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  1. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/may-3-2023 May 3, 2023 The National Day of Prayer Tomorrow, the first Thursday of May, is the National Day of Prayer. Many will be gathering in groups around the nation, praying together for God’s hand to lead America. Today’s post is written by our good friend, Timmerle Kelly. She is the Executive Director of the Reformation Prayer Network, reaching all 50 states. Timmerle shares: “Observing a day of prayer for our nation, the National Day of Prayer can be traced back to the founding of the United States. Throughout history, our nation's leaders have called for prayer during times of crisis, challenge, or thanksgiving. As early as 1775, the Continental Congress declared a day of prayer to seek God's guidance and protection as they sought independence from Britain.1 Their motivation may have been Proverbs 3:5-6. The New King James Version says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.’ “Throughout the years, presidents, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed days of fasting and prayer. These leaders understood their need for God’s intervention as they led America. They believed His Word and set aside time to seek His face. “After a joint resolution by Congress in 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Day of Prayer into law, making it an annual observance. President Ronald Reagan determined it should be observed annually on the first Thursday of May.2 Every president since Truman has issued a proclamation recognizing the National Day of Prayer, affirming the importance of prayer in the life of our nation.3 The Theme for 2023 “This year, the theme of the National Day of Prayer is ‘Pray Fervently in Righteousness and Avail Much’; it is taken from James 5:16 (NKJV), ‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’4 This is a timely reminder that as we join together in prayer, we are partnering with God and engaging in powerful spiritual warfare. “As we walk in righteousness, our prayers have the potential to produce dramatic change, not only in our lives, but also in the world around us. To pray fervently means to be persistent and passionate in our prayers, refusing to give up or be discouraged until we see answers to our intercession. In this, we find our strength and our hope. “Kathy Branzell, President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, shared her thoughts regarding this year's theme, stating, ‘God’s Word is clear, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV). This is a time for us to come together, united in prayer, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.’ 5 “Tomorrow, may we join others in praying fervently and passionately for our nation. Righteousness is not something we can achieve on our own, but rather, is a gift from God through the blood of Jesus as we repent and believe on Him. Ask for this on behalf of our nation. As we submit ourselves to Him and walk in His ways, we can be confident that our prayers will avail much, impacting our nation for the glory of God. The Power of Unity in Prayer “Unity is a vital force within the body of Christ and is essential as we remember the National Day of Prayer. In John 17:21 (NKJV), Jesus prayed that ‘...they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.’ When we unite in prayer, we fulfill the heart of Jesus' prayer, demonstrating to the world the love and unity that can be found in Him. “Kathy Branzell emphasized the importance of unity in prayer, saying in her article regarding this year’s NDP, that this is a time ‘for us to come together, united in prayer, to seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.’ 6 This unity in prayer sends a clear message to the enemy that we are standing strong, united under the banner of Christ. As we pray and agree together, we can shift the spiritual atmosphere and bring about change in our nation (see Matthew 18:19-20). “Dave Kubal, president of Intercessors for America, urges believers to pray for our leaders, emphasizing this as a Biblical mandate. 7 We elect our leaders, but we must ask God to lead them. We often focus on our denominational and political differences and quarrels, but it is a significant statement to the nations that American Christians can put aside their differences and pray together for our country and its leaders. As we come together, we are declaring that we trust in God's mercy and power, knowing He is the only One who can bring healing and restoration to our land. Taking Action on the National Day of Prayer “Let’s pray tomorrow, especially for those who lead us governmentally, doing so in accordance with 1 Timothy 2:2, ‘Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.’ Pray for national leaders as well as your state and local leaders - governors, mayors, city council members, etc. Intercessors for America (IFApray.org) lists the leaders of each state on their website. If you do not already know yours, you can find them there. “God established the family as the core institution for humans on earth. Our families are meant to be places of security, where we form our sense of self and identity, and where we should learn to worship God. We are all aware the enemy hates family. It is a primary focus of Satan’s attacks and is a subject worthy of our fervent intercession. Praying for those that govern us and for families are just two of many areas we can focus on tomorrow. “There are local National Day of Prayer gatherings where you can pray with other Christians in your community. Many sites are listed on the National Day of Prayer.org website. If there isn’t one near you, consider taking the initiative to gather your family, friends, and co-workers together to pray for our nation. “We are grateful that our Presidents saw fit to set aside a day each year so we could join together to pray for America. It has never been more important that we do so. Take some time tomorrow to pause and pray for our great nation. “May our hearts be filled with hope and expectation as we join together on this year’s National Day of Prayer.” Pray with me: Father, tomorrow is a significant day in America, a set-apart day when Your Church crosses denominational, cultural, and political lines, humbles herself, and prays together for our nation. We are told to approach You daily, asking for heaven’s bread and provision. Many do so. And yet, it is good and important that we set apart a national, government-honored day to seek You. America is in desperate need of Your guidance and direction. Forgive us for our national sin of rejecting You and neglecting to seek Your plans and Your ways. We have wandered far from You, yet You are merciful. You multiply power when we pray in unity; we do so now. We pray that the spiritual atmosphere over our nation shifts, that the united prayers of Your people would be used to usher in transformation, justice, and Your intervention in every sphere of society. As people participate, move upon their hearts, especially those who don’t know You or are lukewarm in their walk with You. Awaken desire in them! And also, as some who are complacent participate, we ask You to alert many of them to America’s desperate need of You. And lastly, we ask for an awakening, a stirring, in the hearts of pastors and leaders toward prayer. So few churches pray. Please change this somehow. In Jesus’ healing name, we pray. Amen. Our decree: We decree that as we agree in fervent prayer on the National Day of Prayer, power will be released to accomplish a mighty move of God's Spirit, bringing healing and restoration to America. *********************** Click on the link below to watch full video. ------------------------------------------------------- 1 https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day-of-prayer-first-thursday-in-may/#:~:text=President%20Harry%20S.,been%20proclaimed%20each%20year%20 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/2023_theme 5 https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/spring_2023_ministry_update 6 Ibid. 7 https://ifapray.org/pray-for-america/
  2. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/may-2-2023 May 2, 2023 Back around 2000, Ceci told me, “One day you’re going to write a book entitled The Pleasure of His Company, teaching people how to connect with God’s heart at a deeper level.” I wrote the book in 2014. It is easily my best book. A few years back, I shared several posts from this book. They garnered our best responses from you - by far. So, starting on Monday, May 15, I’ll be sharing a few more posts from this book. In today’s crazy world, God’s presence must be our anchor. And as always, we will pray. I’m confident you will be enriched. I am letting you know in advance because when I shared from the book a few years ago, several people said they wished they had the book when I did so – to make notes, etc. If you would like to do this, you have time to order it at our website, or where books are sold. Today I’ll be sharing a sampling, taken from 2 of its chapters. The Pleasure of His Company From Chapter 1: The Person Words are certainly inadequate to describe God’s attributes, abilities, intellect, and accomplishments. He is breathtaking yet calming, all-powerful but gentle, unsearchably wise though humble, and awe-inspiring while completely approachable. Perfection defines Him, intrigue surrounds Him, and eternity is in Him. His intricacies are so complex it requires oxymoronic words and phrases to describe Him: He’s the Ancient of Days, yet is forever new, existing in a perpetual now; His omnipresent existence contradicts every natural law of time, space, and physics. When Moses asked Him His name, He simply said, “I AM.” Words fail. Consider the following facts about Jesus: A fish supplied Him with a mouthful of money. Storms obeyed His commands. His spit healed blind eyes, and His touch cured leprosy. He walked on water . . . and through walls! He turned water into wine and multiplied by thousands a few fish and loaves of bread. He raised the dead. He reversed insanity. Demons fled from Him. His eyes are like fire, His voice like a waterfall. Angels worship Him; rulers cast their crowns at His feet. He created everything . . . with just His words. He keeps the universe operating in perfect order . . . yep, with just His words. What if I told you this Person requests the pleasure of your company; that the true and living God not only loves you, He likes you. Yahweh created us humans because He wanted family and friends, not distant servants. When Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray, His response introduced them to a completely new and radical way of thinking. “Start your prayer by addressing God as Father,” He answered (Matthew 6:7). Other references encourage us to call Him “Abba - Papa” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). When Jesus said this, He forever changed the playing field. He rewrote the rules. Religious leaders were offended, philosophers found it ridiculous, but hungry hearts like yours and mine, looking for our roots, found it incredibly hope-inspiring. “You mean God wants us to call Him Dad, not Your Highness or Most Holy One?” “Yep,” Jesus said. “God would prefer that you call Him Dad.” May that forever shape your approach to Yahweh. Father God wants YOU, not some shallow religious loyalty. The affirmation of your praise and admiration of your worship blesses Him, not because He needs affirmation or likes to hear how great He is, but because He wants to connect with you. The Scriptures tell us He is seeking “worshipers,” not worship. (John 4:23) From Chapter 20: The Lingerers 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' and I will tell your really fast.’ “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. 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. David 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, but then Yahweh 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 Abba 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 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 wonderful truth that it attracts His very presence (Psalm 22:3). Through this, 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 wounded. 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. Don't settle for a cursory look; be a lingerer. Pay the price to reach His heart, no matter what it costs you! Talk to Him slowly, listen to Him slowly, and leave Him slowly. Pray with me: Father, thank You for wanting us in Your world. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us back to You when we rebelled from the plan. We marvel at Your grace and love. Jesus, we are grateful beyond words for Your willingness to come into our world, amazed that You were willing to become one of us, a flesh and blood human being, in order to redeem us. We want to get to know You better. As we embark on this journey, drawing closer to You, may enjoying the pleasure of Your company become our reward. And we thank You for sharing Your authority with us, for giving us Your name. Teach us how to more skillfully and wisely partner with You in stewarding and managing the Earth. May we represent and reveal You more effectively, doing so out of relationship, not just responsibility. In Your name, we pray, Amen. Our decree: We confess and boldly declare that we are accepting Abba’s invitation to draw near. We will find and enjoy the pleasure of His company. *************************** Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________________________________ Charles R. Swindoll, Man to Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p 272.
  3. 7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/may-1-2023 May 1, 2023 America’s Christian Heritage After sharing several posts last week on the importance of history, the synergy of the ages, placing ourselves in the storyline, and the Appeal To Heaven flag, it seems appropriate to quote from some of America’s history. Sometimes we “move on” too quickly. The following prayers and quotes are from some of America’s Founders and Presidents. The following prayer was “adapted from Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, which he wrote on June 8, 1783, as the commander in chief, at his headquarters in Newburgh, New York. This circular was directed to the governors and states of the new nation. His reference to them has been replaced by the words ‘the United States.’ Otherwise, the words and the spellings are those of General George Washington of the Continental Army.” “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Devine Author of our blessed Religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Amen.”(1) On June 28, 1787, when our framers were struggling to agree on a suitable Constitution, Benjamin Franklin - considered one of the least spiritual of the Founders - made the following statement. His appeal began the practice of opening sessions of Congress with prayer: (I have included the entire Proclamation for you, although I won’t read it all today.) “The small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance & continual reasonings with each other -- our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics, which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed the Modern States all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances. “In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine Protection. -- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence, we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without [H]is notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without [H]is aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without [H]is concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest. “I, therefore, beg leave to move -- that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service.” (2) Abraham Lincoln wrote the following proclamation to Americans on March 30, 1863: (I have included the entire speech for you, although I won’t read it all today.) “Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation: “And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord: “And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. “Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion. “All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace. “In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.” (3) In 1911, the year before he was elected president, Woodrow Wilson assured the listeners that he was right with the Lord, and said: "America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask of every man and woman in this audience that from this night on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations -- that if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Scripture." (4) On one of his famous radio addresses, FDR said the following: "No greater thing could come to our land today than a revival of the spirit of religion -- a revival that would sweep through the homes of the nation and stir the hearts of men and women of all faiths to a reassertion of their belief in God and their dedication to His will for themselves and for their world. I doubt if there is any problem -- social, political, or economic -- that would not melt away before the fire of such a spiritual awakening." (5) And finally, President Harry Truman, in a 1950 speech before a conference on law enforcement, said: "THE FUNDAMENTAL basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, Isaiah, and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. "If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally wind up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state." (6) Selah - pause and think about that one! So much for the revisionist attempts to steal our Christian heritage. It is there, and it will remain. Put yourself in the storyline, agree with these leaders - help create the synergy of the ages, and appeal to heaven. It still works. Pray with me: Father, this week during which America will honor a National Day of Prayer, we look back at our beginning and thank You. Thank You for righteous women and men who believed Your Word, honored the gospel of Christ, and realized that unless You built America, they - and we - labored in vain. Though their words have been dishonestly and shamefully hidden, they are on record and alive in Heaven. We honor these words, agree with them, and declare them over America today. You told Jeremiah his words, given to him by You, would “pluck up…break down…destroy…overthrow…build and plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). Surely our Spirit-led words, authorized by Jesus, can do the same. You said Your Words are Spirit and life (John 6:63), a spiritual sword (Ephesians 6:17), and seeds that birth and bear fruit (Mark 4:14; 1 Peter 1:23). Therefore… Our decree: We boldly decree today: America was birthed by God for His purposes, those purposes are alive and well, and America shall be saved! *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________ https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-tombs/george-washingtons-prayer-for-his-country/ Franklin, Benjamin. “Constitutional Convention Address on Prayer.” June 28, 1787. Philadelphia, PA. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=lincoln;rgn=div1;view=text;idno=lincoln6;node=lincoln6:336 https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/09/21/fdr-invoked-god-too/741f9d68-057c-4bf3-b0be-6faca4c8e2ef/ https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true
  4. 7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-28-2023 April 28, 2023 Are You Ready to Take Your Place? A couple of weeks after I was introduced to the Appeal to Heaven flag, Holy Spirit gave a profound dream to my friend, Rick Curry. The dream seemed to encapsulate the synergy of the ages; putting ourselves into the storyline; the fact that God was involved in the birth of America; and the significance of the Appeal to Heaven flag. In the dream, Rick found himself in an old wooden tabernacle. An elderly man approached, whom Rick and I believe represented the Ancient of Days. This man turned on all the lights and opened all the windows, which were large pieces of hinged plywood, held open by poles. As the tabernacle filled with light, Rick could see that it was huge, seating twenty-five to thirty thousand people. The gentleman then escorted him to the platform and instructed him to sit on a stool. “Look out those windows,” he said, pointing to the east. As Rick looked, he saw ships approaching in the distance. Those look like pilgrim ships, he thought. Sure enough, they were. Three or four thousand people from that generation of Americans disembarked, made a processional into the tabernacle, took their seats, and began worshipping God. “Now, look out those windows,” the man instructed, pointing in a different direction. As Rick looked, he saw pioneers coming in the distance - women in long skirts and bonnets, covered wagons pulled by oxen, and other items depicting the era. Just as the pilgrims, several thousand pioneers made a procession into the tabernacle while the previous generation stood and cheered: “Well done! Thank you for your hard work. Thanks for keeping the dream alive…” When all the pioneers were inside, both generations began worshipping. After a few moments, the host approached again, “Look out these windows.” Sure enough, another generation of Americans was approaching. “Those are the planters,” he said. “They built roads, railroads, towns, and cities.” Just as the other generations had done, they filed into the tabernacle to loud cheers from the previous groups. When they were inside, all three generations stood, and fervent worship ascended. This scene repeated itself with three more generations of Americans approaching and entering the tabernacle. Representatives from six generations were now present, twenty thousand or more, all worshipping. “The praise was so loud,” Rick said, “the building was shaking.” At this point, the host approached yet again, pointing to a seventh set of windows. As Rick watched, people from our era drove toward the building in cars and trucks. Like the others, they made their entrance into the gathering - to great cheers, followed by passionate worship. The Delegates Seven generations of Americans now stood, passionately worshipping, literally causing the building to vibrate from the sound of their praise. After a few moments, the older man approached Rick yet again. “Watch these double doors,” he instructed. A representative from the pilgrims entered, walked up to the center of a bridge arching over the platform, and began prophesying God’s plans and purposes for America. The people listened quietly for several minutes as he declared her corporate destiny, after which the worship ensued again. Five more times, this was repeated - delegates from six generations decreeing and prophesying over America, each one followed by more worship. Finally, when the time came for our generation to decree, the pattern changed. Approaching Rick with a very serious demeanor, the old man asked him a penetrating question, “Are you ready to take your place in the synergy of the ages?” As you can imagine, hearing this phrase, first spoken to me in 2001, astonished me. Interrupting his account, I inquired, “Before the dream, Rick, had you ever heard this phrase? Have you heard me or anyone else ever mention the phrase ‘synergy of the ages?’ “Never,” he assured me, as I stared in stunned silence. This phrase, along with the fact that each generation of Americans was present, clearly pointed to the synergy created through multi-generational agreement. Seven eras, one nation. The fact that the phrase came in the context of a question was also significant: “Are you ready to take your place…?” To me, it seemed God was asking our generation of American believers the question. In the dream, Rick answered the man’s question, “Yes, I’m ready to take my place.” “Go through that door and join other leaders from your generation,” he was told. Unlike the previous generations, ours had numerous representatives, many of whom he recognized. Together, they marched into the room and took seats. All of them, that is, except the last one in line. He headed toward the bridge. “You were the last one, Dutch,” he told me. “You were the delegate from this generation. As you walked up the bridge, I noticed that, unlike the previous delegates, you were carrying something. When you reached the center, you began unfolding it - a white flag.” I was almost afraid to believe what might be coming. My mind was racing. Is he about to describe the flag just given to me - the Appeal to Heaven flag? Before he could continue, I blurted, “Did it by any chance have the words ‘Appeal to Heaven’ on it?” It was now Rick’s turn to be surprised. Having never seen or heard of the flag before his dream, he naturally assumed I hadn’t either. “Yes! How could you possibly know?” he asked. Still not quite believing what I was hearing, I continued, “Did it have an evergreen tree on it?” Again, Rick was shocked. “How did you know that? I’ve not shared the dream with anyone!” he exclaimed, pulling an Appeal to Heaven flag from a backpack. “I found the flag online and bought you one, planning to introduce you to it.” “Too late,” I said with a smile, “I already have one.” After giving him a quick explanation, I urged my surprised friend to finish his account of the dream. “Upon reaching the center of the bridge, Dutch, you didn’t immediately begin prophesying and decreeing America’s destiny, as the others had. Instead, you began waving the flag over the crowd in a figure eight, doing so for ten minutes or so. As you did, the people were once again passionately worshipping.” This figure eight pattern is significant. The number eight represents new beginnings in Scripture. On its side, eight is the symbol of infinity or eternity. In ancient times, when a covenant was ratified by a blood sacrifice, the individuals entering into covenant would often walk in a figure eight among the pieces of the sacrifice. Why? They were swearing eternal allegiance to the covenant. I believe that by waving the flag in this configuration, I was declaring two things. Firstly, appealing to Heaven can give us a “new beginning.” Also, it was emphasizing America’s covenant with God. By waving this flag, under which America was born, I was pointing us back to our roots as a nation - our birth, purpose, and calling. “The dream is still alive, the flag was stating. Find it. Revisit the stormy seas of the pilgrims, the dusty trails of the pioneers, or the bloody battlefields of Lexington and Concord. Read the sermons of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, or John Wesley until the flame of the First Great Awakening burns in you. Read of Cane Ridge, the Second Great Awakening, and Charles Finney until you burn with passion to see America become ‘the shining city on a hill’ once again. Tell the old stories! And find the dream.” As I waved this ancient flag with its timeless message, I was declaring that we as a nation must once again “appeal to heaven.” If we are to recapture our God-given destiny, we must pray now, just as we did then. The Harvest of the Ages Rick then finished his account of the dream with one last, powerful statement. “After several minutes, you stopped waving the flag and began prophesying over America, just as the previous six representatives had done.” He couldn’t recall what I had said, except for the last sentence, which I’m certain was all he was intended to remember. “With great conviction and authority, you declared, ‘America is returning to the ancient path, in order to reap the harvest of the ages!’” End of dream. To say I was impacted by this dream would be the understatement of the year. Its message touched a deep place in my soul, confirming what I had believed for many years: the greatest harvest in history is ahead of us. And America, though we may not look like it at the moment, has an important part to play in this great harvest. The Lord still has need of us. Rally to the flag. God has resurrected it for such a time as this. Wave it outwardly; carry it inwardly. Appeal to heaven daily for a spiritual revolution that will knock out the Goliaths of our day. Put yourself in the storyline, because the stories ARE your stories. Let your heart revive as you think about the great God of yesterday, today, and forever. You’re on His team, part of His plan, in the dream. By faith, call America back to the ancient path, to reap the harvest of the ages. Believe He can; believe He will. Are you ready to take your place in the synergy of the ages? Pray with me: Father, we are more than Your servants; we are family. We are also Your representatives on Earth. Thank You for the privilege of partnering with You to save the world. As a nation, we also enjoy the incredible honor of taking the gospel of the Kingdom to all the world. All believers have this assignment and privilege, yet You birthed America as a nation specifically for this purpose. We have turned Your dream for America into a materialistic dream, but a Third Great Awakening will correct this. The lies of progressives, secularists, humanists, and revisionists will be dispelled by truth. We appeal for this now. We are ready to take our place in the storyline and experience the synergy of the ages. We appeal to the Lord of the harvest for laborers to be sent into the harvest of the ages. We bind the powers of darkness, the schemes of hell, that war against this. We declare that the authority delegated to the Ekklesia is greater than their authority. We release power into the spiritual realm over America to destroy strongholds of darkness and release the spirit of revival. We do so, especially for the youth and young adults of America. We decree revival to the campuses of America. Our decree: We acknowledge that appealing to heaven birthed America, and decree that appealing to heaven will rebirth America. ************************* Today’s post was taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  5. 6 min read April 27, 2023 Yesterday, I told you that I would be sharing a dream with you today. I’m not. I am deferring to Ceci, who insisted that I needed to share the story of when the Appeal to Heaven flag was first presented to me. In that chapter of my book, An Appeal to Heaven, I include some of the flag’s history. She felt that the dream which I will share tomorrow would have much more meaning after hearing this, especially to those who may be new to the story. A Flag Reborn My discovery of the Appeal to Heaven flag occurred in May of 2013. I was at the graduation ceremony of Christ For the Nations Institute. As the Executive Director at the time, it was my responsibility to choose the commencement speaker. I chose one of my spiritual sons, not because he’s a great preacher, but because he isn’t a preacher at all. Will is a military man, a JAG attorney (at the time; now retired) for a branch of our Special Forces with the rank of Major. I chose a soldier as our commencement speaker because I wanted our graduates to know they did not have to be a pastor or preacher in order to minister for God. At the end of his commencement address, however, Will threw me a bit of a curve. “I believe the Lord has asked me to give a special gift to Papa Dutch,” he said. I wasn’t sure I liked this, not wanting the emphasis to move from the graduates to me. But he had the microphone - what could I do but trust him? “Before I give you the gift,” he said, “I need to explain the history behind it. It’s a replica of a flag displayed by George Washington and America’s Founding Fathers. This flag was actually used before the Stars and Stripes existed. In many ways, it is the banner under which America was born,” he explained. This fact does nothing to dishonor “Old Glory” - I display her proudly and still tear up during the Pledge of Allegiance. Nonetheless, the symbolism of this earlier flag is extremely important. “This banner has the phrase ‘An Appeal To Heaven’ across the top,” he continued (the original version didn’t have the word “An”), “a phrase our Founders took from the writings of John Locke, an influential English philosopher from the mid-1600s. Locke wrote a series of papers on ‘Natural Laws,’ stating that human rights originated with God, not with government.” (1) Locke made the case that when people had done everything humanly possible to experience those God-given rights and failed in doing so, there remained but one option: “And where the body of the people or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven…” (2) Will continued, “Locke’s phrase, ‘appeal to heaven,’ connotes that when all resources and the ability to attain justice on earth are exhausted, an appeal to earth’s ultimate Judge is the final recourse. This concept would become a foundational philosophy in American society, used even in the Declaration of Independence.” (3) George Washington and his contemporaries used the Appeal to Heaven phrase in America’s cause for freedom from Britain’s tyranny. Having exhausted all peaceful possibilities of experiencing the liberty they so desired, the colonists realized their only hope for freedom was through war. Yet with Britain’s great military, weaponry, and wealth, contrasted by the colonist’s dire lack of these resources, any military attempt to break free from British rule was preposterous, even laughable. Laughable, that is, unless Almighty God intervened. The stance of the colonists was simple; their right to freedom came from God; He would help them. “We will appeal to heaven!” they declared. And a flag was born. From the days of the pilgrims, godly men and women have believed Almighty God was involved in the birth of our nation. They also felt that if a nation chose to partner with and honor God, it would experience His favor and blessing in extraordinary ways. Washington and the colonial dreamers agreed. They believed the Sovereign was, indeed, birthing “a city [nation] set on a hill that can’t be hidden...a light to the world,” (Matthew 5:14). They no doubt knew of John Winthrop, a leader of the Puritans’ Massachusetts Bay Colony, using this verse in his 1630 speech on board the Arbella to describe what he believed God wanted to build in America. (4) They knew of the planting of the cross at Cape Henry in 1607, and of the ensuing prayer meeting dedicating the land to His glory. They had read the Mayflower Compact of 1620, stating the voyage was made “for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith….” Would God honor these events and prayers? Even more importantly, was He inspiring these actions? Was America God’s dream, not just theirs? They believed the answer to these questions was, “YES.” The pilgrims absolutely believed America had a God-given destiny, and our Founding Fathers did, as well. Throughout our history, America’s presidents and leaders have also reiterated this belief. John F. Kennedy referenced Matthew 5:14 and Winthrop’s famous speech, as did Ronald Reagan and numerous other U.S. Presidents. Though modern-day revisionists try to rewrite and remove this from our history, the truth will always trump their lies. General George Washington, leader of the American Revolution, obviously believed in this divine plan. He commissioned several ships for the Revolutionary War efforts and, highlighting their dependence on providential help, each vessel was to fly under the Appeal to Heaven banner, also known as the Pine Tree Flag. The popularity of the flag spread, and was soon flying throughout the colonies, as well as being adopted as the flag of the Massachusetts State Navy. It became the symbol of these colonists’ unwavering spirit of liberty, as well as a clear statement of where they placed their faith. Do you find it interesting, as I do, that America was born under a banner of prayer? And that 230 years later, God would bring that dusty old banner out of hiding in order to serve as a stark reminder that our strength alone did not birth this nation? We were birthed by the hand of God. And we were born not just for our personal blessing and freedom; we were created to represent Christ around the world. In our now spiritually weakened state, America must appeal again. Just as we were no match for the military power controlling us in that day, in our own strength, we are no match for the spiritual powers controlling us now. Only that which birthed us then can rebirth us now: an appeal to heaven. Pray with me: Father, the way You raised America up as a voice in the earth is indeed remarkable. You did so knowing You would use her to be a trumpet of the gospel to the ends of the earth. We are humbled and inspired by this. We are deeply impacted by the knowledge that we were born under a movement of prayer, that it truly was through appealing to You that our freedom was produced. Just as You have brought this flag, the Appeal To Heaven flag, out of hiding, we pledge to You that we will appeal once again. And we believe You will once again free us from oppression, this time from within. Overthrow the evil trying to destroy our heritage and destiny. Overthrow those who defile our children and promote perversion We bind these efforts in the name of Jesus! Just as our Founders placed in the Declaration of Independence, we are “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” And so, Lord, we ask You to bring revival to America. We pray for Your church, the Ekklesia, to rise to the glorious level You speak of in Scripture: a worthy bride for You and an expression of Your authority in the earth. Make us an Ekklesia the gates of hell cannot prevail against, just as You said. We call this forth in the name of Jesus, and decree that America shall be saved! We ask and declare this in the name of the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ...Amen. Our decree: We decree that the appeal to heaven will be heard...and will succeed! ************************* Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. (8) Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________________________ Laslett, Peter. “Right of Revolution: John Locke, Second Treatise, pp. 149, 155, 168, 207--10, 220--31, 240--43.” Electronic resources from the University of Chicago Press Books Division, https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch3s2.html. Accessed 2 February 2021. Ibid. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives.” National Archives, 8 June 2022, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. Accessed 2 August 2022. John, Winthrop. A Model of Christianity. Sermon. 1630. Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation." Manuscript: 1630-1650. Van Engen, Abram C. Van Engen. City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism. Yale University Press, 2020. Report of the Proceedings of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee at the Thirtieth Meeting, Held at Toledo, Ohio, October 26-17, 1898. F. W. Freeman, 1899, p. 80. Sheets, Dutch. An Appeal to Heaven. Dutch Sheets Ministries, 2015, pp. 41-46.
  6. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-26-2023 April 26, 2023 Healing History Yesterday, we looked at connecting with the past, putting ourselves in God’s historical timeline in order to maximize power for today. Today we will look at disconnecting from national sins of the past, and healing the breaches or breaks in the timeline. Every family, race, and nation has painful chapters in their story - points on their historical timeline with which they would rather not be connected. America is no exception. As I sought the Lord regarding this, He showed me that history can be “healed,” and nations can disconnect from their unrighteous and painful past. Not only is this possible, but it is also essential in order to attain a healthy future. To help me understand this, Holy Spirit led me to Hebrews 11:3, “By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” A more literal Greek translation of the first half of this verse is, “By faith, we understand that the ages (aions) have been properly positioned, connected or aligned (katartizo) (1) by the spoken words of God…” (my rendering). “Ages” is the best translation of the Greek word aions. (2) This would include physical creation, but not be limited to it. This word also includes time. The Greek word I translated as “properly connected or aligned” (katartizo), means putting something into its proper position, alignment, or connection. In biblical times, the “setting” of a broken bone was katartizo, as was the “relocation” of a dislocated joint; “mending” a torn net was, as well. The “restoration” of a fallen brother or sister (Galatians 6:1) is also this word. Generally speaking, katartizo means to properly position or align a person or thing, whether at its inception or as a restoration. The reason it is at times translated as “prepared” is because properly positioning something, as in the spine, prepares it for use. Breaches in History Interestingly, this verse in Hebrews 11:3 tells us God decreed the aligning and connecting of the ages. In other words, He declared the general flow of history, from age to age, and how each age would connect to the next. Isaiah 46:10 says He declared “the end from the beginning.” Also, foreseeing Adam’s fall and the effects of fallen humankind’s consequent sinful nature, God knew there would be dislocations and breaches in history’s timeline. Like potholes after a hard winter, His timeline would need seasons of repair. Defilement would come causing breaks, pain would then flow through history’s breaches, creating the need for restoration and healing - katartizo. God knew, for example, that innocent blood would be shed, abuses would transpire, idolatry would take place, covenants would be broken, slavery would occur, and a host of other sins would interrupt His plan. These breaches in the timeline would mandate restorations, reformations, and reconnections to His predetermined plan. Therefore, God not only declared the aligning of the ages, but where He knew it would be necessary, He also decreed their realignment, the healing of history. The fact that God heals history can be clearly seen in Isaiah 58:12. “And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” This verse clearly states that God heals, mends, and restores (katartizo) history, healing the broken points on the timeline. As the eternal Chiropractor, He realigns a nation’s spine. The mending of these breaks allows the pain of the past to heal, not simply be buried. Denial, as we know, only buries pain and causes the wound to remain unhealed. Racial division in America is a prime example. Because we have not known how to place ourselves in the storyline, tapping into God’s redemptive ability to heal and restore, pain is still flowing through our broken history. Therefore, each new age/generation has to continue dealing with the wound and pain. Government tries to heal these breaches through laws and programs, but this will never succeed. Individuals attempt it by denouncing and condemning the injustices and prejudices, but this too, fails. Other misguided people espouse the “get over it” or “move on” approach. Meanwhile, the wound festers. However, Isaiah 58:12 makes clear that God does want to heal the breaches of history and uses people to do so. “Those from among you…” is His plan. Katartizo is meant to occur through redeemed people as they understand and participate in God’s plan. We are the healers and peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Through humility, repentance, prayer, and fasting, God’s redemption occurs, and history can be healed. I Stepped Into the Storyline As this revelation regarding history grew in my heart and mind - connecting and disconnecting - for the first time, I knew I could truly put myself into our nation’s storyline. I was called to participate in the katartizo-ing of the ages, and I would do my part. I visited dozens of historical sites significant in our country’s founding and development, asking God to connect my heart with His original plan. I went to Washington, D.C., many times. I also traveled to many places where breaches had occurred in America’s timeline, including locations representing broken covenants (treaties) with the Native Americans, repenting for our sins. I visited ports of entry where slaves were brought into America and sold, identifying with the evil and repenting for our sins. I traveled to battlefields where innocent blood was shed, to legislative chambers where unjust and unholy laws were passed, and to courtrooms where those immoral laws were upheld. I visited those places, not as a tourist, but as an American, a participant, and an intercessor. I repented for MY history, asking God to cleanse it with the blood of Jesus and heal the breach, so that blessing could once again flow through that link in history’s chain. I put myself into the storyline …to help heal the timeline. To complete this process, in 2003 and 2004, Holy Spirit sent me to every state. To my knowledge, there is no significant part of American history - both the good and the bad - I have not identified within intercession to heal the breaches and extend the timeline. I certainly don’t share this to boast: indeed, I am but one of thousands who have participated in this identificational intercession. We became a generational link in His age-old chain and could now be His link to the future. A part of the link between America’s yesterday and tomorrow is being forged with a flag. This flag bears a timeless message articulated in a fresh way by English philosopher, John Locke, in 1689: “And where the body of the people, or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, there they have a liberty to appeal to Heaven…” (Right of Revolution: John Locke, Second Treatise). Our founders believed him, staked their hope in prayer, and placed the phrase in our Declaration of Independence: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions…” George Washington added it to a flag and determined to fight for independence under this banner. No, the Appeal To Heaven flag is not America’s formal flag, but appealing to Heaven did birth Old Glory; without it she wouldn’t exist. Now, through God’s orchestration and the embracing of the flag’s message by millions of Americans, that which birthed a nation is rebirthing it: appealing to heaven. It still works. If you haven’t already done so…put yourself in the storyline. Tomorrow we will look at a powerful dream. Pray with me: Father, we try to hide our unrighteous past. You want to cleanse and heal it, restoring the painful dislocations. Much pain still flows through America’s breaches. We’ve primarily tried to heal them without Your supernatural ability, which is not possible. Yet, much repentance has been offered regarding America’s sins. We ask You now to heal us. Remove the evil voices of those who attempt to divide us for monetary and political gain. Raise up pure leaders and healed healers. Give revelation and grace to those needing to forgive, and humility to those needing to ask for it. Heal the breaches. Put America on Your adjustment table. Twist, push, pull, and maneuver in whatever ways necessary in order to realign us. Deliver us from lying, agenda-driven educators, media outlets, and government officials. Bring cleansing, adjustment, and awakening to the lukewarm Church. And light the greatest revival fire Earth has ever seen in the young generation here and around the world. In Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree grace, cleansing, and healing into America’s storyline, and bind the accuser’s attempts to divide and conquer our nation. **************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, T: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2675. Ibid., ref no. 165
