August 28, 2026

President Trump Issues An Important Alert

“President Trump declared a national emergency on Wednesday, August 26, [2026] to secure the national power grid, citing unusual and extraordinary foreign cyber and security threats. The order prohibits certain foreign-made bulk-power system electric equipment, including software that poses cybersecurity or operational risks, from being purchased or installed in the U.S. ‘Certain foreign actors are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in the United States bulk-power system, which provides the electricity that supports our national defense, vital emergency services, critical infrastructure, and economy,’ Trump said in the order.

“Experts say vulnerabilities in the national power grid present an attractive target for sabotage. China has been studying how to hack and crash the system, even conducting simulations to trigger a large-scale outage or systemic collapse, according to one study. ‘We were alarmed by recent reports indicating that Communist China has already compromised the integrity of power inverters connecting our power grid,’ Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) write in a letter to the Department of Commerce. ‘We are concerned about recent reports indicating these CCP-manufactured parts and systems allow for remote access, unauthorized data exfiltration, and even operational disruption.’ Foreign cyber hackers have already attacked public utilities this year, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). ‘Iranian cyber actors continue to target U.S. critical infrastructure,’ said Asst. Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s cyber division.”(1)

In light of this information, today’s post is on the “watchman” concept of prayer.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8 NASB)

“With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18 NASB)

In Ephesians 6:18, the King James Version uses the word “watching” instead of the phrase “be alert.” Both translations are good. We are called to be alert in prayer, watching for our family, friends, leaders, cities, and nations. 

In Scripture, the term “watchmen” comes from the Old Testament and describes what we would today call “sentries,” “guards,” or “lookouts.” In biblical times, these individuals protected vineyards or fields (crops) from thieves and animals, and cities from invading forces.

“For thus the Lord says to me, ‘Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees. When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, a train of donkeys, a train of camels, let him pay close attention, very close attention.’ Then the lookout called, ‘O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, and I am stationed every night at my guard post.’” (Isaiah 21:6-8)

Three Hebrew words are translated as “watchman” in Scripture: natsar,(2) shamar,(3) and tsaphah.(4) In a broad sense, they all mean to guard or protect by watching over. One interesting meaning of tsaphah is “to lean forward and peer into the distance.” This is a great physical picture of prophetic intercession. Discerning intercessors look ahead, into the future – “peering into the distance” – discerning attacks of the enemy sometimes before they occur. He or she is proactive, not reactive. This is prophetic intercession.

The Law of First Mention

Theologians have what is known as “the law of first mention,” which I talked about in yesterday’s post. This refers to the general rule that the first time a major subject is mentioned in the Bible, it is “introduced”; significant facts are given concerning it, just as we might do when introducing a person.

The first mention of a watchman in Scripture is in Genesis 2:15: “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” This verse introduces one of our primary responsibilities as watchmen. Adam was told to “keep” or protect the garden (shamar). The only entity the garden of Eden needed protection from at that point in history was the serpent! Adam was told to protect the garden from the devil. Therefore, applying the “law of first mention” to watchmen would mean their foremost responsibility is to keep the serpent out of their “garden”: their home, family, church, city, nation! KEEP HIM OUT!

Expanded Meanings

Here are several ways Scripture translates these 3 words for watchman. These uses will help expand our understanding of this important assignment:

Keep/Keeper - This is by far the most frequent usage of these words — at least 250 times. Watchmen keep things, places, and individuals safe, ensuring against loss, theft, or damage. They keep things intact and in possession.

Guard/Bodyguard - Watchmen shield or guard individuals and places, protecting them from danger and harm. They are the Kingdom’s secret service agents.

Doorkeeper/Gatekeeper - Watchmen have the ability, through prayer, to determine who or what comes into their homes, families, churches, cities, etc. As sentries, they discern by the Spirit what to allow in and, through prayer, open and close the doors (Isaiah 22:22). They pray IN the work of Holy Spirit and REJECT the works of darkness, keeping the serpent out.

Preserve/Preserver - Watchmen preserve, keeping things from ruin and destruction. They preserve lives, anointings, moves of God, and a host of other things by covering them in prayer.

Pay Attention - Watchmen must be alert and always paying attention. In Scripture, we are compared to soldiers; as good sentries, God tells us to “pay attention!"

Observe/Behold - Don’t just look – see! Discern. Be observant. Watchmen observe what others fail to see. We can observe much in the place of prayer, often even before it happens!

