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Your Prayers Matter My friend Dr. Greg Hood released a prophecy approximately a year ago in which he said: “…I began to see - all over this nation - lighting strikes occurring. This took place in big cities and small towns, significant places and places the world would consider insignificant. And I heard the Lord say, ‘this meeting, this Ekklesia gathering, has gathered lightning bolts for striking. There will be a release of lighting all over this nation, in the natural and in the unseen realm, and this will be a sign that God is breaking down the thrones of the enemy.’ I heard the Lord say that He is releasing a terrible day on the enemies of the nation. And that as you leave this place you’re carrying - and becoming - the lightning bolt for your city, for your town, your community, wherever He has placed you. God has now labeled you a lightning strike.” How amazing that we are those who release God’s power, referred to in this word as lightning, into the Earth. Our prayers do indeed release His actions. There are many Christians who believe prayer is only a devotional activity, a way to connect with God. They don’t believe prayer is actually necessary, enabling God to accomplish what He desires on Earth. In my book, Intercessory Prayer , I state: “God has given us a Bible full of answers to the ‘whys’ of life. The one I want to address here is: Why pray? I’m not speaking of why in the sense of needing this or that. Obviously, we pray because we want or need something. I’m speaking of why in the context of God’s sovereignty. “Do my prayers really matter? Isn’t God going to do what He wants anyway? Most people, even if only subconsciously, believe just that. The proof is in their prayer life, or lack thereof. “Can my prayers actually change situations? Does God need  me to pray, or does He just want  me to pray? Some would argue an omnipotent God doesn’t need anything, including our prayers. “Can God’s will on Earth be frustrated or not accomplished if I don’t pray? Many would brand me a heretic for even raising this question. “But these and other questions deserve answers. I’ve discovered that understanding the ‘why’ of doing something can be a great motivating force. The opposite is also true. “As a kid, I wondered why a sign said: ‘No Diving’ in the shallow end of the pool. I dove anyway. Then one day, I hit my head on the bottom. I don’t dive in the shallow end anymore. “As a child, I wondered why I was forbidden to touch the pretty red glow on the stove. I found out. “Someone said, ‘To err is human, to repeat it is stupid.’ I’m sure I’ve qualified for that on occasion, but not regarding these two things because I now know why I shouldn’t do them!  “When God says, ‘Pray,’ I want to know it actually accomplishes something. I’m not into meaningless religious exercises, and my time is valuable - so is yours. Was S.D. Gordon correct or not when he said, ‘You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until  you have prayed…Prayer is striking the winning blows…service is gathering up the results?’ (1) “If God is going to do something regardless of whether or not we pray, then He doesn’t need us to ask, and we don’t need another waste of time. Let’s just worship Him and leave the rest to God’s sovereignty. “If, on the other hand, John Wesley was correct when he said, ‘God does nothing except in response to believing prayer,’ (2)  I’ll lose sleep for that. I’ll change my lifestyle, turn off the TV, even miss a meal or two. “Obviously, I believe prayer is necessary. Though God IS sovereign and all-powerful, Scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself, concerning the affairs of Earth, to working through human beings. “Is not this determination to work through humans the reason the earth is in such a mess? It isn’t because God wills it so, but because of His decision to work and carry out His will through people. “Is this not the story woven throughout the Scriptures? 
 God needing faithful men and women?
 God needing a race of people through whom to bring the Messiah?
 God needing prophets?
 God needing judges?
 God needing to incarnate Himself, to produce a human Messiah?
 God needing human hands to heal, human voices to speak, and human feet to go?
 “Doesn’t God tell us to ask for His kingdom to come, and His will to be done (see Matthew 6:10)? Surely He wouldn’t want us to waste our time asking for something that was going to happen anyway, would He? “Didn’t He tell us to ask for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11)? And yet, He knows our needs before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). “Didn’t He tell us to ask that laborers be sent into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:38)? Yet the Lord of the harvest wants this more than we do? “Didn’t Paul say,  ‘Pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified’ (2 Thessalonians 3:1)? Yet this was already God’s plan. “These things are clearly God’s will. Why, then, am I supposed to ask Him for something He already wants to do if it isn’t that my asking somehow releases Him to do it? “Either God wants the earth in this broken condition, or He doesn’t. If He doesn’t, which is certainly the case, then we must assume one of two things: either He is powerless to do anything about it, or He needs and is waiting on something from us in order to bring about change. In his book, Confronting the Powers , Dr. Peter Wagner said: ‘We must understand that our sovereign God has, for His own reasons, so designed this world that much of what is truly His will He makes contingent on the attitudes and actions of human beings. He allows humans to make decisions that can influence history…Human inaction does not nullify the atonement, but human inaction can make the atonement ineffective for lost people.’ (3) “This truth could intimidate us with the responsibility it reveals, or even condemn us over our lack of prayer. But another possibility exists. Responsibility can also be a privilege ; and it can be  enjoyable . Jack Hayford made the following profound statement, ‘Prayer is essentially a partnership of the redeemed child of God, working hand in hand with God, toward the realization of His redemptive purposes on earth.’ (4) “Let’s rise to the occasion and embrace God’s incredible invitation to be co-laborers with Him…to be carriers of His awesome Holy Spirit and ambassadors for His great Kingdom. Let’s represent Him!” (5) Pray with me: Father, Your plan to create a family - in Your image and likeness, filled with Your very life and breath - is beyond amazing. It is truly beyond our ability to fully wrap our minds around it. But You did. And You assigned us the responsibility and privilege of managing our home - planet Earth - according to Your Kingdom principles. We carry Your presence and release Your life, no longer through Adam’s dominion, but through authority delegated to us from Christ.  Therefore, in His name we ask You to strike our land with Your cleansing, delivering, and healing power. We ask for Your salvation, order, and restoration. We appeal for justice from heaven for the removal of evil from our nation, and the nations of the earth. Send worldwide revival and reformation.  Use the devastation from the recent hurricanes and fires to awaken and save many people. Bring comfort, strength, and help to them. Grace, grace, grace.  Give help to our leaders trying to implement appropriate changes. Give them sound ideas and wise strategies. And protect them as they lead us. Please also protect those who attend the inauguration. Expose and thwart the many terrorists now in America. We know America has sown the wind and is reaping the whirlwind, but in the midst of our reaping we ask You for mercy. Again, all of this we ask in Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we are taking our place as God’s ambassadors on Earth, releasing His love and power. Most of today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne  (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975), p. 51. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7288243-as-john-wesley-once-said-god-does-nothing-but-in   C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers  (Ventura, CA: REgal Books, 1996), p. 242. Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 92, 1977 edition. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer  (Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington, MN, 1996), Chapter 2.

