April 15, 2024

Don’t Fear The Storm

I like studying biblical words because of the added insight I receive from the different nuances of meaning. The Hebrew language, with its pictorial style, paints many rich pictures. With a technical approach, the Greeks used to say they could say more in one word than other languages could in an entire sentence. Humorous, but possibly true. Without a doubt, God determined that these two languages would give us the Scriptures.

There is another reason I like to look up the original words used in Scripture, however. Some translations often use the same English word to translate different Hebrew or Greek words, which can sometimes be misleading. For example, the King James Version uses the word “time” to translate both chronos(1) and kairos(2). However, one refers to general or chronological time (chronos). The other word, kairos, means strategic or opportune time. The importance of knowing which word is used is immeasurable. From planting until harvest is chronos time; the harvest window is kairos. If you’re a farmer, you better know the difference!

Another subject with which the KJV does this is fear. There are actually three Greek words in the New Testament which, at times, are all translated with the one English word, “fear.” One of them means “reverential fear or awe” (eulabeia)(3). This is the word used when speaking of “the fear of the Lord.” Another means “terror, dread, or phobia” (phobos)(4). This, of course, is a fear of harm, pain, or loss. It’s easy to see that knowing which word is used matters greatly. I have a “Fear of the Lord,” but I am not “afraid” of Him.

Then there is a third Greek word that means “timidity or insecurity” (deilia)(5) which is the subject of this post. Paul told his spiritual son, Timothy, “God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). This Greek word translated as fear is deilia: timidity, insecurity, bashful, or shy.

Timothy was a young man. His youthfulness and inexperience, compounded by the magnitude of his task in leading the church at Ephesus, was causing him to be insecure. Timothy was also facing criticism, persecution, and attacks from people. Paul was not telling him he did not have to be “afraid.” That wasn’t the type of fear attacking Timothy. Paul was telling him not to be timid or insecure. In other words, “be bold, and believe in what God has put in you. He has equipped you to do this!”

At times, the two fears of harm (phobos) and timidity (deilia) work together to paralyze or torment us. In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and the disciples were crossing the lake when a vicious storm arose. It looked like they would not make it through this storm, so the disciples awakened Jesus, who addressed the storm with, “Peace, be still.” The storm ended immediately. Then Jesus asked the disciples an interesting and strange question, “Why are you afraid?” Then, He addressed their lack of faith.

I know why they were afraid, don’t you? These were experienced fishermen who had made a living on this lake. When they concluded that this storm was so bad, that they weren’t going to survive it, you can believe it was true. It makes more sense, however, when you realize Jesus did not ask them why they were afraid (phobos). He asked them why they were timid or insecure (deilia).

Christ was telling the disciples they could have - and should have - done what He did: rebuke the storm! Boldness was needed at this moment, not timidity. This storm was a demonic strategy to harm them. Jesus had already told the disciples, “We are going to the other side.” They should have acted on His words and did what He had done. I am certainly not boasting that I would have acted differently than the disciples. I am simply pointing out the lesson Jesus was giving them: “When you have My promise or direction, believe it and act boldly on it!”

A friend of ours, on the front lines of warfare for America, one who greatly loves our nation and whose life was severely affected by the 2020 elections, was given a dream that pictures this lesson. You’ll be encouraged by it!

“I can honestly say I had one of the best dreams I have ever had last night. In the dream, I was in my house, lounging comfortably in bed, when I heard a voice say, ‘Run and hide! There is a hurricane coming!’

“I looked out the window and saw a terrible hurricane barreling towards my house. I knew I would likely drown. The storm was fierce, destroying everything in its path. I stood up out of bed, and the water was already at my ankles, and I knew the storm was just starting. The wind was blowing and debris was flying around my house. Again, the voice said, ‘Run! Hide! You have to save yourself!’

“I thought about it and decided to remain standing. Grabbing the side of the bed, I closed my eyes, tucked my chin to brace for impact, and responded calmly to the voice, ‘I will not run. I will stand my ground in this storm.’

“Everything got quiet. I opened my eyes, and my house was in order. No damage, and it was completely dry. I looked out the window and saw the storm in the distance...fleeing from me.” End of dream.

My comments to this person were that not only was God revealing the storm wouldn’t destroy her, but He also revealed what was in her spirit. He has not given her a spirit of timidity or fear. He has given her a spirit of faith and boldness.

We need not fear the storms. We must stand our ground and face them with faith in God’s Word. If we do, we will win. The storm will subside…or run from us!

