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6 min read December 12, 2023 Finding the Old Road The great Winston Churchill seemed to have a prophetic sense regarding his destiny from a young age, though he would not likely have referred to it as prophetic. At 16 years of age, he told a friend, “I have dreams about it, seeing into the future.” Though he acknowledged that the dreams were “blurry,” he nonetheless insisted, “This country will be subjected somehow, to a tremendous invasion, by what means I do not know, but I tell you I shall be in command of the defenses of London, and I shall save London and England from disaster.”(1) No doubt orchestrated by God’s sovereign hand, Churchill would, indeed, fulfill those words. Amazing! Though Churchill was not what most would think of as religious, he was nevertheless a man of deep faith and biblical knowledge, which many, like biographer Stephen Mansfield, believe was instilled in him by his childhood nanny.(2) Churchill often referenced “Christian civilization” as one of the causes for which the Allies were fighting Hitler,(3) which the following partial list of quotes illustrates: As early as 1931, in The Strand Magazine, Churchill wrote about "our duty to preserve the structure of humane, enlightened, Christian society."(4) In a speech to the House of Commons about the Munich Agreement in 1938, Churchill said, "There can never be friendship between the British democracy and the Nazi power, that power which spurns Christian ethics, which cheers its onward course by a barbarous paganism."(5) In 1940, he said, “I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian Civilization.”(6) As he contemplated the defense of London during the Battle of Britain, he referred to the metropolis as "this strong City of Refuge which…is of deep consequence to Christian civilization."(7) In 1944, he said, "It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the whole world and the hopes of a broadening civilization founded upon Christian ethics depends upon the relations between the British Commonwealth of Nations and the USA."(8) In his famous "Iron Curtain" speech on March 5, 1946, after the war had ended, Churchill still sounded the warning, saying that the Communist parties infiltrating postwar nations "constitute a growing challenge and peril to Christian civilization."(9) Churchill knew the war was about more than a madman’s lust for power; satan was behind it. Satan has planned many actions and enterprises over the centuries to oppose Christ’s cause, just as he did with Hitler and the Nazis, followed by Communism. Today’s Marxist wokism, partnering with secularism, is more of the same. (Secularism is the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element.) The intent of satan, the author of these evils, is to stop the gospel of Christ’s Kingdom from succeeding. Though his spiritual war manifests in physical wars and political beliefs, we must never forget that the roots and causes of all antichrist efforts are spiritual. The War For America The war for the soul of America springs from this battle. Raised up to trumpet Christ’s good news to the ends of the earth and having become a key player in this righteous cause, America has become a primary target of satan and his kingdom. He wants to steal our destiny because it is linked to Christ’s cause. This war over America is ultimately the same war Churchill and the Allies were fighting. Satan doesn’t care whether he rules people by force, as in Nazi or Marxist dictators, or through intellectual ideals such as paganism, secularism, or hedonism (the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good). As long as he can keep people from the truth of the gospel and the spiritual freedom it produces, he is satisfied. The same cynics who today scoff at statements regarding America being raised up for the cause of Christ would no doubt have scoffed at Churchill’s statements that he and Britain were fighting for Christian ideals and civilization. And they’re just as wrong today as they would have been then. When we pray for America’s spiritual revival, we are praying for the salvation of a billion souls around the world. Our Focus and Commitment This also means we must be just as focused and committed today as the Allies were then. Our cause is just as noble. Do not be deterred by accusations of “Christian nationalism,” “followers of Trump,” “the bigoted right,” “hate mongers,” “insurrectionists,” or the various “phobics” words they coin. We know who we are and who we are not. Don’t be distracted by liars and propagandists who oppose and try to define us. When Israel’s destiny was in peril because of their compromise, Jeremiah prophesied, “Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, the tried-and-true road. Then take it,” (Jeremiah 6:16, The Message). We must do the same. Knowing the United States of America was God’s idea, connected to His cause, our Founders left no doubt about this. Consider the revealing words of George Washington and John Quincy Adams. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion, and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” (George Washington)(10) “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” (John Quincy Adams)(11) It doesn’t get any clearer than that. America’s old road leads back to the old road of the gospel and the Cross, the birthplace of Churchill’s “Christian civilization.” Pray with me: Father, You are leading us back to the old road, the ancient path (Jeremiah 6:16). We are re-capturing our roots and destiny as a nation, and will cast off the shackles of false ideologies and demonic strongholds. This is being enabled and empowered by the prayers of Your people, as they come into agreement with Your will. Even the coming shaking is to facilitate this return to destiny, not end it. Just as Churchill was called from his mother‘s womb to help preserve freedom and Christian ideals around the world, we have been called from our mother‘s wombs, as well. We were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). You determined the time in which we would live and the boundaries of our habitation, (Acts 17:26), which means we live now because You willed it. We will not be deterred from our cause, distracted by demonic strategies and assaults, nor waver in our commitment. We will see the sweeping revival You have promised, and the fruit of its redemptive power. This redemption will not only affect individuals, but the corporality of our nation and the nations of the world. We will not fail because it is not our strength or wisdom that gives us victory, but Your power and wisdom. We decree that Marxism, wokism, secularism, hedonism, paganism, nor any other mindset will prevail against God‘s purposes for America. We decree that the ungodly leaders in our land who partner with these forces also will not prevail; we pray for their salvation and deliverance. We bind every stronghold of deception working in our land and loose the revelation that brings conviction and truth. And we prophesy to the wind of the Spirit to blow on the dry bones of America. We pray and decree all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s cause is our cause, and we will apprehend that for which we were apprehended. (Philippians 3:12) ******************************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------- Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley, God and Churchill (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum), p. 4. Stephen Mansfield, “The Hidden Calling,” The Christian Post, July 19, 2012; http://blogs.christianpostcom/in-our-time/the-hidden-calling-10923. Ibid. Stephen Mansfield, “Why Winston Churchill?” stephenmansfield.tv, November 30, 2009. For background, see also Stephen Mansfield, Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill (Cumberland House, 1997). Winston Churchill, “The Munich Agreement” (speech to the House of Commons, London, October 5, 1938). The full text of this speech can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1930-1938-the-wilderness/the-munich-agreement. Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley, God and Churchill (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum), p. 91. Winston Churchill, “Their Finest Hour” Speech, June 18, 1940. Winston Churchill, “War of the Unknown Warriors,” BBC broadcast, July 14, 1940. The full text of this speech can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/war-of-the-unknown-warriors. Winston S. Churchill, speech at the Pilgrims Society luncheon for ambassador-designate Lord Halifax, London, January 9, 1941. See Robert Rhodes James, ed., Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches 1897-1963 (New York: Bowker; 1974), vol. 6, 6327-6328. Winston Churchill: “The Sinews of Peace” (speech at Westminster College, Fulton, MO, March 5, 1946). The full text of this speech (also commonly known as the “Iron Curtain” speech) can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1946-1963-elder-statesman/the-sinews-of-peace. Simpson, Douglas, Looking for America: Rediscovering the Meaning of Freedom (Enumclaw, WA: WinePress Publishing, 2006), p. 304. Ibid.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-8-2023 December 8, 2023 “No Trespassing” Yesterday, I shared a little about kairos times; the word means “strategic time; the right time; the opportune point of time at which something should or must be done."(1) Kairos prayers are those prayed in response to Holy Spirit’s warnings, or during crises. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to approach God’s throne of grace boldly, obtaining grace and mercy in those times (kairos) of need. In the post, I related an amazing testimony regarding a kairos situation, a kairos prayer, and a kairos answer. Here is another amazing testimony. Gale Mummert, a member of our fellowship in Colorado Springs, shared the remarkable testimony of her family’s protection during a kairos time of danger in Lancaster, Texas. “As we were driving home in threatening weather, my husband, Gene, turned on the radio for a local report. Funnel clouds had, indeed, been spotted nearby. After arriving home, things grew strangely calm. “In a short while, the wind started to blow fiercely. Trees were bent over, and the walls of the house began to flutter. Windows rattled and hail beat on the carport. ‘Get into the hall and close the doors,’ my husband shouted. ‘Get pillows, blankets and a flashlight.’ “‘Nana, I’m scared,’ cried our five-year-old grandson, William. “‘Jesus will take care of us. Don’t be afraid,’ I told him. “Suddenly, sirens began to go off in our small town. The walls moved as though they weren't anchored to anything. ‘If we are not in a tornado, we are close.’ shouted Gene as he ran into the hall. “‘Link arms and sit on the floor,’ I said. "’I love you,’ Gene said to us as he surrounded us with blankets and pillows, covered us with his body, and enveloped us with his arms. A mighty rushing wind was all around us and sucked us together into a ball. ‘Pray! Keep praying,’ he said. "’God Almighty, help us!’ we screamed. “Explosion! “Windows shattered, glass flew everywhere. Another explosion. The walls caved in. Debris shot everywhere like arrows toward their target. "’Jesus, help us! You are our Savior! You are our King!’ my voice cried. I looked up - the roof was falling on us. A ladder crashed down on my husband. "’Now start praising Him,’ Gene shouted through the wind. “The next blast was the worst. There was nothing we could do. Only He could help us. Everything was out of control, but we knew the sovereignty of God. We knew we were at the point of death, but we shouted, ‘Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Lord!’ “Suddenly, peace filled me like a flood. A sweet voice filled my heart, ‘I've heard your cry for help. I've bent the heavens for you. No matter what happens around you, I'm here protecting you.’ Tears flooded my face and I knew Jesus was protecting us. It seemed His arms had surrounded us. I knew we would be safe. “The tornado was over. The rain beat down on us with a force I had never felt before. We were safe. ‘Mama, I see the sky,’ little William said. "’William, that's because the roof is gone. We probably won't have any walls, either,’ Gene informed him. "’I'm so thankful we're okay,’ our daughter Wendy cried. ‘Jesus protected us, didn't He?’ Though buried under tons of debris, our hair covered with insulation and glass, we were okay. Just a few minor injuries.”(1) The Mummerts may no longer have physical walls, but they had spiritual walls! Paga, building walls and boundaries of protection through intercession, had protected them. In my book Intercessory Prayer, I relate the following testimony: “I heard a guest lecturer at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas, tell another interesting story involving not a kairos moment, but a kairos season of building boundaries (paga) of protection. “He had a vivid reocurring dream, which he felt strongly was a warning from the Lord, of his married daughter dying. In the dream, he was not shown how her death happened, but he felt strongly that satan had a well-laid plan to take his daughter’s life. So as not to alarm her, he told only his son-in-law, and the two of them began to intercede (paga) daily for her safety. They were building boundaries (paga) of protection around her. “This minister related how several times each day - while he worked, drove his car, walked, whenever it came to mind - he would bind satan’s plan to take his daughter’s life. Then he would declare the protection of the Lord over her. “About a month later - remember, I said this was a kairos season and mentioned he prayed daily - his daughter received a promotion at work. With the promotion came a life insurance policy that mandated a physical exam. “At one point in the process, after a blood sample had been taken, a doctor addressed her in a near panic with the question and comments, ‘Lady, what have you been doing in your diet? We can find no potassium in you. There is no reasonable explanation as to why you’re alive. When this deficiency occurs, a person can feel fine but suddenly drop dead. We must get you to the hospital immediately and begin to replenish the potassium.’ “The daughter lived, of course. She had been on a strange diet for several weeks, during which she had eaten only one or two kinds of food. Though there was no medical explanation as to why she lived, we know the spiritual explanation: a boundary (paga) of protection was built in the spirit through prayer.”(3) Regardless of what may be occurring around you, you can abide in the secret place of the Most High God (Psalm 91). Post “No Trespassing” signs around you and yours daily. Refuse to allow demonic encroachment. “No evil…no plague…” the Psalm says. A while back, I read this Psalm over you, but I want to do so again today as our prayer. I am including it, so you can read along with me, out loud. I encourage you to do so daily. Pray with me: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings, you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day, the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. ‘Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life, I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.’” (Psalm 91 NASB) Our decree: The Lord is our Shepherd; therefore, we fear no evil! (Psalm 23:1, 4) ****************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------- Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, Published by Baker Books. ---------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 2540. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books), pp. 97-99. Ibid., pp. 101-102.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-11-2023 December 11, 2023 Introduction My heart continues to be pulled toward prodigals. God is definitely emphasizing prayer for them at this time. Our friend, Dr. Brenda Marlin, has written a great article regarding praying for prodigals. Ceci and I had the privilege of knowing Brenda and her husband, David, several years ago when they attended our church in Colorado. At the time, she was president of the official women’s ministry of U.S. military chapels. I know her sound and practical wisdom will help us pray more effectively. The Divine Setup Do you have an adult child who has run away from God? Does thinking about praying for them leave you with a deep feeling of weariness and despair? If you’re a church leader, do you keep the disappointment hidden to avoid judgment by others? Do you feel as though your prayers remain unheard, and you are left hopeless? Or do you feel confused and disappointed with God because you think you did almost everything right in raising your child, and they turned away from God anyway? I have experienced some of these same feelings. In the process of living through an agonizing season of watching my daughter fall away from God, and then return to a wonderful relationship with Him, I learned that He is a loving, sovereign, good, good Father. I also discovered there are redemptive treasures found within difficult seasons. The supernatural peace, joy, and growth I received toward the end of that time were undeniable. But more than that, I learned how to love God and others more profoundly and accept His love for me more fully. Likewise, your journey of praying for your prodigal will produce a season of good things if you trust God and don’t give up. Vital Truth Isaiah 61 addresses how God rebuilds ancient ruins and restores what’s been broken for generations. God wants to transform His children, so He never gets weary or tired in the lifelong pursuit of His beloved. He looks for ways to fertilize and grow the seeds of destiny locked away within the gardens of our souls. If you find yourself in the situation of loving a prodigal adult child, you’re not in the minority, and you are not alone! No one needs to hide in shame, because healing comes from sharing what we are experiencing with trusted friends and counselors. Recent survey results released in George Barna’s American Worldview Inventory 2020-2021 reveal that a meager percentage of Generation X and Millennials has a biblical worldview. Although many indicate they are Christians, they do not hold to foundational biblical truths. The way they define Christian living is vastly different from the way older generations believe. Considering this evidence, we need God to help us in a time of great need. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, our children need a wake-up call to understand the depravity of their situation. They need a spiritual revelation, opening their eyes to see their need for the one true God. All these distressing issues are leading to a divine setup of biblical proportions. To help encourage and align us with God’s plan for this coming season, I want to suggest a few strategies to help heal your heart from past discouragement and position you for the forthcoming great awakening. If parents and grandparents join God in doing the specific prayer work I suggest, the benefits will unlock revival in our hearts that will flow down and bear good fruit for generations to come. Face fear head-on. Decision-making based on fear never takes you down the right path. Face the fearful thoughts regarding your prodigal and confess them to God. Read and meditate on such passages as 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18 and Philippians 4:6-8 to start the prayer strategy process. Trust the process. Many weary parents get discouraged because they don’t see a quick enough turnaround in their prodigal child. Stories about instant deliverances in the lives of others’ loved ones keep parents hoping for the same. When that doesn’t come, discouragement can set in. However, God must often take people through a process versus an instant transformation. Stand on whatever promises God has given you and trust He is at work in both you and your child, even if you don’t see Him working. Make it personal. If you think your prayers don’t matter, think again. When I was at the point of being too tired or disappointed in seeing little to no results from my prayers, the Lord reminded me of my favorite Scripture, Proverbs 3:5-6. He had me repeat it in a first-person manner, emphasizing the word “all.” “Trust Me with all your heart, and do not lean into your own understanding, Brenda.” Fear has no place in trusting God and His perfect love for you and your children. So personalize it and place your name in this encouraging Scripture. Renounce ill-spoken words. In times of frustration, we speak of things we later regret. Our words have great power. Proverbs 18:21 tells us how the tongue has the power of life and death; what you say matters. Ask God if there are any negative words you’ve spoken about or to your children regarding judgments you’ve made. Speaking words and phrases such as “They will never …,” or, “You’re never going to …,” influences and reinforces the behavior you do not want to see. Confess to God the negative words you’ve spoken, and renounce them. Then, take time to announce opposite words of truth that bring life. Ask your child’s forgiveness if they heard you say these things. Ask for fresh revelation. Song of Songs 4:12 says you are a garden locked up. Seeds of potential are buried within the garden of your soul. When we turn to God with our pain and disappointment, He can redeem everything. I learned that in the place of pressure and fiery trials, the Holy Spirit brings beautiful gems and treasures from the ashes of our lives. From the understanding God gave me of the Song of Songs, I now use this book and my artwork as a strategic prayer template for helping people move into His plan. Pray and ask God to give you a fresh revelation of something new He’s unlocking in you through this situation. Abide in the Father’s love. Spending daily time abiding with God to seek His love, peace, wisdom, and comfort helped me more than anything else. Pray that God gives both you and your child a revelation of the deep love of the Father. Pray Ephesians 1:17-18, that God would provide a spirit of wisdom and revelation for you and your child to know Him more and that the eyes of your hearts would open to see Him in the midst of your lives. Speak into another mother and father’s prodigal child. Speak life into a young adult. Even a word or two spoken to a cashier, waitress, or employee you work with can move mountains and set things in motion for their return to God. There is life in your words and the prayers of parents behind those words. In all things, praise the Lord. Thank God and worship Him. He knows what it will take to turn your beloved around. Trust Him with all your heart and lean not into your understanding. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy! Acknowledge to your Heavenly Father how you feel about your child’s decisions, and then let the joy of the Lord be your strength. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him with the process. Read and pray from the book of Psalms for added encouragement and comfort during these difficult times. Find a battle buddy. God has not designed you to carry your burdens alone. I have a group of trusted friends with whom I pray regularly. Long ago, I prayed and asked God to send me a friend to pray with who had children around my children’s age. He answered my prayer, connecting me to a lady who worked only two buildings up from mine. We quickly became prayer battle buddies and dear friends who have prayed for our children through some tough times. We have seen both little and big victories, but most of all, we have seen God’s love abound immeasurably more than we asked, hoped for, or imagined (see Eph. 3:19-20). God answered my prayer for a prayer battle buddy, but I got so much more than that. Let love be your guide. Let 1 Corinthians 13 be your template for how to love your prodigal. Choose to listen to them. Since they have walked away from God, let the Holy Spirit weave together His master plan of how to reach them. We can join Him by continuing to pray for them and showing His love in practical ways. When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, He helps us walk out our difficult seasons with His grace and strength. Even if you are in the painful years of agony, watching your adult child throw away everything they have learned about God, He will always be with you. You will no longer have to run and hide from the judgment of others but find help and treasures in this challenging season of your life. God can redeem, rebuild and bring beauty from the ashes of your life and your prodigal’s as well. He can make everything beautiful in its time (see Eccl. 3:11). Pray with me: Father, as Brenda reminds us, Your heart beats for the saving and restoring of all people. You rebuild ancient ruins and restore what has been broken (Isaiah 61). We lock our faith into this truth, knowing You are working in the lives of our prodigals to remove strongholds, destroy deception, and revive truth. We will hold fast to this throughout the process, casting down all fear and refusing to waver. Lord, our prodigals have been the victims of a decades-long strategy to discredit Your Word. This has occurred through our education system, our government, entertainment, and religion. We do believe, however, that You are setting things up in our nation for a great awakening of prodigals - through the coming shaking, outbreaks of power, explosions of truth, and a release of Your great love. We break the power of any word curses we or others have spoken over our children, renouncing them and replacing them with Your words: Our children are and will be taught of the Lord; their peace and wholeness is and will be great! No weapon that has ever been formed against them will prosper; this is our - and their - heritage from the Lord (Isaiah 54:13-17). Our decree: We decree that all of our children will know, love, and be taught by Father God. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------- Today’s post was written by Dr. Brenda Marlin. Brenda is a speaker, author, and artist. She is also a professor and former president of the official international women’s ministry of U.S. military chapels. Brenda and her husband David (retired Sgt. First Class) live in central Texas, where they continue to minister to the military and others. Find out more about her at BrendaMarlin.com.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-7-2023 December 7, 2023 As He Was Flying Through The Air Much has been said of late about the potential for terrorism here in America. The open border policies of Biden, Mayorkas, and the Dems have allowed drugs, rapists, murderers, gang members, human traffickers and their slaves, and doubtlessly many terrorists into our nation. Apart from the many practical difficulties and human suffering this is creating, the sheer evil of it is abhorrent and unconscionable. These leaders know that over a hundred thousand people are killed each year by fentanyl, that tens of thousands of children have disappeared in the trafficking, and that terrorists are coming in. They allow this for the potential of future voters, and because they want to destroy the America we knew. There aren’t words adequate to describe the evil of this cruelty. The terrorism could very well be related to the shaking God has spoken of. Regardless, it is coming, and sad to say, is the reaping from voting immoral, unprincipled, power-at-any-cost reprobates into our government. When asked about the current threat, FBI Director Wray said: “What I would say that is unique about the environment that we're in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they may be right now, I've never seen a time where all the threats or so many of the threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time." Comparing the warnings to red lights, Wray said, "I see blinking red lights everywhere…The threat level has gone to a whole nother level since October 7 [the invasion of Israel by Hamas]."(1) It is very important during this season that we are alert to Holy Spirit’s warnings, and diligent to cover our families, friends, and leaders with prayer. I taught some on this a while back, but feel I should do so again today and tomorrow. In Joshua 19, the word paga (the Hebrew word for intercession) is used several times. This passage describes the dimensions or boundaries of each of the tribes of Israel. Paga is translated several ways in various translations, including "reached to," "touched," "bordered," and "boundary."(2) The Spirit-Filled Bible says paga, when used in this context, is the extent to which a boundary reaches. Applying this to prayer, we can build boundaries of protection around ourselves and others through intercession. This facet of intercession is something we should do daily for our family and loved ones. There are also specific times when the Holy Spirit will alert us to particular situations requiring urgent prayers for protection - kairos prayers. I’ve taught on the subject of timing more than once in Give Him 15 posts, but here is a quick review. There are multiple Greek words for "time." The primary word is chronos, which refers to time in general; it is the general "time in which anything is done."(3) Another very important word, kairos, is "the right time; the opportune point in time at which something should be done."(4) A window of opportunity would be kairos time, as would a well-timed attack in war, or a moment of danger. On the other hand, what time of day it currently is would be chronos time. The Scriptures speak of kairos prayers, prayer offered during critical times of need. Ephesians 6:18, the context of which is spiritual warfare, says that we are to "be on the alert ... for all the saints" and "pray at all times [kairos] in the Spirit." This verse is not telling us to pray all the time - that would be chronos - but to pray at all strategic times (kairos). In other words, in this spiritual war, our adversary wants to steal, kill, destroy, and hinder our efforts. However, if we are alert Holy Spirit will warn us of satan’s well-timed attacks (kairos), so that we can establish a boundary (paga) of protection by praying. A friend of ours experienced an amazing answer to kairos prayer several years ago. Early one morning, she went to visit her son and daughter-in-law. The son worked an all-night shift, so, awaiting his return from work, mom and daughter-in-law visited for a short while. As time wore on, however, and the son didn't arrive, Mom, an intercessor, began to feel uneasy. Something wasn’t right. Thinking that perhaps he had to work overtime and was still at work, they called his place of employment to check. "No," they were told, "he has indeed left." Naturally, they both had assumed he left work at his normal time; if so, he should have been home by now. In fact, he actually HAD worked a little overtime and had only left moments before they called. But the fact that this wasn’t communicated to them was orchestrated by Holy Spirit. Knowing her son had left work and believing he should be home by now, Mom became even more alarmed. "I'm concerned,” she said. “Something is wrong. Let's drive toward his place of work." As mom and daughter-in-law drove toward the son’s workplace on a busy Dallas parkway, they saw him coming toward them from the other direction, on his motorcycle, traveling around 45 to 50 miles per hour. At that moment, he fell asleep! They watched as he veered off the road, hit the curb, and flew 40 or 50 feet through the air! If that were not bad enough, He wasn’t even wearing a helmet. That would be a kairos moment! BUT because of Holy Spirit’s alert that something wasn’t right, Mom was there to pray! As he was flying through the air, she was shouting, "Jesus, protect my son!" PAGA! She continued praying as they hurriedly turned around and nervously drove back to him. A crowd had gathered around, and they ran to the scene, wondering what they would find. They found a miracle! NO injuries - no bones broken, no lacerations, no internal injuries. Just a dazed young man wondering what had just happened. Paga happened...Kairos paga happened! A mother picked up on the warning from Holy Spirit, was in the right place at the right time, and a boundary of protection was built. Let’s be diligent in listening to Holy Spirit’s warnings during this time of danger. Also, declare Psalm 91 over your family daily. Build walls of protection around them, declaring: “No evil will befall my family; no plague will come near their dwelling!” Ask for angels to surround and protect them (Psalm 91:9-10). In fact, why not declare the entire Psalm over them; as we shared yesterday, this releases God’s power. Live in the secret place! Pray with me: Father, thank You for the availability of the Psalm 91 secret place of safety and protection. Your name, Your authority, is a strong tower; we run into it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10) We can build walls - boundaries of protection - around ourselves and loved ones as we declare Your word and place our faith in Your protective covering. We boldly declare that no evil will successfully harm us or our families; no violence will penetrate Your covering. You will hide us from every attempt to do so. Angels encamp about us and keep us safe in all of our ways. You are a shield around us, and nothing will penetrate this shield. Alert us, Holy Spirit, to any strategic or critical time we need to pray for someone we know. We will be alert for Your guidance and respond appropriately. We pray for our nation and leaders. Thank You for the word You gave us to paint our borders and stake our nation to its covenant with You. We have done so. We know that there is shaking coming, but we also know that there is protection, even as the shaking occurs. Keep our nation during this time. We pray, especially, for key leaders that You have raised up during this time in our history. Please protect them from all evil, in Jesus' name. Our decree: We decree that no weapon, no evil strategy, and not even an accident will prosper against us. ***************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-director-terror-threats-elevated-all-time-high-oct-7-blinking-lights-everywhere James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 6293. Ibid., ref. no. 5550. Ibid., ref. no. 2540.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-6-2023 December 6, 2023 The Secret to Releasing God’s Power “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 NASB) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14 NASB) “Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 NASB) Today, I want to encourage you as you pray - for prodigals, unsaved individuals, the miracle you need, even the saving of America. And since people are already thinking about Christmas, I thought I’d do so with a passage that has to do with the birth of Christ. Luke 1:37, shown above, was the angel's response to Mary‘s question of how she, as a virgin, could possibly have a baby. The angel told her Holy Spirit would overshadow her and impregnate her with Christ. (v. 35) He then mentioned Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist. (v. 36) Then he made the powerful statement in verse 37, “With God, nothing is impossible.” A more literal and accurate translation of this verse is, “For no word spoken by God is without power.” Just let that sink in. The angel was saying, “The words I’m speaking to you are God’s words. Therefore, they have the power to perform this miracle. No word spoken by Him is without power.” What a statement. Whether it be an angel speaking God’s words, as it was here, a prophet (Isaiah 55:11), or an intercessor walking and talking with God, no word God has spoken is without power. This is why I often put Scripture references in the prayers at the end of the posts, as I did yesterday. I want you to know which verses the prayer is based on so you can be confident in its power, and also to equip you as you continue praying and declaring God’s Words. There is no more powerful prayer, or weapon against satan, than speaking God’s Word. As you pray for your prodigal, speak the Word. Use verses Holy Spirit gives you personally, of course; you can begin by using the references I gave in yesterday’s prayer. The other two verses above (Hebrews 4:14 and 10:23) encourage us to hold firmly to our “confession” of faith. Confession is the Greek word homologia, which simply means to “say the same.”(1) “Confessing” our faith in God is “saying what He says” - literally. This is how our faith is released: by saying what God says. This is how His power is released from us: by saying what God says, which is never without power. Don’t overcomplicate it; just say what God says. Say what He says about salvation. Say what He says about overcoming demonic strongholds. Say what He says about your needs being met. Say what He says about your body. Say what He says about our nation. Say what God says! Both of these two verses in Hebrews also tell us to “hold firmly” to “saying what He says.” (The KJV uses the phrase “hold fast.”) Each verse uses a different word, however, when telling us to hold firmly to what God says. The first verse (Hebrews 4:14) uses krateo; (2) the other (10:23) uses katecho.(3)Though they sound similar, these are completely different words. The first (krateo) is from a word meaning strength or might; this is telling us that regardless of how much effort it requires, we must be determined to keep saying what God says. Why? Because no word He has spoken is without power! “Holding firm” in the second verse (katecho) is from a word simply meaning “to hold” something. This form of the word, however, adds intensity to the meaning: don’t let go! Hold on! Don’t let go of saying what God says. Grab His word, say it, say it again, and keep on saying it! By using both of these words, Holy Spirit is telling us: “Hold on, keep on holding on; hold on with all of your might and strength to what God says!” Why? Because no words spoken by God are without power!!! When you say what He says, you are releasing His power! The verse in Hebrews 4:14 actually occurs in the context of prayer. Two verses later (v.16), we are told to come boldly to the throne of grace, where we will receive mercy and grace in our times of need. So, “As you pray,” God is saying, “hold on to saying what I say - with all your might and strength - which will release the power of My Words and promises. And finally, Hebrews 10:23 above tells us to do this “without wavering.” This is a figurative use of the Greek word aklines,(4) which literally means “not leaning.” The concept of the root word, klino,(5) is “to slant, slope, or lean.” The prefix “a" in Greek makes it a negative - “without leaning” or “don’t lean.” The point is: stand upright! Be firm! Don’t let anything knock you off balance! If you’re leaning, you won’t be able to stay on target as you press toward the finish line. You will get off course; you’ll waver. Hold on to what God says; keep saying it, and this will keep you on course. . . WHILE IT RELEASES HIS POWER! Take some time and look up verses that relate to the issue for which you are praying, whether that be a prodigal or a nation. Holy Spirit will lead you to various verses. Perhaps even get a friend or two to do the same, then combine your lists and the insights He gives. Then begin saying them. Declare them over your situation/s daily. This will release the awesome power of God. For today’s prayer, let’s do something different. Use the verses I shared in yesterday’s prayer and declare what God leads you to decree from them. Here they are once again: Pray with me: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-6 NASB) “But when he [the prodigal son] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17 NASB) “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13 NASB) “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.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB) “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38 NASB) “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NASB) Our decree: No word spoken by God is without power! ****************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 3671. Ibid., ref. no. 2902. Ibid., ref. no. 2722. Ibid., ref. no. 186. Ibid., ref. no. 2827.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-5-2023 December 5, 2023 More Than Enough, With More Added to That In discussing why persevering prayer is necessary when praying for our prodigals, we have looked at several issues. First, we noted that God’s power is present in us, the church, not just in heaven, and God wants to release this power from us. Yesterday, we said that spiritual power is a measurable force, and different amounts are needed to accomplish different things. When God’s plan is to release His power from us, we must continue releasing Holy Spirit’s power until a sufficient amount has flowed to accomplish the task. We’ll continue this discussion today. More Than Enough Ephesians 3:20-21 are two significant verses: “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and forever. Amen.” (NASB) Now, let me be somewhat technical. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. The phrase “exceeding abundantly beyond” is one compound word in the Greek text: huperekperissou.(1) This word isn’t found in older Greek literature but is in biblical writings. Through the use of this fascinating word, Holy Spirit is making an important statement. The root word, perissos,(2) in and of itself, means “superabundant;” in other words, more than abundant, more than enough. The added prefix huper,(3) however, gives the word another “beyond” or “more than.” His power is more than, more than enough! And yet, the ek(4) form of the word strengthens it further! This new word literally means: “superabundantly…with more added to that,” or “beyond more than enough,” or perhaps “more than more than enough and more!” Phillip Varady Sr. explains it as follows (I’ll only read a portion): “A rare double compound (huper, ek, perissou) not found in older Greek literature but is found in biblical writings, is an adverb (the only other occurrences in the New Testament are translated in 1 Thessalonians 3:10 and 5:13 as exceedingly and very highly, respectively. The only usage in the Septuagint is from Daniel 3:22, where it is used to describe the furnace into which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be thrown as "exceeding" hot). Vine's lists the different forms of this adverb: perissos, the basic word which conveys the sense of an amount beyond the normal measure, or abundantly, then huperperissos, a strengthened form of the basic which signifies "exceeding abundantly," used in Mark 7:37 where it is translated "beyond measure" and finally huperekperissou which is a still further strengthened form which requires yet another modifier to indicate its superiority beyond merely "exceedingly abundant" but that would then become awkward. It would be "very extremely extraordinarily abundant" in English, which borders on incomprehensibility. It would be easier to translate it as infinitely, as Bullinger indicates in the Companion Bible.”(5) Yes, infinitely! In this verse, Paul, describing God’s power at work in us, says, “God has enough power to do superabundantly beyond - with even more added to that! - what we can even ask or think.” Finite human language can’t describe our infinite God; He’s simply too great, too powerful, too good. This Power Now Dwells In Us But this isn’t the end of the verse! The last half of Ephesians 3:20 tells us God is going to do this more than more than enough through the power that works “in us.” Not just in heaven - IN US! This all-powerful God has taken up residence in us! An Expanded Translation of the New Testament by Kenneth Wuest is the most literal and exact translation of the New Testament I know of. Wuest points out the incredible, superabundant power of God, but also makes clear that it is based on the measure of its operation in us. We must cooperate with Holy Spirit, drawing on, activating, and releasing His power: “Now to the One who is able to do beyond all things, superabundantly beyond and over and above those things that we are asking for ourselves and considering, in the measure of the power which is operative in us . . .” (Ephesians 3:20)(6) James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (KJV). Again, Wuest gives us added insight, translating it this way: “A prayer of a righteous person is able to do much as it operates.” Notice the verse doesn’t say, “A prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it causes God to operate.” God certainly does operate from heaven in response to our prayers, releasing His power. At times, however, His power flows from Holy Spirit in us as we speak His words. When Peter was used to heal the lame man in Acts 3:6, he said, “Such as I HAVE, give I thee.” It was obviously Holy Spirit’s power, but it was released from him. The verse in James makes this point. The Amplified translation reads, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [is dynamic in its working].” Notice the word “continued”; the Amplified Bible captures the present tense meaning of the verb. This is why Elijah, when producing the provision of rain this verse in James is referring to, continued to pray and release the power of God - seven times. His prayers were releasing power each time he prayed. I am not implying that we can release this power according to our will and pleasure. We must be led by the Spirit in this regard, and release His power as He directs us. Yet, we must do so, commanding His Kingdom authority and power into situations, and His will to be accomplished, just as Jesus told us in Matthew 16:18-19. Yesterday, I mentioned praying a year for a girl in a coma, an hour or two each week. I am confident I was releasing the power of the Holy Spirit every time I prayed. Finally, enough power was released, and the miracle occurred. As you declare God’s word and promises over your prodigal, His power is being released. No word from Him returns void without accomplishing its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). Each time you declare the power of satan’s hold broken over them, his hold weakens. Every time you declare the power of the Cross over them, more of it flows to them. Don’t stop! Persevere! They’re coming home! Pray with me (I’m including some Scripture verses for you): Father, we thank You for Your desire to save all people. You certainly desire to open the eyes of our prodigals and draw them back to You. Holy Spirit is willing to release His power from us to see them set free from satan’s control. We thank You for Your grace, mercy, and love. We bind every strategy of satan and his demons to keep them blinded, and we release Holy Spirit’s power now to bring them to their senses, just as it did in the story of the prodigal in Scripture (2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Luke 15:17). We declare that the blood of Jesus delivers them from the power of darkness and brings them into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). We release the power of the Holy Spirit to break strongholds of pride and wrong thought processes off of them; we destroy those arguments in Jesus’ name (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We ask You to send laborers to them - the appropriate people and messages - to communicate to them what is needed (Matthew 9:38). We are confident You will do this because it is Your will that they be saved (2 Peter 3:9). In Christ’s powerful name, amen. Our decree: We decree that the power of God is being released to our prodigals, destroying every stronghold of darkness, and setting them free. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full videos ------------------------------------------------ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 5248b. Ibid., ref. no. 4053. Ibid., ref. no. 5228. Ibid., ref. no. 1537. http://www.varady.org/prvSR/writings/biblical/eph320.cfm Kenneth Wuest, The New Testament: An Expanded Translation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1961).