Light Overcomes the Darkness In today’s post, I am continuing the theme of God’s light and lightning overcoming darkness.  “The war between spiritual darkness and light is prevalent throughout Scripture. A powerful picture of God’s light prevailing over the darkness of satan is the Cross. John 1:4-5 says, ‘In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’  “The word used for ‘comprehend’ actually has a dual meaning. It is the Greek word katalambano , which means to ‘comprehend’ or ‘apprehend,’ including not only apprehending mentally but also physically. (1) We apprehend thoughts, but a policeman also apprehends criminals. The powers of darkness could not understand or comprehend Christ’s intentions; He outwitted them at every turn. Nor could they overpower or apprehend Him.   “Several translations use this ‘overpowering’ aspect of the definition to translate verse 5. Wuest translates it:  ‘And the light in the darkness is constantly shining. And the darkness did not overwhelm it.’  Moffatt says it this way: ‘Amid the darkness the light shone, but the darkness did not master it.’ And The Passion Translation states, ‘And this Light never fails to shine through darkness— Light that darkness could not overcome!’ The Cross was a battle between light and darkness. Light won. God arose and His enemies were scattered. “Bob Woods, in Pulpit Digest, tells the story of a couple who took their son, age 11, and daughter, age 7, to Carlsbad Caverns. As always, when the tour reached the deepest point in the cavern, the guide turned off all the lights to dramatize how completely dark and silent it is below the earth’s surface. The little girl, suddenly enveloped in utter darkness, was frightened and began to cry. Immediately she heard the voice of her brother: ‘Don't cry. Somebody here knows how to turn on the lights.’ (2) “All creation was terrified, groping in the darkness of sin. Two thousand years ago, God announced to His groping and frightened humans, ‘Don't cry. Somebody here knows how to turn on the lights.’ “I believe satan has some recurring nightmares. One of them is when lightning flashed in heaven and kicked him out (Luke 10:18). He probably hates thunderstorms. The lightning is a horrible visual reminder and the thunder sounds like the majestic voice of God! "’The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them’ (Psalm 18:13-14). "’The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters’ (Psalm 29:3). “Imagine satan’s horror when the light and glory of God flashed at the Cross, the same light that had expelled him from heaven. I can hear him screaming, ‘No!!! There it is again! It kicked me out of heaven and now it is defeating me on Earth!’ “At the Cross, the counterfeit, so-called ‘angel of light’ met the true Light and lost his authority over the earth. Then, the ‘Light of the World’ implanted Himself again into humans - ‘For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light’  (Ephesians 5:8) - filling them with His very glory! “For the first time satan understood what God meant in Isaiah 60:1-3: “‘Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.’ “For the first time, satan understood that the Old Testament temple was a picture of born-again believers, and that the glory of God that overcame him was in every one of them.  “Many believers are not aware that we are filled with the very glory and light of God. When Paul appealed to the Corinthians he said, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, ‘Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?’ (1 Corinthians 3:16) He used the Greek word naos for ‘temple,’ (3)  which always referred to the holy of holies, not the word hieron,  which referenced the entire temple. Paul was literally saying to them - and to us, ‘Don't you know you are the holy of holies?’ “The word ‘dwells’ is taken from the Old Testament word shakan,  from which we get shekinah. The ‘shekinah glory’ was the abiding glory found in the holy of holies. Paul was saying that through Christ the shekinah glory of God now shakans or dwells in us (see 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:12-19). (4) We are the new holy of holies, a temple of living stones not made with human hands, but by God Himself. Second Corinthians 4:6-7, in the KJV, says it this way: “‘For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’ “This glory overwhelms spiritual darkness. Israel carried the Ark of the Covenant, representing the presence and glory of God, into battle (see Joshua 6:6). When the Ark set out, a shout would go up, ‘Rise up, O LORD! And let Thine enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Thee flee before Thee’  (Numbers 10:35). Psalm 68:1, also a warfare verse, is a quote of this verse in Numbers. The presence and glory these verses speak of now abide in us. What we are to understand is that the key to victory is carrying the presence of God into battle with us. He rises and scatters His enemies through us! We are now His ‘ark’! “John 1:5, our opening verse, has one more often overlooked nugget. Because of the verb tenses and mood, the phrase ‘the light shines in the darkness’  would be more accurately translated as ‘the light is CONSTANTLY shining.’ The light that overcame darkness is still shining - the victory lives on, released through Christ’s body as we enforce it in His name!  “In his first All-Star game, Roger Clemens, the great pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, came to bat for the first time in years. He hadn’t had to bat formerly due to the American League’s designated hitter rule. After watching a blazing fastball by Dwight Gooden whiz past him, Clemens turned and asked the catcher, Gary Carter, ‘Is that what my pitches look like?’ "’You bet it is!’ responded Carter. “From then on Clemens pitched with far greater boldness, having been reminded of how a good fastball can be so overpowering to a hitter. (5) “We often forget how powerful the Holy Spirit in us is ... how destructive to darkness is His lightning sword. It has supernatural power to overcome the works of darkness – when we release it with confidence. “Just as the Israelites carried the presence and glory of God into battle, so must we. All that was in the Ark of the Covenant is now in us: the Bread represented Life, the rod represented priestly authority, the tablets represented the law of God. And the glory that was upon it now shines through us. “Act like it! Strike with the sword - speak the Word! ‘Let God arise and His enemies be scattered’ (Psalm 68:1) - through your intercession.” (6) Pray with me: Father, we enter Your gates with thanksgiving, as the psalmist instructed us to do. We thank You for our redemption. Thank You for placing Holy Spirit and His glory in us, making us Your innermost sanctuary, the holy of holies. We thank You for answering our prayers regarding our nation - You are restoring us back to You and Your destiny for America. We thank You for the revival coming to America and the nations of the Earth, which will save a billion souls.  As You have shown us in recent dreams, we thank You for Your light and glory striking our nation to defeat the powers of darkness and release Your light of truth. We release this light over our government, our schools, homes and churches. We release the lightning sword of Your word to drive out darkness and continue its cleansing work. Expose the deep state and eradicate them. Restore our institutions to their appropriate actions. Sweep over our nation.  We pray for the protection of our leaders - in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive branch. We hear warnings from numerous sources of planned violence; please expose these plans and bring protection.  And we pray for Your grace to be extended to those in California suffering from the fires. The loss is astronomical - please bring grace and comfort. We also continue to pray for the relief efforts from the hurricane destruction in Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida. Please give provision to those needing it, and creative ideas to those helping in the recovery efforts.  We ask all of this in Jesus’ name.  Our decree: We decree that light will overcome the darkness of our land, in the name of Christ our great King.  Today’s post was taken from my book Intercessory Prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Spiros Zodhiates Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible – New American Standard  (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984; revised edition, 1990), p. 1846. Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching  (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993), p. 133. Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 422. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible  (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 7931. Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching , p 72, adapted. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer  (Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington, MN, 1996), chapter 11.

Lightning Strikes the Capitol Today is January 6, the day on which the presidential electoral votes are certified in Congress. This can proceed because the vote for Speaker of the House on Friday was successful, reelecting Representative Michael Johnson (from Louisiana) to this position. Had the voting for this position gone on for days, as it did in the previous term, the electoral votes could not have been certified today. Thank you for praying regarding this. The history of this day, January 6, makes it appropriate to comment on the 2020 elections and the past four years in today’s post. My comments are related also to the lightning strikes in Washington, D.C. on New Year’s Eve – one on the Capitol, the other on the Washington Monument.  November, 2020, through January, 2021 was one of the most tumultuous seasons in America’s history. I, along with millions of Americans felt there had been “inequities” in the Trump/Biden election. I crammed no less than ten last minute prayer rallies, in eight states, to an already busy schedule. Many were praying with us that the corruption would be exposed. This was actually the birth of Give Him 15, as we know it today.  My dear friend Chuck Pierce, a very trusted prophet, later told me – when this 3-month season ended and Biden was inaugurated -- that he had known we would not see the outcome we were looking for. “But I knew you had to keep praying,” he said. “I prayed for you intensely, sometimes all through the night, asking God to keep you encouraged. The prayers of the church were saving America,” he told me. “And although you did not see at this time the exposure and turnaround you were interceding for, you will receive everything for which you prayed. Your prayers were birthing the future.” When Chuck told me this, I realized God had delayed Trump’s second term and allowed Biden to take office in order to radically expose the level of corruption in our government. I actually wrote entire GH15 posts stating this. The Lord has accomplished this exposure, and the swamp turned out to be a cesspool.  During that election season, in December of 2020, Holy Spirit gave my friend Don Lynch, who is now in heaven, a powerful dream about lightning. Don said: “In the dream, the lightning of God filled the skies over Philadelphia. I (Don) was standing in the doorway of a very small shed from colonial times. I could feel a silky thread in my hand and could sense the tug of it as it flew in the wind. My eyes followed it and I could see that it joined with another string, which had a skeleton key attached that sparked with electricity. I knew it was God’s lightning that was flashing, causing the sparking on the key. I realized we had been waiting for this storm. In the dream, I saw an odd container that could collect the power, held by Dutch Sheets. “In this dream, God was using a real event in history to paint a picture for us. In actual history, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a storm, with a key attached to its string. This experiment was to conduct electricity. He was assisted by his son, William. Dutch’s first name is also William. In this parabolic dream, I saw William Dutch Sheets holding the container and collecting the power; he was collecting the lightning of God! Like a child with wondering eyes, Dutch looked up and said, ‘The air is alive! The air is alive over America!’ He breathed in deeply and seemed to be energized by the lightning of God. “Dutch then removed the energized key from the kite and the scene changed; an ancient door now stood before him. He put the sparking key into a hidden lock. As he did, the energized key activated a mechanism inside the door. The ancient door burst open and angels of God were released into the nation. They were not sluggish - they were active!!! They weren’t there to negotiate, but to establish.  “Dutch then said, ‘We did it! We did it! We did it!’ Holding the container, he said, ‘Look. We have all we need to finish. Lord, we welcome your lightning to America!’” End of dream. In Scripture, keys represent authority (Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16.18-19), the authority to open and close, lock and unlock, bind and loose. Lightning represents the power and glory of God. Job 36:32 tells us God  “fills His hands with lightning and commands it to strike the mark.” The phrase “strike the mark” is actually one word in Hebrew,  paga,  the word for intercession. (1)  Incredibly, lightning striking a structure is used in Scripture to picture God’s power being released through our intercession!  In the dream, God’s powerful lightning energized our key of authority, enabling our intercession to unlock and open ancient doors. When we did, angels were released into the nation to activate and establish.  ANOTHER LIGHTNING DREAM A few weeks after Don’s dream, on the day of Biden’s inauguration  (January 20, 2021), my friend Steven Springer had another dream regarding lightning. Steven said: “In the dream I was taken up over Washington, D.C. It was very cloudy and you could barely see the buildings below. Then, lightning struck the top of the White House! Winds began to blow and I saw rain, lightning, and hail coming down from heaven. As the winds blew a clarity came across the city. Then, one by one I saw rubber masks coming off people - you could actually see them for who they really were, very hideous looking under the masks. An exposure of all things hidden and masked was occurring. Then I saw a large broom come down out of heaven and begin to sweep across the entire nation, starting with the Capitol in Washington, D.C. As the hand swept across the nation all sorts of evil was revealed and removed.  “The resulting cleansing brought awakening! I saw many people getting out of their beds, stretching and yawning, realizing it was day! The night was over and a new day had dawned!  “The sweeping continued to go across other nations of the earth. They were being swept clean of corruption and decay, so that awakening could come in a mighty revival and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The resulting revival brought fire! The fires burned up the debris left behind by the broom. As the dust settled it looked dark and scorched. But as an outpouring of Holy rain was released, new life began to sprout up everywhere. There was such joy and happiness on peoples’ faces; even the land itself seemed to rejoice.” End of dream. As we prayed intensely in late 2020/early 2021, our prayers were releasing God’s lightning, the cleansing power of Holy Spirit, to expose corruption and cleanse our government. We had hoped this would be completed in 2-3 months, but God knew just how deep it was. Though the delay was frustrating at the time, we can now see it was necessary. I believe the lightning strikes on New Year’s Eve were reminders of what our prayers have accomplished, AND that they are still needed. More strikes will come. I’ll say more about lightning in tomorrow’s post.  Pray with me: Father, in this hinge moment in history, as Your Ekklesia on Earth, we use Your keys of authority and release Your lightning into the nation. Power from Your presence is striking the land. We believe we are to influence this land with the decrees You lead us to decree. We must dismantle evil structures and rebuild. Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations are destroyed, what will the righteous do?”  You have called us to be a Nehemiah company that restores the gates and walls of America. We will use the keys given to us by Christ to do so. We will open the ancient gates and release the heavenly host to come and help us. “ Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:8-10).   Unleash Your lightning, oh God! Cause Your thunder to roll across the land, terrifying Your enemies. Roar with Your majestic voice! Hold nothing back – strike and strike and strike again. Shock the enemy with the fierceness and swiftness with which You move. Expose and uncover until evil knows it has nowhere to run.   Let the power of Your lightning strike the mark.   Today’s decree:   We decree that we release the lightning of God into the land uncovering every hidden thing that stands in His way! Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no.6293.

