Boots On the Ground Holy Spirit has been taking me back to the book of Joshua. In this book God changed the time and season, telling Joshua, “The wilderness season is over, now you are going in to possess the land.” This is where we are in America. It is time to possess the land spiritually, through revival - a Third Great Awakening (Mark 16:15-18). This will enable us to change things in the natural sense: laws, morality, government, education, the courts, etc., which is reformation (Matthew 28:18-20). We will never have the strength and momentum needed to reform without a genuine revival or awakening. God is clearly speaking to His people about praying, which is always the initial step, as well as releasing other strategies. It is important when we hear words, dreams, and messages that we act on them. They are not simply to encourage us; they are to give us direction and strategy. I certainly receive them as strategy and as I feel instructed by Holy Spirit, do what they show me to do. Others are doing the same. I prayed for a group of ladies a couple of months back who were going on a prayer journey to Red River Meeting House and, if my memory serves me correctly, on to Cane Ridge. They were doing so in response to Gina Gholston’s dream of the Red River Meeting House. They designed the t-shirt I’m wearing today and gave me one. These teams are serious! Some of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had with God have come on prayer journeys. I’ve been on many, sometimes alone, other times part of a team. We can always pray wherever we are - just as we do daily on this post - but at times, God needs boots on the ground, decrees released directly into the atmosphere, or a prophetic act of obedience onsite. In yesterday‘s post, I mentioned four ladies who are traveling along I-40 and other key places on a prayer tour, based on a series of dreams regarding this interstate. In the dreams, I-40 symbolizes Isaiah 40, yet it is clear that some of the details are to be taken literally. Praying along this interstate - from the east coast of our nation all the way to the west coast - is intended to be a prophetic act that releases the power and fire of God into America. It is incredibly inspiring to hear what these ladies, 94, 84, 71, and 69 years of age, are doing. Yesterday, I shared a short report from them. Today, I want to share a longer account of their prayers the past couple of days: “We left Nashville, TN, and drove to Morganton, NC. Along the way, declarations and decrees were made at the leading of Holy Spirit. “As we left Nashville, TN, we decreed that fire is falling across this nation, that the wells of revival are overflowing; and that the breath of God and the anointing of Holy Spirit are flowing all across the land, bringing in a huge harvest as men realize their need for God. “From Nashville, TN, to Knoxville, TN, we decreed and declared the altars of Baal - drug addiction, pornography, sex trafficking, and child abuse are brought down. “Between Knoxville, TN, and Ashville, NC, we decreed that businesses are delivered from illogical mandates and restrictions. We bound the spirit of fear and declared people once again will desire to work. “We declared over North Carolina that awakening is now, pornography is broken, and churches are standing up for the righteousness of God. We decreed that pastors and church leaders are awakened and on fire to feed their sheep God's truth; that pastors who refuse to do this are removed. We declared that the ekklesia is rising up and taking authority, that racism is broken and that God is pouring out His Spirit over this region. God is cleansing this territory from its old ways to resurrection life in Jesus. “God's power is falling in Ashville, NC, pulpits as they are filled with fresh anointing and fire. We declared, ‘Dry bones, come alive… old wineskins are left behind as new wineskins replace them…and that God's Word accomplishes His purposes as He watches over His Word to perform it.’ “We are so tired of this junk that is going on; we want to help God do His work. And because we want God to succeed, we will do exactly what we hear Him speak. Like Dutch was saying the other night, ‘see and say.’ We see with our hearts and say what He tells us to say. I guess we want to imitate our Father.” Incredible! This is what it means to put feet to our prayers. I wish we had 100 teams doing this. And even though some of you cannot do so because of jobs or family, you can pray as you drive through your cities. You can pray on the way to work, in route to the grocery store, when dropping your kids off at school. Let’s be doers of the words He gives us. Again, I know many of you ARE doing this. And I want you to know, “It still works!” Every Spirit-led prayer and decree will bring forth fruit. They will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what He intends (Isaiah 55:11). The literal, most accurate translation of Luke 1:37 is: “For no word spoken by God is without power.” When He gives you a prayer or decree to release it is filled with his power. Let’s persevere and take back this land for Him! Pray with me: Thank You, Holy Spirit for the dreams and strategies You are bringing forth. It is our joy to partner with You. In Isaiah 40, You prophesied of John’s forerunning ministry, preparing the way for Messiah to come. You have used this passage once again to say to us today, “Prepare the way, through your prayers and decrees, for Messiah-King Jesus to come to your nation again. We are doing this. Thousands of us are agreeing in prayer today for Your guidance and protection to Jean, Francis, Violet, Mary, and all the others carrying out assignments such as this. Whether they are praying while walking across our nation, driving across, walking their neighborhood, or driving across town, we undergird them with prayer. We ask You to strengthen them and make their prayers a mighty sword in the spirit. We all decree now, “Strongholds in America, come down! Demonic influence, be removed! Fire of God, fall! Church, be awakened! Unbelievers, be saved! Evil in government and education, be exposed and removed! Young generation, receive the greatest revival planet earth has ever experienced! Prodigals, come back to Father! In Christ’s name, so be it! Our decree: We decree that all of these requests and prayers are authorized by King Jesus, empowered by Holy Spirit, and enforced by angels. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

We Are Being Re-circuited I was in Clarksville, TN, at Riverside Church with my friends Randy and April Lopshire this past weekend. Several prophets were there for the conference, including my good friend, Chuck Pierce. We began the weekend by visiting the Red River Meeting House just across the state line in Kentucky. The presence of Holy Spirit is still very strong there. For those who may not know, the Red River Meeting House was the place of a great revival at the end of the 1700s. The revival spread to Cane Ridge, KY, which became one of the greatest revivals in history and sparked the Second Great Awakening. This revival saved America, and I do not just mean spiritually. Several dreams have been received about past revival wells reopening, including Red River Meeting House. We posted a couple of them here on Give Him 15 that Holy Spirit gave Gina Gholston, who was also with us at Red River this past weekend. Here is the GH15 post where the dream was shared (from 2/9/2021). We were warmly received by those in charge at the property. I wasn’t aware they were conducting a reenactment that weekend, with several people/families camping, some of them dressed in period attire. It was very interesting. I was informed by leaders that visitors to Red River Meeting House have increased greatly since we spoke of it on Give Him 15. Those in charge were so appreciative and thankful. I, too, am grateful that we have listeners and partners who take these words and dreams seriously, and honor what God did in the past through those who came before us. It was meaningful and very moving to pray, prophesy and decree elements of Gina’s dream: the geyser (“It’s time!”), the seers, the eagles with their arrows and scrolls, the rapid response teams, and more as we stood at the Appeal to Heaven flag hanging behind the pulpit. The same weighty presence followed us to the service that night. Chuck Pierce spoke first, I followed. He shared a vision Holy Spirit gave him earlier in the service of the word “re-circuited.” The message he gave regarding this word was profound. As an example of what it meant, Chuck talked about the work Holy Spirit has done in him over the last year. Then he prophesied that God was changing the circuitry of our hearts and minds, enabling us to move into revival unencumbered with the past and in sync with Him. He felt that the prayer time at Red River Meeting House, the decreeing of the dream, along with what Holy Spirit did in this service was confirmation that we have crossed fully into the revival we’ve been working and praying toward. Again, it was a profound word, and certainly a historical day. The same incredible strength of anointing continued Saturday and Sunday. I can only say to you that if there had been any question in my mind as to whether or not we are in the beginning of this Third Great Awakening, it would have been answered this weekend. We’re in it. Another interesting occurrence was the attendance of four “young” ladies - 94, 84, 71, and 69 years of age - representing four decades. They are on an I-40 prayer tour, traveling the route Holy Spirit gave in one of several dreams about I-40 over the last six months (4 decades [40 years] on I-40). They’re visiting various places along the way, praying as Holy Spirit leads and decreeing “Fire” over the nation, just as the dream stated. The fire of Holy Spirit is being released in America. They will finish at Azusa Street in California. What a precious and strong team. The initiator, 84 years old, was listening to me on YouTube last October talk about