June 13, 2025

The Importance of Hearing Clearly

In a time of prayer a few years back, the Lord asked me a question. Now, when the Lord asks a question, it’s probably not because He needs help with the answer! He asks us a question because He wants us to think about it, so HE can give US the answer. The question was, “Who will shape the next great awakening in America?” I knew that “shaping” it meant determining its values and emphases.

He steered my thinking to the last great revival that impacted all of America, the Charismatic and Jesus People movements. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit had a profound impact, not only in America, but throughout much of the earth. As I pondered this revival, I realized that only ten or twelve ministry organizations (sometimes individuals) shaped the entire movement. The Lord used them in significant ways, and much of what they did was good: millions of people were born again, worship went to wonderful new expressions and levels, the teaching gift was restored to the church, a love for God‘s Word exploded, Bible schools sprang up, thousands of churches were planted, and more.

However, not all of the fruit was good. As is true with all of us, weaknesses and flaws existed in these influencers and shapers. Every movement or organization led by humans, which would be all of them, has weaknesses and deficiencies. We are all in the process of being conformed into Christ’s image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18); no one has reached perfection. And unfortunately, we all pass on some of these weaknesses and deficiencies.

Also, the Ephesians 4:11 gifts of apostle and prophet had not yet been fully restored to the church. This obviously meant that the strengths provided by these two ministry gifts were not significant parts of the revival. Only the anointings, motivations, and strengths of evangelists, pastors, and teachers were shaping it. Consequently, the body of Christ focused on the Great Commission of Mark 16:15-20 (getting people saved, baptized, delivered, healed, etc.) but had very little understanding of Matthew 28:18-20 (discipling nations).

Churches functioned as houses of worship, fellowships, teaching centers, and pastoral care centers, but there were very few Ekklesias – congregations using their God-given authority to impact cities and nations for the Kingdom of God. Caring for people, the sheep, was prioritized over training them for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). The primary goals were to have happy sheep and grow the local churches, rather than extending the Kingdom of God.

Also, grace and love were often prioritized over truth. The teaching gift was restored, but was primarily geared toward aiding individuals in their personal lives. Sound doctrine was often ignored. This led to Christians being “blown about by every wind of doctrine, the trickery of men, and the cunning craftiness” of satan (Ephesians 4:14). The ultimate result? Heresy, deception, and unbiblical beliefs now permeate the body of Christ.

Numerous other weaknesses could be mentioned, but that is not my purpose for today’s post. I mention them only to give context for thinking about “shaping” the coming outpouring of Holy Spirit. If we, the church, have truly grown in our understanding of God‘s Word and ways, and hopefully we have, we should be able to steward this coming revival more effectively than the previous one, producing greater fruit.

Yesterday, I was in another city meeting with several apostolic and prophetic leaders to discuss these matters. We had open and honest dialogue about where we stand as a movement, how we can maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses, and what the next steps should be. Those of us who met together are not members of an organization. We are all autonomous leaders with mutual respect for one another, and who want to steward well what God is doing. We were NOT trying to create or organize what He is doing - that is a great way to end it - but were seeking wisdom from the Lord and one another regarding how to wisely steward what is coming. We looked back with honesty, in order to look forward with greater accuracy and wisdom.

Please pray for leaders in the church. Ask God to give them wisdom and revelation. Pray that those God has entrusted with influence in the body of Christ hear from Him clearly at this time. Pray that they operate with pure hearts and motives to further God’s Kingdom purposes, not build their own ministries, churches, and organizations. If ever the body of Christ needed wise, selfless, and discerning leaders, this is certainly one of those times. The following verses come to mind:

“Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility, put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests.” ‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭TPT‬‬)

What an amazing injunction! Thank you in advance for your prayers that leaders in our day will rise to this. And let’s also pray together now.

Pray with me:

Father, it must be acknowledged that most of the deficiencies in the body of Christ are the fault of her leaders, not the members in general. We leaders teach, cast vision, and lead by example. Through these actions, we mold and shape Your people. Please forgive us for the weaknesses we have passed on, and for not maturing Your people as we should have.

