Power to Rebirth America A dream was sent to me a couple of years ago in which George Washington, who commissioned the birth of the Appeal to Heaven flag, presented me the original, saying, “It still works.” Today, I want to review the history of this flag, and mention what Holy Spirit is doing with it in our time. Toward the end of 2013, I realized I was ending a 13-year spiritual journey. It started during a prayer and ended with a flag, an old and forgotten flag - by everyone, it seems, except God. He had kept this banner in hiding for a couple of centuries, waiting in the wings of history until He was ready to reintroduce it. And reintroduce it He has! The Appeal To Heaven flag now hangs in thousands of homes, prayer rooms, churches, government buildings, and even businesses. A church in Indiana made their own version - fifteen feet by thirty feet - then made one for me! Another congregation decorated the Christmas tree in their foyer with dozens of small Appeal to Heaven flags. Thousands of people have small ones tucked in their Bibles, tacked to bulletin boards, or conspicuously sitting on their desks. Others display them as lapel pins, wear them emblazoned on shirts, show them off on bumper stickers and at least one person has the flag tattooed on his arm! Governors display the flag, as do judges and congressmen; one was spotted in the U.S. Capitol. Another was recently flown over the Capitol of Arkansas. The other day I saw an appeal to heaven flag streaming behind an 18-wheeler - it’s going viral! The flag is associated with America’s founding, to be sure. It seems, however, that God doesn’t intend it to be used by America alone. It can be seen flying in the Himalayas - the highest point on the planet - where it is raised above dozens of Buddhist prayer flags. It has flown on the plains of Ninevah, the place of earth’s first region-transforming revival, and in many nations including South Africa, Panama, and Cambodia, where it was flown during prayers against human trafficking. It has even been to the North and South Poles! Who knows where it will turn up next?! This international use seems especially appropriate, given America’s God-given destiny of being a spiritual light to the nations. In times past, flags held more significance than they do in our present day. Their symbolism was understood, from the color to the design, enabling a flag to tell a story or make a strong statement. Many flags are sacred - people swear allegiance to them and die to protect their honor. Banners, as they are also called, were often intended to make declarations. One early colonial American flag had a picture of a coiled snake with the accompanying phrase, “Don’t Tread On Me.” It was a warning to Great Britain: “Be careful; step on us, and we strike!” The Appeal To Heaven flag is especially relevant to America’s God-given purpose and destiny. Modern-day progressives, historical revisionists, woke politicians, and humanistic professors scoff at the notion that America was established by God for a divine purpose. They also mock the assertion that our Founders believed in and honored this divine-human partnership. Sadly, some Christian’s do, as well, joining the Left in calling those of us who share these beliefs “Christian Nationalists.” They, of course, get to define what that means - it’s one of their propagandizing tactics. What they don’t get to do is change the facts. As John Adams said, “facts are stubborn things…” These modernists and revisionists may not like America’s origins, but they can’t change them. Yahweh, the God of the Bible, was indeed involved in America’s founding and He did so for His purpose. When General George Washington commissioned the Appeal to Heaven flag to fly over our naval ships in the Revolutionary War - don’t look for that in our modern-day American history books - little did he know that 240 years later, God would ordain that it fly again. This time around, however, it isn’t flying over a fledgling nation being born, but over the most powerful nation in the world being reborn. This rebirth isn’t literal, of course, but is a spiritual and moral renewal that will resurrect America’s God-given calling, purpose, and greatness. In the days of the flag’s genesis, the American colonists had no chance of winning a war with the world’s greatest empire, Great Britain. The impossible odds, however, lost their relevance once the patriots chose appealing to heaven over conceding to fate…and tyrants. When those ill-prepared and poorly equipped revolutionaries appealed for justice to the Giver of inalienable rights, the tide turned. When they agreed to come under God’s governance and honor His ways, He who “governs in the affairs of men,” as Ben Franklin stated at the Constitutional Convention, did just that. Affirming the Lord’s governing intervention, Franklin also said, “All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of super-intending providence in our favor.” Now, let it be said of our generation that when our nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to appeal for its restoration. Let it be said of us, as it was of our forefathers, that in the face of overwhelming odds, we took our stand in heaven’s courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power. Appeal to heaven - it still works! “Everyone knows how God has saved us, for He has displayed His justice throughout history.” (Psalm 98:2 TPT) Pray with me: Father, the world looked on in amazement as 13 unorganized, army-less, poor colonies defeated the world’s greatest empire. It seemed impossible, yet they did, and we know how they did it. They recognized that their cause was linked to Yours, and they chose to become partners with You, making You the Senior Partner. They would become a nation, yes, but a “nation under God.” Then they asked for Your help, even placing the request on a banner and raising it over the battlefields. And You responded, coming to their aid. The appeal worked. You have now resurrected this flag and are re-awakening the appeal. It worked then; it will work now. The same activity that birthed our nation will now rebirth it. Breathe on the call to prayer, Father. Energize it with Your Holy Spirit. Cause it to be vibrant in America and around the world. We have been and continue appealing to You for worldwide revival. We appeal to You for the destruction of demonic strongholds and human systems opposing You. We appeal to You for the uncovering of truth in our land and in other nations. We ask for grace and mercy, but we also appeal for justice. Pour out Your Spirit in America, a great deluge of power and glory. Do so until we are once again a light to the world, a carrier of the life-giving gospel, and a beacon of truth. We boldly decree this shall be so, in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen Our decree: We decree that the plan - appealing to heaven - still works! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal To Heaven.

God Decided It Would Fly Again A dream was sent to me a few weeks back, where George Washington, who commissioned the birth of the Appeal to Heaven flag, presented me the original and said, “It still works.” Given the fact that God has now resurrected this flag, we should learn more about it. At the end of 2013, I realized I was ending a 13-year spiritual journey. It started during a prayer and ended with a flag. An old and forgotten flag; forgotten by everyone, it seems, except God. He had evidently kept this banner in hiding for a couple of centuries, waiting in the wings of history until He was ready to reintroduce it. And reintroduce it He has! This flag now hangs in thousands of homes, prayer rooms, churches, government buildings, and even businesses. A church in Indiana made their own version - fifteen feet by thirty feet - then made me one! Another congregation decorated the Christmas tree in their foyer with dozens of small Appeal to Heaven flags. Thousands of people have small ones tucked in their Bibles, tacked to bulletin boards, or conspicuously sitting on their desks. Others display them as lapel pins, wear them emblazoned on shirts, show them off on bumper stickers and at least one person has the flag tattooed on his arm! Governors display the flag as do judges and congressmen, and one was spotted in the U.S. Capitol. Another was recently flown over the Capitol of Arkansas. The other day I saw an appeal to heaven flag streaming behind an 18-wheeler - it’s going viral! The flag is associated with America’s founding, to be sure. It seems that God doesn’t intend it to be used by America alone, however. It can be seen flying in the Himalayas - the highest point on the planet - where it is raised above dozens of Buddhist prayer flags. It has flown on the plains of Ninevah, the place of the first region-transforming revival, in South Africa, Panama, and more recently in Cambodia where it was used in prayers against human trafficking. Who knows where it will turn up next?! This international use seems especially appropriate, given America’s God-given destiny of being a spiritual light to the nations. In times past, flags carried more weight than they do in our present day. Their symbolism was understood, from the color to the design, enabling a flag to tell a story or make a strong statement. Many flags are sacred - people swear allegiance to them and die to protect their honor. Banners, as they are also called, were often intended to make declarations. One early colonial American flag had a picture of a coiled snake with the accompanying phrase, “Don’t Tread On Me.” It was a warning to Great Britain: “Be careful; step on us, and we strike!” My journey involves a different flag in America’s past, one that is especially relevant to our God-given purpose and destiny. Modern-day progressives, historical revisionists, liberal politicians, and humanistic professors would scoff at the notion that America was established by God for a divine purpose. They would also mock the assertion that our founders believed in and honored this divine-human partnership. As John Adams said, however, “facts are stubborn things…” These modernists may not like our origins, but they can’t change them. Yahweh, the God of the Bible, was indeed involved in America’s founding and He did so for His purpose. When General George Washington commissioned the Appeal to Heaven flag to fly over our naval ships in the Revolutionary War - don’t look for that in our modern-day American history books - little did he know that 240 years later, God would ordain that it fly again. This time around, however, it won’t fly over a fledgling nation being born, but over the most powerful nation in the world being reborn. This rebirth isn’t literal, of course, but is a spiritual and moral renewal that will resurrect America’s God-given calling, purpose, and greatness. In the days of the flag’s genesis, the American colonists had no chance of winning a war with the world’s greatest empire, Great Britain. “Chance,” however, lost its relevance once they chose an appeal to heaven over conceding to fate. When those ill-prepared and poorly equipped revolutionaries appealed for assistance to the Giver of inalienable rights, the tide turned. When they agreed to come under God’s governance and honor His ways, He who “governs in the affairs of men,” as Ben Franklin stated at the Constitutional Convention, did just that. Affirming the Lord’s governing intervention, Franklin also said, “All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of super-intending providence in our favor.” Now, let it be said of our generation that when a nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to war for its restoration. Let it be said of us, as it was of our forefathers, that in the face of overwhelming odds, we took our stand in the celestial courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power. Appeal to heaven - it still works! “Everyone knows how God has saved us, for He has displayed His justice throughout history.” (Psalm 98:2 TPT) A prayer you can pray: Father, the world looked on in amazement as 13 unorganized, army-less, upstart colonies defeated the world’s greatest empire. It seemed impossible, yet they did. And we know how they did it. They asked for and received Your help. They dared put the request on a banner and raised it over the battles. And You responded, coming to their aid. The appeal worked. You have now resurrected this flag and are re-energizing the appeal. It worked then; it will work now. The same phenomenon that birthed our nation will now rebirth it - an appeal to heaven. Breathe on this, Father. Energize it with Your Holy Spirit. Make it live again in America and around the world. We appeal to You for worldwide revival. We appeal to You for the destruction of strongholds. We appeal to You for the uncovering of truth in our land and in other nations. We ask for grace and mercy, but we also appeal for justice. In this land, America, pour out Your Spirit in a great deluge of power and glory. Do this until we are once again a light to the world, a carrier of the life-giving gospel, and a beacon of truth. We decree this shall be so, in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen Decree: We decree: It still works! Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book An Appeal to Heaven.

