Confession

Suicide It’s hard to recognize the devil when he has a front row seat inside your mind. There is no way we can defeat the evil one on our own, but with Jesus, we can. Here are a few different scenarios. If you are driving and you have thoughts of wrecking the car, turn the radio to a Christian music station and start singing out loud with the songs. Pay attention to what the DJs are talking about between the songs, and get involved. Preset some of your radio stations to K-Love or any other radio station in your area that plays Christian music. Talk radio with pastors who give sermons is another great way to listen to the Word of God, but this only works if you can stay focused and keep your mind from wandering. Do not allow any of those thoughts that were just inside your mind to stay there. Push them out. Another way is to pray to Jesus. If you are in the car by yourself, pray out loud. Only the Lord, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God, Savior (whatever name you prefer to call Him) can hear your thoughts, but the devil can’t. The evil one can only hear what you say out loud. Talk out loud so the devil knows you are now talking with Jesus. Start memorizing Bible verses so that you can say them out loud in the car. Get index cards to write down some of your favorite Bible verses. Put them in your car, office, home–everywhere. The evil one hates that! Abortion She gave in and listened to her grandmother. The day came with her mother and grandmother drove her to the abortion clinic. As they drove to the clinic, it was clear to everyone that she was upset. She knew who Jesus was and knew she would be killing a child. As she entered the clinic, the atmosphere was like she was going to the doctor to get a flu shot. But in her mind, she was going to her child’s funeral. Everyone in that clinic knew that she was visibly upset, but no one asked her if she needed counseling or if she wanted to reconsider her decision. Not one person. No one told her what to expect or what to do afterward. Through her sobs, she was motioned to a room. When she got inside, she was asked to change and was told to lie on the table. They did an ultrasound and she asked to see it. The nurse showed it to her, and she asked, “Can I have a copy?” The nurse laughed in her face and said no as she grabbed the photo out of her hands and walked away. The rest was a blur. She wanted to be a mother and did not want to abort her baby. This was the funeral for her precious baby, and no one was crying but her. Not one other person! Human Trafficking As time goes on, the predator will say to them, “Send a photo of your face.” Then they’ll want to see more. They will also send you a photo, but it really isn’t a photo of them but of someone they want you to think they are. Then they will say, “Send a photo of what’s under your clothes, but don’t take a picture of your face so no one will know who it is.” They will usually send you a photo first of a body from the neck down so that you will know exactly what they are wanting to see. Then more and more photos are being sent back and forth. The child is ultimately sending numerous nude photos of themselves, and the predator is uploading them to different sites and exploiting this child. The child has no knowledge of this but thinking it’s all right since they in turn are receiving many photos of what is usually another exploited child. The predator will keep asking for more photos. Then the child will receive photos of a child touching themselves in provocative ways or even a video of them doing sexual things to their bodies. The child will usually respond by sending like photos and videos back to the predator. This is known as “self-generated content” whereby the children themselves are taking the photos. The predator could even start sending photos or videos of two children together doing different sex acts. Then they will ask, “Do you have a friend who might want to join you?” The power of suggestion is strong, and children are easier to manipulate than adults. My Story When you have a fast car, drag racing is every teenage boy’s game. With their souped-up cars, they would meet out of town on a strip of road where they would race. Many times, the race didn’t end at the designated spot, and it ended up being a game of chicken. Not fun for any girl in the passenger seat. I think back on it now and know that I was being protected by God. Teenagers do some silly things. We thought we were bulletproof. Being in a relationship with a person of the opposite sex should raise red flags. It starts so slow. You don’t even realize that each week you cross a line that you didn’t cross the week before. I remember countless nights kissing and fogging up every window in the car. That became the normal. Then the next week, there would be buttons that started coming unbuttoned. Then the zipper that would come unzipped, until the night that I did not prepare for, and by that, I mean birth control or a condom. It happens so innocently. Nothing had ever happened before. Why would it happen now? So in between the “I love you,” we did the unthinkable. We had unprotected sex.