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June 11, 2026

Seek the Treasure

In yesterday’s Give Him 15 post, I spoke of our great Helper, Holy Spirit. He gives us discernment for life’s journey, including for our spiritual battles. Today, I want to continue this discussion.

Holy Spirit doesn’t always share His plans and insights when we want or think He should. There are times when He must wait until the time is right.

“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

This famous verse of Scripture has been heard by almost every believer. On one occasion several years ago, I woke up at 3:33 AM and heard the Lord say to me, “Jeremiah 33:3.” At least, I thought I had awakened at 3:33 AM, until I woke up again at 3:33 AM and heard the same words! When I finally did wake up, I realized I had dreamed that I woke up at 3:33 AM - twice! - and heard the Lord say “Jeremiah 33:3.”

The Lord wanted to “awaken” me to this verse and do so with extra emphasis, so He gave me the same dream twice. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but upon waking, I knew immediately that God wanted me to look at Jeremiah 33:3.

We all find comfort in the promise that if we call upon the Lord, He will answer us and show us great and mighty things. But I decided to dig a little deeper and began by reading the verse in several biblical translations. I was immediately intrigued by the Amplified Classic Bible:

“Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

The phrase “fenced in and hidden” surprised and fascinated me. “Mighty” is the word that motivated the Amplified translators to add this additional phrase. My first thought was, Well, which is right? “Mighty?” or “fenced in and hidden?” Out came the lexicons.

The Hebrew word is batsar.(1) It is a very fascinating word. Follow me closely: the root concept is “to cut off,” including the aspect of separating or isolating something. It was often used in the context of doing so in order to protect it. This is why the Amplified translators used it to describe something “fenced in and hidden,” like a garden or vineyard; the word was even used to describe gold, which is “cut off” from view and “hidden” by the ground. Batsar also took on the meaning of a city that was cut off, inaccessible, and therefore, “fortified.” The concept of mighty, therefore, is not referring to physical strength or military might, but to something hidden and inaccessible, thus, protected and “mighty.”

The Amplified Bible got it right. This amazing verse says that God at times reveals information or revelation that has previously been hidden, and not yet made known. He will “unhide” it, if you will. This can be seen also in the fact that a different form of the word, betser,(2) is used to describe gold that was once “hidden” but has now been discovered and mined. Using this analogy of gold, we could say that God is going to reveal the treasure of His Word, or the prophetic revelation necessary for us to succeed or prosper (Joshua 1:8). We actually sometimes use the phrase “a wealth of information.” The “treasure” of information Holy Spirit gives could be prophetic insight regarding the times and seasons, how to break through in a given situation, or direction for the future. Any new insight revealed by Holy Spirit would fit the description of batsar/betser.

God is willing to reveal the understanding we need to break through and prosper. Our Counselor and Teacher, Holy Spirit, wants to release the spirit of wisdom and revelation to you (Ephesians 1:17). He wants to “uncover” truth, information, and insight for you. Uncover is actually the literal meaning of revelation. Let Him help you mine the gold. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Thy words were FOUND, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts” (emphasis mine).

Too often, we fail to “find” the gold, the revelation we need, because we are not diligently looking and listening. Psalm 107:9 tells us God satisfies the thirsty and the hungry, filling them with what is good. “The problem isn’t God’s refusal to speak but our refusal or inability to get quiet enough to hear. Silencing the soul is a learned art. The psalmist David spoke of this. ‘Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother’ (Psalm 131:2). When we quieten the soul, we can hear His voice in our hearts.”(3)

However, one more point must be made. Holy Spirit doesn’t always share His information, plans, and insights with us exactly when we want them or believe that He should. There are times when He must wait until just the right time. He protects certain information to keep us from moving ahead of His timing and from hindering His plans. Isaac comes at God’s time, not ours (Genesis 17:21), and His plans are shared in His timing, as well. He guards them until the right time.

The Passion Translation translates this verse: “Cry out to Me and I will answer you. I will reveal to you great things, guarded secrets that you never could have known.” How about that - guarded secrets!

The awesome promise of this verse, however, is that if we call upon God, at just the right time He will answer and reveal great, guarded secrets to assist us in life.

As King Solomon was about to begin his reign over Israel, he prayed a prayer God couldn’t resist. “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9). The phrase “an understanding heart” could actually be translated “a hearing heart.” The translators struggle with the concept of a “hearing” heart, so they don’t translate it this way. But the Hebrew word is shama,(4) and it means “to hear.” Solomon asked for a hearing heart, in order to lead God’s people appropriately.

God answered Solomon’s prayer, revealing to him treasures of wisdom; we can read them in the book of Proverbs. Why don’t you take a little time today and ask God to reveal some treasure to you?

Pray with me:

Father, we echo the words of the Psalmist, who asked You to “open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your law/word” (Psalm 119:18). There is no problem we have, no situation we face, for which the answer cannot be found in Your Word, revealed to us by Holy Spirit. Give us the hunger and tenacity to dig for the treasure, for You have said that if we call upon You, You would answer and show us the hidden pearls of revelation we need.