Happy Birthday to my favorite sister, Deana. She’s my favorite, because she’s my only sister. Hope it’s a good one. Fanning the Flames of Patriotism Samuel Adams, one of America’s great Founders - who being dead yet speaks - has a message for those who think the church should stay out of government affairs: “Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty."(1) Sadly, many Americans today are clueless as to the true stakes of the war for America’s soul. Having never been under the control of despots and dictators, and never having had to fight a war for liberty, all they know is the propaganda of communist professors, leftist politicians, and their dishonest media arm. Xi and Putin would love to enlighten them. Admittedly, Adams was occasionally harsh, but then again, there was no time in his day for niceties and beating around the bush. For example, he said to those afraid to fight for our independence: “If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"(2) Think he might have been censored? Perhaps. But we can thank he and other determined patriots for pledging their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to purchase the freedom we now enjoy. Their understanding of the times, intellectual strength, and commitment to the cause of freedom would be helpful today. May God give us more Samuel Adams. Ronald Reagan also understood what was at stake. Here are portions of a campaign speech he gave for Barry Goldwater, entitled A Time for Choosing. Though somewhat lengthy they are so good and so appropriate for today, I couldn’t bring myself to cut it down any further. Do yourself a favor and read the entire speech. You’ll not only be inspired; you’ll also ask God to give us more Ronald Reagans: “…Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers. “Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, ‘We don't know how lucky we are.’ And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’ And in that sentence, he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth… “…If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand—the ultimatum. And what then—when Nikita Khrushchev [Leader of the Soviet Union at the time] has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we're retreating under the pressure of the Cold War, and someday when the time comes to deliver the final ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary, because by that time, we will have been weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side, he's heard voices pleading for ‘peace at any price’ or ‘better Red than dead,’ or as one commentator put it, he'd rather ‘live on his knees than die on his feet.’ “…those voices don't speak for the rest of us,” Reagan stated. Continuing, he said: “You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin - just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all. “You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, ‘There is a price we will not pay.’ ‘There is a point beyond which they must not advance.’ And this - this is the meaning in the phrase of Barry Goldwater's ‘peace through strength.’ Winston Churchill said, ‘The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we're spirits - not animals.’ And he said, ‘There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.’ “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. “We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.”(3) A good dose of patriotic quotes always charges my batteries. When feeling really crusty, I read a few of Patton’s. Or, perhaps of Lewis Morris. When his half-brother tried to warn him against signing the Declaration because of the potential cost, Morris replied, “Damn the consequences. Give me the pen!”(4) I’m sure he and Adams got along quite nicely. We have promises from God that He will save our nation and restore our purpose. Our cause is worthy. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Corinthians15:58 NASB) I leave you with one more quote from Samuel Adams, from a letter of encouragement written to James Warren. Warren had lamented the fact that many colonists were unwilling to involve themselves in the cause of liberty. Writing to Adams he said, “I shall not fail to exert myself to have as many towns as possible meet, but fear the bigger part of them will not. They are dead; and the dead can’t be raised without a miracle.”(5) Adam’s response, in part: “Nil desperandum - Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it.”(6) Pray with me: Father, we Americans give thanks for our freedom. We are an immeasurably blessed people. Thousands around the world who read or listen to these posts understand this very well, perhaps better than most Americans. We love them all. We pray today for the courage to stand for You and for them. Give us hearts of iron, nerves of steel. Fill us with fresh resolve to make our heavenward appeals, to answer destiny’s call. Give us hearts that stay low, but dream high. Make us the Joshuas and Calebs, the Adams and Reagans of our time, fearless in the face of demons and those who war against Your planned harvest. May this be Your Ekklesia’s finest hour, Your Kingdom’s greatest advance on planet earth. We will represent our great Redeemer until we can say with our brother, Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NASB) And in our great Redeemer’s name, we pray, amen. Our decree: We, the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ, decree that He is our great Champion; we always triumph in Him. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ http://www.samuel-adams-heritage.com/documents/speech-about-declaration-of-independence.html Ibid https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/time-choosing-speech-october-27-1964 https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1831-damn-the-consequences-give-me-the-pen https://democraticthinker.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/samuel-adams-nil-desperandum/ https://quotefancy.com/quote/906345/Samuel-Adams-Nil-desperandum-Never-Despair-That-is-a-motto-for-you-and-me-All-are-not

Don’t Be Moved by What You See As we mature in our walk with God, we grow in our ability to maintain faith in the midst of difficulties. Psalm 112:7 tells us those who walk with God, “will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” In today’s post, I want to say some sobering things regarding America’s current state of affairs. As these verses state, don’t allow them to discourage you. And, I want to state unequivocally my belief that America shall be saved. It is possible to experience grief, anger, and other emotions without them affecting our faith. Contrary to what some believe, identifying facts and stating reality is not unbelief. Unbelief is yielding to that which contradicts God and is contrary to His will. Let’s learn from Abraham. We are told that Abraham carefully and attentively considered his and Sarah’s inability to conceive. “Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-20 NASB) “Contemplated” is translated from the Greek word katanoeo, and means “to observe fully, consider, or perceive” (Strongs 2657). Thayer’s highly respected Greek dictionary says it means “to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes or mind on.” Faith is believing God’s Word from the heart, in spite of facts or circumstances that state otherwise; it is believing in the existence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). Many confuse faith with positive thinking, a refusal to acknowledge negative facts or circumstances. While refusing to dwell on negative thoughts promotes health and helps protect our faith, nevertheless, it is a function of our minds and is not biblical faith. Nor will it release spiritual power. One does not even have to be born again to think positively. Biblical faith, however, originates in our hearts and grows from the seeds of God’s Word as we feed and meditate on it. Obviously, Abraham’s example of considering his and Sarah’s conditions doesn’t mean we should continually consider and focus on the negative facts. He faced the facts, “yet, with respect to the promise of God… he grew strong in faith…and became fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). As Abraham chose to feed His heart with God’s promise, Holy Spirit caused his faith to grow until he was “fully assured.” This is what we must do, as well. We clearly identify situations in order to understand what we are dealing with, but focus on what God says about them, approaching the facts based on His words. We attack that which is contrary to His will with His Word. We speak them, “saying the same thing,” God says, which is the meaning of the biblical word “confession” (homologia [Strongs 3671]; Hebrews 10:23). We meditate on His words (Joshua 1:8), tending to them as seeds (Proverbs 4:20) until we reap their fruit. We use them as a sword to defeat unbelief (Ephesians 6:17), and as a hammer to crush that which stands in the way of His promise (Jeremiah 23:29). Where America is concerned, I do NOT overfeed my mind on our sins and weaknesses or on what satanic forces are doing to oppose God and biblical values. As a watchman, however, I must identify them and sound the alarm in order that those who pray are not “ignorant of [satan’s] schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11) and can resist him in prayer. Here Comes Some Reality With these comments as context, I want to point out that America is now reaping horrible fruit from: 1) rejecting God and His ways; 2) willful sin and rebellion; 3) an uninformed populace (including the church); and 4) electing dishonest, power-hungry, greedy and incompetent leaders who have no fear of or respect for God. These results include, but are not limited to: shocking levels of violence and crime gross immorality epidemic homelessness frighteningly low levels of learning, replaced by high levels of indoctrination out of control drug use causing record numbers of deaths open borders resulting in human trafficking, drugs flooding in that are killing hundreds of thousands of people, and untold numbers of terrorists, criminals, and spies entering America loss of freedoms a rewriting of our history a dual system of justice sickening but successful efforts to divide and polarize us a failing economy and skyrocketing debt disgusting abuse and mutilation of our children over 60 million abortions a weak military emboldened enemies planning to destroy us and more. I am sharing these things, knowing you already see them; nothing I have said has surprised you. But I want you to know I see them, as well - even as I declare revival and victory. I see them, even as I declare America shall be saved. I am not in denial. But I don’t allow them to erode my faith. I have watched this slow death of America taking place over the past 30-plus years, often grieving over the inability to awaken the American church, especially its leaders, to our true condition. America IS the proverbial frog in the kettle; we refused