Prayer | Give Him 15 | Page 28 of 1,038

August 20, 2025

Introduction

We are making a few adjustments to the GH15s for the remainder of this week and early next week. Ceci had hip replacement surgery yesterday, and I’m playing nurse. Her surgery went well; prayers for her speedy recovery are appreciated. I have asked some trusted friends to write the posts for these few days, individuals who have done so in the past. What they have generated is OUTSTANDING.

I’ll be reading most of them, and a couple of guests are reading the posts themselves. Today’s stirring post is from bestselling author and prayer leader Cheryl Sacks. Since it’s time for schools and colleges to start again, we have asked Cheryl to inform and encourage us on how we can transform our schools. Cheryl’s title is:

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When God Was Removed from Our Schools: The Battle is Real—But We’ve Seen Him Turn the Tide!

It was June 1962.

Twenty-five second-graders bow their heads in a New York classroom:

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.”

It’s the last time that prayer will be spoken in an American public school.(1)

In that moment, something foundational shifted. A daily reminder of our dependence on God was silenced. The moral compass that had quietly shaped hearts and guided choices was taken out of the hands of the next generation.

At first, the changes seemed small. We removed prayer. Then the Ten Commandments. Then God altogether.

Since that time, we’ve seen the unimaginable:

Parents removed from school board meetings for opposing pornographic books.(2)
Drag shows for kindergartners.(3)
Teachers fired for stating biological facts.(4)
Children are chemically castrated and surgically mutilated(5)—at times with teachers or counselors encouraging the transitions—while parents are kept in the dark.(6)
A mother addressing the school board confronted a male member wearing lipstick and his late wife’s clothes—this is the confusion shaping policies for our children.(7)

The Crisis Is Deeper Than We Think

An invisible war is raging for the hearts and minds of the next generation. Just last week, I read about a murder plot devised by fifth-graders (two boys and two girls) to take the life of an autistic boy. One student was to bring the knife, another to fake a suicide note, and one to serve as a scout while the stabbing took place. The autistic boy thought these were his friends.(8)

Are you weeping yet?

When God is removed, the devil fills the void. Good is evil. Evil is good. Lord, have mercy!

What’s happening in our schools is alarming. Once beacons of academic learning, places of safety, friendship, and good citizenship, they are anything but that today. And it’s not just gender confusion and moral issues. Across America, students are falling through the cracks academically. As an educator, I’ve seen this firsthand.

A fifth grader sits quietly at his desk, eyes downcast—not because he doesn’t care, but because he can’t read the words on the page. A teacher stares at an empty desk, one of dozens in a classroom where nearly half the students didn’t show up. The bell rings, but fear has kept many at home. This is more than a local issue—it is a national crisis with serious consequences.

Nearly two-thirds of graduating high school seniors cannot read proficiently,(9) and nearly three-fourths lack proficient math skills.(10) Many don’t feel safe enough to come to school.

Across America, one in three students is chronically absent, and in some districts it’s far worse—over 60 percent at a Harlem elementary school,(11) 60 percent in D.C. high schools,(12)and 50 percent in parts of Washington State’s Highline School District.(13)

And it’s not only academics. Suicide, depression, and anxiety are surging among students. Teachers, overwhelmed and under-supported, are leaving in record numbers.

But We Are Not Without Hope

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but we are not powerless. The battle for our schools is real—but we’ve seen God turn the tide! And He can do it again.

I’ve seen with my own eyes what happens when God is invited back into a school. I’ve watched hopelessness lift, fear give way to peace, and entire communities begin to believe again. What once seemed impossible suddenly becomes a testimony to His power.

Take one Arizona high school, for example. It had been labeled an “F” school, plagued with drugs, violence, and despair. One to three students a month were overdosing. But then believers began to intercede. They prayerwalked the campus and held all-night prayer vigils, crying out for God to move. And He did.

The overdoses stopped. The spiritual atmosphere began to shift. Within a year, the school skyrocketed from an “F” to an “A” School of Excellence. The following year, it was ranked an “A+” school and named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best high schools in America.

When God is invited in, everything changes!

Transformation Is Possible

I’ve also seen God move in schools so broken that even their leaders couldn’t imagine a turnaround.

When we asked one Arizona high school principal about the greatest need his school faced, he responded, “That’s an easy question to answer. There’s no hope here!” The school was underfunded, short on teachers, and overrun with behavioral issues. Fights were breaking out on campus daily. The sports fields were in disrepair. The facilities were crumbling.

