SPIRITUAL POWER RELEASED THROUGH THANKSGIVING
By Paul McGuire
The early pilgrims and puritans would sit down with the Indians and have a feast which came to be known as Thanksgiving. Today, in post-Christian America many people refer to Thanksgiving as Turkey Day. However, the pilgrims and puritans understood a powerful spiritual truth in the celebration of Thanksgiving. They understood that the Source of everything was God. Unlike our modern culture which looks to government, man, investments, retirement plans, human ability and current events as their source of supply. The pilgrims and puritans knew that there was an Infinite Personal Living God of the Universe who cares about His creation, and is willing to supply all of their need if they are in a right relationship with Him
When natural disasters, freak weather, war, disease and other thing negatively affected their supplies of food, water and safety, these early settlers searched their souls to make sure that they did not offend God. As such, when negative events happened, they fasted, prayed and sought the face of God. As they searched their souls, if they realized like the ancient Jews, in Deuteronomy 28, that they had begun to worship idols and were breaking the laws of God, they repented of their sins and changed their behavior. The pilgrims and puritans understood that there was a direct relationship between things like weather, crops, harvest, famine, disease and war that was based on their relationship to God and His Word.
Today, even people who claim to be in a relationship with the God of the Bible, often look to man, government, science, economics and the military to protect them and supply their needs. God is often an afterthought. Obviously God can and does use those things to meet our needs and protect us. But, our trust must never be on these human institutions or human intelligence and strength. Above it all, God is our Source and He alone is our Savior.
 
America to one degree or another stopped believing the words of the back of the U.S. dollar, "In God We Trust" and began trusting in money and American power. When we began to move our trust from God to the American economy and military, the seeds of our downfall began. America became proud and sinful. Today our nation openly mocks God, celebrates sexual immorality and breaks God's Word. The result is that the value of our dollar is crashing, our economy is collapsing and for the first time in our nation's history, terrorists attacked us during 911 and demolished the Trade Towers, which were the symbols of American economic power and strength. We were humbled before the entire world.
When we read Deuteronomy 28 we read the blessings and curses promised to Israel if they worshipped the true God and diligently obeyed His Word. Although, America is not Israel, these divine principles apply to our nation today. The only way out of our current problems and your personal problems, is to take our eyes off of our own resources and the problem itself. In true thanksgiving we look at God as the Source or everything. Thanksgiving changes our spiritual orientation. Once we admit the fact the God is our Source, we must evaluate our lives personally and collectively in the light of God's Word. If we are worshipping false gods like the gods of personal peace and prosperity, we are under a divine curse and our blessings are blocked. Like the pilgrims and puritans, we must turn from our wicked ways and seek the face of God. If we do that, ask God for forgiveness and change our ways, we are in a position to receive God's blessing in every area of our lives. Something supernatural is released and God is able to supply all of our need through the supernatural and not just the natural. God can make a way where there is no way! This is why we must lift our eyes above our problems and resources. This is what Thanksgiving is all about