The Kiss In our recent The Pleasure of His Company series, I shared how in 2008, in response to a prophetic word, I put all the programs in the church I was pastoring on pause. For 90 days absolutely nothing else happened in the church’s sanctuary except day and night worship. Just as Obed-edom hosted the ark of His presence in his living room for three months, God was asking us to do the same. What the Lord did in response to our act of obedience was nothing short of astounding. The Person of the Holy Spirit came. His presence was tangible, weighty, all-consuming. He Himself was our great reward, and nothing could compare with this! Not only was my life radically changed, so were the lives of hundreds of others. Though it was challenging to facilitate this assignment from the Lord, the God encounters of those who were there would forever remind me that it was more than worth it. One of those who was transformed by this worship experience was my friend Hal Sacks, leader of the Arizona-based BridgeBuilders International ministry. Hal shared with me recently that as a result of that encounter with the Lord, he has been essentially “ruined for the ordinary!” The Lord gave Hal a revelation of worship that extended beyond his own life, ultimately resulting in transformation of the Arizona school system and the decline of crime on the Southwest border. I was so inspired by his story that I’ve asked him to share it with Give Him 15 today. It is a fitting follow-up to the Pleasure series and segue into prayer posts and will also encourage you! In September 2008 I spent three days of continuous worship and prayer at Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs. From the moment I walked in the door, the tangible, sacred presence of God was distinguishable. The atmosphere was electric. I was so captivated by the glory of God I was experiencing that I could not pull myself away. I rarely left the sanctuary except to grab a shower. After two days of being saturated in this heavenly atmosphere, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me about what He was doing. His words rang out almost audibly: “If you kiss Me with your worship …. I will kiss you with My presence!” WOW! My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. At the time I did not fully understand what God was saying. “Lord, is this really You speaking to me? Is this concept even biblical?” I felt there was something more He wanted to show me, and I determined to find out. When I returned home to Phoenix, I felt mysteriously drawn into a passionate pursuit of God’s presence. I experienced a growing and deepening hunger for intimacy with the Father. Even stranger was the way I felt compelled every evening to spend anywhere from one to three hours walking and communing with the Lord! I told my wife, Cheryl, “I feel like the Lord is literally picking me up by the collar and thrusting me out of the house to spend time alone with Him.” As I worshipped and talked to the Lord night after night, my heart came alive with renewed passion and strength. He spoke to me those same words I’d heard in the sanctuary over and over, “If you kiss me with your worship …. I will kiss you with My presence!” The question of whether this was a biblical concept continued to plague me, and the thought drove me into the Scriptures to search out its meaning. I didn’t realize at the time that this revelation about worship was going to alter both my life and my ministry. A New Understanding of Worship While exploring the roots of “worship” in the original Hebrew and Greek languages, I discovered a beautiful hidden treasure — a divine invitation from Almighty God to move into a more intimate relationship with Him. If you’ve studied the biblical origins of worship, you will know there are at least seven Hebrew words and six Greek words translated “worship.” The most prominent word for worship in the Old Testament is sha’chah and in the Greek it is pros’kuneo, both of which mean the same thing: “to kiss” or “adore,” “bow down” and “show great respect,” or “to fall.” In a literal sense, it means “to bow low and throw a kiss!” Now it gets even more interesting when you look at the word “presence.” In the original Hebrew (pa’niym) and the Greek (pros’opon), both words meaning “presence” also mean “face.” This begins to sound like an irresistible invitation from my Father God to enter into intimacy with Him. It is amazing what the Lord is saying here: “If you kiss me with your kiss, I will kiss you with My face.” It doesn’t get any more intimate than that! Coming from an orthodox Jewish upbringing, I understand about the ancient Eastern custom of bowing, kneeling, or throwing a kiss as a form of greeting, especially to royalty. In both modern and religious “worship,” the outward physical act reveals the inner heart of respect and honor. I’m not a musician, nor have I ever considered myself a worship leader. Like many people, I used to have a fairly one-dimensional view of worship: basically, that worship is the musical and spiritual “warm-up” to the message in a church service. But I’ve since discovered that worship is not simply an activity; it’s all about my proximity to my Heavenly Father. Worship is a matter of my heart, not something I do or attend. True worship is all about my heart’s focus on Him. Inviting God’s Presence As I continued to prayer-walk, night after night, I kept asking the Lord, “Why are You calling me to spend this time with You?” I was enjoying these times with the Lord, but I sensed there was something more He wanted to do. On those walks, the Father taught me about “vertical worship”— worship not just about God, but directed to Him. This intense prayer and vertical worship became a part of my spiritual core, reminiscent of my Jesus Movement days. Worship had always been a trademark of our ministry’s conferences and gatherings. Now it was about to become an important key to inviting God’s presence to our community. One day we received a letter from the pastors of Mexicali, asking for our help. Violent crime was increasing on our Southwest border. These pastors asked us to come alongside them to build a wall of worship and prayer along our border. Then one night, while prayer-walking and asking the Lord about what to do, I heard Him say, “I want you to invite My presence back to the border!” We worked with pastors to raise up a wall of worship and prayer “to invite God’s presence” to the 2,000-mile border from San Diego, CA, to Brownsville, TX. We saw immediate and measurable results, with crime dropping dramatically, including the capture of the FBI’s 37 Most Wanted cartel leaders. This was just the beginning. It was evident that my face-to-face encounters every night with the Lord were not only drawing me closer to Him, but that He had plans to use me and others to carry His presence into our community. Our young team rented high school auditoriums and prayed and worshipped all night to invite God’s presence to our problem-ridden campuses. We saw academic scores go up and suicides and drugs go down. We held all-night prayer and worship at City Hall for governmental leaders and law enforcement. The crime rate dropped, and our police experienced divine protection in life-threatening situations. I have learned that if we invite the transforming presence of the Lord into every area of our daily lives, into every location we travel to, and into every sphere of culture we touch, He will come! Worship opens the heavens, and God’s presence pushes back the powers of darkness in ways that nothing else can. The Lord promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (see James 4:8). When we invite Him into difficult situations in our families, schools, and workplaces through our intimate worship, He will “kiss” our lives and communities with His presence. Positioning Ourselves for the “Kiss” In our pursuit of God’s presence and in following Christ, worship will always ultimately be the act of attributing reverent honor and awe to God. We do not need to be worship leaders or musicians to express our worship. We worship God because He is God, and because we have extravagant love for Him. Intimate worship is rooted in our relationship and intimacy with God — our proximity to Him. I am more intimate with someone I’m close to than someone I do not know well. I will kiss my wife on the lips, but in European style, I may kiss a friend on the cheek. A kiss always comes from the heart. And a loving Heavenly Father will always embrace “the kiss” of His child — His arms open, reciprocating with a tangible “kiss from His lips.” Pray with me: Heavenly Father, we know that worship is all about You. When we worship You, the heavens open and Your miraculous help, wisdom, favor and resources are released. Today we need You in the most desperate way. Lord, so many families, churches, schools, and neighborhoods are in a spiritual drought, withering from a deficit of Your life-giving presence. Today we cry out to You, reaching upward for Heaven’s rain. Lord, revive us, Your people, and send revival and a great awakening to our land. Give us hearts to seek You, to kiss You with our worship, to call upon You for mercy and help in our time of need. Turn the hearts of Your people, Your Ekklesia, back to You! Above all else, cause us to burn with a desire for the exquisite kiss of Your presence. Our decree: Lord, we decree that Your church, Your Ekklesia, is returning to You, her first love! We declare that Your beloved is seeking You fervently and passionately and the fire of Your Holy Spirit is igniting the altar of Your church with passion and power. God of Mercy, we affirm that Your holy rain is beginning to fall from Heaven, healing our families, schools, neighborhoods and nation. We proclaim that America will not be lost, but she will fulfill her God-given destiny, shining as a beacon of hope to the nations of the earth. Today’s post was contributed by Hal Sacks, D.Min, author of Two Nations One Prayer, a book about the atrocities on the Southwest border and how to pray about them. You can learn more about the work of Hal and Cheryl and BridgeBuilders here. Portions of this post are published in the April-June 2021 issue of Prayer Connect magazine, found at prayerconnect.net. Watch prayer here:

The Lightning of God I am becoming more and more aware that the Lord has raised up a remnant company of believers in this new era who know their God and will do great exploits (Daniel 11:32). I have spoken before of how the Lord has changed the Body of Christ since the 1990s, teaching us to pray. Back then it was hard to get a handful of people to a prayer gathering. Today, multitudes are praying, and doing so effectively. Our prayer gatherings have gone from a handful, meeting in churches once a week, to hundreds of thousands praying together via electronic means. Many of us are involved in multiple prayer meetings, some daily, like Give Him 15. Many more are praying together on a weekly basis. Millions are living lifestyles of intercession now, talking to the Lord as they go about their day. We are quickly becoming a people who know our God. And we are beginning to do great exploits. One cannot find themselves talking to God all day long and not be changed. As we pray in power daily with a faith-filled Body of Christ, our understanding increases, our faith grows, and we are motivated by Holy Spirit to act on the conversations we have with Him. Brian Simmons said, “The season of God's mighty power has arrived! A new day has dawned, and with it emerges a new breed of believers.”1 This new season will involve an incredible season of signs and wonders. They always accompany and confirm the gospel when God’s word is acted on; even more so during seasons of great revival. The following story is a wonderful example of what is coming. “Hearing Jun Mon’s cries of grief, the neighbors in this slum district outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, knew that her husband, Khev, had died. It came as no surprise, as his health had been steadily deteriorating, and he had been unconscious for the last few days. The witch doctor and herbal medicines - all the family could afford - had not been able to revive him, and now he was gone. “A couple of weeks earlier, a Christian house church group had brought some hope. They had observed the wife's despair as she sat outside her tumbledown one-room home, and upon learning that her husband was about to die, Theavy had led them in prayer for her. After hearing the gospel message, Jun Mon and her sister gladly accepted the Lord and were encouraged by the words of the Bible they received. “But now Khev was dead. Late that night, while sitting with Jun Mon and her sister to comfort them, Theavy felt led to pray and to share Scripture passages with them about Christ’s victory over death and the grave. After she left this young believer, Jun Mon continued to read about Jesus’ miracles and then knelt by her husband’s body. For three hours, she and her sister wept and pleaded with God to restore life and health to Him. “Although they had been praying for this miracle, they were shocked when Khev suddenly sat up in bed and declared he was alive! And also healthy and hungry! After eating he shared with them what he had experienced. Evidently at the same time that he stopped breathing, two men in black came and escorted him through darkness to a wide river. On the other side was a man with two books, one containing names of people who had died and the other holding names of people about to die. Khev was questioned but then told to go back home. As he began his journey home, he realized his escorts were gone and that his spirit and steps lightened as he went. Suddenly he came to a fork in the road - darkness on one path and brilliant light on the other. In the background he could hear voices debating which way he would choose. He chose the path of light and, as he stepped onto it, he heard a door slam. The next thing he remembered was suddenly sitting up in his own bed. “When Theavy and others came later to help Jun Mon, they were ecstatic to see Khev alive and walking. Rejoicing at the resurrection power of God, they shared with Khev about Jesus Christ, and he committed himself to the One who had restored his life. Not surprisingly, the home church grew from 4 to 32 in just a short time. Khev, healthy and strong, is a walking testimony to the grace and power of God.”2 Amazing power can be released through intercession. A powerful verse in Job pictures this. “He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to STRIKE THE MARK” (Job 36:32, emphasis added). The phrase “strike the mark” is translated from paga, the Hebrew word for “intercession.” When light or glory flashes from God’s presence, striking the desired target, this pictures intercession. Have you ever seen a tree struck by lightning? If so, you’ve seen a picture of intercession. I love to pray in forests and woods. At times I come across trees struck by lightning. The lightning is so hot, it literally changes the molecular structure of trees and twists the trunks until they look like the stripes on a candy cane. The temperature in a lightning bolt can reach 30,000 Celsius (45,000 degrees Fahrenheit), hotter than the surface of the sun.3 That’s hot! And God uses that to exemplify the power of intercession! Habakkuk 3:4 also speaks of light flashing forth from the hand of God: “His radiance is like the sunlight: He has rays flashing from His hand, and there is the hiding of His power.” The Amplified translation is also very descriptive: “And His brightness was like the sunlight; rays streamed from His hand, and there [in the sunlike splendor] was the hiding place of His power.”4 Our prayers are actually used to release this power, causing both God’s judgments and blessings to be brought forth. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for the power of Holy Spirit. We thank You for the great honor of being filled with this power and of being allowed to partner with You in releasing it to people. Your Word makes it very clear that in times of revival, awakening and outpourings of Your Spirit, this power is released in greater measure to perform signs and wonders, pointing people to Christ. We ask for this increase now. Bring it forth to convince people of our good news message. We pray for boldness to come to the church, confidence to pray in the name of Jesus for people needing miracles. Awaken Your people to renewed faith in Your promise that You will confirm Your word with signs and wonders. And Lord, one more thing. Just as we did yesterday, we pray regarding the audit taking place in Arizona. We pray for truth to prevail. We pray for those working there, that they will operate at the highest levels of skill and integrity. We pray that their equipment will work well. We pray that all of the volunteers needed will be available. We ask you to release your lightning against every attempt to sabotage this audit, including fear and intimidation, violence or lawsuits. And again, we ask You for the financial provision needed to finish it fully. We thank You for this and ask this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the power of God will accompany the preaching of the gospel, and be released exponentially in the earth. https://www.elijahlist.com/index.php Jane Rumph, Stories from the Front Lines (Grand Rapids MI: Chosen, 1996), pp 187-191. https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/lightning_wk_2006.html Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1996), p 80.

A Win for All Americans I have said many times that God supports the concept of government. He endorses, honors, and works through government. His plan is that justice, peace, and righteousness flow into the earth realm through government, at every level: the individual, the family, cities, and nations. This is why I take such an interest in government. However, God hates the political spirit. This spirit craves power and control. It divides, oppresses, serves self and is controlled by pride. We should pray against this spirit, and for pure and righteous government. For this reason, we are staying in touch with people on site at the Arizona Senate audit of the 2020 elections. The audit taking place in Arizona’s largest county is on pace to be done by next month’s deadline, though there continue to be efforts to stop or delay it. As we mentioned in our previous post regarding this audit (GH15 4/20/21), legislators in 47 states are working to pass election integrity bills. Here at Give Him 15, our role is not to choose a political side, but to pray that righteousness and truth prevail. Transparent and fair elections are the backbone of American freedom - “we the people” choose our leaders - and America’s freedom is necessary for worldwide evangelism. The current lack of trust in our election process is a great threat to this. Over half of voters say cheating likely impacted the 2020 presidential election. This lack of trust can be eradicated by honest and transparent investigations into what occurred. When this happens, all Americans - of both parties - win. The audit will include: Scanning all 2.1 million paper ballots Doing a full manual recount Investigating the registration rules and votes cast to verify that only legal, registered voters participated Checking the vote counts Performing a cyber forensic audit on the electronic voting machines and systems used The attempts to stop the audit are somewhat puzzling. Both parties and all Americans want fair elections and must have confidence in the system. This audit is not an attempt to overturn the 2020 results, only to reassure voters by determining if flaws exist, enabling them to be fixed, if they do. Lawyers for the Senate have thus far prevailed in all legal attempts to delay or stop the process. They argued that delaying the audit would result in slowing the state Legislature’s weighing of election reform bills, since the audit results will directly inform the legislation. The Senate also argued that there need be no fear of the audit, as the ballots and machines are being secured well, by armed guards, and that voter privacy is being protected. In a recent court challenge, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Martin, a Democrat-appointed judge, said plaintiffs didn’t provide “substantive evidence of any breaches or threatened breaches of voter privacy.” Our contacts there tell us that even though the legal challenges have failed, those opposed to the audit are still working hard to interfere: “[a major international news network] has been harassing workers before they go through security. One woman said they pushed a microphone through her car window, took pictures of her and her license plate. Workers are scared.” Another “on the ground” person told us: “Please pray for my physical security. The opposition is out of legal options, so they are now demanding entrance to the building. [There are already independent observers there from both parties.] We need the radicals to stay away. It is getting nasty. We’re hearing they may try to organize/bring in antifa.” Again, it is puzzling why anyone would oppose this audit. Both parties, I would think, would want to put to rest, once and for all, accusations of cheating. What better way to begin healing the nation than by proving the election was fair. We must pray that the opposition fails in their attempts to stop the audit. We don’t want to be divided. We also need to pray for the necessary funding to come for this. It is costing in the neighborhood of $3 million. The Arizona Senate only has funding for a small percentage of this - I believe in the 10% range. The rest is being raised by private citizens. Please pray that the finances come in quickly. Again, America is critical to the great harvest coming to the nations. Without a healthy America, despots, dictators, and evil people will bring unimaginable devastation. And America can only remain healthy if the American people are confident in the God-given freedoms they enjoy, and in the people they truly elect. This audit is worthy of our prayers. Pray with me: Father, we pray for our friends in Arizona, fellow citizens as well as brothers and sisters. We thank You for the stand they are making to serve our nation through this audit. We all need to have renewed reassurance of our nation’s election integrity. You are a God of integrity and justice. You have always demanded honesty from Your people in order to secure Your blessings. We pray for those involved in this audit. We pray it is done with the utmost skill and accuracy. We ask You to ensure that no mistakes are made, nothing is lost, and that when it is finished, all Americans can be confident it was completely fair and accurate. We also pray for more workers and observers so the work can go on around the clock. We pray against all opposition. We ask You to protect all of the workers and observers. In the name of Jesus, we bind the spirit of violence and destruction. Please protect the equipment, the people, the building, the Senators, the intercessors who are praying for them, and the attorneys and legal team. We ask You to bring peace to the workers - keep them from being overcome by fear and stress. And we ask You to provide the necessary funds for this. Please bring in the money needed to accomplish this well and fully. We ask for all of this in the name of Christ, amen. Our decree: We decree that righteousness and justice will prevail in Arizona.

