"For it was the FATHER's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in HIM, and through HIM to reconcile all things to HIMself, having made peace through the blood of HIS cross; through HIM...and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet HE has now reconciled you in HIS fleshly body through death, in order to present you before HIM holy and blameless and beyond reproach-"
Col. 1:19-22
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Dear Praying Friends and Family,
It is a glorious beautiful fall day as i begin to write this afternoon. After the stormy weather with tornado warnings we experienced all afternoon on Tuesday, and the LORD protecting us, i'm so very thankful for this gorgeous day the LORD has given us. I enjoyed very much walking the "Big Girls" this morning in the newly cut field nearby and seeing the red, orange and yellow leaves on the trees as we walked through the newly rolled hay bales lying in the field. It sure did me good to take time to spend with them and my LORD walking through the field and woods and down to the creek where Dixie and Midnight eagerly sprawled out in the creek and lapped up the water.
This weekend is a very special weekend for our family. Tonight some of our family are gathering at our restaurant, www.oldgreenbrier.
This is Halloween weekend, and for weeks now, in our Sunday School class, our pastor's wife, has been encouraging us to buy a bag of candy each time we go to "Wally World." She has gently coerced us to to "decorate our trunks," for the outreach our church is having to the community this coming Sunday night on Halloween night. Our pastor shared that last year, there were around 2000 children and parents who came to our church parking lot during Halloween to play games, recieve candy, and somewhere along the line, hear the gospel of JESUS CHRIST. I am not sure yet how we are going to decorate our "trunk," as seeing how we don't have a trunk in our car, but our pastor's wife suggested we could do a fish theme for Greenbrier and advertise. She was kind to suggest that, but Johnny and i neither one felt comfortable with advertising at church. But i still think we'll use the fish theme...i've got a big old stuffed catfish, with a "fish net," Johnny brought me from the restauraunt, and i was thinking about something along the line of "Being Fisher's of Men." I ordered some tracts earlier this week from Chick Tracts and they have already arrived. I am looking forward to giving them out, along with candy, on Saturday night to the trick or treaters we have come to our home and then on Sunday evening for those who come to the "Trunk or Treat," at First Baptist. One of the tracts is called, "Happy Halloween." You can read it here:
http://www.chick.com/reading/
Another tract that is new and for younger children is called "Stinky" http://www.chick.com/
I also ordered some of these same tracts in Spanish to give out to the Hispanics...the children are taught to read English in school, but maybe some of the parents will be able to read these tracts and be led to give their hearts to JESUS.
When i was a little girl, somehow one of the Chick tracts found its way in our home. It was called "This Was Your Life." I remember thinking about that tract for years and it had a profound impact on my life.
http://www.chick.com/reading/
I am thankful the LORD led me to order the tracts for this year, and i'm praying that GOD would use these little tracts to plant seeds as HE did in my heart as a little girl and to draw others to CHRIST who read them. You know if you read this and think wow, i wish i had thought of ordering tracts but it's too late...it's okay. It may be too late to hand out tracts for Halloween, but you can order them next week and have them in two days and share them in restaurants, at the grocery, in the waiting room, wherever the LORD leads you.
You can still pray for those who come to your door, and smile and be friendly and ask the LORD to use you and your family to be a witness in the love you show the ones the LORD brings to your doorstep.
Earlier this week, i received a well written email entitled, "Halloween: Oppression or Opportunity?" by Hank Hanegraaff. In his article he explained the pagan origins of Halloween and it's occultic roots:
"The celebration of Halloween, also known as the witches’ new year, is rooted in the ancient pagan calendar which divided the year into Summer and Winter by two fire festivals. Before the birth of Christ, the day we know as Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain (sah–ween). This feast was a celebration of Druid priests from Britain and France and commemorated the beginning of Winter. It was a night on which the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced. The festivals were marked by animal sacrifices, offerings to the dead, and bonfires in recognition of departed souls. It was believed that on this night demons, witches, hobgoblins, and elves were released en masse to harass and to oppress the living. For self-preservation many Druids would dress up as witches, devils, and ghouls, and would even involve themselves in demonic activities and thus make themselves immune from attack."
He went on to explain how the early CHRISTians turned this time into a day to celebrate the lives of the saints and named the time before Halloween "All Hallow's Eve."
"In direct response to this pagan tradition, the early Christian church moved a festive celebration called All Saints’ Day from May to November 1 and renamed it All Hallows’ Eve, from which we get the word Halloween. This was an overt attempt on the part of believers to infiltrate pagan tradition with the truth of the gospel.
It was a bold evangelistic move designed to demonstrate that only the power of the resurrected Christ could protect men and women from the destructive ploys of Satan and his minions. This was a time in which they boldly proclaimed the marvelous fact of the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus Christ."" Hank challenged Christians in post CHRISTian America to take this time of Halloween and turn it into an opportunity to win others to CHRIST and sow the seeds of the gospel. He gives some great suggestions for how to do this, and even mentions his dear grandmother who prayed for him and whose prayers continued to be answered for him long after his grandmother had gone to be with JESUS. I can sure relate to that as the prayers of my dear Grandmother have sure continued to be answered for me and my family and she has been with JESUS for many years now.
You can read his complete article with his suggestions for using Halloween as an opportunity to evangelize others for CHRIST.
Over the past few weeks, i have read a passage in Ephesians 2:1-6 that jumps out at me each time i read it. It reminds me of the deadness and darkness that i have been delivered from...it reminds me of the prince of the power of the air, and the spiritual warfare that takes place behind the scenes to keep us in bondage to our sins, and it reminds me of the the great love of our heavenly FATHER who sent HIS SON to shed HIS blood that we might be delivered from darkness into the kingdom of HIS marvelous light..."that we might be made alive together with CHRIST and raised up with HIM and seated in the heavenlies..."