I’ll never forget the student athlete who held up his cleats. The bottom was falling off—barely held together by masking tape provided by the front office. It was a picture of what was happening not just to this student, but to the entire school.

We knew something had to change. So, we started to pray. We began to walk the campus and intercede. We held an all-night prayer vigil. We asked God to intervene—and He did.

The Arizona Cardinals got wind of the school’s need and donated cleats, jerseys, and gear they no longer needed. NBA Cares provided $150,000 in furnishings and funded renovations. The Phoenix Suns showed up with a $200,000 check to hire more teachers.

But the biggest miracle wasn’t the money. Teachers reported no more fights on campus. One wrote on social media: “The entire atmosphere of our school has changed.”

This is the power of a praying community.

A Call to Action

Today, this same kind of transformation is needed in schools across the nation. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, student, or just someone who cares—we encourage you to adopt your local schools and commit to prayerwalking, prayerdriving, or interceding from home.

The results speak for themselves:

Academic performance rises—failing schools turn around.
Drug use, suicide, and violence decrease.
Fear gives way to peace and hope.
Students discover identity and purpose.
Parents speak up and take action to demand change.

Here’s how you can join this movement:

Adopt a school near you and commit to prayerwalking or prayerdriving it this fall.
Start a prayer cluster—a few friends, your church group, your family—to pray for your schools.
Pray from wherever you are. Even if you can’t leave your house, your prayers still carry power.

You can view the map to see where others are praying across the nation and sign up to pray for schools in your area at prayerforschools.com.

I am convinced that no student, no school is too broken to be transformed when God’s people pray!

Pray with me:

Father, we stand before You on behalf of the schools of our nation. We repent for allowing You to be removed from our classrooms, hallways, and culture. Forgive us for yielding ground to darkness.

We dedicate every school in America—public, private, charter, homeschool, and every college and university—to You. We consecrate each campus as holy ground where Your presence is welcome and Your purposes prevail.

In the authority of Jesus Christ, we release the light of Christ into every classroom, the truth of Your Word into every curriculum. Send a mighty revival to our campuses, O Lord, and save our children. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that God’s plumbline of unshakable truth is set again in America’s schools. We declare that classrooms are restored as places of learning and moral strength—violence driven out by peace, confusion shattered by clarity, despair overwhelmed by hope. We decree that teachers instruct with God-given wisdom, parents lead with courage, and students rise in bold faith to live for Christ. What the enemy meant for evil, God is turning for good. America’s children are taught of the Lord, and great is their peace (Isaiah 54:13).

Cheryl Sacks is the author of multiple bestselling books, including Reclaim a Generation: 21 Days of Prayer for Schools, and Fire on the Family Altar, a guide to igniting revival in your home and nation. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work at bridgebuilders.net.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), accessed February 14, 2025, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/engel-v-vitale.
Parent Challenges Explicit Library Books, Escorted Out of Frederick School Board Meeting, The Winchester Gazette, January 23, 2025, https://thewinchestergazette.com/articles/news/parent-challenges-explicit-library-books-escorted-out-of-frederick-school-board-meeting/.
The American Mind. “What I Saw at Drag Queen Story Hour.” Accessed July 1, 2025. https://americanmind.org/features/the-revolt-of-the-kids/what-i-saw-at-drag-queen-story-hour.
Vision Radio. “Professor Fired for Stating Biological Fact.” Accessed July 1, 2025. https://vision.org.au/read/articles/professor-fired-for-stating-biological-fact.
Sam Levin, “Sixteen U.S. States Sue White House Over Healthcare Access for Transgender Youth,” The Guardian, August 1, 2025, https://theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/01/states-sue-trump-administration-transgender-youth-healthcare.
Shaun Boyd, “Colorado Parents Sue Over Law and School Policy Regarding Transgender Students, CBS News, August 9, 2024. https://cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-parents-sue-state-law-school-policy-regarding-transgender-students.
Melissa Fine, “‘Meow!’ Mom dresses up, declares ‘I am a cat’ to protest trans school board member who wears dead wife’s clothing in front of students,” BizPac Review, December 15, 2022, https://bizpacreview.com/2022/12/15/meow-mom-dresses-up-declares-i-am-a-cat-to-protest-trans-school-board-member-who-wears-dead-wifes-clothing-in-front-of-students-1317209.
Micaela Marshall, “Surprise Family Speaks Out After 5th-Grade Classmates Plotted Son’s Murder,” Arizona’s Family, August 4, 2025, https://azfamily.com/2025/08/04/exclusive-surprise-family-speaks-out-after-5th-grade-classmates-plotted-sons-murder.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Reading: National Achievement-Level Results, Grade 12 (2019), https://nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=12.
Declines in Math Readiness Underscore the Urgency of Math Awareness, The 74 Million, April 5, 2023 https://the74million.org/article/declines-in-math-readiness-underscore-the-urgency-of-math-awareness.
Chronic absenteeism remains high in Harlem Elementary Schools, Newsday, Columbia News Service, November 22, 2024 https://newsday.com/news/region-state/elementary-school-attendance-h37821.
D.C. Schools Have a Stubbornly High Absenteeism Problem, Axios Washington D.C., March 7, 2024, reporting that 60 percent of D.C. high school students were chronically absent last school year, https://axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/03/07/high-school-student-absences.
Angela King, “Washington Schools Grapple with One of the Highest Chronic Absenteeism Rates,” KUOW, February 17, 2023, https://kuow.org/stories/washington-schools-grapple-with-one-of-the-highest-chronic-absenteeism-rates-in-the-country.

