When God Calls Your Name In the midst of an onslaught of demonic activity, it is of paramount importance that we hear what heaven has to say! We discern satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11), but we listen to and follow God’s strategies. He tells us His plans in order to encourage us and to solicit our partnership with Him in the release of those plans. Prayer activates this partnership between God and His kids. Today’s post from my brother, Tim Sheets, does both of these things. It will certainly encourage you, causing you to rejoice; it will also motivate you to pray. Holy Spirit’s message for us today is: “Keep your focus on what I’m saying and doing, not on what the enemy does. I have great plans for you! I have great plans for your children. I have great plans for America and the nations - and My plans will succeed! Rejoice in this! Put Your faith in My words! And let’s get it done!” Tim shares: “Psalms 145:4 (MSG) makes the powerful statement that each generation tells stories of God’s mighty acts. While previous generations have seen amazing moves of God, the current and coming generations have only seen glimpses. However, I believe this is about to change. Holy Spirit gave me a word concerning this that is now coming into its moment. “Holy Spirit said, ‘Doors to new history will soon open. A new movement will soon spring forth. A new stream from My Throne is now flowing, a pure stream of powerful Gospel. It will be preached by all generations, races, colors, and ethnicities. For the stream of My Gospel has been diverted and dammed up by those who wanted the benefits of “reservoired” blessings; but I will now blow up the dams, says the Lord. The religious dams, the cultural dams, and racial dams. I will discipline the spiritual hoarders. I will discipline the dividers. I will have a gospel that flows freely with My Spirit. “‘My movement will move. It is built to move and it will move, empowered by fresh wind and soaked with fresh oil. My Kingdom’s river will flow without dams. Downpours of glory rains will fill it to overflowing and it will leap to flood stage. For I have prepared a pure Gospel voice, a glorious Ekklesia, lit with the fires of My cause; one that I can confirm with signs, with wonders, and with miracles; one that is not diluted with flesh, pride, immorality, racism, or greed; one that I can back with awesome Kingdom assets; one that I can marshal heaven’s army behind. A gospel of awesome power will now surge forward and the generations will synergize their efforts for the revival of ingathering. “‘I am calling to My Gideons: “Come from your hiding places. Come from the ghettos. Come from the mountains. Come from the plains. Come from the projects. Come from the country. Come from the city and stop the raiding of My harvests. Yes, I have seen you, says the Lord, behind the winepress. I have seen your secret toil and I have heard your cry for relief. Now hear My cry. Now hear My voice. Rise and see the strong arm of the Lord. Now see My plans change your future. Yes, I have seen your heart and I will empower you. You will defeat the enemy, and you will enjoy the spoils of victory.” And you will say, “Our enemy has resourced us. Our enemy has stored abundance for us. We have more because of war.” Yes, dams are breaking and blessings, deliverance, and inheritance will flow. “‘For a shift in leadership will soon come, says the Lord. A new breed of leaders will be revealed in My Kingdom. The obscure ones who have served faithfully will now receive promotion. Though man has not seen, I have seen, says the Lord, and it will be said, “Where did they come from? Who are they?” “‘And I will advocate for them, says the Lord. I will say, “These are they who have come from My presence. These are they who would not compromise. They would not be muzzled. They would not bow to darkness. These are they who would not appease humanity with enticing words but have stood strong for My words.” “‘They did not flinch. They did not bend their knee to blended religion and doctrines of devils or doctrines of men. They did not tolerate the diluting of My message and the mocking of My ways. They have stood unashamed for Me; now I will stand unashamed for them. I will side with them, says the Lord. I have proclaimed their victory and I will oversee its completion. “‘Multiplied graces will now flow. Bound souls will be set free. Captives in heart will be delivered. Those blinded by sin will be liberated from hell’s bondage as the revival of ingathering leaps forward. “‘My Kingdom generations, in sync with My angel armies and soaked in the fresh rains of heaven, will now leap forward into great revival. They will move in power, passion and purity, and I will back them with manifestations of My mightiness. Notable miracles will leap forth. Notable victories will leap forth in their midst. “‘For the revival in the womb of My intercessors is now leaping forth. The revival birthed in the womb of those in travail will now be proclaimed in the earth. It is time for the forerunners to run into destiny callings, declaring “Jesus is the way, He is the truth and He is the life.”’ “The closest friend of Jesus was John the Baptist, who was called a forerunner. As a young man around 30 years of age, he ministered a message that pointed to Jesus as the way, the Messiah and the Savior. You may remember that when John was just a babe in his mother’s womb, he leapt at the sound of Mary, Christ’s mother. “In reference to the coming generation in this era, Holy Spirit said to me ‘Those born from the womb of My intercessors will leap into their destiny callings. They will be forerunners who run pointing the way to Jesus. They will be a different breed, converging with other remnant warrior generations to change history and present Christ the Messiah.’ “Recently, I attended my granddaughter’s college graduation at Lee University. The commencement ceremony was held outside in a large area surrounded by beautiful buildings. As I looked around during the reading of the names and giving of the diplomas, I noticed I could see Stone Chapel. This was one of the places, along with many other college campuses, where revival occurred for several weeks this past winter. Thousands of lives were touched by this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “As I was pondering and reflecting, watching young men and women in their caps and gowns, waiting for their name to be called, I heard Holy Spirit say, ‘Look at how many I have hidden behind the winepress.’ I knew exactly what He meant. Holy Spirit was referencing when Gideon hid behind a winepress to thresh wheat because the Midianite armies were stealing Israel’s harvest. Gideon was hiding in fear when His name was called. He was called out of that time of fear and vulnerability, to stop the raiding of Israel’s harvest. Gideon answered the call and he, along with his 300 remnant warriors, stopped the raiding, routed the enemy and restored the lost harvest. “Holy Spirit then said, ‘I am calling their names. They will run with Me, pointing the way to Jesus. They will rout the enemies and stop the raiding, working alongside other generations. I am now calling out the names of young men and women of valor: “Come run with Me. Graduate into your place in the generations.” I will call out the names of multiplied thousands of Gideons. They will hear Me call their names, for I know their names. The raiding and stealing of harvest will stop and the reaping of harvest will begin. History will be changed.’ “When God calls your name, He is calling out your identity and purpose. He sees past any natural limitations and calls forth your destiny. “What an amazing era that is unfolding. A new breed of leaders is being revealed in our kingdom. We must pray for this coming generation, called to be forerunners. We must mentor, assist, promote, support and run with them. We most certainly were born for such a time as this.” Pray with me: Lord, activate the generations to work together. Breathe the names of young men and women of valor, forerunners who will rise and partner with the older, remnant generation. We pray for the Gideons You have hidden behind the winepress. We pray for the Esthers who will save a nation. We pray for those who are experiencing hope deferred, asking that hope rise up in them. Lord, bring forth purpose and identity in all generations. Activate this prophetic word in apostolic hubs, on college campuses and in the lives of individuals. Activate leaders who have a heart for the coming generations. We declare Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; He has mighty plans for our times. And in His name, we pray, amen. Our decree: God is calling out names, and our sons and daughters will leap into their identity, destiny and purpose. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org

Command the Foreword! As you are listening to/reading today’s post, I’ll be in Virginia Beach, attending a memorial service for Pat Robertson, who founded The 700 Club, CBN, Regent University, and more. It is my privilege to honor the memory and legacy of this great man. He has left a phenomenal and indelible mark on the world that will endure into eternity. While there, Dr. Greg Hood and I will also be visiting Cape Henry, just a few minutes away, which was mentioned last week as we discussed Gina Gholston’s recent dream. In the dream, intercessors were given instructions from the Lord, who used a unique phrase, one which made no sense to us until He explained it. Here is that portion of the dream: “Then the Lord spoke and said, ‘There is a shaking coming, but you must not fear! You must know and be convinced that this nation is anchored and surrounded. KNOW that! Be convinced of it!’ “Then, a manilla folder appeared in the lap of each of the leaders on the stage. We opened our folders to find one sheet of paper each. On the paper were listed four instructive bullet points. Across the top of the page was written: ‘COMMAND THE FOREWORD!’” Gina continued, “I understood that a foreword is something written for the beginning of a book. Was God saying that everything was going to be destroyed by the coming shaking and a ‘new book’ was going to be started? There was a microphone on the stage, so I walked up to it and asked, ‘Lord, what does this mean?’ “He answered audibly, speaking to all of us, ‘It’s time to command what was written at the beginning. Command the Foreword! Bring this nation back into alignment with that which was written in the beginning—when this land became a nation. This is the purpose for which she was established. The Foreword is the prophetic decrees that were spoken in agreement with My intended purposes. Now, I say to you, ‘COMMAND THE FOREWORD!’ Know My purposes! Decree those purposes! Do not back down! Agree and decree, and your decrees will provoke a shaking that will bring this nation back into alignment with My original Foreword.” (You can read last week’s posts from this dream here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.) Notice that commanding or decreeing the “Foreword” is actually what would release the shaking that turned America back to her original purpose. In her book Carry On, which relates this dream, Gina states that the prayer and decree made by Robert Hunt at Cape Henry is one of the most important “Forewords” in America’s beginning. I wholeheartedly agree, and have believed this for many years. She quoted the statement from Hunt, which he made on April 29, 1607: “We do hereby dedicate this land and ourselves to reach the people within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up godly generations after us, and with these generations, take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this covenant of dedication remain to all generations as long as the earth remains, and may this land, along with England, be Evangelist to the world. May all who see this Cross remember what we have done here, and may those, who come here to inhabit, join us in this covenant and in this noblest work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. From these very shores, the gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but the entire world.”(1) After this declaration, the following powerful Bible passage was read: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the Kingdom is the Lord’s, and He ruleth among the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). Robert Hunt’s Spirit-led decree regarding this land IS America’s destiny. Some, however, have other plans for us. While in Philadelphia this past Saturday, in his first campaign speech, Joe Biden said, “We are not only changing this country, we are transforming it.”