We ask that You raise up and promote leaders who will walk in humility, promoting You, Father, rather than themselves. Give us leaders who are Kingdom-minded, not those bent on building their own ministries and names. We ask that they be men and women who hear Your voice, know Your ways, and are wise. Give us fathers and mothers with Your heart for sons and daughters, leaders who will give of themselves to the generation being raised up.

Please give those who consult together deep insight and clear words from You. Provide understanding of what is needed to facilitate, steward, and shape the growing revival well. Give a level of wisdom that will truly be able to harvest and disciple nations, according to Your command in Matthew 28. We ask for these things in Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare that the harvest of the ages is upon us, and will be reaped and stewarded well by the body of Christ.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

June 12, 2025

Praying Against Violence In America

President Trump is currently being accused of opposing immigration and violating people’s rights as he and ICE deport illegal aliens from America. Listen to the following presidential quote:

"Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected, but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, and by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace, as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it."(1)

It may surprise you to hear that Trump did not make this statement! It is a quote from President Clinton’s 1995 State of the Union address. “At the time, illegal immigration to the United States had reached epidemic proportions, and every day Americans were crying out about lost jobs and increased burdens on taxpayers due to the rise in illegal immigration…As the debate raged on, President Clinton, nearing the end of his first term, had to respond. In his 1995 State of the Union address, he told both Congress and the nation that he heard them. His administration was going to move aggressively to secure the border and deport ‘criminal aliens’ faster than ever before. This was a move that was opposed by many liberals, except for a few courageous liberals like Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas, who raised the issue of mass immigration and falling wages.”(2)

It may also surprise you to know that during Barack Obama's two terms in office, from 2009 to 2017, approximately 3.1 million noncitizens were formally removed from the United States.(3) This number is based on data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal years 2009 to 2016. This still ranks as the highest number of deportations by any administration.

My, how things change.

Anything Trump supports, the Left in America is against. Perhaps his greatest mistake regarding immigration may have been not coming out strongly in favor of illegal immigration. The Left would have immediately begun promoting deportation at a furious pace!

The obvious fact of the matter is that President Trump did not create our current immigration problem. President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, and other liberal politicians created it by allowing 15-20 million illegal aliens to unlawfully enter our nation. Blaming Trump for taking steps to fix it – with the majority of Americans behind him, I might add – is like a person waking up after surgery and raging against the doctor for cutting him. The average American sees through the nonsense being trumpeted by the Left and understands that the riots in Los Angeles and elsewhere are being staged, orchestrated, and funded by anti-American organizations (this is a proven fact).

Trump is now being accused of using the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army this upcoming Saturday, June 14, to celebrate his own birthday, filling the streets with tanks and military equipment as another step in his attempt to end democracy in America and become its dictator. Trump Derangement Syndrome [TDS] is becoming a more plausible explanation for the insanity every day. And fueling it is the tactic used by propagandists down through history and articulated by Hitler in his book, Mein Kampf. He wrote that the public will "more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one."(4) Sadly, this is often true.

Protests are being planned across America this upcoming Saturday to oppose this [said] “birthday/coronation” of Trump becoming king. No doubt, many on the Left are hoping for more riots and violence. At the very least, they hope to spread the TDS virus. (Hopefully, those attending will wear their masks and follow the 6-foot rule.)

While using sarcasm to make my point, the violence, looting, and destruction are no laughing matter. Just as occurred in 2020, people, including law enforcement individuals, will be harmed if this continues. We must continue to pray against the hatred and violence that demonic forces are trying to propagate in our nation. As a Give Him 15 family, we have prayed over our borders and waterways, now let’s pray against the rioting in our cities.

Friday, one day in advance of the anti-Trump rallies, many believers will be going to the locations where they will occur in order to peacefully pray against violence and destruction. They will also pray for the salvation of all Americans, and anything else Holy Spirit leads them to cover.

What a wonderful idea. Consider joining with others and praying at these locations. One such organization planning several of these prayer gatherings is NoKingButJesus.us. Let’s pray about all of this now.

