Hold The Line My friend, Jane Hamon, a seasoned prophet and leader in the body of Christ, recently had a stirring and encouraging dream regarding America. She says: “We are now in a very important time of spiritual engagement, prayer and contending over God’s destiny and purpose for the United States and other nations in the earth. Romans 13:11 exhorts us to ‘know the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.’ The Spirit of God is awakening watchmen and intercessors to watch and pray as never before. “On February 2, 2021, I awakened from a dream in which I saw American cities seemingly being overrun by violent rioters in a dark night. Cities were on fire, massive destruction and anarchy was taking place. The rioters were lawless and demonized; in fact, their actions were totally inspired by the demons. A strong, demonic force thought they were in control. (I do not believe this was a reference to the riots that occurred last year in some American cities, but was instead a glimpse into the spirit realm regarding demonic activity currently at work.) “In the dream, there was a force present which I recognized as riot police. I knew this was actually the Ekklesia who had been assigned to restore order and peace in the nation. They were standing shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye could see, with shields locked and full riot gear on, which I realized was modernized spiritual armor (see Ephesians 6:11-17). They did not have a sword in their hands, for the sword was in their mouths. Jane continues, “Initially, I was uncomfortable with the imagery of riot police because of well-publicized instances when they’ve been accused of political repression against honest dissent. However, the job description of riot police is to control unruly crowds, maintain public order, discourage criminality, and protect people and property. When this is understood the imagery is appropriate for our current season of contending as the Ekklesia. “In my dream, I saw a large angel with a megaphone intermittently shouting, ‘Hold the Line.’ When he stated this, the Ekklesia would march forward two thundering steps, shields locked, pressing back against evil. They were advancing even though every kind of evil was swirling around them. As they marched they released a sound of war (Hu-ah!), and light came from their mouths blinding the enemy! ‘Hold the Line’ rang out again, and once more the Ekklesia marched forward, pushing back evil. The gates of hell could not prevail, evil would not be stronger than God’s church. “The sound the Ekklesia’s boots made resonated in the heavens and I realized the armies of heaven were marching with them. (Like the four lepers who said, ‘Why sit we here until we die,’ and got up to go to the enemy’s camp. God caused the sounds of angel armies to march with them, terrifying their foe.) In the dream, this sound caused the demons to scream in agony and panic as they realized they were not just dealing with humans (the church), God’s army on earth; they were also being confronted with the armies in heaven. Two armies advancing; two armies taking authority and dominion in the earth; two armies bringing God’s kingdom into the land; two armies pushing back against the very gates of hell. “I believe the Lord is saying to His Ekklesia, ‘My people, do not be afraid of the night! The night does not belong to evil. I OWN THE NIGHT! The night only coaxes wickedness out of their hiding places, then when the light is turned on there is no place to run. The night precedes the dawning of the new day. For you are living in the manifestation of Isaiah 60 where it seems darkness is covering the earth and deep darkness and deception cover the people, BUT I the Lord am rising on you! And My glory will be seen on you! THEN nations (even this nation) will come to your light and kings and leaders to the brightness of your rising!’ (see Isaiah 60:1-3) “And the Lord is declaring to His Ekklesia, ‘You may feel that you are living in a day in which evil has prevailed. However, I say to you, I am up to something! Did I not say that I would cause evil and corruption to be uncovered? Did I not say there would be days of chaos and confusion ahead? Did I not say I would expose hidden plans and demonic schemes?’ The Lord says, ‘Did you think it would be easy or look peaceful? Ha! Do I need to remind you that the greatest victories come after the greatest battles?’ “Psalms 2:1, 4 declares, ‘Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? God sits in the heavens and laughs!’ The Lord says, ‘I assure you I have a plan for America. I assure you I have heard your prayers. I assure you that I am a God of righteousness and justice and I will have MY WAY.’ “You may feel you’re at the Red Sea and Pharoah’s armies are pursuing. You may even feel trapped and that your plight is hopeless. But the Lord says, ‘I have a plan! I am up to something that no one has seen before. I am going to move in a way that is beyond the natural, it is supernatural.’ “So, HOLD THE LINE, EKKLESIA!!! It is a time to advance even in the midst of darkness. Hold the line through prayer and prophetic decrees Hold the line with worship that opens the heavens Hold the line for your own personal peace, joy, and faith Hold the line for justice, truth, and righteousness Hold the line for the coming revival and awakening Hold the line for the destiny of your nation. “Shake off the weariness, and break out of grief and disappointment! Rise up as warriors, empowered by Holy Spirit and take your land. Our victory has never been closer, but we must press through the night to the dawning of our new day.” Pray With Me: Father, we are thankful that You have a covenant plan for America and the light of Your glory is shining brightly into the darkness. We thank You that America’s greatest days are ahead, as Your Ekklesia rises up and takes its place of authority in our land. We set our eyes on You, knowing You are up to something supernatural that will usher in the greatest spiritual awakening in the history of the earth. Lord, give us eyes to see what You are doing. Give us ears to hear what You are saying. Give us courageous hearts that stand ready to hold the line for righteousness, justice, and truth. Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation so we can push back evil, restore divine order, secure peace and see Your kingdom advance, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree the Ekklesia is arising in unity, with shields locked and a sound of victory in our mouths. The gates of hell will not prevail against us and America shall be saved! We will hold the line and advance the kingdom. You can find out more about Jane Hamon here.

Understanding Kingly and Priestly Intercession In the late 1980s, I was having a fairly normal phone conversation with a seasoned prophet when he began speaking to me prophetically. I don’t remember all of it, but one phrase stood out. He said God was going to bring forth “the fresh age of the Melchizedek order” and that I would be involved in leading it. “What is that?” I asked when he concluded. “I don’t know,” he said somewhat humorously. “But when you find out, let me know.” Fast-forward approximately fifteen years to October 2002. I was praying for the Supreme Court of America when I heard Holy Spirit clearly say, “You will fully shift the government of America when the prayer movement fully shifts from priestly intercession only, to kingly intercession as well.” I suddenly remembered what the prophet had long ago said to me, the dots connected in my mind, and I understood “the fresh age of the Melchizedek order.” It was said of Jesus that He is a priest, “according to the order of Melchizedek” (see Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6-10). Melchizedek is first mentioned in Genesis 14, again in Psalm 110, and then in the New Testament book of Hebrews. He was both a king and a priest; this was one of the important ways in which He pictured Jesus, our King and High Priest. And this is key to understanding the “Melchizedek order.” As I studied the spiritual functions of both kings and priests, it became clear that priests represent the needs of people TO GOD, while kings represent the rule of God TO PEOPLE. Through prayers, petitions, and sacrifices to atone for sin, priests represented the needs of humankind to heaven; through laws, decrees, and righteous judgments, kings represented heaven’s rule to earth. In His unique role, Christ functions as both. As our Savior, High Priest, Mediator, and Advocate, Jesus represents we humans to God. On the other hand, as King, Christ represents and releases the rule or authority of God from heaven to earth. Here is a simple summary of the differences between these functions: As King, Christ represents the rule and will of God; as a Priest, He represents the needs and desires of people. His kingly role flows downward, from heaven to earth; His priestly role rises upward, from earth to heaven. His kingly activity is God-centered; His priestly activity is human-centered. While we must understand these functions of Christ, we must also realize that as His body on earth, He fulfills many of them through us. We are His voice, His hands, His feet. What Christ is, He is in us; what He does, He does through us. It’s not really complicated – we’re partners with Him. Not equal partners, of course. As the Head, He’s in charge; as the body, we serve the will of the Head. Keeping this partnering and representational relationship with Christ in mind, we can grasp the fresh age of the Melchizedek order (an “order” is not just one person, but a group of people) in which we have become extensions of His King-Priest role. We are an expression of Christ in His priestly role, representing the needs of people upward to heaven. Just as Christ “offered up both prayers and supplications” while on earth (Hebrews 5:7, emphasis added), we also, as priests, “offer up spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5, emphasis added). However, not only are we priests, we’re a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added). We are seated with Christ on His throne (Ephesians 1:20; 2:6), told to reign in life (Romans 5:17), instructed to extend His scepter (Psalm 110:2) and are given keys of kingdom authority with which to bind and loose, forbid and allow (Matthew 16:19). Whereas priests “offer up” to heaven, kings “proclaim” downward to earth. Just as Christ decreed the will of the Father in situations – pronouncing blessings and curses, casting out demons, healing the sick, even raising the dead – we are told, as His ambassadors to do the same. When representing Christ in His kingly position, we do not petition heaven; we command FOR heaven. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that as a royal priesthood we are to proclaim His “excellencies.” This is the Greek word arete, also meaning “superiority.” One lexicon calls it “virtue as a force or energy of Holy Spirit accompanying the preaching of the glorious gospel.”1 As representatives of King Jesus, we are called to proclaim the “superiority” of God. We have the privilege of releasing the “force or energy of Holy Spirit” as we proclaim the good news of Christ. Both the priestly and kingly aspects of prayer can be seen in the “Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13): The prayer begins with praise, an obvious example of priestly activity: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” The prayer then shifts to kingly intercession with commands: “Your kingdom come! Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The verbs “come” and “be” are both in the imperative tense (a command) in Greek. In other words, we are not only to request His kingdom rule and will – we are to decree them into situations for Him. This is kingly, governmental intercession, releasing heaven to earth. The prayer then shifts back to priestly petitioning, asking for provision, forgiveness, and freedom from temptation. In 1980, I was asked to pray for a newborn baby with a fractured skull. During a difficult birth, the doctor had used forceps and in the process, had fractured the baby’s skull. As I began to pray, Holy Spirit led me to command healing into this infant’s skull. I, along with the congregation praying in agreement with me, decreed that in the powerful name of Jesus the baby’s skull was being healed. It happened instantly! Through this miracle, the mother was born-again, and at church the following Sunday I had the privilege of dedicating this baby to Jesus. That is kingly intercession. The Melchizedek order is arising in the earth. These followers of Christ offer up the incense of worship and petitions, yes. But as emissaries of the King, representatives of His kingdom on earth, these ambassadors also issue heaven’s commands over the forces of darkness. They are Christ’s Ekklesia – legislators, liberators, deliverers, and enforcers. Pray with me: Lord, teach us to function in both our priestly and kingly roles. We request of You and we are also Your ambassadors. In our priestly roles, we bring our families, friends, neighbors, and even our nation before Your throne now, asking for Your mercy to be given to them. But we also function in our kingly roles, declaring Your will to be done in these individuals and nations. Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done! We recognize that we are extensions of Your ministry, releasers of Your victory on the earth. We embrace this partnership with You, yet we ask for more understanding and revelation regarding it. May we go deeper in humility, as we go higher in authority. It is Your will we want, and only Your authority can release it. Yours truly is the Kingdom, power, and glory forever! Today we appeal to heaven for Your mercy and grace to be extended to America. We decree that nothing will stop the reset You have begun. We declare that evil will be exposed as Your light shines in the dark places. We break the power of witchcraft that is covering and hiding evil, and release the light of truth to shine upon it. We pray this truth will shine forth as bright as the noonday light! You said our government would fully shift when we began moving in both priestly and kingly intercession. We are now doing this. We appeal for - but we also decree - America’s shift! You said we would decree things and they would be established (Job 22:28). We believe now is the time! We ask and declare all of this in Christ’s name and authority. Amen. Our decree: We decree that God is moving and operating behind the scenes to bring victory and renewed purpose to America! 1 Spiro Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, 1811.

