top of page

We ARE the Worship


In the “Command the Foreword” dream, the Lord descended upon thousands of intercessors and leaders with His fiery presence. Gina Gholston, who had this dream, shared in yesterday’s post that she feels Holy Spirit wants to literally send this “baptism of fire.” I agree that He wants to do so, preparing us for the future. How will this occur? Are there things we can do to prepare? I believe there are.


First, as simple as it seems, we must choose to receive this impartation. Gina made this point yesterday, pointing out that the 120 people on the Day of Pentecost had to first make the choice to obey Christ (Acts 1:8), waiting in the Upper Room until Holy Spirit came with fire and power (Acts 2:1-4). Engage your will; make the decision that you will do whatever is necessary to receive the impartation God wants to give. This is the starting line.


Secondly, position yourself. We cannot force, generate, or earn an encounter of this nature with the Lord. We can, however, prepare our hearts and minds to receive it. “Business as usual” produces the usual results, which is often good. There is certainly something to be said for consistency; discipline is one of the keys to success in our lives. At other times, however, adjustments are needed. When this is the case, routines can become ruts.


When God was about to take Israel across the Jordan, He told them to prepare for this by consecrating themselves (Joshua 3:5). This Hebrew word (qadash)(1) means dedicated or set apart for a specific purpose; it is separation unto, not from. To be separate from, as in “don’t do this” or “don’t touch that,” is a different Hebrew word (nazir)(2). Nazir is about rules, qadash is about relationship; nazir relates to outward actions, qadash is related to inward purpose. To qadash ourselves is to draw near TO God, not separate ourselves FROM things or activities. We do this through worship, prayer, solitude, extended times in His Word, communion, fasting, etc. - any biblical method of seeking and drawing near to the Lord.


Positioning ourselves properly should also include a spiritual checkup, making certain our hearts are pure. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive” others (Matthew 6:12). Before Elijah asked for fire to fall on the altar, he first had to repair/rebuild the altar and prepare the sacrifice (1 Kings 18:30-35). We should ask the Holy Spirit periodically to show us anything in our lives that displeases Him, any part of the altar - our hearts - that needs repair. Don’t become overly introspective; just allow Holy Spirit to convict where necessary. And never accept condemnation; Holy Spirit doesn’t condemn, He convicts.


Thirdly, ask Him for this impartation! Even though God knows our needs before we ask, He still requires us to ask (Matthew 6:8). We often “have not because we ask not!” (James 4:2). Why does He require us to ask? Because He wants communication with us.


In Acts 4, the persecuted church asked God for boldness and power, something He no doubt knew they needed and already wanted to give them. God responded by sending Holy Spirit with a fresh outpouring, so strong that the building shook (4:23-35). In this season, ask Him for fresh fire - for another filling of Holy Spirit.


Fourthly, worship. Remember, however, it isn’t the praise itself, that God needs or wants. He is not insecure, needing our affirmation. Nor is He arrogant or conceited, wanting to hear how great He is. John 4:23 tells us God is looking for, actually “seeking” worshippers, not worship. It’s the person, you and me - His kids! - that God loves and wants - not the song, but the singer. We ARE the worship.


Quiet contemplation can be worship. Actions can be worship. Obedience is worship. Work, when done for His glory, is worship. Giving, reading God’s Word, serving another - all of these things can be considered as worship when done with worshipful hearts.


Having said this, there is a magnifying of His presence, a multiplying of His power when we pray or worship together. Corporate worship gatherings are important. If I were pastoring a church now, I would turn some of my services primarily into drawing near to Him in corporate worship. If more pastors only understood the incredible power of this, it would happen much more frequently. Proclaiming the Word of God in our gatherings is very important. However, don’t assume that He only speaks through sermons. God can speak His words directly to the hearts of people in our worship gatherings, not just through our sermons! And He can more effectively draw close to individuals as His presence intensifies in our corporate gatherings, imparting directly to them. This happens through lingering, deeper worship, however, not 15 minutes of praise. Don’t forget, David’s Tabernacle contained 24/7 worship, not preaching.


Fifthly and lastly, wait. The 120 in the Upper Room waited ten days for the outpouring of Holy Spirit’s fire and power to fall. We must patiently await God’s timing for all of His actions, not try to force Him into our schedule.


