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September 10, 2025

    “We Will Never Apologize for Our Faith”


    On Monday, I watched the gathering at the Museum of the Bible where President Trump gave an address pertaining to prayer, America’s history, and her relationship with God. I wrote about this history and its importance in yesterday’s post, pointing out that both King David and Nehemiah fought and won spiritual battles on the strength of covenantal history. If you haven’t seen or heard the post, I strongly recommend taking a look. 


    Whitehouse.gov pointed out some of the issues Trump addressed in his speech:


    “In a powerful address at the Museum of the Bible, President Donald J. Trump emphasized the enduring role of faith in America’s identity, highlighted his Administration’s unwavering defense of faith-based values, and reaffirmed his commitment to protecting our religious freedoms. The President also launched the America Prays initiative — a call for Americans to unite in prayer for the nation’s strength, peace, and prosperity as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches.


    • “President Trump reaffirmed our nation’s founding principles: ‘When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker. When faith gets stronger… good things happen for our country. It’s amazing the way it seems to work that way. Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God. We are One Nation Under God — and we always will be.’

    • “President Trump called for Americans to come together in prayer: ‘Next year, we will celebrate 250 years since that Declaration was signed. As part of the grand commemoration… we’ve invited America’s great faith communities to pray for our nation, for our people, and for peace in the world.’

    • “Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner announced that more than 70 faith organizations and churches have joined together to participate in the America Prays initiative: ‘Think about the miracles that would take place over the next year… the transformation that you and I could witness in communities all across the land.’

    • “President Trump previewed new rules protecting Americans’ right to pray in public schools: ‘I am pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.’

    • “President Trump highlighted the importance of faith in God: ‘To have a great nation, you have to have religion. I believe that so strongly. There has to be something after we go through all of this — and that something is God.’

    • “President Trump defended our American values of faith: ‘America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer and we will never apologize for our faith — ever, ever, never, never. We will never surrender our God-given rights. We will defend our liberties, our values, our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom.’

    • “President Trump welcomed a 12-year-old California student [and had him comment] who was forced in school to read material contrary to his religious beliefs: ‘Last year, in fifth grade, Shay was forced to read a book to a Kindergarten student promoting a message of radical gender ideology that is contrary to his religious beliefs and ours.’

    • “President Trump admonished a Democrat Senator for denying that our rights come from God: ‘The need for this commission has never been clearer than it was last week when the ineffectual Senator from Virginia — a man named Tim Kaine — stated that the notion our rights come from our Creator is “extremely troubling” to him… It’s this Declaration of Independence that proclaims we’re endowed by our Creator with the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The Senator from Virginia should be ashamed of himself.’”(1)


    I was very encouraged by this gathering. Regardless of what you think about President Trump’s past or his personality, no Bible-believing Christian should be anything but grateful that he is in office. Prayer and worship now take place regularly in the White House, including in Cabinet meetings. God is honored by our president, as is the church, and our Judeo-Christian roots. I am always blessed and moved as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Scott Turner prays, as he is often asked to do by President Trump. His prayers are always Bible based, passionate, relevant, and done in the name of Jesus – which I have NEVER heard done in past Administrations. Do not think that God will fail to honor this. He is, and will continue to do so.


    Contrast this with the Democrat Party, which booed God off the stage and out of their official party platform at the 2012 Democratic National Convention; the contrast is stark. Just this past week, as President Trump mentioned, Democrat Senator Tim Kane insulted America’s Founders, contradicted our Declaration of Independence, and blasphemed God by saying our human rights don’t come from our Creator, but from government. Those on the Left no longer try to hide their disdain for God, the Bible, and our Christian roots. During his presidency, Obama began decreeing that we were not a Christian nation – and never had been. He actually mocked God and the Bible by lighting the White House in the colors of the Rainbow Flag when the Supreme Court redefined marriage to include same-sex unions. These and other actions by Obama removed the covering of the true beliefs and intentions of the Left. They want nothing to do with God and our history with Him. 


    America is now being saved by the mercies of God, made possible by repentance and prayer. President Trump and his team are part of this saving process. He openly calls upon God’s help and blessing, and does his best to honor the Lord. Heaven is listening. I encourage you to get on board with America Prays. Pray for our president and his staff; pray for the godly leaders in Congress; and pray for our Supreme Court justices. Ask Holy Spirit to give them wisdom, guidance, strength, integrity, and protection. Ask Him to hover over our nation’s capital, releasing power, light, and life. Use your Matthew 16:19 authority and forbid demonic influence from deceiving these leaders or thwarting God’s will and plans. Our prayers are being used to save America – don’t stop now. 


