From a Staff to a Scepter This week, I have been feeling that God wants to bring discouragement, disappointment, and hope-deferred off people. Today’s post is also shared with that in mind, once again using the symbolism of Mt. Horeb, where the Lord renewed Moses’ calling. Horeb means “desolation.” It was also called Sinai. Though often disputed, it is reported that Michelangelo, when asked about the difficulties he must have encountered in sculpting his masterpiece, David, replied with the following description of his creative process: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”(1) Whether spoken by Michelangelo or not, it certainly describes the way in which God used the chisel of adversity to remove the “superfluous material” hiding the David He had hidden inside him. Whether it be Joseph in prison, Moses on a desolate hillside, or you and I facing our challenges, God makes the chisel called "Horeb" serve us, chipping off our “rough edges,” that which doesn’t look like what He destined us to be. Our weaknesses will leave us, our strengths will remain, and we will leave Horeb better equipped than when we arrived. God doesn’t create our desolation and pain, but He certainly uses it. It was on this mountain that God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2). Rest assured that when God asks us a question, it isn’t because He doesn’t know the answer. He is setting us up for a lesson. Moses had asked what would happen when Pharaoh and Israel didn’t believe God had truly given him this assignment. He was about to give Moses the answer, and more. “A staff,” Moses replied, holding a simple stick he had fashioned for walking hills and tending sheep. “Throw it down,” Yahweh commanded. When Moses did so, the staff became a poisonous serpent, causing Moses to flee from it. The Lord stopped him with a ludicrous demand, “Pick it back up…by the tail!” Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor. “Hey, if we are going to have a sign here, we may as well have a really good one!” Obeying this was going to require some serious assurance in Moses that this was indeed God speaking to him. But I suppose his reasoning was, if He can burn a tree without burning it, speak to me from the “unburnable” burning tree, and turn my staff into a snake, I guess He can protect me from it.  So Moses picked up the snake by the tail, and it became his staff once again. “Repeat this miracle, and they’ll believe you, Moses.” God had bigger plans than this regarding the staff, however. The Hebrew word for staff is matteh, which is also the word for a “scepter,”(2)  which represents a ruler’s authority. And God was planning to use this staff as Moses’ “scepter” of authority!!! A crooked, knobby, dead piece of wood, shaped by the elements on the mountain of desolation, would become the scepter Moses used to release God’s miracle working power (Exodus 4:17). Ultimately, it would become known as "the staff of God" (4:20). Now there's some serious irony for you: the staff of Horeb became the staff of God. God didn't want Moses carrying a polished, gold-plated, gem-studded scepter from Egypt as the symbol of his heavenly authority. Yahweh wanted something depicting the strength of character that only the wind, sun, rain, and hardship of Horeb could create. "I replaced the golden scepter of Egypt," God was saying, "and gave you one symbolizing humility, meekness, and no confidence in the flesh. It will be your reminder that I AM your source of authority and strength. In Exodus 4:17, God declared, "Take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it" (NIV). And with that old stick, once representing failure and desolation but now picturing meekness and confidence in God alone, Moses judged nations, parted seas, and brought forth water from a rock. On one occasion, when Israel was attacked by the Amalekite people (Exodus 17), God's plan for victory was for Moses to take "the staff of God" onto a nearby mountain and simply hold it up over the battle. The divine authority symbolized by this staff enabled Joshua and his army to defeat their enemies. God used the Horeb-produced "weapon" to conquer Israel’s enemies. Hope-deferred mountains can become weapon factories! What might God want to put in your hands through your place of brokenness? Character? Courage? Understanding? Tenacity? Revelation of God’s faithfulness? When you have conquered this mountain, you will find that God used it to release revelations of Himself and His ways, shaping you into what He had hidden inside. And you’ll know Him more intimately. As you do, the new revelations of his heart and nature will become sustaining forces for your future. Consider the following examples of God revealing Himself on Horeb: Moses received the revelation of God as "I AM THAT I AM" on Horeb (Exodus 3:14, KJV). Israel received the revelation that He is Jehovah Nissi, which means the Lord is our banner and victory, the One who fights our battles for us (Exodus 17:15). Later, the Lord visited Moses again, showing him His goodness and glory on this mountain (Exodus 33:19-23). Exodus 19:17 states, "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." What a thought - stand at the bottom of Desolation Mountain and meet with God! Consider Joseph's journey through hope deferred: slavery and imprisonment in Egypt. Though forgotten by those he helped, God was faithful, and Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt. "Your brothers intended to dislocate you; I used it to relocate you," was God's final verdict. Only on the other side of hope deferred, however, did this revelation come. Perhaps satan has intended to make you an outcast - God will make you a healer of outcasts. Maybe a deathbed robbed you of a loved one - God will use you to bring healing to those in grief. There are always two plans for your difficult times - satan's plan to cause them and God's plan to redeem them. Though God's purpose often isn’t seen until you emerge on the other side of the pain, He has one. It is doubtful that Susanna Wesley, in the midst of her horrible circumstances, could have ever imagined the incredible purpose God had for two of her children: “Susanna Annesley was born in 1669, the last of twenty-five children. She gave birth to nineteen children, nine of whom died in infancy. Her life was turbulent, frequently unhappy, and filled with trials. “Samuel was often gone from home, leaving her alone and almost penniless to care for her family. Unable to properly manage his small salary, he was put in debtor's prison for a time. “At one point, their home burned to the ground. Susanna suffered from many illnesses and was often bedridden, requiring household help. Many of her children were so errant that they caused her considerable grief. “Yet, her sons John and Charles became two of the greatest evangelists of all time, and their ministry shook the world.”(3) Your Horeb may seem so devastating and painful that you can't see how anything good could possibly come from it. But God can do so, and He will bring about His redemptive purposes in your life. Don't give up. One day, you will find the scepter He's shaping for you - and the you he is shaping for the scepter - on your mountain of desolation. Pray with me: Father, You are amazing! You can work all things for our good, and for Your redemptive purposes. You delight in converting our hope-deferred mountains of desolation into weapons factories. You reward our mountain conquering with greater understandings of Your heart and ways, with new strength, and new levels of authority. We are so grateful for the redemptive, sustaining work You are performing in and through us. We agree together for the full recovery of those who have found themselves at Horeb, whether through their mistakes, like Moses, or through the actions of others. Your grace and power are greater than either. We ask that strength be given them, that broken hearts be healed, weapons and scepters of authority be discovered, and that destiny be realized. And for America, we ask that You would turn our mistakes into learning lessons. Forgive our sins and heal us. Deliver us also from the inappropriate leaders we have empowered. Restore us, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We decree that God is greater than our failures, the injustices inflicted on us by others, and our pain. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1191114-the-sculpture-is-already-complete-within-the-marble-block-before James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. OT: 4294. Adapted from Sandy Dengler, Susanna Wesley, Servant of God (Chicago: Moody Press, 1987).

