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February 10, 2026

A Thank-You to the Faithful

I spoke this past weekend at the 20th anniversary of Hope Fellowship in Brandon, Mississippi, a wonderful church led by David and Jo Hertel. In preparation for this, the Lord led me to Acts 10 and the account of Cornelius. Holy Spirit actually awakened me early Sunday morning with this passage in my heart. It tells us that the home of Cornelius was chosen by God as the launch point of the gospel to the Gentile world. Think about that: world history was forever changed in Cornelius’ living room!

What did Cornelius do to attain such an honor? The answer is given in Acts 10:2-4:

“A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God continually…And [an angel] said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.”

Cornelius was a generous man who gave “many” financial gifts to the poor. And though he was not yet born again, his love and respect for God caused him to live a life of prayer. These two offerings had “ascended as a memorial before God.” The Greek word “memorial” used in this passage means a record, a remembrance, and can even be a literal monument.(1) Cornelius was on record in heaven! And when God was choosing who would receive this immeasurable honor, He did so based on a man’s giving and his intercession. The Lord is moved by our generosity and, of course, our faithfulness.

In a parable regarding faithfulness, the Lord stated that this virtue would be part of our welcome into Heaven:​​ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:21 NLT)

In today’s post, I want to encourage the faithful intercessors, the front-liners who are praying diligently to see the purposes of Christ accomplished in America and the world. Most of them are never paid a penny for their labors, never receive glowing introductions, and will never stand on a stage. They’re the nameless, faceless heroes on record in heaven. Thank God for their labors. 

The great leader, orator, and statesman Winston Churchill was known for his ability to bolster the spirits and determination of the British people during the harsh days of World War II. On October 31, 1942, he was addressing a conference of coal mine operators and miners in Westminster’s Central Hall. Compared to some of Churchill’s speeches, this one seemed like nothing extraordinary, not until his ending, that is. When I read it, I always think of those who faithfully pray for our nation and the nations. Churchill said:

“We shall not fail, and then someday, when children ask, ‘What did you do to win this inheritance for us, and to make our name so respected among men?’ One will say: ‘I was a fighter pilot’; another will say: ‘I was in the Submarine Service’; another: ‘I marched with the Eighth Army’; a fourth will say: ‘None of you could have lived without the convoys and the Merchant Seamen’; and you in your turn will say, with equal pride and with equal right: ‘We cut the coal.’”(2)

With absolutely no fear of being sensationalistic or exaggerating the truth, I say to the intercessors, the active “coal-cutters”: Thank you for furthering the cause of Christ and helping save the world from evil and tyranny. 

I recently heard a quote implying that our yieldedness to God is more important than our actions or efforts. May I respectfully say that this is a half-truth? Our yieldedness is but one side of the coin. The converse side of the coin is the “hard work” side - the “bended knee” side, the “go ye” side, the “coal-cutting” side. Without this half of the coin, it’s a counterfeit.

When I think of faithful and determined intercessors, I think of warriors like Eleazar in Scripture, one of David’s mighty men, who fought the enemies of Israel until his hand clung to the sword (2 Samuel 23: 9-10). They had to peel Eleazar’s fingers from the sword after the battle. When he could no longer hold on with his physical strength, he held on with his heart. I have watched intercessors weep over America until their eyes were bloodshot, pray through the night, fast for days on end, and spend thousands of their hard-earned dollars on prayer journeys to see God's purposes established in our nation. 

I have watched them stand in the rain and snow for hours with pieces of red LIFE tape covering their mouths. Others have not only prayed for the unborn, but have adopted unwanted babies or children, preserving their destinies and giving them families. Still others have supported these actions financially. 

These selfless warriors are today’s “Eleazars and Corneliuses,” and their efforts do not go unnoticed in heaven. Like David’s “mighty men,” they are today’s “mighty men and women.”

And they are my heroes - I am humbled by their sacrifices and commitment. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their coal-stained faces. There are important reasons we are the “post-Roe generation.” Had there been more of them, perhaps some of the other cataclysmic issues of our day would have been overcome by now. My prayer is that their ranks grow. 

