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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.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-8-2024 March 8, 2024 Rebuild the Altar, Ask For the Fire Hebrew is an amazing language. Though I am no expert regarding it—I simply know how to use various tools—I do have a great appreciation for its brilliance. As I have said at times, it is a pictorial language: letters represent pictures, which are combined to present concepts. Meanings are understood, in part, based on the context of the letters’/pictures’ use. This obviously means a Hebrew word can represent numerous things. For example, Passover, leap, skip, lame, halt, and limp are all the same word in Hebrew (pesach/pasach)(1). The picture, obviously, is the up and down, side to side, halting movement. Interestingly, though seldom used as such, it is also a word for “dance”(2)(3). Again, this is because of the movement the letters picture. WHAT IS PASSOVER? Passover is a joyous celebration, commemorating Israel’s exodus from Egypt, when God judged the Egyptians with the death angel but “passed over” the Israelites. The exodus was their deliverance from slavery and oppression. This, of course, was a picture of Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose blood delivers us from spiritual death and bondage. After Israel’s deliverance, they celebrated at the Red Sea with timbrels, singing, and dancing (Exodus 15:20-21). Though dancing in this passage is a different Hebrew word, it nonetheless was a picture of the great joy of Passover. In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah asked the Israelites how long they would “halt” (pasach) between opinions. Other translations use different words here - hesitate, waver, limp, hobble, and more. Elijah is obviously confronting their inability to decide between serving Yahweh or Baal, their back-and-forth double-mindedness. But by using pasach, the play on words cannot be missed: You could be, and should be, dancing the dance of pasach, Passover - celebrating the deliverance and freedom given to you by Yahweh. Instead, you are limping the limp (pasach) of Baal! What a picture! Israel had gone from a dance to a limp, from freedom to bondage, from God to demons. They had moved from the provision of God to the oppression of Ahab and Jezebel. The Psalms speak of God turning our mourning into dancing (30:11); they had allowed Baal to turn their dancing into mourning. Baal worship, or yielding to any other demonic influence, often begins with dancing. Satan paints a picture of sin as fun, freedom, and joy. But the temporary pleasure always ends in mourning, and the dance becomes a limp. The same word for Israel’s limp (pasach), by the way, is used for the “leaping” and “dancing” of the Baal worshippers trying to persuade this spirit to respond to them (verse 26). AMERICA’S LIMP America once danced the dance of Passover, celebrating the goodness of God and salvation of the Passover Lamb, Jesus. We rejoiced in our prosperity, freedom, wholeness, and partnership with Yahweh; we were the envy of the world, a light into darkness, rescuers. Who in their right mind now questions the fact that we are lame, limping around the altar of our new god, pleading for him to answer by fire and prove that he is everything we thought he was? Like the Laodicean church of Revelation, we still pretend to be “rich…wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and won’t admit that we are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” (Revelation 3:17). We sacrifice our homes, children, health, and wealth to this false god, hoping that he will give us back our dance. We elect liars and fools to government, Ahabs and Jezebels who worship this god, hoping they can give us back our dance. But our limp becomes more pronounced, our leaders stumble off of platforms, while the world laughs and mocks our downfall. What is the solution for this crippling demise? It is the same today as it was in Elijah’s day: we must reject the worship of this false god and return to the God of Passover. Like the church at Laodicea, we must stop our denial and do as they were told, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed, and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent,” (Revelation 3:18-19; NASB). A good time to begin doing so would be Sunday mornings. Limping into powerless gatherings with broken-down altars, acting as though everything is fine, while Baal steals our children and rules our nation, is tolerating evil Jezebel. When Elijah asked Israel how long they would waver between opinions, they were silent (verse 21), just as many in the church today. Elijah rebuilt the altar and asked for fire. What would happen if thousands of pastors around our nation rebuilt the altars of intercession, in what Jesus said should be “houses of prayer?” What would happen if desperate cries for the fire of revival and its cleansing power were issued from the pulpits and pews of America? We know the answer to this: The God who answered Elijah by fire would answer our cries, as well. The rain would fall, Baal’s strongholds would be torn down, and our land would once again dance the dance of the Passover Lamb. Now, for some good news. Though the majority in Israel did not join Elijah in his prayer that day, God, nevertheless, answered and sent the fire. He didn’t require a majority. And Elijahs are being raised up in our day, a remnant is joining them, and God will respond to their repentance and prayers. They ARE rebuilding the altar, they ARE asking for the fire, and the fire WILL fall. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Christ, our Passover Lamb. We thank You for the many benefits You have given our nation, and the blessings that came from serving and partnering with You. We have danced with You, rejoicing in our salvation, freedoms, and abundant blessings. No nation has been blessed with the abundance of this land, and it has all been because of our loving and serving You. We are proof that “blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). And yet, this once dancing nation now walks with a terrible limp, the limp of Baal. We are the Laodicean church: wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. If not for the supernatural healing You can provide, we would never dance again. But You also said to this church, “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him” (Revelation 3:20). Though not a majority, many are hearing this knock, opening the door through repentance, repairing prayer’s altar, and asking You to enter with Your fire. And we believe You will do as You said. We dare to ask that the latter glory be greater than the former. We ask that this next dance be the greatest dance in America’s history. We ask that the false god Baal be overwhelmed by You, the true and living God, just as he was at the Red Sea and on Mt. Carmel. We declare that our mourning will be turned into dancing again, that we will put off our sackcloth and be wrapped in the garments of gladness. We and our children will once again sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:3-4; NASB). Our decree: We declare that the fire of God will fall on America again, our limp will be healed, and we will dance like David as the Ark of His Presence returns. ********************** 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. 6453 and 6452. Ibid., ref. no. 6452. https://sfdh.us/encyclopedia/biblical_roots_in_jewish_dance_codman.html#:~:text=Another%20particularly%20interesting%20synonim%20for,style%20was%20associated%20with%20the

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-6-2024 March 6, 2024 The Grace Place Today, I want to tell you about Anna, but first… Review Yesterday, I spoke to you about Shechem, and briefly mentioned another important place, Penuel. Penuel, meaning “the face of God,”(1) is where Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night, received his transformation and new name, Israel (Genesis 32). He then went to Shechem, where he demanded that all of his family members bury their idols. Yes, they had idols. Why did Jacob choose Shechem as the place to bury them? He was finally connecting with and honoring the covenant God had made with his grandfather, Abraham. This was the place where God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham (Genesis 12). Jacob was honoring his covenantal roots when he buried the idols at this significant place. He also built an altar there, which he named El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel.” In naming it this, Jacob was not referring to the nation of Israel – that did not yet exist - but to himself. God had just given him the name Israel, after his transformation at Penuel. When Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord, he was demanding the blessing of protection from Esau, based on the Lord’s promise to him at Bethel (Genesis 28). Actually, God had every intention of keeping His word and providing this protection; His purpose for the wrestling was something else entirely. The Lord was wrestling with Jacob’s nature, and was determined to transform him from being a conniving, what’s-in-it-for-me, manipulator to a man with a pure heart…a man He could use. A Look Back to Bethel Penuel wasn’t God’s first meeting with Jacob. The two had met 20 years prior to this at Bethel, which means “house of God” (Genesis 28). Here, the covenant Yahweh had made with Abraham, then continued through Isaac, was passed on to Jacob. In essence, the Lord said to Jacob at Bethel, “I am going to bless you, and I am going to bless the world through you.” How would God bless the world through Jacob? Messiah would come into the world through his lineage, just as promised to his grandfather, Abraham. Though he didn’t grasp the revelation of God’s ultimate intent, Jacob did realize this encounter at Bethel was important, and that the place was special, a “gate of Heaven,” (Genesis 28:17). It is important and somewhat surprising to know that at the time of Bethel’s visitation, Jacob was not honoring and serving the Lord as the only true and living God. Yahweh was simply the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac. There were many gods worshiped in that region at the time, and Jacob had not yet made up his mind which one he would serve. It had been almost 100 years since Abraham had met with the Lord and built an altar there at Bethel. Over time, the importance of the place, the covenant Abraham had with the Lord, and his special friendship with Yahweh had lost its significance with Jacob. He didn’t even realize he was in one of the places Abraham had met with the Lord. Two things let us know that Jacob had not yet decided which “god” he would serve. First, after the visitation at Bethel, Jacob actually said, “If you do all of these things you just promised me, I’ll make you my God.” (Verse 21) Secondly, over the next 20 years, six times Yahweh is referenced as the God of Jacob’s fathers, but never is He called Jacob’s God. (See Genesis 28:13; 31:5, 29, 42, 53; 32:9) This did not change until after Jacob’s transformation at Penuel. It was then and there that his self-serving nature was overcome, his name was changed, and he gave his heart and allegiance to Yahweh. The altar he then built at Shechem was a public statement and declaration that the God of Abraham and Isaac was now his God - the God of Israel. This was the change God needed. It is not enough for us to have a “Bethel encounter,” where we enter God’s house and family. That will get us to heaven, but it won’t impact earth. Holy Spirit wants to renew our minds, teach us His ways, then connect us with His heart at Penuel. Only then can He use us to partner with Him in releasing Yeshua to the world. He must be our God, not just our fathers’ God. The synergy of the ages is vital, but it only occurs when Yahweh has truly become our God, not just the God of our forefathers. America is filled with “Christians” who have been to Bethel - they are part of God‘s family - but they haven’t experienced Penuel where they meet Him face-to-face and their hearts blend with His. Many remain self-serving believers, with what’s-in-it-for-me mindsets. The coming outpouring will be a “Penuel revival” and will change this. Christ’s Birth Now to Anna. She was a prophetess, so devoted to the Lord that for decades she had spent all her time in the temple worshiping and praying. After hearing Simeon's prophesy over the newborn Messiah (Luke 2:25-32), we are told, “While Simeon was prophesying over Mary and Joseph and the baby, Anna walked up to them and burst forth with a great chorus of praise to God for the child. From that day forward, she told everyone in Jerusalem who was waiting for their redemption that the anticipated Messiah had come!” (Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭38‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Would you be surprised if I told you Anna had a special connection to Penuel? Her name means “grace, favor.”(2) Her father’s name was Phanuel,(3) who was from the tribe of Asher,(4) one of Jacob’s/Israel’s sons. Phanuel is the Greek spelling of Penuel (“the face of God”), Jacob’s place of transformation. Penuel was perceived as so important in Jacob’s life that hundreds of years later his descendants were still being named Penuel. And one of them had produced Anna. Through this miraculous series of events and names God is showing us that “grace and favor” (Anna) flow to us when we seek His face (Penuel), just as they did to Jacob. Revelation also flows when we seek Him - Anna was one of two who received a revelation that the Christ-child was the Messiah. Seek Him. Do not seek first for wealth, success, or earthly possessions. Do not follow after religion, religious leaders, or churches. Seek His face. One lexicon actually said Penuel means “facing God.” Turn your face to Him; He has much to show you. He will enable you to trade your weaknesses for His strengths, your self-serving ambitions for His great cause, and a temporal destiny for an eternal one - just as He did Jacob. But most importantly, He will reveal Himself to you, and you will find He for whom your soul longs (Song of Solomon 3:4). For America, my prayer is that she will find her way to the wrestling mat of Penuel. There, she will find Cape Henry’s cross, the Mayflower’s compact/covenant, the Wesleys’ fire, Finney’s repentance, and William Seymour’s baptism of power. She will once again love the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and carry Messiah to the ends of the earth. Pray with me: Father, the blood of Jesus saves us, bringing us into Your family. We are Bethel people. Your Word and presence shape us into Your image from glory to glory, through the power of that same blood, making us a Penuel people. So we face You today, knowing that Your heart is love, that You are for us as our Abba. As we turn our faces to You in worship, and as we feed on Your Word, our hearts will become one with Yours: We’ll want what You want, love what You love, and hate what You hate. We declare that like Jacob, “we won’t let go until You bless us” with this. We repent for asking You for all the benefits of being in Your family, while ignoring the portion of the promise that says You want to bless the world through us. Please give the church in America this revelation. Grace us with it as you did Anna, and her grandfather, Jacob. And we pray that America would find her way back to Penuel. Our nation exists to make Your name known in the earth. You blessed us, just as You did Abraham, and that blessing was not intended to be only for us. We are carriers of Yeshua. He is IN us and wants to be revealed THROUGH us. Give us a revival that wrestles our nation to her knees, causing us to walk with the blessed limp of Penuel. We ask for this in Jesus’ name, amen. Our decree: We decree that America will make it to Penuel. ******************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------- 1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6439. 2. Ibid., ref. no. 451. 3. Ibid., ref. no. 5323. 4. Ibid., ref. no. 836.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-7-2024 March 7, 2024 Restoring the Dream We have been looking at Jacob and his two encounters with God at Bethel and Penuel. Bethel means “house of God,”(1) and Penuel means “face of God.”(2) A "house of God" relationship allows one to know the blessings of salvation without ever experiencing true intimacy with Him. At this level of relationship, Jesus is more a Savior than a friend, and God is more of a distant ruler than an affectionate Father. A Penuel, face-to-face relationship, on the other hand, changes everything. Jesus becomes our Friend (John 15:15), God becomes Abba-Papa (Romans 8:15), and the Holy Spirit becomes our close Helper (John 14:16). Penuel comes from paneh, the Hebrew word for “face.”(3) It is interesting and revealing that paneh is also the word for "presence." Turning the face toward someone, as in face-to-face encounters, obviously requires being in their presence. Thus, the word for “face” became the word for “presence.” When the Scriptures speak of individuals having face-to-face relationships with God, or that God’s face shines on us (Numbers 6:25; Psalm 80:3, 7, 19), they obviously aren’t implying we’re supposed to see His physical face. Rather, we’re being reminded we can live in His presence, the intimacy of which is so personal it’s akin to a face-to-face meeting with a friend. The circumstances leading up to Penuel, the beginning of Jacob’s face-to-face walk with God, are important to see. Jacob is about to go home, where he will face his brother, Esau, out of whom he had swindled the coveted firstborn birthright inheritance twenty years earlier. On the journey, Jacob moves ever closer to a confrontation with powerful Esau, who has heard of his approach and is on his way to meet Jacob with four hundred men. For Esau, revenge would be sweet. True to form, conniving Jacob devises a plan to appease his still-offended brother, sending a series of gifts ahead. As he continues on his way, he ultimately sends everything he owns to Esau, including his servants. Eventually, he even sends his family. It must have been a painful sight as he watched them cross the stream called Jabbok, wondering if he would ever see them again (see Genesis 32:22). Jabbok means “pouring out,”(4) and what an irony it is that this was the place where all of Jacob’s accomplishments and wealth—his “house of God” blessings— were poured from him. God is determined to deepen the relationship and realizes that to do so, He'll have to empty Jacob, at least temporarily, of all that matters more than Him. What a scene this became. Jacob, who has spent his entire life conniving his way around and through every obstacle in his path, is wealthy—very wealthy—and has proven he is at the top of the food chain when it comes to manipulating circumstances. Or so he thought. God had an appointment scheduled with Jacob here at Jabbok, and in a day, everything was gone, poured out to the brother he had swindled twenty years earlier. All in all, forty years of hard conniving were gone in a day. The next verse sums up Jacob’s circumstance and sets the stage for what is about to occur: “Then Jacob was left alone” (Genesis 32:24). Jacob has bought and connived his way out of trouble and into prosperity for the last time. He isn't yet aware of it, but Esau has become the least of his worries— he is alone with God, and this time, it isn't for sweet dreams, as it was at Bethel! As preposterous as it sounds, Jacob and God will spend the night wrestling (see v. 24). That doesn't sound like fun! The heavenly adversary begins by dislocating Jacob's thigh. In Scripture, a person's thigh represents his or her strength. Not only have Jacob’s possessions and family been “poured out,” God has now removed his strength. But there are not many people who could be as stubborn as Jacob. Still, he fought. “I won't let you go until you bless me,” he says to his opponent, whom many scholars believe was an Old Testament, pre-incarnate appearance of Christ Himself. What is this blessing Jacob wants? Protection from Esau, of course. The Lord, however, is about to bless him with something so much greater! His initial response to Jacob's statement is so bizarre it almost sounds like a verse or two have been omitted. “What is your name?” He asks Jacob (Genesis 32:27). Try to picture this: two men fighting, one limping but holding on for dear life while demanding a blessing, and the other—who obviously knows His opponent— demanding to know his name. It could actually come across as humorous, if not ludicrous, if you didn't know what God was doing. The Amplified Bible gives the clearest explanation I’ve seen or heard for this scenario. It translates Jacob’s response in verse 27 as follows: “And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!” Jacob was acknowledging his true nature: "I'm a conniving schemer." Finally! Jacob was pursuing one thing; God was after something altogether different. Jacob was seeking another blessing - protection; God was seeking Jacob. “It isn’t your possessions, servants, or family I want, Jacob [The Lord gave all of that back.] It's your old nature I'm after. You can con everyone else, but you can't con Me. I want you to realize, once and for all, that your strength is not what I need from you. I need you to acknowledge your weakness-who you really are. Only then can I pour it out from you, delivering you from yourself. I want a far deeper relationship with you, one accessing your heart, not some ‘deal’ we cut involving temporal, earthly benefits. And since I’m God, by the way, I could kill you, but I'd rather just conquer your heart. Then we can run together, and I can use you to help me save the world.” Amazing. The fight was over the moment Jacob acknowledged his true condition. God's goal wasn't to win a fight but a friend. In a matchless display of His grace, wisdom, and persistent love, God transformed this conniving swindler into a prince and patriarch, just as He intends to do with each of us. His sovereign actions clarified the bigger picture: “Now we can get on with the dream I gave you at Bethel, Jacob. Because the dream wasn't just for you; it was for Me, as well. And for the generations to follow! I told you I would bless all the nations of the world through you. I need a nation through whom I can demonstrate to the world My ways and heart, and through whom I can bring the Messiah. You're going to birth that nation for me, and you're going to do it from Penuel - my presence.” When God wrestled with Jacob, He was fighting for the heart of a man and warring for His dream of redeeming the human race! Israel, leaving the fight with a life-altering limp, decided to name the place Penuel. Twenty years earlier, Jacob entered Bethel, “the house of God,” and found a dream. This day, he had seen “the face of God” and found the Dream-Giver. He would never be the same. Pray with me: Father, though Jacob still walked in his selfish, conniving nature, You led him to Bethel where You made great promises to Him, and inserted him into the great dream of redeeming humankind. Thank You for your ability to look past our faults and see our potential. Thank You for loving us and sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinful, and even Your enemies. Your great love, and Your infinite wisdom led Jacob to Penuel, where You had planned a face-to-face encounter with him. You poured out his self-sufficiency, and the power of Your presence transformed his nature, removing his self-centeredness. Then You replaced it with a heart to partner with You, and Israel gave us the Messiah. You can do the same for America. A great Penuel revival of Your presence and face is being birthed. We pray that You would do such a powerful work that we, as a nation, would become Your friend and partner again. We boldly and confidently declare that Your dream for America is not dead; it will live again. We are moving towards this, and our momentum will not be stopped. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that great transformation is coming to America, and will turn our hearts back to our Father and Friend, Almighty God. *********************** Today’s post came from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books. 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. 1008. Ibid., ref. no. 6439. Ibid., ref. no 6440. Ibid., ref. no. 2999.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-5-2024 March 5, 2024 Realigning with God’s Purposes God often used places in the Old Testament to give us pictures of spiritual truths. A picture, as they say, is worth 1000 words. Shechem is one of those places; it actually pictures several spiritual truths. First, Shechem speaks of promised inheritance. This was where God initially spoke to Abraham in Canaan, promising the land as an inheritance for him and his descendants (Genesis 12:7). Figuratively, God is calling America back to Shechem, asking us to reclaim our inheritance: “I gave you this land to steward, and partnered with you in the establishing of it. Now, reclaim it.” All of the earth belongs to God (Psalm 24:1), and He has the right to assign stewardship of it to whomever He sees fit. As those to whom He assigned this land, we must not allow its destiny to be stolen. Just as Israel had to fight for their inheritance, so must we. This inheritance applies to ALL Americans, regardless of our backgrounds or ethnicities. Evil people want to divide Americans based on class and ethnicity, in order to further their own evil agendas. God hates this, calling it an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-19). The word used for “abomination” in this passage means disgusting, abhorrent, and repulsive.(1) Those who work to divide us for political and/or monetary gain disgust the Lord. Their actions are abhorrent to Him and should be to us. They know they are intentionally dividing us for gain, just as they know women and children are being trafficked for the same reasons. These abhorrent people don’t care. Second, and as is clearly shown in Genesis 12:2-3, Shechem reveals God’s desire to partner with His family. “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God is asking America to partner with Him again, to agree with and realign with His purposes for establishing this nation. Since creation, His plan and desire have been to work on the earth through humans, not independently of them. Dr. Peter Wagner spoke of this partnership in regard to writing Earth’s history. “Our sovereign God has for His own reasons so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history.”(2) Profound. Weighty. Extremely consequential. The third principle associated with Shechem can be easily deduced from the first two. Shechem pictures responsibility. This is also hidden in a Hebrew word used in the following verse: "And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants, I will give this land.'” (Genesis 12:7) The word "give" comes from the Hebrew word nathan,(3) which I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but is well worth repeating. This word is not only used in the sense of conferring ownership, but also to give a charge or an assignment. God was not only giving the land to Abraham and his family, He was also assigning it to them. God’s gifts are often His assignments. My children were gifts, but they were also assignments. My abilities are gifts with which I can prosper, but they also come with responsibilities: serving, giving, providing, etc. The incredible wealth and prosperity of America is so much more than just a gift. It is a very important responsibility from God, an assignment we must steward. This stewardship is fulfilled through prayer, sowing into the preaching of the gospel, voting for individuals with biblical values, speaking out against evil and standing for truth, and more. We must understand that all who enjoy America’s benefits will also give an account of how they stewarded them. Fourthly, at Shechem, idolatry was cleansed. In Genesis 32, Jacob was transformed, receiving a life-changing, face-to-face encounter with Yahweh, through which he was delivered of his rebellious nature and received a new identity. At the conclusion of this encounter, God renamed him Israel, and he (Israel) renamed the place, Penuel, “the face of God.” (There was as yet no nation of Israel, only this man.) In the following chapter, Genesis 33, after Israel’s (Jacob’s) encounter with the Lord at Penuel and his peaceful reunion with Esau, he took all of his family and servants to Shechem, this place where God had met with his grandfather, Abraham. There he built an altar of remembrance and called it El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel” (Genesis 33:20). Jacob/Israel was referring to himself, not a nation, declaring that El was now his God. Not just Abraham’s God, not just Isaac’s God, but he was declaring that Yahweh was his God. As a demonstration of this, two chapters later, Israel commanded his family and servants to bury all of their idols at Shechem: “So they gave Jacob all the [idols and images of the] foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears [worn as charms against evil], and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.” (Genesis 35:4 AMP) Again, figuratively God is calling America to Shechem, asking us to rid the land of idolatry: materialism, pleasure, greed, lust, pride, false religions, etc. Obviously, this will occur through revival and salvation - not by force - as those threatened by the church like to falsely accuse us of desiring. Just as Jacob went back to his roots - the place where the Lord met with Abraham and promised him the land - God is asking America to go back to her biblical, Christian roots. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Yes, Joshua gave this famous speech at Shechem! Here is more of Joshua’s message that day: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24-14-15 NASB) Finally, in Joshua 20:7, Shechem became one of the cities of refuge. These weren’t for those who entered the land illegally, as they are in America, but places in Israel where those who accidentally took someone’s life could flee for protection from vengeance. It was forbidden for any retaliation to be taken against them while they lived in these towns, and precautions were put in place accordingly. According to Hebrews 6:18, the cities of refuge picture Christ, who became our refuge: "We who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us." God is offering Christ as America’s refuge. So many places in our nation are now filled with violence, murder, poverty, and fear. Serving other gods leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13); the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15). God wants to transform these devastated places into safe havens, cities of peace and refuge. He desires to send revival to inner cities, impoverished neighborhoods, gang-controlled and drug-infested streets. God is a refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Pray with me: Father, You have given us an amazing inheritance in this nation. We have been blessed beyond words. These blessings are not only for our enjoyment, but are gifts to be stewarded in blessing others. We repent for our lack of discipline, for spending ourselves into poverty and debt, squandering Your blessings on our lusts. Send a revival that not only saves and restores our spirits, but an awakening that transforms our souls from ungoverned desires and lusts. Cleanse us from idolatry, free us from ourselves - just as You did Jacob. Give us a face-to-face encounter; take America to Penuel! Transform us into noble people who can partner with You to save the world. Give us righteous leaders who do not want to divide us. Deliver us from these abhorrent people. Yes, we pray for their salvation; but until their hearts change, we do not want them to rule over us. Silence voices in the media that work to divide us. Bring Your deliverance to us from this evil activity. In Christ’s name, through His authority, we pray these things. Amen. Our decree: We decree that America will be led to our Penuel, experience her transformation, and bury her idols at Shechem. ********************* 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. 8441. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 242. Strong’s Concordance, ref. no. 5414.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-4-2024 March 4, 2024 Angels: Supernatural Enforcers I was in a service with my brother, Tim Sheets, a few weeks back, and Holy Spirit moved in profound ways. The Lord had brought revelation to various leaders before the meetings, which came together that night, and produced great breakthroughs. It was a very significant night. In today’s post, Tim shares the majority of information; I contribute some, as well. Tim shares: ********* “I believe Holy Spirit has revealed a Kingdom strategy for the Ekklesia that has now been activated at a new level. This will demand that we function as a true Ekklesia, the word Christ used to define the church. Remember, ekklesia, the word translated as “church” in the New Testament, is a Greek word that refers to a judicial or legislative body.(1) The word is used 113 times in the New Testament, proving it was intentional, an on-purpose name for the church. This meaning MUST be understood in order for us to comprehend our mission statement. “Our church recently hosted a Prophetic Summit, a night in which the Ekklesia convenes and presses in to hear from the Lord regarding our current season. As I was praying on the morning of the Summit, Holy Spirit allowed me to see into the spirit realm. “While praying I had said, ‘Lord, people are coming from around our nation, some driving many hours to be here. I want it to be beneficial to them and worth their time. Some are even flying in.’ When I said that, I heard Holy Spirit very clearly say, ‘They aren’t the only ones.’ I was immediately given a vision. “In this vision, I saw a host of angels coming to the meeting. Holy Spirit revealed that they were coming from other nations throughout the world. Based on the way they were dressed, I recognized different divisions of angels: I saw government angels, which partner with the prayers and decrees of a governing Ekklesia/church; and I saw seraphim, which are the mightiest order of angels. During this vision, I could sense the power, strength, and delegated authority of these mighty angels. Hundreds of them were coming to this convening of the King’s Ekklesia. “I trembled in the holy presence of God and knew Holy Spirit was revealing a supernatural level of assistance, and it was dramatically increasing. I began to weep as I saw the hosts of heaven coming from other nations and realized this would be a game changer. “I spoke that evening at the Summit, but did not share this vision. In fact, I hadn’t shared it with anyone. My brother, Dutch, was also one of the speakers and at the end of his message, invited a prophet, Clay Nash, to share a dream he had been given. In this dream, an angel, referring to himself as a ‘justice gate angel,’ told Clay this Prophetic Summit would be a ‘white stone meeting.’ My spirit leapt when he said this, and I instantly knew it was why the angels I had seen were coming to the meeting. “Revelation 2:17 (KJV) says, ‘… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.’ When this verse was written, the giving of a white stone had two meanings. First, in the Roman athletic games, a white stone was given to the winner of a contest, race, or competition. The person’s name was inscribed on the stone, which served as a ‘ticket’ to attend an awards banquet.(2) “However, another meaning of giving someone a white stone occurred in the court system of Rome, which is what I feel the justice gate angel was referencing. Roman courts used juries, similar to our justice system. The jury would hear a matter, deliberate, and then issue a decision, just as we do today. When the verdict had been reached, a clear vase was set before the jury. They placed a black stone in the jar to indicate ‘guilty,’ and a white stone for ‘not guilty.’(3) DUTCH SHARES For the angel to state this would be a “white stone meeting” could mean two things: 1) We, the Ekklesia, were going to receive a favorable ruling from the courtroom of heaven; or, 2) We, the Ekklesia, were the jury and would be issuing the verdict! That is certainly a different perspective. Could it be? Were the angels actually coming to hear our ruling, and then would take action accordingly? Matthew 16:18-19 (KJV) says, “On this rock of revelation I will build my church [ekklesia]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” In his book, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible, respected leader Jack Hayford (now in heaven) - based on a literal rendering of the Greek verbiage - says the following is a careful amplification of the above verses: “Whatever you may at any time encounter (of hell's counsels which I'm declaring my church shall prevail against), you will then face a decision as to whether you will or won't bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response. If you do personally and consciously involve yourself in the act of binding the issue on earth, you will discover that at that future moment when you do, that it has already been bound in heaven!”(4) Incredible..! Notice the portion, “You will face a decision whether you will or won’t bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response.” Not God’s response! This is amazing! And when Tim heard what the justice angel said, he knew in his spirit this was why the angels had come: to hear our “decisions” and “responses” in order to enforce them. They were waiting for Christ’s Ekklesia to hear what God was saying, judge situations based on His laws, and issue His verdict with their decrees. BACK TO TIM “When I heard the words that this would be a ‘white stone meeting,’ I knew Holy Spirit had sent the angels to hear the verdict of the Ekklesia: what it would forbid and what it would permit. In a sense, the Prophetic Summit was a court session and, based upon Matthew 16:18-19, what transpired would be conditional upon our response. “Job 22:28 (KJV) says we decree a thing to see it established, and Psalms 103:20 (KJV) says angels hearken to God’s words and decrees. When we decree verdicts based on God’s Word and will, they bring His/our words to pass. Angels are waiting to hear the ruling in order to enforce the verdict. They’re the enforcers of the Ekklesia’s biblical and Spirit-led rulings against evil, lawlessness, and corruption in their territories. Holy Spirit is releasing these powerful angels at a far greater level to enforce the Ekklesia’s verdicts, rendered in the King’s Name. “The supernatural enforcers have arrived. Will we issue the verdicts they need in order to battle hell’s forces? Or will we, through unbelief and silence, be a hung jury that can’t make up its mind?” ********* Pray with me: Lord, let this revelation seep into our hearts. You are revealing that the church’s authority reaches to greater levels and measures than we have known. The angel gate is open, and these mighty ones will hearken to Your words through us. They will enforce our binding of evil, and our loosing of nations, cultures, and governments from demonic rule. As our decrees for revival and reformation go forth, give us stunning victories and divine surprises in this season. We ask for these angels to enforce breakthrough decrees and verdicts against Baal and his activities. We accept our role as Christ’s ekklesia and declare that we do rule and reign with Him. In Christ’s name, we will open doors no man can close, and close doors no man can open. We will say what You say; Your Words will be our words! May Your Kingdom and Ekklesia rise for Your glory. May Your power be released in the lives of individuals. Let healings, breakthroughs, and victories be released, and may angels be assigned to minister in our personal lives, families, and businesses. In Yeshua’s name, we pray. Our decree: We decree that the supernatural enforcers are with us to carry out the declared promises of God. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------ Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org. ------------------------------------------------------ 1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1577. 2. https://bethelchapelchurch.com/will-jesus-give-you-a-white-stone/ 3. https://renner.org/article/why-did-jesus-promise-a-white-stone/ 4. Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977, revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 140, 1977 edition.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-2-2023-1 February 2, 2023 Revival and Reformation, Part 2 Due to the fact that the GH15 posts have to be written and recorded the day before they are posted, I was not able to say much about the Day of Repentance in yesterday’s post. I did make a brief comment at the end regarding how excellent it was. The day fits well, however, with the few teachings I’m doing on Revival and Reformation, so I want to make a few more comments today. First, I find it ironic, at the very least, that while we were involved in a time of repentance over the sins of America, the Senate was conducting a necessary hearing with the leaders of several social media outlets regarding the promotion of sexually explicit material to children. Regarding this heinous activity, two verses I quoted in a post earlier this week from Jeremiah come to mind: “Everyone is after the dishonest dollar…They have no shame. They do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:13-15, The Message). Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, appearing on the Faulkner Focus (Fox Network) to discuss the hearing stated, “There is some research that says every day 100,000 kids are force-fed sexually explicit material on these sites. It is being pushed to them. They are not looking for it; it shows up in their feed.” She continued, “We have 42 state Attorneys General suing [social media companies] because of the addictive features they are pushing forward on children.” While addressing Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of META (formerly known as Facebook), during the hearing, Senator Blackburn said, “Children are not your priority; children are your product. You see children as a way to make money.” She told Faulkner that at the hearing, “Kids were wearing T-shirts saying, ‘I’m worth more than $270,’ which is what Zuckerberg said a teen was worth to them on social media.” How astonishing and indicative of America’s condition that this hearing was taking place as many in our gathering were weeping, asking for God’s mercy and cleansing of our nation. I was not able to hold back tears as I read Revelation 3:17-18: “…you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see.” (NASB) After saying this to the church at Laodicea, Christ went on to say it was love motivating Him to bring this discipline (verse 19), and He concluded by telling them He was standing at the door and knocking. If they would open it through repentance, He would come in and sup with them (verse 20). Christ’s desire was not to judge them; He was offering cleansing, transformation, and a return to their relational connection with Him. I felt that on Wednesday, the “knocking Savior” was doing so through His tears. Hundreds of people gathered for this Day of Repentance, including a couple of dozen members of Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson among them. Many more people watched online. Several leaders attended from other nations to join us in our repentance and prayer, both for our nation and theirs; at least two or three dozen. It was a very emotional day. In describing last year‘s gathering, convener Jim Garlow (along with Tony Perkins) simply said, “God showed up.” I can assure you, His presence was with us again this year. And I’m sure that the Lord, like all of us, had mixed emotions: grief over America’s sins and rejection of Him, along with the satisfaction of our repentant, interceding hearts. Thank you for joining us. I know our prayers and repentance made a difference. (If you would like to watch a replay of the National Gathering of Prayer and Repentance, you can do so here: ngpr.org.) Now, I want to comment on revival and reformation, then connect it to the Senate hearing I just mentioned. In yesterday's post, I said that our commission from Christ in Mark 16 was to preach the gospel and restore God’s family. When breakthrough in this activity occurs, creating mass conversions, we call it revival. I also said that Christ’s commission in Matthew 28 was to disciple these new believers, not just individually but corporately - entire nations. When this occurs in mass, resulting in societal transformation - the changing of culture, laws, government, education, etc. - we call it a reformation. In most revivals of the past, believers thought only of winning the lost (Mark 16). This, of course, is essential and must be the starting point - birthing obviously precedes training. But if Matthew 28 - the reforming and discipling of individuals and nations - doesn’t occur, the long-term fruit will be minimal and can even be lost, as in the following example. The great Charismatic Movement of the late 60’s through the early 80’s, which included the Jesus People Movement, saw millions of people in America come to Christ, and tens of millions around the world. It was a wonderful example of Mark 16 occurring with great momentum, a significant revival. However, there was little understanding of the church’s assignment to do Matthew 28. The concept of discipleship that existed at the time was limited to discipling converts regarding their personal lives. We did not instruct and train believers to use the momentum of revival to disciple nations by modeling Christ’s ways and teaching His principles in all of society. Therefore, during the Jesus Movement/Charismatic Movement of the ‘70s, Christians did Mark 16. But while millions of people were being saved, humanists, secularists, and atheists were busy doing their version of Matthew 28 - discipling a nation. How incredibly ironic. We saved individuals; they discipled a nation. We preached the gospel; unbelievers taught dogmas and doctrines. We went to church once a week on the weekend; they indoctrinated in our schools and universities five days a week. We enjoyed a new wave of expanded Christian TV; they made movies, programs, and increased their hold on the industry. We sang and worshipped at church; they took over the airwaves and discipled a generation with their music. We bought a few cameras and thought we had arrived with our Christian TV; they took over technology and monopolized social media. The result: America experienced one of the greatest revivals in history…AND LOST THE NEXT GENERATION TO DEMONIC CONTROL AND INFLUENCE! This is almost incomprehensible! The irony is beyond belief, and the tragedy of it beyond words. Yet, it occurred. And now, the generation discipled by humanists, secularists, and atheists is in charge of our nation - governing, teaching, entertaining, etc. AND, they are grooming the next generation, our kids, as the Senator told us. Overall, social media has far more influence over the minds of our children than their parents. This is the fruit of Mark 16 without Matthew 28, revival without reformation. We must not make this mistake again. There is another powerful outpouring of Holy Spirit coming that will produce a great revival. In this outpouring, the body of Christ, His Ekklesia, must accomplish both commissions. If we do so, it will produce the greatest transformation in Earth’s history. More on Monday… Pray with me: Father, thank You for the gathering that took place in our nation’s capital on Wednesday. Thank You for your humble and sincere hearts of repentance and intercession. We know You heard our prayers and that they make a difference. You are answering the prayers and will heal our land. On behalf of our nation, we answer Your merciful knocking and say, “Please come in.” Father, You created family members in Genesis 1, then assigned them the responsibility of multiplying the family and also managing their home, planet Earth. This plan of Yours is still intact. Jesus restored it, and said He would build an Ekklesia, a family the gates/government of hell would not be able to overcome. Then He recommissioned them to begin again the plan of multiplying Your family, and of stewarding the earth for You. We embrace these commissions! This 2-fold plan of Christ’s is gaining momentum. His bride is growing in numbers and the Ekklesia’s revelation of its authority is growing. Bring another wind that increases this even more. Cause the greatest season of revival and reformation in earth’s history to take place - Mark 16 and Matthew 28 simultaneously. Release the greatest wind of evangelism the world has ever experienced, and fully reveal Christ among the nations. We love You, Father, and pray these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the two Great Commissions of Christ WILL be fulfilled by His family and co-laborers. ****************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-1-2024 March 1, 2024 Re-igniting, Uncapping, and Birthing the New I continue to ponder my time at Lou Engle’s conference this past Sunday night in Colorado Springs. It was a profound night. When introduced to speak, I hadn’t yet landed on exactly what Holy Spirit wanted me to share. So I began simply by mentioning my experience a couple of weeks back, when my spiritual father played the song, America the Beautiful, for a small group of us (read post here). The words to this song came in part to Katherine Lee Bates while on Pike’s Peak, which she wrote down when she returned to her hotel right there in Colorado Springs. Then I related how listening to the song and witnessing Jim’s heart for America had reminded me of, and renewed in me, the visitation I had from the Lord in 2000. This, like the song, occurred there in Colorado Springs. I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence that God reminded me of all this just before my return visit to that city. As I shared this that night, all heaven broke loose. Our good friend, intercessor and pastor, Terri Brown, wrote the following unsolicited account from her perspective, as well as what she heard from Holy Spirit during the service: ********* “I was able to participate in Lou Engle’s recent 222 Conference in Colorado Springs. Though very encouraging, it was also challenging, and at times heart-wrenching. “Although the entire conference was rich and significant, I’ve especially been pondering the last night when Dutch Sheets was the scheduled speaker. Many have described this as the most amazing, intense prayer gathering they have ever been in. There was unity, travail, worship, intense intercession, and a feeling of birthing and breakthrough. “Before giving you a word the Lord shared with me that night, let me give you a backdrop regarding Colorado Springs, our calling to this city, and some history. This will help you understand my perspective as I share. “Much was said during the weekend regarding the significance of what has been birthed in Colorado Springs over the years. Cindy Jacobs and Lou Engle rehearsed many of the significant prayer events, as well as entire movements that have been birthed here. I remember being present at some of these events and hearing the stories of others. “My husband, Jack, and I don’t just ‘live’ in Colorado Springs; we are ‘called’ here and have worked to steward its destiny. Therefore, these stories felt like part of our heritage, our birthright. Cindy emphasized this to a group of Colorado Springs leaders while here, reminding us that we must steward these spiritual wells in our region. This is important, not so our lives here will be more pleasant and prosperous, but because of the calling on this city to be a spiritual warfare hub, birthing prayer into the nation and nations. “As I surveyed the room on Sunday night, I saw so many in the room who were active members at Dutch’s church when he pastored here. These were people present the night the Lord encountered Dutch with His heart for America. They remember being quietly ushered out of the sanctuary when he was left alone with the Lord those 3 1/2 hours. These were the people who gathered to pray night after night with Dutch in December 2006; Chuck Pierce had prophesied to him that he was in a battle with Baal and needed to call for 21 days of prayer. These were the folks marked by the presence of God when the Lord came and rested here for 90 straight days in 2008. “Many of these individuals are now in their 60’s, 70’s and 80s. They came out in force for Dutch’s session Sunday night. I also saw many from the host church that have for years battled spiritually in our city. And, of course, there were many from Lou’s faithful tribe. It was an interesting mix of over 700 like-minded people. “As I pondered this that night, I was reminded of the word the Lord gave me for 2024 in November of last year. At that time, I heard Him say, ‘I am calling up the Reserves.’ Then I heard a call go out, ‘Report for duty!’ “When I think of the Reserves, I think of three types: Soldiers who have served in full-time active duty but have now retired and serve in the Reserves. Those who are ‘weekend warriors,’ soldiers on the weekend but focus during the week on their jobs and families. Those who want an education and see this as a way to pay for it; they are being trained and educated while serving. “I saw all 3 of these types of Reserves in God’s prayer army throughout the room Sunday night, and they were being called up to active duty. “As the meeting started, Holy Spirit led me to Isaiah 35:3-4: ‘Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God, He will come and save you.”’ “The Passion Translation words these verses: ‘Strengthen those who are discouraged. Energize those who feel defeated. Say to the anxious and fearful, “Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory! He comes to avenge your enemies. With divine retribution, He comes to save you!”’ “As I pondered these verses and the word regarding calling up the Reserves, I was reminded that there were two fires that day in Colorado Springs. One was on the Air Force Academy grounds, the other on Fort Carson. In over 25 years of living in this area, I have never heard of fires at both bases at the same time; and I can’t remember fires ever occurring this time of year. Many times, what is happening in the natural realm is a sign of what God is doing in the spiritual realm. As I pondered this, I felt the Lord was showing me that He was reigniting His prayer army, not only the ground troops, but also His Air Force. “As Dutch got up to speak, we could tell God was engaging with him in a powerful way. He shared his encounter with the Lord 24 years ago here in Colorado Springs when He received the Father’s heart for America. Then he spoke of a recent experience that similarly ‘marked’ him for America. There seemed to be a convergence of those encounters that night, and Dutch seemed to be weighing what the Lord desired him to do. “As He yielded the meeting to the Holy Spirit, travail suddenly broke out all across the room; we went into a place of intercession that was rare and incredible. In this time, we experienced a reigniting of the prayer movement, an uncapping of the wells in this city, and a birthing of the new prayer army for this time and season. “Regarding what the Lord shared with me concerning calling up the reserves, Holy Spirit also said: ‘There will be fresh uniforms/mantles.’ ‘There will be updated spiritual weapons of warfare.’ ‘We must let go of the past season - of both victories and defeats - in order to step into the battle before us with fresh vision and faith.’ ‘We need to be rightly connected with other believers.’ “This is a critical time; so much is hanging in the balance. We must pick up the fresh mantles, allow the Lord to replace weakness with strength and refreshing, and put new spiritual weapons in our hands, enabling us to war victoriously.” ********* Pray with me: Father, You are more than amazing, orchestrating events in our lives when we are totally unaware. I did not even remember that I had an upcoming trip to Colorado Springs when You renewed what You did in me there, and used the song written there to do it. We can trust You to lead us. We thank You for the reigniting of the prayer movement, and for calling up the Reserves. Thank You for the fresh mantles and updated weaponry, which would surely mean greater revelation of the spiritual weapons You have given us. Thank You for all that was birthed that night in Colorado Springs. I will never forget the roar of travailing intercession released, nor the roar of Your promise: America shall be saved! We declare Your promise and heart once again today: America shall be saved! We also declare the connection of this to the nations: The greatest outpouring of Holy Spirit in earth’s history is coming to the nations of earth. The greatest harvest will result. This will NOT be stopped. And we thank You for this, asking in Yeshua’s name. Our decree: The prayer movement is being reignited and re-outfitted. And the plans of hell are being unraveled. ********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------------- You can view the service Terri mentioned by clicking here. You can learn more about Terri Brown at TerriBrown.live.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-29-2024 February 29, 2024 Unraveling The Schemes Of The Enemy I mentioned the word luo in yesterday‘s post. What I stated regarding this subject is vitally important. I want to pick up on it again today. In review, I said: “An interesting word is used in 1 John 3:8 that adds insight into what happened at the Cross. The verse reads, ‘For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil’ (KJV). ‘Destroy’ is the Greek word luo, which has both legal and physical meanings. Understanding its full definition will greatly enhance our knowledge of what Jesus did to satan and his works. “The legal meaning of luo is: to pronounce or determine that something or someone is no longer bound; to dissolve or void a contract or anything that legally binds.(1) “Jesus came to dissolve the legal hold satan had over us and to pronounce that we were no longer bound by his works. He ‘voided the contract,’ breaking satan’s dominion over us. “The physical meaning of luo is to dissolve or melt, break, beat something to pieces, or untie something that is bound.(2) In Acts 27:41, the boat Paul traveled on was broken into pieces (luo) by the force of the storm. In 2 Peter 3:10-12, we’re told that one day the elements of the earth will melt or dissolve (luo) from a great heat. “It is very significant to know that Jesus used this same word, luo, to describe what we, the Church, are to do through spiritual warfare. Matthew 16:19 tells us, ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ The word ‘loose’ in this verse is luo. “So, did Christ luo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), or do we luo the works of the devil (Matthew 16:19)? The answer is ‘Yes!’ Although Jesus fully accomplished the task of breaking satan’s authority and voiding his legal hold on the human race, someone on earth must represent Him in that victory and enforce it. Satan is a thief and a trespasser. The fact that he has no legal right (authority) to do something does not keep him from doing it. Only the authority of Christ, combined with the power of Holy Spirit, stops him from doing so. Both flow from/through us. In Christ’s name, we release His authority, and Holy Spirit backs this up with His power. “In all spiritual warfare, always remember that our responsibility is not to re-defeat satan, but to enforce his defeat. My confidence increased dramatically in the context of ‘binding,’ ‘loosing,’ ‘wrestling’ with principalities and powers, ‘pulling down strongholds,’ etc., when I finally understood it as enforcing the victory of Calvary.” MORE ABOUT LUO After writing yesterday's post, I thought about the incredibly evil plans being implemented in America. As I did so, I heard Holy Spirit say, “It is all coming unraveled.” I knew He wanted to give me more insight regarding this so I began studying, only to find that Holy Spirit had more to reveal regarding this word luo. When I looked up the Greek word for “unraveled,” my lexicons led me to analusis,(3) which they said comes from the root word, luo, translated as destroy in 1 John 3:8 and loose in Matthew 16:19. It’s fairly easy to see why: when the strands of a rope come “loose,” they are “unraveling.” The word “analysis” is also derived from analusis, which is easily seen from its spelling. Analyzing a situation is breaking loose, disassembling its components - unraveling the strands - so that we understand the situation more clearly. As I read this, I heard Holy Spirit say, “As the church has been releasing Christ’s authority, ‘luo-ing’ the plans of satan in America, it has enabled Me to unravel (analusis) and expose his plans.” God is, indeed, exposing satan’s schemes and plans. Americans are beginning to see just how corrupt our government has become. They see the two-tiered system of justice. They are observing the insanity of plans to remove our borders, destroy our families and children, distort our history, and steal our nation. They see the dishonesty and deceit. They are coming to grips with the disheartening and horrifying truth that for many of our leaders, votes and power mean more than the lives of the American people. The corruption is all being unraveled, enabling the American people to analyze what is truly happening. The truth is painful, but necessary. And throughout this year, 2024, the process will intensify. The revelations will be amplified, and Americans will not like what they see. This is all part of God‘s deliverance process. America is receiving her MRI. That which is hidden on the inside is being revealed, and the level of revelation will increase. We asked for this, and it is occurring, exposing the cancer of sin eating away at the life of our nation. Keep praying. Do as Jesus instructed us in Matthew 16: bind the plans of the enemy; loose, dissolve, untie, unravel his evil schemes (verse 19). Do as He instructed us in Matthew 6: command His Kingdom rule into our land; command His will to be done (verse 10). Ask Christ to pour out His Spirit, bringing life to America’s dry bones and healing our land. Ask Him for revival, the great ingathering, and the transforming of our nation. Yes, grieve over what Holy Spirit is exposing, but don’t be discouraged as you witness it. Be encouraged that we are getting a proper diagnosis in order to receive the cure. Don’t allow the shaking to shake you. Determine to keep praying and standing in faith that America shall be saved. Decree it daily. Your prayers are saving our nation and releasing salvation to a billion people around the world. Never stop. Pray with me: Father, thank You for answering our prayers, for exposing and revealing the true condition of our nation, even though it is painful and grievous to see. We ask You to continue unraveling the evil structures and plans. Show us where satan has entrenched himself in our nation; reveal his schemes and tentacles; enlighten us to what must be repented of. Root out evil at all levels. Go deep. And even as we pray against the evil, we ask for the salvation of those who are deceived and partnering with the evil one. Help us to remember that You love the lost, that Your mercy is great, and just how powerful of a cleansing agent is the blood of Jesus. Keep us from the sins of pride and stone-throwing. Deliver those who are deceived and walking in darkness; open their eyes to truth and the gospel; soften hard hearts. Do these things here and around the world. We also pray again today for the protection of our family members and leaders. We pray for Justice Thomas and all those on the Court, that every scheme to take their lives would fail, and every deceitful plan to assassinate their character would be exposed. We pray for Donald Trump’s protection from physical harm and judicial injustice. Turn it all for good. We pray for the protection of our water resources and structures, and for protection from all forms of terrorism. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that the unraveling of evil schemes in America will continue, that darkness will be exposed, and truth will prevail. ************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------- Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984: revised edition, 1990), p. 1583. Ibid. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 359.