The Ekklesia When Jesus showed up on the fallen world scene, He left no doubt as to His ownership of it: He demonstrated authority over the laws of nature, walking on water (Matthew 14:25). He controlled the forces of nature, altering weather patterns (Mark 4:39). He trumped the laws of physics, multiplying food, turning water into wine, translating His physical body from one place to another, and destroying trees simply by speaking to them (Matthew 15:36; John 2:9; 6:21; Mark 11:13-14, 20). He demonstrated authority over the animal world, using a fish to collect the money needed for a tax (Matthew 17:27). He had dominion over disease, healing multitudes (Acts 10:38). He even displayed power over death, bringing dead people back to life (John 11:43-44). In a plan so daring, bold, and staggering in its ramifications that no one could guess what it was, including satan’s kingdom and even the angels, God had become an adam (a Hebrew word meaning “man”) and thereby qualified Himself to redeem humankind and win back their lost authority. Ownership of the earth wasn’t the issue nor was Christ’s personal authority - He had never lost His. The issue was authority for the human race - whether or not they would regain their governmental rights to earth. When the God-man, Jesus, paid our penalty and restored us to God, in the process He also won back Adam’s lost authority. It is now safe in the hands of a human who will never lose it again. God’s original plan was restored: There is now a race of humans on the earth filled with God’s life and nature, capable of relating to Him as Father and managing this incredible home He made for them. If they had only realized it! When we are born again, we are no longer simply humans—adamites—we are a new race of supernatural beings called Christians (“little Christs”). In his first letter to Corinth, Paul chastised the believers for acting like “mere men” (3:3). We are not “merely human”; we are supernatural daughters and sons of the Most High God, filled with His Spirit and anointed to represent Him. God has His family back and can now continue His plan, which included them managing and governing the earth. On a wall near the main entrance to The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription: James Butler Bonham – no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.1 No literal picture of Jesus exists, either. But like Bonham, He can be seen in the lives of His family, the church. The big question now centers around whether or not we will take on our role of revealing and partnering with Him on the earth. Will we partner with God according to His original plan, or do we believe we were born again just to one day get into heaven? The church is mentioned for the first time in Matthew 16:18-19: I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. When Jesus used the word “church” (Greek: Ekklesia), the disciples weren’t hindered by our contemporary ideas as to what it meant. Their paradigm of an Ekklesia differed greatly from what it has become. To us today it is: 1. A worship service 2. A building used by Christians 3. A local congregation of Christians 4. For those who tend toward its literal meaning, it would be a “called out” group of people. The last concept is the most accurate, according to a strict translation, ”called out,” but it still falls far short of communicating what an Ekklesia was when Christ made His stunning announcement. To the Greeks in Christ’s day an Ekklesia was an assembly of people ”called out” of the populace to govern the affairs of a city or nation – in essence, it was a city council, parliament or congress. To the Romans, it was a group of people sent into a conquered region to rule it, but also to alter the culture until it became like Rome, realizing this was the ideal way to control their empire. They changed government, social structure, language, schools, etc., until the people talked, thought, acted like, and considered themselves Romans. When Jesus said He would build His church, He was without question speaking of a body of people that would “legislate” spiritually for Him, extending His kingdom rule over the earth. His statement that “the gates of Hades will not overpower it” makes much more sense when we understand this. These “gates” are not physical gates, but rather the governmental plans or decisions of hell. Biblical gates were often where judges sat to rule or governing councils met to make decisions, and therefore they often symbolized government (for example, see 2 Samuel 19:8; Proverbs 22:22-23). In Ruth 4:10-11, the Hebrew word for gate is actually translated as a “court.” In this first decree announcing the church, Jesus was saying He would raise up a kingdom government on earth, which hell’s government wouldn’t prevail over. He followed this declaration by saying He would give His Ekklesia “keys” (Matthew 16:19), which symbolize authority. Keys lock and unlock, in order to close or open. Christ was declaring His church would have keys (authority) to lock the gates (government) of hell and open the gates (government) of heaven. This is accomplished primarily through declarations and decrees made FOR God, not petitions made TO God. When needing from Him, we request and petition. When dealing with the powers of darkness and their plans, we command and decree. Jesus told us to command His Kingdom (rule) to come and will to be done (Matthew 6:10). The verbs “come” and “be” are in the imperative Greek tense, meaning a command. Christ was saying, “Command My kingdom rule and will to come forth!” If I were satan and wanted to stop evangelism, the spread of biblical morality, or the rule of God into the earth, I can’t think of a better way than deceiving Christians regarding Ekklesia. My first priority would be to keep them from understanding what it means to be the church. The end result would be to leave God without a government on earth. Then, even though I had lost my authority there, I could still rule. Obviously, we are not to expand the Christian faith or God’s rule on earth by physical force or domination, as some religions do. We are to “invade” our culture, workplace, city, nation, etc., with the spiritual might of God’s kingdom, spreading His life, love, and rule everywhere. Jesus told us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and to preach (declare) the good news of Him “to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The Acts church turned their world “upside-down” (17:6 AMP). They upset status quo everywhere they went – and we should also. Pray with me: Father, Christ has recaptured Adam’s lost dominion. Now, we are to be enforcers of His will through the spiritual weapons You have given us, and through the authority of His name. We have the keys of His kingdom, we have authority to bind and loose, to forbid and allow. We have allowed this truth to be stolen from us, but you are restoring it to the body of Christ. We ask You to increase this revelation until Christ the King has a strong Ekklesia on the earth, an expression of His kingdom authority that the gates or government of hell cannot prevail against. A church that knows how to bind and loose, open and close doors, and manifest Your glory even to the powers of darkness in the invisible realm - “heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10). With this authority, we bind the powers of darkness ruling in the government of our nation. We break the hold of the antichrist spirit seeking to transform our nation through ungodly laws, beliefs, and activities. We bind this also in our schools and homes. We decree that Jesus is Owner and Lord over all the earth, including America. And in His name, we release the spirit of revival, of holiness, of worship, and the fear of the Lord into America. We decree that righteous change is coming, and coming quickly. AND NOTHING WILL STOP IT!!! Our decree: We decree that a glorious church - capable of representing Christ in all of His authority - is coming forth. And we decree that the plans of hell will not overcome this body of believers. Portions of today’s teaching were taken from my book Authority in Prayer. 1 Craig Brian Larson, ed., Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal, 261.

