Thanksgiving Psalm 33

I happened by David Letterman the other day when I was looking for the weather channel. He made mention of the fact that Thanksgiving was coming up. He went on to say that Thanksgiving is a time to get together and thank each other for all of the things that we have done for each other throughout the year. It am not quoting verbatim but it was close to that. I could not help but see that his statement is a half truth but more importantly is what a lot of people have come to truly believe about Thanksgiving but this was not the original intent of our forefathers. http://history1800s.about.com/od/abrahamlincoln/a/Lincoln-Thanksgiving-proclam.htm

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless you all.   It is so awesome to be able to get together with family and friends that we love and thank God for everything that He has blessed our country with. I cannot help but to say my heart is hurting for those that are unable now to have this time that was set aside for this purpose so many years ago. Greed has driven the majority of stores now to open on Thanksgiving rather than waiting until Black Friday to commence the holiday shopping season. Do they feel by calling it, "early black Friday hours", that it takes away from the fact that they are pulling families a part in order that American's can run out and buy more stuff that can never buy happiness? Should only a people that work during business hours rather than retail, be able to take part in a National holiday that was proclaimed so long ago? In 20 years from now, will this day exist at all for any of us? What is so important material wise that it cannot wait for one more day? I urge you all to think about the consequences that will come of what they have started the ball rolling on this year. Please don't patronize these stores on Thanksgiving. Let's all stick together for the good of all. If they do not make the money they thought they would, maybe they will reconsider the changes they are making. It is the things like this that are eroding our family values and tearing our Nation to pieces. Stand now against this or eventually it could be you that is not able to spend time with your family and it will have gone so far by then, it will be harder to change.

Psalm 33

King James Version (KJV)

33 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Holiday Stamps at the USPS or UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

I want to start this post by saying that I respect all people of every race and culture and where everyone is spiritually. This post is not about the beliefs of others but 100% focused on my belief and the beliefs of others that have committed themselves to Christ and live in the United States of America, that was founded on Christian morals and principals and is ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Christians are in no way better than other people, but they are in fact equal.  

I received the flyer above from THE UNITED STATES postal service last week. It stood out to me immediately that while they chose to show the images of other holiday named stamps, they also chose not to use a picture of a CHRISTmas stamp among them.  I logged onto their site to view the selection of holiday stamps that are presently available: 
https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=subcatS_S_HolidayStamps&categoryNavIds=catBuyStamps%3AsubcatS_S_HolidayStamps#%23q_docSort%3D%26q_pageNum%3D2%26viewAll%3Dfalse%26q_facetTrail%3D%26categoryId%3DsubcatS_S_HolidayStamps%26nsraction%3DcategoryProducts

There are 2 stamps that say KWANZA on them and two that say HANUKKAH. There is only one that says Christmas on it. There are two more that have a woman and her baby as you may know to be Mary and Jesus but they chose to leave the word CHRISTMAS off these stamps.

So, my question to the United States Postal Service is why if you had room to advertise 3 holiday stamps on this flyer, did you choose to only use two holidays of the only three that you are recognizing in your entire collection of holiday stamps?  Why did you leave CHRISTmas out when the majority of the people that live in the United States are Christians and celebrate CHRISTmas? Why is this stamp not on your flyer rather than a gingerbread house that in itself is not an actual holiday?
https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&productId=S_679904&categoryId=subcatS_S_HolidayStamps

I have called the postal service to ask this question  and have opened a case on Thursday, however they have not called me back and were supposed to on Friday. I called them today but they are closed until Monday. If you would like to state your opinion on what they have done, call the number below and ask for Consumer Relations to file a complaint on their choice of advertising.
Domestic General Information
Call 1-800-ASK-USPS® (1-800-275-8777)
For Federal Relay (TDD/TTY), please call: 1-800-877-8339
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 8:30 PM ET
Saturday 8 AM - 6 PM ET
There is also a petition that I found http://www.thepetitionsite.com/923/648/496/recognize-christ-on-christmas-stamps/#sign, however remember to focus that they DO offer 1 stamp that says Christmas, they just didn't include on the advertisement for their stamps that went out.

