Day 13: What We have Always Known
Intention
To pray for God to raise up more Christians, pastors and churches to show love and mercy to the mother, father and baby.
Scripture
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with 10 thousand of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, o man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?”
– Micah 6:6–8 (Amp)
Reflection
We all have favourite scriptures. Certainly, this one in Micah has been a standard in my walk with him.
Israel knew his mercy, his deliverance, his miracles and yet they fell for idol worship and even child sacrifice. They knew he called this evil an abomination, and yet they offered their children to the gods Molech and Baal. Why would they do this evil?
The answer was the culture that surrounded them. Followers of Canaanite and Ammonite gods offered human sacrifice to these pagan gods of stone and wood (who are occultist demonic entities). And Israel, God’s chosen people, fell for these doctrines of demons. Hard to believe, right?
Australia and western societies have fallen for the same death cult, now sanitised and repackaged. “A woman’s right to choose.” “Health care.” “My body, my choice.” All euphemisms for the murder of an unborn baby.
Decades of desensitising and searing of conscience has made a horrific impact on our society. Governments and special interest groups not only sanction but encourage and normalise the death of children. Discounting their intrinsic value. Their miraculous creation.
It’s estimated that almost 30% of Gen Z conceptions were terminated.
That’s horrific and it isn’t getting better without you and me.
I’m passionately pro-life!
My husband Ivan and I have three beautiful sons and three amazing grandchildren. Thank you Lord! Back in the 80’s we were challenged to consider aborting our youngest son, Ken.
We had our three sons in three and a half years. The first two children, Adam and Clint were ‘planned’.
Adam was a handful, now called ADHD. A tornado! We had no family support as Ivan’s family had died by the time he was 21, and I lost dad at 15. So, we soldiered on and decided to enlarge our family.
Clint was born by caesarean like his brother. All was well. At age three weeks, just after feeding him, Clint stopped breathing in my arms. No warning, just breathed in and out and stopped.
What ensued over the next two years was a constant battle to keep our child alive. No answer as to why, just the reality that his little brain and respiratory system didn’t cooperate sometimes. It was like he just ‘forgot’ to breathe when he slept. Monitors, alarms and vigilance.
We had decided to settle on two children. The Lord had other plans! When Clint was only seven months old, we fell pregnant with our surprise, Ken. We were shocked, but I had always wanted three children.
More shocking was my first conversations with family. My aunt suggested that we consider abortion. We would certainly qualify! I told her firmly that I couldn’t live with such a decision. Nowadays it would have been doctors making the first suggestion!
God works ALL THINGS for good. After losing my dad in tragic circumstances, I became a nurse. I was not called or felt it a vocation. It was a decision of necessity.
My first ward appointment was obstetrics and gynaecology. It was here that I was beckoned into the pan room by our nurse educator. A young woman had just had an abortion. The educator showed me the foetus. I’ll never forget the sight of the little one in a stainless-steel kidney tray.
It rocked me. But God didn’t allow this little life to simply slip into medical waste. He used this incident to galvanise my heart!
You see, in his mercy, he planted the seeds in me of a woman who would say NO when it mattered in her own life and in time, advocate for others as a House of Refuge representative and pastor of a church.
This stance isn’t controversial — it’s God’s standard. Will you stand with him?
As Christians, we have always known, deep down, that life is sanctified, sacred to God, holy, set apart, deserving honour and holding intrinsic value.
Video
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you are good, merciful and the creator of life and family. I pray for more House of Refuge churches, for more pastors to step up, that you would speak to their hearts and embolden them by your Holy Spirit. May we show mercy to the mother, father and baby, committing to loving and help supporting them, so that every life has a chance to thrive. Because life is sacred. Amen.
In Jesus Christ’s beautiful name.
Author Bio
Leonie and Ivan have been married 47 years and have three sons and three grandchildren. They came to faith in Jesus Christ on the same night in 1984.
After decades in music ministry as worship leaders and songwriters, they became involved with the Canberra Declaration prayer movement, where they hold leadership roles. They now pastor Revelation Christian Church, a Full Gospel Australia Church on the Central Coast of NSW.
Prayer Points for 21 Days for Life 2026
- The Holy Spirit to transform our culture so that the shedding of this innocent blood becomes unthinkable in Australia. (Micah 6:7–8)
- The Church be one, praying and advocating for the unborn. (John 17:21)
- Each church across Australia to become a trusted place of mercy and redemption, so that anyone experiencing an unexpected pregnancy or who has been wounded by abortion will find help, hope and healing. For every church to be an effective House of Refuge for the unborn and their families, and Hubs of Love to be established in every city and town in the nation. (Hebrews 4:16)
- Those considering or wounded by abortion to receive compassionate and confidential care by contacting Pregnancy Help Australia or visiting a life-affirming pregnancy centre. (Exodus 15:26)
- Walks for life to flourish in every state and territory as a public witness. (Matthew 5:14–16)
- Australians to vote for and elect bold MPs who’ll stand for and champion the sanctity of life. (Psalm 139:13–16)
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17 Comments
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WOW Thanks Leonie – such a powerful devotional.
Thanks Kym, it’s our heart’s desire to see every Church become a House of Refuge for mums, dads and the unborn.