New Beginnings “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 NASB) “When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing. But when at last your dream comes true, life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.”  (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭12‬ TPT‬‬) Yesterday, I mentioned Mt. Horeb, a mountain near Midian, where Moses fled when fleeing from Egypt (Exodus 2:15, 3:1). Horeb means “desolation, a waste place, barrenness,” all by-products of hope deferred.(1) Could any place have more accurately pictured what Moses had experienced? Forty years later, Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep on this mountain when God encountered him at the “burning bush” (Exodus 3). Here at this encounter, Horeb is introduced as “the mountain of God” (verse 1); it is, indeed, also known as Mt. Sinai. Many incredible and significant events occurred on this mountain, several of which also pictured God’s ability to transform barrenness and desolation into fruitfulness and life. Moses’ restoration is one of them. One of the negative side effects of hope deferred can be a loss of confidence. This is especially true when you feel that your own decisions have created the situation. The resulting lack of belief in your ability becomes a straitjacket, binding your creativity and paralyzing you with fear. Moses, the great leader of Israel during the exodus from Egyptian slavery, is a prime example. Once upon a time, in what seemed like a fairy-tale life, Moses was filled with self-confidence. And why not? Saved from infanticide, pulled from a basket on the bank of the Nile, adopted by the daughter of a king, and raised in a palace, Moses lived in a bubble where he had everything going for him. But the bubble began weakening when he discovered he wasn't actually an Egyptian. It started leaking air when he killed an Egyptian in order to defend an Israelite. And it finally burst when he was forced to flee for his life to Midian. So much for fairy tales. Moses seemed to adjust fairly well, accepting his fate and creating a decent life in Midian. He found a wife, started a family, and became a rancher. After forty years, Moses seemed to have lived a contented life. But that all changed on one of his visits to Horeb. A bush started burning without being consumed, Moses began hearing a voice speak from it, and the quiet life of a has-been dreamer was rudely interrupted. "Go back to Egypt," the voice said, "and set My people free from their slavery in Egypt." (See Exodus 3:6-10) One can only imagine the shock Moses must have felt. The assignment may have surprised him more than the flame-resistant, talking bush. And when he finally realized this was actually God talking to him, Moses's responses were very revealing. “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’" (Exodus 3:11) “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant: for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue...Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.’" (Exodus 4:10-13) Moses's self-confidence had been crushed by the events of forty years ago. Trained as a leader by the finest minds of Egypt, he now felt confidence only with sheep, "Leave the nation leading to others," he thought, "I laid down that dream a long time ago." But God persisted with a few more miracles, some very revelatory dialogue, and the rest, as they say, is history. Moses did, indeed, go back to Egypt and was used by God to deliver a nation from four hundred years of slavery to become the most significant nation on earth. Can you imagine anything more ironic than God using a mountain, the name of which means "desolation or barrenness," to picture new beginnings? But He did; God transformed Horeb into "Fresh Start Mountain!” God can metamorphose barrenness and the pain of hope deferred into such wholeness that Horeb, as impossible as it sounds, becomes a place of new beginnings. It was on this mountain that Moses's calling was restored (Exodus 3-4). He no doubt believed his destiny was lost forever. And no place could have been a more accurate picture of this. It must have been a constant reminder to Moses of his hope deferred, adding insult to injury: "Not only is my life Horeb, but I work there." Moses was so filled with hopelessness that in these two chapters, God was never able to bring him to a place of believing in his renewed calling. He consistently insisted to the Lord that he was not qualified and didn't want to do it. Finally, God simply said, "I've heard enough! You are going to do this" (See Exodus 4:10-17). God cares more about our destinies than we do! In the New Testament, the apostle Paul's spiritual son, Timothy, was discouraged. Timothy was a young man who found himself leading what had become perhaps the largest and most significant of the early churches, Ephesus. He was facing very challenging circumstances. Timothy's hope deferred had shut down his gifts. If not remedied, heart disease and barrenness would follow. Paul, knowing he would soon be martyred, had to act quickly and decisively. He gave many instructions to Timothy, but began by telling him to "kindle afresh" his gifts (2 Timothy 1:6). The Greek word translated as "kindle afresh" is filled with insight. Anazoporeo(2) is actually composed of three Greek words: Ana(3) means “up or again"; zo traces back to zao,(4) which means “alive”; and pureo is from pur, meaning "fire."(5) This compound word means “to bring the fire back to life,” or “keep in full flame.”(6) “The present tense conveys the sense of progressive, continuous action. Keep kindling the gift afresh or make it your aim to continually keep it at full flame.”(7) Figuratively, it also means “zeal,” or “inflame one’s mind.”(8) Used by Paul in the context of Timothy’s gifts, he was telling him, "I need your gifts to come alive again!" My interpretation would be: "I need your passion to be rekindled, which will reignite your giftings." When the fire goes out, your gifts go with it. Paul reminded Timothy that he had been called "with a holy calling... according to [God's] own purpose and grace" (2 Timothy 1:9). Purpose (prothesis)(9) means "the setting forth of someone's purpose (thesis) in advance (pro)." God has a destiny for us, and He is committed to its fulfillment. He is the beginning, the end, and, when necessary, a renewing in between! But there is more to prothesis. Our English word prosthesis is derived from this Greek word. A prosthesis is an artificial body part, such as an arm or leg, constructed to restore purpose to that which was lost. Paul was encouraging his spiritual son Timothy, saying, "Hey, man, don't forget that God gave you a destiny. And when life seems to have cut off that purpose, He can restore it. Now, start burning again!" The great verse in Romans 8:28 uses prothesis. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." This verse is saying that no matter what part of our purpose has been cut off, God has already prepared the prosthesis that will restore it. What a great promise for those suffering from hope deferred. Horeb, as much as any other place on earth, illustrates this. There, new beginnings are brought forth from the ashes of desolation and the pain of hope-deferred. In this barren place, we discover that God is bigger than our enemies, our mistakes, sins, shortcomings, and fears. There is hope, even at Horeb, for us as individuals…and for nations. Pray with me: Thank you, Father, for entering into the whitewashed tombs of our hope-deferred hearts, bringing new life, revived destiny, and renewed relationship with You. We are grateful for Your commitment to our destinies and for Your desire to fan into flame the gifts and callings You’ve placed within us. We choose to embrace the thoughts and plans You have for us, plans to prosper us, to give us hope and a bright future. Take those who are experiencing hope deferred back into wholeness, just as You did Moses and Timothy. Some have experienced hope deferred regarding our nation, which is certainly barren, also pictured by Horeb. But You transformed Horeb to Sinai, and made it a place of new beginnings. Give us a fresh start in this nation. Heal us of our depravity and brokenness, deliver us from evil, and restore us to your prothesis. In Jesus’ all-powerful name, amen. Our decree: We decree that we, like Timothy and Moses, are burning with passion once again. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. nos. 2717 and 2722. Ibid., ref. no. 329. Ibid., ref. no. 303. Ibid., ref. no. 2226. Ibid., ref. no. 4442. https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=34322 Ibid. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House 1977). Strongs Concordance, Reference number 4286.

Horeb Isn’t Forever Proverbs 13:12 (NASB): “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Knowing this, God sculpted and shaped a vivid picture of hope deferred in the form of a mountain - wouldn't you know it would be a mountain! Rugged. Barren. Its very name, Horeb, means "desolation, a waste place, barrenness, dryness" - all perfect synonyms of hope deferred. This is the place where Moses ended up for much of his forty-year exile, shoveling dung instead of bathing in royal hot tubs (Exodus 3:1). There can be no more severe case of hope deferred than what Moses experienced, having lost his royal inheritance and, it seemed, his destiny. I realize "it ain't over 'til it's over," but after disappearing for forty years, a dream is usually over. But thankfully, like many mountains, Horeb had treasure hidden within it. Not only would this barren piece of rock be a picture of exile-induced heart disease, but it would also become a glorious example of conquered hope deferred and healed heart disease. In fact, the transformation of Horeb became so complete for Moses and Israel, its power so harnessed by the hand of God, that this mountain became known as "the mountain of God" (Exodus 3:1). From Horeb, “desolate, barren, waste place,” to “the mountain of God!” Sinai! It just doesn't get any better than that! Forgive my play on words, but Horeb didn't remain horrible for Moses, and it doesn’t have to for us today. He found gold in Mount Horeb, and so will we. We, as individuals, can see its devastation transformed and we can see Horeb overcome for our nation, as well. God wants to transform the Horeb seasons of our lives so that one day, all we’ll see when we look back at them is Him. "I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope"' (Jeremiah 29:11 NASB). This became especially real to me a few years back when I found myself in a season of hope deferred, much of which had been caused by rejection and betrayal. While seeking the Lord for comfort one afternoon, He threw me quite a curve. "I need you to embrace the pain," He spoke very clearly. What a strange and seemingly cruel statement to hear from a loving Father, who supposedly had great plans for my welfare and a future filled with hope. I did not realize, however, that God wanted more than simply to remove my pain; He also wanted to use it. God never wastes our pain; before He removes it, He makes it serve us. Horeb will become our gym, and the pharaoh who sent us there, our trainer. And ultimately, like God, whose nature we inherited, we will win. He always wins, and so can we. I want to be very clear that God wasn't telling me that betrayal is good, nor that He caused it. God doesn't cause evil, but He does make it serve Him— and us. He needed me to embrace the pain, not so I could hurt, but in order to grab it, wrestle it to the mat, and claim my prize! God doesn't call evil good, as some people are prone to do. Pain isn't good; it tells us something is wrong. Death is an enemy. Emotional wounds can break our hearts. God doesn't make light of our pain, and He isn't playing weird mind games with us, trying to convince us that bad is good. He is saying, however, that no matter how great the wound and deep the pain, He knows how to heal and transform it. And not just into scar tissue. He will use its lessons to make us better, healthier, richer, wiser, and better positioned for a fulfilling future. Horeb isn't terminal! “After suffering severe burns on his legs at the age of five, Glenn Cunningham was given up by doctors who believed he would... spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair... “The doctors examined his legs, but they had no way of looking into Glenn Cunningham's heart. He didn't listen to the doctors and set out to walk again. Lying in bed ...Glenn vowed, ‘Next week, I'm going to get out of bed. I'm going to walk.’ And he did just that. “His mother tells of how she used... to look out the window to watch Glenn reach up and take hold of an old plow in the yard. With a hand on each handle, he began to make his gnarled and twisted legs function. And with every step, a step of pain, he came closer to walking. Soon, he began to trot; before long, he was running... “‘I always believed that I could walk, and I did. Now I'm going to run faster than anybody has ever run.’ And did he ever. “He became a great miler who, in 1934, set the world's record of 4:06. He was honored as the outstanding athlete of the century at Madison Square Garden.”(1) Someone once said that pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. Glenn Cunningham moved on from Horeb. We can, as well! Pray with me: Father, our nation has become Horeb, a “barren, desolate, waste place,” spiritually speaking. Our government is defiled, dishonest, and incompetent; our education system has become nothing more than a propagandizing arm of evil; our system of justice is unjust; our borders are open - we are like an ancient city without walls, and our cities are filled with violence. We kill our babies, mutilate our children, and no longer know the difference between men and women. And we are proud of this. You would have every right to destroy us and shake the dust off of Your feet as You leave. But You would rather transform Horeb into something good, bringing wisdom from the pain and good from evil. You have said You were going to save us, and we believe You. Just as Moses’ place of exile became “the mountain of God,” we, too, will see Your glory flashing from this barren place. So, we prophesy to the desolate land, “You will live again.” We prophesy to the children, “You will be taught of the Lord and transformed into passionate lovers of God’s presence.” We prophesy to our government, “You will once again come under the influence of God.” We prophesy to our education system, “You will no longer be led by fools and propagandists.” And we prophesy to our justice system, “You will have righteous judges as before.” “America, you will live and not die, and once again declare the works of God.” Our decree: We decree that America is returning to the Lord, and to her destiny. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Barry Spilchuk, compilers, A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul, (Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 1996), pp. 76-77.

