Every morning, I try to pray, “Father, show me how to be more like Jesus Christ today so that You will be glorified!” 

Knowing that every day I will fall short of this goal, I take joy in the smallest victories to this end.

My flesh loves to be in control and clings to anxiety with stubborn pride. However, God’s Word faithfully restores my confidence in His ability to transform my heart and life.

Andrew Murray said, “When God gives the Holy Spirit, His great object is the formation of a holy character. It is a gift of a holy mind and spiritual disposition, and what we need above everything else is to say: ‘I must have the Holy Spirit sanctifying my whole inner life if I am really to live for God’s glory.'” 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the voice of Christ within me speaks. Moment by moment I must bring my sinful thoughts, actions and words to Him as quickly as they arise so that gradually they will give way to His thoughts, actions and words. I pray to be less, even though everything prideful in me seeks attention and recognition. 

This is not an easy struggle, but growing up in Christ is a narrow path burdened with worldly distractions and insidious idolatry that sets itself up against the transformational work of God. It is a battle that can only be won in the spiritual realm–not by my own determination and desire. 

Without dying to my flesh, the formation of this holy character cannot be evident in me. Paul recognized that God’s children are susceptible to the deception of darkness without complete faith and trust in the One who created us and knows us best. Therefore, in his letter to “God’s holy people” in the city of Colosse, he shares a powerful prayer that, prayed for our lives and the lives of others, will transform us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ:

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing to all, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, enduring everything with perseverance and patience joyfully, giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled us to be partakers in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:9-12).

There is much to be gleaned for our everyday lives from the purposes of Paul’s prayer. How we, God’s people, need to be filled with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So often we struggle in the flesh to know the will of God, yet do we ever ask to be filled with the knowledge of His will? What a powerful prayer request! “Father, fill me with the knowledge of Your will for my life through all wisdom and spiritual understanding!”

Still, it is important to recognize that the term “spiritual understanding” in our culture has been horribly abased. Not everything with this label is Christian in nature. We must be vigilant to ask the Father to fill us, and those for whom we are interceding, with Holy Spirit wisdom through the very mind of Christ so that we may have a clear and perfect understanding of His will for us.

The result? Those for whom we pray will begin to live lives worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way by bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened with all power according to the glorious might of God. Here, we will begin to see the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit moving within and throughout our day to day lives. Is there anyone who would not want such a prayer of blessing and power?

Paul prays for the believers to be strengthened so that they might have great endurance and patience to withstand whatever struggles, trials or persecutions might come. Why? So that they might be able joyfully to give thanks to God in the midst of their day-to-day lives–no matter what happens.

I am eager to give thanks to the Father when I am comfortable and life is going well; however, only His supernatural strength upholds my joy when that is not the case. How many believers do you know who need the courage of God in their lives right now to endure a trial? Isn’t it a powerful encouragement to see those saints who are able to live in full joy and confidence in the midst of pain or difficulty? Pray that God will give you and other believers such strength, so that we may joyfully give thanks to God, who has qualified us “to be partakers in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12b).

The way of holiness is to walk in the way of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we pray the powerful Word of God into our everyday lives and crucify our fleshly desires to lean into the desires of our Father, we will live more fully within the kingdom of His light. We will know the will of God for our lives and please Him in every way. We will be given His strength and be sustained by joy and thanksgiving. May the formation of a holy character continue in us all for the glory of God. {eoa}

–Kim Butts is the co-founder of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the author of The Praying Family.

In his book The Bible Jesus Read, best-selling author Phillip Yancey observes that Yeshua did not have a New Testament in His Bible.

The New Testament had not yet been written. But neither did His Bible have an Old Testament. No one thought of God’s eternal Word as an “Old Testament.” In the days of Yeshua, the Old Testament was simply called the Scriptures.

Today, some Bibles are printed without the Old Testament. They begin at the Gospel of Matthew. Even when our Bibles do contain the Old Testament Scriptures, they are not always read. Those books are typically regarded as a long introduction to Matthew. Though Christians study it in Sunday school and enjoy reading select stories, few regard the Old Testament as relevant for how to live the Christian life.

How sad to think that today’s followers of Yeshua today rarely read the Bible He read. We have surprisingly little interest in the Scriptures that shaped His life and teaching. We regard the Bible of Yeshua as irrelevant. But is it really?

Yeshua didn’t think so. He said that those Scriptures testified about Him.  He quoted them in order to correct and rebuke people. He interpreted them to give His disciples guidance. He quoted verses from Deuteronomy to defeat the devil in head-to-head spiritual warfare. His first recorded words after His baptism are quotations from the Torah of Moses and His last utterance from the cross was a quotation from the Psalms of David. 

Yeshua spent the day of His resurrection discussing those old Scriptures with His disciples. He showed them the things written about Him in “in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms.” There is certainly a lot of “Old Testament” in the New Testament.

The Bible itself refers to neither the Hebrew Scriptures (the ones we call “old”) nor the Apostolic Scriptures (the ones we call “new”) as old or new. These traditional appellations are actually counterproductive to seeing the Scriptures as God intended us to see them. If anything, we should be amazed at how the Hebrew Scriptures and the Apostolic Scriptures seamlessly connect into one continuous revelation.

Paul once wrote to his student Timothy, saying, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). But Timothy did not have a New Testament; his Bible was the Hebrew Scriptures. Could Paul really have expected believers to be taught, rebuked, corrected, trained, and equipped for good works from the Old Testament?

Yeshua and Paul and all the ‘New Testament’ writers regarded the Hebrew Scriptures—particularly the five books of Moses—as the bedrock on which they built their teaching. To them, those books were the only Scriptures. Paul did not know that his epistles would one day be collected as Scripture. He did not imagine himself writing new books of the Bible. He did not even live long enough to see the written gospels produced. As far as Paul knew, the Hebrew Scriptures were the only Scriptures.