  7. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-25-2023 April 25, 2023 Finish the Race As I said yesterday, I have been personally revisiting some of the significant words and insights I share in my book, An Appeal To Heaven. I relate a significant dream at the end of the book, which I’ve not yet shared on a post, but want to share later this week. Parts of the dream won’t be as meaningful without knowing and understanding portions of what God had said to me leading up to the dream. Some I have shared in the past, but they are important truths for all of us to review. Yesterday’s post was regarding the synergy of the ages. Today is also about connecting with past movements. The Lord has frequently spoken to Julie Meyer, an internationally known intercessor, worshipper, and seasoned leader, through detailed dreams. In a dream given to her several years ago, Julie saw seven ambulances lined up, each with lights flashing. She walked to the back of one of the ambulances to see what was happening, peeked in, and saw a non-responsive person laying on a gurney. Next to the patient was an attendant working feverishly to revive him. In her dream, Julie knew this attendant was an angel. He looked at her and said, “I can’t find a heartbeat.” She went from one ambulance to the next finding the same scenario - patients on gurneys with angels attending them, trying to restart their hearts. Suddenly, one of the angels looked directly at Julie and confided, “It’s the intercessors.” This dream made sense to me. For a number of years, I had watched as the strength of the prayer movement waned, with many becoming weary and losing heart. Intercessors had prayed years for revival, but the revival hadn’t materialized, and many of them had experienced what Proverbs 13:12 refers to as “hope deferred.” And as this passage teaches, hope deferred had given them heart disease. Traveling much across America, I could attest to the truthfulness of the dream. It was hard to find a heartbeat in many tired intercessors. As Julie’s dream continued, suddenly one of the angels shouted, “I found a heartbeat, but it’s very faint!” The other angels grew excited and asked, “What did you do?” They, of course, wanted to do the same thing in order to generate a heartbeat in their own intercessors. The first angel replied, “Tell the old stories. When I began telling her stories of what God did in the past, her heart started to beat.” With that, these heavenly attendants began speaking to the intercessors about the First Great Awakening, The Second Great Awakening, and other outpourings of Holy Spirit - right up through the healing revivals and tent meetings of the 1940’s, 50s, and 60s. As they did so, the hearts of all the intercessors started beating again. At this point in the dream, an angel looked at Julie and directed her, “Tell the old stories of what God has done in the past.” As I read this portion of the dream, I was impacted, but this angelic messenger then added instructions that stirred my heart even more: “Tell the intercessors to put themselves in the storyline, because the old stories are also their stories.” What a profound and intriguing thought! Who among us actually thinks this way? We should, however. God has one overarching plan for humankind, not many; we’re all part of the same unfolding drama. Our generation’s role in history is simply another act of yesterday’s play; our battles are conflicts of one ongoing war. Every revival in history is but a sequel in Holy Spirit’s ongoing series of outpourings, and every soul saved enters the same spiritual family. Our stories, though many, are one. Put yourself in the storyline, because the old stories actually are your stories! For too long, we Christians - even those who are students of church history - have simply viewed accounts of past moves of God as inspirational. We’ve never thought of them as “our” stories. I had never thought of Wesley and his Methodists as my movement. Finney’s awakening certainly wasn’t my awakening, and William Seymour’s Azusa Street outpouring wasn’t mine. Most of us simply haven’t thought this way. Our shortsighted reasoning has stolen from us the synergy of the ages. We’ve not put ourselves in the storyline. And since we don’t typically align with past movements or agree with past prayers, this has all too often led to the segmentation of the ages, forcing each generation’s intercession and efforts to stand on their own. Actually, the results can be more devastating than that: God says that when the generations disconnect, it can create a curse (Malachi 4:6). On the other hand, putting ourselves into the storyline God is writing allows us to tap into the strength and life of what He did years ago. Iniquities from the past flow to 3 or 4 generations (Exodus 34:7); blessings, however, flow to 1000 generations! (Deuteronomy 7:9). We must understand the eternal purposes of God - not just His current purposes - allowing Him to continue through us what He began in others. And, according to Hebrews 11:40, they can watch from heaven as their promise is fulfilled through us. In yesterday’s post, I mentioned agreeing with prayers Gordon Lindsay prayed while on earth in order to produce the synergy of the ages. The Bible College’s student body and I needed to put ourselves into his storyline, becoming a necessary link in the chain. We couldn’t just assume God’s promises to Lindsay would one day be fulfilled - Holy Spirit needed agreement in order to finish what He had started. We had a vital role to play. Reinforced by Julie’s dream, this revelation opened my heart to a myriad of storylines we, as a generation, needed to identify with. We could insert ourselves into the storyline of the pilgrims at Cape Henry, declaring that the gospel of the Kingdom would go from these shores to all the nations of the earth. We could align with Charles Finney, believing that city-changing revivals would be rekindled in our day. We could agree with the prayers of Rees Howells for revivals that would shake nations. We could join the efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr., and see his dream of racial healing in America reach its intended goal. For me, the great cloud of witnesses had become more than mere spectators and cheerleaders; they were an earlier leg of a relay race, waiting for someone to grab their baton. This truth pierced my conscience. God began the process of connecting my heart and actions with those who had run before me. My life began expanding, being defined not just by an eighty or ninety-year destiny, but by an eternal destiny and inter-generational purpose. I realized I was part of a historical chain, planned by God and built with human lives. “Back to the future” took on real meaning: Like Elijah’s servant, Elisha, I would have to connect with the past in order to find my future; the power he needed today was hidden in his yesterday (2 Kings 2:14-15). Reaching back would not only bring my life added significance, but also the lives of those who had lived before me (Hebrews 11:39-40). God’s love of relational connection would find fulfillment, causing Him to release an entirely new level of spiritual power - the synergy of the ages. I immediately began processing this revelation in the context of my calling to America. It was obviously relevant to praying for nations. I knew I could connect with America’s story more personally, joining my heart to the prayers and dreams of pilgrims, colonists, pioneers, and every other generation that makes up our story. Whatever the cost, I determined to do my part in keeping the dream alive. As the Lord began challenging me to enter America’s story, He assured me that if I would do so, not only would He use me to extend it into the future, but also to heal portions of its past. If I was willing to identify with and repent of America’s painful chapters, he would teach me how history can be healed. I remember the first time those words entered my heart: healing history. What a wonderful thought, I recall thinking, but is that really possible? I now know it is. History can never be changed, but its effects - the guilt and pain - can be healed. We will look at this tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, Your statement, “Tell the intercessors to put themselves in the storyline, because the old stories are also their stories,” is so incredibly profound. The importance of generational connection and honor is so important to You. Cause this revelation to grow in us, producing an even greater synergy of the ages. We thank You for the efforts and sacrifices of those in the cloud of witnesses. And we thank them. We stand on great shoulders and build on the blood, sweat, and tears of many. As they observe and cheer from heaven’s balcony, may they find us faithful. We gratefully declare that our works and gains are extensions of theirs, our awakenings generated in part by the revivals for which they labored. We place ourselves into Your great storyline, Father, reaching back while pressing forward. Use this synergy now to release Your fire and rain into the earth. Multiply power to demolish strongholds and uproot evil systems. Unseat the wicked, and release Your judgments against their evil schemes. You told us to bind these schemes and the demonic power behind them. We do so now in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We decree that the synergy of the ages is being produced by the agreement of the body of Christ and will release another wave of Kingdom fruitfulness. ******************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  8. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-24-2023 April 24, 2023 Synergy of the Ages I have been personally revisiting some of the significant words and insights I share in my book, An Appeal To Heaven. I relate a significant dream at the end of the book, which I’ve not yet shared on a post, but want to share later this week. Parts of the dream won’t be as meaningful without knowing and understanding some of what God had said to me leading up to the dream. One of them is regarding the synergy of the ages, which I’ve mentioned recently but not taught. I will do so today. My understanding of praying for America increased dramatically in 2001 as I prayed with the student body of a Bible institute. I was concerned that the institute was not walking in the fullness of what its founder, Gordon Lindsay, had established. In response to this burden, I chose to replace one of my teaching sessions with a prayer meeting. As I led the student body in intercession, I heard the Lord whisper a phrase to me, “I need for you to agree in prayer with Gordon Lindsay.” That startled me; Lindsay had died nearly 30 years earlier. “Lord,” I said, “is that really You speaking? He is dead.” The response was simple, “Well, his prayers are not dead.” If you had asked if I believed Gordon Lindsay’s prayers had died with him, I would have said “no.” Yet I had never given the concept of agreeing with them any real thought. Holy Spirit continued, “Until this generation comes into agreement with what he asked me to do, I can’t answer his prayer.” This greatly impacted me. I realized God hadn’t said, “I won’t.” He had clearly said that without this generation’s agreement with Lindsay, “I can’t answer his prayers and do what I promised him.” Later, I pondered this statement in light of Hebrews 11, remembering the heroes of faith listed there along with some of their amazing exploits. Interestingly, however, the passage is also clear that some of those faith heroes did NOT see the fulfillment of their promises. Clearly, they weren’t deficient in their walk of faith; why then did they die without seeing the promises fulfilled? The last two verses of Hebrews 11 give us the amazing answer. They did not receive the fulfillment of their promises because God wouldn’t allow them to be “complete” without us. That is remarkable! Later generations completed these individuals’ callings and assignments. The Greek word translated “complete” also means “to finish; to mature; to reach the intended goal.” (1) Think about the ramifications of this: without us, God can’t “finish” what He began through earlier saints; what He started through them cannot “mature” or “reach its intended goal” until we grab the baton and run our leg of the race. That is mind-blowing! God gave these individuals promises, but He often didn’t give them timelines. He did not tell them He would bring the fulfillment in their lifetimes, although I’m sure most of them expected Him to do so. He makes promises to people, knowing full well He will deliver on those promises through their children, grandchildren, or spiritual descendants. I wonder what I may be finishing for a pastor or teacher from a few decades ago? Or perhaps even for some flag-waving patriot warrior? The generations are far more interconnected than most of us realize. In God’s mind, accomplishing something through our descendants is the same as doing it through us. Our comparatively shortsighted approach assumes every promise He makes will take place momentarily, or at the very least before we die! Meanwhile, God feels no pressure and understands that if He fulfills His promises through our offspring (natural or spiritual), the accomplishments were by us, as well as by them. Back to the Prayer Meeting But Holy Spirit wasn’t finished instructing me in this prayer session at the Bible Institute. He was about to use a seven-word sentence that would rock my finite human mind. I heard Him say, “I need the synergy of the ages.” “You need WHAT?” I wondered. It is obvious by now that this prayer time was wreaking havoc on my preconceived concepts and paradigms! Holy Spirit was making me think outside of my God-limiting boxes. What is the synergy of the ages? I quietly wondered. Synergy is a fascinating concept. Basically, it is the multiplication of power through a combined effort. In almost all cases in the physical world, one plus one equals two. But not when people work together. When two or more people combine their efforts and strengths, power is multiplied - not just added to. God so loves unity and agreement that He created a phenomenon through which power multiplies - if we will work together! Two people who can each lift 100 pounds, can lift 300 pounds or more when lifting an item together. Synergy, however, not only operates in the natural realm; it also exists in the spirit realm. Prayer is one example. Spiritual synergy takes place when two or more agree in prayer. Through the multiplied power, much more is accomplished than would have been had we prayed alone. Leviticus 26:8 teaches us about this power of multiplication, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before your sword.” Spiritually, that’s powerful; mathematically, however, it makes no sense. But something unusual and supernatural takes place through agreement: synergy. When we agree in prayer, power grows exponentially. Generational Synergy Synergy also occurs when one generation honors and builds on the previous generation’s accomplishments. Honoring the connection with our parents increases our years on earth (Ephesians 6:1-2), while disconnecting brings curses (Malachi 4:6). Spiritual mantles, another word for callings and giftings, multiply in effectiveness through generational synergy (2 Kings 2:9). God’s plan is always for the present generation to build on the strengths and accomplishments of the previous. This is the synergy of the ages - multiplied power and fruitfulness through generational agreement and honor. In Al Sander’s book, Crisis in Morality!, he compares the descendants of an atheist, Max Jukes, to the offspring of a well-known preacher of that same era, Jonathan Edwards: “Max Jukes...married an ungodly girl and among their descendants were 310 who died as paupers, 150 as criminals, 7 as murderers, 100 as drunkards and more than half of the women were prostitutes. “Jonathan Edwards...lived at the same time and married a godly girl [Sarah Pierpont]. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of theirs. Of these descendants, 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials...and 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries.” (2) Could any testimony more powerfully make my point? Success, favor, and blessing can multiply down through the generations. But due to our ignorance in this area, we sometimes unknowingly break the generational storyline God is writing. When Holy Spirit spoke to me that day, I was already aware of synergistic prayer. I knew I could agree in prayer with the person next to me, and power would be multiplied (Matthew 18:19). I just didn’t know I could agree with the generation behind me! Generational synergy - the synergy of the ages - was nowhere on my radar. Once God had awakened me to the principle, however, He wasn’t about to stop with a Bible institute. Before He was finished, Holy Spirit would challenge me to reach back to our nation’s founders, agreeing with what He had birthed through them. And when He did, a forgotten flag would be an important part of the process - the Appeal to Heaven flag. Pray with me: Father, as we contemplate the importance of an old flag and how You are using it today, we marvel at Your unusual ways. A part of understanding the flag is realizing how much You honor those who have gone before us, and how much You require us to honor and continue their legacy. We thank You for fathers and mothers in the faith, as well as in the natural. We thank You for the prices paid by those who came before us. And as we do so, we turn our attention to America. The great cloud of witnesses includes people who pioneered freedom and liberty for us, and covenanted with You to carry the gospel to all the world. We ask for revelation of this incredible concept You call “the synergy of the ages.” As we agree with and honor those who have gone before us, we ask for a multiplying of Your power today. Your purpose for America is that it be a powerful voice of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We boldly declare that America will fully turn back to You, and You will accomplish through her all that You intended in this hour. We pray and declare these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the synergy of the ages is producing powerful and wonderful fruit in America today. ********************************* Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. (3) Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________________________________ 1. “Strong's Greek: 5048. τελειόω (teleioó) -- to bring to an end, to complete, perfect, to reach the end stage, final phase, carry through completely.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/5048.htm. Accessed 28 January 2021. 2. Quoted in Ravenhill, Leonard, “Jonathan Edwards: Portrait of a Revival Preacher,” Dayspring, 1963. 3. Sheets, Dutch. An Appeal to Heaven. Dutch Sheets Ministries, 2015, pp. 1-9.
  9. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-21-2023 April 21, 2023 Praying For Your “Bean Patch” Recently, I have felt drawn to the subject of honor. God emphasizes honor in a general sense, but places special importance on honoring fathers and mothers (both spiritual and natural), and faithful individuals from past generations. I have mentioned the concept of the synergy of the ages, multiplied power through agreement with previous generations, which I teach in my book, An Appeal to Heaven. Today, I am sharing a prayer teaching from one of my heroes on the subject. Best-selling author Quin Sherrer has co-authored 31 books, including How to Pray for Your Children, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, and Miracles Happen When You Pray. In the early 90s, Quin saw a yet unawakened writing gift in me and, for several years, encouraged me to put pen to paper. She also prayed for me. Twenty-three books and hundreds of GH15 posts later, “Thank you, Quin. I owe you much.” In this post, Quin shares insights and biblical truths she implements personally in her prayer times. The advice is practical - all of her writings are - and easily applied. Enjoy! ************ “Regardless of our age, status in life, schedules, or the tenure of our walk with God, we all have the potential to move spiritual mountains through consistent, persistent prayer. I believe all Christians have an individual “bean patch”—a sphere of influence no one else has. By our steadfast prayers, we can bless it, and by our spiritual warfare, we can defend it. “The term ‘bean patch’ comes from an example of persistence and bravery demonstrated by one of David’s mighty men, Shammah, whose name means ‘God is there.’ He partnered with God, defending his garden, and the Lord brought a victory! Here’s the passage: “‘The Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils [beans], and the [Israelites] fled from the Philistines. But [Shammah] took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory’ (2 Samuel 23:12). “Notice, the victory was the Lord’s doing, but Shammah had to take his stand and defend the crop. He had a part to play! For us, this will always be the case. “When we intercede, we stand in ‘the gap’ (Ezekiel 22:30)—meaning we stand between God and the people or situations for whom we are praying. In spiritual warfare, we stand between them and satan’s forces to stop his actions, using the weapons God has provided for us: the Word of God, the name and power of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, worship and praise, and fasting. Of course, Christ’s victory over Satan is complete and irreversible. Yet, we have a role in releasing and enforcing that victory. “What does your ‘bean patch’ consist of? Start with your family, then ask Holy Spirit to reveal who else He would like you to pray for regularly. This could include close friends; spiritual leaders; your neighborhood; your city; your nation; other countries; and more. Don’t feel the responsibility to pray for everyone and everything. Trust Holy Spirit and trust your heart. He will give you the desire to pray for those He is assigning to you. “At the beginning of a prayer time, make sure your heart is clean, free from any ‘junk’ that would hinder your prayers. Do not become overly introspective or sin-conscious - we are told to ‘go boldly to the throne of grace’ (Hebrews 4:16). Just ask Holy Spirit to convict you of anything that needs to be cleansed through Christ’s blood. If and when He does so, confess the sin and ask for cleansing. God is gracious and faithful to do so (1 John 1:9). Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Matthew 6:12). Paul said, ‘I forgive for your sake in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). After this, invite Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your prayers. “When praying for others, I begin by asking the Father for what I call ‘the five P’s.’ They are God’s: Presence. Protection. Provision. Peace. Promises. You may feel to focus more on one or more of these. For example, when asking for protection, I pray portions of Psalm 91 over them, which includes God’s angelic protection. Also, if they don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord, I ALWAYS pray for their salvation. “When I feel this is complete, I pray specifically for other situations in their lives I may know about. When doing so, I might pray that they: Have discernment, wisdom, and not be deceived in decisions facing them. Make wise choices financially and morally. Find favor in the marketplace, workplace, or at school. Have the right people come into their life, at the right time. Have a positive influence as they use their talents and skills to help others. Experience God’s healing and/or comforting touch. Cast their cares, worries and anxieties on the Lord, trusting Him. (1) “Also, when praying for others, I have found it helpful and/or necessary to: Be specific. (In Luke 11:5-13, the man in the story asked specifically for three loaves of bread.) Persevere (Hebrews 6:12). Keep asking, seeking, knocking. It is always too soon to quit praying. Pray Scripture passages aloud. God watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Pray prayers for their future: friends, career, spouse, etc. Pray often with a prayer partner or prayer team—in person or by phone (Matthew 18:19). Listen for Holy Spirit’s guidance (Romans 8:26-27). If you have a prayer language, use it often, especially when you do not know exactly what situations need prayer coverage (Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 14:13-15). Don’t presume God will answer in your perceived way or time frame. When praying for the unsaved, ask God for harvesters. ‘Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field’ (Matthew 9:38). “At times, we must engage in spiritual WARFARE, standing against satan’s tactics. How? By quoting the Scriptures and standing on God’s Word. ‘The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Hebrews 4:12). “When the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Christ said, ‘Be gone, satan, for it is written,’ and then quoted what God had said. We, too, can declare, ‘Satan, be gone, it is written,’ and read aloud what Jesus said (see Luke 4:8). Of course, there are many Scriptures to quote against the enemy’s schemes. I like to pray David’s prayers in the Psalms. Speak God’s Word to the situation! (Mark 11:23-24) "Often, when experiencing obstacles and circumstances that seem impossible to overcome, we feel intimidated and wonder how to pray about them. Wayne Meyers, a great missionary to Mexico for over 50 years, once told the students at Christ for the Nations Institute, ‘Don’t tell God how big your mountain is. Tell the mountain how big your God is.’ I framed this motto for my office wall years ago." “I tell my mountains how big my Creator, my God is. He is well able to bring the victory. Our part is to stand and defend our ‘bean patch’ in prayer and spiritual warfare. If we do, God will always do His part!” ******* Pray with me: Father, Jesus cared not only for the nations, He took the time to pray for individuals. Just as He prayed, asking You to protect His disciples from the evil one, we also ask You to protect our “bean patch” from the enemy. Contend, oh Lord, with those that contend with us. Frustrate the plotting of the shrewd and evil one, so the helpless have hope. We stand on Your Word and declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that accuses us in judgment we will condemn, because this is the heritage of Your servants. Their vindication is from You. Lord, we want to be spiritual warriors who remain faithful until victory comes. I, personally, pray for encouragement to all who read these posts and join us in prayer. My assignment is America, and most of my prayers here reflect this, but I care about all of my brothers and sisters. I speak encouragement, strength, and endurance to them now. I pray as Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith not fail him when attacked by the enemy’s forces. Those who have fallen will get back up, and those experiencing hope deferred will heal - I release healing to their hurting hearts! I pray that physical healing will occur NOW, as people read or listen to this post - be healed, in Jesus’ name! As they grow in prayer, may the Spirit of revelation increase in their lives. Show them their “bean patch,” their prayer assignment from You. Teach them to hear Your voice, only taking on Your assignments. And may they feel, and experience Your love for them today. I ask all this in Christ’s never failing authority. Amen. Our decree: We are authorized by Jesus, empowered by Holy Spirit, with our orders from God’s Word. Therefore, we take our position in Christ’s army and fight in the spiritual realm until those we love are liberated, and God’s Kingdom is advanced. ********************** Note: If you enjoy teachings such as this one, Quin’s book entitled A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare has many applicable prayers you can use. Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend, Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about her at QuinSherrer.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________________ Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Bloomington, Minnesota, Chosen Books, 2017) p.224.