a prayer assignment I had been given. She said she told the Lord, “I wish I had an assignment.” Later, when she heard the dream Holy Spirit said, “Here’s your assignment.” And they’re doing it! When listening to them talk about it, one is left with no doubt that they will finish and accomplish the mission. The Ekklesia is arising! The words being released by Holy Spirit are to be acted upon. And not just by those in occupational ministry; they’re to be accomplished by the Ekklesia. The ladies sent this short report from Sunday afternoon and Monday: We drove to Belmont Church and the Koinonia Coffeehouse Memorial Marker in Nashville, TN, where the "Jesus Music" movement took place in the ‘70s. Here musicians shared their faith through music. We decreed fresh fire and anointing over a whole new generation of musicians rising up to spread the Gospel in song and setting captives free through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Nashville will once again be known as the place of "Jesus Music." We then went to Regeneration Nashville Church where Kent Christmas delivered a prophetic message stating the importance of our standing up with God against evil. He is raising up a glorious Church bringing justice back to this nation. Hearts were stirred as faith and hope rose up fresh within us. (The I-40 Prayer Team: Jean, Francis, Violet, and Mary) The last thing that stood out to me about this amazing weekend was Holy Spirit continually saying, “It’s time!” He said to us, “When it is time to shift into breakthrough, revival, initiate a new season, etc, I CAN do it. My timing and ability are NEVER determined by My enemies. Never.” God waited 40 years for an unbelieving generation in Israel to die so the next generation could possess the promised land. When the old generation was gone, Holy Spirit said to Joshua, “Here we go!” He led them across the flooded Jordan and planted them on the Canaan side. Then, just to emphasize for us that He can do what He needs to do when the time is right, He said in Scripture, “While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. Then on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain.” (Joshua 5:10-11) Notice the phrase “on that very day.” Holy Spirit didn’t want us to miss the significance of the timing. One can almost hear him tell the angels, “I will wait until the faithless generation dies, which will be in 40 years, then I’ll take the next generation into the promised land. And I’ll do so in time for them to celebrate Passover in the land, on the anniversary of when I brought them out of Egypt. And I’ll have them at exactly the place where I want them to cross over. Then they will eat the fruit of their inheritance the very next day after their anniversary.” Tens of thousands of people, ranging in age from their 40’s to their 80’s, all dying over a 40 year span - not 41 or 39 yrs - by a specific day of the 40th year, shortly before Passover; getting the entire nation to the right spot on the right day, just after the last death; moving them across a flooded river on the exact day needed to celebrate Passover and eat the produce of the land the next day. Are you kidding me? No problem - not for God. He can do what He says He can do. When it was time for Isaac, He did it. When it was time for Joseph to leave prison and become a ruler, He did it. When it was time for Israel to leave Egypt, He did it. When it was time to judge Pharaoh, He did it. When it was time for Messiah, He did it. When it was time for the Cross, He did it. When it was time for the resurrection, He did it. When it was time for Pentecost, He did it. He knows what He’s doing! Do not think He cannot save this nation. Do not think He cannot send revival to the nations. He can, He is, and He will! Pray with me: Father, Your faithfulness to us is amazing. It reaches the clouds. We run from You, reject You, insult You and curse You. Yet You bring a wave of revival to restore us and rescue our children. Your love knows no bounds, Your mercies are forever. We thank You. We thank You also for our brothers and sisters before us who have carried the Kingdom baton faithfully, laying down their lives, giving their blood for the cause. We honor them, knowing we are building on what they have done. We are part of a great family. We boldly state our confidence that You can do what You said You could do. And You can do it when the time is right to do so. No enemy of Yours has ever dictated to You when You could do something. Never. You have said through Your prophets it is time for the wells of revival to spring forth in America and around the world. And yet, You also said when it is time to ask You for it (Zechariah 10:1). We do so now. Let it rain! Our decree: We decree that the wells of revival are now open in America. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Is God Sovereign? My intent with this post is not to open a theological can of worms. I am certainly not the final voice on all things theological. I do want to make a very important point regarding theology, however: The sovereignty of God does not mean He controls everything that takes place on earth. This should be obvious, but a religious mindset permeates the church (and many unbelievers, as well) that says God is in control of everything that occurs on earth. The obvious negative connotations of this are dealt with through beliefs and statements such as, “there must be a reason;” “everything happens for a reason;” “all things work together for good;” “well, God is in control;” “nothing happens unless He allows it;” and so on. These statements and beliefs bring a degree of comfort to people, causing them to insert a sense of purpose into their pain. I understand this. However, problems, pain, loss, and difficulties don’t have to be allowed by God in order for Him to make them serve us. And the fact that He uses bad events doesn’t mean He is behind them. God did not put sinful motives into the hearts of Joseph’s brothers causing them to sell him into slavery. He did, however, have the ability and sovereign power to use their evil, turning it into good. Yahweh did not put into the heart of King Saul to falsely accuse and persecute David. No part of this was caused by God, yet He did have a plan to use it for David’s good. The cave of Adullam, David’s home through much of that season, became his classroom and writing chamber. He wrote many of the Psalms from that cave, psalms that have touched hundreds of millions of people. God does not have to cause it, to use it. The word sovereign actually means “the greatest in power and authority.” This is obviously true of God - He is sovereign. The word does NOT mean “in control of everything.” The Bible is filled with actions that occurred that were not God’s will, nor did He “allow” them. God “allowing“ everything on earth is only true in the sense that He allows humans to possess a free will - we have the power of choice. I once heard the great Foursquare Pastor, Jack Hayford, say regarding this topic, “God is sovereign, but in His sovereignty, He has limited Himself.” He also said, “The quest of Jesus Christ on the earth is greatly crippled by wrong notions of the sovereignty of God.” Pastor Hayford has a way with words! His point in the second statement was that a wrong concept of the sovereignty of God causes complacency and passivity in people...at times, irresponsibility. They believe - whether consciously or unconsciously - that God is in control of everything and will do what He wants, regardless of our involvement. This is so wrong. God works on earth through people. He needs our cooperation. Having stated this balancing truth, I want to share the fourth passage of scripture regarding Holy Spirit shifting us from phase to phase, season to season. His divine shifts, changing the times and seasons (Daniel 2.20-21), occurs in us, not just in the world around us. Psalm 84:4-7 says we go from strength to strength: “How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house! They are ever praising Thee. How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring. The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.” “Baca” means weeping; therefore, the valley of Baca means “the valley of weeping.” We frequently refer to difficult times and situations in life as valleys. As we pass through these valleys - aren’t you glad they aren’t permanent - refreshing springs can burst forth as we cooperate with God. A valley of tears can be transformed into a place from which the water of life flows. A barren, dry place can be transformed into a place of springs. Notice that the place of new strength, doesn’t emerge after Baca, it is actually born at Baca - the place of weeping. The Hebrew word used for “strength” is also very revealing. Chayil is from the root word chuwl, the Old Testament word for travail or giving birth to something. What a picture! When we walk in faith and perseverance through difficult places, God can actually use them to birth (chuwl) new places of strength (chayil) in us. Like the cocoon of a butterfly, Baca can become a place of transformation. And like the butterfly, our destiny is not the cocoon of Baca - weeping; our destiny is the flight of freedom and victory. The dry, barren places in our lives can indeed become places from which the river of life flows and new strength is born. God has been doing much work in this troubling time on earth. Unfortunately, many Christians have not realized that the difficult seasons of travail are often the conduit to bring us to new levels. Rather than persevering through these seasons, many have despised the Bacas in their lives and grown bitter or cynical. Rather than going from strength to strength, they unwittingly choose to remain in Baca, making it home. They don’t move from a place of plowing and sowing to one of reaping and blessing. Tragically, many miss the shifting of the times and seasons God wants to do for them. Chayil, the word for strength, is also the word for army and for wealth. We can fight more effectively and prosper to a greater degree after having gone through the valleys of Baca - if we make them our servants. Yes, it can be difficult; we may not understand what is happening at the time, and it may even seem like we’re losing ground. But if we faithfully press on, allowing God to use the Baca times, He will transform them into boot camps and springs of blessing. Once on the other side, we’ll realize we’re stronger and more prosperous than before. God wants us to go from one position of victory to another, from one phase of soldiering to another - enlistment to Bootcamp to infantry and so on. Some will go on to special forces. Allow Holy Spirit to do what is necessary to shift you into the new. He will take you from one stage to another, and another, and another. Pray with me: Father, You have the necessary omniscience and omnipotence to transform anything satan, people, or life’s circumstances bring our way. What they mean for evil, You can use it for our good. Places of weeping can become birthing chambers, cocoons that house us while we’re transformed into those who can fly. Nothing can outmaneuver, outsmart, or out-plan You. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. This is true for us individually, but it’s also true for nations. You are Ruler over the nations. We anchor ourselves to this truth. In America, though the righteous have been weeping, You are going to use this season to birth something new and good. We will allow nothing else. We use the authority You gave us to bind and loose, forbid and allow (Matthew 16:18-19), and we will accept nothing else. We pray now for our brothers and sisters who have gone through difficult circumstances. The season has been very painful for many. But we now agree with them that You will do something good with it, and bring them forth as pure gold. Heal their hearts and strengthen their wings. In Christ’s name, amen. Our decree: We decree that going from strength to strength is our destiny; Baca is not our home. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

His Image and Likeness We have been talking about Daniel 2:20-21, which says God changes the times and seasons. Many prophetic believers are confident this is occurring and that we are experiencing a divine shift into a time of great harvest. God does not create these shifts based on a whim or when He “finally decides” it’s time to do something. The God who sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) never has to finally decide to do anything. He is a God of precision and order, purpose and design; He does nothing without strategic intent. When it concerns harvest, God’s timing is determined by several things: the spiritual atmosphere of a region; the time it takes to prepare the hearts of a generation, both at individual and corporate levels; and the readiness of His reapers, the church. Since it is His will that none perish, He is always ready to save. It is the decisions and hearts of people that dictate when He can do so. In Elijah’s day, God wanted to turn the hearts of Israel away from Jezebel’s influence long before He was able to do so. It took years of Elijah’s prophesying, a devastating drought, a power encounter that exposed the powerlessness of Baal, and 12-13 more years of work raising up Elijah’s successors. Only then was Jezebel fully overthrown. The timing of awakening is not determined only by what God wants! We, the church, are an important part of this timing. This is why Jesus said on one occasion that the harvest was great but the laborers were few. He followed this by saying “...pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers” (Matthew 9:37-38). He tells us to ask because this is how He works on earth. He needs humans, whom He gave authority over the earth, to ask Him (see Ezekiel 22:30-31). He does not work in spite of people but through people. As profound as it seems, the God of the universe needs us! I took the first four chapters of my book, Intercessory Prayer, to teach on why prayer is necessary. If you don’t feel that you understand this, it would be a helpful read. Because of this partnership, Holy Spirit is always working in the church and the world simultaneously to prepare for a harvest season. Going from revelation to revelation and faith to faith (as we have spoken of in the last two posts) is not just to mature us for individual growth and fruitfulness; it is also to prepare us for Holy Spirit’s next phase of activity on earth. As we increase in our level of maturity and understanding of His ways, He can use us to accomplish more and more for and with Him. As you can see, several factors affect the timing of God‘s shifts in the earth and in our lives. We have looked at Proverbs 4:18 and Romans 1:17 as part of the divine shift. Another verse that mentions the phases of our spiritual maturing process is 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” In order to truly understand this verse, it must be looked at in light of Adam’s fall. God made Adam and Eve - and in them the entire human race - in His image and likeness. The word “image” (tselem) in Genesis 1:26 comes from a word meaning “to shade.” Tselem means “a shadow, illusion or phantom.” We were created so much like God that it was illusionary! The word “likeness” (demuwth) is from the Hebrew word meaning “to compare.” Adam and Eve were comparable to God! Amazing. Made in His image and likeness, filled with His spirit, Adam and Eve were as much like God as they could be without being equals. And why not - He was creating family! Psalms 8:5 says God crowned Adam with glory, which brings us to our text: being transformed from glory to glory. The Hebrew word for glory (kabowd) means “weighty” or “heavy”. The concept is related to authority and influence. Still today we use this concept, saying of individuals who are in charge of a place or situation, “they carry the weight.” We speak of people with great influence as individuals who “carry a lot of weight.” Adam and Eve “carried the weight” on earth; they were in charge. In order to represent Him effectively, God gave them His image and Spirit. When the rest of creation saw Adam and Eve, they saw God in them. The New Testament word for glory (doxa) also includes the concept of image and likeness. Doxa, literally means “the appearance of a person or thing which causes it to be recognized for what it is.” This does not pertain only to God. The concept of “glorifying” something is acknowledging it for what it really is - it’s beauty, virtue or other distinctives. When we are using it in reference to God, we “glorify” Him because we recognize Him for who He is, which motivates us to honor or worship Him. When the Bible speaks of humans having or bearing God‘s glory (Psalm 8:5; 1 Corinthians 11:7) it is not speaking of us receiving praise or honor. It is saying we look like Him. He is seen in us. Of course, when Adam and Eve sinned they lost the glory or image of God. He was no longer seen in them. The end result was that pride, rebellion, anger, violence, perversions and many other forms of sin were seen. When we are born again this changes. We receive His image once again in our spirit, and begin a process of transformation outwardly, which allows us to express His image to others - from glory to glory. Obviously, those around us are not to see our personal uniqueness; we want them to see Christ. It is His image we are being conformed into, His glory. We are to bring recognition of Him, not ourselves. As far as a spiritual harvest is concerned, earth has been in a chronos season for 40 years. During this time, Holy Spirit has worked in the church to produce much change. The apostolic and prophetic anointings of Christ have been restored, worship has matured greatly and many in the church now understand what it means to be Christ’s Ekklesia. He has brought us to a level of maturity that more appropriately glorifies (pictures, reveals) Christ. As the worldwide revival gains momentum, the world will no longer look at us indifferently or with cynicism. They will instead recognize something about us that impresses them - not us, but Jesus. In this process, we have shifted to kairos and are moving toward fullness. The result will be harvest and great revival. Paul who wrote the verse in 2 Corinthians 3:18 - “transformed...from glory to glory” - understood the process well. After his dramatic conversion, he waited in a chronos season for many years while God was “glorifying” him - making him look like Christ. When the time was right, Holy Spirit caused a divine shift, recorded in Acts 13:1-3, and allowed Paul to reveal Christ to the world. He wants to do the same with us. As we allow Holy Spirit to transform us, we will look more like Christ and less like ourselves. At each new phase of glory, He can trust us with more authority, influence, and power. And we, like Paul, will be released to show the world a clearer picture of Christ. Let’s make it happen. Move from glory to glory. Pray with me: Father, the world is desperately looking for You, they just don’t know it. We are Your living epistles or letters, Your ambassadors, Christians (“little Christs”). In order to reveal You to the world, You give us Your anointing, gifts, Spirit and, yes, glory. It is our desire that a new level of this representation, a new level of Your glory, will come upon the church. Let the shift occur. We ask for this in our individual lives in order that we might manifest Your glory at home, work and play. We also ask for it in a corporate sense. Manifest Your glory through signs and wonders. Do so through great deliverances and salvation. Do so through the gifts of Your Spirit. And manifest Your weighty glory, Your authority, in the government of this nation. Let the full weight of who You are descend on America - her government, education system, media, and every other segment of society. Show us Your glory! Our decree: We decree that the glory of God will be seen in our day! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer.