Power of The Spoken Word I am constantly amazed at how many prayer meetings I attend where so little of the Word of God is implemented. The greatest weapon God has given us often goes unsheathed! If Christ, our greatest example, used the spoken Word as His number one weapon when confronted by satan himself, shouldn’t we use it regularly? Years ago, I was impressed by one of my daughters’ teachers, who sent home to us parents a list of 18 Scriptures to pray over our children. He obviously understands the power of God’s Word. Here are a few of the verses: “Hate evil, you who love the Lord” (Psalm 97:10). “If sinners entice you, do not consent . . . do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path” (Proverbs 1:10, 15). “I urge you . . to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God . . And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2). “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Praying and declaring verses like these is, I believe, the highest and most effective level of prayer. I know of parents who have diligently spoken God’s Word over unsaved children (in prayer, not in their hearing), using verses such as the following: “God . . . grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth . . . that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26 NIV). “And all they children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isaiah 54:13 KJV). “We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10). After these parents boldly and diligently declared what the Scriptures state, in time the deceptions and bondages holding the children were broken, and they were saved. I’ve known others who have done this over marriages, finances, and other areas of life. They simply found Scriptures pertaining to their circumstances and declared them over their situations. The Hebrew word asah, translated “create” in the Genesis story of God creating the world, also means “to accomplish, do, or perform.” It is used in the following verses, in which the context is speaking God’s Word: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has he said, and will he not do [asah] it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing [asah] what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). “Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform [asah] it’” (Jeremiah 1:12). God’s Word does. God’s Word accomplishes. God’s Word performs. In each reference, humans spoke the creative, doing, accomplishing, and performing words God used! Let that sink in. We’re obviously not speaking about creating physical matter, but rather creating desired results in human lives and situations. And our declarations must be based on His words, agreeing with Scripture and inspired by Holy Spirit. The New Testament word for “confession” means literally “to say the same thing,” (to say what He says). Obviously, we do not have carte blanche power to command our will into anything and everything. First John 5:14-15 tells us: And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. We must find out what the Scriptures teach about our situations, then make our biblical confessions and declarations accordingly. We are then saying the same thing He says, which honors Him and gives Holy Spirit a decree He can truly empower - a biblical declaration. This is a powerful facet of intercession. Hebrews 3:1 is a wonderful verse. It states that Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (which again, means “say the same thing”). When we speak Christ’s words on earth, He can back them up from heaven. Pray with me: Father, You are not a man that You should lie. What You have said You will do. Your words do not return to You void, they accomplish everything You intend them to accomplish. I pray that this revelation goes deep into the heart of Your people and becomes living truth to them. May we become more diligent to speak Your words in every situation and over our daily lives. We agree with Your prophets who have said a great awakening, in fact the greatest revival ever, is now coming to planet earth. We call in 1 billion souls and declare boldly they will come into the kingdom. Release signs and wonders, the miracles You have spoken of. We release the spirit of deliverance You have spoken of. Many will be set free. And Lord, You have shown many what You want to do in the government of America. We come into agreement with that also, declaring that America will have righteous government and the evil being propagated in Washington DC, and other parts of our nation, will fail. You will give us godly and righteous people in Congress, as judges, and in the Executive Branch of our government. We bind the evil forces that oppose this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, is breaking through the strongholds of darkness in our land! Part of today’s post is taken from my book Essential Guide to Prayer.

Why Do We Decree and Declare? It was 1980 and I was fresh out of Bible school. I was radical enough spiritually to pray for anything that moved - or grew. That’s why I was standing in the middle of a field, reading the Bible to the crops. Now that I have your attention . . . No, I’m not kidding. I was taking my cue from Jesus, who spoke to a tree on at least one occasion. He spoke a death sentence to it, and the next day it was dead (see Mark 11:13-14, 20). He also spoke to a storm, commanding it to stop (see Mark 4:39), and even addressed a corpse, giving it life (see John 11:43). One of His disciples also did the latter (see Acts 9:36-41). No, I’m not trying to start a communing-with-nature cult, and I certainly don’t believe in communicating with the dead. Jesus knew that nature and dead people weren’t “hearing” Him, but that His words were releasing the power of Holy Spirit to impact those realms. Our words, when they are His words and Holy Spirit leads us to speak them, also release divine power. That’s why I was reading the Bible over a field. Actually, I was reading it to the field and some flies that were invading it. I read the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 concerning the crop: “Blessed shall be . . . the produce of your ground . . . The Lord will command the blessing . . . in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you . . . And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity . . . in the produce of your ground” (vv 4, 8, 11). I read Psalm 91:3 concerning the flies: “For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence.” The flies died and the crop lived. The situation was as follows: A Guatemalan farmer, already in financial trouble from previous losses, was in danger of losing thousands of acres of maize to these flies. He was about to spend approximately $25,000 to have them crop-dusted and wasn’t even sure this would stop the plague. We spoke to this new Christian about the biblical principle of tithing and the promise that God would “rebuke the devourer” (see Malachi 3:10-11) for those who would obey Him in this regard. We then read him the verses mentioned above and asked if he would like us to join him in reading and declaring these words of God over his crops. He did, we did, and God did. The crops lived and the flies and their larvae died. The crop-dusting wasn’t even necessary. Not only was the crop saved, but the $25,000 the treatment would have cost was, as well. This may seem radical and you may find it odd. However, when scriptural principles are followed, the spoken Word is a powerful weapon of intercession. In response to our posts, we frequently receive questions regarding decrees and declarations. For the next few days, I’m going to explain what I believe the scriptures teach regarding this subject. This little-understood truth need not lead to imbalance or weirdness. However, being balanced biblically does not mean we do nothing that contradicts human understanding or reason. It means we stay in the parameters of biblical teaching and the leading of Holy Spirit. Much so-called balance in Christianity is simply a desire to stay totally in the realm of our human understanding and natural laws. This eliminates many spiritual laws and much of that which requires faith, which certainly includes speaking the word of God as a weapon. Jesus not only spoke Holy Spirit-inspired words to a storm and a tree, as mentioned, but when tempted by satan, the spoken Word of God was His primary weapon against the attack (see Matthew 4:1-11). Ephesians 6:17 calls this “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The Greek term translated “word” in this verse means “spoken words,” as opposed to written words or unspoken thoughts. The verse, used in this primary New Testament passage on spiritual warfare, is telling us that the word of God on our lips is a powerful weapon against satan, as Christ demonstrated. God honors His Word above His very name (see Psalm 138:2 KJV). A person’s name means nothing if his word can’t be trusted. When we consider the Word of God as unfailing and all-powerful, we are giving Him the greatest honor we can give. We’re stating that we know He cannot lie (see Hebrews 6:18), that His Word is eternal (see Isaiah 40:8), and that He can be trusted implicitly. A Roman centurion came to Christ on one occasion, asking Him to heal his servant. Christ was willing and offered to go with the man to minister to his servant. The centurion gave a startling answer, however: Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes, and to another, “Come!” and he comes, and to my servant, “Do this!” and he does it (Matthew 8:8-9). This man understood the authority of God-inspired words and declarations. Jesus did speak the Word, and the servant was healed. I recall a situation I faced several years ago in which evil spirits were obviously involved. In order to protect the privacy of the individuals involved, I must be vague as possible regarding the details. Generally speaking, however, great anger and strife had arisen in a family. A strong possibility existed that the next day this family would be torn apart for years, if not forever. I prayed late into the night about this very volatile situation, asking God to intervene. After a couple of hours of prayer, I clearly heard Holy Spirit say, “Speak the Word.” The instruction came with such force, I knew it was God talking to me. Obeying Him, I began to aggressively declare Scriptures Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance, also making declarations based upon them, which I felt were appropriate. It went something like this: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you” (Luke 10:19). “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). I declare that God has given me authority over the spirits involved in this situation. Holy Spirit in me is greater than any power they can muster. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exaltheth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV). I declare that my weapons are fully able to disarm this situation. In Jesus’ name I tear down the strongholds of the powers of darkness in this family situation. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). I am fully submitted to God and know that as I speak His Word, the evil forces at work must flee. I command you, demonic powers, to leave this situation in Jesus’ name. I free these individuals from your influence. I probably used a few other verses, as well - this was many years ago - but I’m sure you can understand what I was doing. After 10-15 minutes of this, I felt great peace in my heart and went to bed. The following morning every person involved had a change of heart, and total peace prevailed. The power of God’s Word had overcome the evil spirits and positively influenced the minds and hearts of the individuals. I was NOT carrying on a conversation with these spirits nor was I trying in some extrasensory way to speak to the people involved. I was simply using God’s Word as a weapon in the situation, which released the power of Holy Spirit to prevail, accomplishing what He knew was necessary. Pray with me: Father, we know that the power which created the universe is in Your voice. We have obviously not walked in the strength of that revelation. Cause awakening to come to Your people of the power regarding Your Words. May we glorify You as we say what You say. And we pledge to go to an entirely new level of using Your Words as the sword of the Spirit. We will speak Your Words regarding our personal lives, the lives of others, and of our nation. And as we do this now, we decree that the wicked will not prosper in our land. That You will expose them just as You said you would and judge their evil actions. No weapon formed against Your purposes in this land will prosper, but that which You have spoken giving the nations to your son (Psalm 2) will be manifested in America. Our Decree: We decree Your Word from Psalm 119:89: “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” Today’s teaching is taken from my book Essential Guide to Prayer.

