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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/january-11-2024 January 11, 2024 Understanding Your Sphere of Authority “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12-18 NASB) In this passage, Paul speaks of the measure of his God-given authority in Corinth, and also references spheres of authority. The word used for “measure” is metron (Strongs 3358). You can easily see the English word “meter” in this word, which is a measurement, or an instrument used to measure, such as a parking meter. It is also used in the context of “metering out” a measured portion of something. In this context, Paul was speaking of the authority metered out to him, the measure he had been given by God at Corinth. “Sphere” is from the Greek word kanon (Strongs 2583), which means “a sphere of rule or activity; a boundary.” Paul recognized not only his measure of authority, but also the places where he had been assigned this authority. He knew there were boundaries or limits to it, but he was also very aware that he absolutely did possess God-given authority in his God-given spheres. Certainly, this passage was referencing Paul’s authority to deal with error and rebellion as an apostle and father in the Corinthian church. However, it also included authority to war over them in the spirit, breaking strongholds and demonic influence. This is clear from the verses preceding this: “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:1-6 NASB) These verses make clear the assertion that Paul’s authority at Corinth was not only a right to correct them practically and doctrinally, but also included authority to deal with spiritual strongholds in the community through prayer and spiritual warfare. The principle at play here is that: 1) God gives us authority within the “sphere” He has assigned us. Our authority level will be different in other spheres. And 2) this authority not only gives us the spiritual right to bring correction, but it also affords us great authority to pray and war spiritually for the freedom and well-being of those within this sphere. I realize most of you will not be given apostolic authority over a region. The principle is true elsewhere, however. Each of us has a personal sphere: ourself, our family, home, business, etc. No one has more authority to govern your life than you do. You have the right and the responsibility to do so. Also, no one can lay claim to God’s promises or declare His Word over your life as effectively as you. YOU have the right to do this, and no one can take it from you. We also have a higher level of authority to pray for our immediate family members - this is a part of our sphere. Where God assigns responsibility to guard, protect, or cover someone, He also gives us the authority to carry it out. Even if a family member is an adult, though I do not have authority to rule their life, but I still have a very high level of authority to pray for them. I can break strongholds over their life and appeal to heaven on their behalf, just as Paul did for the Corinthians. If they are a child I have even greater authority to pray for and impart to them. In Mark 5:22-43, a man named Jairus asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. Jesus did so. He did not require an invitation from the daughter, nor was faith required of her. Her dad asking for her was enough. Patriarchs in the Old Testament understood this principle. They had great authority to decree blessings, even destiny, over their children - even adult children. The entire 49th chapter of Genesis gives us multiple examples of this, as Jacob blessed and decreed over his sons. In an upcoming post, we will look at shared authority, as in praying for nations. Today, however, I want to encourage you regarding your God-given right to pray for yourself and your family. We are about to see many prodigals come back to the Father; you play a role in this. Your prayers for them have great authority. You can break strongholds in their lives and free them from deception and demonic control. You cannot control the prodigal child’s will, but you can deal with strongholds that do! Let’s look at three of the above verses Paul gave us from the Living Bible: “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TLB) If Paul could do this for the Corinthians, you can do it for your family! Let’s pray. Pray with me: Father, we are not at the mercy of what demons and the world around us throws our way. You have given us great authority through Christ. He conquered FOR US and delegated TO US the right to lay hold of this victory. Faith, the power of Holy Spirit, authority - these things work in harmony to give us victories in life. Today we rise up in that authority and pray for those in our God-given spheres. We know that as we do so, Holy Spirit will release His power to back up this authority. We declare over ourselves that we will walk in health, victory, provision, freedom from sin, peace, and a sound mind. We bind every assignment against us and declare that we are clothed in the armor of God and protected from evil. We pray also for those You have assigned us the privilege of covering, those in our personal spheres of authority. We pray for our spouses that they too will experience Your blessing, health, well-being, prosperity - we declare over them that every promise You have made to Your family is “yes” and “amen.” And we pray for our children. We decree over every prodigal that the strongholds of deception and rebellion are broken off of them. We release the power of Holy Spirit to go to them now and hover over them, releasing life and freedom. We decree that they will come to their senses just as the prodigal in Scripture did. We bind every demon that has attached itself to them, in the name of Jesus. And we decree according to Your Word that all of our children are blessed by You. We cover them with protection from the many strategies of the evil one to influence and control them. We declare that they will know and serve You, that all of our family shall be saved! We pray all of these things through the authority we have in Christ. Our decree: We declare that we will exercise our God-given right to cover those in our God-given spheres. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-12-2023 October 12, 2023 The Prince of Persia Last weekend at a powerful gathering in Ohio, my brother, Tim, shared that he believed Holy Spirit was saying we are moving into a season of overthrowing demonic thrones of dominion, ruled by principalities. He also spoke of the highest-ranking angels (seraphim), such as Michael and Gabriel, being assigned to help us. As an example of a principality ruling a region, he mentioned the “prince of Persia” (Daniel 10:10-13, 20). Ancient Persia is modern-day Iran. We awakened the next morning to the news that Hamas, doubtlessly under the influence and support of Iran (Persia), had attacked Israel. I am not suggesting that this attack happened because of or to confirm his teaching, but I do believe God orchestrated the timing of Tim releasing this word just before it occurred. In that sense, it is an incredible confirmation. In the Scriptures, demonic violence was at times brought on by their reactions of anger, intimidation, trying to be preemptive, etc., to what God was doing in the spiritual realm. Herod killing the babies in Israel at the time of Christ’s birth is a prime example. “Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.’ He stayed there until the death of Herod; this happened so that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’ So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.’” (Matthew 2:13-18 NASB) I believe the extraordinary unrest in the world at this time is indeed caused by demonic activity, arising from the threat they feel. I believe the prince of Persia mentioned in Daniel is behind all of the violence and war in Israel and Gaza. He is angry and worried. Satan and his demons hear the words coming from God regarding the great and imminent harvest. He sees the many people being saved in Iran, and the prophecies regarding millions that will be saved throughout the Muslim world and in Israel. He also realizes the Ekklesia has reached a level of maturity that will allow this dethroning of regional demonic thrones. His actions at this time are attempts to stop all of this preemptively. The praying church must stand against this resistance. We have been given authority to bind the activities of darkness in the spiritual realm, which then determines what occurs in the natural realm. Our prayers can absolutely be a part of stopping this evil activity in the Middle East. They can also influence the fruit of what has already occurred, and may yet occur before it ends. (I am not implying that our prayers can stop it immediately.) Let’s look at an example of this in Daniel. “Behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, ‘O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia....’ Then he said, ‘Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come.’” (Daniel 10–13, 20) Israel had been taken captive by Babylon because of their sin, but Daniel realized from Jeremiah‘s prophecies that it was now time for restoration (Daniel 9:1-2). Being a man of passionate prayer, he had been interceding for Israel’s restoration for several days. As incredible as it sounds, the angel that appeared to Daniel said to him, “I was sent to you the first day you began to pray, but was opposed by a spirit, the prince of Persia.” (see reference above) God chose from the beginning to work on earth through humans, even at the cost of becoming one to redeem us. In this situation, He was working through the fasting, repentance, and prayers of Daniel. This man’s prayers were producing the restoration of Israel, which was being resisted by the principality ruling the region. As unusual as it sounds, the angel sent to answer Daniel’s prayers had been delayed for 21 days by the demonic resistance in the spiritual realm. God had to send His mighty angel, Michael, to deal with this demonic “prince of Persia” (now Iran). I believe the same type of warfare is taking place now in the Middle East, led by the same principality. We must persist, just like Daniel, until we see a breakthrough. I do believe this is a season when we can see the overthrowing of demonic thrones. And just as we are dethroning the spirit of Baal here in America, this prince of Iran must also be dethroned. This dethroning will result in the coming harvest - that’s what it’s about, as is the resistance. I feel sure we will see the same anger and a certain level of violence here in America. It is most likely part of the prophecied shaking. I do not know how severe this will become, but we will prevail over it, and God’s plans will not be stopped. We must remember that it is demonically inspired, therefore we must do our part to oppose it spiritually, even as the government and civil authorities deal with it naturally. “Wrestle” with the cause, not the people satan uses. This does not mean we shouldn’t protect ourselves and take other precautions; it simply means we must deal with the root cause as we do so. I will address this subject again tomorrow, but will say one more word regarding how we engage in this spiritual warfare. We must worship, exalting the Lord, not become preoccupied with demons. * We must appeal to our heavenly Father through the victory accomplished by Christ. * We must exercise Christ’s authority, commanding/decreeing His will as Holy Spirit directs us. * And we must bind and forbid the plans and actions of the enemy through declaring God’s Word, also as Holy Spirit directs us - just as we have been doing. * Our greatest weapon is the Word of God..! Let’s do so now. Pray with us: Father, we have heard Holy Spirit address the coming harvest as “the harvest of the ages.” We believe it will be the greatest in all of history. Great spiritual breakthroughs will occur throughout the world as deception and darkness are broken over people. Demonic thrones will be dismantled, and the light of the gospel will be seen. Satan and his forces will attempt to stop this, but we know You have already planned for this, as well, and have determined how You will thwart him. We know Your angelic hosts will be part of the plan to stop him, and we ask for this help and support now. We ask You to stop satan’s plans that are at work in the Middle East and cause them to work for Your purposes. In the name of Jesus, we bind them now. Dethrone the prince of Iran, Father, and free millions of people from his hold. Then send revival to the entire region. We ask the same for