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5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-16-2024 April 16, 2024 Because He Said So (Genesis 15:1-4 NASB) “After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’ Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’” (Genesis 18:11-14 NASB) “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?” Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’” (Jeremiah 32:27 KJV) “Behold, I am the Lord the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Luke 1:37 KJV) “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” In the GH15 posts, I have written and spoken much about the importance of saying what God says, of speaking His words. Speaking is how God creates and how He releases His power (Genesis 1; John 1). As those made in His image and likeness, we are to operate in this way, also. There is power IN us that must be released FROM us, and the primary way we do so is with our words. I am speaking, of course, of speaking God’s words. The word for confession in the New Testament is homologia, which literally means “say the same;” in other words, “say the same thing God says.”(1) Saying what God says is how we, like Him, release the faith, the life, and the power that is in our spirits. Jesus told us to say to mountains, “Be removed,” using “mountains” figuratively to represent adversity (Mark 11.23-24). This is also how we are born again - believing in our hearts regarding Christ’s redeeming work and saying so with our mouths (Romans 10:9). This is what we are doing when decreeing or declaring in the context of prayer and/or spiritual warfare (Job 22:28; Matthew 16:18-19). And it is what is meant by using “The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) against satan’s kingdom. “Word” in this verse from Ephesians is rhema, which means spoken words.(2) Speaking God’s words is a powerful weapon. In this post’s opening verses of Scripture, an important Hebrew word dabar is used four times. Twice it is translated as “word” (as in “word of the Lord”); twice it is translated as “thing” (“Is any thing too hard for Me?”). Interestingly, dabar does mean both: a word, declaration, even a promise, and a thing. In Hebrew, the word or decree and the thing or matter it speaks of are the same word!(3) Skip Moen quotes Frederick Buechner as saying, “In Hebrew, the word dabar means both word and also deed. A dabar doesn’t merely say something; it does something. It brings something into being. It makes something happen.”(4) Wow! Joanne Panettieri says of this important word, “The Dabar of the Lord carries with it the ability to accomplish what it is sent out to do.(5) This is what took place at creation. God’s words - dabar - accomplished. Isaiah 55:11 says: “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.” Here’s what I want you to understand: God is not just saying He keeps His word. Obviously, He does so. But He wants us to know that His words DO! They accomplish, perform, and create that which He says. The archangel Gabriel was asked by Mary how she, a virgin, could have a child. He replied that: 1) Holy Spirit would overshadow her, placing within Mary a reproductive seed containing God himself! (Luke 1:35) Then he said, as translated by most versions of Scripture, 2) “For with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Verse 37). The word “nothing” is actually rhema, which, once again, means a spoken word. “Impossible” is the Greek word adunateo(6) (from the Greek prefix a, meaning without, and dunamis,(7) meaning power or ability), which literally means “without power.” A more literal translation of Gabriel’s explanation would be, “For no word spoken by God is without power.” Gabriel was essentially saying, “Mary, this will happen through the power of God’s words. It will occur because He said it!” Tomorrow, I will talk about the need for us to agree with God, including, of course, doing so with our words. He has chosen to work with and through us, giving us the choice to accept or reject His offer. Certainly, much of what God has said - regarding the future of the earth, the events in the Book of Revelation, etc. - will occur, whether you and I agree with it or not. However, what He says is available to us personally must be received and entered into by obedience and faith. We were saved at Calvary, but that salvation was not experienced until we believed in Christ’s work and confessed Him as our Savior. The same is true with promises to groups of people, including nations; the destiny and blessing God offers must be received by faith and by operating in obedience to His Word. Pray with me: Father, we come before You in humility and faith. In humility, we acknowledge that it is not our strength, goodness, or power that enables us to move mountains. And yet, in faith, we declare that we have been given the power of Holy Spirit and the authority of Christ with which to do so. In humility, we acknowledge that the blessing, mercy, provision and salvation we experience and release to others comes from the covenant we have with You through Christ, not any merits of our own. And yet, in faith we declare that we do indeed have these blessings, rights and privileges. Thank You for welcoming us into Your family and allowing us to partner with You. And we exalt You today as the great and awesome God, the Almighty, whose very words have within them the power and ability to accomplish what they say. No word spoken by You is without power! It always accomplishes what You assigned it to do. No promise You have made is too hard for You to fulfill. This week, open to us a greater revelation of Your ways. Teach us regarding both our need and our ability to operate as You do, releasing power through words. You told us death and life were in the power of the tongue. You said we could move mountains with our words. We join with Mary in saying, be it done to us according to Your Word. And we conclude by agreeing with You today regarding Your promise of salvation. We declare that America shall be saved. Our prodigals will come home to You. And the greatest harvest of souls in earth’s history shall take place in our generation. So be it. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we are coming into greater alignment with the Word and ways of God. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 3671. Ibid., ref. no. 4487. Ibid., ref. no. 1697. https://skipmoen.com/2019/08/an-audible-universe/ http://iconoclast.weebly.com/the-dabar-of-the-lord.html Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ref. no.101. Ibid., ref. no. 1410.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-12-2024 April 12, 2024 What Do They All Have In Common? NOAH’S FLOOD In Genesis chapter 6, the story of Noah and the great flood begins. After Adam’s fall, people became so wicked that God knew He would have to destroy humankind and begin again (verse 5). He instructed Noah to build an ark for the preservation of his family, a project which probably took 50-75 years.(1) Then, when it was completed, He sent the flood. It rained for 40 days and nights (Genesis 7:17), flooded the earth, and Noah’s Ark floated for 150 days before coming to rest on Mt. Ararat. Genesis 8:1-4 tells us: “But God remembered Noah and all the animals and all the livestock that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Also, the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days, the water decreased. Then in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.” (NASB) THE RED SEA CROSSING After Israel’s incredible exodus from Egypt, during which God also demonstrated that the gods of Egypt were not truly gods but simply idols, Israel found themselves still in danger at the Red Sea. There was as yet one Egyptian god He had not exposed, Baal-zephon, their god of the seas. The first two verses of Exodus 14 inform us, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea’” (Exodus 14:1-2). Why the geography lesson? God wants us to know that HE chose the place for this encounter. To many of the Israelites, as well as to Pharaoh and his army, it looked as though Israel was confused, disoriented, and wandering aimlessly in the desert. And they were, in fact, now trapped by mountains, the sea, and Pharaoh’s army. God sometimes enjoys allowing satan to believe he has won; at times, He even orchestrates circumstances to accomplish this. Such was the case here. Scott Lancer, in an article for Associates for Biblical Research (Confronting Baal Zephon: The Spiritual Message of the Meeting of Israel and the Armies of Egypt) says, “Let us remember that God had been triumphing over not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but also the supposed power of their gods. The plagues were a drumbeat of victory as the gods of Egypt were, one by one, displayed to be impotent and powerless. And even more importantly, Yahweh wanted the Egyptians to know that He is the Lord” (14:4).(2) Pharaoh no doubt believed that this god was more powerful than Yahweh. He supposed that Baal-zephon had led Israel into a trap and was now going to cause them to be destroyed in front of the place named for him. Yahweh had other plans. His plan was to demonstrate that HE was the Lord of the sea. His authority, released through the extension of the rod He had given Moses, controlled the sea, not Zephon. Yahweh would lead his people THROUGH, not around, the sea that the Egyptians believed was under the control of Zephon. And instead of the Israelites being destroyed, it would be Pharaoh and the Egyptian army - in front of their supposed god! ISRAEL CROSSING INTO CANAAN In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham, promising him a family, a nation, ownership of the land of Canaan, and that He would use Abraham to bless the entire world. In Joshua 3, four and a half centuries later, this family now existed, had indeed become a nation, and under Joshua’s leadership, crossed into Canaan. Chapter 5 tells us: “While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. Then, on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.” (Joshua 5:10-12 NASB) ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE FROM HAMAN In the book of Esther, we find the great story of Israel’s deliverance from Haman’s plot to destroy them. This wicked man had convinced the king to sign a decree to destroy the Jews (Esther 3:1-12). God used Esther and Mordecai to reverse Haman’s seemingly fail-proof plan. Esther called for a 3-day fast to pray for God’s protection, then approached the king asking for mercy for her people. God intervened, and Haman was hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). The feast of Purim celebrates this great victory over Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews (Esther 9:26-32). THE COMMON DENOMINATOR Now, what do these events have in common? The date: Nisan 17. Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat; Pharaoh and his army were destroyed, and Baal-zephon was exposed; after Joshua and Israel crossed into Canaan and ate the fruit of the land, the manna ceased; and Haman was hung on his own gallows - all on the 17th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. That is miraculous and amazing! One can only imagine the angels’ thoughts as they carried out their assignments. Take the Flood, for example: He’s going to start the rain, flood the earth, and cause enough of the water to dissipate so the ark touches Earth ON THAT VERY DAY? That’s impossible - but then again, we are talking about Yahweh! How about the crossing into Canaan, eating the fruit of the land, and the manna ceasing? He said what?! Over the next four and a half centuries, He’s going to enable an old, barren couple to have a kid, multiply him into a NATION, preserve them through centuries of slavery, deliver them on this special day He has chosen, navigate around a rebellious generation waiting for all of them to die, the next generation will begin eating the fruit of this promised land - and He is going to land all of this on this same special day of the flood receding and the deliverance of this nation from slavery? Four hundred-plus years in the future, on Nisan 17? Well, if He said it, He’ll do it! I suppose the angels were used to this stuff! But why this date? God hadn’t told anyone, not even the angels, why He was doing these things on this date because He couldn’t disclose the mystery of how He would redeem humankind. And part of the plan included Jesus being resurrected on Nisan 17! The new earth and humanity’s restart after the flood; the judging of the powers of darkness and Israel’s deliverance from slavery; the manna ceasing (a picture of Christ’s earthly body) and eating the fruit of Canaan; and Haman, a symbolizing satan, having the tables turned on him while God’s people are exalted, were all pictures of Christ’s resurrection and occurred… ON THE VERY SAME DAY! Get yourself a Hebrew calendar, and the next time satan tempts you to doubt God’s ability to fulfill one of His promises or His willingness to do so, pull it out and point to Nisan 17. He won’t hang around – he hates that day. Pray with me: Father, we are reminded today of Your words: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) You planned the day and time of the Resurrection from the foundation of the world. Sin and death don’t stand a chance against Your omnipotence and omniscience. You always know what to do and how to do it, and You possess the power to accomplish it. You decided Yeshua would be resurrected on Nisan 17, and He was. You said satan was defeated, and he is. You said we are delivered from his authority, and we are. You said we would be welcomed back into Your family through Christ, and we have been. You said He would delegate His authority to us, and He has. You said we can do all things through Him, and we can. You said we are more than conquerors through Him, and we are. You said we always triumph in Him, and we do. You said we are healed by His stripes, and we are. You said Your perfect love casts out all fear, and it does. You said You would send Your Spirit to indwell us, and You have. You said Christ would build an Ekklesia the forces of hell could not overcome, and He has. You told us to heal the sick in Christ’s name, and we can. You told us to disciple nations in His name, and we can. You said Christ is King over all the nations, and He is. You said America will be saved, and it will! You said our prodigals were coming home, and they are. You said You would reap Earth’s greatest spiritual harvest in our day, and You will. You said the church Christ returns to would be glorious, and she will be. Our decree: We decree that God’s word is forever settled in Heaven! ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------- https://youtu.be/wIxWAZ6r8oc?si=Q6Z_JOeu0YF_l64u https://biblearchaeology.org/research/devotionals/3794-confronting-baalzephon-the-spiritual-message-of-the-meeting-of-israel-and-the-armies-of-egypt

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-11-2024 April 11, 2024 The Sound That Draws Him Matthew 18:19 says, “Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.” Today, I feel Holy Spirit’s prompting to remind you of the power of agreement. The above verse is given to us in the context of the church, the Ekklesia, addressing issues from the place of unity. The subsequent verse (Matthew 18:20) is the well-known promise that when 2 or more members of the church gather, Christ joins us. Though God’s presence is always with a believer, He is saying His presence comes in a stronger way when we gather together. “We” are better than “me.” I don’t want to poke holes in anyone’s theological balloon, but as a sidebar, I must point out that there is no verse in the Bible stating the prayers of one can chase or put to flight a thousand, and two can chase ten thousand. (I can see the scowls on many faces.) This assertion comes from a misunderstanding of Deuteronomy 32:30, which says, “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?” This is actually part of a passage describing Israel’s enemies overwhelming them, and an explanation of why. Due to their sin, the Lord was no longer protecting them, and their enemies prevailed over them to this overwhelming degree. Don’t get too alarmed, however; though the numbers are somewhat different, there is a passage stating that Israel’s power multiplied when they fought as one: “Instead, you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:7-8 NASB) The context of this is physical warfare, not prayer, but it is fair to say God’s power was multiplied for Israel when they fought as a unified company. And my point in addressing this is not to become legalistic, but simply to help us become more accurate in our approach to prayer. We must base our prayers on biblical principles and truth, not tradition. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe God‘s power is multiplied when we pray and operate in agreement with one another. Greek scholar and teacher Rick Renner says, “The word ‘agree’ [in Matthew 18:19] is the Greek word sumphoneo, and it is a compound of sum and phoneo. The word sum means with, and the word phoneo means to make a sound. As you can imagine by simply looking at its two parts, this Greek word is where we get the word symphony. Thus, when we describe agreement in prayer, it is good to first think of a symphony, which is a musical piece made of different movements, instruments, and parts. The use of this word sumphoneo in the context of prayer is revealing, for it shows that when two or more believers get into agreement — each of them praying and adding their parts — it creates a supernatural movement that deeply touches the heart of the Father. This action is so powerful, in fact, that Jesus said it would result in the Father fulfilling any issue they addressed through prayer.”(1) Strongs Concordance says sumphoneo means to “be harmonious, in accord, or concur.”(2) The opposite of accord is discord, another term associated with music. Accord or harmony is pleasant; discord is unpleasant. A sour note played by one instrument in an orchestra can often be heard above all the others. God, who created music with all of its pleasantness and power, loves harmony and uses it to illustrate the pleasantness of agreement in the church, including prayer. It attracts Him: “I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It moves Him to action: “It shall be done for them by My Father, who is in heaven” (verse 19). Too often, the church sounds like a recital of 8-year-olds torturing parents and grandparents with their screeching strings and discordant horns. I question whether God actually shows up for some of it. His patience has its limits. “I’d like to hear some harmony” is probably what He thinks. But when we gather with like-minded people, harmonizing with God’s heart and desires (not necessarily theology), His ears prick up, and He is drawn to the sound. It is pleasant to Him. “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). At this place of unity, He commands a blessing! (Verse 3) My goal today is to point out that God appreciates it when millions of people agree together in prayer for His purposes to be established on Earth. It attracts His presence, moves His heart, and multiplies His power flowing from us. Do not forget this when you agree with the person in your circle of relationships, your prayer group, your congregation, and yes, with millions of people on this platform. The number one reason I do the daily Give Him 15 posts is not to provide you with your daily devotional, though I’m thrilled that it accomplishes this for many. It is primarily to generate agreement in prayer for the establishment of God‘s purposes on the Earth. And I know our prayers are effectual. Please do not just listen as I end the posts with prayer. Activate your faith, pick up your instrument, and release a sound into the heavens that moves God's heart. We are playing salvation songs, revival and reformation medleys, and Kingdom of Heaven overtures. As we do, He joins us, then carries the sound of our “music” throughout the atmosphere of Earth, creating change and releasing life. Let’s harmonize now. Pray with me: Father, the orchestra of Your kingdom does more than sing praises; it agrees in prayer. And when it does, You said it attracts You and multiplies Your power. We harmonize together this day, recalling various themes You have asked us to pray for: We break the power of darkness and deception over prodigals and call them home. We ask You for a billion soul harvest throughout the nations of the Earth: to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, and every other group of people. We bind the Prince of Persia in the Middle East and all of its allies. We ask You for a great harvest of young people here in America and around the world - the largest ever. We ask for signs, wonders, and miracles to take place. We ask for great deliverance to come to those bound by demons, false ideologies, wounds, and any other tool of darkness. We ask You to heal the brokenhearted and set free those held captive. We ask for evil to be exposed in our nation, and a purifying of our government. We ask that life would be cherished and that death, including to the unborn, would be abhorred. We ask that the church be awakened from passivity and complacency and that Your fire would bring revival to believers throughout this nation and the world. We ask for the complete restoration of America to Your purpose and destiny. We ask for human trafficking to be exposed and ended. We ask that racial divisions be healed, and that love and compassion sweep throughout our land. We pray that those who divide us for selfish reasons be exposed. We ask all of this in the all-powerful name of Jesus. Our decree: We declare that heaven’s orchestra is becoming a more finely tuned and skillful body, releasing a sound that pleases the heart of God. *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------- https://renner.org/article/a-supernatural-answer-to-prayer/ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4856.