America Shall Be Saved Our friend Gina Gholston, a prophet, had a powerful vision in May of 2020 involving the Appeal To Heaven flag. It has brought great hope to me and I’m certain will to you, as well. God birthed America, as Gina mentions, and is NOT finished with her. Be encouraged! “God ordained from the foundation of the world the founding and establishment of the United States of America. His plan of the ages includes the existence of this nation. He sovereignly guided men and women to these shores as the timing of God awakened in them an unquenchable desire to set out in search of a land in which they could worship Him freely. Their undaunted determination and courageous faith in God led them to find and settle these United States of America. “I can only imagine the feelings that must have been coursing through their emotions as they stood, for the first time, on the shores of the land to which they had been led. I cannot say for certain what they might have been thinking, obviously, but assume their initial thoughts were toward Almighty God as they placed a cross on the shoreline and released this prayer and prophetic declaration: “We do hereby dedicate this land and ourselves to reach the people within these shores with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up godly generations after us, and with these generations take the kingdom of God to all the earth…from these very shores, the gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but the entire world.” “God literally charted the course of those Pilgrims and ordered the steps of the early colonists and settlers. He always had those who would hear, respond to Him, and take their place on the timeline of His plan, determined to fulfill their part. They prayed, worked, penned pamphlets to promote “Common Sense,” led armies, preached throughout the territories, sewed flags, built churches, and rang bells of liberty. And God worked through them to accomplish His purposes for their times. “Their obedience to God wasn’t only for themselves and their era. Through them, God was establishing a nation that would know and worship Him, a nation that would radiate His glory and preach His gospel to the nations of the world. That was always His intention. And the church has always been His tool that would stand as a strengthening force throughout the generations to maintain His prophetic destiny for America. “Since her founding, time and again men of greed with evil agendas have sought to throw America off course from God’s intentions. But in spite of those evil attempts, the Ekklesia would rise and work with Holy Spirit to legislate through prayer and see to it that America stayed on course with His purposes. History tells us of mighty moves of God, powerful revivals, and spiritual awakenings that brought the hearts of Americans back to the roots of our Godly heritage. Overall, reverence and honor for God have been a strong, noticeable thread woven throughout the years of America’s existence. “Now, in our day, attempts are again being made to overthrow the plans of God for America. Our Godly heritage is being challenged, and America’s future as a Christian nation is hanging in the balance. Contention is raging as evil has raised its ugly head, seeking to silence, discredit, and dismantle the greatest threat to the accomplishment of their plots and schemes—an awakened Ekklesia. “On May 28, 2020, in a vision, I saw the American flag being wadded up in someone’s hands. Then it was spread back out but was wrinkled and limp. The flag then started to bleed, becoming saturated with blue and red stains which completely covered the Stars and Stripes. Still very wrinkled, it looked as if would fall apart. “Then I saw an Appeal to Heaven flag float down from the heavens and lay on top of the limp American flag, completely covering it. Not only did it cover the American flag, but it also went down into it. As it did, the Stars and Stripes began to be seen again; the American flag then began to revive and re-form. It was still a flag, but it was now solid steel. The Appeal to Heaven flag stayed in it - it was not separate from Old Glory but was now part of her. Though the two combined flags appeared as the American flag, they had been forged into one solid piece. The Appeal to Heaven flag had solidified the American flag. “And I heard the Lord say: ‘This is what I am forging. I am forging the two together—the church and the nation. This will strengthen the nation again, and America will revive, heal, rise, and reform as the nation I birthed it to be.’ “In the vision, the Appeal to Heaven flag was representative of God’s covenant with America and also of the necessity of an awakened Ekklesia. Our fervent, righteous prayers are still a force that will strengthen this nation. The wrinkles of a not-so-perfect history may cause some to believe that the prophetic destiny of America is forever lost, but God’s determined verdict for this nation has never wavered: ‘America shall be saved!’ “The church has been awakened—not yet as a whole, but at least in part - a remnant has been aroused from slumber. It’s now our time to take our place on the timeline of God’s plan of the ages; we must rise with courageous faith in God and undaunted determination to work with Holy Spirit toward His intentions for a revived and thriving America. We understand the distress America is in, yet we are unshaken from our righteous stand. We believe and know that transformation is coming! We are not given to despair; we are given to fervent prayer, and God will heal our land! We release our shouts of triumph, knowing God is with us - to work through us - awakening and strengthening the nation.” “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Pray with me: Father, we come boldly into Your presence, acknowledging and decreeing that You alone are God. America is one nation under You, our God. Though the prophetic purposes of our nation seem to be fading into the shadows of an ungodly culture, Your eyes have searched and found within Your Ekklesia hearts that are completely Yours. We ask that through us, You will now show Yourself strong. Bring demonstrations of Your love and might, provoking an undeniable awakening, an awareness of You, in the church and nation. We declare that Your original intentions for America are now rising from the shadows to shine once again. You are not late. Your promises for this nation have not been forgotten nor forsaken. Your determined verdict has been made, and it cannot be overruled. We stand in faith and agreement with You now to declare that verdict over our nation: “America shall be saved!” Our decree: An awakening to God has come. America will revive, be healed, and rise as the nation God birthed her to be. Portions of today’s post were taken from the book Awakening the Church to Awaken a Nation written by Gina Gholston. You can find out more about Gina here.

An Appeal for Justice We are living in the days the Bible said would come, where evil is called good and good is called evil. In the midst of this, some of our state governors and legislatures are taking action. They are not just acting in defense either, but are getting ahead of the corruption by putting laws in place to stop or minimize some federal actions. Georgia’s Voter Laws Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB202 into law on March 25th and it has created a firestorm. This Election Reform Law features an increase in the early voting period and an option to extend voting hours. It dictates that absentee ballots must be counted by 5 PM the day after elections, and allows the use of drop boxes only in the early voting period.1 But the point in the law that is most at issue is the voter ID requirement. Voters must confirm their identity whether voting in person or requesting a mail-in or absentee ballot. The law states, “In order to confirm the identity of the voter, such form shall require the elector to provide his or her name, date of birth, address as the registered address where the elector wishes the ballot to be mailed, and the number of his or her Georgia driver’s license or identification card issued.”2 You can read the full law here. Delta Airlines was one of the first to condemn the new law, saying it would cause limitations to voting among the black community. As Fox News host, Tomi Lahren said about this response, “Would that make Delta Airlines racist for requiring a driver’s license or other government issued ID to fly?”3 This is political to the core. United Airlines has now followed Delta’s lead. Other prominent companies speaking out against the law are Salesforce, Patagonia, Coca-Cola, and Major League Baseball. As Senator Rand Paul tweeted, “Your sports league might be a little too woke if it will freely do business with communists in China and Cuba, but boycotts a U.S. state that wants people to show an ID to vote.” Insanity. This has caused a wave of economic impact over the issue. In support of the law, Donald Trump has called for the boycott of Coca-Cola, in addition to Delta AIrlines. Some Republican legislators in Georgia have asked for the removal of Coca-Cola products from their offices. In opposition to the law, New Jersey Governor Murphy is seeking to entice Atlanta’s movie industry to relocate to his state.4 But the largest current economic effect could come from MLB’s decision to move the All-Star game from Atlanta to Coors Field in Denver, CO. The Atlanta Braves Organization said MLB’s decision “only hurts business, employees, and fans in Georgia.”5 There are reportedly a number of other conservative states looking to enact similar laws, so this battle is far from over. These states are trying to get ahead of potential Executive Orders or any legislation Congress might try to enact on election reform. Arizona’s Recount The battle over election integrity in Arizona has never ended. While the 2020 election results in Arizona may be “settled” in D.C. and the media, they have never been settled in that state. Republican State Senators have pressed ahead and are requiring an audit of Maricopa County’s results. “They have hired four firms to audit election results and recount all 2.1 million ballots cast.”6 The county did everything they could to stop this audit from occurring. The recounts will include all races, including the presidential race. It is deemed necessary by the AZ Senate, “to bring election integrity to the election process,” according to Senate President Karen Fann. She continued, “As Board Chair (Jack) Sellers and County Recorder (Stephen) Richer wrote in The Arizona Republic, a democracy cannot survive if its people do not believe elections are free and fair.’"7 Children at the Border One of the great humanitarian crises in the world today may be brewing at our southern border. The situation there, especially where it concerns children, was highlighted recently when two girls, ages 3 and 5, were dropped over the border wall near El Paso, TX, miles from any town. The world watched with horror as security cameras at the border wall captured the callous action. Thankfully, border agents saw it and moved quickly to save the sisters, who were not badly hurt. They have now become two of the thousands of children held in U.S. detention centers. The U.K.’s Daily Mail provided some statistics to help us grasp the weight of this problem: Around 16,000 minors crossed the US-Mexico border in March, with 5,767 children in Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) custody on Sunday, 4/3, according to CBP data. Additionally, there are 11,886 children in the custody of Health and Human Services, meaning the Biden administration has more than 17,500 children in custody. Last week, the Biden administration finally allowed journalists inside the Donna facility in Texas for the first time, after weeks of shutting the media out and releasing their own photos. There, more than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, [are] crammed into pods with the facility now at 1700 percent capacity. Border guards say roughly one in seven of the migrant children have tested positive for COVID, while photos also show detainees being treated for lice. U.S. border officials estimate that up to 184,000 unaccompanied migrant children could arrive at the US-Mexico border this year, according to internal government data reviewed by Reuters.8 [Let that number sink in.] Even CNN reported, “Border processing facilities for migrant children are ‘stretched beyond thin’ and experiencing ‘profound overcrowding’ that make social distancing ‘impossible,’ court-appointed monitors said in documents made public this weekend.”9 Amid growing criticism, the Biden Administration has