Beware - Watchmen must be vigilant, aware, and on the alert. First Peter 5:8 warns us to be of sober spirit, watching for the devouring lion. When we see him at work, we must enforce Calvary’s victory - stop him! Jesus saw satan’s attack coming against Peter and prayed that his faith would survive the test. The prayer was effective! (Luke 22:31-32).

Protect - In the same sense as guarding and keeping, watchmen protect by building walls or boundaries against the devil’s attacks.

Maintain - Watchmen maintain things for the Lord and for people. They are the maintenance crew. Though they often don’t set vision, build ministries, or oversee congregations, intercessors maintain them, keeping things working well and preventing breakdowns. Watchmen help maintain the anointing, unity, health, purity, truth, and many other important things in the church.

Watchmen, it’s time to be on the wall. Let’s keep watch for our families, communities, and our great nation.

Pray with me:

Father, we are painfully aware that the devourer has been given great access to our  “garden,” America. The church was not alert and did not function as the gatekeepers of our nation. As a result, he who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy has been doing so almost at will. He has devoured families, elements of our government, our schools, and even many of our churches. We thank You for supplying supernatural ability to reverse this.

Increase revelation in the body of Christ regarding this amazing force we call prayer. Increase our understanding of watchmen intercession, revealing how to be shields, sentries, gatekeepers, preservers, and maintainers.

We take up this mantle now for our families, homes, possessions, leaders, cities, and nations. We ask for supernatural protection over our children’s minds and bodies. We ask for protection over our leaders and their families. And we ask for protection over our nation – except You keep the city, the watchman wakes in vain (Psalm 127:1). Protect us from these cyber attacks. Give our government and protection agencies help as they work to find and stop their plans. Uncover and expose the plans of evil leaders in China, Russia, Iran, and elsewhere. We declare, according to Psalm 21:11, that the plans of the wicked will fail! We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare Job 5:12 regarding these cyberattacks: “He frustrates the plans of the crafty, so that they cannot perform their exercise.”

Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

https://youtu.be/8ROkuvVlPZo

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1. The Epoch Times, 8/26/2026.

2. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5341.

3. Ibid., ref. no. 8104.

4. Ibid., ref. no. 6822.

August 27, 2026

Tribute

Before I read today’s post, I feel that a tribute is appropriate. Millions of Americans are honoring the life of Dolly Parton, who passed away this week. You don’t have to be a country music fan to appreciate the “Queen of Country’s” accomplishments and generosity. Coming from poverty and humble beginnings, she drew on the moral strength and character of her grandfather, her mother, and others in the family to stay grounded. Dolly openly spoke of Jesus as her Savior and the biblical values that guided her. She was even more generous than she was talented, earning hundreds of millions of dollars and also giving away hundreds of millions.

Known for her literacy advocacy, Dolly founded the Imagination Library. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world. This non-profit will continue to give children [ages 1-5] free books. To date, Dolly’s Imagination Library has gifted over 300,000,000 books.(1)

What a lesson in legacy! The world is poorer today without her influence. RIP Dolly Parton.

And now to a less appealing subject. The title is:

Subtlety and Pride

Generally, the first time a major subject is mentioned in the Bible, significant facts are given about it that remain consistent and relevant throughout Scripture.

The first mention of the serpent (satan) is in Genesis 3:1:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?"’”

This law of first mention is easy to see at work here when God first speaks of satan. He emphasizes the serpent’s subtlety or craftiness. God is informing us of the most important thing we must know regarding satan: He is far more dangerous to us as the crafty serpent than the roaring lion. His subtlety is his greatest weapon.

“Crafty” is the Hebrew word aruwm, taken from aram, which means “to be bare or smooth.”(2) The concept of this word made it into our English language. Someone who is crafty or wily is often referred to as “slick” or “a smooth operator.” Such is the case with satan. He is slick, very cunning, and we must be wary of his subtlety.

If satan’s subtlety is his greatest strength, pride is his greatest weakness. It was Lucifer’s original sin and downfall (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17). When he stops resorting to subtlety to deceive people and lets his pride take center stage, it’s a clear indication that he thinks victory is guaranteed. He no longer feels the need to hide what he’s doing, thinking he cannot be stopped. Now he can brag about it! We are coming to this stage in America.