You may ask why I am making such a big deal of this small thing? Every Big Thing Starts Small..

Solomon of the Bible said, "It is the little foxes that ruin the vineyard". More often times than not, it is the smaller things that go unaware and turn into the BIG things. What they have done here is discriminatory against Christians even though on a small level. Here are more cases of discrimination and violation of our first amendment in some cases:  http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF12H29.pdf.

One of the greatest things about our country is that we are permitted to practice our spiritual beliefs without being persecuted. This is awesome because it allows more people to come to Christ the way it should be, of free will. With this freedom however will be other religions that are are practiced in our country and we should have tolerance and respect of the opinions of those people practicing these religions and allow them do to so unharmed. I am 100% in agreement with this but I cannot help to see that something bigger is going on here in the last 20 years or so, maybe longer. In order to understand what I am about to say, we need to go back to our roots as a country and where it all started. There are many different places that you can study American History but one has to be very careful where and what they are studying. There have been so many revisions made to everything, that you need to make sure that what you are looking at is an actual historical document. Here are the rules that I try to follow when I am studying for knowledge on any particular subject. I look in more than one place and if there is another side that is saying something complete opposite in some type of defense, I look at theirs too. If their are quotes used or statements made against something that someone said, I go away from the site I am reading it on and look for these in the news and other places that I trust to try to find what they are speaking of. This is to make sure that words are not taken out of context and that videos are not clipped so that it appears something else was said.

Having said all of this, I have found a site that references plenty of information about our country. I found out about this site because I watch Andrew Wommack and his shows this week that you are able to access on his site had David Barton on them explaining the history of our Country. What I really liked about what he was saying, is that he backs it up with historical information that you can investigate for Truth on your own. If you would like to see his site it is:
http://www.wallbuilders.com/

If you would like to see the show that aired regarding this which I truly recommend, you can see it right now
http://www.awmi.net/tv/this_week God And Country. If you visit the link after tomorrow, you will most likely find it in the archive section of the link to the left in 2013 archives. You can also listen via MP3 and save to your computer or even burn to CD for free http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1082.
I encourage you to scrutinize and challenge anything that they say to find the truth.

Once you have a grasp on how our nation was formed and on what beliefs our fore-fathers stood for, I feel you will find it was founded by individuals that believed in God and had Christian values and morals. They were obedient to God and read their Bibles for wise council on how to form our Union.

Isaiah 1:19

King James Version (KJV)19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 

It was because of their diligent obedience to His Word, that we were all set free by the principals that came to be known as the Constitution of the United States. You can study these principals here: http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html.

What is a constitution?

con·sti·tu·tion
noun1.the way in which a thing is composed or made up; makeup; composition: the chemical constitution ofthe cleanser.2.the physical character of the body as to strength, health, etc.: He has a strong constitution.3.Medicine/Medical, Psychology . the aggregate of a person's physical and psychological characteristics.4.the act or process of constituting; establishment.5.the state of being constituted; formation.  [kon-sti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-]  Show IPA

So, if the people that formed our nation stood for the things of God and the nation flourished the way that it has under these principles that came of Godly counsel. Why is America now turning away from these principals and values, in order to appease the people that come to our country to share in the liberties that came from a people that followed God through Christ, but want nothing to do with Christ? Our founders believed in what the Bible says and the Bible says the only way to God is through Christ and that when you believe in Christ, He will give you Godly wisdom through His Holy Spirit to guide you and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you FREE.. They believed in and were obedient to His Word, therefore they had His guidance as they were writing the principles that are in our Constitution. It was penned of men that followed the Spirit of Christ and these principals have in fact made us FREE. They allowed non-Christians to live in our country at peace because we are supposed to be kind to aliens (which at that time would have included non Christians as most were and are Christian in the US) and they most likely understood that there are many ways to Christ, if one is given the grace needed in order to make the free will choice to follow Christ. They also probably felt in their hearts that once the non-Christians experienced the true loving nature of Christ, they would want to be a part of that like all good things.

