Taking Jesus At His Word

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I hope you enjoy this guest article as much as I did.  Be blessed on this remembrance of His Resurrection!~ KrisAnne
Taking Jesus at His Word-
A Resurrection Day Lesson from History ~ Pstr. Aaron Turner Fellowship Baptist Church, Lake City, FL
 
Luke 24:21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
 
The day was Resurrection Day. The place was on the road to Emmaus. Two of the disciples were walking together carrying on a conversation about what had transpired in the previous three days.
 
They had seen the mighty deeds of the Lord Jesus, they had heard his mighty words and they had believed that he was going to redeem Israel. But instead of delivering Israel from the bondage to Rome, Jesus was delivered to the Romans to be crucified. And they were greatly discouraged.
 
As they were walking a Stranger drew near to them and started walking with them. The stranger was the resurrected Christ but they didn’t recognize Him.
 
He asked why they were so sad. They told Him about His own crucifixion. They told Him how they had hoped in Him. They even told Him how the women in their group had alleged that He was alive. But they obviously didn’t believe it.
 
This Stranger then said to them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25-26). He then gave them a Bible lesson about Himself from the Old Testament.
 
Why did he charge them with unbelief? Because on three different occasions before his crucifixion he had told them exactly what was going to happen.
 
Matt. 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. (See also Matt. 17:23 and Matt.20:19)
 
If they had taken Jesus at His Word instead of being sad on the third day, they would have been excited! Instead of being on the road to Emmaeus, they would have been camped out at the tomb in anticipation of His coming out!
 
So often we too are guilty of not taking Jesus at His Word and are therefore sad and anxious.
 
He tells is not to anxious about our needs being met because Our Father is going to supply them (Matt 6:25ff) Yet we worry. He tells us that if we ask anything in His name he will hear us and answer us (John 13:14-15) and yet we fail to pray. There are other examples that we could give but space will not permit.
 
Where would you have been on that day? Would you have been walking sadly on the road to Emmaeus or would you have been excitedly waiting outside the tomb in anticipation of Christ’s Resurrection?
 
Rom. 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
 
***
We see little because we believe little. Be blessed! ~KrisAnne

Quantum Leap

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A friend reminded me today of a very important moment in my life. One of those moments where at the time it seems inconsequential and ordinary and there is no way you could possibly comprehend the impact it will have.
For me it was February 26, 1992. I am just out of college. New life, new opportunities, but same old me and same old life. I had no relationship with God, no faith. I was heavily into the occult and living a pleasant life. I had no particular reason to change things.

One of my favorite television shows was Quantum Leap. I watched it regularly. On this day, I watched the show like always. I really enjoyed it. But it was the last segment of the show that would stick with me forever.
I would like to say that I had a life changing moment where I gave my life to Christ and all was right. But it didn’t happen that way and I wouldn’t even recognize what really happened for almost 20 years.
In the last scene, the main character, a young girl, steps into her father’s church after a period of emotional separation. As she walks into the church she begins to sing, “His eye is on the sparrow.” I remember being particularly touched by the song. I had never heard it before. Over the next years I would always be drawn to that episode and searching for that song. God used a popular prime time television show to begin His love song to me. I would be drawn closer to him from that day forward. And, perhaps because I am particularly stubborn, (Amen says my husband) it wasn’t until 19 years later that I would respond to that call of love.

Praise God for his loving pursuit, his gentle persuasion, and eternl love song. Here is a link to the popular prime time worldly television show that started my love affair with God.

The scene begins at 36:50

show gorsuch fights

More IRS Targeting

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by Pastor JC Hall

images200x200In 1775 an ardent Christian and skillful attorney climbed into the pulpit of St. Johns church. To a packed crowd, he passionately decried the abuses of his government, ridiculed the king’s oppressive policies, declared the king a tyrant and called the people to arms. However, it was clear that this Christian attorney standing in the pulpit was committed to resisting the tyranny of his government whether the crowd was with him or not, as he cried “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me Liberty or give me death!”

