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Mary Had a Little Lamb (Revival and Reformation, Part 6) “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” (Revelation 19:11-16; NASB) Mary had a little lamb… This gentle “lamb” spoke words of comfort to outcasts, healed those who suffered, gave of His time and energy to multitudes, and forgave sinners. His tender heart wept over the tomb of a friend, over a city, and in times of prayer. He allowed soldiers, whom He created, to mock Him, spit on Him, beat Him mercilessly, and lead Him quietly to His death at Calvary. “He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7; NASB) But Jesus isn’t only the meek, sacrificial “lamb,” slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He is also the “lion” of Judah; He fears nothing and no one. He created everything... with only His words. And He keeps the universe operating in perfect order... with just His words. While walking the earth, He also walked on water…and through walls. Storms obeyed His commands, He turned water into wine, and multiplied by thousands a few fish and loaves of bread. His spit healed blind eyes, and His touch cured leprosy. He raised the dead and reversed insanity. Demons fled from Him, shrieking in fear. When their Creator willingly died, the sun refused to shine, and the earth shook. Death, of course, couldn't hold Him, and His resurrection was so powerful it spilled over onto other dead people, raising them from the dead! Once back in heaven, He reclothed Himself in glory. His eyes are like fire, His voice is like a waterfall, and when appropriate, His words become a sharp sword with which He strikes down nations. Fire also goes before Him and consumes His enemies. In righteousness He judges and makes war, with the armies of heaven following Him. Angels worship Him; rulers cast their crowns at His feet. He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. It behooves us as humans to know which Jesus we’re dealing with: the Savior or the King; the Lamb or the Lion; the Mediator or the Judge. Mary’s little Lamb, who loves sinners and wants to save them, has been known to don His Kingly robe and send an angel to kill an earthly king - on this side of the Cross (Acts 12:23). The Great Shepherd, Pastor Jesus, laid down His shepherd staff and picked up His sword, striking down two people defiling the early church at its inception (Acts 5:5). On one occasion Savior Jesus determined that His warrior mantle was needed and struck a man with blindness for opposing the gospel (Acts 13:11). Am I saying that God likes to hurt people or rain down judgment? Absolutely not. In numerous posts, I have said that God takes no pleasure in the judgment of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). But neither am I saying that He never judges the wicked. God knows when grace and mercy are possible, and He knows when judgment is necessary. And His judgments are “true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). We have been discussing revival and reformation. Savior Jesus, the Lamb of God, is going to pour out His Spirit on Earth in unprecedented measure, saving a billion or more people in this season. And Lord Jesus, the Lion of Judah, is going to disciple nations, reforming them to His precepts and laws. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, He stated that He had been given all authority, not just in heaven, but also on earth. This is King Jesus speaking. He then said go and disciple the nations, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Notice that He did not “invite” them to honor His teachings; He “commanded” them! Let’s remember in this revival and reformation that Jesus is Savior and Redeemer, but also that He is Lord, Master, and King. He is our High Priest, offering grace and mercy, and He is the Lawgiver, demanding truth and justice. He is the Lamb, kind and gentle; He is also the Lion, strong and fierce. He’s the Servant of all, yet He is the General of heaven’s army. He is our Husband, but also our Bishop; our Provider, but also our Creator; our Friend, but also our Captain; a Healer, but also a Warrior. He is the Son of Man, and He is the Son of God. This incredible God-Man is about to make His presence known on earth in dramatic ways. The Savior is coming with His redeeming grace, and the King is coming to expand His Kingdom. Keep your lamps burning brightly. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Jesus, for who He is, and what He has done. We thank You for His humanity and His deity. We thank You for His perfect love and perfect justice. We thank You for Your plans that are unfolding. Thank You for the way in which You orchestrate events, and even in perilous and difficult times, navigate through them to bring about great spiritual harvests on Earth. We ask for a release of Your saving power, and Your righteous judgments. We ask You to end the reign and terror of the Prince of Persia in the Middle East, and for millions of souls to come to You in that region. We ask You to stay the hands of evil leaders in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and elsewhere, keeping them from actions that would hinder revival and reformation. We ask for You to stay the hands of evil in America, the rule of leaders who allow modern-day slavery - the trafficking of humans through Mexico - in order to gain votes in the future. Their lust for power and control has seared their consciences. Judge this hideous evil. Expose it. Remove those who shamelessly partner with it. Rain revival on our churches, our campuses, our cities, and our homes. We bind the strong man, Baal, in America, decreeing that he will not maintain his hold on this nation. We declare that the blood of Jesus is cleansing our nation and that You will send the revival we need. You will answer by fire, just as You did for Elijah, and send the rain. We ask for and receive these things by faith, in the holy name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Earth’s Creator, Owner, and Redeemer is coming to revive and reform. Click on the link below to watch the full video. You can find our recent Revival and Reformations teachings here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

Revival and Reformation, Part 5 REVIEW God has told us that 2024 will be a year of revival and reformation. We must know what to expect. We have been looking at these two Kingdom activities and the fact that they are linked to Yahweh’s assignments to us through Adam and Eve in Genesis 1: multiply His family and govern/manage His earth. Christ recommissioned the church to these assignments in Mark 16:15-20 and Matthew 28:18-20. In the first passage, He told us to multiply His family by preaching the gospel; in the latter, He instructed us to teach His commandments, in order to disciple nations. We have also taught what occurs when we do not prioritize both of these assignments. You can see the first three posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. In yesterday’s post, we discussed several differences between Mark 16, which produces revival, and Matthew 28, which leads to reformation. Today, we’ll look at more comparisons. THE FAMILY AND EKKLESIA Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church…” The word build is oikodomeo,(1) a compound word made of doma,(2) which by itself means “build,” and oikos,(3) meaning “a household.” “Oikos referred to three related but distinct concepts: the family, the family's property, and the house.”(4) Zodhiates says, “oikos includes the idea of household affairs,” and the lineage and posterity descending from one head or ancestor, such as “the house of David,” or “the house of Israel.”(5) Without question, Jesus was saying He came to recover God’s family, to restore the household of God, and to establish a posterity and lineage flowing from Himself. We are partnering with Him in this endeavor of restoring to God His family as we fulfill Mark’s commission. We are also participating in this process when we honor Christ’s family, properly relating to and caring for one another. We are, and must live as, “the household of faith,” (Galatians 6:10). And yet, we are also a Congress. Christ didn’t stop by calling us His family, but added that this household would also become His Ekklesia (church). We have already established that in Christ’s day, an ekklesia was a governmental term. Jesus left no doubt that this is what He was referring to by adding that He would give His family the “keys” or authority of His Kingdom. We are to use this spiritual authority to teach and disciple all aspects of a willing nation’s activities. God’s ways and principles apply to ALL aspects of life. Just as a family and an ekklesia are very different, we are defined by other contrasting comparisons. We are a flock of sheep, but we are also a convocation of eagles. We are the bride of Christ, loving, honoring, and worshiping Him, but we are also His soldiers, wrestling with principalities and powers, enforcing his victory at Calvary. We are His body - fellowshipping with, caring for, and feeding one another, and we are His voice - wielding His sword, releasing decrees, binding and loosing. We are farmers, harvesting souls according to Mark 16, at times reaping the bumper crop of revival; and we are ambassadors, representing the will of God as we disciple nations according to Matthew 28, reforming them to His ways and principles. We must know when to wear our “family hat” and when to wear our “ekklesia hat.” One must relate to family far differently than they do those outside the home. Also, some will be assigned to wear one hat more than the other. Just because your family unit - your congregation, or your broader affiliation, such as a movement or denomination, is more motivated toward soul-winning (fulfilling Mark 16), do not judge those who are called more to spiritual warfare and other ekklesia-related activities. It should also be obvious that our level of maturity will determine our activities. Only when children mature into adulthood are they qualified to perform certain activities and operate in certain levels of authority. The same is true in God‘s family; we are all heirs of God (Romans 8:17), but we must mature until we can partner with God. The first involves benefits; the latter, responsibilities. Everyone in God’s family should, at some point, be capable of representing Him in the full authority of His Ekklesia. If this does not occur, then they have not been truly discipled. The above passage in Romans 8 contrasts children, teknon(6) (verses 16-17), and sons, huios(7) (verses 14, 19). It tells us that all of God’s children (teknon) are heirs of His blessings, regardless of their age or maturity. But it also says His fully matured sons, the meaning of huios, are capable of being led by His Spirit. In that time and culture, when a child matured to the huios stage of adulthood - sonship - he was entrusted with the family affairs and business. The father would conduct a public ceremony in which he would say, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” It was his statement to the community that this child was now a “son” and was being given full authority to do business in his name. This is what Father God was doing at Christ’s baptism when He spoke those words: declaring Christ’s sonship. Isaiah prophesied, “Unto us a child is born, and a son is given. And the government will be on his [the