A Healing Summit I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always understand why God does and doesn’t do some things. Yes, He wants us to understand His ways and the guiding principles of His Kingdom. That being said, we will often not know the many details the Lord factors into His decisions - timing, considerations regarding the future, behind-the-scenes actions and motives of people and nations, and a host of other things. God alone is all-knowing and all-wise. And, obviously, He does not feel obligated to always share with us the “why.” Trust will always be required in our walk with Him. Because of this, I certainly don’t know all the reasons why miracles are more prevalent in some seasons than in others, but they certainly are. In the late 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, miracles of healing were more common in America than they have been since. Toward the end of the 70s, this outpouring began to wane. Healings still occurred here in the U.S., but they typically resulted from intercession or through the faith of the recipient, not from the gifts of the Spirit. First of all, I should comment on what I mean by these three methods. Intercession is prayer by an individual or individuals on behalf of another. I have seen healings result from this. When I say “the faith of the recipient,” I am referring to a person personally asking in faith for their healing, and standing in that faith until they receive the promise. I have seen healings from this, as well. When referring to “the gifts of the Spirit,” I am referring to healings that occur through some of the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. This would include the gift of faith, the working of miracles, and gifts of healing, all often accompanied by words of knowledge. These gifts of the Spirit operate as Holy Spirit determines or wills (verse 11), not at the will of the person being used to release them or the will of the recipient. When these gifts are in operation, there is often no faith required on the part of the recipient - they are “gifts.” I have seen unbelievers, agnostics, and even atheists healed when the gifts of the Spirit were being released. This is one of the reasons they are called “signs and wonders.” It is also why these gifts are often released when the gospel is preached. These gifts of the Spirit associated with healing and miracles were prevalent in America during the time frame mentioned above. Then, God determined this season would end. Why? My guess is that it was due in part to compromise in the church, compromise associated with sin, a watering down of the gospel, and a rejection of truth. I also believe it was due to the church’s failure in discipling the nation (Matthew 28), which allowed an overall turning away from God in our nation. The salvation preaching in an outpouring (Mark 16) must be accompanied by discipleship teaching (Matthew 28) in order to sustain and multiply the occurring change. When A Nation Turns From God Scripture clearly reveals that when a nation rejects God, it is also rejecting His mercy and grace. To continue pouring out His gifts and blessings at that time would reinforce sin and compromise rather than truth. Therefore, God is left with no choice but to create another season of cleansing and adjustments, which, when accomplished, allows His blessing once again. I believe we are coming into another of these seasons when God can bless us with revival. Much prayer, “identificational” repentance offered by many, adjustments in the thinking and lives of many in the church, and the desperation that will be caused by the shaking in our nation will work together to create a season in which God can send another wave of revival to America. That such a time is coming has been declared for several years by prophetic leaders, and I know of no revival in history that has not included the miraculous. For the past several months, I and a few others have prayed together weekly regarding the healings some of us need. While doing so, we realized God was using those prayer times for something bigger. We became convinced that it was time for this new season of signs and wonders to begin. Therefore, we are holding a Healing Summit in Ohio on August 30; many of you have heard my brother, Tim, speak of it. His church in Ohio will be hosting it. All of us on this prayer call will be participating. Zechariah 10:1 tells us that when it’s time for rain, we are to ask for it. In obedience, we are going to ask for another season of miracles in America (and the world) as part of the emerging revival. We will ask for healings and miracles to occur that very night, both for those present and those participating online. And we will ask that gifts of healing, along with the other gifts of the Spirit associated with miracles, be released to individuals in the body of Christ. We are suggesting that prayer for healing, miracles, and the release of these gifts also take place in homes and churches around the nation (and world) that evening. In no way do we want the focus to be on us and this gathering, but rather on the church at large. Congregations, house churches, home groups, and prayer groups are already saying they will worship with us, listen to the presentation, and then begin praying for individuals in their own settings. (Worship will continue being streamed for those wanting it; others will provide their own.) Some, especially individuals, will remain tuned in to the prayers for healing taking place in our gathering, asking for the anointing of Holy Spirit to be released to them. Everyone is encouraged to do as Holy Spirit leads them. We believe miracles will occur on this night, and this service will be part of launching a new season of signs and wonders. I would be remiss if I did not add that there are some churches and individuals who have already been pressing into this and seeing healings take place. To these forerunners, we say thank you - you have no doubt prepared the way for this season. Pray with me: Father, we know that Jesus took lashes and suffered greatly to provide healing for us. We are forever grateful. We are truly sorry that our humanness at times not only blocks Your blessings from flowing to us, but also keeps them from flowing through us. Thank You for correcting and realigning the church, allowing You to use us at greater levels, and for cleansing our nation. You are bringing about the humility and desperation so needed. Now we ask You for the rain of revival. As part of this, we ask for great signs and wonders, many of them. Bring extraordinary miracles produced at the right time to generate thousands, even millions, of conversions. Do this in America and also around the world, for we know this will be a worldwide revival. Lord, to the leper who said he knew You could heal him if You were willing, Your response was, “Of course I want you to be healed” (Mark 1:41 TPT); then You healed him. Do this for many in this hour. Release a mighty wave of healing power throughout the earth. Use it not only to end suffering, but to end spiritual blindness. Open the eyes of millions to the truth of the gospel through signs and wonders. Breathe on this night, August 30. Use it to bless people and glorify Christ, Father. And we ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We decree that the gifts of the Spirit are for today, and another wave of them is being released to believers worldwide. I just want to mention that registration is required for the upcoming Healing Summit, and there is a small registration fee. When there is no fee, some register “just in case” they can come. Registration fills up, and many who want to come are told it is now full. Sadly, when some register and then do NOT come, there are empty seats that could have allowed hungry people to attend. When there is a registration fee, it helps produce accurate information regarding who is actually attending. Know that this Healing Summit will fill quickly, very quickly. But the service will be available online. You can register at OasisWired.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Remnant Doesn’t Give Up “And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written: My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers’”  (Matthew 21:12-13, NASB; also in Mark 11:15-17 and Luke 19:45-46). What do you think would occur in the spirit realm over America, followed by breakthroughs in the natural realm, if even half of the churches in America obeyed Jesus’ command to be “A house of prayer”? Satan is nothing if not a cunning strategist. He somehow motivated the church - God’s change agent on earth - to ignore Christ’s words, the context of which was one of the only two violent acts He performed. Not coincidentally, the other violent act was also a cleansing of the temple, carried out at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:14-16). I should add that Luke tells us this last one occurred immediately after Christ wept uncontrollably over Jerusalem and announced its destruction (Luke 19:41-44). It seems logical that the two were related: the blindness of Jerusalem and its destruction were caused by religious blindness. This infuriated Him. How does He feel today? I can assure you that in churches across America this weekend, not even 1 or 2 minutes will be given to prayer for the lost, for this collapsing nation, for salvation to the nations of the earth, or for anything else! Most churches will have NONE. Let that sink in. If a church has any prayer in a given week, it is typically relegated to a handful of people in a backroom before the service, or a weeknight when most people are busy with work and family. Sundays are reserved for more important things like fellowship, a feel-good praise or singalong time, and the pastor’s weekly opportunity to preach. I know these and most other activities in churches are important, but EVERY activity of the typical church in America has been deemed more important than prayer. EVERY…SINGLE…ONE. To assess the fruit of this, don’t count the people in the pews - the Temple was filled with people when Christ wept, made His whip, overthrew tables, and scattered merchandise. We should look at the real fruit: God mocked by our government, the Bible scorned, a lukewarm church, murdered babies and mutilated kids, and a lost nation. What motivated the church to redefine success by size and happy congregants? The cunning strategist. And the piper, as the story warned, is now being paid. Because of God’s unending mercy and extravagant grace, it is not too late for recovery. “If I can find even a remnant,” He says, “that will cry out to Me, I’ll send a great revival and heal the land.” In the following great teaching, Dave Kubal of Intercessors For America brings us back to the basics, and to hope for change. Remember, a few days after Jesus wept and cleansed the temple, He went to the cross…and mercy triumphed over judgment. WHY WE SHOULD PRAY FOR AMERICA (written by Dave Kubal) “God above, we pray that You would wake up Your church. Put a burning passion in the heart of every believer to pray for this nation You’ve entrusted to us! “Do you ever wonder why you should pray for America? Have you asked yourself how your prayers can possibly make any difference if God is sovereign and does what He pleases anyway? “If that’s you, I want to encourage you today and show you why your prayers are important. “Here’s an important passage to consider: ‘The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men’ (Psalm 115:16 NKJV). “Both heaven and earth belong to God. What’s interesting is that He has sovereignly chosen to entrust the earth’s stewardship to us. It’s as if He has made us His middle managers over the earth. Now, the earth still belongs to Him, and so does all it contains, as Psalm 24:1 (NKJV) states: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.’ But God has decided to delegate stewardship and dominion over His earth to people, His created beings made in His own image. “And God always respects our free will. “God didn’t make us as robots. He made us to have free will; in fact, the Bible says that wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And since the Spirit of the Lord is everywhere in heaven and earth, he gives us freedom and liberty to make our own choices (although, of course, there are consequences if we employ our free will to disobey Him). “Because God has entrusted stewardship of the earth to us, He waits to move on earth until we ask Him to do so. “God respects authority, and that includes the authority He has personally given us. So, if we want Him to move in the spheres He has entrusted to us, we have to ask Him to do that. We have to ask Him to move. And that is called ‘prayer.’ “This is one of the reasons prayer is so important, and it’s why we must pray for America. “If we want to see God move in America, we must pray for America, asking for His help. We see everywhere that we need His divine intervention. Although God is sovereign, He also allows human beings (the lost and the saved alike) to make their own choices - for good or for evil. “But God can turn the hearts of men. “‘The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes’ (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV). God can and will move when we pray, even at the national level. He will turn the hearts of kings to do His own will, even if they don’t know Him. In the Bible, God often used even pagan kings to do His will. He would call them, and they would come; he would scatter them, and they would leave. Although they didn’t know Him, they still found themselves yielding to His work in their hearts whenever He wanted them to do something. “And that’s why your prayers for America DO matter. “Your prayers for America move heaven, and they shake earth. Your prayers for America cause God to turn the hearts of kings toward righteousness and justice. Your prayers bring our Lord’s divine intervention into manifestation on the earth in every sphere about which you pray. “Intercessors For America was founded during times like today. Vietnam War protests and riots were occurring on campuses and elsewhere. The Vice President had resigned in disgrace, and then the Watergate scandal broke open. People had no confidence in the leadership of the nation. The Supreme Court mandated legal abortion. Christians were discouraged by lawlessness, corruption, and moral depravity of the nation. For 50 years, we have been praying, and we have seen many miraculous answers to prayer. “So we pray and keep praying: ‘And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart’ (Galatians 6:9 NKJV). “Let’s pray continuously and without quitting - as Jesus instructed the disciples to do in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8. And even when we don’t see progress yet, let’s keep praying until we do. Don’t give up. God does hear your prayers for America. “And He’ll answer.”(1) Pray with me: Father, again we stand in the gap for America, including for the prayerless church, and ask for Your merciful cleansing. Whatever it takes - whatever - awaken the church, turn our nation back to You, and revive us with a third great awakening. Send revival! Send revival! Send revival! Save millions, restore our destiny, send the gospel from these shores to all the earth, and bring earth’s greatest harvest ever! As many fast and pray this week and next, use their obedience and petitions to bring signs and wonders, the power that confirms the gospel (Mark 16). Use these miracles to grab the attention of millions, then transform them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Perform miracles on campuses, in government buildings, in homes and hospitals, and on the streets. Show up!!! You, only You, are our hope. And we state strongly that in spite of the great desperation and grief we feel, our hope in You anchors us and sustains our faith. We believe You’re the Savior of the world and ARE coming to save; You’re the Healer and ARE coming to heal; You’re the deliverer and ARE coming to deliver. America shall be saved, and the harvest will be reaped. Our decree: With grateful hearts, we decree once again that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Thanks again, Dave, for your bold words reminding us to pray for America. You can find out more about Intercessors for America at IFAPray.org. ________________________________ Dave Kubal, “Why We Should Pray For America” (Intercessors For America), www.ifapray.org. Used with permission.