(2) On October 30, 2008, Barack Obama said, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”(3) On May 14, 2008, Michelle Obama said, “We are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place as a nation.”(4) Sometimes true motives just have a way of slipping out. Rest assured; God has other plans! As Gina states in her book, she recalled hearing the phrase “command the forward/foreword” some time ago in another dream, though she didn’t mention the context. I remembered hearing it as well, because she had shared it with myself and others. However, in that dream, she only HEARD the Lord SAY the words; they were not written, as they were in the recent dream. She and all of us who heard the dream related, assumed we were to command the “forward,” not “foreword.” Because of this, the phrase made little sense to us at the time. Now we understand what we are to command. While on the plane traveling to speak for my brother, Tim Sheets, at the Oasis Church this past Friday night, I decided to search in my files for the previous dream. Since we now understand the phrase, what other significant details might it contain that would finally make sense? I found the dream, which was given to Gina on October 3, 2020. In this dream, the setting was a gathering at The Oasis - where I was now headed - called The Reset 2020 Convocation. As we conducted the convocation, the Lord suddenly spoke to us audibly, instructing us to “COMMAND THE FOREWORD!” (Not “the forward.”) When He did so 3 large angels blew silver trumpets. In the Scriptures, one of the purposes for which Israel blew silver trumpets was to call the people to war (Numbers 10:9). In the dream, after the Lord spoke these words and the angels blew the trumpets, Gina said, “There was a very, VERY strong shaking. We all felt the shaking, but we were not afraid or disturbed by it…and we knew it was going out into the nation.” In both dreams, “commanding the foreword” brought a shaking to the nation! Here is one more extremely significant insight Gina offers in her book regarding the Lord giving the same dream twice: “Dutch Sheets sometimes jokes that I have started dreaming in sequels. It does seem a bit odd, but it’s actually a very important indication for us to consider. In the book of Genesis, Joseph stated to Pharoah that when God gives ‘sequel’ dreams, it is ‘because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass’ (Genesis 41:32, KJV). A look at this passage in a couple of other translations of the Bible makes this even clearer. The New Living Translation reads: ‘As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and He will soon make them happen.’ The Amplified Version states: ‘That the dream was repeated twice to Pharaoh [and in two different ways] indicates that this matter is fully determined and established by God, and God will bring it to pass very quickly.’ “Much of the time, prophetic words or dreams are given for a time yet to come, but the fact that God has given two dreams concerning His desire for the church to continue with the flow and function of His original intentions is an undeniable indicator that something major is ready now to be revealed. Not only is it undeniable, it is established by God, and He intends to bring it to pass very quickly.”(5) Back to Greg Hood and my visit to Cape Henry today. Only God could have orchestrated: a spontaneous trip sent from the same place (the Oasis Church) where in the dream, He gave the initial instructions to the place where Robert Hunt made his prophetic declaration to attend the memorial service for ONE OF HIS DESCENDANTS, Pat Robertson. That’s right, the man “summoning” me there, for whom I’m going in order to honor his life, is a descendant of the very man who made the 1607 declaration. Only God. Pray for and with us today as we command the foreword at Cape Henry. Prayer and Decree: “We do hereby dedicate this land and ourselves to reach the people within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up godly generations after us, and with these generations, take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this covenant of dedication remain to all generations as long as the earth remains, and may this land, along with England, be Evangelist to the world. May all who see this cross remember what we have done here, and may those, who come here to inhabit, join us in this covenant and in this noblest work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. From these very shores, the gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but the entire world.”(1) “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the Kingdom is the Lord’s, and He ruleth among the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). (On Wednesday, I will share a report regarding my trip to Virginia Beach.) Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ https://gapmovement.com/dedication-prayer https://www.c-span.org/video/?528768-1/president-biden-speaks-rally-philadelphia-union-members https://www.nationalreview.com/2013/10/obama-transforming-america-victor-davis-hanson/ Ibid. Gina Gholston, Carry On, Becoming Faithful Stewards of Our Spiritual Inheritance, (Copyright 2023), p 35.

[Yesterday, I intended to give thanks once again to those who provided last week's posts for me. I apologize for forgetting to do so. I heard and read many wonderful comments about how insightful and powerful they were, and I agree completely. I am blessed to have so many wonderful and gifted friends. Thank you so much! And the time away with our staff went very well.] Prelude to today’s post: Today, as a spiritual watchman for our nation, I’m beginning a series of important posts regarding what I see coming in America. Satan has planned for decades to oppose and destroy our destiny, and his plans will intensify. God, however, has other plans. We must discern satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11), while hearing and implementing God’s strategies. Over the last several weeks, I have sensed that a very difficult season/shaking is coming to America this fall, and will continue into next year. If I am correct, it will require the Ekklesia, the praying church, to rise up in great strength and faithfulness in order to protect our nation and her God-given destiny. The war for the soul of America will come to a head during this window of time. The shaking caused by our sin and rebellion, accentuated by a very ungodly government and America-hating players on the world stage, will intensify. They all see this window as critical to maintaining and strengthening their hold over the U.S., yet many in America are waking up. The enemies of our liberty and strength see this and know they must overcome this awakening NOW as well as make further advances. Their efforts - those in power and those from outside our nation - will be intense. (Yes, this window of time includes the critical 2024 elections, during which these forces will stop at nothing, regardless of how sinister, in their attempt to hold onto power; they simply must stay in power, or they will fail. Still, the election is only part of the greater agenda of those who want to forever change America. There are and will continue to be many other aspects to their efforts.) Do not allow these warnings to intimidate you. We have known that only God can save and restore our nation, and that this can only occur through the prayers of the church and a Third Great Awakening. As prophetic intercessors and leaders, we realize there is no other hope - that evil is too entrenched in America for natural remedies and human efforts alone to reverse it. However, we also know that God’s plan is to intervene, that salvation can and will occur - America shall be saved! And we know that God has raised up a faithful remnant capable of being His instrument, His voice, and His method in this hour. Other trusted prophetic leaders have also been sensing this turbulent time and have sent me strong warning dreams and words. They, too, know the prayers of the Ekklesia must be mobilized and, if implemented faithfully, can and will prevail. Their words always include hope and encouragement. For weeks now, I have given much thought and prayer to these alerts. Some of my recent posts (regarding God preparing us, the church not being intimidated, etc.) have actually been done with all of this in mind. Over the next several days, I will be addressing what I and others are hearing, relating some of the dreams and insights. It is truly a season for soberness, watchfulness, faith, hope, the revelation of Christ’s victory, and the implementation of God-given strategy. Like Esther facing Haman and David facing Goliath, we have been prepared. We do not have a spirit of timidity, and will not be intimidated. Like Timothy, spoken of in yesterday’s post, we will fan the flames of faith, life, power, love, and a sound, disciplined mind. And we will prevail. In the remainder of today’s post, Gina Gholston, a prophet, encourages us to remember our past victories, allowing them to bolster our faith, just as David did when facing Goliath. Tomorrow, I’ll begin unpacking a very detailed dream she was given regarding the coming season. Gina shares: Armed With Experience “Life is a journey, and there are things that happen along our journey that we won’t always understand. But, if we will trust God and, with faith and obedience, keep following Him, He will order our steps down the path of His destiny. Every faith-filled step we take results in the accumulation of valuable experiences with Him, benefiting us as we move into His unfolding future. “Experience is a game-changer! Someone once said, ‘A man with experience is never at the mercy of a man with an opinion.’ As we walk with the Lord, we experience His willingness and ability to keep us, provide for us, heal, and deliver us. We emerge from every circumstance with a stronger confidence - an unshakable faith in God. “The story of David and Goliath illustrates the difference experience with God can make. For David, the showdown with Goliath was a defining moment. The destiny inside David had met its prophetic timing, and whether he realized it or not, the event wasn’t only about defeating a giant; it was a moment that would forever impact history. I’m sure David didn’t realize the magnitude of the moment he had stepped into, but his past experiences with the Lord had prepared him for the transition that was about to take place. As he heard the giant mocking God and the armies of the Lord, righteous indignation rose in him, provoking David to take a stand no one else was willing to take. David wasn’t the most qualified. According to men’s standards, he wasn’t even properly equipped to take on such a fight. But he had courage within him that others there did not possess. When David ran toward the giant, his past experiences with the Lord gave him uncommon confidence to face and defeat Goliath! “As I was pondering this story, I heard the Lord say: ‘There is an event coming which those with a ‘David experience’ will be able to face while others will not. So I say, gather up those experiences and stand ready. Remind yourself of what I have done for you. Remember My faithfulness and stand firm in your faith in Me. The curtain is about to rise to reveal the stage for this defining moment, and My bold Ekklesia will be presented to this nation and the world, equipped and ready to advance My original plans and intentions. ‘So, rise up, Davids! There is a cause. Stand! It’s time! You are not alone. Remember Me. Gather up your experiences and turn to face the giant with a confident knowing that I Am greater in you than anything formed to work against you. Let faith arise and secure your footing as you release this confident declaration: “The battle is not mine; it belongs to the Lord! I am anointed to hold the sling, and I take my place. Experience has taught me that God is with me; He will order my aim, and the giant will fall!’” “God has said to me several times, ‘2023 will be one for the history books.’ We are in a definite defining moment. I know we have heard that before, but it’s true! Defining moments are critical moments. They are also ‘deciding’ moments. When the giant in that valley was mocking God and the army of Israel, a defining moment was unfolding, and someone had to make a decision to step forward. Everyone was hearing the mocking. Saul and his armies were far more equipped than David to do something about it, but were overcome by fear and intimidation. The decision they made was to stand idle. But David’s experiences with God had taught him that God is good, able, and faithful! The timing of God, combined with his experiential knowledge of God, provoked David to resist fear and step into the moment, impacting history through his courage. “I’m sure we don’t fully grasp the magnitude of the life-changing transition we have moved into; for many of us, however, the process is now giving way to purpose. This defining moment requires us in the church to make a decision: will we stand idly by while darkness covers the earth, or will we shine with the light of the glory of God to become history-makers? For those with ears to hear, the Lord is saying, ‘It’s time to gather up your experiences and step into this defining moment with courageous faith and undaunted expectation to see My power and glory revealed.’ “Events are unfolding now that are requiring the people of God to step up and be what we’ve been becoming. Doors are opening, leading us into the necessary opportunities, connections, and positions to accomplish His purposes. Experience has taught us that He is with us, and He will guide us. So, remember what you have learned and remember what He has said. Stay ready at all times to take those courageous leaps of unrelenting faith in God that will enable us to impact history!” Pray with me: Father, we hear the mocking and the jeering of the giants in our land. Fear has wrapped itself around the minds of many, causing them to stand idly by, some even compromising their faith. But You have an uncompromising remnant that will not bow to fear and intimidation. We are equipped with experience that has taught us You are faithful, greater in us than anything working against us. You are fighting for us. As this defining moment unfolds, we will stand and declare Your Word and faithfulness. In our strength, we cannot overcome the giants, but You have filled us with Your Spirit, and by His enabling power, we will take our place. The battle belongs to You! We will boldly stand, obey, pray, and release faith-filled decrees. We are confident You will order our aim, and the giants will fall. In Jesus’ name and authority, we pray! Amen! Our decree: The timing of God, the Word of God, and our experiential knowledge of God are motivating us as they did David. We resist fear and will step into this moment with courage and faith, impacting history for the glory of God! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was written by our friend Gina Gholston and taken from her book Awakening the Church to Awaken a Nation. You can find out more about Gina at Gina Gholston Ministries.org

Don’t Be Intimidated! “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason, I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:1-7; NASB). Paul had assigned his spiritual son, Timothy, to lead the Ekklesia (the church) in Ephesus. Timothy was a young man at the time, 30-ish. This assignment would have been difficult for anyone, but to a young 30-year-old, it was very challenging. Some background information on Ephesus will be helpful. “With a population of 250,000, Ephesus was the capital of a Roman province in Asia and was the fourth greatest city in the world, after Rome, Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch of Syria. Called ‘the mother city of Asia,’ Ephesus was a significant center of trade, located near a harbor at the mouth of the Cayster River in western Asia Minor (Modern-day Turkey). The city lay in a long, fertile valley. Major roads connected Ephesus to all the other significant cities in Asia Minor. “Ephesus was known for its amphitheater, the largest in the world, designed to hold up to 50,000 spectators. It was also the location of the great temple of Artemis, or Diana built in 550 BC. This temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World…Much of the Ephesian industry was related to this temple. Craftsmen sold shrines and household images of the goddess that worshipers could take with them on long journeys. The Ephesians were very proud of their religious heritage (Acts 19:35).”(1) Ephesus became Paul’s headquarters for two years after he planted the church there (Acts 19:10). A short time later, he assigned Timothy the responsibility of overseeing this church. This was not one building or congregation, as we would picture it today, but the entire body of Christ in Ephesus. Various significant events in Scripture took place at Ephesus over a 35-year time period. I will not read these, but am including them in the written version for those who are interested: “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, such that even handkerchiefs and aprons touched by him healed sickness and cast out demons (Acts 19:11). Paul wrote the epistle of 1 Corinthians while there. The seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, attempted to imitate Paul’s power and were attacked by demons because the demons did not recognize their spiritual authority (Acts 19:13–16). Many new believers ‘who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone’ (Acts 19:19; BSB). The total value of the sorcery books they destroyed was 50,000 silver pieces. [Each piece of silver, probably Greek drachmas, was the equivalent of a day’s wages.] Priscilla and Aquilla discipled Apollos there (Acts 18:24–26). Timothy had his first pastorate there (1 Timothy 1:3). It’s thought that the apostle John and Jesus’ mother, Mary, lived in Ephesus after Jesus returned to heaven (see John 19:26–27). Paul may have faced wild beasts in the amphitheater (1 Corinthians 15:32). Jesus directed to Ephesus one of His seven letters in the book of Revelation (Revelation 2:1–7).”(2) The book of Revelation was written in AD 96, thirty years after Paul’s letter to Timothy. In this letter to the church at Ephesus, Jesus commended them for their hard work, perseverance, rejection of false teaching, endurance, and hatred of sin (Revelation 2:2-3). He also rebuked them, however, saying, “You have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). The believers at Ephesus, struggling beneath the weight of a godless and immoral culture, had maintained commendable outward religious activities, but internally they had lost their passion for Christ. It is easy to see how intimidating it could be for a young man in his early 30s to be charged with overseeing this great work in such an influential, but very ungodly, city. Timothy was no doubt very mature for his age, having been raised by a godly mother and grandmother, and mentored by Paul while traveling with him on his journeys. Paul would not have placed him there had he not been confident Timothy could fulfill this assignment. Nevertheless, it was extremely difficult and had begun to take its toll on this young man. Persecution, false teachers, the city being an international hub of sorcery and witchcraft, great immorality, strife in the church - exacerbated by disrespect from older men because of his young age - these pressures and more were wearing Timothy down. He was discouraged and intimidated. Paul knew that before he left for heaven, Timothy needed further instruction and encouragement from him as his spiritual father. Thus, a second letter was written to Timothy - the last letter Paul would write before his martyrdom. He began with the important words shared in our opening. I want to summarize them for you. Paul begins by affirming his love for Timothy as a spiritual son and speaks a blessing of grace, mercy, and peace to him (v. 2). This is more than a formality; he knows his words carry life and power. Paul then assures Timothy that he is praying diligently for him - night and day (v. 3). Again, Paul is confident his prayers will make a difference. Then he states his confidence in Timothy: “I know the faith that is in you, imparted from your grandmother and mother, and also the gift I imparted to you through the laying on of my hands” (v. 5-6). Paul was encouraging Timothy. “You can do this!” was the meaning of these words. Then this wise, apostolic spiritual father became stronger in his exhortation. “Now, I’m instructing you, Timothy, to stir up (KJV), kindle afresh (NAS) the gift I put in you!” (v. 6). Notice: God would not do this for him, nor would Paul. Timothy would have to do it! The Greek word used for “stir up,” anazopureo,(3) is challenging to translate. Only used this one time in the New Testament, it is made of 3 different Greek words. Ana(4) means “again;” zo(5) is a shortened version of zoe, the “life” of God, and pureo(6) is from pur, meaning “fire or lightning.” Paul was telling Timothy, “I know what is in you, because I put it there by the power of Holy Spirit. Now I need for you to rise up and fan the flame, blow on the embers. Get the life flowing, the fire burning, again!” This is a very strong exhortation. The verb tense of this word indicates continuous or repeated action: “You will need to do this repeatedly, continuously, Timothy. One time won’t be adequate. I need you to really press into this! With the faith in you, speak life and fire into your gifts. Make them come alive and burn with passion. YOU do this! God’s power (dunamis),(7) His love (agape),(8) discipline, self-control, and soundness of mind (sophronismos)(9) were also given to you. Get these forces working in you again (v.7). Then Paul adds one more thing, reminding Timothy of what he had NOT been given: “God has not given us a spirit of timidity” (v. 7). Though some translations say “fear” instead of “timidity,” the Greek word is deilia,(10) not phobos.(11) Phobos would mean a phobia or fear. Paul knew Timothy wasn’t dealing with that type of fear, but with intimidation. You can easily see that the words timid, timidity, and intimidation are all related. “Satan is intimidating you, son,” Paul was stating, “telling you you’re too young, you don’t have faith, your gifts aren’t adequate for this job, the warfare is too great…This has brought intimidation and timidity, eroding your confidence and causing your fire and passion to wane. You’re not walking in the power of God’s life in you. But these are all lies. You are NOT weak, timid, or insecure. You’re strong! Gifted! Full of faith! And well able to do this.” This Is A Word For Us As God’s remnant prayer army, His emerging Ekklesia, we have been assigned a great challenge. Our nation is facing great evil, incompetent and lying leaders, abhorrent immorality, and much more. Things could get worse before the necessary changes come. In light of this reality, we could easily become discouraged and intimidated, just as Timothy did, doubting our calling and ability to be used by God to heal our land. My goal and assignment today is to break anything of that nature off of you. We ARE called, equipped, empowered, and anointed for such a time as this. Fan the flames of Holy Spirit fire in you! Command them to burn! Speak to the life of God in you and command it to explode! Stir yourself up in your Holy faith! Reject every demonic lie trying to convince you that the giants of the land are too big! We are well able to take the land! Pray with me: Father, as Your Ekklesia, the church, moves into one of the most critical seasons in America’s history, I pray for the refreshing wind of heaven to blow on them. Re-fill them with Holy Spirit. Give them tenacious hearts and minds in this season, enabling them to fan the flames of passion within. Remind them of who they are. Remind them that they are filled with Your glorious life. Remind them that they have been called for such a time as this. Remind them that they are more than conquerors through You and Your love. Remind them that Holy Spirit, the Greater One, lives within to help and lead them. Remind them that they can do all things through the exalted Christ indwelling them. Remind them of Your heart to redeem and restore. Remind them that satan was defeated, and that redemption is finished. And now, as tens of thousands of us around the world agree in prayer, creating synergy and multiplication, we break off of the church all fear, intimidation, lethargy, complacency, and lukewarmness. We fan the flames of passion and faith. And we declare together that we are well able to possess the land! The name of Jesus seals this! Our decree: We decree that all intimidation is broken off of the Ekklesia and that the spirit of faith is prevailing. Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.gotquestions.org/Ephesus-in-the-Bible.html Ibid. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. No. G329. Ibid. Ref. no. G303. Ibid. Ref. no. G2222. Ibid. Ref. no. G4442. Ibid. Ref. no. G1411. Ibid. Ref. no. G26. Ibid. Ref. no. G4995. Ibid. Ref. no. G1167. Ibid. Ref. no. G5401.

