"God will forgive me":

Curt had a problem. He didn't love his wife Cindy anymore. "It's not fair to Cindy for me to keep pretending to love her," Curt thought to himself. "But to put her through the pain of a divorce would be even worse. I've heard her say many times that she would rather die than get divorced."

Curt prayed "Dear Jesus, I know you want me to be happy. Please help me find a way to be happy without breaking Cindy's heart." As he prayed, he pictured himself at Cindy's funeral. "That would solve everything!" he exclaimed. "If only she were dead, I would be free! Cindy would be happy in heaven with Jesus, and I would be happy on earth." A sense of peaceful confidence flooded over Curt. "I know that God will forgive me if I do what I have to do."

Their 20th anniversary was approaching, so Curt told Cindy that he had special plans for their celebration. He took Cindy to her favorite restaurant. After an evening filled with fond reflections of their life together, Curt stepped out the door with Cindy. "Wait here just a minute, Cindy," Curt said. "I forgot something inside."

"Goodbye, dear wife," Curt whispered to himself as he walked back into the restaurant. He paused, listening for the gunshot.

A few days later, as Curt knelt at Cindy's grave, he prayed "thank you Jesus, for your marvelous grace. You died for me on the cross, to pay the penalty for my sin. Thank you for forgiving me!"

If you believe that this scenario sounds too horrible to be true, I challenge you to spend a few minutes on the sidewalks outside the local abortion chamber. The reality of this common tragedy will become all too obvious.

You'll watch as a pregnant woman walks into this killing center, and someone calls out from the sidewalk, offering help and information, hoping to persuade her to repent of her decision to abort her child. The woman responds confidently, without missing a step: "I prayed about this. God will forgive me!

"God will forgive me"

You have a blessed day!" Soon, the child God chose to place in the sanctuary of her womb has been torn to shreds, and the pieces of this precious little person's body have been dumped into a bloody bucket.

Were it not for her confident assurance of God's forgiveness, this woman would likely have considered her options more carefully. But her understanding of the "gospel" became the key to this woman's decision to abort her child. Is this the fruit of the true gospel?

Transforming the Gates of Hell into the Gates of Heaven: a vision for revival in our community and nation is available at the LifeHouse. A $5 donation would be appreciated for the book, which provides scriptural insights and strategies for partnerships between pro-life ministries and churches.