In today's society, many have turned their back on Christ. I feel this started to happen long ago when certain leaders abused their authority and did so in the name of Christ, though Christ had nothing to do with and warned against the very behavior that they were involved in. The reason they got away with it is because they were not allowing us to read our Bibles and once we were allowed to read it, we were so used to following what others said, and  feared into not reading it,or maybe too lazy to do so that still today, it is left unread in many homes. Why did they want to keep the Bible away from us? It is because they knew the power that was available to us in knowing His Truth, and how it would set us free from their tyranny. They wanted to control the people with fear, rather than give the people their inalienable right to freedom. All of this saved for another post but back to the point at hand, why are we changing the core values that made our great Nation what it is, in order to appease the feelings of people that are unaware that the freedom we have experienced were born of the Spirit of Christ, which is how we worship and praise the creator of all, the one and only God that has blessed our nation for it? Being tolerant is different from changing your values and morals. If I were to go into a club that was founded on and practiced witchcraft, I would not expect them to change what they are doing to appease me. I simply would choose not go.  If you come to America, you have a choice of what religion you will follow however; you should understand that were founded on Christianity and worship God our Father and our original foundation will not change for you less we begin to experience the loss of the Grace of God that has made our country the way that it is, and the reason that you came to live here in the first place in most cases. Why is this not the way that our leaders of our country are responding regarding this topic?

Is it possible that the people that are in charge or would like to be in charge are so corrupt, they are welcoming these changes so that little by little, they can control you and eventually enslave you as most corrupt leaders want to do? Would that still be America, "the land of the free",  to you or would it be the same type of country that  you have heard about and maybe have experienced that is that is fearful rather than peaceful, hateful rather than loving and in poverty rather than wealth? If you want to know the difference of America and why we have flourished, the answer is GOD and only GOD. The government has violated our first amendment in many ways as Christians, as far as religious freedoms and it has not stopped and will continue to not stop there. They are starting there because they know it is was makes us the strong WE THE PEOPLE that we are.   If we do not stand up and start speaking out, we will become enslaved by this government and we will have no one to blame but ourselves. What can we do? Start with the little things. Take a couple of minutes and call the postal service and tell that that you do not like the fact that they left the Christmas stamp off their advertisement. Let your Christian voice be heard so loud that they have no choice but to put it on their advertisement next year. After that, each little fox that you see speak out!  Just speak your TRUTH in love. Let everyone know that we as Christians have rights that are equal to the rights of every other person in this nation. Each voice together will become one loud voice, that will stop them from taking away our rights and enslaving us to dictatorship. Most importantly study the Bible with a heart set on knowing your creator so that you can be who you were created to be spiritually and that is fearful of no man nor enslaved by him. Study the Constitution so that you  are better able to see with open eyes if someone is violating your rights as a citizen in free country.  Let us not be the people that perish for lack of knowledge.

Remember that all big things start small and that means good things too. Where two or more come together in His Name, there He will be:
http://www.modernghana.com/news/326278/1/every-big-thing-starts-small-lessons-from-the-data.html

Amendment Text | 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

- See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1/amendment.html#sthash.fEBtWu4b.dpuf

DEC 9TH 2014 .. I am a little late on this update but guess what?!! They listened!! Way to go America! 

The Work of God

John 6:29 King James Version (KJV)

²⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

I was speaking with someone the other day that told me that their priest was giving a sermon regarding the fact that there are works that lead to a capital S in sainthood and some that lead to a small S. If  works are classified as big or small, I imagine a lot of the works that this world deems as small (usually the every day good old fashioned  works), will possibly lead to discontentment in the body and the comparing of ourselves to on another, rather than simply walking in our individual gifts and allowing them to edify the church as Christ will have it. Jesus has made it clear in the verse above that the work of God is to BELIEVE in the one He sent (Jesus). We need to receive this Truth and the fruit that will come of this belief, will become the  natural works of His Spirit rather than trying to be someone or something that we are not. Be happy with who God made you to be and realize that aside from Him, you can do nothing. Every gift is important to the body of Christ. Even what may appear to be the small and mundane. 

