August 15, 2025

Pray for the Trump and Putin Meeting Today 

We live in interesting times. Those on the Left are demonstrating against Trump and the National Guard who are attempting to make Washington, D.C. safer and cleaner. They contend that DC is already safe and that crime isn’t a problem. Chuck Schumer says he feels perfectly safe walking around the Capitol area. He, of course, has his armed Secret Service detail all around him. Proverbs 18:1-2 comes to mind: “Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense. Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.” (New Living Translation)

Then there are the Democratic legislators in Texas who have walked off the job, protesting what they consider to be gerrymandering by the Republicans (redrawing Congressional districts in order to obtain more seats for a political party). Apart from the fact that abandoning their legislative jobs is illegal, the Dems did so by fleeing the state and hiding in Illinois, one of the most Democrat-gerrymandered states in the nation! “Let’s protest gerrymandering by fleeing to some of our gerrymandering friends!” One can’t help but wonder who thought that was a good idea. 

Meanwhile, “villain Trump” is off to Alaska today, attempting to stop another war. The Left doesn’t like this, either – someone else should end the war in Ukraine! As I have stated before, it appears TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is real and growing much more destructive. 

It doesn’t matter to most of us who gets the credit for ending the war in Ukraine; we would just like for the incredible suffering and loss of life to end. It seems that the economic pressure Trump has been placing on Russia is having an effect; Putin has requested a meeting with him. No one knows if the meeting will be productive - the tensions between Russia and Ukraine are great, and they seem to be pretty far apart with their demands – but it is worth a try.

Though Putin’s brutal attack against Ukraine cannot be justified, the situation is a little more complicated than most of us Americans understand. The animosity between Ukraine and Russia has deep historical roots that stretch way back beyond the two modern states, similar to the millennia-old conflicts throughout the Middle East. Layers of rule, painful memories, and strategic interests have built a long-running tension. Here is a brief historical review based on my research, which perhaps will help us pray more intelligently.

In medieval and early modern times, what is now Ukraine and Russia shared a significant amount of culture and political intermingling. Over the centuries, this changed. 

The 19th and early 20th centuries saw an intensification of conflicting ideals. A Ukrainian national awakening challenged foreign dominance. World War I and the collapse of empires opened a brief window for Ukrainian independence, but an ensuing civil war and foreign interventions left Ukraine fragmented and under Soviet control by 1922.

Under the Soviet Union era, the central government exercised tight and sometimes brutal political and economic control. One of the many negative outcomes in Ukraine was the famine-genocide in 1932–33 under Stalin (known as the Holodomor). This became an enduring and painful symbol of Soviet oppression for Ukraine. At least 3.5 million Ukrainians died, and some say it was closer to 7 million. World War II also added to the complexity and tensions, with postwar borders further entrenching Moscow’s authority over Ukrainian life.

Fast-forward to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine declared independence, seeking Europe-oriented reforms and security assurances. Moscow’s reluctance to relinquish influence and Kyiv’s desire to assert sovereignty led to friction over security guarantees, energy supplies, and the status of Crimea. (Crimea is the southeast portion of Ukraine on the Black Sea.) The 2004 and 2014 uprisings in Ukraine (the Orange Revolution and the Maidan protests) crystallized a push toward European integration and further away from Moscow’s sphere of influence.

Then came Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the resulting war in eastern Ukraine, followed by the broader invasion in 2022, which is what the world is now dealing with. Russia attempted to justify its actions, framing them as 1) protecting ethnic Russians and Russian speakers, and 2) countering NATO expansion. Ukraine frames them as illegal aggression and attacks against its sovereignty, which, of course, they are. The conflict has revived debates about history, painful interactions, security interests, and centuries of competing narratives. 

Although Putin is a violent and, I believe, evil man, let’s pray that he will agree to end this war and the suffering of millions of people. Let’s pray that Zelinsky and the Ukrainian people can move beyond the pain and devastation of Russia’s current aggression and, for the sake of saving many lives, be willing to negotiate a peace deal. Doing so won’t be easy when Russia is demanding some of their territory and has dealt them such pain and suffering. I’m not sure ANY peace deal will be “fair” to the Ukrainians, but the other two options may indeed be worse: their complete annihilation by Russia, or other nations entering the conflict and causing a Third World War. There may be other options I am not aware of, but the situation is certainly very complicated. Trump is a skillful negotiator. Let’s pray that God gives him wisdom and great insight as he meets with Putin.

