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6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-7-2023 April 7, 2023 We will be taking communion together at the end of today's post. Passion Week: Good Friday Good Friday, called this because of an ancient usage of the word “good” as a synonym for holy. (In the same way as the Holy Bible at times is called the “Good Book.”) Holy Friday, indeed. From Gethsemane, Messiah was led to a mock trial, after which He was beaten mercilessly with a cat-o-nine-tails. This procedure was so brutal that some recipients didn’t survive it. The leather cords, tipped with sharp metal, tore at the flesh of the victim, ripping off pieces of flesh. The beating with its nine cords, delivered 39 times, made a total of 351 lashes. This was barbaric and brutal, not only lacerating the back, but wrapping around to the front of the victim’s body, including the face. It is hard to describe this lashing without being too graphic for most readers. The depiction of the horrific damage in The Passion movie is no exaggeration. Suffice it to say that when finished, the victim was often unrecognizable. The soldiers also beat Christ with their fists and spat on His face. To mock Him as “the King of the Jews,” a crown made of thorns was placed on His head and pressed into His skin, causing great pain and more loss of blood. When the ordeal was finished, Messiah was so mangled and covered with spittle and blood that He literally was unrecognizable. Isaiah said, “Many people were shocked [astonished; appalled] when they saw him. His appearance was so damaged [disfigured; marred] He did not look like a man; His form was so changed they could barely tell He was human” (Isaiah 52:14 The Expanded Bible). The added punishments and torture, much more than the average victim of crucifixion was afflicted with, can only be explained as the fury of hell, trying to snuff out the life of the Son of God. Yeshua received this for you and me. Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 tell us it was through this beating that we can be healed. Place your faith in this today. Receive healing by placing your faith in His substitutionary sacrifice. Christ was then led to His crucifixion. There are several prophetic references or pictures in the Old Testament pointing to the Cross. One passage of extreme importance is Deuteronomy 21: 22-23, which references one who experienced death by hanging on a tree as being “cursed.” It is abundantly clear from Galatians 3:13 that this verse refers to Jesus hanging on the “tree,” taking our curse. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Yeshua’s crucifixion took place at Golgotha, “the place of the skull.” God, centuries before, had ordained that this would be the place and, with stones and erosion, carved the international symbol of death onto the hillside. This also was the location of Isaac’s interrupted sacrifice (Genesis 22), which pictured the Cross. Like Isaac, we were spared, and God Himself provided the sacrifice. “Then Abraham looked up [lifted his eyes] and saw a male sheep [ram] caught in a bush by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep, offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, and his son was saved [in the place of his son]. So Abraham named that place The Lord Provides [or Sees; Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today, people say, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided [or seen]’” (Genesis 22:13-14; The Expanded Bible). In this chosen place, high on a hill so all could see the Passover Lamb bearing our shame, God provided the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus carried His own Cross, though He was able to carry it only part of the way. It was actually the crossbeam that He carried. When He arrived at the place of crucifixion, He was first tied and nailed with spikes to this crosspiece, which contained a hole in the center, enabling it to slide down onto the upright post. After a victim was tied and nailed to this portion, it was lifted and placed onto the top of the upright section, whereupon it would fall down and slam into place. This is often when dislocations would occur in the crucified person, as the crosspiece slammed down. And indeed, we know this occurred with Christ, as was prophesied of Him in Psalm 22:14. The sliding down of the crosspiece is also why the spikes were placed at the bottom of the hands where they joined the wrist; this placement would sustain more weight. It’s also why the victim was tied to the crossbeam. If they were not secured in this way, they would often be torn loose. Yeshua hung on the Cross for six hours in this emaciated state. While there, He spoke seven times. Time does not permit me to comment on each of them, but they are all significant. Halfway through the ordeal, at noon, the sun disappeared, and the sky grew dark (Luke 23:44-45). This was a fulfillment of Amos 8: 9-10: “‘It will come about in that day,’ declares the Lord God, ‘That I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight. Then I will turn your festivals into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation, and I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins, And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.’” Surely this is a prophetic picture of the Light of the World being snuffed out for us. It was at the end of the 3 hours that Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46-47; Mark 15:34) He was quoting from Psalm 22, which is a detailed prophecy of the Cross. Christ was crying out in anguish because, for the first time in all of eternity, He was experiencing separation from His Father. It is also the only record we have of Him addressing God as anything other than Father. Christ had taken our sins upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53.5). Most scholars agree that when this occurred, He bore our separation from the Father, who could no longer look upon Him. Though Jesus no doubt knew this would occur, the actual experience was more than He could endure, and cried out in anguish. It is worth noting that Christ never cried out during the beatings, scourging, thorns, spikes, or dislocations - only when this separation occurred from His Father, as He bore our sin. Finally, it was enough. The price had been paid. Christ made His final two statements. The first, “It is finished,” I have written of before in the GH15 posts. This was not a statement referencing His death, but a loud declaration by Christ, also a quote from Psalm 22 (verse 31). This decree was one word in Greek (tetelestai) and also in the Hebrew of Psalm 22 (asah). Using the literal meaning of these words, Christ was declaring that He had fully accomplished His assignment, paid our debt in full, and was bringing forth the new creation! Yeshua then released His spirit to the Father. Death did not take Him, He “yielded up His Spirit” (Matthew 27:50). It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The priests in the Temple were performing their customary duties when, at the very moment Jesus yielded up His Spirit, the veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The purpose of this veil had been to separate everyone from the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God on earth. With this symbolic act, God was declaring that the separation caused by our sin was gone, and we could now enter His presence once again! Why don’t you spend some time with Him today? He would like that. Pray with me: Thank You, Father, for the Cross. Thank You for sending Christ to be our substitute. Thank You for placing our sins upon Him in order to bring us back into Your family. Thank You for allowing the lashes, the wounds, the crown of thorns, and the separation. And thank You, Jesus, for Your heart of humility and love. You are the Son of Man and Son of God. And through our faith in You, You have made us sons and daughters of the Most High. We are so grateful. Now, by faith, we appropriate all of the cleansing power of Your shed blood, and the healing virtue that flows from every wound You suffered. By Your stripes, we are healed! And as we prayed yesterday, we do so again today: for the glory of Your name and the pleasure of Your heart, send revival to earth. Save a billion or more people in this great revival. Your Father promised You the nations of the earth as Your inheritance - reap them now. And in remembrance of You and what You did for us on Calvary, we partake of the Communion Table. We take the bread, which was Your body, broken for us - a price paid so we could have eternal life. We take the cup, a representation of your blood, spilled for us, the price paid for our redemption from sin. We give you thanks today, Jesus. We give you thanks. Our decree: We decree that the Lamb who was slain has overcome and will forever reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-6-2023 April 6, 2023 Passion Week: Redemption Began In Gethsemane “Leaving there, He went, as He so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed Him. When they arrived at the place, He said, ‘Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.’” (Luke 22:39 MSG) “The place” spoken of by Luke was Gethsemane. It had become Christ’s favorite place of prayer; notice the phrase, “as He so often did.” This is how Judas, who had left the last supper early, knew where to take the soldiers to find Him. Christ would spend three hours there that night agonizing over the ordeal He was facing. During this time, He would wrestle with His natural, human desire for this cup of suffering to pass from Him: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The agony of these three hours was horrific, much worse than most people realize. Luke tells us Christ started this time of prayer on His knees. Matthew adds that He eventually fell on His face in agony. Mark added that He fell repeatedly. In other words, Christ would kneel, then fall on His face. He would rise to His feet again, only to fall once more - first to His knees, then onto His face. At one point, the agony of what He was experiencing, as well as the knowledge of what was coming, became so great that the capillaries in His face burst, and blood mixed with sweat oozed through the pores of His skin (Luke 22:44). This is a painful medical condition known as hematidrosis. “Doctors don't know exactly what triggers hematidrosis, in part because it's so rare. They think it could be related to the body's ‘fight or flight’ response… Sometimes it seems to be caused by extreme distress or fear, such as facing death, torture, or severe ongoing abuse. It's probably where the term ‘sweating blood,’ meaning a great effort, comes from.” (1) “While the extent of blood loss generally is minimal, hematidrosis also results in the skin becoming extremely tender and fragile.”(2) I believe our redemption was actually beginning here when the first drop of Christ’s blood was shed, even before He reached the Cross. Through a blending of the Gospel accounts, and with more in-depth definitions of the words chosen by Holy Spirit, we can gain a more complete picture of what Jesus truly experienced in the garden. When He “withdrew” from the disciples to pray by Himself (Luke 22:41), Luke uses a stronger word than the other Gospel writers, apospao, which means “to tear away.”(3) Wuest translates it accordingly, “He tore himself away from them.” Probably more than any time in His life, Christ wanted the comfort of being with friends, yet He knew He would have to face this ordeal alone. We are told by Matthew and Mark that Yeshua became “sore amazed, exceedingly sorrowful and very heavy” in His mind and emotions (Matthew 26.37-38; Mark 14:33-34 KJV). More literal definitions of the Greek words used give us poignant descriptions of what He was feeling: Ademonein: “to be troubled and in anguish, to be in a state of great anxiety; used of one who is rendered helpless, disoriented, agitated, and anguished by the threat of an approaching event.”(4) Perilupus: “to be very sad, environed or surrounded with deep grief.”(5) Ekthambeisthai: “to be exceedingly astonished, either with wonder or fear; to be in the grip of a shuddering horror.”(6) Wuest says Christ was “thoroughly alarmed.” Though He knew in advance this trauma was coming, the intensity of it was even greater than what He had expected. It was alarming to Him! Astonishing. Disorienting. Horrifying. Matthew tells us Jesus was agonizing “to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). The word used demands that this be taken literally. Though death could never have taken Christ before the time came for Him to yield up His spirit, in a strictly human sense, here in the garden, His body was close to death. Again, I believe our redemption - specifically, taking the emotional wounds, rejections, and sorrows of the entire world upon Himself - began here in the garden of Gethsemane. Isaiah prophesied of Christ: “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5 NASB) Don’t waste a moment of Christ’s suffering for you. Everything He did was redemptive. Every second of suffering and abuse was for you and me, taking our place. Let it bring healing to every part of your soul that may be hurting. Jesus wants you healed from every form of abuse, rejection, betrayal, and loss. He paid for this! Receive it. After three hours of agony, Christ prevailed. He broke through into peace, and His spirit was now in complete control of every emotion. At this point, Judas came with soldiers and betrayed Christ with a kiss, kataphileo (7). The word reveals that this was more than just the friendly kiss on the cheek (phileo) (8), a common greeting in many countries. The prefix kata (9) strengthens it, implying a stronger affection, perhaps with a hug or a lingering kiss on the cheek. That is why Jesus questioned Judas, “Are you betraying me with this type of affection, Judas?” (Luke 22:48) Christ then asks the soldiers, “Who are you seeking?” When they told Him, He simply said, “I AM” (John 18:4-5). Jesus did NOT say “I am He,” as most translations state. He spoke His God-name from throughout eternity: “I AM.” And the power of His words, of His name, knocked the soldiers backward onto the ground (verse 6). Christ is, indeed, Almighty God. At this point, Peter, perhaps emboldened by what happened to the soldiers, pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. Jesus promptly touched Malchus and healed his ear! (Luke 22:51) The great I AM, indeed! The Healer! The Great Physician! The Creator! And in this time of His suffering, the Savior is seen ministering to His enemies. At this point, Jesus was led away to be tried, beaten, and crucified. We will look at this tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, the agony You must have felt during Christ’s sufferings had to have been immeasurable. The temptation to answer His prayer, “Let this cup pass from Me,” must have been overwhelming. But You knew there was no other way to save us - our sins required a perfect, sinless substitute. You who spared not Your own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall You not also with Him, freely give us all things! (Romans 8:32) Thank You! And Jesus, words fail us. You, the Prince of Peace, suffered overwhelming mental anguish and emotional trauma for us. You allowed Yourself to feel the pressure until Your capillaries burst and Your skin oozed blood. Through this, You now give us unexplainable peace and unspeakable joy. We worship You today. We exalt You above all others. We love You from the depths of our hearts. May our incense of worship rise before You, bringing the pleasure You so deserve. As incredible as it sounds, we are the reward of Your suffering. Satisfy Your heart even more in this hour - send revival to the earth! Bring a billion souls into Your family in this coming revival. Your Father, who cannot lie, gave You the nations as Your inheritance. No one can take them from You. Holy Spirit, show the world just how wonderful this God-Man is. Open their eyes to His glory, His selfless love, His humility. Give them dreams about Him that awaken desire - a longing to know Him. Surely, there is no one like Him - give them a taste! Let not the wicked stop this. Ruin their plans, judge their strategies, thwart their efforts…and reveal this glorious Man. And in His name, we pray, Amen. ************************** Tomorrow we will be having communion together as we remember the day known as Good Friday, the day of Christ’s death. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hematidrosis-hematohidrosis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis This is a combined definition from these sources: Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977. Vine, W.E. The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1984. Zodhiates, Spiros, The Complete Word Study Dictionary. Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992. 4. Ibid 5. Ibid 6. Ibid 7. Ibid 8. Ibid 9. Ibid

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-5-2023 April 5, 2023 Passion Week: The Alabaster Box It is unfortunate for us to try and focus on something as important and holy as Christ’s Passion week, while also needing to watch and comment on the chaos occurring in our nation. What is happening with President Trump is unprecedented, literally, and one more example of the corruption and polarization in America. As I’m sure you know by now, there were no surprises in Trump’s indictment, and the expert legal analysts I’m hearing believe the charges are motivated by politics, and have no chance of succeeding (unless it is from a stacked jury). The likely motivation for this is to plant negative thoughts about Trump in the minds of voters and be a distraction to him and his campaign. I will certainly say more about this in the future, and we will continue to pray for America, our government, and the work Holy Spirit needs to do to heal our land. Today, however, let’s move on to Christ’s final week on earth, leading up to the Cross. ******************** During the week of Christ’s Passion, we are told the story of a woman anointing Christ’s head and feet with very expensive ointment. “Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as He was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house, with an alabaster flask filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She came to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over His head. But some were highly indignant when they saw this, and they complained to one another, saying, ‘What a total waste! It could have been sold for a great sum, and the money could have benefited the poor.’ So they scolded her harshly. Jesus said to them, ‘Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness. You will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have Me. When she poured the fragrant oil over Me, she was preparing My body in advance of My burial. She has done all that she could to honor Me. I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to Me will be mentioned in memory of her.’” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:3-9‬ ‭TPT‬‬) This oil was very expensive, worth a year’s wages based on the average income of the day. We know from John’s account (John 12:1-8) that this was done by the same Mary who sat at Christ’s feet, mesmerized by His words, in Luke 10:38-42. She was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The timing of Mary’s offering was just days before His death, and Jesus said she was anointing Him for His burial. Whether Mary had grasped the reality of His words about His imminent death and resurrection, or whether Jesus was simply applying the offering in that light is unclear. Two things we do know: It was a very costly offering from Mary, and it was precious to the Lord. “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her,” He stated (Matthew 26:13). Some speculate that the scent of this powerful perfume would have lingered in Christ’s hair for several days. Did the fragrance help sustain Him as He agonized in Gethsemane? Perhaps the sweet aroma comforted Him through the tortuous six hours on the Cross. Never underestimate the fragrance of worship. Others in the room thought Mary’s offering to be a waste. Some actually scolded her (Mark 14:5). I know the feeling. When I canceled all other activities for three months in our church in Colorado Springs, lavishing ninety days of 24/7 worship on the Lord, I, too, was criticized. One influential Christian leader rebuked me, calling the ninety days of worship “a complete waste of time.” It’s fascinating just how much perspectives can differ. For me, those three months remain the best three months of my life. They were my alabaster box of costly perfume, the greatest offering I’ve had the honor of giving Christ. For the person who rebuked me, they were a complete waste of time. Never allow the lack of revelation in others to cheapen your offering. Like Mary, give Christ your best. Others may mock your sacrifice of time, but go ahead and “waste” it on Him. Some will scold you, as they did Mary, calling your passionate praise too radical, but pour out your offering in spite of their ridicule. Still others will label your extravagant worship as excessive. Religious zeal. Don’t let their misguided criticism deter you - pour out your costly perfume! The list of Christ’s followers in the room as Mary anointed Jesus is quite the who’s who. The twelve disciples were present. You’d think they would have understood that Jesus was more than worth this offering, but they were too practical: “It should have been given to the poor,” was their protest. Christ’s thoughts? “Go ahead and anoint Me; there will be ample time to care for the poor after I’m gone.” Simon, the former leper, was present. This was actually his home. One might think his new skin, replaced appendages, and restored life would merit the “wasting” of some costly perfume on Jesus. Evidently not - he didn’t come to Mary’s defense. And then there was Lazarus, Mary’s brother, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. He had been dead so long that he stank. Surely he would see the validity of his sister’s costly perfume sacrifice. But no, Lazarus didn’t come to her defense, either. Could it be that the others’ familiarity with Christ had lessened their wonder of Him, their awe? We don’t know. They certainly didn’t come to Mary’s defense. We do know that only one worshiper that day had the fullness of love and revelation necessary to anoint the Savior. How sadly typical. So many miss opportunities to lavish affection on Him. It is not uncommon for me to see church attendees waste opportunities to break their alabaster box of love and pour it on the Master. They’ve been in His presence so often, sang so many songs and prayed so many prayers that, well, the experience just isn’t quite worth what it used to be. So, they give Him token praise and watered-down worship. Cheap perfume. I doubt if the fragrance makes it past Sunday lunch. But while the others that day wasted an opportunity to comfort God, Mary poured out her costly perfume. Its fragrance sustained Him through Gethsemane, the beatings, mocking, lashing, spittle, spikes, dislocations, and thorns. Don’t allow another day to go by without becoming one of the “fragrance creators.” Let nothing deter you. Your alabaster box is your heart; your love and worship are the perfume. Break it open and pour it out. At the scent of your offering, He’ll meet with you. And He’ll cherish your worship, just as He did Mary’s. Pray with me: Father, thank You for including Mary‘s story in Your Holy Book. We are impressed and motivated by her example, yes. But just as importantly, we are awed by Christ’s moving acceptance and appreciation of it. May we today always give Him our best. May the fragrance of worship ascend to Him daily from our hearts and lives. May You, Abba, always find a sweet fragrance of worship ascending before Your throne. We love You very much. Jesus, thank You for Your amazing, unfathomable humility. We will never know just how much You humbled Yourself to serve us as You did. You became human, touchable, breakable. Your love is unmatched. We worship You today with our hearts and our words. And we gratefully partake of Your life, righteousness, strength, healing, and wholeness. We continue to pray for the turning of our nation and for our government to be transformed. Change those who can be changed; replace the others. You are the God of salvation; bring it to this land. And we wholeheartedly include other nations in this prayer - send revival throughout the earth. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we are passionate worshipers of our great God, and will break our alabaster box, giving Him all of our love and honor. ***************** Click here to watch/hear Cece Winans perform the song, The Alabaster Box. This is one of our favorites. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-4-2023 April 4, 2023 Pre-post statement: Because we post the GH15s very early in the morning, they must be completed the evening before. Therefore, this post was completed Monday, before the arraignment of President Trump. I will comment on the arraignment in tomorrow’s post. However, before I read today’s, let’s briefly pray for him: Father, we thank You for the way You have used Donald Trump. He was the most pro-life President America has ever had. Minorities prospered under his leadership more than under any other President. He protected America and supported Your causes. We ask You to strengthen him in this time and give the outcome You desire regarding the charges against him. And we ask for Your will concerning his future to be accomplished. In Christ’s name, Amen. Passion Week: The Man, Christ Jesus We are entering the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday, often referred to as The Passion Week. Christ actually began experiencing the emotional pressure of what was coming several weeks before the Cross occurred. Most people fail to consider that Jesus was truly human, with real emotions and the ability to feel pain. He experienced grief, sorrow, anger, and disappointment, enjoyed friendships, knew joy and laughter, felt hunger and thirst, grew tired and sleepy. Though fully God, Jesus was also human, but without the Adamic fallen nature. He had to be in order to represent us as a legal substitute. As one who was truly human, Christ didn’t simply flip over into God mode when things got tough in order to not experience the pain or trauma. Philippians 2:6-7 tell us that “although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Let Christ be human. As I stated above, weeks before the Cross Christ began feeling the pressure. When He said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), Jesus was thinking of Himself. The passage begins by saying, “Jesus let nothing distract him from departing for Jerusalem because the time for him to be lifted up drew near, and he was full of passion to complete his mission there.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭9:51‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Jesus knew that in Jerusalem He would face arrest, torture, and agonizing death. But He set off firmly and unflinchingly, committed to finishing His mission. There would be no backing out, and nothing would deter Him from accomplishing His purpose. Isaiah prophesied this determination: “The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:5-7 NASB). Christ knew this passage was speaking of Him and realized He was entering the season of its fulfillment. So He set His face like flint, put His hand to the plow, and turned toward Jerusalem, beginning what would become His final trek to this city. Traveling by foot and stopping along the way to minister and rest, the journey would take several weeks. Luke, in his gospel, reveals the humanness of Christ more than the other Gospel writers. Under Holy Spirit’s guidance, each Gospel writer had a different goal in his writing. This is why each man shared different (not contradictory) accounts of Christ’s works and teachings. Matthew, for example, wrote his Gospel primarily to the Jews; he was, therefore, revealing Christ as the King of God’s Kingdom. Mark wrote to Romans; hence, he wrote of Jesus as a man of action, filled with power and under authority. John wrote to all humankind, presenting Him as truly God. Luke was writing primarily to Gentiles and Greeks; he presented the humanness of Christ - He was truly a man and, therefore, qualified to be our substitute at the Cross. In revealing Christ’s humanness, Luke wants us to know that from this point onward, the pressure began building in the Son of Man. Jesus was having to remain very focused in order to deal with this pressure. Eleven times after the above verse (9:51), Luke mentions that Christ was journeying toward Jerusalem and, therefore, the Cross. He was focused on the mission and would not waver. In Chapter 12, Luke quotes Him as saying, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished” (verse 50). “Distressed” is the Greek word sunecho (Strongs 4912), a very strong word meaning “to be held fast, like a prisoner.” It also means “to be confined, constrained, pressed together so as to not be able to move (like a city under siege);” figuratively, sunecho meant “to be in a mental state of anguish.” Kenneth Wuest’s expanded and very literal translation of the New Testament renders this verse: “I have an immersion by which I will be overwhelmed, and I am being hard pressed from every side until it be consummated.” In other words, though weeks out from the Cross, the strain in Christ was already very intense! Jesus knew what was about to occur and was dreading it. The focus required in order to press on toward Jerusalem was so intense that it could be seen on His countenance. In Luke 9:53, Christ was rejected by a Samaritan village “Because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.” Although there was great friction between Jews and Samaritans, Christ had earlier been accepted by a village in Samaria after ministering to “the woman at the well” (see John 4). On this occasion, however, they would not receive Him. Why? They were offended because He couldn’t seem to take His focus off Jerusalem. What did this look like? There must have been many pensive gazes, perhaps even some grimaces, as Christ kept turning His face toward Jerusalem and the Cross. This became so obvious that the Samaritans, who were rejected and looked down upon by the Jews, had finally had enough. Of course, they didn’t understand. No one did. This was something Christ was having to endure alone. And with His face set like flint, He journeyed on - moving toward His destiny. “And He was passing through from one village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). For several weeks, the journey continued, and the pressure built until Jesus rounded the last curve and crested the last hill. When the city came into view, He burst into tears. Christ’s emotions were now raw, sensitive, and bottled up. Like a pent-up dam that could take no more pressure, He released His emotions. Jesus loved this city; He loved the people. Yet He knew Jerusalem would reject Him and, in the future, experience great devastation. As this mix of emotions erupted to the surface, Yeshua let it all out. And He did more than cry. Again, quoting from Wuest’s New Testament, “...having caught sight of the city, He burst into tears, weeping audibly over it” (Luke 19:41). What a picture. And what must the disciples and those following Christ have thought as He “burst into tears” and sobbed? How often this man surprised and amazed them. Power, authority, humility, wisdom, intellect, love and yes, passion were all exhibited by the Son of Man. And they would soon see His anger. After composing Himself, Christ went directly to the Temple and drove out those who were selling their wares, making His “house of prayer...a robber’s den,” (Luke 19:45-46). This was indeed anger, but it wasn’t a temporary loss of self-control. The Temple was intended by God to picture us humans, created to be the dwelling place/temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The defilement Jesus was seeing reminded Him of the defilement in us, which He was about to cleanse at the Cross, just days from then. He was demonstrating what He had come to do: cleanse His temple - US..! And Christ was intense about it. Spend some time this week reflecting on the passion of Christ. Journey through the week with Him. Thank Him for the price He paid. Worship Him not only as God, the Creator, but also as Son of Man, the Redeemer. And let Him be human. Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your incredible love and commitment to us. Thank You for the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. You are amazing. We are deeply moved by being able to call You Abba, Papa. And Jesus, thank You for the incarnation - being willing to become one of us. Isaiah called You Immanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). Daniel called You “son of man” (Daniel 7:13). Thank You for the tears. Thank You for the love. Thank You for the suffering and pain. Thank You for the Cross - thank You for dying. And thank You for winning, for conquering death and the grave, for overcoming sin and its evil hold on us. Thank You for sharing Abba with us. Thank You for sharing Your throne with us. Manifest Yourself through us in this era, we pray. May the world see who You are, Yeshua, and Your glory as the church You are building matures into the Ekklesia You envisioned. Continue to mature us into people worthy of bearing Your name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that the sufferings of Christ were not in vain, and His blood will never lose its power. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-3-2023 April 3, 2023 We Own A Right Time A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Knowing this, God sculpted and shaped a vivid picture of hope deferred in the form of a mountain - wouldn't you know it would be a mountain! Rugged. Barren. Big. Its very name Horeb, means “desolation, a waste place, barrenness, dryness.” Yep, all synonyms of hope deferred. I sometimes think of this mountain when praying for America. This is the place Moses ended up for much of his forty-year exile, shoveling dung instead of bathing in royal hot tubs. There can be no more severe case of hope deferred than what Moses experienced, having lost his royal inheritance and, it seemed, his destiny. I realize “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” but after disappearing for forty years, a dream is usually over. Especially if you’re 80 years old! But thankfully, like many mountains, Horeb had treasure hidden within it. Not only would this barren piece of rock be a picture of exile-induced heart disease, but it would also become a glorious example of conquered hope deferred and healed heart disease. Horeb gives us a glimpse of life on the other side of our pain. The events associated with this mountain portray God’s amazing ability to heal, restore hope and purpose, and bring abundant treasure from ugly mountains. Horeb didn’t remain horrible for Moses, and it won’t for us. The transformation of Horeb’s symbolism became so complete, its power so harnessed by the hand of God, that it eventually became known as “the mountain of God.” (Exodus 3:1). It doesn’t get any better than that! God can so transform the “Horeb seasons” of our lives that one day all we’ll see when we look back at them is Him - the mountain of God. There is gold in this mountain, and we will find it! This became especially real to me a few years back when I found myself in a season of hope deferred, much of which had been caused by betrayal. One afternoon, while seeking the Lord for comfort, He threw me quite a curve. “I need for you to embrace the pain,” He spoke very clearly. What a strange and seemingly cruel statement to hear from a loving Father who supposedly had great plans for my welfare and a future filled with hope. What I did not realize, however, was that God wanted to do more than simply remove my pain; He also wanted to use it for my good. God never wastes our pain; before He removes it, He makes it serve us. Horeb becomes our gym and the pharaoh who sent us there our trainer. And ultimately, like God, whose nature we inherited, we will win. He always wins, and we can, also. I want to be very clear that God wasn’t telling me betrayal is good, nor that He caused it. God doesn’t initiate evil, but He does make it serve Him – and us. He needed me to embrace the pain, NOT so I could hurt, but in order to grab it, wrestle it to the mat, and claim my prize! God doesn’t call evil good, as some people are prone to do. Pain isn’t good; it tells us something is wrong. Death is an enemy. Emotional wounds can break our hearts. God doesn’t make light of our pain, and He isn’t playing weird mind games with us, trying to convince us that bad is good. He IS saying, however, that no matter how deep the wound and great the pain, He knows how to heal and transform it - and not just into scar tissue. He will use its lessons to make us better, healthier, richer, and well positioned for a fulfilling future. Horeb need not be terminal! Learn the lessons from this ugly mountain, and find the buried treasure hidden in it. One of the first things Horeb will teach us, and one of the most important, is the power of perseverance. Don’t downplay this one – it’s huge. Waiting isn’t easy, and nothing truer can be said than that waiting is associated with hope deferred. However, learning to wait without wavering will make you successful in life. God wants to strengthen your endurance through your experience at Horeb, so you can be like a distance runner who can run long distances without damaging the heart or lungs. Moses is one of the all-time record holders for waiting. After fleeing from Pharaoh and becoming an object lesson on deferred hopes and diseased hearts for 40 years, he found it hard to believe God could ever use him again – let alone awaken his dreaming heart. But after a session of arguing with God on this mountain (see Exodus 3-4), he decided to give it a try and became the all-time greatest poster boy for restored hope. Sometimes what is perceived as the death of a vision is really just waiting for its divine time! That’s why persistence is so crucial. This could prove to be one of the greatest assets you’ll mine from this mountain. Rick DeVos, the co-founder of Amway and former owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team, says of persistence: “Persistence is the single most important ingredient of success in life…When confronted with a failure or disappointment, you have only two choices: You can give up, or you can persist…If I could pass on one character trait to young people in the world – one single quality that would help them achieve success in life – it would be persistence. It’s more important than intellect, athletic ability, good looks or personal magnetism. Persistence comes from a deep place in the soul. It is a God-given compensation for what we lack in other areas of our life. Never underestimate its power.”(1) All great men and women have learned to persevere. Galatians 6:9 encourages us to do so without losing heart: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” At times, like Moses, our wait is because we have not yet arrived at God’s “due time.” The words “due time” in this verse come from the Greek phrase, “idios kairos” and, when fully understood, are filled with reason to persevere. Kairos means “the right time; the opportune point in time at which something should be done.” The second word, idios, denotes “ownership.” This verse is telling us not to lose heart while waiting for something God has promised us, because we own a right time for the promise to arrive. Knowing this makes waiting much easier. I’ve waited over 35 years for America’s - and the entire world’s - next great wave of revival. Twenty-five of those years have been on the front lines. Not quite as long as Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, but I can see their tail lights. During that span, my nation has become a Horeb - desolate, barren, and dry - but I’m starting to see “burning bushes” and hear awakening words from heaven. Open your eyes, see the flame, and listen to the God of resurrection life: “America shall be saved, the bones will live, and I WILL have my harvest!” Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving us inspirational stories in Your Word, for allowing us to see into the lives of overcomers and heroes. Thank You for showing us their challenges, failures, and recoveries. You are the God who makes Horeb serve us. You tell us unequivocally that Horeb is meant to be conquered and turned into a place of strength and breakthrough. We have all visited this mountain, and our entire nation now lives there. But You, God, transform Horebs! You have not given up on America - because You have not given up on the earth. We’ve been knocked down, but You, our Trainer/Manager, have not “thrown in the towel.” To the contrary, You are in our corner with the smelling salts, water bottles, and Holy Spirit’s power. We see the burning bush, and we are listening for Your voice (Exodus 3). We have seen the bones coming together and can hear them rattling - not the death rattle, as some would contend - but the rattling of realignment (Ezekiel 37). We can hear Your laugh of derision toward Your enemies as You listen to them decree their supposed victory over You (Psalm 2). And now we decree Your words over this nation: “America shall be saved.” We decree over the nations: “You are the inheritance of Jesus Christ, and He will have members in His family from every one of you.” We decree over our prodigals and family members: “We shall be saved, and so shall our household.” And we declare over the workers of iniquity in this nation: “The King is coming to shake you from your positions of power.” We decree and declare all these things in the mighty name of Jesus..!! Our decree: We decree that our desolation and barrenness are being infused with resurrection life. *************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope, published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________________ Rich DeVos, Hope From My Heart (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), pp. 27, 33.