The Partnership This week I have been sharing some of the benefits Holy Spirit wants to provide us. Jesus told His disciples it was to their advantage that He leave them (John 16:7). What a shocking statement! Why would He make such a seemingly preposterous statement? Because when He arrived back in Heaven, the Father would send Holy Spirit to them. As a spirit without a physical body, Holy Spirit could be everywhere at once. AND He could be in them, not just with them. Not since Genesis had mankind been the dwelling place of God’s Breath/Spirit. We had lost that privilege. Jesus came to restore it. Though the disciples certainly did not understand Christ’s words when He spoke them in John 16:7, they did when Holy Spirit eventually arrived and breathed Himself into them (Acts 2). They were transformed, filled with power from heaven, filled with God! Jesus called Holy Spirit our Helper. As such, He wants to play an active role in our lives, helping us represent Christ on earth. We will certainly never fulfill the role of intercessory watchmen without His assistance. In 2 Corinthians 13:14, another verse we’ve been looking at, Paul said, “May the koinonia of the Holy Spirit be with you.” As we have seen, koinonia has various meanings. Let’s analyze a few more today. Koinonia Means Distribution and Impartation Holy Spirit desires to distribute/impart to us everything we need to function successfully in life, and this certainly includes prayer. Placing these two definitions into the verse, 2 Corinthians 13:14, is saying, “May Holy Spirit impart to you;” “May He distribute to you,” of His vast resources and gifts. I love it when Holy Spirit distributes revelation to me as I study His Word. I then take great joy in distributing it to others. I find it very fulfilling when, through the power of Holy Spirit, I am used to impart a spiritual gift, or perhaps power for healing, to another person. Paul spoke of this in Romans 1:11: “For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established.” He also told us Timothy was given spiritual gifts through Holy Spirit impartation as leaders laid their hands on him (see 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6). Moses imparted to Joshua a spirit of wisdom (see Deuteronomy 34:9). A human being would have no ability to impart a spiritual gift if not by the power of Holy Spirit. Does this still occur today? Of course. Holy Spirit wants to give gifts, insights, abilities, and more TO us, and He wants also to distribute them THROUGH us. Receive from Him! Listen to Him! Then, give Him to others. Peter said to the lame man in Acts 3:6, “I don’t have any money for you, but I do have something else: the power of Holy Spirit. And in Christ’s name I give it to you now!” (Dutch’s paraphrase). At times, the information Holy Spirit distributes to us are alerts and warnings enabling us to function as watchmen. Our friend, Quin Sherrer, gives the following example: “I was rooming with Ruthie at a Christian conference when she told me how God had protected her property. One night during the church service, she heard a voice: ‘Your house is being robbed.’ She tried to dismiss the thought. She’d lived in that house for thirty years, and there had been no burglaries in her neighborhood. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to her that the inner voice she had heard was Holy Spirit warning her. “‘Lord, if our house is being robbed, please send an angel - no, Lord, send a warring angel - to frighten the burglar off.’ Then she began to quote Scriptures, praying for protection: ‘No evil will come near our dwelling place…No weapon formed against us shall prosper…’ “Sure enough, when she and her husband arrived home, their back patio door was smashed in, and everything inside was in disarray - drawers open and stuff scattered everywhere. The next day, when the police officer came to get a list of the things missing, all they had to report was one pillowcase. He told them that’s what a burglar usually takes to stash the valuables. ‘As far as we can tell, nothing is missing - not even my good gold jewelry,’ Ruthie told him. “He looked around at her china, silver, and gold vases. ‘With all these beautiful things, I don’t understand why you weren’t robbed blind. Something obviously frightened away the intruder. He left in a hurry,’ the policeman said. “Two other houses in her neighborhood were robbed that night. Ruthie is sure God sent a warring angel of protection, just as she had prayed and asked Him to do.”(1) What a great example of Holy Spirit sharing information in order that watchman intercession can take place. Partake of Holy Spirit’s love and communion, yes. But also, draw on His supernatural ability to protect that which belongs to you. Koinonia Means Companionship and Partnership The last meanings of koinonia I want to share are companionship and partnership. (We referenced partnership yesterday, but we will take another look today.) What an incredible thought. Paul said, “Let Holy Spirit be your companion and partner. Walk with Him. Commune with Him. Partner with Him.” Partnering with another person in an endeavor is far different than simply working for them. Jesus said we are seated with Him at the Father’s right hand. (Ephesians 2:6) This speaks of union, togetherness, oneness and authority. Christ wants a partnership with us. I realize He is the Senior Partner, the Head, but He has joined us to Himself and we are His “body.” It is the Holy Spirit who makes this relationship a reality. While ministering in Guatemala many years ago (while in our 20s), Ceci and I went to a hospital to pray for a lady with tuberculosis. She was in a ward on the hospital grounds for the very poor, much like a battlefield hospital ward, with beds side by side, 3-4 feet apart. No walls or partitions for privacy or protection from communicating diseases, very little equipment, and their families had to bring them food. After praying for this lady, the woman next to her asked if we would pray for her. “Sure,” we replied, “what do you need?” Through an interpreter she told us, “My spinal cord was damaged during a surgery, and it has left my hands and feet irreparably paralyzed.” She pulled her arms out from under the cover and showed us her immobile hands. She also uncovered her drawn-up feet. I gulped, thinking, I don’t do paralysis. I do headaches, colds, hangnails - the TB was a huge stretch! But paralysis? That’s a little above my pay grade. But we were about to be given a lesson on what it means to have Holy Spirit as our Partner! We prayed, didn’t see or feel anything unusual, told her we would continue to pray for her and turned to leave. Then all heaven broke loose! She began to scream, “Milagro!” (Spanish for “miracle”) We looked back to see her demonstratively moving her hands and kicking her feet under the covers. We were in a hospital, but church broke out! Actually, Holy Spirit broke out. There were no workers present, so we preached, prayed and sang. Ladies were saved, healed and transformed. It was amazing - book of Acts stuff. Ceci and I left with tears in our eyes and joy in our hearts. I believe Holy Spirit wants to conduct meetings like that again. Why wouldn’t He? The coming revival will produce supernatural occurrences similar to this. At the present time, He’s training His partners. Pray with me: Father, we are excited about what we sense coming. Our Helper, Holy Spirit, is distributing gifts and anointings. We want to partake. We want these impartations. Therefore, we align ourselves accordingly: in humility, in faith, and in alignment with Christ. We know He wants to reveal Himself through us, and we intend to see it happen. Holy Spirit, release Your wonderful gifts! Gifts of healing, working of miracles, discernment, faith, words of knowledge and wisdom, prophecy and more. Take us to a higher level of partnering with You. We are filled with Your power; help us to demonstrate this! Father, bring an awakening of Holy Spirit’s role to the church. Forgive those who have refused Him access to their services - may we NEVER be embarrassed or shy about Him manifesting Himself. Holy Spirit, invade our gatherings, empower our efforts, saturate our lives. We expect this and thank You for it in advance. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the summer of 2022 is a summer of Holy Spirit activity. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp.145-150.] Click on the link below to watch the full episode. _______________________________________ Quin Sherrer, Listen, God Is Speaking to You (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Servant, 1999), pp 148-149.

