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Introduction I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. Last week I was on the road for the entire week. To help me out, I asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They have been outstanding. Today is the final day of guest posts, and this one comes from our good friend and host of FlashPoint, Gene Bailey. Gene gives us a wake-up call regarding Islam’s intent to transform our nation. We must oppose this, even as we pray for the salvation of every Muslim, whom we love. Gene’s title is: The Final Countdown My topic today is a sensitive one for many believers, but it really shouldn’t be. We know who the ruler of the universe is. We know who went to the Cross and we know who rose from the dead forever to rule with the Father in heaven. Yes, we know Jesus. But sometimes it’s easy for believers to forget the enemy has many ways to wage war against the Body of Christ. Today, I’m going to hit head-on the war that is facing the body of Christ. Today, more than ever, we need to know the tactics of the enemy. Portions of today’s post are from Bill Federer’s book, What Every American Needs to Know About the Qu’ran. In 2006, Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress. Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press  (12/25–26/06), quoted Ellison’s speech: “You can’t back down. You can’t chicken out. You can’t be afraid. You got to have faith in Allah, and you’ve got to stand up and be a real Muslim.” Ellison, who said little about being a Muslim while campaigning, went on to tell his Islamic audience: “We’re going to continue to face them. They’re not going to stop right away. But if you, and me too, stick together, if we believe in Allah, Subandhu wata’ala, if we turn to the Qur’an for guidance, we’ll find an answer to the questions we have.” If one turns for guidance to the Qur’an, which Keith Ellison swore into office upon, one finds many disconcerting verses within its chapters, called suras. I want to be as concise as possible here. These are taken directly  from the Qu’ran:  “Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends.” (Sura 5:51) “Infidels are those who declare: ‘God is the Christ, the son of Mary.’” (Sura 5:17) “Infidels are those that say ‘God is one of three in a Trinity.’” (Sura 5:73) “Make war on the infidels who dwell around you.” (Sura 9:123) “The infidels are your sworn enemies.” (Sura 4:101) “When you meet the infidel in the battlefield, strike off their heads.” (Sura 47:4)  “Mohammed is Allah’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the infidels.” (Sura 48:29) “Prophet, make war on the infidels.” (Sura 66:9) “Kill the disbelievers wherever we find them.” (Sura 2:191)  “The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger ... will be that they will be killed or crucified or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off or will be expelled out of the land.” (Sura 5:33) “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (Sura 9:29) “Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom.” (Sura 47:4) “Believers, do not make friends with those who have incurred the wrath of Allah.” (Sura 60:13)  “Never be a helper to the disbelievers.” (Sura 28:86) Are these verses from the Qur’an taken out of context? Does it matter if a politician swears on a Qur’an? Is it Islamophobic to be concerned? Is Islam a peaceful religion? A stock investment may sound good, but the investor must do diligence and examine the track record of its past performance. Similarly, one must examine the track record of Islam’s past performance to see how the Qur’an has been interpreted throughout history.  As the axiom goes, “Past performance is the best indicator of future behavior.” “When the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the Holy Qur’an,” stated President Obama in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009. The dilemma is, can one swear to defend the Constitution upon a book which seeks to replace it?  The First Amendment  to the U.S. Constitution states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the “free exercise” of religion, yet Mohammed said, “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.” (Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 84, No. 57). Islamic law relegates non-Muslims to “dhimmi” status, where they are not to propagate their customs amongst Muslims and cannot display a Cross, Christmas decorations, or a Star of David.  Does it really matter if one swears upon a Bible, a Qur’an, a Bhagavad Gita, a cookbook, or a comic book? Laying the cornerstone of the Jewish Community Center, May 3, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge stated: “The patriots who laid the foundation of this Republic drew their faith from the Bible ... We cannot escape the conclusion that if American democracy is to remain the greatest hope of humanity, it must continue abundantly in the faith of the Bible.” Calvin Coolidge stated at the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 5, 1926:  “The principles of human relationship which went into the Declaration of Independence ... are found in the texts, the sermons ... of the early colonial clergy ... They preached equality because they believed in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. They justified freedom by the text that we are all created in the divine image … “The Declaration of Independence is a great spiritual document ... Equality, liberty, popular sovereignty, the rights of man–these are not elements which we can see and touch ... They have their source and their roots in the religious convictions ... “Unless the faith of the American in these religious convictions is to endure, the principles of our Declaration will perish. “We cannot continue to enjoy the result if we neglect and abandon the cause...We must go back and review the course which they followed ... They were intent upon religious worship and there was a wide understanding of Scripture. “We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the Spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp.” We are at the final countdown. If Christians do not stand up for the rights this country was founded upon, we will end up under Communistic Islam’s boot. Yes, you heard right, communism, socialism, and Islam are rapidly combining forces to overtake America. Even the Muslims who proclaim Islam is a peaceful religion will soon realize what is at our door. It’s time to choose…  Pray with me:   Heavenly Father, we come to You today ever so grateful for this nation and the blessings America has enjoyed. We know it is only because of You. We pray for a continued spiritual awakening in these United States. Show us how to be strong, how to be wise and bold as a lion when it comes to our faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Our decree:  We decree every man and woman come to the knowledge that “There is only one God, and there is only one way that people can reach God. That way is through Christ Jesus, who as a man gave Himself to pay for everyone to be free,” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Christ said thou shall have NO other gods before Me. We, as His representatives on earth, enforce this truth. Jesus is Lord over the United States, the earth, and the universe.  “That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow of those in heaven and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord!” (Philippians 2:10-11) Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Introduction I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s post is another by revivalist Larry Sparks, entitled: Advent Awakening: Heaven Makes the First Move Throughout church history, great “moves of God” were, I believe, the combination of two key elements: the sovereignty of God and the stewardship of humankind. God moved, yes; but I am convinced that the supernatural intensity of revival is the collision of humankind moving toward God. Often, people are waiting on or praying for a “move of God” when they fail to realize that God has already made the first move. God Moved Toward Humankind There are three key biblical illustrations that showcase how God has definitively moved toward humankind through the Man and Messiah, Christ Jesus: the Incarnation, the torn veil, and the day of Pentecost. The Incarnation “So the Word  became human and made His home among us . He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14 NLT) During Christmastime, we celebrate the ultimate move of God—the Word condescending from Heaven, taking upon Himself frail humanity, and serving as the Messiah-Man who was 100 percent God and 100 percent Man. God came from Heaven to earth to live a perfect life, die a perfect death, and then rise from the dead, granting humanity access to God in three realms. Through the perfect life of Jesus, we receive sanctification because it’s no longer us who live, but Christ in us (see Galatians 2:20). It’s faith in His perfect life that is key for our sanctifying process—the journey of becoming more and more like Jesus while we walk this planet. It’s faith in His perfect death that redeems us spiritually. By placing our faith in His perfect atoning work, our spiritual status changes. We are delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into His Kingdom as sons and daughters of God (see Colossians 1:13). Finally, it’s faith in His resurrection which affirms that one day, we too will share completely in His resurrected glory by also having glorified bodies (Romans 6:5; Philippians 3:20-21). The Torn Veil Jesus passionately cried out, took his last breath, and gave up his spirit. At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom … (Matthew 27:50-51 TPT). One of the cataclysmic moments during the death of Jesus was the tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom. It was as though the invisible hand of the Lord tore apart this exceedingly thick fabric, proclaiming that a physical building would no longer restrain or contain the presence of God. Now, all who would receive the Messiah’s atoning work on the Cross would become the temple of God, for His Spirit would take up residence within them (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). God had long sought a resting place on earth, but not one created by human hands—one that He Himself had fashioned. This resting place would become redeemed humanity. If Jesus shed His blood to make atonement for our sins and grant us passage to eternal life, that would have been beyond sufficient. However, the Old Covenant pointed to another dimension. The Scriptures of old spoke little of Heaven, although that is definitely a tremendous blessing of being redeemed. Rather, the Old Covenant pointed to a day when the barrier of sin was removed so that humankind could become the new resting place for the Spirit of God. Theologian N.T. Wright comments that “the biblical narrative is not about how we get to go up to God, but about how God comes to us and what happens when He does.” “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules”  (Ezekiel 36:25-27). The Day of Pentecost “On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly,  there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.”  (Acts 2:1-2 NLT) The Old Testament prophecies that spoke of the Holy Spirit came to a dramatic fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost. God’s home address had changed—at least partially. No more Ark of the Covenant. No more tents or tabernacles. The Spirit of God officially moved out, changed locations, and now, because the sins of humankind had been absorbed by the spotless Lamb, it was possible for sinful flesh to actually become a house for the Holy God. The Son of God would ascend to the right hand of God the Father. And yet, prior to leaving His disciples, Jesus made a promise that He would not leave them alone as orphans (see John 14:18). He promised to send the Comforter, the one called the Holy Spirit. We are not waiting for another Pentecost. Only One Man will one day split the sky and return to planet Earth—Jesus. Until then, we are not waiting on another outpouring to come from above; if anything, Heaven is waiting for this outpouring to come out of the “new temple” and flow into the Earth, bringing healing, salvation, and transformation to the nations. Where is this temple? Redeemed humanity. What Is Our Response to the Move of God? God has made the definitive move toward humanity. We see this beginning with the Incarnation, continuing with the torn veil, and then culminating with the Day of Pentecost. God made the first move; how will we respond? In studying the great revivals that have punctuated the past two thousand years of church history, I’ve discovered a common denominator that seems nonnegotiable to catalyzing a powerful outpouring of the Spirit— the people’s determination to move toward God. The following are but a few examples: We see evangelist George Whitefield and Methodist pioneer John Wesley persisting in prayer until the power of God fell upon them. Charles Finney was frustrated over the lack of effectiveness in people’s prayers. This frustration fueled his hunger and thirst to experience God at any cost. As a result, on October 10, 1821, he experienced a powerful filling by the Holy Spirit. He urged the people to pray to God earnestly and expectantly for the immediate outpouring of the Spirit. Phoebe Palmer opened her home for what became known as the “Tuesday meeting,” making space for people to come and experience the deeper Christian life through a touch by the Spirit. Jeremiah Lamphier was a businessman in New York City who felt led to start a noontime weekly prayer meeting. He was willing to persist after the first few meetings were received by poor attendance. As a result, he pioneered a great prayer revival that undoubtedly was responsible for birthing some of the most demonstrative and historical revival movements that would come in the decades to follow. Andrew Murray longed and prayed for revival in South Africa. His desperation for God to move with power and demonstration is palpable when reading his various Spirit-filled works. Dwight L. Moody became desperate and thirsty for God, crying out for a baptism in the Spirit. His cry for this filling was consistent and persistent. Following Moody’s power encounter with God, it is said that even though he didn’t radically alter his evangelistic methods, the fruitfulness of his ministry shifted significantly, and many more people received Christ because of his outreach. In Wales, Evan Roberts began to hunger and thirst for God as a thirteen-year-old boy. He had two requests of the Lord: 1) for God to fill him with the Holy Spirit; and 2) for God to send revival to Wales. History books record that both requests were fulfilled, as Roberts was the key catalyst and a noteworthy personality attached to the 1904 Welsh Revival. Frank Bartleman was an intercessor who contended for a historic outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the United States. William Seymour was a half-blind African American minister living in a very racially hostile era. Who would have thought that Bartleman’s travailing intercession, combined with Seymour’s bold hunger for Holy Spirit baptism, would have produced the Azusa Street Revival of 1906, birthing the modern Pentecostal movement. From the 1900s onward, there are multiple examples—some local and some global—of men, women, and entire church communities who moved toward God in the place of prayer, desperation, and hunger. Not only did they cry out in the place of prayer, but they were willing to make room for God to move in the ways He saw fit. That was huge. So, who will make history by making a bold move towards  the move of God? Pray with me: Father, You have made Your move. The Incarnation, the Torn Veil, and Pentecost confirm that You have drawn near to us--even while we were dead in our sins, not looking for You. In response, we draw near to You, Lord, and thank You for fresh encounters with Your presence in this Advent season. Our decree: We decree that God has sovereignly made His move towards us. We respond to this invitation by moving towards Him through hunger and prayer. Click on the link below to watch the full video. For additional inspiration on how you position yourself to experience personal revival during this Advent Season, please download my free e-book, The Glory Has Come , at   www.larrysparksministries.com/gloryhascome Link to Free E-book,   www.larrysparksministries.com/gloryhascome   About Larry Sparks Larry Sparks has spent over two decades in ministry, igniting hunger for the Holy Spirit and calling the Church into revival and awakening. A Master of Divinity graduate from Regent University and mentee of Pentecostal historian Dr. Vinson Synan, he served as publisher of Destiny Image for 13 years. Today, Larry travels globally—preaching, teaching, and sounding a prophetic call for the Church to return to Book of Acts -level prayer, presence and power. He is the bestselling author of Pentecostal Fire and serves on the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders under Cindy Jacobs. He lives in Texas with his wife and daughter.   References: Wright, N.T. Vision of Ephesians. 2025, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 51.

Introduction As I have been stating, I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s and tomorrow’s posts by revivalist Larry Sparks are inspirational exhortations on - you guessed it - revival! Today’s title is:  Will You Make Room?   Let every heart prepare Him room. Christmas . I love this time of year. While I thoroughly enjoy the festive decorations, mass quantities of sweet treats, and the overtly Christ-honoring carols blaring over speakers in shopping malls and coffee shops, there is a profound revelation captured in the Christmas story… about how we can welcome and receive more  of the move of God in our lives, churches, and nation. So prepare for an unusual Christmas perspective! A verse in the Christmas story that challenges me to this day is Luke 2:7:  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (ESV) . I want to highlight the last phrase, no place for them in the inn , and come back to that. Right Now… Prophetically, I am convinced we are living in the days of Ezekiel 47. I’ve shared this with the amazing Give Him 15 audience in times past about how this portion of Scripture gives us a stunning illustration of the different levels, depths, and dimensions of the river of revival. Every week, we are witnessing thousands  turning to Christ through major evangelistic outreaches (Greg Laurie’s Harvest crusades), Unite US gatherings held at public universities, and the incredible work that local churches across the world are doing, day after day, to see a harvest of souls brought to Christ. God is moving, the river is flowing.  Wild Celebration… but Thirsty for More When I consider that Oceanside, California, hosted the largest water baptism in American history this year , I celebrate wildly (and that it involved multiple churches and ministries working together). When I review the thousands  coming to faith in Christ through Greg Laurie’s Harvest crusades, I am overwhelmed. When I am bombarded on social media with reports of the thousands  of students who are attending the Unite US college gatherings, and the hundreds and thousands who are turning to Christ, getting water baptized, and experiencing genuine transformation, I am filled with thanksgiving. These are only three examples of the spiritual activity we have witnessed just this year, and the only response we should offer is wild celebration… with no “buts.” What I means is, I don’t want to be a revival connoisseur (thank you Tommy and Miriam Evans for this colorful designation) where I “tip my hat” to what God is doing, but I cannot get too excited because I am either being overly cautious, or worse, I refuse to celebrate until  the move of God taking place suits my personal preference. I wonder if this is how people have missed  revivals, awakenings, and moves of God in times past: they refused to celebrate what God was doing because it did not look like their idea  of a move of God. My encouragement: wild celebration will position you to appropriately pray and cry out for more . God is a god of stewardship, and He is searching to and fro throughout the Earth for those who will recognize what He is doing, celebrate it, and steward His activity. So, I celebrate wildly what the Lord is presently doing, but until we see people overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to such a degree that their shadow releases healing and deliverance (according to Acts 5), I’m crying out for more. Until I see people so saturated with the Spirit that their everyday clothing releases healing and deliverance anointing (Acts 19), I’m crying out for more. Until I see notable miracles break open entire cities and territories for the expansion of the Gospel (Acts 9), I’m crying out for more. There’s always more of God for us to experience, but please understand, to experience more, we need to make room for the more. Not a Tame Lion We have been gloriously experiencing the beginning stages of Ezekiel 47, where the prophet describes being ankle deep, knee deep, and waist deep in the River of God (see v. 2-4). We’ve been witnessing a beautiful measure of God’s move in our nation right now, and while we celebrate, we recognize there are deeper dimensions accessible to us.  Are we waiting for God to do something sovereign? I am convinced the Sovereign Lord has extended an invitation to us, basically asking, How deep do you  want to go?  I believe we are at a threshold. When you are standing in a river up to your ankles, knees, or even waist, you can still control the environment. You still have your footing on the ground. It’s stable, it’s safe. You don’t run the risk of the river completely consuming you and thrusting you into its wild current. But there is a dimension of God summoning us that is wild. It’s where we experience the wildness of the Lion of Judah. Perhaps one of the most iconic and appropriate descriptions of this expression of our Great King is the conversation between Susan and Mr. Beaver in C.S. Lewis’ iconic masterpiece, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  In describing the lion Aslan, a type and shadow of Christ, we read this conversation between the characters:  “Aslan is a lion– the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh,” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”...“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver …“Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” In the same book, Mr. Tumnus notes, “He’s wild, you know. Not a tame lion.” These descriptions are not meant to frighten, but invite us into deeper encounters with the Living God. For centuries (even back to the days of Jesus), a religious spirit has sought to put God in a box. Sadly, this same spirit is alive and well today, and it might be the primary enemy of the Spirit’s move in our lives and world. It’s a perspective that demands God Almighty to fit in a box of expectation and comfort. But we all know that Yahweh has never fit in any box. A funny, but practical example of what this might look like. My pastor and spiritual father, Dr. Norman Benz, recounts the season of unusual spiritual outpouring in their Florida church in 1997 (sustained for several years). When people were touched by the Spirit’s power, they would shake, fall, and weep. They would also laugh… uproariously. Pastor Norman recounts, “I didn’t like the laughter...  