How to Pray for the Unsaved Second Corinthians 10:4 tells us we have been given spiritual weapons for the destruction of “strongholds.” The word is ochuroma, a “stronghold” (KJV) or “fortress” (NASB). It is literally a place from which to hold onto something or someone strongly. It is also the word for a fort, castle or prison. I’ve seen pictures of foxholes and trenches hastily dug in times of war to maintain a position. That’s a hold. On the other hand, I toured a huge castle on top of a mountain in Salzburg, Austria, several years ago. From this seeming impregnable fortress on a hill, someone had ruled the territory. That’s a stronghold! In essence, unbelievers are prisoners, captives, slaves. Christ was sent “to proclaim release to the captives” (Luke 4:18) and He wants to proclaim this release through the mouth of the Church! Verse five of 2 Corinthians 10 is an extremely important verse. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Verse four says our divinely empowered weapons can destroy strongholds, and verse five elaborates more fully on - breaks down the composition of - the stronghold in unbelievers! This is critical information as we begin to war for the lost. Specifically, He shares with us three major components of the fortress or stronghold. These are the things we must begin to call out in prayer as we war over individuals with our divinely empowered weapons. The first element of the stronghold He mentions is “speculations” - logismos. This Greek word speaks not of the individual thoughts of people, but of their calculative reasoning, their wisdom or logic.(1) Our English word “logic” is actually derived from this Greek root. Logismos is the sum total of the accumulated wisdom and information learned over time. It becomes what one really believes - the person’s mindset. Moffatt’s translation calls them “theories.” Humanity, before the Fall, got their wisdom and logic - their beliefs - from God. James 3:15 tells us they now come from the earth, the soul or intellect, and demons. How does a logismos blind individuals? How does it veil truth? The way the human mind functions dictates that when people hear the gospel, before they even have time to think or reason about it, it is filtered through the subconscious mind where all other information - including these logismos - is stored. This means that unbelievers don’t hear what we are saying; they hear what we are saying plus what they already believe. For example, I was sharing the gospel with a girl who had been horribly abused. “God is love,” I said. “He loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you.” She did not hear only what I said. She also heard in her mind - I know, because she said it to me - “Oh? If He is love, why would He have allowed me to have been so abused? Doesn’t seem like a loving God to me.” Her mind has formed a logismos - a belief, a philosophy, her wisdom, her logic. Someone will need to intercede for her. Perhaps you already know what the mindsets are that control the person for whom you are praying. If not, ask Holy Spirit to reveal them to you. He will. And when He does, call them by name, using 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Declare, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I am destroying you, stronghold of . . .” Do it daily until the person comes to Christ. The second part of the stronghold we must demolish is “every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (v. 5, emphasis added). The KJV uses ”high thing” to translate the Greek word hupsoma, which is actually the same root word for “Most High” God. It actually means “any elevated place or thing.” (2) This is referring to the root of pride, the “most highness” that came to humanity at the Fall when Adam and Eve bought the lie “You too shall be as God” (see Genesis 3:5). Humankind, like satan, attempted to exalt themselves to a place of equality with the Most High. We didn’t become the Most High, but we did become our own most high, filled with pride. One leading lexicon even defined humsoma as “all pride that rises up.”(3) The word encompasses all mindsets that elevate themselves above what God says. We can tear down this stronghold in people through spiritual warfare, so that they humble themselves and bow their knees to Christ. Look at this entire verse (2 Corinthians 10:5) again in The Living Bible: These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God, and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ (emphasis added). Considering the third element comprising strongholds, the Lord tells us we can “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” The word “thought” is noema, which also means plans, schemes, devices or plots. It refers to the spontaneous thoughts and temptations satan uses to control people, as well as to the ongoing schemes and plans he uses. In intercession we must declare boldly that no weapon of satan’s will prosper. We must bind his plans (Matthew 16:18-19) and stand against them through prayer. We should pray that the unbeliever be shielded from satan’s thoughts and temptations. Mary Smith, of Maple Valley, Washington, had been praying for her brother, John, to be saved for approximately 12 years, with no seeming results. She prayed general prayers, things such as “Lord, come into his life,” or “Lord, reveal Yourself to him.” As with many of us, she didn’t realize there were more specific biblical ways to pray. John had major problems, including drugs, depression and extreme anger. Early in 1995 Mary took a class I taught where I related these and other principles about praying for the lost. Mary shared them with her husband, Joe, and their children. They all began to pray for John using these principles. Specifically, they prayed the following: That God would lift the veil off his mind, bringing revelation and enlightenment For Holy Spirit to hover over him and protect him For godly people to be placed in his pathway each day That anything exalting itself against the knowledge of God, specifically pride and rebellion, would be destroyed That all ungodly thought patterns (logismos), would be destroyed. That satan was bound from taking John captive through wicked thoughts and lies That the armor of God would be placed on him After two weeks of praying in this way, John overdosed on drugs and in the hospital cried out to God. Mary said, “The Lord met him in a powerful way. The veil was definitely lifted and he had a revelation of God. He now has an understanding of the Word and responds to it. The confusion is gone! John separated himself from the world and his former friends. He is now pursuing God and Christian relationships. His focus is on pleasing God, knowing Him more and more. He is even considering one day being a missionary.” We have been given authority! We can turn unbelievers “from darkness to light and from the dominion of satan to God” (Acts 26:18). We are called to enforce and make effectual the freedom Christ procured. The unbeliever cannot war for his or herself; they cannot and will not overcome the strongholds of darkness in them - but we can! We must take our divinely powerful weapons and fight. The powers of darkness will resist, but “do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses” (Nehemiah 4:14). Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your heart to save. Thank You for loving us humans, even when we are still rebellious. Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for sending Jesus to redeem us. Thank You for Holy Spirit‘s work of making this sacrifice understood. We pray for those who do not know You, that the revelation of Christ and His provision would be made real to them. We pray against and bind every belief system and thought pattern that deceives them. We bind every philosophy and belief that keeps them from believing, from truly understanding the gospel, from seeing Jesus as He really is. We bind the spirit of pride that entered the human race at the fall, causing us to want to rule our own lives and not submit to Your Lordship. We ask You now to send Holy Spirit to release His power over them: working in their minds and hearts, sending the right people to them, speaking to them through their thoughts, and drawing them to You. We ask You in Jesus name, and we thank You for doing this. Amen We decree: We declare that every stronghold in the life of those we pray for will be torn down by the power of Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary, p 923. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, ref no. 5313. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p 851.