  10. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-20-2023 April 20, 2023 The Generational Timeline In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. We owe them a debt of gratitude and honor. In my book, An Appeal To Heaven, I also address the fact that we can agree with their prayers and promises, creating something Holy Spirit once referenced to me as “the synergy of the ages.” The previous chapter, Hebrews 11, also references our spiritual predecessors. Remember, there were no chapters or verses when the Bible was written; they were added to give us an easy reference to portions of Scripture. The 11th and 12th chapters are connected in subject matter. Chapter 11 ends by saying some faith heroes didn’t receive what was promised to them because God wouldn’t allow the completion without the participation of those who followed. The Greek word used for “complete” (teleioo) in this verse means to bring something to its goal, completion, or desired end (Strong’s 5048). Simply stated, there are plans and activities God begins in one generation, knowing He will not finish them until the next generation picks up the baton. Those in the cloud of witnesses have a huge investment in our assignments; some gave their very lives. We must not only honor this with our appreciation and thanks, but we must also carry on with what they started. We’re a link in a holy generational chain. Our friend, Gina Gholston, addressed this subject recently in a wonderful way. Gina said: ************** “Recently, I had the great honor of speaking at the home-going celebration of my 90-year-old aunt. Married for over seventy-two years and serving in pastoral ministry for several decades, she and her husband were great role models for me all my life. I felt it would be an encouragement to share portions of the tribute I shared that day. “I enjoy reading the account of Joseph in the Bible. I am always inspired by his unrelenting faithfulness to God. Regardless of what he faced, Joseph remained true to the Lord; and he found that through it all God was with him, navigating his life to fulfill his destiny. Joseph was devoted to God, and his decision to walk with the Lord affected not only his own life, but powerfully impacted many others. His life still impacts us today. “On one occasion, while reading Joseph’s story, I received the following revelation from the Lord: '‘The marking of a true warrior is not their battle scars; it’s their sustainability! True warriors do not quit. They are not driven by fear nor distracted by the memory of past battles; they’re driven by righteous purposes and the pursuit of the One their soul loves! Yes, warriors have many scars, but do not see themselves as victims. On the contrary, they see themselves as victorious, triumphant overcomers through Christ! True spiritual warriors are also forerunners; their focus is forward, and their passion is for Christ, whom they follow and imitate.’ “As I re-read these words, I was impacted by a strong realization that we’ve been blessed with many examples of true warriors in our lifetime, warriors like Joseph, who knew God and devoted their all to Him! These heroes of faith may not have considered themselves warriors - they were just living their lives - but they lived purposeful lives for Christ, blazing a trail for us to follow! It wasn’t always easy for them, and they didn’t hide this, but trusted God and demonstrated His trustworthiness. Their steadfastness and unhidden devotion to the Lord impacted everything about their lives. This devotion shines a light, making us aware of the difference a true relationship with God can make in our own lives. Their faith in God, and their faithfulness to Him, has given us a spiritual inheritance beyond words! “As I thought about this, I was reminded of these verses in Psalm 145: ‘One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts and declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness and shall sing of Your righteousness. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His Kingdom’ (Psalm 145:4, 6-7, 11-12, emphasis mine). “These true warriors, whom we have been blessed to know and be impacted by, left us with a living witness to God’s faithfulness and incomparable power! Willingly taking their places on the timeline of history, they pioneered movements of truth and powerful demonstrations of the Spirit. The sacrifices they made, along with their fearless obedience to the leading of Holy Spirit, allowed Heaven to invade earth in powerful and undeniable ways, leaving us a solid foundation on which to build. “These warriors shouted the message of God’s goodness and demonstrated the reality of Jesus. Now, we must do the same for the generations that follow us. This may not always be easy, but our faith in God will sustain us, enabling us to see beyond the difficulties. We, too, may receive scars, but we will not be victims! We are victorious, triumphant overcomers through Christ! They taught us this! “Some of those warriors have now joined the great cloud of witnesses; from there, they cheer us on. I believe their challenge to us would be, ‘Run on, warriors! Run hard! It’s your turn to be the light for others! Don’t waste time! Go! Be the example! Run with undaunted obedience, with your gaze set on Jesus. Give the generations that follow an awareness of their great inheritance in Christ Jesus!’ “We are now extending the timeline. The baton is in our hands, and we must choose whether or not to run the race, carrying this inheritance. And run with it, we must! The generations following will need our faithfulness! We are in a time like no other, and now, more than ever, the future generation needs godly role models, spiritual mothers and fathers who unashamedly shine the light of Christ into the darkness and show them the more excellent way. We must allow a holy fire to burn in us, regardless of the cost, to pass an even greater measure of faith to them. May all who follow see in us the testimony of true warriors. This is our gift to those who labored before us, and it is our calling in Christ, the ultimate True Warrior.” ******** Pray with me: Father, thank You for those who have gone before us, leaving such inspiring examples. They provoked us to know and follow You. We honor them, grateful for their surrendered lives and the spiritual inheritance they gave us. Because they did their part, we are positioned to do ours. We devote our lives to You and set our focus on Jesus. Teach us, Lord, to wisely invest this spiritual inheritance with which we have been entrusted so that we may pass it along to the generations who will follow. May they find in us true examples that cause them also to burn, producing the continuation of Your original intentions. Our decree: We receive the baton of our spiritual inheritance, and we will run with righteous purpose, blazing a trail for those who follow. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video. --------------------------------------- Today’s post was contributed by our friend Gina Gholston. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.org
  11. 7 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-19-2023 April 19, 2023 The Day the Music Died “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it, we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors’ (laughter) mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’” (Psalm 137:1-3 NASB) A popular song in the ’70s, American Pie, included the phrase “the day the music died.” (1) It has always reminded me of this Psalm. Though Don McLean’s song was about a different time, place, and reason, it too was about “the nostalgia that comes with closing a chapter in time” (Ethan Reese). Reese says the song describes the end of “A chapter that was good, youthful, and innocent.…For McLean, it was lost when he discovered that his favorite musicians, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson, had died in a plane crash—the day the music died. And for America, it came when the utopia of the 1950s was exposed as a veneer, giving way to the more socially conscious, but turbulent 1960s.” (2) McLean was more prophetic than he knew. Innocence was indeed lost in the turbulent 60s and beyond. America the Beautiful still describes us on the outside. Internally, however, we are unattractive, discordant, ravaged by societal disease and moral decay. In their desire to be encouragers, many religious leaders refuse to point out the true condition of America. I get it. No one wants to bring discouragement and, to be sure, a defeatist attitude must be guarded against. Faith believes what God says as the final verdict, not what is seen. But no serious doctor would begin treating a patient without first diagnosing the problem. To blindly declare that everything will be okay, simply because God is good and gracious, is beyond naive; it is unbiblical and untrue. An accurate diagnosis is not only sound wisdom; it is part of the healing process and, as such, compassionate. America’s Condition Over the last 60 years, God has been pushed from America’s heart by strongholds of death, pride, materialism, humanism, secularism, progressivism, socialism, revisionism, ignorance, immorality, pleasure, and more. With no brakes on the cultural gas pedal, we cast off restraint, speeding toward turns that could never be successfully navigated: we expelled God from our history, schools, government, and the core of American life; we borrowed and spent our way to financial dependence; we valued ideology over education, pleasure over responsibility, and self-love over self-control; and the church lost her voice, replacing truth with relevance, the Scriptures with opinions, and biblical success with “speed” and “size.” Abortion, one of the horrible fruits of this downward spiral, now demands the blood of our children. A generation follows our disregard for life, killing one another and themselves. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people. Over 5,000 commit suicide every year—more than 13 each day. (3) A sexual assault occurs on a teenager every 8 minutes. (4) Seven hundred nineteen teenage girls undergo abortions every day. (5) Roughly 10 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases and infections occur in teens every year in America. (6) During the twentieth century, the divorce rate rose 700 percent in America. Thirteen million children under the age of 18 are growing up with one or both parents away from home. Seventy percent of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. (7) We wonder why young people grow disillusioned and dysfunctional? They’re the product of our rebellion, reaping what we have shamefully sown. We are a nation inundated with hopeless addicts and lawless rebels. The United States is the single largest market on the earth for illegal drugs and leads the world in the export of pornography. (8) We cannot build prisons fast enough to hold our criminals. As Nehemiah observed about his nation, our walls are down and our gates burned (see Nehemiah 1:3). Hosea’s description of ancient Israel is also appropriate—we have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind (see Hosea 8:7). America’s music has become horribly discordant, yet many have become so tone-deaf they don’t notice. Our wealth, power, and indoctrination have anesthetized us to our true condition; we’re bleeding to death internally while continuing to party on. We have become the proverbial frog in the kettle—slowly dying and unaware of it. Like the band on the RMS Titanic, we continue playing while the ship is sinking. Our propensity for treating symptoms only has been foolish and futile; the water cannot be bailed fast enough. It is time to abandon our denial. Like the fearful, causeless army of Israel when facing Goliath, many Americans have convinced themselves that if we wait long enough, the shocking giants of the land will go away and leave us alone. This will never happen! Satan has no intention of letting up in his relentless assault on America. Every part of American society is screaming for cause-minded, impassioned warriors like David to arise. The cloud of witnesses is shouting encouragement from heaven’s balconies, imploring the church to shake off apathy and fear, find her voice, and resurrect her song. “Take down your harps,” they’re shouting, “pick up your ‘sling,’ five smooth stones, and run toward the uncircumcised Philistines of your day. It is not too late!” And believers are responding. Davids are showing up for the battle, Calebs are picking up swords, and Elijahs are challenging Baal. Pastors are finding their voices, and thousands of believers are tired of being entertained and shielded from truth; fed-up moms, dads, soldiers, businessmen and women have decided to confront and replace political eunuchs who have bowed to Jezebel’s system. A remnant of the church and, yes, many unsaved patriots have taken their harps down from the willow trees and decided to sing again. Maybe the music didn’t die after all. Perhaps it was only placed on pause. Most importantly of all, the King, the Lord of the harvest and leader of angel armies, is being moved by a praying remnant. A passionate lover of people, including those who don’t know Him, He has stood up. The Warrior-King is coming to save. Repentance and a turning back to God by an intercessory core are prevailing. A Third Great Awakening has begun. God is gracious and determined to reap this great harvest. “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness, and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him?” (Joel 2:12-14) “Come let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us: He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us as the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth,” (Hosea 6:1-3). “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame, neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more,” (Isaiah 54:4). “Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,” (Isaiah 61:7). In their book Is It Real When It Doesn’t Work? Doug Murren and Bard Shurin recount: “Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: ‘Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a rich man.’ “Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. “Nobel said, ‘Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.” (9) Profound. And worth emulating. God is giving America a chance to rewrite her epitaph. If written yesterday, even today, it would read, “Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting.” But our gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness, forgives sinners and heals nations. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your mercies; they are new every morning. We give thanks that You love to demonstrate mercy. We are confident that it triumphs over judgment. Of course, America has done many things to deserve judgment. Our song of freedom and covenant with You has, indeed, been dying. But You are the Resurrection and the Life, bringing life out of death. You forgive and fully restore. And now, it is the singing of principalities and powers that will end. Their songs of mockery and destruction will give way to redemption’s song. So, we ask You to raise up the giant-conquering warriors You have prepared for this hour. May they be filled with zeal, boldness, and faith. They will raise the dead, spiritually and physically. They will preach a powerful gospel of the Kingdom, and millions will come to know You. We decree this over the earth NOW and declare this to be the most significant season of taking out spiritual giants in history. We do so confidently - because of Jesus, and in His name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will never stop singing the song of the redeemed..! ************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Giants Will Fall. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________________ McClean, Don. “American Pie.” Universal Publishing Group, 1971. https://americansongwriter.com/american-pie-don-mclean-meaning-lyrics-50-years-later/ National Institute of Mental Health. “Suicide.” NIH, 2015. www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide/index. Shtml RAINN. “Children and Teens: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens RAINN. “The Criminal Justice System: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system Dudley, Susan. “Teenage Women, Abortion, and the Law.” Prochoice, September 2015. Prochoice.org/ wp-content/uploads/teenage_women.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Reported STDs in the United States.” CDC, November 2015. www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/std-trends-508.pdf U.S. Department of Justice. “Special Report.” U.S. Dept. of Justice, September 1988. www.fathermag.com/ news/1780_stats.shtm/ Warner, Jennifer. “US Leads the World in Illegal Drug Use.” CBSNews, July 2008. Cbsnews.com/news/ us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use/ Family Safe Media. “Pornography Statistics.” TopTenREVIEWS, Inc., 2007. www.familysafe.com/ pornography-statistics/ Larson, Craig Brian. Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993). p.123.
  12. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-18-2023 April 18, 2023 As a follow-up to the dream I talked about last week, Overtaking and Occupying the Cedars, I felt I should release a post on the power of covenant. In the dream, cedars represented America’s covenant with God. I have taken today’s post from my devotional, Give Him 15: An Appeal To Heaven. (Thank you, by the way, for the wonderful feedback we have received regarding this book. Many have been blessed through the teaching devotionals it contains.) War With Covenant The first thing God tells us in the story of David and Goliath is the location of the battle. “Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 17:1-2) I realize that doesn’t interest you. You’re like me: Come on, Holy Spirit, get to the good stuff: Goliath’s description; the drama of his taunts; the fear of the Israelites; David, the young sheepherder; the battle; off with the giant’s head. I skipped over those two “boring” verses for the first 50 years of my life. And missed a nugget. This location was in the territory of Judah, which was the tribe David came from. Holy Spirit was informing us, right from the start, that this land belonged to David and his tribe. It had been given to them by God generations ago. David had more than squatter’s rights to the property the giant was trying to claim; he had divine rights. These first two verses of the story assured him of victory. The God who created and owns the earth (Psalm 24:1) has the right to give it to whomever He pleases. And He had given it to Judah. Battle over. Don’t think so? I’ll give you another reference that reinforces this truth. When Nehemiah was allowed, by the Persian King Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls, he faced great opposition. The locals despised the Jews and were determined to stop them from building. When Nehemiah faced their threats and opposition, he stated his case for success in one verse: “I answered by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’” (Nehemiah 2:20 NIV) “We have a historical, God-given right to this city,” Nehemiah declared. “You don’t. Therefore, we win, you lose.” Case closed. It is beyond doubt that God raised up America for His purposes. He owns America, just as He does the entire earth; in that right of ownership, He delegated stewardship of this nation to followers of Christ, believers who would partner with Him in His great cause of redeeming the world. Do not listen to the liars, revisionists, or those they have influenced that say otherwise. If the body of Christ in America ever fully grasps this revelation, the giants attempting to steal our nation have no chance. Uncircumcised Philistine David’s next “history weapon” can be seen in the fact that not once did he call Goliath by name. He referred to him only as the “uncircumcised Philistine.” What is that all about? Imagine two guys about to fight who begin to shout insults at one another. Jed: “You’re ugly.” Jethro: “Your mama is ugly.” Jed: “You’re a wimp.” Jethro: “You couldn’t beat up a flea.” I know, these are a little weak. Not exactly Rambo-level insults, but I’m trying to keep it clean here. And you get my point - insults and degrading salvos are flying back and forth. Then, one of them shouts at the other, sealing the deal with the ultimate insult: “Well, You’re UNCIRCUMCISED!” Huh? Didn’t see that one coming. As strange as this seems, there was actually an important reason for David’s choice of names. Circumcision symbolized covenant with God (Genesis 17:13). Since the days of Abraham, this had been the case. David was stating to the giant, I’m in covenant with God; you’re not. Whereas to those in covenant, you’ll be fighting God, not just me. This battle won’t be decided by your size, experience, weaponry, or strength. It was decided long ago when my grandfather cut covenant with God, and I’m going to defeat you through the power of that covenantal history. I win; you lose. This is confirmed by David’s statement to the “uncircumcised Philistine”: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts…the Lord will deliver you into my hand…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand,” (1 Samuel 17:45-47). No wonder secularists want to steal America’s history with God! We shouldn’t be surprised that former President Obama once said we were not a Christian nation, contending that we were also a Muslim nation, a Hindu nation, an atheist nation, and so on. Karl Marx once said, “The first battlefield is to rewrite history.” The demons controlling Marx knew the importance and power of history. And, of course, demons today inspire anti-Christ forces in America to try and rewrite our history for the same reasons. As believers, we must stake our claim on the fact that God birthed America, and that He and our Founders made covenantal agreements/promises to one another. I’m not suggesting that God and those who came to these shores entered into a covenant carrying the same weight as the Old and New Covenants in Scripture. There are different levels of covenants, however. The biblical word means “a compact, confederacy, league.” The great Brown Driver-Briggs Lexicon defines it not only as covenant, but as “an alliance (of friendship); an alliance (of marriage); a constitution; agreement.” The fact that our Founders covenanted with God when they came to this land is beyond dispute. Consider reading America's Covenant With God, by Dr. Eddie Hyatt, which makes this abundantly clear. Do not underestimate the importance of this. God put into the hearts of our forefathers to come to this land. He did so to raise up a nation that would form an “alliance,” a sacred “agreement” (the definitions of covenant) to partner with Him for the propagation of the gospel to all the earth, to be a city on a hill shining His light for all to see. Obviously, God’s intent was not for this to be accomplished through abusing First Nations people. His plan is for all races and ethnicities to share in the privilege of representing Him and enjoying the benefits that come with this. However, in spite of our failures, God redeems, cleanses, and continues to use us, just as He did with Abraham. We must believe this, and do as David did: stake our claim to this land based on our alignment with God and His purposes. As we mentioned earlier, those joined by covenant share resources and strengths; they also share enemies. If the Ekklesia in America faces the giants of our day armed with the truth that this land belongs to God (“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” Psalm 24:1); if we stand on the truth that He established our nation to represent Him; and if we now resist the giants in His name - we will defeat them! War with covenant! War with history! Pray with me: Father, America has an important, meaningful history with You. We are humbled by the privilege of partnering with You in Your great cause. You have brought us cleansing and healing at times in our past. We acknowledge that we are in another season that finds us requiring Your mercy, forgiveness, and healing. The powers of darkness have determined to cripple - and ultimately stop - America from being a voice and light for You. A rebellious culture, enabled by a lukewarm church, has allowed those powers to make great progress. Today we grab hold of our covenant with You, standing on the fact that You keep covenant and mercy to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9). We reach back into our history, declare our faith in You, and decree that we will once again be a light to the nations. We will once again be a strong voice of the gospel, and of freedom, to all the nations of the earth. We exalt You; we honor You. We declare that revival has begun and will intensify. Through it, not only shall America be saved, but all the earth will experience revival. We declare that the “cedar trees,” representing our covenant with You, will be recaptured and restored. In Christ’s name, we ask and declare this, Amen. Our decree: We decree that our covenant with Yahweh through the blood of Jesus Christ, and the covenant we made with Him as a nation, will defeat every giant of darkness in America. ************************** Portions of today’s teaching were taken from my newest book, Give Him 15: An Appeal to Heaven. You can find this book on our website (DutchSheets.org) or by going to Amazon. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ------------------------------------ 1. Obama, Barack. “‘Call to Renewal’ Keynote Address.” Washington, D.C., June 2006. 2. Washington, Ellis. The Progressive Revolution: History of Liberal Fascism Through the Ages, Volume V, 2014-15 Writings. Hamilton Books, 2017, p. 219. 3. Strong, James. The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Red-Letter Edition. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001. Reference no. 1285. 4. Brown, Francis. The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
