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January 30, 2026

    Let’s Finish This!

    I have been feeling strongly that for today’s post, I need to warn against distraction. There is so much news about violence, unrest, and other serious issues here and abroad that it is easy to become overwhelmed. This can produce various negative responses, including stress, weariness of heart, wavering in faith, and more. I want to encourage you to remain focused on the Lord and what HE is saying.

    As the book of Ezra opens, Cyrus, king of Persia, allows a remnant of Israelites to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding their Temple. Seventy years prior, because of their rejection of Him, God had allowed the Temple to be destroyed, and Israel to be taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Later, they came under Cyrus’s rule after he conquered Babylon. God then moved upon the heart of Cyrus, a pagan and idolatrous king, to permit this return. He even stirred Cyrus’ heart to help the remnant raise the needed funds for rebuilding (Ezra 1:1-4), and returned to them all the vessels and utensils Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from the Temple. This was amazing!

    A remnant returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel’s leadership and began the work. Ezra tells us: 

    “When the workers laid the foundation of The Temple of God, the priests in their robes stood up with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise God in the tradition of David…All the people boomed out hurrahs, praising God as the foundation of The Temple of God was laid. As many were noisily shouting with joy, many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first Temple, when they saw the foundations of this Temple laid, wept loudly… People couldn’t distinguish the shouting from the weeping. The sound of their voices reverberated for miles around.” (Ezra 3:10-13 MSG)

    It has always intrigued me that many younger Israelites shouted for joy while some of the older ones wept. We are left to wonder why the older folks wept. Joy? Grieving lost years? Realizing just how far they had to go? One thing is certain: their perspective was different.

    There is one more certainty about the celebration that took place that day: it was a bit premature. Satan, too, had plans for the project. Daniel 7:25 tells us he attempts to alter “times and laws.” The Hebrew word used for “time” in this verse means an appointed time;(1) the word for “laws” means, among other things, the decree of a king.(2) God, our King, appoints our times and seasons; He also decrees His good plans and purposes for us, both in His written Word and prophetically. However, this verse tells us satan tries to alter those times and decrees. We know he can’t do so by overpowering or outwitting God; he attempts to do so by attacking us.

    Daniel 7:25 also reveals one of the ways satan tries to do so: by “wearing down” the saints. It is very revealing that the Hebrew word this is taken from is never used in Scripture to describe physical fatigue, only mental and emotional weariness. Satan attempts to wear us down in our souls - our minds and emotions - causing us to “grow weary” (literally: “lose heart”) in our efforts (Galatians 6:9). Fear, discouragement, confusion, lack of endurance, hope-deferred, and other emotional responses attack our faith and, if not guarded against, can cause us to lose heart. If this weariness sets in, it can disrupt our God-appointed times. This time-altering strategy worked against the remnant sent to rebuild the Temple of God.

    Satan’s method in that situation was to work through other people in the region: 

    “So these people started beating down the morale of the people of Judah, harassing them as they built. They even hired propagandists to sap their resolve. They kept this up for about fifteen years, throughout the lifetime of Cyrus, king of Persia, and on into the reign of Darius, king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:4-5 MSG)

    These “propagandists,” or “counselors,” as other translations refer to them, were basically lobbyists, individuals hired and sent to the king with accusations and misinformation. They succeeded in planting in him the concern that, once the Israelites rebuilt their temple, they would rebel against his rule and cause great problems in his kingdom. The Israelites, rather than remaining strong and trusting God to help them overcome this, yielded to fear and discouragement. The result? The rebuilding of the temple stopped for 16 years! All they had produced was a foundation.

    During this time, though abandoning God’s house, the Israelites began rebuilding their own homes and businesses, justifying this by saying it must not yet be God’s appointed time for the Temple to be rebuilt. Opposition, however, should never be allowed to determine what we believe to be God’s will. Nor should this be something used to judge whether or not it is His appointed time for something.

    Eventually, God raised up a prophet, Haggai, to deliver His message to them:

    “God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: ‘The people procrastinate. They say this isn't the right time to rebuild My Temple, the Temple of God.’

    “Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: ‘How is it that it's the "right time" for you to live in your fine new homes while Mine is in ruins?...’

    “Then the governor, Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and all the people with them listened, really listened, to the voice of their God. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God. Then Haggai, God’s messenger, preached God’s message to the people: 'I am with you!’” (Haggai 1:1-14 MSG)

    Notice that when the people responded appropriately to God’s Words, He was quick to respond with grace and favor. Turns out it wasn’t those who opposed God that were His problem; He was well able to deal with them. His people were the problem! What God needed was a people of faith who would not succumb to fear, discouragement, or other distractions. When they were able to shake off these things, God favored them once again and said, I am with you! Let’s go!