What a stark contrast we see between Patrick Henry’s words in St. John’s Church and the words uttered from many pulpits today! According to researcher George Barna founder of The Barna Group, although 90 percent of pastors agree that the Bible speaks to “today’s issues” only 10 percent say they are willing to speak on these issues.
Some of that ten percent apparently participate in “National Pulpit Freedom Day.” That’s when some 501c3 pastors apparently muster upnotrespassingwarningsignsecurityfence13458026100x100 enough courage and obedience to God to come out of the shadows on one of 365 days and not hold back on any issue. In particular they take the no-trespassing sign off of politics and dare to allow God to have sway over these opinions as well.
dilence150x150This holiday doesn’t sit well with some anti-theists. The 19,000-member group of God-haters known as the Freedom From Religion Foundation apparently doesn’t believe churches should be allowed to serve God and Mammon. They have the audacity to believe that churches who submit themselves to the rules of a 501c3, should actually follow them (radical huh?) FFRF filed a suit and, in short, the IRS has settled and agreed to begin closer monitoring (read IRS targeting) of churches to ensure that their speech is within the rules set by the IRS. So I wonder, what will American 501c3 pastors do? Will they continue to celebrate their speak-the-truth-with-boldness holiday? Or will they get nervous and buckle? By the way, if you think the monitoring will stop with just candidate endorsments, think again. The FFRF suit named Billy Graham’s group for an ad that said “Vote Biblically.”

 
The real solution of course – stop serving God and Mammon and serve God alone. Drop the 501c3 and make God your only master and preach the Word with boldness and without reservation EVERY day of the year! I know that seems to be a difficult decision for many. As a pastor in Florida I have encountered members who seem to have an inordinate focus on the 7 cents on the dollar that the church might save from a tax exempt status. “If we can keep the 501c3 and save 30 pieces of silver then surely we’ll come out ahead, right preacher?”
More retro clipart at http://www.clipartof.com/If your church’s focus is still on the dollar bill, then take heart. Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel has pointed out that a church doesn’t have to be a 501c3 to be tax exempt; churches already have that status under the first amendment. 501c3 only imparts the privilege of being told what you can and can’t preach. As for me, I’d rather pay taxes than be silent. If we truly believe what we preach, then why isn’t everyday pulpit freedom day? So who do you think the churches should serve? Do you think we should do everything we can to fight against taxes or should we preach what God declares no matter what the cost?

God Bless America?

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GOD_BLESS_AMERICA2If you are a Christian you have an obligation to stand against oppression, dictators, and those who would deny you God’s gifts of Liberty.

If you are a Christian you have an obligation to God to NOT vote for the “lesser of two evils” even if that means you don’t vote at all. I KNOW that sounds controversial but see this:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thess 5:21-22.

Daniel when told he had to eat the King’s meat didn’t say “well I have to eat so I will choose the lesser of the unclean meat.” NO! He said I will not eat, I will starve. When Daniel was told he couldn’t pray, he didn’t say, “I will choose to pray very quietly so no one will know.” NO! He prayed PUBLICLY, 3 times a day! When Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego were told to bow to the music, they didn’t say, “We will bow to the lesser of the evil music.” NO! They said “We might burn but we will not bow!” WHY did they do these things? Because they had FAITH and they KNEW that the Living God they served IS FAITHFUL. See how this message in Thessalonians ends…

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thess 5:21-24

FAITHFUL IS HE! Do you vote to please men or do you vote to please God? Do you vote because you fear men or do you vote because you fear God?

I believe that when we operate by FAITH, God is FAITHFUL to provide. When HIS people CONTINUE to vote the “lesser of two evils,” God must assume we are satisfied with evil and lets us have it. You are proclaiming to God that His good choice is NOT electable in this country…and I weep for our children!

Your choice to not vote for the lesser of two evils may mean you don’t vote at all. Does that make you uncomfortable? Perhaps God is wanting to see some faith and prayer. If you ABSTAIN from choosing evil then you will be BLAMELESS unto the coming of Christ. But if you choose evil, in what ever form, what is your accountability then?

I am BEGGING you dear Christian, why can’t we choose God? Why can’t we ABSTAIN from the lesser of two evils and BY FAITH wait on the good and faithful choice our God has for us?

If you continue to vote the lesser of two evils then YOU MUST STOP asking God to bless America. GOD CANNOT BLESS EVIL, not matter how you equivocate it.

Read about your GOD GIVEN RIGHT TO RESIST! http://bit.ly/1jOk8yP

Peace on Earth? Good Will Toward Men?

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Listening to the news, watching the headlines has become a requirement for my current ministry. But I have come to realize that a daily diet of this is hazardous to my health. This never ending caustic supply of drama and crisis is not healthy for the body or the soul. IT makes me want to cry out, “Peace on Earth? Good will toward men? Where is it!”

