Monday Melange

Letter to the American Church from Eric Metaxas and Dutch Sheets. 

Idita-mess

The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is inexplicably committing seppuku. Who needs PETA when you have unsubstantiated #MeToo? First, the race cancelled Eddie Burke Jr. over an allegation, then reinstated him after the State dropped the charge, all within a matter of days. Then the race cancelled Brett Sass over never-filed allegations, ones that Sass vehemently denies.

Craig Medred reports on the Iditarod train wreck at his blog. Recommended reading.

Weather Alerts in Effect for Alaska Today

It's 5° F. this morning, and will be 21 and cloudy today. But big snowstorms are surrounding us.

Let It Pass Through the Fire

Everything is Coming to Light - Welcome the Fire!

by Dr. Greg Hood

Sometimes it may be hard to see, but God is moving in the world today. He’s establishing His Kingdom on earth, and He needs our participation. Yet we can easily ignore, overlook, or even misunderstand all that God is doing.

There is a difference between God working in our midst and God working through us. We are called to partner with God—speak His words, call forth His will, declare deliverance and freedom on the earth, but we can’t do that as long as we are out of step with Him. We must be focused on Him and not the conditions around us. On the surface, everything could be falling apart; it could look like it's going to hell, succumbing to sin. But on a deeper level, God is transforming our world, reclaiming it for His people. When we fail to discern what God is doing, we risk failing to do our part, even if that part is to stand fast, pray, prophecy, decree, and believe.

How do we share in what God is doing? How can we know what our part is? It starts in the core of our being, the place of surrender, honor, and reverence before God. It starts at the altar—the meeting place of God and man.

We read of a similar struggle in the life of the prophet Elijah, from 1 Kings 18.

This parallels where we are today in the United States and the world. We have, in large part, in times past, forsaken the ways of the Lord, and this has brought us to the place where we find ourselves, where deception and death reign through confusion, fear, and lawlessness.

Thankfully, our God is a saving God. Amen! He always does things with a redemptive purpose in mind. God is not finished with America. Indeed, the trouble we see on one level is a sign that He is working on another level. We might see the disrupted soil and question what God is doing, all the while missing the plow and the seeds of restoration being planted into the very fertile soil of this nation.

No, God has not determined which nations will be goat nations and which will be sheep nations. The world is changing; it is evolving, and growing. Nations can be turned and saved in a day. Understanding the message of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18 is key to our ability to begin posturing to reshape America again.

In this passage, the prophet Elijah meets with Ahab, the King of Israel, and tells him that he is troubling the nation because he has forsaken the commandments and direction of God. (A prophet confronting a government leader.) The trouble Elijah refers to is evidenced by a crippling drought that had afflicted Israel and its economy for several years.

Ahab followed his wife, Jezebel, and turned to Baal worship, a form of demonic paganism. Most of Israel follows Ahab’s example as Jezebel endeavors to slaughter all the prophets of God.

Elijah, at God’s command, is ready for a showdown, so he challenges Ahab to gather all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel.

Elijah is confident in the faithfulness of God, but note also, the confidence of the prophets of Baal. They go up to Mount Carmel fully expecting to prevail. Where does such confidence come from? It comes from past experience. God was not the only source of the supernatural in that day. As long as the people aligned themselves with the powers of darkness, the powers of darkness manifested.

Just as God is doing in America today, in this passage, God is letting things get to the breaking point for a reason, and that's to bring things to light.

This is the hour that we are living in. We must say to the people of this nation and the world, as Elijah said to Israel, “Come near to me. I have something to say; I have got something to show you.”

Still, there are a lot of words in circulation today, a plethora of prophetic messages and teachings. Some tell us to comply with the flow of society and the edicts of governmental authorities. Others implore us to separate and withdraw from the “world systems.” It seems that each side can support its position with Scripture. Most of us are just caught in the middle, confused and being pulled this way and that, struggling to hear God in the unpleasant, prolonged noise around us.

Like Elijah, we have to reach a place where we hear what God is saying. His voice! Not the voice of the media or conspiracy theorists, or doomsday prophets.

Elijah was confident that he had a word from God. Let’s face it: The odds of 850 to 1 are not very good odds...unless that one has the One True God on his side.

