciplining unruly children, and how oftentimes the cause of these children’s behavioral problems are “learned behavior”. He stated that 99.9% of this learned behavior comes from home life. I would encourage all parents to begin to get these bad seeds out of your family, and begin to sow love, peace and joy in your family instead. We must begin to be the living examples for our children in our daily walk, and bring God back into our homes and reverse this trend. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 12 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Visions From God

Visions from God “Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” Nehemiah 2:17 I love the story of Nehemiah who had the great vision of rebuilding the walls and the city of Jerusalem seventy years after King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem, which was a city he had never seen, and went out by night to survey the wall and the city. He inspected all that needed to be repaired and scoped out what materials and manpower would be needed to complete the project. Nehemiah was a man of vision, and a man that had his plans in order to know the steps that would be necessary to rebuild the wall and the city. I believe that all of us need to have our visions firmly implanted into our minds as to what God is leading us to do. I know that God has given me the vision for my ministry, and through His direction and guidance I am seeing a tremendous result as I implement His plan for my life. The thing that I discovered that made Nehemiah so successful in getting his vision accomplished was that he planned in advance every task and every job, and organized and worked together with many others to get the job done. A vision without a plan is only a wish, but with a plan it can become a reality. I have heard many people throughout the years say they have a vision of something they want to happen, but so often this vision does not come to fruition because they do not have a plan. God will put many visions into your mind, big ones and small ones, visions for your family, your place of work, and your community. When God places these visions in your mind just remember that planning will turn these visions into reality, and God will give you direction and wisdom to make these plans come true. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 10 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Return Of Christ

The Return of Christ “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” 1st Thessalonians 5:2 How close are we to the return of Jesus Christ? What are the signs that tell us that his return is near? The most thrilling event in all of human history is yet to come, as our Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth in His power and glory to set up His kingdom that will last 1,000 years. Most Christian scholars believe that His return is soon. Even unbelievers are taking a closer look at biblical prophecies that predict the end of all things. Without question the Bible is very clear about the subject of Jesus’ coming again and how it should affect believers today. In the scripture above the Apostle Peter is telling us that the return of Jesus will be like a thief in the night, as no one knows the time or day of this great event. I strongly believe that all Christians need to take a hard look at their daily Christian life and their lifestyle to make sure that their lives are in order, to be one of the chosen people on this great judgment day. If you find that there are things in your life that are not pleasing to God, this is the time to change the things that are not as they should be according to God’s word. This is something that we must not put off any longer as we may have done in the past. There is nothing more important than making sure our home in heaven is guaranteed, and that we have committed the rest of our life to serving God and obeying His commands. I would encourage each of you to prepare your hearts to receive God’s word, and allow the Holy Spirit to ignite a passion in you for Christ’s return. We need to ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance and renew our personal devotion to Him, and further prepare ourselves for that great and glorious day, and the return of our Lord. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 9 Robert William Brock, Jr.

God Is Faithful

God is Faithful “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4 William Penn, the founder of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was well liked by the Indians. Once they told him he could have as much of their land as he could walk on foot in a single day. So, early the next morning he started out and walked until late that night. When he finally went to claim his land, the Indians were greatly surprised for they really didn’t think he would take them seriously. But they kept their promise and gave him a large area which today is part of the city of Philadelphia. William Penn simply believed what they said, and found the Indians to be faithful to their words. I can certainly count on God to be faithful to His words in my life. There are many times during each of our lives when we are disappointed with others, as they have let us down and not lived up to their promises to us. These disappointments can color our outlook on life, and can even change the way we see God. I know several family members that have turned their backs on God because of disappointments in their lives and now they blame God for these disappointments. They are missing so much as God was not to blame for any of these disappointments, but their hearts have been hardened to the point that they have forsaken God. Each of us is going to be faced with disappointments throughout our lives, and when these disappointments come we must not allow them to cause us to doubt God, as He continues to be faithful to those who believe in Him. When times of trouble face us, we need to turn to God even more, and depend upon Him to let us endure and be victorious. We can depend upon God, who is faithful to those who believe. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 8 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Jesus Will Return Soon

Jesus Will Return Soon “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2nd Corinthians 6:2 I believe that too many people in today’s society do not take seriously the importance of being ready if Jesus should return today. They are too busy with their daily routines and supporting, in most instances, lifestyles that they cannot afford. I believe that these folks have their priorities completely out of order as they are looking at the things of the world which will mean nothing to them in determining where they will spend all eternity. The Bible tells us that things of this earth will rust and pass away, and are only temporal things, but an everlasting life will last for all eternity. There are several questions we need to ask ourselves. Are we personally ready for the return of Jesus? Have we accepted Him as our Savior or have we been to busy with other priorities on our to-do list? All of us need to really think about our priorities and get our life right with God. We do not know the year, the day or the hour that Jesus might return, but we do know that Jesus will be coming one day, and it is so important that we be ready for this day. We cannot continue to put off thinking about this day and using the excuse that we will take time for God next year or next week, when we get our other priorities taken care of. It may be too late then as God is not going to give us a warning so that we can get ready at the last minute. We must begin to get our house in order today, and not put off something as important as our salvation and our future. It is so imperative for all of us to share the importance of the return of Jesus, and let our children, our families, our friends and neighbors know the importance of being ready for his return, and what is at stake for them. Jesus is going to return soon, and we must be prepared and ready. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 6 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Forget The Past

Forget the Past “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Philippians 3:13 So many times when I have counseled friends, fellow church brothers and sisters and neighbors about various problems and issues in their lives, the primary cause of the majority of their problems and issues is that they are not able to forget the past. In today’s society so many marriages begin with baggage left over from broken homes, such as abuse, drug and alcohol addiction and divorce that the foundation is not strong enough to weather any kind of problems and issues that families can face. When godly family core values are not present in a family, children grow up without a foundation in which to build their families on, and when issues and problems arise they are not equipped to know how to handle them. Paul tells us in the scripture above that this baggage needs to be forgotten, and that we need to look at what lies ahead. I have seen people live with their past, and it places them in a dark and lonely arena. There is no life in the sea of regrets and hurts, as there is only a place of hopelessness and despair. Instead of staying in the past God wants us to look ahead to each new day with a fresh hope in what we can accomplish and to depend on Him for all our needs. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new and fresh every morning, and that His grace is sufficient for this day. We can see how God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness as He gave fresh manna daily during their journey. We can trust Him to give us what we need each day and look forward to living one day at a time. The years ahead can be the dawning of grand and glorious days for you if you follow God’s word to forget the past and depend upon Him for your future. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 5 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. Let Us Give Thanks “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:2 The last Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day, along with many of our holidays, is observed by most Americans as a day of feasting. It is sandwiched between Halloween, a day that has become a day relegated to ghosts, witches, demons and other wicked creatures, and Christmas, which signifies the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Today, millions of Americans regard Thanksgiving Day only as the day before they head off to the malls to begin their shopping for Christmas. Somehow our perception of Thanksgiving Day has gone askew, as we’ve forgotten the reason for celebration of that first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day historically was a time of feasting for the pilgrims and Indians. In the early 1600’s the pilgrims had only been in the United States several years, when they hosted the first feast to celebrate life with their Indian friends, and give thanks to God for His provision in their difficult circumstances. Thanksgiving Day should be a time that each of us should give thanks to God for what He has given and blessed us with. We as Americans are extremely blessed, and Thanksgiving should be a time when we show our gratitude to others by sharing some of our blessings with them. It should be a time when we share our love with a special friend, and show the people around us that we care about them. We should make it a time when we focus on God, and thank Him for our material wealth, our health, our country, our church and our families. It should be a time of thanking God for everything He has provided to us.