Friendship with Holy Spirit We have been discussing Holy Spirit’s involvement in our lives. Jesus said it was actually advantageous for Him to leave earth, in order that Holy Spirit could be sent to us. Whereas Jesus, in His human body, could be in only one place at a time, Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once, and is IN us - not just with us. I stated that the single greatest key to biblically-defined success in any Christian endeavor is allowing the full work of Holy Spirit in and through us. And this is most certainly true with prayer. Another reference and some amplified definitions will give us even more insight into the role of our Helper. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of Holy Spirit, be with you all.” The word “fellowship” here is koinonia and is rich with meaning, as can be seen in the following definitions: Fellowship; Communion The use of the word koinonia tells us Holy Spirit wants intimacy with us. This same word is used in 1 Corinthians 10:16 to describe the Lord’s Table, the sacrament of “Communion.” The Lord’s Table is referred to as “Communion” (koinonia) because it brings us into fellowship or communion with Him. This involves dialogue. Holy Spirit wants to commune with us. He has much to say if we learn to listen. As our Teacher, He is the means to all wisdom and revelation from God. Many don’t realize we can enjoy this relationship with Him. We can, however, commune with Holy Spirit. At times Holy Spirit’s communion with us requires no words. As with any close relationship, some communication is simply a look, heart-to-heart time together. Rowell provides this illustration: In his book Good Morning Merry Sunshine, Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene chronicles his infant daughter’s first year of life. When little Amanda began crawling, he records: “This is something I’m having trouble getting used to. I will be in bed reading a book or watching TV. And I will look down at the foot of the bed and there will be Amanda’s head staring back at me. “Apparently, I’ve become one of the objects that fascinate her…It’s so strange. After months of having to go to her, now she is choosing to come to me. I don’t know quite how to react. All I can figure out is that she likes the idea of coming in and looking at me. She doesn’t expect anything in return. I’ll return her gaze, and in a few minutes, she’ll decide she wants to be back in the living room, and off she’ll crawl again.” The simple pleasure of looking at the one you love is what we enjoy each time we worship God and bask in His presence. (1) At times I crawl up to God for a look. Just knowing He is looking back is enough. However, at times Holy Spirit speaks and shares His heart while I’m gazing. There is a poignant picture of this level of intimacy hidden in the following Scriptures: For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright (Proverbs 3:32, emphasis mine). The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant (Psalms 25:14, emphasis mine). The words “intimate” and “secret” are translated from the same Hebrew word, cowd, which means “couch, cushion, or pillow.”(2) The picture is of two close friends seated on a couch, sharing intimate thoughts with one another. Or perhaps of a wife and husband sharing a pillow, conversing intimately. “Do you really think God wants that kind of relationship, Sheets?” you may be asking. Absolutely! Abraham was his “friend.” (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23) David was “a man after God’s heart,” (see 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). If these relationships weren’t precious to the Lord, why did He reference them five times in Scripture? Enoch walked with God, bringing Him such pleasure that Yahweh just took him on to heaven (see Genesis 5:22, 24). The disciples, like Abraham, were called Christ’s friends (see John 15:15). God is into koinonia! We can be His friends, too. Several years ago, I was ministering in Toronto. On my last morning there, as I packed my bags, I was thinking about my final session, visiting (koinonia) with Holy Spirit. I wasn’t interceding, and it wasn’t during my normal quiet time. I was simply communing while working, sharing some of my inner thoughts with Him, much the same way I might have done with my wife, had she been there. Suddenly Holy Spirit spoke back to me. It was as natural and matter-of-fact as two friends sharing their thoughts. “Japan is really on My heart this morning,” He said. This surprised me, as I had never thought of God at times having one particular place on His heart more than others. I’ve always assumed He had every place on His heart, all the time. And the phrase “on My heart” surprised me, as well. Japan was more than on His mind; this was something deeper - very important to Him. I knew He was sharing His heart with me. He then said, “I must have Japan. It is a gate to Asia, and I must have it. There is tremendous warfare over the nation right now. Would you pray for Japan this morning in your session?” How do you like that?! Not a command, “Pray for Japan!” This was a request, “Would you…?” He was asking me! “Of course we will, Holy Spirit,” I said. “We would be honored to do that.” And we did! Such a strong anointing and burden came upon the assembly - tears, travail, intense intercession. This went on for about 45 minutes, at which time I had to leave for the airport. They continued - how long, I do not know. God brought insight to us in that session of how to pray for Japan. He gave us various Scripture promises to pray and declare over the nation, as well as other insights. It was amazing. And though I didn’t realize it until we began praying, 20-30 individuals from Japan had come to this conference. They were deeply moved and so encouraged. We brought them to the front and many believers gathered around them, while interceding for Japan. Japan shall be saved! This “watchman intercession” was born out of fellowship with Holy Spirit. Koinonia Means Sharing Together; Participating with us Holy Spirit wants to share His strength, power, wisdom, and information with us. He desires to participate with us in life’s endeavors. He certainly wants to participate with us in our prayer times. Partner is a word or concept related to participation. Watchmen learn to partner with Holy Spirit, and partnership with Him causes their prayer success rate to climb significantly! In his book, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible, Jack Hayford says, “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.”(3) Holy Spirit facilitates this partnership. Let Him participate in your intercession. Allow Him to help you! Pray with me: Communing with God - what a moving thought, Father. Take us back to the first-love excitement of hanging out with You. We know Holy Spirit is ALWAYS with us, yet we so often take Him for granted. Remind us of His presence! Please! And remind us, also, that He wants to communicate with us. He wants “pillow talk” with His family; He wants to share “secrets” with His friends. Awaken the church to this reality. As we experience this, it will make us more effective watchmen. Speak to us, reveal to us what is on the Godhead’s heart today. What is Abba thinking? What does Christ, the Head of the church, want accomplished today/this week/this month? What are You saying to the church today, Holy Spirit? We are listening, and ready to partner with You! You have told us July is significant for Washington, DC. In response, a few of us have journeyed there today to pray. Lead us as we do so. We want to know - if You stood there today, what would You declare? For You will be standing there - in us! Lead us. We’ll declare it! You’ve already shown us to offer up decrees that will release angels and their battering rams against Lucifer’s/Baal’s hold on the White House. We will do so, with the agreement now of tens of thousands of believers. Their faith and authority will be joined to ours as we pray. This is the Ekklesia! This is laying siege - watchman intercession. Holy Spirit, fill our prayers with YOUR power!!!! We call this done, in Jesus’ name! Our decree: We decree that angelic battering rams are breaking satanic strongholds in DC this month! They have, they are, and they will! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp. 141-145.] Click on the link below to watch the full video. ________________________________ Greg Asimakoupoulos, “Worship,” in Rowell, 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers, 410. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. 5475 Jack W. Hayford, Prayer Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995), p. 92, 1977 edition.

Christ’s Astonishing Statement “It is better for you that I leave,” Jesus told His followers (see John 16:7). What a seemingly ridiculous, asinine statement! After watching Him raise the dead, heal lepers, walk on water, calm raging storms with His words, deliver the insane, pay taxes with fish-delivered money - the list seems endless - can you imagine the shock of the disciples at such a statement? Of course, Jesus was forever shocking them with His words and actions. They probably thought, with surprise and astonishment, “There He goes again!” I can almost see the disciples waiting until He looked away and then rolling their eyes at one another. A short time before, Christ had mentioned going to prepare dwelling places for them in the presence of the Father. “But then again, you know where I’m going,” He stated rather matter of factly (John 4:4, Sheets’ paraphrase). “We don’t have the slightest idea where you’re going” (Sheets’ paraphrase of John 14:5), Thomas finally had the brass to say. Thank God for Thomas! If he could express his frustration at some of God’s words and ways, so can we. (And occasionally I do!) Peter also vented his frustration, at times. On one occasion, he had finally heard enough confusing words about Jesus dying and decided He needed a good rebuke (Matthew 16:22-23). Unlike Thomas, Peter did NOT get away with it. “Get behind me, satan,” Jesus said. I suppose the lesson learned is: plead ignorance with God, even disagree, just don’t rebuke Him. I’m certain that Christ’s declaration in John 16:7 that His leaving would be advantageous for them was more than simply confusing, however. It was one thing for the disciples to see and hear things beyond their comprehension. But when Jesus started talking about leaving them, I’m sure that began pushing a few panic buttons. How could His leaving possibly be advantageous for them? He was God incarnate, Immanuel, for heaven’s sake. The answer lies in two understandings. The first has to do with a more complete meaning of the word Christ used. The Greek word translated “advantage” is sumphero, which literally means “to bring together. (1) It is translated as such because the bringing together of necessary things or people is advantageous to an endeavor. Christ was saying, in essence, “My leaving will result in a new connection for you, a joining, which will be of tremendous benefit to you, an even greater benefit than My actually being present with you.” The second fact that made Christ’s statement true was regarding just who he was going to connect them with…the One with whom the new connection would be. Jesus was, of course, speaking of Holy Spirit. “I will bring you together with Holy Spirit. This will be even more advantageous than having Me here with you in the flesh. The bodily limitation of My being in only one place at a time will not exist with Him. And not only will He be with all of you at the same time, He’ll be in you. You will become His body - His hands, feet, and mouth! He’ll touch through you, move through you and speak through you.” I’m not sure any of us have fully grasped the ramifications of this. But Jesus was absolutely serious when He said, “It’s to your advantage that I leave.” Consider the following facts regarding the greatness of God: “The God dwelling within you made our solar system. Our galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars. But the Milky Way is but one of a trillion galaxies in the universe. There are 20 galaxies in our group. The nearest cluster of galaxies, Virgo, is 50 million light years away. (A light year is the distance light travels in a year.) Astronomers estimate the distance across the universe is 40 billion light years, and contains 100 billion trillion stars!” (2) The Creator of all this dwells in you! What could we be and do with a greater revelation of this fact? Listen to two leading Christian voices describe the work of Holy Spirit in their lives. Jack Hayford, one of the great church fathers of the last 60-plus years, says: “It is the Spirit who keeps the Word alive, and progressively being “incarnated” in me. It is the Spirit who infuses prayer and praise with passion and begets vital faith for the supernatural. It is the Spirit who teaches and instructs me so that the “mirror” of the Word shines Jesus in and crowds sin out. It is the Spirit who brings gifts and giftedness for power-ministry to my life. It is the Spirit who will bring love, graciousness, and a spirit of unity to my heart; so that I not only love the lost and want to see people brought to Christ, but I love all other Christians and refuse to become an instrument of injury to Christ’s body - the Church.” (3) So powerful! The late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, states this about Holy Spirit: “He guides us (John 16:13), empowers us (Micah 3:8), makes us holy (Romans 8:16), comforts us (John 14:16-26), and gives us joy (Romans 14:17). As our teacher of spiritual truths, Holy Spirit illuminates our minds with insights into the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) and reveals to us the hidden things of God (Isaiah 40:13-14). As you are filled with Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes alive, prayer becomes vital, your witness becomes effective, and obedience becomes a joy. Then, as a result of your obedience in these areas, your faith grows, and you become more mature in your spiritual life.” (4) Great stuff! Holy Spirit is all of this and more. The single greatest key to success in any Christian endeavor is allowing the full work of Holy Spirit in and through us. This is true for our personal growth and development, and it is certainly true concerning all ministry, including prayer. In spite of this, He is largely ignored and taken for granted. Pray with me: Father, we are in awe of Your incredible plan. From the beginning of creation Your intent was to indwell humans. We were to be more than angels or animals; we were to be Your family members - filled with, led, and empowered by Holy Spirit. Though this was temporarily lost, Jesus restored the plan. May the revelation of this truth come alive in the Ekklesia. Release revelation of just how incredible it is to be filled with Holy Spirit. Awaken the church to this profound truth, so much so that we are continually reminded to draw on His wisdom, counsel, power and knowledge. He is our advantage! He gives us the upper hand! Teach us to partner with Him - He is all that we need. And Father, we recall the prophetic words regarding the month of July being significant for our nation. We pray that our words become “battering rams,” used by angels against evil strongholds of Baal in our government, just as You showed Tim Sheets in a dream. We release this to occur, through the authority given to us by our Head, Christ Jesus. We declare that July is a month of breakthrough and that the summer months are months of tremendous Holy Spirit release. We do all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we will become more aware of our great advantage, Holy Spirit. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from my book Watchman Prayer. Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp 133-137. ___________________________________ Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible - New American Standard, rev. Ed. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1990), p. 4851. Paraphrased from: Craig Brian Larson, Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustratios for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), p. 54. Robert Heidler, Experiencing the Spirit (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1998), p. 35, citing Bill Bright. Ibid.