There have been many in this battle for Liberty who have succumbed to the overwhelming negativity of the media invented reality, leaving behind the battle to search for the “normal life.” We must guard against this intrusion and obstruction to the defense of Liberty. I am convinced the ever-continuing crisis after crisis is purposed to dishearten the patriot and discourage the fight. So what is the solution? We must learn to find our hope and center ourselves on the true reality, not the one contrived by those receiving their marching orders from Alinsky, Cloward and Piven. We must know that just as we have inherited the Liberty we enjoy, we have also inherited the enemies of Liberty. We must pick up the mantle of those that came before us and learn from their courage and resolve. Will we be sunshine patriots or true victors of Liberty?

Our history is rich with men and women who have surrendered all so that many could have the greatest nation the world has ever known. For over 700 years before the Declaration of Independence, men and women were learning the lessons that would be taught to our founders. Lessons that would infuse our founders with a courage and a hope that would build the greatest nation in the world. Patrick Henry said, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way to judge the future but by the past.” He was letting us know that his knowledge of those last 700 years, were the very reason he knew how this fight would turn out. He knew that every time men and women understood the value of Liberty and pledged all to protect it, they were always victorious. These guarantees of history must have raced through Henry’s head; 1100 Charter of Liberties, Magna Carta, 1628 Petition of Right, 1641 Grand Remonstrance, and his very own Bill of Rights of 1689. These were battles fought in the name of Liberty and he knew that victory was a guarantee. This is our history. This is our guarantee. This is our victory!

Did these brave men and women live without fear? Hardly so! Mercy Otis Warren articulated this dilemma so well.

“I have my fears. Yet, notwithstanding the complicated difficulties that rise before us, there is no receding; May nothing ever check that glorious spirit if freedom which inspires the patriot in the cabinet and the hero in the field, with courage to maintain their righteous cause, and to endeavor to transmit the claim to posterity, even if they must seal the rich conveyance to their children with their own blood.”

They knew that bravery was not the absence of fear, but doing what you must in the face of fear. They knew that the battle for Liberty, as Mercy called it, was a righteous cause. Knowing the source of her courage is the key to understanding her resolve. In a letter to her friend Mrs. Macauley, in 1774, lies the key to the source of her strength. She said they were “ready to sacrifice their devoted lives to preserve inviolate, and to convey to their children the inherent rights of men, conferred on all by the God of nature.”

You see, the battle for Liberty is a battle for the gifts of God. Thomas Jefferson said, “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that is justice cannot sleep forever.”

For Patrick Henry, courage not only came from knowing the history that “guided his feet” or fighting with the “vigilant, active, and the brave,” but also knowing they served a “just God who presides over the destinies of nations” and when standing for Liberty, a gift from God, they could not fail.

He declared,

“We are three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”

The key to victory, the key to the courage that brings victory is not simply fighting the fight, but KNOWING we fight a righteous battle for the One who gave us that Liberty. Our founders were in a position to pledge their lives, the lives of their families, everything that they had because they were firmly rooted in ALL the assurances of Liberty. Our founders knew that Liberty is a gift from God, and those that stand for God’s gifts will be victorious through God’s promises. They firmly believed that living in tyranny was worse than dying for Liberty. They knew that through their faith in Christ, their rewards in standing for God’s gift would be certain, whether on the battle field or in Heaven.

As Thomas Paine so eloquently put it, “THESE are the times that try men’s souls.” But Paine’s full statement gives a richness that is lost with the inititial quote alone. Payne continues to tell us who will last in this battle and WHY they will last.

“The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing (sic) its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”

If we wish to have the resolve that Mercy Otis-Warren spoke of, the confidence that Patrick Henry displayed, we must KNOW what Thomas Jefferson knew so we will not become the sunshine patriots Thomas Paine condemns. We must know Liberty is a gift from God, this Gift, although comes at a high price, is worth fighting for because God is with us. If God be with us, who can be against us?

This is not yet the darkest hour experienced by our nation by far. We still live in the greatest nation in the world. A nation built upon the principles of Liberty. The principles that cry all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. A nation where all men have equal opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No other nation can make that claim. No other people have that birth right. But with that gift comes great responsibility to secure that Liberty for generations to come. We cannot lose hope. We cannot let Liberty slip. Because, it is not our hope, it is not our Liberty, it is the hope and Liberty of ages and millions yet unborn. We must reacquaint ourselves with the lamp of experience that gives us the courage to see a guaranteed victory. But we must also reacquaint ourselves with the Giver of that gift of Liberty and the provider of the hope of victory.