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-10-2024 April 10, 2024 “The Rebirth of America” Dream Chris Reed of Morningstar Ministries was given a dream on March 9, 2024, which seems significant to me. In his dream, the then-upcoming eclipse of April 8th marked the triggering of a “metaphorical conception” leading to an “awakening” and rebirth in America. Reed did not attempt to define the scope of the awakening, only that it was significant enough to be part of America’s rebirth. I want to highlight certain aspects of the dream and offer a few comments. ******** The “baby” was conceived in April 2024 and born in January 2025. Its name was “America,” and the infant was wrapped in the American flag, leading Reed to use the phrase “the rebirth of America” in summarizing the dream. It is inarguable to any Bible-believing, honest person that America has lost her way and needs a rebirth. The only debatable aspect of this now is regarding the cause. Like many, I tried for several years to give the benefit of the doubt to those being used to weaken America, considering their actions simply as incompetency. I can no longer do so. No one with any intelligence whatsoever could fail to foresee the devastating effects of the left’s decisions; the damage has to be intentional. Those on the left believe America - from its inception - is systematically evil, must be dismantled, and then rebuilt as the woke, globalist nation they envision. Those endeavoring to restructure America have made great progress in this dismantling process, so much so that the America birthed two and a half centuries ago and which subsequently grew into the greatest nation in history has been damaged beyond human ability to restore her. She must experience a supernatural rebirth, both spiritually and naturally. THE COMING TRAUMA The dream was related, in part, to the upcoming presidential election. As I stated, the conception of the “baby” occurred in April 2024; the birth took place in January 2025, the month of America’s presidential inauguration. In the dream, a trauma associated with the elections occurred in September or October, sending the nation into chaos and pandemonium. Reed said this was frightening and intensified the division in America. It also nearly caused “premature labor” endangering the “baby,” the rebirth of America. Because of a 1968 newspaper headline shown to him referencing the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, he felt an assassination, or an attempt to do so, could be the trigger for the chaos. Reed was appropriately cautious, not saying this would definitely occur, but stated what he saw in the dream and asked people to pray. Likewise, I have no prophetic clarity about an assassination or an attempt to do so. I do, however, feel confident that the chaos he spoke of is indeed coming. Who could be naive enough to believe the progressive leftists and globalists will not do whatever they deem necessary to keep Trump from winning the presidency in November? Is the rebirth of America dependent on him winning the White House in November? I don’t know. It is foolish to think that any person, persons, or political party can rebirth America. It is also foolish, however, to believe that it doesn’t matter who is in power. In Scripture, Israel was judged multiple times due to the actions of its leaders, as were other nations, and conversely, was blessed based on the decisions of its leaders. Trump is not a messiah, but he does oppose the demonic opposition to America’s destiny and success. And he is correct when he says the left is actually coming after us - the patriots, the lovers of freedom, and those who honor God; he is just “standing in the way.” The threat he presents to them - not to democracy - is cataclysmic. In 2016, fifty to sixty years of momentum for the left, beginning with the Supreme Court’s decision to expel God from public schools (Engle v. Vitale, June 15, 1962), was dramatically interrupted by the election of Trump. In response, they pulled out ALL stops in their attempts to hinder and remove him. Democrats, progressive Republicans, the Deep State, the Judicial system, mainstream media, social media, billionaires, Hollywood, and more have launched the single greatest attack on an individual in U.S. history. Trump’s survival is nothing short of miraculous. It is due to the American people waking up to the astounding levels of corruption in our nation and rallying behind him; many also believe it is because of God’s favor and protection. So I say again, the left will stop at NOTHING in their attempts to keep him from the White House. Buckle up; it’s gonna get turbulent! THE CONTENTION PROLONGED In the dream, the “baby” named America, wrapped in the American flag, had to be placed in an incubator after its birth in January. The danger to its survival had not ended, and it wasn’t until July that the chaos and pandemonium subsided. This could very well mean that a battle will rage over the U.S. Presidency until the summer of 2025. What can we do? Pray. God is the source of America’s recovery. Apart from His intervention, nothing that occurs in Washington D.C., will save America. Our faith is not in a political party or person. Yes, God uses people, but except He keeps the city, the watchman wakes in vain (Psalm 127:1). Pray against corruption and for exposure. Pray that every attempt to destroy America’s rebirth would fail. Pray that all deception will be broken and that America will see clearly what is truly occurring. And pray for protection over our leaders. Do not fear the shaking; it will intensify, but we must stay in faith. Like Esther in her day, we were born for this time. Our greatest days are ahead if we persevere in faith and obedience. Pray with me: Father, thank You for speaking to us through dreams. Give us insights and correct interpretations. We believe You are showing us the times and seasons, and that over the next 16 months, satan will initiate chaos, attempting to thwart America's rebirth. We ask now for this to fail. We bind it in Jesus’ name. We ask for a healthy “baby,” the rebirth of America. We ask for protection from any and every attack against this. Guide us through this time and help us serve Your purposes effectively. We ask for President Biden’s salvation, and that he be delivered from the unbiblical ideologies and strongholds that control him. May he find true repentance. We pray for Donald Trump. Purify him in whatever ways necessary. Deliver him from evil attacks, slander, and unjust prosecutions. Cause the man of Your choice to win the election. Help them restore America to morality, biblical ideals, and Your destiny for her. Lord, deliver us from evil in our government. And we conclude by declaring that Your Kingdom authority and principles will rule over America. Your desires will be accomplished. Your church will be awakened, filled with Holy Spirit, and burn with fresh fire. We declare that we will hear Your voice clearly, going only in the direction You lead us. We boldly declare that we will not fear any shaking, chaos, or work of darkness. We will operate only in faith. All of this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that America is being saved and reborn, and the timing of the Lord will not be altered. *************************** Chris Reed’s account of the dream and his explanation can be read HERE. You can find out more about Chris at MorningstarMinistries.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-9-2024 April 9, 2024 The Statue of Liberty There is probably no icon more known for depicting America than the Statue of Liberty. In the following dream given to Gina Gholston in 2019, an enraged and violent mob is seen trying to destroy the statue. This is obviously a metaphorical picture of the current attempt to destroy America. The dream is too long to allow commentary, but none is needed: God uses the praying church to save America. This we will do. And we will continue to birth and protect the great worldwide harvest. The dream: The Attempt To Destroy America “On November 10, 2019, I dreamed that I came upon a chaotic mob of hundreds of people. Rage, hatred, and evil permeated the atmosphere. In the middle of this mob stood a living, life-sized version of the Statue of Liberty, wrapped in the American flag. The mob was kicking and beating her. She was pushing back, attempting to fight them off. “Then, the Statue of Liberty fell to the ground. When she fell, I ran toward the mob and saw a militant man dressed entirely in black, carrying a black machine gun. As I ran toward them, he used the machine gun to push me backward. I fell, crying, and screamed, ‘SHE’S DYING! SHE’S DYING, AND I CAN HELP HER!’ I stood up and attempted to break through the mob to get to her, but the militant man again pushed me to the ground. “As I lay there, I could see the Statue of Liberty lying on the ground, the mob continuing to kick and beat her. She was bleeding from her nose and mouth; her hands were bruised and bleeding. Beside her, I saw Dutch Sheets attempting to resuscitate her. These vile people would grab him by his feet, pulling him away from the statue, but Dutch would quickly scramble back to her, continuing to attempt CPR. This happened several times. “Seeing a set of bleachers, I stood and made my way into them. From there, I was able to see everything clearly. I could see Dutch and many others with him: Ceci, Chuck Pierce, Tim Sheets, and more. “I noticed that many people in the vicious, raging mob were dressed in professional attire. It is difficult to describe their rage, hatred, violence, and the chaos it created. “In the bleachers, I looked down beside me and saw a defibrillator! Picking it up I yelled, ‘DUTCH!’ He looked up, saw me, and I motioned that I was going to throw him the defibrillator. I did so, and he caught it. “He then said, ‘This is great, but how will we power it?’ “I shouted, ‘WE’VE GOT POWER!’ “A lady and several others in the mob began pushing against those standing with Dutch. She was their spokesperson and shouted, ‘YOU CAN’T DO THIS! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!’ “Then Chuck Pierce rose up. As he did, he grew taller and spoke to me very calmly, ‘The distress signal has been sent out.’ “I knew he was using a biblical reference to Nehemiah who had said to Israel regarding Jerusalem, ‘Do you see the distress we are in?’ (see Nehemiah 2:17). It was as if Nehemiah’s words brought an ‘awakening’ to the people, and they rose up with a ‘mind to work.’ I felt that Chuck was saying, ‘The awakening message has been preached, and people have received it. They’re awake, ready, and will know what to do.’ “With Chuck’s words in my mind, I looked around for help. There were many people walking around, and I realized some of them were literally glowing! When I saw these ‘glowing ones,’ I took them by the hand and said, ‘Come with me. We may not be able to get down with Dutch and the others, but there is a place for us, and I know how to get us there! We have to get in our place!’ “I led them into the bleachers, which had now encircled the entire scene like a colosseum. The bleachers were filled with these ‘glowing ones.’ “I prayed, ‘Lord, how are we going to do this?’ “Instantly, I heard the Lord loudly say, ‘USE THE POWER!’ “I told all of the people in the bleachers to hold hands and be ready! I heard some of them humming a familiar song. I began instructing the people that when I gave the signal, some were to pray in the Spirit while others sang the song they were humming. “We all held hands. With my right hand, I picked up the cables attached to the defibrillator I had thrown to Dutch; with my left hand, I held the hand of the lady next to me. “The chaos was still raging - loud, chaotic, vicious! In the midst of that, Dutch took the paddles of the defibrillator and placed one on the Statue of Liberty‘s right ear and the other on her heart. Then, as loudly as he could, shouted, ‘CHARGE!’ “I yelled to the people in the bleachers, ‘NOW!’ “Some began fervently praying in the spirit, while the others sang with very loud voices, ‘ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME; LET ANGELS PROSTRATE FALL. BRING FORTH THE ROYAL DIADEM AND CROWN HIM LORD OF ALL!’(1) “As we did so, a visible jolt went out of my hand, through the cables, and into her, causing a shaking. “The people in the mob screamed, ‘STOP! You can’t do this!’ “Dutch yelled again, ‘CHARGE!’ “I shouted, ‘NOW!’ And again, we sang and prayed in tongues, causing another jolt to go through the cables and into the Statue of Liberty. Again, she shook. “This happened twice more, and the Statue of Liberty stood up. She had been bleeding, and parts of her had been broken off, but she stood up completely whole…no bleeding, no breaks. “The mob was furious! This was their ‘big move,’ what they had been planning and plotting. But God’s power, flowing through His people, had stopped it. “The vile lady, the mob’s spokesperson, had the authority to call in a militant force and did so - hundreds of them. They surrounded Dutch and those who stood with him, pointing machine guns at them. “Watching from the bleachers, our hearts were pounding. We knew the severity of what we were about to witness if God did not intervene, but we also knew that we had to take a stand. It was do or die, and if we had to die, we were willing. There was absolutely no fear in us, just courage and determination to do our part! “When they pointed the machine guns at Dutch and those standing with him, it was an indescribable moment. Then they fired the guns, but there were no bullets—no ammunition! Nothing! “The vile lady screamed, ‘THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!’ And she instructed the militant company to take us all out—even those of us in the bleachers—with brute force! As they started their move toward us, we all—Dutch, those with him, and those of us in the bleachers—simultaneously fell on our knees and began to cry out to God. “When we did so, there was the loud sound of an old-fashioned telephone ringing. As it did, the ground shook, and everything went silent. Everyone stopped moving. There was not one sound other than the ringing of the telephone. The instant silence was as dramatic as what I had previously seen. It was indescribable how it went from all the rage, chaos, and loudness to complete stillness and silence! In the dream, I heard these words, ‘Call unto Me, and I will answer you!’ (Jeremiah 33:3). “As that ringing sound continued, the Statue of Liberty stretched out her left arm, holding the tablet. We could all see written on it the Scripture reference, ‘Romans 10:9,’ which states, “If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, YOU SHALL BE SAVED!“‘ “Then the Statue of Liberty spoke, saying, ‘I WILL NOT DIE! I WILL LIVE AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD!’ (Psalm 118:17). “Dutch then stood up and said boldly and powerfully to the militant people and the mob, ‘You can’t stop it now! We have called, and the Lord has answered us… America IS saved!’ “At that very moment, the torch in the right hand of the Statue of Liberty began to burn, a large flame leaping up.” End of dream. Keep praying, church! Let no threats, attacks, shaking, or fear silence you. We have the [spiritual] power - use it! Pray with me: Father, it is the power and authority of Christ that has prevailed over the evil one. He expelled him from Heaven; He broke his authority over earth, taking it back; and He took the keys of hell. He has now delegated to the church His authority on earth. All hail the power of His name! You were not confused and weren’t simply speaking Your “hope” when You told Him You were giving Him the nations of earth as His inheritance. Nor was He when declaring He would build an unconquerable Ekklesia. This church is now arising throughout the earth under Holy Spirit’s orchestration, releasing Kingdom authority and reaping Christ’s reward. By Your strength and grace, Christ’s victory, and Holy Spirit’s power we will not waver or fail. America shall be saved. Awakening is occurring. The cloud of witnesses will not have run in vain. The harvest is and will be reaped. More than a billion souls will be won by You in our day. And one day, as the great hymn in this dream goes on to declare: “Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all,
To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all. “O that with yonder sacred throng, We at His feet may fall,
We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!”(2) Our decree: We decree that the church, authorized by Christ and connected to Holy Spirit, is releasing life-giving power to restore America. ********************** You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholstonMinistries.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------- https://hymnary.org/text/all_hail_the_power_of_jesus_name_let Ibid.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-8-2024 April 8, 2024 Eclipse Day, 2024 Welcome to “Eclipse Day, 2024.” Many people have asked for my thoughts regarding it: “Is it prophetic?” “Is it a sign?” “What does it mean?” Many have written about it, and numerous broadcasts have been released. Some say it is a warning of judgment, while others declare it a sign of the end times, that the rapture will occur soon. In some teachings, it has been reported that its path will go over seven cities in America named Ninevah, a sign of judgment—if enough repentance doesn’t occur. Actually, it will be a full eclipse over only two towns named Ninevah; the others will see only partial eclipses. In order to confirm that this eclipse bodes negative consequences, reports are also circulating that some cities and states are actually preparing for problems or calamities The truth, however, is that this is not because they fear judgment or calamity, but due to the influx of visitors - possibly hundreds of thousands - coming to their areas in order to see the full eclipse. They are concerned about supply issues - food, water, housing, etc. - not judgment or calamity. So, Is the Eclipse A Sign? The Bible does indeed tell us the heavens give us signs, including eclipses and blood moons (Genesis 1:14; Isaiah 13:10, 38:8; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2.10, 2:31, 3:15; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25–27; etc.). There is no Scripture I’m aware of, however, that says every eclipse is a sign or warning. This means prophetic discernment is necessary in order to determine whether or not a heavenly phenomenon is a sign. And since there is NO ONE who hears from the Lord perfectly, great caution is necessary when attempting to discern this. I am not implying that those stating this eclipse is a sign are mistaken; nor am I endorsing them. I have listened to several; some seem credible, others do not. I’ve also read articles by and listened to podcasts of those attempting to discredit them. These individuals do point out a few wrong facts used by some in formulating their prophetic statements. Most of the critics, however, are obviously cynics of the prophetic in general, and form their beliefs only in the realm of intellect, knowing nothing of prophetic revelation. I also find their arrogance and critical spirits hard to stomach. Having acknowledged my lack of clarity regarding this eclipse being a sign, I want to state clearly that I do believe America is headed for increasingly difficult times for a season. I have consistently said a difficult shaking is coming to our nation in order to finish the task of turning us back to God. I believe this has begun and will intensify. Sin has wages (Romans 6:23). Rebellion to God and mocking Him comes with dire consequences. Psalm 2 is clear: when rulers mock God, He mocks back; when they conspire to throw off God’s rule, they experience His rod of iron. The fools and reprobates now ruling America believe they can mock Him without consequences, celebrating Resurrection Sunday/Easter as the Transgender Day of Visibility instead, along with numerous other “middle fingers” they have given God, His Son, and His Word. The “piper” is about to be paid. The votes they thought they could buy by allowing millions of illegals into our nation will instead buy terrorism and numerous other difficulties. Those who naively voted in these leftists, Marxists, atheists, and liars are about to taste the fruit of their ignorance and rebellion. And a savorless church with its low-watt light will receive its wake-up call. We are all about to taste and see that God is not only good - He is also in charge. I absolutely believe America will be saved and that God will help us recover. But it will not be without pain. As a nation, we have stiffened our necks and doubled down on our pride, rebellion, and stupidity. We have sown the wind, and the whirlwind is coming. At least five proven prophetic voices whom I trust believe the shaking will begin intensifying this month. They are not saying this because of the eclipse, though they seem to be acknowledging that it, as well as other events occurring in our nation, could be further signs that the shaking will now increase. I concur with them. I believe the shaking, which I have called a merciful and redemptive shaking, is about to intensify. It is merciful because its purpose is to turn our hearts redemptively, not because it won’t be painful. It will be. But mercy will triumph over judgment, and America will survive and be restored. Continue to repent on behalf of America and her sins, and decree that she will be saved through a third great awakening. Again I say, the prayers of a remnant are saving America and birthing Earth’s greatest revival. I also believe our prayers can lessen the reaping from our rebellion. It is not time to back up, grow weary, or lose heart. It is time to be unwavering, determined, and strong. Whatever comes in the shaking, God’s Kingdom will not be shaken. It will increase. I have mentioned the following quote by Thomas Paine in previous posts, yet its relevance for us today is great. He wrote it the year our nation was born, though we were just beginning the war to enforce the birth. General Washington made all of his soldiers read the entire article. Here is a portion: “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph…”(1) Pray with me: Father, we are thoroughly convinced of Your goodness. We are convinced of Your grace and mercy, that Your heart is to redeem, not punish. This is a sustaining truth in difficult times, an anchor for our souls. You are a good and wonderful Father; though You allow prodigals to eat with the pigs and wallow in the filth of their unwise decisions, You also run to meet them when they return to You. We are thoroughly convinced that America will return to You and be restored - because of Your heart and unparalleled wisdom. You know how to turn us back. We are also confident that in any shaking, Your Kingdom will stand strong; those who stand with it will, as well. Not for a moment do we believe that satan has outwitted or could ever overpower You. And we do not doubt for a moment that You will have the harvest You have spoken of and promised Your Son. So we say, let the shaking intended to deliver us from evil intensify. Let it come and awaken millions to their need of You. Let it come to free millions of young people from the demonic ideologies with which they have been fed and poisoned. Let it come to open our hearts and prepare us for the outpouring of Your Spirit. Our eyes are on the goal You have in mind, not the pain that will endure for a season. We pray this in the matchless name of Jesus...! Our decree: We declare that God is for us, not against us. *************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------------- https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thomas-paine-publishes-american-crisis