August 19, 2025

Picture the Promise

Trump’s Meeting with European Leaders

I have an encouraging and insightful teaching from my brother, Tim, for today’s post. However, first I feel I must address the meeting that occurred yesterday with President Trump, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and other major leaders in Europe.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 million people have been killed in the Russia/Ukraine war over the last three years. These are staggering numbers. Also, it is estimated that upwards of 20,000 children have been kidnapped and taken to Russia in order to reeducate and indoctrinate them. Putin is a very cruel and evil man.

After yesterday’s meeting, there seemed to be guarded optimism that a peace deal is possible. President Trump called Putin after discussing security guarantees for Ukraine with the European leaders.

“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” the President wrote on Truth Social. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump said, calling it a positive “early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years.”

Trump placed the call to Putin after the discussions at the White House with the European leaders, “which ended in a further meeting in the Oval Office.

During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America,” Trump wrote.

We must continue to pray fervently for these ongoing talks, asking God to bring a peaceful end to this horrible war.

Tim’s Message

In Ephesians 1:18 (NKJV), Paul prays that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. “Enlightened” comes from the Greek word photizō, meaning to light up or give light, thus to enlighten.(1) You can see the similarity to our English word “photo,” and both words do indeed originate from the same root word, phos, meaning light. It’s easy to see the connectedness of these terms: photos are produced by literal light entering through a camera’s shutter, burning an image onto a negative; enlightenment occurs as figurative light enters the mind, bringing understanding.

To assist us in our faith, Holy Spirit will sometimes inspire a “photo” or picture in our hearts and minds. These images serve as faith reminders and igniters that help us declare and confess God’s promises; they give focus to our faith. They allow us to “see” and meditate on God’s promises. Faith is a function of the spirit, but the mind must also be renewed and brought into agreement with His Word. The two must be in harmony. If not, the mind will hinder the process; we can’t be picturing the opposite of what our faith is believing for. Thus, Holy Spirit will often prompt an image to serve as a spiritual photograph, helping us in this process.

In Joshua 6, we see a powerful example of the Lord inspiring a picture of a promise fulfilled.

Forty years after leaving Egypt, Israel was finally on the verge of stepping into their promised inheritance. Their journey had required an enduring faith. Now, standing before them was Jericho, the first city they would encounter after crossing the Jordan River. It could not be avoided, but had to be taken.

Jericho, however, was no ordinary city. As one of the most fortified strongholds of its time, its walls stood 54 feet high and 24 feet thick, broad enough for two chariots to ride side by side on the tops. Its defenders were seasoned warriors, men of valor. Joshua, having spied out the land years before, knew firsthand just how formidable Jericho was. Now he stood on a hillside, looking down on the city, seeking direction from the Lord and wondering how such an impenetrable place could be conquered.

At that moment, the Lord appeared to Joshua dressed as a warrior, with a drawn sword. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The Lord didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, He gave a declaration. Joshua 6:1–2 (NKJV) tells us:

“Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.”

God didn’t say, “Look at Jericho.” He said, “See, I have given it into your hand.” That’s a key difference. God didn’t want Joshua to focus on the natural circumstances. He was calling him to see with the eyes of faith. The Hebrew word for “see” is raah, which means to see, both literally and figuratively–to perceive, to envision, to gaze upon in the mind, even to dream.(2) God was telling Joshua: “Picture Jericho already in your hands. Envision it as done. See it as conquered.”