LIGHTNING: LET IT FLOW THROUGH YOU INTRODUCTION Lightning struck the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument on New Year’s Eve. Was this a sign from God? Because of past dreams given to prophetic leaders, I believe it was. For the past two days, I have shared three of those dreams regarding the lightning of God coming to America. Today I want to share with you from my book Intercessory Prayer , regarding God linking the subject of lightning to intercession.  FROM THE BOOK “This was about the coolest thing I had discovered since baseball. I was in the fifth grade, had recently procured my first magnifying glass, and discovered I could hold it at just the right angle to the sun and create fire. I burned a piece of paper on the playground; then, a brilliant idea leaped up from my fallen Adamic psyche. I called my friends over, assuring them I had a really cool demonstration. Looking at Duncan, one of the bullies in the class, I said to him in my best ‘You’re the lucky guy’ tone of voice, ‘Duncan, hold your hand out. I want to show you something.’ “Duncan didn’t leave his hand there very long. He chased me all around that playground! Some guys just can’t take a joke. “Is there a picture of intercession hidden anywhere in this? Yes. Paga , the Hebrew word for intercession, is also translated as ‘strike the mark.’ The reference is Job 36:32:  ‘He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.’  When God releases His light, causing it to flash forth from His presence like lightning, its striking the desired target is likened to intercession. “Habakkuk 3:4 (AMP) also speaks of light flashing forth from the hand of God: ‘And His brightness was like the sunlight; rays streamed from His hand, and there [in the sunlike splendor] was the hiding place of His power.’ “We are like a magnifying glass in one sense; no, we don’t add to or magnify God’s power — but we do let the ‘Son’ shine forth through us, directing His light to desired situations, allowing it to ‘strike the mark.’ “Have you ever seen a tree struck by lightning? If so, you’ve seen a picture of intercession. Lightning is so hot it literally changes the molecular structure of pine trees and twists the trunks until they look like the stripes on a candy cane. The temperature in a lightning bolt can reach 45,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun. That’s hot stuff! And God uses this to picture His judgments against evil. No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before God... The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. ... He raised His voice, the earth melted’  (Ps. 68:21, 97:5; 46:6). GOD IS LIGHT “Numerous Scriptures associate God with light or lightning.  “1 John 1:5 tells us: ‘And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.’ “At times, His light, or the release of it, is associated with His glory. Luke 9:29, 32 tells us: ‘And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming... Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.’ (We read in the margin of the NASB that the word ‘gleaming’ means literally ‘flashing like lightning.’ Wuest also translates it this way.)  “Sometimes, this light, lightning, or glory of God is released in His mouth and often called a sword: “Ephesians 6:17: ‘And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ “Revelation 2:16: ‘Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.’ “The following Scriptures speak of God’s light in the context of Him dealing with His enemies: “Psalm 97:3-4: ‘Fire goes before Him, and burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; the earth saw and trembled.’ “Revelation 8:5: ‘And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.’ “These last two Scriptures associate the release of God’s light with the context of deliverance for His people: “Psalm 18:14: ‘And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.’ “Psalm 144:6:  ‘Flash forth lightning and scatter them; send out Your arrows and confuse them.’ “According to these and many other Scriptures, God is light, and at times, this light or glory flashes forth from Him as bolts of lightning. Many times the Bible says that in order to deal with His enemies – whether for Himself or His people – God simply releases this glory or light into the situation. It flashes forth like lightning, and PAGA HAPPENS! God’s power ‘strikes the mark.’ “And He releases this lightning through our intercession! We must boldly release the power of the Most High into situations, allowing the victory of Christ to manifest. He has given us His sword; He has given us His name. We must use them! “Position yourself toward the Son and allow Him to shine through you, striking the mark! Wield the laser sword of the Spirit. We often forget how powerful Holy Spirit in us is – how destructive to darkness is His lightning sword. It has supernatural power to overcome the works of darkness – when we release it with confidence.” (1) Pray with me: Father, we are amazed when we consider that You have made us Your heirs, co-heirs with Christ. We also marvel that You allow us to partner with You in releasing Your Kingdom, Your power, on Earth. We have accepted Your love, and have embraced Your plan.   We thank You for exposing the works of darkness in America. You are cleansing and healing, for which we are very grateful, but we ask for more. We intercede for our nation, asking for Your lightning to flash forth, striking and tearing down the strongholds of the enemy. Consume the plans and works of darkness, liberating our land. And may Your glory fall on every inch of America, saving and delivering millions of people. We ask for this in Jesus’ name.  Our decree: We decree that the lightning of God is coming to our nation, destroying the works of darkness. TRIBUTE TO OUR DEAR FRIEND I want to end today’s post by paying homage to a great friend and mentor, Quin Sherrer, who graduated to heaven Monday night. She was 91.  Quin has written over 30 books, and I have read from her writings multiple times on Give Him 15. It was Quin who, for years, prodded me to begin writing. I was very hesitant to do so because I did not believe I possessed any writing skills. Quin believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Not only did she urge me to write, but she also prayed for several years that I would do so. I have always believed that God used her to birth the writing I have done over the past 30 years. Quin was a devoted wife and mother, a faithful intercessor, a great writer, a wise mentor, a friend to many, and most importantly, a lover of God. She will be greatly missed. While we, along with many, grieve our loss, we also rejoice for her gain.  On the flyleaf of Quin’s Bible are the words: “He that formed me in the womb, He shall guide me to the tomb; All my times shall ever be, ordered by His wise decree.” —John Ryland (1753-1825) Click on the link below to watch the full video. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer  (Bethany House Publishers: Bloomington, MN), 1996.

