It Still Works! A demonic tide of destruction has been unleashed upon our nation and has taken ground at an increasingly rapid rate. Politically, economically, and humanistically there is an agenda to make America never again look the way God intended her to look. Yet, He has not given up on us. Yahweh still has a great plan and purpose for this nation and is calling on us to partner with Him in this critical hour. The book of Ezra shares of a time in Israel’s history which is a good picture of where we in America are today; it also speaks of God’s restoration. The Israelites began rebuilding the Temple after their sin had caused it to be destroyed. While they were hard at work, other people in the land - enemies of God - threatened and discouraged the people of Judah, causing them to be filled with a paralyzing fear. “Counselors” were also hired to lobby against the people of God to frustrate their strategy. All of this resulted in a 16-year delay in the rebuilding of the Temple, the place where God’s glory dwelled. In some ways, America currently finds herself in this sort of delay. After making significant advances toward America’s restoration during Trump’s term, many have allowed discouragement and fear to gain a foothold in their hearts. They’ve laid down their tools and folded their hands. Others have allowed themselves to become busy with religious activity, but do not challenge status quo systems aimed at shredding the moral fabric of our nation. As in the days of Ezra, “counselors” (see Ezra 4:5), known today as lobbyists, are diligently and strategically opposing God’s people, while advancing an antichrist agenda in every sector of society. This is a fulfillment of Psalm 2, which describes those who hate God and take counsel together, devising plans to contend against Him and His people. These lobbyists and leaders believe they’ve overthrown God’s rule in America and conquered His people; in their arrogance, they openly decree this. Notwithstanding, Psalm 2 describes several terrifying things God does in response. First, He laughs a mocking laugh of derision toward them. Then, He asserts that His Son will indeed rule the earth. Lastly, God warns that if they persist, He will brandish His rod of authority, breaking and shattering His opposition. The good news is clearly laid out there - in the end, God wins! We must not fear that if we resist the liberal government and leftish activists we might be harmed. Neither should we fear that we might go to jail, lose our government funding, tax-exempt status, or have our businesses shut down for speaking truth. Indeed, these things are already happening - some are already paying a high price to stand for righteousness - but we must not cower and live in fear. The only fear we must operate in is the fear of the Lord. Thankfully, the negative story from Ezra is only half the story. After a 16-year delay in rebuilding the Temple, God raised up a company of leaders who worked together to steer His people toward repentance and a resuming of the restoration. First, He raised up two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, who boldly awakened the people to their true condition, yet also to God’s heart for them. The moment they responded in repentance, God began working on their behalf, frustrating the plans of the lobbyists and giving the people of Judah favor with the government. Everything they needed for the restoration of the Temple was provided! Then Yahweh gave them needed alliances. The most amazing part of the story is how the prophets (Haggai and Zechariah), the priesthood (Joshua), and civil government (Zerubbabel, the governor), worked together to lead the people into reformation. In response to their obedience and righteous partnership the Lord blessed Israel, decreeing that the glory of the latter house would be greater than the former (Haggai 2:9). Zechariah later prophesied to Zerubbabel telling him the mountain in front of him was going to be brought low and made a plain; not by might or power, but by Holy Spirit, Zerubbabel would tear it down with shouts of “grace, grace!” This is a picture of what God wants to do in America. He is forming powerful alliances in His kingdom today. Christian leaders are speaking out, the Ekklesia is praying, righteous leaders are being raised up in government, and the body of Christ is becoming active in many efforts to restore America. The Supreme Court case being voted on tomorrow (Friday, 12/3/2021) is an example: government leaders and righteous pro-life attorneys have worked together to bring the case before the Court. Some of the attorneys are supported by business leaders and other concerned Americans. Christians around the nation, as well as here in DC, are praying. My assignment, of course, is to motivate and coordinate prayer. I want to encourage you that “it still works!” A friend of mine was given a powerful dream several months back, in which George Washington made an appearance. The dream is worth mentioning here: “…Then the crowd became stone-cold silent. Out of the old house came George Washington. You could see the bullet holes in his coat - he was wearing his Revolutionary War uniform. Washington walked up to Dutch, took off his hat and handed the original Appeal To Heaven flag to him. Dutch unfurled the Flag, which was worn, tattered, and riddled with bullet holes. Washington looked at him and said, ‘It still works! You, sir, are making our appeal to heaven certain and America will be saved…’” Pray for America. Pray for the Church to arise. Pray for the babies’ protection. Pray for tomorrow’s vote at the Supreme Court. Pray that revival explodes in America and around the world! Pray that God purges our government of evil, and exalts righteous leaders. If the church continues to awaken from her slumber, heeds the voice of the prophets, and begins to partner with righteous government leaders, the Lord will make a way for our nation’s Biblical foundations to be restored, and for His glory to fill our land again. God’s desire is for us to see revival in our cities, our nation, and other nations of the earth. Don’t yield to discouragement and fear. Holy Spirit is calling forth an army of faithful followers who will not yield to discouragement, but will instead boldly push back the darkness (see Ephesians 6:12). Pray with me (as we pray here in D.C.): Father, the “rebuilding” has begun. America’s prophets are speaking, the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) is responding, and the Zerubbabel’s are arising. We ask for victory over unrighteous leaders, ungodly lobbyists and others that oppose You and Your plans for America. We boldly ask for such a great restoration that just as in Haggai’s day, a double-portion of Your glory will be seen in our land. We pray again today regarding tomorrow’s vote in the Supreme Court of America. We ask for You to involve Yourself. Anoint and favor pro-life Briefs being considered; oppose the death arguments. Influence the Justices greatly, especially those in the middle. May they feel Heaven’s weighty hand, hear its voice and experience its wisdom. Thy Kingdom, come! Thy will, be done! According to Your word in Matthew 16:18-19, using Your keys, we bind evil spirits' involvement and declare that the gates, government, and plans of hell will not prevail against the Kingdom of God. We do this in Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that just as in Haggai’s day, the word of the Lord will be heard, the restoration will be completed, and the glory of Yahweh will cover America and all the earth. It still works! Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Just How Important is Wednesday’s Supreme Court Hearing? Wednesday, December 1, 2021, is a day of monumental significance. I have shared with you over the last few weeks about Mississippi’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. This is the case that could reverse Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. If this occurs, it will not end all abortion in America, but rather end the law that says it is legal in the entire nation. Thus, each individual state will have the right to decide what they allow. I am going to Washington, D.C., this week to worship and pray outside the Supreme Court. During a prayer over this trip by several leaders, my friend, Greg Hood, released a prophetic declaration over me, which I’ll share with you in a moment. The prayers of the saints are prevailing against the darkness in America. The Lord has heard our cries. When I go to Washington, D.C., I will be carrying in my heart every prayer I know has been prayed over decades toward the ending of this national abomination—abortion. Many of you have prayed as much or more than I have to end this evil in America. I am simply a representative of those prayers, being sent by God to present them before Him. I pray the bowls are tipped, the hearts of the justices are moved, and we see abortion begin to end in America. Here is the prophetic decree Greg spoke over me while in Mississippi: “Lord, You have backed this nation up against the Red Sea. Pharaoh has been breathing down our neck for decades now. But, God, You are bringing a parting of the Red Sea. And You’re tearing down some altars that have been built up. Father, as Dutch goes into D.C., there’s going to be a new altar built and a fire rekindled in this nation. This altar will be built on the other side of victory. You’re swallowing up Pharaoh's army. You’re swallowing up the army of death. You’re swallowing up the army that’s been sent to enslave a generation. We decree over Dutch, He is carrying Mississippi with him. He’s carrying a rod of authority. He’s carrying the Word and Scriptures that have been inscribed on that staff of authority concerning relationship with You. He’s carrying the keys of Isaiah 22:22. We say he will lock and unlock the hearts of the justices. We believe it’s shifted, Lord, because the prayers of the saints have breathed on the bones over this nation. You are pouring out justice for the unborn and for this nation. You are going to release Heaven’s justice through these Supreme Court Justices.” Let me share some current information on the Dobbs case from those involved. Then, I will share some of the ways we are being asked to pray leading up to and on December 1st. The Heritage Foundation has written a paper explaining the significant pro-life arguments of this case. You will need to go here and read the entire explanation and see their sources and footnotes. It’s excellently written. Here is a summary: “Two features of the law are central to this litigation. First, it is a ban, rather than a regulation, on the performance of abortions. Second, this ban operates well before viability, which the Supreme Court established in Roe, and reaffirmed in Casey, as the ‘critical fact.’ The Act asserts that the state has an interest in protecting maternal health because the maternal risks from abortion increase proportionately relative to gestational age. In addition, the abortion method used after 15 weeks, known as dilation and evacuation, is ‘a barbaric procedure, dangerous for the maternal patient, and demeaning to the medical profession.’ Echoing emphasis by 19th-century physicians on current medical knowledge, the Act highlights facts about fetal development that were unavailable to the Supreme Court in Roe or even in Casey. Modern medicine reveals, for example, that a 15-week-old unborn child has all major organs, moves all fingers separately, exhibits a preference for right or left-handedness, and is responsive to pain.”1 One wonders in light of these statements, how abortion can possibly continue? How could any of the 9 justices consider the description of a 15-week baby in the womb and rule according to “precedence” - decisions they’ve made in the past. Allan Parker is the President of The Justice Foundation. He was lead counsel for Norma McCorvey (formerly “Roe” of Roe v. Wade, from 2000 to 2012) and Sandra Cano (the “Doe” of Doe v. Bolton, until 2014) in their efforts to overturn the two landmark cases that brought legalized abortion on demand to America. Both of these women changed their minds about abortion and wanted their cases reversed by the Court. Neither of them lived long enough to see their desire become reality. Allan has not stopped fighting for justice, however. He helps state senators and representatives write pro-life legislation, and has produced 4 of the 80 briefs filed in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case. The four briefs Allan has filed include one representing 539,108 Americans asking the Court to end abortion in America, including 2,249 women directly hurt by abortion. A second brief represents 375 women hurt by second and third trimester abortions, together with some of those working to help women recover physically, spiritually, and emotionally from their abortion procedures. We are going to need much more of this type of work. A third brief is specific to the jewish community and their statement supporting Dobbs, and focusses on the immorality of abortion.2 The fourth brief is the most touching. It is filed on behalf of a woman, Hannah S., and her adoptive parents. Hannah was a frozen embryo, adopted and grown to full fetal maturity within the womb of her adoptive mother. She is an adult woman now, living for Christ. Hannah’s adoption is called a “Snowflake Adoption” and we are going to see more and more of them. Her testimony will show the justices in a very real and powerful way that life begins at conception. Every currently frozen embryo is a baby waiting on its parents, natural or adoptive, to receive them, so they can grow fully into the person God created them to be.3 There are 76 other similar briefs filed on behalf of the Mississippi law, and they are likewise impactful. Eighteen states filed a brief in favor of the Mississippi law, as well. These states have Heartbeat Bills, similar legislation and laws waiting to be enacted when the Supreme Court rules to overturn Roe v. Wade in full or in part.4 We are going to see a floodgate of Life actions wash across America when it happens! Here are a few ways we can pray: “Mississippi has a right to protect life—all life—including the life of the unborn. MS has the obligation to protect these innocent lives, and they have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That’s being taken away from them currently without due process and it needs to stop.” ~MS Governor Phil Bryant 5 “Evil always attacks the most innocent. The Egyptians looked at Israel and became concerned that they were multiplying and prospering. Their response was to kill all the young up to the age of 2. They killed the most vulnerable. We must pray for all the states desiring, like MS, to have the opportunity to protect our most innocent—our babies in the womb.” ~MS Governor Phil Bryant 6 “This case confronts viability. Ask the Lord to have the justices look at viability from the point of Hannah S., formerly a frozen embryo. She was a life in suspended animation. She was a life from conception that had not yet been able to fully develop.” ~Allan Parker 7 Pray with me: Father, we bring before You the multitudes of prayers that have risen before Your throne, asking You to end abortion in America. You have created each and every unborn life. You love them and desire to protect them, so they can fulfill all You created them to be and do. You have raised up warriors to fight on our knees for these precious lives. You have raised up governmental warriors in Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and many other states, to write legislation and enact laws to protect life. Now, Lord, breathe on Mississippi’s law. Highlight the 80 compelling briefs. Move on the hearts of our nine Supreme Court Justices. Weigh heavily on their consciences, Holy Spirit. Give them dreams in the night. Show them the reality of life in the womb. Protect the babies! Roll this curse off America, Lord. Swallow up Pharaoh's armies—those pursuing our unborn. End the barbarism and the bloodshed. Cause our nation to honor life as You do. Amen. Today’s decree: God will hover over the Supreme Court on December 1, 2021, giving favor to the unborn in America. _________________________________ Click the link to watch the full video: 1 https://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/report/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization-opportunity-correct-grave-error 2 https://thejusticefoundation.org/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization/ 3 Ibid. 4 https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization/ 5 Excerpted from Intercessors for America’s Dave Kubal’s interview with MS Governor Phil Bryant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXxXzxzpe40 6 Ibid. 7 https://thejusticefoundation.org/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization/

The Amazing Story Behind Our National Anthem How do you feel when you see Americans dishonor our national anthem as it is sung? Personally, I put my hand over my heart and thank God for the brave men and women who have fought for our freedom. Actually, the historical meaning behind the writing of our national song dates back to The War of 1812, when we were fighting Britain because of trade interferences. The song was inspired by a flag that flew over a fort after America had won a decisive battle. What about the “Great Garrison Flag” that waved? It was a massive flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes—the one we sing about that Francis Scott Key saw in the early morning light of September 14, 1814, as it flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore’s harbor, signifying America’s victory. It measured 30-feet by 42-feet, weighed more than 50 pounds, and it is said that it took eleven men to hoist it to the top of its 90-foot pole. It was reportedly the largest flag flown in combat at that time. And yet, it was not the same flag that actually flew over the fort during the heat of the battle for Baltimore.(1) I’ll explain momentarily. What led up to this battle? We need to get a full picture. Great Britain had well-trained soldiers and the most powerful navy in the world. On August 24, 1814, British General Robert Ross, with his five-thousand-member force, defeated the Americans at Bladensburg, Maryland. That night British troops entered Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol, the President’s Mansion and other public buildings. President James Madison and his wife Dolley barely escaped. The British plan was to capture Baltimore and its important port next; Baltimore was currently America's third largest city. So they advanced up the Chesapeake Bay to the mouth of the Patapsco River. (2) Early on September 13, 1814, British ships began what became a 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry. Rockets burst. Mortars exploded. The fort’s commander, Major George Armistead, with just one thousand troops, had ordered them to return fire, but their guns could not reach the enemy’s ships. “The British guns had a range of 2 miles and the British rockets had a 1.75-mile range, but neither guns nor rockets were accurate. The British ships were unable to pass Fort McHenry and penetrate Baltimore Harbor due to its defenses, including a chain of 22 sunken ships, and the American cannons. The British, having depleted their ammunition, ceased their attack on the morning of September 14.” (3) What were the results of the 25-hour battle? “Only one British warship, a bomb vessel, received a direct hit from the fort's return fire, which wounded one crewman. The Americans…had four killed…and 24 wounded. At one point during the bombardment, a bomb crashed through the fort's powder machine. However, either the rain extinguished the fuse or the bomb was a dud.”(4) To celebrate the British retreat, the American troops fired their guns and played “Yankee Doodle.” The storm flag came down, and up went the Great Garrison Flag which could be seen from several miles away. (Three months later on December 24, 1814, the war formally ended).(5) Now, about that famous flag. A year before the battle, Major Armistead knew his fort, which was built to guard the water entrance to Baltimore, would probably be a target. So, he requested a flag “so large that the British will have no trouble in seeing it from a distance.” A professional flagmaker, Mary Young Pickersgill of Baltimore, and her helpers made two. The larger Garrison Flag measuring 30-feet by 42-feet had 15 stars and 15 stripes -- each star and stripe representing a state. They used 300 yards of English wool bunting. But the stars, each measuring two feet in diameter, were made from cotton. They also made the smaller storm flag measuring 17-feet by 25-feet, which actually flew over the fort during the battle. Unfortunately, it was lost.(6) Today the famous flag we know as the “Star Spangled Banner” is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of History in Washington, D.C. Extensive repairs were made due to damages from years of use at the fort and from pieces being removed as souvenirs.(7) Let’s talk about the song’s origin. Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old American lawyer had come from Washington D.C. to Baltimore with approval of President James Madison a week earlier, to appeal to the British admiral to release their captive, an American doctor, William Beanes. The admiral finally agreed but required them to wait until the battle was over. So, the American civilians watched aboard a ship probably eight miles away, while rockets glared and bombs burst. Due to the intensity of the attack, Key believed the British would win.(8) With “the dawn's early light" of September 14, when the smoke of battle lifted, Key spotted the American stars and stripes flying -- not the British Union Jack. The British were retreating and the fort still stood. On the back of an envelope, Key wrote a few lines of poetry describing the moving scene. Later that night in his hotel room in Baltimore, he revised and finished four verses about America’s victory – as an eyewitness to the bombardment. He called it “Defence of Fort M'Henry” and it was soon joined with the tune of a popular English song. Before long it was being sung across the country. By the 1890s, the military had adopted it for ceremonial purposes, to be played at the rising and lowering of the colors. Congress officially declared it the national anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931.(9) Some of our USA passports have an artist’s drawing of Francis Scott Key standing on a boat looking out over the waters at a waving flag. Handwritten words above it read: “O say does that star- spangled banner yet wave o’re the land of the free & home of the brave.” That massive “banner” inspired Key to write his long poem, now our national anthem. Portions of the last verse read: “Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave” (10) Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving our forefathers victory when our country’s future hung in the balance. And we thank You for the 50 states that now make this the United States of America. May we accomplish Your will and purpose for our nation. We are grateful for our beloved homeland. We decree: I will honor my flag when I hear the anthem played and will thank God for the freedom I enjoy in America. Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend, Quin Sherrer. You can find out about Quin and see her amazing books here. __________________________ Click the link to watch the full video: 1. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/star-spangled-garrison-banner 2. https://music.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/banner-facts 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McHenry 4. Ibid. wikipedia 5. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-behind-the-star-spangled-banner-149220970/ 6. Ibid. Smithsonian 7. Ibid. Smithsonian 8. Ibid. Smithsonian 9. Ibid. Smithsonian 10. https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx

The Key to Success Yesterday we talked about God recircuiting us, as Chuck Pierce said in the word he gave 2 weeks ago. We looked at the importance of guarding what we allow into our minds. When Joshua was about to lead his generation of Israelites into their fullness, God spoke with him about this. Joshua 1:7, 8 (NASB) states: “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will succeed.” God was bringing to Joshua’s attention the vital importance of His Words. “Don’t neglect My words, Joshua. Keep them before you. Say them, meditate on them. Then you will be successful.” When going through strategic times, we must remember to stay focused on the Word...spending time with the Lord...not neglecting prayer. We must do the basics! During Christ’s great temptation in the wilderness, He focused on the Scriptures. For us, too, as simple as it may seem, it is indeed the basics that keep us safe and insure success during strategic times. We will prosper and have success if we remember to do this. On day six of the ill-fated mission of Apollo 13, the astronauts needed to make a critical course correction. If they failed, they might never return to earth. To conserve power, they shut down the onboard computer that steered the craft. Yet, the astronauts needed to conduct a 39-second burn of the main engines. How to steer during this critical time? Astronaut Jim Lovell determined that if they could keep a fixed point in view through their tiny window, they could steer the craft manually. That focal point turned out to be their destination - earth. As shown in the 1995 hit movie Apollo 13, for 29 agonizing seconds Lovell focused on keeping the earth in view. By not losing sight of that reference point, the three astronauts avoided disaster. (1) The basics are our reference points! We must not lose sight of them! As we are moving into the new era of revival and harvest, it will be our connection with Christ, Abba, and Holy Spirit that ensures success. Demons will try to hinder us, the left will employ strategy after strategy to stop us, giants will abound. But God is all-powerful and very faithful - He will give us success if we stay focussed on Him. Joshua 1:9 states: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go,” (italics mine). The word “dismayed” comes from the Hebrew word chathath, which means to crack or break. Zodhiates uses the phrase “cracking under stress”(2) to define it. God was saying to Joshua, “This transition into your kairos stage and toward breakthrough will offer many opportunities for stress. There will be unexpected challenges, difficulties, and warfare. While under the pressure of leading, Joshua, you are going to have to make sure you walk in peace. Don’t crack under the stress.” Colossians 3:15 states: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Notice the word “let.” We must allow the peace of God to rule. We have a choice. We can stress out by focusing on giants, the way things look around us, problems, or we can take the time to quiet ourselves before the Lord, listening to what He says, and keeping our faith strong. Consider this great story: A Queens, New York woman leaned out of her eighth-floor tenement window and screamed for help. She was trapped in her bathroom. The inside knob had fallen off when her youngest child, age two, had closed the door from the other side. Two of her other children, ages four and five, were in the kitchen, alone, as supper cooked on the stove. The woman alternated between trying to break down the door herself and shouting to be heard. Both courses seemed futile and she was beginning to give up hope. Meanwhile, a young man who lived twenty miles away happened to be visiting the neighborhood that day. From the street below, he heard the woman’s pleas. He waved his hand to catch her attention and then screamed out, “I’m coming up to help you!” A short time later, she heard his voice from outside the bathroom door. “Listen closely,” the young man instructed. “Put your fingers in the hole where the knob should be, pull it up, lift the door slightly, and then quickly pull it open.” The woman followed the stranger’s instructions, and within moments the door was open. Once freed from her temporary prison, she ran to check on the children. In response to their mother’s screams, they had become upset and needed some comfort to soothe their cries. When all three children were safe within her view, the woman turned to the young man and asked in amazement, “How could you possibly have known how to get into my apartment, and how did you know how that door opens?” “I know very well,” he answered with a smile crossing his face. “I was born here. I lived in this apartment for fifteen years. I know how to get in the front door without a key. And the bathroom knob? It would always fall off, and we learned to open the door just the way I showed you! (3) As we move forward into God-given destinies, including the transforming of our nation, it is reassuring to know that God has already been there. He has seen every chronos, kairos, and fullness season before. Our shifts, the new places, are only new to us. God understands full well how to open the doors of breakthrough, victory and fruitfulness because He has been there before. And as the eternal God, outside of time, He sees the end from the beginning! (Isaiah 46:10) He isn’t trying to figure out the door - He made the door! And therefore, He knows how to open it. I was recently asked to comment on how to stay informed - watch the news, read articles, etc. - without growing discouraged. How can we keep our faith strong and keep from cracking under the stress, while seeing the mess, corruption, and chaos? The answer is to do what God instructed Joshua: listen to Him. Focus on God’s Word, first through Scriptures, of course. But also through His prophets - what are they saying? We are told in Scripture to believe them and prosper (2 Chronicles 20:20). Believing them involves thinking about what they have said. Keep their words before you, and say them. Focusing on God’s words is one way the re-circuiting will occur! Pray with me: Thank You, Father, for always instructing us in the way we should go. We never have to wonder what to do. Even when Your strategy has not yet been released we can abide in Your presence and feed on Your word. You told Joshua to carefully obey everything You said - this would guarantee success. We resist worry. We refuse to yield to stress and anxiety. Your peace is strong in us as we keep our focus on You. We choose to do this. We know You have been into the future and know everything we need to do. We will not stress out. We decree our faith in Your words. You have said America shall be saved - so it shall! You have said revival is here and coming, therefore it is. You have said a great harvest is beginning - thus, it is! You have said prodigals are coming home, therefore, they are. You have said You were going to expose evil in our nation and pull the plug on it, so that will be done. And You have said You are re-circuiting us and this nation. So be it. We decree these things in the name of Christ. Amen. Our decree: We decree that God‘s peace, His words of life and His instruction sustain us and guarantee success. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ Edward K. Rowell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Christianity Today, 1997), p. 73. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, New American Standard, rev.ed. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1990). Yitta Halberstam and Judity Leventhal, Small Miracles (Holbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 1997), pp. 122, 123.

DSM has been blessed with a wonderful, hard-working, and loyal team. Ceci and I are going to do a staff retreat with them, then she and I will take a much-needed vacation. I have asked some of my close friends and associates - many being regular contributors to the Give Him 15 posts - to fill in during this time. You will recognize most of the names; and I’ve thrown in one or two whom perhaps you haven’t heard from. You’re going to love the insights from all of them - this will be a wonderful smorgasbord! Enjoy! _____________________________________________________________________________ Ready to Rumble - Randy Lopshire This morning, I heard the Lord say: “My people must stop resisting their positioning. Their question should not be ‘How do I get out of the situation I’m in?’ Rather it should be ‘Lord, why do You have me here?’” There are prayers that God DOES NOT answer: prayers outside of faith self-serving prayers prayers that do not line up with God’s Word. Then there are prayers that God actually watches over to answer. Here am I, Lord, send me. I will do whatever You tell me to do. Not my will, but Yours be done. The moment we pray these prayers, we begin to align ourselves with Divine Strategy. Heaven opens a pathway to lead us to the right places at the right times. We find ourselves in a flow of divine appointments, contacts and connections. As we persist in prayer, our willingness causes God to lead us into greater Kingdom purpose. We become God’s partners—His agents of change. The potential is limitless. Sometimes, God places us physically in workplaces or communities to execute prayer assignments and release faith decrees. Remember, He lives in us, so everywhere we go, He is there. We carry His Presence into those places. Other times, we operate in the realm of the spirit through prophetic prayer and intercession. In this capacity, there are no boundaries because space and time do not matter in the spirit. Through prayer and worship in the spirit, the Lord can use us to do powerful things in many different situations and circumstances. How amazing is that? I recently preached a message from Acts 16:23-32: “And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.” As I studied these scriptures, the Lord drew my attention to something interesting. I noticed after being set free from their chains, none of the prisoners ran for their freedom. Instead, they waited. EVERYONE waited, including Paul and Silas. What were they waiting for? They knew how God works. They sensed a purpose in all of this. That purpose involved a man who most would have given zero consideration for—the jailer. This man punished people in prison as an occupation. He would have been an expert in torture. Most prisoners, suddenly freed, would have ignored the jailer, maybe thinking, “Let him fall on his sword. That’s what he gets for being a jailer.” But God doesn’t think like most people! Aren't you glad? Paul and Silas waited because Holy Spirit had planted them in that prison for a purpose—a higher purpose. Not so they could prove how much they loved God or how far they could be pressed without giving up. There was a greater reason for their pain. It was for the jailer to be able to ask the question that mankind had been asking since the fall: “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) God was using the jail to get the Kingdom through to the jailer, the other prisoners, and to the rest of the world. God always has more in mind than what we may know or understand. Satan tried use the situation to destroy Paul and Silas, but God planted them in that horrible prison—the worst of human conditions—as a seed, so that through them a sound from heaven could come forth through their praises and penetrate the atmosphere of darkness and despair with ground-shaking, earth-quaking power. God sent Paul and Silas who were “Ready to Rumble,” and rumble they did! He did this so ALL THE CAPTIVES could be set free. To most, jail would seem an unlikely launching point for a Kingdom campaign. But it was perfect for God because it displayed everything that everyone needs to know about Him. He is a good God! He sets captives free! He delivers people. He heals people. Most of us will never be thrown into prison for the sake of the Gospel. Thank God! But we are all sent: To set the captives free To heal the sick and raise the dead To places where our sound causes earthquakes To where evil foundations can be shaken and innocents are released. Yes, He considered them innocents. Because through the Blood of Jesus, He considers ALL to be innocent…even if they don’t know it yet. Just as God heard the cries of desperation of Israel and raised up a deliverer, God has planted many like Paul and Silas in prisons throughout America. Places: where sin abounds where wickedness is elevated where the spirit of antichrist thinks it controls. BUT… Many in the enemy’s camp think they have it all in the bag. But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger He rebukes them, terrifying them with His fierce fury. (Psalms 2:4-5 NLT) The Lord continued speaking to me: “I have a Rumbling Remnant—key people who know how to use their Kingdom Keys, who by human appearances are the least likely to be used by God. “I have planted them strategically throughout prison places. People who, in spite of the feelings of desperation and assault against their minds and bodies, are going to release a new Sound from Heaven. “A reverberation is coming forth from them into the air, out into every space where people have been persecuted and abused. The vibrations created from the Sound that is coming forth from their song, the song of their faith, are going to shake those places where sin and wickedness has abounded. I will use Rumblers to reclaim authority over the places of bondage.” What a great word! Church, I’ve seen that in the days ahead, we need to watch for spiritual earthquake zones, places where sons and daughters of the Kingdom will come forth from the prisons of hardship and despair. After a massive move of chain-breaking freedom, they will be bringing with them a harvest of former prisoners ready for spiritual battle. God will be moving them from the Earthquake Zone to the Harvest Zone. In a moment…just like that! Souls will be saved, Sons and Daughters sent forth. We need to be Ready to Rumble! We need to practice releasing our Rumbling Sound NOW. Your sound is in your voice through your faith, your declaration and your worship. You can bet this wasn’t the first time Paul and Silas had released their sound! No, they were: familiar with their faith disciplined in their declaration practiced in their praise And so must we. We are the seeds planted by Holy Spirit. Right there where you are, be the seed and release your sound, interwoven with the sounds of the Rumbling Remnant and the heavenly hosts. As we do this, God will shake the very foundations of America, and indeed, all nations. Are you ready to Rumble? Pray with me: Father, we thank You for the honor of allowing us to be part of what You are doing on the earth today. Keep us mindful that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, You have a plan and a Kingdom purpose. Amen. Our decree: We stir up the Gift of God on the inside of us so that we are ready to release the Rumblings of Holy Spirit into the earth to break open chains of bondage and to set captives free. In Jesus' name! Today’s post was contributed by Pastor Randy Lopshire. You can find out more about Randy here. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

DSM has been blessed with a wonderful, hard-working, and loyal team. Ceci and I are going to do a staff retreat with them, then she and I will take a much-needed vacation. I have asked some of my close friends and associates - many being regular contributors to the Give Him 15 posts - to fill in during this time. You will recognize most of the names; and I’ve thrown in one or two whom perhaps you haven’t heard from. You’re going to love the insights from all of them - this will be a wonderful smorgasbord! Enjoy! _____________________________________________________________________________ Aligned and Armored for Advancement - Jacquie Tyre Several years ago Holy Spirit began speaking to me about the Armor of God. He asked me a simple yet highly thought-provoking question. I heard Holy Spirit ask, “If the book of Ephesians is broadly accepted as a letter to the Church, the corporate Body of Christ, why do you only take the Armor of God as being personal?” That question left me stumped and wondering what “corporate armor” could possibly mean. Over the next couple of hours, Holy Spirit took me on a journey that would forever change the way I look at the armor of God. This journey led me to a deeper understanding of the corporate nature of the Ekklesia that, I believe, is necessary for us to advance victoriously in the days ahead. I share this revelation more fully in my latest book, The Corporate Armor, available through Amazon. Today we are facing spiritual battles in our cities, states, and nations, raging conflicts between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. While Scripture clearly tells us that we are seated far above all principalities, powers, rulers, and dominions and that we are more than conquerors through Christ, more often than not, we find ourselves not seeing the manifestation of that victory. I believe our understanding of the corporate nature of the Ekklesia being fully armored in God’s armor provides a key to help us unlock more significant victories in the days ahead. As the Body of Christ, we are members individually with one another with Christ as our head. We are placed and positioned by the Lord in the Body so that every joint supplies what is needed to cause growth of the whole in love (1 Cor 12:12-20, Eph 4:11-16). When we assemble as One New Man, the grace of Christ flows through each one supplying strength according to the measure of Christ’s faith working in us. The workings of Holy Spirit moving through each member produces a manifestation of Christ on earth through His Body. Amazing, indeed! What if we were fully armored in the Corporate Armor of God, with the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, and the Helmet of Salvation placed upon us the One New Man? I propose that we would see an increase of advancements against the gates of hell and the powers of darkness if we moved together as one fully aligned and armored together with God’s very own armor. (see Ephesians 6:11-18) Holy Spirit revealed that the five-fold leadership gifts of Christ that have been given to some to equip the saints for the work of ministry specifically present the pieces of the Armor of God. Let’s look at each part of the armor considering this revelation. First, as the Passion Translation states, we “put on the belt of truth to strengthen you to stand in triumph.” The belt represents those given to the Church as apostles. Apostles provide strength and protection by laying and securing a firm foundation of truth for the Body of Christ. They often challenge our belief systems with words like, “you have heard it said of old, but I say to you,” bringing forth wisdom based upon the truth of who God is and what His Word reveals. They also cast vision and strategy for the future to keep us from falling prey to stagnation and the tyranny of the urgent. Next, we “put on the breastplate of righteousness” as protection over the body’s most vital organs. Prophets bring revelation to point the way toward righteousness, and righteousness protects the very essence of life. When prophets speak, they release the sound of heaven to enable and empower the Ekklesia to move forward in right standing, properly aligned with heaven. With Christ as the Chief Cornerstone, prophets connected directly with apostles lay a firm foundation of truth and revelation. The belt of truth directly connects with the breastplate of righteousness, forming a protective shield and laying a solid foundation for the Ekklesia to advance victoriously. Next, we put on the “shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace” by corporately embracing the leadership grace of those positioned as Evangelists. Evangelists prepare and equip the people of God to go out into the world with feet protected to tread upon serpents, scorpions, and every evil thing without having the walk of the Body compromised or wounded. The evangelist prepares the saints to be sure they are protected by peace, knowing that it is the God of peace who will soon crush satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). Evangelists make sure the People of God continue to move out, take new territory, set captives free, and advance the Gospel of Peace throughout the land. Pastors or Shepherds are uniquely gifted and given to the Ekklesia to strengthen the Body of Christ in their walk of faith and protect by extending the very faith of Christ over the weary, weak, and war-worn. Shepherds raise the shield of faith to protect the Body and provide a place of restoration in preparation for going out into the world to advance the Kingdom of God. As we take up the shield of faith, protection surrounds the Body to extinguish the assaults of the enemy that constantly seek to undermine our walk of faith. Taking up the Helmet of Salvation brings us to Christ’s leadership gift of the Teacher. Teachers teach the Word with clarity and depth, enabling the people of God to recognize and bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Working together with apostles and prophets, they help ensure that the revelation that comes forthrightly aligns with God’s Word, Will, and Ways as revealed throughout Scripture. Teachers live to bring the people of God into the fullness of living according to the Mind of Christ. Finally, the Body, fully armored with Christ’s leadership gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, take up the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Firmly gripping the Sword of the Spirit with all manner of prayer, the Ekklesia releases declarations and decrees to defeat the enemy and unlock the purposes of Christ and His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. God has called us to align with His leadership order. We are stronger together, rightly connected within the Body, and armored together! As we put on the whole armor of God, we are enabled and empowered to stand, individually and corporately, effectively and efficiently as we fight the good fight of faith against the forces of darkness that are raging in our cities, states, and nation. Pray with me: Father, in the name of Jesus, we choose today to align our hearts with the revelation of Your Word and embrace the corporate identity You have revealed throughout the Scriptures. Father, forgive us for our independent ways and our tendency to isolate from the Kingdom relationships and alignments that You have ordained for us with appointed kingdom leaders. We repent today and ask that You would guide Your people to come into proper alignment so that we might effectively wage a good warfare against the schemes of the enemy. Lord, grant that we would come into the proper positioning with righteous posturing of our hearts within Your Body so that we might be Armored together to advance victoriously against satan and his diabolical forces of evil. We acknowledge that there is no one greater than Jesus the Christ. There is no organization more powerful than Your Ekklesia when fully aligned, armored, and advancing according to Christ’s plans, purposes, and promises. No power of hell, no governmental structure, and no strategy of demonic despots can withstand the power and authority of Your Ekklesia functioning according to Your original intent. Therefore today, we take our stand together, fully protected in Your very own Armor, to wage a good warfare armored with wisdom, revelation, peace, faith, and salvation, advancing in victory in Yeshua’s name. Our decree: Your Ekklesia is rising today, fully armored in the character, nature, and authority of Christ to push back the gates of hell and advance Christ’s Kingdom in righteousness, peace, and joy on earth as it is in heaven. Today’s post was contributed by Jacquie Tyre. You can find out more about Jacquie here. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Demonic Long-Game to Take Down America Former member of the Idaho House of Representatives and movie producer Curtis Bowers was interviewed by Jim Garlow Sunday night on the World Prayer Network. Curtis was sharing on the subject of the seemingly rapid Marxist takeover of America. He let the listeners know this is not a recent plan. We are living through the next step, and a significant one, of a plan in the works for 90 years. “The challenge for those desiring to shift America to a socialist nation,” he said, “has been its Christian roots. America’s moral structure as a result of its Judeo-Christian foundation has made it very challenging to shift. Lovers of God know we have freedom in Christ as we live to please Him. Living morally for Him has led to a very blessed nation—and the whole world has known it.” He explained the patient strategy of Marxism as being a gradual takeover of various systems of society, such as education and media. The end-game is to use those systems to change America from within by shifting its morality from God-centered to man-centered. Then, it becomes easy for the government to give people what they want. You can watch the interview here. Larry Tomczak is a board member for Intercessors for America, a best-selling author, and a public policy advisor with Liberty Counsel. He wrote an excellent article on this subject for IFAPray.org recently, expounding on this topic. His warning for America is chilling. He writes: “Do You Know You’re Being Set Up “When satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness he tried to seduce Him with tantalizing bait. He showed Him all the kingdoms of the world offering, I will give you all this…if You… (Luke 4:5-7). Satan was trying to set Him up. “Have you ever seen one of those late night commercials on TV with the grainy footage and well preserved singers of yesteryear hawking the classic hits of the past? Aligning with the voiceover announcer they nostalgically reference the era and reminisce to set you up for the sale. “‘These are all the original hits not available in stores, all digitally remastered…what a time of peaceful vibes and love. You’ll relive what was such a wonderful time of carefree living and peace. Let all the memories from those years of love and peace be experienced again as you’re ‘“'going to San Francisco with flowers in your hair.’”’ “For those of us who lived through those tumultuous times, some of us find ourselves talking to the TV set and wanting to smack them upside the head. ‘Hey buddy, that time was not all groovy, lovey, peaceful, flowing-haired girls in granny dresses twirling in the park amidst syrupy-faced guys with tambourines and flutes!’ “Using street smarts, we know they’re trying to set us up. It’s what Obama did when telling us, ‘If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor,’ setting us up for Obamacare socialized medicine. PolitiFact gave him the ‘Lie of the Year’ award! “Are we using the same discernment facing the power of the Progressives using sleight of hand to sell us a socialist bill of goods that will destroy our families and future in America? The bottom line with their nonstop ‘goody bags’ is they are trying to buy us off with our own hard-earned tax dollars. “‘It’ll Cost You Nothing!’ “The radicalized, leftist Democratic party is making offers (like the above quote from [Obama]) to hold us hostage to their socialist agenda. Exploiting Covid and climate fears to manipulate the masses, they’re trying to ‘get while the gettin’s good’ with a befuddled president and bowed down media. They know the clock is ticking and will soon run out as people are wising up for next year’s midterms to throw them out. “Like sideshow barkers, they’re pushing a wealth redistribution agenda through their misleading 2200 page $3.5 million ‘Infrastructure’ bill of giveaways that they say will be paid for by those ‘evil corporations and billionaires.’ This impacts your livelihood and your children whose future is being sacrificed for political expediency. “Here’s their agenda: Forgiveness of college debts. ‘Free’ money ($25,000) for all lower-income, first-time home buyers (they never have to pay it back even though you may have saved a decade for such a purchase). ‘Free’ government checks, child subsidies, universal childcare, pre-K coverage, college tuition, complete medical care, rent subsidies, basic guaranteed income, expanded Medicare (dental, vision and hearing), taxpayer funded abortions, increased food stamp provisions, amnesty for 12-15 million illegal immigrants with full entitlements and open borders for asylum-seekers (2-3 million this year alone) with full medical care. “Our Biblically Based Heritage “Our Founding Fathers and patriotic Americans throughout our history have demonstrated compassionate care for deserving needy individuals as a temporary ‘hand up,’ not a permanent ‘hand out’. We’ve traditionally honored the biblical directive: We command you that if any will not work, neither shall he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) “Big government has no right to take our money and savings earned over a lifetime and give it away for the sake of what they label ‘equity’ and ‘reparations.’ We must stand up to this attempted communist-style thievery and transfer of wealth establishing a culture of dependency in America. The Bible teaches that we have a responsibility to work, plan, and care for ourselves, our spouse, and children (1 Timothy 5:8; James 1:27; 2 Corinthians 12:14); and we will one day give an account before God for this stewardship. “Ben Franklin stated, ‘I am for doing good to the poor but I think the best way to do good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading them or driving them out of it. I observed the more public provisions were made for the poor the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less that was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer!’ “We must be informed regarding this deceptive Democrat set up. The radical progressives have schemes up their sleeves! “How Do You Kill 11 Million People? “New York Times best-selling author Andy Andrews wrote a book with this title. The figure represents the actual number of people killed by Adolf Hitler, not including ordinary civilians and military war dead. “In the book, he gave a simple answer to the inquiry: You lie to the people and set them up to be led like naive sheep to the slaughter. It’s happening today. “When Hitler wrote ‘Mein Kampf’, he stated, ‘The great masses of the people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one.’ “His henchman, Adolph Eichmann, revealed in sworn statements during the Nuremberg trials their deception with the Jewish people. Here’s how they set them up. “‘All Jews listen up! At last it can be reported to you that the Russians are advancing on our eastern front. I apologize for the hasty way we brought you into our protection. Unfortunately, there was little time to explain. You have nothing to worry about. We want only the best for you. You will leave here shortly and be sent to very fine places indeed. You will work there, your wives will stay at home, and your children will go to school. You will have wonderful lives. We will all be terribly crowded on the trains, but the journey is short. Men, please keep families together and board the rail cars in an orderly manner. Quickly now, my friends, we must hurry!’ “Sound familiar? They were set up by the Democratic Socialist regime. We must speak up before it’s too late. “Here’s the deal: ‘Live not by lies’ was the warning given us by Russian defector Alexander Solzhenitsyn concerning the dawning post-Christian, pre-totalitarian society he saw emerging in America. Jesus told us to watch (stay alert) and pray (Luke 21:36). Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11 NIV) “To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Don’t take the bait when they make you an offer they think you can’t refuse.” Remember, the Bible tells us, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19; NASB) Trust in Him and don’t take the bait leading to the loss of our freedom and ultimately to the loss of our country. Pray with me: Father, we know that the enemy is sly, thinking he has set the perfect trap for America. He and his earthly puppets have been working for decades to undermine the foundations You set for our nation. But he has been found out and You are exposing his plan. Just as he has done time and again throughout the ages, he has overplayed his hand and the plan has become obvious. America is a nation blessed by You. We don’t want a trap which will overwhelm us economically and force our dependence on the government. Keep us from fearing man and what can be done to us. Let us hope completely in You and continue to stand strong for righteousness, truth, biblical justice, and opportunity for all. Thank You, Lord. Amen. Today’s decree: We choose today to worship the Lord and look to Him alone as our Provider. You can learn more about Intercessors for America here and Larry Tomczak here. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Increase Your Faith - It’s Time! Romans 1:17 says we go from faith to faith: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” Every new season God moves us into requires a new level of faith. As we progress in God, He will use life’s challenges to stretch us. He is preparing us for greater responsibility, and the faith He requires from us today will be greater than what He required from us yesterday. We must progress and go from faith to even stronger faith. Many Christians are satisfied with status quo and have come to a place of stagnation. Remaining stationary in God is not an option, however. He wants to bring us to qualitatively new and greater levels of faith, which are necessary in order to accomplish the new assignments He has for us. Here are some general principles of faith: Trials don’t produce faith - they produce patience (James 1:3); revelation of God’s word and ways increases faith (Romans 10:17). The two together - faith and patience (endurance) - enable us to receive His promises (Hebrews 6:12). We determine our level of faith, not God. He gives us a measure to begin with (Romans 12:3), but we must meditate on His Word, which includes speaking it (Joshua 1:8), in order to see it grow. The teaching which says all we need is faith “the size of” a mustard seed in order to move a mountain is erroneous. Matthew 17:20 (ESV) says: “He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’” By the way, some translations say “faith the size of” a mustard seed but this is inaccurate. It is their interpretation, not an accurate translation. We must have faith “like” (Greek hos, meaning “like” or “as”) a mustard seed, which begins small but grows into a tree. “Growing faith” moves mountains, not mustard seed size faith. Abraham and Sarah were commended because their faith grew. “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-21 NASB) The phrase “grew strong” is one Greek word, endunamoo, which means “to make strong, vigorous, to strengthen.”(1) It is easy to see the root Greek word dunamis, well known in Christian circles as the Greek word for power - “You shall receive power (dunamis) after the Holy Ghost comes upon you,” (Acts 1:8 KJV). Abraham’s faith was strengthened - grew in power - as he considered God’s promise. Paul commended the Thessalonians for the way in which their faith grew. “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3 NASB) The phrase “increasing abundantly” is huperauxano, which means “to increase above ordinary degree.”(2) Abraham, Sarah and the Thessalonians would not have been commended for the growth of their faith if it had simply been a gift of God. He did not determine the level of their faith - they did. We work the process that increases faith. (I will teach on this in the near future.) My point in laboring this is to say God wants to take us from faith to faith. In my journey with the Lord over the years, His assignments have increased in scope and difficulty. My faith, however, has also increased. I recall early in my Christian journey feeling a bit overwhelmed when helping individuals who were walking through trying situations. I learned many valuable lessons during those times, however, and as my knowledge and faith grew, God increased the scope of my assignments to groups of people - families, staff, Bible school classes, a church, etc. However, the weight and challenge of the assignments shifted again in my life when God began focusing me on nations. I had to move to an entirely new level of faith. It is one thing to pray for a person or small group of people; it is another thing entirely to be assigned a nation. It is one thing to deal with a demon; it is another thing to confront a principality. The United States is obviously embedded in my heart now. Though I still feel some intimidation at times, I also know God wouldn’t have given me the assignment had He not adequately prepared me - from faith to faith. Several years ago, I found myself at a strategy meeting for the nation with several national leaders in the body of Christ. During the meeting, Holy Spirit spoke very clearly to my heart, “Don’t say anything; it is not your time.” Though I felt insecure and embarrassed about my limited participation, I did sit quietly, saying very little. It was difficult, but very important. Had I not heeded His instruction, only God knows the damage I could have done and the messes I might have created with wrong input. Also, I had not yet developed enough humility to have handled a national voice. It would have produced pride in me. A few years later, while ministering in a national conference, I heard that same small voice speak clearly, “Be bold, son, this is your hour.” I spoke with great anointing and power - His, not mine - and moved into another level of ministry. It was a divine shift. I’m sure you have your own stories of how God has challenged your faith to grow. It’s important that we learn from these lessons, and see our faith progress and strengthen. God gives us opportunities to advance and fortify our faith, but it’s up to us to work the process that increases our faith. God is changing the time and season in America, giving us a kairos (opportune) time. In order for us to take advantage of this opportunity and see it result in a fullness of time (pleroo), we will need increased revelation (as we spoke of yesterday) and an increased level of faith. This is why I say some things over and over on these posts, because saying what God says increases and releases our faith. (Romans 10:9,17) This is actually the meaning of the biblical word for confession; homologeo means “to agree with and say the same thing.”(3) One of the statements I repeat is, “America shall be saved.” I also declare over and over that a great awakening, which will produce a great harvest, has begun. God has spoken these two things over and over through His prophets. We must declare them until they have produced a new and unshakable level of faith in us. This will enable us to cooperate with Him and lay hold of what He has promised Pray with me: Father, we are grateful to see many in the body of Christ going to a new level of faith. They believe in Your promises. They believe You are a building an Ekklesia the gates of hell cannot overcome or overpower. They believe You are building a glorious Ekklesia. They believe You have given us the keys of Your kingdom, that we can bind and loose, forbid and allow for You on the earth. We are growing in this faith - going from faith to faith. We are also growing in revelation, enabling us to discern what needs to occur and the timing of Your plans. And as we stake our claim to this truth, we are determined to say what You say. You have said America shall be saved. You have said revival is here and coming. We agree with You. We will not agree with the media. We won’t agree with dictatorships. We will not agree with lying governments. We will honor no contrary circumstances. And we pray the prayer that Christ taught us to pray: Deliver us from evil. Do not let our enemies triumph over us. Give us victory, give us breakthrough. We ask this in faith and believe it will be done. We ask and declare this in Christ’s all-powerful name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that our faith in Christ and His plan is strong and will bring forth life in the earth. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________ Spiros Zodiahiates, The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, New American Standard, rev. ed. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2008. p. 2162. Ibid, p. 2298. Ibid, p. 2234.

Fire on the Family Altar The first institution God established on earth was family. It is, without question, the most important to God and the most hated by satan. For those of you who are now without a natural family due to loss, broken marriages, never marrying or other circumstances, I want to say that it is appropriate to consider your spiritual family as family. God gives us spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, and for many of you they truly are your family. This post is about restoring the family altar of prayer. For some of you that will be praying with your spiritual family. It is no less effective than praying with your natural family. That being said, it is very important for natural families to pray together. With that as our context, our friend Cheryl Sacks says, “I will never forget the moment. I was on stage at a large church conference where we’d focused on “Revival and the Holy Spirit” all weekend. It was now the closing session and I was getting ready to lead the congregation in corporate prayer for God to send revival to America. “In that instant, the Lord began speaking to me about family. The heavens seemed to open before me. I saw a vision of the nation covered almost entirely in darkness. “Looking closer I saw a few homes light up, the hearth burning brightly where families were praying together. Then, suddenly homes everywhere across the nation lit up as families were worshipping and praying …. until the whole nation was ablaze with the power and presence of God. “It took my breath away! “Every sphere of culture is important, but I hear the Lord saying, ‘It’s FAMILY FIRST.’ Because as the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world. “After all, FAMILY is the first institution God established. He designed families to be the bedrock of society, the basic building blocks of nations. Is it any wonder that satan has engraved a bullseye on the family? “The devil’s aim is to destroy our families – and he is moving with great fury to deconstruct God’s original design for the family. Evil forces beyond anything we can even imagine are pulling families apart and distorting and redefining what family is, even denying God’s creation of male and female. “History has taught us that the decline of any nation always begins with the decline of the family. But consider that the decline of the family begins when God is absent from the family culture and worship and prayer cease to be a priority in the home. “We can’t disciple a nation if we fail to disciple our own families! “Ultimately the attack on the family comes from evil spiritual powers and it is futile to fight this kind of battle with natural weapons alone. The battle for our families will be won in prayer! It is time for the ekklesia to pick up our weapons of warfare and defeat the enemy of darkness who is seeking to kill, steal and destroy our families, and thus this great nation. “Many of us pray at our state capitols, county seats, in front of the Supreme Court, and schools and neighborhoods. And so we should and so we MUST! Yet, in this pivotal moment in our nation, there is a fresh call from the Lord to pray in our homes, for …. and with…. our natural and spiritual families. The Family Can Save the Nation “Our nation and nations around the world are in crisis. We are seeing massive protests, riots, and revolutions. Widespread drought, floods, and fires, hyperinflation as governments drive up their debt, violent crime is increasing in major cities across America, the rapid loss of personal freedoms and retaliation against those who would confront evil in our day. “In the Bible, when the nation was on the brink of destruction and even annihilation, God had a simple, humble solution. In the darkest, most desperate times He used righteous families to bring deliverance and save the nation. “Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. “Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. “Esther and Mordecai. “During the darkest, most depraved time in human history, during the days of Noah, God used one family to resist the evil of their day and build the ark. “And it is not only biological families that He uses but spiritual ones as well. In the Bible, four young men lost their relatives and any hope of a future family when they were uprooted from their homeland and cruelly turned into eunuchs, depriving them of the chance to ever marry or have children. “They lost their natural families but found each other - and formed a covenant bond in Babylon that impacted the greatest empire of their day – through the power of prayer in agreement and bold, courageous action. “Joined together as an ekklesia in hostile surroundings, the lives and prayers of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego changed history. “No matter how bad things are, covenantal intercessors in the family of God can make all the difference — and turn the tide for a nation! Steps to Build a Family Altar “Whether you live alone or in a household with children, married or single, you can light the altar of prayer and worship in your home. You can begin taking steps now to build—or rebuild—the altar of prayer. Here are some suggestions: “Call your family together and discuss the idea of devoting a special time each day or week to gather to meet with the Lord. [Explain that this is a time to invite His presence and power into your lives and family to thank Him for the great things happening and to ask His help in the challenges. Find a time you can all agree upon, and make sure it is set aside for this purpose.] “Tailor your gathering to the ages and personality of your family. [Younger kids can’t sit still for long. You may need to pray with them when you put them to bed and have a longer time of prayer after they fall asleep. If you have teenagers, involve them in framing the time to make it interesting and exciting.] “Set the tone. [Our family has found that reading Scripture or a chapter from a Christian devotional (i.e. Dutch Sheets’ GiveHim15 or The Pleasure of His Company) helps set the tone and inspires faith. At our house, we often turn on Pandora and start with our favorite worship music.] “Create a journal where you can record your family’s requests and the date the prayers are answered. [We also write down the blessings God has given that week—and some we didn’t even ask for! He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).] “Remember, in addition to a special set-aside time, we can pray and worship together anytime and at any place—[on our way to work, school or a sporting event, even on vacation. You could make the next birthday or graduation a time of praying blessings – that your special family member will fulfill his or her God-given destiny.] “Reach out to a prayer partner. [If your family is not ready to pray with you just yet, remember you can always reach out to a prayer partner or start a prayer group and pray for one another’s families.] Fire on the Family Altar “Imagine what might happen if pastors all across the nation began to call their congregations to establish prayer in homes. What if we regularly invited God’s presence into our homes and prayed not only for one another but for their schools, workplaces, and churches? What if every time we gathered to pray, we asked God to send another Great Awakening to our land? I believe we would see families restored, prodigals coming home and revival fires ablaze, with a multitude of people coming into God’s Kingdom. “I hear the Lord’s urgent CALL, even a PROMISE, to His church today, ‘If you will build an altar, I will come…. to your family …and to this nation!’” Pray With Me: Dear Lord, our families and this nation need You as never before. Only You can bring the healing and reconciliation that we so desperately need. We ask You to send a sweeping nationwide revival and let it begin with me…in my home, in our homes. Even as we saw in the early days of this nation, we pray that families would return to daily prayer, worship, Bible reading, and sharing stories of Your faithfulness. We know that as we invite Your holy presence and power into our homes that we will see salvations, healing, reconciliation, and restoration. Ignite a fire in this nation through the praying families of America, one that spreads to every sphere of culture. And, Lord, we pray that this would not end with our generation, but that our children and our children’s children would keep the fire on the family altar burning— that the generations to come would put their trust in You and not forget Your faithfulness (Psalm 78:6-7). Our Decree: We decree, in Jesus’ name, that a movement of family prayer is being ignited that will set this nation ablaze with the power and presence of Almighty God! Today’s post was contributed by Cheryl Sacks. Cheryl is author of the Prayer Saturated book series: The Prayer Saturated Church, Prayer Saturated Kids and The Prayer Saturated Family - How to Change the Atmosphere in Your Home through Prayer. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work by going to bridgebuilders.net. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Cause He stood as a titan on the battlefield, his intimidating presence mortifying the ranks of the armies of Israel. According to one translation of scripture, Goliath was “the shock trooper.”1 This giant would have made the average NBA player look like a preschooler. Standing “six cubits and a span” (1 Samuel 17:4), somewhere near nine and ½ feet tall, Goliath must have appeared surreal to the Israelites. “Shocking” was no doubt an appropriate term to describe him. Twice each day—80 times in all—this gargantuan Philistine stood before them and cursed the God of Israel, causing the Israelite soldiers to cower in fear at his terrifying challenge, “Send out a man to fight me” (see 1 Samuel 17:8-10). He was confident, intimidating, relentless. To David, the young shepherd-boy, however, the fact that no one had accepted Goliath’s challenge was even more shocking than the giant’s menacing size. After all, greater things were at stake than just this one battle. The Philistines, Israel’s archenemies, were determined to conquer the people of God and eradicate them from the land. David knew that Goliath’s challenge was winner-take-all! David saw beyond Goliath’s size and daunting intimidation. He knew something bigger was at stake. Perhaps this is what young David was implying with the question—“Is there not a cause?”