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Pray with me:

Father, the past season has been difficult for many people. The coming season of shaking will also be challenging. I’m sure some have been tempted to retreat or, worse yet, abandon their faith. Some want out of the boat. Others, like the fearful spies Moses sent to Canaan, have decided they would rather be back in Egypt.

We pray that You would show them, as You did our friend, that deep within them, they have the strength to overcome; that satan is an intimidator who wants us to think we are grasshoppers when facing giants and storms. But You have given us hearts like Caleb. You said we are more than conquerors - we have more than enough strength in us to overcome (Romans 8:37).

So we speak to our storms and say, “Be still! Stop! We will not listen to you, we will not run from you, and you will not destroy us. We are well able to possess the land, and we will do so. We are on God’s timetable, and any delays will be used for our benefit. (Romans 8:28) Our times are in His hand. (Psalm 31:15). Everything He has promised, He will do. Our future is secure.”

Our decree:

We decree that as we resist the devil, he WILL flee from us!

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5550.

2. Ibid., ref. no. 2540.

3. Ibid., ref. no. 2124.

4. Ibid., ref. no. 5401.

5. Ibid., ref. no. 1167.

April 12, 2024

What Do They All Have In Common?

NOAH’S FLOOD

In Genesis chapter 6, the story of Noah and the great flood begins. After Adam’s fall, people became so wicked that God knew He would have to destroy humankind and begin again (verse 5). He instructed Noah to build an ark for the preservation of his family, a project which probably took 50-75 years.(1) Then, when it was completed, He sent the flood. It rained for 40 days and nights (Genesis 7:17), flooded the earth, and Noah’s Ark floated for 150 days before coming to rest on Mt. Ararat. Genesis 8:1-4 tells us:

“But God remembered Noah and all the animals and all the livestock that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Also, the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days, the water decreased. Then in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.” (NASB)

THE RED SEA CROSSING

After Israel’s incredible exodus from Egypt, during which God also demonstrated that the gods of Egypt were not truly gods but simply idols, Israel found themselves still in danger at the Red Sea. There was as yet one Egyptian god He had not exposed, Baal-zephon, their god of the seas. The first two verses of Exodus 14 inform us, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea’” (Exodus 14:1-2).

Why the geography lesson? God wants us to know that HE chose the place for this encounter. To many of the Israelites, as well as to Pharaoh and his army, it looked as though Israel was confused, disoriented, and wandering aimlessly in the desert. And they were, in fact, now trapped by mountains, the sea, and Pharaoh’s army. God sometimes enjoys allowing satan to believe he has won; at times, He even orchestrates circumstances to accomplish this. Such was the case here.

Scott Lancer, in an article for Associates for Biblical Research (Confronting Baal Zephon: The Spiritual Message of the Meeting of Israel and the Armies of Egypt) says, “Let us remember that God had been triumphing over not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but also the supposed power of their gods. The plagues were a drumbeat of victory as the gods of Egypt were, one by one, displayed to be impotent and powerless. And even more importantly, Yahweh wanted the Egyptians to know that He is the Lord” (14:4).(2)

Pharaoh no doubt believed that this god was more powerful than Yahweh. He supposed that Baal-zephon had led Israel into a trap and was now going to cause them to be destroyed in front of the place named for him.

Yahweh had other plans. His plan was to demonstrate that HE was the Lord of the sea. His authority, released through the extension of the rod He had given Moses, controlled the sea, not Zephon. Yahweh would lead his people THROUGH, not around, the sea that the Egyptians believed was under the control of Zephon. And instead of the Israelites being destroyed, it would be Pharaoh and the Egyptian army - in front of their supposed god!

ISRAEL CROSSING INTO CANAAN

In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham, promising him a family, a nation, ownership of the land of Canaan, and that He would use Abraham to bless the entire world. In Joshua 3, four and a half centuries later, this family now existed, had indeed become a nation, and under Joshua’s leadership, crossed into Canaan. Chapter 5 tells us:

“While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. Then, on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.” (Joshua 5:10-12 NASB)

ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE FROM HAMAN 

In the book of Esther, we find the great story of Israel’s deliverance from Haman’s plot to destroy them. This wicked man had convinced the king to sign a decree to destroy the Jews (Esther 3:1-12). God used Esther and Mordecai to reverse Haman’s seemingly fail-proof plan. Esther called for a 3-day fast to pray for God’s protection, then approached the king asking for mercy for her people. God intervened, and Haman was hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). The feast of Purim celebrates this great victory over Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews (Esther 9:26-32).