but I know it was God .” That’s a sign of maturity, where we welcome God on His own terms. We cannot judge a move of the Holy Spirit by our personal preferences. Maybe our preference is a few quiet tears are shed, when in fact, the wild River of God wants to touch someone radically with holy laughter and liberate them from decades of fear and depression.  Will We Make Room for the Wild River? …there was no place for them in the inn. I don’t want this  to be said of my life. Oh, I long to be a place where the Spirit can rest and do His unrestrained work. But an unrestrained mighty work of the Holy Spirit demands that we have an absolute and unwavering trust in His  control. His way, His plan. When we make room for the Spirit’s work in our lives and in our midst, no matter what it looks like or what reproach we might receive, we are truly entering the realm of the Wild River —the next stop on Ezekiel’s journey. “Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.”  (Ezekiel 47:5) Pray with me: Father, every time Your Holy Spirit moves with power, it’s a confirmation that Jesus died, rose again, and received everything He prayed for. Jesus prayed to You , Father, that we would experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So in this season, I ask for a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit on my life. My family. My city. My nation. Send Your Spirit, Lord, for Jesus’s sake! Lord, send Your Wild River of revival that we cannot control---that floods the Earth with salvation, healing, deliverance, and supernatural transformation. Our decree:   We decree that we will make room for the move and presence of the Holy Spirit, no matter the cost. Click on the link below to watch the full video. For additional inspiration on how you position yourself to experience personal revival during this Advent Season, please download my free e-book, The Glory Has Come , at   www.larrysparksministries.com/gloryhascome Link to Free E-book, www.larrysparksministries.com/gloryhascome About Larry Sparks Larry Sparks has spent over two decades in ministry, igniting hunger for the Holy Spirit and calling the Church into revival and awakening. A Master of Divinity graduate from Regent University and mentee of Pentecostal historian Dr. Vinson Synan, he served as publisher of Destiny Image for 13 years. Today, Larry travels globally—preaching, teaching, and sounding a prophetic call for the Church to return to Book of Acts -level prayer, presence, and power. He is the bestselling author of Pentecostal Fire and serves on the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders under Cindy Jacobs. He lives in Texas with his wife and daughter.   References : Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Introduction As I stated yesterday, I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s inspiring post by our friend, Cheryl Sacks, which I’ll be reading, points out the incredible speed at which God is moving us into revival, and challenges us to “keep pace with what He is doing!” Cheryl’s title is: Racing into Acceleration I was seated in a bobsled at the top of a gleaming ice-carved track, poised at the edge of impossibility. The course shone brilliantly white, majestic, and alive with activity. Endless bobsleds stretched before us—filled with athletes, all waiting for the race to begin. Then, without warning, we were catapulted forward. The acceleration was instantaneous—a breathtaking surge that tore the air from my lungs. We hurtled down the track, slashing around razor-sharp curves, plunging into valleys, then shooting up blinding inclines. The sled tilted and lifted, threatening to break free from the ice. My heart pounded, caught between exhilaration and sheer terror. It was a dream the Lord gave me thirty years ago—one He has brought back to me with an urgency I cannot ignore—because the acceleration I saw then is what we are entering now. In the dream, we weren’t steering; we were being carried—drawn by a power far greater than human strength. The wind roared, the ice shook beneath us, and it felt as though creation itself was trembling. This wasn’t just speed—it was divine momentum. Heaven’s purposes were racing toward fulfillment. Then I woke up. Instantly, I knew the Lord was unveiling a time of divine acceleration—when events on earth would unfold with breathtaking speed. You and I are stepping into a spiritual hour unlike anything this generation has ever witnessed.  We are living in the fulfillment of what the prophet Amos described: “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up.” Amos 9:13 (MSG) Yes, darkness is spiraling quickly, but God’s movement is advancing even faster. What looks like chaos is actually divine momentum. This is the hour when shaking and awakening collide—when disruption jolts the Church awake and draws multitudes to the Truth. We must be ready. I hear the Lord saying, “What you have now cannot contain the magnitude of what is coming. Now is the time to prepare for the masses of lost people who will run toward truth in this shaking hour.”                                                                                           The Time Is Now If you want to see what divine acceleration looks like in real time, let me share the story of my friend Des Wadsworth, pastor of Grace Community Church. Once a thriving megachurch, the congregation had dwindled through five pastoral transitions. When Des moved from the U.K. to take the reins, he found a faithful but weary flock—mostly older believers—and only fifty students in the college ministry, despite being located beside a major university. After five years of laboring with little fruit, Des came to the end of himself. He cried out to the Lord for direction. Just before the New Year, the Lord answered with a single word: “PRAY!” Des realized he had been a man who prayed but was not yet a praying man.  And Grace was a church that prayed, but not yet a praying church.  That revelation pierced him. Everything was about to change. He announced to his elders, “We are going to become a praying church!” From that moment, things shifted. Every meeting—children’s classes, board meetings, worship rehearsals, Sunday services—was preceded by prayer. Des began leading the Monday night prayer meeting, and every church leader started attending. Almost overnight, the prayer meeting surged—from a handful of intercessors to ninety—and then climbed past 350. The college ministry began to grow, too—fifty students became five hundred. Then it grew by five hundred every week. Students filled the 1,200-seat sanctuary every Thursday night for worship, prayer, and Bible study. They packed every inch of standing room, then filled two overflow buildings, linked by livestream. Des’s son, who leads the college ministry, said, “Dad, students won’t think watching a livestream in another building is cool.” But there was no option—the hunger was too great. That night, when they gave a simple, old-fashioned call to accept Christ—inviting students to stand and come forward—young people rose to their feet everywhere, even in the overflow buildings. There is no elaborate setup. No big-name speakers. No hype—and yet they keep coming. Last week, 1,800 Gen Z-ers poured in—desperate for God. Des said they never asked God for a larger church or a bigger college ministry. They simply prayed the Lord would bring in the lost. And that He did—so powerfully they can’t contain the numbers coming. Today, the church that was aging and dwindling is alive—bursting at the seams with young people passionately pursuing God. The older generation isn’t just sitting in pews—they’re discipling the younger ones. What’s happening at Grace Community Church is not an isolated story—it’s a prophetic picture of what God is releasing across the land. Nowhere is this more visible than in Gen Z. A generation once lost in confusion is running toward truth. The same move of the Spirit transforming Grace is breaking out on university campuses. And it’s spreading nationwide. Large-scale ‘UniteUS’ college gatherings are igniting worship, prayer, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Thousands of students are accepting Christ and being baptized. Gen Z’s foundations are shaking. They are searching for something real—something unshakable. Many are discovering the only answer is Jesus. The assassination of Charlie Kirk sent a shockwave through Gen Z, intensifying a movement already stirring and confronting many with the seriousness of the hour. A generation is waking up—right before our eyes. The harvest is massive. How will we disciple them? The Book of Acts gives us a clear model: believers gathered in the temple and from house to house. Healings and miracles broke out in the streets. Thousands were born again every day, and homes became places of discipleship and encounter. We are seeing this pattern again—believers ignited with holy fire, homes transformed into revival centers because the harvest is so great. In places such as San Francisco—where many might never set foot inside a church—believers like our daughter and her husband are opening their doors. They are inviting neighbors and families from their kids’ sports teams into their home. As conversations unfold and friendships form, hearts open. People notice God’s peace and presence; they ask questions, and before long, they’re being discipled around the kitchen table. This is the kind of grassroots discipleship that will enable us to steward revival and sustain the harvest. This is not the hour to retreat or wait for things to settle. The shaking around us is not subsiding—it’s escalating. Comfort zones are being dismantled, and the Church is being summoned to the front lines. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Every believer is needed—every prayer, every act of courage, every voice that will speak truth and hope into the chaos. It is no longer a question of if  revival will come; revival is here . The real question is: Will we be able to keep pace with what He is doing?  We are being carried forward by a move of the Spirit, accelerating with undeniable force. I hear His urgent call: Where are the ones who will rise to contend in prayer for the lost, get ready to disciple the harvest, rebuild the spiritual altars of our homes, our churches, and our nation? Is it you ? Will you say, “Here am I, Lord, send me”? Pray with me: Heavenly Father, we say “yes” to Your divine acceleration. Empower us to build altars of prayer in our homes and churches. Pour out Your Spirit upon our campuses and cities. Let revival flow from home to home, heart to heart, until the earth is filled with Your glory. Our decree: We decree that this move of God cannot be contained; it cannot be stopped. The harvest will come in. Churches will overflow; college campuses will be aflame. Our homes will become revival centers, our families will burn with holy fire, and the sound of awakening will thunder across this land! Click on the link below to watch the full video. Cheryl Sacks and her husband, Hal, are leaders of   BridgeBuilders Int’l, Phoenix, AZ . Their newest books,   Fire on the Family Altar: Experience the Holy Spirit’s Power in Your Home   and   Unshakable: How to Prepare for Uncertain Times , will equip you for the days ahead.