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-4-2023 December 4, 2023 The Game-Changer We have been praying for prodigals to return to their relationship with God. We’ve established that we are conduits of God‘s power, and must release this power into situations - not just ask God to act. Usually, we must release this power persistently, persevering in prayer. Friday, we discussed what are NOT accurate reasons why we must persevere: we do not do so to earn answers, reach a magic number of required prayers, persuade God, or wrestle answers from Him. So, why DO we have to persist and persevere in prayer? It seems simple to me now, but for many years, I did not consciously think of spiritual elements such as love, grace, righteousness, sin, etc., as existing at different levels. But just as the strength or degree of invisible elements in our natural world vary and can be measured, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, unseen spiritual elements exist in varying measures also. For example, there are different levels of faith (Romans 12:3), of righteousness and sin (Genesis 15:16), of grace (2 Corinthians 9:8; Acts 4:33), and of love (John 15:13; Matthew 24:12; Philippians 1:9). And, of course, there are varying levels of spiritual power. Logically, just as with natural elements, certain amounts of the above-mentioned spiritual forces must be released in the spirit realm in order to accomplish certain things. Focusing on power, different levels are required for different situations. Just as in the physical realm less power is needed to light a flashlight than a building, or a building as opposed to a city, the same dynamic is true in the spirit realm. Different amounts of God’s power are needed to accomplish different things. It requires more power to raise the dead than to heal a headache! In Mark 6, Jesus could not get enough of His power to people in Nazareth to perform a miracle, although enough was reaching them to produce some healings. This certainly proves that differing amounts of power are needed for different situations. Notice: the issue wasn’t God’s will or the release of power from Christ. He wanted to work miracles, and His power was being released. The problem was on the receiving end - the people’s unbelief kept them from receiving the full level of His power. Unbelief had erected a wall. In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples had been successfully casting out demons and healing the sick, which Jesus had given them authority and power to do. Then, an insane boy was brought to them, and they were not able to deliver him of the spirit of insanity. Some would have assumed that it must not have been God’s will to do so, but Jesus came, exorcised the demon and healed the boy. The disciples had enough power flowing to deal with most demons and diseases, but they encountered one that required more power than they possessed. Again, the obvious conclusion is that different, measurable levels of power are needed to accomplish different things. When the prophet Elijah ministered to a widow’s son who had died, he spread himself out on the corpse face to face, and prayed three times before the boy was finally resurrected (see 1 Kings 17:21). Why did Elijah have to do so three times? Because he wasn’t operating at the level of faith needed the first two? Because he did something wrong the first two times? We are not told the reason, but it is not even slightly insinuated that either of those things were true. The logical explanation is that Elijah was releasing more power and life from his spirit, or as Jesus called it in John 7:38, his spiritual “womb,” each time he prayed. It takes a good bit of life and power to raise the dead! Elijah’s spiritual son, Elisha, faced a similar situation in 2 Kings 4. A young man had died, and he was trying to raise him from the dead. First, Elisha simply prayed (verse 33), and seemingly nothing happened. Then he laid on top of the boy and prayed (verse 34); this time, the boy grew warm. The prophet walked back and forth praying again, then bent over the child, doing what we are not told (verse 35); he was probably praying more. This time, the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Why didn’t the boy regain life after the first or second prayer? Again, the obvious answer is that each time Elisha prayed he was releasing more power. Finally, it was enough. Most often, prayer breakthroughs are the result of a prayer process. We don’t typically pray or command one time and experience the desired results. Usually, we must persevere in doing so until enough power has been released to accomplish what is needed. It is also why the prayer of agreement, which multiplies power, is often needed. When it appears God has finally “gotten around to it,” or when we think a breakthrough suddenly occurred, the reality is usually that enough power has been released and accomplished through our prayers to accomplish what is needed. I once prayed in my prayer language an hour a day for 30 straight days, interceding for Ceci’s healing from ovarian cysts. They gradually shrank each day as more and more power was released. The cysts were medically diagnosed, as was the healing. In 1985, Holy Spirit assigned me to pray for a young, comatose girl. Viral encephalitis had damaged her brain, reducing her to a vegetative state for the past year and a half. The doctors gave her no hope of recovery. At the instruction of Holy Spirit, I prayed over her at least an hour every week - sometimes two hours - for a year. At the end of that year, her brain was completely healed. Why did it take a year to obtain a miracle for this young girl? I believe power was being released each time I prayed. (Both of these testimonies are shared in more detail in my book, Intercessory Prayer.) It was a game-changer for me when this revelation came. I realized that when perseverance in prayer was necessary, it wasn't to persuade God or overcome His reluctance. It was to release more and more of His power. I realized that if what I was praying about was truly God's will, it would eventually occur - IF I continued doing my part. And it is God’s will for the prodigals to return home. We will persevere, and they will return. Pray with me: Father, it is very important that we learn, not only of Your power, but also Your ways. So we ask You to continue teaching us in this regard. We must know, not only that You CAN do what we are asking of You, but we must also understand HOW You desire to accomplish it so we can cooperate with You. We also ask You to strengthen us in the area of perseverance and determination. May we never quit before we see the results You promised. When we have discerned by Your Spirit that it is time for an outpouring of spiritual rain, You said in Zechariah 10:1 to ask for it. We have discerned it is time for this and therefore, are asking You for the rain. We are appealing for a deluge. Let a mighty, mighty outpouring of Holy Spirit come to this nation and other parts of the earth! And we know that a part of this outpouring is the return of millions of prodigals to You. Pour out Your Spirit on them, just as You did in the book of Acts, with great signs, wonders, and miracles. We release Your mighty power to break strongholds off them and draw them to You. We will do so daily until they return. And we have not forgotten to pray for our government. You have said You were going to restore a righteous government in America. We have some righteous leaders who honor You, and we thank You for them. Many, however, blatantly oppose You, Your ways, and Your Word. Some even mock You. We boldly ask You to remove them; shake up our government. From the White House, to the Capitol, to the Supreme Court - we ask You to remove those who dishonor and oppose You. Give us righteous, wise leaders - men and women of understanding and who honor truth. We will persevere in prayer until we see this take place. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will not relent in our intercession for the return of our prodigals to God. Nor will we relent in our intercession for the restoration of America. *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were adapted from my book, Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker House.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-1-2023 December 1, 2023 If I Pray Enough, Maybe God Will Do This We are learning to be more effective in our praying for prodigals and the unsaved. Yesterday we looked at the fact that we are reservoirs and outlets for God’s power and life. We release His power through the laying on of hands, decreeing His word and promises, and faith-filled praying. Typically, breakthroughs do not occur simply from asking God to do something. As His partners and conduits of His power, He expects and needs us to release this power into situations. Today, we’ll begin discussing why persistence - consistent and ongoing releases of this power - is often required. There are many misconceptions regarding this. Some believe the various provisions we ask of God come with different prayer “prices”: this provision requires asking 10 times; that one is much more valuable, requiring 100 prayers. Or perhaps the price is measured by time: for this item, you must pray for a month; that request, however, will require a year of prayer. While this may seem silly, it is how we subconsciously approach prayer, at times. “If I pray enough, maybe God will do this.” Others, whether consciously or subconsciously, think we can “talk God into” doing things for us. But can we? Can God be won over or persuaded; does He ever “finally decide” to do something? If He truly knows the end from the beginning, as Isaiah 46:10 states, how could He finally decide what to do? Another misconception is that we are “rewarded” with answers to prayer because of our patience or persistence: “Hang in there long enough, and I might do this for you.” Or, as many believe, based on what is commonly called “the prayer of importunity” (Luke 11:5-11), if we persist long enough, or often enough, we can overcome God’s reluctance and motivate Him to give us what we need. I need to slow down a little on this “prayer of importunity” because it is so misinterpreted and misunderstood. Many have been taught all their lives an improper meaning of this passage. Jesus used the illustration of a person who received unexpected visitors late at night but had no food to give them. So, even though it was midnight, he went to the home of a friend, woke him, and asked for three loaves to give his guests. Jesus said, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Verse 8; KJV). Importunity does indeed mean persistence. But importunity is an unfortunate and inaccurate translation. The Greek word used is anaideia, which actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) The root word, aidos, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9, encouraging women to dress modestly, as opposed to revealingly. Here in Luke 11, however, the word occurs with a prefix that makes the meaning negative: “without modesty or shame.” Jesus is actually teaching here in Luke the same message He gives us in Hebrews 4:16: “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace,” rather than approaching God with a sense of unworthiness or shame. In other words, have confidence in the relationship! Just as this petitioner in the story, we can approach God boldly, at any time, knowing we are welcome. What a different meaning than most Christians have been taught regarding this story. Persistence in prayer is not needed in order to overcome God’s reluctance. Unlike an earthly parent, He cannot be “annoyed” into giving us provisions or blessings. Another misconception many believers have is that we must wrestle with God until He gives in and gives us what we desire. To me, the very thought of wrestling God is horrifying! The passage used to teach that we should do so is Genesis 32:22-32, where Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord. Many messages have been preached using Jacob’s words as an example for our praying: “I will not let You go until You bless me.” (verse 26). Scripture, however, does not present this wrestling match as an example of how we are to relate to God in prayer. The reason Jacob’s wrestling lasted all night is firstly that God was allowing it to continue in order to accomplish His goal; the angel of the Lord could have flipped Jacob into space had he wanted to do so. In 2 Chronicles 32:21, one angel destroyed an entire army. Secondly, the reason it took so long to accomplish this goal is that God and Jacob were wrestling for different things. Jacob wanted an assurance that God would protect him from Esau, from whom he had swindled the blessing of the firstborn son; God, however, was using it to accomplish a breaking of Jacob’s conniving nature, in order to transform him. This is why the angel asked Jacob - while they were wrestling! - what seemed like a ridiculous question. In response to Jacob’s demand for the blessing, the angel said, "What is your name?" Doesn't that seem strange? In the midst of the wrestling match, with Jacob’s hip out of joint but him still holding on for dear life, the two of them beginning a nice little conversation to get acquainted. Of course, that isn’t what was actually happening. God was determined to bring Jacob to an awareness and acknowledgment of the truth about his nature, which was described by the meaning of his name. The Amplified Classic translation demonstrates this clearly: "[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, ‘Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!’" (Genesis 32:27). That's what the Lord wanted and needed: Jacob’s revelation and acknowledgment of his condition and need. Jacob didn’t wear God down; God wore Him down. Yahweh was saying, “You might con your earthly father, Jacob, but you can’t con Me. I know who you are, and I know what I need to transform you into. That’s the real “blessing” you need, and I need it for you, too. I can’t do with your life what I want until this transformation occurs. Whether you know it or not, you’re going to help Me save the world. So, You’re right- we’re not leaving here until you get the blessing!” When the breakthrough of humility, revelation and repentance finally occurred; God’s grace and power were immediately released. Jacob received a new nature, along with a new name: Israel. His life and actions from this time on reveal the great transformation that occurred. "But Jacob prevailed," (verse 28), some might say. He “prevailed” by losing. The only way to win a wrestling match with God is to lose. If Jacob, the old nature, wins, Israel loses; if Jacob loses, Israel wins. The only way to truly find our lives is to lose them (Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-25). Jacob lost Jacob and found Israel. Such sweet defeat! As you can see, Jacob’s story is not an example of how we are to relate to our Heavenly Father in prayer. We are to approach Him with bold confidence, knowing our Father is for us. We ask Him for that which is "according to His will" (1 John 5:14), not try and wrestle from Him something He doesn’t want to give us. We are laboring together with Him (2 Corinthians 6:1), not warring against Him. We storm the gates of hell (Isaiah 28:6; Matthew 16:18), not the gates of heaven. Yes, persistence is necessary as we intercede for people’s restoration, salvation, and other breakthroughs, but not to overcome God's reluctance. This is vital to know and remember, for it is impossible to petition Him in faith, which is a requirement, if we aren’t confident it is His will to do what we are asking. Fight the fight of faith; don’t fight with God. On Monday, we’ll look at the actual reason we persevere in our praying and decreeing as we intercede for our prodigals. Pray with me: Father, we are learning to work with You more effectively. Thank You for teaching us to partner with You and see Your will accomplished in our lives. We know You are for us - we wrestle against principalities and powers, not against You. You’re a good Father. We bring our prodigals before You now, asking You to meet with them. Speak to them through their thoughts, reminding them of who they really are, and what their destiny truly is. Awaken the desire in them to know You. Release Your convicting power, but also Your beauty and magnificence. We ask You to send the right people and voices to them, and to create the right circumstances in their lives. We ask for angels to orchestrate events that influence them. We break the hold of demonic mindsets, addictions, and appetites off of them. We bind every attempt to keep them blinded to truth. We break every hold of darkness and of evil alliances. We command the lifting of the veil that blinds them to truth, and we release the light of the gospel to them. We declare that our prodigals will be miserable in their pigpens, and find no fulfillment in their lives of sin. We pray and decree these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will partner with God to see our prodigals return to Him. ****************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------- Much of today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. -------------------------------------------- Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 28. Jack W. Hayford, Praying Is Invading the Impossible (South Painfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 55, 1977 edition. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 14.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-30-2023 November 30, 2023 There Is More An increasing number of believers understand that prayer involves more than simply asking or petitioning God. Making requests of Him is certainly one aspect of prayer: the Lord’s Prayer tells us to “ask for daily bread, the forgiveness of our trespasses, and deliverance from evil” (Matthew 6:11-12), and James said at times we “have not because we ask not” (James 4:2). But there is more. And the “more” is vitally important. Whether or not we receive the blessings Christ provided, as well as the needed breakthroughs against evil, is determined by more than just our asking and God’s willingness to answer. Because this isn’t understood, people often form wrong assumptions about prayer, and about God. For example, when their prayers go unanswered, many people automatically assume God simply chose not to do so; what they requested must not have been His will. Others assume they must not have enough faith, which is terribly demoralizing and robs them of future motivation. Some believe they haven’t asked God often enough, “importuning” or persisting with God in their praying, as they believe Luke 11:8 teaches. Still others conclude that prayer is simply a futile, religious exercise - God will do what He wants, regardless of whether or not we pray. These are tragic outcomes that hinder our lives, as well as Christ’s cause. Prayer for peoples’ salvation is far too important to allow our past failures, disappointments, and lack of knowledge to hinder the process; under no circumstances should we grow discouraged and give up. We must grow in our understanding of the “more.” That is what this and the next 2-3 days of posts are about. Today, we’ll look at the fact that our prayers do more than just motivate God to act; they release Holy Spirit’s power to break through! The Substance of Prayer Gordon Lindsay, a great man of prayer and the founder of Christ for the Nations, often taught about what he called the “substance” of prayer.(1)The concept is that our prayers do more than simply move God to action; they actually release the power of Holy Spirit from us to accomplish things. Certain types of praying would, of course, do this more than others. For example, praying in the Spirit releases great power. When spiritual opposition is involved, speaking the Word of God becomes a powerful weapon, a spiritual sword, against those powers (see Ephesians 6:17). Spirit-led declarations or commands release the power of Holy Spirit (see Matthew 16:18-19; 17:20; Mark 11:23). The laying on of hands is another scriptural method of imparting power (see Mark 16:18; Hebrews 6:2). That there is actual power in us, in the person of Holy Spirit, which He desires to release from us, is undeniable truth (Acts 1:8). The power of God that produces life, healing, and wholeness resides in and flows out from us, the church, not just from God’s heavenly throne. He is now also enthroned in our hearts - we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). The word translated as temple (naos) in these two verses, was used to refer to “the holy of holies.”(2) We are now the holy of holies, the dwelling place of God and His glory on the earth. When He releases His power into situations, it doesn’t flow only from heaven; it flows from Holy Spirit here on earth, who dwells in us. Whether it be through speaking, touching, laying hands on the sick, decreeing and declaring, praying, or worshipping, God’s power is released on earth through human vessels. A symbolic picture of this is given in John 7:38, where Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” The innermost being, (or as the KJV says, “belly”) is the word Greek koilia, which literally means “womb.” Translating the verse literally, we would say, “From his womb shall flow rivers of living water.” The word “womb,” of course, speaks of reproduction, of birthing - the bringing forth of life.(3) After this announcement, verse 39 goes on to say, “But this He spoke of the Spirit.” Of course! The river Christ spoke of as flowing from us is the Spirit of God. He is the source; we are His conduits. Holy Spirit doesn’t lay hands on the sick - we do (see Mark 16:18). As we do so, He, from within us, releases His river of power and life to flow into that person. We Are the Voice of God Not only are we Christ’s womb, we’re His mouth. When the Spirit of God wants to release power against His enemies, He uses us to wield “the sword of the Spirit” - the spoken word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). God doesn’t release the decree from heaven, but from His people - up from our spirits, out of our mouths. As we do so, this releases God’s power! Incredibly, we have become the mouthpiece, the voice of God from which His power and life flow. At the time when God was teaching me this in the mid-80s, I had 45 warts on my hands. Some were quite large and had eaten into my fingernails and cuticles on three fingers, completely replacing them. They had been spreading/multiplying on my hands for 7-8 years. Doctors told me they didn’t want to burn or freeze them off, for fear of mutilating my hands, nails, and cuticles. Many people prayed for me, with no results. I was in numerous services where “gifts of healing” and “workings of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10) were occurring, with many people healed - but never me. Finally, Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly, “Though some are healed through the gifts of My Spirit, others are through the prayers of the elders (James 5:14), and still others through the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19) - I will not heal you through any of these methods. You will have to do what I’ve been teaching you - speak My Word over your hands every day (Mark 11:23), numerous times each day, releasing My power to them until the healing comes.” I determined to obey. Six or seven times each day, maybe more, I spoke God’s Word - which is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) - over my hands, using several Scriptures promising healing and breakthrough. Though I saw no change for two weeks, as God’s power was released and accumulated, the work it was doing became visible - the warts began to shrink. Daily, I watched them become smaller and smaller, and my fingernails and cuticles began re-growing. Once this process began, it took a total of two more weeks for all of the warts to disappear and new nails and cuticles to grow. The entire process took a month. Although it was most definitely God’s power that dissolved the warts and gave me new skin, nails, and cuticles (with no scars), He did not release it. I had to do so. Christ provided the healing provision, Holy Spirit supplied the power and strategy . . . but I had to release that power and provision by declaring God’s Word. We must do the same for the lost, releasing Holy Spirit’s power to break strongholds, addictions, and deceptions in prodigals and unbelievers. We petition our Father, but we war against satan and his strongholds. I leave you today with 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (TLB): “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.” Tomorrow, we will talk about why, in most situations, the release of this power cannot simply be a one-time prayer. Pray with me: Father, we have not fully understood Your amazing power in us. Therefore, we have been impotent in our prayers, asking You to do what You have told us to do. Our ignorance has been costly. But we are awakening to our authority in Christ, and to His river of life - Holy Spirit - that is intended to flow from us. We ask You to increase our understanding of this even more, as well as multiply the number of those receiving this revelation. Teach us how to more effectively release Your power to those who need it, releasing the flow of Your life into situations where spiritual death is operating. Bring greater boldness to the church and heal people from hope deferred, in order that they may persevere in their intercession. So many have given up. Father, we ask You to pour out Your Spirit in this nation. And we decree the release of Your great river - flowing from Christ, via Holy Spirit, via the church, and into our world. We declare over our prodigals: Kingdom, come! Will of God, be done! Dry bones, you will live! Addictions, we break your hold! Deception, we release the light of truth to replace and overcome you! Demonic control, we break your control over our family members! And Father, as we pray and release Your power, we ask You to bring the greatest awakening America and the world have ever experienced. Send revival to our churches, and from there into the nation/s. Transform them. Let Your great river flow into the Middle East. Dethrone the Prince of Persia; we bind his influence in Jesus’ name. Release Your river into all the nations! We agree in our prayers for this, in Christ’s holy name. Amen. Our decree: We release the power of Holy Spirit over our prodigals and every city and neighborhood in our nation, in the powerful name of Jesus! ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------------- Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. ----------------------------------------------------------- Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas, TX: Christ for the Nations Inc., revised 1994), p. 43. Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 422. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2836.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-29-2023 November 29, 2023 The Great Quest We’ve been praying for unbelievers this week, focusing primarily on prodigals. They are coming home to Father! Yesterday, we shared three biblical truths to meditate on in order to increase your faith for this. This is how our faith grows - reading, hearing, speaking, and meditating on God’s Word. Today, we will look at five more. God Is Hungry to Save While on earth as a flesh-and-blood human being, with very real human appetites and needs, Jesus demonstrated that He would rather save a sinner than eat (see John 4). He went out of His way to minister to a confused, loose-living Samaritan woman, married and divorced five times and currently shacked up with yet another man. Jesus forgave her, put His well of life in her, and introduced her to the Father. Immediately afterward, when encouraged by His disciples to eat, Christ simply said, "I have food to eat that you do not know about" (John 4:32). He was so excited about what happened with this seemingly hopeless lady that He had lost His physical appetite! She shared her testimony with the village, and many of them believed upon Him because of her words. They asked, and Jesus agreed to stay a couple more days to teach and share with the entire village. “Many more believed because of His word, and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world”’ (John 4:41-42; NASB). Jesus hasn’t changed; His favorite thing to do is still rescuing the lost. Jesus Was Willing to Become Human and Die to Save Us While fully God, living in heaven, Jesus chose to become human in order to redeem humanity. No one, absolutely no one, could possibly imagine what it entailed for Christ to become human in order to save us. But He loves us so much that He chose to pay this price, rather than have us remain outside His family. When faced with the agony of the Cross, Jesus stayed the course, chosing torture, humiliation, and death rather than angelic deliverance. He could have called upon legions of angels to deliver Him (see Matthew 26:53). His desire to save us was and is so intense that no price or sacrifice was too great. He did this for your loved one! Put a face to the price He paid! In his book Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor had explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. “‘Would you give your blood to Mary?’ the doctor asked. “Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, ‘Sure, for my sister.’ “Soon, the two children were wheeled into the hospital room—Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. “As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence, ‘Doctor, when do I die?’ “Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He'd thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his selfless decision.”(1) Johnny didn't have to die to save his sister. This was not the case with Christ. Our condition required Jesus to give, not just his blood, but His life. He did it gladly. That’s how much He loves your prodigal. God Delights in Showing Mercy The Lord delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18). It isn’t a stretch of God’s righteous nature to give mercy to your prodigal; He delights in doing so! Nineveh was a wicked city whose level of sin reached a point that demanded judgment (Jonah 3:4). However, when the people of Ninevah repented, God delighted in changing the verdict and releasing mercy! His heart hasn’t changed! He’ll be excited to show mercy to your family member or friend, regardless of the level of their sin. Jesus Came to Seek and Save the Lost Jesus said He came to seek and to save the lost (see Luke 19:10). Holy and infinite God humbles Himself to seek fallen man. Unfathomable. I can wrap my finite mind around we humans being told to seek God, but every brain cell goes into overload when told He seeks us. What kind of God does this, pursuing those who hate and reject Him? Where does this incomprehensible love come from? There simply are no words. God is on a quest. Every day, He looks down the road, waiting for another prodigal to crest the hill. When He sees one, He runs - yes, He RUNS to them - and embraces them even while they’re still covered with slop and mud. Then He restores the prodigal’s inheritance and throws a party saying, “My child is home!” (Luke 15:11-32). If you’re already dwelling in Papa’s house, be one who daily satisfies His seeking heart! But also believe in His heart for your wayward prodigal. He loves them and will seek them until they’re found! Our Restoration to God Is the Theme of the Bible! Think about this: the entire Bible is the story of God's desire to save the fallen human race, and restore them to His family. Genesis brings us very quickly to the Fall - chapter 3. The remainder of the Bible is the story of God’s heart, His quest and plan to redeem the human race. After Adam’s fall, He didn’t run from us; we ran from Him (Genesis 3:8). He’s been chasing us ever since. “This distorted perception of the unbeliever is well illustrated by the story of a woman driving home alone one evening when she noticed a man in a large truck following her. Growing increasingly fearful, she sped up, trying to lose her pursuer, but it was futile. She then exited the freeway and drove up a main street, but the truck stayed with her, even running red lights to do so. “In a panic, the woman wheeled into a service station, jumped from her car, and ran inside screaming. The truck driver ran to her car, jerked the back door open, and pulled from the floor behind her seat a man who was hiding there. “The misguided lady was fleeing from the wrong person. She was running from her savior! The truck driver, perched high enough to see into her back seat, had spied the would-be rapist and was pursuing her to save her, even at his own peril.”(2) The perspective of unbelievers is distorted. They run from the pursuit of a God who desires to save them from their enemy and the curse of spiritual death. Those of us who know God realize we love Him because He first loved us. When sinners, however, hear of a loving God who wants only their best and died to provide it, they often see instead only the promise of loss and a lack of fulfillment. God‘s heart is to save. Meditate on, feed your heart, with these truths from yesterday and today. You will soon become fully convinced that the God who seeks and saves, will. Pray with me: [Insert the name of your prodigal as we pray.] Father, satan’s plan to capture us began with him distorting Your heart. He has never stopped. The deceiver paints You as legalistic, mean-spirited, hard to please, one who loves to judge harshly, and who is distant and unapproachable. You, however, are the essence of good and kindness. Your merciful heart is to redeem, You desire intimacy with us, and You’re always seeking our companionship. Yeshua is the ultimate proof of Your love and compassion. We ask now for Your pursuit of our prodigals to be relentless. You said we have power to demolish the mindsets satan and sin have planted in unbelievers, and to stop his schemes and plans from succeeding against them (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Therefore, we bind the lies, deceptions, mindsets and beliefs he has ingrained in our prodigals (Matthew 16:18-19). According to Luke 15:17, You can and will bring them to their senses. You will lift the veil from their eyes and shine Your light into the darkness (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). We use Christ’s keys of authority and release this now! (Matthew 16:18-19). We open the door for truth and light to reach them, and close the door to deception (Isaiah 22:22). We have been offered no less by You, Father, and by Your grace and power, we will accept no less! We ask and release these things in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that prodigals - by the millions - are coming to their senses. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today’s post was adapted from my book How To Pray For Your Lost Loved Ones, published by Baker Books. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993), p. 25. Ibid., p. 98.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-28-2023 November 28, 2023 The Hitchhiking Evangelist I want to follow yesterday’s post with some encouraging thoughts regarding God’s desire to restore prodigals (and all unbelievers). As you think and meditate on these truths, not only will they encourage you, but your faith will also grow, causing your prayers to be more powerful. God Wants Everyone to Be Saved The Scriptures tell us God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, KJV). We don't have to wonder about God’s desire or willingness regarding the lost; He could not make His will any clearer. The Lord wants every person to believe upon Christ and be born again. God Is Able to Save "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save" (Isaiah 59:1). Not only is God willing to save the lost, but He is fully capable of doing so. He has sufficient power and knows how to bend, shape, and change the perspective of unbelievers, bringing them to a revelation of the truth. Holy Spirit can break off of them every satanic stronghold and bring them to a knowledge of the truth. Allow the following story to encourage you: “‘While hitchhiking home, Roger Simms was picked up by an older gentleman in an expensive car. They talked about many things, including Mr. Hanover's business in Chicago. Roger felt a strong compulsion to share his faith but was apprehensive about witnessing to a wealthy businessman. Finally, nearing his destination, Roger spoke up. “‘Mr. Hanover,’ began Roger, ‘I want to share something very important with you.’ He explained the way of salvation and asked if Mr. Hanover would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger's astonishment, the businessman pulled over to the side of the road, bowed his head, wept, and prayed the prayer of salvation. He thanked Roger, saying, ‘This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.’ “Five years later, while in Chicago on a business trip, Roger went to Hanover Enterprises. The receptionist told him it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but Mrs. Hanover was available. A little disappointed, he followed her into an office. “After exchanging greetings, Roger explained how Mr. Hanover had kindly given him a ride years ago. Suddenly interested, Mrs. Hanover asked when this had happened. When Roger told her it was on May 7, five years earlier, she asked if anything unusual had happened during his ride. “Roger hesitated, wondering if giving his witness had been a source of contention. But, feeling the prompting of the Lord, he told her that he had shared the gospel message and that her husband had accepted the Lord into his heart. “She began to sob uncontrollably. After a few minutes, she explained that she had thought her prayers for her husband's salvation had not been answered. After leaving Roger at his destination, Mr. Hanover had died that day in a horrible head-on collision.”(1) God is faithful. He knows how to unlock people’s hearts, convince them of their need and Christ’s provision, and when the time is right for them to be presented with the opportunity. And this certainly does not have to occur in a house of worship. God knows when to have hitchhikers travel home; He knows how to ensure unbelievers are driving the right road, at the right time, and how to motivate them to pick up the “evangelist.” God knows what He is doing! Don't miss the fact that Mrs. Hanover had been praying for her husband’s salvation. Our prayers release God’s power; never forget this. (I will teach on this in a post/s soon.) Christ’s Very Name Is Savior "And you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). “Jesus” comes from the Hebrew word Yehoshua, from which we also get Yeshua, both of which mean “Jehovah/Yahweh is salvation,”(2) These words originate from Yasha, which means "save."(3) Christ is called Yeshua because He is the Lord who saves us, the Savior. Think about that: Jesus chose to name Himself, "the Lord who saves." He wants no confusion, no ambiguity, no doubt as to His heart and desire. Imagine the conversation that may have occurred as the Godhead was planning our salvation. Here is one possibility: After accepting the unimaginable reality that He would have to become a human, suffer, and die to redeem us, the Father asks Christ: “What name shall we give You as a human, Son? Most High? Creator? Omnipotent One? Everlasting God?…” Perhaps pausing to consider the question, the Lord simply replies, “Let’s not complicate it. I just want them to know I’m coming to save them from the Fall, from the curse of their sins. Just call me Yeshua, ‘Yahweh who saves.’ In fact, we can just shorten it to ‘Savior’”. And they did. The Greek word for Savior is soter, “a deliverer that is God.”(4) It comes from sozo, meaning “save, rescue, deliver, or make whole.”(5) The angel said to the shepherds, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke2:10,11). "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers" (1 Timothy 4:10). Jesus proudly wears this name as His title! He loves to save! He WILL save your loved one, your friend, your neighbor! Charles Finney shared the following testimony of a father who came to a realization of the Lord's intense desire to save his family: “I knew a father who was a good man, but who had misconceptions about the prayer of faith. His whole family of children had grown up, without one of them being converted. One day, his son grew ill and seemed ready to die. The father prayed, but the son grew worse and was sinking into the grave without hope. The father prayed until his anguish was unutterable. There seemed no prospect of his son surviving, so he poured out his soul as if he would not be denied. “He received an assurance that his son would not only live, but be converted. God also assured him that not only this son, but his whole family would be converted to God. He came into the house and told his family his son would not die. They were astonished at him. ‘I tell you,’ he said, ‘he will not die. And no child of mine will ever die in his sins.’ That man's children were all converted years ago.”(6) Believe in the heart and power of the Savior! What He did for this father, He will do for you. Pray with me: Father, first of all, we pray for the prodigals in our lives. We know You are mighty to save, and You love to do so. You are Yeshua. We ask You to awaken them to their true condition, and to Your provision and love. We release Holy Spirit’s power to bind every stronghold and strategy satan is using to keep them deceived and bound. We loose them from all demonic control and all deception. We prophesy to the wind of Holy Spirit: blow on the dry bones, giving them life, in Jesus' name. Father, we also pray for those who have never known You. Save and deliver them, also, in the name of Yeshua. Release Your power, revelation, and salvation to them. Send the right laborers to them. Do this here in America and around the world. We continue to decree as Your Ekklesia that the war in the Middle East will not stop the great harvest there. The violence and war will backfire on satan and actually cause the harvest to materialize more quickly and in greater numbers. And regarding another subject, Father, we continue to pray for breakthrough in America. We pray for President Trump, asking You to reverse the unrighteous attacks against him from corrupt members of the judicial system. Vindicate him. Give great strategy and wisdom to those fighting for him and with him. Deliver him from the evil trying to keep him silenced and ineffective. If he is Your preference to be our president in 2024, let nothing stop this. Remove evil, godlessness, marxism, and immorality from our government. Continue to give Speaker Johnson and others who stand for righteousness in America, the wisdom and favor needed to restore America. All of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that “the Lord who saves” is coming with another wave of revival to redeem millions here in America and around the world. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post is adapted from my book How to Pray for Lost Loved Ones, published by Baker Books. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I want to take just a minute and do something my staff has asked me to do. We have discovered that someone with the YouTube address @DailyPrayer-205 is fraudulently re-posting our GH15 videos. They do not have permission to do this. Please help us by reporting them. We ask that you SUBSCRIBE to our Dutch Sheets YouTube account; this is free. Subscribing will ensure that you receive a notification anytime we have a new video - it will be at the top of your YouTube feed - and it will be us, not an imposter account. And remember, always look for the verified blue check mark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Alice Gray, Storie4s for the Heart (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1996), pp. 225-257. 2. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 3091. 3. Ibid. Ref. no. 3467. 4. Ibid. Ref. no. 4990. 5. Ibid. Ref. no. 4982. 6. Charles G. Finney, How to Experience Revival (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1984), p. 58.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-27-2023 November 27, 2023 Call The Prodigals Home Today, we are going to release faith filled decrees for the return of prodigals to Father’s house. I have heard numerous words from the Lord over the past few months telling us it is time for this, and Holy Spirit has said the revival we have been expecting has begun. Let’s release our faith for these things. I want to begin by sharing a little of my story when I was a prodigal, running from God. The story is taken from my book, The Pleasure of His Company. “It was 1973, and I was attending college, traveling fast but going nowhere. I had been running from the Lord for two years, serving the gods of alcohol, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Though I had been raised in church (Dad was an evangelist and then a pastor) and had surrendered my life to Christ at a young age, at age seventeen, I began to rebel. The rebellion started when my dad, pastoring at the time, divorced mom, left our family, and married another woman. “As you can imagine, our lives were shattered. Mom, who had been a stay-at-home mom and helped in the church, found a job in a meat market, my brother and I acquired part-time jobs, and somehow, we survived. At least physically. We didn’t fare so well emotionally and spiritually. My brother and I rebelled, turning away from God and everything associated with Him and the church. My younger sister was also emotionally devastated; obviously, so was Mom. Deep in my heart, I knew none of this was God’s fault. Nonetheless, I was angry at Him, the church, and life. The pain was so strong and my confusion so great that I simply couldn’t cope with it. And I certainly couldn’t understand it. Perhaps the lowest point in my life was the day when, as a seventeen-year-old, I held my heartbroken mother in my arms and listened to her sob, telling me she no longer wanted to live. At that moment, I became an extremely bitter and hate-filled young man. “God was very patient with me, knowing my rebellion was caused by my pain. He allowed me to run, loved me through my pain-filled responses, and didn’t take them personally. Two years later, at a bar named The Boar’s Head—aptly so, since I was a prodigal and this was my pigpen—while I was listening to a rock band and stoned out of my mind, Holy Spirit spoke to me.” Departing from the account in the book for a moment, let me say that this was not the first time He had done so. God would often speak to me through my thoughts when I was alone, just as I know He is speaking to your prodigal. The Lord was never condemning, only affirming. Often, I would lie in bed at night, when the world around me finally became quiet, thinking thoughts about Him, life, and what I was doing with mine. I know now that He was stirring those thoughts, reaching deep into the hidden places of my heart, keeping me tethered to Him. On this night in the Boar’s Head, however, He shouted through the clamor and noise around me, drowning out even the loud music. “‘What are you doing here?’ He asked. The Lord’s voice was so clear it may as well have been audible. His question wasn’t a rebuke, but rather a sincere prompting from deep in my heart. ‘You know this is not who you are,’ He continued, ‘and will never be who you are. You’ll never find the fulfillment and peace you’re looking for through this lifestyle.’ “Shocked and amazed that God would follow me into a place like this, my first response was, ‘What are YOU doing here?!’ “‘I’ve come for you.’ “Instantly sober, I went outside the bar to walk and think for a while. The Lord and I had several more conversations over the next couple of months, until I was finally healed enough to return to Him. Like the prodigal returning to his father’s embrace, I walked back into the loving embrace of Papa God. When I did, I found more than pleasure; I discovered my purpose in life. “Realizing the field of study I was pursuing was not what I was created to do, I withdrew from college. I entered into a passionate pursuit of God, became active in a good local church, and connected with several other hungry seekers. I also began going on short-term mission trips, serving missionaries and the poor in Guatemala. Eventually, realizing I wanted to serve God in full-time ministry, I decided to attend Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas. There I discovered God in new ways—over and over—and eventually, I discovered my wife, to whom I’ve been married for thirty-five wonderful years [Now 46]. It has been a great journey.”(1) Back to Today It makes no difference what caused your prodigal to leave Father‘s house: drugs, addictions, a wrong relationship, a broken relationship, it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is to be assured that God knows what is needed to bring them home, and that this revival is going to produce such power that they will not be able to withstand His wooing. Angels have been assigned to protect the prodigals and work in their lives, and Holy Spirit will speak to them, just as He did me. (Don’t expect them to tell you when He does!) He will use the pigpen, not wasting their pain. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to them. He will (Matthew 9:38). Ask Him to give them dreams and cause them to hear what they need to hear. He will. Declare His promises over them; they don’t have to be in your presence for you to do that - He “sends” His word ( Psalm 107:20). And believe that he loves them more than you do! Bind the powers of darkness that influence and control them. Loose them from demons and wrong influences (Matthew 16:18-19). Speak to every mountain between them and Father God, commanding it to be cast into the sea; do so with faith and confidence (Mark 11:23-24). The demons and mountains of adversity don’t stand a chance! Pray with me: Father, we take You at Your word. You said if we believed in You, we would be saved and our household (Acts 16:31). You said revival has begun, and prodigals are coming home. You have said signs and wonders will occur, drawing people to You. You said our sons and daughters will see visions and prophesy (Acts 2:17). We agree with You! Now, lead the prodigals - if they aren’t already there - into their pigpens. Feed them the husks and slop. Then, bring them to their senses. Speak louder than the music, the pain, the confusion, the anger, the temporal pleasures of sin, and the pigs. Awaken them to Your heart. Awaken them to the destiny You have for them. Remind them that they are called to know You and do great things for You, not to partner with the evil one who steals, kills, and destroys. We bind every evil force holding our prodigals. We bind the lies that have been planted in their thinking, placed there by the world, the flesh, and the devil. We loose them from demonic control, addictions, and other bondages. We call to the prodigals, “Come home to Father‘s house! Get your robe of righteousness back on, wear His ring of authority, and eat the fatted calf of revelation and wisdom. You are called to know Him intimately, to be a passionate worshiper, and become a powerful instrument in His hands. You are destined to be a deliverer, a reformer, a world changer.” We pray and decree these things in the name of the Great Shepherd, Jesus, who leaves the 99 and goes after the one lost sheep. Amen. Our decree: We decree that prodigals are hearing a voice they cannot resist, and feeling a tug they cannot refuse. They are coming home! ****************** Click on the link to watch the video: --------------------------------------------------------- Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2014), pp. 28-29.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-24-2023 November 24, 2023 Listen For The Whistle Today, our friend Gina Gholston shares a dream with us that is most certainly the Lord’s heart. Allow it to challenge and encourage you. Gina shares: “I dreamed of a man walking along a beach. I saw a flowery archway and white chairs set up for a wedding; however, it wasn’t yet time for the ceremony to begin. This man walking on the beach was the groom diligently searching for his bride. “Unable to find her, he looked up to see his dad standing on top of a dune. The dad, knowing his son had not yet found the bride said, ‘Whistle for her!’ “So, the groom walked further down the beach and began to whistle what I recognized as a song we sing to the Lord; but in the dream, the groom was whistling it to the bride. The words to the portion of the song he was whistling are ‘My beloved is the most beautiful among thousands and thousands.’(1) He did not sing the song, but only whistled the tune. “Across the dune, the groom faintly heard the voice of his bride. He had often sung the song to her, so when he whistled the tune, she recognized it and cried out, ‘I’m here! I’m here!’ “The groom climbed to the top of the dune to see her and could also see a forest. Between him and the forest was a wide, treeless plain. There was a wolf pack on the plain - six wolves trotting along, single file, in an ‘S’ pattern; they were chasing the bride. She had been running from them through the forest and across the plain, and now was hiding in fear at the base of the dune in tall grass and brambles. “The groom saw her and said, ‘Come to me.’ “She replied, ‘I’m afraid; I can’t get up there.’ “He pointed to his left and said, ‘Here’s a path.’ “It was as if the path had just formed. The bride ran up the path to him, wearing her wedding dress, but very disheveled. Her hair was messed up, her dress torn. She lifted her dress just enough for him to see that her feet were bleeding from running barefoot through the forest and across the plain. “He then said, ‘No wonder you’re afraid. You didn’t wear the shoes I gave you.’ “She replied, ‘I have them.’ She had been carrying the shoes but hadn’t yet put them on. “The groom said, ‘Carrying them won’t help you. You have to wear them. I gave them to you so you could wear them.’ Then he added, ‘Come with me.’ “He offered his arm, and, putting her hand in the bend of his elbow, the bride walked with him. He led her down the beach to a large, tall rock formation that was flat on top and situated next to the water. He knew the way to ascend, and led her to the top. There were two chairs, and he motioned for her to sit in one. Kneeling, he helped place her boots on, lacing them up. Still kneeling, he sewed up the rip in her dress. Then he sat next to her. The wind began to blow, arranging her hair back into place, styled beautifully. “They were facing the ocean. From time to time, very large waves would form and come toward them, causing her to fear. “The groom would say, ‘You don’t have to be afraid. You have your shoes on.’ “She replied, ‘But my shoes won’t help me with that.’ “He said, ‘Watch me.’ The bride focused on him and was able to watch his responses to the waves; he was actually teaching her what to do. “When the waves formed, he would laugh, sometimes so hard he would slap his leg. As he did so, the waves would settle down before they ever reached the rock. This happened several times, and the bride began to do as he did. When the waves would form, she would laugh with him, and the waves would settle down. Then, suddenly, a massive tsunami formed very near the shore. This time, the groom didn’t laugh. His entire expression changed, not to fear but anger. The bride, however, did become afraid because this wave was so different. “The groom then said to the bride, ‘This time, we have to stand!’ So, they stood, and she put her hand in the bend of his elbow once again. He looked out at the wave and shook his head while speaking to it in a stern, loud voice, ‘IT IS NOT TIME!’ “The bride then joined her voice with his. Together, they declared the words to the massive wave over and over, ‘IT IS NOT TIME!’ “The wave kept growing larger as if taunting them, but they continued standing and declaring, ‘No, IT IS NOT TIME!’ “The wave arrived where they were standing, crashed at the base of the rock, and even came up onto it. But the groom held the bride, and they were not moved by the wave, not even their chairs moved. The wave settled down and did not go past the rock. “The groom then looked at his bride and said, ‘Are you ready for the wedding?’ “And she replied, ‘I am now!’” (End of dream.) ******* Gina shares, “I don’t feel the dream was about eschatology, but our covenantal relationship with the Lord, and understanding our role as the church. Jesus is calling us out of hiding! We must stop being fearful, running from the very things He has given us authority to conquer. He is saying to us, ‘It’s time for you to wear the shoes that bring peace, and see the path I have laid before you. My strong right arm is extended to you. Take it, receiving My revelation, and follow Me into the position I have made available to you!’ “There are waves threatening destruction and the hostile takeover of our lives, children, nation, and even our churches, but we have been made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places. The dream is a picture of our position of authority and power as the Bride of Christ; we must take our seats and work with Him! It is telling us to stay focused on Jesus, regardless of the waves that threaten to overtake us! We must watch Him, imitate Him, and wear our armor! As we acknowledge Him, He reveals Himself and makes us brave! “Take your seat, wear your shoes of peace, and be clothed in your spiritual armor. Be revived and restored in the wind of the Spirit. Hear Christ’s whistle and respond to His song; we are His beloved, and He has need of us!” Pray with me: Father, we can never grasp the vastness of Your power! Your ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours. But You have given us Your Holy Spirit, who imparts to us the fullness of all that You are. He enables us, in our human flesh, to walk in Your supernatural power and make You known. We can release the light of Christ, and those in darkness will be drawn to Him, finding freedom. Teach us, Lord, to walk in full cooperation with Holy Spirit, becoming more familiar with His leading, recognizing His inward witness as He orders our steps. Help us put on our shoes of peace, and without hesitation, step where He orders. May we, as Your Ekklesia, take our seats, watching and imitating You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Yeshua’s beloved is coming out of hiding and will shine the light of His glory, causing awakening in our nation and the world! **************************** Today’s post was contributed by Gina Gholston and taken from her book Carry On. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholstonMinistries.org. Click the link to watch the video: ------------------------------------------------- 1. Referring to the song MY BELOVED IS BEAUTIFUL (YESHUA) – written by John Wilds, Jesus Image Worship, Meredith Mauldin & Michael Koulianos.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-15-2023 November 15, 2023 Happy Birthday today to my favorite brother, Tim Sheets..! Paga, Extraordinaire On Monday, we began sharing somewhat on how to pray for protection. We will continue with this theme today. One of the meanings of the Hebrew word for "intercession," paga, is "boundary" or "border,” the point at which two territories meet or connect, the extent to which a boundary reaches. In Joshua 19, paga is used repeatedly in this way. When used in the context of intercessory prayer, paga is the establishing of boundaries or walls of protection, the marking of territory as one’s own.(1) Through prayer, we can set boundaries and build walls of protection around individuals. Isaiah 26:1 and 60:18 speak of God's protection as “walls”: "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security." "Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise." We said in yesterday‘s post that as we learn to pick up on the promptings of Holy Spirit, He will alert us to strategic times (kairos) we need to pray prayers of protection. In her book Listen, God Is Speaking to You, Quin Sherrer tells of a friend who heard the warning of the Lord for her home and prayed during a kairos(2) time: I was rooming with Ruthie at a Christian conference when she told me how God had protected her property. One night during the church service, she heard a voice: "Your house is being robbed." She tried to dismiss the thought. She'd lived in that house for thirty years, and there had been no burglaries in her neighborhood. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to her that the inner voice she had heard was the Holy Spirit warning her. "Lord, if our house is being robbed, please send an angel— no, Lord, send a warring angel—to frighten the burglar off." Then she began to quote Scriptures, praying for protection: "No evil will come near our dwelling place.... No weapon formed against us shall prosper." (Isaiah 54:17) Sure enough, when she and her husband arrived home, their back patio door was smashed in, and everything inside was in disarray – drawers open and stuff scattered everywhere. The next day, when the police officer came to get a list of the things they knew were missing, all they had to report was one pillowcase. He told them that's what a burglar usually takes to stash the valuables. "As far as we can tell, nothing is missing—not even my good gold jewelry," Ruthie told him. He looked around at her china, silver, and gold vases. "With all these beautiful things, I don't understand why you weren't robbed blind. Something obviously frightened away the intruder. He left in a hurry," the policeman said. Two other houses in her neighborhood were robbed that night. Ruthie is sure God sent a warring angel of protection, as she had prayed and asked Him to do. ****** That is paga! Protective intercession. Building boundaries of protection through prayer. You, too, can be used by the Lord in this way. One of the keys is learning to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Ruthie’s story reminds me of Psalm 27:1-4 from The Message: “Light, space, zest - that's God! So, with Him on my side, I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down, ready to eat me alive, those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.” The early church apostle Paul was a firm believer in receiving protective and deliverance prayers from others, in strategic as well as in general times of need. He frequently requested prayer from those with whom he was in a relationship. Romans 15:30-31 states: “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.” Again, in Philippians 1:19, Paul states his confidence in "deliverance through your prayers." Also, in Philemon 1:22, he says, "I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you." Paul was frequently persecuted and imprisoned for his preaching of the gospel. He placed his hope of deliverance from some of this in the prayers of his friends. He believed in the power of intercession not just for the furthering of the gospel, but also for protection. The apostle Peter was protected through prayer from certain death in Acts 12. Herod had arrested James, one of the 12 disciples of Christ, and had him killed. When he saw how much this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter also and planned to execute him, as well. This prompted fervent prayer by the church for Peter's release (see Acts 12:5). The answer to their prayers for Peter's protection is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. Angels visited Peter in his cell, caused his chains to fall off, somehow blinded the guards from seeing him, led him out of the jail, supernaturally opened the iron gate to the city, and then departed from him. The entire ordeal was so supernatural that Peter at first thought it was only a vision. That is paga extraordinaire! In my book, Intercessory Prayer, I relate the following story of protection through prayer: Perhaps the most amazing example of kairos-timed intercession in my life happened on one of my journeys to Guatemala. I was one of 40 to 45 individuals traveling to a remote village on the Passión River in the Petén Jungle. Our mission was to build a combination clinic and outreach station on the river, construct two buildings, as well as preach in nearby villages. Prior to leaving for the jungle, we spent our first night (Friday) in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. Months earlier, we had arranged for the Guatemalan airlines to fly us into the jungle the following day. Then, we were to travel to our destination by dug-out canoes. On our arrival at the airport Saturday afternoon, we were informed they had changed their plans and would fly us to our destination, not that day, but the next. Feeling an urgency to go as scheduled due to the limited amount of time to accomplish our mission, our leaders pressed the airlines for THREE HOURS to honor their original agreement. “No,” the manager said in his broken English, “we take you tomorrow.” “But you agreed months ago to take us today,” we argued. “We have no pilot available,” they countered. “Find one,” we pleaded. “‘What is your hurry? Enjoy the city,” they encouraged us. And so it went for THREE HOURS - in and out of offices, meeting with one official, then another. Finally, in exasperation, one of them threw up his hands and said, “Okay, we take you now!” That night, while we were 250 miles away, an earthquake hit Guatemala City, where we had been, and killed 30,000 people in 34 seconds! Had we stayed in the city another night—as the airlines wanted us to—some of our team would have been killed and others injured. We know this for certain because, upon our return to the city, we saw the building where we had stayed the night before the earthquake—and would have been staying in again had we not left on Saturday—with huge beams lying across the beds. Later, we discovered that an intercessor from our home church in Ohio had received a strong urge to pray for us. For THREE HOURS, she was in intense intercession - the three hours that our leaders were negotiating with the airline officials. We didn’t know that our lives would have been in jeopardy had we stayed another night in Guatemala City, but God did. This intercessor didn’t know it either. She only knew that, for some unknown reason, she had a strong burden to pray for us. She was alert, as Ephesians 6:18 instructs, perceived the kairos time, and her prayers created the protection and intervention we experienced.(3) Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your protection over us. And thank You for faithful intercessors. Your name is a strong tower; we are safe within (Proverbs 18:10). We will not allow our lives to be ruled by chance, and we certainly will not allow demonic forces or demonized individuals to rule over us. We will abide under Your shadow and wings. We ask You for increased sensitivity to Holy Spirit, who is faithful to alert us when to pray, surrounding ourselves and loved ones with protective boundaries. You are our Shepherd; we hear Your voice, and we will follow Your leading. Just as You alerted the intercessor to pray for the team of missionaries in Guatemala, You will alert us when we need to pray. In Christ’s name and authority, we ask and declare these things. Amen. Our decree: For today’s decree, I ask that you spend a moment or two and pray for your family, and/or anyone Holy Spirit brings to mind, decreeing God’s protection over them. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from my books, The Essential Guide to Prayer and Intercessory Prayer. Both are published by Baker Books. --------------------------------------------------------- You can find out more about Quin Sherrer and see more of the wonderful books she has written at QuinSherrer.com. --------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293. Ibid., ref no. 2540. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), p. 102-104.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-20-2023 November 20, 2023 War Eagles Rising It should be clear to all believers that spiritual warfare around the world has intensified. Satan is making an all-out attempt to maintain his position and stop God’s plans. In today’s post, my brother, Tim, speaks of this warfare, comparing some of satan’s assaults to sieges. We, the church, must break the power of these sieges, rising to our assignment of partnering with Christ as His voices of freedom. His liberators. In sharing this, Tim uses a powerful analogy given to him by Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, and history. He shares: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the passionate warriors of King Jesus must now rise. It is time to reset a nation and world according to God’s principles and ways. Hell has initiated a siege against the Lord’s plans on earth, including here in America, and that siege must be broken. “There was a siege in Biblical history that, in many ways, parallels and prophesies into our times. It pictures a seemingly impossible situation and demonic principalities behind wicked human regimes. However, history also shows us that from the shaking, hope rose, victory came, and led to a great reset. “A while back, I received a prophetic word about this event that led me to a study on ‘war eagles.’ The first mention of ‘war eagles’ in history occurs at a time when Jerusalem was under siege by a ruthless army. These invaders came from one of the most vicious kingdoms on earth, the Assyrians, led by King Sennacherib. They were heartless, cruel, and bloodthirsty, known for using horrific torture tactics and spreading great fear. “The overall Assyrian campaign for regional dominance lasted for 17 years. They took nation after nation, many aligning with them simply because they didn’t want to experience their brutality. Eventually, King Sennacherib set his sights on Israel. He first defeated northern Israel, then moved his attention to Judah. The king of Judah was Hezekiah, a man who loved God and regularly consulted with the prophet Isaiah (2 Kings 18:1-3, 5-7). “2 Chronicles 32:10-20 informs us that King Sennacherib sent a proclamation to the people of Judah telling them to give up, citing their conquests of other countries. Hezekiah responded by paying a ransom, but that did not stop the Assyrians. Sennacherib took the money and began amassing his forces. The army advanced and surrounded the walls of Jerusalem, beginning a siege that would ultimately last two years. The people of God were in a desperate position. During that time, the Assyrian army captured 46 surrounding cities, taking many lives. This is the context that leads us to ‘war eagles.’ “Toward the end of the second year of the siege, Hezekiah began to doubt that they would survive. The facts were staring him in the face, and he became discouraged. When he was at that low point, history tells us Sennacherib released three new war tactics.(1) The first came when Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem began to hear the loud, screeching of eagles. The Assyrian army had been training eagles for warfare! “An Assyrian warrior would tie weights to a trained eagle’s legs, then release the eagle to look for an enemy. The eagle would descend on an enemy soldier at speeds up to 60 miles an hour, the weights becoming vicious weapons. Eagles are relentless, and when they tire, they simply mount up, forcing air into their lungs to restrengthen and keep going. The sight and sound of the ‘war eagles’ incited much fear and terror in the people of Jerusalem. “At this point, God spoke to Isaiah, telling him to prophesy to King Hezekiah. ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31 KJV). “One meaning for the word ‘wait’ in Hebrew (qavah) is “braid,” or ‘be entwined with.’(2) The Lord was saying to Hezekiah, ‘Those who braid themselves to Me will run and not get weary. Join yourself with me and become one of MY war eagles. Those who tie themselves to Me will soar and rise above the enemy.’ “These powerful words encouraged King Hezekiah, and he was renewed in trust and strength. However, his faith was soon tested again. Looking over the walls of Jerusalem, history tells us he saw more new Assyrian weapons of war: catapults and towers, which proved to be very effective in sieges. Sennacherib sent Hezekiah another message telling him, ‘Surrender and die. God sent me to destroy you’ (2 Kings 18:23). “This obviously caused great despair in Hezekiah. However, God instructed Isaiah to prophesy to him again, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV). “Everything accelerated after this, and one of the fiercest judgments in history took place. In fact, a reset occurred almost overnight. When the sun came up, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers lay dead. No one knows exactly how, but “the angel of the Lord” killed them (2 Kings 19:35). Perhaps the angel led a host of angels; Jewish historians say the seraphim were behind it. The siege was broken, and history was reset as Sennacherib and his army retreated. “Hear the word of the Lord I received for this hour: “‘An incredible spiritual force is being released into the earth realm: My Kingdom warriors. My “eagle force” will partner with My angel force; they will partner with My seraphim. They will be led by Lord Sabaoth. My “war eagles” will ride the waves of My glory, the currents of My winds, the rays of My presence. They will manifest the works of My Kingdom, demonstrating My power and accomplishing My will. Know that the coming generation of “war eagles” have been groomed and reserved to overcome hell’s siege of earth. They will now be loosed. “‘This Kingdom force will braid themselves to Me, and I will mount up, carrying them. We will soar. They will run with Me at speeds the enemy can’t match, leaping barriers and walls, breaking demonic blockades to pieces. They will shatter the gates of hell, using their spiritual weapons to battle vicious, cruel regimes, bringing deliverance to the tortured captives. They will tear down the altars of Baal. They will not surrender in fear even when surrounded; overwhelming odds will not rattle them. They will not relent to new weapons or tactics of war. These things will only strengthen their resolve. “‘My eagles will fly with My weight of glory tied to them. They will circle, dive, and devastate the thrones of hell. Demonic adversaries of My Kingdom will be the prey. My unique eagle force will be terrifying splendor, terrorizing hell’s regimes. They will run and not grow weary, walk, and not faint. My Spirit will renew and re-strengthen them, reoxygenating them in My presence. They will mount up with wings like eagles, and no weapon formed against them will prosper. This is the heritage of My sons and daughters, says the Lord.’ “Yes, the war is fierce, but a reset is coming!” Pray with me: Father, we are Your rescue team, Your liberators. You have called us to enforce Christ’s victory, declare His truth, and release His light. In this prophetic word, You compare us to eagles. Release Your “war eagles” across this nation and throughout the world. Cause us to rise with You, riding the glorious rays of Your presence, accomplishing Your plans and purposes. Use us to break strongholds and bind principalities. Our lives are braided and tied to You; therefore, we will run and not grow weary, walk, and not faint. We decree that no weapon formed against us will prosper; this is our heritage. And we once again wield the sword of Your word over the Middle East. We declare over Israel, “God is able to graft you into His family again! Your eyes will be opened to the Messiah!” (see Romans 11:23). And we declare over the sons of Ishmael, “‘God hears’ your cry. Your eyes, too, will be opened, and you will see a great light - God’s light of salvation and glory! (Genesis 16:11; Isaiah 60:1-2; John 12:46; Acts 13:47). We decree that the powers of darkness in that region will fail. Their hold is broken, light is overcoming darkness, and the oppressed will go free. We bind every demonic attempt to maintain control there and stop God’s harvest. In Jesus’ name, so be it. Our decree: We decree that strong spiritual warriors of Christ are rising, mounting up like eagles over this nation and the world, guided by the Spirit of God to accomplish His will. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org -------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ron Charles, The Search, (Bloomington, IN, 2007). James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6960.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-16-2023 November 16, 2023 A Tower of Strength Today we will conclude our series on prayer for protection using the Hebrew word paga - intercession - which also means setting boundaries. Two ancient cities, Petra and Masada, both impregnable natural strongholds made of rock, exemplify the type of fortress the Lord wants to be to us. I’ll give you the biblical reference for this momentarily. The city of Petra (Greek word for "rock") was originally named Sela (the Hebrew word for “rock”). The second city, Masada, is from the Hebrew word, metsudah, meaning “fortress, castle, or stronghold.” The first city, Petra, “was virtually impregnable against attack by the military technology and weaponry of the ancient world," said **** Eastman and Jack Hayford in their book Living and Praying in Jesus' Name. The primary access to this stronghold was, and continues to be, a very narrow, natural gorge called the Sik (Arabic for "shaft"), which is about a mile in length and approximately ten feet wide. Because of this geological factor, the Sik could easily be defended by even a tiny band of people against any invasion, even when the attackers used suicide tactics. As G.A. Smith notes in his commentary, "The interior is reached by gorges so narrow that two horsemen may scarcely ride abreast, and the sun is shut out by the overhanging rocks.”(1) I have been to the second city, Masada, which is an incredible natural fortress near the Dead Sea. Masada is a plateau atop a mountain, which ends abruptly at cliffs steeply falling about 1,300 ft on the east and about 300 ft on the west. The approaches are very difficult to navigate. King Herod used it as a military outpost, and in the first century AD, it took a three-year siege for the Roman Empire to starve out a band of Jewish zealots from this amazing fortress. In Psalm 31:3 (KJV), David said, "Thou art my rock [sela/petra], and my fortress [metsudah].” “You’re my Petra and my Masada,” he said! What an incredible picture of David's confidence in God as his hiding place, defense, and impenetrable place of protection!!! David used another geographical illustration of God's protection in the famous twenty-third Psalm. He states in verse 4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (KJV). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) says the phrase "valley of the shadow of death" is used to describe the infamous valley to the southwest of Jerusalem where some in Judah made their children “pass through the fire.” This phrase spoke of human sacrifice; 2 Kings 23:10 mentions it as the valley where children were offered as sacrifices to the god Molech. ISBE goes on to say, "Because of the atrocities that had been performed there, the name of this valley developed into a synonym for hell." This verse is often used, of course, to refer to God’s security and comfort when walking through times of literal death. While this is valid, when David said it, he was stating his faith that even when he walked through the most evil or difficult of places, he could trust God to be his protector. The Lord wants to be a strong tower, a wall, an impregnable fortress for us. Intercession - paga - creates this protective force field. Build it through prayer. Establish your perimeter. Pray daily for protection. Be alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and when they come, pray! Psalm 91 is too powerful not to share it in its entirety. Listen as I read from The Passion Translation: “When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and He will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm. “You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you. Don’t fear a thing! Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you, nor will the powers of evil be launched against you. Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed. You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment, for they will be paid back for what they have done! When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. “How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us? God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm. If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you and keep you from stumbling. You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness, trampling every one of them beneath your feet! “For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: ‘Because you loved Me, delighted in Me, and have been loyal to My name, I will greatly protect you. I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will feel My presence in your time of trouble. I will deliver you and bring you honor. I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of My salvation!’” Feel free to pause the post and dance, jump, run, or whatever joyful expression you enjoy most. In his book, The Necessity of Prayer, E. M. Bounds tells the following story of a friend who loved to watch foxhounds on a hunt. That is, until… “Rising early one morning," he said, "I heard the barking of a number of dogs chasing deer. Looking at a large open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across the field and giving signs that its race was almost run. It leaped over the rails of the enclosed place and crouched within ten feet of where I stood. A moment later, two of the hounds came over also, and the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. Just then, I felt that all the dogs in the West could not and would not capture that fawn who, in its weakness, had appealed to my strength.”(2) So it is, Bounds said, when human helplessness appeals to Almighty God. What a picture. Be like this fawn. When the "hounds" of danger approach, run to your Masada, your tower. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10; NASB). Decree His protection over you and yours. Build walls of protection through paga - intercession. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for the authority we have in Your name, and the name of Jesus. If David could declare it as a tower of refuge and strength under an inferior covenant ratified through the blood of animals, how much more can we do so through the blood of Yeshua. We place the barriers, set the boundaries now, and declare, “No trespassing!” We and our families are off-limits to all forms of violence and destruction. “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” NO evil will befall us in our Masada. And Almighty God, we declare that as America walks through the valley of the shadow of death, as we walk out the shaking, caused at least in part, by making our children pass through Molech’s fire of abortion, we will emerge back onto Cape Henry’s beach. We will repair and retune the Liberty Bell, ringing forth a pure gospel of freedom and truth. And the hounds of idolatry, death, pride, destruction, division, marxism, and a lying, godless government will not tear us loose from Your arms. We declare their defeat through the Cross. We declare that You will prevail in Washington, D.C., that the portals of hell created there by unprincipled politicians in bed with demons, will not prevail against You. Revival has begun, will not be stopped, and America shall be saved. “When You arise to intervene, all the nations and kings will be stunned and will fear Your awesome name, trembling before Your glory! Yes, You will reveal yourself to Zion and appear in the brightness of Your glory to restore her and give her children. He responds to the prayer of the poor and broken and will not despise the cry of the homeless. Write all this down for the coming generation, so re-created people will read it and praise the Lord! Tell them how Yahweh looked down from His high and holy place, gazing from His glory to survey the earth. He listened to all the groaning of His people longing to be free, and He set loose the sons of death to experience life.” (Psalm 102:15-20; TPT) In Jesus’ name, so be it. Our decree: The coming generation will be recreated, set loose from death to experience life, and give God extravagant praise. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------- Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Essential Guide to Prayer, published by Baker Books. **** Eastman and Jack Hayford, Living and Praying in Jesus’ Name (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), p. 52. E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer (Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1984), p. 7.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-14-2023 November 14, 2023 Standing Guard Yesterday, we began sharing somewhat on how to pray for protection. We will continue with this theme today. One of the meanings of the Hebrew word for "intercession," paga, is "boundary" or "border,” the point at which two territories meet or connect, the extent to which a boundary reaches. In Joshua 19, paga is used repeatedly in this way. When used in the context of intercessory prayer, paga is the establishing of boundaries or walls of protection; the marking of a territory as one’s own.(1) Through prayer, we can build walls of protection around individuals. Isaiah 26:1 and 60:18 speak of God's protection as “walls”: "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security." "Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise." In his book Prayer That Moves Mountains, Gordon Lindsay tells a remarkable story about building walls of protection through prayer: Unknown to a Christian Armenian, bandits followed his caravan as he transported merchandise across the desert to a town in Turkish Armenia. The bandits waited until after dark to attack, but upon approaching the caravan, they were astonished to see high walls surrounding it. The same scenario happened on the following day, with high walls again protecting the caravan at night. On the third night, however, the walls were broken in places, allowing the bandits access to the merchant. Frightened by the mystery of the walls, the leader of the bandits offered to spare the merchant and his caravan if he would just share the secret of the walls with him. Having no knowledge of the walls, the merchant replied that all he knew was that each evening he prayed, committing himself and those with him to God, but that on this particular evening, he had not prayed as usual, due to his tiredness, and that probably accounted for the breaks in the wall. This testimony so amazed the bandits that they gave their lives to Christ.(2) Many would find this story unbelievable. Yet why should it surprise us? God simply allowed the bandits to see what existed in the spirit realm: walls of protection. They naturally assumed the walls were literal. Zechariah 2:5 speaks of protective walls of fire: "For I,' declares the Lord, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'" Supernatural protections, as illustrated by these stories, occur through consistent prayer, but also at strategic times as intercessors are sensitive to the promptings of Holy Spirit. As they are, He alerts them to pray for others in critical times of need. These alerts from the Holy Spirit can come through a sense of foreboding, an uneasiness concerning someone, or simply by hearing Him tell them to pray for someone. Set in the context of spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit speaks of these alerts in Ephesians 6:18: "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." Most readers assume this is telling us to pray all the time. However, it is not. The word "times" is the Greek word kairos, which means "strategic or opportune time."(3) God is saying that, in light of the spiritual warfare we're engaged in, we must be alert for satan's attacks against others; and, when warned of these kairos, strategically timed attacks, pray! If we are alert, the Holy Spirit will warn us. If we pray, He’ll intervene. Hebrews 4:16 also uses this word, kairos. “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time [kairos] of need.” Of course, we are welcome at God’s throne of grace all the time, but this verse is actually referencing strategic times of need. The Amplified Translation says: “an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment.” The Hebrew counterpart to the Greek word kairos is eth, also a word for "strategic time." Used in Psalm 9:9, God tells us He is "a stronghold in times [eths] of trouble."(4) These verses tell us we can pray in specific - kairos/eth - times of trouble or attacks and receive the immediate help we need. Oral Roberts experienced this type of the Holy Spirit’s intervention during a kairos timed attack against his family: After ministering at a conference over a thousand miles away from home, Oral had gone to bed in his hotel when he was suddenly awakened and heard these words, "Your wife and children in Tulsa are in serious danger. Pray." He spent time in deep intercession for his family until he finally felt the burden lift. When he returned home to Tulsa, his wife, Evelyn, told him that one night, after the children and she had gone to bed, she heard someone trying to break into their home. Paralyzed with fright, she had been unable to do anything other than to pray for God's help and for Oral to be alerted to pray for them. Thankfully, the intruder had left without ever entering the house. As they compared their experiences, the Robertses realized that Oral had been awakened and alerted to pray at the exact time that Evelyn had heard the intruder.(5) That is a kairos attack - and a kairos answer - to a paga prayer! Walls or boundaries of protection were established through intercession, and God's promise of protection was fulfilled. Never assume that a warning such as this is just your imagination. Engage your faith in God’s protection and pray! Ephesians 6:18, the verse that tells us to pray at all kairos times, urges us to be “watching” for one another. This word (agrupneo) means literally to “stay awake.”(6) Just as “praying always” obviously does not mean we have to pray 24/7, this word doesn’t mean we should never sleep! It is a parabolic way of saying we must remain alert, just as an awake sentry or night watchman would do. We have all heard the phrase “don’t go to sleep on the job,” which means the same thing. This passage in Ephesians is telling us we must be alert, watching for one another. As we do so, Holy Spirit will faithfully do as He said: alert us to the kairos attacks of the enemy. Pray with me: Father, You told us to “fear NO evil.” Your word tells us if we are alert, Holy Spirit will warn us of attacks and strategic times when we need to pray prayers of protection. Of course, we can live in the secret place of protection daily (Psalm 91), but we can also be alerted to these specific attacks for those we are in relationships with. We ask for high levels of discernment and sensitivity, an ability to pick up these alerts for our families, friends, leaders, and others in our lives. We refuse to live in fear, regardless of what happens around us. We have our spiritual armor for protection, including the shield of faith and the weapon of prayer (Ephesians 6). We will pray during these times, building walls - boundaries of protection - around ourselves and others. We declare that as we do, no weapon formed against us will prosper, and every tongue that rises against us in judgment, we will condemn in the name of the Lord. This is our heritage as family members of the Most High God (Isaiah 54:17). And we continue to declare that the prince of Persia will be defeated in the Middle East; his centuries-old stronghold will be demolished. His hold on the hearts and minds of people there will be broken. He will not stop the great spiritual harvest coming to that area of the earth, nor will he succeed in generating a World War III. The great spiritual awakening has begun - there, here in America, and throughout the earth. It will not be stopped. We release the power of Holy Spirit to hover over that region, producing dreams, visions, signs and wonders, and a tremendous harvest. We release the same here in our nation; it will not be stopped. All of this we ask and release in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that we will live in the secret place of the Most High God, protected from all evil. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer, published by Baker Books. ---------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293. Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas, TX: Christ For The Nations, revised 1994), p. 39. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2540. Ibid, ref. no. 853. Oral Roberts, A Prayer Cover Over Your Life (Tulsa, OK: Oral Roberts, 1990), pp. 10-11. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 69. ----------------------------------------------------------

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-13-2023 November 13, 2023 Boundaries of Protection We have heard many words of encouragement lately telling us not to fear the shaking that has begun. These words simply echo what God says hundreds of times, in several different ways, in His Word: “Fear not.” We can rest assured that our nation is anchored and protected. However, this anchoring does not negate our need to personally maintain faith and biblical principles of protection for ourselves, our families, and our friends. In this season, where terrorist acts and other forms of violence will increase, we must remain vigilant and maintain our place in “The secret place of the Most High.” (Psalm 91). This week, I want to share with you what the Scriptures tell us regarding how we do this. Today’s teaching is from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer. Enjoy! Towers “When the children were young, we visited Disney World one summer. Along with the excitement of heat, humidity, long lines, and high prices, I had the adventure of visiting the Tower of Terror. This ride simulates an earthquake as experienced while riding in a hotel elevator. It was everything but uplifting. “A few years ago, I visited the Tower of London in England. A fortress on the River Thames, this bastion has served in historic times as everything from a palace to a prison. We saw the crown jewels and, as a reminder to those who might try to steal them, many ancient instruments of execution and torture. I've never moved from exhilaration to excruciation so quickly. I mumbled, ‘God save the Queen,’ and hastily departed. “I've also visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris, a 984-foot-high tower of iron framework built for the International Exposition of 1889. Demonstrating my linguistic skills and cultural awareness, while gazing at this incredible accomplishment, I shouted to those with me, ‘Vive la France, birthplace of the French fry.’ “The following story offers an interesting assessment of an infamous tower in the Bible - Babel. “An eminent architect was under cross-examination at a trial concerning a building he had designed. One of the prosecutors, attempting to distract the man during his testimony, asked, ‘Are you a builder?’ “Immediately, the witness replied, ‘No, sir, I am an architect.’ "’But, they are much the same, aren't they?’ the prosecutor added. "’I beg your pardon, sir, but in my opinion, they are totally different.’ "’Oh, indeed! Perhaps you will explain the difference?’ “To this, the witness responded, ‘An architect, sir, conceives the design, prepares the plan, draws all to specifications, and in short, supplies the mind. The builder is merely the bricklayer or the carpenter. The builder is the machine; the architect, the power that puts it together and sets it going.’ "’Oh, very well, Mr. Architect, that will do. And now, after your very ingenious distinction between the two, perhaps you can inform the court, who was the architect of the Tower of Babel?’ “The witness promptly responded, ‘There was no architect, sir, only builders. That's why there was so much confusion.’”(1) “This is not totally accurate, of course, builders and skilled tradesmen know more than the architect stated. But it is an interesting and humorous observation. “Another tower in the Scriptures is known not for its terror, jewels, pride, or confusion, but as a place of strength and safety: ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe’ (Proverbs 18:10). Psalm 61:3 calls our God ‘A tower of strength against the enemy.’ Boundaries “One of the meanings of the Hebrew word for ‘intercession,’ paga, is ‘boundary’ or ‘border.’ It is the point at which two territories meet or connect. Hence, a boundary, or, as The Spirit-Filled Bible says, the extent to which a boundary reaches. Paga is used repeatedly this way in Joshua 19. “In the context of intercessory prayer, paga is the establishing of boundaries or walls of protection; the marking of territory as one's own, declaring, ‘I will not permit intruders or interlopers.’ I love Psalm 91:1-4 from THE MESSAGE: ‘You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, say this: "God, You're my refuge. I trust in You, and I'm safe!" That's right - He rescues you from hidden traps, and shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you; under them, you're perfectly safe; His arms fend off all harm.' “Wow, what a promise! “A missionary determined to take the gospel to an interior region of China experienced the sovereign protection of God through paga. Ruthless bandits along the road had prevented this area from being reached. However, this young missionary went, preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. He later returned to the base without having seen any bandits. Shortly thereafter, the missionaries heard a rumor circulating throughout the area: the bandits had not attacked because an entourage of eleven soldiers had traveled with him. As he had traveled alone, the missionaries concluded angels must have protected him; but why eleven? “The missionary wrote about this experience to his home church in the United States. His pastor asked when this had happened. Upon receiving this information, the pastor excitedly communicated his part of the story. The pastor had been prompted by God to call a special prayer meeting for this missionary. When the date of the prayer meeting arrived, the pastor was disappointed at the poor turnout. That changed after he received the missionary's amazing report. The pastor was thrilled to tell him, ‘You'll be pleased to know that, counting myself, there were exactly eleven of us who were praying for you that very day.’ “Those 11 faithful intercessors became a wall, a boundary, or perimeter of protection, around this missionary through their prayers of intercession - paga. Through them, Psalm 91 and Proverbs 18:10 became reality. God wants us, also, to believe in the power of the name of Jesus and to use it to build walls of protection around individuals.(2) “Isaiah 26:1 and 60:18 actually speak of God's protection as walls: ‘In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security.’” ‘Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.’” Pray with me: Father, thank You for being a tower of refuge, strength, and protection. We do not have to wonder about Your willingness to protect us in times of trouble. Your Word says You are “a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1). It tells us, “Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble” (Psalm 32:7). We declare with the psalmist, “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4). We realize this protection is accomplished through the application of Your Word, which includes our faith, prayers, and abiding in the secret place. We build walls and create boundaries. Teach us Your ways regarding this. We are going to grow in the knowledge of the truth this week. We will expand in our revelation and enlightenment. We also realize we are more than Your kids; we are Your ambassadors, Your king-priest warriors, Your Ekklesia. As such, we not only pray for ourselves, we create boundaries, even walls of protection for others. Teach us to do so effectively, leaving nothing to chance. Today, we begin by securing our families. We decree that they are off-limits to all attacks - no evil will befall them, no plague will come near them (Psalm 91:9-10). We declare this in the name of our Protector, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will fear no evil; we are secure in the secret place of the Most High God. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------------- Today’s teaching is taken from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer, published by Baker Books. **** Eastman and Jack Hayford, Living and Praying in Jesus’ Name (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), p. 52. Ibid., 13-14. ----------------------------------------------------------