Pray with me:

Father, You are not impressed with our gifts and talents. They came from You, after all. What You appreciate and need are servant hearts, our prayers, and our faithfulness. You equated greatness with servanthood, not with eloquence, large followings, money, notoriety, or fame. We thank You for the faithful, hidden ones of the Kingdom You’re using to change the world. 

May the coming season in the church be known as “the servant movement.” Deliver us from showbiz Christianity, platform-driven movements, and spiritual entertainment centers. Give us real Christianity, the book of Acts kind. That’s the only model You gave us. Multiply the numbers of Eleazars and Corneliuses in the body of Christ. 

Light a fire in we, Your people. Release a call to action. Give us spiritual “coal-cutters,” doers. Deliver the church from selfishness, laziness, and “prayerlessness.” Make us givers, lovers, and warriors.

We pray all of this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Our decree:

We declare that God is multiplying the number of faithful intercessors in the church, and consequently, the church will not fail in our assignment to change the world.

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. 3422.

  2. https://www.preaching.com/articles/preacher-get-it-right/

 
 

February 9, 2026

A Day to Rededicate America to God

On Thursday, February 5th, President Trump told those gathered that his administration would hold an event on May 17, 2026, on the Washington Mall/Lincoln Memorial to rededicate America as “one nation, under God.”

I certainly would not have to convince GH15 listeners/readers of this event’s significance. It is monumental. I (and others) have been interceding and decreeing for more than 40 years that this would occur - not the gathering itself, as important as that will be, but what it represents. 

America began turning from and rebelling against God and His Son, Jesus Christ, decades ago, at least as early as the 1960’s. In 1962, the Supreme Court struck down school prayer; Time magazine published an article in 1965 reporting on the “God Is Dead” theology and movement. In 1973, the infamous Supreme Court decision making the right to an abortion the law of the land was delivered. That season began not merely a decline in morality, decency, and greatness in America; it marked the beginning of a cataclysmic collapse. 

For the last few years, America has been inching its way to healing. Like the prodigal in Scripture crawling through the mud and slop of pigs back to “his senses” (Luke 15:17), America is returning to our Heavenly Father - to our roots. A rededication of our nation to God by our President and other leaders is astronomical toward this process. Christian leaders have done this; I have participated in it. But it will take on added significance when our government does so. The heavens will shake in the spiritual realm.  

What Does This Dedication Mean?

The concept of dedicating people, places, buildings, and other resources to God is very biblical and significant. There are four words in Scripture  translated “dedicate” or “dedication.” Examining them alongside references in which they’re used will provide insight into the principle. 

  1. Chanak(1) is one of the words. It is used to describe Solomon and all of Israel “dedicating” the Temple in 1 Kings 8:63. Interestingly, it is also translated “train up” a child in the way he should go in Proverbs 22:6. It is easy to see that the word conveys more than a simple token prayer or statement of dedication. It implies a serious, ongoing commitment to a process, person, or cause. And it ushered the glory of God into the temple!

  2. Another word translated “dedicate” in Scripture is qadash, and its derivative qodesh.(2) These two highly significant words mean to be holy or to be set apart to God. People were, of course, qadash’ed or separated to Him, but items (such as utensils in the Temple), and even days on the calendar were, as well. Items in the Temple were never to be used for anything else after being dedicated to the Lord. Days on the calendar that were qadash’ed to God were treated as holy days. Joshua told the entire nation of Israel to qadash themselves to the Lord in Joshua 3:5, in preparation for crossing into the promised land. Joel was told to sanctify or consecrate (qadash) the nation of Israel in Joel 2:15-16 in order to allow God’s restoration to occur. 

    It is clear that the concept presented by these words is incredibly powerful. It tells us how seriously Yahweh takes our dedication to Him, declaring us holy and as belonging to Him when we do so. 

  3. A third word translated as dedicate is cherem or charam.(3) This word carries such a strong meaning of being dedicated or devoted to someone that it became the word for a king’s harem. The word implies being set apart to a person or purpose in a very strict way. The spoils of Jericho, for example, were set apart (charem) for God’s use only (Joshua 6:18). When Achan stole some of those spoils, it brought a curse on the entire nation until his sin was dealt with (Joshua 7:11-13)!

