Showing posts with label George Washington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Washington. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Native American Prophecy Eerily, Accurately Describes How God's Hand Rested on George Washington - EDDIE HYATT CHARISMA NEWS

Like Washington, we can be tolerant and respectful of those of different religions and cultures, but we do an injustice to them and ourselves when we do not stand for the truth that is in Jesus.

Like Washington, we can be tolerant and respectful of those of different religions and cultures, but we do an injustice to them and ourselves when we do not stand for the truth that is in Jesus. (Skeeze/Pixabay/Public Domain)

Native American Prophecy Eerily, Accurately Describes How God's Hand Rested on George Washington

EDDIE HYATT  CHARISMA NEWS
"He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation." 
These words were spoken by an old Native American chief concerning George Washington several years before the Declaration of Independence. He spoke these words as he reminisced with Washington and others about a battle, 15 years previous, when they were on opposite sides during the French and Indian Wars.
The Chief Saw God's Hand on Washington
It was the Battle of Fort Duquesne in July 1755 when 1,459 British soldiers were ambushed by a large contingent of Native American warriors who had joined the French in their fight with the British for control of the North American continent.
It proved to be one of the bloodiest days in Anglo-American history with 977 British soldiers killed or wounded. It was a day, however, when Washington's reputation for bravery began to spread throughout the land.
Washington, in his early 20s, had been recruited by the British because of his knowledge of the ways of the wilderness and the American Indians. He had acquired this knowledge in his work as a surveyor of wilderness territory.
Assigned to travel with the British General Braddock to take Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), Washington found his advice for traveling through the wilderness and dealing with the Indians ignored by Braddock who considered him a young, upstart colonist.
But when the ambush occurred and Braddock himself was wounded, Washington took charge and organized an orderly retreat while at the same time putting his own life at risk, rescuing the many wounded and placing them in wagons. During this time, two horses were shot out from under him and his clothes were shredded with bullets.
He emerged unscathed and gave glory to God, saying, "I was saved by the miraculous care of Providence that saved me beyond human expectation." From that day, his reputation for bravery and leadership spread among both the English and the Native Americans.
The Prophecy Comes Forth
Years later, according to historian George Bancroft, Washington and a friend were exploring an area along the Ohio River when they encountered a group of Native Americans. Recognizing Washington, the natives invited the men back to their camp to meet with their chief, whom it turned out had fought on the side of the French in the Battle of Duquesne. They had a cordial visit and then the old chief, motioning toward Washington, spoke these amazing words. He said,
I am chief and ruler over all my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the Great Lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, 'Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the redcoat tribe—he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself alone is exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.' Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. 'Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.
The prophecy came to pass. Several years later the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Washington was appointed commander in chief of the colonial army and led his outnumbered, outgunned troops to an amazing victory over the British through numerous providential events. He later presided over the Constitutional Convention, was unanimously elected the first president of the United States and became known as "the father of his country."
What We Must Learn from Washington
Washington was devout in his Christian faith and respectful toward the Native people and culture, but he never allowed the two to be in conflict. He was always clear in his belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, and that only Christianity offered the moral and intellectual underpinnings for a successful nation.
He clearly expressed this in a 1779 meeting with chiefs from the Delaware tribe who had expressed a desire for their children to be trained in American schools. Washington responded cordially and assured the chiefs the new nation would look upon their children as their own. He then commended the chiefs for their decision and said,
You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.
For Washington, sharing the gospel with those of other religions was like sharing bread with a starving man. It was the just and righteous thing to do. This is also why he had no qualms praying in public, "Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ."
In our world of multiculturalism and religious pluralism, we need to take a lesson from Washington in this regard. Neither Islam nor secularism offer the moral and intellectual belief system for a peaceful, civil and free society. This is obvious from merely observing the nations where those doctrines hold sway.
We, therefore, must never be shy or apologetic about our Christian faith. It is what made America great in the first place; and only a revival of biblical Christianity will make America great and peaceful again.
Like Washington, we can be tolerant and respectful of those of different religions and cultures, but we do an injustice to them and ourselves when we do not stand for the truth that is in Jesus. In the words of the Old Testament prophet, we forsake our own mercies (Jon. 2:8) when we compromise our faith for political or cultural convenience.
Washington was very clear in his belief that only a Christian worldview would sustain America. Before he passed from this life, he warned the fledgling nation,
The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.
Concluding Prayer
As we remember George Washington on his birthday (Feb. 22), let us remember the prophecy of the old chief, and let it be a reminder that we are not here by accident or coincidence. God raised up George Washington and America for a divine purpose, and I am certain that purpose is not yet fulfilled.
Eight years ago I thought, perhaps, that God was finished with America as a nation. But then I experienced an unusual visitation of God, such as I had not known before or since. Over several hours, He renewed my hope that America "could" see another Great Awakening, and I clearly saw for the first time that America was birthed out of a Great Awakening and providential acts of God.
So, I ask you to join me in praying the prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 85:6-7. He prayed, "Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in you? Show us Your mercy, O LORD, and grant us Your deliverance."
Yes, do it once again in America, O Lord! 
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, Pilgrims and Patriots, available from Amazon and his website at eddiehyatt.com. Dr. Hyatt also conducts "America Reawakening" events in which he shows how America was birthed out of a great, spiritual awakening and calls the nation to pray for a Great Reawakening. You can read more about this on his website at eddiehyatt.com/america_reawakening.html
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Monday, July 3, 2017

