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  • March 19, 2024

    Introduction As I begin my R n R today, YOU are going to blessed by my friend Gene Bailey, whom you know from his very significant program on the Victory Network, Flashpoint. I don’t have to tell you that Gene is making a huge impact in our nation, and it is a true honor to have him fill in for me today. Thanks, Gene. ________________________________________________________ Transitional Moments Hello, I’m Gene Bailey, and I’m honored Dutch and Ceci asked me to fill in for Dutch today. In thinking and praying about this post, I was reminded of something I wrote a while back about “Transitional Moments.” Right now, this nation is certainly in a transitional moment. We are wanting to see a turnaround in our leaders, yes. But I believe you and I are also in a transition. Let’s look at the first book of Joshua. “Moses, my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them” (Joshua 1:2). Imagine how Joshua must have felt when God spoke these words to him. He’d walked closely and faithfully with Moses for years. He’d witnessed miracles by Moses’ hand and had watched him struggle through periods of sin. He was well acquainted with the quirks of the Israelites and had seen Moses intercede for them. And one day, out of nowhere, it happened. Moses was dead. “Moses is dead? I’m in charge? Now?” Gulp. I wonder if anyone was more surprised than Joshua that it was time for him to take God’s people into the Promised Land. Joshua had been thrust into a transitional moment. That’s how transitional moments happen—we don’t expect them, and we often don’t realize we’re in one until we’re really in one. Transitional moments take us from where we are into what God has next. I think it’s safe to say that we’re in a worldwide transitional moment. Everything we knew previously, or everything we thought we knew, has been shaken away. But remember, when things get shaken, God promises that there is always something that remains. As a believer in Jesus Christ, that “something” is you! Christ in you is the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27). There are some things to consider as we stand in this very uncomfortable time of transition. Remember that a little farther down in Joshua 1, the Lord spends some time encouraging Joshua with several things: that He would be with him, just as He was with Moses; that He would be strong and courageous; and that He would keep the Word before him, constantly meditating on it. Most of us are aware that the things we did in the last season no longer work, but we haven’t yet figured out what to do in the season we’re heading into. We would do well to heed the Lord’s encouragement to Joshua, rather than trying to wiggle our way out of this uncomfortable transition. We must wake up and take seriously what is happening around us. Evil forces are threatening to destroy our country, and we cannot afford to sit idly by as we try to ignore our discomfort and go on with “life as usual.” There is no more life as usual—that’s the point. But God has great plans for us, just as He had for Joshua and the Israelites. Israel had tried for years to cross into the Promised Land. After many years of walking around the desert with Moses, they still hadn’t gotten there. Their hearts weren’t ready for what God had for them. But when God raised up Joshua to lead them, Joshua became the power relationship that Israel needed to get them through the transition and into their promise. When they got into agreement with the right guy, they were able to cross over into the Promised Land! This same principle also rings true for us—we cannot pass through transition and into the new season unless we have the right connection. When we are aligned with “the right guy,” the one who is our power relationship—in our case, Jesus—we are well able to cross over into what God has for us! Immediately after the Lord commissioned Joshua, he stepped into Moses’ shoes and assumed his leadership role. That was a huge shift, not just for Joshua but for all of Israel, who were now looking to him for guidance. He led them through the Jordan, and just a few chapters later, they came to Jericho. When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told (Joshua 5:13-15). Joshua was now leading his army and they’d arrived close to Jericho. I’m sure he felt no pressure, right? Ha! Can you imagine how he must have felt? I think he knew his best bet was to listen to what the Lord had instructed him—so the first thing Joshua did was pray. When he did, an angel came and told him exactly what to do. Good advice. It’s easy for us to try to come up with our own solutions when we’re thrown into a new season. Sometimes, we don’t take the time to seek the Lord for instruction because we react out of fear, frustration, or uncertainty. We know that all these things have been rampant in our country and across the world for well over several years now. We would do well to follow Joshua’s example and pray— expecting that the Lord will show up and give us specific instructions on how to move forward. God only lights the step we’re on. Faith takes the next step. We usually can’t see very far down the path. We may only get instructions for one move at a time, but as we continue to follow Him, He will continue to reveal the next steps! Another thing to notice about Joshua—his first question to the angel was, “Which side are you on?” Sound familiar? Surely there are only two sides in every battle, right? We all want the Lord to be on our side, to champion our cause, and back our opinions and our limited understanding. We should always be firm in our stand for righteousness, but we must be careful not to view life as one big contest with two opposing sides, political or otherwise, or to view people through the lens of “friend or foe.” When we do this, we are like Joshua—wanting God to be on our side, rather than aligning ourselves with what He is doing. In the battle where Joshua saw two sides, friend or foe, the angel didn’t have a side—he was aligned with the Lord. Once Joshua understood this, he submitted to the angel’s authority and instruction. Let’s pay attention and learn this lesson from Joshua. It’s a great reminder that God doesn’t take sides— He has His own plan and agenda. We can choose to respond, “I am at Your command,” or we can get caught up in the “us vs. them” mentality and miss our true enemy—the one who is always working to steal, kill, and destroy. Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, lead us today in our life choices, no matter how insignificant they may seem. We choose to rest in You and Your plan. Forgive us when we get ahead of You and implement our own plans or worry about the plan itself. We roll that care over on You. We are indeed Yours to command. Our decree: We decree we are equipped and positioned where God needs us to be. We pray, stay in Christ, and are guided by Holy Spirit through transitional moments. Our strength and courage come through standing for Christ’s righteous causes. We are confident we will win and that “America shall be saved!” Thank you for joining me today. Portions of today’s post come from my book, Flashpoint of Revival. You can find out more about it at GeneBailey.com. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

  • March 18, 2024

    God Put Me In His River Rivers can be peaceful, violent, lots of fun and sometimes destructive. I’ve had several interesting river experiences. I remember floating down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. At that time, the country was named Rhodesia, and embroiled in a great internal conflict. Due to the constant threat of attack, an army patrol boat continually circled us, watching for terrorists; a nice, relaxing cruise! Then there was my trip down the Passion River in Guatemala, where an army of voracious ants crawled onto me as I lay sleeping in the boat. They had been hidden in the lumber we were transporting. When they were all in position, the ants began to bite all at once and with incredible precision. Actually, gnaw would be more accurate. Fifteen screams, one boat-rearranging conniption fit, and several dozen dead ants later, I regained my peace like the unflappable man I am and went back to sleep. Just like Jesus, sleeping through the storm. On one occasion, I went skiing on the Ohio River near Cincinnati. I was in the water, not yet up on my skis, when my friend at the helm decided a barge was getting a mite too close. My buddy screamed, “Grab the rope!” and he hit the throttle. I did grab the rope, leaving my skis behind, and was dragged headfirst across the Ohio River out of harm’s way. It was a real drag. On March 9, 1997, God put me in His river. Though interesting, even exciting, my previous river adventures pale in comparison to what happened to me on this particular Sunday. Along with several others, I was praying for people during our regular morning service. Suddenly, someone laid their hands on me and began to pray. I ended up on the floor receiving a vision from God. I lay there for 45 minutes, sometimes laughing and, at other times, weeping as God took me on a spiritual journey. Not being a person particularly given to this sort of thing, it took me completely by surprise. I’m rather reserved and somewhat cerebral. I’m a teacher. I study, do word studies, run references. I think didactically; figure things out. I have to know why and how. My little cerebral, didactic mind wasn’t prepared for what occurred. Maybe this surprise invasion of my cranial disposition didn't blow my mind, but it sure stretched it out of shape. Does it bother you when God does something you can’t quite explain or understand? If asked, I’d be the first to say I don’t have God or His ways completely figured out. This doesn’t bother me. It’s when He demonstrates it that I get a little weirded out. Just like you, I have my comfort zones. What happened while I was on the floor was nothing less than amazing to me. In this vision, I found myself in a river about waist-deep and perhaps 30 feet wide, frolicking with Jesus! This might offend your concept of the Lord, but He was in a very playful mood. We swam, we splashed, we laughed. He even dunked me! (I tried to dunk Him.) We did all the things people do when they play in the water. At one point, Jesus put His head under the water, then came up shaking His head from side to side, throwing water all over me. Intending to do the same to Him, I put my head underneath the water but was distracted by what happened. As I put my head under the water and began to shake it, impurities were washed off me and began to float downstream. Each time I was immersed in it, the river brought cleansing to me! Just as Naaman the leper was healed by dipping in the Jordan River (see 2 Kings 5:1-14), God’s river was purifying me of my uncleanness. Another thing I found quite interesting was that I couldn’t drown in this water. When my head went under and I accidentally breathed in, the water didn’t choke me as water typically does. Instead of going into my lungs, causing me to gag and choke, it flowed throughout my entire body, bringing refreshment and vitality. It was, indeed, the river of life (see Revelation 22:1). We continued to frolic for a while, just having fun. I can’t overemphasize how much Jesus was enjoying Himself. Psalm 46:4 became a reality to me: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High” (emphasis mine). Throughout the vision, no matter what we did, Jesus was having fun. Imagine that - God having fun. Until this experience, I don’t recall the thought of God having fun ever entering my mind. I guess I thought He was too cerebral and didactic. A group of people on the shore were watching us. For reasons unknown to me at the time, they were hesitant to get in the water, seemingly afraid of it. I realize now that this group represents those who are somewhat cautious or even fearful of the manifestations of Holy Spirit. As these people stood on the shore watching us, trying to decide whether or not to get in the water, the Lord looked at me and said, “Let’s splash them!” We began to do so, and, without exception, when the water touched those on the bank, they instantly wanted to get into the river. The water was infectious. Then they, too, began having fun with us. The water not only quenched thirst, but also created it. What a paradox! At one point, I asked Jesus why the water was only waist-deep. I recalled from Ezekiel’s vision of God’s river in Ezekiel 47 that the river became progressively deeper, “trickling…ankles…knees…loins…enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded” (Ezekiel 47:2-5). He replied to me that this level was for the Church—for cleansing, refreshing, and renewal. “The deeper water,” He said, “is when the river flows to the nations.” Instantly, the water rose until it became a deep, swift current that swept us away. Though it was strong and overpowered me, I was not afraid. After this demonstration, we were brought back to the original place and water level. As people were moving in and out of the water, I saw a lady diseased with cancer. Jesus looked at me, smiling. He said rather matter-of-factly, “Well, go heal her.” I walked over and put my hand on her. As I did, the Lord moved behind me and placed His hand on the middle of my back. When He did, the power went from Him, through me, and into this lady, healing her. We then went back to playing in the river. Throughout the vision, Jesus took me in the spirit to several places throughout the world. The river was present everywhere we went, and we ministered to many. Then the Lord said, “Let’s go.” “Where?” I asked. “You’ll see,” He again responded, and off we went once more. This time, we landed on a beach. It was similar to a public beach with places to play, relax, or rest. “What are we doing here?” I inquired. “It’s time for some rest and relaxation,” He replied. “But who will go to all the other places and tell them the good news?” I asked Him. “Oh, I have lots of others who’ll go,” He responded. “It’s time for you to rest.” And I did. Rest is good. My sweet wife has arranged for 6 national leaders to cover the GH15 posts for the next few days, starting tomorrow, giving me a week of rest and prayer for my 70th birthday. I will introduce each one (via a recording), and they will bring a strong word to you. You will be very blessed by these voices, beginning with Gene Bailey of Flashpoint. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the river of living water that flows from Your throne. It is a river of life, a river of joy, and a river of refreshment. As I take a week to be refreshed and relax with You, I pray that You will speak clearly to me. I also pray that You will refresh Your people, allowing them to drink deeply of Your presence, and hear clearly from You through these voices that are so graciously blessing me for the next week. We also ask You for the river of revival to flow in our land, going to a much deeper level this year. Your river carries refreshing, healing, salvation, and revelation. Cause it to flow powerfully in our land and throughout the world, cleansing and transforming. We ask for this in the name of Christ. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the river of God is rising, and will flow powerfully throughout the Earth. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