Paga - Strike the Mark! Yesterday , I shared two dreams about lightning in the Give Him 15 post.  As you may know, the Capitol and Washington Monument were both struck by lightning on New Year’s Eve. Was this a supernatural sign? I believe it was. Today, I am sharing another dream about lightning as it relates to intercession, which was given to my friend, Steven Springer. One of yesterday’s dreams was also given to Steven. Today’s dream was given to him in September of 2023. THE DREAM Dutch and I, in a group of five people, were in large, futuristic war machines. Dutch had a standard which held three banners/flags. The top flag was white, with red letters that read “The Love of the Lord.” The next banner was the Appeal to Heaven flag, and the third was the American flag, which was very tattered.  We followed Dutch in formation, advancing quickly toward a battle in front of us. We each had amazing weapons that shot laser lightning. On the side of the weapon was inscribed, as if it was the brand name,  “Paga.”  Every time we shot the weapons we hit the mark, never missing our target.  Dutch would then get out of his vehicle and plant the standard into the ground, as if to mark new territory claimed for the Kingdom! As the spear-like flag pole was thrust into the ground, springs of water would gush forth. I (Steven) would then declare, “Let your Kingdom come and let the awakening well be unlocked!” Angels would then appear - to keep watch over the territory we had taken back. After each battle, Dutch was given another standard containing three more of the same flags, with the U.S. flag being less tattered.  We moved from battlefield to battlefield, and the process was repeated. Then, as we approached another battlefield and were positioning ourselves to fire, General George Washington came riding to us out of the woods. As he looked at the standard with the banners Dutch was holding - the Love of the Lord flag, the Appeal to Heaven flag, and the American flag - he said to us, “Remember Gettysburg, and in the spring is when kings go to war. There will be a revolution and reformation that must take place.” He said again, “Remember Gettysburg, and in the spring is when kings go to war.”   The fear of the Lord came upon us. We all got out of our vehicles, fell to our knees and began to pray. We were asking for gates to be opened, and that the Lord would give our nation back to the sons of the Kingdom and heal our land. As we did, lightning struck twice, and the land was healed. New growth came up from the ground. And as the banner of love waved in the wind it released a sound over America.  End of dream.  INTERPRETATION  There were five of us in these battles, which were obviously spiritual, not physical. In Scripture the number “5” represents “grace,” and the five ministry gifts Christ gave the church in Ephesians 4:11-12. David carried five stones to his encounter with Goliath. Together, these reveal that God graced us with His gifts and anointing to win our spiritual battles.  The three flags represent 1) God’s redeeming love (Song of Solomon 2:4; John 3:16); 2) Prayer (the Appeal to Heaven flag); and 3) America. The American flag was tattered, picturing the United States’ broken condition. They reveal that God wants to heal us through His love and the prayers of the church.  Our weapons fired laser lightning! They were inscribed with the word “ Paga .” Steven didn’t know until looking up paga  that it is the Hebrew word for intercession - prayer was our weapon! Paga  has several nuances of meaning, which I teach on extensively in my book, Intercessory Prayer , all of which provide pictures of what our prayers accomplish. One of its meanings is “to strike the mark” (think bullseye). (1)  In the dream, our weapons (prayer) released laser lightning, which struck the mark with accuracy. This is actually spoken of in Job 36:32: “[God] fills His hands with lighting and commands it to strike the mark.”  The phrase “strike the mark” is indeed the word paga! This dream - and the verse in Job - is telling us that our prayers release God’s lightning, with accuracy, against His foes.  Paga also means “to encounter” and “to mark boundaries of territory!” (2) Combining all of these definitions: through intercession, we encounter spiritual forces, releasing God’s power to strike them with precision, taking back territory and staking claim to it for Him. All of that is in the word paga!!! It is significant that the banner of love was above the Appeal to Heaven flag. God is love (1 John 4:8) and His power, released through our prayers, is motivated by love. Our war is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). We love people and want to see them saved; even those who oppose the Lord.  As we took back territory from the forces of darkness, the land was being healed and the flag (America) was being repaired. Wells of awakening (revival) were opening, springing up from the ground.  At some point George Washington, leader of the American forces in the Revolutionary War and our first president, came to us with a fascinating message. Part one of his message was “Remember Gettysburg.” Gettysburg was a battle – not in the war Washington fought – but in the Civil War. This is significant. The Civil War was internal, a war amongst ourselves, not against another nation. We were destroying ourselves from within. Gettysburg was the turning point in this war.  Then Washington (in the dream) said, “In the spring is when kings go to war. There will be a revolution and reformation that must take place.” I believe this could have a dual meaning. The first part is a quote from 2 Samuel 11:1, just before David committed adultery with Bathsheba. Rather than lead his troops into battle, David had chosen passivity, carnal pleasure, and compromise. This was very costly. Secondly, the phrase could be alerting us to literal timing: the “turning point” in the spiritual war, this “revolution” for America’s “reformation,” may take place over the next few months, especially this spring. We are not finished in this spiritual war to restore America! We must persevere in our intercession. As we did so in the dream, as well as humbling ourselves before the Lord, lightning struck twice, this time not from our weapons but directly from Heaven. When it did, the land was healed, and the banner of love released a sound over America. Will there be two significant events that occur in America this spring, perhaps two specific battles? I don’t know. But I am certain that we must remain diligent in our praying.  In tomorrow’s post, I’ll share some of the teaching from my book, Intercessory Prayer , regarding God’s lightning being released from our intercession to strike the mark. Pray with me:   Father, we, like Joshua, want to listen to You diligently, and obey You quickly. We listen to and obey Your words from Scripture first and foremost, but we also do so regarding Your prophetic words. Holy Spirit leads us in our intercession. At the very beginning of 2025 You have emphasized lightning and we are listening. You have reminded us that through our prayers, You are removing the masks from government leaders in our nation. You have also reminded us that Your power, Your lightning, is released from our intercession, and Holy Spirit guides these prayers causing them to “strike the mark” with great accuracy. And You have reminded us that they are to be motivated by Your love – they are for the healing of our land. We will not grow complacent as we enter into this new year. We accept Your alert and admonishment that our generation’s Gettysburg, our turning point, is coming this spring. We ask You for great sensitivity and discernment as we remain on our posts and appeal to heaven. Help us to stay alert and watchful. In Jesus’ name we pray this. Amen.   Our decree: We decree that this spring we will be sensitive to Holy Spirit’s instructions and win our generation’s Gettysburg! You can find out more about Steven Springer at GlobalPresence.com . Click on the link below to wath the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6293. Ibid.

Introduction In praying about today’s post, I felt that the following word Holy Spirit gave my brother, Tim Sheets, was appropriate to share at the beginning of this year. As you will see, it puts a fresh wind in our sails. The title is: Grace Winds Psalm 18:6 (The Passion Translation) says,  “ In my distress I cried out to you, the delivering God, and from your temple-throne you heard my troubled cry, and my sobs went right into your heart. ” This phrase gripped my heart when I read it recently, prompting several days of prayerful reflection. After that time of pondering, Holy Spirit began speaking the following word to me: “The Father and Heaven’s King have turned their faces toward the Ekklesia. They have turned their faces toward Kingdom sons and daughters. For the season of great reformation will soon come and the sons and daughters are now to receive the needed refreshing from the present war season. Times of refreshing will now come, energizing the Ekklesia for the reformation era, the most supernatural era I have ever led. A new level of authority will be seen functioning through the heirs. This will rapidly grow in demonstration as they are restrengthened, renewed and re-visioned for the great reformation. Know that the outer band of wind has begun to blow. It is carrying signs, wonders, miracles, healings and supernatural deliverance to the heirs. Father’s face is turned to the heirs. The King’s face has turned to His bride, and grace winds are beginning to blow. Receive from this supernatural flow of refreshing and empowerment.”  The Scriptures sometimes state that “God’s face is turned toward us” or “He causes His face to shine upon us.” God turning His face toward someone refers to Him energizing them with strength from Heaven. The turning of His face toward us can mean His mercies light upon us, His compassion. It can refer to His grace extended to us, His favor. When the eyes of the Lord are on us, His supernatural power extends to us. Wherever Father sets His gaze, His power is there. Trust that His supernatural power can reach you wherever you are. This is a special season of the Father and Heaven’s King, Jesus, turning their faces toward the Ekklesia. It’s a time when He comes to realign, refocus, refresh, and renew you. We are never out from under His gaze; His fathering heart is always set upon His sons and daughters. This is a time to receive refreshing and empowerment from Heaven to step into a new supernatural era. The word Holy Spirit gave me emphasized so clearly that grace winds are beginning to blow. This phrase resounded in my spirit. In Scripture, wind symbolizes Holy Spirit and His moving on the earth. It can also symbolize revival, a move of the Godhead bringing fresh outpourings from Heaven. Wind cannot be seen, but its power and effect can be felt. In other words, Holy Spirit isn’t seen with the natural eyes, but His effects are very real and discerned supernaturally in our souls. The blowing of wind prophesies a refreshing on the work Holy Spirit is already doing.  This happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. There came a sound from Heaven as a mighty rushing wind filled the upper room where 120 people had gathered. They couldn’t see Holy Spirit coming in, but they could hear Him. The sound that day is sometimes referred to as sounding like a hurricane, or a train bounding down the tracks. The 120 gathered in the upper room heard the sound of a grace wind and were filled with power from on high, which sparked a new move of God, affecting nations and people groups from all over the world.  The outer band winds have begun to blow on a new move of God in our times. I believe something big is up and something incredible has begun. 2025 will be a year of Holy Spirit winds building. Weather forecasters know a hurricane is close because the outer bands begin to reach the shore. They also know greater and stronger winds are coming behind the initial band. One after the other, the bands grow in intensity. As I have been praying about this word from the Lord, He revealed more to me saying, “For great winds from Heaven will surely blow upon the King’s Ekklesia. Mighty winds are building, historic winds. Holy Spirit winds will begin to blow, one after the other, each one stronger than the previous, until full-blown power is seen. Full-blown power from Heaven, ordained for your times, will be experienced until the full effects are felt all over the Earth. Building winds, powerful winds, winds affecting transformational change and winds growing in forcefulness. Wave after wave of Holy Spirit wind bands have begun and the resistance of hell will be blown away by this wind. The resistance of man and evil attempts to stop God’s plans will be blown away as the King's Ekklesia declares His will and purposes.  “The sons and daughters will be carried forth, borne upon these Holy Spirit winds. Their sails are filling with prevailing, guiding, and refreshing winds. Winds of grace are blowing across ripe harvest fields carrying good news of redemptive power, the King’s forgiveness purchased upon His cross. They are grace winds of great deliverance blowing away hell's bondages, confusion, addiction, sin, brokenness, fears, and hopelessness. Grace winds are clearing the minds of prodigals, lifting the demonic fog off their minds and revealing the pathway home. They are grace winds carrying angel hosts for the time of reaping, blowing in the harvest rains, the latter rains. I have turned My face toward the Ekklesia, I have turned My face toward the harvest.” In the prophetic word, Holy Spirit called this is a “season” of great reformation; not just a quick few weeks, but a season. The sons and daughters of Christ will receive an outpouring of refreshing that will activate a new Pentecost, a supernatural season of Holy Spirit outpourings. A fresh Kingdom move has begun and times of refreshing are coming. Receive it. The Greek word for refreshing is  “anapsuxis;” one of its meanings is to relieve stress or to cool down (1) . It pictures someone overheated by exertion, sitting in a cool breeze. Receive Holy Spirit’s cool breeze and chill out. Take a breather with Father God, and catch your breath. Holy Spirit has come with outpourings from Heaven many times, and in this season, He’s coming again with fresh winds, new anointings, and times of refreshing. Believe that the Lord has turned His face toward His Ekklesia, and the grace winds are blowing. Pray with me:   Father, the past season has been difficult for many. Disease, financial pressures, wars, societal decay, a corrupt and foolish government in America and elsewhere implementing destruction and chaos, and much more. These things wear down the human psyche. And yet, in this time You have found a faithful, persevering remnant that has “run through troops” and “leaped over walls” to battle the forces of darkness (Psalm 18:29). They have contended using Your spiritual weapons, warring through Your divine strength, and they have prevailed.  Now we thank You for turning Your face to us. We receive Your promise of refreshing and reviving in Your presence. Let the fresh winds of Holy Spirit blow over Your sons and daughters. Cause Holy Spirit winds to blow across this nation and throughout the world. Let the effects of the wind be seen and felt, bringing great encouragement to the body of Christ, and a great harvest. Renew, restrengthen, re-vision, and refocus Your laborers. Refill us with Your Spirit and power.  And Father, we agree with thousands around our nation as they fast and pray the first 21 days of this year. As violence and terrorism occur here in our nation, we pray for protection over our families and leaders. We ask that President-Elect Trump and his team be covered with Your protective hand, and be given great wisdom. We pray this also over our Supreme Court and Congress. And we ask You to intervene in the vote today for Speaker of the House. Prevail over any confusion, whether it be caused by people or demons. We bind every plan intended to implement strategies that are not Your will. All of this we pray in Jesus’ name. Our decree:  We decree that Father's face is turned to the Ekklesia. Grace winds are beginning to blow, carrying signs, wonders, miracles, healings, and supernatural deliverance. Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim. You can learn more about him at   TimSheets.org . Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 403.