to wake up as the water grew warmer and warmer. Now it’s boiling. And as a nation, we can no longer save ourselves; only a miracle from God can save us. Here Is the Faith But our God is a God of miracles! In His world dry bones - and dead frogs - can live again. The deadness of Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies had nothing to do with whether or not Isaac was born. God has no problem overturning death with His resurrection power. The question was whether or not their faith could embrace God’s promise. Scripture and history have made clear that He is willing to use the prayers of a remnant to save nations. And a remnant of Americans is praying. We have powerful promises from Him that He is going to save our nation with an earthshaking revival. Decree this daily! Appeal to His mercy, His grace, purchased with the blood of Christ. Appealing to heaven birthed our nation, and it will rebirth it. It still works! Be His voice of authority, releasing His Kingdom power and authority into our land. Stay engaged. DO NOT ALLOW AMERICA’S HOPELESS CONDITION TO ERODE YOUR FAITH! INSTEAD, GROW STRONGER IN FAITH! WE ARE WARRIORS, MORE THAN CONQUERORS, AMBASSADORS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! NEVER GIVE UP! STAND! OUR PRAYERS ARE SAVING A NATION! Pray with me: Father, thank You for Your long-suffering and gracious heart. You delight in mercy; Your mercies endure forever. Like the prodigal in Scripture, we have squandered our inheritance as a nation and find ourselves in a pigpen, feeding on slop and mud. You have sent many warnings, which we ignored. Now You are showing us the wages of our sin. But we cling to the truth that Your mercy triumphs over judgment. Bring this nation to its senses, just as You did the prodigal. Cause us to run back to You. Deliver us from ourselves, and from wicked people who control us. Forgive us of our pride and rebellion against You, and for - as President Lincoln said years ago - believing that we brought all of our many blessings on ourselves. Send revival to this land. Heal us of our depravity and sin. And restore to us our destiny. With faith, we decree Your words once again, knowing they will not return to You void, without accomplishing what You sent them to do: America shall be saved! Our decree: Because of God’s great love and mercy and the faith-filled prayers of a remnant, America shall be saved! Click on the link below to watch the full video.

American Church: Find Your Voice Today’s post is a little strong. The following few paragraphs contain an overview of God’s plan for humankind and the earth. It also includes satan’s plan and attempts to thwart God’s intentions. It ends, however, with a challenge to the American church. Where most of you are concerned, I’m preaching to the choir. But you can help me pray, and you can help circulate the post. God and Government The concept of government is first introduced to us in Genesis 1:26-28, when Yahweh assigned the responsibility of governing the earth and all it contains to Adam - humankind. Yahweh’s Kingdom (which means “the domain of a King”) includes all creation, everywhere - heaven, the heavens, earth, and hell. He rules over all. He assigned the governing of this colony of His Kingdom, the earth, to us humans. Government/authority flows from God - from His nature, the essence of who He is. He IS the King, the Lawgiver, and Judge (Isaiah 33:22). And His laws, precepts, guidelines, etc, are based on love and truth, righteousness and justice (the foundations of His throne - Psalm 89:14). Truth is not something God has to think about or consider; He IS truth (Isaiah 65:16; John 14:6). He doesn’t try to love; He IS love (1 John 4:16). He governs from who He is! He Releases His Will Through Family and Delegated Government The authority to govern/rule Earth was delegated by Him. The story of the Bible is that: 1) God added a family to His Kingdom, created an amazing home for them - earth - and 2) delegated His rule/government of this home to His family. This government/authority was to be exercised according to His nature, ways, will, and truth - at every level: personal, home, family, cities, and nations. God’s design is that ALL government be a conduit of His truth, righteousness, ways, will, and love. We know this plan was interrupted at the Fall. Satan stole God’s family temporarily, and with it came the dominion/rule of their home. The story of Scripture then became how God would redeem and restore these two things. The war on earth is over family and government: who will own the people, and who will rule the earth? Jesus, of course, was God’s answer. He made it possible for all people to become part of God’s family again and recovered Adam’s/our lost authority for us. But satan is a thief and usurper. He still attempts to rule people and places, using humankind’s ignorance, sin, and rejection of Christ. Believing and receiving the gospel removes us from satan’s authority and back into God’s family. The understanding of and exercising Christ’s authority/government in our lives enforces our freedom from satan’s authority. As Christ’s family, and having been delegated His authority, we are also called and privileged to extend His redemption and freedom to others. We do so, not by demanding or dictating, but by proclaiming His gospel, declaring His truth, and binding satanic/demonic schemes, plans, and actions. As the power of Holy Spirit is released from us, it opens people’s eyes to the gospel and God’s truth, allowing them to believe in Christ. This allows even their land, possessions, livelihoods, cities, and nations to also be freed from satan’s government/authority/rule (see Deuteronomy 28). The Scriptures Are All about Government As one of the two primary issues on earth, it is logical that “government” would be one of Scripture’s dominant themes. It is mentioned extensively throughout the Bible. Earthly “kingdoms” are spoken of 36 times, and earthly “kings” are spoken of 108 times. “Rule” or “ruler” is mentioned 155 times, God is mentioned as “Lord” thousands of times, and His “kingdom” more than 80 times. There are other governmental terms we could list, such as dominion, authority, govern, leader, etc., which are used dozens of times. Suffice it to say, God is government, the source of government, and releases His will and ways through delegated governing authority - at every level. The Church Ignores It AND YET…many in the church think government is to be ignored. “Get people saved,” they say, “but issues of government don’t belong in the church. Well, we should pray for it [which most don’t], but don’t talk about it, make a stand regarding it, or try to influence it.” Getting a church to take time in a service for more than a perfunctory prayer or mention of government, elections, laws, etc., is like trying to raise the dead. Getting pastors to make a public stand on BIBLICAL issues being decided on by the government, such as life, marriage, gender, sexual sin, and more, is even harder. The church doesn’t acknowledge the overwhelming amount of Scripture involving government, preferring to ignore it. And it conveniently hides behind manmade laws. Many pastors actually disagree with portions of God’s Word; others are ashamed or embarrassed by parts of it, and still, others are simply ruled by the fear of man. Therefore, most believers are ignorant of God’s word. Pastors need not be mean-spirited or condemning to preach and teach truth regarding these and other issues. It can and should be done with grace, mercy, and love. But truth must be taught; it is God’s Word. America In Crisis As a result of not doing so, America hangs in the balance of life or death. In a recent Fox News interview, (1) Newt Gingrich issued a wake-up call. Referencing the meetings this week between Putin and Xi - while the Biden administration, which he compared to a “situation comedy,” ignores them and downplays any significance - Gingrich said that in his opinion, “This is the most dangerous time in our history since Washington crossed the Delaware Christmas night in 1776…This is not a game. The threat to our civilization is so great that we really need a dramatic change.” Mr. Gingrich also said, “Xi gave four different speeches to his people last week on preparing for war. People should take him seriously and understand how determined, how aggressive, and how competent Xi is.” He compared Xi and Putin to “the Axis powers of Italy, Germany, and Japan in the 1930s that wanted to take on Democracies. Unlike in the 30s, we have a President that is dedicated to weakness, dedicated to confusion…America is in an enormous crisis, with a news media that doesn’t want to cover the truth. This is the moment when America truly is what Mao called America “a paper tiger.” It’s a very sobering and very frightening moment in American history.” The church might want to find her voice. I’ve said before that regardless of the overall church’s abdication, God will save America through a remnant. I truly believe this. But I also believe this could have occurred much more quickly - and still could be sped up - had a larger percentage of the church been praying and taking action. And the pain we are experiencing, and will for two more years, could be substantially less. To those of you who are praying - thank you! Please persevere. Pray with me: Father, in Christ’s name, on behalf of the church of America, we ask You to forgive us for not representing You and Your ways as we should. We have been complacent, willfully ignorant, and fearful of speaking out against the promotion of sin and evil. But an awakening is occurring; please breathe on this and cause it to increase. Awaken the church to the fact that we are Your voice, the speakers of Your Word and truth, on the earth. Revive this truth in us. Send Your fire to the pulpits of America again. We preachers in America repent for watering down Your truth. We repent for ignoring portions of Your Word and operating under the fear of man. We should have hearts like Joshua, Caleb, Paul, Finney, Wesley, Whitfield, and other warriors from the past. Again we pray, send Your fire! And Father, as the dragon and bear align, led by principalities and world rulers of darkness, thwart their evil plans to rule the world. We must reap a great harvest for You. You told me You HAD to have America in order to reap this harvest. You said we could close the doors to these forces, not with our hands/works, but with our words. So, in the name of Jesus, we call America back to You. We release Your Kingdom authority to bind these evil plans and release the power of Holy Spirit to oppose them. We release Your will for revival and awakening. We call forth Your fire. All that You have promised, we will see and experience. Our decree: We decree that lethargy and complacency in the church are being broken and replaced with revival fire! Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________ Found on Fox News’ Hannity Show, March 20, 2023.