We ARE the Church I am often asked how to institute a prayer ministry in a small group or congregation. Actually, I feel a congregation is to BE a prayer ministry—a house of prayer. Isn’t that what Jesus clearly said in Matthew 21:13: And He said to them, “My dwelling place [“house”; KJV] will be known as a house of prayer, but you have made it into a hangout for thieves!” (TPT) Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 56:7: ‘I will welcome you into My holy mountain and make you joyful in My house of prayer. I will accept every sacrifice and offering that you place on My altar, for My house of worship will be known as a house of prayer for all people.’” (TPT) The “house” of God is no longer a building, a temple made with hands. We, the children of God, are now His house, temple or dwelling place. Our spirits are the new Holy of Holies. (The word “temple” in 1 Corinthians 6:19 is the Greek word naos, reserved for the Holy of Holies, not the entire temple.) Each of us individually is God’s temple, of course - Holy Spirit indwells each of us. Yet, in another sense, we are one “living stone” of His overall temple, His corporate house, the church. No one of us can house or represent Christ the way all of us can. However, regardless of whether referencing a person or a congregation, people are God’s “house”, NOT the building in which they meet. The same misconception is often believed when referring to “the church” - it, too, is often considered a building. This is horrible theology and devastating in its ramifications. The church is a people, never a building. Ligonier is a ministry dedicated to making the truths of God’s Word clearly known, a discipleship ministry. In their Tabletalk online magazine, they point out that: “When Jesus says, ‘I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18), the Greek word for ‘church’ is ekklēsia. In all 114 instances that the New Testament uses this word, it designates a people, or an assembly of people, responding to the call of God in Christ. It sometimes refers to the whole people of God and other times to a local congregation (Ephesians 5:27; 1 Thessalonians 1:1). In the New Testament, ekklēsia always designates a people, never the place where they meet.”(1) (Italic mine) The point is very simple: whether speaking of one person, a small group in a home or office, or a larger formalized congregation, people are God’s “church” and “house” - NOT buildings. And Jesus said His house - His people - would be houses of prayer. When Ceci and I had a congregation in Colorado Springs, we, as well as our staff, worked hard to instill this into the mindset of our congregants. We instituted prayer into everything we did. Actually, our services were largely worship and prayer meetings. We spent a significant amount of time praying for the nation, and we prayed for many other things on the heart of the Father. Each department was encouraged to ensure that intercession was a primary part of everything they did. From our children and youth to our men and women, our home fellowships and prophetic ministries, we were a praying company. Some prayer meetings were based on topics, such as covering every aspect of our city in prayer. Others targeted individuals: we had a prayer meeting to call in our prodigals, another for government leaders, soaking prayer for individuals, and physical healing prayer times were also conducted regularly. Many people across the city came to receive ministry; we never considered our house of prayer ministries to be only for those calling us their home congregation and we never proselyted others when they came. We also initiated many national prayer calls to prayer and coordinated many prayer journeys, sometimes taking as many as 70 people. There are a few people I consider experts in developing houses of prayer. Cheryl Sacks, a prayer leader in Phoenix, AZ, wrote The Prayer Saturated Church. Alvin Vander Griend, who calls himself a prayer evangelist, wrote The Praying Church Sourcebook. And Terry Tekyl has given us several books on prayer, including Blueprint for the House of Prayer. All of these are excellent sources for you in learning how to form a group into a house of prayer. There are others, but these are a few to help you. Let’s look at some things these leaders tell us about making your gathering a house of prayer: Cheryl Sacks “If Jesus were to visit your congregation next Sunday and given complete freedom to conduct the service, what do you think He would do? I’m not sure what would happen, but most likely our agenda would be flying out the window. “At least once, Jesus did visit a ‘gathering’ and take over the service. Matthew 21:16 contains this memorable story of Jesus, in righteous anger, running the money changers out of the temple. “In this passage, we discover the progressive steps for building a house of prayer. The first thing Jesus did was cleanse the temple of impure motives and activities, making it a house of purity. “Next, Jesus reminded us of His Father’s words, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer.’ Isaiah talks about those who will come to the house of prayer. It’s a place where the broken, the foreigner, the eunuch can come and worship. This is a place where all will find acceptance. A congregation doesn’t get to this place unless hearts are changed. That’s one thing that happens when we pray. “Prayer and worship are all about focusing on the Lord. When we open ourselves up to Him, He will clean us up, fill us up with His nature, and send us out to change the world. We’ll see salvations, miracles, liberal giving to the poor, and Christ-like living.”(9) Alvin Vander Griend [Allan provides some practical advice to increase prayer in our corporate gatherings.] “Prayer and worship belong together. From the beginning call to worship, to the benediction, [conversation should be occurring] between God and His people. Prayer is the most direct way to acknowledge that God is present in worship. We speak directly to God and listen for His voice in response.” Vander Griend recommends the following as some of the ways to incorporate prayer into a worship service: “Plan a brief prayer meeting before the service. “Incorporate prayer throughout the worship service. “Ask different people to participate in leading prayer throughout the service. “Encourage members’ spontaneous participation in prayer during the worship. “Encourage the congregants to pray silently while the Word is preached. “Ask everyone to pray aloud at the same time on a specific request or topic of prayer. “Make an altar call and ministry time a regular part of your worship service.”(3) Our corporate gatherings should become “houses of prayer” for all nations. We must incorporate prayer strategies in our gatherings. We should teach our congregants to pray and make sure everything we do is covered by prayer. Let’s obey Christ - becoming presence-filled congregations and gatherings, ekklesias, exalting Jesus and making Him known in the earth. “And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household. You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-20 and 22; The VOICE) Pray with me: Father, forgive us for ignoring or redefining what You wanted when we come together. You are looking for intimacy with us, and ekklesias operating as houses of prayer. We often look for support networks, places to fellowship or gatherings that teach us how to be good Christians. We’ve missed the mark. Remind us to gather for the primary purpose of connecting with You, exalting Your name, hearing Your voice, and interceding from Your heart. Holy Spirit, You are hovering over the church today, rebirthing something ancient, which will be new once again. You’re creating fresh interaction between the church and Yourself. As we move into the Third Great Awakening, intercession will go to new levels. We will see Your life explode in the church, gifts poured out and anointings released for the cause of the great harvest. We pray and release this in Jesus’ Name! Amen. Today’s decree: The church IS becoming a house of prayer, just as Jesus commanded. Click on the link below to watch the full prayer. 1 https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/is-the-church-a-people-or-a-place-2020-04/ 2 Sacks, Cheryl. The Prayer Saturated Church, (Colorado Springs, CO:Pray!, 2004), pp 25-26. 3 Vander Griend, Alvin J. The Praying Church Sourcebook (Grand Rapids, MI:CRC Publications, 1997), pp 47-51.

Living on a Mission Paul told his spiritual son, Timothy, “Be instant in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). The words “season” come from the Greek word ukairos, which means “convenient or opportune time.” In other words, always be ready, whether the timing is convenient or not! The context is regarding preaching. However, if appropriate for preaching, surely it is applicable to all of our service for Christ. Ephesians 5:16 tells us to “redeem the time.” The same root word that is used for “season” is used here for “time”- kairos. “Redeem” is exagorazo, which means “to buy” The verse is telling us to spend whatever time, energy, money,` that is necessary to buy the opportunities that come your way. My great friend, Tom Hamon, shares about this readiness in a challenging exhortation regarding soldiers. “With all that has been happening the last year and a half we all are being challenged in new ways. It feels as though the enemy is working overtime to get the church to back down. In response to this, God has been saturating the church with the powerful revelation of being Christ’s ekklesia, called to operate in supernatural power and authority. This is a true paradigm shift for many Christians. It is requiring us to move from a comfortable, casual, civilian mentality to a singular focused soldier’s mindset. This responsibility is mandating that Christians become more strategic in their thinking, a mindset I call, ‘Living on a Mission.’ “Our ministry base in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, is in a military community surrounded by 3 very strategic military bases: Hurlburt, Tyndall, and Eglin Air Force bases. Within these bases is housed a very significant contingent of special ops forces. Interestingly, if you were to meet these elite men and women in the community, they would not look much different than anyone else you might encounter. And their day to day lives aren’t much different, either. They have families, homes, financial endeavors and other stresses, just like everyone else. “They ARE different, however. These soldiers live with an understanding that their life could be interrupted at a moment’s notice if called upon to fulfill a mission for their nation. When that call comes, they immediately kick into mission mode. Normal life is set aside and they focus fully on the mission at hand. They ‘live on a mission.’ “Having committed themselves to answering the call, these warriors have devoted themselves to being prepared: They have given themselves fully to preparation and training. They’ve purposed and learned how to work as a team. They have devoted themselves to skillfully mastering their weapons and equipment. They know and understand the winning strategies of warfare. They’ve learned the strategies of the enemy they are confronting. “When called, these warriors focus keenly on one thing and one thing only: accomplishing the mission! They are willing to fully engage their hearts, gifts, and energies to accomplish the mission they have been given, even unto death. “Isaiah 28:5-6 speaks of such a calling: ‘In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people; a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.’ “Notice that God gives a special strength to the spiritual special forces willing to battle at the gates. Gates are entry points, places of influence in societies, including gates of government, education, business, media, family, religion, arts and entertainment. The battle for these gates of culture - and ultimately our nation - is always occurring at these gates. And God is looking for Isaiah 28:6 type warriors who will run to the battle when He calls. . .and shift the battle at the gates of influence! He is looking for those who will ‘live on a mission.’ “Moving from living with a civilian mentality to that of a ready soldier will require: A willingness to respond quickly, at any time, to the alert from the watchmen Remaining diligent, watching and praying Total submission to Christ - always saying ‘Yes Sir,’ or ‘Yes, Lord’ Training and equipping - put on your spiritual uniform/armor Learning to walk in unity with others A willingness to employ your spiritual weapons of war Listening closely to the commander’s voice, especially in the midst of the battle Engaging tirelessly with all your heart to see that the battle is won “One of satan’s deterrents to this call of shifting culture at the gates can be seen metaphorically in the verses following verse 6, mentioned above. ‘Moreover, the prophets and priests are drunk. They stagger because of wine and stumble around because of strong drink. They are confused with wine, stumbling because of strong drink. They’re too drunk to understand their prophetic visions. They’re too drunk to render right decisions in judgment. All of their banqueting tables are covered with filthy vomit; vomit is everywhere!’ (Isaiah 28:7-8 TPT) “The indictment given by Isaiah to his generation is valid for us today: if we become ‘intoxicated’ on the world’s opinions, principles, and system, we will lose our influence and opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, many people work hard to rise to a position in the ‘gate’ of government, education, entertainment, or others, only to become enticed and seduced by the spirit of the world. Sadly, they don’t use their position of influence to bring the change God is looking for. They may compromise, lose their way, fall asleep at their post, err in their vision, stumble in their judgment on issues, or give way to an unclean spirit. “Like Joseph, we WILL be tempted at the gate in which God has called us to serve. If we have become drunk on the world’s ways and conform to the culture around us, one who was meant to be a great force for good (and God) can end up being one who defames the name of the Lord. God is looking for a purposeful, powerful, holy ekklesia that knows what to do when they’re positioned to battle for kingdom influence and advancement at the gates of culture. He is looking for those who ‘live on a mission.’” Pray with me: Father, You commended the Issachar tribe of Israel for understanding the times and, therefore, knowing what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). The passage says they were “among the mighty men who helped [David] in war,” (verse 1). They were elsewhere referred to as “mighty men,” and “men of war” (verse 38). They “lived on a mission.” Make us like them! You also commended the church at Thessalonica as those who understood the times (1 Thessalonians 5:1), and rebuked the Pharisees for not being able to discern the time, (Matthew 16:3). Clearly, this discerning of the kairos times is needed in order for us to be effective. Give us this discernment! And God, we ask that in the darkness pervading our times, You would cause a righteous remnant to arise, who’ll be willing to battle at the gates to bring kingdom transformation in their generation! Keep us focused on the kingdom’s cause and founded in the precepts of Your Word. Keep us pure, clean, and unpolluted from the world’s influence. Most of all, God, cause us to know that we are called each day to live on a mission for You, to make a difference when our Commander calls! Our decree: We decree. . . that God will bring a shift toward righteousness in our culture, that a nameless, faceless generation is choosing to go to the gates of culture and fight for what is right! We decree that You will raise up an army of special operators with the strength, discernment, and strategy to open gates for the King of Glory. You will enter those gates gloriously and victoriously, in our generation! Amen! Portions of today’s post were contributed by Tom Hamon. Find out more about Tom here. Click on the link below to watch the prayer.