How odd for us to imagine that those Scriptures are not relevant to believers today. They were certainly relevant to Yeshua and Paul. They didn’t just use them for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness; they lived their lives by them. Near the end of his life Paul declared himself fully obedient to the Torah of Moses.  Yeshua, of course, never broke a commandment of the Torah.  As followers of Yeshua and students of Paul, perhaps we should emulate their attitude toward the Old Testament.

In fact, we should probably consider using the term “Hebrew Scriptures” to describe the Old Testament. While they certainly are old, they contain the eternal, living words of God. Containing scrolls first committed to writing some 3,400 years ago, the Hebrew Scriptures are truly ancient; but they are by no means obsolete. They are “living oracles.”  They reveal the person of Messiah.  They contain the glory of the new covenant.  They are the standard of righteousness for which we are to train. They equip us to perform the good deeds we are called to do.  They comprise the Bible Jesus read.

Daniel Thomas Lancaster is a writer, teacher and the Director of Education at the Messianic ministry of First Fruits of Zion (), an international ministry with offices in Israel, Canad, and USA, bringing Messianic Jewish teaching to Christians and Jews. He is the author of several books about the Jewish roots of Christianity and the Jewishness of the New Testament, and he is the author of the Torah Club Bible study program (). He also serves as the teaching pastor at Beth Immanuel (), a Messianic Jewish synagogue in Hudson, Wisconsin. Daniel can be reached at outreach@.

Excerpted from Daniel Thomas Lancaster’s book Restoration, published by First Fruits of Zion, which you can order for free here.

Stephen Powell, one of the newer voices of the prophetic movement, has shared another word from the Lord regarding not just President Trump, but how his presidency is reforming politics in America.

Here’s what he wrote for readers of The Elijah List:

“There is great momentum behind President Trump right now. Momentum can’t be manufactured. It is a part of a spiritual movement, which in this case, is part of a move of God. This momentum enabled him to snatch the presidency from certain defeat, it enabled him to overcome the impossible, and he’ll do the same while governing. Where people believe “he won’t be able to do this, he won’t be able to do that,” this momentum and this spiritual force behind him will cause him to break through barriers others failed to break through.

I hear the Lord saying, “This man is unstoppable because I’m unstoppable. My kingdom is unstoppable, and this man has a mandate from heaven; he has momentum that is not his own. His movement will not dissipate, it will grow, and it will reach beyond the borders of American governing. It will inspire; it will stir up a nest.

“As the eagle stirs up the nest, so the Lord will do through this man. People are laughing at him, saying that his plans are too bold, his ideas are too big, that his plans will not work because after all, what president has been able to do these things before without gridlock?

But the Lord is saying, “This president shall not be in gridlock, for his strength is not his own. I have put a spirit of breakthrough on this man and on this land, and he will do things that will be monumental for the generations to come. I will use him to stir up the nest and cause this young generation of young eagles to soar.”

The Trump Effect: A New Class of Young Politicians

“Even a new class of young politicians will see and say, “I can do that, I can soar. I can be bold and be brave, and not bow to political correctness or the fear of man. I can fear God and be bold and stand up for what is right, and I can truly make a difference. For if God is for me, what senator can be against, who can resist my agenda if my agenda is not my own? These senators, these congressmen, they are just men, they are just people. Who can resist the hand of God when it is upon a nation, and God begins to stir up the nest?“

“For watch and see in this next season, as I continue to do the impossible in the face of adversity, as I continue to show you signs and wonders coming from this political sphere. There is a new faith available, a hope which I’m awakening right now, and it shall rise like the morning sun after a long dark night, and I shall rise with healing in My wings, even for the nations.

“This is My time of hope and healing, even from the womb of the morning, in the beauties of My holiness, to bring forth a new day. But no, this shall not be gridlock, for nothing shall stop this man that I have anointed for this hour.”

This Is Israel’s Time

“This is not just America’s hour, but Israel’s time as well. And this man whom I’ve chosen shall complete presidential assignments for Israel going back even to the days of the six-day war, for I the Lord have not forgotten the words I spoken to My presidents. I the Lord have not forgotten those mandates I gave to them for My chosen people Israel.

“Those mandates are still sitting here in heaven, waiting for this man to rise up and take hold of them again, and move in My breakthrough, even for My people, even for My land which lies to the east, a place of destiny for these times, a place which I shall make My peace.”

A Prophetic Word to President Trump

“The Lord would say to President Trump, “Continue to be unstoppable, for I will make you unbreakable, for even when they plot, and scheme and shrewdly construct their ways against you, I will give you the upper hand. I will give you their next moves. The enemy will not outmaneuver you, Mr. Trump, for I am with you now in this time, in this hour, to move something forward which has been stuck for years.

“Yea, even this past generation could not complete their assignment because Israel could not possess their land, just as it was in Joshua’s day. But as Joshua was preserved and matured for his hour of conquest, so have I preserved and matured you, Mr. Trump, for the time that would come to take the land.

“First you’ll lead a charge to take back your own land, a land which I’ve given for this republic which shall continue to stand. But I am the Lord, and I have purposed for My chosen people Israel to have their land, and they shall have their land, for I the Lord have spoken it, even before you were born. Israel, My chosen people, shall have their land, and nothing shall stop this.

“You, Mr. Trump, I have made unstoppable, not just for your nation but for Israel too, for you shall minister to her, you shall protect her and you shall set an agenda with her, partnering together for the next stage in My plans; and in this also you shall not be gridlocked like prior administrations have, for I am with you, and with the progress you make on the state’s side, so you will carry this unstoppable anointing across the sea.

“I have commanded My people to hear you, to heed your voice, for the frequency I’ve given you is not your own. It’s the frequency of awakening, it’s the sound of freedom, it’s a strength My people need, and they shall receive hope in this hour which will be like oxygen to their life-blood. The nation will receive fresh life again, because when you hope in Me, you receive fresh life.”

A Word for China

“And now I’ve come to deal with China, and with this nation, yes, I will deal, for they have defied Me and My words for many generations, but they will not defy Me anymore, for I have purposed a mighty harvest in the east, and in this harvest I will receive of their government, for what man can resist Me, what system can stand in the way of My advancing kingdom in this day?