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR

Now, what do these events have in common? The date: Nisan 17. Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat; Pharaoh and his army were destroyed, and Baal-zephon was exposed; after Joshua and Israel crossed into Canaan and ate the fruit of the land, the manna ceased; and Haman was hung on his own gallows - all on the 17th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. That is miraculous and amazing! 

One can only imagine the angels’ thoughts as they carried out their assignments. Take the Flood, for example: He’s going to start the rain, flood the earth, and cause enough of the water to dissipate so the ark touches Earth ON THAT VERY DAY? That’s impossible - but then again, we are talking about Yahweh!

How about the crossing into Canaan, eating the fruit of the land, and the manna ceasing? He said what?! Over the next four and a half centuries, He’s going to enable an old, barren couple to have a kid, multiply him into a NATION, preserve them through centuries of slavery, deliver them on this special day He has chosen, navigate around a rebellious generation waiting for all of them to die, the next generation will begin eating the fruit of this promised land - and He is going to land all of this on this same special day of the flood receding and the deliverance of this nation from slavery? Four hundred-plus years in the future, on Nisan 17? Well, if He said it, He’ll do it!

I suppose the angels were used to this stuff!

But why this date? God hadn’t told anyone, not even the angels, why He was doing these things on this date because He couldn’t disclose the mystery of how He would redeem humankind. And part of the plan included Jesus being resurrected on Nisan 17!

The new earth and humanity’s restart after the flood; the judging of the powers of darkness and Israel’s deliverance from slavery; the manna ceasing (a picture of Christ’s earthly body) and eating the fruit of Canaan; and Haman, a symbolizing satan, having the tables turned on him while God’s people are exalted, were all pictures of Christ’s resurrection and occurred…

ON THE VERY SAME DAY!

Get yourself a Hebrew calendar, and the next time satan tempts you to doubt God’s ability to fulfill one of His promises or His willingness to do so, pull it out and point to Nisan 17. He won’t hang around–he hates that day.

Pray with me:

Father, we are reminded today of Your words: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) You planned the day and time of the Resurrection from the foundation of the world. Sin and death don’t stand a chance against Your omnipotence and omniscience. You always know what to do and how to do it, and You possess the power to accomplish it.

You decided Yeshua would be resurrected on Nisan 17, and He was. You said satan was defeated, and he is. You said we are delivered from his authority, and we are. You said we would be welcomed back into Your family through Christ, and we have been. You said He would delegate His authority to us, and He has. You said we can do all things through Him, and we can. You said we are more than conquerors through Him, and we are. You said we always triumph in Him, and we do. You said we are healed by His stripes, and we are. You said Your perfect love casts out all fear, and it does.

You said You would send Your Spirit to indwell us, and You have. You said Christ would build an Ekklesia the forces of hell could not overcome, and He has. You told us to heal the sick in Christ’s name, and we can. You told us to disciple nations in His name, and we can. You said Christ is King over all the nations, and He is.

You said America will be saved, and it will! You said our prodigals were coming home, and they are. You said You would reap Earth’s greatest spiritual harvest in our day, and You will. You said the church Christ returns to would be glorious, and she will be.

Our decree:

We decree that God’s word is forever settled in Heaven!

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. https://youtu.be/wIxWAZ6r8oc?si=Q6Z_JOeu0YF_l64u 

2. https://biblearchaeology.org/research/devotionals/3794-confronting-baalzephon-the-spiritual-message-of-the-meeting-of-israel-and-the-armies-of-egypt

April 11, 2024

The Sound That Draws Him

Matthew 18:19 says, “Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.”

Today, I feel Holy Spirit’s prompting to remind you of the power of agreement. The above verse is given to us in the context of the church, the Ekklesia, addressing issues from the place of unity. The subsequent verse (Matthew 18:20) is the well-known promise that when 2 or more members of the church gather, Christ joins us. Though God’s presence is always with a believer, He is saying His presence comes in a stronger way when we gather together. “We” are better than “me.”

I don’t want to poke holes in anyone’s theological balloon, but as a sidebar, I must point out that there is no verse in the Bible stating the prayers of one can chase or put to flight a thousand, and two can chase ten thousand. (I can see the scowls on many faces.) This assertion comes from a misunderstanding of Deuteronomy 32:30, which says, “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?”

