Introduction As I stated yesterday, I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s inspiring post by our friend, Cheryl Sacks, which I’ll be reading, points out the incredible speed at which God is moving us into revival, and challenges us to “keep pace with what He is doing!” Cheryl’s title is: Racing into Acceleration I was seated in a bobsled at the top of a gleaming ice-carved track, poised at the edge of impossibility. The course shone brilliantly white, majestic, and alive with activity. Endless bobsleds stretched before us—filled with athletes, all waiting for the race to begin. Then, without warning, we were catapulted forward. The acceleration was instantaneous—a breathtaking surge that tore the air from my lungs. We hurtled down the track, slashing around razor-sharp curves, plunging into valleys, then shooting up blinding inclines. The sled tilted and lifted, threatening to break free from the ice. My heart pounded, caught between exhilaration and sheer terror. It was a dream the Lord gave me thirty years ago—one He has brought back to me with an urgency I cannot ignore—because the acceleration I saw then is what we are entering now. In the dream, we weren’t steering; we were being carried—drawn by a power far greater than human strength. The wind roared, the ice shook beneath us, and it felt as though creation itself was trembling. This wasn’t just speed—it was divine momentum. Heaven’s purposes were racing toward fulfillment. Then I woke up. Instantly, I knew the Lord was unveiling a time of divine acceleration—when events on earth would unfold with breathtaking speed. You and I are stepping into a spiritual hour unlike anything this generation has ever witnessed.  We are living in the fulfillment of what the prophet Amos described: “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up.” Amos 9:13 (MSG) Yes, darkness is spiraling quickly, but God’s movement is advancing even faster. What looks like chaos is actually divine momentum. This is the hour when shaking and awakening collide—when disruption jolts the Church awake and draws multitudes to the Truth. We must be ready. I hear the Lord saying, “What you have now cannot contain the magnitude of what is coming. Now is the time to prepare for the masses of lost people who will run toward truth in this shaking hour.”                                                                                           The Time Is Now If you want to see what divine acceleration looks like in real time, let me share the story of my friend Des Wadsworth, pastor of Grace Community Church. Once a thriving megachurch, the congregation had dwindled through five pastoral transitions. When Des moved from the U.K. to take the reins, he found a faithful but weary flock—mostly older believers—and only fifty students in the college ministry, despite being located beside a major university. After five years of laboring with little fruit, Des came to the end of himself. He cried out to the Lord for direction. Just before the New Year, the Lord answered with a single word: “PRAY!” Des realized he had been a man who prayed but was not yet a praying man.  And Grace was a church that prayed, but not yet a praying church.  That revelation pierced him. Everything was about to change. He announced to his elders, “We are going to become a praying church!” From that moment, things shifted. Every meeting—children’s classes, board meetings, worship rehearsals, Sunday services—was preceded by prayer. Des began leading the Monday night prayer meeting, and every church leader started attending. Almost overnight, the prayer meeting surged—from a handful of intercessors to ninety—and then climbed past 350. The college ministry began to grow, too—fifty students became five hundred. Then it grew by five hundred every week. Students filled the 1,200-seat sanctuary every Thursday night for worship, prayer, and Bible study. They packed every inch of standing room, then filled two overflow buildings, linked by livestream. Des’s son, who leads the college ministry, said, “Dad, students won’t think watching a livestream in another building is cool.” But there was no option—the hunger was too great. That night, when they gave a simple, old-fashioned call to accept Christ—inviting students to stand and come forward—young people rose to their feet everywhere, even in the overflow buildings. There is no elaborate setup. No big-name speakers. No hype—and yet they keep coming. Last week, 1,800 Gen Z-ers poured in—desperate for God. Des said they never asked God for a larger church or a bigger college ministry. They simply prayed the Lord would bring in the lost. And that He did—so powerfully they can’t contain the numbers coming. Today, the church that was aging and dwindling is alive—bursting at the seams with young people passionately pursuing God. The older generation isn’t just sitting in pews—they’re discipling the younger ones. What’s happening at Grace Community Church is not an isolated story—it’s a prophetic picture of what God is releasing across the land. Nowhere is this more visible than in Gen Z. A generation once lost in confusion is running toward truth. The same move of the Spirit transforming Grace is breaking out on university campuses. And it’s spreading nationwide. Large-scale ‘UniteUS’ college gatherings are igniting worship, prayer, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Thousands of students are accepting Christ and being baptized. Gen Z’s foundations are shaking. They are searching for something real—something unshakable. Many are discovering the only answer is Jesus. The assassination of Charlie Kirk sent a shockwave through Gen Z, intensifying a movement already stirring and confronting many with the seriousness of the hour. A generation is waking up—right before our eyes. The harvest is massive. How will we disciple them? The Book of Acts gives us a clear model: believers gathered in the temple and from house to house. Healings and miracles broke out in the streets. Thousands were born again every day, and homes became places of discipleship and encounter. We are seeing this pattern again—believers ignited with holy fire, homes transformed into revival centers because the harvest is so great. In places such as San Francisco—where many might never set foot inside a church—believers like our daughter and her husband are opening their doors. They are inviting neighbors and families from their kids’ sports teams into their home. As conversations unfold and friendships form, hearts open. People notice God’s peace and presence; they ask questions, and before long, they’re being discipled around the kitchen table. This is the kind of grassroots discipleship that will enable us to steward revival and sustain the harvest. This is not the hour to retreat or wait for things to settle. The shaking around us is not subsiding—it’s escalating. Comfort zones are being dismantled, and the Church is being summoned to the front lines. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Every believer is needed—every prayer, every act of courage, every voice that will speak truth and hope into the chaos. It is no longer a question of if  revival will come; revival is here . The real question is: Will we be able to keep pace with what He is doing?  We are being carried forward by a move of the Spirit, accelerating with undeniable force. I hear His urgent call: Where are the ones who will rise to contend in prayer for the lost, get ready to disciple the harvest, rebuild the spiritual altars of our homes, our churches, and our nation? Is it you ? Will you say, “Here am I, Lord, send me”? Pray with me: Heavenly Father, we say “yes” to Your divine acceleration. Empower us to build altars of prayer in our homes and churches. Pour out Your Spirit upon our campuses and cities. Let revival flow from home to home, heart to heart, until the earth is filled with Your glory. Our decree: We decree that this move of God cannot be contained; it cannot be stopped. The harvest will come in. Churches will overflow; college campuses will be aflame. Our homes will become revival centers, our families will burn with holy fire, and the sound of awakening will thunder across this land! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Cheryl Sacks and her husband, Hal, are leaders of   BridgeBuilders Int’l, Phoenix, AZ . Their newest books,   Fire on the Family Altar: Experience the Holy Spirit’s Power in Your Home   and   Unshakable: How to Prepare for Uncertain Times , will equip you for the days ahead.

