“I’ve Got a Bracelet Too.”

Last night during the Presidential debate the candidates took a moment to discuss the finer points of their bracelets. I’d like to do the same and remind the 325,000 people out there that wear the same one as me to remember their commitment.

The simple red wristband that marks so many wrists represents a set of priorities that is unpopular to say the least. Beyond the rhetoric it calls the wearer to a standard close to the heart of God–perhaps something that all the other issues hinge on–ending the shedding of innocent blood. Those that have voluntarily taken this solemn pledge have made a sober commitment to three things.

1) PRAY

First and foremost, all those that have chosen to wear a life band agree to pray daily for the ending of abortion. There are many strategies out there aimed at protecting human life in the womb and many ways to get involved, but we must not forget the most important and most powerful form of activism available to us–prayer. Without deliberate, intensive prayer all strategies are doomed to fail.

There can be no substitute, no rival for prayer; it stands alone as the great spiritual force, and this force must be imminent and acting. It cannot be dispensed with during one generation, nor held in abeyance for the advance of any great movement–it must be continuous and particular, always, everywhere, and in everything. We cannot run our spiritual operation on the prayers of the past generation.
-E.M. Bounds, “Prayer Has No Substitutes”

2) VOTE

The wearer commits to voting for political candidates that are pro-life. This is where we begin to put legs on the conviction that has seized our hearts. You cannot hope and pray for the ending of abortion and then promote those that support it. The battle rages for the ideologies of the culture, and those that win the highest seats gain influence over those ideologies. Voting is a privilege and an honor, and we must not take it for granted.

Forget party politics. Lay down traditional loyalties. Break unholy alliances.

3) OBEY

Finally, everyone wearing a life band has made a promise to obey God in however He leads in acts of compassion and justice. We must be pro-life and not just anti-abortion. For some it may mean volunteering in a Pregnancy Resource Center or taking a pregnant young mother into your home. For others, and I hope most, it will mean adopting unwanted babies saved from abortion. Will you cry out with me for a massive adoption movement to sweep across the Church in America? “Give us a spirit of adoption Lord.”

Get a life band NOW.

If you don’t have a life band, get one right now at https://bound4life.com/store. If you’ve already got one, I challenge you to multiply yourself. Talk to your neighbors, family and coworkers. I believe there is a great window of opportunity right now before these elections to explode the LIFE message. The abortion debate is about to hit the family dinner table like never before. Let’s believe together for a massive shift in public opinion and public policy for a culture of life.

Matt Lockett

Tags: 22-Word Prayer, E.M. Bounds, Life, Life Band, Obey, Prayer, Shedding Innocent Blood, Vote

09.27.08