top of page

March 24, 2026

    Appealing to Heaven: Making A Difference

    In yesterday’s post, I talked about the Appeal To Heaven flag. America’s Founders believed so much in the power of prayer that they commissioned a flag to fly throughout the nation during the War of Independence as a reminder. And they believed that God answered their prayers, giving them victory. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon is credited as saying, “…prayer moves the hand that moves the world.”(1)

    Does a sovereign, all-powerful God really need our involvement to accomplish His will on earth? Is prayer really necessary? Most people in America, including pastors, do not believe prayer is truly necessary in order for God to accomplish His purposes on earth. One need only attend a typical church service to know this. If pastors believed prayer impacted nations and shaped history, they would make time for it in their services…more than just over the offerings, messages, and the dismissal of the saints. 

    No sincere and caring person - which I believe most pastors are - would refuse to do something they believed could change nations and make the world better, safer, more peaceful, etc. They don’t give time in their services for prayer because they don’t actually believe it accomplishes anything other than connecting people to God devotionally, which people can do at home. Contrary to Christ’s wishes, the vast majority of churches are anything but houses of prayer (see Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).

    My purpose today, however, is not to convince you that prayer causes the hand of God to move. You most likely believe that, or you wouldn’t be reading or listening to my posts. It is simply to remind you of this and to encourage you that your prayers are making a difference. Nations are being impacted, lives are changing, and eternal destinies are being shaped because you are praying. Our appeals to heaven bring revival, release healing, and produce breakthroughs. Strongholds come down when we pray. I agree with E. M. Bounds when he said:

    “God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil... The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.”(2)

    Though God is sovereign and all-powerful, Scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself, concerning the affairs of earth, to working through human beings. Is this not the story woven throughout the Scriptures:

    • God and humans, for better or worse, doing it together?

    • God needing faithful men and women? 

    • God needing a nation through whom to bring the Messiah into the world?

    • God needing prophets?

    • God needing judges?

    • God needing a human Messiah?

    • God needing human hands to heal, human voices to speak, and human feet to go?

    Doesn’t He need us to ask and decree for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done (see Matthew 6:10)? Surely He wouldn’t want us to waste our time asking for something that was going to happen anyway, would He?

    Didn’t He tell us to ask for our daily bread (see Matthew 6:11)? And yet, He knows our needs before we even ask.

    Didn’t He tell us to ask that laborers be sent into the harvest (see Matthew 9:38)? But, doesn’t the Lord of the harvest want that more than we do?

    Didn’t Paul say, “Pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)? Wasn’t God already planning to do this?

    Are not these things God’s will? Why, then, are we supposed to ask Him for something He already wants to do if it’s not that our asking somehow releases Him to do it?

    In 606 BC, Israel had been taken captive by another nation because of its sin. Jeremiah had prophesied the timing and duration of this. Years later, in Daniel 9, we’re told that while reading the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel realized it was time for Israel’s captivity to end. Jeremiah had not only prophesied the captivity, of which Daniel was a part, but also its duration: 70 years.

    At this point, Daniel did something very different from what most of us would do. When we receive a promise of revival, deliverance, healing, restoration, etc., we tend to passively wait for its fulfillment— but not Daniel. He knew better. Somehow, he knew God needed his involvement, as he said, “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3). God heard his prayers, and the restoration occurred. 

    Paul E. Billhelmer said: 

    “Daniel evidently realized that intercession had a part to play in bringing the prophecy to pass. God had made the prophecy. When it was time for its fulfillment, He did not fulfill it arbitrarily outside of His program of prayer. He sought for a man upon whose heart He could lay a burden of intercession.... As always, God made the decision in heaven. A man was called upon to enforce that decision on earth through intercession and faith.”(3)

    The late C. Peter Wagner agreed with this when he stated:

    “We must understand that our sovereign God has, for His own reasons, so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history....”(4)

    Never forget, friend: appeals to heaven change the earth.

    Pray with me:

    Father, we thank You for the progress being made to defeat evil here in America and around the world. You are using many people to accomplish these things, including President Trump, but we give You the glory. You are empowering their efforts. We ask for continued favor upon the efforts of the righteous, and failure to those who promote evil and violence.

    Although we know there is much more change needed, thank You for answering prayers regarding the Presidency, Congress, and judicial system of America. We ask for these breakthroughs to continue.

    We also thank You for the victories in the Middle East. We ask for the total destruction of “the prince of Persia’s” control over the region (Daniel 10), and the greatest revival in the region’s history. Bring freedom to the people of Iran and release a great revival there, but also use them to facilitate revival throughout the entire Middle East.