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-5-2024 April 5, 2024 Do Not Underestimate the Love of God Today’s post is not from Tim and Rachel‘s book Come Home, but is one final teaching regarding praying for prodigals or any who are unsaved. After sharing a few posts a while back regarding praying for prodigals, I received a letter from a person agonizing over a loved one who had died. They felt that this person died before receiving Christ, in spite of their faithful prayers. I want to say to everyone listening to or reading this post, never assume a person you were praying for did not make it to heaven. We do not know what occurred in the last moment before they crossed into eternity, as the following two stories will illustrate. The Scriptures tell us God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). We don't have to wonder about God’s desire or willingness regarding the lost; He could not make His will any clearer. The Lord wants every person to believe in Christ and be born again. "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save" (Isaiah 59:1). Not only is God willing to save the lost, but He is fully capable of doing so. He has sufficient power and knows how to bend, shape, and change the perspective of unbelievers, bringing them to a revelation of the truth. Holy Spirit can break off of every satanic stronghold and bring them to a knowledge of the truth. Story Number One “While hitchhiking home, Roger Simms was picked up by an older gentleman in an expensive car. They talked about many things, including Mr. Hanover's business in Chicago. Roger felt a strong compulsion to share his faith but was apprehensive about witnessing to a wealthy businessman. Finally, nearing his destination, Roger spoke up. “‘Mr. Hanover,’ began Roger, ‘I want to share something very important with you.’ He explained the way of salvation and asked if Mr. Hanover would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger's astonishment, the businessman pulled over to the side of the road, bowed his head, wept, and prayed the prayer of salvation. He thanked Roger, saying, ‘This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.’ “Five years later, while in Chicago on a business trip, Roger went to Hanover Enterprises. The receptionist told him it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but Mrs. Hanover was available. A little disappointed, he followed her into an office. “After exchanging greetings, Roger explained how Mr. Hanover had kindly given him a ride years ago. Suddenly interested, Mrs. Hanover asked when this had happened. When Roger told her it was on May 7, five years earlier, she asked if anything unusual had happened during his ride. “Roger hesitated, wondering if giving his witness had been a source of contention. But, feeling the prompting of the Lord, he told her that he had shared the gospel message and that her husband had accepted the Lord into his heart. “She began to sob uncontrollably. After a few minutes, she explained that she had thought her prayers for her husband's salvation had not been answered. After leaving Roger at his destination, Mr. Hanover had died that day in a horrible head-on collision.”(1) God is faithful. He knows how to unlock people’s hearts, convince them of their need and Christ’s provision, and when the time is right for them to be presented with the opportunity. And this certainly does not have to occur in a house of worship. God knows when to have hitchhikers travel home; He knows how to ensure unbelievers are driving the right road, at the right time, and how to motivate them to pick up the “evangelist.” God knows what He is doing! Don't miss the fact that Mrs. Hanover had been praying for her husband’s salvation. Our prayers release God’s power; never forget this. Don’t assume, just because you are not aware of a person’s conversion before their death, that it did not occur. If they were in an accident, they may have cried out to the Lord the moment they were dying. Even while unconscious or comatose, people can cry out in their hearts for salvation. Would the Lord cause a person’s spirit to linger in their body long enough for this to occur, in order to answer a prayer and get someone to heaven? Absolutely. Do not underestimate God’s love and grace. Story Number Two In my book, Intercessory Prayer, I tell the story of praying for a young girl in a coma, whom the Lord eventually healed. What I did not relate was the testimony of an elderly lady who, for a short time, shared her room in the nursing home. This lady was very old, and also in an unconscious state. In the 60 or 70 times I visited this young girl in the nursing home, this was the only person that ever shared a room with her; on all other occasions, she was in a room by herself. God placed the elderly lady there for a couple of weeks in order to get her to heaven. The young girl’s family had placed a radio in her room. (This will be meaningful in a moment.) At times, comatose individuals can hear what is going on around them; they just are not able to respond in any way. So, in case she could hear, they wanted music to be playing so she would not be lying there in silence all the time. The workers in the nursing home would often turn it to a country or a rock ‘n’ roll station. I, on the other hand, would turn it to soft music - not singing, just music - which was more peaceful and conducive to prayer. It was not a Christian station that played Christian music; just soft, peaceful music. On one visit, after praying for the young girl for an hour, I felt Holy Spirit leading me to share the gospel/good news of salvation with the unconscious elderly lady. I stepped next to her bed and said, “Ma’am, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I am going to assume that you can. And I don’t know if you have received Christ, but I’m going to assume you haven’t. I feel that I am to share with you how to be born again and then pray with you.” No response. I did so, then said aloud, “If you are hearing me and do not know the Lord, just pray these words with me in your heart.” I then prayed a prayer of salvation. The instant I said, “Amen” – not 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 20 seconds after, and not before I said amen - the song, Amazing Grace, began playing on the radio. The entire song, all the verses. I stood there between the two beds and began to weep. I raised my hands and worshiped as I listened to the entire song. I knew that the amazing grace of God had kept this lady alive, put her in this room, and led me to pray this prayer with her before she died, even while she was in this unconscious state. I then felt led to pray that her suffering would end, and she would go on to heaven. And I did so. A week later, when I returned, she was gone. Upon asking the workers where she was, they simply said, “She passed away.” Never underestimate the love and grace of God. Pray with me: Father, Your mercy is endless, enduring forever. You delight in releasing it. It is difficult for us to believe, at times, that You love someone more than we do; but You do. We anchor ourselves to this and choose to believe it. Use these two testimonies to assure individuals that You will do anything and everything to answer their prayer for someone’s salvation. We believe that, regardless of how far someone is from You in their heart, You are not far from them. Your love is endless and relentless. We ask for the salvation of every family member represented by those listening to or reading this today and agreeing with me. We ask You to do whatever is necessary to save or restore them, and one day take them to heaven. We bind every attack satan has launched against them through deception, addiction, pain, or any demonic influence. We declare his hold over them is broken, the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened, and they will come to their senses. They will believe in Christ and His redemption for them. We ask You for millions of salvations to occur around the world, a billion or more. We are thoroughly convinced the great harvest You have planned is coming, and we declare it: Your kingdom influence and dominion, come! Your will be created and done, in the name of Jesus! And we rejoice with You over the inevitability of this billion-soul harvest. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the Lord of the harvest WILL have His harvest! ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------ Alice Gray, Stories for the Heart (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1996), pp. 225-257.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-4-2024 April 4, 2024 Come Home, Part 3 The following is from Come Home, a wonderful book written by my brother Tim Sheets, and his daughter Rachel Shafer. They share amazing revelation found in the story of the prodigal son, including something I’m quite sure you’ve never heard. The God Hug “There is a wind of Holy Spirit on this amazing parable of the prodigal son as if it’s being freshly told to us. It’s prophesying, I believe, into our moment right now, a phase of our Kingdom’s movement in this era. Jesus tells His disciples: ‘A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, “I want my share of your estate now before you die.” So, his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. ‘A few days later, this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. ‘When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, “At home, even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’” ‘So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.” ‘But his father said to the servants, “Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” So the party began. ‘Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. “Your brother is back,” he was told, “and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.” ‘The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, “All these years, I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time, you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!” ‘His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” (Luke 15:11-32 NLT)’ “In this magnificent depiction of Father God’s heart, Jesus tells us that when the father saw his lost son off in the distance, he ran to him. He didn’t walk or stroll; he ran. The father was looking for his son to return. He was anticipating it, and when he saw him, he ran to him. It’s the only time Christ ever depicts Father God as running. “The great God of Heaven and Earth is not depicted here as sitting on the throne of the universe ruling and reigning, though most certainly He does. He is not depicted as standing before billions of angels and giving them orders, though He does. He is not depicted as riding a chariot of fire as the most awesome conquering warrior in all of time and eternity, though He is. He is not depicted as the great I Am leading people in great awesome deliverance and promised inheritance, though He is. He is portrayed as Father God, filled with unconditional love, running to welcome a lost child home. “There could be no greater or more graphic portrayal than the one Jesus gives us here. Religion and pharisaical ideas have portrayed Father God in a completely different way. “Religion says: ‘I messed up; my dad is going to kill me!’ “Sonship says: ‘I messed up; I need to call my dad.’ God Is Running “We are moving into an amazing era, and the world is going to see Father God run with a divine purpose: to bring lost sons and daughters home; to restore them, clean them up, and put new clothes on them. This is a present campaign being launched now by Holy Spirit. “In Luke 15:20 (KJV), Jesus used a word we need to focus on because it speaks to another awesome aspect of this campaign. He tells us that when the father saw his lost child coming, he ran to him and ‘fell on his neck,’ kissing him. “Fell on his neck,” as King James puts it, is the Greek word epipipto.(1) It would ring in the hearts of these disciples for the rest of their lives, becoming a common word in the early church. Its understanding gives such great hope. Epipipto means ‘to embrace someone in love, to hug someone in love, or to hug someone you love.’ Epipipto was called the ‘love embrace.’ Loving The Unclean “In Acts 10:44, Peter was at Cornelius’s house. Remember, Cornelius was a Gentile. He was Italian. The Jews had no dealings with Gentiles. They were prejudiced against them, considered them ‘unclean,’ and wouldn’t eat with or fellowship with them. Peter, at first, had refused to go to this home. “Then Holy Spirit gave Peter a vision in which he saw a sheet come down out of Heaven with all sorts of ‘unclean’ animals on it. Holy Spirit said, ‘Rise and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘I’m not going to do that; they are unclean.’ But Holy Spirit said, ‘Don’t you call common or unclean what I have cleaned.’ Through this vision and Holy Spirit’s admonition, Peter was willing to go to the home of Cornelius and declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. The Holy Spirit Hug “We are told that while Peter was doing so, Holy Spirit fell on them. ‘Fell on them’ is the word epipipto. Same word. While Peter was talking to them, God suddenly reached out in love and embraced these ‘unclean’ people. As they received the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit hugged them. It was a baptism of love upon people who, up until that point, were considered to be unclean - nobodies, low-lives. “Because of this ‘hug,’ Gentiles like us were welcomed into Christianity, which changed the course of history. “Peter said, ‘It has happened to them just like it happened to us’ (Acts 11:15), a reference to Pentecost. What happened at Pentecost to Peter and those who had gathered in the Upper Room had now happened to the people of the house of Cornelius.” My Words And God is going to embrace millions in the hour with His healing hugs. I believe your prodigal will be one of them. Pick up a copy of this wonderful book and allow it to help you pray this into fruition. Tomorrow, I am going to finish this short series on praying for prodigals and the unsaved with a post I have written. I share two stories to let you know just how much God loves them. NEVER underestimate His love and grace. The testimonies will inspire and encourage you. Prayer and Decrees: “I decree Father is running to our sons and daughters. I declare a release of God’s love on this generation, reclaiming and redeeming what the enemy has tried to lock up. I decree that ‘God hugs’ are being released to prodigals, as well as those who have never known the Lord. I decree the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning. I decree that as ‘God’s hugs’ are released, bruises the enemy has inflicted are removed and healed - spirit, soul, and body. I decree that the rich and pure love of God is reaching into our prodigals' innermost beings, healing them and restoring God’s original intention for their lives. I decree that God never ceases to gently and tenderly call my prodigal home. I decree that one touch from the Father changes everything.”(2) *************************** Today’s post was taken from Tim and Rachel’s book Come Home. You can find this book here or at TimSheets.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1968. Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, Come Home (Destiny Image Publishers: Shippensburg, PA, 2024), pp. 109-113, 122.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-3-2024 April 3, 2024 Come Home, Part 2 From the book Come Home, by Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, on praying for our prodigals: “‘Thus says the Lord: “Restrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for your work [raising of your children, prayer] will be rewarded,” says the Lord; “and your children will return from the enemy’s land. There is [confident] hope for your future,” says the Lord; “Your children will come back to their own country.” (Jeremiah 31:16-17 AMP)' “In the study and preparation for this book, we came across a powerful truth regarding the biblical illustration of the Prodigal Son. “Luke 15:20 (NKJV) says, concerning the prodigal son, ‘...when he was still a great way off, his father...had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.’ “Jewish history enlightens us as to why the father ran, and it is a stunning revelation. This man’s son had demanded his inheritance, wanting what he considered to be his now, rather than when his father died, as was the custom of the day. After receiving his portion, the son left his home, turning his back on the values he had been taught. He eventually lost everything, wasting it all on parties and prostitutes, and ended up working in a pigpen. The son broke his father’s heart, as well as breaking all the rules of the tight-knit community he had been brought up in. After he came to his senses, the son decided to return home. Luke 15:20 tells us his father saw his son when he was still a long way off and ran to him. “In those times, a Middle Eastern man never ran, because in order to do so, he would have to raise up his tunic so he wouldn’t trip, and in so doing would expose his bare legs. In that culture, it was considered humiliating and shameful for a man to show his bare legs. In addition, it was known that if a Jewish son lost his inheritance among Gentiles, and then returned home, the community would perform a ceremony called the kezazah, or a ‘ceremony of shame.’ “During this ceremony, they would break a large pot or pitcher in front of the son. As they smashed it into pieces, they would declare him to be cut off from his people, all ties broken, and he would no longer be welcome in the community. “This, then, brings us to the question: Why did the father run to his son, which also brought a level of shame to himself? In essence, the father was running to get to his son in order to extend grace before anyone else could get to him with the law. He wanted to extend love, acceptance, welcome, and hope before anyone else could take it away. He wanted his son welcomed, not ashamed with humiliation and rejection. “As onlookers watched the father run toward his son, reuniting, hugging, and kissing him, it would be apparent there would be no kezazah. Instead, there would be a homecoming party, a celebration of his restoration, which only the father could bring. No rejection—his father bore the shame and showed everyone that his son was welcomed home. “The application for us is fairly obvious. Our Father bore our sin and shame through Jesus. We can be forgiven and redeemed, and even our lost purpose and destiny can be restored. As we repent, He wipes the slate clean and gives us a fresh start. “God’s Promise: What He did for the prodigal son, He will do for you, and He will also do it for those for whom you are praying. Lost purpose will be recovered.” Tim and Rachel tell us later in the book that our Father not only welcomes the prodigal, taking their shame and refusing to treat them as outcasts, but He Himself will war for their salvation. “The prophet Isaiah gives us a great promise that I believe we need to embrace: “‘Who can grab the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go? But the Lord says, “The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children,’ (Isaiah 49:24-25 NLT). “Several other words for ‘retrieved’ are gotten back, recovered, restored. Joel prophesied in Joel 2:25 (KJV) that the years the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm have eaten, God was going to restore. These pests were grubworms that would eat the harvest. God was literally saying that He was going to restore His people’s lost harvests. How many harvests (prodigals) have we lost? Millions and millions, and that’s why we prophesy a billion souls are coming in. They’re going to be recovered. God is going to fight those who fight us, and He is going to save our children. “There are evil cultural warriors promoting iniquity and perversion in our society. Tyrants have sought to capture our children with confusing lies and distorted ideologies. There are those who think they are giants, too big for us to stop them from indoctrinating our children with demonic ideas, who are about to discover that God is at war with them. “They will soon realize they are contending with Almighty God, and they cannot beat Him. Our God is saying to us, ‘I will contend with those who contend with My people. I will fight those who fight you. I’m on your side, and I will defend your cause. I will take the plunder of war away from them, and I will deliver those who are held captive. I will save your children; I will rescue them.’ “The Hebrew word for ‘contend’ is ruwb,(1) and it means ‘to grapple, to defend, to grab someone by the hair of the head.’ It means ‘to fight with words, to fight physically, legal combat through laws,’ and it is sometimes used as the word in the Old Testament for ‘ambush.’ It sounds to me like God means business! “Perhaps that is why Jesus says in Matthew 18:6 (PassionTranslation), ‘If anyone abuses one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment he’s deserved.’ “The Hebrew word for ‘save’ in Isaiah 49 is yasha(2) and it means ‘to free, to avenge, to rescue, to save physically and soulishly.’ It was very interesting to me when I studied this word. Hebrew scholars say yasha was specifically pointed toward the healing of emotions, or it referenced healing for someone’s emotional state. “The coming generation has been traumatized these past few years. Fears have oppressed them. Covid and ridiculous lockdowns have affected so many of our children to the point that some of them are suffering from depression and are on drugs for that. Depression is plaguing hundreds of thousands of American children. “But God says, ‘I’m going to pour out My Spirit and change things. I’m going to avenge them, and I’m going to heal their emotions. I’m going to heal their souls. I’m going to fight those who teach them demon doctrine. I’m going to wrestle with those who lie to them, exploiting their innocence. I’m going to contend, and I’m going to save them.’” Let’s agree with Him..! Our Prayer and Decree (from the book Come Home) I decree a Holy Spirit outpouring is beginning to move upon all flesh, upon our sons and daughters. I decree revivals will occur in hundreds of places where our young people gather, in all 50 states and nations of the world. I decree God is on our side, defending our cause and saving our children. I decree God is pouring out His Spirit and changing things. He is avenging our children and healing their emotions. I decree our sons and daughters are discovering that Father loves them, wants them, and is preparing a place for them. I decree that chains are falling off in Jesus’ name, and truth is revealed—and the truth is setting them free. I decree Romans 2:4, that God’s kindness leads to repentance.(3) ************************ Portions of today’s post were taken from Tim and Rachel’s book Come Home. You can find this book here or at TimSheets.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 7378. Ibid. Ref. no. 3467. Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, Come Home (Destiny Image Publishers: Shippensburg, PA, 2024), pp. 27-29, 82-84, 91.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-2-2024 April 2, 2024 Come Home, Part 1 My brother, Tim, and his daughter, Rachel Shafer, have just released a new and powerful book on praying for prodigals, Come Home. As they point out, prodigals aren’t found only in the ranks of our children; a prodigal in your world could be a spouse, brother or sister, mom or dad, perhaps even a friend. That being the case, we all know some. A revival is coming that will bring millions of these wayward prodigals home to the Father. Come Home will help generate this, inspiring and encouraging your faith, as well as arming you with an understanding of how to pray for these individuals whom Jesus so loves. It also provides us with biblical decrees to declare over them daily, releasing the power of Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Though I am going to share a few excerpts with which to encourage you, my intent is to accomplish more than that. As you listen to these short portions of the book, you will see its value. I hope you order one and use its powerful and moving insights. If you do, it will prove to be one of the best investments you ever make. Today’s portion of Come Home is the honest, heartfelt testimony of a mom who, like many of you, knows the pain and heartbreak of watching one you love turn away from Jesus. But she is now contending for her prodigal child, confident that she will come home. I’m beginning with this story because I want you to know you’re not alone, and that you can arise from your pain into overcoming faith. A Testimony “I never thought I would find myself writing something like this. “My husband and I raised our children in church. We were there for every service. They attended Sunday school, Bible clubs, VBS, youth meetings, camps, and any other activity the church offered. We started them out in Christian preschool and elementary school. At home, I planned fun activities that often included Christian or moral lessons. At a very young age, both children accepted Jesus as their Savior. We were thrilled. Life was good. We had succeeded as Christian parents. Our kids were saved; they were going to Heaven. We did it! “Until... my world fell apart. “One of my children (married now, with children of her own) dropped a bombshell into our lives. She no longer considered herself a Christian. At this writing, she and her husband are no longer serving the Lord or raising their kids in the church. Even typing this, I am feeling all the emotions this revelation caused when she first told me this: sadness, disappointment, anger, fear, embarrassment. I find myself cycling in and out of these emotions on a regular basis. I also cycle in and out of hope that they’ll come to their senses and return to the God of their childhood (both she and her husband were raised in church). “I’ve had the sleepless nights, the tear-stained pillow, the muffled sobbing as I’ve prayed and pleaded with God to somehow miraculously turn this around. I’ve been angry at God, as if it’s His fault. After all, I did everything right, didn’t I? I raised them right! How did this happen?! “Now, I’m watching from afar as they live a life clearly not centered on God or the church. We’re not estranged; we’re still a close family. But it’s awkward now. They don’t want to hear about God. I’m finding myself censoring my comments, suppressing my true feelings, withholding comments such as, ‘I’ll be praying for you,’ or ‘God’s got this.’ “I would have to say that fear is one of the biggest emotions I’m experiencing. Fear that they’ll never turn back to God. Fear that my grandchildren will never be saved. Fear that I’ll die before it ever happens. I’m always wondering if I should leave a note for after my death, pleading with them to accept Jesus so we’ll meet again in Heaven. Thoughts like these can cause one to go down a dangerous path, because I KNOW that I shouldn’t be fearful. I remind myself that God pursued me when I was a teenager, and He’s still in the pursuing business. “I know the Scriptures. I know that God died for my daughter. I know I did my due diligence in raising her. I know God has a plan and a purpose for her and her family. I know I’m not the Savior; He is. I know God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear; I know that’s from the enemy. But when in a desperate situation, when deep in the battle, when you find yourself weary and growing faint, losing hope, you need help! “That’s where this book comes in. I don’t need to be sobbing into my pillow and losing hope. I need to stand up and face the enemy. I need the words to decree that my daughter WILL return to the Lord! That the devil is a LIAR! That no weapon formed against my daughter and her family will prosper! I remind myself of these words in Ephesians 3:20-21 (MSG): ‘God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.’ “I remind myself that this is exactly how I came to know the Lord as a teenager, while attending a revival in a small storefront church. Holy Spirit began gently speaking into my heart during one of the services, and I couldn’t run to the altar fast enough to give my heart to Jesus. I have to believe that He is working in my daughter's and her family’s hearts, as well. It is not up to me to save them, but it IS up to me to pray and decree! “Our words matter. The Bible is full of good promises for us and for our prodigals. I’m ready to face the enemy and take back what has been stolen from me, and what he has stolen from my daughter and her family. The devil CANNOT and WILL NOT have my family. Even though my daughter is grown and no longer living in our household, I have always quoted and dwelled upon this verse: ‘As for me and my family, we’ll worship God,’ (Joshua 24:15 MSG). “I also think about what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy concerning Timothy’s faith: ‘That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you!’ (2 Timothy 1:5 MSG) “I remind myself that my husband and I dedicated our children to the Lord; we raised them in the fear and knowledge of Him, and we (all of us!) WILL worship the Lord. We have passed down our faith, and we refuse to let the enemy steal our children and grandchildren. They belong to God!”(1) You, too, can rise up in faith and authority, and see your prodigal/s return to the Father. This book will help you do so. Pray with me: Father, we and the prodigals we love are not at the mercy of demons, sin, deception, or the pigpens these things generate. We and those we love are at YOUR mercy, which is always now (“new every morning”), inexhaustible, never-ending, and something You delight in releasing. Our faith is anchored in this and cannot be dislodged. Your word is true and forever settled. We agree now that discouragement will be broken off of our brothers and sisters, condemnation will be wiped away, and faith will arise. Grant favor to this book and use it to replace fear and wavering with unyielding faith. Use the truth it contains to set many free, and the principles and decrees it provides to bring untold numbers of prodigals home. And we pray even now for tomorrow’s pastors who are today in pigpens. We pray for the future worship leaders who are currently singing of perversion and sin, and for the next generation of righteous moms and dads who are still doing drugs and living in perversion. Your power can and will break satan’s deception and influence, Father, and since You desire to do so, we will accept nothing less. We pray all this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that millions of prodigals are going to come home. ************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from Tim and Rachel’s book Come Home. You can find this book here or at TimSheets.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------- Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, Come Home (Destiny Image Publishers: Shippensburg, PA, 2024) pp. 61-64.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-1-2024 April 1, 2024 The Star-Spangled Banner Dream Our friend, Gina Gholston, was given the following dream on March 16, 2024. The Dream “In the dream I saw Dutch Sheets on the steps that lead up to the United States Capitol Building. I knew he had been in very intense intercession for the nation. He was weeping, overcome with deep travail. “He had an electric guitar ready to play, though there was no amplifier. Standing beside him was a man with a silver trumpet positioned to his lips. I felt that this ‘man’ was an angel. “Then it was as if Dutch was overcome with a wave of revelation. He knew that until the eyes of the American people were opened to SEE truth, change could not come to the nation. At that moment, the anointing of Holy Spirit overtook him, and he began to shout loudly with incredible passion and authority: ‘I DECLARE THAT A “SEEING ANOINTING” GOES OUT OVER THIS LAND TO BREAK THE “SPELL” OF DELUSION! THE LORD IS OPENING THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY WILL SEE!’ “As the last word left his mouth, he strummed the guitar, and the angel beside him blew a long, continuous blast on the silver trumpet; they did so in the key of C. The two instruments combined into one sound. Though there was no amplifier, the sound was louder than if the instruments had been connected to an amplifier. It was supernatural! “Then, Dutch repeatedly sang just one line from The Star Spangled Banner: ‘O, say, can you SEE?’ When he sang the word ‘see,’ it began to echo: ‘O, say, can you SEE? . . . SEE! . . . SEE! . . . SEE!’ Over and over, he sang that one phrase. It became more than a question; the echoing word became a command, sent out over the nation. “Each time he sang the phrase and the word ‘see’ echoed, it would catch up with the echo from the previous release . . . becoming a never-ending echo of this powerful command throughout the nation: See! See! See! . . . “Then, the note of C being strummed on the guitar and blown from the trumpet combined to create a visible movement, like ripples fanning out. The ripples looked somewhat like an old, hand-held fan that could be opened up to make a 360-degree circular fan. They merged with and carried the echoes of the command, ‘SEE,’ and wrapped around the Capitol building. I don’t know how to adequately articulate this, but it was as if the music and the echoing word, ‘SEE,’ combined to become a visible, swirling wind of sound. “Then a massive choir, which I believe was comprised of angels, suddenly formed completely around the Capitol. This choir began to loudly sing the chorus of the song, Shout to the Lord: ‘Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing, “Power and majesty, praise to the King! Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name. I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.’(1) “There was something important and powerful about the last line of this song: ‘Nothing compares to the PROMISE I have in You.’ It felt as though the promise had something to do with the covenantal promises God has made concerning America. “When the choir finished the chorus, Dutch, still in the deep throes of travail, said again, ‘I DECLARE THAT A “SEEING ANOINTING” GOES OUT OVER THIS LAND TO BREAK THE “SPELL” OF DELUSION! THE LORD IS OPENING THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY WILL SEE!’ Then, this was all repeated: he strummed the guitar, the angel blew the trumpet, Dutch sang the phrase, ‘O, say, can you SEE,’ the echoes continued, and the choir sang. Their words continued to act as whirlwinds, pushing the sound waves of the ‘C’ chord and the command, ‘SEE,’ in every direction, reverberating across the nation. “This was all repeated over and over.” End of dream. My Thoughts This dream was received by Gina and sent to me a week before the Francis Scott Key bridge was struck and destroyed. Key, as most everyone now knows, penned the words of our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.(2) It seems very unlikely that the dream, the song, the message it was used to communicate, and the destruction of the bridge bearing the author’s name are not connected/related. The uses of silver trumpets (not the shofar) in Scripture are given in Numbers 10:1-10. In summary, since they did not have modern technology, the silver trumpets were used to coordinate the movements of the large encampment of Israelites. The movement could be to assemble or to travel. And, they were used for sounding an alarm for battle (verse 9): “When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies.” This is what I feel is the purpose of the silver trumpet in the dream. If America is to remain “the land of the free,” as our anthem states, its citizens must have the “delusion” broken over them. This delusion was caused by a “spell,” obviously referring to its demonic roots. This deception could apply to several areas: morality, justice, government (the declaration was made at the Capitol, and the sound first encircled it), marriage, education, media, and more. Most definitely, it refers to America’s need for - and relationship with - God, including our founding and destiny, which He oversaw. This delusion must be broken off of our nation, enabling us to see clearly once again. The dream clearly states that God IS breaking this delusion off of America, and using the church, the Ekklesia, to do so. We must continue to pray and decree the “promises” of God’s Word, along with Holy Spirit’s prophetic words, over our nation. As we do so, the Scriptures - and the dream - assure us that angels will aid us, carrying the power of our prayers and decrees across our nation. The wind or breath of God will also carry and empower these prayers. Prayer For Our Waterways and Structures It is necessary and important to point out that we were warned to pray against attacks against our water-related structures and ports in a previous dream given to Gina (Click here to read). Believable reports are circulating that the destruction of this bridge could have been accomplished through a cyber attack being used to control the barge. The purpose of such an attack is obvious: The effects of this bridge collapse will cost Americans billions of dollars; the barge was loaded with hazardous materials, which will create many problems; and the cleanup and repair will take YEARS, not months. This is very, very serious. We may never know if it actually was an attack – I question whether or not our current government would admit this. However, whether it was an attack or an accident, prayer can protect from both. We must take the warning we received more seriously, and pray diligently over our water supply, waterways, bridges, dams, and ports. Destruction of these supplies and structures could literally cripple our nation. And we know that Biden‘s policies have allowed more than a million “unknowns,” illegal aliens that came into our nation as “gottaways.” We have been warned that there are likely thousands of terrorists and/or spies currently in our nation. We must continue to repent for America’s sins and rejection of the Lord, pray diligently for restoration, and declare the promises of God over our nation. The shaking has begun and will continue, but we have been told it is redemptive - it will tear down evil structures and awaken Americans to our need for God. And we must ask for the wind of Holy Spirit to blow, bringing a true and sweeping revival. This will remove deception and restore, God’s protection. The Lord says that America will SEE and shall be saved! Believe it and declare it. Pray with me: Father, evil forces are at work to destroy America. As the great hymn (A Mighty Fortress) says, “Still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate.”(3) But the hymn also reminds us that “The right Man” - Jesus - will give us victory. We know He has conquered the authority of hell and is King over all the earth. We will continue to war from this place of victory and authority, and with the help and leadership of Holy Spirit. We stand in Yeshua’s authority and declare over America: A “SEEING ANOINTING” NOW GOES OUT OVER THIS LAND TO BREAK THE “SPELL” OF DELUSION! THE LORD IS OPENING THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY WILL SEE! We declare Your stated purpose that “The gospel will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but, to all the nations of the earth” (spoken by Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607).(4) And we declare that America is being cleansed of her sin, rejection of God, and strongholds of darkness. America shall be saved! Our decree: We decree that a “seeing anointing” goes out over this land to break the “spell” of delusion! The Lord is opening the eyes of people so they will see! ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------ Shout to the Lord, written by Darlene Zschech, 1993. Published by Hillsong Music, Australia. https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx https://hymnary.org/text/a_mighty_fortress_is_our_god_a_bulwark https://www2.cbn.com/article/church/faith-our-fathers-spirituality-jamestown

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-29-2024 March 29, 2024 We will be taking communion together at the end of today's post. Holy Friday Good Friday, called this because of an ancient usage of the word “good” as a synonym for holy. (In the same way that 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, not only cutting, but 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 are healed. Place your faith for healing in this substitutionary sacrifice today. 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, millennia before, had ordained that this would be the place and, with the forces of nature, 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 sin, suffering, and 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 permanent upright post. After a victim was tied and nailed to this portion, it was lifted and placed onto the top of the vertical 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 stopped. 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 three 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 quiet statement referencing His death, but a loud declaration by Christ, also a quote from Psalm 22:3. This decree was one word in Greek (tetelestai)(1) and also in the Hebrew of Psalm 22 (asah).(2) 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 humans 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 draw near to Him, entering 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 enduring the lashes, the wounds, the crown of thorns, and the separation, for surely it was agonizing for You, as well as for Yeshua. And thank You, Jesus, for Your heart of humility and love. You are the Son of Man and Son of God. Through Your sacrifice and our faith in it, 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! As we prayed yesterday, we do 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 Meal. We take the bread, which was Your body, broken for us - a price paid so we could be healed. [Pause; eat the bread] 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. [Drink the juice] 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. --------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. No. 5055 Ibid. Ref. no. 6213

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-28-2024 March 28, 2024 Last night on the Flashpoint program, I shared about a dream sent to me from a friend. In the dream, I was at the U.S. Capitol singing a line from our National Anthem. Those of us on the program found it more than coincidental that a week after this dream, the bridge bearing the name of the anthem’s author was destroyed. (The dream did not mention the bridge.) I will share a post regarding this dream and my overall thoughts concerning it next week. Though the dream is significant, I do not feel it is appropriate to deviate from our posts regarding Christ’s Passion Week in order to address it. Again, we will do so next week. --------------------------------------------------------- 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 eventually 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 He was experiencing, as well as the knowledge of what was coming, became so intense 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 at this point 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 [New Testament] 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” (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: Sore amazed - ekthambeisthai: “to be exceedingly astonished, either with wonder or fear; to be in the grip of a shuddering horror.”(4) Exceedingly sorrowful - perilupus: “to be very sad, environed or surrounded with deep grief.”(5) Very heavy - 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.”(6) Wuest New Testament says Christ was “thoroughly alarmed” (Mark 14:33) and “entered a state of severe mental and emotional struggle to the point of death” (agonia) (Luke 22:44). Though Jesus knew in advance this trauma was coming, the intensity of it was even greater than what He had expected. Based on all of these definitions, the ordeal was alarming to Him, astonishing, disorienting, horrifying. Most of us don’t think of Christ as being capable of feeling these types of emotions. Yet, in His humanness, He could and did, allowing Himself to identify with us. Matthew also 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 overcome Christ before the time came for Him to “yield up” His spirit, nevertheless, 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 emotional agony, it was enough. God sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). Christ 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 he added a hug, or the kiss on the cheek lingered somewhat. 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 performed a creative miracle, healing 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 know 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 partake of communion together as we remember 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. Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-27-2024 March 27, 2024 I want to thank my friends who filled in for me on the posts this past week while I was taking a few days off. I was able to get some much-needed rest. The Humanness of Christ Christ actually began experiencing the emotional pressure of the Cross several weeks before it occurred. Many people fail to consider the true human-ness of Jesus, that He possessed real emotions and the ability to feel pain. In His earthly life, Christ experienced grief, sorrow, anger, and disappointment; He enjoyed friendships, knew joy and laughter, felt hunger and thirst, and grew tired and sleepy. Though fully God, Jesus was also fully human, but without the Adamic fallen nature. He had to be human in order to represent us as our legal substitute. As one who was truly human, Christ didn’t shift over into “God-mode” when things got tough, in order to not feel the pain or trauma. Philippians 2:6-7 tells 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; nothing would deter Him from accomplishing His purpose. Isaiah prophesied about this determination: “The Lord God has opened My ear; 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 turning toward Jerusalem, began what would become His final trek to that 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 version of Christ’s life. This is why each man shared different (not contradictory) accounts of Christ’s works and teachings. Matthew, for example, wrote his Gospel to reveal Christ as the King of God’s Kingdom. Mark presented Him as a man of action, filled with power and under authority. John revealed Christ as truly God. Luke presented the humanness of Christ. As a man, He was qualified to be our substitute at the Cross. In revealing Christ’s humanness, Luke wants us to know that Jesus felt the pressure; from this point onward, it was building in the Son of Man. Eleven times after the above verse (9:51), Luke reminds us that Christ was journeying toward Jerusalem and, therefore, the Cross. He was focused on His mission and refused to be deterred. 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,(1) a very strong word meaning “to be held fast, like a prisoner.” It also means “to be confined, constrained, pressed together so as not to 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 at this point, the strain in Christ was already very intense! Jesus knew well of the coming suffering and was dreading it. The focus required in order to press onward to Jerusalem was so intense that it could be seen in His demeanor. 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, the Samaritans would not receive Him. Why? They were offended because He couldn’t seem to take His focus off of Jerusalem. What did this look like? There must have been many pensive gazes, perhaps even grimaces, as Christ repeatedly turned His face toward Jerusalem…and the Cross. This preoccupation became so obvious that the Samaritans - rejected and looked down upon by the Jews - had finally had enough. Of course, they didn’t understand the reasons for His focus on Jerusalem. 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, the pressure building until Jesus rounded the last curve and crested the last hill. When the city at last 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 be His place of death. In the future, it would also experience great devastation. As this mix of emotions erupted to the surface, Yeshua let it all out. And He did more than just 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 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 was not a temporary loss of self-control. His actions were prophetic. 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 very intense about this. 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 please…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 making Yahweh our Abba, for bringing us into the family, and for sharing Your throne with us. Manifest Yourself through us in this era, we pray. May the world see who You truly are, Yeshua, observing Your glory as the church You are building matures into the Ekklesia You envisioned. Continue to mature us into people worthy to bear Your name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we have put our hand to the plow and will never look back. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4912.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-26-2024 March 26, 2024 Introduction Much could be said of Jane Hamon. She and her husband, Tom, hear from Holy Spirit as clearly as anyone I know, and their words are filtered through a tremendous depth of biblical knowledge. As spiritual parents and apostolic leaders to many, their impact is huge, and they are in great demand around the world. Thank you, Jane, for being our friend and giving us your time today. Ceci and I thank you. You’ll enjoy hearing from Jane today. ------------------------------------------------------------ Victory Over Chaos It’s an honor to fill in for my dear friend, Dutch Sheets, as he takes a much-deserved break for his 70th birthday. Happy Birthday from the Hamon family, and may God refresh your body, soul, and spirit for all your future assignments. As I was seeking the Lord in this season, I heard Him say He is positioning the Ekklesia to experience victory over chaos and a time of recovery of all that has been stolen. It’s a time to focus on the victory ahead, not on the chaos that may be swirling around. It’s time to see the straight paths so we can speak to the crooked places and call the things that are not as though they are. It’s a time for fresh vision, to see the light that is invading darkness, to see how God sees, filled with hope and a future. We may not like the battle, but remember, there is no victory without a fight. Yes, I am afraid it’s going to be a wild ride: economic ups and downs, global instability, societal unrest, political manipulations, and a “the end justifies the means” mentality that skirts laws and defies principles. Yet in the midst of all this, there is an awakening taking place! People are waking up from their slumber, both in natural and spiritual things. Mindsets are changing, opening hearts to hear the gospel in a brand new way. The Kingdom of God will advance as revival continues to sweep college campuses, Hollywood, boardrooms, and yes, churches. Dark forces will try to inflame global conflict to stop this, but it’s not time for a World War III. It’s time for the church, the Ekklesia, to pray and decree God’s purposes. Back in August of 2020 the Lord gave me a word for the beginning years of this decade. He said, “Chaos is getting ready to increase.” (Yay! What an exciting word!). I knew Chaos was personified as a dragon named Rahab in Isaiah 51:9 which was an ancient god of chaos.