son’s] shoulders…” (Isaiah 9:6). Father God was publicly declaring that it was now time for His Son, Yeshua, to be released into His full authority and ministry. He was authorizing Jesus to represent Him, to speak for Him in His name. Romans 8 says creation is anxiously waiting, not for God’s children, His kids. Creation is waiting for God’s fully matured sons and daughters, those who are led by His Spirit, know His ways, and can be trusted with broader authority. Children reap the benefits; sons are given authority and responsibility. It is they who can be trusted with the full authority of Christ’s Kingdom, enabling them to bring healing and transformation to the nations of the Earth. This is the church, the Ekklesia that Jesus is building. Pray with me: Father, we agree together today for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to increase, giving us a greater understanding of our assignment to represent You on earth. We are Your family, and we are Your Kingdom representatives, Your Ekklesia. WE increase and multiply Your family for You. It is profound, almost incomprehensible, that You would entrust us with such a responsibility and privilege. You also train and disciple nations through us! We must have this increase of wisdom and revelation in order to understand and embrace these assignments more fully; we also need it in order to accomplish them at higher levels of authority and effectiveness. Most believers have little understanding of these roles and responsibilities. They believe life is about temporal things, but so few see its significance through the lens of eternity. Please help us change this. We ask for this new level of maturity. Bring enlightenment, revelation, and understanding. We call forth the great outpouring of Your Spirit You have promised, which will not only win people to You, but will also create this awakening and reformation of the church. Do this here, and around the world, we pray in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We declare that the coming revival will be blessed with great wisdom and revelation. 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. 3618. Ibid., ref. no. 1430. Ibid., ref. no. 3624. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oikos Spiros Zodiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible - New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984; revised edition, 1990), p. 2232. James Strong, ref. no. 5043 Ibid., ref. no. 5207

Revival and Reformation, Part 2 Due to the fact that the GH15 posts have to be written and recorded the day before they are posted, I was not able to say much about the Day of Repentance in yesterday’s post. I did make a brief comment at the end regarding how excellent it was. The day fits well, however, with the few teachings I’m doing on Revival and Reformation, so I want to make a few more comments today. First, I find it ironic, at the very least, that while we were involved in a time of repentance over the sins of America, the Senate was conducting a necessary hearing with the leaders of several social media outlets regarding the promotion of sexually explicit material to children. Regarding this heinous activity, two verses I quoted in a post earlier this week from Jeremiah come to mind: “Everyone is after the dishonest dollar…They have no shame. They do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:13-15, The Message). Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, appearing on the Faulkner Focus (Fox Network) to discuss the hearing stated, “There is some research that says every day 100,000 kids are force-fed sexually explicit material on these sites. It is being pushed to them. They are not looking for it; it shows up in their feed.” She continued, “We have 42 state Attorneys General suing [social media companies] because of the addictive features they are pushing forward on children.” While addressing Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of META (formerly known as Facebook), during the hearing, Senator Blackburn said, “Children are not your priority; children are your product. You see children as a way to make money.” She told Faulkner that at the hearing, “Kids were wearing T-shirts saying, ‘I’m worth more than $270,’ which is what Zuckerberg said a teen was worth to them on social media.” How astonishing and indicative of America’s condition that this hearing was taking place as many in our gathering were weeping, asking for God’s mercy and cleansing of our nation. I was not able to hold back tears as I read Revelation 3:17-18: “…you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. 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.” (NASB) After saying this to the church at Laodicea, Christ went on to say it was love motivating Him to bring this discipline (verse 19), and He concluded by telling them He was standing at the door and knocking. If they would open it through repentance, He would come in and sup with them (verse 20). Christ’s desire was not to judge them; He was offering cleansing, transformation, and a return to their relational connection with Him. I felt that on Wednesday, the “knocking Savior” was doing so through His tears. Hundreds of people gathered for this Day of Repentance, including a couple of dozen members of Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson among them. Many more people watched online. Several leaders attended from other nations to join us in our repentance and prayer, both for our nation and theirs; at least two or three dozen. It was a very emotional day. In describing last year‘s gathering, convener Jim Garlow (along with Tony Perkins) simply said, “God showed up.” I can assure you, His presence was with us again this year. And I’m sure that the Lord, like all of us, had mixed emotions: grief over America’s sins and rejection of Him, along with the satisfaction of our repentant, interceding hearts. Thank you for joining us. I know our prayers and repentance made a difference. (If you would like to watch a replay of the National Gathering of Prayer and Repentance, you can do so here: ngpr.org.) Now, I want to comment on revival and reformation, then connect it to the Senate hearing I just mentioned. In yesterday's post, I said that our commission from Christ in Mark 16 was to preach the gospel and restore God’s family. When breakthrough in this activity occurs, creating mass conversions, we call it revival. I also said that Christ’s commission in Matthew 28 was to disciple these new believers, not just individually but corporately - entire nations. When this occurs in mass, resulting in societal transformation - the changing of culture, laws, government, education, etc. - we call it a reformation. In most revivals of the past, believers thought only of winning the lost (Mark 16). This, of course, is essential and must be the starting point - birthing obviously precedes training. But if Matthew 28 - the reforming and discipling of individuals and nations - doesn’t occur, the long-term fruit will be minimal and can even be lost, as in the following example. The great Charismatic Movement of the late 60’s through the early 80’s, which included the Jesus People Movement, saw millions of people in America come to Christ, and tens of millions around the world. It was a wonderful example of Mark 16 occurring with great momentum, a significant revival. However, there was little understanding of the church’s assignment to do Matthew 28. The concept of discipleship that existed at the time was limited to discipling converts regarding their personal lives. We did not instruct and train believers to use the momentum of revival to disciple nations by modeling Christ’s ways and teaching His principles in all of society. Therefore, during the Jesus Movement/Charismatic Movement of the ‘70s, Christians did Mark 16. But while millions of people were being saved, humanists, secularists, and atheists were busy doing their version of Matthew 28 - discipling a nation. How incredibly ironic. We saved individuals; they discipled a nation. We preached the gospel; unbelievers taught dogmas and doctrines. We went to church once a week on the weekend; they indoctrinated in our schools and universities five days a week. We enjoyed a new wave of expanded Christian TV; they made movies, programs, and increased their hold on the industry. We sang and worshipped at church; they took over the airwaves and discipled a generation with their music. We bought a few cameras and thought we had arrived with our Christian TV; they took over technology and monopolized social media. The result: America experienced one of the greatest revivals in history…AND LOST THE NEXT GENERATION TO DEMONIC CONTROL AND INFLUENCE! This is almost incomprehensible! The irony is beyond belief, and the tragedy of it beyond words. Yet, it occurred. And now, the generation discipled by humanists, secularists, and atheists is in charge of our nation - governing, teaching, entertaining, etc. AND, they are grooming the next generation, our kids, as the Senator told us. Overall, social media has far more influence over the minds of our children than their parents. This is the fruit of Mark 16 without Matthew 28, revival without reformation. We must not make this mistake again. There is another powerful outpouring of Holy Spirit coming that will produce a great revival. In this outpouring, the body of Christ, His Ekklesia, must accomplish both commissions. If we do so, it will produce the greatest transformation in Earth’s history. More on Monday… Pray with me: Father, thank You for the gathering that took place in our nation’s capital on Wednesday. Thank You for your humble and sincere hearts of repentance and intercession. We know You heard our prayers and that they make a difference. You are answering the prayers and will heal our land. On behalf of our nation, we answer Your merciful knocking and say, “Please come in.” Father, You created family members in Genesis 1, then assigned them the responsibility of multiplying the family and also managing their home, planet Earth. This plan of Yours is still intact. Jesus restored it, and said He would build an Ekklesia, a family the gates/government of hell would not be able to overcome. Then He recommissioned them to begin again the plan of multiplying Your family, and of stewarding the earth for You. We embrace these commissions! This 2-fold plan of Christ’s is gaining momentum. His bride is growing in numbers and the Ekklesia’s revelation of its authority is growing. Bring another wind that increases this even more. Cause the greatest season of revival and reformation in earth’s history to take place - Mark 16 and Matthew 28 simultaneously. Release the greatest wind of evangelism the world has ever experienced, and fully reveal Christ among the nations. We love You, Father, and pray these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the two Great Commissions of Christ WILL be fulfilled by His family and co-laborers. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