No, these priceless gems are not lying out in the open for the casual seeker to come across them “accidentally.” You do not cast Your pearls before swine. They must be sought, treated as the priceless treasure they are. But for the hungry, You have promised to help us mine the gold and find the treasure. Give us hungry, seeking hearts, just as Solomon possessed. And we know You will respond to that hunger by opening our eyes to find hidden treasures of wisdom.

We pray for our leaders in government and in the church, asking that You give them wisdom and revelation to lead with Your understanding and enlightenment. Give them supernatural strategies to overcome challenging problems. Provide solutions to heal our nation and govern with righteousness and justice.

And we pray for everyone listening to and reading this today. Give them the answers they need in order to overcome, break through, and succeed. Give them heaven’s understanding and wisdom for every situation they face. All of this we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare that as we call upon the Lord, He will answer us, revealing great and hidden things we did not know.

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. 1219.

  2. Ibid., ref. no. 1220, 1221.

  3. Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books), p. 143.

  4. Strong’s Concordance, ref. 8085.

 
 

June 10, 2026

Holy Spirit, Our Battle Partner

1 Chronicles 12:32: “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”

First Chronicles 12 is the account describing King David’s great army of soldiers. Verse one tells us “These are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.” Verse 38, at the end of the chapter, repeats the fact that these were David’s “men of war.” These “mighty men” have been considered by some historians to be among the greatest fighting forces to ever exist. Some of their feats, as recorded in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11, seem almost impossible.

These soldiers were no doubt assisted by Holy Spirit, just as Samson was. The Holy Spirit is the most neglected source of help in the world. He is actually called our Helper (parakletos)(1) in Scripture (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7) and is our source of power on the spiritual battlefield (Acts 1:8). The Amplified Bible actually uses seven words to translate parakletos: Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby!

The Greeks provide a great picture for us of Holy Spirit’s help in spiritual warfare. In history, “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs so that when an enemy attacked, they could draw together, back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was his paraclete.”(2) Holy Spirit is your battle partner - that should bring some comfort!

Back to 1 Chronicles 12 and the children of Issachar. An interesting thing happens three-fourths of the way through this chapter. In verse 32, God shifts temporarily from describing battlefield prowess to intel. It turns out that those from the tribe of Issachar weren’t known for fighting with swords and spears, but with their spiritual ears! They were David’s prophetic corps.

The phrase “understanding of the times” doesn’t mean they were historians or observers of present-day trends. The word used for “understanding” is biynah,(3) and means discernment and wisdom. It is what God gave Daniel, enabling him to understand dreams and visions (Daniel 1:20, 9:22, 10:1). Solomon was also given this gift (1 Kings 3:1-15). Biynah would be the equivalent of “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” mentioned in Ephesians 1:17. “Time” is the word eth(4), meaning an appointed or strategic time, much like the Greek word kairos.(5) Issachar likely had an anointing to discern general times and seasons as well, but the context here is specifically for times of war. David’s “mighty men” included “discerning men!”

Imagine that! David was able to go to one of his military units and ask, “What is Holy Spirit saying about this battle? What are you discerning?”

And Issachar was able to respond: “Here’s what God is showing us, and the strategy He has given.” Now there’s some intel!!!

Based on 1 Corinthians 10:6, we should assume from David’s example that prophetic insight - as well as spiritual power - is critical in order for us to win spiritual battles. The questions: “What is Holy Spirit saying about this situation? What is His strategy?” are nonnegotiable if we are to be “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).

Ignoring Holy Spirit’s help occurs when we make Christianity a religion instead of a relationship. Our walk with God is not supposed to be based on religious rituals and doctrines, and Holy Spirit didn’t lose His voice when the Bible was written. He wants to communicate with us! When God created Adam and Eve in Eden, He created His family, not a religion. Family is what was lost at the Fall and what Yeshua restored at the Cross. And Jesus said to call God “Father” (Matthew 6:9).

Get to know your Friend, Holy Spirit. He was sent to teach us (John 14:26), guide us into truth, and show us things to come (John 16:13). He was also sent to make us overcomers, those who reign in this life (Romans 5:17), not just the world to come.

Pray with me:

Father, we thank You for sending Holy Spirit to be our Helper. Just as Jesus was filled with, led, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit, we have been promised the same help. We ask You to bring a fresh infilling of Your Spirit to the Ekklesia; sharpen our discernment and mature us to be led more accurately by our Helper, and more effective in revealing Christ on the earth.

We trust You, Holy Spirit, as our great Paraclete. We know You are our protector and strength in battles. You make us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) and cause us to always triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14). We ask for greater levels of this, not just for ourselves but for our leaders. Give the spirit of wisdom and revelation to our government leaders who have placed their faith in You. Defend them in their battles, and lead them in their decisions. Awaken in them the same awareness of their need for Your help that our Founders had when writing our Constitution. They called on You for help at the start of EVERY day, and You answered. You will do the same today.

