Answers to Prayer For the past three days, I have been sharing with you about the power of prayer, and learning about paga, the Hebrew word for intercession. Today, I’m going to share four stories with you about answered prayer. First John 5:14-15 tells us: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” Let these stories boost your faith and confidence. In her book, Miracles Happen When You Pray, Quin Sherrer shares the following testimony: “Prakash, a crusade worker in India, looked at the lifeless body of his son and felt his heart collapse with grief. “Prakash had been out in the field, sharing the gospel, when he received an urgent telegram from his wife. He rushed home and discovered that his son was nearly dead. They couldn’t afford an ambulance, so Prakash and his wife boarded a crowded bus and began the long journey to a hospital in a neighboring city. On the way, their son’s heart stopped beating. All the passengers on the bus gave him up for lost. “‘I felt as if a big bolt of lightning had struck my heart,’ Prakash said. ‘My sorrow knew no bounds, and my wife was fully immersed in tears.’ “But in the midst of the tragedy, faith filled his heart with renewed confidence and power. ‘The child is not dead, just sleeping,’ Prakash announced with boldness that made the passengers on the bus laugh as if he were insane. “Prakash immediately knelt down in the aisle of the bus and prayed over the body of his son. Ten minutes into his prayer, a pulse returned to the child’s body, and he opened his eyes. “The passengers were stunned. ‘Your God is truly great!’ they said in amazement. ‘Tell us about Him.’ “Rejoicing in God’s miraculous answer to his prayers, Prakash shared the Gospel with a captive audience.” (1) What a great story! I believe God will give us more signs and wonders that will, just as in this story, cause unbelievers to come to Christ. In their book Praying Prodigals Home, authors Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock share the following two stories: “At age 14, Dawn began showing signs of hostility toward my husband, her stepfather. Up until this time, she had called him Daddy and insisted on having her last name changed to his. But when she rebelled, she contacted the authorities at her school and told them she was going to run away if we didn’t allow her to live with her girlfriend and her family. “The court got involved, and I lost custody of her. She became a ward of the court, then was placed in a succession of foster homes. When we would see her in court, she would swear at us and make obscene gestures. It broke my heart to see her like this. “Because of her extreme hostility, the Child Protective Services suspected she’d been molested, and they thought my husband may have been the one who did it. Later we learned it was a friend’s 41-year-old father. “The eight months that Dawn was out of our home were nearly unbearable for me. I became desperate before God. On Mother’s Day Sunday in church, our pastor spoke of the woman with the issue of blood and how she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. That morning, in prayer, I pressed in and touched the hem of His garment - somehow, I knew God had heard my cry. Don’t ask me how; I just knew! I placed my daughter completely in God’s hands and trusted Him to bring about a miracle. “Shortly after that experience, God began turning the situation around through some amazing events. My husband chose to forgive Dawn for her rebellion, and our relationship with her was healed. Then the court returned custody to us. Considering all the circumstances, it had seemed impossible that our prodigal would ever return home. But God is faithful, and He restored our family. “Today Dawn is my best friend. When she was 24, my husband even got to adopt her. Only God could have put these broken pieces together again.” (2) And also, from Praying Prodigals Home: “For years, Evelyn had prayed Scripture prayers for her children. After Ken left home and moved back East, Evelyn went to visit him. He had backslidden. She was deeply grieved by his attitude and lifestyle, and boarded the plane with a heavy heart for her return flight home. ‘“Sitting on the plane, I talked to the Lord about Ken. She said, ‘I prayed, “God, I know all the Scriptures that are there to stand on for my family, but I need something new and fresh so I can fight the good fight for my son to return to You.” “‘I opened up to Proverbs and began to read. Suddenly a verse seemed to leap off the page, and faith was born in my heart: “You can also be very sure that God will rescue the children of the godly” (Proverbs 11:21, TLB). I had never noticed that Scripture, but this was a Bible version I wasn’t accustomed to.”’ “She clung to God’s promise for 13 years that He would rescue her child. “‘God kept telling us we should talk to Him more about Ken and less to Ken about Him! Ken’s life was becoming deplorable, but we kept loving and praying. Eventually, he began to trust us not to preach to him or condemn him, and he would turn to us when he was hurting. Once, he called and was hinting for us to pray for him. Then one day, we had the courage to ask if we could pray for him, and he allowed us to. That was a real breakthrough.‘ “Evelyn and her husband prayed that God would send people into Ken’s life who would have a positive influence on him, and it happened. Ken met up with a former friend who was a Christian and eventually agreed to go to church with him. When he called home to tell his mom, she just listened, not wanting to overreact or offend him. A few days later, he called again and told her he’d attended another church service. He said he felt the Lord told him this was his last chance. At that point, he repented and returned to the Lord. “‘Finally, the day came when we were able to see our son,’ Evenlyn shared. ‘I’ll never forget the moment he rang the doorbell and I opened the door. There he stood, so visibly changed! Ken’s countenance, dark for so many years, now was lit up with that inward glow that only Jesus can give. Yes, our prodigal son had returned!” (3) And lastly, our dear friend, Beth Alves, who is now in Heaven, shared the following testimony of creating a boundary (paga) of protection with her prayers. And what a story it is! “An example of intercession in my own life involves a cousin I hadn’t seen in about ten years. I crawled out of bed in the middle of the night for a glass of water when a picture of my cousin canvassed my mind. Suddenly I dropped to my knees and began to cry out, ‘God, don’t let Mike move! Keep him still, Lord! Keep him still! Oh God, please don’t let him move! Hold him, Lord! Hold him!’ “Even though I was pleading on Mike’s behalf with my words, I remember thinking, This is really ridiculous. Why am I praying this? Then the words ceased. So I got up, drank a glass of water, and started back toward the bedroom. Again I fell to the floor and began to cry out with a grave sense of urgency. ‘Don’t let him move, God! Don’t let Mike move! Stay still! Stay still!’ The words came to an abrupt end. This time I thought, This must be a nightmare! “I had no feeling inside of me other than the feeling to pray. I got up and began to pace the floor, wondering what in the world that was all about. One more time, I took a few steps toward the bedroom when again I dropped to the floor. Only this time, I was yelling, ‘Get him up, Lord! Get him to run! Run, Mike! Lord, help him to run…run…run! Let him run, God! Run, run, run!’ After several minutes, a calm came over me, and I returned to bed for the night. “The following day, I called my aunt to see if she could help me put the pieces together about my puzzling outcries the night before. She informed me only that Mike was in Vietnam. The experience still made very little sense. “Finally, a month later, my aunt called to read a letter she had received. The letter told how Mike, who was a pilot, had been shot down; he and his parachute landed in a tree. He had been trained to get out of the area as quickly as possible, but explained that just a few hundred yards from the crash site, he fell into a bush. ‘Mom,’ he wrote, ‘it was like I was pinned down. I felt like somebody was sitting on me. The Vietcong came and were unknowingly standing on my pant leg while looking up at my parachute in the tree. They turned around and began to slash the bushes with their bayonets. It looked safe, so I started to get up and run when once again, I fell into the bush as though someone was pushing me. I lay there for a couple of minutes when suddenly I had the impulse to get up and run. I heard a helicopter, so I sprinted through the wooded area, following the direction of the noise, to an open space where I was whisked off to safety. The helicopter crew said they came in response to my beeper. And yet, it was damaged when I was shot down and wasn’t working!’” (4) Incredible! Today for our prayer and decree, I want to do something different. YOU pray your own prayer and release a decree for someone - a prodigal, or one who is struggling in life, or perhaps someone who needs a miracle. Call them by name, ask Holy Spirit to lead you, and trust Him to do so. I am going to turn off the camera and do the same. See you on Monday. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ___________________________________ Every Home for Christ Newsletter, Dick Eastman, president (Colorado Spring, Colorado, January 1995). Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, Praying Prodigals Home (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 2000), pp 63-64. Ibid. pp 47-49. Elizabeth Alves, Becoming A Prayer Warrior (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen Books, 1998, 2003) pp 29-30.