No Intimidation It should come as no surprise that those who deny the existence of absolute truth, the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, the morals laid out therein, the sanctity of life, and the sinless life of Christ would endeavor to silence the church regarding government, education, and laws. Their insistence that these and other teachings be relegated only to the four walls of a religious building should not be a mystery to anyone. These individuals would be foolish to desire anything else when trying to secularize America, redefine morality, weaken America’s Christian roots, and transform American culture. I spoke of our patriot and brother, Sam Adams, on Friday; this American Founder also stated, “Liberty will not long survive the total extinction of morals.”(1) Selah. When Christians do take their beliefs outside the building, as every American citizen should be free to do, the left twists our words, assigns untrue motives, conjures up misleading labels, and when all else fails, censures us: Standing for the biblical definition of marriage is labeled as “bigotry.” Standing for the unborn is “hatred of women.” Spiritual warfare is “promoting violence.” The phrase “taking back America,” in the context of prayer, voting, righteous laws, and common sense education, a phrase EVERY movement and party uses, is also considered “promoting violence” when used by Christians. Preaching about “the Kingdom of God,” Christ’s most talked about subject, is touted as “tyranny,” a belief in “taking over everyone’s rights,” forcing people to live as Christians. Believing that apostles exist today is “extremism, designed to rule others by force.” The Appeal to Heaven flag, designed as a call to prayer, commissioned by George Washington and used by our Founders, is now “a symbol of violence, extremism, Christian Nationalism and insurrection.” And making the claim that God was behind America’s birth in order to propagate the greatest message of all time - the gospel - is also “Christian Nationalism,” which the left defines as “racism, arrogance, and a perversion of that gospel.” Let me be clear: their contention is that believing America was raised up to preach the gospel is a perversion of the gospel. And all of these words and phrases are now “a threat to democracy.” Holy Spirit said of nonsense such as this, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22 AKJV). Again, these attempts to confine, threaten, censure, label, misidentify, misdefine, mock, and ridicule the church are not surprising. Their goal is to muzzle and silence us, removing our influence. Don’t be intimidated by these attacks. Refuse to be silenced or muzzled. Ignore their labels, accusations, and insults, just as Nehemiah did when rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem: “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.  And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?  Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall….And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 4:1-3, 6:3; KJV) And please don’t be intimidated or misled by leaders in the church that partner with this foolishness. Many pastors have bought the lie that we should not discuss these things in our worship services. “Do not mention government in church,” they say, even though government makes our laws regarding morality, life, the posterity of our children, marriage, our liberties, etc. “Don’t speak into election processes,” they tell us, even though this process elects said government. “Don’t even mention these issues, just teach and preach the Bible,” we’re told, though ALL of them are biblical topics about which the church is supposed to be discipling nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The body of Christ is supposed to disciple people when we gather, teaching them the full counsel of God, including his standards for all of life and morality found in the Bible. Our church services should be more than worship and fellowship; they are supposed to be where truth is taught. If you attend a church that refuses to address these moral, cultural, and biblical issues, my advice is to find another church. Do not give your time and money to that which has compromised, lost its voice, and become part of the problem. Our friend Sam Adams also said, “Shame on the men who can court exemption from present trouble and expense at the price of their own posterity’s liberty.”(2) Amen, brother Adams, that’s good preaching. And since I have been gleaning so much inspiration from this wise patriot lately, I will close with a final poignant statement he made: “The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation - enlightened as it is - if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men.”(3) Pray with me: Father, when the early church faced threats, false accusations, and intimidation, their prayer to You was: “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30 AKJV). You obviously liked this prayer; Your response was: “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness… And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:31, 33; AKJV). We ask this today for the American church. Give us boldness; fill us with Your Spirit. Give us great grace in order to release great power, that we may effectively prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Place a firm determination in Your people to stand, to never compromise truth, and to declare Your full counsel. Give us Your heart of love, enabling us to do these things with gentleness, compassion, and servant hearts. Forgive us for the times we have not communicated truth with the right spirit, and give us wisdom to do so appropriately in this hour. All of this we ask for in Yeshua‘s name, amen. Our decree: We decree that as ambassadors for Christ, we will boldly speak His words. ________________________________ https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/samuel-adams-quotes-2.html http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/quotes/freedom-liberty.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CShame%20on%20the%20men%20who,defended%20it%20as%20they%20should.%E2%80%9D https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/samuel-adams-quotes-1.html Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Revival and Reformation, Part 4 God has told us that 2024 will be a year of revival and reformation. We have been looking at these two Kingdom activities and the fact that they are linked to Yahweh’s assignments to Adam and Eve - and therefore all of us - in Genesis 1: multiply His family and govern/manage His earth. Christ recommissioned the church to these assignments in Mark 16:15-20 and Matthew 28:18-20. In the first passage, He told us to preach the gospel in order to see people saved; in the latter, He instructed us to teach His commandments in order to disciple nations. We have also taught what occurs when we do not prioritize both of these assignments. In the 1970s and 80s, America experienced a powerful revival, yet we lost much ground spiritually in our nation. Why? While the church worked at getting people saved (Mark 16 family mandate), unbelievers worked hard to “disciple” the nation (Matthew 28 mandate). Both groups were successful: we revived, and they reformed. We prepared people for heaven; they shaped a generation's thinking and prepared them to rule here on earth. America is now experiencing the fruit of this: we have an ungodly government, education system, and media, great erosion of the family unit, gross immorality, a loss of purpose as a nation, a lukewarm church, and we could go on. You can see the first three posts here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. In yesterday’s post, I listed a few comparisons between revival (Mark 16) and reformation (Matthew 28) in order to help us understand the differences. I want to give several more today. 1. The messages are different, as are the methods of delivery. In Mark 16, Jesus told us to “preach the gospel,” which is the good news of Christ’s redemption. In Matthew 28, He told us to “teach” what He “commanded.” The New Testament word for preaching simply means to announce or proclaim a message, whereas teaching means to explain, expound, instruct, etc. We announce the good news; we teach God’s ways, precepts, desires, and the principles of His Kingdom. 2. The goals of Mark and Matthew are also different. The goal of Mark’s commission is saving people; the goal of Matthew’s is saving nations. Mark’s goal is to birth children; Matthew‘s goal is to mature, train, and commission them as Kingdom soldiers, ambassadors, and legislators. Through Mark’s commission, people receive God‘s life and nature; through Matthew’s commission, they are trained to release His life and nature. The fulfillment of Mark‘s commission brings wholeness to and shapes individuals; the fulfillment of Matthew’s brings wholeness to and shapes cultures, societies, and nations. Mark’s commission is intended to deliver people from demons and sin; Matthew’s is designed to deliver nations from principalities and powers, philosophies, laws, unrighteous systems, humanism, racism, and more. Mark’s assignment is to heal people of brokenness, diseases, oppression, etc.; Matthew’s will heal nations of poverty, hunger, violence, and other evils. The salvation released through Mark’s message fills individuals with Holy Spirit; Matthew’s teaching is intended to fill the atmospheres of regions and nations with Holy Spirit’s presence and peace. In Mark, Holy Spirit is poured out; in Matthew, the Word and truth are taught. One is an outpouring; the other is an outworking. Through Mark’s commission, personal destinies are awakened and accomplished; through Matthew’s, national destinies are awakened and accomplished. 3. The church’s activities are different in each assignment. In Mark’s, we serve the needs of people, protecting and nurturing God‘s family; in Matthew’s, we serve the purposes of God, accepting risk, sacrifice, and even martyrdom. In revival, we emphasize the provision of Christ; in reformation, we emphasize the principles of Christ. The former focuses on our inheritance and our rights as a joint heir with Christ; the latter focuses on our assignment from Christ, our responsibility as a citizen of His Kingdom. In order to fulfill Mark’s commission, we gather and are filled, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit; to accomplish Matthew’s, we are authorized, commissioned, and sent. In the former, we release power for signs, wonders, and miracles, doing the works of God; in the latter, we dispense truth, doctrine, and information in order to transform systems and laws with the ways of God. To win the lost (Mark 16), we preach grace and emphasize God’s mercy, compassion, and love; to disciple nations (Matthew 28), we teach God’s Word and emphasize His justice, righteousness, and truth. As God‘s family, our prayers are priestly - petitions, requests, intercession; as the Ekklesia, our prayers are kingly - decrees and declarations. To accomplish Mark 16 and function as God’s family, Christ’s ministry gifts of pastor, evangelist, and teacher are needed; to function as the Ekklesia, Christ’s ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, and teacher are needed. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your heart to redeem and save. Thank You for the power of the gospel, of the name of Jesus, and of Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your Word, which transforms, instructs, and teaches us Your ways. And we thank You for Your prophetic words informing us that revival will intensify and reformation will begin in 2024. We will partner with You as instructed. We will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world. We will baptize those who believe, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, and we will cast out demons. This will produce the revival You speak of. We will also teach Your Word, Your commandments and ways, discipling nations. We will do so with Your authority, as You instructed us in Matthew 28. This will produce the reformation You have spoken of. We will not be fearful of the shaking that is coming, for it is a cleansing and shaking down of evil, and a restoring of our nation to You. It is like that which You spoke to Jeremiah, a tearing down and uprooting, but also a building and planting. Therefore, we will move forward in faith through anything that comes against us, overcoming it in Your name and authority. So, Father, we boldly and passionately ask You for this revival and reformation. Let Your power and outpouring be such that they cannot be ignored. Awaken the church, save unbelievers, and transform nations. And all of this we ask for in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the greatest revival in history has begun, and the greatest season of earth’s transformation has also begun. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Revival and Reformation, Part 3 We are discussing the concepts of revival and reformation and how they relate to Christ’s great commissions of Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. Each of these commissions corresponds to one of the two mandates God gave humankind through Adam and Eve, in Genesis 1:26-28. The first of these assignments was to be fruitful and multiply: “Give Me more kids,” God said. The second was to steward, manage, or govern the earth. “You will represent My Kingdom’s government on this outpost of the Kingdom,” He told them. If you did not watch or read the first two posts, or would like to reference these two assignments in more detail, you can do so here: Part 1 and Part 2. Both of these assignments were interrupted at the Fall. God temporarily lost 1) His family and 2) His ambassadors on the earth. Jesus, of course, was sent to recover and restore this. When He said in Matthew 16:18-19, “I will build My Church,” the word “build” is oikodomeo,(1) which means to build a family or household. In choosing this word, Christ was saying, “I’ve come to get the family back!” “Church” is the word ekklesia,(2) a “called out” assembly of people. Certainly, this is the bride and body of Christ, “called out” of darkness into God’s light (1 Peter 2:9). However, at that time in history, the Greek Ecclesia/Ekklesia “played a central role in the political life of the city [Athens]. The Ecclesia had the power to nominate and elect magistrates, who were responsible for administering the city’s affairs and carrying out the decisions of the assembly. The Ecclesia also had the authority to pass laws and to decide on issues related to foreign policy, defense, and the administration of justice. “In addition to its legislative powers, the Ecclesia also participated in the judicial process in Athens. The Ecclesia members would try cases involving serious crimes, such as murder, and they could impose punishments. This made it an important institution for ensuring justice and upholding their rule of law in the city. The Ecclesia’s powers and importance varied over time, but it remained an important part of the political landscape of Athens throughout the classical period and into the Hellenistic era.”(3) By choosing this word, ekklesia, Jesus was saying, “I have come to reestablish My family as My spiritual government on earth.” Christ’s other comments in this passage amplified and explained this further. He said that this ekklesia would be given His Kingdom authority (keys), through which they would lock and unlock, forbid and allow (bind and loose), and that the government (gates) of hell would not overpower them. In those times, city councils often met at the gates of their cities. To them, the gates symbolized government, determining what would enter their city physically, just as government did legally. Because of this, the gate symbolized government. Jesus stated that the spiritual authority He was giving His family would enable them to ambassadorially represent His Kingdom (see also 2 Corinthians 5:20), and they would not be overcome by the government of hell. After reversing the setbacks of the Fall at the Cross and reestablishing God’s two-fold plan, Jesus re-commissioned His followers in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. In Mark’s gospel, He told them to go and preach the good news so humans could be saved, delivered, healed, and filled with Holy Spirit, becoming part of God’s family once again. In other words, He told them to “be fruitful and multiply!” When this occurs in mass, it is a revival or awakening. In Matthew 28, however, Jesus re-commissioned the Ekklesia regarding management of Earth, telling them to “disciple nations” according to His teachings. “As My Ekklesia, You have My authority. In My name, instruct and disciple nations back to the ways of My Kingdom,” He instructed them. When this occurs with groups and nations, it is a reformation. Obedience to both of these mandates is absolutely essential. I will highlight the differences between them more fully in tomorrow’s post, but here are a few comparisons and differences: Revival brings people into God’s family; Reformation teaches them His ways. Revival births them spiritually; Reformation trains them practically. Revival transforms the human heart; Reformation transforms the human mind (thinking). Revival’s fruit is internal (it takes place within us); Reformation’s fruit is external (it is worked out from us). Revival is accomplished through preaching (Mark 16:15); Reformation takes place through teaching (Matthew 28:20). Revival creates converts; Reformation creates disciples. Revival restores God’s life; Reformation restores understanding and implementation of His laws, principles, and ways. Revival saves individuals; Reformation saves regions/nations. Revival produces God’s bride, family, and worshippers; Reformation produces God’s Ekklesia, those who represent His Kingdom authority and rule. As I said in Friday's post, in most revivals, believers think only of getting people saved/born again (Mark 16). This, of course, is essential and must be the starting point - birthing obviously precedes training. But if Matthew 28, the reforming and discipling of individuals and nations, doesn’t occur, the long-term fruit will be minimal…and can even be lost! I mentioned the great Charismatic Movement of the late 60’s through the early 80’s, which included the Jesus People Movement, that saw millions of people in America and tens of millions around the world come to Christ. It was a wonderful example of Mark 16 occurring with great momentum, a significant revival. However, there was a deficient understanding of our calling to do Matthew 28. For the most part, the minimal awareness of discipling that existed was limited to the discipling of individuals who came to Christ, not the discipling of nations, societies, and cultures. Discipling nations involves teaching, modeling, and implementing God’s ways in all areas of life - government, education, and all other societal institutions. It is NOT dictating or forcing God’s laws upon people and nations, as we are accused of by some who misrepresent our words, but rather teaching and modeling His ways and principles in every sector of society. Salvation, the new birth, opens the human heart and will to this, which is why revival must occur first. When people are born again, Holy Spirit writes God’s laws in their hearts (Hebrews 8:10), making them open to and hungry for His truth - possessing a strong desire to find and pursue it. Also, their conscience becomes alive, active, and wants to please God (Hebrews 9:14). When a nation experiences significant revival, the portion of the populace affected by it does not have to be “forced” to implement God’s will and ways; they desire to do His will, to obey Him. They must be taught these ways, however - retrained. And their children must be, as well. If this training and discipling do not occur, satan attempts to counteract the revival by infusing wrong thinking, ideas, philosophies, etc., into the culture. Sadly, during the Jesus Movement/Charismatic Movement of the ‘70s, Christians in America did Mark 16 only. While millions of people were being saved, humanists, secularists, and atheists were busy doing their version of Matthew 28, discipling a nation. We saved individuals; they discipled a nation. We preached the gospel; unbelievers taught dogmas and doctrines. We went to church; they went to our schools and universities. We gathered on Sundays; they gathered all week. We enjoyed Christian TV; they made movies/programs and eventually took over the industry. We sang and worshipped at church; they took over the airwaves and discipled a generation with their music. The result: we experienced one of the greatest revivals in history AND LOST OUR NATION! This is almost incomprehensible/inconceivable! Yet, it occurred. The generation that humanists, secularists, and atheists discipled is now in charge - governing, teaching, entertaining, and informing our nation according to their evil ways. This is the fruit of Mark 16…without Matthew 28. Pray with me: Father, You have said that this year, 2024, reformation begins. This means revival also will go to a new and stronger level. As Your voices on Earth, we declare this: Reformation begins in 2024! Revival breaks out here and around the world in 2024! The entire North American continent, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and the islands of the oceans and seas - all will experience outpourings of Holy Spirit. As the waters cover the sea, so shall Your glory cover the earth. Even as sin abounds, grace and glory will abound more! The King of Kings receives more of His reward this year. The Creator welcomes more of His creation into His family this year. The Spirit of deliverance will deliver many this year. Entire regions will be delivered and see the light of the gospel. Strongholds will melt under His fiery wrath. Youth will see His light and become volunteers in this day of His power. They will run with endurance, war with strength, speak with prophetic insight, and build with apostolic depth. They will evangelize millions and reform nations. They will wear their passion on their sleeve, manifesting love for You everywhere they go. Their revival will be a presence revival, then a power revival. They will be the Amos 9:13 generation: plowmen will overtake reapers. They will run with fathers and mothers, demonstrate humility, and walk in the fear of the Lord. They will heal the sick, open blind eyes, see extraordinary miracles, set oppressed people free, and raise the dead. They will be fearless, bold, more than conquerors, and not for sale. We declare these things by the inspiration of Your Spirit and in the authority of Christ! Amen. Our decree: We decree that this hinge year opens the doors of revival and reformation. 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. nos. 3618 and 3624. Ibid., ref. no. 1577. https://study.com/academy/lesson/ecclesia-ancient-greece-history-facts.html