“For the markets are Mine, the steel is Mine, the houses are Mine, the land is Mine. I will give My people in this land a house of glory, a house of freedom, a house of safety, yes to worship in the days to come. And I will come in like a covering father to carve out a place for My people, a place of safety, a place of refuge, for this is the day of My great refuge, even refuge for the nations,” says the Lord.

But with you, China, I will contend, and you will not be able to resist Me, for I’m calling for a new foundation in your land. It will be built on My Word, and My agenda will come forth. And just as I’ve brought men forth that would be led by My agenda in other lands, so will I bring this forth in your land, oh China. These men and women are being called forth now. They’re being harvested right now to carry My heart in high places of authority. I’m unstoppable here as well, and I will find men and women to bear My heart in this nation. I will do it. I am the Lord.” {eoa}

Author’s Note: This is long. It is probably the longest blog I have ever written. Normally it is something I would share on video, and in the future, I might, but for now, I want to type it so that my heart and message can be accurately conveyed without confusion.

Many of you know I use spoken word poetry to work through my issues, and when it comes to President Trump, I have a lot of them. Initially I was going to do a live spoken word I wrote on Thursday, but it was mega harsh and the tone and heart of it were neither kind nor redemptive. I could feel the Holy Spirit’s disapproval as I read it out loud to my husband. Matt encouraged me to work on it before posting it, but I knew in my heart to trash it. So I did. Instead I decided to write a blog and say basically the same thing but without the video, which in my mind would somehow make it OK.

So here I am. Headphones in. Computer on. Document blank. My stubby fingers typing the phrase, “I’ll be the first to say I don’t like Donald Trump.”

But every time I type it out, I feel conviction begin to rest heavily on my heart, and though my computer sits nestled in the corner of my dining room turned office where one of my sons is spinning in circles while the other watches Mickey Mouse YouTube Videos very loudly, I hear the still, small voice of God say to me, “You don’t know him.”

I wish I was a good enough Christian to say that I hit my knees and prayed for forgiveness or compassion or whatever it is a really good Christian would say in that moment, but I didn’t, because I’m not.

I am just a person.

A person who really loves people.

A person who really loves people and wants to see their lives full of joy, hope, value and love.

A person who really loves people and wants to see their lives full of joy, hope, value and love and who really struggles when she feels like someone is coming in the way of that.

I have spoken openly and publicly about my hate of racism and my love of people. In fact, it is within those two things that my entire platform was born.

I have spoken openly against the Dakota Access Pipeline and on more than one occasion have shared my support of the peaceful protesters and movement they represent.

I have spoken openly in favor of aiding Syrian refugees and pleading for prayers on their behalf.

I have spoken openly and fiercely about strong women, their rights and the value of what women bring to the table.

So you can see the position I have found myself in as of late.

You may not feel like that. You may feel like the Trump presidency is adding tremendous value to your life. You may feel joy and hope and value and love. If that’s you, that’s OK. This isn’t against you. It’s not even against Trump. I just want you to have some context for the space my heart was and is in.

Here I am in the midst of what I feel like is God trying to teach me something and instead of being pliable and receptive, I just keep getting frustrated. I dig the proverbial heels of my heart in and stand my ground. How could God say I don’t know him? Anyone who has Twitter knows him! He is the president of the United States. His life, his past, and his mouth are at the forefront of every social media or news outlet that exists. I know him. We all know him, and God has the nerve to say to me, “You don’t know him”?

With much irritation and in a rhetorical “I-don’t-really-want-to-know-but-I’m-going-to-pacify-you” kind of way, I breathed out heavily and found my soul shouting, “So what then is your point, God?” Though His voice was the same still, small voice, His response this time felt louder and more bold, and I suddenly felt smaller.

“I do know him.”

And that was all He had to say.

That may seem weird to you. I know for many of you, it will not bring you any kind of resolution for your frustration and hurt, and to some it will even be laughable. It will make you doubt my credibility and kick yourself for even reading this far. But for me, it was enough.

I started to cry, and guys, I cried hard.

I cried because I was arrogant and embarrassed.

I cried because I was judgmental.

But most of all, I cried because I knew that for a long moment, I had forgotten how gross my own heart was. I have spent weeks—months even—acting as though the sins of Donald Trump were somehow worse or more vile than the sins of own self.   

The only difference between me and Donald Trump is that his faults and failures, missteps and mistakes, and sin and slipups are on display for everyone to see. I have anonymity. When I fail and freak out and say or do horrible things—and trust me I’ve done plenty. No one sees it. I haven’t grown up in the fishbowl that is the public eye. And you know what? I’m super thankful for that, because God only knows how many of you would belittle me and leave me behind because of things I said or did when I was selfish, hurt and lost.

I am not making excuses for his statements or behavior. Please don’t read this that way. I think that responsibility and accountability should be taken and held—and held tightly. The whole world is watching. But I cannot expect him to be perfect. I can only expect him to try and be the best. It’s easy to judge where he sits and say what we would do in his position, but do any of us really know?

Do you know what the weight and responsibility for the lives of 325 million people feels like? Because I don’t.

Do you know what it is like to manage a $3 trillion budget? Because I don’t.

I do know that when my husband I are a few hundred dollars short at the end of the month, I have a full-scale breakdown and wonder how we will live the next few weeks.

I do know that when my kids were born, just the weight and responsibility for their two lives kept me up several nights without any sleep, and when I would sleep, it would be poorly.

And I do know that I was foolish to judge how he sits in his seat when I know nothing of that pressure or position.

The presidential seat is the highest and most respected seat in this country, but it is not the highest and most respected seat in this world. God resides in that seat and before He came off the throne to pardon me and hang on the cross to wear my sin right alongside Donald Trump’s, I was just as messed up as Trump.

A pardon isn’t just forgiveness. It’s total absolution. It’s not just forgiving; it’s removing and forgetting.