Do You Need A Makeover

Do You Need A Makeover “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8 The scripture above is such a powerful verse as it tells us that when we become closer to God, He will reciprocate and draw closer to us. This reminds me of some of the programs on television where people are having makeovers that are supposed to change their lives. They are attempting to change their appearances and behaviors to become a new person which is going to change them forever. Although their outward appearances may be enhanced and their attitudes about themselves may be uplifted, it is their inward beings that need to be changed. God can give us a complete makeover when we draw ourselves closer to Him. He can renew us and make us a new person. He can change a lifeless person from the inside, and make him a completely new being. God tells us that when we want to become more like Him, we must spend more time with Him for that to happen. In order to have a complete makeover we must devote more time to God. We can do this in our prayer life, in our thoughts and in our daily lives and actions. We can practice love with our fellow man; we can forgive others that have harmed us and done wrong to us; we can read and study God’s Holy Word and get His wisdom; we can begin to help our fellow man by showing our love, and helping to provide for their needs. There are many ways that God teaches us throughout the Bible where we can draw closer to God. When we reach out to God He will reach out to us. Our lives will change, and the fruits of the Spirit that He promises us will begin to spring up in our lives, and we will experience the love that God has for us. When we reach out to God, and begin to live our lives with Him being first in all we do, we can then experience an extreme makeover that will last for all eternity. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 2 Robert William Brock, Jr.

We Can Take Back Our Nation

We Can Take Back Our Nation “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2nd Peter 3:13 There has been much discussion in recent days and years about the coming of the end of time, and the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return, but according to Biblical accounts the prophesies of the Bible are being fulfilled each day. Our great country is turning their back on God and His teachings, and I am sure that God is disappointed with what He is seeing. As we look back on the history of the people of Israel we can see that when God became dissatisfied with what was going on in the land He destroyed it. This is seen when God destroyed the earth and allowed only Noah and his family to survive and repopulate the earth. We can see what God did again with the accounts of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as He destroyed them. With the sexual immorality, drugs, abortion and dysfunctional families that is so prevalent in our society today, and the overall turning away from any Christian moral family values, our nation is again in danger of God taking His revenge against us. It is time for all parents to begin to take a stand and reverse this trend in our society by bringing back godly family values to their homes, and restoring these godly values in their everyday actions and teach these values to their children. Parents can reclaim this great nation by returning to the biblical principles of the Bible, and practicing these principles in their everyday lives. If we continue this downward spiral our children and grandchildren are going to feel and see the wrath of Almighty God come against them and see His wrath. It is time for parents to wake up and begin to take the action needed to teach our children about God and begin to live a life that is pleasing to God. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 1 Robert William Brock, Jr.

A Child's Family Fortune

A Child’s Family Fortune “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.” Proverbs 23:15 Don’t you wish that all parents could experience the joy from the scripture above as their children would speak and live a life that is pleasing to God? All parents could experience this joy and happiness when they leave their children with the “Family Fortune” I discussed in the previous devotional. As parents, we cannot force our children to know and serve God, but we can, however, minimize the possibility of them going astray and maximize their potential to love God by living a godly life before them. The Bible tells us that it is the responsibility of every parent to pass on the eternal riches of knowing and honoring God to their children. There is no doubt that parents are the most powerful influence upon their child’s spiritual development. At some point however, as the child matures they must begin to take ownership and possess the godly heritage for themselves. A youth must initially receive and begin to live by faith in the Lord Jesus on their own. Making the transition from “passive” to “possessive” toward their spiritual heritage is not easy for some, but for others it is a natural process in their spiritual development. The fact is, most youth and young adults are going to be severely tested in their faith and love for God as they come into their own. They are going to be tempted by peer pressure and unfortunately by their teachers and other influential adults in our society today. The statistics tell us that many of our young people are failing the “test” of faith once they launch out on their own. I know that for me, and I hope that for all of you, this is one “test” that we as parents cannot allow our young people to fail. Parents must leave their children a “Family Fortune” that will follow them always. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 31 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Family Fortune

The Family Fortune “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 When I look at our society today I see so many families who are dysfunctional and their children are left to find out about God on their own. This creates a cycle where our children imitate their parents and have their own dysfunctional family. I believe that as Christian parents, giving a godly heritage to our children is a deep-rooted core value that is necessary to keep families together and stop this devastating trend in families today. Whenever we hear the words, “Family Fortune,” we immediately think of the wealthy of our culture. But we have something to give our children of greater value than money, assets and mansions. We have a “Family Fortune” from our Heavenly Father to pass on to our children. It is a fortune that far exceeds all earthly riches. It is the riches of a godly life lived and worked out in front of our children on a daily basis. The Biblical story of the prodigal son illustrates the impact of a godly parent on his children. Though the father was rich in earthly treasure, he was even richer in spiritual treasure. When both sons went astray, one to extreme carnality and the other to extreme judgmentalism, it was the godly life of the father that was the catalyst for change in their lives. Both sons eventually returned to the godly wisdom, counsel and lifestyle of their father who raised them to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. He had given his sons more than money and wealth. He gave them something that rescued them from the corruption of their own soul. He gave them a godly heritage. Your prayers, lifestyle and unconditional love is a major part of what God uses to influence the direction and destiny of your children, and will enable parents to give their children a godly heritage, and a family fortune that will lead them to an eternal life. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 30 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Seek The Fruits Of The Spirit