Revival and Reformation, Part 1 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name, they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” (Mark 16:15-18 NASB) “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”’ (Matthew 28:18-20 NASB) Last week, my brother, Tim Sheets, said Holy Spirit told him reformation would begin in 2024 (Link here). Others are now confirming this, having heard Holy Spirit tell them the same thing. This means revival must also go to another level of strength, for God intends the two to work in tandem. The “Great Commission” of Mark 16 is the restoring of people back to God‘s family - salvation. The “Great Commission” of Matthew 28 is the restoring of a people’s thinking back to the ways of God - discipleship. The first (Mark 16) changes people’s nature - who they are - transforming their spirit. The latter (Matthew 28) changes their thoughts and actions - how they live - transforming their soul (mind, emotions, and will). God not only wants kids; He wants them to become mature sons and daughters who know His ways and think His thoughts, enabling them to represent Him. When Mark’s commission occurs in mass, resulting in the salvation of many people, we call this revival; when Matthew’s commission occurs in mass, resulting in societal change - government, laws, morals, education, culture, etc. - we call it a reformation. These two commissions will never be fully understood without a clear understanding of Genesis 1, for they are actually recommissions of what took place then. Jesus came to restore -  restart, rebirth, revive, redeem, recover, reform, refill, and recommission. It is only logical, therefore, that we must go back to the beginning in order to understand what he is restoring and recommissioning us to. In the first chapter of Genesis, God created a new planet in His universal kingdom: Earth. It would become home for the family He was soon to create. For five days, He transformed this home. I love the glimpses of His heart as He progressed. After each day’s work, God said the progress was “good.” Why would He say this? The Lord certainly wasn’t bragging, patting Himself on the back for a job well done. Nor was He surprised - “Wow, this is turning out really well.” No, Yahweh was stating His pleasure, His satisfaction in what was occurring, just as an expectant mom and dad might do when preparing their nursery. Abba’s pleasure increased to its highest level, however, after creating His human family. In His sixth pronouncement that what He had created was good, the Architect added a word: “This is very good” (Genesis 1:31). That one word practically leaps off the page at me. Can’t you hear the satisfied heart of Creator God in this statement? His plan was coming together, and like a proud parent standing over a newborn baby, Papa God was savoring the moment. Initiating the Sabbath was actually another indicator of his pleasure. When God had finished creating, He “rested” (Genesis 2:2). The word shabath does indeed mean “cease from work,” but it is also used figuratively for celebrating. In much the same way that we celebrate certain days, holidays for example, by resting from work, this is one concept of shabath. How about that! On the seventh day, God stopped working and celebrated! Father God was so excited about His family that He decided the occasion would be commemorated with a weekly “rest and celebration day.” This puts a new twist on the Sabbath. Every seventh day, we should rest and celebrate our membership in God‘s family. Creator made this family in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). The Hebrew word for ‘image’ is tselem, which involves the concept of a shadow, a phantom, or an illusion.(2) An illusion is something you think you see, but on closer observation, discover that your eyes have tricked you. When the rest of creation saw Adam or Eve, they must have done a double-take, thinking: For a moment, I thought it was God, but it's only Adam. We are also told that they were similar to or comparable to God. The Hebrew word demuwth, translated as “likeness” in Genesis 1:26, comes from the root word damah, meaning “to compare.”(3) Adam and Eve, at creation, were very much like God, filled with His life, nature, and Spirit. They were family. He who had innumerable angels serving Him was not satisfied. God desired sons and daughters; He also wanted companions for His Son. To satisfy this, He created a new “species,” in His image and likeness, far different than the angels. Then came two commissions or mandates. Commission One: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). “Reproduce! I have placed in you the ability to multiply My image and likeness,” He was saying! “And I want a big family!” Just let that sink in: God gave humans the ability to reproduce and multiply eternal images and likenesses of Himself! Astounding! What a privilege and what a responsibility. Then came Commission Two: “Rule over…all the earth…over every living thing that moves on the Earth” (Genesis 1:26-28). Psalm 8:6 restates the mandate, “Thou doest make him to rule over the works of thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet.” Each verse uses a different Hebrew word for “rule,” translated as “dominion,” in other versions of the Scriptures. The Genesis verses use radah,(4) Psalm 8 uses mashal.(5) Both words convey the concept of dominion, management, government, or rule. Adam and Eve were commissioned to govern or manage Earth, their home, for themselves and Creator God. They did not “own” Earth; they were delegated stewardship and governance for the Owner and Creator, Yahweh. “You will manage your new home, this new colony of heaven.” Obviously, they were to do so under His headship and rule, implementing the principles of His Kingdom, not according to their own dictates. We know this plan was interrupted at the fall. When Adam sinned, he lost the image, likeness, and Spirit of God; he also lost his dominion, the delegated authority to manage Earth; and God lost His family. (God did NOT lose ownership of the Earth, for He had never given that to Adam, nor did He lose HIS personal authority over the Earth; we humans lost our delegated authority, which had now been transferred to satan.) These two losses are what Jesus came to restore: 1) God’s family and 2) their lost dominion or governance of Earth. We will pick up here tomorrow. Pray with me: Father, we know revival has begun. It is in its beginning stages here in America, though in some parts of the world, multitudes are coming to You. Increase it here and around the world. Save a billion souls. Here in this nation, we know we will experience the fullness of revival before You are finished. We thank You for the increase coming this year. Unleash the full-force power of the gospel and confirm it with signs, wonders, and miracles. You have said reformation will begin this year, stating that the overall ekklesia, the church, and local expressions of Your ekklesia are now prepared and ready. You said angels have been dispatched to assist us, that the impossible will occur, and the unchangeable will change. So we ask You for this. Revive, reform, and restore America. Revive Asia. Revive the Middle East. Let this revival break out all over the world. We call for the coming of Your Kingdom, and the accomplishing of Your will here and throughout the earth, as it is in heaven. Multiplied power, multiplied deliverances, multiplied salvations. Being this forth. And as You instructed us, we pray for the protection of our waterways, dams, reservoirs, and ports. Protect them from evil. Expose any planned attacks against them. We pray for Texas as they make a stand to protect their and our borders. Bring this to a righteous and lawful conclusion. We pray all of this in the mighty name of Yeshua. Amen. Our decree: We decree that 2024 is a year of revival and reformation. _______________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 7673. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible - New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984; revised edition, 1990), p. 1768. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. No. 1819. Ibid., ref. no. 7287. Ibid., ref. no. 4910. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Standing In The Gap “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is not clean or rained on in the day of indignation.’ There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. Her priests have done violence to My Law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have closed their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am defiled among them. Her leaders within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to make dishonest profit. And her prophets have coated with whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery, and they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger without justice. I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; I have brought their way upon their heads,” declares the Lord God." (Ezekiel 22:24-31 NASB) During one of Israel’s times of apostasy, the Lord made those statements through the prophet Ezekiel. The sins mentioned are grievous, but the statements in verses 30-31 are also quite sobering. As a just and holy God, the Lord cannot ignore sin. He has, however, told us that we can stand in the gap for those who have sinned, asking for His mercy. In my book, Intercessory Prayer, I address the subject of why God waits for humans to ask Him before He moves on earth. It has to do with His decision to work on earth through humankind, not independently of them. For whatever reasons, it seems that this was an immutable decision, so much so that it demanded the incarnation of Christ. God knows our needs before we ask, but we must ask. He desires to save people more than we want Him to, yet He needs us to ask Him to send laborers into the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). The great intercessor and teacher, Gordan Lindsay, once said that God never asked us to pray for anything that would automatically occur, such as the sun to rise, or gravity to operate. These are laws He has established that operate regardless of our actions. He did, however, ask us to pray for laborers, for His Kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth (Matthew 6:10). They are NOT automatic; we must ask for them. In this Ezekiel passage, God tells us that in His mercy, He wanted to spare Israel from the judgment they deserved, and would have had appropriate intercession occurred. Tragically, He found no one to do so and, therefore, had to release devastating judgment. I mention this to emphasize that God WILL honor our repentance and intercession on behalf of our nation. There are other passages in Scripture where God did find a person or persons to repent for Israel, and He responded with mercy. Moses interceded for Israel, and God said He had pardoned them according to Moses’ words (Numbers 14:20). Nehemiah repented for the sins of Israel and God honored this (Nehemiah 1:4-11). Daniel repented for the sins of Israel, interceding for their restoration, and God did so (Daniel 9:1-19). We can repent for the sins of our nation and believe that God will respond with cleansing and healing. Many leaders are doing so today in our nation's capital. If you are reading this early enough and can join us today by livestream, please do. To do so, text the word “prayer” to 67742 or go to NGPR.org. The activities will begin at 7:30 AM Eastern Time and finish around 1:00 PM. However, we can all join our hearts in repentance on this post. 1. Father, we repent for the shedding of innocent blood, for the sin of over 60 million abortions. This has occurred because we lost our love of children and family, placing ourselves above all else. This opened the door to the spirit of murder and violence, and we now experience thousands of murders and horrific violence in our nation. Please forgive and cleanse our land, freeing us from the curses the shedding of innocent blood has brought upon us. 2. We repent for pride, rebellion, and breaking covenant with You in government. In pride and arrogance, our government has chosen to usurp Your authority, reject Your Word, and remove Your influence from their actions. They have honored sin and immorality while rejecting Your moral laws. Those in our government had the audacity to believe they could redefine Your most sacred covenant, marriage. Our government removed You from our schools, and many have tried to remove Your influence from every aspect of our government. We have allowed injustice to enter our government, shape our laws, influence our courts, and the political spirit now dominates. We repent for these and the many other evils of our government. 