    Pray with me:


    Father, thank You for Your mercy and love. The Godhead determined to redeem humankind before Adam’s fall even occurred. It is not a stretch for You to do so; it is Your nature to love and redeem. In fact, You delight in showing mercy (Micah 7:18). 


    When America’s government turned against You, denied You, mocked and booed You, You responded in love and grace, seeing us through the lens of the Cross. Your mercy prevailed. You are now restoring and healing our land. Thank You, thank You, thank You. As this occurs, we ask for the reversal of the damage that was done during our rebellious season. Reverse evil laws; restore the sanctity of life; save the young generation that was robbed of knowing You, and therefore of purpose and destiny. Cause the awakening they experience to be so incredibly powerful that it wipes away every gain made by demonic powers. Reverse it all, and use them to be the greatest transforming generation that has ever lived.


    We pray for our leaders. Give them wisdom, understanding, strength, integrity, and protection. Think through them. Keep them from mistakes, from pride, and from presumption. Cause them to turn away from all compromise, and turn toward You with all of their hearts. 


    And we ask all of these things for our brothers and sisters in other nations. Send a worldwide great awakening. All of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.


    Our decree:


    We declare that mercy triumphs over judgment. 



    Click on the link below to watch the full video.

     
     

    September 9, 2025

      War With Covenant


      As I listened to President Trump honor God and America’s roots from the Museum of the Bible yesterday, I found myself reflecting on David and Goliath.  David defeated Goliath on the strength of his history. The first thing God tells us in the story is the location of the battle.


      “Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines” (1 Samuel 17:1-2).


      I realize that doesn’t interest you. You’re like me: Come on, Holy Spirit, get to the good stuff: Goliath’s description; the drama of his taunts; the fear of the Israelites; David, the young sheepherder; the battle; off with the giant’s head. I skipped those two boring verses for the first 50 years of my life.


      And missed a nugget.


      This location was in the territory of Judah, which was the tribe David came from. Holy Spirit was informing us, right from the start, that this land belonged to David and his tribe. It had been given to them by God generations before. David had more than squatter’s rights to the property the giant was trying to claim; he had divine rights. If he followed God’s instructions, these first two verses of the story assured him of victory. The God who created and owns the earth (see Psalm 24:1) had the right to give it to whomever He pleased. And in history, He had given it to Judah.


      Battle over.


      Don’t think so? I’ll give you another reference that reinforces this truth. When Nehemiah was allowed by the Persian King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild its walls, he faced great opposition. The locals, led by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, despised the Jews and were determined to stop them from building. When Nehemiah faced their threats and opposition, he stated his case for success in one verse: 


      “I answered by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We, His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’” (Nehemiah 2:20 NIV).


      “We have a historical, God-given right to this city,” Nehemiah declared. “You don’t. Therefore, we win, you lose.” Case closed. 


      It is beyond doubt that God raised up America for His purposes. He owns America, just as He does the entire earth, and in that right of ownership, He delegated stewardship of this nation to followers of Christ, believers who would partner with Him in His great cause of redeeming the world. Do not listen to revisionists who say otherwise, be they secularists or deceived Christian leaders. If the body of Christ in America ever fully grasps this revelation, the giants attempting to steal our nation have no chance.


      Uncircumcised Philistine

      David’s next “history weapon” can be seen in the fact that not once did he call Goliath by name, referring to him only as the “uncircumcised Philistine.” What is that all about? Imagine two guys about to fight, shouting insults at one another. 


      Jed: “You’re ugly.”


      Jethro: “Your mama is ugly.”


      Jed: “You’re a wimp.”


      Jethro: “You couldn’t beat up a flea.”


      I realize these insults are not exactly Rambo-level insults, but I’m trying to keep it clean here. And you get my point - insults and degrading salvos are flying back and forth. Then one of them seals the deal with the ultimate insult:


      “Well, You’re UNCIRCUMCISED!”


      Huh? Didn’t see that one coming.


      As humorous as this seems, there was actually an important reason for David’s choice of name. Circumcision symbolized Israel’s covenant with God (Genesis 17:13). Since the days of Abraham, this had been the case. It was a requirement mandated by God, some believe, for health purposes. Circumcision served the added purpose, however, of picturing New Testament believers who would have the “flesh” of our hearts circumcised (see Romans 2:28-29).


      For our purposes in this story, however, what we must understand is that David was stating to the giant, I’m in covenant with God; you’re not. Since those in covenant with one another share enemies, you’ll be fighting God, not just me. This battle won’t be decided by your size, experience, weaponry, or strength. It was decided long ago when my grandfather cut covenant with God. I’m going to defeat you through my covenantal history. I win; you lose.


