Pregnancy... Unplanned

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Pregnancy . . . Unplanned

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my

righteous right hand.”

Psalm 103:10–12 (NIV)

Psalm 10:14 (NIV)

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

“You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”

Isaiah 54:5–6 (NIV)

2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)

“‘Your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;

he is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were

a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,’ says your God.”

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call

on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV)

Psalm 138:8 (NIV)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up;

do you not perceive it? I am making a way

in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

“The LORD will ;

your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.”

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How can I conquer the fear I feel? Where do I go for help and strength someone to be with me through all of this?

Is there still a future of prosperity for me in which I can hope and plan for good things?

Pregnancy . . . Unplanned Pregnancy . . . Unplanned

Who will be there to help my fatherless child and to take into consideration

the trouble and grief ahead?

Does God really love me enough to fully forgive my sins and remove them from me?

Can I put them behind me, or will I have to pay for them the rest of my life?

What am I to do with the desires I have that

What do I pursue in their place?

What do I do with the rejection I feel and what about my dream of being

the wife of a godly husband?

How can I feel new and alive again instead of feeling old before my time?

In time, will God make something

beautiful of this situation with all this shame, pain, and remorse?

Can the Lord still for me or has He abandoned me?

What can I do to get beyond the past, to make a way for a new life, to bring streams

into the “desert and the wasteland” that my life seems like now?

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Abortion

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

Proverbs 6:16–17 (NIV)

“I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now chooselife, so that you and your children may live.”

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable

to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed

innocent blood.”

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Psalm 139:15–16 (NIV)

Psalm 119:105–106 (NIV)

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written

in your book before one of them came to be.”

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

"# that I will follow your righteous laws.”

Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

1 John 1:9 (NIV)

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us

from all unrighteousness.”

Proverbs 24:11 (NIV)

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

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How does God feel toward those whose

hands shed innocent blood by choosing and performing abortions?

What does God promise to those who

choose life rather than death?

Abortion Abortion

Isn’t it all right to have a legal abortion when that seems to be the right choice?

When does God say a baby is known

to Him, and when does He set a person apart for service to Him?

What light does God’s Word shed on abortion? Don’t I have a right to have

an abortion since the laws

of the land permit it?

How early does God see the body

of a baby, and what does He write

and ordain for that person?

If I confess the sin of abortion, will God forgive me and purify me?

Where does God say He created

and knit together each person?

Where is the Lord when I am brokenhearted and

crushed in spirit?

What does God say that those being led away to death need?

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Adoption

Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you

in Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Psalm 119:71 (NIV)

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, $%&#&'%#'#'*

“It was good for me to

so that I might learn your decrees.”

Psalm 68:6 (NIV)

Psalm 103:2, 5 (NIV)

“God sets the lonely in families.”

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, '&#$

who

with good things.”

Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV)

Romans 5:5 (NIV)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”

“Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love

into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Psalm 43:5 (NIV)

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

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What does God want my attitude to be in these painful circumstances?

If I plan to place my child in a loving adoptive family, will the Lord determine my steps?

Adoption Adoption

What does God want me to learn

from ?

Is there any hope to be rid of the feeling of sickness in my heart?

Can I trust God to satisfy my desires? What is God’s provision for lonely people like me?

How do I know that hope will not disappoint me?

Will I ever be able to forget that I was given up for adoption?

Is it in God’s plans for me to be a good parent and provide afuture

for my adopted child?

why am I sodowncast and disturbed?

Is there hope for me?

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Anger

James 1:19–20 (NIV)

Proverbs 29:22 (NIV)

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

“An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.”

Ephesians 4:26–27 (NIV)

Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)

“‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down

while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Proverbs 15:18 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NIV)

“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

Proverbs 22:24 (NIV)

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered.”

Proverbs 19:19 (NIV)

Psalm 4:4 (NIV)

“A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.”

“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”

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What does an angry man

and a hot-tempered one do?

Why should I be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry?

Anger Anger

A fool gives vent to his anger,

but what does the wise man do? What will happen if I hold on to anger?

Anger Anger

Why should I not be quickly provoked in my spirit?

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but what does a patient man do?

Anger Anger

Who should I not make friends

withor associate with?

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but what does a harsh word do?

Anger Anger

God tells me to not sin in my anger, so what must I do?

Why should I not rescue a hot-tempered man?

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Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV)

Matthew 6:14–15 (NIV)

“Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive

my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you,

not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”

“If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Luke 6:37 (NIV)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,

just as in Christ God forgave you.”

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Proverbs 17:9 (NIV)

Matthew 5:44 (NIV)

“He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Matthew 5:23–24 (NIV)

Romans 12:17–19 (NIV)

“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift

there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother;

then come and offer your gift.”

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. . . . Do not take revenge, my friends,

but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge;

I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up

to cause trouble"+*

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

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Is my forgiving those who sin against me

and against those I love related to my

heavenly Father’s forgiving my sins?