3. We repent for the idolatry in our nation. We promote and celebrate many gods and religions, worshiping demons, idols, pleasure, mammon, and our own selves. We even deny Your role in birthing our nation. We repent for this idolatry, and ask You to cleanse our nation. 4. We repent for the gross immorality in our land. We have cast off all restraint and now have rampant fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, pedophilia, and other sexual sins. We lie, cheat, steal, covet, hate, abuse others, and are filled with drunkenness and addictions. Please forgive and cleanse us for these and other immoral actions against You and our fellow man. 5. And we repent for the condition of the American church. We have allowed the spirit of religion to replace our relationship with You. We have grown lukewarm, losing our passion and first love. We have compromised truth, refusing to speak against the sins of our nation. We have watered down the message of repentance and the Cross, thereby losing the power of the gospel. We have allowed legalism, doctrines, competition, and pride to divide us. We lost our saver and the power to preserve, and are no longer the light You need us to be. Please forgive us for these compromises and evils. We pray for the gathering in Washington, D.C., today. Lead and direct those who repent for our nation. May our humility be deep, our repentance be heartfelt, and our hearts contrite before You. Use this day of repentance to save America. We pray this in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

A Sense of Urgency Tomorrow (January 31, 2024) is a very important day, one I believe will be used to heal and save our nation. I would love for you to participate. Before I give the details, let me tell you why it is so important. The Scriptures teach that “righteousness exalts a nation, and the nation is blessed whose God is the Lord” (Proverbs 14:34, Psalm 33:12). Secularists and humanists would have us believe America can be great without God, that our greatness is due to our own abilities, determination, and natural resources. This is foolish pride and deception. Abraham Lincoln clearly understood this when he wrote his March 1863 Proclamation of Prayer: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand that preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”(1) These sobering words are as relevant today as they were 150 years ago, perhaps more so. America has again lost her way. Centuries ago, the prophet Jeremiah lamented the fallen condition of Israel. Like America today, they had turned away from the Lord and been overtaken by immorality, compromise, and idolatry. God raised up the prophet, Jeremiah, to confront them, and in the sixth chapter of the book bearing his name, Jeremiah said: “Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame. They don’t even know how to blush.” (Jeremiah 6:13-15 The Message) I ask you, could not these words be written of America today? Israel did not heed the words of the prophet and repent. So, God issued another message through Jeremiah: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, the tried-and-true road. Then take it" (Jeremiah 6:16, The Message). The Lord was offering them a recovery. Israel ultimately rejected Jeremiah‘s warnings, however, and went into a prolonged season of great judgment. Just as Israel in Jeremiah's day, America has lost her way. Having deviated from "the old road," we are wandering aimlessly in the wilderness of godless humanism and moral relativism. Many of our national leaders are drunk with power and dizzied with deception. They mock God, reject His ways, promote evil, and want a different America than was envisioned by our Founders. Many are working diligently to transform us into a godless nation. Far too many spiritual leaders have also lost "the old road." Like a GPS that cannot connect to a satellite, they are now without heaven's direction. Sold a package of unbiblical ideals, many run toward misdefined goals and are fueled by untamed egos, making the rapid growth of their churches and the size of their congregations the standard for success. They’ve forgotten Christ's mission statement: preaching the good news to the poor, releasing captives, opening blind eyes, setting free the oppressed, casting out demons, healing the sick, and discipling nations (Luke 4:18; Mark 16:16-18; Matthew 28:19). They do not preach the Cross or welcome the power of Holy Spirit, preferring instead, the “new” road of entertainment, feel-good messages, and the avoidance of moral and cultural issues. Where has the new road led us? Our schools have no prayer, Scripture reading, or moral standards. Without the stabilizing anchor of truth, our kids wander aimlessly through the maze of moral relativism. Life has been cheapened, morality is mocked, and violence is rampant. Schools allow perverts to groom our children, our education system is a joke, and most of our media are liars. Illegal drugs kill hundreds of thousands, terrorists and traffickers are allowed into our nation at will, and our President and his Head of Homeland Security oppose stopping this. The leader of the free world can’t string two sentences together, and many of our leaders are liars and fools. Our journey down the path of unbiblical, amoral, and antichrist philosophies has produced these shocking but predictable results. When the slow death began, we had no answers. We had lost our mooring, our moral compass, and our foundation had crumbled. Consequently, we began sinking fast and are now stuck in the mire of a foundationless culture and the quicksand of humanistic, "no absolutes” thinking. Having abandoned the old road, we lost our way and are “flatlining” fast. Please believe me when I say that apart from God‘s supernatural intervention, there is no way out. How do we find our way back to the old road? It begins with humility and repentance, which brings me to the reason for this post. Wednesday (tomorrow) is A Day of National Repentance, planned and coordinated by Jim Garlow, Founder and CEO of Well Versed, and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. Last year’s event was the first year of this Day of Repentance and was blessed by the Lord’s presence and favor. The purpose of the day is carefully guarded: there are no speakers or messages, no introductions or applause, and each prayer of repentance is limited to less than a minute. Last year‘s gathering was attended by many leaders, including a couple of dozen members of Congress. Tony Perkins said of last year‘s day of repentance: “It was one of the most powerful events in DC I’ve been involved in, in 20 years.” Jim Garlow said, “God showed up.” What more could be said to gauge the success of any gathering? Speaking of those who want to participate, either in person or by Livestream, Garlow said, “Those who have a sense of urgency given to them by the Spirit of God…those who realize exactly where we are as a nation - how far we have fallen, how close we are to going over the cliff to our destruction - these are the people who will be interested in this time of repentance.” I will be there offering my short but heartfelt prayer of repentance for our nation. Though no seats are left, I encourage you to join us online. To do so, text the word “prayer” to 67742 or go to NGPR.org. The activities will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7:30 AM Eastern Time and finish around 1:30PM. Pray with me: Father, America has lost her way. We left the “old road” of truth, and chose a new path for our journey as a nation. We are now so hopelessly lost that there is no way back without Your help. We repent for the pride and fleshly desires that motivated this wrong turn. As President Lincoln said, “We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we [became] too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”(2) Forgive and heal us, we pray. Whatever is required to awaken this nation, please do it. Then send a sweeping revival, an unprecedented outpouring of Your Spirit, one that overwhelms darkness, opens blind eyes by the millions, and turns our nation back to You. You have offered to do this, but we know Your promises are conditional. So we now offer the biblical response required of us: we repent, ask for cleansing, and appeal for the awakening, doing so in the Almighty name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the mercies of the Lord are new EVERY morning and that they NEVER come to an end. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-97-appointing-day-national-humiliation-fasting-and-prayer https://www.loc.gov/static/js/lib/pdf-2.6-es5/web/viewer.html?file=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/rbc/lprbscsm/scsm0265/scsm0265.pdf