When Christ pardoned me, He did so freely, readily and abundantly, even though He knew that time and again I would let Him down. He knew I wasn’t perfect and would never be able to be perfect, so He stretched wide His arms so that the burden of perfection would be removed from my life.

Because I am not perfect, I cannot forget the mistakes of Donald Trump. But I can check my self-righteous attitude and arrogant heart at the door and choose to say that who he was isn’t who he is and if he is doing something, he’s doing something he believes is in the best interest for our country as a whole.

Christ bore the burden of Donald Trump’s perfection just as He bore it for me, and I can no longer superimpose my opinion of what that looks like on Trump.

If you aren’t a Christian, I hope you know that the evangelical church does not support sexual assault, racism, misogyny, xenophobia or any other thing that you may have (rightfully) felt President Trump embodied or represented. Please know that this message is not an excuse for behavior or a dismissal of your hurt. I have hurt, cried and questioned with you, and I have loved, given and prayed for you.

Know moving forward, that no one, not a politician or person, represents me except for me and Christ.

Today, after a week of executive orders. I am issuing my own presidential pardon.

Because Christ pardoned me, and because I claim to know Him and love Him, I must pardon Donald Trump. {eoa}

Savanna Hartman is an author, speaker and spoken-word poet. She and her husband, Matt, have been in ministry together for eight years. They now co-pastor Banner Church, a growing church plant in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida.

This article was originally published at . Used with permission.

My friend Matt Hyde lives in Boise, Idaho, a city that is 89 percent white. After he became the pastor of Discovery Church in 2013, he learned that refugees from many countries were living in Boise. They are from Bosnia, Serbia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nepal, Bhutan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Congo, Togo and Sudan.

Most of them had fled political oppression or civil war. Many spent time in crude refugee camps before they were granted permission to move to the United States. Almost all of them endured unbelievable trauma.

These refugees have changed Hyde’s life—and his entire congregation. Today some of these foreigners are members of Discovery Church. A group of believers from Bhutan and Nepal use the church’s facility for their own congregation. A Congolese church and an Ethiopian/Eritrean church also use the building. And members of Hyde’s church now go to the airport regularly to welcome refugees when they arrive in town.

“These people have endured things I cannot imagine,” says Hyde, who is 38. “Yet they have so much love for Christ. That has been so humbling. As I have become friends with them, it has reawakened my heart to the call to reach the nations.”

When God showed Hyde that Discovery Church should minister to Boise’s refugee population, he realized this would be a stretch for some of his members. But compassion compelled him. He even got on his knees during last year’s Easter service and washed the feet of the leaders of a Nepali and Congolese congregation.

“People were just weeping as they watched us serve them,” Hyde says.

For Hyde—and many other charismatic and evangelical Christians—loving refugees is a biblical mandate, not a political position. He and his team point to Scriptures such as Leviticus 19:34 (“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born”) and Zechariah 7:10 (“Do not oppress … the foreigner or the poor”), which make it obvious that caring for immigrants and refugees is a core mandate for God’s people.

But how do we fulfill this mandate in an era of global terrorism? Many countries are closing their doors to refugees because Islamic militants are sneaking across borders with bombs. In some cases, nationalism and xenophobia have turned hearts cold toward foreigners who need shelter and food.

Then last week, President Trump triggered a firestorm when he signed an executive order suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. The order also restricts immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries and bans all Syrian refugees indefinitely.

The people who elected Trump cheered his decision—because they believe our lax immigration laws help terrorists. Those who didn’t vote for Trump view the executive order as a mean-spirited betrayal of American compassion.

I know it’s complicated. But I believe the kingdom of God often is in conflict with both liberal and conservative sides of the political spectrum. God’s love should be extended to the oppressed whether you are a pro-Trump Republican, an anti-Trump Democrat or anything in between.

I know we need to police our borders. I know we don’t want a repeat of 9/11—when foreigners who were legally allowed in this country killed 2,996 people. I know we need to screen people before they enter the country.

But I am grieved that Trump’s order has slammed the door in the faces of thousands of people who are fleeing the kind of tyranny my ancestors faced when they sailed to these shores in the 1700s. I don’t want to imagine what will happen to today’s refugees during the next 120 days while they wait for a green light that may never come.

Mr. Trump’s aides have assured us that his orders were given to improve the vetting process (which is already extremely tedious). They have also made it clear that this law is only temporary.

But I can’t help but wonder how many lives will be lost during the 120 days.

Proverbs 24:11 commands us: “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back.” How tragic that many Christians who pride themselves on being “pro-life” in reference to the abortion issue are happy to keep innocent refugees out of the country in the name of “security.”

I believe American churches must develop an action plan that includes the following:

• Write your elected officials and ask that President Trump’s ban on refugees be lifted as soon as possible, and that Syrians (a refugee group that includes more than 2.5 million children) be allowed to find a safe haven in the United States.
• Get to know the refugee population in your own city, build relationships and find out how you can serve them.
• Contribute to Christian organizations (such as World Relief) that are helping refugees on the front lines.
• Mobilize your church to provide welcome baskets, meals, job training or English classes for refugees in your area.
• Provide counseling and prayer ministry for refugees who have suffered trauma.

We must speak out on behalf of the oppressed—and we must do it with a sense of urgency. Some refugees don’t have three months to languish in their squalid camps. Moral courage, not fear of terrorism, should guide our policies. We must not let our love grow cold. If we truly want to “Make America Great Again,” we can’t turn a deaf ear to people who need our aid. {eoa}

For more information about Discovery Church and their work with refugees go to .

Seven days after the Women’s March on Jan. 21, 2017, there was a second march on Washington–the annual March for life.

During those seven days, I witnessed three groups of women:

1. Women who were protesting their right to have an abortion and do with their body what they want

2. Women who were protesting President Trump but who are pro-life and thus didn’t feel comfortable attending the Jan. 21 march.

3. Women who are passionately pro-life.

The aftermath of both marches has led to a lot of discussion that I feel has muddied the pro-life message.

One point in particular somehow didn’t sit right with me, and for days, I’ve pondered why.