become very defensive of its handling of the situation at the border.10 Reporters questioned Biden on his immigration policies in a press conference on March 25th, in which he said he would not send unaccompanied minors back. There was some pushback by reporters saying - if parents think they can get their children over the border, then be allowed to come to get them on the U.S. side, they will likely believe they can stay. You can read the entire press conference comments here on Whitehouse.gov. The Lord loves and cares about these children and families. Struggling people in other nations see America as a land of opportunity. We know that and have compassion for their situation. The answers to this situation are complicated, and we must ask the Lord to grant our leaders His wisdom, and the necessary resolve to effectively deal with it. The church in these areas is being called in to help, as well. Pray for them; perhaps send them support. These are days of opportunity to show the love of Christ to those in pain. May it result in a harvest of souls. “A lover of justice is our mighty King; he is right in all his ways. He insists on being fair to all, promoting true justice and righteousness” (Psalm 99:3-5) Pray with me: Father, we are living in very complicated days. Truth seems far from many. Unrighteousness abounds and we are told lies on a continuous basis. We are thankful for Your Holy Spirit living in us, guiding us into all truth. Thank you for raising up and placing men and women of conviction in seats of government, especially at our state levels. We need them to uncover and remove corruption. We need them to enact righteous laws. We bless them for taking bold and righteous stands, unafraid of what can happen to them. Protect them from personal attacks on their reputations and families. Bless their states’ economies, which satan and the left is seeking to destroy. Lord, please intervene in the tragic mess at our southern border. Send your holy angel armies to watch over the multitude of children being sent to America by their families. Forgive our nation for the government’s encouragement of this. Lord, give strategies to Your people to solve the problems associated with this crisis. We need answers that are beyond our natural knowledge. Save and heal the children that have come. Reunite them with their families. We say, “Grace to this mountain in Jesus’ name.” Amen. Today’s decree: We decree that righteousness, truth, justice, and mercy will prevail in America. _____________________________ 1 https://www.savannahnow.com/in-depth/news/2021/03/31/sb-202-georgia-voter-law-text-details-pdf/7001807002/ 2 https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20212022/201498 3 https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mlb-all-star-game-played-coors-field-reports?fbclid=IwAR0XnmN8Kzadd72nJ8nFqOuH1H3BoZep-EoKn5svcsqY55LpHi6A0G7vgM0 4 https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/new-jersey-gov-phil-murphy-hollywood-georgia-controversial-voting-law 5 https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/4/5/22368566/corporate-response-georgia-sb202 6 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/31/arizona-senate-hires-firms-recount-mariocopa-county-ballots/4829691001/ 7 Ibid. 8 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9424657/Moment-Mexican-smugglers-drop-two-toddlers-14-foot-high-border-barrier.html 9 https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/05/politics/border-facilities-migrant-children/index.html 10https://nypost.com/2021/04/05/white-house-defensive-over-poll-numbers-amid-border-crisis/

There Is A Lot of Winning In Our Future “I have found in 1 Kings 18 that our present struggles in America mirror those Elijah faced. The mockery and maligning of God's purpose and intent for America is well pictured through mainstream media and most social media outlets. The vicious fangs of the political and religious spirit work in tandem to try and take America down, just as in Elijah’s day. I realize, however, that if the struggles are similar, then the answer must be the same as well - like Israel then, we need a powerful encounter with God today in America. Yahweh wants this! “In studying the events of 1 Kings 18, I realized the encounter did not come without a challenge. Elijah had to be willing to put everything on the line. He came face to face with the enemy of the people as he declared Yahweh was the true God, and that He alone was Israel’s answer. “This same answer is absolutely true for us today. “God has plans, intentions, and dreams for America, just as He did for Israel. And also as was with them, victory must first be accomplished in the realm of the spirit, then in the natural. Nor is this something God will do sovereignly, without us. He will do it through His partnership with mature sons and daughters— through you and me! “God is awakening the church to the critical times in which we live. Our moral, spiritual, and even financial state bear witness to our true condition. We are in desperate need. Those seeking to destroy America’s godly roots desire to shift her further and further from God’s purpose for her. And they have accomplished much. But God is not finished with America and His plans will be lived out through us. He will rescue us for His purposes, just as He did Israel. “Prophetic words have been declared over America from as far back as the 17th century. “In 1607, at the first landfall at Cape Henry, English settlers drove a wooden cross into the soil of the new land and dedicated it to the Glory of God. Robert Hunt prophesied, ‘From these very shores the gospel of the kingdom shall go forth, not only to this new world, but the entire world.’ “In 1620, a new group of believers arrived and gave us the Mayflower compact. This was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. Governor Bradford stated: ‘having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith…’1 “John Winthrop, the first governor of the State of Massachusetts, said in his 1630 writing entitled A Model of Christian Charity: ‘We shall find that the God of Israel is among us when 10 of us shall be able to resist 1000 of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and a glory, that men of succeeding plantations shall say, “May the Lord make it like that of New England. For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill (Matthew 5:14).” The eyes of all people are upon us.’2 “This passage from Matthew 5:14 has been a prophetic scripture over this nation for the last 400 years. Several presidents, no less than 12, believed it as such. As President-Elect, John F. Kennedy used the passage: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.’3 “In a 1989 speech, President Ronald Reagan also used it in his farewell address to the nation. ‘I have spoken of a shining city all my political life... In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace…That’s how I saw it, and I still see it.’4 “This speaks to the very core of our culture. We must not shy away from challenging cultural issues and political correctness, including within the church. Culture can be a force for good when it upholds godly standards. Of course, this is why we must allow Holy Spirit to displace things in our culture that do not line up with the culture of the Kingdom of God. Revival is going to give us the momentum we need for this to occur. “Despite the present darkness in the world, there is also much hope. I want to encourage you in this: our Father is a redemptive God and everything He does flows out of His redemptive nature. He intends to restore all things and sum them up in Jesus (see Ephesians 1:8-10). “You are needed for this! The Ekklesia, the church, needs you! In your anointing and calling, you are a vital part of the body of Christ and this great awakening we have stepped into. We will do this together—all of us and all of God! “This idea of the world getting worse and worse in order for Jesus to return has swindled the truth from the church and thereby weakened our pursuit to see America saved. Yes, evil will abound but grace will abound more. And Christ’s kingdom will continue to expand: ‘There will be no end to the increase of His government…’ (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis mine; see also Daniel 7:13-14). There is much winning for us here and now, and in our future. Measurable wins! The gloom and doom of western religion is on life support. Let’s yank the plug and let this thing finally die. Jesus WINS! His kingdom is taking ground! “God has given America a window of mercy to get things into alignment with heaven, to be that city on a hill. He has been rearranging the nation spiritually, so the Ekklesia can reposition herself to bring about, by Holy Spirit, the greatest awakening in the history of this planet. “Holy Spirit has released to His Ekklesia kingdom keys that authorize us to bring about the heart and will of the Father for the earth NOW! While He continues to give us a clearer glimpse into the darkness and chaos surrounding us, He also has provided wisdom and insight to stir up and release a greater light to dispel that darkness like never before. Awakening is NOW! “As we journey together through these unique times, our worldview is shifting. In order for America to take its rightful place in the kingdom - in order for you and me to take our rightful place in the kingdom - we must become the change. We must reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ! (See Romans 5:17)” PRAYER: Father, we shout a resounding AMEN, in agreement with Your plan and Your heart for this great nation. We believe America is a bright city set on a hill. Father, we agree with Robert Hunt’s prayers and declaration that America was birthed to carry the gospel of the kingdom to this nation and the nations of the world. We thank you, Father, that we’re returning to our prophetic purpose, and we are seeing Your Spirit beginning to be poured out all across this nation launching us into this Third Great Awakening. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that has brought us to this point and is moving us forward. OUR DECREE: We decree that we are no longer sitting back waiting on Yahweh to save America for us, but through our partnership with Him, as sons and daughters, WE are advancing His kingdom in America through the power of Holy Spirit, causing His will and the intent of His heart to be manifested in America as never before. America IS propagating the gospel of the kingdom to the nations, and she IS that bright city set on a hill! Portions of today’s post were taken from the book Rebuilding the Broken Altar - Awakening Out of Chaos written by Dr. Greg Hood. You can find out more about Greg here. ______________________________ 1 https://www.mass.gov/info-details/bradfords-manuscript-of-plimoth-plantation 2 John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity,” in A Library of American Literature: Early Colonial Literature, 1607-1675, Edmund Clarence Stedman and Ellen Mackay Hutchinson, eds. (New York: 1892), 304-307. 3 https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/the-city-upon-a-hill-speech 4 https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/farewell-address-nation

