Channel 4 for Chick?

I went to our favorite Chick-Fil-a today and I had to wait 40 minutes to get served.  The parking lot was full, the line went around the block and people were waiting outside to get in.  The place was jammed! I was so excited about it. I am looking on Facebook and I see restaraunts and people who had to wait an hour or two to get in. If that would have happened to me on any other day whether it was Chic-Fil-a or anywhere else, I swear, I would never go back there. Ever!  But here I am sitting in a line for 40 minutes to get my lunch and I am happy about it. On top of that I am thinking about going there for dinner as well.  I might even get to eat 2 hours after I get in line- if they have any food left. WOW! How perspective changes things. 

I want to talk about perspective for a minute as referring to our freedoms.  Do you notice how this great land of freedom of experession and freedom of choice has suddenly become a land of treacherous discrimmination and LACK of freedom? The Mayor of Boston jumps on a podium and admits, and insanely tells everyone he's discrimminated against Chick by not allowing restaraunts there in Boston. From his perspective it was ok to abandon all the rights he and we enjoy about freeedom but he would not extend those same rights that he enjoys to Chick-Fil-A.

The Hitlerite councilwoman from New York admits she is bullying Chic-Fil-A (on official letterhead) and she is standing arrogantly at a mic in the Big Apple telling all the world that she is discrimmating against Chick. Even the mayor of Pgh. comes out against them. They think that it is politically correct to trounce on Chick's  freedom.  Who is next on their blackball list? I always heard it was illegal to black ball someone.  I guess it has changed in New York, Boston and Pittsburgh! Is this a free country? Has the perspective of this great nation changed?

I do know this....the only reason I was not upset about the 40 minute wait was that I was in line not so much for food, I was in line for a purpose.  That purpose made time irrelevant.  The purpose was a non-violent protest and it changed my perspective on the time it took to get my food.

Others are mobbing Chick, planning protests and bulliing them, because they believe differently.  I wander if Channel 4 which has plastered the air waves with the bullying theme for the past year, has at any time acknowledged that this restaraunt chain has been bullied. Have they given any air time to tell Pittsburghers that an injustice is being done; a company which is upstanding is being bullyied.  I challenge that great news network, to stand up for Chick-Fil-A and publically denouce the bullying and proclaim a Chic-Fil-A day to thank that wonderful company for the jobs, integrity and commerce they bring to Pittsburgh.

Chick-fil-A

All of a sudden, biting into a fried chicken sandwich has
become a political statement.

Most Americans know that the war with Chick-fil-A is because they, as a company, have voiced their belief that marriage is between a man and a women, not any other way.  Thereby endorsing God's description of what marriage is meant to be.

The issue of Chick-fil-A is not an issue of homosexuality as purely pertaining to that issue, it is about marriage and how it is defined. Chick-fil-A does not descriminate against homosexuality in the work place. They have no policy that I am aware of that includes sexual preference or descriminating against those individuals who choose that lifestyle.  Chick has simply endorsed heterosexual marriage as defined by God.

They have a right to do that and to say that.  We have a country of presumably free speech. And that free speech is allowed to be excercised even if it is against what someone else believes. If anti-heterosexual groups, homosexuals or anyone else that differs, it is their right to do so and to even do it with passion for their cause and visa-versa. But in demanding Chick their right to declare their beliefs it is depriving Chick of their right to free speech.  If they also choose to hinder Chick in building restaraunts, they are discriminating against that restaraunt, and that is a very dangerous situation that the courts should look into.  When the Henson company took the muppet toys from Chick to give support to GLAAD (an openly pro-homosexual organization) Chick didn't scream of an outrageous injustice, they handled that issue with total class and moved on.  But you can't teach class. Upstanding organizations that exist for the cause of values have upstanding well-bred and well-formed values. There is a certain good professionalism that comes with righteous conduct and belief.  You can never expect that from organizations that exist from a cause rooted in rebellion. Their core is wrong and every thing built on that core reflects rebellious and underhanded practices.

On Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 people all over the country are going to Chick-Fil-A to buy lunch, dinner or whatever, to show support for their business and their Godly stand for traditional marriage.  I want to urge you to take part in that event.  There is a Chick in the Westmoreland Mall, one is located at Rt 30 Greengate by JoAnn Fabric and there is one  in Greensburg also on Rt 30 across from Olive Garden. This is one of the few times in life where you can make a statement just by buying lunch.....and don't forget the milkshakes!! (yummm)

Fishy Hearts

Jesus often used fish or fishing-type analogies to help Him make a point in His stories.   We see Him using bread and fish when He is feeding 5,000 hungry listeners.  Jesus picked many of His disciples from the fishing profession.  And one of His most notable quotations is that He will make His personally recruited evangelists ‘fishers of men.’  With that in mind I want to use another fishing analogy as I relate to a man’s heart.