    A month later, Haggai encouraged them by prophesying again, 

    “Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back…Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth, and I will fill this Temple with splendor...I own the silver, I own the gold…This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’” (Haggai 2:1-9 MSG)

    Like this remnant in Israel, many in the church of America have grown weary in their prayers for revival and the rebuilding of our nation. Lobbyists, media opposition, unrighteous laws, intimidating government agencies, elections that didn’t go our way, ungodly politicians, riots - satan has used these and more, attempting to wear us down mentally and emotionally. Some have responded just as these Israelites, deciding it must not be time for America’s turnaround. Yet many have not!

    God now needs us to persevere in our faith and prayers. We must not allow satan to alter America’s appointed times and God’s promised recovery by wearing us down or distracting us. Don’t be intimidated. God can deal with His enemies, just as He did in Haggai’s day. Determine that nothing will stop us – wars, violence, threats, fear, discouragement, setbacks, unbelief – nothing.

    Let’s finish this!

    Pray with me:

    Father, You have begun a good work in our nation. You’ve raised up a remnant of people determined to birth revival, and see America accomplish all You have destined for her. We are determined to see righteousness in our government once again, determined to see the young generation of Americans come to know You, and determined to see worldwide revival - at least a billion souls.

    We will not stop with only a foundation. We will not yield to opposition, fear, confusion, unbelief, discouragement, or selfishness. We will finish this! We WILL finish this! Raise up Haggais in our day to speak Your words. Stir the hearts of Your people. We ask for an infusion of strength and hope. We ask that any and all mental fatigue and emotional weariness be broken off of the praying church, the remnant. Send a wind of Holy Spirit to us now, we pray. Stir up hearts that once burned with fire for revival and breakthrough, but have now settled for less. Stir up the hearts of pastors who have chosen to settle for less than the fires of revival. Stir up intercessors who have allowed the fire to go out. Awaken us all to Your passion in this hour. May there be a roar of intercession that is released in this nation and the nations of the earth. We ask You, “Rend the heavens and come down!”

    We make these requests in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

    Our decree:

    God is with us; we will arise and build!

    Click on the link below to watch the full video.

    Today’s post was taken from our devotion, Give Him 15, An Appeal to Heaven, Volume 2.

    1. “Strong’s Hebrew: 2165. זְמָן (zeman) -- appointed time, occasion, season; time.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2165.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.

    2. “Strong’s Hebrew: 1882. דָּת (dath) -- decree, law.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1882.htm. Accessed 12 May 2023.

     
     

    January 29, 2026

      Minnesota - The Threshing Floor State

      In October 2002, the Lord spoke separately to Chuck Pierce and me that we were to go to all 50 states. He instructed us to release fresh prophetic words from Holy Spirit to each state, and conduct prayer assemblies regarding what He said. We did this in 2003 and early 2004, holding 3 services per state. Of the 150 messages we gave, no two were the same. In each service, Holy Spirit gave specific words for that state. I primarily released prophetic teachings, prayed, and released decrees over each state; Chuck moved in a remarkably high level of prophecy in each of the gatherings. It was incredibly challenging, but also very fulfilling. Chuck and I wrote a book about this assignment, giving summaries of what was said to each state, along with a few related teachings [The Prophetic Destiny of A Nation]. We have now added a couple of chapters from my brother, Tim Sheets, to augment the teachings. 

      I had not thought about what the Lord said to Minnesota in quite some time. But a few nights ago, Holy Spirit awakened me several times. Each time as I awakened, a word He released to Minnesota was always in my thoughts. While there (August 4-5, 2003), He said to us that Minnesota was the “threshing floor state.” 

      I remember telling the Lord, when He spoke this to me during the worship, that I had no idea what it meant. He never released His words to us for each state in advance. This required that we hear Him for each state, while in that state. All of my messages were downloaded to me during the worship portion of the services. It is a bit unnerving to hear a word from the Lord you’re supposed to teach on in a few minutes, and have no idea what it means! I quickly learned to listen more effectively to Holy Spirit.

      Chucked helped me with this. I recall in one of the first states we visited, elbowing him during the worship in somewhat of a panic, and saying, “I still have no idea what I’m going to speak about tonight. I’m not hearing anything!” 

      Chuck’s response: “Well, be quiet and listen!” I rolled my eyes at Mr. Mercy… and learned to listen. 

      Threshing Floors In Scripture 

      A threshing floor was a flat, smooth surface, used to separate the grains from the husks or chaff surrounding them. Animals often crushed and broke the grain sheaves on the threshing floor, or people used sticks to break them apart by hand. As a result, the grains would be separated from the husks.

      The final separation would be done by tossing the grains up into the wind, where the lighter chaff could be blown away, separating it from the edible grain. This process is called winnowing.