7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-28-2024 February 28, 2024 Enforcing Satan’s Defeat by Wielding Our Sword The Hebrew word for intercession, paga, means literally “to meet.”(1)This can be a meeting of people, the boundaries of two pieces of land, the earth, and sky (the horizon) - it really doesn’t matter what the context is; the point is that two entities come together. Intercession is birthed from our communing with our Father, God. We meet with Him in a relational sense, and from that connection, other meetings are created. Not all meetings are pleasant, however. Some can actually be violent. Proverbs 17:12 tells us: Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. “Meet” is this Hebrew word paga. I’ve never met a she-bear in the wild with or without cubs, and hope I never do. But years ago, a wise old woodsman, instructing me in the art of surviving bear encounters, gave me the following piece of wisdom: “Son, try to avoid them, if possible! But if you can’t and it’s a female with cubs you meet, never get between mama and those cubs. Because if you do, the meeting is about to go to a whole new level, up close and very personal.” Now, before I’m harangued for a contextual violation of Scripture, let me say I am not insinuating that this verse is talking about prayer. I am saying, however, that the word used for “meet” in the verse is this same Hebrew word (paga), elsewhere translated “intercession.” Other Hebrew words could have been used, but this one was chosen partly because it often has a very violent connotation. In fact, paga is frequently a battlefield term (for examples, see Judges 8:21; 15:12; 1 Samuel 22:17-18; 2 Samuel 1:15; 1 Kings 2:25-46). “Meetings” can be unpleasant! Some can be downright ugly, such as the one satan had with Jesus at Calvary. Satan had come between God and His “cubs.” He ought not to have done that! Satan’s worst nightmare came true when, with 4000 years of pent-up fury, Jesus met him at Calvary. The earth rocked, and I do mean literally, with the force of the battle (see Matthew 27:51). The very sun grew dark as the war raged (see v. 45). At the moment of what satan thought was his greatest triumph, he and all his forces heard the most terrifying sound they had ever heard: God’s laugh of derision (see Psalm 2:4)! The laughter was followed by the voice of the Son of Man crying with a loud voice, “Tetelestai.” This Greek word is translated, “It is finished” in John 19:30. Please don’t think Jesus was talking about death when He spoke that word. HE WAS NOT! Tetelestai means to fully accomplish something or bring it to its completed state,(2) just as the word “finished” would imply. However, it was also the word stamped on invoices in that day, meaning “paid in full.”(3) Christ was quoting from Psalm 22:31 when He chose this statement. Three of His seven sayings on the cross come from this Psalm. The Hebrew word He quoted from this verse is asah. He may have actually been speaking Hebrew, using this very word, even though it is recorded in Greek in John's gospel. The word means, among other things, “to create.”(4) It is used in Genesis, for example, when God created the earth. I believe that not only was Christ saying, “The debt is paid in full,” He was also saying, “Come forth, new creation!” No wonder the earth shook, the sun reappeared, the centurion was terrified (see Matthew 27:54), and Old Testament saints were resurrected (see Matthew 27:52-53). Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a flare for the dramatic. The Cross defines drama. And yes, behind the scenes, it was violent. Captives were rescued (see 1 Peter 3:19; 4:6; Isaiah 61:1), bruises were inflicted (see Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24), keys were taken, and authority was transferred (see Matthew 28:18). An interesting word is used in 1 John 3:8 that adds insight into what happened at the Cross. The verse reads, “For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (KJV). “Destroy” is the Greek word luo, which has both legal and physical meanings. Understanding its full definition will greatly enhance our knowledge of what Jesus did to satan and his works. The legal meaning of luo is: 1. to pronounce or determine that something or someone is no longer bound; 2. to dissolve or void a contract or anything that legally binds.(5) Jesus came to dissolve the legal hold satan had over us and to pronounce that we were no longer bound by his works. He “voided the contract,” breaking satan’s dominion over us. The physical meaning of luo is to dissolve or melt, break, beat something to pieces, or untie something that is bound.(6) In Acts 27:41, the boat Paul traveled on was broken into pieces (luo) by the force of the storm. In 2 Peter 3:10-12, we’re told that one day the elements of the earth will melt or dissolve (luo) from a great heat. Jesus not only delivered us legally, but He also made certain that the literal consequences of that deliverance were manifested: He brought healing, set captives free, lifted oppression, and liberated those under demonic control. Our responsibility is not to re-defeat satan, but to enforce this victory as we, too, meet the powers of darkness. It is interesting to know that Jesus used the same word, luo, to describe what we, the Church, are to do through spiritual warfare. Matthew 16:19 tells us, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The word “loose” in this verse is luo. So, did Christ luo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), or do we luo the works of the devil (Matthew 16:19)? The answer is “Yes!” Although Jesus fully accomplished the task of breaking satan’s authority and voiding his legal hold upon the human race, someone on earth must represent Him in that victory and enforce it. With this in mind and remembering that the Hebrew word for intercession, paga, means “to meet,” let’s state it this way: Through prayers of intercession, we meet/encounter (paga) the powers of darkness, enforcing the victory Christ accomplished (luo; tetelestai) when He met (paga) them at the Cross. When we encounter them, we use His authority to bind and loose (luo) them, releasing the provision and fruit of what He accomplished. My mindset changed dramatically in the context of “binding” and “loosing,” “wrestling” with principalities and powers, “pulling down strongholds,” etc., when I began thinking of it as enforcing the victory of Calvary. Satan is a thief and a trespasser. The fact that he has no right (authority) to do something does not keep him from doing it. Only the authority of Christ, combined with the power of Holy Spirit, keeps/stops him from doing so. Both flow from/through us. In Christ’s name, we release His authority, and Holy Spirit backs this up with His power. We must wield the sword of God’s Word, just as Jesus did, and bind demonic attacks against our bodies, families, homes, cities, and nations. Declaring the promises of Scripture are not only to encourage and increase our faith; they are weapons. Let’s use these powerful, God-given tools. Pray with me: We declare over our bodies that “by His stripes, we are healed;” over our minds that “we have the mind of Christ;” that His blood “cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness.” We boldly agree with God’s Word that tells us there is “no more condemnation” toward us for ANY sin we have committed when it is under the blood of Jesus. And we declare that “no weapon formed against us will prosper” - NONE! (see 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 John 1:9; Romans 8:1; Isaiah 54:17) We declare over our nation that “America shall be saved.” We declare that God’s destiny for America is “the gospel of the kingdom shall go forth from these shores to every nation of the earth.” We declare that Holy Spirit is “manifesting the multifaceted wisdom of God to principalities and powers in the heavens through the Ekklesia.” We declare that “the gates of hell will not prosper against or overcome this Ekklesia.” (Ephesians 3:10; Matthew 16:18-19) And we declare that “the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.” We declare that “God, His Father, has promised Him the nations of this earth as His inheritance.” We declare that the Spirit of God will be poured out over all the earth, that it is His will “for all to be saved and none to perish.” We declare that “Christ is king over all the nations,” and we release His kingdom rule and authority to bring His will to pass. We declare that Christ’s family in heaven will consist of people “from every tribe, tongue, and nation,” and that the revival beginning around the world will not be thwarted. (see Revelation 11:15; Psalm 2:7; Acts 2:17; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 7:9) And we declare that the fruit of these decrees shall not be stopped, because we make them in the mighty name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that the sword of the Spirit, the spoken word of God, is more powerful than ALL the forces and plans of the enemy. ************************* Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. 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. 6293. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary (Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992), p. 1375. Ibid. William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1978), p. 263. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984: revised edition, 1990), p. 1583. Ibid.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-27-2024 February 27, 2024 Holy Spirit Warnings Last Friday, I received a strong warning from a prophetic friend regarding prayer for Supreme Court Justices. The warning had to do with an assassination attempt and a plan to remove another Justice through false accusations. We live in a day when violence has become rampant, out of control. You no doubt recall a short time back when a young man flew to DC intending to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh. When dropped off in front of the Justice’s home, he changed his mind for some “unexplainable” reason, and turned himself into the police. I certainly believe this was divine intervention. The violence in our land is no doubt caused to a great degree by the curse associated with the shedding of innocent blood. The blood of 65 million babies has fed the spirits of Baal and Molech, giving them unprecedented access to our nation. Even though we are overcoming these strongholds through repentance and prayer, the hold of demonic spirits on many individuals will only end if and when they are born again. We must be very diligent in this season to cover ourselves, our family members, and our leaders with prayer. Some we should pray for daily, and others as prompted by Holy Spirit; we are all called to be watchmen. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to be alert and watchful for one another, and pray when alerted by Holy Spirit. When an uneasiness comes for someone, never assume that this is coincidental or unimportant, as the following account illustrates. GUATEMALA MISSIONS TRIP In 1976, I was one of 40 to 45 individuals traveling to a remote place on the Passion River, in the Peten Jungle of Guatemala. Our mission was to help build a combination clinic and outreach station on the river, as well as do some preaching in the nearby villages. After arriving in Guatemala City, we spent our first night there (Friday), and had arranged for the Guatemalan airlines to fly us the following day (Saturday) into the jungle. On our arrival at the airport Saturday afternoon, we were informed that they had changed their plans and could not fly us to our destination that day. They would do so the next day, Sunday. Due to the limited amount of time we would have to accomplish this mission, our leaders felt an urgency to leave as scheduled. Consequently, they pressed the airlines off and on for three hours to honor their original agreement and take us that Saturday afternoon. "No," different managers said in broken English, "We take you tomorrow." "But you agreed months ago to take us today," our people countered. "We have no pilot available," the airline official stated. "Please find one," we pleaded. "What is your hurry? Enjoy the city," they encouraged us. And so it went for three hours, in and out of offices, meeting with one official, then another. Finally, in exasperation, one of them threw up his hands and said, "Okay, we take you now! Get on that plane. Quickly!" Miraculously, they had pulled a pilot from another flight to take us. We hurried to the plane, throwing our bags and tools into the baggage area ourselves, wanting to leave before they changed their minds. That night, with us now safely 250 miles away, an earthquake occurred in Guatemala City, where we had been, and killed 30,000 people in 34 seconds! Had we stayed in the city one more night, as we almost did, some of our team members would have been killed and others injured. We know this for certain because on our return to the city, we saw the building we had stayed in the night before the earthquake - and would have been staying in again had we not left on Saturday - with huge beams lying across the beds we had slept in, and would have been again had we stayed. Now, the Ephesians 6:18 prayer connection. On that Saturday afternoon, during the 3 hours of negotiations with the airlines, an intercessor in our home church had felt a strong burden to pray for our protection. For those three hours, she was in intense intercession for us. We didn't know that our lives depended on getting out of Guatemala City that day, and she didn’t even know about the discussions taking place. But God knew, and she was alert to His prompting, as Ephesians 6:18 instructs us. Be on the alert. CONSISTENCY IS KEY We should pray daily for family members, and our leaders. Not a large number - perhaps our Congressman, Senators, and one or two others. When the Holy Spirit highlights a person or group, such as the Supreme Court, add them for a season. This responsibility doesn’t have to be burdensome or overwhelming, with long periods of prayer each day. Consistency is key. Form a habit of praying and declaring protection over these individuals at the same time each day - perhaps during your quiet time, on a commute, while doing a household chore, when taking a walk, or while dressing for work. Doing it at the same time each day will help you remember it and also will establish it as a disciplined habit. Every church should also have intercessors assigned to each service. Sadly, there are terrorists and deranged people who would love to destroy an entire group of believers, even at the cost of their lives. Trained security is important, but often isn’t enough; prayer can make the difference. We absolutely should not live in fear, but neither should we take these matters for granted. Continue to declare protection over America’s borders and over your state. Do not neglect to keep your faith operative in this regard. Stay locked in. Also, remember to cover the water supply, waterways, ports, and dams in your area. Keep your faith engaged and be alert for any promptings of Holy Spirit. I feel we must stay engaged regarding these issues throughout 2024. And as you pray for other government leaders, remember to pray for Donald Trump and his family. Though he isn’t currently in office, he is hated like very few people, including by foreign countries and terrorists. Please be faithful to pray over these people and issues. Let’s do so now. Pray with me: Father, we pray for protection over the Justices on the Supreme Court. We ask You to expose and thwart every attempt to harm them. I am led to pray especially for Justice Thomas, so we cover him now in prayer. We bind every demonic plan to take his life. Protect him in every way Psalm 91 describes. As this Psalm states, we declare that no evil will harm him or his wife. We also pray against any strategy to falsely accuse and remove any Justice on the Court. We ask that all false accusations, slander, and evil plans be revealed and fail. We also pray for President Trump, asking that he be protected from plans to harm him. Also, vindicate him from unjust accusations and lawsuits. Turn it ALL for his good. Protect his family as well, and those around him. We ask You to give the Secret Service, police, and protection details of all these individuals great alertness, and enable them to discover any and all attempts to harm them. And we pray for divine protection over America’s water resources, dams, and ports. Protect them from destruction and harm. Expose any plot to damage them, and keep it from succeeding. We ask all of this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that every plan to harm members of the Supreme Court will fail, in Jesus’ name. ******************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-26-2024 February 26, 2024 Letter To The American Church Recently, I found myself considering the importance of forerunners, voices of change who point the way toward the right path, and thought of Eric Metaxas. The journey of forerunners is always difficult as they challenge the status quo and ruffle comfortable feathers, but God gives them steel backbones and steadfast hearts. They are usually blessed with great intellect and remarkable communication skills; Eric is no exception. You may have read one of his exceptional books. Amazing Grace, the story of the great reformer, William Wilberforce, deeply impacted me, as did the powerful book on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Metaxas has other great books, but today I want to highlight once again his latest book entitled, Letter to the American Church, and the amazing documentary and film adaptation with the same title. I believe the message of this book and documentary is urgent. Today’s American church has failed to be the voice we were called to be; thanks to people like Eric Metaxas, this is changing. Eric’s appeal to the church is passionate, intellectually and factually sound, historically reinforced, and biblically based. In the words of Erwin W. Lutzer (pastor emeritus of The Moody Church, Chicago), “This book [and now documentary] is like a bucket of cold water thrown into the face of a sleeping church.” And from Anne Graham Lotz (author of eleven books, including Just Give Me Jesus), “We would do well to heed this five-bell alarm.” Michael Youssef (Ph.D., senior pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and executive president of Leading the Way), says of America’s great need and the importance of this book: “Back in the 60s when I escaped with my life from the socialist dictatorship of President Nasser of Egypt, I only wanted to come to America. Why America? Because its system of government has never been duplicated. The founders ensured that the ultimate authority under God is not the President, nor the Congress, but ‘We the people.’ Thus, they drafted the greatest political document in all human history, the U.S. Constitution. Yet many of my fellow pastors who claim to relevantly and contextually interpret the Word of God fail to take this ‘unique’ blessing of ‘We the people’ as the governing authority to heart. They sold out this blessing and exchanged it for selective silence against the modern scourge of the evils of wokeness. Nay, some of them even baptized this evil into their church’s catechism. Unbeknownst to them, they are handing over the keys of their own freedom to preach the Gospel to the enemy of their souls. Perhaps there is no modern writer who can draw a comparison of this selective silence on the part of many American pastors to the German church in the 1920s and 1930s like Eric Metaxas. In the pages of this book…there is a solemn warning. Read it, heed it, and pass it on to many others.” Please watch this film! Pastors, show it to your church! Eric has done the hard part by producing this powerful documentary - now let’s do ours. Consider giving a copy of the documentary to your pastor or a friend. Here are a few paragraphs from the book’s introduction; after reading them, we will pray. ********* “The German Church of the 1930s was silent in the face of evil; but can there be any question whether the American Church of our own time is guilty of the same silence? Because of this, I am compelled to speak out and to say what - only by God’s grace - I might say to make plain where we find ourselves at this moment, at our own unavoidable crucial crossroads in history. “It is for good or for ill that America plays an inescapably central role in the world. If you have not read Alexis de Tocqueville on this subject, you likely nonetheless understand that the extent to which that central role has been used for good and for God’s purposes has had everything to do with our churches, or with the American Church, as we may call her. So if America is in any way exceptional, it has nothing to do with the blood that runs through American veins and everything to do with the blood shed for us on Calvary, and the extent to which we have acknowledged this. America has led the world in making religious liberty paramount…It was this that made Tocqueville marvel most: that while in other nations - and especially in his own nation of France - the Church was adamantly opposed to the idea of political liberty, in America, it was the churches that helped encourage, create, and sustain a culture of liberty. “Because of the outsized role America plays in the world today, the importance of whether we learn the lesson of what happened to the German Church ninety years ago cannot be overstated. Though it may be a gruesome thing to consider, the monstrous evil that befell the civilized world precisely because of the German Church’s failure is likely a mere foretaste of what will befall the world if the American Church fails in a similar way at this hour. “And at present, we are indeed failing. “We should underscore the idea that the centrality of our nation in the world does not mean that we are intrinsically exceptional, but rather that God has sovereignly chosen us to hold the torch of liberty for all the world, and that the Church is central to our doing this. So the idea that He has charged us with this most solemn duty should make us tremble. Nonetheless, we must carry out that duty in a way that is the opposite of prideful, and that is meant to be an invitation to all beyond our shores. If we should aspire - in the words of Jesus as quoted by John Winthrop - to be a ‘shining city on a hill,’ the idea is that we should exist and shine for the sake of others and not for ourselves alone. President Abraham Lincoln said that we in America were God’s ‘almost chosen people’ and acknowledged that this placed upon us an almost unbearable burden. It is a certainty from the Scriptures and from our experience over the centuries that apart from God, we can do nothing. So if God has chosen us for some task, we must do all we can to shoulder that task, and must know more than anything that unless we lean on Him and acknowledge Him in all our ways, we are guaranteed to fail. “If anyone would feel that believing God has chosen the American Church for such a vital role somehow smacks of an egotistical nationalism, they have already bought into the Marxist and globalist lie that America is nothing special - or is probably a force for evil at this point. In any case, they miss the point and have only leapt away from one ditch to fall headlong into another. It is a fact that God, in His sovereignty, chose the German Church to stand against the evils of its day, but it shrank from acknowledging this and from standing. Germany has been living with the deep shame over it unto this day. So for the American Church to say that God has not chosen us is as bad as saying He must choose us because we deserve to be chosen. Both stances are equally guilty of the sin of pride. It is far easier to ignore God’s call than to acknowledge it and rise to fulfill it, but it is more difficult and painful than anything to live with the results of ignoring God’s call. Let the reader understand.”