Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Savior is Born!


In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38 NIV)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:1-20 NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5 NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Defeated!


On Wednesday December 2nd, history was made in the New York Senate. The controversial bill that would legalize same-sex marriage was brought to the floor for debate and an eventual vote.
Several lawmakers in the embattled Senate stood and spoke their approval of the measure, trying to convince the others in the chamber that this would be good for New York and its citizens.
After some heartfelt words and encouragement, it was time to vote. As the rollcall began and made its way down the list of Senators present, it became glaringly clear that this measure was dead in the water.
In the end, 38 Senators voted the measure down, while 24 vote to pass the bill. NYS Gay marriage 2009 died.

As I sat and listened to the tally of votes, I raised my hands triumphantly to the sky. It was a salute to the Maker of all life. I prayed hard that this measure would be defeated, I called His Word out to Him as if I was reminding Him what He wrote. Silly, I know. But it gave me encouragement and reinforced my faith.
He said that His Word would not return to Him void, and it didn’t! As I heard the votes, I distinctly heard "Be still, and know that I Am God."
VICTORY!

Now, let me get to the legal, constitutional and religious implications of all of this. First, as it stands in NY now, same-sex marriage is ILLEGAL! It came before the Senate and was DEFEATED.
Second, if you are gay, you STILL can go about your day in the US and NYS. You aren’t going to jail or an institution. You can vote, drive and join the military of you so choose. Sin can be forgiven by simply accepting Jesus' Sacrifice on the cross. You can be forgiven!
Thirdly and most importantly, the issue of gay marriage is 100% a religious issue. There is no way of getting around it, marriage is a union between a MAN AND A WOMAN sanctified by GOD HIMSELF. There isn’t one scripture in the entire text of the Holy Bible, Old or New Testaments, that say that same sex relationships are ok in God’s eyes.
In previous posts I have laid out what the scripture says.
Now we get to the social arguments.
I am no bigot. I accept everyone as an equal, just as Christ did with the sinful people He was with in His time.
Calling names is not tolerant either. I am not a "homophobe" or anything of the like. If you actually boil the word down it means that I’m afraid of homosexuality. Quite the opposite, homosexuality is a sin that was defeated at Calvary ’s Cross. What do I have to fear?
People will come and try to throw "inconsistencies" of scripture in our faces, trying to create doubt of it’s validity as God’s written Word. They will invoke memories of past transgressions made by people who came in the "name of God."
I have news for you, those same arguments come from the mouth of Satan himself. He’s been using the same M-O for millennia. He doesn’t change his tune, same ole-same ole.
He used similar tactics as the serpent in the garden of Eden. Did he not try to twist what God had said to Adam and Eve?
Now, for constitutional issues. I am not for government getting the authority to legally go in and change any definition that they see currently fit. Not a good idea, when we give them that authority they will systematically take away our rights. Before we know it, America won’t be America anymore.
I realize that they have been doing it for years, but it’s time to put a stop to it and not allow it any longer. Voters are the final checks and balances! We must act, speak and be heard!

I am not perfect. I am a sinner myself and continue to sin. I am human! I strive for perfection, but until I am out of this sinful body, that is unattainable. Only when I enter His kingdom will I get there.
Jesus said "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28 NIV) If that’s true, then I’m done. I’m a guy! What guy (or girl) hasn't, once in their lives, looked at someone else and thought something impure? And following the logic of what sin is: separation from God, I am severed from God’s love because of one fleeting thought. If that's true, our thoughts damned us LONG ago!
Rough, huh? Bottom line, we are all sinful in one way or another. People will say, "I am a good person therefore I’m going to heaven."
Or "As long as I live and good life and don’t murder anyone, I believe that I’ll go to heaven."
Unfortunately, that is categorically WRONG! Sin is separation from God and no good deed will EVER get you to heaven!

Jesus said it Himself, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…" (John 10:9 NIV)
He also said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV)
Also: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3 NIV)
I didn’t write these words, someone far older and wiser is at the heart of these Words. For those who wish to disagree because you think it’s wrong, GET OVER YOURSELF! These Words have been around a lot longer than any of us and will remain long after we’re gone! They have been proven time and TIME AGAIN! He is the Author and Creator of life. Wanna argue with Him some more?
Moving forward, where do we go from here? The battle and attack on Godly values will continue, the devil doesn’t rest and will stop at nothing to get us all to succumb to his lies and deceit.
The issue in the State of New York having to do with same-sex marriage hasn’t gone away. The attacks on the righteous will intensify. The slander will get worse and more disgusting, and of course: personal.
The powers of darkness are regrouping for another volley, but we need to be ready and stand firm against them. We need our feet planted on the sure Foundation, the Rock. When the storms come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against it.
I have the unique position of being able to be in direct contact of government. I once wondered why God put me here like I believe He did. I have my answer, I am to be a foot-soldier right in the trenches of battle. Enemy rounds whiz overhead, but I will continue to push forward until His righteousness abounds. I may not be a deadeye with all my return fire, but when they hit they hit HARD!
Twice, with the might of Christ I was in position to prayerfully attack the stronghold of gay marriage. And twice it fell hard.
History was made, let’s keep it going for Him!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Victory at the Capitol!

In a stunning vote, the NY Senate downed a marriage equality bill that would have legalized gay marriage in New York State. The final tally, 38 no-votes to 24-yes votes. It was bi-partisan, since several Democrats joined the Republicans to defeat the measure.

This is only the beginning of course, but for now the movement is halted! More to come!