Introduction I am coming to the end of a long, very demanding travel schedule. This is the final week of the stretch and I will be on the road the entire week. To help me out, I have asked some of our favorite Give Him 15 guests to write posts. They are outstanding. Today’s post by my friend, Greg Hood, is a very encouraging message on The Victorious Church. Enjoy.  The Victorious Church Hello and welcome to Give Him 15. I am Greg Hood. I am honored to be filling in for my friend Dutch today. The title of today’s post is “The Victorious Church.” There is some confusion regarding the assignment of the Church. Many think our only job is to witness, save the lost, and get them into heaven. Let’s plunder hell and populate heaven—great idea, but not complete. Yeshua never assigned us only to offer people heaven. That was not His goal. We are to bring people into the Kingdom of God. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t the Kingdom of God in heaven? Well, yes and no. Actually, our destiny is not in heaven; our destiny is in the Kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 6:10 makes this very clear. It reads, “ Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven .” (NKJV) We are assigned to the earth to expand the Kingdom of God. Now, let me clarify. When you die, you go to heaven if you’re born again. But it’s a short stay. We will return with Yeshua to a new heaven and a new earth. Yeshua did not promise us a religion; He promised us a Kingdom. We need to distinguish between religion and Yeshua. We must learn to discern: What is God? What is not God? What is His will? What is not His will. What is His assignment? What is not His assignment? Bringing the Kingdom of God to earth is Yeshua’s assignment. The enemy wants to stop our momentum. Yet the enemy’s resistance will not catch us off guard if we position ourselves and prepare for the enemy’s retaliation as we take ground. That’s why Paul said in Ephesians 6:  “and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore.”  Then he lists what we need to do so. As the Ekklesia, we must be aware of the counterattack of the enemy. Fights are rarely easy. Most are lengthy struggles. As we are wrestling with the enemy for territory, we must expect pushback when we fight. Just as Yeshua has a body—the Church—so does the enemy. Have you ever thought about that? The enemy has an Ekklesia working in the earth on his behalf to produce the will of the Kingdom of Darkness. Fortunately, the enemy’s governmental structure has been defeated through the death, burial, and resurrection of King Yeshua, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit to earth to take up residence in us. We are the most dangerous force on the planet. Conversely, we are the least significant when we are off the planet. Why? Because we were not created to operate in the unseen realm alone, even though we have authority in the unseen realm, we must operate from the seen realm. That’s where our authority resides. Ephesians 2:6 says, “ God raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. ” When we operate from the seen realm, we can pull things from the unseen realm into the seen realm that need to be here. But it takes effort. This is not like going to Wal-Mart and filling our buggies. We have to understand: We’re in a fight. This is not a Church social or a Sunday School picnic. The goal is not our comfort. It’s a fight for our lives. It’s a fight for the nation. When Jesus was choosing disciples, some would-be disciples proclaimed: “Hey, we’re willing to follow you.” Jesus replied with a sobering reality regarding the fight in which he was engaged. “ Birds have nests, foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head ” (Matthew 8:20). Sadly, the modern-day Church is lethargic, weak, and complacent. It sees its goal as coexisting on the enemy’s territory rather than turning that kingdom into the Kingdom of God. Set this mentality before you: We are in a war. Not only can we win this fight, but we have already won this fight. We have to walk it out. The fight is fixed! Why? Because we’re more than conquerors, Jesus won. Jesus, conquered. Romans 8:37 (NKJV) says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? Let me tell you a story! There is a great Filipino boxer named Manny Pacquiao. The only reason Joan and I owned a TV in the early days of our marriage was so she could watch him box. Manny trained in Big Bear, California, where he ran every day, no matter the weather: rain, wind, or snow, he ran and sweated and shadow-boxed. His sparing partners were matched to resemble his upcoming opponents, and he insisted that they fight realistically. The results were cuts and bruises, just like a real contest. When each fight came, he entered the ring fully prepared to defeat his opponent. Most of the time, he won (unless they cheated, according to my wife, Joan). When the referee raised Manny’s hand, he was a conqueror. Now, the story continues. Most people don’t know what happened when he left the ring. Yes, he was a conqueror, but he encountered “she who was more than the conqueror.” Her name is Jinkee, his wife. Why is she more than a conqueror? Even though Manny won the fight and got the prize money, she got to spend it. She never ran, never bled, never bruised, never had to get up early, never had to watch her diet. Yet they shared the prize of the fight. This is the meaning of Romans 8:37. There is no division between the conqueror and the “more than the conqueror.” They are married. They are one. They are together for life. What’s his…is hers. And what’s hers is hers. Yeah. Something like that. Everything Manny won, they shared. The same thing applies to the Church. Jesus won the fight, but He shares the prize with us. Now, modern Christianity says that the gospel is all about the individual—our personal relationship with King Yeshua. Yes, we must be born again individually, but Yeshua did not die solely for the individual. He died for the corporate body as well, which He created to legislate on earth in His name. Our salvation and our walk with God are not just about you or me. It’s about us…all of us. As the Ekklesia, we must shift from individual Christianity to a corporate Ekklesia. It’s not the ministry’s responsibility to preach “Seven Ways To A Better You.” Of course, if you need seven ways, or seventy-seven ways, God will get those to you. But it will always be to build you for the kingdom. In Ekklesia gatherings, our assignment is to look past our personal lives and come together to execute rule and authority. As we read in Psalms 149:9, “ To execute on them the written judgment—This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord !” We are the legislative body of the kingdom of God on earth. We are the Ekklesia of the Father. We are His victorious Church! Pray with me: Father, we thank You for making us more than conquerors through Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. We ask that You would empower us by the help of Holy Spirit to make a greater shift into our victorious position to legislate on behalf of Your government, the Kingdom of God. Our decree:   We decree that the Church, the Ekklesia across the nation, is becoming more aware of the battle at hand for our country and that the Church, His Ekklesia, is causing the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdom of our God and His Christ. Most of today’s post came from my new book Ancient Evils, Present-Day Manifestations, Volume 1- The Rise of the Ekklesia . You can find this book at GregHood.org . Thank you for joining me today. Click on the link below to watch the full video.