      Threshing floors and this process were sometimes used in Scripture to describe God separating good from evil (Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 13:3; Matthew 3:12). Consistent with this, the process was used to picture redemption, even the Cross, where our sins were separated from us, and the Lord could bring forth a “harvest” of righteousness. 

      In 1 Chronicles 21, David pleaded with God for mercy over Jerusalem, which, at that time, was under severe judgment. “As he did, he saw the Angel of the Lord with a drawn sword standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The Lord told David to build an altar there, which he did. When David called on the Lord, the Lord sent fire from heaven to consume the offering, and the plague was stayed.

      “But the most amazing aspect of David’s interaction with the Angel of the Lord at the threshing floor of Ornan is that this location became the site where Solomon built the temple of the Lord (2 Chronicles 3:1).

      “Even more interesting, Ornan’s threshing floor was on Mount Moriah, the location of the present Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Many people believe that is the place where Abraham brought Isaac to sacrifice, as God instructed him in Genesis 22:2, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”(1) 

      And it was there, on a nearby hill called Mount Calvary, that our redemption took place. Threshing floors symbolize redemption, the Cross, where the hard husk of sin around our hearts is removed, and the Lord brings forth His harvest of righteousness in us. 

      The story of Ruth offers another example of the redemptive symbolism provided by threshing floors. Ruth was a widow without provision or hope for the future, until she came under the protection and security of the “kinsman redeemer,” Boaz, at a threshing floor (Ruth 3:8-13). A kinsman redeemer was a male relative who had the responsibility to help a relative in need or danger; or a close relative who restored people or property back to their original family after they had been sold due to extreme poverty (Leviticus 25:25–28). Certainly, this was a picture of us coming under the redemption and covering of our “Kinsman Redeemer,” Christ Jesus.

      Speaking symbolically once again, in Micah 4:11–13, God promised victory to Israel as they trampled their enemies on a threshing floor. 

      These and other passages show us that threshing floors should not be thought of only in terms of judgment, but more so of redemption. They involve cleansing, yes, but this cleansing is redemptive, removing the chaff to get to the grain. Threshing floors give us bread, and in this biblical symbolism, the Bread of Life. They picture the Cross, deliverance, redemption, provision, and victory. 

      When God told us that Minnesota is the “threshing floor state,” it was as though this represented something for the entire nation. Could it be that what is occurring in the state pictures the desperate need of the entire nation for God’s redemptive grace, healing, and deliverance? And that, in some amazing way, a dispensing of this needed healing will begin there? 

      Of this I am confident: There is redemption for Minnesota, and there is redemption for America. Regardless of how horribly sin seems to rule, how much its chaff seems to keep us from getting to the “kernel” of redemptive provision, God wants to bring forth His provision of grace. The Kinsman Redeemer, Christ Jesus, has paid the price for our recovery and restoration. Lay hold of this, Minnesotans, and lay hold of it, Americans.

      Pray with me:

      Father, thank You for the revelation of the threshing floor. It was on the “threshing floor” of Calvary that the Bread of Life was given to us. When Jesus was crushed, provision was made for the husk of sin around our hard hearts to be crushed, as well. What a crushing He endured, and a picture You painted for us. 

      We ask for His provision to be released into our nation. Start with Minnesota, the “threshing floor state.” Break the power of sin, rebellion, division, wounding, and whatever else You know is needed. Remove the plague of judgment, just as You did for David and Jerusalem. Let something begin there that flows out of You to the entire nation. Jesus IS our Boaz, our Kinsman Redeemer. Through Him, restore us. 

      Give strength and comfort to Your people in Minnesota. Give them the hearts of warriors, enabling them to rise up in intercession for their state and the nation. Release blessing for the entire nation from there. And yes, remove from positions of authority those who resist Your grace. And all of this we pray in the name of our Kinsman Redeemer, Christ Jesus. Amen. 

      Our decree:

      We declare that where sin abounds, grace abounds much, much more.

      Click on the link below to watch the full video.

       
       

      January 28, 2026

        PRAY FOR MINNESOTA

        The state of Minnesota has become a hotbed of unrest, anger, violence, and division in America, as it was back in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. In 2020, rioters did a billion dollars’ worth of damage to businesses and property in Minneapolis. The rioting quickly spread to other parts of the nation, where it did at least another billion dollars in damage.

        Twenty-five people were killed throughout the nation in the 2020 riots, all but one by fellow citizens.(1) “More than 900 law enforcement officers were injured, including 277 officer injuries while defending the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, and 60 Secret Service officers defending the White House.”(2) It was lawlessness on steroids.

