We’re starting the week off on a sobering subject, and today I’m talking primarily to my California friends, and to those of you who have family and friends in California.

The Bible is very clear about life and death. God was the creator of life and He’s for it! Take a look at Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19-20 [emphasis mine]:

¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess… ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; ²⁰ that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Many theological lessons can be drawn from that passage, but here is the key one to dwell on today: The Giver of Life also gives us choices, and those choices come with consequences (both good and bad). He puts life and death, good and evil, before us, then exhorts us to choose life and blessings, not death and curses! It’s a no-brainer.

In American society today, abortion is a hot topic, particularly given the Supreme Court’s impending decision on Roe v Wade. Certainly, as believers, that is a no-brainer…choose life!

But let me draw your attention to what is happening in California right now. AB 2223 is moving through the California Assembly with reckless abandon, and that bill allows babies to be murdered AFTER birth if the mother is not satisfied with the birthing outcome. (Read the bill here.) That is heinous, and nothing short of murder! Yet, so far, the bill has passed through the Judiciary and Health Committees and will ultimately move to the full legislature and governor’s desk if not stopped!

Dear friends, this is a prime example of the lawlessness Scripture tells us will characterize the last days! It is the same lawlessness described in Leviticus 20:2-5, when God’s people turned to idols and sacrificed their children on the altar of Molech. God warned them to choose life, not death, and he made the consequences quite clear: He will set His face against them and cut them off! And that is what He did.

Do we think consequences today would be less?

So, here are some action steps, particularly for those who live in California (though some of us from other states are chiming in as well)! Please get involved and take as many of these actions as you can…and tell others to do the same!

1. Become familiar with the bill and how to fight it. (Resource.)
2. Pray, pray, pray! Everyone can do this. May the God of heaven hear His people crying out for those who can’t speak for themselves.
3. Sign the Declaration in Defense of Newborn Life. (This is a CA issue, but I signed the petition and I hope you will, too. What happens in CA doesn’t stay in CA, so let’s make our voices heard from everywhere! It won’t “officially” count in CA, but it will be known that people across the nation are rising up against such evil.)
4. Use email and/or your social media platforms to get the word out. Click here for sample flyers. (Send it on to others.)
5. Californians, write or call your Assembly members. Click here for an easy way to do that. It’s simple and it is scripted for you. Bare basics, on a phone call all you have to say is, “My name is _____. I live in _____, and I oppose AB2223.” That’s it! Elected officials know that for every person they hear from, hundreds of others think the same thing, but will not get involved. Get involved!
6. Call Assembly member, Buffy Wicks, who authored AB2223. 916-319-2015. Whether live or on an answering machine, state the same thing indicated in #4. (BTW – I am not a CA resident. I called anyway to express my opinion. Again, it won’t “officially” count, but it sends a message, especially if her phone line is jammed!)
7. Californians, call your own Assembly member and urge a “no” vote on AB2223. Find your legislator here.
8. Visit your California legislator! Ok, bold ones, here’s your big chance! It really isn’t that difficult, so take some friends and exercise your right as a citizen to speak with your elected officials in Sacramento (or in their local district office)! You may or may not talk to the actual legislator, but talk to the staffer. Those conversations and opinions get logged. Here are tips to help you prepare.
9. Learn more by watching the AB2223 Panel Discussion here:

Let’s keep looking for the Blessed Hope, my friends, but as we do so, let’s also be about our Father’s business. Stand for righteousness and speak for those who can’t speak themselves.