I wonder what life will be like years from now if Christians fail to defend the true meaning of Christmas. Will we allow the world's system to dictate how we refer to Christmas by telling us to say "Happy Holidays," instead of "Merry Christmas"? Will we allow the world to take "Christ" out of the Christmas season?
In 2005, the American Family Association, the Catholic League, and other conservative Christian groups led a boycott against a popular retail store chain that changed its holiday greeting from "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays." According to USA Today, the store decided to revert back to "Merry Christmas" only after they lost a significant amount of sales due to the boycott. This is a prime example of how we can use our influence, and in this case specifically, our buying power, to impact this world in a positive way. We cannot allow retail stores and shopping malls to reduce December 25 to merely another calendar event. If stores refuse to acknowledge Christ, we can decide to refuse to shop at their stores.
Jesus Christ is the true reason for the season; however, it has always been Satan's plan to destroy everything His birth means to the world. Matthew 2:13 says:
...The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
It is every Believers obligation to ensure that Christ's birthday is the celebration God intended. Satan's goal is to create distractions and try to keep us focused on money and gifts instead of the One who died for our sins.
Many Christians sit idly by and watch the world remove Christ from Christmas. However, there are enough Believers to make a significant impact. You can boldly declare that you won't compromise when it comes to celebrating the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ! It is our responsibility to lovingly let the world know, "Yes! I'm a Christian. I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!" Failing to take a stand for Christ can make us victims of a secular society that promotes human rather than religious values.
Jesus Christ has set us free! Think about it. Without Christ, we wouldn't have the experience of being saved, healed, delivered, made righteous, or prosperous. Psalm 40:2 says "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out to the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." I don't know about you, but I remember the horrible pit I used to be in. The part I love about this Psalm is what it says in verse three, "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." Thank God I no longer have to sing that tune of doom I used to sing before I met Jesus! The Lord lifted me up out of my pit, and now I have a new song. Praise God!
This year, make a quality decision to be a bold Christian -one who isn't afraid to let the world know Jesus is worth the fight to celebrate His birth and His life. He is worthy to be praised on Christmas and every day of the year!
~Creflo Dollar
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