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The following comes from the devotional book “What Now?” by Ashley Akers. To learn more, go to www.whatnowdevo.com.
Abortion
A close friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, speaks of her abortion. This is her story.
“At the young age of 17, I was raped at a party. Six months after losing my innocence, I began to date a cute boy. On our first official date he began pressuring me to go all the way, but I was not ready. My traumatic situation was still fresh in my mind and he wouldn’t accept no for an answer, even after my repeatedly telling him no. I buried my emotions as I began to be raped again. I became pregnant after that one and only time. When I told him, he immediately denied it and said it wasn’t his because I wasn’t pure. Fear of rejection from my parents and boyfriend quickly set in. Then came the quiet whisper of the enemy telling me: ‘Just get rid of it and go on with your life – it’s no big deal.’ ‘Nobody will ever know you did this.’ ‘You are too young for a baby.’ ‘Having a baby will ruin your life.’
I began trusting the lies, the medical field, my parents and the boy that rejected me. I thought having an abortion was my only way out and that the choice was made for me. I was being told that the baby wasn’t a life until the heartbeat developed, but there was a spirit within me giving me an uncomfortable ‘This is not right!’ feeling. But the spirit of DO IT took over, and quickly. Before I knew it, my parents rushed me to the clinic and paid the $250 fee.
Afterwards, I didn’t have a sense of relief that the lies promised me. I still experienced the boy’s rejection. Then, the enemy started whispering different phrases such as: ‘I can’t believe you did that’, ‘That was a life and now it’s gone’, and ‘God won’t forgive you for this.’ The enemy who talked us into it, shamed me for 33 years and made me experience guilt and silence – nobody could know my secret. This led to hiding, pretending, self-medicating, and self-coping.”
What now?
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
The “thief” is Satan, our enemy. He will seize every opportunity to ruin lives, just like he tried to do with my friend. The choice to abort was made from a place of fear, and from that fear came 33 years of shame. Fear and confusion are not of God, but of the enemy. Jesus came to die on a cross for our sins so that we “may have life and have it abundantly. You can be free of the shame caused by abortion by confessing your sin to God.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When you humbly ask for forgiveness, you are forgiven. End of story. You are cleansed, and God will never bring it up again. Once my friend confessed and experienced healing through Bible studies, she said, “The freedom of God exceeds the guilt of sin. I am forgiven by my Creator GOD who restores what the enemy had eaten for 33 years.” There is hope and you or someone you know can experience freedom, too!
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever experienced an abortion? What was your experience?
- Have you experienced God’s healing?
Copyright © 2024 by Ashley Akers @ whatnowdevo.com. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org