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-31-2023 March 31, 2023 The Scarlet Cord (Today, we are going to take communion together. You may want to pause the video and get your communion elements ready.) “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” (1) These are the opening lines of the song, Solid Rock, written in 1834 by Edward Mote, a Baptist pastor from England. The well-known refrain states: “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” (2) The refrain of this hymn is based on Matthew 7:24-27, which anyone who’s attended Sunday school will recognize as the parable of The Wise and the Foolish Builders. The passage says: “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!” (GNT) Most of the words of this song, not just the refrain, are based in Scripture. Edward Mote must have been a man who loved God’s Word. He had come to understand that hope was found in Christ, and clearly embraced this truth in his life. I’m sure Mote had no idea the powerful song he ended up writing would become a classic, reminding the millions who would sing it that hope is found in Jesus. The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans and a hope-filled future for us. The hope He gives motivates us to pursue the future He has planned. This allows us to also impart hope, which puts wind beneath the wings of others. Hope looks past any fog or darkness that may encroach on our path and lights our way forward. In my book, The Power of Hope, I state that “Hope does in our hearts what seeds do in the earth. Without hope, life is sterile and unfruitful; dreams won’t be conceived; destinies won’t be realized. Hope is essential because it is the seed, the starting line, the genesis, and the launch pad. It is, in fact, the incubator where faith is birthed: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,” God tells us (Hebrews 11:1 KJV, emphasis added). If there is no hope for the future, there will be no faith to face it - let alone build it.” (3) Strong’s concordance tells us the word “hope” in Jeremiah 29:11 is the word “tiqvah”. It has two meanings: “an expectancy;” and “a cord, as an attachment.” The second definition is especially fascinating. Hope connects us to our future. This brings us back to the words of Mote’s song, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” At some point, while walking along life’s path with the Lord, this powerful truth became a revelation, and he shared it with all the world in his hymn. Tiqvah’s definition as a “cord or rope” is used this way in Joshua 2:18. A woman named Rahab hid the Israelite spies when they came to check out Jericho. Because she helped them, they agreed to save her and her family from the destruction coming to Jericho. The spies gave her a red cord and told her to hang it in her window. They cautioned her to be sure all of her extended family members were in the room with the cord, and all would be saved. In verse 21, she accepted their offer. It was a very good thing she did. The entire city and its inhabitants were destroyed; only Rahab and her family survived. The passage reads, “When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet cord [tiqvah - hope] hanging from the window through which you let us down… ‘I accept your terms,’ she replied. And, she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope [hope] hanging from the window” (verses 18-21 NLT). Rahab was being asked to place her hope in these men and the God she knew was with them. Their promise to her was a covenant expressed in the blood-red cord. Most biblical scholars see this as a prophetic picture of Christ’s shed blood, which is where we place our hope and trust. This symbolism seems even more likely when we realize Rahab later married an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, Salmon, and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz and Ruth gave us Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. King David was one of Rahab’s descendants; she was part of Christ’s lineage! That Jesus descended from Rahab makes it almost certain that the scarlet cord symbolized the redeeming, covenantal blood of Christ, through which we are saved. One verse of Mote’s song says, “His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.” Let’s put all our hope in God’s covenant with us, knowing we are saved by, tethered to, and anchored solidly in His love and plan. Communion is our declaration that when all around us gives way, Christ is our hope and stay. We are foundationed on Him, our rock, which will never fail to support us. His blood, the scarlet cord, “hangs” from the windows of our hearts and is the surety, the guarantee, of our covenant with God (Hebrews 7:22). He cannot and will not fail. Christ’s blood grafts us into God’s family, just as the cord grafted Rahab into Israel. And not as a second-class citizen - Rahab became a carrier of the royal seed, one of the mothers of Messianic redemption. Put your hope and faith in the blood of Christ - it will not fail! Pray with me: Father, we ask You to restore Your people from hope-deferred. You tell us hope-deferred makes our hearts sick (Proverbs 13:12). Heal them, spiritually and emotionally, so they can be hope-givers to those around them. Many have been in a season of disappointment; some have even abandoned hope, and lost faith in You. They’ve allowed circumstances to determine how they see and relate to You. But hope can spawn faith, correct our vision, and bring us into right relationship with You! You are good, faithful, and have a plan to bring us into a hope-filled future. As we take the bread of communion together today, we break off of Your people fear, disillusionment, hope-deferred, weak hearts, and confusion. We declare Your promise of “no fear,” and release “power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We declare over them the spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). Through Your covenant, our hope and faith are strong for ourselves, our families, and our nation. (Eat the bread) And as we take the cup today, representing Your blood, we declare, as Rahab did for herself and her family, that we are no longer outsiders, outcasts. We’re in the family now, the household of faith, Your family. As Your kids, we’re Your heirs, joint-heirs with Christ. We stand in this truth today, declaring that we and our families, like Rahab, shall be saved, by the scarlet cord, the blood of a better and eternal covenant - Christ’s. (Drink the cup). Our decree: We declare that a hope-filled church will reflect Jesus, rejoicing in hope, standing patient in tribulation, and remaining constant in prayer. **************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote. Public domain. Ibid Dutch Sheets, The Power of Hope, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2002), p 3.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-30-2023 March 30, 2023 Reject Shallow Living, Refuse Small Dreaming A study reported in the May 2010 issue of Atherosclerosis, said participants who were persistently depressed had a twofold increased risk of narrowing of the arteries. The study took place over a period of ten years, with participants being assessed at least three different times during that ten-year period for depression symptoms.(1) “This is the same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a nonsmoker. (2) Incredible. Hopelessness, if not checked, is a death sentence. A recent study in the British Medical Journal confirms this, reporting that people with serious depression were two-thirds more likely to die prematurely; even those with mild depression had a 16 percent higher risk of dying compared to individuals who were distress free.(3) You can die from sorrow! God told us this a long time ago. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Most of us think only of our emotional or spiritual heart when we read this, but science is now proving that the verse is true of physical hearts as well. Hope deferred creates a diseased heart, both emotionally and physically. And with a diseased heart, no one can run life’s race effectively. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” we are exhorted in Hebrews 12:1. Lack of endurance, however, is one of the first results of heart disease. We may run, but we won’t run far. The loss of hope is crippling, making us little more than spectators in life. “Run in such a way that you may win,” the Lord urges us through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24. You’ll never do that with a diseased heart. When hope deferred sets in, not only are we unable to win - sometimes, we can’t even finish the race. There’s no doubt about it: hope-deferred “heart disease” is a killer. The Lord doesn’t want the pain, frustration, or disillusionment of hope deferred to affect our hearts in any way. He wants us to run the race of life enthusiastically, effectively, and with pleasure, enjoying the journey. We live in an era of incredible challenge and unprecedented change. Technology is increasing at astounding rates of speed; the global landscape is in an unstable and volatile state, with the possibility of nuclear war once again in the news; famine, disease, and violence are on the rise. The number of humans trafficked and enslaved is higher than any time in history; the insanity and depravity of leaders in America and around the world have reached shocking levels; the hearts of people are failing them from fear. Thoreau's famous quote, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation,” has never been more apropos. And yet, desperation - humankind’s inevitable realization that there is no human answer - always becomes the womb of God’s opportunity. His unstoppable march through history forces its way through the chaos and resistance of fallen humanity and into the opportune time of breakthrough and harvest. When this occurs, the body of Christ must recognize it and take action. Every generation of the church must have its own “for such a time as this” epiphany, a corporate revelation of a corporate purpose, and that this reason for their existence has arrived. You and I have come to ours. The church of 2023 is now staring at the greatest opportunity ever afforded the body of Christ. The stage is set. The full restoration of Christ’s gifts and anointings has been accomplished; the revelation being released from Holy Spirit is at profound levels; our incredible technology and modes of travel give us the ability to reach all the world with the gospel; and the desperation of a confused and hopeless populace has created a ripe harvest. We’ve been called to participate in the greatest Kingdom expansion in all of history. Like Esther, we must recognize and accept our moment, rise to our reason for existing at this specific time, shake off all fear, and cast off all limitations. We must reject shallow living and refuse small dreaming. We must not measure success by temporal, human goals, nor bow to the reprehensible idol of personal kingdom building. Determine that you will be part of God’s answer, a difference-maker, an agent of change. Be a voice - He must be heard through you. Be a giver of life - part of God’s answer to a desperate and hungry world. Stay low, but dream high. There is no Plan B. Pray with me: Father, decades of complacency, disengagement, and lack of discernment in the church allowed evil forces to gain strong footholds in our land. Through the catastrophic election of 2020, these forces intend to finish off America’s strength and her partnership with You. Once again, we repent on behalf of our nation for 50 years of choosing darkness over light. We repent for electing people who do not know or honor You. And we repent for acquiescing to satan’s strategies. Forgive and cleanse us. In these troubling times of darkness and abounding evil, our hope in You anchors our souls. Our faith in Your love and grace is steadfast and immovable. You are using the difficulties we’re experiencing, the lunacy of seared consciences, and the fragile state of the world to create great desperation. This is producing a ripe harvest. You told us that when we discern the time for spiritual rain, an outpouring of Holy Spirit, we must ask for it (Zechariah 10:1). We do so now: send Your rain. And we pray for a great awareness to come to Your people, an awareness of the opportunity of our times. We pray for faith to arise in the church regarding Your heart and purposes. Help us keep our focus on You. We ask You to awaken in the church a sense of destiny. We join our faith for this now, and also for the breaking of fear and hopelessness off the body of Christ. We bind spirits of fear and confusion, and release the spirit of revelation to the church. In Christ’s name. Our decree: We decree that hope, faith, and strength are rising in the Ekklesia. Fear will not rule us. ******************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Mark Hamer, Mika Kivimaki, Avijit Lahiri, Michael G. Marmot, and Andrew Steptoe, “Persistent Cognitive Depressive Symptoms Associated With Coronary Calcification.” Atherosclerosis 210, no. 1 (May 2010); 209-213, http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877780/ (accessed October 1, 2023). New York Times, “Despair and Risk of Artery Disease,” September 3, 1997, http://wwwnytimes.com/1997/09/03/us/despair-and-risk-of-artery-disease.html (accessed October 1, 2013). Tom C. Russ, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Mark Hamer, John M. Starr, Mika Kivimaki, and G. David Batty, “Association Between Psychological Distress and Mortality: Individual Participant Pooled Analysis of 10 Prospective Cohort Studies,” British Medical Journal 345 (July 31, 2012): e4933, http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4933 (accessed October 1, 2023).

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-29-2023 March 29, 2023 We Must Play Hope’s Song America is mourning another senseless shooting. The shock of innocent children, as well as adults, being mercilessly killed is hard to cope with. The reality is that America is diseased on the inside. More of our kids will die today of overdoses; others will be killed in gang-related violence; still, others will take their own lives. As I stated yesterday, no human can fix us; only God, through a spiritual awakening, can heal America. We must continue to contend for this. To foster hope, I am sharing some thoughts today from my book, The Power of Hope. We must continue to believe, even as we grieve. People sometimes refer to their difficult times as “winter seasons.” There is a powerful picture associated with this in Ezekiel 47. The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the river of life. The river produced life and healing everywhere it went. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “river” in the passage is nachal, and means “a stream, especially a winter torrent.” (1) Some streams and rivers are dry during parts of the year. They fill up, however, when there is rain or, as in this case, the spring thaw melts the snow and ice on the mountains. Tiny rivulets develop, coming together to form streams and, eventually, becoming nachalim (rivers). Though Ezekiel’s “winter river” began as a trickle in verse 1, it eventually became a mighty, unfordable river by verse 5. God’s healing river often begins as a trickle. We can be confident, however, that it will deepen, that God will use the snow and ice of our winter to bring a deep flow of His healing power to us. Our season will change. For those who are confused and disillusioned… For the heart grieving from pain and loss… For the faithful but weary soldier whose stream-bed is dry… For those who have lost their first love connection to Him… For the rejected of the world who are heartsick with hope deferred…your season is changing… The warmth of spring will do its work, summer is coming. Thank God winter doesn’t last forever. The river of healing will flow to us, and we will drink of its healing power. As the following story states, there is a song in you. One night a discouraged man in London was on his way to drown himself. At that moment, his life did not seem worth living. As he walked along the street, he stopped and looked at a painting in a shop window. It was George Frederic Watt’s Hope - a woman, blindfolded, sitting on top of the world, holding a lyre with but one string. Yet still hoping and believing the instrument will make music, she is ready to strike it. The man, as he stood looking at that painting, said to himself: “Well, I have one string - I have a little boy at home.” So he returned home to his son. (2) When we feel there is nothing left, we must look again. The prophet Habakkuk said the flock might be dead and gone, there might be no fruit in the orchard, and the hillsides might be bare. But still “I will exult in the Lord,” he said. “I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (see Habakkuk 3:17-19). There was music possible yet! And there is still music in our nation. We must play hope’s song, even in the dark night of the soul. Job, in his hellish suffering, said the Lord “gives songs in the night” (Job 35:10). David, during his time of exile, said, “His song will be with me in the night” (Psalm 42:8). Paul and Silas, beaten, bleeding and in chains, “about midnight…were praying and singing hymns of praise to God” (Acts 16:25). There is hope in the night, and there is music somewhere in our broken nation. Don’t give up! A passage in the Song of Solomon speaks of the end of “winter”: “My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along. For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!’” (Song of Solomon 2:10-13 NASB) Working Things Together for Good Psalm 51 was written by a man experiencing hope deferred. King David had lost his first-love connection with God, which resulted in sin and a winter season. The following prayer he offered was answered: “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life…Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails” (vv. 10, 12, The Message). God wants to do that for America and for you. A fresh start…a Genesis week…out of exile…a fresh wind - that’s what He wants for us. A well-known verse in Romans speaks of God taking our pain, hurts, and destruction and bringing good from them. It is actually one of the most famous verses in the entire Bible: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This verse packs an even greater power than most people realize. The phrase “work together” is from the Greek word sunergeo, from which we get the English words synergy and synergism. Synergism is “the working together of two or more to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.” (3) In choosing this word, God is promising He will take all of the bad, all of the pain, and every attempt of the enemy to destroy our faith - “all things” - and then put Himself in the mix, infusing the evils with His miraculous power. I will synergize with them, He says, and the good in Me will overpower the bad in them. Amazing! Disappointment, plus pain, plus loss, is used for something good when God’s river of healing enters. Believing in this truth is part of restoring hope. When complimented on her homemade biscuits by Dr. Harry Ironside, the cook responded, “Just consider what goes into the making of these biscuits. By itself, the flour doesn’t taste good; neither does the baking powder, nor the shortening, nor any other ingredient. However, when I mix them all together and put them in the oven, they’re transformed. They come out just right.” Much of life can taste bad. But God is able to combine these “ingredients” of our life in such a way that when He is finished, the result is good. (4) God is going to send His river to America. It is, even now rising. He will heal, save, and restore. Keep your appeals strong - they are saving our land. Pray with me: Father, grief does not contradict or negate faith. We pray for Your comfort to those experiencing unspeakable pain. And though we grieve for our broken nation, we believe You are coming to release Your river of healing. Yes, we have been in an icy winter. Without a doubt, there is no hope for us but You. However, You are merciful, and You don’t abandon people or nations in their times of wandering. Your heart is always to redeem, and our hope is in You. As many well-meaning people today formulate plans and discuss ideas to try and fix America, we are keenly aware that unless You build the house, they labor in vain. Bring the awakening we cry out for. Convict millions in America over our rejection of You. Help them see that our sick condition is due to this, and that the only cure is to return. Bring Your warmth and thaw frozen hearts until the winter in America is over, and the river of Your healing flows with its full force. Strengthen the intercessors. Keep them strong, hope-filled, and full of faith. Remind them that You bring good even out of evil and can even use the plans of evil people to do so, just as You did for Joseph. We draw on You for strength, and we will persevere in our prayers. Our decree: We decree that the level of God’s healing river is rising, and He will heal our land. *********************** Today’s post was taken from my book The Power of Hope Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), s.v. OT:5158, “nachal.” Oden, 100 Meditations on Hope, p 72. Dictionary.com, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, s.v. “synergism,” http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=synergism&ia=ced (accessed October 2, 2013). Adapted from Edward K. Powell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1997), p 118.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-28-2023 March 28, 2023 Prayer Will Save America Today, I want to encourage you regarding the movement of prayer occurring here and around the world. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of American believers, are praying daily for our nation. Many more around the world also pray for America, knowing that we are the most powerful nation on earth, and that we stand for freedom and goodness. If America falls to tyranny, it’s the end of freedom for all. They also see the deterioration and loss of our strength, character, and wisdom - and they are concerned. God is raising up many good people in our land to fight in practical ways for our recovery, to reverse the progress of the leftists and progressives, awakening our nation from her slumber and delivering us from deception. HOWEVER, America moved from serious to critical condition some time ago, and is now on life support. She can no longer sustain or heal herself. No human effort, no amount of good laws, programs, or appropriate education can save us - we are too far gone. Only God can save America. President Trump’s tenure as President is an example of this. The vast majority of his ideas, policies, and ideas were sound. Because of this, great progress was made in a short amount of time. However, an evil political system, corrupt politicized agencies, dishonest media, and power-hungry globalists opposed him ruthlessly and incessantly. He and his policies were and are such a threat to them that they hate Trump with virulent hatred. And their level of entrenchment and control is such that they were able to remove him and install a cognitively challenged puppet, allowing them to rule behind the scenes. The result: all of the progress made under Trump was lost. Our borders are open, drugs and criminals are pouring in with millions of other people. We are weak on the world stage, and our military is under-supplied. Our economy is in shambles. We went from being energy independent to being dependent on our enemies. We promote godless perversion over morality and parental rights. And we could go on. The point? Only God, through a spiritual awakening, can bring sustained healing and recovery to America. And Yahweh’s salvation of a nation doesn’t result from Him simply choosing to suppress evil and send blessings. It occurs as hearts turn to Him, which brings a return to His Word and ways. This disempowers darkness and its control, releasing heaven’s blessing and wisdom, and delivers a nation from its insanity and deception. Only then will the good ideas work, and good people succeed. Prayer births these spiritual changes. Nothing else. That is why we must continue to pray. And we will! Numerous ministries and organizations have organized prayer efforts of their own, and much cross-pollination occurs. This prayer is saving America. Today, I’m highlighting one such ministry’s efforts, those of Clay and Susan Nash. Ceci and I have walked closely with Clay and Susan for several years and consider them not only colleagues, but friends. Clay has filled in for me here on GH15, and we minister together several times a year throughout the nation. Five years ago Holy Spirit instructed him to begin a daily prayer call, which has grown to thousands and has become very powerful. He, along with several other leaders regularly on the call, will be hosting a gathering in a few weeks to pray for America. I will be there, as well. Here is Clay’s summary of the prayer calls and information regarding this upcoming gathering: “In May of 2018, when I became aware of Justice Kennedy’s announcement to retire, I was flooded with the reality that we must have a conservative Justice to replace him. In prayer, God instructed me to start a weekly prayer call, and I did so. Brett Kavanaugh was nominated for this Supreme Court seat, and an intense battle began, which we were able to cover in prayer. During those prayer calls, we often had 4000 participants! “After that assignment, God instructed me to continue the prayer call DAILY - for the nation, for President Trump, and for the 2020 Election. During that season, the number of participants increased to between 6-7000 thousand a day, with more listening to the recordings. We named this call ‘The Josiah Company.’ “After the 2020 elections, it became clear that Holy Spirit was telling us - confirmed by many requests - to continue the daily calls, which we have done to this day. They are also recorded and transcribed. Hundreds join us live, and thousands of people listen to it or read the transcript later. The number needed to join the calls is 719.718.6038. The times when they take place are: • Mondays at 2:22pm ET • Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET • Wednesdays through Fridays at 2:22pm ET. “Over these five years, we have had well over 10,000 people join us on the calls. We’ve heard from thousands how they have grown in their understanding of prayer and authority. As we frequently add prophetic decrees to our prayers, many have learned from this and transitioned in their praying from priestly petitions only, to kingly decrees as well. An 83-year-old, who had functioned as an intercessor for many years, told me that after doing so she experienced more answers to prayer in 9 months than she had in several years. Others have referred to the calls as a ‘lifeline of hope.’ “In the fall of 2022, I received instructions to pray on the daily calls for all 50 states, one state per day for 50 days. We began doing so on February 20th and will finish on April 28th. This assignment has enjoyed great favor from Holy Spirit. From February 20th through March, we have experienced a minimum of 850 people a day on the call, some days increasing to almost 2000. Another 35,000 have listened to the recordings later to agree with us in prayer. “Over the past five years, many participants have asked me to host a national gathering through which many of them can come together for extended prayer, meet the hosts, and to also meet others from their state. I feel Holy Spirit is saying it is now time for this. We have scheduled the Josiah Company Convocation for April 20-22, 2023, in Conway, Arkansas, where we will pray over all 50 states, along with our nation in general. We will also operate prophetically and follow Holy Spirit’s leading. This gathering is NOT limited only to those who have participated on the calls. However, you MUST register in order to attend, as we can only accommodate 1000 people.” Registration for the gathering, along with all necessary information, is on Clay’s website ClayNash.org. If you have other questions, you can contact his assistant at Dawn@claynash.org. Join us if you can. And jump on the calls! Pray with me: Father, You have awakened many in Your church to the power of prayer. We have grown in our understanding of how to partner with You in releasing Your will and purposes on the earth. We have much to learn, but we are growing. Please continue fanning these flames. Stir a passion in many more to become involved, to invest more of their time in Kingdom causes. We pray for the various groups and networks of people involved in prayer. Give them understanding and wisdom, not only in how to pray, but also regarding what to pray. Encourage them. Remove all weariness or discouragement from the intercessors. Give them the funds and resources they need. Cause the right people to align with each group. Give all of us a heart to work together. Bless and prosper this convocation You have called Clay Nash to convene. Send those whom You want to be a part of it. Help us to be very strategic while there. And Father, we never want to miss an opportunity to call forth awakening, revival, and breakthrough in our land. Save us from evil, deliver us from evil people, strategies, and activities. We declare that evil will not prosper in our land. Send the fire of revival. Release power, signs and wonders. Encourage Your people, especially Your leaders, in this difficult time. We ask for these things in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that prayer and intercession will rise to higher and higher levels in America and around the world. ******************* Again, the Prayer Call number is 719.718.6038. The times of the calls are listed above. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-27-2023 March 27, 2023 Power to Rebirth America A dream was sent to me a couple of years ago in which George Washington, who commissioned the birth of the Appeal to Heaven flag, presented me the original, saying, “It still works.” Today, I want to review the history of this flag, and mention what Holy Spirit is doing with it in our time. Toward the end of 2013, I realized I was ending a 13-year spiritual journey. It started during a prayer and ended with a flag, an old and forgotten flag - by everyone, it seems, except God. He had kept this banner in hiding for a couple of centuries, waiting in the wings of history until He was ready to reintroduce it. And reintroduce it He has! The Appeal To Heaven flag now hangs in thousands of homes, prayer rooms, churches, government buildings, and even businesses. A church in Indiana made their own version - fifteen feet by thirty feet - then made one for me! Another congregation decorated the Christmas tree in their foyer with dozens of small Appeal to Heaven flags. Thousands of people have small ones tucked in their Bibles, tacked to bulletin boards, or conspicuously sitting on their desks. Others display them as lapel pins, wear them emblazoned on shirts, show them off on bumper stickers and at least one person has the flag tattooed on his arm! Governors display the flag, as do judges and congressmen; one was spotted in the U.S. Capitol. Another was recently flown over the Capitol of Arkansas. The other day I saw an appeal to heaven flag streaming behind an 18-wheeler - it’s going viral! The flag is associated with America’s founding, to be sure. It seems, however, that God doesn’t intend it to be used by America alone. It can be seen flying in the Himalayas - the highest point on the planet - where it is raised above dozens of Buddhist prayer flags. It has flown on the plains of Ninevah, the place of earth’s first region-transforming revival, and in many nations including South Africa, Panama, and Cambodia, where it was flown during prayers against human trafficking. It has even been to the North and South Poles! Who knows where it will turn up next?! This international use seems especially appropriate, given America’s God-given destiny of being a spiritual light to the nations. In times past, flags held more significance than they do in our present day. Their symbolism was understood, from the color to the design, enabling a flag to tell a story or make a strong statement. Many flags are sacred - people swear allegiance to them and die to protect their honor. Banners, as they are also called, were often intended to make declarations. One early colonial American flag had a picture of a coiled snake with the accompanying phrase, “Don’t Tread On Me.” It was a warning to Great Britain: “Be careful; step on us, and we strike!” The Appeal To Heaven flag is especially relevant to America’s God-given purpose and destiny. Modern-day progressives, historical revisionists, woke politicians, and humanistic professors scoff at the notion that America was established by God for a divine purpose. They also mock the assertion that our Founders believed in and honored this divine-human partnership. Sadly, some Christian’s do, as well, joining the Left in calling those of us who share these beliefs “Christian Nationalists.” They, of course, get to define what that means - it’s one of their propagandizing tactics. What they don’t get to do is change the facts. As John Adams said, “facts are stubborn things…” These modernists and revisionists may not like America’s origins, but they can’t change them. Yahweh, the God of the Bible, was indeed involved in America’s founding and He did so for His purpose. When General George Washington commissioned the Appeal to Heaven flag to fly over our naval ships in the Revolutionary War - don’t look for that in our modern-day American history books - little did he know that 240 years later, God would ordain that it fly again. This time around, however, it isn’t flying over a fledgling nation being born, but over the most powerful nation in the world being reborn. This rebirth isn’t literal, of course, but is a spiritual and moral renewal that will resurrect America’s God-given calling, purpose, and greatness. In the days of the flag’s genesis, the American colonists had no chance of winning a war with the world’s greatest empire, Great Britain. The impossible odds, however, lost their relevance once the patriots chose appealing to heaven over conceding to fate…and tyrants. When those ill-prepared and poorly equipped revolutionaries appealed for justice to the Giver of inalienable rights, the tide turned. When they agreed to come under God’s governance and honor His ways, He who “governs in the affairs of men,” as Ben Franklin stated at the Constitutional Convention, did just that. Affirming the Lord’s governing intervention, Franklin also said, “All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of super-intending providence in our favor.” Now, let it be said of our generation that when our nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to appeal for its restoration. Let it be said of us, as it was of our forefathers, that in the face of overwhelming odds, we took our stand in heaven’s courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power. Appeal to heaven - it still works..! “Everyone knows how God has saved us, for He has displayed His justice throughout history.” (Psalm 98:2 TPT) Pray with me: Father, the world looked on in amazement as 13 unorganized, army-less, poor colonies defeated the world’s greatest empire. It seemed impossible, yet they did, and we know how they did it. They recognized that their cause was linked to Yours, and they chose to become partners with You, making You the Senior Partner. They would become a nation, yes, but a “nation under God.” Then they asked for Your help, even placing the request on a banner and raising it over the battlefields. And You responded, coming to their aid. The appeal worked. You have now resurrected this flag and are re-awakening the appeal. It worked then; it will work now. The same activity that birthed our nation will now rebirth it. Breathe on the call to prayer, Father. Energize it with Your Holy Spirit. Cause it to be vibrant in America and around the world. We have been and continue appealing to You for worldwide revival. We appeal to You for the destruction of demonic strongholds and human systems opposing You. We appeal to You for the uncovering of truth in our land and in other nations. We ask for grace and mercy, but we also appeal for justice. Pour out Your Spirit in America, a great deluge of power and glory. Do so until we are once again a light to the world, a carrier of the life-giving gospel, and a beacon of truth. We boldly decree this shall be so, in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen Our decree: We decree that the plan - appealing to heaven - still works! ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal To Heaven.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-24-2023 March 24, 2023 Happy Birthday to my favorite sister, Deana. She’s my favorite, because she’s my only sister. Hope it’s a good one. Fanning the Flames of Patriotism Samuel Adams, one of America’s great Founders - who being dead yet speaks - has a message for those who think the church should stay out of government affairs: “Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty."(1) Sadly, many Americans today are clueless as to the true stakes of the war for America’s soul. Having never been under the control of despots and dictators, and never having had to fight a war for liberty, all they know is the propaganda of communist professors, leftist politicians, and their dishonest media arm. Xi and Putin would love to enlighten them. Admittedly, Adams was occasionally harsh, but then again, there was no time in his day for niceties and beating around the bush. For example, he said to those afraid to fight for our independence: “If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"(2) Think he might have been censored? Perhaps. But we can thank he and other determined patriots for pledging their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to purchase the freedom we now enjoy. Their understanding of the times, intellectual strength, and commitment to the cause of freedom would be helpful today. May God give us more Samuel Adams. Ronald Reagan also understood what was at stake. Here are portions of a campaign speech he gave for Barry Goldwater, entitled A Time for Choosing. Though somewhat lengthy they are so good and so appropriate for today, I couldn’t bring myself to cut it down any further. Do yourself a favor and read the entire speech. You’ll not only be inspired; you’ll also ask God to give us more Ronald Reagans: “…Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers. “Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, ‘We don't know how lucky we are.’ And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’ And in that sentence, he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth… “…If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand—the ultimatum. And what then—when Nikita Khrushchev [Leader of the Soviet Union at the time] has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we're retreating under the pressure of the Cold War, and someday when the time comes to deliver the final ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary, because by that time, we will have been weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side, he's heard voices pleading for ‘peace at any price’ or ‘better Red than dead,’ or as one commentator put it, he'd rather ‘live on his knees than die on his feet.’ “…those voices don't speak for the rest of us,” Reagan stated. Continuing, he said: “You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin - just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all. “You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, ‘There is a price we will not pay.’ ‘There is a point beyond which they must not advance.’ And this - this is the meaning in the phrase of Barry Goldwater's ‘peace through strength.’ Winston Churchill said, ‘The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we're spirits - not animals.’ And he said, ‘There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.’ “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. “We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.”(3) A good dose of patriotic quotes always charges my batteries. When feeling really crusty, I read a few of Patton’s. Or, perhaps of Lewis Morris. When his half-brother tried to warn him against signing the Declaration because of the potential cost, Morris replied, “Damn the consequences. Give me the pen!”(4) I’m sure he and Adams got along quite nicely. We have promises from God that He will save our nation and restore our purpose. Our cause is worthy. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Corinthians15:58 NASB) I leave you with one more quote from Samuel Adams, from a letter of encouragement written to James Warren. Warren had lamented the fact that many colonists were unwilling to involve themselves in the cause of liberty. Writing to Adams he said, “I shall not fail to exert myself to have as many towns as possible meet, but fear the bigger part of them will not. They are dead; and the dead can’t be raised without a miracle.”(5) Adam’s response, in part: “Nil desperandum - Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it.”(6) Pray with me: Father, we Americans give thanks for our freedom. We are an immeasurably blessed people. Thousands around the world who read or listen to these posts understand this very well, perhaps better than most Americans. We love them all. We pray today for the courage to stand for You and for them. Give us hearts of iron, nerves of steel. Fill us with fresh resolve to make our heavenward appeals, to answer destiny’s call. Give us hearts that stay low, but dream high. Make us the Joshuas and Calebs, the Adams and Reagans of our time, fearless in the face of demons and those who war against Your planned harvest. May this be Your Ekklesia’s finest hour, Your Kingdom’s greatest advance on planet earth. We will represent our great Redeemer until we can say with our brother, Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NASB) And in our great Redeemer’s name, we pray, amen. Our decree: We, the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ, decree that He is our great Champion; we always triumph in Him. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/documents/speech-about-declaration-of-independence.html Ibid https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/time-choosing-speech-october-27-1964 https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1831-damn-the-consequences-give-me-the-pen https://democraticthinker.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/samuel-adams-nil-desperandum/ https://quotefancy.com/quote/906345/Samuel-Adams-Nil-desperandum-Never-Despair-That-is-a-motto-for-you-and-me-All-are-not