  13. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-17-2023 April 17, 2023 The Ekklesia’s Blitz The following word shared by my brother, Tim Sheets, is an appropriate follow up to last week’s posts. God is saying it is time for us, the Ekklesia, to exercise our spiritual authority at new levels, enabling others to restore through government and wise strategies. Keep praying - it is effective! Tim says: *************** “The movie ‘Braveheart’ depicts the story of William Wallace. There is a scene in which he rides his horse before Scottish troops and issues this challenging statement, ‘I am William Wallace, and I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? “Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live…at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance - just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, BUT THEY WILL NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!’ “We are moving into days when the Ekklesia must demonstrate its boldness, strength and unwavering faith. We have been prepared and empowered by the Holy Spirit to win great battles. Those who know their God will stand strong in Him and fight, using their spiritual weapons and wise strategies, to defeat hell’s evil agenda. Our nation and government will be changed and America will be saved! “While praying about our current times, I was reminded of a prophetic word Holy Spirit gave me where He said, ‘It’s time for the blitz push of My Kingdom Ekklesia.’ I have studied and shared portions of this word before, but Holy Spirit has given me further revelation concerning it. “The definition of ‘blitz’ is a sudden, energetic and concerted effort to accomplish a specific purpose; a push to complete a cause; an intense, sudden military attack. ‘Blitz’ can also mean a sudden energetic invasion that disorients an enemy. (1) “Holy Spirit is stirring the Ekklesia to carry out God’s spiritual battle plans for creating change and setting captives free. There are spiritual battles on the horizon that we must engage in and win. “While praying into this, I received the following from the Lord; ‘I will move through My Ekklesia “hubs” and My triumphant remnant with sudden, energetic, concerted efforts to accomplish wisdom’s plans for this season. I will lead My remnant warriors, implementing lightning-like spiritual warfare. I will lead you to strike like lightning. My Kingdom will now move rapidly with overwhelming force. Rapid strikes will break through enemy defenses, disorienting and dislocating them. Swift victories are on the calendar. “‘I will call you to sudden advances that will throw hell’s kingdom completely out of balance, interrupting their plans and resulting in quick defeat. My Ekklesias will suddenly invade enemy positions causing disruptions and a scattering of evil. Multiple surprise moves will be implemented in regions, territories, and nations as My Ekklesia is emboldened. Hell’s forces will not see this coming, for their arrogance has blinded them. Their human partners will also not see it coming, for their arrogance, self-righteousness, pride and filth has blinded them, as well. “‘Swift, strategic maneuvers are activating through My Ekklesias to reverse distortions of My identity for male and female. The demonic prince promoting gender confusion will be struck suddenly, repeatedly and boldly by My powerful, advancing Kingdom and My angel armies. Truth will be their shield and buckler. Original intent, truth, and biblical identity will be proclaimed. “‘There will be a new hunger for My presence, influence, and ways. Boardrooms will change. Some corporate leaders will change, others will be removed. Corporate identities will change. Some in government will change, others will be removed. Unique leaders I’ve prepared for this hour will now advance into positions of great authority. “‘My Ekklesia’s voice is rising to sound forth My words. Angels are being activated to tear down strongholds of evil that are polluting coming generations. My enemies will become unbalanced. They will stagger from the blitz of truth and righteousness now accelerating. Swift victories and turnarounds will be seen. “‘For I have a great harvest among those who have been misled and confused by demon-occupied minds. My truth will free them. My truth will restore true identity, meaning, and purpose, for My love is set upon them. I will free multitudes from lies. I have sons and daughters trapped in the confusion, whom I will redeem. I have prodigal sons and daughters to free. I have champions whose identities I will restore. “‘I am moving to change battlefronts; activating overwhelming force to accomplish My purposes. I will disorient those who oppose Me. Their influence will fade and their voice will fail from the festering of their evil infections. I have focused My authority on kingpin positions of great human authority who, as Pharaoh of old, have hardened their hearts against Me. My Ekklesia, assisted by My angel armies, will pray to remove their influence and see them replaced by leaders who will not resist My ways. For the blitz push of My Ekklesia includes concerted, coordinated, fast-moving efforts to remove the influence of these evil kingpins. “‘The Lord of Hosts declares to His church: The warfare for earth will now intensify, but you will experience swift turnarounds as you release My authority in regions, states, and nations. Lightning-like strikes and rapid responses against evil will replace passivity’s stupor among My people, and will prevail. The world will see a different church. A “ruling and reigning with Me” church. A church that strikes hell’s aggression in their regions. When hell pushes, they will push back. When government, big tech, and education pushes, they will push back with spiritual authority and wise strategies. And they will prevail.’ “We are living in a radical, world-shaping time, a hinge of history, and hell is fighting to control it. However, heaven and God’s committed remnant are also rising. Holy Spirit is moving, empowering and resourcing us for this moment, energizing His people with tenacious faith. And He is activating more angel armies than at any other time in history. We must be faith-filled warriors, answering the challenge. It is time for the Ekklesia of King Jesus, to boldly advance.” Pray with me: Lord, we decree this word into the atmospheres of our regions. Let the call be heard from You, deep in the heart of Your warriors. It’s time for much evil to be overcome and captives to be set free. It is time for muted voices to rise, loosing Your voice throughout America and across the world. Thank You, God, for the release of angelic assistance and the power of Holy Spirit. Release Your overwhelming force to strike down enemy strongholds. Prepare and energize us with another powerful filling of Holy Spirit; make us bold warriors, engaged against evil. Use us to strike like lightning against the strategies of hell, blinding doctrines, and plans of demons. Bring confusion into Your enemy’s camps. Restore purpose, truth and identity. Free those bound and set prodigal sons and daughters free. Give us great discernment, wisdom and understanding of the times. Lead us as we steward the blitz push of Your Kingdom to strike demonic enemies, defeat strategies, and set captives free. We decree that Your Kingdom rule WILL come to earth. Will of God, be done! In Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: The Ekklesia has been prepared to win great battles for Christ, and rapid victories will be seen!. ***************** Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim by clicking here. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________________ 1.https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/blitz
  14. 12 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-14-2023 April 14, 2023 Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 4 For the past three days, we have been looking at a significant dream given to my friend, Greg Hood, a few months back. Today I will be sharing the final part. As I did yesterday, I’m including the part of the dream we have already discussed [in brackets] for review, and for those who haven’t seen it, then I’ll continue with the next portion. Summary: Thus far, we have seen that Christ is leading His Ekklesia into a spiritual battle to restore America’s strength and her covenant with Him. He called this battle: Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. The first cedar we recovered was related to our birth as a nation and the purpose for which God birthed us: partnering with Yeshua to take His gospel to all the world. The second cedar pictured covenant through “marriage,” America uniting with Christ in a partnership to, again, distribute the gospel to all the world. We became unfaithful and aligned with Baal, whose hold is being broken off of America. There are numerous important details explaining all of this, which can be seen in the previous 3 posts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. They are in Brackets following. ******* The Dream [ “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant! “At this time, the man on the white horse repositioned himself at the front of this vast gathering of kings. His sword was now drawn and resting across the horn of his saddle. As he moved, the road and the trees completely changed. The road was now a paved road. We knew in the dream that this pavement would give us an advantage in the coming battle. (Horses don’t normally do well on paved surfaces, but this surface was made for our horses. It was a surface for war.) There was now another mile marker on the road. It was mile marker 22. Under the number 22 was written ‘The King’s Highway,’ and a scepter was engraved just under the phrase. “Then the trees changed. There were now huge cedar trees strategically placed in the field of battle ahead of us. We could see 7 of them in the distance. The first one was very close to us. The man on the white horse said to us, ‘The adversary has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars! Your mission is to overtake and occupy the cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars, you will take the land.’ “The Lord began speaking to us again, ‘The realms over America are in sync, and the time is now for the redeeming of the nation. I will go before you in the unseen realm, and you will go forth in your realm. The realms are aligned, and my spoil is sure.’ “He looked at Dutch and me (Greg) and said, ‘Remember, keep watching, keep hearing, and keep moving forward. This battle will bring the land back to me.’ Then he turned, and with a commanding voice, addressed all the kings there, ‘REPEAT IT TO ME!’ “Everyone there said, with a loud voice and in unison, ‘WE WILL WATCH AND KEEP WATCHING! WE WILL HEAR AND KEEP HEARING! WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD!’ Yeshua then said to us, again in a commanding voice, ‘DUTCH, GIVE THE FORWARD ORDER!’ “Dutch stood, stretched himself high in the stirrups of his saddle and boldly decreed, ‘KINGS, READY YOURSELVES!’ When he did this, all our horses threw their ears back and leaned back on their hind legs as if they were rockets ready to be launched. We could see their muscles tighten, and we could see their great strength and purpose. Dutch then commanded, ‘KINGS, READY YOUR SWORDS!!’ Every king drew his sword, sat forward in his saddle with knees tightly gripping the ribs of his horse. We were now ready to launch forward and take the land with the cedars. “As Dutch commanded this, we all saw the sky become extremely bright. We knew the brightness was caused by many angels gathering for battle. We could not see into their brightness well, but we could see that they were all armed with bows and three arrows loaded into their bows. “Dutch commanded, ‘KINGS, FORWARD!!’ A launching, a fierce movement began into the land of the cedars. We launched toward the first cedar, which looked firmly fortified by the adversary, knowing this battle would be intense. “As we approached the cedar, we were able to see something meticulously carved into the tree. It was not put there by the adversary but had always been in the tree. It was the number 1025. We fought hard. Some of us grew tired, but our strength was quickly and supernaturally restored, and we continued to fight. We watched, heard, and moved according to the commands of Yeshua. We took back this cedar and set forces there to build Kingdom fortifications so the cedar would never be lost again. “We shifted our focus toward the next cedar. Hearing the Lord’s voice, we moved. As we approached, we could see that this cedar had what appeared to be great fortifications around it. This tree also had a number carved into it, also done long before the adversary encamped around it. It was the number 1060. “As we approached this cedar, we could see that the adversary’s fortification was not as strong as it appeared to be from far off. It was comprised of stick men, dressed up like men of war, not real men. We broke through their gates easily and made our way to the base of this great cedar. As we did, we noticed that the stick men had a black substance flowing from their feet into the ground. It was tainting the ground around this cedar and killing the tree. “We began warring with the stick men that occupied this great cedar, using our swords. The decrees coming from our mouths took control of the battle, and we won. “I (Greg) then nailed a decree to the cedar, which was given to me by an angel just under the number 1060 engraved into it. After I had nailed the decree to the tree, Dutch read it aloud, setting it into law. It read, ‘THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned.” ] ******* Last Section of the Dream - Part 4 “Our attention was quickly turned toward the next cedar. It was a little further from us than the previous two, and was fortified inside a walled city, much like cities in ancient times. We turned our horses toward this mighty cedar, riding hard toward it. We knew the adversary controlling this cedar could see us coming. Our horses created a thundering sound as we rode toward this mighty cedar. The earth shook! Those guarding it began preparing for our attack. They also shouted words of intimidation, attempting to distract us and/or stop us from advancing. “We did not relent, however, but rode hard and straight toward the great cedar. As we came closer, we could see that this mighty cedar had 50 large branches. Some of the branches were healthy with a little fruit; some had none. “There were 50 gates in this wall, all of them sealed shut. There was another gate through which the army of the adversary was able to move in and out. We knew this gate in the wall had been made illegally. “We could see that this cedar also had a number carved on it, the number 1410. Christ’s assembly of Kings began surrounding the wall protecting the city and mighty cedar. They broke into 50 divisions, each moving toward an assigned gate, horses and riders moving very swiftly. Their movement created large clouds of dust, hindering the view of those behind the walls. “We advanced toward the 50 sealed gates, fought, and successfully reopened all of them. Each troop of kings made their way through the gate they had reopened. As they did, the enemy began fleeing the fortified city that had been built around this mighty cedar. Many of those that had occupied this city fled to other nations, and many were captured. “A battle had been taking place simultaneously in the heavens. An angel appeared from this realm and spoke to Dutch, saying, ‘Camp the kings here. Refortify this mighty cedar, strengthen her gates, and rebuild her cities, for there are 4 more cedars you must overtake and occupy.’ “We could see what was ahead of us. It was dark, but the light was quickly increasing.” End of dream. Greg has not been given any further dreams revealing the other cedars. God will show us in His timing, one method or another. My Comments In this last section, Christ sent His Ekklesia to the third cedar. The cedars all represent America, her covenant with God, and the assignment for which He birthed us. This one had 50 branches, an obvious reference to the 50 United States. In recounting the dream, Greg referred to it as “great” and “mighty,” tall enough to be seen above the city’s wall. Indeed, America grew into a great and mighty nation. The number carved on this tree was 1410. This is the Greek word (in Strong’s Concordance) dunamai, meaning “force, power, ability, strength, abundance.” Thayer says it can mean “moral power or excellence of soul; power from riches, wealth or numbers.” (1) All of these definitions describe what America became because of her alliance with God: The strongest and richest nation in history, generated from our morality and excellence of soul, all because of our union with God. Yet now, some of the branches had a degree of fruit, others none. This would represent spiritual fruit, not physical wealth or size. I can’t help but recall a quote from French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831. Some dispute its legitimacy, but it is widely believed that he indeed said the following: “I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests—and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning— and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!” (2) The great tree lost her greatness. As DeTocqueville warned against, we abandoned our connection with God, lost our righteousness, our pulpits lost their fire, and America ceased being good. That’s also when we ceased being great. We are now losing power and wealth, are led by lying and incompetent leaders, and are no longer feared by evil adversaries. Yet, God wants to restore us. The city was surrounded by a wall, protecting it and the tree. I believe the city is Washington, D.C. The wall around it had 50 gates, picturing the 50 states, and their governments. In Scripture, gates symbolize government, due to the fact that they protect and control who/what comes in and out of cities (see Matthew 16:18-19). I feel that these 50 gates picture the states and their governments, all of which had been sealed shut. The city (D.C.), however, also had a gate (“government”) that was NOT sealed shut, allowing their army (“power”) the freedom to go in and out. We knew their gate was illegal. Could the meaning of this be that our Federal Government has exalted itself to an illegal level of rule that our Founders and the Constitution never intended, shutting out the state governments and, therefore, the will of the people? This would include the 3 branches of our Federal Government, other departments (State, Justice, Education, etc), the weaponization of agencies, the deep state, and more. In the dream, when we approached, those on the inside began trying to intimidate us. Could anything be more accurate?! One of the assignments of the Ekklesia was to divide into 50 units and break open these 50 gates. We obeyed and succeeded, with angels assisting us from the invisible realm. The opposition was defeated, and the 50 gates were reopened. Some of those opposing us from within the city fled the country. Others were captured, which would most likely mean they were prosecuted. We were then told to camp in the city, refortifying this mighty cedar, strengthening her gates, and rebuilding her cities. Conclusion This is an amazing dream. It gives us great hope that the mess we have made of our nation can be overcome, and that God is not finished with America. It also confirms, however, that we must continue to diligently pray. All the King did to save America was done through the Ekklesia. I will personally be asking Holy Spirit to give us the strategies needed to implement this dream. I also feel there are facets I do not yet fully understand. I will be asking Holy Spirit for this revelation. Please join me in this. Pray with me: Father, thank You for this dream. We ask You to now help us implement what You have shown us. So much of it confirms what we have already known, yet it gives us greater insight. Show us fully how to overtake and occupy the cedars. We thank You for showing us that this can, indeed, occur. Give us the level of prayer and the strategies we need to rein in our overreaching federal government. Help us to root out evil and stop the tyranny coming from Washington, D.C. The swamp is very deep and very wicked, but You can help us clean up the mess, refortify, and rebuild. If a Convention of States is needed, give us that. If concerted prayer coming from all 50 states is needed, show us and help us accomplish this. We believe You will do these things, and we ask for them in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the evil gate of government in Washington, D.C., will be dealt with by the Spirit of God, through His Ekklesia. ********************** You can find out more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977). https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/the-secret-of-america-s-greatness
  15. 10 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-13-2023 April 13, 2023 I realize this post and the previous two are a little longer than usual, but I feel they are very important. Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 3 For the past two days, we have been looking at a significant dream given to my friend, Dr. Greg Hood, a few months back. As I did yesterday, I’m including [in brackets] the part of the dream we have already discussed. Summary: Thus far, we have seen that Christ is leading His Ekklesia into a spiritual battle to restore America’s covenant with Him, pictured by cedar trees. He called this battle: Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. This covenant is linked to America’s purpose - partnering with Yeshua to take His gospel to all the world. There are several more important details you can see by looking at the previous two posts, Part 1 and Part 2. [ Parts 1 and 2 of the dream: “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. “Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!” ] More of the Dream “The Lord began speaking to us again, ‘The realms over America are in sync, and the time is now for the redeeming of the nation. I will go before you in the unseen realm, and you will go forth in your realm. The realms are aligned, and my spoil is sure.’ “He looked at Dutch and me (Greg) and said, ‘Remember, keep watching, keep hearing, and keep moving forward. This battle will bring the land back to me.’ Then he turned, and with a commanding voice, addressed all the kings there, ‘REPEAT IT TO ME!’ “Everyone there said, with a loud voice and in unison, ‘WE WILL WATCH AND KEEP WATCHING! WE WILL HEAR AND KEEP HEARING! WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD!’ Yeshua then said to us, again in a commanding voice, ‘DUTCH, GIVE THE FORWARD ORDER!’ “Dutch stood, stretched himself high in the stirrups of his saddle and boldly decreed, ‘KINGS, READY YOURSELVES!’ When he did this, all our horses threw their ears back and leaned back on their hind legs as if they were rockets ready to be launched. We could see their muscles tighten, and we could see their great strength and purpose. Dutch then commanded, ‘KINGS, READY YOUR SWORDS!!’ Every king drew his sword, sat forward in his saddle with knees tightly gripping the ribs of his horse. We were now ready to launch forward and take the land with the cedars. “As Dutch commanded this, we all saw the sky become extremely bright. We knew the brightness was caused by many angels gathering for battle. We could not see into their brightness well, but we could see that they were all armed with bows and three arrows loaded into their bows. “Dutch commanded, ‘KINGS, FORWARD!!’ A launching, a fierce movement began into the land of the cedars. We launched toward the first cedar, which looked firmly fortified by the adversary, knowing this battle would be intense. “As we approached the cedar, we were able to see something meticulously carved into the tree. It was not put there by the adversary but had always been in the tree. It was the number 1025. We fought hard. Some of us grew tired, but our strength was quickly and supernaturally restored, and we continued to fight. We watched, heard, and moved according to the commands of Yeshua. We took back this cedar and set forces there to build Kingdom fortifications so the cedar would never be lost again. “We shifted our focus toward the next cedar. Hearing the Lord’s voice, we moved. As we approached, we could see that this cedar had what appeared to be great fortifications around it. This tree also had a number carved into it, also done long before the adversary encamped around it. It was the number 1060. “As we approached this cedar, we could see that the adversary’s fortification was not as strong as it appeared to be from far off. It was comprised of stick men, dressed up like men of war, not real men. We broke through their gates easily and made our way to the base of this great cedar. As we did, we noticed that the stick men had a black substance flowing from their feet into the ground. It was tainting the ground around this cedar and killing the tree. “We began warring with the stick men that occupied this great cedar, using our swords. The decrees coming from our mouths took control of the battle, and we won. “I (Greg) then nailed a decree to the cedar, which was given to me by an angel just under the number 1060 engraved into it. After I had nailed the decree to the tree, Dutch read it aloud, setting it into law. It read, ‘THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned.” My Comments Christ began by assuring us that the natural and spiritual realms are now aligned in a way that makes possible the redeeming of America. He would go before us, operating in the unseen realm, we would do so here on Earth. It is important to point out the importance of discerning the times spiritually, not by what is seen. When revivals in history have occurred, the natural conditions were never positive. The word revival means “restore to life.” In other words, spiritual death is prevalent, creating the need for a “reviving.” It is a contradiction of terms to state that there is too much sin or corruption for God to send revival. That’s when we need it and why He does it! What must “align,” as the dream states, between heaven and earth is the timing of God, the ripeness of the harvest (usually created by desperation and a recognition of our need), and the preparedness of God’s people, through whom He must work. This alignment, creating the right time, is NOT produced by a lack of sin in those that don’t know God. We were then instructed to keep watching, keep hearing and keep moving forward. Christ kept emphasizing this, even making us declare that we would do so. We must follow the instructions of Holy Spirit carefully at this time, and KEEP MOVING AHEAD! The command was then given to ready ourselves and our spiritual weapons. Angels joined us, each with a bow and 3 arrows. We then rode toward the first of the 7 cedars, which was heavily defended by adversaries. Remember that the cedar trees represented America’s covenant and partnership with God. Carved into the tree was the number 1025, which is the number of the Greek word brephos, meaning a newborn child, an infant. I believe this is referring to the birth of our nation - we were born through our covenant with God. In the dream, we were recapturing this truth. Though the battle was wearying, as we watched, listened to, and moved according to the King’s commands, we prevailed. We then left forces there to strengthen the tree (covenant) with “Kingdom fortifications,” so it wouldn’t be lost again. This would most likely refer to biblical discipleship. The Second Cedar Christ then directed us to the next cedar, which had the number 1060 carved into it. This is the number of the Greek word gameo, “to marry.” Marriage, of course, is a covenant. The explanation of this cedar is that it compares America’s covenant with God as a “marriage” to Him. The use of this word is God’s way of saying America’s covenant with Him produced a union, a joining together, a partnership. I also believe it was His idea, that He raised up America and bestowed on us the greatest privilege ever given to a nation, apart from Israel: taking the gospel of Christ to all the world. Though all believers share this honor, I know of no other nation created specifically for this purpose. We have since been unfaithful to Him and aligned with the spirit of Baal, who actually refers to himself as “the lord of covenant” (Baal-berith; Judges 8:33; Strongs 1170). This spirit causes individuals and nations to break covenant with God and align with (“marry”) him through idolatry, immorality, the shedding of innocent blood, and other sins. In the dream, he and his demons’ ability to destroy the tree (covenant) was a black substance on the ground, which had flowed from their feet. Admittedly this is subjective, but blood turns dark, even black, when it dries. I believe in the dream, it represents the shedding of innocent blood; that is what has empowered Baal. We began warring with those who occupied this great cedar, using decrees (the sword of our mouth), and prevailed. Greg nailed a decree under the number engraved into the tree, 1060, which I read, setting it into law. I will read the decree again in the prayer. Everyone knew this law was now established and would never be overturned. Pray with me: Father, in this dream, You told us repeatedly to watch, listen and move at Your command. We are determined to do so. You also told us that heaven and earth are now aligned in a way that allows You to redeem our nation. We are listening to You, not judging by what we see. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel, who heard the sound of rain when there was not a cloud in the sky - not one - we are listening for Your commands and instructions, not looking at circumstances. You showed us in the dream that the marriage, partnership, and union our nation had with You has been lost but can be restored. There have been many prayers of divorcement from Baal - in every state of this nation. Also, the evil decree of Roe, which perhaps became our marriage vows to Baal, has been reversed. Because of these prayers of repentance, and the nullification of this evil decree, we ask You to free us completely from this stronghold. And we use the sword of our mouths, just as You instructed us, and decree: THE KING’S DECREE, AND THE DECREES OF THE KINGS, ARE HEREBY LAW IN THIS LAND, FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. THIS CEDAR IS HEALED, ALONG WITH THE LAND AROUND IT! ITS ROOTS ARE HEALED, AND THE FRUIT OF ITS BRANCHES SHALL BRING GREAT FRUITFULNESS AND JOY INTO THIS LAND AGAIN. THIS CEDAR SHALL NEVER BE DEFILED AGAIN!’ We pray this and make this decree in the name of our King, Jesus. Amen ******************* (I have written several times in Give Him 15, about Baal, the “strongman” or principality that has ruled America for decades. Here are links to two of the most important teachings concerning this. They will give you an even greater understanding of this dream. You can find these posts HERE and HERE) Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  16. 9 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-12-2023 April 12, 2023 Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars - Part 2 In yesterday’s post, we began discussing a dream Holy Spirit gave Greg Hood. Though I won’t read the portion we included yesterday, I am including it [in brackets] for those who did not see it. Then I will continue with the second portion. In review, Greg and I are traveling a dirt road flanked by willow trees, which symbolize loss, yet hope. The second mile-marker includes a number representing worship, with a crown also pictured. We then began to hear the worship of people and angels, mixed with the wind of Holy Spirit, and carrying the weighty glory of God. Christ then appeared on a white horse, dressed as the Warrior King. He gave us the following instructions: “Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening, My voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.” He then added, “You will not walk from here; you will ride.” Christ then gave us war horses from His kingly supply, we were joined by other believers, and He clothed us in kingly garments. Here is yesterday’s portion, followed by today’s new part: ******* [“The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. “As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. “Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; My voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!”] ... End of Part 1. ******* “At this time, the man on the white horse repositioned himself at the front of this vast gathering of kings. His sword was now drawn and resting across the horn of his saddle. As he moved, the road and the trees completely changed. The road was now a paved road. We knew in the dream that this pavement would give us an advantage in the coming battle. (Horses don’t normally do well on paved surfaces, but this surface was made for our horses. It was a surface for war.) There was now another mile marker on the road. It was mile marker 22. Under the number 22 was written ‘The King’s Highway,’ and a scepter was engraved just under the phrase. “Then the trees changed. There were now huge cedar trees strategically placed in the field of battle ahead of us. We could see 7 of them in the distance. The first one was very close to us. The man on the white horse said to us, ‘The adversary has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars! Your mission is to overtake and occupy the cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars, you will take the land.’” End of Part 2. My Comments As Christ led us down the road, we came to mile marker 22. For 25 years, this has been a significant number for me, representing Isaiah 22:22. The verse speaks of being given spiritual keys with which to permanently open and close doors. This was fulfilled for all the church when Christ gave the Ekklesia His keys of authority in Matthew 16:18-19. The mile marker also read “The Kings Highway,” under which was etched a scepter. All of this points to our kingly authority, flowing to us from Christ. Then we saw the battlefield, consisting of 7 cedar trees spaced sequentially, separated by some distance. Evergreen trees represent covenant in scripture. Abraham planted an evergreen tree in Genesis 21:33, symbolizing his covenant with Yahweh, and called on Everlasting God. In using this name of God, Abraham was declaring Yahweh as Lord of his past, present, and future. I speak extensively of this in my book, An Appeal To Heaven. The evergreen tree and this name of God have great significance in my journey and calling to America. The evergreen was also very significant to our Founders and is on the Appeal To Heaven flag. The number 7 in Scripture also represents covenant (not just completion and rest), which is definitely the case in the dream. The Lord said to us, “The enemy has encamped around my cedars. Now, I will have my cedars back. I now activate Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars. Your mission is to overtake and occupy the Cedars of this land. You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the Cedars, you will take the land.” I have known for 25 years or more that the war for the soul of America is about covenant. Don’t think of America’s covenant with God in the same sense as His covenant with Abraham or the New Covenant through the blood of Christ. There are different levels and types of covenant. Technically, the biblical word for covenant simply means an agreement, contract, promise, etc. Covenants in Scripture were not all blood covenants, but were nonetheless sacred and binding. For example, David and Jonathan entered into a covenant together (1 Samuel 18:3), which David honored as a very sacred agreement. Joshua and Israel entered into a covenant with the Gibeonites, and though it was not on the level of the Abrahamic covenant or the New Covenant through Christ, it was still binding. Joshua actually defended them in war to honor this covenant (Joshua 9). King Saul was later judged for breaking this same covenant (2 Samuel 21). When nations enter into a covenant with God, making promises and agreements with Him, as our Founders did, He takes them very seriously. God honors covenant and expects us to, as well. Fidelity to these covenants brings His blessing, protection, and prosperity; breaking them opens the nation to curses. America’s covenant agreement with God was to be a light to the nations, a city on a hill, taking the gospel of his kingdom to all the nations of the Earth. When Robert Hunt planted the Cross at Cape Henry in 1607 and dedicated this land to the glory of God and the spreading of the gospel to all the world, he actually used the word covenant. He and our later Founders knew God birthed America, not just for our freedom, but for His cause, as well. Establishing America for this purpose does not mean God intended for the land to be taken from Native Americans and given to the Europeans. This was wrong. I believe God’s plan could have been enacted without this occurring, just as William Penn attempted to do by purchasing the land and walking in covenant with the Native Americans. It also does not excuse slavery and other sins. God did not orchestrate the bringing of slaves to America, but He DOES want all races now in America to participate in this covenant plan, working together for His cause. If He has His way, we will all participate in this coming great awakening, His church will become united in this purpose, and fulfill this holy calling together. No wonder satan and his followers war so fiercely against America! And it is no wonder he and those aligned with him make such heinous and despicable attempts to divide us. The devil desperately needs America to remain estranged from God, living under the curses of her broken covenant with Him, and thereby forfeiting her destiny. Our rejection of and broken covenant with Yahweh has helped destroy the once-greatest nation on earth. The curses of demonic control, evil leaders, death, violence, moral decay, abandoning the family unit, financial devastation, destruction of our children, loss of power and protection, and more, have been astronomical. As I stated yesterday, we are on life support; only a spiritual awakening and miracle from God can save us. HOWEVER, in this dream, Christ said He was coming, through the church, to take back the cedars! “You will be successful if you watch, hear, and move. When you take the cedars [restore Covenant], you will take the land,“ He declared. I have said many times and will continue to do so, this restoration will not be accomplished through the entire church, but by a remnant. We must not become discouraged by the complacency and lack of involvement of many. God is willing to heal our land through the intercession and actions of a few. Also, we must not become prideful about this, nor judgmental. My purpose in emphasizing it is to ward off discouragement: God can work through a remnant. Though it does not appear that America can be restored at this time, in tomorrow’s post we will see Christ’s declaration that it IS time for this to occur. The necessary alignment of heaven and earth has taken place, and victory can occur. Pray with me: Father, we know this nation has broken covenant with You in very egregious ways. We have abandoned our purpose and our alignment with You, turning to wickedness and gross sin. We know that our restoration could never be “earned,” but will be accomplished only through the blood of Jesus and the mercy it provides. We also know that America’s restoration is not only for our salvation, but for Your eternal purposes - not just for the American Dream, but Your Dream for America. You have restored much revelation to the church over the past several decades. We have much to learn, but You have taught us much. We know we are Your family, and as such, are Your ambassadors, representatives, and Christ’s Ekklesia on earth. We know that Holy Spirit has been sent to help us fully accomplish this. We know that Your Father-heart is to redeem, and that You intend to reap the greatest harvest in the earth’s history. You have told us this is now beginning. We align ourselves with your words and will. We ask for increased revelation, endurance, and wisdom to carry out this assignment. And we bind every attempt of Satan’s kingdom to stop it. We pray all of this in Christ’s name, He who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s “Operation Overtake and Occupy the Cedars” will be successful. *********************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  17. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-11-2023 April 11, 2023 Operation Overtake - Part 1 It is now clear to those with any level of prophetic discernment in the church that there is no hope for America’s survival apart from supernatural intervention. It will take a genuine revival, one that produces a sweeping return to God, to reverse America’s insanity, restore reason and allow God to restore us. Our condition is critical; we’re on life-support, no longer able to heal or recover on our own. God, in His mercy and His need of a restored America for the coming worldwide revival, is willing to bring this resurrection. As has always been the case in history, however, this restoration is demanding the participation of a remnant. Some accuse me of exaggerating when I say the prayers of the praying church are saving America. I am not. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR AMERICA WITHOUT A THIRD GREAT AWAKENING, AND THERE IS NO AWAKENING WITHOUT PRAYER. Most Americans, including Christians, look to government to save us, but as Reagan said, “government IS the problem.” There is zero chance our government can save America. A large part of the church believes God will sovereignly do as He wishes, with or without us. The truth is God needs our participation. To the praying remnant, I say, “Thank you, and persevere! Your prayers are saving America.” GOD IS WILLING TO SAVE THROUGH A REMNANT! Over the next three days, I’m going to share and unpack a significant dream which will encourage you in this effort. You’ll find it enlightening, instructive, and very encouraging. It was given to my friend, Greg Hood, a few months back and I feel it is now time to share it. Greg begins: ******************* “The dream started with Dutch and me (Greg) opening and walking through a gate leading to a long dirt road, canopied with willow trees. We walked for two miles under these willow trees. I knew it was two miles because there were wooden mile markers along the road. However, these markers looked different than those we see on a normal U.S. or State highway. This mile marker had the mile number 2, and underneath it was etched another number, 4352, and a crown. “As we walked down this narrow dirt road, we could hear a wind blowing through the willow trees. The sound was like angels and people singing together. Somehow we knew this sound, though we could not make out the words. As we walked, we saw in the near distance a man sitting on a completely white horse. The horse was a very bright white. Its feet were moving slightly with the sound moving through the willow trees. As we approached the man, we were not sure if we wanted to walk any further, for the atmosphere had become very heavy. We could not make out the man’s face or appearance, but he was emanating an extremely bright light, had a sword on his side and a crown on his head. These two things we could clearly see. Dutch turned his head toward me very slowly, as if not wanting to draw attention from the man on the horse. Looking at me, he said, ‘We might die here, but we have to keep moving.’ “I (Greg) responded in a whisper, ‘I agree. We must press into this. I can see the road changes just past the man on the horse.’ “We continued to make our way down this dirt road with its canopy of willow trees. It was very difficult to continue because of the weight of the sound moving through the willow trees. (Yes, the sound had weight to it.) As we approached, the horseman moved his horse to the side of the road and, after we passed him, positioned himself just behind us, traveling down the dirt road with us. The overwhelming fear we once felt had turned into extremely bold confidence. “As we continued walking, we noticed the road changing under our feet, from dirt to a paved road. Just before the road changed completely, the man on the white horse instructed us to stop and listen. He said, ‘Keep watching, and you will see all that is ahead of you, and even far off. Keep listening; my voice is guiding you. My voice will navigate you through this complicated and treacherous terrain. Keep moving, and you will take the land. The land ahead of you will look much different than it has before. This is your land.’ He then added, ‘You will not walk from here; you will ride.’ “I don’t know where they came from, but he presented each of us with a horse. As he did, we could see many other people approaching us, walking and leading horses. They were not coming from ahead of us but approached from within the willow trees. We knew many of them, as they were friends and co-laborers in ministry and life. There were also many that we did not know. Without hearing any order or command, we took the reins of our horses and mounted them - everyone at once. “As we did this, the man on the white horse answered a question Dutch and I both had in our minds but were hesitant to ask. He knew our question, even though we hadn’t asked it. He said, ‘You want to know their names, don’t you, the names of your horses? Well, their names are not as important as the troop they come from; they are from Troop Basileus, and they will ride like it! These horses were bred for you.’ He went on to say, ‘They are bred for battle. They were bred for gathering spoil and occupying. They were bred to intimidate your adversaries.’ “As the road was transitioning, so were our clothes! In the dream, we had not been aware of the clothes we were wearing as we walked the road under the willow trees, but we did become aware of the new clothes that appeared on us as we moved ahead. We were now wearing garments of royalty and war…the garments of kings. It’s difficult to describe what we all looked like in these clothes. Everyone was dressed this way, and all looked brilliant!” End of Part 1. ************* The dream began with Greg and me walking a dirt road flanked by willow trees, which in Scripture symbolize both loss and hope (Psalm 137). As we progress, tomorrow you will see that the dream is about America’s restoration. This beginning indicates we were saddened by America’s condition, but also had hope. The number on the mile marker, 4352, is Strong’s number of the Greek word for worship. We must worship while journeying on this road to America’s restoration. The sound of worship carried weight, symbolizing glory, and led us to greater authority, pictured by the crown under the number. It released the wind (Holy Spirit), angelic help, and brought a manifestation of Christ, the rider on the White Horse. He enthrones Himself in our praise (Psalm 22:3). Christ had His sword and was wearing His crown representing power and authority. He had come as the Warrior King. He allowed us to pass Him, then followed us down the road, which removed all fear from us. The road then changed from dirt to pavement. I’m not certain of this meaning, perhaps it symbolized the passage of time, from America’s birth to the present. Then Christ spoke words of instruction and encouragement, “Watch, listen, I will guide you through the complicated and treacherous terrain and show you the future. Things will look different, but this is your land.” Christ then gave us horses, war horses bred especially for us, for battle, for intimidating enemies, gathering spoil, and occupying territory. War horses symbolize strength for battle. He told us they were from Troop Basileus. Basileus is a Greek word meaning a king, ruler, or lord (Strongs 935). It is an obvious reference to the Ekklesia, the royal priesthood of Christ, who have been delegated His authority to rule and reign. At this point our clothing changed to royal garments of war. The beginning of this dream is telling us Christ has prepared us for this season of spiritual war to restore America. There is a portion of the church that recognizes America’s condition, but also understands worship, Holy Spirit and angelic help, and Christ’s authority. As we will see tomorrow, the war is over America’s calling and destiny. Pray with me: Jesus, thank You for giving Your prophetic anointing to the church through the Holy Spirit. A remnant is truly listening and praying. We know that the road, the journey we are on must be one of worship; angels will join us on this holy road. Our worship releases the wind of Holy Spirit and brings Your presence, not only as our Shepherd, but also as the White Horse Rider, our glorious King. On this road of restoration for America, we humbly accept our calling to partake of Your Kingly anointing. You have placed us in Your troop, the Ekklesia, the Troop of the King. You have dressed us for war and given us strength for battle, pictured by war horses. Thank You Holy Spirit for speaking to us through this dream, giving strategy and encouragement. We ask You to stir the hearts of more believers to listen and take seriously Your warnings and instructions. And as we hear You, we ask that the next era of Kingdom activity be the greatest ever! In Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will worship, and ride into battle with the authority of our King, Jesus. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video. ** You can learn more about Dr. Greg Hood at GregHood.org.
  18. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-10-2023 April 10, 2023 He Has Risen! As He was beginning His earthly ministry, Jesus visited John the Baptist, who publicly announced concerning Him, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36). Two of John’s disciples heard this stunning announcement and decided to check Him out. As they followed Jesus, He noticed, turned to them, and asked, “What do you seek?” Their answer was interesting. “Rabbi (which translated means ‘Teacher’), where are you staying?” “Come, and you will see,” was His invitation to them. They took Him up on His offer and ended up spending the day with Him (v. 39). Warning: If you’re happy with things as they are, spending a day with Jesus isn’t a good idea! Having a private audience with Him for an entire day, face to face, IS going to change you. Radically. I suppose the conversation could be superficial at first: “What were You thinking when You made porcupines? The zebra’s stripes? How many stars are there? How about galaxies?” From there, perhaps you would segue into questions concerning Jesus and God: “How old were You when You first realized who You actually were? What does God look like?” At some point, however, you would no doubt transition into personal questions concerning yourself and your future. Everyone thinks about purpose. Experts tell us the desire to know our purpose is one of the strongest desires we humans have. Believing we have a purpose is directly related to self-esteem, self-worth, and ultimately, personal fulfillment. Did these two men ask Jesus about this? We don’t know for certain. We do know that one of them was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother (v. 40), who became one of Christ’s twelve disciples. Something he heard while with Jesus impacted him so greatly he decided on a career change! Destiny flows from days spent with Jesus. Another revelation Andrew received that day had to do with, not his own identity, but Christ’s. He began the day by referring to Jesus as a teacher (”Rabbi”); he ended it by calling Him the Messiah. “He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ)” (John 1:41). Andrew received the two most important revelations needed for a successful life that day: who Christ is, which is the key to unlocking everything else in life, and who he was. When those two things are known, destiny is unlocked. The purpose of anything is found in the mind of its creator, not in itself. True self-identity comes from identifying and knowing the One who made us. You’ll never really find yourself until you find Him. Andrew found both that day. No wonder we have an identity issue in our nation, we have robbed a generation of knowing their Creator. Those who reject their Maker sentence themselves to a wasted life. Seeking self-awareness apart from God is like a journey without a destination. Watching this saddens and angers me deeply. I do not enjoy talking about judgment. But all of Christ’s Words are on the table. He had great anger toward those who abused children. “But if anyone abuses one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment he deserves!” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭6‬ ‭TPT‬‬). Scary words from the Supreme Judge. There will be a day of reckoning. At the end of Christ’s ministry, two more of His followers had a revelatory encounter with Him. The meeting occurred just after the Cross and, though they didn’t know it, the Resurrection. To say their world had just turned topsy-turvy would be a gross understatement. To have discovered, lived with, and traveled with Jesus for three years, only to lose Him, would be life’s cruelest injustice. These two men had heard earlier in the day that Christ had risen from the dead. But, really, who would believe two grief-stricken ladies claiming to have been visited by angels? That’s quite a stretch. And those supposed angels informed the women that Christ rose from the dead? Delusional. As they walked the seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they were discussing this too-good-to-be-true report and all that had transpired over the past few days. They were discouraged, confused, and disillusioned. That’s when He arrived. “And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (Luke 24:15-16). “What are you discussing?” He asked. As if He didn’t know! They gave Jesus a brief summary, expressing their surprise that He would even have to ask. “What else would we be discussing?” was their inference. It seems everyone in Jerusalem could think of little else than what had transpired with Christ the last few days, since so many of them had thought He might be the long-awaited Messiah. They spoke to Him of their devastation and also of the rumor that He had risen from the dead. Jesus, His identity still hidden from them, “Explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (v. 27), including the fact He needed to suffer and die. Wouldn’t you like to hear that recording! When I get to heaven, the video room will be one of my first stops. Though they still didn’t know it was Jesus, His words were impacting their hearts. “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us… explaining the Scriptures to us?” they stated (v. 32). When they reached their destination, the men pled with Jesus to spend the night. The Lord agreed to do so, and during dinner, “He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (vv. 30-31). He disappeared from their sight at that moment. Sleep was now out of the question. So they hurried back the seven miles to Jerusalem with the good news: Christ was, indeed, risen. I find it more than a coincidence that after hiding from these men who He was, the Lord chose to release the revelation “in the breaking of the bread” (v. 35). After all, He was the “bread of life” that had been “broken” for them (see John 6:33, 35, 48-51), and they could now partake of His resurrection life. Was the timing of the revelation His way of saying to them, “The sustenance you need is now available? Sup with Me (Revelation 3:20), and I will reveal to you the things you need to know?” I believe so. I also believe He is saying the same to us. We can eat the bread of life by feeding on His words (Matthew 4:4). Eat them. As you do, revelation will come, and He will unveil Himself to you, just as He did these two men. At some point, your Creator will also reveal to you your purpose and destiny, just as He did for Andrew. Spend a day with Jesus…He is risen. Pray with me: Father, we just celebrated our Lord’s victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave. He triumphed fully and now ever lives to be our Apostle, Mediator, High Priest, and King. Thank You for this amazing, costly, and wonderful plan. As we walk with You, we pray for a greater revelation of Christ’s victory. We are one with Him spiritually, infused with His nature, more than conquerors, able to do all things through His strength. Increase revelation of these things, but also that we are His Ekklesia on earth, assigned to represent Him. Awaken us to this! May the revelation be ever-increasing. And we continue, as we always will, to declare that Holy Spirit is now orchestrating history’s greatest revival. We bind the work of demonic powers attempting to stop this, enforcing Christ’s magnificent victory at Calvary. Come in greater power, Kingdom of God. Will of God, be accomplished. We pray these things in the risen Messiah’s name, Yeshua. Our decree: We decree that death was conquered and has lost its sting. ***************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books.