Introduction I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s post by my friend, Greg Hood, is a very encouraging message on The Victorious Church. Enjoy.  The Victorious Church Hello and welcome to Give Him 15. I am Greg Hood. I am honored to be filling in for my friend Dutch today. The title of today’s post is “The Victorious Church.” There is some confusion regarding the assignment of the Church. Many think our only job is to witness, save the lost, and get them into heaven. Let’s plunder hell and populate heaven—great idea, but not complete. Yeshua never assigned us only to offer people heaven. That was not His goal. We are to bring people into the Kingdom of God. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t the Kingdom of God in heaven? Well, yes and no. Actually, our destiny is not in heaven; our destiny is in the Kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 6:10 makes this very clear. It reads, “ Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven .” (NKJV) We are assigned to the earth to expand the Kingdom of God. Now, let me clarify. When you die, you go to heaven if you’re born again. But it’s a short stay. We will return with Yeshua to a new heaven and a new earth. Yeshua did not promise us a religion; He promised us a Kingdom. We need to distinguish between religion and Yeshua. We must learn to discern: What is God? What is not God? What is His will? What is not His will. What is His assignment? What is not His assignment? Bringing the Kingdom of God to earth is Yeshua’s assignment. The enemy wants to stop our momentum. Yet the enemy’s resistance will not catch us off guard if we position ourselves and prepare for the enemy’s retaliation as we take ground. That’s why Paul said in Ephesians 6:  “and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore.”  Then he lists what we need to do so. As the Ekklesia, we must be aware of the counterattack of the enemy. Fights are rarely easy. Most are lengthy struggles. As we are wrestling with the enemy for territory, we must expect pushback when we fight. Just as Yeshua has a body—the Church—so does the enemy. Have you ever thought about that? The enemy has an Ekklesia working in the earth on his behalf to produce the will of the Kingdom of Darkness. Fortunately, the enemy’s governmental structure has been defeated through the death, burial, and resurrection of King Yeshua, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit to earth to take up residence in us. We are the most dangerous force on the planet. Conversely, we are the least significant when we are off the planet. Why? Because we were not created to operate in the unseen realm alone, even though we have authority in the unseen realm, we must operate from the seen realm. That’s where our authority resides. Ephesians 2:6 says, “ God raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. ” When we operate from the seen realm, we can pull things from the unseen realm into the seen realm that need to be here. But it takes effort. This is not like going to Wal-Mart and filling our buggies. We have to understand: We’re in a fight. This is not a Church social or a Sunday School picnic. The goal is not our comfort. It’s a fight for our lives. It’s a fight for the nation. When Jesus was choosing disciples, some would-be disciples proclaimed: “Hey, we’re willing to follow you.” Jesus replied with a sobering reality regarding the fight in which he was engaged. “ Birds have nests, foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head ” (Matthew 8:20). Sadly, the modern-day Church is lethargic, weak, and complacent. It sees its goal as coexisting on the enemy’s territory rather than turning that kingdom into the Kingdom of God. Set this mentality before you: We are in a war. Not only can we win this fight, but we have already won this fight. We have to walk it out. The fight is fixed! Why? Because we’re more than conquerors, Jesus won. Jesus, conquered. Romans 8:37 (NKJV) says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? Let me tell you a story! There is a great Filipino boxer named Manny Pacquiao. The only reason Joan and I owned a TV in the early days of our marriage was so she could watch him box. Manny trained in Big Bear, California, where he ran every day, no matter the weather: rain, wind, or snow, he ran and sweated and shadow-boxed. His sparing partners were matched to resemble his upcoming opponents, and he insisted that they fight realistically. The results were cuts and bruises, just like a real contest. When each fight came, he entered the ring fully prepared to defeat his opponent. Most of the time, he won (unless they cheated, according to my wife, Joan). When the referee raised Manny’s hand, he was a conqueror. Now, the story continues. Most people don’t know what happened when he left the ring. Yes, he was a conqueror, but he encountered “she who was more than the conqueror.” Her name is Jinkee, his wife. Why is she more than a conqueror? Even though Manny won the fight and got the prize money, she got to spend it. She never ran, never bled, never bruised, never had to get up early, never had to watch her diet. Yet they shared the prize of the fight. This is the meaning of Romans 8:37. There is no division between the conqueror and the “more than the conqueror.” They are married. They are one. They are together for life. What’s his…is hers. And what’s hers is hers. Yeah. Something like that. Everything Manny won, they shared. The same thing applies to the Church. Jesus won the fight, but He shares the prize with us. Now, modern Christianity says that the gospel is all about the individual—our personal relationship with King Yeshua. Yes, we must be born again individually, but Yeshua did not die solely for the individual. He died for the corporate body as well, which He created to legislate on earth in His name. Our salvation and our walk with God are not just about you or me. It’s about us…all of us. As the Ekklesia, we must shift from individual Christianity to a corporate Ekklesia. It’s not the ministry’s responsibility to preach “Seven Ways To A Better You.” Of course, if you need seven ways, or seventy-seven ways, God will get those to you. But it will always be to build you for the kingdom. In Ekklesia gatherings, our assignment is to look past our personal lives and come together to execute rule and authority. As we read in Psalms 149:9, “ To execute on them the written judgment—This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord !” We are the legislative body of the kingdom of God on earth. We are the Ekklesia of the Father. We are His victorious Church! Pray with me: Father, we thank You for making us more than conquerors through Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. We ask that You would empower us by the help of Holy Spirit to make a greater shift into our victorious position to legislate on behalf of Your government, the Kingdom of God. Our decree:   We decree that the Church, the Ekklesia across the nation, is becoming more aware of the battle at hand for our country and that the Church, His Ekklesia, is causing the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdom of our God and His Christ. Most of today’s post came from my new book Ancient Evils, Present-Day Manifestations, Volume 1- The Rise of the Ekklesia . You can find this book at GregHood.org . Thank you for joining me today. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Walk  I love to walk. The farthest I’ve walked in one day, is just over twenty miles. I know the distance because on a hunt, my nephew measured it using his GPS. On this particular day, such a long walk wasn’t planned. My brother Tim, his son, another friend, and I were scouting, looking for the best way in and out of a specific location. We were confident there was a dirt road at the base of the mountain we were standing on because we could see portions of it. The woods, however, were too thick to see where it led. We debated for a few minutes whether to carefully make the VERY steep descent, which was a LONG way down. If we were wrong about where the road led, the climb all the way back up the steep mountain would be grueling and dangerous, if not impossible. But since we really wanted to check out the road and were confident it would lead us out, we decided to take the risk. We were wrong. Way wrong. I can’t begin to tell you just how wrong we were!  The road was actually on the other side of a broad stream. No way across. And even if we could have gotten across, the road was on private land! The area was gorgeous, with lush meadows bordering aspen trees and the beautiful mountain stream. But there was no access to the road. Thinking we would no doubt find another road if we followed the stream, we walked a mile or so. Eventually, we happened upon another hunter sitting at the edge of the stream. Relieved, we conversed for a few minutes, then asked him where another road out of the area was located. “There is no road out of here,” he answered. “There has to be,” we insisted, our concern mounting. “My dad and I have been hunting here for twenty-five years,” he said, “and I guarantee you there is no road in or out of here. The dirt road across the stream is private, and the owner allows NO ONE to use it. You can’t get over there, anyway.” “How did you get here?” we asked, still unwilling to believe him. “Horseback. We pack in and camp for the week.” We told him where we had parked on top of the mountain, and asked him how to get to it. With a slight grin and a confident demeanor, he pointed to a trail we could see meandering several thousand feet up the mountain. “Up that trail, boys,” he said. “That’s the only way out of here. That’s why they call it ‘Hell Hole.’” Shocked and a little panicky, we said, “We have to be out by dark!” It was around noon at the time. He gave us a warning smile and a piece of advice: “Then you’d better get going.” We made it just before dark - with sore feet, tired legs, and bragging rights: We’d been to “hell” and back. Actually, it wasn’t that bad for a true walker. And it was so gorgeous down there, I’ve always wanted to go back. Hey,  if you wanna make the memory, you gotta take the walk! If a person planned ahead, packed a lunch, and plenty of water, it wouldn’t be all that bad. And the peaceful meadow nestled up against the beautiful mountain stream - well, it was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The higher we climbed on our way out, the more beautiful the view of the stream and meadows below became. To me, Hell Hole was Heavenly, a view and an experience I’ll never forget. Perspective is everything. Enoch was a walker. You’ve probably heard of him. He was the guy whose friendship brought Yahweh such pleasure that the Lord decided to go ahead and translate him to heaven:  “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him,” (Genesis 5:24).  The concept of Enoch “walking” with God is fascinating. The Hebrew word used can mean several things. It describes the flowing of a river, the descending of a flood, the blowing of the wind, the tossing of the sea and, of course, walking. The basic idea is movement. It is used metaphorically to speak of the pathways of one’s life. For example, a son can “walk in” or “follow after” the ways of a father. Enoch followed after God and His ways, walking with Him on the pathway of his life. The meaning is quite simple: He lived life with God. Not satisfied with the mundane existence of life without God, Enoch decided to prioritize and enjoy the pleasure of His company. Somehow, he knew walking with God was a decision HE had to make - not God. The Scriptures do not say, “God walked with Enoch,” although that obviously occurred as they spent time together. No, the wording is important and the point is clear: “Enoch walked with God.”  The Scriptures do tell us how the Lord felt about this relationship, however. The New Testament says of Enoch: “He obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God”  (Hebrews 11:5). “Pleasing” is from the Greek word euarestos . “Well-pleasing” would be a more literal translation; the prefix eu  means “well” or “good,” (1)   and arestos  means “to please.” (2)  Seeing other people gloat over their grandkids has always been pleasing ( arestos ) to me. Now, having my own grandkids is well-pleasing ( euarestos ). Enoch’s walk was more than pleasing to God; it was well-pleasing. This hyphenated word isn’t used much nowadays. A more contemporary way of describing Enoch’s relationship with God would simply be that he brought Him “great pleasure.” The Passion Translation uses the word “pleasure” in this verse: “[Enoch’s] life had become a pleasure to God.” Fascinating, isn’t it? What is for us “the pleasure of His  company“ can become for God “the pleasure of our  company.” For most, this is an unheard-of concept. It’s one thing to believe God can use  us. And believing that our  obedience  to His laws pleases Him? No problem. But I can’t help but wonder how many people realize their  presence  can bring pleasure to the Lord. Don’t be deceived into thinking that only a few spiritual elites, such as Enoch, could have such a relationship with the Lord. Paul said to the Corinthians, “We also have as our ambition… to be euarestos  to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). A literal rendering of the latter part of Hebrews 12:28 would read, “Let us have gratitude, by which we can offer to God euarestos worship with reverence and awe.”  It absolutely is possible to become a pleasure to Father God. When this is known and embraced, life becomes an exciting and glorious journey. Yes, there will be hills to climb, but they’re part of a wonderful destiny to fulfill, not a journey to endure. And the higher you climb, the more magnificent the view. Whatever else you do today, be sure to also spend some quality time with Abba. You were made for His pleasure.  Take the walk! Pray with me: Father, teach us to walk in rhythm with the beat of Your heart. We know it brings great pleasure to You. We want to be pleasing and delightful to You. Help us to prioritize, reroute, and walk tirelessly, following the ways of Your heart. May the cry from within us be as Moses’: “I’ll only move forward if You do.” We choose to be led along on the pathway that brings honor and glory to You. May pleasing You, Father, be our greatest ambition, such that when our lives on this side of eternity end, it will be said of us that we walked faithfully with You, choosing to offer You the pleasure of our company.  And Father, though America - and many other nations - are in challenging situations, even “hell holes,” You are willing to transform them all into redeemed places of beauty. Reveal Your gracious heart. May many nations taste and see that You are good, Your ways just. We call this forth in the name of our great Redeemer, Christ Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we WILL walk with God, pleasing Him and enjoying the pleasure of His company. Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company , published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2101. Ibid, ref no. 701.