(1) ********* May God help us truly understand and embrace these poignant words. Link to the trailer and info regarding how to find the film is here. Pray with me: Father, thank You for raising up voices to point us in the right direction. Though forerunners often make us uncomfortable, they nonetheless prepare the way for needed change. We ask You to breathe great momentum into this book and documentary by Eric Metaxas. Use them to awaken the American Church, especially, but not limited to, leaders in the Church. We see signs that a remnant in the Church has been awakened, and we thank You for this. But we ask for this to increase exponentially. Rain fire, passion, and great zeal onto Your people in America. Revive us, as You have promised. Breathe great favor and momentum into the voices of change. As always, we thank You for your promise that America shall be saved. We declare our faith that You will do this, as we appeal to You based on Your obvious will and purposes. Continue to deliver us from evil and bring Your Kingdom authority to bear in our land, and the nations of the world. We thank You for this, and pray it in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that voices of change will be heard, and America will once again embrace her God-given calling. *********************** You can learn more about Eric Metaxas at EricMetaxas.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------------- Eric Metaxas, Letter to the American Church, (Washington, DC: Salem Books, 2022), pp. ix-xi.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-23-2024 February 23, 2024 Marked! “Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God on account of you and me in Kadesh-barnea. And now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has walked shall certainly be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ I am still as strong today as I was on the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim was there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.” (Joshua 14:6-12 NASB) In the above passage, the great warrior Caleb, said he was just as strong at 85 as he was at 40. “Now,” he stated, “give me my mountain!” Then he proceeded to conquer the city in the Promised Land ruled by the biggest giant! Caleb had a “different spirit” than most, and “followed God fully”(Numbers 14:24). My spiritual father, Jim Hodges, turned 85 this week. Like Caleb, he has a different spirit and has followed God fully. He has also conquered his share of spiritual giants, starting with the “religious spirit” back in the 60s. Jim walks in more revelation than the average spy agency, and has more knowledge stored in his cranium than the local library. Yet he’s humble! Those of us privileged to run with him have often joked that “he doesn’t know how much he knows.” Jim’s wisdom and/or revelation has “marked” me often - he was one of Ceci’s and my professors in Bible School, and has been our spiritual father and mentor for almost 40 years. While the wisdom that sometimes (not always) comes with age is frequently spoken of, a word often overlooked when describing this wisdom is “perspective.” The higher you climb, the further you see. Eighty-five years is pretty high up the mountain of life. I sometimes laugh when I hear arrogant and dogmatic young leaders trying to correct or enlighten the body of Christ. Then I remember some of my younger days and blush. The problem with our youthfulness is often not knowing what we DON’T know. Oh well, at least I was zealous. I’m always moved when I read the passage in Ezra when the Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt after decades of desolation. The Lord moved on the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to allow those who so desired to relocate back to Jerusalem and rebuild this place of worship (Ezra 1). After the foundation was laid, a celebration occurred: “And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For He is good, for His favor is upon Israel forever.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout of joy when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, because the people were shouting with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.” (Ezra 3:11-13 NASB) Different perspectives. We’re left to wonder why the old timers were weeping. Were they remembering the glory in the previous Temple? Did they realize more clearly just how far they were from completion? Were they remembering the horrible devastation of the cruel Babylonians, perhaps thinking of family members they had lost? Were they mourning the sin that caused their captivity? We don’t know. But we do know they had a different perspective, and were seeing much more than the younger ones. I was on a Zoom call last week with Jim and 6 or 7 leaders in his ministerial network, hashing out some future plans. As we finished and were about to end the call, he said, “Wait a minute; I want to bless you all with something.” Jim held his phone up to his iPad, and I thought he was going to play something humorous - Jim has a great sense of humor. Then the song, America the Beautiful, sung by Lee Greenwood, began to play. We could see Jim clearly behind his phone. No one spoke; we just watched and listened intently, and the moment became holy. After a minute or so, Jim’s hand went up in worship. Then he began to weep…so did I. And Jim Hodges marked me, once again. I’ll never forget watching as he worshiped and wept over our nation. No one asked why he cried; no one needed to. Jim loves America, especially her calling to partner with God. He is aware of her failures, remembers her greatness, sees her current devastation, and has hope for her restoration. I stayed up until 2:30 AM that night listening to the song over and over. And yes, I cried again. It took me back to 25 years ago when the Lord visited me and imparted His heart for America. He told me then that He needed this nation in order to reap the great harvest He was planning to gather throughout the world. I felt His love for the nations, and for America. Then He and I wept together over her for 3 1/2 hours. That night, Christ marked me. Those who tell me it’s wrong to love America as I do are too late. The propagandists who call me a “Christian Nationalist” because I believe America has a distinct calling to SERVE all other nations by partnering with Christ, taking His gospel to them, can babble on. I am unmoved. I’ll continue kneeling with “misguided” Hunt on the beach at Cape Henry and reading the Mayflower Compact with the “deceived” Pilgrims. Of course I know that God loves all nations as much as America - don’t insult me with such uninformed and ridiculous accusations to the contrary. Those who tell me to stop speaking from the pulpit about our nation, government, schools, etc., lost that battle when God encountered and overcame me as I stood at my pulpit that night 25 years ago. The issue was settled as He wept with me on the floor next to said pulpit. Those who hate the flag, and those who believe it is heresy to connect it with delivering the gospel, lost the argument the night I wrapped myself in Old Glory, while the Lord and I wept over it for three hours. And don’t insult me with your weak arguments and heretical statements about the subject of government being evil and off-limits in church services, when God IS government and began discussing it with us in the FIRST chapter of the Bible! And by the way, yes, I know what makes America truly great. It isn’t military power, wealth, size, or natural resources. It is serving God and His purposes. And, no, Donald Trump is not my messiah, as disingenuous liars suggest. But he did give us Supreme Court Justices that overturned Roe vs Wade, brought law and order to our borders, is patriotic, kept tyrants around the world in check, honors God and the church, and is hated by crooks and God-haters. I prefer him over an open border, the dishonoring of God, child mutilation, and a trans White House. Don’t waste your time telling me not to love, talk about, and pray for America so much - you’re too late. You arrived AFTER the encounter with my weeping Heavenly Father, and AFTER the 40 years I’ve walked with my “Calebesque” spiritual father. Your lower perspective will never unmark me. To all of you who are marked by love for America and God’s plans for her, do yourself a favor: use the link I’ve provided and listen to “America the Beautiful.” Make that today’s prayer. And thank Jim Hodges. “America the Beautiful” sung by Lee Greenwood via YouTube: click here. “America the Beautiful” sung by Lee Greenwood via Spotify: click here. You may be able to find this on other music outlets, as well. ************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-22-2024 February 22, 2024 10 Requirements For Turning America Larry Tomzcak was born again during the Jesus Movement of the 60s and 70s. He and I would certainly picture the mavericks of that era who were “rounded-up” and led to “independence.” (See yesterday's post here to read The “Mavericks” Are Coming.) In a recent article, Larry speaks of his dream of a transformed America, and the 10 requirements for turning our nation around. Here are Larry’s 10 points and explanations: ******* “Reconsecrate ourselves to the Great Commission given us by Jesus. The Pilgrims prioritized this in the original Mayflower Compact - to proclaim the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ (not some ‘He Gets Us’ distortion!) to see lives transformed, not merely affirmed, by the power of the living God. “Renounce and reject complacency. This has brought about the decline and demise of civilizations throughout history. We must repent and return to the values that made us great in the first place, refusing to succumb to the seduction of affluence and leisure as substitutes for hard work. “Cast off D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) mandates. These criteria for our institutions are inherently racist, giving people preferences and positions that should belong to achievers applying themselves to merit advancement. Our nation affords ‘equal opportunity for all’ who are willing and able to work for it! “Replace destructive Marxist, Globalist elements. These have poisoned our government, schools, media, and corporate boardrooms. In their places, we must put leaders of integrity and conviction, mirroring those of our truly great and revered statesmen and stateswomen. Though they, like all of us, had flaws, they deserve honor because of their overall character and achievements. “Put an end to propaganda and promotion of unbiblical socialism. We must return to a Constitutional Republic that has undergirded us successfully for close to 250 years – longer than any nation in world history. Anti-American activists are entitled to their opinions, but I agree with former Prime Minister of England, Margaret Thatcher, who said: ‘The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money.’(1) Check out our unsustainable $34 trillion debt! “Accept the sacred responsibility to expose and eradicate tyranny. We must replace oppressive government in all its forms and contend for freedom. Let us take seriously the warning of President Ronald Reagan: ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling them what it was once like in America when men were free.’(2) “Pastors once again must arise to the urgency of the hour. Just as in colonial America, they must courageously lead the way to embrace the directive of Jesus to be ‘salt’ (holding back decay), accept the responsibility to equip their congregations with relevant truth, and refuse to be silent in our current cultural battle. May they heed the sobering words of pastor/martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stood against Nazism in a similar situation. ‘Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak, is to speak. Not to act, is to act.’(3) We must reject fear of man and follow in the footsteps of Billy Graham, who stood openly against segregation, Apartheid, same-sex ‘marriage,’ and nuclear expansion, telling us, ‘Courage is contagious!’ “Unapologetically affirm man/woman marriage and the nuclear family. ‘One man and one woman’ is the explicit design for this sacred institution recognized worldwide and honored for thousands of years as the divinely ordained foundation of a stable society. Biology and science have recognized male (XY chromosomes) and female (XX chromosomes) genders throughout history, so we’ll simply stay the course and stay safe from ‘Woke’ moral insanity and societal instability. “Sound the alarm and stop the massive invasion of law-breaking foreigners into America. Millions of cartel-driven illegal aliens are disregarding our established immigration laws to unlawfully secure healthcare, food, housing, education, costly benefits and privileges at taxpayer expense. THIS MUST STOP IMMEDIATELY BY EXECUTIVE ORDER (not by Congressional debate). America represents 4% of the world's population, and we cannot allow this unprecedented and unmitigated disaster to bring about our country’s collapse! “Expose as demagoguery the leftist tactic of regularly dismissing valid opinions and perspectives as ‘destroying democracy,’ ‘racist,’ and ‘authoritarian tyranny.’ Traditional conservatives, Christians, pro-lifers, and patriotic Americans are slandered as ‘right-wing extremists,’ while agencies are weaponized to run roughshod over basic civil liberties, censor free speech, violate the Constitution, and use Soviet-style kangaroo courts to indict political opponents (so they can’t run for office). These agencies and tactics represent America’s real threats and must be exposed! “Here’s the Deal: If enough of us who love America stand in solidarity with these 10 points, we can translate our dream into reality and once again experience peace, prosperity, and the blessing of God we’ve previously known. ‘You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.’(4) Freedom-loving, patriotic, traditional Americans are still the majority. And though we may not control the levers of power, there’s still hope if we pray, repent, and act courageously to turn America around. “I beseech you to watch the blockbuster documentary, ‘Letter to the American Church; and for pastors to show it on a Sunday! Google it now at lettertotheamericanchurch.com and get engaged today.” ******* Pray with me: Father, thank You for seasoned and bold leaders like Larry Tomczak. Bless his family and ministry with great favor, health, and provision. Use him greatly as he labors to see America transformed; we share his dream and agree with the needed changes he delineates. We ask for a reconsecration in the church to the Great Commissions given in Mark 16 and Matthew 28, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. We renounce complacency and laziness, and ask for an awakening of passion. Give us Your heart for the lost, for truth, and for justice. We pray against all forms of racism and mistreatment. A true revival that changes millions of hearts will include a revival of love. Give us this. Break the influence of Marxism, socialism, globalism, wokism, and other unbiblical philosophies invading our nation. Awaken the “mavericks” to the insanity of these dogmas. Transform our government. Remove those who desire to weaken us. Help us close our borders and minimize the damage. Break the back of the wickedness allowing this evil. Expose the evil distortion of truth, law, and justice in America. And awaken the church. Forgive us for not being salt and light to our nation. Convict leaders of their silence regarding truths in Your Word. Break the fear of man off them and help them find their voices. Motivate them to be the watchmen You have called them to be, and to sound the alarm. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We declare that a great awakening is coming to the church of America, and to America itself. ********************* Today’s post was contributed by Larry Tomczak. You can find out more about Larry at LarryTomczak.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------------------ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/138248-the-problem-with-socialism-is-that-you-eventually-run-out https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/january-5-1967-inaugural-address-public-ceremony https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/601807-silence-in-the-face-of-evil-is-itself-evil-god https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1816-you-may-say-i-m-a-dreamer-but-i-m-not-the

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-21-2024 February 21, 2024 The “Mavericks” Are Coming Today, I want to share portions of a dream about mavericks; it was given to my friend, Clay Nash. A maverick is “an unbranded calf, cow, or steer; a lone dissenter, such as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from their peers; a person pursuing rebellious, even potentially disruptive, policies or ideas.”(1) The Dream “The dream began with you, Dutch, creating a thread on Signal titled ‘Gathering the Mavericks.’ You requested those on the thread to meet you in Oregon City, Oregon, the end of the Oregon Trail. “Upon arrival, you informed us we were there to help gather and drive maverick steers back to Independence, MO, the beginning of the Oregon Trail. You instructed us that the mavericks must be brought to Independence in order to achieve independence. You stated that as we found the watering holes where they were gathered, you would assign individuals to stay there; they would keep other mavericks in the future from muddying up the water holes. “You informed those who joined you in Oregon City that they were assigned certain horses on which to make the journey. The horse you assigned me (Clay) was one I had actually owned, a full Appaloosa named Judge. He had my King Brand saddle on him. Dutch, you were to ride the prettiest Buckskin I ever remember seeing. When I remarked on the strength and beauty in this horse, you informed us that it was a descendent of John Wayne’s favorite horse, Sent, and its name was Messenger. I asked you where the mavericks were, and your answer was, ‘We must find them along the way.’ “The grub wagon was there, packed and ready. Ken Malone pulled you to the side, but was within hearing, and said, ‘Isn’t that Gordon Lindsey on the grub wagon?’ [Gordon Lindsay founded The Voice of Healing magazine and Christ for the Nations Bible Institute in Dallas, Texas, and died in 1973.] “You answered and said, ‘Yes, but he can still cook food with heavenly nourishment, and will bring healing along the way if needed.’ “You began informing us of various watering holes we would be dropped off at along the journey. You did not assign me one, saying, ‘You know about cattle drives, and I need you to scout on the whole journey.’ “We stopped at several watering holes, discovering and gathering mavericks at each; you assigned individuals to stay and protect the watering holes, and we moved on to the next. The 12th and last watering hole was in Independence, MO. When we arrived at Independence, I stated, ‘We must have over 10,000 mavericks.’ “You informed us that there were actually 12,000 mavericks and one ox. You were then asked what we were to do with them. You said that they would be discipled to go forth into the fields that are ripe unto harvest and disciple the nation. Someone asked, “What about the ox.” “You stated to us that the ox’s name was Sign and Wonder, and he would follow the mavericks as they discipled the nation. “Gordon Lindsey then told Dutch that his assignment was finished, but others from the cloud of witnesses would join us as needed.” End of Dream. ************* The Interpretation God has created a young generation who will prove to be unique in their strengths and motivations. They are “unbranded” by religion, untamed in many ways; some even seem “rebellious.” Many appear to be “disruptive.” But God has great plans for this generation. My friend, Pastor Randy Lopshire, said regarding this dream, “I started preaching and prophesying about the Mavericks in this dream three years ago, calling them ‘A harvest of harvesters.’ I saw them as Gen Z’s and felt many are not yet even born again. But God is already priming the pump, and they will know truth when they hear it. They are spiritually allergic to religion, so God is raising up and developing churches who specialize in receiving people like them.” Here are more of my thoughts: It is obviously time for the rounding up of these mavericks. We must bring them to “independence” from sin, leading them to Christ, yet do so without taming and branding them with religion. Pray for this to begin and increase; leaders must prepare. Watering holes - God will lead these mavericks to “watering holes” He has prepared for them. These places of nourishment, training, and discipling must be protected from the “muddying” of religiosity, sin, man’s agenda, unbiblical traditions, and more. A horse named Judge, a King Brand saddle, and a scout/prophet, Clay Nash - Jesus, as our King, the Supreme Judge and Prophet, will be overseeing this roundup. He is the Lord of the harvest, and will lead us in finding the mavericks and watering holes, and also in preparing and maintaining the watering holes. A horse named Sent and Messenger - This is fairly obvious: we are being sent as messengers to find and lead these mavericks to “independence.” We are not called to judge or tame them, but to prepare them for their important assignment of discipling a nation. Gordon Lindsay - we must draw from the wisdom, insights, and movements of those gone before us, honoring and building on what they have accomplished. One of these movements was the healing and miracle movement of the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Gordon Lindsay was one of the leaders of this movement, a great teacher and author. The magazine he published, The Voice of Healing, shared testimonies of the many miracles happening around the nation and nations. We must tap into this anointing of signs and wonders. And the dream told us more from the cloud of witnesses would be sent to us, meaning there are other truths and movements of the past we must build on. The ox - the name of the ox was Sign and Wonder; he would follow this generation as they discipled the nation, just as Mark 16:17 says will occur. Lindsay said, when leaving, that he had finished his assignment. That assignment was 1) feeding us: we must learn from the past generations, and 2) giving us the ox, a mantle of signs and wonders he and his generation restored to the church. 12 watering holes and 12,000 mavericks - 12 is an important number in Scripture. It represents governing authority, completion, and perfection. There are several possible meanings to this in the dream. It would certainly mean that these mavericks walked under and in the complete authority of the Lord. The great commission in Matthew 28, which speaks of discipling the nation, references this authority (verse 18). The fact that these mavericks would disciple the nation could also indicate they would restore our government to its intended purpose and function. Personally, I believe it is both. Clay said regarding this dream and the coming mavericks, “Their journey to independence will activate them at a greater level of authority, releasing the roar of God into their spheres of influence. These refreshed and commissioned mavericks will take their independence forth to affect the nation, with signs and wonders following them. Their obedience will leaven with a righteous leaven; new companies of overcomers will be activated from their completed faith to become an ever-present weapon of warfare against injustice, releasing righteousness and empowering grace.” WOW! Clay was so impacted by this dream that He is holding a series of meetings along the Oregon Trail beginning June 21 of this year. It will launch in Oregon City, OR, and end in Independence, Missouri, on July 12 and 13. I plan to join him there. You can read his other thoughts regarding this dream and the details of the tour by using this link: Gathering of the Mavericks. Get ready for the mavericks. They will stretch the church. There is no box in which they will fit; they won’t accept clichés and processes based on “This is how we have always done it.” They’ll want a true relationship with Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the Father, not religion. They will insist on power, not rituals, traditions, and forms. They will ask why. They’ll want action, not words. They will be justice-minded, and demand change. And they are coming. Pray with me: Father, we know You have significant plans for the coming generation/s. Not only will You save millions of them, You will use them to change the world, just as You did the generation of the 60s and 70s, which so many thought was hopeless. We ask You to prepare the body of Christ to receive them. Create the watering holes and keep the water clean. Prepare flexible wineskins that can disciple them. Deliver us from mindsets and ways of thinking that could hinder this. And prepare the hearts of the mavericks for the outpouring of Your Spirit. Finish ripening the harvest, prepare, and send the laborers. We pledge to You, that we will not lose this harvest. We ask this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the Mavericks will be found and moved to Independence! ******************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------------ Dictionary.com, version 11.6.0.27 (11.7.0), maverick.