We Must Reclaim the American Vision - Eddie Hyatt CHARISMA NEWS


Indeed, the original American vision was for a land of individual liberty and a place from which the gospel would be spread to the ends of the earth. (Public Domain)


We Must Reclaim the American Vision

7/3/2017 Eddie Hyatt CHARISMA NEWS
In a meeting with Delaware Indian chiefs in 1779, George Washington commended them for their request that their youth be trained in American schools. He assured the chiefs that America would look upon them "as their own children" and then said,
You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.
Washington's freedom in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with this Indian tribe was normal for the founding generation, for such freedom was rooted in the original American vision. This original vision was brought here by the Jamestown settlers of Virginia, the Pilgrims and Puritans of New England, the Baptists of Rhode Island, the Quakers of Pennsylvania and other Christian reform groups who were drawn to this land with a proactive vision burning in their hearts.
The Original American Vision
Indeed, the original American vision was for a land of individual liberty and a place from which the gospel would be spread to the ends of the earth. America's Founding Fathers were not shy in expressing this vision for they believed, that in this world, real freedom could only be realized in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This link between freedom and the gospel was expressed by America's second president, John Adams, just two weeks before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. In a letter to his cousin, Zabdiel, a minister of the gospel, Adams wrote, "Statesmen, my dear sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion [Christianity] and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles, upon which Freedom can securely stand."
Adams was not expressing anything new or novel for the idea of freedom rooted in the gospel of Christ was a common American belief brought here by the very first European immigrants to this land. Consider the following quotes.
"From these very shores the Gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but to all the world." —Rev. Robert Hunt, April 29, 1607, as he and the Jamestown settlers, who had just landed at Cape Henry, gathered in prayer around a large oak cross they had brought from England.
"Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith ... a voyage to plant the first colony in northern Virginia." —From the Mayflower Compact, the governing document of the Pilgrims who formulated it upon their arrival in the New World in November of 1620.
"Whereas we all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the Liberties of the Gospel in purity and peace." —Opening statement of the Articles of Confederation for "The United Colonies of New England," dated May 29, 1643. This confederation of New England towns and colonies was formed for mutual security and to arbitrate land disputes among the growing population.
"Might it not greatly facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see." —Benjamin Franklin in a 1756 letter to George Whitefield, the most famous preacher of the Great Awakening, in which Franklin proposed that they partner together in founding a Christian colony on the Ohio frontier.
"Pray that the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known throughout the whole family of mankind." —Samuel Adams, Founding Father and Governor of Massachusetts. This call to prayer was part of a proclamation for a Day of Prayer that he issued as governor of Massachusetts in 1795.
"Pray that all nations may bow to the scepter of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that the whole earth may be filled with his glory." —John Hancock, Founding Father, President of the Continental Congress and Governor of Massachusetts. This statement was part of a call for prayer he issued while Governor.
"The policy of the bill is adverse to the diffusion of the light of Christianity. The first wish of those who enjoy this precious gift ought to be that it may be imparted to the whole race of mankind." —James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution and America's fourth president, voicing his opposition in 1785 to a bill that he perceived would have the unintended consequence of hindering the spread of the Gospel.
"The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen." —Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and America's third president, who took money from the federal treasury to send missionaries to an American Indian tribe and to build them a chapel in which to worship.
 "Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ." —from a public prayer prayed by George Washington, America's first president.
No Real Liberty Without the Gospel
It is obvious from the above quotes that America's founders believed freedom and Christianity to be inextricably linked. They believed so strongly in the gospel as the basis of human freedom that they unashamedly prayed and publicly expressed their desire to see it spread throughout the earth.