Update on Crucial Issues In an era where our government is attempting to exert more and more control over us, shape our thinking, control our speech and actions, and redefine who America was, is and will be, Americans must be more vigilant than ever before. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”(1) He also famously said, “Government is not the solution to the problem, government IS the problem.”(2) When government begins telling us: what we can believe and preach from the Bible; who we must hire, even though they violate our moral beliefs and principles; what is and isn’t marriage (as though marriage is a government-initiated institution, rather than God-ordained); that we must use our tax dollars to kill babies and experiment with their body parts; when we can worship; and so much more - they have trespassed into spiritual matters. That is why we address it here, and ask you to pray about it. A Win First, however, a praise report: The Biden administration, following in the footsteps of the Obama administration by attempting to weaponize the IRS, has reversed its decision to deny tax-exempt status to Texas based Christians Engaged. You will recall that their initial rejection was because Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the Republican Party and candidates. Therefore, they reasoned, anyone who teaches those principles was not eligible for tax-exempt status. No doubt due to the outrage from members of Congress and Christians around the nation, they backed off of this ruling and awarded the status. We thank God for this turnaround, but we must remain alert and continue to pray that all such attempts to silence Christians are exposed in America.(3) Big Tech vs Free Speech As you may know, President Trump is suing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We must pray that our Judicial system does the right thing in regards to this lawsuit. Everyone, Conservatives included, deserves to have their voices heard equally. Though these are, indeed, private companies, they have been given special exemptions by our government. And many experts believe they have now formed suffocating monopolies, effectively controlling what the American public hears. Attorney Alan Dershowitz said regarding the case, “This is a very, very important lawsuit. What’s going on with high tech is unacceptable. It’s inconsistent with the spirit of free-speech that underlies our First Amendment.” He went on to say, “The old censorship involved pure government. McCarthyism. Congress. Today we have these companies that are the new censors.”(4) Media has done everything possible in the last few years to muzzle the church and those of us who hold conservative values. Our country was founded on free speech and we must pray this continues. We are obviously not legal experts, but it is critical and certainly appropriate that we pray for a just and righteous conclusion to this matter. As we mentioned in the opening of our post, government is already beginning the process of attempting to tell the church what we can and cannot say. We had better stay awake! Door to Door Campaign Most of you have probably heard about the Biden administration’s plan to go door to door pushing the Covid vaccinations. This has caused quite a furor among millions of Americans. Those who choose not to receive the vaccine (and many who did) do not want the government meddling in their medical lives. Nor do they want a database with their name in it as one who chose not to receive the vaccine. This could lead to all sorts of discrimination and mistreatment. Michael Dorstewitz, in a Newsmax article, stated, “...health information - including vaccination records - is a private matter between Americans and their physicians. The government isn’t privy to any of it - it’s none of their business.” This is simply another example of government overreach. Whether or not one chooses to receive this vaccine is a very personal matter; HIPPA laws protect all medical decisions. People have the right to decide what is best for them without government intrusion. We must pray that our rights to privacy are not infringed upon.(5) The NSA In a very enlightening Washington Times article, Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses the frightening ramifications of the NSA’s spying on Tucker Carlson. In 2017, Judge Napolitano exposed the CIA’s spying on President Trump - through the British government - and was falsely accused of lying and fabricating the information. Then the NSA began spying on him, just as they have been doing on Tucker Carlson. The Judge said, “It is utterly terrifying to realize that your daily communications are being scrutinized by the government without probable cause and without a search warrant, both of which are required by the Fourth Amendment. It gives you pause before communicating; pause that churns the stomach; pause that is profoundly un-American.”(6) Exposed The whole world now knows FISA warrants were fraudulently obtained to spy on Trump’s campaign, General Flynn, and others in the former president’s circle.(7) Yet the deep state is so feared and seems so untouchable that no one has been prosecuted for this. It is impossible to know how many Americans have been/are spied upon inappropriately by our government, but we all know they are watching us. We must pray that this ends - that someone, or a strong enough group within our government - is raised up to finally put an end to this. At this point in time, it goes on with no ramifications. You and I cannot stop it with natural means, but we can pray and ask God to do so. According to a Rasmussen Poll Lastly, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, “Arizona’s ongoing audit of 2020 election results has been widely criticized, but a majority of voters nationwide approve of the election integrity effort. A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports finds that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters support forensic audits of election results to ensure there was no vote fraud. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose such audits and 17% are not sure.”(8) A staggering majority of Republicans, 70%, don’t believe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fairly. Ten percent of Democrats and 45% of unaffiliated voters believe this, also. This is unprecedented. Let’s continue to pray that the forensic audits, as well as any other means possible, give Americans confidence in our election system. Without it, America cannot survive. Our Founders and the shapers of our Constitution knew the incredible importance of spiritual liberty and freedom of speech. That is why they placed these protections in the FIRST Amendment. It is appropriate - and our spiritual responsibility - to pray regarding these issues, just as it is to pray regarding all governmental activities. Let’s do so now. Pray with me: Father, thank You for answering our prayers for Christians Engaged. We pray regarding the lawsuit against big tech. We simply ask You to cause the appropriate ruling to occur. Let justice prevail in this case. And we ask You to keep the voice of the church free in America. We pledge to You, Father, that we will not compromise Your word and principles in our congregations and messages. We will obey You, not man. We ask You to give us wise leaders in government who truly honor our Constitution, as it is written, not as they wish it was written. We ask You to give us leaders who believe in You, Your word, and Your plan for America, men and women who openly and unashamedly honor You and love you passionately. Deliver us from those who mock, dishonor and oppose You. And we continue to ask You to expose the evil in our government. It has become very defiled - please clean it up, just as you did evil governments in scripture. Give all those working to ensure we have honest elections in America the wisdom, support, finances and volunteers needed. Please cause this to be done with integrity and for truth to prevail. In Christ’s name we pray. Our decree: We declare, with confidence: our prayers are making a difference and that the appeal still works! Click on the link below to watch the prayer. https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/reagan-quotes-speeches/news-conference-1/ https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/reagan-quotes-speeches/inaugural-address-2/ https://www.newsmax.com/politics/irs-christians-engaged-tax/2021/07/08/id/1027891/ https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/alandershowitz-newsmaxtv-donaldtrump/2021/07/07/id/1027830/ https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/cdc-hipaa-psaki/2021/07/07/id/1027812/ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jul/7/nsas-spying-on-tucker-carlson-is-an-attack-all-ame/ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/5/yates-wouldnt-have-approved-carter-surveillance/ AND https://www.theepochtimes.com/top-fisa-court-judge-condemns-fbi-for-providing-false-information-to-court-demands-prompt-government-response_3181077.html AND https://www.newsmax.com/us/fisa-clinesmith-trump-russia/2021/06/28/id/1026760/ https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/june_2021/55_of_voters_support_election_audits

