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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/january-2-2025 January 2, 2025 God’s Agenda for 2025 As I ponder what I believe is on God’s agenda for 2025, and therefore what I will often address on Give Him 15 posts, the two words that come to mind the most are revival and reformation. Progress toward these two things will speed up greatly this year. The revival that has begun will intensify, producing many conversions and great miracles. Reformation and its changes to society and government will also experience increased momentum. I believe 2025 will prove to be one of the greatest years of change in America’s history. I believe, in fact, that President Trump’s first day in office could end up being one of the most significant days of change EVER in our country. My guess is that he and his team will make a statement, hitting the ground running. I suspect that hundreds of executive orders have already been written, awaiting only Trump’s presidential signature. For many of us, they can’t come quickly enough. There will be tremendous opposition, of course, but the opposition will fail if we, the church, continue to feed the flames of revival and reformation with prayer. As we think about these two phenomena, here are some things to realize and remember: Revival is described in Mark 16:15-20; reformation is described in Matthew 28:18-20. Revival rebirths; reformation rebuilds. Revival can spring forth quickly; reformation is a process. Revival changes hearts, inscribing with them God’s ways and laws; reformation transforms minds and thoughts, planting God’s laws in the psyche of a nation. In the context of revival, Jesus is Savior; in the context of reformation, He is King and Lord. Revival saves and heals individuals; reformation saves and heals societies and nations. Revival comes through the “preaching” of the “gospel” (Mark 16:15-20); reformation results from “teaching” what Christ “commanded” (Matthew 28:18-20). Revival releases power, signs, and wonders; reformation implements God’s ways and wise methods. Revival fuels and steers reformation; reformation can and should be the long-term fruit of revival. THE FUEL OF REVIVAL Only transformation in millions of people’s hearts (revival) will provide sufficient momentum to reform a nation to God’s ways. We can try to reform a nation to His ways through good laws or education, but this will not fully produce the needed changes. Racism is a good example. Well-meaning laws and educational changes have not produced the desired changes. Heart changes from God, on the other hand, produce the needed desire and willingness for a nation to be transformed. The new birth creates a hunger for the bread of God’s Word, a thirst for the river of His Spirit, and a desire to emulate and please Him. This is why I say revival must feed and steer reformation. GOD USES UNBELIEVERS A word of caution: When we speak of reformation, it is unbiblical to suggest that God uses only believers. Many of His principles and laws work regardless of who applies them. God spoke of Cornelius as “devout” before he was born again. He acknowledged Cornelius’ prayers and generosity, saying they had built a memorial in heaven, and used his home in which to pour out His Spirit on the Gentile world. (See Acts 10) Jesus does not reject unbelievers, nor did He suggest that they shouldn’t be leaders, whether in government, business, or any other endeavor. Certainly, the ideal and God’s desire is for everyone to be born again through Jesus. But while on earth, Jesus demonstrated God’s heart to all people. He loved them, ate with them, ministered to them, treated them respectfully and kindly, and even blessed them. (The exception to this was the proud, hypocrites, and those who oppressed others.) Matthew 9:9-13 (NASB) tells us: “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Now go and learn what this means: “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Benjamin Franklin called for prayer at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on June 28, 1787. Franklin proposed that the Assembly begin each morning with prayers, asking for God’s assistance and blessings. He also requested that a member of the city’s clergy officiate. His motion was made during a contentious period when the Convention was at risk of breaking up over a dispute between large and small states. Franklin believed that God governs human affairs and that the Convention would fail without His help. He also referenced daily prayer during the contest with Great Britain.(1) Though many believe Benjamin Franklin became a believer later in life through the ministry of George Whitefield, he was probably not yet born-again when he called for this prayer! God can and will use individuals in our government who do not know Him - from Trump downward - to reform our nation. I do believe many of them who don’t know the Lord will become believers, but they do not have to be born-again for Him to use them. Pray for God’s wisdom to flow through ALL of them, AND for their salvation. As we enter this great season of change, we must be diligent to fervently pray for our nation, calling forth the promised revival and reformation. Pray with me: Father, we continue to join our hearts in agreement for the things You laid on the hearts of Lou Engle and Matt Lockett [see yesterday’s post]. We pray once again for the Jehu anointing to rest on President-Elect Trump, his cabinet, and all working with them. We ask that You give them the determination, wisdom, and strategies necessary to sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies in America. Give them Your agendas, not their own.(2) We ask that President-Elect Trump have a powerful encounter with You, and that he be filled with Your Spirit. Make him a man of prayer, just as the prophetic word from Kim Clement said.(3) Place an insatiable hunger in him for Your Word. Teach him to hear Your voice, and to know Your ways. And we ask You for a Third Great Awakening, a spiritual revival the likes of which has never been seen. We cry, “revival, revival, revival!” Pour this out, not only on America, but throughout all the earth. We ask for Ezekiel’s river to increase until it flows at its deepest level (Ezekiel 47). And we ask this all in the great and holy name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that America is being revived and reformed by the power of Holy Spirit. ****************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------------ Benjamin Franklin and the Constitutional Convention See the GH15 post from January 1, 2025. Ibid.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/january-1-2025 January 1, 2025 Happy New Year! It’s good to be with you again. And we are going to start the year off with a bang! Introduction My friends Lou Engle and Matt Lockett are spearheading 21 days of fasting and prayer, beginning today, to launch us into 2025. They’re calling for a Daniel Fast, based on Daniel’s 21-day fast in Daniel 10:3, during which he fasted meat, “pleasant foods” such as sweets, and wine. The reasons and prayer focus from Lou are delineated in the following release by Cheryl Amibile in "The Briefing". The title of her briefing is: The 2025 Jehu Fast After decades of mass prayer and fasting for the nation, we have come to a critical juncture for America to turn back to God. We stand now in a window of historic opportunity for governmental reform and national revival, but we must see it through in prayer. As President Trump prepares to take office in 2025, we urge you to join us as we govern in prayer over the government. Today’s briefing lays out a prophetic vision for Trump’s second term, along with clear prayer directives from Lou Engle to unify our intercession. Let’s shape history together through prayer and fasting! We’ve sensed a shift in the nation since the A Million Women gathering in Washington, D.C., on the Day of Atonement, and experienced a breakthrough with President Trump being elected. Now it’s time to pave the way for God’s agenda to be accomplished through his administration. For this purpose, we are launching a national 21-day Daniel Fast, January 1-21, led by Lou Engle, in partnership with Matt Lockett (Executive Director of Bound4Life International and the Justice House of Prayer in Washington, D.C).Daniel’s 21-day fast (Daniel 10) shifted Cyrus’s mindset and prevailed over the powers of darkness, changing the whole Persian public policy. We believe right now we have an opportunity to see the government of our nation impacted, the deep state removed, and ideologies shifted. However, for this to happen, we believe the church needs to “get into the chariot of Jehu.” Jehu was anointed king by the prophet Elisha during the reign of Ahab (2 Kings 9). King Ahab was one of Israel’s most infamous leaders, who allowed the idolatries of his wife Jezebel to infiltrate the nation and corrupt the culture of God’s people. The Lord’s purpose for Jehu was to destroy the house of Ahab and eradicate Baal worship from Israel. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn recently prophesied to President Trump at the Inaugural National Faith Summit, declaring that his life and calling followed a similar template to Jehu’s. Other prophetic leaders have sensed the same. Lou Engle was stirred a few weeks ago while reading 2 Kings 9–10, noting that it was during Jehu’s second ride that Jehonadab, the conservative leader, climbed into his chariot. Jehu then exclaimed: “Come watch my zeal for the Lord.” Lou has sensed from God a strong exhortation that in Trump’s second term, the church must “get in his chariot” by supporting him in prayer. Let us intercede for God to put a hedge about him, that the right cabinet members would be put in place, and that the president and his administration will sweep away the “house of Ahab” that has been seeking to destroy this nation. Along these lines, Matt Lockett had a fascinating dream in September of 2022, which we believe paints a prophetic picture of our responsibility to pray for Trump. In the dream, Matt and his team from JHOP (Justice House of Prayer) were with Donald Trump and other intercessors, standing outside a fast-food restaurant. They were in a single-file line, waiting to go through the drive-thru that had not yet opened. It was understood in the dream that they were to keep Trump’s place “in line” and “drive him through” when the window opened. Matt’s team has prayed regularly regarding this dream for the past two years. Just after the A Million Women prayer gathering on the National Mall in October [2024], President Trump surprisingly showed up at McDonald’s to work in the drive-thru window. For most of the nation, this was just a human-interest story and a photo op for the would-be president. However, for Matt and his team, it was a sign that the “window” was now open to “drive” Trump through the election.Then, approximately a week later, President Trump was pictured in another window—this time, the window of a garbage truck! Once again, the images were all over the news. It suddenly struck Matt with prophetic clarity that his original dream was not just about “driving” Trump through the election but through an ongoing agenda to “take out the trash,” so to speak, in Washington, D.C. We resonated with Matt’s insight, recognizing God’s intent to use President Trump to address the wickedness, idolatry, and corruption in the nation’s high places and policies. Our prayers must “drive” this agenda. Another prophecy that has shaped our intercession for the president-elect is a word given by the late Kim Clement in 2007. Clement had specifically prophesied that Trump would become a trumpet. He went on to speak of a president fitting Trump’s description who would have “hot blood” and would raise the walls of protection around the nation. He said this leader would rapidly change the economy. In the same prophecy, Clement declared of this man: “God says, ‘I will put at your helm for two terms a president that will pray, but he will not be a praying president when he starts. I will put him in office, and then I will baptize him with the Holy Spirit and My power.’” We have often pondered Donald Trump’s spiritual legacy. His great-aunts were instrumental in the intercession leading up to the tremendous move of the Spirit in the Hebrides Revival (see The Briefing 088 -The Promised Revival). What if God has ordained for that holy stump [this great revival] to sprout again at this time? It may be that President Trump is a sign and a symbol of an outpouring God desires to spread across America and beyond. Therefore, as we head into these 21 days of a Daniel Fast, let us pray daily for the Jehu anointing to rest upon President Trump, his Cabinet members, and all those in leadership. Pray that they would sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies that have taken root in America. Ask for grace to empower them to accomplish what God desires - not their own agendas - but God’s purposes in this second term of President Trump.Secondly, let’s pray daily for President Trump to be filled with the Holy Spirit while in office, as was spoken in Clement’s prophetic word. Let us also pray for all the men and women in his Cabinet, that they would be filled with the wisdom of God as they navigate complex decisions, according to Daniel 2:21 (NIV): “He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Lastly, we have always recognized that transforming government alone would not be enough. America must experience a Third Great Awakening - a spiritual revival - in the hearts of men, women, and children alike. This aligns with a prophetic dream we received in 2020, in which there was a massive gathering and fervent cries of “Revival, revival, revival.” May this be our ongoing prayer until our communities are swept up in the fire of God’s Spirit. Pray with me: Father, we begin by giving You thanks for the answers to prayer we have received up to now. Recovery, restoration, and reformation all involve processes - tearing down, uprooting, planting, building. We have embraced the process of seeing America restored to You and Your purposes for her. As we join our hearts in fasting and prayer at the beginning of this year, we ask for momentum to increase. We ask for the Jehu anointing to rest on President-Elect Trump, his cabinet, and all working with them. We ask that You give them the determination, wisdom, and strategies necessary to sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies in America. Give them Your agendas. We ask that President-Elect Trump have a powerful encounter with You, and that he be filled with Your Spirit. Make him a man of prayer, just as the prophetic word said. Place an insatiable hunger in him for Your Word. Teach him to hear Your voice, and know Your ways. And we ask You for a Third Great Awakening, a spiritual revival, the likes of which have never been seen. We cry “revival, revival, revival.” Pour this out not only on America, but throughout all the earth. We ask for Ezekiel’s river to increase until it flows at its deepest level (Ezekiel 47). And we pray all of this in the great and holy name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that revival and reformation are coming to the earth, covering it as the waters cover the sea. **************************** You can find out more about this article and more like it at TheBriefing.us Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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4 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-25-2024 December 25, 2024 There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! O Holy Night Incarnate: “to embody in flesh; invest with a bodily form.” From the Latin word incarnāre “to make into flesh.” Have you ever wondered what was going through Christ’s mind before Holy Spirit transformed Him into a microscopic seed and carried Him to the womb of a young girl? He was about to become breakable. Did He wonder how it would feel to no longer be omnipresent? Omniscient? Omnipotent? Did He wonder how physical pain would feel? Hunger? Thirst? Weariness? Cold? Heartache? Loss? Christ knew He would have to: fight His way through a birth canal, be fed, be bathed, learn to crawl, develop balance and walking skills, form words, grow, and gain knowledge. He would experience sleep, scrapes, blisters, and callouses. He would enter the realm of time. He would bleed. One has to wonder if Jesus ever reconsidered the plan/process. Since He was “the Lamb slain” before we were even created (Revelation 13:8), I don’t suppose He did. Yet, just before Holy Spirit held Him and began the transformation, there must have been at least an emotional, “Here we go…I’m about to be human!” And then He was - there was no turning back. Numerous questions come to mind as I consider Christ’s humanness: As a child, when did the first awareness of who He was begin to set in? When did He first look up at a star-filled sky and think, I made that. When did He first recall saying, “Let there be…” When did the calculus of our solar system begin creeping back into His memory? Did He ever have a nightmare? When did He stop asking Mary questions and start explaining things to her? Did His siblings wonder at His gifts, intellect? Who was His best friend growing up? What did His laugh sound like? What was His favorite color…food? Was there any food - which He, of course, created - that He didn’t like?! At what age did His carpentry skills begin superseding those of Joseph? Did they ever joke about it? How old was He when Joseph died? How did He deal with the pain? How did He react the first time He saw a serpent…or first observed cruelty, violence or greed? When He heard lightning, did He smile? (Luke 10:18) And when did the love that demanded His humanness - the passion for His eternal bride - begin welling up in His chest? As He fashioned wood in His carpenter shop, did He ever pause and gaze pensively toward a hill in Jerusalem? Did He wince when He drove nails? We will never truly understand the ramifications, intricacies, and complexities of the incarnation. Merging the limitations of “humanness” with an infinite God simply can’t be computed by human brains. Indeed, Paul referenced Christ as God’s “indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). But it is healthy to ponder it, nonetheless. We must, in fact. It is imperative that we consider the cost to Christ. It’s essential that we wonder at such love, marvel at the plan and stand in awe at its audacity. So this year on Christmas Day, take some time to think about it. Sing, or listen to Silent Night, Away In A Manger, O Holy Night, or your favorite Christmas carol and intently consider the words. Recapture the wonder. Read the story again in Luke’s gospel. Close your eyes and try to envision Mary’s angelic visitation. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes - how hard would it be to believe Mary’s story? See the stars, the stable, the manger, the Christ-child. Then, converse with Abba and Jesus. Thank them…for Christmas, yes, but also for the cross. The purpose of Christmas was the Cross. I leave you today with the lyrics of one of my most loved Christmas songs: O Holy Night. My favorite line is, “Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” Now, do yourself a favor and use this link to watch/listen to Josh Groban’s version of the song. This YouTube version gives us a visual of that holy night when Christ was born. Maybe even gather the family and watch it together. You’ll be glad you did. (For those of you watching today’s post, we will provide the link in the description below.) Merry Christmas! ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-24-2024 December 24, 2024 There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! A Fun Christmas Memory “In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.’” Luke 2:8-14 (NASB) “Great joy…for all people,” are some of the words spoken by the angel on the night of Christ’s birth. And could the world ever use a dose of that! We live in precarious and perilous times, punctuated by evil dictators, lying and fear-mongering governments, power-crazed politicians, woke educators, God-haters, and a worldwide pandemic. In the midst of evil and chaos, let me remind you that joy is of the spirit, not the emotions, and therefore is not based on circumstances. Happiness is based on circumstances; joy, however, is a fruit of the spirit and therefore flows from Holy Spirit in you (Galatians 5:22). In the angel’s announcement above, great is the Greek word megas, from which we get the English word “mega.” Megas is over and above, above and beyond, more than enough. And as my grandkids would say, ginormous. I felt today to encourage you to think of a joyful Christmas memory. It could be from when you were a kid, or as a parent or grandparent enjoying a kid/s. Perhaps it’s from a gift you gave, or one you were given. Maybe it’s a sleigh ride, a ski trip, a family trip, the Nutcracker with mom or a bowl game with dad. Think of something and let it unlock some joy. Laughter is good. God said it’s like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22). Think of something from a Christmas past that’ll make you laugh. Maybe I can help. We once had a dog named Mercedes. Sadie, as we called her, was a Boxer. God used Mercedes greatly in my life. She taught me patience, humility, poop-scooping, and the price of dog ACL surgery. I didn’t actually mind the poop-scooping in and of itself, it was the mocking laughter I could see in her eyes as I did it that bothered me. We bought Mercedes - yes, I paid for these lessons - because we moved to an area where there were coyotes and foxes, which we knew would endanger our two other small dogs - they needed a bodyguard. Besides, everyone needs THREE dogs. But it backfired. Mercedes took over. Ceci and the girls actually went to obedience school with her a few times. That helped - she learned to sit. She came home and asserted her dominance by sitting on my chest. Seriously. I was stretched out on the floor watching a football game, nice fire going, when she proudly looked over at the girls and sat on my chest. “Good girl. Good sit,” they said. Then there was the time she TP’d (toilet papered) the backyard. Yep, she did. We had a fenced backyard, so when leaving, we, at times left the back door open a foot or so to allow the dogs some freedom. We came home one day, and there was a trail of toilet paper from the powder room (for all you guys, that’s the half-bath you keep clean for guests) leading through the family room, out the back door, and into the back yard. Once in the backyard, it seems that Sadie’s creative side kicked in. She went over, under, around, and through. She made circles, figure 8’s, and squares. Then she did her business while I cleaned up the toilet paper. And if you don’t see the cruel irony of that, then you’re pretty slow. I swear she was laughing. But perhaps the most humiliating experience with Mercedes was when I had to chase her around on the roof of our two-story house. I was hanging Christmas lights - you thought I had gotten off the subject of Christmas, didn’t you - and with the house layout, it was a simple step onto our daughter’s bedroom window seat, then out the window and onto the garage roof. From there, I could walk to the remainder of the roof, even the higher parts. I was on all fours, carefully placing hooks for the lights on the gutters, when suddenly I heard a noise behind me. I turned, and there was Mercedes - she had joined me! I panicked. If she fell off and hurt herself, Ceci and the girls would never forgive me. My tone of voice and panicked attempt to grab her scared her. She began running and wouldn’t come to me. So I chased her, which caused her to run more…Kevin Costner became known to the Native Americans as “man who dances with wolves.” I became known in our neighborhood as “man who dances with dog on roof.” True story. Remember something today that makes you laugh. If you can’t think of anything, picture me with a 70-pound, well-trained, obedience school graduating Boxer sitting on my chest. The Message version of Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” Laugh. It’ll do you good. Pray with me: Father, in these precarious and perilous times, punctuated by evil dictators, lying and fear-mongering governments, power-crazed politicians, woke educators, God-haters, and a worldwide pandemic, we can still have joy. Cause the spirit of joy to rise up in Your people today. Even those in difficult circumstances or who have suffered loss, let the strength that comes from joy arise in them. Temper their grief with moments of joy. If it needs to be a supernatural impartation, please do that. And we thank You for Jesus. He brought us mega joy. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Because of Him, we can rejoice. Remind us to remain focused on Him this Christmas season. And even on a day in which we speak of laughter and joy, we still remember the babies. A reversal of Roe would be the greatest gift we could receive this coming year. Do whatever is necessary to give us 5 or more Justices who will find the moral strength to reverse it. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen. Our decree: We decree that joy unspeakable is ours today through Christ. ***************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-23-2024 December 23, 2024 For the next several days, you are going to hear some favorite posts, hand-picked by Dutch. They are about this wonderful Christmas season, and we think you will enjoy them. There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! Two Women At Christmas As we approach Christmas, let’s consider the story of two women who were significant in the birth of our Savior, the promised Messiah: Mary and Elizabeth. The younger one seeks out the older. Lives touching. Mentoring occurring. A divine encounter, a God-set up. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is unique in history. Yet she had a humble beginning. Pastor Jack Hayford says we may wonder about her, “Was Mary possibly only a plain girl with simple faith, raised in an ordinary home, scheduled for an arranged marriage, and headed for an uneventful future married to the town carpenter? The suggestion that she was ordinary comes from the words Mary sings: ‘For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden. He has exalted the lowly’” (Luke 1:48). Hayford adds: “God clothes Himself in the ordinary so He can come to ordinary people—you and me.”(1) Mary and Elizabeth. Both were having miracle babies who would affect history. Both women could have been labeled “disgraced” by their Hebrew peers - Elizabeth for being barren, Mary for being pregnant before marriage. Both knew God intimately, were worshipers and were acquainted with Scripture. The Christmas story began not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth, where Mary received the message from Gabriel. He disclosed God’s plan for her life. “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1: 28-32 NKJV) When Mary questioned Gabriel how this could happen since she was a virgin, he explained: “Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God… and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:30-35). Mary, in bold obedience, replied, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (verse 38). And the angel departed from her. “We can hardly fathom the bewildering moment Mary experienced,” Freda Lindsay reminds us. “That she was a privileged vessel, chosen to bear God’s Son, is wonder enough, for she is a participant in the miracle of the Incarnation at a level no other human being can comprehend. It is clear she did not claim to understand it herself, yet she was obedient,”(2) At first, Mary was troubled, pondering the situation. But the angel had told her some great news: “And behold your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God” (verses 36-37). Mary may have wondered just why the angel told her Elizabeth was pregnant. But she got up and hurried to see Elizabeth in the village of En Karem in the Judean hill country, about 65 miles away. How did she get there? Did she go in a caravan of camels or donkeys? Did she have morning sickness? Was Joseph, to whom she was engaged, okay with her going? We don’t know the answers. However, she quickly got to the house of her relative, Elizabeth, who was married to the priest, Zechariah. When Mary entered their home, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy (Luke 1:41). But get this: Elizabeth not only praised God in a loud voice, but she was also filled with Holy Spirit (verse 41). (I wonder if she would have had this experience with Holy Spirit’s infilling if Mary had not come). Mary did not even have to explain to her that she was pregnant, for God had revealed it to Elizabeth. She said to Mary, almost as a prophecy, “Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the child you shall bear. Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41-43). Think about this: Elizabeth was six months pregnant, five of those hidden in seclusion. Her husband, Zechariah - a priest, could not talk to her. He had been struck mute when he questioned the angel who came to him after he had burned incense in the temple (Luke 1:20). The angel told him that his wife, who was barren and advanced in age, would bear a son. They were to name him John and he would be great in the sight of the Lord. (He was later known as John the Baptist). While she was expecting her baby boy, Elizabeth’s husband could only communicate with her by writing on a wax tablet or with hand motions. Did her seclusion also mean she did not fetch water at the well when other women were there or even intermingle with them in the marketplace? A Jewish wife in those days prepared the meals, cared for the children, made and washed the clothes, went to the market, and tended the lamps. She was expected to be a good housekeeper and an affectionate mother who set the “love level” in the home. Sons usually went to study Torah at an early age and learned a trade from their fathers. Girls did not receive the formal training as sons did, but evidence shows both Mary and Elizabeth knew the Scriptures. Since Elizabeth was the wife of a priest and daughter of a family of priests from the house of Aaron, she probably heard much godly talk from guests in her home. Mary’s song of exaltation - Magnificat - contains references from Hannah’s prayer nearly a thousand years earlier as she praised God for her baby Samuel. Mary was possibly still a teenager. The advice and wisdom of an older woman would be valuable as she pondered many things in her heart. But didn’t Elizabeth also need her company? Mary stayed with her for three months (Luke 1:56), observing and confiding in her, and no doubt receiving mentoring, love, and spiritual insights. Elizabeth may have talked to Mary about how to be a good wife and she was surely a great encourager and influencer, giving her a blessing and honor. They obviously spent time together worshipping the Lord. Mary provided Elizabeth with companionship, conversation and most certainly helped her with household chores. They each had something of worth to share in this short-term but significant relationship. Just think, Elizabeth was the first human to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord–while He was yet unborn. Let’s not fail to recognize Holy Spirit’s part in this first Christmas drama concerning these two women. As we have already mentioned, first Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35). Then He filled Elizabeth and the baby in her womb with Himself also. Finally, even Zachariah. On the eighth day after their baby’s birth, when they took him to be circumcised and to announce John’s name, Zechariah was filled with Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67). His tongue was loosed, and he was able to speak again. So he, a priest, began to prophesy about both the coming Messiah and about his son, John, who would be a forerunner for Him. This Christmas season as we reflect on the various people involved in the birth of Jesus, let’s draw lessons from their examples. Are there younger people in our lives we could encourage? Mentor? Are there those we can pray for to receive Jesus as Savior? Or to receive Holy Spirit’s touch? God is looking for ordinary people–like you and me to help make a difference for Him in the lives of those with whom we interact. Divine connections. He has given us a story to tell. Jesus is the reason for the season! Let’s go share this great news. Pray with me: Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to be bold to share this good news, especially during this Christmas season, and bring others to Him for their salvation. Thank You that just as the angel told Mary nothing is, or ever shall be, impossible for God, so may we believe for the miracles we need also. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen. Our decree: I will never doubt God - for He who promised is faithful - even sending us a Savior, the very Son of God. ************************* Today’s post was written by our dear friend and author Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about Quin here or at Quinsherrer.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------ Jack W. Hayford, The Christmas Miracle, Chosen Books, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1999) pp. 39, 41. Freda Lindsay, Luke 1:26-56 comments. Spirit Filled Life Bible, 3rd edition NKJV, (Jack Hayford, Executive Editor, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN. 2017) p. 1450.
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7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-20-2024 December 20, 2024 For the next several days, you are going to hear some favorite posts, hand-picked by Dutch. They are about this wonderful Christmas season, and we think you will enjoy them. There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! Today I am sharing a special Christmas post written by our good friend, Cheryl Sacks. The title is: A Christmas to Remember It was just before Christmas, and we were two months behind in our mortgage payments. On January 1, our home would go into foreclosure. Hal and I had no money to buy Christmas gifts for each other or for our five-year-old daughter, Nicole. When Nicole gave us her Christmas list, it contained only one item…a pair of blue jeans with pink flowers on the pocket. I was praying fervently that we’d have money for Christmas and that we would not lose our home. Yet, I was starting to feel discouraged. The next day, Nicole came home from school and handed me the school newsletter. The school was asking us to participate in the Christmas tradition of giving to those in need. I had a clear sense that we should try to do something for one of the three families the school wanted to help…even though we ourselves were in desperate need. The newsletter listed specific needs for each family, simply labeled as families A, B, and C. I noted that Family B needed clothing for a five-year-old girl. Since I wanted to include Nicole in the shopping process, I decided we would adopt Family B, so that she could relate to giving to someone her own age. The next afternoon, Nicole and I went shopping at K-Mart. As we pushed the basket along together, we looked for some item of clothing that would be right for a little girl her age. Soon, we came to a rack of girls’ jeans, and Nicole spotted a pair with little pink flowers on the back pocket. “Oh!” she said excitedly, “I just know the little girl will want these!” Into the cart went the jeans with pink flowers. My mind was already racing ahead. If the parents didn’t have money for jeans, then they wouldn’t have money to purchase a shirt to complete the outfit. “Now, let’s find a blouse or something to go with these jeans,” I told Nicole. Soon we found just the right thing – a pink sweater with a black and white panda bear on the front and a matching pink shirt. I was rejoicing at the blessing of giving this special gift. Yet a few minutes later as we stood in line, my excitement waned. There in the basket was the exact item my daughter wanted for Christmas...jeans with pink flowers on the pocket...in just her size. Now with my last $25, I was going to buy them for someone else’s little girl. I thought of how I’d always believed in giving sacrificially. Years before, I had learned about “seedtime and harvest,” sowing and reaping, from Oral Roberts. Whether you have little or much, just like a farmer, it’s not wise to eat your seed, but to plant it and watch it multiply. I’d seen this truth work in our lives over and over again. Yet, right then, I was wavering. “Lord,” I prayed. “If what I’ve believed about “sowing and reaping” is really true, then I need You to prove it to me now.” We checked out at the cash register and went home. But all throughout the day I was still vacillating. I began contemplating wrapping up the gift and giving it to Nicole rather than to the little girl in Family B. That night as I pulled out the wrapping paper, I still did not know what to do. Finally, I walked into Hal’s office where he was studying and told him what a struggle I was having. I reiterated what he already knew. Our own daughter had asked for jeans for Christmas just like the ones I had purchased to give away. How much sense did it make to give them to someone else’s little girl? “I believe I know what we’re supposed to do,” Hal said. “But take some time to pray and hear from the Lord what He wants you to do.” I opened my Bible and the pages fell open to Ecclesiastes 11:1-6: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days…He who observes the wind (and waits for all conditions to be favorable) will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap…In the morning sow your seed and in the evening withhold not your hand…” It was evening, and I was considering withholding my gift. It was clear the Lord was telling me not to wait for conditions to be favorable…to cast my bread upon the waters. I wrapped the jeans, pink blouse, and panda bear sweater in white tissue paper as the school had requested and wrote “Family B” on the outside of the package. Later, as I was wrapping some small items for the woman in Family B, Hal walked in. “What size is the man in that family we’re giving to?” Hal asked. I looked at the sheet and replied, “Medium.” A few moments later, Hal entered carrying his new gray sweater vest. “I want you to wrap this up and give it to the man on the list,” he said. “Oh, that is your favorite piece of clothing!” I said. “We should always give God our best,” he said. And with that I wrapped the gray sweater vest. The next day, Nicole took her gifts to school. As was the tradition, the children brought their gifts forward during a school assembly and placed them at the foot of a manger cradling “baby Jesus.” These presents were first and foremost a gift of love to the Savior. As Nicole shared with me about presenting our family’s gifts to the Lord, I was reminded of how God demonstrated the principle of sowing and reaping through the life of His Son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never die but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God gave His only Son, His most precious possession, first ― then received many sons and daughters in return. Through the principle of sowing, God reaped the greatest harvest in the history of the world. The next Sunday afternoon I was getting ready to go to the evening service at our church. I heard the doorbell ring and looked outside the window to see a white station wagon which I recognized as that of our friends Mario and Cathy Rossetti. They lived just around the corner and our kids attended the same school. As I opened the front door, Mario began unloading boxes filled with gifts. The boxes kept coming and coming. There must have been fifteen boxes or more. I noticed they were all wrapped in white tissue paper. “What is this?” I asked. But before Mario could answer, my eyes scanned several packages. Each one was marked “Family B”! “Oh,” I grabbed my heart! “The jeans with the pink flowers and the panda bear sweater. They’re in one of these boxes! The gray sweater vest. It’s in there too!” Then I remembered Hal saying, “We must always give God our best.” I breathed an awe-filled prayer. “Lord, You knew this all along! When I was standing in line at K-Mart complaining, You knew. When You led me to read the verse in Ecclesiastes, ‘Cast your bread upon the waters and you will find it after many days,’ You knew!” How had I ever doubted God’s Word? A half-hour later, Hal pulled into the driveway after running errands. “Hurry, we’re late for church!” “Hal,” I said. “Could you come to the bedroom for just a moment? I have something to show you!” “I’ll look at it later,” he said. “We’re going to be late.” “You have to come now,” I said, and I took his arm and directed him into our bedroom. There, on the floor, were the furniture, and everywhere in between were boxes and boxes of gifts. “What is all this?” he exclaimed. “Do you know who Family B is?” I asked. “No, who?” he said. “WE are Family B! WE are Family B…you, Nicole, and me!” On Christmas Day we opened our presents. Among the gifts were a man’s gray sweater vest size medium, and size five girl’s jeans with pink flowers on the pocket, and a matching panda bear sweater and pink shirt. “But what about the poor little girl?” Nicole asked as she opened her gift. It would be years before she would learn the significance of that Christmas gift. It had been only a few years before this that the Lord had called us to leave our secular jobs and start the Christian ministry which is now BridgeBuilders. We didn’t yet have many supporters, and we often went without a salary. We were completely dependent on the Lord to provide for our needs. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, we received a call from a pastor in another town. He and his wife were coming to Phoenix and wanted to stop by and drop off a gift. We were excited to see our friends and receive what I thought was to be the gift of a turkey. “We can definitely use it!” I said out loud. We opened the door wide and greeted the couple. As they entered, the pastor pulled a check out of his pocket and handed it to Hal. We learned that the pastor had challenged his congregation to give to the Christmas missions fund the same amount of money they were giving in gifts to their friends and family. The collection had been split between our family and an overseas missionary. Hal and I looked at the check…it was made out for $1500! Fifteen hundred dollars! Exactly enough money to catch up on our home mortgage payments. Pray with me: Father, through the years, when money is tight and pressures grow great, You often remind me of this story. I know You never want us to forget that we are in a covenant relationship with You, and that if we will act in obedience to plant seeds of kindness, love, and resources, You will be faithful to multiply them. You said, “Give and gifts will be given you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your bosom. For with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others—it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Help us to become even more like You, Father, and Your giving heart. You gave first, and You gave the greatest gift. Amen. ************************ Today’s post was contributed by Cheryl Sacks. You can learn more about Cheryl and Hal’s work at bridgebuilders.net and prayersaturated.life. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-19-2024 December 19, 2024 The Unintended Christmas Carol As we wind down our work schedules leading up to Christmas and the holidays, and perhaps wind up our last-minute shopping, I thought a change of pace might be good for our daily posts. Today, I’ll be sharing interesting facts about three of the most popular Christmas hymns of all time, along with the complete lyrics of each. We’ll end with a short prayer and a link to one of these beautiful songs. You’ll enjoy this. Tomorrow, I’ll do the same, sharing some information I’m quite certain most of you won’t know, and ending with my all-time favorite Christmas song. The video link I’ll send will move you to tears. You’ll thank me. Joy to the World “Joy to the World,” written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. It was not written as a Christmas carol but as a poem about the reigning King, based on Psalm 98. “Stanza three…alludes to Genesis 3:17-19…speaks of Christ's blessings extending victoriously over the realm of sin…Stanza four celebrates Christ's rule over the nations…called to celebrate because God's faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world.”(1) Here are the words to this famous hymn: Joy to the World O Little Town of Bethlehem “Phillip Brooks was a distinguished man of faith and intellect. A Boston-born Episcopalian preacher, he'd earned a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Oxford, taught at Yale University, and publicly advocated against slavery during the Civil War. But he's best known for penning "O Little Town of Bethlehem" after a life-changing journey. In 1865, Brooks rode on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he participated in the Church of the Nativity's five-hour-long Christmas Eve celebration, complete with hymns. Returning home, this experience proved so profound that he channeled it into the song sung in churches to this day. Its first public performance was held three years later, performed by the children's choir of his church [The Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia] on December 27.”(3) Until then, this musical, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” was still only a poem. Brooks asked his organist, Lewis Redner, to write the music. Here is Redner’s interesting explanation of how the music came to him: “As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday School service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, ‘Redner, have you ground out that music yet to “O Little Town of Bethlehem”?’ I replied, ‘No,’ but that he should have it by Sunday. On the Saturday night previous, my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear, and seizing a piece of music paper, I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church, I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.”(4) How wrong they were! O Little Town of Bethlehem Silent Night “Silent Night” is the world’s most-recorded Christmas song, with more than 137,000 known recordings.(6) In 1818, “Father Joseph Mohr, in Austria, is preparing the music for [Christmas Eve] midnight mass and asks his friend Franz Gruber, a schoolteacher, to write a guitar accompaniment for a poem that he had written two years earlier. That night, the two men sang their brand new song at St. Nicholas church, and one of our best-loved Christmas carols was born. “A commonly held myth is that this was because the church organ was broken – possibly because of flooding from a nearby river. However, nobody knows the true reason why it came to be composed on guitar – perhaps it was because Joseph Mohr also played the guitar. A version of “Silent Night” recorded by Bing Crosby in 1935 sold a whopping 30 million copies.”(7) "Silent Night" is about a calm and bright silent night, and the wonder of a tender and mild newborn child, words written in 1816…not long after the Napoleonic wars had taken their toll. The priest went for a walk before he wrote it, and he looked out over a very quiet, winter-laden town. He was inspired...the town was at peace.”(8) And this provoked the classic, “Silent Night.” Silent Night Pray with me: Thank You, Lord, for coming to earth and making Your blessings flow, far as the curse is found. Your right hand has gained the victory for You (Psalm 98:1), and You have made known Your salvation and revealed Your righteousness to the nations (verse 2). You tell us to “shout joyfully,” breaking forth with praise (verse 4); that the seas roar, the rivers clap, and the mountains sing for joy (verses 7-8) because Christ is coming to judge the earth with righteousness and equity (verse 9). As we ponder the wonder of Your great gift to us, Father, we thank You, along with Phillip Brooks, for the everlasting light that shone in the dark streets of Bethlehem. In that quiet town, on that night so long ago, the hopes and fears of all the years met in the birth of our Savior. Thank You for this great gift. ************************** Link to: Silent Night, sung by Chris Tomlin Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------------- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World https://hymnary.org/text/joy_to_the_world_the_lord_is_come https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/60596/origins-10-popular-christmas-carols https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/o-little-town-of-bethlehem https://hymnary.org/text/o_little_town_of_bethlehem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Night https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1xW4JCVM4y33tbZBycYmYqG/5-facts-about-silent-night#:~:text=A%20commonly%20held%20myth%20is,Mohr%20also%20played%20the%20guitar https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/lists/7-beloved-christmas-carols-their-origins https://hymnary.org/text/silent_night_holy_night_all_is_calm_all
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-18-2024 December 18, 2024 David’s Elite Fighting Force “So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented and bitter gathered to him, and he became captain over them. Now, there were about four hundred men with him.” (1 Samuel 22:1-2) The above verses speak of the beginning of David’s preparation to be king over Israel and of the beginning of his elite fighting force, referred to in Scripture as David’s “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Chronicles 11:10-11; 12:1; 28:1). Some historians consider this the most skilled group of fighting men in history. This is obviously subjective and in no way intended to be a slight to the great warriors who have existed throughout history. It is simply to point out what an incredible fighting force they were in their time. It is important to know the context of these verses. David had recently been anointed as the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:12-13). At the time, He had no idea of the process that would occur to prepare him, a process that would take twenty years! This is true with most of us when we hear prophetic words about God’s future plans for us. We assume they will happen relatively quickly and indeed, some do. At times, however, God is announcing His plans for down the road…sometimes many roads. The current king, Saul, had no intention of allowing David to take his position. To stop David, he turned against him, no doubt motivated by demonic spirits that controlled him. Saul was insanely jealous and eventually even became a murderer, killing priests of God (1 Samuel 22:16-19) and attempting to murder David. Due to these attacks, David had to flee. He landed in a cave named Adullam (18:11; 19:10; 22:1). God used these years of David’s life as part of his preparation. In no way am I suggesting God was behind these attacks on David or the evil that overtook Saul. I’m merely pointing out that He used them as part of David’s preparation. David wrote several of the Psalms from this cave, learned to persevere and forgive, developed character and a high level of trust in God, grew in his ability to receive revelation, and matured in his wisdom. David also became a leader. It is not enough to be a slayer of bears, lions, and giants. Wielding a weapon is not as powerful as wielding wisdom. Fighting skills, though important for David, did not equate to wisdom, hearing from God, and leadership skills. The same is true for us. The ability to war spiritually against satan’s forces, though very important, does not qualify us for other responsibilities in God’s Kingdom. These will require different aspects of maturity. David’s Mighty Men Back to the context of these verses. Other outcasts joined themselves with David at the cave of Adullam. They were described as those: In distress - the word also means “anguish, stress, disability, even confinement.”(1) Their difficulties were so severe as to be disabling; they were completely trapped and confined by their circumstances. In debt - they were poverty-ridden. Bitter - this is actually two words in Hebrew, meaning literally, “bitter of soul.”(2) Life had been cruel to them; they were down and out, in great anguish, trapped in poverty, and bitter at their plight. The passage says David became the “captain” of these 400 “losers,” or so they seemed. Here is what I believe satan was likely saying to David: You think you are the new king over God’s people? Okay, here is your army. Let’s see how you enjoy leading these hopeless, helpless, decimated misfits. Satan excels in his mocking attempts to discourage us and defer our hope, until the discouragement becomes debilitating and robs us of faith. God, however, was saying something else to David: Look through My eyes, David - this IS your army. Do with them what I had to do with you. You were the youngest, the smallest, and the least respected in your family, but I saw what no one else could see and chose you to be king over Israel. You cannot see it with your natural eyes, but I have sent you world-class warriors. Love and lead them, and I will help you train them into one of the greatest fighting forces the earth will ever see. And, by the way, you are not worthy of leading thousands in My Kingdom until you are willing to love and lead the 400 down-and-outers. David passed the test. And so did the 400! Some of these warriors killed hundreds of enemy soldiers in single battles (2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Chronicles 11:11); one fought until he could no longer control his fingers, so he held on to his sword with his heart and kept fighting (2 Samuel 23:10). When the battle was over, they had to pry his fingers loose from the sword. Another warrior jumped into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion (1 Chronicles 11:22). Over time, and as their numbers grew, the mighty men also developed spiritual gifts and anointings. It was said of the soldiers from the tribe of Issachar that they had understanding and discernment of the times to know what Israel should do (v. 32). This was not stated in the context of the priesthood or government, but of David’s army! Talk about “intel”! Holy Spirit has been speaking to me, through David’s “mighty men,” about the prayer army He has created today. Honestly, we were far from impressive thirty years ago when He began. Go back twenty more years, and this army didn’t even exist! Intercessors were VERY “few and far between.” The church looked more like David’s cave-dwellers: poor, distressed, and holding on ‘til the rapture. But God saw something else - warriors at heart! And Jesus, the “Son of David,” went to work by His Spirit. He trained, restored gifts, equipped, seasoned, poured out revelation, and increased wisdom. Many in His body have become a true Ekklesia - authorized representatives of His Kingdom authority on earth. No longer cave-dwelling outcasts, they are mighty men and women of faith, equipped for the spiritual battle of our times. These warriors have matured in His Word and ways, been filled with Holy Spirit, honed their gifts and discernment, learned to use their spiritual swords, and are ready to win the spiritual war now being waged. I say to this remnant of warriors: “Be strong in this hour! Our King is the true King over all the earth. He is Owner and Ruler of all, presiding over a Kingdom that will never cease, not only in its existence but also in its expansion (see Isaiah 9:6-7). And He is coming to reap the harvest of the ages, pouring out the former and latter rains for harvest (see Joel 2:23). You are ready for this! You have been trained and equipped! Now, be bold, strong, and fearless. Announce Christ’s victory and declare His harvest over the earth DAILY - over your families, cities, nations, and the earth! YOU ARE HIS VOICE!” Pray with me: Father, we ask for an infusion of new strength and determination for those praying to see America revived and transformed May we be found faithful as we serve Your purpose in our generation. We thank You for the incredible calling You have on our nation. Cause the fires of revival to burn in our nation as never before. Again today, we pray for our government; it is out of control. Lies abound, injustice is rampant, unrighteous laws are enacted, and our government is now weaponized against its citizens. Bring down these evils. Expose them. Continue to awaken the American people to the corruption. We pray for those on the front lines of this battle against the giant of unrighteous government; give them great endurance and faith. Work miracle after miracle to turn the tables on the darkness ruling our land. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the army of God is ready and equipped for spiritual war, and will prevail in this hour. ******************************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------------- “Strong’s Hebrew: 4689. מָצוֹק (matsoq) -- anguish, straits, stress, confinement.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4689.htm. Accessed 7 August 2024. “Strong’s Hebrew: 4751. מָר (mar or marah) -- bitter, weep bitterly, bitter of soul.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4751.htm. Accessed 7 August 2024.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-16-2024 December 16, 2024 Keep Your Faith Anchored Today, I want to talk with you about your faith. We must continue to anchor ourselves to what God has said He is doing at this time. In my book, The Power of Hope, I state: Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” Strong’s concordance tells us the word ‘hope’ in this verse is the word tiqvah. It has two meanings: ‘an expectancy’ and ‘a cord, as an attachment.’(2) The second definition is especially fascinating. Hope connects us to our future. In this same book, The Power of Hope, I share the following story of God encouraging my faith for America. God has been faithful in giving me anchor points like this tree over the years regarding His plans for America. And, of course, His plans for America are joined to His plans for the world. It is easy to lose sight of these plans if we focus on the circumstances around us, especially when we see evil at today’s level. The anchor for faith in these times is the Word of God, what He has promised. When I stake my faith in His words, faith displaces fear. God Wants to Save! Do not underestimate the power of God’s love. He loved the world SO MUCH that He gave His only Son to save us. God sees the fallen earth through this lens of compassion. His passion is to redeem, not destroy. Hear Him say to Abraham, Sure! I’ll spare the city for only ten! (Genesis 18:32; my paraphrase). Revival to America and the world is not being wrestled from the hand of a hesitant God, but offered from His merciful heart. Most definitely, we live in a time of great evil, and the wickedness of some is hard to fathom. But DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO BLUR GOD’S HEART. Yes, He will shake down the wickedness, but He will also release His abounding grace. Anchor to this! When a demonized, evil Herod killed the babies in Christ’s day, God did not abandon His plan and bring Jesus back to heaven. He stayed the course, and He will do so today. When His followers were murdered, burned at the stake, and fed to lions, God didn’t throw up His hands in frustration and destroy the planet. He stayed the course and allowed their blood to become seed He would use to turn the world upside down. It is appropriate to grieve in difficult times. It is reasonable to experience righteous anger. But it is not okay to give up. Our Redeemer is on a mission, and He needs us to stay focused on that mission. Speak His words. Remind yourself of His promises. Worship. And stand! Pray with me: Father, we know how the story ends: You conquer evil once and for all, banish the serpent, and restore the earth. And we know how the story of this season will end: You will shake down evil and bring the greatest revival planet Earth has ever seen. You will NOT be outsmarted, out-maneuvered, or overcome. The worthy Lamb is also the conquering Lion; the gentle Shepherd is also the white horse Rider. He holds the keys, and He is the Supreme Judge. We are following Jesus. We represent Him and His victory at Calvary. We are His reaping force, His liberators, and we move in His authority. We bind every strategy of hell to stop this great harvest, confuse the church, and steal our faith-filled hope. We are and will continue to release living water to the “stump” called America, and this stump will grow into a tree once again. Then, we will release this living water as a river to the nations of the Earth, and entire nations will be saved and transformed. Nothing can stop this - it has already been decided. We send these words into the airwaves, the atmosphere of the earth today, and declare that they will accomplish everything You intend. Not one word will return void, because we do so in the name of Jesus. We command a shaking into the strongholds of darkness in the Middle East and around the world. And we release the love and salvation of God to people there and elsewhere. We ask for all of this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we, the Ekklesia, are steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; this will not change. ************************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------- Sheets, Dutch. The Power of Hope: Let God Renew Your Mind, Heal Your Heart, and Restore Your Dreams. Charisma Media, 2014. p. 3. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. ref. no. 8616. Sheets, Dutch. The Power of Hope: Let God Renew Your Mind, Heal Your Heart, and Restore Your Dreams. Charisma Media, 2014. pp. xiii-xv.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-13-2024 December 13, 2024 Intimidation Is a Trap “Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4) Proverbs 29:25 warns us regarding “the fear of man,” referring to it as a snare. The Passion Translation says, “Intimidation is a trap that holds you back”; The Message Bible reads, “The fear of human opinion disables.” Indeed, the fear of human opinion leads to people-pleasing, compromised values, yielding to peer pressure, and bowing to political correctness, all of which “disables” the church. A desire in the church to be viewed by the world as progressive and tolerant is a snare satan has used to conform people to his way of thinking. The need to be liked and/or accepted outweighs the Word of God to many believers, causing compromise, lukewarmness, and a lack of fruit. The damage caused by the fear of man has been catastrophic to our nation, leading to the spiritual decay of three generations. Today, I’m going to share from three references that give us pictures and insights into this trap called “the fear of man.” Aaron The first is in Exodus 32. In Moses’s day, many of the Israelites had bought into polytheism. They believed in Yahweh but also in the existence of other gods. After their deliverance from Egypt, Moses had been on Mount Sinai for several weeks receiving God’s laws and ordinances for this new nation, Israel. He was gone longer than expected, and many of the people began to think he might never return (v. 1). Perhaps we need another god to help us since Moses, who represented Yahweh, is evidently not coming back, they reasoned. Pathetic! Aaron, whom Moses had left in charge, was then persuaded to fashion a golden calf for the people to worship (vv. 2-6). Pathetic times two! God was understandably angry and sent Moses back down the mountain to deal with this rebellion. Upon arrival, Moses’s choice of words to Aaron made it clear that God was holding Aaron partly responsible for this sin: God’s summary statement in verse 25 is VERY telling: “Aaron had let them run wild disgracing themselves before their enemies” (MSG). Another translation says, “Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies” (NASB). Aaron was intimidated by the uprising of the people, which caused him to compromise. The language of verse 25 - “Aaron had let them get out of control” - makes clear that had he stood his ground, God would’ve backed him. Leaders in the church must refuse to be intimidated by the whims or unbiblical desires of people; giving them what they want will never be an acceptable excuse to God. King Saul Another example of an Israelite leader yielding to the fear of man is in 1 Samuel 13. King Saul had been instructed to wait seven days for Samuel, a prophet and priest of Yahweh, to arrive and offer the necessary sacrifices for securing a military victory (1 Samuel 10:8). God permitted only priests to offer these sacrifices in Israel, not kings. But Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, had made their move, amassing a great army with which to attack them (1 Samuel 13:5). Without God’s help, things weren’t looking good, and without the sacrifices, they wouldn’t have this help. Saul waited almost the entire seven days for Samuel to arrive; but toward the end of the seventh day, with his army “scattering from him,” he disobeyed God and “offered the burnt offering” himself (vv. 8-9). Who showed up just as he was finishing the sacrifice? The prophet and priest, Samuel. The delay had been a test from God; and Saul, snared by fear of the Philistines and the scattering of his people, had failed it. God’s response to Saul through the prophet was essentially, I need someone to rule as king who will obey Me, regardless of what circumstances, enemies, and the people dictate. I need a man after My heart (vv. 13-14). “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) How many leaders in the church have “rejected” God’s Word, compromising in attempts to prevent people from scattering? The Jewish Leaders There is one final passage that gives a dire warning regarding the fear of man. At the end of Christ’s ministry, He had been teaching and performing miracles; many people, including Jewish leaders, now believed He was the Messiah. Yet, because of their fear of man, they would not acknowledge their belief in Him: What an indictment - loving the approval of men more than the approval of God! Interestingly, the Greek word translated “approval” (doxa)(1) is also the New Testament word for “glory.” Therefore, the indictment against these leaders should be translated as The Passion Translation words it: “For they loved the glory that men could give them rather than the glory that came from God!” (v.43). The glory they were receiving from man outweighed the glory of God. Sadly, this could be said of many leaders in the church today: popularity, approval from people, large crowds - these mean more to them than the glory of God. I believe God is changing this. Many leaders are discovering that the praise of men no longer satisfies. They’re also realizing that “powerless Christianity” is a contradiction of the Bible. They are awakening to the fact that we have lowered the standard and watered down the wine. We traded the glory of God for men’s applause, sound doctrine for storytelling, the power of Holy Spirit for personal comfort, and prayer for innovative ideas. Three lost generations and an apostate nation later, they have realized this isn’t working. And God is calling them back to the pattern found in the book of Acts. Our prayer comes from there today. Pray with me: “And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to speak Your Word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the Word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great [megas/mega](2) power, the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant [megas/mega](3) grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:29-33) Amen. Our decree: We decree that Jesus is building a bold church the gates of hell cannot overcome. ********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. ref. no. 1391. Ibid., ref no. 3173. Ibid.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-12-2024 December 12, 2024 Simplicity “But only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated” (GNT). I’ve always felt the latter part of the verse was true about women, and I’ve been told emphatically that the first half is true of men. But I now believe it is all true for all of us. I can complicate almost any problem, regardless of how simple it might be, making it huge and complex. And I don’t like it when someone else trivializes it or gives me some simple plan to fix it. Somehow, I just seem to feel more important when I have big problems with complicated solutions. No doubt about it, I’m an Ecclesiastes 7:29 kind of guy! We must learn to de-complicate life, but we must especially uncomplicate our relationship with Christ. Paul said to the church at Corinth: “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3; emphasis mine). Life can be very complicated; theology can as well. At times, if we’re not careful, both can get downright confusing. But the Lord impresses on my heart time and time again, “There is nothing complicated about a relationship with Me.” The great A. W. Tozer said: Tozer also said, “There are occasions when for hours I lay prostrate before God without saying a word of prayer or a word of praise – I just gaze on Him and worship.”2 Sometimes, no words are needed as we enjoy God’s company. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, “simplicity” is the Greek word haplotes. Its most literal meaning is “singleness, without dissimulation or duplicity;”3 or “the opposite of duplicity.”4 The verse is saying that in our devotion to Christ we must not be double-minded. We must guard against anything causing dissimulation, division, or a watering down. It is okay to be multifaceted in our gifts and activity, and it is wise to be broad-based in our understanding, but in our approach to relationship with Jesus, we must be very single-minded. Allow no other person or activity to crowd Him out. To take Him for granted or allow Him to simply be one of many priorities will weaken us spiritually. “One New Year’s Day in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. An amusing aspect of this was that the float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.”5 Often, we who have within us the well of salvation fail to drink from it. And, like the Standard Oil float, we sometimes run out of gas. Drink from the well daily. Don’t allow Christ to lose His wonder for you. In Christianity Today, Philip Yancey wrote: I’m afraid this describes many Christians’ relationships with the One we call Faithful and True. We’ve known Him so long, become so accustomed to Him, well, you know.… Don’t ever stop being impressed with Jesus! Do you ever listen and not really hear? The word “listening” in Greek is the word akouo, which means not only to hear, but to understand.7 One definition said, “To understand, hear with the ear of the mind.” Jesus repeatedly said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35 NKJV). This places the responsibility of hearing on us. We must choose to posture ourselves in a way that allows us to truly hear. In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus commended Mary for listening (akouo),8 while Martha was busy in the kitchen. He said Mary had chosen the good thing, which would produce lasting fruit. Interestingly, the word for “obey” in Scripture (hupakouo)9 comes from the same word. The prefix hupo means “under,” making the literal meaning of this word, “hear under.”10 The biblical concept of obedience is: (1) hearing and understanding someone, then (2) bringing your will under what they have said. Mary was truly hearing (akouo) Christ, which would allow her to obey (hupakouo). May we be more like Mary, having unencumbered ears and truly willing to listen, hear, and obey. Pray with me: Father, life gets complicated at times. Our plates get full and we sometimes say we “don’t have enough hours in a day.” But You told us in Ecclesiastes that we complicate life. You have challenged us that no matter how busy and hectic life gets, we must keep our relationship with You foremost and simple – uncomplicated. We know that if we truly listen, You will speak to us both in our hearts and through Your Word. We choose to listen. We choose to have listening and hearing ears. And we choose to bring ourselves under what we hear from You; we choose to obey. We draw near to You, confident that as we do, You will draw near to us. We pray now for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray for refreshing to those who are weary, peace to those who are anxious, and endurance to those who are tired. We ask You for the Spirit of revelation to intensify among Your people. Holy Spirit, would You lift the veil in order that those who have never known they could hear Your voice would now begin hearing and enjoying intimacy with You. We ask for these things in Christ’s name, Amen. Our decree: We decree that we have ears to hear what Holy Spirit is saying to the church and that we will obey. ******************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------- Rowell, Edward K. Quotes and Idea Starters for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal. Edited by Edward K. Rowell, Baker Books, 1996, p.181. Ibid., p.181. Strong, James. New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2003, ref no. 572. Zodhiates, Spiros, editor. KJV Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible: Hardbound. AMG Publishers, 1991, p.1808. Larson, Craig Brian, editor. Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal. Baker Books, 1993, p.181. Larson, Craig Brian, editor. Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal. Baker Books, 1993, p. 68. Zodhiates, Spiros, editor. Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. AMG Publishers, 1998, p. 1802. “Strong's Greek: 191. ἀκούω (akouó) -- to hear, listen.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/191.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023. “Strong's Greek: 5219. ὑπακούω (hupakouó) -- to listen, attend to, obey, answer.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/5219.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023. “Strong's Greek: 5259. ὑπό (hupo) -- by, under, under authority” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/5259.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-11-2024 December 11, 2024 Running with the King’s Heart Second Samuel 18 is a sad chapter. King David’s traitorous son, Absalom, is killed and his coup overthrown. A “runner,” as they called them back then, needs to run with the bitter-sweet news to David: “The rebellion is over, but your son is dead.” A fast, gifted runner named Ahimaaz wanted to carry the news, but David’s general chose an unnamed Cushite, and off he went. Ahimaaz, however, was not to be denied: “Please let me also run” (v. 22). The general finally said okay, and Ahimaaz took off. He was so fast that he eventually passed the Cushite and proudly delivered the message to David that the coup was over. “Speed” had won…or had it? When David then asked about Absalom, Ahimaaz answered with embarrassment that he didn’t know. He hadn’t cared enough to find out about David’s son! The Cushite then arrived and gave David the full message: “The coup is over, but your son is dead.” Ahimaaz was very fast. He started last but arrived first. This gifted man ran in vain, however: "You will have no reward for going," the general had said (v. 22). Ahimaaz didn’t have the complete message. And he didn’t have it because he was not aligned with the king's heart. David had not only defeated an enemy, he had also lost a son. Ahimaaz eventually stepped aside in ignorance, insignificance, and embarrassment as a nameless individual took center stage and delivered the complete message. Our message will always be deficient in some way if it isn't connected to the King's heart. I'm speaking, of course, of God our King. The pleasure of God is and must remain the ultimate goal of our running. The glory and exaltation of the Son must be our desire. His passion and priority of harvesting sons and daughters into the family must become ours. God is willing to share His heart for America and the worldwide harvest with those who desire it. But beware - His heart is broken. When God touched my heart with His on October 4, 2000, I wasn't ready for what I felt. I thought mine was going to break in two. When He was finished, I had become a man with a cause - and ruined for life. Yes, ask for an impartation of God’s heart, but know that when you receive it, it will cost you. Why Are We Running? Why are we “running,” laboring for spiritual causes? Is it for personal fulfillment, fame, glory, self-aggrandizement, to make a name for ourselves? Or are we, like the Cushite in this passage, content to remain nameless? Is our motive advancement, a position to display our gifts or our speed? Are we wanting to build something big? In Philippians 3:14, Paul said, "I press toward the mark" (KJV). His goal, or “mark,” as he called it, was clear. In verse 12 (NASB), he said, "I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." The Gift Mentality Unfortunately, the charismatic movement, as wonderful as I know it was, gave many a gift mentality: We ran on the strength of our gifts. The very word "charismatic" means "grace gift." This often led to a performance mentality: running to set records, to be first, to be the best, to be the biggest. "Build 'em big and build 'em fast!" became the mindset of many in the church. Overnight sensations were, and in many ways still are, the order of the day. There is nothing biblical about this mindset! Persistent, progressive, hang-in-there, long-term building should receive more honor than something produced quickly. Sadly, it does not. But far more character is needed to build a work or ministry over a long period of time than to enjoy something that springs up quickly. One of the basic problems with this unbiblical philosophy of success, aside from its inherent pride and self-exaltation, is that if any part of our vision is born from ambition rather than God's heart, we are soon running for ourselves, not the King. Zeal that was originally intended to do something for God, often becomes a zeal to remain successful. This change can be so subtle it frequently happens without us even realizing it. The church in America is inundated with ambitious Ahimaazes - people running for their own fame and success rather than for God’s heart. Vision for the future must not be our starting place. Vision, born of God's heart, must be our starting place. The questions we must continually ask ourselves are: How well do I understand and relate to the King's heart in this matter? Is that, and that alone, my motive for running? Was His heart the birthplace of my vision? Our speed or giftedness NEVER validates our running. Holy Hubert Hubert Lindsay (“Holy Hubert”), a gentleman used greatly by God in the early days of the Jesus People/Charismatic Movement, exemplifies a life lived according to God's heart. “The Jesus People Movement” was used by God to bring thousands of drug-addicted, sexually active, disillusioned, and rebellious young people into the Kingdom of God. Like King David, who was not called by his father to join the “Potential King Pageant” (see 1 Samuel 16), nothing about Holy Hubert's appearance or personality caused him to stand apart. But like David, he possessed something more important: God’s heart for a generation. I once had the privilege of hearing Mr. Lindsay speak. He told of his calling to minister on the University of California at Berkeley campus, and spoke of the miracles and salvations. He mixed in some humor, and we all laughed, cheered, and applauded. What impacted me most, however, was a passing comment Holy Hubert made about how his ministry at Berkeley had been birthed. "I became so burdened for this generation," Mr. Lindsay said, "that I would walk the streets of the campus - sometimes all night long - weeping and interceding for those lost kids. I pled with God to save those young people." God had given this man His heart for a lost generation. The Lord answered Hubert’s cry - because it was His own - and gave him a revival. Church historians agree that the Jesus People movement was incredibly significant in the entire spiritual renewal of the '60s and '70s. And when tracing the roots of The Jesus People Movement, one invariably ends up at Berkeley with Holy Hubert Lindsay. Lindsay’s burden cost him dearly, however. His broken heart led to broken bones - not to a large salary or a huge congregation. Lindsay and his wife were beaten on numerous occasions, stabbed, mocked, and ridiculed as they preached the gospel on campus. His wife eventually suffered brain damage from this, and Holy Hubert lost his sight due to the beatings. Just as the apostle Paul, they bore on their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus (see Galatians 6:17). The Lindsays picture for us the principle of running with the heart of God, allowing that to become the motivation for ministry. This releases pure revival, keeping it free from the debris of pride and selfish motivation. The Charismatic Movement’s overall weakness in this regard, however, resulted in a generation of Christians who believed giftedness qualified one for ministry. Character and God’s heart were replaced by other priorities and motivations, which inevitably led many to build personal kingdoms. A cooperative heart was superseded by a competitive heart. Travailing, agonizing prayer was replaced with innovation and the strength of our gifts. Last, and probably most tragically, success was measured not by how well we knew the Father but by how well-known we were. Speed, fueled by ignorance, raced forward out of control and with deficient messages. Ahimaaz passed the Cushite, and the King wept. Now, we are in desperate need of an alignment; our fast-moving, state-of-the-art churches are pulling hard to the right and left. A "presence" revival, built around intimacy with the King and His version of success, will be required to correct this. Pray with me: Father, like an automobile traveling down a well-worn road, the potholes of undealt-with ambition and desire for success knock us out of alignment. Before we know it, like Ahimaaz, we are running for our own fulfillment, not Yours, speeding down life’s highway in search of self-worth and success. Passion for You will correct this. We believe this has begun. As it continues, our hearts will burn for You, not for our own fulfillment and personal kingdoms. Religion will be replaced by relationship; intimacy with You will be our desire and the fuel for our activities. Give us Your heart for lost and hurting people. Give us Your heart for the broken, wounded, and confused. Give us Your heart, even for the rebel. Break our hearts for them - give us many who will walk the streets, weeping for those who are so lost. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the heart of God is being imparted to the church, making us nameless, faceless, and powerful. *************************** Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book Praying for America,(1) which is no longer in print. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Sheets, Dutch. Praying for America. Regal Books, 2001.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-10-2024 December 10, 2024 The Dance of Passover In 1 Kings 18, Elijah assembled the Israelites on Mount Carmel in what was to be an epic showdown between Yahweh and Baal; Israel was worshiping Baal in this season. Ahab and Jezebel had led Israel into deep idolatry - much like America’s ungodly, immoral leaders have done. The attendees of the Democratic Convention in 2012 literally booed God “off the stage” and out of their platform. Why not? America had already expelled Him from their schools. The homosexual movement in America has mocked God, using His symbol of covenant, the rainbow (Genesis 9:13-16), as their symbol. Obama followed suit, again mocking God’s covenant - marriage, this time - by lighting the White House in the colors of the rainbow when the Supreme Court made homosexual “marriage” the law of the land. Biden hung the rainbow flag front and center at the White House, pushing aside Old Glory to do so, as transvestites bared their “breasts” on the White House lawn. Ahab and Jezebel would have been proud. In Elijah’s day, Israel was experiencing judgment for this idolatry and its accompanying perversions, a three-year drought that was ravaging the land. America’s troubles, too, are from our rejection of God and His Word. Israel’s judgment was accomplishing its purpose, and repentance was now possible; thus, the showdown on Mount Carmel. I’m confident America’s shaking will awaken us, as well. Elijah prophesied that rain was coming and then called for the contest (I Kings 18:1-2, 19). As preparations were being made, he challenged Israel, “How long will you halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (18:21 KJV). There was as yet no answer. Israel still couldn’t decide between Yahweh and Baal. The word for “halt” (pasach)(1) is fascinating. The Hebrew language is pictorial. A word or number presents a picture that can represent several things; the meaning and/or application of the picture is determined by the context. Regarding this word, for example, picture the up-and-down movement of someone jumping or hopping; that is pasach. Therefore, it is the word used for “hop, skip, or dance.” At other times, the up-and-down movement represents pain, not celebration. Thus, it is also the word for “limping, lame, halt” (a synonym for limp). It is also used for “hesitate,” because to hesitate is to move backward and forward, mentally or physically, while trying to decide something. Pasach is also the word for “pass over” (Exodus 12:13, 23, 27): “When I see the blood I will pass over you” (v. 13). The spirit of death “leapt” or “passed over” the Israelite homes that had the blood of lambs on the lintels of the doors. And a derivative, pesach,(2) became the word for “Passover.” Putting this back into Elijah’s question to Israel, God was essentially asking them in 1 Kings 18:21, Why are you hesitating, halting about who you honor, serve, and trust? You could and should be dancing the dance of covenant with Me, the dance of Passover. Instead, you are limping the limp of Baal. The Complete Jewish Bible translates verse 21: Then, the showdown began. Baal’s prophets went first, trying to get Baal to answer by fire. But God had paralyzed the demons behind Baal, and they couldn’t perform. His followers tried many things to get him to respond, including leaping and dancing (pasach). Don't miss the revealing irony that Holy Spirit is bringing by using the very same word for their dancing worship of Baal as He uses for Israel’s limp. Baal’s dance always becomes a limp. His worshipers then cut themselves, and blood “gushed” forth. Baal demands pain; he craves and demands bloodshed. Meet America. For many years, we in America danced the dance of Passover. As a result, we were protected, made prosperous, and became the envy of the world. Then, we traded partners. America has been dancing with Baal for decades now, mocking Adonai and His covenant, partying away. But like the Pied Piper, Baal’s “services” aren’t free. He required a price for the party, demanding the blood sacrifice of our children; now, he is demanding their mutilation. He has provoked our children to cut themselves, seeking peace they cannot find. And he has unleashed further violence and death in our land: murder, rape, riots, child abuse and more. We now stumble along with Baal’s painful limp, as he plays his flute and drinks the blood. God’s word to America, just as it was to Israel, is this: How long will you hesitate between opinions, limping Baal’s limp? Return to Me. We’ll celebrate the Passover Lamb again, dancing together in the joyous dance of freedom and victory. I’ll heal your wounds, restore your families, revive the land, and reinstate your destiny. We’ll run together, taking My salvation to the nations of the earth, healing the broken, and freeing the oppressed. May we accept His gracious offer! Join me, please, in asking. Pray with me: Father, we in America have sown to the wind and are now reaping the whirlwind. Like Israel, we traded the Passover dance for the limp of Baal. The death toll from this choice is in the tens of millions. Were it not for Your redemptive power and love, it would ultimately be America’s total annihilation. Mercy is being offered to us, however; not because we deserve it, but through the only appeal You accept, one offered through the blood of Your Son, Jesus. Forgive us for spurning You for demons. Forgive us for sacrificing our children and families on the altar of pleasure and depravity. Forgive us for mocking You and Your covenant of marriage. We ask for the salvation of all who have been deceived into turning away from You and rejecting Your ways. Lord, You broke the rule of Baal off Israel, and You can do so for America. We ask for a reviving of America’s heart and soul, a deliverance from evil, and a return to good. You told us to ask for spiritual rain when we discerned it was “time” (Zechariah 10:1). We are asking, and the rain is coming. We believe this is a season of breakthrough. We ask You for this, and all we have prayed for today, in Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that America will choose the dance of Passover, and be healed of her Baal-worshiping limp. **************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. ref. no. 6452. Ibid., ref. no. 6453.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-9-2024 December 9, 2024 Epoch-Making Revival One of my favorite verses on revival is Acts 3:19: “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” As is often the case, our English translation doesn’t fully convey the Greek content. The phrase “times of refreshing” is loaded with meaning. “Times” is translated from the word kairos, which means “opportune time.”(1) Wuest, a very literal translator of the New Testament, uses the following phrases to translate kairos: “epoch-making periods” (see Acts 3:19); “strategic, significant period” (see Acts 12:1); “strategic, epochal time” (see Acts 19:23). Using his words, kairos times are strategic, significant, and potentially epoch-making. America must experience an “epoch-making” revival.(2) I looked up the hyphenated phrase “epoch-making” to gain full understanding. It means “significant by virtue of ensuing historical developments,”(3) “a period of time characterized by momentous events or changes,”(4) and “a fixed point of time from which succeeding years are numbered.”(5) That’s what we’re after - momentous events and changes. A revival so great it is historical, one from which succeeding years are numbered, like epoch-making and historical floods. The year is remembered, like the Johnstown Flood of 1889 or the Big Thompson Canyon (Colorado) Flood of 1976. The size of the flood is measured by how often one of that proportion comes: a 50-year flood or a 100-year flood. We want a flood of the river of God so great that people will speak of it the way they speak of physical floods: a revival of such monumental proportions that it is historical. Breathe On Us, Oh God! The word “refreshing” in Acts 3:19 is also important. Anapsuxis is compounded from two words, ana and psucho. Strong’s Concordance says ana means “repetition, intensity or reversal.”(6) Zodhiates agrees, and adds the word “increase.”(7) Psucho means “to breathe, blow or refresh with cool air.”(8) Here are five definitions of anapsucho or anapsuxis: “to draw breath again” “to revive by fresh air”(9) “to cool or refresh with a breath” “to regain strength” “Restoration”(10) In this verse, Peter is saying that if we respond properly to the Holy Spirit, it will create a kairos time for God to once again breathe on us; revive us with a fresh breath, restore us, and give us new strength. I also like the concept of intensity in ana. God wants to breathe on us again intensely. Peter was apparently thinking back a few days to Pentecost when the breath of God blew intensely, once more filling humans with the Spirit and life of God. In Ezekiel 37:1-14, dry bones are used to represent spiritual death. To reverse this, God first caused the bones to reconnect; then He put skin on them, “but there was no breath in them” (v. 8). The prophet was then told, “Prophesy to the breath…say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life”’” (v. 9). God’s breath bringing life is what occurred in Genesis 2:7. He breathed into Adam’s lifeless body, infusing it with His life. In Acts 3, Peter thought back through history - Genesis, Ezekiel, Pentecost - and prophesied that it could happen again if the people would obey the Holy Spirit. They did and God did; and it has happened since, on numerous occasions. God is ready to do it yet again! He wants to release His breath, another wind, to our generation, and He wants to do so with great intensity. Buy the Opportunity! We must seize the moment. Twice the New Testament tells us to “redeem the time” (see Ephesians 5:15-17; Colossians 4:5, KJV). "Redeem" is translated from exagorazo, meaning “buy or purchase,” and “time” is kairos. We are told to buy the opportune time.(11) Indeed, opportunities must be bought; they cost us - time, energy, abilities, money, even our very lives. If we don’t spend what is necessary and “buy” them, opportunities can be lost. We must not miss our opportunity to change the world! Let’s buy the opportunity for an epoch-making revival. Seek Vision for the Harvest Allow God to birth vision in you, vision that will motivate you to faith and action. Vision is a life-changer, a rearranger, a cause producer. Its hunger can be insatiable, a motivating force creating energy and energizing creativity. Vision moves us from mere mental assent to physical exertion. It separates the hearer from the doer, a convert from a disciple, and mediocrity from excellence. Vision is also what separates a ripe harvest from a reaped harvest (see Matthew 9:37). Let’s ask God to increase vision and passion for a historical, epoch-making revival, and for hearts willing to buy the opportunity. Pray with me: Father, we ask You to increase our passion and vision for the epoch-making revival You have planned. Light the flames of passion in the church to such intensity that no price will be too great to pay. Awaken hearts to seize the moment, and buy the opportune time You have created. Bring vision to believers, motivating them to write history. Breathe on the dry bones of the earth and give them life. Save and deliver, redeem and transform. Make this an epochal, historic revival - unlike any other. We believe entire nations can and will be born-again in a day. Do it, we pray! Send the rushing, mighty wind of Acts 2. Give us miracles on the level of Acts 3 that cause thousands to be saved. Blow Your breath all over the world. We ask these things through Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the life-giving breath of God is bringing an epoch-making revival to earth again, and this cannot be stopped! *************************** I encourage you to visit YouTube, where you can listen to the song, Revive Us (Revival in Belfast) by Robin Mark. Click the link below to watch the full video: Today’s devotional was taken from my book Praying for America,(13) which is no longer in print.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-5-2024 December 5, 2024 Release Your Battle Cry “God has ascended with a shout (rua), The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet.” (Psalm 47:5) Spiritual War is necessary. Though God is love, He is also a warrior. And Holy Spirit wants to awaken His warrior heart in us, the Ekklesia. As the Lion of Judah, Yeshua wants to roar from us: “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” (Joel 3:16 KJV) Holy Spirit gave my friend, Scott Reece, a strong word regarding this: ******* “There is an aligning among My lions that will usher in a new shift on earth. Powers will shift, authority will shift, and ungodly rulers will be unseated. I am making room for those that are righteous to rule in the land. Angel armies have been assembled for the purposes of strategic warfare. They will usher in a godly generation that will hold the standard, even against the darkest nights. This is a generation unlike any other. The cry of My people in desperate times has activated a warfare strategy that will catch the enemy off guard. The hallowed halls of men’s political achievements will be shaken to the core and reverberate with a sound of worship and righteousness. You will witness a breaking down of the political divide and see the establishment of a righteous government, holding a righteous scepter in their hands. You will see a governmental body actually stop and pray before a vote in order to ascertain My heart. The podium will be used for godly leaders crying out together in faith, as opposed to arguing, defending unrighteousness, offending My heavens, and shutting off the land from My purposes. The foundation of this alignment will be laid by My apostles and prophets. The aligning will be a source of activation, release, and unity among My Ekklesia. Do not become distracted by the lying of the enemy. Do not become discouraged by divisive methodologies designed to deter you. Set your heart in alignment with My Word and My purposes. Align with the apostolic and prophetic voices I am raising up. You will hear different roars with different anointings, but as they align, you will clearly see that I am in the midst of the roar and My voice is at the center. My word is emerging as a new wine that is being poured out.” ******* What a powerful and encouraging word. Holy Spirit is “roaring” through our prayers. The Bible speaks not only of God’s people roaring (Joel 3:16), but also of releasing a battle cry. Psalm 47 tells us: “O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout (rua) to God with the voice of joy. For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet…God has ascended with a shout (rua), The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet.” (Psalm 47:1-3, 5) Shout is the Hebrew word rua. This word describes a war cry, a shout of victory over one’s enemy on the battlefield.(1) It was also used for “blowing” the shofar before a battle; one definition is “to split the ears with sound.” Mel Gibson’s rendition of William Wallace in Braveheart comes to mind: “FREEDOM!!!!!” Rua is translated “sound the alarm” in Joel 2:1. In this context, it means “we’re going to war.” The passage in Psalm 47 tells us if WE are willing to lift a rua and fight (v. 1), God will rua with us (v. 5): He “ascends with a shout.” And as God arises, His enemies are scattered (Psalm 68:1). They flee before Him! My point is quite simple: There is “a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). There is a time to shout, roar and FIGHT, and that time has arrived. And though the warfare I speak of is spiritual, it must be no less intense. We must allow God to awaken His warrior heart in us. The war on earth for the souls of men and women, and for control over regions of the world, is raging. Satan is ruthless in this war, always wanting to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). In this and all spiritual conflicts, how do we release our spiritual power, weapons, and authority? We do so primarily with our words. When Jesus was confronted by satan, He provided the example of how to war against the devil and his spiritual forces: “It is written!” (Matthew 4:1-11). God’s spoken Word is the most powerful force on earth. With it He creates, releases life, tears down, and builds up. And Holy Spirit tells us that God’s Word in our mouth (Greek: rhema: “spoken words”),(2) is a sword against satan and his demons (Ephesians 6:17). When we speak God’s words in spiritual warfare, they are an overpowering weapon, a sword; leaving them unspoken leaves our sword in its scabbard. Whatever arena of spiritual battle we’re in, we must wield our sword! When we are fearful or tempted to fear, we should speak God’s Word that promises freedom from fear. When we are sick, we should declare promises of healing. When we are in turmoil and unrest, we should decree verses of Scripture regarding peace. And when we see satan stealing, killing, and destroying, we should declare God’s Word regarding deliverance and salvation into the situation. Consider going into a private place and rua-ing over your unsaved family members, a deceived friend, or an evil government. A shout of war is just as terrifying to the ears of demons as it is to human soldiers on a battlefield. Don’t allow your dignity to silence your roar. Unsheath your sword! Pray with me: Father, many believers have learned to worship, others have learned to pray, but most - though descended from the Lion of Judah - do not know how to roar. You said You would roar out of Zion, so we’re asking You to awaken Your roar in the Ekklesia, shouts of triumph over spiritual enemies. May the sword of the Spirit be removed from its scabbard and devastate the powers of darkness. You said in the word You gave Scott that “the cry of Your people has activated a warfare strategy that will catch the enemy off guard.” We now lay hold of this strategy, calling it forth from Holy Spirit to the womb of the church. We declare that we have ears to hear what He is saying, and we will implement His divine plan. Revival is coming to the earth and will not be stopped. The heavens are being rent, hunger is being awakened, the veil of deception is being lifted. The God of glory is thundering, rain clouds are forming, and an abundant rain shall fall. We declare this in Yeshua’s name, Amen. Our decree: We decree that the warrior nature of Christ is being awakened in the Ekklesia around the world! ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------- “Strong's Hebrew: 7321. ר֫וּעַ (rua) -- to raise a shout, give a blast, raise your battle cry.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7321.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023. “Strong's Greek: 4487. ῥῆμα (rhéma) -- a word, spoken, by impl. a matter; a word or saying of any kind as command, report, promise.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/4487.