Checkmate Is Coming My brother, Tim Sheets, has an exceptional grasp of angels and angel armies. He understands, perhaps better than anyone I know, the activities of heaven and how the Godhead interacts with the Ekklesia, and has even written a book about it. At a prophetic conference Tim held not long ago, he stirred great faith in us as He spoke with passion about God’s plans on the earth and what He is trying to accomplish through the church in this hour. If you feel at all discouraged or beaten down by life’s circumstances or the national state of affairs, his message will get you back on your feet and ready to engage the enemy. Tim declared the following: “We are entering into the most awesome era God has ever planned on this earth. Hell has never faced anything like it’s about to face. The Ekklesia of Christ’s kingdom is now going to be elevated into a greater level of authority. Hell won’t be able to handle it, and it will not prevail against us. The Godhead, through Jesus, came to this earth 2000 years ago to expand their kingdom. An Ekklesia was birthed to function and rule in that kingdom, and the Lord didn’t come to lose! “The plans of the Godhead were not to form a weak Church that gets shaken when there’s devil-activity. They plan to win! They didn’t leave heaven and come to earth to be beaten by a reprobate, rebellious, fallen angel. They came to destroy the works of the devil! “They came to activate angel armies to assist a glorious Church, not a whimpering Church over in the corner, begging to survive! They didn’t come to assist a scared, intimidated, bullied church, or one bound by feckless hypocrites. They did not come to nurse a church shaken by government tyranny or by demon propaganda. “I’m hearing a different sound coming from the people of God. I’m hearing a different sound coming from the church Jesus and Holy Spirit are building. I’m hearing a boldness rising in the true Ekklesia. I hear a fierce, determined voice rising. I’m hearing the sound of war horses pawing the ground in anticipation of the charge! “I hear explosions of dunamis power coming against strongholds! I hear the sound of revival. I hear the sound of awakening. I hear the sound of transformation. I hear the sound of radical change. “I’m hearing the deep-throated roar of our Lion King! He is saying, ‘This is MY territory! This is My Pride! This is My nation! This is My world! America is MINE! I founded it and I won’t give it up!’ “The Lord Sabaoth says to the Ekklesia, ‘Stop looking for other options. I AM your option. I am your map. I am your Guide. I am the plan. I have plans you have not seen, but soon, you shall see. I have moves you have not seen, but you will soon see them. You will see the surprise moves of the King’s gambit. Yes, hell is going to hear, “Checkmate!” I am move after move after move ahead of the forever loser.’ “Hear the verdict of the King of Glory. Hear the resounding decree that will go throughout this nation and world. There’s a shouted decree from My throne against cultural evils. It’s a battle cry against government structures of darkness. It’s a voice of triumph against swamp creatures and diabolical orders. “Hear the words of the Supreme Commander unveiling His plans. Hear the voice of His power. Hear the voice of His gambit. ‘Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!’ Then suddenly—breakthrough, breakthrough, breakthrough! Victory, victory, victory! “Hear the roar of the Lion of Judah activating holy fear. Hear the roar of the King over this nation in triumphant challenge: ‘I said My Church would prevail, not fail! I said they will reign with Me, not run from devils. I said they would be strong and courageous, not trembling, passive, deserters. I have put steel in the backbone of My remnant. I have fashioned the heart of Joshua and Caleb and David inside of them. They are hearing the stirring call of My voice. They are riding Holy Spirit’s wind. They do not fear giants in the land! They hunt them!’ “Giants are beginning to fall. Cultural giants will fall. Media giants will fall. Government giants will fall. Tech giants will fall. Education giants will fall. Religious giants will fall. Giants hidden in gross darkness will not hinder My warriors, for I will give them night vision. They will own the night, intimidating My enemies hiding in dark demon territories. Using the spiritual weapons of warfare I have given them, they will tear down strongholds. It will be said, ‘The night hides the surprises of their God. The night hides His suddenlies. It hides His breakthroughs. It hides His victory plans.’ “‘I own the night,’ says the Lord. ‘I own the darkness. I own My enemies. I own the battlefield. I have determined that My heirs will live in My victory. They will fight and I will help them prevail. The raiding will cease and the spoils of war will come into My warriors’ hands. The supplies and the treasuries will transfer.’ “‘It is time for the great push. Push into times of great revival. Push into supernatural harvest. Push forward and see battles shift to great triumph! Push forward into the land of your inheritance and you will see the surprise gambit of your King taking out your enemies.’ Tim continues, “When the Lord first spoke to me about the King’s gambit, I had no idea what a ‘gambit’ meant. I discovered that it’s a term used in the game of chess. In chess, both players start with an equal number of pieces and they’re all the same. There are kings, queens, knights, rooks, bishops, and pawns. The goal is to trap the king until he cannot move. That is called, ‘checkmate.’ “A gambit is a rare chess move only used by chess masters. It involves making several moves that, several moves later, will give the player an advantage and will ultimately lead to a checkmate. The initial move may look like a mistake as it will involve the player actually losing a couple of pieces. The master player’s king may then look vulnerable, and moves might have to be made in a defensive way to protect it. In actuality, the board is being strategically rearranged for a sudden surprise the chess master will spring. The surprise gambit may be 15 moves ahead of the final move leading to checkmate. By the time the opponent realizes what’s happening, it is too late for him to recover. He is trapped. It will be ‘checkmate.’ “The Lord is saying, ‘Our God and His kingdom are moves ahead of our adversary. Checkmate is coming!’” "It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines." (2 Samuel 5:24 NASB) “The Lord your God, who goes before you, will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 1:30 NASB) Pray with me: Lord, we are living in extraordinary days. We are living in times that require great faith. Our faith may have been shaken by recent earthly circumstances, but that has not taken You by surprise. It has not shaken You! You came to earth to establish Your kingdom here in and through Your Ekklesia. You are determined to have the church You dreamed of. You have great exploits planned for us in our generation. And You never back down or lose to the enemy. Stir us to shake off any disappointment. Roar over us, Lion of Judah! The devils hiding in darkness will tremble. You will use us to defeat them. We position ourselves to listen for Your voice and instructions. You will tell us exactly where, when, and how to strike the blows. We will shout Your decrees—Your battle cries - against rulers in darkness and governmental foes of Your Kingdom. We decree checkmate is coming! Your gambit has begun. You have moves no one has ever seen. You are going to show them to this world. You have already begun this and soon many breakthroughs will occur. Satan and his kingdom will suffer another huge defeat. We call in our sons and daughters from afar for this great harvest - from the north, south, east, and west (Isaiah 43:5-7). We boldly declare that no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17), that we always triumph in Christ, and He will reveal the fragrance of His knowledge everywhere, through us (2 Corinthians 2:14). Today’s decree: The Lord has been strategically moving in America and His enemies will soon hear, “Checkmate!” Portions of today’s post were contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim Sheets here.

An Urgent Call to Action Some issues we take up on our posts are not pleasant to deal with; this is one of them, but trust me when I say we MUST pray and take action on this issue. It is HR 5 - the [In]Equality Act. The church slept when prayer was removed from our schools and abortion was made the law of our land. We will not sleep through this one. The Child & Parental Rights Campaign is one of numerous conservative groups tracking this legislation. Please believe them when they say this resolution is “an existential threat to families and faith communities.” We believe it is a direct attack against the U.S. Constitution’s protections of freedom of religion and freedom of speech. They explain the Act and its dangers for us: The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to remedy discrimination against individuals based on the innate and immutable characteristics of race, color, national origin, and gender. Congress recognized that people were being denied rights and privileges and forced to endure substandard housing, employment, and educational opportunities solely because they were born of a particular race or nationality, with a certain skin color, or as a female. Passage of the Civil Rights Act rightly meant that those innate characteristics could not be used to justify differential treatment in education, housing, employment, and other essential goods and services. The (In)Equality Act, HR 5, was reintroduced in 2021 after failing to obtain Senate approval in 2019. It proposes profound and far-reaching changes to the Civil Rights Act that would directly threaten religious liberty, free speech, freedom of conscience, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and the privacy and safety of women and girls. The proposed changes to the Civil Rights law under HR 5 would erase biological reality and actually reduce, not expand, protections against discrimination, contrary to the original intent of Congress. H.R. 5 has passed in the United States House of Representatives. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have made clear their intent to pass this bill. It is now pending in the United States Senate, where it must now be stopped. If passed, here is what it would do: o Redefine Gender (Male and Female) to Include “Sexual Orientation” and “Gender Identity” HR 5 would add “sexual orientation and gender identity” to the term “sex” throughout the Civil Rights Act. Therefore, “sex” would no longer be defined as it has for millennia as the objective biological reality of being male or female. Instead, it would include the societally derived concepts of sexual orientation or gender identity as being equal to and interchangeable with the term “sex,” thereby overriding the very nature of “sex” in the law. o Require Owners of All Establishments Open to The Public to Comply HR 5 would expand the definition of “public accommodations” required to comply with this new definition of “sex” to include: a “stadium or other place of or establishment that provides . . . recreation, exercise, amusement, public gathering, or public display.” This would readily include facilities faith-based organizations use for public gatherings or for sports or recreational activities for children. It would also include: “any establishment that provides goods, services, or program, including a store, shopping center, online retailer or service provider, salon, bank, gas station, food bank, service or care center, shelter, travel agency, or funeral parlor, or establishment that provides health care, accounting, or legal services.” o Force Faith-Based Organizations to Hire Employees Who Do Not Share Their Beliefs Owners and employers of virtually all establishments open to the public would have to ensure that hiring policies, dress codes, codes of conduct, promotions, and disciplinary actions do not treat someone differently because they are or are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. That includes churches and faith-based non-profits having to hire people who do not share their beliefs. In addition, property owners would have to ensure that all users of their property comply with these rules. Faith-based organizations would be able to continue to rely on the “ministerial” exception for employment decisions, but that offers only limited protection. Most importantly, because the ministerial exception would apply only to employees regarded as ministers, it would not insulate churches from hiring decisions related to other staff. Without the protection of RFRA (see below), therefore, faith-based organizations would still be required to adopt LGBT-friendly employment policies. o Threaten Religious Freedom and Free Speech Evincing a blatant hostility toward religion, HR 5 would explicitly remove the protections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense to a claim covered by HR 5 or as a basis for challenging its enforcement. Faith-based organizations would be compelled to, e.g., adjust their programs, open up their privacy facilities to transgender (opposite-sex) persons, and revise employment policies, or be subject to liability.1 o Require All Organizations Open to the Public to Open Up Their Bathrooms Women and children who use these facilities would surrender their right to privacy and be placed at increased risk for harassment or assault by men who claim to identify as women. o Undermine Parental Rights and Instruction By requiring that all private facilities in schools be open to members of the opposite sex if they self-identify as another gender. Children would be required to accept that their female classmates are actually male or male classmates are actually female, contradicting their parents’ instruction concerning the binary nature of one’s sex. HR 5 would also likely lead to universal instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity as normative, further contradicting parental teaching about the created nature of men and women and human sexuality. o Force Health Care Providers to Provide Abortions, Gender Transition Treatments Individuals and organizations who provide health care would be prohibited from refusing to perform abortions, “gender-affirming” surgeries, or any procedures requested by LGBT patients on the basis that it violates the provider’s religious beliefs. o Jeopardize Girls’ and Women’s Athletic and Educational Opportunities o Inevitably Threaten Tax-Exempt Status for Faith-Based Organizations While not explicitly included in HR 5, faith-based organizations that refuse to comply with its redefinition of sex/gender could face the loss of their tax-exempt status. We are clearly instructed by God to align ourselves with His word and stand in opposition to sin. This assault is particularly targeted at our children and grandchildren. In Matthew 18:5-6 (NIV), Jesus said, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” We must uphold what the Lord has declared to be right and righteous, and we must do more than just pray. We must pray and act on behalf of our nation’s children. He will save them as we do our part. CALL TO ACTION The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on HR 5 on March 17, 2021. Leaders in the Senate have declared their intent to move this bill to a full Senate vote quickly. It is imperative that pastors and faith leaders take immediate strategic action to stop its passage. Here is what you should do: Find your U.S. Senator here (senate.gov). The Senate switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121. (If you need more explanation as to what to do once you’re on that website, scroll down to the end for details.) Numbers matter to politicians. Leaders of all churches, pastor associations, or faith-based movements should contact your U.S. Senators and request a meeting to discuss the threat HR 5 poses to your organization and to parents, students, medical professionals, and business owners within your community. Pastors and leaders should notify other pastors, associations of pastors, or faith-based groups of the threat and invite them to join in preparing a joint letter informing your U.S. Senators of your opposition to HR 5 and urging them to vote “No” on this bill. We ask that all churches send a letter on behalf of your church via email and U.S. mail to your U.S. Senators informing them of the harms of this bill and asking them to vote against it. (Their addresses are on the website mentioned above.) Individuals, please do so also. Educate your congregation from the pulpit on the threats posed by HR 5 and encourage them to contact their U.S. Senators with letters, emails, and calls urging them to vote “No” on this bill. TOOLS FOR ADVOCACY Child & Parental Rights Campaign has developed tools to assist us in having our voices be heard. Click on this link to be directed to a private page on their website (You may also find this link on our website: GiveHim15.com). This link will direct you to the following resources: PowerPoint on HR 5 to share with your congregation or other leaders Sample letter from an individual Sample letter from churches Sample letter for networks Legal Summary on the Equality Act (PDF) There is still time to take action, as it appears there are not enough votes in the Senate currently to bring cloture to a filibuster. A filibuster is a tactic used to delay a vote in the Senate. It takes 60 votes in the Senate to stop a filibuster—that is cloture—versus a simple majority to pass legislation. Pray that the filibuster is not removed or amended! The filibuster is critical to keep ungodly legislation from moving forward. You can learn more about filibuster and cloture here. You are going to be hearing a lot about this in the news, related to many ungodly and unrighteous pieces of legislation, so educate yourselves on it. It’s important that we stay informed. Pray with me: Father, we are deeply grieved at the intent of HR5 - the [In]Equality Act. This piece of legislation is an open door the enemy could walk through to bring great destruction. We are asking You to spare us from this threat. Lord, please stir up the body of Christ to pray, but also to take action. Motivate the pastors of America on this moral issue, Lord. Put an urgency in them to educate their congregations on this Bill and the issues involved. Stir them to join other pastors and ministry leaders in writing joint letters to their Senators. Give them boldness to rise up and take action to save the families and children in their congregations from the effect of this Bill. Cause the church to rise up, craft the messages for our Senators, and send them. Also, Lord, stir them to make phone calls. Stir us into action and save our nation. And now, Lord, we take authority over this demonic plan. The church was asleep in the 60s when prayer was removed from our schools, and in the 70s when abortion was made the law of the land. But we will not sleep through this one. We bind every strategy of the enemy to pass and implement this Bill. We ask You, Father, for complete exposure of just how evil it is. We ask You for angels to help us win this battle by influencing pastors to take action and Senators to vote properly. We thank you for this help. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Today’s decree: We bind the evil forces trying to pervert God’s creation of male and female through HR 5 - the [In]Equality Act. You may reach your Senators by going to Senate.gov. You will see a box at the top of the page that says, “Find Your Senators.” Once you click on that box, a drop-down list of states will appear. Choose your state and you will see your two Senators. Their addresses and phone numbers will appear below their photos. If you want to email them, click on their names and you will be sent to their official websites. Information on how to email them will be there. Whichever method you choose please contact them, telling them to “Vote NO on HR 5.” _______________________________ [1]“Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for failing to do so, intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs. By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the Free Exercise Clause, which protects a religious group's right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments.” Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. E.E.O.C., 565 U.S. 171, 188–89 (2012).

Remember to Bring Your Umbrella My good friend, Zane Anderson, keeps an umbrella in his prayer closet. That would be a bit strange anywhere. But in Arizona, it’s even more strange because rain is not typically in the forecast; in southern Arizona, they don’t get a lot of rain. Zane keeps it there to remind him to always pray with expectation! The whole umbrella thing was born out of a story he heard many years ago. It challenged his prayer life and took him to an entirely new level of understanding the authority he’d been given in prayer. Zane encourages us, “Don’t just pray - pray with an authoritative expectation - a faith-filled confidence and conviction that God not only hears us when we pray, but He will answer!” Here’s his explanation of the umbrella, and a challenge to take our praying to the next level. “The story is told of a village that had been without rain for many months. The crops were failing, and the people were starving. Finally, the village leaders called for a day of prayer. Everyone in the village was to gather in the center of town to pray for a miracle, to pray that rain would come. On the appointed day, everyone gathered, from the oldest to the youngest. The village elder stood in front of the people, seeing the fear and desperation on their faces. He could read the questions in their eyes: What will happen if no rain comes? How long will we be able to survive? “It was then that the village elder’s eyes looked into eyes of faith. They were set in the gaunt face of a little girl, so frail and thin she looked as if a breath could blow her away. Among the many fear-filled faces, she stood resolute and confident, the edges of a smile on her lips, faith in her eyes, and an umbrella in her hand! “I love that part of the story: ‘an umbrella in her hand,’ Zane continues. “She came to the prayer meeting with an expectation, a deep-seated confidence, indeed, an inner assurance that God was going to answer her prayer. And she was going to be ready when the rains came! “This child reminds me of our Lord’s words, ‘except you become as a child.’ In fact, He tells us that is how we come into kingdom dimensions and kingdom partnership - we come as a child, with a faith and expectation that our God can do anything! “And so, the umbrella in my prayer closet is a constant reminder to pray with faith and expectation; to come to my Father as a child, with child-like faith and boldness, knowing that nothing is impossible to Him. Praying with expectation causes us to pray authoritatively, declaratively. It is more than just thinking, ‘I sure hope it rains.’ It’s more than weakly praying, ‘Please, Lord, let it rain; we sure need some rain…’ Rather, it is declaring authoritatively: ‘The rains are coming!’” It’s amazing how revelation can explode in our hearts. The New Testament word for revelation literally means “to lift a veil, or uncover.” It’s what is happening when you have read a verse of scripture dozens of times, then you read the verse again and lights go on! It’s as if you never read it before. Or, it’s like a person who has heard the gospel before and it did not impact them. Then they hear it again, and it explodes in their heart. That is revelation; it’s what happened to Zane as he read about this little girl. God wants to bring revelation to you. He wants you to experience the reality of child-like faith. Zane continues, “My prayer life changed dramatically when I began to see who I was ‘in Christ,’ and the kingly authority He had bequeathed to me - to us - through our relationship with Him. Prayer went from a religious form to a powerful instrument of advancing His kingdom and tearing down strongholds of darkness. Prayer went from hoping for things to happen, to expecting them to happen - indeed, legislating them into being. “I’ve said for years, ‘we can’t do it without God - but He won’t do it without us!’ I believe in honor of his Son’s sacrifice at the Cross, God will do nothing redemptive on this planet without the partnership of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Through prayer, we can engage in one of the most significant and powerful aspects of that ‘partnership’ with the Lord. Prayer is essentially a partnership of the redeemed child of God, working hand in hand with God, toward the realization of His redemptive purposes on earth! “Yes, our God is sovereign, but He has sovereignly chosen to move in response to the prayers of His Ekklesia on earth. I like the powerful statement I heard years ago: ‘All power in heaven and earth are God’s; but all prayer - invoking heaven’s power into earth’s need - is ours.’ Make no mistake, only the power of God can transform the earth, but He has ordained that the entry of this power be through a praying church, one that does so with an authoritative expectation, declaring and decreeing, binding and loosing. One that comes to the prayer meeting with an umbrella! “The next time you go to a prayer meeting, take one! And when people ask you if it’s going to rain, tell them, ‘Yes, it’s going to rain healings, miracles, breakthroughs, kingdom advancement, and harvest!’” Pray with me: Father God, we come to You in childlike faith, our eyes fixed on You! We come as Your child, in confident boldness. We ask You to release Your heavenly justice to shake the earth. Bring justice for the unborn, for the abused. Bring justice for the wrong to be made right. We thank you for awakening your sons and daughters to arise with healing and restoration to the broken and forsaken. Father God, we war in the Spirit for Your purposes to be fulfilled and for the transformation of lives and nations. We pray for corruption to be overturned and righteousness to rule throughout the earth. We petition You for solutions regarding our borders, our government, and our families. In Your mighty name, Jesus! Amen. Our decree: We decree the kingdom rains have come: rains of healing, signs, wonders, and miracles in our nation and the throughout the world. We decree the harvest is ready and your Ekklesia is going forth to bring in this great harvest of souls. We decree the kingdom is here, now, for a biblical revival, reformation, and restoration! Today’s post was contributed by Zane Anderson. You can find out more about Zane here.