  • March 15, 2024

    God Never Lies, and He Never Loses Nehemiah, Chapter 6: “When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn’t yet installed the gates—Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: “Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono.” “I knew they were scheming to hurt me, so I sent messengers back with this: ‘I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?’ “Four times they sent this message and four times I gave them my answer. “The fifth time—same messenger, same message—Sanballat sent an unsealed letter with this message: “‘The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it’s true—that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That’s why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, ‘There’s a king in Judah!’ The king is going to be told all this—don’t you think we should sit down and have a talk?’ ‘I sent him back this: ‘There’s nothing to what you’re saying. You’ve made it all up.’ “They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, ‘They’ll give up; they’ll never finish it.’ “I prayed, ‘Give me strength.’ “Then I met secretly with Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, at his house. He said: “‘Let’s meet at the house of God, inside The Temple; Let’s find safety behind locked doors because they’re coming to kill you, Yes, coming by night to kill you.’ “I said, ‘Why would a man like me run for cover? And why would a man like me use The Temple as a hideout? I won’t do it.’ “I sensed that God hadn’t sent this man. The so-called prophecy he spoke to me was the work of Tobiah and Sanballat; they had hired him. He had been hired to scare me off—trick me—a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me. “‘O my God, don’t let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they’ve done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence.’ “The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work. “All during this time letters were going back and forth constantly between the nobles of Judah and Tobiah. Many of the nobles had ties to him because he was son-in-law to Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. They kept telling me all the good things he did and then would report back to him anything I would say. And then Tobiah would send letters to intimidate me.” (Nehemiah 6:1-19 The Message) PARALLELS TO TODAY This account of Nehemiah and the remnant working with him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem is in many ways a parallel to our efforts in restoring America. The enemies of God, led by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, were trying desperately to keep them from succeeding, and the remnant had to be very diligent in order to succeed. Who were these enemies? “The Horonites (Sanballat) and Ammonites (Tobiah) were two of the people groups God had driven from the Promised Land for the Israelites. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were regional governors serving under the king of Persia [present-day Iran]. Sanballat, called a Horonite, was probably from Horonaim, a city of Moab. Tobiah the Ammonite was governing an area east of the Jordan River. Geshem the Arab was most likely from the region south of Judah. Generations after Israel had first possessed the Promised Land, some of their old enemies were back, seeking to keep Jerusalem in ruins.”(1) Their “schemes” (verse 2) were significant and diverse, but all were intended to intimidate (verses 9, 14, 19). The phrase “trying to undermine my confidence,” (verse 14) is key to what satan, through these men, was trying to accomplish, just as he does today. Satan cannot overpower God’s people; his strength is his ability to deceive. He uses this method to attack our faith. In this scenario, satan used: Mocking: (They did so here in chapter 6, but this is especially emphasized in chapter 4.) False prophets: They were used in attempts to try and trap Nehemiah into moving presumptuously;  and also to erode his confidence by causing him to question whether or not he had truly heard from God. Spies and traitors: Nehemiah's enemies planted individuals who pretended to be friends, but were actually trying to get information in order to use it against him. A read of the entire book of Nehemiah, which is a fascinating and easy read, will reveal other tactics the enemy used. REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS What was required of Nehemiah and the remnant in order to succeed? Faith: The workers had to keep themselves focused on what God had said, which is the way in which faith comes and is sustained. Faith is not positive thinking, the absence of negative thoughts; that can be accomplished without God or His Word. Biblical faith comes when we allow Holy Spirit to bring God‘s words alive in us. They grow until fully developed, at which time we are confident that He will do as He says. This produces not only confidence, but boldness and fearlessness. Hard work: What God wanted to accomplish, would not occur simply because of His sovereignty. Nehemiah and the remnant would have to do their part, which included hard work. The same is true for us today. To say that God will send revival and reformation, healing and restoring our nation, without His people doing their part, is untrue. I have quoted the great Jack Hayford before, but do so again now, “The quest of Jesus Christ on the Earth is greatly crippled by wrong notions of the sovereignty of God.” Determination: Call it perseverance, tenacity, or steadfastness, it doesn’t matter the term. Churchill had it right, one of the most important keys to victory is refusing to quit. Nehemiah and the remnant had to persevere. Satan and his allies will always attempt to wear believers down through relentless attacks (Daniel 7:25). One of the men who mentored me through his teachings and messages, Norvel Hayes, once said, “You have to be more stubborn than the devil.” That revelation may not be eloquently stated, but it will get you through a lot of “stuff”! Inconvenience and sacrifice: Nehemiah and his workers had to pay a price. Most Americans, including Christians, don’t want to be bothered with hearing about the true condition of our nation or challenged to be a part of the answer. When they gather, they want to fellowship and party, not war. So, God uses the few who are willing to be inconvenienced, and to sacrifice their time and energies for His cause. My advice to the remnant: get over it, and keep working. Discernment: False prophets, spies, traps - all were used to try and deceive Nehemiah. He had to stay focused on what God was saying and rely on Holy Spirit’s discernment to shield him from these attacks. We must do the same. Our enemies accuse us of wrong motives, of wanting to end democracy, of being racists and bigots, of wanting to control everyone else, of being religious fanatics, yada, yada. They even find allies in the church. Don’t allow these lies to intimidate or distract you. Nehemiah said, “I’m doing a great work. Why should I waste my time meeting with you or listening to you?” (verse 3). Anyone who tells you God does not want to send revival and restore America is ultimately maligning His heart, character, love, and mercy, not yours. He loves to save even his enemies. Love them and let God do the rest. Prayer: Nehemiah had to pray. “Give me strength,” he asked the Lord (verse 9). “Don’t let them get away with it,” he prayed (verse 14). We must continue to appeal to heaven. Our requests are used by God. Our voices of declaration, of saying what He says, are the swords He wields. The authority of Christ is released through our mouths and actions, as is the power of Holy Spirit. We are His access to the Earth; we are His methods. Don’t back up, and don’t back down. He is using our prayers to save millions. Finally, Nehemiah and the team finished the task of rebuilding the walls and hanging the gates. And God was glorified: “When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work” (Verse 16). America, too, will one day know that God has prevailed and healed our land. We will not gloat, but we will rejoice. And we will invite them into the family. Millions will say yes. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for our brothers and sisters led by Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. They inspire and instruct us. Thank You for their sacrifices, their love for You, their faith, and their perseverance. As obedience to You always does, You used these actions to generate Your will. You never lie, and You never lose. We are determined to follow their example. We pledge to You that we will not quit; we will not yield in our faith and perseverance. We have put our hand to the plow, and will not look back. Our love for You, and for the lost and hurting will keep us motivated. Your cause is our cause; Your mission is our mission. We will persevere until we hear “Well done.” We will run the race and finish our course, always pressing toward the end line You have given us. We decree that Christ will have His harvest; He will reap the reward of His suffering. Your promises to Him will not go unfulfilled. And we pledge to You that we will not be a generation You have to skip over in order to give this to Him. Like David, we will serve Your purpose in our generation. And we will never stop declaring, “Kingdom of Jesus Christ, come! Will of Jesus Christ, be done on the Earth!” May the sword do its work! Our decree: “A mighty fortress is our God…and He will win the battle!”(2) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.gotquestions.org/Sanballat-Tobiah-Geshem.html https://hymnary.org/text/a_mighty_fortress_is_our_god_a_bulwark

