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God’s People Face A Critical Decision The people of God are facing a major decision: Can they support a leader who has a sinful past? His sexual improprieties are known; he has had adulterous affairs and multiple wives. He claims to have repented and been forgiven, but well, can they really look past this when it comes to leading a nation? His exploits are many, and he has great wealth. But how did he accumulate such wealth? Did he take it dishonestly from others? After all, even some of his friends and acquaintances from the past have turned against him, making accusations of lies and deceit; and authorities have taken legal action. The current government accuses him of being a traitor and wanting to take over the nation. He is also accused of lying, fomenting insurrection, and deceiving many. His efforts to deceive the masses seem to be succeeding—multitudes now follow him, sing his praise, and laud his exploits, though his enemies accuse his followers of being a bunch of deplorable misfits. The opposition government fears him and has brought serious charges - new ones keep coming up; they pursue him relentlessly. Along with charges of being a traitorous insurrectionist, they also accuse him of being a racist by wanting to prioritize his nation’s recovery and success first, while claiming that this is for the good of all the world. He, on the other hand, claims that his opponent is a liar and mentally challenged. Again, this man claims to have repented of his past and to be a changed person who loves God and His people. But in light of the above, can the people of God trust this? What should be done? Can they take the risk? Are the accusations true? Is this an evil man, a power-hungry dictator at heart, unfit to lead? What will they do? I’m speaking, of course, of Israel in David’s day, David’s sins, and of King Saul’s accusations against him. Oh, you thought I was referring to America and Trump?! No, sorry. Israel took the chance and made David their leader, believing he was the right person to lead them. Even when David sinned as King, the people realized God didn’t “excuse” his sins, but also believed he could be forgiven. Turns out they made the right choice - God even called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).  Who would have thought? I’m always somewhat confused by those in the church who vehemently preach the good news of Calvary’s cleansing and forgiveness, sing that “there is power, power, wonder-working power, in the blood of the Lamb,” but reject the possibility of this for Trump. They read the Psalms of former adulterer David; they preach from the epistles of once murderous, church-hating Paul; and they bury their dead to Amazing Grace, the song of former slave trading, murderous John Newton, but believe Trump was just too sinful to believe God could forgive, cleanse, and use him. I suppose they believe in “selective grace,” good news for “some,” and that Jesus came to save “most” sinners. They should be consistent in this year’s Easter message, carefully stating that God can forgive “most” sins and save “most” sinners. Forgive my cynicism. Okay, I’ll admit that I, too, think Trump has been a bit mean-spirited at times, and uses questionable language. But he certainly has not stooped to the level of his lying, conniving, God-hating, mean-spirited enemies (who also curse but limit theirs to when they believe the mic is off). As far as Trump’s language is concerned, there are plenty of people I know who would drop the F-word in a conversation, but whose honesty and hearts I would trust more than several people I’ve met in churches. And I’ll take mean posts anytime over mean, heinous leaders who knowingly allow human trafficking in order to secure votes. Speaking of mean, need I remind you that 85,000 of the unaccompanied minors allowed into the country by Biden are now lost? [United States Secretary of Homeland Security] Mayorkas told Congress they have no idea where they are, and did so without weeping, I might add. These children are now trafficked, abused, used for cheap labor, sleep on the streets, end up in gangs, and who knows what else. I have no words to describe how despicable this is. I can accept some “bad words” from a person who wants to stop this. Millions of Americans see through the self-righteous attitude of Christians who reject Trump because of his past life and rough language. They see the hypocrisy of preaching one thing and practicing another. They have scorn for the “sensitive ears” of those who can’t tolerate Trump’s language, and therefore allow child abusers and kindergartener-groomers to lead America. And we wonder why they aren’t interested in our preaching?! They tolerate immorality better than hypocrisy, and prefer realness over religion. Give Him 15 is not endorsing a candidate or political party. But we have no problem speaking out on issues, or of endorsing principles. My advice is to put up with some “Patton-esque” language (General Patton was known for his cursing) and look deeper into the hearts and motives of those who want to lead us. We must reject and defeat the forces of evil trying to take over our nation and “globalize” us. We must elect a general, a warrior at this time in history, not a pastor. We need a fighter, a brave-hearted William Wallace, not a silver-tongued orator. (Not that the other party has one of those.) And a person of sound mind wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Of our two choices, is Trump that man? You’ll have to make up your own mind. As you think about it, remember King David. Pray with me: Father, our prayer today is that You would help the church see clearly the choices coming our way. Give us the right application of grace and truth, the appropriate placement of our anger. Jesus loved and forgave sinners while overturning tables in the Temple. Show us the difference between grace to sinners and the toleration of evil. Only You do this perfectly - help us. And break off of the church her religiosity. You didn’t reject Peter over his cursing, but promoted him to apostle a few weeks later. You cleansed David, saved Paul, and have a habit of saving those rejected by the church. Give us more John Newton conversions, Mary Magdalene worshippers, and Patton-type warriors. May we all remember the grace we have received. We appeal for Your grace to America, a wicked nation that has rejected You. We have sacrificed our children to Baal and Molech, squandered our inheritance like the prodigal in Scripture, mocked You in the headquarters of our government, and practiced immorality in the Oval Office. May humility be our greatest and most significant offering in this hour. Through no merits other than the blood of Jesus, we appeal for forgiveness and cleansing. Only in His name do we ask, Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will continue to appeal to heaven based on the blood of Jesus, not self-righteous actions or mindsets. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

INTRODUCTION Greetings and welcome to Give Him 15. I’m Ceci Sheets and today, I’ve given my husband the day off. I’m a very private person and haven’t yet shared this, but on December 31, 2021, I was struck with an illness that incapacitated me for the next year of my life. I was in a wheelchair for the first 2 months, then used a cane, unable to drive for 6 months, and life didn’t return to basic normal for 10-12 months. I was diagnosed by a specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina with Unilateral Vestibular Neuritis. It was debilitating. I had lots of prayer, physical therapy, and time with Jesus. During that season, I became re-acquainted with what really mattered - what was truly important in my life. I had lots of time to evaluate and assess my life. I’m a go-getter by nature, a fixer. I work to make other people happy and take care of them - mostly my family. I find value in serving others. And I like to fix problems, make others’ lives easier; I like to organize, and find solutions. But in 2022, life flipped, and I had to be served and helped. It wasn’t comfortable for me, but it was essential, nonetheless. As I had those long conversations with Jesus, I made some life-altering decisions. I realized that Ceci needed to slow down and not take life so seriously. My checklist of daily tasks really doesn’t have to be accomplished today. Some can spill over to tomorrow, or even next week. My desk doesn’t have to be tidy at the end of the day, or my floors swept before I go to bed. I learned to take deep breaths, enjoy hearing the birds sing, and think more about those whom I love. And that’s where I’m leading up to… It was important to me that my husband of 46 years be celebrated well for his 70th birthday. Dutch gives and gives. He spends hours each day studying and praying about the GH15 posts and the assignments God has given him. He takes them seriously. So today, I’ve given him the day off. On Sunday, we celebrated Dutch well as a family, with our children and grandchildren. We had his favorite meal, Mom’s famous carrot cake, and shared stories, memories, and gifts around the kitchen table. It was perfect. We ended the day with a big surprise: one of his closest friends, Ken Malone, walked in the front door. Today, I chartered a boat and guide for the two of them to fish to their hearts’ content. I have another gift for him that we will tell you about soon. Today, instead of a teaching from me, I’ve decided to share with you one of my top 5 favorite GH15 posts. This one is taken from his book, The Pleasure of His Company. In 2021, Dutch took us through the entire book, trimming each chapter down a bit to fit into 15 minutes. The Pleasure of His Company has 30 stand-alone chapters and can, therefore, be used as a devotional. But this is his most candid writing with personal stories. So today, I hope you will enjoy The Lingerers. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Lingerers When I was a student at Christ For The Nations Institute thirty-five years ago- back when I could run for miles and still had a six-pack, all my hair, and no wrinkles- I was diligent to spend quality amounts of time every day with God. I had actually developed this lifestyle prior to attending CFNI. Before work each day I'd wake up an hour or more earlier than necessary in order to spend time praying and reading the Word. I loved hanging out with God then, and still do. My practice while a student was to pray and/or spend time reading Scripture for at least an hour before school began with chapel at 8:00 a.m. Chapel didn't consist of a message but was thirty-five minutes of glorious worship. Combining these two things meant that I had a good hour and a half at the beginning of every day to enjoy the pleasure of His company. Many days I would also pray another thirty to forty-five minutes after our last class ended at noon. I would then rush to the cafeteria before it closed at 1:00 p.m. During these forty-five minutes I would pray and meditate over what I had learned that day, as well as anything the Holy Spirit would bring to my mind to intercede for. These times of lingering became special to me, and I believe they were to the Lord, as well. I mention the two-plus hours per day I spent with the Lord not to boast, but to emphasize the fact that anyone can develop a love for His presence. I was anything but a spiritual giant at this time of my life, only very hungry for God. One afternoon at my usual 12:45 time, I came down from the balcony, where I often spent the last forty-five minutes with the Lord. The student council was selling tickets for a banquet, and they were just putting their supplies away, preparing to leave. Two of them, a guy and a girl, were carrying a folding table to a closet. The girl, whom I had never met, was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I decided right then to marry her! I quickly grabbed her end of the table, demonstrating my chivalry and muscle. The student council member on the other end of the table, whom I knew, introduced us. It took me a few weeks to get the nerve to ask her out, but when I did, she quickly said yes. She, too, was smitten. Ceci and I were married nine months later. That, my friend, is what happens when you linger with God! Okay, you may not be rewarded with a spouse, but good things do happen to "lingerers." I've always believed God orchestrated the timing of our meeting just to demonstrate how much He enjoyed our times together. It would be just like Him to do so - He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Of course, the greatest reward is simply the privilege of connecting with Him. One definition of linger is "to leave slowly and hesitantly." If you don't find yourself leaving God's presence slowly and hesitantly, there's a short somewhere in the connection. When you truly connect with Him, it's like a warm bed on a wintery morning - you don't want to leave it. Regular visitors to the throne of grace become lingerers, pure and simple. Charles Swindoll shares this story: “I vividly remember sometime back being caught in the undertow of too many commitments in too few days. It wasn't long before I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at meal times, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day. Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable. I distinctly recall after supper one evening the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She hurriedly began, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin'andIwilltellyoureallyfast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me... And you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.’ I'll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”(1) You'll never find yourself having to say to your heavenly Father, "Then listen slowly." He has plenty of time for you and loves it when you linger in His presence. In fact, His biggest problem is our limited time with Him, not our lingering. We are often in such a hurry we actually want Him to listen really fast. But He isn't our spiritual Santa Claus, wanting us to take our two minutes in His lap, give Him our wish list, and be on our way. He is Abba...Papa. Our Father is not easily offended. He is patient and long-suffering, and His loving-kindness is everlasting. But still, I can't help but wonder if He doesn't get offended at the way we treat Him. We give Him such little time, expecting Him to listen fast and perform quickly. I have a friend who actually believes the Lord once told him, "Don't defile My presence with your impatience." Ouch. David, the shepherd and psalmist who became king over Israel, was a lingerer; he loved being in God's presence and he left slowly and hesitantly. David once said, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Notice the words dwell, behold, and meditate. Those are lingering terms. He also said, "O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). You don't make statements like that unless you've learned to linger. First we learn to linger, then He becomes addictive and we love to linger. Listen to David's language: "I love the habitation of Your house." I enjoy reading about David and his walk with God. It has been revealing and enriching to observe their relationship in the Scriptures - the good, the bad, and the ugly. One thing I especially like is that David kept it real, sharing with God his most intimate thoughts. Whether he was joyful, discouraged, lonely, or on top of the world, David talked to the Lord about it. He knew God wanted to be involved in his world, and he wanted to be in God's. Eventually, a change came in their relationship, a change so subtle that most people never think about it. Many people love God's presence. Thankfully, the worship movement of the last thirty to forty years has taught many of us the difference between singing and worshiping. And as we have learned to truly worship, we've discovered the glorious truth that it attracts His very presence (Psalm 22:3). Through this process, we've come to expect and enjoy the presence of the Lord. David understood this and was a passionate lover of God's presence. As much as he loved the Lord's presence, however, David was never called "a man after God's presence." He had the awe-inspiring honor of being referred to by the Lord as "a man after My heart" (see Acts 13:22, italics mine). There can be a huge difference between pursuing God's heart and experiencing His presence. It is possible to be in a person's presence and never make it into their heart. There are plenty of people I'm willing to hang out with, but very few I’ll allow into my heart. That part of me is reserved for the people I've spent enough time with to know I can trust their motives and intentions. I need to be confident my heart has value to them. It is breakable; I want it handled with care. God is no different. His heart can be broken. His emotions can be wounded and His hopes dashed. He allows many into His presence but is much more selective with His heart. His presence is free, but His heart will cost you time and effort. But oh, how worth the effort He is. Pay the price to find His heart, no matter what it costs you! I emphasize to young leaders that when considering their futures, not to focus first on developing a vision or a big dream. So often, young people are challenged to dream big, to develop a large vision. Personally, I've discovered how easy it is for my own ambition and selfish desires to sneak into my plans when I begin with the dream itself. I urge them to seek God's heart, not a dream. When they find His heart, hidden inside, they’ll also discover their purpose and destiny. Then they can dream, knowing it's God's dream for their life. Sadly, you may not encounter much competition on this quest for God's heart. Many love His presence and are willing to sing a few songs once or twice a week to enter it. Few, however, are after His heart. Choose to become one who is. Don't settle for a cursory look; be a lingerer. Talk to Him slowly, listen to Him slowly, and leave Him slowly. Pray with me: Father, you are worthy of our time and attention, of the greatest affections of our hearts. You are generous in rewarding those who diligently seek You with greater glimpses of the beauty of Your heart. Forgive us for our impatience, Lord, when approaching Your throne of grace. Like Joshua at the Tent of Meeting, we want to be those who love to linger in Your presence, leaving slowly and hesitantly. This one thing we ask for and seek: to dwell in Your house all our days, beholding Your beauty and meditating upon Your Word. Lingering... lingering… We want to go further still than enjoying the glorious place where You dwell. We love to enjoy the pleasure of Your presence, but also want to seek after Your heart. We know there's a high price that must be paid to enter that intimate place, but we’ve determined to give the time and effort to find and know Your heart. We will linger, longer still… In Christ’s name...Amen. Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company. (Dutch Sheets, The Pleasure of His Company (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2014), pp. 165-173.) Click on the link below to watch the full video. Charles R. Swindoll, Man to Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p. 272.

The American Dream You may not be aware of it, but you have a dreaming nature. (I’m speaking of visionary dreams regarding the future, not dreams that occur while sleeping.) You inherited this part of your disposition from your Creator. He created us in His image and likeness so our hearts could relate to His and in order that His dreaming heart could find millions of expressions. You were designed to dream, and you must dream - both for yourself and for God. In fact, if you don't dream with Him, He can't experience all of His dreams, and you'll never achieve your destiny. Abraham was a dreamer, maybe one of the greatest ever. God liked that about him - at that time in history, He desperately needed a dreaming friend. The Lord had been waiting for just the right dreamer to come along, one He could partner with to recapture His dream. These two friends walked together for many years, enjoyed a special covenant with one another, and modeled for all of us the power and beauty of divine-human partnership. Their story begins in Genesis 12, where God initiates His plan by instilling a dream in Abraham. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you…’” (Genesis 12: 1-2a) Please notice that God began His journey with Abraham by appealing to his dreaming nature. How fascinating is that! “I’m going to make you My partner in rescuing My dream, Abraham. And I’m going to begin by giving YOU a dream.” Why, when looking for someone to help him recapture His dream, would God approach it this way? He could have just demanded that Abraham do what he wanted. But the Lord is well aware of the strength of our dreaming nature. He placed it there, after all. And also, He loves it when we dream. With this in mind, God knew that for this partnership to endure for a lifetime, Abraham would need the freedom to release this God-given nature. It couldn’t be a one-sided dream. Therefore, God began by placing a dream in Abraham’s heart regarding the birthing of a great nation. An incredible dream-marriage was born: “I will make from you a great nation” - Abraham’s dream. “And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed” - God’s dream (Genesis 12). (The Messiah would come through this nation.) Having established the all-important fact that God was including Abraham in the dreaming process, two very important principles concerning dreaming are revealed in this inaugural meeting. The first of them is that when we become dreaming partners with God, He must always be the Senior Partner. Yahweh was inviting Abram into His world, not vice versa. He is the Lord and Creator; we are the created. He’s the Leader; we follow His leading. Though promising a great blessing to Abraham, God was obviously the one offering the terms and conditions: “Go to the land I will show you…I will make you…I will bless you…I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:1-3). Twice in the passage, Abraham is seen building altars and worshiping the Lord. This clearly demonstrates his devotion and submission to Yahweh. The order is clear: God, the Senior Partner, is offering a conditional partnership to Abraham, not the other way around. The rewards for Abraham were great, but only if he chose God’s terms and conditions. So often we reverse this, acting as though we’re doing God a favor by allowing Him into our dreaming world, even going so far as to approach Him in a deal-making manner: At times, we offer God token pieces of our dreams, time, money, and desires, all the while acting as though we’re doing Him a favor. How preposterous! The other important principle shown to us in Genesis 12 is that dreaming requires risk-taking. It required a huge risk and great faith on Abraham’s part to pursue the dream God was offering. Don’t forget, the Lord was requiring Abraham to relocate to an unknown place. Yahweh refused to give him many details up front, even refusing to reveal where He was leading him. “You just go, Abraham, and I’ll lead you along the way. Pack everything and follow Me.” What a challenge! The faith this required was incredible, and for Abraham, the risks were monumental: What if I’m not hearing God correctly? Or, what if this isn’t actually God talking to me? To Abraham, however, the dream was worth the risk! He took the chance, and God never forgot the trust he demonstrated. Holy Spirit was still thinking about it hundreds of years later when He inspired the book of Hebrews. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place where he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) Those who need the comfort of the familiar or the security of the known should forget about dreaming. The required leap of faith will always be a bit too unsettling. They’re like the African gazelle, which can jump fairly high and up to thirty feet in distance. In spite of this, they can be confined in zoos with only a three-foot wall. The reason: Gazelles won't jump if they can’t see where they will land. We are often like the gazelle, blessed with great ability and potential, yet imprisoned by the fear of the unknown. Predictability and mapped-out routes are for nondreamers and Google Maps. Dreamers, on the other hand, will be found heading into the unknown…going out on a limb…and, at times, hanging by a thread. Pick your own risk cliché; just know you’ll have to do it. But when God is the source of the dream, that makes Him the limb, the thread, and the guide into the unknown. True faith is not reckless, but neither is it riskless. Dreaming with God always requires the inconvenience of change and the unsettledness of risk. Abraham took this risk and, though he didn’t know it at the time, stepped into the greatest partnership imaginable: working with God to save the world. “In you,” the Lord told Abraham, “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Though I’m certain Abraham didn’t fully understand the phrase, in hindsight, it is clear. “If you’ll trust Me with your future, Abraham, I’ll let you in on Mine. You can be My partner in redeeming the world - the Messiah will come through you!” Incredible! Dreaming with God to save the world! In His quest to redeem the world back to Himself, God is still looking for partners. He places dreams in human hearts, and takes one of His in it. He always has a dream of His own hidden in the dreams He gives us. God had a dream of another nation that would partner with Him to save the world. Any nation can do this, of course, if they so desire. But this one He birthed for that very purpose. That nation was America. When God placed the dream of religious liberty in the hearts of those who came to this land, He had a dream hidden in theirs: That the gospel would go forth from these shores to all the nations of the Earth. America forgot God’s portion of the dream, and in doing so turned the American Dream into wealth and possessions. We also rejected God as the Senior Partner, going so far as to banish His influence from our government and anything publicly owned. But without the Dream Giver, dreams decay. The spiritual death and self-centered nature of fallen man destroys them. And now the American Dream is teetering on the edge of total destruction. Can it live again? Yes, it can. It can be revived. That’s what revival does. God is going to restore America to His purposes. And perhaps the greatest surprise of this revival will be regarding a generation of young people Satan believes he has total and permanent control of. Their dreaming nature will be infused with God’s nature, and they’ll dream with Him of changing the world. And they will. Pray with me: Father, You’re looking for those who will allow You to dream through them. We honor You as King and Lord, and desire to dream what You have planned for us, not generate our own dreams and ask You to bless them. We want You to be our Senior Partner. We also want to dream fearlessly. When You place dreams in us that require high levels of faith, help us to respond as Abraham did, being willing even to venture into the unknown. We ask You to finish the task of restoring America to Your dream. We want the partnership restored, just as You have said would occur. As we prepare for the coming season, we dream with You of a BIG harvest. We are dreaming of salvation and reformation to entire nations. We declare that we are free from earthbound dreams only and have been launched into Your world of eternal, heavenly dreams. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Christ, Your dreaming Son. Our decree: We declare that we are a people of faith, dreaming big dreams with and for God. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Dream.

