“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

In the United States, we set aside one day each year and call it “Thanksgiving.” We all have different ways of celebrating that day. Traditionally, families come together and eat way too much food. The traditional meal consists of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, yams, pumpkin pie, and more. When I was young, my family would gather at my grandparent’s house, and we had a feast. There were leftovers for the following week, and the highlight was turkey soup. As a child, I took this all for granted and didn’t understand how much I had to thank God for, so I didn’t thank God for all He provided.

Today, I wonder why people who don’t know God celebrate a day of thanksgiving. Who are they thankful to? Then I think of all that Christians take for granted and wonder why we aren’t more thankful to God every day rather than just one day a year.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). Always be thankful to God.

Paul had been in prison in Philippi; he had suffered much in that city. Paul and Silas had been in prayer when a young woman, who was possessed with a spirit of divination, began harassing them. She was used by some men who made money from her ungodly ability. So, when Paul cast out that demon, her “handlers” were angry, and they had Paul and Silas arrested for practicing their faith openly. They were beaten and thrown into prison where they were shackled. They didn’t get mad at God but sang His praises.

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” them” (Acts 16:25).

This is an example of being thankful in everything but not necessarily for everything. In every situation, be thankful. Their example of faith was heard by all of the prisoners and was instrumental in the jailer coming to salvation. There was an earthquake, but no prisoner escaped. The jailer was happily surprised because he would have had to pay the fine for any and all who escaped. He knew that Paul and Silas were somehow the reason no prisoner escaped.

“Then he called for a light, and sprang in and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house” (Acts 16:29-32).

Their joy of the Lord in a bad situation brought lost souls to salvation.

We need to study Scripture to learn about giving thanks. Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

It isn’t always easy to rejoice. Quite often, there is trouble and grief in our life, and our hearts are burdened with sorrow. I will admit that when my husband died, I was hard-pressed to find anything to be thankful for. When a dark cloud of loneliness comes over me and I’m overcome with grief, that’s when I start praising God for the time Ron and I had together.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:6).

Holidays are notorious times for people becoming depressed. If you are one who is feeling empty during Thanksgiving, then Christmas, try doing what Paul did. Sing praises to the Lord for all to hear. With your whole heart, give thanks to God.

God gave us everything. He created the food we eat and gave us the love of family and friends. It’s important to thank Him; He notices when you don’t. Jesus walked through many towns during His ministry and met many people who had health troubles. He healed the deaf, blind, and lame. He raised a girl from the dead and cast out many demons. One of the worst diseases of that day was leprosy. If you had the misfortune of getting that disease, you were an outcast. You couldn’t come near a healthy person but had to call out “Unclean” so everyone would stay away.

“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men, that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:12-13).

Their need was great, and they knew that only Jesus could help. The truth is that all of us have great needs, and only Jesus can help. We may not have leprosy, but we have sin. Only Jesus can take that sin away. We need to repent and call out to Him for mercy. He is always ready to forgive a sinner who truly comes to Him for salvation.

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14).

Can you imagine the joy they felt when they saw they were healed of that dreaded disease? They should have given thanks to God who healed them, but they hurried to the priest to be declared clean.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16).

Only one of the ten gave thanks to God for the healing. He wasn’t even Jewish, but a Samaritan. Did Jesus notice? “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger” (Luke 17:17-18).

Yes, Jesus notices when we take His blessings for granted. Take time out on Thanksgiving to turn away from football games, and thank God for the abundance of food on the table. If, like Paul, you happen to be in a prison, or homeless, God still loves you. Give thanks to God. Maybe your table isn’t filled with a feast, but remember to thank God for what you do have instead of complaining about what you don’t have. Paul traveled and spread the Gospel, and there were many times when he went hungry. Some of the congregations he had established were grateful and supported him in his missionary work, and he was thankful.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11-12).

Thank God for what He has given you, and praise Him with all your heart.

It can seem very easy for those men who wrote Scripture under the direction of the Holy Spirit to be thankful even when life was rough. Remember, they were people just like you and me. They hurt when they were beaten, and their stomach growled when they were hungry. The difference is they were completely walking with God and served Him with their whole hearts no matter what their circumstances. I pray that I can walk closer to Him each day and show the lost world what Jesus means to me. I need to sweeten my words to others and openly be thankful for what God has done for me. He shed His blood for my salvation.