1 Kings 18:30-31 says, “And he [Elijah] repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob…”

Get this picture. Elijah has 850 frustrated and armed-to-the-teeth prophets of Baal ready for him to fail so they can cut him to bits, and the first thing he does is rearrange some rocks.

Really? The conversation could have gone something like this:

“Hey God, save me and Your nation of Israel from these demon-fed liars, but first, let me get these rocks in the right place.”

Yeah, that’s exactly what he did.

Elijah was challenging the reigning force of evil in his day, counting on God to respond to his preparation for the sacrifice. So, after arranging the rocks into an altar, he pours water all over it, soaking the wood, the dirt, and even the bull.

Think about this: why did he use all that water, especially in the midst of a three-year drought? Three reasons.

First, it’s clear that Elijah got the water from the people because, in 1 Kings 18, we see King Ahab sending people throughout the land to search for water and finding none. So, this must have been the populace’s personal stash. Now, imagine the faith it takes for the people to make such a sacrifice for that precious commodity. This is about more than showing down; it’s about having a dog in the hunt, like we say in the South. The people are being asked to commit life-giving water to prove that God is the God of Israel.

Secondly, Elijah needed to cleanse the altar, both physically and, more importantly, spiritually. The water represented a spiritual cleansing.

Ephesians 5:26 says, “So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”

Finally, the water demonstrated God’s dominion over the demonic realm. God had stopped the rain in Israel, and he would restore it...if the people gave their all.

They did, and God did, and the rest is history.

God heard Elijah’s prayer. The fire fell. The sacrifice was consumed. And the people were changed.

As great as this miracle was, it is too easy to focus on the spectacle of what God did and miss what it took for God to do it. If we are not careful, we can miss the true process at work as God performs miracle after miracle.

Elijah’s motive for following God was crucial to the successful outcome that day, just as our motives are for everything we do. If we are seeking to do anything instead of expanding the Kingdom of God and turning people’s hearts to God, then we are missing the mark. Even if we are having great success, drawing people to us, exercising our gifts, or seeing fire fall from heaven. If our motives are wrong, we are on the pathway to error. We cannot allow that to happen. We have to keep our hearts constantly before the Father.

Elijah knew that the stakes could not have been greater. The fate of God’s nation hung in the balance, as does America’s today. Evil reigned, figuratively and literally, for years. It was time to right that wrong. And yet, the first thing he did was rebuild the altar of God that had been torn apart through Baal worship.

It is time to take up our part in rebuilding the broken altar of the Lord—the place where God meets man, and the fire of God falls. God does not reveal His presence just anywhere. There has to be an altar—a surrender, a sacrifice, a place satisfactory to God to pour out His Holy Spirit into the earth.

Pray with me:

Father, we thank You for what You are doing in America and the world, even though we don’t like some of what we are seeing. We know it is necessary. We thank You that You have called us to partner with You in this great restoration process. We are asking You to give us ears to hear what YOU are saying to us, Your Ekklesia. Give us the boldness of Holy Spirit in order that we stand and act in the face of great evil. Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we will stand. We will be God’s voice to this Nation of purpose as it goes through this cleansing process, and turns its heart back to Jesus Christ! We decree, Light of God, come and expose the evil. Fire of God, come and consume it! Rain of God, come and restore us! America, move into the salvation God has provided for you through the Kingship of Jesus Christ.

                                        Copyright © 2023 Dutch Sheets Ministries, All rights reserved.

Consecrating the Supreme Court

by Dutch Sheets 

A despot is a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power. Despotism, then, is absolute power or control; tyranny. With these definitions in mind, consider the following statement from Thomas Jefferson, who said on September 28, 1820:

"You seem...to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the DESPOTISM of an oligarchy…

“Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so...and their power (is) the more dangerous, as they are in office for life and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control…The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with corruptions of time and party, its members would become DESPOTS." (Stated in a letter to William Jarvis, Sept. 28, 1820)(1)

Unfortunately, Jefferson’s warning proved to be all too accurate. Sixty-plus years ago, the progressive, liberal left in America decided the best way, possibly the only way, to impose their will on the American people was not at the ballot box or through a legislature; it was through the Supreme Court. The inappropriate belief that the Supreme Court had supreme power over all would allow only five unelected people on the bench to impose and enforce their will over 300,000,000 Americans.

Five people.