Pray with me:

Father, we are very aware of demonic plans to oppose Your desires for America. We will not be caught off guard, we will not lose by default, and we will not make the mistake of assuming our battle is with flesh and blood. Though people are being used to foment violence, demonic forces are behind it. We are hearing and responding to Your strategy to pray against it in advance, before these gatherings even take place. We also continue to pray against violence and riots taking place in major cities across America. We bind the demonic forces in Jesus' name, and ask You to please supernaturally bring about an end to these actions. Please expose lies, corruption, and evil agendas.

We ask You to give our national and local leaders wisdom as they deal with situations. Anoint them to bring forth the appropriate words and messages, and implement the right strategies.

Tomorrow, as believers across our nation pray against the violence, give them wisdom and grant their appeals. Release Your mercy to our nation and heal our land. Give breakthrough after breakthrough, victory after victory. We stand on your promise in Deuteronomy 28:7:

“The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.” 

Scatter the perpetrators of violence in our nation, and the evil forces influencing them. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that God is rising in America and His enemies are being scattered.

Click on the link today to watch the full video.

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1. https://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2017/11/1995-bill-clinton-illegal-immigration.html

2. Ibid.

3. Yahoo.com/news

4. https://libquotes.com/adolf-hitler/quote/lbv8k4k#google_vignette

June 11, 2025

Bartimaeus: Tenacious Persistence

“When Jesus and His disciples had passed through Jericho, a large crowd joined them. Upon leaving the village, they met a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road named [Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus]. When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me now in my affliction. Heal me!’ 

“Those in the crowd were indignant and scolded him for making so much of a disturbance, but he kept shouting with all his might, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me now and heal me!’ 

“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they went to the blind man and said, “Have courage! Get up! Jesus is calling for you!” So he threw off his beggar’s cloak, jumped up, and made his way to Jesus. 

“Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ 

“The man replied, ‘My Master, please, let me see again!’

“Jesus responded, ‘Your faith heals you. Go in peace, with your sight restored.’ All at once, the man’s eyes opened and he could see again, and he began at once to follow Jesus, walking down the road with Him.” ‭‭(Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭46‬-‭52‬ ‭TPT‬‬)

Mark gives us this account of an incident that occurred in Jericho, approximately fourteen miles from Jerusalem. As Jesus was leaving the city, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out for healing. Matthew’s account (Matthew 20:29-34) includes the fact that there were two blind beggars there together, and Jesus healed both of them. Bartimaeus seemed to be the spokesman for the two. 

If we dig a little deeper, we discover that Bartimaeus isn’t really his name – it just means “son of Timaeus.” “He was just ‘someone’s son’, an identity put on him by others that spoke nothing of his significance as an individual, unique person. He was just Bartimaeus the beggar – the man with no name.”(1)

Interestingly, Bartimaeus calls Jesus the “Son of David.” “This was an explicit declaration of Jesus as the Messiah. It affirmed Bartimaeus’ belief in God’s covenantal promise to David in 2 Samuel 7, a promise that his son would be given an eternal throne.”

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

This belief is confirmed when he refers to Jesus as “Rabboni” in verse 51. Some translations simply say “Rabbi,” but the accurate rendering is “Rabboni.” This form of the word does not simply mean teacher or master, but “my Master,” as the Passion Translation makes clear. Bartimaeus had heard enough about this man to convince him that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah. His Messiah and Master!

I love Bartimaeus’ tenacious persistence. He was shouting, crying out to get Jesus’ attention, so much so that the multitudes around him were annoyed. “Stop it,” they said, “you are being a nuisance.”

But Bartimaeus would have none of it. This was his chance to see again, and he wasn’t about to let it go by. He kept shouting with all of his might, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” (v. 48)

At the right time and place, God is okay with intensity. He appreciates passion. We have all probably seen and heard exhibitionists seeking attention, interrupting church services, etc. Holy Spirit does not appreciate attention seekers. But He does appreciate sincere passion, loves exuberant worship, and is just fine with intense intercession.