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-23-2023 March 23, 2023 Don’t Be Moved by What You See As we mature in our walk with God, we grow in our ability to maintain faith in the midst of difficulties. Psalm 112:7 tells us those who walk with God, “will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” In today’s post, I want to say some sobering things regarding America’s current state of affairs. As these verses state, don’t allow them to discourage you. And, I want to state unequivocally my belief that America shall be saved. It is possible to experience grief, anger, and other emotions without them affecting our faith. Contrary to what some believe, identifying facts and stating reality is not unbelief. Unbelief is yielding to that which contradicts God and is contrary to His will. Let’s learn from Abraham. We are told that Abraham carefully and attentively considered his and Sarah’s inability to conceive. “Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-20 NASB) “Contemplated” is translated from the Greek word katanoeo, and means “to observe fully, consider, or perceive” (Strongs 2657). Thayer’s highly respected Greek dictionary says it means “to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes or mind on.” Faith is believing God’s Word from the heart, in spite of facts or circumstances that state otherwise; it is believing in the existence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). Many confuse faith with positive thinking, a refusal to acknowledge negative facts or circumstances. While refusing to dwell on negative thoughts promotes health and helps protect our faith, nevertheless, it is a function of our minds and is not biblical faith. Nor will it release spiritual power. One does not even have to be born again to think positively. Biblical faith, however, originates in our hearts and grows from the seeds of God’s Word as we feed and meditate on it. Obviously, Abraham’s example of considering his and Sarah’s conditions doesn’t mean we should continually consider and focus on the negative facts. He faced the facts, “yet, with respect to the promise of God… he grew strong in faith…and became fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). As Abraham chose to feed His heart with God’s promise, Holy Spirit caused his faith to grow until he was “fully assured.” This is what we must do, as well. We clearly identify situations in order to understand what we are dealing with, but focus on what God says about them, approaching the facts based on His words. We attack that which is contrary to His will with His Word. We speak them, “saying the same thing,” God says, which is the meaning of the biblical word “confession” (homologia [Strongs 3671]; Hebrews 10:23). We meditate on His words (Joshua 1:8), tending to them as seeds (Proverbs 4:20) until we reap their fruit. We use them as a sword to defeat unbelief (Ephesians 6:17), and as a hammer to crush that which stands in the way of His promise (Jeremiah 23:29). Where America is concerned, I do NOT overfeed my mind on our sins and weaknesses or on what satanic forces are doing to oppose God and biblical values. As a watchman, however, I must identify them and sound the alarm in order that those who pray are not “ignorant of [satan’s] schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11) and can resist him in prayer. Here Comes Some Reality With these comments as context, I want to point out that America is now reaping horrible fruit from: 1) rejecting God and His ways; 2) willful sin and rebellion; 3) an uninformed populace (including the church); and 4) electing dishonest, power-hungry, greedy and incompetent leaders who have no fear of or respect for God. These results include, but are not limited to: shocking levels of violence and crime gross immorality epidemic homelessness frighteningly low levels of learning, replaced by high levels of indoctrination out of control drug use causing record numbers of deaths open borders resulting in human trafficking, drugs flooding in that are killing hundreds of thousands of people, and untold numbers of terrorists, criminals, and spies entering America loss of freedoms a rewriting of our history a dual system of justice sickening but successful efforts to divide and polarize us a failing economy and skyrocketing debt disgusting abuse and mutilation of our children over 60 million abortions a weak military emboldened enemies planning to destroy us and more. I am sharing these things, knowing you already see them; nothing I have said has surprised you. But I want you to know I see them, as well - even as I declare revival and victory. I see them, even as I declare America shall be saved. I am not in denial. But I don’t allow them to erode my faith. I have watched this slow death of America taking place over the past 30-plus years, often grieving over the inability to awaken the American church, especially its leaders, to our true condition. America IS the proverbial frog in the kettle; we refused to wake up as the water grew warmer and warmer. Now it’s boiling. And as a nation, we can no longer save ourselves; only a miracle from God can save us. Here Is the Faith But our God is a God of miracles! In His world dry bones - and dead frogs - can live again. The deadness of Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies had nothing to do with whether or not Isaac was born. God has no problem overturning death with His resurrection power. The question was whether or not their faith could embrace God’s promise. Scripture and history have made clear that He is willing to use the prayers of a remnant to save nations. And a remnant of Americans is praying. We have powerful promises from Him that He is going to save our nation with an earthshaking revival. Decree this daily! Appeal to His mercy, His grace, purchased with the blood of Christ. Appealing to heaven birthed our nation, and it will rebirth it. It still works! Be His voice of authority, releasing His Kingdom power and authority into our land. Stay engaged. DO NOT ALLOW AMERICA’S HOPELESS CONDITION TO ERODE YOUR FAITH! INSTEAD, GROW STRONGER IN FAITH! WE ARE WARRIORS, MORE THAN CONQUERORS, AMBASSADORS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! NEVER GIVE UP! STAND! OUR PRAYERS ARE SAVING A NATION! Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your long-suffering and gracious heart. You delight in mercy; Your mercies endure forever. Like the prodigal in Scripture, we have squandered our inheritance as a nation and find ourselves in a pigpen, feeding on slop and mud. You have sent many warnings, which we ignored. Now You are showing us the wages of our sin. But we cling to the truth that Your mercy triumphs over judgment. Bring this nation to its senses, just as You did the prodigal. Cause us to run back to You. Deliver us from ourselves, and from wicked people who control us. Forgive us of our pride and rebellion against You, and for - as President Lincoln said years ago - believing that we brought all of our many blessings on ourselves. Send revival to this land. Heal us of our depravity and sin. And restore to us our destiny. With faith, we decree Your words once again, knowing they will not return to You void, without accomplishing what You sent them to do: America shall be saved! Our decree: Because of God’s great love and mercy and the faith-filled prayers of a remnant, America shall be saved! *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-22-2023 March 22, 2023 American Church: Find Your Voice Today’s post is a little strong. The following few paragraphs contain an overview of God’s plan for humankind and the earth. It also includes satan’s plan and attempts to thwart God’s intentions. It ends, however, with a challenge to the American church. Where most of you are concerned, I’m preaching to the choir. But you can help me pray, and you can help circulate the post. God and Government The concept of government is first introduced to us in Genesis 1:26-28, when Yahweh assigned the responsibility of governing the earth and all it contains to Adam - humankind. Yahweh’s Kingdom (which means “the domain of a King”) includes all creation, everywhere - heaven, the heavens, earth, and hell. He rules over all. He assigned the governing of this colony of His Kingdom, the earth, to us humans. Government/authority flows from God - from His nature, the essence of who He is. He IS the King, the Lawgiver, and Judge (Isaiah 33:22). And His laws, precepts, guidelines, etc, are based on love and truth, righteousness and justice (the foundations of His throne - Psalm 89:14). Truth is not something God has to think about or consider; He IS truth (Isaiah 65:16; John 14:6). He doesn’t try to love; He IS love (1 John 4:16). He governs from who He is! He Releases His Will Through Family and Delegated Government The authority to govern/rule Earth was delegated by Him. The story of the Bible is that: 1) God added a family to His Kingdom, created an amazing home for them - earth - and 2) delegated His rule/government of this home to His family. This government/authority was to be exercised according to His nature, ways, will, and truth - at every level: personal, home, family, cities, and nations. God’s design is that ALL government be a conduit of His truth, righteousness, ways, will, and love. We know this plan was interrupted at the Fall. Satan stole God’s family temporarily, and with it came the dominion/rule of their home. The story of Scripture then became how God would redeem and restore these two things. The war on earth is over family and government: who will own the people, and who will rule the earth? Jesus, of course, was God’s answer. He made it possible for all people to become part of God’s family again and recovered Adam’s/our lost authority for us. But satan is a thief and usurper. He still attempts to rule people and places, using humankind’s ignorance, sin, and rejection of Christ. Believing and receiving the gospel removes us from satan’s authority and back into God’s family. The understanding of and exercising Christ’s authority/government in our lives enforces our freedom from satan’s authority. As Christ’s family, and having been delegated His authority, we are also called and privileged to extend His redemption and freedom to others. We do so, not by demanding or dictating, but by proclaiming His gospel, declaring His truth, and binding satanic/demonic schemes, plans, and actions. As the power of Holy Spirit is released from us, it opens people’s eyes to the gospel and God’s truth, allowing them to believe in Christ. This allows even their land, possessions, livelihoods, cities, and nations to also be freed from satan’s government/authority/rule (see Deuteronomy 28). The Scriptures Are All about Government As one of the two primary issues on earth, it is logical that “government” would be one of Scripture’s dominant themes. It is mentioned extensively throughout the Bible. Earthly “kingdoms” are spoken of 36 times, and earthly “kings” are spoken of 108 times. “Rule” or “ruler” is mentioned 155 times, God is mentioned as “Lord” thousands of times, and His “kingdom” more than 80 times. There are other governmental terms we could list, such as dominion, authority, govern, leader, etc., which are used dozens of times. Suffice it to say, God is government, the source of government, and releases His will and ways through delegated governing authority - at every level. The Church Ignores It AND YET…many in the church think government is to be ignored. “Get people saved,” they say, “but issues of government don’t belong in the church. Well, we should pray for it [which most don’t], but don’t talk about it, make a stand regarding it, or try to influence it.” Getting a church to take time in a service for more than a perfunctory prayer or mention of government, elections, laws, etc., is like trying to raise the dead. Getting pastors to make a public stand on BIBLICAL issues being decided on by the government, such as life, marriage, gender, sexual sin, and more, is even harder. The church doesn’t acknowledge the overwhelming amount of Scripture involving government, preferring to ignore it. And it conveniently hides behind manmade laws. Many pastors actually disagree with portions of God’s Word; others are ashamed or embarrassed by parts of it, and still, others are simply ruled by the fear of man. Therefore, most believers are ignorant of God’s word. Pastors need not be mean-spirited or condemning to preach and teach truth regarding these and other issues. It can and should be done with grace, mercy, and love. But truth must be taught; it is God’s Word. America In Crisis As a result of not doing so, America hangs in the balance of life or death. In a recent Fox News interview, (1) Newt Gingrich issued a wake-up call. Referencing the meetings this week between Putin and Xi - while the Biden administration, which he compared to a “situation comedy,” ignores them and downplays any significance - Gingrich said that in his opinion, “This is the most dangerous time in our history since Washington crossed the Delaware Christmas night in 1776…This is not a game. The threat to our civilization is so great that we really need a dramatic change.” Mr. Gingrich also said, “Xi gave four different speeches to his people last week on preparing for war. People should take him seriously and understand how determined, how aggressive, and how competent Xi is.” He compared Xi and Putin to “the Axis powers of Italy, Germany, and Japan in the 1930s that wanted to take on Democracies. Unlike in the 30s, we have a President that is dedicated to weakness, dedicated to confusion…America is in an enormous crisis, with a news media that doesn’t want to cover the truth. This is the moment when America truly is what Mao called America “a paper tiger.” It’s a very sobering and very frightening moment in American history.” The church might want to find her voice. I’ve said before that regardless of the overall church’s abdication, God will save America through a remnant. I truly believe this. But I also believe this could have occurred much more quickly - and still could be sped up - had a larger percentage of the church been praying and taking action. And the pain we are experiencing, and will for two more years, could be substantially less. To those of you who are praying - thank you! Please persevere. Pray with me: Father, in Christ’s name, on behalf of the church of America, we ask You to forgive us for not representing You and Your ways as we should. We have been complacent, willfully ignorant, and fearful of speaking out against the promotion of sin and evil. But an awakening is occurring; please breathe on this and cause it to increase. Awaken the church to the fact that we are Your voice, the speakers of Your Word and truth, on the earth. Revive this truth in us. Send Your fire to the pulpits of America again. We preachers in America repent for watering down Your truth. We repent for ignoring portions of Your Word and operating under the fear of man. We should have hearts like Joshua, Caleb, Paul, Finney, Wesley, Whitfield, and other warriors from the past. Again we pray, send Your fire! And Father, as the dragon and bear align, led by principalities and world rulers of darkness, thwart their evil plans to rule the world. We must reap a great harvest for You. You told me You HAD to have America in order to reap this harvest. You said we could close the doors to these forces, not with our hands/works, but with our words. So, in the name of Jesus, we call America back to You. We release Your Kingdom authority to bind these evil plans and release the power of Holy Spirit to oppose them. We release Your will for revival and awakening. We call forth Your fire. All that You have promised, we will see and experience. Our decree: We decree that lethargy and complacency in the church are being broken and replaced with revival fire! ***************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Found on Fox News’ Hannity Show, March 20, 2023.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-21-2023 March 21, 2023 A Deluge Is Coming Today’s post, submitted by my brother, Tim Sheets, is very encouraging. Let the words penetrate your heart; they contain many seeds. Reread them. Pray them. Prophesy them over your families, homes, congregations, cities and nations. Tim shares: ***************** “Something very significant is beginning to accelerate throughout the earth. Holy Spirit has repeatedly prophesied that His movements will begin to rise in the earth realm. These movements will flow together in a mighty way, the likes of which have never been seen. I recently had a vision of a tsunami wave of revival that continually grew stronger and stronger. I believe this will be a Holy Spirit outpouring even greater than that which occurred in the book of Acts. In this outpouring Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh, as prophesied in Joel 2:28. I can feel the synergy, wind and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon these words. “Joel 2:28 says ‘Your sons and daughters will prophesy.’ Prophesy is the Hebrew word ‘naba’ and it means ‘to speak God’s message under Holy Spirit influence, to represent God’s plan, will or His ways in words or songs.’(1) This revival and awakening will be saturated with the sounds of God’s holy Word through spontaneous worship and prayer. “In Joel 2:23, Joel prophesied that an era of outpouring would come when the former and latter rains will occur at the same time. Rain is sometimes used to represent revival or outpourings of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, as it is here. The springtime rains were referred to as the planting rains because they grew the seeds. The harvest rains, which were seven times greater, would ripen the harvest for reaping. Joel prophesied there would be a time when these rains occurred simultaneously. I believe we are in that time: an era of outpourings seven times greater than occurred in the book of Acts will take place, causing the harvest of a billion souls to be reaped, as has been prophesied. “The Ekklesia has cried out for revival. We have prayed and decreed for the fire of God to fall and His mighty wind to blow. We are starting to see the beginnings of this. The revival at Asbury University in recent weeks has been absolutely amazing. Revival has also started to spread to other universities and college campuses. We are seeing desperate students, hungry for the presence of God. As a result, many are being saved, delivered, healed, refreshed and renewed. “I believe this is just the beginning. We are stepping into supernatural, God-planned events. The revival currently taking place will spread and accelerate, becoming a worldwide Kingdom revival. People being forced to travel in order to experience revival is not God’s plan. What is happening will spread throughout the land and become too widespread for hell to stop. “Recently, during one of my prayer times, I became deeply burdened to pray for the younger generation. As I did so, I was impacted emotionally to the point of weeping. As I prayed and wept, I received a prophetic download from the Holy Spirit. The timing of this turned out to be significant, which initially I only mentioned to two people - my wife, Carol, and my brother, Dutch. I didn’t want to interject myself into something that was holy and precious, I simply wanted to pray into it, which is what I have done. “However, I know the timing was not a coincidence and, more importantly, I believe it confirms what is occurring in this season. I received this download between 9:30 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Wednesday morning, February 8th. The Asbury University revival began at 10 A.M. that same day during their chapel service. My intercession and the word I received was given to me at the exact time this outpouring began, though I wouldn’t hear about the revival breaking out until the next day. I knew Holy Spirit had given me a confirming word that revival would spread through the earth. ******* “Through my tears I wrote the following as Holy Spirit spoke to me that morning: ‘Behold and understand the mysterious wisdom of the Godhead destroying the works of the forever loser. See Their vision for a new era unfolding. The earth realm has seen the entrance and actions of King Jesus for two millennia. This has occurred at levels and in ways never before seen, or even anticipated, by the loser and his fallen ones. The King’s personhood and His ministry of redemption, salvation and grace have been presented in the earth realm; His Kingship has been declared above all powers. “‘Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Enabler and Communicator has been presented in the earth realm, filling the heirs with the presence and power of His person. “‘Now see new expressions, new discoveries, new dimensions, greater revelation and amplified levels of the Father’s heart to those made in His image and likeness. Now see His fathering anointing released into the earth in glorious measures. Now see the greatness of Father’s heart as it hovers over and says to a fatherless generation, I want you. I will be your Father. You will not be fatherless. You will not be confused. You will not be lost. You will know My love is set upon you. “‘You will not be orphans, you will not be aimless. I will mentor you. My family will welcome you, care for you and embrace you. You will not be lost. I will take you in. There are rooms in My house for you. There’s a seat at My table for you. My fathering nature, My fathering heart, will heal you. “‘My hovering presence will realign and define you. I will transform you. My heart of love for you will bring clarity to your purpose. You will not be without identity. You will be a son; you will be a daughter, you will be an heir, My heir. I will father you. My family will train you. I will love you to your destiny. I will clear the lies, the confusion, and I will bring your true identity.”’ ******* “Holy Spirit said new levels and new expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented, much of it pointed at the young generation. His fathering anointing poured into the earth realm will break the yoke of abandonment. This will cause the hearts of the fathers to turn to the children and their brokenness will be healed. Millions will become free and know the great love of the heavenly Father. “In summary, ‘the era of transforming shifts’ will now begin. Father is going to reveal His greatness to the world. Earth’s harvest will be reaped as ‘a new era church’ is found to be about the Father’s business. God’s family will grow exponentially and hell won't be able to stop it. “I have no doubt God gave me this word, not only as confirmation of this growing revival, but as a prayer assignment. It is vital that we cover this move and outpouring in prayer.” Pray with me: Lord, pour out Your Spirit on all flesh, just as You said. Do so throughout our nation, especially on college campuses. We thank You for the outpourings of Your Spirit we have already seen, for the lives that have been changed. But we know this is only the beginning of a mighty revival. Abba, release Your “father heart” to bring healing and transformation to the young generation around the world. Release Your love to them, awakening them to a divine, holy destiny. End their confusion of purpose, gender, morality, who You actually are, and what love really is. You said You would give them a seat at Your table - we ask for this. What we are asking is for Your “father heart” to explode upon an entire generation. We decree that as You so, prodigals will come home. Fan the flames and let this revival spread across the land. We know that Holy Spirit is now supervising this new movement of unprecedented rain. He is breathing life, preparing to release miracles, healings, signs and wonders on the earth. The heavens are pregnant with this rain. A revival greater than Acts is beginning to flow to us and through us. Finally, we ask for the troops of heaven, Your great angels, to fight alongside us. Holy Spirit, implement this major shift of the Kingdom of God in our nation. We decree that Your Kingdom has come and continues to manifest, Your will is being done. Send Your oil, Your fire, Your wind and rain. Do this, Father, for the eternal well-being of millions, the passion and pleasure of Your Son, and the glory of His great name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that new levels and expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented to the young generation around the world, and that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. ***************** Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org ______________________________________________________ Click on the link below to watch the full video. 1. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ref. no. 5012.

