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6 min read October 8, 2021 His Image and Likeness We have been talking about Daniel 2:20-21, which says God changes the times and seasons. Many prophetic believers are confident this is occurring and that we are experiencing a divine shift into a time of great harvest. God does not create these shifts based on a whim or when He “finally decides” it’s time to do something. The God who sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) never has to finally decide to do anything. He is a God of precision and order, purpose and design; He does nothing without strategic intent. When it concerns harvest, God’s timing is determined by several things: the spiritual atmosphere of a region; the time it takes to prepare the hearts of a generation, both at individual and corporate levels; and the readiness of His reapers, the church. Since it is His will that none perish, He is always ready to save. It is the decisions and hearts of people that dictate when He can do so. In Elijah’s day, God wanted to turn the hearts of Israel away from Jezebel’s influence long before He was able to do so. It took years of Elijah’s prophesying, a devastating drought, a power encounter that exposed the powerlessness of Baal, and 12-13 more years of work raising up Elijah’s successors. Only then was Jezebel fully overthrown. The timing of awakening is not determined only by what God wants! We, the church, are an important part of this timing. This is why Jesus said on one occasion that the harvest was great but the laborers were few. He followed this by saying “...pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers” (Matthew 9:37-38). He tells us to ask because this is how He works on earth. He needs humans, whom He gave authority over the earth, to ask Him (see Ezekiel 22:30-31). He does not work in spite of people but through people. As profound as it seems, the God of the universe needs us! I took the first four chapters of my book, Intercessory Prayer, to teach on why prayer is necessary. If you don’t feel that you understand this, it would be a helpful read. Because of this partnership, Holy Spirit is always working in the church and the world simultaneously to prepare for a harvest season. Going from revelation to revelation and faith to faith (as we have spoken of in the last two posts) is not just to mature us for individual growth and fruitfulness; it is also to prepare us for Holy Spirit’s next phase of activity on earth. As we increase in our level of maturity and understanding of His ways, He can use us to accomplish more and more for and with Him. As you can see, several factors affect the timing of God‘s shifts in the earth and in our lives. We have looked at Proverbs 4:18 and Romans 1:17 as part of the divine shift. Another verse that mentions the phases of our spiritual maturing process is 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” In order to truly understand this verse, it must be looked at in light of Adam’s fall. God made Adam and Eve - and in them the entire human race - in His image and likeness. The word “image” (tselem) in Genesis 1:26 comes from a word meaning “to shade.” Tselem means “a shadow, illusion or phantom.” We were created so much like God that it was illusionary! The word “likeness” (demuwth) is from the Hebrew word meaning “to compare.” Adam and Eve were comparable to God! Amazing. Made in His image and likeness, filled with His spirit, Adam and Eve were as much like God as they could be without being equals. And why not - He was creating family! Psalms 8:3 says God crowned Adam with glory, which brings us to our text: being transformed from glory to glory. The Hebrew word for glory (kabowd) means “weighty” or “heavy”. The concept is related to authority and influence. Still today we use this concept, saying of individuals who are in charge of a place or situation, “they carry the weight.” We speak of people with great influence as individuals who “carry a lot of weight.” Adam and Eve “carried the weight” on earth; they were in charge. In order to represent Him effectively, God gave them His image and Spirit. When the rest of creation saw Adam and Eve, they saw God in them. The New Testament word for glory (doxa) also includes the concept of image and likeness. Doxa, literally means “the appearance of a person or thing which causes it to be recognized for what it is.” This does not pertain only to God. The concept of “glorifying” something is acknowledging it for what it really is - it’s beauty, virtue or other distinctives. When we are using it in reference to God, we “glorify” Him because we recognize Him for who He is, which motivates us to honor or worship Him. When the Bible speaks of humans having or bearing God‘s glory (Psalm 8:3; 1 Corinthians 11:7) it is not speaking of us receiving praise or honor. It is saying we look like Him. He is seen in us. Of course, when Adam and Eve sinned they lost the glory or image of God. He was no longer seen in them. The end result was that pride, rebellion, anger, violence, perversions and many other forms of sin were seen. When we are born again this changes. We receive His image once again in our spirit, and begin a process of transformation outwardly, which allows us to express His image to others - from glory to glory. Obviously, those around us are not to see our personal uniqueness; we want them to see Christ. It is His image we are being conformed into, His glory. We are to bring recognition of Him, not ourselves. As far as a spiritual harvest is concerned, earth has been in a chronos season