Finding the Old Road The great Winston Churchill seemed to have a prophetic sense regarding his destiny from a young age, though he would not likely have referred to it as prophetic. At 16 years of age, he told a friend, “I have dreams about it, seeing into the future.” Though he acknowledged that the dreams were “blurry,” he nonetheless insisted, “This country will be subjected somehow, to a tremendous invasion, by what means I do not know, but I tell you I shall be in command of the defenses of London, and I shall save London and England from disaster.”(1) No doubt orchestrated by God’s sovereign hand, Churchill would, indeed, fulfill those words. Amazing! Though Churchill was not what most would think of as religious, he was nevertheless a man of deep faith and biblical knowledge, which many, like biographer Stephen Mansfield, believe was instilled in him by his childhood nanny.(2) Churchill often referenced “Christian civilization” as one of the causes for which the Allies were fighting Hitler,(3) which the following partial list of quotes illustrates: As early as 1931, in The Strand Magazine, Churchill wrote about "our duty to preserve the structure of humane, enlightened, Christian society."(4) In a speech to the House of Commons about the Munich Agreement in 1938, Churchill said, "There can never be friendship between the British democracy and the Nazi power, that power which spurns Christian ethics, which cheers its onward course by a barbarous paganism."(5) In 1940, he said, “I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian Civilization.”(6) As he contemplated the defense of London during the Battle of Britain, he referred to the metropolis as "this strong City of Refuge which…is of deep consequence to Christian civilization."(7) In 1944, he said, "It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the whole world and the hopes of a broadening civilization founded upon Christian ethics depends upon the relations between the British Commonwealth of Nations and the USA."(8) In his famous "Iron Curtain" speech on March 5, 1946, after the war had ended, Churchill still sounded the warning, saying that the Communist parties infiltrating postwar nations "constitute a growing challenge and peril to Christian civilization."(9) Churchill knew the war was about more than a madman’s lust for power; satan was behind it. Satan has planned many actions and enterprises over the centuries to oppose Christ’s cause, just as he did with Hitler and the Nazis, followed by Communism. Today’s Marxist wokism, partnering with secularism, is more of the same. (Secularism is the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element.) The intent of satan, the author of these evils, is to stop the gospel of Christ’s Kingdom from succeeding. Though his spiritual war manifests in physical wars and political beliefs, we must never forget that the roots and causes of all antichrist efforts are spiritual. The War For America The war for the soul of America springs from this battle. Raised up to trumpet Christ’s good news to the ends of the earth and having become a key player in this righteous cause, America has become a primary target of satan and his kingdom. He wants to steal our destiny because it is linked to Christ’s cause. This war over America is ultimately the same war Churchill and the Allies were fighting. Satan doesn’t care whether he rules people by force, as in Nazi or Marxist dictators, or through intellectual ideals such as paganism, secularism, or hedonism (the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good). As long as he can keep people from the truth of the gospel and the spiritual freedom it produces, he is satisfied. The same cynics who today scoff at statements regarding America being raised up for the cause of Christ would no doubt have scoffed at Churchill’s statements that he and Britain were fighting for Christian ideals and civilization. And they’re just as wrong today as they would have been then. When we pray for America’s spiritual revival, we are praying for the salvation of a billion souls around the world. Our Focus and Commitment This also means we must be just as focused and committed today as the Allies were then. Our cause is just as noble. Do not be deterred by accusations of “Christian nationalism,” “followers of Trump,” “the bigoted right,” “hate mongers,” “insurrectionists,” or the various “phobics” words they coin. We know who we are and who we are not. Don’t be distracted by liars and propagandists who oppose and try to define us. When Israel’s destiny was in peril because of their compromise, Jeremiah prophesied, “Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, the tried-and-true road. Then take it,” (Jeremiah 6:16, The Message). We must do the same. Knowing the United States of America was God’s idea, connected to His cause, our Founders left no doubt about this. Consider the revealing words of George Washington and John Quincy Adams. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion, and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” (George Washington)(10) “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” (John Quincy Adams)(11) It doesn’t get any clearer than that. America’s old road leads back to the old road of the gospel and the Cross, the birthplace of Churchill’s “Christian civilization.” Pray with me: Father, You are leading us back to the old road, the ancient path (Jeremiah 6:16). We are re-capturing our roots and destiny as a nation, and will cast off the shackles of false ideologies and demonic strongholds. This is being enabled and empowered by the prayers of Your people, as they come into agreement with Your will. Even the coming shaking is to facilitate this return to destiny, not end it. Just as Churchill was called from his mother‘s womb to help preserve freedom and Christian ideals around the world, we have been called from our mother‘s wombs, as well. We were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). You determined the time in which we would live and the boundaries of our habitation, (Acts 17:26), which means we live now because You willed it. We will not be deterred from our cause, distracted by demonic strategies and assaults, nor waver in our commitment. We will see the sweeping revival You have promised, and the fruit of its redemptive power. This redemption will not only affect individuals, but the corporality of our nation and the nations of the world. We will not fail because it is not our strength or wisdom that gives us victory, but Your power and wisdom. We decree that Marxism, wokism, secularism, hedonism, paganism, nor any other mindset will prevail against God‘s purposes for America. We decree that the ungodly leaders in our land who partner with these forces also will not prevail; we pray for their salvation and deliverance. We bind every stronghold of deception working in our land and loose the revelation that brings conviction and truth. And we prophesy to the wind of the Spirit to blow on the dry bones of America. We pray and decree all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that Christ’s cause is our cause, and we will apprehend that for which we were apprehended. (Philippians 3:12) Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley, God and Churchill (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum), p. 4. Stephen Mansfield, “The Hidden Calling,” The Christian Post, July 19, 2012; http://blogs.christianpostcom/in-our-time/the-hidden-calling-10923. Ibid. Stephen Mansfield, “Why Winston Churchill?” stephenmansfield.tv, November 30, 2009. For background, see also Stephen Mansfield, Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill (Cumberland House, 1997). Winston Churchill, “The Munich Agreement” (speech to the House of Commons, London, October 5, 1938). The full text of this speech can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1930-1938-the-wilderness/the-munich-agreement. Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley, God and Churchill (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum), p. 91. Winston Churchill, “Their Finest Hour” Speech, June 18, 1940. Winston Churchill, “War of the Unknown Warriors,” BBC broadcast, July 14, 1940. The full text of this speech can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/war-of-the-unknown-warriors. Winston S. Churchill, speech at the Pilgrims Society luncheon for ambassador-designate Lord Halifax, London, January 9, 1941. See Robert Rhodes James, ed., Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches 1897-1963 (New York: Bowker; 1974), vol. 6, 6327-6328. Winston Churchill: “The Sinews of Peace” (speech at Westminster College, Fulton, MO, March 5, 1946). The full text of this speech (also commonly known as the “Iron Curtain” speech) can be found online at www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1946-1963-elder-statesman/the-sinews-of-peace. Simpson, Douglas, Looking for America: Rediscovering the Meaning of Freedom (Enumclaw, WA: WinePress Publishing, 2006), p. 304. Ibid.