Recent presidents have sought to export American-style democracy to other nations apart from the gospel of Christ. Indeed, the entire Western world is seeking to secularize liberty and remove it from any association with faith.
America's founders would say that such efforts are futile since true liberty cannot be had apart from the gospel of Christ. Washington made this plain in his farewell address, where he warned the fledgling nation that two things must be guarded if they were to be a happy people—Christianity and morality, which he called "indispensable supports" for political prosperity.
Recovering the Truth About the First Amendment
The day after approving the First Amendment, which states, "Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion or hindering the free exercise thereof," those same Founding Fathers issued a proclamation for a National Day of Prayer.
The First Amendment was merely their way of saying that America would never have an official, national church like the nations of Europe at that time. Instead of banning faith from the public square, as many moderns suppose, they created a free and open marketplace for religious ideas.
They were not concerned about false religion getting the upper hand in such an open setting, for they believed in the power of the gospel and were convinced that on an open and even playing field, truth would always prevail. They agreed with the Puritan, John Milton, who wrote,
Let truth and falsehood grapple; who ever knew truth put to the worse in free and open encounter? She needs no policies, nor strategems, nor licensings to make her victorious ... Give her but room.
By instituting the First Amendment, the Founders were rejecting the model begun by Constantine in which civil government sets forth and defends a certain church, religious expression or point of view. In their thinking, only those who do not have confidence in the message they proclaim would insist on such an alignment with the civil government.
The founders believed in the inherent power of Christian truth, which is why Jefferson wrote,
Truth can stand by itself ... If there be but one right religion and Christianity that one, we should wish to see the nine hundred and ninety-nine wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse it ourselves.
It is Time to Recover the Vision
It is time for this generation to rise up and reject the lie of the left that the First Amendment bans expressions of faith in the marketplace. It is time to realize with the founders that true freedom and happiness can only be found in Jesus Christ. It is time to learn from the founders that faith and freedom go together like hand and glove, and the loss of one inevitably leads to the loss of the other. It is time for this generation to recover the original American vision. 
This article is derived from Eddie Hyatt's book, Pilgrims and Patriots, available from Amazon and his website, www.eddiehyatt.com. At his website, you can also check out his vision for America and another Great Awakening.
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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

A WORD FOR AMERICA IN 2016 - “Return to your Calling” - Ron Cantor

0416 - Portrait of George Washington

Monthly Report: April 2016
Adar II - Nisan 5776
Open in PDF

George Washington, a Founding Father and First President of the United States of America.
A man of God. A man of prayer.


 A WORD FOR AMERICA IN 2016 
“Return to your Calling” 

By Ron Cantor

I believe God desperately does not want to judge the United States. The Lord takes no pleasure in judging any nation, and though many might disagree, I believe there is a special calling on America. The U.S. is unique in so many ways. We are a country that broke away from an oppressive king to create, what I believe to be, the greatest democracy in history. Just as Israel has a calling—and I believe every nation has a calling—America has a calling.

You have probably never heard of Alexis de Tocqueville. He was a French sociologist and political theorist who was sent to America in the early 1800s and became obsessed with why this burgeoning new democracy was working so well. He documented his study in a widely quoted book “Democracy in America” (1835).

In a nutshell, his conclusion was freedom and equality:

“Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

This was the beauty that was America. We were once the world’s leader. We have inspired other democracies. We stood up to the enemy in WWI. We defeated Hitler in WWII. We acknowledged and challenged the Cold War. And we overcame 9/11 to take on Radical Islam—at least for a while.

God raised up the U.S. at a unique time in world history to keep order. Our country was founded on a covenant with God! Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution have endured to insure freedom for every U.S. citizen.