  • March 14, 2024

    Remember “I lie awake each night thinking of you and reflecting on how you help me like a father. I sing through the night under your splendor-shadow, offering up to you my songs of delight and joy! With passion, I pursue and cling to you. Because I feel your grip on my life, I keep my soul close to your heart.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬) There is perhaps no force on earth more powerful than music. It can soothe, agitate, bring joy, trigger sadness, arouse passion, stir energy, awaken memories, connect us to others, and more. I believe the primary purpose for its creation by God was worship, though I enjoy other expressions of music, as well. Another powerful creation the Lord gave us is the memory. Used appropriately, it can serve us in incredible ways. Periodically, I revisit worship songs that have been especially meaningful to me over the years. I have found that as I do so, I often experience the same impact in my heart, spirit, and emotions as I did when the song first impacted me. Our memories are more than file cabinets; they are alive, capable of “reliving” events and feelings. Scripture tells us to remember, to rehearse what God has done for and in us. There is power in doing so; it keeps the fruit of what He did in the past alive today. In the Hebrew language, the words testify and remember actually contain the concept of “doing again.” I remember well in 2008 when I was instructed by Holy Spirit to stop EVERYTHING in the church we were leading in Colorado Springs, and do nothing but 24/7 worship for 90 days. As we obeyed, we didn’t do typical worship “sessions” with a variety of styles and songs, but only vertical, worshipful songs directed to the Lord. The purpose was simply to lavish love and adoration on Him. It was life-changing, and I remember many stories from those 90 Days. I remember walking into the sanctuary one evening - I spent several hours each day and night there - and found my friend and spiritual son, Jeremy Burk, standing in a puddle of tears, singing the words “This is no ordinary love.” After worshipping for several hours, Jeremy had become overwhelmed with the Father’s love for us, and these words flowed up from his spirit. The song he wrote from that experience is entitled “Jealous Jealousy.” Here are a few of the words: “This is pure love This is holy fire This is the real thing; it’s righteous desire This is no ordinary love.”(1) It’s a classic and still rekindles what I felt during those 90 days. I teared up today as I remembered them. I remember the first time I heard Klaus Kuhn lead worship. I was already overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord; then he sang his song “When I’m With You.” It wrecked me. If you can’t tell, Klaus is another of my all-time favorite worship leaders. His passion for God, released through his unsurpassed talent, stirs me at deep levels. Here are some of the words to the above song: “When I’m with You, my heart is satisfied, When I’m with You, my spirit can fly, When I’m with You, all the cares of my life just fade away, ‘Til all I want, ‘til all I need, is You.”(2) (Here come the tears again.) I remember when I first heard Klaus and Kari Jobe singing “Wonderful, Merciful Savior.” This wasn’t live, but from a recorded worship set. The hymn has 3 verses - one each for Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the Father - and a chorus. Here is the first verse: “Wonderful, merciful Savior,
Precious Redeemer, and Friend Who would have thought that a Lamb Could rescue the souls of men Oh, You rescue the souls of men”(3) As I listened, I was smitten by the phrase, “Who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men?” Yes, the tears flowed. (I know, I’m a wuss.) When I listen to this song, it always moves me. We’re soon coming up on the Easter weekend, or as I prefer to call it, Resurrection Sunday. Though not the exact days on which the Cross and Resurrection occurred - and they should be celebrated daily - Christ’s death and resurrection are especially remembered on those particular days. I still remember my second Resurrection Sunday after I was restored to the Lord; it was March 30, 1975. I was so filled with revelation of the risen Christ that early, around daylight, I grabbed my “boom box,” opened my back door, and played “The Easter Song,”(4) sung by the group, Second Chapter of Acts, FOR THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD! (I realize some of you have no idea what a “boom box” is, and thought the second chapter of Acts was only a portion of Scripture. You should get informed!) For most people, the song’s most climactic line is, “Joy to the world, He is risen!” This classic song was written by Annie Herring and recorded by Second Chapter of Acts in 1974. I’m not sure if the neighbors appreciated my announcement, but I wanted the whole world to know Jesus was alive. I recall times of worship during my two years as a student at Christ For the Nations. In fact, I remember my very first worship experience there in 1977. The student body started each day with 30 minutes of worship, and also had services every Tuesday night and Sunday afternoon, which included longer worship sessions. My first time of worship there was Sunday, January 2, the opening service of my first term. That day, the worship team led us in the song, “Sing Alleluia to the Lord.”(5) As 1200 radical Jesus lovers sang, played, and worshipped with this song - and for some reason, as the violin began being heard more clearly - I distinctly remember thinking: this is what heaven will sound like. I will never forget it. Moments like these have no expiration date; their shelf life is eternal. Pull them down once in a while and feed your spirit and soul with their rich nutrients. Take some time to reflect on experiences with the Lord that have deeply impacted you. Listen to songs that have been meaningful in the past. If you do so, Holy Spirit will visit you again. You may want to linger there. For those interested, below are links for the songs I mentioned. Give ‘em a listen. But more importantly, don’t forget to remember. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the pleasure of meeting with You in worship. We’re so glad You’re a relational God who loves to experience our company. Thank You for the powerful minds You gave us, including our memories. Remind us to remember. In fact, please bring to our remembrance times we should recall and reflect on. As we do so, cause the benefit in them to be re-experienced. We choose hunger, and we ask for Holy Spirit to make us more hungry. We ask also for a new and higher level of intimacy with You. As Paul said, we want to know and understand You more. Release a greater understanding of worship in the body of Christ, and increase the anointing and revelation of worship leaders. More than any other spiritual gift or dynamic, we want this next great revival to be a “presence movement.” Moses said the only thing that distinguished Your people from other nations was Your presence (Exodus 33:16). Come to our homes, our schools, our parks, our streets, and our businesses. Come to the cities and the rural areas. Infiltrate our government and our education system. You are what all people hunger for, though many don’t know this. When they taste of You, they will know. Hover over this and other nations, releasing Your thick weighty presence. You have said through prophets that revival and reformation begin this year. Your presence will release it. Bring it. In Yeshua’s name, we ask. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will remember, and we will relive our past experiences with the Lord. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Jealous Jealousy (Words and music by Jeremy Burk, ©2008 Jeremy Burk Music, JeremyBurk.net) Sung by Jeremy Burk: https://youtu.be/-dLu28RFeYE?si=8lG8SxPSNv56Tyzr When I’m With You (Words and music by Klaus Kuhn, ©2003 Gateway Create Publishing, KlausMusic.com) Sung by Klaus Kuhn: https://youtu.be/gqxsGswt6n0?si=YbbSqg1LV7Bai5y7 The Easter Song (composer: Annie Herring, ©1974 Latter Rain Music) Sung by Second Chapter of Acts: https://youtu.be/8ClwvRJMmZY?si=FmJ8KfHQrJ2eLG06 Wonderful, Merciful Savior (Written by Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wyse, ©Word Music, LLC/Dayspring Music LLC) Sung by Kari Jobe: https://youtu.be/Wl2Lcd5d_uM?si=5aOQmFHl4evJ5w0T Sing Alleluia to the Lord (Written by Linda Stassen, ©1974 The Song of One) Sung by Maranatha Music: https://youtu.be/bkImsExajgQ?si=yWv5aA8yGUXxKnTi

  • March 13, 2024

    God’s People Face A Critical Decision The people of God are facing a major decision: Can they support a leader who has a sinful past? His sexual improprieties are known; he has had adulterous affairs and multiple wives. He claims to have repented and been forgiven, but well, can they really look past this when it comes to leading a nation? His exploits are many, and he has great wealth. But how did he accumulate such wealth? Did he take it dishonestly from others? After all, even some of his friends and acquaintances from the past have turned against him, making accusations of lies and deceit; and authorities have taken legal action. The current government accuses him of being a traitor and wanting to take over the nation. He is also accused of lying, fomenting insurrection, and deceiving many. His efforts to deceive the masses seem to be succeeding—multitudes now follow him, sing his praise, and laud his exploits, though his enemies accuse his followers of being a bunch of deplorable misfits. The opposition government fears him and has brought serious charges - new ones keep coming up; they pursue him relentlessly. Along with charges of being a traitorous insurrectionist, they also accuse him of being a racist by wanting to prioritize his nation’s recovery and success first, while claiming that this is for the good of all the world. He, on the other hand, claims that his opponent is a liar and mentally challenged. Again, this man claims to have repented of his past and to be a changed person who loves God and His people. But in light of the above, can the people of God trust this? What should be done? Can they take the risk? Are the accusations true? Is this an evil man, a power-hungry dictator at heart, unfit to lead? What will they do? I’m speaking, of course, of Israel in David’s day, David’s sins, and of King Saul’s accusations against him. Oh, you thought I was referring to America and Trump?! No, sorry. Israel took the chance and made David their leader, believing he was the right person to lead them. Even when David sinned as King, the people realized God didn’t “excuse” his sins, but also believed he could be forgiven. Turns out they made the right choice - God even called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).  Who would have thought? I’m always somewhat confused by those in the church who vehemently preach the good news of Calvary’s cleansing and forgiveness, sing that “there is power, power, wonder-working power, in the blood of the Lamb,” but reject the possibility of this for Trump. They read the Psalms of former adulterer David; they preach from the epistles of once murderous, church-hating Paul; and they bury their dead to Amazing Grace, the song of former slave trading, murderous John Newton, but believe Trump was just too sinful to believe God could forgive, cleanse, and use him. I suppose they believe in “selective grace,” good news for “some,” and that Jesus came to save “most” sinners. They should be consistent in this year’s Easter message, carefully stating that God can forgive “most” sins and save “most” sinners. Forgive my cynicism. Okay, I’ll admit that I, too, think Trump has been a bit mean-spirited at times, and uses questionable language. But he certainly has not stooped to the level of his lying, conniving, God-hating, mean-spirited enemies (who also curse but limit theirs to when they believe the mic is off). As far as Trump’s language is concerned, there are plenty of people I know who would drop the F-word in a conversation, but whose honesty and hearts I would trust more than several people I’ve met in churches. And I’ll take mean posts anytime over mean, heinous leaders who knowingly allow human trafficking in order to secure votes. Speaking of mean, need I remind you that 85,000 of the unaccompanied minors allowed into the country by Biden are now lost? [United States Secretary of Homeland Security] Mayorkas told Congress they have no idea where they are, and did so without weeping, I might add. These children are now trafficked, abused, used for cheap labor, sleep on the streets, end up in gangs, and who knows what else. I have no words to describe how despicable this is. I can accept some “bad words” from a person who wants to stop this. Millions of Americans see through the self-righteous attitude of Christians who reject Trump because of his past life and rough language. They see the hypocrisy of preaching one thing and practicing another. They have scorn for the “sensitive ears” of those who can’t tolerate Trump’s language, and therefore allow child abusers and kindergartener-groomers to lead America. And we wonder why they aren’t interested in our preaching?! They tolerate immorality better than hypocrisy, and prefer realness over religion. Give Him 15 is not endorsing a candidate or political party. But we have no problem speaking out on issues, or of endorsing principles. My advice is to put up with some “Patton-esque” language (General Patton was known for his cursing) and look deeper into the hearts and motives of those who want to lead us. We must reject and defeat the forces of evil trying to take over our nation and “globalize” us. We must elect a general, a warrior at this time in history, not a pastor. We need a fighter, a brave-hearted William Wallace, not a silver-tongued orator. (Not that the other party has one of those.) And a person of sound mind wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Of our two choices, is Trump that man? You’ll have to make up your own mind. As you think about it, remember King David. Pray with me: Father, our prayer today is that You would help the church see clearly the choices coming our way. Give us the right application of grace and truth, the appropriate placement of our anger. Jesus loved and forgave sinners while overturning tables in the Temple. Show us the difference between grace to sinners and the toleration of evil. Only You do this perfectly - help us. And break off of the church her religiosity. You didn’t reject Peter over his cursing, but promoted him to apostle a few weeks later. You cleansed David, saved Paul, and have a habit of saving those rejected by the church. Give us more John Newton conversions, Mary Magdalene worshippers, and Patton-type warriors. May we all remember the grace we have received. We appeal for Your grace to America, a wicked nation that has rejected You. We have sacrificed our children to Baal and Molech, squandered our inheritance like the prodigal in Scripture, mocked You in the headquarters of our government, and practiced immorality in the Oval Office. May humility be our greatest and most significant offering in this hour. Through no merits other than the blood of Jesus, we appeal for forgiveness and cleansing. Only in His name do we ask, Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will continue to appeal to heaven based on the blood of Jesus, not self-righteous actions or mindsets. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