As I have stated this week, all of our DSM staff work remotely, with the exception of the product department, and do so from 4 states. This has worked well, both for them and the ministry. Since we are rarely together, we have a week-long retreat each year to build camaraderie and necessary team dynamics. This is that week. I have asked five leaders, all of whom carry God’s heart for America, to share this week’s GH15 posts for me. They have all been OUTSTANDING! Today’s post is by Dave Kubal, President and CEO of Intercessors For America, without question, the tip of the spear for the prayer movement in America. This year IFA celebrates 50 YEARS of leading the charge in prayer! I have chosen to end the week with Dave’s post because it is one of the most encouraging teachings/reports I’ve heard in recent years. It clearly demonstrates that in spite of America’s (and the world’s) challenges, Christ is prevailing and will continue to do so! Dave’s book, Inspired Prayers, is devoted to praying Scripture promises that motivated our founding fathers. It is a treasure. As always, at the end of today’s post, we provide a link through which you can connect with Dave and IFA. Enjoy…and BE ENCOURAGED! __________________________ The Increase of His Government “For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6–7; NIV). These verses, most famous for being read during the Christmas season, have always intrigued me. Of course, we understand that God gave us His Son in the form of a child. But what about this: The government will be on His shoulders, and the greatness of His government and peace will have no end? How could this be? Is this true? Is this happening today? It seems we are watching the powers of darkness increase daily. We have battled in the heavenlies for our great nation, a nation which has received countless prophetic words. Yet it seems to have a more corrupt government than ever. Does Jesus really know what He is doing?? I want to suggest to you that when we take a long-term, historical view of Jesus’ government, we can only conclude that His government has increased and that there will be no end of His rule. The first increase of Jesus’ government is the historical growth of His rule over personal lives. The book of Acts tells us that the very first group of believers who placed themselves under Jesus’ rule, under His government, numbered about 120. This small band of believers hid from the public eye until the Holy Spirit fell upon them at Pentecost. That day, Peter preached, and the number of people under Jesus’ government grew to about 3,000. Signs, wonders, and persecution followed; Saul was converted, and the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea and then to all parts of the world. From those early days of the New Testament believers, decade after decade, century after century, more and more hearts embrace the lordship of Jesus over their lives. There were maybe 200,000 by A.D. 200, and by the end of the fifth century, there were about 10 million converted hearts. Pew Research estimates that in the early 1900s, the global population of Christ followers was about 600 million, and now, after just 100 more years, the number has grown to nearly 3 billion. One-third of the global population practices Christianity today. Interestingly, the fastest-growing stream of Christianity is Pentecostalism. There is no doubt the increase of Christ’s government over the lives of individuals is never ending and always on the rise. The second piece of undeniable evidence that His government is increasing involves the civil arena. There is something unique about the model for civil government found in the Scriptures: God is the one who grants us personal rights, and God is the one who makes laws. This is first seen in Exodus 18 when Moses sets up the first representative republic based upon the moral code of the law. This truth about the nature of personal rights, personal freedoms, and law has been at odds with dictators, kings, and autocrats throughout history. And yet, over the centuries, people have yearned and fought for the freedom that God has hardwired into us. At the beginning of the second millennium, the idea that we all have rights began taking hold through documents like the Magna Carta, philosophers such as Augustine, and legal scholars. These ideas stirred and fueled the God-given desire in people to be free — especially the freedom to worship and freedom to speak their minds. As recently as the 18th century, no country could be meaningfully characterized as a democracy. The entire world population was under the rule of closed autocracies. No group of people in the world enjoyed the privilege of choosing or electing their rulers. Then, coming out of the First Great Awakening, when millions came under the personal government of Jesus, a God-given vision of government emerged. A small group of people were inspired by God to form a nation with the understanding that our Creator has made all of us with equal rights, and that among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The framers of the American Constitution understood that the most powerful government would derive its power only from the free consent of the governed. For the first time in the history of the world, a government recognized that it is God, who gives us our rights, and that the only moral government is one whose leaders are put in position by willing and free civilians. The desires to be free and to be governed freely are written upon every human’s heart. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1; NIV). Since the birth of America, we have been modeling for the world how the human desire for freedom affects government. According to Our World in Data, in the past 300 years, the percentage of people with the freedom and privilege to elect their leaders has gone from 0% to 85%! Our founding fathers put in place a nation whose freedoms were so compelling that the entire world was changed. There are certainly variations of free elections, but the point remains: “[T]he increase of his government” is not ending; it is only increasing further. The freedoms that the United States has put in place will affect humanity forever. The God-given desire to be free has fueled the expansion of Jesus’ civil government for centuries, and that will now only increase as the American experiment has demonstrated what this freedom could look like. Here’s the point: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6–7; NIV). There is undoubted, uncontroversial evidence that Jesus’ government has increased over time: from a hiding handful of scared disciples, to now one-third of today’s global population, 2.8 billion believers; from literally zero civil governments aligning with the God-given desire for personal freedom, to now over 80% of global governments. Of His greatness, there will be no end. At the end of the passage, Isaiah prophesies: The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. This is a fascinating verse and requires its own treatment, but the word “zeal” (qinah, in Hebrew) is used only a few times in the Hebrew text. Every time the “zeal of the Lord” phrase is used, there is an absolute, 100% certainty that what is promised will occur. In some instances, we find the phrases “with great fury” and “by consuming fire.” The bottom line in the entire passage is this: As we battle for God’s will for our nation, we have His zeal behind us and in front of us, aiding our efforts. Our nation’s opportunity to be blessed by God requires the Church of Jesus Christ to stand up in this day and declare His government, to look to Him, who is the Prince of Peace, and to pursue His justice and His righteousness as individuals and as a nation. Pray with me: Lord, You have written the principles of good government upon our hearts. You have hardwired all of creation to desire freedom. As we watch the powers of darkness attempting to limit our religious freedoms and our freedom of speech in the U.S., we ask You to cause Your church to rise up in this day. Lord, cause Your Body to realize that You have a plan for government, that You desire a good government, and that Your government is based in true justice and righteousness. Thank You for placing within us an inextinguishable desire to be free. Thank You for the ability to look back over the centuries and see Your mighty hand move as Your government increases. Our decree: The responsibility of government rest upon the shoulders of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the INCREASE of His government. We declare that the ZEAL of the Lord ALMIGHTY will accomplish this. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by our friend Dave Kubal. Dave is the President and CEO of Intercessors For America, a ministry that provides daily resources for believers to pray for our nation and their state. He was with Fellowship for Christian Athletes for many years, raising up leaders in the athletic world. Dave authored Inspired Prayers, a book devoted to praying Scripture promises that motivated our founding fathers. He has a Master of Divinity from Asbury Seminary. You can find Dave at IFApray.org.

As I have stated this week, all of our DSM staff work remotely, with the exception of the product department, and do so from 4 states. This has worked well, both for them and the ministry. Since we are rarely together, we have a week-long retreat each year to build camaraderie and necessary team dynamics. This is that week. I have asked five leaders, all of whom carry God’s heart for America, to do this week’s GH15 posts for me. They have been tremendous, and today’s, by my friend Larry Sparks, is superb. Larry serves as publisher for Destiny Image. His book, Pentecostal Fire (available at Amazon), is, without question, one of the best I’ve read on revival. His contact info is included at the end of today’s post. Larry encourages us that revival has already begun and challenges us not to despise small beginnings; acorns become oak trees! This post will light a fire in you. Here’s Larry. _________________________ Next Stop: The Shekinah Glory - Prophetic Word from Azusa Street “Tell My Church I am reintroducing her to Pentecostal Fire.” Since Holy Spirit gave me this mandate in early 2021, I wrote the book Pentecostal Fire to provoke readers to cry out for the fullness of revival in their lives and in their generation. “Pentecost” is an old-time word, but if we want to move in Book of Acts-level power, we must return to Pentecost to advance into the future. Back to the Future I recently made my own prophetic visit to “Pentecost past.” Like any good Spirit-filled believer, I journeyed to the Bonnie Brae House, which is where the 1906 Azusa Street Revival was ignited. Since I didn’t have an appointment, I wandered outside, praying for any insight Holy Spirit wanted to release. I laid my hands on the outside gate, praying, “Lord, do it again. We need that kind of landscape-changing move of God today.” Good news: it’s stirring and brewing. Then, Holy Spirit spoke an unusual phrase to my heart. It brought much clarity to what I had been prayerfully processing in this season. He said, “Don’t Stop Short of the Shekinah Glory.” Let me provide some context. Don’t Criticize the Acorn Because It’s Not Yet an Oak Tree When God is moving, we can fall into one of two extremes if we’re not careful: Criticism or complacency. Criticism rejects present revival stirrings because the move of God is still in its infancy. Complacency occurs when genuinely enthusiastic Christ-followers claim that what is currently happening is the fullness of the great end-time revival. What’s happening right now–Asbury and the campus outpourings, the Jesus Revolution movie, and all the prayer, worship and repentance gatherings–is the great revival in acorn size. Pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel Church speaks of revival beginning as an acorn which ultimately grows into a mighty oak tree. It would be foolish to look at an acorn and treat this seed like it was already the mighty oak; it would be equally foolish to completely dismiss the acorn, rejecting it as false because it had not matured into adulthood yet. We don’t reject an infant because he or she is not grown-up yet; we celebrate every step of the child’s development. This should be how we steward revival in every phase. How Will You Respond to the Trickle? We don’t reject an acorn because it’s not an oak tree; likewise, we don’t reject a trickle because it’s not yet a mighty rushing river. Ezekiel’s River encounter started with a trickle. The prophet recounts: “Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side” (Ezekial 47:2). How we steward the ‘acorn’ and the ‘trickle’ is essential, as it reveals to Heaven if we are fit to venture into deeper depths. Heaven does not seek the flawless; simply those who refuse to graduate from being hungry for more. What caused Ezekiel to move from a trickle to ankle-deep to being fully immersed in the river? A desire to keep moving into deeper waters. After he experiences the river in “trickle” form, we see how Ezekiel decides to move forward: “Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.” He didn’t criticize the trickle because it was small, nor did he camp out at the trickle, claiming it to be the full River–Ezekiel simply went onward because he was convinced that there was more. “Don’t Stop Short of the Shekinah Glory” Back to the Bonnie Brae House prophetic word: “Don’t stop short of the Shekinah glory.” Shekinah is a Talmudic Hebrew term that describes a Biblical reality. God’s Shekinah Glory is His majestic, manifest presence that visibly dwells among humankind. God manifested His presence in the Old Testament as a pillar of fire and cloud. When He descended upon Mount Sinai, He came with thick smoke, lightning, and all manner of activity that human senses could experience. The Shekinah was the holy Presence of God that dwelt behind the tabernacle curtain, beyond the veil. It was widely inaccessible to everyday people. One had to navigate appropriate Old Covenant protocol just to be represented before God’s holy Presence by the high priest. Then the cross changed everything. How do I know the Shekinah glory is accessible to believers today? The New Covenant in Jesus’ blood grants us access to experience in fullness what those in the Old Testament could only taste and see in part. Pentecost was not a theological concept; it was a release of divine glory. Tongues of fire appeared visibly over the heads of the Upper Room company. The sound of a mighty rushing wind brought multitudes to see and hear what was going on. The atoning work of Jesus dealt permanently with the veil of separation that kept mankind at a distance from the Shekinah; now, this glory lives in you, and you have access to drink deep of its endless riches. We might be witnessing a “trickle” of that Shekinah Glory right now, but I believe Scripture and revival history provokes us to keep crying out and moving forward. God is Not a Concept or a Theology; He’s a Person. I have a strange “life Scripture.” It’s not “I can do all things through Christ” or Jeremiah 29:11. Mine is Isaiah 64:1 because it represents everything my heart burns for: “Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, that the mountains would quake at Your presence” (NASB). A landscape-changing Holy Spirit outpouring is a theological availability–but what makes an available blessing become an accessible reality for us today? An Isaiah 64:1 cry of desperate, constant prayer. Our intercession builds a bridge between theological availabilities and living realities. Isaiah 64:1 exposes a heart that is dissatisfied with head knowledge and theological concepts; it reveals one who knows that God’s Shekinah glory is available and that we cannot settle for anything less. Isaiah 64:1 is the appropriate response of a Biblically literate follower of Jesus and student of revival history. I pray that you consume enough Bible information and revival testimony to reach a breaking point—where you can no longer live satisfied with good theology without longing for the living God to tear open the Heavens and break into real-time and space with His Shekinah glory. Oh, that the response would be as it was on the Day of Pentecost–the onlooking masses would witness in awe asking, “What must we do?” Pray with me: Lord, tear open the Heavens and come down. I’ve read too much to be satisfied with status quo. Everything I see in Scripture and history reveals that You are the God who manifests Himself. For the sake of a world under the influence of darkness, manifest Yourself. And Lord, here I am – use me to move through! Any area of my life that is not compatible with hosting greater measures of Your Presence, Holy Spirit, release the gift of conviction. Make more space for me to host Your Shekinah glory. I’m so grateful to be born again and that Holy Spirit lives in me. But Lord, I ask that Your Spirit would rest upon me as He did Peter and Paul, as He did Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, and DL Moody, as He did upon the 120 gathered in the upper room at Pentecost. Father God, show us what it looks like to see an open Heaven over a household, a city, a region, yes, over a nation. We celebrate the trickle – but we will contend for the glory deluge. Our decree: We decree that the God Who moved in revival, fire and glory in times past will do it again! We decree that the God of the Great Awakening, Who swept America with conviction, mass repentance, and societal transformation, will sweep America again. The God Whose Presence descended upon the tens of thousands gathered in the Kentucky frontier during the Cane Ridge camp meetings will descend again. The Holy Spirit, Who fell like Pentecostal fire upon the Azusa Street saints, manifesting His glory as a physical cloud, where limbs grew back because of the thickness of His presence, will fall again. We pray these hymn lyrics from William Booth: Look down and see this waiting host, Give us the promised Holy Ghost, We need another Pentecost, Send the fire today! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was written and recorded by our friend Larry Sparks. Larry has been in ministry for more than two decades. He serves as publisher for Destiny Image and travels internationally, teaching on revival, strategy for sustained spiritual awakening, and Pentecostal Fire. Larry holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University in Church History and Renewal and hosts regular programs on God TV and the It’s Supernatural Network. Portions of today’s post were taken from Larry’s book Pentecostal Fire which is available at Amazon.