The Walk  I love to walk. The farthest I’ve walked in one day, is just over twenty miles. I know the distance because on a hunt, my nephew measured it using his GPS. On this particular day, such a long walk wasn’t planned. My brother Tim, his son, another friend, and I were scouting, looking for the best way in and out of a specific location. We were confident there was a dirt road at the base of the mountain we were standing on because we could see portions of it. The woods, however, were too thick to see where it led. We debated for a few minutes whether to carefully make the VERY steep descent, which was a LONG way down. If we were wrong about where the road led, the climb all the way back up the steep mountain would be grueling and dangerous, if not impossible. But since we really wanted to check out the road and were confident it would lead us out, we decided to take the risk. We were wrong. Way wrong. I can’t begin to tell you just how wrong we were!  The road was actually on the other side of a broad stream. No way across. And even if we could have gotten across, the road was on private land! The area was gorgeous, with lush meadows bordering aspen trees and the beautiful mountain stream. But there was no access to the road. Thinking we would no doubt find another road if we followed the stream, we walked a mile or so. Eventually, we happened upon another hunter sitting at the edge of the stream. Relieved, we conversed for a few minutes, then asked him where another road out of the area was located. “There is no road out of here,” he answered. “There has to be,” we insisted, our concern mounting. “My dad and I have been hunting here for twenty-five years,” he said, “and I guarantee you there is no road in or out of here. The dirt road across the stream is private, and the owner allows NO ONE to use it. You can’t get over there, anyway.” “How did you get here?” we asked, still unwilling to believe him. “Horseback. We pack in and camp for the week.” We told him where we had parked on top of the mountain, and asked him how to get to it. With a slight grin and a confident demeanor, he pointed to a trail we could see meandering several thousand feet up the mountain. “Up that trail, boys,” he said. “That’s the only way out of here. That’s why they call it ‘Hell Hole.’” Shocked and a little panicky, we said, “We have to be out by dark!” It was around noon at the time. He gave us a warning smile and a piece of advice: “Then you’d better get going.” We made it just before dark - with sore feet, tired legs, and bragging rights: We’d been to “hell” and back. Actually, it wasn’t that bad for a true walker. And it was so gorgeous down there, I’ve always wanted to go back. Hey,  if you wanna make the memory, you gotta take the walk! If a person planned ahead, packed a lunch, and plenty of water, it wouldn’t be all that bad. And the peaceful meadow nestled up against the beautiful mountain stream - well, it was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The higher we climbed on our way out, the more beautiful the view of the stream and meadows below became. To me, Hell Hole was Heavenly, a view and an experience I’ll never forget. Perspective is everything. Enoch was a walker. You’ve probably heard of him. He was the guy whose friendship brought Yahweh such pleasure that the Lord decided to go ahead and translate him to heaven:  “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him,” (Genesis 5:24).  The concept of Enoch “walking” with God is fascinating. The Hebrew word used can mean several things. It describes the flowing of a river, the descending of a flood, the blowing of the wind, the tossing of the sea and, of course, walking. The basic idea is movement. It is used metaphorically to speak of the pathways of one’s life. For example, a son can “walk in” or “follow after” the ways of a father. Enoch followed after God and His ways, walking with Him on the pathway of his life. The meaning is quite simple: He lived life with God. Not satisfied with the mundane existence of life without God, Enoch decided to prioritize and enjoy the pleasure of His company. Somehow, he knew walking with God was a decision HE had to make - not God. The Scriptures do not say, “God walked with Enoch,” although that obviously occurred as they spent time together. No, the wording is important and the point is clear: “Enoch walked with God.”  The Scriptures do tell us how the Lord felt about this relationship, however. The New Testament says of Enoch: “He obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God”  (Hebrews 11:5). “Pleasing” is from the Greek word euarestos . “Well-pleasing” would be a more literal translation; the prefix eu  means “well” or “good,” (1)   and arestos  means “to please.” (2)  Seeing other people gloat over their grandkids has always been pleasing ( arestos ) to me. Now, having my own grandkids is well-pleasing ( euarestos ). Enoch’s walk was more than pleasing to God; it was well-pleasing. This hyphenated word isn’t used much nowadays. A more contemporary way of describing Enoch’s relationship with God would simply be that he brought Him “great pleasure.” The Passion Translation uses the word “pleasure” in this verse: “[Enoch’s] life had become a pleasure to God.” Fascinating, isn’t it? What is for us “the pleasure of His  company“ can become for God “the pleasure of our  company.” For most, this is an unheard-of concept. It’s one thing to believe God can use  us. And believing that our  obedience  to His laws pleases Him? No problem. But I can’t help but wonder how many people realize their  presence  can bring pleasure to the Lord. Don’t be deceived into thinking that only a few spiritual elites, such as Enoch, could have such a relationship with the Lord. Paul said to the Corinthians, “We also have as our ambition… to be euarestos  to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). A literal rendering of the latter part of Hebrews 12:28 would read, “Let us have gratitude, by which we can offer to God euarestos worship with reverence and awe.”  It absolutely is possible to become a pleasure to Father God. When this is known and embraced, life becomes an exciting and glorious journey. Yes, there will be hills to climb, but they’re part of a wonderful destiny to fulfill, not a journey to endure. And the higher you climb, the more magnificent the view. Whatever else you do today, be sure to also spend some quality time with Abba. You were made for His pleasure.  Take the walk! Pray with me: Father, teach us to walk in rhythm with the beat of Your heart. We know it brings great pleasure to You. We want to be pleasing and delightful to You. Help us to prioritize, reroute, and walk tirelessly, following the ways of Your heart. May the cry from within us be as Moses’: “I’ll only move forward if You do.” We choose to be led along on the pathway that brings honor and glory to You. May pleasing You, Father, be our greatest ambition, such that when our lives on this side of eternity end, it will be said of us that we walked faithfully with You, choosing to offer You the pleasure of our company.  And Father, though America - and many other nations - are in challenging situations, even “hell holes,” You are willing to transform them all into redeemed places of beauty. Reveal Your gracious heart. May many nations taste and see that You are good, Your ways just. We call this forth in the name of our great Redeemer, Christ Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that we WILL walk with God, pleasing Him and enjoying the pleasure of His company. Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company , published by Baker Books. Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2101. Ibid, ref no. 701.

Thanksgiving, One More Time In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, today I’m going to do something just a little different. I am sharing the words of four of my all-time favorite hymns, releasing them as praise and thanksgiving to our great God. I love many of the old hymns. Personally, I believe we should incorporate them into our charismatic and contemporary worship more often. They are not only reverential, majestic, offer heartfelt thanks to the Lord, and declare the greatness of God, they are filled with tremendous theology that, sadly, many believers seldom hear. The hymns will be our post and our prayer. I hope you enjoy these masterpieces as much as I did compiling them.  Hymn Number One “Reginald Heber was born in 1783 to a wealthy, educated family, and died in 1826. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After graduating, he entered the ministry and over the course of his life wrote 57 hymns, one of which is an all-time favorite of mine.  “Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! “2. Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before thee,  Who was and is and evermore shall be. “3. Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide thee,  Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,  Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity. “4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.” (1)  Hymn Number Two “Thomas O. Chisholm was born in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866 and died in 1960. His boyhood was spent on a farm, and then he taught district schools. He spent five years as editor of the local paper at Franklin. He was converted to Christianity at the age of 26, and in 1903, he entered the ministry. His aim in writing hymns was to incorporate as much Scripture as possible and to avoid flippant or sentimental themes. I think you will agree with me that he certainly succeeded in the following hymn.  “Great is thy faithfulness , O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. “Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hast provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. “2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,  Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness,  To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain] “3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,  Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,  Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside. [Refrain]” (2) Hymn Number Three “Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940) was born and lived his years in Sweden. After finishing his time as a sailor, he began working as a lay minister; he was also the editor of a newspaper and served in the Swedish Parliament. Jason Soroski gives us the following story regarding the hymn he gave us.  “In 1885, [Boberg] was inspired by the sound of church bells ringing during a wild thunderstorm, and penned the poem ‘O Great God.’ “…three years later, someone liked it enough to match the words with a traditional Swedish melody, and when Boberg found out about it, he quickly published the poem once again in his own newspaper in 1891, this time with the musical notation added. “Fast forward a few decades to the 1930s - Somehow this poem put to music had traveled across borders, and English missionary Stuart Hine heard the song (in Russian) while in Poland. Deeply moved by the song, he translated it into English, tweaked the musical arrangement, some of the wording, and took it home with him to England. [In English, the song title changed slightly.] “On to the 1940s - Evangelist Dr. Edwin Orr heard this new version of the song being sung by native tribal people in Assam, India, and being deeply inspired by it, he brought the song back to the United States. We are still unsure how the song ever got to India to start with. “In 1954, the song found its way into the hands of George Beverly Shea, who sang it nearly 100 times during Billy Graham’s 1957 New York crusade. In 1959, it became the theme song for Billy Graham’s weekly radio broadcast, bringing [it] into the national consciousness. “In 1978, the performing rights organization ASCAP named it as “The All-Time Outstanding Gospel Song” in America. It has consistently been listed as one of the greatest hymns ever written, usually falling at #2 (right behind Amazing Grace). “How astonishing that this song, recorded over 1,800 times in the last 50 years, had its origins as a poem in a small town in Sweden, written by a sailor turned lay-minister, and somehow wound its way around the globe.” (3) Believers around the world will be forever grateful that Boberg gifted us with this amazing hymn, How Great Thou Art .    “O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hands hath made,  I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,  thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed; “Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! “2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander,  and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;  when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur  and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; [Refrain] “3. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,  sent him to die, I scarce can take it in.  That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,  he bled and died to take away my sin; [Refrain] “4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim “My God, how great thou art! (Refrain)” (4) Hymn Number Four And we simply can’t leave out this final hymn. “George Bennard (1873-1958) was born in Youngstown, OH. When he was a child the family moved to Albia, Iowa. He served with the Salvation Army in Iowa for several years before he was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1913, he secured his place in hymn-writing history by giving us the following classic.  “On a hill far away stood an old rugged Cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. “Refrain: So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged Cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. “2. Oh, that old rugged Cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary. [Refrain] “3. In that old rugged Cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for ‘twas on that old Cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me. [Refrain] “4. To that old rugged Cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share. [Refrain]” (5) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://hymnary.org/text/holy_holy_holy_lord_god_almighty_early   https://hymnary.org/text/great_is_thy_faithfulness_o_god_my_fathe   https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/the-story-you-don-t-know-behind-how-great-thou-art.html   https://hymnary.org/text/o_lord_my_god_when_i_in_awesome_wonder   https://hymnary.org/text/on_a_hill_far_away_stood_an_old_rugged