Rebuild the Altar, Ask For the Fire Hebrew is an amazing language. Though I am no expert regarding it—I simply know how to use various tools—I do have a great appreciation for its brilliance. As I have said at times, it is a pictorial language: letters represent pictures, which are combined to present concepts. Meanings are understood, in part, based on the context of the letters’/pictures’ use. This obviously means a Hebrew word can represent numerous things. For example, Passover, leap, skip, lame, halt, and limp are all the same word in Hebrew (pesach/pasach)(1). The picture, obviously, is the up and down, side to side, halting movement. Interestingly, though seldom used as such, it is also a word for “dance”(2)(3). Again, this is because of the movement the letters picture. WHAT IS PASSOVER? Passover is a joyous celebration, commemorating Israel’s exodus from Egypt, when God judged the Egyptians with the death angel but “passed over” the Israelites. The exodus was their deliverance from slavery and oppression. This, of course, was a picture of Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose blood delivers us from spiritual death and bondage. After Israel’s deliverance, they celebrated at the Red Sea with timbrels, singing, and dancing (Exodus 15:20-21). Though dancing in this passage is a different Hebrew word, it nonetheless was a picture of the great joy of Passover. In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah asked the Israelites how long they would “halt” (pasach) between opinions. Other translations use different words here - hesitate, waver, limp, hobble, and more. Elijah is obviously confronting their inability to decide between serving Yahweh or Baal, their back-and-forth double-mindedness. But by using pasach, the play on words cannot be missed: You could be, and should be, dancing the dance of pasach, Passover - celebrating the deliverance and freedom given to you by Yahweh. Instead, you are limping the limp (pasach) of Baal! What a picture! Israel had gone from a dance to a limp, from freedom to bondage, from God to demons. They had moved from the provision of God to the oppression of Ahab and Jezebel. The Psalms speak of God turning our mourning into dancing (30:11); they had allowed Baal to turn their dancing into mourning. Baal worship, or yielding to any other demonic influence, often begins with dancing. Satan paints a picture of sin as fun, freedom, and joy. But the temporary pleasure always ends in mourning, and the dance becomes a limp. The same word for Israel’s limp (pasach), by the way, is used for the “leaping” and “dancing” of the Baal worshippers trying to persuade this spirit to respond to them (verse 26). AMERICA’S LIMP America once danced the dance of Passover, celebrating the goodness of God and salvation of the Passover Lamb, Jesus. We rejoiced in our prosperity, freedom, wholeness, and partnership with Yahweh; we were the envy of the world, a light into darkness, rescuers. Who in their right mind now questions the fact that we are lame, limping around the altar of our new god, pleading for him to answer by fire and prove that he is everything we thought he was? Like the Laodicean church of Revelation, we still pretend to be “rich…wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and won’t admit that we are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” (Revelation 3:17). We sacrifice our homes, children, health, and wealth to this false god, hoping that he will give us back our dance. We elect liars and fools to government, Ahabs and Jezebels who worship this god, hoping they can give us back our dance. But our limp becomes more pronounced, our leaders stumble off of platforms, while the world laughs and mocks our downfall. What is the solution for this crippling demise? It is the same today as it was in Elijah’s day: we must reject the worship of this false god and return to the God of Passover. Like the church at Laodicea, we must stop our denial and do as they were told, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed, and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent,” (Revelation 3:18-19; NASB). A good time to begin doing so would be Sunday mornings. Limping into powerless gatherings with broken-down altars, acting as though everything is fine, while Baal steals our children and rules our nation, is tolerating evil Jezebel. When Elijah asked Israel how long they would waver between opinions, they were silent (verse 21), just as many in the church today. Elijah rebuilt the altar and asked for fire. What would happen if thousands of pastors around our nation rebuilt the altars of intercession, in what Jesus said should be “houses of prayer?” What would happen if desperate cries for the fire of revival and its cleansing power were issued from the pulpits and pews of America? We know the answer to this: The God who answered Elijah by fire would answer our cries, as well. The rain would fall, Baal’s strongholds would be torn down, and our land would once again dance the dance of the Passover Lamb. Now, for some good news. Though the majority in Israel did not join Elijah in his prayer that day, God, nevertheless, answered and sent the fire. He didn’t require a majority. And Elijahs are being raised up in our day, a remnant is joining them, and God will respond to their repentance and prayers. They ARE rebuilding the altar, they ARE asking for the fire, and the fire WILL fall. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Christ, our Passover Lamb. We thank You for the many benefits You have given our nation, and the blessings that came from serving and partnering with You. We have danced with You, rejoicing in our salvation, freedoms, and abundant blessings. No nation has been blessed with the abundance of this land, and it has all been because of our loving and serving You. We are proof that “blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). And yet, this once dancing nation now walks with a terrible limp, the limp of Baal. We are the Laodicean church: wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. If not for the supernatural healing You can provide, we would never dance again. But You also said to this church, “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him” (Revelation 3:20). Though not a majority, many are hearing this knock, opening the door through repentance, repairing prayer’s altar, and asking You to enter with Your fire. And we believe You will do as You said. We dare to ask that the latter glory be greater than the former. We ask that this next dance be the greatest dance in America’s history. We ask that the god of Baal be overwhelmed by You, the true and living God, just as he was at the Red Sea and on Mt. Carmel. We declare that our mourning will be turned into dancing again, that we will put off our sackcloth and be wrapped in the garments of gladness. We and our children will once again sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:3-4; NASB). Our decree: We declare that the fire of God will fall on America again, our limp will be healed, and we will dance like David as the Ark of His Presence returns. 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. 6453 and 6452. Ibid., ref. no. 6452. https://sfdh.us/encyclopedia/biblical_roots_in_jewish_dance_codman.html#:~:text=Another%20particularly%20interesting%20synonim%20for,style%20was%20associated%20with%20the

Restoring the Dream We have been looking at Jacob and his two encounters with God at Bethel and Penuel. Bethel means “house of God,”(1) and Penuel means “face of God.”(2) A "house of God" relationship allows one to know the blessings of salvation without ever experiencing true intimacy with Him. At this level of relationship, Jesus is more a Savior than a friend, and God is more of a distant ruler than an affectionate Father. A Penuel, face-to-face relationship, on the other hand, changes everything. Jesus becomes our Friend (John 15:15), God becomes Abba-Papa (Romans 8:15), and the Holy Spirit becomes our close Helper (John 14:16). Penuel comes from paneh, the Hebrew word for “face.”(3) It is interesting and revealing that paneh is also the word for "presence." Turning the face toward someone, as in face-to-face encounters, obviously requires being in their presence. Thus, the word for “face” became the word for “presence.” When the Scriptures speak of individuals having face-to-face relationships with God, or that God’s face shines on us (Numbers 6:25; Psalm 80:3, 7, 19), they obviously aren’t implying we’re supposed to see His physical face. Rather, we’re being reminded we can live in His presence, the intimacy of which is so personal it’s akin to a face-to-face meeting with a friend. The circumstances leading up to Penuel, the beginning of Jacob’s face-to-face walk with God, are important to see. Jacob is about to go home, where he will face his brother, Esau, out of whom he had swindled the coveted firstborn birthright inheritance twenty years earlier. On the journey, Jacob moves ever closer to a confrontation with powerful Esau, who has heard of his approach and is on his way to meet Jacob with four hundred men. For Esau, revenge would be sweet. True to form, conniving Jacob devises a plan to appease his still-offended brother, sending a series of gifts ahead. As he continues on his way, he ultimately sends everything he owns to Esau, including his servants. Eventually, he even sends his family. It must have been a painful sight as he watched them cross the stream called Jabbok, wondering if he would ever see them again (see Genesis 32:22). Jabbok means “pouring out,”(4) and what an irony it is that this was the place where all of Jacob’s accomplishments and wealth—his “house of God” blessings— were poured from him. God is determined to deepen the relationship and realizes that to do so, He'll have to empty Jacob, at least temporarily, of all that matters more than Him. What a scene this became. Jacob, who has spent his entire life conniving his way around and through every obstacle in his path, is wealthy—very wealthy—and has proven he is at the top of the food chain when it comes to manipulating circumstances. Or so he thought. God had an appointment scheduled with Jacob here at Jabbok, and in a day, everything was gone, poured out to the brother he had swindled twenty years earlier. All in all, forty years of hard conniving were gone in a day. The next verse sums up Jacob’s circumstance and sets the stage for what is about to occur: “Then Jacob was left alone” (Genesis 32:24). Jacob has bought and connived his way out of trouble and into prosperity for the last time. He isn't yet aware of it, but Esau has become the least of his worries— he is alone with God, and this time, it isn't for sweet dreams, as it was at Bethel! As preposterous as it sounds, Jacob and God will spend the night wrestling (see v. 24). That doesn't sound like fun! The heavenly adversary begins by dislocating Jacob's thigh. In Scripture, a person's thigh represents his or her strength. Not only have Jacob’s possessions and family been “poured out,” God has now removed his strength. But there are not many people who could be as stubborn as Jacob. Still, he fought. “I won't let you go until you bless me,” he says to his opponent, whom many scholars believe was an Old Testament, pre-incarnate appearance of Christ Himself. What is this blessing Jacob wants? Protection from Esau, of course. The Lord, however, is about to bless him with something so much greater! His initial response to Jacob's statement is so bizarre it almost sounds like a verse or two have been omitted. “What is your name?” He asks Jacob (Genesis 32:27). Try to picture this: two men fighting, one limping but holding on for dear life while demanding a blessing, and the other—who obviously knows His opponent— demanding to know his name. It could actually come across as humorous, if not ludicrous, if you didn't know what God was doing. The Amplified Bible gives the clearest explanation I’ve seen or heard for this scenario. It translates