Seek The Fruits Of The Spirit “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 Have you ever thought about what comes out of us when the pressure of life comes upon us? That question is something that we all need to ask ourselves and take a close look at what the real answer is. If the fruit of the Spirit and the righteousness of the Lord do not come out, then we need to allow the Lord to do some work in our life. Jesus tells us that the fruit of the Spirit should be love, joy, peace longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, and should be shown coming from us at all times. Are these the fruits that flow from your mouth and your actions, when the trials of life come upon you? What comes out of us reveal the true character and nature that is inside us to others, and if we do not exhibit these fruits in our times of stress we need to earnestly seek Jesus to change things in our lives. If you find yourself lacking in this regard, and desire to change and want to become a person who resembles Christ in your actions and speech there are two things that you must do. First get in the Word. That means to read and study your Bible, and begin to put the wisdom and knowledge that you find to practice in your every day life. When we put God’s word in our heart we are able to stand against sin and act with the character of Christ, when we are feeling the pressure of the world trying to squeeze us. Second, we need to obey the scripture above and get hungry and thirsty for this righteousness. If you are filled with the righteousness of God, then the only thing that will pour out of you when the pressures of life come will be the righteousness of the Lord. All the righteousness you have filled yourself with, will now come out and you will become a true witness for Christ by your conduct. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 29 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Be An Encourager

Be An Encourager “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1st Thessalonians 5:11 Having spent my entire 45 year career in administration I have encountered many people, including many managers who were critical of almost anything and anybody they met. These people were very negative individuals and hardly every had anything positive to say about anything or anybody. These same individuals always seemed to be ones that were unhappy with themselves and never had any joy in their lives. I am sure each of you has people in your lives at this time that are similar to the ones I am describing. I have always believed that Jesus wants us to be encouragers instead of being critical, complainers and negative, and I have never condoned this kind of behavior with the people I supervised. The Bible gives us many scriptures, such as the one above, where we are to always be uplifting and to always build each other up. No matter how rough your day is today, speak words that uplift and encourage those around you. Encourage others when you notice them doing a good job or a good deed. You can do this with all the people you come into contact with, such as store clerks, auto mechanics, food service employees, your friends and neighbors. Always give compliments for good service and good works and deeds. You can change your own life and your own attitude by choosing to speak positive words. We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds when we become encouragers instead of critics. You will become an ambassador for Jesus when you begin to embrace this habit as people will begin to see Christ in you, and His righteousness will begin to shine upon you. You will be in God’s favor when you choose to bless others through your kind words. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 28 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Let God Protect You

Let God Protect You “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1st John 5:18-19 The above scripture is another warning from God about the importance of removing any sin from our life, as it tells us that anyone born of God does not continue to sin. The devil is all around us, enticing and luring us into temptation, and wanting us to sin in our daily walk with God. The world is an evil place and Jesus tells us it is under the control of Satan. However God tells us throughout the Bible how we are to resist Satan and his attacks on us, and in his Holy Word gives us the wisdom and knowledge to withstand Satan’s attacks against us. It is not easy to live with the temptations that surrounds us without the help of God, but when we truly have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and have put God as number one in our lives, he promises that he will give us the strength and ability to endure all the obstacles we will face and let us be victorious in our lives. He tells us that we need to arm ourselves with the armor of God and with his help we can overcome all the temptations that Satan will put in front of us. Reading our Bibles and discerning the wisdom of God’s Holy word will be our shield to withstand Satan’s attacks against us. We need to constantly be on our guard and think and live each moment and hour of our daily lives with the thought that Jesus is watching our every move and knows our every thought. There is too much at stake in our lives to let Satan entice us and influence our lives and cause us to miss an eternal life in Heaven. I would encourage each of you to live every minute of your life for God and let him lead and guide you in your journey to an eternal life. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 27 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Your Life Is In The Balance

Your Life Is In The Balance “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Hebrews 10:26 This is another powerful scripture that Jesus gives us that tells us that once we have received Jesus into our hearts that we must change our ways and not continue in our sinful ways. The wages of sin is death and will lead to our eternal destruction. When we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior he forgives all our sins and allows us to start a new life and a new beginning. We are forgiven of all our past sins and now need to make God first in our lives. We must now begin to obey God’s commands, and this must now become the most important thing in our life. I am afraid that many people do not put God first in their lives as is evidenced from their actions and behavior, even though they show up at church on Sunday. God needs to be first in all our lives, throughout our entire week, not just on Sunday. We need to devote time to him every day and in everything we do. Our lives must revolve around him. How much time do you devote to God daily, either through prayer or reading the Bible, and spending on the concerns of others? Jesus tells us that his number one commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and also to love your neighbor as yourself. I would encourage each of you to reflect back on your daily walk with God to see if you are truly living up to God’s greatest command for your life. It is not too late to begin to honor God and make him number one in your life. An eternal life with God must be your goal, and only you are able to make this become a reality, as the truth is before you and your life is in the balance. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 26 Robert William Brock, Jr

Our Purpose In Life

Our Purpose In Life “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2nd Corinthians 5:5 God has a plan and a purpose for your life and this plan and purpose was known by Him before you were born and still in your mother’s womb. It should be your main objective in life to find out what God’s will for your life is, and to work towards meeting this objective. God will lead you to fulfill this purpose if you will let Him lead and direct your life, in everything you do. One of the first steps you must make is to fully accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you accept Jesus and ask Him to come into your heart He is ready to take you to the next step in finding your purpose in life. When you accept Jesus you are going to make Him number one in your life. You are going to obey and follow His commands and live your life in a way that will be pleasing to Him. You will cast aside all the worldly pleasures and focus your future to doing His will. This does not mean that everything will be rosy in your future, but with your destination, which is heaven, in front of you, you must forge ahead despite any setbacks. There will be challenges ahead, as Satan knows what is happening and will come against you with all his schemes, but you must not let setbacks determine the final outcome which is a place reserved for you in heaven. You must now determine what is important in serving God and make Him number one in your life. You have complete control of your time and your life, and only you can determine what your real priorities are. God tells each of us what His chief priorities are and all of us need to make His priorities our chief priorities. The will of God must be the most important thing to us every minute of every day. Our goal must be to serve God. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 24 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Gift Of Leadership

The Gift of Leadership “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8 I believe that God gives each of us gifts to use throughout our lives such as indicated in the Scripture above. The gift of leadership is one which I would like to discuss at this time. A leader has the power and ability to do great things, if and when he is given this gift by the power of our Holy God. We can see that God gave many of the great men of the Bible this power of leadership and through them he set an example for what the power of leadership can do. David was a great leader, and when he followed the will of God he conquered many kingdoms and his nation prospered. Moses, a man of humble beginnings became a great leader and let the people of Israel out of bondage and into their promised land. All of his problems, such as his speech, did not hinder his gift of leadership. If God has given you the gift of leadership, this is something to be proud of, as this is one of God’s gifts that can change the destiny of mankind if the will of God is followed. Wars have been won, nations have been conquered, organizations have prospered, lifestyles have been altered and people’s lives have been changed forever, all because leaders have used this great gift of leadership from God. If God has bestowed this gift upon you, remember to govern diligently and keep God first and foremost in your life and let him lead and direct your path and be a witness to others that God’s will is directing your life. My Daily Devotional Volume IIi August 22 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Road To Heaven