Stay Informed As the fallout from Biden’s debacle in Afghanistan continues, scenario after scenario of tragic consequences emerge. The mainstream media has moved on in order to cover their political party, liberal women’s groups say nothing about the oppression of the women there, and liberal politicians could care less - they are having too much fun spending trillions of dollars and saving the planet. The latest tragedy to surface involves the 220 female Afghan judges who are now running from the murderers they put in prison. These murderers were released by the Taliban and are now seeking their revenge. So the judges, along with their families, are homeless, on the run, and in hiding, hoping at some point to escape the country. Perhaps the woke pastors and Never-Trumpers could let the judges know all is not lost: we have had no mean tweets from Biden. Lies, yes, but at least spoken kindly. “‘It was midnight when we heard the Taliban had freed all the prisoners from jail,” said one judge. “Immediately we fled. We left our home and everything behind.’” According to neighbors, the Taliban arrived shortly after they left. When hearing their description, she knew immediately who it was. The judge had ruled in a case investigating a man’s brutal murder of his wife and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. When the case was over, the criminal spoke to her and said, “‘When I get out of prison, I will do to you what I did to my wife.’” (1) When released, the man took all of her information from the court offices and is now looking for her in order to kill her. The homes of all of these 220 judges have been visited by the Taliban since they fled. Their neighbors and friends have been questioned about where they may be. Of course, the gentler and business-like new Taliban leaders, do not approve of all of this. One would have to wonder, then, why they released wife-murderers from prison. The reality, according to Human Rights Watch, is that in Afghanistan, an estimated 87% of women and girls will experience some form of abuse during their lifetime. According to Afghan judge Marzia Babakarkhail, who now lives in the UK, “Many of these judges don’t have a passport or the correct paperwork to apply to leave. But they cannot be forgotten. They are in grave danger. “Several countries, including New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have said they will offer some support. But when this help will arrive or how many judges it will include is yet to be confirmed. “Judge Masooma (not her real name) says she fears such promises of help will not arrive in time. “‘Sometimes I think, what is our crime? Being educated? Trying to help women and punish criminals? I love my country. But now I am a prisoner. We have no money. We cannot leave the house. I look at my young son and I don’t know how to explain to him why he can’t talk to other children or play out in the hall. He’s already traumatized. I can only pray for the day when we will be free again.’”(2) Concerned Parents Are Now Terrorists Another shocking and appalling development for Americans under Biden’s administration is that parents who speak out at school board meetings are now considered domestic terrorists. The National School Boards Association sent Biden a letter stating that our nation’s schools are under the threat of “domestic terrorism.” They are asking that “federal law enforcement and other assistance” be sent to school board meetings, to address the “growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation” by parents protesting what is being taught to their children and the requirement to wear masks and receive vaccines. “These heinous actions,” the National School Boards Association said, “could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”(3) Terry Schilling, president of “The American Principles Project, defended the parents by stating, “Parents are not domestic terrorists, period. They are perfectly justified in being upset over the awful state of public education in so many communities. Children are being taught that biology doesn’t matter and that they can ‘change’ their gender. They are being taught to judge each other by skin color and that the country they have inherited is irredeemably racist. And too often, the subjects they actually ought to be learning are being taught ineffectively, or sometimes not at all. In a sane world, under a sane president, the Department of Justice would be investigating public school officials for a complete dereliction of duty in adequately educating and forming the next generation of American citizens. Unfortunately, it is now clear the current administration is anything but sane. Parents should ignore this latest attempt at intimidation and continue to respectfully and vigorously engage in the political process on behalf of their children. There is no more important issue we could be involved in,” Mr. Schilling said.”(4) Indeed. The audacity and arrogance of Biden and the school boards is insane. If you don’t realize this is the state declaring they have more authority over your children than you do, you are worse than asleep. They don’t believe you have the right to a voice in what your children are taught. The state will decide. Critical Race Theory - judging by skin color vs character, the evilness of America, prepubescent anal and oral sex, transgenderism, mocking the values of Christianity while extolling other religions - this is all fine. Speak against it and they’ll place you on the terrorist watch list. Speak out against the propagandizing of your children, the public schools’ failed curricula and outcomes, ask schools why they’re not adequately teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar while leaving the belief system to mom and dad, and you’ll hear from the feds. Those in America with conservative biblical Christian values need to stand firmly. The government controls, laws, censorship and more should have made it clear by now that they have every intention of silencing us and fully removing our influence. They want and are determined to have complete control of America and transform it into a secularist, globalist and humanistic nation. We must act! And we must pray. Pray with me: Father, we will not forget the people of Afghanistan. You have not forgotten them, nor will we. We lift them to You asking that the power of the gospel invade that land with incredible strength in this season. Save the nation. Strengthen the church as they witness for You, and protect them from evil. We pray for the women of Afghanistan. They are hated by the spirit that controls the Taliban. We ask You to turn the tables on the murderous, violent spirit in control of that nation and free the people once again. We pray for these judges who, along with their families, are afraid for their lives. Please protect them and deliver them. And we pray for our children here in America. We ask You to give us victory over the indoctrination and propagandizing of them toward immorality and lies. We ask that the back of an evil system in this nation, a system that undermines the family and seeks to destroy our children, would be broken. Deliver and save those involved in promoting this evil plan if possible, deal with the others as You must. But please deliver us from this evil. And send revival to the children and youth of America. In Christ’s name we ask this, amen. Our decree: We decree that the kingdom of God, the rule of Jesus, is coming to this nation and the nations of the earth. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58709353 Ibid. Adapted from https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-boards-demand-biden-deploy-federal-law-enforcement-to-meetings-claim-they-are-under-domestic-terrorism-threat https://americanprinciplesproject.org/media/biden-admin-weaponizes-doj-against-concerned-parents/

During this strategic season, I feel the need to travel a little more than usual for on-location prayer, significant prayer services, etc. So today, I am using a post recorded for me by my friend, Dr. Greg Hood. I know it will be meaningful for you, and I’ll be back for tomorrow’s post. Here’s Greg: Wrestling with God Wrestling was a family tradition for Jacob’s family. His wife, Rachel, in Genesis 30:8, “wrestled” with her sister. He had a son named Naphtali, whose name actually means to wrestle. Jacob was tenacious and worked for 14 years for his two wives. He endured the constant scheming and trickery of his father-in-law, Laban, who changed his wages 10 times over their years together, and he constantly swapped out the good livestock with the poor livestock. Whenever Jacob would get the upper hand, which was frequently because God blessed him, Laban tried another means to rob him. Yet Jacob, through God, always prevailed. Even though Jacob's name means “deceiver, supplanter, and manipulator,” he was able to take hold of something and hang on to it until he got what he wanted out of it. He even tricked his older brother, Esau, out of his birthright, something that would haunt him later in life. After years of struggle with Laban, God told Jacob it was time to move on (see Genesis 31:13). Jacob’s new journey began at Bethel. The word Bethel means “house of God.” Jacob’s journey to the place of his birth was to get back to his true identity, and finding out who he was. It was also to erase his past. This would not be an easy journey; there would be many growth opportunities masquerading as challenges. Scripture says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and this was true of Jacob on this journey. On his way to discover his identity, God spoke to him at Bethel. He heard God but had not yet encountered him. And yet, as we will see, entering the house of God was not enough for Jacob to obtain his identity, destiny, or purpose. It was not enough to qualify him to step into who God called him to be. And it is not enough for us today. Of course, some people think that everybody is approved by God because “whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (see Romans 10:13), right? Yes, but that doesn’t always mean what we want it to mean. Scripture also says: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). The Bible is telling us that while some choose to mature and grow up, many others want to be babies and get spoon-fed all their lives. So yes, Jacob was on a journey through Bethel, the house of God, but there was really no change to him other than increasing his frustration and fear. His father-in-law, Laban, pursued him and Jacob had to make peace with him (see Genesis 31). He also encountered angels (Genesis 32:1). Yet there were bigger things in store for Jacob. Wrestling With God The house of God is a good place to find God, but finding him there in a corporate experience is not enough to change your name, find your purpose, encounter your destiny, and pull fear and religion out of your heart. You see, even at this time, Jacob was not sure who his God was going to be or what this God could do. Genesis 28:20-22 (NASB) Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.” “Then the Lord will be my God.” Really? I’m sure God was impressed that Jacob might one day give Him permission to be his God. Little did Jacob know, he was about to meet God in a big way. As is typical of life-changing encounters with God, it happened when he was alone. Let's read Genesis 32:24-30 (NASB), Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face-to-face, yet my life has been preserved.” The word “blessed" means many things. For one, it means “that in blessing me, you bless everybody.” It also means “to congratulate.” Think about the exchange between Jacob and God. “Congratulate me.” “Wait a minute. Your thigh is out of the socket. You are not who you were. You were losing the fight.” “Yeah, but I am not letting you go until you congratulate me, and I get what I came for. You must bless me and bring me into a place where I am living as who I am supposed to be because I cannot go on like this any longer.” So, “congratulate" also involves boasting. Can you imagine wrestling with God, and God says, “Look, I got to go. The sun is coming up. I am going to touch here. BOOM, You’re done.” But you hang on and say, “I am not letting you go; congratulate me as the winner.” The passage we just