5 min read: https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-20-2023 March 20, 2023 The Dangling Carrot God’s words are powerful and creative. The following three verses referencing this are some of my favorites. They each contain the Hebrew word asah, which means “do, perform, accomplish,” etc. However, asah is also one of the primary words for “create” (Strongs 6213). God’s words create! Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Isaiah 55:11: “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Jeremiah 1:12: “Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’” I ministered with our friend, Regina Shank in Carthage, MO, this past weekend. Regina is a strong, gifted leader and seasoned intercessor. She shares a word with us today regarding God’s faithfulness to His word. Let it encourage you, then join me in decreeing the powerful declaration she wrote. Regina says: **************** “There is a great move of God on the horizon. It has already started and is continuing. Those in bondage to darkness will come out into the light. Traumatized, rejected ones inside and outside the body of Christ will receive healing. The hopeless will find hope again; promises will suddenly manifest. Be assured when God speaks, He has the power to bring it forth. “Years ago, the Lord spoke promises to me that looked impossible and, on top of that, seemed forever in the making. I began to see myself as a donkey following a carrot on the end of the stick. You know the scenario. The donkey keeps following the carrot, but never acquires it. The owner of the donkey outwits him by tempting him with something he will never get. He takes step after step, moving forward with his eyes on what will never be his. For a season, I felt like I was that donkey. For me, the carrot was representative of the yet-to-be-fulfilled promises and dreams. I became disillusioned in the waiting. One day I was in prayer about these promises when the Lord spoke these words to me: ‘You are my lady-in-waiting.’ “As I sat before Him on the floor of my prayer room, I realized there was a deeper meaning hidden in that statement. Then He spoke again, ‘Wait on Me in worship; dress Me in praise. In the waiting, allow My glory to sweep over you and transform you inside and out.’ “Suddenly, the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) came to mind. ‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.’ “How do you disagree with the timing of God? I thought I was ready to step into the full responsibility and calling contained in my promises before the Lord was ready to release me. I knew I didn’t want to be an Abraham who helped God out, refusing to wait on God’s timing. But, I certainly understood the urge to do so. “A few weeks later, I drove to St. Louis for a prayer assignment. The intercessors came together for prayer and instruction prior to boots on the ground. A prophetic man I did not know came up to me after the meeting, looked me in the face, and said, ‘You are going to get the carrot.’ “I was stunned. Questions came to mind: Who is this guy? How did he become aware of my intimate prayers with my Father? He definitely read my mail! After the shock wore off and I was able to get by myself, I let the tears flow and realized the Lord was reassuring me of His faithfulness. With the assurance of a prophetic word from a man who did not know me, or have any knowledge of my petitions before the throne, I continued to WAIT on God to bring forth His promises. The next week I was leading a ladies' meeting. During a break in the training session, a lady in the back of the room came up to me timidly and said, ‘I don’t know why the Lord asked me to do this, but I bought you something.’ “She opened her hand, and there lay a piece of jewelry like I had never seen. It was a pin in the shape of a carrot. It was sparkling in her hand, bright orange in color with green leaves crowning the top. Well, that was the final straw, or shall I say carrot? I still have that piece of jewelry to remind me of God’s faithfulness to deliver the dreams He puts in our hearts. I am now walking in many of those promises and impossible dreams. The donkey did get the carrot. “We have promises of worldwide revival, manifested healings, and societal changes. We have personal and corporate dreams and hopes being formed in the womb of prayer and petition. I can assure you, they are not carrots dangling in front of the donkey. What God says, He will do.” Our decree: (Today, we will just have this powerful decree.) We decree that every word spoken to us personally and corporately by the Lord will come to pass. We will have what the Lord has promised. He is not a man that He should lie. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. America shall be saved. Our families will be saved. Our personal destinies written in His book before we were born, will come forth. Psalms 139:16. “In His book, all our days were written before there was one of them.” God’s timing is perfect, and our times are in His hands. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We will trust, pray, and stand on the unfailing words of our Father. We will decree the answer and not lament the problem. We will take our place as intercessors on the earth, bringing God’s will into our circumstances. We will take our place as sons and daughters of the King, making our decrees to reverse the evil decrees of unbelievers and the evil intents of darkness. Our God reigns. His light overcomes darkness, and He has never lost a battle. We press on toward the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. We are not of those who shrink back, but we press forward into the fulness of our destinies and the destinies of families and nations. We get the CARROT!!! ***************** Today’s post was contributed by our friend Regina Shank. You can find out more about her ministry at ReginaShank.com Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-17-2023 March 17, 2023 No Weapon Formed Against You Will Prosper Today’s post is about just how much God honors and keeps covenant. Deuteronomy 7:9 says He keeps covenant to a thousand generations. Our covenant of redemption and salvation with God is through the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:29, 12:24, 13:20). Jesus personally guarantees and mediates this covenant (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6). The post is also to remind us that satan does NOT honor this covenant. He is a trespasser, a thief and a murderer, always seeking “to steal, kill and destroy,” (John 10:10). When we are not alert to his strategies, it allows him to take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). In today’s post, Jane Hamon, a trusted friend and prophet, is acting as a watchman, alerting us to one of satan’s strategies, and reminding us to resist him with Christ’s authority and claim our covenantal protection. One further explanation before Jane’s thoughts: It is a biblical practice for a demon’s identification to be taken from how they manifest, what they produce or cause. Jesus delivered a boy of deafness and the ability to speak in Mark 9, calling the spirit a “deaf and dumb spirit” (verse 25). Luke 13:11 mentions a woman whose back was deformed by a “spirit of infirmity.” A spirit called himself by the name Legion in Mark 5:9 saying “for we are many.” Jezebel, a wicked queen who ruled Israel, is another example (1 Kings 16:31 through 2 Kings 9:37). She was no doubt controlled by a principality. A demonic spirit was actually called by her name in Revelation 2:18-29. Holy Spirit probably did so because this spirit manifested and operated similarly to the actions and characteristics of Queen Jezebel. Many scholars actually believe this was the same spirit that controlled Jezebel. Today, Jane alerts us to an Athaliah-type spirit. She was the daughter of Jezebel. Birds of a feather… Jane says: ************ “The Lord showed me an assignment coming against leaders in the church, along with their families, especially those called to be reformers. This attack is intended to stop them in their Kingdom work of breakthrough and transformation. Unusual sicknesses, accidents, and spiritual attacks have hit many leaders and/or their families. The Lord showed me this was an attack under the direction and control of an Athaliah-type principality. A few days later, I learned God had also said the same thing to several other prophets. It became clear to me that leaders need to fortify themselves and, through our covenant with Christ, actively break any and every curse coming against them. “To be clear, Jesus hung on the Cross to become a curse for us, so that we don’t have to live under a curse (Galatians 3:13). Satan was defeated that day. However, he is a thief and obviously still loose on the earth, trying to harass and torment us if we do not enforce our victory through Christ (see Ephesians 6:10-15). Characteristics of This Spirit “What are the characteristics of this “Athaliah” assignment? Second Kings 11:1 tells us: ‘When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed (heirs).’ Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab, who brought violence, witchcraft, and idolatrous worship to the land. Athaliah’s son had been king but was killed in battle, so she decided to seize the throne for herself. To do so, Athaliah killed all who possessed royal blood in the covenantal lineage of David, except for one baby that was hidden and protected. Through these blood “sacrifices,” she illegitimately seized the throne, and controlled the nation both naturally and spiritually, just as her mother had. In keeping with these characteristics, an Athaliah-type spirit would attack leaders and their children, in order to influence and control nations. “Athaliah’s name means ‘affliction, constriction, and compression’ (Strongs #6271 and #6270). How fitting. 1) Affliction means ‘to distress with mental or bodily pain, to trouble greatly, to overthrow or defeat, to impose a burden, to deliver a blow’.(1) The nature of this Athaliah-type attack is to afflict mentally or bodily: sickness, accidents, viruses, violence, etc. 2) Compress means ‘to cause to contract or shrink, to stop or slow the natural growth, advancement, and development of’.(2) The purpose of the attack is to keep us from advancing. 3) Constriction is a picture of satan, like a python snake, trying to squeeze the hope and life out of believers. This attack is subtle, designed to keep leaders and believers distracted, discouraged, or depressed as the enemy attempts to squeeze faith out of them in the midst of the battle. But the Lord is saying, ‘No!!! You are in covenant with Me! Resist him; bind his attack!’ “In 2 Kings, God uses several individuals to thwart Athaliah and release His covenant of faithfulness. Clearly, God’s covenant keeping faithfulness is the theme of this story, even in the midst of a reign of terror. Athaliah had killed all of the sons in line for the throne except one baby, Joash. Joash’s aunt, Jehosheba, hid him, keeping him from being killed (v. 11:1). He was the only one left in the lineage of David, a lineage which God had promised would produce the Messiah. Aunt Jehosheba thwarted Athaliah’s evil plans, and in her name is hidden a picture of covenant. “Jehosheba means, ‘Jehovah has sworn’ (Strongs 3989). The ‘sworn’ portion of her name, sheba, has a direct connection with covenant: ‘Sheba’ is a Hebrew word that literally means ‘to seven oneself’ (Strongs 7651). When swearing an oath of covenant, much like wedding vows, individuals would repeat the oath seven times. This was known as ‘sevening oneself’ (sheba). The oath was repeated seven times because the number 7 represents completion. By swearing the oath seven times, a person was saying, ‘I give myself to you and this covenant completely.’ “God has ‘sevened Himself’ to us through Christ. Every believer must understand and stand in the power of this covenant. God will never fail to honor it. When all hell breaks loose, boldly claim the benefit of your covenant with God, and pray authoritative prayers binding hell’s plan. He will keep His covenant promises, just as He did with David. “The next character in the story is Jehoiadah (v 11:4), a faithful priest. While Athaliah was in her reign of terror, Jehoiadah kept the rightful king, Joash, hidden in the temple for six years, caring for him. When Joash became seven years old, Jehoiadah crowned him king. This also pictures covenant, as the number seven represents the covenantal oath. God was honoring His covenant with David to preserve his royal legacy. “Jehoiadah then led a revolution for Joash, the true king. The faithful priest symbolizes reformers God is raising up today. Reformers bring change. Jehoiadah was a priest, but he also commanded an army of watchmen to protect the king by stationing them at the gates of the temple on all sides. When Athaliah heard the celebration of the true king’s coronation, she burst into the temple crying, ‘treason, treason!’ The soldiers/watchmen took her out of the temple and killed her, ending her evil reign. Today, God is empowering His spiritual watchmen to effectively deal with every demonic foe and break every demonic assignment (Isaiah 54:17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). “After the death of Athaliah, Jehoiadah re-covenanted the nation back to God and overthrew all the temples and altars of Baal (I Chronicles 23:16-17). All the people made a covenant with God and confronted Baal. Jehoiadah then restored true worship, sacrifices, and proper structure in the house of God. “The final pivotal character is the new king, Joash. His mother was from the city of Beersheba (2 Kings 12:12), which means, ‘the well of the sevens, oath or covenant’ (Strongs 884). There it is again - covenant! Out from ‘the well of covenant’ came the preservation of God’s promise to David. Joash’s name means ‘the fire of God’ (Strongs 3060). Our God, who keeps covenant, is preserving His people and restoring His fire in the lives of believers everywhere. “Do you feel as if you have been under an attack from something trying to thwart your destiny, to put out the fire of God in your life, or to destroy your children and grandchildren? Have you had unusual accidents, sickness or pain? If so, right now, decree this with me. Pray and decree with me: “I am bought and covered by the covenant blood of Jesus and no curse has authority over me. Therefore, I take authority over every demonic assignment against myself, my family, my ministry, my business, and my God-ordained leadership role. I break every assignment of an Athaliah-type spirit, and decree Jesus is my true king; I will submit only to Him. I declare I am in covenant with God and will be the intercessor, reformer, watchman, and warrior He has called me to be. I receive fresh fire from heaven so I can complete my assignments and fulfill my destiny, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Father, release your fire and save our nation, just as You did Israel. Turn America back to You. Raise up many Jehoiadahs in the church, reformers who turn our nation back to You. Do this around the world, as well. Deliver us from the Athaliah’s of our day, illegitimate leaders who oppose You and Your ways. Restore America to our covenant with You. We ask this in Christ’s name.” Our decree: We decree revival fires are burning, and we are overcoming every enemy, in Jesus’ name! ************************** For more resources, visit TomandJaneHamon.com Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/affliction https://www.dictionary.com/browse/compress

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-16-2023 March 16, 2023 Our Prayers Can Turn A Nation I am very passionate about helping you grow in your understanding of prayer and about all of us together praying for America. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been teaching about spiritual authority and power. Here are some summary statements: Where rule or control of the earth is concerned, power has never been the issue. God’s power is immeasurable and insurmountable. Authority, the right to rule, is the issue. Adam, whose name means “man or human,” was given authority over the earth. Through sin, he/we lost this authority to satan. Jesus, the last Adam, recaptured it. ALL authority is now His, both in heaven AND on earth. Christ has delegated His authority on earth to the church, His Ekklesia. With this authority, we petition the Father and release the power of Holy Spirit into the earth to 1) enforce Christ’s victory and 2) possess our inheritance in Christ. As we do so, the amount of power needed for breakthroughs is sometimes released all at once. Other times we must release it incrementally until a sufficient amount has been released. This is why we must persevere in prayer. We release this power of Holy Spirit through prayer, speaking God’s word, preaching or declaring truth, touching someone for the purpose of prayer, Spirit-led decrees, and more, all in Christ’s name or authority. Today I want to look at prayer for people’s salvation and for revival. Some believers ask: if we truly have been delegated the authority of Christ, with keys to lock and unlock, open and close, bind and loose…if we have been given dominion the government of hell can’t overcome, along with Holy Spirit’s power to back that up, why does it sometimes take years for these two things to be accomplished? When we pray for our nation, decree God’s words and promises over it, repent of our corporate sins, etc., why doesn’t satan have to cease his actions immediately, and God send revival or salvation quickly? Understanding the answers to these questions will help ward off “hope deferred” (Proverbs 13:12), and keep you from losing heart (Galatians 6:9). When praying for the restoration of a nation, which would include revival, God has to work on several fronts. Though we, the church, have been given Christ’s authority to bind and loose demonic powers, we have not been given the right to exercise authority or control over the wills of other people. In America, all citizens share the right to choose our government leaders, who then make decisions and laws that determine our course. This authority is a shared authority. In the natural realm, I have no more authority than the humanist, secularist, a member of another religion, or atheist. I cannot silence or “bind” them or their beliefs with my spiritual authority. If - through spiritual decline, compromise, ungodly leaders and educators, and a lukewarm church - the backsliding/spiritual decay of a nation becomes significant enough, the shared authority tips the scales toward sin, darkness, and unbiblical ideals. National, corporate sins, such as laws legalizing abortion or same-sex marriage, bring national, corporate curses upon the nation. Laws that push God away, such as removing prayer from schools, also bring curses. As believers (and unbelievers) awaken - usually through difficulties and desperation - and begin to pray for revival and the healing of the nation, it is not as simple as God saying, “Okay. Now that you’ve asked, I’ll just send it tomorrow.” His response is to stir up more people to pray and repent for the nation. As this continues, it brings cleansing, which strengthens the presence and activities of Holy Spirit in the land and weakens the hold and influence of demonic powers. Laws begin to change, our prayers and decrees become even more impactful. More evil is exposed and judged by the Lord. All of this works in a concerted fashion to prepare a nation for revival…if the praying church continues to pray and war spiritually, releasing God’s power and life. Also, changing hearts and minds to bring people to a revelation of truth, of Christ and the Gospel, takes time. God will not force Himself on people. He won’t force them to change, repent of sin, or receive His salvation. Humankind’s “free will,” as it is often called, is truly a profound freedom. The phrase is not in Scripture, but the principle is clearly taught (Matthew 10:32-33; 23:37; Luke 18:17; John 3:16; Romans 10:11,13; Revelation 22:17 and many others). All the evil that has ever existed in the world is due to humankind’s free will - the right to choose. Yes, there are consequences to all decisions; some reaped now, others after death. Nevertheless, the freedom to choose whether or not to obey and follow God has been given to humans, and He honors that right. When individuals have chosen to follow other gods, when they reject Christ, rather than believing in Him, God will not force them to change their minds. HOWEVER, this does not mean God can’t or won’t do anything to change the minds and hearts of unbelievers. It is not His will that any perish (2 Peter 3:9), and there are things He can do to change the will of unbelievers. These things take time. Deception, for example, though usually orchestrated by demons, involves much more than a