Pray with me:

Father, President Trump has certainly come into the Kingdom at a precarious time in history. We believe that You have shaped and prepared him for such a time as this. Please amplify the skills You have given him and use his gifts to bring forth a breakthrough for the Ukrainian and Russian people. Give him and his team strategies that produce the outcome needed at this time.

We pray that You would help the Ukrainian and Russian people recover from the incredible devastation they have suffered for these past few years. Many, many lives have been lost to both nations, and incredible damage has occurred to numerous cities and thousands of homes. War is so horrible. Use this challenging time to draw people to You, as has happened many times in history. We ask that You save millions of Ukrainians and Russians.

And Father, we ask for wisdom for our government officials as they work to end crime and violence in our nation. America is reaping the fruit of great rebellion, but in Your mercy, please send an awakening and a reforming of our nation. Bring this current youth revival to greater levels very quickly, and we ask for this especially in inner cities and neighborhoods. At times, the strongholds seem insurmountable. But this is not true! You CAN save a generation, and we are asking for this. Rain down revival, we pray.

All of these things we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

August 14, 2025

Experiencing the “Abundant Life” Jesus Promised

In yesterday’s post, we talked about an important Greek word used in the New Testament in the context of prayer. The word is dei, which means “that which is necessary, even binding, as in a legal sense; that which is right, proper or necessary in the nature of a case; that which is prescribed by law, duty, custom, etc.; from a sense of duty, one must.”(1) This word is used in Luke 18:1 to tell us prayer is absolutely necessary (dei) in order to overcome in life.

Another important passage using this word is Matthew 16:18-19: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

“Bind” (deo) is a different form of this same word. Jesus, King of the Kingdom of heaven, is referencing the spiritual authority He would give His Ekklesia (the church) to carry out His will on earth. An Ekklesia, of course, was a legislative assembly. The footnote in the Passion Translation makes this clear: “This is not a religious term at all, but a political and governmental term that is used many times in classical Greek for a group of people who have been summoned and gathered together to govern the affairs of a city. For Jesus to use this term means He is giving the keys of governmental authority in His kingdom to the church.”

The meaning of deo, the word for bind(2) in verse 19, is consistent with this legal spiritual authority Christ gave His Ekklesia. Deo speaks of rulings that are “legally binding;” they must be honored. This is why some translations, including the Passion Translation, use the word “forbid” to translate deo. The Amplified Bible uses the words “forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful.” We have the right to forbid demonic powers from interfering in our lives and in the spheres of authority God has delegated to us. 

We can also do so in broader areas of shared authority, such as natural government. The fact that government is a “shared” authority means that the will and authority of others come into play. This is why it takes longer and requires the prayers of more people to shift governments through prayer. Nevertheless, we have the authority to bind or forbid the powers of darkness from affecting us and our family. And the corporate body of Christ has authority to bind and forbid demonic powers from ruling their nation.

There is still another important and fascinating verse regarding prayer that uses the word dei. Romans 8:26 makes the point that we don’t always know how to pray as we “ought” (dei). The verse is stating that we don’t always know what is “legally right or necessary” spiritually speaking, in order to see some situations change. For example, we may not be aware of all the spiritual strongholds that control an individual for whom we are praying. We may not be aware of the “legal” ground the person has given to evil spirits, giving demons the “right” to operate. We may not know whether it is a demonic spirit controlling a person or their own fleshly appetites. When praying for a person’s healing, the sickness is at times caused by an evil spirit. (Matthew 17:18 and others). If this is the case, we would need to pray differently.

When praying for our government, we obviously don’t know all of the details of how to pray; we don’t know “what is necessary, right or proper in the nature of the case” (dei). 