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-20-2024 February 20, 2024 Being There The subject of faith is mystical, undefined, misdefined, and misunderstood in the minds of many believers. Yet, God places great importance on the spiritual substance called faith: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). “Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth’” (Mark 9:23). The above-mentioned lack of understanding could also be said concerning divine healing. It is a challenging subject that can seem to raise more questions than answers. I would not be so arrogant as to suggest that I have a complete understanding of these subjects. However, I do know God heals, and I know our faith matters. Regarding the subject of healing, I believe Scripture teaches that it is released in various ways: the faith of the individual receiving the faith and prayers of others through agreement, intercession, laying on of hands, deliverance, and commands the gifts of Holy Spirit: gifts of healing, the workings of miracles, the gift of faith, discerning of spirits signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the gospel I believe that regarding healings/miracles associated with the gifts of the Spirit and signs accompanying the gospel, the timing is often influenced by 1) the ripeness of the harvest (either individually or collectively; and 2) the corporate and/or regional spiritual atmosphere. I have said all of this to state that I believe we are coming into another season of healing and miracles associated with the preaching of the gospel and the gifts of Holy Spirit. This always accompanies revival. God will never work a miracle to convince the skeptic and cynical. He does, however, work miracles to confirm His Word and the gospel when dealing with hungry hearts and searching souls. And miracles are a game changer. My good friend, Ken Malone, sent me the following testimony regarding this: ******* “In 1999, a friend, whom I'll call Charles, and I were flying relief supplies to the island of Eleuthera after it had been hit by an intense hurricane. We conducted three such trips together. On each one, we talked about the Lord, mainly regarding the Holy Spirit's miracles on other islands and settlements. “On one trip, Charles said, ‘Please pray for my dad, Bill; he's in the hospital with internal bleeding.’ His dad had been in the ICU for about a month, and had been given blood transfusions totaling several gallons! We prayed then, and continued to pray for his dad. “The final trip together ended up being a long day. I woke at 4 AM, went to the airport, and packed the airplane. We returned to the airport that afternoon around 4 PM. When I arrived home, I received a notice on my beeper to call Charles. When I reached him, Charles said, ‘Can you come to the hospital and pray for Dad? They don't expect him to live beyond another 24 hours. A helicopter is coming to take him to Orlando Regional Medical Center.’ “I agreed to do so. I was extremely exhausted, which no doubt contributed to increased vulnerability, and upon arriving at the ICU waiting room, a spirit of intimidation hit me. I felt as though I had no faith whatsoever. Charles’ family and I went into the ICU, and I saw His dad, Bill, in the last stages of death. He was ashen, and his lips were turning blue. He had no faith. “And at that point, it seemed I had no faith. “I began telling Bill of the miracles the Holy Spirit had performed in the Cherokee Sound settlement. I then shared about the miracles Jesus performed. Then Bill said in a feeble voice, ‘Ken, stop preaching and pray for me.’ “Upon hearing this, I took him by the hand and began to pray, still feeling no faith. On other occasions, when praying for people I had felt great faith, and God moved. Not this time, however; I felt nothing. The prayer was simple, and after decreeing the Lord's healing over him and rebuking the spirit of death, I couldn't get out of there quickly enough. After the Amen, I left! And the helicopter landed to take him to ORMC hospital. “As I drove home, the enemy began to torment me with thoughts that this man was going to die. However, I refused to voice these thoughts. When I arrived home, my wife, Cheryl, asked, ‘How'd it go?’ “I simply said, ‘I prayed for him.’ “The next day, around 1 PM, I received a call from Bill's home. It's probably Charles to tell me his dad passed, I thought. “It wasn't; it was Bill, himself! In a weepy voice, he said, ‘Ken, I need to talk to you.’ “My mind was not computing this, and I said, ‘What room are you in?’ “To which Bill replied, ‘I'm at home.’ “I arrived at his house and was greeted by his wife and daughter at the front door, weeping. As I walked in, I saw Bill down the hallway, weeping so hard he was convulsing. After about 5 minutes of weeping, he composed himself and began telling me what happened to him. ‘Yesterday, when we prayed, electricity came into the top of my head, went through my body to my feet, and went back up and out of my head. I knew right away that I was going to be okay. I didn't know how to tell you at the time. They didn't teach us this in our church.’ “I said, ‘Bill, they didn't teach us this in a lot of churches.’ “Bill then said something that made me feel uncomfortable, ‘Thank you for healing me.’ “I replied, ‘I didn't heal you; Jesus did.’ “He and I talked about all our Lord was doing in him when he said again, ‘Thank you for healing me.’ “I again said, ‘I didn't heal you; Jesus did.’ “After about an hour's visit, as I was getting ready to leave, Bill stood up and said, ‘Ken, thank you for healing me.’ “To which I replied again, ‘Bill, I didn't.’ “He interrupted and said, ’I know you didn't heal me. I know it was Jesus. But you were there!’ “WOW! “The revelation hit me: We won’t always ‘feel’ our faith. My faith was released by being there, not through what I felt. Faith is doing and obeying. Being where Yahweh wants us, being faithful when we feel no faith, and doing what we know to do is faith. When we do this, God will show Himself strong. Don't wait for a feeling; do what His Word declares: ‘These signs shall follow them that believe…In My name, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover,’ (Mark 16:17-18).” ********** Pray with me: Father, as we move towards the revival You are bringing, we are reminded that signs and wonders accompany the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have emphasized this, telling us that in this awakening notable, extraordinary, and creative miracles will occur. You will demonstrate through them that You are real, and that the good news we preach is true. We prepare ourselves to obey Your word, reminding ourselves that we must lay our hands upon sick and diseased people, asking for their healing. You will do the work. Remind believers that we do not need a level of “creative faith” in order to do this. And we don’t need a feeling. We need enough faith to be there and obey. We want to be those who give You opportunities to show Yourself strong in people's lives. So we ask You to prepare the church by reminding them of Mark 16:15-20; and that You use all believers, not just heroes and giants in the faith. And Lord, we conclude this prayer by remembering to pray for protection over our waterways, water supplies, dams, and ports. We thank You for protecting our nation from the destruction the enemy has planned for us. We also continue to bind the strong man over the Middle East, declaring that the hold of the “prince of Persia” is broken over that region in the name of Jesus. We declare Your will over the Middle East, that the people there are free through the blood of Jesus, and that the veil of deception is being lifted from their eyes. We also pray this over Asia, asking for the Spirit of revelation to replace all deception, leading to the harvest of millions and millions of people. And finally, we ask You to continue revealing the corruption in our land, especially in our government, and remove it. Send revival, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We declare that we are Your hands and feet in the earth, even when we don't feel as though we are. According to John 14:12, the works Jesus did, we will do, and even greater works, in His powerful name. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------------- You can find out more about Ken Malone at Forerunner-ministries.org.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-19-2024 February 19, 2024 Enforcing Christ’s Victory I mentioned the following verse last week in a post concerning the dominion God gave humankind over the earth. “The heavens. . . the Eternal holds himself, the earth He has assigned to men” (Psalm 115:16; Moffatt Translation). This translation communicates with greater accuracy the contextual meaning of the Hebrew word nathan,(1) otherwise frequently translated “given.” God didn’t give away ownership of the earth; He assigned the responsibility of governing it to humans. The Passion Translation says He has “put us in charge” of the earth. God’s “gifts” are often His “assignments,” an example being our children. Holy Spirit uses this word no less than 6 times in the first chapter of Joshua to remind Israel that He had “given” them the land of Canaan (verses 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 15). Canaan was the land He had promised (“given”) their forefather, Abraham (Genesis 12:7). They were now being assigned to conquer and possess what God had “given.” Someone once asked, “Well, was He giving, or were they taking?” The answer is, “Yes.” There is another word in this passage that aligns with this concept. Verse 11 uses the phrase, “The land the Lord your God is giving (nathan) you, to possess (yaresh)(2) it.” The word yaresh means “legally an heir; military invasion in order to seize or possess.” In other words, “I have given it to you legally; now, I’m assigning you to conquer and take possession of it.” The principle that we must “lay hold of” by faith and/or spiritual warfare what God has already given us is often confusing to many believers. They believe that what God wills for us to possess or experience - from that which Christ’s redemption provided - will sovereignly manifest for us. Not so. Most believers have never been taught what it means to “fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life“ (1 Timothy 6:12). “Lay hold” could be translated as “seize.” Thayer says the word (epilambanomai) means “to take what is one's own, to take possession of, to take to one's self, to make one's own; to claim, procure for one's self; that which when taken is not let go; to seize, to lay hold of, to apprehend.”(3 & 4). Obviously, this verse is NOT telling us to “take” or “wrestle” something from God. But we ARE being told to use our faith to “take possession of” what God has given through Christ; to “seize” it, and “don’t let go.” Sin’s curse operating on the earth, opposing circumstances, demonic opposition, and more, will attempt to steal from us what God has given. Paul was telling Timothy, “I know it is a fight, Timothy, a fight of faith. But you must use your faith and lay hold of that which God has given you.” Joshua is an Old Testament picture or type of Christ; Israel pictures the Church. Joshua gave Israel their inheritance; Jesus gave the Church its inheritance. To help paint this picture, Joshua’s name was actually changed earlier in his life from Hoshea to Joshua, which is the Hebrew equivalent to the name Jesus. In Joshua 10:22-27, Joshua (picturing Jesus) and the army of Israel defeated five Canaanite kings and their armies (picturing satan and those aligned with him). The kings fled and hid in a cave. Upon discovering them, Joshua (Jesus) ordered the kings to be brought to him and made them lie down on the ground. Everyone thought he was about to enact a very familiar custom of that time, which was the conquering king placing his foot on the necks of his enemies in order to display his conquest. Oftentimes the defeated army or armies would be paraded before the conquering king or general as he did so. This is what Colossians 2:15 is referring to, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Joshua (Jesus), however, does something very different and very prophetic. Rather than place his foot on the necks of these kings, as was the custom, Joshua summoned some of his soldiers and had them do so! No more literal picture of Christ and the Church could have been given. When Jesus defeated satan and his principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, placing them under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:57, Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 2:8), He “raised us up with Him” (Ephesians 2:6), placing satan and his army under our feet! And yet He also said, You’ll have to bind and loose (Matthew 16:18-19); you’ll have to use the “weapons of your warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4); you’ll have to “wrestle” (Ephesians 6:12). He is saying, “What I have accomplished, you must now enforce. I have put our enemies under our feet legally—under My and your authority—but you must exercise that authority in individual situations, causing the literal manifestation of our victory.” This is why Romans 16:20 says, “And the God of peace will soon crush satan under YOUR feet” (v. 20, emphasis added). And Luke 10:19 tells us, “Behold, I have given YOU authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you” (emphasis added). In Joshua 1:3, the Lord said to Joshua, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.” The word “tread” is darak, and means more than just stepping. It is a warfare term used for “bending the bow” when about to shoot an arrow. It is still used today in Israel for the command, “Load your weapons.” God wasn’t telling Israel that everywhere they simply walked or stepped would be given to them. He had already marked off the perimeters of their inheritance. He was saying, “Every place that I have promised, and where you are willing to “load your weapons” and possess, I’m going to give you.” So, one last time: Was God giving, or were they taking? YES! And to prove my point, I remind you that the previous generation in Israel was fearful and unwilling to darak - load their weapons - and fight. And they did NOT possess what God said was theirs. These things happened to Israel as types or shadows for us (see 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11). That which our Joshua - Jesus - has given to us will not automatically come to us simply because we are now born again. We must darak and yaresh! America shall be saved…as we lay hold of her salvation! Pray with me: Father, as we move toward revival and reformation, we are reminded of Israel. You told them to prepare their weapons; they were going to possess the land. They would have to “possess” what You were “giving” legally. As long as they walked in covenant with You and obeyed Your strategies, they prevailed. You have given us spiritual weapons, with which to overcome the powers of darkness that have influenced our nation for decades. They have controlled other nations for centuries. The spoils we’re after are people’s salvation; we want millions to be freed from the curse of the Fall and their separation from You. We want them delivered from sin and freed from oppression. We want our children to know You and Your ways, and to be passionately pursuing relationship with You. You want this, as well. We want our nation to once again embrace her calling and destiny. We want to serve Christ and other nations by taking the gospel of Jesus to them. We want You to be honored - from the highest levels of authority in our land, to every home and person. We want to help You accomplish the great revival You’re planning, being Your voices, Your hands, Your feet, and especially representing Your heart. You have said You would restore America to this if we humbled ourselves and prayed, turned from sin, and sought Your face. A remnant, a representational intercessory army has done so, and will continue to do this. We know You will honor what You have said. So we command once again, “Kingdom of God - rule of Yahweh, victory of Christ, life of God, breath of Holy Spirit - COME! Will and desires of King Jesus, BE!” We pray and decree these things through His authority, and thank You in advance. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will lay hold of that which God is giving. ************************* 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. 5414. Ibid., ref. no. 3423. Ibid., ref. no. 1949. Ibid., ref. no. 2983.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-16-2024 February 16, 2024 The Dominos Are Falling You would have to look long and hard to find anyone more passionate about seeing America revived and reformed than my brother, Tim Sheets. He seeks God diligently regarding what Holy Spirit is saying to the church and what is necessary in order for these 2 things to occur. As you will see from this word, Tim is on fire. He shares: ******* “Current events must be defined using God’s truth. Demonic visuals and messages must be forbidden and resisted. We must be a people who discern the times. Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth-century Italian priest, philosopher, and theologian, made this statement, ‘He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice, and if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.’(1) “It’s possible to be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). Anger at injustice is righteous anger. It is not love to wink at injustice; it is love to resist it. We are in a spiritual and ideological war for this nation. Ours is a call to spiritual warfare, and it is a call to cultural battles. It is an ideological war against unrighteous government and societal tyranny. It’s a call to speak truth to abusive, lying powers. The call of the Ekklesia is to arise and stand against evil. The weapons God gave us are mighty through Him to the pulling down of strongholds. We are called to partner with Him and stop corruption. It is time to cast off fear, apathy, indifference, laziness, and stand against injustice. “Last year, a shameful act of bullying by our government took place against our former president. This atrocity has never been done before in our nation. When I heard the news, I was reminded of things the Lord impressed upon me just prior to the event, ‘Leaders of some governmental agencies are about to panic. They will begin doing crazy things that will further expose their motives. In sheer desperation, they will lash out, but it will only reveal more of their own wickedness and evil. And though they are too deceived to know it, their dictatorial actions and communist tactics will have been further exposed.’ “Many in governmental positions of authority are trying to cover up their actions and lies. However, God spoke to me in a previous prophecy, ‘I will pull the covers off of you. I will bury your plans. I will write with my own finger: “vanquished.’” As Jesus said in Matthew 15:14, concerning the arrogant perversion of authority by Pharisees, ‘They are blind, but if the blind lead the blind, both fall in the ditch.’ “Currently, there are arrogant, self-righteous leaders in America who are going to lead other blind and arrogant people into a ditch. When fools lead fools, wrecks happen. These leaders are too blind to see that they have tipped a domino that will result in a cascade of falling dominoes. The serpent’s head is coming off. “1 Kings 18 speaks of Ahab’s and Jezebel’s confrontation with the prophet, Elijah. King Ahab and Elijah met, and Elijah proposed a challenge. An altar would be built and a sacrifice placed upon it; however, neither would light a fire. Each would ask for supernatural fire to fall on the sacrifice - Ahab’s prophets praying to their god, Baal; Elijah praying to Yahweh. The challenge would prove whose god was truly God. “The followers of Baal went first, praying from morning until afternoon with no results. Then it was Elijah’s turn. Immediately, the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed the offering. The challenge was over. The Baal workers supporting Jezebel were appropriately dealt with. “This passage of Scripture reveals that God has removed Baal’s influence from governments before. I believe He’s going to do so again. The day of reckoning is here. The hand of God is about to interrupt their party. The desecration of God’s laws and statutes will not go unopposed. The Almighty King is going to stomp the head of Leviathan that is slithering through government departments; his days in our government are numbered. “As I prayed into current events, the Lord spoke to me, ‘The Ekklesia must partner with Holy Spirit, allowing Him to lead in an aggressive battle plan. This plan will end in great deliverance, great reversals, and great victories, and will begin the discipling of nations.’ We must embrace this assignment. In many ways, our nation and way of life depend on it. Clearly, doctrines of demons are prevalent in our land; antichrist culture is being actively promoted. Christians are being persecuted, and our values are being vilified; the church has been described by some government leaders as ‘non-essential.’ “The war against Christ’s Kingdom and Ekklesia is real and is intensifying, but we are not without recourse! We have everything we need in order to prevail and turn this nation around. I believe the glorious Ekklesia is rising, just as God’s Word said it would. The Kingdom of God is amping up like I’ve never seen before, in order to accomplish Christ’s purpose on the earth. “To achieve this, we must do things God’s way, following the patterns and principles of Scripture. Sadly, we have too often seen nominal churches and shallow Christianity being promoted by fearful leaders. Obviously, this will not work; it is actually part of the problem. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to run from our adversaries, nor to be silent. We must not compromise, bow to fear, or cower to any challenge of our faith. “As Christ’s Ekklesia, we must raise our voices, make a visible stand without compromise, and be strong in the Lord. We must bring clarity and proper definition from Scripture to culture. When challenged by an ‘in your face’ attack from hell, we must respond by being real Christians, not religious pacifists, trembling in fear from loud-mouthed devils. “There is a remnant in the church that has heard Ahab’s defiance long enough. They are ready to rise up and do things God’s way, declaring, ‘Let the God who answers by fire be our God. If Baal is god, we’ll serve him. If Yahweh is God, we’ll serve Him. Let’s find out! Let’s find out who the real God is’ (1 Kings 18:24). “Jesus said hell’s government would not prevail. Let’s find out if Christ is big enough to back that up. I am confident that He can! God said He would watch over His Word to perform it. He said He would cause us to triumph. Let’s find out! Let’s find out if the name of Jesus is greater than any other name. I’m confident that it is!” *************************** Pray with me: Lord, break the darkness, break diabolical structures, and send Your great light. We decree that this is Your nation, and the recent schemes of our government will backfire in historic proportions. In the name of King Jesus, treacherous strategies will backfire, misfire, and boomerang! Battering ram angels are knocking the props of Baal out from under those who oppose You. Cause Your power to rise in this nation. Motivate the Ekklesia to raise her voice. Grant that boldness would be upon us to speak the Name of Jesus and the words He gives us. Give us signs and wonders. Show Your mightiness! Close the mouths of the prophets of Baal. Let righteous rulers arise, fearlessly declaring that You are God. Answer with fire! May the entire world see in this hour who the true God is. We continue to do as You instructed us and pray for protection over America’s water supply, waterways, dams, and ports. As the shaking occurs with greater intensity, as those with evil intentions begin their planned attacks and violence increases in our land, we boldly declare our faith that America is anchored, painted with Holy Spirit anointing, and will be restored through the shaking. Your Kingdom will come, and Your will accomplished, in Yeshua’s name! Amen. Our decree: We decree that Baal will be exposed in the government of America, and that God will answer our prayers with revival fire. ************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ---------------------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim at TimSheets.org. ---------------------------------------------------- 1. https://graciousquotes.com/thomas-aquinas/