In one of the darkest moments of our history, a story is told of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Henry’s wife had been tragically and fatally burned in June of 1861. Henry, himself, was badly burned trying to put out the fire that consumed his beloved wife. He was so consumed by grief over the loss of his wife, at Christmas he wrote in his journal, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” One year later, Henry wrote, “A merry Christmas’ say the children, but that is no more for me.” That following year, Henry learns that his oldest son was severely wounded in the Civil War after a bullet passed under his should blades damaging his spine. His journal was blank on Christmas on 1864. However, on Christmas day, 1865, Henry penned the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. During one of the darkest times our nation has ever known, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found his hope;

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

“There is no peace on earth,” I said;

“For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Henry awoke from his despair and realized that God is not dead and is still the Giver of peace and hope. He knew that God promises victory to those who trust in Christ and will stand for God’s gifts. He was able to express that hope in the phrase, “God is not dead; nor does he sleep! The Wrong shall fail; the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!” That same promise belongs to us, the greatest nation this world has ever known. We simply must place our trust in the right place. My hope is not in Congress. My hope is not in any man or his government. In this holy season, let us not forget that through the shed blood of Christ, whether the victory is on the battle field or through the gates of Heaven, we are winners either way. This is the REAL HOPE; a hope that can change the world.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

American Call to Action

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As given at the Day of Prayer and Unity Rally at the Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas June 22, 2013

WATCH the video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Qfy25stQtLc

Benjamin Franklin reminded his people as they engaged in the debates over the foundation of this nation:

“In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine Protection- all of us who were engaged in the struggle, must have observed frequent instances of Superintending Providence in our favor.  Have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?”

Because we have forgotten that powerful Friend- we do not find ourselves in an economic crisis, we are not in a political crisis, and may I just lift the veil of illusion, we are not in a national security crisis.  Because we have forgotten that powerful Friend we find ourselves in a MORAL crisis.  This moral crisis has led to a loss of honor in this nation- a loss of honor in our government.

What is honor?  Honor is integrity plus character working together in the mechanisms of morality.  Integrity is not doing the wrong thing.  Character is doing what is right just because it is right, even if it is not politically advantageous or popular.  Lack of Honor in this nation has the immoral leading the Justice Department, the immoral leading the IRS, the immoral leading our Congress and the immoral leading the White House.  And now this immorality has infected the Supreme Court.  Where the highest court of the land is no longer bound to the highest law of the land and can declare, without any conviction whatsoever, that I have no rights unless I declare them.  Because we have forgotten that powerful Friend, we have forgotten that our rights do not come from government, our rights do not come from the Supreme Court- Our rights come from God and I don’t have to declare them, our framers already did!

But losers point fingers and winners fix problems.  It’s time to stop pointing fingers and start working to recover our Constitution, recover our Liberty, and recover our faith. But we will ONLY succeed if we remember that powerful Friend.  We must remember we are not a reflection of our government; our government is a reflection of its people and those with honor, those with character, those with integrity are not reflecting very brightly.

If a sparrow cannot fall to the earth without God knowing, is it possible for a nation to prosper without His aid?  We must fix this problem; our future depends upon it, our children are depending upon us!  Sam Adams said:

“If we tamely suffer a lawless attack on liberty, we encourage it.  Doing nothing is NOT doing nothing.  He is explaining to us, that sitting around complaining is not doing nothing it is actually being a cheerleader for tyranny!  He says, if we tamely suffer a lawless attack on tyranny, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom.  It is a serious consideration, as ages and millions yet unborn will be the miserable sharers of our experience.  The liberty we lose today is not ours.  We are living in the luxury of liberty bought with the sacrifices of generations that have come before us.  The liberty that we squander today is the liberty of ages and millions yet unborn.

I always find it ironic, that our framers said over and over again that they were pledging Life, Fortune, and Sacred Honor for ages and millions yet unborn, they gave everything they had to give because they knew the unborn had a right to liberty. But how do we treat the unborn today?  We don’t even give them the right to life!  If we want to put honor back in government, we MUST put God back in our homes and back in our education.  Patriots, it is time to start reflecting God!  So we have a government that reflects morality.

If America is to perish from the earth it will not be because of bullets and bombs- it will be because we have forgotten that powerful Friend.  And it won’t be because of me, it will be in spite of me.  I am going to fight, I will labor, I will toil until my last breath to ensure that we have a Constitution that will ensure that ages an millions yet unborn will enjoy the liberty that men and women have died for so that WE could enjoy Liberty.   Daniel Webster addressed his people, on July 4, 1806 and asked, “Is our Constitution worth preserving?”  I ask you that question today?  Is our Constitution worth preserving?  He said,

“then, guard it as you would the very seat of your life.  Guard it not only against the open blows of violence, but also against those seeds of change.  Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years may never happen again.  Such a government once destroyed would leave a void to be filled, perhaps for centuries, with riot, tumult, despotism, and revolution.”