However, there are other important aspects to biblical waiting. Several words are used in Scripture for waiting on the Lord, with different and important nuances of meaning. In chapter 10 of my book, The Pleasure of His Company, I teach on these words. After defining them, I combine their meanings into one succinct summary: “Quietly waiting with a strong, calm trust; longing for His presence and eagerly expecting Him, for you know He’ll come; and knowing that as He does, you and He will experience an increased oneness, a braiding together, as your hearts and lives become more entwined.”(3)


“Waiting” on the Lord is drawing near to Him, through the activities mentioned above in the fourth point. The “oneness” that comes from this, the increased manifestation of His presence, prepares us to receive. Do this. “Learn to wait. In this hectic world of microwaves, bullet trains, and air travel - there are some things that still take time. Slow down. If only for a few minutes a day—slow down and find Him.”(4)


I believe the Lord does want to bring a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit to us in this season. It may look different for each of us, but let’s ask for it, regardless of what it ends up looking like for you. Of one thing, I have absolutely no doubt - that doing these five things will be time well spent, drawing you closer to God. Let’s believe for this together.


Pray with me:


Father, You came near to us through the Cross of Christ. Now, through His shed blood and the covenant it produced for us, we can draw near to You. As we take extra time in this season to do so, with even more intentionality and regularity, we ask You to come to us in powerful ways. Come with Your presence, love, fire, power, gifts, healing, cleansing, and revelation. We have been made one with You through Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19), now cause that oneness to manifest in new ways.


May our love and devotion toward You increase in this season, causing us to minister - not just from responsibility or our gifts - but from Your very heart and compassion within us. We want to be able to say, just as Paul did, that Your love constrains us. We want to say, as Jesus did, that You in us, do the works. We want to be so like Christ that it is said of us, as it was of the early church, “They have been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).


We continue to release our faith and declarations that America is being saved. You are shaking loose and shaking down evil structures and strongholds. You are enabling us to destroy the giants that have ruled our land. You are freeing a generation from deception and evil, and coming to save millions upon millions of people here and around the world. The greatest-ever influx of young people, here and around the world, is beginning. This harvest will NOT be stopped.


We ask and declare all of these things in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.


Our decree:


We know that our heavenly Father loves us and wants us to draw near to Him. As we do so, He will draw near to us.



Click on the link below to watch the full video.


 

  1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6942.

  2. Ibid. Ref. no. 5139.

  3. Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Bethany House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI) p. 85.

  4. Ibid, p. 87.

Now, the Fire!


Today’s post is a word from our friend, Gina Gholston, who had the “Command the Foreword” dream. Holy Spirit has given her further insight for us. Gina shares:


“Exodus 3:1-4 and Acts 2:1-4 are accounts of people on the threshold of a major unfolding of God’s plan. They had been chosen by Him to carry out His purposes, impacting their nation and the world. Before being launched into their intended destiny, however, God first led them to a fiery encounter with Himself. Those encounters transformed their lives and set them on a course to impact history!


“We, too, find ourselves in a major unfolding of God's plans. And just as occurred in those significant times, this history-making season will require today’s church to experience a transforming encounter with Him: Life-changing moments will be created by life-changing encounters with God.


“Over the past few months, many have taken their place in the ‘Command the Foreword’ initiative/assignment. The response to that dream was nothing short of amazing. I am so thankful for every decree and prophetic act, every drop of oil that was distributed, and every prayer that was prayed for our nation. Everyone worked so diligently and quickly, following Holy Spirit’s leading, to get the assignment completed! How exciting it has been!


“Recently, as I was reflecting on and thanking the Lord for all that has been done, He spoke to me, saying, ‘There is another aspect of the dream that must be fulfilled.’ I was shocked by that statement because I felt everything had been completed. I reread the dream, and Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see the unfulfilled part.


“We have painted the borders and commanded the foreword for the nation, which was exactly what we were told to do in the dream. But now, God is calling us to command and experience His original foreword for the church. He said to me, ‘If I awaken and realign the nation without awakening and realigning the church, the harvest will be lost. I can’t have a harvest without harvesters. There must be the pure influence of anointed harvesters to reap the harvest, and there must be an established, functioning Ekklesia to tend the harvest that comes in! So now, I am “harvesting the harvesters.” I am bringing them into an encounter with Me that will transform, realign, and refocus them completely on Me.’