From Dutch This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in 4 different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face to face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you. A few weeks ago, the TV program FLASHPOINT had my brother, Tim, and his daughter, Rachel Shafer on as guests. Today Rachel is our guest and will share a secret Holy Spirit showed her as she walked through a severe illness with her young son. The lessons God taught her will help each of us as we deal with our own impossible situations. ______________________________________________________________________________ Watch What God Will Do Recently, I was praying about a particular issue that has been in my prayers for quite some time. While I know that we are to keep praying and believing until we see breakthrough, I also know that we’re not to walk in worry. So, even though I have been praying for a certain thing for years, I can do that filled with faith and expectation. But I found myself in a cycle of saying things like, “God, I’m giving this to You. I know it’s in Your hands; You’re working this for good.” But shortly thereafter, I’d find myself dwelling on the issue again. So I asked the Lord, “Why do I keep thinking and worrying about this after I’ve prayed about it?” Right away, He said to me, “Because you keep taking it back.” That is not what I was expecting to hear! He continued speaking to me and said, “You need to quit taking back the worry; quit taking back the burden.” I didn’t realize that’s what I had been doing, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. I feel this is a much-needed reminder for all of us, especially as we have been hearing multiple words about heading into a fierce, spiritual warfare season. However, we have also heard the [prophetic] words, “But do not fear, do not be afraid; stay focused.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The Apostle Peter wrote this letter late in his life to encourage those facing persecution for their faith. Following Jesus was becoming increasingly difficult and costly for the early church. Peter was no stranger to the trials these Christians were facing. He himself had been flogged, beaten, and thrown in prison multiple times. He wrote from his personal experience to encourage them that God would come through, and that He cared deeply for them. “Casting” used in 1 Peter 5:7 is the Greek word epiripto, a compound of the words epi and ripto.(1) “Epi” means upon, as on top of something.(2) “Ripto” means to hurl, throw, or cast, and it often means to violently throw or fling something with great force.(3) The only other place this word “epiripto” is used in the New Testament is in Luke 19:35 (KJV), where the Bible says, “They brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.” In 1 Peter 5:7, we see the idea of the word “epiripto” which pictures the flinging of a garment, bag, or excess weight off the shoulders of a traveler and onto the back of some other beast, such as a donkey, camel, or horse. We are not designed to carry the burden of worry, fretting, and anxiety. This verse says to take that load and heave it with all your might. Fling it over onto the back of Jesus and let Him carry it for you! Just as Luke 19:35 says - they cast their garments upon the back of the donkey - now you need to cast your burdens over onto the Lord and let Him carry them for you. So how do we truly cast our cares and leave them there? Prayer is one way we can give our worries to God. Each time a concern comes up, give it straight to the One who is greater. Another way to cast your cares is to remind yourself of God's promises. Replace your worry with His Word. A third way is to take every thought captive. The mind is where the battle between fear and faith takes place. When doubt begins to creep in, refute it with the Word of God. I went through a time several years ago when I had to daily, sometimes even hourly, put this in practice. My youngest son had a severe stroke when he was six years old, and it was very touch and go for many weeks. We prayed day in and day out as he was lying in the hospital bed. One morning, the doctor came to us and said, “Your son is losing the fight, and we need him to win it.” I needed to refute those words with the Word of God. Holy Spirit led me to Psalm 31:24 (MSG), which says, “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” We decreed that verse multiple times a day until it happened. The King, our Healer, walked into the room, breathed life, and my son didn’t die. The Holy Spirit recently told me, “Watch and see what I will do. I am walking into the room.” The “room” does not necessarily mean a literal room with four walls, like my son’s hospital room. It could mean that, but I believe in this instance, He is saying, “I’m stepping into your situation; I’m walking with you and what is happening in your life.” He is walking into the room we have prepared for Him, filling the space you have created through your worship, prayers, and decrees. He’s saying, “Keep your eyes on me. Get my perspective. Keep your hopes up. Keep your faith up. Stand strong and believe.” I’m sensing we are stepping into this season where the door is open, and the King is coming through. He’s coming through for you and for your family. He’s coming through for the Ekklesia and for the sake of our nation and world. As I was praying about this, the Lord gave me a word to release: The Lord says: “While you have been waiting on things for months, years, even decades, I have been positioning you to see My glory. I have been positioning you for  breakthrough and for the miraculous. Where the enemy has been creating chaos, distraction, and setback, I am restoring and providing a supernatural takeback. A takeback of joy, peace, hope, and faith. Dreams, sickness in bodies, sickness in souls, broken marriages, and relationships are going to be restored, healed, and made whole. I am giving life, and life abundant. Things you thought would never change will change in this season. Mountains you thought would never move will be moved. Sickness and disease you thought impossible to heal will be healed by the power of My blood. My glory will be revealed in situations. It is manifesting even now. The weight of my glory is binding, breaking, shaking, revealing, and making things new. “I am stepping in to rearrange, recover, and restore. Just as the shout knocked down the walls at Jericho, your shout will cause the enemy to scatter and shatter. Watch and see. The mighty roar of the Lord is Your war cry. The sound of My roar sends the enemy running. The sound of My roar also calls prodigals home. It is the roaring sound of the Lion of Judah that breaks strongholds.” The King says, “You are stepping into a new day I have ordained, and there will be shouts of praise as miracles and victory begin to break out one after the other. Prepare the way for My glory,” says the Lord. “You have cried out, and I am stepping in. Watch and see what I will do. Stand and keep standing. For my glory has risen, and a new day has come.” Pray with me: Father, we thank You for this awesome reminder that the King of Kings is with us. Your presence surrounds us, and You make a way for us. We cast our cares and worries on You, God, knowing that You hold the power to work it for good. We decree the power of the living God is breaking into situations, circumstances, and lives. Transform and restore broken hearts, souls, and minds. Be exalted over us, this nation, and our land. Have Your way, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the King of Glory is walking into the room, and when the King comes in, everything changes! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was shared by Rachel Shafer and taken from her books Expect God and Come Home. You can learn more about her at RachelShafer.com. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1977. Ibid., ref. no. 1909. Ibid., ref. no. 4496.