Prayers Stored for Generations I have shared with you before regarding our prayers being stored in Heaven. My friend, Quin Sherrer, shares about this applying to America. “Have you ever wondered why your prayers weren’t answered in your perceived time frame? Sure, you have. The Scriptures indicate that prayers accumulate. So, yours could still be stored in bowls in heaven. “We read in Revelation 5:8, ‘And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.’ “In his book, Intercessory Prayer, Dutch Sheets explains: ‘Not one bowl for all of them but “bowls.” We don’t know how many but I think it very likely that each of us has our own bowl in heaven. I don’t know if it’s literal or symbolic. It doesn’t matter. The principle is still the same. God has something in which He stores our prayers.’ “Reading further in Revelation 8:3-5, ‘And another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.’ “Dutch continues writing, ‘According to these verses, either when He knows it is the right time to do something or when enough prayer has accumulated to get the job done, He releases power. “‘In answer to our requests, He sends angels to get our bowls of prayer to mix with the fire of the altar. But there isn’t enough in our prayer bowls to meet the need? We might blame God or think it is not His will or that His Word must not really mean what it says. The reality of it is that sometimes He cannot do what we’ve asked because we have not released enough power in our prayers to get it done.’ 1 “What do we do? We add more prayer! “My friend Sarah thinks her life now is the result of ‘stored up’ prayer. She was not a Christian, when in her senior year of college, she became pregnant. She loved the father of her unborn child but when her mother urged her to have an abortion, she just could not. “‘My grandmother, mother, sister, and cousin had all had abortions, and I wanted to break that cycle. I wasn’t religious, but something in me longed to do the right thing, and I knew abortion was wrong,’ she said. “Sarah and the baby’s father married, and two days after her graduation their son was born. Eventually, they became Christians, and three decades later, their family—three children and grandchildren included—all serve the Lord. Sarah now has an international ministry and touches many through her mentoring outreach. What’s more, some of her younger relatives have also become Christians. “She thinks her willingness to save her unborn child came from prayers offered generations earlier. She explained it this way: “‘I’ve been to Germany and traced my family’s line back to those who had close ties with Martin Luther and the Reformation. Clearly, my ancestors back then were devoted, praying Christians. However, one of my great-great-grandfathers embraced liberalism and had no time for God. The next generations of my forebears did not acknowledge their Creator, so my mom thought nothing of urging me to have an abortion, as she had done. I believe the prayers of my ancestors from earlier times were stored up in heaven and released when I needed them,’ she said. 2 “As Americans weren’t we benefactors of accumulated prayers offered by some of our Founding Fathers? Early leaders clearly were praying men and women. Reading some of their letters, journals, and documents proves that. “For example, on June 1, 1774, when the colonies were seeking God’s will as to whether they should break ties with England, George Washington wrote in his diary, ‘Went to church and fasted.’3 “As the first U.S. president, George Washington wrote a proclamation calling for November 26, 1789 to be a national day of Thanksgiving, noting that both individuals and nations have obligations before God. It read in part: ‘Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have… requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness…’”4 Quin says, “Friends, we must not cease praying for our nation—for its current situations as well as for its future destiny. Nor can we allow God to be erased from our American history. “In recent months thousands of Christians have been beseeching God on behalf of our nation—for it to be restored to God’s original purpose. We have asked forgiveness for many sins. We have prayed for family members to receive Christ. For peace to reign in our streets. For diseases to be contained. For businesses to be restored. For our children’s safety. For a spiritual renewal. We have earnestly cried out for God’s mercy! “When the timing is just right God will have His angels upturn those bowls of prayers and a Third Great Awakening will spread like fire all over the globe. Many think it has already started. We pray that America will be a leader in this! “So, let us be faithful to keep filling those bowls with more fervent petitions, supplications, and cries for salvations! We expect to see a harvest of a billion souls for God’s kingdom worldwide.” Pray with me: Father, we have repented for my sins and for the iniquity of my forefathers and we do so again. Forgive us, free us from the bondage of our past and cleanse us by the blood of Christ. Pour out Your supernatural power in our families so that our children and their children will take their place in the Body of Christ and fulfill Your calling on their lives. Thank You for our positive heritage—for the godly ancestors who served You and sowed prayers for us. And for our American Founding Fathers who asked You for guidance and direction. Lord, we trust You to fulfill our prayers in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way. May we be more diligent and faithful to pray for our beloved country and the nations of the earth. Thank You for our Savior, Jesus, and for His atoning sacrifice. Amen. Our Decree: We decree that at just the right time, the bowls of heaven will tip upon America and the nations of the earth causing a Third Great Awakening. You can find out more about Quin Sherrer here and fellow author Ruthanne Garlock . 1. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer, (Bethany House, 1996, 2016, pp.208-209). 2. Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Chosen, 2017, pp.111-112). 3. William J. Federer, America’s God and Country:Encyclopedia of Quotations (FAME Publishing, Inc., 1996, p 637). 4. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091

My Wife Is Always Right Twenty five years ago my wife Ceci, told me, “One day you’ll write a book titled, The Pleasure of His Company, in which you’ll teach people how to connect with God’s heart.” My response was appropriate: “Yes, dear.” Actually, I knew Ceci was prophesying; like Mary with her promises regarding Christ, we tucked the word away until Holy Spirit awakened us to its time. I waited 20 years. The book bearing that name now exists. It’s my most well-written book, is easily my most personal and transparent, and perhaps is my most important. Beginning May 7 and running through June 6, my Give Him 15 posts will come from this book, with added thoughts and prayers, of course. Give Him 15 will always be about prayer. There are 30 short chapters, written to be used as a 30-day devotional. You will have the written posts to follow, of course, but I’m sure many of you will want the book in order to read it at your personal pace and make notes. Some will teach it. I am NOT doing this to sell books. I simply know many of you will want one and am giving you advance notice in case you want it before we begin this journey. I am also doing it in advance, so that my staff won’t receive hundreds of orders at the last minute. So, why use this book for prayer posts when I have several other books on the subject of prayer? Because of what God is about to release on the earth. When God was about to do something very significant in Israel, He would ask them to draw near to Him. Why? Our levels of faith, power, authority, and effectiveness will always be determined by how well we know Him; intimacy determines efficacy. Our heart connection with Abba completely dictates the degree of all productivity in the kingdom. The more we know His heart and ways, the more authority and responsibility He can trust us with. He wants partners, family, not hirelings. Therefore, an intimate knowledge of Yahweh should be our highest goal in life and, if achieved, will become life’s greatest treasure. As we embark on this journey into His heart, my desire is that enjoying the pleasure of His company becomes your greatest reward. And I believe it will. My hope is that millions participate with us in these posts. Consider telling a friend about them. Let’s look at my statement saying God preceded significant activity by requesting the Israelites to draw near to Him. The actual Hebrew word He used was qadash. The way this word is translated, along with our preconceived ideas, robs us of critical understanding. Qadash is usually translated as “consecrate” or “sanctify.” To most people, these are antiquated religious terms meaning, “to be holy by not sinning or committing inappropriate acts.” However, that is NOT what qadash means. It actually means to be “set apart” or “separated unto” God. The Old Testament word for being separated from sin (or from other things as an offering to God) is actually nazir. You can easily see the word nazarite in this word, which was a person who took a nazarite vow of “separation from” certain things and activities. It was meant to be a vow that pictured one’s devotion to God; it was not an activity which created or defined one’s relationship with Him. Religion has taken the concept of nazir - don’t do this, don’t touch that, don’t go here, etc., and defined our relationship with God according to it. Religion says - NOT that God is a Father (Abba) to love and enjoy; to the contrary, He is the Judge. And He’s a mean one, at that, just looking for an excuse to sentence us sorry humans to pain and torment. Our only hope for safety and salvation is good works, performance, righteous deeds. Eventually the concept of nazir - separate yourself from - became the religious standard. Qadash, on the other hand, is not a command to separate from things and activities - i.e., stop doing something. Rather, it is an invitation to separate ourselves unto: to draw near someone, to devote oneself to a person, to be set aside or separated unto an individual. Whereas nazir is “stay away from,” qadash is “draw near.” God wants connection, not perfection; He wants a family, not fearful subjects; He craves relationship, not religious activity. He told Israel repeatedly, “Qadash yourselves. Draw near to Me.” He didn’t say, “nazir yourselves.” The difference is profound: Qadash is do; nazir is don’t. Qadash produces and enhances relationship; nazir is only a picture of relationship. Qadash is worship; nazir is works. Qadash is the source; nazir is the result/outflow. Qadash is the root; nazir is the fruit. Would it surprise you, then, if I said the word “holy” does not come from the Hebrew word nazir, but from qadash? ”Holy,” in the Old Testament is the word qodesh. Nazir - attempting, even succeeding, in separating ourselves from/not doing things we perceive as sinful, does not make us holy. Can you say Pharisee? Holiness (qodesh) is literally defined as being separated unto God (qadash): Drawing near to Him; giving Him quality time; worship; devotion. These things describe relationship, they define holiness and they produce good works. In the Old Testament: Exodus 19:10 - Moses was told to qadash the descendants of Abraham for three days at Mount Sinai, before God began the process of forming them into a literal nation. Exodus 28:41 - Moses was told to qadash Aaron and his sons before anointing them as the beginning of the priesthood in Israel. Joshua 3:5 - Joshua was told to qadash the people for three days before crossing into the promised land of Canaan. Joel 2:15 - Joel prophesied that the people of Israel should qadash themselves, in preparation for the incredible restoration God was about to perform, which pictured Pentecost in Acts 2. Why am I doing a month of posts that revolve around drawing near to the Lord? Because THAT is what prepares us for revival, for restoration, for new beginnings. It is what God needs and wants - not our works but our hearts. I believe the coming outpouring of Holy Spirit will be the greatest “presence movement” in history. It will not be built on or revolve around gifts, preaching, personalities, methods, programs, buildings, innovation, sensationalism, and hype. It will center around relationship with a person. And billions of people around the world will find what they have been looking for. Pray with me: Father, as we move toward an outpouring that undoubtedly brings You great excitement, we want to prepare ourselves. Forgive us for past seasons in which we have felt as though our good works could motivate You to act on our behalf. There is nothing we could ever do to earn Your love and grace. EVERYTHING You do is motivated by Your love. You ARE love, so how could it be otherwise? We ask You to release great revelation to us over the coming weeks as we draw near to You. May we please see facets of Your character and nature that we have not seen before, and see other facets of who You are at a higher level. We cry out with our brother, Apostle Paul, whose cry was, “that I may know Him...” (Philippians 3:10). We align with the words of David, who said, “I heard Your voice in my heart say, ‘Come, seek My face;’ my inner being responded, ‘Yahweh, I’m seeking Your face with all my heart.’” (Psalm 27:8 TPT) Our heart’s cry, Lord, is that through our response of drawing near to You, we help prepare the way for You to bring a presence movement to the earth that draws billions of people to You. So often in the past we have offered them religion. In this next great outpouring, may we offer them YOU! Our decree: We join our faith together now, and decree that the greatest presence movement in history is about to invade the earth. As a reminder, May 7-June 6, our posts will be coming from my book The Pleasure of His Company.