(1) It represented evil of every kind at work in the earth, in people, and in the governments of nations. Chaos brings utter confusion, disorder, discord, and lawlessness. We have certainly seen chaos increase in the earth since 2020. The second thing God said was that He was going to use chaos to expose corruption, evil agendas, and secret deals being made to control the nations. Basically, everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain, but remember, we serve a Kingdom which cannot be shaken (see Hebrews 12:27-28). The shaking will be our making! Then the third thing He said was, “Then tell them: The God of Peace is rising.” He said this part three times for emphasis. Romans 16:20 declares, “The God of Peace will soon crush satan under your feet.” Isaiah 9:6-7 says one of the names of the coming Messiah would be Prince of Peace. The word peace is Shalom in Hebrew, which means peace, safety, prosperity, happiness, wholeness, favor, and rest.(2) Rabbinical scholars, however, look at the letters used to form this word and the pictures represented by those letters. In this case, the pictures give a deeper meaning to the word Shalom: Peace comes when you destroy the authority of chaos!(3) This is our assignment: to destroy the authority of every demonic force of chaos through the power of the victorious blood of Christ! We must pray against the evil agenda of the enemy to stir up chaos, however, God promises He will use the very things the enemy has meant for evil to turn for our good (see Genesis 50:20). For example, Joseph received prophetic dreams of leadership and government positioning then all hell broke loose against him. When this word came, he was just the son of a shepherd. His journey of trials, and yes, chaos, shaped him for his destiny. In Potiphar’s house, he learned leadership and agriculture. In the palace prison he learned government and how the palace operated. What was he going to need to assume his position as Pharaoh’s right hand? He would need knowledge of leadership, government, and agriculture. Your trials are actually preparing you for your destiny. Don’t waste the process with bitterness or anger. Recognize God will cause all things to work for your good. Allow the peace of God to overthrow every kind of chaos in your life as the power of the God of Peace is made real. In Genesis 1:2, we are told in the beginning, the earth was without form and void. The phrase without form indicates a state of chaos and confusion.(4) The enemy is trying to bring nations under the power of chaos, without form, by destroying societal norms regarding the nuclear family, gender, and by removing righteous foundations. How did God deal with this primordial chaos? He spoke into the chaos and said, “Let there be!” Let there be light. Let there be life. Let there be order. The Voice of the Lord confronts chaos. Divine Order confronts confusion. We are in a time when His voice is being released in power through the mouths of His people, to decree divine order into the chaos of this world. This year, God is concerned about things being set in order in His house. We recognize judgment begins in the house of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). While God is setting His house in order, we must also set our own houses in order. Reset your faith. Reset your vision. Renew your commitment to righteousness. This will be a time to not just set our house in order, but also set our mouths in order! When God spoke to Israel to cross in to take their promised land, all they could see were the giants. They spoke about the problem rather than the promise. But there were two, Joshua and Caleb, who saw the problem but chose instead to speak the promise. “We eat giants for our bread!” Speak the promise, not the problem! Interestingly, this is the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese lunar calendar. I believe it is a time to confront and defeat this demonic dragon of chaos, by releasing the Word of the Lord and His powerful decrees through our mouths. Speak to the chaos and confusion, that which is out of order and lawless throughout the nations, and see this dragon, this leviathan, broken into pieces by the sword of the Lord that comes out of our mouths (see Isaiah 27:1). I hear the Lord say, “There a company of dragon slayers arising today. These are those who have looked death right in the eye and not given up, backed off, or been intimidated. They will operate with supernatural courage to confront chaos, confusion, and every emissary of lawlessness operating on the earth. Jesus, the ultimate dragon slayer, defeated death, hell, and the grave, paving the way for this new generation who will enforce his victory. Those who thought they would be broken by the harsh trials of the last season, yet held on to the Word of the Lord will prevail. I am waking up My people, reminding them of My prophetic promises and calling them to wage war by them, knowing My voice shatters the enemy every time (see Isaiah 30:31). So rise up, dragon slayers! Shake off all perceived defeat of the last season and rise into new authority and victory for the new day.” Pray with me: Lord, give me the courage of a dragon slayer. Fill my mouth with words of revelation and power and anoint me to confront chaos and confusion everywhere I go. Send an awakening in our land. Expose all corruption. Raise up your Ekklesia to release an increase of your government and peace by destroying the authority of chaos in our nation and in the earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Decree with me: The God of Peace is crushing satan under my feet! I decree divine order into every place of chaos, and crooked places are being made straight. I am a dragon slayer, in Jesus’ name! ************************ For more information, you might enjoy: Declarations for Breakthrough: Agreeing with the Voice of God, Chosen Books, Minneapolis, MN, 2021, or contact my website at JaneHamon.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________________________________________________ Got Questions, https://www.gotquestions.org/cut-Rahab-in-pieces.html. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 7999. Discipleship Development, https://developdisciples.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/shalom-definition.pdf. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database, 8414, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8414.htm.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-25-2024 March 25, 2024 Introduction I don’t need to tell you how much I love and respect today’s guest. His passion, integrity, wisdom, and revelation are unsurpassed. No one lives the messages he preaches more than my brother, Tim Sheets. A man after God’s heart, his pursuit of the Lord has given him a very weighty mantle. You will be inspired, encouraged, and enriched by Tim’s word today. Thanks, Tim, for sharing with us. ____________________________________________________________ The Covenant Healing Room Recently, Holy Spirit has given me several words, visions and dreams that will help us discern our times. We are moving into a supernatural, transformational and reformational era where the glory and power of the Lord is being amped up at much higher levels. Prophetic dreams, visions, prophecies and scriptures we have been decreeing are now accelerating. The Holy Spirit has consistently emphasized that healings and notable miracles are to be part of this era. They are coming in greater measure than at any other time in church history. This has occupied my spirit because the divine healing ministry is a part of my personal heritage. My roots go back to what is called “The Voice of Healing Movement,” a time when healing evangelists held healing and miracle meetings across our nation and many other nations. It was an amazing time, an inspirational time. All manner of sicknesses and diseases were healed, even incurable diseases where man is concerned, were healed by the power of God. Well-known ministers of that time were A.A. Allen, William Branham, Jack Coe, Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, and many, many others. When I was a boy, my dad also began to be used greatly in the healing ministry, conducting healing services. My brother Dutch and I regularly worked at the altars, and we saw the power of God manifest time after time. I have seen many miracles happen with my own eyes, including incurable diseases healed, blind eyes opened, and deaf ears restored. I have also seen a man, crippled and twisted in a wheelchair, unwind and his body completely realigned and restored. Over the years, I have received many prophetic words about releasing the healing and miracle heritage from my childhood, and I believe Holy Spirit is now accelerating this assignment. It is time for supernatural events to happen on the earth as was seen throughout the Scriptures. Notable miracles will now help change history as was seen in the Book of Acts. It is God’s will to heal. We are moving into days when notable miracles will accelerate through Kingdom Ekklesias. They will flow into towns, cities, regions, states and nations. It is time to believe for supernatural power of the living God to come into our churches. Believe for God possibilities. Believe for God action to start being released all around us. Believe for God manifestations. Believe for signs, wonders, miracles, and thousands and thousands of healings. In light of these recent words and visions that I have received, Holy Spirit has prompted me to pray for healings and miracles quite often. I asked the Lord one day to give me prophetic understanding concerning these dreams and visions and He gave me a very unique dream and a word that connects to notable miracles. In the dream I was in a very large room with what looked to be around a hundred people. All age groups were represented from young children to the elderly. I could see each individual very clearly. I looked over to one side, and I saw a blind man standing, holding a white cane. I looked around the room and saw people who were obviously deaf because they were using sign language. I saw other people with sores all over their bodies. The sores looked infected, and I knew it was some kind of skin disease or cancer. I saw others who were extremely sick and in the last stages of a deadly disease. I saw some who appeared to be stroke victims. They were paralyzed and dragging their leg or couldn’t use an arm. I saw a few others in wheelchairs. It was as if I was in a sick ward with people experiencing all sorts of sickness and diseases. I could see the hollow look in their eyes, the fear and the hopelessness that was written on their faces. I remember in the dream, I was feeling so bad and sad for them that I wanted to get out of the room because I didn’t want them to see me cry. I didn’t want to make it about me. At this point in the dream, I knew I was to walk across the hall to a room on the other side. When I walked into this room, it also had a hundred people or so inside of it. However, these people were completely different from the others. They were happy, they were joyous, laughing, and the absolute picture of health. They were energetic, filled with life, and interacting with one another. I obviously noticed the contrast between the two rooms. I stood there for a moment and a man walked up to me that I’ve never met before, but I instantly recognized him. (It was T.L. Osborn, who is now in heaven. He was one of the famous healing evangelists who moved in the healing and miracle ministry during the days of “The Voice of Healing Movement.” I’ve seen videos of his healing crusades where dozens of wheelchairs and crutches were left behind at the altar. Notable miracles happened through this great man.) The dream continued: He and another person walked up to me. T.L. Osborn asked me if I recognized the other man. I replied, “No sir, I don’t think I do.” Then, he brought someone else over to me and asked if I recognized him. Again I said, “No, Dr. Osborn, I don’t think I know him.” He continued bringing people to me and asking if I knew them, and I continued to reply that I did not. Then, Dr. Osborn beamed at me with his broad smile and asked me to look very closely at each person. So I did, but again, I said that I did not recognize them. He then said to me, “You were just in the room across the hall with these very same people.” He pointed to one person and said, “This is the one who had sores all over their body, and a part of their face was disfigured. He gestured to another person and said, “This person was the one in the wheelchair over against the wall.” He continued pointing out others, “This one was the stroke victim who could not move her arm. These people were the ones in the last stages of cancer who could barely stand. And remember this man? He said, he was the blind man with the white cane. Here are the children that you saw that were so sick and in such pain they could hardly move, let alone try to play.” One after the other he began to introduce me to these people so healthy and transformed that I did not recognize they were the same ones I had seen across the hall in desperate conditions. Then Dr. Osborn asked me if I knew what room I was in. To which I replied, “No, I just wanted out of the other room, so I came into this one.” He smiled broadly again and said, “This is the covenant healing room.” He pointed to a sign on the wall that read, “By Whose stripes we were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) End of Dream. We are now in a season of great, notable miracles. King Jesus is stepping to center stage, with His Ekklesia by His side, to magnify His magnificent healing covenant. He went to the whipping post, took stripes upon His back, and purchased a covenant right to our healing. Holy Spirit is clearly saying it is time to press into the miraculous healing realm and believe for notable miracles. Pray with me: Father God, activate the gift of the workings of miracles and the gift of healing across this world in Jesus’ Name. We decree the King is rising to release notable miracles. Loose healings and miracles throughout all 50 states and around the earth. Loose them in our homes. Loose them in our families. Show us how big and how great You are. Holy Spirit, pour out power from heaven to activate miracles in our midst. We agree with heaven’s plan. We believe whatever the need, You can take care of it. Release Your healing power in Jesus’ Name, Amen. Our decree: All of the words, visions, dreams, and prophecies will accomplish their assignment concerning God’s healing power in the earth realm! The breaker anointing is rising and we will see notable miracles, signs, and wonders manifested. ********************** Today’s post was contributed by Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim at TimSheets.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-22-2024 March 22, 2024 Introduction There is no ministry in America more significant than Intercessors for America, and they’ve had no better leader than David Kubal. Kingdom-hearted to the core, Dave lives to see Christ glorified in our nation. Like his namesake, King David of old, Dave is giving his life to see God’s purposes fulfilled in our generation. Thank you, Dave; we appreciate you and your labors, and for giving of your valuable time to Give Him 15 today. _______________________________________________________________ Global Crescendo of Freedom: Will It Continue? The year 2024 is like no other year in human history; it is a year where there is a historic crescendo of global freedom. As we consider the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election, I believe we need to understand its importance in light of what God is doing around the globe. What do I mean? Fewer than 300 years ago, not a single country in the world allowed people the opportunity to elect those in authority over them. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States created the first nation ever to use a democratic process to choose the country’s leaders. Slowly, over time, this idea of freedom that our Founders championed crept across the globe. America is founded on the fact that God gives us our rights which impacted the way we choose leaders; the process of freedom was infectious, and it spread. By 1900, 25% of the world’s people were able to participate in selecting their leaders. One hundred years later, that percentage had grown to 50%. And over the last 20 years, even more growth has happened. Now, two-thirds — or 6 billion — of the world's 8 billion people help choose their leaders. Sixty-six countries will hold elections this year. Half of the world's population — that’s 4.1 billion people — will have an opportunity to participate in an election in their country thanks to the freedoms established by our Founding Fathers. This has never happened before in human history. It’s as if a global reset button is about to be pushed on half of the world’s population —a global freedom reboot. Will this global growth of freedom increase, or will global freedoms decrease? How should we focus our prayers for both the U.S. and the global elections? What are the three most important cultural elements to pray for? Secular research confirms what the Bible teaches. (CLICK this link https://ifapray.org/promo/world-elections-2024/ to download Intercessors for America’s Special Report “Unprecedented Shift in Global Power.”) GOOD GOVERNMENT Studies by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and Statista agree: nations thrive when governments focus on reducing corruption, emphasizing the rule of law, and ensuring a trustworthy electoral process that generates the most satisfied and economically productive inhabitants. Good government is essential if nations are to thrive. THRIVING CHURCHES What is the single most important element for people to find fulfillment in their lives? Let’s look at a Pew Research study of over 25 nations. Actively religious people are 50% more likely to describe themselves as “very happy.” Do you catch that? Secular researchers are saying that people find the most fulfillment when they’re part of a faith community! That means that nations with religious liberty will necessarily thrive. Like Jesus said, He will build His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So, as we consider praying for the increase of freedom worldwide, good government and religious liberty are important. One last consideration: TWO-PARENT FAMILIES What produces the most well-adjusted and economically successful people? The answer is found in numerous studies, including one by the American Enterprise Institute that concluded this: Children who grow up in a two-parent home are the most behaviorally adjusted and have the greatest economic success as adults. It’s not that children growing up in a one-parent home are doomed, but if a nation has a choice, it should always encourage two-parent households.(1) Good government; thriving faith communities; healthy two-parent families: For men and women of faith, this is no surprise. These studies illustrate truths found in God’s Word that have been known for centuries. In fact, good government, thriving faith communities, and healthy two-parent families sum up the three institutions God created to care for us. The biblical pattern of God’s design for government is first found in Exodus 18, when Moses set up a representative republic based upon law. Each tribe had leaders and judges, with Moses judging the most difficult issues. This is the genesis of the global freedoms we see today; the United States was the first representative republic after Israel, and it is patterned after Old Testament government. God created government to care for our civil lives. God created the Church to care for our spiritual lives. God created the family to care for our personal lives. Government, the Church, the family: At the core of every election across the globe this year, these will be on the ballot, one way or another. But some say, “Jesus is coming back. So, why should I care about my nation?“ To that objection, I say that every generation is entrusted with spreading the news of Christ’s kingdom. Let’s consider Matthew 24:12-14: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Jesus himself tells His disciples that their generation will not pass until the unfolding of His second coming. This set in the hearts of His disciples that the second coming was imminent, and could even be in their lifetime. But really, we are watching His second coming unfold as He uses His church to spread His Kingdom. The disciples believed Christ’s second coming was imminent and so they shared the gospel with urgency. Most of the New Testament epistles record Paul’s journey sharing God’s Kingdom even with the governmental leaders of his day. If they had stopped spreading the gospel, or if any other generation had stopped, where would humanity be now? What if the Lord tarries another 10 years, 100 years, or 1,000 years, and it is said of our generation that the gospel died because we thought Christ was returning? We must have faith in Christ’s return and at the same time be salt and light to our generation. Some quote Matthew 24:12, which suggests the rise of evil will be unstoppable. So why try to influence the world or government? Let’s go back to Matthew 24:12: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Jesus says evil will increase as time goes on, but between that increase of evil and His physical second coming, the gospel will be preached to all nations. Evil will increase; the gospel will spread; then He comes back. That’s the pattern. The rise of evil is not the time to give up! Just the opposite: Now is the time for the good news of His kingdom to go to all nations. Salvation and freedom come through Christ. In a way, the rise of evil should encourage us. This is the environment where the goodness of God becomes clearest. For example, LGBTQ activists have fought for their right to legalize immorality. This has progressed to the point where states like California have passed laws protecting homosexual activity with minors — legalizing pedophilia. Evil becomes so gruesome that it highlights the goodness of God. The contrast between darkness and light brings into focus the need for God and for those moral absolutes of the timeless principles in the Bible. So, we return to Jesus' words to the disciples: Evil will increase, and then the gospel goes to the nations. This is the period we are in. I believe we’re in a critical time of God’s plan for the church that’s greater than any other in history. So, we go back to where we started. This year darkness has never been darker. Globalists have never been as well positioned to control nations. Yet, the freedom set in motion by our Founding Fathers — because of their understanding of biblical principles — is being seen this year in the greatest number of elections ever in the history of mankind. Now is not the time to stop praying. Now is not the time to stop acting. Just the opposite: Now is the time to assist God in this greatest period of the Church in history. We’re on the verge of seeing some incredible supernatural activity! Let’s pray: Father, we thank You for the increase of freedom across the world over the last nearly 250 years. We thank You that so many citizens of nations around the world will have the opportunity to participate in elections in 2024. We pray for a global shift of power in accordance with Your will and Your plan for each of the 66 nations holding elections this year. We pray for the three institutions that You created to care for us. We pray for good government that will enable us to live peaceful and godly lives and to share the gospel. We pray for the Church to be holy and bold and to be used by You to bring about Your purposes. We pray for strong, two-parent families that will raise children to become stable citizens of free nations. We pray, Lord, that You would stir up in us fervent prayer and faith for what You are planning to do across the world in 2024. Our decree: We decree that we are not those whose love will grow cold, but we are those who will stand firm to the end and will see the gospel go to all nations. ************************ Today’s post was shared by Dave Kubal from Intercessors for America. You can find out more about Dave at IFApray.org Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------- https://www.aei.org/articles/it-takes-two/