From Dutch This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in 4 different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face to face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you. Today, our good friend Kelsey Bohlender is sharing about a subject that is dear to Ceci’s and my hearts. For several years, Kelsey has been an advocate for life, and currently directs a non-profit adoption agency in Kansas. She and her husband pastor a church in the Kansas City area. ______________________________________________________________________________ A Heart Like Jesus Welcome to Give Him15. I am Kelsey Bohlender and today, Dutch asked me to brief you on the state of the Life Movement post-Roe v. Wade.  It’s been almost two years since the Supreme Court victory for the sanctity of life moved the battle to the states. I live in Kansas City, the heart of America. From my porch, I can see the vast expanse of the Kansas sky in my backyard and the fields of Missouri across the street. As in the days of abolition, Kansas and Missouri find themselves on opposite sides in this battle.  Missouri became the first state to outlaw abortion after Roe. Next door in Kansas, Planned Parenthood took advantage of the failure of the “Value Them Both” amendment and erected a new abortion center in Kansas City, solidifying its position as a regional abortion destination. I direct a non-profit adoption agency founded as a prophetic statement to the value of life. Many thought the overturn of Roe would cause the number of adoption placements to rise; however, the opposite has occurred. Adoption numbers nationwide have taken a steep drop. No one agrees on why, and the data points are inconclusive, but some suspect it is due to the ease of medication abortions available via telehealth or even on a simple website. While adoptions have dramatically decreased, the abortion rate has increased in 2023, the first full year after the reversal of Roe. A reported 11% increase in abortion post-Roe makes today’s numbers the highest rate of abortion in the United States in the last decade (per Guttmacher Institute).(1) Planned Parenthood continues its mission, now stating that abortion is for all genders. Websites like “Plan C Pills” teach minors how to have an abortion without parental consent and give instructions on how to manage an abortion in the comfort of your own home. The reversal of Roe proved a staunch victory for pro-life contenders in America, but the opportunities that lie before the life movement are more complex and perhaps, more important than ever before. As friends of Jesus, we must continue pray, but we must also DO. Taking action extends the reach of our intercession, bringing answers into the tangible realm. While the adoption of babies has drastically decreased since Roe, there are still thousands of adoption-ready children in the mission field of the American foster care system. To be pro-life is to be radically pro-child, from the cute babies to the teenagers aging out of foster care without a family. My friend Lou Engle says, “The most prophetic thing you can do in this present age is to adopt a child.” By operating in the spirit of adoption (Romans 8), we mirror the gospel and display the manifest wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10). True religion is to care for the fatherless (James 1:27), and the Lord wants the lonely set in families (Psalm 68:6). The Church becomes the answer to the life issue because adoption is a prophetic statement that we value children. What if we can actually repair the breach and restore the nation by the righteous act of adopting children? (Isaiah 58:12) We can easily talk ourselves into doing nothing. Age, busyness, family, and even involvement in ministry can be a roadblock to taking action. Opportunities to change history rarely come at convenient times and are often very costly. We can learn this from heroes like William Wilberforce, George Whitfield, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others who gave their all for the sake of life and freedom. As Lou Engle profoundly suggests, “Reason is the guillotine of faith.” Faith must guide our response in these opportune times. The opportunity to take action did not come conveniently for my friends Wallace and Rachel. Married for twenty years with three beautiful teenagers, they were busy managing a construction business, serving as itinerant ministers, and taking care of their family. Life was full with almost no margin. When they heard about a sibling group who needed an emergency home, reason (as well as many of their friends) told them to say “no.” Barely scraping by financially, they had no space in their lives or home to bring in more children. But something made them pause to consider their response. You see, Rachel’s mother is an intercessor. A native Hawaiian, Rachel’s mom, Kaulana, stepped up to write history when her own house was full. With three teenage daughters, her prayer life spawned an open-door policy for any in need, which meant that Wallace found a place at their table when his life hit a rough patch. One day, Kaulana’s mother, Kaina, the matriarchal grandmother, looked at Wallace and declared, “You are a part of our family,” before she suddenly passed away. That moment changed the trajectory of Wallace’s life. He was accepted into a family and had a place to call home. Fast forward to 2022, when Rachel joined daily prayer meetings at Zoe’s House Adoption Agency, making bold declarations for foster children and praying for God to open the homes of the church for all in need. Never did she anticipate becoming an answer to her own prayers, but one day as she intensely prayed from Psalm 68, Holy Spirit whispered to her, “The foster kids are the spoils; go get them.” The Lord had prepared Rachel and Wallace for the day they got a text to pray for a sibling group needing a family. Wallace will tell you his heart immediately said yes. “Because of what Rachel’s mom and grandma did for me, I always wanted to be open to making someone feel like I felt when they took me in,” Wallace shared. Rachel was more reasonable - she knew the text was very clear: these children didn’t need a bed for the night; they needed adoption. Rachel told Wallace, “Babe, this is FOREVER!” His response was, “But Rachel, these kids have never had a forever home.” The days after their initial “yes” were filled with their church springing into action, helping get their house ready to receive more children, bringing clothing and shoes, meals and coffee, and even money when the state system failed to send the promised subsidy. After a roller coaster of 18 months and the unwinding of trauma in the lives of the children, on May 10, 2024, the adoption of Jose and Grace was finalized, and their names were changed forever. In the courtroom, a social worker told them, “This doesn’t happen like this; families don’t say yes to a sibling group and then actually follow through to adoption.” Wallace and Rachel say the church family carried them over the finish line. When they didn’t have what they needed, the body of Christ came through. The church became the wrap-around care that empowered their yes. In the last scene of the movie Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler quotes the Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a), “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” The movie depicts Schindler lamenting through sobs, saying, “I could’ve bought one more.” While the movie took creative license and there is no proof Schindler ever spoke those words, in reality, he saved over 1,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps by employing them at his factory in Poland. What if the legacy of the church becomes that we serve 1,000 children in foster care and help them find a way home? There are thousands more who need a family, but what if we could help 1,000 - could we begin to repair the foundations of America? To be successful, it will take families to adopt, and others to wrap around them, like friends did with Wallace and Rachel. The life movement has an opportunity before us. The problem will be families saying yes to adoption, not children to be adopted. The harvest is plentiful…will we make room at the table? Pray with me: We declare the release of the spirit of adoption so that the lonely may be set in families. Father, empower Your people to make room for the fatherless and open their hearts and homes to Your inheritance. Let light break forth in America as the Church rises to the opportunity to care for the children. Let there be light, and let there be LIFE!  In Jesus Name, amen. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was shared by our friend and adoption advocate, Kelsey Bohlender. Kelsey and her husband Randy have 10 children, 6 of whom are adopted. You can find out more about Kelsey and how you can help adoptive families at ZoesHouseAdoptions.com. Gibson, Candace and Maddow-Zimet, Isaac. Despite Bans, Number of Abortions in the United States Increased in 2023,  Guttmacher Institute (March 19, 2024). https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/despite-bans-number-abortions-united-states-increased-2023

From Dutch This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in 4 different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face to face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you. Over the past few years, I’ve shared a number of dreams from our friend Gina Gholston. We felt it was time for you to hear from Gina herself. Today she reminds us how Holy Spirit is blowing on the embers of revival that are beginning to burn once again. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Continuation I recently had the honor of speaking at a conference in Evansville, Indiana. That gathering was so filled with the manifested glory of God that I cannot adequately articulate what transpired. There was no doubt that we experienced a true baptism of the fire of God. In the last session, as much as she was able under a heavy anointing, Becca Greenwood spoke of some of the powerful happenings that occurred in the Welsh Revival that took place in the early 1900s. It became obvious during the meeting that God was deliberately reminding us of these past stories in order to provoke us to a realization that, what He has done, He desires to do again, and even greater. That night, I was reminded of two dreams I’ve had in which God revealed a connection between the Welsh Revival and another outpouring of Holy Spirit that took place in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina around the turn of the 20th Century. The two dreams are too long and detailed for me to share in their entirety today, but I have included links from previous posts where Dutch spoke of those dreams. I encourage you to go back and read or listen to the posts of May 31, 2022 and June 2, 2022. In the dreams, a group of people and I had received a “revival mantle” that carried us from Wales to North Carolina. The first dream ended as the words “To Be Continued” were spelled out on the ground in front of us. Then, the following year, I had the second dream where God instructed us that it was now time to “use that mantle.” In that dream, many were being healed, saved, and renewed by the power of God that worked through us as we “used” that mantle, which represents the power and anointing of God demonstrated by Holy Spirit. The dreams did not imply that we were to go back and try to duplicate what was done during those past moves, but rather that by honoring what Holy Spirit did then, as well as the obedience of those God used, we can receive and continue on with the same power and anointing. When I consider the determination of those we read about in previous generations—how they encountered God and became gripped by Him and how that encounter changed the whole focus of their lives—I am provoked in my desire to know Him as they knew Him! I believe there is something deep inside our spiritual nature that identifies with our hunger to know the fullness of God. The seed of that same hunger has been planted inside each of us by our Creator. When the time comes for those seeds to be awakened, we are left with a decision. We must choose either to pursue the fruit of God’s intentions or to allow the seeds to lie dormant, their purpose unrealized. The time has come, and the Lord is stirring our remembrance. He is awakening us to an awareness of the power that we have inherited as the heirs of salvation. As in the dreams, we are being made aware that we have been given access not only to explore and be in awe of this “mantle” of power, but that God has called us to receive the mantle and carry on with His intended purposes. Besides the great Welsh revival, the other spiritual movement that God called to our attention in both dreams took place at a location known today as Fields of the Wood near Murphy, North Carolina. That movement started as a small group of men were gripped by Holy Spirit to go deeper in their revelation of Christ and His intentions for the Church. They began to regularly meet to pray and to study the book of Acts. This study stirred in them a definite knowing that, concerning the Scriptures, they had only seen in part, and that revelation stirred in them an insatiable desire to understand and experience all that God wanted to do in and through their lives. Eventually, the number of seekers grew, and they moved the meetings to a schoolhouse just across the state line in Camp Creek, North Carolina. There, over one hundred people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Miracles, signs, and wonders began to occur, and word of the outpouring spread like wildfire through the mountains, drawing people from near and far to come and encounter the Lord. That small group of early pioneers realized that the book of Acts was not a conclusion; it was the continuation of what Jesus began to do and teach. And the power that worked through those who came from that upper room encounter was the demonstration of the expectation of God for all of the Church for all times. That revelation provoked a desire in them to experience that same power for themselves. As heirs first learned of their inheritance, they latched hold of what belonged to them, and a vicious hunger for more of God was awakened. Once the revelation was received, there was no stopping their pursuit! They sought God, and He honored their sincere pursuit with another outpouring of Holy Ghost power. Embers that had lain dormant for many years had now been reignited, and the flames of revival began to spread with undeniable power and demonstration of the Spirit of God. The reignited flames of that Pentecostal fire set into motion a powerful movement that continued to touch the lives of thousands of people and to release a flood of revival all across America that eventually culminated in a crescendo of the manifested power of God being poured out in an old warehouse at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California, which eventually impacted the whole world, even to this day. The fire of God that was encountered on the day of Pentecost continued to grow as generations following became aware and active recipients of their spiritual inheritance. That same fire burned in Wales, in the early 20th century outpouring in Tennessee and North Carolina, and in every other great move of God throughout history. And it is still available for the Church today. The same Holy Spirit who empowered them to use the mantle for their time is the same Spirit in us, empowering us to do the same in our time. God has determined that “America shall be saved.” He has revealed that the salvation of this nation will come as the result of another great awakening. There is a clarion call echoing from the heart of God to the Church that the time has come for us to carry the mantle of revival so His transforming glory can be manifested once again in our time. And there is a company of awakened heirs who are arising with a determination to receive and reveal the power that has been passed to us. We are provoked with a fervent passion to carry the “mantle” of our spiritual inheritance and not allow it to be dormant and unused. As we humble ourselves to walk with Christ and follow the instruction of Holy Spirit, He will teach us to use the power. And the knowledge of the glory of God will spread as the evidence of His reality is seen in us and passed on through us to those around us…and even to those yet to come. Those who have gone before us received this inheritance and invested it wisely for their time. Now, as the recipients of that inheritance, we must do the same. It’s our time to carry that mantle! Let’s pray: Father, it’s not by our might or strength that we don this mantle with which we have been entrusted. We cannot do it on our own, but by Your Spirit, we can become vessels through which You can reveal Your glory. We are wholly devoted to You and to Your righteous cause. By the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit, we will carry and release this amazing anointing. We humble ourselves before You, and we each sincerely say, “All of me for all of You! Finish what You have started. We lift our eyes; Lord, hear our cry. Show us Your glory!” Amen! Our decree: We will carry the mantle of our powerful inheritance and see the glory of the Lord revealed in our time and throughout our nation. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was shared by Gina Gholston and is taken from her book Carry On. You can find out more about her at GinaGholstonMinistries.org.