Dear Leonie, thank you for sharing this excellent devotional, especially this statement – “that life is sanctified, sacred to God, holy, set apart, deserving honour and holding intrinsic value” because
many have lost this focus of how precious each human being is to Father God. Blessings and shalom, Nel
Hi Nel, so grateful for Canberra Declaration, as we possibly would never have known about House of Refuge program and the abominable stat’s surrounding this sin. hidden in plain sight, and the plight of so many women who have been broken by abortion.
Precious testimony Leonie. So glad God has comforted you to make you able to comfort others! I will share this with my local Pastors. Thank you!
Please share dear Pearl! The Church must be strong and standing on the Word concerning the sanctity of life.
Thank you dear Leonie. Yes indeed a powerful message you have brought – heartfelt. Your hear, the Father’s heart and our hearts: My heart – I became teary after reading and listening to it as I started to again read to pray through the 21 days of Prayer Points.
We have such a necessary and powerful mission. I pray (not so much for the ‘unborn’) but for the ‘babies in their mothers’ wombs’. And indeed for the mothers and the fathers and their babies.
Always God bless.
Thankyou Helen, so grateful to read your comment.
Every life precious in His sight.
Love and blessings.
Leonie, thank you for your article and thank you for highlighting your favorite verse.
But with all due respect, when it states in Micah ‘Shall I give my first born for my transgression’ this is directed at Yahweh. I know it is all very easy to say this offer of child sacrifice is a reflection of the practices of those around them, and it’s because of the influence of Molech and Baal that Yahweh’s children wanted to do the same.
But that’s not true. It’s not because of the impact of the nearby followers of Canaanite and Ammonite gods, that God’s chosen people wanted to do the same.
It’s because Yahweh commanded it himself.
Exodus 22:29-30 –
You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
So no, it was not outside influence, but Yahweh himself who demanded sacrifice of the first born. Hence the offer in Micah – shall I give my firstborn?
Yahweh required blood sacrifices of the first born sons, oxen and sheep, all on the eighth day.
I am surprised this is your favorite scripture. Micah 6:6–8 was written in the knowledge and context of Exodus 22:29-30. You may possibly want to reflect on whether it is still your favorite scripture.
Consecration and dedication is not Yahweh demanding the death of first-born babies. Many articles and commentary state this.
He explicitly states that He hates those who sacrifice their children to Molech, that passing them through the fire is an abomination.
Again, do I sense your Antisemitism is showing to make a point.
He has shown you o man what is good, and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Still happy that it’s one of my favourite verses.
Again, you miss the importance of the article, the need to protect life, and major on promoting your intellect rather than humanity and Christian stance for life of the unborn.
Thank you for sharing Leonie
Thanks Stephen 💖
What a superb and humble story of resilience Leonie and of faith, and ‘holding on’ when obstacles became mountains. What incredible God honoring decisions you two made. The long term consequences shine through in your story and lives. Your present church and House of refuge ministry -your work tending to the sheep and lost lambs, with such compassion and integrity speaks loudly in our culture. Your combined worship ministry add to the giftings God has given. May God continue to bless and use you and all helpers in your church, to bring many to honor God’s Son and His sacrifice for us, to shield the unborn, to strengthen young mothers in need, and to demonstrate His love mercy which gives dignity and worth to so many.
Thanks Gail. He goes before us, even when we didn’t even know Him. xx
As a pro-life person and as someone involved extensively with SPUC through the 80s I find this approach to our cause very unsettling.
I’ve never seen Micah 6 used as an anti-abortion text before. Because it is not. If anything, it is the opposite. And I guess that’s where we have completely lost track of the agenda these days.
If you’re going to go down the track of human sacrifices, and suggest that abortion (and euthanasia for that matter) is wrong because others were doing it, and they weren’t under God’s covering and that’s the only reason why it’s wrong then that’s certainly some dodgy doctrine.
You say: ‘Followers of Canaanite and Ammonite gods offered human sacrifice to these pagan gods of stone and wood (who are occultist demonic entities). And Israel, God’s chosen people, fell for these doctrines of demons. Hard to believe, right?’
But what did God offer us? He gave us his only Son. And was not his Son a sacrifice?
As a pro-life advocate for many decades I find your whole argument so faulty and misleading. We are not pro-life simply because we don’t worship Baal.
God gave his own Son as a sacrifice on the altar. You argue that sacrificing the first born was something only done by heathens. You argue that we are pro-life because we don’t offer our first born on the altar like the heathens did.
And yet our God did exactly that!!!!!
So yes, I can understand if you’re only new to this, but your approach would never have cut it in the 80s. And while plenty of wide-eyed naive people applaud you these days, you can’t use Micah 6 to drive an anti-abortion message. God sent his only Son as a sacrifice.
Let’s be as pro-life now as we were back in the 80s. But let’s call out dodgy doctrine where we see it.
It’s not the only argument Col.
Now your approach is deliberately targeted on one small Devotional, not a whole dissertation.
There’s a time and a place for everything, and your way of communication is so very typecast. Attack and superiority.
It becomes tiresome along with your other antics.
Thank you Leonie for this great devotion!!!!