What is a Miscarriage?

The Word miscarriage also known, as a spontaneous abortion is the term used for pregnancy loss. It is when your body has been unable to carry your baby until the full term of the pregnancy. In other words to give birth prematurely. The full duration of a pregnancy is 40 weeks gestation. It is estimated that one in four pregnancies either end in miscarriage or stillbirth. A miscarriage usually begins with bleeding and period like cramping, which intensifies until blood clots and tissue pass. Sometimes the baby may die and the mother’s body still progresses with the pregnancy as if there is nothing wrong. An ultrasound usually detects this tragedy. If the body fails to reject the baby then a "D and C" (dilate and curettage) will be performed. This is where the doctors have to surgically remove the tissue and the blood filled uterine lining. If any of the tissue remains there is a high risk of infection and damage to the uterus.

I don't think that anyone fully understands why a baby dies or a miscarriage occurs. Sometimes there is no explanation. Just because you may have miscarried doesn't necessarily mean that you will miscarry again. For those of you who are hesitant on conceiving again you may find it encouraging to know that many women who have experienced miscarriage go on to have a successful pregnancy next time around.

There are constructive steps that you can take to feel positive about falling pregnant either for the first time or after a previous miscarriage. If you have experienced miscarriage it is important that you don't try to analyse what’s happened or get into condemnation but begin to build up your faith in preparation for your next pregnancy. This is the most positive step that you can take. You will need to do this so that you will not be anxious or fearful of miscarriage during your next pregnancy.

If you have experienced miscarriage you might want to get some medical advice so that if there is a sickness or complication you know exactly what to pray for. However there is not always a conclusive reason for miscarriage. Generally, tests are not performed until a woman has suffered three consecutive miscarriages. Some women have trouble in certain areas and praying for specifics is necessary. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight what needs to be covered in your pregnancy. He will teach you how to pray effectively.

It is also beneficial to pray for the development of your baby. Praying for the growth of your baby and the protection of miscarriage goes hand in hand because your baby needs to implant and develop properly for the pregnancy to progress. Praying for your baby to implant in the perfect place in your uterine wall is also worthwhile. If your baby implants in the fallopian tube this can be a serious condition if left undetected. The baby can’t survive, the tube can explode and the mother may bleed to death. Another serious condition is when a baby implants too low near the cervix. Not only will a vaginal delivery may be impossible but also the placenta may fail to grow up the uterine wall and cover the cervix instead. The placenta needs to be implanted in the uterine wall so it can continue to nourish the baby and keep it alive.

Is it God's Will to Miscarry?

Exo 23:25-26 Worship the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Just because we are Christians doesn't mean we are automatically protected from miscarriage. We live in a fallen world where miscarriage, sickness, disease and other complications can happen to any one of us. However, the good news is that we don't have to accept the natural course of events or hope for the best because through Jesus finished work we can receive a different outcome. Isaiah 53:4-5 tells us that Jesus has paid the price for ALL sickness and disease and this includes miscarriage!

We need to apply God's truth to our life by faith because it will not manifest on its own. First we need to receive a personal revelation so we have that "knowing" and witness in our spirit that it is not God's will for us to miscarry. This belief must be on the Word of God - not on feelings or man's words because it will help us to keep focused on God's truths rather than on our natural circumstances.

Even though many know what God's Word says about miscarriage they still feel that in certain situations it is His will for some to miscarry. But James 1:17 tells us that, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows". This means that ONLY good and perfect gifts come from God! Miscarriage for whatever reason is not a good gift and it never will be! Whenever the Bible mentions children it says that they are a gift and a reward from God (Psa 127:3). God does not want us to be in fear during the pregnancy or in fear over the life of our unborn baby. He created us to conceive, carry and give birth to healthy children. This was His original plan. It was through the fall of Adam and Eve which opened the way for all forms of sickness and disease to manifest in our lives. The simple truth is that a miscarriage occurs due to a sickness, disease or complication in the mother or baby, not because of the "will" of God. God cannot change His mind or go back on His Word! His Word and character always remain the same (Mal 3:6). Therefore, according to His unchanging nature and character - He will NEVER "will" us to miscarry or to bear sick children.

We need to understand that we can't use our personal experiences to measure God's Word. We also shouldn't blame Him when we don't understand why a miscarriage occurred. The Bible tells us that God gives life not takes life. God is bound by His Word, He will not alter His promises.

Numbers 23:19 says that "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"

If we say that it was God's will that we miscarried, we are accusing him of killing our baby by withholding the healing blood of Jesus and by breaking the promises in His Word. There are many reasons for not receiving healing, and many circumstances that hinder us from receiving a miracle, but none are because God decided to break or alter His Word. He has made a choice to bind Himself by His Word. I pray this truth will set you free!