  • March 12, 2024

    INTRODUCTION Greetings and welcome to Give Him 15. I’m Ceci Sheets and today, I’ve given my husband the day off. I’m a very private person and haven’t yet shared this, but on December 31, 2021, I was struck with an illness that incapacitated me for the next year of my life. I was in a wheelchair for the first 2 months, then used a cane, unable to drive for 6 months, and life didn’t return to basic normal for 10-12 months. I was diagnosed by a specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina with Unilateral Vestibular Neuritis. It was debilitating. I had lots of prayer, physical therapy, and time with Jesus. During that season, I became re-acquainted with what really mattered - what was truly important in my life. I had lots of time to evaluate and assess my life. I’m a go-getter by nature, a fixer. I work to make other people happy and take care of them - mostly my family. I find value in serving others. And I like to fix problems, make others’ lives easier; I like to organize, and find solutions. But in 2022, life flipped, and I had to be served and helped. It wasn’t comfortable for me, but it was essential, nonetheless. As I had those long conversations with Jesus, I made some life-altering decisions. I realized that Ceci needed to slow down and not take life so seriously. My checklist of daily tasks really doesn’t have to be accomplished today. Some can spill over to tomorrow, or even next week. My desk doesn’t have to be tidy at the end of the day, or my floors swept before I go to bed. I learned to take deep breaths, enjoy hearing the birds sing, and think more about those whom I love. And that’s where I’m leading up to… It was important to me that my husband of 46 years be celebrated well for his 70th birthday. Dutch gives and gives. He spends hours each day studying and praying about the GH15 posts and the assignments God has given him. He takes them seriously. So today, I’ve given him the day off. On Sunday, we celebrated Dutch well as a family, with our children and grandchildren. We had his favorite meal, Mom’s famous carrot cake, and shared stories, memories, and gifts around the kitchen table. It was perfect. We ended the day with a big surprise: one of his closest friends, Ken Malone, walked in the front door. Today, I chartered a boat and guide for the two of them to fish to their hearts’ content. I have another gift for him that we will tell you about soon. Today, instead of a teaching from me, I’ve decided to share with you one of my top 5 favorite GH15 posts. This one is taken from his book, The Pleasure of His Company. In 2021, Dutch took us through the entire book, trimming each chapter down a bit to fit into 15 minutes. The Pleasure of His Company has 30 stand-alone chapters and can, therefore, be used as a devotional. But this is his most candid writing with personal stories. So today, I hope you will enjoy The Lingerers. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Lingerers When I was a student at Christ For The Nations Institute thirty-five years ago- back when I could run for miles and still had a six-pack, all my hair, and no wrinkles- I was diligent to spend quality amounts of time every day with God. I had actually developed this lifestyle prior to attending CFNI. Before work each day I'd wake up an hour or more earlier than necessary in order to spend time praying and reading the Word. I loved hanging out with God then, and still do. My practice while a student was to pray and/or spend time reading Scripture for at least an hour before school began with chapel at 8:00 a.m. Chapel didn't consist of a message but was thirty-five minutes of glorious worship. Combining these two things meant that I had a good hour and a half at the beginning of every day to enjoy the pleasure of His company. Many days I would also pray another thirty to forty-five minutes after our last class ended at noon. I would then rush to the cafeteria before it closed at 1:00 p.m. During these forty-five minutes I would pray and meditate over what I had learned that day, as well as anything the Holy Spirit would bring to my mind to intercede for. These times of lingering became special to me, and I believe they were to the Lord, as well. I mention the two-plus hours per day I spent with the Lord not to boast, but to emphasize the fact that anyone can develop a love for His presence. I was anything but a spiritual giant at this time of my life, only very hungry for God. One afternoon at my usual 12:45 time, I came down from the balcony, where I often spent the last forty-five minutes with the Lord. The student council was selling tickets for a banquet, and they were just putting their supplies away, preparing to leave. Two of them, a guy and a girl, were carrying a folding table to a closet. The girl, whom I had never met, was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I decided right then to marry her! I quickly grabbed her end of the table, demonstrating my chivalry and muscle. The student council member on the other end of the table, whom I knew, introduced us. It took me a few weeks to get the nerve to ask her out, but when I did, she quickly said yes. She, too, was smitten. Ceci and I were married nine months later. That, my friend, is what happens when you linger with God! Okay, you may not be rewarded with a spouse, but good things do happen to "lingerers." I've always believed God orchestrated the timing of our meeting just to demonstrate how much He enjoyed our times together. It would be just like Him to do so - He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Of course, the greatest reward is simply the privilege of connecting with Him. One definition of linger is "to leave slowly and hesitantly." If you don't find yourself leaving God's presence slowly and hesitantly, there's a short somewhere in the connection. When you truly connect with Him, it's like a warm bed on a wintery morning - you don't want to leave it. Regular visitors to the throne of grace become lingerers, pure and simple. Charles Swindoll shares this story: “I vividly remember sometime back being caught in the undertow of too many commitments in too few days. It wasn't long before I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at meal times, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day. Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable. I distinctly recall after supper one evening the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She hurriedly began, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin'andIwilltellyoureallyfast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me... And you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.’ I'll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”(1) You'll never find yourself having to say to your heavenly Father, "Then listen slowly." He has plenty of time for you and loves it when you linger in His presence. In fact, His biggest problem is our limited time with Him, not our lingering. We are often in such a hurry we actually want Him to listen really fast. But He isn't our spiritual Santa Claus, wanting us to take our two minutes in His lap, give Him our wish list, and be on our way. He is Abba...Papa. Our Father is not easily offended. He is patient and long-suffering, and His loving-kindness is everlasting. But still, I can't help but wonder if He doesn't get offended at the way we treat Him. We give Him such little time, expecting Him to listen fast and perform quickly. I have a friend who actually believes the Lord once told him, "Don't defile My presence with your impatience." Ouch. David, the shepherd and psalmist who became king over Israel, was a lingerer; he loved being in God's presence and he left slowly and hesitantly. David once said, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Notice the words dwell, behold, and meditate. Those are lingering terms. He also said, "O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). You don't make statements like that unless you've learned to linger. First we learn to linger, then He becomes addictive and we love to linger. Listen to David's language: "I love the habitation of Your house." I enjoy reading about David and his walk with God. It has been revealing and enriching to observe their relationship in the Scriptures - the good, the bad, and the ugly. One thing I especially like is that David kept it real, sharing with God his most intimate thoughts. Whether he was joyful, discouraged, lonely, or on top of the world, David talked to the Lord about it. He knew God wanted to be involved in his world, and he wanted to be in God's. Eventually, a change came in their relationship, a change so subtle that most people never think about it. Many people love God's presence. Thankfully, the worship movement of the last thirty to forty years has taught many of us the difference between singing and worshiping. And as we have learned to truly worship, we've discovered the glorious truth that it attracts His very presence (Psalm 22:3). Through this process, we've come to expect and enjoy the presence of the Lord. David understood this and was a passionate lover of God's presence. As much as he loved the Lord's presence, however, David was never called "a man after God's presence." He had the awe-inspiring honor of being referred to by the Lord as "a man after My heart" (see Acts 13:22, italics mine). There can be a huge difference between pursuing God's heart and experiencing His presence. It is possible to be in a person's presence and never make it into their heart. There are plenty of people I'm willing to hang out with, but very few I’ll allow into my heart. That part of me is reserved for the people I've spent enough time with to know I can trust their motives and intentions. I need to be confident my heart has value to them. It is breakable; I want it handled with care. God is no different. His heart can be broken. His emotions can be wounded and His hopes dashed. He allows many into His presence but is much more selective with His heart. His presence is free, but His heart will cost you time and effort. But oh, how worth the effort He is. Pay the price to find His heart, no matter what it costs you! I emphasize to young leaders that when considering their futures, not to focus first on developing a vision or a big dream. So often, young people are challenged to dream big, to develop a large vision. Personally, I've discovered how easy it is for my own ambition and selfish desires to sneak into my plans when I begin with the dream itself. I urge them to seek God's heart, not a dream. When they find His heart, hidden inside, they’ll also discover their purpose and destiny. Then they can dream, knowing it's God's dream for their life. Sadly, you may not encounter much competition on this quest for God's heart. Many love His presence and are willing to sing a few songs once or twice a week to enter it. Few, however, are after His heart. Choose to become one who is. Don't settle for a cursory look; be a lingerer. Talk to Him slowly, listen to Him slowly, and leave Him slowly. Pray with me: Father, you are worthy of our time and attention, of the greatest affections of our hearts. You are generous in rewarding those who diligently seek You with greater glimpses of the beauty of Your heart. Forgive us for our impatience, Lord, when approaching Your throne of grace. Like Joshua at the Tent of Meeting, we want to be those who love to linger in Your presence, leaving slowly and hesitantly. This one thing we ask for and seek: to dwell in Your house all our days, beholding Your beauty and meditating upon Your Word. Lingering... lingering… We want to go further still than enjoying the glorious place where You dwell. We love to enjoy the pleasure of Your presence, but also want to seek after Your heart. We know there's a high price that must be paid to enter that intimate place, but we’ve determined to give the time and effort to find and know Your heart. We will linger, longer still… In Christ’s name...Amen. Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company. (Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2014), pp. 165-173.) Click on the link below to watch the full video. Charles R. Swindoll, Man to Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p. 272.