for 40 years. During this time, Holy Spirit has worked in the church to produce much change. The apostolic and prophetic anointings of Christ have been restored, worship has matured greatly and many in the church now understand what it means to be Christ’s Ekklesia. He has brought us to a level of maturity that more appropriately glorifies (pictures, reveals) Christ. As the worldwide revival gains momentum, the world will no longer look at us indifferently or with cynicism. They will instead recognize something about us that impresses them - not us, but Jesus. In this process, we have shifted to kairos and are moving toward fullness. The result will be harvest and great revival. Paul who wrote the verse in 2 Corinthians 3:18 - “transformed...from glory to glory” - understood the process well. After his dramatic conversion, he waited in a chronos season for many years while God was “glorifying” him - making him look like Christ. When the time was right, Holy Spirit caused a divine shift, recorded in Acts 13:1-3, and allowed Paul to reveal Christ to the world. He wants to do the same with us. As we allow Holy Spirit to transform us, we will look more like Christ and less like ourselves. At each new phase of glory, He can trust us with more authority, influence, and power. And we, like Paul, will be released to show the world a clearer picture of Christ. Let’s make it happen. Move from glory to glory. Pray with me: Father, the world is desperately looking for You, they just don’t know it. We are Your living epistles or letters, Your ambassadors, Christians (“little Christs”). In order to reveal You to the world, You give us Your anointing, gifts, Spirit and, yes, glory. It is our desire that a new level of this representation, a new level of Your glory, will come upon the church. Let the shift occur. We ask for this in our individual lives in order that we might manifest Your glory at home, work and play. We also ask for it in a corporate sense. Manifest Your glory through signs and wonders. Do so through great deliverances and salvation. Do so through the gifts of Your Spirit. And manifest Your weighty glory, Your authority, in the government of this nation. Let the full weight of who You are descend on America - her government, education system, media, and every other segment of society. Show us Your glory! Our decree: We decree that the glory of God will be seen in our day! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. https://youtu.be/FAFlnF0XevQ Links to Recent Articles: October 7, 2021 October 6, 2021 October 5, 2021 October 4, 2021 October 1, 2021

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/september-24-2021 September 24, 2021 Fire on the Family Altar The first institution God established on earth was family. It is, without question, the most important to God and the most hated by satan. For those of you who are now without a natural family due to loss, broken marriages, never marrying or other circumstances, I want to say that it is appropriate to consider your spiritual family as family. God gives us spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, and for many of you they truly are your family. This post is about restoring the family altar of prayer. For some of you that will be praying with your spiritual family. It is no less effective than praying with your natural family. That being said, it is very important for natural families to pray together. With that as our context, our friend Cheryl Sacks says, “I will never forget the moment. I was on stage at a large church conference where we’d focused on “Revival and the Holy Spirit” all weekend. It was now the closing session and I was getting ready to lead the congregation in corporate prayer for God to send revival to America. “In that instant, the Lord began speaking to me about family. The heavens seemed to open before me. I saw a vision of the nation covered almost entirely in darkness. “Looking closer I saw a few homes light up, the hearth burning brightly where families were praying together. Then, suddenly homes everywhere across the nation lit up as families were worshipping and praying …. until the whole nation was ablaze with the power and presence of God. “It took my breath away! “Every sphere of culture is important, but I hear the Lord saying, ‘It’s FAMILY FIRST.’ Because as the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world. “After all, FAMILY is the first institution God established. He designed families to be the bedrock of society, the basic building blocks of nations. Is it any wonder that Satan has engraved a bullseye on the family? “The Devil’s aim is to destroy our families – and he is moving with great fury to deconstruct God’s original design for the family. Evil forces beyond anything we can even imagine are pulling families apart and distorting and redefining what family is, even denying God’s creation of male and female. “History has taught us that the decline of any nation always begins with the decline of the family. But consider that the decline of the family begins when God is absent from the family culture and worship and prayer cease to be a priority in the home. “We can’t disciple a nation if we fail to disciple our own families! “Ultimately the attack on the family comes from evil spiritual powers and it is futile to fight this kind of battle with natural weapons alone. The battle for our families will be won in prayer! It is time for the ekklesia to pick up our weapons of warfare and defeat the enemy of darkness who is seeking to kill, steal and destroy our families, and thus this great nation. “Many