As I stated yesterday, all of our DSM staff work remotely, with the exception of the product department, and do so from 4 states. This has worked well, both for them and the ministry. Since we are rarely together, we have a week-long retreat each year to build camaraderie and necessary team dynamics. This is that week. I have asked five leaders, all of whom carry God’s heart for America, to do this week’s GH15 posts for me. They’re all OUTSTANDING! Today’s, by our friend Cheryl Sacks, is strategic and extremely important. She and her husband, Hal, are incredibly gifted prayer leaders for the entire state of Arizona, and Cheryl is also a great writer. (Do yourself a favor and read her books! You’ll find a link at the end of today’s post.) Their insights on prayer, revival, and impacting young people - including mentoring them as leaders - are second to none! If you follow the GH15 posts regularly, you’ll know of my passion for young people. Today’s post challenges and instructs us regarding prayer and action for this generation, which satan has so ruthlessly targeted. We must not lose this battle! Here is what Cheryl has to say: __________________________ The Crisis in Our Schools: “It’s Time to Speak Up and Step In!” Across the nation, a wave of fervent prayer for our schools is rising like never before. But what’s unprecedented is the extent to which intercessors are also “putting feet” to their prayers. This past school year, record numbers of parents showed up to speak out at city councils and school board meetings, joined education action groups, or ran for office. And, for the first time ever, the crisis in our classrooms is superseding political affiliations and uniting fathers, mothers, and grandparents. Concerned parents and grandparents are running for every position, from mayor to governor, in order to protect children and the rights of parents to know what is happening in their children’s classrooms. Politicians, school board members, and school officials who are not listening to their concerns are being removed from their positions and voted out of office. In Virginia, school administrators refused to talk to parents upset by pornographic and sexually explicit material in public school libraries! Then-governor Terry McAuliffe stated in response, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” This cost him the governor’s mansion. In Wisconsin, the Eau Claire Area School District was recently sued in federal court by parents objecting to school policies that promote students’ gender transitioning without the notification or involvement of their parents! Shockingly, the district’s official Gender Support Plan states: “Remember, parents are not entitled to know their kid’s identities. That knowledge must be earned . . . we must not act as stand-ins for oppressive ideas/behaviors/attitudes, even and especially if that oppression is coming from parents.”[1] One mother in the Phoenix area spoke out and stepped up in a dramatic way. Dressed as a cat, she addressed her local school board meeting and voiced her concerns about a male school board member who was dressing in his deceased wife’s clothing and identifying as a woman. The mom asked the parents and members of the school board who were attending the meeting whether they would address her as a cat if she identified as one. “Wearing ears, whiskers, and a tail does not make me a cat; neither does wearing lipstick and a skirt make this man a woman,” she pointed out. Her efforts paid off. She later received a surprising amount of community support after confronting the school board. Ultimately, the male school board member was removed from his post.[2] Now, that’s not to say concerned parents should show up at school board meetings dressed as a cat. However, if we don’t speak up and step in to push back against ungodly, destructive values in our schools, those with evil intent—who are pushing harmful agendas upon our children—will speak up, step in, and prevail. Do you think these destructive efforts against our children can’t happen in your school district? Chances are, they already have. Of course, we need to pray. Prayer should always be our first response, not our last resort. But often, as we intercede, God will call us to be the answer to our own prayers. Prayer will open up the way, but someone must come in and “occupy” the territory (physical or spiritual) for which we are praying. We must do more than fight a few battles; we must be present inside of, and bring godly values into, the places we want to see transformed. This is what God told Joshua when he was getting ready to lead the people to go in and take possession of the land God had promised them. God told Joshua, “Every place where you set your foot will be yours.” We praise God for the victories already won as believers around our nation have stepped into the fray and taken back territory for God’s Kingdom. For example, just recently, in a significant “religious freedom” decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, the high court ruled six to three that a public high school in Washington State violated Coach Joe Kennedy’s rights when he was disciplined and ultimately fired for taking a knee and praying quietly at the 50-yard line after football games. A lawsuit followed, and seven years later, our nation’s highest court agreed with our U.S. Constitution that Kennedy’s religious rights had been violated.[3] This decision importantly corrects the mistaken impression of many that religious speech and actions must be suppressed to avoid the First Amendment’s prohibition of “establishment of religion.” The majority opinion, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch says, “That reasoning was misguided.” This ruling should give hope and encouragement to Christian employees of our public schools, clarifying a First Amendment issue that has troubled our education system for decades. It will, for example, protect teachers who bow their heads to give thanks over their lunch in the cafeteria or wear a cross around their neck. The Supreme Court’s majority opinion mentioned those examples specifically. This ruling would also apply to students who wish to pray at sporting events or on school campuses, on their own time, or who desire to place a Christian sticker on their backpack or binder. We can rejoice in this tremendous victory to uphold religious liberty in our public schools on behalf of believers—parents, students, teachers, coaches, administrators, support staff, and concerned citizens alike—who are “speaking up and stepping in.” This results not only from excellent legal representation and the application of godly justice by the Supreme Court, but because of the concerted, fervent intercession of the Body of Christ—which, in Coach Kennedy’s case, persevered for over seven years as his lawsuit made its way through the courts! Let’s continue to intercede together and reclaim this young generation. Our prayers are making an incredible difference. Praise God! But we must not only pray for our schools; we need to “speak up and step in”! The Church is not supposed to be a “holy huddle”—rather, we are called to be agents of societal transformation. One primary way we do this is by using the spiritual authority we’ve been given in prayer, declaration, and godly action. Where followers of Jesus are absent, a vacuum is created. If the Church doesn’t get involved on both a spiritual and practical level, this vacuum will surely be filled by the philosophies and values of the world. Pray with me: Lord, we fervently cry out to You to activate Your Church. Open our eyes to see what is really going on in our children’s classrooms. Awaken Your people to get involved in the concerns and governance of our schools by voting, attending board meetings, and serving as board members! Make us “salt and light” to our local communities, and help us take responsibility for our young people and our schools, in Jesus’ name. Our decree: We declare that God’s Church is rising up into her calling as the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities and schools. In the authority of Jesus Christ, we break the power of the spirit of apathy, and decree an awakening over God’s people that will release them into passionate prayer and effective involvement in the concern and governance of our nation’s schools, for the glory of God! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Cheryl Sacks is the author of Reclaim a Generation, 21 Days of Prayer for Schools available at prayershop.org. Her newest book, Fire on the Family Altar: Experience the Holy Spirit’s Power in Your Home, available at Amazon.com, is a handbook to ignite revival fire in your home and nation and disciple the next generation to be reformers of culture. You can learn more about Cheryl and her husband Hal’s work at bridgebuilders.net. [1] Sam Shilts, ”Parent Group Files Lawsuit Against Eau Claire School District Over Gender Identity Policy, News8000.com, September 7, 2022, updated January 24, 2023. [2] “Mom Dresses Up As a Cat at a School Board Meeting to Prove a Point,” https:youtube.com; December 15, 2022. Stephen M Lepore, ‘I’m a cat. Meow, meow: Mom dresses as a CAT and says she identifies as one in protest over trans school board member who ‘wears his deceased wife’s clothing in front of school kids,’ Dailymail.com, updated December 16, 2022. [3] Ron Blitzer, “Coach Joe Kennedy Celebrates Supreme Court Win,” Fox News, June 27, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/coach -joe -kennedy-celebrates -victory-supreme-court.

