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August 4, 2026

    “Thus Far He Has Helped Us”

    In 1 Samuel, chapters 4–7, a place named Ebenezer is mentioned three times: 4:1, 5:1, and 7:12. The name means “Stone of Help,” named after the stone monument Samuel erected in 7:12 (NASB): “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

    Although the name Ebenezer is used in all three references, we can see from the above verse that the name wasn’t formally given until chapter seven. In chapters 4 and 5, the writer, who is writing all of this after the fact, is simply referring to the place by its future name. (In literature, this is known as a prolepsis, which refers to calling something by what it will eventually be named, though technically that has not yet occurred. You’re welcome.)

    The context of these chapters is as follows. Because of sin and rebellion spelled out in the first three chapters of this book, Israel is about to experience judgment. By the time we get to 1 Samuel 4:1 (NASB), Israel is about to face the Philistines in battle, where this judgment will begin: “Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek.”

    When the fighting started, Israel was struck down in the first battle (verse 2), so they decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to the battlefield for the second round (verse 3). They believed the presence of the Ark would guarantee victory. Israel had no actual reverence for the presence of God, and had been demonstrating this through their rebellion. To them, the Ark was nothing more than a “magic box.” Rather than seeking the God of the Ark through heart repentance, they were using it as a good luck charm.

    But God will not allow Himself to be manipulated or reduced to a lucky charm. Israel was routed, the Ark was stolen, and “Ichabod” was declared over Israel (4:11-22), meaning, “the glory has departed.” In chapters 4 and 5, by referring to this place of defeat by its future name, the irony is unmistakable. Israel was encamped at a place destined to be the "Stone of Help," yet in such a place they experienced a devastating defeat! Scriptural promises or possessing sacred objects mean nothing if one’s heart is far from God.

    1 Samuel 5:1 (NASB) then says: “Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.” Ironically, the name Ashdod means spoiler or ravager.(1) The Philistines carried the Ark to Ashdod and set it in the temple of their idol, Dagon. They assumed their demonic god had conquered Israel’s God and the Ark was his trophy. In a statement of His ability to take care of Himself, God personally knocked Dagon over several times, “decapitating” him before the Ark (5:3-4). He also struck the Philistines with plagues (5:6-12). The Ark being taken was not a sign of God’s weakness, but of His refusal to be treated as a talisman, and He was certainly not going to be mocked by a false religion. He can walk directly into the “ravagers'” stronghold (Ashdod) and destroy their idols single-handedly.

    The Philistines decided they wanted nothing more to do with the Ark, and sent it back to Israel, where it ended up in the small town of Kiriath-jearim for 20 years! During this time, Samuel led Israel into repentance and restoration (chapter 7). After this season of true repentance, the Philistines attacked them yet again!

    And this time the Lord helped Israel!!!

    1 Samuel 7:10-11 (NASB) tells us: “Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.” It sure is nice to pursue one’s enemy as opposed to being pursued!

    And now we come to the naming of the place “Ebenezer.” “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” (verse12). What an incredible memorial!

    And what a picture it painted! By naming it Ebenezer, the Lord permanently marked a place of former defeat and humiliation, turning it into a monument of divine help and deliverance. God can redeem the exact ground where we once experienced our greatest failures. Repentance paves the way for turning a graveyard of defeat into a place of grace, and spiritual barrenness into revival.

    This is now taking place in America and other nations. Do not be confused by all of the warfare taking place. MUCH repentance has taken place in our nation, including a formal rededication to God by the highest government and church leaders in our land. I am not saying repentance is no longer needed; I’m saying we don’t have to start over! Of course sin still occurs and must be repented of. But America’s past great sins of abusing native Americans, slavery, abortion, national rebellion against God’s laws, and more, have been repented of millions of times! I know this because it has taken place with millions of believers participating by media, agreeing and participating with the repentance. God always works through a remnant, and a faithful remnant HAS humbled itself, prayed, and repented, just as Israel did in Samuel’s day.

    And America has come to her Ebenezer! Jesus, the “Rock of our Salvation,” our “Stone of Help,” has said, “America shall be saved!”

    In your heart and with strong faith, look past the murky media, ravaging dictators, demonized terrorists, leftist Marxists…and stand! Rise above the personal attacks you’re facing and anchor yourself to your unfailing God. Build your Ebenezer–“thus far He has helped us.”

    He will not fail us now.

    Pray with me:

    Father, You warned us that in the last days perilous times would come (2 Timothy 3:1), and that evil would abound (Matthew 24:12). We are certainly experiencing this. BUT where sin abounds, grace abounds more (Romans 5:20), and You said Your Kingdom would never stop increasing (Isaiah 9:7). The government of this Kingdom is on the shoulders of Jesus Christ and is held securely by Him (Isaiah 9:6).