Introduction My heart continues to be pulled toward prodigals. God is definitely emphasizing prayer for them at this time. Our friend, Dr. Brenda Marlin, has written a great article regarding praying for prodigals. Ceci and I had the privilege of knowing Brenda and her husband, David, several years ago when they attended our church in Colorado. At the time, she was president of the official women’s ministry of U.S. military chapels. I know her sound and practical wisdom will help us pray more effectively. The Divine Setup Do you have an adult child who has run away from God? Does thinking about praying for them leave you with a deep feeling of weariness and despair? If you’re a church leader, do you keep the disappointment hidden to avoid judgment by others? Do you feel as though your prayers remain unheard, and you are left hopeless? Or do you feel confused and disappointed with God because you think you did almost everything right in raising your child, and they turned away from God anyway? I have experienced some of these same feelings. In the process of living through an agonizing season of watching my daughter fall away from God, and then return to a wonderful relationship with Him, I learned that He is a loving, sovereign, good, good Father. I also discovered there are redemptive treasures found within difficult seasons. The supernatural peace, joy, and growth I received toward the end of that time were undeniable. But more than that, I learned how to love God and others more profoundly and accept His love for me more fully. Likewise, your journey of praying for your prodigal will produce a season of good things if you trust God and don’t give up. Vital Truth Isaiah 61 addresses how God rebuilds ancient ruins and restores what’s been broken for generations. God wants to transform His children, so He never gets weary or tired in the lifelong pursuit of His beloved. He looks for ways to fertilize and grow the seeds of destiny locked away within the gardens of our souls. If you find yourself in the situation of loving a prodigal adult child, you’re not in the minority, and you are not alone! No one needs to hide in shame, because healing comes from sharing what we are experiencing with trusted friends and counselors. Recent survey results released in George Barna’s American Worldview Inventory 2020-2021 reveal that a meager percentage of Generation X and Millennials has a biblical worldview. Although many indicate they are Christians, they do not hold to foundational biblical truths. The way they define Christian living is vastly different from the way older generations believe. Considering this evidence, we need God to help us in a time of great need. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, our children need a wake-up call to understand the depravity of their situation. They need a spiritual revelation, opening their eyes to see their need for the one true God. All these distressing issues are leading to a divine setup of biblical proportions. To help encourage and align us with God’s plan for this coming season, I want to suggest a few strategies to help heal your heart from past discouragement and position you for the forthcoming great awakening. If parents and grandparents join God in doing the specific prayer work I suggest, the benefits will unlock revival in our hearts that will flow down and bear good fruit for generations to come. Face fear head-on. Decision-making based on fear never takes you down the right path. Face the fearful thoughts regarding your prodigal and confess them to God. Read and meditate on such passages as 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18 and Philippians 4:6-8 to start the prayer strategy process. Trust the process. Many weary parents get discouraged because they don’t see a quick enough turnaround in their prodigal child. Stories about instant deliverances in the lives of others’ loved ones keep parents hoping for the same. When that doesn’t come, discouragement can set in. However, God must often take people through a process versus an instant transformation. Stand on whatever promises God has given you and trust He is at work in both you and your child, even if you don’t see Him working. Make it personal. If you think your prayers don’t matter, think again. When I was at the point of being too tired or disappointed in seeing little to no results from my prayers, the Lord reminded me of my favorite Scripture, Proverbs 3:5-6. He had me repeat it in a first-person manner, emphasizing the word “all.” “Trust Me with all your heart, and do not lean into your own understanding, Brenda.” Fear has no place in trusting God and His perfect love for you and your children. So personalize it and place your name in this encouraging Scripture. Renounce ill-spoken words. In times of frustration, we speak of things we later regret. Our words have great power. Proverbs 18:21 tells us how the tongue has the power of life and death; what you say matters. Ask God if there are any negative words you’ve spoken about or to your children regarding judgments you’ve made. Speaking words and phrases such as “They will never …,” or, “You’re never going to …,” influences and reinforces the behavior you do not want to see. Confess to God the negative words you’ve spoken, and renounce them. Then, take time to announce opposite words of truth that bring life. Ask your child’s forgiveness if they heard you say these things. Ask for fresh revelation. Song of Songs 4:12 says you are a garden locked up. Seeds of potential are buried within the garden of your soul. When we turn to God with our pain and disappointment, He can redeem everything. I learned that in the place of pressure and fiery trials, the Holy Spirit brings beautiful gems and treasures from the ashes of our lives. From the understanding God gave me of the Song of Songs, I now use this book and my artwork as a strategic prayer template for helping people move into His plan. Pray and ask God to give you a fresh revelation of something new He’s unlocking in you through this situation. Abide in the Father’s love. Spending daily time abiding with God to seek His love, peace, wisdom, and comfort helped me more than anything else. Pray that God gives both you and your child a revelation of the deep love of the Father. Pray Ephesians 1:17-18, that God would provide a spirit of wisdom and revelation for you and your child to know Him more and that the eyes of your hearts would open to see Him in the midst of your lives. Speak into another mother and father’s prodigal child. Speak life into a young adult. Even a word or two spoken to a cashier, waitress, or employee you work with can move mountains and set things in motion for their return to God. There is life in your words and the prayers of parents behind those words. In all things, praise the Lord. Thank God and worship Him. He knows what it will take to turn your beloved around. Trust Him with all your heart and lean not into your understanding. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy! Acknowledge to your Heavenly Father how you feel about your child’s decisions, and then let the joy of the Lord be your strength. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him with the process. Read and pray from the book of Psalms for added encouragement and comfort during these difficult times. Find a battle buddy. God has not designed you to carry your burdens alone. I have a group of trusted friends with whom I pray regularly. Long ago, I prayed and asked God to send me a friend to pray with who had children around my children’s age. He answered my prayer, connecting me to a lady who worked only two buildings up from mine. We quickly became prayer battle buddies and dear friends who have prayed for our children through some tough times. We have seen both little and big victories, but most of all, we have seen God’s love abound immeasurably more than we asked, hoped for, or imagined (see Eph. 3:19-20). God answered my prayer for a prayer battle buddy, but I got so much more than that. Let love be your guide. Let 1 Corinthians 13 be your template for how to love your prodigal. Choose to listen to them. Since they have walked away from God, let the Holy Spirit weave together His master plan of how to reach them. We can join Him by continuing to pray for them and showing His love in practical ways. When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, He helps us walk out our difficult seasons with His grace and strength. Even if you are in the painful years of agony, watching your adult child throw away everything they have learned about God, He will always be with you. You will no longer have to run and hide from the judgment of others but find help and treasures in this challenging season of your life. God can redeem, rebuild and bring beauty from the ashes of your life and your prodigal’s as well. He can make everything beautiful in its time (see Eccl. 3:11). Pray with me: Father, as Brenda reminds us, Your heart beats for the saving and restoring of all people. You rebuild ancient ruins and restore what has been broken (Isaiah 61). We lock our faith into this truth, knowing You are working in the lives of our prodigals to remove strongholds, destroy deception, and revive truth. We will hold fast to this throughout the process, casting down all fear and refusing to waver. Lord, our prodigals have been the victims of a decades-long strategy to discredit Your Word. This has occurred through our education system, our government, entertainment, and religion. We do believe, however, that You are setting things up in our nation for a great awakening of prodigals - through the coming shaking, outbreaks of power, explosions of truth, and a release of Your great love. We break the power of any word curses we or others have spoken over our children, renouncing them and replacing them with Your words: Our children are and will be taught of the Lord; their peace and wholeness is and will be great! No weapon that has ever been formed against them will prosper; this is our - and their - heritage from the Lord (Isaiah 54:13-17). Our decree: We decree that all of our children will know, love, and be taught by Father God. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was written by Dr. Brenda Marlin. Brenda is a speaker, author, and artist. She is also a professor and former president of the official international women’s ministry of U.S. military chapels. Brenda and her husband David (retired Sgt. First Class) live in central Texas, where they continue to minister to the military and others. Find out more about her at BrendaMarlin.com.

“No Trespassing” Yesterday, I shared a little about kairos times; the word means “strategic time; the right time; the opportune point of time at which something should or must be done."(1) Kairos prayers are those prayed in response to Holy Spirit’s warnings, or during crises. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to approach God’s throne of grace boldly, obtaining grace and mercy in those times (kairos) of need. In the post, I related an amazing testimony regarding a kairos situation, a kairos prayer, and a kairos answer. Here is another amazing testimony. Gale Mummert, a member of our fellowship in Colorado Springs, shared the remarkable testimony of her family’s protection during a kairos time of danger in Lancaster, Texas. “As we were driving home in threatening weather, my husband, Gene, turned on the radio for a local report. Funnel clouds had, indeed, been spotted nearby. After arriving home, things grew strangely calm. “In a short while, the wind started to blow fiercely. Trees were bent over, and the walls of the house began to flutter. Windows rattled and hail beat on the carport. ‘Get into the hall and close the doors,’ my husband shouted. ‘Get pillows, blankets and a flashlight.’ “‘Nana, I’m scared,’ cried our five-year-old grandson, William. “‘Jesus will take care of us. Don’t be afraid,’ I told him. “Suddenly, sirens began to go off in our small town. The walls moved as though they weren't anchored to anything. ‘If we are not in a tornado, we are close.’ shouted Gene as he ran into the hall. “‘Link arms and sit on the floor,’ I said. "’I love you,’ Gene said to us as he surrounded us with blankets and pillows, covered us with his body, and enveloped us with his arms. A mighty rushing wind was all around us and sucked us together into a ball. ‘Pray! Keep praying,’ he said. "’God Almighty, help us!’ we screamed. “Explosion! “Windows shattered, glass flew everywhere. Another explosion. The walls caved in. Debris shot everywhere like arrows toward their target. "’Jesus, help us! You are our Savior! You are our King!’ my voice cried. I looked up - the roof was falling on us. A ladder crashed down on my husband. "’Now start praising Him,’ Gene shouted through the wind. “The next blast was the worst. There was nothing we could do. Only He could help us. Everything was out of control, but we knew the sovereignty of God. We knew we were at the point of death, but we shouted, ‘Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Lord!’ “Suddenly, peace filled me like a flood. A sweet voice filled my heart, ‘I've heard your cry for help. I've bent the heavens for you. No matter what happens around you, I'm here protecting you.’ Tears flooded my face and I knew Jesus was protecting us. It seemed His arms had surrounded us. I knew we would be safe. “The tornado was over. The rain beat down on us with a force I had never felt before. We were safe. ‘Mama, I see the sky,’ little William said. "’William, that's because the roof is gone. We probably won't have any walls, either,’ Gene informed him. "’I'm so thankful we're okay,’ our daughter Wendy cried. ‘Jesus protected us, didn't He?’ Though buried under tons of debris, our hair covered with insulation and glass, we were okay. Just a few minor injuries.”(1) The Mummerts may no longer have physical walls, but they had spiritual walls! Paga, building walls and boundaries of protection through intercession, had protected them. In my book Intercessory Prayer, I relate the following testimony: “I heard a guest lecturer at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas, tell another interesting story involving not a kairos moment, but a kairos season of building boundaries (paga) of protection. “He had a vivid reocurring dream, which he felt strongly was a warning from the Lord, of his married daughter dying. In the dream, he was not shown how her death happened, but he felt strongly that satan had a well-laid plan to take his daughter’s life. So as not to alarm her, he told only his son-in-law, and the two of them began to intercede (paga) daily for her safety. They were building boundaries (paga) of protection around her. “This minister related how several times each day - while he worked, drove his car, walked, whenever it came to mind - he would bind satan’s plan to take his daughter’s life. Then he would declare the protection of the Lord over her. “About a month later - remember, I said this was a kairos season and mentioned he prayed daily - his daughter received a promotion at work. With the promotion came a life insurance policy that mandated a physical exam. “At one point in the process, after a blood sample had been taken, a doctor addressed her in a near panic with the question and comments, ‘Lady, what have you been doing in your diet? We can find no potassium in you. There is no reasonable explanation as to why you’re alive. When this deficiency occurs, a person can feel fine but suddenly drop dead. We must get you to the hospital immediately and begin to replenish the potassium.’ “The daughter lived, of course. She had been on a strange diet for several weeks, during which she had eaten only one or two kinds of food. Though there was no medical explanation as to why she lived, we know the spiritual explanation: a boundary (paga) of protection was built in the spirit through prayer.”(3) Regardless of what may be occurring around you, you can abide in the secret place of the Most High God (Psalm 91). Post “No Trespassing” signs around you and yours daily. Refuse to allow demonic encroachment. “No evil…no plague…” the Psalm says. A while back, I read this Psalm over you, but I want to do so again today as our prayer. I am including it, so you can read along with me, out loud. I encourage you to do so daily. Pray with me: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings, you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day, the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. ‘Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life, I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.’” (Psalm 91 NASB) Our decree: The Lord is our Shepherd; therefore, we fear no evil! (Psalm 23:1, 4) Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, Published by Baker Books. _______________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 2540. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books), pp. 97-99. Ibid., pp. 101-102.

