Step Into the Ring
Yesterday I shared an insight from my book An Appeal to Heaven. It explains one of the reasons I am confident God will save and restore America. The insight was linked to a dream given to a friend, which pointed me to a revelation from the life of Abraham. You can see the post here. Here is the dream once again:
“In the dream, you (Dutch) were a boxer. You faced five giants in five rounds and knocked each of them out - one per round. You knocked each one out with one punch; and with each giant, you alternated fists. The first giant was K.O.’d with a right, the second with a left; back and forth you went until they were all down for the count. Five giants, five rounds, five punches, alternating fists.
“After you knocked out the fifth giant,” he continued, “you walked out of the ring and directly up to me. Holding up your gloved fists, you declared, ‘If you’re going to take out the giants in this season, you’re going to have to wear these two gloves.’ One of the gloves had the word ‘Everlast’ on it; the other read ‘Evergreen.’” End of dream.
The meaning of “Everlast” comes from Genesis 21:3, where Abraham called on Olam El, the Everlasting God who had preserved his destiny - in spite of his sins and failures. In the dream, God told me to wear this “glove” to knock out giants. In other words, believe His Olam El nature is able and willing to restore and use America, in spite of our failures, just as He did Abraham.
The “Evergreen” Glove
But what did the other boxing glove, “Evergreen” represent? As I relate in my book An Appeal to Heaven, it would be a while before this understanding came. When it did, beginning with the Appeal To Heaven flag, I realized it was connected to America’s roots and to prayer. To knock out the giants, America would have to return to/tap into/draw on - her God-given roots and the power of prayer. This is explained in the Appeal To Heaven book, and also in a previous post entitled, It's Time to Put on the Gloves.
However, I also came to understand that the Evergreen glove, like Everlast, was connected to Abraham! In Genesis 21:33, before calling on Everlast, Abraham planted an evergreen! In this one verse, he wore both “gloves!” Obviously, I had read this verse often, and knew that Abraham planted a “tamarisk” tree before calling on Olam, Everlasting God. I just didn’t know a tamarisk tree was an evergreen! Abraham planted an evergreen tree and called on Everlasting God.
Amazing.
I still didn’t know what the tree represented to Abraham, but I knew it was important; why did he plant an evergreen tree? Here is what I discovered. First, in his day, trees were sometimes planted as memorials, used to remind people and nations of significant events. Secondly, because of their “undying” needles, evergreen trees symbolize covenant and its “forever” nature. When Abraham planted the evergreen tamarisk tree, he was establishing a witness or memorial to his undying, forever covenant relationship with Everlasting God. The message was: “Olam has proven Himself faithful to His covenant with me time and time again. I now declare my faithfulness to the covenant. I will forever honor my covenant with Everlasting God.”
This particular type of evergreen, the tamarisk tree, is also significant. Tamarisks are slow-growing, long-living, and when fully grown, produce cool shade. In fact, because they grow so slowly, no one plants a tamarisk tree for him or herself; he or she will never personally benefit from it. When planting this particular type of evergreen, Abraham was thinking of future generations, the descendants Olam had promised him, and was making a powerful declaration to them: “I am in covenant with Everlasting God, and you will sit under the shade of my covenant with Him.”
Wow!
Covenant with God blesses not only us but our children and grandchildren, as well. Yahweh keeps covenant to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9)! This certainly has proven to be true with Abraham and his descendants, and it has been the case with America. We have been extremely blessed by the God-connections of the generations before us.
When Holy Spirit spoke of “Evergreen” in the boxing dream, then revealed the connection to Abraham, He was pointing to covenant. And when He connected it to the Appeal To Heaven flag under which America was born, He was pointing America back to our roots, our covenant with Him, and to prayer.
Different Types of Covenant
There are different types and levels of covenant. Most Christians think of this word only in reference to God's covenant with Abraham and his offspring, or when referring to the New Covenant we partake of through Christ. Because of this, many shy away from believing America is in a covenant relationship with God. The word used in Scripture, however, has a much broader range of meanings.
The Hebrew word is beriyth. It means "a compact, covenant, alliance, pledge, promise, treaty, agreement, league; a constitution, ordinance." (1) These usages can refer to an agreement between individuals, (as in a marriage or friendship), organizations, or nations. Israel even made a covenant with death (Isaiah 28:15, 18)! And, of course, it is used to describe covenants made with God. Simply stated, a covenant is a sacred and binding agreement or promise between two or more parties.
When I state that America is in covenant with God, I am NOT saying the Lord entered into the type of covenant with us that He did with Abraham. And I'm certainly not implying that it is on the level of our covenant with God through Christ. Nor am I implying that it is based on a blood sacrifice.
America’s Covenant
I AM saying that early Pilgrims, settlers, and Founders in America entered into sacred alliances and agreements with God. They did so through prayers, promises, and written documents - including our founding documents, which made the agreements legally binding. Our Founders made sacred, covenantal promises to function under God's government and care, to serve His purposes, and to honor Him. This was accepted by God because they based it on Christ's sacrifice and the Scriptures. It was also accepted because God Himself inspired and motivated the actions!
America absolutely has covenant agreements with God, and covenant promises from God! He still honors them, and as we "intercessorily" declare them, they are powerful. We can agree with and decree Hunt's Cape Henry Declaration that the gospel will go from these shores to all the nations of the earth. We can declare and decree with Congress that we are a nation under God. We can decree with Franklin and the Continental Congress that the God of providence founded us and will finish what He started. AND WE CAN TAKE OUT GIANTS WITH THESE DECLARATIONS!
Wear the Evergreen glove! Appeal to heaven based on covenant, just as Washington and the early patriots did. Decree the promises, the covenants made to Him, and His decreed purposes for us. This is the “Foreword” Holy Spirit has told us to “command” [Work While You Celebrate (Part 2)], and doing so will preserve us by taking out the spiritual giants of our day.
Put on the gloves and step into the ring.
Pray with me:
Father, just as our Founders placed an evergreen tree on the flag under which America was born, and just as Abraham planted an evergreen tree when he called upon You, we honor our covenant with You today. In our intercessory role, we wear the covenant glove and declare on behalf of the United States of America, “We are a nation under God.” We were raised up as a nation to represent You, to bless the nations of the earth for You, just as Abraham’s descendants were.
We also wear the Everlast glove, calling on You, the Everlasting God, who is greater than all of our failures and sins. You knew they would occur when You called and appointed us, just as You did Abraham, yet You knew Your grace and power to redeem were greater. Your faith is in Your power and perfection, not ours. Cleanse and restore us, just as You did Abraham, and empower our “gloves” to take out the giants of our day. We ask for and receive this in Christ’s mighty name, amen.
Our decree:
Just as America was born under the banner of a prayer movement, in covenant with God, we shall be reborn under the same: an appeal to the God of covenant.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1285.