Connecting Heaven and Earth We’ve been talking about the Hebrew word for intercession, paga. Let’s review. Like most Hebrew words, paga represents more of a general concept, which can be applied to various scenarios. The concept of paga is of two or more people, places, or things meeting, coming together, for pretty much any reason. (1) Therefore, it is used in the context of: encounter, meet (in order to visit, request, attack, and more), land or light upon, boundaries (land joining or meeting), burdens being placed or laid upon someone,” and more. These meetings can even be by chance - “happening upon.” Paga is translated as “intercession,” not because it means asking or petitioning - it doesn’t - but because intercession is meeting with God, creates meetings between God and others, meets and attacks spiritual enemies, builds protective boundaries, etc. Looking at references where paga is used to describe various activities, regardless of the English word used to translate it, gives us different pictures of what intercession (paga) can accomplish. In the account of Jacob’s God encounter in Genesis 28:10-19, paga was used to describe Jacob “happening upon” Bethel. Yet, what was “by chance” to Jacob was not actually happenstance; God was directing him. A similar thing occurs when we intercede. God directs us and causes our intercession to “land upon” the right place or person, releasing blessings from heaven. If you did not see/hear the last two posts, consider checking them out. Several other significant truths can be seen through Jacob’s meeting (paga) at Bethel, valid pictures of what paga produces. I want to briefly mention four more of them today. The first is that through intercession, heaven and earth connect. In his dream at Bethel, Jacob saw a ladder extending from earth up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. The activity of heaven was being released to earth. Jesus told us to pray for this very thing when He taught us to ask for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven (see Matthew 6:10). Jacob said Bethel was “a gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17). He realized it had become an entry point for God’s will to penetrate earth. Paga creates gates to heaven through which God’s will can be released onto the earth. Secondly, through intercession, divine-human partnerships are formed. Not only did heaven and earth connect at Bethel, but God entered into the same partnership with Jacob that he had with Abraham: “I will bless you, and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). A part of our destiny as Christians is the privilege of partnering with God in helping others find their destinies. Intercession releases this. “When George McCluskey married and started a family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his kids to follow Christ. After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Every day between 11:00 a.m. and noon, he prayed for the next three generations. “As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives to Christ and married men who went into full-time ministry. The two couples produced four girls and one boy. Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a pastor. “The first two children born to this generation were both boys. Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the same college and became roommates. During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the ministry. The other didn’t. He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family legacy, but chose instead to pursue his interest in psychology. “He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents that became bestsellers. He also started a radio program heard on more than a thousand stations each day. The man’s name - James Dobson.” (2) That is the power of intercession, meeting with God on behalf of others. George McCluskey partnered with God in the place of intercession, and God’s destiny for James Dobson was realized. His ministry has indeed blessed millions of families on the earth. Thank God for the intercession of George McCluskey. Still, another important truth about paga is that it releases angelic activity. “And behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12). Thetus Tenney, in her book Prayer Takes Wings, relates a story about two men who were protected from harm through intercession and the intervention of angels: “Dave Wright and Eddy Wiese had attended a church service in Oklahoma and were flying home to Fort Worth, Texas, in a Beechcraft Bonanza plane. Alerted to the possibility of threatening weather, the believers in Oklahoma were covering them in prayer. As the men prepared to land, a strong downdraft caused the plane to collide with a power line and crash. The men ran to safety - amazingly, the only injury to them was a minor cut. When they looked back, expecting to see the plane explode, they saw two extremely large men dressed in grayish-white robes, hovering over the plane.” (3) Angels had been summoned through paga, intercession. Although the intercessors did not know the exact details of how to pray, Holy Spirit caused their prayers to hit the mark. The final picture of what occurred during Jacob’s paga encounter is the building of altars. “So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top” (Genesis 28:18). The word “pillar” could be translated as a memorial stone or a monument. In Old Testament times, altars were built not only as places of sacrifice, but also as memorials to mark and remember significant events. We do much the same today in building memorials at great battle sites or remembering great leaders. Joshua erected two memorials where he and Israel crossed the Jordan River into Canaan (see Joshua 4:8-9). Abraham built an altar to the Lord at Shechem, where God appeared to Him and promised him the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7). The prophet Samuel built a memorial near the town of Mizpah to mark a victory the Lord gave Israel over the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 7:12). He named the memorial Ebenezer, meaning “the stone of help,” and declared, “thus far the Lord has helped us.” How does this relate to us today? Are we supposed to build literal altars or memorials? That, of course, isn’t necessary. Yet we should build them in our hearts. I have many. When nagging doubts attack my mind, trying to convince me God will not come through in a particular situation, I revisit my Ebenezers. Quickly I declare as Samuel did, “Thus far, He has helped me.” Build some Ebenezers. As you live a life of intercession, meeting with God, creating meetings between Him and others, lighting on Bethels where destinies are shaped as heaven meets earth, or simply receiving personal help from your faithful Father, you’ll find appropriate places to erect Ebenezers. Build them strong enough to stand the test of time and tall enough to be seen from far away. Pray with me: Father, so few understand that we can be used to connect Heaven and Earth. And yet, how else could we possibly steward or manage the Earth for You, if not by releasing Heaven’s will and ways into it. Our King told us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done, on Earth as in Heaven!” If we could see the unseen spiritual realm, we would see that our prayers, worship, and decrees create gates and position “ladders” - entry points - for angels to enter earth’s realm. We determine to partner with You at a higher level. You want this and need it. You actually entrusted Christ, Your Son, and Earth’s redeemer, to the care of humans! You want and need partners here. We volunteer! Change Earth through us! We decree Your Kingdom power and will into the churches of America. We declare Your Kingdom authority over the ungodly government of America. Their rule cannot stand. They have built on sand and have no firm foundation. Now, send the winds and rain to tear down their evil strongholds. And we declare Your Kingdom rule over the children, youth, and young adults in America. They will be rescued by Holy Spirit and Heaven’s host. The Captain, the Head, the Owner of Earth has declared it, and we agree. We do and say all this in His name, for He is Yeshua. Our decree: We decree that our appeals are hitting the mark, creating meetings between God and Earth, opening heaven’s gates, and activating angels. Today’s post came from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________________ James Strong The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293. Edward K. Rowell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker,, 1997), 165. Thetus Tenney, Praying Takes Wings (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2000), 92.

Bullseye Yesterday, we discussed the Hebrew word for intercession, which is paga. Let’s review. Like many Hebrew words, paga represents more of a general concept that can be applied to various scenarios. The concept of paga is of two or more people, places or things meeting, coming together, for pretty much any reason. Therefore, it is used in the context of: encounter, meet (in order to visit, request, attack, and more), land or light upon, boundaries (land joining or meeting), burdens being placed or laid upon someone” (1) and more. These meetings can even occur by chance - “to happen upon.” Paga is translated as intercession, not because it means asking or petitioning - it doesn’t - but because intercession is meeting with God, creates meetings between God and others, meeting and attacking spiritual enemies, building boundaries of protection, etc. Looking at references where paga is used to describe various activities, regardless of the English word used to translate it, gives us different pictures of what intercession (paga) can accomplish. In the account of Jacob’s God-encounter in Genesis 28:10-19, paga was used to describe Jacob “happening upon” Bethel. Yet, what was “by chance” to Jacob was not actually happenstance; God was directing him. And there at Bethel, Yahweh's covenant with his grandfather, Abraham, was extended to Jacob. A similar thing happens when we intercede. God directs us and causes our intercession to “land upon” the right place or person, releasing the covenant of the Lord into the earth. Yesterday’s post contains much more; if you did not see/hear it, consider checking it out. Several other significant things can be seen in Jacob’s “meeting” at Bethel, which are valid pictures of what paga (intercession) produces. One of these is that God’s presence intensifies, and comes in greater strength. “Jacob declared in amazement, ‘The Lord is in this place…How awesome is this place’” (Genesis 28:16-17). In intercession (paga), an atmosphere is produced that is conducive for the presence of God. And, as Jacob said, God’s dwelling places are “awesome.” Several years back, I knew a pastor in Walla Walla, Washington. When preaching a powerful message in one of his services, a young, new Christian became so overwhelmed with the revelation he could no longer contain himself. Leaping to his feet, he began loudly exclaiming, “Awesome, dude! Awesome!” I’ve had a few “Amens!” and “Hallelujahs!” during my messages, but I’ve yet to receive an ‘Awesome, dude!’ I’m working on it. I’ve experienced many life-changing encounters with God during times of intercession. I recall a time years ago when I was with an unsaved friend who had done a lot of LSD, a hallucinogenic recreational drug used in the 70s. He began having a terrible flashback - a recurring effect of this dangerous drug, causing strange and sometimes terrifying hallucinations. As this occurred, he writhed uncontrollably, screaming and moaning in terror. Suddenly, faith and righteous indignation rose up in me, and I began to intercede for him. After only a few seconds of prayer, the flashback stopped suddenly, and great peace came over him. He described the hideous images He had been seeing, and how the sudden change came when I prayed. Then something unexpected occurred. God began ministering to me. His presence was thick and awesome as He spoke to me about the future ministry He was calling me to. This was in 1973, and the things He said to me have come to pass over the years. My “visit” with God took place, not in a church service or devotional time, but in a short session of intercession. When we involve ourselves in the unselfish ministry of interceding (paga) for someone, God rewards us with His presence, He meets (paga) with us. He always loves our company, but when we begin to represent His beloved Son, His Father-heart is stirred beyond His ability to resist. He responds, and ordinary places become awesome places. Many things can be said about the presence of God. In it, there is fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11), safety (see Psalm 91:1-2), light (see 1 Timothy 6:16), and pleasures forevermore (see Psalm 16:11). Actually, all that can be said about God can be said about His presence, and intercession - meeting with God - creates it. One of the fruits of His presence is what we discussed yesterday: precision and accuracy come to our prayers. Remember that paga can mean “landing upon or meeting by chance.” At times, we do not have enough wisdom, understanding, or insight to know exactly how to pray. Like Jacob here at Bethel, it’s almost as though we must “chance or happen upon” the right prayer. On these occasions, listen for Holy Spirit’s direction. He will help us, causing us to hit the mark. A few years ago, while teaching an Old Testament course at a Bible College in Dallas, Texas, a student from Israel raised his hand and, when called upon, gave me great encouragement. I had mentioned paga - intercession - and the fact that Holy Spirit helps us hit the mark in our prayers. Using Hebrew words can be somewhat intimidating when doing so in the presence of someone who speaks it as their first language. My initial thought was that Avi might correct me. I was pleasantly relieved when, instead, he informed me that still today, while target practicing in Israel, one of the words for “bull’s-eye” is paga! Imagine that! The biblical word for “intercession” actually means bulls-eye. God will do for us what He did for Jacob. When we “don’t know how to pray as we should” (Romans 8:26), He will help us hit the mark - the place - just as He did Jacob. I recall the story of Steve (not his real name), who was extremely ill with many different issues. Doctors could not solve the problems, and much prayer had been offered for Steve’s healing, also with no results. One day Holy Spirit quietly spoke to an intercessor praying for him: “The problem isn’t physical; it is spiritual. Steve has unforgiveness and bitterness toward an individual who wronged him. Encourage him to forgive and release that person.” Steve was able to do so, forgiving the person who had hurt him. The results were amazing! A process of healing began that didn’t stop until he was completely well. Paga…bull’s-eye…Holy Spirit accuracy. The intercessor had “chanced” upon the problem. What she didn’t know, Holy Spirit did know; and He caused her to “land upon” (paga) the solution. That is paga, Spirit-led intercession. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to end our prayers with “For Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory forever” (Matthew 6:13). The word “power” in this phrase also means “ability.” We have neither the inherent power nor the ability to accomplish what is needed in prayer. But our God does. Lean on Him for the ability to hit the mark. Pray with me: Father, just as You led Jacob to the right place, You sent Holy Spirit to lead us on our journey. Though we don’t always know what is needed in situations, He does, and has promised to help us. It is encouraging, Father, that the very word for intercession means “bullseye.” As we listen to Him, and also allow Him to pray through us, we will hit the mark. Today, I ask You that for those participating with me, intensify Your presence, Your glory, with them even now. Meet with them, minister to them. Heal their bodies, encourage their hearts, minds and emotions. Let assurance flood over them as they meet with You for others. And lastly, Father, we ask You to meet with our families; pour out Your Spirit on them. Meet with congregations, sending fire and power. Meet with our nation, cleansing and restoring it. And meet with other nations, sending awakening and transformation to them. We ask all of this in Christ’s powerful name and declare that Yours is the Kingdom, power and glory FOREVER! Amen. Our decree: We declare that we have ears to hear what Holy Spirit says to us. Therefore, we will hit the mark. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ James Strong The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293.