—when he announced he was going to face this giant (1 Samuel 17:29, KJV). What a probing question. David’s question implied: There are some things more important than our individual lives. Our decision shouldn’t be made based on how terrifying, imposing or indestructible this giant seems; there is a cause far bigger and far more important than the potential cost of facing this menacing giant. What was this “cause” David spoke of? (Some of them should sound familiar.) The well-being of Israel’s wives and children hung in the balance Homes and possessions were on the line The blood that had been shed by others to purchase their freedom was about to be trampled underfoot Israel’s freedom was at stake The very purposes of God through His covenant with Abraham were in jeopardy The Cause of Christ That last statement is loaded with significance. Goliath’s challenge was about so much more than simply one nation fighting another; it concerned more than just a squabble over a few square miles of dirt. The freedoms and destiny of one nation, although very significant, cannot compare to the greater cause hidden in this drama. The very purposes of God on the earth were at stake! God’s covenant with Abraham had been initiated in order to establish a Messianic lineage, an entry point for He Himself to enter earth’s fallen race and redeem the world. And this divine cause was in jeopardy. No wonder satan was fighting Israel so fervently through this demonized giant—an eternity for billions of people was at stake; companionship for Father God and a Bride for His Son were on the line; the integrity and vindication of Yahweh, who promised to redeem fallen humanity, were at risk; and the recompense due satan, the destroyer, also hung in the balance. Indeed, there was a cause! Satan didn’t know how God planned to do all of this, but He knew it involved the seed of Abraham. Was David aware of all this? Not fully, but he certainly realized this was about more than simply the well-being of Israel. God, the text tells us, was being “taunted.” Goliath “cursed David by his gods” (1 Samuel 17: 43, 45), revealing the deeper and more subtle plot unfolding on this ancient battlefield. It was a battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of satan. Thinking of this greater cause, David, lover of God, responded with this goal in fighting the giant: “that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and He will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:46-47). Clearly, David understood that a cause greater than the survival of his nation was at stake...a noteworthy cause worth fighting and, if necessary, dying for. And fight David did, killing the shock trooper and removing his head! History was made; the cause was saved and Israel’s destiny protected. Such is the role of destiny-driven, cause-minded people: preserving causes and writing history. America’s destiny, like Israel of old, is being challenged. Today’s Goliaths have made their stand and issued their challenge. Spiritual giants are trying to abort our destiny, and in doing so, frustrate the plans of God around the world. Anyone who cannot discern that the war against America’s identity, as well as other conflicts in the earth currently, has no discernment. God is calling cause-minded warriors who perceive the situation in America clearly enough—and believe in the cause passionately enough—to become history-making, destiny-preserving giant-killers. I hope you’re one of them. Today’s war for America has already begun and the opening volley was fired in the 60s. Though our battle is certainly of a different nature, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12, KJV), it is no less real and will be no less intense. And most certainly, as was the case in Israel’s battle with Goliath, the destiny of our nation and the purposes of God on earth are at stake. Calling For Today’s Giant Killers In this war, the eternal destinies of souls are at stake. Is there another great generation of spiritual soldiers who will storm our “Normandy”—the gates of hell—and lay it all on the line for a righteous cause? Is not our eternal cause just as noble as was the cause of American’s down through history. Just as it was in David’s day, God’s reputation is certainly part of our cause. Is He not taunted daily in our land and cursed in the name of false gods? Are not His words and laws mocked? In the past, America, more than any other nation, has been known as an example of what it means to be a Christian nation. Our sin, however, now mocks and reproaches Him, while presenting a false picture of what a nation “under God” should look like. Our government leaders mock Him. Our educators and media mock Him. Our motto, “In God We Trust,” is currently no more than a faith-filled statement of hope, clung to by a remnant determined to make it a national reality once again. For those who know and love Him, this should be one of our motivating causes. Am I being overly dramatic in making such shocking comparisons with Israel and assertions about the world? Come on, Sheets, I can almost hear some thinking. Is America’s destiny really at stake? Is the eternal well-being of billions of people actually hanging in the balance? Is God being mocked? Are we that far from what our Founding Fathers intended? Without a doubt. But there is good news. As leaders take counsel against Him (Psalm 2:1-3), the terrifying laugh of Yahweh is ringing in the heavens (verse 4). The Ruler over all the earth is reminding us of His promise to His Son: “I will give You the nations as Your inheritance,” (verse 8). “My rod of iron is still strong, and is about to be extended” (verse 9). A generation of passionate, God-honoring patriots are arising who, like David of old, believe enough in the cause of Christ to risk everything for His cause. Greatness is being restored, not at a political level, but a heart level. Greatness is found when Godly character and courage overcome giant-sized challenges, no matter the cost. “When Lewis Morris of New York was about to sign the Declaration of Independence, his brother advised against it, warning he would lose all his property. Morris, a plain-spoken founding father, responded ‘...Damn the consequences, give me the pen.’”2 That is greatness. Morris displayed the heart of a cause-minded David staring down the mocking “Goliath” of his day. We must do the same. Our giants are socialism, humanism, liberalism, out of control government, abortion, immorality, drugs, breakdown of the family, materialism, love of pleasure, human trafficking, fatherlessness—make your own list. But without question, God is raising up a generation of Lewis Morris’s, warriors who will stand up, accept the challenge, take hold of their pens, - or 5 smooth stones - and write history. America will find her heroes, giants will fall, revival will explode and the cause of Christ will be accomplished. Pray with me: Father, You said, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you” (Isaiah 43:2). We lay hold of Your promise today. You have told us to be bold and courageous. You commanded us not to fear. We refuse to cower in the face of today’s Goliaths. You have said that in this era giants will fall, principalities will be removed from places they have ruled for centuries. Your gospel will go forth with power and bring forth abundant fruit. We hold fast to these promises. We know there is more at stake than just our freedoms and prosperity. The redemption of a billion souls is at stake. Let Your rod of authority descend on those who oppose You. We pray that they kiss the Son, as the Psalm commands (Psalm 2:12). But if they refuse, crush their influence and rule. We ask You to restore greatness to this nation, in order that we might partner with You once again. Awaken the church to this incredible privilege. Greatness is not measured by wealth or power. Greatness is measured in the heart. Give us hearts of love, faith, boldness and loyalty. Give us leaders with integrity, character and, yes, common sense. And give us 1 billion souls! Amen. Our decree: The ekklesia decrees that the cause of Christ will prosper and succeed. Giants will fall, principalities will lose their hold, and the harvest will come in. Some of today’s post was taken from my book Giants Will Fall. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. ______________________________ Metzger, Bruce M. The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001). P.124. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=123214&page=1

DSM has been blessed with a wonderful, hard-working, and loyal team. Ceci and I are going to do a staff retreat with them, then she and I will take a much-needed vacation. I have asked some of my close friends and associates - many being regular contributors to the Give Him 15 posts - to fill in during this time. You will recognize most of the names; and I’ve thrown in one or two whom perhaps you haven’t heard from. You’re going to love the insights from all of them - this will be a wonderful smorgasbord! Enjoy! _____________________________________________________________________________ Comfort Zone - Clay Nash “Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) Comfort is a good thing, right? A warm house, a full belly, and a remote within arm’s reach. Life is good. But we can’t stay in our comfort zone forever. Neglect our jobs, our families, our treadmills…and see how long it takes for our comfort zones to become barren wildernesses. So it was that when God gave me this word involving Comfort Zones, I knew He was right. (He’s usually right.) Here’s how the word started. The Lord says, I had to take you out of your comfort zone to bring you into My comfort. But, let it be known that My comfort does not comfort in the way your comfort zone does. Not surprisingly, God’s comfort zone is different than our comfort zone. How is it different? Let’s see: My comfort conforms you...to My image. The conforming to My image (brought about by My process of comfort), will bring you out of ‘the old,’ in order to take you into ‘the new’ (your inheritance). I am bringing you out of the barren wilderness...but now you must allow My Spirit to remove the wilderness mindset that has become ingrained in you during the recent journey. So…this is more than “Hey Church, ditch the burgers, grab those weights, and drop a few pounds.” God’s comfort actually conforms us to His Image. Yes, it changes us into His image. And why does the Lord do that? He does it to take us out of the barren wilderness and into our inheritance. But what does God require of us? He says we must allow Holy Spirit to remove our wilderness mindset. He’s referring to how our thinking becomes conditioned in difficult times. We too easily enter a survival mode, trading excellence for expediency. We reason that an inferior relationship is better than no relationship. This is understandable, but there comes a time when God calls us higher…to receive our inheritance…to prepare us for future challenges. For the days ahead are days of living sacrifices—yielding, remaining still—upon my altar. God requires that we yield and remain still upon his altar. In Genesis, Isaac remained still upon the altar. I’m not sure I could have done that. But Isaac was surrendered to his father Abraham. And for good reason. His father was everything to him, just as our heavenly Father is everything to us. God is leading us into a living sacrifice to equip us for the battles ahead. Your surrender will cause our oneness to become a bond of love, and you will see the promises you have battled FOR become the promises you will battle FROM. In this new place I have prepared for My body, you will discover the words that set the enemy to flight will be. “It is Finished.” You see, surrender is more than “Not my will, but Yours be done.” It forms a bond of love, taking us to a place of receiving our inheritance, which is our strength. What is our inheritance? It is everything we have battled for…in prayer, in faith, in declaration…all we have believed for. It is a calling into being who we have not yet become. God is serious about preparing us for the next assignment. I Am a consuming fire that must consume all that is not Me. But the days that lie ahead will prove that your surrender to Me is your strength. This surrender, resulting in a newfound strength, will be triggered by your hunger for My presence, a presence that leads you, not only from strength to strength, but from faith to faith and victory to victory. Amen! So, what are some common comfort zones that easily become barren wildernesses? 1. Acceptance By Other People. Nobody likes being rejected. People want to fit in, find their place, to contribute. Trouble starts when we let others define us. We need people who will challenge us, not agree with us. We need people who will look into our lives and tell us the truth…whether we like it or not, especially if we don’t like it. Because only the truth makes us free. And only God can define us. 2. The Traditions Of Men. In Mark 7:13 of the Passion Translation, we read: “Do you really think God will honor your traditions passed down to others, making up rules that nullify God’s Word? And you’re doing many other similar things.” What is God objecting to here? Well, it’s our traditions and rules—those that nullify God’s Word. Which…by my estimation, is a lot of them. Now, there’s nothing wrong with starting services at the same time or insisting on some semblance of decency for our gatherings. That’s not what this scripture is talking about. This scripture refers to the mayhem that ensues when something doesn’t happen precisely the way we expect it to. Does God leave the building if we have the preaching first and the music second? Or no preaching at all? Or music that is too loud…or too soft…or too rock…or too “Nearer My God to Thee”? No, God doesn’t leave the building, but a lot of people do. God’s presence doesn't come just because we build a church building and strike up the praise band. God’s presence is in. It is in churches, bars, homes, foxholes, factories, and brothels. Holy Spirit responds to hungry hearts…and He finds those everywhere. 