read did say that Jacob prevailed. This is amazing. “Blessed” also means “to persist in blessing.” Jacob wanted God to speak over him. So he was saying: “I want my blessing. My grandfather had a blessing. My father had a blessing. I must have a blessing.” Anytime you’re looking for promotion from God, He will first bring you back to your present reality before He promotes you into His reality—the place where His truth and your promotion reside. God was asking many things of Jacob when He asked: “What is your name?” He was asking Jacob: What are the defaming marks of your life? What are the memorials that have been built up in your life? What are the altars that have been built up in your life? What are you renowned for? Jacob had to answer some tough questions from God. Likewise, at key moments of our lives, each of us will have to answer the same questions. This is called qualification. It may not feel like it as we are shaking in our boots and wishing we brought a change of pants, but God has a purpose. Jacob was caught between his identity, a rock, and who God wanted him to be. I can imagine his response to God’s question: “Who are you?” (Genesis 32:27) Here’s my redneck paraphrase, “I am Jacob. I am a deceiver. I am a supplanter. I am a conman. I am a dysfunctional guy who stole my inheritance from my older brother, Esau. I deceived my father, wound up with a first wife I don’t love who is giving me more kids than the second wife who, incidentally, I do love. So, I’m spending more time with the first wife, and that is frustrating to the second wife. And just when things couldn’t get any more messed up, I took the maids of both of them and fathered children with each woman. Later, I had to run from my father-in-law, Laban, who had made cheating me an art form, and now I am running from my brother, Esau, who is seeking revenge. I am Jacob.” Jacob was in a hard place. He had already been to the house of God - Bethel. He had already experienced God on some level, but he was still being pursued. Now, when you get to the house of God and experience God there, and those who want to kill you are still in hot pursuit, you have to get beyond the house of God and find God himself at a level that identifies your purpose. In doing so, you just may discover that it was God who orchestrated these events to bring you to the place where you sought him at a greater level—the level He wanted you to reach in Him all along. Over the years, I have had to wrestle with God. And I looked over in the corner, but there was nobody to tag. That’s when I realized that this is not a team match. This is a one-on-one championship bout, and God had a better record than I did. But I reached a place where I could tell God: “Congratulate me. I am seeing this thing through.” What is the lesson from this transformative event in Jacob’s life? It is that we have to hang on. We have to wrestle with God until the sun comes up and declare that we are coming back into our rightful place. So, God: bless me, congratulate me! Pray with me: Father, bring us to the place where we discover the Jacob within us. Give us the fortitude to hang on in this wrestling match with You until we are changed into who You have seen us be all along. Our decree: We decree that we are stepping past the House of God experience and we are coming into the place where we take hold of God personally, and He takes hold of us! God Bless you, and go do business with the King today. Most of the post today was taken from Dr. Hood’s book Rebuilding the Broken Altar, Awaking out of Chaos. You can learn more about Greg and his ministry here. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Verdict Has Been Rendered You hear me often say on the Give Him 15 posts that America shall be saved. Due to the fact that we consistently pick up new listeners, and also that most of you are not able to tune in or read the post every single day, it occurred to me that some of you do not know where this phrase originated. The answer is VERY encouraging. The first time I recall hearing the phrase, it was a quote from Reinhard Bonnke. Bonnke (1940-2019) was a German-American evangelist, principally known for his crusades throughout Africa. Millions of people came to Christ in his meetings, which were marked by great miracles. Later in his ministry, Bonnke became very burdened for America. In 2013 he made the following statement: “God spoke to me that the time has come for a mighty wave of salvation to sweep the U.S. from city to city, from state to state, and from coast to coast. I’ve seen God shake whole nations in Africa—nations I thought God had given up on suddenly were in the grip of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then I came to the only conclusion one can come to: I have turned into an incurable believer that God can do the same in America that I’ve seen done in Africa. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. I have witnesses by the millions that this is the truth. And I will not join the choir of the prophets of doom and gloom. This day is the day of salvation!”(1) Then in February, Bonnke proclaimed at a two-day meeting in his then hometown of Vero Beach, FL, “America shall be saved!”(2) Another great confirmation came to me in 2018. We hosted a gathering in Washington DC in February of that year. It was called The Turnaround. This was perhaps the most significant and powerful prayer gathering I have ever participated in. Just before the meeting ended, I was handed the following dream, which had been received by Gina Gholston. We ended the gathering by sharing the dream: “I dreamed that two friends (fellow intercessors), my Mom and Dad, and I were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. I knew The Turnaround conference (at the Trump Hotel) was ending at that very moment. “I turned and saw a courier angel coming out of the hotel's doors. He was carrying a scroll, not a huge scroll, but fairly large. His face was set toward the US Capitol building and he headed immediately in that direction. “We decided to follow him, and did so even as he went into the Capitol. We then entered the House Chambers. The scene was like that of a State of the Union address. All the lawmakers were there in their seats, and many other people were in the gallery. It was a packed house. “The courier angel with the scroll was standing at the double doors in the back, those through which the Presidents enter at the State of the Union address. As he stood there, he loudly announced, with authority and confidence, "ALL RISE!" And just as had happened at the previous State of the Union Address (Trump’s first), some people stood, while others disrespectfully and snidely stayed seated. “The angel then opened the scroll and said - very loudly and adamantly, ‘The verdict has been determined: AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED!’ Immediately a ‘cloud,’ no doubt the glory of God, came from behind the angel and filled the room. “Those who had stood at the angel’s entrance crumpled to their knees, weeping, overcome by the reality of God's presence. Some who had remained seated were now on their knees, shouting, ‘I'm sorry!!! I'm so sorry!!’ Others, with their hardened hearts, remained seated. I knew judgment was beginning, and God's ruling authority was being established. Transformation and reformation were initiated; America's new path had begun.” I have believed since 2000 that America will be saved. In spite of the filth, apostasy in the church, lies, wicked people in government, revisionist history, lying educators, corrupt media, overwhelming debt, and the disconnection with our spiritual roots, I have been confident that America shall be saved. I must say, however, that when I read this dream, the faith in my heart penetrated to an even deeper level. America SHALL be saved - through a great, mighty, unprecedented revival. And this revival will also produce a billion or more conversions to Christ worldwide. My faith for this is not anchored in the Republican Party, Donald Trump, preachers, the American church, or any other human agency. My faith is anchored in the passionate love, unlimited power, and fierce determination of an all-wise God who has determined this will happen. And it will!!! Do not listen to the doubters and don’t be moved by what you see around you. No revival I know of in history occurred when things looked good spiritually or morally. Revival isn’t needed then! The First Great Awakening came when America was at a low point spiritually; the Second Great Awakening did, as well. Salvation doesn’t come to those who deserve it, but to those who need it. It is not merit-based. Grace and mercy are what bring about revival - along with humble appeals to the God who loves to save! When we cry out for revival, for the saving of millions of people, always remember that we are not pleading to a harsh God who is trying to make up His mind whether or not He wants to do so. HE has placed the appeal in our hearts! Our prayers and actions are simply enabling Him to do what He passionately desires to do. He works His will through us! The verdict has been rendered: America - and a billion or more people from other nations - shall be saved! Do not doubt it! Pray with me: Father, the accuser of the brethren is also the accuser of the Godhead. He paints You as One who is hesitant to forgive, always ready to judge, stern, harsh and legalistic. And yet, You say You are love (1 John 4:8). You demonstrated that love by sending Christ to die for us, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). You are kind, forgiving and Your mercies never end - they are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). We anchor our faith to Your word and Your nature. We refuse to believe anything else. YOU LOVE TO SAVE! Jesus, You enjoyed the company of sinners. Though You did not participate in their sin, nevertheless, You loved being with them. Your love is so great! Boundless! Immeasurable! Eternal! We agree with You: America shall be saved! She will turn around and re-capture the destiny You raised her up to fulfill. You will be loved in America; You will be honored in America; and Your gospel will go forth from America. And we will be part of Your worldwide harvest. Nothing will stop this. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. We declare these things in the all powerful name of Jesus, amen. Our decree: We decree, boldly and confidently, America shall be saved. Click on the link below to watch the full video. ____________________________________ https://charismamag.com/evangelism2/america-shall-be-saved/ Ibid