  • March 11, 2024

    The American Dream You may not be aware of it, but you have a dreaming nature. (I’m speaking of visionary dreams regarding the future, not dreams that occur while sleeping.) You inherited this part of your disposition from your Creator. He created us in His image and likeness so our hearts could relate to His and in order that His dreaming heart could find millions of expressions. You were designed to dream, and you must dream - both for yourself and for God. In fact, if you don't dream with Him, He can't experience all of His dreams, and you'll never achieve your destiny. Abraham was a dreamer, maybe one of the greatest ever. God liked that about him - at that time in history, He desperately needed a dreaming friend. The Lord had been waiting for just the right dreamer to come along, one He could partner with to recapture His dream. These two friends walked together for many years, enjoyed a special covenant with one another, and modeled for all of us the power and beauty of divine-human partnership. Their story begins in Genesis 12, where God initiates His plan by instilling a dream in Abraham. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you…’” (Genesis 12: 1-2a) Please notice that God began His journey with Abraham by appealing to his dreaming nature. How fascinating is that! “I’m going to make you My partner in rescuing My dream, Abraham. And I’m going to begin by giving YOU a dream.” Why, when looking for someone to help him recapture His dream, would God approach it this way? He could have just demanded that Abraham do what he wanted. But the Lord is well aware of the strength of our dreaming nature. He placed it there, after all. And also, He loves it when we dream. With this in mind, God knew that for this partnership to endure for a lifetime, Abraham would need the freedom to release this God-given nature. It couldn’t be a one-sided dream. Therefore, God began by placing a dream in Abraham’s heart regarding the birthing of a great nation. An incredible dream-marriage was born: “I will make from you a great nation” - Abraham’s dream. “And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed” - God’s dream (Genesis 12). (The Messiah would come through this nation.) Having established the all-important fact that God was including Abraham in the dreaming process, two very important principles concerning dreaming are revealed in this inaugural meeting. The first of them is that when we become dreaming partners with God, He must always be the Senior Partner. Yahweh was inviting Abram into His world, not vice versa. He is the Lord and Creator; we are the created. He’s the Leader; we follow His leading. Though promising a great blessing to Abraham, God was obviously the one offering the terms and conditions: “Go to the land I will show you…I will make you…I will bless you…I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:1-3). Twice in the passage, Abraham is seen building altars and worshiping the Lord. This clearly demonstrates his devotion and submission to Yahweh. The order is clear: God, the Senior Partner, is offering a conditional partnership to Abraham, not the other way around. The rewards for Abraham were great, but only if he chose God’s terms and conditions. So often we reverse this, acting as though we’re doing God a favor by allowing Him into our dreaming world, even going so far as to approach Him in a deal-making manner: At times, we offer God token pieces of our dreams, time, money, and desires, all the while acting as though we’re doing Him a favor. How preposterous! The other important principle shown to us in Genesis 12 is that dreaming requires risk-taking. It required a huge risk and great faith on Abraham’s part to pursue the dream God was offering. Don’t forget, the Lord was requiring Abraham to relocate to an unknown place. Yahweh refused to give him many details up front, even refusing to reveal where He was leading him. “You just go, Abraham, and I’ll lead you along the way. Pack everything and follow Me.” What a challenge! The faith this required was incredible, and for Abraham, the risks were monumental: What if I’m not hearing God correctly? Or, what if this isn’t actually God talking to me? To Abraham, however, the dream was worth the risk! He took the chance, and God never forgot the trust he demonstrated. Holy Spirit was still thinking about it hundreds of years later when He inspired the book of Hebrews. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place where he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) Those who need the comfort of the familiar or the security of the known should forget about dreaming. The required leap of faith will always be a bit too unsettling. They’re like the African gazelle, which can jump fairly high and up to thirty feet in distance. In spite of this, they can be confined in zoos with only a three-foot wall. The reason: Gazelles won't jump if they can’t see where they will land. We are often like the gazelle, blessed with great ability and potential, yet imprisoned by the fear of the unknown. Predictability and mapped-out routes are for nondreamers and Google Maps. Dreamers, on the other hand, will be found heading into the unknown…going out on a limb…and, at times, hanging by a thread. Pick your own risk cliché; just know you’ll have to do it. But when God is the source of the dream, that makes Him the limb, the thread, and the guide into the unknown. True faith is not reckless, but neither is it riskless. Dreaming with God always requires the inconvenience of change and the unsettledness of risk. Abraham took this risk and, though he didn’t know it at the time, stepped into the greatest partnership imaginable: working with God to save the world. “In you,” the Lord told Abraham, “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Though I’m certain Abraham didn’t fully understand the phrase, in hindsight, it is clear. “If you’ll trust Me with your future, Abraham, I’ll let you in on Mine. You can be My partner in redeeming the world - the Messiah will come through you!” Incredible! Dreaming with God to save the world! In His quest to redeem the world back to Himself, God is still looking for partners. He places dreams in human hearts, and takes one of His in it. He always has a dream of His own hidden in the dreams He gives us. God had a dream of another nation that would partner with Him to save the world. Any nation can do this, of course, if they so desire. But this one He birthed for that very purpose. That nation was America. When God placed the dream of religious liberty in the hearts of those who came to this land, He had a dream hidden in theirs: That the gospel would go forth from these shores to all the nations of the Earth. America forgot God’s portion of the dream, and in doing so turned the American Dream into wealth and possessions. We also rejected God as the Senior Partner, going so far as to banish His influence from our government and anything publicly owned. But without the Dream Giver, dreams decay. The spiritual death and self-centered nature of fallen man destroys them. And now the American Dream is teetering on the edge of total destruction. Can it live again? Yes, it can. It can be revived. That’s what revival does. God is going to restore America to His purposes. And perhaps the greatest surprise of this revival will be regarding a generation of young people Satan believes he has total and permanent control of. Their dreaming nature will be infused with God’s nature, and they’ll dream with Him of changing the world. And they will. Pray with me: Father, You’re looking for those who will allow You to dream through them. We honor You as King and Lord, and desire to dream what You have planned for us, not generate our own dreams and ask You to bless them. We want You to be our Senior Partner. We also want to dream fearlessly. When You place dreams in us that require high levels of faith, help us to respond as Abraham did, being willing even to venture into the unknown. We ask You to finish the task of restoring America to Your dream. We want the partnership restored, just as You have said would occur. As we prepare for the coming season, we dream with You of a BIG harvest. We are dreaming of salvation and reformation to entire nations. We declare that we are free from earthbound dreams only and have been launched into Your world of eternal, heavenly dreams. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Christ, Your dreaming Son. Our decree: We declare that we are a people of faith, dreaming big dreams with and for God. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Dream.