God’s Agenda for 2025 As I ponder what I believe is on God’s agenda for 2025, and therefore what I will often address on Give Him 15 posts, the two words that come to mind the most are revival and reformation . Progress toward these two things will speed up greatly this year. The revival that has begun will intensify, producing many conversions and great miracles. Reformation and its changes to society and government will also experience increased momentum.  I believe 2025 will prove to be one of the greatest years of change in America’s history. I believe, in fact, that President Trump’s first day in office could end up being one of the most significant days of change EVER in our country. My guess is that he and his team will make a statement, hitting the ground running. I suspect that hundreds of executive orders have already been written, awaiting only Trump’s presidential signature. For many of us, they can’t come quickly enough.  There will be tremendous opposition, of course, but the opposition will fail if we, the church, continue to feed the flames of revival and reformation with prayer. As we think about these two phenomena, here are some things to realize and remember: Revival is described in Mark 16:15-20; reformation is described in Matthew 28:18-20.  Revival rebirths; reformation rebuilds.  Revival can spring forth quickly; reformation is a process.  Revival changes hearts, inscribing with them God’s ways and laws; reformation transforms minds and thoughts, planting God’s laws in the psyche of a nation.  In the context of revival, Jesus is Savior; in the context of reformation, He is King and Lord. Revival saves and heals individuals; reformation saves and heals societies and nations.  Revival comes through the “preaching” of the “gospel” (Mark 16:15-20); reformation results from “teaching” what Christ “commanded” (Matthew 28:18-20).  Revival releases power, signs, and wonders; reformation implements God’s ways and wise methods.  Revival fuels and steers reformation; reformation can and should be the long-term fruit of revival.  THE FUEL OF REVIVAL Only transformation in millions of people’s hearts (revival) will provide sufficient momentum to reform a nation to God’s ways. We can try to reform a nation to His ways through good laws or education, but this will not fully produce the needed changes. Racism is a good example. Well-meaning laws and educational changes have not produced the desired changes. Heart changes from God, on the other hand, produce the needed desire and willingness for a nation to be transformed. The new birth creates a hunger for the bread of God’s Word, a thirst for the river of His Spirit, and a desire to emulate and please Him. This is why I say revival must feed and steer reformation.  GOD USES UNBELIEVERS  A word of caution: When we speak of reformation, it is unbiblical to suggest that God uses only believers. Many of His principles and laws work regardless of who applies them. God spoke of Cornelius as “devout” before he was born again. He acknowledged Cornelius’ prayers and generosity, saying they had built a memorial in heaven, and used his home in which to pour out His Spirit on the Gentile world. (See Acts 10)  Jesus does not reject unbelievers, nor did He suggest that they shouldn’t be leaders, whether in government, business, or any other endeavor. Certainly, the ideal and God’s desire is for everyone to be born again through Jesus. But while on earth, Jesus demonstrated God’s heart to all people. He loved them, ate with them, ministered to them, treated them respectfully and kindly, and even blessed them. (The exception to this was the proud, hypocrites, and those who oppressed others.) Matthew 9:9-13 (NASB) tells us: “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Now go and learn what this means: “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”  Benjamin Franklin called for prayer at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on June 28, 1787. Franklin proposed that the Assembly begin each morning with prayers, asking for God’s assistance and blessings. He also requested that a member of the city’s clergy officiate. His motion was made during a contentious period when the Convention was at risk of breaking up over a dispute between large and small states. Franklin believed that God governs human affairs and that the Convention would fail without His help. He also referenced daily prayer during the contest with Great Britain. (1) 
Though many believe Benjamin Franklin became a believer later in life through the ministry of George Whitefield, he was probably not yet born-again when he called for this prayer! God can and will use individuals in our government who do not know Him - from Trump downward - to reform our nation. I do believe many of them who don’t know the Lord will become believers, but they do not have to be born-again for Him to use them. Pray for God’s wisdom to flow through ALL of them, AND for their salvation.  As we enter this great season of change, we must be diligent to fervently pray for our nation, calling forth the promised revival and reformation. Pray with me: Father, we continue to join our hearts in agreement for the things You laid on the hearts of Lou Engle and Matt Lockett [see yesterday’s post ]. We pray once again for the Jehu anointing to rest on President-Elect Trump, his cabinet, and all working with them. We ask that You give them the determination, wisdom, and strategies necessary to sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies in America. Give them Your agendas, not their own. (2)   We ask that President-Elect Trump have a powerful encounter with You, and that he be filled with Your Spirit. Make him a man of prayer, just as the prophetic word from Kim Clement said. (3) Place an insatiable hunger in him for Your Word. Teach him to hear Your voice, and to know Your ways.  And we ask You for a Third Great Awakening, a spiritual revival the likes of which has never been seen. We cry, “revival, revival, revival!” Pour this out, not only on America, but throughout all the earth. We ask for Ezekiel’s river to increase until it flows at its deepest level (Ezekiel 47). And we ask this all in the great and holy name of Jesus.  Our decree: We decree that America is being revived and reformed by the power of Holy Spirit.  Click on the link below to watch the full video. Benjamin Franklin and the Constitutional Convention See the GH15 post from January 1, 2025 . Ibid.

Happy New Year! It’s good to be with you again. And we are going to start the year off with a bang! Introduction My friends Lou Engle and Matt Lockett are spearheading 21 days of fasting and prayer, beginning today, to launch us into 2025. They’re calling for a Daniel Fast, based on Daniel’s 21-day fast in Daniel 10:3, during which he fasted meat, “pleasant foods” such as sweets, and wine. The reasons and prayer focus from Lou are delineated in the following release by Cheryl Amibile in The Briefing . The title of her briefing is: The 2025 Jehu Fast After decades of mass prayer and fasting for the nation, we have come to a critical juncture for America to turn back to God. We stand now in a window of historic opportunity for governmental reform and national revival, but we must see it through in prayer. As President Trump prepares to take office in 2025, we urge you to join us as we govern in prayer over the government. Today’s briefing lays out a prophetic vision for Trump’s second term, along with clear prayer directives from Lou Engle to unify our intercession. Let’s shape history together through prayer and fasting!  We’ve sensed a shift in the nation since the A Million Women   gathering in Washington, D.C., on the Day of Atonement, and experienced a breakthrough with President Trump being elected. Now it’s time to pave the way for God’s agenda to be accomplished through his administration. For this purpose, we are launching a national 21-day Daniel Fast, January 1-21, led by Lou Engle, in partnership with Matt Lockett (Executive Director of Bound4Life International and the Justice House of Prayer  in Washington, D.C).
Daniel’s 21-day fast (Daniel 10) shifted Cyrus’s mindset and prevailed over the powers of darkness, changing the whole Persian public policy. We believe right now we have an opportunity to see the government of our nation impacted, the deep state removed, and ideologies shifted.  However, for this to happen, we believe the church needs to “get into the chariot of Jehu.” Jehu was anointed king by the prophet Elisha during the reign of Ahab (2 Kings 9). King Ahab was one of Israel’s most infamous leaders, who allowed the idolatries of his wife Jezebel to infiltrate the nation and corrupt the culture of God’s people. The Lord’s purpose for Jehu was to destroy the house of Ahab and eradicate Baal worship from Israel. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn recently prophesied to President Trump at the Inaugural National Faith Summit, declaring that his life and calling followed a similar template to Jehu’s. Other prophetic leaders have sensed the same.