A Day of Thanksgiving The pilgrims first celebrated the holiday Americans call Thanksgiving after their first harvest in 1621. History says it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The gathering lasted three days. In 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued a national proclamation of “Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.” (1)  Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 and made it a national holiday, referring to it as “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” (2)  In their proclamations, they refer to God as:  The: Almighty God (three times);  That great and glorious Being;  Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; The great Lord and Ruler of the Nations;  Most High God;  and Beneficent Father.  So much for the myth of separating God from America’s government. Washington’s and Lincoln’s proclamations are reverential and God-honoring . I won’t read them, as the verbiage and style of the day are a bit different than ours, but I have included them as an attachment at the end of today’s post for those who do wish to read them. The following is a proclamation and prayer for us to offer today; please agree with me as I read it: Heavenly Father, we in the United States pause today to acknowledge Your gracious and omnipotent hand. America was Your idea. You formed a nation of nations - Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and more. Though our journey included the inevitable challenges associated with human frailties, including sinful actions, Your sovereign power overcame our flaws and formed the United States of America.  We are very aware tha t our birth was  not just for our blessing and benefit; we were invited into a covenantal partnership with You to proclaim Your redemption from sin’s horrible curse. We acknowledge and agree with the words of Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607: “The gospel of the kingdom will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but to all the nations of the earth.” We agree with the words from Holy Scripture inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). This is America’s destiny and our great honor.  We are thankful, Father, for the covenants our Christian Forefathers and Founders entered into with You. They sacrificed greatly in order to fulfill Your plan, knowing they were drawn to these shores – not just to enjoy liberty – but to accomplish Your divine purposes. W e are grateful for their sacrifices made so long ago, and the incredible prosperity we have enjoyed due to their covenantal partnership with You.  May they be forever honored and always see righteous fruit from their labors. Thank You for preserving us in times of war, disease, sin, and rebellion. In the war of our birth, we were saved through appealing to heaven; in the horrific Civil War, we fought one another and lost half a million sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, yet You kept the dream alive; in two world wars, You preserved us from evil despots intent on ruling the world. Through all the difficulties and trials of four centuries, YOU have been faithful to preserve us. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You have blessed this nation - of You, through You, and to You are all things. Thank You, gracious and beneficent God! Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, on this day, we as a nation thank You for Your great sacrifice in becoming one of us - a member of the human race. Thank You for experiencing the gnawing pangs of hunger, for feeling the heartbreaking pain of a loved one’s death. Thank You for walking dusty roads to heal diseased bodies, taking detours to redeem thirsty hearts, and spending sleepless nights in prayer. Thank You for exposing the wiles and hatred of the serpent, the destructive power of pride, and modeling true love. Thank You for revealing the Father to us once again, and creating the way for us to reconnect with Him as our Abba, our Papa. Thank You for paying such an incredibly high price: the incarnation, the beatings and lashing, Gethsemane, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the wrath of Hell, the hideous Cross, the stain of sin, and sting of death. Thank You. Gracious Father, wonderful Savior, and blessed Holy Spirit, though we as a nation have dishonored, rejected, and even mocked You, Your love endures. We have worshiped idols, embraced false religions, shed innocent blood, defiled Your marriage covenant, and expelled You from our schools - yet Your mercies endure. Our government has risen up against You in pride and rebellion, rewritten Your laws, legislated murderous and immoral rights, and declared that You are no longer welcome in their functions and procedures - yet You have demonstrated amazing grace and patience. And while the church should have been Your instrument of preservation from these ills, she became lukewarm, complacent, and ineffective.  In spite of these and many more evils, You have promised to save America, healing our brokenness, returning our hearts to You, and preserving our destiny. Thank You, gracious Father. Thank You for the restoration occurring in the church; thank You for the army of intercessors You have raised up here and around the world - we owe them so much. Thank You for the awakening that has begun in America, regarding both our spiritual condition and the horrible fruit this has produced. Thank You for the overthrowing of evil in our government that has begun. Thank You, in advance, for the greatest worldwide outpouring of Holy Spirit in all of history. Because of Your mercy, America will once again be a strong voice for the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth. For all of this and more, we give You thanks. Amen. And I thank YOU for being part of Give Him 15. Together, we are making a difference! President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public Thanksgiving and Prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be - that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks - for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation - for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war - for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed - for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted - for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us. “And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions - to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually - to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed - to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord - To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us - and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. “Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.” (George Washington) (3) President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. The population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union. “In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. “Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln.” (4) Click on the link below to watch the full video. https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw8a.124/?q=1789+Thanksgiving&sp=132&st=text   http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm   https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789/ http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

Thanksgiving: The Communion Meal Tomorrow we will celebrate one of America’s greatest holidays. Today’s post will help you do so with greater understanding and, hopefully, an even greater appreciation for our many blessings. Although not widely known among most Americans, the holiday is linked to the Cross, our redemption, and the matchless grace of God. Grace The word “grace” is one of the most important terms in our language. In its broader application, “grace” encompasses the incarnation of Christ (His becoming human), His sufferings, the gift of our rebirth into God’s family, and every benefit we receive from this. We neither earned nor deserved any of these blessings; they are ours only through God’s grace, His “unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15), bestowed on us from His great love. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “Grace” is derived from the Greek word charis, (1)  a significant term that also conveys “goodwill, loving-kindness, or favor.” It is also translated as “thanks,” the response offered for benefits or favor. (2) Never at a loss for words, “ Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament  defines grace ( charis ) as the ‘spontaneous act of God that came from the infinite love in His heart, in which He stepped down from His judgment throne to take upon Himself the guilt and penalty of human sin, thus satisfying His justice, maintaining His government, and making possible the bestowal of salvation upon the sinner who receives it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who became a Sin-offering for him on the Cross’” (3)  Wow! “The New Testament also uses other forms of this word: charizomai , ‘to give graciously’ (4) ; and charisma , ‘a gift that is graciously given. ’ (5) For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:4, 9, 28, 30, and 31, the term charisma  features prominently in Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts. Paul stresses that the gifts of the Spirit are gifts of God’s grace. These spiritual ‘grace gifts’ are not developed through natural talent, but instead bestowed upon believers by God. In The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts,  William McRae defines a spiritual gift as ‘a divine endowment of a special ability for service upon a member of the body of Christ.’” (6) Mary and the Church Charis  was also the root word used by Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:28, telling her she was “highly favored” ( charitoo ), (7)  Indeed! The honor of being entrusted to carry Christ in her womb, birth the Savior of the world, and then to nurture Him for Yahweh, was truly immeasurable favor . Yet, the same word is used one other time in Scripture, Ephesians 1:6, when describing the great favor  granted to us as believers, who also now carry Christ in our  spiritual wombs! Almighty God is in us!!! The fountain of life, the breath of God, the nature of God Himself is in us in the spirit of Christ. That gift comes from charis,  grace. Thanksgiving Now, would it surprise you to know that charis,  this Greek word for grace,   is the root word for “thanksgiving”? Thanksgiving, or “the giving of thanks,” comes from the Greek word eucharistia . The word could also be translated “giving thanks for our grace gifts.” When America set aside a day “of public Thanksgiving and Prayer” to “Almighty God,” as George Washington stated in his official proclamation (which I will include in tomorrow’s post), it was to thank God for His incomparable benefits of grace through His Son, Jesus Christ! We aren’t simply giving thanks for the physical freedom, prosperity, and abundant blessings we enjoy in this great nation; we are acknowledging that we enjoy these things because of the grace of God and the gift of His Son! Communion And for the icing on the cake, or should we say the stuffing in the turkey, this Greek word for Thanksgiving ( eucharistia ) is also the word for the Eucharist, the Lord’s Table: Communion. This covenant meal is called the Eucharist, not just by Catholics but also by many evangelicals, because it’s a word Jesus used when initiating the meal: “when He had given thanks”  ( eucharisteo ). He then gave the disciples the bread and wine, which represented His body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). “Thanksgiving” originated, not with the Pilgrims, but at the Last Supper, when God’s “grace meal” was inaugurated! Tomorrow, when sharing the meal with family and friends, remember that Thanksgiving is rooted in the Lord’s Table, Communion, through which we celebrate God’s “grace gift” of His Son to us. Pray with me: Father, we thank You for Your unspeakable gift, Yeshua, and His sacrifice. Through Him, we have been welcomed into Your family, made Your heirs and His joint-heirs. As we Americans celebrate our many blessings this week, we remember that these blessings come through this grace-gift. Thank You! And as we take time to acknowledge and thank You, we also give thanks for the grace-awakening that has begun. Thank You for the millions of grace-salvations coming soon, the grace-returning of prodigals, the grace-deliverances, the grace-miracles, and the grace-reset of America. Thank You for the grace-cleansing and grace-healing of our land. As we eat the grace-meal tomorrow, we will remember that it is a celebration of Your abounding grace! We will also remember that Thanksgiving isn’t just America’s meal; this is the world’s meal. Thank You for saving a billion souls in the great grace-harvest that has begun. Thank You for a deluge of grace in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North and South America. Pour it out! Flood the earth with grace! Signs, wonders, miracles, dreams, visions, deliverances, radical salvations - all poured out by the Spirit of grace! We celebrate this with You! In Yeshua’s name. Amen. Our decree: We decree that every good and perfect gift is from the Father through Christ, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Click on the link below to watch the full video. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5485. https://www.gotquestions.org/charis-in-the-Bible.html   James Wuest,  Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, Vol 21  ( Eerdmans, 1997), pp. 138–139. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5483. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5486. William McRae, The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts   (Zondervan, 1976), p. 18. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,  ref no. 5487.