Does God expect me to continue to forgive

those who repeatedly sin against me?

Forgiveness Forgiveness

If I forgive others, is there any guarantee that I will be forgiven as well?

To what degree or in what way am I to be forgiving of others?

Does God expect me to do more than forgive my enemies and those who persecute me?

Are there times when it promotes love to not only forgive an offense but to “cover over

an offense” by not repeating it?

Does justice not require that I take revenge and repay evil for evil?

Does being reconciled to someone who has something against me have any

effect on my offering gifts to God?

Does God expect me to continue to bear with those who sin against me by forgiving

whatever grievances I have against them?

If I should refuse to forgive an offense, will that cause me to miss the grace of God

in any way or cause trouble for me and for others whom I love?

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Guilt

Proverbs 20:9 (NIV)

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

“Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?”

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts#+&/

we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

“There is now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)

Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses

%""+*

“I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said,

‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’– and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Hebrews 10:17–18 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)

“‘Their sins and lawless acts I will

remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer

+#'#*

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,

but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Hebrews 10:22 (NIV)

Acts 24:16 (NIV)

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having

our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

“I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

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Can’t the good outweigh the bad— my right actions outweigh the wrong?

Is everyone a sinner or can anyone be without sin?

Guilt Guilt

Will I be condemned for the sins I’ve committed after becoming a Christian?

Since God knows each time we have

gone our own way, what does He do with our record book of sin?

Guilt Guilt

How can I know if the Lord has

forgiven the guilt of my sin?

What is the consequence of

not confessing my sin?

Guilt Guilt

What is the difference between godly sorrow

and being sorry that I got caught?

Although I know I’ve been forgiven, what do I do if I keep remembering my past sins?

Guilt Guilt

What can I do to keep my conscience clear? What should I do if I confess my sin, but still have a guilty conscience?

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Parenting

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Proverbs 29:17 (NIV)

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training

and instruction of the Lord.”

“Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.”

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (NIV)

1 Timothy 3:4 (NIV)

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them

on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.”

“He must manage his own family well

and see that his children obey him with proper respect.”

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Proverbs 19:18 (NIV)

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

“Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.”

Proverbs 17:6 (NIV)

Proverbs 13:24 (NIV)

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”

“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”

Titus 2:4–5 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 2:11–12 (NIV)

“They can train the younger women

to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home,

to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

“You know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you

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What is necessary to bring delight to a parent’s soul?

What is the primary responsibility for fathers bringing up their children?

Parenting Parenting

What would indicate that a church leader

could manage his own family well? What should you impress upon your children?

What is necessary to not be a

willing party to a son’s death? How should I train my child?

What is revealed about a parent who is

careful to discipline his son? What should children be able to take pride in?

How should a father deal with his own children?

How should older women

train the younger women?

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Sexual Integrity

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV)

5#<=>#+%%$#@ that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God.”

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins

a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins

against his own body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV)

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

Proverbs 6:27 (NIV)

Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)

5K"Q##Q without his clothes being burned?”

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Proverbs 6:32 (NIV)

Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)

“A man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.”

“Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these

are improper for God’s holy people.”

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (NIV)

Galatians 6:7–8 (NIV)

“Do you not know that the wicked

will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually

immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

. . . will inherit the kingdom of God.”

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please

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Is there any difference between

sexual sins and other sins?

Why do I need to learn to control my sexual urges?

Sexual Integrity Sexual Integrity

Sexually, what does God call us to do?

Although the Bible says, “You are not your own,” isn’t what you do with your body

your own business?

Why should the marriage bed be kept pure?

What difference does it make if I have sex outside of marriage— I’m not afraid of being burned!

Why must there not be even a hint of sexual immorality?

What does the Bible say about a person

who commits adultery?

What does it mean: A man reaps what he sows?

Though I’ve been called “sexually immoral,” what difference does that make? I’ll still inherit the kingdom of God.

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Single Parenting

Psalm 10:14 (NIV)

James 1:2–4 (NIV)

“You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”

“Whenever you face trials of many kinds . . . you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must

##>+%"+$"% and complete, not lacking anything.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

1 John 3:1 (NIV)

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you

with my righteous right hand.”

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!”

Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.’”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

“[Jesus said] ‘My for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I [Paul] will boast all the

more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Philippians 4:11 (NIV)

“My God will meetall your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

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Why does a loving God allow the innocent to suffer?

No trouble could be worse for our family. . . . what do I do now?

Single Parenting Single Parenting

The children and I feel deserted and unloved. . . . how can we feel secure?

How do I overcome my fear

of raising a child alone?

I’m afraid my children will have a shaky future without the presence of two parents.

Even though I no longer have a mate, I still want to be loved.

What do I do with all the anger

I have because of this situation?

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed

handling all the responsibility alone.

I am feeling pressure to mate to help improve my circumstances.

How can I handle the burdens I am facing?