Supernatural Guidance The Hebrew word for intercession is paga. (1) Like many Hebrew words, paga represents more of a general concept, which can be applied to various scenarios. The concept of paga is of two or more people, places, or things meeting, coming together, for pretty much any reason. Therefore it is used in the context of: encounter, meet (in order to visit, request, attack, and more) land or light upon, boundaries (land joining or meeting), burdens being placed or laid upon someone,” and more. These meetings can even be by chance - “happening upon.” Paga is translated as “intercession,” not because it means asking or petitioning - it doesn’t - but because intercession is meeting with God, creates meetings between God and others, meets and attacks spiritual enemies, builds boundaries of protection, etc. Looking at references where paga is used to describe various activities, regardless of the English word used to translate it, gives us different pictures of what intercession (paga) can accomplish. This week we will look at a significant usage of paga in the life of Jacob. The context is loaded with insights into what can occur when intercession (paga) takes place. To understand this passage regarding Jacob, we must first look back at the life of Abraham, his grandfather. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3; NASB1995) This promise of blessing the world, of course, referred to Messiah coming from Abraham’s descendants. He was offered a partnership with God that would be used to save the world. After this agreement, Abraham began his journey of faith, as commanded. One of the first places he stopped was Bethel (v. 8), originally named Luz (Genesis 28:19). Bethel means “the house of God.” Abraham was no doubt led to this place by God - He didn’t even know where he was going when he left home. Yahweh had simply said, “Go forth…to the land which I will show you,” (v. 1). By leading Abraham immediately to Bethel, I believe Yahweh was making a profound statement to him: “You left your earthly father’s house to honor, obey, and serve Me, Abraham. Now, I am receiving you into My house; I’ll provide for you, take care of you, bless you greatly, and one day use you to fully restore My house - the house of God.” This was obviously a special occasion for Abraham; he commemorated the time by building an altar of remembrance, and by calling on the name of the Lord. Bethel became a sacred place to Yahweh, as well. Fast-forward to Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. The promises to Abraham would have to go through him, including the promise of the Messianic line. Forming Jacob’s link in the chain begins in Genesis 28:10-19. (I won’t read it all, but it is here for those who would like to): “Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ So Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously, the name of the city had been Luz.” Paga is tucked in this passage, which we will see momentarily; first, some background. Jacob has stolen his brother Esau’s birthright, and Esau decides to kill him over it. Jacob’s only recourse is to flee the region and live with his uncle. En route, he comes to Bethel. Though most people don’t realize it, it had now been 100 years or more since Abraham’s encounter with the Lord at Bethel! His altar, made of stones, had long since fallen down. And Abraham’s significant history with the place had obviously not been passed down to Jacob; Bethel meant nothing to him (see verses 16-19). He stopped at this place by chance, (paga) because “the sun had set,” and he needed a place to sleep (verse 11). But God… What was “by chance” to Jacob, was NOT happenstance to God. The literal Hebrew rendering of “a certain place” in verse 11 is actually “THE place.” Many scholars believe God had led Jacob to THE VERY PLACE He had led Abraham, in order to extend THE VERY SAME COVENANT AND PROMISES to him (verses 13-15). In fact, many believe, myself included, that the stone Jacob laid under his head while he slept was one of those from Abraham’s fallen altar! Though this can’t be proven, it would have been so like God! This “place” was not only sacred to Abraham, it was to Yahweh, as well! Jacob later called it a “gate of heaven,” (v. 17). Bethel represented a promise, a covenant, a partnership between God and a man for the purpose of redeeming “the household of God,” as its name reveals. And while Jacob slept on the “altar” of his grandfather, an altar of remembrance, the heavens opened. Angels became active. And in a dream, the same covenant words Yahweh had spoken to Abraham 100 years earlier were “remembered” and supernaturally flowed to him. In what could not possibly be a coincidence, Abraham’s altar was reestablished: “Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar [altar of remembrance] and poured oil on its top” (Genesis 28:18; NASB1995). Same covenant, same lineage, same place, same altar, same redemptive plan! Though Jacob was completely ignorant of what had previously occurred at Bethel, AND how it was a picture of restoring “God’s house,” Holy Spirit was nonetheless able to get him to THE place. It absolutely had to occur at Bethel because Bethel was symbolizing the plan: restoring “the house of God” through Abraham’s offspring. Thus, the all-wise and all-powerful God supernaturally caused Jacob to “land on, meet, encounter” (paga) the correct place, where He would reestablish Abraham’s covenant, announce Jacob’s destiny, and further the redemptive plan. The meeting was “by chance” to Jacob, but not to God! A similar thing happens when we intercede (paga). At times we’re not sure exactly what or how to pray, It feels as though we have to land or light upon the correct prayer “by chance.” But we can trust Holy Spirit to guide us in our prayers, and guide them to the target. They will land upon THE right person or place, and release the covenant of the Lord in the earth! To “light upon with the precision of God” is the very definition of intercession. Trust Him. Pray with me: Father, we are amazed at Your ways, Your supernatural ability to arrange our lives. And just as You guided Abraham and Jacob, You can cause our intercession to land upon the right places, people, or situations to release Your covenant blessings into the earth. As we agree together today, from around the world, cause our prayers and decrees to land on unbelievers, prodigals, government leaders, and nations. Send Scriptures, dreams, visions, power encounters, and other occurrences to release the Covenant of Christ. Release salvation, healing, deliverance from demons and deception, freedom from trafficking and other forms of oppression. Release revelation of truth, and power to tear down strongholds and deception, freeing spiritual captives from sin and darkness. Release movements of Holy Spirit into the earth. We release the appeals, You release the accuracy. We believe this and seal it with Christ’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the power of Holy Spirit is being released from the Ekklesia NOW! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book, The Essential Guide to Prayer, and published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ___________________________ James Strong The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293.

