An evening at the Keppel Club in Singapore with Operation Mobilisation (OM) co-founder, Dale Rhoton, and his wife, author of The Doulos Story, Elaine Rhoton, turned out to be both delightful and inspirational, expressed OM worker See Keen, who attended the event.

After more than 50 years of service in OM, the gentle, unassuming couple still supports the ministry actively—the latest being travelling to Singapore and strengthening ties with OM supporters.

Their visit to OM’s ship Logos Hope, which was docked in Singapore for installation work under the Power Up Logos Hope project, also greatly encouraged many.

When asked how OM was birthed, Dale revealed that it was essentially prayer. The OM movement was borne out of a prayer room in Chicago in the 1950s where OM founder, George Verwer, Dale and a small group of Bible college students met.

Dale recalled that George suddenly jolted during the prayer, exclaiming that God was pointing them to Mexico. From that defining moment, the group started the work of transporting Christian books and tracts into Mexico. This was how Operation Mobilisation was formed in 1957.

“What a reminder this is for us to return to the prayer room today to seek the heart of our heavenly Father,” said See Keen. “From within the prayer room, God’s multiple movements await to be ignited.”

What are you believing God for? What is it that you have been crying out to Him about on behalf of yourself, your family or ministry? May I suggest to you that your breakthrough may be closer than you think? In fact, in may only be one step away.

This was the case for Moses and the children of Israel over 5,000 years ago. They found themselves in a desperate place right on the brink of a miracle—literally! God had promised them deliverance from the cruel bondage of Pharaoh and Egypt into their own land, the Promise Land. What stood between them and the promise of God was a large body of water, the Red Sea and a few steps!

We recount the story in Exodus 14:13-15: “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’ And the Lord said to Moses,  ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.'”

Those words may be the very ones you need to hear from God today. His promises to you may seem so out of reach that you have a difficult time believing they will ever come to pass. You may have prayed and confessed until there is nothing left for you to do. Many times, we are waiting on God to move, but often, He is waiting on us. He desires us to follow Him so closely that when His spirit says, “Move!” we get marching. Yes, beloved, He wants us that near to Him.

Obedience always opens the door for God to move in our lives. Whether it is obedience to what we read in His Word or something His Spirit prompts us to do, it is always for our freedom and His glory. We not only see this in this story, but I can personally attest to this being the way that God has worked in my life.

Imagine Moses and the children of Israel on the edge of the Red Sea. The air is filled with the noise and movement of millions of people on the brink of a miracle. The fear, anticipation, and awe of what has been promised is so thick you can feel it all around you. Then the command comes for Moses to raise his rod over the sea as the people have already been commanded to move. As they look back, the Egyptians pursuing them on their horses fill the landscape and their hearts with the worst fear of their lives. Yet something in them strongly urges their feet forward and as they crowd together and move swiftly. The Red Sea begins to make a way for them. Their Strong Deliverer makes a way for them!

So what is between you and your promise? The air of your life may be filled with fears and doubts that were present that day in Egypt, but let these next verses give you great courage, “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Ex. 14:21-22). They were leaving bondage and heading into the promises of God. And to think, it all began with taking one step of faith!

Gabby Heusser has a passion to see people come to intimately know Jesus Christ. Her heart is for them to experience His love and presence in a very tangible way. She desires all to live in the freedom and wholeness that Jesus died to bring. Gabby graduated from Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas. It was there she met her husband, Andy, and is blessed to serve alongside him in ministry. She frequently has the opportunity to share God’s love with women through teaching, writing, mentoring and praying with them. Together, Gabby and her husband have two daughters, Sarah and Emily, and live in Salem, Oregon. 

“All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men [and women and children] to do nothing.” —Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

She “just didn’t think it was fair”? That’s what actress Jemima Kirke recently said in reference to her child that she aborted years ago in college. She didn’t think it was fair to give birth to a child when she wasn’t ready to be a parent.

Her comments remind me of President Ronald Reagan’s comment, “I’ve noticed that everyone who’s for abortion has already been born.”  

We’ve all heard someone say, whether talking about abortion or not, some variation on the sentiment, “It would be wrong to bring a child into this horrible world.” But really, if it’s such a horrible world, why are we so busy pursuing and often finding our own happiness? If the world is so terrible that a child would be better off dead, how is it that the world is an OK or even a great place for us?

The answer, of course, is that when we say it wouldn’t be fair to bring a child into the world, what we really mean is that it wouldn’t be fair to us. 

That’s even what’s going on in the rape, incest and human trafficking debates. Since abortion can’t cure any of these evils, is it fair to further victimize the women and their babies with more pain and subsequent death of their babies and maybe themselves? Isn’t it time to speak up and tell the truth?

The four words to change everything? Overcome evil with good, like in Romans 12:21.

Let’s talk more about fair and unfair. In Georgia, where I live, a court case has just concluded where “APS 11” school teachers were involved in what’s being called the worst cheating scandal in our nation’s history.  

Apparently, since 2005 a number of Atlanta elementary school teachers have provided students the answers to tests or changed the students’ answers on papers so as to improve test scores. By improving test scores, these teachers got raises.

While these educators and their superiors lined their pockets, however, their students were denied a proper education. Children were promoted who couldn’t read and write in accordance with their grade levels. Federal money that could have paid for remedial education for these youngsters was never used because their teachers were lying about their achievement.  

Years of high level profiteering may have dulled the consciences of those involved—I don’t know. I wonder, though, how much or even if these teachers and their superiors thought about the students they were using for financial gain. Did they tell themselves that they were helping kids by making them look good on paper? It’s all so unfair. 

So several of the teachers are facing jail sentences. A day of reckoning has arrived.  

That day always arrives, no matter how much we try to tell ourselves it never will.

When the world comes crashing down on the falsehoods we tell ourselves, we are left facing harsh realities. When it’s all too obvious that we were only thinking of ourselves, the words, “I was only thinking of [fill in the blank],” don’t fly anymore. What a downright frightening place to be.

I don’t mean to point fingers here. All of us, without exception, will face judgment. It may not be in a court of law in Fulton County or in the court of public opinion, but that day is coming and it will come like a thief in the night.

The question we must all consider is, are we ready to love and forgive?  

Every single person faces poverty and abuse in life, either in their pockets or their hearts—obviously, some more than others. Economic or spiritual poverty, physical or mental abuse, or a lack of love, are faced by countless numbers of people. All of these things are horrible, but they can be overcome—by love.  

And when we’ve already made bad decisions it’s never too late for love and forgiveness.

When we read, see or hear the news, there are many stories that Uncle MLK called “man’s inhumanity to man.” But there are always stories of love and forgiveness as well; we just don’t usually see enough of good news in the media. Yet, if we look hard enough, beyond our selfish needs and problems, we can see that there is still good in the world around us; because God is good. 

Sometimes people forget this. Preachers, politicians, rich business owners, everyday people; we all tend to forget sometimes that we really aren’t running this show. It’s time to give the reins back to God isn’t it?

God’s love bears fruit in the actions of those once broken and now healing. We have all been born broken—let us desire the Truth and let the healing begin.

Alveda King is author of King Rules, Founder of Alveda King Ministries, Director of African American Outreach for Priests for Life, and spiritual adviser for Restore the Dream 2015. 

Most churches in America were birthed in an era when consensual sex between two persons of the same gender was a criminal offense, same-sex marriage was illegal, and homosexuality was viewed as deviant behavior. Until 1974, the American Psychiatric Association literally classified homosexuality as a mental illness. However, the old adage is true: “Time brings about a change.”

In the dawning of this new millennium, homosexuality has burst out of the closet and into the mainstream of American life and society. Satan has strategically and successfully sought to secure sanctioning for same-sex marriage in every sector of American society. The same-sex marriage quest for acceptance is now knocking at the door of God’s sanctuaries, seeking a seat at the leadership table under the banner marked “justice” and “equality.”

To deny the LGBT gay-rights movement a place at the table is considered by “welcome and affirming churches” to represent discrimination, bigotry, homophobia, theological ignorance and/or Bible idolatry. Curiously, when President Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Jesse Jackson stated during the 2008 presidential campaigns that they believed marriage was exclusively defined between one man and one woman, none of them were called or viewed as bigots or biblically ignorant.

The number of denominations, churches, affinity groups and divinity schools granting the LGBT community a seat at the table is increasing. However, the, traditionally orthodox, Bible-believing, conservative evangelical wing of the church, including the National Baptist Convention, with which Cornerstone Baptist Church, which I pastor in Arlington, Texas, is affiliated, has not recognized the LGBT community as a valid social or denominational category for three primary reasons:

• We believe that the Bible teaches that all sex outside of God’s plan for marriage is sin, an historical tradition held by the church and most societies on the planet for more than 5,000 years;

• We believe that the Bible teaches that no person is born a homosexual or with a homosexual orientation;

• We believe that the Bible speaks clearly, unequivocally and eternally regarding homosexuality, and strongly condemns same-sex relationships—married or unmarried—in addition to forbidding fornication and adultery.

For evangelicals to change their position on homosexuality, the Bible would have to change; and obviously that is not going to happen.

Over the past 40 years, how did we move from homosexuality being medically diagnosed as “mental illness,” homosexual acts classified as a felony and same-sex marriage being illegal, to all of this behavior being “welcomed and affirmed” and approved under the banner of “justice” and “equality” by every sector of society, except evangelical churches that still adhere to God’s plan for sexuality and marriage based on a biblical worldview?

Reportedly, major high-profile charitable foundations have donated several million dollars to gay-friendly, black-led, nonprofit, educational, ecclesiastical and “social justice” entities, in order to persuade the African-American community to accept homosexuality. Lee Daniels, who also is black and gay, is the creator of Empire, the popular prime time hip-hop “family” drama series on the Fox network. He was bold and brazen enough to admit to The New York Times that the purpose of Empire was to “blow the lid off homophobia” in the African-American community, primarily through the depiction of the hostile relationship between the show’s lead character and his gay son.

Consequently, black church leadership are beginning to see “leaks in the dam,” related to compromise on same-sex-marriage. We recently witnessed Bishop Yvette Flunder—the face of the “I’m Black, I’m Gay, I’m Christian and I’m Proud” Movement—introduce her legal female spouse in a worship setting to an enthusiastic applause from a primarily “welcome and affirming” audience in the Baptist World Center on the campus of American Baptist College (ABC), at the headquarters of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. This was truly an historic hour in a black Baptist worship context—one that I’d thought that I would never, ever see.

ABC President Dr. Forrest Harris’ adamant stand in support of gay marriage is in defiance of The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), the national agency that has granted accreditation for the next 10 years, based on the School’s affirmation of the following statement: “We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.” Gay marriage advocacy and the infallibility of Scripture cannot be reconciled.

Currently, same-sex marriage has been sanctioned in 37 states, more often by activist courts overturning popular votes or state legislators. It is a very high probability that by late June of this year, the Supreme Court of the U.S. will provide a federal sanction of same-sex marriage in every state in the nation. The only hope that same-sex marriage does not become the law of the land this calendar year is that the Church comes together across racial and denominational lines, and holds a Solemn Assembly, seeking God’s face to Divinely intervene and prevent this from happening. Nevertheless, the Church needs to be prepared to address our position on homosexuality regardless of the outcome of the pending Supreme Court decision.

The major social question with such spiritual, theological, ecclesiastical and political ramifications that America faced the first 200-plus years of her existence—that took a war to partially resolve—was the question of civil rights for people of color.

The next major social question that America and her churches will face the next two centuries and beyond, if the Lord tarries His coming, is the question of whether the LGBT community can or should be recognized by churches and in every realm of society as a distinct social category deserving the same kind of constitutional and ecclesiastical rights to which people of color are entitled? Resolving this question will not result in another civil war, but I predict it will produce a social/ecclesiastical war the likes of which we’ve never seen.

According to fellow Dallas pastor Pete Briscoe, “The quintessential challenge for churches and ministries today, is how to be a grace-based institution in our combustible culture.” Recognizing that all people are created in the image of God, the controversies surrounding homosexuality are not about “being,” but rather about “behavior.”

The difference between the rights of the people of color, and the non-rights for the LGBT is this: This is not a color issue, it is a character issue; this is not a justice issue; it is a righteousness issue.

Will we let Lee Daniels, Bishop Flunder, Dr. Forrest Harris and corporate America change our minds? Heavens no! However, Christ ministered in both grace and truth. The evangelical church must not share only share truth with the homosexual, but also administer grace. God help us to do so!

Pastor William Dwight McKissic Sr., is founding senior pastor of the more than 3,000-member Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, a leader in the National Baptist Convention and served as a trustee of Southwestern Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this: Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.

Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old—barely out of diapers—and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, “An enterprise. That’s a business.” After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha’s raised hand, “Yes, Martha.” She asked such a simple question, “A business? But isn’t it supposed to be a body?” I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, “Yes.” She continued, “But when a body becomes a business, isn’t that a prostitute?”

The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, “Wow, I wish I’d thought of that.” I didn’t dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class.

Martha’s question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. “When a body becomes a business, isn’t that a prostitute?” There is only one answer to her question. The answer is “Yes.” The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don’t even know Him; and I mean really know Him.

What do I mean when I say “really know Him?” Our understanding of knowing and knowledge stems from our Western culture (which is based in ancient Greek philosophical thought). We believe we have knowledge (and, by extension, wisdom) when we have collected information. A collection of information is not the same thing as knowledge, especially in the culture of the Bible (which is an eastern, non-Greek, culture). In the eastern culture, all knowledge is experiential. In western/Greek culture, we argue from premise to conclusion without regard for experience—or so we think.

An example might be helpful here. Let us suppose a question based upon the following two premises: First, that wheat does not grow in a cold climate and second, that England has a cold climate. The question: Does wheat grow in England? The vast majority of people from the Western/Greek culture would answer, “No. If wheat does not grow in a cold climate and if England has a cold climate, then it follows that wheat does not grow in England.” In the eastern culture, the answer to the same question, based on the same premises, most likely would be, “I don’t know. I’ve never been to England.” We laugh at this thinking, but when I posed the same question to my friends from England, their answer was, “Yes, of course wheat grows in England. We’re from there, and we know wheat grows there.” They overcame their cultural way of thinking because of their life experience. Experience trumps information when it comes to knowledge.

A similar problem exists with our concept of belief. We say we believe something (or someone) apart from personal experience. This definition of belief is not extended to our stockbroker, however. Again, allow me to explain. Suppose my stockbroker phones me and says, “I have a hot tip on a stock that is going to triple in price within the next week. I want your permission to transfer $10,000 from your cash account and buy this stock.” That’s a lot of money for me, so I ask, “Do you really believe this stock will triple in price, and so quickly?” He/she answers, I sure do.” I say, “That sounds great! How exciting! So how much of your own money have you invested in this stock?” He/she answers, “None.”

Does my stockbroker believe? Truly believe? I don’t think so, and suddenly I don’t believe, either. How can we be so discerning in the things of this world, especially when they involve money, and so indiscriminate when it comes to spiritual things? The fact is, we do not know or believe apart from experience. The Bible was written to people who would not understand the concepts of knowledge, belief, and faith apart from experience. I suspect God thinks this way also.

So I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God—much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us.

We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don’t care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be.

We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the bride of Christ—that’s pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don’t even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?

I was pondering Martha’s question again one day, and considered the question, “What’s the difference between a lover and a prostitute?” I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, “What would happen if God stopped paying me?” 

For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me?

What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God.

The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him?

Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.

So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute for unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose.

Reprinted with permission from . Click here for the original article. Contact Dr. David Ryser at drdave1545@.

The recently signed framework agreement between the P5+1 group of nations and Iran, currently being promoted by the Obama administration and its many Democratic lackeys in Congress, has greatly increased the likelihood of a massive Israeli preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Even though the American (and other) sanctions on Iran haven’t officially been removed, the wall has already fallen, as the psychologically weakened and, as always, money-hungry international community rushes to engage the ayatollahs. Russia’s Vladmir Putin was the first and most notable, finalizing an agreement to ship his country’s S-300 missile defense system to Iran. Australia soon followed, reaching an intelligence-sharing agreement with the Islamic state.

These ominous signs on the horizon are only the beginning of a dangerous process of capitulation to Iran, as the world quickly recognizes what is evident to almost everyone aside from U.S. President Obama and his clueless Secretary of State John Kerry, that Iran is being given the international green light to become a nuclear nation. Therefore, the world wants to get into its good graces.

If Iran was seeking nuclear power for peaceful purposes, it would be quite different, but the third largest oil-exporting country has absolutely no need for nuclear energy, unless it truly aims to fulfill its often declared goal of destroying Israel and exporting its Islamic revolution around the world, the latter of which it is already doing.

An Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran’s many nuclear facilities will not be easy. It will require a massive lightning assault that will be denounced by virtually every nation, but the longer Israel waits, the inevitable, subsequent diplomatic onslaught will be that much greater.

There is no choice. Even renewed and increased American sanctions, however praiseworthy, and however well-intended by their Congressional advocates, will not stop the death march of the ayatollahs.

The clock is rapidly ticking. Sadly, it must finally be understood that the military option is the only realistic one. In two weeks, the new Israeli governing coalition will be officially established and government policy will be set in place.

Let the planning begin.

David Rubin is former mayor of Shiloh, Israel. He is founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, and the author of four books, including The Islamic Tsunami and his latest, Sparks From Zion. Visit him at  or at .

For the original article, visit .

Although fictitious, these imaginary headlines may be more fact than fiction if America continues to ignore the warning signs.

Mandatory Euthanasia Bill: What many call genocide, Congress calls necessary to curtail rising healthcare costs. In the hope of reclaiming financial stability, many legislators plan to sign a mandatory Euthanasia Bill. In defense of the Bill, some State Representatives claim that abortion has helped to offset rising healthcare costs. This new legislation will include those with terminal or chronic illnesses—life will be terminated when rehabilitation is uncertain, and/or when lingering illnesses threaten the economy. Those with extreme religious views, and the elderly, are also being considered.

Congress Lowers Age of Sexual Consent: Congress will vote later this year to lower the age of sexual consent to 12. Members have agreed to consider new research indicating that sex between children and adults may be beneficial. Although this new research is absurd and appears extremely problematic and biased, it may have prompted a trend in the lower Courts to assign convicted pedophiles lesser penalties such as community service, or rehabilitation, for committing lewd acts with children. This movement may explain why many judges now offer rehabilitation rather than imprisonment. Even though research confirms that punishment reduces crime, many appear eager to facilitate this new trend.

Same-sex Marriages Now Exceed Traditional Marriages In Some States: As a result, words such as “mom” and “dad” can no longer be used. Citizens must refer to parents as “partner 1” and “partner 2.” Congress, however, is concerned that decreased birth rates will affect the nation’s economy. In response, partners will be required to explore creative procreation options. Additionally, traditional families will be limited to two children. If couples fail to comply, infanticide may be considered.

Zero Tolerance for Christians: Homeland Security reports that Christianity is now under control. A recent poll indicates that fewer than 2 percent of the population report adhering to Christian beliefs and biblical absolutes. This decrease is attributed to a successful “Zero Tolerance” policy, which includes hate-speech legislation, outlawing use of the Bible, incarceration for Christians, heavy taxation on evangelical churches, and media scrutiny of anyone associated with the Christian faith. Additionally, many biblical terms dealing with marriage, sexual orientation, and family values are now identified as hate speech and cannot be used in public.

Again, although fictitious, these imaginary headlines may be more fact than fiction if America continues to reject God. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

At the time of this writing, it is said that we live in the greatest country in the world, but the success we cherish is not the result of chance. Many early Americans understood that in order for a nation to thrive and prosper, God’s Word must provide the basis for the government and the welfare of society. I’m not suggesting a theocracy, nor were the Founders, but I am suggesting a return to Judeo-Christian values. Just as water rapidly eroded the banks of the mighty Colorado River and created a vast Grand Canyon, America’s current belief system (relativism) has eroded her foundation and created a moral void.

Interestingly enough, the stability of America is one of the top concerns on the minds of many today. There was a time in recent history when America felt secure knowing that the most formidable enemies were abroad. Not so today. While we are concerned with terrorist attacks, and rightly so, there is a greater threat from corruption within. There are people and groups who are strongly committed to the destruction of anything rooted in our nation’s Christian heritage. They attempt to be “one nation ‘above’ God,” rather than “one nation ‘under’ God.” Scripture identifies this as foolishness, self-exaltation, and arrogance.

There is a saying that one generation plants trees for the next generation. I’m concerned that instead of planting, we are removing and destroying the very covering that protects us. For instance, most schools no longer teach students about the spiritual foundation that has guided America throughout her history. Consequently, America’s moral and religious heritage is often deleted, grossly distorted, or revised altogether. This should concern us. The ideas of the classroom in one generation will create the ideas of government within the next.

Today, our culture promotes relativism, and man does what is right in his own eyes. According to Scripture, to his own destruction. God’s Word says to confront, confess, and turn from our sins; relativism encourages us to ignore, overlook, and continue in them.

Although this position may seem radical or extreme, we are living in extremely critical times. Make no mistake about it: We are witnessing the rapid deterioration of a nation right before our eyes. But there is hope: 2 Chronicles 7:14 calls out from the past with resounding clarity to America today: “If My people will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”

Let it not be said of us today: And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10​). From the book, One Nation “Above” God at .

Pockets of true revival are breaking out across America. Want to know more about the next great move of God? Click here to see Jennifer LeClaire’s new book, featuring Dutch Sheets, Reinhard Bonnke, Jonathan Cahn, Billy Graham and others. 

Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. He recently released his 7th book, Desperate for More of God at . Shane’s sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found at . Follow him on Facebook at: ​​​​

One of the first great intercessors in the Bible was Abraham, and his most famous intercessory prayer was for one of the most sinful places in the ancient world. Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with sin, sexual debauchery and sodomy, yet the great Patriarch of Israel, the “father of faith,” interceded passionately that those twin cities of sin be spared!

I believe it was this kind of compassion that led God to say, “Then the Lord said, ‘Should I hide from Abraham what I am doing … ?'” (Gen. 18:17).

When God told Abraham that He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the patriarch asked God if He planned to destroy the righteous people along with the wicked. Abraham then made the counter proposal, “Shall You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous in the city? Shall You also destroy, and not spare the place, for the fifty righteous who are in it?” (Gen. 18:23b-24).

When God agrees to relent if 50 righteous people were found, Abraham persisted to drive the numbers lower, knowing only Lot and his family could possibly qualify. The patriarch whittled the number down to 20, and in verse 32 he reached a pivotal place that is important for us to see. Abraham said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. Suppose ten will be found there?” (Gen. 18:32).

God agrees to Abraham’s request, but this passage causes us to wonder, what if Abraham hadn’t stopped at 10? God definitely showed no signs of being angry with Abraham over his persistent intercession and pleading on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, I believe God liked it. I have a hunch that Abraham could have gone even lower. (But then again I wasn’t there and I certainly don’t have all the facts at hand.) However, this incident illustrates one of the fundamental laws governing the relationship between God and man: God quits when man quits.

What did you say, James? Yes, God quits when man quits! Sounds like a bunch of works with no grace involved—some people might think.

No, God loves a good fight and He calls us to be enforcers of Christ’s triumph on the cross. We are kingdom enforcers. We are called to be His tenacious bulldogs in the Holy Spirit and we are invited as co-laborers to lay hold of the promises of God for our generation and not let go until. Until What? Until the fullness of His kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

History making intercessors just flat out never give up. They continue until! I love it … So will you. I am known for the prophetic, as a historian and teacher, but my highest place in God is as a Holy Ghost barterer. Yours can be also!

I have taught the following four clear points for years around the globe. But you must bring all of these scriptural examples together to see our full role as History Makers. These four biblical definitions of an intercessor paint a succinct picture of our amazing calling as effective prayer warriors. So hold on—you’ve gotta get the whole picture—not just a one-frame shot. So, let’s gain some greater insight by clearer definition.

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day nor night. You who remind the Lord, do not keep silent; give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a glory in the earth“ (Is. 62:6-7).

“Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man and was astonished that there was no intercessor“ (Is. 59:15-16a).

“O Israel, your prophets are like the foxes in the ruins. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps, nor did you build up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord” (Ezek. 13:4-5).

“I sought for a man among them who would build up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me for the land so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath. Their own way I have recompensed on their heads, says the Lord God” (Ezek. 22:30-31).

Bringing all four of these definitions together we see the following: An intercessor is one who relentlessly reminds the Lord of His prophetic promises while identifying the needs for justice in our generation. We do spiritual warfare against the powers of darkness in the mighty name of Jesus while lifting a cry for mercy upon our spheres of delegated rule for Christ’s name sake.

Whew! That is history-making intercession for sure. Makes me want to sign up all over again. How about you?

History-making intercessors deal with two kinds of promises: 1) The promises recorded in the Word of God which are yet to be fulfilled or are ongoing promises available to every believer by faith; and 2) The prophetic, revelatory promises given to us in our day through the voice of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are true, but also are yet to be fulfilled (see 1 Tim. 1:18-19). We must contend for the promises.

God tells us in the book of Jeremiah that He is watching over His Word to perform it (see Jer. 1:12). That means the most valid and effective way to present our case before God is to rehearse and respectfully remind Him of His unchanging Word. When we rehearse a promise from our faithful God, He requires Himself to watch over that Word to perform it.

But this entreaty only can be done with the purest of motives from hearts that are clean before God. Even then, we are only authorized to “argue” or present our case for those things and petitions which: 1) Are in accordance with God’s will; 2) Extend His kingdom; and 3) Glorify His name.

Christians who believe in the current-day operation of the gifts of the Spirit need to make sure their arsenal includes the foundational evangelical truths: the integrity of the Scriptures as the inspired, infallible Word of God and the final authority in salvation, doctrine, conduct, reproof and correction. Many evangelicals, on the other hand, need to add the fervor, faith and power of the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.

We need an Acts 13 wedding between the School of the Word and the School of the Spirit. Then and only then can we proceed with assurance into the fullness of what God has in mind for this generation.

Years ago, I once publicly heard the fabled revivalist and statesman Leonard Ravenhill declare, “If you have the Word without the Spirit, you will dry up. If you have the Spirit without the Word, you will blow up. But if you have the Spirit with the Word, you will grow up.” I say amen to this simple declaration.

So, let’s kneel on the promises both written and revelatory and birth them from the revelatory, spiritual realm into the natural, earthly realm. “Your Kingdom Come! Your Will be Done! On Earth as it is in Heaven!”

Impose the heavenly rule of Christ Jesus in a time space world. Stretch forth your rod of authority and reign. Are we waiting on Him or is He waiting on Us?

James W. Goll is the president of Encounters Network, director of Prayer Storm and he coordinates Encounters Alliance, a coalition of leaders. He is the author of numerous books and has produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages.

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When I was a teenager, I went on a missions trip to England and stayed in a “host home” with a lovely British couple. I’ll never forget a poster they had hanging on their wall that reported the results of a survey given to 10 groups of people.

There was a group of 10-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, all the way up to 100-year-olds, and each was asked the same question: “What is your number one regret at this point in your life?” All the answers were interesting, some were funny, but the only answer I remember was from those who were 100 years old.

For some reason it is burned into my memory, and I can never forget it. After living a long life, they said their No. 1 regret was that they “should have taken more risks.” I determined then, as a very young man, that when I come to the end of my life I don’t want to look back and realize that I never really lived at all because I was too afraid.

To many people, fear seems to be a legitimate reason not to do something. But I want you to see that the master in Jesus’ parable was not sympathetic toward the servant who buried his talent. When the servant said, “I was afraid,” the master did not put his arm around him and say, “There, there, it’s all right, you poor little servant. I’m sorry I put you in such an uncomfortable position.” No, the master rebuked him sharply with anger and said, “You lazy servant!”

Why did the master accuse the servant of laziness? Because rather than facing his fears and taking a risk for his master’s sake, he chose to take the easy path: bury the talent, stay at home, and relax.

If you think fear is a good excuse for not doing God’s will, you’d better think again. If you want to know how to overcome your fears, there is only one way—face them! Most of the time fear is like a mirage; as you walk toward it, it will become more and more transparent until it disappears completely. But to face your fears requires courage.

After Moses died, his protégé, Joshua, became the new leader. God promised to be with Joshua as He had been with Moses. God promised to give Joshua every place upon which the sole of his foot would tread. God promised to prosper Joshua wherever he went.

But there was one requirement: “Be strong and very courageous,” the Lord said (Josh. 1:7). Imagine you are about to embark on the most challenging undertaking of your life. You have no idea what lies before you, and then the Lord comes to you and says, “Be very courageous.” That would scare me! Why? It’s because courage is needed in the presence of danger. Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, there is no courage without fear. Courage is the willingness to face fear. All the promises, victories and destiny awaiting Joshua were dependent on his willingness to face his fear.

If fulfilling God’s will for our lives were just a matter of promoting our own names, reputations and personal destinies, I would say, “Don’t even bother. Stay home, watch television and enjoy a comfortable, quiet life.”

But we must remember that what is at stake is God’s eternal kingdom! Our talent does not belong to us—it belongs to the master. He has entrusted it into our hands. But one day He will return, and we will have to give an account for what we did with His investment.

Daniel Kolenda, a missionary evangelist, has led more than 10 million people to Christ face-to-face through massive, open-air evangelistic campaigns in some of the most dangerous and remote locations on earth. He is president and CEO of Christ for all Nations and hosts an internationally syndicated television program.

Natural disasters are claiming lives in America. Economic disasters are driving poverty in America. Agronomists are predicting famine in America. Politicians and schoolchildren are being shot in America. Pastors are falling into sexual immorality in America. Violent protesters are taking to the streets in America. All the while some Americans are arming themselves for another Civil War.

There’s been an increasingly rapid decline in America’s morality since prayer was removed from schools in 1962. Abortion was legalized in 1973. Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2004. Plenty of wickedness has taken place in between and since—and the enemy is growing bolder. God has lifted a measure of His hedge of protection around America. Christians are meeting with persecution in the marketplace, and anti-Christ agendas are working overtime to send America into a downward spiral of darkness.

“Without divine intervention, what we call America will be gone within the next couple of years. It’s that critical,” says evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor at The River at Tampa Bay. “The handwriting is on the wall. Only God can save us now. This is not a game. If we don’t see a turn in the next two or three years, America as we know it will sink into the abyss and will be gone forever.”

For decades, God has sent prophetic voices from many streams, like Billy Graham, Jonathan Cahn and Howard-Browne—to warn America. Yet the spiritual state of the union has only grown worse. Our national debt continues piling up, abortions are still legal, prayerlessness abounds, a spiritual avalanche is looming over our churches even as natural threats like the Ebola virus and the Islamic State threaten to cross our borders.

No politician can fix the problems our nation is facing. We need another Great Awakening. The good news is God wants to bring another spiritual awakening to America. He’s just waiting for us to get in line with His Spirit like our Founding Fathers did when they fought to establish one nation under God. Like George Washington did when he was faced with the reality of losing to the British, we need to make an appeal to heaven that will usher in the next great move of God.

Making an Appeal to Heaven

The revelation of making an appeal to heaven as it relates to taking back our nation for God unfolded to Dutch Sheets, an internationally recognized author, teacher and conference speaker, through several prophetic encounters over the course of about 12 years—and it’s igniting fires of revival and awakening in the United States and beyond. Many, including myself, believe that it relates directly to a Third Great Awakening in America.

One of those prophetic encounters was a dream a young man named Thomas shared with Sheets. In the dream, Sheets was a boxer facing five giants in five rounds. One by one, he knocked out those giants with a single punch, alternating fists. One of the boxing gloves said “Everlast,” which is a common brand name for boxing gloves but nevertheless prophetic. The other glove said “Evergreen.” Sheets knew God was talking to him about taking out the giants in America.

“When I look at the giants in America, I get overwhelmed,” Sheets says. “I have to get my focus off the giants and get my focus on the Lord. He can do this. This is not too hard for God.”

The foundation of the revelation is in the Everlast and Evergreen dream—and then tied back into Scripture. As Sheets studied the life of Abraham, he was fascinated by Genesis 21:33: “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” This is the first time in Scripture when Jehovah is called “Everlasting God.”

The Law of First Mention is a Scripture interpretation principle that states the first mention or occurrence of a name or subject matter in the Bible establishes a pattern that is unchangeable in God’s mind throughout Scripture. Up until Genesis 21:33, Abraham knew Jehovah as Adonai, El Shaddai and Yahweh. After walking though 25 years of struggles and mistakes, waiting to see the promise of Isaac fulfilled, Abraham saw Jehovah as the “Everlasting God,” or Olam-El, the strong eternal God who fulfills the past and precedes us into our futures. The Everlasting God is the One who stood by Abraham even when he lied about Sarah being his sister. The strong, eternal God is the one who stuck with him through the issue of Ishmael.

God Is Not Finished With America

“God is not finished with America. He’s not,” Sheets says. “God is not going to send awakening to America because we deserve it. He is not going to send awakening based on our merits or our goodness. I’m not asking for revival because we haven’t sinned or because we’re perfect. I’m asking for this based on His mercy and His faithfulness and the fact that He’s bigger than our mistakes. And I’m asking based on the blood of Jesus.”

That’s the revelation of the “Everlast” glove in the prophetic dream. The revelation of “Evergreen” wouldn’t come until six years later at a Christ for the Nations graduation when Sheets asked one of his spiritual sons, a military man, to offer the graduation message. Long story short, the soldier pulled out a flag that George Washington flew on his naval ships before the United States of America was ever birthed. It was the banner America was born under—a white banner with an evergreen tree and the words “Appeal to Heaven” written in block letters across the top. The tamarisk tree that Abraham planted in Genesis 21:33 is an evergreen tree.

Here’s the bottom line as Sheets saw it: “I realized what God was saying to me is if we’re going to defeat the giants, we can’t be asking for God to deliver America just so we can prosper. We’re going to have to tap into His eternal purpose. This is not about being the most powerful nation or the richest. This is about being that city on a hill. This is about furthering the gospel. This is about what God wants to do, not just here but all over the world. We’re going to have to tap into this synergy of the ages. We are going to have to do the same thing they did. If we wear the everlasting covenant glove and wear the evergreen covenant glove and reconnect to our roots in Him, God will come through for us.”

When God Poured Out His Spirit in Kentucky

There is power in making this appeal to heaven. For nearly 200 years, Clay County, Kentucky, was marked by violent family feuds, moon-shining and murder, extreme poverty, government corruption and deadly drug abuse. Clay County—and specifically the City of Manchester—made national headlines over and over again for all the wrong reasons.

In July 1989, USA Today reported that more than 40 percent of Clay County’s population was growing marijuana and the Daniel Boone National Forest was effectively transformed into a pot field. By the turn of the century the area moved on to a new drug. The Lexington-Herald Ledger dubbed Manchester “The Painkiller Capital of America” in January 2003 as Oxycontin was sold on nearly every street corner. From there, “cooks” rose up to manufacture methamphetamine, a highly-addictive crystalline drug that can be snorted, smoked or injected.

Political officials and police were being paid to look the other way. The drug lords bought the elections every four years. More than 90 percent of the county’s high school students were strung out on one drug or another. Overdoses became a common occurrence, with memorial crosses strewn along the city streets like a picket fence. Meanwhile, the pastors were polarized based on doctrinal differences and felt hopeless to help members whose families were drug-addicted and dying.

“Our kids started dying. Out of desperation, we started praying in the fall of 2003. We started crying out to the Lord. A Southern Baptist preacher named Ken Bolin had a dream,” says Doug Abner, who was pastoring a church in Manchester at the time. “Ken wanted to have a march against drugs and corruption on May 2, 2004. We received threats on our lives, our homes and our churches, but we knew it was God.”

The morning of May 2, in the pouring rain 4,000 people turned out for the march. That’s especially significant considering Manchester is only home to 2,000 people. The rally ended at a park. There the pastors and church leaders repented for being more concerned about their own denominations, their own congregations, and their own programs than the lost souls in Clay County. When they asked the people to forgive them and vowed to work together, Abner says the manifest presence of the Lord fell in the park to the degree that people could hardly breathe.

“The fear of the Lord gripped the community. Drug dealers and corrupt politicians began to tell on each other,” Abner says. “A few months later, the FBI came to town and started arresting people. Eventually, they arrested the mayor and the assistant police chief, the fire chief, the 911 director, several local judges and city council members, a circuit judge, school board members and the superintendent and lots of others. They arrested the drug dealers, who were selling drugs to the nation from Manchester.”

Today, Manchester is known as the City of Hope. God even healed the land. For years, the water tasted foul without a water filter. But in 2008, Clay County’s water won first place in Kentucky’s municipal water system for its taste. Churches and local businesses banded together with the court system to develop second-chance employment programs for Clay County’s population of recovering drug addicts. As the economy improved, new businesses started opening to provide those jobs.

“I asked the Lord, ‘Why Manchester?’ And He said, ‘Because I want the world to see what can happen when people get desperate and begin to come together,'” Abner says. “As bad as the darkness was, our biggest problem was not the darkness. Our biggest problem was the lack of light—the church not being what it is supposed to be. When we came together in desperation, He healed the land. He changed the fabric of our society.”

Transforming Revival Is Possible

Transformation is possible in America and indeed transforming revival has broken out in communities around the world. The Sentinel Group, a Christian research and information agency dedicated to helping the church pray knowledgeably for end-time global evangelization and enabling communities to discover the pathway to genuine revival and societal transformation, has documented transformation in about 1,000 communities worldwide.

A transformed community, as The Sentinel Group defines it, is a neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God; a place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen; a society disrupted by supernatural power; a culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the kingdom of God; and a location where kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations. Transforming revival starts with an appeal to heaven.

“They re-covenant with God. They form unity kernels and they prevail in prayer. And with clean hearts and pure hands, they ask God to rend the heavens and come down—not first and foremost to repair the community but because they cannot bear to live apart from His presence a moment longer,” says George Otis Jr., founder of The Sentinel Group. “They are not summoning a handyman. They’re summoning a lover. And when they do this, there is a certain moment in time where the presence of the Lord comes. God comes in response to that entreaty.”

It’s time to make an appeal to heaven and many are responding to the call in what some are calling the next great move of God. In my book, The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening, I was struck by how so many voices from so many camps in the body of Christ—Sheets, Billy, Greg Laurie, Reinhard Bonnke, Mike Huckabee, Kenneth Copeland, Howard-Browne, Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle, David Ravenhill, James Goll, Jack Hayford, Ben Carson, David Barton, Chuck Pierce, and the list goes on and on—are essentially saying the same thing. America is a nation in crisis—and God wants to wake us up, bring us in line with His heart and heal our land.

For all the doom and gloom prophecies over America, there is yet a rising cry from respected voices from various streams of the body of Christ that sense God’s heart—and God’s hope—for America even in the midst of discipline. Despite the reality that a degree of judgment has come to America—and that we may continue to reap on the wicked seeds we’ve sown for a longer season—many agree that God is not done with America. There is hope.

“Now, many look at the state of the nation and are deeply discouraged, but I am filled with hope,” says Lou Engle, co-founder of TheCall solemn assemblies that call young adults into a lifestyle of radical prayer, fasting, holiness and acts of justice. “I have read history; most great moves of God erupted in the darkest times of crisis and were preceded by years of intercession. Today, I have more expectation for the Great Awakening in America then I ever have had.”

Rick Joyner, founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries, sees the enemy’s plan clearly but remains hopeful for another transforming revival in America. “There are many great signs of revival and awakening in America—incredible things happening,” says Joyner. “I believe we’re going to see a Third Great Awakening in America within the next couple of years. It’s going to be massive. It’s going to transform America. It could help restore us to the foundations.”

God is hearing our cries, but that doesn’t mean we should stop pressing in now. In fact, I believe our level of desperation must increase before God breaks in and pours out His Spirit to bring a transforming revival. I believe we must continue making an appeal to heaven. And I believe as we do it will transform our hearts and our minds to take part in the greatest Great Awakening the world has ever seen.

“God is calling forth an army of faithful followers who will come up out of their discouragement to boldly push back the darkness,” Sheets says. “Many leaders in government, health, education and ministry are having to make a decision right now—am I going to make my stand or am I going to compromise and yield to the enemy’s plans? I, for one, say what America’s founding fathers said upon signing the Declaration of Independence and, thereby, committing an act of treason against the crown: I pledge my life, my fortune, my sacred honor—everything to stop this insidious plan of hell. Will you join me?”

Pockets of true revival are breaking out across America. Want to know more about the next great move of God? Click here to see Jennifer LeClaire’s new book, featuring Dutch Sheets, Reinhard Bonnke, Jonathan Cahn, Billy Graham and others.

Jennifer LeClaire is the news editor of Charisma. She is also director of the Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening. You can visit her website at .

Listen to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s prayer at The Response: Louisana hosted in LSU at .