    America was “dedicated” to God from her beginning, set apart for His purposes. We abandoned the Lord and His purposes for us, rebelling from His ways and our dedication to Him. The cost has been immeasurable. 

  4. The New Testament Greek word for dedicate is egkainizo.(4) Egkainizo means to “inaugurate, dedicate, and/or consecrate something new;” it can also mean to rededicate it. The word is used in Hebrews 9:18 to describe the inauguration, dedication, and consecration of the Old Covenant through the blood of animals. In the next chapter, 10:20, it describes the inauguration and dedication of the new and better covenant through the blood of Jesus. 

    This word is also used in the phrase “Feast of Dedication” in John 10:22. Today, this festival is called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights. “The history of the Feast of Dedication goes back to the intertestamental period and the Maccabean Revolt. After a Syrian king profaned the Jewish temple and forced the Jews to abandon their sacrifices and adopt pagan rituals, a group of Jewish freedom fighters rose up, defied the oppressive pagan regime, and overthrew the Syrians. The temple in Jerusalem was “re-dedicated” to God; ever since then, the Feast of Dedication has been celebrated to commemorate this meaningful event in Jewish history.”(5)

America should take the rededication of our nation to God as seriously as the Jews did the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees. I can assure you God will take it seriously. We should celebrate the overthrow of defilement and the return of our nation to alignment with the Lord. This won’t mean the work of restoration is finished, but it will certainly mean it can be finished.

Pray with me:

Father, thank You for raising up this nation to be a light, a city on a hill, trumpeting the gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth. Though we have strayed from our purpose and destiny, You have not altered it. You intend to resurrect this destiny and allow us to participate in the great billion-soul harvest.

As we pray for America today, we ask You to more fully reveal to us our great need for You. We repent over our sin and rebellion, the aborted babies, sex trafficking, and the mutilation of children, confused about their identities. Cleanse our hearts of our self-sufficiency, pride, arrogance, and rebellion toward You. Break and cleanse the hearts of the church over our lukewarm condition and compromise.

Father, we thank You for the great turning that has begun; turning from our way to Your way; turning from sin to righteousness; turning from death to life; turning from selfishness to selflessness and love. 

As we approach this rededication, we pray for our government leaders. Give us legislators and judges who truly acknowledge a reliance upon You and Your statutes. Only through You will we see America’s destiny fulfilled. 

Heal America’s breaches. Repair our political, generational, and racial wounds. Deliver us from wicked leaders who use them to divide us. Remove them from positions of authority. Expose their hypocrisy and evil agendas. 

We boldly ask You to bless our nation and bring a sweeping revival - an awakening that will touch every soul and set us apart to You once again. Come, Holy Spirit, sweep across our states and cities. We ask for these things in Christ’s name, Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we, the people of America, place our trust in Almighty God and honor His will and ways. We rededicate this nation to You!

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. 2596.

  2. Ibid., ref. no. 6944.

  3. Ibid., ref. no. 2764.

  4. Ibid., ref. no. 1457.

  5. https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Dedication.html

 
 

February 6, 2026

Air Superiority, Part 4

As we discuss our “air superiority” as the Ekklesia, I want to touch on the question of why it often takes time for our prayers to be answered. If we have the authority of Christ’s name in order to represent Him, why does it sometimes take so long to expel satan and his activities? 

The reality is that when exercising our authority over satan and his kingdom - binding and loosing, taking back what he has stolen, etc. - this often occurs incrementally. This is especially true when doing so regarding corporate entities, such as a nation. It is much easier to expel evil spirits from, and break their control over, an individual versus a nation. 

Satan gains access to humans in multiple ways. At times, he infiltrates the lives of people and nations simply through his subtlety, working without them being aware of his actions. Second Corinthians 2:11 tells us he takes advantage of those who are unaware of his schemes and tactics. Satan’s craftiness is his greatest strength. Hosea 4:6 affirms this, telling us that people can be destroyed by ignorance or a lack of knowledge. 

