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  1. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-21-2023 April 21, 2023 Praying For Your “Bean Patch” Recently, I have felt drawn to the subject of honor. God emphasizes honor in a general sense, but places special importance on honoring fathers and mothers (both spiritual and natural), and faithful individuals from past generations. I have mentioned the concept of the synergy of the ages, multiplied power through agreement with previous generations, which I teach in my book, An Appeal to Heaven. Today, I am sharing a prayer teaching from one of my heroes on the subject. Best-selling author Quin Sherrer has co-authored 31 books, including How to Pray for Your Children, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, and Miracles Happen When You Pray. In the early 90s, Quin saw a yet unawakened writing gift in me and, for several years, encouraged me to put pen to paper. She also prayed for me. Twenty-three books and hundreds of GH15 posts later, “Thank you, Quin. I owe you much.” In this post, Quin shares insights and biblical truths she implements personally in her prayer times. The advice is practical - all of her writings are - and easily applied. Enjoy! ************ “Regardless of our age, status in life, schedules, or the tenure of our walk with God, we all have the potential to move spiritual mountains through consistent, persistent prayer. I believe all Christians have an individual “bean patch”—a sphere of influence no one else has. By our steadfast prayers, we can bless it, and by our spiritual warfare, we can defend it. “The term ‘bean patch’ comes from an example of persistence and bravery demonstrated by one of David’s mighty men, Shammah, whose name means ‘God is there.’ He partnered with God, defending his garden, and the Lord brought a victory! Here’s the passage: “‘The Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils [beans], and the [Israelites] fled from the Philistines. But [Shammah] took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory’ (2 Samuel 23:12). “Notice, the victory was the Lord’s doing, but Shammah had to take his stand and defend the crop. He had a part to play! For us, this will always be the case. “When we intercede, we stand in ‘the gap’ (Ezekiel 22:30)—meaning we stand between God and the people or situations for whom we are praying. In spiritual warfare, we stand between them and satan’s forces to stop his actions, using the weapons God has provided for us: the Word of God, the name and power of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, worship and praise, and fasting. Of course, Christ’s victory over Satan is complete and irreversible. Yet, we have a role in releasing and enforcing that victory. “What does your ‘bean patch’ consist of? Start with your family, then ask Holy Spirit to reveal who else He would like you to pray for regularly. This could include close friends; spiritual leaders; your neighborhood; your city; your nation; other countries; and more. Don’t feel the responsibility to pray for everyone and everything. Trust Holy Spirit and trust your heart. He will give you the desire to pray for those He is assigning to you. “At the beginning of a prayer time, make sure your heart is clean, free from any ‘junk’ that would hinder your prayers. Do not become overly introspective or sin-conscious - we are told to ‘go boldly to the throne of grace’ (Hebrews 4:16). Just ask Holy Spirit to convict you of anything that needs to be cleansed through Christ’s blood. If and when He does so, confess the sin and ask for cleansing. God is gracious and faithful to do so (1 John 1:9). Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Matthew 6:12). Paul said, ‘I forgive for your sake in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). After this, invite Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your prayers. “When praying for others, I begin by asking the Father for what I call ‘the five P’s.’ They are God’s: Presence. Protection. Provision. Peace. Promises. You may feel to focus more on one or more of these. For example, when asking for protection, I pray portions of Psalm 91 over them, which includes God’s angelic protection. Also, if they don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord, I ALWAYS pray for their salvation. “When I feel this is complete, I pray specifically for other situations in their lives I may know about. When doing so, I might pray that they: Have discernment, wisdom, and not be deceived in decisions facing them. Make wise choices financially and morally. Find favor in the marketplace, workplace, or at school. Have the right people come into their life, at the right time. Have a positive influence as they use their talents and skills to help others. Experience God’s healing and/or comforting touch. Cast their cares, worries and anxieties on the Lord, trusting Him. (1) “Also, when praying for others, I have found it helpful and/or necessary to: Be specific. (In Luke 11:5-13, the man in the story asked specifically for three loaves of bread.) Persevere (Hebrews 6:12). Keep asking, seeking, knocking. It is always too soon to quit praying. Pray Scripture passages aloud. God watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Pray prayers for their future: friends, career, spouse, etc. Pray often with a prayer partner or prayer team—in person or by phone (Matthew 18:19). Listen for Holy Spirit’s guidance (Romans 8:26-27). If you have a prayer language, use it often, especially when you do not know exactly what situations need prayer coverage (Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 14:13-15). Don’t presume God will answer in your perceived way or time frame. When praying for the unsaved, ask God for harvesters. ‘Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field’ (Matthew 9:38). “At times, we must engage in spiritual WARFARE, standing against satan’s tactics. How? By quoting the Scriptures and standing on God’s Word. ‘The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Hebrews 4:12). “When the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Christ said, ‘Be gone, satan, for it is written,’ and then quoted what God had said. We, too, can declare, ‘Satan, be gone, it is written,’ and read aloud what Jesus said (see Luke 4:8). Of course, there are many Scriptures to quote against the enemy’s schemes. I like to pray David’s prayers in the Psalms. Speak God’s Word to the situation! (Mark 11:23-24) "Often, when experiencing obstacles and circumstances that seem impossible to overcome, we feel intimidated and wonder how to pray about them. Wayne Meyers, a great missionary to Mexico for over 50 years, once told the students at Christ for the Nations Institute, ‘Don’t tell God how big your mountain is. Tell the mountain how big your God is.’ I framed this motto for my office wall years ago." “I tell my mountains how big my Creator, my God is. He is well able to bring the victory. Our part is to stand and defend our ‘bean patch’ in prayer and spiritual warfare. If we do, God will always do His part!” ******* Pray with me: Father, Jesus cared not only for the nations, He took the time to pray for individuals. Just as He prayed, asking You to protect His disciples from the evil one, we also ask You to protect our “bean patch” from the enemy. Contend, oh Lord, with those that contend with us. Frustrate the plotting of the shrewd and evil one, so the helpless have hope. We stand on Your Word and declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that accuses us in judgment we will condemn, because this is the heritage of Your servants. Their vindication is from You. Lord, we want to be spiritual warriors who remain faithful until victory comes. I, personally, pray for encouragement to all who read these posts and join us in prayer. My assignment is America, and most of my prayers here reflect this, but I care about all of my brothers and sisters. I speak encouragement, strength, and endurance to them now. I pray as Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith not fail him when attacked by the enemy’s forces. Those who have fallen will get back up, and those experiencing hope deferred will heal - I release healing to their hurting hearts! I pray that physical healing will occur NOW, as people read or listen to this post - be healed, in Jesus’ name! As they grow in prayer, may the Spirit of revelation increase in their lives. Show them their “bean patch,” their prayer assignment from You. Teach them to hear Your voice, only taking on Your assignments. And may they feel, and experience Your love for them today. I ask all this in Christ’s never failing authority. Amen. Our decree: We are authorized by Jesus, empowered by Holy Spirit, with our orders from God’s Word. Therefore, we take our position in Christ’s army and fight in the spiritual realm until those we love are liberated, and God’s Kingdom is advanced. ********************** Note: If you enjoy teachings such as this one, Quin’s book entitled A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare has many applicable prayers you can use. Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend, Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about her at QuinSherrer.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________________ Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Bloomington, Minnesota, Chosen Books, 2017) p.224.
  2. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-20-2023 April 20, 2023 The Generational Timeline In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. We owe them a debt of gratitude and honor. In my book, An Appeal To Heaven, I also address the fact that we can agree with their prayers and promises, creating something Holy Spirit once referenced to me as “the synergy of the ages.” The previous chapter, Hebrews 11, also references our spiritual predecessors. Remember, there were no chapters or verses when the Bible was written; they were added to give us an easy reference to portions of Scripture. The 11th and 12th chapters are connected in subject matter. Chapter 11 ends by saying some faith heroes didn’t receive what was promised to them because God wouldn’t allow the completion without the participation of those who followed. The Greek word used for “complete” (teleioo) in this verse means to bring something to its goal, completion, or desired end (Strong’s 5048). Simply stated, there are plans and activities God begins in one generation, knowing He will not finish them until the next generation picks up the baton. Those in the cloud of witnesses have a huge investment in our assignments; some gave their very lives. We must not only honor this with our appreciation and thanks, but we must also carry on with what they started. We’re a link in a holy generational chain. Our friend, Gina Gholston, addressed this subject recently in a wonderful way. Gina said: ************** “Recently, I had the great honor of speaking at the home-going celebration of my 90-year-old aunt. Married for over seventy-two years and serving in pastoral ministry for several decades, she and her husband were great role models for me all my life. I felt it would be an encouragement to share portions of the tribute I shared that day. “I enjoy reading the account of Joseph in the Bible. I am always inspired by his unrelenting faithfulness to God. Regardless of what he faced, Joseph remained true to the Lord; and he found that through it all God was with him, navigating his life to fulfill his destiny. Joseph was devoted to God, and his decision to walk with the Lord affected not only his own life, but powerfully impacted many others. His life still impacts us today. “On one occasion, while reading Joseph’s story, I received the following revelation from the Lord: '‘The marking of a true warrior is not their battle scars; it’s their sustainability! True warriors do not quit. They are not driven by fear nor distracted by the memory of past battles; they’re driven by righteous purposes and the pursuit of the One their soul loves! Yes, warriors have many scars, but do not see themselves as victims. On the contrary, they see themselves as victorious, triumphant overcomers through Christ! True spiritual warriors are also forerunners; their focus is forward, and their passion is for Christ, whom they follow and imitate.’ “As I re-read these words, I was impacted by a strong realization that we’ve been blessed with many examples of true warriors in our lifetime, warriors like Joseph, who knew God and devoted their all to Him! These heroes of faith may not have considered themselves warriors - they were just living their lives - but they lived purposeful lives for Christ, blazing a trail for us to follow! It wasn’t always easy for them, and they didn’t hide this, but trusted God and demonstrated His trustworthiness. Their steadfastness and unhidden devotion to the Lord impacted everything about their lives. This devotion shines a light, making us aware of the difference a true relationship with God can make in our own lives. Their faith in God, and their faithfulness to Him, has given us a spiritual inheritance beyond words! “As I thought about this, I was reminded of these verses in Psalm 145: ‘One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts and declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness and shall sing of Your righteousness. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His Kingdom’ (Psalm 145:4, 6-7, 11-12, emphasis mine). “These true warriors, whom we have been blessed to know and be impacted by, left us with a living witness to God’s faithfulness and incomparable power! Willingly taking their places on the timeline of history, they pioneered movements of truth and powerful demonstrations of the Spirit. The sacrifices they made, along with their fearless obedience to the leading of Holy Spirit, allowed Heaven to invade earth in powerful and undeniable ways, leaving us a solid foundation on which to build. “These warriors shouted the message of God’s goodness and demonstrated the reality of Jesus. Now, we must do the same for the generations that follow us. This may not always be easy, but our faith in God will sustain us, enabling us to see beyond the difficulties. We, too, may receive scars, but we will not be victims! We are victorious, triumphant overcomers through Christ! They taught us this! “Some of those warriors have now joined the great cloud of witnesses; from there, they cheer us on. I believe their challenge to us would be, ‘Run on, warriors! Run hard! It’s your turn to be the light for others! Don’t waste time! Go! Be the example! Run with undaunted obedience, with your gaze set on Jesus. Give the generations that follow an awareness of their great inheritance in Christ Jesus!’ “We are now extending the timeline. The baton is in our hands, and we must choose whether or not to run the race, carrying this inheritance. And run with it, we must! The generations following will need our faithfulness! We are in a time like no other, and now, more than ever, the future generation needs godly role models, spiritual mothers and fathers who unashamedly shine the light of Christ into the darkness and show them the more excellent way. We must allow a holy fire to burn in us, regardless of the cost, to pass an even greater measure of faith to them. May all who follow see in us the testimony of true warriors. This is our gift to those who labored before us, and it is our calling in Christ, the ultimate True Warrior.” ******** Pray with me: Father, thank You for those who have gone before us, leaving such inspiring examples. They provoked us to know and follow You. We honor them, grateful for their surrendered lives and the spiritual inheritance they gave us. Because they did their part, we are positioned to do ours. We devote our lives to You and set our focus on Jesus. Teach us, Lord, to wisely invest this spiritual inheritance with which we have been entrusted so that we may pass it along to the generations who will follow. May they find in us true examples that cause them also to burn, producing the continuation of Your original intentions. Our decree: We receive the baton of our spiritual inheritance, and we will run with righteous purpose, blazing a trail for those who follow. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by our friend Gina Gholston. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.org
  3. 7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-19-2023 April 19, 2023 The Day the Music Died “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it, we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors’ (laughter) mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’” (Psalm 137:1-3 NASB) A popular song in the ’70s, American Pie, included the phrase “the day the music died.” (1) It has always reminded me of this Psalm. Though Don McLean’s song was about a different time, place, and reason, it too was about “the nostalgia that comes with closing a chapter in time” (Ethan Reese). Reese says the song describes the end of “A chapter that was good, youthful, and innocent.…For McLean, it was lost when he discovered that his favorite musicians, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson, had died in a plane crash—the day the music died. And for America, it came when the utopia of the 1950s was exposed as a veneer, giving way to the more socially conscious, but turbulent 1960s.” (2) McLean was more prophetic than he knew. Innocence was indeed lost in the turbulent 60s and beyond. America the Beautiful still describes us on the outside. Internally, however, we are unattractive, discordant, ravaged by societal disease and moral decay. In their desire to be encouragers, many religious leaders refuse to point out the true condition of America. I get it. No one wants to bring discouragement and, to be sure, a defeatist attitude must be guarded against. Faith believes what God says as the final verdict, not what is seen. But no serious doctor would begin treating a patient without first diagnosing the problem. To blindly declare that everything will be okay, simply because God is good and gracious, is beyond naive; it is unbiblical and untrue. An accurate diagnosis is not only sound wisdom; it is part of the healing process and, as such, compassionate. America’s Condition Over the last 60 years, God has been pushed from America’s heart by strongholds of death, pride, materialism, humanism, secularism, progressivism, socialism, revisionism, ignorance, immorality, pleasure, and more. With no brakes on the cultural gas pedal, we cast off restraint, speeding toward turns that could never be successfully navigated: we expelled God from our history, schools, government, and the core of American life; we borrowed and spent our way to financial dependence; we valued ideology over education, pleasure over responsibility, and self-love over self-control; and the church lost her voice, replacing truth with relevance, the Scriptures with opinions, and biblical success with “speed” and “size.” Abortion, one of the horrible fruits of this downward spiral, now demands the blood of our children. A generation follows our disregard for life, killing one another and themselves. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people. Over 5,000 commit suicide every year—more than 13 each day. (3) A sexual assault occurs on a teenager every 8 minutes. (4) Seven hundred nineteen teenage girls undergo abortions every day. (5) Roughly 10 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases and infections occur in teens every year in America. (6) During the twentieth century, the divorce rate rose 700 percent in America. Thirteen million children under the age of 18 are growing up with one or both parents away from home. Seventy percent of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. (7) We wonder why young people grow disillusioned and dysfunctional? They’re the product of our rebellion, reaping what we have shamefully sown. We are a nation inundated with hopeless addicts and lawless rebels. The United States is the single largest market on the earth for illegal drugs and leads the world in the export of pornography. (8) We cannot build prisons fast enough to hold our criminals. As Nehemiah observed about his nation, our walls are down and our gates burned (see Nehemiah 1:3). Hosea’s description of ancient Israel is also appropriate—we have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind (see Hosea 8:7). America’s music has become horribly discordant, yet many have become so tone-deaf they don’t notice. Our wealth, power, and indoctrination have anesthetized us to our true condition; we’re bleeding to death internally while continuing to party on. We have become the proverbial frog in the kettle—slowly dying and unaware of it. Like the band on the RMS Titanic, we continue playing while the ship is sinking. Our propensity for treating symptoms only has been foolish and futile; the water cannot be bailed fast enough. It is time to abandon our denial. Like the fearful, causeless army of Israel when facing Goliath, many Americans have convinced themselves that if we wait long enough, the shocking giants of the land will go away and leave us alone. This will never happen! Satan has no intention of letting up in his relentless assault on America. Every part of American society is screaming for cause-minded, impassioned warriors like David to arise. The cloud of witnesses is shouting encouragement from heaven’s balconies, imploring the church to shake off apathy and fear, find her voice, and resurrect her song. “Take down your harps,” they’re shouting, “pick up your ‘sling,’ five smooth stones, and run toward the uncircumcised Philistines of your day. It is not too late!” And believers are responding. Davids are showing up for the battle, Calebs are picking up swords, and Elijahs are challenging Baal. Pastors are finding their voices, and thousands of believers are tired of being entertained and shielded from truth; fed-up moms, dads, soldiers, businessmen and women have decided to confront and replace political eunuchs who have bowed to Jezebel’s system. A remnant of the church and, yes, many unsaved patriots have taken their harps down from the willow trees and decided to sing again. Maybe the music didn’t die after all. Perhaps it was only placed on pause. Most importantly of all, the King, the Lord of the harvest and leader of angel armies, is being moved by a praying remnant. A passionate lover of people, including those who don’t know Him, He has stood up. The Warrior-King is coming to save. Repentance and a turning back to God by an intercessory core are prevailing. A Third Great Awakening has begun. God is gracious and determined to reap this great harvest. “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness, and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him?” (Joel 2:12-14) “Come let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us: He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us as the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth,” (Hosea 6:1-3). “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame, neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more,” (Isaiah 54:4). “Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,” (Isaiah 61:7). In their book Is It Real When It Doesn’t Work? Doug Murren and Bard Shurin recount: “Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: ‘Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a rich man.’ “Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. “Nobel said, ‘Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.” (9) Profound. And worth emulating. God is giving America a chance to rewrite her epitaph. If written yesterday, even today, it would read, “Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting.” But our gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness, forgives sinners and heals nations. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your mercies; they are new every morning. We give thanks that You love to demonstrate mercy. We are confident that it triumphs over judgment. Of course, America has done many things to deserve judgment. Our song of freedom and covenant with You has, indeed, been dying. But You are the Resurrection and the Life, bringing life out of death. You forgive and fully restore. And now, it is the singing of principalities and powers that will end. Their songs of mockery and destruction will give way to redemption’s song. So, we ask You to raise up the giant-conquering warriors You have prepared for this hour. May they be filled with zeal, boldness, and faith. They will raise the dead, spiritually and physically. They will preach a powerful gospel of the Kingdom, and millions will come to know You. We decree this over the earth NOW and declare this to be the most significant season of taking out spiritual giants in history. We do so confidently - because of Jesus, and in His name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will never stop singing the song of the redeemed..! ************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Giants Will Fall. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________________ McClean, Don. “American Pie.” Universal Publishing Group, 1971. https://americansongwriter.com/american-pie-don-mclean-meaning-lyrics-50-years-later/ National Institute of Mental Health. “Suicide.” NIH, 2015. www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide/index. Shtml RAINN. “Children and Teens: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens RAINN. “The Criminal Justice System: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system Dudley, Susan. “Teenage Women, Abortion, and the Law.” Prochoice, September 2015. Prochoice.org/ wp-content/uploads/teenage_women.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Reported STDs in the United States.” CDC, November 2015. www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/std-trends-508.pdf U.S. Department of Justice. “Special Report.” U.S. Dept. of Justice, September 1988. www.fathermag.com/ news/1780_stats.shtm/ Warner, Jennifer. “US Leads the World in Illegal Drug Use.” CBSNews, July 2008. Cbsnews.com/news/ us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use/ Family Safe Media. “Pornography Statistics.” TopTenREVIEWS, Inc., 2007. www.familysafe.com/ pornography-statistics/ Larson, Craig Brian. Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993). p.123.