Is our Constitution worth preserving? You see we have all the motivation we need right here in this room.  Will all those under the age of 25 please stand?  I travel all over this country.  I am sometimes away from my family for 3 weeks or more at a time.  The only motivation I need , I want to show you, because it is the only motivation I need, is in the eyes of these young people.  We have a responsibility, our Constitution demands it.  We don’t have a Constitution to create a government, we have a Constitution, as it proclaims, “to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”  Our Liberty has been secured for us now it’s time for us to pick up that mantle and secure it for them.  So as you walk through your life from this day forward and lock eyes with these young people, no matter where you go, the only question that can come to your mind is this, “what have I done to secure their liberty today?”  It is a daily question, it is a daily challenge, a daily responsibility.  And if you cannot answer in the affirmative, then you have answered already with Daniel Webster’s call, “a government once destroyed will have a void to be filled.”  And if you have done nothing to secure their liberty today, what you are doing is condemning them to “perhaps with centuries of riot, tumult, despotisms and revolution.”  Which one of generations do you want to condemn to the pits of slavery?

It is our turn to pick up that mantle, so that these young people will not have to buy back a gift that we were supposed to purchase for them.  They will not have the luxury of doing it from the ballot box or through petition, they will be forced to do it with their blood.  Winston Churchill said,

“still if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when the victory is sure and not too costly, you may have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.  Yet, there may even be a worse case.  You may have to fight, when there is no hope of victory, for it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”

So America, we have a mantle to pick up, we have a charge to take.  It is time for you to get on your knees and beg the God who is the author of mercy for the mercy he has to give to us, for the grace he has to give to us, for the strength that it is going to take to stand against this framework of the antichrist that is flourishing in front of our faces. Get on your knees and pray to that powerful Friend.

And when you are done praying, STAND.   Stand for God.  Stand for good.  Stand for all that is right and true.  Stand for the Constitution.  Stand for Liberty.  Stand against the fiery darts of tyranny.

And having done all, Patriots, remember that powerful Friend and STAND!

The Price of Hope: Life, Fortune, Sacred Honor

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On November 6, 2012 approximately 11:34PM EST we registered the death of the American Republic. Our founders said time and time again our destruction will come from within. They were right. “A Republic if you can keep it” said Franklin. I’m sorry, Mr. Franklin, we could not. But Mr. Franklin, we will not quit. We are Americans. We don’t quit. We never have, we never will.

No doubt we have suffered a great disappointment. But is this grounds for shrinking back? Is it time for us to just throw in the towel and say “what will be, will be?” Have we given all we have to give? Not compared to what our founders gave for us. Yet, they didn’t win every battle. They got scared, frustrated, discouraged. They had dark days as they struggled against tyranny for more ten long years before the declaring their independence. We have not invented disappointment. We have not invented anger. We certainly have not yet sacrificed life, fortune, and sacred honor to the extent that our founders did. Listen to these excerpts from a letter written by John Adams to his wife Abigail.

John begins by saying,

“I am wearied out with expectation that the Massachusetts troops would have arrived e’er now at headquarters. Do our people intend to leave the continent in the lurch? Do they mean to submit? … Do they wish to see another crippled, disastrous, and disgraceful campaign, for want of an army? I am more sick and more ashamed of my own countrymen, then ever I was before…I am a fool, if ever there was one, being such a slave. I won’t be much longer. I will be more free in some world or other. It is not tolerable, that the opening spring, which I should enjoy with my wife and children, upon my little farm, should pass away…Posterity! You will never know how much it costs to the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that I ever took pains to preserve it.”

Sacrifice. Anger. Frustration. Resolve. That is the price that must be paid to preserve the blessings of liberty to our posterity, that is the price of HOPE.

Listen to the words of Elizabeth Adams, wife of Sam Adams, as she writes a letter to Sam explaining her day, “I beg you would not give yourself any pain on our being so near to the camp; the place I am in is so situated, that if the regulars should ever take Prospect Hill, which God forbid, I should be able to make an escape, as I am within a few stones cast of the back road, which leads to the most retired part of Newton…”

These people lived their lives with a daily escape route. Daily, they anticipated the enemy coming up over their hill and taking them captive. With humble resolve, she concludes, “I thank you excuse the very poor writing as my paper is bad in my pen is made with a broken pair of scissors.”