    And we continue to ask for revival in America. Give great strategy and favor, especially to those working to produce revival among the youth and young adults of our nation. Cause the revival that has begun among this age group to continue and multiply exponentially. Raise them up as the greatest army of reformers the world has ever seen. Once again, we thank You for all the breakthroughs we are seeing and ask that this continue. And we ask all of this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

    Our decree:

    We decree that appealing to heaven is the believer’s right and America’s heritage.

    Today’s post was adapted from one of the chapters in my book, Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books.

    Click on the link below to watch the full video.

    1. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/559908-prayer-bends-the-omnipotence-of-heaven-to-your-desire-prayer 

    2. Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975), p. 51.

    3. Ibid., p. 107.

    4. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 242.

     
     

    March 23, 2026

      A Flag Reborn

      I was first introduced to the Appeal to Heaven flag in May of 2013. I was the Executive Director of a Bible College, and it was my responsibility to choose the commencement speaker. I chose one of my spiritual sons, not because he’s a great preacher, but because he isn’t a preacher at all! Will Ostan is a military man, a JAG attorney (at the time, now retired) for a branch of our Special Forces. I chose a soldier as our commencement speaker because I wanted our graduates to know they did not have to be pastors or preachers to be used by God.

      At the end of his commencement address, however, Will threw me a bit of a curve. “I believe the Lord has asked me to give a special gift to Papa Dutch,” he said. I wasn’t sure I liked this, not wanting the emphasis to shift from the graduates to me. But he had the microphone - what could I do but trust him?

      “Before I give you the gift,” he said, “I need to explain the history behind it. It’s a replica of a flag displayed by George Washington and America’s Founding Fathers. This flag was actually used before the Stars and Stripes existed. In many ways, it is the banner under which America was born,” he explained. This fact does nothing to dishonor “Old Glory” - I display her proudly and still tear up during the Pledge of Allegiance. Nonetheless, the symbolism of this earlier flag is extremely important.

      “This banner has the phrase ‘An Appeal To Heaven’ across the top,” he continued, “a phrase our Founders took from the writings of John Locke, an influential English philosopher from the mid-1600s. Locke wrote a series of papers on ‘Natural Laws,’ stating that human rights originated with God, not with government.”(1)

      Locke made the case that when people had done everything humanly possible to experience those God-given rights and failed in doing so, there remained an option:

      “And where the body of the people or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven…”(2)

      Will continued, “Locke’s phrase, ‘appeal to heaven,’ connotes that when all resources and the ability to attain justice on earth are exhausted, an appeal to earth’s ultimate Judge is the final recourse. This concept would become a foundational philosophy in American society, alluded to even in the Declaration of Independence.”(3)

      George Washington and his contemporaries used the appeal-to-heaven phrase in America’s cause for freedom from Britain’s tyranny. Having exhausted all other avenues to experience the liberty they so desired, the colonists realized their only hope for freedom was in declaring complete independence from Britain. Yet with Britain’s great military, weaponry, and wealth, contrasted by the colonists’ dire lack of these resources, any military attempt to break free from British rule was preposterous, even laughable. Laughable, that is, unless Almighty God intervened.

      The stance of the colonists was simple; their right to freedom came from God; He would help them. “We will appeal to heaven!” they declared.

      And a flag was born.

      From the days of the pilgrims, godly men and women have believed Almighty God was involved in the birth of our nation. They also felt that if a nation chose to partner with and honor God, it would experience His favor and blessing in extraordinary ways. Washington and the colonial dreamers agreed. They believed the Sovereign was, indeed, birthing “a city [nation] set on a hill that can’t be hidden...a light to the world,” (Matthew 5:14). They no doubt knew of John Winthrop, a leader of the Puritans’ Massachusetts Bay Colony, using this verse in his 1630 speech on board the Arbella to describe what he believed God wanted to build in America.(4)

      They knew of the planting of the cross at Cape Henry in 1607, and of the ensuing prayer meeting dedicating the land to God’s glory. They had read the Mayflower Compact of 1620, stating the voyage was made “for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith….”(5) Would God honor these events and prayers? Even more importantly, was He inspiring these actions? Was America God’s dream as well as theirs? They believed the answer to these questions was a resounding “YES.” 

      The pilgrims absolutely believed America had a God-given destiny, and our Founding Fathers did, as well. Throughout our history, America’s presidents and leaders have also reiterated this belief. John F. Kennedy referenced Matthew 5:14 and Winthrop’s famous speech, as did Ronald Reagan and more than a dozen other U.S. Presidents.(6) Though modern-day revisionists try to rewrite and remove this from our history, the truth will always silence their lies.

      General George Washington, leader of the American Revolution, obviously believed in this divine plan. He commissioned several ships for the Revolutionary War efforts and, highlighting their dependence on providential help, each vessel was to fly under the Appeal to Heaven banner, also known as the Pine Tree Flag.(7) The flag’s popularity spread and was soon flying throughout the colonies, as well as being adopted as the flag of the Massachusetts state Navy. It became the symbol of these colonists’ unwavering spirit of liberty, as well as a clear statement of where they placed their faith.