“John G. Lake, a missionary to South Africa in the first half of the last century, tells the story of a fever epidemic that struck a portion of South Africa. The devastation was such that in one month, a fourth of the entire population of that region died. There were not enough caskets to meet the need, and people were being buried in blankets, so great was the devastation.

“Lake tells of a powerful intercessor who began to pray. For days, all day long and into the night, he stationed himself under a tree and prayed against the plague. Several times, Lake asked the man, ‘Are you breaking through?’

“He would reply, ‘Not yet.’ But one day he said to Lake, ‘I feel today that if I had just a little help in faith my spirit would break through.’ Lake got on his knees and joined the man in prayer. What happened next is amazing. Here it is in Lake’s own words:

‘As we prayed, the Spirit of the Lord overwhelmed our souls and presently I found myself, not kneeling under the tree, but moving gradually away from the tree. . . . I opened my eyes and witnessed such a scene as I had never witnessed before—a multitude of demons like a flock of sheep! The Spirit had come upon the intercessor also; he saw them as well and rushed ahead of me, cursing that army of demons. They were driven back to hell, or the place from whence they came. Beloved, the next morning when we awoke, that epidemic of fever was gone.(2)

I realize many would shrink from such action in prayer—running and shouting at the enemy. There is, however, a time for such spiritual intensity. More than once, I have found myself shouting at spiritual powers or mountains of adversity while in intercession. In Scripture, Zerubbabel shouted grace to a mountain (see Zechariah 4:7). Israel shouted at Jericho (see Joshua 6:16). Gideon’s army shouted before the battle (see Judges 7:20). Jesus shouted on the Cross (see Matthew 27:50). It is okay to be intense at times in worship or prayer.

There was one more significant act done by Bartimaeus. When Jesus summoned him, Bartimaeus took off his cloak, threw it aside, and was led to Jesus. What is the significance of that? Why would Mark’s gospel be so careful as to include it?

This cloak Bartimaeus was wearing was most likely a government-issued coat that provided legitimacy to beggars, similar to a license for them to beg and collect alms.(3) When Bartimaeus heard that the Master had stopped and was calling for him, he knew his life was about to change. He would no longer need his beggar coat; he was about to get a new identity.

And how! He was healed and began following Jesus on the journey to Jerusalem.

Perhaps you need to find a private place where you can release some intensity and passion in your intercession to the Master. You may even do so with a friend or two. No, volume itself does not guarantee victory, but at times, the faith and authority in your heart need a strong release. When this is the case, let it out.

Pray with me:

Father, religion, social etiquette, and sometimes those around us try to dampen our zeal. It seems that we’re allowed to be emotional about everything but our relationship with You. But You showed us in Scripture that it’s okay to, at times, cry out to You passionately, and even to shout at demonic opposition. You were not annoyed in the least with the shouts of Bartimaeus. 

We ask You to awaken passion in Your people. Put fire and zeal in us, the type of zeal that causes us to run toward giants, as David did (1 Samuel 17:48). Give us zeal like Jehu, who drove his chariot furiously to take out Jezebel (2 Kings 9:20). Give us passionate love, such as that possessed by Paul when he said the love of God “fuels our passion,” (2 Corinthians 5:14, TPT). He said Your love constrained or controlled him; he was its prisoner. Give us this type of passion for others’ salvation and deliverance, hearts that won’t let go. Give us the love, tenacity, and determination needed to cry out for our nation until the fires of revival blaze with unprecedented intensity.

We are tired of lukewarm Christianity. We are tired of half-hearted worship and perfunctory prayers. Give us the zeal Christ possessed; consume us with His heart of love. We pray all of this in His name, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we will cry out for our nation until the fires of revival blaze with unprecedented intensity.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. https://thirst.sg/the-things-we-need-to-throw-away/ 

2. Gordon Lindsay, The New John G. Lake Sermons (Dallas, TX: Christ for the Nations, Inc., 1979), pp. 29-30.

3. https://thirst.sg/the-things-we-need-to-throw-away/