Introduction Yesterday, I shared some thoughts from the outstanding book, Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership , written a few years back by my friend, Clay Nash. I had the privilege of writing the foreword for this insightful book. Clay effectively points out MANY important principles of leadership and authority.  I’m going to share a few more insights from Clay’s book today: nine important traits of excellence regarding leadership. You would be wise to pick up this book. Today’s title is: Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership - Part 2 1. Forerunner A leader is a person who moves ahead first. Therefore, true leaders are forerunners. “Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:20) A forerunner is actually a Greek nautical term. When a ship got close to the shore, the forerunner would get out of the ship with a weighted rope and swim towards the shore, sounding the depth so the captain would know how close he could come to shore without running aground. Now, this could be pretty hazardous duty, especially at night or when the surf was rough. If the ship got in at midnight in stormy weather, it could be deadly. But the essence of the forerunner’s job was to determine suitable depth for the safety of the ship, not unlike spiritual leadership determining how much “depth” exists to safely move the organization. As such, a forerunner is a balancing force, mediating between the thrashing waves driving the ship towards a hazardous shore and the need to stabilize with an anchor.  2. Motivator A leader motivates others for a certain purpose or goal. True leaders can take a group of people to a place they might not desire to go and cause them to discover that they have a purpose there. The key to motivating people in less-than-desirable directions is to help them discover the purpose in being there. The thought of entering a crack-infested neighborhood is initially intimidating, threatening, and even repulsive. But the vision of saving the distraught souls caught in the web of drugs, violence, and death is inspiring to anyone inhabited with God’s redeeming nature. A leader blesses the people with the vision they need to move out into new and challenging territory. We tend to overcome our initial reluctance when we see God’s plan in a situation and when we trust the people who are leading us. 3. Attracts People Leaders attract and direct people to a certain course of action through persuasion, charisma, and example. And while the first two are important, it is the example set by the leader that seals the deal. I can be swayed by a powerful appeal; I can be drawn by personal magnetism. But when I encounter a leader willing to inhabit the same trenches that he or she is calling me to occupy, I know I have found someone worth following. I will listen to persuasion, I will notice charisma, but I will follow  example… 4. Direction and Structure  A leader gives directions and structure to others’ work and effort. Wise leaders do a lot of consulting with the people under them before ever taking action - they have to ask a lot of questions to learn what is truly going on before attempting to reorganize it. The deciding factor in true leadership is getting others on board with change, especially if that change affects their lives. It is not pleasant to face a group of people with a new plan if these people feel threatened by the plan. A true leader knows how to enlist others and can show them the benefits of embracing the changes.  5. Coordinates Ideas A leader recognizes and coordinates other people’s ideas, bringing diverse outlooks together into a fully functioning critical mass. Everybody sees life from a unique perspective, and each viewpoint has merit - even the unusual ones. Especially  the unusual ones. 6. Leads In Life A leader leads in all facets of life - he lives a life of holiness to the Lord that others may know and follow. Poor leaders think it is acceptable to lead in one area but ignore consecration in other areas of their personal lives. Yet the gold standard of true leadership is personal integrity as well as outward integrity. I am not saying a leader must be excellent at everything; everyone has areas of life stronger than others. But in all areas of life, we must be answerable to inquiry and accountability. A leader’s life is an open book, as much as some would like to ignore this fact. We cannot lead without revealing much about ourselves and our lives. 7. Instructs and Corrects A leader carries the authority to lead others by instruction and correction… Leading in correction is never easy, but it is vital. Imagine a ship with a fixed rudder. Without the ability to make course corrections, the ship is vulnerable to any current or wind that comes along. If we, as an organization - as a body - are to more accurately follow our Lord, then course corrections must become the norm. A leader’s job is to administer these in ways that bring life and fulfillment to all concerned. 8. Faces Own Faults A secure leader who has faced his own weaknesses will give the people under him the freedom to make mistakes. Some of the greatest discoveries in life are made while trying to do something and failing initially. People sometimes set out to do one thing, only to discover something greater in the process, even if it is simply the folly of their ways. Naturally, I want the people under me to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes I have made in developing my leadership skills, but I know this is not entirely possible. They will find ways to make new and novel mistakes that I never dreamed of! Such is the process we are engaged in.  9. Vulnerability  A leader is vulnerable, developing relationships with those they lead. We cannot lead without depending on others. The relationship between the leader and subordinates is a true symbiotic relationship; each needs the other. Without a vision, the people perish. Yet, without a people, the leader is just out for a walk. My Comments John Maxwell says, “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” (1)  All of us should desire to be more effective leaders, whether in a home, a classroom, a business, or a Bible study. These principles, and many others found in this insightful book, will, without a doubt, aid us in this. Pray with me: Father, too often those in leadership lead only from the safety of their desks, not the trenches. Jesus, God in the flesh, demonstrated true leadership by serving humankind on dusty roads, in crowded markets, on storm-tossed boats, and a rugged Cross. He came not to be served, but to serve, laying down His life for all (Matthew 20:28). We ask for more servant-leaders to be raised up in this hour. Men and women who walk in great authority and true humility. Miracle workers and foot-washers, great teachers and sincere listeners. Teach us that we go high by bowing low; our authority increases as our need for greatness decreases. Give us leaders with servant hearts in our churches and in our governments, in our homes and in our schools. May we lead by example, modeling Your heart as we lay down our lives daily.  And in closing, we remember to call forth the harvest of the ages. We will never stop doing so. Bring it! Turn up the heat, intensify the fire of revival. In Jesus’ name we cry out. Amen.  Our decree: We decree that servant-leaders are on the increase, and that this will produce great leaders.  Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from the book Relationship Authority: Authentic Leadership  written by Clay Nash. You can learn more about Clay at ClayNash.org . https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/798495-the-pessimist-complains-about-the-wind-the-optimist-expects-it

Introduction I’ve been rereading the outstanding book, Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership,  written a few years back by my friend, Clay Nash. I had the privilege of writing the foreword for this insightful book. Clay effectively points out that effective leadership, whether in the home, a business, a church, or a nation, requires authority; for authority to be honored from the heart and be truly life-giving, it must be relational. We will follow the person we trust, and trust the person we know. In a world where authority is often abused, it’s essential that we understand the guiding principles through which God intended it to operate. Whether it be healing the sick and casting out devils, overseeing our homes and families, running a church, operating a business, or managing a city, we must understand how God intended for authority to function.  Also, to follow authority confidently, we must understand its boundaries and guidelines. I’m going to share just a few highlights from Clay’s book today and tomorrow, although I will barely scratch the surface. You would be wise to pick up this book. Today’s title is: Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership, Part 1 Authority is powerful. Without it, nothing would ever get done. Authority is the ability to influence things, including people. The first thing God did after He made man was to give them a job. To get that job done, He gave them authority. Notice in Genesis that God brought all the animals to Adam to see what he would name them. Obviously, Adam had the authority to do what God called him to do. Everything about God is filled with authority. His love is filled with authority. His correction is filled with authority. His grace is filled with authority. Anything God commissions receives a portion of His authority. When God says to do something, the authority to accomplish it is delegated from Him: “ God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply: fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28) By virtue of the fact that God told man to fill the earth and subdue it, we can understand that man was also given the authority to accomplish this great commission. We can see clearly the importance of authority when we realize that a large part of what mankind lost in the fall was his God-given authority. This is why Jesus’ great triumph was in regaining authority - the authority originally given to man. Look at what scripture says about Jesus: “Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’” (Mark 1:27) “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”  (Luke 9:1) One of the last things Jesus spoke on earth to His disciples before ascending to heaven signified the key aspect of His ministry: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...’” (Matthew 28:18-20) Notice the connection between Jesus’ declaration of authority and the clear mandate to His disciples,  “Go therefore…” The disciples received authority, and they were sent out. [Clay thoroughly addresses the subject of illegitimate authority. Here are a few comments.] Yes, authority has been mishandled, misunderstood, and mistaken throughout the Body of Christ. In my thirty [now forty plus] plus years in the Lord’s ministry, I have seen the rich fruit of authentic authority, the ravages of lifeless authority, and everything in between. I have also seen how often authority is abused in the hierarchy of church government. Legitimate authentic authority must be discerned from false authority. False authority is not from God, nor does it serve God. It comes from the enemy, and in the long run, it seeks to destroy the things of God. John told us to try the spirits. When someone in our midst is prophesying - speaking words purported to be from God - I teach my people to sense the spirit in which the message is given. The spirit is more important than the words. Before we can allow someone’s spiritual energy to touch ours, we had better know the well from which they are drawing. But authority is our friend if we understand how to operate in it. Remember: authentic authority gets things done. It works together with us for our good. It propels us into greater works and richer lives. It is what Jesus came to earth to give us. [Clay points out the critical fact that those in authority are called to help us as servants.] It can often be a far stretch to see those in authority as servants, yet that is exactly what we read in Romans 13: “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” (Romans 13:4) The key here is in accepting a better translation of the word minister in this passage. The word actually means servant.  