Jacob’s response in verse 27 as follows: “And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!” Jacob was acknowledging his true nature: "I'm a conniving schemer." Finally! Jacob was pursuing one thing; God was after something altogether different. Jacob was seeking another blessing - protection; God was seeking Jacob. “It isn’t your possessions, servants, or family I want, Jacob [The Lord gave all of that back.] It's your old nature I'm after. You can con everyone else, but you can't con Me. I want you to realize, once and for all, that your strength is not what I need from you. I need you to acknowledge your weakness-who you really are. Only then can I pour it out from you, delivering you from yourself. I want a far deeper relationship with you, one accessing your heart, not some ‘deal’ we cut involving temporal, earthly benefits. And since I’m God, by the way, I could kill you, but I'd rather just conquer your heart. Then we can run together, and I can use you to help me save the world.” Amazing. The fight was over the moment Jacob acknowledged his true condition. God's goal wasn't to win a fight but a friend. In a matchless display of His grace, wisdom, and persistent love, God transformed this conniving swindler into a prince and patriarch, just as He intends to do with each of us. His sovereign actions clarified the bigger picture: “Now we can get on with the dream I gave you at Bethel, Jacob. Because the dream wasn't just for you; it was for Me, as well. And for the generations to follow! I told you I would bless all the nations of the world through you. I need a nation through whom I can demonstrate to the world My ways and heart, and through whom I can bring the Messiah. You're going to birth that nation for me, and you're going to do it from Penuel - my presence.” When God wrestled with Jacob, He was fighting for the heart of a man and warring for His dream of redeeming the human race! Israel, leaving the fight with a life-altering limp, decided to name the place Penuel. Twenty years earlier, Jacob entered Bethel, “the house of God,” and found a dream. This day, he had seen “the face of God” and found the Dream-Giver. He would never be the same. Pray with me: Father, though Jacob still walked in his selfish, conniving nature, You led him to Bethel where You made great promises to Him, and inserted him into the great dream of redeeming humankind. Thank You for your ability to look past our faults and see our potential. Thank You for loving us and sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinful, and even Your enemies. Your great love, and Your infinite wisdom led Jacob to Penuel, where You had planned a face-to-face encounter with him. You poured out his self-sufficiency, and the power of Your presence transformed his nature, removing his self-centeredness.  Then You replaced it with a heart to partner with You, and Israel gave us the Messiah. You can do the same for America. A great Penuel revival of Your presence and face is being birthed. We pray that You would do such a powerful work that we, as a nation, would become Your friend and partner again. We boldly and confidently declare that Your dream for America is not dead; it will live again. We are moving towards this, and our momentum will not be stopped. We declare this and ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that great transformation is coming to America, and will turn our hearts back to our Father and Friend, Almighty God. Today’s post came 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. 1008. Ibid., ref. no. 6439. Ibid., ref. no  6440. Ibid., ref. no. 2999.

The Grace Place Today, I want to tell you about Anna, but first… Review Yesterday, I spoke to you about Shechem, and briefly mentioned another important place, Penuel. Penuel, meaning “the face of God,”(1) is where Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night, received his transformation and new name, Israel (Genesis 32). He then went to Shechem, where he demanded that all of his family members bury their idols. Yes, they had idols. Why did Jacob choose Shechem as the place to bury them? He was finally connecting with and honoring the covenant God had made with his grandfather, Abraham. This was the place where God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham (Genesis 12). Jacob was honoring his covenantal roots when he buried the idols at this significant place. He also built an altar there, which he named El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel.” In naming it this, Jacob was not referring to the nation of Israel – that did not yet exist - but to himself. God had just given him the name Israel, after his transformation at Penuel. When Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord, he was demanding the blessing of protection from Esau, based on the Lord’s promise to him at Bethel (Genesis 28). Actually, God had every intention of keeping His word and providing this protection; His purpose for the wrestling was something else entirely. The Lord was wrestling with Jacob’s nature, and was determined to transform him from being a conniving, what’s-in-it-for-me, manipulator to a man with a pure heart…a man He could use. A Look Back to Bethel Penuel wasn’t God’s first meeting with Jacob. The two had met 20 years prior to this at Bethel, which means “house of God” (Genesis 28). Here, the covenant Yahweh had made with Abraham, then continued through Isaac, was passed on to Jacob. In essence, the Lord said to Jacob at Bethel, “I am going to bless you, and I am going to bless the world through you.” How would God bless the world through Jacob? Messiah would come into the world through his lineage, just as promised to his grandfather, Abraham. Though he didn’t grasp the revelation of God’s ultimate intent, Jacob did realize this encounter at Bethel was important, and that the place was special, a “gate of Heaven,” (Genesis 28:17). It is important and somewhat surprising to know that at the time of Bethel’s visitation, Jacob was not honoring and serving the Lord as the only true and living God. Yahweh was simply the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac. There were many gods worshiped in that region at the time, and Jacob had not yet made up his mind which one he would serve. It had been almost 100 years since Abraham had met with the Lord and built an altar there at Bethel. Over time, the importance of the place, the covenant Abraham had with the Lord, and his special friendship with Yahweh had lost its significance with Jacob. He didn’t even realize he was in one of the places Abraham had met with the Lord. Two things let us know that Jacob had not yet decided which “god” he would serve. First, after the visitation at Bethel, Jacob actually said, “If you do all of these things you just promised me, I’ll make you my God.” (Verse 21) Secondly, over the next 20 years, six times Yahweh is referenced as the God of Jacob’s fathers, but never is He called Jacob’s God. (See Genesis 28:13; 31:5, 29, 42, 53; 32:9) This did not change until after Jacob’s transformation at Penuel. It was then and there that his self-serving nature was overcome, his name was changed, and he gave his heart and allegiance to Yahweh. The altar he then built at Shechem was a public statement and declaration that the God of Abraham and Isaac was now his God - the God of Israel. This was the change God needed. It is not enough for us to have a “Bethel encounter,” where we enter God’s house and family. That will get us to heaven, but it won’t impact earth. Holy Spirit wants to renew our minds, teach us His ways, then connect us with His heart at Penuel. Only then can He use us to partner with Him in releasing Yeshua to the world. He must be our God, not just our fathers’ God. The synergy of the ages is vital, but it only occurs when Yahweh has truly become our God, not just the God of our forefathers. America is filled with “Christians” who have been to Bethel - they are part of God‘s family - but they haven’t experienced Penuel where they meet Him face-to-face and their hearts blend with His. Many remain self-serving believers, with what’s-in-it-for-me mindsets. The coming outpouring will be a “Penuel revival” and will change this. Christ’s Birth Now to Anna. She was a prophetess, so devoted to the Lord that for decades she had spent all her time in the temple worshiping and praying. After hearing Simeon's prophesy over the newborn Messiah (Luke 2:25-32), we are told, “While Simeon was prophesying over Mary and Joseph and the baby, Anna walked up to them and burst forth with a great chorus of praise to God for the child. From that day forward, she told everyone in Jerusalem who was waiting for their redemption that the anticipated Messiah had come!” (Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭38‬ ‭TPT‬‬) Would you be surprised if I told you Anna had a special connection to Penuel? Her name means “grace, favor.”(2) Her father’s name was Phanuel,(3) who was from the tribe of Asher,(4) one of Jacob’s/Israel’s sons. Phanuel is the Greek spelling of Penuel (“the face of God”), Jacob’s place of transformation. Penuel was perceived as so important in Jacob’s life that hundreds of years later his descendants were still being named Penuel. And one of them had produced Anna. Through this miraculous series of events and names God is showing us that “grace and favor” (Anna) flow to us when we seek His face (Penuel), just as they did to Jacob. Revelation also flows when we seek Him - Anna was one of two who received a revelation that the Christ-child was the Messiah. Seek Him. Do not seek first for wealth, success, or earthly possessions. Do not follow after religion, religious leaders, or churches. Seek His face. One lexicon actually said Penuel means “facing God.” Turn your face to Him; He has much to show you. He will enable you to trade your weaknesses for His strengths, your self-serving ambitions for His great cause, and a temporal destiny for an eternal one - just as He did Jacob. But most importantly, He will reveal Himself to you, and you will find He for whom your soul longs (Song of Solomon 3:4). For America, my prayer is that she will find her way to the wrestling mat of Penuel. There, she will find Cape Henry’s cross, the Mayflower’s compact/covenant, the Wesleys’ fire, Finney’s repentance, and William Seymour’s baptism of power. She will once again love the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and carry Messiah to the ends of the earth. Pray with me: Father, the blood of Jesus saves us, bringing us into Your family. We are Bethel people. Your Word and presence shape us into Your image from glory to glory, through the power of that same blood, making us a Penuel people. So we face You today, knowing that Your heart is love, that You are for us as our Abba. As we turn our faces to You in worship, and as we feed on Your Word, our hearts will become one with Yours: We’ll want what You want, love what You love, and hate what You hate. We declare that like Jacob, “we won’t let go until You bless us” with this. We repent for asking You for all the benefits of being in Your family, while ignoring the portion of the promise that says You want to bless the world through us. Please give the church in America this revelation. Grace us with it as you did Anna, and her grandfather, Jacob. And we pray that America would find her way back to Penuel. Our nation exists to make Your name known in the earth. You blessed us, just as You did Abraham, and that blessing was not intended to be only for us. We are carriers of Yeshua. He is IN us and wants to be revealed THROUGH us. Give us a revival that wrestles our nation to her knees, causing us to walk with the blessed limp of Penuel. We ask for this in Jesus’ name, amen. Our decree: We decree that America will make it to Penuel. Click on the link below to watch the full video. 1.      James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6439. 2.      Ibid., ref. no. 451. 3.      Ibid., ref. no. 5323. 4.      Ibid., ref. no. 836.