These were men and women of courage and resolve, willing to give everything for liberty. Mercy Otis Warren wrote, that they were “Ready to sacrifice their devoted lives to preserve inviolate, and to convey to their children the inherent rights of men, conferred on all by the God of nature, and the privileges of Englishmen claimed by Americans from the sacred sanctions of the compacts.”

They were ready to sacrifice everything so that their children could live in a land where liberty prospered. That was not an empty sacrifice. They were not without fear. As a matter of fact, Mercy Otis Warren wrote, “I have my fears. Yet, notwithstanding the complicated difficulties that arise before us, there is no receding; and I should blush if in any instance the week passions of my sex damp the fortitude, the patriotism, and the manly resolve of yours. May nothing ever check that glorious spirit of freedom which inspires the patriots in the cabinet, and the hero in the field, with the courage to maintain their righteous cause, and to endeavor to transmit the claim to posterity, even if they must seal the rich conveyance to their children with their own blood.”

When I joined the military, I swore to support and defend the Constitution. I took an oath when I was sworn in as an attorney in the state of Florida to support and defend the Constitution. I took the same oath when I was sworn in as an assistant state attorney for Florida. I know that these oaths NEVER expire. Every day of my life, as I travel across this country teaching the truth about the foundation of the greatest nation in the world, I renew that oath in my heart and in my mind and in my soul. I will not let that oath die, and I intend to keep it to my very last breath. I don’t do this for me. I don’t do this for you. I certainly don’t do this for the millions out there who obviously have no intent to think for themselves. I do this for liberty. I do this for our children. And I believe it as I’ve never believed anything before. This reasoning is why our founders were able to pledge life and fortune and sacred honor for a generation that they would never know. They believed in their hearts and in their souls that without liberty, life was not worth living. Mercy said, “we will stand against tyranny today, or our children will bow tomorrow.” How can we, have any less resolve? How can we even consider wavering in our stand, much less quitting altogether? What an insult to our framers. Is John Adams repenting from heaven today?

We could learn a great deal about what real patriots act and sound like from the words and the deeds of our great founding heroes. They were dedicated to the cause of liberty and to the battle against tyranny.

We have had a discouraging turn of events, but we must not be discouraged. Patriot, when you are finished grieving over the death of the Republic, there will be work to do and we will need you. We’ve not won this battle, but we must remain resolved. Our obligation does not lie with those who will not listen nor care. Our obligation lies in the same place it has always rested for centuries, our obligation lies with our children. Never falter, never fail. For if we do, we will condemn our children to buy back a gift that has been bought for us, we will condemn our children to be slaves. And they will be forced to purchase back their liberty “with their own blood.”

Grieving is not a sign of weakness, quitting is. You are NOT weak. We do have something to fight for, and it’s the same thing that made you fight last week, last month, last year. We have a marvelous history to live up to. We have a marvelous God who is with us. This is not defeat; this is motivation for the brave, the strong, and the true! So go ahead and grieve, you deserve that right. But when you are done be sure you know, as Patrick Henry said, “we are armed with the holy cause of liberty and we serve a just God.” We will still be victorious! We know the Author and the Finisher of this work and the end of the story has already been written.

If I Were An Enemy of Liberty

/in , /by

If I were the enemy, I would want you to feel alone.   I would want you to be overwhelmed. I would want you to become hopeless.  It’s the natural law of predator vs. prey. Isolate them, weaken them and make them sink gradually.  It is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.  Make them think they are alone in their passion and beliefs and the rest of the country really wants my way, the way of the enemy.  But that would be a lie.  There is nothing further from the truth.  How do I know this?  Because, I travel this country, see this beautiful land we call America and meet the Patriots; I meet you everywhere I go.

There is a brotherhood among Americans.  It is a heartbeat that cannot be denied.  It says we were born free and cannot be slaves.  It is this sense of Liberty, inherent in the hearts of Americans that makes us the land of the free.  So, be the land of the brave, have no fear, Patriot, you are not alone.

O beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain,

For purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

There are ministers throughout this nation, still willing to take a stand for this wonderful gift of Liberty.  They understand as Thomas Jefferson said,

“God who gave us life gave us liberty.  And can the Liberties of a nation be thought secure, if we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of men that these Liberties are the gift of God?”

Jefferson’s quote doesn’t end there, although that is the most repeated line.  And many pastors of our nation, I believe understand the rest of this quote more so than the first. A Patriotic Minister’s true driving force is the love of their flock and the understanding that we serve a just God.

