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! _____________________________________________________________________________ Glory Warfare - Becca Greenwood “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3 NASB). Glory. We have heard statements such as, “He is glorious!” “Lord, bring Your glory.” “What a powerful service; the glory was strong.” I have made these comments. Allow me to pose a question. What does this word mean? How does glory, spiritual warfare, and authority work together? The Hebrew word for glory is kabod. Meaning splendor, honor, wealth, the manifestation of power, glorious presence, reward, glory in the inner person, ruler, men of high rank, one who governs with Him (Strong’s #H3519). Our heavenly Father has chosen to anoint us in His throne room, in His glorious presence to be used mightily by Him to see captives, peoples, and nations set free and transformed. Jesus stated, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28; NKJV). A kingdom has a government led by a king. Jesus was the occupying King. The kingdom He waged spiritual war against also had a government, with satan as its king. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, humankind was under the evil dominion of the prince of darkness. Satan has never nor will he ever play fair. He is complete evil; our adversary; the great deceiver; the enemy of our souls; the prince of the power of the air; and the mocking, prideful, rebellious foe of our Lord. But things radically changed when God sent His Son. He made a way for salvation and redemption for all mankind and creation. He positioned those who believe in Him as ones who have access to go beyond the veil into His throne room. I believe we will all agree that darkness is increasing. Satan is sounding out a deafening roar as a ravaging lion looking for prey to devour. That being said, once we are saved we are enrolled in the most powerful army of the universe. And friends, we have not been left to fight on our own. The Word of God repeatedly discloses power encounters Jesus had with satan and his army of darkness. The Bible reports that the first encounter happened to Jesus after God audibly announced, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We then read, “Jesus was led up…into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 3:17; 4:1 NKJV). Peter Wagner pointedly states: “Jesus’s public ministry began with an eyeball-to-eyeball power encounter with satan himself!”1 In the real world, Jesus talked about, taught about, and personally confronted the devil and the demons under his command regularly. When the apostle John looked back at the ministry of Jesus, he characterized it this way: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 NKJV). From Jesus’ time until now, the battle has intensified. Satan’s fury is raging because he knows his time is short. There is a spiritual army of warriors God has raised up to partner with Him in the demise of the evil foe—satan and his kingdom of darkness. You and I, as sons and daughters of the heavenly King, have been given the privileged position of enlisted spiritual warriors of this heavenly appointed army, engaging satan and his army of darkness not for victory, but from victory—with victory! When we encounter our King in the glory of His throne room, when we ascend into His presence, we become awakened. Scripture tells us, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10 NKJV). As we faithfully enter “the much position” of His glory and encounter Him, we move from acquaintance to awakened ones—to friends, trusted ones, intimates, glory-empowered Kingdom ambassadors. Our hearts are vitally united to His and set aflame with His Kingdom purposes. The more time we spend in His presence, where we are surrounded and empowered in His glory, the better we know Him and His voice. He entrusts us with strategies to release, intercede, prophesy, decree, and implement so that the powerful light of His Kingdom is made known, causing darkness to be dispelled and evil to flee. Holy Spirit deposits in each of us a distinct sound that comes from the roar of the lion of Judah that sets captives free and awakens cities and nations, ushering them into a transformational breakthrough. I would like to share a recent prophetic revelation the Lord released while in intercession for our nation and the nations. “In the midst of all the storms, the chaos, the stirred-up tensions, and the nations raging, there is a sound that is arising. It is a distinct sound rising in a unified composition being played before My throne and echoing throughout the land and the nations. It is the sound of an awakened prayer army—My Ekklesia.” He then opened my spiritual sight to see and hear the following. “There is a sound of groans of intercession in total dependence and abandonment to our heavenly Father. A sound of a groaning in the spirit over the land, coming from the land. It is not a sound of death, but a sound of holiness, consecration, hope, life, awakening that is designed by our Father. A season of pressing through a narrow place and coming through the eye of the needle into a place of His designed Kingdom purpose and destiny. Even though the floodwaters have risen, the fires have burned, cities and nations have trembled, quaked and are raging—there is a resounding cry of intercession reverberating out in the spiritual atmosphere. An awakening that is sweeping this nation. An awakening of believers, intercessors, prayer warriors. A united strength that all felt was lost in past seasons is now being ignited, rediscovered, rebirthed, and released. “There is a new sound of surrender, repentance, dependence on Him. A sound of intercession that comes from the surrendered bowing of the knee in His glorious presence. It is a sound of worship, awakening, and of the spiritual warriors arising with Holy Spirit fire in this new era. A sound and a stirring of authority rising up—a spiritual warrior’s cry resounding out into the atmosphere. “There is a culminating voice of unity arising and being expressed in a remnant that many thought had been silenced and divided. While the chaos comes to a fullness of expression, the sound of this new, repentant, humbled, empowered, and emboldened prayer army is rising to the heavenlies. “Yes, chaos is raising its head for a time, yet the sounds arising from the awakened intercession and Ekklesia are resounding to overpower the sound of chaos. Hold fast to the Lord. Keep your abiding gaze focused intently on Him and rise up!” Pray with me: Father, we declare that You are the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). The earth is Yours and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1). All of heaven is filled with Your glory and resounds with praise—holy are You, Lord! Father, we thank You we have been given a rich inheritance in Your Kingdom. As Your sons and daughters, we have been given the privilege to enter Your throne room presence where our gaze is set on You and strategies are revealed. Father, we say in this new era, we will no longer separate glory and Holy Spirit presence and fire from the awakened authority and responsibility to push back darkness. We say that it is not either/or, but it is both/and. Holy Spirit, cause the fire ignited in us to expose those hidden things and secrets done in darkness. May they be brought to the light of Your presence and glory and may the enemy’s evil schemes be dismantled and destroyed. Father, empower and embolden us in Your glory presence to see captives set free, the lost saved, people healed, cities and lands freed from the grip of principalities, and ushered into Kingdom transformation. We decree: The voice and authority of the glory-anointed Ekklesia is awakened and reverberating out in the spiritual atmosphere. Your glory and manifest presence are awakening and releasing transformational glory in people, families, businesses, governments, spheres, and gates of influence, neighborhoods, cities, and regions. As prophesied in Habakkuk 2:14, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (NASB). Portions of today’s post were taken from Becca Greenwood’s book Glory Warfare: How the Presence of God Empowers You to Destroy Works of Darkness. You can learn more about Becca here. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________________________ 1. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers: How the New Testament Church Experienced the Power of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare (Ventura: Regal Books, 1996), p 121.

The Big Wave is Coming Over the last three months, my friend, Clay Nash, has had two dreams about Father Nash, the great intercessor who worked with Charles Finney. Finney and Nash played two of the most prominent roles in the 2nd Great Awakening, a revival in the 1800s that preserved America. (By the way, Clay is not related to Father Nash.) “At age 48, [Nash] decided to give himself totally to prayer for Finney's meetings. He would come quietly into towns three or four weeks in advance of a meeting, gather three or four other like-minded Christians with him, and in a rented room start praying and bringing heaven near. It is reported that in one town all he could find was a dank, dark cellar, but that place was soon illumined with holy light as he made it the place of intercession.” 1 “Finney operated on the basis of prayer being essential for the preparation of an area for evangelism. When God would direct where a meeting was to be held, Father Nash would slip quietly into town and seek to get two or three people to enter into a covenant of prayer with him. Sometimes he had with him a man of similar prayer ministry, Abel Clary. Together they would begin to pray fervently for God to move in the community. One record of such is told by Leonard Ravenhill: I met an old lady who told me a story about Charles Finney that has challenged me over the years. Finney went to Bolton to minister, but before he began, two men knocked on the door of her humble cottage, wanting lodging. The poor woman looked amazed, for she had no extra accommodations. Finally, for about twenty-five cents a week, the two men, none other than Fathers Nash and Clary, rented a dark and damp cellar for the period of the Finney meetings (at least two weeks), and there in that self-chosen cell, those prayer partners battled the forces of darkness.” 2 In Clay’s first dream, I was on a surfboard focused and waiting on the right wave. Finney approached me and said, “Stay focused, the big wave is coming soon.” He pointed to a figure on the beach praying, telling me it was Father Nash. “He has been here praying for weeks,” he continued. Finney then told me to keep watching Father Nash, he would alert me when “the big wave” was coming. “Don’t look back to the wave that’s coming; look forward to where the wave will take you,” he continued. This dream is obviously telling us that the big wave of revival we have been crying out for and expecting is coming soon. It also informed us that intercession will be the key to this, just as it was in Finney’s success. And finally, there is the strong admonition to stay focused. Clay’s second dream occurred just a few days ago. Here is the entire dream: “I dreamed the morning of August 3, 2021, that Father Nash, Finney’s intercessor, asked me to travel with him to see something. As we were caught away to the location all I could see were people praying and interceding. There must have been at least two hundred thousand people. Their intercession sounded like the water at Niagara Falls. It was penetrating, to say the least. “All through this mass of people, there were people waving Appeal to Heaven flags. There were also American flags, beginning with the earliest one up to today’s. I asked Father Nash who these people were and his answer astounded me: ‘These are those who came through Ellis Island to establish their newfound liberty in Christ. They came for the freedom that established America and is Father God’s original intent. Their intercession is for God’s will to not be aborted and for the ekklesia, His war brigade, to battle as they never have before.’ “As he finished speaking, an American flag, large enough to cover all the mass of people, settled down upon them. The flag was soaked and dripping with fresh blood. I asked, ‘Is this blood that will be shed again upon our soil?’ “Nash answered and said, ‘No, my faithful friend, this is the blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. It never grows old.’ He then signaled and they all stopped praying. He instructed them to pray for Dutch, and for the war brigade to continue to be transformed into His special force needed in America.” End of Dream. I must admit that I, too, was astounded at the revelation of who these people were. Holy Spirit is obviously saying several things to us through this dream. Once again, He points out that intercession will be the key to what is coming. He then reminds us of God‘s original intent for America. It was to be a stronghold of freedom and liberty in Christ. One cannot help but recall the verse on the Liberty Bell, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10). America was raised up to be an evangelist to the world. Holy Spirit then tells us that these immigrants were praying intensely for the ekklesia, God’s “war brigade,” that we would “battle as we never have before.” We were also reminded of the blood of Jesus, the blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat, which was soaking the American flag. Surely this is telling us there is cleansing and mercy for America, and that God is not finished with her. Again, intercessors - represented by the immigrants and Father Nash - are the key to seeing this occur. Finally, prayer is offered for the ekklesia’s continuing growth and transformation. We must persevere, church. We must continue to offer up our petitions and decrees. We must mature in our understanding of what it means to be the Ekklesia, and function accordingly. And we must “stay focused, the big wave is coming soon.” I’ll leave you with one final quote regarding Father Nash: “Though he prayed in private, yet he often prayed with such fervency that others became aware of his praying. This was not intended, but simply was the release of a deeply burdened soul. The lady at the boarding house became aware of his groans as he prayed. His enemies claimed, ‘that it was impossible for him to pray in secret since, whether he went into his closet or the woods, he prayed with such vehemence that he could be heard half a mile away.’ While this was likely an exaggeration of his normal practice, there is a record of a single occurrence of note: In the revival at Gouverneur (in which the great majority of the inhabitants, Finney believed, were converted), Nash rose very early and went into a forest to pray. ‘It was one of those clear mornings,' said Finney, 'on which it is possible to hear sounds at a great distance.’ Nearly a mile away lived an unsaved man who suddenly heard Nash’s voice raised in prayer, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the reality of his urgent need for a Savior. In fact, he experienced no relief until he found it in Christ." 3 Church, let’s birth this great awakening!! Pray with me: Father, as You move us on a path toward the coming worldwide great awakening, America’s Third Great Awakening, You reminded us of Finney and Nash, two of the key players in the last great revival. One of them preached, the other provided the power behind the scenes. Thank You for this wonderful reminder of what You are about to do and the incredible encouragement it brings. Obviously, it is no coincidence that two key players from the previous great awakening were sent in a dream to remind us of what is next. They await with batons, ready to hand off to us the assignment of the next great revival. We pledge to run our leg of the race well. As we wait for this coming wave of revival, help us to stay very focused. Help us to keep our eyes on the goal, on where You are taking us, on the great harvest of souls and nations. We pray for the intercessors, that they will remain strong and focused. We pray for the ekklesia, that she will continue to mature and become all You need her to be on the earth. May we be wise, bold, led by Your Spirit, and filled with faith. I ask You to increase the intensity of prayer around the world for this great revival. Keep us from being distracted and enable us to continue pressing toward the mark. We ask for this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will stay focused and will catch the big wave that is coming soon! Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/portrait/nash.html https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/prayernew/prevailing-prince-prayer-daniel-nash/ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54791966e4b0306d2b1b6002/t/5a22ea200852297fcbb367ae/1512237600901/Final+FATHER+NASH.pdf

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! _____________________________________________________________________________ The Times We Live In - Greg Hood If there has ever been a day when we needed to walk in the Spirit, it is today. In doing so, our nation will more wisely navigate through these turbulent times. Psalm 2:1 tells us, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the people devising a vain thing?” This verse asks questions of us today, questions that demand answers. Why is America in an uproar? Why are we seeing things today on an unprecedented scale that we have never seen before? In times past, we saw protests which were largely peaceful like those Dr. Martin Luther King led. Today, we are seeing organized riots and looting. Groups are actually bringing death and anarchy into our streets, defying the laws of the land, and defying God. Never before in the history of America—have we seen such hostility. America is not perfect. We have our problems. In times past, like today, we've had corruption, desperation, and dark times when we pulled away from God. Unlike many nations, however, America’s corruption has been hidden, and when exposed, we attempted to deal with it. Today, the light of God is shining in our nation for revival and awakening. It’s exposing darkness on a whole new level. There has never been a time of greater exposure of wickedness in our nation's history that I can recall. The devil wants to gain a foothold in America for evil. However, this only exposes his plans. We are seeing darkness exposed by light and the elements of evil are running. We are seeing all kinds of evil manifesting to keep their foothold in America, trying to hang on to its authority. By God, however, they are losing their grip on this nation as the Ekklesia is being positioned into a place of a great awakening and revival. We must look past the surface of current events to see as God sees, to react as God reacts, to receive the manifestation of heaven that God desires on the earth. Why is America in an uproar? Because change is here. I declare to you that we will see peace in this nation. Chaotic times cannot remain. Our God is not fazed by what He sees on the news. He cares about His purpose for this nation. Now, we know that God is a God of judgment. We understand that nations are either going to be goat nations or sheep nations. Look at Psalm 9:17 with me. It reads, “The wicked will return to Sheol, even all the nations who forget God.” The wicked will return to Sheol as the righteous return to God. The nations of the earth are evolving. God is bringing about His righteous judgment on the earth. Evil will cease. Righteousness will prevail. Jesus wins! King Jesus has overcome the world and He is raising up an Ekklesia—a church that will not back down until we see the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our God. As we press toward “the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” we are causing the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our God. Consider with me the description of Issachar from 1 Chronicles 12:32: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times with the knowledge of what Israel should do…” The entire tribe was ready for action. Let’s unpack this verse and get some very important things back in place. This word “understood” in 1 Chronicles 12:32 means “an understanding,” of course. It also means: “discernment; truth; to discern; to act wisely; intelligent; to interpret; to be investigative; a skilled teacher; understanding and he will gain.” With this definition, knowledge is more than just “Oh, I know.” Rather, we seek understanding to be able to gain, move forward, and progress the agenda of the heart of the Father throughout the earth. The clearest meaning of “understand” is “truth.” Today, truth is more detested than a lie. Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” We are in that day right now. We have news cycles all day long, 24/7, but little of it is truth. Instead, we are seeing reporting seeking to change our culture, our times, and the assignments that God has given us as individuals and as a nation. America is in a cultural war over the revision of history. The fact is, you cannot erase your history and correct your history at the same time. History must be learned before its lessons are clear. Erasure is ignorance. We embrace our history for what it is—a historical record of the good and the bad and everything in between—so we can move forward with healing and wisdom from God and not repeat our mistakes. To not repeat history is to know history, not erase it. America, and the world in general, faces a rising tide of activist groups operating behind noble-sounding titles and agendas. And some are noble, but many are cleverly disguised to divide and dismantle the plan and the purpose of God for America. Here is a verse for you, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:14-17) As we navigate through these times, we cannot succumb to operating in survival mode. It does no good to tread water until Jesus returns and “snatches” us out of here. We are partnered with an army of angels on a battlefield— we are kings called to the frontlines to strategically overcome and overtake the enemy so that the Kingdom of God can be expanded around the world. Again, from 1 Chronicles, “understood the times” is a powerful description. It literally means “to always have understanding.” My redneck definition of this is, “being in step with God or being current with Him on current events.” God is speaking today. He is not silent today or any day. There is always an open heaven. We may not always hear Him, but God is always talking. When the Scripture refers to “the times,” it means “appointed times, circumstances, intervals, timely by year.” So, it is not just the time or a season but an appointed time. We are in an appointed time—a time in our lives when we need to step up as never before. The opposition is great. Darkness is real. The enemy is in our face. But today is the day, we say: “Back off, satan, you have crossed the line.” 1 John 4:4 encourages us in this, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” It is time for the Ekklesia to capitalize on this opportune time God has us in. We were born for this! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, square your shoulders and declare: “I am ready. Here I am, God. Send me. I will be a voice. I will be the light. I will be what You need me to be to turn this nation into a place of revival and awakening.” Listen, family, when you don’t know what to do - fear sets in, people stay still, chaos erupts - the enemy invades and his agenda takes root. We are seeing the majority of the church experiencing this today. Yet God wants His church in motion. We are not called to be stagnant. We are not retreating. We are moving forward. We are pressing on towards the mark of the prize of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus. (see Philippians 3:13-16) We need the mantle of Issachar manifesting in the church today. It is vital to us seeing and receiving the fire of God into our lives and the nation. This is not about individuals’ relationships with God, but about the Ekklesia—the body of Christ coming together to bring the awakening and revival that we need and have been crying out for. The fact is, God is waiting on us, the church; we are not waiting on God. We need to rise up in the functioning apostolic, prophetic anointing that God has given His Ekklesia. We need the Issachar mantle so we will know what to do. We don’t need any more good ideas. We need Kingdom ideas. We do not need to hear from men. We need to hear from God. We need to hear from God through His sons and daughters. Then we will have the answers we need to bring peace to a chaotic world. Pray with me: Father, we know that our nation is in a very dark place, and corruption is at a level we cannot remember seeing before. We ask that You give us that Issachar Mantle that we may step into a new place of understanding our time, so that we may bring to our nation the answers needed to release revival and awakening on a level not yet seen, in the name of King Jesus, amen! Our decree: We decree that we are ready. Here we are, God. Send us. We decree we will be Your voice. We will be the light. We will be what You need us to be to turn this nation into a place of revival and awakening. Portions of this post were taken from my book Rebuilding the Broken Altar - Awakening out of Chaos. You can find us at greghood.org or most social media platforms. God Bless you and go do business with the King today! Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Wake Up My Warriors The past year and a half have been difficult for many. It is almost as though hell has pulled out all the stops in an effort to hinder what God is about to do. Satan’s way of altering God’s appointed times (zeman) and decrees (dath) is by “wearing down” (bela) the church, those through whom God works (see Daniel 7:25). The word bela (“wear down”) is only used in a mental or emotional sense, not physical. It means to harass continually, wearing away a person’s mental and emotional endurance. Satan has been working diligently to do this. Holy Spirit wants to refresh you. He wants you to know He - and therefore, we - are winning. And will win! Our friend Gina Gholston, an author and strong prophetic voice, shares a powerful word regarding this. “I once had a vision in where I saw an army of people spread throughout a field, lying on the ground. They were dressed in what I would describe as biblical era army attire. These soldiers appeared to be dead, although, in my spirit, I knew they were not dead. I heard Holy Spirit say, ‘They are exhausted.’ All of a sudden, a sound was released, and immediately every soldier was renewed with strength, simultaneously stood to their feet, and was ready to move. I then heard a voice speak to me loudly and adamantly, ‘Wake up the warriors!’ “I was scheduled to speak at a conference in a couple of days, so I thought maybe the purpose of the vision was to give me a sermon and prophetic directive for the upcoming meeting. But the Lord said to me, ‘I am not giving you a sermon; I am giving you a mandate: Wake up My warriors!’ For countless people, the last year and a half has been one of the most difficult seasons they have ever faced. I hear this everywhere I go. And it’s not just from Covid; there have been many things coming at them, seemingly from every direction - spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically. The pressures of the last season have left many feeling discouraged and completely exhausted. But the wind is blowing, the tide is beginning to turn, and God is awakening His church. Perk up your spiritual ears and listen for His sound! Some have been lulled to sleep by pressures and distractions. Others have worn themselves out with other struggles (some necessary, some not so much). But we have entered an entirely new era, and everything is changing. “The Lord says: There is nothing that has been done that cannot be undone, and there is nothing that has been lost that cannot be found! So, shake the dust off. It is time to get refocused, realigned, and repositioned. Rise above the distractions, hear the sound of the new era, stand up on your feet, and be ready to move! “This is an urgent time, and we must not hesitate! It is as though I can see the Lord walking through America and hear Him calling, My Church, My Church, where are you? Come out of hiding! Awake, awake! Be clothed in My strength. Be clothed with My glory! Hear and respond obediently to My sound echoing through this time, declaring awakening to My body. Though you were dead yet you shall live, and through you, I will now reveal My manifested glory. Arise! Take your place. Watch and be amazed by what I will do in days ahead through My awakened body. “Last year, I had a dream where I was in a large stadium, playing baseball. Our team was winning in a very big way, but didn’t know they were winning! The game had been long, and everyone was extremely tired. We had runners on first and second bases, and our next hitter came up to bat. When the ball was pitched, our hitter slammed it deep into the outfield. As our runners began running to second and third bases, the opposing team’s third baseman was waving his hands in an attempt to distract and misguide the runners. He was saying, ‘Just skip third base and go on to home plate. You’re exhausted, and there’s no way we can catch up to your score, so just give yourself a break. Don’t even go to third base; just go on home.’ “I was in the dugout, and instantly realized what was happening. We were winning, and there was no way they could catch up to our score, and they knew it! The only way they could possibly win was by a technicality, so they were trying to play to our weariness and emotions, tricking us into an action that would cause us to forfeit the game. “I ran out onto the field and was yelling at the top of my lungs, ‘Keep going! Do not cut corners now! We are winning, and they know it! The only way they can beat us is by a technicality, so keep going! We’re winning! We are winning!’ “Church, this is not the time to be weary in our well-doing! (see Galatians 6:9) This is the time to ‘Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned, and Yahweh’s glory now streams from you! Look carefully! Darkness blankets the earth, and thick gloom covers the nations, but Yahweh arises upon you and the brightness of His glory appears over you!’ (Isaiah 60:1-2 TPT) The enemy would have us believe that America can’t be saved. But God has declared that ‘America shall be saved!’ He has prophesied that we will experience another, greater awakening, and though we may be tired, we’re winning! ‘The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and every eye shall see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it’ (Isaiah 40:5). “At the sound of His voice, the army of the Lord is rising from discouragement, confusion, exhaustion, and complacency. God is reviving us! Just as Jesus’ physical body awakened and rose from the tomb, so His body (His church) is arising, and in the strength and power of Yahweh, Christ’s resurrected body will now shake and awaken this nation and the world.” “‘Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not’ (Galatians 6:9). This is not the season for weariness; this is the era for reaping. God has spoken, and He will watch over His word to perform it! (Jeremiah 1:12) This is our ‘due season,’ so keep running. Don’t stop. Don’t cut corners. God is with us, and we are winning. It may not yet look like it, but we are winning!” Pray with me: Father, we hear Your clarion call. It’s a call to action. We rise and take our place as Your governing body, to decree and enforce Your verdicts for America. We shake off weariness and the exhaustion of the past season. We find renewed strength in the power of Your might. We refuse to succumb to the attempts of hell that have been sent to distract and misguide us. We are winning, and we will not stop! We have faith in You! We will run Your set course with endurance, and by the power of Your Spirit working in and through us, we will see Your will and intentions for our times established, just as You have purposed! In Jesus’ name and authority, we pray and decree this. Amen! Our decree: We are God’s awakened warriors! We will not back up, and we will not stop until we see God’s kingdom come and His will be done on earth even as it is in heaven. Portions of today’s post were contributed by Gina Gholston. You can find out more about Gina here. Click on the link below to watch full prayer.

The Power of Praying the Word of God I love hearing intercessors declaring faith-filled prayers and decrees. Seasoned intercessors often pray directly from the word of God, or pepper their prayers with scripture. They fill themselves with the word, soaking in it until they become deep wells Holy Spirit can draw from as they pray. Intercessors often speak the very word of God into the atmosphere, and those words have God’s creative life in them. Jesus said His words were spirit and life (John 6:63). They still are. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” This scripture is warning us to be careful what we say, and also that we can release life through speaking right words, which would obviously include Scripture. They “create” God’s will in situations. Wycliffe is a Bible translation ministry, devoted to the Word of God. They recommend the following, in regards to praying the Scriptures: “When we use God’s own words by praying Scripture, we’re aligning ourselves with His heart and praying according to His will. What better way is there to give our prayer life new meaning? So when words fail you, open up the Bible and allow God’s words to be your prayer. “If you don’t know where to begin, the book of Psalms has some great prayers! Paul’s epistles also have some great encouragement and prayers. Pick a verse and declare it as truth for a people group or nation. God invites us to intimately connect with Him through prayer, and what better way to do that than to use His own words in the Bible! And…as you pray Scripture, you’ll find new ways to talk to God.”(1) I know one intercessor who consistently asks the Lord to put a sword in her mouth to use against the enemy. She says Holy Spirit is always faithful to do so. This analogy comes from two places in the New Testament. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us to put on the armor of God, then mentions our weaponry: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (v 17b; NASB) W. E. Vine says regarding the sword mentioned here, “[The reference here in Ephesians 6:17] is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual Scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.”(2) I would add that the Greek text indicates the scripture must be spoken in order to be effective as a weapon. We are not to simply think about the verses, we are to decree them over the situation. Hebrews 4:12 tells us more about this sword, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (NASB) Spiritual warfare often entails warfare against mindsets. These mindsets could be in individuals or over an entire culture. Either way, the Word of God spoken into the spiritual realm addresses the situation, and works to divide between truth and deception. Praying the Word over people can bring deliverance to those trapped by wrong mindsets. Author Ruthanne Garlock in her book A Woman's Guide to Spiritual Warfare co-written with Quin Sherrer shares the following example: “Rosa discovered the power of words when Robert, her fifth grader, came home with a low grade on his semester’s work. The teacher had written that she was giving him this grade because he was capable of doing much better. “When praying about it, Rosa was reminded that her mother-in-law used to speak over Robert that he would have problems in school. “Rosa felt Holy Spirit was showing her that Robert’s grandmother had unwittingly cursed him with her words. She recalled the Scripture that says, ‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.’ (Isaiah 54:17). Using this passage in her son’s situation, she prayed and broke the words his grandmother had spoken over him. His grades improved immediately, and soon he was chosen as one of two students in his class to appear on a television program - because of his exceptional learning ability. To Rosa, it was confirmation that the word curse was broken [over his mind.]”(3) We can also pray the Word over national situations. In White House Watchmen, Jon Hamil relates a story from the war in Iraq. A friend serving there was on the phone with his wife when shelling began. She got off the phone and prayed fervently; Holy Spirit gave her instructions. When they talked the next day, she told her husband what the Lord said. Jon says: “My friend followed through on what the Holy Spirit showed his wife. He walked the perimeter of the compound...asking God to secure it from shelling. He asked God to forgive all sin which defiled the land. He decreed Psalm 91, saying, ‘Lord, we choose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and abide under Your shadow. Surely You will deliver us!’ “When your compound is being targeted with shelling, how do you gauge when to take your walk? It’s a risky venture night or day. Shelling continued in the region, but near his compound, it immediately stopped.”(4) Whether you are praying over a personal situation, or to see a stronghold over a nation broken, ask the Lord to give you a sword from His Word to use in the battle. When we pray His Word in faith, we will see miracles. “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 have good success.” (Joshua 1:8; ESV) Pray with me: Father, as we stand in the gap for our nation, cities and families, we declare that the blood of Jesus breaks every chain of bondage. Please heal our land. We declare that no weapon formed against our nation shall prosper. Every tongue that would rise up against us in judgment will be exposed and cast down. We pray for the manifold wisdom of God to rest upon all who are in authority over our country; may truth and discernment guide every decision they make in their public and private lives. May any unrighteous officials currently in office be replaced by those who will serve with integrity. We cry for justice and mercy, truth and righteousness to be established. [See Proverbs 21:1-2; Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:26-31; Ephesians 3:10; 6:10-20; and 1 Timothy 2:1-4.](5) And Father, we pray for our friends and loved ones. Show us how to pray effectively for them, when to war for them and when we need to ask for Your mercy. Your Word is always our manual. Lead us to the right verse or verses to use as a sword. We will see them saved, delivered and become all that You intended for them. Today’s decree: We will declare God’s Word as a sword, and strongholds will fall. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. 1 https://www.wycliffe.org/prayer/how-to-pray-scripture-back-to-god 2 W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, vol. 3 (Old Tappan, N.J.:Fleming H. Revell, 1981), 298-99. 3 Sherrer, Quin & Garlock, Ruthanne. A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Bloomington, MN:Chosen Books, 2017), 125-126. 4 Hamill, Jon & Jolene. White House Watchmen, (Shippensburg, PA:Destiny Image Publishers, 2020), 146. 5 Sherrer, Quin & Garlock, Ruthanne. A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Bloomington, MN:Chosen Books, 2017), 220-221.