America. Strengthen and lead us as we finish the process of dethroning Baal over America. We have covered this nation in prayer, as You said, and now the shaking can be used to reset us and move us into revival. Lead us as we pray, and lead our authorities as they deal with any and all evil that comes our way. We boldly command, as You instructed us, “Kingdom of Christ, come! Will of Christ, be done!” (Matthew 6:10). We declare that Jesus is Lord over all the earth. We declare that His blood has cleansed and set us free from satan’s dominion. We declare that through this shed blood and the covenant it gave us with Almighty God, we have the authority to represent Christ. We do so now, releasing His salvation into the Earth. Our decree: We decree that every throne in the heavens and on earth must bow to the authority of Christ. *********************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Authority In Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-13-2023 March 13, 2023 Change the Atmosphere As we pray for change in our nation, we must remember that it will come on two fronts. Spiritual breakthrough and revival will make possible natural remedies in the form of wise plans, strategies, and implementation. The natural strategies - laws, ideas, methods, programs - cannot possibly succeed without the spiritual breakthroughs. Today I want to share a great testimony from Cheryl Sacks regarding prayers of authority bringing spiritual breakthrough, but also being used to birth strategies for change. Both are coming to America. And both can occur for you personally. Tomorrow we will talk about authority to pray for our nation. Cheryl says: *************** “Every household, workplace, neighborhood, and even nation has a unique spiritual atmosphere or prevalent climate. I am sure you have felt it. You walk into a store or someone’s home and immediately feel something difficult to explain, whether it is peace and joy, or a prevailing darkness and heaviness. “We may feel powerless to change negative atmospheres and start thinking, ‘that’s just the way things are!’ But that’s simply not true. Storms can be calmed instantly, as we saw when Jesus rebuked a storm at sea (Matthew 8:23-27). It’s true of spiritual climates as well. “I remember when I was teaching in a large public high school in Texas riddled with drugs, gangs, depression, and sometimes violence. It was a teacher’s nightmare! In one of my classes, the students’ absenteeism was higher than their grade average. The students who were in class would put their heads on their desks and sleep almost the entire class time. I was still new to teaching and didn’t know what to do. My college professors hadn’t mentioned that teaching would be like this, much less told us what to do about it. “Since I had no other training, my Bible became my manual. I prayer-walked the halls and the four-block perimeter of my school. I took authority over the oppressive atmosphere there and invited Holy Spirit to come in. I anointed the doorway of my classroom and prayed over the desk of every student. Then I gathered the other English teachers who I knew were Christians to pray with me during the lunch break. “I soon discovered in the back of the English department’s book room a classroom set of the book, The Cross and the Switchblade by Nicky Cruz. Nicky had been the leader of the notorious gang, the Maus Maus, in New York City. The book tells his life story and his conversion to Christ after meeting the preacher, David Wilkerson. Don’t ask me how these Christian books ended up in the book room of a public high school. All I know is that the Lord put them there for me. “I started teaching the book, ‘as literature,’ of course, and I saw an immediate change in the spiritual atmosphere in my classes. Students were interested and motivated, and there was an evident spiritual hunger. Just before the end of the school year, I had the thought that I should invite Nicky Cruz to come and speak to the students in our high school assembly. When I mentioned the idea to the school principal, he said, ‘NO way! We can’t have a preacher preaching in our high school.’ The school superintendent agreed it was not a good idea and that it was not going to happen. At first, Nicky Cruz himself said he couldn’t come. But we prayed, and God miraculously opened the door. “I will never forget the day Nicky Cruz stood on stage in our school auditorium and shared his life story with our 2,000 students. When Nicky explained how Jesus Christ died on the Cross for his sins and theirs, the room was filled with the palpable presence of God. As he shared how Jesus had changed his life and could change their lives, too, the student body, without any prompting, jumped to their feet and erupted in exuberant roaring applause. This went on for several minutes. Nicky wasn’t allowed to give an ‘altar call,’ but still, students streamed to the front of the auditorium to talk about God and ask for prayer. Revival broke out that day, and the entire atmosphere of my high school changed. “Scripture tells us that we live in two realms—a physical realm and an invisible realm. Just because we cannot see the spiritual realm doesn’t mean it is any less real. It has the power to influence our lives —and the atmosphere in our homes, workplaces, and even our nation. A spiritual atmosphere has the power to shape our lives—to confuse or inspire, to affirm or reject, to make sad or happy, to restrict or empower. “Since Jesus dealt with satan’s authority – the right to use his power and abilities against us (see Colossians 2:15) – then we need to deal with him as a usurper, a rebel, a thief that has no right to steal, kill and destroy, but who will if not stopped. If we have been delivered from satan’s authority and given a higher authority in Christ’s name, then we must exercise our authority over the devil’s works and power. When we do, God’s awesome power will back up our authority.