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-21-2024 March 21, 2024 Introduction No individuals have impacted their state (AZ) more than Hal and Cheryl Sacks. Their depth, revelation, incredible insights, and practical wisdom, ministered through sincere hearts and gentle spirits, make them irresistible to all they meet. Ceci and I love and admire them. Today, Cheryl is bringing a word of faith, encouragement, and instruction to us. Listen, apply it, and watch things change. ________________________________________________________________ The Power of Two or More How many believers does it take to ignite a revival? Maybe fewer than you think. In fact, almost every revival recorded in history started with as few as two or three people praying together! From these humble beginnings, the seeds of revival multiplied into dozens and even hundreds of clusters of praying believers, until entire cities and nations were ablaze with the presence and power of God. Don’t get me wrong: massive prayer gatherings are vital and powerful! My husband, Hal, and I have participated in many of these. The most memorable was “The Call DC” in 2000 when more than 600,000 (mostly young people) gathered at the Washington, D.C., mall to pray for America. Hal once participated in an all-night prayer meeting in Kampala, Uganda, where intercessors filled 18 sports arenas throughout the city, calling out to God with one voice to send revival. In one coliseum alone, 20,000 people were praying. Hal described the sound of intercession as like the roar of a freight train. But how did these massive prayer gatherings and other historic, large-scale revivals begin? They started with “two or more” believers united in prayer, such as: The First Great Awakening (1727–1742), which was marked by multiple small clusters praying in cities, towns, and regions; The “Haystack Prayer Meeting” in the USA in 1806, which started with five Williams College students praying for revival—contributing significantly to the Second Great Awakening; The Businessman’s Revival (1857–1863), began with six men praying in a church in New York City and grew to 30, 60, then 300, then 2,500. News spread, and prayer groups sprang up from city to city, and country to country. Within a year, one million people were saved! What’s remarkable about these groups is how quickly they multiplied: In 1905, when American evangelist R.A. Torrey visited Australia, he witnessed 2,100 prayer cells with 20,000 people praying in homes. The meetings had an atmosphere of revival, and there was a remarkable harvest. The Hebrides Revival in Scotland (1949–1953), also known as the “Cottage Revival,” began with two sisters, Peggy and Christine Smith, ages 84 and 82, praying every night in their little cottage for revival to come to their island. At the time, churches were dead and practically empty. Not one young person attended church. It wasn’t long before others on the island joined Peggy and Christine in prayer each night from their cottages. The revival lasted four years, and 90 percent of the island was saved—especially the teenagers and young adults under 40. This pattern holds true in modern-day revivals as well. In our book, Fire on the Family Altar, Hal and I tell the story of our friend Chris, who traveled to Uganda to document stories of how revival began there. He had seen large stadium events attended by multiple thousands who gathered to worship and pray for their nation. At one gathering, President Yoweri Museveni proclaimed Uganda to be a Christian nation. When Chris interviewed Christians who had participated, they talked about how the revival had actually started in their homes. It became clear that family units praying together were the real foundation of the revival. People shared stories of how marriages were healed, prodigals came home, and family members were delivered from addictions. From their homes, the Ugandan Christians expanded their prayer clusters and invited Holy Spirit into their schools, workplaces, and every sector of life—even to the Bank of Uganda, the President’s office, and Parliament. And Now…It’s Happening Again! We are entering the beginning of a God-breathed, worldwide Great Awakening like never seen before—marked by a growing societal awakening and a desperation for the healing of our nation and the brokenness of her people. Already we are seeing believers responding to the call of God’s Spirit to pray for lost friends, colleagues, and fellow students. They are gathering in homes, churches, schools, and workplaces, crying out for Him to send conviction, healing, and transformation. This sense of calling is driven by Holy Spirit, not by any human. No one is organizing this. There is no template or formula for how these clusters of believers are forming—though it’s extraordinary how closely they resemble the practice of the early Church in the book of Acts, who worshiped, prayed, and fellowshipped from “house to house”! Believers emerged to share the gospel with boldness and in demonstration of Holy Spirit’s power to heal, save, and deliver. We see the same emphases developing in prayer clusters forming today: Families Praying “House to House” Praying with family and friends for revival in their households and nation, Opening their homes for other believers to join in fellowship, teaching, sharing meals, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Praying for Holy Spirit’s Power Praying to share the gospel with power, evidenced by healings, miracles, and deliverances, Praying by name for friends, family, and colleagues to know Christ and be set free. Becoming Watchmen and Gatekeepers Serving as spiritual gatekeepers for families, schools, cities, and the nation, Occupying and transforming the spheres for which they are praying. Clusters are forming in neighborhoods everywhere. Christians are intentionally getting to know their neighbors, reaching out to help elderly neighbors and single moms with home improvement projects, taking meals, and praying for those who are sick. Many who are being befriended, prayed for, and ministered to are accepting the Lord. For example, our friends Guy and Teri Chadwick began sharing a weekly “Taco Tuesday” meal with four other couples. The couples challenged one another to pray for revival in their individual homes every night at 8:00 p.m. Then, on Sunday afternoons, they all meet together to pray for revival in their city of Manhattan Beach and for the nation, often prayer-walking the neighborhood. Guy and Teri always include in their prayers that “not one family member or friend will miss the revival—they will all be saved and fervently serve the Lord.” One professor we know encourages her students to form clusters to pray for one another and for revival on the university campus. We heard of a city official who formed a cluster with her fitness trainer. They pray together every time she goes to the gym. The New Wine Is in “the Cluster!” You might notice that these prayer groups are unconventional. That’s why, rather than more familiar terms like “prayer groups” or “prayer cells,” I like the term “revival prayer clusters” when referring to the new thing the Lord is doing. The prophet Isaiah speaks of this when he declares, “‘Thus,’ says the Lord… ‘the new wine is in the cluster…’” (Isaiah 65:8 KJV). The emphasis here is on the cluster, not individual grapes. The grapes are not plucked individually, but must remain together to produce the new wine. New wine speaks of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. The Spirit of God is doing a new thing! No one needs to sit on the sidelines in this next great move of His Spirit. We can all actively PRAY FOR and BE THE REVIVAL! We can be part of producing the “new wine.” It’s as easy as calling a friend to start praying together or inviting your neighbor to coffee and seeing if there is a need you can meet or something for which you can pray. Remember Jesus’ words “…if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:19–20). What a powerful promise! Pray with me: Lord, let not one of Your disciples be found sitting on the sidelines of this emerging revival. We declare we will obey Your command to “go” share the gospel (Mark 16:15–20), and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). We pray that we, Your Ecclesia, will be activated like the church in the book of Acts—to share the gospel in power and that thousands will be added to the church daily. Our decree: We decree that Your light in us will shine brightly so the world will see and give You glory! *************** Cheryl Sacks is the author of six books, including Fire on the Family Altar, a guide to igniting revival in your home and nation (Amazon). You can learn more about Cheryl and Hal Sacks’ ministry at BridgeBuilders.net. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-20-2024 March 20, 2024 Introduction There are some people God brings into your life who are integral in helping you accomplish your destiny. Chuck Pierce is one of those individuals in my world. Without his influence, I would not be who I am today. And, Chuck is always there for me - he was quick to say yes when asked to cover a day of GiveHim15. Thanks, Chuck. You’ll be blessed by his post today. Here’s Chuck. ______________________________________________________________________________ The Power of Redemptive Prophecy Blessings to all of you on Give Him 15. I always love the opportunity to be with Dutch Sheets Ministries. Dutch and Ceci are wonderful friends, and we have a very long history, starting in 1990. Dutch and I are as different as night and day, but our gifts synergize when we work together, meaning that there's a greater strength. I love to be a part of what Dutch Sheets Ministries is doing because it causes my gift to be stronger. I received a prophetic word in 1977 that I had both an evil inheritance and a godly inheritance. That's how I see our nation. We've done so many bad things, but we're a nation that the goodness of the Lord has developed within. We are at a critical point in this new historic era that we're living in – an era of war over the voice that will rule. We are living in a very chaotic world, and I see the Lord calling us to stir the winds of God, transform the chaos of our past and present, and gain new access to our future. We have a future, and what is happening right now is a revival of prophecy. The first place we find the word revive used in Scripture is in the life of Jacob (Genesis 45:27). Years earlier, Jacob thought his future had died when his sons brought back Joseph's mantle and said, “Joseph is dead.” When they came back years later and said, “Joseph is alive, and he's ruling Egypt,” that was very hard for Jacob. It was hard for Jacob to accept the truth because his heart was filled with grief and unbelief for the future. In this revival of prophecy, God is removing layers of grief, layers of hope deferred and unbelief, and causing His Word to come alive again. We prophesy according to our faith. Faith will come alive this year, and we will decree! Prophecy is expressing the heart and mind of God in a new way. It's not just about truth; it's about how God feels and thinks about a situation. The Word activates hope and produces a gift of faith in us. Faith will give us strength to turn this battle at the gate of this nation. It will give you the strength to turn the battle you're part of. The real war you're in is a war for your hopes and expectations. Expect God to move for you in a whole new way! There is a door of hope for your future. God gave Israel that promise while they were in Babylonian captivity – captivity was their door of hope. Even in that difficult situation, God made Himself available to them. The same thing is happening with us today. We should see our difficulties as doors of hope into a greater grace and miracle power from God to transform troubles into triumph. Remember that God has an order for recovery, restoration, prosperity, and breakthrough. God has an order for your life, an order for this nation, and for every state. We must find that order and get in that process to see recovery, restoration, prosperity, and breakthrough occur. We are living in the Hebrew decade of the 5780s (which corresponds to the 2020s). The number eighty in Hebrew is represented by the Hebrew letter pey. This letter pey is also a pictorial symbol of “mouth,” “breath,” or “voice.”(1) In the pey decade of this new era, without prophetic utterance from redemptive revelation, we won’t find His order. God has redemptive revelation for every situation. That is what produces vision. Where there is no prophetic utterance from redemptive revelation, people perish. That means they go backward and, eventually, are “no more” in the plan of what God determined for their ultimate destiny. Without the Word creating the boundaries of our life new and fresh during this era, we will stray. In the prophetic realm, we're coming into a power of redemptive prophecy that we have never experienced. There are five levels of prophecy to understand: comfort, encouragement, exhortation (which means tearing down as well as building up because God does not just tear down without having a word to rebuild), directed prophecy, and redemptive prophecy, the highest level. What is redemption? Redemption means ransoming, cutting loose, rescuing, delivering, and preserving someone’s future. Redemption is us enforcing what God paid the price to bring about. We are called to ransom the captives. God’s ultimate desire is to free people. No matter what they've done and no matter what shame they're carrying, His desire is to see them free. Even when we miss the mark, that doesn't change God's heart to free a people or a person and set them back on His path. Redemption means that when something has been lost, you can buy it back. Even if it’s no longer there, a price has been paid to get it back in place in a new way. Redemption requires a deliverer/redeemer, someone stronger and in a better position to levy freedom for someone else. We are coming into a place in our nation to ask, “What is God’s redemptive plan?” When we prophesy His plan, it will enter the atmosphere and begin to manifest. When we prophesy redemption, we suddenly get positioned at the gate of access for our future and are ready to go through that door of hope and enter a better place. Redemption is like taking a yoke off someone. Shame is probably the worst yoke we find. At the Fall, man and woman immediately knew shame and tried to cover it. But God already had Plan B: redemption for them. When we make mistakes, He has a plan B, C, D, E, and so on, but we must take the opportunity to get in that plan for redemption. God has given us the ability to repurchase, avenge, rectify, and restore. In doing that, we'll forget our shame. Remember that repentance is a privilege; it's not shame-oriented. Repentance says, “Oh my, I see clearly! I'm going to change my mind and go down a different path.” When you see that, you start prophesying by faith that you can get on and stay on that path and see a manifestation of God's ultimate will in the earth. We prophesy and move according to faith. See, revelation is a great blessing for us because it uncovers what the enemy has tried to cover over. Redemptive prophecy uncovers the path for our future. Ask the Lord to stir up that gift of prophecy within you. We're not all prophets; we do not all stand in that office, but we all prophesy. Let Holy Spirit in you stir up prophecy. See the best and prophesy the best. Prophesy for this nation that it will find and uncover the path of redemption so we can walk into the future with hope. God is ready to activate the gift of faith in His people in a new way so His plan of redemption can operate in their lives. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the power of redemptive prophecy and how You are reviving it in Your people! Let the prophetic utterance rise up out of us that is necessary for this season, all that must be decreed for the fullness of Your redemptive purposes to come to pass. Thank You that, as we open our mouths in this “Pey” decade and prophesy from a place of faith, we can see this nation shift into its destiny according to Your original intent; thank You. We can see the same thing happen in our individual lives as we move through each door of opportunity that You set before us. Open our eyes to those doors and our spirits to Your voice so we will know what to speak and when to speak it to move into our promise of victory. Father, we ask You right now to stir up Holy Spirit, stir up the anointing that is in us, and cause the gift of prophecy to come alive and activate the faith within us to redeem what's been lost. Our decree: We decree that we are God’s remnant people who move in the power of faith, hope, and expectation produced by His Word. We are a people who rise up in redemptive prophecy and agree with Him over our future and the future of our nation! ***************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------------------- James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6310.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-19-2024 March 19, 2024 Introduction As I begin my R n R today, YOU are going to blessed by my friend Gene Bailey, whom you know from his very significant program on the Victory Network, Flashpoint. I don’t have to tell you that Gene is making a huge impact in our nation, and it is a true honor to have him fill in for me today. Thanks, Gene. ________________________________________________________ Transitional Moments Hello, I’m Gene Bailey, and I’m honored Dutch and Ceci asked me to fill in for Dutch today. In thinking and praying about this post, I was reminded of something I wrote a while back about “Transitional Moments.” Right now, this nation is certainly in a transitional moment. We are wanting to see a turnaround in our leaders, yes. But I believe you and I are also in a transition. Let’s look at the first book of Joshua. “Moses, my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them” (Joshua 1:2). Imagine how Joshua must have felt when God spoke these words to him. He’d walked closely and faithfully with Moses for years. He’d witnessed miracles by Moses’ hand and had watched him struggle through periods of sin. He was well acquainted with the quirks of the Israelites and had seen Moses intercede for them. And one day, out of nowhere, it happened. Moses was dead. “Moses is dead? I’m in charge? Now?” Gulp. I wonder if anyone was more surprised than Joshua that it was time for him to take God’s people into the Promised Land. Joshua had been thrust into a transitional moment. That’s how transitional moments happen—we don’t expect them, and we often don’t realize we’re in one until we’re really in one. Transitional moments take us from where we are into what God has next. I think it’s safe to say that we’re in a worldwide transitional moment. Everything we knew previously, or everything we thought we knew, has been shaken away. But remember, when things get shaken, God promises that there is always something that remains. As a believer in Jesus Christ, that “something” is you! Christ in you is the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27). There are some things to consider as we stand in this very uncomfortable time of transition. Remember that a little farther down in Joshua 1, the Lord spends some time encouraging Joshua with several things: that He would be with him, just as He was with Moses; that He would be strong and courageous; and that He would keep the Word before him, constantly meditating on it. Most of us are aware that the things we did in the last season no longer work, but we haven’t yet figured out what to do in the season we’re heading into. We would do well to heed the Lord’s encouragement to Joshua, rather than trying to wiggle our way out of this uncomfortable transition. We must wake up and take seriously what is happening around us. Evil forces are threatening to destroy our country, and we cannot afford to sit idly by as we try to ignore our discomfort and go on with “life as usual.” There is no more life as usual—that’s the point. But God has great plans for us, just as He had for Joshua and the Israelites. Israel had tried for years to cross into the Promised Land. After many years of walking around the desert with Moses, they still hadn’t gotten there. Their hearts weren’t ready for what God had for them. But when God raised up Joshua to lead them, Joshua became the power relationship that Israel needed to get them through the transition and into their promise. When they got into agreement with the right guy, they were able to cross over into the Promised Land! This same principle also rings true for us—we cannot pass through transition and into the new season unless we have the right connection. When we are aligned with “the right guy,” the one who is our power relationship—in our case, Jesus—we are well able to cross over into what God has for us! Immediately after the Lord commissioned Joshua, he stepped into Moses’ shoes and assumed his leadership role. That was a huge shift, not just for Joshua but for all of Israel, who were now looking to him for guidance. He led them through the Jordan, and just a few chapters later, they came to Jericho. When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told (Joshua 5:13-15). Joshua was now leading his army and they’d arrived close to Jericho. I’m sure he felt no pressure, right? Ha! Can you imagine how he must have felt? I think he knew his best bet was to listen to what the Lord had instructed him—so the first thing Joshua did was pray. When he did, an angel came and told him exactly what to do. Good advice. It’s easy for us to try to come up with our own solutions when we’re thrown into a new season. Sometimes, we don’t take the time to seek the Lord for instruction because we react out of fear, frustration, or uncertainty. We know that all these things have been rampant in our country and across the world for well over several years now. We would do well to follow Joshua’s example and pray— expecting that the Lord will show up and give us specific instructions on how to move forward. God only lights the step we’re on. Faith takes the next step. We usually can’t see very far down the path. We may only get instructions for one move at a time, but as we continue to follow Him, He will continue to reveal the next steps! Another thing to notice about Joshua—his first question to the angel was, “Which side are you on?” Sound familiar? Surely there are only two sides in every battle, right? We all want the Lord to be on our side, to champion our cause, and back our opinions and our limited understanding. We should always be firm in our stand for righteousness, but we must be careful not to view life as one big contest with two opposing sides, political or otherwise, or to view people through the lens of “friend or foe.” When we do this, we are like Joshua—wanting God to be on our side, rather than aligning ourselves with what He is doing. In the battle where Joshua saw two sides, friend or foe, the angel didn’t have a side—he was aligned with the Lord. Once Joshua understood this, he submitted to the angel’s authority and instruction. Let’s pay attention and learn this lesson from Joshua. It’s a great reminder that God doesn’t take sides— He has His own plan and agenda. We can choose to respond, “I am at Your command,” or we can get caught up in the “us vs. them” mentality and miss our true enemy—the one who is always working to steal, kill, and destroy. Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, lead us today in our life choices, no matter how insignificant they may seem. We choose to rest in You and Your plan. Forgive us when we get ahead of You and implement our own plans or worry about the plan itself. We roll that care over on You. We are indeed Yours to command. Our decree: We decree we are equipped and positioned where God needs us to be. We pray, stay in Christ, and are guided by Holy Spirit through transitional moments. Our strength and courage come through standing for Christ’s righteous causes. We are confident we will win and that “America shall be saved!” ************************** Thank you for joining me today. Portions of today’s post come from my book, Flashpoint of Revival. You can find out more about it at GeneBailey.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-18-2024 March 18, 2024 God Put Me In His River Rivers can be peaceful, violent, lots of fun and sometimes destructive. I’ve had several interesting river experiences. I remember floating down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. At that time, the country was named Rhodesia, and embroiled in a great internal conflict. Due to the constant threat of attack, an army patrol boat continually circled us, watching for terrorists; a nice, relaxing cruise! Then there was my trip down the Passion River in Guatemala, where an army of voracious ants crawled onto me as I lay sleeping in the boat. They had been hidden in the lumber we were transporting. When they were all in position, the ants began to bite all at once and with incredible precision. Actually, gnaw would be more accurate. Fifteen screams, one boat-rearranging conniption fit, and several dozen dead ants later, I regained my peace like the unflappable man I am and went back to sleep. Just like Jesus, sleeping through the storm. On one occasion, I went skiing on the Ohio River near Cincinnati. I was in the water, not yet up on my skis, when my friend at the helm decided a barge was getting a mite too close. My buddy screamed, “Grab the rope!” and he hit the throttle. I did grab the rope, leaving my skis behind, and was dragged headfirst across the Ohio River out of harm’s way. It was a real drag. On March 9, 1997, God put me in His river. Though interesting, even exciting, my previous river adventures pale in comparison to what happened to me on this particular Sunday. Along with several others, I was praying for people during our regular morning service. Suddenly, someone laid their hands on me and began to pray. I ended up on the floor receiving a vision from God. I lay there for 45 minutes, sometimes laughing and, at other times, weeping as God took me on a spiritual journey. Not being a person particularly given to this sort of thing, it took me completely by surprise. I’m rather reserved and somewhat cerebral. I’m a teacher. I study, do word studies, run references. I think didactically; figure things out. I have to know why and how. My little cerebral, didactic mind wasn’t prepared for what occurred. Maybe this surprise invasion of my cranial disposition didn't blow my mind, but it sure stretched it out of shape. Does it bother you when God does something you can’t quite explain or understand? If asked, I’d be the first to say I don’t have God or His ways completely figured out. This doesn’t bother me. It’s when He demonstrates it that I get a little weirded out. Just like you, I have my comfort zones. What happened while I was on the floor was nothing less than amazing to me. In this vision, I found myself in a river about waist-deep and perhaps 30 feet wide, frolicking with Jesus! This might offend your concept of the Lord, but He was in a very playful mood. We swam, we splashed, we laughed. He even dunked me! (I tried to dunk Him.) We did all the things people do when they play in the water. At one point, Jesus put His head under the water, then came up shaking His head from side to side, throwing water all over me. Intending to do the same to Him, I put my head underneath the water but was distracted by what happened. As I put my head under the water and began to shake it, impurities were washed off me and began to float downstream. Each time I was immersed in it, the river brought cleansing to me! Just as Naaman the leper was healed by dipping in the Jordan River (see 2 Kings 5:1-14), God’s river was purifying me of my uncleanness. Another thing I found quite interesting was that I couldn’t drown in this water. When my head went under and I accidentally breathed in, the water didn’t choke me as water typically does. Instead of going into my lungs, causing me to gag and choke, it flowed throughout my entire body, bringing refreshment and vitality. It was, indeed, the river of life (see Revelation 22:1). We continued to frolic for a while, just having fun. I can’t overemphasize how much Jesus was enjoying Himself. Psalm 46:4 became a reality to me: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High” (emphasis mine). Throughout the vision, no matter what we did, Jesus was having fun. Imagine that - God having fun. Until this experience, I don’t recall the thought of God having fun ever entering my mind. I guess I thought He was too cerebral and didactic. A group of people on the shore were watching us. For reasons unknown to me at the time, they were hesitant to get in the water, seemingly afraid of it. I realize now that this group represents those who are somewhat cautious or even fearful of the manifestations of Holy Spirit. As these people stood on the shore watching us, trying to decide whether or not to get in the water, the Lord looked at me and said, “Let’s splash them!” We began to do so, and, without exception, when the water touched those on the bank, they instantly wanted to get into the river. The water was infectious. Then they, too, began having fun with us. The water not only quenched thirst, but also created it. What a paradox! At one point, I asked Jesus why the water was only waist-deep. I recalled from Ezekiel’s vision of God’s river in Ezekiel 47 that the river became progressively deeper, “trickling…ankles…knees…loins…enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded” (Ezekiel 47:2-5). He replied to me that this level was for the Church—for cleansing, refreshing, and renewal. “The deeper water,” He said, “is when the river flows to the nations.” Instantly, the water rose until it became a deep, swift current that swept us away. Though it was strong and overpowered me, I was not afraid. After this demonstration, we were brought back to the original place and water level. As people were moving in and out of the water, I saw a lady diseased with cancer. Jesus looked at me, smiling. He said rather matter-of-factly, “Well, go heal her.” I walked over and put my hand on her. As I did, the Lord moved behind me and placed His hand on the middle of my back. When He did, the power went from Him, through me, and into this lady, healing her. We then went back to playing in the river. Throughout the vision, Jesus took me in the spirit to several places throughout the world. The river was present everywhere we went, and we ministered to many. Then the Lord said, “Let’s go.” “Where?” I asked. “You’ll see,” He again responded, and off we went once more. This time, we landed on a beach. It was similar to a public beach with places to play, relax, or rest. “What are we doing here?” I inquired. “It’s time for some rest and relaxation,” He replied. “But who will go to all the other places and tell them the good news?” I asked Him. “Oh, I have lots of others who’ll go,” He responded. “It’s time for you to rest.” And I did. Rest is good. My sweet wife has arranged for 6 national leaders to cover the GH15 posts for the next few days, starting tomorrow, giving me a week of rest and prayer for my 70th birthday. I will introduce each one (via a recording), and they will bring a strong word to you. You will be very blessed by these voices, beginning with Gene Bailey of Flashpoint. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the river of living water that flows from Your throne. It is a river of life, a river of joy, and a river of refreshment. As I take a week to be refreshed and relax with You, I pray that You will speak clearly to me. I also pray that You will refresh Your people, allowing them to drink deeply of Your presence, and hear clearly from You through these voices that are so graciously blessing me for the next week. We also ask You for the river of revival to flow in our land, going to a much deeper level this year. Your river carries refreshing, healing, salvation, and revelation. Cause it to flow powerfully in our land and throughout the world, cleansing and transforming. We ask for this in the name of Christ. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the river of God is rising, and will flow powerfully throughout the Earth. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-15-2024 March 15, 2024 God Never Lies, and He Never Loses Nehemiah, Chapter 6: “When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn’t yet installed the gates—Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: “Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono.” “I knew they were scheming to hurt me, so I sent messengers back with this: ‘I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?’ “Four times they sent this message and four times I gave them my answer. “The fifth time—same messenger, same message—Sanballat sent an unsealed letter with this message: “‘The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it’s true—that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That’s why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, ‘There’s a king in Judah!’ The king is going to be told all this—don’t you think we should sit down and have a talk?’ ‘I sent him back this: ‘There’s nothing to what you’re saying. You’ve made it all up.’ “They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, ‘They’ll give up; they’ll never finish it.’ “I prayed, ‘Give me strength.’ “Then I met secretly with Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, at his house. He said: “‘Let’s meet at the house of God, inside The Temple; Let’s find safety behind locked doors because they’re coming to kill you, Yes, coming by night to kill you.’ “I said, ‘Why would a man like me run for cover? And why would a man like me use The Temple as a hideout? I won’t do it.’ “I sensed that God hadn’t sent this man. The so-called prophecy he spoke to me was the work of Tobiah and Sanballat; they had hired him. He had been hired to scare me off—trick me—a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me. “‘O my God, don’t let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they’ve done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence.’ “The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work. “All during this time letters were going back and forth constantly between the nobles of Judah and Tobiah. Many of the nobles had ties to him because he was son-in-law to Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. They kept telling me all the good things he did and then would report back to him anything I would say. And then Tobiah would send letters to intimidate me.” (Nehemiah 6:1-19 The Message) PARALLELS TO TODAY This account of Nehemiah and the remnant working with him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem is in many ways a parallel to our efforts in restoring America. The enemies of God, led by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, were trying desperately to keep them from succeeding, and the remnant had to be very diligent in order to succeed. Who were these enemies? “The Horonites (Sanballat) and Ammonites (Tobiah) were two of the people groups God had driven from the Promised Land for the Israelites. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were regional governors serving under the king of Persia [present-day Iran]. Sanballat, called a Horonite, was probably from Horonaim, a city of Moab. Tobiah the Ammonite was governing an area east of the Jordan River. Geshem the Arab was most likely from the region south of Judah. Generations after Israel had first possessed the Promised Land, some of their old enemies were back, seeking to keep Jerusalem in ruins.”(1) Their “schemes” (verse 2) were significant and diverse, but all were intended to intimidate (verses 9, 14, 19). The phrase “trying to undermine my confidence,” (verse 14) is key to what satan, through these men, was trying to accomplish, just as he does today. Satan cannot overpower God’s people; his strength is his ability to deceive. He uses this method to attack our faith. In this scenario, satan used: Mocking: (They did so here in chapter 6, but this is especially emphasized in chapter 4.) False prophets: They were used in attempts to try and trap Nehemiah into moving presumptuously; and also to erode his confidence by causing him to question whether or not he had truly heard from God. Spies and traitors: Nehemiah's enemies planted individuals who pretended to be friends, but were actually trying to get information in order to use it against him. A read of the entire book of Nehemiah, which is a fascinating and easy read, will reveal other tactics the enemy used. REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS What was required of Nehemiah and the remnant in order to succeed? Faith: The workers had to keep themselves focused on what God had said, which is the way in which faith comes and is sustained. Faith is not positive thinking, the absence of negative thoughts; that can be accomplished without God or His Word. Biblical faith comes when we allow Holy Spirit to bring God‘s words alive in us. They grow until fully developed, at which time we are confident that He will do as He says. This produces not only confidence, but boldness and fearlessness. Hard work: What God wanted to accomplish, would not occur simply because of His sovereignty. Nehemiah and the remnant would have to do their part, which included hard work. The same is true for us today. To say that God will send revival and reformation, healing and restoring our nation, without His people doing their part, is untrue. I have quoted the great Jack Hayford before, but do so again now, “The quest of Jesus Christ on the Earth is greatly crippled by wrong notions of the sovereignty of God.” Determination: Call it perseverance, tenacity, or steadfastness, it doesn’t matter the term. Churchill had it right, one of the most important keys to victory is refusing to quit. Nehemiah and the remnant had to persevere. Satan and his allies will always attempt to wear believers down through relentless attacks (Daniel 7:25). One of the men who mentored me through his teachings and messages, Norvel Hayes, once said, “You have to be more stubborn than the devil.” That revelation may not be eloquently stated, but it will get you through a lot of “stuff”! Inconvenience and sacrifice: Nehemiah and his workers had to pay a price. Most Americans, including Christians, don’t want to be bothered with hearing about the true condition of our nation or challenged to be a part of the answer. When they gather, they want to fellowship and party, not war. So, God uses the few who are willing to be inconvenienced, and to sacrifice their time and energies for His cause. My advice to the remnant: get over it, and keep working. Discernment: False prophets, spies, traps - all were used to try and deceive Nehemiah. He had to stay focused on what God was saying and rely on Holy Spirit’s discernment to shield him from these attacks. We must do the same. Our enemies accuse us of wrong motives, of wanting to end democracy, of being racists and bigots, of wanting to control everyone else, of being religious fanatics, yada, yada. They even find allies in the church. Don’t allow these lies to intimidate or distract you. Nehemiah said, “I’m doing a great work. Why should I waste my time meeting with you or listening to you?” (verse 3). Anyone who tells you God does not want to send revival and restore America is ultimately maligning His heart, character, love, and mercy, not yours. He loves to save even his enemies. Love them and let God do the rest. Prayer: Nehemiah had to pray. “Give me strength,” he asked the Lord (verse 9). “Don’t let them get away with it,” he prayed (verse 14). We must continue to appeal to heaven. Our requests are used by God. Our voices of declaration, of saying what He says, are the swords He wields. The authority of Christ is released through our mouths and actions, as is the power of Holy Spirit. We are His access to the Earth; we are His methods. Don’t back up, and don’t back down. He is using our prayers to save millions. Finally, Nehemiah and the team finished the task of rebuilding the walls and hanging the gates. And God was glorified: “When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work” (Verse 16). America, too, will one day know that God has prevailed and healed our land. We will not gloat, but we will rejoice. And we will invite them into the family. Millions will say yes. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for our brothers and sisters led by Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. They inspire and instruct us. Thank You for their sacrifices, their love for You, their faith, and their perseverance. As obedience to You always does, You used these actions to generate Your will. You never lie, and You never lose. We are determined to follow their example. We pledge to You that we will not quit; we will not yield in our faith and perseverance. We have put our hand to the plow, and will not look back. Our love for You, and for the lost and hurting will keep us motivated. Your cause is our cause; Your mission is our mission. We will persevere until we hear “Well done.” We will run the race and finish our course, always pressing toward the end line You have given us. We decree that Christ will have His harvest; He will reap the reward of His suffering. Your promises to Him will not go unfulfilled. And we pledge to You that we will not be a generation You have to skip over in order to give this to Him. Like David, we will serve Your purpose in our generation. And we will never stop declaring, “Kingdom of Jesus Christ, come! Will of Jesus Christ, be done on the Earth!” May the sword do its work! Our decree: “A mighty fortress is our God…and He will win the battle!”(2) ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------------------- https://www.gotquestions.org/Sanballat-Tobiah-Geshem.html https://hymnary.org/text/a_mighty_fortress_is_our_god_a_bulwark

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-14-2024 March 14, 2024 Remember “I lie awake each night thinking of you and reflecting on how you help me like a father. I sing through the night under your splendor-shadow, offering up to you my songs of delight and joy! With passion, I pursue and cling to you. Because I feel your grip on my life, I keep my soul close to your heart.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬) There is perhaps no force on earth more powerful than music. It can soothe, agitate, bring joy, trigger sadness, arouse passion, stir energy, awaken memories, connect us to others, and more. I believe the primary purpose for its creation by God was worship, though I enjoy other expressions of music, as well. Another powerful creation the Lord gave us is the memory. Used appropriately, it can serve us in incredible ways. Periodically, I revisit worship songs that have been especially meaningful to me over the years. I have found that as I do so, I often experience the same impact in my heart, spirit, and emotions as I did when the song first impacted me. Our memories are more than file cabinets; they are alive, capable of “reliving” events and feelings. Scripture tells us to remember, to rehearse what God has done for and in us. There is power in doing so; it keeps the fruit of what He did in the past alive today. In the Hebrew language, the words testify and remember actually contain the concept of “doing again.” I remember well in 2008 when I was instructed by Holy Spirit to stop EVERYTHING in the church we were leading in Colorado Springs, and do nothing but 24/7 worship for 90 days. As we obeyed, we didn’t do typical worship “sessions” with a variety of styles and songs, but only vertical, worshipful songs directed to the Lord. The purpose was simply to lavish love and adoration on Him. It was life-changing, and I remember many stories from those 90 Days. I remember walking into the sanctuary one evening - I spent several hours each day and night there - and found my friend and spiritual son, Jeremy Burk, standing in a puddle of tears, singing the words “This is no ordinary love.” After worshipping for several hours, Jeremy had become overwhelmed with the Father’s love for us, and these words flowed up from his spirit. The song he wrote from that experience is entitled “Jealous Jealousy.” Here are a few of the words: “This is pure love This is holy fire This is the real thing; it’s righteous desire This is no ordinary love.”(1) It’s a classic and still rekindles what I felt during those 90 days. I teared up today as I remembered them. I remember the first time I heard Klaus Kuhn lead worship. I was already overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord; then he sang his song “When I’m With You.” It wrecked me. If you can’t tell, Klaus is another of my all-time favorite worship leaders. His passion for God, released through his unsurpassed talent, stirs me at deep levels. Here are some of the words to the above song: “When I’m with You, my heart is satisfied, When I’m with You, my spirit can fly, When I’m with You, all the cares of my life just fade away, ‘Til all I want, ‘til all I need, is You.”(2) (Here come the tears again.) I remember when I first heard Klaus and Kari Jobe singing “Wonderful, Merciful Savior.” This wasn’t live, but from a recorded worship set. The hymn has 3 verses - one each for Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the Father - and a chorus. Here is the first verse: “Wonderful, merciful Savior,Precious Redeemer, and Friend Who would have thought that a Lamb Could rescue the souls of men Oh, You rescue the souls of men”(3) As I listened, I was smitten by the phrase, “Who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men?” Yes, the tears flowed. (I know, I’m a wuss.) When I listen to this song, it always moves me. We’re soon coming up on the Easter weekend, or as I prefer to call it, Resurrection Sunday. Though not the exact days on which the Cross and Resurrection occurred - and they should be celebrated daily - Christ’s death and resurrection are especially remembered on those particular days. I still remember my second Resurrection Sunday after I was restored to the Lord; it was March 30, 1975. I was so filled with revelation of the risen Christ that early, around daylight, I grabbed my “boom box,” opened my back door, and played “The Easter Song,”(4) sung by the group, Second Chapter of Acts, FOR THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD! (I realize some of you have no idea what a “boom box” is, and thought the second chapter of Acts was only a portion of Scripture. You should get informed!) For most people, the song’s most climactic line is, “Joy to the world, He is risen!” This classic song was written by Annie Herring and recorded by Second Chapter of Acts in 1974. I’m not sure if the neighbors appreciated my announcement, but I wanted the whole world to know Jesus was alive. I recall times of worship during my two years as a student at Christ For the Nations. In fact, I remember my very first worship experience there in 1977. The student body started each day with 30 minutes of worship, and also had services every Tuesday night and Sunday afternoon, which included longer worship sessions. My first time of worship there was Sunday, January 2, the opening service of my first term. That day, the worship team led us in the song, “Sing Alleluia to the Lord.”(5) As 1200 radical Jesus lovers sang, played, and worshipped with this song - and for some reason, as the violin began being heard more clearly - I distinctly remember thinking: this is what heaven will sound like. I will never forget it. Moments like these have no expiration date; their shelf life is eternal. Pull them down once in a while and feed your spirit and soul with their rich nutrients. Take some time to reflect on experiences with the Lord that have deeply impacted you. Listen to songs that have been meaningful in the past. If you do so, Holy Spirit will visit you again. You may want to linger there. For those interested, below are links for the songs I mentioned. Give ‘em a listen. But more importantly, don’t forget to remember. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the pleasure of meeting with You in worship. We’re so glad You’re a relational God who loves to experience our company. Thank You for the powerful minds You gave us, including our memories. Remind us to remember. In fact, please bring to our remembrance times we should recall and reflect on. As we do so, cause the benefit in them to be re-experienced. We choose hunger, and we ask for Holy Spirit to make us more hungry. We ask also for a new and higher level of intimacy with You. As Paul said, we want to know and understand You more. Release a greater understanding of worship in the body of Christ, and increase the anointing and revelation of worship leaders. More than any other spiritual gift or dynamic, we want this next great revival to be a “presence movement.” Moses said the only thing that distinguished Your people from other nations was Your presence (Exodus 33:16). Come to our homes, our schools, our parks, our streets, and our businesses. Come to the cities and the rural areas. Infiltrate our government and our education system. You are what all people hunger for, though many don’t know this. When they taste of You, they will know. Hover over this and other nations, releasing Your thick weighty presence. You have said through prophets that revival and reformation begin this year. Your presence will release it. Bring it. In Yeshua’s name, we ask. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will remember, and we will relive our past experiences with the Lord. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------ Jealous Jealousy (Words and music by Jeremy Burk, ©2008 Jeremy Burk Music, JeremyBurk.net) Sung by Jeremy Burk: https://youtu.be/-dLu28RFeYE?si=8lG8SxPSNv56Tyzr When I’m With You (Words and music by Klaus Kuhn, ©2003 Gateway Create Publishing, KlausMusic.com) Sung by Klaus Kuhn: https://youtu.be/gqxsGswt6n0?si=YbbSqg1LV7Bai5y7 The Easter Song (composer: Annie Herring, ©1974 Latter Rain Music) Sung by Second Chapter of Acts: https://youtu.be/8ClwvRJMmZY?si=FmJ8KfHQrJ2eLG06 Wonderful, Merciful Savior (Written by Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wyse, ©Word Music, LLC/Dayspring Music LLC) Sung by Kari Jobe: https://youtu.be/Wl2Lcd5d_uM?si=5aOQmFHl4evJ5w0T Sing Alleluia to the Lord (Written by Linda Stassen, ©1974 The Song of One) Sung by Maranatha Music: https://youtu.be/bkImsExajgQ?si=yWv5aA8yGUXxKnTi