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-18-2023 October 18, 2023 The Divine Acceleration While speaking in Florida this past weekend, I was reminded of a word Chuck Pierce gave me a year or so ago. Occasionally, Holy Spirit uses Chuck to give me one sentence or phrase, in order to motivate me to search the Scriptures for greater revelation on the subject. This particular phrase was, “There will be a return to Gilgal.” I received revelation regarding this and taught a short series of posts on the subject. (You can find those here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.) Gilgal was the place Israel camped after Joshua led them in their crossing of the Jordan River, making it their headquarters for a season. The name means “rolling.” They named it this, not because of the Jordan River being rolled back; its flow was actually “cut off” miles upriver, not rolled back. They named the place Gilgal because it was there that God told Israel the reproach of their slavery in Egypt had been “rolled” off of them (Joshua 5:9). There are many extraordinary events associated with this crossing. While in Florida, however, I felt there was something in particular, a current word Holy Spirit had for me through this portion of Scripture: a NOW word. So I spoke on the subject, trusting the Lord to reveal it to me while I was speaking. Revelation often increases for me through the anointing that comes when preaching and teaching, and it did on this occasion. When the fresh word from the Lord came, it was simple but strong. It occurred when I mentioned the shift Israel was being required to make into a new season. Moses had died, being the last member of the previous generation that wasn’t permitted to possess the promised land. Joshua had become the new leader, and God told him it was now time to cross the Jordan and possess the land. This marked the end of a very long season of preparation, over 400 years. It started with a promise to one couple, Abraham and Sarah, and a 25-year wait for their promise of a son, Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah birthed Esau and Jacob. The process then continued through Jacob and his fathering of the 12 tribes. At that point, we are over 100 years into this long season/process. And then, Israel became slaves in Egypt for over 300 years! It wasn’t looking good. This lengthy and seemingly off-track process was being carried out in synchronization with another variable, something God referred to as “the iniquity of the Amorites becoming complete” (Genesis 15:16). Yahweh was going to give their land to Israel, Abraham’s seed, but only after the accumulated sin of those living there justified it. This would take four more centuries! Just think about that: God looks centuries ahead to when the Amorites’ sin will be full, and knows exactly when to start the process of creating the nation of Israel through Abraham. A four hundred-year plan, which will have to be carried out in and through sinful people, barrenness, unbelief, family treachery and betrayal, wars, and a long season of slavery (which it turns out was really to provide for Israel’s needs - see Genesis 46 and 47), and have to coincide with when the Amorite’s iniquity became full. That’s some pretty good planning and a lot of patience! But God accomplished it. Four hundred years of planning and coordination coming to its moment. And now He says to Joshua, “In three days, Israel is going to cross this Jordan to possess the land” (Joshua 1:11). Awesome! But why, after 400 years, are You now in such a hurry, Joshua may have been tempted to think. You’re a better planner than that, Yahweh. We’ve waited over 400 years - why the big rush now? It takes a while for an entire nation to pack for a move such as this. And the Jordan River is in flood stage, a mile wide and very deep! In a few weeks, it’ll only be 20 yards wide and waist-deep. It’s been four CENTURIES; surely a few more weeks won’t matter! Thankfully, if Joshua was tempted with these thoughts, he squelched them quickly and obeyed. If Yahweh says three days, then three days it is. And He must have a good reason. The Lord did have a good reason. He was on a prophetic timetable, would be painting a prophetic picture of the Cross through their crossing over, and was making certain that it coincided with the date He had chosen for Christ’s death. That’s why He said, after their crossing and celebration of Passover, “On that very day,” Israel ate the fruit of the land (Joshua 5:11). Not a day early; not a day late. God can not only plan ahead 400 years, He can plan ahead 4000 years…to the day! The planning of Christ being sacrificed for us began before Adam’s fall even occurred! As I pondered this account from Scripture last weekend while in Florida, the Lord focused my attention on the hastening of the pace in Joshua 1:11. He changed/shifted the time and season, as Daniel 2:20 tells us He does. God is never running late, but He IS in a hurry at times. And He was in Joshua 1. The Eternal Planner has His own reasons for doing so when He speeds things up. And in His infinite wisdom, He is doing so now. The Lord is hastening the pace of what is now unfolding now on earth, doing so to keep things in step with His plans. Everlasting God, Olam El, is not reacting to satan’s counter actions; He factored them into His plan thousands of years ago. He is simply working through the chaos, accomplishing His will. We must stay in step with Him, following Holy Spirit’s direction. This next year is critical for us. Huge. Just as we have been working with Him to birth the coming harvest, we must now finish well, church. I simply do not believe that as God looked ahead and planned this great worldwide harvest, He saw us as a generation that would put our hands to the plow and turn back. I don’t believe that in His foreknowledge, He saw us rejecting His offer, realizing He would have to use the next generation to reap this harvest. No. I believe the Lord saw us as the generation that would FINISH THIS ASSIGNMENT! Let’s do it..! Pray with me: Father, You are magnificent, glorious, indescribable - too marvelous for words. There is no one like You. Your abilities are unfathomable, beyond human comprehension. We believe in Your power and ability, but we also believe in Your heart of love and mercy. We believe You when You say You love mercy, not judgment. Thank You for demonstrating this when You waited four centuries to take the land from the Canaanites, even though You knew the time would come when You would have to do so. Your patience is also amazing. And You have been patient with our nation, just as You have others. You have walked with us through 60-plus years of rebellion and spiritual death. Yet You have preserved us. Now, You are offering us restoration. We refuse to miss this opportunity. We will finish well. Give us revival in America. Give it also to the nations of the Earth. Let this outpouring be glorious, the biggest ever. A billion souls. Lead us as we finish the process in this very challenging season. Encourage the church, keep us focused, and remind us to not grow weary in our perseverance. We thank You for this. And once again, we ask You to hover in the U.S. Capitol building. Give us the Speaker of Your choice. We bind every demonic effort to keep this person from taking that seat. We open the door to them, according to Isaiah 22:22 and Matthew 16. And we ask for all of this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will finish the process of seeing America restored. ******************************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-17-2023 October 17, 2023 God Has Other Plans Most of what I have to share today is not new, but it is a needed reminder and will help us keep in perspective what has been said prophetically regarding America’s future. It is important to properly synchronize the various words coming from prophetic voices in this season. The well-worn adage of having good news and bad news is certainly true in our time. Strong and encouraging words stating that America will be saved - and she will - abound. Usually, these words are accompanied by promises of revival, restoration, and reformation. This, too, I fully believe will occur. However, there are also warnings of shaking, violence, tsunamis of destruction, wars, and more. A proven prophetic voice with Morningstar Ministries, Chris Reed, recently released a troubling dream he received on October 8th regarding terrorism in America. Please listen to it if you have not yet done so (click here). These two above scenarios are indeed contrasting outlooks, but they are not contradictory. The coming shaking and restoration are two halves of the same unfolding reality. Most of the voices releasing words regarding the future actually state this in one way or another, telling us difficult times are coming but also that we will emerge with new strength and a great reformation. In Scriptures detailing Israel’s past, God often had to allow her to experience difficult circumstances in order to turn her back to His ways and purposes. It is also important to remember that those difficulties always came after God’s unheeded warnings; He faithfully sounded the alarm. Likewise, America, too, has been given numerous warnings, yet as a whole, has failed to return to Him. Drifting farther from the Father’s heart, which always dulls our spiritual eyes and ears, America has remained with the proverbial frog in the kettle, joining the denial-driven ostrich with our heads in the sand. Though this inability to receive correction and hear God’s warnings is, at times, unavoidable among those who don’t know Him, it is inexcusable in those who do. For decades now, a sleeping and egocentric - sometimes narcissistic - church has chosen pleasure over concern, comfort over confrontation, and watered-down messages over wake-up calls. Many Christians became too lazy or complacent even to vote, and numerous pastors were too afraid or deceived to challenge them, thereby keeping out of their pulpits the principles of righteous government established by God on the earth. This led to an ignorant church, many of whom insanely prioritized personality over policy, and slick political charisma over plain truth. Inconceivably, they actually preferred the murdering of babies in the womb and the mutilation of confused children to mean tweets. By doing so, these Christians joined with unbelievers in choosing a woke and weak America over strength, empty lies over bold truth, and radical “green new bankruptcy” over responsible and wise planning. Voting into power weak and corrupt leaders comes at a cost; the cost for America has been great, and when all is said and done, will prove to be historical. This naivety and deception started years ago, intensified greatly during the Obama years, and hit full speed when Biden was elected. That is when America reached the point that the recovery could no longer occur without the shaking. For years, I held out hope that revival would come without the shaking. I still believe it could have had the church awakened in time. Now, it is no longer possible. Yet God, in His mercy and for His plans, is going to save us, using the shaking to do so. Our enemies have seen America’s deep dive into insanity, naivety, weakness, corruption, and complacency, and realized they could now act. With our borders open, they could send in thousands of terrorists; with our senseless decisions causing a weak economy, they could outspend us militarily; through multiple wars in the world, they could deplete us militarily; and with foolish, cowardly, naive, and sometimes traitorous leaders, they could make their long-awaited moves. They are now beginning to act. Like it or not, Reagan was right: the only way to peace is through strength. (1) The good news - and there is good news - is that a remnant in the church HAS heard God’s warnings and risen in intercession, responding to God’s heart for redemption. We have obeyed His instructions. This will prove to have shortened the duration and severity of the shaking. America is anchored and covered with the blood of Yeshua and the oil of Holy Spirit. And, albeit not yet in the natural realm, in the spirit, we have reconnected to our Foreword - God’s decreed purpose for His book titled, “America.” As I have stated several times that our prayers are saving America, I have meant it very literally. They are also birthing the revival held in God’s redeeming heart. Do not yield to fear when the shaking intensifies, and challenges arise. Remain strong in faith, declaring the word of the Lord that God will use it to produce revival and transformation. He wants to see this great worldwide harvest reaped more than we do, and it will be! Do not forget this! China won’t stop it, nor will Russia, Iran, North Korea, or any terrorist organization. In America, Marxists won’t stop it, nor will leftists, evil politicians, liars in the media, indoctrinating educators, or demonic principalities and powers. The shaking will awaken us, God will revive us, and a 50-year plan of darkness will be overwhelmingly foiled by Holy Spirit’s activity here and around the world. Now, I must warn you: expect the pace of all this to speed up. With great anguish, I say that I believe the conflict in the Middle East will escalate. It was spawned by demons, and planned by Iran and her new allies to increase international unrest, not to help Gaza. Without a doubt, they knew that Israel - also without a doubt - would respond by eradicating Hamas. They also knew this would take the lives of many Palestinians, many of whom don’t even like Hamas. These despicable powers, however, don’t care about the Palestinians. They are using them as human shields and pawns. Their goal through the attack was to create more war and worldwide terrorism, producing Iran’s opportunity to destroy the “little” and “great satans” Israel and America. Russia and China see it as an opportunity to defeat the current most powerful nation so they can dominate the world. And satan sees it as a way to stop the great harvest. God has other plans! Stay aligned with God. In your love of Israel and hatred of evil, don’t fall prey to satan’s deception by aligning with HIS hating heart. God loves the Palestinians, Iranians, Iraqis, Afghans, Syrians, and other people of the Middle East. Yes, justice must absolutely be dealt to terrorists and perpetrators of evil, but we must pray that light, truth, and salvation be released to the masses. And though the violence there and elsewhere will continue for a time, pray for a minimal loss of innocent life and a supernaturally quick end to it. Persevere! Pray with me: Father, we are anchored to Your heart and hand, surrounded by angels, covered with the blood of Christ, and anointed with the oil of Holy Spirit. America, though she will be shaken, will survive and be revived. We are confident of this. We are also restored to the covenant made with You, which is also the purpose for which You made us. Though this has only been accomplished in the spiritual realm - not yet manifesting naturally - it is no less true and real. We birth Your plans and purposes in the spirit first, and then they manifest in the natural realm. We pray for courage to rise up in the hearts of Your people during this time. We pray for a strong, unwavering faith and confidence to be sustained in the Ekklesia. We are not those who put their hands to the plow and then turn back. We are not of those who miraculously leave Pharaoh’s labor camps, then fear the giants so much we want to go back. We are warriors. Overcomers. More than conquerors. We are constrained by love, sustained by faith, clean by the blood of Jesus, and anointed with the power of Holy Spirit. We are lovers of humankind, warring for their salvation and deliverance and armed with the gospel. Our greatest days are ahead, not behind, and by Your strength and grace, we will not fail. We do ask You to destroy evildoers, while protecting innocent life as much as possible, in this violent season. Thwart the bloodthirsty plans of the evil one. We also remember to pray for our government. We sense that this decision regarding the Speaker of the House of Representatives is very important. It is a part of the transformation and cleansing of our government. We need Your choice to be in that seat. We ask for this, and bind every attempt - through demonic persuasion, confusion, lies, and human agendas - to thwart it. Your kingdom will come, and Your will be done, in Jesus’ name! We ask all of these things in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that as Christ’s Ekklesia, we will represent His heart and plans in this hour of history. And we will do so with His love, authority, strength, anointing, and victory. *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------ https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/permanent-exhibits/peace-through-strength

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-16-2023 October 16, 2023 Step Forward There are those whom I believe the Lord speaks to clearly, sharing His heart - prophets who give us direction, teachings, and words from the Lord. My brother is one of those voices. After hundreds of hours of study, God has also given him an unusual ability to understand how angels operate in the spirit world, assisting us as we partner with God. Here is a word Tim Sheets recently shared: “We are in significant days, walking out the strategy of our Lord; it is imperative that we press in to hear what He is saying. The Ekklesia must accept the responsibility of engaging and decreeing His Word as we move into the next season. “I asked Holy Spirit recently to show me what He is currently speaking and He gave me a vision. In this vision I saw a map of the United States of America, along with many other nations of the world. As I looked at the map, I began to see a display of fireworks. Each one shot up into the sky in a streak of light and exploded. I heard the Lord say, ‘Today, we launch the strike force of the angel armies.’ I then began to see seraphim and government angels, along with other angel divisions, going forth on assignments. I realized the shooting fireworks had actually been angels of light. From each state and many other nations, I had seen angels shooting up in streaks of light. The explosions I saw were promises, prophetic words, dreams, visions, and declarations from believers. [End of vision] “After the vision the Lord said, ‘The angels of Lord Sabaoth are now launched to explode and activate. There will be explosions of promises, dreams, visions and prophetic words coming to pass. This is a Kingdom event for Ekklesias around the world. It is time for My Ekklesia to engage with me and declare what I say. Angels are activating to release an explosion of the Kingdom of God.’ “We have been told of a shaking that will begin to reset our nation; this vision and word is a revelation and confirmation that this significant breakthrough is coming. The responsibility of the Ekklesia at this time is to be bold and aggressively use our spiritual weapons. Prayers and decrees are weapons of warfare, mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). “Wars are never won through reticent effort. The King’s Ekklesia is being called to engage demonic agendas and stop them. We are being called to proceed against cultural, governmental and educational evils. The King’s command is for us to advance, not hide in fear, and follow Him into battle. “During this season, Holy Spirit is saying to us, as He did the prophet Jeremiah, ‘You have no reason to fear the people you speak to, for I am with you and will defend you. I will touch your mouth and give you My divine message! Look, I have placed My words in your mouth. You will know what to say. You will be My voice. This very day I appoint you to speak with My authority over nations and kingdoms. Your word - My word - will have the power to uproot and stamp out; it will destroy and upend. And then your word - My word - will rebuild and plant anew’ (Jeremiah 1:8-10, The Voice Translation). “God is going to use us, His Ekklesia, to upend and uproot by boldly declaring His words. Philippians 1:28 (NLT) says, ‘Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.’ “One of the greatest signs of defeat to our enemies is when we, the body of Christ, stand fearless and unintimidated. We must refuse to be bullied by our adversary; we know he is a defeated foe. “Recently, Holy Spirit spoke the following to me, ‘I have prepared and will now show the world the strength of the Lord of hosts. My strong arm will be seen overpowering and defeating the forever loser through a functioning Ekklesia. My Ekklesia will now enter a time of acceleration when prophetic words, promises, dreams and visions intersect their moment. I will activate the assignments I gave them. And as My Ekklesia engages in prayer, decrees and corresponding actions, functioning in My original intent and purpose for its being, it will connect to a supernatural moment. This is a moment I have planned, for revival and reformation. Strength will multiply. Doors will open. Changes will surge. Transformation of times will come. Crooked paths will straighten. Realignment to right ways will manifest. Restoration of paths of righteousness will be rebuilt.' “‘Move forward into My moment. Move forward into your moment. My move, your move. My word, your word. My victory, Your victory! Engage with purpose into this moment. Engage the battle, says the Lord.’ “We must now be bold and fearless, not passive onlookers. We must live in the fear of the Lord, not the fear of man. Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and countless other heroes of faith, we must shake off all passivity and stand strong. No bowing to Baal. No bowing to wickedness, perversion, mutilators of children, demon doctrines, government intimidation, insane ideas, lies, or antichrist agendas. We must embrace a true Kingdom of God mindset and a remnant warrior’s mentality. “We must remove all cowardice and passivity that acts as leaven and spreads. We cannot yield to an inappropriate acceptance of evil, calling it love; evil breeds loathsome oppression, cruelty, the destruction of families and children, and the annihilation of destinies. Sin never brings peaceful solutions; it kills, steals and destroys. King Jesus says it’s time to engage, battle and stand strong. “Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV) speaks of putting on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the wiles of the devil. This passage is timely for this current season in which we have been called to fight for the cause of Christ. “The word ‘against’ in verse 10 is the Greek word pro.(1) It actually means to ‘step forward.’ Our word for a professional, a ‘pro,’ comes from this Greek word. A pro is someone that is a step forward from others. The Ekklesia is being called to advance for the Kingdom of God. When you see principalities, step forward. When you see the powers of darkness, step forward. When you see the rulers of the darkness of this age, step forward. When you see spiritual wickedness in high places, step forward. “Holy Spirit is calling out to His Ekklesia: engage and step forward!” Let’s Pray with Tim: Lord, thank You for breathing truth, revelation and strategy to us. We pray that the season we have been contending, crying out and believing for would begin to unfold. We pray for a divine outpouring and infusion of heaven’s power, a power that can change everything. We ask for strength and great boldness. In Acts 2, Your power came from heaven and believers’ voices were amplified, allowing them to speak with Kingdom authority and governing language. Their authority went to a different level, and we are asking You to do this again. Cause the Ekklesia to step forward and reign supernaturally. Loose the explosion of promises, dreams, and visions that have now come to their divinely planned moments. May this be a time when we embrace what You say. We declare our faith and confidence is in You. We step forward for such a time as this. Cause Your Ekklesia to rise up and oppose evil, supernaturally upending the strategies of hell. We will not relent. We will be tenacious and bold for Your cause. We continue to pray regarding the situation in the Middle East. We ask for a quick end to this violence. We bind the prince of Persia’s/Iran’s efforts to steal, kill, and destroy. We break the power of this stronghold off the region, and loose the breath of God to the region. We declare the victory of Calvary over it. We declare that God has freed the descendents of Isaac and Ishmael from darkness and deception through the power of the blood of Jesus. Arise in that region, Lord, scatter Your enemies. Let Your light come and Your glory rise upon the people. We ask for angels to help bring the fruit of this. All of this we decree and ask in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Our decree: We decree the launching of angel armies throughout the world to bring the fulfillment of promises, dreams, visions and prophetic words. And we decree that the church will engage and step forward! *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org --------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4253.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-13-2023 October 13, 2023 The Unexpected Assignment Yesterday, I shared about the prince of Persia. I referenced a gathering this past weekend in Ohio where my brother, Tim Sheets, shared that he believes Holy Spirit is saying we are moving into a season of overthrowing demonic thrones of iniquity 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. Tim shared this on the day before the war in Israel began. The timing of what he shared was significant. I also said I believe the violence in the Middle East is being caused by this same principality Daniel and the archangel Michael dealt with in Daniel 10. The pain and suffering in Israel and Gaza is the direct influence of this spirit. Terrorist groups are his agents; hatred, pain, suffering, and oppression are his goals…and his methods. Today I want to give you a part two. While vacationing in the Smokey Mountains in 2004, I sensed a great increase in spiritual warfare over the government of America. Decisions were being made, that I knew would be very damaging for our nation. The burden on me was so great I knew I needed to go to Washington, D.C., and pray. Ceci and I decided we would cut our vacation short. She would go home to Colorado Springs (where we lived at the time), and I would catch a flight to Washington. She knows the assignment on my life and sensed the same urgency, so was fully supportive. Then, I received a series of confirmations. Ceci and I had decided to go to a musical show this final night. Just as we arrived, a friend and intercessor called. Ceci went inside to purchase our tickets and find our seats while I took the call. Our friend began… “One of the intercessors in the church had a dream about you last night, which I felt you should know about immediately. She dreamed she was attending a conference and went into an average-sized room for the first teaching session. A man was standing up front, ready to begin teaching; he had a large media screen behind him. As he started to teach, he paused, turned to this intercessor, and said, ‘Tell Dutch Sheets he must go up to 11 and 12.’ As he said this, the numbers 11 and 12 appeared on the screen behind him. “The scene changed in the dream, and she was in a different room for another session. The same man was there to teach, and again he looked at her before he began, saying, ‘Tell Dutch Sheets he must go up to 11 and 12.’ Again, the numbers appeared on the screen. This ended the dream.” While pondering the dream, I texted Ceci to find the location of our seats. “Row 12, seats 11 and 12,” she replied. After taking my seat, I stated the obvious: “I think God is talking to me!” I then related the dream to her. I immediately began asking the Lord what these numbers meant, even during the musical performance. Why was He saying I must go up to 11 and 12? Why would this be given to me on the eve of my trip to Washington to pray? Perhaps the answer is in the symbolic meaning of these numbers, I thought. In the Scriptures, the number 11 refers to transition. It can be a change of paradigms, locations, or other transitions. Because transition or change often creates a temporary season of disarray, it can also picture disorder. The number 12 is the number of government. Through the symbolism of these two numbers, I felt God was saying to me, “You must go up through the disorder (11) in the heavenlies, the spiritual realm, and exercise My kingdom government or rule (12).” I also thought that perhaps the numbers could be pointing to a specific Scripture, so I began looking up references with 11 and 12 in them. I felt drawn to Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” I contemplated this verse and felt God was telling me this was indeed an assignment involving spiritual warfare. I was also led to Revelation 12 and the spiritual warfare described there. The angel, Michael, along with other angels, was warring against satan. Verse 8 stood out: “No room was found any longer in the heavens for the dragon and his angels.” Though this passage is about a future battle, I felt Holy Spirit was using it to confirm that there was great warfare over D.C. I’m sure this is typically the case, but I felt it had intensified. While praying and considering this passage in Revelation 12, I received a call from another friend in Colorado who said, “I have been praying for you and felt led by the Holy Spirit to instruct you to read Daniel, chapter 10. I believe God wants to speak to you from this passage.” She knew nothing about what I was doing. As I read the chapter, I realized it also includes a story about Michael warring in the heavens, this time against a spirit referred to as the prince of Persia. We spoke of this passage and principality in yesterday’s post. Daniel was praying for Israel’s restoration, and God had dispatched angels with His answer. Demonic forces in the spiritual realm, however, led by this prince of Persia, were warring against the angels, hindering them from reaching him with the answer. God eventually sent Michael to help the angels break through to Daniel. While meditating on this, I was reminded of a prophetic word given to me a few months earlier. Jane Hamon, while speaking in our church, had prophesied that sometime in the near future, God was going to send the archangel Michael, to war over D.C., and I would go and partner with him. This was that. As a final encouragement and confirmation, the Lord led a member of Congress to call me just before I began the assignment. I explained what had transpired while on vacation, where I was, and what I was about to do. “Perhaps you’re supposed to pray for me and, from your position of governmental authority, commission me to this assignment,” I suggested. “I believe so,” this legislator said, “because you suddenly came to mind, and I felt a strong urge to call you immediately.” His prayer was powerful and added greatly to my confidence. I and three others who joined me had a powerful time of prayer in Washington, D.C. We bound the efforts of satan to control this situation, released many petitions and decrees, and commanded God’s kingdom rule to come and His will to be done in the coming days. We sensed great angelic activity, and KNEW Michael was there helping us. Our prayers were answered, and God’s will was accomplished. Pray with me: Father, our hearts break as we watch the pain and suffering taking place in Israel and Gaza. Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The principality over Iran, whom You called in Scripture the “prince of Persia,” loves to cause pain and suffering, just as the spirit of Baal does here in America. Many millions are under his control. You have told us that a great revival is coming to that part of the world, with hundreds of millions being saved. You love the descendants of Ishmael, just as You do those of Isaac. Jesus died for the entire world. We know the name Ishmael means “God hears,” and You do. We ask for a great outpouring of Holy Spirit to these descendants, just as we do for the Jews. Open the eyes of all, enabling them to see Yahweh, His Son, Yeshua, and understand the gospel. Save a billion of them! We know this is Your desire, and we also know You need our partnership. As Christ’s ambassadors on earth, we bind the influence of the prince of Persia over this region of the world, and declare that the shed blood of Jesus Christ has removed his right to rule there. We stand in the gap for the people, asking for their deliverance from this spirit’s influence, for the lifting of the veil from their spiritual eyes, and for a mighty release of the powerful gospel. We ask for laborers to be sent into this harvest field, and for angels to war against the demonic activity. End this war quickly. Send revival to Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and every other Muslim nation. And we ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Amen. Our decree: We declare that Christ’s Kingdom is an ever-increasing and everlasting Kingdom. All nations belong to Him as His inheritance - ALL. ************************** Portions of today’s post were adapted from my book Authority in Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/october-10-2023 October 10, 2023 The War in Israel Before I comment on the situation in Israel, I first want to share just a few thoughts from Dave Kubal from Intercessors For America regarding the Speaker of the House situation. As tragic and significant as the situation in Israel is, we must also remain focused on America, difficult though that may be. Supernatural Divide in D.C. (by Dave Kubal) “The battle we are watching in Washington, D.C., is a visual representation of what is happening in the supernatural. At this moment, there are forces attempting to retain control, and forces attempting to gain control. “Let me describe what’s happening in the natural. The nation was given an opportunity with this session of Congress to fight against the government’s woke agenda, its weaponization against private citizens, and bankrupt spending. The January fight for speaker was the obvious outworking of the political establishment. Congressman Kevin McCarthy was recognized as part of the establishment but wielded power because of his ability to raise and distribute $100 million. His popularity pushed him to the front. He made very specific promises to fight the woke agenda and pass a responsible budget. “Rep. McCarthy did not do what he promised. “He lost the support of many in his party. Most no longer trust him. This week there was a vote to vacate his position. It prevailed with nine Republican votes. Many more Republicans no longer wanted McCarthy to remain speaker, but they did not believe that this was the time to remove him. “When we deal with the spiritual realm, the natural will work out. This is an opportunity — a critical moment in our nation’s history. “Will we continue to allow our government to express and legislate values contrary to kingdom values? Will we allow our government to limit our freedoms? Will we empower a government with no control on spending — political spirits of control, spirits of excess loosing immorality, manipulative spirits using printed money — to dominate our lives? “Next week [this week], we will see our options to lead Congress from here. The candidates will represent the spiritual battle at hand. Likely candidates include: Congressman Steve Scalise: a huge ally to Speaker McCarthy, and one entrenched in the political establishment. “Congressman Jim Jordan: a relentless defender of our freedom. “Others may surface, and we must look for what agenda drives these representatives and for who is behind them. “Most of all, we must pray. The battle on Capitol Hill in D.C. is the outworking of the spiritual battle in our nation. When we take care of the spiritual realm, the natural realm will work out.”(1) Israel There is no need to recap the horrific details of what is occurring in Israel; most of us have seen information regarding little else for the past few days. It has been heartbreaking to see the animalistic cruelty of demonized terrorists as they rape, torture, and mutilate women and children. I speak not of Palestinians and Muslims in general, but of the Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian terrorists responsible for this inhuman barbarism. They are savage butchers. I want to focus, not on their actions, but on the bigger picture: how we got here, what it means regarding the future, how we should pray, etc. How We Got Here Elections, as they say, have consequences. I would add that naively, ignorantly, and foolishly electing antichrist, anti-Bible, globalist, woke, lying, leftist, and Marxist leaders, bent on transforming America into the same, has disastrous but predictable consequences. (Though the term “electing” is probably not completely accurate in this case.) One can only hope that pious, undiscerning Christians - who simply could not tolerate mean tweets and an immoral past, preferring instead, abortionists and leftists - are having second thoughts. What we have seen over the past three years was predictable. Why would a Biden administration, run by Obama and other globalist America haters, want a revived and strong America? Reversing most, if not all, of Trump’s sound policies on their first day in office, they picked up where they had left off, and even increased the pace of transforming America from being the greatest nation on earth into a weak and disrespected mess. A nation, by the way, which now needs a miracle to be restored. The Attack on Israel Tragically, the violence and bloodshed in Israel will continue. They have no choice but to eliminate once and for all the terrorist threats of Hamas, Hezbollah to the North, and perhaps Iran’s ability to fund and facilitate them. Iran and the terrorist leaders knew their provocation would demand this war. To Iran, the Palestinians, in general, are expendable pawns - always have been; they couldn’t care less about them. They want to force Israel to fight, hoping to destroy them, or at the very least, cause more of the world to turn against them. And unfortunately, multitudes of Palestinians, many of whom do not even support Hamas (some of them Christians!), will be sacrificed. What This Means in America Satan and those he controls hate not only Israel, but America. Thousands of terrorists are no doubt here now, due to Biden and the Dems’ open borders, waiting for the command to attack. They would be fools not to have come in, and we would be fools to think they’re not here. And those I listen to believe that they are, indeed, here. Many are especially concerned about cities with large numbers of those who have entered our country illegally, especially single young men. Terrorism could very well be the shaking we have been warned of, as could our involvement in a regional or world war. Yes, we have obeyed the Lord’s instructions for preserving our nation, and we will be preserved. But the words from the Lord did not say there would not be attacks or suffering. We were warned of a great shaking, but that our prayers would ensure America’s survival, salvation, and reset. Be convinced of this - I am. And do not yield to fear! Continue to pray for protection over your home and family daily; claim Psalm 91 for you and yours. Be vigilant. Beyond prayer for protection, stay focused on God’s plan to use this evil to prepare people and nations for harvest. He is always far ahead of satan and his plans. Continue to call forth the exposing of evil and the reaping of harvest. Do not allow your heart to become hardened to Muslim people in general, or Iranians and Palestinians in particular. Millions of them do not want these wars and the terrorism. Pray that they find out the truth of what is occurring - they hear only propaganda - and that they become more open to Christ and the gospel. I believe millions of them will be saved. Don’t forget that Paul, in his deception, martyred Stephen, but he later became one of the greatest followers of Christ in all of history. Pray for a great harvest in the Muslim world! And finally, pray for Israel! Pray that this evil attack be overcome quickly and supernaturally, that there will be a minimal loss of life, and that the plans of darkness backfire. Pray that their eyes will be opened to Yeshua. They, too, will experience a great, great revival. Pray with me: Father, we come to You today with hearts that hurt, just as Yours no doubt does. The horrible grief and suffering taking place in Israel is heartbreaking. We ask You to help Israel overthrow these evil terrorists, and bring the suffering of all to a quick end. We also ask for the veil of deception to be broken off of millions of people in that part of the world, freeing them from spiritual darkness. Open their eyes to the light of the gospel of Yeshua. Let a powerful revival sweep through the Middle East. Continue to give dreams and visions to those in the Muslim world, showing them that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of God and their Savior. Show the Jews that He is their Messiah. And Lord, we pray for our nation. Thank You for so clearly warning us that we needed to pray prayers of covering, protection, and anchoring. We continue to ask for Your protection and declare that Psalm 91 will be our portion. We pray also for our government, that You would remove those who need to be removed in order for us to be safe and restored. Give us the leader we need in the House, but may Your changes go much deeper and broader. Give us once again a righteous government. We pray these things in Christ’s holy name, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound and is being released throughout the earth. ********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------- https://ifapray.org/blog/supernatural-divide-in-d-c/

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/october-11-2023 October 11, 2023 Keep Your Faith Anchored As I prayed and processed with Holy Spirit what to share today, I felt He wanted me to steer this post toward faith and hope. We must continue to anchor ourselves to what God has said HE is doing at this time. In my book, The Power of Hope, I state that “Hope does in our hearts what seeds do in the earth. Without hope, life is sterile and unfruitful; dreams won’t be conceived; destinies won’t be realized. Hope is essential because it is the seed, the starting line, the genesis, and the launch pad. It is, in fact, the incubator where faith is birthed: ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for,’ God tells us (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). If there is no hope for the future, there will be no faith to face it - let alone build it. “Jeremiah 29:11 says: ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’ Strong’s concordance tells us the word ‘hope’ in this verse is the word tiqvah. It has two meanings: ‘an expectancy,’ and ‘a cord, as an attachment.’(1) The second definition is especially fascinating. Hope connects us to our future.” In this same book, The Power of Hope, I share the following story of God encouraging my faith for America. May it bring you hope in this troubled time. “As I write this, I’m sitting on my back porch [2014 in Dallas, TX], drawing inspiration from an amazing picture of hope. It’s a tree in my backyard that I named The Hope Tree. I gave it that name because it used to be dead - or so the previous homeowners thought. “I remember talking with the former owner when we were considering purchasing the house. He told me that not only had the tree died, but he had cut it down. There was nothing left but a stump! It doesn’t get much deader than that! “‘Then I put in the sprinkler system,’ he said. ‘I placed one of the sprinkler heads next to the stump, and the tree grew back.’ “I stood next to him, looking at the tree. This was not a wannabe tree consisting of two or three small sprigs, mind you, but a complete tree. Immediately, I thought about the Scripture where God talks about this never-say-die kind of tree: ‘For there is hope for a tree when it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail. Though its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water, it will flourish and put forth sprigs like a plant’ (Job 14:7-9). “Why had this passage from Job come to mind so quickly? Amazingly, in that season, I had been encouraging myself with these exact verses as I prayed for America. ‘You can revive America’s destiny and cause us to be great again, Lord,’ I prayed often. “You can imagine my shock and amazement as I looked at the tree before me, a perfect picture of the Scriptures I had been standing on. ‘Sold!’ I said. I hope Ceci likes the house because I’m buying it, I thought. That tree is now my daily reminder of the validity and power of audacious hope. “Many people in this season are looking for hope. Life can be difficult and, at times, brutal. The struggling economy is stealing jobs and destroying the dreams of many; diseases seem to have multiplied, ravaging the health of some and taking the lives of others; our kids cut themselves and shoot their classmates; our government is broken and refuses to reform; and the entire world, it seems, is filled with unrest and war. “Stumps abound…”(2) God has been faithful to give me anchor points over the years regarding His plans for America. And, of course, His plans for America are integrally joined to His plans for the world. It is easy to lose sight of these plans if we focus on the circumstances around us, especially when we see evil at today’s level. The anchor for faith in these times is the Word of God, what He has promised. When I stake my faith to His words, faith displaces fear. God Wants to Save! Do not underestimate the power of God’s love. He loved the world SO MUCH that He gave His only Son to save us. God sees the fallen earth through this lens of compassion. His passion is to redeem, not destroy. Hear Him say to Abraham, “Sure! I’ll spare the city for only ten!” (Genesis 18:32; my paraphrase). Revival to America and the world is not being wrestled from the hand of a hesitant God, but offered from His merciful heart. Most definitely, we live in an evil time, and the wickedness of some is hard to fathom. But DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO BLUR GOD’S HEART. Yes, He will shake down the wickedness, but He will also release His abounding grace. Anchor to this! When a demonized, evil, Herod killed the babies in Christ’s day, God did not abandon His plan and bring Jesus back to heaven. He stayed the course, and He will do so today. When His followers were murdered, burned at the stake, and fed to lions, God didn’t throw up His hands in frustration and destroy the planet. He stayed the course and allowed their blood to become seed He would use to turn the world upside down. It is appropriate to grieve in times like this. It is reasonable to experience righteous anger. But it is not okay to give up. Our Redeemer is on a mission, and He needs us to stay focused on that mission. Speak His words. Remind yourself of His promises. Worship. And stand! Pray with me: Father, we know how the story ends: You conquer evil once and for all, banish the serpent, and restore the earth. And we know how the story of this season will end: You will shake down evil and bring the greatest revival planet Earth has ever seen. You will NOT be outsmarted, out-maneuvered, or overcome. The worthy Lamb is the conquering Lion; the gentle Shepherd is the white horse Rider. He holds the keys, and He is the Supreme Judge. We are following Him. We represent Him and His victory at Calvary. We are His reaping force, His liberators, and we move in His authority. We bind every strategy of hell to stop this great harvest, confuse the church, and steal our faith-filled hope. We are and will continue to release living water to the “stump” called America, and this stump will grow into a tree once again. Then, we will release this living water as a river to the nations of the Earth, and entire nations will be saved and transformed. Nothing can stop this - it has already been decided. We speak revival into the Middle East. We send these words into the airwaves, the atmosphere of the earth today, and declare that they will accomplish everything You intend for them. Not one will return void, because we do so in the name of Jesus. We command a shaking into the strongholds of darkness in the Middle East and around the world. And we release the love and salvation of God to people there. We pray regarding the decision being made in our House of Representatives this week. As they meet today and as long as it may take, we ask You to choose the Speaker of the House. Give favor to this person, and great clarity to the Representatives. Silence voices of confusion. We ask for Your authority to rule completely over this decision; fill the room with angels. And we bind every effort of darkness to control this process and determine the outcome. All of this we ask in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we, the Ekklesia, are steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and this will not change. **************** NOTE: In the new testament, HOPE (elpis - grk) is the eager expectation of what will come to pass, because the One Who promised is Faithful. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 8616. Dutch Sheets, The Power of Hope (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2014).