        Now, Minnesota has once again become ground zero for unrest. On December 1, 2025, DHS and ICE began “Operation Metro Surge” to remove criminal aliens from Minnesota. This was precipitated in part by the exposure of fraud totaling 9 billion dollars or more, carried out primarily by Somalis in Minnesota. Protests against the ICE operation began immediately, encouraged by Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and other leaders, calling ICE officials unlawful, comparing President Trump and ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, the KKK, and other wicked people. The highly organized protests, with many of the participants paid protestors, quickly escalated into physical efforts to resist ICE in their operations, including violence against ICE officers.

        As feared and predicted, the violence has now resulted in 2 tragic deaths, protestors shot and killed by ICE agents who felt their lives were being threatened. Most Americans experience heartfelt grief when events like these occur; no decent person wants to see this happen. Could these tragic deaths have been avoided? Of course they could have had Minnesota officials tone down the rhetoric and told Minnesotans to cooperate with law officers as they enforced federal laws and tried to remove criminals.

        Minnesota is not even in the top five states regarding the number of arrests by ICE since Trump was elected. Texas is number one with 20.2%, followed by Florida with 7.7%, California with 6.0%, New York with 3.8%, and Georgia with 3.5%.(3) However, ICE arrests in those states have not resulted in any deaths. Only in Minnesota, where the government leaders are fomenting lies, violence, and hatred of ICE, and encouraging people to oppose them, have deaths occurred.

        It is important to note that most Americans want the deportation of illegals. They welcome immigration but want it done legally. Trump ran for President very clearly on closing America’s open borders and sending illegal immigrants back to their country of origin. Americans overwhelmingly elected him, saying in essence, “This is what we want.” They still feel this way. CNN just reported new polls showing that most Americans - ranging from 55% to 64%, depending on the wording of polls - still favor this policy.(4)

        Democrat leaders, on the other hand, want open borders and sanctuary cities in order to increase congressional seats to blue states - the number of House seats per state is based on the state’s population, including undocumented immigrants. And they also want the open borders and massive government aid to the illegals, because they believe that in return, the immigrants will become Democrat voters, thereby helping the Left win elections. This is one of the reasons they don’t want voter ID’s - proof of citizenship - to be enforced. Their motives are self-serving, and they are willing to break federal laws to achieve them.

        Which brings me to my final point. While the two lives tragically lost in Minnesota should absolutely be mourned, it is hard to take seriously the rage of many politicians on the Left. Most of them were completely silent on the 100,000 deaths a year caused by fentanyl coming across the open border (which Trump has all but ended). They didn’t care that several hundred thousand children went missing as millions of undocumented people crossed into our nation. Why? Because the votes that an open border was generating mattered more to them than the deaths and missing children.

        These same politicians show no outrage or grief over the hundreds of people shot and killed annually in the black neighborhoods of Chicago, many of them children. Four hundred and ninety-nine (499) people were killed in the year 2023, five hundred seventy-three (573) in 2024.(5) And according to Newsmax, Paul Vallas reports that since Chicago Mayor Johnson was elected in 2023, 504 children under the age of 17 have been shot, 107 of them killed. Twenty-three of the 107 were under the age of 12.(6) Just let those numbers sink in. Yet, politicians and media personalities NEVER make the deaths of these children an issue.

        I can assure you, none of those on the Left seeking to divide the nation over what has occurred in Minnesota know the names of any of these children. Not one. Only deaths that fit their political narrative become a big deal to them, not black kids in poor neighborhoods. Politicians and media members who use lost lives only for political gain and to divide the nation are disgusting and reprehensible. The leaders in Minnesota could end the violence immediately if they wanted to. It would end if they simply stopped demonizing the ICE agents and told the people to stop resisting federal law enforcement officers while they do their jobs. There are signs that this might finally be occurring.

        There are many wonderful people in Minnesota - on both sides of the political spectrum and both sides of the immigration issue. It is sad that they are experiencing the unrest taking place. Some have not recovered from what happened in 2020. We must pray diligently that such devastation does not occur again. Pray for healing in the state of Minnesota and for Holy Spirit to be poured out. And pray this for our nation.

        Pray with me:

        Father, we pray for our nation. We pray for people in the state of Minnesota who are experiencing trauma and fear. We pray for the families of those who lost loved ones, and we pray for those who were involved in the shootings. These are tragic situations, creating a lot of pain.

        We ask You to intervene in the situation. We ask You to help people in leadership on both sides of the issue operate with wisdom. We ask that the rioting be stopped and the property damage end. Most of all, we ask for no more deaths - please intervene supernaturally.

        And lastly, we know that the healing of the land begins with the healing of hearts. This is why we have been saying for years that only a true revival will save America. Send great revival to Minnesota. Send revival to the entire nation, and heal our land. We pray all of this in Christ’s name, amen.

        Our decree:

        We decree that Holy Spirit is sending the revival America needs in order to heal our land.

        Click on the link below to watch the full video.

         
         
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