Over the past few decades, the attempts to weaken and ultimately destroy our nation have been very subtle. Progressivism, socialism, liberalism, woke ideologies, moral decay, anti-American sentiments, etc. have been cloaked in intellectual arguments and reasoning, with colleges and universities even becoming their headquarters.

The lid began coming off of these movements during President Trump’s first term. Nefarious actions such as the censoring of Americans, the stealing of elections, and a shadow-run government in the White House came into clear focus. The brazenness continued and expanded to: castrating and mutilating children, open calls for the destruction of Jews, a refusal to acknowledge the difference between male and female, open borders, the acceptance of terrorist organizations, calling for the end of capitalism and the acceptance of communism, lobbying for the end of our government as we have known it, including the Electoral College and the Senate, and Islamists openly declaring they are taking over America. And the list could certainly continue!

The point is that satan’s strategy of subtlety is transitioning. Those leading these efforts now gloat over their success and openly declare victory in our nation, moving into the proud, arrogant stage. This is negative in the sense that it clearly indicates the progress they have made; it is positive because their intentions are in the open and Americans are waking up. The “not my problem, someone else will take care of it” phase in our nation is ending. I predict that even many from the evangelical “don’t talk about politics or cultural issues in the church” crowd will now find their voices. It is harder to exhibit apathy and complacency when the “freedom-stealers” and oppressors are knocking on your door. And it becomes even more difficult when they begin kicking it down, which they are.

Grandmas ARE going to jail for praying in front of abortion clinics.

Five and six-year-old children ARE being castrated.

Americans ARE being awakened in their neighborhoods by the Muslim call to prayer.

Socialists HAVE become the influencers in the Democrat “Big Tent” Party.

States ARE passing laws to prohibit the exposing of fraud (to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars).

And millions of babies ARE still being aborted, some at full term…while dehumanized people clap and cheer.

Yes, the lid is off; satan’s plans are now undeniable, and Americans will have to choose: acquiesce or make a stand. I believe the stand is coming.

Pray with me:

Father, You have done much in the last few years to expose evil and corruption in America. Now, evil is exposing itself. As this occurs, we ask You to further awaken Americans, revive our passion for freedom, and resurrect the willingness to fight for it. Break off us apathy and complacency, and the self-deception that says: “someone else will take care of it.”

And even as we pray this, we realize that some aspects of America’s rebirth can come only from You, not our determination. America is so far down the slippery slope of compromise that we could never stop the slide on our own. We must have Your divine intervention. But we are confident that You, who began a good work in us, will finish it. America was close to its demise before we ever reached nationhood, but You sent the First Great Awakening. We were once again close in the 1800s, but You sent the Second Great Awakening and saved us. We are in desperate need of another.

We ask that You rescue us once more with a Third Great Awakening. You are more than Creator, the Almighty, Everlasting God, Ancient of Days, the great I Am. You are Emmanuel, Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer, High Priest, Mediator, and the Great Shepherd. Lord, shepherd our nation back to Your fold, back to Your care. Drive off wolves and thieves, and cover us once again with Your protective arms.

And we pray for our government leaders. Save, protect, and guide them into wise decisions. Deliver us from evil leaders. We pray all of this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare God’s Word that states, “When a thief is exposed, he must repay 7-fold.” (Proverbs 6:31)

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

https://youtu.be/NnfjcB4iI1U

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1. https://imaginationlibrary.com/

2. Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, 1,763.

August 26, 2026

The Vietnam Miracle

God wants each of us to understand that we can be watchmen for our family, friends, and even our leaders. One of the great misconceptions about intercession is that it’s only for a few select individuals. But the truth is, God wants each of us to know we can create protective barriers, walls, shields between other individuals and the harm that would otherwise befall them. And we don’t have to be seasoned intercessors who pray hours a day in order to walk in this calling and privilege! YOU can be used by God to do this.

Here are a couple of examples.

I heard a man once tell of having a dream that his daughter died. He wasn’t shown what caused the death, only that she had died. He had the dream more than once that night. He knew it was an alert from the Lord to pray for her safety, not a warning to prepare himself for her death.

He did not tell her about the dream so as not to alarm her, but every day - multiple times throughout the day - he prayed a short prayer for her. Since he did not know details, he simply asked God to protect her and then declared that no attempt on her life would succeed. But again, he prayed this simple prayer and made this declaration several times each day. This went on for a month! Sometimes the key to victory is consistency and perseverance.

After about a month, she received a promotion at work that included a life insurance policy. The policy required a physical exam. After some bloodwork, her doctor approached her anxiously and said, “What have you been doing?” He then told her they could find NO potassium in her system, and that they couldn’t understand how she was still alive.

She informed him that she had been on a strange diet for several weeks, in which she ate only one or two things. The doctor said they needed to rush her to the hospital and place her on IVs to replenish the potassium. They did, and she was fine afterward.

Her father’s intercession saved her life. Though he did not know the details, he simply covered her in prayer and became a protective shield around her.

Protection During War

Our late friend Beth Alves, in her book Becoming A Prayer Warrior, shared a powerful testimony about being a watchman in prayer. Beth was a forerunner in both the prayer and prophetic movements. In her own words:

“An example of intercession in my own life involves a cousin I hadn’t seen or communicated with for about ten years. I crawled out of bed in the middle of the night for a glass of water when a picture of my cousin canvassed my mind. Suddenly, I dropped to my knees and began to cry out, ‘God, don’t let Mike move! Keep him still, Lord! Keep him still! Oh God, please don’t let him move! Hold him, Lord! Hold him!’

“Even though I was pleading on Mike’s behalf with my words, I remember thinking, This is really ridiculous. Why am I praying this? Then the words ceased. So I got up, drank a glass of water, and started back toward the bedroom. Again I fell to the floor and began to cry out with a grave sense of urgency. ‘Don’t let him move, God! Don’t let Mike move! Stay still! Stay still!’ The words came to an abrupt end. This time I thought, This must be a nightmare!

“I had no feeling inside of me other than the feeling to pray. I got up and began to pace the floor, wondering what in the world this was all about. One more time, I took a few steps toward the bedroom, when again I dropped to the floor. Only this time, I was yelling, ‘Get him up, Lord! Get him to run! Run, Mike! Lord, help him to run…run…run! Let him run, God! Run, run, run!’ After several minutes, a calm came over me, and I returned to bed for the night.

“The following day, I called my aunt to see if she could help me put the pieces together about my puzzling outcries the night before. She informed me only that Mike was in Vietnam (this was during the Vietnam War). The experience still made very little sense.

“Finally, a month later, my aunt called to read me a letter she had received. The letter told how Mike, who was a pilot, had been shot down on the day of my prayer experience. He and his parachute landed in a tree. He had been trained to get out of the area as quickly as possible, but explained that just a short distance from the crash site, he fell into a bush. ‘Mom,’ he wrote, ‘it was like I was pinned down. I felt like somebody was sitting on me. The Vietcong came and were so close they were unknowingly standing on my pant leg while looking up at my parachute in the tree!

“They turned away from me and began to move in the opposite direction, slashing the bushes with their bayonets. It looked safe, so I started to get up and run when once again I fell into the bush as though someone was pushing me. I lay there for a couple of minutes when suddenly I had the impulse to get up and run. I heard a helicopter, so I sprinted through the wooded area, following the direction of the noise, to an open space where I was whisked off to safety. The helicopter crew said they came in response to my beeper. And yet, it was damaged when I was shot down and WASN’T WORKING!’”(1)

Incredible! Half asleep and not understanding what was happening, the Lord used Beth to save his life. It was almost as though her conscious mind was disengaged to the point that Holy Spirit could use Beth without her rational thoughts getting in the way. I have a feeling the Lord had fun with that one!

Don’t overcomplicate the watchmen concept of prayer. If Holy Spirit brings someone to mind and you feel an uneasiness, it is probably an alert to pray. If you don’t know the details, pray in whatever way you are prompted, and ask God for the person’s safety. Pray Psalm 91, for example. If you feel it is necessary, do so ongoingly, daily, until understanding comes.

In these perilous and violent times, be alert for your family and friends. Don’t be fearful, just be alert, as Ephesians 6:18 tells us: “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (NLT). And this must include our leaders, as we spoke of yesterday. We can be the shield of prayer that protects them and their families from harm.

Prayer and Decree:

For today’s prayer and decree, we will read Psalm 91 together. As we do so, insert the name of a family member you want to pray for, or perhaps the President, or someone else Holy Spirit brings to mind.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.

“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place,

“No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

Psalm 91, NKJV

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

https://youtu.be/tjvsbpCf_uY

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1. Elizabeth Alves, Becoming A Prayer Warrior (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen Books, 1998, 2003) pp. 29-30.