Wisdom From A Founding Father Patriot and Founding Father Samuel Adams said the following: “If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”(1) “It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. For they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail. The religion and public liberty of a people are intimately connected; their interests are interwoven; they cannot subsist separately, and therefore, they rise and fall together. For this reason, it is always observable that those who are combined to destroy the people's liberties practice every art to poison their morals.”(2) “Liberty will not long survive the total extinction of morals.”(3) Sam Adams is one of my favorite founding fathers. He was God-honoring, wise, bold, fearless, and right. His voice still rings clearly down through the ages, issuing warnings that are just as relevant today as they were two and a half centuries ago. Not a day goes by that I do not grieve the condition of America and the world. That’s why I appreciate words of hope like Tim’s in yesterday’s post. The marriage of reality and faith is often challenging, as Abraham demonstrated. He had to hold fast to hope, with no human reason for hope, embracing an impossible promise while recognizing the reality of his and Sarah’s reproductively dead bodies (see Romans 4). But he held fast to hope, turned it to faith, and received his promise. God doesn’t demand denial, and He understands our grief. He didn’t glibly deny the condition of His fallen human family. He acknowledged their condition, grieved their pain, wept over their cities, rejoiced not over their required judgments, was moved with compassion, and became human in order to accomplish their redemption, a redemption requiring excruciating pain and suffering. The path to victory is not denial; it is anchoring to hope in the midst of our grief. I have hope for America and the world because I believe in God’s heart, His redeeming love, His Word regarding pouring out His Spirit on flesh, and His promise of an endless, unshakable, ever-increasing Kingdom. I also have hope because of His promise that His light can overcome gross darkness (Isaiah 60: 1-2), as also referenced in yesterday’s post. I was reminded again today of this passage. It was the theme of Intercessors For America’s recent 50th anniversary celebration a few weeks ago, where I had the honor of speaking. Their theme was “Preparing For the Coming Glory,” and they were reminding the IFA family that Isaiah 60:1 was one of the verses founder Derek Prince shared at their birth 50 years ago. Tears filled my eyes as I read the text, reminding me of this. Yes, I have hope. Notice that the passage in Isaiah doesn’t just say that God’s light overcomes “darkness”; it goes on to say “gross darkness.” Here are verses one and two of Isaiah 60: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (KJV) I am so glad Holy Spirit said He knew this was coming and assured us He could overcome the darkness with His light and glory. The Hebrew word “gross” in the passage, araphel, means “thick darkness, a dark cloud,” and yes, “gross darkness;” it can also be used metaphorically for “gloom.”(4) Most certainly, America has arrived at the “gross darkness” stage: Prioritizing pleasure and convenience over babies is darkness; ripping them apart in the womb as they struggle is gross darkness; killing them on the table of a botched abortion is gross darkness. All racism is darkness; excusing torture, rape, and the baking of screaming babies by terrorists is gross darkness. Creating decades of humanitarian crisis and suffering by opening borders for votes is darkness; allowing rape, the trafficking of thousands of women and children, and the killing of hundreds of thousands through illegal drugs while doing so is gross darkness. Promoting confusion-identity to further ideology is darkness; mutilating children’s bodies to do so is gross darkness. Rejecting God’s ways is darkness; mocking His ways is gross darkness. There can no longer be any doubt that many leaders in America have depraved minds and seared consciences. There can be no doubt that half of our political system, the Democrat Party, now opposes the God of Scripture and that for which He stands. There can be no doubt that they hate our Judeo-Christian foundation and heritage, and are doing everything possible to destroy it. There can be no doubt that they want to weaken America and transform us from the roots up. This is why we need both revival and reformation. Unless Holy Spirit changes my mind, I will talk more about this on GH15 in the near future. Though the terminology isn’t the issue for me, my concept of revival is people coming to Christ in mass, not just a few. Salvation changes the hearts of people, bringing salvation to them and writing God‘s laws on their hearts. This is our commission from Christ (not a suggestion) in Mark 16:15-20. When this occurs in mass, we have revival. My concept of reformation is discipling nations, teaching them the principles of Christ’s Word and Kingdom, as He commanded in the commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Yesterday’s post said 2024 is a year of reformation. This cannot occur without revival, the changing of darkened hearts in mass. Surely, we have learned by now that we will never transform America only through the changing of laws; millions of hearts must change. But hopefully, the church has also learned that revival alone - leading many people to Christ, as occurred in the great Charismatic and Jesus People revivals - without also discipling the entire societal and cultural structure of the nation, will be short-lived. Since these two work in tandem, and since the Lord said reformation begins this year, it also means revival will intensify this year. I believe two things will produce this: 1) hearts will become open through the coming shaking - please believe me when I say it is coming, and 2) the overwhelming light of God’s glory will be poured out (Isaiah 60:1-2). Do not fear the shaking; the praying remnant has sealed our land, and now we are protecting our other resources, as we have been warned to do. America will be saved, we will see worldwide revival, and yes, we will disciple nations. I conclude with another quote from our fellow patriot and brother, Sam Adams, now in the cloud of witnesses: “We have proclaimed to the world our determination ‘to die freemen, rather than to live slaves.’ We have appealed to heaven for the cause of our justice, and in Heaven, we have placed our trust.”(5) Stand, praying church, stand! Pray with me: Father, to our grief and shame, we now live in a land of gross darkness. Our arrogant rejection of You and Your Word has taken us to the edge of destruction. We appeal, not for justice but for mercy, doing so based on the Mercy Seat that is sprinkled with the blood of Yeshua Himself. We also do so with hope and faith based on Your promises, Your ability to do the impossible, and to change that which seems unchangeable. We continue to ask for spiritual rain, for the wind of Your Spirit, for the storm clouds of heaven to replace the storm clouds of gross darkness and evil. Open eyes, save, deliver and transform. Send the disrupting fires of revival and the transforming truths of reformation. Give Your Son, and our Redeemer, the promised reward of Psalm 2; also, release the promised rod of iron to those who oppose you. Crush all adversity. Remove centuries-old and millennia-old strongholds of darkness throughout the earth through explosions of Your light and glory. Give Christ the reward of His sufferings and the fulfillment of His passionate and loving heart. And as You instructed us, we pray for protection over our land and its borders, dams, ports, waterways, and water supply. We bind attempts to destroy, interrupt, and poison We ask You to expose every plot and stop them. We accept any shaking that You know is necessary to discipline and turn this nation, but we reject all else. And we pray all in Yeshua’s powerful name. Our decree: We decree that the glorious light of the gospel and authority of God’s Kingdom will overcome the gross darkness covering the earth. Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/Samuel-Adams-Letter-24Oct1780.html https://1776patriotusa.com/quote-samuel-adams-1772/ https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/samuel-adams-quotes-2.html Strong, James, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville) and Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Reference number 6205. http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/documents/speech-about-declaration-of-independence.html

Many of you around our nation and the world have grown to appreciate the ministry of my brother, Tim Sheets. His insights are amazing, his messages are powerful, and his understanding of our times is keen. I feel a word he has shared, which I am releasing in today’s post, is extremely important. Please listen and read it carefully. Supernatural Precedents and Mighty Angels In recent weeks, Holy Spirit has instructed me to study and prophesy from Luke, chapters one and two, telling me they speak prophetically into 2024. He said that supernatural occurrences at Christ’s birth were precedents that would be used again in a supernatural reformation beginning this year. It is important to note that the word ‘supernatural’ was emphasized by Holy Spirit. Christ’s Kingdom activity is amping up, and we will see parallels of that amazing transitional moment of history - Christ’s birth - take place in our current time. Holy Spirit said, “Transitional principles seen at Christ’s birth will now be seen again as I pour out the anointings of supernatural reformation on the King’s true Ekklesias.” He continued by reminding me of a word he gave me approximately 15 years ago: “I will lead another campaign for King Jesus on the earth. It will be similar to Acts 2 and the campaign I led there, only this time I will be bringing far more of the angel armies.” Then He simply said, “It now begins.” As I was praying about this, Holy Spirit spoke again, saying, “The campaign I spoke of begins in 2024. The plans have been made, and the Ekklesias have been established. The remnant has been prepared to stand. The apostles have received initial assignments. The prophets are being anointed with eye salve to prophesy Godhead strategies. The seers will see more clearly and prophesy into the times. Time and place are now connecting, and My angel armies have been deployed.” In a recent vision, I saw the angel gate being opened for the church. The angel, Michael, part of the seraphim order and head of the angel armies, was standing at the gate. He nodded his head, and a division of angels took flight; he nodded again, and another angel division took flight, and so on. I saw angels of breakthrough, government, awakening, evangelism, reformation, and revival taking flight. Holy Spirit said, “The supernatural reformation will begin to move forward in baptisms of My power.” An Important Dream In July of 2022, I was given a dream that led me to study a division of angels I had never studied. In the dream, a mighty angel flew to me, and I knew the way in which he flew had significance. It was like the angel sent to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6) and those the prophet Ezekiel saw moving with lightning-like speed back and forth (Ezekiel 1). Holy Spirit was revealing to me another level of angelic assistance, the seraphim order. Since that time, I have been seeing how seraphs are often involved in supernatural times of transition. Luke wrote about this in regard to Christ’s birth, mentioning angel armies, mighty angels, while emphasizing seraphim. I believe Holy Spirit wants us to have a true understanding of this pattern and precedent as we move into 2024. Seraphs assist in filling the heavens and earth with the glory of the Lord. They prepare the way for His glory manifestations, arranging things for the increase of His presence in demonstrably real ways. Obviously, they don’t make God’s glory greater, but the manifestation of His glory and presence is seen in greater measure. They are the most powerful order of angels we know of. Seraphim are present in heaven’s throne room, from where they carry out orders for the Godhead. The story of Christ’s birth shows us how they assist God on the earth. There were at least two of them involved, Michael and Gabriel, commissioned to assist with His birth and the massive shift in the earth realm. In Luke 1:11, Gabriel was sent to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist. In verses 26-30, he was sent again to earth, a village called Nazareth, to announce the supernatural birth of Christ. In these verses, Gabriel had been sent to announce a Godhead surprise; something impossible to man, yet possible with God, was now going to happen. There were several supernatural events surrounding the birth of our King, including a sign in the heavens, a star or light the magi followed for over two years, leading