Realigning with God’s Purposes God often used places in the Old Testament to give us pictures of spiritual truths. A picture, as they say, is worth 1000 words. Shechem is one of those places; it actually pictures several spiritual truths. First, Shechem speaks of promised inheritance. This was where God initially spoke to Abraham in Canaan, promising the land as an inheritance for him and his descendants (Genesis 12:7). Figuratively, God is calling America back to Shechem, asking us to reclaim our inheritance: “I gave you this land to steward, and partnered with you in the establishing of it. Now, reclaim it.” All of the earth belongs to God (Psalm 24:1), and He has the right to assign stewardship of it to whomever He sees fit. As those to whom He assigned this land, we must not allow its destiny to be stolen. Just as Israel had to fight for their inheritance, so must we. This inheritance applies to ALL Americans, regardless of our backgrounds or ethnicities. Evil people want to divide Americans based on class and ethnicity, in order to further their own evil agendas. God hates this, calling it an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-19). The word used for “abomination” in this passage means disgusting, abhorrent, and repulsive.(1) Those who work to divide us for political and/or monetary gain disgust the Lord. Their actions are abhorrent to Him and should be to us. They know they are intentionally dividing us for gain, just as they know women and children are being trafficked for the same reasons. These abhorrent people don’t care. Second, and as is clearly shown in Genesis 12:2-3, Shechem reveals God’s desire to partner with His family. “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God is asking America to partner with Him again, to agree with and realign with His purposes for establishing this nation. Since creation, His plan and desire have been to work on the earth through humans, not independently of them. Dr. Peter Wagner spoke of this partnership in regard to writing Earth’s history. “Our sovereign God has for His own reasons so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history.”(2) Profound. Weighty. Extremely consequential. The third principle associated with Shechem can be easily deduced from the first two. Shechem pictures responsibility. This is also hidden in a Hebrew word used in the following verse: "And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants, I will give this land.'” (Genesis 12:7) The word "give" comes from the Hebrew word nathan,(3) which I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but is well worth repeating. This word is not only used in the sense of conferring ownership, but also to give a charge or an assignment. God was not only giving the land to Abraham and his family, He was also assigning it to them. God’s gifts are often His assignments. My children were gifts, but they were also assignments. My abilities are gifts with which I can prosper, but they also come with responsibilities: serving, giving, providing, etc. The incredible wealth and prosperity of America is so much more than just a gift. It is a very important responsibility from God, an assignment we must steward. This stewardship is fulfilled through prayer, sowing into the preaching of the gospel, voting for individuals with biblical values, speaking out against evil and standing for truth, and more. We must understand that all who enjoy America’s benefits will also give an account of how they stewarded them. Fourthly, at Shechem, idolatry was cleansed. In Genesis 32, Jacob was transformed, receiving a life-changing, face-to-face encounter with Yahweh, through which he was delivered of his rebellious nature and received a new identity. At the conclusion of this encounter, God renamed him Israel, and he (Israel) renamed the place, Penuel, “the face of God.” (There was as yet no nation of Israel, only this man.) In the following chapter, Genesis 33, after Israel’s (Jacob’s) encounter with the Lord at Penuel and his peaceful reunion with Esau, he took all of his family and servants to Shechem, this place where God had met with his grandfather, Abraham. There he built an altar of remembrance and called it El-Elohe-Israel, meaning “God, the God of Israel” (Genesis 33:20). Jacob/Israel was referring to himself, not a nation, declaring that El was now his God. Not just Abraham’s God, not just Isaac’s God, but he was declaring that Yahweh was his God. As a demonstration of this, two chapters later, Israel commanded his family and servants to bury all of their idols at Shechem: “So they gave Jacob all the [idols and images of the] foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears [worn as charms against evil], and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.” (Genesis 35:4 AMP) Again, figuratively God is calling America to Shechem, asking us to rid the land of idolatry: materialism, pleasure, greed, lust, pride, false religions, etc. Obviously, this will occur through revival and salvation - not by force - as those threatened by the church like to falsely accuse us of desiring. Just as Jacob went back to his roots - the place where the Lord met with Abraham and promised him the land - God is asking America to go back to her biblical, Christian roots. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Yes, Joshua gave this famous speech at Shechem! Here is more of Joshua’s message that day: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24-14-15 NASB) Finally, in Joshua 20:7, Shechem became one of the cities of refuge. These weren’t for those who entered the land illegally, as they are in America, but places in Israel where those who accidentally took someone’s life could flee for protection from vengeance. It was forbidden for any retaliation to be taken against them while they lived in these towns, and precautions were put in place accordingly. According to Hebrews 6:18, the cities of refuge picture Christ, who became our refuge: "We who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us." God is offering Christ as America’s refuge. So many places in our nation are now filled with violence, murder, poverty, and fear. Serving other gods leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13); the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15). God wants to transform these devastated places into safe havens, cities of peace and refuge. He desires to send revival to inner cities, impoverished neighborhoods, gang-controlled and drug-infested streets. God is a refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Pray with me: Father, You have given us an amazing inheritance in this nation. We have been blessed beyond words. These blessings are not only for our enjoyment, but are gifts to be stewarded in blessing others. We repent for our lack of discipline, for spending ourselves into poverty and debt, squandering Your blessings on our lusts. Send a revival that not only saves and restores our spirits, but an awakening that transforms our souls from ungoverned desires and lusts. Cleanse us from idolatry, free us from ourselves - just as You did Jacob. Give us a face-to-face encounter; take America to Penuel! Transform us into noble people who can partner with You to save the world. Give us righteous leaders who do not want to divide us. Deliver us from these abhorrent people. Yes, we pray for their salvation; but until their hearts change, we do not want them to rule over us. Silence voices in the media that work to divide us. Bring Your deliverance to us from this evil activity. In Christ’s name, through His authority, we pray these things. Amen. Our decree: We decree that America will be led to our Penuel, experience her transformation, and bury her idols at Shechem. 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. 8441. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 242. Strong’s Concordance, ref. no. 5414.