The word “hand” is also significant. In Hebrew, it is yad, which can also be figurative, used for holding power and authority.(3) God was saying, “See Jericho already under your power and authority.” Regarding this verse, in the footnotes of The Passion Translation, it says: “Faith will see ‘what is still unseen’ (Hebrews 11:1). God gave Joshua a promise upon which to rest his faith.”

This was not about natural sight; it was about supernatural vision, a photo, if you will. Joshua was told to see the promise as fulfilled before it physically happened. Picture the walls down, the enemy scattered, and the victory won! As he aligned his vision with God’s promise, his faith was assisted and activated.

This is a tremendously helpful principle for us: See the promise fulfilled! God often gives us a picture, not in the natural but in our spirit, that becomes a photograph of the promise. Romans 4:17 (AMP) says that God “calls into being that which does not exist.” In other words, He speaks about things that don’t yet exist in the natural realm as if they already do, knowing His words have the power to bring them into reality.

This is the essence of faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is the substance of things we hope for, the evidence of things not yet seen in the natural realm. Some translations of this verse refer to faith as the title deed, the proof of ownership before the promise is visible naturally. Even when nothing appears to have changed in the natural, faith gives substance to what we hope for. It allows us to speak and act as though the promise already belongs to us. How can we talk about things that don’t yet exist? How do we describe what we haven’t seen? By seeing with spiritual eyes that have been renewed and trained by the Word of God, picturing what our faith is producing.

See your faith working. Envision the promise fulfilled. Picture yourself walking in healing, freedom, provision, and victory. Meditate on it. Daydream about it. Gaze upon it in your heart until it becomes more real to you than what your natural eyes see. Align your heart, mind, and mouth with God’s Word. Agree with His truth. When you see the promise clearly, you can decree it boldly, and your faith is positioned to grow and produce.

Take a spiritual snapshot of your breakthrough, your healing, your deliverance, your answered prayer, and keep it before your eyes, your faith photo. Let that become a photo that encourages your faith.

Pray with me:

Lord, help us see a picture of the promise fulfilled within us, sparking faith. Give us divine photographs, enlightened visions of inheritance, healing, provision, and power. Let us “see” healing and provision flowing. Let us “see” victory and breakthrough, our Jerichos falling before us

We will see it, and we will say it. Cause our faith to rise above all opposition, enabling us to thrive in the realm of the unseen. Teach us, Holy Spirit, to picture the change, declare the promise, and walk in the power of Your anointing.

And Father, we continue to ask You to take action from heaven regarding the war in Ukraine. The toll in human lives has been unimaginable. Give NATO leaders and President Zelenskyy wisdom to know how to deal with Putin. Show them where to be firm and unyielding, and where to yield. Keep them united. And do something to move Putin. His heart is hard and wicked, but overrule him. Cause him to back off. Then, remove this evil man from rule. And we ask Your help in freeing the 20,000 kidnapped children.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Our decree:

We declare that our faith is activated, and we can see our promise fulfilled. Healing, deliverance, and victory are ours now in Jesus’ Name!

Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim Sheets here.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5461.
Ibid., ref. no. 7200.
Ibid., ref. no. 3027.

August 18, 2025

Rowing Together: Healing the Nations

“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, NASB, 1995)

Doulos and Latris

There are several New Testament words for “servant” or “minister,” each with different nuances of meaning. I will mention five of them today. I have found in my studies that these five form an interesting and important progression.

The first two are doulos and latris. A doulos was a bond-slave, owned by another.(1) Paul often referred to himself as a bond-slave or bond-servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, etc.). Yes, God owns us. This is true by the right of creation, but also because we are bought with a price by the blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). As Lord, He can require us to do anything He wants. In the early days of the Charismatic Movement, we frequently sang the song, “He is Lord.” And He is.

Latris, however, from the verb latreuo, means to serve, not out of compulsion, but by choice.(2) A parent serves his or her family by providing for and caring for them – not as a slave, but from the motivation of love. This is latreuo. Romans 12:1 in the King James Translation tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, as it is our “reasonable service.” Other versions of Scripture translate the phrase differently, and appropriately so, saying this is our “reasonable service of worship.” They do this because the word here is latreuo, not doulos. We are not being told to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice because we are His slaves, but rather because we are in a relationship with Him and want to please Him. We do it as worshippers.