The Road to Heaven “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 1st John 3:5-6 This is a powerful scripture and one that every new Christian needs to embrace. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God promises to take away our past sins and forgive us. He puts into our hearts the desire to be righteous from that point forward, and live a life that would be pleasing to Him. The sins of our past are now forgiven, and we are to move forward in our life, living and obeying the commands of God. We must now make God first and foremost in our daily lives, and follow His will in all things that we do. There is no more room in our life to continue to sin, as we did before we were saved and accepted Him. Our thoughts, our behavior and our actions must now be centered around Jesus and following and obeying His commands. The Bible tells us that the road is narrow that leads to Heaven, and few will find it, but wide is the road that leads to destruction. The Christian that finds this narrow road will be the ones that seek His commands and live them out in their daily life. The road to Heaven is given to us in God’s Holy Word, and we must begin to embrace God’s commands for our lives and live each day holding these truths in our hearts and displaying them in our thoughts and actions. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our lives will be changed, and our focus will now be on serving Him and not on the things of the world. Obeying God’s commands must now become the number one priority in our lives, and we must go forward with the knowledge that one day we will stand before God and give account of all we have done. We must commit our life to Jesus. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 21 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Seek God's Word

Seek God’s Word “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2nd Timothy 4:3 In these perilous times we live in, it is so important to know the Word of God, so we can discern what the real truth of God really is. So often we try to find reasons that suit our own desires, and follow teachings and beliefs that give us justification to do what we want to do. There is only one way that each of us can be assured that we are following the real Word of God, and that is to seek the wisdom given to us throughout the Bible for ourselves. There are answers for almost any situation that we will ever encounter throughout God’s Holy word, and these answers will be given to us when we seek them. It is extremely important to spend time each day seeking this wisdom and then applying this knowledge to our daily living. God’s commands will take us to a new level when we consistently apply them to our lives. When we make God number one in our lives, and seek Him daily, He will open the floodgates to this wisdom and fill our hearts with the knowledge that we need, in order to bring peace and joy to our lives. The more time we spend with Him daily, in seeking this wisdom the more understanding we will receive in return. God’s wisdom will enable us to grow and mature in our spiritual walk, and will give us the assurance that how we are living our life is pleasing to Him. When we live each day with God first in our lives, we will begin to experience the overflowing blessings that He will bestow on us. Our lives will change, our attitudes will improve, things will be brighter and we will now have hope for our future. God can make a difference in our lives if we seek him. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 20 Robert William Brock, Jr.

God May Be Speaking To You

God May Be Speaking To You “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 5:7 Throughout our lives I believe God speaks to us. We may not receive his words through an audible loud voice or through visions or dreams where we are struck with awe. I believe that God can speak softly to us through gentle whispers, and through our thoughts. God places His will for our lives in our hearts and keeps reminding us of His plan for us. He tells us that He knows all our thoughts, and knows all about us, even before we were born. God’s plan and will for our lives is imbedded in our hearts, and is engrained in our minds from the beginning of our lives, but so often we do not open ourselves up enough to let His words come through. I know that I had heard these gentle whispers from God long before I opened my heart and really let His words sink in. Many times it takes difficult situations and trials in our lives before God gets our attention to allow Him to talk to us. Many times it takes a health issue, financial issue or a relationship issue to bring us to the realization that we cannot do it on our own, and need God’s help to bring us out of our despair and right our ship and allow us to continue. This is how God so often got the attention of the people of Israel, as before they really heard and began to obey God they suffered difficult times and situations where there was no place to turn to except God. Many times God needs to get our attention before we begin to hear Him. If you are in a situation at this moment, maybe this is the time that you need to turn to God for help. This may be the moment that you realize that you cannot handle the situation by yourself and need God’s help to right your ship. God is always there for you, and if you ask Him for help He can calm your storms and take away your fears. He is waiting for you to respond, as this may be your time. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 18 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Winter Of Life

The Winter Of Life “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2nd Timothy 4:2 We need to be mindful all during our lives that there are different times that we all go through. There are times of learning, where we are taught the good things of life; things that God would have us do. There are times when we need to live out these good things that Jesus gives us. Then there are times when, if we have sowed our good seeds when we reap the harvest of what we have sown. Our seasons have a way of coming at us before we know it and soon we find it is our winter season. Time has a way of moving quickly and catching us unaware of the passing years. I know it seems like only yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my wonderful wife. I have passed through the first three seasons and now find myself in the winter of my life. But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last, that I have very few regrets. Yes there are things that I wish I had done differently and better, and things that I still haven’t gotten accomplished, but I am pleased with my life and what God has provided me and blessed me with. Life goes by so quickly, and I would encourage each of you to do what you can today, as you can never be sure just how long your winter will last. You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life—so live for good today. Say all the good things that you want your loved ones to remember, and teach them by your example, the good things that God has given you. Be their mentor, their teacher and their example in the way you live. Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after you. Make it one they will follow. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 16 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Pray For God's Deliverance

Pray For God’s Deliverance “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1st Peter 4:17 As you can probably gather from my previous devotionals, I believe that God is going to shortly punish our great nation for the sins we are allowing to happen to our society. We as Americans are not standing up and being a force and preventing the moral decay of our nation. We are allowing the pagan society to bring us to the point of destruction, and God is going to pass judgment on us as he did on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroy us as he did them. The church of God is a force that needs to heed the words of God, and change our wicked ways and take back our country and become a Godly people again. This change needs to start in our churches and with our church leaders. We have gotten away from God’s commands and are concentrating on ourselves instead of concentrating on bringing the lost to Christ. We have allowed the killing of unborn babies, removal of prayer from our schools, homosexuality, drug and alcohol addiction and other perverse behaviors to take over our values. We have thrown God out of our daily worship, and have succumbed to the ways of the world, and we are going to pay the price for our wicked behavior. It is time for all Christians to take a stand and seek God again. We need to cry out to God to heal our land. He tells us that if we seek him and seek His heart He will hear us and come to our rescue. He will intervene in the hearts of our young, our old, the ones with addictions, sexual perversions and all other sins. If God’s people begin to pray today and call upon the name of the Lord, He will hear our prayers, and will heal our land and bring it back to the righteous behavior that He intended for us to have. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 14 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Practice Humility