Thanksgiving, One More Time In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, today I’m going to do something just a little different. I am sharing the words of four of my all-time favorite hymns, releasing them as praise and thanksgiving to our great God. I love many of the old hymns. Personally, I believe we should incorporate them into our charismatic and contemporary worship more often. They are not only reverential, majestic, offer heartfelt thanks to the Lord, and declare the greatness of God, they are filled with tremendous theology that, sadly, many believers seldom hear. The hymns will be our post and our prayer. I hope you enjoy these masterpieces as much as I did compiling them.  Hymn Number One “Reginald Heber was born in 1783 to a wealthy, educated family, and died in 1826. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After graduating, he entered the ministry and over the course of his life wrote 57 hymns, one of which is an all-time favorite of mine.  “Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! “2. Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before thee,  Who was and is and evermore shall be. “3. Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide thee,  Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,  Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity. “4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.” (1)  Hymn Number Two “Thomas O. Chisholm was born in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866 and died in 1960. His boyhood was spent on a farm, and then he taught district schools. He spent five years as editor of the local paper at Franklin. He was converted to Christianity at the age of 26, and in 1903, he entered the ministry. His aim in writing hymns was to incorporate as much Scripture as possible and to avoid flippant or sentimental themes. I think you will agree with me that he certainly succeeded in the following hymn.  “Great is thy faithfulness , O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. “Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hast provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. “2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,  Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness,  To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain] “3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,  Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,  Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside. [Refrain]” (2) Hymn Number Three “Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940) was born and lived his years in Sweden. After finishing his time as a sailor, he began working as a lay minister; he was also the editor of a newspaper and served in the Swedish Parliament. Jason Soroski gives us the following story regarding the hymn he gave us.  “In 1885, [Boberg] was inspired by the sound of church bells ringing during a wild thunderstorm, and penned the poem ‘O Great God.’ “…three years later, someone liked it enough to match the words with a traditional Swedish melody, and when Boberg found out about it, he quickly published the poem once again in his own newspaper in 1891, this time with the musical notation added. “Fast forward a few decades to the 1930s - Somehow this poem put to music had traveled across borders, and English missionary Stuart Hine heard the song (in Russian) while in Poland. Deeply moved by the song, he translated it into English, tweaked the musical arrangement, some of the wording, and took it home with him to England. [In English, the song title changed slightly.] “On to the 1940s - Evangelist Dr. Edwin Orr heard this new version of the song being sung by native tribal people in Assam, India, and being deeply inspired by it, he brought the song back to the United States. We are still unsure how the song ever got to India to start with. “In 1954, the song found its way into the hands of George Beverly Shea, who sang it nearly 100 times during Billy Graham’s 1957 New York crusade. In 1959, it became the theme song for Billy Graham’s weekly radio broadcast, bringing [it] into the national consciousness. “In 1978, the performing rights organization ASCAP named it as “The All-Time Outstanding Gospel Song” in America. It has consistently been listed as one of the greatest hymns ever written, usually falling at #2 (right behind Amazing Grace). “How astonishing that this song, recorded over 1,800 times in the last 50 years, had its origins as a poem in a small town in Sweden, written by a sailor turned lay-minister, and somehow wound its way around the globe.” (3) Believers around the world will be forever grateful that Boberg gifted us with this amazing hymn, How Great Thou Art .    “O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hands hath made,  I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,  thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed; “Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! “2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander,  and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;  when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur  and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; [Refrain] “3. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,  sent him to die, I scarce can take it in.  That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,  he bled and died to take away my sin; [Refrain] “4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim “My God, how great thou art! (Refrain)” (4) Hymn Number Four And we simply can’t leave out this final hymn. “George Bennard (1873-1958) was born in Youngstown, OH. When he was a child the family moved to Albia, Iowa. He served with the Salvation Army in Iowa for several years before he was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1913, he secured his place in hymn-writing history by giving us the following classic.  “On a hill far away stood an old rugged Cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. “Refrain: So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged Cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. “2. Oh, that old rugged Cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary. [Refrain] “3. In that old rugged Cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for ‘twas on that old Cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me. [Refrain] “4. To that old rugged Cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share. [Refrain]” (5) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://hymnary.org/text/holy_holy_holy_lord_god_almighty_early   https://hymnary.org/text/great_is_thy_faithfulness_o_god_my_fathe   https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/the-story-you-don-t-know-behind-how-great-thou-art.html   https://hymnary.org/text/o_lord_my_god_when_i_in_awesome_wonder   https://hymnary.org/text/on_a_hill_far_away_stood_an_old_rugged

A Day of Thanksgiving The pilgrims first celebrated the holiday Americans call Thanksgiving after their first harvest in 1621. History says it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The gathering lasted three days. In 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued a national proclamation of “Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.” (1)  Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 and made it a national holiday, referring to it as “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” (2)  In their proclamations, they refer to God as:  The: Almighty God (three times);  That great and glorious Being;  Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; The great Lord and Ruler of the Nations;  Most High God;  and Beneficent Father.  So much for the myth of separating God from America’s government. Washington’s and Lincoln’s proclamations are reverential and God-honoring . I won’t read them, as the verbiage and style of the day are a bit different than ours, but I have included them as an attachment at the end of today’s post for those who do wish to read them. The following is a proclamation and prayer for us to offer today; please agree with me as I read it: Heavenly Father, we in the United States pause today to acknowledge Your gracious and omnipotent hand. America was Your idea. You formed a nation of nations - Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and more. Though our journey included the inevitable challenges associated with human frailties, including sinful actions, Your sovereign power overcame our flaws and formed the United States of America.  We are very aware tha t our birth was  not just for our blessing and benefit; we were invited into a covenantal partnership with You to proclaim Your redemption from sin’s horrible curse. We acknowledge and agree with the words of Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607: “The gospel of the kingdom will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but to all the nations of the earth.” We agree with the words from Holy Scripture inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). This is America’s destiny and our great honor.  We are thankful, Father, for the covenants our Christian Forefathers and Founders entered into with You. They sacrificed greatly in order to fulfill Your plan, knowing they were drawn to these shores – not just to enjoy liberty – but to accomplish Your divine purposes. W e are grateful for their sacrifices made so long ago, and the incredible prosperity we have enjoyed due to their covenantal partnership with You.  May they be forever honored and always see righteous fruit from their labors. Thank You for preserving us in times of war, disease, sin, and rebellion. In the war of our birth, we were saved through appealing to heaven; in the horrific Civil War, we fought one another and lost half a million sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, yet You kept the dream alive; in two world wars, You preserved us from evil despots intent on ruling the world. Through all the difficulties and trials of four centuries, YOU have been faithful to preserve us. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You have blessed this nation - of You, through You, and to You are all things. Thank You, gracious and beneficent God! Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, on this day, we as a nation thank You for Your great sacrifice in becoming one of us - a member of the human race. Thank You for experiencing the gnawing pangs of hunger, for feeling the heartbreaking pain of a loved one’s death. Thank You for walking dusty roads to heal diseased bodies, taking detours to redeem thirsty hearts, and spending sleepless nights in prayer. Thank You for exposing the wiles and hatred of the serpent, the destructive power of pride, and modeling true love. Thank You for revealing the Father to us once again, and creating the way for us to reconnect with Him as our Abba, our Papa. Thank You for paying such an incredibly high price: the incarnation, the beatings and lashing, Gethsemane, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the wrath of Hell, the hideous Cross, the stain of sin, and sting of death. Thank You. Gracious Father, wonderful Savior, and blessed Holy Spirit, though we as a nation have dishonored, rejected, and even mocked You, Your love endures. We have worshiped idols, embraced false religions, shed innocent blood, defiled Your marriage covenant, and expelled You from our schools - yet Your mercies endure. Our government has risen up against You in pride and rebellion, rewritten Your laws, legislated murderous and immoral rights, and declared that You are no longer welcome in their functions and procedures - yet You have demonstrated amazing grace and patience. And while the church should have been Your instrument of preservation from these ills, she became lukewarm, complacent, and ineffective.  In spite of these and many more evils, You have promised to save America, healing our brokenness, returning our hearts to You, and preserving our destiny. Thank You, gracious Father. Thank You for the restoration occurring in the church; thank You for the army of intercessors You have raised up here and around the world - we owe them so much. Thank You for the awakening that has begun in America, regarding both our spiritual condition and the horrible fruit this has produced. Thank You for the overthrowing of evil in our government that has begun. Thank You, in advance, for the greatest worldwide outpouring of Holy Spirit in all of history. Because of Your mercy, America will once again be a strong voice for the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth. For all of this and more, we give You thanks. Amen. And I thank YOU for being part of Give Him 15. Together, we are making a difference! President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public Thanksgiving and Prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be - that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks - for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation - for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war - for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed - for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted - for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us. “And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions - to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually - to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed - to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord - To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us - and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. “Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.” (George Washington) (3) President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. The population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union. “In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. “Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln.” (4) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw8a.124/?q=1789+Thanksgiving&sp=132&st=text   http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm   https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789/ http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

Thanksgiving: The Communion Meal Tomorrow we will celebrate one of America’s greatest holidays. Today’s post will help you do so with greater understanding and, hopefully, an even greater appreciation for our many blessings. Although not widely known among most Americans, the holiday is linked to the Cross, our redemption, and the matchless grace of God. Grace The word “grace” is one of the most important terms in our language. In its broader application, “grace” encompasses the incarnation of Christ (His becoming human), His sufferings, the gift of our rebirth into God’s family, and every benefit we receive from this. We neither earned nor deserved any of these blessings; they are ours only through God’s grace, His “unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15), bestowed on us from His great love. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “Grace” is derived from the Greek word charis, (1)  a significant term that also conveys “goodwill, loving-kindness, or favor.” It is also translated as “thanks,” the response offered for benefits or favor. (2) Never at a loss for words, “ Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament  defines grace ( charis ) as the ‘spontaneous act of God that came from the infinite love in His heart, in which He stepped down from His judgment throne to take upon Himself the guilt and penalty of human sin, thus satisfying His justice, maintaining His government, and making possible the bestowal of salvation upon the sinner who receives it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who became a Sin-offering for him on the Cross’” (3)  Wow! “The New Testament also uses other forms of this word: charizomai , ‘to give graciously’ (4) ; and charisma , ‘a gift that is graciously given. ’ (5) For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:4, 9, 28, 30, and 31, the term charisma  features prominently in Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts. Paul stresses that the gifts of the Spirit are gifts of God’s grace. These spiritual ‘grace gifts’ are not developed through natural talent, but instead bestowed upon believers by God. In The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts,  William McRae defines a spiritual gift as ‘a divine endowment of a special ability for service upon a member of the body of Christ.’” (6) Mary and the Church Charis  was also the root word used by Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:28, telling her she was “highly favored” ( charitoo ), (7)  Indeed! The honor of being entrusted to carry Christ in her womb, birth the Savior of the world, and then to nurture Him for Yahweh, was truly immeasurable favor . Yet, the same word is used one other time in Scripture, Ephesians 1:6, when describing the great favor  granted to us as believers, who also now carry Christ in our  spiritual wombs! Almighty God is in us!!! The fountain of life, the breath of God, the nature of God Himself is in us in the spirit of Christ. That gift comes from charis,  grace. Thanksgiving Now, would it surprise you to know that charis,  this Greek word for grace,   is the root word for “thanksgiving”? Thanksgiving, or “the giving of thanks,” comes from the Greek word eucharistia . The word could also be translated “giving thanks for our grace gifts.” When America set aside a day “of public Thanksgiving and Prayer” to “Almighty God,” as George Washington stated in his official proclamation (which I will include in tomorrow’s post), it was to thank God for His incomparable benefits of grace through His Son, Jesus Christ! We aren’t simply giving thanks for the physical freedom, prosperity, and abundant blessings we enjoy in this great nation; we are acknowledging that we enjoy these things because of the grace of God and the gift of His Son! Communion And for the icing on the cake, or should we say the stuffing in the turkey, this Greek word for Thanksgiving ( eucharistia ) is also the word for the Eucharist, the Lord’s Table: Communion. This covenant meal is called the Eucharist, not just by Catholics but also by many evangelicals, because it’s a word Jesus used when initiating the meal: “when He had given thanks”  ( eucharisteo ). He then gave the disciples the bread and wine, which represented His body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). “Thanksgiving” originated, not with the Pilgrims, but at the Last Supper, when God’s “grace meal” was inaugurated! Tomorrow, when sharing the meal with family and friends, remember that Thanksgiving is rooted in the Lord’s Table, Communion, through which we celebrate God’s “grace gift” of His Son to us. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your unspeakable gift, Yeshua, and His sacrifice. Through Him, we have been welcomed into Your family, made Your heirs and His joint-heirs. As we Americans celebrate our many blessings this week, we remember that these blessings come through this grace-gift. Thank You! And as we take time to acknowledge and thank You, we also give thanks for the grace-awakening that has begun. Thank You for the millions of grace-salvations coming soon, the grace-returning of prodigals, the grace-deliverances, the grace-miracles, and the grace-reset of America. Thank You for the grace-cleansing and grace-healing of our land. As we eat the grace-meal tomorrow, we will remember that it is a celebration of Your abounding grace! We will also remember that Thanksgiving isn’t just America’s meal; this is the world’s meal. Thank You for saving a billion souls in the great grace-harvest that has begun. Thank You for a deluge of grace in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North and South America. Pour it out! Flood the earth with grace! Signs, wonders, miracles, dreams, visions, deliverances, radical salvations - all poured out by the Spirit of grace! We celebrate this with You! In Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that every good and perfect gift is from the Father through Christ, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5485. https://www.gotquestions.org/charis-in-the-Bible.html   James Wuest,  Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, Vol 21  ( Eerdmans, 1997), pp. 138–139. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5483. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5486. William McRae, The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts   (Zondervan, 1976), p. 18. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5487.