All of our DSM staff work remotely, with the exception of the product department, and do so from 4 states. This has worked well, both for them and the ministry. Since we are rarely together, we have a week-long retreat each year to build camaraderie and necessary team dynamics. This is that week. I have asked five leaders, all of whom carry God’s heart for America, to share this week’s GH15 posts for me. They are all OUTSTANDING! Today’s is by our good friend, Gene Bailey, a true patriot and host of the powerful program, Flashpoint, seen on The Victory Channel. Gene paints a clear picture of America’s roots, destiny, and current condition. His faith-filled challenge and powerful decree to see America restored will stir Flashpoint of Revival is one of the best! As always, you’ll find out more about Gene at the end of today’s post, as well as info regarding his book. ________________________________ Needed: Patriots of Faith Welcome to Give Him 15. I’m Gene Bailey, and I am truly honored to bring you today’s post. Today in America, we face evil as no generation before us has ever encountered. Sure, many generations have encountered evil outside our borders. But this evil is from within. Freedom in America has never been more at risk. Let’s rewind a few years. The day was January 5, 1967. As Ronald Reagan began to deliver his inaugural address, he immediately spoke of freedom. Let me quote a famous portion from that speech: “Perhaps you and I have lived too long with this miracle to properly be appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing, and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended CONSTANTLY by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”...(1) Those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have NEVER KNOWN IT AGAIN. Many Americans, as well as many elected officials, have lost the importance of the founding documents our country was founded upon. And at the core of every document is freedom. On April 29, 1607, Robert Hunt landed on a beach in Virginia we now call Cape Henry. He instructed the landing party to cut out a portion of the ship’s beams from the hull. Notice the commitment level here. Cutting pieces out of your ship is not exactly a good thing to do. Yet they did it. The landing party took those timbers and erected a cross and drove it into the beachhead proclaiming this land for God; for freedom. From that day to this, America has been blessed in many ways, but has also seen her share of peril, trauma, and turmoil. For over four hundred years, we’ve traveled a difficult road. We’ve produced documents of faith and freedom like the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence, reiterating that we are a people who seek to follow God. Still, at times we’ve been more divided than we’ve been united. But God has always had a remnant—a praying people whose hearts He has gripped, who have taken their place working with Holy Spirit, to see that America stayed on track with His purposes. Today, God is gripping the hearts of people who are willing to work with Holy Spirit in this hour and follow Him into a tremendous last-days harvest. Our nation’s values have seemingly been usurped by the devil’s own agenda. Chaos and contention are raging. Evil has raised its ugly head, seeking to silence, discredit, and dismantle the greatest threat to the accomplishment of his schemes—the awakened Church. We don’t see anyone in government standing up and drafting a document like the Mayflower Compact. Quite the opposite. Those in positions of greatest power are using propaganda to promote a socialist, anti-God worldview. Our cries for revival may seem to be drowned out by the loud evil agendas of hatred and control. We know God heard Robert Hunt and his men on April 29, 1607, as they declared that this nation belonged to Him. He took them seriously. He hasn’t forgotten. Know this: God is not in a panic, trying to come up with a response to the evil that has been unleashed in America. Long before this chaos began, He was already positioning His “Mordecais” and His “Esthers” for such a time as this. His redemptive plan for America is already set into motion. As we respond to God and take our places, we will see His plan trump the enemy’s schemes. Though it sometimes seems like evil is winning, it’s not too late for our country. God has not stopped paying attention to America—He is very much at work. Let’s be sure we don’t fall back to sleep and miss the opportunities He’s setting before us! What we see raging in our nation cannot be understood by carnal thinking because It’s not carnal; it’s spiritual. It’s not about Republican or Democrat; it’s not about race or gender—it’s about good and evil. There are principalities and hordes of demonic spirits that are attempting to dismantle America’s righteous foundation and destroy her God-given identity. But take heart—God still has a remnant, and we’re seeing it arise! This is not a time for weak-willed Christians. This is no time to back down from the truth—we have to be strong enough not to cave into the pressure of the world around us. The local church is meant to be a training ground that gives us this strength and equips us for the war we are facing. Mylon LeFevre tells the story of being in Army boot camp and seeing some of the recruits daydreaming and even napping during hand-grenade training. Can you imagine?! But in a similar fashion, we’ve sat in church and listened to the Word preached for years, maybe daydreaming or napping, not realizing that that Word was our “hand-grenade” for life-and-death situations…like now! The good news is, it’s not too late. As we determine to take a bold and committed stand against godless, lawless agendas, we must first remember that our battle is not against people, but against evil principalities. We’ve been supplied with supernatural weapons that are mighty through God for the pulling down of every stronghold and casting down every argument and every high thing that seeks to exalt itself against the knowledge God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5). America is not lost. But we are going to have to fight for it, alongside people you don’t totally agree with—even the ones sitting next to you at church. I’m not saying we should agree with heresy or follow unbiblical and ungodly teaching—I’m saying we have to be willing to see things differently, including each other. God has designed us to need each other! None of us can do this all alone. If we want to fix America, then it's up to the Church to bring revival to the streets. Our decree today is the Watchman Decree. My wife Teri and I, along with Dutch and Ceci Sheets and Hank and Brenda Kunneman, all had a part in writing this. As a Patriot of Faith, I attest my allegiance first and foremost, to the Kingdom of God and the Great Commission. Secondly, I agree to be a watchman over our nation concerning its people and their rights for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Whereas we, the Church, are God’s governing body on the earth. Whereas we have been given legal power from Heaven and now exercise our authority. Whereas we are God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the earth. Whereas through the power of God, we are the world influencers. Whereas because of our covenant with God, we are equipped and delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy. We make our declarations: We decree that America’s Executive Branch of Government will honor God and defend the Constitution. We decree that our Legislative Branch (Congress) will write only laws that are righteous and Constitutional. We decree that our Judicial System will issue rulings that are Biblical and Constitutional. We declare that we stand against wokeness, the occult, and every evil attempt against our nation. We declare, and we now take back our God-given freedoms, according to our Constitution. We declare that we take back influence at the local level in our communities. We decree that we take back and permanently control positions of influence and leadership in each of the *Seven Mountains. We decree that the blood of Jesus covers and protects our nation. It protects and separates us for God. We declare that our nation is energy independent. We declare that America is strong spiritually, financially, militarily, and technologically. We decree that evil carries no power, authority, or rights in our land nor over our people. We decree that we will operate in unity, going beyond denominational lines in order to accomplish the purposes of God for our nation. And we decree that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED! (*The Seven Mountain of cultural influence are: family, religion, government, business, education, arts and entertainment, and media) Thank you for joining me today. Portions of today’s post are from my book FlashPoint of Revival. Click on the below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by our friend Gene Bailey. Gene serves as Senior Executive Pastor of Eagle Mountain Church International and hosts Flashpoint and Revival TV on the Victory Channel. You can learn more about Gene and find his book Flashpoint of Revival at GeneBailey.com ______________________________ https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/january-5-1967-inaugural-address-public-ceremony

Pursue, Overtake, and Recover All All of our DSM staff work remotely, with the exception of the product department, and do so from 4 states. This has worked well, both for them and the ministry. Since we are rarely together, we have a week-long retreat each year to build camaraderie and necessary team dynamics. This is that week. I have asked five leaders, all of whom carry God’s heart for America, to share this week’s GH15 posts for me. Please trust me when I say: each post is OUTSTANDING!!! Today's is by Jane Hamon, without question, one of the leading prophetic voices on the earth. Jane shares a powerful dream and teaching on recovering what satan has stolen from us. Further insights regarding dreams and hearing God’s voice can be found in her extraordinary book Discernment: An Essential Guide to Hearing the Voice of God. I highly recommend it. We have provided a link to Jane’s ministry at the end of today’s post. Enjoy! ___________________________ It’s such an honor to fill in for my dear friend, Dutch Sheets, on Give Him 15. This has become a vehicle for discipling a nation and has had a powerful impact on the lives of millions of believers. Bless you, Dutch and Ceci, as you get some well-deserved rest. Tom and I were recently on vacation in the south of France. We were wandering around a farmers market, going from stall to stall of fruits, veggies, and flowers. I had on a cross-body purse which I kept a firm hand on; however, for a moment, I became distracted and reached for one of the products on display. Suddenly someone brushed up against me, and I felt my purse being unzipped. I quickly grabbed my purse and looked around. Two women were walking close beside me acting like nothing had happened. Before I knew it, a very large man came up behind these women and started screaming. He hit one woman in the head, and the women took off running. The man ran after them, screaming at them in French, obviously confronting them for trying to pick my pocket. The thieves got away but were unsuccessful in taking my money from me. How many times has the enemy picked our pockets and stolen from us while we have been distracted by things going on around us? Jesus warned us in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” Clearly, a thief is prowling around seeking to steal our finances, our health, our families, our peace, and our divine purpose. He seeks to kill our hopes and dreams. He is determined to destroy the destiny of nations and generations. As I prayed about this, I heard the Lord say, “The thieves did not succeed with you, nor will they succeed with my discerning ekklesia. Like the man that pursued the thieves, I am issuing a call to arms for my people to discern the spirit of robbery, and like David at Ziklag, to pursue, overtake and recover all. It’s time for my people to rise up and fight for their families and their land.” To define “call to arms” it means, “a call to engage in active hostilities; to prepare for confrontation; a demand for a group of people to fight against an enemy; a command to report for active military duty; an appeal to fight or engage in a conflict; a battle cry. This is not a time to be passive spectators but active participators in the spiritual battle for our nation. There’s an army rising up! Several years ago, I had a vision of a boxing ring. Inside the ring were two demonic spirits named The Devourer and The Destroyer. They were not fighting each other but rather were dancing around the ring, yelling at the assembled crowd, and looking for an opponent. It was much like Goliath mocked and taunted Israel saying, “Who is going to fight me?” These demons were jeering at the crowd of people, mocking them and their Christ and daring someone to step into the ring with them. As I looked at the crowd, I knew most of the people were strong believers and leaders who seemed mesmerized by what was being said. No one moved. No one stepped up. This seemed unusual because these people were real fighters who never backed down when the enemy was present. What was going on? As I watched, I thought, “Why doesn’t someone get in the ring and knock their heads off and make them be quiet?” Then I saw the reason. When boxers get in the ring, they often wear robes on their shoulders with their names written on the back. These demons had robes draped across their shoulders; however, rather than their names, these words were written: “This is just life.” I heard the Voice of the Lord say, “Tell the people, no! This is not just life! It’s not “just life” that my people struggle financially during a bad economy. It’s not “just life” when your children go into rebellion when they go to college. It’s not “just life” when you get older your body breaks down, and you become vulnerable to sickness and disease. It is not “just life” that your nation is being swallowed up by wrong ideologies. These are the works of the Devourer and the Destroyer. Rise up and fight back in the spirit and recover all they have stolen.” Now is the time to catch the thief and take back all he has taken from us! Lives are at stake. Nations hang in the balance waiting for the people of God to rise up and fight back through prayers, decrees, and prophetic acts. We see a biblical depiction of this in 2 Kings 8:1-6 in the story of the Shunammite woman recovering her house and her land. This is the same woman who received a miracle through the words of the prophet, Elisha, and bore a son after many years of barrenness (2 Kings 4:8-17). Years later, when the boy was a teen, he fell over dead. This woman, full of faith, cried out to the prophet, made an appeal, and saw her son raised from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-37). Several chapters later, the prophet told the woman there would be a drought in the land and to take her son and go live elsewhere for a few years. She was gone seven full years, during which time someone else moved into her house and took possession of her land. To be clear, it belonged to her. She obeyed the prophet. But the robber saw an opportunity and took it. She could have just said, “Oh well, this is life! After all, I was gone for seven years. I understand how that can happen.” No! She did not accept the “this is just life” lie. She didn’t accept it when her son dropped dead years before, and she wouldn’t accept it now. 2 Kings 8:3,6 tells us what happened next: “It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and her land…. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.” Notice, she made an appeal for both her house and her land. This is the position of the Ekklesia today. We need to contend for our own house: our families, finances, health, etc. But we also need to contend for our land, our territory, and our nation. It’s not an either/or situation. It is both/and. We need to rise up and boldly come before the throne of grace to make our appeal to the king, an appeal to heaven for full recovery. We must open our mouths to pray, decree, and prophesy The king’s decree was to restore all. The Shunammite was not just going to get her house and land back; she was to receive a full recovery, sevenfold, of all that should have been hers from the time she left the land until that day. To ensure she got back everything, the king appointed a certain officer to assist her and enforce the restoration. This is the picture of God sending angelic hosts from His throne to war for our families, the church, and our nation. Pray with me: Lord, give me eyes to see everything the thief has stolen from me, my family, and my nation. I repent of the “this is just life” passivity and commit to answering your call to arms. I will pursue, overtake and recover all the thief has robbed from me, my house, and my land. In Jesus’ name. Our decree: I decree angels are being sent to bring a sevenfold restoration of all that has been stolen. Prodigals are coming home, property is being restored, and America will recover her destiny and once again be a shining light to the nations. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was contributed by Dr. Jane Hamon. Jane is a gifted teacher and storyteller, and has written five insightful books, including Discernment: An Essential Guide to Hearing the Voice of God. You can find out more about Jane at TomAndJaneHamon.com.