The artist Jon McNaughton writes:
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed. It had no less than five references to God. The third reference states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

Those who represented our future nation specifically point to God as the giver of our rights. The fifth mention of God is in the last paragraph where it states, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

We all know the seven most famous words of Patrick Henry, but read the whole quote:

“An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY, OR GIVE ME DEATH!”

Once a colonist, Isaac Potts, who had sided with the British, caught George Washington crying out to God for victory in the midst of the war. “‘Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying.” Potts felt the power of this prayer and ran home and told his wife, “We’re on the side of George Washington. I’m changing, I’m changing sides because we’re going to win this.”

When Washington was trapped and all seemed lost, he told his men that they would cross the East River. As dawn came, the British ships would surely see them. But a fog descended upon Washington and his men and the revolution continued. Those present all record in their journals that the fog was not on the Manhattan side or the Long Island side, just over them. Yes, God had a plan for America. According to award-winning author, Timothy Ballard, one of the founding fathers, John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister prophesied, “We will win this war because the Grand Artist will utilize the elements.”

In the 20th century, we were called to stand up against communism and the Soviet Union. Through Ronald Reagan, the USSR was bankrupted as she sought to keep pace with America in the arms race. You see, this is our call, but our present president calls it American arrogance— something for which we need to apologize. He has sought for the past seven years to move us away from that all-so-important calling, and instead become just like everyone else. But when the U.S. is just like everyone else, everyone else suffers—as we are now seeing all over the world.

Our first president warned in his first speech, if we stray from the path of God, we should not expect God’s blessing.

“Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained. And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

This coming election and the nomination of the next Supreme Court Justice could be the difference between revival and judgment on America. I don’t want to pretend that a right-wing president would necessarily bring blessing on the nation. Yet when I look at the moral and spiritual decline America has endured during the last seven years, I can’t imagine where we will be in seven more years without a change of direction.

In order to pray for our nation, we must first face head-on where our political leaders, artists, pop icons together with scientists, judges and professors have taken this nation as they turned their backs on the One True God.

Ron Cantor is the Congregational Leader of Tiferet Yeshua congregation in Tel Aviv and has worked closely with Ari and Shira for many years. He is the author of Leave me Alone, I am Jewish—his testimony; Identity Theft and the forthcoming The Jerusalem Secret. You can read his eBook, The 15 Most Important Facts… about the Israeli Palestinian Conflict for free, by going to www.roncan.net/15Facts. Learn more about Ron at www.MessiahsMandate.org.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

How a Native American Prophecy Over George Washington Affected the Country - EDDIE HYATT CHARISMA NEWS

A statue of George Washington, center.

How a Native American Prophecy Over George Washington Affected the Country

A statue of George Washington, center. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

George Washington (1732-1799) was providentially prepared for his role as the pre-eminent Founding Father of the United States of America. Numerous remarkable incidents occurred in his life and career that even he could only attribute to the providential hand of God.