From Dutch This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in 4 different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face to face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you. As one who studies revival and church history, today Larry Sparks encourages us about recent outbreaks of revivals that have occurred. Larry, a publisher with Destiny Image, shares with us how we can prepare for revival and awakening in America. _________________________________________________________________________ The River is Rising “The River of God is rising from trickle level to ankle-deep levels.” This statement shocked me. As a revivalist, I got excited, but as a church history researcher, I had to partner with the Holy Spirit to get some confirmation.  Needless to say, it’s not hype; open your eyes and behold what the Lord is doing across the Earth. At the time of this post, I had just returned from two weeks of ministry in the United Kingdom. Though the enemy would love to assign a demonic narrative over those beautiful nations, calling them hard, dark, and secular, that’s not what I saw. Day after day, we witnessed entire gatherings where the Holy Spirit invaded the room with His presence and power, leaving everyone undone. Something is stirring across the Earth. Worship leader and songwriter Martin Smith, prophesied in the 1990s with his song “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble,” announcing that a mighty River of God would be moving through the nations. As Dutch Sheets has taught, we are witnessing time catching up with the decree—what was prophesied in times past; we are stepping into its fulfillment right now.(1) The Trickle In 2023, we witnessed the unusual outpouring of Holy Spirit at Asbury University, along with multiple other Christian universities and church gatherings. There was an emphasis on gathering together for prayer, worship, and repentance. Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that what we observed in 2023 was an Acts 2:1 moment in time, where the people gathered together in one place and one accord; this would be followed by the inevitability of an “Acts 2:2” suddenly deluge where widespread outbreaks of the Spirit would unstoppably canvas the nations. While talking with leaders like Ché Ahn and Sid Roth about the phenomena experienced in 2023, we concluded we were watching the beginnings of a landscape-changing move of God, similarly to how Ezekiel’s river (Ezekiel 47) starts with a trickle but escalates and intensifies. Ankle Deep I have bold, good news for you: With the start of 2024, I believe we shifted from trickle level of revival to the next level, ankle deep (Ezekiel 47:3). We’ve stepped into another depth and dimension of what God is pouring out, and thus, we need to act and pray accordingly. 2024 began with the Passion Conference hosted by Louie Giglio at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The messages were bold, confronting lukewarm Christianity and provoking the 55,000 youth and young adults to give everything to follow Jesus.(2) A landmark moment was the worship team leading the entire stadium in the Michael W. Smith worship anthem, “Agnus Dei.” You can find it on YouTube.(3) It shifts from being a dynamic worship song to an indicator light of the next level of revival as the worship team leads from the floor, while on their faces. Young adults fall to their knees in worship. You can even hear the faint cries and groans of desperation (around 8/9 mins in). This is not hype; this is a cry for God to fulfill Isaiah 64:1—"tear open the Heavens and come down!” This large-scale measure of encounter is a sign that the river is rising. This broke something open for youth and young adults, as we started to witness gatherings springing up at secular universities, from Auburn University(4) to Florida State University (the number 2 party school in America)(5) to University of Tennessee(6) to University of Alabama.(7) Thousands of students gathered at each place, worshipping the Lord, praying, repenting of sin, giving their hearts completely to Jesus, and being water-baptized… in university fountains and horse troughs! Most recently, in May 2024, the largest U.S. baptism ever was held in California, where 12,000 people were immersed.(8) May the data and testimonies I shared encouragingly remind you that we are stepping into another depth of the River of God. Four Keys to Step into the Next Level of God’s River 1. Discern the Times. Dutch Sheets teaches that when you know what time it is, you know what to do. Scripture tells us to “ask for rain in the time of rain” (Zechariah 10:1). If we are seeing God move in this unusual way, pouring out His Spirit, we have a responsibility to ask for more. Every report I have provided thus far is prophetic reinforcement to let you know that we are living in days of outpouring and awakening. Every testimony of God’s activity is an indicator light clearly communicating what time it is in the Spirit. 2. Define the Terms. We are moving into an hour of awakening; this is different from revival. A quick review of terms: Renewal is when a believer who is already passionate about Jesus is refreshed by the Holy Spirit.  Revival is when the outpouring of the Spirit resurrects or revives a spiritually dying/dead church or believer. Awakening is another depth of the River altogether. This is when a move of God becomes geographical and impacts the land. Notice that many of the great moves of God throughout history did not have a church name in their title: The Welsh Revival, the Hebrides Revival, the Great Awakening. They shifted the spiritual landscapes of cities, territories, and even nations. I prophesy we are stepping into awakening, where revived believers will arise and become carriers of God’s revival fire wherever they go, causing entire territories to spiritually awaken to the activity of God. 3. Determine to Get a Bigger Vision. Your assignment is to read Acts 8:4-8 and Acts 9:32-43 until you get a vision of multitudes saved, many healed, notable miracles, resurrections from the dead, mass deliverances, and entire cities turning to the Lord. Remember, you will pray for what you can see with the eyes of faith. If you don’t have faith for cities, territories, or even nations to be transformed, you simply won’t pray into these realities. The Lord recently convicted me about this. He asked, “Larry, are you praying for revival?” Sure, I preach and lecture about moves of God and write books about revival, and encourage others to pray for outpouring, but I was not personally praying for the revival I preached about… because my vision was limited. I realized I needed eyes of faith to see the very real possibility of cities, territories, and even nations being spiritually “born in a day” in the thunder of awakening. Acts 8:8 says that there was “great joy in that city” because of the supernatural demonstration of Holy Spirit power through deliverance and healing. Imagine a city filled with joy. Can you see it: New York, London, San Francisco, Sydney, and Vegas – filled with joy. If it’s in Scripture, it’s possible, and if it’s possible, it’s legal grounds for fervent prayer and intercession. Continue to read Acts 9:32-34, and you will note that because of a notable miracle, “all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him (Aeneas, who was healed) and turned to the Lord.” Let that little phrase provoke you: “all… turned to the Lord.” 4. Decide to Pray. Armed with Book-of-Acts level vision, it’s time to start praying some big, bold prayers. Why? It’s raining, so we ask for rain. The river is rising, so we continue to dive in head-first, wildly splashing in everything the Spirit of God is pouring out right now. Pray with me: Lord, give me eyes to see the possibility of a landscape-changing spiritual awakening in my city, in my state, and in my nation—in my day. Burn it in my heart – the vision of seeing mass salvations, mass deliverance, and mass miracles – so much so that entire territories would be filled with Your Presence and joy. Father, raise up watchmen of revival. Give us spiritual discernment and sensitivity to appropriately recognize the works of darkness, so we can resist them. But may our consuming drive be to eagerly look for Your movement, Your activity, Your outpourings, and Your glory rising. Our decree: We decree that the River of God is rising and that we are stepping into a whole new dimension and depth of awakening. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by Larry Sparks and taken from his book, Pentecostal Fire. You can find out more about Larry at LarrySparksMinistries.com. His book can be found on Amazon. For an excellent presentation of this teaching, read Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation Second Edition by Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce (2024, Destiny Image), pages 141-150. https://www.christianpost.com/news/passion-2024-jonathan-pokluda-slams-lukewarm-christianity.html “Agnus Dei” performed by Passion Worship. https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/hes-pouring-out-his-spirit-revival-and-mass-baptisms-not-slowing-down-gen-z https://cmsedit.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2024/february/revival-is-here-thousands-turn-to-jesus-at-2-us-party-school-hundreds-get-baptized-in-fountain https://cmsedit.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2024/may/hundreds-of-gen-zers-make-decisions-for-jesus-at-university-of-tennessee-god-is-moving https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/it-happened-again-hundreds-baptized-latest-campus-revival-now-university-alabama https://cmsedit.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2024/may/satanist-accepts-jesus-during-worlds-largest-mass-baptism-as-12-000-people-immersed-in-california

From Dutch This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in four different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face-to-face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you. Today, you will hear from Sarasota Pastor Brian Gibbs. Brian is an anointed, on-fire pastor who will challenge us regarding our passion for Jesus. I was inspired listening to this teaching, and know you will be too. ___________________________________________________________________ Introduction It’s a great honor for me to be with you all once again today, as Dutch and Ceci are getting some much-needed time away for rest and refreshing. I thought it would be most appropriate to pray and speak a blessing over them together: Father God, together, we speak and release fresh oil from the Holy Spirit over Dutch and Ceci today—and their entire team. Envelop them and love them. May their time together be beautiful in every way. May it be refreshing—spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally and financially. We speak abundance over their ministry!  Lord, may this time together be filled with new experiences and filled with joy and romance. Thank you for their lives, their marriage, and for this ministry contending for revival, awakening, and reformation in this urgent hour. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen! Today’s title is: Those Who Tremble At His WORD “This is what the Lord says, ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me? And where will My resting place be?  For all these things My hand has made, So all these things came into being [by and for Me],’ declares the Lord. ‘But to this one I will look [graciously], to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.’” (Isaiah 66:1-2 Amplified Translation) God says that this is the person He’s going to look for: the one who’s humble, the one who’s contrite or broken, and trembles at the sound of His voice, and honors the Master’s command. This is who God Almighty is searching for. Who is that person? Is it you? Stop reading (or listening) for a moment and ask yourself: Do I match the description of the person to whom God is looking for? And here’s the part that really crushes me. It’s that last phrase: the one who “trembles at My word.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (NKJV) Jeremiah, the mighty prophet, describes this trembling as a burning fire inside his bones. “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.’” (Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV). The greatest thing in all the world is to hear the voice of God, as far as I am concerned. My heart stands at attention and also sings with joy when I hear His voice. I would rather hear God's voice in rebuke than anybody else's voice in flattery. Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear (honor and reverence) and celebrate His rule with trembling” (NIV). That is awesome! Isaiah 66:5 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word” (NKJV). Again, Isaiah declared by the Holy Spirit, “But to this one I will look [graciously], To him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.” To tremble is: to revere, honor, hold with deep esteem and sacred respect, to be in awe, appreciate, cherish, value, and treasure. Cherish the voice of the Lord speaking to your heart from His Word each day—in the still, small voice, the inner witness of His Spirit, and in quality time with Him in prayer and worship. His voice can most certainly be audible as well. We must be people who honor His awesome Holy Spirit! Honor attracts the anointing of Holy Spirit. Humility sustains the anointing. Living clean and holy (a consecrated life) protects the anointing in our lives. If you do these things—you can be a man and a woman trusted to hear His voice and obey. And we must be these vessels of honor, His own special people, who are hearing from the Lord in this most critical and urgent hour. If we tremble at His word—this means, it is a manifestation of fearing Him. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is a gift. When we do this, we will obey Him instantly. We will not procrastinate, hesitate, or deviate from His Word. We won’t take what He is speaking to us casually. We’ll step forward and obey it. We’ll be alert in our spirit and follow His assignments with clear obedience. When we have the true fear of the Lord, we will obey Him, even when it doesn’t make sense. The generation we’re living in is so adamantly set on having everything explained to them before acting on anything. God asks for our obedience to be done by faith—not by having full understanding. Faith comes first; understanding comes later. In the famous words of Morpheus to Neo in the Matrix movie: “Your comprehension is not a prerequisite of your participation.” When we tremble at His word and grasp the true fear of God, we will obey Him, even when we don’t see the benefit. It is too common for Christians to expect a picture of the benefits before they decide to obey God. Our reward for acting in obedience should not be our motive. We should give, pray, be stretched, and sacrifice…getting in the presence of God because we love Him and because we fear (revere) Him! When we tremble at the word of God, we will obey Him to completion—just as Abraham did when walking with Isaac to the top of Mt. Moriah to offer Him up, even believing God would raise His promised son from the dead. Abraham trembled at God’s instruction and honored His word, which took him to a new dimension of revelation with the God of covenant (see Genesis 22). To become a voice for God, we must honor and cherish (holding in the highest regard) our relationship with Jesus and His Word as the ultimate authority in our lives. In a generation that venomously despises and mocks God and all that is sacred—we must tremble at His word to become carriers and burning messengers of His holy Word. John the Baptist said, “But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29–30 NKJV). John was a burning and shining lamp not because he passionately burned before the people, but because he stood before the burning One and was set ablaze with holy passion. John was the man who became a forerunner and the voice “preparing the way of the LORD”! John’s training and discipline were in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where no one is exempt. It’s a place and time where there is pruning, shaping, sculpting, fashioning, disciplining, and rebuking. John was forged in the wilderness to tremble at the word of the Lord and become a trusted messenger. In Luke 1:80 (ESV), speaking of John, it says: “And the child continued to grow and become strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance (or manifestation) to Israel.” John’s level of humility was not something he just came out of the womb possessing. He was just as human as you and I. Humility was forged in his heart through years spent in the wilderness, where he learned to hear and love the voice of God. He came to believe his identity was sure before heaven and chose a lifestyle of extravagant devotion and consecration. He courageously obeyed the call of God on his life by trumpeting a call of repentance to lost people and a nation. John did not seek to be great before men. His quest was to seek out the One whose greatness is beyond measure, and he was set on fire in that journey. John had a divine obsession that overpowered his humanity, indifference, natural pride, and ambition. If you are like me, and perhaps you are, your heart longs to make a real impact in this chaotic world. You long to put your hand to something of eternal significance. If that’s you—then go to Him. Spend quality time alone in the secret place with JESUS. Hear Him. He will set your heart on fire. Let Him give you a real message and commission to this generation. I’m not talking about a good sermon or a tweetable truth. I’m speaking of the reality of becoming so obsessed, so on fire for the glory of God, that you tremble and become a chosen messenger—a voice for GOD, not an echo, but a voice that penetrates the thick and gross darkness upon this prodigal nation. JESUS invites each of us to not just raise a torch, but become passionate for Him, a burning torch—a burning blazing man and woman of God who trembles at His word and honors His commands. And like John, He gives us a message of hope for a lost people, and the ultimate message that our King is coming again soon. Pray with me: Father God, we pray that our hearts will burn within us and tremble at Your word. May we be the people who honor Your commands. May we find and discover our voice when with You. May Your voice thunder through us. May Your roar of righteousness be released through us to bring hope, salvation, freedom, deliverance, victory, and life. God, You are pouring out Your Spirit just as You promised, and may Your­ sons­ and­ daughters­ prophesy. May Your young men see visions and Your old men dream dreams (see Joel 2:28). Pour out Your Spirit and thrust us into radical, unstoppable revival and national awakening! Shake our nation now, Spirit of the living God. Send us into the universities, the highest places of government, into the streets, into our cities, into our churches, our schools, and into the darkness. Let there be light! Let there be victory! In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen. Leonard Ravenhill said: “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of that opportunity.” Our time is now, friends! Our decree: I will tremble at your holy Word, Lord JESUS. I will honor your commands. I will become a voice of righteousness for this generation. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s GH15 was shared by Pastor Brian Gibbs. You can find out more about Brian, including his books and other resources, at VictoryFLA.com.

Do Not Underestimate the Love of God Today’s post is not from Tim and Rachel's book Come Home, but is one final teaching regarding praying for prodigals or any who are unsaved. After sharing a few posts a while back regarding praying for prodigals, I received a letter from a person agonizing over a loved one who had died. They felt that this person died before receiving Christ, in spite of their faithful prayers. I want to say to everyone listening to or reading this post, never assume a person you were praying for did not make it to heaven. We do not know what occurred in the last moment before they crossed into eternity, as the following two stories will illustrate. The Scriptures tell us God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). We don't have to wonder about God’s desire or willingness regarding the lost; He could not make His will any clearer. The Lord wants every person to believe in Christ and be born again. "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save" (Isaiah 59:1). Not only is God willing to save the lost, but He is fully capable of doing so. He has sufficient power and knows how to bend, shape, and change the perspective of unbelievers, bringing them to a revelation of the truth. Holy Spirit can break off of every satanic stronghold and bring them to a knowledge of the truth. Story Number One “While hitchhiking home, Roger Simms was picked up by an older gentleman in an expensive car. They talked about many things, including Mr. Hanover's business in Chicago. Roger felt a strong compulsion to share his faith but was apprehensive about witnessing to a wealthy businessman. Finally, nearing his destination, Roger spoke up. “‘Mr. Hanover,’ began Roger, ‘I want to share something very important with you.’ He explained the way of salvation and asked if Mr. Hanover would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger's astonishment, the businessman pulled over to the side of the road, bowed his head, wept, and prayed the prayer of salvation. He thanked Roger, saying, ‘This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.’ “Five years later, while in Chicago on a business trip, Roger went to Hanover Enterprises. The receptionist told him it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but Mrs. Hanover was available. A little disappointed, he followed her into an office. “After exchanging greetings, Roger explained how Mr. Hanover had kindly given him a ride years ago. Suddenly interested, Mrs. Hanover asked when this had happened. When Roger told her it was on May 7, five years earlier, she asked if anything unusual had happened during his ride. “Roger hesitated, wondering if giving his witness had been a source of contention. But, feeling the prompting of the Lord, he told her that he had shared the gospel message and that her husband had accepted the Lord into his heart. “She began to sob uncontrollably. After a few minutes, she explained that she had thought her prayers for her husband's salvation had not been answered. After leaving Roger at his destination, Mr. Hanover had died that day in a horrible head-on collision.”(1) God is faithful. He knows how to unlock people’s hearts, convince them of their need and Christ’s provision, and when the time is right for them to be presented with the opportunity. And this certainly does not have to occur in a house of worship. God knows when to have hitchhikers travel home; He knows how to ensure unbelievers are driving the right road, at the right time, and how to motivate them to pick up the “evangelist.” God knows what He is doing! Don't miss the fact that Mrs. Hanover had been praying for her husband’s salvation. Our prayers release God’s power; never forget this. Don’t assume, just because you are not aware of a person’s conversion before their death, that it did not occur. If they were in an accident, they may have cried out to the Lord the moment they were dying. Even while unconscious or comatose, people can cry out in their hearts for salvation. Would the Lord cause a person’s spirit to linger in their body long enough for this to occur, in order to answer a prayer and get someone to heaven? Absolutely. Do not underestimate God’s love and grace. Story Number Two In my book, Intercessory Prayer, I tell the story of praying for a young girl in a coma, whom the Lord eventually healed. What I did not relate was the testimony of an elderly lady who, for a short time, shared her room in the nursing home. This lady was very old, and also in an unconscious state. In the 60 or 70 times I visited this young girl in the nursing home, this was the only person that ever shared a room with her; on all other occasions, she was in a room by herself. God placed the elderly lady there for a couple of weeks in order to get her to heaven. The young girl’s family had placed a radio in her room. (This will be meaningful in a moment.) At times, comatose individuals can hear what is going on around them; they just are not able to respond in any way. So, in case she could hear, they wanted music to be playing so she would not be lying there in silence all the time. The workers in the nursing home would often turn it to a country or a rock ‘n’ roll station. I, on the other hand, would turn it to soft music - not singing, just music - which was more peaceful and conducive to prayer. It was not a Christian station that played Christian music; just soft, peaceful music. On one visit, after praying for the young girl for an hour, I felt Holy Spirit leading me to share the gospel/good news of salvation with the