Scripture also tells us, unsurprisingly, that satan sometimes gains access to humans because of sin. Doors can be opened to him legally, providing a legal right to control a person or nation. Ephesians 4:27 warns us not to “give place to the devil.” “Place” is from the Greek word topos,(1) from which we get the English word topography. Topos is used not only to speak of literal land or places, but also figuratively, as it is here, in reference to giving or providing a “place of opportunity” or a “place of power.” In this same sense, topos is the word for a scabbard, a place in which to carry a sword or gun. “Don’t give satan ground or territory upon which he has a legal right, spiritually speaking, to implement his weapons or his control.”

Paul used the word “topos” in Acts 25:16, referencing his “license” (KJV) or legal right in Roman law to defend himself against the charges brought against him. The point of these references is that sin can provide a legal right to satan, giving him a “place” from which to conduct his stealing, killing, and destructive activities (John 10:10). These sins can actually defile and bring curses to the very land upon which we live, according to Numbers 35:33 and other verses. 

America’s sins, especially abortion, have given satan access to our nation. We are told very clearly in Scripture that the shedding of innocent blood releases a curse on the land (Numbers 35:33; see also Proverbs 6:17). Another sin that has opened the door to satan’s activities is simply our nation’s rebellion against God and His Word. Rebellion, we are told in Scripture, is the equivalent of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23), opening the door to demonic activity and control. It cost Saul his position as king of Israel. Idolatry could also be listed as a sin that defiles the land and brings curses upon people and nations. We could certainly list others, but it is not my purpose to offer a list of America’s sins. I am simply pointing out that as a nation, we are reaping the results of giving “place” to satan. 

When corporate sins such as these are ongoing, a one-time repentance from a few people is not adequate to remove satan’s legal right to control the group. A consistent repentance and usually from an increasing number of individuals, is needed in order to bring sufficient cleansing. There is no verse of Scripture that explicitly states this, but it is certainly implied. The Bible says, “If My people humble themselves and pray…”, not “If an individual” does so. Christ’s Ekklesia on earth, given authority to overcome the government of hell, is not one person but a body of people. Agreement in prayer requires plurality. It is clear that, in many ways, God deals with humanity corporately, not just individually. 

Because of this principle, “binding” demonic powers and “loosing” nations from their influence, as we spoke of in yesterday‘s post, is a process. The fruit occurs incrementally. In summary, as our prayers increase, they release more of God’s power…which causes more hearts to turn toward the Lord…which lessens the “place” or territory from which Satan can control. Gordon Lindsay, a great teacher on prayer in the 1960s, used to say in reference to incremental victory over satan’s actions, “I push the devil back a little farther every day.” 

That’s what we’re doing in America. 

Pray with me:

Father, we begin today by asking You to forgive our nation for taking the lives of over 60 million innocent children through abortion. We could never atone for this gross evil. America deserves nothing but judgment and curses. But we thank You that through the blood of Jesus, we can receive – not what we deserve – but Your mercy. We thank You that Jesus took the punishment we deserve, and through His blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of heaven, provided mercy for us. 

Through this, we ask You to cleanse America, washing away all of our sins and their resulting curses. We ask that the “place” that has been given to the spirit of murder in America be removed. Break the hold of violence and bring peace to our nation. 

We ask for a continuation and increase of the revival that has begun; it will further cleanse and remove the deception that allows our great national sins. And we ask You to raise up more and more righteous leaders in our government who understand principles of repentance and spiritual cleansing, and who desire to follow Your ways. Give them the faith and boldness to repent on behalf of our nation and to make biblical, life-giving decrees. We ask for greater revelation and enlightenment to the Ekklesia regarding our authority in Christ. And give us wisdom to apply this authority in more productive ways. Teach us how to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), uproot evil systems (Jeremiah 1:10), and manifest Your wisdom even to principalities and powers in heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10)

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

Our decree:

We decree that Christ’s governmental influence on earth is ever-increasing (Isaiah 9:6-7), and He has made the church ambassadors of that Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). We will represent Him!

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. 5117.

 
 
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