Angels: Supernatural Enforcers I was in a service with my brother, Tim, a few weeks back, and Holy Spirit moved in profound ways. The Lord had brought revelation to various leaders before the meetings, which came together that night, and produced great breakthroughs. It was a very significant night. In today’s post, Tim shares the majority of information; I contribute some, as well. Tim shares: “I believe Holy Spirit has revealed a Kingdom strategy for the Ekklesia that has now been activated at a new level. This will demand that we function as a true Ekklesia, the word Christ used to define the church. Remember, ekklesia, the word translated as “church” in the New Testament, is a Greek word that refers to a judicial or legislative body.(1) The word is used 113 times in the New Testament, proving it was intentional, an on-purpose name for the church. This meaning MUST be understood in order for us to comprehend our mission statement. “Our church recently hosted a Prophetic Summit, a night in which the Ekklesia convenes and presses in to hear from the Lord regarding our current season. As I was praying on the morning of the Summit, Holy Spirit allowed me to see into the spirit realm. “While praying I had said, ‘Lord, people are coming from around our nation, some driving many hours to be here. I want it to be beneficial to them and worth their time. Some are even flying in.’ When I said that, I heard Holy Spirit very clearly say, ‘They aren’t the only ones.’ I was immediately given a vision. “In this vision, I saw a host of angels coming to the meeting. Holy Spirit revealed that they were coming from other nations throughout the world. Based on the way they were dressed, I recognized different divisions of angels: I saw government angels, which partner with the prayers and decrees of a governing Ekklesia/church; and I saw seraphim, which are the mightiest order of angels. During this vision, I could sense the power, strength, and delegated authority of these mighty angels. Hundreds of them were coming to this convening of the King’s Ekklesia. “I trembled in the holy presence of God and knew Holy Spirit was revealing a supernatural level of assistance, and it was dramatically increasing. I began to weep as I saw the hosts of heaven coming from other nations and realized this would be a game changer. “I spoke that evening at the Summit, but did not share this vision. In fact, I hadn’t shared it with anyone. My brother, Dutch, was also one of the speakers and at the end of his message, invited a prophet, Clay Nash, to share a dream he had been given. In this dream, an angel, referring to himself as a ‘justice gate angel,’ told Clay this Prophetic Summit would be a ‘white stone meeting.’ My spirit leapt when he said this, and I instantly knew it was why the angels I had seen were coming to the meeting. “Revelation 2:17 (KJV) says, ‘… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.’ When this verse was written, the giving of a white stone had two meanings. First, in the Roman athletic games, a white stone was given to the winner of a contest, race, or competition. The person’s name was inscribed on the stone, which served as a ‘ticket’ to attend an awards banquet.(2) “However, another meaning of giving someone a white stone occurred in the court system of Rome, which is what I feel the justice gate angel was referencing. Roman courts used juries, similar to our justice system. The jury would hear a matter, deliberate, and then issue a decision, just as we do today. When the verdict had been reached, a clear vase was set before the jury. They placed a black stone in the jar to indicate ‘guilty,’ and a white stone for ‘not guilty.’(3) DUTCH SHARES For the angel to state this would be a “white stone meeting” could mean two things: 1) We, the Ekklesia, were going to receive a favorable ruling from the courtroom of heaven; or, 2) We, the Ekklesia, were the jury and would be issuing the verdict! That is certainly a different perspective. Could it be? Were the angels actually coming to hear our ruling, and then would take action accordingly? Matthew 16:18-19 (KJV) says, “On this rock of revelation I will build my church [ekklesia]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” In his book, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible, respected leader Jack Hayford (now in heaven) - based on a literal rendering of the Greek verbiage - says the following is a careful amplification of the above verses: “Whatever you may at any time encounter (of hell's counsels which I'm declaring my church shall prevail against), you will then face a decision as to whether you will or won't bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response. If you do personally and consciously involve yourself in the act of binding the issue on earth, you will discover that at that future moment when you do, that it has already been bound in heaven!”(4) Incredible! Notice the portion, “You will face a decision whether you will or won’t bind it. What transpires will be conditional upon your response.” Not God’s response! This is amazing! And when Tim heard what the justice angel said, he knew in his spirit this was why the angels had come: to hear our “decisions” and “responses” in order to enforce them. They were waiting for Christ’s Ekklesia to hear what God was saying, judge situations based on His laws, and issue His verdict with their decrees. BACK TO TIM “When I heard the words that this would be a ‘white stone meeting,’ I knew Holy Spirit had sent the angels to hear the verdict of the Ekklesia: what it would forbid and what it would permit. In a sense, the Prophetic Summit was a court session and, based upon Matthew 16:18-19, what transpired would be conditional upon our response. “Job 22:28 (KJV) says we decree a thing to see it established, and Psalms 103:20 (KJV) says angels hearken to God’s words and decrees. When we decree verdicts based on God’s Word and will, they bring His/our words to pass. Angels are waiting to hear the ruling in order to enforce the verdict. They’re the enforcers of the Ekklesia’s biblical and Spirit-led rulings against evil, lawlessness, and corruption in their territories. Holy Spirit is releasing these powerful angels at a far greater level to enforce the Ekklesia’s verdicts, rendered in the King’s Name. “The supernatural enforcers have arrived. Will we issue the verdicts they need in order to battle hell’s forces? Or will we, through unbelief and silence, be a hung jury that can’t make up its mind?” Pray with me: Lord, let this revelation seep into our hearts. You are revealing that the church’s authority reaches to greater levels and measures than we have known. The angel gate is open, and these mighty ones will hearken to Your words through us. They will enforce our binding of evil, and our loosing of nations, cultures, and governments from demonic rule. As our decrees for revival and reformation go forth, give us stunning victories and divine surprises in this season. We ask for these angels to enforce breakthrough decrees and verdicts against Baal and his activities. We accept our role as Christ’s ekklesia and declare that we do rule and reign with Him. In Christ’s name, we will open doors no man can close, and close doors no man can open. We will say what You say; Your Words will be our words! May Your Kingdom and Ekklesia rise for Your glory. May Your power be released in the lives of individuals. Let healings, breakthroughs, and victories be released, and may angels be assigned to minister in our personal lives, families, and businesses. In Yeshua’s name, we pray. Our decree: We decree that the supernatural enforcers are with us to carry out the declared promises of God. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org. 1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1577. 2. https://bethelchapelchurch.com/will-jesus-give-you-a-white-stone/ 3. https://renner.org/article/why-did-jesus-promise-a-white-stone/ 4. Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977, revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 140, 1977 edition.

Re-igniting, Uncapping, and Birthing the New I continue to ponder my time at Lou Engle’s conference this past Sunday night in Colorado Springs. It was a profound night. When introduced to speak, I hadn’t yet landed on exactly what Holy Spirit wanted me to share. So I began simply by mentioning my experience a couple of weeks back, when my spiritual father played the song, America the Beautiful, for a small group of us (read post here). The words to this song came in part to Katherine Lee Bates while on Pike’s Peak, which she wrote down when she returned to her hotel right there in Colorado Springs. Then I related how listening to the song and witnessing Jim’s heart for America had reminded me of and renewed in me the visitation I had from the Lord in 2000. This, like the song, occurred there in Colorado Springs. I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence that God reminded me of all this just before my return visit to that city. As I shared this that night, all heaven broke loose. Our good friend, intercessor and pastor, Terri Brown, wrote the following unsolicited account from her perspective, as well as what she heard from Holy Spirit during the service: “I was able to participate in Lou Engle’s recent 222 Conference in Colorado Springs. Though very encouraging, it was also challenging, and at times heart-wrenching. “Although the entire conference was rich and significant, I’ve especially been pondering the last night when Dutch Sheets was the scheduled speaker. Many have described this as the most amazing, intense prayer gathering they have ever been in. There was unity, travail, worship, intense intercession, and a feeling of birthing and breakthrough. “Before giving you a word the Lord shared with me that night, let me give you a backdrop regarding Colorado Springs, our calling to this city, and some history. This will help you understand my perspective as I share. “Much was said during the weekend regarding the significance of what has been birthed in Colorado Springs over the years. Cindy Jacobs and Lou Engle rehearsed many of the significant prayer events, as well as entire movements that have been birthed here. I remember being present at some of these events and hearing the stories of others. “My husband, Jack, and I don’t just ‘live’ in Colorado Springs; we are ‘called’ here and have worked to steward its destiny. Therefore, these stories felt like part of our heritage, our birthright. Cindy emphasized this to a group of Colorado Springs leaders while here, reminding us that we must steward these spiritual wells in our region. This is important, not so our lives here will be more pleasant and prosperous, but because of the calling on this city to be a spiritual warfare hub, birthing prayer into the nation and nations. “As I surveyed the room on Sunday night, I saw so many in the room who were active members at Dutch’s church when he pastored here. These were people present the night the Lord encountered Dutch with His heart for America. They remember being quietly ushered out of the sanctuary when he was left alone with the Lord those 3 1/2 hours. These were the people who gathered to pray night after night with Dutch in December 2006; Chuck Pierce had prophesied to him that he was in a battle with Baal and needed to call for 21 days of prayer. These were the folks marked by the presence of God when the Lord came and rested here for 90 straight days in 2008. “Many of these individuals are now in their 60’s, 70’s and 80s. They came out in force for Dutch’s session Sunday night. I also saw many from the host church that have for years battled spiritually in our city. And, of course, there were many from Lou’s faithful tribe. It was an interesting mix of over 700 like-minded people. “As I pondered this that night, I was reminded of the word the Lord gave me for 2024 in November of last year. At that time, I heard Him say, ‘I am calling up the Reserves.’ Then I heard a call go out, ‘Report for duty!’ “When I think of the Reserves, I think of three types: Soldiers who have served in full-time active duty but have now retired and serve in the Reserves. Those who are ‘weekend warriors,’ soldiers on the weekend but focus during the week on their jobs and families. Those who want an education and see this as a way to pay for it; they are being trained and educated while serving. “I saw all 3 of these types of Reserves in God’s prayer army throughout the room Sunday night, and they were being called up to active duty. “As the meeting started, Holy Spirit led me to Isaiah 35:3-4: ‘Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God, He will come and save you.”’ “The Passion Translation words these verses: ‘Strengthen those who are discouraged. Energize those who feel defeated. Say to the anxious and fearful, “Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory! He comes to avenge your enemies. With divine retribution, He comes to save you!”’ “As I pondered these verses and the word regarding calling up the Reserves, I was reminded that there were two fires that day in Colorado Springs. One was on the Air Force Academy grounds, the other on Fort Carson. In over 25 years of living in this area, I have never heard of fires at both bases at the same time; and I can’t remember fires ever occurring this time of year. Many times, what is happening in the natural realm is a sign of what God is doing in the spiritual realm. As I pondered this, I felt the Lord was showing me that He was reigniting His prayer army, not only the ground troops, but also His Air Force. “As Dutch got up to speak, we could tell God was engaging with him in a powerful way. He shared his encounter with the Lord 24 years ago here in Colorado Springs when He received the Father’s heart for America. Then he spoke of a recent experience that similarly ‘marked’ him for America. There seemed to be a convergence of those encounters that night, and Dutch seemed to be weighing what the Lord desired him to do. “As He yielded the meeting to the Holy Spirit, travail suddenly broke out all across the room; we went into a place of intercession that was rare and incredible. In this time, we experienced a reigniting of the prayer movement, an uncapping of the wells in this city, and a birthing of the new prayer army for this time and season. “Regarding what the Lord shared with me concerning calling up the reserves, Holy Spirit also said: ‘There will be fresh uniforms/mantles.’ ‘There will be updated spiritual weapons of warfare.’ ‘We must let go of the past season - of both victories and defeats - in order to step into the battle before us with fresh vision and faith.’ ‘We need to be rightly connected with other believers.’ “This is a critical time; so much is hanging in the balance. We must pick up the fresh mantles, allow the Lord to replace weakness with strength and refreshing, and put new spiritual weapons in our hands, enabling us to war victoriously.” Pray with me: Father, You are more than amazing, orchestrating events in our lives when we are totally unaware. I did not even remember that I had an upcoming trip to Colorado Springs when You renewed what You did in me there, and used the song written there to do it. We can trust You to lead us. We thank You for the reigniting of the prayer movement, and for calling up the Reserves. Thank You for the fresh mantles and updated weaponry, which would surely mean greater revelation of the spiritual weapons You have given us. Thank You for all that was birthed that night in Colorado Springs. I will never forget the roar of travailing intercession released, nor the roar of Your promise: America shall be saved! We declare Your promise and heart once again today: America shall be saved! We also declare the connection of this to the nations: The greatest outpouring of Holy Spirit in earth’s history is coming to the nations of earth. The greatest harvest will result. This will NOT be stopped. And we thank You for this, asking in Yeshua’s name. Our decree: The prayer movement is being reignited and re-outfitted. And the plans of hell are being unraveled. Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can view the service Terri mention by clicking here. You can learn more about Terri Brown at TerriBrown.live.