Our Battle Partner Yesterday we looked at Holy Spirit’s involvement in our lives. Jesus said it was actually advantageous for Him to leave earth, in order that Holy Spirit could be sent to us. Whereas Jesus, in His human body, could be in only one place at a time; Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once, and is IN us, not just with us. I ended the post by saying that the single greatest key to biblically-defined success in any Christian endeavor is allowing the full work of Holy Spirit in and through us. This is most certainly true with prayer. If we are to become skilled watchmen, we must become increasingly led and instructed by Holy Spirit. He was Christ’s helper, and He must be ours as well. Jesus was filled with, led, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit (see Luke 4). Acts 10:38 again says Christ derived His power from Holy Spirit, and our power must flow from the same source - the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8). In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push and popping the clutch. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave his car running. He used this procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work. J.B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians 1:19-20, “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with Holy Spirit, His life and power flow through us. (1) There are two references in Scripture to Holy Spirit being our Helper. One is John 16:7: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” Here, the word is parakletos, which literally means “called to another’s side to aid, help or support.”(2) While often used to describe a legal advocate or attorney, it is not limited to this but includes any and every means of helping. I’ve often marveled at Holy Spirit’s humility. He could demand from us, assert His dominance, or force Himself on us. However, He postures Himself as an aide, a helper, waiting for the invitation to be all that He is. And oh, how we waste His availability and offer of help! One of the areas in which Holy Spirit wants to help us is spiritual warfare. This was another interesting use of the term parakletos. “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs so that when an enemy attacked, they could draw together, back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was his paraclete.”(3) Yes, our greatest partner in battle is Holy Spirit! As Samson of old, we become more than conquerors when He is our strength. The same anointing of Holy Spirit that gave Samson physical power gives us spiritual power. Don’t waste it! Acts 1:8 says we receive power (the Amplified Bible says “power and ability”) when Holy Spirit indwells us. He wants to release His power from us into situations to heal, transform, bind demonic powers, dethrone principalities, and more. The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, uses no less than seven terms to describe/translate the concept of Holy Spirit as our paraclete: “Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby.” Incredible! That’s a lot to meditate on. Holy Spirit has been sent to help us in EVERY aspect of our life and ministry. He is the key to success! As watchmen, we must lean heavily on Him. The second passage that refers to Holy Spirit “helping” us is Romans 8:26: “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (emphasis mine). The Greek word is sunantilambanomai. It is a compound word made up of three words. Sun means “together with”; anti, “against”; and lambano, “to take hold of.”(4) Putting them together, a very literal meaning of the word is, “take hold of, together with, against.” How’s that for help?! In situations where we’re experiencing difficulty in obtaining results, Holy Spirit wants to take hold of the situation with us, adding His strength to ours. One of the ways in which he takes hold with us is by directing us on how to pray, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26, KJV). His strength is made complete in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we realize our weaknesses and inability to produce results, this causes us to look to Him for help. If we allow Him to pray through us, He will take hold together with us. We must believe that when Holy Spirit takes hold, something is going to move! Please notice that both the word “helps” and its literal definition “takes hold together with against” imply - not that Holy Spirit is doing it for us - but with us. In other words, this isn’t something Holy Spirit is simply doing in us, with or without our participation. No, we involve Him by praying as He leads, which is actually allowing Him to pray through us. His power is released through the prayers, and mountains are moved. This reminds me of the mouse and elephant who were best friends. They hung out together all the time, the mouse riding on the elephant’s back. One day they crossed a wooden bridge, causing it to bow, creak, and sway under their combined weight. After they were across, the mouse, impressed with their ability to make such an impact, said to the elephant, “We sure shook that bridge, didn’t we?” Yes, Holy Spirit is the source of power, the weighty One, but He allows us to participate and share in the victories. In fact, He won’t cross the bridge without us. Pray with me: Father, we thank You again for Your Spirit, Holy Spirit, being sent to us as our Helper. Just as Jesus was filled with, led, empowered, and anointed by Holy Spirit, we have been promised the same help. We receive this now by faith. We ask and are trusting You to bring a fresh infilling of Holy Spirit to the Ekklesia, to sharpen our discernment, to mature us in being led more accurately by our Helper. Just as Jesus was anointed by Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38), so we draw near to You and ask for a stronger anointing, in order to more effectively release Christ into the earth. Prophets have told us through dreams and prophecies that this month of July is significant for Washington, DC. In a dream, You showed angels with battering rams tearing down the protection afforded the spirit of Baal in and around the White House. We lay hold of those words now and decree them into our nation’s capital: “America, Washington, DC, White House, be free from the spirit of Baal! His roots have been destroyed. They will no longer bring forth fruit! Washington DC, receive the significant operation spoken of by the Spirit of God this month of July.” We trust You, Holy Spirit, as our great Paraclete. We know You are our protector in this battle. You are also the One who takes hold with us against our enemies. Take hold of our nation this month. Take hold of Baal this month. Dislodge him from Washington DC and the White House. And Father, just as with Israel under Elijah‘s prophetic ministry, we declare that as a nation we will no longer limp between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21). We declare, “The Lord, He is God! Yahweh is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). Now, we ask You for the rain of Holy Spirit to fall upon our land, just as it did in Elijah’s day. Send a deluge of Holy Spirit life to our land. Pour Holy Spirit out on us! We ask for all of this in the holy name of Jesus, amen. Our decree: We decree that with Holy Spirit’s help, we are turning America back to God! Today’s post was taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp.137-141) Click on the link below to watch the full video. _____________________________________ Larson, “Power, #511,” 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers, pp 409-410. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. 3875. Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 124-125. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. 4878.