Clash of the Titans The Lord uses prophetic words, visions, and dreams to encourage us. These manifestations of Holy Spirit help us to see what He is doing. They also provide strategies to help us carry out His will on the earth. He releases them to bring direction and they provide strength against wavering when adversity comes our way. My brother, Tim Sheets, received an open vision on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021. He has been praying into that experience for the past few months. Tim feels this season between Resurrection and Pentecost is the time the Lord wanted him to release it. It is a clear word to ready the Ekklesia to move in power and glory. Tim says, “As I watched the Presidential Inauguration, there was a long line of black limousines pulling up in front of the U.S. Capitol. They stretched down the street. There were a lot of limousines; even the news person commented on how many there were. “As I watched this, my spirit jumped. Then, I felt a major earthquake. I literally felt the ground under me shake. I then began to hear a low rumbling sound. It was like the thunder you hear off in the distance when a storm front is coming. My first thought was that there had been an earthquake where I was, but then I realized this was occurring in the spiritual realm. I began to quietly pray in the Spirit under my breath, pondering this. “Then I said, ‘Holy Spirit, I felt that! I heard that! What is it?’ “I heard Him say very clearly, ‘It’s the clash of the Titans.’ “I knew He was referring to the mythological philosophies and ideologies promoted by demon principalities and powers - the anti-Christ doctrines of demons - clashing with the Kingdom of God and the angel armies. The power of heaven was engaging with the powers of earth. “I have had a deep sense of confidence since that day,” Tim says. “I know God has a plan He is going to unfold, and it includes a battle plan for this nation. It includes the Ekklesia prevailing. And it includes some sort of shaking on the earth and in this nation—a shaking initiated by God. He is going to shake the natural earth realm, and He is going to provide a victory—a win!” Tim compared this to the clash in the Bible when Lucifer rebelled against God. He attempted a coup d’etat and led one-third of heaven’s angels against the Godhead. Michael and his archangels fought against them and won. As we know, Lucifer and his rebellious angels were then cast out of heaven. Tim said he feels this coming clash will once again involve Michael and his angel armies. It will also involve the church, the heirs of God, the joint-heirs with Christ. He stressed that God is saying to His Ekklesia now what He has said so often through the ages, “You have My authority. Take care of this. You’ll win. Stop the takeover and do not fear a clash with the Titans.” Other prophetic voices are referencing this. The Lord is revealing His Glory to and through those in His Church who have eyes to see and ears to hear what Holy Spirit is currently saying. God is coming to the nations of the earth in a powerful way. He will be seen, His name will be praised. And He will shake whatever is opposing Him. Through Him, we will overcome! Through revelation from other encounters, Tim has been talking about this clash for the last few years. He has stated, “Holy Spirit is telling us His angel armies are being moved forward to assist the people of God. They’re moving forward to assist the King’s Ekklesia. They are moving forward into a spiritual conflict—the clash of the Titans.” He goes on to say, “Now, Holy Spirit is saying, ‘It’s beginning.’” Hebrews 12:25-29 references what the Lord is saying: “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have (receive) grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” (NKJV) It is not God’s kingdom that will shake. It is everything not of His Kingdom. We, the born again ones, the heirs, are part of Christ’s Kingdom. We won’t be shaken. The Lord has been forming a deep faith and confidence with His Ekklesia. It is a confidence in who HE is, in what He has said, and in who we are in Him. We will display a faith and confidence that does not shake. It is a season for demons to tremble, not the heirs of God. Don’t waver in your faith. Do not be alarmed by the shaking. Look at Jesus, the Lord of Hosts. The shaking will simply shake us free. The zeal and passion of the Lord is driving the shaking. The shaking will loose a massive harvest of souls. Yahweh is passionate about those who are being held in bondage. Tim summarizes for us what he believes the Lord is saying, “Rise and shine in My greater Glory! Be strong in these perilous times. Rise and shine in My authority. Get ready! The heavenly armies are on the move. The shaking is an answer to our prayers. The shaking will cause a removal of policies, laws, organizations, and ideologies. The shaking will cause the end of certain activities in government, education, business and media. So, do not fear the shaking! Rise with Me and reign.” “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31 KJV) Declare with me: Lord, our declaration of faith is that You have brought us to an era of Pentecost. What You are about to do, the world has never seen. You are not an indifferent bystander, simply watching over the affairs of men. You are rising up. You will thunder against iniquitous roots that mock You. You will rise against sin and its destruction, against idolatry, and against governments that disdain Your word. You will judge in fairness. But You will not be mocked and You will not be stopped. You are also causing the Ekklesia to rise up and stand strong in faith. We are part of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, regardless of what is thrown its way. We, Your Ekklesia, will declare and act in faith. We will continue to decree against what hell is attempting to put in place. Faith is rising to oppose its every action. Together with the angel armies, we will defeat the enemy’s plans. We will lock onto covenant promises and inherit new territories. You will not be stymied, blocked, or stopped. You will shake open the way before us. And we will arise, pursue, and recover all, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Today’s decree: The Glory of the Lord is coming on His Ekklesia and the kingdoms of the earth will shake before Him! Learn more about Tim Sheets here.

The Arrows One thing I expect to change in the coming revival - and when Roe v. Wade is reversed - is a powerful adoption movement. Our good friends, Randy and Kelsey Bohlender, are being used as forerunners of this. They share some of their thoughts with us today. Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. (Psalm 127:3-5) “When the Supreme Court handed down their ruling on Roe v. Wade in 1973, the stage was set for a battle of epic proportions. The church has poured resources, energy and prayer into a campaign often framed as an effort to overturn a court ruling, while missing an important part of what the battle is about. To be sure, it is our desire that the evil decree of Roe v. Wade be reversed, but we’re not simply fighting to win a court decision. Thinking of the victory as a legal one is to think too small. Winning the battle for the unborn is to lay hold of the future. “The psalmist likens children to arrows in the hand of a warrior. “The invention of the arrow fundamentally changed warfare. Prior to the bow and arrow, men fought battles face to face. A warrior could only inflict damage within range of their own fist or the few dozen feet of an accurately thrown spear. Effectiveness in battle was limited to the immediate environment. “The bow and arrow changed everything. Suddenly, a man could fire an arrow further and faster than he could run. He could inflict punishment on the enemy at great distance, perhaps even over a hill and out of line of sight. He could wage war where he could not go. “Parenting children to be fiery believers in Jesus is an active means of waging war on multiple fronts, beyond our own reach and long after our lives are over. And if children are arrows from the Lord, as the Psalmist tells us, then every arrow matters. “In 2006,” the Bohlenders say, “we were pursuing adoption as an extension of our prolife convictions. One day, I got a call from a social worker in Las Vegas telling me about a newborn baby girl. I was eager to hear more but wondered if we were one of several families she was considering? I asked her, ‘How many families are you talking to about this situation?’ The social worker, exhausted and frazzled, told me, ‘Buddy, if you want her, come and get her.’ Randy says, “Since that day, we’ve come to believe that the word of the Lord to the church in America is, ‘If you want the babies, go get them.’ “That started a journey of us adding six children by adoption to our family which already included four biological kids. Honestly, with ten kids, normal doesn’t work. A normal house, a normal van, a normal table at a restaurant….nothing normal works. People have asked, ‘How on earth did you decide to adopt six?’ We tell them that adoption is a little like getting a tattoo. You think long and hard about the first one. The second one comes a little easier, and by the time the third one comes around, you act pretty quickly. Suddenly, your arms are full of tattoos and you don’t really care. That’s the way it is with adoptions - they’re a part of you and have changed you. “We deeply love our children,” they continue, “but from the beginning, we were not just adopting - we were scooping up arrows. We were making an intentional choice about where we were going to put our resources and energy, aiming to do damage to the kingdom of darkness in places we would never stand on our own. “When you have ten children, people stare. They count noses, shake their heads and chuckle. They say things like, ‘Good for you…’ but deep down, we know they think we’re crazy. We’re not crazy, we’re just playing the long game of war. They may shake their heads in disbelief at us now, but in 150 years, my great-grandchildren, spread across the earth, will look back and think, ‘Grandpa was a genius.’” This is so true. Short term thinking sometimes takes the position that more children to care for would limit one’s ability to be productive now. But it is never wise to neglect investing in the future in order to impact the present. It may seem that this allows one to make a bigger impact, or even reaching a place of renown more quickly. But high profile doesn’t always equate to high impact, a larger platform doesn’t necessarily equate to larger productivity. As Randy says, “If you’re searching for impact, pick up an arrow and fire it where you will never live. “In schools, foster care offices, crisis pregnancy centers, and Planned Parenthood clinics of America, the ground is littered with arrows. You may already have a few of your own, or you may have none in your quiver, but in this cultural battle, these arrows are at your feet. Wisdom would say we should scoop up those arrows, straighten them, and when the time is right, fire them into the future where they will inflict damage to the enemy and bring glory to the Lord - in ways we will never get an opportunity to do in our lifetime. “Those who gather the arrows and with them win battles, gain authority and ability to extend values and ideologies over a conquered land. An arrow in your quiver is your primary influence over future generations. No longer is your influence limited to your own life. True mothers and fathers pass on spiritual DNA, shaping the earth for generations after they’ve been laid to rest. “On a frigid January morning in 2005, 12 year-old Jackson stood with his dad on the sidewalk outside the U.S. Supreme Court in a silent prayer meeting. He wore red tape on his mouth with big, black letters that spelled “LIFE”. Jackson and his father joined thousands who had come to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life, and they were standing at the Court praying for the ending of abortion in America. As this young boy stood silently praying, a heckler approached and yelled loudly in his ear, ‘What are you going to do if you win? Are you going to take all the babies? You don’t even WANT all the babies!’ “The angry accusation challenged the prayer warriors that day as they pondered, ‘What will we do if we win?’ Is the body of Christ ready to be hands and feet for their prayers? The protestor didn’t know it, but his heckling planted the seeds of an adoption movement for the ending of abortion in America. The spirit of adoption is creating a counter-cultural revolution, a solution for the problematic question, “Are you going to take the babies?” As part of our intercession, adoption becomes an active, tangible means of spiritual warfare.” If you, like Ceci and I, are too old to adopt (or have another prohibitive circumstance), consider doing what we have done and pay for an adoption - or help pay - for someone else’s. They’re very expensive. Many young couples simply can’t afford the cost of an adoption. Pray with me: Father, release the spirit of adoption across this nation. As the enemy spews the accusation that aborted babies are unwanted, may the Church rise up and call every child a wanted child! God, we declare a commitment to a culture of life in our nation. Show us how to give my time, energy, and resources to the adoption movement. Empower us to impart your Spirit to those around us, even to the fatherless and needy in my world. Father, we declare that we want the arrows; we want the children! We ask for the honor of raising the children You bring to us. We decree the gathering and releasing of those arrows, that they would fly straight and true. Jesus, if You will give us the children, we will change nations with the story of Your grace and demonstrations of Your power. God, end abortion and send revival to America! Our decree: We decree that the church will arise with a passionate love for the unwanted babies and that life will win. Randy Bohlender is a pastor in the KC area and his wife Kelsey, is director of Zoe’s House Adoption Agency in Kansas City, MO. You can find out more about them here.

The Gift You may not be aware of it, but you have a dreaming nature. You inherited this part of your disposition from your Creator. He created us in His image and likeness so our hearts could relate to His and in order that His dreaming heart could find millions of expressions. You were designed to dream, and you must dream - both for yourself and for God. In fact, if you don’t dream with Him, He can’t experience all of His dreams and you’ll never achieve your destiny. A life without dreams is like a GPS without a satellite. The GPS might operate, but it would lead you nowhere. Likewise, without God-given dreams to guide you, you will travel life’s highway searching for a destination you’ll never find. Divinely inspired dreams, on the other hand, will guide you to the destiny He intended for you. Your Designer dreamed dreams for you before you were ever born, then skillfully wove them into your DNA as you were created, along with the ability to find and fulfill them. His destiny for you will be the sum of those dreams. The journey of life, then, is meant to be a dream quest; finding what your Maker has dreamed for you brings life’s ultimate satisfaction and should be life’s ultimate pursuit. If you don’t discover God’s dreams, you’ll either waste your life running in wrong races and crossing wrong finish lines or, like many people, have no finish line at all. Other individuals stop running altogether, wandering through life as though it were a maze, hoping they will stumble upon the right exit. What a tragedy. Your Creator doesn’t intend for life to be such a gamble. You can find His plans and dreams for you and pursue them with confidence. The Ultimate Gift is one of my favorite movies. It’s the story of Red Stevens, an older and extremely wealthy businessman who knew he was dying and was trying to decide where to leave his fortune. It seemed his children were money-hungry, self-indulgent, and irresponsible, as were his grandchildren. All but one. Jason seemed like all the rest, but Red had seen something else in him, buried under the outer layer of pain, laziness, and his party-driven lifestyle. Red knew that under this stained veneer was great strength and noble character. So Red decided to leave his fortune to Jason - if he passed a series of tests, which Red personally presented posthumously by video. These were difficult, time-consuming tests, some of which took weeks. Jason would only learn of the next challenge after finishing the previous one. At first, Jason resisted - the old man’s money could go to charity - he wasn’t going to play the game. But after much thought he decided to give it a try, just to get the money. What he didn’t know was that each challenge was designed not only as a test but as a character builder and teaching tool - Red called them “gifts, a series of gifts.” It is fascinating to watch the transformation in Jason. He learns the value of hard work, loyalty, giving, family, and several more important qualities needed for a successful and responsible life. Toward the end, he sits down to see the video showing him his next assignment. Grandpa, though now gone, knew when making the videos that if at this point in the process, they were still being shown to Jason by his wise and discerning business partner, Jason had passed the previous tests and could be trusted with wealth. Almost. When this latter video begins, Red says, “It’s time for you to learn to dream, Jason.” Like the character in the movie, I was riveted to the television. What a concept, I thought, the test of dreaming. Jason was given a very large sum of money and told to do anything he wanted with it. And just in case you decide to watch the movie, that’s where I’ll stop. The timing of watching this movie was perfect for me. I was in a season of re-examining my life, analyzing the past and wrestling over the future. As part of this process, I planned a week alone to think and pray. I had a cabin reserved for the week, but when I arrived, it just didn’t feel right. I decided to follow my heart: This isn’t the place. I called my wife, Ceci, and asked her to check the Internet for another place, preferably in Estes Park, Colorado. I would start driving in that direction. The place she found was more than perfect. An altar and cross out back reminded me of Moriah, a special place of dreaming mentioned in Scripture. God knew He and I would dream together in this place. Perhaps you aren’t aware of Moriah and its rich biblical history. It is the mountain where Abraham took Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice. God stopped him, of course, He had only wanted to paint a picture of Himself offering His Son on the cross centuries later. Moriah was the actual place where this would occur! There, on that momentous mountain, Abraham and God dreamed together. Abraham envisioned the day he would have so many descendants they would be a great nation. God dreamed of the day He would recapture His dream of family. The altar and cross were behind the cabin, thirty or so yards from the deck. The altar was well-built, made of rock-and-mortar, situated at the base of a rugged but sturdy wooden cross. There was a beautiful stream just off the deck that forked several yards upstream, then came back together a few yards downstream, forming a small island directly behind the cabin. Someone had gotten onto the island and built the altar and cross - just for me (it seemed). Hmm, I thought as I stood gazing at it. There it is, the place where God recaptured His dream. I wonder what He has in mind for me this week? I would not be disappointed. As the week progressed, I found myself being drawn into a thoughtful analysis of my life. What had I accomplished? Which of these accomplishments were truly worth the time and effort? How many would stand the test of eternity? As painful as some of it was, I was trying to be brutally and utterly honest. What dreams had I pursued under the banner of “for the Lord,” when my heart had deceived me and they had actually been “for me”? Many dreams passed the test, some failed. It was painful, but it was good. Finally, Holy Spirit shifted my focus from my past to the future. As clearly as though He was in the recliner next to me - He was most definitely present - the Lord began speaking to me about dreaming, just as Red did to Jason. “What are your dreams for the future?” He asked, pulling my innermost thoughts from my heart to my conscious mind. I thought. I journaled. Hopefully, with a little more clarity of heart and a few decades of added perspective, I dreamed with greater depth and less selfish ambition than I had years earlier. Over the past four decades, climbing the ladder of success had gradually been replaced by plumbing the depths of His heart. Accomplishments are now measured more by heaven’s approval than by earth’s applause, making a name has given way to making a difference. At least I believe so. Eventually, the Lord steered the conversation in a direction that caught me off guard. “Now I’d like to dream a little,” I heard clearly. “Would you like to hear some of My dreams?” I listened and I wept. God was trusting me with His dreaming heart. That day remains one of the holiest of my life. I built an altar that day. Not made of rocks and mortar - this one was in my heart. You, too, can connect with the dreaming heart of God. If you enlist in His dream program and connect to His dreaming heart, you’ll never again be satisfied with the abnormal existence of a nondreamer or the mundane life of an earthbound one. You were created to dream, and doing so in partnership with God is one of His greatest gifts to us. “God’s promise to Joseph purged his character until it was time for his dreams to come true.” (Psalm 105:19 TPT) Pray with me: Father, we are often challenged to dream big dreams and pursue them with rigor and determination. Rarely, however, are we encouraged to dream with You. Most of Your kids have no idea that they were created to partner with You and Your dreams. What a tragedy! Father, help us to step out of our small world of dreaming only for ourselves and connect with Your dreaming heart. Your dreams are about people, about rescuing them from a life of pain, purposelessness, and separation from You. You dream of healing broken hearts, freeing those oppressed, feeding hungry bodies, and liberating captives. Give us hearts that are willing to dream Your dreams. And in this season, Father, we are dreaming with You of the great revival that has begun but is only in its infancy. We dream of and cry out for this - not so we can enjoy exciting church services, expand a religion or watch You perform powerful miracles. It is so You can rescue, deliver, and save a billion souls. It is so Your family can expand and become the multi-ethnic, multi-generational family You dream of. And Father, I pray now for all who are listening to me or reading this, that they will find and fulfill Your dreams for them. I pray for those who have stopped dreaming because of pain or disillusionment. I pray that You heal them of all hope-deferred and renew in them a dreaming heart. I pray for those who have been wounded, abused, or cast aside. I pray for those whose life has been dealt painful or debilitating blows. I pray for their healing now. Touch them by the power of Holy Spirit and transform them. And if they need help in receiving this healing I pray that they find the person who can guide them into it. And I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: I decree an awakening is coming to our dreaming nature so we will once again, dream His dreams. Today’s post was taken from my book DREAM.