  • March 8, 2024

    Rebuild the Altar, Ask For the Fire Hebrew is an amazing language. Though I am no expert regarding it—I simply know how to use various tools—I do have a great appreciation for its brilliance. As I have said at times, it is a pictorial language: letters represent pictures, which are combined to present concepts. Meanings are understood, in part, based on the context of the letters’/pictures’ use. This obviously means a Hebrew word can represent numerous things. For example, Passover, leap, skip, lame, halt, and limp are all the same word in Hebrew (pesach/pasach)(1). The picture, obviously, is the up and down, side to side, halting movement. Interestingly, though seldom used as such, it is also a word for “dance”(2)(3). Again, this is because of the movement the letters picture. WHAT IS PASSOVER? Passover is a joyous celebration, commemorating Israel’s exodus from Egypt, when God judged the Egyptians with the death angel but “passed over” the Israelites. The exodus was their deliverance from slavery and oppression. This, of course, was a picture of Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose blood delivers us from spiritual death and bondage. After Israel’s deliverance, they celebrated at the Red Sea with timbrels, singing, and dancing (Exodus 15:20-21). Though dancing in this passage is a different Hebrew word, it nonetheless was a picture of the great joy of Passover. In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah asked the Israelites how long they would “halt” (pasach) between opinions. Other translations use different words here - hesitate, waver, limp, hobble, and more. Elijah is obviously confronting their inability to decide between serving Yahweh or Baal, their back-and-forth double-mindedness. But by using pasach, the play on words cannot be missed: You could be, and should be, dancing the dance of pasach, Passover - celebrating the deliverance and freedom given to you by Yahweh. Instead, you are limping the limp (pasach) of Baal! What a picture! Israel had gone from a dance to a limp, from freedom to bondage, from God to demons. They had moved from the provision of God to the oppression of Ahab and Jezebel. The Psalms speak of God turning our mourning into dancing (30:11); they had allowed Baal to turn their dancing into mourning. Baal worship, or yielding to any other demonic influence, often begins with dancing. Satan paints a picture of sin as fun, freedom, and joy. But the temporary pleasure always ends in mourning, and the dance becomes a limp. The same word for Israel’s limp (pasach), by the way, is used for the “leaping” and “dancing” of the Baal worshippers trying to persuade this spirit to respond to them (verse 26). AMERICA’S LIMP America once danced the dance of Passover, celebrating the goodness of God and salvation of the Passover Lamb, Jesus. We rejoiced in our prosperity, freedom, wholeness, and partnership with Yahweh; we were the envy of the world, a light into darkness, rescuers. Who in their right mind now questions the fact that we are lame, limping around the altar of our new god, pleading for him to answer by fire and prove that he is everything we thought he was? Like the Laodicean church of Revelation, we still pretend to be “rich…wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and won’t admit that we are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” (Revelation 3:17). We sacrifice our homes, children, health, and wealth to this false god, hoping that he will give us back our dance. We elect liars and fools to government, Ahabs and Jezebels who worship this god, hoping they can give us back our dance. But our limp becomes more pronounced, our leaders stumble off of platforms, while the world laughs and mocks our downfall. What is the solution for this crippling demise? It is the same today as it was in Elijah’s day: we must reject the worship of this false god and return to the God of Passover. Like the church at Laodicea, we must stop our denial and do as they were told, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed, and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent,” (Revelation 3:18-19; NASB). A good time to begin doing so would be Sunday mornings. Limping into powerless gatherings with broken-down altars, acting as though everything is fine, while Baal steals our children and rules our nation, is tolerating evil Jezebel. When Elijah asked Israel how long they would waver between opinions, they were silent (verse 21), just as many in the church today. Elijah rebuilt the altar and asked for fire. What would happen if thousands of pastors around our nation rebuilt the altars of intercession, in what Jesus said should be “houses of prayer?” What would happen if desperate cries for the fire of revival and its cleansing power were issued from the pulpits and pews of America? We know the answer to this: The God who answered Elijah by fire would answer our cries, as well. The rain would fall, Baal’s strongholds would be torn down, and our land would once again dance the dance of the Passover Lamb. Now, for some good news. Though the majority in Israel did not join Elijah in his prayer that day, God, nevertheless, answered and sent the fire. He didn’t require a majority. And Elijahs are being raised up in our day, a remnant is joining them, and God will respond to their repentance and prayers. They ARE rebuilding the altar, they ARE asking for the fire, and the fire WILL fall. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Christ, our Passover Lamb. We thank You for the many benefits You have given our nation, and the blessings that came from serving and partnering with You. We have danced with You, rejoicing in our salvation, freedoms, and abundant blessings. No nation has been blessed with the abundance of this land, and it has all been because of our loving and serving You. We are proof that “blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). And yet, this once dancing nation now walks with a terrible limp, the limp of Baal. We are the Laodicean church: wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. If not for the supernatural healing You can provide, we would never dance again. But You also said to this church, “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him” (Revelation 3:20). Though not a majority, many are hearing this knock, opening the door through repentance, repairing prayer’s altar, and asking You to enter with Your fire. And we believe You will do as You said. We dare to ask that the latter glory be greater than the former. We ask that this next dance be the greatest dance in America’s history. We ask that the god of Baal be overwhelmed by You, the true and living God, just as he was at the Red Sea and on Mt. Carmel. We declare that our mourning will be turned into dancing again, that we will put off our sackcloth and be wrapped in the garments of gladness. We and our children will once again sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:3-4; NASB). Our decree: We declare that the fire of God will fall on America again, our limp will be healed, and we will dance like David as the Ark of His Presence returns. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _______________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6453 and 6452. Ibid., ref. no. 6452. https://sfdh.us/encyclopedia/biblical_roots_in_jewish_dance_codman.html#:~:text=Another%20particularly%20interesting%20synonim%20for,style%20was%20associated%20with%20the

  • March 7, 2024

    Restoring the Dream We have been looking at Jacob and his two encounters with God at Bethel and Penuel. Bethel means “house of God,”(1) and Penuel means “face of God.”(2) A "house of God" relationship allows one to know the blessings of salvation without ever experiencing true intimacy with Him. At this level of relationship, Jesus is more a Savior than a friend, and God is more of a distant ruler than an affectionate Father. A Penuel, face-to-face relationship, on the other hand, changes everything. Jesus becomes our Friend (John 15:15), God becomes Abba-Papa (Romans 8:15), and the Holy Spirit becomes our close Helper (John 14:16). Penuel comes from paneh, the Hebrew word for “face.”(3) It is interesting and revealing that paneh is also the word for "presence." Turning the face toward someone, as in face-to-face encounters, obviously requires being in their presence. Thus, the word for “face” became the word for “presence.” When the Scriptures speak of individuals having face-to-face relationships with God, or that God’s face shines on us (Numbers 6:25; Psalm 80:3, 7, 19), they obviously aren’t implying we’re supposed to see His physical face. Rather, we’re being reminded we can live in His presence, the intimacy of which is so personal it’s akin to a face-to-face meeting with a friend. The circumstances leading up to Penuel, the beginning of Jacob’s face-to-face walk with God, are important to see. Jacob is about to go home, where he will face his brother, Esau, out of whom he had swindled the coveted firstborn birthright inheritance twenty years earlier. On the journey, Jacob moves ever closer to a confrontation with powerful Esau, who has heard of his approach and is on his way to meet Jacob with four hundred men. For Esau, revenge would be sweet. True to form, conniving Jacob devises a plan to appease his still-offended brother, sending a series of gifts ahead. As he continues on his way, he ultimately sends everything he owns to Esau, including his servants. Eventually, he even sends his family. It must have been a painful sight as he watched them cross the stream called Jabbok, wondering if he would ever see them again (see Genesis 32:22). Jabbok means “pouring out,”(4) and what an irony it is that this was the place where all of Jacob’s accomplishments and wealth—his “house of God” blessings— were poured from him. God is determined to deepen the relationship and realizes that to do so, He'll have to empty Jacob, at least temporarily, of all that matters more than Him. What a scene this became. Jacob, who has spent his entire life conniving his way around and through every obstacle in his path, is wealthy—very wealthy—and has proven he is at the top of the food chain when it comes to manipulating circumstances. Or so he thought. God had an appointment scheduled with Jacob here at Jabbok, and in a day, everything was gone, poured out to the brother he had swindled twenty years earlier. All in all, forty years of hard conniving were gone in a day. The next verse sums up Jacob’s circumstance and sets the stage for what is about to occur: “Then Jacob was left alone” (Genesis 32:24). Jacob has bought and connived his way out of trouble and into prosperity for the last time. He isn't yet aware of it, but Esau has become the least of his worries— he is alone with God, and this time, it isn't for sweet dreams, as it was at Bethel! As preposterous as it sounds, Jacob and God will spend the night wrestling (see v. 24). That doesn't sound like fun! The heavenly adversary begins by dislocating Jacob's thigh. In Scripture, a person's thigh represents his or her strength. Not only have Jacob’s possessions and family been “poured out,” God has now removed his strength. But there are not many people who could be as stubborn as Jacob. Still, he fought. “I won't let you go until you bless me,” he says to his opponent, whom many scholars believe was an Old Testament, pre-incarnate appearance of Christ Himself. What is this blessing Jacob wants? Protection from Esau, of course. The Lord, however, is about to bless him with something so much greater! His initial response to Jacob's statement is so bizarre it almost sounds like a verse or two have been omitted. “What is your name?” He asks Jacob (Genesis 32:27). Try to picture this: two men fighting, one limping but holding on for dear life while demanding a blessing, and the other—who obviously knows His opponent— demanding to know his name. It could actually come across as humorous, if not ludicrous, if you didn't know what God was doing. The Amplified Bible gives the clearest explanation I’ve seen or heard for this scenario. It translates Jacob’s response in verse 27 as follows: “And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!” Jacob was acknowledging his true nature: "I'm a conniving schemer." Finally! Jacob was pursuing one thing; God was after something altogether different. Jacob was seeking another blessing - protection; God was seeking Jacob. “It isn’t your possessions, servants, or family I want, Jacob [The Lord gave all of that back.] It's your old nature I'm after. You can con everyone else, but you can't con Me. I want you to realize, once and for all, that your strength is not what I need from you. I need you to acknowledge your weakness-who you really are. Only then can I pour it out from you, delivering you from yourself. I want a far deeper relationship with you, one accessing your heart, not some ‘deal’ we cut involving temporal, earthly benefits. And since I’m God, by the way, I could kill you, but I'd rather just conquer your heart. Then we can run together, and I can use you to help me save the world.” Amazing. The fight was over the moment Jacob acknowledged his true condition. God's goal wasn't to win a fight but a friend. In a matchless display of His grace, wisdom, and persistent love, God transformed this conniving swindler into a prince and patriarch, just as He intends to do with each of us. His sovereign actions clarified the bigger picture: “Now we can get on with the dream I gave you at Bethel, Jacob. Because the dream wasn't just for you; it was for Me, as well. And for the generations to follow! I told you I would bless all the nations of the world through you. I need a nation through whom I can demonstrate to the world My ways and heart, and through whom I can bring the Messiah. You're going to birth that nation for me, and you're going to do it from Penuel - my presence.” When God wrestled with Jacob, He was fighting for the heart of a man and warring for His dream of redeeming the human race! Israel, leaving the fight with a life-altering limp, decided to name the place Penuel. Twenty years earlier, Jacob entered Bethel, “the house of God,” and found a dream. This day, he had seen “the face of God” and found the Dream-Giver. He would never be the same. Pray with me: Father, though Jacob still walked in his selfish, conniving nature, You led him to Bethel where You made great promises to Him, and inserted him into the great dream of redeeming humankind. Thank You for your ability to look past our faults and see our potential. Thank You for loving us and sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinful, and even Your enemies. Your great love, and Your infinite wisdom led Jacob to Penuel, where You had planned a face-to-face encounter with him. You poured out his self-sufficiency, and the power of Your presence transformed his nature, removing his self-centeredness.  Then You replaced it with a heart to partner with You, and Israel gave us the Messiah. You can do the same for America. A great Penuel revival of Your presence and face is being birthed. We pray that You would do such a powerful work that we, as a nation, would become Your friend and partner again. We boldly and confidently declare that Your dream for America is not dead; it will live again. We are moving towards this, and our momentum will not be stopped. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that great transformation is coming to America, and will turn our hearts back to our Father and Friend, Almighty God. Today’s post came from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _______________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1008. Ibid., ref. no. 6439. Ibid., ref. no  6440. Ibid., ref. no. 2999.