God’s heart is not to relate to us as slaves “owned” by Him, but to do so as His family and friends. Jesus said in John 15:14-15:

“You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Our Lord wants us to serve Him from a heart of love and worship, based on relationship. When we move into this type of relationship with God, we become His co-laborers, working together with Him. We embrace the great commission as a co-mission. Our hearts have become one with His, and we want what He wants. We’re members of Abba’s household of faith, His family. This motivation changes everything.

Yes, Paul certainly referred to himself as the Lord’s bond-slave, but he also said the love of God constrained him; this was his motivation (2 Corinthians 5:14). As we pray and work toward the great harvest that is beginning, we must establish that we will obey God fully. But we must also fully realize that we are His partners, friends, and kids. As the Head of the church and King of the Kingdom, He gives directions, but He delights in involving us in the process.

Diakonos

The last three words used for “servant” or “minister” change the focus. Whereas the first two define our service and relationship with God, the last three involve us serving or ministering to other people. We are still doing it as unto the Lord, but the direct benefit is to humankind. The third word is diakonos, which simply means “to serve, minister, attend or wait on,” as in a “waiter” serving tables. We also get the English word “deacon” from this Greek word.(3) In Acts chapter 6, it is used for both the apostles’ “ministries” (Acts 6:4) and the deacons’ “ministries” (Acts 6:2). One group served natural food to the widows; the other served spiritual food to the entire church. Same word–both were servants. Diakonia/diakonos simply means to serve another, regardless of the purpose. We are ALL called to ministry or service for Christ, regardless of whether it is on a platform, in an office building, or at home. We have all been given gifts from God; serving that gift to benefit others is diakonia.(4)

Huperetes

The fourth word is huperetes, meaning “a subordinate or an attendant,” as well as a servant.(5) Interestingly, it is used in Acts 13:36 to describe David in his role as King of Israel. One would not typically think of describing a king as a subordinate, attendant, or servant. The verse says David ”served” God’s purpose in his generation. While governing the people, he was doing so as God’s servant.

But there is another little-known meaning of huperetes. The word comes from two Greek words meaning “under” and “rower.” An underrower in that day was one who, in synchronization with others, rowed a boat or small ship. The key to their success was the synergy produced when they rowed together, simultaneously. Thirty people who take turns rowing produce only the strength of one, thirty different times. But thirty individuals rowing simultaneously create a synergistic force that can propel a small ship. This is why they often sang when rowing; it kept them in a cadence, rowing together to create a greater thrust.

God’s goal is for groups in His church of “diakonoses” – servant ministers -- to connect relationally and row together (huperetes). They must not quarrel over who calls the cadence or what song they sing; instead, they must have Kingdom-minded hearts to move the boat forward: “Give me an oar and let me row.” When this is happening, we can accomplish number five.

Therapon

The last word for a servant is therapon. This word, while meaning “servant, attendant, or minister,” includes doing so to cure and heal!(6) (Matthew 4:23-24). We get the English words “therapy” and “therapist” from this Greek word. When God has people submitted to His Lordship (doulos), who love and want to partner with Him (latris), by ministering to others the gift He gave them (diakonos), and do so in harmony and agreement with others (huperetes), they become His healing force in the earth (therapon)!

This is what we are doing when we intercede together for God’s purposes to be accomplished and released on earth. We become a force of God’s life, healing, and restorative power to save, deliver, and heal. Let’s do so now.

Pray with me:

Father, Jesus demonstrated true ministry – servanthood – as He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by satan (Acts 10:38). He came, not to be served, but to serve and give His life for many (Matthew 20:28). David, a king, was called a servant. Your apostles were called servants. We ask for great revelation to invade the church regarding our call to servanthood.

And we ask for our hearts to be moved upon by Holy Spirit, bringing us passionate desires to connect, to work together. We ask that denominations, movements, leaders, and all believers would be moved on to produce this level of agreement. Convict us, the church, of judging one another, criticizing, causing, and/or honoring divisions. Show us the religiosity and pride that motivates this divisive spirit and replace it with a spirit of love and cooperation.

And we ask for connections—millions of them. Build prayer connections, enabling us to fulfill the assignments you’ve given. We ask that EVERY nation have a STRONG prayer covering by the Ekklesia. Return our nations to You and send the greatest awakening the earth has ever experienced. In Christ’s name, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that Spirit-led connections are occurring, causing great unity and power to manifest in our land.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1401.
Ibid., ref. no. 3000.
Ibid., ref. no. 1249.
Ibid., ref. no. 1248.
Ibid., ref. no. 5257.
Ibid., ref. no. 2324.

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