Practice Humility “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” Proverbs 12:23 The scripture above reminds me of a board member at one of the hospitals where I worked, who was always trying to impress everyone by bringing up the fact that he had graduated from Harvard Law School. No matter what the subject was he could always find some way to bring this up in a conversation, and usually wanted to dominate any conversation. Even though he evidently was a well educated man, he was never able to apply his knowledge to his job as a board member or to his profession, as he was not a very good attorney and the public and people he came into contact with quickly realized this. On this same board was another attorney who had gotten his Law Degree from a small state university who was a brilliant man, and had a well established practice in town. He was a very quiet man but when he spoke everyone listened as he always knew the solutions to any of the problems and situations the hospital encountered. Jesus talked throughout the New Testament about the Pharisees who gave the eloquent speeches, and prayed long prayers in public, but did not walk the talk, and led lives that were less than Godly. Jesus tells us that we need to humble ourselves around people, and not try to impress them by our wealth, our power, our prestige or any other means. Others need to see us as we are, Godly men and women, living Godly lives and obeying and following God’s commands. The way we live our lives needs to be our testimony to others, as they need to see us being a caring, respecting and loving individual who does not have our own individual concerns in mind, but are always thinking about others around us. I believe Jesus was this kind of man, as he humbled himself to others. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 13 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Our Children Need To Know God

Our Children Need To Know God “Only be careful and watch yourself closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9 Parents have an obligation to their children to teach them about God, and to instill in them good moral family values. Children learn more from their parents, and are influenced more than from any other source. Our children are watching, listening and learning from us every day. A recent statistical study suggests that if neither parent is involved in worship and discipleship, then their children would be ninety-five percent more likely not to participate in either. When the mother alone takes part in worship and discipleship, her children are thirty percent more likely to involve themselves in both of these areas as well. If only the father partakes in worship and discipleship, his children are fifty percent more likely to be involved. However, with both father and mother actively participating in worship and discipleship, their children are eighty-five percent more likely to have the same desire. With these powerful statistics, it is obvious that parents are the key-influencers of their children’s spiritual growth and development. Every Christian family must nurture their children in the ways of God. The big problem in our society however, is that it is difficult to get parents in church to minister to them. This is where many of our churches have lost their focus as they are not getting outside of their church walls to reach the lost. God’s Great Commission is to spread the gospel of Jesus to all the world, and this takes a commitment from every church to go out into their community in every possible venue to spread the word of God; then our society can return to God and our children can be saved. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 12 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Abortion