Now I know why. And that is why I am writing this article.

I would like to start off by saying that this article in no way is meant to judge any of the three groups of women. This article, is, however, meant to tackle a difficult topic and hopefully shine a different light on our discussion of life, abortion and adoption.

And I feel this is important, because no matter how you feel about abortion, the cold, hard facts are that millions of women suffer deep psychological wounds stemming from a decision they made to end their pregnancy.

The point made that left me feeling off was this:

Pro-lifers are not truly pro-life if they are not willing to step up to the plate and adopt all of the thousands of babies that will be born to the women who would have otherwise aborted them.

In the end, I have concluded that the argument made here is as effective as trying to put a Band-aid on an amputation.

Although intentions may be sincere, the method to heal the wound is too simplistic.

There is a much deeper issue, a deeper problem in society that must be resolved, and when it is, the argument will be null and void.

And the resolution to the problem must start inside the four walls of the church.

What is the deeper problem?

The church is no longer the standard-bearer for morality in society. There used to be a time when the church set the standard of morality, which was based on God’s Word.

There was a time when it was simply unacceptable that couple would engage in intimacy before marriage.

Now, however, not the church, but Hollywood, is the standard-bearer. And the church is not only content to let Hollywood set the standard for morality immorality, but, for the most part, it has bought into its doctrine.

Even in the church, it is odd to find a 20-something who has saved themselves for marriage.

Most youth group and singles’ group leaders admit that immorality is out of control in their churches. Some pastors have even given in to the narrative that it is impossible to reign in your hormones and resist the temptation to engage in intimacy.

And my question is this:

If the church refuses to be the standard-bearer for morality in society,

If we choose to watch the same movies filled with nudity and sex
If we choose to laugh at the same jokes
If we choose to use the same innuendos
If we choose to call the same actors and actresses “sexy”
If we choose to entertain ourselves with the same movies that mock the Bible, mock abstinence and mock Jesus Christ

If we choose to walk in the way of the wicked
Stand in the path of sinners
Sit in the seat of the scornful

Then what is our platform really all about?

Sin always muddies the message.

Our light has gone out, and we shouldn’t wonder why the world chooses to use abortion as another method of contraception.

Then we should wonder who is going to adopt all of those babies born to women walking in darkness—that great, great darkness—all because the light that was once within us has become darkness.

But, if we will be honest with ourselves for one blessed, holy moment, we will know that there are not enough pro-life families on planet Earth to contain the flow of babies born to women who would otherwise be ready to terminate their pregnancies.

So there must be another way.

There has to be another way.

And it’s not education, because our society has educated itself into ignorance.

It has to be a holy cry of revival in the church. It has to be a church that falls on its face in repentance because it has failed to see how its tolerance of immorality has deeply offended a holy God.

It has to be wailing at the altar of sorrow for light that was extinguished decades ago without any notice at all.

It has to be a cry for the consuming fire of God to incinerate the philosophy of the world.

And then there must be dedication.

Once sanctified again, the church must dedicate itself: not to educating, not to philosophical platitudes, not to self-help seminars—but to winning the lost.

She must lay aside her fear of “proselytizing” and become obedient to Christ’s command.

This—this is the only way abolishing abortion will ever work in our nation.

When men and women full of the Holy Spirit and power once again become the standard-bearers for morality in our society, fornication will not be the norm!

And as we begin shifting the narrative on morality in our society, society will once again begin to view life as sacred. 

All life.

Life conceived unplanned
Life conceived through rape
Life conceived that has unique needs
Life that has run its race and still has a few miles to go
Life that has received a terminal diagnosis

That message will ring out crystal clear when it is not muddied by our own tolerance and immorality of sin. {eoa}

Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live with their two active boys where she enjoys fruity candles, good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook. At A Little R & R she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. You can also find her at Missional Call where she shares her passion for local and global missions. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.

Heaven is in a very interventionist mode with America right now, and it is going to take some getting used to for many who don’t understand America’s assigned role among the nations.

In the first of a two-part article, here are nine prophetic words for the nation for the year:

1. A year of significant breakthrough. Breakthrough will come in areas where the enemy has assaulted believers, such as health, finance, relationships and adverse circumstances. Many of these breakthroughs will come suddenly. Breakthroughs will come on regional and national levels, also in response to the prayers of the saints. “Breakthrough” will be a significant word in 2017. The more it is proclaimed, the more breakthrough will come.

There will also be the breaking forth or “birthings” of new things in believers’ lives and in the world.

Angels called Breakthrough are being dispatched. God is sending angels called Breakthrough to assist believers as they break forth into new realms of kingdom authority, encounter and experience. As a result, many Believers will experience sudden deliverance from areas of warfare and bondage and will encounter liberty and freedom in the spirit. These angels represent the breaker, and they execute His assigned works of breakthrough on behalf of believers.

When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all of the Philistines went up to search for David, but David heard about this and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and were spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. So David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?”

The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly give them into your hand.”

So David came to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has breached my enemies before me like bursting tides” Therefore, he named that place Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away (2 Sam 5:17-21).

“He who breaks through has gone up before them; they will break through and pass the gate and go out by it. Then their king will pass on before them, the Lord at their head” (Mic. 2:13).

From Cindy Jacobs’ article, “2017: Year of the Breakthrough” (from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders gathering):

The number 17 in Scripture symbolizes overcoming the enemy and complete victory.

God overcame the sins of rebellious humans when He began to flood the earth and rested on the 17th day of the Hebrew month. Noah’s ark and its eight passengers rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month of the religious year (Tishrei), right in the middle of God’s holy period known as the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is in the seventh month (Tishri) and on the tenth day of the Hebraic calendar. This day calls for the turning from our sins through repentance that brings us to victory. It is the time for the breakthrough to victory.

2. Restoration. Many things that have been lost will be restored in 2017. Faith, hope, joy, relationships, finances, positions, lands, inheritances, reputation, health and strength will be restored by the Spirit of grace. There will be great joy and testimony as a result of the Lord’s work of restoration. Restore, restore, restore!