The Showdown The church, indeed, the entire world, is in desperate need of God’s mighty power. Deliverance from oppression and suffering, the judging of evil and wickedness, salvation to millions - all of these things will require a great release of God’s power. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He launched His fledgling church - 12 disciples and a handful of ardent followers, some of whom had been with Him throughout His entire ministry. Before sending them, however, He gave this band of enthusiastic zealots an interesting command: wait (see Acts 1:1-8). I can think of many things Christ may have said to them at this point, none of which would have been “wait.” Wait for what? One would think the proper response at this moment would have been to act quickly, seizing the moment. But Jesus said, “Wait. Wait until the Father sends you a new level of power, through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.” Why wait? Why didn’t Jesus baptize them in the Holy Spirit right then? Because God had appointed a right time to do so, the feast day called “Pentecost.” “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place,” (Acts 2:1). It is not always easy to wait for the timing of God, but it is always necessary. Sometimes we won’t know the reason for His timing, but we must trust that He does all things well. In this instance, just as with the Cross, God was doing things in sync with Jewish feasts, in order to fulfill symbolisms and pictures He had painted in the Old Testament. The point is that there was “a right time” for the release of God’s power. And whether they liked it or not, the early disciples had to wait. In our lives, timing is usually based on circumstances God is dealing with: prayer and/or obedience that is needed, repentance and cleansing (hearts made ready), faith being released, satan being bound, Holy Spirit’s determination to use circumstances to work in our lives, and more. One thing we can be assured of, however, is that we are now in a “right time” and God’s power is about to be released on the world scene in a significant way. We must allow God to prepare us for this. We did the 30-days of separating our hearts to Him, using The Pleasure of His Company book for this very purpose (see the GiveHim15.com archives). Unless and until we are made ready to receive God’s outpouring of power, it can have the opposite effect from what He and we desire. God’s power can destroy those unprepared for it. In his great book, Rebuilding the Broken Altar, Greg Hood writes about this: “In 1 Kings 18, things were dark for Israel. Baal worship ruled the spiritual landscape, presided over by nefarious rulers Queen Jezebel and her doleful husband, King Ahab. Poverty and hunger abounded. The people lived in fear. God’s power was desperately needed. The prophet Elijah decreed a three-year drought upon the land as part of the needed preparation process. Eventually, he heard from God that it was time for breakthrough (1 Kings 18:1); God would release His power and show Himself strong. Therefore, Elijah challenged Jezebel’s 850 prophets of Baal to a showdown. ‘Let’s see whose God will show up with fire-power and consume a sacrifice on Mount Carmel.’ “Ordinarily, we might consider the odds of 850 stark-raving mad, demon worshipers, armed to the teeth, competing against one lonely prophet of God to be slightly skewed. But hey…I never said God fights fair! “Elijah knew it was time. The nation of Israel was starving. People were dying physically from lack of water and spiritually from lack of God’s presence. They were ready for change, so Elijah gave Ahab the ultimatum. ‘Get your army of prophets together and we’ll see who is truly God in Israel, Baal or Yahweh.’ “It was a contest of power. It had to be. The Prophets of Baal, and by extension, the children of Israel had sought power, and satan had obliged. He will use power to entice and impress. God does not. Yet, He does use signs to point to Himself and confirm to the hungry that He is God. But He never does so to impress, perform, or satisfy the skeptic. At the time of Elijah’s challenge, Israel was living out the dire consequences of their misguided quest for power. For years, they had gone after foreign gods. Despite God’s love for them, the Jews were drawn to the tactile gods etched in wood and stone and appeased with the warm blood of human sacrifice—often innocent children. Power they had sought, and power they had received…with devastating results. “It was time for change. It was time for GOD’s power. But first, preparation was needed. With all of Israel gathered for the contest, the prophets of Baal built an altar, laid a bull upon it, and called on Baal to answer with fire. They screamed, cried and cut themselves, imploring this demonic imposter to respond with a demonstration of his potency and supremacy. “And you know what? He did just that. He did…nothing. “At the end of the day, Elijah knew it was time for God’s power to fall, time to show Israel just who the true God was. Well…almost time. “With all of Israel watching and the Prophets of Baal seething hate, Elijah did what every servant of God has done since the dawn of time: he built an altar. Before the power of God Almighty could fall and the contest be decided; before the people could be converted and those who had defiled Israel into abandoning its true God be judged...Elijah built an altar. “He brought together 12 stones, each stone representing a tribe of Israel. Each tribe was unique in blessing, power and qualification; each tribe represented a different facet in the jeweled crown of God’s chosen people on earth; and each tribe, like the stones Elijah was gathering, soiled through their forsaking of the Lord. “Israel, pictured by this altar, an altar once paired with God and now re-paired. A nation being prepared to receive the power of God. This power was about to fall, and those prepared to receive it would survive and be blessed. Those not qualified would be destroyed. “And so it was. With the altar restored and the sacrifice splayed for the sins of the people, Elijah positioned himself before the altar he had built in obedience to God, and prayed. “God answered. Power fell. Fire consumed the sacrifice and the altar. The people cried out: ‘Yahweh, He is God!’ And the prophets of Baal rushed for the exits…a tad too late. “Yes, there was a great slaughter of evil that day, but the real story was God’s power and love. God prepared the people to receive His power. In spite of heinous sin, He never abandoned His people. Nor did He send His delivering power prematurely. He prepared them through difficult circumstances, showed His commitment to them by lifting the drought, revealed His restorative mercy through the altar and demonstrated His power through the fire. “God will bring His redeeming power as long as we submit to the qualifying process. From the moment we pray, He begins preparing us for the answer. It might take minutes; it might take days…even years. But God is faithful to not give us what we ask for until we’re ready to receive it. “Seeking God’s power? Build an altar!” Pray with me: Father, we pray today that You would give us the discernment, patience and fortitude to walk out the process of redemption You have set underway in America. Help us, by the power of Holy Spirit, to not just sit back and wait for You, but to partner with You as sons and daughters; to execute the entire process of Your plan for our nation. We agree with You, Lord, that You are not done with America, that You are creating a place, through us, for Your fire to fall. Thank You, Father, for Your goodness and for contending with us to see Your will done on the earth. Our decree: We decree that there is a fresh wind of Holy Spirit moving across this nation, filling God’s people with a fresh power of His Spirit. We also decree that we are moving out of the cheap seats of the spectators, into the place where altars are built for the fire of God to fall and the nation be redeemed. Amen. Portions of today’s post were contributed by Dr. Greg Hood. You can find out more about Greg here. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer.