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-15-2024 February 15, 2024 Winner Take All It will not be news to those of you who follow GH15 that we are in a “winner take all” spiritual war for the soul of America. The Left certainly knows this and has pulled out all the stops, no longer even masquerading their attempts at taking over. In their deceived minds, parents no longer have the right to control the education of their children, and kindergartners should be indoctrinated regarding sexual preferences. America should have no borders, her history should be rewritten, and laws are made to be broken. The fruit of allowing humanistic ideals to control our nation is now in complete manifestation: truth no longer matters, and lying to advance an agenda is perfectly acceptable. The average American, even those who do not profess to be Christians, shakes her or his head in wonder asking, “How did we get to this insane point?” That certainly needs to be addressed in order to reform our nation. But the strongholds that now exist will never be fully overcome only in the legislative chambers and courtrooms of America. A Third Great Awakening MUST occur to reawaken the conscience of millions in America. Yes, much else must be done, but without an awakening, there is no solution. We must experience revival and reformation. So, we war and work for both, and we will achieve them. Our amazing friend, Quin Sherrer, wrote the following piece regarding the spiritual battle we are in, highlighting General George Patton. It fits well with the subject of spiritual authority that I shared in the previous two posts. Quin writes: **************** ‘“I am a soldier. I fight where I am told. I win where I fight.’ That quote by General George S. Patton is displayed at the museum honoring him at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. “An intercessor friend who saw it during a visit there commented: ‘That should be our attitude when fighting God’s enemies, the powers of darkness, through prayer and spiritual warfare, especially with what’s happening in our nation. God needs Christians with a warrior’s spirit,’ she said. “‘Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the United States Military Academy at West Point. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the Patton Saber. He also competed in the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.’.(1) As a U. S. Army general, Patton’s leadership was strategic in winning battles. “‘George Smith Patton Jr. (1885–1945) was a general who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. ‘“Patton conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France. Under his decisive leadership, the Third Army took the lead in relieving beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which his forces drove deep into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.’(2) Without question, Patton’s leadership helped to save the world from Hitler’s takeover. “Some of Patton’s talk to his troops was laced with words that ladies at afternoon tea would not approve, he once admitted. But he said his men did. ‘Patton's philosophy of leading from the front, and his ability to inspire troops was usually favorably received by them…[His] colorful image, hard-driving personality, and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements.’(3) “However, biographers say Patton also believed in prayer. And he believed that the war he was engaged in, just as ours today, was spiritual. Here is one of his statements for his troops: ‘Urge all of your men to pray, not alone in church, but everywhere. Pray when driving. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for battle. Pray for the defeat of our wicked enemy whose banner is injustice and whose god is oppression. Pray for victory. Pray for our Army and pray for peace. We must march together, all out for God.’(4) “Wow! General Patton once told his men, ‘You must acquire the warrior’s soul.’ Here is another strong quote of his: ‘There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: that's the working. But between the plan and the operation, there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God. God has His part or margin in everything; that's where prayer comes in.’ (5) “Prayer and spiritual warfare must be used when satan and his demonic forces attempt to wreak havoc in our families, communities, and nations. We enforce Christ’s victory against the enemy to break his attacks using the weapons God has provided for us: the Word of God, the power of Holy Spirit, and the name of Jesus. “Though satan’s plans are carried out through people, Paul instructs Christians that their struggle is not with flesh and blood but with invisible principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness. He says to come against the ‘wiles of the devil’ - the enemy’s evil schemes - by putting on the full armor of God, taking a stand, praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, and staying alert (Ephesians 6:18 NIV). “Christ’s victory over satan is complete. Yet, we must enforce that victory. God is looking for those with a ‘warrior’s soul’ to unveil corruption and cause truth to prevail in our nation.” (Quin then quotes from one of my previous posts) “‘How does this warrior spirit translate into action today against the spiritual giants of our land? Obviously, it begins with prayer - spiritual warfare. But there is more. Standing for truth, voting out of office individuals with unbiblical ideals, giving to righteous causes, speaking out against that which opposes the rule of God - all are ways by which we war.’(6) “With Christ’s authority, we will win where we fight! But we have to engage, or we will lose by default.” ************* Pray with me: Father, as we stand in the gap for our nation, cities, and families, we declare that the power of the blood of Jesus has broken every chain of bondage. Let every evil scheme be exposed and thwarted before they can even be carried out. We declare that no weapon formed against Your plans for our nation shall prosper. Every tongue that would rise up against this will be exposed and cast down. We pray for Your manifold wisdom to rest upon all in authority over our country who stand with You. May truth and discernment guide every decision they make in their public and private lives. May unrighteous officials currently in office be replaced by those who will serve with integrity. We pray for their salvation, but also for the failure of their evil plans. We cry for justice and mercy, truth and righteousness to be established.(7) We bind the powers of darkness that are perverting justice in our nation. We ask that those partnering with this would continue to be exposed, and that the American people be shown the truth. Break the unrighteous attacks against President Trump and those who served him. Bring justice to those being persecuted unrighteously for protesting abortion, fraudulent elections, and other evils. End the evil associated with our borders; turn the tables on satan and his vessels by saving many of those coming into America. Send Revival..! Orchestrate Reformation..! In Christ’s name and authority, we pray, amen. Our decree: We decree that the enemy’s tactics and assignments aligned against our citizens and country will be exposed and demolished. Justice will prevail. Christians across this land with a warrior’s spirit will continue to cry out and stand in the gap, ushering in the next Great Awakening - a great harvest of souls and a true reformation. ************************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. -------------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend, author, and seasoned intercessor Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about Quin at QuinSherrer.com. -------------------------------------------- 1. George S. Patton, enen.wikipedia.org › wiki 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. https://www.azquotes.com/author/11404-George_S_Patton 5. https://libquotes.com/george-s-patton/quotes/god 6. Dutch Sheets Ministries, Give Him15, August 4, 2021 7. Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Minneapolis, Minnesota, Chosen Books, 217), 220.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-14-2024 February 14, 2024 Position and Partnership, Rights and Responsibilities In previous posts, I have pointed out that when determining who will rule the earth, power has never been the deciding factor. God’s power is and always will be infinitely superior to all other beings. Authority, the right to rule and control, is the issue. In Genesis 1:26-28 Yahweh stated that Adam was being given dominion over the earth. The Hebrew word adam(1) literally means “humans” - humankind was being given dominion over the earth. Psalm 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; the earth He has given to the sons of men.” “Given” is the word nathan,(2) which in this verse means “to give an assignment.” “Men” is the word adam. This verse is saying that God will oversee the heavens, but the earth He has assigned to humans. The Passion Translation confirms this: “The heavens belong to our God; they are His alone, but He has given us the earth and put us in charge.” The first Adam sinned, and through his blood, passed the resulting fallen nature to every human. He also forfeited his authority over the earth to satan, his new master. Yahweh honors His Word. He did so when Adam surrendered this authority to satan, and when recovering it, He did so, as well. The Savior, who would redeem humankind and take back their authority on earth, would have to be an adam, a member of the human race. God so honors His Word that redeeming us demanded the incarnation of Christ! This God-man, Christ, DID recover Adam’s lost authority. He now possesses - not only God’s authority - but that which the first Adam surrendered, as well. This is why Jesus announced, “All authority is now given to Me, both in heaven AND ON EARTH,” (Matthew 28:18-19). Christ took it all; satan lost it all. However, God is still honoring His original decision to rule and work on earth through people. Therefore, Christ needs humans here on earth through whom to release and exercise His authority. These humans are His body, the church. He provides them the authority, Holy Spirit provides the power. Authority is the right to rule or perform an activity; power is the strength or force needed to do so. Some illustrate this through a police officer. His badge is his authority; his gun is his power. Authority controls and releases power; power backs up and enforces authority. Delegated authority is representation, which literally means “to re-present” or “present again.” One to whom authority has been given represents the one who delegated it, “presenting again” their will, wishes, laws, etc. A police officer doesn’t say, “I have decided that you aren’t allowed to drive this fast.” She says, “The law [decided and declared by the city, county, or state she represents] states that you cannot drive this fast.” She represents the will and authority of another, not her own. Let’s look at two facets of spiritual authority, our rights and our responsibilities. RIGHTS Our rights involve our inheritance in Christ as His bride, His body, and His family. As such, He made us His joint-heirs (Romans 8:17). In His name or authority, every believer has an equal right to enter God’s throne room anytime and ask for this provision (John 14:13,14, 26; 15:16; 16:23; Hebrews 4:16). All believers have the right to ask for every blessing provided through Christ’s redemption (Ephesians 1:3). We have the right to resist the works and activities of all demons that oppose us (James 4:7), and the right to complete protection from them (1 John 5:18). We also have the right, in Christ’s name, to involve ourselves in priestly intercession, petitioning heaven for others to receive these benefits (Matthew 5:44; Ephesians 6.18; Colossians 1:9; 1 Timothy 2:1; James 5:16; and more). RESPONSIBILITY However, our authority in Christ also comes with responsibility as His Ekklesia. Many are still unaware that the word translated “church” in Matthew 16:18-19 (“I will build my church”) is ekklesia,(3) which is a governing assembly. Christ was stating that His body, His family, would have authority to represent His Kingdom on earth. This authority is pictured in the passage by “keys.” In this capacity, all believers do not possess the same level of authority. Our level is determined by our maturity and our assignment. A person with representational authority derives it from the one who sent them. Just as Christ represented the Father who sent Him, we represent Christ who sends us (John 20:21). Jesus operated in the Father’s authority, we operate in Christ’s. This facet of authority involves our kingly ministries and activities, including intercession. It doesn’t refer to priestly petitions offered heavenward for ourselves and others, but royal decrees issued earthward, enforcing the will of the King. With this authority, we command His Kingdom rule and will into the earth (Matthew 6:10). We are seated with Christ in His seat of authority (Ephesians 2:6), and from there, we release His authority over principalities and powers (Ephesians 3:10). This facet of our authority is not the body of Christ functioning as Christ’s bride or family, asking for their promised benefits; this is the Ekklesia, those who possess the keys of the Kingdom, authority to bind and loose, representing the King and His Kingdom against the powers of darkness. This is who Christ said the gates of hell can’t prevail against (Matthew 16:18-19)! These are those who reign in life by Christ Jesus (Romans 5:17), the “more than conquerors” army (Romans 8:17)! As we said in yesterday’s post, Romans, chapter 8, contrasts these two facets of authority - rights versus responsibility. This passage tells us the earth is groaning, waiting - not for God’s children! - but for mature “sons,” those mature enough to be “led by the Spirit of God.” These “sons'' of God know His Word and ways, carry His heart, and are led by His Spirit (verse 14), enabling them to re-present Christ, not just themselves. These mature believers can be trusted with great authority and influence, even discipling nations and bringing healing to the “groaning” earth. The entire family, even the children, enjoys the rights, blessings, and benefits of being in the family (verses 16-17). But mature sons and daughters can carry greater authority and be given more responsibility, re-presenting Christ’s will on earth. During the past several decades, the body of Christ has matured much in her bridal, familial, and priestly roles. We progressed greatly in multiplying God’s family, fellowshipping with and teaching one another, and in our worship of God. We learned more about our rights and benefits as redeemed children of God. This has prepared us for a greater understanding of our responsibility as Christ’s Ekklesia. We are not as mature in this governing facet of authority; many do not understand what it means to be His Ekklesia. But this phase of restoration in the church will now go to new levels in the lives of millions of believers, resulting in much higher levels of authority. A church the gates of hell cannot prevail against will now emerge. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the rights and blessings we have in Christ. You delivered us from the domain of darkness and sin’s many curses (Colossians 1:13). We are blessed with every blessing pertaining to life and godliness through Christ (2 Peter 1:3, Ephesians 1:3). You gave us total access to Your throne room (Hebrews 4:16), and told us to draw near to You (Hebrews 7:19, 10:22). We ask You to now awaken us to the incredible authority and privilege we have of representing Christ. Do for us as Paul prayed for the Ephesians - release a mighty spirit of revelation! (Ephesians 1:17) Cause us to see and desire more than just our rights and benefits as Your family, awaken passion in the church to represent You, to re-present Christ and His great victory. Bring millions of believers into “sonship,” a company of healers and restorers who walk in full maturity, taking Christ into all the earth. Raise up an army that understands binding and loosing, and what it means to possess the keys of the Kingdom. Transform the church from being congregational only, to becoming congressional. Use us to disciple and heal entire nations. We move in this authority now, representing and releasing the will of Christ on earth. We declare over America that the strong man, baal, is losing his hold over us and that millions of Americans are coming to Christ. We decree that the Prince of Persia is losing his hold over the people of Iran, and that millions of Iranians and other Middle Easterners are coming to Christ. We declare that the dragon and the bear, China and Russia, will not cause WWIII, and that China’s attempt to control America will fail. We declare that the coming shaking will heal America, not destroy us. For Christ and through His name, we pray this. Amen. Our decree: We declare our position in and partnership with Christ - our rights, and our responsibility. We will receive His benefits and serve His purposes in our generation. *********************** 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. 120. Ibid., ref. no. 5414. Ibid., ref. no. 1577.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-13-2024 February 13, 2024 Moving Into Greater Authority In a post last week, I mentioned an important passage from Romans 8, regarding mature sons and daughters of the Lord, capable of representing Him on earth. I knew at the time that further explanation was needed regarding this. I want to address this today. Today’s teaching is also an appropriate follow-up to yesterday’s regarding anarchy and a lack of leadership. There are several Greek words for a child, each depicting a different level of maturity. These words are used to describe various stages of spiritual maturity. Nepios(1) means “no speech” and refers to an infant or baby; 1 Corinthians 3:1 (NASB) says: “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.” Hebrews 5:13 - “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.” A paidion(2) is a toddler or young child; Matthew 18:4 says, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” A teknon(3) is a child, up to and including a teenager or young adult. Galatians 4:19 says, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” 1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” Finally, a huios(4) is a fully matured “son.” (Spiritually speaking, huios is not gender-based; just as a male can be part of Christ’s “bride,” females can be a fully matured “son.”) Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Matthew 5:45, “…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” In Christ’s day, when a child matured and had been adequately trained, they were “placed” into “sonship.” For this important transition, a public ceremony called a huiothesia(5) was held. This word literally means “placed as a son.” It was different than a bar mitzvah ceremony and normally occurred at 30 years of age. The father of the child would invite members of the community to this event, for it was a public announcement that the child was now a fully mature son with full authority to represent the family name, business, etc. During the ceremony, the father would announce, “This is my beloved son (huios), in whom I am well pleased.” This is why Father God spoke these words at Christ’s baptism (Mark 1:11); He was declaring that Christ was fully authorized to speak for Him and conduct His business. It was Christ’s huiothesia. Huiothesia is usually translated “adoption as sons” in the New Testament. Technically, however, this word isn’t saying we are being adopted into God’s family. It refers to the above ceremony, stating that as His children, already in the family, we are being positioned or placed into “sonship.” God’s plan is to mature us from spiritual babies to mature sons and daughters, qualified to fully represent Him. This understanding is important regarding Romans 8. The chapter tells us that as God’s “children,” regardless of our maturity level, we have all the rights, blessings, and privileges of being in His family. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children (teknon) of God, and if children (teknon), heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:16-17; NASB). However, the passage makes an important distinction between children and sons, saying that “sons” (huios) of God are led by His Spirit. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (huios) of God” (Romans 8:14; NASB). Many of God’s kids are not yet led by Holy Spirit. Though they have access to His blessings, they are not mature enough to know His voice and ways. Some never grow to this point. Children have rights and benefits; sons possess representational authority. The passage goes on to say that creation is groaning and travailing, waiting for the revealing of the “sons” of God - NOT His children (verse 19). The children of God cannot bring healing to the earth; only mature sons and daughters, those led by Holy Spirit, can do so. Obviously, a time of complete healing and restoration will one day come to the earth, just as a full manifestation of our sonship will one day occur. But as Christ’s Ekklesia, we are to manifest a level of this sonship now, representing His spiritual authority and releasing His healing to a groaning earth. I am confident that God has matured a company of believers throughout the earth into their “sonship” stage. They have grown in wisdom and knowledge. No longer spiritual babies or children, these believers have matured to a point where they can be trusted with Christ’s authority. As mature sons and daughters, they will bring salvation, healing, and restoration to impoverished nations, teaching them to prosper. They’ll transform governments, education, economies, medicine, farming, and more. They will be healers of decimated cities and nations (Isaiah 58:12), deliverers of the oppressed and downtrodden (Luke 4:18-19). This is all part of the discipling of nations we were commissioned to in Matthew 28:18-20. Although we are in an era of increasing spiritual warfare on the earth, with evil increasing and manifesting in many ways, God has a people prepared to accomplish His will. We must not fear but stand boldly in His name, releasing His kingdom authority and salvation. We are His healers and deliverers. We must move in humility, but also in power. We must operate in love, but also in authority. We are ambassadors of the King of kings, and this can be our finest hour. Pray with me: Father, we are a people called for such a time as this. You intend for and have prepared the Ekklesia to accomplish Your purposes on earth. Though we feel inadequate at times as we see evil abounding on the earth, may we be continually reminded that Your grace abounds even more! Keep us reminded that we are equipped for this battle, not from our own strengths and gifts, but because of the Greater One in us, and Christ’s authority upon us. We join our hearts as a vast prayer army, agreeing in intercession for the church around the world. We ask that a higher level of revelation be released in Your people, awakening us to our calling and equipping. Make this revelation as powerful for us as it was for Peter, who only weeks after denying Christ stepped into his apostleship and authority. Bring revelation to the church of Holy Spirit’s transforming power, of the incredible reality that He resides within us. Through His holy presence in us, we truly ARE more than conquerors, and CAN do all things through Christ. Pour out Your Spirit. Awaken Your spiritual army. Cause us, Your sons and daughters, to realize our full authority and position in Christ. Infuse us with new levels of humility, love, faith, boldness, and discernment. Do these things with such strength that we, like the early Ekklesia, turn our world “right side up.” Our decree: We decree that mature sons and daughters of the Most High God will arise in this hour to heal individuals and nations. ************************** 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. 