What is this Phenomenon? We are in extraordinary times: great evil, great grace. We must always keep in mind that our God - THE true and living God - is never outmanuevered or outsmarted. He is never caught off-guard. He always has wise plans and strategies. Our responsibility as His Ekklesia on earth is to hear Him and follow His instructions. My brother, Tim Sheets, is always listening for this. In today’s post, he releases another timely and encouraging word from Holy Spirit. Tim shares: “Acts 2:1-12 gives the account of Holy Spirit’s descent upon the apostles and others gathered in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. In verse 12, Holy Spirit’s entrance into that upper room is described as a ‘phenomenon’ (TPT), which is defined as something impressive or extraordinary; something not fully explainable or understood. (1) “A phenomenon began in Acts 2 when an equal member of the Godhead entered the earth realm to be with the born-again heirs and fill them with His omnipresence. He came to be our paraclete (Greek), meaning the One who comes alongside to aid, support, guide and strengthen us. (2) The greatest news of this New Testament event is that while the phenomenon began in the Upper Room, it didn’t end there. His extraordinary activity continues, and an even bigger phenomenon is planned in this era. The Godhead has planned another phenomenal outpouring of power coming upon the church. “Hell cannot stop what God promises when we, His heirs, believe and say what He says. There IS a righteous remnant decreeing what God says and this is preparing the way for a mighty move of Holy Spirit. I know of no better word to describe what God is doing in our day than phenomenal. “I recently had a vision regarding this outpouring. I had gone to sleep meditating on Jesus being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, picturing Him seated at the right hand of the Father on His beautiful, sapphire blue, throne. All around Him was the transparent floor, like a crystal sea. I was envisioning Him seated in glory, regal splendor, reigning over the universe. “When I awakened the next morning the picture in my mind had changed; I had a different vision of Jesus. He was now glowing, standing in power and magnificent strength. His might and power could literally be seen. Everything about Him portrayed strength, power and might. He was also radiant, the aura of His might emanating from and surrounding Him. “This vision of Jesus standing in glowing, magnificent strength began speaking deeply to me concerning the era we are now in. There was a strong witness in my heart and my spirit leapt. I knew a word Holy Spirit had given me years ago was being remembered by the Father. In the remembering, He was releasing power, bringing the word to its fullness of time. “In this word years ago, Holy Spirit began teaching me concerning angel armies and how they assist the Ekklesia. Angels are ministering spirits sent to minister to the heirs of salvation. Holy Spirit spoke several things to me during this time that I believe are now being activated: The first thing Holy Spirit said was, ‘I am coming to lead another campaign for King Jesus, similar to Acts 2; this time I will be bringing far more of the angel armies.’ Since then, I have had visions of 10 or more divisions of angel armies being activated. Holy Spirit spoke of a Kingdom revival that would go worldwide. He talked about the Ekklesia, the ruling and reigning church that represents Christ’s Kingdom government on earth. This Ekklesia influences natural governments, societies and cultures for Him. In a vision, He showed me the Ekklesia as a wagon wheel, with spokes extending from the hub, reinforcing its movement into regions. I began seeing Ekklesias raised up as hubs from which Christ’s influence would reach into regions, territories and nations. Holy Spirit branded a phrase in my consciousness which I have declared many times, ‘The greatest days in church history are not in your past; they are in your present and your future.’ Finally, He spoke to me about an era in which King Jesus would make a stand with His Ekklesia in unprecedented measures, affecting nations. I began prophesying and declaring the era of the standing King. “As I said, Holy Spirit spoke these things to me years ago, but just recently I had the aforementioned vision of King Jesus standing in power. Holy Spirit then whispered to me, ‘This has reached its moment.’ “Allow me to define the standing King anointing. The day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was Coronation Day for King Jesus. On this day, Jesus sat down on His throne at the right hand of God. At that precise moment, Holy Spirit was dispatched to the earth. Simultaneously, Father God took a ram’s horn filled with holy anointing oil, and poured it over the head of Jesus, officially declaring Him ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’ “We know from descriptions of anointing ceremonies in the Old Testament that the oil flowed from the head to all the body (Psalm 133:2). When this was fulfilled in Christ, His anointing oil dripped from His head onto His beard and flowed down to His body, soaking even the edges of His garments and sandals. ‘Ephesians 1:23 (NLT) says, “The church is His body.” The oil flowed down, through Holy Spirit, onto Christ’s body in the Upper Room. “The same anointing on the Head of the church was now upon His body, the Ekklesia. Why? So that we, Christ’s body, could do the same works He did on earth (John 14:12 NLT). We have His anointing and minister in His Name. This was, indeed, phenomenal! “Holy Spirit said to me, ‘A fresh pentecost will now be poured upon you. The anointing of Heaven’s King, seated at Father’s right hand, is now flowing in fresh ways off His head, His body. It will drip from His chin to the outer most parts of His garment. Soaking for ministry is now being poured forth. The anointing upon the Head of the church will be upon His body, enabling them to do the same works He has done. “‘You are also entering the season of Acts 7, where the seated King became the standing King. Heaven’s King will rise to stand with His bride, with His royal priesthood. He will stand as Messiah the Breaker, breaking open pathways to victory. There shall be great deliverance for His people as He breaks down barrier walls of hell with His awesome power, ensuring their overcoming victory. And through difficult times you, too, will proclaim, I see heaven opened, glory everywhere, and the King coming to stand by me!’ “The Bible speaks of the ‘former’ (early) and ‘latter’ rains, which were used to symbolize Holy Spirit outpourings. The phenomenal outpouring of Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the ‘former’ rain. But His outpouring in the ‘latter’ rain will be even greater (see Joel 2:23).The heaviest concentration of anointing occurs at the end of the church age. I believe it is now time for this. “The posture of our King is changing. This word from Holy Spirit said, ‘We are now entering into a season in which we will shift from Acts 2 to Acts 7. We’re moving from the seated King to the standing King.’ One of the purposes of standing is to move. King Jesus still has the seat of power, but He is moving in great might. The posture of the Ekklesia is also changing, in order to move in greater power and authority with Him. “Let’s agree with what heaven is saying.” Pray with me: Lord, release Your anointing upon this word. We pray that the season for which we have been contending would now unfold. We declare that this is the season in which You stand and Your anointing flowing to us will increase. Pour out Your Spirit, Lord; let Your anointing rain onto us. Make it phenomenal! Bring deliverance, breakthroughs, healings and victories. Manifest Your presence and let revival spread across the earth, reaping the greatest of all harvests. Demonstrate Your splendor and might. As was prophesied in Psalm 2, earthly kings and leaders have made a stand against You, declaring You will NOT reign over the earth. Though this rebellion has occurred throughout the ages, it is certainly taking place now, including with many U.S. leaders. They not only oppose You, they mock You. Your Father and ours - the Supreme Judge, Almighty God, the Ancient of Days - warned them in this Psalm after a laugh of derision, to worship You, or receive Your rod of iron. Lord, draw a line in the sand. Force them now to choose submission and honor toward You, or the shattering rod of Your authority. Arise and scatter Your enemies. We ask for these things in Your great name. Amen. Our decree: A phenomenal outpouring of power is being poured upon the Ekklesia, which will result in a phenomenal harvest. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about him at TimSheets.org Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________________________ 1. https://shorturl.at/EHV06 2. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, T: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 3875.

We Can Get There From Here I have stated several times on the Give Him 15 posts that prayer is saving America. I mean, of course, God is using prayer to do so. I’ve also said there is no other hope for America; no human, natural effort or plan can save us - we have fallen too far. Thankfully, many see this and are answering the call, both here and around the world. (WE THANK YOU FOR HELPING US!) Numerous prayer networks exist, such as RPN (Reformation Prayer Network), Lou Engle’s Pray! Ekkballo, End-Time Handmaidens and Servants, and more. Millions of individuals are praying, and outstanding resources exist, such as our friends at Intercessors for America (IFApray.org). Prayer is working. Another person God is using for prayer is my friend, Clay Nash. Clay leads a national prayer call, Victory from God’s Promises, five days a week, to pray for America. He calls it Victory From God’s Promises because Holy Spirit spoke prophetically and said, “Don’t war FOR the promises; war FROM My promises.” Thousands join him. He recently hosted the first Josiah Company gathering. It was outstanding. Josiah was a righteous King and reformer in Judah, who began his reign at only eight years of age. Obviously, he had wise advisors helping him as he matured. Second Kings 23:25 says of Josiah, “Before him, there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” I’ll let Clay tell you other reasons he called this gathering “The Josiah Company,” and why he believes Josiah is a picture of what God is doing through prayer. Clay shares: “The prayer movement is growing across the nations as watchmen in the Ekklesia mature and accept responsibility. I have watched those on the national prayer call I host grow tremendously over the last five years. The faithfulness of thousands of participants on these calls - five days a week - is truly amazing. We just finished 50 days of praying for all fifty states; the calls were strong, Spirit-led, and amazing. Within days after we focused on them, state after state experienced breakthroughs in abortion decisions, evil agendas against children, and promoting Godly Kingdom values. Prayer still works! “The prayer call goes back to August 25, 2019, in Brandon, Mississippi. As I was listening to Dutch Sheets speak on how the Ephesians 4:11 five-fold anointings (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher) work in a territorial Ekklesia, I heard the Spirit of the Lord whisper to me: ‘The days of the 31-year reign of the Josiah Company are upon the Ekklesia.’ Josiah’s reign is described in 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35. As I sought the Lord on this word from Holy Spirit, I have gained insight over the last four years. “Here are just 3 of the many strengths the “Josiah movement” will demonstrate to turn our nation: Josiah honored the ways of his spiritual father, King David (2 Kings 22:2). This current day Josiah company will honor the biblical Kingdom ways of our Founding Fathers. Josiah became aware of and honestly acknowledged Judah’s present-day spiritual problems. As we seek to repair broken-down Kingdom values in our nation we, too, will discover sins and injustices needing to be dealt with. This will allow Holy Spirit to also release present-day truth - coming through revelation and wisdom - producing a righteousness that will exalt our nation. This Josiah company will value, honor, and appreciate the prophetic word of the Lord, making Amos 3:7 a lifestyle, a standard, not just an event or trend. They will reactivate and adapt prophetic words of previous ages by prophesying present-day truth into them. “Many more principles can be seen in Josiah’s reformation, and I strongly encourage you to read the chapters regarding him. “On April 20-22, 2023, we hosted our first Josiah Company Convocation. It was truly amazing! Words alone cannot adequately state what we experienced. It certainly was the birth of something far greater than what I had expected. People attended from 33 states! Those that came were focused, prepared, and ready to attain another level of momentum. “Here is a brief summary of the gathering: Those present came hungry, passionate, and ready to fulfill 2 Corinthians 10:5-6: “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” “The focus was acute, the prayer intense. Through each session, we sensed an increasing weightiness. Each person who helps me host the daily calls contributed, releasing fresh hope and expectation for the healing of our land. When Dutch Sheets spoke, there was a building of faith as we heard God’s voice through him. He spoke of a fresh prayer mantle coming on the church, enabling us to war spiritually through wisdom and revelation. There truly is a fresh mantle of war for those who desire it. The words released by all were both inspirational and full of impartation, bringing maturity and advancing the Ekklesia. “As we warred with declarations and decrees, we felt the assurance that situations were turning, doors were opening and closing, and companies of people were connecting. On Saturday evening, we assembled for our last session, where we prayed over ALL fifty states. Seven hundred people - present and via conference call - joined us for 4.5 hours! In 40 years of full-time ministry, I have never experienced anything like this. “While there, the Lord instructed me to host more Josiah Company Convocations and move them around the United States. We are fasting and praying for His strategy. “As Dutch finished his last session, I was reminded of something my dad would say when we had worked hard and accomplished a significant task: ‘Son, we can get there from here.’ I say that to the praying church now, confidently adding to it the true word of the Lord: ‘America is being saved.’” I (Dutch) share this, not to single out what Clay is doing, but to encourage you that you are not alone in your praying. Individuals, groups, churches, and networks are praying in every state. Our understanding - and consequently our authority - is increasing, making us more effective. Though much work done by intercessors is hidden, the fruit will be seen by all. We must persevere! One of satan’s strategies is to “wear down the saints” (Daniel 7:25). Refuse to grow weary in your “well doing” (Galatians 6:9)...we will reap! And I say for the Lord - I know He feels this way - “Thank you!” Pray with me: Father God, one way we recognize Your greatness is through the greatness of Your people. We thank You, Father, for the hunger and passion growing in the body of Christ. We sense that You are intent on raising up thousands of “Josiah intercessors” across this nation and the earth. We thank You, Father, that in spite of our failures and weaknesses, You are willing to work with and through us to heal nations. Father, may we, as Your people, become even more pliable as we posture ourselves to execute Your will in our nation. Let change begin with us, change that will leaven America and see our land healed. Father, we call forth the necessary connections to produce Josiah companies, throughout the land. Cause connections to occur in churches, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, cities, and states. Prosper prayer ministries; give them keen ears to hear Your strategies and wise methods of implementation. Encourage them, and also encourage the intercessors. For most of them, they will “plow” and “plant,” while others experience the excitement of reaping the results. Let them sense and feel Your pleasure and appreciation. And we all come into agreement today, asking for revival, restoration, bumper-crop-harvest, and Your glory covering the earth as the waters cover the sea. This will occur because You said it, and because we ask in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the synergy being produced by Josiah-like hearts will increase. We decree an increase of wisdom and revelation to the body of Christ, that we are becoming His boots on the ground, a well-trained and finely tuned army. We decree that we are being fitly joined together by what each joint supplies, releasing new levels of synergistic power in all fifty states. Portions of today’s post were contributed by Pastor Clay Nash. You can find out more about Clay as well as the weekly prayer call information, at ClayNash.org. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Why Do We Need to Pray? “Because I said so!” Don’t you just hate it when that’s the reason given for being made to do something? Not only is it frustrating, but it’s also a motivation killer. It’s one thing when the question “Why?” stems from a rebellion-rooted resistance, but when one sincerely doesn’t understand why, this answer can be a real bummer. I remember having my knuckles rapped with a ruler for asking the simple question, “Why?” Whack! “Because I said so! Now be quiet and do it.” I still wish I could rap that teacher’s knuckles with a yardstick and not tell her why! (We’ll deal with forgiveness and inner healing another day.) None of us want to do something just because someone else said so. Oh, I know God requires things of us at times without the full knowledge of why, but they are usually faith and timing issues - not the way He expects us to live life on a regular basis. He doesn’t program us like robots, or require an ostrich mentality of us: head in the sand, blind to the truth, the issues, and facts. I Wonder Why God has given us a Bible full of answers to the whys of life. The one I’m interested in is: Why pray? I’m not speaking of why in the sense of needing this or that. Obviously, we ask because we want or need something. I’m speaking of why in the context of God’s sovereignty. Do my prayers really matter all that much? Isn’t God going to do what He wants anyway? Most people, even if only subconsciously, believe just that. The proof is in their prayer life, or lack thereof. Can my prayers actually change things? Does God need me to pray, or does He just want me to pray? Some would argue an omnipotent God doesn’t “need” anything, including our prayers. Can God’s will on Earth be frustrated or not accomplished if I don’t pray? Many would brand me a heretic for even raising the question. But these and other questions deserve answers. I’ve discovered that understanding the why of doing something can be a great motivating force. Not knowing why robs us of motivation. As a kid, I wondered why the sign said “No Diving” in the shallow end of the pool. Then one day, I hit my head on the bottom. I don’t do that anymore! I wondered why I couldn’t touch the pretty red glow on the stove. I found out! I wondered why the guy in front of me in the woods said, “Duck.” I thought, I don’t want to duck. I don’t have to duck. Then the branch whopped me upside the head. Now I duck. I Need to Know Someone said, “To err is human; to repeat it is stupid.” I’m sure I’ve qualified for the latter once or twice, but not with these three issues because where they are concerned, I know why! However, we’re not talking about bumps, burns, and bruises when we speak of prayer; we’re speaking of eternal destinies. We’re talking about homes, marriages, the welfare of people we love, revival in our cities - the list continues. When God says, “Pray,” I want to know it will make a difference. I’m not into religious exercises, and my time is valuable - so is yours. Was S. D. Gordon right or wrong when he said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed… Prayer is striking the winning blow… service is gathering up the results”? (1) If God is going to do something regardless of whether or not we pray, then He doesn’t need us to ask, and we don’t need another waste of time. If it’s all que sera, sera, then let’s take a siesta and let it all just happen. If, on the other hand, John Wesley was correct when he said, “God does nothing on the earth save in answer to believing prayer,” I’ll lose a little sleep for that. I’ll change my lifestyle, turn the TV off, even miss a meal or two. Is Prayer Really Necessary? The real question is: Does a sovereign, all-powerful God need our involvement or not? Is prayer really necessary? I believe it is. Our prayers CAN bring revival. They CAN bring healing. We CAN change a nation. Strongholds CAN come down when and because we pray. I agree with E. M. Bounds, who said: “God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil… The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.” (2) Quite a statement, and I couldn’t agree more. Think about it: Is this not the reason the earth is in such a mess? Not because God wills it so, but because of His sovereign decision to work and carry out His will through people. Is this not the story woven throughout the Scriptures: God and humans, for better or worse, working together? God needing faithful men and women? God needing prophets? Judges? Preachers? God needing a human Messiah? God needing human hands to heal, human voices to speak and human feet to go? Yes, this “need” was created by His decision - God has no inherent limitations - but Scripture is clear: God works on Earth through humans. Doesn’t He need us to ask for His kingdom to come, His will to be done (see Matthew 6:10)? Surely He wouldn’t want us to waste our time asking for something that was going to happen anyway, would He? Didn’t He tell us to ask for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11)? And yet, He knows our needs before we even ask ( Matthew 6:8). Didn’t Jesus tell us to ask that laborers be sent into the spiritual harvest (see Matthew 9:38)? Yet, doesn’t the Lord of the harvest want that more than we do? Didn’t Paul say, “Pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)? Wasn’t God already planning to do this? Are not all of these things God’s will? Why, then, are we supposed to ask Him for something He already wants to do - if it isn’t that our asking somehow “releases” Him to do it? Either God wants the earth in its horrible condition, or He doesn’t. If He doesn’t, which is certainly the case, we must assume one of the two things. Either He is powerless to do anything about it, or He needs and is waiting on something from us humans to bring about change. Dr. Peter Wagner stated it this way: “We must understand that our sovereign God has, for His own reasons, so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history… Human inaction does not nullify the atonement, but human inaction can make the atonement ineffective for lost people.” (3) This is why the great spiritual statesman Jack Hayford said: “Prayer is essentially a partnership of the redeemed child of God working hand in hand with God toward the realization of His redemptive purposes on earth” (4) On this National Day of Prayer - and every day - let’s rise to the occasion and embrace the incredible invitation to be co-laborers with God…representatives of Christ, carriers of His awesome Holy Spirit, and ambassadors for God’s great Kingdom. It matters. Pray with me: Daniel, Nehemiah, and others in Scripture began their prayers for restoration with identificational repentance. Father, following their examples, we do so now. Our nation has turned from You and served the baals. This has produced violence, murder, broken homes, abandoned children, unsecured borders, evil and godless government, loss of our national destiny, addiction, homelessness, identity-less children, child mutilation, abortion, a weak economy, great division and hatred, lukewarmness in the church, and much more. We repent on behalf of our nation. Many have done so in the past, yet the sins continue; therefore, we do also. We cannot earn forgiveness or salvation; this comes only through faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Through this sacrifice, which releases mercy, we appeal for national cleansing and restoration. Deliver us from evil. Give us honest, humble, wise, sane, servant leaders in government. Give us an honest media, true educators, a strong military, secure borders, and an on-fire church. Give us revival - a great awakening and a reformation. And give us a worldwide harvest. We pray these things, now and always, in the name of Yeshua, the Hope of the world. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the God who birthed America CAN and WILL save America! Today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, and published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ___________________________________ Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975), p 51. Ibid. C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 242. Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 92, 1977 edition.