  4. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-18-2023 April 18, 2023 As a follow-up to the dream I talked about last week, Overtaking and Occupying the Cedars, I felt I should release a post on the power of covenant. In the dream, cedars represented America’s covenant with God. I have taken today’s post from my devotional, Give Him 15: An Appeal To Heaven. (Thank you, by the way, for the wonderful feedback we have received regarding this book. Many have been blessed through the teaching devotionals it contains.) War With Covenant The first thing God tells us in the story of David and Goliath is the location of the battle. “Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 17:1-2) I realize that doesn’t interest you. You’re like me: Come on, Holy Spirit, get to the good stuff: Goliath’s description; the drama of his taunts; the fear of the Israelites; David, the young sheepherder; the battle; off with the giant’s head. I skipped over those two “boring” verses for the first 50 years of my life. And missed a nugget. This location was in the territory of Judah, which was the tribe David came from. Holy Spirit was informing us, right from the start, that this land belonged to David and his tribe. It had been given to them by God generations ago. David had more than squatter’s rights to the property the giant was trying to claim; he had divine rights. These first two verses of the story assured him of victory. The God who created and owns the earth (Psalm 24:1) has the right to give it to whomever He pleases. And He had given it to Judah. Battle over. Don’t think so? I’ll give you another reference that reinforces this truth. When Nehemiah was allowed, by the Persian King Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls, he faced great opposition. The locals despised the Jews and were determined to stop them from building. When Nehemiah faced their threats and opposition, he stated his case for success in one verse: “I answered by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’” (Nehemiah 2:20 NIV) “We have a historical, God-given right to this city,” Nehemiah declared. “You don’t. Therefore, we win, you lose.” Case closed. It is beyond doubt that God raised up America for His purposes. He owns America, just as He does the entire earth; in that right of ownership, He delegated stewardship of this nation to followers of Christ, believers who would partner with Him in His great cause of redeeming the world. Do not listen to the liars, revisionists, or those they have influenced that say otherwise. If the body of Christ in America ever fully grasps this revelation, the giants attempting to steal our nation have no chance. Uncircumcised Philistine David’s next “history weapon” can be seen in the fact that not once did he call Goliath by name. He referred to him only as the “uncircumcised Philistine.” What is that all about? Imagine two guys about to fight who begin to shout insults at one another. Jed: “You’re ugly.” Jethro: “Your mama is ugly.” Jed: “You’re a wimp.” Jethro: “You couldn’t beat up a flea.” I know, these are a little weak. Not exactly Rambo-level insults, but I’m trying to keep it clean here. And you get my point - insults and degrading salvos are flying back and forth. Then, one of them shouts at the other, sealing the deal with the ultimate insult: “Well, You’re UNCIRCUMCISED!” Huh? Didn’t see that one coming. As strange as this seems, there was actually an important reason for David’s choice of names. Circumcision symbolized covenant with God (Genesis 17:13). Since the days of Abraham, this had been the case. David was stating to the giant, I’m in covenant with God; you’re not. Whereas to those in covenant, you’ll be fighting God, not just me. This battle won’t be decided by your size, experience, weaponry, or strength. It was decided long ago when my grandfather cut covenant with God, and I’m going to defeat you through the power of that covenantal history. I win; you lose. This is confirmed by David’s statement to the “uncircumcised Philistine”: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts…the Lord will deliver you into my hand…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand,” (1 Samuel 17:45-47). No wonder secularists want to steal America’s history with God! We shouldn’t be surprised that former President Obama once said we were not a Christian nation, contending that we were also a Muslim nation, a Hindu nation, an atheist nation, and so on. Karl Marx once said, “The first battlefield is to rewrite history.” The demons controlling Marx knew the importance and power of history. And, of course, demons today inspire anti-Christ forces in America to try and rewrite our history for the same reasons. As believers, we must stake our claim on the fact that God birthed America, and that He and our Founders made covenantal agreements/promises to one another. I’m not suggesting that God and those who came to these shores entered into a covenant carrying the same weight as the Old and New Covenants in Scripture. There are different levels of covenants, however. The biblical word means “a compact, confederacy, league.” The great Brown Driver-Briggs Lexicon defines it not only as covenant, but as “an alliance (of friendship); an alliance (of marriage); a constitution; agreement.” The fact that our Founders covenanted with God when they came to this land is beyond dispute. Consider reading America's Covenant With God, by Dr. Eddie Hyatt, which makes this abundantly clear. Do not underestimate the importance of this. God put into the hearts of our forefathers to come to this land. He did so to raise up a nation that would form an “alliance,” a sacred “agreement” (the definitions of covenant) to partner with Him for the propagation of the gospel to all the earth, to be a city on a hill shining His light for all to see. Obviously, God’s intent was not for this to be accomplished through abusing First Nations people. His plan is for all races and ethnicities to share in the privilege of representing Him and enjoying the benefits that come with this. However, in spite of our failures, God redeems, cleanses, and continues to use us, just as He did with Abraham. We must believe this, and do as David did: stake our claim to this land based on our alignment with God and His purposes. As we mentioned earlier, those joined by covenant share resources and strengths; they also share enemies. If the Ekklesia in America faces the giants of our day armed with the truth that this land belongs to God (“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” Psalm 24:1); if we stand on the truth that He established our nation to represent Him; and if we now resist the giants in His name - we will defeat them! War with covenant! War with history! Pray with me: Father, America has an important, meaningful history with You. We are humbled by the privilege of partnering with You in Your great cause. You have brought us cleansing and healing at times in our past. We acknowledge that we are in another season that finds us requiring Your mercy, forgiveness, and healing. The powers of darkness have determined to cripple - and ultimately stop - America from being a voice and light for You. A rebellious culture, enabled by a lukewarm church, has allowed those powers to make great progress. Today we grab hold of our covenant with You, standing on the fact that You keep covenant and mercy to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9). We reach back into our history, declare our faith in You, and decree that we will once again be a light to the nations. We will once again be a strong voice of the gospel, and of freedom, to all the nations of the earth. We exalt You; we honor You. We declare that revival has begun and will intensify. Through it, not only shall America be saved, but all the earth will experience revival. We declare that the “cedar trees,” representing our covenant with You, will be recaptured and restored. In Christ’s name, we ask and declare this, Amen. Our decree: We decree that our covenant with Yahweh through the blood of Jesus Christ, and the covenant we made with Him as a nation, will defeat every giant of darkness in America. ************************** Portions of today’s teaching were taken from my newest book, Give Him 15: An Appeal to Heaven. You can find this book on our website (DutchSheets.org) or by going to Amazon. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------ 1. Obama, Barack. “‘Call to Renewal’ Keynote Address.” Washington, D.C., June 2006. 2. Washington, Ellis. The Progressive Revolution: History of Liberal Fascism Through the Ages, Volume V, 2014-15 Writings. Hamilton Books, 2017, p. 219. 3. Strong, James. The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Red-Letter Edition. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001. Reference no. 1285. 4. Brown, Francis. The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
  5. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-17-2023 April 17, 2023 The Ekklesia’s Blitz The following word shared by my brother, Tim Sheets, is an appropriate follow up to last week’s posts. God is saying it is time for us, the Ekklesia, to exercise our spiritual authority at new levels, enabling others to restore through government and wise strategies. Keep praying - it is effective! Tim says: *************** “The movie ‘Braveheart’ depicts the story of William Wallace. There is a scene in which he rides his horse before Scottish troops and issues this challenging statement, ‘I am William Wallace, and I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? “Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live…at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance - just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, BUT THEY WILL NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!’ “We are moving into days when the Ekklesia must demonstrate its boldness, strength and unwavering faith. We have been prepared and empowered by the Holy Spirit to win great battles. Those who know their God will stand strong in Him and fight, using their spiritual weapons and wise strategies, to defeat hell’s evil agenda. Our nation and government will be changed and America will be saved! “While praying about our current times, I was reminded of a prophetic word Holy Spirit gave me where He said, ‘It’s time for the blitz push of My Kingdom Ekklesia.’ I have studied and shared portions of this word before, but Holy Spirit has given me further revelation concerning it. “The definition of ‘blitz’ is a sudden, energetic and concerted effort to accomplish a specific purpose; a push to complete a cause; an intense, sudden military attack. ‘Blitz’ can also mean a sudden energetic invasion that disorients an enemy. (1) “Holy Spirit is stirring the Ekklesia to carry out God’s spiritual battle plans for creating change and setting captives free. There are spiritual battles on the horizon that we must engage in and win. “While praying into this, I received the following from the Lord; ‘I will move through My Ekklesia “hubs” and My triumphant remnant with sudden, energetic, concerted efforts to accomplish wisdom’s plans for this season. I will lead My remnant warriors, implementing lightning-like spiritual warfare. I will lead you to strike like lightning. My Kingdom will now move rapidly with overwhelming force. Rapid strikes will break through enemy defenses, disorienting and dislocating them. Swift victories are on the calendar. “‘I will call you to sudden advances that will throw hell’s kingdom completely out of balance, interrupting their plans and resulting in quick defeat. My Ekklesias will suddenly invade enemy positions causing disruptions and a scattering of evil. Multiple surprise moves will be implemented in regions, territories, and nations as My Ekklesia is emboldened. Hell’s forces will not see this coming, for their arrogance has blinded them. Their human partners will also not see it coming, for their arrogance, self-righteousness, pride and filth has blinded them, as well. “‘Swift, strategic maneuvers are activating through My Ekklesias to reverse distortions of My identity for male and female. The demonic prince promoting gender confusion will be struck suddenly, repeatedly and boldly by My powerful, advancing Kingdom and My angel armies. Truth will be their shield and buckler. Original intent, truth, and biblical identity will be proclaimed. “‘There will be a new hunger for My presence, influence, and ways. Boardrooms will change. Some corporate leaders will change, others will be removed. Corporate identities will change. Some in government will change, others will be removed. Unique leaders I’ve prepared for this hour will now advance into positions of great authority. “‘My Ekklesia’s voice is rising to sound forth My words. Angels are being activated to tear down strongholds of evil that are polluting coming generations. My enemies will become unbalanced. They will stagger from the blitz of truth and righteousness now accelerating. Swift victories and turnarounds will be seen. “‘For I have a great harvest among those who have been misled and confused by demon-occupied minds. My truth will free them. My truth will restore true identity, meaning, and purpose, for My love is set upon them. I will free multitudes from lies. I have sons and daughters trapped in the confusion, whom I will redeem. I have prodigal sons and daughters to free. I have champions whose identities I will restore. “‘I am moving to change battlefronts; activating overwhelming force to accomplish My purposes. I will disorient those who oppose Me. Their influence will fade and their voice will fail from the festering of their evil infections. I have focused My authority on kingpin positions of great human authority who, as Pharaoh of old, have hardened their hearts against Me. My Ekklesia, assisted by My angel armies, will pray to remove their influence and see them replaced by leaders who will not resist My ways. For the blitz push of My Ekklesia includes concerted, coordinated, fast-moving efforts to remove the influence of these evil kingpins. “‘The Lord of Hosts declares to His church: The warfare for earth will now intensify, but you will experience swift turnarounds as you release My authority in regions, states, and nations. Lightning-like strikes and rapid responses against evil will replace passivity’s stupor among My people, and will prevail. The world will see a different church. A “ruling and reigning with Me” church. A church that strikes hell’s aggression in their regions. When hell pushes, they will push back. When government, big tech, and education pushes, they will push back with spiritual authority and wise strategies. And they will prevail.’ “We are living in a radical, world-shaping time, a hinge of history, and hell is fighting to control it. However, heaven and God’s committed remnant are also rising. Holy Spirit is moving, empowering and resourcing us for this moment, energizing His people with tenacious faith. And He is activating more angel armies than at any other time in history. We must be faith-filled warriors, answering the challenge. It is time for the Ekklesia of King Jesus, to boldly advance.” Pray with me: Lord, we decree this word into the atmospheres of our regions. Let the call be heard from You, deep in the heart of Your warriors. It’s time for much evil to be overcome and captives to be set free. It is time for muted voices to rise, loosing Your voice throughout America and across the world. Thank You, God, for the release of angelic assistance and the power of Holy Spirit. Release Your overwhelming force to strike down enemy strongholds. Prepare and energize us with another powerful filling of Holy Spirit; make us bold warriors, engaged against evil. Use us to strike like lightning against the strategies of hell, blinding doctrines, and plans of demons. Bring confusion into Your enemy’s camps. Restore purpose, truth and identity. Free those bound and set prodigal sons and daughters free. Give us great discernment, wisdom and understanding of the times. Lead us as we steward the blitz push of Your Kingdom to strike demonic enemies, defeat strategies, and set captives free. We decree that Your Kingdom rule WILL come to earth. Will of God, be done! In Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: The Ekklesia has been prepared to win great battles for Christ, and rapid victories will be seen!. ***************** Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim by clicking here. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________________ 1.https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/blitz
  6. 12 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-14-2023 April 14, 2023 Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 4 For the past three days, we have been looking at a significant dream given to my friend, Greg Hood, a few months back. Today I will be sharing the final part. As I did yesterday, I’m including the part of the dream we have already discussed [in brackets] for review, and for those who haven’t seen it, then I’ll continue with the next portion. Summary: Thus far, we have seen that Christ is leading His Ekklesia into a spiritual battle to restore America’s strength and her covenant with Him. He called this battle: Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. The first cedar we recovered was related to our birth as a nation and the purpose for which God birthed us: partnering with Yeshua to take His gospel to all the world. The second cedar pictured covenant through “marriage,” America uniting with Christ in a partnership to, again, distribute the gospel to all the world. We became unfaithful and aligned with Baal, whose hold is being broken off of America. There are numerous important details explaining all of this, which can be seen in the previous 3 posts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. They are in Brackets following. ******* The Dream [ “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant! “At this time, the man on the white horse repositioned himself at the front of this vast gathering of kings. His sword was now drawn and resting across the horn of his saddle. As he moved, the road and the trees completely changed. The road was now a paved road. We knew in the dream that this pavement would give us an advantage in the coming battle. (Horses don’t normally do well on paved surfaces, but this surface was made for our horses. It was a surface for war.) There was now another mile marker on the road. It was mile marker 22. Under the number 22 was written ‘The King’s Highway,’ and a scepter was engraved just under the phrase. “Then the trees changed. There were now huge cedar trees strategically placed in the field of battle ahead of us. We could see 7 of them in the distance. The first one was very close to us. The man on the white horse said to us, ‘The adversary has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars! Your mission is to overtake and occupy the cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars, you will take the land.’ “The Lord began speaking to us again, ‘The realms over America are in sync, and the time is now for the redeeming of the nation. I will go before you in the unseen realm, and you will go forth in your realm. The realms are aligned, and my spoil is sure.’ “He looked at Dutch and me (Greg) and said, ‘Remember, keep watching, keep hearing, and keep moving forward. This battle will bring the land back to me.’ Then he turned, and with a commanding voice, addressed all the kings there, ‘REPEAT IT TO ME!’ “Everyone there said, with a loud voice and in unison, ‘WE WILL WATCH AND KEEP WATCHING! WE WILL HEAR AND KEEP HEARING! WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD!’ Yeshua then said to us, again in a commanding voice, ‘DUTCH, GIVE THE FORWARD ORDER!’ “Dutch stood, stretched himself high in the stirrups of his saddle and boldly decreed, ‘KINGS, READY YOURSELVES!’ When he did this, all our horses threw their ears back and leaned back on their hind legs as if they were rockets ready to be launched. We could see their muscles tighten, and we could see their great strength and purpose. Dutch then commanded, ‘KINGS, READY YOUR SWORDS!!’ Every king drew his sword, sat forward in his saddle with knees tightly gripping the ribs of his horse. We were now ready to launch forward and take the land with the cedars. “As Dutch commanded this, we all saw the sky become extremely bright. We knew the brightness was caused by many angels gathering for battle. We could not see into their brightness well, but we could see that they were all armed with bows and three arrows loaded into their bows. “Dutch commanded, ‘KINGS, FORWARD!!’ A launching, a fierce movement began into the land of the cedars. We launched toward the first cedar, which looked firmly fortified by the adversary, knowing this battle would be intense. “As we approached the cedar, we were able to see something meticulously carved into the tree. It was not put there by the adversary but had always been in the tree. It was the number 1025. We fought hard. Some of us grew tired, but our strength was quickly and supernaturally restored, and we continued to fight. We watched, heard, and moved according to the commands of Yeshua. We took back this cedar and set forces there to build Kingdom fortifications so the cedar would never be lost again. “We shifted our focus toward the next cedar. Hearing the Lord’s voice, we moved. As we approached, we could see that this cedar had what appeared to be great fortifications around it. This tree also had a number carved into it, also done long before the adversary encamped around it. It was the number 1060. “As we approached this cedar, we could see that the adversary’s fortification was not as strong as it appeared to be from far off. It was comprised of stick men, dressed up like men of war, not real men. We broke through their gates easily and made our way to the base of this great cedar. As we did, we noticed that the stick men had a black substance flowing from their feet into the ground. It was tainting the ground around this cedar and killing the tree. “We began warring with the stick men that occupied this great cedar, using our swords. The decrees coming from our mouths took control of the battle, and we won. “I (Greg) then nailed a decree to the cedar, which was given to me by an angel just under the number 1060 engraved into it. After I had nailed the decree to the tree, Dutch read it aloud, setting it into law. It read, ‘THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned.” ] ******* Last Section of the Dream - Part 4 “Our attention was quickly turned toward the next cedar. It was a little further from us than the previous two, and was fortified inside a walled city, much like cities in ancient times. We turned our horses toward this mighty cedar, riding hard toward it. We knew the adversary controlling this cedar could see us coming. Our horses created a thundering sound as we rode toward this mighty cedar. The earth shook! Those guarding it began preparing for our attack. They also shouted words of intimidation, attempting to distract us and/or stop us from advancing. “We did not relent, however, but rode hard and straight toward the great cedar. As we came closer, we could see that this mighty cedar had 50 large branches. Some of the branches were healthy with a little fruit; some had none. “There were 50 gates in this wall, all of them sealed shut. There was another gate through which the army of the adversary was able to move in and out. We knew this gate in the wall had been made illegally. “We could see that this cedar also had a number carved on it, the number 1410. Christ’s assembly of Kings began surrounding the wall protecting the city and mighty cedar. They broke into 50 divisions, each moving toward an assigned gate, horses and riders moving very swiftly. Their movement created large clouds of dust, hindering the view of those behind the walls. “We advanced toward the 50 sealed gates, fought, and successfully reopened all of them. Each troop of kings made their way through the gate they had reopened. As they did, the enemy began fleeing the fortified city that had been built around this mighty cedar. Many of those that had occupied this city fled to other nations, and many were captured. “A battle had been taking place simultaneously in the heavens. An angel appeared from this realm and spoke to Dutch, saying, ‘Camp the kings here. Refortify this mighty cedar, strengthen her gates, and rebuild her cities, for there are 4 more cedars you must overtake and occupy.’ “We could see what was ahead of us. It was dark, but the light was quickly increasing.” End of dream. Greg has not been given any further dreams revealing the other cedars. God will show us in His timing, one method or another. My Comments In this last section, Christ sent His Ekklesia to the third cedar. The cedars all represent America, her covenant with God, and the assignment for which He birthed us. This one had 50 branches, an obvious reference to the 50 United States. In recounting the dream, Greg referred to it as “great” and “mighty,” tall enough to be seen above the city’s wall. Indeed, America grew into a great and mighty nation. The number carved on this tree was 1410. This is the Greek word (in Strong’s Concordance) dunamai, meaning “force, power, ability, strength, abundance.” Thayer says it can mean “moral power or excellence of soul; power from riches, wealth or numbers.” (1) All of these definitions describe what America became because of her alliance with God: The strongest and richest nation in history, generated from our morality and excellence of soul, all because of our union with God. Yet now, some of the branches had a degree of fruit, others none. This would represent spiritual fruit, not physical wealth or size. I can’t help but recall a quote from French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831. Some dispute its legitimacy, but it is widely believed that he indeed said the following: “I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests—and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning— and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!” (2) The great tree lost her greatness. As DeTocqueville warned against, we abandoned our connection with God, lost our righteousness, our pulpits lost their fire, and America ceased being good. That’s also when we ceased being great. We are now losing power and wealth, are led by lying and incompetent leaders, and are no longer feared by evil adversaries. Yet, God wants to restore us. The city was surrounded by a wall, protecting it and the tree. I believe the city is Washington, D.C. The wall around it had 50 gates, picturing the 50 states, and their governments. In Scripture, gates symbolize government, due to the fact that they protect and control who/what comes in and out of cities (see Matthew 16:18-19). I feel that these 50 gates picture the states and their governments, all of which had been sealed shut. The city (D.C.), however, also had a gate (“government”) that was NOT sealed shut, allowing their army (“power”) the freedom to go in and out. We knew their gate was illegal. Could the meaning of this be that our Federal Government has exalted itself to an illegal level of rule that our Founders and the Constitution never intended, shutting out the state governments and, therefore, the will of the people? This would include the 3 branches of our Federal Government, other departments (State, Justice, Education, etc), the weaponization of agencies, the deep state, and more. In the dream, when we approached, those on the inside began trying to intimidate us. Could anything be more accurate?! One of the assignments of the Ekklesia was to divide into 50 units and break open these 50 gates. We obeyed and succeeded, with angels assisting us from the invisible realm. The opposition was defeated, and the 50 gates were reopened. Some of those opposing us from within the city fled the country. Others were captured, which would most likely mean they were prosecuted. We were then told to camp in the city, refortifying this mighty cedar, strengthening her gates, and rebuilding her cities. Conclusion This is an amazing dream. It gives us great hope that the mess we have made of our nation can be overcome, and that God is not finished with America. It also confirms, however, that we must continue to diligently pray. All the King did to save America was done through the Ekklesia. I will personally be asking Holy Spirit to give us the strategies needed to implement this dream. I also feel there are facets I do not yet fully understand. I will be asking Holy Spirit for this revelation. Please join me in this. Pray with me: Father, thank You for this dream. We ask You to now help us implement what You have shown us. So much of it confirms what we have already known, yet it gives us greater insight. Show us fully how to overtake and occupy the cedars. We thank You for showing us that this can, indeed, occur. Give us the level of prayer and the strategies we need to rein in our overreaching federal government. Help us to root out evil and stop the tyranny coming from Washington, D.C. The swamp is very deep and very wicked, but You can help us clean up the mess, refortify, and rebuild. If a Convention of States is needed, give us that. If concerted prayer coming from all 50 states is needed, show us and help us accomplish this. We believe You will do these things, and we ask for them in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the evil gate of government in Washington, D.C., will be dealt with by the Spirit of God, through His Ekklesia. ********************** You can find out more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977). https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/the-secret-of-america-s-greatness