Our Great Need for Revelation Biblically speaking, revelation is simply “supernaturally revealed knowledge.” This information can come through: Holy Spirit speaking to us inwardly, the Scriptures, the gifts of the Spirit, dreams, visions, and more. Regardless of the method, we must hear from God His insights, strategies, intel, and timing. Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). Revelation is needed and helpful in many situations, but is especially important in spiritual warfare. Chuck Pierce and I were in Florida on the Fifty-State Tour when he interrupted my message. Something I said awakened the prophetic anointing in him; he came to the platform and began prophesying. (I don’t know how he functions in meetings without me!) “There is a terrorist cell in Tampa,” he said in the course of his prophecy. He handed me the microphone with a do-something-about-it look. Almost as if he was saying, “I found it. Now you deal with it.” I did the only thing I knew to do - pray. I led, while those present joined with me in agreement. We decreed that the terrorists would be found. Two weeks later a professor at a Tampa University was exposed and arrested as the leader of a group funding Islamic terrorists.1 That is warring by interruption and revelation! In Matthew 16:18, Jesus speaks of building His church and warring by revelation of who He is. The context is that Peter has just received a powerful revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus commended him and said, “Upon this rock I will build My church.” The Amplified Bible makes it clear that Jesus was talking about spiritual warfare; and that Christ was not saying He would build His church on Peter, but upon “the rock” of revelation that He is the Messiah. “I tell you, you are Peter [Petros, masculine, a large piece of rock], and on this rock [petra, feminine, a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it - or be strong to its detriment, or hold out against it.” Regarding “the gates of Hades,” I love Kenneth Wuest’s Translation, “the counsels of the unseen world shall not overpower it.” Jesus then made His famous promise of giving us the keys, or authority, with which to bind and loose in the invisible realm called “heavenly places.” Far too often we try to build the church and war against satan’s plans and counsels without revelation - the counsels of heaven. This is futile, and our lack of success in many areas is the fruit of it. God, however, has been restoring our understanding of the need for the prophetic anointing that brings discernment and revelation. This is changing everything. One of my favorite verses relating to the need for and power of revelation is 1 Chronicles 12:32: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command (emphasis added).” Times in this verse is a Hebrew word meaning strategic or opportune times. (For those who enjoy word studies and know the Greek word kairos, this is the Hebrew equivalent.) These were men of revelation, and it was this revelation of the times that brought them knowledge of what to do. We must realize this is a passage about war. The verse is often referenced, but that aspect is usually overlooked. Verse 1 introduces the upcoming list of David’s mighty men with the statement “they were among the mighty men who helped him at war.” At the chapter’s conclusion, we’re again reminded that all these men were warriors (v 38). Please don’t miss the significance of this. Their prophetic anointing - the ability to understand the times, which brought knowledge of what to do - had to do with war. This is instructional: For us to be effective in our spiritual war, we too must have an ability to discern the times. And like these men of old, from that revelation we can receive strategy. This Hebrew word for “understanding” the times is also significant. The word doesn’t refer to just a learned, intellectual knowledge or wisdom; it is prophetic revelation or discernment - a spiritually imparted knowledge. Several other passages where the same word is used will confirm this: In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon asked God for an ability to “discern.” In Daniel 1:17 and 20, Daniel was given this kind of “understanding” to interpret visions and dreams. In 8:15-16, Daniel asked for “understanding” to interpret a vision. In 9:22, Daniel was given “instruction” and “insight with understanding” by an angel. (I find the phrase “insight with understanding” fascinating. I equate it to the “wisdom and revelation” of Ephesians 1:17.) In Daniel 10:1, Daniel received “understanding” to interpret a vision from God. And in Proverbs 3:5, God says, “Do not lean on your own ‘understanding.’” Proverbs 3:5 makes much more sense when understood in this light of prophetic revelation. God is not saying we should abandon wisdom or common sense. He is telling us not to rely on our own human discernment of what to do. “Receive revelation from Me,” He is saying. Again, placing this understanding into the context of war (1 Chronicles 12: 32) makes it especially significant. If we are to know what to do to overcome in spiritual warfare, we must receive spiritual revelation. Whether fighting a “good fight of faith” personally (1 Timothy 6:12), “wrestling” with principalities and powers over communities or nations (Ephesians 6:12), or “pulling down strongholds” in an individual’s life (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), Holy Spirit knows how the victory of Christ must be applied. That may be through repentance, forgiveness toward someone, fasting, binding and loosing, decreeing the Word, prolonged intercession, or other methods. The key is to listen for His strategy, then do it. When I needed healing from 45 warts on my hands, Holy Spirit’s strategy was for me to speak (or decree) the Word over my hands until the warts disappeared (Mark 11:23-24). This took 30 days. When praying for a young girl who had been in a coma for 18 months, His strategy was for me to pray over her an hour every week until her brain was healed. This took a year. When praying for the healing and salvation of nations, numerous things are often required: unity in the church, much agreement in prayer, repentance and cleansing from national sins, fasting, and more. Only Holy Spirit knows what needs to happen for breakthrough to occur in situations. We must hear His instruction and obey. This is the key to winning spiritual war. Pray with me: Father, Your word tells us You always give us victory, that we always triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14). We believe Jesus completely dealt with satan’s ability to steal, kill, and destroy us, and that He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). You sent Holy Spirit to be our Teacher, Guide and Helper. We believe He is always willing to give us the revelation we need in order to succeed. If we do as You instructed Joshua, meditating in Your Word and listening for Your instruction, we will prosper and have great success (Joshua 1:8). So we ask You for the spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). We ask You for the same anointing Issachar was given with which to discern the times and know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). We do not lean to our understanding in spiritual matters, but rather we acknowledge and listen to You (Proverbs 3:5-6). Give those who need breakthrough at a personal level the understanding they need. And give us the understanding we need at the corporate level to break through for our nation. We know this is happening, and we believe it will continue. In Christ’s name we pray, amen. Our decree: We decree that we have ears to hear what Holy Spirit is saying to us, the church. We will listen, hear, and obey. Click below to watch the prayer. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/02/20/professor.arrest/ Portions of today’s post were taken from my book, Authority in Prayer.

It’s Time! Our friend Gina Gholston had the following dream a year or so ago. Holy spirit has been bringing this dream back to me recently. I actually shared it in a message a couple of weeks ago, and felt as I did that it is beginning to occur now. There was tremendous weight on it. Before sharing the dream, I should tell you that the Red River Meeting House was the place of a great revival in 1800. It led to the great Cane Ridge revival, which led to the Second Great Awakening, which literally saved America. Not just spiritually, but as a nation. Some historians believe every significant revival in the world since then has a connection to the Red River Meeting House: “I dreamed I was at the Red River Meeting House in Russellville, Kentucky. I had gone through the gate and started walking up the drive toward the Meeting House, when I noticed 100 bald eagles on the grounds. I was captivated by the sight of so many eagles. “Hearing a noise behind me, I turned and saw an older well-drilling rig coming through the gate toward the Meeting House. It stopped about halfway up the driveway and parked under the walnut trees where it began drilling. No sooner had the bit been set when, whoosh, the water gushed out in very high, massive amounts! “I thought, ‘This looks like Old Faithful.’ I have seen Old Faithful, and this reminded me of that famous geyser, only it was MUCH larger! In the dream, I was thinking about how Old Faithful is very predictable and that it erupts in a rhythm of time. Then I heard an audible voice speaking about this geyser in front of me: “‘It is set on the rhythm of Heaven’s time clock. And it’s time!’ (In the dream I understood that to mean, ‘It’s blown before, a gushing move of the Spirit of God, but it’s set for another, greater gusher! It’s time!’) “Next, I saw two hands come down and clap once. The clap made a very loud sound, which was a signal to the eagles. They weren’t scared by the noise of the clap or by the spraying of the water; they calmly rose up, hovering like a helicopter, ready to fly. As they rose, I saw that each eagle had arrows in one of their talons and a rolled-up paper in the other. Then I heard the same audible voice saying: “‘Rapid eye movement: My seers are on the move.’ “As soon as I heard those words, the eagles flew off in every direction, each heading purposefully toward their assignment. As they left, each one flew through the supernatural water, becoming drenched. Incredibly, their feathers never dried as they flew. Wherever they traveled, the water would fall off of them - like a rain shower - onto the dry ground over which they flew. “Back at the Red River Meeting House, the water continued gushing and I, too, became soaked with it. I went into the Meeting House, which had been set up like a command center. There were seven drafting tables with ‘architects’ sitting at them, drawing up blueprints, plans, strategies, revelations. People were coming in, one after the other, soaked with the water from the geyser. They would approach one of the architects, who would roll up a set of plans and hand them to the individual. Immediately, the architects had another one drawn up, and would hand it off to the next soaked person coming in. I was amazed at the speed with which the architects worked: draw it, roll it up, hand it off; draw it, roll it up, hand it off! This didn’t stop. “When the people received their blueprints, they were supernaturally transported to their assignments, in America and around the world. And just as occurred with the eagles, the revival water soaking them was being flung onto people everywhere they went. I heard the audible voice again, saying: “‘Rapid Response Teams.’ Then I noticed a sign, on the wall behind the pulpit, that read, ‘Rapid Response Command Center.’ “Suddenly, the dream shifted, and I knew by the Spirit that what was happening at the Red River Meeting House was also taking place at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, and Azusa Street in California! I was then lifted up, and could see a line connecting Cane Ridge and the Red River Meeting House. Another line from each of them went to Azusa. I could see that these lines formed the shape of a spearhead. From the line drawn between Cane Ridge and the Red River Meeting House was yet another, coming from the nation of Wales. It was forming the shaft of the spear. “This picture was depicting that all four of those places—Wales, Cane Ridge, Red River Meeting House, and Azusa—were connected; and also that what I saw happening at Red River was simultaneously happening at all of them. I was being shown that all of those past moves of God were now being brought together to ‘spearhead’ another greater and more powerful move of God in our time. End of the dream.” The geyser, of course, is telling us that God is about to reopen this well of revival. God, who controls the times and seasons (Daniel 2:21), said the reopening has been set to His time clock and it is now time for the well to reopen. I believe the eagles picture the church. God is going to saturate us with this revival water and we will become carriers of its life and anointing throughout the nation and nations. I believe the arrows represent the arrows of the Lord‘s deliverance and victory (2 Kings 13:17); the scrolls represent assignments from heaven. The Lord then said, “Rapid eye movement; My seers are on the move.” I believe this speaks of the prophetic anointing that will be upon the church in this movement. We will see what God sees, hear what He hears, go where He sends us and accomplish His will. Be alert in this season for the word of the Lord to send you into very strategic assignments. These assignments were part of what I believe the architects in the dream were drawing up. When I shared this dream a couple of weeks ago, I felt Holy Spirit was saying that many strategies for breakthrough are about to be released - for individuals, ministries, cities and nations. In the dream, God referenced “rapid response teams.” I believe pockets of revival are about to break out. I feel we must move rapidly at times, responding quickly to the word of the Lord. And as we do, I believe the accompanying breakthroughs will be very great, including tremendous signs, wonders and miracles. The Lord then showed a connection between the Red River Meeting House, Cane Ridge, Azuza Street and Wales. He is revealing that the strength of all of these revivals will be wrapped up in one great outpouring of His Spirit. The lines between the places took on the shape of a spear. As these revival fires join, they will create synergistic power and anointing, leading to the greatest revival in history. This is beginning! Do not doubt it! If you are not already thinking along these lines, begin to do so now. Call in the harvest. Believe for signs and wonders. Expect great deliverances to occur. I say again, this is beginning! Prayer: Father, thank You for this dream. Thank You for the prophetic anointing and gifting that has most certainly gone to a new level of strength. We thank You for past revivals and for those who, through their commitment and labors, paid great prices for them. We believe You are opening these wells of revival once again. It is time. Saturate us with this revival water. You are the living water, You are the well of salvation, You are the river. Saturate us with Yourself. Then cause us to soar as eagles, just as You said in Isaiah 40:31 that we would. Cause us to hear Your strategies clearly. We say yes to Your instruction of “rapid eye movement.” We will be alert and listening. And we are now stirring up the gifts of Your Spirit within us. We stir up our faith for salvation, deliverance, miracles and breakthroughs of every kind. We declare, as You instructed us, “Your kingdom come! Your will be done!” In Christ name! Amen. Decree: We decree that Heaven’s time clock now says it is time for the harvest of the ages! You can find out more about Gina Gholston here. Click on the link below to watch the prayer.