  • March 6, 2024

    The Grace Place Today, I want to tell you about Anna, but first… Review Yesterday, I spoke to you about Shechem, and briefly mentioned another important place, Penuel. Penuel, meaning “the face of God,”(1) is where Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night, received his transformation and new name, Israel (Genesis 32). He then went to Shechem, where he demanded that all of his family members bury their idols. Yes, they had idols. Why did Jacob choose Shechem as the place to bury them? He was finally connecting with and honoring the covenant God had made with his grandfather, Abraham. This was the place where God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham (Genesis 12). Jacob was honoring his covenantal roots when he buried the idols at this significant place. He also built an altar there, which he named El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel.” In naming it this, Jacob was not referring to the nation of Israel – that did not yet exist - but to himself. God had just given him the name Israel, after his transformation at Penuel. When Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord, he was demanding the blessing of protection from Esau, based on the Lord’s promise to him at Bethel (Genesis 28). Actually, God had every intention of keeping His word and providing this protection; His purpose for the wrestling was something else entirely. The Lord was wrestling with Jacob’s nature, and was determined to transform him from being a conniving, what’s-in-it-for-me, manipulator to a man with a pure heart…a man He could use. A Look Back to Bethel Penuel wasn’t God’s first meeting with Jacob. The two had met 20 years prior to this at Bethel, which means “house of God” (Genesis 28). Here, the covenant Yahweh had made with Abraham, then continued through Isaac, was passed on to Jacob. In essence, the Lord said to Jacob at Bethel, “I am going to bless you, and I am going to bless the world through you.” How would God bless the world through Jacob? Messiah would come into the world through his lineage, just as promised to his grandfather, Abraham. Though he didn’t grasp the revelation of God’s ultimate intent, Jacob did realize this encounter at Bethel was important, and that the place was special, a “gate of Heaven,” (Genesis 28:17). It is important and somewhat surprising to know that at the time of Bethel’s visitation, Jacob was not honoring and serving the Lord as the only true and living God. Yahweh was simply the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac. There were many gods worshiped in that region at the time, and Jacob had not yet made up his mind which one he would serve. It had been almost 100 years since Abraham had met with the Lord and built an altar there at Bethel. Over time, the importance of the place, the covenant Abraham had with the Lord, and his special friendship with Yahweh had lost its significance with Jacob. He didn’t even realize he was in one of the places Abraham had met with the Lord. Two things let us know that Jacob had not yet decided which “god” he would serve. First, after the visitation at Bethel, Jacob actually said, “If you do all of these things you just promised me, I’ll make you my God.” (Verse 21) Secondly, over the next 20 years, six times Yahweh is referenced as the God of Jacob’s fathers, but never is He called Jacob’s God. (See Genesis 28:13; 31:5, 29, 42, 53; 32:9) This did not change until after Jacob’s transformation at Penuel. It was then and there that his self-serving nature was overcome, his name was changed, and he gave his heart and allegiance to Yahweh. The altar he then built at Shechem was a public statement and declaration that the God of Abraham and Isaac was now his God - the God of Israel. This was the change God needed. It is not enough for us to have a “Bethel encounter,” where we enter God’s house and family. That will get us to heaven, but it won’t impact earth. Holy Spirit wants to renew our minds, teach us His ways, then connect us with His heart at Penuel. Only then can He use us to partner with Him in releasing Yeshua to the world. He must be our God, not just our fathers’ God. The synergy of the ages is vital, but it only occurs when Yahweh has truly become our God, not just the God of our forefathers. America is filled with “Christians” who have been to Bethel - they are part of God‘s family - but they haven’t experienced Penuel where they meet Him face-to-face and their hearts blend with His. Many remain self-serving believers, with what’s-in-it-for-me mindsets. The coming outpouring will be a “Penuel revival” and will change this. Christ’s Birth Now to Anna. She was a prophetess, so devoted to the Lord that for decades she had spent all her time in the temple worshiping and praying. After hearing Simeon's prophesy over the newborn Messiah (Luke 2:25-32), we are told, “While Simeon was prophesying over Mary and Joseph and the baby, Anna walked up to them and burst forth with a great chorus of praise to God for the child. From that day forward, she told everyone in Jerusalem who was waiting for their redemption that the anticipated Messiah had come!” (Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭38‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Would you be surprised if I told you Anna had a special connection to Penuel? Her name means “grace, favor.”(2) Her father’s name was Phanuel,(3) who was from the tribe of Asher,(4) one of Jacob’s/Israel’s sons. Phanuel is the Greek spelling of Penuel (“the face of God”), Jacob’s place of transformation. Penuel was perceived as so important in Jacob’s life that hundreds of years later his descendants were still being named Penuel. And one of them had produced Anna. Through this miraculous series of events and names God is showing us that “grace and favor” (Anna) flow to us when we seek His face (Penuel), just as they did to Jacob. Revelation also flows when we seek Him - Anna was one of two who received a revelation that the Christ-child was the Messiah. Seek Him. Do not seek first for wealth, success, or earthly possessions. Do not follow after religion, religious leaders, or churches. Seek His face. One lexicon actually said Penuel means “facing God.” Turn your face to Him; He has much to show you. He will enable you to trade your weaknesses for His strengths, your self-serving ambitions for His great cause, and a temporal destiny for an eternal one - just as He did Jacob. But most importantly, He will reveal Himself to you, and you will find He for whom your soul longs (Song of Solomon 3:4). For America, my prayer is that she will find her way to the wrestling mat of Penuel. There, she will find Cape Henry’s cross, the Mayflower’s compact/covenant, the Wesleys’ fire, Finney’s repentance, and William Seymour’s baptism of power. She will once again love the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and carry Messiah to the ends of the earth. Pray with me: Father, the blood of Jesus saves us, bringing us into Your family. We are Bethel people. Your Word and presence shape us into Your image from glory to glory, through the power of that same blood, making us a Penuel people. So we face You today, knowing that Your heart is love, that You are for us as our Abba. As we turn our faces to You in worship, and as we feed on Your Word, our hearts will become one with Yours: We’ll want what You want, love what You love, and hate what You hate. We declare that like Jacob, “we won’t let go until You bless us” with this. We repent for asking You for all the benefits of being in Your family, while ignoring the portion of the promise that says You want to bless the world through us. Please give the church in America this revelation. Grace us with it as you did Anna, and her grandfather, Jacob. And we pray that America would find her way back to Penuel. Our nation exists to make Your name known in the earth. You blessed us, just as You did Abraham, and that blessing was not intended to be only for us. We are carriers of Yeshua. He is IN us and wants to be revealed THROUGH us. Give us a revival that wrestles our nation to her knees, causing us to walk with the blessed limp of Penuel. We ask for this in Jesus’ name, amen. Our decree: We decree that America will make it to Penuel. 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. 6439. 2.      Ibid., ref. no. 451. 3.      Ibid., ref. no. 5323. 4.      Ibid., ref. no. 836.