“That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” ~Jefferson

Not every minister is more in love with their 501(c)(3), more in love with the tithed dollar than they are with the gifts of God.  Many still fear God more than the deacons’ wives and are willing to stand and preach to their congregations the truth of the glorious founding of this nation. They remind their flock that God gave us liberty and as children of God we have an obligation to fight for the gifts of God.  Not only do they know this just God will not suffer the mistreatment of His gifts, they also know what Patrick Henry said,

“We are three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of Liberty, and in such a country as that we possess, are invincible by any force which are enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friend to fight our battles for us.”

How do I know this?  I am invited to teach the truth of our nation in the churches and from their pulpits.  I am currently on my way to New York, invited by your Bishops to teach your Catholic churches, students, and Patriots, the truth about Liberty.  Our Patriotic Ministers know that they fight not on their own; they fight with the spirit of Liberty that comes from God himself. They understand they have a duty to that Fearful Master and fear not when men can do.  They stand as David and cry “Who dare defy the army of the Lord!”

O beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stem impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee

Til paths be wrought through wilds of thought by pilgrim foot and knee!

It’s not just the pastors, it’s the truck drivers who honk and waive at the various patriotic messages painted on my back window.  It’s the citizens that I encounter on a daily basis, and when asked what they think is happening in America, resolution flashes in their eyes.  In a land where men are born free, slavery is not seen with love, it is glared at with a firm resolution that men will remain free. It’s the Patriot leaders who give up their jobs, their lives, their fortunes, devoting all remnants of sanity so their children can live somewhat normal lives, while fighting the noble battle for liberty. We are America, and we represent those who know that it is Liberty that makes us different from every other nation.  It is Liberty that brings the immigrant – not healthcare, not welfare, not government grants. And there are citizens in every city, in every backwoods town across this great nation, resolved to see Liberty prosper, whatever the cost.

“Yet, notwithstanding the complicated difficulties that rise before us, there is no receding;…May nothing ever check that glorious spirit of freedom which inspires the patriot in the cabinet, and the hero in the field, with courage to maintain their righteous cause, and to endeavor to transmit the claim to posterity, even if they must seal the rich conveyance to their children with their own blood.” ~Mercy Otis Warren letter to John Adams August 2, 1775

We are three million Patrick Henry spoke of, but in modern numbers – many more.  You may not meet them every day, but I do.  And I see the patriot spirit that burns in their hearts, the same spirit that gave our founders the courage and resolution to stand against the most powerful nation on the planet, the very nation they called their parent. Today, I hear phrases like, “cold dead hand” and “not on my watch”.  Make no mistake, America, no matter what you may hear on FOX or CNN, the watchers have become warriors, and we will not serve as slaves.

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife

When more than self their country loved and mercy more than life

America! America! May God thy God refine

Till all success be nobleness and every gain divine

Put aside the “wrong stream media”.  I am on the street, meeting your brothers and sisters who are dedicated to this battle. I am conducting my own poll and my numbers and testimonies do not lie.  Know Patriot, that you are not alone.  You stand shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters, the tireless warriors in this battle for Liberty.  You may not see each other’s faces, but you share the same heartbeat. You may not see any glory now. You may think you are engaged in a thankless task.  But you know as well as I do, that glory comes in the victory, not in the battle. That thanks comes in the hearts of generations to follow as they live as freemen in STILL the greatest nation on the planet.  We do not look with temporal eyes.  Our vision extends, as our founders did, to “ages and millions yet unborn.”  We know that Liberty is a gift from God that has been purchased with the blood of our fathers, and if God be for us, who can be against us?

“Courage, then, my countrymen, our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.” –Samuel Adams, Philadelphia, August 1, 1776

So yes, if I were the enemy, I would want to you to feel alone.  I would give my last breath to make you feel divided.  I would do everything I could possibly do to make you believe a lie; because for me -the enemy- truth is fatal to my mission.  The truth is – we are united in the passion for Liberty, within our hearts and our heritage.  We cannot be divided on this ground and that makes us a fearful foe to tyranny.  Because a thousand years of history proves, when men stand for liberty, they WILL NOT be defeated.  We have much to do, but we will see victory.  Our children will live free.

O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Giving Thanks for America

/in , /by

Our daughter graduated from a liberal arts college in Maryland.  One day she contacted me amused by the subject matter of some of her liberal arts classes.  We began discussing one of her history classes where some time was spent “learning” about our founding fathers.  What she learned about the founders was all focused on the flaws of these men; whether based in fact or revisionist history.  This teaching reflects the popular view, shared by many university professors and school teachers across America, that America is no different than any other nation on the globe…that our nation is “fundamentally flawed,” after all, look at the flawed men that built it.