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-6-2024 5🌟 December 6, 2024 Let's Finish This! As the book of Ezra opens, Cyrus, king of Persia, allows a remnant of Israelites to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding their Temple. Seventy years prior, God had allowed Israel to be taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, because of their apostasy. Later, they came under the rule of Cyrus when he conquered Babylon. God then moved upon the heart of Cyrus, a pagan and idolatrous king, to permit this return. He even stirred Cyrus’ heart to help the remnant raise the needed funds for rebuilding (Ezra 1:1-4), and returned to them all the vessels and utensils Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from the Temple. A remnant returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel’s leadership and began the work. Ezra tells us: It has always intrigued me that many younger Israelites shouted for joy while some of the older ones wept. We are left to wonder why the older folks wept. Joy? Grieving lost years? Realizing just how far they had to go? One thing is certain: their perspective was different. There is one more certainty about the celebration which took place that day: it was a bit premature. Satan had plans for the project, also. Daniel 7:25 tells us he attempts to alter “times and laws.” The Hebrew word used for “time” in this verse means an appointed time;(1) the word for “laws” means, among other things, the decree of a king.(2) God our King, appoints our times and seasons; He also decrees His good plans and purposes for us, both in His written Word and prophetically. However, this verse tells us satan tries to alter those times and decrees. We know he can’t do so by overpowering or outwitting God; he attempts to do so by attacking us. Daniel 7:25 also reveals one of the ways satan tries to do so: by “wearing down” the saints. The Hebrew word this is taken from is never used in Scripture to describe physical fatigue, only mental and emotional weariness. Satan attempts to wear us down in our souls, causing us to “grow weary” (literally: “lose heart”) in our efforts (Galatians 6:9). Fear, discouragement, lack of endurance, hope-deferred, and other emotional responses attack our faith and, if not guarded against, can cause us to lose heart. If this weariness occurs, it can alter our God-appointed times. This time-altering strategy worked against the remnant sent to rebuild the Temple of God. Satan’s method in that situation was to work through other people in the region: These “propagandists,” or “counselors,” as other translations refer to them, were basically lobbyists, individuals hired and sent to the king with accusations and misinformation. They succeeded in planting concerns in him that, once the Israelites rebuilt their temple, they would rebel from his rule and cause great problems in his kingdom. The Israelites, rather than remaining strong and trusting God to help them overcome this, yielded to fear and discouragement. The result? The rebuilding of the temple stopped for 16 years! All they had produced was a foundation. During this time, though abandoning God’s house, the Israelites began building their own homes and businesses. They attempted to justify this by saying it must not yet be God’s appointed time for the Temple to be rebuilt. Opposition, however, should never be allowed to determine what we believe to be God’s will. Nor should this be something used to judge whether or not it is His appointed time for something. Eventually, God had enough of their complacency and raised up a prophet, Haggai, to deliver His message to them: When the people responded appropriately to God’s words, He was quick to respond with grace and favor. Turns out it wasn’t those in opposition to God that were His problem; He was well able to deal with them. His people were the problem! What God needed was a people of faith who would not succumb to fear, discouragement, or self-centeredness. When they were able to shake off these things, God favored them once again and said, I am with you! Let’s go! A month later, Haggai encouraged them by prophesying again, Like this remnant in Israel, many in the church of America have grown weary in their prayers for revival and the rebuilding of our nation. Lobbyists, media opposition, unrighteous laws, intimidating government agencies, elections that didn’t go our way, ungodly politicians - satan has used these and more, attempting to wear us down. Some responded just as these Israelites did, deciding it must not be time for America’s turnaround. Yet many did not! God now needs for us to persevere in our faith and prayers. We must not allow satan to alter our appointed times and God’s promised recovery by wearing us down. Don’t be intimidated. God can deal with His enemies, just as He did in Haggai’s day. Determine that nothing will stop us – wars, threats, fear, discouragement, setbacks, unbelief – nothing. Let’s finish this! Pray with me: Father, You have begun a good work in our nation. You’ve raised up a remnant of people determined to birth revival, and see America accomplish all You have destined for her. We are determined to see righteousness in our government once again, determined to see the young generation of Americans come to know You, and determined to see world-wide revival - at least a billion souls. We will not stop with only a foundation. We will not yield to opposition, fear, confusion, unbelief, discouragement, or selfishness. We will finish this! We WILL finish this! Raise up Haggais in our day with Your words. Stir the hearts of Your people. We ask for an infusion of strength and hope. We ask that mental fatigue and emotional weariness be broken off of the praying church, the remnant. Send a wind of Holy Spirit to us now, we pray. Stir up hearts that once burned with fire for revival and breakthrough, but have now settled for less. Stir up the hearts of pastors who have chosen to settle for less than the fires of revival. Stir up intercessors who have allowed the fire to go out. Awaken us all to Your passion in this hour. May there be a roar of intercession that is released in this nation and the nations of the earth. We ask You, “Rend the heavens and come down!” We make these requests in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen. Our decree: God is with us; we will arise and build..! ****************🌟*************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------- “Strong’s Hebrew: 2165. זְמָן (zeman) -- appointed time, occasion, season; time.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2165.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023. “Strong’s Hebrew: 1882. דָּת (dath) -- decree, law.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1882.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-3-2024 December 3, 2024 God Decided It Would Fly Again “We will sing for joy over Your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.” Psalm 20:5 I was introduced to the Appeal to Heaven flag in 2013. In 2020, a dream was sent to me in which George Washington, who commissioned the birth of the Appeal to Heaven flag, presented me the original and said, “It still works.” Given the fact that God has now resurrected this flag, we should learn more about it. At the end of 2013, I realized I was ending a 13-year spiritual journey. It had started during a prayer and ended with a flag - an old and forgotten flag, forgotten 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! This 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 me one! 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. However, it seems God doesn’t intend it to be used only by America. It can be seen flying in the Himalayas - the highest point on the planet - where it is fittingly raised above dozens of Buddhist prayer flags. It has flown on the plains of Ninevah (the place of the first region-transforming revival), in South Africa, Panama, and more recently in Cambodia where it was used in prayers against human trafficking. 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 carried more weight than they do in our present day. Their symbolism was usually 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. For example, an 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!”(1) My journey involves a different flag in America’s past, one that is especially relevant to our God-given purpose and destiny. Modern-day progressives, historical revisionists, liberal politicians, and humanistic professors would scoff at the notion that America was established by God for a divine purpose. They would also mock the assertion that our founders believed in and honored this divine-human partnership. As John Adams said, however, “facts are stubborn things…”(2) These modernists may not like our 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 unique purpose. When General George Washington commissioned the Appeal to Heaven flag to fly over our naval ships in the Revolutionary War(3) - 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 wouldn’t fly 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. “Chance,” however, was no longer a relevant term once they chose an appeal to heaven. The matter would not be left to fate. When those ill-prepared and poorly equipped revolutionaries appealed for assistance 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 superintending providence in our favor.”(4) Today, let it be said of our generation that when a nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to war 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 the celestial courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power. Let us appeal to heaven…it still works! Pray with me: Father, the world looked on in amazement as 13 unorganized, army-less, upstart colonies defeated the world’s greatest empire. It seemed impossible, yet they succeeded. And we know how they did it: they asked for and received Your help. They actually put the request on a banner and raised it over the battles. And You responded, coming to their aid - the appeal worked. You have now resurrected this flag and are re-energizing the appeal. It worked then; it will work now. The same phenomenon that birthed our nation will now rebirth it - an appeal to heaven. Breathe on this, Father. Energize it with Your Holy Spirit. Make it live again in America and around the world. We appeal to You for worldwide revival. We appeal to You for the destruction of strongholds. 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. In this land, America, pour out Your Spirit in a great deluge of power and glory. Do this until we are once again a light to the world, a carrier of the life-giving gospel, and a beacon of truth. We decree this shall be so, in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen. Our decree: We decree: It still works! ****************************** Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven.(5) Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Navy's Jack.” Naval History and Heritage Command, 21 September 2021, https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/heritage/banners/usnavy-jack.html. Accessed 2 February 2021 Adams, John. Argument in Defense of British Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials. 4 December 1770. Richard Frothingham, History of the Siege of Boston, and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Buner Hill, Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1849, p. 261. Benjamin, Franklin. "Constitutional Convention Address on Prayer." Philadelphia, PA., June 28, 1787. Sheets, Dutch. An Appeal to Heaven. Dutch Sheets Ministries, 2015, pp. vii-xiv.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/december-2-2024 December 2, 2024 God is Government For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us. (Isaiah 33:22) Today, I want to give an overview of God’s plan regarding government, one of the most important topics in the Bible. The Origin of Government The concept of government is first introduced to us in Genesis 1:26-28, when Yahweh assigned the responsibility of managing, ruling, or governing (Hebrew: radah(1) and mashal(2)) the earth and all it contains to Adam and his offspring. However, the concept of government did not originate when God created the earth; He didn’t imagine or dream up the notion just for this new endeavor. God is, and always has been, Lord or Ruler over all. The concept of government flows from who God is, not just from what He does - HE IS GOVERNMENT. Obviously then, this makes Him earth’s “Judge, Lawgiver, and King” (Isaiah 33:22), and all government on earth was intended to flow from Him. The fact that God is government and rules from who He is, is why “righteousness and justice are the foundations of [His] throne” (Psalm 89:14). God is also truth and love (John 14:6; 1 John 4:16). His laws, precepts, guidelines, and actions are based on love and truth, righteousness and justice, and flow from His nature. Again, God governs from who He is! God Releases His Government Through Family The Bible is the story of God and His family. Our heavenly Father wanted a family, so He created their home, then created them. He then delegated governmental rule of this small portion of His Kingdom, earth, to this family (Genesis 1:26-28). This dominion or authority was to be exercised over all the earth and in all elements of society – personal, home and family, cities, and nations – and was intended to release God’s nature and function according to that nature. His intent was that ALL earthly government be a conduit of Him; He would release His will, ways, truth, righteousness, and love on earth through governmental authority - at every level - and do so through humans, His new family. That God would delegate this governing authority to Adam and his offspring shouldn’t be surprising; they were His family! Every aspect of Adam’s nature and all of his actions were to reflect God’s image and likeness: procreating more eternal beings bearing Yahweh’s image; mining earth’s treasure and potential through dreaming and imagining; loving; and leading and managing this portion of God’s great universe and Kingdom. We know this plan was temporarily interrupted at the Fall. Satan deceived and stole God’s family, and along with it the dominion/government of their home. The story of Scripture then became how God would redeem and restore these two things: His family and their dominion. The war on earth is over family and government: Who will own the people? Who will rule the earth? Jesus, of course, by becoming one of us, was God’s solution. He made it possible for all people to become part of God’s family again; and He recovered Adam’s lost authority. The Scriptures Are All About Government With family and government being the two primary issues on earth, it seems logical that government would be one of Scripture’s dominant themes, and it is. Government is mentioned extensively throughout the Bible. Earthly “kingdoms” are spoken of 36 times, earthly “kings” are spoken of 108 times, and the words “rule” or “ruler” are mentioned 155 times. God is mentioned by the governmental term “Lord” thousands of times, and His “Kingdom” is referenced more than 80 times. We could give the totals for other governmental terms, such as dominion, authority, govern, leader, and so forth, which are used dozens of times. Suffice it to say, the issue of government, along with family, is absolutely paramount in Scripture. AND YET…through satanic deception, many in the church think government should be ignored. “Win people to Christ” they say, “but the subject of government doesn’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.” Persuading a church to take time in a service for more than a perfunctory prayer for 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 ruled on by the government, such as the termination of life, marriage, gender issues, and more, is even harder. Most in the church don’t acknowledge the overwhelming amount of Scripture involving government, preferring to ignore it instead. They conveniently hide behind man-made laws designed to silence us. Rather than honoring God, many leaders are ruled by the fear of man. Fear of dividing or offending also silences many pastors. The result of this decision is that most believers are ignorant of God’s Word on the subject. As a result of the church's withdrawal, America hangs in the balance of life or death. Hope I’ve said before that regardless of the church’s abdication, God will save America through the prayers of a remnant. I still believe this. But I also believe our salvation and turnaround could have occurred much more quickly - and without the present shaking - had a larger percentage of the church been speaking out, praying, and taking action. The pain we are experiencing isn’t over and could have been avoided. Those of you who are praying - thank you, and please persevere. Your prayers WILL save America. Pray with me: Father, in Christ’s name, on behalf of the church in America, we ask You to forgive us for not representing You and Your ways as we should. We have been deceived, complacent, willfully ignorant, and fearful of speaking out against the promotion of sin and evil. 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. Send repentance to preachers in America for watering down Your truth, for ignoring portions of Your Word, and for operating under the fear of man. You said in Your Word that we could close doors to demonic forces, not with human strength, but with the authority of our words. So, in the name of Jesus, we call America back to You. We release Your Kingdom authority and bind demonic, evil plans, releasing the power of Holy Spirit to oppose them. We release Your revival and awakening. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Our decree: We decree that deception and lethargy in the church are being removed and replaced with revival fire! ******************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video: ------------------------------------------------------ “Strong's Hebrew: 7287. רָדָה (radah) -- reign, have dominion, rule.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7287.htm. Accessed 15 July 2024. “Strong's Hebrew: 4910. מָשַׁל (mashal) -- to rule, have dominion, reign.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4910.htm. Accessed 15 July 2024.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-29-2024 November 29, 2024 My Prayer Mentor, Ike In November 2023, I had the great honor of participating in Intercessors for America’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. No ministry has done more to generate prayer for America than this great ministry. As I pondered IFA’s role in my life, one of my fondest memories was learning to pray at Christ For the Nations Institute (CFNI) in 1977. Each student was required to participate in an outreach or serving ministry on a weekly basis. My initial choice was Intercessory Prayer, not because I was an intercessor or knew much about the subject. Truth be known, I could barely pronounce it. But I wanted to learn more about prayer, so I enrolled. Our prayer guide each week was a bulletin provided by a ministry I had never heard of. Yep, Intercessors for America(IFA). One sheet of paper, front and back, with timely issues and government leaders listed for prayer. Thus began my journey of learning to pray. I want to honor another link in the chain of my introduction to prayer at CFNI (Christ For the Nations Institute). I’ve always felt one of the best ways to learn something new was by watching and emulating someone better at it than me. Of the 1,200 students at CFNI, I chose Immanuel Ike, a student from Africa, complete with tribal markings - three scars on each cheek. I believe Ike, as we called him, was Nigerian. When Ike prayed, the room shook. I think he was fire incarnate. During the last six weeks of the school year, students were encouraged to gather an hour before chapel to pray in the main auditorium. This wasn’t united, corporate prayer; it was a time for students to seek God individually in an atmosphere fueled by several hundred hungry, passionate people also pursuing Him. We were encouraged to gather on the large platform, and/or scatter throughout the auditorium - on our feet, knees, faces, or walking - it didn’t matter the position. I chose the platform, kneeling at one of the chairs right behind the piano…because that’s where Ike was. I prayed for an hour each morning, with one eye closed, one open, watching and listening to Ike. When he bound, I bound; when Ike loosed, I loosed. Soon after beginning, he would grab the side of his chair and begin rocking back and forth. I, too, held on and rocked. Ike would start in English, shift into his African dialect, then “machine gun” his prayers in tongues - I think. Maybe it was his African dialect on steroids. All I know is that Ike had now lost all connection to earth and its earthlings; we no longer existed. Tears. Groans. Pleadings. Decrees. Worship. Ike was in heaven’s throne room, then traveling the planet with Holy Spirit, tearing down strongholds and birthing Kingdom realities. And I was riding his coattails! What is it they say? “Better caught than taught.” My prayers were mostly, “Lord, give me at least some of what this man carries.” I think I received a small degree of Ike’s mantle. “Wherever you are today, Ike, thank you.” My heart and world also expanded through the influence of other guest ministries that came through CFNI every week. Literally. That was the plan: every week, a different person from a different ministry taught all students in a united session at 11a.m., Monday through Friday. They, Ike, and prayer ministries like IFA taught me to move beyond my own needs, not praying only to generate money for school bills, rent, clothes, etc. They challenged me to transcend caring only for my own future ministry and success. For the first time in my life, I found myself praying for nations and travailing for souls. I called out the names of senators, representatives, judges, laws, bills, and court cases. I began to realize I was called to more than personal success, something bigger than a congregation or a traveling ministry of my own. I was invited into the realm of an eternal Kingdom with a worldwide cause. My heart grew and expanded. I take no credit. It was the influence of others, great teaching, exposure to different ministries and organizations every week, and an atmosphere of passionate worship, prayer, and faith - every day. And Ike, of course. I’ve never looked back. The cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey. The big cat can sprint seventy miles per hour. But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long. Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly. Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase. Far too often, Christians seem to have the cheetah’s approach to prayer. We start fast and with great energy. We are robust and excited. But lacking the heart for a sustained effort, we falter before we finish the job. Most intercessors don’t need more speed or emotion; they need more staying power, which only comes from a bigger prayer heart. Rees Howells was an intercessor with a large prayer heart. In 1924, Howells launched the Bible College of Wales, which always had a huge emphasis on prayer. During World War II, however, Holy Spirit burdened Rees’s heart to intercede at even greater levels for the Allies, and for the deliverance of the world from Hitler’s Third Reich. Every day, anywhere from five to ten hours, sometimes more, Rees and the students labored in prayer over the war. He challenged the students to not allow the soldiers at the front to labor more than them. Rees Howells and his 100 students no doubt played a huge role in saving the world from Hitler’s demonic assault. I know many of you who follow Give Him 15 also have hearts that will never quit praying. Thank you! Lock arms with others at this time and determine that we will not quit, we will not falter, and we will not fail. We will see the earth in full-fledged revival. Having put our hands to the plow, we will not look back. Victory is ours through Christ, and we will see it come to pass. Pray with me: Father, it is appropriate that we honor ministries like Intercessors for America, and people like Rees Howells and my friend Ike. All of our successes are in part built on the work of others. We ask for Your abundant blessings on them. For those still here with us, multiply their effectiveness, anointing, and provision. For others - like Rees Howells - well, tell them we said thanks. Today, we ask You for bigger prayer hearts. We want hearts so expansive that they embrace Your worldwide Kingdom efforts, and run prayer’s race without growing weary. We pledge to persevere in prayer for a worldwide harvest. We will continue to lay hold by faith of a restored America. We will never stop representing You as Your Ekklesia, enforcing Your victory on earth. This is the hour of deliverance for millions. This is the season of their entrance into the King’s family, their day of salvation. We declare over them that the veil is lifting; the spirit of revelation is invading the territory. We loose them from darkness, deception, oppression, and bondage. Manifest signs and wonders, raise up powerful evangelists anointed with the level of power Stephen, Phillip, Paul, Peter, and others demonstrated in the book of Acts. We decree revival now. And we do all this in the name that guarantees victory, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s large prayer heart is being imparted to His Ekklesia. We will not falter. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video:
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8 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-28-2024 November 28, 2024 A Day of Thanksgiving The pilgrims first celebrated the holiday Americans call Thanksgiving after their first harvest in 1621. History says it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The gathering lasted three days. In 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued a national proclamation of “Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”(1) Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 and made it a national holiday, referring to it as “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”(2) In their proclamations, they refer to God as the: Almighty God (three times); that great and glorious Being; beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations; Most High God; and beneficient Father. So much for the myth of separating God from America’s government. Washington’s and Lincoln’s proclamations are reverential and God-honoring. I won’t read them, as the verbiage and style of the day are a bit different than ours, but I have included them as an attachment at the end of today’s post for those who do wish to read them. The following is a proclamation and prayer for us to offer today; please agree with me as I read it: Heavenly Father, we in the U.S. pause today to acknowledge Your gracious and omnipotent hand. America was Your idea. You had in Your heart to form a nation of nations - Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and more. Though our journey included the inevitable challenges associated with human frailties, including evil actions, Your sovereign power overcame our flaws and formed the United States of America. We are very aware that this miracle was not just for our blessing and benefit; we were called to a covenantal partnership with You to release Your redemption from sin’s horrible curse. We acknowledge and agree with the words of Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607: “The gospel of the kingdom will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but to all the nations of the earth.” We agree with the words from Holy Scripture inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). This is our destiny and great honor. We are thankful, Father, for the covenants our Christian Forefathers and Founders entered into with You. They sacrificed much in order to fulfill Your will, knowing they were drawn here – not just to enjoy liberty – but to accomplish Your divine purposes. We are grateful for their sacrifices made so long ago, and the incredible prosperity we have enjoyed due to their covenantal partnership with You. May they be forever honored and always see righteous fruit from their labors. Thank You for preserving us in times of war, disease, sin, and rebellion. In the war of our birth, we were saved through appealing to heaven; in the horrific Civil War, we fought one another and lost half a million sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, yet You kept the dream alive; in two world wars, You preserved us from evil despots intent on ruling the world. Through all the difficulties and trials of four centuries, YOU have been faithful to preserve us. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You have blessed this nation - of You, through You, and to You are all things. Thank You, gracious and beneficent God! Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, on this day, we as a nation thank You for Your great sacrifice in becoming one of us - a member of the human race. Thank You for experiencing the gnawing pangs of hunger, for feeling the heartbreaking pain of a loved one’s death. Thank You for walking dusty roads to heal diseased bodies, taking detours to redeem thirsty hearts, and spending sleepless nights in prayer. Thank You for exposing the wiles and hatred of the serpent, the destructive power of pride, and modeling true love. Thank You for revealing the Father to us once again, and creating the way for us to reconnect with Him as our Abba, our Papa. Thank You for paying such an incredibly high price: the incarnation, the beatings and lashing, Gethsemane, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the wrath of Hell, the hideous Cross, the stain of sin, and sting of death. Thank You. Gracious Father, wonderful Savior, and blessed Holy Spirit, though we as a nation have dishonored, rejected, and even mocked You, Your love endures. We have worshiped idols, embraced false religions, shed innocent blood, defiled Your marriage covenant, and expelled You from our schools - yet Your mercies endure. Our government has risen up against You in pride and rebellion, rewritten Your laws, legislated murderous and immoral rights, and declared that You are no longer welcome in their functions and procedures - yet You have demonstrated amazing grace and patience. And while the church should have been Your instrument of preservation from these ills, she became lukewarm, complacent, and ineffective. In spite of these and many more evils, You have promised to save America, healing our brokenness, returning our hearts to You, and preserving our destiny. Thank You, gracious Father. Thank You for the restoration occurring in the church; thank You for the army of intercessors You have raised up here and around the world - we owe them so much. Thank You for the awakening that has begun in America, regarding both our spiritual condition and the horrible fruit this has produced. Thank You for the overthrowing of evil in our government that has begun. Thank You, in advance, for the greatest worldwide outpouring of Holy Spirit in all of history. Because of Your mercy, America will once again be a strong voice for the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth. For all of this and more, we give You thanks. And I thank YOU for being part of Give Him 15. Together, we are making a difference! _______________________________________ President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public Thanksgiving and Prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be - that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks - for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation - for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war - for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed - for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted - for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us. “And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions - to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually - to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed - to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord - To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us - and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. “Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.” (George Washington)(3) __________________________________ President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. The population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. “In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. “Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln.”(4) *************************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video: ------------------------------------------------------------ https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw8a.124/?q=1789+Thanksgiving&sp=132&st=text http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789/ http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-27-2024 November 27, 2024 We Must Play Hope's Song 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 it means “a stream, especially a winter torrent.”(1) (italics mine) Some streams and rivers dry up during certain parts of the year. They are refilled, 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 larger flows, then streams, and eventually, becoming nachalim (rivers).(2) Though Ezekiel’s “winter river” began as a trickle in verse 1, it eventually became a mighty, unfordable river by verse 5. Indeed, God’s healing river often begins as a trickle. We can be confident, however, that it will deepen; God will use the snow and ice of our winter season to bring to us a deep flow of His healing power. 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 streambed 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, and summer is coming. Thank God winter seasons don’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 of hope inside you, and you must sing. 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.(3) When you feel there is nothing left, look again. The prophet Habakkuk said the flock might be dead and gone, there may 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” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). 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 still music in our broken nation. Don’t give up! A passage in the Song of Solomon speaks of the end of a winter season: “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!’” (2:10-13) 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, MSG) 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” (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.”(4) 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.(5) God is going to send His nachal river to America. It is rising, even now. 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 do not 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 regarding 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. We ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the level of God’s healing river is rising, and He will heal our land. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video: -------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. s.v. OT:5158, “nachal.” James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. s.v. OT:5158, “nachalim.” Oden, Marilyn B. 100 Meditations on Hope. Upper Room Books, 1995. p. 72. “Synergism Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/synergism. Accessed 16 July 2024. (Accessed October 2, 2013). Adapted from Edward K. Powell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. Baker Book House, 1997. p. 118. Sheets, Dutch. The Power of Hope: Let God Renew Your Mind, Heal Your Heart, and Restore Your Dreams. Charisma Media, 2014. pp. 70-74.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-26-2024 November 26, 2024 Reject Shallow Living, Refuse Small Dreaming According to a study reported in the May 2010 issue of Atherosclerosis, 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 for depression symptoms at least three different times during that ten-year period.(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) We can die from sorrow! God told us this long 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 at 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 its corporate purpose, and that the reason for this purpose has arrived (Esther 4:14). You and I have come to our time. The church 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 (Ephesians 4:11-12); 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 living 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, we know that decades of complacency, disengagement, and lack of discernment in the church have 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 fifty years of choosing darkness over light. We repent for electing people who neither know nor 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 we release the spirit of revelation to the church. In Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that hope, faith, and strength are rising in the Ekklesia. Fear will not rule us. ****************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video: Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book The Power of Hope(4) (no longer in print). -------------------------------------------------- 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). Sheets, Dutch. The Power of Hope: Let God Renew Your Mind, Heal Your Heart, and Restore Your Dreams. Charisma Media, 2014. pp. 5-6.
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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-25-2024 November 25, 2024 Do Not Fear the Lion! The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies. Isaiah 42:13 At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington instructed his troops: “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die” (italics mine).(1) A warrior’s spirit was essential in order to win America’s freedom. This kind of warrior’s heart is also necessary spiritually. The Kingdom of God is full of paradoxes - seeming contradictions - this being one of them: though called to possess the quality of love more than any other, even to the point of laying down our lives (1 Corinthians 13), and to pursue peace with all men (Hebrews 12:14), we believers are also called to war spiritually (Ephesians 6:12-20). We must war against the kingdom and powers of darkness, false ideologies, and the strategies behind both. Also, though “we wrestle not against flesh and blood“ (Ephesians 6:12 KJV), we must boldly oppose laws, ideologies, and spiritual forces that war against Christ’s cause. Old Testament Warriors In the Old Testament, God gives us examples of warrior hearts. They are our examples, not because we are called to force His will on people, but in order for their internal traits to be applied to our lives and spiritual battles. David was one such warrior. This brave fighter killed a lion and a bear to protect his father’s sheep and was ever ready to fight the enemies of God when they attempted to destroy Israel. David possessed such a strong warrior's heart that he actually ran to face Goliath! (See 1 Samuel 17:48.) Then there was Benaiah, one of David’s “mighty men” (1 Chronicles 11:22-24). Like David, this heroic and bold warrior also killed a lion. It seems the marauding cat was threatening a village in Israel, which motivated the villagers to set a trap by digging a pit and baiting the lion into it. OK, so now what? How would they deal with the lion? Cage it and move it to another region? Kill it using spears, arrows, even stones? Several options were possible - none of which included jumping into the pit! Then, there are the Benaiahs of the world. For some reason, inexplicable except to a warrior’s heart, Benaiah didn’t want to kill the lion from above. Out of my way, he shouted. Before anyone could stop him, Benaiah jumped into the pit - “on a snowy day,” Scripture adds for good measure - and killed the lion (see 2 Samuel 23:20). Warrior? I believe so. Benaiah once killed “a man of great stature five cubits tall [seven and one-half feet]. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear” (1 Chronicles 11:23). Warrior times two! Warriors Reproduce Warriors Incidentally, from whom do you think Benaiah acquired his warrior nature? He was obviously inspired by the heart of his leader David, who also killed a lion and a giant. Warriors reproduce warriors. I’m praying God will raise up a generation of spiritual Davids and Benaiahs that will challenge satan, the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), who is devouring many in our day. Eleazer was another David-inspired warrior. “He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the Lord brought about a great victory that day” (2 Samuel 23:10). What determination! In defending the nation of Israel, Eleazer fought through his weariness; and when he no longer possessed the necessary strength in his hand to hold the sword, he held on with his heart! When the battle was over, his comrades waded through the bodies and peeled Eleazer’s hand from his sword! Warrior! We Need Warriors Today How does this warrior spirit translate into action today against the spiritual giants of our land? Obviously, it begins with prayer - spiritual warfare. But there is more. Standing for truth through speaking up, voting out of office individuals with unbiblical and unwise ideals, giving to righteous causes, speaking out against all that opposes the rule of God - all are ways by which we war. To turn America back to the ancient path, we must tenaciously resist evil and tyranny, let our voices be heard, and pray until revival is seen in our land. Can we really see a reformation of America? Absolutely! If pioneer warriors with hearts like David, Benaiah, and Eleazer arise, with a determination to find and walk the old road, we can transform America. America is filled with spiritual pacifists. I am asking God to instead raise up spiritual warriors in our nation. We desperately need men and women with hearts strong enough to face whatever firepower satan and his allies can throw at them and, in spite of it all, turn this nation back to Christ. We need 21st-century burning-heart revivalists in the mold of John and Charles Wesley. We are desperate for Jonathan Edwards’ level anointings, causing such Holy Spirit unction that sinners cry out for forgiveness and salvation. We must have modern-day Finneys whose preaching births such conviction that men run to altars weeping and mourning. And Peter Cartwrights - Circuit Riders - who will brave wilderness paths and freezing winters on horseback to preach the gospel. We desperately need “praying Hydes,” Rees Howells and Jeremiah Lanphiers, who will shape history and birth awakenings in regions of the earth through prayer. Perhaps you were never taught about these heroes of the faith and are wondering who some of them are. That is part of the problem. America’s heroes today are athletes, movie stars, and singers. Many are good people, but heroes? I don’t think so. And frankly, some are not good. Many Americans emulate losers - perverts, adulterers, foul-mouthed rebels, irresponsible fathers, and lying politicians. May God give us holy, selfless warriors who will fight for truth and honor. May He raise up and mantle a generation that does not fear the lion! Pray with me: Father, in Your Word, You use battlefield terms like wrestle, warfare, fight, and soldier to describe our spiritual activities. Even though Christ defeated our enemy and took from him his authority, it is still our responsibility to enforce that victory on the earth. We must use Your name, Your power, and the sword of the Spirit to bind and loose, open and close. We are Your Ekklesia on the earth. We pray that warrior hearts will be found and awakened in Your church, and that people of faith and passion who run to face today’s Goliaths will be raised up. Give us Davids, Benaiahs, and Eleazars. May we fight until our hands cleave to the sword, holding on with impassioned hearts that refuse to yield to demonic forces. May the zeal of the Lord of Hosts consume us! We ask for this in faith; and in the name of Jesus, we believe it is done! Amen. Our decree: We decree that a fresh generation of spiritual warriors is arising on the earth who will enforce the victory of Calvary throughout the world. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------- 1. Coffey, William T., editor. Patriot Hearts: An Anthology of American Patriotism. Purple Mountain, 2000. p. 118.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-22-2024 November 22, 2024 Have You Been Found? When Christ was preparing His original twelve world-changing pioneers, He made the cost clear to them: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues.” (Matthew 10:16-17) “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” (Matthew 16:24-25) What price did these first disciples eventually pay to partner with Christ? Were Christ's words simply symbolic, not to be taken literally? Surely, He wouldn't actually ask His followers to lay down their lives, would He? History answers these questions: ● Andrew was crucified. ● Bartholomew was crucified. ● James was stoned to death. ● James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded. ● John was tortured and banished to the uninhabited island of Patmos. ● Peter was crucified upside down. ● Philip was crucified upside down. ● Thomas was martyred in India. ● The Apostle Paul and John the Baptist, not part of the original twelve disciples but two of Christ's early leaders, were beheaded. To be a true disciple of Christ – and nation-changers – we must be willing to lay down our lives. This mindset should permeate and influence all we do and live for. And if we are to see America saved, it is one of the non-negotiables: no cost is too great. William Wilberforce, who led the efforts to eradicate slavery from Great Britain, understood and demonstrated this. In the great movie about his life, Amazing Grace, based on the outstanding book by Eric Metaxas bearing the same name, Wilberforce’s butler surprised him in a moment of private prayer. When asked if he had found God, Wilberforce's poignant reply was, “I think He found me.”(1) Indeed, God “found” Wilberforce, who became so joined to His heart and desires that no price was too great for the cause. This reformer’s passion to see the ending of slavery caused him stomach ailments, nightmares, ridicule, and four decades of tireless work. Days before Wilberforce’s death, however, the decisive vote came to eliminate slavery from England. Amazingly, when the law became formal three days after the vote, Wilberforce's spirit left this world! Thomas Buxton, a personal friend and member of the House of Commons at the time, said of him, “The day which was the termination of his labors was the termination of his life.”(2) Have you been found? ... Does the cause of Christ possess you? When God led the early settlers to this land – He was obviously involved in the process – they came with hearts willing to pay whatever price the dream would cost. A part of their stated cause was, “For the Glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”(3) These pioneers arrived on a cramped and dirty ship in sloshing water filled with human waste and vomit. Ill-prepared for the trials of this new land, including a brutal winter, more than half would perish before the end of their first summer. These settlers weren't failures, however. Planting a cross on the beach at Cape Henry and dedicating this land to the gospel and the glory of God, they created a holy and enduring legacy. Heaven still honors the trail they blazed and the prayers they prayed. Buried in the soil of freedom, they became a vital part of the heritage we now enjoy. Pioneers all, their legacies live. The price they paid to create an international outpost for the gospel created a debt for those who followed, including us today. The debt we Americans owe is not only to preserve freedom, but also to preserve this land as a light of truth – a beacon, a city on a hill – to all other nations. If we pay our debt today, the difficult trail we blaze back to our destiny will become the glorious path our children walk tomorrow. America was formed with the blood, sweat, and tears of many price-paying pioneers. When John Adams was elected as a Boston delegate in 1770, he knew it was considered treason to the King of England; Adams believed the decision would cost him everything. He informed his wife Abigail, “I have accepted a seat in the House of Representatives, and thereby have consented to my own ruin…”(4) How many today would accept a seat in Congress if they knew it could cost them everything? Adams wasn't finished with his declaration, however. After informing Abigail that he had consented to his own ruin, this patriot pioneer continued, “...to your ruin, and the ruin of our children. I give you this warning, that you may prepare your mind for your fate.”(5) Incredible. But Adams, like Wilberforce, had been found! His love of liberty and belief that God was raising up the United States of America meant that, to him, no price was too great to pay. How did Abigail feel about this? Betrayed? Horrified? Did she threaten to leave him? Not even close. She, too, had been found. According to Adams, Abigail burst into tears and cried out, “Well, I am willing in this cause to run all risks with you, and be ruined with you, if you are ruined.”(6) At the signing of the Declaration of Independence a few years later, Adams, along with his fellow signers, again accepted the potential and probable cost of freedom: “For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”(7) Adams would later state to Abigail, “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.”(8) Some accuse me of inappropriately marrying the love of God and country, but I too, have been found; it is my love for God and His cause on the earth that fuels my passion for seeing America restored. Like Adams and our other Founding Fathers, I realize God chose to raise up this nation as part of His plan to redeem the human race. America wasn’t established solely for Americans. Partnering with God in His great dream is our privilege and destiny. For this, no cost is too great. Let’s cry out for another generation who will lose their lives to find His; believers who will accept their debt to the cross and pay any price necessary to lead America back to the old road. “Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried-and-true road. Then take it.” (Jeremiah 6:16, MSG) Pray with me: Father, we are grateful for those in the great cloud of witnesses who have paid such high prices for our freedom and Your cause. We are humbled by the sacrifices so many of them have made. We ask You to forgive us in the American church for watering down, even abandoning, our commitment to You and Your cause. Forgive us for preaching watered-down messages, a human-centered gospel, and an absent-from-the-culture theology. We agree in intercession today that hearts in the church will be awakened. Passion for You and Your Kingdom will outweigh our devotion to self. Revival has begun, and millions will give their hearts to You; millions more will have their first love restored, and the church will rediscover her voice. You are worth our full devotion. Heal our broken nation. Lead us back to the old road of truth, integrity, righteousness, and common sense. Lead us back to servanthood, loving our neighbors, and the golden rule. Give us leaders who love and honor You and Your ways. Deliver us from evil rulers. We ask You for this in Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the purpose of God for America will not be lost - the recovery has begun! ******************************* Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book The Way Back.(9) Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------- 1. Apted, Michael, director. Amazing Grace. Roadside Attractions, 2006. 2. Dyer, Steven G., Transforming a Nation: How England Turned Back to God in the Eighteenth Century. Can it Happen in America? Steven J. Dyer, 2010. p. 54. 3. “Mayflower Compact: 1620.” Avalon Project, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp. Accessed 16 July 2024. 4. Bennett, William J. Our sacred honor: Words of advice from the Founders in stories, letters, poems, and speeches. Simon & Schuster, 1997. p. 40. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid., p.64. 8. Ibid. 9. Sheets, Dutch. The Way Back: Break Out of the Status Quo and Find the Wild in You. Dutch Sheets Ministries, 2016. pp. 33-37.
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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/november-21-2024 November 21, 2024 “A People in Covenant with God” Why We Declare and Decree According to Psalm 110:1-3, Christ has given the Ekklesia His scepter of authority. Isaiah 22:22 references this authority as a key, as does Matthew 16:19. One of the ways we release this authority is through verbal commands. As we do so, Psalm 110 says we are making Christ’s enemies His footstool. The passage states that we do this as part of Christ’s “Melchizedek (King-Priest) Order,” of which all believers are members. As kings, we decree; as priests, we petition and appeal. When we decree God’s plans for America, we are releasing His purposes and cutting off satan’s plans; we are wielding the sword of the Spirit. We are also participating in the synergy of the ages, tapping into “history past” and writing “history future.” Here are some great quotes from America’s history to use, which you may not have seen: Peter Bulkeley Peter Bulkeley was the Puritan leader who established the city of Concord, Massachusetts, in 1636. In his only publication, The Gospel Covenant, also known as The Covenant of Grace Opened, Peter Bulkeley stated: “We are as a city set upon a hill, in the open view of all the earth... We profess ourselves to be a people in covenant with God, and therefore... the Lord our God…..will cry shame upon us if we walk contrary to the covenant which we have promised to walk in.”(1) Using Deuteronomy 28:10 and Isaiah 61:9 as his sources, Bulkeley continued: “Let us study so to walk that this may be our excellency and dignity among the nations of the world among which we live; that they may be constrained to say of us, only this people is wise, and a holy and blessed people; that all that see us may see and know that the name of the Lord is called upon by us; and that we are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.(2) Laws America’s original laws and constitutions were based on the Scriptures. Here are a few examples: The Massachusetts General Court, in 1636, resolved to establish a code of laws that would be: “agreeable to the Word of God.”(3) The Connecticut General Court, in 1639, established under the Constitution of Connecticut, issued the order: “that God’s Word should be the only rule for ordering the affairs of government in this commonwealth.”(4) The Fundamental Orders (Constitution) of Connecticut (January 14, 1639) was the first constitution written in America, and established a pattern that all others followed, including the United States Constitution.(5) So important was this work that Connecticut became known as “The Constitution State.”(6) The committee responsible to frame the orders was charged to make the laws: “as near the law of God as they can be.”(7) Cotton Mather Cotton Mather was an American colonial clergyman and educator. He graduated from Harvard in 1678 and joined his father, Increase Mather, in the pastorate of the Second Church in Boston in 1680. He helped found Yale University and, in 1721, became President of the Connecticut College. He authored 450 books and was the first person born in America to be elected to the Royal Society of London. Cotton Mather was regarded as the most brilliant man of New England in his time. Among his many accomplishments was the introduction of the smallpox inoculation during an epidemic in 1721. In 1702, Cotton published Magnalia Christi Americana (The Great Achievement of Christ in America), which is the most detailed history written of the first fifty years of New England. In it, he stated: “The sum of the matter is that from the beginning of the Reformation in the English nation, there had always been a generation of godly men, desirous to pursue the reformation of religion, according to the Word of God...[The Puritans were] driven to seek a place for the exercise of the Protestant religion, according to the light of conscience, in the deserts of America.”(8) Jonathon Trumbull Just one year and a couple of months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on April 19, 1775, in a Proclamation of a Day of Fasting and Prayer for the Connecticut Colony, Governor Jonathan Trumbull beseeched that: “God would graciously pour out His Holy Spirit on us to bring us to a thorough repentance and effectual reformation, that our iniquities may not be our ruin; that He would restore, preserve and secure the liberties of this and all the other British American colonies, and make the land a mountain of Holiness, and habitation of righteousness forever.”(9) Declaration of Independence And last but not least, the Declaration of Independence. The very last line leaves no doubt as to where our Founding Fathers placed their faith and gained their resolve: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”(10) Pray with me: Father, as we declare from America’s past, we do so to see her restored and realigned with Your divine purposes. As a great symphony of declarations and appeals rises to You, merge them with the early voices that declared Your plans and purposes. Use the decrees to shake down evil and reestablish righteousness in our land. From these quotes: We declare America “to be a people in covenant with God.” We declare that America is “a city on a hill” and that the light of truth will once again shine from our shores…in order that “all who see us may see and know that the name of the Lord is called upon by us; and that we are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.” We declare that America will have laws “agreeable to the Word of God…that His Word will be the only rule for ordering the affairs of our government.” We declare that “God will graciously pour out His Holy Spirit on America again to bring us to a thorough repentance and effectual reformation, in order that our iniquities may not be our ruin; that He will restore, preserve and secure the liberties of this nation, and make the land a mountain of Holiness, and habitation of righteousness forever.” We declare that “our support of the Declaration of Independence is with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” Now, Lord, we ask You to strengthen, bless, and lead intercessors throughout America. Remind them of their authority in Christ, the power of their words, and how incredibly noble is their cause. Remind them of the millions of souls coming into Your Kingdom because of their prayers. Encourage each intercessor regarding their worth and importance to You. We pray these things in Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s enemies are becoming His footstool. **************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------- Montesquieu, Baron Charles Louis Joseph de Secondat. 1748. Baron Charles Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, 1748, Anne Cohler, trans. Cambridge University Press, 1989. p. 157. Ibid. Massachusetts, General Court of. 1636. Massachusetts Colonial Records, 1:174. Benjamin Fletcher Wright, Jr., American Interpretations of Natural Law. Russell & Russell, 1962. p. 33. John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution - The Faith of Our Founding Fathers. Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987, 6th printing 1993. p. 32. Connecticut, Fundamental Orders (Constitution) of. January 14, 1639. Old South Leaflets, No. 8. John Fiske, The Beginning of New England. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1889, 1898. P. 127-128. Ibid. Connecticut, Fundamentals Orders (Constitution) of. January 14, 1639. Old South Leaflets, No. 8. The World Book Encyclopedia, 18 vols. Field Enterprises, Inc., 1957; W.F. Quarrie and Company, 8 vols., 1917; World Book, Inc., 22 vols., 1989. Vol. 3, p. 1675. Connecticut, Fundamental Orders (Constitution) of. January 14, 1639. John Wingate Thornton, The Pulpit of the American Revolution, 1860. Reprinted: Burt Franklin, 1970. p. XIX. Mather, Cotton. 1702. Cotton Mather, Magnalia Christi Americana, (The Great Achievement of Christ in America), 2 vols. The Banner of Truth Trust, 1702, 1979. 1:26. Gary DeMar, America's Christian History: The Untold Story. American Vision Publishers, Inc., 1993. p. 47. Trumbull, Jonathan. April 19, 1775, as Governor of the Connecticut Colony proclaiming a day of fasting and prayer. Verna M. Hall, The Christian History of the American Revolution. Foundation for American Christian Education, 1976. p. 407. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America. Garborg's Heart°N Home, Inc., 1991. 3.22. Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson, The American Covenant - The Untold Story. Foundation for Christian Self-Government, 1981. The Mayflower Institute, 1983, 1992. p. 120. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. Accessed 15 July 2024.