The Polar Express is an awesome movie. Yes, they stage this movie around the false belief in santa but I know the Truth of the matter and so that is where my focus goes. The way that the children use their individual gifts to help each other on their journey and the love that show each other, that is the Spirit of Christ. In the movie, the unnamed main character does not believe in santa because because he has seen what he perceives as substantial evidence to prove otherwise. He finds a train outside of his house late Christmas Eve night at 11:00PM that is headed to the North Pole. The conductor gives him the CHOICE to get on the train or not. He is skeptic but decides to hop on the train and take the journey. There are other children on the train. When the conductor punches their tickets, he use a hole punch and punches a couple of letters on them. They are told that someone will receive the first gift of Christmas at the North Pole. As they take the journey, there is a hobo type man that the main character interacts with. At one point he asks the child was his take on santa was and if he believed in him. He seemed unsure whether to voice his full opinion that santa is not real. He said, "I want to believe butttt"  Then the character asked if he believed in ghosts (Holy Spirit). The kid says no, ( he is most sure of this). Then the character disappears in front of him as a ghost would. When santa enters onto the scene, he has a very bright glow to him that reminds me of the light of the Holy Spirit of Christ and the reindeer have bells all over them that are jingling as the leaping around waiting for santa. In the Old Testament, when the High Priest is in the presence of the Lord, the bells that are on his garment ring. The boy is unable to hear the bells even though the other children can hear them and then they see santa. He cannot see him because there are too many children in the way.  One of the bells breaks loose from the reindeer and though he cannot hear it, the bell rolls over to his feet. He shook the bell and you can hear a voice that says the word doubt as he shakes it. After a couple of times of this, he shook it again three times and exclaimed I believe each time. He hears the bell the third time.  Then you see santa's reflection in the bell right behind him and he says, "what did you say'? The boy yells out, I believe..this is yours".  Santa ends up picking him after going down the line of kids that believed in him to receive the first gift of Christmas (FAVOR). He asks santa for the bell.  He tells him to remember that the bell is only a symbol of Christmas as he is and that the true Spirit of CHRISTmas is in his heart. As they load up to go home,  The conductor punches the rest of the letter's on his ticket. The word is BELIEVE. Once he is on the train, he realizes that he has lost his gift. Imagine his surprise when it was laying beneath his tree the next morning in a small box, as if it were kept for him despite his poor handling of it, placing it in a pocket that had a hole in it, after the conductor (also symbolic of Holy Spirit to me) had warned him to put in a safe place (GRACE). The narrator of the movie who is the little boy as a grown man, makes a point of saying that his parents could not hear the bell at all and his sister and most of his friends heard the bell when he first brought it home but as time went on, none of his friends could hear it and even Sara his sister eventually could not hear it. As for him, it still rang for him as well as the all of those that truly believed.  

I don't know that Tom Hanks planned to have a spiritual meaning behind any of this but I know that God always finds way to get His message through to an open heart. Like the boy in the movie, sometimes it starts by simply hopping on the ride even if we are unsure of the place that it is taking us and even when we do not believe. Christ is our Gift from our Heavenly Father. Once we truly believe, the Gift of His Spirit cannot be taken from us against our will or through our mistakes. You see He already chose us for the gift. This is not because of anything that we have done besides BELIEVE in the work of His Son on the Cross. Don't be discouraged if you find yourself in a state of unbelief. Like the boy in the movie and Paul in the Bible, He uses these situations to glorify the power of God ( SPIRIT) and the worst of us can become the greatest in His Kingdom. All we have to do is seek Him with all of our heart.

When you look at the picture below, imagine that it is Christ rather than santa entrusting you with your gifts. 

• 

A great article from Spurgeon regarding the works of the Spirit: 

http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0178.htm