Thanks in the Face of Adversity

How many of you out there have already started listening to Christmas music? If I could raise my hand and type at the same time I would. I love Christmas time and the joyous spirit it brings to my heart. But lately I've really been reflecting on Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it.

I've been thinking a lot about those brave souls who followed the call of God and set sail to America, so that they could have the freedoms that we Americans take advantage of today.

The pilgrims--or Puritists--were people who held Scripture high and wanted to be able to read the Word of God for themselves. They believed that each individual was responsible to God and answered only to Him, rather than a priest or bishop. Many were persecuted for taking a stand for what the Word of God proclaimed. The Puritists who established the Massechusetts Bay colony had been forced out of England and Holland for their beliefs.

These brave people, who faced much death, much sickness and disease, the threat of attack by the Native-Americans, harsh weather conditions and the untamed land, continued on with the constant adversities that confronted them. All for the sake of being able to worship God freely and purely.

So I encourage you this Thanksgiving, to really reflect and give thanks to God for the Pilgrims who set out and gave us the framework for the freedoms we have today in our nation. But mostly, give thanks to God for sending His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our freedom. Thank Him for the ones who lead you into knowing Jesus as your Saviour; for those who took the time to pray for you and encouraged you; for those that listened to the Lord's direction and out of love and obedience to Him, spread the Gospel of Jesus to everyone they met.

I give thanks to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for saving me from an eternity in hell by dying on the cross for me. He gave me freedom from death and a life filled with sin.

If you do not know Jesus, and would like to have the same freedom, I urge you to pray this prayer:

Dear Jesus,

I am a sinner and I know I do not deserve your forgiveness. But I believe what the Bible says, that You came to earth to die on the cross for me. I am sorry for my sins and I ask that you come into my heart and cleanse me from those sins. Give me a new life in You and thank You for Your grace and mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.

My dad pointed out to me yesterday that I can look up on my stats about my blog and see how many people have looked at it and all the different countries where people live that have seen this blog site. I never really played around on it before and I was humbled and thrilled to see the Stats. I mean, wow! Someone in Russia read my blog!

But it is for His glory alone that I write these messages. Knowing He had given me a gift or talent in writing, I always thought I would be writing books someday. But then one day, I realized that it was more for my glory than His in that dream. And then the Lord pressed upon my heart to start writing these encouraging messages. I only thought a few people would read them.

Every time I write one, I pray before and after I write it. I ask the Lord to give me the words and the message and when I finish it, I ask Him to bless it and use it for His glory. And now to see that someone in Russia and wherever else are reading it? Wow, cool God.

Some of these countries that may see my blog, are ones where they do not have the freedom to openly worship God. But to you I say, you do have the freedom and you can worship him freely!

If you can, I encourage you to click on the link below and listen to the message that was given in our church today by a guest speaker from Trinidad. In the message, he reminds us about how from a prison cell, the Apostle Paul preached the Good News of Jesus. Remember that it is in Spirit and Truth that we worship God. Whether it's sitting in class at school, a prison cell, at home, in your car on your way to work, at work---no matter where you are, you can worship Jesus. And NO ONE can stop you from doing that. We are called to spread the Good News of Jesus to everyone, and if they threaten you with death--then worship and praise him into eternity!

http://calvaryopenbible.org/index.php?nid=28484&s=hm

Here are some great verses that you can read around the table on Thanksgiving day:

"I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17

"I wll give You thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you." Psalm 35:18

"Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the Great God, the Great King above all gods. In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our God, our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under his care." Psalm 95: 2-7

"Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed say this--those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south." Psalm 107: 1-3

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." 2 Corinthians 2:14

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Remember, when the Pilgrims sat down and gave thanks, it wasn't to the turkey who sacrificed his life to satisfy their taste buds and fill their bellies--it was to God for guiding them to that place where they could live freely for Him. For being able to learn to read and write and coming to know the truth in God's word.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I thank you all who read this blog and send it on to others. May the Love and Peace of Jesus Christ abound to you in the days to come!

Love in Christ Jesus,
Alyssa