“Restore us again, O God of Hosts, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be delivered” (Ps. 80:7).

“Restore our captives, O Lord, as the streams in the Negev” (Ps. 126:4).

“The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who shall say, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy endures forever,’ and of those who bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at the first, says the Lord” (Jer. 33:11).

3. Focus on love and kindness. “Do not be mean in ’17!” A standard of love and kindness will be raised up against the hatred, cruelty and violence demonstrated in 2016. A “Love War” will be waged.

“Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1).

“For the entire law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5:14).

4. Israel, America and Trump. President Trump will restore America’s relationship with Israel this year. Any nation that curses Israel will be cursed, and any nation that blesses Israel shall be blessed. America was close to being severely cursed due to the previous administration’s actions against Israel, but Trump will turn this around. As a result of this positional restoration as allies of Israel, America will receive blessing from the hand of the Lord. God has positioned Trump. Our God is a forgiving and loving God.

President Trump will need much prayer this year. The church must arise and make Scriptural decrees for his protection and pray for God’s wisdom to fill him daily. America will have great breakthroughs and will be used to help other nations encounter breakthroughs, but the battle will be fierce on many fronts. Much prayer is needed.

“I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless them who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3,).

 “For thus says the Lord of Hosts: He has sent Me after glory to the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8).

From Johnny Enlow, January 2017:
Trump and the Angel Called Union

As I have stated before, I believe that Trump will be the most important President since Abraham Lincoln and that our nation will in the future have a “before Trump” and “an after Trump” historical perspective. I believe that the United States’ great angel, named Union, has been ordered to step in as he has not been asked to step in since Lincoln’s day. I also believe a great angel of Reformation that was from that day has also been released at this time and it is for the 2.0 version of Reformation.

Heaven is in a very interventionist mode with America at this time, and it is going to take some getting used to for many who don’t understand America’s assigned role among the nations. United States was formed and fashioned with a foundation of freedom and liberty as a gift to the nations. The nations of the world were hopelessly stuck in dead-end cycles of tyranny, war and devastation. America was and still is the interruption into those cycles, and the call extends well beyond anything we have so far seen. God’s commitment to seeing America through has not wavered despite our many weaknesses, and this will become increasingly evident to those who have eyes to see. America is also called to be the protector and guarantor of Israel, and it is a primary calling. Because of that call, military might is a must for America as a deterrent to foolishness among the nations.

.

What we will see for the next 8 years is reflected in the acronym of our new president’s last name.

Transformation – This is what happens to people and to the macro-narrative itself.

Reformation – This is what happens to the seven mountains of society.

Union – This is the great angel over us and his specific assignment.

Momentum – We will shift into full-scale destiny momentum.

Prosperity – Transformation and reformation are both a root and a fruit of prosperity.

5. Increase in miracles, signs and wonders. God’s eye is particularly gazing upon the Middle East and parts of Asia such as India and Pakistan in 2017.

I see Egypt beginning to awaken through the visitation of signs, wonders and miracles. Those who have held to a form of godliness and denied the power will come under conviction due to personal encounters with the Lord.

Israel will continue to experience tensions, but it will escalate in revelation of truth and will experience signs and wonders at the hand of God. The Lord will call many God-fearing intercessory believers to move to Israel in 2017.

The Lord says, “Watch what I will do in Syria.” Many individuals trapped in the deception of ISIS will wake up and see the truth. Many of them will be visited by the power of the Lord and as a result will risk their lives for His justice, righteousness, and glory.

“God also bore them witness with signs and wonders and diverse miracles and with gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His own will” (Heb. 2:4).

6. Increased Anointing Activated in Believers to Break Strongholds and to Produce Good Works.

“In that day his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil” (Is. 10:27).

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).

7. Revival, Revolution and Reformation. Many who have felt empty, dry and unfruitful will experience personal renewal and refreshment in the spirit when they cry out to the Lord for revival. Apostolic revival centers will expand in the nations and become more established in 2017.

Anything that causes you to revolt is an invitation for a revolution. This year, revolutions on many fronts will demand attention and justice. These revolutions will result in reformations (re-formings).

“Behold, I have a longing for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness … Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, that I may keep the testimony from Your mouth” (Ps. 119:40, 88).

“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones'” (Is. 57:15).

Fourth Wave, From Cindy Jacobs’ article, “2017: Year of the Breakthrough” (from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders gathering)

We are hearing the words “new wine, new wine.”

A convergence of all the past moves of God coming together with the manifestations of Pentecostal fire, the healing and deliverance crusades. The latter rain glory being poured out with new realms of glory, the evangelicals’ burden of the lost, and the Jesus People Movement’s love for the lost, the gifts of the Holy Spirit from the Charismatic movement, the Third Wave theological credibility, the revelation of the prophetic movement and the relational networking of the apostolic reformation that includes an understanding of reforming and transforming society in each mountain (or sphere) is great Convergence of the ages is coming with a historic Fourth Wave of the Holy Spirit and a reformation that will lead to the great transformation of nations.

The wind of the Holy Spirit is going to blow with new renewal movements arising in the youth upon centuries-old churches. The power of the Holy Spirit will be poured out in a new, fresh way, manifesting through the young and old. The miracles that have seemed only to happen infrequently are going to be dramatic.

Many “workings of miracles” that are creative in nature will be seen in hundreds of churches across the world. Centuries-old churches that have prayed for a renewed move of the Holy Spirit will see their prayers answered. It is the time for a new Pentecost! Some who criticize those who are longing for renewal will find they are put out of leadership in their churches and denominations. Both the young and the old will see the power of the Holy Spirit fall upon them.

This again will result in many, many new missionaries being sent out across the face of the earth that are willing to go to the most difficult and hard-to-reach areas. Central Asia will be significantly impacted by this missions movement. God is calling a new generation who will go out and evangelize the world. The numbers of those going to preach will increase in large proportion compared to the generation before them.

8. Harvest. Stadium gatherings will spring up in the nations and many souls will be saved. A new breed of evangelists preaching with faith, conviction, love and power will emerge, leading masses to Christ.