Update on Afghanistan and the Arizona Audit Like many of you, my heart is still grieved concerning the unfinished situation in Afghanistan. We must not forget. There are Americans still waiting to leave Afghanistan, as well as translators and other Afghans who worked for the American and Afghanistan governments - hundreds, some say thousands. They live each day in fear that their lives will be taken from them. The unplanned American withdrawal is still wreaking havoc on many precious lives. John Robb, the former president of World Vision and now Chairman of the Transformation Prayer Foundation, has spent his life in prayer, being a watchman over what happens on the earth. Because of John’s unique position, he receives information concerning needed prayer in different nations of the earth. Recently he shared an update concerning the Afghanistan situation. (For the sake of confidentiality and safety for those involved, I will keep these points generic. However, know that your prayers are making the difference between life and death for many.) Some who were left behind have recently been able to get out on private chartered flights, others by coordinated convoys. Pray for favor at all the border posts. Pray also for financial provision so these convoys can continue. There are still thousands needing to be evacuated. There are valid reports of Taliban death squads stalking neighborhoods, looking for those who served the former Afghanistan government as soldiers, police, and journalists. Pray for other nations to open their doors and offer swift and safe passage out to their countries. Christian brothers and sisters could be executed for apostasy under the Taliban’s strict application of Islamic sharia law. However, even with this news, many are sharing the Gospel and the love of Christ. Some have even decided to stay in order to evangelize their nation’s people. Ask the Lord to grant our Afghan Christian brothers and sisters boldness to share the good news and saving grace of Jesus at this opportune time. Pray also that they will be hidden and protected. Finally, among the thousands who were evacuated to the US, there is a small scattering of Christians. Pray that they will be witnesses for Christ here on our shores, sharing with their Afghanistan people. Pray for harvest among the Afghans here in America. The Election Audit “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” (Luke 8:17 NLT) The audit in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been strongly contested. Many Americans, Christian or not, have sensed that something was off regarding the 2020 elections. So many citizens in Maricopa County, AZ, complained about their voting experiences, the state Senate decided an audit was in order. Never before in the history of America has there been an audit of this depth and detail. Every ballot was examined, each ballot was counted by hand and machines numerous times, and all points in the “chain of custody” were examined. On September 24th, the long-awaited audit results were released. The day before, on September 23rd, AZ Central ran a headline saying, “Arizona’s Audit showed no ‘Crime of the Century’? I’m Shocked!”(1) Other left-leaning media outlets, such as MSNBC, simply said something like, “Cyber Ninjas’ GOP-backed audit of Arizona votes still shows Biden won...”(2) I am always fascinated to see how quickly the Left tries to set the narrative. Ignoring the full purpose and scope of the audit, they rushed to create the narrative they wanted people to focus on. Recounting the votes tells us nothing. Of course, Biden had the most votes in the “recount.” However, many discrepancies, anomalies, illegalities, and strange circumstances were discovered. “It is vitally important that you take time to watch the report yourself to fully understand the findings so you are informed. The audit was conducted by several highly qualified independent firms and individuals.”(3) IFA explains specific findings: “Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, M.I.T. PhD., and his team from Echomail, investigated the mail-in ballot envelopes for signature anomalies, including blank signatures and scribbles as well as partial signatures. They found that many blank signature boxes were approved by election officials which would be in violation of election standards and laws. “The most startling finding was something they did not expect in reviewing signatures. His team discovered 34,448 votes from those who voted more than once in the 2020 AZ general election. What this means is at least 17,224 votes were included in the results that should never have been accepted as valid, due to double, or in some cases triple, voting by the same voter. Keep in mind the Biden margin of victory in Arizona was 10,457 votes.”(4) IFA goes on to report that the auditing firm found: “More than 255,000 early votes shown in the county final vote file lacked a corresponding entry in the early voting returns file. “More than 9,000 mail-in ballots were received and recorded than the official number of mail-in ballots sent out by the county. “A canvass showed over 3,400 more ballots were cast than recorded. “Precincts show 1,551 more ballots cast on election day than people who actually showed up to vote. “More than 23,000 voted by mail despite moving to Maricopa County after the October 5 cutoff date. “2,382 voters cast votes in Maricopa County, in person, after moving out of the county. “More than 2,000 voters were given a full ballot instead of a presidential-only ballot because they moved out of Arizona within 29 days before the election in violation of election law. “Nearly 300 deceased voters may have voted in the election “Nearly 2,500 ballots were shown in the early vote returns that do not have a voter listed as casting them. “While conducting an audit, it is crucially important that auditors receive complete cooperation from those they are auditing. That did not happen with respect to officials with Maricopa County. There was resistance and obstruction from the very beginning which was documented during the hearing. For example, only recently have they received an agreement to inspect routers which were withheld until after this audit report. “We learned explosive findings from independent auditor, Ben Cotton, founder of CyFIR and an expert IT analyst. Cotton shared that Maricopa County deleted a large volume of county election records from the 2020 general election from computer servers just prior to the information being handed over to auditors, a violation of state election law.”(5) Let’s continue to pray for truth to expose darkness, and for the media to be forced to report with accuracy. Americans deserve to know the full story of what happened. Even if it doesn’t change the outcome, it can provide protection for future elections, which we should all be in favor of. Pray with me: Lord, we pray for those in Afghanistan who need their miracle to get out. Comfort those who are trapped and we boldly ask that You grant them a way to leave. Cause the crooked places to be made straight, making way for their escape from the growing darkness there. Let the nations open up to receive them, even giving Your people strategies to help. Pour out needed resources and give us miraculous answers to prayer. Grant a holy boldness to Christians both in Afghanistan, as well as among the refugees, to witness for Christ in the midst of this tragedy. Lord, You are Light and Truth. Shine Your light in the dark places of our nation. Cause the people and nations of the earth to cry out against injustice. We ask that nothing will stop the brave ones who continue to press for truth to be revealed. Give them Your boldness. Father, we ask for Your mercy on our land. Don’t give us what we deserve but extend Your mercy to us. We agree with Your word: America will be saved. In Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen. Today’s decree: We decree that everything done in secret will be exposed by the light. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ 1.https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2021/09/23/dont-expect-arizona-audit-prove-crime-century/5837261001/ 2.https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/24/trump-friendly-cyber-ninjas-audit-of-arizona-votes-still-shows-biden-won.html 3. https://ifapray.org/blog/what-did-the-az-audit-reveal/ 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid.

Don’t Waste the Trials - Keep Moving Forward While vacationing in the Smoky Mountains years ago, I demonstrated a divine shift. Ceci and I were enjoying the serenity and majesty of a mountain stream. As young, carefree people will sometimes do, we began to hop from rock to rock, crossing the stream at various places. Hand-holding, laughter, pictures flashing - it was exhilarating! Until...no, I didn’t fall into the stream, but I did fall. Playing the macho role, taking the more difficult routes brought me to a span of about three feet between two large rocks. It was either leap from one to the other or use the perfectly situated stump wedged between them. As fate would have it, I chose the stump, which as it turned out was NOT perfectly wedged. It only looked perfectly wedged, made to look that way by demons assigned to harass macho husbands. When my weight descended on it, it began to rock violently back and forth. Not to be outsmarted by a stump, I seized the moment to do my rendition of the funky chicken. For those of you unfamiliar with this dance from the 70s, picture a chicken with its head recently removed. As gravity was taking its final toll, I spun perfectly, catching myself on the two boulders, one hand on each. Staring into this no longer peaceful stream that was now six inches from my nose, and listening to my shrieking wife, I was trying to decide how to continue to look macho, while at the same time favoring my now sprained right shoulder. One quick push-up with my muscular body, a twisting spring upward, and I was on one of the rocks, looking young and fit - all without taking a dip. My shift from rock to rock and overall performance was divine. I said something about strength and agility while Ceci mumbled something about “acting your age” and “a spastic, decapitated chicken.” How we handle transitions and cross over obstacles is important. Let’s continue our discussion of God changing the times and seasons, creating divine shifts. There are four verses in Scripture highlighting seasonal changes that have always been meaningful to me. They are transition verses, mentioning our journey from one level of maturity to another. Let’s glean from them. (I’ll be covering all four of these in the next few days of posts.) God’s Wisdom Brightens Our Way Proverbs 4:18 says we go from brighter to brighter paths: The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. In Scripture, light often represents revelation. One of the synonyms for revelation is enlightenment, which actually comes from the Greek word phos - light. Ephesians 1:17-18 mentions both words. Enlightenment literally means to let in light. God wants to shine His light of revelation on our paths so we can enjoy more and more success in our representation of Him and in our personal endeavors. Part of the divine shifting of times and seasons involves Holy Spirit changing us. We must change before we can be His “change agents.” The church plays a role in all God does on earth. To facilitate this, Holy Spirit moves us from revelation to revelation - understanding to understanding - as He transitions us from assignment to assignment. Yesterday’s revelation isn’t sufficient for today’s task. New levels of fruitfulness require new levels of knowledge and insight. We must have fresh bread - transition bread. Not only must we have increasing enlightenment concerning God’s Word and ways, but we also need His light to “direct our paths” (see Proverbs 3:6 KJV). We face countless decisions on our journey, many of which will determine whether or not we continue to move forward. If we do not hear Holy Spirit’s leading, we will miss the path He has chosen for us and suffer setbacks. Kairos opportunities can be missed if the light of God’s revelation is not consistently shining on our path. Joshua and the Israelites suffered two serious setbacks in their campaign to take Canaan, one at the town of Ai and one with the Gibeonite people (see Joshua 7 and 9). Both setbacks were due to their failure to receive direction from God. Often the insight - light - we receive in current situations is actually meant to help us in the future stages for which God is preparing us. David learned this on his path to the throne of Israel. His declaration before facing Goliath - which certainly marked a divine shift from chronos to kairos in his life - was that the God who delivered him from the lion and bear would also deliver him from the giant (see 1 Samuel 17:37-37). Many times when we find ourselves isolated, seemingly in a mundane, hidden place (chronos) - as David was when he tended sheep - God is training us for a future stage of victory and leadership. Though no one saw David kill the lion and the bear, the entire army of Israel saw him kill Goliath. Because the future is unknown to us, we frequently find ourselves asking, What is the purpose of this trial or battle? Why am I facing this distraction? Why am I being allowed to face this obstacle? What is the purpose of this lesson? The answers may not be known for years, but be assured that God isn’t wasting this season. The light of revelation that comes to you during this chronos time will be needed when you move further into your destiny. In His grace and wisdom, Holy Spirit moves us progressively, sometimes slowly, toward fullness. At the right time, your shift will occur. Learn the lessons well. Remember, life’s phases are connected, yesterday feeds today. Joseph did not realize the light of revelation he was gleaning in prison was to prepare him for ruling Egypt and saving the nation of Israel. Paul did not realize the revelation he was receiving in the 12-14 years between his incredible conversion and release into apostolic ministry would one day enable him to write much of the New Testament. And finally, please realize that light begets light. The revelation you receive today will not only shift you into more fruitfulness, but will also position you to receive more revelation. Just as learning the alphabet in school positioned you for learning to write, and learning your numbers positioned you to learn arithmetic, today’s spiritual lessons are preparing you for tomorrow’s revelation and assignments. So keep shifting, continue moving forward. Do not despise the mundane chronos season, it is preparing you for kairos. And in the chronos season America has been in, God has been preparing us for kairos and fullness. Every lie our government tells the American people will strengthen their desire for a new government. Everything the left does to harm America creates greater desperation in people, which will open their hearts to the gospel. All of the foolish ways and crazy new ideas they promote demonstrates their socialism and will ultimately push people back to their roots. America will have a fullness of time revival and WILL BE SAVED. Pray with me: Father, Your promise to us is that we will go from light to light, revelation to revelation. We should be expecting fresh insight from You on a regular basis to order our steps and empower us for service. We release our faith now, asking for wisdom and revelation to increase. And we pray that this will include revelation to many believers regarding how to participate with You in the great harvest. Also, we ask for revelation regarding reforming the seven mountains of society: family, religion, government, business, education, arts and entertainment, and media. We ask for creativity, brilliant ideas, money to pay for the plans, and discernment regarding the timing. Position Your people to seize the opportunity. Lord, make us ready. And bring the divine shift. In Christ’s name, amen. Our decree: We decree that we, the church are moving into a higher level of preparation and revelation. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Consequences My name is Ceci Sheets and today I have the pleasure of spending some time with you. Some have asked what I do for DSM. I manage the day-to-day operations for the ministry, getting to work with our awesome staff, and help Dutch with the daily Give Him 15s. I’m not a teacher. My gifts are more on a practical level. Give me numbers, spreadsheets, charts, and challenging grammar. But as we know, it takes all of our gifts to get the job done. We have different parts to play and thank God, we are not all the same. So instead of a teaching, today I’m going to be sharing with you from my heart. Dutch and I met at Bible college (Christ For the Nations Institute) in Dallas Texas. He was from small town Ohio and I was from even smaller town Mississippi. He grew up in a ministry family during his younger years. I grew up on a working farm where your value in life was basically dictated by how hard you could work. When I brought Dutch home to meet my family, Daddy needed some questions answered, so he took Dutch to the barn. Not being prepared for this unscheduled meeting, we had to find Dutch some old work clothes and he curled his size 10 toes into Daddy’s size 9 boots. Off to the barn they went. I impatiently waited for them to return to the house, wondering just what Daddy had in mind. A few hours later I watched as both of them came walking through the pasture right before supper time. They were smiling - both of them - so I knew Dutch had passed Daddy’s test. However, as they neared, I had an idea of what test Daddy had given Dutch, as I could smell him before he got close to the house. From about 20 feet away, I hosed him down, watching brown water run between the gravel rocks on the ground. Dutch was still smiling and Daddy was too, and that’s all that mattered to me. It was important that we had Mom and Dad’s approval, no matter what tests were given, and Dutch had just passed the I can work hard to win her hand test. Here’s the story... My Daddy was the oldest of 11 children, mom one of 5. Their parents had taught them to work hard - it was just the way life was. On our farm, Daddy raised cows, chickens, and beagle dogs. On this particular day, he had saved the job of vaccinating 40 baby calves for Dutch’s visit. If you’ve never had the pleasure of walking through a barn while this process was taking place, I’ll paint a little word picture for you. Daddy had syringes filled with whatever vaccination the calves needed at their young age, ready and waiting to be used. He also applied another process or two (which we won’t go in to). However, Daddy stood on the outside of the barn fence while Dutch got inside the small pen with the young calves. His job was to single them out, one at a time, and drive him into the “shoot” so Daddy could lean over the rail and administer the vaccination process. Then the calf would be allowed to exit the barn, running to mama and telling her what had just happened. But baby calves get a little excited when they are scared and...well, you can now imagine what the brown water was that I hosed off Dutch. Times 40. However, he felt my dad’s testing process was well worth the reward. Sometimes we have to be reminded that the reward is worth the consequences. Whatever means the most to us in life is worth fighting for - whether it’s a habit you’re trying to break, an addiction you’re overcoming, making healthy choices for your daily life, a spiritual fight for a family member, or perhaps - peace of mind. Many times we have to be reminded that choices have consequences - both positive and negative. Even though we might become weary, the fight is worth it. Good consequences bring the reward, negative consequences bring negative compensation. Let’s take a look the book of James and see what it says, reading from The Passion Translation: “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. “And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and He will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with His generous grace. Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering, it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition? “So don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. Always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” (James 1:2-8, 22 TPT) So today, I offer you a challenge - whatever you are fighting for, lay it at His feet and remember, He is on your team. Don’t allow yourself to become complacent or give in as day-to-day life presses in around you. Remind yourself that life can be better, as we make Jesus our partner in the situation. Lean on Him and His Word, and allow Holy Spirit to bring the reward. “For He alone is my safe place. His wraparound presence always protects me as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? God’s glory is all around me! His wraparound presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength.” (Psalm 62:6-7 TPT) Pray with me: Jesus, we thank you for life’s lessons. We can learn a lot through books, but wisdom only comes through experience. Today we are grateful that we do not have to go through life alone, but Holy Spirit is with us, offering us help and comfort. I pray for my friends today, Lord. Together we bring our situations to you and lay them at your feet. Whether they are small or large to others, they are big to us and we need Your help. Holy Spirit, come and brood over the loved ones who have walked away from You - send those who will share Your love with them. That one who needs a financial miracle, we agree that You will make a way. And we pray for those who need a miracle in their health. Jesus, we ask that You touch each one - allow Your healing virtue to flow into them, driving out all disease and weakness. Holy Spirit, today, we offer ourselves to You once again, clean and fresh. And Lord, we would be remiss if we didn’t lift our nation to You. We ask for Your mercy. Cause the light of Your truth to shine and uncover what is hidden in darkness. You hold our times and seasons in Your hands. We ask that this be America’s time for awakening. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. Our decree: We declare that today, anew and afresh, we place our hope and trust in You. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Recognize Your Time John 5:1-9 tells the story of a paralyzed man healed by Jesus. It was believed by the Jews of the day that an angel periodically stirred the waters of the pool named Bethesda, located at the Sheep Gate, and the first person into the water was healed. The actual Greek text makes it hard to discern if this angelic activity and miraculous result actually occurred, but it is certainly clear that the people of the day believed it. At the Pool, Jesus came to a man who had been in his paralyzed condition for 36 years and asked what seemed like a strange question: “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6 NIV). The man’s answer revealed that although he was waiting at the pool, he really had no hope of being healed. “I have no one to help me into the water and someone else always gets there first.” I believe Jesus asked the paralytic this question to point out that his hope was misplaced. Although he was waiting for the miraculous stirring of the pool, Yahweh was the source of the mercy he needed. Only seconds away from experiencing the new, just moments from total restoration, the man wasn’t able to recognize it. With misplaced faith and incredible hope-deferred, there was nothing within him that could respond with hope to Jesus’ question. The symbolism of this passage is stark. Bethesda means “house of mercy.” The Sheep Gate was where the lambs used for the sacrifices were brought into the Temple. Five, the number of porticoes around the pool, is the biblical number of grace. Putting these meanings and facts into the story paints the picture of Christ, our Passover Lamb, entering our fallen, hopeless world to give us grace and mercy. He came to bring wholeness and health to the “diseased” human race. The man was staring at the Lamb himself, God’s gift of grace, the fulfillment of what everything around him pictured, yet didn’t realize it. An incredible opportunity, his kairos moment, had arrived, but he was too hopeless to recognize it. When God brings us to His timing for a shift, we must make certain we can recognize or discern it. Reader’s Digest told of the late Harvey Penick: In the 1920s, Penick bought a red spiral notebook and began jotting down observations about golf. He never showed the book to anyone except his son until 1991, when he shared it with a local writer and asked if he thought it was worth publishing. The man read it and told him yes. He left word with Penick’s wife the next evening that Simon & Schuster had agreed to an advance of $90,000. When the writer saw Penick later, the old man seemed troubled. Finally, Penick came clean. With all his medical bills, he said, there was no way he could advance Simon & Schuster that much money. The writer had to explain that Penick would be the recipient of the $90,000. His first golf book, Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, sold more than a million copies, one of the biggest best-sellers in the history of sports books. His second book And If You Play Golf, You’re My Friend, sold nearly three-quarters of a million.(1) We sometimes live in the waiting stage for so long that, like Mr. Penick, we find it difficult to receive God’s mercy when it is offered. When He says it is time to shift, be ready to accept the offer. Divine shifts make the devil nervous. He had heard or read all the prophecies about the Messiah, yet he held out for eternal chronos. Then he saw the Virgin Birth and realized it was now a kairos time for redemption. He had been dreading this for 4,000 years. Though he couldn’t figure out how God was going to redeem us, he realized it was unfolding. When fullness came, there was nothing the devil could do to halt the process. He knows he can’t stop God, but perhaps he can influence God’s people and alter things through discouragement, unbelief, apathy, or complacency. We cannot allow this to happen! We must realize that the times of difficulty we walk through are not the final verdict. The Lamb is coming with mercy! When God says it’s time to shift, we must be ready to shift with Him. Yes, He will pull us out of our comfort zones and require faith. But when God says, “Time to move!” it’s decision time very quickly. We must rearrange whatever is necessary, adjusting our lives, and move with Him. In America, we are about to shift from plowing to reaping, from the wilderness to Canaan. I believe we’re about to shift from weakness to strength. God is going to shift us into a new season of power, signs and wonders, miracles, and deliverances. He’s going to shift many from sickness to health, from woundedness into wholeness, from torn families with prodigals into homes where prodigals now worship God. Yahweh is going to use the prayers we’ve prayed and plowing we’ve done in the chronos time of the old, to create a fullness of time. God is going to shift things in our schools and move in a powerful way. He will break all of the man-made laws that say He isn’t allowed there. The Lamb is going to show Himself strong on behalf of a generation that doesn’t even realize what they are hungry for. Some will try to stop Him, but won’t be able to. The wind of the Spirit is just going to blow, revival is coming to America. We cannot shift the times and seasons; only God can do that. But we can recognize the shift when He does so, enabling us to shift with Him. We can persevere and keep ourselves properly positioned, guarding against lethargy, complacency, and unbelief. We must anchor ourselves to the truth and stir our faith to believe that God can orchestrate changes rapidly. The chronos times are necessary, but we must remember that God has the ability to shift things very quickly into opportune kairos seasons, and then to fullness. Pray with me: Father, like the man at the pool of Bethesda, America is in a lame and helpless state. Unlike him, we have created our own condition. We need the Lamb. We need the pool of mercy and grace. Also, like the man in the story, we look to others to find the help we need. But the help can only be found in You. The good news, the gospel, is that You are here. You have accomplished the work of redemption. The Mercy Seat is wet with the Lamb’s blood. And if we will only recognize it, a fullness of time for Your healing is here. So we pray for America today. We pray that the church awakens to Your timing: revival is here. We pray for individuals who are struggling to believe they could ever find peace and wholeness. May they receive the spirit of faith, take up their bed and walk. Walk into deliverance. Walk into health. Walk into freedom. Walk into Your arms. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Jesus is the Sheep Gate through which we enter and that the pool of mercy is full. We will now receive this incredible gift. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ Edward K. Rowell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Christianity Today, 1997), p 100.