Lou Engle was stirred a few weeks ago while reading 2 Kings 9–10, noting that it was during Jehu’s second ride that Jehonadab, the conservative leader, climbed into his chariot. Jehu then exclaimed:  “Come watch my zeal for the Lord.”  Lou has sensed from God a strong exhortation that in Trump’s second term, the church must “get in his chariot” by supporting him in prayer. Let us intercede for God to put a hedge about him, that the right cabinet members would be put in place, and that the president and his administration will sweep away the “house of Ahab” that has been seeking to destroy this nation.

 Along these lines, Matt Lockett had a fascinating dream in September of 2022, which we believe paints a prophetic picture of our responsibility to pray for Trump. In the dream, Matt and his team from JHOP ( Justice House of Prayer )  were with Donald Trump and other intercessors, standing outside a fast-food restaurant. They were in a single-file line, waiting to go through the drive-thru that had not yet opened. It was understood in the dream that they were to keep Trump’s place “in line” and “drive him through” when the window opened. Matt’s team has prayed regularly regarding this dream for the past two years. Just after the A Million Women  prayer gathering on the National Mall in October [2024], President Trump surprisingly showed up at McDonald’s to work in the drive-thru window. For most of the nation, this was just a human-interest story and a photo op for the would-be president. However, for Matt and his team, it was a sign that the “window” was now open to “drive” Trump through the election.
Then, approximately a week later, President Trump was pictured in another window—this time, the window of a garbage truck! Once again, the images were all over the news. It suddenly struck Matt with prophetic clarity that his original dream was not just about “driving” Trump through the election but through an ongoing agenda to “take out the trash,” so to speak, in Washington, D.C. We resonated with Matt’s insight, recognizing God’s intent to use President Trump to address the wickedness, idolatry, and corruption in the nation’s high places and policies. Our prayers must “drive” this agenda. Another prophecy that has shaped our intercession for the president-elect is a word given by the late Kim Clement in 2007 . Clement had specifically prophesied that Trump would become a trumpet. He went on to speak of a president fitting Trump’s description who would have “hot blood” and would raise the walls of protection around the nation. He said this leader would rapidly change the economy. In the same prophecy, Clement declared of this man: “God says, ‘I will put at your helm for two terms a president that will pray, but he will not be a praying president when he starts. I will put him in office, and then I will baptize him with the Holy Spirit and My power.’”

 We have often pondered Donald Trump’s spiritual legacy. His great-aunts were instrumental in the intercession leading up to the tremendous move of the Spirit in the Hebrides Revival (see The Briefing 088 -The Promised Revival ). What if God has ordained for that holy stump [this great revival] to sprout again at this time? It may be that President Trump is a sign and a symbol of an outpouring God desires to spread across America and beyond.

 Therefore, as we head into these 21 days of a Daniel Fast, let us pray daily for the Jehu anointing to rest upon President Trump, his Cabinet members, and all those in leadership. Pray that they would sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies that have taken root in America. Ask for grace to empower them to accomplish what God desires - not their own agendas - but God’s purposes in this second term of President Trump.
Secondly, let’s pray daily for President Trump to be filled with the Holy Spirit while in office, as was spoken in Clement’s prophetic word. Let us also pray for all the men and women in his Cabinet, that they would be filled with the wisdom of God as they navigate complex decisions, according to Daniel 2:21 (NIV): “He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”   
 Lastly, we have always recognized that transforming government alone would not be enough. America must experience a Third Great Awakening - a spiritual revival - in the hearts of men, women, and children alike. This aligns with a prophetic dream we received in 2020, in which there was a massive gathering and fervent cries of “Revival, revival, revival.” May this be our ongoing prayer until our communities are swept up in the fire of God’s Spirit.
 Pray with me: Father, we begin by giving You thanks for the answers to prayer we have received up to now. Recovery, restoration, and reformation all involve processes - tearing down, uprooting, planting, building. We have embraced the process of seeing America restored to You and Your purposes for her.  As we join our hearts in fasting and prayer at the beginning of this year, we ask for momentum to increase. We ask for the Jehu anointing to rest on President-Elect Trump, his cabinet, and all working with them. We ask that You give them the determination, wisdom, and strategies necessary to sweep away the “house of Ahab” and its ungodly ideologies in America. Give them Your agendas.  We ask that President-Elect Trump have a powerful encounter with You, and that he be filled with Your Spirit. Make him a man of prayer, just as the prophetic word said. Place an insatiable hunger in him for Your Word. Teach him to hear Your voice, and know Your ways.  And we ask You for a Third Great Awakening, a spiritual revival, the likes of which have never been seen. We cry “revival, revival, revival.” Pour this out not only on America, but throughout all the earth. We ask for Ezekiel’s river to increase until it flows at its deepest level (Ezekiel 47). And we pray all of this in the great and holy name of Jesus.  Our decree:  We decree that revival and reformation are coming to the earth, covering it as the waters cover the sea. You can find out more about this article and more like it at TheBriefing.us Click on the link below to watch the full video.

There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! O Holy Night Incarnate:  “to embody in flesh; invest with a bodily form.” From the Latin word incarnāre  “to make into flesh.”   Have you ever wondered what was going through Christ’s mind before Holy Spirit transformed Him into a microscopic seed and carried Him to the womb of a young girl? He was about to become breakable. Did He wonder how it would feel to no longer be omnipresent? Omniscient? Omnipotent? Did He wonder how physical pain would feel? Hunger? Thirst? Weariness? Cold? Heartache? Loss?   Christ knew He would have to: fight His way through a birth canal, be fed, be bathed, learn to crawl, develop balance and walking skills, form words, grow, and gain knowledge. He would experience sleep, scrapes, blisters, and callouses. He would enter the realm of time. He would bleed.   One has to wonder if Jesus ever reconsidered the plan/process. Since He was “the Lamb slain” before we were even created (Revelation 13:8), I don’t suppose He did. Yet, just before Holy Spirit held Him and began the transformation, there must have been at least an emotional, “Here we go…I’m about to be human!” And then He was - there was no turning back. Numerous questions come to mind as I consider Christ’s humanness: As a child, when did the first awareness of who He was begin to set in? When did He first look up at a star-filled sky and think,  I made that. When did He first recall saying, “Let there be…” When did the calculus of our solar system begin creeping back into His memory? Did He ever have a nightmare? When did He stop asking Mary questions and start explaining things to her? Did His siblings wonder at His gifts, intellect? Who was His best friend growing up? What did His laugh sound like? What was His favorite color…food? Was there any food - which He, of course, created - that He didn’t like?! At what age did His carpentry skills begin superseding those of Joseph? Did they ever joke about it? How old was He when Joseph died? How did He deal with the pain? How did He react the first time He saw a serpent…or first observed cruelty, violence or greed? When He heard lightning, did He smile? (Luke 10:18) And when did the love that demanded His humanness - the passion for His eternal bride - begin welling up in His chest? As He fashioned wood in His carpenter shop, did He ever pause and gaze pensively toward a hill in Jerusalem? Did He wince when He drove nails? We will never truly understand the ramifications, intricacies, and complexities of the incarnation. Merging the limitations of “humanness” with an infinite God simply can’t be computed by human brains. Indeed, Paul referenced Christ as God’s “indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). But it is healthy to ponder it, nonetheless. We must, in fact. It is imperative that we consider the cost to Christ. It’s essential that we wonder at such love, marvel at the plan and stand in awe at its audacity.   So this year on Christmas Day, take some time to think about it. Sing, or listen to Silent Night, Away In A Manger, O Holy Night, or your favorite Christmas carol and intently consider the words. Recapture the wonder. Read the story again in Luke’s gospel. Close your eyes and try to envision Mary’s angelic visitation. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes - how hard would it be to believe Mary’s story? See the stars, the stable, the manger, the Christ-child. Then, converse with Abba and Jesus. Thank them…for Christmas, yes, but also for the cross. The purpose of Christmas was the Cross.   I leave you today with the lyrics of one of my most loved Christmas songs: O Holy Night. My favorite line is, “Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” “O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth! Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices. Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born. Oh night divine, Oh night divine. “Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here came the wise men from Orient land. The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our friend. He knows our need - to our weakness is no stranger Behold your King, before Him lowly bend! Behold your King, before Him lowly bend! “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother, And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever! His power and glory evermore proclaim! His power and glory evermore proclaim!” (1) Now, do yourself a favor and use this link to watch/listen to Josh Groban’s version of the song. This YouTube version gives us a visual of that holy night when Christ was born. Maybe even gather the family and watch it together. You’ll be glad you did.  (For those of you watching today’s post, we will provide the link in the description below.)   Merry Christmas! Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://hymnary.org/text/o_holy_night_the_stars_are_brightly_shin

There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! A Fun Christmas Memory “In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.’”  Luke 2:8-14 (NASB) “Great joy…for all people,”  are some of the words spoken by the angel on the night of Christ’s birth. And could the world ever use a dose of that! We live in precarious and perilous times, punctuated by evil dictators, lying and fear-mongering governments, power-crazed politicians, woke educators, God-haters, and a worldwide pandemic. In the midst o f e vil and chaos, let me remind you that joy is of the spirit, not the emotions, and therefore is not based on circumstances. Happiness is based on circumstances; joy, however, is a fruit of the spirit and therefore flows from Holy Spirit in you (Galatians 5:22). In the angel’s announcement above, great is the Greek word megas, from which we get the English word “mega.” Megas  is over and above, above and beyond, more than enough. And as my grandkids would say, ginormous. I felt today to encourage you to think of a joyful Christmas memory. It could be from when you were a kid, or as a parent or grandparent enjoying a kid/s. Perhaps it’s from a gift you gave, or one you were given. Maybe it’s a sleigh ride, a ski trip, a family trip, the Nutcracker with mom or a bowl game with dad. Think of something and let it unlock some joy. Laughter is good. God said it’s like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22). Think of something from a Christmas past that’ll make you laugh. Maybe I can help. We once had a dog named Mercedes. Sadie, as we called her, was a Boxer. God used Mercedes greatly in my life. She taught me patience, humility, poop-scooping, and the price of dog ACL surgery. I didn’t actually mind the poop-scooping in and of itself, it was the mocking laughter I could see in her eyes as I did it that bothered me. We bought Mercedes - yes, I paid for these lessons - because we moved to an area where there were coyotes and foxes, which we knew would endanger our two other small dogs  - they needed a bodyguard. Besides, everyone needs THREE dogs. But it backfired. Mercedes took over. Ceci and the girls actually went to obedience school with her a few times. That helped - she learned to sit. She came home and asserted her dominance by sitting on my chest. Seriously. I was stretched out on the floor watching a football game, nice fire going, when she proudly looked over at the girls and sat on my chest. “Good girl. Good sit,” they said. Then there was the time she TP’d (toilet papered) the backyard. Yep, she did. We had a fenced backyard, so when leaving, we, at times left the back door open a foot or so to allow the dogs some freedom. We came home one day, and there was a trail of toilet paper from the powder room (for all you guys, that’s the half-bath you keep clean for guests) leading through the family room, out the back door, and into the back yard. Once in the backyard, it seems that Sadie’s creative side kicked in. She went over, under, around, and through. She made circles, figure 8’s, and squares. Then she did her business w hile I cleaned up the toilet paper. And if you don’t see the cruel irony of that, then you’re pretty slow. I swear she was laughing. But perhaps the most humiliating experience with Mercedes was when I had to chase her around on the roof of our two-story house. I was hanging Christmas lights - you thought I had gotten off the subject of Christmas, didn’t you - and with the house layout, it was a simple step onto our daughter’s bedroom window seat, then out the window and onto the garage roof. From there, I could walk to the remainder of the roof, even the higher parts. I was on all fours, carefully placing hooks for the lights on the gutters, when suddenly I heard a noise behind me. I turned, and there was Mercedes - she had joined me! I panicked. If she fell off and hurt herself, Ceci and the girls would never forgive me. My tone of voice and panicked attempt to grab her scared her. She began running and wouldn’t come to me. So I chased her, which caused her to run more…Kevin Costner became known to the Native Americans as “man who dances with wolves.” I became known in our neighborhood as “man who dances with dog on roof.” True story. Remember something today that makes you laugh. If you can’t think of anything, picture me with a 70-pound, well-trained, obedience school graduating Boxer sitting on my chest. The Message version of Proverbs 17:22 says,  “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” Laugh. It’ll do you good. Pray with me: Father, in these precarious and perilous times, punctuated by evil dictators, lying and fear-mongering governments, power-crazed politicians, woke educators, God-haters, and a worldwide pandemic, we can still have joy. Cause the spirit of joy to rise up in Your people today. Even those in difficult circumstances or who have suffered loss, let the strength that comes from joy arise in them. Temper their grief with moments of joy. If it needs to be a supernatural impartation, please do that. And we thank You for Jesus. He brought us mega joy. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Because of Him, we can rejoice. Remind us to remain focused on Him this Christmas season. And even on a day in which we speak of laughter and joy, we still remember the babies. A reversal of Roe would be the greatest gift we could receive this coming year. Do whatever is necessary to give us 5 or more Justices who will find the moral strength to reverse it. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen. Our decree: We decree that joy unspeakable is ours today through Christ. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

For the next several days, you are going to hear some favorite posts, hand-picked by Dutch. They are about this wonderful Christmas season, and we think you will enjoy them. There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! Two Women At Christmas   As we approach Christma, let’s consider the story of two women who were significant in the birth of our Savior, the promised Messiah: Mary and Elizabeth. The younger one seeks out the older. Lives touching. Mentoring occurring. A divine encounter, a God-set up. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is unique in history. Yet she had a humble beginning. Pastor Jack Hayford says we may wonder about her, “Was Mary possibly only a plain girl with simple faith, raised in an ordinary home, scheduled for an arranged marriage, and headed for an uneventful future married to the town carpenter? The suggestion that she was ordinary comes from the words Mary sings:  ‘For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden. He has exalted the lowly’ ” (Luke 1:48). Hayford adds: “God clothes Himself in the ordinary so He can come to ordinary people—you and me.” (1)   Mary and Elizabeth. Both were having miracle babies who would affect history. Both women could have been labeled “disgraced” by their Hebrew peers - Elizabeth for being barren, Mary for being pregnant before marriage. Both knew God intimately, were worshipers and were acquainted with Scripture. The Christmas story began not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth, where Mary received the message from Gabriel. He disclosed God’s plan for her life. “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.”  (Luke 1: 28-32 NKJV) When Mary questioned Gabriel how this could happen since she was a virgin, he explained: “Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God… and His kingdom will have no end.”  (Luke 1:30-35). Mary, in bold obedience, replied, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word ” (verse 38). And the angel departed from her. “We can hardly fathom the bewildering moment Mary experienced,” Freda Lindsay reminds us. “That she was a privileged vessel, chosen to bear God’s Son, is wonder enough, for she is a participant in the miracle of the Incarnation at a level no other human being can comprehend. It is clear she did not claim to understand it herself, yet she was obedient,” (2) At first, Mary was troubled, pondering the situation. But the angel had told her some great news: “And behold your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God”  (verses 36-37).  Mary may have wondered just why the angel told her Elizabeth was pregnant. But she got up and hurried to see Elizabeth in the village of En Karem in the Judean hill country, about 65 miles away. How did she get there? Did she go in a caravan of camels or donkeys? Did she have morning sickness? Was Joseph, to whom she was engaged, okay with her going? We don’t know the answers. However, she quickly got to the house of her relative, Elizabeth, who was married to the priest, Zechariah. When Mary entered their home, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy (Luke 1:41). But get this: Elizabeth not only praised God in a loud voice, but she was also filled with Holy Spirit (verse 41).   (I wonder if she would have had this experience with Holy Spirit’s infilling if Mary had not come). Mary did not even have to explain to her that she was pregnant, for God had revealed it to Elizabeth. She said to Mary, almost as a prophecy,  “Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the child you shall bear. Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  (Luke 1:41-43). Think about this: Elizabeth was six months pregnant, five of those hidden in seclusion. Her husband, Zechariah - a priest, could not talk to her. He had been struck mute when he questioned the angel who came to him after he had burned incense in the temple (Luke 1:20). The angel told him that his wife, who was barren and advanced in age, would bear a son. They were to name him John and he would be great in the sight of the Lord. (He was later known as John the Baptist). While she was expecting her baby boy, Elizabeth’s husband could only communicate with her by writing on a wax tablet or with hand motions. Did her seclusion also mean she did not fetch water at the well when other women were there or even intermingle with them in the marketplace? A Jewish wife in those days prepared the meals, cared for the children, made and washed the clothes, went to the market, and tended the lamps. She was expected to be a good housekeeper and an affectionate mother who set the “love level” in the home. Sons usually went to study Torah at an early age and learned a trade from their fathers.  Girls did not receive the formal training as sons did, but evidence shows both Mary and Elizabeth knew the Scriptures. Since Elizabeth was the wife of a priest and daughter of a family of priests from the house of Aaron, she probably heard much godly talk from guests in her home. Mary’s song of exaltation - Magnificat - contains references from Hannah’s prayer nearly a thousand years earlier as she praised God for her baby Samuel. Mary was possibly still a teenager. The advice and wisdom of an older woman would be valuable as she pondered many things in her heart. But didn’t Elizabeth also need her company? Mary stayed with her for three months (Luke 1:56), observing and confiding in her, and no doubt receiving mentoring, love, and spiritual insights. Elizabeth may have talked to Mary about how to be a good wife and she was surely a great encourager and influencer, giving her a blessing and honor. They obviously spent time together worshipping the Lord. Mary provided Elizabeth with companionship, conversation and most certainly helped her with household chores. They each had something of worth to share in this short-term but significant relationship. Just think, Elizabeth was the first human to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord–while He was yet unborn. Let’s not fail to recognize Holy Spirit’s part in this first Christmas drama concerning these two women. As we have already mentioned, first Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35). Then He filled Elizabeth and the baby in her womb with Himself also. Finally, even Zachariah. On the eighth day after their baby’s birth, when they took him to be circumcised and to announce John’s name, Zechariah was filled with Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67). His tongue was loosed, and he was able to speak again. So he, a priest, began to prophesy about both the coming Messiah and about his son, John, who would be a forerunner for Him. This Christmas season as we reflect on the various people involved in the birth of Jesus, let’s draw lessons from their examples. Are there younger people in our lives we could encourage? Mentor? Are there those we can pray for to receive Jesus as Savior? Or to receive Holy Spirit’s touch? God is looking for ordinary people–like you and me to help make a difference for Him in the lives of those with whom we interact. Divine connections. He has given us a story to tell. Jesus is the reason for the season! Let’s go share this great news. Pray with me :  Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to be bold to share this good news, especially during this Christmas season, and bring others to Him for their salvation. Thank You that just as the angel told Mary nothing is or ever shall be impossible for God, so may we believe for the miracles we need also. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen. Our decree:  I will never doubt God - for He who promised is faithful - even sending us a Savior, the very Son of God. Today’s post was written by our dear friend and author Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about Quin here  or at Quinsherrer.com . Click on the link below to watch the full video. Jack W. Hayford, The Christmas Miracle,  Chosen Books, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1999) pp. 39, 41. Freda Lindsay, Luke 1:26-56 comments. Spirit Filled Life Bible , 3rd edition NKJV, (Jack Hayford, Executive Editor, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN. 2017) p. 1450.