Paul gave good advice on how to take our thoughts captive and see God’s blessings through the troubles. “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Turn your thoughts to the lovely things in life, and don’t dwell on the trials. Thank God for all His blessings.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

Let’s go back in time to an age of peace. God created everything and deemed it to be good. If God says it’s good, it’s good. Then there was trouble in Paradise. Instead of following God’s direction, Adam and Eve listened to the whispers of Satan.

“Now the Serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).

Because Adam and Eve listened to the serpent, Paradise was lost. Things have been getting worse and worse as people listen to Satan’s voice more and more while rejecting God’s truth. Too many preachers have ignored the fundamentals of Scripture established in Genesis.

The serpent has been whispering his lies for millennia, and mankind hasn’t learned from history. We keep listening to the lies. We need to stand firmly upon God’s truth, not Satan’s lies. In Scripture, the serpent is never referred to as anything good. The Hebrew word translated “serpent” is “nahas” and means a serpent or snake, and quite often in Scripture, Satan is referred to as the dragon. Many pastors have listened to Satan’s whispers and followed the way of the world rather than standing firm on God’s truth. They either see evolution as truth, or else the whole creation account is ignored. Many pastors don’t teach from the Old Testament at all. No wonder Christians have failed to stand firmly on faith in God and His truth and get confused by Satan’s lies.

Is it important to give God the credit for creation? Yes, it is. Even humans want credit for things they’ve done. We get patents on inventions so nobody can steal our glory. When someone writes a song or a book, their talent is copyrighted so nobody can take credit for their works. Yet, people have listened to and believed the lie of evolution, which basically says everything came from nothing. Scripture tells us the truth.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

That’s pretty easy to understand. John goes on to tell us about the Word.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The Word was Jesus. “Word” is translated from the Greek word “logos,” meaning spoken.

Looking back at Genesis, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

The Hebrew word “Elohim” is a plural word, translated as a singular word, “God.” In Hebrew, a plural is at least three, which reveals God in three Persons… the Trinity. Jesus (God the Son) was also there.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

The Holy Spirit was there, too (Genesis 1:2). God spoke all things into being. Do you see how important it is to stand firm on God’s word and believe what He says?

Genesis chapter 1 tells us that God created living creatures, including man, on the sixth day. All living things were created male and female in order to reproduce. Today, there is a great deception happening. Males think they are female, and females think they are males. Sadly, mad scientists have found a way to mock God and mutilate people into being something they are not. With enough hormone shots and enough mutilation of the body, a man can look like a woman, and a woman can look like a man, but that’s only deception and delusion. More Satanic lies. Our public schools are teaching this lie along with the lie of evolution, and Christians don’t seem to care.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Rome, and he explained the importance of believing the creation account recorded in Genesis.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

Science has proven God’s truth many times but manages to come up with more lies to “prove” former lies. We now know that everything is made up of atoms. They are invisible except when seen through powerful microscopes. Then there’s the pesky problem of DNA, which proves that all things were created after their “kind,” just as Genesis reveals. Evolution didn’t happen.

Scripture reveals the consequences of believing lies.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:22-25).

When the truth is mocked, lies will replace truth. God’s truth reveals that He will allow people to choose their own path if they insist. Adam ate the Forbidden fruit even though he knew the consequences. Today, God is allowing humanity to reap the evil of the lies we accept. Evolution is taught as fact, and humanity is becoming more and more corrupt each day. The wickedness and hatred caused by this lie is seen in mass shootings, sacrificing babies and calling it “a woman’s choice,” and deviant sexual practices, which are all the result of Christians not standing firm upon our faith, questioning God’s truth, and allowing Satan’s lies to be accepted.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28).

Other Bible translations translate “convenient” as “not fitting” (NKJV), “things that should never be done” (NLT), “things that are not proper” (NASB), and “should not be done.” (NET). Things are getting worse and worse daily. Now we have people who are convinced they are animals. Schools and society are accommodating their idiocy. People are also under the delusion that they can choose a pronoun to be known as. Maybe a person wants to be “they” or “frog” or “bug.” A male might want to be known as “she” and a female known as “he.” This is all happening openly, and Christians are OK with this craziness. Some professing Christians are a part of the lunacy, but God isn’t OK with our acceptance of such deception.