It’s Time for Honesty Today’s post is not suitable for young children. Though not graphic in a detailed sense, the information I will be sharing is very disturbing and heartbreaking. However, I feel it is very important and must be shared. I suggest that you copy this post as soon as possible, before it disappears. Also, a link to the entire article/report from which I took the information is here. Please download that also, while the link is still available; some don’t want you to know the truth. And finally, if you have had an abortion and still struggle with guilt, you may not want to read or listen to this; my heart is not to condemn or wound anyone. There is TOTAL forgiveness, cleansing and healing available to you. I actually have a strong message (podcast) entitled Broken No More, to aid you in this process; it can be viewed here. When Trump was president, he took immediate action to stop the government’s funding of abortion and its practice of buying aborted babies’ body parts for research. He was, in fact, America’s most pro-life president ever. One of Biden’s top agendas was reversing this and resuming the process. The murder of babies in the womb is abominable, but selling and using their body parts for research is beyond abominable. It is hideous beyond belief. We think nothing of condemning the Nazis for torturing, killing and using the Jews’ bodies for research. Yet, for some, doing so to unborn babies is somehow fine. Using new emails uncovered by Judicial Watch’s FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request, The Federalist reports: “In what should have been a national headline, the exposure of the U.S. government’s involvement in trafficking aborted baby body parts is now more noteworthy following Friday’s announcement from the White House. At President Biden’s direction, the Department of Health and Human Services reversed the Trump administration’s policy protecting preborn Americans from the callous dehumanization of organ harvesting and further desecration of their bodies in research disguised as science.” One can’t help but wonder if the anti-Trump Christians who voted for Biden are beginning to have voter’s remorse. And this is exactly why I contend that Christian leaders should be passionately involved in the process of government. (See yesterday’s post here.) The Federalist continued, “The sickening decision now gives license to our ‘best and brightest’ government researchers and agencies, those in charge of steering the country towards medical breakthroughs and scientific progress, to use the skin, brains, and eyeballs of children in research that affects all of us and is funded by our money...”1 The article (which, again, you can link to at the beginning of today’s post) shares many details, baby parts’ price lists, etc. Here are a few of the facts exposed: the FDA paid $2000 per baby they bought the organs of aborted babies the skin of a 21 week old Down syndrome baby (number xxx602) was sold they required “fresh, never frozen” babies they requested late-term babies, up to 24 weeks old they bought skulls of second trimester babies they requested boy organs in order to create humanized mice they described some babies’ parts as ‘amazing’ our tax dollars paid for FDA trips to ‘humanized mice workshops’ in Europe I am sorry for the hideousness of this information, but we as Americans need to know about this loathsome, inhuman activity. And if it is acceptable, why do they hide it? If our government feels it is appropriate, why did it require a FOIA request to get the information? This is unquestionably the most despicable information I have ever come across. The Bible speaks of those whose consciences have been seared (1 Timothy 4:2). If this doesn’t qualify, I’m not sure what does. If these practices are not an indication that abortion and its evolution into barbarism are influenced by demons, what would be? The first chapter of the book of Romans speaks of “vile affections” (verse 26, KJV), and “depraved minds” (verse 28, NASV). Actually, much of the content in verses 28-31 is appropriate: “And because they thought it was worthless to embrace the true knowledge of God, God gave them over to a worthless mind-set, to break all rules of proper conduct. Their sinful lives became full of every kind of evil, wicked schemes, greed, and cruelty...They are deceitful liars full of hostility...totally immoral. They are senseless, faithless, ruthless, heartless, and completely merciless.” (Romans 1:28-31, TPT) “After a speech, pro-life activist Penny Lea was approached by an old man. Weeping, he told her the following story: ‘“I lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. I attended church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in America, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it? ‘“A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. ‘“Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow. And we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. If some of the screams reached our ears, we’d just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God, forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.’”2 Please don’t allow anything to drown out the silent screams of the unborn. Don’t hide from the truth. Post it. Preach about it. Write about it. Do a podcast about it. Publicize it. For God’s sake, stop the singing and listen. Hitler said of the Austrians after they voted 98% to 2% to appease him and join The Third Reich, “How fortunate for us that the people choose to remain ignorant.”(3) I fear that we in the American church have chosen to anesthetize ourselves to the pain of what is occurring. Abortion has been happening so long - almost 50 years now since Roe v. Wade - that we’ve become numb. It doesn’t shock us anymore. It doesn’t trigger grief. For most, sadly, there isn’t even a pause. Pastor, how long has it been since you talked about it to your congregation? Led in a public prayer to see it end? To all of us, how long since we cried for the tortured, dismembered babies? Reject the choice to remain ignorant. Think about what is occurring. Then choose to do something. Make a difference! Shout your protest!! Expose this evil!! At the very least, VOTE PRO-LIFE. In the movie The Patriot, Benjamin Martin’s sister-in-law attempted to comfort him, defending his initial decision not to fight the British. “You have done nothing for which to be ashamed,” she claimed. Martin’s thoughtful and poignant response was: “I have done nothing. For that I am ashamed.” God forbid that Martin’s lament would become the tragic epitaph of today’s America regarding this modern-day holocaust. I pray that when all is said and done, this is not what history records of us. May we, like Martin, finally wake up and do something. You may think I hate the people doing these things. I do not. I pray for their salvation. God can, and wants to forgive them. The blood of Jesus is more powerful than their blood sacrifices. Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom, whose entire family died in the Nazi concentration camps once said, “Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred.” I forgive those who have perpetrated these evils. I will not, however, be silent. Forward The Federalist article to your friends. Pastors and Christian leaders, tell your people the truth. Find an appropriate way to inform them, and do so. If you choose not to do that, at least refer them to the article. We must not be silent any longer! Pray with me: Father, our hearts break when we read about what is happening to the babies. If our hearts feel such pain, what must Yours feel? Surely You know each of them, have brought them to Your house, and given them names. They are mere numbers no more. We have no words to express our utter shame for what we have allowed in America. We can only take solace in the fact that the blood of Christ is greater than all of our sins. Please forgive and cleanse us as a nation for these unthinkable, unconscionable actions. We humbly cry out, as we have many times before, please help us stop this evil. Help us overturn Roe v. Wade and shut down every abortion mill in America! Help us stop this inhuman research! Give us as a nation, once again, a love for life, including the unborn. In Christ’s name we ask. Amen. Our decree: What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make us whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow, that makes us white as snow. No other fount we know - nothing but the blood of Jesus.4 Click below to watch the prayer. _________________________________ https://thefederalist.com/2021/04/26/top-10-sickening-details-about-how-federal-employees-trafficked-baby-body-parts/ https://www.hopeforlivingston.org/blog/sing-a-little-louder/ Simpson, Douglas. Looking for America: Rediscovering the meaning of freedom. (Enumclaw, WA: WinePress Publishing, 2006), p 304. https://hymnary.org/text/what_can_wash_away_my_sin https://www.foxnews.com/politics/daleiden-planned-parenthood-testimony-depositions https://www.foxnews.com/us/planned-parenthood-tissue-procurer-abortion-clinic-testimony

Honoring Our Moms On May 9, 2021, we celebrated Mother’s Day. At the time, we were doing the series on my book The Pleasure of His Company. I felt it was appropriate to wait and do a post later for mothers, in order to not interrupt the series. Since this is Father’s Day weekend, I thought it would be good to honor moms and dads today and tomorrow. “Exodus 20:12 lists the fifth of the Ten Commandments: ‘Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.’ Ephesians 6:2-3 echoes the commandment: 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.' “What does it mean to ‘honor’ one's parents? In the Old Testament, the word translated honor is the Hebrew kabad. It means to be heavy, weighty, rich, glorious. In other words, our parents should be a significant priority in our lives. They should not be ignored or taken lightly. Our choices should take their needs and wishes into serious consideration. “The Greek word used in Ephesians 6:2 is timao. It means to determine the value of something; in this case, to determine that the value is high. We should give our parents a high value—even higher than ministry (Mark 7:9-13)—and treat them accordingly. “What, specifically, does this look like? Basically, we are to take every passage that describes how we should treat others and apply it to our parents. Love them with agape love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Treat them with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Speak of them and to them with respect (Ephesians 4:29). Forgive them wholeheartedly (Matthew 18:21-22). And seek reconciliation when issues and misunderstandings get in the way (Matthew 18:15-17). “The same applies to parents who act less than honorably. The Bible gives counsel for dealing with ungodly people. We may not have a close relationship (2 Corinthians 6:14), and we may put a lower value on their advice (Psalm 1). But we are still to love them (Matthew 5:44-47). And there is nothing in the Bible that indicates we are absolved of seeing to their basic needs when they are older (Mark 7:9-13). “Christian scholars generally divide the Ten Commandments into two groups; the first four dealing with God and the last six with other people. But Jewish scholars divide the commandments evenly. This puts ‘honor your father and mother’ in the same category as those commandments telling us to honor God. God commissioned parents with the upbringing of their children. To reject His anointed is to reject Him.”1 Our friend, Quin Sherrer, shares some great thoughts and insights on honoring our mother’s: “‘Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother—this is the first commandment with a promise— That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.’ (Ephesians 6:2-3 AMPC) “Did you notice it is singular? Mother’s Day. Special, for your special mom. You shower her with hugs and gifts. A phone call. Maybe even a meal out. “On Mother’s Day you probably think of honoring your birth mom, an adoptive mom, foster mom, stepmom, grandmother or even an aunt who ‘mothered’ you. Or perhaps you had a special “spiritual” mom who taught and encouraged you in your Christian walk. I’m glad there is a day set aside nationally to pay tribute to them. “In America the ‘original’ Mother’s Day was observed in St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908 - spearheaded by Anna Jarvis as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children - but primarily to honor her own mother, Ann Marie Reese Jarvis, who died in 1905. Her mom had taught Sunday school classes for 20 years and was a peace advocate who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. In 1868 she organized ‘Mothers’ Day Work Clubs’ to teach local women how to properly care for their children. 2 “Another advocate for honoring mothers came from the abolitionist and suffragette, Julia Ward Howe, who wrote in 1870 a ‘Mother’s Day Proclamation,’ that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. 3 She also wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” “Gradually some of the 45 states began to adopt their own versions of Mother’s Day celebrations. But Anna Jarvis’ dream of a day to honor all moms came true on May 9, 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national day to honor motherhood on the second Sunday of every May. Wilson had lobbied Congress for such an official day. In his first proclamation he stated, ‘that the holiday offered a chance to [publicly express] our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.’ He also saw it as a way to honor mothers who had lost sons during World War I. 4 “‘Therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the said Joint Resolution, do hereby direct the government officials to display the United States flag on all government buildings and do invite the people of the United States to display the flag at their homes or other suitable places on the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.’ 5 Thus, flags flew across the nation. “Anna never married or had children of her own—but her goal was to see that mothers in this country were recognized at least one day of the year. She hoped Mother’s Day would be a personal celebration between mothers and their families. This has occurred. 6 “Restaurants report it as their best day of the year. More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. We do it to honor those women who put up with us—and loved us—all those years. We display flags, wear white carnations, buy gifts, take mom out to eat. “What about those of us who no longer have our precious moms? We can still remember and honor them by thanking God for their sacrifices, influence, and prayers. “Have you given thought about sending a note of appreciation to any elderly moms who have influenced you too? Maybe counseled or prayed for you during a difficult season of your life? Or encouraged you in your career, or Christian journey? Someone else’s mom who nevertheless took time to care for you? Cards and phone calls can brighten their day and make them feel appreciated and special too. “Let’s end by reading some about the virtuous wife and mother from The Passion Translation: “Her teachings are filled with wisdom and kindness as loving instruction pours from her lips. She watches over the ways of her household and meets every need they have. Her sons and daughters arise in one accord to extol her virtues, and her husband arises to speak of her in glowing terms. ‘There are many valiant and noble ones, but you have ascended above them all!’ Charm can be misleading, and beauty is vain and so quickly fades, but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe, and fear of the Lord. She will be praised throughout eternity. So go ahead and give her the credit that is due, for she has become a radiant woman, and all her loving works of righteousness deserve to be admired at the gateways of every city!” (Proverbs 31:26-31 TPT) Pray with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of our mothers. We realize without them we would not have been born. We are so grateful for mothers who made sacrifices to see us through our good seasons and trying ones. Through challenging times as well as triumphant and joyous times. Forgive us for the way we sometimes took them for granted or disobeyed them or neglected to express our love and thanks. Show us creative ways to honor them. May we teach our children and grandchildren how to bless the mothers and grandmothers who have gone before them—especially for those who left footsteps of faith for them to follow. The trailblazers. Thank You for Jesus who took away our sins and gives us a promise of life after this one. Amen Our decree: I will endeavor to honor my mom—or the memory of her—and continue to thank my heavenly Father for blessing me through her. You can learn more about Quin Sherrer and her books here. Click below to watch the prayer. ________________________________ 1. Compellingtruths.org 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day 3. Ibid 4. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/woodrow-wilson-proclaims-the-first-mothers-day-holiday 5. Ibid 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day

Unshakable Faith The unfolding Great Awakening will revive believers and unbelievers alike. The church will be awakened to greater faith, hunger, passion, revelation, authority, power and her destiny in Christ. Unbelievers will be awakened to God, His salvation and Fatherhood. One of the causes of such change is revelation, a critical part of any revival. The Bible says a spiritual veil was formed over our souls after the Fall (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Revelation, meaning “the lifting or removal of a covering, exposing what is hidden,” reverses the Fall’s effect on our minds, enabling us humans to once again see things from God’s perspective. This process occurs in unbelievers to reveal Christ and His salvation to them (Acts 26:17-18); but it must also continue to take place in us after we’re born again, increasing our understanding of God, His word and His ways. Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus to be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). Obviously, this must occur in us as individuals. However, many don’t realize the spirit of revelation can actually fill the atmosphere over entire geographic areas. The “heavens” (the invisible, spiritual realm) over regions and nations - where demonic forces operate - can become so impregnated with God’s presence that the heavens are opened or “rent” (Isaiah 64:1), allowing wide scale revelation. This phenomenon took place through Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19). A move of Holy Spirit began there with 12 men, and within two years all of Asia had heard the word of the Lord! Extraordinary miracles took place. Many believed, including those who practiced sorcery and witchcraft. The word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily (verse 20). The spirit of revelation was unleashed on an entire region! The above mentioned rending of the heavens (Isaiah 64:1) results in: God’s name becoming known to His adversaries (verse 2); nations being impacted (verse 2); the performing of unexpected wonders (verse 3); and God acting on behalf of those who draw near to Him (verses 4-5). Every true revival in history has experienced such a hovering of Holy Spirit’s power over entire regions. This incredible phenomenon is coming again! Expect it and declare it. Our friend and prophet, Gina Gholston, shares a powerful dream Holy Spirit gave her, along with the interpretation. It is a wonderful picture of the amazing revelation that is coming to the church. “A couple of years ago, I had a dream in which I was standing in a hospital operating room. I saw in front of me an operating table. The place on this table where the pillow should have been had a hole in it, which struck me as odd. But somehow I knew it was set up like this for a purpose. “As I was looking at the operating table, two men came through the door holding up and leading a man into the room. The man looked old and decrepit. He was in major pain, had a grimace on his face, and his body was shaking from pain and agony. He was dressed in regular clothes—jeans and a shirt. They led him to and laid him on this O.R. table, with his face positioned in the hole that was where the pillow should have been. “I then noticed that his shirt didn’t have a back on it; his back was exposed. Instead of a normal back, however, there was a huge gaping wound from his neck down to his hips. As I looked at the wound, I saw that he did not have a backbone! It had been removed and he was left with agony, the effects of the open wound and his spineless condition! “I then noticed that the two men who had brought him into this O.R. had left the room. The doors opened again and they returned, carrying a brand-new backbone. It was a real skeletal backbone! I knew this was why he was in the O.R. This was what all had been set up for. They were going to give this man a backbone. “The two men placed the new backbone in that open wound. When they did, the wound was immediately healed, the man stood up straight and tall and walked out the doors. He was not old and decrepit as he had initially appeared to be, but was instantly strong and vibrant, restored and revolutionized! He had received a backbone! “That was the end of the dream. “A few days after receiving this dream, the Lord said to me, ‘My Church has appeared to be old and decrepit, fallen into ruin and disrepair—irrelevant—but I have brought you to a season of restoration! I have prepared—set up—this moment! I Am putting a backbone in My Church, and they will stand up straight - strong, vital, courageous, revolutionized - and this will change everything!’ “Jesus created the church, the ekklesia, to walk in victory and authority over all the power of the devil. As His ruling body, we are to declare His will into this earth realm. Through this, He makes known, through us, the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in the heavenly places (see Ephesians 3:10). Jesus is the head of the church, and we are His body (Colossians 1:18). As we operate in the power and authority that He, the head, has given to us, the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail against us. “The season we are in has not taken God by surprise. One may be tempted to look through the eyes of the flesh and declare, “America is too far gone!” Such is not the case. God is working His plan, and His plan is never at the mercy of what the enemy is doing; nor is God on the defense, trying to gain victory. The victory was won as Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave, and ascended triumphantly back to the right hand of the Father. “And Christ’s victory has become our victory! We are not seeking to gain victory over the plots and schemes of this evil agenda, set in place to destroy America. We have already been given that victory, and we are now rising with a backbone of faith in God. We are becoming the ekklesia He called us to be and will occupy that which we have been given. “The purposes God placed in the hearts of those who sailed to the shores of this great nation over 400 years ago, were the foundational blocks on which America was to be built. And in our times, we, as God’s ekklesia, must continue with the mission of those purposes. We will do so, confidently, declaring over America, “He Who started the good work in you will be faithful to complete it in you.” “The time has come for the church to rise as an army, going forth in the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, armed