God Will Save Your Family I have often heard the phrase “All we can do is pray.” That misguided statement reminds me of the amazing role played by some Czechs in World War II. Craig Larson offers this retelling of Elmer Bendiner’s account of one bombing run over the German city of Kassel, which Bendiner describes in his book The Fall of Fortresses: “Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flack from Nazi anti-aircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple. “On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks - eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn. “He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were as clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them. “One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was scrawled in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It caused us to marvel. Translated, the note read: ‘This is all we can do for you now.’”(1) All we can do? The pilots on that B-17 certainly did not have a small opinion of what those Czechs had done. Nor did the wives, children, or grandchildren of those soldiers. Not to mention other lives they saved by helping deliver the world from Adolf Hitler. I sometimes think of this story when I hear people bemoan their helplessness or lack of contribution as they announce, “All we can do is pray.” What better activity could a person possibly do? We can impact the world, secure destinies, and affect eternity through prayer. As we think about the importance of watchman intercession for individuals, most of us probably think immediately of our families, as well we should. Our personal family is where we must begin. Quin Sherrer has taught much on the subject of praying for family members. In her book Good Night, Lord she relates an occasion of interceding for her son: “I clearly remember a day when the Lord spoke to me about my teenage child, as I walked the beach, deeply concerned about his spiritual condition. I realized that as a parent, I had made so many mistakes. So, I asked the Lord to forgive me. “That afternoon, as I walked alone, I proclaimed aloud Scriptures tucked away in my heart. ‘The seed of the righteous shall be delivered,’ I shouted into the wind. ‘Because of Jesus’ blood I am righteous and my children are my seed and they shall be delivered,’ I paraphrased. ‘All my children shall be taught of the Lord, and great will be their peace,’ I paraphrased again. (see Proverbs 11:21; Isaiah 54:13 KJV) “Over and over, I repeated scriptural promises God had given me for my children; I desperately needed an answer for my child. After more than an hour of this, I reached down and picked up a small brown shell being tossed about by the waves. ‘Trust me to polish and perfect your son,’ the Lord seemed to whisper to my spirit as I turned the shell over in my hand. “I took my shell home, cleaned it, and set it where I could see it whenever I cooked. ‘Lord, You promised,” I would say some days as I cradled it in my palm. Even after he left for college and I saw little change, I thanked God for His word that He and He alone would perfect my son whom I loved so very much. “Our prayer battle ended one night when he called to ask his father and me to forgive him; we asked him to forgive us, too. He had started his pilgrimage back to the Lord. After college and a short career, he enrolled in Bible school. “Not long ago, he finished seven years of service with the Youth With A Mission organization (YWAM)...Today he’s a godly husband and father. “My ‘promise shell’ still sits in my kitchen, testimony to a prayer answer God gave me so many years ago.”(2) That is the watchman anointing! Quin also shares prayer steps she used in being a watchman for her children: “Be specific Pray Scripture passages aloud Write down your prayers Pray in accordance with God’s will Pray for your children’s future.”(3) In another of her books, The Spiritual Warrior’s Prayer Guide, she and Ruthanne Garlock give biblical examples of how to do this by offering the following scriptural prayers: “That Jesus Christ be formed in our children (see Galatians 4:19) That our children - the seed of the righteous - will be delivered from the evil one (see Proverbs 11:21 KJV; Matthew 6:13) That our children will be taught of the Lord and their peace will be great (see Isaiah 54:13) That they will train themselves to discern good from evil and have a good conscience toward God (see Hebrews 5:14; 1 Peter 3:21) That God’s laws will be in their minds and on their hearts (see Hebrews 8:10) That they will choose companions who are wise - not fools nor sexually immoral, nor drunkards, nor idolaters, nor slanders, nor swindlers (see Proverbs 13:20; 1 Corinthians 5:11) That they will remain sexually pure and keep themselves only for their spouse, asking God for His grace to keep such a commitment (see Ephesians 5:3; 31-33) That they will honor their parents (see Ephesians 6:1-3)”(4) I have said several times in recent posts that the concept of being watchmen involves aggressively laying siege through prayer in order to possess or capture, not just protecting. Quin’s friend and writing partner, Ruthanne Garlock shares a powerful testimony of someone who implemented this aspect of the watchman anointing for an unsaved family member: “Sue, a former student, called one day and asked me to pray for her unsaved father who had terminal cancer. Sue and her mother had prayed for years for him to accept Jesus. Now near death, he was very bitter, blaming God for his illness. “‘How can we lead him to Christ when he is so angry?’ Sue asked me. “‘The problem is, he’s believing satan’s lie that God is his enemy,’ I responded. ‘He needs to see that God is his only source of help. I suggest you bind the lying spirit that has deceived him. Then just shower your father with unconditional love; don’t preach to him anymore.’ “Sue’s mother and brother picked up extension phones, and I prayed while they agreed: ‘Thank you, Father, that it is your desire to bring Sue’s dad into your kingdom. We take authority in the name of Jesus and bind the deceiving spirits that are lying to him. We ask Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that You love him. Lord, cause him to come to his senses and escape from the trap of the devil. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.’ “I suggested they continue this strategy. ‘Use the authority Jesus gave you to forbid the enemy to speak to your father.’ About six weeks later, Sue called to tell me her father had died. But just before he died, he received Jesus as his Lord. “‘One day as I walked through the living room where he was lying on the sofa, I went over and hugged him and said, ‘I love you, Dad,’ Sue related. ‘Tears came to his eyes - it was the first time I had ever seen him cry. As I began to share with him about the Lord, I could tell Holy Spirit had already prepared his heart. He willingly accepted Jesus right then.’”(5) That is the watchman anointing bearing fruit. Siege walls were built by prayer, prohibiting satan from continuing to lie to this father. As a result, he is in Heaven today. Pray with me: Father, it is Your will that all people are saved. We know we have tremendous authority to pray for our children and other family members. We ask for You to do whatever it takes to bring them to a point of faith in Christ. We ask for the revelation, deliverance, and connections with laborers that they need. For those who are prodigals, we ask that they come to their senses, just as the prodigal did in Scripture. We come into agreement now for a mighty move of Your Holy Spirit to sweep them into the Kingdom in this season. We boldly declare that none of them will perish without coming to know You. We surround them with walls of protection in the spirit and decree that they will not die before coming to know You. And now we also come into agreement for the necessary understanding to come to the church, enabling us to more effectively lay siege in the spirit. Show us how to pray and what to pray. As we implement the scriptures and principles in this post, we declare boldly that all of our family members will come to Christ. In Your name we pray and declare this. Amen. Our decree: We decree that salvation is coming to our family members in the name of Jesus! Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp 102-106.] Click on the link below to watch the full video. ______________________________________________ Larson “Servanthood #624.” 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers, pp 502-503. Quin Sherrer, Good Night, Lord (Ventura, Calif.” Regal, 2000), pp 164-165. Quin Sherrer, How to Pray for Your Children (Ventura, Calif.” Regal, 1998), pp 25-27. Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, The Spiritual Warrior’s Prayer Guide (Ann Arbor Mich.: Servant Publications, 1992, pp 158-159. Ibid., pp 32-33.

Let the Sieges Continue I want to make sure all of you saw the post I did a week ago on July 5, entitled The Man In the Arena. It is very important to me. The post was a tribute to you, the faithful intercessors and workers who are rarely recognized or thanked. Heaven knows who you are, and you can be certain your Father in Heaven appreciates you. If you have not read or listened to the post, please do so. And now, for today’s post… As intercessors, we must be strong in perseverance. Whether interceding for a person or a nation, it often requires a prolonged season of time to see results. Some types of prayer are more like a siege than one quick battle. Situations that require the changing of people’s minds, such as their conversion to Christ, take time. Holy Spirit must inject thoughts into their minds to influence their reasoning, cause encounters with the right people, work to end wrong relationships, and more. Also, we must engage in spiritual warfare for individuals, which takes time. “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 NLT). This is a great promise, but the fruit doesn’t occur overnight. The time factor is compounded when dealing with nations. Holy Spirit goes to work on corporate mindsets and strongholds through the prayers and spiritual warfare of believers. “Siege” is a great term to describe this process. Remember this is one of the meanings of the Old Testament word for a watchman. The concept of a siege implies time and a systematic process. Though most spiritual breakthroughs seem sudden, they are actually a culmination of much that has taken place over time to prepare the way. Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” “Time” in this verse is the Greek word kairos, which means “strategic or opportune time.” It is contrasted to the Greek word chronos, meaning “general, chronological time;” there’s nothing strategic or opportunistic about chronos - it’s simply a season or progression of time. Kairos, however, is a segment of that season which has now become strategic, producing an opportunity. For example, the time from plowing a field up until the beginning of harvest is chronos; harvest season is kairos. From the conception of a child until labor is chronos; the time of labor and birth is kairos. Knowing the difference between the two and being able to recognize when time has shifted to kairos is important. If not, opportunities can be missed (see Luke 19:41-44) and necessary activities not implemented (1 Chronicles 12:32). We must also learn to value and cooperate with the often unexciting and laborious chronos phase. It is necessary. In farming, the soil must be prepared, seeds planted, and much care given to the crops during the chronos growing season. When a child is conceived, much time and care is given to its development before the kairos time of birth takes place. Both phases are critical and must be properly discerned. Galatians 6:9 assures us that if we persevere in faith and in doing what is necessary (chronos), we will come to the opportune time of reaping or breakthrough (kairos). Whether praying for the salvation of a person or revival in a nation, a prolonged season of chronos activity is usually necessary before we reach the exciting kairos window of opportunity. Most suddenlies, as in revival, aren’t really suddenlies; they are the result of prayer “sieges” that continued all the way to breakthrough. Chronos seasons can be long, which no one really likes. After God made a promise to Abraham and Sarah concerning a son, and eventually a nation, there was a 24-year chronos season requiring faithfulness, commitment, faith, and patience. Though not perfectly, Abraham and Sarah nonetheless, persevered through this time until chronos shifted to kairos. In Genesis 18:10, Yahweh said: “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” (The word for “time” in this verse is the Hebrew word eth, which is equivalent to the Greek word kairos.) Chronos became kairos, and the promise was fulfilled. After his dramatic conversion in Acts 9, Saul - later named Paul - entered a long season of chronos. Those twelve years of faithful study, equipping, and transformation on the Potter’s wheel, allowed Holy Spirit to cause the shift mentioned in Acts 13, changing chronos to kairos: “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,’” (v.2). In the 1940s through the 1980s, much of Europe was under a shroud of Communist oppression and bondage. The Iron Curtain held millions of hopeless souls in captivity while a helpless world looked on. During this chronos season of seeming inactivity, however, much was actually occurring in the spirit realm. Untold thousands - perhaps millions - of prayers were offered for the liberation of this part of the world and the fall of Communism. In what seemed like a day, this siege bore its fruit, and God created a divine shift. Chronos was transformed into kairos, and the Iron Curtain came down. This did not occur in spite of the chronos season; it happened because of what was taking place in and through the chronos season. Hang in there! You may be only days from your kairos. The divine shift