(1) “Jesus put it this way: ‘Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luke 10:19 NKJV). This means that we don’t have to submit to our negative circumstances and environment; we can change our atmosphere by walking in our God-given dominion.” Pray with me: Thank You, Lord, that You did not leave us powerless, but, in fact, have given us spiritual weapons and authority to use them in Your powerful name. We thank You, Lord, that the works of darkness have no authority to oppress us or prevail against us. Instead, we and our household can walk in abundant life and victory because of Jesus’ birth, death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave! And we continue to appeal to You for our youth and the schools of America. You have told us revival is coming to them. We believe this and release our faith and authority by saying what You say. America’s youth shall be saved through a sweeping revival. Scales will fall from their eyes, the veil will be lifted, and the light of the Gospel will be seen (2 Corinthians 4: 3-4). We release power into the schools now, and ask for millions of angels to work with us toward releasing this revival. Send Your presence, send Your power, send Your love. We ask that the plans of evil leaders who want to turn our children toward darkness will fail. Break the influence of the wicked, take from them their voices, cause their strategies to unravel and fail. Arise, Lord, and scatter Your enemies. Remove from them their funds. Continue to expose evil in our government. You have and are exposing hypocrisy, arrogance, wicked ideologies, pride, lust for power, hatred for America, desires to divide us, and more. Continue to expose the wickedness and give us righteous leaders. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: As believers in Jesus Christ and in His name, we decree that satan will not kill, steal, or destroy our children, our health, our schools, workplaces, or nation! We proclaim that we will live and work in an atmosphere of peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit! *************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Cheryl Sacks is the best-selling author and her most recent work is an excellent book called Fire on the Family Altar. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work at BridgeBuilders.net __________________________________________ 1. Dutch Sheets, Authority in Prayer, (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1995), p 21.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-10-2023 March 10, 2023 The Miracle In yesterday’s post, we said authority increases when God gives assignments. They become a “sphere” in which we are given a “measure” of authority. With increased responsibility comes increased authority. These assignments can be long-term, such as a calling, or short-term, as the following. In the mid-80s, I was given a daunting assignment by Holy Spirit to pray for a humanly impossible situation. I knew the person I was going to pray for was very ill. What I didn’t know was that she was comatose with a tracheostomy in her throat, a feeding tube in her stomach, and had been in that condition for almost two years. Seeing her for the first time was a mind-numbing shock. I had made prayer an important priority in my life for the previous six years, had studied the subject extensively, and had just begun teaching my first series on intercessory prayer. I had been blessed to have read numerous good books on the subject, spent hundreds of hours studying Scripture, and been given what I believed was insight and revelation. Much of what ended up in my first book, Intercessory Prayer, I was teaching in this mini-course. The comatose young lady’s sister was attending this class. I taught the material with great passion and conviction, which was inspiring and encouraging her. After one particular class, she approached me and said, “I think you REALLY believe what you are teaching.” “Yes, I do,” I replied. “Well, I have a sister who is very sick and has been for almost two years. She’s so ill she just sleeps most of the time. I’m wondering if you would be willing to go pray for her.” She had not given me the whole story out of fear that I wouldn’t go. Diane (not her real name) had contracted viral encephalitis, which attacked her brain. The doctors gave her no hope for recovery or of living. “And if she did miraculously regain consciousness,” they said, “she would likely be in a persistent vegetative state because of the extensive brain damage. Every part of her brain is covered with infection.” Again, I knew none of this. Diane was in a nursing home in a nearby town, making it a little more challenging, but I said I would be glad to go pray for her. (A 20-year-old “sick” girl in a nursing home, should have been a hint that this situation was worse than I had been told!) Though I did not know it at the time, this was the beginning of a prayer assignment lasting more than a year. When I arrived at her room expecting to find a “very sick” girl, I found a hopeless, unresponsive, drooling, comatose young girl, fed through a tube and breathing through a hole in her throat. The shock was huge, to say the least. I laid my hand on her forehead and prayed over her for an hour or so, asking God to give her a miracle. It did not happen. I left that day deeply moved, not only for her physically, but she was not a believer. Normally, when one who isn’t a family member or pastor of someone they agree to pray for, it is a one-time occurrence. They obey the Scriptures, pray in faith, and leave the results to God. At times, the miracle occurs; often, it does not. However, in this situation, deep compassion gripped my heart for this young girl. I felt as though Holy Spirit might want me to go again and pray for her. I sought the Lord about this, asking if He was, indeed, wanting me to do so. His response was a bit unexpected. “Yes. I am assigning you the responsibility to intercede for her until she is healed. Not just in your daily prayers, from a distance. Go every week and pray over her, applying the principles I’ve been teaching you.” Holy Spirit wanted not only to heal her, but to teach and train me. It was time to DO what I KNEW. So this would not be an instant miracle through the laying on of hands, but healing “birthed” through intercession. I went at least once a week and prayed an hour or so for Diane - for more than a year. I prayed EVERY verse I knew regarding healing, MANY times. I read Scripture over her often. I worshipped over her. I prayed much in my prayer language over her. I took friends with me 2-3 times in order to agree in prayer with me. I implemented everything I had learned and taught regarding intercession. But I saw no change. Each time I went, I was tempted to quit. Staring at her lifeless form was gut-wrenching and intimidating. People thought I was crazy, and the nursing home staff treated me with complete cynicism. As far as I knew, only Ceci and Diane’s sister believed in what I was doing. I asked God the same question each time, “Did You send me to this girl, assigning me this responsibility?” I knew that if He had truly sent me, if this was indeed His assignment for me, I was moving in Christ’s authority and representing Him - re-presenting Him and His victory at Calvary. After several months of going, praying, spending many hours speaking God’s promises over Diane, praying in the Spirit over her, worshiping over her, and hearing Holy Spirit say, “Yes, I sent you. Don’t quit,” something began to change. Not in Diane - but in me. All the hours of praying Scriptures, of speaking and hearing the Word of God, was increasing my faith - 30, 60, 100-fold (Matthew 13:23). Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing the Word of God. As my faith grew, I became bolder in my decrees. I didn’t know if Diane could hear me - some people in a coma can - but in case she could, I spoke often to her. (It turned out she was not able to hear.) I told her often she was being healed…that Jesus loved her and wanted to heal and save her…that He sent me to her for this purpose. I told her that when she woke up, she would be normal, that her brain would be undamaged. I decreed all of this in Jesus’ name. And my faith continued to grow. After more than a year of this, Diane took a turn for the worse. An infection elsewhere in her body had occurred, and they moved her to a hospital for treatment. After administering more tests, the doctors determined her condition had grown worse and informed her family that she would probably die soon. They should all go see her. Diane’s sister relayed this information to me. “You should go see her,” she told me. And I did. On this Wednesday afternoon, I spoke to Diane, as usual. Leaning over her, close to her ear, with tears streaming down my face, I said, “This nightmare is almost over. Nothing can keep us from receiving our miracle. Nothing! You will live and not die. And you will have a new brain.” The memory is forever imprinted on my mind. As I exited the hospital, still weeping, I was declaring to myself again and again, “Nothing can keep us from receiving our miracle. Nothing!” Three days later, while alone in her hospital room, Jesus walked in and woke Diane from her 3-year sleep, with a full restoration of her brain. News about the miracle spread, even to other nations. The nursing home where she had stayed received inquiries from Europe wanting to know about her incredible recovery. Every hour and every tear I had invested became worth the wait when I saw Diane awake and heard her speak the words, “Praise the Lord.” We have authority from Christ to lay hands on sick people and ask for their healing. There may be reasons we aren’t aware of, at times, that keep the healing from occurring, but we should always ask! However, if God assigns you to pray for a situation, never quit until you see the answer! With His assignment comes increased authority. Pray with me: Father, we are Christ’s body - His hands, feet, and mouth - on earth; the Head wills, the body fulfills. As You sent Jesus, He sent us, calling us His Ekklesia and granting us the authority to operate in His name. Awaken Your people to this authority. Reveal to Your family that they have the right and responsibility to re-present Christ on earth. We are His voice of truth, His trumpet for the Gospel. Bring new boldness to the church. Miracles are in our hands, deliverances are in our mouths, words of knowledge and prophecies are in our spirits waiting for their time, and a river of living water is in our wombs. The transformation of individuals and nations awaits this revelation in the church. Again we ask, awaken us!!! And please heal our land. We boldly announce that this has begun. Desperation is growing, hearts are awakening, and minds are changing! The complete insanity of woke-ism, globalism, socialism, secularism, and other extremes is being acknowledged. The search for answers beyond human ability has begun - the search for Jesus has begun, though many do not yet know what they’re searching for. But the Jesus search will become the Jesus reveal, the Jesus find, and another Jesus movement. This is happening, is coming, AND WILL NOT BE STOPPED! Our decree: We decree that a Third Great Awakening is our assignment, birthing this Third Great Awakening is our measure of authority, and The Third Great Awakening will now go to another level. Amen..! ***************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer (and published by Baker books). Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-8-2023 March 8, 2023 Understanding Your Sphere of Authority “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12-18 NASB) In this passage Paul speaks of the measure of his God-given authority in Corinth, and also references spheres of authority. The word used for “measure” is metron (Strongs 3358). You can easily see the English word “meter” in this word, which is a measurement, or an instrument used to measure, such as a parking meter. It is also used in the context of “metering out” a measured portion of something. In this context, Paul was speaking of the authority metered out to him, the measure he had been given by God at Corinth. “Sphere” is from the Greek word kanon (Strongs 2583), which means “a sphere of rule or activity; a boundary.” Paul recognized not only his measure of authority, but also the places where he had been assigned this authority. He knew there were boundaries or limits to it, but he was also very aware that he absolutely did possess God-given authority in his God-given spheres. Certainly this passage was referencing Paul’s authority to deal with error and rebellion as an apostle and father in the Corinthian church. However, it also included authority to war over them in the spirit, breaking strongholds and demonic influence. This is clear from the verses preceding this: “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:1-6 NASB) These verses make clear the assertion that Paul’s authority at Corinth was not only a right to correct them practically and doctrinally, but also included authority to deal with spiritual strongholds in the community through prayer and spiritual warfare. The principle at play here is that: 1) God gives us authority within the “sphere” He has assigned us. Our authority level will be different in other spheres. And 2) this authority not only gives us the spiritual right to bring correction, it also affords us great authority to pray and war spiritually for the freedom and well-being of those within this sphere. I realize most of you will not be given apostolic authority over a region. The principle is true elsewhere, however. Each of has a personal sphere: ourself, our family, home, business, etc. No one has more authority to govern your life than you do. You have the right and the responsibility to do so. Also, no one can lay claim to God’s promises or declare His Word over your life as effectively as you. YOU have the right to do this, and no one can take it from you. We also have a higher level of authority to pray for our immediate family members - this is a part of our sphere. Where God assigns responsibility to guard, protect, or cover someone, He also gives us the authority to carry it out. Even if a family member is an adult, though I do not have authority to rule their life, but I still have a very high level of authority to pray for them. I can break strongholds over their life and appeal to heaven on their behalf, just as Paul did for the Corinthians. If they are a child I have even greater authority to pray for and impart to them. In Mark 5:22-43, a man named Jairus asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. Jesus did so. He did not require an invitation from the daughter, nor was faith required of her. Her dad asking for her was enough. Patriarchs in the Old Testament understood this principle. They had great authority to decree blessings, even destiny, over their children - even adult children. The entire 49th chapter of Genesis gives us multiple examples of this, as Jacob blessed and decreed over his sons. In an upcoming post we will look at shared authority, as in praying for nations. Today, however, I want to encourage you regarding your God-given right to pray for yourself and your family. We are about to see many prodigals come back to the Father; you play a role in this. Your prayers for them have great authority. You can break strongholds in their lives, and free them from deception and demonic control. You cannot control the prodigal child’s will, but you can deal with strongholds that do! Let’s look at three of the above verses Paul gave us from the Living Bible: “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TLB) If Paul could do this for the Corinthians, you can do it for your family! Let’s pray. Pray with me: Father, we are not at the mercy of what demons and the world around us throws our way. You have given us great authority through Christ. He conquered FOR US and delegated TO US the right to lay hold of this victory. Faith, the power of Holy Spirit, authority - these things work in harmony to give us victories in life. Today we rise up in that authority and pray for those in our God-given spheres. We know that as we do so, Holy Spirit will release His power to back up this authority. We declare over ourselves that we will walk in health, victory, provision, freedom from sin, peace, and a sound mind. We bind every assignment against us and declare that we are clothed in the armor of God and protected from evil. We pray also for those You have assigned us the privilege of covering, those in our personal spheres of authority. We pray for our spouses that they too will experience Your blessing, health, well-being, prosperity - we declare over them that every promise You have made to your family is “yes” and “amen.” And we pray for our children. We decree over every prodigal that the strongholds of deception and rebellion are broken off of them. We release the power of Holy Spirit to go to them now and hover over them, releasing life and freedom. We decree that they will come to their senses just as the prodigal in Scripture did. We bind every demon that has attached itself to them, in the name of Jesus. And we decree according to your Word that all of our children are blessed by You. We cover them with protection from the many strategies of the evil one to influence and control them. We declare that they will know and serve You, that all of our family shall be saved! We pray all of these things through the authority we have in Christ. Our decree: We declare that we will exercise our God-given right to cover those in our God-given spheres. ************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-28-2023 February 28, 2023 Turning the World Upside Down One of the primary keys to the success of the church is understanding authority. More discussion is given to power than to authority in the church, but spiritual power does us no good if we do not understand authority. To be sure, they are twins, working together. However, the proper order is that we operate in Christ’s authority, which releases Holy Spirit’s power. In yesterday’s post, I said that satan did not gain literal power, strength, or abilities at the Fall, nor did he lose his power at the Cross. He gained authority at the Fall and lost it at the Cross. Where satan and his control on earth is concerned, power has never been the issue. The issue has always been authority - does he have the right to use his power and abilities? That satan has power, though it is limited, has always been evident. Throughout history, he has been able to perform supernatural acts (Exodus 7:11-12), place diseases on people (Luke 13:11), empower individuals to do superhuman feats (Luke 8:29), etc. Even after his defeat at the Cross, satan is still able to place diseases on people, control individuals, and operate in regions through demons. Anyone who has ever ministered in places where satanic worship, voodoo, or occult practices are rampant has seen supernatural manifestations of demonic power, such as levitation, superhuman strength, etc. Clearly, the devil still has power, strength, and abilities. This does nothing to diminish Christ’s defeat of satan at the Cross. It WAS complete. When people, as individuals or corporately (regions), come under Christ’s rule, the evil one no longer has the legal right spiritually to use his limited power on them. The issue is always authority. That this is the issue can be seen by a statement the Lord made immediately after the Fall. Yahweh told satan that Jesus (“the seed of the woman”) would crush his head (Genesis 3:15). The word “head” is rosh, which means not only a physical head but also “headship, the first in rank or authority.” (7218) The Lord was using the word figuratively, as He often does throughout Scripture, to indicate authority, dominion or “headship”. Humankind had been given headship - dominion, authority, rule - over the Earth (Genesis 1:26-28), yet satan had succeeded in acquiring it. God was acknowledging this but telling the devil that Jesus would crush his newly acquired headship or authority over the earth and that Christ, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), would take back this headship. How this would occur was a mystery, of course. No one realized how it would happen until Jesus became a human and went to the Cross. Luke 10:19 also delineates very clearly the difference between power and authority: “Behold, I have given you authority (exousia) [Strongs 1849] to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (dunamis) [Strongs 1411] of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.” Christ was telling His disciples that He was giving them authority over satan‘s power. This important difference between authority and power - and the fact that authority was the issue - is why Jesus announced in Matthew 28:18 that all authority (exousia) had been given to Him in heaven AND ON EARTH. He was declaring, “I have regained Adam’s lost authority on earth. I’m the new “Head” (Ephesians 1:22). Now you go and exercise that authority in My name, teaching what I have commanded you and discipling nations.” Of course, as Almighty God, the Lord, the Most High God, the Creator of Earth, Christ already held personal authority over the earth, even before the Cross. At Calvary, He was taking back for humankind what WE had lost through Adam. Christ wanted His earthly family to rule earth with Him, and for Him, so He came as one of us, a human, an Adam, to represent us, redeem us, and regain our lost authority. He crushed satan’s headship, rescuing us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Then He restored authority to us through His name. The degree to which this rule and authority of Christ operates is determined by how well the Ekklesia understands and exercises it. He is waiting for us to represent Him. The word represent means “to present again.”(1) Representing someone means their will has been presented to a representative, who then “presents again” that will to others. As ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom, we represent Him. If the entire church understood and operated in the authority of Christ, the world would be a different place. The early church in Acts was accused of turning their world upside down (Acts 17:6). The body of Christ multiplied exponentially, moved in His gifts, preached with authority, healed the sick, cast out demons, and transformed lives. As I have stated many times, we do not impose Christ’s dominion on people through physical force or natural government; we exercise it against the invisible forces of darkness. Where people are concerned, we love them and declare God’s truth, which includes the gospel. This releases authority. Holy Spirit backs all of this with His power, producing salvation and transformation. Release Christ’s victory with authority in every arena of your life. Do so for yourself, your children and family, your finances, your health, your city and nation. Jesus promised that the gates or government of hell would not prevail against you (Matthew 16:18-19). Do not lose the battle through ignorance or default! Pray with me: Father, thank You for sending Christ to redeem us and restore what satan had gained. Jesus is now our head, and we submit to Him - no king but Jesus. He is Lord, Master, Supreme Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge over all the earth. And You have instructed us to minister in His name. We do so now by binding every work of darkness in our lives and our families. We declare over our children that they WILL be saved. We break every stronghold, every addiction, all deception, remove the spiritual veil that blinds them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4), and release to them the power of Holy Spirit. As parents, we have authority in their lives, and we exercise it NOW! And You have given us authority to pray for our government and nation. We do so, just as You instructed us (1 Timothy 2:1-7). We bind the demonic powers that have infiltrated our nation, declaring that their hold is broken, and their influence is being abated. As this occurs, we ask for Holy Spirit to continue releasing His breath, power, and a great awakening into our nation. This will occur! It will not be stopped! We also ask for this to take place in other nations. We continue to ask for and declare that the greatest outpouring of Holy Spirit in history is beginning and will continue. The Head of the church and ruler over the Earth has decreed this, angels are at work to aid in it, and His body is in agreement. His kingdom will expand, nations will be saved and transformed, and a billion soul harvest will occur. This will NOT be stopped! Our decree: We decree that Jesus owns the earth, has all authority here, and has delegated it to His church. We will exercise this authority. *********************** Portions of today’s teaching can be found in my book Authority in Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________ The Consolidated Webster Encyclopedia Dictionary (Chicago: Consolidated Book Publishers, 1954), p. 615.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-21-2022 November 21, 2022 Representing Christ On the heels of this past Friday’s interview with Jane Hamon, I felt we needed to look again at what it means to be the Church, Christ’s Ekklesia. There is so much misunderstanding of this, and never have we needed clearer teaching on the subject. The church is mentioned for the first time in Matthew 16:18-19: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” When Jesus used the word “church” (Greek: ekklesia), the disciples weren’t hindered by our contemporary preconceived ideas as to what it meant. Their paradigm of an ekklesia differed greatly from what it has become. To us today it can mean (1) a worship service; (2) a building used by Christians; (3) a local congregation of Christians; or (4) for those who tend toward a more literal definition, it means a people who have been “called out” from the world. The last concept is the most accurate, according to a strict translation, but it still falls far short of communicating what an ekklesia was when Christ made His stunning announcement. To the Greeks in Christ’s day, an ekklesia was an assembly of people authorized to govern the affairs of a city, state, or nation - in essence, a city council, a parliament, a congress, etc. To the Romans, it was a governing body sent into a conquered region, not only to govern, but to alter the culture until it became like Rome. The Romans realized this was the ideal way to control their empire - discipling conquered regions until the people lost their previous identity and began to think of themselves as Romans. They accomplished this through government, social structure, language, schools, etc. When Jesus said He would build His church, without question, He was speaking of a body of people who would exercise spiritual authority and disciple nations for Him, extending His Kingdom rule on the earth. They would bind demonic forces and loose individuals from their control. Their extension of Christ’s Kingdom authority would be through Holy Spirit empowerment of the gospel, and by teaching and demonstrating the principles of His Kingdom. In ancient times, the city gates were often where an Ekklesia met and, therefore, symbolized government. Jesus’ statement that “the gates of Hades will not overpower His ekklesia” makes much more sense when we understand He was speaking about two governments. The “gates” Christ spoke of were obviously not physical, but rather referred to the authority, plans, and schemes of hell. These things would not prevail over us. In World Vision magazine, John Robb writes: Several years ago, a giant tree stood on the banks of the Awash River, in an arid valley about two hours’ drive southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It had stood there for generations, seemingly eternal. For years, the people who lived in the surrounding district had suffered through famines . . . In their suffering, the people looked to the tree for help. Believing a spirit gave it divine powers, they worshipped the towering giant. Adults would kiss the great trunk when they passed by, and they spoke of the tree in hushed, reverential tones. Children said, “This tree saved us.” In 1989, World Vision began a development project there, including an irrigation system . . . But even as they labored to build the system, the great tree stood like a forbidding sentinel of the old order, presiding over the community, enslaving the people through fear. Spirits needed to be propitiated with animal sacrifices and strict observance of taboos. When World Vision workers saw how the villagers worshipped the tree, they knew it was an idolatrous barrier to the entrance of God’s Kingdom and the transformation of the community. One morning as the staff prayed together, one of Jesus’ promises struck them: “If you have faith, you can say to this tree, ‘Be taken up and removed’ . . . and it will obey you.” In faith, they began to pray that God would bring down the menacing Goliath. Soon the whole community knew the Christians were praying about the tree. Six months later, the tree began to dry up, its leafy foliage disappeared, and finally, it collapsed like a stricken giant into the river. The people of the community were astonished, proclaiming, “Your God has done this! Your God has dried up the tree!” In the days and weeks afterward, approximately 100 members of the community received Jesus Christ as Savior because they saw His power displayed in answer to the Christians’ prayers. What a wonderful story! This is the Ekklesia in action. Why aren’t stories such as this more common? How have we missed this truth? If I were satan and wanted to stop evangelism, the spread of biblical morality, or the rule of God on the earth, I would try to deceive Christians regarding the meaning of being Christ’s ekklesia. My number one priority would be to keep the church from truly being the church, representing Christ’s authority on the earth. While we certainly are not to spread our faith or God’s rule on earth by physical force or control, as some religions teach, we MUST use this authority when dealing with the spiritual forces of darkness. Bind and loose spiritual forces of darkness; love, serve, and disciple people. That is the assignment of the church. Pray with me: Jesus, You said You would build a church the gates of hell could not overcome. You gave us your authority as the King of the kingdom - authority to bind and loose, forbid and allow. Awaken the church to these “keys.” Give us greater revelations of Your authority, and that You delegated this authority to us. Remind us that the church is not a building or an organization. It is not a worship service. Being the church is to function as Your authority on the earth. As we move in higher levels of this calling, we ask for an increased manifestation of signs and wonders, healings, and deliverances. May we truly preach the gospel of the Kingdom, which includes Your dominion over demons, disease, oppression, and sin. We know earth’s greatest revival is now coming, and we know it will be infused with Your love and power. We ask for this release of Your life. We also ask for greater wisdom to disciple nations. Give us greater insight and revelation in this regard. Show us how to take the principles of your Kingdom and introduce them in a world where hate, deception, and sin rule. This will take great wisdom and revelation, but You said You would equip us to accomplish this task. So we ask for an abundance of understanding to now come to the church in this regard, and ask in Christ’s name, amen. Decree: We decree that Christ is building a church that the government, plans, and schemes of hell will not prevail against. ******************* Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Authority in Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video.