Perseverance Equals Reward I wrote about God changing the times and seasons a few days ago, something I often refer to as the divine shift. In this context, I often reference chronos, the Greek word for general or chronological time, and kairos, strategic and opportune time. Though important to understand their spiritual application, the terms are not necessarily spiritual in nature; they simply refer to different phases of time. Chronos, typically much longer, is planting and tending to the seed; kairos is harvest season. Chronos is mundane, kairos is exciting. Chronos is the investment, kairos is the reward. As we persevere through difficult times (chronos), if we aren’t careful a mindset can evolve that says life will always be this way. We might begin to believe that the kairos time is never coming. If we’re not careful, we lose our expectation, and our faith begins to waver. We’ve prayed so long, plowed so long, believed so long, and held on for so long that we begin to live with a “so long” mentality. Disillusionment then sets in and our faith is gone. God wants to shift our mentality from becoming discouraged during these times to realizing the necessity of chronos seasons. We’re not losing or wasting time, we’re investing it. And if we do so faithfully, the shift will come. Knowing that we are cooperating with God and giving Him what He needs in order to bring the new, we can rejoice over, rather than despise, small beginnings. We won’t despair about praying for years with little apparent fruit. Our faith will be based only on the truth of God’s Word, unmoved by adversity or delays. When we are properly prepared and the time is right, God can shift seasons very quickly. Overnight, it seems, He transforms dry places into rivers, barrenness into fruitfulness, and makes a way where there was no way. At the right time, God causes the shift, and change occurs - chronos into kairos. Allow this truth to bring faith and encouragement into your situation. Let’s look at some biblical examples to help us see this concept more clearly. Abraham received a glorious promise from God that he would have a son through Sarah, and his descendants would be in number as the stars in the sky. He then moved into a 24-year chronos season of having to persevere and walk by faith. After this season, as recorded in Genesis 18:10, God appeared to him and said, in essence, that a divine shift was about to happen: “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (The word for “time” in this verse is eth, the Hebrew counterpart for the Greek word kairos - strategic or opportune time.) After so many years in the chronos season, Abraham and Sarah laughed cynically at this prospect. Abraham even tried to talk God into fulfilling His plans through Ishmael. But true to His word, God created the shift; He changed the times and the seasons. Abraham and Sarah moved from chronos to kairos. The new sprang forth from the old, and Isaac, the son of promise, was born. Another example can be seen in Abraham’s descendents. Israel was in a difficult chronos season of having to persevere and wait in Egypt. Suddenly, the shift sprang forth. When the time was right, God, in His great wisdom and power, changed the season! As a part of the process, Yahweh came to Moses, who had ended up in exile for his own 40-year chronos season, and said He was about to use him to shift things. Moses said essentially, “Shift them with somebody else, not me.” But God made it clear to Moses that he was the one to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, and brought about the divine shift, both for Moses and the nation of Israel. In a sad turn of events, these Israelites weren’t able to believe in this kairos season, and lost it. The next generation, who would eventually go in and possess the land, had to wait through their own chronos period. Suddenly, God came to Joshua and said that in three days they were to go into the Promised Land. He was creating the divine shift. The wandering was over, and He moved the nation into a new phase. Saul, who became the apostle Paul, received a visitation from God on the road to Damascus. He then went into a routine chronos season where, for 12 to 13 years, God was transforming him, and bringing great revelation. When the time was right, Holy Spirit declared that Paul was to be separated to the work he was called to do (Acts 13). His chronos time became a kairos time as God released him into the fullness of his ministry. The routine time wasn’t wasted. It was all a part of the process of training and preparation for what God was planning to launch him into. Chronos shifted into kairos, and the world has never been the same since. Captain Ralph and his only crew member Shaun, had dropped off their passengers at the Northwest town of Poulsbo and were on their regular route back to Seattle. A fierce storm had developed and, as they reentered Puget Sound on the luxury yacht The Matchmaker, they heard an urgent radio transmission. Strong winds had tipped over a sailboat, sending a man and woman into the frigid waters of Puget Sound. The man had made it to shore, but the woman was missing. A helicopter and rescue boats were crisscrossing the area where the woman had fallen into the water, but after almost two hours they were beginning to lose hope of finding her. It was doubtful she could still be alive after that much time in the icy cold waters. The Matchmaker was quite a ways from the rescue operation, but Captain Ralph realized their location was strategic. Having traversed the Sound many times, he was very familiar with its currents. He told Shaun that the woman would no longer be in the area of the capsized boat, but by now would have been carried by the strong current directly into their path. Because of the storm, it was impossible for any other boat to get to that area in time to try and save her. Recognizing they were this woman’s only opportunity for rescue, Captain Ralph and Shaun strained to see or hear anything that might help them find her in the midst of the storm. Suddenly they heard a faint noise that sounded like a bird. As Captain Ralph turned the boat so the lights of Seattle could illuminate the water, they saw the woman crying out to them for help. While Captain Ralph maneuvered the boat into position, Shawn pulled the desperate woman aboard. Collapsing at Shaun’s feet, she grasped his legs while thanking him again and again. Imagine her relief upon seeing The Matchmaker’s approach! She had been watching the rescue operation disappear farther and farther into the distance as the current swept her away. A routine journey became a strategic event, and a woman’s life was saved. We must be ready. Like Captain Ralph, God has prepared us for a specific kairos. I remember when God caused the Iron Curtain in Europe to be destroyed in the early 1990s. People had prayed for decades to break down the oppression of Communist regimes that held millions of people in bondage. It didn’t look like this would ever happen. But suddenly God changed the times and the seasons. He created the divine shift, and the face of Eastern Europe was changed in just a very short amount of time - different governments, different leaders, even different names of nations. God had the necessary wisdom and power to bring the divine shift very quickly. He can do the same for us. Persevere in the chronos - the routine. Kairos is coming! Pray with me: Father, we thank You for the times of planting, sowing, and working Your process of life. You do all things well. You know what is needed in the mundane, routine seasons when it looks like nothing is happening. You are working behind the scenes, under the ground. And just as there is seed time, there will be harvest!! Thank You for teaching us Your ways. We will not waver until we see harvest. You are shifting the time and season even now. Your heart is excited. You are expectant! And so are we! The God of all the earth is about to act! Nothing will stop this. Nothing. We pray for America. We pray for the nations of the earth. We call forth change - change in governments, societies, individual lives, and yes, in the spiritual realm over entire nations. We call forth change in the church. And we reach deep within to the fruit of endurance, long-suffering, patience. We will NOT waver in this important time. When we have done all, we will stand. Our decree: The God who changes the times and seasons is preparing us for a great shift. Today’s post was taken from my book God’s Timing for Your Life. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