      No wonder secularists want to rewrite America’s history with God! We shouldn’t be surprised that former President Obama once decreed that we were not a Christian nation, contending that we were also a Muslim nation, a Hindu nation, an atheist nation, and so on.(1) Karl Marx once said, “The first battlefield is to rewrite history.”(2) The demons controlling Marx knew the importance and power of history. And, of course, demons today inspire anti-Christ forces in America to try and rewrite our history for the same reasons. As believers, we must stake our claim to the fact that God birthed America, and that He and our Founders made covenantal promises to one another.


      I’m not suggesting that God and those who came to these shores entered into a covenant on the same level as the old and new covenants in Scripture. There are different levels of covenants, however. The biblical word means “a compact, confederacy, league.”(3) The great Brown Driver-Briggs Lexicon defines it not only as covenant, but as “an alliance (of friendship); an alliance (of marriage); a constitution; agreement.”(4) The fact that our Founders covenanted with God when they came to this land is beyond dispute. 


      Do not underestimate the importance of this. God put into the hearts of our forefathers to come to this land. He did so to raise up a nation that would form an “alliance,” a sacred “agreement” (the definitions of covenant) to partner with Him for the propagation of the gospel to all the earth. 


      In spite of our failures, such as those with our Native American friends, God redeems, cleanses, and continues to use us, just as He did with Abraham. We must believe this, and do as David did: stake our claim to this land based on our alignment with God and His plans, purposes, and promises. That is what empowers us to take out spiritual giants. Politics won’t defeat them, nor will money, great plans and strategies, or well-meaning leaders. Covenant will!


      As mentioned earlier, those aligned in covenant share resources and strengths; they also share enemies. If the Ekklesia in America faces the giants of our day armed with decrees that this land belongs to God (“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” Psalm 24:1); if we stand on the truth that He Himself established our nation to represent Him; and if we now resist the giants in His name - we will defeat them!


      War with covenant! War with history!


      Pray with me:


      Father, we thank You for America’s history with You. We are humbled by the privilege of partnering with You in Your great cause. Thank You for cleansing us of our unrighteous past. We acknowledge that we need ongoing Your mercy, forgiveness, and healing. The powers of darkness have determined to cripple - and ultimately stop - us from being a voice and light for You. A rebellious culture, enabled by a lukewarm church, has allowed those powers to make great progress.


      Today, we place our faith in covenant with You. We stand on the fact that You keep covenant and mercy to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9). We reach back into our history, declare our faith in You, and decree that we will once again be a light to the nations. We will once again be a strong voice of the gospel and of freedom to all the nations of the earth.


      Jesus, we exalt You. Yahweh, we honor You. We declare that revival is here and coming. America shall indeed, be saved. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.


      Our decree:


      We decree that our covenant with Yahweh through the blood of Jesus Christ, and the covenant we made with Him as a nation, will defeat every giant of darkness in America.



      Today’s post was taken from our Give Him 15, An Appeal to Heaven Devotional, Volume 1.


      Click on the link below to watch the full video.

      1. Obama, Barack. “‘Call to Renewal’ Keynote Address.” Washington, D.C., June 2006.

      2. Washington, Ellis. The Progressive Revolution: History of Liberal Fascism Through the Ages, Volume V, 2014-15 Writings. Hamilton Books, 2017, p. 219.

      3. Strong, James. The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Red-Letter Edition. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001. Reference no. 1285.

      4. Brown, Francis. The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.

       
       

      September 8, 2025

        Dynamic Power


        Dunamai(1) is one of the basic words for possessing power in the New Testament. Strong’s says it means “to be able or possible.” Thayer’s gives the following definitions: “to be able, have power, to be capable, strong and powerful.” The English words dynamite, dynamo, dynamic, etc., come from this Greek word. Jesus used a form of this word in Acts 1:8 when He said, “You will receive power [dunamis] after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”


        Dunamis is also translated as miracle/s, because they are the results of God’s power (Acts 2:22, 8:13, 19:11, etc.). In 1 Corinthians 12:10, this word is used in the phrase “the working of miracles,” one of the gifts Holy Spirit gives to believers. 


        I find it interesting that the word is used referring to both God’s and satan’s power in the same verse, Acts 10:38: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power [dunamis]: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed [katadunasteuō] of the devil; for God was with Him.”


        The dunamis-power of God worked through Jesus to produce healings and good works; satan’s power oppressed people. Kata,(2) among other things means basically means “down” or “against.” When used as a prefix for dunamis/dunasteuo, as it is here, it has the connotation of working against something or someone, pressing them down. You can easily see the word “press” in “oppressed.” God lifts people with His power; satan uses his to press them down. The Passion Translation uses the word “tyranny” to translate satan’s oppressive work in this verse.