  19. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-7-2023 April 7, 2023 We will be taking communion together at the end of today's post. Passion Week: Good Friday Good Friday, called this because of an ancient usage of the word “good” as a synonym for holy. (In the same way as the Holy Bible at times is called the “Good Book.”) Holy Friday, indeed. From Gethsemane, Messiah was led to a mock trial, after which He was beaten mercilessly with a cat-o-nine-tails. This procedure was so brutal that some recipients didn’t survive it. The leather cords, tipped with sharp metal, tore at the flesh of the victim, ripping off pieces of flesh. The beating with its nine cords, delivered 39 times, made a total of 351 lashes. This was barbaric and brutal, not only lacerating the back, but wrapping around to the front of the victim’s body, including the face. It is hard to describe this lashing without being too graphic for most readers. The depiction of the horrific damage in The Passion movie is no exaggeration. Suffice it to say that when finished, the victim was often unrecognizable. The soldiers also beat Christ with their fists and spat on His face. To mock Him as “the King of the Jews,” a crown made of thorns was placed on His head and pressed into His skin, causing great pain and more loss of blood. When the ordeal was finished, Messiah was so mangled and covered with spittle and blood that He literally was unrecognizable. Isaiah said, “Many people were shocked [astonished; appalled] when they saw him. His appearance was so damaged [disfigured; marred] He did not look like a man; His form was so changed they could barely tell He was human” (Isaiah 52:14 The Expanded Bible). The added punishments and torture, much more than the average victim of crucifixion was afflicted with, can only be explained as the fury of hell, trying to snuff out the life of the Son of God. Yeshua received this for you and me. Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 tell us it was through this beating that we can be healed. Place your faith in this today. Receive healing by placing your faith in His substitutionary sacrifice. Christ was then led to His crucifixion. There are several prophetic references or pictures in the Old Testament pointing to the Cross. One passage of extreme importance is Deuteronomy 21: 22-23, which references one who experienced death by hanging on a tree as being “cursed.” It is abundantly clear from Galatians 3:13 that this verse refers to Jesus hanging on the “tree,” taking our curse. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Yeshua’s crucifixion took place at Golgotha, “the place of the skull.” God, centuries before, had ordained that this would be the place and, with stones and erosion, carved the international symbol of death onto the hillside. This also was the location of Isaac’s interrupted sacrifice (Genesis 22), which pictured the Cross. Like Isaac, we were spared, and God Himself provided the sacrifice. “Then Abraham looked up [lifted his eyes] and saw a male sheep [ram] caught in a bush by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep, offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, and his son was saved [in the place of his son]. So Abraham named that place The Lord Provides [or Sees; Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today, people say, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided [or seen]’” (Genesis 22:13-14; The Expanded Bible). In this chosen place, high on a hill so all could see the Passover Lamb bearing our shame, God provided the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus carried His own Cross, though He was able to carry it only part of the way. It was actually the crossbeam that He carried. When He arrived at the place of crucifixion, He was first tied and nailed with spikes to this crosspiece, which contained a hole in the center, enabling it to slide down onto the upright post. After a victim was tied and nailed to this portion, it was lifted and placed onto the top of the upright section, whereupon it would fall down and slam into place. This is often when dislocations would occur in the crucified person, as the crosspiece slammed down. And indeed, we know this occurred with Christ, as was prophesied of Him in Psalm 22:14. The sliding down of the crosspiece is also why the spikes were placed at the bottom of the hands where they joined the wrist; this placement would sustain more weight. It’s also why the victim was tied to the crossbeam. If they were not secured in this way, they would often be torn loose. Yeshua hung on the Cross for six hours in this emaciated state. While there, He spoke seven times. Time does not permit me to comment on each of them, but they are all significant. Halfway through the ordeal, at noon, the sun disappeared, and the sky grew dark (Luke 23:44-45). This was a fulfillment of Amos 8: 9-10: “‘It will come about in that day,’ declares the Lord God, ‘That I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight. Then I will turn your festivals into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation, and I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins, And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.’” Surely this is a prophetic picture of the Light of the World being snuffed out for us. It was at the end of the 3 hours that Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46-47; Mark 15:34) He was quoting from Psalm 22, which is a detailed prophecy of the Cross. Christ was crying out in anguish because, for the first time in all of eternity, He was experiencing separation from His Father. It is also the only record we have of Him addressing God as anything other than Father. Christ had taken our sins upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53.5). Most scholars agree that when this occurred, He bore our separation from the Father, who could no longer look upon Him. Though Jesus no doubt knew this would occur, the actual experience was more than He could endure, and cried out in anguish. It is worth noting that Christ never cried out during the beatings, scourging, thorns, spikes, or dislocations - only when this separation occurred from His Father, as He bore our sin. Finally, it was enough. The price had been paid. Christ made His final two statements. The first, “It is finished,” I have written of before in the GH15 posts. This was not a statement referencing His death, but a loud declaration by Christ, also a quote from Psalm 22 (verse 31). This decree was one word in Greek (tetelestai) and also in the Hebrew of Psalm 22 (asah). Using the literal meaning of these words, Christ was declaring that He had fully accomplished His assignment, paid our debt in full, and was bringing forth the new creation! Yeshua then released His spirit to the Father. Death did not take Him, He “yielded up His Spirit” (Matthew 27:50). It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The priests in the Temple were performing their customary duties when, at the very moment Jesus yielded up His Spirit, the veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The purpose of this veil had been to separate everyone from the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God on earth. With this symbolic act, God was declaring that the separation caused by our sin was gone, and we could now enter His presence once again! Why don’t you spend some time with Him today? He would like that. Pray with me: Thank You, Father, for the Cross. Thank You for sending Christ to be our substitute. Thank You for placing our sins upon Him in order to bring us back into Your family. Thank You for allowing the lashes, the wounds, the crown of thorns, and the separation. And thank You, Jesus, for Your heart of humility and love. You are the Son of Man and Son of God. And through our faith in You, You have made us sons and daughters of the Most High. We are so grateful. Now, by faith, we appropriate all of the cleansing power of Your shed blood, and the healing virtue that flows from every wound You suffered. By Your stripes, we are healed! And as we prayed yesterday, we do so again today: for the glory of Your name and the pleasure of Your heart, send revival to earth. Save a billion or more people in this great revival. Your Father promised You the nations of the earth as Your inheritance - reap them now. And in remembrance of You and what You did for us on Calvary, we partake of the Communion Table. We take the bread, which was Your body, broken for us - a price paid so we could have eternal life. We take the cup, a representation of your blood, spilled for us, the price paid for our redemption from sin. We give you thanks today, Jesus. We give you thanks. Our decree: We decree that the Lamb who was slain has overcome and will forever reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. ********************* Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  20. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-6-2023 April 6, 2023 Passion Week: Redemption Began In Gethsemane “Leaving there, He went, as He so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed Him. When they arrived at the place, He said, ‘Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.’” (Luke 22:39 MSG) “The place” spoken of by Luke was Gethsemane. It had become Christ’s favorite place of prayer; notice the phrase, “as He so often did.” This is how Judas, who had left the last supper early, knew where to take the soldiers to find Him. Christ would spend three hours there that night agonizing over the ordeal He was facing. During this time, He would wrestle with His natural, human desire for this cup of suffering to pass from Him: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The agony of these three hours was horrific, much worse than most people realize. Luke tells us Christ started this time of prayer on His knees. Matthew adds that He eventually fell on His face in agony. Mark added that He fell repeatedly. In other words, Christ would kneel, then fall on His face. He would rise to His feet again, only to fall once more - first to His knees, then onto His face. At one point, the agony of what He was experiencing, as well as the knowledge of what was coming, became so great that the capillaries in His face burst, and blood mixed with sweat oozed through the pores of His skin (Luke 22:44). This is a painful medical condition known as hematidrosis. “Doctors don't know exactly what triggers hematidrosis, in part because it's so rare. They think it could be related to the body's ‘fight or flight’ response… Sometimes it seems to be caused by extreme distress or fear, such as facing death, torture, or severe ongoing abuse. It's probably where the term ‘sweating blood,’ meaning a great effort, comes from.” (1) “While the extent of blood loss generally is minimal, hematidrosis also results in the skin becoming extremely tender and fragile.”(2) I believe our redemption was actually beginning here when the first drop of Christ’s blood was shed, even before He reached the Cross. Through a blending of the Gospel accounts, and with more in-depth definitions of the words chosen by Holy Spirit, we can gain a more complete picture of what Jesus truly experienced in the garden. When He “withdrew” from the disciples to pray by Himself (Luke 22:41), Luke uses a stronger word than the other Gospel writers, apospao, which means “to tear away.”(3) Wuest translates it accordingly, “He tore himself away from them.” Probably more than any time in His life, Christ wanted the comfort of being with friends, yet He knew He would have to face this ordeal alone. We are told by Matthew and Mark that Yeshua became “sore amazed, exceedingly sorrowful and very heavy” in His mind and emotions (Matthew 26.37-38; Mark 14:33-34 KJV). More literal definitions of the Greek words used give us poignant descriptions of what He was feeling: Ademonein: “to be troubled and in anguish, to be in a state of great anxiety; used of one who is rendered helpless, disoriented, agitated, and anguished by the threat of an approaching event.”(4) Perilupus: “to be very sad, environed or surrounded with deep grief.”(5) Ekthambeisthai: “to be exceedingly astonished, either with wonder or fear; to be in the grip of a shuddering horror.”(6) Wuest says Christ was “thoroughly alarmed.” Though He knew in advance this trauma was coming, the intensity of it was even greater than what He had expected. It was alarming to Him! Astonishing. Disorienting. Horrifying. Matthew tells us Jesus was agonizing “to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). The word used demands that this be taken literally. Though death could never have taken Christ before the time came for Him to yield up His spirit, in a strictly human sense, here in the garden, His body was close to death. Again, I believe our redemption - specifically, taking the emotional wounds, rejections, and sorrows of the entire world upon Himself - began here in the garden of Gethsemane. Isaiah prophesied of Christ: “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5 NASB) Don’t waste a moment of Christ’s suffering for you. Everything He did was redemptive. Every second of suffering and abuse was for you and me, taking our place. Let it bring healing to every part of your soul that may be hurting. Jesus wants you healed from every form of abuse, rejection, betrayal, and loss. He paid for this! Receive it. After three hours of agony, Christ prevailed. He broke through into peace, and His spirit was now in complete control of every emotion. At this point, Judas came with soldiers and betrayed Christ with a kiss, kataphileo (7). The word reveals that this was more than just the friendly kiss on the cheek (phileo) (8), a common greeting in many countries. The prefix kata (9) strengthens it, implying a stronger affection, perhaps with a hug or a lingering kiss on the cheek. That is why Jesus questioned Judas, “Are you betraying me with this type of affection, Judas?” (Luke 22:48) Christ then asks the soldiers, “Who are you seeking?” When they told Him, He simply said, “I AM” (John 18:4-5). Jesus did NOT say “I am He,” as most translations state. He spoke His God-name from throughout eternity: “I AM.” And the power of His words, of His name, knocked the soldiers backward onto the ground (verse 6). Christ is, indeed, Almighty God. At this point, Peter, perhaps emboldened by what happened to the soldiers, pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. Jesus promptly touched Malchus and healed his ear! (Luke 22:51) The great I AM, indeed! The Healer! The Great Physician! The Creator! And in this time of His suffering, the Savior is seen ministering to His enemies. At this point, Jesus was led away to be tried, beaten, and crucified. We will look at this tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, the agony You must have felt during Christ’s sufferings had to have been immeasurable. The temptation to answer His prayer, “Let this cup pass from Me,” must have been overwhelming. But You knew there was no other way to save us - our sins required a perfect, sinless substitute. You who spared not Your own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall You not also with Him, freely give us all things! (Romans 8:32) Thank You! And Jesus, words fail us. You, the Prince of Peace, suffered overwhelming mental anguish and emotional trauma for us. You allowed Yourself to feel the pressure until Your capillaries burst and Your skin oozed blood. Through this, You now give us unexplainable peace and unspeakable joy. We worship You today. We exalt You above all others. We love You from the depths of our hearts. May our incense of worship rise before You, bringing the pleasure You so deserve. As incredible as it sounds, we are the reward of Your suffering. Satisfy Your heart even more in this hour - send revival to the earth! Bring a billion souls into Your family in this coming revival. Your Father, who cannot lie, gave You the nations as Your inheritance. No one can take them from You. Holy Spirit, show the world just how wonderful this God-Man is. Open their eyes to His glory, His selfless love, His humility. Give them dreams about Him that awaken desire - a longing to know Him. Surely, there is no one like Him - give them a taste! Let not the wicked stop this. Ruin their plans, judge their strategies, thwart their efforts…and reveal this glorious Man. And in His name, we pray, Amen. ************************** Tomorrow we will be having communion together as we remember the day known as Good Friday, the day of Christ’s death. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hematidrosis-hematohidrosis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis This is a combined definition from these sources: Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977. Vine, W.E. The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1984. Zodhiates, Spiros, The Complete Word Study Dictionary. Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992. 4. Ibid 5. Ibid 6. Ibid 7. Ibid 8. Ibid 9. Ibid
  21. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-5-2023 April 5, 2023 Passion Week: The Alabaster Box It is unfortunate for us to try and focus on something as important and holy as Christ’s Passion week, while also needing to watch and comment on the chaos occurring in our nation. What is happening with President Trump is unprecedented, literally, and one more example of the corruption and polarization in America. As I’m sure you know by now, there were no surprises in Trump’s indictment, and the expert legal analysts I’m hearing believe the charges are motivated by politics, and have no chance of succeeding (unless it is from a stacked jury). The likely motivation for this is to plant negative thoughts about Trump in the minds of voters and be a distraction to him and his campaign. I will certainly say more about this in the future, and we will continue to pray for America, our government, and the work Holy Spirit needs to do to heal our land. Today, however, let’s move on to Christ’s final week on earth, leading up to the Cross. ******************** During the week of Christ’s Passion, we are told the story of a woman anointing Christ’s head and feet with very expensive ointment. “Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as He was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house, with an alabaster flask filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She came to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over His head. But some were highly indignant when they saw this, and they complained to one another, saying, ‘What a total waste! It could have been sold for a great sum, and the money could have benefited the poor.’ So they scolded her harshly. Jesus said to them, ‘Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness. You will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have Me. When she poured the fragrant oil over Me, she was preparing My body in advance of My burial. She has done all that she could to honor Me. I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to Me will be mentioned in memory of her.’” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:3-9‬ ‭TPT‬‬) This oil was very expensive, worth a year’s wages based on the average income of the day. We know from John’s account (John 12:1-8) that this was done by the same Mary who sat at Christ’s feet, mesmerized by His words, in Luke 10:38-42. She was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The timing of Mary’s offering was just days before His death, and Jesus said she was anointing Him for His burial. Whether Mary had grasped the reality of His words about His imminent death and resurrection, or whether Jesus was simply applying the offering in that light is unclear. Two things we do know: It was a very costly offering from Mary, and it was precious to the Lord. “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her,” He stated (Matthew 26:13). Some speculate that the scent of this powerful perfume would have lingered in Christ’s hair for several days. Did the fragrance help sustain Him as He agonized in Gethsemane? Perhaps the sweet aroma comforted Him through the tortuous six hours on the Cross. Never underestimate the fragrance of worship. Others in the room thought Mary’s offering to be a waste. Some actually scolded her (Mark 14:5). I know the feeling. When I canceled all other activities for three months in our church in Colorado Springs, lavishing ninety days of 24/7 worship on the Lord, I, too, was criticized. One influential Christian leader rebuked me, calling the ninety days of worship “a complete waste of time.” It’s fascinating just how much perspectives can differ. For me, those three months remain the best three months of my life. They were my alabaster box of costly perfume, the greatest offering I’ve had the honor of giving Christ. For the person who rebuked me, they were a complete waste of time. Never allow the lack of revelation in others to cheapen your offering. Like Mary, give Christ your best. Others may mock your sacrifice of time, but go ahead and “waste” it on Him. Some will scold you, as they did Mary, calling your passionate praise too radical, but pour out your offering in spite of their ridicule. Still others will label your extravagant worship as excessive. Religious zeal. Don’t let their misguided criticism deter you - pour out your costly perfume! The list of Christ’s followers in the room as Mary anointed Jesus is quite the who’s who. The twelve disciples were present. You’d think they would have understood that Jesus was more than worth this offering, but they were too practical: “It should have been given to the poor,” was their protest. Christ’s thoughts? “Go ahead and anoint Me; there will be ample time to care for the poor after I’m gone.” Simon, the former leper, was present. This was actually his home. One might think his new skin, replaced appendages, and restored life would merit the “wasting” of some costly perfume on Jesus. Evidently not - he didn’t come to Mary’s defense. And then there was Lazarus, Mary’s brother, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. He had been dead so long that he stank. Surely he would see the validity of his sister’s costly perfume sacrifice. But no, Lazarus didn’t come to her defense, either. Could it be that the others’ familiarity with Christ had lessened their wonder of Him, their awe? We don’t know. They certainly didn’t come to Mary’s defense. We do know that only one worshiper that day had the fullness of love and revelation necessary to anoint the Savior. How sadly typical. So many miss opportunities to lavish affection on Him. It is not uncommon for me to see church attendees waste opportunities to break their alabaster box of love and pour it on the Master. They’ve been in His presence so often, sang so many songs and prayed so many prayers that, well, the experience just isn’t quite worth what it used to be. So, they give Him token praise and watered-down worship. Cheap perfume. I doubt if the fragrance makes it past Sunday lunch. But while the others that day wasted an opportunity to comfort God, Mary poured out her costly perfume. Its fragrance sustained Him through Gethsemane, the beatings, mocking, lashing, spittle, spikes, dislocations, and thorns. Don’t allow another day to go by without becoming one of the “fragrance creators.” Let nothing deter you. Your alabaster box is your heart; your love and worship are the perfume. Break it open and pour it out. At the scent of your offering, He’ll meet with you. And He’ll cherish your worship, just as He did Mary’s. Pray with me: Father, thank You for including Mary‘s story in Your Holy Book. We are impressed and motivated by her example, yes. But just as importantly, we are awed by Christ’s moving acceptance and appreciation of it. May we today always give Him our best. May the fragrance of worship ascend to Him daily from our hearts and lives. May You, Abba, always find a sweet fragrance of worship ascending before Your throne. We love You very much. Jesus, thank You for Your amazing, unfathomable humility. We will never know just how much You humbled Yourself to serve us as You did. You became human, touchable, breakable. Your love is unmatched. We worship You today with our hearts and our words. And we gratefully partake of Your life, righteousness, strength, healing, and wholeness. We continue to pray for the turning of our nation and for our government to be transformed. Change those who can be changed; replace the others. You are the God of salvation; bring it to this land. And we wholeheartedly include other nations in this prayer - send revival throughout the earth. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we are passionate worshipers of our great God, and will break our alabaster box, giving Him all of our love and honor. ***************** Click here to watch/hear Cece Winans perform the song, The Alabaster Box. This is one of our favorites. Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  22. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-4-2023 April 4, 2023 Pre-post statement: Because we post the GH15s very early in the morning, they must be completed the evening before. Therefore, this post was completed Monday, before the arraignment of President Trump. I will comment on the arraignment in tomorrow’s post. However, before I read today’s, let’s briefly pray for him: Father, we thank You for the way You have used Donald Trump. He was the most pro-life President America has ever had. Minorities prospered under his leadership more than under any other President. He protected America and supported Your causes. We ask You to strengthen him in this time and give the outcome You desire regarding the charges against him. And we ask for Your will concerning his future to be accomplished. In Christ’s name, Amen. Passion Week: The Man, Christ Jesus We are entering the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday, often referred to as The Passion Week. Christ actually began experiencing the emotional pressure of what was coming several weeks before the Cross occurred. Most people fail to consider that Jesus was truly human, with real emotions and the ability to feel pain. He experienced grief, sorrow, anger, and disappointment, enjoyed friendships, knew joy and laughter, felt hunger and thirst, grew tired and sleepy. Though fully God, Jesus was also human, but without the Adamic fallen nature. He had to be in order to represent us as a legal substitute. As one who was truly human, Christ didn’t simply flip over into God mode when things got tough in order to not experience the pain or trauma. Philippians 2:6-7 tell us that “although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Let Christ be human. As I stated above, weeks before the Cross Christ began feeling the pressure. When He said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), Jesus was thinking of Himself. The passage begins by saying, “Jesus let nothing distract him from departing for Jerusalem because the time for him to be lifted up drew near, and he was full of passion to complete his mission there.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭9:51‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Jesus knew that in Jerusalem He would face arrest, torture, and agonizing death. But He set off firmly and unflinchingly, committed to finishing His mission. There would be no backing out, and nothing would deter Him from accomplishing His purpose. Isaiah prophesied this determination: “The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:5-7 NASB). Christ knew this passage was speaking of Him and realized He was entering the season of its fulfillment. So He set His face like flint, put His hand to the plow, and turned toward Jerusalem, beginning what would become His final trek to this city. Traveling by foot and stopping along the way to minister and rest, the journey would take several weeks. Luke, in his gospel, reveals the humanness of Christ more than the other Gospel writers. Under Holy Spirit’s guidance, each Gospel writer had a different goal in his writing. This is why each man shared different (not contradictory) accounts of Christ’s works and teachings. Matthew, for example, wrote his Gospel primarily to the Jews; he was, therefore, revealing Christ as the King of God’s Kingdom. Mark wrote to Romans; hence, he wrote of Jesus as a man of action, filled with power and under authority. John wrote to all humankind, presenting Him as truly God. Luke was writing primarily to Gentiles and Greeks; he presented the humanness of Christ - He was truly a man and, therefore, qualified to be our substitute at the Cross. In revealing Christ’s humanness, Luke wants us to know that from this point onward, the pressure began building in the Son of Man. Jesus was having to remain very focused in order to deal with this pressure. Eleven times after the above verse (9:51), Luke mentions that Christ was journeying toward Jerusalem and, therefore, the Cross. He was focused on the mission and would not waver. In Chapter 12, Luke quotes Him as saying, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished” (verse 50). “Distressed” is the Greek word sunecho (Strongs 4912), a very strong word meaning “to be held fast, like a prisoner.” It also means “to be confined, constrained, pressed together so as to not be able to move (like a city under siege);” figuratively, sunecho meant “to be in a mental state of anguish.” Kenneth Wuest’s expanded and very literal translation of the New Testament renders this verse: “I have an immersion by which I will be overwhelmed, and I am being hard pressed from every side until it be consummated.” In other words, though weeks out from the Cross, the strain in Christ was already very intense! Jesus knew what was about to occur and was dreading it. The focus required in order to press on toward Jerusalem was so intense that it could be seen on His countenance. In Luke 9:53, Christ was rejected by a Samaritan village “Because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.” Although there was great friction between Jews and Samaritans, Christ had earlier been accepted by a village in Samaria after ministering to “the woman at the well” (see John 4). On this occasion, however, they would not receive Him. Why? They were offended because He couldn’t seem to take His focus off Jerusalem. What did this look like? There must have been many pensive gazes, perhaps even some grimaces, as Christ kept turning His face toward Jerusalem and the Cross. This became so obvious that the Samaritans, who were rejected and looked down upon by the Jews, had finally had enough. Of course, they didn’t understand. No one did. This was something Christ was having to endure alone. And with His face set like flint, He journeyed on - moving toward His destiny. “And He was passing through from one village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). For several weeks, the journey continued, and the pressure built until Jesus rounded the last curve and crested the last hill. When the city came into view, He burst into tears. Christ’s emotions were now raw, sensitive, and bottled up. Like a pent-up dam that could take no more pressure, He released His emotions. Jesus loved this city; He loved the people. Yet He knew Jerusalem would reject Him and, in the future, experience great devastation. As this mix of emotions erupted to the surface, Yeshua let it all out. And He did more than cry. Again, quoting from Wuest’s New Testament, “...having caught sight of the city, He burst into tears, weeping audibly over it” (Luke 19:41). What a picture. And what must the disciples and those following Christ have thought as He “burst into tears” and sobbed? How often this man surprised and amazed them. Power, authority, humility, wisdom, intellect, love and yes, passion were all exhibited by the Son of Man. And they would soon see His anger. After composing Himself, Christ went directly to the Temple and drove out those who were selling their wares, making His “house of prayer...a robber’s den,” (Luke 19:45-46). This was indeed anger, but it wasn’t a temporary loss of self-control. The Temple was intended by God to picture us humans, created to be the dwelling place/temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The defilement Jesus was seeing reminded Him of the defilement in us, which He was about to cleanse at the Cross, just days from then. He was demonstrating what He had come to do: cleanse His temple - US..! And Christ was intense about it. Spend some time this week reflecting on the passion of Christ. Journey through the week with Him. Thank Him for the price He paid. Worship Him not only as God, the Creator, but also as Son of Man, the Redeemer. And let Him be human. Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your incredible love and commitment to us. Thank You for the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. You are amazing. We are deeply moved by being able to call You Abba, Papa. And Jesus, thank You for the incarnation - being willing to become one of us. Isaiah called You Immanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). Daniel called You “son of man” (Daniel 7:13). Thank You for the tears. Thank You for the love. Thank You for the suffering and pain. Thank You for the Cross - thank You for dying. And thank You for winning, for conquering death and the grave, for overcoming sin and its evil hold on us. Thank You for sharing Abba with us. Thank You for sharing Your throne with us. Manifest Yourself through us in this era, we pray. May the world see who You are, Yeshua, and Your glory as the church You are building matures into the Ekklesia You envisioned. Continue to mature us into people worthy of bearing Your name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that the sufferings of Christ were not in vain, and His blood will never lose its power. ************************ Click on the link below to watch the full video.