    As we war spiritually for our families, nations, and the monumental harvest You have planned, it can become wearying. But we are anchored by these truths. And also by the certainty that You defeated the powers of darkness, and that this victory is manifesting more and more. Your family is increasing and will continue to do so. Thanks for letting us participate!

    We speak grace and peace over one another. We are one body, connected by our roots like the roots of a giant Aspen forest. As such, we can feed and water one another in the spirit. We do so now, speaking blessings to our fellow believers.

    And we continue to ask for grace and favor in the war with Iran. Strengthen and guide our leaders and troops; give them the correct answers. Foil every plan of the evil leaders in Iran, break the back of wickedness there. Set the stage for the harvests of all harvests.

    Lead us as we prepare for August 14. Bring those You need there; move on the hearts of many to join online. Give us critical mass in the spirit, and may the impact be greater than anything we have yet experienced. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    Our decree:

    We state our faith that the Rock who has helped us thus far, our Ebenezer, will be our help in our future.

    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. 795.

     
     

    August 3, 2026

      The Importance of August 14

      The gathering taking place on August 14, 2026, in Ohio has taken on incredible significance. I believe it will help change the course of history. It began in our planning as a night to pray for people’s healing, which we will still do at the end. But at the clear direction of Holy Spirit, we shifted the focus to prayer regarding the war in Iran, spiritual harvest in the Middle East, and also throughout the world. At the end of last week, the significance of the night went to a completely new level as I met with key national and international prayer leaders. I’ll say more about that meeting later in the post.

      First, let me remind you of some things I began saying on Give Him 15 just over a week ago starting on July 22. I didn’t realize where this would lead at the time, only that I was very burdened regarding the situation in Iran. On 7/22/26 I said:

      “When physical wars are occurring on the earth, you can be certain that the invisible, spiritual realm is very involved. At times, more than others. The spiritual forces of darkness, spoken of throughout Scripture, are always attempting to control people and places. Stealing, killing, and destroying are their forte (John 10:10). The violence and insatiable craving for power held by previous and current dictators such as Mao, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Putin, Xi Jinping, Islamic terrorist groups, and other evil people is motivated by satan and his forces. Guaranteed.

      “Today’s ruthless, bloodthirsty, Islamist terrorist regime in Iran that hates Israel and America, and wants to dominate the entire region, is controlled by demonic powers. The sanctity of human life means nothing to them, nor does seeing people suffer. Even the thought of their own deaths doesn’t bother them; in their minds, they just get to their eternal harem more quickly. Their agendas of killing Jews and Americans, taking over the region, and eventually ruling the world are all that matters. They WOULD use a nuclear weapon if they had one. They. Are. Evil. And so are their proxies: Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis…”(1)

      I also shared that the goal of the spiritual powers behind this regime is to stop or interrupt the spiritual harvest God has planned for the Middle East and the world:

      “Principalities, powers, world rulers of darkness, and demonic forces are very much involved. We cannot expect our government and military to deal with the spiritual forces; this is the responsibility of the church. As we do so effectively, those in positions of governmental authority can accomplish what they must do. Jesus told us that we, His Ekklesia, would need to bind and loose (forbid and allow) the spiritual forces of darkness (Matthew 16:19), and we must do so…

      “The forces of darkness behind Iran are opposing America, the church, Israel, and God’s planned harvest in the Middle East. We, the church, must rise up and do our part. In the same way that millions of people prayed during World War II and helped turn the tide against Hitler, our prayers today can help turn the tide against radical Islamic evil.

      “Do not be deceived into thinking the war is only militaristic or physical; don’t fall into the trap of expecting President Trump and our military to prevail without our help. I am asking you that for a season, you will commit to daily prayer regarding this, even if only for a few minutes. Whether that be in your devotional prayer time, on your commute, as you do chores around the house, or in gatherings with others, I am asking you to become consistent in your prayers for this. Let’s do our part–we can turn the tide!”(2)

      Leaders’ Meeting Last Week

      As we prayer leaders spoke late last week about how we could work together to be more effective, this subject of Iran came up not by me but by others. Lou Engle shared his great burden to pray regarding it, as only Lou can, and others echoed the same concerns. Some spoke of perhaps doing a national gathering in order to do so. Then another, who had heard about our August 14 service, spoke up and said, “Dutch and some other leaders already have one planned.” The group was very excited, jumped on board, and our plans for the 14th meeting went to an entirely new level. Holy Spirit’s planning is amazing.