them to Christ. The greatest miracle was Christ’s conception, of course, as the natural law of nature regarding human conception was suspended. Impossibilities occurred, and unchangeable things changed. And powerful angels assisted Holy Spirit in the release of this supernatural,  transitional, reformational time. I believe Holy Spirit has revealed the order and function of seraphim angels to prepare us for this current time of supernatural reformation. Their assistance, along with that of other angels, is necessary to see the Godhead’s surprises and massive transitions. Holy Spirit will now use them to assist us, the heirs of God, in accomplishing this reformation on the earth (Hebrews 1:14). The prophet Habakkuk prophesied an incredible word that is now coming into its time. “But {the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14 AMP) I believe this is now a focus of Holy Spirit. He is accelerating this prophetic word, using Christ’s Ekklesias and powerful angel armies. The glory of God’s presence will rise on earth in greater measure this year. This can occur even in the midst of gross darkness (Isaiah 60:2). I believe two supernatural signs this year will be the visible cloud of God’s presence and also His fire. I know His manifest glory will be clearly seen. Summary This announcement is being made in our times, “The King is coming to manifest greater glory and power. A new era of supernatural reformation now begins, and Christ’s Kingdom will advance and accelerate growing and expanding exponentially. Hell’s kingdom will not stop it; The angels have blocked them.” As the Ekklesia has been praying and making decrees, the angels have been doing their assignment. Supernatural events are going to occur that cause reformation to roll across this land. Holy Spirit says, “Follow Me into a supernatural era: one that will be dramatically different and erupt with Godhead activity. one that sees God’s manifest presence fill the earth more and more. one that sees the impossible made possible. one filled with outpourings, activating the fires of the greatest reformation in history. one that begins an era of massive soul harvest. one that sees the amazing transitional precedents of Christ’s first coming   manifest again in our times. one that sees angel armies assisting us as we follow Holy Spirit’s plans and activate His strategies. Follow Me into an era that sees the King’s Kingdom accelerate in the earth realm.” Pray with me: Lord, we will steward this word the best we can. Help us to see Your strategies and plans. We will not compromise or be swayed by what man says or how things appear. We are a Kingdom Ekklesia, and we will believe and do what You say. We exalt You, Lord. Manifest Your presence in all the earth. Let us see Your glory and Your fire. We ask for signs, wonders and miracles. Release Your angel armies to perform the decrees of Your heirs. Make the impossible possible. Accelerate Your Kingdom's advancement. You have said in this word that we are moving into a year that begins supernatural reformation. We believe this, Lord. We believe that You do the impossible and change things that seem unchangeable. We know that You even suspend laws of nature when that is required to accomplish Your purposes. So we boldly declare that Your glory will begin to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, that supernatural manifestations of Your glory will be seen. We agree with and declare the words you spoke to Tim, “It now begins.” Demonstrate to the world that You shake other kingdoms, but Your Kingdom cannot be shaken. Demonstrate to the world Your power, Your love, the reality of Christ, and the truth of the gospel. We ask these things in Yeshua’s powerful name. Our Decree: We decree that the glory of God’s presence on earth will rise in greater measure this year, as His mighty angels assist His Ekklesia. 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

Walking Trails, Sailing Oceans Many of you are praying over the ports, dams, waterways, and water reservoirs in your states, as I knew you would. This is very important, as it is certain that our enemies intend to make every effort to exploit Biden’s open borders. America’s enemies have no doubt entered and plan to attack us. This could well be one of their planned actions. We are not to live in fear, but neither should we be naive. I’ve been sent other dreams besides Gina Gholston’s, warning of attacks against dams. One trusted friend said, “I had a dream about an attack on the power grids. I saw hydroelectric dams being destroyed, causing terrible flooding and destruction to the cities below the dam.” Dreams such as this are not saying these tragedies WILL occur; they are warnings to pray against them so they WON’T occur. Many thanks to those who are praying. Some are telling me they had already been praying, some for months, having received warnings from Holy Spirit. This is so encouraging. Here are just a few comments I’ve received from intercessors: “Dutch, Ceci, and Gina, thank you for this assignment on the waterways and dams. We have SPAN teams busy on this assignment throughout many states. So interesting that in Elbert County, CO, where we live there are 60 dams! We spent significant time in intercession concerning this two weeks ago in our regional prayer gathering. And now many of our SPAN teams are getting strategies and praying onsite!” (Becca Greenwood, Colorado) “Excited to pray over the waterways. We decree there will be no agreement between destructive forces and the spirit of leviathan.” (Regina Shank, Missouri) “Praying over Florida’s waterways. And also for all things to be fully seen and revealed.” (Brian Gibbs, Sarasota pastor) “Starting to organize the Texas teams to go to the thousand or so dams in the state.” (Tom Schlueter, TXAPN) But it seems America’s water and structures are not the only water-related prayer assignments taking place. If you have followed GH15 for a while, you’ve heard me speak of John and Sandy Halvorsen. John and Sandy have a unique prayer assignment on their lives. It started with an assignment to walk across America, praying for our nation. It has now transitioned to prayer journeys throughout the world. These combination prophetic acts/prayer assignments have been blessed with much favor from the Lord. Here are some excerpts from their home congregation, Great Lakes Church, in Duluth, MN, describing their journeys, as well as this current assignment. “After church planting in Europe for the better part of the 1990s, God called the Halvorsen’s in 1998 to walk across America from north to south and west to east… “After completing that assignment, John and Sandy were privileged to pastor Great Lakes Church for many years until 2008, when God called them to walk again, this time from Portugal to China! The message of that trip was God wants His world back, and that God would break through in areas previously hostile towards the Gospel. “After ‘Prayer Walk Eurasia,’ John and Sandy again pastored Great Lakes Church until 2018, when they were called to more prayer walks across America. One was from LA to NYC, and the other was from Miami to Seattle. The prophetic focus of those trips was one and the same: crying out to God for awakening for America. “In recent years, John’s calling got even stranger when God sent him to the North and South Poles. [He has also been to the equator.] These two trips were similar to his previous adventures in the sense that they were prophetic acts. At each pole, John unraveled the Appeal to Heaven flag and prayed that God would get the glory on the earth that He duly deserves. Through this experience, John believes the Lord is saying the Gospel is about to reach every tribe, tongue, and nation… “In 2023, God is sending John and Sandy out again, this time by water!”(1) John says of this assignment: “God has just called Sandy and me to travel around the world by water. His desire is for the entire planet to be filled with the ‘knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’” (More here) They were led to make the trip - not once - but twice. Their first journey began in Southampton, England, on January 3, 2023, stopping in many ports and “end of the earth” islands before returning to Southampton from the Pacific Ocean on April 13, 2023. They are now on the second leg of the assignment. When hearing of the prayer assignment we released on January 15th, Sandy Halvorsen sent the following message to a mutual friend: “Becky! It’s so strange that we are often on the same page as Dutch’s posts on GH15. The Lord has us again traveling around the world by water this January through April, as we did last year, to pray for a free flow of the Holy Spirit to the nations of the world! Last year, the trip was not hindered, but this year, there are droughts, wars, and military threats over the earth's major waterways, and we find ourselves contending for FREE FLOW globally. It was SO ENCOURAGING to read of the prayer initiative over America’s waterways that Dutch is leading; it is a great confirmation to us in this global prayer assignment by water! GOD RULED AS KING OVER THE DELUGE, AND HE RULES AS KING FOREVER!! AMEN!! “It is such a confirmation that praying over our waterways right now is totally a God thing! Gina’s dream was in November, and that’s also when the Lord confirmed that He wanted us to take this global waterway trip again! I think He is speaking loud and clear!” Incredible! Pray for the dams, waterways, reservoirs, and ports in your state. And pray for the Halvorsens!!! Check out their Facebook page (FB page), where they post daily updates on their journey. And consider doing what Ceci and I intend to do - sow a seed into their assignment! (Click to give) Pray with me: Father, as I said in yesterday‘s post, we thank You for the “goers” and the “doers”: Those who drive many miles to pray over borders, rivers, ports, dams, and reservoirs, others who hike through woods and mountain trails, anointing the land with Holy Spirit’s oil, and still others, too old to do those things but determined to be in the fight, anointing maps with oil and praying. And, of course, thank You for those who walk nations and sail the oceans, interceding for revival. It is the faithful work of the “secret place” laborers that empower the preaching on the stages, the travail in the hidden place that opens the eyes of the masses in the crusades, the prayers of the few that protect the many. They’re the unsung heroes, the nameless warriors that protect lives, rescue prodigals, ripening earth’s harvest, and saving America. Encourage them today - their labors are not in vain! We pray in agreement today that though America will be shaken, she will survive because of prayer, repentance, and mercy. We agree in prayer that our water supply, dams, and ports will be protected from destruction. We agree that the shaking and accompanying work of Holy Spirit, will do what is needed to turn our nation back to God and bring forth our greatest revival ever. And we agree that our government will be cleansed from its filth and perversion and be given righteous rulers, for only righteousness exalts a nation. As always, we pray this in Yeshua’s name, our only access to You. Our decree: We decree that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the Earth as the waters cover the sea. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ https://www.glcduluth.org/pastorjohn