As He Was Flying Through The Air Much has been said of late about the potential for terrorism here in America. The open border policies of Biden, Mayorkas, and the Dems have allowed drugs, rapists, murderers, gang members, human traffickers and their slaves, and doubtlessly many terrorists into our nation. Apart from the many practical difficulties and human suffering this is creating, the sheer evil of it is abhorrent and unconscionable. These leaders know that over a hundred thousand people are killed each year by fentanyl, that tens of thousands of children have disappeared in the trafficking, and that terrorists are coming in. They allow this for the potential of future voters, and because they want to destroy the America we knew. There aren’t words adequate to describe the evil of this cruelty. The terrorism could very well be related to the shaking God has spoken of. Regardless, it is coming, and sad to say, is the reaping from voting immoral, unprincipled, power-at-any-cost reprobates into our government. When asked about the current threat, FBI Director Wray said: “What I would say that is unique about the environment that we're in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they may be right now, I've never seen a time where all the threats or so many of the threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time." Comparing the warnings to red lights, Wray said, "I see blinking red lights everywhere…The threat level has gone to a whole nother level since October 7 [the invasion of Israel by Hamas]."(1) It is very important during this season that we are alert to Holy Spirit’s warnings, and diligent to cover our families, friends, and leaders with prayer. I taught some on this a while back, but feel I should do so again today and tomorrow. In Joshua 19, the word paga (the Hebrew word for intercession) is used several times. This passage describes the dimensions or boundaries of each of the tribes of Israel. Paga is translated several ways in various translations, including "reached to," "touched," "bordered," and "boundary."(2) The Spirit-Filled Bible says paga, when used in this context, is the extent to which a boundary reaches. Applying this to prayer, we can build boundaries of protection around ourselves and others through intercession. This facet of intercession is something we should do daily for our family and loved ones. There are also specific times when the Holy Spirit will alert us to particular situations requiring urgent prayers for protection - kairos prayers. I’ve taught on the subject of timing more than once in Give Him 15 posts, but here is a quick review. There are multiple Greek words for "time." The primary word is chronos, which refers to time in general; it is the general "time in which anything is done."(3) Another very important word, kairos, is "the right time; the opportune point in time at which something should be done."(4) A window of opportunity would be kairos time, as would a well-timed attack in war, or a moment of danger. On the other hand, what time of day it currently is would be chronos time. The Scriptures speak of kairos prayers, prayer offered during critical times of need. Ephesians 6:18, the context of which is spiritual warfare, says that we are to "be on the alert ... for all the saints" and "pray at all times [kairos] in the Spirit." This verse is not telling us to pray all the time - that would be chronos - but to pray at all strategic times (kairos). In other words, in this spiritual war, our adversary wants to steal, kill, destroy, and hinder our efforts. However, if we are alert Holy Spirit will warn us of satan’s well-timed attacks (kairos), so that we can establish a boundary (paga) of protection by praying. A friend of ours experienced an amazing answer to kairos prayer several years ago. Early one morning, she went to visit her son and daughter-in-law. The son worked an all-night shift, so, awaiting his return from work, mom and daughter-in-law visited for a short while. As time wore on, however, and the son didn't arrive, Mom, an intercessor, began to feel uneasy. Something wasn’t right. Thinking that perhaps he had to work overtime and was still at work, they called his place of employment to check. "No," they were told, "he has indeed left." Naturally, they both had assumed he left work at his normal time; if so, he should have been home by now. In fact, he actually HAD worked a little overtime and had only left moments before they called. But the fact that this wasn’t communicated to them was orchestrated by Holy Spirit. Knowing her son had left work and believing he should be home by now, Mom became even more alarmed. "I'm concerned,” she said. “Something is wrong. Let's drive toward his place of work." As mom and daughter-in-law drove toward the son’s workplace on a busy Dallas parkway, they saw him coming toward them from the other direction, on his motorcycle, traveling around 45 to 50 miles per hour. At that moment, he fell asleep! They watched as he veered off the road, hit the curb, and flew 40 or 50 feet through the air! If that were not bad enough, He wasn’t even wearing a helmet. That would be a kairos moment! BUT because of Holy Spirit’s alert that something wasn’t right, Mom was there to pray! As he was flying through the air, she was shouting, "Jesus, protect my son!" PAGA! She continued praying as they hurriedly turned around and nervously drove back to him. A crowd had gathered around, and they ran to the scene, wondering what they would find. They found a miracle! NO injuries - no bones broken, no lacerations, no internal injuries. Just a dazed young man wondering what had just happened. Paga happened...Kairos paga happened! A mother picked up on the warning from Holy Spirit, was in the right place at the right time, and a boundary of protection was built. Let’s be diligent in listening to Holy Spirit’s warnings during this time of danger. Also, declare Psalm 91 over your family daily. Build walls of protection around them, declaring: “No evil will befall my family; no plague will come near their dwelling!” Ask for angels to surround and protect them (Psalm 91:9-10). In fact, why not declare the entire Psalm over them; as we shared yesterday, this releases God’s power. Live in the secret place! Pray with me: Father, thank You for the availability of the Psalm 91 secret place of safety and protection. Your name, Your authority, is a strong tower; we run into it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10) We can build walls - boundaries of protection - around ourselves and loved ones as we declare Your word and place our faith in Your protective covering. We boldly declare that no evil will successfully harm us or our families; no violence will penetrate Your covering. You will hide us from every attempt to do so. Angels encamp about us and keep us safe in all of our ways. You are a shield around us, and nothing will penetrate this shield. Alert us, Holy Spirit, to any strategic or critical time we need to pray for someone we know. We will be alert for Your guidance and respond appropriately. We pray for our nation and leaders. Thank You for the word You gave us to paint our borders and stake our nation to its covenant with You. We have done so. We know that there is shaking coming, but we also know that there is protection, even as the shaking occurs. Keep our nation during this time. We pray, especially, for key leaders that You have raised up during this time in our history. Please protect them from all evil, in Jesus' name. Our decree: We decree that no weapon, no evil strategy, and not even an accident will prosper against us. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ___________________________ https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-director-terror-threats-elevated-all-time-high-oct-7-blinking-lights-everywhere James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 6293. Ibid., ref. no. 5550. Ibid., ref. no. 2540.

