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In December of 1776, the American army was battling for its life. A devastating defeat at Brandywine in September had threatened to destroy the army’s resolve. In that one battle, nearly one-fourth of our army was killed. The rest of the fall, General George Washington had worked hard to inflict damage on the vastly superior British force, yet stay out of a full frontal battle, which he was sure to lose. As winter drew near, fewer and fewer of the men had re-enlisted to fight for the liberty of the young American nation. In a few days it would be Christmas. If Washington could not work a major victory before the first of the New Year, his army would almost surely disintegrate. But the truth was, he had little with which to fight. Not only was he short on soldiers, he was even shorter on supplies and ammunition for his rag-tag army.
It was then he decided on one of the boldest moves of the War. He would attack the British force at Trenton, hoping to free New Jersey from British control; and in so doing, greatly boost the morale of his men and the American people. But it was a bold gamble. The weather, the lack of supplies and munitions, plus the very well supplied and entrenched British force, all meant that it would take the help and protection of God Almighty if this effort was to be successful. Abbott, in his biography of Washington says, “One can imagine the fervor with which he pleaded with God to come to the aid of his little army.” (George Washington, J. C. Abott, Dobbs and Mead, 1875, p. 303) If he lost, Americans would live as slaves to a tyrannical King George. Washington himself would most surely be hung—if he could even survive the battle!
Knowing all this all too well, Washington made Continue reading
In the midst of our current crisis, we must remember that it is not up to us, but the Lord Himself, to change our hearts and forms of government. While our part is to work with Him in what He’s doing, our praying will be what ultimately wins this battle. God stirs us to prayer, reminding us,
The date was December 7th, 1941. The time was 7:55am. To the complete surprise of American forces in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Japanese planes began to sweep down and drop devastating bombs onto our fleet and also our planes on the ground. When the attack was done, eighteen of our ships were sunk or sinking and nearly all of our planes were destroyed. Over 3,500 of our servicemen were dead. We were shocked at such a bold and devastating attack on our U.S Navy. Many wondered if the Navy would ever recover. Even worse, we wondered if our liberty would shortly be ended and we would be required to worship the Emperor of Japan as god.
Her name was Pocahontas and she met the Jamestown settlers quickly after they had landed. Captain John Smith, the bold adventurer, wanted to meet the natives. He left the safety of the group shortly after they landed and went looking for the inhabitants of the region. However, his experience with them would not prove altogether friendly. He was quickly captured and taken to Chief Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas. After preparing a meal for him and treating him like an honored guest, suddenly the Indians turned on him, apparently preparing to kill him. They bound him and laid his head on a large stone. Then, picking up clubs and dancing wildly, they advanced toward him. Smith expected at any moment to be beaten to death. But then, in a shocking move, young Pocahontas, only eleven or twelve years of age, suddenly moved toward him, taking his head and pulling it up into her lap, she bent over him, shielding him from the screaming braves and cried out to her father to spare his life. By the mercy of God, Powhatan did spare Smith’s life. Indeed, he accepted Smith into the tribe as a brave friend. That friendship would 
tacked on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany a document that changed the course of history. Martin Luther was that young priest, and his bold act threw off the religious yoke of “the tyranny of the mind”. And while most in America now think of October 31st as Halloween, that’s a “Johnny-come-lately” idea. Up until the mid-1800s, on October 31st, we celebrated “Reformation Day”, for that was the day the mind of man began to be set free from hundreds of years of living in the fear of what other men thought. Once again, man began to learn that only God has the right to shape our minds for He created us, and thus by rights, owns us and our minds. What Martin Luther did would start to restore the precious freedom Jesus talked about when He stated,