your faithfulness is helping create may be imminent. Regarding America, it may seem we are far from revival, but do not grow weary in your praying and activities. Our siege will produce a breakthrough. He who promised is faithful, and America shall be saved! Holy Spirit has indicated that this month of July is an important time in the process. I believe June 24 (the overturning of Roe) lifted a curse off our nation, allowing opportunities for further breakthroughs - a domino effect, if you will. Let’s persevere and seize the moment. Let the siege continue! Pray with me: Father, it is important and remarkable that the word watchmen has both a defensive and offensive meaning; a word used to describe protection, is also used to describe war and conquering. More than ever, we ask You for increased understanding to be effective watchmen. We want to protect our families, homes, cities, and nations - yes. And where satan has already gained a foothold, we have been and will continue laying siege in prayer, cutting off his supply lines and communications, discerning his activities and barraging him with powerful decrees and declarations from Holy Spirit. We know satan has been defeated. But we also know that through ignorance and sin, he is allowed to rule territories and lives. As we do what You instructed us to do, however, we will rescue these territories and lives from the evil one, transferring them into Your Kingdom of blessing and life. So, we ask You to shift us fully into the season of harvest. Enable us to fulfill both Mark 16 - expanding Your family all over the world, and Matthew 28 - teaching entire nations Your ways and Kingdom principles. As we do this, the transformation will be monumental, bringing life, health, and peace. Do all that You desire and have determined to do through Your people in this month of July 2022. We know sieges have begun and will intensify in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and the islands. We also decree that the siege of Washington D.C. and America will intensify. We declare that the corruption and evil in this nation will be exposed, especially in government. We declare that the righteousness of God will once again invade the government of America. We decree that the salvation of the Lord is coming to this land and will not be stalled. This is not because we deserve it - no one deserves salvation. It is because of Your mercy and the blood of Your Son, Jesus. And we declare that the destiny You have called America to will be accomplished. Every stronghold over America is being demolished, and every principality ruling us is being overthrown. Every giant will fall, in the mighty, all-powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen Our decree: We decree that the relentless power of God is being released throughout the earth to weaken strongholds and activate the greatest harvest in history! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp 94-97]

Hell’s Portals Hidden in Plain Sight Dave Kubal of intercessors for America has written a very important article I feel is strategic and timely. It reveals Satan‘s evil plan of bringing anarchy into our nation, including the refusal of prosecutors to enforce constitutional pro-life laws. As we function in our assignment as watchmen for America, we must pray regarding this. Our prayers can turn this around. Dave shares: “Hell’s strategic planning team has come up with a genius plot to destroy America by placing a growing army of radical prosecutors in key locations around this nation. These portals of hell’s agenda have more power than any local occult activity through their positions of authority. They are using their power to replace God’s design for government with an advocacy of chaos. “Hidden in plain sight, at last count, '75 radically 'progressive' prosecutors, with campaigns funded by the Hungerian national George Soros, serve in key cities and communities. The results after just a few years are clear and measurable: increased crime and murder. Scripture clearly describes the role of government to protect the innocent (Romans 13). Yet the ‘soft on crime’ policies of these hand-picked radical prosecutors primarily protect the guilty. “Not only are they soft on crime, they are also creating a climate of lawlessness. Shortly after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, a large group of these radical prosecutors issued a statement declaring that they will defiantly refuse to uphold their state’s new laws to protect life and will instead follow their own personal radical ideologies on abortion. They state: ‘…we decline to use our offices’ resources to criminalize reproductive health decisions and commit to exercise our well-settled discretion and refrain from prosecuting those who seek, provide, or support abortions.’ This statement is signed by nearly 100 elected prosecutors under the banner of Fair and Just Prosecution, funded by Tides Center, Ford Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, among other progressive funders. The laws these rogue prosecutors are blatantly disregarding were created constitutionally by state legislators the voters elected. “Recently, I talked with a few friends who are law enforcement officers where one of these prosecutors is in power. They shared some of the results of the radical Soros prosecutor in their district: Law enforcement officers do not enforce the law, because they know convicted criminals will likely receive light sentences or none at all. Law enforcement officers’ morale is incredibly low because officers see few results from their efforts. Criminals are MUCH more likely to go ‘hands on,’ during an encounter with law enforcement. That means suspects are willing to get into a physical altercation with police officers, because the prosecutor will most likely support the suspect over the law enforcement officers. Law enforcement agencies can’t recruit enough officers to fill vacancies, so they are constantly understaffed. Some of the factors are a general civic disrespect for law enforcement, the fear of lawsuits and reprisal from suspects, and a lack of support from the administration. Criminals are more brazen now because they know they can get away with crime. “The negative impact on law enforcement officers is not surprising. Soros also generously funds organizations advocating ‘criminal justice reforms’ like defunding the police. Backing inexperienced, unqualified, and radically progressive district attorney candidates is part of a coordinated, demonic plan to transform criminal justice in our nation, with the result of lawless and crime-ridden cities. “It’s working. “In the past decade, Soros spent $40 million to fund the elections of prosecutors in over 70 districts. Prosecutors elected with the help of Soros money cover districts in half of the nation’s 50 most populous cities. This means one in five people lives under the jurisdiction of a Soros-promoted prosecutor. This small, strategic group of leftist prosecutors is increasing crime and disintegrating the rule of law for the entire nation. It is purposefully planned chaos. “The results? More than 40% of homicides and 33% of all violent and property crimes reported in 2021 occurred in Soros-prosecutor jurisdictions. Some major cities with these progressive approaches to crime are seeing record statistics of violent crime. This is no surprise because Soros prosecutors refuse to prosecute crimes such as drug trafficking and resisting arrest. In fact, with these progressive prosecutors, there is a 19% average decrease in guilty verdicts or pleas and a 20% average increase in dropped or lost felony cases…” [Dave included the amount of money spent by Soros and company in several cities, along with the latest crime rates. Use the link to read the entire article in order to see these facts.] Dave continues: “As we approach an election season, Christians — and especially intercessors — need to recognize this progressive plan to turn prosecutor’s offices into portals of hell’s agenda. “Soros-funded candidates share a progressive mindset. In comparing a progressive mindset to a biblical mindset, here are the differences you will see: “The progressive worldview believes in the innate goodness of mankind. A Biblical worldview recognizes the sinfulness of all men, seeing mankind as broken and needing accountability (and salvation). “The progressive worldview may attribute a criminal’s behavior to outside forces in their environment. They may cite institutional injustice, racism or bigotry, and they may believe that remorse should qualify criminals for leniency. A biblical worldview understands that humans are personally accountable for their choices and that there are consequences for man’s behavior. “A progressive worldview looks to external programs, policies, grants, and structures to provide the solution for the criminal’s rehabilitation. A biblical worldview acknowledges that restitution and rehabilitation happen within a person. A change in circumstances alone will not bring a difference in criminal proclivity. “A progressive worldview believes that man has the answers. A biblical worldview acknowledges that God has the answers. “Dear intercessor, we are witnessing that an anti-biblical worldview DOES NOT work. If you believe in the inherent goodness of man — instead of the broken nature of man — the result is chaos. This worldview brings out the worst in people and the worst in society. The enforcement of the rule of law in accordance with Romans 13 is based on truth and brings order. “It’s a demonic agenda. And it’s been working. But George Soros’s plans can be stopped through the power of Jesus, prayer, and action. “Our IFA team has assembled a Special Report that outlines this issue. We include a list of Soros prosecutors, the funding, the groups behind this movement, and how you can pray. Find out how you can pray and what action you can take, and read some hopeful stories of citizens who are pushing back. We need to be wise to the plans of the enemy, so that our prayers and actions are right on target. I encourage you to download this Special Report and continue praying about this issue. I believe it is one of the most destructive plans of Satan against our nation today. Informed intercession is key for these days we are in! Take heart! We partnered with God to move to dismantle Roe v Wade through our prayer and action. That gives us faith for winning other big battles! Read the special report to see how we battle this new Goliath.” Pray and decree with me: *WATCHMAN DECREE WHEREAS: we, the Church, are God’s governing Body on the earth we have been given legal power and authority from heaven we are God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the earth through the power of God, we are His world influencers because of our covenant with God, we are equipped and delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy WE MAKE OUR DECLARATIONS: We decree that America’s executive branch of government will honor God and defend the Constitution. We decree that our legislative branch (Congress) will write only laws that are righteous and constitutional. We decree that our judicial system will issue rulings that are biblical and constitutional. We declare that we stand against wokeness, the occult, and every evil attempt against our nation. We declare that we now take back our God-given freedoms, according to our Constitution. We declare that we take back influence at the local level in our communities. We decree that we take back and permanently control positions of influence and leadership in each of the **Seven Mountains. We decree that the blood of Jesus covers and protects our nation. It protects and separates us for God. We declare that our nation is energy independent. 10. We declare that America is strong spiritually, financially, militarily and technologically. 11. We decree that evil carries no power, authority or rights in our land nor over our people. 12. We decree that we will operate in unity, going beyond denominational lines in order to accomplish the purposes of God for our nation. 13. And we decree that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from Intercessors for America. To see entire article, click here. *Watchman Decree was written and shared by Flashpoint on 7/1/2022.