There is more information on God's unchanging character and will and how you can experience victory over miscarriage in my book God's Plan for Pregnancy. I cover God's plan of redemption for mankind in all areas of childbearing and on how to apply it to you life. Visit the Resources Page for more information.

What To Do In The Event Of A Threatened Miscarriage

In the event of a threatened miscarriage your circumstances might look disheartening, but don't give up hope! Keep resting and believing in Jesus - for NOTHING is impossible with-God!

Below I have listed some things to help remind you of who you are in Christ and what you have already inherited as a believer so you don’t lose sight of the victory. Please note that these are brief points only but I believe they will still help you to shift your focus from the natural to the spiritual realm of God's Kingdom. If you would like more information, these points are listed in detail in the Miscarriage Chapter in my book God's Plan for Pregnancy.

Please note that I have not presented these steps as a formula for you to follow to attain your desired result. Following a formula or steps without revelation is not only powerless but also leads to frustration. Therefore, I encourage you to spend time meditating on the truth of what God's Word says so that this information can become revelation and then transform your life!

• Remember the finished work of the Cross!

• Labour to stay in rest! It is not by "your" might or power but by God's Spirit at work in you!

• Don’t be ruled by fear.

• Meditate and keep focused on the truth of God's Word.

• Remember your authority. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places..

• Remember the power of your words. We exercise authority over any situation by our words and what we say!

• Be anxious for nothing! ‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (Phil 4:6).

• Praise and worship. Worship doesn’t change God but it sure changes you!

• Thank God. Give God the glory and thank Him for what He has already provided for you as His child.

• Medical help. If necessary, call your doctor or hospital for advice. Be careful to guard your mind over any negative remarks because the natural report doesn’t have to be your final report. Make God’s Word your final authority. Don’t allow your circumstances or diagnosis to be greater than the power of God and His Word.

• Remember God is good and He loves you. Regardless of what you go through, God’s love is always there for you.

Victory over Loss

I met Gillian in 2000.  She come into New Life Ministries and ministered to other women, even pregnant women and encouraged them.  I was shocked when I discovered she had lost her twin girls only 6 weeks earlier.  Gillian didn’t just talk the talk but she walked the walk.  She is more than qualified to share on how to overcome grief after loss. Her message below is a powerful one that I know will be a blessing to those of you who have lost a loved one. If you have a testimony on how you overcame grief after loss then click here to share it with us.

Overcoming Grief through the Word of God

by Gillian Robson

The God that we serve is a God of the impossible!  He is not out there somewhere far away but is oh so close. He said in His Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us and will be with us until the end of the age.

What I have been through… My journey hasn’t been a pleasant journey but I praise God for who He is! First my mum who was a strong Christian was diagnosed with Cancer in 1997.  She was tired and wanted to be ‘absent from the body and present with the Lord’ so she made the decision not to go through surgery or chemotherapy.  She was given only 3 months to live.  She ended up living for 2 years and I believe it was because we continued to stand and speak life over her BUT at the end she didn’t want to be here so we had to let her leave.  I remember visiting her before she died and while I went to comfort her, she ended up comforting me!  She had a strong faith and relationship with the Lord and she told me to make sure I was anchored in Jesus. After she died I was totally distressed!  But I thank God because I had a dream of my mother.  I saw myself walking down the High street in London near Wembley and I ran into my mum.  I said to her “What are you doing here?”  “We are on our way to your funeral.” “Mum you’re dead!” But she replied, “I am not dead!”  “Look at me, I am alive!”  “Look at my hands, my feet and my face, see they are new and I am alive!”  Praise the Lord!!!  When our loved ones die, it is only their physical body that dies, their spirit and soul live on!  There is no sin, sickness, cancer, death, pain or tears in Heaven!  My mum is alive and well! 