The Tide is Starting to Turn At times, we here at DSM and Give Him 15 feel we must address issues that are not as relevant to our international followers.This is one of those times. We thank those of you in other nations who pray for America, just as we pray for you. We love and esteem you highly and are grateful you join us. Momentum is building for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix America’s election system. In response to mounting evidence of serious problems with the 2020 elections, legislators in 47 states are working to pass election integrity bills to protect voting operations. God is answering our prayers and truth is coming out. In just a few days, what many are calling “the most important election audit” in our history will begin. Hal and Cheryl Sacks, leaders of BridgeBuilders International, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, sent us this important update, the outcome of which will have a significant and immediate impact on our entire country! The Arizona Senate has ordered the most comprehensive, large-scale, third-party forensic audit of the 2020 election to be performed to date. This means that starting on April 22, all 2.1 million physical ballots and the voting equipment from Maricopa County (the fourth largest in the nation) will be examined by highly qualified, independent auditors! While audits have occurred in some states, these have included only a limited number of votes from smaller jurisdictions, coming as a result of lawsuits or performed by election officials. The start of the Arizona audit is a huge victory that comes after months of intense opposition, legal battles, and bureaucratic delay and resistance at every turn. It has taken tremendous perseverance by a remnant in the AZ Senate to get us to this point, and we are very thankful to them and to the Lord! Independent Experts Chosen After months of interviewing, vetting and soliciting advice from experts across the nation, the Arizona State Senate has hired Cyber Ninjas to lead the audit. They are a respected cyber security company and will oversee three additional sub-contractors: Wake Technology Services Inc., CyFIR LLC, and Digital Discovery. These firms are leading experts in computer forensics, election investigations, intelligence analysis, nation-state cyber activity threats, audits of voting machines and hand counts of ballots. They have assisted the highest levels of government and private industry, including providing forensic support to the largest bank-fraud investigation in the history of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Maricopa County audit will include: Scanning all 2.1 million paper ballots Doing a full manual recount Investigating the registration rolls and votes cast to verify that only legal, registered voters participated Checking the vote counts Performing a cyber forensic audit on the electronic voting machines and systems used It will be monitored by both Democrat and Republican observers and the entire process will be documented by video, with a detailed report of findings expected in about 60 days. It’s Critical that We Continue to Pray for this Audit! The auditors and legislators working on this are under immense pressure, including groundless lawsuits and attempts to discredit or intimidate them or derail the audit. Even though state Senates have the sole authority to oversee elections, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has time and again refused to submit to the Arizona Senate’s subpoena to turn over machines and ballots until a ruling by a judge enforced it. They then refused to allow the audit to take place in the Maricopa Tabulation & Election Center where the voting machines and ballots are currently held, even though this would be the best facility to use. Moving the ballots and machines to the new location, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, entails massive effort and expense... But more importantly, it opens the door to potential chain of custody problems that would give the Board plausible deniability in the event that ballots have gone missing! In a cyber investigation, machines should stay connected to the original network and nest cams, modems, routers, and all the data in them should remain in place. Moving them could cause a loss of data and evidence. The Senate ordered the audit to be performed after disturbing allegations were made during a 15-hour public hearing where voters, poll workers, and expert analysts testified under oath about serious violations of election laws and protocols that they had witnessed. Among these allegations are that over 2,000 voters had an address registered to the same vacant lot and 14,362 votes were cast by dead people still on the rolls! To put this in perspective, the presidential election in Arizona was decided by a little over 10,000 votes. Restoring Trust Under the Constitution, We the People peacefully accept the outcome of lawful elections - and grant officials the permission to govern us, if the majority of our fellow citizens have selected them fairly. A newly released Rasmussen poll found over half of voters say cheating likely impacted the 2020 presidential election, which broke down into 74% of Republicans and 30% of Democrats who believed this. This lack of trust in our system is a crisis that can only be resolved by honest and transparent investigation into what really happened. This is why forensic audits are critical, not only in Arizona, but in every county with election irregularities. In Antrim County, Michigan, there were 25.5% more registered voters than eligible residents for the 2020 elections! Attorney Matt DePerno filed suit on behalf of his client to investigate what occurred and has just released the long-awaited report of his forensic findings. Among the many shocking discoveries made were that 66,194 ballot voter IDs were from people not registered to vote, after examining just 9 of Michigan’s 83 counties! In addition, his team found that some voting machines (used in 8 Michigan counties) had a modem chip installed on their computer motherboards, allowing them to be connected to the internet without anyone knowing. This is a serious vulnerability which allows outside parties the ability to access them remotely! In other states, voting machines also were found to be connected to the internet which raises concerns that foreign or domestic hackers could penetrate the systems. Election Integrity Bills Facing Fierce Opposition 361 new election integrity bills have been introduced by state legislatures around the country. Many of these are much needed solutions, such as Georgia’s new voter ID law, which was fiercely attacked by celebrities and corporations using bully tactics, including the recent decision by Major League Baseball to boycott Georgia following Gov. Kemp’s signing of the bill. This is in stark contrast to what the American public wants. According to a poll, 77% of Americans support requiring an ID to vote. This includes Biden voters (62% support to 24% opposed), black voters (64% support to 22% opposed), and Latino voters (78% to 16% opposed). Nevertheless, nearly 100 CEOs from America’s largest companies, like Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and Aflac Insurance, met a few days ago to strategize ways to combat efforts to pass new election integrity and voter ID laws, not only in Georgia but around the country. Thankfully, many state legislators are pushing forward regardless of the intimidation and attacks. The Arizona Senate recently passed several election bills that would ensure: Increased identification for early ballots. Better tools to remove dead voters from the rolls. Requiring early ballots sent to the wrong address to be returned. Stopping the use of any electronic voting equipment produced in another country, as well as the transfer or storage of any data overseas. Making it a felony for ineligible voters to vote. Paper receipts must be given to every voter confirming their ballot was tabulated and if not, giving the reason why the ballot was rejected. Similar bills are being worked on in other states. Election integrity is paramount if we are to see our beloved Republic preserved! Your governor and legislators may be the target of boycott threats from corporations and accusations by the media if they are part of the 47 states advancing these bills. Please counter this by contacting them to show your support for laws that protect elections in your state! The lasting impact of the 2020 elections could well be that we emerge with stronger, more righteous elections than ever before! If this happens, we all win! Pray with me: Father, we thank You that You have given Your church, Your Ekklesia, the power and authority in prayer to see truth and justice prevail in our elections. Thank You that You are resetting our election systems to be more honest, transparent, and accurate. We are grateful for state legislatures that are fighting to upgrade and protect our election process – even under threat of slander and boycott! We pray for them and pray that the effective election reform bills in 47 states would be passed and signed into law. Thank You for breakthrough, that despite opposition from all sides, Arizona is moving forward with its history-making audit! We ask for supernatural protection of all records, data, and physical evidence, including surveillance footage and audio recordings from the tabulation center, voting machines, routers, ballots, and images. We pray specifically for the companies hired to act as auditors: Digital Discovery, CyFIR, Wake Technology Services, overseen by Cyber Ninjas. We ask for You to watch over these teams, that their work would be unbiased, accurate and above reproach. We know that they are under extreme pressure from all sides and ask for Psalm 91 protection over them and their families. Our decree: As Your Ekklesia, we decree that no evidence, either physical or digital, will be lost, tampered with, or overlooked – and angels will safeguard the entire audit process, especially while the evidence is being moved to a new location! We take authority in Jesus’ name over any confusion, false accusation, misinformation, intimidation or threats that the enemy would seek to bring against those who are working on the Maricopa County audit and audit efforts in other states. We decree in Jesus’ name for truth to be revealed and an accurate accounting given to the public. We declare that according to Your Word “…there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). In Jesus’ name. Amen. Sources: https://www.azsenaterepublicans.com/post/arizona-senate-hires-auditor-to-review-2020-election-in-maricopa-county Arizona Senate working to set up Maricopa County election audit https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/location-2020-election-audit-maricopa-countys-results-now-set-world-watching-arizona/ https://youtu.be/pbb8WqyF-m8 Law Firms Threaten to Sue Auditors - Their Demand Letter Nancy Barto, e-Newsletter, March 12, 2021 ARIZONA: Judge Rules Maricopa County Must Hand Over Ballots and Voting Equipment to State Senate for Audit https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/polling/over-half-voters-new-poll-say-they-believe-cheating-affected-2020-election