One of the most amazing incidents occurred when an old Native American chief declared of a young Washington, "He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation."
Providentially Protected in Battle
This prophecy came forth in 1770 as Washington and the chief were discussing the Battle of Fort Duquesne in which both had participated but on opposite sides. The Battle of Fort Duquesne had occurred in July 1755 when 1,459 British soldiers were ambushed by a large contingent of Native American warriors who had joined the French in their fight with the British for control of the North American continent. It proved to be one of the bloodiest days in Anglo-American history with 977 British soldiers killed or wounded. It was a day also, however, when Washington's legendary fame for bravery began to spread throughout the land.
Washington, in his early 20s at the time, had been recruited by the British because of his knowledge of the ways of the wilderness and the American Indians. He had acquired this knowledge in his work as a surveyor of wilderness territory.
Assigned to travel with the British General Braddock to take Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), Washington found his advice for traveling through the wilderness and dealing with the Natives ignored by Braddock, who considered him a young upstart colonialist.
But when the ambush occurred and Braddock himself was wounded, Washington took charge and organized an orderly retreat while at the same time putting his own life at risk, rescuing the wounded and placing them in wagons. During this time of chaos, two horses were shot out from under him and his clothes were shredded with bullets.
He emerged unscathed and gave glory to God, saying, "I was saved by the miraculous care of providence that saved me beyond human expectation." His reputation for bravery immediately spread among both the English and the Native Americans
The Prophecy Comes Forth
It was now 15 years later in 1770 and Washington and a friend had been exploring an area along the Ohio River when they encountered a group of Native Americans. Recognizing Washington, the Natives invited the men back to their camp to meet with their chief, whom it turned out had fought on the side of the French in the Battle of Duquesne.
According to historian George Bancroft, they were having a cordial visit and then the old chief, pointing to Washington, spoke the amazing prophecy. He said;
"I am chief and ruler over all my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the Great Lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, 'Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the redcoat tribe—he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself alone is exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.' Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation" (Benjamin Hart, Faith & Freedom, 234).
The Prophecy Fulfilled
Five years later, war broke out with Great Britain, and Washington was appointed commander in chief of the colonial army. He led his outnumbered, outgunned troops to an amazing victory over the British through numerous unusual incidents that he attributed to the providential intervention of God. He then presided over the Constitutional Convention and was later unanimously elected the first president of the United States of America. He is the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral votes, not once but twice.
Washington's sacrificial service, in which he put the good of the country ahead of his own personal aspirations, endeared him to the hearts of all Americans. "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," was a common adage ascribed to Washington by his generation, which also considered him the "father of his country." When he died on Dec. 14, 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered 10 days of mourning throughout France. In America, thousands wore mourning clothes for months. 

The old chief was right!
Our Responsibility
As we are remember George Washington on his birthday, let us not forget that we, as a nation, owe our very existence to the providential mercies of Almighty God. And let us not suppose that we can continue as a nation without His providential care. Let us therefore beseech Him to have mercy upon us as a nation and visit us again with His mercy and power.
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Thursday, November 26, 2015

How Lincoln Made Thanksgiving a National Holiday - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth (Portrait by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914)

How Lincoln Made Thanksgiving a National Holiday




Thanksgiving is the great American holiday that people of all religions embrace as their own. It is a tradition that hearkens back, of course, to the early Puritan fathers who thanked God for helping them survive in this new world. It was not, as some politically correct people would have us believe, to thank the Indians for their help. The Puritans were thanking Almighty God—as we should be doing ourselves.
Thanksgiving only became a national holiday in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation reprinted below. Until then, various states had Thanksgiving on different days.
In 1861, Lincoln ordered government departments closed for a local day of Thanksgiving. On Sept. 28, 1863, Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote to Lincoln urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She explained, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving ... become permanently an American custom and institution."
George Washington was the first president to proclaim a day of Thanksgiving, issuing his request on Oct. 3, 1789, exactly 74 years before Lincoln's.
The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." As we celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, let's reflect on these words from one of America's greatest presidents at the height of the Civil War.

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.
Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Christian Origins of Thanksgiving - EDDIE HYATT CHARISMA NEWS

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day set aside to remind us of God's blessings.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day set aside to remind us of God's blessings. (YouTube)