We Are All Called to the Ministry! Words really do matter. Inadequate translations and deficient understandings of what certain New Testament words mean can be very detrimental. For example, as we have spoken of on several occasions there are different words for “time” in the New Testament. Chronos means time in general or chronological time; kairos means strategic or opportune time, sometimes an appointed time; horaios means the right time, the now time. Obviously not understanding the meaning of these different words can be harmful. Though the word “time” is sometimes used to translate all of them, this should not be. In other contexts, the church sometimes interprets and attributes meaning to a word that should not be given it. These interpretations often become very prevalent and widely accepted. The word “church” is a good example. Though used to depict a building where we worship or a religious service, this should never have occurred. The Greek word ekklesia means a legislature. Jesus said in Matthew 16 He would build His “government” on earth. Two other words we misuse, and my purpose for this post, are “ministry/minister” and “calling.” The word in the New Testament for minister (diakonos) simply means “a servant,” NOT a preacher or religious leader. The misuse of this word has brought great confusion. It is now believed that a religious leader is a minister, while those in the pews are servants or lay people. In God’s mind, all believers are ministers. The same word used to describe the apostles “serving” the Word was used to describe the deacons who “served” food (Acts 6:1-6). The words “calling” or “called” (klesis) in the New Testament simply mean “vocation.” My calling is to write, travel and teach; yours may be to build homes or be a full-time mom. But in God’s mind, we are all “called” to “ministry” (2 Timothy 1:9). This levels the playing field, dignifies all callings/vocations, and brings to light the importance we all have in the Kingdom. The Ekklesia is called to minister for God, regardless of the vocation He purposes for us. The church is everywhere, not just in a building. And we are all anointed by Him to do the work of the Kingdom, everywhere. This is the impetus of the recent movement some have termed “marketplace ministry.” It is a great phrase. An increased understanding of this will take the church to an entirely new level of effectiveness. In the book of Acts, Holy Spirit used the word “addition” (prostithemi), to describe the growth of the early church. God was “adding” to their numbers daily (Acts 2:47). The word describing their growth changed, however, in the sixth chapter, when deacons also begin to minister the word and healing, just as the apostles were. From that point on in the book of Acts the word used to describe the growth was “multiplication” (Plethueo). When did the growth transition from adding to multiplying? When the ministry was no longer being done only by the apostles. This is profoundly important. In the last two or three decades Holy Spirit has been correcting our theology, emphasizing the truth that we are all His ministers, called to do His works. Because of this, the coming revival will see exponential fruit and growth. There will be more miracles outside the four walls where we gather than inside. More people will be led to Christ outside those walls than inside. Holy Spirit’s anointing is not limited to buildings on a Sunday morning. I mentioned a week ago that Ceci and I were going to the Opry in Nashville to celebrate the induction of The Isaacs as members (an esteemed and prestigious honor within the Country and Bluegrass Music world). Though they are primarily a gospel music group, they have become widely respected and honored in the Country and Bluegrass music world. Their gifts and talents rival any person or group in the secular music industry. Their incredible harmony is unrivaled. They understand that, whether they are in a worship service or at the Opry, they represent the Lord and are called by Him to release His love and light. And the fact that The Isaacs are so well received in the Country and Bluegrass world is a testament to the fact that people are hungry for what they carry. The songs they sang at the induction, all about the Lord, were not only received, they were LOVED. As the words to It Is Well With My Soul echoed through the building, people responded with a standing ovation and roaring applause. The Isaacs reached people that night, both in the crowd and watching at home, I will never have the opportunity to reach. That is marketplace ministry. Ricky Skaggs, a winner of many awards, including inductions into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, also performed. Ricky presided in the presentation of The Isaacs’ induction. Being a strong believer, he, too, was very anointed and carried the presence of the Lord into the gathering. It was clear when he sang and presented this award, that an anointed spiritual father was in the house. The pleasure of the Lord was present. Though no altar call was given, thousands of people were touched by the presence of Holy Spirit. This is what I am referring to by being “called” to “minister,” regardless of the gift or vocation God has destined us with. You may not have a microphone, you may not have a stage, but you have a voice. Over lunch with a coworker, at a backyard barbecue, or during a visit with a hurting friend, you are called to represent Jesus. He is waiting to release His love, power, and anointing through you. Be sensitive to people’s hearts and yes, always be sensitive to your employer and what is acceptable to them, but God will give you opportunities to share Jesus. You are called and you are a minister. Abraham was a rancher. Noah was a boat builder. Lydia was a merchant. Paul, during segments of his ministry, was a tentmaker. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. Daniel was a governmental advisor. David was a shepherd, then king. Cornelius, used to birth a completely new era of the gospel - the beginning of the Gentile church - was a centurion. Some of those God used most significantly in scripture were in marketplace ministry. William Wilberforce, who was used to end slavery in the British Empire, was in government. Mother Teresa ran an orphanage. John and Charles Wesley were given to us by a mom of 19 children. Break out of the layman box and move boldly into full-time ministry! Pray with me: Father, You have called each of us with a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9). You said we are able ministers of the new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6). Increase this revelation in the church. Open the eyes of our understanding to the great anointing we all carry. Show every believer they can do exploits in Your name. Break wrong paradigms off of us. Do away with our wrong thinking regarding platform ministers versus marketplace ministers. Remove the deception that believes some are called, but others are simply to serve those few. Bring renewed revelation of Mark 16, that all believers are to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, cast out demons, and partner with You in the preaching of the gospel. We pray for those who make it to the top of the “mountain” You have placed them in. We do not see them as elites, above other believers, but as the point of a spear. They face great resistance and warfare. They experience many temptations to compromise. Keep them pure. You have given them great influence. Make them strong in the Spirit and in the Word. Use them mightily! We fully expect this next wave of revival to go deeper than any other, to be broader than any other, and to bring a billion or more souls into the Kingdom as the church walks fully in her calling. We thank You for Your heart to do this. We love You. Amen. Our decree: As the Ekklesia of the Lord Jesus Christ, we declare that His Holy Spirit in us has made us able, competent ministers of His new covenant in the earth (2 Corinthians 3:6). Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Hearts Ablaze I was in Orlando Saturday and Sunday, speaking at the annual conference of Women’s Aglow International. I have run with this ministry for many years and have a very high level of respect for them. It is extremely rare for a ministerial organization as large as them to maintain itself as a “new,” pliable wineskin. They have done so, however. What I felt and saw and experienced there was also an encouraging confirmation of the outpouring I see coming. Seeing God resetting Aglow once again (this was the conference theme), preparing them, as well as other ministries, for a new season of fruitfulness and frontline ministry is another sign that we’re on the cusp of a worldwide revival. Those attending, as well as thousands online, enthusiastically embraced the challenge to do whatever was necessary to fulfill their role in this outpouring. I must say that I was exceptionally intense and emotional as I spoke there. It was as if I could feel the very heart of God yearning for this awakening. He wants it more than we do. It is not easy for us humans to carry the passion of God. When Jesus said His burden was easy and light, He was not speaking of His heart to redeem people; Christ was referring to the yoke of His Lordship. Coming under the Lordship of Christ is liberating, brings unspeakable joy and gives peace that passes understanding. Carrying His heart for people, however, can be weighty. I felt the fire of God very deeply in my being at the meetings, as did those listening. I have felt this elsewhere of late, also. Father is incredibly passionate about what is coming. Ask Him to allow you to tap into this fire. Saturday night I spoke on Tennent’s Fire, which I mentioned on Give Him 15 for the second time in yesterday's post. For those who did not see the post, Tennent’s message, which helped fuel the First Great Awakening in the 1700s, was that the clergy needed to be awakened. They needed fresh fire. The fire of revival is not just Holy Spirit fire that burns up/consumes sin. It brings several things to us: it produces burning revelation. The two disciples who conversed with Jesus on the road to Emmaus said their hearts burned as He opened the scriptures to them (Luke 24:32). God’s message in the hearts of those who deliver it is also described as a fire (Jeremiah 20:9). And love is referred to as a fire (Song of Solomon 8:6). God wants our hearts to burn with passion for Him, as His does for us. I love the song, Obsession, from 1995, released by the British band Delirious. Speaking of an obsession for God, the chorus says, “My heart burns for You.” At one point in the recording, the singer cannot contain his passion any longer and shouts, “What can I do with my obsession?” Friend, if your heart does not burn for Him, it can. Ask Holy Spirit for this. Ask Him to restore passion to you, until you are obsessed with Him! In the dream regarding Tennent, given to Greg Hood, the Angel Gabriel said, “If you prime this well you will make many enemies among the religious. But, if you do prime this well, many will catch fire!” Also in the dream, to restart the fire of Tennent’s Well of Revival we had to pour in fresh oil. The oil was labeled “Hebrews 1:7,” which says, ”And regarding the angels, He says, ‘He makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.’” Several weeks back I mentioned the song Send the Fire by William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army. I read some of the words. It is resounding in my heart once again today, however, so I’m going to read the entire song to you: “O God of burning cleansing flame: Send the fire! Your blood-bought gift today we claim: Send the fire today! Look down and see this waiting host, And send the promised Holy Ghost; We need another Pentecost! Send the fire today! Send the fire today! God of Elijah, hear our cry: Send the fire! And make us fit to live or die: Send the fire today! To burn up every trace of sin, To bring the light and glory in, The revolution now begin! Send the fire today! Send the fire today! It's fire we want, for fire we plead: Send the fire! The fire will meet our every need: Send the fire today! For strength to always do what's right, For grace to conquer in the fight, For power to walk the world in white: Send the fire today! Send the fire today! To make our weak hearts strong and brave: Send the fire! To live, a dying world to save: Send the fire today! Oh, see us on Your altar lay, We give our lives to You today, So crown the offering now we pray: Send the fire today! Send the fire today! Send the fire today!”