3. Getting Identity From Your Gifting. Paul tells us in Acts 17: “It is through [God] that we live and function and have our identity…Our lineage comes from God and Him alone.” Notice that our identity comes through God, not through our ministry. Our ministry must be rooted in our fundamental identity of being a redeemed son or daughter of Almighty God. Our bedrock rests in Him and Him alone! Pray with me: Lord, You see the days ahead. We see the four walls we have created, even as we believe for greater things. Take us out of our comfort zones and into a new strength through a living surrender. Prepare us for the coming battles, even as You comfort us in a newly forged bond of love. Our decree: Those whom the Son has set free are free indeed. We speak freedom of God’s conforming truth into our bodies, souls and spirits. We release all that was built in ignorance—our traditions, our conformity, our excuses and false notions. We, the redeemed of God, are changed from glory to glory as we look not to the right or the left, but to the burning love of God, a purifying fire, preparing us to receive our inheritance for victory. Thank you for joining us, may God’s comfort conform you to His image. Today’s post was contributed by Clay Nash. You can find out more about Clay here. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Mercy Triumphs In the 1970s, Don McLean wrote a song about America which became one of the most popular songs of his day. American Pie was listed by the Recording Industry Association of America as the number 5 song of the 20th century.(1) A notable and favorite line of this oldie is “the day the music died.”(2) McLean was more prophetic than he knew. “The land of the free” has become the land of the bound. America the Beautiful still describes us on the outside. Internally, however, we are discordant, ugly, ravaged by societal disease and moral decay. Like Hebron, we have become a stronghold of giants. In their desire to be encouragers, many religious leaders refuse to point out the true condition of America. I get it. No one wants to bring discouragement and, to be sure, a defeatist attitude must be guarded against. Faith believes what God says as the final verdict, not what is seen. But no serious doctor would begin treating a patient without first diagnosing the problem. To blindly declare that everything will be okay, simply because God is good and gracious, is beyond naive; it is unbiblical and untrue. An accurate diagnosis is not only sound wisdom, it is compassion and part of the healing process. America’s Condition Having spoken in general terms about America’s condition in Monday’s post (My Honest Evaluation of Today’s America), I will not share most of what is laid out in this chapter of the book. In summary, however, over the last 60 years, God has been pushed from America’s heart by strongholds of pride, materialism, humanism, and pleasure. It was inevitable that we also expelled Him from our schools, government, and the core of American life. Abortion followed. The giant named Death drank from the blood of our children. Many of the survivors now follow our disregard for life, killing one another and themselves. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in young people. Over 5,000 commit suicide every year—more than 13 each day.(3) A sexual assault occurs on a teenager every 8 minutes.(4) Seven hundred nineteen teenage girls undergo abortions every day.(5) Roughly 10 million new sexually transmitted diseases and infections occur in teens every year in this country.(6) During the twentieth century, the divorce rate rose 700 percent in America. Thirteen million children under the age of 18 are growing up with one or both parents away from home. Seventy percent of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes.(7) We wonder why young people grow disillusioned and dysfunctional? They’re the product of our rebellion, reaping what we have shamefully sown. [There are more facts and information in my book.] Other signs point to our true condition. We are a nation of addicts and lawless rebels. The United States is the single largest market on the earth for illegal drugs and leads the world in the export of pornography.(8) We cannot build prisons fast enough to hold our criminals. We’re rich in goods and poor in character— powerful without, weak and self-destructive within. America’s music has become horribly discordant, yet we’re so tone-deaf we don’t notice. Our wealth and power have anesthetized us to our true condition; we’re bleeding to death internally while continuing to party on. Our Denial Must End Things are shockingly out of control. Like Goliath taunting Israel’s army and Arba, Hebron’s demonic conqueror who mocked the memory of Israel’s Fathers, the giants in our land mock us in the name of their gods. Every part of American society is screaming for cause-minded, impassioned followers of Christ to arise and help resurrect our song. As Nehemiah observed about his nation, our walls are down and our gates burned (see Nehemiah 1:3). Hosea’s description of ancient Israel is also appropriate—we have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind (see Hosea 8:7). We have become the proverbial frog in the kettle—slowly dying and unaware of it. Like the band on the RMS Titanic, we continued playing while the ship was sinking. Our propensity for only treating symptoms has been foolish and futile. The water cannot be bailed fast enough. It is time to abandon our denial. Like the causeless army of Israel when facing Goliath, we convinced ourselves that if we waited long enough, the shocking giants of the land would go away and leave us alone. This will never happen! Satan has no intention of letting up in his relentless assault on America. And yet… Teenage, worshipping shepherd boys are showing up with harps and slings - Davids are arising. 85-year-old warriors have heard Heaven declare, “It’s time!” - Calebs are picking up swords. Uncompromising prophets are making their way to Mt. Carmel - Elijahs are challenging the prophets of Baal. Mega-church pastors, who traded sheep transfers and innovative performance for the power of Holy Spirit have awakened from their Sardis ways (a name that is alive but are dead). Many starving and thirsty followers have decided the shallow, performance driven services can’t satisfy their hungry spirit and thirsty soul. They’re searching - by the thousands. Fed-up moms, dads, soldiers, businessmen, and women - patriots - all have decided to confront and replace political eunuchs who have bowed to Jezebel’s system and sold out to mammon. And the heavens are shaking. Hell and its hierarchy are nervous. Compromising, power-hungry politicians are, also. And well they should be. A remnant of the church and yes, many unsaved patriots, as well, have taken their harps down from the willow trees and decided to sing again (see Psalm 137). Maybe the music didn’t die. Perhaps it is only asleep. Most importantly of all, the King, the Lord of the harvest and leader of angel armies has been moved by a praying remnant. A passionate lover of people - yes, even sinners - He has stood up. The Creator is now coming to save. And giants will fall. Consider these comforting promises: “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness, and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him?” (Joel 2:12-14) “Come let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us: He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us as the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth,” (Hosea 6:1-3). “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame, neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more,” (Isaiah 54:4). “Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,” (Isaiah 61:7). Repentance of sin and a turning back to God by an intercessory core has prevailed. A Third Great Awakening is beginning. Will we see the fulfillment of these and other hope-filled promises? YES! God is gracious, Caleb’s are arising, and Hebron is being pioneered again. In their book Is It Real When It Doesn’t Work? Doug Murren and Bard Shurin recount: Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a rich man.” Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Nobel said, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.”(9) Profound. And worth emulating. God is giving America a chance to re-write her epitaph. If written yesterday, even today, it would read, “Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting,” or perhaps, “The Giants Won.” But our gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness, forgives sinners and heals nations. And to cause-minded Caleb’s...He gives anointings to slay giants. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your mercies which are new every morning. We give thanks that You love to demonstrate mercy. We are confident that it triumphs over judgment. Of course, America has done many things to deserve judgment. Our song of freedom and covenant with You is, indeed, dying. But You are the God of resurrection. You bring new life into death. You forgive and You fully restore. And now, it is the singing of principalities and powers, spiritual giants in the earth, that will end. Their songs of mockery and destruction will give way to the song of redemption. So, we ask You to raise up the David‘s and Caleb’s - giant conquering warriors You have ordained and prepared for this hour. May they be filled with zeal, boldness, and faith. They will raise the dead, spiritually and physically. They will preach a powerful gospel of the kingdom and millions will come to know You. We decree this over the earth NOW and we declare that this is the most significant season of taking out giants in the history of this planet. We decree this confidently because of Jesus and in His name. Amen. Our decree: We decree once more that Hebron is, indeed, being pioneered again! Some of today’s post was taken from my book Giants Will Fall. Click on the link below to watch the full video. CBSNews. “Best Songs of the Century?.” CBSNews. com, March 8, 2001. www.cbsnews.com/news/ best-songs-of-the-century/ McClean, Don. “American Pie.” Universal Publishing Group, 1971. National Institute of Mental Health. “Suicide.” NIH, 2015. www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide/index. Shtml RAINN. “Children and Teens: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens RAINN. “The Criminal Justice System: Statistics.” RAINN, 2018. www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system Dudley, Susan. “Teenage Women, Abortion, and the Law.” Prochoice, September 2015. Prochoice.org/ wp-content/uploads/teenage_women.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Reported STDs in the United States.” CDC, November 2015. www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/std-trends-508.pdf U.S. Department of Justice. “Special Report.” U.S. Dept. of Justice, September 1988. www.fathermag.com/ news/1780_stats.shtm/ Warner, Jennifer. “US Leads the World in Illegal Drug Use.” CBSNews, July 2008. Cbsnews.com/news/ us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use/ Family Safe Media. “Pornography Statistics.” TopTenREVIEWS, Inc., 2007. www.familysafe.com/ pornography-statistics/ Larson, Craig Brian. Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993). p.123.