      As this gathering continues to gain momentum, I have no doubt that it will include believers from throughout the world. Many thousands will join us live; some in other time zones will do so later. The agreement when they do so will be just as strong and fruitful. I believe those in the body of Christ who understand the true authority of Christ’s Ekklesia on earth, the church, will rise to the challenge and impact the world through our prayers and agreement.

      To boost your confidence in the timing and emphasis of this gathering, here are a couple more remarkable signs of God’s orchestration.

      1. Daniel received breakthrough over the “prince of Persia” (modern-day Iran) in 21 days of prayer. Likewise, from the first full day of this current call to prayer against the “prince of Persia’s” control (July 24), through the last full day of prayer before our gathering on the 14th, will also be 21 days! We had no idea of this when planning it.

      2. Over the weekend I was made aware that the first version of the modern Iranian tricolor flag was adopted on this day, August 14, in 1905! I simply cannot believe this is a coincidence.(3)

      I believe God chose this day for the prayer gathering to confirm to us His focus on Iran and its importance. The enemy’s hold there must be broken. Jesus defeated the “strong man” (Matthew 12:29) over Iran - and every other nation - at the Cross, and the time has come for this to be enforced in the spiritual realm by the church. Doing so will release tremendous fruit in that nation, region, and throughout the world. Join us August 14, in person or by live stream, and let’s agree for this. Thousands of individuals, many prayer groups, and even entire congregations will do so. Help us write history on that day.

      (If your church chooses to join us with a live prayer service, they can register at Oasiswired.org, and people in your region can be informed and join you.)

      Pray with me:

      Father, as we expand our focus on August 14 to pray regarding the war with Iran, the Middle East, and a worldwide harvest, we ask for Holy Spirit’s guidance and favor. Lead us in the time leading up to this and give us laser-like accuracy on that evening. Move on the hearts of many to join us. Give us a breakthrough in Iran and miracles for those present that night.

      And Lord, it is clear that You commissioned us to enforce Christ’s victory over satan and his kingdom, and gave us authority to do so. We honor this and declare that the evil forces of violence, death, destruction, and spiritual blindness in the Middle East will not prevail. They have been stripped of their authority through Christ (Matthew 28:18), and in His name we bind their influence (Matthew 16:18-19). We command confusion and disorder into their ranks, and defeat to their plans.

      We ask You, Lord, to supernaturally dismantle the IRGC and all control held by radical Islamists in Iran and the entire region. Free the people from this oppression, and all of the Middle East from their influence. Create a beachhead of liberty and a base for the gospel to the entire region. Strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords, and bring a great, great spiritual harvest to the entire Muslim world.

      Lastly, give our government and military supernatural help and brilliant strategies. Keep our leaders from being deceived, misdirected, or out-maneuvered in any way. Do not allow this war to drag on. Protect our troops, our military bases, the innocent people of Iran, and the nations surrounding them. Protect Israel from every diabolical plan to harm them. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

      Our decree:

      We declare the release of God’s Kingdom authority over Iran, the war there, and throughout the Middle East region, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

      Again, for more information regarding the event on August 14, 2026, go to OasisWired.org

      Click on the link below to watch the full video.


       
       

      July 31, 2026

        Introduction

        I feel it is appropriate today to follow yesterday’s post with an encouraging word regarding what God is planning. It comes to us from our friend Gina Gholston. The title is:

        The Unexpected

        I recently heard someone spontaneously singing over and over: “When the glory is in the room, nothing else is needed.” Those words were simple yet profoundly gripping! I instantly thought of Isaiah chapter six, where Isaiah had entered the temple and unexpectedly encountered God. He saw “the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” He saw seraphim and heard them crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” The power of their worship and the tangible weight of God’s presence were so overwhelming that the doorposts of the temple literally shook, and the house filled with smoke.

        In that moment, Isaiah, along with everything else in that place, reverently surrendered to the undeniable presence of Yahweh! Nothing else mattered. Routine expectations were swallowed by holy awe and honor. There was no rush to move on to the next item on the agenda. That would have been unthinkable! Captured in the swirl of the manifested glory of God, Isaiah could only do one thing, and that was to bow before the Lord and cry out from the depths of a humbled, surrendered heart, “You are here! My eyes behold You, and I am undone.”

        Isaiah was in a moment of historical transition. The nation was in a crisis, and there was serious uncertainty about its future. The only hope for change was an awakening to an awareness of God and a submission to His guidance. For Isaiah, that encounter with God brought everything into proper perspective. Every emotion he carried into the temple that day melted away when He saw the Lord. His eyes were opened to see beyond the crisis. His ears were opened to hear above the uncertainty, and he was launched from that encounter with a fresh assignment and purpose that would impact the nation.