unconscious elderly lady. I stepped next to her bed and said, “Ma’am, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I am going to assume that you can. And I don’t know if you have received Christ, but I’m going to assume you haven’t. I feel that I am to share with you how to be born again and then pray with you.” No response. I did so, then said aloud, “If you are hearing me and do not know the Lord, just pray these words with me in your heart.” I then prayed a prayer of salvation. The instant I said, “Amen” – not 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 20 seconds after, and not before I said amen - the song, Amazing Grace, began playing on the radio. The entire song, all the verses. I stood there between the two beds and began to weep. I raised my hands and worshiped as I listened to the entire song. I knew that the amazing grace of God had kept this lady alive, put her in this room, and led me to pray this prayer with her before she died, even while she was in this unconscious state. I then felt led to pray that her suffering would end, and she would go on to heaven. And I did so. A week later, when I returned, she was gone. Upon asking the workers where she was, they simply said, “She passed away.” Never underestimate the love and grace of God. Pray with me: Father, Your mercy is endless, enduring forever. You delight in releasing it. It is difficult for us to believe, at times, that You love someone more than we do; but You do. We anchor ourselves to this and choose to believe it. Use these two testimonies to assure individuals that You will do anything and everything to answer their prayer for someone’s salvation. We believe that, regardless of how far someone is from You in their heart, You are not far from them. Your love is endless and relentless. We ask for the salvation of every family member represented by those listening to or reading this today and agreeing with me. We ask You to do whatever is necessary to save or restore them, and one day take them to heaven. We bind every attack satan has launched against them through deception, addiction, pain, or any demonic influence. We declare his hold over them is broken, the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened, and they will come to their senses. They will believe in Christ and His redemption for them. We ask You for millions of salvations to occur around the world, a billion or more. We are thoroughly convinced the great harvest You have planned is coming, and we declare it: Your kingdom influence and dominion, come! Your will be created and done, in the name of Jesus! And we rejoice with You over the inevitability of this billion-soul harvest. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the Lord of the harvest WILL have His harvest! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Alice Gray, Stories for the Heart (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1996), pp. 225-257.

Stay Focused; God Will Have The Last Word (Response to Trump Verdict) Since the Give Him 15 devotionals are posted very early each weekday morning, I have to write and record them the day before. Today’s was completed before I heard the news that the jury in Trump’s trial had reached a verdict. Of course, I knew I would have to save that one and write another. For the past three hours, I have spoken with several friends and revisited what I have been hearing from Holy Spirit during the past several months. Before I share, I want to say that earlier today, I began feeling heavy sadness and grief for the nation. As I was praying and writing the earlier post, the one I’m now saving, a friend called to talk about an unrelated matter, but during the conversation, mentioned the sad condition of America. The floodgates opened, and I began to weep to the point of being unable to speak. I couldn’t finish our conversation. He, knowing this was travail from Holy Spirit, graciously ended the call. I walked and prayed for a while, then continued writing. I tell you this to point out that the sadness many are feeling over the depth of corruption in our nation was already coming on me - for the purpose of prayer. Like many, it wasn’t as much anger I felt, but a deep wave of sadness. I want to state clearly that my sadness is not from a feeling of defeat—I wasn’t surprised at the verdict—but instead, is intense grief over the shocking depths to which America has fallen. I am still confident that revival is coming—America shall be saved—but the cost of our sin has been great. And it is not yet over; the shaking will continue for a season. Tonight [Thursday], as I have been seeking the Lord, Holy Spirit reminded me of these things: 1) Chris Reed’s dream on March 9, 2024. He saw a 16-17 month period of time symbolizing the rebirth of America. It began around the time of the eclipse in April and ended in July 2025. The season was very chaotic, difficult, and alarming. At times, it looked like the “baby” (a reborn America) might not make it. But it did. At one point in the dream, July 11 stood out to him, though at the time, he didn’t know if it was in 2024 or 2025. We found out today that July 11 is Trump’s sentencing date. 2) A pastor friend of mine had a dream in June 2022. I don’t feel it is time to share all of it, but some I can. In the dream, he found himself standing next to Trump; it was now 2024. Trump said, “I’ll be a political martyr in the next few years. Not because of my goodness but because God has put the tools in me to tear down, root up, and confront the system. It’ll be an eight-year process and will take two men - me, then another - for the full sweep of power.” I’ve watched as the leftists, globalists, and Dems have tried to destroy Trump. Truly, he is a political “martyr.” And yet, in the dream, he prevailed and served his second term, beginning the tearing down of the evil system, which was finished by another. 3) Gina Gholston’s dream, “Work While You Celebrate,” the dream in which intercessors were instructed to paint the borders and anchor the nation, told us that a great shaking was coming. But the dream also said not to fear; America would survive if we obeyed the Lord. Revival came along with the shaking. (Links to these three GH15s sharing the dream: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) For the Lord to emphasize over and over not to fear, told me the shaking and difficulties would be severe. This is why I have said multiple times in the GH15 posts, that things will get worse before they get better. I don’t want you to be caught off guard and waver in your faith. We are not yet through the shaking, but what is coming will shake down evil, awaken the nation, and end in revival. Stay in the secret place of Psalm 91, don’t forget to pray over the waterways, water supplies, dams, and ports (terrorists are here), pray for Trump and other God-fearing leaders, and DO NOT FEAR. Stay in a place of faith. 4) This evening [Thursday], Pat McManus, a friend who pastors in Illinois, shared a word with me. A few nights ago, the Lord awakened him with a prophetic word. Holy Spirit said, “The fierceness of My throne is coming. Guard your heart, stay focused on Me. I am releasing a fire that will strengthen those that are willing to hear the sound. “I am going to purge the land with the fire of My glory. Stand, and stay focused on Me. You are entering My glory. Rest assured that I am strengthening your heart. “I am about to come in power. Don’t lose sight of that which I’m about to release on the land, an unquenchable fire. Stand strong, and don’t lose sight of what I am about to do. Again, stay focused, persistently pursuing and pressing into all that I am. “I’m igniting the fire; it will blaze with My glory, and nothing will stop the dismantling, re-ordering, and repositioning.” The fire and glory of God is coming to America. It will cleanse, and it will empower. We must stay focused on Him, not the shaking, and refuse to be shaken. It will tear down that which is evil, not us; we will emerge on the other side with renewed strength and purpose, and a renewed nation. Evil will not prevail. Yes, the kingdom of darkness believes it is winning, but God will have the last word. Pray with me: Father, though we grieve with You over this prodigal nation and the price of our rebellion, we are steadfast in our faith for revival and recovery. There will be a rebirth of America. We will wear the new robe and new ring, and we will eat the fatted calf (Luke 15:11-24). We ask once again for the dismantling of evil in America - from the top down. Free the nation from wicked leaders, evil systems, and deception. Expose the evil one and his partners. And save millions. Strengthen President Trump. He is being martyred politically, but You will raise him up again. Strengthen the God-honoring leaders in our nation, giving them boldness and backbones of steel. Protect them and their families, and protect our great land. We ask this in Yeshua’s name, Amen. Our decree: We decree that darkness will scatter in the light, evil will be shaken down, and truth will prevail in America. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Appeal to Heaven Flag As I stated yesterday, I was out of the office for a week, so am only now able to comment on the news of Justice Alito’s “egregious” behavior in flying the Appeal To Heaven flag. What was he thinking? Never mind that our first President, George Washington, commissioned the flag and flew it on our naval vessels. Doesn’t he know the flag is about prayer? The Justice should know that Judges must have nothing to do with prayer! And the most egregious of all, the flag was seen at the Capitol on January 6th! Every flag taken there should be banned from America! (Well, with the exception of Old Glory, which was also there.) If Justice Alito doesn’t resign, he should recuse himself from any future Supreme Court cases regarding prayer, patriotism, free speech, and evergreen trees! Forgive my sarcasm and attempt at humor, but this controversy is so ridiculous it begs for it. It is now considered treasonous to fly one of the flags under which America was born. “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has now been revealed as actually “Christians and Patriots Derangement Syndrome.” It turns out he was right when he said it’s us the left is coming after, he’s just standing in the way. Because of my promotion of the flag, Ceci and I began receiving phone calls and texts from reporters immediately after the news broke. They wanted to know if I knew the Justice, his wife, if I gave him the flag, and more. The answer to these questions was “No.” I have never met any of the Supreme Court Justices or any of their family members. And I have no idea where or how Justice Alito procured his flag. (In full disclosure, my office DOES sell them, as do Amazon and others.) I received my Appeal To Heaven flag from an America-loving wounded warrior who is actually fighting for his life from an illness he contracted while serving in Afghanistan. I’m told that Speaker Johnson has the flag outside his office and that Senator Cotton is now flying one outside his, as well. I have never met these leaders either, and don’t know how they got their flags. Although I did find out from a leftist reporter recently that I am Speaker Johnson’s mentor! It’s amazing what you can learn from the mainstream media. I recently learned from a Christian watchdog, who partners with the mainstream media, that I caused January 6! (No, I wasn’t even there.) Here is a brief summary of my introduction to the ATH flag and an explanation of its beginning, taken from my small book, An Appeal To Heaven: "’Before I give you this gift,’ he said, ‘I need to explain the history behind it. It's a replica of the flag displayed by George Washington and America's founding fathers. This flag was actually used before the Stars and Stripes existed. In many ways, it is the banner under which America was born,’ he explained. "‘This banner has the phrase “An Appeal To Heaven” across the top,’ he continued, ‘a phrase our Founders took from the writings of John Locke, an influential English philosopher from the mid-1600s. Locke wrote a series of papers on “Natural Laws,” stating that human rights originate with God, not government.’ “Locke made the case that when people have done everything humanly possible to experience those God-given rights and have failed to do so, there remains but one option: ‘And where the body of the people or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven...’