THE DREAM

“The portion of the dream the Lord drew my attention to was this:


“The place where we were gathered began to vibrate with what felt like an electrical current. A wind started to blow, and then it was as if fire dropped out of the heavens onto every one of us. It wasn’t a natural fire; this was the fiery presence of the Lord as He entered the room in a visible, tangible demonstration. When this happened, people began falling to the floor, overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord. Some fell on their knees and began to weep; others were running, lifting their hands with shouts of joy!


“In the dream, the thought that came to my mind was, ‘This is a true baptism of fire!’ It came with great force, and no one in the room was exempt from it. No one questioned or debated it. No one was offended by the reactions to it! Everyone received it! Somehow, we all understood that we were being transformed by the fire of God.’


“The Lord wants us to encounter Him in this baptism of His fiery presence. This transformative baptism of fire is a preparation for what we are moving into. True encounters with God are not about a momentary touch, goosebumps, and casual ‘visitations’ that leave us unchanged. True encounters with God mark our lives, bringing total transformation.


“We see this demonstrated in Acts 2. Those who experienced the upper room encounter were transformed and equipped with power to ‘turn the known world upside down.’ People took notice that they had been with God, and began calling them Christians because they modeled such Christ-likeness! They spoke truth with the same authority and operated with the same power Christ had demonstrated. The movement we have entered will also be one requiring a demonstration of Spirit and truth, manifesting Christ in word, power, and deeds!


“To equip us for this, the Lord wants us to encounter Him, a true ‘baptism of fire,’ a reintroduction to Pentecost! Pentecost is the ‘foreword’ God wrote regarding the church; it pictures His original intentions: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses . . . even to the ends of the earth!’ (Acts 1:8). God did not create a people with only a form of godliness, but He birthed ignited demonstrators of His power and likeness!


“The church has come a long way! We’ve grown and matured, and there is appropriate excitement for what we have seen and done. But we must know there is more, and the entrance to the ‘more’ is through the door of God’s transforming presence!


DESTINY DECISIONS

“We are in a destiny moment of time, and destiny moments require destiny decisions.


“God offered Moses a destiny, but that destiny required a decision to say yes. To help Moses with his decision, God allowed a bush to burn and not be consumed! Then he spoke from the fire!


“The 120 men and women on the day of Pentecost had been chosen by the Lord to continue what He began to do and teach. But each one had to decide whether to go to the Upper Room and wait for Holy Spirit. When they said yes, God drew them into a fiery encounter with Him that marked and changed their lives forever.”


DUTCH’S COMMENTS

I believe Gina’s dream and this word are accurate. Though we should all experience Holy Spirit’s presence on a regular basis, there are times when He does come to us more intensely in order to accomplish specific things. What would this “baptism of fire” look like for us today? How do we experience it? Obviously, ours won’t come through a “burning bush,” and there will not be an “Upper Room” we can all wait in until it occurs.


“God encounters” of this nature are not something we can generate or force. However, when He speaks of wanting to manifest in a stronger way, there ARE things we can do to facilitate it. In tomorrow’s post, I am going to bring a teaching on how we can do this.


Pray with me:


Father, in the “Command the Foreword” dream, You came to us with holy Fire, preparing us to partner with You. Your fire consumes our “flesh,” our carnal desires, and replaces them with passion for You and YOUR desires. We ask for this fire that originates in Your presence, releases Your glory, and produces revival. Take us to a deeper understanding of You that will facilitate a deeper walk with You. Take us beyond our manageable ideas of You, beyond the “controlled” environments we’ve created in the church. Give us encounters with You that transform and mark us forever! May we all encounter YOU, and may the encounter produce in us a vicious hunger that compels us to pursue the depths of You. Consume us with the fire that is You! May we put on Christ and be hidden in Him, so that He might be seen through us.


We join with the great revivalist, William Booth, in asking: please Sir, Send the Fire!


