Father, We thank You for Your blessings upon us -- not just the things we enjoy, but the things that mold us and shape us into the likeness of Christ. We thank You for Your Son, Jesus, the Savior, and for our redemption He paid the price for. We thank You for Your protection, Your guidance, and Your wisdom. We thank You for keeping our feet on Your path, and not leading us into temptation, but delivering us from the evil one. We thank You for our family, friends and neighbors. We thank You for the provision You have bestowed upon us. We thank You for Your abundance, and we thank You for Your sufficiency in grace for what we lack. We bend our knees and bow our heads to You Lord, and we give thanks... thanks for all You are, all You have done, all You are doing, and all You will do. We acknowledge our need of You, and our reliance on You, Father. Without You we are nothing; You give us worth. In Jesus Name we pray and agree. Amen. Have a good and blessed Thanksgiving everyone.

It isn't a minister's job to be a surrogate for God. It is a minister's job to give people truth, God's truth, and direction for walking in His truth. It is the recipient's job to confirm it before the Lord. Your salvation, and your freedom from bondage, are ultimately in your hands. The wise will seek to confirm the truth, but the foolish will seek to prove that which they desire, if they bother at all.

Broccoli, peas, green-beans, carrots and spinach may not be as enjoyable as pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, and ice cream, but a diet without the former and filled with the latter isn't good for our health. Such is our spiritual health. While dwelling on God's blessings and favor is great, let's not forget to consume the meat of God's word, and allow Him to continue His work in us making us into the image of Christ.

The Lord is faithful to you; be faithful to the Lord. He is always there to hear us when we pray. He takes care in fulfilling each and every one of His promises. He ensures our salvation that we would not be forgotten. He comforts us, He blesses us, He guides us, He protects us. He watches over us, always, and He never takes a day off. The Lord is faithful to you; be faithful to the Lord.

Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) [Ref: Isaiah 61:1-2] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim FREEDOM for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed FREE, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It is the Lord's desire for us all to live free -- free from sin, deception, oppression, and all that holds us back from walking in the fullness of what Christ returned to us. But the abuse of freedom results in the loss of freedom. Abuse spiritual laws (by sinning) and we lose freedom, because he who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34) Abuse the law of the land and we lose freedom -- we go to jail, lose money, lose relationships, the law may even be changed to remove more of our freedom. Abuse freedom as individuals, we lose freedom individually. Abuse freedom in mass, we lose freedom in mass. Freedom with responsibility is essential. If we abuse our freedoms, we will surely lose them.