The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. in the presence of the Lord.
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council. This is, you've prayed for our country and your message about Thanksgiving real quick, you know, this is a great time of year. We have so much to be thankful for. We should be thankful maybe we can have elections, right?
Like that we can have a president, that we're, you know, we're not the banana republic, right? Well, I'll just say, Stuart, one thing is just be thankful for what God has created. I mean, that's what's so nice about being out here outside. Fresh air and the wind blowing and deer running and just it's a beautiful place and we so appreciate you and your family. You know, there's so much to be thankful for and I think it's important that we are thankful.
Number one, we're to be anxious for nothing but by prayer with supplication, with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God. And, you know, I'm thankful for the election that we had November the 5th. As I said, going into this election, the election won't save the country but it could destroy it if it went the wrong way. What we have now is a window of opportunity. We have a window to do the work that the Lord has called the church to do to change the hearts and minds of people because what we have now, I believe, an administration based upon what we had last time that will protect our right to live out our faith in such a way that it is convincing to others that, hey, you should try this out. Yeah, and, you know, so many folks out there listening are thankful for you, Family Research Council, and industries like yours that are fighting to protect the unborn. They don't have a voice.
They're the most vulnerable. We've killed how many babies, you know, since this, you know, Holocaust of abortion in our country and these are some important things but it's a time to be ever vigilant, isn't it, in a spirit of thanksgiving, of course, and also maybe have some healing and unity, you know, for, you know, for those that can't stand the president that won, hey, love him, leave him, like him, or hate him. Let's hold him to do what he said he'll do, right?
I agree. This is one of the things that's really important, I think, to this country is that we, because scripturally it was important when you look back in the Old Testament with Israel, when what brought upon there the judgment of God upon them was the idolatry, but people don't realize that the idolatry was more than just bowing down to wood and stone. It also included child sacrifice and that's what, that was the red line.
That was the red line. That's why I believe we should be so focused on protecting the unborn and we, in the first administration, the Trump administration, did just that. I'm a little concerned where the party has gone and I, frankly, I know some people say, well, don't talk about that. No, we have to talk about it.
We have to talk because we have to get this right. This is not about one term. It's not about government. It is about the future of this country and it's not just the role of government, but government plays a part in it. It is the role of the church to change hearts and minds and the church has to have, we have to rediscover our prophetic voice, all right? When I say that, the prophetic voice of, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, he said, the church is not the servant or the master of the state, but it is the conscience and the guide. And so we've got to speak truth to government.
Now, I support this administration. For this incoming administration, I'm excited, I'm happy, but we still have to speak truth to them, even if they make decisions we disagree with. And here's, Stu, here's something I think the church has to understand, especially spiritual leaders. We cannot speak prophetically to something we're trying to get affirmation from. So we have to realize that our identity is in Christ.
It's not in the government. It's not in who we're associated with. It's not a party, but it is the calling that we have as a part of the kingdom of God. Well, and that's so profound.
And thank you for sharing that and for your courage with Family Research Council. You're stepping on toes all over the place. The people that are going too far left, too far right, whatever, you're trying to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ ultimately because we serve King Jesus.
You know, the White House isn't going to determine our eternal destiny. But there's this Thanksgiving, there's so much remembering. You know, at the Lord's Supper, Jesus said, you know, take this bread, do this and remember. It's like there's this things that Jesus has done for us. The whole Lord's Supper, Last Supper, First Supper, the new covenant meal is based on remembering and being thankful.
Eucharist means to give thanks. Can you talk about how we don't want to forget, like before the election, there's this push, oh, we got to pray. Oh, you know, 50 million American Christians aren't going to vote.
You know, there's all these statistics thrown out. And, you know, we were big about praying and people were calling for days of prayer. Well, Tony Perkins, I mean, don't we like need to be vigilant about praying like right now? Are there still souls that need to be saved?
Is there still a need to save lives? Well, actually, right after the day after the election, I launched what's called what we're calling Operation Prayer Shield. We're praying between now and this transition because we believe that the nation is vulnerable.
We've seen it. We see what's happening with Ukraine and Russia, that that could spin out of control. Our ally, Israel, is at risk.
Well, you know, we question who's at the wheel of government. So we need to be praying now. But we're going to launch another prayer after a prayer effort after the January 20th, because we do need to be praying for this nation.
We need to be praying for the church, praying for individual Christians. But I want to go something back to something you said about Thanksgiving. And I always, I never want to fail to mention this point, because as we do celebrate Thanksgiving, you know, a lot of people, you know, history's well, we had pilgrims came up here because they wanted religious freedom. It was more than religious freedom. Religious freedom, people think, well, they just wanted to worship the way they wanted to worship. Religious freedom to them was to be able to build community based upon their biblical faith, community, teach their children, make sure their children had the same values and had the understanding.