The Secret to Releasing God’s Power “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 NASB) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14 NASB) “Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 NASB) Today, I want to encourage you as you pray - for prodigals, unsaved individuals, the miracle you need, even the saving of America. And since people are already thinking about Christmas, I thought I’d do so with a passage that has to do with the birth of Christ. Luke 1:37, shown above, was the angel's response to Mary‘s question of how she, as a virgin, could possibly have a baby. The angel told her Holy Spirit would overshadow her and impregnate her with Christ. (v. 35) He then mentioned Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist. (v. 36) Then he made the powerful statement in verse 37, “With God, nothing is impossible.” A more literal and accurate translation of this verse is, “For no word spoken by God is without power.” Just let that sink in. The angel was saying, “The words I’m speaking to you are God’s words. Therefore, they have the power to perform this miracle. No word spoken by Him is without power.” What a statement. Whether it be an angel speaking God’s words, as it was here, a prophet (Isaiah 55:11), or an intercessor walking and talking with God, no word God has spoken is without power. This is why I often put Scripture references in the prayers at the end of the posts, as I did yesterday. I want you to know which verses the prayer is based on so you can be confident in its power, and also to equip you as you continue praying and declaring God’s Words. There is no more powerful prayer, or weapon against satan, than speaking God’s Word. As you pray for your prodigal, speak the Word. Use verses Holy Spirit gives you personally, of course; you can begin by using the references I gave in yesterday’s prayer. The other two verses above (Hebrews 4:14 and 10:23) encourage us to hold firmly to our “confession” of faith. Confession is the Greek word homologia, which simply means to “say the same.”(1) “Confessing” our faith in God is “saying what He says” - literally. This is how our faith is released: by saying what God says. This is how His power is released from us: by saying what God says, which is never without power. Don’t overcomplicate it; just say what God says. Say what He says about salvation. Say what He says about overcoming demonic strongholds. Say what He says about your needs being met. Say what He says about your body. Say what He says about our nation. Say what God says! Both of these two verses in Hebrews also tell us to “hold firmly” to “saying what He says.” (The KJV uses the phrase “hold fast.”) Each verse uses a different word, however, when telling us to hold firmly to what God says. The first verse  (Hebrews 4:14) uses krateo; (2) the other (10:23) uses katecho.(3)Though they sound similar, these are completely different words. The first (krateo) is from a word meaning strength or might; this is telling us that regardless of how much effort it requires, we must be determined to keep saying what God says. Why? Because no word He has spoken is without power! “Holding firm” in the second verse (katecho) is from a word simply meaning “to hold” something. This form of the word, however, adds intensity to the meaning: don’t let go! Hold on! Don’t let go of saying what God says. Grab His word, say it, say it again, and keep on saying it! By using both of these words, Holy Spirit is telling us: “Hold on, keep on holding on; hold on with all of your might and strength to what God says!” Why? Because no words spoken by God are without power!!! When you say what He says, you are releasing His power! The verse in Hebrews 4:14 actually occurs in the context of prayer. Two verses later (v.16), we are told to come boldly to the throne of grace, where we will receive mercy and grace in our times of need. So, “As you pray,” God is saying, “hold on to saying what I say - with all your might and strength - which will release the power of My Words and promises. And finally, Hebrews 10:23 above tells us to do this “without wavering.” This is a figurative use of the Greek word aklines,(4) which literally means “not leaning.” The concept of the root word, klino,(5) is “to slant, slope, or lean.” The prefix “a" in Greek makes it a negative - “without leaning” or “don’t lean.” The point is: stand upright! Be firm! Don’t let anything knock you off balance! If you’re leaning, you won’t be able to stay on target as you press toward the finish line. You will get off course; you’ll waver. Hold on to what God says; keep saying it, and this will keep you on course. . . WHILE IT RELEASES HIS POWER! Take some time and look up verses that relate to the issue for which you are praying, whether that be a prodigal or a nation. Holy Spirit will lead you to various verses. Perhaps even get a friend or two to do the same, then combine your lists and the insights He gives. Then begin saying them. Declare them over your situation/s daily. This will release the awesome power of God. For today’s prayer, let’s do something different. Use the verses I shared in yesterday’s prayer and declare what God leads you to decree from them. Here they are once again: Pray with me: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-6 NASB) “But when he [the prodigal son] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17 NASB) “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13 NASB) “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB) “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38 NASB) “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NASB) Our decree: No word spoken by God is without power! Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 3671. Ibid., ref. no. 2902. Ibid., ref. no. 2722. Ibid., ref. no. 186. Ibid., ref. no. 2827.

More Than Enough, With More Added to That In discussing why persevering prayer is necessary when praying for our prodigals, we have looked at several issues. First, we noted that God’s power is present in us, the church, not just in heaven, and God wants to release this power from us. Yesterday, we said that spiritual power is a measurable force, and different amounts are needed to accomplish different things. When God’s plan is to release His power from us, we must continue releasing Holy Spirit’s power until a sufficient amount has flowed to accomplish the task. We’ll continue this discussion today. More Than Enough Ephesians 3:20-21 are two significant verses: “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and forever. Amen.” (NASB) Now, let me be somewhat technical. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. The phrase “exceeding abundantly beyond” is one compound word in the Greek text: huperekperissou.(1) This word isn’t found in older Greek literature but is in biblical writings. Through the use of this fascinating word, Holy Spirit is making an important statement. The root word, perissos,(2) in and of itself, means “superabundant;” in other words, more than abundant, more than enough. The added prefix huper,(3) however, gives the word another “beyond” or “more than.” His power is more than, more than enough! And yet, the ek(4) form of the word strengthens it further! This new word literally means: “superabundantly…with more added to that,” or “beyond more than enough,” or perhaps “more than more than enough and more!” Phillip Varady Sr. explains it as follows (I’ll only read a portion): “A rare double compound (huper, ek, perissou) not found in older Greek literature but is found in biblical writings, is an adverb (the only other occurrences in the New Testament are translated in 1 Thessalonians 3:10 and 5:13 as exceedingly and very highly, respectively. The only usage in the Septuagint is from Daniel 3:22, where it is used to describe the furnace into which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be thrown as "exceeding" hot). Vine's lists the different forms of this adverb: perissos, the basic word which conveys the sense of an amount beyond the normal measure, or abundantly, then huperperissos, a strengthened form of the basic which signifies "exceeding abundantly," used in Mark 7:37 where it is translated "beyond measure" and finally huperekperissou which is a still further strengthened form which requires yet another modifier to indicate its superiority beyond merely "exceedingly abundant" but that would then become awkward. It would be "very extremely extraordinarily abundant" in English, which borders on incomprehensibility. It would be easier to translate it as infinitely, as Bullinger indicates in the Companion Bible.”(5) Yes, infinitely! In this verse, Paul, describing God’s power at work in us, says, “God has enough power to do superabundantly beyond - with even more added to that! - what we can even ask or think.” Finite human language can’t describe our infinite God; He’s simply too great, too powerful, too good. This Power Now Dwells In Us But this isn’t the end of the verse! The last half of Ephesians 3:20 tells us God is going to do this more than more than enough through the power that works “in us.” Not just in heaven - IN US! This all-powerful God has taken up residence in us! An Expanded Translation of the New Testament by Kenneth Wuest is the most literal and exact translation of the New Testament I know of. Wuest points out the incredible, superabundant power of God, but also makes clear that it is based on the measure of its operation in us. We must cooperate with Holy Spirit, drawing on, activating, and releasing His power: “Now to the One who is able to do beyond all things, superabundantly beyond and over and above those things that we are asking for ourselves and considering, in the measure of the power which is operative in us . . .” (Ephesians 3:20)(6) James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (KJV). Again, Wuest gives us added insight, translating it this way: “A prayer of a righteous person is able to do much as it operates.” Notice the verse doesn’t say, “A prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it causes God to operate.” God certainly does operate from heaven in response to our prayers, releasing His power. At times, however, His power flows from Holy Spirit in us as we speak His words. When Peter was used to heal the lame man in Acts 3:6, he said, “Such as I HAVE, give I thee.” It was obviously Holy Spirit’s power, but it was released from him. The verse in James makes this point. The Amplified translation reads, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [is dynamic in its working].” Notice the word “continued”;  the Amplified Bible captures the present tense meaning of the verb. This is why Elijah, when producing the provision of rain this verse in James is referring to, continued to pray and release the power of God - seven times. His prayers were releasing power each time he prayed. I am not implying that we can release this power according to our will and pleasure. We must be led by the Spirit in this regard, and release His power as He directs us. Yet, we must do so, commanding His Kingdom authority and power into situations, and His will to be accomplished, just as Jesus told us in Matthew 16:18-19. Yesterday, I mentioned praying a year for a girl in a coma, an hour or two each week. I am confident I was releasing the power of the Holy Spirit every time I prayed. Finally, enough power was released, and the miracle occurred. As you declare God’s word and promises over your prodigal, His power is being released. No word from Him returns void without accomplishing its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). Each time you declare the power of satan’s hold broken over them, his hold weakens. Every time you declare the power of the Cross over them, more of it flows to them. Don’t stop! Persevere! They’re coming home! Pray with me (I’m including some Scripture verses for you): Father, we thank You for Your desire to save all people. You certainly desire to open the eyes of our prodigals and draw them back to You. Holy Spirit is willing to release His power from us to see them set free from satan’s control. We thank You for Your grace, mercy, and love. We bind every strategy of satan and his demons to keep them blinded, and we release Holy Spirit’s power now to bring them to their senses, just as it did in the story of the prodigal in Scripture (2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Luke 15:17). We declare that the blood of Jesus delivers them from the power of darkness and brings them into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). We release the power of the Holy Spirit to break strongholds of pride and wrong thought processes off of them; we destroy those arguments in Jesus’ name (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We ask You to send laborers to them - the appropriate people and messages - to communicate to them what is needed (Matthew 9:38). We are confident You will do this because it is Your will that they be saved (2 Peter 3:9). In Christ’s powerful name, amen. Our decree: We decree that the power of God is being released to our prodigals, destroying every stronghold of darkness, and setting them free. ​​Click on the link below to watch the full videos. _______________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), reference no. 5248b. Ibid., ref. no. 4053. Ibid., ref. no. 5228. Ibid., ref. no. 1537. http://www.varady.org/prvSR/writings/biblical/eph320.cfm Kenneth Wuest, The New Testament: An Expanded Translation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1961).

The Game-Changer We have been praying for prodigals to return to their relationship with God. We’ve established that we are conduits of God‘s power, and must release this power into situations - not just ask God to act. Usually, we must release this power persistently, persevering in prayer. Friday, we discussed what are NOT accurate reasons why we must persevere: we do not do so to earn answers, reach a magic number of required prayers, persuade God, or wrestle answers from Him. So, why DO we have to persist and persevere in prayer? It seems simple to me now, but for many years, I did not consciously think of spiritual elements such as love, grace, righteousness, sin, etc., as existing at different levels. But just as the strength or degree of invisible elements in our natural world vary and can be measured, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, unseen spiritual elements exist in varying measures also. For example, there are different levels of faith (Romans 12:3), of righteousness and sin (Genesis 15:16), of grace (2 Corinthians 9:8; Acts 4:33), and of love (John 15:13; Matthew 24:12; Philippians 1:9). And, of course, there are varying levels of spiritual power. Logically, just as with natural elements, certain amounts of the above-mentioned spiritual forces must be released in the spirit realm in order to accomplish certain things. Focusing on power, different levels are required for different situations. Just as in the physical realm less power is needed to light a flashlight than a building, or a building as opposed to a city, the same dynamic is true in the spirit realm. Different amounts of God’s power are needed to accomplish different things. It requires more power to raise the dead than to heal a headache! In Mark 6, Jesus could not get enough of His power to people in Nazareth to perform a miracle, although enough was reaching them to produce some healings. This certainly proves that differing amounts of power are needed for different situations. Notice: the issue wasn’t God’s will or the release of power from Christ. He wanted to work miracles, and His power was being released. The problem was on the receiving end - the people’s unbelief kept them from receiving the full level of His power. Unbelief had erected a wall. In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples had been successfully casting out demons and healing the sick, which Jesus had given them authority and power to do. Then, an insane boy was brought to them, and they were not able to deliver him of the spirit of insanity. Some would have assumed that it must not have been God’s will to do so, but Jesus came, exorcised the demon and healed the boy. The disciples had enough power flowing to deal with most demons and diseases, but they encountered one that required more power than they possessed. Again, the obvious conclusion is that different, measurable levels of power are needed to accomplish different things. When the prophet Elijah ministered to a widow’s son who had died, he spread himself out on the corpse face to face, and prayed three times before the boy was finally resurrected (see 1 Kings 17:21). Why did Elijah have to do so three times? Because he wasn’t operating at the level of faith needed the first two? Because he did something wrong the first two times? We are not told the reason, but it is not even slightly insinuated that either of those things were true. The logical explanation is that Elijah was releasing more power and life from his spirit, or as Jesus called it in John 7:38, his spiritual “womb,” each time he prayed. It takes a good bit of life and power to raise the dead! Elijah’s spiritual son, Elisha, faced a similar situation in 2 Kings 4. A young man had died, and he was trying to raise him from the dead. First, Elisha simply prayed (verse 33), and seemingly nothing happened. Then he laid on top of the boy and prayed (verse 34); this time, the boy grew warm. The prophet walked back and forth praying again, then bent over the child, doing what we are not told (verse 35); he was probably praying more. This time, the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Why didn’t the boy regain life after the first or second prayer? Again, the obvious answer is that each time Elisha prayed he was releasing more power. Finally, it was enough. Most often, prayer breakthroughs are the result of a prayer process. We don’t typically pray or command one time and experience the desired results. Usually, we must persevere in doing so until enough power has been released to accomplish what is needed. It is also why the prayer of agreement, which multiplies power, is often needed. When it appears God has finally “gotten around to it,” or when we think a breakthrough suddenly occurred, the reality is usually that enough power has been released and accomplished through our prayers to accomplish what is needed. I once prayed in my prayer language an hour a day for 30 straight days, interceding for Ceci’s healing from ovarian cysts. They gradually shrank each day as more and more power was released. The cysts were medically diagnosed, as was the healing. In 1985, Holy Spirit assigned me to pray for a young, comatose girl. Viral encephalitis had damaged her brain, reducing her to a vegetative state for the past year and a half. The doctors gave her no hope of recovery. At the instruction of Holy Spirit, I prayed over her at least an hour every week - sometimes two hours - for a year. At the end of that year, her brain was completely healed. Why did it take a year to obtain a miracle for this young girl? I believe power was being released each time I prayed. (Both of these testimonies are shared in more detail in my book, Intercessory Prayer.) It was a game-changer for me when this revelation came. I realized that when perseverance in prayer was necessary, it wasn't to persuade God or overcome His reluctance. It was to release more and more of His power. I realized that if what I was praying about was truly God's will, it would eventually occur - IF I continued doing my part. And it is God’s will for the prodigals to return home. We will persevere, and they will return. Pray with me: Father, it is very important that we learn, not only of Your power, but also Your ways. So we ask You to continue teaching us in this regard. We must know, not only that You CAN do what we are asking of You, but we must also understand HOW You desire to accomplish it so we can cooperate with You. We also ask You to strengthen us in the area of perseverance and determination. May we never quit before we see the results You promised. When we have discerned by Your Spirit that it is time for an outpouring of spiritual rain, You said in Zechariah 10:1 to ask for it. We have discerned it is time for this and therefore, are asking You for the rain. We are appealing for a deluge. Let a mighty, mighty outpouring of Holy Spirit come to this nation and other parts of the earth! And we know that a part of this outpouring is the return of millions of prodigals to You. Pour out Your Spirit on them, just as You did in the book of Acts, with great signs, wonders, and miracles. We release Your mighty power to break strongholds off them and draw them to You. We will do so daily until they return. And we have not forgotten to pray for our government. You have said You were going to restore a righteous government in America. We have some righteous leaders who honor You, and we thank You for them. Many, however, blatantly oppose You, Your ways, and Your Word. Some even mock You. We boldly ask You to remove them; shake up our government. From the White House, to the Capitol, to the Supreme Court - we ask You to remove those who dishonor and oppose You. Give us righteous, wise leaders - men and women of understanding and who honor truth. We will persevere in prayer until we see this take place. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will not relent in our intercession for the return of our prodigals to God. Nor will we relent in our intercession for the restoration of America. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were adapted from my book, Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker House.

If I Pray Enough, Maybe God Will Do This We are learning to be more effective in our praying for prodigals and the unsaved. Yesterday we looked at the fact that we are reservoirs and outlets for God’s power and life. We release His power through the laying on of hands, decreeing His word and promises, and faith-filled praying. Typically, breakthroughs do not occur simply from asking God to do something. As His partners and conduits of His power, He expects and needs us to release this power into situations. Today, we’ll begin discussing why persistence - consistent and ongoing releases of this power - is often required. There are many misconceptions regarding this. Some believe the various provisions we ask of God come with different prayer “prices”: this provision requires asking 10 times; that one is much more valuable, requiring 100 prayers. Or perhaps the price is measured by time: for this item, you must pray for a month; that request, however, will require a year of prayer. While this may seem silly, it is how we subconsciously approach prayer, at times. “If I pray enough, maybe God will do this.” Others, whether consciously or subconsciously, think we can “talk God into” doing things for us. But can we? Can God be won over or persuaded; does He ever “finally decide” to do something? If He truly knows the end from the beginning, as Isaiah 46:10 states, how could He finally decide what to do? Another misconception is that we are “rewarded” with answers to prayer because of our patience or persistence: “Hang in there long enough, and I might do this for you.” Or, as many believe, based on what is commonly called “the prayer of importunity” (Luke 11:5-11), if we persist long enough, or often enough, we can overcome God’s reluctance and motivate Him to give us what we need. I need to slow down a little on this “prayer of importunity” because it is so misinterpreted and misunderstood. Many have been taught all their lives an improper meaning of this passage. Jesus used the illustration of a person who received unexpected visitors late at night but had no food to give them. So, even though it was midnight, he went to the home of a friend, woke him, and asked for three loaves to give his guests. Jesus said, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Verse 8; KJV). Importunity does indeed mean persistence. But importunity is an unfortunate and inaccurate translation. The Greek word used is anaideia, which actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) The root word, aidos, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9, encouraging women to dress modestly, as opposed to revealingly. Here in Luke 11, however, the word occurs with a prefix that makes the meaning negative: “without modesty or shame.” Jesus is actually teaching here in Luke the same message He gives us in Hebrews 4:16: “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace,” rather than approaching God with a sense of unworthiness or shame. In other words, have confidence in the relationship! Just as this petitioner in the story, we can approach God boldly, at any time, knowing we are welcome. What a different meaning than most Christians have been taught regarding this story. Persistence in prayer is not needed in order to overcome God’s reluctance. Unlike an earthly parent, He cannot be “annoyed” into giving us provisions or blessings. Another misconception many believers have is that we must wrestle with God until He gives in and gives us what we desire. To me, the very thought of wrestling God is horrifying! The passage used to teach that we should do so is Genesis 32:22-32, where Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the Lord. Many messages have been preached using Jacob’s words as an example for our praying: “I will not let You go until You bless me.” (verse 26). Scripture, however, does not present this wrestling match as an example of how we are to relate to God in prayer. The reason Jacob’s wrestling lasted all night is firstly that God was allowing it to continue in order to accomplish His goal; the angel of the Lord could have flipped Jacob into space had he wanted to do so. In 2 Chronicles 32:21, one angel destroyed an entire army. Secondly, the reason it took so long to accomplish this goal is that God and Jacob were wrestling for different things. Jacob wanted an assurance that God would protect him from Esau, from whom he had swindled the blessing of the firstborn son; God, however, was using it to accomplish a breaking of Jacob’s conniving nature, in order to transform him. This is why the angel asked Jacob - while they were wrestling! - what seemed like a ridiculous question. In response to Jacob’s demand for the blessing, the angel said, "What is your name?" Doesn't that seem strange? In the midst of the wrestling match, with Jacob’s hip out of joint but him still holding on for dear life, the two of them beginning a nice little conversation to get acquainted. Of course, that isn’t what was actually happening. God was determined to bring Jacob to an awareness and acknowledgment of the truth about his nature, which was described by the meaning of his name. The Amplified Classic translation demonstrates this clearly: "[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, ‘Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!’" (Genesis 32:27). That's what the Lord wanted and needed: Jacob’s revelation and acknowledgment of his condition and need. Jacob didn’t wear God down; God wore Him down. Yahweh was saying, “You might con your earthly father, Jacob, but you can’t con Me. I know who you are, and I know what I need to transform you into. That’s the real “blessing” you need, and I need it for you, too. I can’t do with your life what I want until this transformation occurs. Whether you know it or not, you’re going to help Me save the world. So, You’re right- we’re not leaving here until you get the blessing!” When the breakthrough of humility, revelation and repentance finally occurred; God’s grace and power were immediately released. Jacob received a new nature, along with a new name: Israel. His life and actions from this time on reveal the great transformation that occurred. "But Jacob prevailed," (verse 28), some might say. He “prevailed” by losing. The only way to win a wrestling match with God is to lose. If Jacob, the old nature, wins, Israel loses; if Jacob loses, Israel wins. The only way to truly find our lives is to lose them (Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-25). Jacob lost Jacob and found Israel. Such sweet defeat! As you can see, Jacob’s story is not an example of how we are to relate to our Heavenly Father in prayer. We are to approach Him with bold confidence, knowing our Father is for us. We ask Him for that which is "according to His will" (1 John 5:14), not try and wrestle from Him something He doesn’t want to give us. We are laboring together with Him (2 Corinthians 6:1), not warring against Him. We storm the gates of hell (Isaiah 28:6; Matthew 16:18), not the gates of heaven. Yes, persistence is necessary as we intercede for people’s restoration, salvation, and other breakthroughs, but not to overcome God's reluctance. This is vital to know and remember, for it is impossible to petition Him in faith, which is a requirement, if we aren’t confident it is His will to do what we are asking. Fight the fight of faith; don’t fight with God. On Monday, we’ll look at the actual reason we persevere in our praying and decreeing as we intercede for our prodigals. Pray with me: Father, we are learning to work with You more effectively. Thank You for teaching us to partner with You and see Your will accomplished in our lives. We know You are for us - we wrestle against principalities and powers, not against You. You’re a good Father. We bring our prodigals before You now, asking You to meet with them. Speak to them through their thoughts, reminding them of who they really are, and what their destiny truly is. Awaken the desire in them to know You. Release Your convicting power, but also Your beauty and magnificence. We ask You to send the right people and voices to them, and to create the right circumstances in their lives. We ask for angels to orchestrate events that influence them. We break the hold of demonic mindsets, addictions, and appetites off of them. We bind every attempt to keep them blinded to truth. We break every hold of darkness and of evil alliances. We command the lifting of the veil that blinds them to truth, and we release the light of the gospel to them. We declare that our prodigals will be miserable in their pigpens, and find no fulfillment in their lives of sin. We pray and decree these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will partner with God to see our prodigals return to Him. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Much of today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. _______________________________ Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 28. Jack W. Hayford, Praying Is Invading the Impossible (South Painfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 55, 1977 edition. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 14.