Unraveling The Schemes Of The Enemy I mentioned the word luo in yesterday‘s post. What I stated regarding this subject is vitally important. I want to pick up on it again today. In review, I said: “An interesting word is used in 1 John 3:8 that adds insight into what happened at the Cross. The verse reads, ‘For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil’ (KJV). ‘Destroy’ is the Greek word luo, which has both legal and physical meanings. Understanding its full definition will greatly enhance our knowledge of what Jesus did to satan and his works. “The legal meaning of luo is: to pronounce or determine that something or someone is no longer bound; to dissolve or void a contract or anything that legally binds.(1) “Jesus came to dissolve the legal hold satan had over us and to pronounce that we were no longer bound by his works. He ‘voided the contract,’ breaking satan’s dominion over us. “The physical meaning of luo is to dissolve or melt, break, beat something to pieces, or untie something that is bound.(2) In Acts 27:41, the boat Paul traveled on was broken into pieces (luo) by the force of the storm. In 2 Peter 3:10-12, we’re told that one day the elements of the earth will melt or dissolve (luo) from a great heat. “It is very significant to know that Jesus used this same word, luo, to describe what we, the Church, are to do through spiritual warfare. Matthew 16:19 tells us, ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ The word ‘loose’ in this verse is luo. “So, did Christ luo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), or do we luo the works of the devil (Matthew 16:19)? The answer is ‘Yes!’ Although Jesus fully accomplished the task of breaking satan’s authority and voiding his legal hold on the human race, someone on earth must represent Him in that victory and enforce it. Satan is a thief and a trespasser. The fact that he has no legal right (authority) to do something does not keep him from doing it. Only the authority of Christ, combined with the power of Holy Spirit, stops him from doing so. Both flow from/through us. In Christ’s name, we release His authority, and Holy Spirit backs this up with His power. “In all spiritual warfare, always remember that our responsibility is not to re-defeat satan, but to enforce his defeat. My confidence increased dramatically in the context of ‘binding,’ ‘loosing,’ ‘wrestling’ with principalities and powers, ‘pulling down strongholds,’ etc., when I finally understood it as enforcing the victory of Calvary.” MORE ABOUT LUO After writing yesterday's post, I thought about the incredibly evil plans being implemented in America. As I did so, I heard Holy Spirit say, “It is all coming unraveled.” I knew He wanted to give me more insight regarding this so I began studying, only to find that Holy Spirit had more to reveal regarding this word luo. When I looked up the Greek word for “unraveled,” my lexicons led me to analusis,(3) which they said comes from the root word, luo, translated as destroy in 1 John 3:8 and loose in Matthew 16:19. It’s fairly easy to see why: when the strands of a rope come “loose,” they are  “unraveling.” The word “analysis” is also derived from analusis, which is easily seen from its spelling. Analyzing a situation is breaking loose, disassembling its components - unraveling the strands - so that we understand the situation more clearly. As I read this, I heard Holy Spirit say, “As the church has been releasing Christ’s authority, ‘luo-ing’ the plans of satan in America, it has enabled Me to unravel (analusis) and expose his plans.” God is, indeed, exposing satan’s schemes and plans. Americans are beginning to see just how corrupt our government has become. They see the two-tiered system of justice. They are observing the insanity of plans to remove our borders, destroy our families and children, distort our history, and steal our nation. They see the dishonesty and deceit. They are coming to grips with the disheartening and horrifying truth that for many of our leaders, votes and power mean more than the lives of the American people. The corruption is all being unraveled, enabling the American people to analyze what is truly happening. The truth is painful, but necessary. And throughout this year, 2024, the process will intensify. The revelations will be amplified, and Americans will not like what they see. This is all part of God‘s deliverance process. America is receiving her MRI. That which is hidden on the inside is being revealed, and the level of revelation will increase. We asked for this, and it is occurring, exposing the cancer of sin eating away at the life of our nation. Keep praying. Do as Jesus instructed us in Matthew 16: bind the plans of the enemy; loose, dissolve, untie, unravel his evil schemes (verse 19). Do as He instructed us in Matthew 6: command His Kingdom rule into our land; command His will to be done (verse 10). Ask Christ to pour out His Spirit, bringing life to America’s dry bones and healing our land. Ask Him for revival, the great ingathering, and the transforming of our nation. Yes, grieve over what Holy Spirit is exposing, but don’t be discouraged as you witness it. Be encouraged that we are getting a proper diagnosis in order to receive the cure. Don’t allow the shaking to shake you. Determine to keep praying and standing in faith that America shall be saved. Decree it daily. Your prayers are saving our nation and releasing salvation to a billion people around the world. Never stop. Pray with me: Father, thank You for answering our prayers, for exposing and revealing the true condition of our nation, even though it is painful and grievous to see. We ask You to continue unraveling the evil structures and plans. Show us where satan has entrenched himself in our nation; reveal his schemes and tentacles; enlighten us to what must be repented of. Root out evil at all levels. Go deep. And even as we pray against the evil, we ask for the salvation of those who are deceived and partnering with the evil one. Help us to remember that You love the lost, that Your mercy is great, and just how powerful of a cleansing agent is the blood of Jesus. Keep us from the sins of pride and stone-throwing. Deliver those who are deceived and walking in darkness; open their eyes to truth and the gospel; soften hard hearts. Do these things here and around the world. We also pray again today for the protection of our family members and leaders. We pray for Justice Thomas and all those on the Court, that every scheme to take their lives would fail, and every deceitful plan to assassinate their character would be exposed. We pray for Donald Trump’s protection from physical harm and judicial injustice. Turn it all for good. We pray for the protection of our water resources and structures, and for protection from all forms of terrorism. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that the unraveling of evil schemes in America will continue, that darkness will be exposed, and truth will prevail. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________ Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984: revised edition, 1990), p. 1583. Ibid. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 359.

Enforcing Satan’s Defeat by Wielding Our Sword The Hebrew word for intercession, paga, means literally “to meet.”(1)This can be a meeting of people, the boundaries of two pieces of land, the earth, and sky (the horizon) - it really doesn’t matter what the context is; the point is that two entities come together. Intercession is birthed from our communing with our Father, God. We meet with Him in a relational sense, and from that connection, other meetings are created. Not all meetings are pleasant, however. Some can actually be violent. Proverbs 17:12 tells us: Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. “Meet” is this Hebrew word paga. I’ve never met a she-bear in the wild with or without cubs, and hope I never do. But years ago, a wise old woodsman, instructing me in the art of surviving bear encounters, gave me the following piece of wisdom: “Son, try to avoid them, if possible! But if you can’t and it’s a female with cubs you meet, never get between mama and those cubs. Because if you do, the meeting is about to go to a whole new level, up close and very personal.” Now, before I’m harangued for a contextual violation of Scripture, let me say I am not insinuating that this verse is talking about prayer. I am saying, however, that the word used for “meet” in the verse is this same Hebrew word (paga), elsewhere translated “intercession.” Other Hebrew words could have been used, but this one was chosen partly because it often has a very violent connotation. In fact, paga is frequently a battlefield term (for examples, see Judges 8:21; 15:12; 1 Samuel 22:17-18; 2 Samuel 1:15; 1 Kings 2:25-46). “Meetings” can be unpleasant! Some can be downright ugly, such as the one satan had with Jesus at Calvary. Satan had come between God and His “cubs.” He ought not to have done that! Satan’s worst nightmare came true when, with 4000 years of pent-up fury, Jesus met him at Calvary. The earth rocked, and I do mean literally, with the force of the battle (see Matthew 27:51). The very sun grew dark as the war raged (see v. 45). At the moment of what satan thought was his greatest triumph, he and all his forces heard the most terrifying sound they had ever heard: God’s laugh of derision (see Psalm 2:4)! The laughter was followed by the voice of the Son of Man crying with a loud voice, “Tetelestai.” This Greek word is translated, “It is finished” in John 19:30. Please don’t think Jesus was talking about death when He spoke that word. HE WAS NOT! Tetelestai means to fully accomplish something or bring it to its completed state,(2) just as the word “finished” would imply. However, it was also the word stamped on invoices in that day, meaning “paid in full.”(3) Christ was quoting from Psalm 22:31 when He chose this statement. Three of His seven sayings on the cross come from this Psalm. The Hebrew word He quoted from this verse is asah. He may have actually been speaking Hebrew, using this very word, even though it is recorded in Greek in John's gospel. The word means, among other things, “to create.”(4) It is used in Genesis, for example, when God created the earth. I believe that not only was Christ saying, “The debt is paid in full,” He was also saying, “Come forth, new creation!” No wonder the earth shook, the sun reappeared, the centurion was terrified (see Matthew 27:54), and Old Testament saints were resurrected (see Matthew 27:52-53). Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a flare for the dramatic. The Cross defines drama. And yes, behind the scenes, it was violent. Captives were rescued (see 1 Peter 3:19; 4:6; Isaiah 61:1), bruises were inflicted (see Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24), keys were taken, and authority was transferred (see Matthew 28:18). An interesting word is used in 1 John 3:8 that adds insight into what happened at the Cross. The verse reads, “For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (KJV). “Destroy” is the Greek word luo, which has both legal and physical meanings. Understanding its full definition will greatly enhance our knowledge of what Jesus did to satan and his works. The legal meaning of luo is: to pronounce or determine that something or someone is no longer bound; to dissolve or void a contract or anything that legally binds.(5) Jesus came to dissolve the legal hold satan had over us and to pronounce that we were no longer bound by his works. He “voided the contract,” breaking satan’s dominion over us. The physical meaning of luo is to dissolve or melt, break, beat something to pieces, or untie something that is bound.