This is Chapter 4 from my book the Silent Church. Please take a few moments to read it as it will tell you the history of how abortion was legalized in our nation. Chapter 4 Abortion I would like to now take some time to tell you where we actually are in today's culture and political climate, and define clearly the kind of laws we have allowed ourselves to be living under, and what God and the Bible tells us about this. The first law that is on our books, and that we have allowed our government to enact, is the approval of the sin of abortion. Last fall, prior to the presidential election I sent out an e-mail to my 50,000 plus readers about my position on abortion. I strongly believe it states what the Bible teaches us about this sin, and what God would want us to adhere to in our lives. I am showing it below in its entirety. To all my readers: Today I am sending you another message, in addition to my usual Daily Devotional, as this is a special message that God has placed on my heart to send to you. I believe this is a critical time in our nation’s history, where we as citizens of our great nation, have a wonderful opportunity to stop and eliminate a horrific crime that has been legalized by our political and justice system. This barbaric act of abortion, which is now legal, goes against all the teachings of God and the Bible. I would encourage each of you to search your hearts and make this one of your main issues in the upcoming presidential election. I would also encourage you to forward this to all of your e-mail addresses and stress to them, and everyone you come into contact with the importance of what this can mean in bringing our great nation back to God. May God Bless all of You Robert W. Brock Abortion One of the most important issues that I feel should always be at the forefront of our minds in any election is the right to life, of unborn babies. I would like to state that any type of abortion is a sin. There is no justification in the Bible for a mother to take the life of her unborn child. The Bible is clear that abortion is murder in that it is taking the life of an unborn infant. During all of our nation’s history no decent person, and certainly no respected Christian, has advocated killing an unborn baby, until the last 50 years. Like any other act of killing, it is murder. This is the law of civilized nations, but more importantly, it is the Law of God. But now, Godless people are saying, “We must be understanding of the rights of the mother, as she should be able to control her body, as it may not be good for her mental or physical health. She just doesn’t want the baby.” In many instances she has become pregnant because of the sin of fornication and adultery and now wants to undo the sin, and is committing another sin to cover up the original one. All murder is wrong. In the Old Testament, God said, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Genesis 9:6. Under the Mosaic Law, God plainly stated, “Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.” Exodus 21:12. The death penalty for murder is also clearly implied in the New Testament. “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said “Do not commit adultery, also said, “Do not murder,” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” James 2:10-11 The Bible repeatedly tells us to obey all the commandments that God gave Moses and the sixth commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.” To God, the killing of an unborn child is murder. The person guilty of that murder, is subject to the same conviction, and deserving of the same sentence (punishment) as that person who pulls the trigger of a gun used to kill another person. Many people make the foolish argument that the unborn child, the fetus, is not a human being—a person—but that is simply not true. The little unborn baby is not just a part of the woman’s body, but it has a separate life altogether. All of the baby’s particular traits have already been charted in its genes. The sex of the baby, the color of its eyes and hair, its physical features, its special talents and gifts, are all determined at the time of conception. The Bible teaches us that the baby, from conception, is a person, and consequently a living soul. David stated that, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16 From the moment of conception a baby is indeed a person, just as David was in the womb of his mother. We have another instance, in the Book of Jeremiah, where the Bible tells us that a baby is indeed a living being, as God was talking to Jeremiah about his calling as a prophet. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 God knew the prophet Jeremiah before he was born, and if, by abortion, the fetus would have been murdered, it would have been Jeremiah who died. The mother would not have known his name, but God would have. We find another example in the New Testament when Elizabeth, John the Baptist’ mother, was greeted by Mary, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1:41 The fetus of John the Baptist, in the womb of his mother, may not have understood clearly why he leaped at the sound of the voice of Mary, but God knew. Through these examples, it is evident that God values these babies as a human being, and they must not be murdered by a bitter mother or father because they are not wanted. Some illiterate people say that if the baby is illegitimate, then it should be aborted. This is so incorrect as the answer to that argument is that you don’t erase or correct one sin by committing another. To compound sin upon sin is not the way to peace or a better mental health. The fact is, “abortion is a sin.” The killing of an unborn child is a terrible sin; which God calls murder. It is essentially the same thing as murdering the incompetent, the retarded, the handicapped, and the aged or senile. If we’re going to kill the unwanted, possibly there are many that are one year old, two years old, five, ten, even fifty year olds who are unwanted. If the abortionists win their cause in the United States, where do we go from there? We can look back in Nazi Germany which enacted a law permitting the elimination of “useless” members of society. Consequently, eighteen million people were slaughtered (among them, six million Jews) because they represented a category that was considered useless and not wanted. We have the same pattern before us in America today, in which a whole category of human beings—unborn babies who cannot yet speak for themselves—are being slaughtered at the whim of a mother, father or doctor who decides that the mother is somehow unable or unwilling to have a baby. Abortion is not of God, and it is totally ungodly. It is a terrible case of man’s inhumanity to man; and one day man will answer to God for the terrible sin of abortion. However, we as citizens of our great nation now have the opportunity to stand up and take a stand to eliminate this barbaric practice of abortion once and for all. Our next President may have the opportunity to appoint an additional Justice or Justice’s of the Supreme Court that could overturn the Roe v Wade decision, and make it illegal to continue killing unwanted babies, and again help to bring our nation back to being a godly nation. I would encourage each of my readers to look at the position of each of the candidates and their stand on abortion. Each of you have a chance to make a difference, and end this barbaric practice. There is nothing more important in this election than to stop the killing of 4,000 innocent babies each and every day. It is evident at this time that these words, about the terrible act of abortion fell on deaf ears as we continued to elect officials that have an agenda to legalize any abortion. In following up with all the churches that I have encountered during these last 20 years, none of the pastors stood in their pulpits prior to last years election and preached sermon after sermon about the sin of abortion, and telling their congregations the candidates that stood for abortion. I could just imagine my great great grandfather and all our forefathers, who for centuries preached about these kinds of sins in their pulpits on Sunday morning, and warning their congregations about electing these kinds of politicians with these kinds of beliefs, turning over in their graves as they would have taken a stand to preach to their congregations about the Word of God and this great sin. But all the modern day pulpits remained silent and the 85% of so-called Christians keep electing these Pro Choice candidates, and the killing continues. Just recently there was an all-star football quarterback that spent almost 5 years in prison for running a dog fighting ring, which I am not condoning in any way, as I think this is an evil act and should have been justly punished as it was, but we sent this man to prison for almost 5 years, but we allow 4,000 innocent babies to be killed each day and stand by and do nothing about it. Our society has gotten to the point where we value the life of a dog more than we value the life of a baby. Just this past week our President was accepted at Notre Dame, one of the largest Catholic Universities in the nation, to give a Commencement Address to the graduating class. Up to this time, this great university had denounced abortion as a sin, but has now succumbed to giving front stage to a President that has taken a definitive stance on the right to kill innocent babies. But even more so, this gave our President the stage to state that we must work to find a common ground to settle the debate on this terrible sin. There is no such thing as common ground when it comes to the abortion issue, as we must call it what it truly is "Murder", and those that support, condone, enable and defend abortion what they are "murderers". This is not just my stand on abortion but God's word on the subject, as there is not any common ground on this issue according to God and the Bible. The thought that there is any common ground on this issue, is just another example where people continue to compromise their values to the point where they mean nothing. This reminds me of the story of a father whose daughter wanted to go to a movie where there was just a little bad language and just a little violence and just a little sex contained in the movie. Her father told her that she was not permitted to go, but she kept insisting stating that it was just a little bit bad, but the majority of the movie was all right. The father thought of a way to demonstrate how this little bit of evil in the movie could contaminate the whole movie. So he made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, which were her favorites, but before he gave them to her he stated that they had just a little bit of an extra ingredient in them. He said that