Women Who Made Their Mark on America There are so many days, weeks, and months set aside to honor individuals, professions and people groups it is getting hard to keep up. (I’m waiting for Redneck Appreciation Day so I and others can finally get the honor we deserve! From duct tape ingenuity to monster trucks, we should get more recognition.) In all seriousness, however, I want to mention March being Women’s History Month, as no group is more deserving of some genuine appreciation than our lady heroes. After all, I have lived in a household of women much of my adult life with my wife, Ceci, and daughters, Sarah and Hannah. Every month is women’s history month to me! I know just how important they are. I also know how much they contribute to the cause of Christ, and that many have had a significant role in making America the great nation it is. I want to look back at the stories of three American female heroes. We may not even be “The United States of America” without women like these, who made such impacts on this nation. President Jimmy Carter designated March as Women’s History Month with this statement: “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”1 Prudence Cummings Wright - Running to the Battle “When the Philistine moved closer in order to attack, David quickly ran toward the opposing battle line to attack the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:48 GWT) Traditionally, men go off to fight wars and the women are left at home to “tend the home fires.” Of course, in our day this has changed somewhat. Enemies sometimes try to encroach on unprotected women and children when men are at war. That is what happened in the Revolutionary War when Prudence took action. Her husband and other men from Pepperell, MA, responded early to the revolutionary call, leaving their homes unprotected, but seemingly out of the way of British troops. Prudence had the foresight to gather the women and form them into a militia “just in case.” She trained them to shoot and use other weapons they had access to, in the event they had to protect themselves.2 In April 1775, the British were discovered to be headed to Jewett’s Bridge near their town. Prudence gathered her women’s militia at the bridge and fought the British army, “captured several soldiers, and intercepted vital dispatches regarding troop movements.”3 Just as David ran to the battle, Prudence led her women’s militia to do the same. She turned the enemy back at the gate! Prudence was bad news! Ann Morgan “Nancy” Hart - A type of Jael In Judges 4:17-22 we have the story of Jael. She pretended to be a friend of Sisera, an enemy of Israel. The Bible tells us she met him at the door of her tent, invited him in, and hid him there. He trusted her and, asking her to stand as a watch for him, he slept. Then, “when Sisera had fallen sound asleep from exhaustion, Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and walked quietly toward him with a hammer in her hand. She hammered the tent peg through his temples into the ground. So Sisera died,” (verse 21). There is a real life Jael in our history. She was considered a fearless woman and a rebel by the British. Like many women, she was a formidable foe to those that sought to harm her family. I once heard a female friend call this a “she-bear anointing”. Battlefields.org lets us know that she was notorious for attacking the enemy - on more than one occasion. She once dressed like a “crazy man,” wandering through British camps to procure information for the Patriots. Her children once discovered a British soldier spying on their family, so she doused him with the boiling water she was about to use for making her family’s soap.4 She is most famous, however, for this story: “According to local legend, six British soldiers entered the Hart home to question Nancy about assisting a Patriot in escaping from the Redcoats. The soldiers then demanded that Nancy feed them; displaying unusual hospitality, Nancy agreed to host them. With help from her 12-year old daughter, Sukey, Hart succeeded in discreetly removing several of the soldiers’ muskets from the stack they had formed in the corner of the room. She had passed two of the firearms to her daughter Sukey through a gap in the wall, before the soldiers noticed. Nancy instructed the soldiers to remain where they were, and when one of them rose to approach her, she shot him dead and wounded one of the others before taking the remaining four men hostage. The Harts and their neighbors decided to hang the [remaining] soldiers from a nearby tree.”5 She, too, was bad! Dr. Mary Edwards Walker - the ONLY female recipient of the Medal of Honor Dr. Walker was the first female recipient of the U.S. Medal of Honor, still remaining the only female recipient. Mary was an extraordinary person, making her impact during the Civil War. The National Parks Service website describes her as “an American feminist, suffragist, suspected spy, prisoner of war, and surgeon.”6 Mary was a nonconformist who advanced healthcare in many areas throughout her life. She exemplifies Joshua 1:9 (ESV), “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Dr. Walker was the only woman in her class at Syracuse Medical College, where she graduated with honors as a medical doctor. The fact that she was a female in her chosen field would prove to be a constant challenge throughout her life. In practice with her husband, she was often ridiculed and dismissed as an invalid doctor. When Mary enlisted in the Civil War as a surgeon, she was offered the position of a nurse. She took it, but operated as an unpaid field surgeon when the opportunity allowed, often crossing battle lines and performing surgeries on civilians, as well. Mary ended her time in the service as a prisoner of war. Her wounds from that experience prevented her from continuing to practice medicine.7 A recommendation for a commission to validate Dr. Walker’s service in the Civil War was brought before President Andrew Johnson. It was deemed not legal to commission her, because she was a female. However, due to her extraordinary service to the nation, in lieu of a commission, President Johnson awarded Mary the National Medal of Honor. Ironically, her receipt of this was also considered illegal, on the grounds that she was not commissioned: therefore, it was historically ignored. Not until 1977 would Dr. Walker become an acknowledged recipient of the Medal—the only female to ever receive it to this day.8 Dr. Walker went on to be a leader in the temperance movement and in the fight for women’s rights to vote. She became a member of the Women’s Suffrage Bureau in Washington, D.C., and worked on a constitutional amendment to that effect. Mary died in 1919, one year before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.9 So I say to you young ladies, use your God-given abilities. You have the power to leave your mark on the world, to make a difference. From the stay at home mom, to the woman in government, you are extremely important. Let your fingerprints be on the next great breakthrough, an innovative creation, or perhaps the cure for cancer. As moms, or even a teacher, shape the lives and minds of children, who will be the next history makers. Be one who helps strengthen our nation, or even the world, and represents well the One whom we serve - King Jesus. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.” (Proverbs 31: 30-31, 25 NASB) Pray with me: Father, thank You for the women You put in our nation’s storyline. May we no longer ignore the contributions they have made in helping us become the great nation we are. We acknowledge the courage, ingenuity, passion, strength, and tenacity women have displayed. They have come alongside their male counterparts, showing us how to build and grow a nation that honors You. Lord, raise up more women like Jael, Prudence Wright, Nancy Hart, and Dr. Walker. Teach us the lessons of history they exemplify. Prudence’s story teaches us to run to the battle, as David did. Male or female, we are not meant to sit in our homes and worry about the enemy’s encroachment. Your Holy Spirit can empower us with boldness to confront him wherever he tries to “cross bridges” into our homes, cities, states, and nation. We must remain on the offense, not pull out of society and hide in self-protection! Nancy Hart’s story shows us how to outwit and corner the enemy. Grant us unusual opportunities to directly confront our enemies. We need the right words and actions at the exact right time, to end corruption and move the nation toward righteousness and justice. Dr. Walker’s story moves us to persevere no matter how we are treated by those around us. As followers of Jesus, it should not matter to us if we are ridiculed, especially for the sake of the gospel. We have a nation to save and we must throw all of our gifts and talents toward that end. To You be the glory, Lord! You will be honored in America, and we will make sure women are not forgotten for their role in the turnaround. We pray these things in Your name, Amen. Today’s decree: We decree that godly women of great intellect, strength, and courage, are being raised up in our nation. We will honor them. __________________________ 1 https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month 2 https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/prudence-wright 3 Ibid. 4 https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/nancy-hart 5 Ibid. 6 https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-walker.htm 7 Ibid. 8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Edwards_Walker 9 Ibid.