Send the Fire (Public Domain)

by William Booth (1894)


“Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! Thy blood-bought gift today, we claim, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! Look down and see this waiting host, Give us the promised Holy Ghost; We want another Pentecost, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!


“God of Elijah, hear our cry: Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! To make us fit to live or die, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! To burn up every trace of sin, To bring the light and glory in, The revolution now begin, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!


“’Tis fire we want, for fire we plead, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! The fire will meet our every need, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire! For strength to ever do the right, For grace to conquer in the fight, For pow’r to walk the world in white, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!


“To make our weak hearts strong and brave,

Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

To live a dying world to save,

Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

Oh, see us on Thy altar lay

Our lives, our all, this very day;

To crown the off’ring now we pray,

Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!”(1)


Our decree:


As we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, empowering us to be the church (Ekklesia) He created us to be!



Portions of today’s post were shared by Gina Gholston and were taken from her new book, Carry On. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholstonMinistries.org



Click on the link below to watch the full video.


 

https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Send_the_Fire/

First Things First


For the past 50 years, I have been a diligent student of God’s Word. I have loved mining its treasures, whether that be directly from Scripture, or through the many anointed teachers I’ve been privileged to sit under. I’ve been known to dig into one word for days.


I also love sharing the insights I’ve received. It is the nature of God to give and to share; He said it’s actually more blessed to give than receive. It is my joy to package some of what I’ve been given into bite-size portions and pass them on to you. That is why I write these posts, and it’s why I compile them into devotionals. Today I’m sharing a compilation of 4 posts from our new book, Give Him 15 - An Appeal to Heaven, Volume 2. I believe they’ll feed you. I’ve titled the post: First Things First.


Day 2 - Simplicity


We must learn to de-complicate life, but we must especially uncomplicate our relationship with Christ. Paul said to the church at Corinth:


“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3; emphasis mine).


Life can be very complicated; theology can as well. At times, if we’re not careful, both can get downright confusing. But the Lord impresses on my heart time and time again, “There is nothing complicated about a relationship with Me.”


The great A. W. Tozer said:


“Now, as always, God [discloses] Himself to ‘babes’ and hides Himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all efforts to impress and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt, God will quickly respond.”(1)


Tozer also said, “There are occasions when for hours I lay prostrate before God without saying a word of prayer or a word of praise – I just gaze on Him and worship.”(2)


Sometimes no words are needed as we enjoy God’s company.


In 2 Corinthians 11:3, “simplicity” is the Greek word haplotes. Its most literal meaning is “singleness, without dissimulation or duplicity;”(3) or “the opposite of duplicity.”(4)The verse is saying that in our devotion to Christ, we must not be double-minded. We must guard against anything causing dissimulation, division, or a watering down. It is okay to be multifaceted in our gifts and activity, and it is wise to be broad-based in our understanding, but in our approach to relationship with Jesus, we must be very single-minded. Allow no other person or activity to crowd Him out. To take Him for granted or allow Him to simply be one of many priorities will weaken us.


Day 3 - First Things First


“Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, ‘Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.’” (Joshua 1:1-2)


Moses’s death had to have been very emotional for Joshua. Moses was gone. No memorial service, burial, time for grieving, or even knowledge of where he was buried. His emotions were probably raw, yet he would have to move into his new role immediately.


In three days, you’re going into the land I promised Abraham centuries ago, God said. That meant – not a pleasant journey into a new homeland – but a challenging move for an entire nation.


And it meant war.


God’s instructions to Joshua at this point would have been incredibly important, perhaps the most important of his life. What were they? Only the basics of our walk with God:

  • don’t be afraid;

  • trust Me;

  • listen to Me carefully and obey;

  • meditate on My words;

  • I’ll be with you.


They were not theology. No battle plans, travel formations, or how to get across the Jordan – not yet.


First, God instructed Joshua to keep the connection to Him strong. This will be your lifeline, Joshua. Do this, and you’ll have great success. Have your quiet time - your devotions - then go to war!


When you’re about to go into a spiritual battle, transition into something new, or move forward into God’s plan for your life…first, go have your quiet time. Then, advance.