For the next several days, you are going to hear some favorite posts, hand-picked by Dutch. They are about this wonderful Christmas season, and we think you will enjoy them. There will be no Give Him 15 posts on Dec 26-31. Thank you for your understanding as our staff takes a break. We will see you again January 1st! Merry Christmas! Today I am sharing a special Christmas post written by our good friend, Cheryl Sacks. The title is: A Christmas to Remember  It was just before Christmas, and we were two months behind in our mortgage payments. On January 1, our home would go into foreclosure. Hal and I had no money to buy Christmas gifts for each other or for our five-year-old daughter, Nicole.   When Nicole gave us her Christmas list, it contained only one item…a pair of blue jeans with pink flowers on the pocket. I was praying fervently that we’d have money for Christmas and that we would not lose our home. Yet, I was starting to feel discouraged.   The next day, Nicole came home from school and handed me the school newsletter. The school was asking us to participate in the Christmas tradition of giving to those in need. I had a clear sense that we should try to do something for one of the three families the school wanted to help…even though we ourselves were in desperate need.   The newsletter listed specific needs for each family, simply labeled as families A, B, and C. I noted that Family B needed clothing for a five-year-old girl. Since I wanted to include Nicole in the shopping process, I decided we would adopt Family B, so that she could relate to giving to someone her own age.    The next afternoon, Nicole and I went shopping at K-Mart. As we pushed the basket along together, we looked for some item of clothing that would be right for a little girl her age. Soon, we came to a rack of girls’ jeans, and Nicole spotted a pair with little pink flowers on the back pocket.    “Oh!” she said excitedly, “I just know the little girl will want these!” Into the cart went the jeans with pink flowers. My mind was already racing ahead. If the parents didn’t have money for jeans, then they wouldn’t have money to purchase a shirt to complete the outfit.    “Now, let’s find a blouse or something to go with these jeans,” I told Nicole. Soon we found just the right thing – a pink sweater with a black and white panda bear on the front and a matching pink shirt.   I was rejoicing at the blessing of giving this special gift. Yet a few minutes later as we stood in line, my excitement waned. There in the basket was the exact item my daughter wanted for Christmas...jeans with pink flowers on the pocket...in just her size. Now with my last $25, I was going to buy them for someone else’s little girl.   I thought of how I’d always believed in giving sacrificially. Years before, I had learned about “seedtime and harvest,” sowing and reaping, from Oral Roberts. Whether you have little or much, just like a farmer, it’s not wise to eat your seed, but to plant it and watch it multiply. I’d seen this truth work in our lives over and over again. Yet, right then, I was wavering.   “Lord,” I prayed. “If what I’ve believed about “sowing and reaping” is really true, then I need You to prove it to me now.”   We checked out at the cash register and went home. But all throughout the day I was still vacillating. I began contemplating wrapping up the gift and giving it to Nicole rather than to the little girl in Family B.    That night as I pulled out the wrapping paper, I still did not know what to do. Finally, I walked into Hal’s office where he was studying and told him what a struggle I was having. I reiterated what he already knew. Our own daughter had asked for jeans for Christmas just like the ones I had purchased to give away. How much sense did it make to give them to someone else’s little girl?   “I believe I know what we’re supposed to do,” Hal said. “But take some time to pray and hear from the Lord what He wants you to do.”   I opened my Bible and the pages fell open to Ecclesiastes 11:1-6:    “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days…He who observes the wind (and waits for all conditions to be favorable) will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap…In the morning sow your seed and in the evening withhold not your hand…”   It was evening, and I was considering withholding my gift. It was clear the Lord was telling me not to wait for conditions to be favorable…to cast my bread upon the waters.   I wrapped the jeans, pink blouse, and panda bear sweater in white tissue paper as the school had requested and wrote “Family B” on the outside of the package.    Later, as I was wrapping some small items for the woman in Family B, Hal walked in. “What size is the man in that family we’re giving to?” Hal asked. I looked at the sheet and replied, “Medium.”     A few moments later, Hal entered carrying his new gray sweater vest. “I want you to wrap this up and give it to the man on the list,” he said.    “Oh, that is your favorite piece of clothing!” I said.   “We should always give God our best,” he said. And with that I wrapped the gray sweater vest.    The next day, Nicole took her gifts to school. As was the tradition, the children brought their gifts forward during a school assembly and placed them at the foot of a manger cradling “baby Jesus.” These presents were first and foremost a gift of love to the Savior.    As Nicole shared with me about presenting our family’s gifts to the Lord, I was reminded of how God demonstrated the principle of sowing and reaping through the life of His Son Jesus Christ.    “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never die but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God gave His only Son, His most precious possession, first ― then received many sons and daughters in return. Through the principle of sowing, God reaped the greatest harvest in the history of the world.   The next Sunday afternoon I was getting ready to go to the evening service at our church. I heard the doorbell ring and looked outside the window to see a white station wagon which I recognized as that of our friends Mario and Cathy Rossetti. They lived just around the corner and our kids attended the same school.    As I opened the front door, Mario began unloading boxes filled with gifts. The boxes kept coming and coming. There must have been fifteen boxes or more. I noticed they were all wrapped in white tissue paper.    “What is this?” I asked. But before Mario could answer, my eyes scanned several packages. Each one was marked “Family B”!    “Oh,” I grabbed my heart! “The jeans with the pink flowers and the panda bear sweater. They’re in one of these boxes! The gray sweater vest. It’s in there too!”   Then I remembered Hal saying, “We must always give God our best.”     I breathed an awe-filled prayer. “Lord, You knew this all along! When I was standing in line at K-Mart complaining, You knew. When You led me to read the verse in Ecclesiastes, ‘Cast your bread upon the waters and you will find it after many days,’  You knew!”     How had I ever doubted God’s Word?   A half-hour later, Hal pulled into the driveway after running errands. “Hurry, we’re late for church!”   “Hal,” I said. “Could you come to the bedroom for just a moment? I have something to show you!”   “I’ll look at it later,” he said. “We’re going to be late.”   “You have to come now,” I said, and I took his arm and directed him into our bedroom.   There, on the floor, were the furniture, and everywhere in between were boxes and boxes of gifts.   “What is all this?” he exclaimed.    “Do you know who Family B is?” I asked.    “No, who?” he said.   “ WE  are Family B! WE  are Family B…you, Nicole, and me!”   On Christmas Day we opened our presents. Among the gifts were a man’s gray sweater vest size medium, and size five girl’s jeans with pink flowers on the pocket, and a matching panda bear sweater and pink shirt.   “But what about the poor little girl?” Nicole asked as she opened her gift. It would be years before she would learn the significance of that Christmas gift.   It had been only a few years before this that the Lord had called us to leave our secular jobs and start the Christian ministry which is now BridgeBuilders. We didn’t yet have many supporters, and we often went without a salary. We were completely dependent on the Lord to provide for our needs.   During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, we received a call from a pastor in another town. He and his wife were coming to Phoenix and wanted to stop by and drop off a gift.   We were excited to see our friends and receive what I thought was to be the gift of a turkey. “We can definitely use it!” I said out loud.   We opened the door wide and greeted the couple. As they entered, the pastor pulled a check out of his pocket and handed it to Hal.   We learned that the pastor had challenged his congregation to give to the Christmas missions fund the same amount of money they were giving in gifts to their friends and family. The collection had been split between our family and an overseas missionary.   Hal and I looked at the check…it was made out for $1500! Fifteen hundred dollars! Exactly enough money to catch up on our home mortgage payments. Pray with me:   Father, through the years, when money is tight and pressures grow great, You often remind me of this story. I know You never want us to forget that we are in a covenant relationship with You, and that if we will act in obedience to plant seeds of kindness, love, and resources, You will be faithful to multiply them.   You said, “Give and gifts will be given you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your bosom. For with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others—it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Help us to become even more like You, Father, and Your giving heart. You gave first, and You gave the greatest gift. Amen.   Today’s post was contributed by Cheryl Sacks. You can learn more about Cheryl and Hal’s work at bridgebuilders.net and prayersaturated.life . Click on the link below to watch the full video.