of us pray at our state capitols, county seats, in front of the Supreme Court, and schools and neighborhoods. And so we should and so we MUST! Yet, in this pivotal moment in our nation, there is a fresh call from the Lord to pray in our homes, for …. and with…. our natural and spiritual families. The Family Can Save the Nation “Our nation and nations around the world are in crisis. We are seeing massive protests, riots, and revolutions. Widespread drought, floods, and fires, hyperinflation as governments drive up their debt, violent crime is increasing in major cities across America, the rapid loss of personal freedoms and retaliation against those who would confront evil in our day. “In the Bible, when the nation was on the brink of destruction and even annihilation, God had a simple, humble solution. In the darkest, most desperate times He used righteous families to bring deliverance and save the nation. “Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. “Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. “Esther and Mordecai. “During the darkest, most depraved time in human history, during the days of Noah, God used one family to resist the evil of their day and build the ark. “And it is not only biological families that He uses but spiritual ones as well. In the Bible, four young men lost their relatives and any hope of a future family when they were uprooted from their homeland and cruelly turned into eunuchs, depriving them of the chance to ever marry or have children. “They lost their natural families but found each other - and formed a covenant bond in Babylon that impacted the greatest empire of their day – through the power of prayer in agreement and bold, courageous action. “Joined together as an ekklesia in hostile surroundings, the lives and prayers of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego changed history. “No matter how bad things are, covenantal intercessors in the family of God can make all the difference — and turn the tide for a nation! Steps to Build a Family Altar "Whether you live alone or in a household with children, married or single, you can light the altar of prayer and worship in your home. You can begin taking steps now to build—or rebuild—the altar of prayer. Here are some suggestions: “Call your family together and discuss the idea of devoting a special time each day or week to gather to meet with the Lord. [Explain that this is a time to invite His presence and power into your lives and family to thank Him for the great things happening and to ask His help in the challenges. Find a time you can all agree upon, and make sure it is set aside for this purpose.] “Tailor your gathering to the ages and personality of your family. [Younger kids can’t sit still for long. You may need to pray with them when you put them to bed and have a longer time of prayer after they fall asleep. If you have teenagers, involve them in framing the time to make it interesting and exciting.] “Set the tone. [Our family has found that reading Scripture or a chapter from a Christian devotional (i.e. Dutch Sheets’ GiveHim15 or The Pleasure of His Company) helps set the tone and inspires faith. At our house, we often turn on Pandora and start with our favorite worship music.] “Create a journal where you can record your family’s requests and the date the prayers are answered. [We also write down the blessings God has given that week—and some we didn’t even ask for! He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).] “Remember, in addition to a special set-aside time, we can pray and worship together anytime and at any place—[on our way to work, school or a sporting event, even on vacation. You could make the next birthday or graduation a time of praying blessings – that your special family member will fulfill his or her God-given destiny.] “Reach out to a prayer partner. [If your family is not ready to pray with you just yet, remember you can always reach out to a prayer partner or start a prayer group and pray for one another’s families.] Fire on the Family Altar “Imagine what might happen if pastors all across the nation began to call their congregations to establish prayer in homes. What if we regularly invited God’s presence into our homes and prayed not only for one another but for their schools, workplaces, and churches? What if every time we gathered to pray, we asked God to send another Great Awakening to our land? I believe we would see families restored, prodigals coming home and revival fires ablaze, with a multitude of people coming into God’s Kingdom. “I hear the Lord’s urgent CALL, even a PROMISE, to His church today, ‘If you will build an altar, I will come…. to your family …and to this nation!’” Pray With Me: Dear Lord, our families and this nation need You as never before. Only You can bring the healing and reconciliation that we so desperately need. We ask You to send a sweeping nationwide revival and let it begin with me…in my home, in our homes. Even as we saw in the early days of this nation, we pray that families would return to daily prayer, worship, Bible reading, and sharing stories of Your faithfulness. We know that as we invite Your holy presence and power into our homes that we will see salvations, healing, reconciliation, and restoration. Ignite a fire in this nation through the praying families of America, one that spreads to every sphere of culture. And, Lord, we pray that this would not end with our generation, but that our children and our children’s children would keep the fire on the family altar burning— that the generations to come would put their trust in You and not forget Your faithfulness (Psalm 78:6-7). Our Decree: We decree, in Jesus’ name, that a movement of family prayer is being ignited that will set this nation ablaze with the power and presence of Almighty God! Today’s post was contributed by Cheryl Sacks. Cheryl is author of the Prayer Saturated book series: The Prayer Saturated Church, Prayer Saturated Kids and The Prayer Saturated Family - How to Change the Atmosphere in Your Home through Prayer. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work by going to bridgebuilders.net. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/september-23-2021 September 23, 2021 Shed the Shell On Monday we talked about allowing Holy Spirit to reignite us, preparing us for the “new” that is coming. In the New Testament, two Greek words are translated “new,” and have different meanings. Understanding the difference is important. The word neos means numerically new, but not qualitatively different. For instance, if you buy a new car of a certain make and model, and like it so much you buy another one for your spouse, that would be neos. It’s new, but not different. I’ll give you a reference in a moment. The other Greek word for “new” is kainos, which also means numerically new, but includes qualitatively new, as well. For example, a new car manufactured today is obviously quite different from a new Model T in its day. Today’s version would be not only numerically new, but also qualitatively new (kainos). Distinguishing the difference between these two words—neos and kainos—is very important to our proper understanding of Scripture. For example, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we are new (kainos) creations. We’re not just duplications or replicas of the former, which would be neos. We’re new in the sense of being different—kainos - qualitatively new. When we’re born again, God transforms us, gives us a different nature, and fills us with His Spirit. We’re not just forgiven, the same sinful people with a few changes; we are kainos, completely new on the inside. A very important passage in which these distinctions are significant is Matthew 9:17. Jesus used both Greek words in one statement when He referred to the importance of putting “new wine” into “new wineskins.” His choice of words was that new (neos - numerically new) wine had to be put into new (kainos - qualitatively new) wineskins. Wineskins, made of leather, become dry and hard between uses. Before being used again, they have to be soaked in water, then rubbed with oil to soften them. If this does not occur, the fermentation process expands the skin and it breaks. The application for us is that we must allow the water of the Word and oil of Holy Spirit to prepare us for new seasons of wine. The neos wine Jesus spoke of is another outpouring of Holy Spirit. He, the wine, won’t change. Holy Spirit can’t change - no improvement is possible or necessary. He simply pours more of Himself into us. However, we, the wineskin must change, progressively transformed (kainos) from glory to glory and faith to faith. In order to have another measure of Holy Spirit poured into us, we are renewed, changed, metamorphosed. If we do not allow and cooperate with this change, we won’t be able to contain the new wine He pours out in subsequent revivals. But if we do embrace the change in our lives, He can pour neos wine into our kainos wineskins. God has done an enormous amount of work in the church the past few years, preparing us for another move of His Spirit (more wine). Some of the change we all experience is obviously character related. We are consistently being transformed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthiand 3:18). Other changes, however, are in our thinking - both theologically and practically. Many in the church have gone through theological adjustments over the past few years regarding the 5-Fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11, the meaning and calling of the church (ekklesia), understanding marketplace ministry (which we discussed yesterday), maturing in prayer and more. And yet, we must be willing to change more than just our theology. Our wineskins must become flexible in a practical sense. We all become comfortable with certain ways, methods, customs, traditions, etc. This is true in every area of life, both naturally and spiritually. Cultural “norms” are present in homes, businesses, age groups, society as a whole and, yes, churches. This isn’t wrong; it is normal. However, just as businesses must adapt to new products and tastes, innovating to succeed in a new season, we in the church must also. When Holy Spirit is poured out in a new season, He is ministering to a new generation with new tastes and styles, that experiences new and different problems, and that processes everything through a new set of paradigms. When Holy Spirit is poured out on this generation, He is wise enough to know what they need and how they need it delivered to them. The key for us is twofold: remain flexible enough to adapt our methods; and follow Holy Spirit’s guidance in doing so without compromising the message - innovate without ignoring or violating truth. Truth is sacred and unchanging; methods and preferences are not. “From time to time, lobsters have to shed their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart; yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned - it can’t grow. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison and, finally, their casket. The precarious time for the lobster is the brief period between the discarding of the old shell and the forming of the new. During that terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Ocean currents gleefully cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of their food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good. We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells—a structure, a framework—that we’ve depended on.”(1) Becoming a new wineskin means shedding the old in order to embrace the new. It’s uncomfortable, but necessary. It’s worth pointing out that the two Greek words for “new” - neos and kainos - are also used to describe “renewal.” By adding the prefix ana to them, which is equivalent to the English prefix “re,” we have two different concepts of renewal. Ananeoo is being renewed to what we previously were or possessed; God restores to us something we once walked in. What He restores isn’t qualitatively new or different, yet there is renewal or refreshing. Perhaps He restores to us our joy, health, first love, or a state of faith we previously walked in. The other word, anakainoo, means that the renewal process has changed us. God has brought to us another stage of maturity; we are different. This type of renewal transforms us from glory to glory, into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). When finished, we are more mature, more knowledgable, more like Him. This is the word for renewing the mind (Romans 12:2), the way we think, enabling us to operate more in the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). God is doing new things on the earth, both in the sense of neos and kainos. He’s beginning to pour another round of wine, another rain of Holy Spirit. To prepare for this, He’s also making radical changes in the church. Ready yourself to receive these changes by being a kainos wineskin. Shed the shell..! Pray with me: Father, we position ourselves before You, asking for the ability to change in whatever ways necessary to receive the new wine of Holy Spirit. We want to experience the ongoing transformation into the image of Christ, from glory to glory. We are expecting new wine and we intend to be new vessels. Show us any areas of our lives needing change or adjustment. Show us any way of thinking that would keep us from receiving the new wine. And grow us in our understanding of Your word and ways so that we can be used to reveal Christ as never before. You speak of the church coming to a place where we reveal the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). We want this! So transform us. Transform our minds. Move us into a greater understanding of You, which will release greater authority and power. Move us into a new expression of Your gifts and will in the earth. You said we would do the same works Christ did and greater works. We release our faith for this now. In His wonderful name we ask, amen. Our decree: We decree that we are becoming new, in order to receive the new..! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _______________________________- Edward K. Rowell, Fersh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Christianity Today, 1997), p 43.

6 min read September 22, 2021 We Are All Called to the Ministry..! Words really do matter. Inadequate translations and deficient understandings of what certain New Testament words mean can be very detrimental. For example, as we have spoken of on several occasions there are different words for “time” in the New Testament. Chronos means time in general or chronological time; kairos means strategic or opportune time, sometimes an appointed time; horaios means the right time, the now time. Obviously not understanding the meaning of these different words can be harmful. Though the word “time” is sometimes used to translate all of them, this should not be. In other contexts, the church sometimes interprets and attributes meaning to a word that should not be given it. These interpretations often become very prevalent and widely excepted. The word “church” is a good example. Though used to depict a building where we worship or a religious service, this should never have occurred. The Greek word ekklesia means a legislature. Jesus said in Matthew 16 He would build His “government” on earth. Two other words we misuse, and my purpose for this post, are “ministry/minister” and “calling.” The word in the New Testament for minister (diakonos) simply means “a servant,” NOT a preacher or religious leader. The misuse of this word has brought great confusion. It is now believed that a religious leader is a minister, while those in the pews are servants or lay people. In God’s mind, all believers are ministers. The same word used to describe the apostles “serving” the Word was used to describe the deacons who “served” food (Acts 6:1-6). The words “calling” or “called” (klesis) in the New Testament simply mean “vocation.” My calling is to write, travel and teach; yours may be to build homes or be a full-time mom. But in God’s mind, we are all “called” to “ministry” (2 Timothy 1:9). This levels the playing field, dignifies all callings/vocations, and brings to light the importance we all have in the Kingdom. The Ekklesia is called to minister for God, regardless of the vocation He purposes for us. The church is everywhere, not just in a building. And we are all anointed by Him to do the work of the Kingdom, everywhere. This is the impetus of the recent movement some have termed “marketplace ministry.” It is a great phrase. An increased understanding of this will take the church to an entirely new level of effectiveness. In the book of Acts, Holy Spirit used the word “addition” (prostithemi), to