Introduction Yesterday, I shared some thoughts from the outstanding book, Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership , written a few years back by my friend, Clay Nash. I had the privilege of writing the foreword for this insightful book. Clay effectively points out MANY important principles of leadership and authority.  I’m going to share a few more insights from Clay’s book today: nine important traits of excellence regarding leadership. You would be wise to pick up this book. Today’s title is: Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership - Part 2 1. Forerunner A leader is a person who moves ahead first. Therefore, true leaders are forerunners. “Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:20) A forerunner is actually a Greek nautical term. When a ship got close to the shore, the forerunner would get out of the ship with a weighted rope and swim towards the shore, sounding the depth so the captain would know how close he could come to shore without running aground. Now, this could be pretty hazardous duty, especially at night or when the surf was rough. If the ship got in at midnight in stormy weather, it could be deadly. But the essence of the forerunner’s job was to determine suitable depth for the safety of the ship, not unlike spiritual leadership determining how much “depth” exists to safely move the organization. As such, a forerunner is a balancing force, mediating between the thrashing waves driving the ship towards a hazardous shore and the need to stabilize with an anchor.  2. Motivator A leader motivates others for a certain purpose or goal. True leaders can take a group of people to a place they might not desire to go and cause them to discover that they have a purpose there. The key to motivating people in less-than-desirable directions is to help them discover the purpose in being there. The thought of entering a crack-infested neighborhood is initially intimidating, threatening, and even repulsive. But the vision of saving the distraught souls caught in the web of drugs, violence, and death is inspiring to anyone inhabited with God’s redeeming nature. A leader blesses the people with the vision they need to move out into new and challenging territory. We tend to overcome our initial reluctance when we see God’s plan in a situation and when we trust the people who are leading us. 3. Attracts People Leaders attract and direct people to a certain course of action through persuasion, charisma, and example. And while the first two are important, it is the example set by the leader that seals the deal. I can be swayed by a powerful appeal; I can be drawn by personal magnetism. But when I encounter a leader willing to inhabit the same trenches that he or she is calling me to occupy, I know I have found someone worth following. I will listen to persuasion, I will notice charisma, but I will follow  example… 4. Direction and Structure  A leader gives directions and structure to others’ work and effort. Wise leaders do a lot of consulting with the people under them before ever taking action - they have to ask a lot of questions to learn what is truly going on before attempting to reorganize it. The deciding factor in true leadership is getting others on board with change, especially if that change affects their lives. It is not pleasant to face a group of people with a new plan if these people feel threatened by the plan. A true leader knows how to enlist others and can show them the benefits of embracing the changes.  5. Coordinates Ideas A leader recognizes and coordinates other people’s ideas, bringing diverse outlooks together into a fully functioning critical mass. Everybody sees life from a unique perspective, and each viewpoint has merit - even the unusual ones. Especially  the unusual ones. 6. Leads In Life A leader leads in all facets of life - he lives a life of holiness to the Lord that others may know and follow. Poor leaders think it is acceptable to lead in one area but ignore consecration in other areas of their personal lives. Yet the gold standard of true leadership is personal integrity as well as outward integrity. I am not saying a leader must be excellent at everything; everyone has areas of life stronger than others. But in all areas of life, we must be answerable to inquiry and accountability. A leader’s life is an open book, as much as some would like to ignore this fact. We cannot lead without revealing much about ourselves and our lives. 7. Instructs and Corrects A leader carries the authority to lead others by instruction and correction… Leading in correction is never easy, but it is vital. Imagine a ship with a fixed rudder. Without the ability to make course corrections, the ship is vulnerable to any current or wind that comes along. If we, as an organization - as a body - are to more accurately follow our Lord, then course corrections must become the norm. A leader’s job is to administer these in ways that bring life and fulfillment to all concerned. 8. Faces Own Faults A secure leader who has faced his own weaknesses will give the people under him the freedom to make mistakes. Some of the greatest discoveries in life are made while trying to do something and failing initially. People sometimes set out to do one thing, only to discover something greater in the process, even if it is simply the folly of their ways. Naturally, I want the people under me to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes I have made in developing my leadership skills, but I know this is not entirely possible. They will find ways to make new and novel mistakes that I never dreamed of! Such is the process we are engaged in.  9. Vulnerability  A leader is vulnerable, developing relationships with those they lead. We cannot lead without depending on others. The relationship between the leader and subordinates is a true symbiotic relationship; each needs the other. Without a vision, the people perish. Yet, without a people, the leader is just out for a walk. My Comments John Maxwell says, “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” (1)  All of us should desire to be more effective leaders, whether in a home, a classroom, a business, or a Bible study. These principles, and many others found in this insightful book, will, without a doubt, aid us in this. Pray with me: Father, too often those in leadership lead only from the safety of their desks, not the trenches. Jesus, God in the flesh, demonstrated true leadership by serving humankind on dusty roads, in crowded markets, on storm-tossed boats, and a rugged Cross. He came not to be served, but to serve, laying down His life for all (Matthew 20:28). We ask for more servant-leaders to be raised up in this hour. Men and women who walk in great authority and true humility. Miracle workers and foot-washers, great teachers and sincere listeners. Teach us that we go high by bowing low; our authority increases as our need for greatness decreases. Give us leaders with servant hearts in our churches and in our governments, in our homes and in our schools. May we lead by example, modeling Your heart as we lay down our lives daily.  And in closing, we remember to call forth the harvest of the ages. We will never stop doing so. Bring it! Turn up the heat, intensify the fire of revival. In Jesus’ name we cry out. Amen.  Our decree: We decree that servant-leaders are on the increase, and that this will produce great leaders.  Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from the book Relationship Authority: Authentic Leadership  written by Clay Nash. You can learn more about Clay at ClayNash.org . https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/798495-the-pessimist-complains-about-the-wind-the-optimist-expects-it

Introduction I’ve been rereading the outstanding book, Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership,  written a few years back by my friend, Clay Nash. I had the privilege of writing the foreword for this insightful book. Clay effectively points out that effective leadership, whether in the home, a business, a church, or a nation, requires authority; for authority to be honored from the heart and be truly life-giving, it must be relational. We will follow the person we trust, and trust the person we know. In a world where authority is often abused, it’s essential that we understand the guiding principles through which God intended it to operate. Whether it be healing the sick and casting out devils, overseeing our homes and families, running a church, operating a business, or managing a city, we must understand how God intended for authority to function.  Also, to follow authority confidently, we must understand its boundaries and guidelines. I’m going to share just a few highlights from Clay’s book today and tomorrow, although I will barely scratch the surface. You would be wise to pick up this book. Today’s title is: Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership, Part 1 Authority is powerful. Without it, nothing would ever get done. Authority is the ability to influence things, including people. The first thing God did after He made man was to give them a job. To get that job done, He gave them authority. Notice in Genesis that God brought all the animals to Adam to see what he would name them. Obviously, Adam had the authority to do what God called him to do. Everything about God is filled with authority. His love is filled with authority. His correction is filled with authority. His grace is filled with authority. Anything God commissions receives a portion of His authority. When God says to do something, the authority to accomplish it is delegated from Him: “ God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply: fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28) By virtue of the fact that God told man to fill the earth and subdue it, we can understand that man was also given the authority to accomplish this great commission. We can see clearly the importance of authority when we realize that a large part of what mankind lost in the fall was his God-given authority. This is why Jesus’ great triumph was in regaining authority - the authority originally given to man. Look at what scripture says about Jesus: “Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’” (Mark 1:27) “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”  (Luke 9:1) One of the last things Jesus spoke on earth to His disciples before ascending to heaven signified the key aspect of His ministry: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...’” (Matthew 28:18-20) Notice the connection between Jesus’ declaration of authority and the clear mandate to His disciples,  “Go therefore…” The disciples received authority, and they were sent out. [Clay thoroughly addresses the subject of illegitimate authority. Here are a few comments.] Yes, authority has been mishandled, misunderstood, and mistaken throughout the Body of Christ. In my thirty [now forty plus] plus years in the Lord’s ministry, I have seen the rich fruit of authentic authority, the ravages of lifeless authority, and everything in between. I have also seen how often authority is abused in the hierarchy of church government. Legitimate authentic authority must be discerned from false authority. False authority is not from God, nor does it serve God. It comes from the enemy, and in the long run, it seeks to destroy the things of God. John told us to try the spirits. When someone in our midst is prophesying - speaking words purported to be from God - I teach my people to sense the spirit in which the message is given. The spirit is more important than the words. Before we can allow someone’s spiritual energy to touch ours, we had better know the well from which they are drawing. But authority is our friend if we understand how to operate in it. Remember: authentic authority gets things done. It works together with us for our good. It propels us into greater works and richer lives. It is what Jesus came to earth to give us. [Clay points out the critical fact that those in authority are called to help us as servants.] It can often be a far stretch to see those in authority as servants, yet that is exactly what we read in Romans 13: “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” (Romans 13:4) The key here is in accepting a better translation of the word minister in this passage. The word actually means servant.  Whoever bears authority in your life is also a servant of God sent to help you. The policeman who gave me my first ticket was certainly not apologetic for the service he was providing, but in the long run, he may very well have saved my young, reckless life. My Finishing Comments What a different world it would be if everyone saw leadership authority as a responsibility to serve. Families would be healthier, churches would be stronger, businesses would be more productive, and nations would be more prosperous. Tomorrow, I’m going to share with you nine important traits regarding excellence in leadership, as outlined by Clay in his book. Pray with me: Father, in a power-hungry and money-hungry world, filled with leaders trying to satisfy their illegitimate cravings, people are looking for servant-motivated individuals. Jesus modeled this for us, and clearly said that true greatness in His kingdom required servanthood. Yet, it seems that so often the higher people climb the ladder of influence and power, the more they want to be served rather than serve. Teach us Your ways, for it is in Your precepts that we find true wisdom with which to lead. Work into us Your nature of humility that seeks to advance and serve others, not ourselves. Give us more leaders in our government who manifest this, and also in the church, as we begin mentoring the great harvest you are bringing into the Kingdom. Those who are saved will need humble and wise leaders to follow. Heal those who have been abused by authority and remove from them their fear. Give them the ability to trust once again. Place them in safe environments where they can receive help, grow, and safely develop their gifts. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the coming revival will be led by servant-hearted leaders, which will generate great authority, power, and fruitfulness. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from the book Relationship Authority, Authentic Leadership,  written by Clay Nash. You can learn more about Clay at ClayNash.org .

The Advantage “It is to your advantage that I leave,” Jesus told His disciples (John 16:7). Can you imagine a more ridiculous-sounding statement? They had traveled with Him for three years, listening to Him expound on life, the ways of God, and the kingdom of heaven. His words carried such wisdom and authority that even His enemies said of Him,  “Never has a man spoken in the way this man speaks”  (John 7:46). The disciples had watched Him cure blind eyes, open deaf ears, heal paralytics, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead. Once, when He needed money, He procured it from the mouth of a fish. On another occasion, when He needed to cross a lake and didn’t have a boat handy, He simply walked on the water. And when storms tried to mess with Him, He knocked the wind out of them with the power of His words. Then, He has the audacity to tell these men, “I’m going to leave you, and it’s for your own good.” One can only imagine the shock and disbelief of the disciples.  “He is leaving us?! This is good?! We don’t think so!!!” Two understandings will help us embrace why Christ said, “It is to your advantage that I go away.” The first has to do with His use of the word advantage, or as the King James Version says, “expedient.” The Greek word is sumphero,  which means literally “to bring together.” (1)  And since bringing the right things or people together produces benefits or advantages, this Greek word was used for the concept of “expediency” or “gaining an advantage.” Christ was telling His disciples, “My departure will cause a new connection ( sumphero ) to take place for you. This ‘bringing together’ will be of great benefit to you, more so than even My physical presence.” The second piece of information that brings enlightenment to Christ’s words is an awareness of who He was going to connect the disciples with: Holy Spirit. Why would this relationship be so advantageous? Because Holy Spirit would be with them in spirit form, not in a flesh-and-blood body as Christ had been, and could therefore be everywhere at once. AND, He could actually be “in” them, not just “with” them (John 14:17). I don’t believe many of us come anywhere close to grasping this revelation in its fullness. Almighty God is in us. What might we be like if we received the full revelation of this? Perhaps we would become “little Christs”, which is the meaning of the word Christian . Perhaps Christ’s words concerning us doing the same works He did - and even greater works - would be fulfilled? We would no doubt be miracle workers, life transformers, fearless, completely unselfish, always led by Holy Spirit, and walk in perfect love.  The late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, states this regarding Holy Spirit:  “He guides us (John 1:13), empowers us (Micah 3:8), and makes us holy (Romans 15:16). He bears witness in our lives (Romans 8:16), comforts us (John 14:16-26), gives us joy (Romans 14:17)...
 “As our teacher of spiritual truths, the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds with insight into the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) and reveals to us the hidden things of God (Isaiah 40:13-14)...
 “As you are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes alive, prayer becomes vital, your witness becomes effective, and obedience becomes a joy. Then, as a result of your obedience in these areas, your faith grows and you become more mature in your spiritual life.” (2) Holy Spirit is all of this and more. Though it isn’t often considered, He was Christ’s “Helper.” As a human, Jesus was filled with, led by, empowered by, and anointed by the Holy Spirit (see Luke 4). Acts 10:38 also tells us Christ derived His power and anointing from Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit resides in us and wants to be our source of power and strength. However, we often fail to make the connection, thereby preventing His power from flowing. A missionary, Herbert Jackson, told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push - popping the clutch, we sometimes call it. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. Jackson went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car to start it. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave his car running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly explained his method for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work. (3) Ouch! J.B. Phillips’ translation tells us in Ephesians 1:19,  “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with Holy Spirit, His life and power can flow through us. Don’t waste this amazing help. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” The term “fellowship” is from  koinonia  and is rich with meaning, revealing some of what the Holy Spirit wants to be in our lives. The following English words are all translations of koinonia : Fellowship - Holy Spirit wants to visit with us.
 Communion - Holy Spirit wants to commune with us.
 Sharing together - Holy Spirit wants to share His insights and power with us.
 Participation in or with - Holy Spirit wants to participate in our efforts and activities.
 Distribution - Holy Spirit wants to distribute revelation, gifts, anointings, and blessings to us.
 Impart - Holy Spirit wants to impart God’s nature and benefits to us.
 Partaking - Holy Spirit wants us to partake of His anointing and life.
 Partnership - Holy Spirit wants to partner with us.
 Companionship - Holy Spirit wants the pleasure of your company.
 “May the koinonia of the Holy Spirit be with you.” What a loaded statement. Get better acquainted with Holy Spirit! Pray with me: Thank you, Father, that after Your Son Jesus’ time on earth, You sent us another Helper, Holy Spirit, to dwell not just among us, but within  us. His indwelling is given to guide and empower us as we steward the great victory that Jesus won. We want to experience all of who He is and what He does. We don’t simply want to know about Him; we desire to have Him active in every part of our speech, actions, and thoughts. We want to manifest the empowerment for Christ-likeness and kingdom advancement that He brings.  Holy Spirit, You’re our connection to communion with the Father, to further glimpses of His depths, and to doing greater works than Jesus. Give us a full revelation of how we can be led by You in every way. Open the scriptures and position our hearts to understand koinonia  with You.  And Father, as revival unfolds in our land, this will be a pouring out of Holy Spirit. Pour Him into the young people of our nation until His presence floods every campus in America. Fill millions of youth with Holy Spirit.  And flood Washington, D.C., with Holy Spirit, also. Give wisdom and revelation to righteous leaders, leading them as they lead our nation. Make them aware of Your desire to help them, and then share Your insights and strategies for reforming our nation. Think through them! All of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that another great outpouring of Holy Spirit has begun in our land and around the world. We will not miss the time of our visitation! Watch the full video by clicking on the link below. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4851.  Bill Bright, The Holy Spirit (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1980), pp. 116, 121, quoted in Robert Heidler, Experiencing the Spirit  (Ventura, CA: Renew Books, 1993), p. 182. Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching  (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), p. 182.

Introduction Today and tomorrow, I’m going to share on the subject of our great Helper, Holy Spirit, and the incredible source of power that He brings us. Today’s teaching is actually from my brother, Tim. As always, his insights are outstanding. Tim’s title is:  The Divine Mentor There was a time when I was trying to pray about something, but just couldn’t seem to find the right words. I wrestled with it for a while, until finally, I heard Holy Spirit whisper so clearly, “Let Me do it.”  When I yielded and allowed Him to speak through me, there came an immediate release, and the burden I’d been carrying lifted as He began to plead to God on my behalf. Romans 8:26 (TPT) says, “At times we don’t even know how to pray or know the best thing to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.” This is a powerful picture of supernatural intercession. When we pray in our “spirit language,” Holy Spirit rises within us to intercede far beyond what our natural words can express, aligning our hearts and our prayers with the perfect will of God. Verse 27 continues, “God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet He also understands the desires of the Spirit.”  This is not referring to our human spirit, but to Holy Spirit Himself. Holy Spirit passionately pleads through us, His holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny. What divine assistance this is! God’s Word shows us that being filled with Holy Spirit is what enables this supernatural partnership. Just as we see in the book of Acts, believers were filled and then refilled  with Holy Spirit. It wasn’t a one-time event, but was a continual experience. Staying filled with Holy Spirit connects and synergizes us with God’s divine plan, both individually and corporately as the Ekklesia. To walk with Holy Spirit is to live in continual partnership with Him. As Romans 8:1 reminds us, we are to walk according to the Spirit’s guidance, from our spirit, not according to the flesh. This means living daily in a relationship with Him, walking and listening, and praying as He inspires us. He breathes on our prayers, our words, and our decrees inspired by Him and God’s Word. What a gift, what a Helper, what a partnership. Accomplishing Our Destiny Every person carries a God-given purpose. The Lord told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had plans for you”  (Jeremiah 1:5, MSG). What a profound truth. Before you took your first breath, God already knew you. He had written your story and prepared divine plans for your life. Holy Spirit empowers us in the unfolding of this destiny. That reality should fill every heart with hope. King David echoed this truth in Psalm 139:13-18 (TPT): “You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank You, God, for making me so mysteriously complex. Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking… You saw who You created me to be before I became me.” Before you were ever born, God gave you purpose. The Greek word for purpose is prothesis (1) . Pro  means “before,” and thesis means “a written plan.” In other words, God wrote your life’s thesis before you were formed. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:9 (CSB), “ He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Yes, this speaks of redemption, but salvation is not just about what we are saved from.  It’s also about what we are saved to.  We are redeemed to live out our God-given purpose and potential. Salvation is the doorway into a life of divine destiny. A life filled with possibilities, assignments, and Holy Spirit-empowered impact. Many believers understand what God has delivered them from,  but they haven’t yet discovered what He has called them  into . They stop at forgiveness, without stepping into fullness. But Holy Spirit has come to empower us to live as sons and daughters of God now, not merely in Heaven someday. He empowers us to live as heirs of His Kingdom, walking in the inheritance and purpose He wrote for us before time began. Even when we miss it–once, twice, or ten times–Holy Spirit never stops working, guiding, aligning, and reconnecting us with the destiny God purposed. Before you were born, God wrote your name, your potential, your callings, your giftings, and even your divine connections, into a plan that would unfold across your lifetime. And then, in love, He gave you the freedom to pursue it. Holy Spirit understands that plan fully. He knows the path that leads into your destiny, even when circumstances seem to block the way, and He never stops working. Through every season, whether it feels like progress or delay, the Spirit continues weaving your life into alignment with God’s purpose. He is always leading you forward, always connecting you to destiny.  Jesus described Holy Spirit in John 14:26 as the One who comes alongside us to help, to aid, and to support. Part of His role is to draw forth this destiny and purpose. What an incredible benefit this is. There are dimensions of our destiny that we simply cannot reach in our own strength. Certain elements of who we are destined to be require the assistance and empowerment of Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean we can’t experience success on our own; we can, but not the fullness of all God designed us to be. This comes only through partnership with the Spirit. He is the empowerer of greater purpose. When you come to crossroads and destiny decisions, invite Holy Spirit to guide you, to speak to you, to instruct you. The Greek word Jesus used in John 14:26 describes Him as our parakletos, our Divine Mentor, Counselor, and Advocate. (2) What a truth: you have a Divine Mentor living within you! No one can lead you like He can. The Spirit’s guidance and intercession are always in alignment with the Father’s will and in perfect harmony with His plan for our lives. Each day is an invitation to yield, listen, and follow His leading, so that our lives collectively become a living testimony of His glory and power. Pray with me:   Holy Spirit, lead us into the fullness of our destinies, deeper into God’s will and the plans You have written for us. Empower us to walk fully in our God-given potential. Fill us afresh and help us become all God saw for us before we were even formed. You are our Helper, our Teacher, and our Divine Mentor. We trust You to lead, guide, and direct us today, helping us advance the Kingdom of God.  As Your Ekklesia, we pray and decree heaven’s purposes on earth. We ask for the fullness of America’s God-ordained destiny. Cause our nation to align with Heaven’s plan and fulfill every purpose You have planned. Deliver us from the socialism, Marxism, humanism, and globalism attempting to invade our land. Give our leaders the wisdom needed to cope with issues associated with the invasion of millions of illegal aliens, an out-of-control welfare system, the corruption of the Deep State, food and health crises, and so much more. We ask for the healing of our land, knowing this will occur only as revival transforms the heart of our nation. Righteousness exalts a nation. In Yeshua’s name, we ask these things. Amen. Our decree:   We decree that Holy Spirit is flowing through the Ekklesia, equipping us to fulfill our assignments and impact the earth with God’s Kingdom power. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim   here . Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4286 . Ibid. ref. no. 3875 .

Introduction As our friend Gina Gholston participated in the recent days of praise, the Lord gave her a word for us. You will find it encouraging! The title of Gina’s post is:  The Fruit of Our Praise For the past several days, in obedience to the prophetic word of the Lord from Chuck Pierce, we released our praise to God in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Praise is a powerful thing. It’s a weapon that shifts the atmosphere. It also shifts our focus from ourselves to our Heavenly Father. True praise provokes a fresh awareness of God, and when we think on Him and recall His goodness, it ignites hope and awakening within our own lives. One morning this past week, as I was praising the Lord, Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance an actual event that I witnessed many years ago. I wrote about this event in my latest book, so I picked it up and read the story. As I read those words and remembered that event, my praise went to another level and another decibel! And in that moment of high and sincere praise, I heard the Lord say, “ Divine intervention has been activated. Through your praise, the shield of faith has been raised, and you will now see an undeniable deflection of the fiery darts of the enemy. What has been intended for evil will now be turned for good. This will result in testimony after testimony of My power and goodness, evoking an awakening to an awareness of Me that will bring the nation back to life !” What an encouraging word! It reveals that our praise doesn’t just give us access to God, it gives God access to us because He comes where He is acknowledged . . . and where He is, there is life! Now, here is the testimony of the event the Lord reminded me of that morning. Several years ago, I was privileged to be part of a missionary work team assigned to build a home for a pastor and his family. It was an incredible project that actually became supernatural! God enabled our small team to build that house from the concrete slab to a near-completed home in just ten days. While it was a hard, laborious task, it was also a joy to work with this amazing team and watch the project come to completion, one task at a time. My friend and assistant, Darlene, was also on this trip. And while we are by no means professional carpenters, we were so honored to work alongside and assist those who were. One part of the building we were helping with was framing the home’s interior walls. With power tools and pneumatic nail guns, the framing was going pretty quickly. Darlene was assisting one of the carpenters, who was using the nail gun. She was holding the wall studs in place as he was nailing them. As they worked on one wall, they were in a squatting position, and the carpenter using the nail gun was facing Darlene as she held the board being nailed. Somehow, the nail gun jerked just as he was pulling the trigger, and the nail missed the board and hit Darlene directly on her knee. Nail guns have a high-pressure force that can shoot a nail several feet and still penetrate the tip of the nail into a board. Darlene was right in front of the gun, just inches away, when the trigger was pulled. When the nail launched and hit her knee, it was one of those moments when everything seemed to stand still as we helplessly watched the event unfold. It all happened so quickly, and there was absolutely no denying what should have happened.  But God!  The end result should have been a nail blasting into and causing severe damage to Darlene’s knee, but instead, the end result was an amazing testimony of God’s protection! Despite the tremendous pressure driving the nail forward, the Lord supernaturally deflected it. It simply tapped and bounced off her knee and fell to the ground—not even leaving a mark on her! Our God is awesome! He is almighty! When we remember His greatness, we cannot help but release our praises to Him! In the light of our awakened awareness of Him, confident faith arises, impacting our prayers and decrees. Our ability to walk and work with Him also increases as He works through us to change things once thought impossible. I am reminded of a line from an old song that says, “God specializes in things thought impossible. He can do what no other power can do!” (1) The atmosphere of this nation is now filled with a swirl of sincere praises that have flowed from hearts and lips declaring the goodness of our great God! Our focus is on Him, and our faith in Him is ignited within us. He has been good. He is  good! He is great, and He is greatly to be praised! Our shouts of praise have captured the attention of Heaven. Heaven is responding to our sound. God is pleased, and He has come to inhabit our praises. Divine intervention has been activated to extinguish the fiery darts of the enemy. God is turning things in our favor. His favor surrounds us like a shield that deflects the enemy’s evil intentions. God is putting His finger on some things, as the word from Chuck declared, and hell’s agenda is losing its grip on this nation. Testimony after testimony of Yahweh’s power, intervention, and goodness is being proclaimed, and the words of our testimonies are awakening the nation to an undeniable awareness of our mighty God. He inhabits our praises, and under the weight and reality of His abiding presence, life is being restored! Our combined prayer and decree: Father, You are great, and You are greatly to be praised. We recall Your goodness, and our hearts can’t help but release shouts of praise and thanksgiving to You. O, how great is Your faithfulness! We turn our eyes upon You, and we find hope! Your love and favor surround us like a shield that deflects the fiery darts of our adversaries. Snares that have been crafted and meant for our downfall are being broken and destroyed. You, O, Lord, have enabled us to rise with overcoming power by the blood of Jesus and the words of our testimonies. Our shouts of praise will not be silenced! We lift our voices loud and strong to worship You, and You rush in like a mighty wind, the Ruach of Yahweh, to bring our nation back to life! Amen! You have come to inhabit our praises. Your divine intervention has been activated, and we will now see an undeniable deflection of the fiery darts of the enemy. What has been intended for evil will now be turned for good. Testimony after testimony of Your power and goodness will continue to rise and evoke an awakening, an awareness of You that will bring the nation back to life! Today’s post was contributed by our friend Gina Gholston. Portions were taken from Gina’s book, Along the Journey . You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.com   Click on the link below to watch the full video. 1.) Oscar C. Eliason, Got Any Rivers, 1931; copyrighted 1945 by Singspiration Music (ASCAP ); Brentwood, TN.

Introduction Last week, I shared with you a prophetic word given to Chuck Pierce, which instructed us to offer praise to God three times a day for a week. The word said this would release God’s judgments against lies that have held America captive. You can read Chuck’s prophetic word here . The seven days ended Sunday, but many of us who heard about and started the weeklong process after it began are continuing for a few more days, simply to honor the Lord and “contribute” our week of praise. Following up on Chuck’s word, I wrote two posts last week on the power of praise, and more importantly, why it is so powerful. I did so again yesterday and will continue this theme through tomorrow. The title of today’s post is: The Priority  “Firsts” can be good or bad. First place is usually good, as are first-class and first-rate. First-degree is usually bad, as is the need for first aid, and the first half, and the first baseman can be either. While thinking about this, I recalled several of my firsts, along with a one- or two-word thought concerning each of them. Here are ten: First major-league baseball game attended (awe) First day of school (intimidated) First car (junk) First date with Ceci (priceless) First time seeing both daughters (love) First dirty diaper change (nausea) First sermon (nice try) Compiling a few of my “firsts” was fun. Some were extremely important, others only memorable. The same would be true with yours. There is one first, however, that is essential and that all of us must keep number one. Jesus referred to it as our “first love.” When writing to the Ephesian church, He said, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love”  (Revelation 2:4). The Greek word translated “first” in this passage is protos , meaning “foremost in time, place, order, or importance.”(1)  Since it would be illogical to assume Christ had been the first person each of them loved, it seems reasonable to conclude He was using the word in the sense of importance. “You have abandoned the love that should be your number one priority,” was His obvious meaning. The root word for protos  is pro , meaning “superior to” or “in front of”; and yes, protos is where we get our word professional , or its shortened form, pro . A professional is one who excels in a particular field. I used to play golf; Scotty Scheffler does, as well. But there’s a big difference between us: He’s a pro, I’m an amateur. Watching each of us swing a golf club once would leave no doubt as to the difference. Shopping is another activity performed by both pros and amateurs. I shop occasionally - when God is punishing me for speeding or some other serious offense. I’m an amateur shopper and have no desire to ever be anything but an amateur. Ceci, on the other hand, is a pro. And as is fitting, she enjoys it. We both do what we enjoy: I watch a football game, she shops. Life is good. Placing the literal definitions of pro  and protos  into the context of Revelation 2:4 makes clear what Jesus was saying: Relationship with Him should be “in front of” or “superior to” all others. He wants to be our “priority” love. Christ told us elsewhere that loving God is the first of all the other commandments (Matthew 22:37-38).  This begs the question of why - why does God demand to be first? Is He narcissistic or egocentric, demanding that we make Him the center of attention? Or, is God insecure, in need of our affirmation? The obvious answer to both of these questions is a resounding “NO!” The Lord is self-confident and self-assured, and yet this confidence is filtered through the utmost humility. He has neither pride nor insecurity issues. Why then does He demand to be number one? Because He wants us to be fulfilled. Complete. Satisfied. The reason God must be first in our lives is profound in both its simplicity and importance: The very purpose for the creation of humans was relationship with God. We were made to be one in spirit with Him, joined together spiritually like a husband and wife. First Corinthians 6:17 says,  “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”  Our union with Him completes us. There is a place in the heart of every human God made only for Himself. Period. If we don’t get this right, the pieces won’t fit. Nothing else can fill this void, including other people, money, pleasure, or accomplishments. And certainly not religion; we weren’t created to connect with a system or  organization, but a person. God understands this, of course, and for our benefit, reminds us of His love for us and our need for Him. Before correcting the church at Ephesus Jesus told them: “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false: and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary”  (Revelation 2:2-3). What believer wouldn't be pleased to hear such praise? Yet Christ makes it clear that these accomplishments are not the heart of the matter. A good performance can't replace intimacy with Him. If this misconception is allowed to control us, our good works will devolve into meaningless religion - every time - satisfying neither God nor us . Our “performance” must flow out from a relationship with Him; never replace or be equated to it. It is also important to understand that our first (priority) love is not based on emotions or feelings. It would be unrealistic to think we can maintain the same level of emotional excitement that typically occurs when we first meet Christ. Such a sustained emotional high is not a reasonable expectation in any relationship, whether it be with your spouse, a friend, or the Lord.  If Christ is currently number one in your life and you are enjoying the pleasure of His company, treasure it. Let nothing come between the two of you. But if you, like the church of Ephesus, have allowed other things to take priority over your relationship with Him, reprioritize. Make Him  protos  again - superior to all else. And if you have never yet discovered Christ as your first-love soul mate, well, get ready to find out why you exist. Amazing joys await you. Pray with me: Holy Spirit, search our hearts and show us where we’ve failed to ascribe to our Father, to Jesus, and to You the highest place. Reveal to us the ways in which we have compromised our commitment to You, forsaking our first love. Thank You for tenderly drawing our wayward hearts back to the priority of loving You and receiving Your love. Without Your loving leadership, we are incomplete. May nothing else replace the pleasure of Your company.  Father, our nation once honored You first. But like the Ephesians, works, wealth, and pleasure crowded You out. For most Americans, You’re not even a distant second. However, from Your Word and from history, we know this can change. Smoldering embers can blaze again, cold hearts can burn with passion, and prodigals can run into the arms of love-sick fathers. With Your power and love, even dry, dead bones can live again. Breathe once again on this apostate nation. In Christ’s name, we pray, Amen. Our decree: We declare that America is returning to her first love; a harvest of lovers is coming, and Jesus will be prioritized above all! Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company   and published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4413.