This wonderful passage in Romans 8 says Holy Spirit will help us overcome this weakness by praying through us. He alerts us to pray, gives us insight as we pray, brings Scriptures to mind and releases revelation regarding the situation. His supernatural help is what causes the working together of all things for our good, mentioned in verse 28.

In her book Prophetic Intercession, Barbara Wentroble shares the following testimony of Holy Spirit’s help:

“My mother-in-law was sitting in her living room at 9:30 AM. Suddenly, she felt a sensation of fear, accompanied by an urgency to pray for her son (my husband), Dale.

“After asking the Lord to reveal to her how to pray, she felt a deep impression that Dale was in danger. She prayed for several minutes and then felt the ‘burden’ lift. Later that night, she called our home to ask Dale what he had been doing at 9:30 in the morning. ‘Oh, that’s easy,’ he replied. ‘I remember because I looked at my watch. Another man was talking to me while we were standing out in the plant at work. There had been some remodeling in the plant over the past several weeks, and we were discussing the progress. All of a sudden, I felt an urgency to move from the place where we were standing. We quickly moved to another spot about 20 feet away. Just as quickly as we moved, a large steel beam fell from the ceiling and landed in that very spot where I had been standing.’”(3)

That is Holy Spirit help when, apart from Him, we wouldn’t know that prayer was needed, or what was necessary in the prayer.

In summary, Jesus said it is required of us, it is absolutely necessary (dei), that we always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). He said we have authority to enforce what is legally right (dei), spiritually speaking (Matthew 16:18-19). And He told us that when we did not know what was legally right (dei), spiritually speaking, Holy Spirit would help us (Romans 8:26-28). These are just a few of the ways we experience the abundant life He promised (John 10:10).

Pray with me:

Father, You told us to pray and never lose heart. You delivered us from the authority of darkness, translated us into the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13), and told us we could forbid satan and his demonic forces from influencing our lives. We can stop him from causing us harm, stealing from us, and hindering our success in life. And You told us that Holy Spirit was always available to help us in our prayers. 

Therefore, in the name and authority of Jesus:

We forbid demonic attacks against our families from succeeding. 

We forbid diseases caused by demonic forces from affecting our bodies.

We forbid demonic forces from stealing our finances.

We forbid spirits of fear from overcoming us in our minds.

We forbid powers of darkness from controlling our government. 

We forbid spirits of murder from taking over our streets.

We forbid spirits of division from continuing to divide races in our nation. 

We forbid spirits of perversion and confusion from overtaking the children of America. 

(These are simply a few examples of things to pray. Let Holy Spirit lead you.)

We ask, Father, that You would increase revelation in the church regarding the authority given to us in Christ. We ask that the Ekklesia be taken to her highest level of functioning in Christ’s authority as we represent Him on earth. And again, all of this we do and ask for in His name. Amen.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1163.

2. Ibid., ref. no. 1210.

3. Barbara Wentroble, Prophetic Intercession (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1999), pp. 68-69.

August 13, 2025

Be Courageous…And Pray!

Today, I want to mention a very important Greek word from the New Testament, along with a couple of references where it is used. The word is “dei,”  which means “that which is necessary, even binding, as in a legal sense; that which is right, proper, or necessary in the nature of a case; that which is prescribed by law, duty, custom, etc.; from a sense of duty, one must.”(1)

From these definitions, it is easy to see the strong meaning of the word. Dei does not indicate a suggestion or that something might perhaps be a good idea. To the contrary, it carries the weight of duty or legality. The very literal Wuest translation of the New Testament typically uses the phrases “that which is right and proper” and “that which is necessary in the nature of the case” to translate the word. With this in mind, let’s look at two passages where it is used. The first one will demonstrate the strength of the word; the latter uses it in the context of prayer.

In Luke chapter 13, Jesus healed a lady on the Sabbath who had a crooked back, bent over for 18 years; the condition was caused by a demonic spirit (verses 10-12). However, practicing medicine was considered work, and the Pharisees lumped healing in with practicing medicine. Therefore, as ridiculous as it seems, the Pharisees considered it a violation of Sabbath laws to heal on that day! Upon seeing this miracle performed, the synagogue official became indignant, saying to the people gathered, “Six days there are during which it is right and proper [dei] to accomplish things. In them therefore you should come and be healed and not on the day of the Sabbath” (verse 14, Wuest translation).