describe the growth of the early church. God was “adding” to their numbers daily (Acts 2:47). The word describing their growth changed, however, in the sixth chapter, when deacons also begin to minister the word and healing, just as the apostles were. From that point on in the book of Acts the word used to describe the growth was “multiplication” (Plethueo). When did the growth transition from adding to multiplying? When the ministry was no longer being done only by the apostles. This is profoundly important. In the last two or three decades Holy Spirit has been correcting our theology, emphasizing the truth that we are all His ministers, called to do His works. Because of this, the coming revival will see exponential fruit and growth. There will be more miracles outside the four walls where we gather than inside. More people will be led to Christ outside those walls than inside. Holy Spirit’s anointing is not limited to buildings on a Sunday morning. I mentioned a week ago that Ceci and I were going to the Opry in Nashville to celebrate the induction of The Isaacs as members (an esteemed and prestigious honor within the Country and Bluegrass Music world). Though they are primarily a gospel music group, they have become widely respected and honored in the Country and Bluegrass music world. Their gifts and talents rival any person or group in the secular music industry. Their incredible harmony is unrivaled. They understand that, whether they are in a worship service or at the Opry, they represent the Lord and are called by Him to release His love and light. And the fact that The Isaacs are so well received in the Country and Bluegrass world is a testament to the fact that people are hungry for what they carry. The songs they sang at the induction, all about the Lord, were not only received, they were LOVED. As the words to It Is Well With My Soul echoed through the building, people responded with a standing ovation and roaring applause. The Isaacs reached people that night, both in the crowd and watching at home, I will never have the opportunity to reach. That is marketplace ministry. Ricky Skaggs, a winner of many awards, including inductions into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, also performed. Ricky presided in the presentation of The Isaacs’ induction. Being a strong believer, he, too, was very anointed and carried the presence of the Lord into the gathering. It was clear when he sang and presented this award, that an anointed spiritual father was in the house. The pleasure of the Lord was present. Though no altar call was given, thousands of people were touched by the presence of Holy Spirit. This is what I am referring to by being “called” to “minister,” regardless of the gift or vocation God has destined us with. You may not have a microphone, you may not have a stage, but you have a voice. Over lunch with a coworker, at a backyard barbecue, or during a visit with a hurting friend, you are called to represent Jesus. He is waiting to release His love, power, and anointing through you. Be sensitive to people’s hearts and yes, always be sensitive to your employer and what is acceptable to them, but God will give you opportunities to share Jesus. You are called and you are a minister. Abraham was a rancher. Noah was a boat builder. Lydia was a merchant. Paul, during segments of his ministry, was a tentmaker. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. Daniel was a governmental advisor. David was a shepherd, then king. Cornelius, used to birth a completely new era of the gospel - the beginning of the Gentile church - was a centurion. Some of those God used most significantly in scripture were in marketplace ministry. William Wilberforce, who was used to end slavery in the British Empire, was in government. Mother Teresa ran an orphanage. John and Charles Wesley were given to us by a mom of 19 children. Break out of the layman box and move boldly into full-time ministry! Pray with me: Father, You have called each of us with a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9). You said we are able ministers of the new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6). Increase this revelation in the church. Open the eyes of our understanding to the great anointing we all carry. Show every believer they can do exploits in Your name. Break wrong paradigms off of us. Do away with our wrong thinking regarding platform ministers versus marketplace ministers. Remove the deception that believes some are called, but others are simply to serve those few. Bring renewed revelation of Mark 16, that all believers are to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, cast out demons, and partner with You in the preaching of the gospel. We pray for those who make it to the top of the “mountain” You have placed them in. We do not see them as elites, above other believers, but as the point of a spear. They face great resistance and warfare. They experience many temptations to compromise. Keep them pure. You have given them great influence. Make them strong in the Spirit and in the Word. Use them mightily! We fully expect this next wave of revival to go deeper than any other, to be broader than any other, and to bring a billion or more souls into the Kingdom as the church walks fully in her calling. We thank You for Your heart to do this. We love You. Amen. Our decree: As the Ekklesia of the Lord Jesus Christ, we declare that His Holy Spirit in us has made us able, competent ministers of His new covenant in the earth (2 Corinthians 3:6). Click on the link below to watch the full video.