The Enemy’s Subtlety is Being Exposed Theologians have a law they refer to as the “law of first mention.” This refers to the general rule that the first time a major subject is mentioned in the Bible, significant facts are introduced concerning it that will remain consistent and relevant throughout the scriptures. The “first mention” of the serpent - satan - is in Genesis 3:1: Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which The Lord God had made. And he said to the woman “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” It is easy to see this law at work here, as the verse speaks of satan’s subtlety or craftiness. God is informing us of one of the most important facts we must remember about satan: He is far more dangerous to us as the crafty serpent than the roaring lion. “Crafty” is the Hebrew word aruwm, taken from aram, which means “to be bare or smooth.” We actually use the same concept in our English language - someone who is crafty or wily is often referred to as “slick” or as a “smooth operator.” Such is the case with satan. He is very cunning, and we must be wary of his attacks and deceptions. He always seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10), and does so with great skill. Adam was not wary enough of the crafty serpent in the garden. He heard and saw him, but was unaware of his plans. Because of this, he failed as the watchman he was called to be. Satan was successful in invading and violating his garden. This same word, crafty, is used in Joshua 9:4, to describe a plan the Gibeonite people used to deceive Israel: “They also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended” (emphasis added). The Gibeonites were one of the Canaanite tribes Joshua and Israel were supposed to dispossess. This nation, however, deceived the Israelites into believing they were from far away and had made the long journey to form a covenant with them. Joshua and the people neglected to pray about this and were therefore deceived into entering a binding, covenantal agreement with these people. It must be said that Holy Spirit was attempting to warn Israel. In Exodus 34:12, they were told. “Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going or it will become a snare in your midst” (emphasis added). We can also conclude from the Israelites’ suspicion of the Gibeonites that God was obviously trying to alert them. Joshua 9:7 says, “The men of Israel said to the Hivites [Gibeonites], ‘Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?’” Rather than heeding this caution, however, they acted on what they saw. The Israelites were not “watching.” We must remember that things are not always as they appear. The following story illustrates this: A traveler between flights at an airport went to a lounge and bought a small package of cookies, sat down, and began reading a newspaper. Suddenly, she became aware of a rustling noise. From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed man helping himself to her cookies! Not wanting to make a scene, yet wanting to let him know they were hers, she leaned over and took a cookie herself. A minute or two passed, and then came more rustling. He was helping himself to another cookie! Back and forth this continued. Finally, they came to the end of the package. There was one cookie left. She was so angry she didn’t dare allow herself to say anything. Then, adding insult to injury, the man broke the remaining cookie in two, pushed half across to her, ate the other half, and left. Still fuming sometime later when her flight was announced, the woman opened her handbag to get her ticket. To her shock and embarrassment, there she found her pack of unopened cookies! Though Israel “ate the wrong cookies” and was subsequently taken advantage of, there is an incredible and positive ending to the Gibeonite story. God used the craftiness of the Gibeonites to picture satan’s craftiness. He told Joshua to make them “hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord” (Joshua 9:27, emphasis added). The altar of the Lord was where the blood of atonement was shed and, as such, pictured Christ’s Cross. Just as the “crafty” Gibeonites were used to prepare items for the animal sacrifices, God used satan, the “crafty” one, to make preparations for the ultimate sacrifice - Christ’s crucifixion. One can only imagine satan’s excitement as he “hewed the wood” (prepared the Cross) for Christ’s sacrifice. How crafty must he have felt as he orchestrated the weaving of the Crown of Thorns, watched the spikes being driven, and the spear being thrust into Christ. But his joy turned to terror when he learned he was aiding in his own destruction. God had turned the tables on the crafty one! The outcome of the Gibeonite story is an incredible assurance that God can reverse the subtleties of our adversary, the devil, and use them to bring about good. Through His amazing wisdom, which always supersedes satan’s subtlety, our mistakes can actually become the instruments of God’s redemptive purposes. The Cross is God’s ultimate proof that He can turn your circumstances around and even bring good through evil. The Lord intends to do this for America. Satan has deceived many in our nation. Some believe we simply don’t need God. The devil has convinced others that there are many gods and/or many ways to God. Others have been deceived into outright rebellion. God, however, is going to save millions of deceived Americans. There is coming a strong revelation of His son, Jesus, and His salvation. The presence of the Lord will be heavy in our land, opening the eyes of many. Do not doubt this. He is coming with a tidal wave of love and mercy to the lost and hurting. Get ready! Pray with me: Father, forgive us for allowing so much ground to be taken by the deceiver in our nation. Forgive us for allowing the crafty one to take over our education system, government, media, and other segments of our culture. Forgive us for allowing him into the church. Forgive us for the division in the church. You have told us the greatest of all spiritual traits is love - not sound doctrine, theology, the gifts of Holy Spirit - but love. And yet, we allow the crafty one to deceive us, causing disunity and strife. This must break Your heart. Please forgive and deliver us from this deception. In spite of our failures, Lord, we know you are going to reverse the strongholds of darkness over America. You’re going to use satan‘s own plans and strategies against him. Just as his plans did at the Cross, they will backfire today. Therefore, we ask You with faith: Bring it! Turn the tables! Work his evil for our good! We know You can do this, for Yours is still the Kingdom (the rule), and the power, and the glory...forever!!! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the watchmen are arising and taking their places. The plans of the crafty serpent WILL fail. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp 57-60.] Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Importance of Staying Alert I posted a few days back on 2 Corinthians 2:11: “So that no advantage be taken of us by satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” As a quick review, the word “ignorant” is from the Greek word agnoeo, which means to be “without knowledge or understanding of.” Our English word “agnostic” is derived from it. Technically, an agnostic is not a person who is unsure if he or she believes in God, although we now use the word in this way. However, an agnostic is a person who does not know or understand, regardless of the subject. We also get the word “ignore” from the same root. In this verse, we are urged not to “ignore” or be an “agnostic” - without understanding - where the devil is concerned. “Schemes” is from the word noema, which literally means “thought.” The verse essentially says, “Don’t be without understanding of the way satan thinks.” Noema came to also mean “plans, schemes, plots, devices” because these things are products of our thoughts. For greater insight, let’s insert these definitions into the verse: “Don’t be without understanding of the way your enemy thinks and operates - of his plans, plots, schemes, and devices.” What happens if we ARE unaware of satan’s schemes? The verse says he will take advantage of us. The word “advantage” is derived from pleonekteo, which is a compound word meaning “to have or hold the greater portion” (pleon - “the greater part;” echo - “to have or hold”). It is easy to see why this is a word for “covet.” It also means “overreach.” In boxing, the person with the longer reach has the advantage and usually gets in more blows. The word pleonekteo is also translated as “make a gain;” satan makes a lot of gains on those who are unaware of his ways. The Greek scholar, Bullinger, says pleonekteo means “to make a prey of, to defraud.” Let’s put all 3 of these definitions together: “To the degree we are ignorant of the way our adversary thinks and operates - of his plans, plots, schemes, and devices - to that degree he will gain on us, prey on us, defraud us of what is ours and have or hold the greater portion.” Satan wants the greatest portion of our jobs, marriages, families, health, communities, money, government, nation, and more. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Church in America was without an understanding of what satan was planning, and he got the greater portion of our schools, government, media, and more. As we learn of and pray in accordance with the watchman concept of prayer, two other New Testament verses are meaningful. The first is Ephesians 6:18: “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (emphasis added). The King James Version uses the word “watching” for the phrase “be on the alert.” The second verse is 1 Peter 5:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (emphasis added). Again, other translations use the word “watchful.” Significantly, the context of both verses is spiritual warfare. Each mentions our adversary and challenges us to alertness or watchfulness, both for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to draw four very important conclusions from these two verses. Protection from the attacks of our enemy is not automatic, including for believers. There is a part we play in protecting what has been assigned to us. Though God is sovereign, this does not mean He is controlling everything that happens on earth. He has left many decisions to us. If God were going to protect or safeguard believers from satan’s attacks, regardless of what we did or didn’t do, these verses would be totally irrelevant. In our theology, we must factor in human responsibility. Our decisions and actions have consequences, both for ourselves and for others. God’s plan IS to warn or alert us to satan’s tactics. This is a simple deduction. If God says, “be on the alert” for satan’s attacks, He is obviously willing to make us aware of them. God would not ask of us something He was not enabling us to accomplish. We must be alert - remain watchful - or we will not be aware of God’s warnings and alerts. If these attacks were always going to be obvious, alertness would not be necessary. Isaiah 56:10 speaks of “blind watchmen.” What an amazing oxymoron! I am afraid it has been a fairly good description of many of us in our watching roles. We are too often like Christ’s disciples of old, whom He said had eyes but at times couldn’t see (see Mark 8:18). We must do more than casually glance; we must alertly watch! If we are not alert and watchful, if we are ignorant of satan’s attacks, he will devour and take advantage of us. Sadly, many are destroyed due to ignorance or a lack of knowledge (see Hosea 4:6). Satan and demons are real. They seek to oppress, deceive, steal, kill and destroy. We must not deny the reality of or ignore spiritual conflict. Obviously, we are not to be preoccupied with satan; but neither are we to live in denial. The results of both can be disastrous. The story is told of a desert nomad who awakened hungrily one night and decided he’d have a midnight snack. Lighting a candle, he grabbed a date and took a bite. Holding the date to the candle, he saw a worm, whereupon he threw the date out of the tent. Biting into the second date, he found another worm and threw it away, also. Deciding he might not get anything to eat if this continued, he blew out the candle and ate the dates. Sometimes we, too, choose the darkness of denial to the light of truth. Though the truth may not always be what we want to hear, denial does not change it. Satan is real, is aggressively warring against us, and has made great gains in America. But God has raised up a company of watchmen who have turned the light back on! They know their authority, are alert and informed, and are determined to take back this nation for Christ. And we will! “Remember to stay alert and hold firmly to all that you believe. Be mighty and full of courage” (1 Corinthians 16:13 TPT). As we pray today, let’s use a portion of the Flashpoint decree. Pray and decree with me: *WHEREAS: we, the Church, are God’s governing Body on the earth we have been given legal power and authority from heaven we are God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the earth through the power of God, we are His world influencers because of our covenant with God, we are equipped and delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy WE MAKE OUR DECLARATIONS: We decree that America’s executive branch of government will honor God and defend the Constitution. We decree that our legislative branch (Congress) will write only laws that are righteous and constitutional. We decree that our judicial system will issue rulings that are biblical and constitutional. We declare that we stand against wokeness, the occult, and every evil attempt against our nation. We declare that we now take back our God-given freedoms, according to our Constitution. We declare that we take back influence at the local level in our communities. We decree that we take back and permanently control positions of influence and leadership in each of the **Seven Mountains. We decree that the blood of Jesus covers and protects our nation. It protects and separates us for God. We declare that our nation is energy independent. 10. We declare that America is strong spiritually, financially, militarily and technologically. 11. We decree that evil carries no power, authority or rights in our land nor over our people. 12. We decree that we will operate in unity, going beyond denominational lines in order to accomplish the purposes of God for our nation. 13. And we decree that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Watchman Prayer. Today’s prayer and decree are taken from The Watchman Decree authored by Gene and Teri Bailey, used at Flashpoint Live, July 1, 2022. _________________________________ [Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp 11-25.]