  7. 10 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-13-2023 April 13, 2023 I realize this post and the previous two are a little longer than usual, but I feel they are very important. Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 3 For the past two days, we have been looking at a significant dream given to my friend, Dr. Greg Hood, a few months back. As I did yesterday, I’m including [in brackets] the part of the dream we have already discussed. Summary: Thus far, we have seen that Christ is leading His Ekklesia into a spiritual battle to restore America’s covenant with Him, pictured by cedar trees. He called this battle: Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. This covenant is linked to America’s purpose - partnering with Yeshua to take His gospel to all the world. There are several more important details you can see by looking at the previous two posts, Part 1 and Part 2. [ Parts 1 and 2 of the dream: “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. “Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!” ] More of the Dream “The Lord began speaking to us again, ‘The realms over America are in sync, and the time is now for the redeeming of the nation. I will go before you in the unseen realm, and you will go forth in your realm. The realms are aligned, and my spoil is sure.’ “He looked at Dutch and me (Greg) and said, ‘Remember, keep watching, keep hearing, and keep moving forward. This battle will bring the land back to me.’ Then he turned, and with a commanding voice, addressed all the kings there, ‘REPEAT IT TO ME!’ “Everyone there said, with a loud voice and in unison, ‘WE WILL WATCH AND KEEP WATCHING! WE WILL HEAR AND KEEP HEARING! WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD!’ Yeshua then said to us, again in a commanding voice, ‘DUTCH, GIVE THE FORWARD ORDER!’ “Dutch stood, stretched himself high in the stirrups of his saddle and boldly decreed, ‘KINGS, READY YOURSELVES!’ When he did this, all our horses threw their ears back and leaned back on their hind legs as if they were rockets ready to be launched. We could see their muscles tighten, and we could see their great strength and purpose. Dutch then commanded, ‘KINGS, READY YOUR SWORDS!!’ Every king drew his sword, sat forward in his saddle with knees tightly gripping the ribs of his horse. We were now ready to launch forward and take the land with the cedars. “As Dutch commanded this, we all saw the sky become extremely bright. We knew the brightness was caused by many angels gathering for battle. We could not see into their brightness well, but we could see that they were all armed with bows and three arrows loaded into their bows. “Dutch commanded, ‘KINGS, FORWARD!!’ A launching, a fierce movement began into the land of the cedars. We launched toward the first cedar, which looked firmly fortified by the adversary, knowing this battle would be intense. “As we approached the cedar, we were able to see something meticulously carved into the tree. It was not put there by the adversary but had always been in the tree. It was the number 1025. We fought hard. Some of us grew tired, but our strength was quickly and supernaturally restored, and we continued to fight. We watched, heard, and moved according to the commands of Yeshua. We took back this cedar and set forces there to build Kingdom fortifications so the cedar would never be lost again. “We shifted our focus toward the next cedar. Hearing the Lord’s voice, we moved. As we approached, we could see that this cedar had what appeared to be great fortifications around it. This tree also had a number carved into it, also done long before the adversary encamped around it. It was the number 1060. “As we approached this cedar, we could see that the adversary’s fortification was not as strong as it appeared to be from far off. It was comprised of stick men, dressed up like men of war, not real men. We broke through their gates easily and made our way to the base of this great cedar. As we did, we noticed that the stick men had a black substance flowing from their feet into the ground. It was tainting the ground around this cedar and killing the tree. “We began warring with the stick men that occupied this great cedar, using our swords. The decrees coming from our mouths took control of the battle, and we won. “I (Greg) then nailed a decree to the cedar, which was given to me by an angel just under the number 1060 engraved into it. After I had nailed the decree to the tree, Dutch read it aloud, setting it into law. It read, ‘THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned.” My Comments Christ began by assuring us that the natural and spiritual realms are now aligned in a way that makes possible the redeeming of America. He would go before us, operating in the unseen realm, we would do so here on Earth. It is important to point out the importance of discerning the times spiritually, not by what is seen. When revivals in history have occurred, the natural conditions were never positive. The word revival means “restore to life.” In other words, spiritual death is prevalent, creating the need for a “reviving.” It is a contradiction of terms to state that there is too much sin or corruption for God to send revival. That’s when we need it and why He does it! What must “align,” as the dream states, between heaven and earth is the timing of God, the ripeness of the harvest (usually created by desperation and a recognition of our need), and the preparedness of God’s people, through whom He must work. This alignment, creating the right time, is NOT produced by a lack of sin in those that don’t know God. We were then instructed to keep watching, keep hearing and keep moving forward. Christ kept emphasizing this, even making us declare that we would do so. We must follow the instructions of Holy Spirit carefully at this time, and KEEP MOVING AHEAD! The command was then given to ready ourselves and our spiritual weapons. Angels joined us, each with a bow and 3 arrows. We then rode toward the first of the 7 cedars, which was heavily defended by adversaries. Remember that the cedar trees represented America’s covenant and partnership with God. Carved into the tree was the number 1025, which is the number of the Greek word brephos, meaning a newborn child, an infant. I believe this is referring to the birth of our nation - we were born through our covenant with God. In the dream, we were recapturing this truth. Though the battle was wearying, as we watched, listened to, and moved according to the King’s commands, we prevailed. We then left forces there to strengthen the tree (covenant) with “Kingdom fortifications,” so it wouldn’t be lost again. This would most likely refer to biblical discipleship. The Second Cedar Christ then directed us to the next cedar, which had the number 1060 carved into it. This is the number of the Greek word gameo, “to marry.” Marriage, of course, is a covenant. The explanation of this cedar is that it compares America’s covenant with God as a “marriage” to Him. The use of this word is God’s way of saying America’s covenant with Him produced a union, a joining together, a partnership. I also believe it was His idea, that He raised up America and bestowed on us the greatest privilege ever given to a nation, apart from Israel: taking the gospel of Christ to all the world. Though all believers share this honor, I know of no other nation created specifically for this purpose. We have since been unfaithful to Him and aligned with the spirit of Baal, who actually refers to himself as “the lord of covenant” (Baal-berith; Judges 8:33; Strongs 1170). This spirit causes individuals and nations to break covenant with God and align with (“marry”) him through idolatry, immorality, the shedding of innocent blood, and other sins. In the dream, he and his demons’ ability to destroy the tree (covenant) was a black substance on the ground, which had flowed from their feet. Admittedly this is subjective, but blood turns dark, even black, when it dries. I believe in the dream, it represents the shedding of innocent blood; that is what has empowered Baal. We began warring with those who occupied this great cedar, using decrees (the sword of our mouth), and prevailed. Greg nailed a decree under the number engraved into the tree, 1060, which I read, setting it into law. I will read the decree again in the prayer. Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned. Pray with me: Father, in this dream, You told us repeatedly to watch, listen and move at Your command. We are determined to do so. You also told us that heaven and earth are now aligned in a way that allows You to redeem our nation. We are listening to You, not judging by what we see. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel, who heard the sound of rain when there was not a cloud in the sky - not one - we are listening for Your commands and instructions, not looking at circumstances. You showed us in the dream that the marriage, partnership, and union our nation had with You has been lost but can be restored. There have been many prayers of divorcement from Baal - in every state of this nation. Also, the evil decree of Roe, which perhaps became our marriage vows to Baal, has been reversed. Because of these prayers of repentance, and the nullification of this evil decree, we ask You to free us completely from this stronghold. And we use the sword of our mouths, just as You instructed us, and decree: THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ We pray this and make this decree in the name of our King, Jesus. Amen ******************* (I have written several times in Give Him 15, about Baal, the “strongman” or principality that has ruled America for decades. Here are links to two of the most important teachings concerning this. They will give you an even greater understanding of this dream. You can find these posts HERE and HERE) Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  8. 9 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-12-2023 April 12, 2023 Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 2 In yesterday’s post, we began discussing a dream Holy Spirit gave Greg Hood. Though I won’t read the portion we included yesterday, I am including it [in brackets] for those who did not see it. Then I will continue with the second portion. In review, Greg and I are traveling a dirt road flanked by willow trees, which symbolize loss, yet hope. The second mile-marker includes a number representing worship, with a crown also pictured. We then began to hear the worship of people and angels, mixed with the wind of Holy Spirit, and carrying the weighty glory of God. Christ then appeared on a white horse, dressed as the Warrior King. He gave us the following instructions: “Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening, My voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.” He then added, “You will not walk from here; you will ride.” Christ then gave us war horses from His kingly supply, we were joined by other believers, and He clothed us in kingly garments. Here is yesterday’s portion, followed by today’s new part: ******* [“The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. “Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; My voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!”] ... End of Part 1. ******* “At this time, the man on the white horse repositioned himself at the front of this vast gathering of kings. His sword was now drawn and resting across the horn of his saddle. As he moved, the road and the trees completely changed. The road was now a paved road. We knew in the dream that this pavement would give us an advantage in the coming battle. (Horses don’t normally do well on paved surfaces, but this surface was made for our horses. It was a surface for war.) There was now another mile marker on the road. It was mile marker 22. Under the number 22 was written ‘The King’s Highway,’ and a scepter was engraved just under the phrase. “Then the trees changed. There were now huge cedar trees strategically placed in the field of battle ahead of us. We could see 7 of them in the distance. The first one was very close to us. The man on the white horse said to us, ‘The adversary has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars! Your mission is to overtake and occupy the cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars, you will take the land.’” End of Part 2. My Comments As Christ led us down the road, we came to mile marker 22. For 25 years, this has been a significant number for me, representing Isaiah 22:22. The verse speaks of being given spiritual keys with which to permanently open and close doors. This was fulfilled for all the church when Christ gave the Ekklesia His keys of authority in Matthew 16:18-19. The mile marker also read “The Kings Highway,” under which was etched a scepter. All of this points to our kingly authority, flowing to us from Christ. Then we saw the battlefield, consisting of 7 cedar trees spaced sequentially, separated by some distance. Evergreen trees represent covenant in scripture. Abraham planted an evergreen tree in Genesis 21:33, symbolizing his covenant with Yahweh, and called on Everlasting God. In using this name of God, Abraham was declaring Yahweh as Lord of his past, present, and future. I speak extensively of this in my book, An Appeal To Heaven. The evergreen tree and this name of God have great significance in my journey and calling to America. The evergreen was also very significant to our Founders and is on the Appeal To Heaven flag. The number 7 in Scripture also represents covenant (not just completion and rest), which is definitely the case in the dream. The Lord said to us, “The enemy has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. Your mission is to overtake and occupy the Cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the Cedars, you will take the land.” I have known for 25 years or more that the war for the soul of America is about covenant. Don’t think of America’s covenant with God in the same sense as His covenant with Abraham or the New Covenant through the blood of Christ. There are different levels and types of covenant. Technically, the biblical word for covenant simply means an agreement, contract, promise, etc. Covenants in Scripture were not all blood covenants, but were nonetheless sacred and binding. For example, David and Jonathan entered into a covenant together (1 Samuel 18:3), which David honored as a very sacred agreement. Joshua and Israel entered into a covenant with the Gibeonites, and though it was not on the level of the Abrahamic covenant or the New Covenant through Christ, it was still binding. Joshua actually defended them in war to honor this covenant (Joshua 9). King Saul was later judged for breaking this same covenant (2 Samuel 21). When nations enter into a covenant with God, making promises and agreements with Him, as our Founders did, He takes them very seriously. God honors covenant and expects us to, as well. Fidelity to these covenants brings His blessing, protection, and prosperity; breaking them opens the nation to curses. America’s covenant agreement with God was to be a light to the nations, a city on a hill, taking the gospel of his kingdom to all the nations of the Earth. When Robert Hunt planted the Cross at Cape Henry in 1607 and dedicated this land to the glory of God and the spreading of the gospel to all the world, he actually used the word covenant. He and our later Founders knew God birthed America, not just for our freedom, but for His cause, as well. Establishing America for this purpose does not mean God intended for the land to be taken from Native Americans and given to the Europeans. This was wrong. I believe God’s plan could have been enacted without this occurring, just as William Penn attempted to do by purchasing the land and walking in covenant with the Native Americans. It also does not excuse slavery and other sins. God did not orchestrate the bringing of slaves to America, but He DOES want all races now in America to participate in this covenant plan, working together for His cause. If He has His way, we will all participate in this coming great awakening, His church will become united in this purpose, and fulfill this holy calling together. No wonder satan and his followers war so fiercely against America! And it is no wonder he and those aligned with him make such heinous and despicable attempts to divide us. The devil desperately needs America to remain estranged from God, living under the curses of her broken covenant with Him, and thereby forfeiting her destiny. Our rejection of and broken covenant with Yahweh has helped destroy the once-greatest nation on earth. The curses of demonic control, evil leaders, death, violence, moral decay, abandoning the family unit, financial devastation, destruction of our children, loss of power and protection, and more, have been astronomical. As I stated yesterday, we are on life support; only a spiritual awakening and miracle from God can save us. HOWEVER, in this dream, Christ said He was coming, through the church, to take back the cedars! “You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars [restore Covenant], you will take the land,“ He declared. I have said many times and will continue to do so, this restoration will not be accomplished through the entire church, but by a remnant. We must not become discouraged by the complacency and lack of involvement of many. God is willing to heal our land through the intercession and actions of a few. Also, we must not become prideful about this, nor judgmental. My purpose in emphasizing it is to ward off discouragement: God can work through a remnant. Though it does not appear that America can be restored at this time, in tomorrow’s post we will see Christ’s declaration that it IS time for this to occur. The necessary alignment of heaven and earth has taken place, and victory can occur. Pray with me: Father, we know this nation has broken covenant with You in very egregious ways. We have abandoned our purpose and our alignment with You, turning to wickedness and gross sin. We know that our restoration could never be “earned,” but will be accomplished only through the blood of Jesus and the mercy it provides. We also know that America’s restoration is not only for our salvation, but for Your eternal purposes - not just for the American Dream, but Your Dream for America. You have restored much revelation to the church over the past several decades. We have much to learn, but You have taught us much. We know we are Your family, and as such, are Your ambassadors, representatives, and Christ’s Ekklesia on earth. We know that Holy Spirit has been sent to help us fully accomplish this. We know that Your Father-heart is to redeem, and that You intend to reap the greatest harvest in the earth’s history. You have told us this is now beginning. We align ourselves with your words and will. We ask for increased revelation, endurance, and wisdom to carry out this assignment. And we bind every attempt of Satan’s kingdom to stop it. We pray all of this in Christ’s name, He who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s “Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars” will be successful. *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  9. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-11-2023 April 11, 2023 Operation Overtake - Part 1 It is now clear to those with any level of prophetic discernment in the church that there is no hope for America’s survival apart from supernatural intervention. It will take a genuine revival, one that produces a sweeping return to God, to reverse America’s insanity, restore reason and allow God to restore us. Our condition is critical; we’re on life-support, no longer able to heal or recover on our own. God, in His mercy and His need of a restored America for the coming worldwide revival, is willing to bring this resurrection. As has always been the case in history, however, this restoration is demanding the participation of a remnant. Some accuse me of exaggerating when I say the prayers of the praying church are saving America. I am not. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR AMERICA WITHOUT A THIRD GREAT AWAKENING, AND THERE IS NO AWAKENING WITHOUT PRAYER. Most Americans, including Christians, look to government to save us, but as Reagan said, “government IS the problem.” There is zero chance our government can save America. A large part of the church believes God will sovereignly do as He wishes, with or without us. The truth is God needs our participation. To the praying remnant, I say, “Thank you, and persevere! Your prayers are saving America.” GOD IS WILLING TO SAVE THROUGH A REMNANT! Over the next three days, I’m going to share and unpack a significant dream which will encourage you in this effort. You’ll find it enlightening, instructive, and very encouraging. It was given to my friend, Greg Hood, a few months back and I feel it is now time to share it. Greg begins: ******************* “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!” End of Part 1. ************* The dream began with Greg and me walking a dirt road flanked by willow trees, which in Scripture symbolize both loss and hope (Psalm 137). As we progress, tomorrow you will see that the dream is about America’s restoration. This beginning indicates we were saddened by America’s condition, but also had hope. The number on the mile marker, 4352, is Strong’s number of the Greek word for worship. We must worship while journeying on this road to America’s restoration. The sound of worship carried weight, symbolizing glory, and led us to greater authority, pictured by the crown under the number. It released the wind (Holy Spirit), angelic help, and brought a manifestation of Christ, the rider on the White Horse. He enthrones Himself in our praise (Psalm 22:3). Christ had His sword and was wearing His crown representing power and authority. He had come as the Warrior King. He allowed us to pass Him, then followed us down the road, which removed all fear from us. The road then changed from dirt to pavement. I’m not certain of this meaning, perhaps it symbolized the passage of time, from America’s birth to the present. Then Christ spoke words of instruction and encouragement, “Watch, listen, I will guide you through the complicated and treacherous terrain and show you the future. Things will look different, but this is your land.” Christ then gave us horses, war horses bred especially for us, for battle, for intimidating enemies, gathering spoil, and occupying territory. War horses symbolize strength for battle. He told us they were from Troop Basileus. Basileus is a Greek word meaning a king, ruler, or lord (Strongs 935). It is an obvious reference to the Ekklesia, the royal priesthood of Christ, who have been delegated His authority to rule and reign. At this point our clothing changed to royal garments of war. The beginning of this dream is telling us Christ has prepared us for this season of spiritual war to restore America. There is a portion of the church that recognizes America’s condition, but also understands worship, Holy Spirit and angelic help, and Christ’s authority. As we will see tomorrow, the war is over America’s calling and destiny. Pray with me: Jesus, thank You for giving Your prophetic anointing to the church through the Holy Spirit. A remnant is truly listening and praying. We know that the road, the journey we are on must be one of worship; angels will join us on this holy road. Our worship releases the wind of Holy Spirit and brings Your presence, not only as our Shepherd, but also as the White Horse Rider, our glorious King. On this road of restoration for America, we humbly accept our calling to partake of Your Kingly anointing. You have placed us in Your troop, the Ekklesia, the Troop of the King. You have dressed us for war and given us strength for battle, pictured by war horses. Thank You Holy Spirit for speaking to us through this dream, giving strategy and encouragement. We ask You to stir the hearts of more believers to listen and take seriously Your warnings and instructions. And as we hear You, we ask that the next era of Kingdom activity be the greatest ever! In Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will worship, and ride into battle with the authority of our King, Jesus. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ** You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  10. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-10-2023 April 10, 2023 He Has Risen! As He was beginning His earthly ministry, Jesus visited John the Baptist, who publicly announced concerning Him, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36). Two of John’s disciples heard this stunning announcement and decided to check Him out. As they followed Jesus, He noticed, turned to them, and asked, “What do you seek?” Their answer was interesting. “Rabbi (which translated means ‘Teacher’), where are you staying?” “Come, and you will see,” was His invitation to them. They took Him up on His offer and ended up spending the day with Him (v. 39). Warning: If you’re happy with things as they are, spending a day with Jesus isn’t a good idea! Having a private audience with Him for an entire day, face to face, IS going to change you. Radically. I suppose the conversation could be superficial at first: “What were You thinking when You made porcupines? The zebra’s stripes? How many stars are there? How about galaxies?” From there, perhaps you would segue into questions concerning Jesus and God: “How old were You when You first realized who You actually were? What does God look like?” At some point, however, you would no doubt transition into personal questions concerning yourself and your future. Everyone thinks about purpose. Experts tell us the desire to know our purpose is one of the strongest desires we humans have. Believing we have a purpose is directly related to self-esteem, self-worth, and ultimately, personal fulfillment. Did these two men ask Jesus about this? We don’t know for certain. We do know that one of them was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother (v. 40), who became one of Christ’s twelve disciples. Something he heard while with Jesus impacted him so greatly he decided on a career change! Destiny flows from days spent with Jesus. Another revelation Andrew received that day had to do with, not his own identity, but Christ’s. He began the day by referring to Jesus as a teacher (”Rabbi”); he ended it by calling Him the Messiah. “He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ)” (John 1:41). Andrew received the two most important revelations needed for a successful life that day: who Christ is, which is the key to unlocking everything else in life, and who he was. When those two things are known, destiny is unlocked. The purpose of anything is found in the mind of its creator, not in itself. True self-identity comes from identifying and knowing the One who made us. You’ll never really find yourself until you find Him. Andrew found both that day. No wonder we have an identity issue in our nation, we have robbed a generation of knowing their Creator. Those who reject their Maker sentence themselves to a wasted life. Seeking self-awareness apart from God is like a journey without a destination. Watching this saddens and angers me deeply. I do not enjoy talking about judgment. But all of Christ’s Words are on the table. He had great anger toward those who abused children. “But if anyone abuses one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment he deserves!” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭6‬ ‭TPT‬‬). Scary words from the Supreme Judge. There will be a day of reckoning. At the end of Christ’s ministry, two more of His followers had a revelatory encounter with Him. The meeting occurred just after the Cross and, though they didn’t know it, the Resurrection. To say their world had just turned topsy-turvy would be a gross understatement. To have discovered, lived with, and traveled with Jesus for three years, only to lose Him, would be life’s cruelest injustice. These two men had heard earlier in the day that Christ had risen from the dead. But, really, who would believe two grief-stricken ladies claiming to have been visited by angels? That’s quite a stretch. And those supposed angels informed the women that Christ rose from the dead? Delusional. As they walked the seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they were discussing this too-good-to-be-true report and all that had transpired over the past few days. They were discouraged, confused, and disillusioned. That’s when He arrived. “And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (Luke 24:15-16). “What are you discussing?” He asked. As if He didn’t know! They gave Jesus a brief summary, expressing their surprise that He would even have to ask. “What else would we be discussing?” was their inference. It seems everyone in Jerusalem could think of little else than what had transpired with Christ the last few days, since so many of them had thought He might be the long-awaited Messiah. They spoke to Him of their devastation and also of the rumor that He had risen from the dead. Jesus, His identity still hidden from them, “Explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (v. 27), including the fact He needed to suffer and die. Wouldn’t you like to hear that recording! When I get to heaven, the video room will be one of my first stops. Though they still didn’t know it was Jesus, His words were impacting their hearts. “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us… explaining the Scriptures to us?” they stated (v. 32). When they reached their destination, the men pled with Jesus to spend the night. The Lord agreed to do so, and during dinner, “He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (vv. 30-31). He disappeared from their sight at that moment. Sleep was now out of the question. So they hurried back the seven miles to Jerusalem with the good news: Christ was, indeed, risen. I find it more than a coincidence that after hiding from these men who He was, the Lord chose to release the revelation “in the breaking of the bread” (v. 35). After all, He was the “bread of life” that had been “broken” for them (see John 6:33, 35, 48-51), and they could now partake of His resurrection life. Was the timing of the revelation His way of saying to them, “The sustenance you need is now available? Sup with Me (Revelation 3:20), and I will reveal to you the things you need to know?” I believe so. I also believe He is saying the same to us. We can eat the bread of life by feeding on His words (Matthew 4:4). Eat them. As you do, revelation will come, and He will unveil Himself to you, just as He did these two men. At some point, your Creator will also reveal to you your purpose and destiny, just as He did for Andrew. Spend a day with Jesus…He is risen. Pray with me: Father, we just celebrated our Lord’s victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave. He triumphed fully and now ever lives to be our Apostle, Mediator, High Priest, and King. Thank You for this amazing, costly, and wonderful plan. As we walk with You, we pray for a greater revelation of Christ’s victory. We are one with Him spiritually, infused with His nature, more than conquerors, able to do all things through His strength. Increase revelation of these things, but also that we are His Ekklesia on earth, assigned to represent Him. Awaken us to this! May the revelation be ever-increasing. And we continue, as we always will, to declare that Holy Spirit is now orchestrating history’s greatest revival. We bind the work of demonic powers attempting to stop this, enforcing Christ’s magnificent victory at Calvary. Come in greater power, Kingdom of God. Will of God, be accomplished. We pray these things in the risen Messiah’s name, Yeshua. Our decree: We decree that death was conquered and has lost its sting. ***************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books.
  11. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-7-2023 April 7, 2023 We will be taking communion together at the end of today's post. Passion Week: Good Friday Good Friday, called this because of an ancient usage of the word “good” as a synonym for holy. (In the same way as the Holy Bible at times is called the “Good Book.”) Holy Friday, indeed. From Gethsemane, Messiah was led to a mock trial, after which He was beaten mercilessly with a cat-o-nine-tails. This procedure was so brutal that some recipients didn’t survive it. The leather cords, tipped with sharp metal, tore at the flesh of the victim, ripping off pieces of flesh. The beating with its nine cords, delivered 39 times, made a total of 351 lashes. This was barbaric and brutal, not only lacerating the back, but wrapping around to the front of the victim’s body, including the face. It is hard to describe this lashing without being too graphic for most readers. The depiction of the horrific damage in The Passion movie is no exaggeration. Suffice it to say that when finished, the victim was often unrecognizable. The soldiers also beat Christ with their fists and spat on His face. To mock Him as “the King of the Jews,” a crown made of thorns was placed on His head and pressed into His skin, causing great pain and more loss of blood. When the ordeal was finished, Messiah was so mangled and covered with spittle and blood that He literally was unrecognizable. Isaiah said, “Many people were shocked [astonished; appalled] when they saw him. His appearance was so damaged [disfigured; marred] He did not look like a man; His form was so changed they could barely tell He was human” (Isaiah 52:14 The Expanded Bible). The added punishments and torture, much more than the average victim of crucifixion was afflicted with, can only be explained as the fury of hell, trying to snuff out the life of the Son of God. Yeshua received this for you and me. Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 tell us it was through this beating that we can be healed. Place your faith in this today. Receive healing by placing your faith in His substitutionary sacrifice. Christ was then led to His crucifixion. There are several prophetic references or pictures in the Old Testament pointing to the Cross. One passage of extreme importance is Deuteronomy 21: 22-23, which references one who experienced death by hanging on a tree as being “cursed.” It is abundantly clear from Galatians 3:13 that this verse refers to Jesus hanging on the “tree,” taking our curse. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Yeshua’s crucifixion took place at Golgotha, “the place of the skull.” God, centuries before, had ordained that this would be the place and, with stones and erosion, carved the international symbol of death onto the hillside. This also was the location of Isaac’s interrupted sacrifice (Genesis 22), which pictured the Cross. Like Isaac, we were spared, and God Himself provided the sacrifice. “Then Abraham looked up [lifted his eyes] and saw a male sheep [ram] caught in a bush by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep, offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, and his son was saved [in the place of his son]. So Abraham named that place The Lord Provides [or Sees; Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today, people say, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided [or seen]’” (Genesis 22:13-14; The Expanded Bible). In this chosen place, high on a hill so all could see the Passover Lamb bearing our shame, God provided the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus carried His own Cross, though He was able to carry it only part of the way. It was actually the crossbeam that He carried. When He arrived at the place of crucifixion, He was first tied and nailed with spikes to this crosspiece, which contained a hole in the center, enabling it to slide down onto the upright post. After a victim was tied and nailed to this portion, it was lifted and placed onto the top of the upright section, whereupon it would fall down and slam into place. This is often when dislocations would occur in the crucified person, as the crosspiece slammed down. And indeed, we know this occurred with Christ, as was prophesied of Him in Psalm 22:14. The sliding down of the crosspiece is also why the spikes were placed at the bottom of the hands where they joined the wrist; this placement would sustain more weight. It’s also why the victim was tied to the crossbeam. If they were not secured in this way, they would often be torn loose. Yeshua hung on the Cross for six hours in this emaciated state. While there, He spoke seven times. Time does not permit me to comment on each of them, but they are all significant. Halfway through the ordeal, at noon, the sun disappeared, and the sky grew dark (Luke 23:44-45). This was a fulfillment of Amos 8: 9-10: “‘It will come about in that day,’ declares the Lord God, ‘That I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight. Then I will turn your festivals into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation, and I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins, And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.’” Surely this is a prophetic picture of the Light of the World being snuffed out for us. It was at the end of the 3 hours that Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46-47; Mark 15:34) He was quoting from Psalm 22, which is a detailed prophecy of the Cross. Christ was crying out in anguish because, for the first time in all of eternity, He was experiencing separation from His Father. It is also the only record we have of Him addressing God as anything other than Father. Christ had taken our sins upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53.5). Most scholars agree that when this occurred, He bore our separation from the Father, who could no longer look upon Him. Though Jesus no doubt knew this would occur, the actual experience was more than He could endure, and cried out in anguish. It is worth noting that Christ never cried out during the beatings, scourging, thorns, spikes, or dislocations - only when this separation occurred from His Father, as He bore our sin. Finally, it was enough. The price had been paid. Christ made His final two statements. The first, “It is finished,” I have written of before in the GH15 posts. This was not a statement referencing His death, but a loud declaration by Christ, also a quote from Psalm 22 (verse 31). This decree was one word in Greek (tetelestai) and also in the Hebrew of Psalm 22 (asah). Using the literal meaning of these words, Christ was declaring that He had fully accomplished His assignment, paid our debt in full, and was bringing forth the new creation! Yeshua then released His spirit to the Father. Death did not take Him, He “yielded up His Spirit” (Matthew 27:50). It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The priests in the Temple were performing their customary duties when, at the very moment Jesus yielded up His Spirit, the veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The purpose of this veil had been to separate everyone from the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God on earth. With this symbolic act, God was declaring that the separation caused by our sin was gone, and we could now enter His presence once again! Why don’t you spend some time with Him today? He would like that. Pray with me: Thank You, Father, for the Cross. Thank You for sending Christ to be our substitute. Thank You for placing our sins upon Him in order to bring us back into Your family. Thank You for allowing the lashes, the wounds, the crown of thorns, and the separation. And thank You, Jesus, for Your heart of humility and love. You are the Son of Man and Son of God. And through our faith in You, You have made us sons and daughters of the Most High. We are so grateful. Now, by faith, we appropriate all of the cleansing power of Your shed blood, and the healing virtue that flows from every wound You suffered. By Your stripes, we are healed! And as we prayed yesterday, we do so again today: for the glory of Your name and the pleasure of Your heart, send revival to earth. Save a billion or more people in this great revival. Your Father promised You the nations of the earth as Your inheritance - reap them now. And in remembrance of You and what You did for us on Calvary, we partake of the Communion Table. We take the bread, which was Your body, broken for us - a price paid so we could have eternal life. We take the cup, a representation of your blood, spilled for us, the price paid for our redemption from sin. We give you thanks today, Jesus. We give you thanks. Our decree: We decree that the Lamb who was slain has overcome and will forever reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  12. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-6-2023 April 6, 2023 Passion Week: Redemption Began In Gethsemane “Leaving there, He went, as He so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed Him. When they arrived at the place, He said, ‘Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.’” (Luke 22:39 MSG) “The place” spoken of by Luke was Gethsemane. It had become Christ’s favorite place of prayer; notice the phrase, “as He so often did.” This is how Judas, who had left the last supper early, knew where to take the soldiers to find Him. Christ would spend three hours there that night agonizing over the ordeal He was facing. During this time, He would wrestle with His natural, human desire for this cup of suffering to pass from Him: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The agony of these three hours was horrific, much worse than most people realize. Luke tells us Christ started this time of prayer on His knees. Matthew adds that He eventually fell on His face in agony. Mark added that He fell repeatedly. In other words, Christ would kneel, then fall on His face. He would rise to His feet again, only to fall once more - first to His knees, then onto His face. At one point, the agony of what He was experiencing, as well as the knowledge of what was coming, became so great that the capillaries in His face burst, and blood mixed with sweat oozed through the pores of His skin (Luke 22:44). This is a painful medical condition known as hematidrosis. “Doctors don't know exactly what triggers hematidrosis, in part because it's so rare. They think it could be related to the body's ‘fight or flight’ response… Sometimes it seems to be caused by extreme distress or fear, such as facing death, torture, or severe ongoing abuse. It's probably where the term ‘sweating blood,’ meaning a great effort, comes from.” (1) “While the extent of blood loss generally is minimal, hematidrosis also results in the skin becoming extremely tender and fragile.”(2) I believe our redemption was actually beginning here when the first drop of Christ’s blood was shed, even before He reached the Cross. Through a blending of the Gospel accounts, and with more in-depth definitions of the words chosen by Holy Spirit, we can gain a more complete picture of what Jesus truly experienced in the garden. When He “withdrew” from the disciples to pray by Himself (Luke 22:41), Luke uses a stronger word than the other Gospel writers, apospao, which means “to tear away.”(3) Wuest translates it accordingly, “He tore himself away from them.” Probably more than any time in His life, Christ wanted the comfort of being with friends, yet He knew He would have to face this ordeal alone. We are told by Matthew and Mark that Yeshua became “sore amazed, exceedingly sorrowful and very heavy” in His mind and emotions (Matthew 26.37-38; Mark 14:33-34 KJV). More literal definitions of the Greek words used give us poignant descriptions of what He was feeling: Ademonein: “to be troubled and in anguish, to be in a state of great anxiety; used of one who is rendered helpless, disoriented, agitated, and anguished by the threat of an approaching event.”(4) Perilupus: “to be very sad, environed or surrounded with deep grief.”(5) Ekthambeisthai: “to be exceedingly astonished, either with wonder or fear; to be in the grip of a shuddering horror.”(6) Wuest says Christ was “thoroughly alarmed.” Though He knew in advance this trauma was coming, the intensity of it was even greater than what He had expected. It was alarming to Him! Astonishing. Disorienting. Horrifying. Matthew tells us Jesus was agonizing “to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). The word used demands that this be taken literally. Though death could never have taken Christ before the time came for Him to yield up His spirit, in a strictly human sense, here in the garden, His body was close to death. Again, I believe our redemption - specifically, taking the emotional wounds, rejections, and sorrows of the entire world upon Himself - began here in the garden of Gethsemane. Isaiah prophesied of Christ: “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5 NASB) Don’t waste a moment of Christ’s suffering for you. Everything He did was redemptive. Every second of suffering and abuse was for you and me, taking our place. Let it bring healing to every part of your soul that may be hurting. Jesus wants you healed from every form of abuse, rejection, betrayal, and loss. He paid for this! Receive it. After three hours of agony, Christ prevailed. He broke through into peace, and His spirit was now in complete control of every emotion. At this point, Judas came with soldiers and betrayed Christ with a kiss, kataphileo (7). The word reveals that this was more than just the friendly kiss on the cheek (phileo) (8), a common greeting in many countries. The prefix kata (9) strengthens it, implying a stronger affection, perhaps with a hug or a lingering kiss on the cheek. That is why Jesus questioned Judas, “Are you betraying me with this type of affection, Judas?” (Luke 22:48) Christ then asks the soldiers, “Who are you seeking?” When they told Him, He simply said, “I AM” (John 18:4-5). Jesus did NOT say “I am He,” as most translations state. He spoke His God-name from throughout eternity: “I AM.” And the power of His words, of His name, knocked the soldiers backward onto the ground (verse 6). Christ is, indeed, Almighty God. At this point, Peter, perhaps emboldened by what happened to the soldiers, pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. Jesus promptly touched Malchus and healed his ear! (Luke 22:51) The great I AM, indeed! The Healer! The Great Physician! The Creator! And in this time of His suffering, the Savior is seen ministering to His enemies. At this point, Jesus was led away to be tried, beaten, and crucified. We will look at this tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, the agony You must have felt during Christ’s sufferings had to have been immeasurable. The temptation to answer His prayer, “Let this cup pass from Me,” must have been overwhelming. But You knew there was no other way to save us - our sins required a perfect, sinless substitute. You who spared not Your own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall You not also with Him, freely give us all things! (Romans 8:32) Thank You! And Jesus, words fail us. You, the Prince of Peace, suffered overwhelming mental anguish and emotional trauma for us. You allowed Yourself to feel the pressure until Your capillaries burst and Your skin oozed blood. Through this, You now give us unexplainable peace and unspeakable joy. We worship You today. We exalt You above all others. We love You from the depths of our hearts. May our incense of worship rise before You, bringing the pleasure You so deserve. As incredible as it sounds, we are the reward of Your suffering. Satisfy Your heart even more in this hour - send revival to the earth! Bring a billion souls into Your family in this coming revival. Your Father, who cannot lie, gave You the nations as Your inheritance. No one can take them from You. Holy Spirit, show the world just how wonderful this God-Man is. Open their eyes to His glory, His selfless love, His humility. Give them dreams about Him that awaken desire - a longing to know Him. Surely, there is no one like Him - give them a taste! Let not the wicked stop this. Ruin their plans, judge their strategies, thwart their efforts…and reveal this glorious Man. And in His name, we pray, Amen. ************************** Tomorrow we will be having communion together as we remember the day known as Good Friday, the day of Christ’s death. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hematidrosis-hematohidrosis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis This is a combined definition from these sources: Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977. Vine, W.E. The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1984. Zodhiates, Spiros, The Complete Word Study Dictionary. Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992. 4. Ibid 5. Ibid 6. Ibid 7. Ibid 8. Ibid 9. Ibid
  13. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-5-2023 April 5, 2023 Passion Week: The Alabaster Box It is unfortunate for us to try and focus on something as important and holy as Christ’s Passion week, while also needing to watch and comment on the chaos occurring in our nation. What is happening with President Trump is unprecedented, literally, and one more example of the corruption and polarization in America. As I’m sure you know by now, there were no surprises in Trump’s indictment, and the expert legal analysts I’m hearing believe the charges are motivated by politics, and have no chance of succeeding (unless it is from a stacked jury). The likely motivation for this is to plant negative thoughts about Trump in the minds of voters and be a distraction to him and his campaign. I will certainly say more about this in the future, and we will continue to pray for America, our government, and the work Holy Spirit needs to do to heal our land. Today, however, let’s move on to Christ’s final week on earth, leading up to the Cross. ******************** During the week of Christ’s Passion, we are told the story of a woman anointing Christ’s head and feet with very expensive ointment. “Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as He was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house, with an alabaster flask filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She came to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over His head. But some were highly indignant when they saw this, and they complained to one another, saying, ‘What a total waste! It could have been sold for a great sum, and the money could have benefited the poor.’ So they scolded her harshly. Jesus said to them, ‘Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness. You will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have Me. When she poured the fragrant oil over Me, she was preparing My body in advance of My burial. She has done all that she could to honor Me. I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to Me will be mentioned in memory of her.’” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:3-9‬ ‭TPT‬‬) This oil was very expensive, worth a year’s wages based on the average income of the day. We know from John’s account (John 12:1-8) that this was done by the same Mary who sat at Christ’s feet, mesmerized by His words, in Luke 10:38-42. She was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The timing of Mary’s offering was just days before His death, and Jesus said she was anointing Him for His burial. Whether Mary had grasped the reality of His words about His imminent death and resurrection, or whether Jesus was simply applying the offering in that light is unclear. Two things we do know: It was a very costly offering from Mary, and it was precious to the Lord. “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her,” He stated (Matthew 26:13). Some speculate that the scent of this powerful perfume would have lingered in Christ’s hair for several days. Did the fragrance help sustain Him as He agonized in Gethsemane? Perhaps the sweet aroma comforted Him through the tortuous six hours on the Cross. Never underestimate the fragrance of worship. Others in the room thought Mary’s offering to be a waste. Some actually scolded her (Mark 14:5). I know the feeling. When I canceled all other activities for three months in our church in Colorado Springs, lavishing ninety days of 24/7 worship on the Lord, I, too, was criticized. One influential Christian leader rebuked me, calling the ninety days of worship “a complete waste of time.” It’s fascinating just how much perspectives can differ. For me, those three months remain the best three months of my life. They were my alabaster box of costly perfume, the greatest offering I’ve had the honor of giving Christ. For the person who rebuked me, they were a complete waste of time. Never allow the lack of revelation in others to cheapen your offering. Like Mary, give Christ your best. Others may mock your sacrifice of time, but go ahead and “waste” it on Him. Some will scold you, as they did Mary, calling your passionate praise too radical, but pour out your offering in spite of their ridicule. Still others will label your extravagant worship as excessive. Religious zeal. Don’t let their misguided criticism deter you - pour out your costly perfume! The list of Christ’s followers in the room as Mary anointed Jesus is quite the who’s who. The twelve disciples were present. You’d think they would have understood that Jesus was more than worth this offering, but they were too practical: “It should have been given to the poor,” was their protest. Christ’s thoughts? “Go ahead and anoint Me; there will be ample time to care for the poor after I’m gone.” Simon, the former leper, was present. This was actually his home. One might think his new skin, replaced appendages, and restored life would merit the “wasting” of some costly perfume on Jesus. Evidently not - he didn’t come to Mary’s defense. And then there was Lazarus, Mary’s brother, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. He had been dead so long that he stank. Surely he would see the validity of his sister’s costly perfume sacrifice. But no, Lazarus didn’t come to her defense, either. Could it be that the others’ familiarity with Christ had lessened their wonder of Him, their awe? We don’t know. They certainly didn’t come to Mary’s defense. We do know that only one worshiper that day had the fullness of love and revelation necessary to anoint the Savior. How sadly typical. So many miss opportunities to lavish affection on Him. It is not uncommon for me to see church attendees waste opportunities to break their alabaster box of love and pour it on the Master. They’ve been in His presence so often, sang so many songs and prayed so many prayers that, well, the experience just isn’t quite worth what it used to be. So, they give Him token praise and watered-down worship. Cheap perfume. I doubt if the fragrance makes it past Sunday lunch. But while the others that day wasted an opportunity to comfort God, Mary poured out her costly perfume. Its fragrance sustained Him through Gethsemane, the beatings, mocking, lashing, spittle, spikes, dislocations, and thorns. Don’t allow another day to go by without becoming one of the “fragrance creators.” Let nothing deter you. Your alabaster box is your heart; your love and worship are the perfume. Break it open and pour it out. At the scent of your offering, He’ll meet with you. And He’ll cherish your worship, just as He did Mary’s. Pray with me: Father, thank You for including Mary‘s story in Your Holy Book. We are impressed and motivated by her example, yes. But just as importantly, we are awed by Christ’s moving acceptance and appreciation of it. May we today always give Him our best. May the fragrance of worship ascend to Him daily from our hearts and lives. May You, Abba, always find a sweet fragrance of worship ascending before Your throne. We love You very much. Jesus, thank You for Your amazing, unfathomable humility. We will never know just how much You humbled Yourself to serve us as You did. You became human, touchable, breakable. Your love is unmatched. We worship You today with our hearts and our words. And we gratefully partake of Your life, righteousness, strength, healing, and wholeness. We continue to pray for the turning of our nation and for our government to be transformed. Change those who can be changed; replace the others. You are the God of salvation; bring it to this land. And we wholeheartedly include other nations in this prayer - send revival throughout the earth. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we are passionate worshipers of our great God, and will break our alabaster box, giving Him all of our love and honor. ***************** Click here to watch/hear Cece Winans perform the song, The Alabaster Box. This is one of our favorites. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  14. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-4-2023 April 4, 2023 Pre-post statement: Because we post the GH15s very early in the morning, they must be completed the evening before. Therefore, this post was completed Monday, before the arraignment of President Trump. I will comment on the arraignment in tomorrow’s post. However, before I read today’s, let’s briefly pray for him: Father, we thank You for the way You have used Donald Trump. He was the most pro-life President America has ever had. Minorities prospered under his leadership more than under any other President. He protected America and supported Your causes. We ask You to strengthen him in this time and give the outcome You desire regarding the charges against him. And we ask for Your will concerning his future to be accomplished. In Christ’s name, Amen. Passion Week: The Man, Christ Jesus We are entering the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday, often referred to as The Passion Week. Christ actually began experiencing the emotional pressure of what was coming several weeks before the Cross occurred. Most people fail to consider that Jesus was truly human, with real emotions and the ability to feel pain. He experienced grief, sorrow, anger, and disappointment, enjoyed friendships, knew joy and laughter, felt hunger and thirst, grew tired and sleepy. Though fully God, Jesus was also human, but without the Adamic fallen nature. He had to be in order to represent us as a legal substitute. As one who was truly human, Christ didn’t simply flip over into God mode when things got tough in order to not experience the pain or trauma. Philippians 2:6-7 tell us that “although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Let Christ be human. As I stated above, weeks before the Cross Christ began feeling the pressure. When He said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), Jesus was thinking of Himself. The passage begins by saying, “Jesus let nothing distract him from departing for Jerusalem because the time for him to be lifted up drew near, and he was full of passion to complete his mission there.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭9:51‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Jesus knew that in Jerusalem He would face arrest, torture, and agonizing death. But He set off firmly and unflinchingly, committed to finishing His mission. There would be no backing out, and nothing would deter Him from accomplishing His purpose. Isaiah prophesied this determination: “The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:5-7 NASB). Christ knew this passage was speaking of Him and realized He was entering the season of its fulfillment. So He set His face like flint, put His hand to the plow, and turned toward Jerusalem, beginning what would become His final trek to this city. Traveling by foot and stopping along the way to minister and rest, the journey would take several weeks. Luke, in his gospel, reveals the humanness of Christ more than the other Gospel writers. Under Holy Spirit’s guidance, each Gospel writer had a different goal in his writing. This is why each man shared different (not contradictory) accounts of Christ’s works and teachings. Matthew, for example, wrote his Gospel primarily to the Jews; he was, therefore, revealing Christ as the King of God’s Kingdom. Mark wrote to Romans; hence, he wrote of Jesus as a man of action, filled with power and under authority. John wrote to all humankind, presenting Him as truly God. Luke was writing primarily to Gentiles and Greeks; he presented the humanness of Christ - He was truly a man and, therefore, qualified to be our substitute at the Cross. In revealing Christ’s humanness, Luke wants us to know that from this point onward, the pressure began building in the Son of Man. Jesus was having to remain very focused in order to deal with this pressure. Eleven times after the above verse (9:51), Luke mentions that Christ was journeying toward Jerusalem and, therefore, the Cross. He was focused on the mission and would not waver. In Chapter 12, Luke quotes Him as saying, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished” (verse 50). “Distressed” is the Greek word sunecho (Strongs 4912), a very strong word meaning “to be held fast, like a prisoner.” It also means “to be confined, constrained, pressed together so as to not be able to move (like a city under siege);” figuratively, sunecho meant “to be in a mental state of anguish.” Kenneth Wuest’s expanded and very literal translation of the New Testament renders this verse: “I have an immersion by which I will be overwhelmed, and I am being hard pressed from every side until it be consummated.” In other words, though weeks out from the Cross, the strain in Christ was already very intense! Jesus knew what was about to occur and was dreading it. The focus required in order to press on toward Jerusalem was so intense that it could be seen on His countenance. In Luke 9:53, Christ was rejected by a Samaritan village “Because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.” Although there was great friction between Jews and Samaritans, Christ had earlier been accepted by a village in Samaria after ministering to “the woman at the well” (see John 4). On this occasion, however, they would not receive Him. Why? They were offended because He couldn’t seem to take His focus off Jerusalem. What did this look like? There must have been many pensive gazes, perhaps even some grimaces, as Christ kept turning His face toward Jerusalem and the Cross. This became so obvious that the Samaritans, who were rejected and looked down upon by the Jews, had finally had enough. Of course, they didn’t understand. No one did. This was something Christ was having to endure alone. And with His face set like flint, He journeyed on - moving toward His destiny. “And He was passing through from one village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). For several weeks, the journey continued, and the pressure built until Jesus rounded the last curve and crested the last hill. When the city came into view, He burst into tears. Christ’s emotions were now raw, sensitive, and bottled up. Like a pent-up dam that could take no more pressure, He released His emotions. Jesus loved this city; He loved the people. Yet He knew Jerusalem would reject Him and, in the future, experience great devastation. As this mix of emotions erupted to the surface, Yeshua let it all out. And He did more than cry. Again, quoting from Wuest’s New Testament, “...having caught sight of the city, He burst into tears, weeping audibly over it” (Luke 19:41). What a picture. And what must the disciples and those following Christ have thought as He “burst into tears” and sobbed? How often this man surprised and amazed them. Power, authority, humility, wisdom, intellect, love and yes, passion were all exhibited by the Son of Man. And they would soon see His anger. After composing Himself, Christ went directly to the Temple and drove out those who were selling their wares, making His “house of prayer...a robber’s den,” (Luke 19:45-46). This was indeed anger, but it wasn’t a temporary loss of self-control. The Temple was intended by God to picture us humans, created to be the dwelling place/temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The defilement Jesus was seeing reminded Him of the defilement in us, which He was about to cleanse at the Cross, just days from then. He was demonstrating what He had come to do: cleanse His temple - US..! And Christ was intense about it. Spend some time this week reflecting on the passion of Christ. Journey through the week with Him. Thank Him for the price He paid. Worship Him not only as God, the Creator, but also as Son of Man, the Redeemer. And let Him be human. Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your incredible love and commitment to us. Thank You for the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. You are amazing. We are deeply moved by being able to call You Abba, Papa. And Jesus, thank You for the incarnation - being willing to become one of us. Isaiah called You Immanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). Daniel called You “son of man” (Daniel 7:13). Thank You for the tears. Thank You for the love. Thank You for the suffering and pain. Thank You for the Cross - thank You for dying. And thank You for winning, for conquering death and the grave, for overcoming sin and its evil hold on us. Thank You for sharing Abba with us. Thank You for sharing Your throne with us. Manifest Yourself through us in this era, we pray. May the world see who You are, Yeshua, and Your glory as the church You are building matures into the Ekklesia You envisioned. Continue to mature us into people worthy of bearing Your name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that the sufferings of Christ were not in vain, and His blood will never lose its power. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  15. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-3-2023 April 3, 2023 We Own A Right Time A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Knowing this, God sculpted and shaped a vivid picture of hope deferred in the form of a mountain - wouldn't you know it would be a mountain! Rugged. Barren. Big. Its very name Horeb, means “desolation, a waste place, barrenness, dryness.” Yep, all synonyms of hope deferred. I sometimes think of this mountain when praying for America. This is the place Moses ended up for much of his forty-year exile, shoveling dung instead of bathing in royal hot tubs. There can be no more severe case of hope deferred than what Moses experienced, having lost his royal inheritance and, it seemed, his destiny. I realize “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” but after disappearing for forty years, a dream is usually over. Especially if you’re 80 years old! But thankfully, like many mountains, Horeb had treasure hidden within it. Not only would this barren piece of rock be a picture of exile-induced heart disease, but it would also become a glorious example of conquered hope deferred and healed heart disease. Horeb gives us a glimpse of life on the other side of our pain. The events associated with this mountain portray God’s amazing ability to heal, restore hope and purpose, and bring abundant treasure from ugly mountains. Horeb didn’t remain horrible for Moses, and it won’t for us. The transformation of Horeb’s symbolism became so complete, its power so harnessed by the hand of God, that it eventually became known as “the mountain of God.” (Exodus 3:1). It doesn’t get any better than that! God can so transform the “Horeb seasons” of our lives that one day all we’ll see when we look back at them is Him - the mountain of God. There is gold in this mountain, and we will find it! This became especially real to me a few years back when I found myself in a season of hope deferred, much of which had been caused by betrayal. One afternoon, while seeking the Lord for comfort, He threw me quite a curve. “I need for you to embrace the pain,” He spoke very clearly. What a strange and seemingly cruel statement to hear from a loving Father who supposedly had great plans for my welfare and a future filled with hope. What I did not realize, however, was that God wanted to do more than simply remove my pain; He also wanted to use it for my good. God never wastes our pain; before He removes it, He makes it serve us. Horeb becomes our gym and the pharaoh who sent us there our trainer. And ultimately, like God, whose nature we inherited, we will win. He always wins, and we can, also. I want to be very clear that God wasn’t telling me betrayal is good, nor that He caused it. God doesn’t initiate evil, but He does make it serve Him – and us. He needed me to embrace the pain, NOT so I could hurt, but in order to grab it, wrestle it to the mat, and claim my prize! God doesn’t call evil good, as some people are prone to do. Pain isn’t good; it tells us something is wrong. Death is an enemy. Emotional wounds can break our hearts. God doesn’t make light of our pain, and He isn’t playing weird mind games with us, trying to convince us that bad is good. He IS saying, however, that no matter how deep the wound and great the pain, He knows how to heal and transform it - and not just into scar tissue. He will use its lessons to make us better, healthier, richer, and well positioned for a fulfilling future. Horeb need not be terminal! Learn the lessons from this ugly mountain, and find the buried treasure hidden in it. One of the first things Horeb will teach us, and one of the most important, is the power of perseverance. Don’t downplay this one – it’s huge. Waiting isn’t easy, and nothing truer can be said than that waiting is associated with hope deferred. However, learning to wait without wavering will make you successful in life. God wants to strengthen your endurance through your experience at Horeb, so you can be like a distance runner who can run long distances without damaging the heart or lungs. Moses is one of the all-time record holders for waiting. After fleeing from Pharaoh and becoming an object lesson on deferred hopes and diseased hearts for 40 years, he found it hard to believe God could ever use him again – let alone awaken his dreaming heart. But after a session of arguing with God on this mountain (see Exodus 3-4), he decided to give it a try and became the all-time greatest poster boy for restored hope. Sometimes what is perceived as the death of a vision is really just waiting for its divine time! That’s why persistence is so crucial. This could prove to be one of the greatest assets you’ll mine from this mountain. Rick DeVos, the co-founder of Amway and former owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team, says of persistence: “Persistence is the single most important ingredient of success in life…When confronted with a failure or disappointment, you have only two choices: You can give up, or you can persist…If I could pass on one character trait to young people in the world – one single quality that would help them achieve success in life – it would be persistence. It’s more important than intellect, athletic ability, good looks or personal magnetism. Persistence comes from a deep place in the soul. It is a God-given compensation for what we lack in other areas of our life. Never underestimate its power.”(1) All great men and women have learned to persevere. Galatians 6:9 encourages us to do so without losing heart: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” At times, like Moses, our wait is because we have not yet arrived at God’s “due time.” The words “due time” in this verse come from the Greek phrase, “idios kairos” and, when fully understood, are filled with reason to persevere. Kairos means “the right time; the opportune point in time at which something should be done.” The second word, idios, denotes “ownership.” This verse is telling us not to lose heart while waiting for something God has promised us, because we own a right time for the promise to arrive. Knowing this makes waiting much easier. I’ve waited over 35 years for America’s - and the entire world’s - next great wave of revival. Twenty-five of those years have been on the front lines. Not quite as long as Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, but I can see their tail lights. During that span, my nation has become a Horeb - desolate, barren, and dry - but I’m starting to see “burning bushes” and hear awakening words from heaven. Open your eyes, see the flame, and listen to the God of resurrection life: “America shall be saved, the bones will live, and I WILL have my harvest!” Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving us inspirational stories in Your Word, for allowing us to see into the lives of overcomers and heroes. Thank You for showing us their challenges, failures, and recoveries. You are the God who makes Horeb serve us. You tell us unequivocally that Horeb is meant to be conquered and turned into a place of strength and breakthrough. We have all visited this mountain, and our entire nation now lives there. But You, God, transform Horebs! You have not given up on America - because You have not given up on the earth. We’ve been knocked down, but You, our Trainer/Manager, have not “thrown in the towel.” To the contrary, You are in our corner with the smelling salts, water bottles, and Holy Spirit’s power. We see the burning bush, and we are listening for Your voice (Exodus 3). We have seen the bones coming together and can hear them rattling - not the death rattle, as some would contend - but the rattling of realignment (Ezekiel 37). We can hear Your laugh of derision toward Your enemies as You listen to them decree their supposed victory over You (Psalm 2). And now we decree Your words over this nation: “America shall be saved.” We decree over the nations: “You are the inheritance of Jesus Christ, and He will have members in His family from every one of you.” We decree over our prodigals and family members: “We shall be saved, and so shall our household.” And we declare over the workers of iniquity in this nation: “The King is coming to shake you from your positions of power.” We decree and declare all these things in the mighty name of Jesus..!! Our decree: We decree that our desolation and barrenness are being infused with resurrection life. *************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope, published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________________ Rich DeVos, Hope From My Heart (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), pp. 27, 33.
  16. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-31-2023 March 31, 2023 The Scarlet Cord (Today, we are going to take communion together. You may want to pause the video and get your communion elements ready.) “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” (1) These are the opening lines of the song, Solid Rock, written in 1834 by Edward Mote, a Baptist pastor from England. The well-known refrain states: “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” (2) The refrain of this hymn is based on Matthew 7:24-27, which anyone who’s attended Sunday school will recognize as the parable of The Wise and the Foolish Builders. The passage says: “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!” (GNT) Most of the words of this song, not just the refrain, are based in Scripture. Edward Mote must have been a man who loved God’s Word. He had come to understand that hope was found in Christ, and clearly embraced this truth in his life. I’m sure Mote had no idea the powerful song he ended up writing would become a classic, reminding the millions who would sing it that hope is found in Jesus. The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans and a hope-filled future for us. The hope He gives motivates us to pursue the future He has planned. This allows us to also impart hope, which puts wind beneath the wings of others. Hope looks past any fog or darkness that may encroach on our path and lights our way forward. 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, emphasis added). If there is no hope for the future, there will be no faith to face it - let alone build it.” (3) Strong’s concordance tells us the word “hope” in Jeremiah 29:11 is the word “tiqvah”. It has two meanings: “an expectancy;” and “a cord, as an attachment.” The second definition is especially fascinating. Hope connects us to our future. This brings us back to the words of Mote’s song, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” At some point, while walking along life’s path with the Lord, this powerful truth became a revelation, and he shared it with all the world in his hymn. Tiqvah’s definition as a “cord or rope” is used this way in Joshua 2:18. A woman named Rahab hid the Israelite spies when they came to check out Jericho. Because she helped them, they agreed to save her and her family from the destruction coming to Jericho. The spies gave her a red cord and told her to hang it in her window. They cautioned her to be sure all of her extended family members were in the room with the cord, and all would be saved. In verse 21, she accepted their offer. It was a very good thing she did. The entire city and its inhabitants were destroyed; only Rahab and her family survived. The passage reads, “When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet cord [tiqvah - hope] hanging from the window through which you let us down… ‘I accept your terms,’ she replied. And, she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope [hope] hanging from the window” (verses 18-21 NLT). Rahab was being asked to place her hope in these men and the God she knew was with them. Their promise to her was a covenant expressed in the blood-red cord. Most biblical scholars see this as a prophetic picture of Christ’s shed blood, which is where we place our hope and trust. This symbolism seems even more likely when we realize Rahab later married an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, Salmon, and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz and Ruth gave us Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. King David was one of Rahab’s descendants; she was part of Christ’s lineage! That Jesus descended from Rahab makes it almost certain that the scarlet cord symbolized the redeeming, covenantal blood of Christ, through which we are saved. One verse of Mote’s song says, “His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.” Let’s put all our hope in God’s covenant with us, knowing we are saved by, tethered to, and anchored solidly in His love and plan. Communion is our declaration that when all around us gives way, Christ is our hope and stay. We are foundationed on Him, our rock, which will never fail to support us. His blood, the scarlet cord, “hangs” from the windows of our hearts and is the surety, the guarantee, of our covenant with God (Hebrews 7:22). He cannot and will not fail. Christ’s blood grafts us into God’s family, just as the cord grafted Rahab into Israel. And not as a second-class citizen - Rahab became a carrier of the royal seed, one of the mothers of Messianic redemption. Put your hope and faith in the blood of Christ - it will not fail! Pray with me: Father, we ask You to restore Your people from hope-deferred. You tell us hope-deferred makes our hearts sick (Proverbs 13:12). Heal them, spiritually and emotionally, so they can be hope-givers to those around them. Many have been in a season of disappointment; some have even abandoned hope, and lost faith in You. They’ve allowed circumstances to determine how they see and relate to You. But hope can spawn faith, correct our vision, and bring us into right relationship with You! You are good, faithful, and have a plan to bring us into a hope-filled future. As we take the bread of communion together today, we break off of Your people fear, disillusionment, hope-deferred, weak hearts, and confusion. We declare Your promise of “no fear,” and release “power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We declare over them the spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). Through Your covenant, our hope and faith are strong for ourselves, our families, and our nation. (Eat the bread) And as we take the cup today, representing Your blood, we declare, as Rahab did for herself and her family, that we are no longer outsiders, outcasts. We’re in the family now, the household of faith, Your family. As Your kids, we’re Your heirs, joint-heirs with Christ. We stand in this truth today, declaring that we and our families, like Rahab, shall be saved, by the scarlet cord, the blood of a better and eternal covenant - Christ’s. (Drink the cup). Our decree: We declare that a hope-filled church will reflect Jesus, rejoicing in hope, standing patient in tribulation, and remaining constant in prayer. **************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote. Public domain. Ibid Dutch Sheets, The Power of Hope, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2002), p 3.
  17. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-30-2023 March 30, 2023 Reject Shallow Living, Refuse Small Dreaming A study reported in the May 2010 issue of Atherosclerosis, said participants who were persistently depressed had a twofold increased risk of narrowing of the arteries. The study took place over a period of ten years, with participants being assessed at least three different times during that ten-year period for depression symptoms.(1) “This is the same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a nonsmoker. (2) Incredible. Hopelessness, if not checked, is a death sentence. A recent study in the British Medical Journal confirms this, reporting that people with serious depression were two-thirds more likely to die prematurely; even those with mild depression had a 16 percent higher risk of dying compared to individuals who were distress free.(3) You can die from sorrow! God told us this a long time ago. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Most of us think only of our emotional or spiritual heart when we read this, but science is now proving that the verse is true of physical hearts as well. Hope deferred creates a diseased heart, both emotionally and physically. And with a diseased heart, no one can run life’s race effectively. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” we are exhorted in Hebrews 12:1. Lack of endurance, however, is one of the first results of heart disease. We may run, but we won’t run far. The loss of hope is crippling, making us little more than spectators in life. “Run in such a way that you may win,” the Lord urges us through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24. You’ll never do that with a diseased heart. When hope deferred sets in, not only are we unable to win - sometimes, we can’t even finish the race. There’s no doubt about it: hope-deferred “heart disease” is a killer. The Lord doesn’t want the pain, frustration, or disillusionment of hope deferred to affect our hearts in any way. He wants us to run the race of life enthusiastically, effectively, and with pleasure, enjoying the journey. We live in an era of incredible challenge and unprecedented change. Technology is increasing at astounding rates of speed; the global landscape is in an unstable and volatile state, with the possibility of nuclear war once again in the news; famine, disease, and violence are on the rise. The number of humans trafficked and enslaved is higher than any time in history; the insanity and depravity of leaders in America and around the world have reached shocking levels; the hearts of people are failing them from fear. Thoreau's famous quote, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation,” has never been more apropos. And yet, desperation - humankind’s inevitable realization that there is no human answer - always becomes the womb of God’s opportunity. His unstoppable march through history forces its way through the chaos and resistance of fallen humanity and into the opportune time of breakthrough and harvest. When this occurs, the body of Christ must recognize it and take action. Every generation of the church must have its own “for such a time as this” epiphany, a corporate revelation of a corporate purpose, and that this reason for their existence has arrived. You and I have come to ours. The church of 2023 is now staring at the greatest opportunity ever afforded the body of Christ. The stage is set. The full restoration of Christ’s gifts and anointings has been accomplished; the revelation being released from Holy Spirit is at profound levels; our incredible technology and modes of travel give us the ability to reach all the world with the gospel; and the desperation of a confused and hopeless populace has created a ripe harvest. We’ve been called to participate in the greatest Kingdom expansion in all of history. Like Esther, we must recognize and accept our moment, rise to our reason for existing at this specific time, shake off all fear, and cast off all limitations. We must reject shallow living and refuse small dreaming. We must not measure success by temporal, human goals, nor bow to the reprehensible idol of personal kingdom building. Determine that you will be part of God’s answer, a difference-maker, an agent of change. Be a voice - He must be heard through you. Be a giver of life - part of God’s answer to a desperate and hungry world. Stay low, but dream high. There is no Plan B. Pray with me: Father, decades of complacency, disengagement, and lack of discernment in the church allowed evil forces to gain strong footholds in our land. Through the catastrophic election of 2020, these forces intend to finish off America’s strength and her partnership with You. Once again, we repent on behalf of our nation for 50 years of choosing darkness over light. We repent for electing people who do not know or honor You. And we repent for acquiescing to satan’s strategies. Forgive and cleanse us. In these troubling times of darkness and abounding evil, our hope in You anchors our souls. Our faith in Your love and grace is steadfast and immovable. You are using the difficulties we’re experiencing, the lunacy of seared consciences, and the fragile state of the world to create great desperation. This is producing a ripe harvest. You told us that when we discern the time for spiritual rain, an outpouring of Holy Spirit, we must ask for it (Zechariah 10:1). We do so now: send Your rain. And we pray for a great awareness to come to Your people, an awareness of the opportunity of our times. We pray for faith to arise in the church regarding Your heart and purposes. Help us keep our focus on You. We ask You to awaken in the church a sense of destiny. We join our faith for this now, and also for the breaking of fear and hopelessness off the body of Christ. We bind spirits of fear and confusion, and release the spirit of revelation to the church. In Christ’s name. Our decree: We decree that hope, faith, and strength are rising in the Ekklesia. Fear will not rule us. ******************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Mark Hamer, Mika Kivimaki, Avijit Lahiri, Michael G. Marmot, and Andrew Steptoe, “Persistent Cognitive Depressive Symptoms Associated With Coronary Calcification.” Atherosclerosis 210, no. 1 (May 2010); 209-213, http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877780/ (accessed October 1, 2023). New York Times, “Despair and Risk of Artery Disease,” September 3, 1997, http://wwwnytimes.com/1997/09/03/us/despair-and-risk-of-artery-disease.html (accessed October 1, 2013). Tom C. Russ, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Mark Hamer, John M. Starr, Mika Kivimaki, and G. David Batty, “Association Between Psychological Distress and Mortality: Individual Participant Pooled Analysis of 10 Prospective Cohort Studies,” British Medical Journal 345 (July 31, 2012): e4933, http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4933 (accessed October 1, 2023).
  18. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-29-2023 March 29, 2023 We Must Play Hope’s Song America is mourning another senseless shooting. The shock of innocent children, as well as adults, being mercilessly killed is hard to cope with. The reality is that America is diseased on the inside. More of our kids will die today of overdoses; others will be killed in gang-related violence; still, others will take their own lives. As I stated yesterday, no human can fix us; only God, through a spiritual awakening, can heal America. We must continue to contend for this. To foster hope, I am sharing some thoughts today from my book, The Power of Hope. We must continue to believe, even as we grieve. People sometimes refer to their difficult times as “winter seasons.” There is a powerful picture associated with this in Ezekiel 47. The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the river of life. The river produced life and healing everywhere it went. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “river” in the passage is nachal, and means “a stream, especially a winter torrent.” (1) Some streams and rivers are dry during parts of the year. They fill up, however, when there is rain or, as in this case, the spring thaw melts the snow and ice on the mountains. Tiny rivulets develop, coming together to form streams and, eventually, becoming nachalim (rivers). Though Ezekiel’s “winter river” began as a trickle in verse 1, it eventually became a mighty, unfordable river by verse 5. God’s healing river often begins as a trickle. We can be confident, however, that it will deepen, that God will use the snow and ice of our winter to bring a deep flow of His healing power to us. Our season will change. For those who are confused and disillusioned… For the heart grieving from pain and loss… For the faithful but weary soldier whose stream-bed is dry… For those who have lost their first love connection to Him… For the rejected of the world who are heartsick with hope deferred…your season is changing… The warmth of spring will do its work, summer is coming. Thank God winter doesn’t last forever. The river of healing will flow to us, and we will drink of its healing power. As the following story states, there is a song in you. One night a discouraged man in London was on his way to drown himself. At that moment, his life did not seem worth living. As he walked along the street, he stopped and looked at a painting in a shop window. It was George Frederic Watt’s Hope - a woman, blindfolded, sitting on top of the world, holding a lyre with but one string. Yet still hoping and believing the instrument will make music, she is ready to strike it. The man, as he stood looking at that painting, said to himself: “Well, I have one string - I have a little boy at home.” So he returned home to his son. (2) When we feel there is nothing left, we must look again. The prophet Habakkuk said the flock might be dead and gone, there might be no fruit in the orchard, and the hillsides might be bare. But still “I will exult in the Lord,” he said. “I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (see Habakkuk 3:17-19). There was music possible yet! And there is still music in our nation. We must play hope’s song, even in the dark night of the soul. Job, in his hellish suffering, said the Lord “gives songs in the night” (Job 35:10). David, during his time of exile, said, “His song will be with me in the night” (Psalm 42:8). Paul and Silas, beaten, bleeding and in chains, “about midnight…were praying and singing hymns of praise to God” (Acts 16:25). There is hope in the night, and there is music somewhere in our broken nation. Don’t give up! A passage in the Song of Solomon speaks of the end of “winter”: “My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along. For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!’” (Song of Solomon 2:10-13 NASB) Working Things Together for Good Psalm 51 was written by a man experiencing hope deferred. King David had lost his first-love connection with God, which resulted in sin and a winter season. The following prayer he offered was answered: “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life…Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails” (vv. 10, 12, The Message). God wants to do that for America and for you. A fresh start…a Genesis week…out of exile…a fresh wind - that’s what He wants for us. A well-known verse in Romans speaks of God taking our pain, hurts, and destruction and bringing good from them. It is actually one of the most famous verses in the entire Bible: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This verse packs an even greater power than most people realize. The phrase “work together” is from the Greek word sunergeo, from which we get the English words synergy and synergism. Synergism is “the working together of two or more to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.” (3) In choosing this word, God is promising He will take all of the bad, all of the pain, and every attempt of the enemy to destroy our faith - “all things” - and then put Himself in the mix, infusing the evils with His miraculous power. I will synergize with them, He says, and the good in Me will overpower the bad in them. Amazing! Disappointment, plus pain, plus loss, is used for something good when God’s river of healing enters. Believing in this truth is part of restoring hope. When complimented on her homemade biscuits by Dr. Harry Ironside, the cook responded, “Just consider what goes into the making of these biscuits. By itself, the flour doesn’t taste good; neither does the baking powder, nor the shortening, nor any other ingredient. However, when I mix them all together and put them in the oven, they’re transformed. They come out just right.” Much of life can taste bad. But God is able to combine these “ingredients” of our life in such a way that when He is finished, the result is good. (4) God is going to send His river to America. It is, even now rising. He will heal, save, and restore. Keep your appeals strong - they are saving our land. Pray with me: Father, grief does not contradict or negate faith. We pray for Your comfort to those experiencing unspeakable pain. And though we grieve for our broken nation, we believe You are coming to release Your river of healing. Yes, we have been in an icy winter. Without a doubt, there is no hope for us but You. However, You are merciful, and You don’t abandon people or nations in their times of wandering. Your heart is always to redeem, and our hope is in You. As many well-meaning people today formulate plans and discuss ideas to try and fix America, we are keenly aware that unless You build the house, they labor in vain. Bring the awakening we cry out for. Convict millions in America over our rejection of You. Help them see that our sick condition is due to this, and that the only cure is to return. Bring Your warmth and thaw frozen hearts until the winter in America is over, and the river of Your healing flows with its full force. Strengthen the intercessors. Keep them strong, hope-filled, and full of faith. Remind them that You bring good even out of evil and can even use the plans of evil people to do so, just as You did for Joseph. We draw on You for strength, and we will persevere in our prayers. Our decree: We decree that the level of God’s healing river is rising, and He will heal our land. *********************** Today’s post was taken from my book The Power of Hope Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), s.v. OT:5158, “nachal.” Oden, 100 Meditations on Hope, p 72. Dictionary.com, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, s.v. “synergism,” http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=synergism&ia=ced (accessed October 2, 2013). Adapted from Edward K. Powell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1997), p 118.