Churches will reach out in their communities, and individuals who are searching for answers will discover truth.

Call forth laborers to the fields that are white with harvest and pray for churches to be ready to disciple new believers:

“He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest'” (Luke 10:2).

9. New inventions and solutions. The year 2017 will be one of discovery. Breakthroughs in knowledge, wisdom and understanding will bring forth cures, inventions and technical solutions and advancement.

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion” (Prov. 8:12). {eoa}

Note: Stay tuned Thursday for Part Two of this article for eight more prophetic words for 2017.

Patricia King is a respected apostolic minister of the gospel, successful business owner and an inventive entrepreneur. She is an accomplished itinerant speaker, author, television host, media producer and ministry network overseer who has given her life fully to Jesus Christ and to His kingdom’s advancement in the earth. She is the founder of XP Ministries and co-founder of . Visit her website at .

Waiting on God to move in your life sometimes pushes—and perhaps shoves—your faith to the breaking point. The wait can prove excruciating.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, always finds a not-so-subtle way to remind us.

He is still in control—that “I’ve got this.”

My wife, Patty, lost her job just over four months ago. Our dwindling financial reserves have begun to pressure our family. Patty has had several interviews—including second and third interviews—but nothing solid has emerged.

Unemployment is no stranger to our household, but God has always come through. For some reason, however, this particular valley has been a bit tougher to navigate.

I found myself feeling more than a bit discouraged on a recent Sunday before church. Little did I know what God had planned.

When the service began, I felt empty and ungrateful. But then our worship pastor, Puchi Colon, began playing and singing a song called “Greater Things,” written by Nick Angelakos & John Dreher. The first stanza stirred my spirit immediately:

“Renew, restore, revive your church and make us whole. /Ignite, transform, take us to the place we’ve never seen before.”

(OK, Lord, you have my attention.)

The song continued: 

You’ve done the impossible/We’ve seen our mountains move before./Your Word is unstoppable, with expectation we declare!/Though mountains stand before us,/Though weapons formed against us,/We’re standing on Your promise, We’re believing You, Lord, for greater things!

We know that You are willing./We’ve seen that You are able./Oh God, release Your favor/We’re believing You, Lord, for greater things!”

When the song finished, the Lord spoke to my heart: “That was for you, Shawn. Any questions?”

Habakkuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me walk on my high places.”

On that beautiful Sunday morning, I learned to yield my financial concerns to the Lord.

When traveling through a valley, it can be difficult to live confidently in Him. But as I stand on the promises in God’s Word, I know greater things are around the corner, as is for His favor for my family. My faith may have wobbled, but my God did not. {eoa}

With Maureen Scalia, widow of the late Associate Justice Antonin Scalia seated next to Vice President Mike Pence in the East Room of the White House, President Donald Trump announced his choice to replace the high court’s “conservative lion.”

And, true to his word, the president nominated a man who is very much in the mold of the jurist he will replace: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch. The graduate of Columbia, Harvard and Oxford has clerked for D.C. Court of Appeals Judge David B. Sentelle and Supreme Court Associate Justices Byron R. White and Anthony Kennedy. 

“Judge Gorsuch has a superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its text,” Trump said. “He will make an incredible justice as soon as the Senate confirms him.”

He also served in the Department of Justice as the principal deputy to the associate attorney general and acting associate attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. The White House issued the following statement about the nomination:

Neil M. Gorsuch has served for over a decade as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, building a nationally respected and distinguished judicial record and reputation. 

Judge Gorsuch is a brilliant jurist with an outstanding intellect and a clear, incisive writing style. He is universally respected for his integrity, fairness and decency. And he understands the role of judges is to interpret the law, not impose their own policy preferences, priorities or ideologies. 

Judge Gorsuch is a native Westerner and avid outdoorsman. He spent his childhood in Colorado and chose to return west to raise his family. He enjoys fishing, hiking and skiing. And he and his wife care for animals, including a horse, in the small barn at their home. As a young man, he delivered papers and worked as a front desk clerk at a Howard Johnson to make extra money. 

Judge Gorsuch has an impressive range of professional experience. 

Judge Gorsuch was confirmed by the U.S. Senate without opposition on July 20, 2006, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Indeed, 11 current Democrat Senators—including Minority Leader Schumer, Sen. Leahy and Sen. Feinstein—and 20 current Republican Senators were in office when Judge Gorsuch was confirmed by voice vote, without opposition. He received a “unanimously well-qualified” rating by the American Bar Association.

Prior to serving on the court, Judge Gorsuch had extensive trial and appellate litigation experience as a practicing attorney and then served his country the Department of Justice as the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General in 2005. In that position, he assisted in managing major aspects of the department’s work in areas such as constitutional law, counterterrorism, environmental regulation and civil rights. 

Judge Gorsuch worked as an associate and partner at the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, PLLC from 1995 to 2005. 

Judge Gorsuch’s academic credentials are impeccable. 

Judge Gorsuch attended Harvard Law School as a Harry Truman Scholar and graduated with honors in 1991. He graduated with honors from Columbia University in 1988, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After law school, he attended Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar, and he received his Doctorate in Philosophy in 2004. 

He clerked for Justice Byron White and Justice Kennedy of Supreme Court of the United States and Judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Judge Gorsuch is a “judge’s judge” who decides cases based on the law, not personal policy preferences. He is not afraid to reach results contrary to his own policy views.

Echoing a common theme of Justice Scalia’s jurisprudence, Judge Gorsuch once wrote that “a judge who likes every result he reaches is very likely a bad judge, reaching for results he prefers rather than those the law compels.”