3516. Ibid. Ref. no. 3813. Ibid. Ref. no. 5043. Ibid. Ref. no. 5207. Ibid. Ref. no. 5206.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-12-2024 February 12, 2024 America’s Anarchy and Its Cause In a recent publication, the National Faith Advisory Board stated the following regarding what is occurring at our southern border: “Sadly, the number of illegal entries this past year shattered all records, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection announcing that they processed over 300,000 illegal entries in December alone, the highest number on record. This is unprecedented and, more importantly, preventable. During the Biden presidency, over 10 million people have entered illegally, the highest ever in history, including 1.7 million ‘gotaways.’ In 2023, Border Patrol encountered nearly 500 people on the terror watch list, and fentanyl-related deaths rose 870% due to illegal border activity, making it cheaper, deadlier, and easier to obtain. “The border patrol agents tell us they are overwhelmed by the drug cartel bringing in fentanyl, cocaine, dealing in human and sex trafficking of adults and small children. Allowing for unmitigated illegal crossings is not compassionate to migrants either, who face overflowing programs for housing and healthcare, and puts American citizens at great risk due to the increased cost of illegal immigration, spikes in crime, and the entry of migrants on the terror watch list. 15 states have smaller populations than the total number of illegal border crossings in 2023. Migrants seeking to cross illegally are often targeted by violence and kidnapping by cartels. The smuggling cartels are profiting over $32 million a week for bringing illegal immigrants just into one 245-mile stretch of the border. Communities all over the country are flooded with migrants, overwhelming local resources such as a town of 15,000 in Wisconsin flooded by the Biden Administration with over 1,000 migrants. In a few months' time, this has led to the death of an infant child, multiple sexual assaults, and a kidnapping. “Our small towns, cities, and communities will all suffer under the weight of unmitigated illegal migration. It is not compassionate to let people get raped along the border, to have a price tag on their head, or to live without visas.” In her recent Fox News show, Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, she discussed illegals from China, perhaps America’s greatest current threat, now flooding into America. In 2022, 13.6% of those allowed in for “defensive” asylum were Chinese; the second most was El Salvador’s 10.4%, India’s 9.2%, Guatemala at 8.9%, Honduras 6.8%, followed by Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Russia, Mexico, and others. Some estimates are as great as 37,000 Chinese illegals entered last year, and 20,000 have entered in the last 4 months. “More than 30,000 migrants with possible ties to terrorism or other ‘nefarious activity’ were released into the United States in the last 15 months,” says the Daily Caller News Foundation.(1) The Daily Signal warns of Tren de Arafat, a Venezuelan criminal gang. “Joseph Humire, an expert on Latin American security, calls the Tren ‘the fastest growing trans-international criminal organization in the world.’” The Signal warns that “with 47,000 Venezuelans caught entering the US at the southern border last December alone – 27,000 of them single adults,” this gang is gaining momentum quickly. ”The Tren is reportedly active everywhere from Atlanta to Chicago to Washington, D.C.” When they enter our nation, by the way, in some cities, such as New York City, they “get free housing in luxury hotels, free meals, free laundry, and now, prepaid debit cards, thanks to taxpayers… in El Paso, Texas, [they engage] in human smuggling and sex trafficking. “In the New York City precinct where the Venezuelans attacked those two police officers, grand larceny was up over 83% last year over 2022.”(2) Meanwhile, America’s justice system is corrupt beyond belief. The state Supreme Court of Hawaii cited “The Spirit of Aloha” in a ruling that its residents do not have a Second Amendment right to bear arms: "The Spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities," read the ruling written by Justice Todd Eddins. "The history of the Hawaiian Islands does not include a society where armed people move about the community to possibly combat the deadly aims of others," Eddins added. "We hold that in Hawaii, there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public."(3) Carlos Garcia of Blaze News quotes several people who excoriate this crazy ruling: "’Ah yes, the “Spirit of Aloha” clause of the Constitution that allows the Hawaii supreme court to ignore or overrule SCOTUS,’ responded Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute. "’The Hawaiian Supreme Court completely lost their minds (and any credibility) by ruling the Second Amendment doesn't apply to them,’ read a statement from the Gun Owners of America. ‘Apparently, their “Spirit of Aloha” doesn't vibe with the right to keep and bear arms. Maybe the State of Texas can apply the ‘Spirit of the Alamo’ to federal mandates...’ "’The “Spirit of Aloha” does not give any court the ability to override our constitutional #2A rights. This is absolutely disgraceful,’ said Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.”(4) Watch a conservative news network ANY night of the week and see America’s 2-tiered system of justice (in other words, injustice), “lawfare,” violence, lawlessness, and anarchy. As Isaiah once lamented, “Truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:14) We are being destroyed from within, as Abraham Lincoln once warned: “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."(5) If you are a regular follower of Give Him 15, you know I believe America will be saved and restored. I also know this is only possible through a third great awakening, a revival and reformation of unprecedented proportions, which can only be birthed by intercession. There is no other way. I am continually shocked at the apathy of pastors and churches in America. One would think the pastors would be desperately turning their congregations into houses of prayer. Their children and grandchildren would thank them. The coming shaking, likely caused in part by the thousands of terrorists doubtlessly now in our nation, will no doubt break off much of the apathy. Anarchy Two definitions of anarchy are “lack of obedience to an authority;” and “confusion and disorder.”(6) Now let me surprise most of you. The original and literal meaning of anarchy is “lack of a leader; leaderless.” (From Greek: an - “without, lacking” and arch(ós) - “leader.”)(7) America’s anarchy is due to its lack of wise, honest, bold, selfless and godly leadership; it began in the church and spread to government. We leaders can decry the lawlessness, disorder, and spiritual death all we want, but we caused it through our “anarchy,” and our lack of leadership. In the church, we yielded to apathy, compromise of Scripture, weak theology, loss of passion and fire, cowardice and fear of man, wrongly defining success, and prayerlessness. Our weak salt and dim light then allowed what has occurred in government, followed by education and all of American society. Alex de Tocqueville’s warning was right: “America’s greatness started in her pulpits, and that’s where it ended.”(8) The health and well-being of any nation and culture are always linked to the church and government. These, of course, must have wise and godly leadership. When Israel rebelled, fashioned, and worshipped a golden calf (Exodus 32), Aaron, whom Moses had left in charge, blamed it on the people; God blamed it on Aaron. “Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to the point of being an object of ridicule among their enemies...”(verse 25). The only possible interpretation is that if Aaron had stood his ground and exercised godly leadership and authority, the Lord would have backed him up and stopped this rebellion and idolatry. The leaders of the American church must repent for the anarchy of our nation. Then we must continue to cry out for righteous and wise leaders! Pray with me: Father, I repent on behalf of leaders in the American church. Our lack of passion, wisdom, prayer, sound teaching, and Spirit-led leadership has caused anarchy in our land. We in the church of America have no right to point the finger at corruption in our nation and blame others. We are the problem. We humble ourselves before You, asking for cleansing. We lost our savor and turned out the light. You gave us the greatest nation in history - great in purpose, liberty, government, resources, and favor. Like the prodigal in Scripture, we have squandered it. We are asking for mercy. We are asking for a sweeping move of Your Spirit that restores first love, wisdom, and Your heart to the church. And we ask for sanity in our nation, a shake-up of America’s ungodly leaders who literally empower human trafficking, the shedding of blood, drug addiction, gang violence, and many other evils, all from a lust for power. Give us a revived, on-fire church, and an honest, wise servant-hearted government. Do this in order that we can once again represent You in this great nation, and participate in Your greatest Kingdom enterprise in the history of the world. We are not without hope; we have faith that You will do this. Therefore, we do as You instructed us and command the coming of Your Kingdom authority, and the creating of Your will. In Yeshua’s name, amen. Our decree: We decree that God is cleansing our nation, and healing America of anarchy and evil rule. ******************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------------- https://www.theblaze.com/news/30000-migrants-with-possible-ties-to-terrorism-or-other-nefarious-activity-released-into-us-report https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/08/gangs-all-here-thanks-bidens-open-border-borderline/ https://www.theblaze.com/news/hawaii-gun-spirit-aloha-ruling Ibid. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN29V2GQ/ Dictionary.com, version 11.6.0.27 (11.7.0), “anarchy.” Ibid. This statement is routinely and widely attributed to Alex de Tocqueville and has been quoted by U.S. Presidents and leaders as such, though no exact quote can be found.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-9-2024 February 9, 2024 Our friend Gina Gholston, felt the need to break weariness, discouragement, hope-deferred, the pain of past wounds, and other weights hindering believers at this time. And I’m glad she did! We need YOU free and healthy to run the race! You’ll find her words encouraging and powerful. The title is: Free to Run Many within the Body of Christ are experiencing a deepening passion for God. There’s an unshakeable feeling that we have crossed into the unfolding of a history-making moment, provoking a deep longing to know and walk with God. There is a clarion call from the Lord, piercing the hearts of all who have ears to hear. Christ is calling His Body to rise and shine with the light of His glory (Isaiah 60: 1-2). Recently, the Lord spoke to me that 2024 will be a year of His revealed glory. This means the Church, must be alert and move in high levels of wisdom, authority, and boldness, enabling Christ to work through us. Undaunted faith in God is required at this time! I have said many times: real faith takes real courage. And we are in a real faith and real courage season! Faith comes from knowing God and His Word. As we spend time with Him, focusing on Him and His Word, faith arises within us. That faith gives us the courage and confidence to advance. It’s an urgent, yet exciting time, the moment we have longed and prayed for. However, some are finding themselves hesitant in their response to His calling. This hesitation could be for many different reasons. Some fear what is ahead. Grief and trauma from past wounds control some. Many have grown weary in well-doing, while others have become shrouded in hope deferred. Though some of our reasons seem justifiable, it is critically important that we overcome all that is detrimental to our focus forward, and refocus back onto God. Our love for and trust in Him must outweigh and overpower all fear or uncertainty of the future. Our desire for His glory must outweigh and overpower any shroud that seeks to confine us to emotional entanglements from past experiences. We must awaken passion, set our eyes on Him, cast our cares onto Him, disallow fear, and by faith, move forward! To some, America may seem too far gone for recovery. The advancement of evil agendas may seem to have prevailed against the prophetic destiny of God for our nation, but things are not always as they appear in the natural. There is another portion of the story that has yet to be told. Through past dreams and prophetic words, God has declared that He is NOT late, and that America SHALL be saved! This is the time, and the Lord has need of us in order to produce a national and international revival! Jesus is calling us to see and hear beyond the chaos and noise surrounding us. He’s calling us to draw near to Him, seeing and hearing from His perspective and with unhindered clarity. This breaks us free from the strongholds of doubt, fear, and the confining grip of anxiety and uncertainty. Recently the Lord reminded me of a vision I had several years ago in which I saw a man sitting in a chair, his elbows on his knees and his head propped up in his hands. He was weeping. His tears were dropping onto some type of white dust covering his legs and feet. As the tears mingled with the dust, they formed into blocks of cement. The man wanted to stand and walk, but was completely confined by the cement blocks. Then, suddenly, I saw a hand swinging a large hammer. As the hammer hit the cement blocks, they were broken into pieces, instantly freeing the man to stand and walk. I believe this pictures what is happening with many in the church today through spiritual awakening. When we hear and believe God’s Word, truth comes like a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29) to break us free from that which has been confining us to fear and other crippling emotions! Our journey is unfinished, and the Lord wants to free us to run without encumbrances and weariness. When He speaks, we must respond and obey. God’s plan is progressing. The path ahead is formed, and we must choose to take our place on that path so His glory can be revealed. It’s time. An increase is coming to those who respond in faith and obedience to the Lord—an increase of strength, vision, wisdom, and strategy. God is taking us to another level of seeing and hearing in the Spirit. He is increasing our awareness of the authority we have in our speaking and praying. Our confidence in Him is increasing, as is our boldness. And as we remain steadfast, Holy Spirit will work powerfully through our obedience. I hear a clarion call echoing from the throne room of God to the heart of His true warriors, “Shake off distractions and disappointments. Set your face like a flint toward Me. Do not be moved by what you see happening around you! It’s temporary. There is a turning in the works. I have told you ahead of time, and now is the time! I have called you for this moment. Believe My promises. Remember My Word! DO NOT DOUBT IT, and do not fear.” Pray with me: Father, thank You for this history-making time. We hear You, and we will follow You forward. We refuse to allow our enemy to talk us into surrendering our posts. We receive and believe Your Word. Like a hammer, it is breaking off all emotional entanglements of the last season. Thank You for healing many - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - so that with renewed focus and strength, they can rise to finish what You have started in and through them! We trust You, and we will not be afraid. You are our strength and defense, and our salvation. Your favor is upon us, and You will work through us to fully establish all of Your intentions for our time. We breathe in Your awakening breath, and we shout with steadfast resolve, “Weariness will not rob us of our due season!” We are free, we will run, and we will BE all You have called us to be! We continue to pray for our waterways, water resources, dams, and ports. We ask for protection over them and for strength and strategy for those obeying this assignment We know a shaking has begun and will intensify. But You said America will survive and be restored to her destiny. We do not fear, we believe Your promise, and we will partner with You in all You have planned for our future, including revival and reformation. We thank You for Your faithfulness and mercy. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We set our faces like a flint toward Yahweh. We are not moved by what we see happening around us! We remember and believe God’s Word, never doubting it, and we shall see the performance of that which He has said. **************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------------------ Portions of today’s post were taken from Gina’s book Carry On! You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholstonMinistries.org.

5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-8-2024 February 8, 2024 Mary Had a Little Lamb (Revival and Reformation, Part 6) “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” (Revelation 19:11-16; NASB) Mary had a little lamb… This gentle “lamb” spoke words of comfort to outcasts, healed those who suffered, gave of His time and energy to multitudes, and forgave sinners. His tender heart wept over the tomb of a friend, over a city, and in times of prayer. He allowed soldiers, whom He created, to mock Him, spit on Him, beat Him mercilessly, and lead Him quietly to His death at Calvary. “He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7; NASB) But Jesus isn’t only the meek, sacrificial “lamb,” slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He is also the “lion” of Judah; He fears nothing and no one. He created everything... with only His words. And He keeps the universe operating in perfect order... with just His words. While walking the earth, He also walked on water…and through walls. Storms obeyed His commands, He turned water into wine, and multiplied by thousands a few fish and loaves of bread. His spit healed blind eyes, and His touch cured leprosy. He raised the dead and reversed insanity. Demons fled from Him, shrieking in fear. When their Creator willingly died, the sun refused to shine, and the earth shook. Death, of course, couldn't hold Him, and His resurrection was so powerful it spilled over onto other dead people, raising them from the dead! Once back in heaven, He reclothed Himself in glory. His eyes are like fire, His voice is like a waterfall, and when appropriate, His words become a sharp sword with which He strikes down nations. Fire also goes before Him and consumes His enemies. In righteousness He judges and makes war, with the armies of heaven following Him. Angels worship Him; rulers cast their crowns at His feet. He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. It behooves us as humans to know which Jesus we’re dealing with: the Savior or the King; the Lamb or the Lion; the Mediator or the Judge. Mary’s little Lamb, who loves sinners and wants to save them, has been known to don His Kingly robe and send an angel to kill an earthly king - on this side of the Cross (Acts 12:23). The Great Shepherd, Pastor Jesus, laid down His shepherd staff and picked up His sword, striking down two people defiling the early church at its inception (Acts 5:5). On one occasion Savior Jesus determined that His warrior mantle was needed and struck a man with blindness for opposing the gospel (Acts 13:11). Am I saying that God likes to hurt people or rain down judgment? Absolutely not. In numerous posts, I have said that God takes no pleasure in the judgment of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). But neither am I saying that He never judges the wicked. God knows when grace and mercy are possible, and He knows when judgment is necessary. And His judgments are “true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). We have been discussing revival and reformation. Savior Jesus, the Lamb of God, is going to pour out His Spirit on Earth in unprecedented measure, saving a billion or more people in this season. And Lord Jesus, the Lion of Judah, is going to disciple nations, reforming them to His precepts and laws. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, He stated that He had been given all authority, not just in heaven, but also on earth. This is King Jesus speaking. He then said go and disciple the nations, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Notice that He did not “invite” them to honor His teachings; He “commanded” them! Let’s remember in this revival and reformation that Jesus is Savior and Redeemer, but also that He is Lord, Master, and King. He is our High Priest, offering grace and mercy, and He is the Lawgiver, demanding truth and justice. He is the Lamb, kind and gentle; He is also the Lion, strong and fierce. He’s the Servant of all, yet He is the General of heaven’s army. He is our Husband, but also our Bishop; our Provider, but also our Creator; our Friend, but also our Captain; a Healer, but also a Warrior. He is the Son of Man, and He is the Son of God. This incredible God-Man is about to make His presence known on earth in dramatic ways. The Savior is coming with His redeeming grace, and the King is coming to expand His Kingdom. Keep your lamps burning brightly. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Jesus, for who He is, and what He has done. We thank You for His humanity and His deity. We thank You for His perfect love and perfect justice. We thank You for Your plans that are unfolding. Thank You for the way in which You orchestrate events, and even in perilous and difficult times, navigate through them to bring about great spiritual harvests on Earth. We ask for a release of Your saving power, and Your righteous judgments. We ask You to end the reign and terror of the Prince of Persia in the Middle East, and for millions of souls to come to You in that region. We ask You to stay the hands of evil leaders in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and elsewhere, keeping them from actions that would hinder revival and reformation. We ask for You to stay the hands of evil in America, the rule of leaders who allow modern-day slavery - the trafficking of humans through Mexico - in order to gain votes in the future. Their lust for power and control has seared their consciences. Judge this hideous evil. Expose it. Remove those who shamelessly partner with it. Rain revival on our churches, our campuses, our cities, and our homes. We bind the strong man, Baal, in America, decreeing that he will not maintain his hold on this nation. We declare that the blood of Jesus is cleansing our nation, and that You will send the revival we need. You will answer by fire, just as You did for Elijah, and send the rain. We ask for and receive these things by faith, in the holy name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Earth’s Creator, Owner, and Redeemer is coming to revive and reform. ********************************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ----------------------------------------------------- You can find our recent Revival and Reformations teachings here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.