The Birth of Give Him 15 For the past 40 years, I have traveled the world speaking, lecturing, and teaching. I’ve authored 20+ books and even senior pastored for 20 of those years. My love for word studies and hearing from God has caused me to cultivate a life of intercession and teaching others to do the same. In 2014, I was one of the speakers for a prayer conference in Kansas. Julie Meyer, a well-known prophetic psalmist, was the worship leader for this gathering. Julie was one of the early worship voices at IHOP in Kansas City and is known for her worship being flavored with a strong prophetic gift. After my message, I began leading in a time of intercession, mixed with strong prophetic worship and decrees led by Julie - “harp and bowl” - as some call it. After finishing the prayer time, I went to my seat and began gathering my belongings while the leader of the conference closed with her remarks. But as the conference host stopped speaking, the keyboard began playing again, and Julie began to sing: “🎶 15 minutes, can you give me 15 minutes? Who will give me 15 minutes? If you’ll give me 15 minutes, I’ll change your nation. If you’ll give me 15 minutes I’ll save your family. If you give me 15 minutes, I’ll heal your body. 15 minutes, who’ll give me 15 minutes?” It was powerful and very moving, so much so that people all over the room begin shouting “I will.” “I’ll give you 15!” I spoke at another conference at the same location a few months later and Julie led the worship once again. This time, she sang directly to me: 🎶 “Dutch, Dutch, Dutch, you know what you have to do, do it! You know what you have to do, do it!” 🎶 Then she began singing about the number 15. 🎶“Through the number 15, you’re going to change the nation. Through the number 15, you’re going to bring revival.” 🎶 And on and on she went. My first thought was, I DON’T know what to do. What does that mean? Change the world through a number? Prophets can be very strange. This was the birth of Give Him 15, although it actually didn’t launch for another year or so. Today, we felt it would be appropriate to share with you how “Give Him 15” began and some of the ways we feel God wants to use it. I will try to do it in a way that mixes some teaching and insights, and we will still end with prayer. As I do with prophetic words and dreams, I would read, bring this prophetic word into my prayer closet, and ask the Lord what it meant - what was significant about giving Him 15 minutes? I would mull it over, pray about it, asking Him to give me clarity and strategy, but nothing more came. Finally, a staff member suggested writing a short devotional and prayer for each day, encouraging people to agree in prayer with others for the nation. Feeling like my schedule was too busy to compose daily posts plus continue traveling, I hired a trustworthy person to write them, sharing a short teaching and prayer. We began with just an app, launching it in 2015. It was downloaded by several hundred thousand people, but we could see that only 5,000-10,000 actually opened it on a daily basis. I thought, “Well, if we have a few thousand people agreeing in prayer for our nation daily, I’ll take that.” At this time, there was no video or audio version, just the app where the daily devotional could be read, and a prayer. However, I wondered, at times, if this was all God had in mind. Then the 2020 elections rolled around, and my world changed. Because the soul of our nation was at stake, I realized just how strategic the election was, and this burden did not end on November 3. That is when the Lord prompted me to begin writing the posts myself, sharing prophetic insights, dreams, and strategies I felt were being given to the praying church regarding the nation during this strategic and pivotal time. And I felt I was to video them. Even though I knew this approach was from the Lord, it was very challenging. I continued to travel extensively during that season adding at least a dozen cities/events to an already busy schedule. Because it takes Ceci and me about 3-4 hours to compose, edit, and record each post, it doesn’t take long to do the math: I was adding 20+ hours to my already busy work week. Neither Ceci nor I took a day off for four months (not even Sundays). We worked 15-16 hours a day, sometimes more. Our thinking was that we could do this for a few months and then go back to the old format after the election was settled. Hundreds of thousands joined us daily as we prayed for America - and it was worth it. In my posts, I tried to be very clear that we were not praying primarily for President Trump, but for the destiny of a nation, of which he played a significant role. I still believe this. The issues I wrote about weren’t political in nature, but moral issues which would affect not only us, but also generations to come, as well as other nations. I believe Holy Spirit used our prayers in significant ways. As thousands of us began to pray together, many being awakened to pray for the nation for the first time, God used our agreement to begin uncovering and exposing true motives and plans in our nation which had been hidden. I believe God is continuing to use our prayers - none are wasted. And hold on, I believe more uncovering will be manifested. I am also confident our prayers are being used to release what God needs for the shifting of our government and to begin the coming revival. Not one prayer was unfruitful nor unproductive! As we have talked about before, they are filling the bowls of heaven (Revelation 5:8). I also came to realize, however, that these posts were taking on another purpose. Many who read and watched were using them as their daily devotional. Others commented that the posts were bringing them hope. Thousands of people have told us they start their day with the “15” post, urging us not to stop them after the election process ended. As I prayed, a new concept emerged in my heart. Not only could a large number of us agree together in prayer each day, but we could also use the posts to help teach and shape believers into what God needs and desires in this new era. We have found that many believers want to know more about prayer, even lacking a basic biblical foundation of faith and prayer. Thousands email us wanting to know about decrees, declarations, the Ekklesia, and numerous other subjects we discuss. We will continue to teach on prayer and needed revelation to mature the Ekklesia (us, the church) in her role of representing Christ on the earth. We must mature our biblical worldview, learn how to hear from God, and become more acquainted with His presence and desire to know us. We are on a sharp learning curve, but feel we are gaining an understanding of how to accomplish this without over-extending ourselves. We are not there yet, but we are progressing. Thank you for taking this journey with us and joining us on a daily basis. Without you, there is no reason for GH15. It is not a fundraiser - we don’t charge for the app, we don’t ask you for money, and we do not use it to sell books. It exists to multiply prayer and bring understanding regarding our walk with Christ. Help us spread the word. That is what the flags/banners are for. We don’t make any money on them - they are strictly to help promote Give Him 15. You might fly one on your flagpole, hang it on the wall of your prayer room, or perhaps even in your sanctuary. (And the more radical ones of you can fly them from your truck - send pictures). Help us spread the word so even more can agree together, learn about prayer and spiritual authority, and mature in praying for this great nation we call America (and of course, other nations, as well). Pray with me: Father, thank You for people like Julie Meyer who tap into Your plans and purposes. We cherish the prophetic anointing and thank You for this gift. Jesus, You are the spirit of prophecy. Lord, thank You also for downloading to a member of my team the understanding of this word. I’m so grateful for our amazing DSM team - for their hard work and excellence in making these posts available. Thank You for those who join us each day. We are grateful for the army You are raising up on the earth to implement Your plans and desires. Your kingdom, Lord, is ever increasing and You have allowed us to be part of that. We are humbled and filled with joy. And we thank You for our nation/s. We know You have raised up America to be a voice for You. Though at times we have failed miserably, You are bringing us back to our destiny and vision. We know Your hand is on many other nations as well. You love every person, in every nation, equally the same. So with one voice, we ask You now, “Send revival!” In Jesus’ name, we ask You for this. Amen. Our decree: We decree that God is good, all the time.