The National Day of Prayer Tomorrow, the first Thursday of May, is the National Day of Prayer. Many will be gathering in groups around the nation, praying together for God’s hand to lead America. Today’s post is written by our good friend, Timmerle Kelly. She is the Executive Director of the Reformation Prayer Network, reaching all 50 states. Timmerle shares: “Observing a day of prayer for our nation, the National Day of Prayer can be traced back to the founding of the United States. Throughout history, our nation's leaders have called for prayer during times of crisis, challenge, or thanksgiving. As early as 1775, the Continental Congress declared a day of prayer to seek God's guidance and protection as they sought independence from Britain.1 Their motivation may have been Proverbs 3:5-6. The New King James Version says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.’ “Throughout the years, presidents, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed days of fasting and prayer. These leaders understood their need for God’s intervention as they led America. They believed His Word and set aside time to seek His face. “After a joint resolution by Congress in 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Day of Prayer into law, making it an annual observance. President Ronald Reagan determined it should be observed annually on the first Thursday of May.2 Every president since Truman has issued a proclamation recognizing the National Day of Prayer, affirming the importance of prayer in the life of our nation.3 The Theme for 2023 “This year, the theme of the National Day of Prayer is ‘Pray Fervently in Righteousness and Avail Much’; it is taken from James 5:16 (NKJV), ‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’4 This is a timely reminder that as we join together in prayer, we are partnering with God and engaging in powerful spiritual warfare. “As we walk in righteousness, our prayers have the potential to produce dramatic change, not only in our lives, but also in the world around us. To pray fervently means to be persistent and passionate in our prayers, refusing to give up or be discouraged until we see answers to our intercession. In this, we find our strength and our hope. “Kathy Branzell, President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, shared her thoughts regarding this year's theme, stating, ‘God’s Word is clear, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV). This is a time for us to come together, united in prayer, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.’5 “Tomorrow, may we join others in praying fervently and passionately for our nation. Righteousness is not something we can achieve on our own, but rather, is a gift from God through the blood of Jesus as we repent and believe on Him. Ask for this on behalf of our nation. As we submit ourselves to Him and walk in His ways, we can be confident that our prayers will avail much, impacting our nation for the glory of God. The Power of Unity in Prayer “Unity is a vital force within the body of Christ and is essential as we remember the National Day of Prayer. In John 17:21 (NKJV), Jesus prayed that ‘...they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.’ When we unite in prayer, we fulfill the heart of Jesus' prayer, demonstrating to the world the love and unity that can be found in Him. “Kathy Branzell emphasized the importance of unity in prayer, saying in her article regarding this year’s NDP, that this is a time ‘for us to come together, united in prayer, to seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.’6 This unity in prayer sends a clear message to the enemy that we are standing strong, united under the banner of Christ. As we pray and agree together, we can shift the spiritual atmosphere and bring about change in our nation (see Matthew 18:19-20). “Dave Kubal, president of Intercessors for America, urges believers to pray for our leaders, emphasizing this as a Biblical mandate.7 We elect our leaders, but we must ask God to lead them. We often focus on our denominational and political differences and quarrels, but it is a significant statement to the nations that American Christians can put aside their differences and pray together for our country and its leaders. As we come together, we are declaring that we trust in God's mercy and power, knowing He is the only One who can bring healing and restoration to our land. Taking Action on the National Day of Prayer “Let’s pray tomorrow, especially for those who lead us governmentally, doing so in accordance with 1 Timothy 2:2, ‘Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.’ Pray for national leaders as well as your state and local leaders - governors, mayors, city council members, etc. Intercessors for America (IFApray.org) lists the leaders of each state on their website. If you do not already know yours, you can find them there. “God established the family as the core institution for humans on earth. Our families are meant to be places of security, where we form our sense of self and identity, and where we should learn to worship God. We are all aware the enemy hates family. It is a primary focus of Satan’s attacks and is a subject worthy of our fervent intercession. Praying for those that govern us and for families are just two of many areas we can focus on tomorrow. “There are local National Day of Prayer gatherings where you can pray with other Christians in your community. Many sites are listed on the National Day of Prayer.org website. If there isn’t one near you, consider taking the initiative to gather your family, friends, and co-workers together to pray for our nation. “We are grateful that our Presidents saw fit to set aside a day each year so we could join together to pray for America. It has never been more important that we do so. Take some time tomorrow to pause and pray for our great nation. “May our hearts be filled with hope and expectation as we join together on this year’s National Day of Prayer.” Pray with me: Father, tomorrow is a significant day in America, a set-apart day when Your Church crosses denominational, cultural, and political lines, humbles herself, and prays together for our nation. We are told to approach You daily, asking for heaven’s bread and provision. Many do so. And yet, it is good and important that we set apart a national, government-honored day to seek You. America is in desperate need of Your guidance and direction. Forgive us for our national sin of rejecting You and neglecting to seek Your plans and Your ways. We have wandered far from You, yet You are merciful. You multiply power when we pray in unity; we do so now. We pray that the spiritual atmosphere over our nation shifts, that the united prayers of Your people would be used to usher in transformation, justice, and Your intervention in every sphere of society. As people participate, move upon their hearts, especially those who don’t know You or are lukewarm in their walk with You. Awaken desire in them! And also, as some who are complacent participate, we ask You to alert many of them to America’s desperate need of You. And lastly, we ask for an awakening, a stirring, in the hearts of pastors and leaders toward prayer. So few churches pray. Please change this somehow. In Jesus’ healing name, we pray. Amen. Our decree: We decree that as we agree in fervent prayer on the National Day of Prayer, power will be released to accomplish a mighty move of God's Spirit, bringing healing and restoration to America. Click on the link below to watch full video. 1 https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day-of-prayer-first-thursday-in-may/#:~:text=President%20Harry%20S.,been%20proclaimed%20each%20year%20 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/2023_theme 5 https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/spring_2023_ministry_update 6 Ibid. 7 https://ifapray.org/pray-for-america/

Back around 2000, Ceci told me, “One day you’re going to write a book entitled The Pleasure of His Company, teaching people how to connect with God’s heart at a deeper level.” I wrote the book in 2014. It is easily my best book. A few years back, I shared several posts from this book. They garnered our best responses from you - by far. So, starting on Monday, May 15, I’ll be sharing a few more posts from this book. In today’s crazy world, God’s presence must be our anchor. And as always, we will pray. I’m confident you will be enriched. I am letting you know in advance because when I shared from the book a few years ago, several people said they wished they had the book when I did so – to make notes, etc. If you would like to do this, you have time to order it at our website, or where books are sold. Today I’ll be sharing a sampling, taken from 2 of its chapters. The Pleasure of His Company From Chapter 1: The Person Words are certainly inadequate to describe God’s attributes, abilities, intellect, and accomplishments. He is breathtaking yet calming, all-powerful but gentle, unsearchably wise though humble, and awe-inspiring while completely approachable. Perfection defines Him, intrigue surrounds Him, and eternity is in Him. His intricacies are so complex it requires oxymoronic words and phrases to describe Him: He’s the Ancient of Days, yet is forever new, existing in a perpetual now; His omnipresent existence contradicts every natural law of time, space, and physics. When Moses asked Him His name, He simply said, “I AM.” Words fail. Consider the following facts about Jesus: A fish supplied Him with a mouthful of money. Storms obeyed His commands. His spit healed blind eyes, and His touch cured leprosy. He walked on water . . . and through walls! He turned water into wine and multiplied by thousands a few fish and loaves of bread. He raised the dead. He reversed insanity. Demons fled from Him. His eyes are like fire, His voice like a waterfall. Angels worship Him; rulers cast their crowns at His feet. He created everything . . . with just His words. He keeps the universe operating in perfect order . . . yep, with just His words. What if I told you this Person requests the pleasure of your company; that the true and living God not only loves you, He likes you. Yahweh created us humans because He wanted family and friends, not distant servants. When Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray, His response introduced them to a completely new and radical way of thinking. “Start your prayer by addressing God as Father,” He answered (Matthew 6:7). Other references encourage us to call Him “Abba - Papa” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). When Jesus said this, He forever changed the playing field. He rewrote the rules. Religious leaders were offended, philosophers found it ridiculous, but hungry hearts like yours and mine, looking for our roots, found it incredibly hope-inspiring. “You mean God wants us to call Him Dad, not Your Highness or Most Holy One?” “Yep,” Jesus said. “God would prefer that you call Him Dad.” May that forever shape your approach to Yahweh. Father God wants YOU, not some shallow religious loyalty. The affirmation of your praise and admiration of your worship blesses Him, not because He needs affirmation or likes to hear how great He is, but because He wants to connect with you. The Scriptures tell us He is seeking “worshipers,” not worship. (John 4:23) From Chapter 20: The Lingerers One definition of linger is "to leave slowly and hesitantly." If you don't find yourself leaving God's presence slowly and hesitantly, there's a short somewhere in the connection. When you truly connect with Him, it's like a warm bed on a wintery morning - you don't want to leave it. Regular visitors to the throne of grace become lingerers, pure and simple. Charles Swindoll shares this story: “I vividly remember sometime back being caught in the undertow of too many commitments in too few days. It wasn't long before I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at meal times, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day. Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable. I distinctly recall after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She hurriedly began, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin'andIwilltellyoureallyfast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me... And you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.’ I'll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”1 You'll never find yourself having to say to your heavenly Father, "Then listen slowly." He has plenty of time for you and loves it when you linger in His presence. In fact, His biggest problem is our limited time with Him, not our lingering. We are often in such a hurry we actually want Him to listen really fast. But He isn't our spiritual Santa Claus, wanting us to take our two minutes in His lap, give Him our wish list, and be on our way. He is Abba...Papa. David, the shepherd and psalmist who became king over Israel, was a lingerer; he loved being in God's presence, and he left slowly and hesitantly. David once said, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Notice the words dwell, behold, and meditate. Those are lingering terms. David also said, "O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). You don't make statements like that unless you've learned to linger. First, we learn to linger, but then Yahweh becomes addictive, and we love to linger. Listen to David's language: "I love the habitation of Your house." I enjoy reading about David and his walk with God. It has been revealing and enriching to observe their relationship in the Scriptures - the good, the bad, and the ugly. One thing I especially like is that David kept it real, sharing with God his most intimate thoughts. Whether he was joyful, discouraged, lonely, or on top of the world, David talked to Abba about it. He knew God wanted to be involved in his world, and he wanted to be in God's. Eventually, a change came in their relationship, a change so subtle most people never think about it. Many people love God's presence. Thankfully, the worship movement of the last thirty to forty years has taught many of us the difference between singing and worshiping. And as we have learned to truly worship, we've discovered the wonderful truth that it attracts His very presence (Psalm 22:3). Through this, we've come to expect and enjoy the presence of the Lord. David understood this and was a passionate lover of God's presence. As much as he loved the Lord's presence, however, David was never called "a man after God's presence." He had the awe-inspiring honor of being referred to by the Lord as "a man after My heart" (see Acts 13:22, italics mine). There can be a huge difference between pursuing God's heart and experiencing His presence. It is possible to be in a person's presence and never make it into their heart. There are plenty of people I'm willing to hang out with, but very few I’ll allow into my heart. That part of me is reserved for the people I've spent enough time with to know I can trust their motives and intentions. I need to be confident my heart has value to them. It is breakable; I want it handled with care. God is no different. His heart can be broken, His emotions wounded. He allows many into His presence but is much more selective with His heart. His presence is free, but His heart will cost you time and effort. But oh, how worth the effort He is. Don't settle for a cursory look; be a lingerer. Pay the price to reach His heart, no matter what it costs you! Talk to Him slowly, listen to Him slowly, and leave Him slowly. Pray with me: Father, thank You for wanting us in Your world. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us back to You when we rebelled from the plan. We marvel at Your grace and love. Jesus, we are grateful beyond words for Your willingness to come into our world, amazed that You were willing to become one of us, a flesh and blood human being, in order to redeem us. We want to get to know You better. As we embark on this journey, drawing closer to You, may enjoying the pleasure of Your company become our reward. And we thank You for sharing Your authority with us, for giving us Your name. Teach us how to more skillfully and wisely partner with You in stewarding and managing the Earth. May we represent and reveal You more effectively, doing so out of relationship, not just responsibility. In Your name, we pray, Amen. Our decree: We confess and boldly declare that we are accepting Abba’s invitation to draw near. We will find and enjoy the pleasure of His company. Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Charles R. Swindoll, Man to Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p 272.