(1) Pray with me: Father, this is our prayer. Send the fire. Cause great hunger to rise up in the hearts of Your leaders, and also in the body of Christ at large. May a burning passion to know and experience You take control of us until You become our obsession. Burn up sin and compromise. And cause Your Word to burn within us. May the consuming fire of Your presence invade every area of our lives. Ruin us! May our pulse quicken at the mention of Your name, our eyes tear up at the sound of Your voice. It’s fire we want, for fire we plead. Send the fire! Our decree: Our hearts will burn with the fire of passion and revival! Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________ https://www.flashlyrics.com/lyrics/william-booth/o-god-of-burning-cleansing-flame-send-the-fire-00

Run to the Fire I have posted much about past wells of revival and Holy Spirit speaking of reopening them with a synergistic merging of their power. One of these revival wells was Tennent’s Well of Fire, a revival to the pulpits of America during the First Great Awakening. This move of the Spirit overcame the lukewarmness, complacency, compromise, and lack of power in the clergy. In a dream given to Greg Hood, Holy Spirit emphasized that this was about to take place again (Here is our recent GH15 post on Tennent’s Well). It is sorely needed. Many leaders in the American church are like the believers in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6. Jesus said to them: “You have a name [reputation] that you are alive, and yet you are dead.” This description would mean that outwardly, based on performance, numbers, etc., they appeared to be successful. Jesus looked inward and saw otherwise. I have stated for 30 years that the redefining of success in the American church to size and speed - how large a church is and how quickly the growth occurred - was a curse. I cringe when I hear phrases like “fastest-growing,” “the largest,” or “one of the largest” in describing churches or ministries. It's not that big is bad, it’s that it isn’t the biblical criteria for success. Though some churches have indeed grown in the U.S. over the last 40 years, 90% of it has been transfer growth, not conversions to Christ. We haven’t competed with the world for people, we’ve competed with ourselves. Anyone unwilling to admit that in spite of our so-called “church growth” we have LOST ground in America - much ground - during the past 40 years is dishonest. The competition of the church among itself is disgusting. Those who have bought the lie that innovation, shortened services and professionalism can replace the fire of Holy Spirit, should consider the fact that EVERY true revival in history has been marked by the fire of Holy Spirit. Are we to believe His fire that awakens, delivers and transforms during these outpourings is reserved for/profitable for, only those times? That Holy Spirit fire and power is only beneficial or needed then? Or should we consider the possibility that we have simply been satisfied with human substitutes for the power and presence of God, forcing us to accept transformed buildings and ministries, not people, cities and nations. This is beyond disgusting; it is deadly. Our powerlessness, watered down wine and mental approach have conditioned a generation of Americans to believe that Holy Spirit isn’t even real. Don’t believe me? Polls have shown that roughly half of Evangelicals in America don’t believe He is real - just a symbol. Most of them have never seen a miracle and therefore don’t even believe in the supernatural. They know little to nothing about God’s presence, so 3 or 4 quick, well-played songs, mixed with the right amount of smoke and lights once a week is more than enough to satisfy the average Christian, including charismatics. In the dream about Tennent’s revival, this compromise changed. Pastors busted up their dry, fancy pulpits and brought pieces of them to the well’s fresh fire where they reignited the wood with Holy Ghost fire. They then ran home with pulpits - and hearts - ablaze, then ignited the hearts of people. This occurred literally in the revival Tennent helped fuel, which then fed the First Great Awakening. May it occur once again. I recently traveled to Nashville to speak for my friend, Kent Christmas, and took Greg Hood with me. I knew in my spirit God was going to give Greg a word, either for the gathering, the leaders present, Kent (the host), or Nashville. Holy Spirit did all of the above! While there, Greg received another dream regarding Tennent’s Well. It is too long to share all of it in this post, but I want to encourage you with some highlights. Holy Spirit said Nashville would be a firstfruit of this well’s impact. I have known for 6 months or more that God was about to move in this city. I believe He is going to move incredibly in the music industry, but not just in this arena. Before He is finished, I expect Nashville to be ablaze - churches, business leaders, government, schools and entertainment. Let’s pray into this. Holy Spirit also said, “It’s your Father’s intent to drill deeper with this well than it has ever drilled. We have made the modifications needed to do so.” This revival will be very strong and deep. Holy Spirit continued, saying, “The water and the clay here in Nashville [the clay symbolized people - Jeremiah 18:1-6] is ready to receive the drilling. You will have to use your 601 bit here. It will take some effort but you will push through. The clay is ready.” The “601 bit” represents revelation, the number of “reveal/revelation” in Strong’s Greek concordance. I’ve been given 3 dreams in which the number 601 was given to me, always picturing revelation. God has also said through other scenarios in several other recent dreams that increased revelation is about to be released. This release of revelation always occurs in revivals as Holy Spirit opens the hearts and minds of people to His truth. Not only does this occur in believers but also in unbelievers, enabling them to see through the fog of darkness and deception, resulting in salvation and deliverance. Pray for this to occur. In the dream, Holy Spirit also said the church, the Ekklesia, was ready for this. “The Ekklesia is no longer in boot camp. She’s in ‘Her Day,’” He said. This is incredibly encouraging! If you have been contending for the maturing of the church, for a mature Ekklesia capable of representing Christ in His fulness, for revival - this is your time! A remnant is ready. And finally, Holy Spirit said, “There are other cities in America in which the water level is almost right. You will find this well in those places, too. You know the operational procedure now. This well is Key. Nashville is a first fruit from this well.” Tennent’s fire is coming to a city near you! Which ones? That will be determined by the praying church and hungry leaders. Those who want it can have it. “Break up” your dry pulpits. Repent for allowing the fire to go out. Ask Holy Spirit for the kind of hunger that will not be satisfied with anything less than your heart ablaze, and RUN to the nearest fire. Stay there until you too, burn. Then run home and burn there! Allow nothing - the fear of man, fear of failure, man’s distorted definition of success - to put out the fire. Signs and wonders will follow the fire. Hungry hearts will run to the fire. Demons and religion will run from the fire. And God will breathe on the fire. Pray with me: Father, You said, “A bent reed He will not break off, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish until He leads justice to victory” (Matthew 12:20). We ask You to come to every leader who has even a tiny spark and breathe on them. Your heart is not to condemn but to reignite. Break off of us leaders weariness, hope deferred, unbelief, compromise, the fear of man, deception, and religion. Give us hearts that blaze with holy fire. Give us Pentecost! Give us power! Give us revelation. Give us sleepless nights and tearful days. Give us smashed, burning pulpits. Give us anguished cries for the lost and travail for broken hearts. Give us love...give us You. Come to Nashville. Show up in power and release fire. Revive leaders. Save the lost, awaken the prodigal. May the world’s greatest musicians and voices fall madly in love with You. May they hear heaven’s songs and bring them to earth. Cause Music City to become Worship City. Do as You said, going deeper with this outpouring than You have ever gone before! And do the same in other cities where the hunger draws Your passionate and searching heart to them. Lord God of Tennent, come! Our decree: We decree that fire is coming to the pulpits of America, and revival is coming to a hungry earth! Click on the link below to watch the full video.