Enforcing the Victory of Calvary I’m not sure why some Christians become uneasy with the concept of dealing with the unseen forces of darkness. The entirety of Scripture is regarding our unseen God and His invisible angels, dealing with an unseen foe and his invisible demons. The Bible is not a fable or fairy tale. Its stories are true, and its characters are, as well. There is a real satan, who rules real demons, and this dark kingdom opposes the rule of God over the earth. Much of what we can see around us in the natural world is caused or influenced by the spiritual, invisible world. Spiritual warfare is simply using God’s authority and power to “resist” the works of darkness (James 4:7). My friend Tom Schlueter, shares great insights from 2 Chronicles 20 regarding spiritual warfare: “There are certain passages of Scripture the Lord has been highlighting over the last several years. I believe He is helping us, the Ekklesia, focus on truths needing to be heard and obeyed in this hour, truths that will enable us to bring His kingdom and will to earth, and to our nation. “One of the passages is the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20. I've read, meditated on, and preached these words to my congregation, Prince of Peace House of Prayer in Arlington, Texas, as well as to the Texas Apostolic Prayer Network. I believe they are important words for this hour. There are obviously many important aspects of this story, but the Lord has specifically shown me four clear commands for Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah. They are recorded in verse 17: ‘. . .Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.’ “Holy Spirit first tells Judah to ‘position yourselves.’ The Hebrew word is yatsav, which means to place, station oneself, take one’s stand, or stand with someone. This describes what an army called and gathered on a drill field or the field of battle might do. They are at the ready, having heard the sound of the bugle, and are gathered before their commander. “Secondly, God tells them to ‘stand still’ (the Hebrew word is amad). This word means to stand, but it also takes on a stronger meaning. It infers the troops are standing still, ready to receive their battle assignment. The word describes what occurs when a commander or general has given the order: ‘Attention.’ No moving; no distractions. Nothing but eyes straight ahead and ears ready to hear orders for the day. “God then tells Judah to see the ‘salvation of the Lord’ (the Hebrew word for salvation here is yeshua). The word not only means salvation, but also means deliverance and victory - and it obviously points to Messiah, Jesus! Set your eyes on your salvation: Jesus. He is the Lord of Angel Armies, King of kings, the Commander-in-Chief. Await His orders! “Then finally, Holy Spirit tells them, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed’ (yare and kathath). These words mean terror, fear; to be shattered, dismayed, or broken; to be abolished. You are endued with the power, presence, and glory of God. He will be involved in the battle, therefore, cast off fear! Yes, you will face the enemy, but you will behold the victory of the Lord. “We must position ourselves, stand at attention, focus on Him, and cast off our fear and dismay. Then we move ahead as He instructs us – as He reveals His plans through His Word, prophetic revelation, dreams, and visions. ‘...and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper,’ (2 Chronicles 20:20). “Today, our nation needs the Ekklesia of God to rise up as never before. As I have prayed, the Lord has shown me a clear vision of an army standing on the field and ready for battle. I can hear horses snorting. I can see flags representing the different tribes, flapping in the wind. I can see the Commander on His horse, riding before the troops and calling them to attention, battle-ready, against all the forces of darkness in our nation and the world. As Paul declares in Ephesians 6:12, ‘...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.’” Some believers possess a passive and deadly theology that says Jesus did all of the spiritual warfare; we don’t have to engage in any. They go so far as to say that “Yes, satan is ‘a roaring lion’ (1 Peter 5:8), but Jesus pulled his teeth - just ignore him.” If this is true, I’m not sure why we need our spiritual armor, nor what the fiery darts mentioned in Ephesians 6:16 might be. The King James version of scripture creates some of this confusion by translating both Greek words, dunamis and exousia, as “power.” More accurate translations would be dunamis as “power,” and exousia as “authority.” Power is the strength or force needed to accomplish a task; authority is the legal right to do so. In the war over earth and the control of humans, power has NEVER been the deciding factor. The issue is authority. Satan didn’t gain any power at Adam’s fall; he gained authority. When tempting Christ, “the devil said to Him, ‘I will give You all of this domain (exousia - authority) and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish...if you worship before me...’” (Luke 4:6-7, emphasis mine). Jesus came as a human (Hebrew: adam), to re-take Adam’s lost authority and, of course, succeeded. He announced in Matthew 28:18, “All authority (exousia) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth,” (emphasis mine). Colossians 1:13 says, “He delivered us from the domain (exousia - authority) of darkness...” Again, satan didn’t accrue any new power at the Fall and he didn’t lose any at the Cross. He lost authority - the right to use his power, curses, demons, etc., on those who come out of his kingdom and into Christ’s. He will try to do so, however, and when he does, we must enforce the victory of Calvary, resisting him and binding his actions in Jesus’ name or authority. As Tom points out, spiritual warfare will be necessary for us. The very Hebrew word for intercession (paga) actually means “to fall on, attack, or impale” an enemy. Holy Spirit, through Paul, used words such as “fight,” “warfare,” and “wrestle” to describe our activities when dealing with the powers of darkness (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:12). The good news, of course, is since Christ has already defeated satan, stripping him of his right to rule us, our “warfare” is simply to enforce - in Christ’s name - the victory of Calvary, NOT re-defeat him! We war from Christ’s victory, and do so with His authority. “But we thank God for giving us the victory as conquerors through our Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 15:57 TPT) Pray with me: Lord, just as your servant, the Apostle Paul, declared that he had finished the race and fought the good fight, carrying out the commands of his Savior and Lord, we also stand before You today, awaiting Your instructions. It is all for Your glory and Your Kingdom and for the fulfillment of Your will. We set our eyes on You, Jesus, and await Your commands. We stand ready to enforce Your victory. We will do so for ourselves, our families, and all to whom You assign us. To You belong the spoils of victory. The earth is Yours; the nations are Yours. Everywhere You send us, You have all authority there. So we stand ready to go as Your ambassadors, speaking in Your name and releasing Your life. Today, we release Your life to our homes and families. We release it to our cities and nations. We release it to the bound, the hurting, and the lost. We stand ready to release Your very life and anointing, Jesus, in every place and to everyone. In Your name, we pray, Amen. Our decree: We set our eyes on Jesus. We confess and decree that He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and we will run with endurance the race He has set before us. Portions of today’s post were contributed by Tom Schlueter and taken from his book Wielding the Axe. You can find out more about him here.

Speak To The Storm I like studying biblical words because of the added insight I receive from the different nuances of meaning. The Hebrew language, with its pictorial style, paints many rich pictures; and with a technical approach, the Greeks used to say they could say more in one word than other languages could in an entire sentence. A little arrogant, but possibly true. Without a doubt, God determined that these two languages would give us the Scriptures. There is another reason I like to look up the original words used in Scripture, however. Some translations often use the same English word to translate different Hebrew or Greek words. And sometimes this is misleading. For example, the King James Version uses the word “time” to translate both chronos and kairos. However, one refers to general time (chronos), chronological time. The other, kairos, means strategic or opportune time. The importance of knowing which is used is immeasurable. From planting until harvest is chronos; the harvest window is kairos. If you’re a farmer, you better know the difference! Another subject with which the KJV does this is fear. There are actually three Greek words in the New Testament which, at times, are all translated with the one English word, “fear.” One word, however, means “reverential fear or awe.” This is the word used when speaking of “the fear of the Lord.” Another word means “terror, dread or phobia.” This, of course, is a fear of harm, pain, or loss. It’s easy to see that knowing which word is used, matters. I have a “fear of the Lord” but I am not “afraid” of Him. Then there is a Greek word that means “timidity or insecurity” - which is why I’m writing this post. Paul told his spiritual son, Timothy, “God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). The word is deilia: timidity, insecurity, bashful, or shy. Timothy was facing criticism, persecution, and attacks from people. His youthfulness and inexperience, compounded by the magnitude of his task in leading the church at Ephesus, was causing him to be insecure. Paul was not telling him he did not have to be afraid. It was not that type of fear that was controlling Timothy. He was telling him not to be timid or insecure. In other words, “be bold, and believe in what God has put in you. He has equipped you to do this!” Sometimes the two fears of harm and timidity work together to paralyze or torment us. In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and the disciples were crossing the lake when a vicious storm arose. It looked like they would not make it through this storm, so the disciples awakened Jesus, who addressed the storm with, “Peace, be still.” The storm ended immediately. Then Jesus asked the disciples an interesting and strange question, “Why are you afraid?” Then He addressed their lack of faith. I know why they were afraid, don’t you? These were experienced fishermen, who had made a living on this lake. When they concluded this storm was bad enough that they weren’t going to survive it, you can believe it was true. It makes more sense, however, when you realize Jesus did not ask them why they were afraid. He asked them why they were timid or insecure (deilia). Christ was telling them they could have - and should have - done what He did: rebuke the storm! Boldness was needed at this moment, not timidity. This storm was a demonic strategy to harm them. Jesus had already told the disciples, “We are going to the other side.” They should have acted on His words and did what He had done. I am certainly not suggesting that I would have done things differently than they did. I am simply pointing out the lesson Jesus was giving them: “When you have My promise or direction, believe it and act boldly on it!” A friend of ours, on the front lines of warfare for America, one who greatly loves our nation, and whose life was severely affected by the 2020 elections, was recently given a dream that pictures this lesson. You’ll be encouraged by it! “I can honestly say I had one of the best dreams I have ever had last night. I was in what was my house in the dream, lounging comfortably in bed. I heard a voice say, ‘Run and hide! There is a hurricane coming!’ “I looked out the window and saw a terrible hurricane barreling towards my house. I knew I would likely drown. The storm was fierce, destroying everything in its path. I stood up out of bed, and the water was already at my ankles, and I knew the storm was just starting. The wind was blowing and debris was flying around my house. Again the voice said, ‘Run! Hide! You have to save yourself!’ “I thought about it and stayed standing. I grabbed the side of the bed, closed my eyes, and tucked my chin to brace for impact. I responded to the voice calmly, ‘I will not run. I will stand my ground in this storm.’ “Everything got quiet. I opened my eyes and my house was in order. No damage and it was completely dry. I looked out the window and saw the storm in the distance...fleeing from me.” My comments to this person were that God was not only telling her the storm would not destroy her. He was also showing her what is in her spirit. He has not given her a spirit of timidity or fear. He has given her a spirit of faith and boldness. We need not fear the storms. We must stand our ground and face them with faith. And if we do, we will win. The storm will run from us! “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Pray with me: Father, the last year has been difficult for many people. I’m sure some are tempted to retreat or, worse yet, abandon their faith. Some want out of the boat, others have decided they would rather be back in Egypt. We pray that You would show them, as you did our friend, that deep within them they have the strength to overcome; that satan is an intimidator who wants us to think we are grasshoppers when facing giants and storms. But You have given us Caleb hearts. You said we are more than conquerors - we have more than enough strength in us to overcome. (Romans 8:37) So we speak to the storm and say, “Be still! Stop! We will not listen to you, we will not run from you, and you will not destroy us. We are well able to possess the land, and we will do so. We are on God‘s timetable, and any delays will be used for our benefit. (Romans 8:28) Our times are in His hand. (Psalm 31:15). Everything He has promised, He will do. Our future is secure.” Our decree: We decree that as we resist the devil, he WILL flee from us!