Scripture says if we accept this lie, we are as guilty as the ones participating in it.

“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32).

It isn’t being judgmental to stand on God’s word. He has told us that males are males and females are females. He has told us that woman was made for man… not man for man.

Going back to Genesis, we learn that after Adam’s sin, all of creation fell. Adam and Eve had children, and those children had children, and Satan’s goal was to corrupt everything. His lies have led to misinterpretation of God’s truth.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).

Just who were the “sons of God”? Simply put, they are angels. The Hebrew “ben ‘elohim” translated “sons of God” always describes a direct creation of God. Adam was a son of God, and so are angels. In Scripture, angels are always referred to as male, so angels don’t make other angels. The angels who rebelled saw the daughters of men and took them as wives. Christians are a new creation through Christ, and our faith gives us the power to become sons of God (John 1:12). Some like to say that this phrase in the above verse really means the “sons of Seth.” Seth was the son of Adam, not a direct creation of God. If God meant Seth, the Holy Spirit would have inspired the words “ben set” instead of “ben’ elohim.” In order for Satan to stop humanity from being reconciled with God, the fallen angels (sons of God) mated with humans to corrupt the genetic makeup of humanity.

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:4-5).

This evil is what caused God’s judgment to come upon all of creation. People didn’t stand firm on God’s truth, and judgment had to come in order to save humanity from being corrupted beyond redemption.

There was one man and his family that stood firmly upon God’s truth.

“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

This doesn’t mean Noah was without sin but that he was genetically untainted. His family had stood firmly upon God’s truth and kept themselves pure. His great-great-grandfather was Enoch.

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

This is confirmed in the New Testament.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had his testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

This is a “picture” of the Rapture. Enoch walked with God and pleased Him. Faith and obedience pleases God. Enoch was taken by God prior to the judgment of the Flood that destroyed all of God’s creation except life that had not been genetically corrupted. Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives were all saved. It’s important to stand firm upon God’s truth in faith.

Fathers and mothers, what are you teaching your children? What are you allowing to be taught to them in schools? Grandparents, have you ignored the corruption of your grandchildren? If Christians don’t stand firm upon the absolute truth found in Scripture, children will continue to be confused into thinking their pronoun is “they” or “dog.”

Jesus said the end times will be as it was in the days of Noah.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Before the Flood, people ignored all the evil around them. They just went about their daily routines ignoring the evil of the fallen angels and accepting the evil all around them.

Brothers and sisters, we cannot continue to close our eyes to the Satanic deception around us. We cannot allow our children to be turned against God. Judgment is coming. God never acts without warning.

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).

God chose Noah for the task of building the ark because Noah was faithful. God had given mankind 120 years to turn from their wickedness (Genesis 6:3). The huge ark that Noah and his sons were building was a testimony of God’s coming judgment. Noah faithfully did what God asked of him. The people around him saw the ark but chose not to repent. Still, Noah did God’s will.

How about you? Do you get frustrated when trying to witness to a loved one or a friend, but they reject your testimony? Do you give up and decide not to do God’s command and share the Gospel?

Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples to teach all nations.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Today, sharing the Gospel has been weakened. Christians don’t follow the Biblical example of evangelism and share the Gospel. We hide behind gimmicks like shoeboxes and think that’s good enough. People have to hear the Gospel in order to believe it.

God has warned us that the world will once again be judged. This time it will be worse than anything that has ever happened before.

Brothers and sisters, we must believe God’s word and stand firm on our faith. Noah lived out his faith. He worked on the ark for 120 years, and who was saved? Only 8 people entered the ark, but Noah never stopped believing God. His life was a testimony, but the people around him chose not to believe. They all perished in the judgment. Each of us who claim to be followers of Christ must live our life as a testimony of His love.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

That word “conversation” needs to be understood. It comes from the Greek word “anastrophe” and means much more than the way we talk to each other. It means our “manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment.” So, watch the words you choose to use, but also conform your life to Jesus’ example. Live so that the people around you can see your faith. Don’t base your attitude on the actions of others, but base it on Christ.

If you have truly accepted Christ’s sacrifice as the redemption for your sin, then stand firm on that faith. Don’t compromise by being confused by Satan’s lies.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.