Day 4 - Love’s Motivation


There are five New Testament words for “servant” or “serving.” Two of these words are doulos and latris. A doulos was a bond slave.(5) Latris, however, from the verb form latreuo, means to serve not out of compulsion but from relationship.(6) A parent serves his or her family by providing and caring for them – not as a slave, but out of the motivation of love. This is latreuo. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, “which is [our] reasonable service” (KJV). Other versions of Scripture translate the phrase differently, and appropriately so: “which is [our] spiritual service of worship” (NASB). They do so because the word used is latreuo, not doulos. This verse is not telling us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice because we are God’s slaves, but rather to do so because we love Him and want to please Him. He knows what is best for us, and we trust Him. And as we lovingly serve Him, He considers it worship, not just service.


Yes, God owns us. But His heart is not to treat us as slaves “owned” by Him. He wants to relate to us as His children and friends (John 15:14-15). His desire is that we serve Him from hearts of love and worship, from relationship. When we move into this type of relationship with our Father, we become His co-laborers, working together with Him.


We embrace His Great Commission as a co-mission. Our hearts mingle with His, and we want what He wants. We’re members of Abba’s household of faith. This motivation changes everything.


Even though Paul referred to himself as a bondslave, he also said the love of God constrained him to minister as he did (2 Corinthians 5:14). As we pray and work toward God’s great harvest, we must establish in our minds that we will obey God fully. But our primary motivation must be that we are His partners, friends, and kids. As the Senior Partner, He will give direction, but He delights in involving us in the plan and process.


Day 15 - God Meetings


At the end of his life, Paul, the apostle who wrote more of Scripture than any other person, said he was endeavoring to “know” God (Philippians 3:10). One would think that if anyone knew Him, Paul certainly did. However, the Greek word he used in this verse (ginosko) has a threefold meaning,(7) which explains fully what Paul was saying:


  • Ginosko is a relational knowledge. It is not generic knowledge, as in knowing about a place or person. This word suggests there is an intimate relationship with the object known. It is actually used of a husband and wife “knowing” one another sexually. Paul was saying, Even after all these years and all of this revelation, I want an even more intimate relationship with God.

  • Ginosko is a progressive knowledge. It does not start as complete knowledge but grows as the relationship progresses. Paul stated, Even though I know God, I want to know Him more.

  • Ginosko is an impactful knowledge. This type of knowing changes the knower: it impacts, affects, and transforms. Paul realized that although he had been conformed to the image of Christ, he could become even more like Him.


Get to know your Abba. If you will draw near to God, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). If you desire to meet with Him, He WILL meet with you. And through the connection, He will meet with other people and situations. He will.


Let’s do it now.


Pray with me:


Father, Your heart toward us is amazing. Though You are Almighty God, You want relationship with a human family. We are overwhelmed by Your incredible plan of the ages: creating us, redeeming us, and welcoming us into Your heavenly family. May we never take this for granted. We are reminded today that You are indeed our Lord and Master, the Most High God. But You are also Father, Abba, and You love us with an everlasting love. As we pray, may we always remember that we are working together with You, not just for You.


As we intercede today, we remember that we are agreeing with You, not attempting to talk You into something. We extend the victory of the Cross, declaring that a spirit of deliverance is being released throughout the world. We call forth this great awakening and harvest in Your heart, and release it into the earth now, in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.


Our decree:


We decree that we are co-laborers with God on the earth, and, as such, we move according to His plan and in His authority.


You can find this book, as well as Volume 1, on our websites: DutchSheets.org or GiveHim15.com.



Click on the link below to watch the full video.


 

  1. Rowell, Edward K., ed. Quotes and Idea Starters for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal. Baker Books, 1996, p. 181.

  2. Ibid., p. 181.

  3. Strong, James. New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Thomas Nelson, 2003, Greek ref no. 572.

  4. Zodhiates, Spiros, ed. KJV Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible: Hardbound. AMG Publishers, 1991, p. 1808.

  5. “Strong’s Greek: 1401. (doulos). A slave, bond slave.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/1401.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.

  6. “Strong’s Greek: 3000 (latreuó). To serve, service, worship.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/3000.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.

  7. “Strong’s Greek: 314 (Anaginóskó). To know certainly, know again, read.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/314.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.



bottom of page