America’s Christian Heritage After sharing several posts last week on the importance of history, the synergy of the ages, placing ourselves in the storyline, and the Appeal To Heaven flag, it seems appropriate to quote from some of America’s history. Sometimes we “move on” too quickly. The following prayers and quotes are from some of America’s Founders and Presidents. The following prayer was “adapted from Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, which he wrote on June 8, 1783, as the commander in chief, at his headquarters in Newburgh, New York. This circular was directed to the governors and states of the new nation. His reference to them has been replaced by the words ‘the United States.’ Otherwise, the words and the spellings are those of General George Washington of the Continental Army.” “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Devine Author of our blessed Religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Amen.”(1) On June 28, 1787, when our framers were struggling to agree on a suitable Constitution, Benjamin Franklin - considered one of the least spiritual of the Founders - made the following statement. His appeal began the practice of opening sessions of Congress with prayer: (I have included the entire Proclamation for you, although I won’t read it all today.) “The small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance & continual reasonings with each other -- our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics, which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed the Modern States all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances. “In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine Protection. -- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence, we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without [H]is notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without [H]is aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without [H]is concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest. “I, therefore, beg leave to move -- that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service.” (2) Abraham Lincoln wrote the following proclamation to Americans on March 30, 1863: (I have included the entire speech for you, although I won’t read it all today.) “Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation: “And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord: “And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. “Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion. “All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace. “In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.” (3) In 1911, the year before he was elected president, Woodrow Wilson assured the listeners that he was right with the Lord, and said: "America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask of every man and woman in this audience that from this night on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations -- that if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Scripture." (4) On one of his famous radio addresses, FDR said the following: "No greater thing could come to our land today than a revival of the spirit of religion -- a revival that would sweep through the homes of the nation and stir the hearts of men and women of all faiths to a reassertion of their belief in God and their dedication to His will for themselves and for their world. I doubt if there is any problem -- social, political, or economic -- that would not melt away before the fire of such a spiritual awakening." (5) And finally, President Harry Truman, in a 1950 speech before a conference on law enforcement, said: "THE FUNDAMENTAL basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, Isaiah, and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. "If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally wind up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state." (6) Selah - pause and think about that one! So much for the revisionist attempts to steal our Christian heritage. It is there, and it will remain. Put yourself in the storyline, agree with these leaders - help create the synergy of the ages, and appeal to heaven. It still works. Pray with me: Father, this week during which America will honor a National Day of Prayer, we look back at our beginning and thank You. Thank You for righteous women and men who believed Your Word, honored the gospel of Christ, and realized that unless You built America, they - and we - labored in vain. Though their words have been dishonestly and shamefully hidden, they are on record and alive in Heaven. We honor these words, agree with them, and declare them over America today. You told Jeremiah his words, given to him by You, would “pluck up…break down…destroy…overthrow…build and plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). Surely our Spirit-led words, authorized by Jesus, can do the same. You said Your Words are Spirit and life (John 6:63), a spiritual sword (Ephesians 6:17), and seeds that birth and bear fruit (Mark 4:14; 1 Peter 1:23). Therefore… Our decree: We boldly decree today: America was birthed by God for His purposes, those purposes are alive and well, and America shall be saved! Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________ https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-tombs/george-washingtons-prayer-for-his-country/ Franklin, Benjamin. “Constitutional Convention Address on Prayer.” June 28, 1787. Philadelphia, PA. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=lincoln;rgn=div1;view=text;idno=lincoln6;node=lincoln6:336 https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/09/21/fdr-invoked-god-too/741f9d68-057c-4bf3-b0be-6faca4c8e2ef/ https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true

Are You Ready to Take Your Place? A couple of weeks after I was introduced to the Appeal to Heaven flag, Holy Spirit gave a profound dream to my friend, Rick Curry. The dream seemed to encapsulate the synergy of the ages; putting ourselves into the storyline; the fact that God was involved in the birth of America; and the significance of the Appeal to Heaven flag. In the dream, Rick found himself in an old wooden tabernacle. An elderly man approached, whom Rick and I believe represented the Ancient of Days. This man turned on all the lights and opened all the windows, which were large pieces of hinged plywood, held open by poles. As the tabernacle filled with light, Rick could see that it was huge, seating twenty-five to thirty thousand people. The gentleman then escorted him to the platform and instructed him to sit on a stool. “Look out those windows,” he said, pointing to the east. As Rick looked, he saw ships approaching in the distance. Those look like pilgrim ships, he thought. Sure enough, they were. Three or four thousand people from that generation of Americans disembarked, made a processional into the tabernacle, took their seats, and began worshipping God. “Now, look out those windows,” the man instructed, pointing in a different direction. As Rick looked, he saw pioneers coming in the distance - women in long skirts and bonnets, covered wagons pulled by oxen, and other items depicting the era. Just as the pilgrims, several thousand pioneers made a procession into the tabernacle while the previous generation stood and cheered: “Well done! Thank you for your hard work. Thanks for keeping the dream alive…” When all the pioneers were inside, both generations began worshipping. After a few moments, the host approached again, “Look out these windows.” Sure enough, another generation of Americans was approaching. “Those are the planters,” he said. “They built roads, railroads, towns, and cities.” Just as the other generations had done, they filed into the tabernacle to loud cheers from the previous groups. When they were inside, all three generations stood, and fervent worship ascended. This scene repeated itself with three more generations of Americans approaching and entering the tabernacle. Representatives from six generations were now present, twenty thousand or more, all worshipping. “The praise was so loud,” Rick said, “the building was shaking.” At this point, the host approached yet again, pointing to a seventh set of windows. As Rick watched, people from our era drove toward the building in cars and trucks. Like the others, they made their entrance into the gathering - to great cheers, followed by passionate worship. The Delegates Seven generations of Americans now stood, passionately worshipping, literally causing the building to vibrate from the sound of their praise. After a few moments, the older man approached Rick yet again. “Watch these double doors,” he instructed. A representative from the pilgrims entered, walked up to the center of a bridge arching over the platform, and began prophesying God’s plans and purposes for America. The people listened quietly for several minutes as he declared her corporate destiny, after which the worship ensued again. Five more times, this was repeated - delegates from six generations decreeing and prophesying over America, each one followed by more worship. Finally, when the time came for our generation to decree, the pattern changed. Approaching Rick with a very serious demeanor, the old man asked him a penetrating question, “Are you ready to take your place in the synergy of the ages?” As you can imagine, hearing this phrase, first spoken to me in 2001, astonished me. Interrupting his account, I inquired, “Before the dream, Rick, had you ever heard this phrase? Have you heard me or anyone else ever mention the phrase ‘synergy of the ages?’ “Never,” he assured me, as I stared in stunned silence. This phrase, along with the fact that each generation of Americans was present, clearly pointed to the synergy created through multi-generational agreement. Seven eras, one nation. The fact that the phrase came in the context of a question was also significant: “Are you ready to take your place…?” To me, it seemed God was asking our generation of American believers the question. In the dream, Rick answered the man’s question, “Yes, I’m ready to take my place.” “Go through that door and join other leaders from your generation,” he was told. Unlike the previous generations, ours had numerous representatives, many of whom he recognized. Together, they marched into the room and took seats. All of them, that is, except the last one in line. He headed toward the bridge. “You were the last one, Dutch,” he told me. “You were the delegate from this generation. As you walked up the bridge, I noticed that, unlike the previous delegates, you were carrying something. When you reached the center, you began unfolding it - a white flag.” I was almost afraid to believe what might be coming. My mind was racing. Is he about to describe the flag just given to me - the Appeal to Heaven flag? Before he could continue, I blurted, “Did it by any chance have the words ‘Appeal to Heaven’ on it?” It was now Rick’s turn to be surprised. Having never seen or heard of the flag before his dream, he naturally assumed I hadn’t either. “Yes! How could you possibly know?” he asked. Still not quite believing what I was hearing, I continued, “Did it have an evergreen tree on it?” Again, Rick was shocked. “How did you know that? I’ve not shared the dream with anyone!” he exclaimed, pulling an Appeal to Heaven flag from a backpack. “I found the flag online and bought you one, planning to introduce you to it.” “Too late,” I said with a smile, “I already have one.” After giving him a quick explanation, I urged my surprised friend to finish his account of the dream. “Upon reaching the center of the bridge, Dutch, you didn’t immediately begin prophesying and decreeing America’s destiny, as the others had. Instead, you began waving the flag over the crowd in a figure eight, doing so for ten minutes or so. As you did, the people were once again passionately worshipping.” This figure eight pattern is significant. The number eight represents new beginnings in Scripture. On its