demonic control that can be cast out or broken off of people. The deception strengthens into beliefs and mindsets in individuals and societies. They usually form over periods of time and eventually lodge deeply in the souls of people and cultures, becoming part of what Scripture calls a veil over the spiritual eyes of unbelievers. This veil blinds them to Christ and the Gospel. Until this veil is removed, they cannot understand and believe the Gospel. Second Corinthians 4:3-4 speaks of this veil: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It takes time and sustained spiritual warfare to remove this veil. Later in Corinthians, Paul refers to it as a stronghold or fortress (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). He breaks down the stronghold into 3 categories: 1) imaginations, philosophies, and beliefs (Greek: logismos [Strongs 3053]); 2) a root of pride that came into humankind’s nature at the Fall (Greek: hupsoma [Strongs 5313]); 3) the various thoughts and schemes satan implements continually (Greek: noema [Strongs 3540]). Unbelievers have no personal ability to demolish the stronghold and/or lift the veil off of themselves. Our spiritual warfare for them can do so, however. Listen to these encouraging verses from The New Living Translation, and also from The Living Bible: “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT) “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons, I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TLB) I will teach on intercession and spiritual warfare for unbelievers’ salvation in the near future, but here are some things we can ask God for as we intercede for them. Ask Him to: Orchestrate circumstances to steer them toward Him; Release His truth to them through various methods and human laborers; Use any difficulties or losses they experience to open their heart to change; Release His power to perform “signs and wonders” in their life and/or presence; Speak to and deal with them internally. We must not grow weary in our prayers for revival and give up. The divine power they release is what God uses to turn a nation. Our identificational repentance cleanses; our appeals bring grace and mercy; our Spirit-led decrees bind satanic activities and schemes. He is using us to save our nation and usher in worldwide harvest/revival. We are fighting a good fight. We will not waver; we will not fail. Pray with me: Father, we in America have been blessed beyond words. Those who understand Your ways know this is because we have partnered with You, and because our Founders established us as a nation “under God.” Foolish, deceived, and wicked people are determined to change this. They are among the Psalm 2 company that rage against You, declaring through their words and actions that You will NOT rule over them. You make clear in that same Psalm that those who conspire against You have only two choices: kiss (worship and submit to) Your Son, or experience Your iron rod of judgment. Give mercy where You can, Supreme Judge of all the earth, but remove from power the wicked who will not submit to You. Do so before they destroy this nation You raised up. You have and continue to expose their wickedness and lunacy; let the light become even brighter. And save America with a mighty revival - an unprecedented, shockingly powerful, sweeping outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. Break strongholds in individuals, but break national strongholds. Free America from our national immorality, our national pride and rebellion, and our national deceptions. Send fire to cleanse and also to fill us with passion for You. Make us Your voice once again. We bind every evil spirit that opposes this, in the authority of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that strongholds of darkness are being broken over America, in the mighty name of Jesus. ****************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-15-2023 March 15, 2023 Incremental Power We are discussing why it typically requires persevering prayer to receive breakthroughs. Yesterday we looked at the fact that we are spiritual wombs for God’s life, outlets of His power. Spiritual power is released, not only from heaven, but from the church through speaking God’s Word, touching (“laying on of hands” [Hebrews 6:2]), worship, and Spirit-led decrees. At times, when we are waiting for God to answer a prayer, He is waiting on us to release His power. In that post, I shared an example of this from when I needed healing from 45 warts on my hands. If you did not see the post, I believe it would encourage you. Today, I want to address the fact that invisible spiritual forces are measurable and that certain amounts are required for different situations. We do not typically think of invisible spiritual dynamics, such as power, love, grace, etc., as measurable elements/forces. But just as invisible elements of our natural world are real and can be measured, such as oxygen and other gases, there are unseen spiritual forces, as well, which are no less real and exist in varying measures. For example, there are measurable levels of faith. Romans 12:3 says, “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” The Greek word for “measure” is metron, from which we get the word “meter.” In other words, God has “metered out” to each a portion of faith; from there, it must grow. (The Scriptures do not say we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains. Some translations say this, but they are paraphrases and interpretations, not true translations. The Bible actually says we need faith like a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), which begins small but grows into a tree. There are measurable levels of grace. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you.” In Acts 4:33, we are told that “with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (KJV). The Greek word for “great” is megas, from which we get “mega.” There is grace, and there is mega grace. The same verse that speaks of mega grace mentions mega power (see Acts 4:33 KJV). The apostles moved in mega power because they were being given mega grace! My point is simply that the unseen elements or forces of the spirit realm are very real. The anointing is real, faith is real, and power is real. And they are measurable. Different Situations Require Different Amounts of Power Just as with natural forces or elements, different levels of spiritual power are required in order to accomplish different things. Just as a different level of power is needed to light a flashlight versus a building, or a building as opposed to a city, the same dynamic is true in the spiritual realm. Different amounts of God’s power are needed to accomplish different things. It requires more power to raise the dead than to heal a headache, for example. In Mark 6, Jesus desired to heal individuals in His hometown of Nazareth, but “could not” (verse 5). Matthew’s account of this simply says Christ “did not” do so (Matthew 13:58), as though He chose not to. Mark takes it further, however, and says Christ “could not” perform miracles there because of their offense toward Him and their unbelief (Mark 6:3-6). He was only able to “heal a few sick people.” This amazing passage clearly reveals that spiritual power is a measurable force and that different amounts are needed for different things. Enough of Christ’s power was flowing to the people to “heal” a few of them, but not to perform a “miracle.” (The problem wasn’t with Christ. The amount of authority and power He possessed hadn’t changed. Nor had His faith wavered.) In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples had been successfully casting out demons and healing the sick, having been given authority and power by Jesus to do so. However, an insane boy was brought to them whom they could not free from the spirit causing his insanity. Jesus arrived and had no problem exorcising the demon. Though the disciples had enough power flowing in their ministries to deal with most demons and diseases, they encountered one that required more faith and power than they currently possessed. Again, the obvious implication is that different measures of power are needed to accomplish different things. Power Is Often Released Incrementally At times, the release of this power is incremental. We don’t usually experience breakthroughs after praying or decreeing God’s Word over a situation one time. Usually, we must do so consistently, persevering until we have released enough power to accomplish what is needed. This is also why the prayer of agreement, which multiplies power, is helpful. Often, when it appears God has finally decided to answer a prayer, or when we think a breakthrough suddenly occurred, the reality is that enough power has now been released through our prayers and decrees to accomplish what is needed. When the prophet Elijah prayed for a widow’s son who had died, he spread himself out on the corpse, face to face, and prayed three times before the boy was resurrected (see 1 Kings 17:21). Why did this resurrection require three prayers and Spirit-led acts? Was it because the prophet was ineffective the first two times? We are not told the reason, but there is no indication that this was the case. The logical explanation is that he was releasing more power and life out of his spirit each time. It requires a good bit of power to raise the dead! In 1 Kings 18:1, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” God didn’t say, “I might send rain.” Nor did He say, “If you pray hard enough, I’ll do so.” He didn’t say, “I’m thinking about it.” He said, “I’m going to send rain.” Sending rain to end the drought was God’s timing, God’s idea, God’s will, and God’s promise. YET, we are told at the end of this chapter and in James 5:16-18 that Elijah labored in prayer diligently, seven times, in the posture of a woman delivering a baby, symbolizing travail, before clouds appeared and the rain came. Elijah didn’t pray casually, but with repeated “fervent prayer” (James 5:16-18 KJV). The question we must ask ourselves regarding this is: Since the rain was God’s will, timing, and idea, why did the prophet have to pray fervently, seven different times until the rain came? It certainly wasn’t to motivate or convince God to send it. The most reasonable explanation is that God works through people and was using Elijah’s persevering travail to produce the rain. When sufficient spiritual power had been released into the heavens, it produced the rain. It was a game-changer for me when this revelation became clear. I realized that when perseverance in prayer was necessary, it wasn’t to persuade God or overcome His reluctance. Nor was it to “earn” His help through hard work. It was to release more of His power. If what I was praying about was truly God’s will, it would eventually occur if I continued doing my part. Christ’s provision, Holy Spirit’s power, we release it. Tomorrow we will apply this to praying for people’s salvation and praying for revival. Pray with me: Father, it is very important that we learn, not only of Your power, but also Your ways. We must not only know You can, but we must also understand how You desire to work. You have chosen to work on earth through Your family; strengthen us in the area of perseverance and determination. May we never quit before we see the results You promised. When we have discerned by Your spirit that the opportune time has come for an outpouring of spiritual rain, You said in Zechariah 10:1 to ask for it. We have discerned that it is time and therefore are asking You for the rain of revival. We are appealing for a deluge. Let a mighty outpouring of Holy Spirit come to this nation and other parts of the earth. Pour out Your Spirit as You did in the book of Acts, with great signs, wonders, and miracles. May it be said of us, as it was of them, that our world was turned upside down. You have also said You were going to restore a righteous government to America. We have some righteous leaders who honor You, but many in our nation’s Capital oppose You and Your ways, blatantly opposing Your Word and mocking You. We boldly ask You to remove them; shake up our government. From the White House, to the Capitol, to the Supreme Court - we ask You to remove those who dishonor and oppose You. Do this in states and cities, also. Give us righteous, wise leaders - men and women of understanding and who honor truth. We will persevere in prayer until we see this take place. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that God is moving in America to bring righteousness and a mighty revival. And we declare that we will never relent in our prayers until we see this occurring. ******************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer (published by Baker Books).

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-14-2023 March 14, 2023 Releasing God’s Power As we continue discussing our spiritual authority as believers, for the next few days, I want to share some principles on why it takes time for our prayers to be answered, including prayers for revival. If we have the authority of Christ’s name, if we truly are His Ekklesia with authority to represent Him, why does it sometimes take so long to produce results? Why is persistence required? Does God have a certain amount of prayers required for certain situations? Do we “talk Him into” doing things? Does God “finally decide” to do something? Do we “earn” answers through hard work or perseverance? The answer to all these questions is “no.” Some will ask, “What about that which is frequently referred to as the prayer of importunity, in Luke 11:5-13? Doesn’t this passage teach that we importune (persist) with God until He decides to give us what we ask?” The answer is an emphatic “NO”! The need for persistence in prayer is never for the purpose of overcoming God’s reluctance. The word “importunity” in Luke 11:8 (KJV) is an unfortunate KJV translation of the Greek word anaideia, which actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) Aidos, the root word, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9. Here in Luke 11, it occurs in its negative form, making it “without modesty or shame.” The point of this passage in Luke is the same as Hebrews 4:16, “come boldly to the throne of grace,” rather than with a sense of unworthiness or shame. Just as the petitioner in the story, we can approach God as our friend, at any time, knowing we are welcome. So why do we persist? Last week I shared the story of Holy Spirit assigning me to pray for a young, comatose girl. I prayed over her at least an hour every week - sometimes two hours - for a year. Why did it take a year to obtain this miracle? Why does it sometimes require several years of intercession to see someone saved? Why did Elijah have to pray seven times before the rain came (see 1 Kings 18:41-45)? Why did Daniel have to pray 21 days before the angel broke through with his answer (see Daniel 10:13)? Why does it take years of prayer to change a nation and see revival? Gordon Lindsay, a great man of prayer and the founder of Christ for the Nations, taught on what he called the “substance” of prayer.(4) He believed that our prayers do more than simply motivate the Lord to action. They actually release the power of Holy Spirit from us to accomplish things. And we must persevere until sufficient power is released. I agree. That God’s power resides in us, which Holy Spirit desires to release from us, is absolute. The power of God that produces life, healing, and wholeness flows not just from heaven, but also out from the church. He is now enthroned in our hearts - we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). The word translated temple (naos), means “the holy of holies.”(5) We are now the holy of holies, the dwelling place of God and His glory on earth. And He wants to release His power from us through speaking, touching, laying hands on the sick, declaring, and even worship. A symbolic picture of this is given in John 7:38, where Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” Innermost being, (or as the KJV says, “belly”) is the Greek word koilia, which literally means “womb” (Strongs 2836). Translating the verse literally, we would say, “From his womb shall flow rivers of living water.” The word “womb,” speaks of reproduction - the bringing forth of life. “I’ll put a force (river) in you that will generate life,” Christ was saying. “You are My womb, My incubation chamber.” John 7:39 continues, “But this He spoke of the Spirit.” The river Christ spoke of as flowing from us is Holy Spirit. He, from within us, releases His river of power and life to flow into individuals. Not only are we Christ’s womb, we’re also His mouth. Holy Spirit uses us to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). He doesn’t speak from the clouds; He speaks from His people - up from our spirits and out of our mouths. And this releases God’s power! At the time when God was teaching me this in the mid-80s, I had 45 warts on my hands. Some were quite large and had eaten into my fingernails and cuticles on three fingers, completely replacing them. They had been spreading/multiplying on my hands for 7-8 years. Doctors told me they didn’t want to burn or freeze them off, for fear of too much collateral damage to my hands, nails, and cuticles. Many people prayed for me, with no results. I was in numerous services where “gifts of healing” and “workings of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10) were occurring, with many people being healed - but never me. Finally, Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly, “Though some are healed through My gifts, others through the prayers of the elders (James 5:14), and still others through the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), I will not heal you through any of these methods. You will have to do what I’ve been teaching you - speak My word over your hands every day (Mark 11:23), numerous times each day, releasing My power to them until they are healed.” I determined to obey. At least six or seven times each day, sometimes more, I spoke God’s living and powerful Word (Hebrews 4:12) over my hands, using several Scriptures regarding healing. I saw no change for two weeks, but I believed something was happening as I spoke God’s word. Power was being released and accumulating. After two weeks, I noticed change; the warts were shrinking. From that point on, I watched them become smaller each day. As they shrank, fingernails and cuticles began growing. It took two more weeks for all of the warts to completely disappear, and new nails and cuticles to form. The entire process took a month. Each day power was flowing. It wasn’t a one-time surge bringing an instant miracle, but a relentless flow of power being released into my hands. It was most definitely God’s power - not mine - that removed the warts and gave me new skin, nails, and cuticles (with no scars). But I was required to release that power by speaking His words. The healing was Christ’s provision, Holy Spirit’s power and strategy, which I had to activate and release. “Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17 TPT) Pray with me: Father, we have not done an adequate job of teaching believers regarding Your amazing power and life in us. Therefore, the church has remained horribly ignorant of who we are in Christ, and all He intends us to be and do. The river of life is in us in the person of Holy Spirit. Your immeasurable power is in us. We ask You to increase our understanding of this. Teach us how to be those who release Your power to those who need it. Teach us to release the flow of Your river of life into situations where spiritual death is operating. May new boldness come to the church, and confidence to believe You really do want to work through us. And we ask that all hope deferred be overcome, in order that we may persevere in our intercession. And, as always, Father, we ask You to pour out Your Spirit in this nation and abroad. As we pray and release Your power, bring the greatest awakening the world has ever experienced. Transform our nation and other nations of the earth. We ask You - this very day - move by the power of Holy Spirit. Send revival to our churches, and from there into the nation. In Christ’s name we ask and believe we will receive these things. Amen. Our decree: We release the power of Holy Spirit into every city and neighborhood in our nation, in the authority of Jesus’ name! ******************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ 1 Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977) p38. 2 Jack W. Hayford, Praying Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995) p55, 1977, edition. 3 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p14. 4 Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas: Christ for the Nations, Inc., revised 1994) p43. 5 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p422.