A Deluge Is Coming Today’s post, submitted by my brother, Tim Sheets, is very encouraging. Let the words penetrate your heart; they contain many seeds. Reread them. Pray them. Prophesy them over your families, homes, congregations, cities and nations. Tim shares: “Something very significant is beginning to accelerate throughout the earth. Holy Spirit has repeatedly prophesied that His movements will begin to rise in the earth realm. These movements will flow together in a mighty way, the likes of which have never been seen. I recently had a vision of a tsunami wave of revival that continually grew stronger and stronger. I believe this will be a Holy Spirit outpouring even greater than that which occurred in the book of Acts. In this outpouring Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh, as prophesied in Joel 2:28. I can feel the synergy, wind and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon these words. “Joel 2:28 says ‘Your sons and daughters will prophesy.’ Prophesy is the Hebrew word ‘naba’ and it means ‘to speak God’s message under Holy Spirit influence, to represent God’s plan, will or His ways in words or songs.’(1) This revival and awakening will be saturated with the sounds of God’s holy Word through spontaneous worship and prayer. “In Joel 2:23, Joel prophesied that an era of outpouring would come when the former and latter rains will occur at the same time. Rain is sometimes used to represent revival or outpourings of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, as it is here. The springtime rains were referred to as the planting rains because they grew the seeds. The harvest rains, which were seven times greater, would ripen the harvest for reaping. Joel prophesied there would be a time when these rains occurred simultaneously. I believe we are in that time: an era of outpourings seven times greater than occurred in the book of Acts will take place, causing the harvest of a billion souls to be reaped, as has been prophesied. “The Ekklesia has cried out for revival. We have prayed and decreed for the fire of God to fall and His mighty wind to blow. We are starting to see the beginnings of this. The revival at Asbury University in recent weeks has been absolutely amazing. Revival has also started to spread to other universities and college campuses. We are seeing desperate students, hungry for the presence of God. As a result, many are being saved, delivered, healed, refreshed and renewed. “I believe this is just the beginning. We are stepping into supernatural, God-planned events. The revival currently taking place will spread and accelerate, becoming a worldwide Kingdom revival. People being forced to travel in order to experience revival is not God’s plan. What is happening will spread throughout the land and become too widespread for hell to stop. “Recently, during one of my prayer times, I became deeply burdened to pray for the younger generation. As I did so, I was impacted emotionally to the point of weeping. As I prayed and wept, I received a prophetic download from the Holy Spirit. The timing of this turned out to be significant, which initially I only mentioned to two people - my wife, Carol, and my brother, Dutch. I didn’t want to interject myself into something that was holy and precious, I simply wanted to pray into it, which is what I have done. “However, I know the timing was not a coincidence and, more importantly, I believe it confirms what is occurring in this season. I received this download between 9:30 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Wednesday morning, February 8th. The Asbury University revival began at 10 A.M. that same day during their chapel service. My intercession and the word I received was given to me at the exact time this outpouring began, though I wouldn’t hear about the revival breaking out until the next day. I knew Holy Spirit had given me a confirming word that revival would spread through the earth. “Through my tears I wrote the following as Holy Spirit spoke to me that morning: ‘Behold and understand the mysterious wisdom of the Godhead destroying the works of the forever loser. See Their vision for a new era unfolding. The earth realm has seen the entrance and actions of King Jesus for two millennia. This has occurred at levels and in ways never before seen, or even anticipated, by the loser and his fallen ones. The King’s personhood and His ministry of redemption, salvation and grace have been presented in the earth realm; His Kingship has been declared above all powers. “‘Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Enabler and Communicator has been presented in the earth realm, filling the heirs with the presence and power of His person. “‘Now see new expressions, new discoveries, new dimensions, greater revelation and amplified levels of the Father’s heart to those made in His image and likeness. Now see His fathering anointing released into the earth in glorious measures. Now see the greatness of Father’s heart as it hovers over and says to a fatherless generation, I want you. I will be your Father. You will not be fatherless. You will not be confused. You will not be lost. You will know My love is set upon you. “‘You will not be orphans, you will not be aimless. I will mentor you. My family will welcome you, care for you and embrace you. You will not be lost. I will take you in. There are rooms in My house for you. There’s a seat at My table for you. My fathering nature, My fathering heart, will heal you. “‘My hovering presence will realign and define you. I will transform you. My heart of love for you will bring clarity to your purpose. You will not be without identity. You will be a son; you will be a daughter, you will be an heir, My heir. I will father you. My family will train you. I will love you to your destiny. I will clear the lies, the confusion, and I will bring your true identity.”’ “Holy Spirit said new levels and new expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented, much of it pointed at the young generation. His fathering anointing poured into the earth realm will break the yoke of abandonment. This will cause the hearts of the fathers to turn to the children and their brokenness will be healed. Millions will become free and know the great love of the heavenly Father. “In summary, ‘the era of transforming shifts’ will now begin. Father is going to reveal His greatness to the world. Earth’s harvest will be reaped as ‘a new era church’ is found to be about the Father’s business. God’s family will grow exponentially and hell won't be able to stop it. “I have no doubt God gave me this word, not only as confirmation of this growing revival, but as a prayer assignment. It is vital that we cover this move and outpouring in prayer.” Pray with me: Lord, pour out Your Spirit on all flesh, just as You said. Do so throughout our nation, especially on college campuses. We thank You for the outpourings of Your Spirit we have already seen, for the lives that have been changed. But we know this is only the beginning of a mighty revival. Abba, release Your “father heart” to bring healing and transformation to the young generation around the world. Release Your love to them, awakening them to a divine, holy destiny. End their confusion of purpose, gender, morality, who You actually are, and what love really is. You said You would give them a seat at Your table - we ask for this. What we are asking is for Your “father heart” to explode upon an entire generation. We decree that as You so, prodigals will come home. Fan the flames and let this revival spread across the land. We know that Holy Spirit is now supervising this new movement of unprecedented rain. He is breathing life, preparing to release miracles, healings, signs and wonders on the earth. The heavens are pregnant with this rain. A revival greater than Acts is beginning to flow to us and through us. Finally, we ask for the troops of heaven, Your great angels, to fight alongside us. Holy Spirit, implement this major shift of the Kingdom of God in our nation. We decree that Your Kingdom has come and continues to manifest, Your will is being done. Send Your oil, Your fire, Your wind and rain. Do this, Father, for the eternal well-being of millions, the passion and pleasure of Your Son, and the glory of His great name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that new levels and expressions of Father’s heart will now be presented to the young generation around the world, and that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. 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. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ref. no. 5012.

The Dangling Carrot God’s words are powerful and creative. The following three verses referencing this are some of my favorites. They each contain the Hebrew word asah, which means “do, perform, accomplish,” etc. However, asah is also one of the primary words for “create” (Strongs 6213). God’s words create! Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Isaiah 55:11: “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Jeremiah 1:12: “Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.’” I ministered with our friend, Regina Shank in Carthage, MO, this past weekend. Regina is a strong, gifted leader and seasoned intercessor. She shares a word with us today regarding God’s faithfulness to His word. Let it encourage you, then join me in decreeing the powerful declaration she wrote. Regina says: “There is a great move of God on the horizon. It has already started and is continuing. Those in bondage to darkness will come out into the light. Traumatized, rejected ones inside and outside the body of Christ will receive healing. The hopeless will find hope again; promises will suddenly manifest. Be assured when God speaks, He has the power to bring it forth. “Years ago, the Lord spoke promises to me that looked impossible and, on top of that, seemed forever in the making. I began to see myself as a donkey following a carrot on the end of the stick. You know the scenario. The donkey keeps following the carrot, but never acquires it. The owner of the donkey outwits him by tempting him with something he will never get. He takes step after step, moving forward with his eyes on what will never be his. For a season, I felt like I was that donkey. For me, the carrot was representative of the yet-to-be-fulfilled promises and dreams. I became disillusioned in the waiting. One day I was in prayer about these promises when the Lord spoke these words to me: ‘You are my lady-in-waiting.’ “As I sat before Him on the floor of my prayer room, I realized there was a deeper meaning hidden in that statement. Then He spoke again, ‘Wait on Me in worship; dress Me in praise. In the waiting, allow My glory to sweep over you and transform you inside and out.’ “Suddenly, the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) came to mind. ‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.’ “How do you disagree with the timing of God? I thought I was ready to step into the full responsibility and calling contained in my promises before the Lord was ready to release me. I knew I didn’t want to be an Abraham who helped God out, refusing to wait on God’s timing. But, I certainly understood the urge to do so. “A few weeks later, I drove to St. Louis for a prayer assignment. The intercessors came together for prayer and instruction prior to boots on the ground. A prophetic man I did not know came up to me after the meeting, looked me in the face, and said, ‘You are going to get the carrot.’ “I was stunned. Questions came to mind: Who is this guy? How did he become aware of my intimate prayers with my Father? He definitely read my mail! After the shock wore off and I was able to get by myself, I let the tears flow and realized the Lord was reassuring me of His faithfulness. With the assurance of a prophetic word from a man who did not know me, or have any knowledge of my petitions before the throne, I continued to WAIT on God to bring forth His promises. The next week I was leading a ladies' meeting. During a break in the training session, a lady in the back of the room came up to me timidly and said, ‘I don’t know why the Lord asked me to do this, but I bought you something.’ “She opened her hand, and there lay a piece of jewelry like I had never seen. It was a pin in the shape of a carrot. It was sparkling in her hand, bright orange in color with green leaves crowning the top. Well, that was the final straw, or shall I say carrot? I still have that piece of jewelry to remind me of God’s faithfulness to deliver the dreams He puts in our hearts. I am now walking in many of those promises and impossible dreams. The donkey did get the carrot. “We have promises of worldwide revival, manifested healings, and societal changes. We have personal and corporate dreams and hopes being formed in the womb of prayer and petition. I can assure you, they are not carrots dangling in front of the donkey. What God says, He will do.” Our decree: (Today, we will just have this powerful decree.) We decree that every word spoken to us personally and corporately by the Lord will come to pass. We will have what the Lord has promised. He is not a man that He should lie. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. America shall be saved. Our families will be saved. Our personal destinies written in His book before we were born, will come forth. Psalms 139:16. “In His book, all our days were written before there was one of them.” God’s timing is perfect, and our times are in His hands. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We will trust, pray, and stand on the unfailing words of our Father. We will decree the answer and not lament the problem. We will take our place as intercessors on the earth, bringing God’s will into our circumstances. We will take our place as sons and daughters of the King, making our decrees to reverse the evil decrees of unbelievers and the evil intents of darkness. Our God reigns. His light overcomes darkness, and He has never lost a battle. We press on toward the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. We are not of those who shrink back, but we press forward into the fulness of our destinies and the destinies of families and nations. We get the CARROT!!! Today’s post was contributed by our friend Regina Shank. You can find out more about her ministry at ReginaShank.com Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Releasing God’s Power As we continue discussing our spiritual authority as believers, for the next few days, I want to share some principles on why it takes time for our prayers to be answered, including prayers for revival. If we have the authority of Christ’s name, if we truly are His Ekklesia with authority to represent Him, why does it sometimes take so long to produce results? Why is persistence required? Does God have a certain amount of prayers required for certain situations? Do we “talk Him into” doing things? Does God “finally decide” to do something? Do we “earn” answers through hard work or perseverance? The answer to all these questions is “no.” Some will ask, “What about that which is frequently referred to as the prayer of importunity, in Luke 11:5-13? Doesn’t this passage teach that we importune (persist) with God until He decides to give us what we ask?” The answer is an emphatic “NO”! The need for persistence in prayer is never for the purpose of overcoming God’s reluctance. The word “importunity” in Luke 11:8 (KJV) is an unfortunate KJV translation of the Greek word anaideia, which actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) Aidos, the root word, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9. Here in Luke 11, it occurs in its negative form, making it “without modesty or shame.” The point of this passage in Luke is the same as Hebrews 4:16, “come boldly to the throne of grace,” rather than with a sense of unworthiness or shame. Just as the petitioner in the story, we can approach God as our friend, at any time, knowing we are welcome. So why do we persist? Last week I shared the story of Holy Spirit assigning me to pray for a young, comatose girl. I prayed over her at least an hour every week - sometimes two hours - for a year. Why did it take a year to obtain this miracle? Why does it sometimes require several years of intercession to see someone saved? Why did Elijah have to pray seven times before the rain came (see 1 Kings 18:41-45)? Why did Daniel have to pray 21 days before the angel broke through with his answer (see Daniel 10:13)? Why does it take years of prayer to change a nation and see revival? Gordon Lindsay, a great man of prayer and the founder of Christ for the Nations, taught on what he called the “substance” of prayer.(4) He believed that our prayers do more than simply motivate the Lord to action. They actually release the power of Holy Spirit from us to accomplish things. And we must persevere until sufficient power is released. I agree. That God’s power resides in us, which Holy Spirit desires to release from us, is absolute. The power of God that produces life, healing, and wholeness flows not just from heaven, but also out from the church. He is now enthroned in our hearts - we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). The word translated temple (naos), means “the holy of holies.”(5) We are now the holy of holies, the dwelling place of God and His glory on earth. And He wants to release His power from us through speaking, touching, laying hands on the sick, declaring, and even worship. A symbolic picture of this is given in John 7:38, where Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” Innermost being, (or as the KJV says, “belly”) is the Greek word koilia, which literally means “womb” (Strongs 2836). Translating the verse literally, we would say, “From his womb shall flow rivers of living water.” The word “womb,” speaks of reproduction - the bringing forth of life. “I’ll put a force (river) in you that will generate life,” Christ was saying. “You are My womb, My incubation chamber.” John 7:39 continues, “But this He spoke of the Spirit.” The river Christ spoke of as flowing from us is Holy Spirit. He, from within us, releases His river of power and life to flow into individuals. Not only are we Christ’s womb, we’re also His mouth. Holy Spirit uses us to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). He doesn’t speak from the clouds; He speaks from His people - up from our spirits and out of our mouths. And this releases God’s power! At the time when God was teaching me this in the mid-80s, I had 45 warts on my hands. Some were quite large and had eaten into my fingernails and cuticles on three fingers, completely replacing them. They had been spreading/multiplying on my hands for 7-8 years. Doctors told me they didn’t want to burn or freeze them off, for fear of too much collateral damage to my hands, nails, and cuticles. Many people prayed for me, with no results. I was in numerous services where “gifts of healing” and “workings of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10) were occurring, with many people being healed - but never me. Finally, Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly, “Though some are healed through My gifts, others through the prayers of the elders (James 5:14), and still others through the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), I will not heal you through any of these methods. You will have to do what I’ve been teaching you - speak My word over your hands every day (Mark 11:23), numerous times each day, releasing My power to them until they are healed.” I determined to obey. At least six or seven times each day, sometimes more, I spoke God’s living and powerful Word (Hebrews 4:12) over my hands, using several Scriptures regarding healing. I saw no change for two weeks, but I believed something was happening as I spoke God’s word. Power was being released and accumulating. After two weeks, I noticed change; the warts were shrinking. From that point on, I watched them become smaller each day. As they shrank, fingernails and cuticles began growing. It took two more weeks for all of the warts to completely disappear, and new nails and cuticles to form. The entire process took a month. Each day power was flowing. It wasn’t a one-time surge bringing an instant miracle, but a relentless flow of power being released into my hands. It was most definitely God’s power - not mine - that removed the warts and gave me new skin, nails, and cuticles (with no scars). But I was required to release that power by speaking His words. The healing was Christ’s provision, Holy Spirit’s power and strategy, which I had to activate and release. “Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17 TPT) Pray with me: Father, we have not done an adequate job of teaching believers regarding Your amazing power and life in us. Therefore, the church has remained horribly ignorant of who we are in Christ, and all He intends us to be and do. The river of life is in us in the person of Holy Spirit. Your immeasurable power is in us. We ask You to increase our understanding of this. Teach us how to be those who release Your power to those who need it. Teach us to release the flow of Your river of life into situations where spiritual death is operating. May new boldness come to the church, and confidence to believe You really do want to work through us. And we ask that all hope deferred be overcome, in order that we may persevere in our intercession. And, as always, Father, we ask You to pour out Your Spirit in this nation and abroad. As we pray and release Your power, bring the greatest awakening the world has ever experienced. Transform our nation and other nations of the earth. We ask You - this very day - move by the power of Holy Spirit. Send revival to our churches, and from there into the nation. In Christ’s name we ask and believe we will receive these things. Amen. Our decree: We release the power of Holy Spirit into every city and neighborhood in our nation, in the authority of Jesus’ name! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. _________________________ 1 Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977) p38. 2 Jack W. Hayford, Praying Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995) p55, 1977, edition. 3 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p14. 4 Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas: Christ for the Nations, Inc., revised 1994) p43. 5 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p422.