The Fires of Revival The dream I shared with you yesterday from Gina Gholston was the first of two related dreams, given a year apart. I actually did posts on both of them several months back. There is such incredible weight on them at this time, however, that I have felt a strong urgency to release them again, (with different commentary, of course). If you did not see or hear yesterday’s post, it will be very helpful if you do so before watching/reading today’s. Here is the second dream, given to Gina February 2, 2021: “I dreamed I was standing with someone on a deck-like structure in a very lofty place in the heavens. From this place, we were looking down, observing the United States of America. I did not know who the man standing next to me was. I could feel a strong anointing from him, however, which was causing me to have an indescribable hope for the nation! “As we were looking down, we saw what first appeared to be war planes flying over the U.S. The gentleman next to me said, ‘Oh my, I wonder what is happening in America? What do all of these war planes mean?’ He said this, not with concern, but almost as though he was wanting me to see something that wasn’t obvious. He looked at me as if I should know the right answer to his questions. “I said, ‘Those are not war planes, they are eagles! I have seen them before in a dream. There are 100 of them. They’re saturated with water from the reopened well of revival at the Red River Meeting House. It has been unlocked and is now gushing forth into the nation.’ “Then I could clearly see that the eagles, just as in the previous dream, were carrying arrows in one of their talons and a rolled up piece of paper in the other. Also, they were still drenched and releasing water from the erupting geyser on the grounds of the Red River Meeting House. “As the eagles were flying in all directions across America, they all suddenly began diving toward the ground. When near the ground they leveled off, and began dropping their arrows into the land. I knew there were 100 eagles, and each carried three arrows; so 300 arrows were released throughout the land. When each arrow hit the ground, it ignited as though it had hit a gas pocket and a spiraling plume of fire shot up. Then we watched as the water being released by the eagles was also ignited by the fire. The water from the Red River Meeting House was extremely flammable and instantly caught fire! It seemed that all of America was on fire. “In the dream, I became VERY aware of the power and presence of God, fell to my knees and began to sob uncontrollably! The gentleman with me then began speaking under an incredibly heavy anointing. (It was then that I noticed he had a very strong accent.) He said: ‘You have seen correctly! This is how America will be saved! Do NOT doubt it! There is coming a sweeping move of the Spirit of God that will ignite America with the fire of His presence. This will bring a swift, undeniable awareness of God and an awakening. What seems to be one thing is about to be revealed as another. Some are in fear because of how things appear, but others SEE with holy awe and expectation! “‘The eagles are on assignment. They carry “Fire Power”; they carry glory. And at the precise moment, their arrows will be released, hit their targets, and the move of God will ignite and spread very quickly!’ Then he said again, ‘Do NOT doubt it!’ “Still on my knees, I looked up at the man, and I somehow knew he was Duncan Campbell, one of the ministers from the great Hebrides revival.” End of dream. First, let me say that Duncan Campbell was probably the leading voice of the Hebrides revival. And the Hebrides revival ranks up with the greatest of all revivals in history. As you may recall, yesterday’s dream mentioned 4 other revivals and pointed out that God is joining the power and anointings of all 4 in our day, creating a synergistic, multiplied power. It is the synergy of the ages! This second dream brings a fifth revival into the story. God has listed five of the greatest revivals in history and is saying, “I am about to bring the gifts, power, anointings,and strength of all 5 into one unprecedented outpouring of My Spirit.” This is incredible! Then - at the “precise moment” - the eagles began dropping their 300 arrows of victory and deliverance all over the nation (see 2 Kings 13:17). Everywhere they did this, fires of revival (“the fire of His presence”) sprang up, until the entire nation was ablaze with revival. Campbell referred to the arrows as “Fire Power!” Also, the water from the other revivals - dripping from the eagles - began to burn, as well! Revival fires are about to burn in America!!! Duncan Campbell also said the fires of revival would bring an undeniable awareness of God! And that in America, what has seemed to be one thing - devastating, destructive weapons of an enemy (“war planes”) - will be revealed as something else. Gina needed to see something that “wasn’t obvious.” I, and others, have been saying that God is not finished with America. And that regarding the elections of 2020, what looks like one thing will prove to be another. God is exposing the evil in our government, will judge it, and is going to save America through the greatest revival ever. Just as we posted on Wednesday regarding Israel and the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, God is going to show that things are not as they seem. Those who have an ear to hear are hearing the screeching of eagles, not the sound of enemy planes. Those who can see by the spirit and not just with their natural eyes, see arrows of deliverance making their way toward communities all across the nation, not demonic missiles and bombs. Again, things are not as they seem! “Do not doubt this!” God says twice in the dream. And I am saying to you, “It is time!” This revival has begun and will now intensify. Get ready! Call it forth. Release your faith. The harvest of the ages has begun! Pray with me: Father, we are not deceived by the enemy. We see that which is not yet obvious to many. We hear a sound in the heavens but it is not the sound of America being cursed; it is the shout of a king (see Numbers 23:21)! It is the sound of an abundant rain (see 1 Kings 18:41! When asked by You if the dry bones can live (see Ezekiel 37:1-14), we used to answer, “Thou knowest.” But we now see through Your eyes and boldly answer by prophesying, “Come together, bones! Come from the four winds, Holy Spirit, and breathe life into them! Yes, they will live!” We believe Your words, Father. We trust Your heart. We feel Your passion for the people who are lost, still without You. We are completely convinced that You’re coming to rescue them. Therefore, we prophesy, “Come! Wind of Holy Spirit, come!” We ask for the synergy of the ages! We ask for an amalgamation of all past revival anointings into one unprecedented outpouring of Holy Spirit power, love, revelation, deliverance, and breakthrough. God of the nations, show yourself strong - now! God of salvation, save! God of truth, reveal! God of deliverance, set people free! We know You will do this! In Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: The greatest revival in history has begun! You can find our more about Gina Gholston here. Click on the link below to watch the prayer.

THE RED SEA ENCOUNTER Ceci and I attended Kent and Candy Christmas’ July Fourth gathering in Nashville. It was God honoring, Christ centered, prophetic and patriotic. Over four thousand people attended; 22,000 more tried to register after it had reached capacity. The people were very expectant, full of faith and without doubt believe completely in God’s intent to restore America. There was a consensus from the prophets that the last half of 2021 will see much breakthrough and release of God’s plan to expose evil, bring forth truth and move further into the coming revival. I did not speak at the gathering, but did share a word Holy Spirit gave me. While in my room praying the night before, He reminded me of the passage in Exodus 14, where the Red Sea was rolled back for Israel and Pharaoh’s army was destroyed. The first two verses inform us, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.’” (Exodus 14:1-2) God wants us to know that HE chose the place for this encounter. To many of the Israelites, as well as to Pharaoh and his army, it looked as though Israel was confused, disoriented and wandering aimlessly in the desert. And they were, in fact, now trapped by mountains, the sea and Pharaoh’s army. God sometimes enjoys allowing satan to believe he has won; at times He even orchestrates circumstances to accomplish this. Such was the case here. Baal-zephon was one of the Egyptian gods. It was believed that Zephon reigned in power and was lord over the sea. And he was the only Egyptian god Yahweh had not yet judged and exposed during the 10 plagues and Israel’s deliverance. Scott Lancer, in an article for Associates for Biblical Research, (Confronting Baal Zephon: The Spiritual Message of the Meeting of Israel and the Armies of Egypt) says, “Let us remember that God had been triumphing over not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but also the supposed power of their gods. The plagues were a drumbeat of victory as the gods of Egypt were, one by one, displayed to be impotent and powerless. And even more importantly, Yahweh wanted the Egyptians to know that He is the Lord.” (14:4).1 Pharaoh no doubt believed that this god, however, was more powerful than Yahweh. He supposed that Baal-zephon had lead them into a trap and was now going to cause them to be destroyed in front of the place named for him. Yahweh had other plans. His plan was to demonstrate that HE was the Lord of the sea. His authority, released through the extension of the rod He had given Moses, controlled the sea, not Zephon. Yahweh would lead his people THROUGH, not around, the sea that the Egyptians believed was under the control of Zephon. And instead of the Israelites being destroyed, it would be Pharoah and the Egyptian army - in front of their supposed god! Through this amazing passage, the Lord spoke to me that this is where we are in America. Many prophets have used the analogy of Israel and the Red Sea to describe the church in this season: our backs are to the wall, it appears that the god of this world has outsmarted and overpowered ours, and it looks as though satan has taken over the nation. But Yahweh, once again, has other plans. He will release His authority over this nation, just as He did over Israel at the Red Sea, and demonstrate that He is the Lord! Baal has long tried to rule America, but the orchestrated plan of God to overthrow his influence in our nation began in 2007, and continues to this day. (I will do a post on this in the near future.) Yahweh is about to expose the evil plans of the god of this world and his allies. He has allowed them to gain ground temporarily in order to expose their deception, anti-Christ ways, leftist ideals and even idiocy. But He will strike in His zeal, power and determination to reap the coming great harvest. God must have a strong America that honors Him in order to accomplish