Evangelicals are likely to celebrate Gorsuch’s nomination other reasons. As the SCOTUSBlog puts it:

Some of the most high-profile cases in which Gorsuch has cast a vote have involved the religion clauses of the Constitution (those prohibiting the establishment of religion and creating a right to free exercise), as well as congressional statutes expanding protection for religious adherents (known as RFRA and RLUIPA). Followers of the Supreme Court will recognize two recent cases in which Gorsuch participated on the 10th Circuit, Hobby Lobby Stores v. Sebelius and Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged v. Burwell. In Hobby Lobby, Gorsuch wrote a concurrence in the en banc 10th Circuit that sided with the company and its owners. He stressed the need to accept these parties’ own conceptions regarding the requirements of their faith, and held (among other things) that they were likely to prevail on claims that the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act substantially burdened their religious exercise in violation of RFRA. This position was largely vindicated in the subsequent decision by the Supreme Court. Thereafter, in Little Sisters of the Poor, Gorsuch joined a group of 10th Circuit judges who dissented from denial of rehearing en banc when a panel of the court of appeals ruled against the Little Sisters on their RFRA claims about the same ACA mandate. There, again, the point was that the 10th Circuit had shown insufficient deference to the Little Sisters’ own articulation of the tenets of their religious beliefs. That position, too, was at least partially vindicated by the Supreme Court when it decided that the Little Sisters’ religious beliefs probably could be accommodated while still affording full and equal contraceptive coverage to their employees, and directed the parties and courts to consider such a solution on remand. Simply put, in cases that closely divided his court and the Supreme Court, Gorsuch has shown himself to be an ardent defender of religious liberties and pluralistic accommodations for religious adherents.

Gorsuch has also written or joined opinions—again, largely vindicated by the Supreme Court—that have criticized doctrines that limit religious expression in public spaces. In Summum v. Pleasant Grove City, in 2007, Gorsuch joined a dissent from denial of rehearing en banc in a case in which the 10th Circuit had limited the ability of the government to display a donated Ten Commandments monument in a public park without accepting all other offers of donated monuments. The subsequent Supreme Court decision reversing the 10th Circuit largely adopted the reasoning of that dissent. Gorsuch also has a pair of dissenting opinions in which he criticizes the “reasonable observer” test for establishment clause cases as far too likely to find impermissible endorsements of religion by the government when none was intended, and thus to prevent religious adherents from reasonably participating in public life. These cases are American Atheists Inc. v. Davenport, in 2010, and Green v. Haskell County Boad. of Commissioners, in 2009. The common thread in these cases is one that matters very deeply to conservatives: a sense that the government can permit public displays of religion —and can accommodate deeply held religious views—without either violating the religion clauses of the Constitution or destroying the effectiveness of government programs that occasionally run into religious objections. In his 2009 concurrence in Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum, Scalia articulated very similar views. Gorsuch’s opinions on these issues are quite thoughtful and demonstrate that he would be a natural successor to Scalia in adopting a pro-religion conception of the establishment clause.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement supporting Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court:

Neil Gorsuch is a mainstream conservative choice who fulfills President Trump’s promise to the American people to appoint a justice who represents their views. In this past presidential election, the American people gave their support to President Trump in large part because he vowed to appoint a justice in the mold of the great Justice Scalia. Neil Gorsuch’s sterling track record of faithfully interpreting the Constitution, protecting individual rights and ensuring limited government is complemented by his discerning approach to every case and a high personal integrity. Democrats who plan on obstructing President Trump’s choice are only scheming to deprive the American people of their rightful voice on the nation’s highest court. Americans are clearly in support of this thoughtful and qualified choice, and it’s time for Democrats to honor the will of the people so the Supreme Court can once again have nine justices.

Democrats had promised to block any nominee Trump announced. Based on the DNC’s official statement, it seems they intend to follow through:

Judicial scholars are worried that Gorsuch could be even more extreme than Scalia. Americans deserve a better Supreme Court justice.

Gorsuch said he was looking forward to meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. Following the nomination announcement, he said:

Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, you and your team have shown me great courtesy and you have entrusted me with the most solemn assignment. Standing here in the House of History, aware of my own imperfections.

If I’m confirmed, I will do all that my powers permit to enforce the Constitution and laws of this country.

For the last decade, I worked as a federal judge at a court that spanned six western states, serving 18 million people. The men and women I have worked with are an inspiration to me. I have watched them fearlessly tending to the rule of law, enforcing the promises of our Constitution and living out daily the judicial oaths to administer justice equally without respect to their personal political beliefs …

The judges that have served in this particular seat of the Supreme Court, including Antonin Scalia and Robert Jackson, are much in my mind at this point. Justice Scalia was a lion of the law. Disagree or agree with him, all of the colleagues on the bench shared his wisdom and humor. Like them, I miss him.

I began my legal career working for Byron White, the last Coloradan to serve on the Supreme Court and the only justice to lead the NFL in rushing. He was one of the smartest and most courageous men I have known.

He gave me the chance to work for Justice Kennedy as well. He was incredibly welcoming and gracious. He taught me so much. I’m forever grateful. If you have ever met him, you would know how lucky I was to land a clerkship with him right out of school.

These judges brought me up in the law. Truly, I would not be here without them. Today is as much their day as it is mine.

In the balance of my personal life, I have had the privilege of working as a practicing lawyer and teacher. I enjoyed wonderful colleagues who support me at this moment … I saw that when judges don our robes, it does not make us any smarter, but it is a reminder of what is expected of us: impartiality, independence, collegiality and courage.

As this process moves to the Senate, I look forward to speaking with members from both sides of the aisle, answering the questions and hearing their concerns. I consider the U.S. Senate the greatest deliberative body in the world, and I respect the important role the Constitution affords it in the confirmation of our judges.

I respect that in our legal order, it is Congress—not the courts—that write new laws. Judges are to apply—not alter—the work of the people’s representatives. A judge who likes every outcome is very likely a bad judge., stretching for results he prefers, rather than those the law demands.

I am so thankful tonight for my family, my friends and my faith. These are the things that keep me grounded and has sustained me. To Louise, my incredible wife and companion of 20 years, my cherished daughters watching on TV and all of my family and friends, I cannot thank you enough—your love and your prayers—I could not attempt this without you.

Mr. President, I’m honored and I’m humbled. Thank you very much. {eoa}