  • March 5, 2024

    Realigning with God’s Purposes God often used places in the Old Testament to give us pictures of spiritual truths. A picture, as they say, is worth 1000 words. Shechem is one of those places; it actually pictures several spiritual truths. First, Shechem speaks of promised inheritance. This was where God initially spoke to Abraham in Canaan, promising the land as an inheritance for him and his descendants (Genesis 12:7). Figuratively, God is calling America back to Shechem, asking us to reclaim our inheritance: “I gave you this land to steward, and partnered with you in the establishing of it. Now, reclaim it.” All of the earth belongs to God (Psalm 24:1), and He has the right to assign stewardship of it to whomever He sees fit. As those to whom He assigned this land, we must not allow its destiny to be stolen. Just as Israel had to fight for their inheritance, so must we. This inheritance applies to ALL Americans, regardless of our backgrounds or ethnicities. Evil people want to divide Americans based on class and ethnicity, in order to further their own evil agendas. God hates this, calling it an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-19). The word used for “abomination” in this passage means disgusting, abhorrent, and repulsive.(1) Those who work to divide us for political and/or monetary gain disgust the Lord. Their actions are abhorrent to Him and should be to us. They know they are intentionally dividing us for gain, just as they know women and children are being trafficked for the same reasons. These abhorrent people don’t care. Second, and as is clearly shown in Genesis 12:2-3, Shechem reveals God’s desire to partner with His family. “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God is asking America to partner with Him again, to agree with and realign with His purposes for establishing this nation. Since creation, His plan and desire have been to work on the earth through humans, not independently of them. Dr. Peter Wagner spoke of this partnership in regard to writing Earth’s history. “Our sovereign God has for His own reasons so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history.”(2) Profound. Weighty. Extremely consequential. The third principle associated with Shechem can be easily deduced from the first two. Shechem pictures responsibility. This is also hidden in a Hebrew word used in the following verse: "And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants, I will give this land.'” (Genesis 12:7) The word "give" comes from the Hebrew word nathan,(3) which I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but is well worth repeating. This word is not only used in the sense of conferring ownership, but also to give a charge or an assignment. God was not only giving the land to Abraham and his family, He was also assigning it to them. God’s gifts are often His assignments. My children were gifts, but they were also assignments. My abilities are gifts with which I can prosper, but they also come with responsibilities: serving, giving, providing, etc. The incredible wealth and prosperity of America is so much more than just a gift. It is a very important responsibility from God, an assignment we must steward. This stewardship is fulfilled through prayer, sowing into the preaching of the gospel, voting for individuals with biblical values, speaking out against evil and standing for truth, and more. We must understand that all who enjoy America’s benefits will also give an account of how they stewarded them. Fourthly, at Shechem, idolatry was cleansed. In Genesis 32, Jacob was transformed, receiving a life-changing, face-to-face encounter with Yahweh, through which he was delivered of his rebellious nature and received a new identity. At the conclusion of this encounter, God renamed him Israel, and he (Israel) renamed the place, Penuel, “the face of God.” (There was as yet no nation of Israel, only this man.) In the following chapter, Genesis 33, after Israel’s (Jacob’s) encounter with the Lord at Penuel and his peaceful reunion with Esau, he took all of his family and servants to Shechem, this place where God had met with his grandfather, Abraham. There he built an altar of remembrance and called it El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel” (Genesis 33:20). Jacob/Israel was referring to himself, not a nation, declaring that El was now his God. Not just Abraham’s God, not just Isaac’s God, but he was declaring that Yahweh was his God. As a demonstration of this, two chapters later, Israel commanded his family and servants to bury all of their idols at Shechem: “So they gave Jacob all the [idols and images of the] foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears [worn as charms against evil], and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.” (Genesis 35:4 AMP) Again, figuratively God is calling America to Shechem, asking us to rid the land of idolatry: materialism, pleasure, greed, lust, pride, false religions, etc. Obviously, this will occur through revival and salvation - not by force - as those threatened by the church like to falsely accuse us of desiring. Just as Jacob went back to his roots - the place where the Lord met with Abraham and promised him the land - God is asking America to go back to her biblical, Christian roots. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Yes, Joshua gave this famous speech at Shechem! Here is more of Joshua’s message that day: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24-14-15 NASB) Finally, in Joshua 20:7, Shechem became one of the cities of refuge. These weren’t for those who entered the land illegally, as they are in America, but places in Israel where those who accidentally took someone’s life could flee for protection from vengeance. It was forbidden for any retaliation to be taken against them while they lived in these towns, and precautions were put in place accordingly. According to Hebrews 6:18, the cities of refuge picture Christ, who became our refuge: "We who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us." God is offering Christ as America’s refuge. So many places in our nation are now filled with violence, murder, poverty, and fear. Serving other gods leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13); the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15). God wants to transform these devastated places into safe havens, cities of peace and refuge. He desires to send revival to inner cities, impoverished neighborhoods, gang-controlled and drug-infested streets. God is a refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Pray with me: Father, You have given us an amazing inheritance in this nation. We have been blessed beyond words. These blessings are not only for our enjoyment, but are gifts to be stewarded in blessing others. We repent for our lack of discipline, for spending ourselves into poverty and debt, squandering Your blessings on our lusts. Send a revival that not only saves and restores our spirits, but an awakening that transforms our souls from ungoverned desires and lusts. Cleanse us from idolatry, free us from ourselves - just as You did Jacob. Give us a face-to-face encounter; take America to Penuel! Transform us into noble people who can partner with You to save the world. Give us righteous leaders who do not want to divide us. Deliver us from these abhorrent people. Yes, we pray for their salvation; but until their hearts change, we do not want them to rule over us. Silence voices in the media that work to divide us. Bring Your deliverance to us from this evil activity. In Christ’s name, through His authority, we pray these things. Amen. Our decree: We decree that America will be led to our Penuel, experience her transformation, and bury her idols at Shechem. Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 8441. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 242. Strong’s Concordance, ref. no. 5414.

  • March 4, 2024

    Angels: Supernatural Enforcers I was in a service with my brother, Tim, a few weeks back, and Holy Spirit moved in profound ways. The Lord had brought revelation to various leaders before the meetings, which came together that night, and produced great breakthroughs. It was a very significant night. In today’s post, Tim shares the majority of information; I contribute some, as well. Tim shares: “I believe Holy Spirit has revealed a Kingdom strategy for the Ekklesia that has now been activated at a new level. This will demand that we function as a true Ekklesia, the word Christ used to define the church. Remember, ekklesia, the word translated as “church” in the New Testament, is a Greek word that refers to a judicial or legislative body.(1) The word is used 113 times in the New Testament, proving it was intentional, an on-purpose name for the church. This meaning MUST be understood in order for us to comprehend our mission statement. “Our church recently hosted a Prophetic Summit, a night in which the Ekklesia convenes and presses in to hear from the Lord regarding our current season. As I was praying on the morning of the Summit, Holy Spirit allowed me to see into the spirit realm. “While praying I had said, ‘Lord, people are coming from around our nation, some driving many hours to be here. I want it to be beneficial to them and worth their time. Some are even flying in.’ When I said that, I heard Holy Spirit very clearly say, ‘They aren’t the only ones.’ I was immediately given a vision. “In this vision, I saw a host of angels coming to the meeting. Holy Spirit revealed that they were coming from other nations throughout the world. Based on the way they were dressed, I recognized different divisions of angels: I saw government angels, which partner with the prayers and decrees of a governing Ekklesia/church; and I saw seraphim, which are the mightiest order of angels. During this vision, I could sense the power, strength, and delegated authority of these mighty angels. Hundreds of them were coming to this convening of the King’s Ekklesia. “I trembled in the holy presence of God and knew Holy Spirit was revealing a supernatural level of assistance, and it was dramatically increasing. I began to weep as I saw the hosts of heaven coming from other nations and realized this would be a game changer. “I spoke that evening at the Summit, but did not share this vision. In fact, I hadn’t shared it with anyone. My brother, Dutch, was also one of the speakers and at the end of his message, invited a prophet, Clay Nash, to share a dream he had been given. In this dream, an angel, referring to himself as a ‘justice gate angel,’ told Clay this Prophetic Summit would be a ‘white stone meeting.’ My spirit leapt when he said this, and I instantly knew it was why the angels I had seen were coming to the meeting. “Revelation 2:17 (KJV) says, ‘… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.’ When this verse was written, the giving of a white stone had two meanings. First, in the Roman athletic games, a white stone was given to the winner of a contest, race, or competition. The person’s name was inscribed on the stone, which served as a ‘ticket’ to attend an awards banquet.(2) “However, another meaning of giving someone a white stone occurred in the court system of Rome, which is what I feel the justice gate angel was referencing. Roman courts used juries, similar to our justice system. The jury would hear a matter, deliberate, and then issue a decision, just as we do today. When the verdict had been reached, a clear vase was set before the jury. They placed a black stone in the jar to indicate ‘guilty,’ and a white stone for ‘not guilty.’(3) DUTCH SHARES For the angel to state this would be a “white stone meeting” could mean two things: 1) We, the Ekklesia, were going to receive a favorable ruling from the courtroom of heaven; or, 2) We, the Ekklesia, were the jury and would be issuing the verdict! That is certainly a different perspective. Could it be? Were the angels actually coming to hear our ruling, and then would take action accordingly? Matthew 16:18-19 (KJV) says, “On this rock of revelation I will build my church [ekklesia]; 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.” In his book, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible, respected leader Jack Hayford (now in heaven) - based on a literal rendering of the Greek verbiage - says the following is a careful amplification of the above verses: “Whatever you may at any time encounter (of hell's counsels which I'm declaring my church shall prevail against), you will then face a decision as to whether you will or won't bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response. If you do personally and consciously involve yourself in the act of binding the issue on earth, you will discover that at that future moment when you do, that it has already been bound in heaven!”(4) Incredible! Notice the portion, “You will face a decision whether you will or won’t bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response.” Not God’s response! This is amazing! And when Tim heard what the justice angel said, he knew in his spirit this was why the angels had come: to hear our “decisions” and “responses” in order to enforce them. They were waiting for Christ’s Ekklesia to hear what God was saying, judge situations based on His laws, and issue His verdict with their decrees. BACK TO TIM “When I heard the words that this would be a ‘white stone meeting,’ I knew Holy Spirit had sent the angels to hear the verdict of the Ekklesia: what it would forbid and what it would permit. In a sense, the Prophetic Summit was a court session and, based upon Matthew 16:18-19, what transpired would be conditional upon our response. “Job 22:28 (KJV) says we decree a thing to see it established, and Psalms 103:20 (KJV) says angels hearken to God’s words and decrees. When we decree verdicts based on God’s Word and will, they bring His/our words to pass. Angels are waiting to hear the ruling in order to enforce the verdict. They’re the enforcers of the Ekklesia’s biblical and Spirit-led rulings against evil, lawlessness, and corruption in their territories. Holy Spirit is releasing these powerful angels at a far greater level to enforce the Ekklesia’s verdicts, rendered in the King’s Name. “The supernatural enforcers have arrived. Will we issue the verdicts they need in order to battle hell’s forces? Or will we, through unbelief and silence, be a hung jury that can’t make up its mind?” Pray with me: Lord, let this revelation seep into our hearts. You are revealing that the church’s authority reaches to greater levels and measures than we have known. The angel gate is open, and these mighty ones will hearken to Your words through us. They will enforce our binding of evil, and our loosing of nations, cultures, and governments from demonic rule. As our decrees for revival and reformation go forth, give us stunning victories and divine surprises in this season. We ask for these angels to enforce breakthrough decrees and verdicts against Baal and his activities. We accept our role as Christ’s ekklesia and declare that we do rule and reign with Him. In Christ’s name, we will open doors no man can close, and close doors no man can open. We will say what You say; Your Words will be our words! May Your Kingdom and Ekklesia rise for Your glory. May Your power be released in the lives of individuals. Let healings, breakthroughs, and victories be released, and may angels be assigned to minister in our personal lives, families, and businesses. In Yeshua’s name, we pray. Our decree: We decree that the supernatural enforcers are with us to carry out the declared promises of God. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org. 1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1577. 2. https://bethelchapelchurch.com/will-jesus-give-you-a-white-stone/ 3. https://renner.org/article/why-did-jesus-promise-a-white-stone/ 4. Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977, revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 140, 1977 edition.

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