9 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-12-2024 March 12, 2024 INTRODUCTION Greetings and welcome to Give Him 15. I’m Ceci Sheets and today, I’ve given my husband the day off. I’m a very private person and haven’t yet shared this, but on December 31, 2021, I was struck with an illness that incapacitated me for the next year of my life. I was in a wheelchair for the first 2 months, then used a cane, unable to drive for 6 months, and life didn’t return to basic normal for 10-12 months. I was diagnosed by a specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina with Unilateral Vestibular Neuritis. It was debilitating. I had lots of prayer, physical therapy, and time with Jesus. During that season, I became re-acquainted with what really mattered - what was truly important in my life. I had lots of time to evaluate and assess my life. I’m a go-getter by nature, a fixer. I work to make other people happy and take care of them - mostly my family. I find value in serving others. And I like to fix problems, make others’ lives easier; I like to organize, and find solutions. But in 2022, life flipped, and I had to be served and helped. It wasn’t comfortable for me, but it was essential, nonetheless. As I had those long conversations with Jesus, I made some life-altering decisions. I realized that Ceci needed to slow down and not take life so seriously. My checklist of daily tasks really doesn’t have to be accomplished today. Some can spill over to tomorrow, or even next week. My desk doesn’t have to be tidy at the end of the day, or my floors swept before I go to bed. I learned to take deep breaths, enjoy hearing the birds sing, and think more about those whom I love. And that’s where I’m leading up to… It was important to me that my husband of 46 years be celebrated well for his 70th birthday. Dutch gives and gives. He spends hours each day studying and praying about the GH15 posts and the assignments God has given him. He takes them seriously. So today, I’ve given him the day off. On Sunday, we celebrated Dutch well as a family, with our children and grandchildren. We had his favorite meal, Mom’s famous carrot cake, and shared stories, memories, and gifts around the kitchen table. It was perfect. We ended the day with a big surprise: one of his closest friends, Ken Malone, walked in the front door. Today, I chartered a boat and guide for the two of them to fish to their hearts’ content. I have another gift for him that we will tell you about soon. Today, instead of a teaching from me, I’ve decided to share with you one of my top 5 favorite GH15 posts. This one is taken from his book, The Pleasure of His Company. In 2021, Dutch took us through the entire book, trimming each chapter down a bit to fit into 15 minutes. The Pleasure of His Company has 30 stand-alone chapters and can, therefore, be used as a devotional. But this is his most candid writing with personal stories. So today, I hope you will enjoy The Lingerers. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Lingerers When I was a student at Christ For The Nations Institute thirty-five years ago- back when I could run for miles and still had a six-pack, all my hair, and no wrinkles- I was diligent to spend quality amounts of time every day with God. I had actually developed this lifestyle prior to attending CFNI. Before work each day I'd wake up an hour or more earlier than necessary in order to spend time praying and reading the Word. I loved hanging out with God then, and still do. My practice while a student was to pray and/or spend time reading Scripture for at least an hour before school began with chapel at 8:00 a.m. Chapel didn't consist of a message but was thirty-five minutes of glorious worship. Combining these two things meant that I had a good hour and a half at the beginning of every day to enjoy the pleasure of His company. Many days I would also pray another thirty to forty-five minutes after our last class ended at noon. I would then rush to the cafeteria before it closed at 1:00 p.m. During these forty-five minutes I would pray and meditate over what I had learned that day, as well as anything the Holy Spirit would bring to my mind to intercede for. These times of lingering became special to me, and I believe they were to the Lord, as well. I mention the two-plus hours per day I spent with the Lord not to boast, but to emphasize the fact that anyone can develop a love for His presence. I was anything but a spiritual giant at this time of my life, only very hungry for God. One afternoon at my usual 12:45 time, I came down from the balcony, where I often spent the last forty-five minutes with the Lord. The student council was selling tickets for a banquet, and they were just putting their supplies away, preparing to leave. Two of them, a guy and a girl, were carrying a folding table to a closet. The girl, whom I had never met, was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I decided right then to marry her! I quickly grabbed her end of the table, demonstrating my chivalry and muscle. The student council member on the other end of the table, whom I knew, introduced us. It took me a few weeks to get the nerve to ask her out, but when I did, she quickly said yes. She, too, was smitten. Ceci and I were married nine months later. That, my friend, is what happens when you linger with God! Okay, you may not be rewarded with a spouse, but good things do happen to "lingerers." I've always believed God orchestrated the timing of our meeting just to demonstrate how much He enjoyed our times together. It would be just like Him to do so - He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Of course, the greatest reward is simply the privilege of connecting with Him. One definition of linger is "to leave slowly and hesitantly." If you don't find yourself leaving God's presence slowly and hesitantly, there's a short somewhere in the connection. When you truly connect with Him, it's like a warm bed on a wintery morning - you don't want to leave it. Regular visitors to the throne of grace become lingerers, pure and simple. Charles Swindoll shares this story: “I vividly remember sometime back being caught in the undertow of too many commitments in too few days. It wasn't long before I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at meal times, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day. Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable. I distinctly recall after supper one evening the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She hurriedly began, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin'andIwilltellyoureallyfast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me... And you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.’ I'll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”(1) You'll never find yourself having to say to your heavenly Father, "Then listen slowly." He has plenty of time for you and loves it when you linger in His presence. In fact, His biggest problem is our limited time with Him, not our lingering. We are often in such a hurry we actually want Him to listen really fast. But He isn't our spiritual Santa Claus, wanting us to take our two minutes in His lap, give Him our wish list, and be on our way. He is Abba...Papa. Our Father is not easily offended. He is patient and long-suffering, and His loving-kindness is everlasting. But still, I can't help but wonder if He doesn't get offended at the way we treat Him. We give Him such little time, expecting Him to listen fast and perform quickly. I have a friend who actually believes the Lord once told him, "Don't defile My presence with your impatience." Ouch. David, the shepherd and psalmist who became king over Israel, was a lingerer; he loved being in God's presence and he left slowly and hesitantly. David once said, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Notice the words dwell, behold, and meditate. Those are lingering terms. He also said, "O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). You don't make statements like that unless you've learned to linger. First we learn to linger, then He becomes addictive and we love to linger. Listen to David's language: "I love the habitation of Your house." I enjoy reading about David and his walk with God. It has been revealing and enriching to observe their relationship in the Scriptures - the good, the bad, and the ugly. One thing I especially like is that David kept it real, sharing with God his most intimate thoughts. Whether he was joyful, discouraged, lonely, or on top of the world, David talked to the Lord about it. He knew God wanted to be involved in his world, and he wanted to be in God's. Eventually, a change came in their relationship, a change so subtle that most people never think about it. Many people love God's presence. Thankfully, the worship movement of the last thirty to forty years has taught many of us the difference between singing and worshiping. And as we have learned to truly worship, we've discovered the glorious truth that it attracts His very presence (Psalm 22:3). Through this process, we've come to expect and enjoy the presence of the Lord. David understood this and was a passionate lover of God's presence. As much as he loved the Lord's presence, however, David was never called "a man after God's presence." He had the awe-inspiring honor of being referred to by the Lord as "a man after My heart" (see Acts 13:22, italics mine). There can be a huge difference between pursuing God's heart and experiencing His presence. It is possible to be in a person's presence and never make it into their heart. There are plenty of people I'm willing to hang out with, but very few I’ll allow into my heart. That part of me is reserved for the people I've spent enough time with to know I can trust their motives and intentions. I need to be confident my heart has value to them. It is breakable; I want it handled with care. God is no different. His heart can be broken. His emotions can be wounded and His hopes dashed. He allows many into His presence but is much more selective with His heart. His presence is free, but His heart will cost you time and effort. But oh, how worth the effort He is. Pay the price to find His heart, no matter what it costs you! I emphasize to young leaders that when considering their futures, not to focus first on developing a vision or a big dream. So often, young people are challenged to dream big, to develop a large vision. Personally, I've discovered how easy it is for my own ambition and selfish desires to sneak into my plans when I begin with the dream itself. I urge them to seek God's heart, not a dream. When they find His heart, hidden inside, they’ll also discover their purpose and destiny. Then they can dream, knowing it's God's dream for their life. Sadly, you may not encounter much competition on this quest for God's heart. Many love His presence and are willing to sing a few songs once or twice a week to enter it. Few, however, are after His heart. Choose to become one who is. Don't settle for a cursory look; be a lingerer. Talk to Him slowly, listen to Him slowly, and leave Him slowly. Pray with me: Father, you are worthy of our time and attention, of the greatest affections of our hearts. You are generous in rewarding those who diligently seek You with greater glimpses of the beauty of Your heart. Forgive us for our impatience, Lord, when approaching Your throne of grace. Like Joshua at the Tent of Meeting, we want to be those who love to linger in Your presence, leaving slowly and hesitantly. This one thing we ask for and seek: to dwell in Your house all our days, beholding Your beauty and meditating upon Your Word. Lingering... lingering… We want to go further still than enjoying the glorious place where You dwell. We love to enjoy the pleasure of Your presence, but also want to seek after Your heart. We know there's a high price that must be paid to enter that intimate place, but we’ve determined to give the time and effort to find and know Your heart. We will linger, longer still… In Christ’s name...Amen. ************************* Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company. (Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2014), pp. 165-173.) Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------------- Charles R. Swindoll, Man to Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p. 272.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-11-2024 March 11, 2024 The American Dream You may not be aware of it, but you have a dreaming nature. (I’m speaking of visionary dreams regarding the future, not dreams that occur while sleeping.) You inherited this part of your disposition from your Creator. He created us in His image and likeness so our hearts could relate to His and in order that His dreaming heart could find millions of expressions. You were designed to dream, and you must dream - both for yourself and for God. In fact, if you don't dream with Him, He can't experience all of His dreams, and you'll never achieve your destiny. Abraham was a dreamer, maybe one of the greatest ever. God liked that about him - at that time in history, He desperately needed a dreaming friend. The Lord had been waiting for just the right dreamer to come along, one He could partner with to recapture His dream. These two friends walked together for many years, enjoyed a special covenant with one another, and modeled for all of us the power and beauty of divine-human partnership. Their story begins in Genesis 12, where God initiates His plan by instilling a dream in Abraham. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you…’” (Genesis 12: 1-2a) Please notice that God began His journey with Abraham by appealing to his dreaming nature. How fascinating is that! “I’m going to make you My partner in rescuing My dream, Abraham. And I’m going to begin by giving YOU a dream.” Why, when looking for someone to help him recapture His dream, would God approach it this way? He could have just demanded that Abraham do what he wanted. But the Lord is well aware of the strength of our dreaming nature. He placed it there, after all. And also, He loves it when we dream. With this in mind, God knew that for this partnership to endure for a lifetime, Abraham would need the freedom to release this God-given nature. It couldn’t be a one-sided dream. Therefore, God began by placing a dream in Abraham’s heart regarding the birthing of a great nation. An incredible dream-marriage was born: “I will make from you a great nation” - Abraham’s dream. “And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed” - God’s dream (Genesis 12). (The Messiah would come through this nation.) Having established the all-important fact that God was including Abraham in the dreaming process, two very important principles concerning dreaming are revealed in this inaugural meeting. The first of them is that when we become dreaming partners with God, He must always be the Senior Partner. Yahweh was inviting Abram into His world, not vice versa. He is the Lord and Creator; we are the created. He’s the Leader; we follow His leading. Though promising a great blessing to Abraham, God was obviously the one offering the terms and conditions: “Go to the land I will show you…I will make you…I will bless you…I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:1-3). Twice in the passage, Abraham is seen building altars and worshiping the Lord. This clearly demonstrates his devotion and submission to Yahweh. The order is clear: God, the Senior Partner, is offering a conditional partnership to Abraham, not the other way around. The rewards for Abraham were great, but only if he chose God’s terms and conditions. So often we reverse this, acting as though we’re doing God a favor by allowing Him into our dreaming world, even going so far as to approach Him in a deal-making manner: At times, we offer God token pieces of our dreams, time, money, and desires, all the while acting as though we’re doing Him a favor. How preposterous! The other important principle shown to us in Genesis 12 is that dreaming requires risk-taking. It required a huge risk and great faith on Abraham’s part to pursue the dream God was offering. Don’t forget, the Lord was requiring Abraham to relocate to an unknown place. Yahweh refused to give him many details up front, even refusing to reveal where He was leading him. “You just go, Abraham, and I’ll lead you along the way. Pack everything and follow Me.” What a challenge! The faith this required was incredible, and for Abraham, the risks were monumental: What if I’m not hearing God correctly? Or, what if this isn’t actually God talking to me? To Abraham, however, the dream was worth the risk! He took the chance, and God never forgot the trust he demonstrated. Holy Spirit was still thinking about it hundreds of years later when He inspired the book of Hebrews. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place where he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) Those who need the comfort of the familiar or the security of the known should forget about dreaming. The required leap of faith will always be a bit too unsettling. They’re like the African gazelle, which can jump fairly high and up to thirty feet in distance. In spite of this, they can be confined in zoos with only a three-foot wall. The reason: Gazelles won't jump if they can’t see where they will land. We are often like the gazelle, blessed with great ability and potential, yet imprisoned by the fear of the unknown. Predictability and mapped-out routes are for nondreamers and Google Maps. Dreamers, on the other hand, will be found heading into the unknown…going out on a limb…and, at times, hanging by a thread. Pick your own risk cliché; just know you’ll have to do it. But when God is the source of the dream, that makes Him the limb, the thread, and the guide into the unknown. True faith is not reckless, but neither is it riskless. Dreaming with God always requires the inconvenience of change and the unsettledness of risk. Abraham took this risk and, though he didn’t know it at the time, stepped into the greatest partnership imaginable: working with God to save the world. “In you,” the Lord told Abraham, “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Though I’m certain Abraham didn’t fully understand the phrase, in hindsight, it is clear. “If you’ll trust Me with your future, Abraham, I’ll let you in on Mine. You can be My partner in redeeming the world - the Messiah will come through you!” Incredible! Dreaming with God to save the world! In His quest to redeem the world back to Himself, God is still looking for partners. He places dreams in human hearts, and takes one of His in it. He always has a dream of His own hidden in the dreams He gives us. God had a dream of another nation that would partner with Him to save the world. Any nation can do this, of course, if they so desire. But this one He birthed for that very purpose. That nation was America. When God placed the dream of religious liberty in the hearts of those who came to this land, He had a dream hidden in theirs: That the gospel would go forth from these shores to all the nations of the Earth. America forgot God’s portion of the dream, and in doing so turned the American Dream into wealth and possessions. We also rejected God as the Senior Partner, going so far as to banish His influence from our government and anything publicly owned. But without the Dream Giver, dreams decay. The spiritual death and self-centered nature of fallen man destroys them. And now the American Dream is teetering on the edge of total destruction. Can it live again? Yes, it can. It can be revived. That’s what revival does. God is going to restore America to His purposes. And perhaps the greatest surprise of this revival will be regarding a generation of young people Satan believes he has total and permanent control of. Their dreaming nature will be infused with God’s nature, and they’ll dream with Him of changing the world. And they will. Pray with me: Father, You’re looking for those who will allow You to dream through them. We honor You as King and Lord, and desire to dream what You have planned for us, not generate our own dreams and ask You to bless them. We want You to be our Senior Partner. We also want to dream fearlessly. When You place dreams in us that require high levels of faith, help us to respond as Abraham did, being willing even to venture into the unknown. We ask You to finish the task of restoring America to Your dream. We want the partnership restored, just as You have said would occur. As we prepare for the coming season, we dream with You of a BIG harvest. We are dreaming of salvation and reformation to entire nations. We declare that we are free from earthbound dreams only and have been launched into Your world of eternal, heavenly dreams. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Christ, Your dreaming Son. Our decree: We declare that we are a people of faith, dreaming big dreams with and for God. ****************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Dream. Click on the link below to watch the full video.