        Notice that the Lord equates healing with “good.” Sickness is evil, oppressive, and originates from the curse that came to humanity at the fall. This doesn’t mean that every sickness is caused directly by a person’s sin; it means sickness is in the world because of original sin. This is what allowed satan to bring his curses and diseases onto the earth, oppressing people. Jesus came to heal and restore us from spiritual tyranny. While here on earth, He went about doing “good” and healing all those oppressed by the devil.


        One of my favorite stories of healing in the New Testament is of the woman with continual bleeding for 12 years (Matthew 9:20). Can you imagine the physical weakness she must have felt from this constant loss of blood for 12 years? Not to mention the emotional toll it had to have taken. According to Jewish law, she was considered “unclean,” and anyone who touched her was also considered unclean (Leviticus 15:19-33). This is why the woman was “sneaking” through the crowd, trying to inconspicuously reach out and touch Christ’s garment (Mark 5:25-34). 


        The Passion Translation gives us added insight:


        “Suddenly, a woman came from behind Jesus and touched the tassel of His prayer shawl for healing. She had been suffering from continual bleeding for twelve years, but had faith that Jesus could heal her. For she kept saying to herself, ‘If I could only touch His prayer shawl, I would be healed.’ Just then, Jesus turned around and looked at her and said, ‘My daughter, be encouraged. Your faith has healed you.’ And instantly she was healed!” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:20-22; TPT)


        The margin of The Passion says, “The blue tassel on the corner of the prayer shawl was said to symbolize all commandments and promises of God. (See Numbers 15:38-40.) The Hebrew word for ‘fringe’ or ‘border’ (of a garment) can also mean ‘wing.’ Some have interpreted Malachi 4:2 (‘healing in his wings’) as a reference to the tassels of the prayer shawl.” 


        The verse in Malachi that TPT references says: “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall” (Malachi 4:2; NASB). Some teachers and scholars believe that this promise is what gave the woman faith to receive healing by touching the wings or tassels of Jesus’ prayer shawl. Wow!


        One thing is certain: when she touched the tassel of His prayer shawl, her faith pulled healing “virtue” (dunamis) from Jesus. He wasn’t made unclean; she was made clean! I find it amazing that this woman initiated the miracle, not Jesus. He did not even know it happened until it was over. “Someone just pulled virtue/power out of me!” He said (Mark 5:30). Jesus supplied the power, she supplied the faith, and 12 years of misery and shame vanished. 


        When I was a young boy, we used to sing a simple chorus that said:


        “Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by. 

        You’ll find He’s not too busy to hear your heart’s cry. 

        He’s passing by this moment, your need to supply. 

        Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.”(3)


        We are doing another Healing Summit this upcoming October 17 at my brother Tim’s church, the Oasis, in Middletown, Ohio (LINK). As with past summits, many healing services will be taking place simultaneously throughout the nation. We believe the Lord will be present to do good and heal those oppressed by the devil. Prepare your heart to reach out in faith and grab the “healing in His wings.” Join us in person if you can, online if you cannot come. We are believing with you for tremendous miracles to take place.


        Pray with me:


        Father, thank You for Holy Spirit. Thank You for the power He brings us to witness of You, to work for You, and to overcome in life. Thank You for the example of Jesus, who went about doing good and healing those oppressed by the devil. Today, we especially thank You for the story of the woman with the 12-year, constant flow of blood. Thank You for demonstrating through her that there is healing in Your wings, and Your willingness to respond to faith. 


        As we have in the past, we ask You today for a fresh release of signs and wonders, and of the gifts of Your Spirit associated with this. Release to many believers the gift of faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, and the word of knowledge. Release Your compassion and Your power.


        As we gather in Middletown on October 17, and in many places around the nation and nations, pour out the power of Holy Spirit. Heal and transform, deliver those oppressed by the devil. Free people from disease, depression, addictions, all manner of sickness and infirmity. Give us miracles. And use the coming release of signs and wonders to not only heal those in need, but to point people to Jesus and spark the revival that has begun. All of this we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.


        Our decree:


        We declare that Jesus is still releasing His power to do good, heal the sick, and deliver those oppressed by the devil.


        You can find out more about the upcoming Healing Summit in Middletown, Ohio, at OasisWired.org. 


        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. 1410.

        2. Ibid., ref. no. 2596.

        3. https://www.godsongs.net/2016/01/reach-out-and-touch-the-lord-as-he-goes-by.html

         
         
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