No Weapon Formed Against You Will Prosper Today’s post is about just how much God honors and keeps covenant. Deuteronomy 7:9 says He keeps covenant to a thousand generations. Our covenant of redemption and salvation with God is through the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:29, 12:24, 13:20). Jesus personally guarantees and mediates this covenant (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6). The post is also to remind us that satan does NOT honor this covenant. He is a trespasser, a thief and a murderer, always seeking “to steal, kill and destroy,” (John 10:10). When we are not alert to his strategies, it allows him to take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). In today’s post, Jane Hamon, a trusted friend and prophet, is acting as a watchman, alerting us to one of satan’s strategies, and reminding us to resist him with Christ’s authority and claim our covenantal protection. One further explanation before Jane’s thoughts: It is a biblical practice for a demon’s identification to be taken from how they manifest, what they produce or cause. Jesus delivered a boy of deafness and the ability to speak in Mark 9, calling the spirit a “deaf and dumb spirit” (verse 25). Luke 13:11 mentions a woman whose back was deformed by a “spirit of infirmity.” A spirit called himself by the name Legion in Mark 5:9 saying “for we are many.” Jezebel, a wicked queen who ruled Israel, is another example (1 Kings 16:31 through 2 Kings 9:37). She was no doubt controlled by a principality. A demonic spirit was actually called by her name in Revelation 2:18-29. Holy Spirit probably did so because this spirit manifested and operated similarly to the actions and characteristics of Queen Jezebel. Many scholars actually believe this was the same spirit that controlled Jezebel. Today, Jane alerts us to an Athaliah-type spirit. She was the daughter of Jezebel. Birds of a feather… Jane says: “The Lord showed me an assignment coming against leaders in the church, along with their families, especially those called to be reformers. This attack is intended to stop them in their Kingdom work of breakthrough and transformation. Unusual sicknesses, accidents, and spiritual attacks have hit many leaders and/or their families. The Lord showed me this was an attack under the direction and control of an Athaliah-type principality. A few days later, I learned God had also said the same thing to several other prophets. It became clear to me that leaders need to fortify themselves and, through our covenant with Christ, actively break any and every curse coming against them. “To be clear, Jesus hung on the Cross to become a curse for us, so that we don’t have to live under a curse (Galatians 3:13). Satan was defeated that day. However, he is a thief and obviously still loose on the earth, trying to harass and torment us if we do not enforce our victory through Christ (see Ephesians 6:10-15). Characteristics of This Spirit “What are the characteristics of this “Athaliah” assignment? Second Kings 11:1 tells us: ‘When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed (heirs).’ Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab, who brought violence, witchcraft, and idolatrous worship to the land. Athaliah’s son had been king but was killed in battle, so she decided to seize the throne for herself. To do so, Athaliah killed all who possessed royal blood in the covenantal lineage of David, except for one baby that was hidden and protected. Through these blood “sacrifices,” she illegitimately seized the throne, and controlled the nation both naturally and spiritually, just as her mother had. In keeping with these characteristics, an Athaliah-type spirit would attack leaders and their children, in order to influence and control nations. “Athaliah’s name means ‘affliction, constriction, and compression’ (Strongs #6271 and #6270). How fitting. 1) Affliction means ‘to distress with mental or bodily pain, to trouble greatly, to overthrow or defeat, to impose a burden, to deliver a blow’.(1) The nature of this Athaliah-type attack is to afflict mentally or bodily: sickness, accidents, viruses, violence, etc. 2) Compress means ‘to cause to contract or shrink, to stop or slow the natural growth, advancement, and development of’.(2) The purpose of the attack is to keep us from advancing. 3) Constriction is a picture of satan, like a python snake, trying to squeeze the hope and life out of believers. This attack is subtle, designed to keep leaders and believers distracted, discouraged, or depressed as the enemy attempts to squeeze faith out of them in the midst of the battle. But the Lord is saying, ‘No!!! You are in covenant with Me! Resist him; bind his attack!’ “In 2 Kings, God uses several individuals to thwart Athaliah and release His covenant of faithfulness. Clearly, God’s covenant keeping faithfulness is the theme of this story, even in the midst of a reign of terror. Athaliah had killed all of the sons in line for the throne except one baby, Joash. Joash’s aunt, Jehosheba, hid him, keeping him from being killed (v. 11:1). He was the only one left in the lineage of David, a lineage which God had promised would produce the Messiah. Aunt Jehosheba thwarted Athaliah’s evil plans, and in her name is hidden a picture of covenant. “Jehosheba means, ‘Jehovah has sworn’ (Strongs 3989). The ‘sworn’ portion of her name, sheba, has a direct connection with covenant: ‘Sheba’ is a Hebrew word that literally means ‘to seven oneself’ (Strongs 7651). When swearing an oath of covenant, much like wedding vows, individuals would repeat the oath seven times. This was known as ‘sevening oneself’ (sheba). The oath was repeated seven times because the number 7 represents completion. By swearing the oath seven times, a person was saying, ‘I give myself to you and this covenant completely.’ “God has ‘sevened Himself’ to us through Christ. Every believer must understand and stand in the power of this covenant. God will never fail to honor it. When all hell breaks loose, boldly claim the benefit of your covenant with God, and pray authoritative prayers binding hell’s plan. He will keep His covenant promises, just as He did with David. “The next character in the story is Jehoiadah (v 11:4), a faithful priest. While Athaliah was in her reign of terror, Jehoiadah kept the rightful king, Joash, hidden in the temple for six years, caring for him. When Joash became seven years old, Jehoiadah crowned him king. This also pictures covenant, as the number seven represents the covenantal oath. God was honoring His covenant with David to preserve his royal legacy. “Jehoiadah then led a revolution for Joash, the true king. The faithful priest symbolizes reformers God is raising up today. Reformers bring change. Jehoiadah was a priest, but he also commanded an army of watchmen to protect the king by stationing them at the gates of the temple on all sides. When Athaliah heard the celebration of the true king’s coronation, she burst into the temple crying, ‘treason, treason!’ The soldiers/watchmen took her out of the temple and killed her, ending her evil reign. Today, God is empowering His spiritual watchmen to effectively deal with every demonic foe and break every demonic assignment (Isaiah 54:17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). “After the death of Athaliah, Jehoiadah re-covenanted the nation back to God and overthrew all the temples and altars of Baal (I Chronicles 23:16-17). All the people made a covenant with God and confronted Baal. Jehoiadah then restored true worship, sacrifices, and proper structure in the house of God. “The final pivotal character is the new king, Joash. His mother was from the city of Beersheba (2 Kings 12:12), which means, ‘the well of the sevens, oath or covenant’ (Strongs 884). There it is again - covenant! Out from ‘the well of covenant’ came the preservation of God’s promise to David. Joash’s name means ‘the fire of God’ (Strongs 3060). Our God, who keeps covenant, is preserving His people and restoring His fire in the lives of believers everywhere. “Do you feel as if you have been under an attack from something trying to thwart your destiny, to put out the fire of God in your life, or to destroy your children and grandchildren? Have you had unusual accidents, sickness or pain? If so, right now, decree this with me. Pray and decree with me: “I am bought and covered by the covenant blood of Jesus and no curse has authority over me. Therefore, I take authority over every demonic assignment against myself, my family, my ministry, my business, and my God-ordained leadership role. I break every assignment of an Athaliah-type spirit, and decree Jesus is my true king; I will submit only to Him. I declare I am in covenant with God and will be the intercessor, reformer, watchman, and warrior He has called me to be. I receive fresh fire from heaven so I can complete my assignments and fulfill my destiny, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Father, release your fire and save our nation, just as You did Israel. Turn America back to You. Raise up many Jehoiadahs in the church, reformers who turn our nation back to You. Do this around the world, as well. Deliver us from the Athaliah’s of our day, illegitimate leaders who oppose You and Your ways. Restore America to our covenant with You. We ask this in Christ’s name.” Our decree: We decree revival fires are burning, and we are overcoming every enemy, in Jesus’ name! For more resources, visit TomandJaneHamon.com Click on the link below to watch the full video. __________________________ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/affliction https://www.dictionary.com/browse/compress

Our Prayers Can Turn A Nation I am very passionate about helping you grow in your understanding of prayer and about all of us together praying for America. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been teaching about spiritual authority and power. Here are some summary statements: Where rule or control of the earth is concerned, power has never been the issue. God’s power is immeasurable and insurmountable. Authority, the right to rule, is the issue. Adam, whose name means “man or human,” was given authority over the earth. Through sin, he/we lost this authority to satan. Jesus, the last Adam, recaptured it. ALL authority is now His, both in heaven AND on earth. Christ has delegated His authority on earth to the church, His Ekklesia. With this authority, we petition the Father and release the power of Holy Spirit into the earth to 1) enforce Christ’s victory and 2) possess our inheritance in Christ. As we do so, the amount of power needed for breakthroughs is sometimes released all at once. Other times we must release it incrementally until a sufficient amount has been released. This is why we must persevere in prayer. We release this power of Holy Spirit through prayer, speaking God’s word, preaching or declaring truth, touching someone for the purpose of prayer, Spirit-led decrees, and more, all in Christ’s name or authority. Today I want to look at prayer for people’s salvation and for revival. Some believers ask: if we truly have been delegated the authority of Christ, with keys to lock and unlock, open and close, bind and loose…if we have been given dominion the government of hell can’t overcome, along with Holy Spirit’s power to back that up, why does it sometimes take years for these two things to be accomplished? When we pray for our nation, decree God’s words and promises over it, repent of our corporate sins, etc., why doesn’t satan have to cease his actions immediately, and God send revival or salvation quickly? Understanding the answers to these questions will help ward off “hope deferred” (Proverbs 13:12), and keep you from losing heart (Galatians 6:9). When praying for the restoration of a nation, which would include revival, God has to work on several fronts. Though we, the church, have been given Christ’s authority to bind and loose demonic powers, we have not been given the right to exercise authority or control over the wills of other people. In America, all citizens share the right to choose our government leaders, who then make decisions and laws that determine our course. This authority is a shared authority. In the natural realm, I have no more