side, eight is the symbol of infinity or eternity. In ancient times, when a covenant was ratified by a blood sacrifice, the individuals entering into covenant would often walk in a figure eight among the pieces of the sacrifice. Why? They were swearing eternal allegiance to the covenant. I believe that by waving the flag in this configuration, I was declaring two things. Firstly, appealing to Heaven can give us a “new beginning.” Also, it was emphasizing America’s covenant with God. By waving this flag, under which America was born, I was pointing us back to our roots as a nation - our birth, purpose, and calling. “The dream is still alive, the flag was stating. Find it. Revisit the stormy seas of the pilgrims, the dusty trails of the pioneers, or the bloody battlefields of Lexington and Concord. Read the sermons of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, or John Wesley until the flame of the First Great Awakening burns in you. Read of Cane Ridge, the Second Great Awakening, and Charles Finney until you burn with passion to see America become ‘the shining city on a hill’ once again. Tell the old stories! And find the dream.” As I waved this ancient flag with its timeless message, I was declaring that we as a nation must once again “appeal to heaven.” If we are to recapture our God-given destiny, we must pray now, just as we did then. The Harvest of the Ages Rick then finished his account of the dream with one last, powerful statement. “After several minutes, you stopped waving the flag and began prophesying over America, just as the previous six representatives had done.” He couldn’t recall what I had said, except for the last sentence, which I’m certain was all he was intended to remember. “With great conviction and authority, you declared, ‘America is returning to the ancient path, in order to reap the harvest of the ages!’” End of dream. To say I was impacted by this dream would be the understatement of the year. Its message touched a deep place in my soul, confirming what I had believed for many years: the greatest harvest in history is ahead of us. And America, though we may not look like it at the moment, has an important part to play in this great harvest. The Lord still has need of us. Rally to the flag. God has resurrected it for such a time as this. Wave it outwardly; carry it inwardly. Appeal to heaven daily for a spiritual revolution that will knock out the Goliaths of our day. Put yourself in the storyline, because the stories ARE your stories. Let your heart revive as you think about the great God of yesterday, today, and forever. You’re on His team, part of His plan, in the dream. By faith, call America back to the ancient path, to reap the harvest of the ages. Believe He can; believe He will. Are you ready to take your place in the synergy of the ages? Pray with me: Father, we are more than Your servants; we are family. We are also Your representatives on Earth. Thank You for the privilege of partnering with You to save the world. As a nation, we also enjoy the incredible honor of taking the gospel of the Kingdom to all the world. All believers have this assignment and privilege, yet You birthed America as a nation specifically for this purpose. We have turned Your dream for America into a materialistic dream, but a Third Great Awakening will correct this. The lies of progressives, secularists, humanists, and revisionists will be dispelled by truth. We appeal for this now. We are ready to take our place in the storyline and experience the synergy of the ages. We appeal to the Lord of the harvest for laborers to be sent into the harvest of the ages. We bind the powers of darkness, the schemes of hell, that war against this. We declare that the authority delegated to the Ekklesia is greater than their authority. We release power into the spiritual realm over America to destroy strongholds of darkness and release the spirit of revival. We do so, especially for the youth and young adults of America. We decree revival to the campuses of America. Our decree: We acknowledge that appealing to heaven birthed America, and decree that appealing to heaven will rebirth America. Today’s post was taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Choose Life Yesterday I spoke with you about offenses and forgiveness. The New Testament word for an offense is actually the part of an animal trap upon which a piece of raw meat was placed. When an animal reached for the meat the trap was sprung and they were captured. It is very interesting that the word for an offense basically means to “take the bait.” This is also why it is called “picking up” an offense. Regarding forgiveness, in yesterday's post (Don’t Take the Bait), we mentioned that the word means “to release.” In Luke 6:37 Jesus said, “Release, and you will be released.” When we release the person who has offended or wounded us, we can then be released from the bruises and pain they caused us. We also said yesterday that forgiveness is a choice - a decision - not a feeling. When I was 17 years old, my family went through a very difficult time. The Board of Directors of the church my father was pastoring fired him and kicked us out of the home where we were living. The house had been given to us, but put in the church’s name. We were left homeless and penniless. Shortly thereafter, my father divorced my mother and married another woman. Mom was devastated - her circumstances had gone from bad to catastrophic. I remember holding her in my arms as she wept, saying she did not want to go on living. I did not know how to process all of the pain I was experiencing. I didn’t want to blame God or my father, so I blamed all of this on the chairman of that church board. I focused all of my anger upon him, an anger that soon became a bitter hatred. I said on several occasions that I could not kill this man, but I would rejoice if someone else did. I also became bitter at the church, in general. I associated my pain and my family’s disintegration with religion and swore I would never darken the door of another church. I became very rebellious and turned to drugs and alcohol. God was incredibly patient. He protected me and for two years waited patiently for me to come to a point where I could respond to Him again. I returned to Him and have enjoyed a wonderful walk with God since that time. Around six months into my renewed walk with the Lord, He began dealing with me about my hatred for the man I had blamed for all of our problems. I heard Holy Spirit very clearly telling me I would have to forgive him. I did not angrily resist the Lord, but I did not believe I could ever truly do so. What I had against this man was so deep in me I had no confidence whatsoever that I would be able to forgive him, and I told the Lord this. It’s comical sometimes when we act as though the Lord doesn’t know what we’re thinking. Holy Spirit was very gentle with me. He was not pushing, His promptings always came as a gentle nudge deep in my heart. He was, however, insistent and persistent. “You will have to do this if you want My best for you and to truly be free from all of the pain this caused you,” He said. When my heart softened to the point that I was willing, Holy Spirit began teaching me how to do it. Some of what He taught me I shared in yesterday's post. He revealed to me that I could have feelings of anger, hurt, etc., toward this man in my mind and emotions, but still choose to forgive from my heart allowing that to overrule my emotions. “You don’t like to get up early some days and go to work but you do it anyway because it’s right, and it’s your responsibility,” he said. “You don’t like certain aspects of exercise but you do it anyway because you know you need to,” He said again. Then came the winning blow, “Jesus did not want to go to the Cross, but He did so anyway, for the joy He knew it would produce later,” (Hebrews 12:2). “Choose to do this because it’s right, even though you don’t want to and you don’t feel like it. If you will make this choice and maintain the decision daily, I will release you from all the pain, resentment, and hatred. Your responsibility is to let go; it’s my responsibility to heal your emotions and release you from every effect of this. Choose life!” Somehow this clicked in my thinking. I realized I didn’t have to have any positive feelings about this man, whatsoever. I simply needed to release him to God and trust Him to deal with what had happened. I did so daily, saying something along these lines (it’s important to say it), “I choose to release David (not his real name) from all he did to hurt my family.” Every time he came to mind and unpleasant feelings began rising up inside of me, I would say it again, “I choose to release David from all he did to hurt my family.” Some days I had to do this multiple times. After a couple of weeks, he was rarely coming to my mind, and when he did, I felt less and less emotion. But I would say it again. A week or two after that, I thought of him and I realized I felt no pain or anger, whatsoever. I was shocked. I knew God had released me from all the effects of what had occurred two years earlier. However, Holy Spirit wanted to show me that I was truly healed. One night my mom and I were returning home from a Sunday night service, and stopped at a local restaurant to grab a bite to eat. There were no tables available and we were waiting for one, when I noticed this particular man and his wife seated across the room. He noticed us at the same time. I also noticed that he and his wife were seated at a table for four people, and two of the chairs were empty. He jumped to his feet and headed in our direction. Well, I thought to myself, I’m about to find out if this is real. He wanted to do more than just say hello. “Would the two of you like to join us at our table,” he asked. “Sure,” said my mother, “that’s very kind of you.” I kept waiting for that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I used to feel when I thought of him. I waited for at least a mix of negative emotions. But there were none. I realized I was not having to feign being nice to him while burying my anger and hatred. It was very easy - actually, it felt normal - to treat him with kindness. And I felt no pain whatsoever. All I could do was thank the Lord for delivering me from my chains of bitterness. This man did not become my friend, but he was no longer my enemy. Friends, no matter what your situation is, who hurt you, or how long ago it occurred, He can do this for you. Let’s pray. Pray with me: Father, it is impossible to go through life and not have numerous opportunities to forgive. You said offenses will come. You did not tell us to forgive only if we felt like doing so; You said we must do it. You never ask us to do anything You will not enable us to do. So we choose this day to honor Your word and obey it from our hearts, our spirits, regardless of how our emotions feel. As we do what You say, our emotions and feelings must come into alignment with the Word-based decision we make. They must…and they will. As we release, we will be released. And now, Father, we ask for a release of tremendous grace to everyone praying this prayer with us now. Give them grace to forgive and release. Let a process of healing begin now for people who have been abandoned, abused, rejected, betrayed, and harmed in any way. Cause the revelation that forgiveness is a choice we can all make to become strong in them. May today mark a new beginning for all who need one, and all of the negative results of what they have suffered be reversed. Let this begin today. Heal bodies through this. Mend hurting hearts and minds. Tear down the walls we’ve built to protect our emotions. Cause victims to be victimized no longer. Let the abused go free. Release captives, mend broken hearts, and restore hope. We ask that this truly be a new beginning. And we ask it all in the name of the great healer, Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We declare that we will walk in forgiveness to all. Click on the link below to watch full video.