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But GOD being rich in mercy, because of HIS great love with which HE loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with CHRIST (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with HIM, and seated us with HIM in the heavenly places, in CHRIST JESUS."
Halloween truly is a time of darkness, and the prince of the power of the air is alive and well. This morning in my "Daily Light," devotion the verses for the evening were about "the enemy,"Luke 10:19 and what a great enemy we have that wants to destroy our souls and keep us in bondage to our sin, and rob us of our usefulness to CHRIST. I Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
In Ephesians 6:11-16 we are admonished by Paul to:
"Put on the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkenss, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one."
Though the enemy of our souls is great, the LORD JESUS CHRIST is greater, and HE gave HIS life and shed HIS blood to rescue us and give us victory over "the enemy," and powers of darkness that are real and that war against us. In 1st John 4:4 John exhorts us:
"You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."
If you don't know the LORD JESUS as your personal LORD and SAVIOR, you are in darkness and in bondage to the enemy, satan himself. He is the roaring lion who seeks to devour you, and keep you in bondage to your sin, and destroy your soul by deceiving you to reject the free gift of salvation that is in JESUS CHRIST. One of the way satan deceives is by tricking people into thinking they are CHRISTians when they aren't. I John tells us, "By this we know that we have come to know HIM if we keep HIS commandments." That doesn't mean we will be perfect, but it does mean the direction of our life will be filled with the love of CHRIST for HIM, for HIS WORD, and for others. Is your life characterized by these three tests? If not, then surrender your life to JESUS today, repent of your sins, and confess HIM as your LORD and SAVIOR. HE died for you and loves you so very much and longs to rescue you and make you HIS.
"For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whosoever believeth in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
This week, my heart has been so touched by a song called "One Holy Lamb," I think written by Phil Cross,that the Greenes sing on their new CD, "Hallelujah." Their new CD had only come out two weeks before the LORD called Tony Greene to come home. I wondered about GOD's timing with calling Tony home when HE did...but i just have to trust GOD knows what HE's doing as in all things. As i listened to this song over and over this week, my heart was filled with love for my SAVIOR who shed HIS precious blood for you and me, to pay the price for our sins, that we might be rescued from darkness and lavished with HIS love forever and ever. I pray the LORD will use this song to be a blessing to you as HE has to me this week as i think about the precious HOLY LAMB of GOD who shed HIS blood for me and you:http://www.youtube.com/
"One Holy Lamb"
Atonement day, a shepherd cries
Another spotless lamb must die
Oh how could just one sacrifice
Our GOD, Jehovah, satisfy?
Year after year, the blood would flow
But none could wash me white as snow
Salvation's day fulfilled the plan
The Promise came, One Holy Lamb.
Chorus:
One Holy Lamb washed my sin away
One sacrifice paid the price I could not pay
One HOLY LAMB, One GREAT I AM, One SEED of Abraham
One HOLY LAMB washed my sin away!
Atonement day, the FATHER cries
The spotless SON of GOD must die
One final death for every man
One blood, one life, one HOLY LAMB."
Dear LORD JESUS, thank you, HOLY LAMB for shedding your blood and giving your life on the cross to wash my sins away and delivering me from darkness into the kingdom of your Beloved Son. LORD, i ask YOU to open our eyes up more and more to YOUR great love for us and help us to be faithful to share that great love with those YOU bring into our lives. Help us to be faithful to share YOU at Halloween, and each day as long as YOU give us life and breath. Use each one of us in the circumstances you have placed us to draw others to YOU, the HOLY LAMB WHO is so worthy of all of our praise. I love YOU, JESUS, and praise YOU, one HOLY LAMB who washed my sins away!
Please remember in your prayers our elections this coming Tuesday. We live in a time where there is corruption not only in the leaders we have elected, but also the way they are elected. There is already many reports of voter fraud, so please be lifting all these issues up to our LORD WHO is in control of all the events in our lives: http://myemail.
Also would you please remember my friend Shirley who will be starting radiation treatments for cancer in her brain right around Thanksgiving. She is having some very difficult days, please pray the LORD's comfort and strength for her.
My friend Jerry Todd had rotator cuff surgery and has been having some very difficult reactions to the medication he's on. It's aggravating his blood sugar. Please remember him and his dear wife Louise as the LORD takes them through these rough waters.
My dear doctor and her family in the loss of her Daddy a few weeks ago.
Please remember all the churches who will be having "Trunk or Treats," or Reformation Days, or whatever your church or family is doing this weekend to lift up the name of CHRIST and share the glorious gospel of JESUS CHRIST with your community. Pray the LORD would "heighten our powers," and pour out HIS HOLY SPIRIT on all the efforts being made to win others to JESUS CHRIST. If you live in our area we'd love for you to come join us at the Fall Family Harvest Festival at First Baptist, Athens from 5p.m.-7p.m....i will look forward to seeing you there!
I love you and appreciate so much you taking time to read this email and spend with me...may the LORD JESUS bless you richly! "I thank my GOD upon every remembrance of you." Phil.1:3
With all HIS love,
mitzi
Related articles to Halloween:
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- Is Halloween Really that Significant? -- Albert Mohler
- Halloween Should Celebrate Saints, Not Sin -- Sarah Jennings
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"Because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her."
Luke 18:5
"We should be careful about what we ask from GOD; but when once we being to pray for a thing we should never give up praying for it until we receive it, or until GOD makes it very clear and definite that is is not HIS will to grant it."
-R.A. Torrey
Number 2