Whoever bears authority in your life is also a servant of God sent to help you. The policeman who gave me my first ticket was certainly not apologetic for the service he was providing, but in the long run, he may very well have saved my young, reckless life. My Finishing Comments What a different world it would be if everyone saw leadership authority as a responsibility to serve. Families would be healthier, churches would be stronger, businesses would be more productive, and nations would be more prosperous. Tomorrow, I’m going to share with you nine important traits regarding excellence in leadership, as outlined by Clay in his book. Pray with me: Father, in a power-hungry and money-hungry world, filled with leaders trying to satisfy their illegitimate cravings, people are looking for servant-motivated individuals. Jesus modeled this for us, and clearly said that true greatness in His kingdom required servanthood. Yet, it seems that so often the higher people climb the ladder of influence and power, the more they want to be served rather than serve. Teach us Your ways, for it is in Your precepts that we find true wisdom with which to lead. Work into us Your nature of humility that seeks to advance and serve others, not ourselves. Give us more leaders in our government who manifest this, and also in the church, as we begin mentoring the great harvest you are bringing into the Kingdom. Those who are saved will need humble and wise leaders to follow. Heal those who have been abused by authority and remove from them their fear. Give them the ability to trust once again. Place them in safe environments where they can receive help, grow, and safely develop their gifts. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Our decree: We decree that the coming revival will be led by servant-hearted leaders, which will generate great authority, power, and fruitfulness. Click on the link below to watch the full video. Today’s post was taken from the book Relationship Authority, Authentic Leadership,  written by Clay Nash. You can learn more about Clay at ClayNash.org .

The Advantage “It is to your advantage that I leave,” Jesus told His disciples (John 16:7). Can you imagine a more ridiculous-sounding statement? They had traveled with Him for three years, listening to Him expound on life, the ways of God, and the kingdom of heaven. His words carried such wisdom and authority that even His enemies said of Him,  “Never has a man spoken in the way this man speaks”  (John 7:46). The disciples had watched Him cure blind eyes, open deaf ears, heal paralytics, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead. Once, when He needed money, He procured it from the mouth of a fish. On another occasion, when He needed to cross a lake and didn’t have a boat handy, He simply walked on the water. And when storms tried to mess with Him, He knocked the wind out of them with the power of His words. Then, He has the audacity to tell these men, “I’m going to leave you, and it’s for your own good.” One can only imagine the shock and disbelief of the disciples.  “He is leaving us?! This is good?! We don’t think so!!!” Two understandings will help us embrace why Christ said, “It is to your advantage that I go away.” The first has to do with His use of the word advantage, or as the King James Version says, “expedient.” The Greek word is sumphero,  which means literally “to bring together.” (1)  And since bringing the right things or people together produces benefits or advantages, this Greek word was used for the concept of “expediency” or “gaining an advantage.” Christ was telling His disciples, “My departure will cause a new connection ( sumphero ) to take place for you. This ‘bringing together’ will be of great benefit to you, more so than even My physical presence.” The second piece of information that brings enlightenment to Christ’s words is an awareness of who He was going to connect the disciples with: Holy Spirit. Why would this relationship be so advantageous? Because Holy Spirit would be with them in spirit form, not in a flesh-and-blood body as Christ had been, and could therefore be everywhere at once. AND, He could actually be “in” them, not just “with” them (John 14:17). I don’t believe many of us come anywhere close to grasping this revelation in its fullness. Almighty God is in us. What might we be like if we received the full revelation of this? Perhaps we would become “little Christs”, which is the meaning of the word Christian . Perhaps Christ’s words concerning us doing the same works He did - and even greater works - would be fulfilled? We would no doubt be miracle workers, life transformers, fearless, completely unselfish, always led by Holy Spirit, and walk in perfect love.  The late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, states this regarding Holy Spirit:  “He guides us (John 1:13), empowers us (Micah 3:8), and makes us holy (Romans 15:16). He bears witness in our lives (Romans 8:16), comforts us (John 14:16-26), gives us joy (Romans 14:17)...
 “As our teacher of spiritual truths, the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds with insight 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 the 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.” (2) Holy Spirit is all of this and more. Though it isn’t often considered, He was Christ’s “Helper.” As a human, Jesus was filled with, led by, empowered by, and anointed by the Holy Spirit (see Luke 4). Acts 10:38 also tells us Christ derived His power and anointing from Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit resides in us and wants to be our source of power and strength. However, we often fail to make the connection, thereby preventing His power from flowing. A missionary, Herbert Jackson, told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push - popping the clutch, we sometimes call it. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. Jackson went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car to start it. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave his car running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly explained his method for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work. (3) Ouch! J.B. Phillips’ translation tells us in Ephesians 1:19,  “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with Holy Spirit, His life and power can flow through us. Don’t waste this amazing help. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” The term “fellowship” is from  koinonia  and is rich with meaning, revealing some of what the Holy Spirit wants to be in our lives. The following English words are all translations of koinonia : Fellowship - Holy Spirit wants to visit with us.
 Communion - Holy Spirit wants to commune with us.
 Sharing together - Holy Spirit wants to share His insights and power with us.
 Participation in or with - Holy Spirit wants to participate in our efforts and activities.
 Distribution - Holy Spirit wants to distribute revelation, gifts, anointings, and blessings to us.
 Impart - Holy Spirit wants to impart God’s nature and benefits to us.
 Partaking - Holy Spirit wants us to partake of His anointing and life.
 Partnership - Holy Spirit wants to partner with us.
 Companionship - Holy Spirit wants the pleasure of your company.
 “May the koinonia of the Holy Spirit be with you.” What a loaded statement. Get better acquainted with Holy Spirit! Pray with me: Thank you, Father, that after Your Son Jesus’ time on earth, You sent us another Helper, Holy Spirit, to dwell not just among us, but within  us. His indwelling is given to guide and empower us as we steward the great victory that Jesus won. We want to experience all of who He is and what He does. We don’t simply want to know about Him; we desire to have Him active in every part of our speech, actions, and thoughts. We want to manifest the empowerment for Christ-likeness and kingdom advancement that He brings.  Holy Spirit, You’re our connection to communion with the Father, to further glimpses of His depths, and to doing greater works than Jesus. Give us a full revelation of how we can be led by You in every way. Open the scriptures and position our hearts to understand koinonia  with You.  And Father, as revival unfolds in our land, this will be a pouring out of Holy Spirit. Pour Him into the young people of our nation until His presence floods every campus in America. Fill millions of youth with Holy Spirit.  And flood Washington, D.C., with Holy Spirit, also. Give wisdom and revelation to righteous leaders, leading them as they lead our nation. Make them aware of Your desire to help them, and then share Your insights and strategies for reforming our nation. Think through them! All of this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our decree: We declare that another great outpouring of Holy Spirit has begun in our land and around the world. We will not miss the time of our visitation! Watch the full video by clicking on the link below. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 4851.  Bill Bright, The Holy Spirit (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1980), pp. 116, 121, quoted in Robert Heidler, Experiencing the Spirit  (Ventura, CA: Renew Books, 1993), p. 182. Craig Brian Larson, Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching  (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), p. 182.