The Battering Ram Dreams are fascinating, both when they originate in our own minds and when they are born of the spirit of God. Normal limitations of the natural realm do not exist in dreams. Perhaps you have dreamed that you were flying like Superman. I have. Maybe you have seen monsters or unusual creatures in your dreams. Not so good. For certain, dreams are susceptible to extraordinary happenings. This ability to move outside the realm of natural laws is one of the reasons God chooses, at times, to speak through dreams. He can reveal things using unusual pictures and symbolic representations. He can also give us messages which do not have to be filtered through our natural reasoning. All dreams believed to have come from God must be judged by Scripture, of course. If they disagree with the Biblical teachings, we know they are not from God. However, dreams are a biblical method through which God speaks to His people. A few weeks ago, Holy Spirit spoke to my brother, Tim Sheets, through a dream. The dream actually occurred as he slept on an airplane. It is quite profound. Here is his account: “In the dream, I had gone to pray in Washington D.C. on July 4th. I've been there numerous times to pray. In the dream, I was in Lafayette Park, which is across the street from the White House. I have actually prayed there before in real life. But in the dream, I felt led to go to the spot where Dutch, Ken Malone, and I went 5 years ago (2016) to pray.” [Tim pauses the dream account momentarily to give an explanation of what happened to us on that literal prayer journey in 2016.] “Chuck Pierce had given us a golden vav, a stake, and prophecied, ‘Use this as a symbol. Go to Washington D.C., drive it into the ground, and decree that we are re-staking claim to America. God will show you where to place it.’” Still recounting the literal prayer time in 2016, Tim continues, “We went to DC and were praying in front of the White House, in Lafayette Park. Of course, we wondered, ‘Is this where we should drive the stake?’ After praying, I said, ‘I don’t feel like we’re to do it here, guys.’ “Both Ken and Dutch agreed. However, Dutch responded by saying, ‘But I don’t feel we are finished with our assignment here.’ “I said, ‘Well, what else do you want to pray about? We’ve been praying for an hour.’ “Dutch responded, ‘Well, I don't know. Let’s pray about what to pray about!’ (Sometimes you just have to keep it simple!)” Still recounting the literal prayer time in 2016, Tim continues, “We were being discreet as we prayed, and had backed up into the park somewhat, 50 yards or so from the crowd standing at the front fence of the White House. Ken prayed, ‘Lord, what else are we to decree here? What more would You like us to do?’ “Then we saw a guy coming towards us. As he got closer, I said, ‘Guys, that’s an angel!’ “He kept coming and didn't even really look our way. He simply walked by us, 2 or 3 feet away, and said six times: ‘Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy.’ And then kept walking. “Dutch said, ‘We gotta talk to him!’ We looked for him, but he was gone. Well, it didn’t take a genius to know what we were gonna pray. We started asking God for His mercy!” [Tim now shifts back to describing his recent dream.] “So, in this dream, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to stand where that angel spoke to us.’ And I went to that spot. As I stood there praying (again, in the dream), looking at the White House, I saw a guy, maybe 100 yards or so away. He was carrying a tree trunk about a foot and a half in diameter and around 12 feet long! And I'm thinking in the dream, ‘He’s carrying a tree trunk! There's no way a human can carry a 12 feet long tree trunk. That can't be…he can’t be a human! This has to be an angel.’ “As he came closer and closer to me, I could see that it was, indeed, an angel. He was actually a very, very big angel with muscles rippling all over, and he carried the log under one arm as he approached. Stopping directly in front of me, he stood still, staring at me. “In the dream, I finally asked the obvious, ‘Why are you carrying that tree trunk?’ “And he answered me in the language and demeanor of a soldier, which was very telling. ‘Sir, it’s not a tree trunk. It’s a battering ram.’ “Well, I said, ‘What are you going to do with it, soldier?’ I knew to call him ‘soldier’ because of the way he spoke. “He responded, ‘There are four of us surrounding the White House. We’re here to break down Lucifer's barriers that protect Baal’s roots.’ “I said to him, ‘Well, why did you…why did you come and reveal that to me?’ “Then he said, ‘Sir, permission to proceed?’ “I responded, ‘Soldier, proceed.’” (End of dream) After relating the dream, Tim stated, “Micheal and his angels will be releasing battering rams to unlock this nation.” There is really no explanation needed for this dream. God is saying He is about to tear down satan‘s strongholds over Washington, D.C. This was confirmed to me yesterday by the following prophetic word given by my friend Chuck Pierce. Chuck said, “We are in an era when God is strengthening us. It’s time to cut certain heads off of the enemy - we are in a ’headship’ war, determining who will rule and how they will rule. We are going through a time of realignment - even personally. We need guts of iron and backbones of steel…The enemy tries to get your soul so wounded that you can’t understand what is happening… “Timing is key now - timing for DC. Everything between now and the end of July, for DC - is key. It can be turned the way the Lord wants it to be turned.” His final statement is quite significant. DC can be turned the way the Lord wants it to be turned. And this month of July is key. For two leaders in the body of Christ to hear the same message, in different ways, is very important. July is a very strategic month. In Tim’s dream, he was in DC on July 4. (This was so real to him that he actually went to DC on the 4th to release - at the very spot in the dream - a decree for the angels to implement their battering rams.) We must listen carefully and act on these words. I encourage prayer journeys to Washington DC this month. I also urge intercessors and prayer groups to pray into these words throughout the month of July. Pray that more exposure comes to evil in our nation. Pray that the barriers protecting Baal’s roots in America be demolished. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5; NASB). Let’s experience the breakthroughs God wants to bring us! Pray with me: Father, we thank You for giving us encouraging words and clear strategies through our great Helper, Holy Spirit. You have confirmed over and over the angel’s message in 2016. We received great mercy in that election. Donald Trump gave us three constitutionalist Supreme Court Justices, just as he promised he would, and now we have seen the curse of Roe broken off of us. Mercy, indeed. And You sent another angel to that very same spot, in a dream, telling us it is time for Baal’s influence in America to be fully exposed and his hold over us broken. This confirms what we have already been hearing in the Spirit; You also have recently said this to prophetic leaders and intercessors. Release the battering rams now, we pray. Send Michael and his angels to tear down - to demolish - these strongholds through the prayers and decrees of Your Ekklesia. And now, Father, awaken the praying church to the significance of the month of July. Impress upon them the importance of praying regarding this dream. Send teams into Washington DC. Send apostolic leaders and intercessors there. We will go confidently, knowing we have the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, with which we can bind the powers of darkness over America and release Your Kingdom will. We decree as our King instructed us: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! And we do this in the mighty name of King Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We will not stop praying and decreeing the will of God over America. We will be faithful watchmen. Click on the link below to watch the full video. (Remember to join with thousands daily in issuing the National Decree released by Flashpoint Live [on 7/1/2022]. You can find it in yesterday‘s post.)