I suppose that most of us have some experience with a heart in one way or another.  We have all probably seen someone with a broken heart, and I don’t think we would have to look very long to experience someone with a heart that was hard, and most of us have experienced the joy of a loving heart. There are compassionate hearts, open hearts, wounded hearts, happy hearts, etc. Pastors mend hearts, mentors shape hearts, doctors put stints in hearts, moms tug at hearts and on Valentines Day we pass around hearts. But when you think of a heart in relation to Jesus and what His purpose on Calvary was, it was for hearts; the hearts of men.

In terms of salvation, a heart can be a very difficult thing. When Jesus told His disciples that they would be fishers of men, He meant that those disciples were going to become spiritual heart surgeons. They would preach and teach and change men’s hearts - from sinner to a saint.

Did you ever try to change a heart?  It is not an easy thing. A heart can be very slippery like a fish. Just when you think you are about to pull it out of the water, it slips through your fingers and right back into the stream. It is a very hard thing to win a heart.  You could take a kid in Sunday school and spend many hours of study and never win his heart for Christ.  You could take one child and then another and another and then another and many more on top of that and maybe once in a while you could win a child’s heart to the Lord. It is a very difficult thing to win a heart to Christ. ?You know who is good at winning hearts?.....The world! Yes, they are excellent at winning hearts……Just do something and allow their applause to fill your ears and watch how quickly a heart is won….

Take a man to a gambling table and give him a couple bucks to get him started and watch how easy gambling wins his heart.

Just flatter a person with some good old fashioned sweet talk and see how quickly a good old boy will have you eating out of his hands. If that guy sat down beside you in the park you would get up and move or call the cops but out of his mouth comes some good old fashioned candy-coated compliments and all of a sudden, he‘s not a bad guy at all he’s got you buying a beachfront property in Arizona. I am telling ya, the world knows how to win a heart.

But let’s be serious for a minute. When it comes to Jesus’ kingdom, hearts are a slippery subject - only God can win a heart for His Kingdom.  That is why we need to pray.

The Promise, the Problem, the Provision

Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: (KJV)

I was meditating on the Word one morning and this is the verse that God brought to me. Sometimes when God brings things He wants me to see He does it like a waitress, who after you sit down at your table as a guest of the restaurant, comes over and places your napkin down and a glass of water with the menu. It is just gently placed there to minister to you and it is a welcomed hospitality.  That is how this word came to me.

Here God speaks so fatherly-like to Israel.  He tells them the condition of His provision for them and how that provision is to be provided.  Remember, what was a means for provision for Israel is also a means for us today many centuries later. 

He gives Israel The Promise, “if you are willing,”...notice our father does not make the condition ‘if you are perfect.’ God’s condition for us to access His loving care is not how we walk that straight line in perfection.  His provision is not accessed by how we stay inside these perfect tolerances, not “if you be perfectly obedient.” No, it implies graciousness and hospitality “if you are willing.” Do you have “a willing mind,” and will you become voluntary in your obedience to my ways and my directions for your life. It takes the sense away from us that God is out there with all these resources and He is willing to dispose of those resources to us but only if we obey him to the letter. “You know, I would have given it to you but you were a termite today so go without.” That is not how it is. God’s provision is there for us all the time and all we have to be is willing to obey Him not be perfect in our walk or human life.

In conclusion of that verse He says, “you shall eat of the good of the land.”  In other words it will yield its abundance to you. 

The Problem, remember, church, satan is the god of this world and it is he that withholds, not our God (2 Cor 4:4).  For you and me as believers sometimes we need to remember to command those devils to take their hands off of our goods. 

The Provision, Hebrews 1:14 reminds us that while the devil has an army on this earth God does too and we can ask those ministering spirits to, “Go!” Yes “GO!!! Go now! Go on my behalf, Go according to your mission........ ‘Ministering spirits’ cause the good of the land to come to me according to Gods promise.