Unimaginable. “It’s against our laws to heal on the Sabbath,” he protested. No wonder Jesus couldn’t tolerate the Pharisees and religiosity of His day.

Christ‘s response to the official was first to point out the hypocrisy of this law, reminding him that they took care of their animals on the Sabbath. Then He turned the tables on the official, using his own word “dei” to win the argument. “And this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound, just think of it, eighteen years, was it not a necessity in the nature of the case [dei] that she be released from this binding restriction on the Sabbath?” (Verse 16, Wuest translation). 

Follow Christ’s logic. He first pointed out that this woman was “a daughter of Abraham.” As such, she had a covenantal right to healing: “I am Jehovah Rapha, the Lord your Healer” God had said to Israel in Exodus 15:26. Later, He said, “You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst” (Exodus 23:25). Healing was her covenantal right.

Then He continued: “Since she has the legal, covenantal right to healing and I am here as Jehovah Rapha, the initiator and fulfiller of that covenant, it is legally binding (dei) that I heal her. I must. Your religious legalism says I must NOT; the legality of covenant says I MUST.”

Checkmate!

Now, with this understanding of the strength of this word, dei, let’s look at another reference. Jesus used the word again in Luke 18:1: “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought (dei) always to pray, and not to faint.” He then shared the parable of the unrighteous judge and widow. 

When we use the word “ought” in conversation, we are typically suggesting that something be done or stating that it might be a good idea. That is NOT what Jesus was doing! Prayer is more than a suggestion, a possible good idea. He was saying that it is necessary, right, proper, even legally binding (dei), that we pray, asking the Father for what we need. We MUST! Wuest again confirms this, stating in the verse that it is a “necessity.” 

Elsewhere, Jesus said that even though God knows our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8), we still must ask (verses 11-13). James 4:2 goes so far as to tell us one of the reasons we don’t receive what we need is simply because we don’t ask. Prayer isn’t optional!

And the last part of the verse in Luke 18:1 is also significant: “don’t faint.” A better translation in today’s language would be “don’t lose heart.” Some translations tell us not to lose our courage. Don’t be faint-hearted or lose your courage. Instead, pray!

When Joshua began his assignment to lead Israel, three times God commanded him to be courageous (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9)! As challenging as it is to hear, courage is a choice. God has placed within us an innate ability to overcome and be courageous. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We must draw on this overcoming nature and refuse to let fear conquer us.

When times get tough, be courageous… and pray!

When the bad report comes in, be courageous… and pray!

When the storm rages and it seems you will not survive, be courageous…and pray!

When your nation turns away from God and toward evil, be courageous…and pray!

Anchor yourself to faith in God as your Father and believe that He will come through for you. You MUST!

Pray with me:

Father, You told us to always pray and not lose heart. You commanded Joshua in his battles to possess the land, to be strong and courageous. We, too, must be strong and courageous as we possess our nation. We declare our faith that You have given us a spirit of power, love, and a disciplined mind; the spirit of fear is not part of our inheritance. 

In the spirit of Luke 18:1, we ask You to forgive and heal our land. We ask You to heal the division and hatred, replacing them with brotherly love. We ask for a continued purging in our government, cleansing it from evil and corruption. Weaken those in our government who resist You and Your righteousness, removing their influence; strengthen those who walk in integrity and truth. We ask that the spirit of violence and crime be broken off our nation. Send revival to the youth of America (and the world), with a power the world has never before seen. Awaken the Ekklesia here and around the world to the authority You have given us, and cause her to burn with fires of revival. Uncontainable fire!

And we agree in prayer for our brothers and sisters who are struggling with loss, sickness, lack, emotional pain, and discouragement. Cause the spirit of faith to arise in them, overcoming the spirit of fear. Help them to choose courage, to fan the flames of hope and faith, and to pray! Where there is confusion, awaken the soundness of mind. Where there is discouragement, cause hope to arise. Where there is pain, replace it with healing power. We stand with and for them today, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Our decree:

We declare that we will always pray, and we will not faint.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1163.