That's why they came. They had religious freedom in Holland, went back to England and then came here because they didn't want the outside influences. So we, we still have religious freedom in this country, but we have to use it. That means in the workplace, in school, in the public square, we can take our faith and we should. And we're challenging everyone to not just around the Thanksgiving table.
You may hear this after that event. Whenever you hear this program, we're challenging people to be ever thankful and everything give thanks, like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5 18. Tony Perkins, when you're sitting around that table, what are some of the things you're thankful for?
Like your family? I know, I know it's going to come up because I know it's going to, I know there'll be a lot of prayer and I know there'll be some deeper spiritual, you know, sometimes we're glib and trite and thankful for this movie and this and that, but like there's a way to go deeper that's really redemptive vis-a-vis like, hey, he saved my soul. I mean, well, I'm thankful. I mean, there's so much to be thankful for and thank, I'm actually looking, I'm working on an outline on a book on the power of gratitude because it's really kind of the antidote to anxiety. And just every morning I get up and I thank God, number one, that when I was six years old, I was, I found my way into, through vacation Bible school to a church because I had never been to church before. And my whole family came to Christ. My parents know the Lord, my brother and sisters, and then all five of my children.
And they, they know the Lord. And so number one, I'm grateful for my family, grateful for the gospel, grateful for the opportunity to serve in the kingdom of God, even with all the challenges that we face. And I think as we give thanks to God, it gives us the strength to overcome the challenges that we face each and every day. Gratitude solves so many things. Of course, you know, the two big planks for the reformers and the Puritans were grace and gratitude. So if your gratitude tank is kind of empty and you're kind of a Scrooge and a chromogeny, then maybe you got to go back to the well of grace and recognize from whence you came, right? You know, it is, it's, gratitude is something that just, it multiplies. And I mean, try this, go into a, you know, go into a store, go into a restaurant, go someplace where you encounter somebody and say, Hey, thank you.
Appreciate that. You know, if they wait on you, serve and just say, wow, thank you. Look them in the eyes and say, thank you. Those two words.
And you know what? You can change the course of someone's day just by saying thank you. But then it's reciprocal because when you see the expression on their face, then you gain from that as well. And try this, you know, I try to do this on a regular basis is write thank you notes. You know, one thing we don't do anymore in this age of texting and emails is handwritten notes. But there, there's actually a study done among youth that, that would send thank you notes is that it changed the environment of their, it was done in a school.
It changed the environment of their school. And it because the recipient is blessed, but so is the one who expresses the gratitude. It's interesting, you know, that's coming from a born again, Christian, a man of God, who's been a servant of Christ, a preacher, a pastor, leading, you know, family research council, you're on the radio, you have podcast. And it's fascinating that the power of gratitude is now a part of these secular TED Talks, this, you know, secular psychology, you know, leading, not even non Christian humanistic thinking, thought leaders are telling everyone, hey, have a gratitude journal, write thank you notes, say thank you a bunch. So there's something redemptive, kind of like the golden rule. I mean, if an atheist practice the golden rule, it's going to come out good. And maybe it'll lead them ultimately to the Lord, too.
But Stu, that that's what it's important, what you just underscored it, dig on that a little bit deeper. And what you find out is that just like the law of gravity, the law that God said in order in his creation, that if you if you follow Scripture, as he laid it out, those are natural walls. And if you follow them, there's going to be consequences that flow. If you have gratitude, as he instructs us to do, guess what, you're going to have a better attitude outlook on life.
If you violate those laws of nature, you're going to have difficulty. And, you know, oftentimes people think, well, God's just waiting to judge those who said no, contained within the sin itself is the penalty that comes in this life. Now, there is a judgment coming for all of us, for those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and if they receive forgiveness, they are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And that is something to be thankful for that, that God has made a way for us to secure our eternity. But even on this side, as Jesus said, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. There is abundant life to be found in Christ.
Tony Perkins, you've blessed me. Thank you for your ministry, encouragement. You've been to me kind of as a mentor, a friend of our family, Great Christian Radio, all these years. And give us the best place for folks to download and read, you know, buy your books, get your, you know, materials, download your podcasts, listen to your radio show, and all that.
Well, I would invite people to join us for our daily Bible journey. Stand on the Word. And you can download the app.
It's Stand Firm, and all of that's contained in one place. Stand Firm in the App Store, and you'll get my daily 15-minute devotional every morning, as well as Washington Watch and Evenings. I love that. Well, I got to hang up with you so I can download your app. I didn't even know about that.
I'm excited about that. God bless you, my friend. Thanks so much. Thank you, Sue. Great to see you. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving and happy thanks living. Amen. Amen.