  23. 6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/april-3-2023 April 3, 2023 We Own A Right Time A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Knowing this, God sculpted and shaped a vivid picture of hope deferred in the form of a mountain - wouldn't you know it would be a mountain! Rugged. Barren. Big. Its very name Horeb, means “desolation, a waste place, barrenness, dryness.” Yep, all synonyms of hope deferred. I sometimes think of this mountain when praying for America. This is the place Moses ended up for much of his forty-year exile, shoveling dung instead of bathing in royal hot tubs. There can be no more severe case of hope deferred than what Moses experienced, having lost his royal inheritance and, it seemed, his destiny. I realize “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” but after disappearing for forty years, a dream is usually over. Especially if you’re 80 years old! But thankfully, like many mountains, Horeb had treasure hidden within it. Not only would this barren piece of rock be a picture of exile-induced heart disease, but it would also become a glorious example of conquered hope deferred and healed heart disease. Horeb gives us a glimpse of life on the other side of our pain. The events associated with this mountain portray God’s amazing ability to heal, restore hope and purpose, and bring abundant treasure from ugly mountains. Horeb didn’t remain horrible for Moses, and it won’t for us. The transformation of Horeb’s symbolism became so complete, its power so harnessed by the hand of God, that it eventually became known as “the mountain of God.” (Exodus 3:1). It doesn’t get any better than that! God can so transform the “Horeb seasons” of our lives that one day all we’ll see when we look back at them is Him - the mountain of God. There is gold in this mountain, and we will find it! This became especially real to me a few years back when I found myself in a season of hope deferred, much of which had been caused by betrayal. One afternoon, while seeking the Lord for comfort, He threw me quite a curve. “I need for you to embrace the pain,” He spoke very clearly. What a strange and seemingly cruel statement to hear from a loving Father who supposedly had great plans for my welfare and a future filled with hope. What I did not realize, however, was that God wanted to do more than simply remove my pain; He also wanted to use it for my good. God never wastes our pain; before He removes it, He makes it serve us. Horeb becomes our gym and the pharaoh who sent us there our trainer. And ultimately, like God, whose nature we inherited, we will win. He always wins, and we can, also. I want to be very clear that God wasn’t telling me betrayal is good, nor that He caused it. God doesn’t initiate evil, but He does make it serve Him – and us. He needed me to embrace the pain, NOT so I could hurt, but in order to grab it, wrestle it to the mat, and claim my prize! God doesn’t call evil good, as some people are prone to do. Pain isn’t good; it tells us something is wrong. Death is an enemy. Emotional wounds can break our hearts. God doesn’t make light of our pain, and He isn’t playing weird mind games with us, trying to convince us that bad is good. He IS saying, however, that no matter how deep the wound and great the pain, He knows how to heal and transform it - and not just into scar tissue. He will use its lessons to make us better, healthier, richer, and well positioned for a fulfilling future. Horeb need not be terminal! Learn the lessons from this ugly mountain, and find the buried treasure hidden in it. One of the first things Horeb will teach us, and one of the most important, is the power of perseverance. Don’t downplay this one – it’s huge. Waiting isn’t easy, and nothing truer can be said than that waiting is associated with hope deferred. However, learning to wait without wavering will make you successful in life. God wants to strengthen your endurance through your experience at Horeb, so you can be like a distance runner who can run long distances without damaging the heart or lungs. Moses is one of the all-time record holders for waiting. After fleeing from Pharaoh and becoming an object lesson on deferred hopes and diseased hearts for 40 years, he found it hard to believe God could ever use him again – let alone awaken his dreaming heart. But after a session of arguing with God on this mountain (see Exodus 3-4), he decided to give it a try and became the all-time greatest poster boy for restored hope. Sometimes what is perceived as the death of a vision is really just waiting for its divine time! That’s why persistence is so crucial. This could prove to be one of the greatest assets you’ll mine from this mountain. Rick DeVos, the co-founder of Amway and former owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team, says of persistence: “Persistence is the single most important ingredient of success in life…When confronted with a failure or disappointment, you have only two choices: You can give up, or you can persist…If I could pass on one character trait to young people in the world – one single quality that would help them achieve success in life – it would be persistence. It’s more important than intellect, athletic ability, good looks or personal magnetism. Persistence comes from a deep place in the soul. It is a God-given compensation for what we lack in other areas of our life. Never underestimate its power.”(1) All great men and women have learned to persevere. Galatians 6:9 encourages us to do so without losing heart: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” At times, like Moses, our wait is because we have not yet arrived at God’s “due time.” The words “due time” in this verse come from the Greek phrase, “idios kairos” and, when fully understood, are filled with reason to persevere. Kairos means “the right time; the opportune point in time at which something should be done.” The second word, idios, denotes “ownership.” This verse is telling us not to lose heart while waiting for something God has promised us, because we own a right time for the promise to arrive. Knowing this makes waiting much easier. I’ve waited over 35 years for America’s - and the entire world’s - next great wave of revival. Twenty-five of those years have been on the front lines. Not quite as long as Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, but I can see their tail lights. During that span, my nation has become a Horeb - desolate, barren, and dry - but I’m starting to see “burning bushes” and hear awakening words from heaven. Open your eyes, see the flame, and listen to the God of resurrection life: “America shall be saved, the bones will live, and I WILL have my harvest!” Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving us inspirational stories in Your Word, for allowing us to see into the lives of overcomers and heroes. Thank You for showing us their challenges, failures, and recoveries. You are the God who makes Horeb serve us. You tell us unequivocally that Horeb is meant to be conquered and turned into a place of strength and breakthrough. We have all visited this mountain, and our entire nation now lives there. But You, God, transform Horebs! You have not given up on America - because You have not given up on the earth. We’ve been knocked down, but You, our Trainer/Manager, have not “thrown in the towel.” To the contrary, You are in our corner with the smelling salts, water bottles, and Holy Spirit’s power. We see the burning bush, and we are listening for Your voice (Exodus 3). We have seen the bones coming together and can hear them rattling - not the death rattle, as some would contend - but the rattling of realignment (Ezekiel 37). We can hear Your laugh of derision toward Your enemies as You listen to them decree their supposed victory over You (Psalm 2). And now we decree Your words over this nation: “America shall be saved.” We decree over the nations: “You are the inheritance of Jesus Christ, and He will have members in His family from every one of you.” We decree over our prodigals and family members: “We shall be saved, and so shall our household.” And we declare over the workers of iniquity in this nation: “The King is coming to shake you from your positions of power.” We decree and declare all these things in the mighty name of Jesus..!! Our decree: We decree that our desolation and barrenness are being infused with resurrection life. *************************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope, published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________________ Rich DeVos, Hope From My Heart (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000), pp. 27, 33.
  24. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-31-2023 March 31, 2023 The Scarlet Cord (Today, we are going to take communion together. You may want to pause the video and get your communion elements ready.) “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” (1) These are the opening lines of the song, Solid Rock, written in 1834 by Edward Mote, a Baptist pastor from England. The well-known refrain states: “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” (2) The refrain of this hymn is based on Matthew 7:24-27, which anyone who’s attended Sunday school will recognize as the parable of The Wise and the Foolish Builders. The passage says: “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!” (GNT) Most of the words of this song, not just the refrain, are based in Scripture. Edward Mote must have been a man who loved God’s Word. He had come to understand that hope was found in Christ, and clearly embraced this truth in his life. I’m sure Mote had no idea the powerful song he ended up writing would become a classic, reminding the millions who would sing it that hope is found in Jesus. The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans and a hope-filled future for us. The hope He gives motivates us to pursue the future He has planned. This allows us to also impart hope, which puts wind beneath the wings of others. Hope looks past any fog or darkness that may encroach on our path and lights our way forward. In my book, The Power of Hope, I state that “Hope does in our hearts what seeds do in the earth. Without hope, life is sterile and unfruitful; dreams won’t be conceived; destinies won’t be realized. Hope is essential because it is the seed, the starting line, the genesis, and the launch pad. It is, in fact, the incubator where faith is birthed: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,” God tells us (Hebrews 11:1 KJV, emphasis added). If there is no hope for the future, there will be no faith to face it - let alone build it.” (3) Strong’s concordance tells us the word “hope” in Jeremiah 29:11 is the word “tiqvah”. It has two meanings: “an expectancy;” and “a cord, as an attachment.” The second definition is especially fascinating. Hope connects us to our future. This brings us back to the words of Mote’s song, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” At some point, while walking along life’s path with the Lord, this powerful truth became a revelation, and he shared it with all the world in his hymn. Tiqvah’s definition as a “cord or rope” is used this way in Joshua 2:18. A woman named Rahab hid the Israelite spies when they came to check out Jericho. Because she helped them, they agreed to save her and her family from the destruction coming to Jericho. The spies gave her a red cord and told her to hang it in her window. They cautioned her to be sure all of her extended family members were in the room with the cord, and all would be saved. In verse 21, she accepted their offer. It was a very good thing she did. The entire city and its inhabitants were destroyed; only Rahab and her family survived. The passage reads, “When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet cord [tiqvah - hope] hanging from the window through which you let us down… ‘I accept your terms,’ she replied. And, she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope [hope] hanging from the window” (verses 18-21 NLT). Rahab was being asked to place her hope in these men and the God she knew was with them. Their promise to her was a covenant expressed in the blood-red cord. Most biblical scholars see this as a prophetic picture of Christ’s shed blood, which is where we place our hope and trust. This symbolism seems even more likely when we realize Rahab later married an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, Salmon, and became the mother of Boaz. Boaz and Ruth gave us Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. King David was one of Rahab’s descendants; she was part of Christ’s lineage! That Jesus descended from Rahab makes it almost certain that the scarlet cord symbolized the redeeming, covenantal blood of Christ, through which we are saved. One verse of Mote’s song says, “His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.” Let’s put all our hope in God’s covenant with us, knowing we are saved by, tethered to, and anchored solidly in His love and plan. Communion is our declaration that when all around us gives way, Christ is our hope and stay. We are foundationed on Him, our rock, which will never fail to support us. His blood, the scarlet cord, “hangs” from the windows of our hearts and is the surety, the guarantee, of our covenant with God (Hebrews 7:22). He cannot and will not fail. Christ’s blood grafts us into God’s family, just as the cord grafted Rahab into Israel. And not as a second-class citizen - Rahab became a carrier of the royal seed, one of the mothers of Messianic redemption. Put your hope and faith in the blood of Christ - it will not fail! Pray with me: Father, we ask You to restore Your people from hope-deferred. You tell us hope-deferred makes our hearts sick (Proverbs 13:12). Heal them, spiritually and emotionally, so they can be hope-givers to those around them. Many have been in a season of disappointment; some have even abandoned hope, and lost faith in You. They’ve allowed circumstances to determine how they see and relate to You. But hope can spawn faith, correct our vision, and bring us into right relationship with You! You are good, faithful, and have a plan to bring us into a hope-filled future. As we take the bread of communion together today, we break off of Your people fear, disillusionment, hope-deferred, weak hearts, and confusion. We declare Your promise of “no fear,” and release “power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We declare over them the spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). Through Your covenant, our hope and faith are strong for ourselves, our families, and our nation. (Eat the bread) And as we take the cup today, representing Your blood, we declare, as Rahab did for herself and her family, that we are no longer outsiders, outcasts. We’re in the family now, the household of faith, Your family. As Your kids, we’re Your heirs, joint-heirs with Christ. We stand in this truth today, declaring that we and our families, like Rahab, shall be saved, by the scarlet cord, the blood of a better and eternal covenant - Christ’s. (Drink the cup). Our decree: We declare that a hope-filled church will reflect Jesus, rejoicing in hope, standing patient in tribulation, and remaining constant in prayer. **************** Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote. Public domain. Ibid Dutch Sheets, The Power of Hope, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2002), p 3.
  25. 5 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-30-2023 March 30, 2023 Reject Shallow Living, Refuse Small Dreaming A study reported in the May 2010 issue of Atherosclerosis, said participants who were persistently depressed had a twofold increased risk of narrowing of the arteries. The study took place over a period of ten years, with participants being assessed at least three different times during that ten-year period for depression symptoms.(1) “This is the same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a nonsmoker. (2) Incredible. Hopelessness, if not checked, is a death sentence. A recent study in the British Medical Journal confirms this, reporting that people with serious depression were two-thirds more likely to die prematurely; even those with mild depression had a 16 percent higher risk of dying compared to individuals who were distress free.(3) You can die from sorrow! God told us this a long time ago. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Most of us think only of our emotional or spiritual heart when we read this, but science is now proving that the verse is true of physical hearts as well. Hope deferred creates a diseased heart, both emotionally and physically. And with a diseased heart, no one can run life’s race effectively. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” we are exhorted in Hebrews 12:1. Lack of endurance, however, is one of the first results of heart disease. We may run, but we won’t run far. The loss of hope is crippling, making us little more than spectators in life. “Run in such a way that you may win,” the Lord urges us through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24. You’ll never do that with a diseased heart. When hope deferred sets in, not only are we unable to win - sometimes, we can’t even finish the race. There’s no doubt about it: hope-deferred “heart disease” is a killer. The Lord doesn’t want the pain, frustration, or disillusionment of hope deferred to affect our hearts in any way. He wants us to run the race of life enthusiastically, effectively, and with pleasure, enjoying the journey. We live in an era of incredible challenge and unprecedented change. Technology is increasing at astounding rates of speed; the global landscape is in an unstable and volatile state, with the possibility of nuclear war once again in the news; famine, disease, and violence are on the rise. The number of humans trafficked and enslaved is higher than any time in history; the insanity and depravity of leaders in America and around the world have reached shocking levels; the hearts of people are failing them from fear. Thoreau's famous quote, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation,” has never been more apropos. And yet, desperation - humankind’s inevitable realization that there is no human answer - always becomes the womb of God’s opportunity. His unstoppable march through history forces its way through the chaos and resistance of fallen humanity and into the opportune time of breakthrough and harvest. When this occurs, the body of Christ must recognize it and take action. Every generation of the church must have its own “for such a time as this” epiphany, a corporate revelation of a corporate purpose, and that this reason for their existence has arrived. You and I have come to ours. The church of 2023 is now staring at the greatest opportunity ever afforded the body of Christ. The stage is set. The full restoration of Christ’s gifts and anointings has been accomplished; the revelation being released from Holy Spirit is at profound levels; our incredible technology and modes of travel give us the ability to reach all the world with the gospel; and the desperation of a confused and hopeless populace has created a ripe harvest. We’ve been called to participate in the greatest Kingdom expansion in all of history. Like Esther, we must recognize and accept our moment, rise to our reason for existing at this specific time, shake off all fear, and cast off all limitations. We must reject shallow living and refuse small dreaming. We must not measure success by temporal, human goals, nor bow to the reprehensible idol of personal kingdom building. Determine that you will be part of God’s answer, a difference-maker, an agent of change. Be a voice - He must be heard through you. Be a giver of life - part of God’s answer to a desperate and hungry world. Stay low, but dream high. There is no Plan B. Pray with me: Father, decades of complacency, disengagement, and lack of discernment in the church allowed evil forces to gain strong footholds in our land. Through the catastrophic election of 2020, these forces intend to finish off America’s strength and her partnership with You. Once again, we repent on behalf of our nation for 50 years of choosing darkness over light. We repent for electing people who do not know or honor You. And we repent for acquiescing to satan’s strategies. Forgive and cleanse us. In these troubling times of darkness and abounding evil, our hope in You anchors our souls. Our faith in Your love and grace is steadfast and immovable. You are using the difficulties we’re experiencing, the lunacy of seared consciences, and the fragile state of the world to create great desperation. This is producing a ripe harvest. You told us that when we discern the time for spiritual rain, an outpouring of Holy Spirit, we must ask for it (Zechariah 10:1). We do so now: send Your rain. And we pray for a great awareness to come to Your people, an awareness of the opportunity of our times. We pray for faith to arise in the church regarding Your heart and purposes. Help us keep our focus on You. We ask You to awaken in the church a sense of destiny. We join our faith for this now, and also for the breaking of fear and hopelessness off the body of Christ. We bind spirits of fear and confusion, and release the spirit of revelation to the church. In Christ’s name. Our decree: We decree that hope, faith, and strength are rising in the Ekklesia. Fear will not rule us. ******************** Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Power of Hope published by Charisma House. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Mark Hamer, Mika Kivimaki, Avijit Lahiri, Michael G. Marmot, and Andrew Steptoe, “Persistent Cognitive Depressive Symptoms Associated With Coronary Calcification.” Atherosclerosis 210, no. 1 (May 2010); 209-213, http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877780/ (accessed October 1, 2023). New York Times, “Despair and Risk of Artery Disease,” September 3, 1997, http://wwwnytimes.com/1997/09/03/us/despair-and-risk-of-artery-disease.html (accessed October 1, 2013). Tom C. Russ, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Mark Hamer, John M. Starr, Mika Kivimaki, and G. David Batty, “Association Between Psychological Distress and Mortality: Individual Participant Pooled Analysis of 10 Prospective Cohort Studies,” British Medical Journal 345 (July 31, 2012): e4933, http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4933 (accessed October 1, 2023).
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