Salty and Bright In what we call The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). My friend, Dwain Miller, said regarding this passage: “We lost our seasoning ability (saltiness) by not embracing our calling and responsibility as the Ekklesia. When we do embrace it, we prevent corruption in society, even as salt prevents corruption when it is used to preserve food. Each of us has a sphere of authority given to us by God, in which we must release our influence as the Ekklesia: our families, cities, and other areas of responsibility. However, the world has come to a place where they expect the church to function only in the realm of empathy and sympathy. They become nervous when we step out into our responsibility as the Ekklesia of God. The devil does not like us moving into the secular realm with Christ’s authority. That’s when things get stirred up, kingdom clashes occur. “If we simply feed the hungry and clothe the poor, we are accepted. The church needs to do those things, yes, but we also need to use our authority against the dark structures holding people in that bondage of poverty. We need to release them spiritually to become everything God created them to be. When we do so, however, we stir up conflict in both the spiritual and earthly realms.” Shockingly, the Pharisees didn’t approve of Jesus healing people and delivering sinners. He healed a blind man in John 9; they didn’t like it. He forgave a lady of adultery in John 8; they didn’t like this either. The apostles healed a lame man in Acts 3, which also drew their ire. Why would kind, compassionate acts so upset the antichrist crowd? Because the authority the Ekklesia moved in verified a message they didn’t like and caused the hearts of people to turn to Christ. The works of the church weakened Christ’s enemies and strengthened the church. It is no different today. As the Ekklesia moves into society saving the lost, healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons, we’ll be persecuted by the religious and political. When we release kingdom strategies for systemic societal problems, we have been and will be attacked. And most assuredly, when we carry our moral convictions into government arenas, those who disagree with us become irate. They think we’re so clueless we can’t see their hypocrisy: they can take their beliefs and moral values - or lake thereof - into government, education, sports, media, etc., but we’re not supposed to. Their decree: “No free speech for Christians and conservatives. No voice. Just go to your churches once a week and be quiet everywhere else.” They accuse us of what they do: forcing their beliefs on others. In reality, we don’t operate in tyranny; they do. Jesus, our Leader, said our method would be to speak truth, be salt and release light. We must be prepared for the confrontations and accusations we will face with the religious and political spirits operating in our time. When the Pharisees and Sadducees had seen to it that Jesus was crucified, they thought they had finally rid themselves of the threat to their power. Many people had been following Jesus and causing them no end of troubles. We can imagine the religious leaders brushing their hands together after Christ was sealed in the tomb, boasting to one another, “Well, we took care of that problem!” Their problems had only just begun! In Acts 2, the outpouring of Holy Spirit occurred. The church had a holy boldness deposited in them by the Spirit of God, and were unstoppable! They realized jail, imprisonment, and beatings would be the result of telling others about Jesus. But they did so anyway, preaching an uncompromising message and refusing to water it down, unafraid of who would be listening. Salt. Light. Miracles began taking place, and they preached boldly. Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” This terrified the religious leaders. They had control over the people, having actually developed an antiChrist system in order to maintain this control. They operated in tyranny, lies, and wickedness. Now, their problem was exacerbated. There was no longer only one Jesus to deal with. Increasing numbers of people were carrying Christ within, being baptized in the Holy Spirit, speaking a clear, biblical message and performing miracles. And the church was multiplying. In Acts 5:12, it says, “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.” Salt. Light. The response of the Pharisees and Sadducees to all this was to throw the apostles in prison. But the Lord sent an angel in the night to open the prison doors and deliver them. Nothing could stop the early Ekklesia, for God was with them. The religious, political spirit wanted to silence the Christians. No voice! But the demonicly empowered opposition discovered that a greater power was in the Christ-followers, and it could not be stopped! This is where we are today. We have entered an Acts 4 and 5 season; Holy Spirit’s anointing and authority is growing in us, restoring our saltiness, our preserving and seasoning ability. I believe Christ likes the sound of clashing kingdoms; it means we are advancing His kingdom in the earth. A wise Pharisee named Gamaliel said in Acts 5:38-39 (NKJV), “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” There could be no more appropriate verse for those currently leading our nation and those vomiting their filth into our schools and airwaves. Darkness hates light - always has and always will - and spoiling bacteria hates salt. The next time you see these forces manifest, remember, the Pharisees knashed (ground) their teeth in rage toward Stephen, shouted loudly, and covered their wars before stoning him (Acts 7:54-60). Don’t be surprised when those who hate God’s ways, hate you. Stay salty, and stay bright. Pray with me: Father, You are raising up a salty and shining Ekklesia on the earth. We are grieved by what is happening around us, with America’s spiritual demise, but we are not discouraged. You have increased our revelation and we know Holy Spirit is filling us with the fullness of Your authority, grace, and strength. Lord, we thank You that the rising Ekklesia is maturing into greater and greater authority. We purpose to function with maturity in all You have created us to do and be. We loose this powerful identity shift to all in the church who will receive it. We will not allow Your enemies to define us or our boundaries. We will do and say all You have called us to manifest. We’ll do so in love for that is Your nature, but we will do it. We pledge to be salt and light, and to make America once again a city on a hill, not darkness in a tomb. We want You to be glorified and made manifest through the activities of Your Ekklesia. We pray that the Ekklesia (the church) will arise and go forth in dunamis power, just as the early Ekklesia did. We have been given the keys to Your Kingdom resources. We will use those keys and, as You instructed us, declare, “Kingdom of God, Come! Will of God, be done in and through us.” We resist fear and ask for boldness, as the early church also did. And we ask for the great grace, great power, great miracles, and great results they received. We declare this to be so in the name of our King, Jesus! Today’s decree: We declare that God has and is gracing the Ekklesia in America to be salt and light, fearless and bold, as we expand His Kingdom into every dark place! Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Turning the World Right Side Up If you follow the 15s regularly or read any of my books, you know I love to study the meanings of Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture. Seeing different definitions, nuances, and uses of a word expands my understanding of what is being said. Also, in some instances, there are multiple Greek words for one English word. For example, there are at least three different Greek words for “time.” One word (chronos)(1) means time in a general sense, as in chronology; another word (kairos)(2) means a strategic or opportune time, and still another (horaios)(3) means the right time. When we do not know which of these words is used, we cannot fully understand what is being said. Ephesians 6:18 exemplifies this. The verse tells us to “pray at all times.” The word used, however, is kairos, strategic or opportune times. We aren’t being told to pray “all the time,” though many interpret the verse in this way. The passage begins by describing the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged, then speaks of our armor and weapons. Finally, verse 18 then tells that, like all good soldiers, we must “be on the alert” for one another, watching for satan’s strategically timed attacks against our fellow soldiers. When we discern them, we must pray at that strategic time! The verse speaks of well-timed intercession against satan’s well-timed attacks. This is also the meaning of Hebrews 4:16, which tells us to boldly approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy in times of need. Time is kairos, meaning “well-timed” help. The Amplified Bible says, “Well-timed help, coming just when we need it.” With this explanation, the importance of knowing which word is used for “time” can easily be seen. Another subject in which this differentiation of words is important has to do with our spiritual maturity. There are at least four Greek words for a daughter or son, each depicting a different level of maturity. Nepios(4) means “no speech” and refers to an infant or baby; a paidion(5) is a toddler or young child; and a teknon(6) is a teenager or young adult. Finally, a huios(7) is a fully matured “son.” (Spiritually speaking, huios is not gender-based; just as a male can be part of Christ’s “bride,” females can be a fully matured “son.”) In Christ’s day, when a child matured and had been adequately trained, they were “placed” into “sonship.” For this important transition, a public ceremony called a huiothesia(8) was held. This word literally means “placed as a son.” It was different than a bar mitzvah ceremony and normally occurred at 30 years of age. The father of the child would invite members of the community to this event, for it was a public announcement that the child was now a fully mature son with full authority to represent the family name, business, etc. During the ceremony, the father would announce, “This is my beloved son (huios), in whom I am well pleased.” This is why Father God spoke these words at Christ’s baptism (Mark 1:11); He was declaring that Christ was fully authorized to speak for Him and conduct His business. It was Christ’s huiothesia. Huiothesia is usually translated “adoption as sons” in the New Testament. Technically, however, the word isn’t saying we are being adopted into God’s family. It is saying that as His children, already in the family, we are being positioned or placed into “sonship.” God’s plan is to mature us from spiritual babies to mature sons and daughters, qualified to fully represent Him. This understanding is important in Romans 8. The chapter tells us that as God’s children, we have all the rights, blessings, and privileges of being in His family. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children (teknon) of God, and if children (teknon), heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:16-17; NASB). However, the passage makes an important distinction between children and sons, saying that “sons” (huios) of God are led by His Spirit. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (huios) of God” (Romans 8:14; NASB). Many of God’s kids are not yet led by Holy Spirit. Though they have access to His blessings, they are not mature enough to know His voice and ways. Children have rights and benefits; sons possess authority. The passage goes on to say that creation is groaning and travailing, waiting for the revealing of the “sons” of God - NOT His children (verse 19). The children of God cannot bring healing to the earth; only mature sons and daughters, those led by Holy Spirit, can do so. Obviously, a time of complete healing and restoration will one day come to the earth, just as a full manifestation of our sonship will one day occur. But as Christ’s Ekklesia, we are to manifest a level of this sonship now, representing His spiritual authority and releasing His healing to a groaning earth. I am confident that God has matured a company of believers throughout the earth into their “sonship” stage. Like David’s mighty men, whom we spoke of in yesterday’s post, they have grown in wisdom and knowledge. No longer spiritual babies or children, these believers have matured to a point where they can be trusted with Christ’s authority. As mature sons and daughters, they will bring salvation, healing, and restoration to impoverished nations, teaching them to prosper. They’ll transform governments, education, economies, medicine, farming, and more. They will be healers of decimated cities and nations (Isaiah 58:12), deliverers of the oppressed and downtrodden (Luke 4:18-19). This is all part of the discipling of nations we were commissioned to in Matthew 28:18-20. Although we are moving into an era of tremendous warfare on the earth, with evil increasing and manifesting in many ways, God has a people prepared to accomplish His will. We must not fear but stand boldly in his name, releasing His kingdom authority and salvation. We are His healers and deliverers. We must move in humility, but also in power. We must operate in love, but also in authority. We are ambassadors of the King of kings, and this can be our finest hour. Pray with me: Father, we are a people called for such a time as this. You have prepared the Ekklesia to accomplish Your purposes in the earth. Though at times, in our human-ness we feel inadequate as we see the evil abounding in the earth, may we always be reminded that Your grace abounds even more. Keep us reminded that we are equipped for this battle, not from our own strengths and gifts, but because of the Greater One in us and Christ’s authority upon us. We join our hearts as a great prayer army, agreeing in intercession for the church. We ask for a high level of revelation to be released in Your people that will awaken us to our calling and equipping. Make this revelation as powerful for us as it was for Peter, who only weeks after denying Christ, stepped into the fullness of his apostleship and authority. Bring revelation of Holy Spirit’s transforming power, of the incredible reality that He resides within us. Through His holy presence in us, we truly are more than conquerors, and can do all things through Christ. Pour out Your Spirit. Awaken Your spiritual army. Cause us, Your sons and daughters, to realize our authority and position in Christ. Infuse us with new levels of humility, love, faith, boldness, and discernment. Do these things with such strength that we, like the early Ekklesia, turn our world “right side up.” Our decree: We decree that sons and daughters of the Most High God are stepping into the fullness of their destiny. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5550. Ibid. Ref. no. 2540. Ibid. Ref. no. 5611. Ibid. Ref. no. 3516. Ibid. Ref. no. 3813. Ibid. Ref. no. 5043. Ibid. Ref. no. 5207. Ibid. Ref. no. 5206.

David’s Elite Fighting Force “So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented and bitter gathered to him, and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.” (1Samuel 22:1-2; NASB) Holy Spirit led me to speak from this passage last weekend at Chuck Pierce’s Pentecost gathering. These verses speak of the beginning of David’s preparation to be king over Israel, and of the beginning of his elite fighting force, referred to in Scripture as “David’s mighty men.” Some historians consider this the most skilled group of fighting men in history. This is obviously subjective and in no way intended to be a slight to the great warriors that have existed throughout history. It is simply to point out what an incredible fighting force they were. It is important to know the context of these verses. David had recently been anointed as the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:12-13). At the time, He had no idea of the process that would occur to prepare him, a process that would take 20 years! This is true with most of us when we hear prophetic words. We assume they will happen relatively quickly and, indeed, some do. At times, however, God is announcing His plans for down the road…sometimes many roads. The current king, Saul, had no intention of allowing David to take his position. To stop it, he turned against David, no doubt motivated by demonic spirits that controlled him. Saul was insanely jealous and eventually even became a murderer, killing priests of God (1 Samuel 22:16-19) and attempting to murder David (1 Samuel 18:11; 19:1). Due to these attacks, David had to flee. He landed in a cave named Adullam. God used these years of David’s life to prepare him. In no way am I suggesting God was behind these attacks on David or the evil that overtook Saul. I’m merely pointing out that He used them as part of David’s preparation. David wrote several of the Psalms from this cave, learned to persevere and forgive, developed character and a high level of trust in God, grew in his ability to receive revelation and also in his wisdom. David also became a leader. It is not enough to be a slayer of bears, lions, and giants. Wielding a weapon is not as powerful as wielding wisdom. Fighting skills, though important for David, did not equate to wisdom, hearing from God, and leadership skills. The same is true for us. The ability to war spiritually against Satan’s forces, though very important, does not qualify us for other responsibilities in God’s kingdom. These will require different aspects of maturity. David’s Mighty Men Back to the context of these verses. Other outcasts joined themselves with David at the cave of Adullam. They were described as those in: Distress - the word also means “anguish, stress, disability, even confinement.” Their difficulties were so severe as to be disabling; they were completely trapped and confined by their circumstances. Debt - they had nothing and were poverty ridden. Bitter - this is actually two words in Hebrew, meaning literally, “bitter of soul.” Life had been cruel to them; they were down and out, in great anguish, trapped in poverty, and bitter at their plight. The passage says David became the “captain” of these 400 “losers,” or so they seemed. Here is what I believe Satan was likely saying to David: “You think you are the new king over God’s people? Okay, here is your army. Let’s see how you enjoy leading these hopeless, helpless misfits I have decimated.” Satan excels in his mocking attempts to discourage us and defer our hope, until it becomes debilitating and robs us of faith. God, however, was saying something else to David: “Look through My eyes, David - this IS your army. Do with them what I had to do with you. You were the youngest, the smallest, and the least respected in your family, but I saw what no one else could see and chose you to be king over Israel. You cannot see it with your natural eyes, but I have sent you world-class warriors. Love and lead them, and I will help you train them into the greatest fighting force the earth will ever see. And, by the way, you are not worthy of leading thousands in My Kingdom until you are willing to love and lead the 400 down-and-outers.” David passed the test. And so did the 400! Some of these warriors killed hundreds of enemy soldiers in single battles (2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Chronicles 11:11); one fought until he could no longer control his fingers, so he held on to his sword with his heart and kept fighting (2 Samuel 23:10). When the battle was over, they had to pry his fingers loose from the sword. Another warrior jumped into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion (1 Chronicles 11:22). “They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow…mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains” (1 Chronicles 12:2, 8; NASB). Over time, and as their numbers grew, they also developed spiritual gifts and anointings. It was said of the soldiers from the tribe of Issachar that they had understanding and discernment of the times to know what Israel should do (1 Chronicles 12:32). This was not stated in the context of the priesthood or government, but of David’s army! Talk about “intel”! Holy Spirit has been speaking to me, through “David’s mighty men,” about the prayer army He has created today. Honestly, we were far from impressive 30 years ago when He began. Go back 20 more years, and this army didn’t even exist! Intercessors were VERY “few and far between.” The church looked more like David’s cave-dwellers: poor, distressed, and holding on ‘til the rapture. But God saw something else - warriors at heart! And Jesus, the “Son of David,” went to work by His Spirit. He trained, restored gifts, equipped, seasoned, poured out revelation and increased wisdom. Many in His body have become a true Ekklesia - authorized representatives of His Kingdom authority on earth. No longer cave-dwelling outcasts, they are mighty men and women of faith, equipped for the spiritual battle of our times. These warriors have matured in His Word and ways, been filled with Holy Spirit, honed their gifts and discernment, learned to use their swords, and are ready to win the spiritual war now being waged. I say to this remnant of warriors: “Be strong in this hour! Our King is the true King over all the earth. He is Owner and Ruler of all, presiding over a Kingdom that will never cease, not only in its existence but also in its expansion (Isaiah 9:6-7). And He is coming to reap the harvest of the ages, pouring out the former and latter rains for harvest (Joel 2:23). You are ready for this! You have been trained and equipped! Now…be bold, strong, and fearless. Announce Christ’s victory and declare His harvest over the earth DAILY - over your families, cities, nations, and the earth! “YOU ARE HIS VOICE!” Pray with me: Father, thank You for showing us through David’s mighty men that our beginning condition does not dictate our end. You take those who are weak, poor, downtrodden, in anguish, disabled, bitter of soul, even steeped in sin and transform them by the power of Your Spirit. We see dry bones, You see an army. Thank You for allowing us to enlist. Thank You for the transforming work You have done in the church over the last 30 years. You have indeed raised up an Ekklesia the gates of hell cannot prevail against. Like David and his mighty men, You have made us ready for the giants. We can run through a troop and leap over a wall. Like Joshua and Caleb, we are well able to take the land. We declare now over the United States of America: Revival is coming to you! Revival is coming to your young people, their schools, their gangs, their hearts. Revival is coming to your streets, neighborhoods, churches, businesses, government, the military, the rich and poor, and every race. The exposing of evil ideologies, plans, and strategies will continue: government, its agencies, education, media - all exposing will continue. Their agendas will be exposed, their dishonesty will be seen for what it is, and a majority of Americans will continue to awaken to what is truly occurring. Holy Spirit will uncover! Angels will war on our behalf! The plans and purposes of Christ for our nation will be fully restored and accomplished! And we declare all this in His name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the army of God is ready and equipped for spiritual war, and will prevail in this hour. Click on the link below to watch the full video.