Don’t Blame God! God did not take my mothers life.  Cancer took her life!  Cancer is a horrible disease that sucked the very life force out of my mother.  It reduced her from a plump lively woman to a bag of skin and bones. It is important to note that God will not override someone’s will. He can’t force someone to believe or to fight and stay if they want to die.  So we knew our prayers for mum to be healed and stay were futile, because she wanted to die and be with the Lord. 
Back to my story…
Around that time my sister lost two babies at term close together.  She was devastated and she was paralysed by fear and couldn’t go on.  She decided not to have any more children because to lose another would be too painful.  I prayed that she would receive strength and comfort from the Lord as while she was a Christian she hadn’t continued like I had so she didn’t know the Lord intimately or what His Word said.
I also had my own personal grief.  After numerous years of infertility I finally conceived only to lose my twin girls at 22 weeks into the pregnancy.  This was too much for me!  It felt like Satan had come to sift me like wheat.  But I thank my God that He prayed for me that my faith wouldn’t fail me.  When I went through that dark area of my life we had no support as we lived in Australia and all our family was in the UK.  Well meaning Christians said awful things to us like “God took our babies because He knew best”.  They tried to comfort us with what they thought was the truth.  But let me tell you something!  God does NOT kill babies!  He does NOT kill our family!  The God we serve is a God of life and there is no death in Him.  He is a life giving Spirit!  My life wasn’t lining up with the will of God and what His Word said and while I didn’t understand, I knew that God didn’t have a hand in it.  So, I had to put my circumstances and experiences aside for a while. 
My Solution…
I asked God what I was going to do, as the grief was consuming me.  At times I felt like I was going out of my mind.  What was I to do?  The Lord told me to go to His Word to see what it said.  I was in distress, but I had to do something. To find a solution I had to go to the Word.  The Lord gave me this scripture and spoke it so clearly to me and so specifically.
Is 53:1 (Amp) who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord is revealed?
God said ‘Do you believe me or do you believe your circumstances, your doctor, or what your Christian friends are saying?  “Whose report do you believe?” He then led me to read from verse 4 which said… “SURELY I have borne your griefs and your sorrows…Jesus was wounded for your transgressions, He was bruised for your iniquities; The chastisement of your peace was upon Him, and by His stripes you are healed and made whole”.  He then said to me … “You don’t have to be going out of your mind” “You don’t have to bear that grief!  “I have taken that from you when I was nailed to the Cross”.  “What you need to do is to release your faith, receive my peace and go about your business!”.
I replied “glory, glory glory!” 
Victory over Grief…
Do you know what it is like to feel like you are going out of your mind, grief is swallowing you and you’re a Christian, and the unbelievers around you flourishing but you’re dying inside?  But God had said to me “Don’t worry about that, whose report do you believe?" So I took that as mine and ran with it and every time the enemy would come in my ear and say “You are cursed, you will never have children, you’re this, or you’re that…” I would say “You are a liar devil!”  “The Bible says Christ has redeemed me from every curse and I will have children because it is written blessed is the fruit that comes from my body!”  “And blessed, means prosperous, living and alive and does not mean death!” “So you are a liar!” 
Every time the devil came to me to crush me I would pick up the Word and batter him with it.  And that is what you need to do too!  But first, you need to know what God’s Word says about whatever situation you are going through. Wether it is marriage breakdown, financial problems, or even infertility because God has the answer!  And then we don’t sit around waiting for God to do something because He did it all on the Cross.  When He said “It is Finished”, He meant it is Finished!  When you come into relationship with Jesus, you are born again from above and you have entered a Covenant relationship that cannot be broken because it was made by the blood of Jesus!  We didn’t have anything to do with it!  We’ve just entered in by receiving him by believing in our heart and then confessing with our mouth, so go about your business! 
I now have 2 girls, but after I lost my twins the Dr diagnosed a bacterial infection and I was told that I would probably not be able to carry a baby to full term and if I did conceive I had to have medication for the whole 9 months.  But I had met Nerida and she stood with me.  I researched God’s Word and knew that the number of my days would be fulfilled and the number of the days of my pregnancy would also be fulfilled.  I knew that was 40 weeks so the number of days of my next pregnancy was going to be fulfilled.  After the diagnosis I was checked several times and there was no change but I stood my ground and declared that I believed that I was healed because of Jesus.  And I began to confess and declare that and stop praying about it.  I believed that I was healed when I had first prayed and I made the decision not to be worried or to fret about it.  And when I was 5 months pregnant in my next pregnancy the tests came back all clear from that condition so I no longer needed the medication!   There has been so sign of that condition ever since!  And God is not a respecter of persons!  Anyone can believe God and stand against any sickness.  We are redeemed from every form of sickness and disease.  Even ones that haven’t been discovered yet!  
We have been redeemed from the curse and are now in the blessing.  Our circumstances may not look like it but the truth remains the same that we have been redeemed!  No curse can operate in your life!  Declare, “I am not where the curse is because I’m in Christ!”  Open your mouth and speak to the situation!  You don’t have to accept things that come your way because there are things that come that are not the will of God for your life.  The Bible doesn’t say to live by karma, or to live by circumstances but to live by faith, which means to live by the Word of God.  And His Word says we have been redeemed from the curse and that includes sin and eternal death, sickness and disease, grief and sorrow, loss and lack, despair and hopelessness.  Read Deut 28:15 onwards and read all those curses.  That is what we are redeemed from!  But if any curse is being manifested in any area of your life then you need to stand up and say. “No!  Stop! I know my rights.  I have an inheritance so stop in the name of Jesus!”  
The Victory is in your mouth!
Open your mouth and declare the goodness of God!  It begins with your words.  And as you do your thoughts, body, and actions will begin to line up.  But if you say “woe is me, nothing good ever happens to me” then it wont and if you say “I’m depressed” then you will be depressed!  Or “That one over there always gets blessed and I don’t”  Then you will have whatever you say. 
The reason why some believers seem to be blessed more than others is because they are probably doing what God says.  The Bible says in James ‘do not deceive yourself”.  You need to be a doer and not just a hearer of the Word.  You can hear and hear but if you don’t have any application then nothing will change.  Its just like reading a diet book.  I’ve done that but I continue to get bigger.  Why?  Because I am not applying what I read by doing what it says.  It’s the same truth!  So while we may read the Word and get all excited we need to do something.  Faith comes by hearing!  Let the hearing of the Word be out of your own mouth by reading the Scriptures out aloud to yourself.  And as you do this, you will begin to believe it and you will begin to then act like a conqueror in life. 
1 Pet 5:6-8 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The devil cannot just devour you.  He is looking for someone to deceive!  I made the decision that he cannot devour me because my life is hid in Christ and I know the truth in the Word.  The devil is looking for someone who doesn’t know the Word. Someone who hasn’t taken the time to study it and how to rightly divide it so they know what it is saying to them.  Unfortunately, many do not know what is or what is not the will of God for their life so they don’t know what to do or where to turn.
1 Pet 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Stand steadfast in the faith, in other words stand steadfast in the Word of God.  Don’t be bogged down!  Resist, be watchful at the onset and stand your ground!  Let God know what is bothering you!  Cast your cares onto Him and the God of peace will give you peace!  But don’t walk away and say I am still anxious. No!  Say “I receive His peace”.  And when those anxious thoughts come in, say, “Get off me!”,  “God said He  took it all so I am going to walk in His peace!” But if you take it back then you will be anxious all over again!  If God said He will give you His peace then you need to take and receive it by faith and go and walk in peace. This is exercising your faith!
2 Cor 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Cast down arguments, reasonings and anything that does not line up with the Word of God.  Anything that comes into your mind that doesn’t line up with the Word needs to be cast down.   Cast down means to fling it down, throw it down.  Do not entertain it! 
Heb 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Before I was a Christian I was terrified of dying as it was so final.  But after coming to the Lord I realized that Jesus has undone all of that!  As a believer to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  In 1 Thess it tells us that an angel will give a shout and Jesus will return!  But it gets better it says that the dead in Christ will rise first then we will go together!  This means that my babies will get up and my mother will get up!  We will not proceed them.  We will be caught up together with them.  When our twins died, I told my husband not to worry about our girls because one day they are going to bust out of that grave! 