      Do you find it enlightening, as I do, that America was born under a banner of prayer? And that 230 years later, God would bring that dusty old banner out of hiding in order to serve as a stark reminder that our strength alone did not birth this nation? We were birthed by the hand of God. And we were born not just for our personal blessing and freedom; we were created to represent Christ throughout the world.

      In our now spiritually weakened state, America’s only hope is to appeal to Him again. Just as we were no match for the military power controlling us in that day, in our own strength, we are no match for the spiritual powers controlling us now. But that which birthed us then is rebirthing us now: an appeal to heaven.

      Pray with me:

      Father, the way in which You raised America up as a voice in the earth is indeed remarkable. You did so knowing You would need her to be a trumpet of the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

      It is incredibly significant that we were born under a movement of prayer, that it was through appealing to You that our freedom was produced. And now You have brought this flag, the Appeal To Heaven flag, out of retirement. We hear what You are saying through this, and we are appealing again. As we do, we are confident You will once again free us from oppression. America shall be saved.

      And so, Lord, we appeal to You for revival in America. We pray for Your church, the Ekklesia, to rise to the glorious level You speak of in Scripture: a worthy bride for You and an expression of Your authority in the earth. Make us an Ekklesia that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. And we know that Your Ekklesia, the church, isn’t a building, but rather is Your people. We are Your church everywhere we go. So we pray for Your church in the White House, in Congress, and on the Bench. Use them mightily in these government buildings. Remind them that You are with them always, and they represent You in all they do. Give them wisdom, understanding, and Your strong anointing to accomplish Your will. All these appeals we make in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. 

      Our decree:

      We decree that the appeal to heaven will be heard...and will succeed!

      Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven and can also be found in our Volume 1 devotional, Give Him 15: An Appeal to Heaven. You can find both books on our website: DutchSheets.org.

      Click on the link below to watch the full video.


      1. Laslett, Peter. “Right of Revolution: John Locke, Second Treatise, pp. 149, 155, 168, 207--10, 220--31, 240--43.” Electronic resources from the University of Chicago Press Books Division, https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch3s2.html. Accessed 2 February 2021.

      2. Ibid.

      3. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives.” National Archives, 8 June 2022, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. Accessed 2 August 2022.

      4. John, Winthrop. A Model of Christianity. Sermon. 1630.

      5. Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation." Manuscript: 1630-1650.

      6. Van Engen, Abram C. Van Engen. City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism. Yale University Press, 2020.

      7. Report of the Proceedings of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee at the Thirtieth Meeting, Held at Toledo, Ohio, October 26-17, 1898. F. W. Freeman, 1899, p. 80.

       
       

      March 20, 2026

        Harvest in the Middle East

        I am quite certain that God is intent on reaping a great spiritual harvest in many nations over the next few years. This has already begun, but will increase exponentially.

        I am also quite certain that satan is determined to stop this harvest, in part, through ungodly governments. Leaders in China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and other nations throughout the earth are influenced by principalities and powers. As well as wanting to stop the coming harvest, satan‘s kingdom has profound hatred for Israel and America. This hatred is likely because these two nations have played such significant roles in redeeming the world from satan’s control: Israel gave the world Yeshua, the Savior; and America was raised up to preach the good news of Christ’s salvation and Kingdom.

        Satan’s Goals

        In an attempt to oppose God’s great outpouring and harvest, satan is, among other things, attempting to do the following:

        1. Distract the church from seeing and working toward this harvest season, and

        2. Create such chaos on earth that it becomes difficult to reach people and nations with the gospel. (We, the church, must make certain that we do NOT fall prey to the distraction; if we stay focused, God will deal with number two, making sure the chaos is unsuccessful.)

        3. The third goal of the enemy, and one which often goes undetected, is to foster hatred and animosity between nationalities/people groups, including in the hearts of Christians. This, too, is designed to fight the great ingathering of souls. We must not fall into this trap.

        It is appropriate, of course, to hate evil (Romans 12:9). Terrorist groups around the world should be destroyed, and evil rulers should be brought to justice whenever possible. It is necessary to destroy the evil regime in Iran, just as it was necessary for the Allies to destroy the Nazis in World War II. The perpetrators of evil throughout the world must always be dealt with ruthlessly, depriving them of their ability to harm others. The only deterrent to their evil is to demonstrate that we are more powerful than them; peace comes through strength.