(1) “Major Ostan continued, ‘Locke's phrase, “appeal to heaven,” connotes that when all resources and the ability to attain justice on earth are exhausted, an appeal to earth's ultimate Judge is the final recourse. This concept would become a foundational philosophy in American society, used even in the Declaration of Independence.’ “Will went on to explain that George Washington and his contemporaries grabbed hold of this phrase in America's cause for freedom from Britain's tyranny. Having exhausted all peaceful possibilities of experiencing the liberty they so desired, the colonists realized their only hope for freedom was through war. Yet with Britain's great military, weaponry, and wealth - contrasted by the colonist's dire lack of these resources -  any military attempt to break free from British rule was preposterous, even laughable. Laughable, that is, unless Almighty God intervened. “The stance of the colonists was simple. Their right to freedom came from God: He would help them. ‘We will appeal to heaven!’ they declared. “And a flag was born. “From the days of the pilgrims, godly men and women have believed the Almighty was involved in the birth of our nation. They also felt that if a nation chose to partner with and honor God, it would experience His favor and blessing in extraordinary ways. Washington and the colonial dreamers agreed. But they decided to take it a step further and find out if the Sovereign was, indeed, birthing ‘A city [nation] set on a hill that can't be hidden...a light to the world’ (Matthew 5:14). They no doubt knew of John Winthrop, a leader of the puritan's Massachusetts Bay Colony, using this verse in his 1630 speech on board the Arbella to describe what he believed God wanted to build in America.(2) “General George Washington, leader of the American Revolution, obviously believed in this divine plan. He commissioned several ships for the Revolutionary War efforts and, highlighting their dependence on providential help; each vessel was to fly under the Appeal to Heaven banner, also known as the Pine Tree Flag.(3) The popularity of the flag spread and was soon flying throughout the colonies, as well as being adopted as the flag for the Massachusetts State Navy.(4) It became the symbol of these colonists' unwavering spirit of liberty, as well as a clear statement of where they placed their faith.”(5) Don’t be distracted by the accusations of the left. They want to intimidate us into silence. It’s a good thing to love America. My advice to all patriots, regardless of your religious affiliation or lack thereof: fly and salute your American flag EVERY DAY! Say the Pledge of Allegiance to Old Glory; stand for the anthem with your hand over your heart, and sing along LOUDLY. To believers, my advice is: Fly BOTH flags! Salute one and pray under the other. Love God unashamedly; believe and honor the Bible - all of it; attend a church that isn’t afraid to preach truth, including the truth regarding America’s birth by God, and the purpose for which He did so. And by all means, attend one which teaches and encourages its congregants to vote biblical values. Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving us praying leaders in Washington. Strengthen their resolve to seek You for wisdom, and to ask for Your blessing on our nation. Give us many more who unashamedly fly the ATH flag, both Democrats and Republicans. No leader in America  - especially America - needs to be intimidated regarding mentioning You or embarrassed when doing so. Overrule the evil attacks against them, including President Trump. Encourage him, and may his heart be turned always to You. Restore justice to America’s defiled judicial system - from the DOJ down. We ask You to overturn every effort to destroy America’s Judeo-Christian roots. We boldly declare that we ARE a “city on a hill,” as our Founders and Presidents have called us. We also acknowledge that this does not make us loved by You more than other people throughout the world. It is a calling to SERVE the nations by delivering the gospel of the Kingdom to them. We boldly declare that we will see this calling reemerge from its root system, though the tree has been damaged and its fruit spoiled. Your discipline will bring forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness once again. We appeal to You for these things and do so through the risen King, Jesus. Our decree: We decree that appealing to heaven is the believer’s right and America’s heritage. Click on the link below to watch the full video. John Locke, The Second Treatise of Civil Government. “Chapter XIV, Of Prerogative, Section 168.” 1690. John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity,” 1630. American Memory. “Col. Joseph Reed to Col. John Glover and Stephen Moylan.” October 20, 1775. The Library of Congress. Memmory.loc.gov/mssp/mgw/mgw3b/001/08504.jpg Naval History and Heritage Command. “The U.S. Navy’s First Jack.” U.S. Navy. Published December 17, 2014. www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/banners/usnavy-first-jack.html Dutch Sheets, An Appeal To Heaven, (Dutch Sheets Ministries, 2015).

Introduction As I stated yesterday, I was out of the office for a week and am only now able to comment on the controversy regarding Supreme Court Justice Alito and the Appeal To Heaven flag. First, I want to focus on the related subject of Christian nationalism, for critics are now lumping the two together. Tomorrow I will address Justice Alito and the flag. The phrase - Christian nationalism - is being used by the mainstream media, and even ignorant believers, to label we who believe in America’s Christian roots, and want to see them restored. I’m being called a Christian nationalist, as is Alito, Speaker Michael Johnson, and millions of other patriotic Americans. If you’re reading this you probably fall in that category; this post will help you understand the accusations and how to respond to the lies. To accomplish this, the remainder of today’s GH15 will be taken from an outstanding article by William Federer, used with permission. It’s the best exposé I’ve seen on Christian nationalism. I wish I had time/space on today’s post to include it in its entirety, but do not. We are providing a link, however, to the entire MUST READ article. Federer is also the author/compiler of the unrivaled resource: America’s God and Country - Encyclopedia of Quotations. He has authored several great books, his latest being Silence Equals Consent - The Sin of Omission: Speak Now or Forever Lose Your Freedom. Here are portions of Federer’s article: What Is Christian Nationalism? There is a controversial new label the mainstream media is using: Christian nationalism. What is it? To answer that, there are three points to consider. The first is: nationalism is the opposite of globalism. Did you know there are people called “globalists” who want to do away with nations and set up a one-world government, which, of course, they will control? Brock Chisholm, the first director-general of the World Health Organization, stated: “To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.” Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum produced an Agenda 2030 video, which had the line: “You will own nothing and be happy.” This sounds a lot like Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto: “The theory of the communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.” “Abolition of private property” means “you will own nothing”! How do globalists plan on getting you to give up your property and freedom? —The Great Reset. Jack Posobiec of Human Events Daily, stated on OAN, November 24, 2022: “The Great Reset is very much like communism … They'll tell you it is about diversity … equality … climate … But … what they want is ... total government.” People will not give up their property and freedom if everything is fine, but if there is a crisis, they will trade freedom for security. The Great Reset is an orchestrated global crisis to produce dependency on international government. The second point is: nationalism depends on the nation. Most nations have an “honor-shame” culture, where an individual's worth is based on what group they belong to, for example: European classes with royalty divided from peasantry; Islamic ummah communities with men worth more than women, who are worth more than infidels; Communism with party members worth more than common people; The latest rendition of this is “intersectionality,” where a person's worth is based on how many minority groups they belong to, with “trans” being superior to all others, resulting in those on the left wanting to impose a “transgender nationalism.” Whereas nationalism is bad in totalitarian nations as they deny individual rights, in America, nationalism has been preserving a nation where you have worth regardless of what group you belong to. President Truman said in his Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949: “The American people … believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God.” Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg Address, 1863: “Our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Nationalism is bad in socialist and Islamist nations where governments do not guarantee individuals inalienable rights, but in America, “nationalism” is supporting a nation whose very purpose is to guarantee each individual their God-given rights. These rights include freedom of conscience, religion, speech, press, assembly, self-defense, impartial trial, no cruel and unusual punishment — the freedom to determine your own destiny. The third point to consider is: Christian nationalism used to be called Christian patriotism. It was as American as football and apple pie. The word “nationalism” was not even in use in America when Noah Webster compiled his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, yet the word “patriotism” was. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary gave the definition: “Patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in the character of a citizen ... Love of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity.” Past Presidents, Democrat and Republican, encouraged Christian patriotism. George Washington referred to both “Christian” and “patriot” in his order to troops at Valley Forge, May 2, 1778: “To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of Christian.” Republican President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and pushed through the 13th Amendment, freeing four million slaves. He stated in his Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861: “Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him … are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty.” Lincoln mentioned the words “patriotism” and “Christianity” right next to each other in his Inaugural Address! Democrat President Woodrow Wilson warned in 1923: “We call ours a Christian civilization, a Christian conception of justice ... Our civilization … can be saved only by becoming permeated with the spirit of Christ and being made free and happy by the practices which spring out of that spirit.” [Democrat President Franklin Rosevelt] stated on November 1, 1940: “Those forces hate democracy and Christianity as two phases of the same civilization … They oppose democracy because it is Christian. They oppose Christianity because it preaches democracy.” He stated on May 27, 1941: “The whole world is divided between pagan brutality and the Christian ideal. We choose human freedom, which is the Christian ideal.” In a fireside chat April 28, 1942, FDR shared: “This great war effort … shall not be imperiled by the handful of noisy traitors — betrayers of America, betrayers of Christianity itself.” And on August 22, 1942, Roosevelt wrote: “The action taken today by your Government has hastened the coming of the inevitable victory of freedom over oppression, of Christian religion over the forces of evil and darkness." Would today’s mainstream media label Roosevelt a "Christian nationalist”? Democrat President Truman said, August 28, 1947: “This is a Christian Nation ... As a Christian Nation our earnest desire is to work with men of good will everywhere to banish war.” Truman lit the National Christmas Tree, December 24, 1952, saying: “Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better and a fairer place.” Would today’s mainstream media label Truman a “Christian Nationalist”? Republican President Dwight Eisenhower said November 9, 1954: “This relationship between a spiritual faith ... and our form of government is ... obvious ... ‘Man is endowed by his Creator’ ...  