For example, what my daughter remembers about Alexander Hamilton, one of the primary founders of this nation, is that he was a womanizer.  Not only a womanizer, explains her feminist professor, but a hypocrite at that.  After all, how could a man who is free to have affairs with other men’s wives feel that his sense of morality is at stake over a duel with Aaron Burr?  These questionable accounts are all too typical in America’s classrooms and textbooks.  I have read the same type of story about George Washington, claiming a torrid affair with his married friend Sally Fairfax.  Most credible sources will tell you that is a terrible lie.

I am not trying to give the founders some divine status or even suppose them a level of perfection that they did not have.  We must understand that our nation was not founded upon people, but upon principles. The people that gave us our exceptional American principles were flawed vessels just like you and me.  However, the really amazing part of this history is that flawed men understood that the foundation of an enduring nation must be liberty moored in morality.    Consider these words by Alexander Hamilton:

Equal pains have been taken to deprave the morals as to extinguish the religion of the country [France], if indeed morality in a community can be separated from religion…The pious and moral weep over these scenes as a sepulcher destined to entomb all they revere and esteem.

The politician who loves liberty sees them with regret as a gulf that may swallow up the liberty to which he is devoted.  He knows that morality overthrown (and morality must fall with religion), the terrors of despotism can alone curb the impetuous passions of man, and confine him within the bounds of social duty. (emphasis original)
The Stand, No. III (April 7, 1798)

Our founders knew that Liberty is a combination of two equally important parts – it is FREEDOM under the constraints of MORAL LAW.  Liberty cannot survive where there is pure freedom.  Pure freedom gives man the right to do whatever is right in his own mind: cheat, lie, rob, murder.  Pure freedom is anarchy.  At the same time, Liberty cannot survive with moral law alone.  Moral law not mingled with freedom is theocracy.  Theocracy in the hands of men is tyranny in the name of religion.  Our founders attempted give us this balance and secure the blessings of liberty for us in our founding documents.  When we abandon our founding documents and disregard our moral foundations, liberty is in peril.

Thomas Jefferson gave us this warning, “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God?”

While Benjamin Franklin warned America’s founders directly:

“In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection…. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of Superintending Providence in our favor…have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?…. God Governs in the affairs of men And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

Patrick Henry said “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”

As an exceptional nation built upon exceptional principles, we cannot deny that we are built with a foundational understanding of an exceptional God.  Thomas Jefferson reminds us that, “We are not in a world ungoverned by the laws and the power of a Superior Agent. Our efforts are in His hand, and directed by it; and He will give them their effect in His own time.”

Because of our historical understanding that our nation was built on the principles of freedom and morality, America has always been the haven of rest when tyrants oppress their own. She is the vineyard of innovation and opportunity.   This is the nation that opens its arms to the tired, to the poor, to the oppressed, to the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.  No other nation can claim this legacy, no other people has this birthright. This is the shining city upon a hill, and we cannot hide our light under a bush.

The focus of our education should not be on the flaws of the men who gave us this nation, but on the exceptional nation that they gave us.  We have an exceptional nation where “all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights.”  A nation birthed by the principle that the power of the government is to be held BY the people and not where the government holds power OVER the people.  A nation that believes the principle that says all are free to worship according to the dictates of their conscience, and all are equally free, “Jews, Turks, pagans, AND Christians.”   A nation that has prospered based on the principle that ideas and hard work open the door to prosperity regardless of bloodline, skin color or social status.  A nation that has remained free based on the principle that liberties remain secure by maintaining the right to defend self, property, and Liberty.

In the profound words of Daniel Webster, “Is our Constitution worth preserving? Guard it as you would guard the seat of your life, guard it not only against the open blows of violence, but also against that spirit of change…Miracles do not cluster. That which has happened but once in six thousand years, cannot be expected to happen often. Such a government, once destroyed, would have a void to be filled, perhaps for centuries, with evolution and tumult, riot and despotism.”~ An Anniversary Address by Daniel Webster July 4th 1806

So in this time of Thanksgiving, let us maintain a true focus on what is important.  In this day it is so popular to denigrate America for every little flaw.  Why not take back a bit of American Exceptionalism?  Why not embrace what makes us different from every other nation on the globe?  America is an exceptional nation because we are built on exceptional principles.  Principles of Liberty, freedom, morality, and equality as derived from our Creator.

May God continue to bless this America, established upon the principles of Liberty.