(6) In Acts 27:41, the boat Paul traveled on was broken into pieces (luo) by the force of the storm. In 2 Peter 3:10-12, we’re told that one day the elements of the earth will melt or dissolve (luo) from a great heat. Jesus not only delivered us legally, but He also made certain that the literal consequences of that deliverance were manifested: He brought healing, set captives free, lifted oppression, and liberated those under demonic control. Our responsibility is not to re-defeat satan, but to enforce this victory as we, too, meet the powers of darkness. It is interesting to know that Jesus used the same word, luo, to describe what we, the Church, are to do through spiritual warfare. Matthew 16:19 tells us, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The word “loose” in this verse is luo. So, did Christ luo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), or do we luo the works of the devil (Matthew 16:19)? The answer is “Yes!” Although Jesus fully accomplished the task of breaking satan’s authority and voiding his legal hold upon the human race, someone on earth must represent Him in that victory and enforce it. With this in mind and remembering that the Hebrew word for intercession, paga, means “to meet,” let’s state it this way: Through prayers of intercession, we meet/encounter (paga) the powers of darkness, enforcing the victory Christ accomplished (luo; tetelestai) when He met (paga) them at the Cross. When we encounter them, we use His authority to bind and loose (luo) them, releasing the provision and fruit of what He accomplished. My mindset changed dramatically in the context of “binding” and “loosing,” “wrestling” with principalities and powers, “pulling down strongholds,” etc., when I began thinking of it as enforcing the victory of Calvary. Satan is a thief and a trespasser. The fact that he has no right (authority) to do something does not keep him from doing it. Only the authority of Christ, combined with the power of Holy Spirit, keeps/stops him from doing so. Both flow from/through us. In Christ’s name, we release His authority, and Holy Spirit backs this up with His power. We must wield the sword of God’s Word, just as Jesus did, and bind demonic attacks against our bodies, families, homes, cities, and nations. Declaring the promises of Scripture are not only to encourage and increase our faith; they are weapons. Let’s use these powerful, God-given tools. Pray with me: We declare over our bodies that “by His stripes, we are healed;” over our minds that “we have the mind of Christ;” that His blood “cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness.” We boldly agree with God’s Word that tells us there is “no more condemnation” toward us for ANY sin we have committed when it is under the blood of Jesus. And we declare that “no weapon formed against us will prosper” - NONE! (see 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 John 1:9; Romans 8:1; Isaiah 54:17) We declare over our nation that “America shall be saved.” We declare that God’s destiny for America is “the gospel of the kingdom shall go forth from these shores to every nation of the earth.” We declare that Holy Spirit is “manifesting the multifaceted wisdom of God to principalities and powers in the heavens through the Ekklesia.” We declare that “the gates of hell will not prosper against or overcome this Ekklesia.” (Ephesians 3:10; Matthew 16:18-19) And we declare that “the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.” We declare that “God, His Father, has promised Him the nations of this earth as His inheritance.” We declare that the Spirit of God will be poured out over all the earth, that it is His will “for all to be saved and none to perish.” We declare that “Christ is king over all the nations,” and we release His kingdom rule and authority to bring His will to pass. We declare that Christ’s family in heaven will consist of people “from every tribe, tongue, and nation,” and that the revival beginning around the world will not be thwarted. (see Revelation 11:15; Psalm 2:7; Acts 2:17; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 7:9) And we declare that the fruit of these decrees shall not be stopped, because we make them in the mighty name of Jesus. Our decree: We decree that the sword of the Spirit, the spoken word of God, is more powerful than ALL the forces and plans of the enemy. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, 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. 6293. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary (Iowa Falls, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1992), p. 1375. Ibid. William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1978), p. 263. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible–New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984: revised edition, 1990), p. 1583. Ibid.

Holy Spirit Warnings Last Friday, I received a strong warning from a prophetic friend regarding prayer for Supreme Court Justices. The warning had to do with an assassination attempt and a plan to remove another Justice through false accusations. We live in a day when violence has become rampant, out of control. You no doubt recall a short time back when a young man flew to DC intending to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh. When dropped off in front of the Justice’s home, he changed his mind for some “unexplainable” reason, and turned himself into the police. I certainly believe this was divine intervention. The violence in our land is no doubt caused to a great degree by the curse associated with the shedding of innocent blood. The blood of 65 million babies has fed the spirits of Baal and Molech, giving them unprecedented access to our nation. Even though we are overcoming these strongholds through repentance and prayer, the hold of demonic spirits on many individuals will only end if and when they are born again. We must be very diligent in this season to cover ourselves, our family members, and our leaders with prayer. Some we should pray for daily, and others as prompted by Holy Spirit; we are all called to be watchmen. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to be alert and watchful for one another, and pray when alerted by Holy Spirit. When an uneasiness comes for someone, never assume that this is coincidental or unimportant, as the following account illustrates. GUATEMALA MISSIONS TRIP In 1976, I was one of 40 to 45 individuals traveling to a remote place on the Passion River, in the Peten Jungle of Guatemala. Our mission was to help build a combination clinic and outreach station on the river, as well as do some preaching in the nearby villages. After arriving in Guatemala City, we spent our first night there (Friday), and had arranged for the Guatemalan airlines to fly us the following day (Saturday) into the jungle. On our arrival at the airport Saturday afternoon, we were informed that they had changed their plans and could not fly us to our destination that day. They would do so the next day, Sunday. Due to the limited amount of time we would have to accomplish this mission, our leaders felt an urgency to leave as scheduled. Consequently, they pressed the airlines off and on for three hours to honor their original agreement and take us that Saturday afternoon. "No," different managers said in broken English, "We take you tomorrow." "But you agreed months ago to take us today," our people countered. "We have no pilot available," the airline official stated. "Please find one," we pleaded. "What is your hurry? Enjoy the city," they encouraged us. And so it went for three hours, in and out of offices, meeting with one official, then another. Finally, in exasperation, one of them threw up his hands and said, "Okay, we take you now! Get on that plane. Quickly!" Miraculously, they had pulled a pilot from another flight to take us. We hurried to the plane, throwing our bags and tools into the baggage area ourselves, wanting to leave before they changed their minds. That night, with us now safely 250 miles away, an earthquake occurred in Guatemala City, where we had been, and killed 30,000 people in 34 seconds! Had we stayed in the city one more night, as we almost did, some of our team members would have been killed and others injured. We know this for certain because on our return to the city, we saw the building we had stayed in the night before the earthquake - and would have been staying in again had we not left on Saturday - with huge beams lying across the beds we had slept in, and would have been again had we stayed. Now, the Ephesians 6:18 prayer connection. On that Saturday afternoon, during the 3 hours of negotiations with the airlines, an intercessor in our home church had felt a strong burden to pray for our protection. For those three hours, she was in intense intercession for us. We didn't know that our lives depended on getting out of Guatemala City that day, and she didn’t even know about the discussions taking place. But God knew, and she was alert to His prompting, as Ephesians 6:18 instructs us. Be on the alert. CONSISTENCY IS KEY We should pray daily for family members, and our leaders. Not a large number - perhaps our Congressman, Senators, and one or two others. When the Holy Spirit highlights a person or group, such as the Supreme Court, add them for a season. This responsibility doesn’t have to be burdensome or overwhelming, with long periods of prayer each day. Consistency is key. Form a habit of praying and declaring protection over these individuals at the same time each day - perhaps during your quiet time, on a commute, while doing a household chore, when taking a walk, or while dressing for work. Doing it at the same time each day will help you remember it and also will establish it as a disciplined habit. Every church should also have intercessors assigned to each service. Sadly, there are terrorists and deranged people who would love to destroy an entire group of believers, even at the cost of their lives. Trained security is important, but often isn’t enough; prayer can make the difference. We absolutely should not live in fear, but neither should we take these matters for granted. Continue to declare protection over America’s borders and over your state. Do not neglect to keep your faith operative in this regard. Stay locked in. Also, remember to cover the water supply, waterways, ports, and dams in your area. Keep your faith engaged and be alert for any promptings of Holy Spirit. I feel we must stay engaged regarding these issues throughout 2024. And as you pray for other government leaders, remember to pray for Donald Trump and his family. Though he isn’t currently in office, he is hated like very few people, including by foreign countries and terrorists. Please be faithful to pray over these people and issues. Let’s do so now. Pray with me: Father, we pray for protection over the Justices on the Supreme Court. We ask You to expose and thwart every attempt to harm them. I am led to pray especially for Justice Thomas, so we cover him now in prayer.  We bind every demonic plan to take his life. Protect him in every way Psalm 91 describes. As this Psalm states, we declare that no evil will harm him or his wife. We also pray against any strategy to falsely accuse and remove any Justice on the Court. We ask that all false accusations, slander, and evil plans be revealed and fail. We also pray for President Trump, asking that he be protected from plans to harm him. Also, vindicate him from unjust accusations and lawsuits. Turn it ALL for his good. Protect his family as well, and those around him. We ask You to give the Secret Service, police, and protection details of all these individuals great alertness, and enable them to discover any and all attempts to harm them. And we pray for divine protection over America’s water resources, dams, and ports. Protect them from destruction and harm. Expose any plot to damage them, and keep it from succeeding. We ask all of this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that every plan to harm members of the Supreme Court will fail, in Jesus’ name. Click on the link below to watch the full video.