        Today, America is in a crisis, and we, too, are suspended in a moment of transition. Naturally speaking, the nation’s future could tip in either direction, but its ultimate prophetic destiny is one of salvation, and the Ekklesia is being called to attention. The only thing that will tip the scales toward the fulfillment of that prophetic destiny is an awakening to God. And I sense that, as with Isaiah, the church is stepping into a time of Holy interruption. Our familiar routines and agendas are about to collide with the raw presence of Yahweh. Under the weight of His glory, previous distractions, emotional entanglements, and routine agendas and expectations will be dissolved. An acute awareness of Him and of our desperate need for renewed surrender to Him will change us. He is humbling us and drawing us into a place of undivided focus, enabling us to see beyond our circumstances and hear His wisdom and instructions. And from those holy encounters, He will launch us with fresh power to accomplish His purposes for our time.

        Some may remember the dream the Lord gave me in 2023, in which He summoned the Ekklesia to gather at a certain location. Thousands had responded to His call. On an overhead screen, we were shown evidence that a great move of God was happening all across America. As thunderous applause and celebration broke out in response to what we were seeing, the voice of the Lord then thundered, “Celebrate the movement, but do not become distracted by it. Work while you celebrate.”

        In that moment, we realized this was not an ordinary gathering; it was an urgent call to attention. At one point in the dream, the place where we gathered began to vibrate with what felt like an electrical current. A wind began blowing, and fire just dropped down out of the heavens onto every one of us. The fiery presence of the Lord filled the room in a visible, tangible demonstration, and we were being transformed. Our expectations for a typical gathering were abruptly changed by a sudden invasion of God's glory! His radiant presence completely reoriented our hearts and reshaped our entire perspective.

        Everything changes when God is present; when He is in the room, nothing else matters!

        Recently, the Lord has also been reminding me of the word He gave me at the beginning of this year. “My glory is coming in unexpected and unusual ways, and in unexpected and unusual places beginning this year.”

        He also reminded me of a word Holy Spirit released through me several years ago during a time of intense intercession. “Lift up your heads because the King of Glory is coming in. There is a divine interruption in the works, and it will be a moment holding the power and ability to change everything. He’s going to show up . . . unexpectedly.”

        Unexpected. This word carries the implication of an unforeseen surprise, an interruption of the ordinary. It’s so easy just to follow the routine, do what we do, release our prayers and decrees, sing our songs, preach our sermons. Yet, the truth is, many are not truly expecting Him to come. But I hear Him saying, “There is a divine interruption in the works. My glory is coming.” He is going to show up in our prayer times, our gatherings, our churches, our homes; and in the light of His radiant glory, the routine will fade away. Captured in the swirl of His glory, we will be jolted into the realization that He is all that matters, and all that we can do will be to cry out from the depths of our humbled hearts, “O Lord, You are here! We see You, and we are undone.”

        Awakening to an awareness of Him changes everything!

        I believe the fear of the Lord is about to be reestablished in the church as we are visited by Him in His glory. If we humble ourselves before Him and align with His leading, He will launch us from those transforming encounters with the ability to walk in a greater purpose and expression of Him more than we ever thought possible…just like Isaiah. Transformed by His glory, we will be empowered to work with Him as He brings transformation to the world around us.

        Pray with me:

        Father, we welcome Your divine interruptions. Come, Lord, and make Yourself known! Come in the fire of Your Spirit and reignite within us a deepened awe and reverence for You! May our familiar routines and our expectations for only the ordinary fade away as we encounter You. Remove every emotional entanglement that distracts us. Capture us in the swirl of Your manifested glory and jolt us back into the realization that You are all that we need.

        And Father, the bowls in heaven containing the prayers of Your people are being filled daily by millions of people around the world. You use those prayers to accomplish Your purposes, mixing them with fire from Your altar and pouring them onto the earth at just the right time. These prayers are precious to You – You referred to them as incense (Revelation chapters 5 and 8). They represent to You the cherished partnership You have with Your family.

        We add to these accumulating prayers today regarding the Middle East. There are millions of “pre-saved” people there, more of Your great worldwide family waiting to be born again. We bind the powers of darkness that war against this, declaring in the name of Jesus that their authority to rule that region was broken at Calvary.

        And once again, we ask that wisdom and understanding come to our President and his team. Give them a daily reminder to ask for Your help, clothing themselves in the garment of humility. As they do, provide them with unbeatable strategies and divinely inspired timing. And unleash Your powerful message of Jesus and his salvation to the entire Middle East region.

        In His name we pray!

        Our decree:

        The glory of the Lord is rising throughout the world, transforming the church and bringing light to the nations.

        Click on the link below to watch the full video.

        You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.com.

         
         
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