this; and He will have that. Do not doubt this. AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED!!! Yahweh said in Exodus 14:4, before springing His trap, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” This is exactly what happened. “Honored” is the Hebrew word kabad, which is the word for glory. God actually said He would glorify Himself as He dealt with Pharaoh and this false god. And some scholars believe when Yahweh said the Egyptian’s would know He was the Lord, this was not simply a statement about proving He was in charge. It was, rather, a demonstration of His grace to the Egyptians, who were deceived and in bondage, following false gods who could not save them. And when God shows himself strong in America, He will be honored and glorified. Millions of people will realize the folly of their ways and that Christ is their Redeemer. Prayer: Father, You have never been outwitted by satan and his allies. You always demonstrate the foolishness of those who are wise in their own eyes and who exalt themselves above You. To see this, we need look no further than the Cross. But we see it also at this encounter with baal at the Red Sea. You showed Yourself wiser and stronger than Your enemies. The gods of this world are idols, and have no power. You, Yahweh, are the only true and living God. We know You are about to show Yourself strong, once again. The earth you created will see the power and glory of its Creator. The people You created will see the beauty, love and salvation of their Redeemer. The spirit of baal will once again be overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. America shall be saved! And Your glory will be seen among the nations, covering the earth like the waters cover the sea. You will have Your inheritance. You will not be stopped. We align with You now, and decree that Your kingdom is invading this planet and Your will is being accomplished. We declare this in the name of the Most High God, Jesus. Amen. Decree: We decree that the God of Israel is the God of America and He will prevail. The gods of this world are demonic idols and will fail. Click on the link below to watch the prayer. ----------------- https://biblearchaeology.org/research/devotionals/3794-confronting-baalzephon-the-spiritual-message-of-the-meeting-of-israel-and-the-armies-of-egypt

Let Freedom Ring! In 2003, I traveled to Pensacola, Florida to hear Dutch speak. That Sunday morning Dutch released a message regarding the Liberty Bell and the verse inscribed on it: “...proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). As he delivered this message, the purpose of the Liberty Bell became alive within my spirit. I then found myself becoming saturated with faith, courage, and determination to see Yahweh move in America. Upon returning home, I purchased a desk-sized Liberty Bell and began driving throughout my state, Florida, ringing the bell and proclaiming, “Freedom!” I bought a CD of the last time the Liberty Bell rang, which was 1936. As I drove throughout the state, I turned the volume up as loud as possible, listening to the bell ring, while crying out: “Freedom!” This message of freedom was burning inside of me for the state of Florida. I rang the bell with great faith in my heart on the 22nd floor of Florida’s Capitol building in Tallahassee. I rang the bell and proclaimed the Freedom of the Lord over the congregations where I ministered. The Lord’s message of freedom even stirred me to visit many Florida courthouses. As Holy Spirit led, I took the bell throughout the state and rang His message of freedom. During this time, I spoke one Sunday at two churches on U.S. Hwy 1. On the way to the church that evening, Holy Spirit gave me the thought, “What are the odds that you would be on U.S. Highway 1 this morning and tonight?” He then said, “U.S. 1 represents My Foundational Highway coming into America.” He spoke again and said, “I want you to do a U.S. Highway 1, Liberty Prayer Tour, starting at the zero-mile marker in Key West and ending at the Georgia line. My heart was ablaze with Holy Spirit fire concerning this new revelation and assignment. That night, I couldn’t get away from the revelation that U.S. 1 represents God’s Foundational Highway in America. The topic of my message that night was the number “one” and what had happened in the Bible on the first days of creation. We then tied those points into prayer for their region. My heart had been set ablaze with this word. “You have God’s foundational highway running through your city!” I exclaimed, and then rang the bell while proclaiming “FREEDOM!” Then I saw a documentary on U.S. 1. After watching the full series, I felt it could not be any more clear that this highway was indeed a symbolic picture of the Highway Of the Lord in America. Through this documentary I learned that U.S. 1 used to be called the “King’s Highway.” It was a road George Washington used in the Revolution, our war for freedom. Paul Revere used it as he warned folks that “the British are coming!” The roadway was also known as the “Freedom Highway” - African American slaves used this as their way to escape from slavery to freedom. To camouflage their plan, they actually wrote a hymn about this highway, “It’s a highway to heaven. I am walking up the King’s Highway.” The highway was used by Harriet Tubman, who led many slaves to Freedom. It had been a significant part of the Underground Railroad. This was the “Highway to Heaven” for freedom seekers who, at that time, found refuge in Canada. On July 3rd, 2003, I got a call from a woman at my bank. When I answered, the voice on the other end said, “May I speak to Mr. Malone?” I said, “Speaking.” She said, “Is this Kenneth Malone?” “Yes Ma’am.” She then replied, “Mr. Malone, this is Jill from Mid-Florida Bank. You have just won a brand-new Jeep LIBERTY! You are the FIRST of five winners.” (Remember, I’m about to start the tour on Highway 1.) “The color choices are RED, WHITE and BLUE.” she continued, “Which color do you want?” Not only did Yahweh confirm the assignment of the Liberty Prayer Tour through prophetic affirmations, He also gave us the FIRST of the RED, WHITE, AND BLUE Jeep LIBERTYS in the contest, before beginning the journey. We launched the 2-week prayer tour starting at the zero-mile marker in Key West, FL and ended at the St. Mary’s river on the Georgia/Florida line. We stopped in many major cities in Florida, met with the ekklesia in those cities, and proclaimed “FREEDOM!” I left a small Liberty Bell with each of the leaders in those cities. A short while after winning the Jeep Liberty and conducting the prayer tour on Highway 1, Holy Spirit spoke to me again, “When you get to Philadelphia, I want you to touch the Liberty Bell. I have an impartation for you there.” I had no visit to Philadelphia planned. A short time later, Dutch called me to say, “In August, Chuck and I will finish the 50 State Tour in Philadelphia. We would like you to come, ring the bell and proclaim “Freedom!” I looked at tickets to Philadelphia; the price was $222.22. As many of you know Isaiah 22:22 is Dutch’s life verse of scripture. I quickly phoned Dutch to share this confirmation with him. We began making plans… “Wouldn’t it be neat if we could rent a Jeep Liberty to go to Constitution Square to touch the Liberty Bell?” I said to Cheryl. We looked online and even called. No one had a Jeep Liberty, so we secured a full-sized car. As we arrived at the car lot, we saw a red Jeep Liberty just like ours. “How long has that Jeep Liberty been on the lot?” I asked the lady at the rental counter. She replied, “Oh, it just came in this morning. Would you like to rent it? You will be the FIRST.” We rented the Jeep and went to our hotel, which was on U.S. Highway 1. Here we go again, I thought. Cheryl and I traveled to Philadelphia’s Constitution Square in the red Jeep Liberty with an assignment from the Lord to touch the Liberty Bell. When I entered the area where the bell is located, about 300 grade school students were already there looking at the bell. There was also a Park Ranger standing in front of the bell instructing the children saying, “Don’t touch the bell! Don’t touch the bell!” Cheryl said, “What are you going to do?” “I’m going to touch the bell,” I replied. So, as the Ranger remained focused on the kids I slipped behind him, reached over the rope barrier, and touched the bell. Mission Accomplished. One of the kids gasped and said, “He touched the bell! He touched the bell!” But I was already moving on! Later, we rode with Dutch to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, which was built in the mid-1800s. This church was built on the original King’s Highway, where George Washington fought a battle for freedom! The meeting took place with Dutch and Chuck speaking. I rang the desktop Liberty Bell while proclaiming, “FREEDOM!” At the close of the service, a man thanked me for keeping the spirit of the Liberty Bell alive. He let me know that his ancestors had housed the bell in their barn so that the British would not seize it and melt it into bullets! The spirit of the Liberty Bell is, indeed, alive! “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB) Pray with me: Father, I thank You that our nation was born under the sound of Liberty and Freedom. We know that many forces are trying to take away that freedom but we appeal to You, God of the Angel Armies. We ask You to preserve our Liberty in this country called America. Silence the lies about our heritage; remove favor and resources from those opposing America and Your plans for her. Expose the evil in our land, especially in our government. Give us victory now over unrighteous forces, just as You did at our nation’s birth. Send Your glory to this land! Overshadow and oversee our families, businesses, churches, government. We decree that You are Lord of it all. Holy Spirit, bring awakening revival to America! Fill our cities and nations with Your power! We decree that the fires of revival are beginning to burn across our land...and will not be stopped! Our decree: FREEDOM! Today’s post was contributed by my friend, Pastor Ken Malone. You can find out more about Ken here. Click below to watch the prayer.