  19. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-28-2023 March 28, 2023 Prayer Will Save America Today, I want to encourage you regarding the movement of prayer occurring here and around the world. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of American believers, are praying daily for our nation. Many more around the world also pray for America, knowing that we are the most powerful nation on earth, and that we stand for freedom and goodness. If America falls to tyranny, it’s the end of freedom for all. They also see the deterioration and loss of our strength, character, and wisdom - and they are concerned. God is raising up many good people in our land to fight in practical ways for our recovery, to reverse the progress of the leftists and progressives, awakening our nation from her slumber and delivering us from deception. HOWEVER, America moved from serious to critical condition some time ago, and is now on life support. She can no longer sustain or heal herself. No human effort, no amount of good laws, programs, or appropriate education can save us - we are too far gone. Only God can save America. President Trump’s tenure as President is an example of this. The vast majority of his ideas, policies, and ideas were sound. Because of this, great progress was made in a short amount of time. However, an evil political system, corrupt politicized agencies, dishonest media, and power-hungry globalists opposed him ruthlessly and incessantly. He and his policies were and are such a threat to them that they hate Trump with virulent hatred. And their level of entrenchment and control is such that they were able to remove him and install a cognitively challenged puppet, allowing them to rule behind the scenes. The result: all of the progress made under Trump was lost. Our borders are open, drugs and criminals are pouring in with millions of other people. We are weak on the world stage, and our military is under-supplied. Our economy is in shambles. We went from being energy independent to being dependent on our enemies. We promote godless perversion over morality and parental rights. And we could go on. The point? Only God, through a spiritual awakening, can bring sustained healing and recovery to America. And Yahweh’s salvation of a nation doesn’t result from Him simply choosing to suppress evil and send blessings. It occurs as hearts turn to Him, which brings a return to His Word and ways. This disempowers darkness and its control, releasing heaven’s blessing and wisdom, and delivers a nation from its insanity and deception. Only then will the good ideas work, and good people succeed. Prayer births these spiritual changes. Nothing else. That is why we must continue to pray. And we will! Numerous ministries and organizations have organized prayer efforts of their own, and much cross-pollination occurs. This prayer is saving America. Today, I’m highlighting one such ministry’s efforts, those of Clay and Susan Nash. Ceci and I have walked closely with Clay and Susan for several years and consider them not only colleagues, but friends. Clay has filled in for me here on GH15, and we minister together several times a year throughout the nation. Five years ago Holy Spirit instructed him to begin a daily prayer call, which has grown to thousands and has become very powerful. He, along with several other leaders regularly on the call, will be hosting a gathering in a few weeks to pray for America. I will be there, as well. Here is Clay’s summary of the prayer calls and information regarding this upcoming gathering: “In May of 2018, when I became aware of Justice Kennedy’s announcement to retire, I was flooded with the reality that we must have a conservative Justice to replace him. In prayer, God instructed me to start a weekly prayer call, and I did so. Brett Kavanaugh was nominated for this Supreme Court seat, and an intense battle began, which we were able to cover in prayer. During those prayer calls, we often had 4000 participants! “After that assignment, God instructed me to continue the prayer call DAILY - for the nation, for President Trump, and for the 2020 Election. During that season, the number of participants increased to between 6-7000 thousand a day, with more listening to the recordings. We named this call ‘The Josiah Company.’ “After the 2020 elections, it became clear that Holy Spirit was telling us - confirmed by many requests - to continue the daily calls, which we have done to this day. They are also recorded and transcribed. Hundreds join us live, and thousands of people listen to it or read the transcript later. The number needed to join the calls is 719.718.6038. The times when they take place are: • Mondays at 2:22pm ET • Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET • Wednesdays through Fridays at 2:22pm ET. “Over these five years, we have had well over 10,000 people join us on the calls. We’ve heard from thousands how they have grown in their understanding of prayer and authority. As we frequently add prophetic decrees to our prayers, many have learned from this and transitioned in their praying from priestly petitions only, to kingly decrees as well. An 83-year-old, who had functioned as an intercessor for many years, told me that after doing so she experienced more answers to prayer in 9 months than she had in several years. Others have referred to the calls as a ‘lifeline of hope.’ “In the fall of 2022, I received instructions to pray on the daily calls for all 50 states, one state per day for 50 days. We began doing so on February 20th and will finish on April 28th. This assignment has enjoyed great favor from Holy Spirit. From February 20th through March, we have experienced a minimum of 850 people a day on the call, some days increasing to almost 2000. Another 35,000 have listened to the recordings later to agree with us in prayer. “Over the past five years, many participants have asked me to host a national gathering through which many of them can come together for extended prayer, meet the hosts, and to also meet others from their state. I feel Holy Spirit is saying it is now time for this. We have scheduled the Josiah Company Convocation for April 20-22, 2023, in Conway, Arkansas, where we will pray over all 50 states, along with our nation in general. We will also operate prophetically and follow Holy Spirit’s leading. This gathering is NOT limited only to those who have participated on the calls. However, you MUST register in order to attend, as we can only accommodate 1000 people.” Registration for the gathering, along with all necessary information, is on Clay’s website ClayNash.org. If you have other questions, you can contact his assistant at Dawn@claynash.org. Join us if you can. And jump on the calls! Pray with me: Father, You have awakened many in Your church to the power of prayer. We have grown in our understanding of how to partner with You in releasing Your will and purposes on the earth. We have much to learn, but we are growing. Please continue fanning these flames. Stir a passion in many more to become involved, to invest more of their time in Kingdom causes. We pray for the various groups and networks of people involved in prayer. Give them understanding and wisdom, not only in how to pray, but also regarding what to pray. Encourage them. Remove all weariness or discouragement from the intercessors. Give them the funds and resources they need. Cause the right people to align with each group. Give all of us a heart to work together. Bless and prosper this convocation You have called Clay Nash to convene. Send those whom You want to be a part of it. Help us to be very strategic while there. And Father, we never want to miss an opportunity to call forth awakening, revival, and breakthrough in our land. Save us from evil, deliver us from evil people, strategies, and activities. We declare that evil will not prosper in our land. Send the fire of revival. Release power, signs and wonders. Encourage Your people, especially Your leaders, in this difficult time. We ask for these things in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that prayer and intercession will rise to higher and higher levels in America and around the world. ******************* Again, the Prayer Call number is 719.718.6038. The times of the calls are listed above. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  20. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-27-2023 March 27, 2023 Power to Rebirth America A dream was sent to me a couple of years ago in which George Washington, who commissioned the birth of the Appeal to Heaven flag, presented me the original, saying, “It still works.” Today, I want to review the history of this flag, and mention what Holy Spirit is doing with it in our time. Toward the end of 2013, I realized I was ending a 13-year spiritual journey. It started during a prayer and ended with a flag, an old and forgotten flag - by everyone, it seems, except God. He had kept this banner in hiding for a couple of centuries, waiting in the wings of history until He was ready to reintroduce it. And reintroduce it He has! The Appeal To Heaven flag now hangs in thousands of homes, prayer rooms, churches, government buildings, and even businesses. A church in Indiana made their own version - fifteen feet by thirty feet - then made one for me! Another congregation decorated the Christmas tree in their foyer with dozens of small Appeal to Heaven flags. Thousands of people have small ones tucked in their Bibles, tacked to bulletin boards, or conspicuously sitting on their desks. Others display them as lapel pins, wear them emblazoned on shirts, show them off on bumper stickers and at least one person has the flag tattooed on his arm! Governors display the flag, as do judges and congressmen; one was spotted in the U.S. Capitol. Another was recently flown over the Capitol of Arkansas. The other day I saw an appeal to heaven flag streaming behind an 18-wheeler - it’s going viral! The flag is associated with America’s founding, to be sure. It seems, however, that God doesn’t intend it to be used by America alone. It can be seen flying in the Himalayas - the highest point on the planet - where it is raised above dozens of Buddhist prayer flags. It has flown on the plains of Ninevah, the place of earth’s first region-transforming revival, and in many nations including South Africa, Panama, and Cambodia, where it was flown during prayers against human trafficking. It has even been to the North and South Poles! Who knows where it will turn up next?! This international use seems especially appropriate, given America’s God-given destiny of being a spiritual light to the nations. In times past, flags held more significance than they do in our present day. Their symbolism was understood, from the color to the design, enabling a flag to tell a story or make a strong statement. Many flags are sacred - people swear allegiance to them and die to protect their honor. Banners, as they are also called, were often intended to make declarations. One early colonial American flag had a picture of a coiled snake with the accompanying phrase, “Don’t Tread On Me.” It was a warning to Great Britain: “Be careful; step on us, and we strike!” The Appeal To Heaven flag is especially relevant to America’s God-given purpose and destiny. Modern-day progressives, historical revisionists, woke politicians, and humanistic professors scoff at the notion that America was established by God for a divine purpose. They also mock the assertion that our Founders believed in and honored this divine-human partnership. Sadly, some Christian’s do, as well, joining the Left in calling those of us who share these beliefs “Christian Nationalists.” They, of course, get to define what that means - it’s one of their propagandizing tactics. What they don’t get to do is change the facts. As John Adams said, “facts are stubborn things…” These modernists and revisionists may not like America’s origins, but they can’t change them. Yahweh, the God of the Bible, was indeed involved in America’s founding and He did so for His purpose. When General George Washington commissioned the Appeal to Heaven flag to fly over our naval ships in the Revolutionary War - don’t look for that in our modern-day American history books - little did he know that 240 years later, God would ordain that it fly again. This time around, however, it isn’t flying over a fledgling nation being born, but over the most powerful nation in the world being reborn. This rebirth isn’t literal, of course, but is a spiritual and moral renewal that will resurrect America’s God-given calling, purpose, and greatness. In the days of the flag’s genesis, the American colonists had no chance of winning a war with the world’s greatest empire, Great Britain. The impossible odds, however, lost their relevance once the patriots chose appealing to heaven over conceding to fate…and tyrants. When those ill-prepared and poorly equipped revolutionaries appealed for justice to the Giver of inalienable rights, the tide turned. When they agreed to come under God’s governance and honor His ways, He who “governs in the affairs of men,” as Ben Franklin stated at the Constitutional Convention, did just that. Affirming the Lord’s governing intervention, Franklin also said, “All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of super-intending providence in our favor.” Now, let it be said of our generation that when our nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to appeal for its restoration. Let it be said of us, as it was of our forefathers, that in the face of overwhelming odds, we took our stand in heaven’s courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power. Appeal to heaven - it still works..! “Everyone knows how God has saved us, for He has displayed His justice throughout history.” (Psalm 98:2 TPT) Pray with me: Father, the world looked on in amazement as 13 unorganized, army-less, poor colonies defeated the world’s greatest empire. It seemed impossible, yet they did, and we know how they did it. They recognized that their cause was linked to Yours, and they chose to become partners with You, making You the Senior Partner. They would become a nation, yes, but a “nation under God.” Then they asked for Your help, even placing the request on a banner and raising it over the battlefields. And You responded, coming to their aid. The appeal worked. You have now resurrected this flag and are re-awakening the appeal. It worked then; it will work now. The same activity that birthed our nation will now rebirth it. Breathe on the call to prayer, Father. Energize it with Your Holy Spirit. Cause it to be vibrant in America and around the world. We have been and continue appealing to You for worldwide revival. We appeal to You for the destruction of demonic strongholds and human systems opposing You. We appeal to You for the uncovering of truth in our land and in other nations. We ask for grace and mercy, but we also appeal for justice. Pour out Your Spirit in America, a great deluge of power and glory. Do so until we are once again a light to the world, a carrier of the life-giving gospel, and a beacon of truth. We boldly decree this shall be so, in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen Our decree: We decree that the plan - appealing to heaven - still works! ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal To Heaven.
  21. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-24-2023 March 24, 2023 Happy Birthday to my favorite sister, Deana. She’s my favorite, because she’s my only sister. Hope it’s a good one. Fanning the Flames of Patriotism Samuel Adams, one of America’s great Founders - who being dead yet speaks - has a message for those who think the church should stay out of government affairs: “Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty."(1) Sadly, many Americans today are clueless as to the true stakes of the war for America’s soul. Having never been under the control of despots and dictators, and never having had to fight a war for liberty, all they know is the propaganda of communist professors, leftist politicians, and their dishonest media arm. Xi and Putin would love to enlighten them. Admittedly, Adams was occasionally harsh, but then again, there was no time in his day for niceties and beating around the bush. For example, he said to those afraid to fight for our independence: “If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"(2) Think he might have been censored? Perhaps. But we can thank he and other determined patriots for pledging their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to purchase the freedom we now enjoy. Their understanding of the times, intellectual strength, and commitment to the cause of freedom would be helpful today. May God give us more Samuel Adams. Ronald Reagan also understood what was at stake. Here are portions of a campaign speech he gave for Barry Goldwater, entitled A Time for Choosing. Though somewhat lengthy they are so good and so appropriate for today, I couldn’t bring myself to cut it down any further. Do yourself a favor and read the entire speech. You’ll not only be inspired; you’ll also ask God to give us more Ronald Reagans: “…Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers. “Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, ‘We don't know how lucky we are.’ And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’ And in that sentence, he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth… “…If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand—the ultimatum. And what then—when Nikita Khrushchev [Leader of the Soviet Union at the time] has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we're retreating under the pressure of the Cold War, and someday when the time comes to deliver the final ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary, because by that time, we will have been weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side, he's heard voices pleading for ‘peace at any price’ or ‘better Red than dead,’ or as one commentator put it, he'd rather ‘live on his knees than die on his feet.’ “…those voices don't speak for the rest of us,” Reagan stated. Continuing, he said: “You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin - just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all. “You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, ‘There is a price we will not pay.’ ‘There is a point beyond which they must not advance.’ And this - this is the meaning in the phrase of Barry Goldwater's ‘peace through strength.’ Winston Churchill said, ‘The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we're spirits - not animals.’ And he said, ‘There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.’ “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. “We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.”(3) A good dose of patriotic quotes always charges my batteries. When feeling really crusty, I read a few of Patton’s. Or, perhaps of Lewis Morris. When his half-brother tried to warn him against signing the Declaration because of the potential cost, Morris replied, “Damn the consequences. Give me the pen!”(4) I’m sure he and Adams got along quite nicely. We have promises from God that He will save our nation and restore our purpose. Our cause is worthy. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Corinthians15:58 NASB) I leave you with one more quote from Samuel Adams, from a letter of encouragement written to James Warren. Warren had lamented the fact that many colonists were unwilling to involve themselves in the cause of liberty. Writing to Adams he said, “I shall not fail to exert myself to have as many towns as possible meet, but fear the bigger part of them will not. They are dead; and the dead can’t be raised without a miracle.”(5) Adam’s response, in part: “Nil desperandum - Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it.”(6) Pray with me: Father, we Americans give thanks for our freedom. We are an immeasurably blessed people. Thousands around the world who read or listen to these posts understand this very well, perhaps better than most Americans. We love them all. We pray today for the courage to stand for You and for them. Give us hearts of iron, nerves of steel. Fill us with fresh resolve to make our heavenward appeals, to answer destiny’s call. Give us hearts that stay low, but dream high. Make us the Joshuas and Calebs, the Adams and Reagans of our time, fearless in the face of demons and those who war against Your planned harvest. May this be Your Ekklesia’s finest hour, Your Kingdom’s greatest advance on planet earth. We will represent our great Redeemer until we can say with our brother, Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NASB) And in our great Redeemer’s name, we pray, amen. Our decree: We, the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ, decree that He is our great Champion; we always triumph in Him. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/documents/speech-about-declaration-of-independence.html Ibid https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/time-choosing-speech-october-27-1964 https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1831-damn-the-consequences-give-me-the-pen https://democraticthinker.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/samuel-adams-nil-desperandum/ https://quotefancy.com/quote/906345/Samuel-Adams-Nil-desperandum-Never-Despair-That-is-a-motto-for-you-and-me-All-are-not
  22. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-23-2023 March 23, 2023 Don’t Be Moved by What You See As we mature in our walk with God, we grow in our ability to maintain faith in the midst of difficulties. Psalm 112:7 tells us those who walk with God, “will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” In today’s post, I want to say some sobering things regarding America’s current state of affairs. As these verses state, don’t allow them to discourage you. And, I want to state unequivocally my belief that America shall be saved. It is possible to experience grief, anger, and other emotions without them affecting our faith. Contrary to what some believe, identifying facts and stating reality is not unbelief. Unbelief is yielding to that which contradicts God and is contrary to His will. Let’s learn from Abraham. We are told that Abraham carefully and attentively considered his and Sarah’s inability to conceive. “Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-20 NASB) “Contemplated” is translated from the Greek word katanoeo, and means “to observe fully, consider, or perceive” (Strongs 2657). Thayer’s highly respected Greek dictionary says it means “to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes or mind on.” Faith is believing God’s Word from the heart, in spite of facts or circumstances that state otherwise; it is believing in the existence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). Many confuse faith with positive thinking, a refusal to acknowledge negative facts or circumstances. While refusing to dwell on negative thoughts promotes health and helps protect our faith, nevertheless, it is a function of our minds and is not biblical faith. Nor will it release spiritual power. One does not even have to be born again to think positively. Biblical faith, however, originates in our hearts and grows from the seeds of God’s Word as we feed and meditate on it. Obviously, Abraham’s example of considering his and Sarah’s conditions doesn’t mean we should continually consider and focus on the negative facts. He faced the facts, “yet, with respect to the promise of God… he grew strong in faith…and became fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). As Abraham chose to feed His heart with God’s promise, Holy Spirit caused his faith to grow until he was “fully assured.” This is what we must do, as well. We clearly identify situations in order to understand what we are dealing with, but focus on what God says about them, approaching the facts based on His words. We attack that which is contrary to His will with His Word. We speak them, “saying the same thing,” God says, which is the meaning of the biblical word “confession” (homologia [Strongs 3671]; Hebrews 10:23). We meditate on His words (Joshua 1:8), tending to them as seeds (Proverbs 4:20) until we reap their fruit. We use them as a sword to defeat unbelief (Ephesians 6:17), and as a hammer to crush that which stands in the way of His promise (Jeremiah 23:29). Where America is concerned, I do NOT overfeed my mind on our sins and weaknesses or on what satanic forces are doing to oppose God and biblical values. As a watchman, however, I must identify them and sound the alarm in order that those who pray are not “ignorant of [satan’s] schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11) and can resist him in prayer. Here Comes Some Reality With these comments as context, I want to point out that America is now reaping horrible fruit from: 1) rejecting God and His ways; 2) willful sin and rebellion; 3) an uninformed populace (including the church); and 4) electing dishonest, power-hungry, greedy and incompetent leaders who have no fear of or respect for God. These results include, but are not limited to: shocking levels of violence and crime gross immorality epidemic homelessness frighteningly low levels of learning, replaced by high levels of indoctrination out of control drug use causing record numbers of deaths open borders resulting in human trafficking, drugs flooding in that are killing hundreds of thousands of people, and untold numbers of terrorists, criminals, and spies entering America loss of freedoms a rewriting of our history a dual system of justice sickening but successful efforts to divide and polarize us a failing economy and skyrocketing debt disgusting abuse and mutilation of our children over 60 million abortions a weak military emboldened enemies planning to destroy us and more. I am sharing these things, knowing you already see them; nothing I have said has surprised you. But I want you to know I see them, as well - even as I declare revival and victory. I see them, even as I declare America shall be saved. I am not in denial. But I don’t allow them to erode my faith. I have watched this slow death of America taking place over the past 30-plus years, often grieving over the inability to awaken the American church, especially its leaders, to our true condition. America IS the proverbial frog in the kettle; we refused to wake up as the water grew warmer and warmer. Now it’s boiling. And as a nation, we can no longer save ourselves; only a miracle from God can save us. Here Is the Faith But our God is a God of miracles! In His world dry bones - and dead frogs - can live again. The deadness of Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies had nothing to do with whether or not Isaac was born. God has no problem overturning death with His resurrection power. The question was whether or not their faith could embrace God’s promise. Scripture and history have made clear that He is willing to use the prayers of a remnant to save nations. And a remnant of Americans is praying. We have powerful promises from Him that He is going to save our nation with an earthshaking revival. Decree this daily! Appeal to His mercy, His grace, purchased with the blood of Christ. Appealing to heaven birthed our nation, and it will rebirth it. It still works! Be His voice of authority, releasing His Kingdom power and authority into our land. Stay engaged. DO NOT ALLOW AMERICA’S HOPELESS CONDITION TO ERODE YOUR FAITH! INSTEAD, GROW STRONGER IN FAITH! WE ARE WARRIORS, MORE THAN CONQUERORS, AMBASSADORS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! NEVER GIVE UP! STAND! OUR PRAYERS ARE SAVING A NATION! Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your long-suffering and gracious heart. You delight in mercy; Your mercies endure forever. Like the prodigal in Scripture, we have squandered our inheritance as a nation and find ourselves in a pigpen, feeding on slop and mud. You have sent many warnings, which we ignored. Now You are showing us the wages of our sin. But we cling to the truth that Your mercy triumphs over judgment. Bring this nation to its senses, just as You did the prodigal. Cause us to run back to You. Deliver us from ourselves, and from wicked people who control us. Forgive us of our pride and rebellion against You, and for - as President Lincoln said years ago - believing that we brought all of our many blessings on ourselves. Send revival to this land. Heal us of our depravity and sin. And restore to us our destiny. With faith, we decree Your words once again, knowing they will not return to You void, without accomplishing what You sent them to do: America shall be saved! Our decree: Because of God’s great love and mercy and the faith-filled prayers of a remnant, America shall be saved! *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  23. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-22-2023 March 22, 2023 American Church: Find Your Voice Today’s post is a little strong. The following few paragraphs contain an overview of God’s plan for humankind and the earth. It also includes satan’s plan and attempts to thwart God’s intentions. It ends, however, with a challenge to the American church. Where most of you are concerned, I’m preaching to the choir. But you can help me pray, and you can help circulate the post. God and Government The concept of government is first introduced to us in Genesis 1:26-28, when Yahweh assigned the responsibility of governing the earth and all it contains to Adam - humankind. Yahweh’s Kingdom (which means “the domain of a King”) includes all creation, everywhere - heaven, the heavens, earth, and hell. He rules over all. He assigned the governing of this colony of His Kingdom, the earth, to us humans. Government/authority flows from God - from His nature, the essence of who He is. He IS the King, the Lawgiver, and Judge (Isaiah 33:22). And His laws, precepts, guidelines, etc, are based on love and truth, righteousness and justice (the foundations of His throne - Psalm 89:14). Truth is not something God has to think about or consider; He IS truth (Isaiah 65:16; John 14:6). He doesn’t try to love; He IS love (1 John 4:16). He governs from who He is! He Releases His Will Through Family and Delegated Government The authority to govern/rule Earth was delegated by Him. The story of the Bible is that: 1) God added a family to His Kingdom, created an amazing home for them - earth - and 2) delegated His rule/government of this home to His family. This government/authority was to be exercised according to His nature, ways, will, and truth - at every level: personal, home, family, cities, and nations. God’s design is that ALL government be a conduit of His truth, righteousness, ways, will, and love. We know this plan was interrupted at the Fall. Satan stole God’s family temporarily, and with it came the dominion/rule of their home. The story of Scripture then became how God would redeem and restore these two things. The war on earth is over family and government: who will own the people, and who will rule the earth? Jesus, of course, was God’s answer. He made it possible for all people to become part of God’s family again and recovered Adam’s/our lost authority for us. But satan is a thief and usurper. He still attempts to rule people and places, using humankind’s ignorance, sin, and rejection of Christ. Believing and receiving the gospel removes us from satan’s authority and back into God’s family. The understanding of and exercising Christ’s authority/government in our lives enforces our freedom from satan’s authority. As Christ’s family, and having been delegated His authority, we are also called and privileged to extend His redemption and freedom to others. We do so, not by demanding or dictating, but by proclaiming His gospel, declaring His truth, and binding satanic/demonic schemes, plans, and actions. As the power of Holy Spirit is released from us, it opens people’s eyes to the gospel and God’s truth, allowing them to believe in Christ. This allows even their land, possessions, livelihoods, cities, and nations to also be freed from satan’s government/authority/rule (see Deuteronomy 28). The Scriptures Are All about Government As one of the two primary issues on earth, it is logical that “government” would be one of Scripture’s dominant themes. It is mentioned extensively throughout the Bible. Earthly “kingdoms” are spoken of 36 times, and earthly “kings” are spoken of 108 times. “Rule” or “ruler” is mentioned 155 times, God is mentioned as “Lord” thousands of times, and His “kingdom” more than 80 times. There are other governmental terms we could list, such as dominion, authority, govern, leader, etc., which are used dozens of times. Suffice it to say, God is government, the source of government, and releases His will and ways through delegated governing authority - at every level. The Church Ignores It AND YET…many in the church think government is to be ignored. “Get people saved,” they say, “but issues of government don’t belong in the church. Well, we should pray for it [which most don’t], but don’t talk about it, make a stand regarding it, or try to influence it.” Getting a church to take time in a service for more than a perfunctory prayer or mention of government, elections, laws, etc., is like trying to raise the dead. Getting pastors to make a public stand on BIBLICAL issues being decided on by the government, such as life, marriage, gender, sexual sin, and more, is even harder. The church doesn’t acknowledge the overwhelming amount of Scripture involving government, preferring to ignore it. And it conveniently hides behind manmade laws. Many pastors actually disagree with portions of God’s Word; others are ashamed or embarrassed by parts of it, and still, others are simply ruled by the fear of man. Therefore, most believers are ignorant of God’s word. Pastors need not be mean-spirited or condemning to preach and teach truth regarding these and other issues. It can and should be done with grace, mercy, and love. But truth must be taught; it is God’s Word. America In Crisis As a result of not doing so, America hangs in the balance of life or death. In a recent Fox News interview, (1) Newt Gingrich issued a wake-up call. Referencing the meetings this week between Putin and Xi - while the Biden administration, which he compared to a “situation comedy,” ignores them and downplays any significance - Gingrich said that in his opinion, “This is the most dangerous time in our history since Washington crossed the Delaware Christmas night in 1776…This is not a game. The threat to our civilization is so great that we really need a dramatic change.” Mr. Gingrich also said, “Xi gave four different speeches to his people last week on preparing for war. People should take him seriously and understand how determined, how aggressive, and how competent Xi is.” He compared Xi and Putin to “the Axis powers of Italy, Germany, and Japan in the 1930s that wanted to take on Democracies. Unlike in the 30s, we have a President that is dedicated to weakness, dedicated to confusion…America is in an enormous crisis, with a news media that doesn’t want to cover the truth. This is the moment when America truly is what Mao called America “a paper tiger.” It’s a very sobering and very frightening moment in American history.” The church might want to find her voice. I’ve said before that regardless of the overall church’s abdication, God will save America through a remnant. I truly believe this. But I also believe this could have occurred much more quickly - and still could be sped up - had a larger percentage of the church been praying and taking action. And the pain we are experiencing, and will for two more years, could be substantially less. To those of you who are praying - thank you! Please persevere. Pray with me: Father, in Christ’s name, on behalf of the church of America, we ask You to forgive us for not representing You and Your ways as we should. We have been complacent, willfully ignorant, and fearful of speaking out against the promotion of sin and evil. But an awakening is occurring; please breathe on this and cause it to increase. Awaken the church to the fact that we are Your voice, the speakers of Your Word and truth, on the earth. Revive this truth in us. Send Your fire to the pulpits of America again. We preachers in America repent for watering down Your truth. We repent for ignoring portions of Your Word and operating under the fear of man. We should have hearts like Joshua, Caleb, Paul, Finney, Wesley, Whitfield, and other warriors from the past. Again we pray, send Your fire! And Father, as the dragon and bear align, led by principalities and world rulers of darkness, thwart their evil plans to rule the world. We must reap a great harvest for You. You told me You HAD to have America in order to reap this harvest. You said we could close the doors to these forces, not with our hands/works, but with our words. So, in the name of Jesus, we call America back to You. We release Your Kingdom authority to bind these evil plans and release the power of Holy Spirit to oppose them. We release Your will for revival and awakening. We call forth Your fire. All that You have promised, we will see and experience. Our decree: We decree that lethargy and complacency in the church are being broken and replaced with revival fire! ***************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Found on Fox News’ Hannity Show, March 20, 2023.
  24. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-21-2023 March 21, 2023 A Deluge Is Coming Today’s post, submitted by my brother, Tim Sheets, is very encouraging. Let the words penetrate your heart; they contain many seeds. Reread them. Pray them. Prophesy them over your families, homes, congregations, cities and nations. Tim shares: ***************** “Something very significant is beginning to accelerate throughout the earth. Holy Spirit has repeatedly prophesied that His movements will begin to rise in the earth realm. These movements will flow together in a mighty way, the likes of which have never been seen. I recently had a vision of a tsunami wave of revival that continually grew stronger and stronger. I believe this will be a Holy Spirit outpouring even greater than that which occurred in the book of Acts. In this outpouring Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh, as prophesied in Joel 2:28. I can feel the synergy, wind and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon these words. “Joel 2:28 says ‘Your sons and daughters will prophesy.’ Prophesy is the Hebrew word ‘naba’ and it means ‘to speak God’s message under Holy Spirit influence, to represent God’s plan, will or His ways in words or songs.’(1) This revival and awakening will be saturated with the sounds of God’s holy Word through spontaneous worship and prayer. “In Joel 2:23, Joel prophesied that an era of outpouring would come when the former and latter rains will occur at the same time. Rain is sometimes used to represent revival or outpourings of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, as it is here. The springtime rains were referred to as the planting rains because they grew the seeds. The harvest rains, which were seven times greater, would ripen the harvest for reaping. Joel prophesied there would be a time when these rains occurred simultaneously. I believe we are in that time: an era of outpourings seven times greater than occurred in the book of Acts will take place, causing the harvest of a billion souls to be reaped, as has been prophesied. “The Ekklesia has cried out for revival. We have prayed and decreed for the fire of God to fall and His mighty wind to blow. We are starting to see the beginnings of this. The revival at Asbury University in recent weeks has been absolutely amazing. Revival has also started to spread to other universities and college campuses. We are seeing desperate students, hungry for the presence of God. As a result, many are being saved, delivered, healed, refreshed and renewed. “I believe this is just the beginning. We are stepping into supernatural, God-planned events. The revival currently taking place will spread and accelerate, becoming a worldwide Kingdom revival. People being forced to travel in order to experience revival is not God’s plan. What is happening will spread throughout the land and become too widespread for hell to stop. “Recently, during one of my prayer times, I became deeply burdened to pray for the younger generation. As I did so, I was impacted emotionally to the point of weeping. As I prayed and wept, I received a prophetic download from the Holy Spirit. The timing of this turned out to be significant, which initially I only mentioned to two people - my wife, Carol, and my brother, Dutch. I didn’t want to interject myself into something that was holy and precious, I simply wanted to pray into it, which is what I have done. “However, I know the timing was not a coincidence and, more importantly, I believe it confirms what is occurring in this season. I received this download between 9:30 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Wednesday morning, February 8th. The Asbury University revival began at 10 A.M. that same day during their chapel service. My intercession and the word I received was given to me at the exact time this outpouring began, though I wouldn’t hear about the revival breaking out until the next day. I knew Holy Spirit had given me a confirming word that revival would spread through the earth. ******* “Through my tears I wrote the following as Holy Spirit spoke to me that morning: ‘Behold and understand the mysterious wisdom of the Godhead destroying the works of the forever loser. See Their vision for a new era unfolding. The earth realm has seen the entrance and actions of King Jesus for two millennia. This has occurred at levels and in ways never before seen, or even anticipated, by the loser and his fallen ones. The King’s personhood and His ministry of redemption, salvation and grace have been presented in the earth realm; His Kingship has been declared above all powers. “‘Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Enabler and Communicator has been presented in the earth realm, filling the heirs with the presence and power of His person. “‘Now see new expressions, new discoveries, new dimensions, greater revelation and amplified levels of the Father’s heart to those made in His image and likeness. Now see His fathering anointing released into the earth in glorious measures. Now see the greatness of Father’s heart as it hovers over and says to a fatherless generation, I want you. I will be your Father. You will not be fatherless. You will not be confused. You will not be lost. You will know My love is set upon you. “‘You will not be orphans, you will not be aimless. I will mentor you. My family will welcome you, care for you and embrace you. You will not be lost. I will take you in. There are rooms in My house for you. There’s a seat at My table for you. My fathering nature, My fathering heart, will heal you. “‘My hovering presence will realign and define you. I will transform you. My heart of love for you will bring clarity to your purpose. You will not be without identity. You will be a son; you will be a daughter, you will be an heir, My heir. I will father you. My family will train you. I will love you to your destiny. I will clear the lies, the confusion, and I will bring your true identity.”’ ******* “Holy Spirit said new levels and new expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented, much of it pointed at the young generation. His fathering anointing poured into the earth realm will break the yoke of abandonment. This will cause the hearts of the fathers to turn to the children and their brokenness will be healed. Millions will become free and know the great love of the heavenly Father. “In summary, ‘the era of transforming shifts’ will now begin. Father is going to reveal His greatness to the world. Earth’s harvest will be reaped as ‘a new era church’ is found to be about the Father’s business. God’s family will grow exponentially and hell won't be able to stop it. “I have no doubt God gave me this word, not only as confirmation of this growing revival, but as a prayer assignment. It is vital that we cover this move and outpouring in prayer.” Pray with me: Lord, pour out Your Spirit on all flesh, just as You said. Do so throughout our nation, especially on college campuses. We thank You for the outpourings of Your Spirit we have already seen, for the lives that have been changed. But we know this is only the beginning of a mighty revival. Abba, release Your “father heart” to bring healing and transformation to the young generation around the world. Release Your love to them, awakening them to a divine, holy destiny. End their confusion of purpose, gender, morality, who You actually are, and what love really is. You said You would give them a seat at Your table - we ask for this. What we are asking is for Your “father heart” to explode upon an entire generation. We decree that as You so, prodigals will come home. Fan the flames and let this revival spread across the land. We know that Holy Spirit is now supervising this new movement of unprecedented rain. He is breathing life, preparing to release miracles, healings, signs and wonders on the earth. The heavens are pregnant with this rain. A revival greater than Acts is beginning to flow to us and through us. Finally, we ask for the troops of heaven, Your great angels, to fight alongside us. Holy Spirit, implement this major shift of the Kingdom of God in our nation. We decree that Your Kingdom has come and continues to manifest, Your will is being done. Send Your oil, Your fire, Your wind and rain. Do this, Father, for the eternal well-being of millions, the passion and pleasure of Your Son, and the glory of His great name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that new levels and expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented to the young generation around the world, and that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. ***************** Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org ______________________________________________________ Click on the link below to watch the full video. 1. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ref. no. 5012.
  25. 5 min read: https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-20-2023 March 20, 2023 The Dangling Carrot God’s words are powerful and creative. The following three verses referencing this are some of my favorites. They each contain the Hebrew word asah, which means “do, perform, accomplish,” etc. However, asah is also one of the primary words for “create” (Strongs 6213). God’s words create! Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Isaiah 55:11: “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Jeremiah 1:12: “Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’” I ministered with our friend, Regina Shank in Carthage, MO, this past weekend. Regina is a strong, gifted leader and seasoned intercessor. She shares a word with us today regarding God’s faithfulness to His word. Let it encourage you, then join me in decreeing the powerful declaration she wrote. Regina says: **************** “There is a great move of God on the horizon. It has already started and is continuing. Those in bondage to darkness will come out into the light. Traumatized, rejected ones inside and outside the body of Christ will receive healing. The hopeless will find hope again; promises will suddenly manifest. Be assured when God speaks, He has the power to bring it forth. “Years ago, the Lord spoke promises to me that looked impossible and, on top of that, seemed forever in the making. I began to see myself as a donkey following a carrot on the end of the stick. You know the scenario. The donkey keeps following the carrot, but never acquires it. The owner of the donkey outwits him by tempting him with something he will never get. He takes step after step, moving forward with his eyes on what will never be his. For a season, I felt like I was that donkey. For me, the carrot was representative of the yet-to-be-fulfilled promises and dreams. I became disillusioned in the waiting. One day I was in prayer about these promises when the Lord spoke these words to me: ‘You are my lady-in-waiting.’ “As I sat before Him on the floor of my prayer room, I realized there was a deeper meaning hidden in that statement. Then He spoke again, ‘Wait on Me in worship; dress Me in praise. In the waiting, allow My glory to sweep over you and transform you inside and out.’ “Suddenly, the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) came to mind. ‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.’ “How do you disagree with the timing of God? I thought I was ready to step into the full responsibility and calling contained in my promises before the Lord was ready to release me. I knew I didn’t want to be an Abraham who helped God out, refusing to wait on God’s timing. But, I certainly understood the urge to do so. “A few weeks later, I drove to St. Louis for a prayer assignment. The intercessors came together for prayer and instruction prior to boots on the ground. A prophetic man I did not know came up to me after the meeting, looked me in the face, and said, ‘You are going to get the carrot.’ “I was stunned. Questions came to mind: Who is this guy? How did he become aware of my intimate prayers with my Father? He definitely read my mail! After the shock wore off and I was able to get by myself, I let the tears flow and realized the Lord was reassuring me of His faithfulness. With the assurance of a prophetic word from a man who did not know me, or have any knowledge of my petitions before the throne, I continued to WAIT on God to bring forth His promises. The next week I was leading a ladies' meeting. During a break in the training session, a lady in the back of the room came up to me timidly and said, ‘I don’t know why the Lord asked me to do this, but I bought you something.’ “She opened her hand, and there lay a piece of jewelry like I had never seen. It was a pin in the shape of a carrot. It was sparkling in her hand, bright orange in color with green leaves crowning the top. Well, that was the final straw, or shall I say carrot? I still have that piece of jewelry to remind me of God’s faithfulness to deliver the dreams He puts in our hearts. I am now walking in many of those promises and impossible dreams. The donkey did get the carrot. “We have promises of worldwide revival, manifested healings, and societal changes. We have personal and corporate dreams and hopes being formed in the womb of prayer and petition. I can assure you, they are not carrots dangling in front of the donkey. What God says, He will do.” Our decree: (Today, we will just have this powerful decree.) We decree that every word spoken to us personally and corporately by the Lord will come to pass. We will have what the Lord has promised. He is not a man that He should lie. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. America shall be saved. Our families will be saved. Our personal destinies written in His book before we were born, will come forth. Psalms 139:16. “In His book, all our days were written before there was one of them.” God’s timing is perfect, and our times are in His hands. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We will trust, pray, and stand on the unfailing words of our Father. We will decree the answer and not lament the problem. We will take our place as intercessors on the earth, bringing God’s will into our circumstances. We will take our place as sons and daughters of the King, making our decrees to reverse the evil decrees of unbelievers and the evil intents of darkness. Our God reigns. His light overcomes darkness, and He has never lost a battle. We press on toward the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. We are not of those who shrink back, but we press forward into the fulness of our destinies and the destinies of families and nations. We get the CARROT!!! ***************** Today’s post was contributed by our friend Regina Shank. You can find out more about her ministry at ReginaShank.com Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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