If You are willing

Isa 1:19
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: (KJV)

What a tremendous verse to get a hold of. In Isa he says that

An Imitator

Acts 8:9-10; "A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, claiming to be someone great. The Samaritan people, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as "the Great One-- the Power of God." (NLT)
This scripture really gets under my skin. This guy is a magician, he probably was a very good one, but have you ever thought of how good you would have to be to be considered a God or "the Great One"?  Did you ever wonder why a magician would be considered like a God? I mean what trick could a magician do that would compare you to God?
Can a magician do a trick that creates a sun or a moon, or turn water into wine?  Did he ever open up the earth and swallow a horde of rebels like God did with Dathan for Moses?  Did this sorcerer do a trick that split the Red Sea and had millions of people go across on dry ground and get it all done before rush hour traffic in the morning? God created almost everything there is out of nothing, nothing that existed already. The scientific and theological term is ex nilo, 'out of nothing.' Did this wizard make anything out of nothing? Did he just speak it and it became....?
Well that is what our God did.  He didn't take lessons to pull a quarter from behind some little kids ear...He created things out of nothing.  Did this sorcerer do that?
Church I have thought of this many times and it is a major reason why we need to evangelize and be a witness to the world.  These people thought that Simon was a god b/c they didn't know God. They knew idols and idols only. They had no living God. They had no loving God, no speaking God, no manifesting power of God...They simply had magicians or people standing in for their god. They had dead gods. There might have been a demon but there is only one God and Simon didn't know Him. There was no life or love in their idol gods and since they were dead and lifeless, the only life a god had was shown through the magician or priest that represented him.
These people were easily deceived because they were in darkness.  People in darkness have their minds captured by deception & evil. People who serve idols usually find themselves in a quick downward spiral of intelligence.  Darkness overwhelms them and they become captive to ignorance.  That is why you see so much difference when missionaries go into tribes. When the gospel comes and salvation begins to work, the heathen's mind begins to be set free because he is no longer in darkness, no longer captured by ignorance and immorality. That is why a ghetto takes on new life when an evangelist begins to teach in it.  The reason is that the gospel breaks the power of darkness, of ignorance from satanic stupors.
As more of America and the western world turns to heathen practices, you can see already that many people are being hindered  intellectually, morally and spiritually as their sin begins to control them and they go into bondage/darkness. Things that were evil and unseemly become normal practices to them. Then they start living in bondage and they are the last to find out that they are being intellectually, spiritually, and morally squelched.
When God moves and uses His power, let me tell you....it won't be confused with some man's work that can pull a fast one over your eyes.
So, go bring light to darkness and truth to those deceived. Tell them about the real Great One, the all-powerful G-O-D!

That's Encouraging

We live in a world where encouragement can be hard to find.  We know the feeling of no encouraging words...and yet,also the sometimes startling results of an uplifting word given.  I have found that there are three sources of encouragement. One can come internally, from our own selves. You know the kinda "picking ourselves up and thinking positive" kind of thing.  The second type is from external influences. Some one blows you a kiss or blesses you with a nice word. Both of these, generally speaking, can be a fleeting thing.  But the third source is just divine. It is a God thing. He provides it as we need it with an unexhaustable flow from His heavenly fountain. God has it set up so that we can overcome discouragement through an unending source of care and provision from the Holy Spirit. When we get baptized in the Holy Spirit and use our prayer language we actually have the resources to overcome most any emotional trouble that ails us. We just have to use it!
In Jude 20 the scripture says, 'But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,'....you're praying in the Holy Ghost 'builds you up.' What you put out in prayer comes back to you in the form of spirit-enhancing energy.  You are 'built up' and made stronger.  Why or How?  When you pray in tongues, or in the spirit, it is done through God and He knows just what you need and what your requirements are at every point of your life. When you pray in the spirit you are connecting directly to God's spirit and He outsources what you need to keep you on track in His work.
Isaiah prophesied not only about the coming Messiah and the great plan of redemption which Jesus would consummate, but also about the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues.  In Isa 28:11-12 it says,  'for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 to whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear, (KJV)
There is a very real spiritual rest and refreshing from the Holy Ghost.  Being refreshed and getting rest or quieting down are two powerful tools you can use to destroy disappointment, discouragement and other things that ail you.  The Holy Ghost has everything we need to stay emotionally and spiritually fit to walk a powerful, God-led journey and to fulfill the life He has purposed us to do.  You can't get your assignments done and fight the mind games, and attacks that come with that purpose if you don't have the right tools. So today be encouraged, trust in God, work your prayer language and let the Holy Spirit build you up, rest and refresh you.  Now 'That's Encouraging'.