This is actually part of a passage describing Israel’s enemies overwhelming them, and an explanation of why. Due to their sin, the Lord was no longer protecting them, and their enemies prevailed over them to this overwhelming degree. Don’t get too alarmed, however; though the numbers are somewhat different, there is a passage stating that Israel’s power multiplied when they fought as one:

“Instead, you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:7-8 NASB)

The context of this is physical warfare, not prayer, but it is fair to say God’s power was multiplied for Israel when they fought as a unified company. And my point in addressing this is not to become legalistic, but simply to help us become more accurate in our approach to prayer. We must base our prayers on biblical principles and truth, not tradition. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe God‘s power is multiplied when we pray and operate in agreement with one another.

Greek scholar and teacher Rick Renner says, “The word ‘agree’ [in Matthew 18:19] is the Greek word sumphoneo, and it is a compound of sum and phoneo. The word sum means with, and the word phoneo means to make a sound. As you can imagine by simply looking at its two parts, this Greek word is where we get the word symphony. Thus, when we describe agreement in prayer, it is good to first think of a symphony, which is a musical piece made of different movements, instruments, and parts. The use of this word sumphoneo in the context of prayer is revealing, for it shows that when two or more believers get into agreement — each of them praying and adding their parts — it creates a supernatural movement that deeply touches the heart of the Father. This action is so powerful, in fact, that Jesus said it would result in the Father fulfilling any issue they addressed through prayer.”(1)

Strongs Concordance says sumphoneo means to “be harmonious, in accord, or concur.”(2) The opposite of accord is discord, another term associated with music. Accord or harmony is pleasant; discord is unpleasant. A sour note played by one instrument in an orchestra can often be heard above all the others. God, who created music with all of its pleasantness and power, loves harmony and uses it to illustrate the pleasantness of agreement in the church, including prayer. It attracts Him: “I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It moves Him to action: “It shall be done for them by My Father, who is in heaven” (verse 19).

Too often, the church sounds like a recital of 8-year-olds torturing parents and grandparents with their screeching strings and discordant horns. I question whether God actually shows up for some of it. His patience has its limits. “I’d like to hear some harmony” is probably what He thinks.

But when we gather with like-minded people, harmonizing with God’s heart and desires (not necessarily theology), His ears prick up, and He is drawn to the sound. It is pleasant to Him. “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). At this place of unity, He commands a blessing! (Verse 3)

My goal today is to point out that God appreciates it when millions of people agree together in prayer for His purposes to be established on Earth. It attracts His presence, moves His heart, and multiplies His power flowing from us. Do not forget this when you agree with the person in your circle of relationships, your prayer group, your congregation, and yes, with millions of people on this platform. The number one reason I do the daily Give Him 15 posts is not to provide you with your daily devotional, though I’m thrilled that it accomplishes this for many. It is primarily to generate agreement in prayer for the establishment of God‘s purposes on the Earth. And I know our prayers are effectual.

Please do not just listen as I end the posts with prayer. Activate your faith, pick up your instrument, and release a sound into the heavens that moves God's heart. We are playing salvation songs, revival and reformation medleys, and Kingdom of Heaven overtures. As we do, He joins us, then carries the sound of our “music” throughout the atmosphere of Earth, creating change and releasing life. Let’s harmonize now.

Pray with me:

Father, the orchestra of Your kingdom does more than sing praises; it agrees in prayer. And when it does, You said it attracts You and multiplies Your power. We harmonize together this day, recalling various themes You have asked us to pray for:

We break the power of darkness and deception over prodigals and call them home.

We ask You for a billion soul harvest throughout the nations of the Earth: to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, and every other group of people. We bind the Prince of Persia in the Middle East and all of its allies.

We ask You for a great harvest of young people here in America and around the world - the largest ever.

We ask for signs, wonders, and miracles to take place.

We ask for great deliverance to come to those bound by demons, false ideologies, wounds, and any other tool of darkness. We ask You to heal the brokenhearted and set free those held captive.

We ask for evil to be exposed in our nation, and a purifying of our government.

We ask that life would be cherished and that death, including to the unborn, would be abhorred.

We ask that the church be awakened from passivity and complacency and that Your fire would bring revival to believers throughout this nation and the world.

We ask for the complete restoration of America to Your purpose and destiny.

We ask for human trafficking to be exposed and ended.

We ask that racial division be healed and that love and compassion sweep throughout our land. We pray that those who divide us for selfish reasons be exposed.

We ask all of this in the all-powerful name of Jesus.

Our decree:

We declare that heaven’s orchestra is becoming a more finely tuned and skillful body, releasing a sound that pleases the heart of God.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. https://renner.org/article/a-supernatural-answer-to-prayer/ 

2. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4856.