Only five individuals were needed to remove God and His principles from American schools, government, and the public square. They could trample on constitutional rights, make the right to murder babies the law of the land, and overrule the will of the people in 30 states, who agreed with God that marriage was between one man and one woman. No entity or group has allowed more evil into America than the Supreme Court. Despotism, indeed.

On June 26, 2015, five Justices decided they had the right to redefine a 6000-year-old definition of marriage - one clearly given by God, mind you, and defining a covenant He instituted! Just let that sink in: five people (two of whom had participated in gay wedding ceremonies, yet refused to recuse themselves), arrogantly granted themselves the “authority” to overrule God…and the American people. The deception and arrogance of this is mind numbing.

Regarding this, Justice Alito said:

"Today's decision usurps the constitutional right of the people to decide whether to keep or alter the traditional understanding of marriage...

“All Americans, whatever they’re thinking on that issue, should worry about what the majority's claim of power portends."(2)

The late Justice Scalia said:

"I write separately to call attention to this Court's threat to American democracy... Today's decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court...

“This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied (as it is today) by extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776 - the freedom to govern themselves…To allow the policy question of same-sex marriage to be considered and resolved by a select, patrician, highly unrepresentative panel of nine is to violate a principle even more fundamental than no taxation without representation: no social transformation without representation."(3)

Praying for the Supreme Court

On my first visit to the Supreme Court 30 years ago, I heard Holy Spirit say, as clearly as I have ever heard Him speak to me, “Now I am going to show you where the strong man over America lives.” The words “strong man” were taken from the passage of Scripture in Matthew 12:29 and Mark 3:27. This did not mean that all of the Justices were evil, or that the institution itself was evil. It meant that satan had established a stronghold there from which to implement his plans and control our nation. Part of my assignment since that day has been to see the stronghold broken.

Many others have been assigned this task, as well, and not just through prayer. Numerous leaders have worked tirelessly to oppose the Court’s control, and to seat appropriate Justices on the bench. Wise Justices have opposed this despotism from the bench itself, as illustrated by the words of Alito and Scalia. I believe we are making significant progress in expelling the strong man. The Dobbs decision, June 24, 2022, is but one indicator of this.

Several weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a prayer event in D.C., hosted by Phillip Jauregui and his Judicial Action Group (JAG). The timing was the opening day of the new term of the Court. The purpose was to pray for all nine Justices, doing so with heartfelt love and compassion. The specific phrase used as the goal of our prayers was “Consecrate the Supreme Court.” Mr. Jauregui felt that Holy Spirit gave him this phrase and assignment.

The language is unique; I had never before heard this or any similar phrase used in the context of prayer for the Court. My first impression was actually the need to discern whether or not he had truly heard from Holy Spirit. Jauregui also was wisely and humbly seeking counsel from others as to whether or not this was appropriate, something the Lord would lead us to do. I sensed almost immediately and very strongly that it was.

I have studied and understand the word “consecrate,” with an awareness of what doing this would indicate. This understanding made the assignment extremely significant to me, and I believe it will for you also. The primary Hebrew word for “consecrate” in Scripture is qadash,(4) also translated as “sanctify.” Another Hebrew word used for consecrate is nazar/nazir.(5)

Both Hebrew words have in their primary meaning the concept of separation.Whereas nazar emphasizes more the concept of separation from, as in a Nazarite vow (don’t do or touch certain things), qadash emphasizes separation unto, as in separation unto the Lord. Qadash is the dedication of a person or thing to God and His purposes. In Scripture, many things were separated unto the Lord: people, places, items (in the temple), clothing (of the priests), days, and even events, such as fasts.

Typically, when God was about to do something significant in the life of Israel, He told the people to consecrate (qadash) themselves to Him (Exodus 19:10, Joshua 3:5, Joel 2:12-32). In doing so, He was saying, “Come to Me; separate yourselves unto Me; I need for you to draw near, dedicating yourselves to Me…at a heart level.” Yahweh wanted THEM, their hearts, not animal sacrifices. The sacrifices were only to prepare the way for the people to draw near to Him. He wanted a relationship and partnership with them.

Re-dedicate the Court

I knew that when God said to re-dedicate or consecrate (qadash) the Court to Him, this meant He wanted to do something very significant in this branch of our government. It meant that necessary things had taken place - prayers, repentance, actions, and other influences - that would allow this institution to be re-dedicated to Him, and also to the purposes for which it was established.

Obviously, that does not mean the Supreme Court will become a religious institution or be controlled by a religious group. It would mean that God’s intent for institutions of government can now be fulfilled through them. The concept and function of government flow to us from God (Isaiah 33:22), whether in a home, a city, or a nation; and I am confident this is exactly what our Founders intended. They wanted our government to rule “under God”: with His authority and heart, implementing His precepts and laws, ensuring liberty and justice in America.

Simply stated, for God to say, “Consecrate the Supreme Court,” would have to mean we have reached a point where He can shift it back into an institution that honors Him; and into one that honors the original intent for which it was established. This does not imply that those on the Court will be perfect, any more than those in ancient Israel who were separated unto the Lord became perfect or sinless. Nor does it mean the change of which I speak will happen immediately. But it does mean we have reached another phase in the process of shifting the Supreme Court.

Keep praying, my friend. 

Pray with me:

Father, we in America have taken many of the blessings You gave us and defiled them. Like the prodigal son, we have squandered Your prosperity, using it to satisfy our lusts. We have used our liberties and freedoms to satisfy our flesh. We have distorted and twisted the great Constitution You gave us, turning it into a meaningless piece of paper. And we have abandoned the purpose for which You created America: partnering with You to save the world. Many Americans have repented of these things, and we continue to humble ourselves before You in repentance.

We turn our attention today to the Supreme Court of America. Through this institution, we have rejected You, life, the covenant of marriage You established, and more. We have arrogantly ruled against You, and we have paid for this rebellion with the loss of tens of millions of Americans. Today, we repent and ask for Your mercy. The blood of Jesus was sprinkled on a “Mercy Seat,” and we ask for this mercy.

We also join our prayers today with the powerful prayers issued just a few nights ago in Washington, D.C., consecrating this Court once again to You. YOU birthed America and our government. YOU instituted all government. We call the Court back under YOUR plans, purposes, precepts, and laws. We dedicate the Supreme Court to YOU and ask that You change all that needs changing. Turn hearts that need turning, and fill this branch of government and its building with Your presence once again. We ask all of this in the holy and all-powerful name of Yeshua. Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that the Supreme Court of the United States is once again consecrated and dedicated to Almighty God, Creator and Owner of all the earth.

(You can learn more about JAG, the Judicial Action Group, by visiting ,JudicialActionGroup.com.)

1. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-16-02-0234

2. https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/justice-alitos-dissent-ssm-case-ed-whelan/

3. https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/2016_0427_cohenstatement.pdf

4. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6942.

5. Ibid. Ref. no. 5144.

                       Copyright © 2023 Dutch Sheets Ministries, All rights reserved.

America's Christian Heritage

An important word from Dutch Sheets' "Give Him 15" prayer page:

It seems appropriate to quote from some of America’s history. Sometimes we “move on” too quickly. The following prayers and quotes are from some of America’s Founders and Presidents.

The following prayer was “adapted from Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, which he wrote on June 8, 1783, as the commander in chief, at his headquarters in Newburgh, New York. This circular was directed to the governors and states of the new nation. His reference to them has been replaced by the words ‘the United States.’ Otherwise, the words and the spellings are those of General George Washington of the Continental Army.”

“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Devine Author of our blessed Religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Amen.”(1)

On June 28, 1787, when our framers were struggling to agree on a suitable Constitution, Benjamin Franklin - considered one of the least spiritual of the Founders - made the following statement. His appeal began the practice of opening sessions of Congress with prayer: 

“The small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance & continual reasonings with each other -- our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics, which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed the Modern States all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

“In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine Protection. -- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence, we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without [H]is notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without [H]is aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without [H]is concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest.

“I, therefore, beg leave to move -- that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service.” (2)

Abraham Lincoln wrote the following proclamation to Americans on March 30, 1863: 

“Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation:

“And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord:

“And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

“Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

“All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.” (3)

In 1911, the year before he was elected president, Woodrow Wilson assured the listeners that he was right with the Lord, and said:

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask of every man and woman in this audience that from this night on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations -- that if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Scripture." (4)

On one of his famous radio addresses, FDR said the following:

"No greater thing could come to our land today than a revival of the spirit of religion -- a revival that would sweep through the homes of the nation and stir the hearts of men and women of all faiths to a reassertion of their belief in God and their dedication to His will for themselves and for their world. I doubt if there is any problem -- social, political, or economic -- that would not melt away before the fire of such a spiritual awakening." (5)

And finally, President Harry Truman, in a 1950 speech before a conference on law enforcement, said:

"THE FUNDAMENTAL basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, Isaiah, and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days.

"If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally wind up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state." (6) Selah - pause and think about that one!

So much for the revisionist attempts to steal our Christian heritage. It is there, and it will remain. Put yourself in the storyline, agree with these leaders - help create the synergy of the ages, and appeal to heaven. It still works.

Pray with me:

Father, this week during which America will honor a National Day of Prayer, we look back at our beginning and thank You. Thank You for righteous women and men who believed Your Word, honored the gospel of Christ, and realized that unless You built America, they - and we - labored in vain. Though their words have been dishonestly and shamefully hidden, they are on record and alive in Heaven. We honor these words, agree with them, and declare them over America today.

You told Jeremiah his words, given to him by You, would “pluck up…break down…destroy…overthrow…build and plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). Surely our Spirit-led words, authorized by Jesus, can do the same. You said Your Words are Spirit and life (John 6:63), a spiritual sword (Ephesians 6:17), and seeds that birth and bear fruit (Mark 4:14; 1 Peter 1:23). Therefore…

Our decree:

We boldly decree today: America was birthed by God for His purposes, those purposes are alive and well, and America shall be saved!

1. 1/https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-tombs/george-washingtons-prayer-for-his-country/

2. 2. ranklin, Benjamin. “Constitutional Convention Address on Prayer.” June 28, 1787. Philadelphia, PA.

3. 3. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=lincoln;rgn=div1;view=text;idno=lincoln6;node=lincoln6:336

4. 4. https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true

5. 5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/09/21/fdr-invoked-god-too/741f9d68-057c-4bf3-b0be-6faca4c8e2ef/

6. 6. https://www.pureflix.com/insider/5-founding-fathers-and-presidents-powerful-quotes-about-god-prayer?hs_amp=true

The Pride

Cattle move in herds. Birds travel in flocks. Fish swim in schools. Bees move in swarms. Ants move in colonies. I learned recently that in ocean life, whales travel in pods. But when it comes to lions, they travel and live in communities that are called prides.

Lions are symbols of strength, fierceness, and courage, and have been celebrated throughout history for these characteristics. They are commonly known as symbols of royalty and stateliness, carrying the identity as “king of the jungle.” Lions are the only big cats to live in groups called prides. Prides are close family groups. They work together to defend territory and hunt.

Our “pride” carries the royal commission to protect and defend our spiritual territory and region, and to stay on the aggressive hunt for the advancement of His glory. The pride is a culture of love, intimacy, passion, loyalty, honor, and sacrifice. They are lovers, worshippers, intercessors, watchmen, and gatekeepers known for their sacrifice and servanthood. It’s here within the pride we discover other lions and lionesses that have covenant hearts and who work to build the culture of untamed and radical faith. The soul of the pride is made alive by the presence of Jesus.

Their greatest privilege of all is learning and moving with The Lion King Himself. Jesus—the Creator of the universe—identifies Himself with the Lion. He is eternally called the “Lion from The Tribe of Judah”—the heir to David’s throne who has won our victory (Revelation 5:5).

As much as religion has tried to tame and domesticate Jesus, He’s not tame. He’s wild. His love is most fierce—burning with intensity, strength, force, power, and aggression. Many have only seen and discovered the attributes of The Lamb in gentleness, kindness, and meekness, yet The Lord longs for all to encounter Him as The Lion of fierce, burning, all-powerful, and all-consuming love.

Our Lion is triumphant. He is victorious and reigning in great glory and majesty!

If we are going to look into the eyes of The Lion, we need to be prepared for the unexpected. This Lion will break your heart but in the best way. This is necessary for true friends of the Lion. God told Job, “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.” (Job 38:3). When we look into the eyes of The Lion, He will impart His eternal burning and holy passions, and we need to “brace ourselves” for the impact. Friends of the Lion need their hearts broken and consumed with His desires, dreams, and wonders.

It will take great courage to fix our gaze in His eyes. You’ll be tempted to turn your head away because your eyes will become rivers of tears. Your heart will be broken and awakened in the depths of your own spirit. Your wells of compassion will burst because suddenly you will see them and hear them. These are the lives, the cries, and voices of a lost generation—wandering souls in darkness. You’ll smell the stench of social decay and corruption coming up out of our cities. You’ll feel the indescribable pain and yearning for our Nation’s deliverance from this gross cloud of deception and hopelessness. Your reluctance and resistance to feeling this pain and agony of those lost will begin to melt like wax in His presence. The insulation that we built to keep the borders and boundaries from the world will come tumbling down. You will hear His roar and tremble at His voice.

Isaiah 66 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word...” Those who hear the roar of our triumphant Lion will tremble at the sound of His voice. Sometimes, following The Lion can be frightening. Jesus said:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The Message translation reads, “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat, I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me, and I’ll show you how.” When you follow The Lion, you deny yourself. This is what true courage is.

Moses had to take courage and deny himself. God had heard the cries coming up out of Egypt, and Moses was commissioned back into the devil’s playground—the land of slavery, bondage, and spiritual darkness—to rescue the children of Israel. Yes, following the Lion can be frightening. Moses would be just one man going into an epic battle against an entire nation. God had plans to transform this struggling man into a hero. He would take a murderer and make him a mighty deliverer. He would transform a shepherd into a courageous prophet and messenger. Moses would go from being a wanderer to a mighty unstoppable leader. How does this happen? Through encountering, trusting, and staying with the victorious Lion.

I have good news for you. There is no easy road available for you. What? Yes, you read that correctly. There will be no easy and safe passage in the call of God. It will be dangerous, but that is why The Lion chose to make His home within you. Everywhere the kingdom of God advances, there is a violent engagement against the dark kingdom. Regardless of the cost, the warfare, or the sacrifice we must go. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Like Jesus, we too must live according to the agenda of His Father. That’s what sets the course for our mission and lifestyle.

I know this is strong, but I need to tell you that none of us who really claim to know and honor Jesus can refuse the path He calls us to walk upon. He promises to lead; you just have to courageously follow and trust The Lion. Jesus will lead you and me into the very heart of the dark kingdom, into the soul of evil, to bear His light and power. We can’t go on believing that the life of faith is not a life of risk. He will lead us where mankind has chosen to hide their darkness and shame.

Just as He sent Moses, He will send you to bring liberty to the captives. Just as the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus, Jesus will commission you.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me, to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18,19)

Our commission is to invade the darkness and to bring freedom, victory, and healing—to loose the captives of our generation. The Holy Spirit desires to breathe upon us to receive His burning obsession. The Holy Spirit desires His lions and lionesses to receive their assignment and carry the torch of His presence into the darkest corners of the earth. The world needs the lions, who come roaring boldly with revelation and experiential truth of The Lion King, speaking the truth in love and bearing the power with it. We don’t move forward from a place of mere sympathy, but from a burning authority to conquer the dark kingdom with weapons that are unstoppable.

We haven’t been commissioned in our own strength, gifts, talents, and abilities. We have been commissioned in the power of The Spirit—the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that lives and dwells with you. The Holy Spirit’s power is greater than all the armies of the earth combined. If that is so, what are we going to do with it? How will we steward this level of power and authority? What can God do through a man, a woman, a teenager, or any individual fully surrendered to the Spirit of God who will courageously carry the call? Heaven is still seeking and imploring the earth, “Who will go for us?” The Holy Spirit is asking, “Who shall I send?"

Is it you?

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Let’s Pray Together:

Heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your Spirit, lambs are becoming lions. May we carry the royal commission to protect and defend our spiritual territory and region, and to stay on the aggressive hunt for the advancement of His glory. May we learn to move with The Lion King. May we not be tamed by a spirit of religion or a spirit of this age. May we look into the eyes of The Lion and allow Him to change and transform us this day. May we obey You at all costs and move in Your courage and anointing. May we move with the Spirit to carry the torch of Your Presence into darkness. May we never retreat when it is difficult and painful. May Your Holy Spirit ignite our faith to be radical and untamed.

Our Decree:

Heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your Spirit, in You, we live, we move, and we exist—Your lambs are becoming lions.

Until I see you next time on here on Give Him 15, I’m Brian Gibbs, and remember this, my friends—the future doesn’t belong to the God-haters nor to the God-mockers. The future belongs to the righteous—and the righteous are bold as lions.


Be blessed and keep the fire burning!

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