with the confidence that the battle is the Lord’s and that He has given us the victory! Our fight is not against people. Our stand is against evil agendas seeking to destroy this nation and turn the hearts of her people away from God. It is a supernatural stand, with weapons mighty through God for the pulling down of every stronghold, and strong enough to cast down every high thing that seeks to exalt itself against the knowledge of God. “We valiantly stand and war, with the authority of our King Jesus, to rule and reign with Him as His legislative Body and see the redemption of our land. Our goal is an awakening to God resulting in a harvest of souls coming to salvation in Jesus Christ; and it is also to see a righteous reviving that brings America back into alignment with God’s original intentions for her. “Our backbone is one of unshakeable faith in our God Who has never lost a battle!” Pray with me: Father, as Your Ekklesia, we declare our backbone is being restored. Where we have appeared to be an irrelevant, ineffective body with no power or authority, we now rise with an unshakable faith in our God - Who has never lost a battle. We move in the might of Your Spirit to advance Your kingdom purposes in America and in the world. We stand with power to declare Your life that awakens hope. We shine with Your Light that dispels all darkness. We utilize the weapons of our warfare that are mighty through You, our God, to pull down every stronghold. We break the powers of hell and their attempts to overthrow Your plans and purposes for America. We declare now that awakening has come and is coming - awakening us to an awareness of God and our need for Him! Awakening has come to the church, and as the awakened body of Christ, we stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We release shouts of truth and triumph that will now surge across this land to change the conscience of our nation and the nations of our world. In the name and authority of Jesus, amen! Our decree: The church takes her stand. Our decrees ring out with transforming power as God takes hold with us—and we with Him—to restore America to her prophetic destiny. You can find out more about Gina Gholston here. Watch prayer here:

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! _____________________________________________________________________________ The Pride - Brian Gibbs It’s a great honor for me to be with you all today as Dutch and Ceci are getting some much-needed time away for rest and refreshing. I thought it would be most appropriate to pray and speak a blessing over them together: Father God, together, we speak and release fresh oil from the Holy Spirit over Dutch and Ceci. Envelop them and love them. May their time together be beautiful in every way. May it be refreshing—spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally, and financially—we speak abundance over their ministry! LORD, may this time together be filled with new experiences and filled with joy and romance. Thank You for their lives, their marriage, and for this ministry bringing revival, awakening, and reformation in this urgent hour. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen! The Pride Cattle move in herds. Birds travel in flocks. Fish swim in schools. Bees move in swarms. Ants move in colonies. I learned recently that in ocean life, whales travel in pods. But when it comes to lions, they travel and live in communities that are called prides. Lions are symbols of strength, fierceness, and courage, and have been celebrated throughout history for these characteristics. They are commonly known as symbols of royalty and stateliness, carrying the identity as “king of the jungle.” Lions are the only big cats to live in groups called prides. Prides are close family groups. They work together to defend territory and hunt. Our “pride” carries the royal commission to protect and defend our spiritual territory and region, and to stay on the aggressive hunt for the advancement of His glory. The pride is a culture of love, intimacy, passion, loyalty, honor, and sacrifice. They are lovers, worshippers, intercessors, watchmen, and gatekeepers known for their sacrifice and servanthood. It’s here within the pride we discover other lions and lionesses that have covenant hearts and who work to build the culture of untamed and radical faith. The soul of the pride is made alive by the presence of Jesus. Their greatest privilege of all is learning and moving with The Lion King Himself. Jesus—the Creator of the universe—identifies Himself with the Lion. He is eternally called the “Lion from The Tribe of Judah”—the heir to David’s throne who has won our victory (Revelation 5:5). As much as religion has tried to tame and domesticate Jesus, He’s not tame. He’s wild. His love is most fierce—burning with intensity, strength, force, power, and aggression. Many have only seen and discovered the attributes of The Lamb in gentleness, kindness, and meekness, yet The Lord longs for all to encounter Him as The Lion of fierce, burning, all-powerful, and all-consuming love. Our Lion is triumphant. He is victorious and reigning in great glory and majesty! If we are going to look into the eyes of The Lion, we need to be prepared for the unexpected. This Lion will break your heart but in the best way. This is necessary for true friends of the Lion. God told Job, “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.” (Job 38:3). When we look into the eyes of The Lion, He will impart His eternal burning and holy passions, and we need to “brace ourselves” for the impact. Friends of the Lion need their hearts broken and consumed with His desires, dreams, and wonders. It will take great courage to fix our gaze in His eyes. You’ll be tempted to turn your head away because your eyes will become rivers of tears. Your heart will be broken and awakened in the depths of your own spirit. Your wells of compassion will burst because suddenly you will see them and hear them. These are the lives, the cries, and voices of a lost generation—wandering souls in darkness. You’ll smell the stench of social decay and corruption coming up out of our cities. You’ll feel the indescribable pain and yearning for our Nation’s deliverance from this gross cloud of deception and hopelessness. Your reluctance and resistance to feeling this pain and agony of those lost will begin to melt like wax in His presence. The insulation that we built to keep the borders and boundaries from the world will come tumbling down. You will hear His roar and tremble at His voice. Isaiah 66 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word...” Those who hear the roar of our triumphant Lion will tremble at the sound of His voice. Sometimes, following The Lion can be frightening. Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The Message translation reads, “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat, I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me, and I’ll show you how.” When you follow The Lion, you deny yourself. This is what true courage is. Moses had to take courage and deny himself. God had heard the cries coming up out of Egypt, and Moses was commissioned back into the devil’s playground—the land of slavery, bondage, and spiritual darkness—to rescue the children of Israel. Yes, following the Lion can be frightening. Moses would be just one man going into an epic battle against an entire nation. God had plans to transform this struggling man into a hero. He would take a murderer and make him a mighty deliverer. He would transform a shepherd into a courageous prophet and messenger. Moses would go from being a wanderer to a mighty unstoppable leader. How does this happen? Through encountering, trusting, and staying with the victorious Lion. I have good news for you. There is no easy road available for you. What? Yes, you read that correctly. There will be no easy and safe passage in the call of God. It will be dangerous, but that is why The Lion chose to make His home within you. Everywhere the kingdom of God advances, there is a violent engagement against the dark kingdom. Regardless of the cost, the warfare, or the sacrifice we must go. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Like Jesus, we too must live according to the agenda of His Father. That’s what sets the course for our mission and lifestyle. I know this is strong, but I need to tell you that none of us who really claim to know and honor Jesus can refuse the path He calls us to walk upon. He promises to lead; you just have to courageously follow and trust The Lion. Jesus will lead you and me into the very heart of the dark kingdom, into the soul of evil, to bear His light and power. We can’t go on believing that the life of faith is not a life of risk. He will lead us where mankind has chosen to hide their darkness and shame. Just as He sent Moses, He will send you to bring liberty to the captives. Just as the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus, Jesus will commission you. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me, to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18,19) Our commission is to invade the darkness and to bring freedom, victory, and healing—to loose the captives of our generation. The Holy Spirit desires to breathe upon us to receive His burning obsession. The Holy Spirit desires His lions and lionesses to receive their assignment and carry the torch of His presence into the darkest corners of the earth. The world needs the lions, who come roaring boldly with revelation and experiential truth of The Lion King, speaking the truth in love and bearing the power with it. We don’t move forward from a place of mere sympathy, but from a burning authority to conquer the dark kingdom with weapons that are unstoppable. We haven’t been commissioned in our own strength, gifts, talents, and abilities. We have been commissioned in the power of The Spirit—the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that lives and dwells with you. The Holy Spirit’s power is greater than all the armies of the earth combined. If that is so, what are we going to do with it? How will we steward this level of power and authority? What can God do through a man, a woman, a teenager, or any individual fully surrendered to the Spirit of God who will courageously carry the call? Heaven is still seeking and imploring the earth, “Who will go for us?” The Holy Spirit is asking, “Who shall I send?" Is it you? “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) Let’s Pray Together: Heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your Spirit, lambs are becoming lions. May we carry the royal commission to protect and defend our spiritual territory and region, and to stay on the aggressive hunt for the advancement of His glory. May we learn to move with The Lion King. May we not be tamed by a spirit of religion or a spirit of this age. May we look into the eyes of The Lion and allow Him to change and transform us this day. May we obey You at all costs and move in Your courage and anointing. May we move with the Spirit to carry the torch of Your Presence into darkness. May we never retreat when it is difficult and painful. May Your Holy Spirit ignite our faith to be radical and untamed. Our Decree: Heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your Spirit, in You, we live, we move, and we exist—Your lambs are becoming lions. Until I see you next time on GH15, I’m Brian Gibbs, and remember this, my friends—the future doesn’t belong to the God-haters nor to the God-mockers. The future belongs to the righteous—and the righteous are bold as lions. Be blessed and keep the fire burning! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Most of today’s post was taken from Brian’s book: BOLD AS LIONS - The Future Belongs To The Righteous. Get yours today by clicking here. (VictoryFLA.store) or (Amazon.com)