        However, in this season, we must be very careful to direct our anger and rage at the perpetrators, not the people of Russia, China, North Korea, and predominantly Muslim nations throughout the world. Specifically, we must not make Iranians, Syrians, the Lebanese, and Palestinians the objects of our anger and disdain. This is very important. Many people in these nations only want peace and freedom; some are actually our brothers and sisters in the faith. Millions of them who do not yet know the Lord will become part of our spiritual family one day. I’m confident that the Middle East will be a large part of the coming great harvest; perhaps the largest. Iran is currently experiencing the greatest harvest of any nation on earth. We must be careful not to allow satan, through terrorists and evil leaders, to turn our hearts against the people there. 

        I don’t need to remind you that Jesus loves the people of these nations as much as He does you and me. Christ said, “For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only son…” (John 3:16). Yahweh loves the entire world - all of it - and Jesus died to save them all.

        Ishmael

        Most people in the Middle East are descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar. I become concerned when I hear Christians speak evil and condescendingly of Ishmael, including and especially in sermons. I feel that many Christians have a subconscious, if not conscious, disdain for Ishmael and his descendants. However, God did not hate Ishmael; He loved him! Ishmael’s name actually means “God hears.”(1) Yahweh cared for him and his mother, Hagar, rescuing them when they became outcasts (Genesis 21:19). He also gave them promises regarding their future (Genesis 21:17-21). Remember, it was not Hagar’s idea to have a child through Abraham; it was Sarah’s, and Abraham agreed to it (Genesis 16:1-4). Yes, Isaac was the son through whom Yahweh had determined to bring the Messiah, and He refused to renege on that decision. However, God did not - and does not - hate Ishmael or his descendants. He loves them.

        Though I support destroying the evil regime in Iran, I know it is inevitable in a war such as this that innocents will suffer and die. My heart breaks over this. Some of the absolute best humans I have ever known are from the Middle East. And I know them well, having even pastored some of them for a season. These believers are lovers of Yahweh, followers of Yeshua, and minister for Him selflessly throughout the Middle East. They feed the poor, clothe the naked, provide for the homeless, educate children, care for the sick and diseased, and frankly, live a more pure expression of Christ than most American-born Christians I know.

        I have preached in the churches of Jordanian believers who pay a great price for their love of Christ, far more than any American Christian I know. At the risk of imprisonment, they are reaching other Jordanian Muslims for Christ, as well as Muslims from other nations. 

        Thousands of Syrian, Afghan, Iranian, and other Middle Eastern believers, as well as African Christians in Muslim nations, are martyred for their faith every year. And remember, many of them were once Muslims - Muslims that Jesus loved enough to die for, just as He did you and me.

        I abhor terrorism, antisemitism, and all racism. I want justice administered to those who rape, kill, torture, and oppress, regardless of where they are. But I do not hate the nations they come from, and certainly not their nationality. I love the people in all the Middle Eastern nations, and want to reach them with the gospel. I refuse to allow satan and his cohorts to succeed in causing hatred and delaying God’s great harvest.

        In Conclusion

        Pray not only for Israel, but for the salvation of Muslims in the Middle East! Pray that the prince of Persia does not succeed in turning the region into a river of blood. Pray that China and Russia do not succeed in creating further unrest around the world. Pray that innocent lives are protected during the current violence and war. Pray that God uses the evil in Iran to open the eyes of millions of people. Pray that many visions and dreams revealing Christ would occur. Pray for the believers there - for strength, protection, and that great signs and wonders will take place through them, confirming the gospel. Pray that many laborers are sent into those harvest fields, and pray for their protection. Pray that the Prince of Peace, the Giver of life and blessing, pours out His Spirit in full measure.

        In fact, let’s pray these very things now.

        Pray with me:

        Father, we ask for the salvation of a billion souls in the Middle East. We ask for the salvation of Jews…and of Muslims. We pray that China, Russia, Iran, and evil principalities such as the prince of Persia do not succeed in turning the region into a river of blood. We ask that innocent lives be protected during the current violence and war. We ask that You open the eyes of millions of people to the gospel. Give many visions and dreams, release great signs and wonders to confirm the gospel. We ask that many anointed laborers be sent into the harvest fields of the Middle East, and we pray for their protection. We pray that the Prince of Peace, the Giver of life and blessing, pours out His Spirit in unprecedented measure.

        And we pray for the body of Christ here in America. We ask that the church be alert and protected from the demonic strategy to harden our hearts toward people in other nations. Cause this to fail. We ask You to awaken in us Your love and compassion for all people, from every nation. And do what You do so well, Yahweh - turn evil back on the head of the serpent. Make him pay! In Yeshua’s name we pray, amen. 

        Our decree:

        The Scriptures state that God will make known His wisdom to principalities and powers through the Ekklesia (Ephesians 3:10). We agree with this declaration and call forth the fulfillment in the world today.

        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. 3458.

         
         
        22232526
        bottom of page