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

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

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-9-2023 March 9, 2023 Earthquakes and Jailbreaks Jesus authorized us to lay hands on the sick in the authority of His name, adding that “they will recover” (Mark 16:18). Yet, anyone who tells you that every sick person they have done this for has been healed, is not telling you the truth. James 5:14-15 tells elders to anoint the sick with oil and pray faith-filled prayers for them. The verses say if this is done, they will be healed. Yet, any elder who tells you every person for whom they have done this has been healed, is not telling you the truth. The Bible must be taken as a whole; no passage is meant to stand alone. Scripture is to be interpreted with Scripture. Also, we must avoid spiritual formulas. Those who try to apply spiritual truth as formulas will quickly discover that “the four easy steps to…” will not work. God does not want our walk with Him or our understanding of His Word relegated to religious formulas, methods, or systems. This does not mean there are no absolutes in Scripture - there absolutely are (pun intended). However, absolute truths in God’s Word must be balanced with and interpreted by other biblical truths, and applied with Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. The law of Moses allowed for the stoning of the woman caught in an adulterous act. Jesus, however, balanced this with love, grace, and His desire to redeem. Her sin wasn’t condoned; it was forgiven, and she was told to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). A similar thing occurred at Ninevah. Their sins had reached a level for which judgment was required (Jonah 1:2). God announced that this would now occur. However, repentance changed this (Jonah 3:6-10). These are examples of scriptural truth being interpreted and applied with Scripture. We must do this when attempting to operate in the spiritual measures and spheres of authority we discussed yesterday. To operate in them effectively, we must know and apply the God-given principles pertaining to them in His Word. The first principle I want to mention has to do with assigned authority. Beyond just our personal right to ask for and receive the blessings of the New Covenant for ourselves and our families, God assigns us other spheres. We spoke yesterday of Paul’s assignment to Corinth. All of our assigned spheres won’t be places, however. They might be certain problems or segments of society, such as education, human trafficking, the homeless, drug addiction, etc. God calls and assigns individuals to impact and release His Kingdom life into them. With this assignment comes authority - to act, pray, decree, etc. God calls and assigns some individuals to evangelism. All Christians can evangelize, but does anyone seriously believe Billy Graham’s authority when preaching the Gospel did not release more spiritual power than that of the average believer? We all have the right and responsibility to evangelize, but with Graham’s sphere (his assignment) came a greater measure of authority, which released a greater power of conviction and revelation from Holy Spirit. All believers can cast out demons (Mark 16:17), but some are given/assigned deliverance ministries and operate in higher measures of authority in this regard than other believers. All can lay hands on sick individuals and see healings (Mark 16:18) yet some are given gifts of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) and operate at higher levels of authority in this regard. In Matthew 10:1-15, Jesus sent out the 12 disciples and gave them authority to announce that His Kingdom was now present, to cast out demons, to heal every kind of disease and sickness, and to raise the dead. In the 10th chapter of Luke, He did the same with 70 followers. Great fruit resulted. After the Cross, Jesus assigned believers to go and preach the Gospel to all the world, and said He would confirm the message with signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-20). To be sure, this delegated an authority and responsibility to all believers, and we can expect Christ to honor His words. Yet, as Head of the church, He reserves the right to assign individuals, based on His plans and wisdom as well as our callings and maturity levels, where and when to do so. We can fail and even be harmed if we go presumptuously. We should not simply indiscriminately, but where and when He sends. In Acts 13, Paul was instructed by Holy Spirit to go from Antioch and fulfill his apostolic calling; he set out with a team to do so. In Acts 16, however, Holy Spirit “forbade” him to go to Asia (verse 6). Then “after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (verse 7). Holy Spirit then directed Paul through a “night vision” to go to Macedonia (Philippi) (verses 9-10), resulting in the first European convert, Lydia. Shortly thereafter, Paul cast a spirit of divination from a fortune-teller (verses 16-18) stirring up much opposition. While in jail, God sovereignly and supernaturally delivered he and Silas through an earthquake. Their chains fell off and the Philippian jailor was saved (verses 24-34)! This assignment impacted all of history, setting a westward course for the gospel. Christ’s general assignment for Paul - and the church - to go into all the world and preach the gospel, was specifically applied by Christ through Holy Spirit’s direction, resulting in great authority and much fruit. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about one of my assignments which was used to change my life forever. And in a later post, I will address in more detail the subject of prayers and decrees for nations. For now, however, I want to assure you that all of us have been given the right and responsibility to pray for our governments (1 Timothy 2:1-4), our cities and nations (Jeremiah 29:7; 2 Chronicles 7:14), and the spiritual harvest of individuals into God’s family (Matthew 9:37-38). We are assigned the right and responsibility as Christ’s Ekklesia to bind spiritual forces that oppose Him and His Kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19), to stand against their wiles and plans (Ephesians 6:10-12), manifesting the wisdom of God in doing so (Ephesians 3:10). Let’s do it now. Pray with me: Father, in the authority of Christ, we ask You to save America from the evil and wickedness in our government. Many of our leaders mock and malign You, have rejected Your ways, and openly oppose You. They glorify evil, sacrifice children to Baal, and make diligent efforts to indoctrinate them in wicked ideologies. Forgive our nation for allowing this; remove these people from power, and help us to rebuild America. We also move in the authority of Your Word and the authority You’ve given us through Christ, asking for revival. We know revival will rescue millions and also give momentum to the transformation of our nation. Lord of the harvest, launch thousands of evangelists into the harvest fields. Awaken in the church with a passion to win the lost. Release powerful gifts of healing and miracle working. SEND FIRE!!! Send Your wind. Send glory. Gather dry bones and shape them into an army. And Father, in Christ’s name we decree that the powers of darkness and schemes of hell will NOT stop these things from occurring. We declare that all of satan’s plans for America WILL fail. We declare that his hold over our land is broken. We declare that the young people of America WILL be delivered from his schemes and WILL experience the most powerful and sweeping revival the world has ever seen. This will NOT be stopped! All in Christ’s name. So be it! Our decree: We decree that the church, the Ekklesia, is awakening to her authority and will arise and shine with Christ’s glory. ************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-6-2023 March 6, 2023 Keys to Revival Ceci and I have some wonderful friends from Colorado, Pastors Jack and Terri Brown, who visited the Asbury Revival. Terri shared some of her thoughts after being there. Even though the revival in its initial form has ended, Terri’s insights and observations will help us prepare for what is coming. ******* “On February 20th (2023), we attended the Asbury Outpouring. I have been praying, pondering, and processing it ever since, trying to understand what we experienced and what the Lord is doing during this season. The outpouring of the Lord at Asbury University began on February 8th (2023). It was attended by students from at least 200 campuses, as well as tens of thousands of visitors. “Jack and I have been praying for revival for a long time. I don’t say this to take some kind of credit, but to point out that this is something we have been longing for and even studying. Still, I don’t think I was prepared for what we experienced. “As we approached the Asbury campus, there were cars and people everywhere. No one was directing visitors where to go, so we circled the campus and found a line of people winding around, maybe a half-mile long. Our son and his family (whom we were visiting) dropped Jack and me off, then went to find a place to park. We didn’t know where to go, so we stopped and prayed, ‘Where do we go, Lord?’ I heard Him say, ‘It doesn't matter, I am here to meet with you.’ We approached a circle of about 150 people. There were young people in the middle of the group, passionately leading worship with a guitar and drum box, singing with their whole hearts unto the Lord. They would pause, another young person would read a passage of Scripture, then they would take us back into worship. They would pause again, and this time a young person would give a short exhortation, and then right back into worship. Some were weeping, some were passionately worshiping, and some were observing, but no one was ignoring what God was doing. “We eventually found seats in one of the overflow buildings, Estes Chapel, which is Asbury Seminary’s chapel and right across the street from Hughes Hall. This chapel was completely full with probably 500 people. In fact, while we were on Asbury’s campus, every overflow auditorium was full. “Here is what Jack and I saw: The worship was focused on Jesus. The worship team was focused on worshipping. Although they were leading, they made no effort to tell others how to worship. The congregational singing was passionate and unified. No one tried to raise their voice above the others. When they asked for those who had a Scripture to come read it for the Call to Worship, many young people got up and, often through tears, would read God’s Word. The leader would then declare, ‘This is the Word of God,’ and the crowd responded, ‘We believe it!’ The testimonies were faith-building demonstrations of God changing lives. I sensed people were being set free from hardness of heart, bitterness, anxiety, and fear. There was amazing hospitality and kindness. There was nothing for sale. No books, no t-shirts, no music. Even the food trucks were giving away snacks and water. No one asked for an offering, nor did I see a place to give an offering. No one was introduced by name. It truly was a nameless and faceless gathering. When people shared from the stage, it was short and concise, so as to not distract from the main focus - Jesus. The call was for radical humility, radical hunger, radical obedience, and transparency. There was no attempt to manufacture any fervor or emotion in the worship or sharing, nor did we see any suppression of fervor or emotion. We saw pure and simple devotion to Jesus. “Jack and I have been blessed to be in many services where one could sense the presence of God. When faithful people unite, humble themselves, welcome Holy Spirit and yield to Him, He is gracious to come. The way I describe it is: we pursue the Lord, and He answers. This was different. At Asbury, it felt as though He was pursuing us, and we answered. This was God’s idea. He was pursuing us: those who were hungry, those who were worn out, the resistant, the skeptical, the young, yes, but also the old. “It has become one of my core prayers that we won’t be satisfied with the fires we can create, but hunger for the fire only He can send. Only He can send the wind, the fire, and the rain! “As I was praying recently, the Lord showed me a picture of a person coming home after working very hard; they didn’t even know what time it was. As they entered their home and opened the door, they instantly smelled the fragrance of something baking in the oven, like fresh bread. Then they immediately realized how hungry they were. I think this is a picture of many today. They have been working hard, some secularly, others in the church. Though they may not have discerned it was God’s time for an outpouring, at the fragrance of Jesus, they realize how hungry they are; they realize what they need. “Many who have been touched by the Lord at Asbury didn’t even realize how hungry they were for HIM. Some who have been touched were seeking but didn’t know what they were seeking was Him. They may have tasted some stale bread or religion offered by the church, but hadn’t known their hunger was for Him. “I believe this is a first wave. God is releasing His fragrance, allowing hunger for Him to stir all over the world. We will see more. Miracles, signs, and wonders. For those of us who think we know how God will visit us, He is giving us the opportunity to repent for our judgments, and to surrender our expectations. He is giving us time to lay down our attempts to manufacture movements and yield fully to His good plans. “Many have asked me, ‘What do we need to “do” to bring this to where we are?’ It is a reasonable question. However, I sense that a better question would be, ‘What do we need to BE..?’ “I sensed we need to be: Humble Repentant Surrendered Transparent Available Obedient Willing to lay down our traditions and sacred cows. Loving Kind Hungry “We came away from Asbury thinking this is what pure and simple devotion to Jesus looks like.” *********** Pray with me: Father, thank You for what You have begun on campuses and other settings in our nation. Your passion to redeem and heal is obvious as we watch these events. It is equally clear that there is a deep hunger in the hearts of many for You; others do not yet realize it’s You they are hungry for. Show them. Let them smell the bread. Prepare the hearts of Your people for what is coming. Prepare us to serve, to be ready for the inconvenience of revival. Challenge and help us to lay down our preconceived ideas of what we think revival will look like. Deal with any religiosity or pride that could stand in the way of what You want to do. The Pharisees of Christ’s day looked in Your eyes, listened to You speak, and watched You work, yet did not recognize You. Our prejudices and preconceived ideas can blind us. Please do a work in us that keeps this from happening. Help us to soften our wineskins, making them flexible and ready for new wine. Remind us that no one or group has a monopoly on truth. We are all learning and transforming spiritually. Show us what needs to change, even if it was shaped by something You did in the past. We humbly and confidently ask You for these things, in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that Holy Spirit is releasing His fragrance, drawing us unto Himself, and we are hungry! ********************* Pastors Jack and Terri Brown pastor The Table Church in Colorado Springs, CO. The Table Church does not have a website, but it does have a Facebook page. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070146675684&mibextid=LQQJ4d Click on the link below to watch the full video.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-3-2023 March 3, 2023 The Turning Point We are grateful for all of the anointings of Christ and gifts of the Spirit. Each has an important part to play in a functioning and growing body of people. Today, I will be sharing a prophetic word that came through a dream given to our friend in ministry, Gina Gholston. (Next week, I’ll be moving back into teaching on Authority.) Gina is a prolific dreamer whom God uses to share prophetic words and teachings with the body of Christ. This particular dream is especially meaningful, as it is about America, and our hope for America’s restoration. Gina shares: ************ “On March 12, 2013, I received the first of many dreams regarding God’s strategy and plans for the body of Christ and for America. “In this dream, I saw myself standing on a beach where an urgent scene was unfolding in front of me. The setting changed, and I realized I was standing on a stage in front of a very large group of people. All of a sudden, the beach scene began being shown on a movie screen above my head, giving everyone in the room a full view of what I was seeing: a gigantic, beached whale. Written across its back were the words, ‘The United States of America.’ Suddenly, God gave me the interpretation of the vision, and I began urgently declaring, ‘We have to turn this thing! We have to turn it quickly, or it will die! It’s not dead yet, but we must turn it quickly!’ “As the dream continued, we saw hundreds, if not thousands, of people on the beach who were frantically trying to help. I knew, however, they were only going to do more damage than good because there was no order. Some people then stepped forward and began helping get everyone into position. All were then able to work together effectively, and the whale was turned back into the water. “As I reflected on this vision playing out on the movie screen, I heard myself announce, ‘Everyone must get in place. Some will know how to lead us. We must all be willing to listen and then get into position so we can easily turn this thing back to where it can live.’ “It was then that I realized all of the people in the room, as well as those on the beach, were a representation of the Church in America. I began to declare, ‘We must be assembled properly. We can turn this nation! We can turn it, but we must be rightly positioned.’ “End of dream. *** “The beached whale in this dream obviously represented America. For a whale, water is essential for life; it cannot survive without it! In Scripture, water is symbolic of the Word and the Spirit of God. The life source for America is God and the principles of His Word upon which she was founded. As the whale could not survive without water, America cannot survive as the nation God intended her to be without Him. “In 2013, God used this dream to show others and me that a time of urgency was coming, that America was veering away from Him, her life source. The days ahead were going to be a life-or-death situation for our nation. For a while, it would even seem that the purposes of God for America had been lost, and the death of this great nation was inevitable. However, He was showing us that there was a way to save it! Just as the people in the dream worked together to turn the beached whale back to the water, the Church would be used by the Lord to turn America back in the right direction. But God was giving us a warning. Though the Church was present, we were not prepared, for the tasks ahead. “I felt this dream was not a ‘wake-up call’ to America, but instead, was an urgent call to us - His people, the Church. It was a call to action! We were entering a new era, a time of major transition that would put a demand on the church. The Lord would begin to assemble and position us to be rightly aligned and able to function as His Ekklesia. We would need to know and operate in our true identity. “As members of Christ’s body, we each have a part in God’s plan. In the dream, people stepped up to give instructions regarding how to work together to get the beached whale back to its life source. Likewise, several years ago, when the Lord called the Ekklesia to get focused and rightly positioned, there was a response that launched a devoted remnant into a time of urgent preparation. I believe we have now emerged from that time of preparation and have become a people through whom the Lord can work. This is how we will turn this seemingly dying nation back to God! “The following is a portion of a word the Lord spoke to me several years ago that I feel is timely for now: "The wind is blowing! Hear it in the spirit and know that I will blow My breath into this nation—Resurrection and Pentecost all rolled up into one unprecedented move of My Spirit. It will be an undeniable, gushing blast of My glory and My presence. This is a turning point. Stay in tune with My Spirit. Stand still in My presence and I will fill you afresh with My wind, My Holy Spirit. I will release you as My ‘whirlwind’ into this nation, bringing My life to what has seemed dead. I am now releasing My whirlwind, and I will blaze a clear trail through this nation that will cause the hearts of many to return to Me. Align properly with my plan. I have a remnant, an Ekklesia, assisted by My angels, who will carry My anointing - clothed in the wind of My Spirit - and through them, I will turn this nation and set it back on course." “The stage is now set. God’s desire for the Ekklesia to be used in helping to heal and restore America’s destiny is being revealed. The Body of Christ has been positioned and assembled, and through us, God will fulfill His intentions. This is the turning point, and America will live!” ************ Pray with me: Father, if we evaluate the happenings in our nation through our own eyes, we will surely conclude that Your desired destiny for America has been lost. However, we agree with You that Your verdict has been rendered and declared. “America shall be saved,” and nothing and no one can stop what You have already set into motion! You are NOT late, and we are NOT without hope! You intend to reveal the fullness of Your purposes. As the Body of Christ, we are equipped with Your power to turn this nation back to You, its life Source! It is time, and we position ourselves to receive from You the refreshing wind of Your Spirit that will now catapult us as Your whirlwinds. You are sending us to release Your words, Your wisdom, and Your power that will awaken this nation and the nations of the earth! America may have been shaken, but she will not die; she shall be saved. In the name and authority of Jesus, we pray, amen! Our decree: We decree that the prophetic destiny of America is being revealed. This is the turning point, and America will live! ******************** Portions of this post were taken from Gina Gholston’s book, Awakening the Church to Awaken a Nation. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.org Click on the link below to watch the full video.