America...Born by Providence This weekend we celebrate America‘s birthday. I hope you join me in boldly and unashamedly celebrating America’s birth this weekend. There are many today trying to weaken America and undermine God’s intentions when founding her. History is being rewritten, lies perpetuated. Some are sincere in their deception; others are simply liars. Even some spiritual leaders attempt to discredit the fact that God founded America for His purposes of propagating the gospel to the ends of the earth and fighting for justice around the world. They call this belief in God’s role and intent “American Nationalism.” I asked my friend and retired Army Major William Ostan, who also introduced me to the Appeal to Heaven flag, to write on America’s birth this 4th of July weekend. He does a brilliant job of pointing out God’s role in our founding. “It used to be unquestioned that our nation’s founding, while imperfect due to the original sin of slavery, was exceptional in the history of the world and worthy of adulation. However, some so-called scholars have recently tried to literally rewrite the date and reframe the context of America’s inception.[1] They have virulently espoused the false ideology that our nation is completely evil and should be scorned. This has caused segments of the citizenry to ponder, ‘Is America’s birthday even worth celebrating?’ “The answer is a resounding yes, for innumerable reasons, but I will focus on the most important one - that the United States of America is the only country, ever, (including ancient and modern-day Israel), to be founded on an idea, not an ethnicity. This idea is best summarized in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence where our Founders boldly proclaimed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.’[2] “This single sentence is what makes America exceptional. It is what makes her beautiful. It is what makes her praiseworthy. But how did the idea become a reality? How did the rag-tag Continental Army led by General George Washington that was made up of colonial farmers and part-time patriot ‘minutemen’ defeat the British Empire which boasted the world’s mightiest military? Put simply, but powerfully - America was born by Providence. “What is ‘Providence’? Theologian R.C. Sproul teaches us: “The word providence is made up of a prefix and a root. The root comes from the Latin videre, from which we get the English word video. Julius Caesar famously said, “Veni, vidi, vici“—”I came, I saw, I conquered.” The vidi in that statement, “I saw,” comes from videre, which means “to see.” That is why we call television “video.” The Latin word provideo, from which we get our word providence, means “to see beforehand, a prior seeing, a foresight.” However, theologians make a distinction between the foreknowledge of God and the providence of God. Even though the word providence means the same thing etymologically as the word foreknowledge, the concept covers significantly more ground than the idea of foreknowledge. In fact, the closest thing to this Latin word in our language is the word provision.”[3] “Our founding fathers and mothers were very learned, highly literate leaders who understood what providence meant and accurately used it to describe the active interventions that the God of the Bible made on behalf of our emerging nation. They knew then, as we do now with 20-20 historical hindsight, that the God of Providence was providing a way for the United States of America to be born. The Lord was literally our provision. “A revisionist history agitator might contend that this is mere hyperbole or a misapplication of ‘Providence,’ a seemingly forgotten word. Their line of argument is disproven by two rebuttals. First, it is disproven by the many descriptive phrases from the Declaration of Independence – to include ‘Creator,’ ‘Supreme Judge of the World,’ ‘Nature’s God,’ and ‘Divine Providence’[4] – which prove that clear cognition of and credit to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was firmly embedded in the 18th century’s social consciousness. Our entire founding generation, including even skeptical men like Ben Franklin, all understood that without God, there would be no United States of America. “Second, it is disproven by the countless writings of both the founders and historians. “In his private journals, George Washington gave credit to the ‘finger of Providence’ when it came to both the formation and successful ratification of the Constitution in 1787.[5] “John Adams said, ‘I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.’[6] “Emma Willard, the historian and leading educator of women, stated, ‘In observing the United States, there is much to convince us, that an Almighty, Overruling Providence, designed from the first to place here a great, united people.’[7] “John Dickinson, one of the 39 signers of the Constitution, left nothing to doubt by writing, ‘Our cause…is nothing less, than to maintain the Liberty with which heav’n itself hath made us free.’[8] Thomas Jefferson’s pastor, the Reverend Charles Clay, summarized all of the above by stating, ‘the sacred cause of liberty [is] the cause of God.’[9] “There are hundreds of thousands of quotes like the ones above in our National Archives and Libraries. The evidence is irrefutable that Divine Providence was present in the rise of our democratic republic that has now lasted for almost 250 years. This truth begs the question – ‘If our nation was birthed by God, then what does He require of us to keep His beloved country alive?’ “Because you are reading or listening to Give Him 15, then you are already doing the most important thing – praying! But we must also vote for politicians who will legislate from a Biblical worldview (anyone can say they are a Christian – check their voting record and/or stances on issues), find ways to be ‘salt and light’ in our local communities, and be completely resolved to have our families stand strong for Christ’s truth in every sphere of culture from our house to the White House. “Let’s recommit today to play our part in fulfilling God’s providential plans for America by repeating what the 56 signatories to the Declaration of Independence bravely proclaimed on the 4th of July 1776 - ‘with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.’”[10] Amen!! “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage.” Psalm 33:12 (ESV) Pray with me: Heavenly Father - Thank You for providentially writing the story of the United States of America. We look back at the birth of this nation, we acknowledge Your provision and protection, and we honor the men and women You used to create a biblical foundation of freedom and democracy. We acknowledge You still have a providential plan for this nation, and we want to partner with You to see it through to completion. We believe that this nation, born by providence, has a great destiny yet to fulfill. Father, we ask for Your hand of favor to continue to guide us, protect us, and bring us back to a place of unity – one nation, under God, indivisible. We join our prayers with those of the founding generation and ask that You would bring a new birth of Freedom to the United States of America. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen. Our Decree: I decree that the United States of America will fulfill the destiny pre-ordained for her by the God of Providence. This nation shall be turned back to God! BIO: William J. Ostan is a retired Army Major and the recipient of two bronze stars. He is the founder and CEO of Arc of Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for wounded warriors. He is the co-author of the Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights, which is bipartisan legislation being considered in Congress. You can find out more about his efforts at arcofjusticeusa.org. Click below to watch the prayer. [1] The debunked 1619 project. [2] The Declaration of Independence, Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4th, 1776 [3] What is Providence?, R.C. Sproul, May 5, 20201. Accessed at https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-providence/ on June 27, 2021 [4] Declaration of Independence. [5] Christianity and the Constitution, Stephen McDowell, foreword to the Constitution of the United States - American Family Association pamphlet. [6] The Bible: America’s Source of Law and Liberty, Stephen McDowell, Providence Foundation, 2015. Page 12. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. Page 181. [9] Ibid. [10] Declaration of Independence.

Stories of Great Breakthrough On Monday of this week I began a mini-series of posts on the subject of operating in the spiritual realm (or “heavenly places,” as King James translates the Greek word). The more we learn to function in the invisible spiritual realm, recognizing and applying its governing principles, the more we can partner with God, positively impact our world, avoid the snares and influence of the evil one, and enjoy the blessings of our salvation. To be ignorant of this realm is to be ineffective as Christ’s ekklesia and be taken advantage of by satan. In Monday’s post I quoted five verses from the book of Ephesians (1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12) that mention our spiritual position in Christ, activities we are called to, and the authority we’ve been given - all in relation to this invisible realm. Today I want to mention another important passage which speaks of our assignment and calling in this spiritual realm. Matthew 16:18-19 tells us: “...upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (NASB) This, of course, is the passage that first mentions the church or ekklesia, Christ’s governing body on earth. In the passage, He speaks of giving us His Kingdom authority (“keys”) to bind and loose (forbid and allow), and overcome Hell’s strategies. All of this activity occurs first in the spiritual realm. Isn’t it tragic that the church tries to operate just the opposite of the way Jesus described? We think our natural, physical activities - programs, methods, meetings, and more - create breakthroughs in the spiritual realm, resulting in a harvest of souls and other types of spiritual fruit. The opposite is actually the correct pattern. As the ekklesia, we must exercise our spiritual weapons and authority first, dealing with spiritual forces and strongholds, which will then cause our natural, earthly efforts to succeed. One would think the body of Christ would look more carefully at the pattern Christ gave us the first time He mentioned the church. Consider the following two stories of spiritual breakthrough, resulting in physical, natural realm fruit: In 1976 I traveled with a team to a remote village in Guatemala far from any modern city. There was no electrical power, no plumbing, no phones. Our purpose in being there was to build shelters for the villagers whose adobe homes had been destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1976. It had killed 30,000 people and left 1,000,000 homeless. We had trucked in materials and were building small, one-room huts for them during the daylight hours. In the evenings we would hold services in the center of the village, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, explaining that His love was motivating us to spend our time, money and energies helping them. The entire village would turn out. We had been working and ministering for a week with only one or two people coming to Christ. They were listening, but not responding. I was scheduled to preach on the final night of our trip. Just as the service was about to begin, a team member told me about a situation he and others had found on the far side of the village - a little girl, six or seven years old, tied to a tree. Shocked by what they were seeing, they asked the family that lived there, “Why is this small girl tied to that tree?” It was obvious she lived there, much like a dog, in the backyard - filthy, helpless and alone. “She is crazy,” the parents replied. “We can’t control her. She hurts herself and others and runs away if we turn her loose. There is nothing else we can do for her, so we just have to tie her up.” My heart broke as the member shared what he had seen. It was on my mind as we began the service. A few minutes into my message, standing on a folding table under the stars, Holy Spirit spoke to me: “Tell them you are going to pray for the little insane girl across the village tied to the tree. Tell them you are going to do it in the name of Jesus, the One you’ve been preaching about. Tell them that through Him you are going to break the evil powers controlling her - then, when she is free and normal, they can know what you are saying is true - the Jesus you are preaching about is who you say He is.” Faith began to rise. I began informing the people about what I was planning to do. They nodded in recognition as I mentioned the girl. Expressions of intrigue turned to astonishment as they listened to my plans. Then I prayed in Christ’s name, breaking the demonic powers controlling her. (I realize all mental disorders are not caused by demonic control. This one, however, was.) Jesus set the little girl free. The village turned to Christ. On a moonlit night in a tiny, remote village of Guatemala with a handful of people as my audience, my life changed forever. Jesus came out of hiding. He became alive: relevant...sufficient...available! A “hidden” Jesus emerged from the cobwebs of theology. A yesterday Jesus became a today-and-forever Jesus. A Galilee Jesus became a Guatemala Jesus. No amount of medical attention could have helped this young child. Only spiritual authority could free her. The following situation required the same spiritual solution: Several years ago in Guatemala, a mentor of mine, Hap Brooks, pointed out a vibrant, healthy young woman and told me the following story. When he first saw her just a few months prior to this time, she was paralyzed from the neck down. She could move her head slightly, but could not speak. “The young lady has been this way for two years,” Hap was informed by her pastor. “And the puzzling thing is that the doctors can find nothing physically wrong with her to create such a problem.” Hap, who was visiting the church as a guest speaker, discerned that the cause was demonic. Not knowing the church’s position about such matters, he discreetly approached this wheelchair-bound young lady during the worship, knelt next to her and whispered in her ear, “satan, I break your hold over this girl. Let her go.” No manifestation or immediate change occurred. A week later, however, she was able to move her arms a little. The following week she was moving her arms normally and her legs slightly. The recovery continued and a month later she was totally free and well! She then told my friend the following details about the cause of her condition and why the doctors could find no reasonable explanation. “A teacher in my school, who was also a witch doctor, made a sexual advance toward me, which I refused. He grew angry and told me that if I didn’t sleep with him, he would place a curse on me.” She knew nothing about such things and didn’t think much about it. A short time later, however, this condition of paralysis came upon her. Her inability to speak prevented her from communicating with anyone about what had taken place. Obviously, not all sickness and disease is caused directly by demonic spirits. Some are, however. And whether we’re dealing with infirmity, strife in a home, addictions, or strongholds over a nation, the root cause must be discerned. Often, the cause will have spiritual elements - sin, unforgiveness, demons, etc. When this is the case, only a release of spiritual authority will bring freedom. Pray with me: Father, there are many hurting people who need the authority of Christ applied to their situation. We do not want to over-simplify or trivialize complex physical problems, addictions or emotional issues; at the same time, however, we don’t want to experience failure and loss by trying to deal with spiritual problems through physical solutions. We are asking you for greater discernment in this regard. You told us to walk in the spirit, to be led by the Spirit. You gave us Holy Spirit to help us, to guide us and to be our Teacher. We ask for an awakening to this incredible gift - Your very Spirit abiding in us. Teach us to listen, train us in how to flow with Him, and take Your church to another level of functioning with Holy Spirit’s anointing and authority. Make us more spiritually aware! And now, Father, bring an outpouring of your Spirit that will result in great deliverances, healings, and freedom from oppression and bondage. Our society has given itself to incredible demonic control. Let a very strong spirit of faith arise in Your people to begin freeing those bound by this spiritual control. We ask this in Christ's name! Amen. Our decree: We declare that Jesus came to set the captives free and we will become His instrument to effectuate this breakthrough. Freedom, come! Click below to watch the prayer.