authority than the humanist, secularist, a member of another religion, or atheist. I cannot silence or “bind” them or their beliefs with my spiritual authority. If - through spiritual decline, compromise, ungodly leaders and educators, and a lukewarm church - the backsliding/spiritual decay of a nation becomes significant enough, the shared authority tips the scales toward sin, darkness, and unbiblical ideals. National, corporate sins, such as laws legalizing abortion or same-sex marriage, bring national, corporate curses upon the nation. Laws that push God away, such as removing prayer from schools, also bring curses. As believers (and unbelievers) awaken - usually through difficulties and desperation - and begin to pray for revival and the healing of the nation, it is not as simple as God saying, “Okay. Now that you’ve asked, I’ll just send it tomorrow.” His response is to stir up more people to pray and repent for the nation. As this continues, it brings cleansing, which strengthens the presence and activities of Holy Spirit in the land and weakens the hold and influence of demonic powers. Laws begin to change, our prayers and decrees become even more impactful. More evil is exposed and judged by the Lord. All of this works in a concerted fashion to prepare a nation for revival…if the praying church continues to pray and war spiritually, releasing God’s power and life. Also, changing hearts and minds to bring people to a revelation of truth, of Christ and the Gospel, takes time. God will not force Himself on people. He won’t force them to change, repent of sin, or receive His salvation. Humankind’s “free will,” as it is often called, is truly a profound freedom. The phrase is not in Scripture, but the principle is clearly taught (Matthew 10:32-33; 23:37; Luke 18:17; John 3:16; Romans 10:11,13; Revelation 22:17 and many others). All the evil that has ever existed in the world is due to humankind’s free will - the right to choose. Yes, there are consequences to all decisions; some reaped now, others after death. Nevertheless, the freedom to choose whether or not to obey and follow God has been given to humans, and He honors that right. When individuals have chosen to follow other gods, when they reject Christ, rather than believing in Him, God will not force them to change their minds. HOWEVER, this does not mean God can’t or won’t do anything to change the minds and hearts of unbelievers. It is not His will that any perish (2 Peter 3:9), and there are things He can do to change the will of unbelievers. These things take time. Deception, for example, though usually orchestrated by demons, involves much more than a demonic control that can be cast out or broken off of people. The deception strengthens into beliefs and mindsets in individuals and societies. They usually form over periods of time and eventually lodge deeply in the souls of people and cultures, becoming part of what Scripture calls a veil over the spiritual eyes of unbelievers. This veil blinds them to Christ and the Gospel. Until this veil is removed, they cannot understand and believe the Gospel. Second Corinthians 4:3-4 speaks of this veil: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It takes time and sustained spiritual warfare to remove this veil. Later in Corinthians, Paul refers to it as a stronghold or fortress (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). He breaks down the stronghold into 3 categories: 1) imaginations, philosophies, and beliefs (Greek: logismos [Strongs 3053]); 2) a root of pride that came into humankind’s nature at the Fall (Greek: hupsoma [Strongs 5313]); 3) the various thoughts and schemes satan implements continually (Greek: noema [Strongs 3540]). Unbelievers have no personal ability to demolish the stronghold and/or lift the veil off of themselves. Our spiritual warfare for them can do so, however. Listen to these encouraging verses from The New Living Translation, and also from The Living Bible: “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT) “It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons, I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TLB) I will teach on intercession and spiritual warfare for unbelievers’ salvation in the near future, but here are some things we can ask God for as we intercede for them. Ask Him to: Orchestrate circumstances to steer them toward Him; Release His truth to them through various methods and human laborers; Use any difficulties or losses they experience to open their heart to change; Release His power to perform “signs and wonders” in their life and/or presence; Speak to and deal with them internally. We must not grow weary in our prayers for revival and give up. The divine power they release is what God uses to turn a nation. Our identificational repentance cleanses; our appeals bring grace and mercy; our Spirit-led decrees bind satanic activities and schemes. He is using us to save our nation and usher in worldwide harvest/revival. We are fighting a good fight. We will not waver; we will not fail. Pray with me: Father, we in America have been blessed beyond words. Those who understand Your ways know this is because we have partnered with You, and because our Founders established us as a nation “under God.” Foolish, deceived, and wicked people are determined to change this. They are among the Psalm 2 company that rage against You, declaring through their words and actions that You will NOT rule over them. You make clear in that same Psalm that those who conspire against You have only two choices: kiss (worship and submit to) Your Son, or experience Your iron rod of judgment. Give mercy where You can, Supreme Judge of all the earth, but remove from power the wicked who will not submit to You. Do so before they destroy this nation You raised up. You have and continue to expose their wickedness and lunacy; let the light become even brighter. And save America with a mighty revival - an unprecedented, shockingly powerful, sweeping outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. Break strongholds in individuals, but break national strongholds. Free America from our national immorality, our national pride and rebellion, and our national deceptions. Send fire to cleanse and also to fill us with passion for You. Make us Your voice once again. We bind every evil spirit that opposes this, in the authority of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that strongholds of darkness are being broken over America, in the mighty name of Jesus. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Christ Took Our Curse In Numbers 21, the Israelites became outspoken in their criticism of Yahweh and Moses. Based on the judgment they incurred, it was likely that this had the potential of leading to a coup. A plague of serpents was released by God to stop it. “Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people so that many [people of Israel] died.” (Numbers 21:4-6) When Moses interceded for the people, the Lord’s instruction to him was profoundly important. Yahweh saw this occasion as an opportunity to picture satan, the serpent (Genesis 3:1; Revelation 20:2); the curse that resulted from Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:14-19); and the Cross, God’s remedy for the sin (John 3:10-21). Moses was instructed to form a serpent from bronze, and hang it on a pole in the center of Israel’s encampment. Whenever anyone was bitten by one of these serpents, if they looked at this pole, they were healed. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’” (Numbers 21:8) First, there can be no doubt that the fiery serpents in this account symbolized satan (and his demons), who seduced Adam and Eve into questioning God’s nature and partaking in the forbidden fruit. But did the antidote, the serpent on the pole, also picture satan? No. Shockingly, Jesus equated the serpent on the pole to Himself! How can such a thing be? How could a serpent be used to picture Christ? Three passages, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Galatians 3:13, and John 3:13-14 give us the answer. Deuteronomy 21: 22-23: “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God) so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.” Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” John 3:14: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” According to these verses, Christ became our substitute, taking the curse that came on the human race at the Fall. When He hung on the tree (Cross), it pictured this. Allowing Him to be pictured by the bronze serpent simply shows that He identified with our sin and curse, taking the sting of death for us. Also, in the Old Testament system of sacrifice, bronze symbolized judgment. When Christ fulfilled this Old Testament picture painted by Moses, He was taking humankind’s curse, our judgment of death, and giving us life. “Everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live” (Numbers 21:8). Christ on the Cross was the antidote. His substitution removed the sting of sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:55-56), gave us eternal life (John 3:16), and bestowed on believers the blessings that were given to Abraham (Galatians 3:14). As the Israelites had to look at the serpent on the pole, we must “look” to Christ on the Cross to receive these blessings. Jesus defined what it means to “look” upon Him. After revealing that the bronze serpent on the pole pictured Him (John 3:15), Christ made the statement that summarizes the salvation message more than any other: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Believing in Christ’s finished work at the Cross is the way to life, blessing, healing, restoration to God’s family, and fellowship with our Heavenly Father. We are also given a word of caution, however, regarding this symbol Moses used. Over the passage of time, it became an idol, and was given the name Nehushtan. This word most likely means “a brazen thing” or “a piece of bronze.” A thousand years later, 2 Kings 18:4 tells us that the Israelites had begun to worship and burn incense to it. In his purging of idolatry from Israel, Hezekiah destroyed this symbol. We must not worship symbolic objects, regardless of how wonderful the truth that they represent. Our faith must be placed in the fulfillment, not the symbolism. Reminders that point us to Christ and His redemption are appropriate; idols are not. When we eat the Communion bread and drink the juice, we are using them only as symbols, reminders. Jesus said when we do so, we “remember” what He did for us (Luke 22:19). However, this does not diminish the importance of Communion whatsoever. Remembering what Christ did causes our faith to engage. It motivates us to “proclaim,” both in our hearts and from our mouths, the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). Communion is theological, rooted in Scripture; devotional, enhancing our relationship with God; and confrontational, proclaiming the power and victory of Christ’s Cross. Pray with me: Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. We have placed our faith wholly in that sacrifice. The Cross produced complete victory over sin and satan’s kingdom. We proclaim this victory now as we look at the man, Jesus, taking our curse, in order to give us life and blessing. As we take the bread today, we are proclaiming that by Christ’s stripes, we are healed. We are proclaiming that the chastisement for our peace and wholeness was upon Him, that He bore our grief and sorrows. We ask You, through the power released when Jesus’ body was broken, to bring healing and wholeness to our nation, as well. (Take the bread) And as we partake of this cup, we declare that the power of Christ’s shed blood is greater than all of our sins. We proclaim that His blood cleanses us from ALL sin and unrighteousness. We ask You to cleanse, not only our individual lives, but also our nation. Root out evil, judge the strongholds of darkness, and restore us to Your Kingdom cause. Pour out Your spirit in our land, and begin with the youth of America. Rescue them from evil and the wickedness they have been exposed to by our media, our education system, and our government. Deliver and save them with Your mighty arm, we pray in the name of Jesus. (Take the cup) Click on the link below to watch the video: