Prior to the command to start of Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, popular Christian reality TV star—and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) supporter—Phil Robertson gave the invocation.

That, in and of itself, isn’t all that unusual. Prayer is an integral part of Duck Dynasty, the A&E program in which Robertson is a star. Rather, it’s what he said that raised the eyebrows of some of those who were watching.

“All right, Texas, we got here via Bibles and guns,” he said. “I’m fixing to pray to the one who made that possible. Father, thank You for founding our nation. I pray, Father, that we don’t forget who brought us. You.

“Our faith in the blood of Jesus and His resurrection. Help us, Father, to get back to that. Help us, dear God, understand that the men and women on my right, the U.S. military. On my right and on my left. Our faith in you and the U.S. military is the reason we’re still here.

“I pray, Father, that we put a Jesus man in the White House. Help us do that and help us all to repent to do what’s right to love you more and to love each other. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.”

Robertson’s “Jesus man” comment drew a lot of comments, particularly from the liberal-secularist Left, which felt the comment was inappropriate for a mainstream audience. The Robertson family’s Louisiana-based business, Duck Commander, was sponsoring the race.

Though I’ve heard the statement time and again, for the life of me, I cannot stop shaking my head in the midst of the confusion it creates. What statement is that?

“We don’t need a pastor in chief to lead our nation.”

That crazy decree seems to be the rallying cry of people who are dead set on rejecting more godly candidates in favor of one who is continually bearing extremely bad fruit.

Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.”

The celebration surrounding Donald Trump zeros in on his secular problem solving abilities and his rejection of any measure of political correctness. The problem? The situation in America requires someone who applies biblical principles, not human principles; biblical wisdom, not human wisdom.

“The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Again, I just sit back and shake my head when Christians so eagerly support someone who has owned casinos and strip clubs and whose wife appeared nude in a magazine. Am I actually typing that? Christians are campaigning for a man who has owned casinos and strip clubs and whose wife appeared nude in a magazine. Wow. Yes. I did just type that. Twice. I’m flabbergasted.

Please, fellow Christian, explain yourself! How can you ignore that and the many other violations of decency that Donald Trump has committed—and continues to commit?

If my own son or daughter was campaigning for the office of president of the United States and was living similarly in an ungodly way, they would never receive my vote. My love, yes. My vote, not a chance. I couldn’t allow the blood of our nation to be on my hands. No amount of charisma, leadership ability or education could convince me to vote for them—unless they embraced a repentant life and developed into a mature follower of Jesus.

The reality is that we are absolutely electing someone to lead our nation who must be first and foremost a servant of God. If they don’t intimately know Jesus Christ, what god will they be receiving their inspiration from? The principalities and powers are drooling at the chance to be that god—the one who gives leadership to the president of the United States of America. If we don’t have a God-fearing person in office, one who exhibits the traits of a true pastor, the alternative should terrify us.

“We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” ~ John Adams

“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.” ~ George Washington

Pastor in Chief

For all of those who are adamantly arguing against electing a pastor in chief, please let me know which of the following attributes are improper for the leader of our nation.

1 Timothy 3 1-7 reveals the qualifications of overseers of the church. I propose that these must be minimum qualifications for one who would desire to lead our nation:

1. Above reproach—This means to be blameless. No evil should be able to be proved against any candidate of public office. This doesn’t only mean any illegal activity, it means to be free of evil, of sinful practice. How can a president lead our nation via righteous means if he isn’t living righteously himself?
2. The husband of one wife—This mandate has become so diluted in our modern society. It’s shocking that we would hold to a position that divorced people disqualify themselves from leadership (unless the divorce is supported by Scripture).
3. Sober-minded—Adam Clarke translates this as “having the complete government of all his passions.” This is talking about a mature person who isn’t given to anger or emotional responses to the issues of life.
4. Self-controlled—Sometimes candidates for office are referred to as appearing presidential. They are self-controlled, steady and not swayed by the challenges in front of them. They are confident and solid in their position.
5. Respectable—A candidate’s reputation will precede them, and it must be squeaky clean. At the least, they must humbly admit their previous failures and be believable going forward. They must be genuine.
6. Hospitable—Will a candidate get into the trenches with common people, serve them with passion and connect with them as a friend? It’s something very special when this happens, and I believe we should expect it. It’s a part of the office.
7. Able to teach—It might be easy to dismiss this as pertaining specifically to pastors. I would disagree. We must have a leader who can communicate clearly, understand his subject matter and connect with the people of America so well that he gains our trust and that we are properly informed.
8. Not a drunkard—This should go without saying. No leader, spiritual or secular, will be able to fulfill his duties if he drinks to excess.
9. Not violent—Violence in a pastor would be truly terrible. Violence in the leader of our nation would literally put our nation at risk of nuclear war.
10. Gentle—A non-violent leader is mandatory, but we have to expect even more. They must be gentle. Do you perceive a gentle, tender heart in your candidate?
11. Not quarrelsome—Do they play dirty? Do they call people names, act like a bully or threaten? If so, putting them in the land’s highest position would be a cataclysmic mistake.
12. Not a lover of money—This should be absolutely non-negotiable for any leader, much less the president of the United States. A love of money is the root of all evil, and if that attribute is in our leader, our nation is put at extreme risk of being overtaken by evil.
13. Manage his household well—Does the candidate have a reputation of being a stable family leader? Do his children respect him? Are they submissive? This is more important than we may realize.
14. Not a recent convert—This may be the most important attribute for the leader of our nation. Having anybody other than a seasoned Christian leading our nation should be unthinkable.
15. Be well thought of by outsiders—Is the candidate an honorable person? Do people respect their character?

The question I’m presenting is simple: Why would we not demand such a code of ethics for those who are running for office? What is unreasonable about it? Why would such a list of qualifications be rejected when seeking to elect someone for the most powerful and influential position in our great (or once great) nation?

The obvious defense would be that no candidate passes the test. That’s debatable, but regardless, we must elect the person who scores the highest. We can’t throw out the standards simply because of a lack of perfection. Look for the humble person, for the mature Believer, for the one who walks in the fear of the Lord.

Donald Trump is clearly not that person. I pray someday he could be.

The Eagle Forum, founded by First Lady of the Conservative Movement and our longtime friend Phyllis Schlafly, has probably generated millions of man hours in support of conservative causes and candidates since its beginning during Mrs. Schlafly’s battle to stop the ERA. 

Many conservatives were surprised and disappointed that Mrs. Schlafly was the first national conservative organization leader to endorse Donald Trump. 

Mrs. Schlafly’s groundbreaking 1964 book, A Choice Not an Echo, was a foundational text of the modern conservative movement and a prescient analysis of how the Washington Cartel controlled the levers of political power to the detriment of country class Americans and constitutional liberty; 50 years ago the book made the case for the rise of outsider candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.

We prefer Sen. Ted Cruz as the Republican nominee for president for the many reasons stated in Mr. Viguerie’s endorsement of Sen. Cruz, but we respect Mrs. Schlafly’s view. 

Mrs. Schlafly, with her base in St. Louis, Missouri, has long been a powerhouse in state politics in Missouri and Illinois. Her support was likely a major factor, if not the deciding factor, in Trump’s narrow win over Senator Cruz in the Missouri Republican Primary.

Now, news has broken that since Mrs. Schlafly endorsed Donald Trump the Eagle Forum has been riven with internal dissension to the point that a group of the organization’s directors, outraged by Mrs. Schlafly’s endorsement of the decidedly non-conservative Donald Trump, were contemplating an attempt to oust Mrs. Schlafly from the leadership of the organization she founded.

The result has been the abrupt firing of long-time staff, and an internal brawl that has broken the unity of one of the conservative movement’s most effective grass-roots organizations, potentially sidelining the Eagle Forum in the most important political cycle since 1980.

Unfortunately, the brawl at the Eagle Forum is playing out in other organizations, from Republican county precinct organizations, to conservative policy organizations and think tanks, to journals and publications conservatives and populists have turned the Trump vs. Cruz primary into a series of vendetta-like bloodlettings more worthy of a Mafia leadership succession battle than the coalition-building necessary to find the best candidate to defeat Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in November.

The natural beneficiaries of the bloodletting between the conservative and populist wings of the anti-establishment coalition are the Republican establishment and the Far-Left who seek to maintain and expand their power by undermining constitutional liberty and continuing the crony economic policies that have devastated America’s country class for two decades.

Our friend Patrick J. Buchanan made this point incisively in his recent column, “Lock Out the Establishment in Cleveland!”

Trump and Cruz, though bitter enemies, are both despised by the establishment. Yet both have a mutual interest: ensuring that one of them, and only one of them, wins the nomination. No one else.

And if they set aside grievances, and act together, they can block any establishment favorite from being imposed on the party.

Pat Buchanan later said of a Trump–Cruz alliance, “I think that ticket would set the country on fire.”

Right now, the establishment’s goal is to sow as much chaos as possible in the lead-up to the Republican National Convention so that no candidate reaches the magic number of the 1,237 delegates necessary to win the nomination on the first ballot.  

We urge Donald Trump and Ted Cruz delegates to be smart about what is happening, keep their eye on the prize, which is defeating Hillary Clinton and dismantling the establishment stranglehold on our country, and to follow the lead of their compatriots in Tennessee by forming an alliance to ensure that the Republican National Convention nominates a conservative-populist ticket. 

Such an alliance would not guarantee a Republican victory, but like 1980, it would create the most competitive coalition of voters to defeat Hillary Clinton, and with a victory in November it would break the Washington Cartel’s stranglehold on America and preserve constitutional liberty for future generations. 

George Rasley is editor of ConservativeHQ, a member of American MENSA and a veteran of over 300 political campaigns, including every Republican presidential campaign from 1976 to 2008. He served as lead advance representative for Governor Sarah Palin in 2008 and has served as a staff member, consultant or advance representative for some of America’s most recognized conservative Republican political figures, including President Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp. He served in policy and communications positions on the House and Senate staff, and during the George H.W. Bush administration he served on the White House staff of Vice President Dan Quayle.

My heart is hurting today. It’s not that anything out of the ordinary happened. It’s not that anyone close to me passed away. It’s that I have this great burden for those who are caught in the overwhelming stress of life that leads them down the path of continual weight gain. Everyone is looking for answers, but almost no one wants the real answer.

I got an email recently. Essentially it said, “I’m reading your book and I am confused. You say you’ve been on low-carb diets and gained the weight back again. Now you’re on a low-carb diet and losing the weight and keeping it off. What changed?”

What Is the Problem?

In my response, I put on the coach’s hat and said, “Obviously, it’s not about what we eat.” Then I told her reread Sweet Grace and look for the hidden keys. “They are not so hidden.”

We always go to what we eat as the cause of the angst we feel over our weight loss. Doctors will tell you what they always use to tell me, eat less and move more. Let me tell you, when I had over 250 pounds to lose, that sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Wah Wah Wah!

It is true on a very basic level, but it doesn’t get at the core of why we eat. Without going to that deep place, we will always eat more than we should and continue to gain weight.

We Are Complex

Changing our mindsets is vital. However, in order to do that, we have to go to the root of why we eat when we are not physically hungry. It is head hunger, plain and simple. Part of it is physical if I eat foods which are addictive to me, but the reason I eat those foods is out of an emotional need.

We are very complex human beings. We know we need to change. We have good intentions and then something goes haywire when we try to implement it. There are many layers to this, but it starts with acknowledging we have a problem that goes deeper than sticking to an eating plan.

Stress from working long hours, stress from bills, stress from relationships, stress from not eating right, stress from not working out, stress from not being spiritual enough, stress from giving in to temptation, stress from not doing our daily devotions … stress, stress, stress is a major culprit. We eat to stave off stress and then we get more stressed because it shows on the scale.

Live Freely and Lightly

Here’s what God has to say about that. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”¹

Wouldn’t that be awesome to live freely and lightly? These verses tell us it is possible to stop the spinning for a minute and let God lead. I’m not saying to do forced Bible study, though studying the Bible is great.

Let God Minister to You

I’m saying to allow God to minister to you as only He can. Running to food when we are stressed does not hold a candle to running to the only One who can really comfort us, the precious Holy Spirit, the Comforter Himself.

When is the last time you took even five minutes to soak in His presence, focusing only on Him and asked Him, “Holy Spirit, what do you want me to know today? I invite You to lead me every step of the way today. I invite You fully into each moment. Speak to me.”

We do not have to worry. His yoke is “easy”² because we are joined in this battle with Him. We don’t have to pull alone. He’s pulling with us. As long as we are going His direction, “the yoke is easy to bear, and the burden is light.”²

I Am Weak 

It’s OK that I am weak. God delights it my weakness. Losing 260 pounds has been the easiest hard thing I’ve ever done because I surrendered my weakness to Him.

He says, “My grace is enough. It’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” His grace is all the power I need to take the next step out of overwhelming difficulty and heaviness into living freely and lightly.

Are You Weak?

Are you weak today? That’s awesome, because when you let Christ take over, the weaker you get, the stronger you become.⁴ Stop doing this in your own strength. Stop trying to bear your burdens alone. He’s ready to shoulder them if you just take your hands off. {eoa}

¹ Matthew 11:28-30, MSG

² Matthew 11:28-20, NLT

³ 2 Cor. 12:9, MSG

⁴ 2 Cor. 12:10

Teresa Shields Parker is a spiritual coach, speaker and author of three books. Her newest is Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off with God’s Help. Her first book, Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds is still number in Christian Weight Loss Memoirs on Amazon. Free Chapters of all her books, as well as a FREE 10-video Course #KickSugar are available on her website, .

Next week Jewish people around the world will celebrate what is likely the most beloved of the Levitical feasts, the Passover. Every year at this time—and now for 3,500 years—we have remembered and engaged with the reality of God’s miraculous redemption of our nation.

From generation to generation, His story has become ours. In 2016, however, the back story to Israel’s original Passover seems strangely parallel to events today.

Exodus 1 recounts that after Jacob and his sons died in Egypt, the Israelites “became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.” (v.7) The rabbis teach that the ancient Hebrews experienced supernatural fruitfulness and multiplication. But then “a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt” (v.8). As we’ll see momentarily, the first known instance of anti-Semitism followed.

Humankind’s expression of its seemingly endless hatred of the Jewish people surfaces for the first time in Exodus 1. Now, the biblical text never suggests the Israelites did anything wrong, or in any way sought to harm the Egyptians. All they did was prosper by the blessing of YHVH. Nevertheless, listen to the words of an ancient pharaoh threatened by them for no apparent reason:

• “The Israelites have become much too numerous for us …
• We must deal shrewdly with them or they will grow even more numerous
• … they will join our enemies and fight against us.” ()

The pharaoh’s shrewd dealing took the form of harsh slavery. Yet the more the Hebrews were cruelly abused and overworked, the more they multiplied. Therefore, as a last resort or “final solution,” Egypt launched a genocidal campaign against them. Every male newborn Hebrew was drowned—until God intervened and delivered His people through very deep waters. (Because God curses those who curse Israel, the Egyptian male army drowned in the Red Sea. The Egyptians who joined with Israel in their exodus journey, He blessed.)

This insight into Passover’s back story can help us stand firm against the rise of global anti-Semitism today. A world leader 3,500 years ago came to power who did not know about Joseph. It seems the history of this leader’s nation was not especially important to him. As a result, he lacked an historical context with which to judge events taking place in his day. Without this context, the pharaoh elevated his subjective emotional perceptions of what was right or wrong to the level of objective truth. Proud and deceived, he acted out irrationally in that spirit.

When nations dismiss objective fact and moral truth, deception results. Anti-Semitism typically flares up. Through history, the Jewish nation has been targeted as a scapegoat for the ills of a threatened and angry society. Those ills are usually due, however, to that society’s own disobedience to God. Sadly, this phenomenon is occurring in much of the world today. Consequently, many do not know (or care) about “Joseph” and his God.

They do not know historical and moral truth about Israel; they do not know Christian history; they do not know YHVH. You and I have a responsibility to reach and teach them, in love. And, to never give up!

The traditional Passover liturgy urges us all to engage with the ancient exodus as if it were our own. Next week, from one generation to the next, we will pass down the story of Joseph and his God. Then, by His grace, we will continue throughout the year to teach others the ways of Yahweh.

Together, let’s complete the task to which we’ve been called. For redemption is coming. May all Israel soon be saved! {eoa}

Sandra Teplinsky has been in Messianic Jewish ministry since 1979. She is president and founder of Light of Zion, a Messianic outreach to Israel and the church based in California and Jerusalem.

Editor’s Note: This is part 1 in a two-part series. Read part 2 here.

As a pastor for over 30 years, I am amazed that such a small percentage of the children of Christian parents actually serve the Lord when they reach their teenage years and beyond, including the children of Christian leaders. Since nurturing covenantal children is the primary method God uses to establish His dominion on the earth as it is in heaven, there aren’t many subjects more important than the one I am addressing in this article.

In this article, I correlate Christian parental behavior with likely outcomes related to the faith of their children. That is to say, each of us could read this article and most likely tell if our children will serve the Lord with all their hearts in the future, or be lukewarm or unbelieving when they get older. The following are my observations on why many children of Christian parents do not serve the Lord when they are older.

Many Christian parents often do not emotionally connect with their children.

I learned through having five children that it is not enough to read the Bible and pray with my children. I need to have fun with them, learn their particular love languages (read Gary Smalley’s book The Five Love Languages of Children), and try to reach their hearts and establish deep relationships with them while they are young. I learned this the hard way because I didn’t really emotionally connect with one of my children the way I should have when they were young (we are close now). This resulted in a great struggle of faith in spite of all the Bible teaching and prayer we shared together. Children without an emotional connection to their parents can have a trajectory of unhealthy soul ties with ungodly people who will pull them away from the Lord.

Many Christian parents don’t intentionally pray with their families as a habit in their households.

As I have surveyed Christian families, even the families of some leaders, I have found it a rare thing when the altar of the Lord has been established in a house with regular, consistent prayer. Often when there is prayer it is perfunctory and superficial, or only one of the parents prays while the other doesn’t actively engage (thus showing their children that prayer really isn’t important). Children of these parents will be on the trajectory of a nominal Christian who doesn’t know how to seek God or walk in the presence of God.

Many Christian parents don’t have an intentional approach to biblically catechize their children.

Most parents are clueless when it comes to training their children in the Word of God. I tell parents that one easy thing to do is teach from the book of Proverbs on a regular basis. Proverbs is the primary instructional book parents can use to train their children to live wise lives in the fear of the Lord.

Unfortunately, many independent evangelical churches have jettisoned everything about the historical denominations, even good things like the concept of catechisms. We can take a catechism (for example, the Heidelberg Catechism) and revise it to fit our doctrinal perspective so we can use it to give our children a great overall understanding of the major doctrines of Scripture.

I believe all churches should institute some form of catechism training for their children. One church I know uses it when their children are very young, resulting in them not having Sunday school classes that separate the children from the parents; the children are so well-versed in Scripture they can understand the adult preaching as well as their parents!

Children of parents who don’t train them in the faith will be children without a biblical worldview. This will leave them vulnerable on a trajectory toward a kind of syncretism with false religious views based on spirituality and not on Christ as the truth in all of life.

Many parents allow their children to miss church on Sundays so they can participate in team sports.

Somehow in this nation, there is an unwritten law that teaches, “Honor the sabbath day except if your child is involved in sports”!  Parents who allow their children to consistently miss Sunday services because of sports programs are on a trajectory to nurture backslidden children who are being taught that sports and hobbies are more important in life than worshipping God! Mark 4:19 says the desire for other things will come in and choke the Word of God.

Many parents would rather stay home if their spouses are working or unable to attend Sunday services.

There are some parents who will not attend church on Sundays if their spouses are not attending church, because it is too much of a hassle to get the children ready to attend church on their own! Parents who do this are putting their children on a trajectory of serving God only when it is convenient, which would classify them as lukewarm Christians, something Jesus said He would vomit out of His mouth (Rev. 3:14-16)!

Many Christian parents live a compromised life at home.

Many parents regularly watch ungodly television shows, listen to ungodly secular music, tell racist or dirty jokes and use foul language in front of their children in the confines of their homes. Then they go to church and act spiritual on Sundays. This duplicitous behavior will place their children on a trajectory of either hypocrisy or disdain for God, the church and Christianity!

Many Christian parents don’t properly supervise their children.

Many parents allow their young children to have televisions in their rooms, computers, smartphones and even go out on dates when they are young teenagers! Consequently, these parents have no clue as to what their children are viewing or whom they are connecting with in person or on social networking websites. Unsupervised children are being indoctrinated by the world 60-80 hours per week; this is something an hour per week in church cannot compete against! It is possible for these children to be on a trajectory with no focus or with addictive/compulsive behaviors from too much texting, social networking, video games or even pornography.

Many Christian parents talk bad about their churches or church leadership in front of their children at home.

Many parents are in the habit of badmouthing their pastors or churches, or speaking critically about other Christians. This puts a critical spirit in their children, which eventuates in their children thinking that church is for hypocrites! These children are on a trajectory toward being critical of everything regarding church, which will result in them staying far away from corporate worship participation.

Many fathers show more enthusiasm for sports than for seeking God 

I know of many fathers who will scream and shout during a football game but will have a lethargic attitude when it comes to prayer, attending church and serving God. I even know of one pastor who would cut his services short during football season so he could go home and watch football on Sunday afternoons! Jesus told us that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Thus, when parents show they are more fascinated about something than they are about God, or value something more than God, their children are on a trajectory of thinking that God is unworthy of their passion, time or attention!

As believers engage in the political arena like never before, our first responsibility is to pray for our current leaders and those who are running for office. There is one prayer that this nation needs now more than ever before. It is the fear of the Lord that needs to grip the hearts and minds of those in public office as well as those who are voting. Here are some qualities that should be evidenced in leaders whose hearts are truly poised toward God.

•        They will show no fear toward evil, but they will overcome it (Is. 8:12-13)
•        They will be open to the counsel of others (Prov. 1:7)
•        They will be teachable (Ps. 25:12)
•        They will show no partiality and take no bribes (Deut. 10:17)
•        They will not consider themselves better than anyone else (Deut. 17:19)
•        Their mouths will be filled with good things (Prov. 16:9-13)
•        They will hate all forms of evil (Prov. 8:13)
•        They will operate in wisdom and humility (Prov. 15:33)
•        They will have true judgments by the Spirit and not by man (Is. 11:3-4)
•        They will love God’s truths (Ps. 112:1)
•        Their house will be in order (Ps. 128:1-4)
•        They will show the fruit of riches, honor and life (Prov. 22:4)
•        They will walk in obedience to God’s commands (Ps. 86:11)
•        They will let no sin rule over them (Ps. 119:133)
•        They will have no fear of man, but walk in the fear of the Lord (Prov. 29:25)
•        They will rule with justice, counsel and might (Is. 11:2-4)

We have the opportunity, in the coming months, to pray that the fear of the Lord would mark every candidate in this election. Christian or not, these attributes will become evident as we pray for the Spirit of God to hover over each one in the coming days. Even as we pray, we should not judge by what we see with our natural eyes or hear with our natural ears. Rather, it will be through the Fear of the Lord that we can rightly discern the purposes of God and pray effectively.

The winds blew and the rains fell on TheCall Aszua Now, but that didn’t stop tens of thousands of people from weathering the storms at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the same venue where Billy Graham preached the gospel to over 134,000 in 1963. 

If anything, the adversity intensified the determination of the masses to cry out to God in what became for 15 hours an outdoor house of prayer in the heart of California. 

“William Seymour, the catalyst of that great revival, prophesied in 1913 that in roughly 100 years another revival far eclipsing Azusa would come,” says Lou Engle, founder of TheCall. “The fulfillment of Seymour’s word is overdue … or right on schedule. Let us therefore “pray for the rain in the time of the latter rain.” Who knows? Maybe like those who were baptized in the Spirit in the original Acts 2 upper room, we will say, “This is that which was spoken by William Seymour the prophet!” 

Of course, Seymour wasn’t there and Graham wasn’t there, but Christ for All Nations’ Daniel Kolenda preached the gospel and, instead of George Beverly Shay, a new breed of worshippers—including Bethel Live, Eddie James and Roy Fields—lifted up praises to Jesus. Although the final count isn’t in and the stadium wasn’t full because of the miracle rain that drenched a city in drought, some say there were between 60,000 and 75,000 people at this historic event that aligned with the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street outpouring. 

Cindy Jacobs, co-founder of Generals International, released a prophesy that caused a roar from the stadium stands: “This is that which the prophets foretold. I’m getting ready to open up the greatest generation of young evangelists the world has ever known.” 

Dutch Sheets, the founder of the Appeal to Heaven Movement, took the stage to tell the world—multiplied thousands were watching the live stream on GodTV—that God is not done with America. He told the story of how God revealed a new strategy for prayer that is sweeping the nation. “Today’s 15-hour gathering to worship and pray was epic. Lot of great moments from Asuza Now gathering in Los Angeles.” 

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Indeed, social media were ablaze with the #azusanow hashtag as praying believers found inspiration in gathering together to literally act out 2 Chronicles 7:14.  

Sean Fuecht, founder of the 24/7 Burn movement, insists “history cannot ignore this sound.” 

“The course of my life was changed at 16 while lying face down, weeping in the grace on the Mall in D.C. during the first Call gathering. I’ve joined with many others in this dramatic storyline ever since,” he says. “A movement was born in my heart that day. I believe the same happened for countless thousands … on the 110-year anniversary of Azusa. Let it begin.” 

Jeff Jansen, founder of Global Fire Ministries, says he believes Azusa Now was one of the most significant events of the past few decades.

“As we were driving on Interstate 5 to the Azusa Now event on April 9, I saw a large, gold angel standing over LA,” Jansen says. “The Lord said, ‘Just as the 1849 gold rush drew people to California … So 4/9 2016 will mark a new gold rush of divine proportion that will once again draw the nations into revival.” 

Joshua Mills, a recording artist, author and revivalist, says he witnessed the ignition of a worldwide move of God. “I saw healing miracles happening and lives being changed by simply the hand of God resting on entire groups of people,” Mills says. “I believe Azusa Now was the beginning, and now it will continue to unfold for those who were touched by that moment of glory.” 

So where do we go from here? I’m declaring right now that awakening is here, and it’s coming. Azusa Now wasn’t the only prayer event on April 9. United Cry gathered 30,000 pastors in Washington, D.C. There was an Azusa event in Houston and thousands of people watching, praying and agreeing in churches, prayer rooms and homes across America. Reset America will gather tens of thousands on the Mall in D.C. to cry out to God again. 

I believe April 9 was a day of demarcation in America. It was a show of desperation and unity in the church. Prophetically, it was a shot heard around the world. Will we immediately see the impact of this historic, or as many are calling it, “epic” event? Probably not, but something shifted in the spirit in the City of Angels on Saturday. If you could pull back the curtain on the realm of the spirit, I believe you would have seen an intensified war in the heavens—and we’re winning that war. 

On April 21, 2007, the Lord woke me up at midnight, and I sensed Him offering this prophetic word: 

There is a great awakening coming to this nation. For I have heard your cries, and I long to heal your land. I am a covenant God, and I will not forget the covenant I made with your Founding Forefathers. Yes, there will be a shaking, but the foundations will not crack, and they will not crumble. Only those things which can be shaken will be shaken that the sin in the land may be laid bare. 

Repentance. I require repentance from My people who have through the generations allowed the enemy to take ground in this nation. I require repentance for the abortions and for the prayerlessness. I require repentance for the apathy and for the idolatry. You shall have no other gods before me. I am indeed the God of America. 

Yes, there is a great awakening coming to this nation. I am the Author of it and I will bring it to pass. Just turn from your wicked ways and humble yourselves. Stand in the gap and make up the hedge. I am the Lord and I am a Warrior. I will not leave or forsake this country. I will fight through you and with you to regain what has been lost. 

Be encouraged now, because as you go forth boldly with My Word and My Spirit, there will be the sound of truth and it will prevail in the land. Speak boldly and clearly and watch as the mighty men arise to take their positions on the wall and in the churches and in the marketplaces. For I am raising up deliverers and reformers in this generation who will not shrink back at the challenge that is coming in the days ahead. 

Yes, it will grow darker before My light shines brightly from this nation again. But the light has not been extinguished and will not be extinguished. The time to rise up is now. I am calling you to war. I am calling you to repentance. I am calling you to My side. I am the captain of the hosts. I am calling you to victory. I am calling you to destiny. Will you answer? 

On April 9, I believe we answered. And I believe we are standing at the door of transforming revival in America.

History was made in Los Angeles on Saturday as Lou Engle, Mike Bickle, CIndy Jacobs, Jack Hayford and other generals of the faith gathered at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for Azusa Now.

Jeff Jansen, founder of Global Fire Ministries, told Charisma News he believes it was one of the most significant events of the past few decades.

“Amidst the worship and intercession I believe something highly significant has shifted in the spirit and that we have stepped into a new timeline of revival in the Lord that will result in revival fires burning in not only America but the nations of the earth,” Jansen says.

“Most already know that I am now co-hosting the Fire and Glory Outpouring in San Diego with good friends Jerame and Miranda Nelson. An outpouring of Glory and Power has been burning there for 75 nights now and people are coming from around the world to get a fresh touch from heaven. Wild miracles marked by tangible power and Presence of the Lord are poured out every night and all are excited in this fresh outpouring.”

Jansen reminds that Azusa street revival of 1906 changed the course of world history as many new denominations were birthed through the raw supernatural power and Glory of God. So now 110 years later another fresh move of God is now being birthed and fresh revival fires will burn in many cities in the nations of the earth.

“As we were driving on Interstate 5 to the Azusa Now event on April 9, I saw a large gold angel standing over LA,” Jansen says. “The Lord said, ‘Just as the 1849 gold rush drew people to California … So 4/9 2016 will mark a new gold rush of divine proportion that will once again draw the nations into revival.” {eoa}

On April 5, only three days before Azusa Now in Los Angeles, evangelist Heidi Baker began her message by first praying for Azusa Now with this very powerful prayer.

“Let Your Fire Fall Again, God” (6:05-7:03). “The same fire that fell on Azusa” (8:55). “I ask, Father, You grace us for what we have been crying out, praying for, believing for another move, God, a great move, a great wave, Lord. The great wave we see, the great wave we hear about, the great wave Lord God! As people thrust out, send out to the end of the earth, God. O Lord God God, Do it again, God. Just do it again, Lord.” (16:35-17:07).

Baker also petitioned God that this move of the Holy Spirit would be more than temporary.

“Lord, let this not be for a week, let this not be for a month … but let it be for the rest of our lives.” {eoa}