There Is More An increasing number of believers understand that prayer involves more than simply asking or petitioning God. Making requests of Him is certainly one aspect of prayer: the Lord’s Prayer tells us to “ask for daily bread, the forgiveness of our trespasses, and deliverance from evil” (Matthew 6:11-12), and James said at times we “have not because we ask not” (James 4:2). But there is more. And the “more” is vitally important. Whether or not we receive the blessings Christ provided, as well as the needed breakthroughs against evil, is determined by more than just our asking and God’s willingness to answer. Because this isn’t understood, people often form wrong assumptions about prayer, and about God. For example, when their prayers go unanswered, many people automatically assume God simply chose not to do so; what they requested must not have been His will. Others assume they must not have enough faith, which is terribly demoralizing and robs them of future motivation. Some believe they haven’t asked God often enough, “importuning” or persisting with God in their praying, as they believe Luke 11:8 teaches. Still others conclude that prayer is simply a futile, religious exercise - God will do what He wants, regardless of whether or not we pray. These are tragic outcomes that hinder our lives, as well as Christ’s cause. Prayer for peoples’ salvation is far too important to allow our past failures, disappointments, and lack of knowledge to hinder the process; under no circumstances should we grow discouraged and give up. We must grow in our understanding of the “more.” That is what this and the next 2-3 days of posts are about. Today, we’ll look at the fact that our prayers do more than just motivate God to act; they release Holy Spirit’s power to break through! The Substance of Prayer Gordon Lindsay, a great man of prayer and the founder of Christ for the Nations, often taught about what he called the “substance” of prayer.(1)The concept is that our prayers do more than simply move God to action; they actually release the power of Holy Spirit from us to accomplish things. Certain types of praying would, of course, do this more than others. For example, praying in the Spirit releases great power. When spiritual opposition is involved, speaking the Word of God becomes a powerful weapon, a spiritual sword, against those powers (see Ephesians 6:17). Spirit-led declarations or commands release the power of Holy Spirit (see Matthew 16:18-19; 17:20; Mark 11:23). The laying on of hands is another scriptural method of imparting power (see Mark 16:18; Hebrews 6:2). That there is actual power in us, in the person of Holy Spirit, which He desires to release from us, is undeniable truth (Acts 1:8). The power of God that produces life, healing, and wholeness resides in and flows out from us, the church, not just from God’s heavenly throne. He is now also enthroned in our hearts - we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). The word translated as temple (naos) in these two verses, was used to refer to “the holy of holies.”(2) We are now the holy of holies, the dwelling place of God and His glory on the earth. When He releases His power into situations, it doesn’t flow only from heaven; it flows from Holy Spirit here on earth, who dwells in us. Whether it be through speaking, touching, laying hands on the sick, decreeing and declaring, praying, or worshipping, God’s power is released on earth through human vessels. A symbolic picture of this is given in John 7:38, where Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” The innermost being, (or as the KJV says, “belly”) is the word Greek koilia, which literally means “womb.” Translating the verse literally, we would say, “From his womb shall flow rivers of living water.” The word “womb,” of course, speaks of reproduction, of birthing - the bringing forth of life.(3) After this announcement, verse 39 goes on to say, “But this He spoke of the Spirit.” Of course! The river Christ spoke of as flowing from us is the Spirit of God. He is the source; we are His conduits. Holy Spirit doesn’t lay hands on the sick - we do (see Mark 16:18). As we do so, He, from within us, releases His river of power and life to flow into that person. We Are the Voice of God Not only are we Christ’s womb, we’re His mouth. When the Spirit of God wants to release power against His enemies, He uses us to wield “the sword of the Spirit” - the spoken word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). God doesn’t release the decree from heaven, but from His people - up from our spirits, out of our mouths. As we do so, this releases God’s power! Incredibly, we have become the mouthpiece, the voice of God from which His power and life flow. At the time when God was teaching me this in the mid-80s, I had 45 warts on my hands. Some were quite large and had eaten into my fingernails and cuticles on three fingers, completely replacing them. They had been spreading/multiplying on my hands for 7-8 years. Doctors told me they didn’t want to burn or freeze them off, for fear of mutilating my hands, nails, and cuticles. Many people prayed for me, with no results. I was in numerous services where “gifts of healing” and “workings of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10) were occurring, with many people healed - but never me. Finally, Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly, “Though some are healed through the gifts of My Spirit, others are through the prayers of the elders (James 5:14), and still others through the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19) - I will not heal you through any of these methods. You will have to do what I’ve been teaching you - speak My Word over your hands every day (Mark 11:23), numerous times each day, releasing My power to them until the healing comes.” I determined to obey. Six or seven times each day, maybe more, I spoke God’s Word - which is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) - over my hands, using several Scriptures promising healing and breakthrough. Though I saw no change for two weeks, as God’s power was released and accumulated, the work it was doing became visible - the warts began to shrink. Daily, I watched them become smaller and smaller, and my fingernails and cuticles began re-growing. Once this process began, it took a total of two more weeks for all of the warts to disappear and new nails and cuticles to grow. The entire process took a month. Although it was most definitely God’s power that dissolved the warts and gave me new skin, nails, and cuticles (with no scars), He did not release it. I had to do so. Christ provided the healing provision, Holy Spirit supplied the power and strategy . . . but I had to release that power and provision by declaring God’s Word. We must do the same for the lost, releasing Holy Spirit’s power to break strongholds, addictions, and deceptions in prodigals and unbelievers. We petition our Father, but we war against satan and his strongholds. I leave you today with 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (TLB): “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons, I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” Tomorrow, we will talk about why, in most situations, the release of this power cannot simply be a one-time prayer. Pray with me: Father, we have not fully understood Your amazing power in us. Therefore, we have been impotent in our prayers, asking You to do what You have told us to do. Our ignorance has been costly. But we are awakening to our authority in Christ, and to His river of life - Holy Spirit - that is intended to flow from us. We ask You to increase our understanding of this even more, as well as multiply the number of those receiving this revelation. Teach us how to more effectively release Your power to those who need it, releasing the flow of Your life into situations where spiritual death is operating. Bring greater boldness to the church and heal people from hope deferred, in order that they may persevere in their intercession. So many have given up. Father, we ask You to pour out Your Spirit in this nation. And we decree the release of Your great river - flowing from Christ, via Holy Spirit, via the church, and into our world. We declare over our prodigals: Kingdom, come! Will of God, be done! Dry bones, you will live! Addictions, we break your hold! Deception, we release the light of truth to replace and overcome you! Demonic control, we break your control over our family members! And Father, as we pray and release Your power, we ask You to bring the greatest awakening America and the world have ever experienced. Send revival to our churches, and from there into the nation/s. Transform them. Let Your great river flow into the Middle East. Dethrone the Prince of Persia; we bind his influence in Jesus’ name. Release Your river into all the nations! We agree in our prayers for this, in Christ’s holy name. Amen. Our decree: We release the power of Holy Spirit over our prodigals and every city and neighborhood in our nation, in the powerful name of Jesus! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books. ___________________________________ Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas, TX: Christ for the Nations Inc., revised 1994), p. 43. Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 422. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2836.