Warring Alongside Michael Yesterday we talked about the need to understand and impact the invisible realm of the Spirit. I want to restate a sentence mentioned in that post. “The more we learn to function in the invisible spiritual realm, recognizing and applying its governing principles, the more we can partner with God, positively impact our world, avoid the snares and influence of the evil one, and enjoy the blessings of our salvation.” We looked at 2 Kings 6:15-18, which revealed that thousands of invisible angels were helping defeat a visible army opposing the prophet Elisha. Another Old Testament passage, Exodus 17, demonstrates the reality of this invisible realm during Joshua‘s leading the Israelite troops into battle against the Amalekites. God told Moses to take the rod He had given him, go up on the mountain overlooking the battlefield, and hold it aloft. This rod symbolized God’s authority, in much the same way a king's scepter represents his. Throughout the recent deliverance from Egypt, the rod represented God’s authority, which released His power. By raising the rod over the battle, Moses was exalting God’s strength. Scripture tells us that when Moses’ arms became weary and he was no longer able to hold up the rod, the battle against the Amelekites would turn against Israel. When his hands were held high with the rod extended, the battle would go in Israel’s favor. This was not an issue of morale. The soldiers below were obviously not watching Moses while engaged in conflict. The cause of the momentum swings was completely separate from their conscious minds. It was caused by the invisible war in the heavens. While there obviously were visible, flesh and blood people, using tangible, physical weapons on a very real battlefield, the action of Moses on the mountain was releasing an invisible force that was determining the conflict's outcome. Notice that both realms were influencing the other: 1) actions occurring in the visible realm (Moses lifting the staff) 2) activated God's invisible authority and power, 3) which, in turn, determined the outcome in the visible realm (the battle). Each arena - natural and spiritual, seen and unseen - affected the other. They still do today. Millions of good and bad events occur on earth every day due to this two-way cause and affect.1 Daniel 10 records an example of an extraordinary angelic visitation with a remarkable message from God. He said to me, “Oh Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand up right, for I have now been sent to you.” Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for 21 days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me...” (vv 10 - 13, 20). Daniel, a man of passionate prayer, had cried out to God for several things, one of which was Israel’s restoration. As incredible as it sounds, the angel that appeared said to him, “I was sent to you the first day you began to pray, but I was opposed by a spirit, the prince of Persia.“ In late October, 2004, just a few days before the presidential election, I lived an experience somewhat similar to Daniel’s. I sensed a great increase of spiritual warfare over that election. The burden on me was so great I knew I had to go to D.C. to pray. I had been there to pray just before each major election for the past eight years, so that in itself was nothing new. As I prayed regarding the assignment, I was drawn to Revelation 12. The passage is about spiritual warfare. God’s angel, Michael, and other angels were warring against satan, the dragon. I found verse 8 particularly interesting: “No room was found any longer in the heavens for the dragon and his angels.” I felt that God was confirming to me there was a great warfare over D.C. and that I was going there to participate in it. I received a call from Jean Steffenson, a seasoned intercessor from Colorado, who said, “I have been praying for you and felt strongly led by Holy Spirit to ask you to read Daniel, chapter 10. God wants to speak to you from there.” This, of course, is the passage I just quoted. As I read it, I came to the portion regarding Michael warring in the heavens against the Prince of Persia. This was the second passage Holy Spirit had given me regarding Michael warring in the heavens against demonic forces! Again, in the Daniel passage, God had dispatched angels with an answer to Daniel’s prayer, but demonic forces were warring against the angels sent to answer his prayer. God finally sent Michael to help the other angels break through to Daniel. While praying about all of this, I suddenly remembered a prophetic exhortation given to me several months earlier. Jane Hamon, while speaking in our church, prophesied that sometime in the near future God was going to send the archangel Michael to war over D.C. and I was going to go and partner with him. I had forgotten this word, but after reading about Michael warring in the heavens in Revelation and Daniel, I remembered it. I knew God was telling me, “I have brought you to Washington to war against satan’s election strategies, and I am sending Michael to help you.” In D.C., several of my friends joined me in asking God to send Michael and a host of angels to help us in this battle. The result was immediate and incredible. I have never in my life been in a room where the atmosphere changed more quickly and dramatically. A holy fear and awe entered the room; I knew Michael and his angelic force had come. As one final encouragement for this assignment, the Lord prompted a member of Congress to call me just before I left for the White House to pray. “How are you feeling about the elections?” he asked. I explained what had transpired, that I was actually in D.C. and what I was about to do. “Perhaps you’re supposed to pray for me and with your governmental authority commission me in a spiritual sense, into this assignment,” I suggested. “I believe so,” this legislator said, “because you just now came to my mind and I felt impressed to call you immediately.” His prayer was powerful and added greatly to my confidence. Three of my friends joined me and for an hour or more we had a powerful prayer time at the White House. We bound the efforts of satan to determine the election’s outcome. With many petitions and decrees we released kingly, governmental intercession. We commanded God’s kingdom rule to come and His will to be done in the upcoming days (see Matthew 16: 18-19). We know our prayers were answered. Of course, there were thousands of believers around the nation also praying concerning these elections, and we certainly do not take the credit. We were only a portion of the efforts. Pray with me: Father, we ask You to give us greater realization of the fact that we live in a spiritual world, that the spiritual realm is as real as anything we see around us in the physical world. Teach us how to relate to this spiritual realm and operate in it biblically. Make us more aware of Your presence, and consciously aware that we always have angels with us to help us. Teach us to discern when the powers of darkness are working against us or are causing problems in situations we are trying to address. Your word tells us we are wrestling with demonic powers (Ephesians 6:12) and that we have spiritual weapons to use against them (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Cause a flood of good teaching and revelation to come forth in order to train the church in this area. Break fear and hesitancy of wielding the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), and of resisting the devil (James 4:7), off of Your body. Our decree: We decree that the sword of the Lord will go forth from the church, penetrating the spiritual realm with power and victory. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Authority in Prayer. Click below to watch the prayer. ____________________________ Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce, Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2005), pp 76-77

Operating in the Invisible Realm I am going to do several posts this week on the importance of understanding and operating in the realm of the spirit. The Scriptures often refer to this realm as “heavenly places” or “the heavens.” Much of it will be taken from my book, Authority In Prayer, one of my best books on prayer. I never do a post just to sell products. My staff, however, has asked me to mention a unique book, Praying for the Impossible. A while back, my publisher combined two of my best selling books, Intercessory Prayer and Authority In Prayer, into one binding. In other words, it is a set of two books, bound as one. This has now been discontinued, and they offered us a significant discount on those they had left. We want to pass much of the discount on to you. If you would like this presentation - two books in one - you can order it through our product department on my website while they last. If you already have these books, this would be a great gift to someone you want to introduce to a deeper understanding of prayer. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. And raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. This sounds like one uninterrupted passage of Scripture, doesn’t it? It is actually 5 separate verses from Ephesians 1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12. I became fascinated one day as I read these verses consecutively, with none of the in-between sections. When I saw how well they flowed together, I realized they really do provide a continuity of thought. In summary, they tell us we have been given everything we need in order to operate in heavenly places; Christ has been given all authority in this realm; we have been seated there with Him in that position of authority; through us, from our position there with Christ, God intends to deal with the kingdom of darkness; finally, the last verse describes the evil kingdom, listing its various components. What are “heavenly places”? This is not referring to heaven, God’s home, but to the invisible atmosphere all around us. We must understand this relatively unknown dimension in order to fully partner with God and experience the fullness of His blessing. It is the unseen realm of the spirit - invisible yet real, hidden yet very active. Much of what happens on earth is influenced by it; certainly anything of eternal significance or regulating the destinies of people and nations is influenced from it. Most people, including Christians, give little thought to an unseen world governing the one we see. Many, especially in cultures that emphasize higher education and intellectualism, are actually cynical of this dimension’s existence. But the Bible is filled with descriptions and accounts of it - in fact, this is actually the story of Scripture. Apart from the invisible realm, there is no God, Satan, angels, demons, fall of humankind, birth of Christ, redemption through the Cross, miracles, or resurrection of the dead. Yet again, surprisingly, most American Christians live their lives without weighing how much this realm affects us, let alone how we can influence it. Consider the following significant statement: the more we learn to function in the invisible spiritual realm, recognizing and applying its governing principles, the more we can partner with God, positively impact our world, avoid the snares and influence of the evil one, and enjoy the blessings of our salvation.