We ask especially that wisdom and revelation be given to them at this time regarding Iran. Satan’s subtlety is his greatest weapon, and he endeavors to infuse this ability into those aligned with him. We bind his ability to deceive our leaders and ask that Holy Spirit’s discernment be given to them. All of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare that we will not neglect the support of our great Helper, the Holy Spirit.

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. 3875.

  2. Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003), p. 124-125. 

  3. James Strong Concordance, ref. no 998.

  4. Ibid., ref. no. 6256.

  5. Ibid. ref. no. 2540.

 
 

June 9, 2026

“Escape from Freedom”

From Exodus 14:8-12:

“And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” 

And from Exodus 16:2-3:

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. “

It has always baffled me how these Israelites could still doubt God and His leader, Moses, after the many miracles performed to lead them out of Egyptian slavery. And it has certainly amazed me how they could prefer slavery - because of the regular provisions they received - to freedom.

It turns out there’s a name for this, actually more than one. When I asked the experts hiding in my web browser if there was a term for it, the internet gave me three and actually began its response by referencing Scripture! Here is a summary of the explanation:

When people prefer the “predictable security” of oppression over the “terrifying risks” of freedom, it is most commonly referred to by the following concepts:

1. The "Fleshpots of Egypt" Syndrome 

Deriving directly from the Exodus narrative itself (specifically Exodus 16:3, where they pine for the literal pots of meat they had in captivity), “Fleshpot Syndrome” describes the tendency of an oppressed group to look back at their period of bondage with romanticized nostalgia because their basic physical needs (food, shelter, etc.) were guaranteed by their masters.

2. The Comfort of the Known Cage 

Psychology uses the phrase “loss aversion,” saying that humans feel the pain of losing essentials like security or predictable food twice as intensely as they value the potential gain of something abstract like freedom. They also speak of it as a “System Justification Theory”: A psychological phenomenon where people will defend and prefer a broken, oppressive status quo simply because it provides a predictable framework for survival. To these people, freedom requires greater mental stress and frightening uncertainty; slavery, while it can be brutal, eliminates all decision-making.

3. Escape from Freedom 

(How’s that for an oxymoron!) In 1941, the psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm published the famous book Escape from Freedom(1) that addresses this exact human crisis. Fromm argued that true freedom brings to some intense anxiety, isolation, and the terrifying burden of personal responsibility. When people cannot handle that anxiety, they often seek out authoritarianism or submission to a ruling power to feel safe again.

The Israelites were experiencing the sudden shock of de-institutionalization. When you have been conditioned for generations to have your survival managed by an external power, the immediate instinct upon facing a crisis in the wild is to flee back to the predictable, even if the predictable is a whip.

Interesting. But as real as these feelings may be, God didn’t consider them as justification for the murmuring and unbelief of the Israelites. In 1 Corinthians 10:9-11, Paul warned the early church to avoid the rebellious attitudes of the Israelites in the wilderness, specifically mentioning their grumbling and the resulting consequences. Hebrews 3:7-11 quotes Psalm 95, reminding us of the rebellion in the desert when the Israelites angered God by their constant complaining. The passage goes on to say this rebellion kept them from receiving their inheritance. And Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin, recounts how their ancestors rejected Moses and turned their hearts back to Egypt during the time in the wilderness (Acts 7:39-41). God held the Israelites responsible for their attitudes, showing us that these weaknesses can be overcome.

Our Founding Fathers Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams spoke to the “loss aversion” crowd of their day - the “even if it IS broken don’t fix it” cowards, and “fleshpots of Britain” lovers - stating their disdain for these mindsets. 

In his famous defense of the Revolution, Patrick Henry said: “There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable - and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come…Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”(2)

And, of course, there was the inimitable Father of the American Revolution, Sam Adams:

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”(3) Sounds like Sam, like God with the cowardly Israelites, had heard enough!

Choose life.

Choose freedom.

Choose to pay the price.

Pray with me:

Father, encourage believers today who refuse to crouch down and lick the hands of government officials who contend that our rights come from them. Give us brave hearts to resist those who tell us we must accept immoral and unrighteous laws, and the courage to speak out against those desiring to muzzle us. We don’t want the fleshpots of Egypt, and we certainly don’t want to “escape from freedom.”

Awaken Americans to the realization that liberty can be lost, that great nations can become entangled, trapped, and destroyed by the webs of fear and complacency. Restore passion and love of freedom in America, and awaken in us once again the DNA of our roots.

And we ask You to mix these traits with passion for Your holy destiny on this nation; that our love of freedom be mixed with a love for You and the cause of Christ. Remind believers that it is okay to love America, that it is acceptable and appropriate to be Christian patriots. And now that our nation has been rededicated to You, fan the flames of revival in - and from - our land. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we cast our vote with Patrick Henry: we will never accept peace at the price of chains and slavery.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

 
 
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