he had put just a little bit of manure in the cookies, but just a little bit but the rest of the cookies were just as she always liked. It does not take much to compromise our values and contaminate them, as we compromise just a little bit this time and just a little bit more the next time, and before we know it we have gotten completely away from our values. The overall message that we need to take away from the Notre Dame controversy is that our government is determined to continue this barbaric practice of abortion, as those that support life were put on notice that they will not be tolerated in this administration, and that we must compromise our stance on this horrific sin. I can only encourage you today, that God does not believe in compromise, and is never going to bless sin of any kind, and especially the sin of abortion. I recently ran across an article that Ron Paul wrote several years ago about the Catholic Church and ties in rather nicely with the issue at Notre Dame. Theology, not Politics April 11, 2005 Members of Congress from both political parties outdid themselves last week in heaping praise upon Pope John Paul II in the wake of his passing. Many spoke at length on the floor of the House of Representatives, and some even flew to Rome for his funeral. I'm happy to witness so many politicians honoring a great man of God and peace. The problem, however, is that so few of them honored him during his lifetime by their actions as legislators. In fact, most members of Congress support policies that are totally at odds with Catholic teachings. Just two years ago, conservatives were busy scolding the Pope for his refusal to back our invasion of Iraq. One conservative media favorite even made the sickening suggestion that the Pope was the enemy of the United States because he would not support our aggression in the Middle East. The Pontiff would not ignore the inherent contradiction in being pro-life and pro-war, nor distort just war doctrine to endorse attacking a nation that clearly posed no threat to America--and conservatives resented it. September 11th did not change everything, and the Pope understood that killing is still killing. The hypocritical pro-war conservatives lauding him today have very short memories. Liberals also routinely denounced the Pope for refusing to accept that Catholicism, like all religions, has rules that cannot simply be discarded to satisfy the cultural trends of the time. The political left has been highly critical of the Pope's positions on abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage, feminism, and contraception. Many liberals frankly view Catholicism as an impediment to the fully secular society they hope to create. Both conservatives and liberals cannot understand that the Pope's pronouncements were theological, not political. He was one of the few humans on earth who could not be bullied or threatened by any government. He was a man of God, not a man of the state. He was not a policy maker, but rather a steward of long-established Catholic doctrine. His mission was to save souls, not serve the political agendas of any nation, party or politician. To the secularist, this was John Paul II unforgivable sin--he placed service to God above service to the state. Most politicians view the state, not God, as the supreme ruler on earth. They simply cannot abide a theology that does not comport with their vision of unlimited state power. This is precisely why both conservatives and liberals savaged John Paul II when his theological pronouncements did not fit their goals. But perhaps their goals simply were not Godly. Unlike most political leaders, the Pope understood that both personal and economic liberties are necessary for human virtue to flourish. Virtue, after all, involves choices. Politics and government operate to deny people the freedom to make their own choices. The Pope's commitment to human dignity, grounded in the teachings of Christ, led him to become an eloquent and consistent advocate for an ethic of life, exemplified by his struggles against abortion, war, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Yet what institutions around the world sanction abortion, war, euthanasia, and the death penalty? Governments. Historically, religion always represented a threat to government because it competes for the loyalties of the people. In modern America, however, most religious institutions abandoned their independence long ago, and now serve as cheerleaders for state politics like social services, faith-based welfare, and military aggression in the name of democracy. Few American churches challenge state actions at all, provided their tax-exempt status is maintained. This is why Washington politicians ostensibly celebrate religion--it no longer threatens their supremacy. Government has co-opted religion and family as the primary organizing principle of our society. The federal government is boss, and everybody knows it. But no politician will ever produce even a tiny fraction of the legacy left by Pope John Paul II. I believe this description by Ron Paul on how government views religion is very accurate. The majority of our political elected officials are no longer Christians, and rule and govern our nation without any Biblical guidelines, which is evident by the laws and legislation they are enacting. The issue of abortion which I have just discussed in this chapter is just one of the many issues whereby they have completely gone astray, and are not following any Biblical teachings and have passed legislation that condones this barbaric sin. On March 12, 2003 a roll call vote was made in the United States Senate to express the sense of the Senate concerning the decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade. The vote as shown below was 52 to 46, with two Senators not voting, stating that they approved of the decision by the Supreme Court by 6 votes. As can be seen 9 Republicans agreed with the decision along with 43 Democrats. Voting against the decision were 6 democrats and 40 Republicans. Joe Biden our new Vice President did not vote, and neither did Mitch McConnell our Republican Minority Leader. Abortion rights forces picked up one vote since 1999, when the Senate last voted to endorse Roe v. Wade. The vote then was 51 to 47. Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---52 Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Byrd (D-WV) Campbell (R-CO) Cantwell (D-WA) Carper (D-DE) Chafee (R-RI) Clinton (D-NY) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Corzine (D-NJ) Daschle (D-SD) Dayton (D-MN) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Edwards (D-NC) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Graham (D-FL) Harkin (D-IA) Hollings (D-SC) Hutchison (R-TX) Inouye (D-HI) Jeffords (I-VT) Johnson (D-SD) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (D-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murkowski (R-AK) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sarbanes (D-MD) Schumer (D-NY) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Stevens (R-AK) Warner (R-VA) Wyden (D-OR) NAYs ---46 Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Allen (R-VA) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Breaux (D-LA) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Chambliss (R-GA) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Cornyn (R-TX) Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeWine (R-OH) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Fitzgerald (R-IL) Frist (R-TN) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Inhofe (R-OK) Kyl (R-AZ) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) Miller (D-GA) Nelson (D-NE) Nickles (R-OK) Pryor (D-AR) Reid (D-NV) Roberts (R-KS) Santorum (R-PA) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Sununu (R-NH) Talent (R-MO) Thomas (R-WY) Voinovich (R-OH) Not Voting - 2 Biden (D-DE) McConnell (R-KY) Even as early as 5 years ago our Senate could have made a statement that they rejected this horrific sin, and taken steps to overturn this barbaric law but they didn't. Our pastors, churches and their leadership could very easily have taken these results back to their congregations, without promoting any candidate, but talking only about the issue and discussing the Biblical teachings about abortion, and could have changed the makeup of the Senate enough to have them pass legislation to stop abortion. However this did not happen, and we continue to kill 4,000 precious babies each day. However there was some good news that came out of the Senate the next day as on March 13, 2003 the Senate approved a bill to ban Partial Birth Abortion by a vote of 64 to 33. This time there were still 3 Republicans who voted to continue Partial Birth Abortions, but there were enough Democrats who voted to ban the practice along with the remaining Republicans. Again our new Vice President, Joe Biden did not cast his vote, along with John Edwards and John Kerry. Although we should be glad that something was accomplished by this favorable vote, the Senators that voted against this legislation should have been bombarded with phone calls, letters, e-mails, ridiculed and held accountable by all church congregations across our country for voting against the legislation. Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---64 Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Allen (R-VA) Bayh (D-IN) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Breaux (D-LA) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Byrd (D-WV) Campbell (R-CO) Carper (D-DE) Chambliss (R-GA) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Conrad (D-ND) Cornyn (R-TX) Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) Daschle (D-SD) DeWine (R-OH) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Dorgan (D-ND) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Fitzgerald (R-IL) Frist (R-TN) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Hollings (D-SC) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Johnson (D-SD) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Miller (D-GA) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Nickles (R-OK) Pryor (D-AR) Reid (D-NV) Roberts (R-KS) Santorum (R-PA) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Specter (R-PA) Stevens (R-AK) Sununu (R-NH) Talent (R-MO) Thomas (R-WY) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) NAYs ---33 Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Chafee (R-RI) Clinton (D-NY) Collins (R-ME) Corzine (D-NJ) Dayton (D-MN) Dodd (D-CT) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Graham (D-FL) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Jeffords (I-VT) Kennedy (D-MA) Kohl (D-WI) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (D-CT) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sarbanes (D-MD) Schumer (D-NY) Snowe (R-ME) Stabenow (D-MI) Wyden (D-OR) Not Voting - 3 Biden (D-DE) Edwards (D-NC) Kerry (D-MA) In determining the extent of just how prevalent abortion has become in our society, we need to look at some recent statistics that have been compiled that show the magnitude of the problem. The following is a list of useful abortion statistics. All abortion numbers are derived from pro-abortion sources courtesy of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives. WORLDWIDE Number of abortions per year: Approximately 42 Million Number of abortions per day: Approximately 115,000 Where abortions occur: 83% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 17% occur in developed countries. UNITED STATES Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996) Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700 Who's having abortions (age) 52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%. Who's having abortions (race) While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely. Who's having abortions (marital status) 64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%. Who's having abortions (religion) Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the United States; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical". Who's having abortions (income) Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%. Why women have abortions 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient). At what gestational ages are abortions performed 52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy. Likelihood of abortion An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion. Abortion coverage 48% of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy. 9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds. 16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women. These statistics should be alarming to every one of us as the numbers of lives that are taken each year just in the United States equate to more than the numbers of our soldiers who have lost their lives in all of our world wars, including the Civil War. To put it into further perspective I am attaching statistics below of the numbers of abortions recorded each year from 1962 to 2005 that were done in the United States. Year Number of Abortions 1962 292 1963 390 1964 823 1965 794 1966 1,028 1967 2,061 1968 4,630 1969 23,680 1970 193,491 1971 485,816 1972 586,760 1973 744,600 1974 898,600 1975 1,034,200 Year Number of Abortions 1976 1,179,300 1977 1,316,700 1978 1,409,600 1979 1,497,700 1980 1,553,900 1981 1,577,300 1982 1,573,920 1983 1,575,000 1984 1,577,200 1985 1,588,600 1986 1,574,000 1987 1,559,100 1988 1,590,800 1989 1,566,900 1990 1,608,600 1991 1,556,510 1992 1,528,930 1993 1,495,000 1994 1,423,000 1995 1,359,400 1996 1,360,160 1997 1,335,000 1998 1,319,000 1999 1,314,800 2000 1,312,990 2001 1,291,000 2002 1,269,000 2003 1,250,000 2004 1,222,100 2005 1,206,200 Even allowing for the fact that some abortions may not have been recorded in the early 1960's, the statistics show an alarming spiral upwards from 1960 through 1990, and then began a slight reduction each year since. It is difficult to talk about statistics, as each one of these numbers mean a life that has been taken from one of God's most innocent beings. The Case that Started it all So, just how did we allow this horrific sin of abortion to be part of our laws. The case originated in Texas in March 1970 at the suggestion of Sarah Weddington, a young Austin, Texas attorney who would play the leading role in pursuing the case. Weddington brought a lawsuit on behalf of Norma McCorvey, an unmarried pregnant women of Texas, to overturn the state of Texas's anti-abortion law. The name "Jane Doe" was used as an alias to protect Norma McCorvey's identity. After filing the initial lawsuit, the case was expanded to include several other parties, including: James Hubert Hallford, a licensed physician who had been arrested for violations of the Texas abortion statutes; "John and Mary Doe," aliases for a married couple whose doctor had advised against pregnancy; "all couples similarly situated" to the Doe's; and "all other women" similarly situated to Roe. The law in question made having or attempting to perform an abortion a crime, except by "medical advice for the purpose of saving the life of the mother." The suit claimed that the laws were unconstitutionally vague and abridged the rights guaranteed to pregnant women by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Dallas district attorney Henry Wade was the defendant in the case. A three-judge district court ruled for "Jane Roe", but refused to grant injunctive relief against the enforcement of the laws. Both "Jane Roe" and defendant Wade appealed to the Supreme Court and the case was argued there by Weddington and Texas assistant attorney general Jay Floyd on December 13, 1971. Chief Justice Warren Burger assigned the opinion of the Court to Harry Blackmun, who wrote an opinion that would strike the Texas law down as unconstitutionally vague. Burger proposed that the case be put over for reargument, and the justices, unimpressed with the first oral argument in the case, underwhelmed by Blackmun's opinion, and wishing that new Justices William Rehnquist and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. participate, voted to reargue the case on October 11, 1972 at the behest of Chief Justice Burger. At the reargument, Weddington again represented Roe, while district attorney Wade was represented by Texas assistant attorney general Robert C. Flowers. As recounted in Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong's The Brethren, Justice William O. Douglas was outraged by Chief Justice Burger's proposal to put the case over for reargument, believing Burger wished that the case be decided after the November 1972 elections (Burger was a close friend of President Richard Nixon). Douglas threatened to write a dissent from the reargument order, but was coaxed out of the action by his colleagues; his dissent was merely mentioned in the order without further statement or opinion. The Court issued its opinion on January 22, 1973 with a 7-2 majority voting to strike down the law and Justices White and Rehnquist dissenting. It should be noted that "Roe" never did obtain an abortion. Since that fateful decision by the Supreme Court, there has been a continuing controversy about the decision. The Roe decision sparked nationwide protest, including a massive letter-writing campaign to the Supreme Court. Many Americans, including many Catholics and evangelical Protestants, believe that abortion is morally equivalent to infanticide. Others believe that life begins upon conception, and thus the right to life of the fetus trumps any other rights. Widespread protest over the decision resulted in the creation of the Pro-Life Movement, which organized large protest rallies outside the Supreme Court. Pro-Life protesters frequently picket abortion clinics, distribute literature and other forms of persuasion to women considering abortion, and have promoted adoption efforts to steer women away from abortion. More extreme variants of the movement have also developed, and abortion doctors have been the targets of harassment and even murder by individuals who claim that by taking the life of an abortion doctor they are actually saving many fetus' lives. Just this week Dr. George Tiller, one of the most well-known abortion doctors who was performing abortions in the late trimesters of pregnancy, was gunned down by a Pro-Life protester. Although I detest the actions that Dr. Tiller has taken throughout the years, and the number of abortions he performed himself, this kind of action by the man who killed Dr. Tiller cannot be condoned, as this also is murder. Some abortion opponents have claimed that there exists a link between abortion and breast cancer, and Texas has enacted a law requiring literature advancing this theory be distributed to women considering abortion; more credibly, abortion has been linked to persistent guilt feelings and other psychological problems, and to a higher risk of future infertility. Every year on the anniversary of the decision, protesters continue to demonstrate outside the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C. In response to Roe v. Wade, several states enacted laws limiting the right of abortion, including laws requiring parental consent for minors to obtain abortions, parental notification laws, spousal consent laws, spousal notification laws, laws requiring abortions to be performed in hospitals, not clinics, laws barring state funding for abortions, laws banning the partial birth abortion procedure, laws requiring waiting periods before abortion, laws mandating that women read certain types of literature before choosing an abortion, and many more. The United States Congress in the 1970s, passed the Hyde Amendment, barring federal funding for abortion. Abortions are currently prohibited in overseas military hospitals, and the U.S. is barred from aiding international family planning organizations that might advise abortions. The Supreme Court struck down several state restrictions on abortions in a long series of cases stretching from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, but consistently upheld restrictions on funding, including the Hyde Amendment, in the case of Harris v. McRae (1980). There currently is a movement in the congress, spurred on by President Obama, to reform health insurance. I am afraid that there is going to be legislation in this reform package that is going to include more freedom on making abortion more accessible to the general public. If this occurs I feel this will further weaken the cause to have this barbaric killing of the unborn done away with. Even though the Supreme Court Decision has not been overturned to date, there is still hope that it will eventually be overturned. In only two more years the majority of the Senate and House of Representatives will be up for election. We must pray that all Americans will wake up and elect legislatures that will uphold God's commands and stop this barbaric practice. Our churches, our pastors and all Christians need to be aware of every candidates position on abortion, and vote anyone out of office that supports this ungodly act. Our churches and our pastors need to take their place as leaders of the cause, as our forefathers did, and educate their congregations and have this decision reversed. The time is coming for the church, and its pastors, to again speak from their pulpits, and lead the charge to educate their congregations on this barbaric issue, and the politicians that favor this sin of abortion. We cannot allow our churches and our pastors to remain silent any longer.