(1) As I meditated on the Ephesians verses, God began revealing to me that I was not conscious enough of this realm. It was not a new subject to me. I have comprehended it for many years and realized that we can influence it through our prayers and actions. But Holy Spirit began revealing to me that even so, I was not as cognizant of this dimension as I needed to be. I saw clearly that if I was to be as effective as was possible in changing situations on earth, I had to understand more fully how this heavenly realm affected them. Also, I needed a greater understanding of how I could influence the invisible world. And, hopefully, do all of this without becoming weird! The more I meditated on this spiritual realm, the more I realized it is the Bible’s major theme - two invisible kingdoms warring for control of the world. If we could see what takes place around us in this dimension, we would no doubt see a great clashing of kingdoms - angelic and demonic forces engaged in phenomenal warfare. I don’t know exactly what it looks like, but I know it is occuring. The following vivid account of the unseen gives us a glimpse: When the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike these people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-18, NASB) The invisible forces were there all along - it was just that Elisha’s servant could not see them initially. And so it is with us. We live in a world filled with constant and tremendous angelic and demonic activity. Our natural eyes, however, cannot perceive it. It amazes me how many Christians, though they claim to believe the Bible and would say they believe in these “heavenly places,” still have a problem consciously relating to it. Many, for example, take issue with any form of prayer dealing with demons, angels, or invisible strongholds. The world, of course - those who do not profess to be Christians - has an even greater problem acknowledging the invisible spiritual realm. The very suggestion of an invisible sphere influencing the visible world elicits immediate skepticism (or mockery) and often an inference that anyone who believes in this realm is not in touch with reality. What a boost for the devil’s activities! At some point, however, if we are going to be truly effective in prayer, we must acknowledge, understand and learn to influence the spiritual realm. We must move beyond our fear of criticism and agree with Scripture. Jesus is our example, and He frequently dealt with the invisible. He was aware of it and consistently engaged unseen entities, stirring up demonic opposition everywhere He went. The early church in Acts did so as well, confronting forces of darkness and dealing with them when appropriate. We are inconsistent if we confess to be Bible-believing followers of Christ and yet refuse to acknowledge and deal with the invisible kingdom of darkness. Failure in this area has rendered us largely impotent. Pray with me: Father, teach us more about the spiritual realm. Give us understanding of how to impact this dimension and extend Your kingdom influence into it. We ask for greater revelation of how to release the victory of Christ into the earth, changing nations, cities and people. Make us more conscious of the invisible realm where much of what happens on earth is determined. We pray that anointed teachers will be raised up to skillfully teach on the subject. Please awaken them to the need for this so that we can influence this realm with balance, skill, and accuracy. And please break off of the church all hesitancy of engaging with this spiritual realm. And as we do so often here, we ask You for, and thank You in advance, for sending the greatest awakening/revival that has ever occurred to the nations of the earth. We are asking for entire cultures and people groups to be swept into Your family. We are asking You to break off of them the control of principalities and evil spirits, freeing them to see truth and receive Your love and provision. And we ask all of this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We boldly declare that the spirit of wisdom and revelation is being released into the church at the highest level possible. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Authority in Prayer. Click here to watch the video: ____________________________ Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce, Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2005) pp 75-76.

God Wants to Heal History God has adjusted my life many times - my heart, my thinking, my direction, even my hopes and dreams. He also adjusts nations. That was the purpose of the (2003-2004) 50-State Tour - adjustments and realignments. There is a fascinating word in the New Testament, katartizo, that relates to healing history. It means “to adjust; to put a thing in its appropriate position.”1 In scripture, the word is used in the context of mending nets (see Matthew 4:21), repairing schisms or relational breaks (see 1 Corinthians 1:10), and even restoring broken lives (see Galatians 6:1). The word has also been used to describe the restoration of a dislocated joint or a broken bone. So, as you can see, the concept of this word involves proper alignment (including realignment, resulting in healing or restoration). It should come, then, as no surprise that God uses the word to describe the proper alignment of the seasons of time. In other words, He declares His future plans for the nations and peoples of the earth. Hebrews 11:3 says, in its more literal and accurate rendering, that the “ages” (Greek- aiones) were “properly aligned or connected” (Greek - katartizo) by the word or decree of the Lord. In other words, God decreed - in advance - His plans for the ages. At times, however, breaches occur that cause the need for corrections in this flow of history. Simply stated, history needs to be healed. Whether it be on a corporate level, such as the fall of humanity, wars, racial division, etc., or on a more individual level in the sense of broken relationships, loss, etc., the fact is that history often needs to be healed. This corporate level of healing is what is referred to in verses such as Isaiah 58:12: “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell” (NASB). (See also Isaiah 61:4.) This would also be the concept spoken of in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NASB). God, the holy Chiropractor of history, heals its dislocations. He katartiszos the aiones. This occurs through repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, prayer, fasting, prophetic decrees, and other biblical actions, all of which are effective because of the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It came as no surprise, therefore, to Chuck Pierce and me when the Lord spoke to us often on the 50-State Tour to katartizo - shift or adjust - a state back into its God-appointed purpose and destiny. Due to the positive effects of past prayer, fasting, repentance, etc., on the part of many, it was time for the fruit of these actions to occur: realignment...repairing...rebuilding...restoring...healing. We could stand in the gap for our land in order to see it healed rather than destroyed (see Ezekiel 22:30-31); broken places could be katartiszo-ed - realigned spiritually - with the plan and purposes of God. (Taken from the book, Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of A Nation) This week we have posted twice about praying for our states. We asked you to use the legal mottos of your state to declare God’s purpose over it. Today, I want to add one more thought to this. Did you know that God is mentioned in every state’s Constitution Preamble? The Left contends that we are not a Christian nation and never have been. “Facts,” however, as John Adams once said, “are stubborn things.”2 I am including a link to portions of all 50 states’ preambles where God is mentioned. I am suggesting that you add to decreeing the legal motto of your state, and declare what is said about Him in its Constitution. Pray it. Agree with it. Some of the statements are simply giving God thanks. However, praise and thanksgiving are powerful - use the words to thank Him for restoring and moving by His Spirit in your state. While doing so, ask Him to realign - katartizo - your state to Him. (You can find each state’s constitutional preamble in its entirety here.) In today’s post, I also want to thank God for answering a specific prayer we have offered on Give Him 15. In a sweeping attempt to overhaul the nation’s election system, this week the proposed bill “For The People Act” (H.R.1/S.1) was defeated. While the bill was named “For the People Act,” it did not serve ALL of America’s people. It was an attempt to codify into law several of the harmful actions that brought chaos, confusion and illegal activities into the 2020 elections. It’s goal was to federalize our American elections. The Washington Times said, “While the immediate cause of death was a Republican-led filibuster, the legislation, which sprawled across more than 800 pages of text and would have overridden state election laws across the country collapsed under the weight of its own liberal tilt.”3 You can read more about this huge answer to prayer in the Washington Times article or the Epoch Times article. Please join me in giving thanks for this victory. We must continue to pray that God will give our nation many leaders who lead with integrity and stand for all Americans, not just a few. We need those in Washington whose beliefs line up with God’s word. Use your prayers; use your vote. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for forming this nation as a beacon of light, a city on a hill for You. As the leaders of each state wrote into their own constitutions, an acknowledgement of and dependence upon You, we give thanks for all of our leaders. We pray for those who diligently acknowledge reliance upon You and Your statutes, for only through our trust in You will we see America’s destiny fulfilled. Use our prayers, Lord. Fill the bowls of heaven with them as we cry out for the changes You desire and that line up with Your word. We boldly ask You to bless our nation and bring a sweeping revival - an awakening that will touch every soul. Come, Holy Spirit, sweep across our land. We invite You into our states and make our reverential decrees. Our decree: I decree that we, the people of (add your state here), put our trust in Almighty God and will rely upon Him, alone. NOTE: There will not be a Saturday or Sunday Give Him 15 but we will resume again on Monday, June 28th. ________________________________ Spiro Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1977), p 1846. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/32621-facts-are-stubborn-things-and-whatever-may-be-our-wishes https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jun/22/for-the-people-act-democrats-election-overhaul-bil/