When you come back to it, there is just one thing ... man is worthwhile because he was born in the image of his God ... Any group that ... awaken[s] all of us to these simple things ... is … a dedicated, patriotic group that can well take the Bible in one hand and the Flag in the other, and march ahead.” Americans have historically been patriotic and a majority Christian. Patricia U. Bonomi, professor emeritus of New York University, wrote: “The colonists were about 98 percent Protestant.” Why does the mainstream media insist on calling Christian patriots “Christian nationalists”? For the same reason they call Pro-Life supporters “anti-abortion.” No Pro-Life group labels itself “anti-abortion.” Yet every mainstream news article that covers the subject labels Pro-Life people “anti-abortion.” Why? Negative word association. They want to align public opinion against them. What is happening is called psychological projection. Intolerant activists accuse Christians of being intolerant when, in reality, they are the ones who are intolerant of Christians. It is a narcissistic response called blame-shifting, where the attacker blames the victim. They accuse the innocent of what they are guilty of. Left-wing activists use DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] and ESG [Environmental, Social, and Governance] to force an irreligious nationalism; an unprecedented satanist theocracy; a transgender-dominionism, to censor and cancel Bible–believing Christians and Pro-Life Catholics. They employ critical race theory, a socialist tactic, to divide those opposing their agenda, in this case Christians, into various groups which fight among themselves. They employ a “fear mongering” technique. The Telegraph’s article, December 12, 2023, exposed a Hollywood producer using fear-mongering: "Rob Reiner is deluded about 'Christian nationalism’—The God and Country movie trailer presents ordinary religious Americans as nationalist boogeymen: Reiner’s ... examples of Christian Nationalism ... are so broad that even the late Queen Elizabeth had a brush with it ... [and] ... Billy Graham ...  The inescapable conclusion is that average Christian beliefs and average Christian engagement in the public sphere are exactly what Reiner and his abettors [collaborators] hope to target. They want to shame followers of Jesus from taking part in the very same political activities their secular counterparts do.” TheGatewayPundit.com reported February 23, 2024: “Heidi Przybyla, a reporter for Politico, appeared on MSNBC this week and fretted as she explained that Christian Nationalists believe that Americans’ rights are granted by God and not Congress or the Supreme Court … The rights of Americans DO come from God and not the government, which anyone knows if they have read the country’s founding documents.” Ed Martin of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, responded on March 1, 2024: “Heidi Przybyla … isn’t railing against ‘Christian Nationalism,’ she’s railing against the American Founding.” Mainstream media accuses Christian patriots of wanting to “force” their beliefs on others, but how can you force freedom on people? Instead of "dominionism," patriots want “freedomism.” Patriots don’t want to force their beliefs on anyone; they just don’t want government forcing its progressive beliefs on them. They want the government to stop legislating immorality. Pray with me: Father, we ask You for the continued exposing of progressive, Marxist, and globalist agendas. Their hatred of truth, Scripture, America, and the church, combined with their arrogance, has moved them out of the closet, causing them to reveal their own lies and evil plans. Amplify this. We ask that You cause all their plans to fail. Deliver President Trump from trumped up charges, the kangaroo courts, and corrupt judges. Continue to give Alito, Johnson, and other patriots in government, backbones of steel. May they share our Founders’ “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” Insulate them and their families from the lies and attempts at character assassination. We pray that You will remove deception off of those in the church who have bought into, and even partner with, the left’s propaganda. And we ask You to break all intimidation off of the church. Give pastors and spiritual leaders the boldness to speak out against these deceptions and teach truth regarding government, America’s founding and purpose, and attempts by demonically motivated people to hinder this purpose. In Yeshua’s name we pray. Our decree: We decree that no weapon against the church will prosper, including the weapon of deception. You can find out more about William Federer at AmericanMinute.com and read this article in its entirety here. (Used with permission) Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Total Sacrifice Though not accepted by the religious spirit, patriotism can be truly spiritual. Given the fact that God raised up America for His purposes, a love for our nation should not only be acceptable, but appropriate. My love for America transcends my natural roots; it is rooted also in my love for the gospel, America’s primary reason for existence. And as one who loves our nation, I love those who have fought for her freedom and destiny, especially those who have paid the ultimate price. Today, I honor them, their families, and the sacrifices they made. The cause of freedom, both naturally and spiritually, requires commitment and sacrifice. When choosing His disciples, Jesus told them, “Follow me.” “Follow you where?” would have been an obvious and fair question. Perhaps one of them asked it. But we know Jesus didn’t elaborate. Much like Yahweh’s dealings with our spiritual father, Abraham, who was told to leave home but not where that would lead him, Christ demanded the same of His disciples, “I don’t want you picking and choosing how and where you’re willing to follow Me. I want carte blanche access to your will. Total commitment. Follow Me...period.” In serving freedom’s cause and the cause of Christ, the rules haven’t changed. Ronald Reagan was a secular leader who modeled commitment. Though serving in government, he was also a spiritual man, combining spirituality, patriotism, passion, and commitment. Only a person with radical commitment would stand on the world stage and, against the advice of all his advisors, forcefully decree, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”(1) Although he made this audacious statement while President in 1987, the seeds of passion and commitment were growing in Mr. Reagan much earlier. On October 27, 1964, he issued the following poignant decree: “They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is right.”(2) May God give America more Ronald Reagans! His words remind me of those in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Simple devotion. Simple answers. Doing the right thing isn’t usually complicated - sometimes costly, but not complicated. Winston Churchill led Great Britain and helped save the world from Hitler’s Third Reich. What a passionate, committed leader he was. Led by his passion, determination, and amazing communication skills, England fought the good fight against Hitler when it looked like the Nazis were unstoppable. One of Churchill’s many poignant quotes from that time was about duty: “The destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits - not animals. There is something going on... which, whether we like it or not, spells duty” (italics mine).(3) Indeed! Likewise, whether we like it or not, there are challenges in America today that spell “duty.” Abortion spells duty. A spiritually lost generation spells duty. Sexual grooming of children, gender confusion, human trafficking, an open border, an anti-Christ spirit and attitude, an attack on traditional marriage, a compromising church - all of these, and many more problems in the world are issuing duty’s call. God is asking us to respond. A while back, I read the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. It is the story of the greatest loss ever suffered, up to that point in time, by the US Navy SEALs. The warriors in all of our special forces model total commitment, courage, and duty. I spent much time quietly and solitarily thinking about what I was reading. Among other things, I analyzed my level of commitment to Christ’s cause. Do I demonstrate the same level of commitment to Him that our brave soldiers do to one another and their cause? Just like the king in Scripture, I felt I was “weighed in the balances and found wanting” (see Daniel 5:27). Most of us will never have to endure the physical pain and suffering the brave men and women of our special forces endure, nor could we. But at a heart level, we should possess the same degree of commitment to Christ and His cause. As I read portions of the SEALs’ creed, I couldn’t help but think parts of it should be the Christian’s creed. Here is their creed, appropriate for us to read on this important day. “In times of war or uncertainty, there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life. I am that man. “My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident, I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day. “My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. “I serve with Honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of the circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond. “We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders, I will take charge, lead my teammates, and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations. “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder, and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight. “We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me - my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete. “We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend. “Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammate steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. “I will not fail.”(4) Committed hearts like this in the church would quickly change the world! Committed believers in America must rise up with their spiritual weapons at this time. America is in critical condition, on life-support. Having denied our Godly roots and the anchor they provided, America is now adrift in the mooring-less ideologies of humanism, relativism, and Marxism. The same idiocy that shuts down industries and food sources in order to save frogs, also fights to kill babies. Marriage between one man and one woman is mocked, while “marriage” between two men or two women is praised. The Constitution and its true intent are ignored. Americans now acknowledge dozens of gender options. We’ve lost our way. God is calling for committed followers to arise and lead us out of this maze of mindless ideas. If not, we will perish in the wilderness. I believe, however, that these warriors are being raised up. And like the SEALs and our other brave warriors, they will NEVER quit! They will NEVER be out of the fight! Their training is NEVER complete! They will NOT fail! Pray with me: Father, as You move us into this great worldwide awakening, we pledge a new commitment to Your cause, a total commitment to You, Your kingdom, and the commission You gave us. Raise up committed spiritual warriors in every realm of society. Just as natural soldiers must have discipline and a commitment to their cause, put hearts in us that will demonstrate these same qualities. We pledge to You that we will follow You without conditions. We will go where You send us, say what You tell us, and do as You command us. And we won’t be silenced. Unqualified commitment - that is what we will demonstrate. Lead us back to the old road of truth and duty. Lead America back to her righteous roots, her destiny. Thank You for those who have given all for us. Comfort their families. We pledge to not forget these sacrifices. Give us hearts to honor them, and the strength to follow their examples of sacrificial love. And as President Lincoln said at Gettysburg, we declare that “these dead shall not have died in vain.”(5) Our decree: We decree that we will never quit, we are never out of the fight, and we will not fail! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book The Way Back. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Reagan, Ronald. Address at the Brandenburg Gate. 12 June, 1987. Coffey, Major T., Jr. Patriot hearts: An Anthology of American patriotism. (Colorado Springs, CO: Purple Mountain Publishing, 2000). 68. Ibid., 68. Naval Special Warfare Command. “SEAL Ethos? Creed.” (November 15, 2010). http://www.public.navy.mil?nsw?Pages?EthosCreed.aspx https://libquotes.com/abraham-lincoln/quote/lbe6e3d