6 min read https://www.givehim15.com/post/september-20-2021 September 20, 2021 Don’t Miss the Train The story is told of a man who rushed into a suburban railroad station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: “When does the 8:01 train leave?” “At 8:01,” was the answer. “Well,” the man replied, “it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which time am I to go by?” “You can go by any clock you wish,” said the agent, “but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left.”(1) Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “You did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44). They missed the train. A group of Israelites decided to try and possess the land of Canaan the day after God told them the opportunity had passed. They were routed by the Canaanites (see Numbers 14:39-45). The train had already departed. Ecclesiastes tells us timing is important to God: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We must recognize the timings and seasons God ordains for our lives, ministries, cities, and nations. Too often we try to reap during planting season, plant during harvest, run when we should be resting, and rest when it is time to run. Even the right action, if done at the wrong time - well-intentioned as it may be - will cause us to miss the train every time. One of the tribes of Israel, Issachar, had a prophetic ability to discern timing. “They were men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). Issachar’s ability to understand/discern the times gave them insight as to what to do. Recognizing God’s timing is one of the keys to taking proper action. Daniel 2:20-21 tells us: “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs [seasons]; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to men of understanding.” I have often referred to this changing of the times and seasons as, “The Divine Shift.” We must understand and recognize the divine shifts—moments when God changes the times and seasons. If not, we could be sitting in the train station with our bags packed and ticket in hand, watching the train that was to carry us into God’s purpose, disappearing into the distance. One of the great disasters of history took place in 1271. Nicolo and Matteo Polo (the father and uncle of Marco) were visiting the Kublai Khan, at that time a world ruler over China, India, and all of the East. He was attracted to the story of Christianity as Nicolo and Matteo shared it with him and said to them: “You shall go to your high priest and tell him on my behalf to send me 100 men skilled in your religion, and I shall be baptized. And when I am baptized, all my barons and great men will be baptized and their subjects will receive baptism, too. So there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.” However, nothing was done for 30 years. Then, 2 or 3 missionaries were sent, too little too late.”(2) It is staggering to think what a different world it may have been if China and India had been impacted by the gospel in the thirteenth century. The opportunity was missed. Could it be that God was trying to create an incredible shift that would have changed the course of history? We may never know, but it certainly seems possible. We must never allow anything like that to happen in our generation. When God wants to change the times and seasons, or the heart of a king, we must do our part to see it occur. The following three verses in Isaiah speak of God’s shift into new seasons: “You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, even hidden things which you have not known.” (Isaiah 48:6) “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19) “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” (Isaiah 42:9) Notice the phrase “spring forth” in the last two verses. These words mark a shift in time. Something new is about to spring forth. “Will you not be aware of it?” God asks. Even though God’s shifts sometimes come quickly, they are typically the end of lengthy processes. And He always gives prophetic alerts. This is why I pay attention to dreams, visions, and words like the one I posted Friday entitled The Showdown. We have posted many words over the last year regarding what Holy Spirit is saying to the church now. This is the Issachar anointing. We must now be diligent to pray what He is saying. Even though Elijah knew it was time for the removal of Israel‘s drought, he still had to involve himself. He confronted the sin and compromise, and he travailed for the release of rain (see 1 Kings 18). Even though Daniel knew it was time for Israel’s restoration, he still had to fast and pray to see it come about (see Daniel 9). God has been and continues to expose the evil and foolishness in our current government. He has also been saying over and over that He is going to restore our nation through a great revival that will impact all of society, not just government. Holy Spirit has promised to judge the Ahabs and Jezabels of our day and bring down giants that oppose Him. He is telling us this - not simply to encourage us - but so we can, through prayer, birth His will in the earth, just as Elijah and Daniel did. God works through us, His people, not independently of them. We must not miss this timing. We must pray fervently and faithfully. Reading and joining me daily on this post is one way you can do this. But also use other reminders. Train yourself to pray simple prayers and make decrees as you go throughout the day. As you shower or put on your makeup, decree, “America shall be saved!” As you drive to work, decree the unrighteous government in America will be removed. Before you go to sleep at night, ask God for His mercy and declare that giants will fall. It does not have to be complicated. And it doesn’t have to be a long prayer. Be creative. Think of the accumulated time and amount of prayer that would be offered on a daily basis if we all do this! Friend, we must not miss this train..! Pray with me: Father, You have told us by Your Spirit that the showdown is coming. You have said, “America shall be saved!” We believe these words. You have also told us we are moving into a great awakening. We believe this also. We believe YOU are coming to rescue millions and millions of people around the world from the stronghold of spiritual death. We honor our partnership with You. We are Your Ekklesia on the earth. Your family. We take seriously our responsibility to speak for You as Your ambassadors. We boldly declare as Jesus told us, “Come forth, manifest, kingdom authority of Christ on the earth! Will of God, be done on this earth!” We ask You for great power to be released. We ask You for Your glory to be released. We ask for Your angels to be released in greater number. We ask for principalities to be dealt with around the world. We ask for multitudes to be freed from their influence. We ask You for wickedness to be judged and dealt with, and evil to be cast down in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that we will not miss the time of our visitation! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. ______________________________ Richard A. Steele, Jr., and Evelyn Stoner, Practical Bible Illustrations from Yesterday and Today (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1996), p. 180. www.autoillustrator.com/online (accessed 10/16/2000).