Death has no sting!  The grave has no victory over a believer!  Our Lord Jesus who died for us has the keys and has destroyed him who had the power of death.  He disarmed powers and principalities and made a public display over them!  Death is just a temporary separation! If you have lost loved ones and have lost babies then you will see them again one day in Heaven. 
I’ve walked it and I’ve lived it. I have gone through flood and through the fire and I don’t even smell like smoke!  I smell like roses because the God I serve is a restorer; there is a joy of Salvation so I do not walk around with a long face.  If I don’t tell people what I have been through then they would never know because I am a happy soul.  You can’t keep me down! 
This is only some of what Gillian shares in her message 'Overcoming Grief through the Word of God'. If you would like to listen to the whole message then go to our resources page or visit our on-line store. Gillian's testimony Victory over Loss is also available.

The Complete Work of the Cross

Is 53:4-5 Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

Along with our sin, sickness and disease, Jesus carried the full force of our grief, sorrows, physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering on the Cross - in our place!  He provided healing of the whole person; spirit, soul and body – by Jesus’ stripes you have been healed and made whole!

God’s Medicine for Grief

What God Says…

Ex 15:26 For I am the LORD, who heals you.

Jer 30:17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD…

Job 36:15 But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering; He speaks to them in their affliction.

Ps 147:3-5 He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.  He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.  Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

Is 41:10,13 So 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.  For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you

Heb 13:5 (Amp) He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  I will not, I will not, I will not, in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let you down, relax my hold on you - assuredly not!

Is 40:29, 31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

What You Can Say…

Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so!
Begin to confess the following scriptures over your life!

God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ps 46:1

I will be anxious for nothing; but in every thing I’ll let my requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. I will only think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and are of a good report. Phil 4:6-8

Jesus has borne my griefs (sickness, weaknesses and distresses) and carried my sorrows and pains (of punishment).  He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my guilt and iniquities; the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for me was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him I am healed and made whole’. Is 53:4-5 (Amp)

Jesus bore my sins in His body on the tree, I am now dead to sin, and I live unto righteousness: by His stripes I was healed. 1 Pet 2:24 (NKJV)

Because of Jesus I am restored to health and healed from all my wounds. Jer 30:17

The joy of the Lord is my strength. Ps 28:7

I HAVE BEEN DELIVERED, HEALED, SET FREE AND MADE WHOLE.  Is 53:5, Matt 8:16-17