The Christian Origins of Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims who landed on Cape Cod in November 1620 were devout followers of Christ who had left the comforts of home, family and friends to pursue their vision of a renewed and reformed Christianity. They were not whiners but chose to maintain an attitude of gratitude even through the most trying times, such as the winter of 1620-21 when sickness ravaged their community and half of them—about 50—were taken away in death.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after they gathered in their harvest in the fall of 1621, about one year after their landing at Cape Cod. Although their hearts were still heavy from the losses suffered the previous winter, there were at least three areas for which they felt particularly grateful to God.
1. With the arrival of spring, the sickness that had immobilized the community and taken many of them in death had lifted. 
2. With the arrival of spring God, providentially sent to them an English-speaking Native American, Squanto, who became their interpreter and guide, helping them establish friendly relations with Massosoit, chief of the Wampanoag, the nearest and most powerful tribe in the region. In March 1621, they had signed an agreement of peace and mutual aid with Massosoit, which resulted in both peoples moving freely back and forth in friendship and trade.
3. Through hard work and Squanto's advice about farming and fishing, they experienced abundant harvests during the summer and fall of 1621.
Englishmen and Native Americans Celebrate Together
The first Thanksgiving was attended by an approximate equal number of English Pilgrims and Native Americans. After Gov. Bradford announced the Day of Thanksgiving, word of the event soon spread to their Native American friends. When the day arrived, not only were there individual natives on hand, but Massosoit arrived with 90 of his people, and five dressed deer to add to the meals the Pilgrims had prepared.
The Pilgrims did not seek to force their faith on the Indians but neither did they hide their faith. One can only imagine the emotions that filled their hearts as, in the presence of their new Native American friends, they joined Elder William Brewster in lifting up their hearts in praise and thanksgiving to God.
Not only did they enjoy meals together with thankful hearts, but they engaged in shooting matches, foot races and wrestling matches. It was such an enjoyable time that the one Day of Thanksgiving was extended for three full days.
And yes, it is almost certain that there was turkey at the first Thanksgiving, for Gov. Bradford had sent out four men to hunt for "fowl" who returned with enough "fowl" to last them an entire week.
Thanksgiving for a Remarkable Answer to Prayer
The next recorded Thanksgiving Day among the Pilgrims was celebrated in the fall of 1623 after a remarkable answer to prayer that saved their harvests. Gov. Bradford tells how the summer of 1623 was unusually hot with no rain whatsoever. As the blazing sun beat down day after day the land became parched and the corn, their primary staple, began to dry up along with other vegetables they had planted. Alone in the New England wilderness, it looked as though hunger would be their lot in the days ahead and maybe starvation. It was a very critical moment in time.
Facing such drought and bleak conditions, Bradford called the Plymouth settlement to a day of "humiliation and prayer." By "humiliation" he meant a recognition and repentance for the human tendency to trust in one's own human strength and ability rather than in God.
Their day of humiliation and prayer began like the many preceding days, very hot with not a single cloud in the sky. But before the day was over, God gave them, Bradford said, "a gracious and speedy answer, both to their own and the Indians' admiration that lived amongst them." Bradford goes on to say:
"For all the morning and the greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hot, and not a cloud or any sign of rain to be seen; yet toward evening it began to overcast, and shortly after to rain with such sweet and gentle showers as gave them cause of rejoicing and blessing God.
"It came without wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked ... which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see, and made the Indians astonished to behold. And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving" (emphasis added).
The Nationalizing of a Day of Thanksgiving
These days of Thanksgiving were observed by succeeding generations, but at various times in different places as deemed appropriate and necessary by the local inhabitants. As the colonists began to form themselves into a nation, these days of Thanksgiving began to be nationalized and made part of the national consciousness and calendar.
For example, the Continental Congress, which met between 1774 and 1789, issued several calls for days of humiliation, prayer and thanksgiving. The first one was to be observed on Nov. 28, 1782. The proclamation reads in part:
"It being the indispensable duty of all nations, not only to offer up their supplications to Almighty God, the giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in times of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner, to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of His Providence in their behalf."
Shortly after being sworn in as president, George Washington issued a proclamation designating Nov. 26, 1789 as a Day of Thanksgiving wherein all citizens should offer gratitude to God for His protection, care and many blessings. It was the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the new national government of the United States. The proclamation reads in part:
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me 'to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'
"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country ...
 And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord.
"Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789."
A Day of Thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday in November was proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War. In spite of the fact that the nation was at war, Lincoln enumerated the many reasons the inhabitants of America had for being thankful to God. He wrote:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that these blessings should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.
"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."
The final Thursday in November, set by President Lincoln, continued to be the observed "Thanksgiving" until Dec. 26, 1941, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday.
Concluding Thoughts
Examining the history and development of our "Thanksgiving" holiday makes us realize how far, as a nation, we have removed ourselves from the Christian worldview and faith of our Founders. This Thanksgiving Day our president will go through a silly formality and "pardon a turkey;" but the depth of faith seen in earlier proclamations, such as those by Washington and Lincoln, is glaringly missing. This is why we must pray for another Great Spiritual Awakening in our land. 
In spite of the fact that "Thanksgiving" has become secularized and commercialized, we as Christians must never forget that the day is rooted in the commitment of our forefathers and foremothers to maintain a thankful heart even through the most painful and challenging times. So this Thanksgiving, let's count our blessings, "name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

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