Investigations into the special counsel, and then counter-investigations on campaign surveillance allegations. An alleged payoff to cover an affair and an exposé of her attorney, too.

And those are just the headlines of the past week.

But one thing is consistent: 90 percent of the media coverage on President Donald Trump in the first four months of 2018 has been negative, reported Fox News, citing a study from the Media Research Center. Despite this, however, Trump’s approval rating is ticking up point by point, from 37 percent in December to 43 percent in April.

Best-selling author of God and Donald Trump and award-winning journalist Stephen E. Strang isn’t surprised—by either figure.

“The relationship between the media and President Trump has been like no other president before him,” Strang said. “From Day One, they didn’t know how to handle him—and still haven’t figured it out. The night of Nov. 8, 2016, stymied the media; they never expected to cover his inauguration, let alone 18 months of his presidency. Yet, here we are. And for the most part, Trump has not played into their hands. He has skipped correspondents’ dinners; aligned with certain, fairer members of the media regardless of the stature of their networks; and is now even threatening to revoke media credentials because of the unfair and inaccurate coverage. The truth is, the media doesn’t know how to deal with a force like Donald Trump—and maybe that’s how he prefers it.”

In God and Donald Trump, Strang gives an inside look at the Donald Trump campaign, election and the presidency, including how he engaged with evangelicals and other faith groups to claim victory.

Strang is an award-winning journalist and successful businessman who began his career as a newspaper reporter at the Orlando Sentinel. He later founded a Christian publishing house and media company while interviewing and writing about nearly every Christian leader in the country over the past four decades.

For more information on God and Donald Trump, visit .

God and Donald Trump is published by Frontline, an imprint of Charisma House, which has published books that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians, including 14 New York Times best-sellers.

After Elisha watched Elijah ascend into heaven, the prophet went to the city of Jericho and performed his first miracle. The men of that city faced an environmental crisis: Their water was toxic, most likely because of the sulfur and other chemicals that had rained down upon nearby Sodom and Gomorrah years earlier. This poison had made the land barren (see 2 Kings 2:19-22) and it was affecting people and animals as well as plant life.

So Elisha performed a bold, prophetic act. He threw salt in the water and proclaimed: “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer'” (v. 21, NASB). His proclamation brought immediate cleansing.

This obscure story in the Old Testament offers us a picture of the gospel’s power. The message of Jesus Christ heals us. The Holy Spirit brings life where death has reigned. He neutralizes the poisons that cause spiritual barrenness. He balances the pH level in our hearts and our churches so that spiritual growth and vitality is possible.

All of us would like to enjoy a healthy spiritual life. And we would love to see our churches thriving and growing. But the sad truth is that many of us are barren because of hazardous additives. We have embraced a gospel laced with legalism, performance-based religion and salvation by works—when Christ alone is our only source of life.

Jesus Himself referred to these toxins as “the leaven of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1b). He told us that the Pharisees’ brand of religion, which looked good on the outside, was deadly—and contagious.

Have you been infected? You can take your own pH test by examining these eight characteristics of a religious spirit.

1. A religious spirit views God as a cold, harsh, distant taskmaster rather than an approachable, loving Father. When we base our relationship with God on our ability to perform spiritual duties, we deny the power of grace. God does not love us because we pray, read our Bibles, attend church or witness, yet millions of Christians think God is mad if they don’t perform these and other duties perfectly. As a result, they struggle to find true intimacy with Jesus.
2. A religious spirit places emphasis on doing outward things to show others that God accepts him. We deceive ourselves into believing that we can win God’s approval through a religious dress code, certain spiritual disciplines, particular music styles or even doctrinal positions.

3. A religious spirit develops traditions and formulas to accomplish spiritual goals. We trust in our liturgies, denominational policies or man-made programs to obtain results that only God alone can give.
4. A religious spirit becomes joyless, cynical and hypercritical. This can turn a home or a church completely sour. Then, whenever genuine joy and love are expressed, this becomes a threat to those who have lost the simplicity of true faith.
5. A religious spirit becomes prideful and isolated, thinking that his righteousness is special and that he cannot associate with other believers who have different standards. Churches that allow these attitudes become elitist and dangerously vulnerable to deception or cult-like practices.
6. A religious spirit develops a harsh, judgmental attitude toward sinners, yet those who ingest this poison typically struggle with sinful habits that they cannot admit to anyone else. Religious people rarely interact with nonbelievers because they don’t want their own superior morals to be tainted by them.
7. A religious spirit rejects progressive revelation and refuses to embrace change. This is why many churches become irrelevant to society. They become so focused on what God did 50 years ago that they become stuck in a time warp and cannot move forward when the Holy Spirit begins to open new understanding. When religious groups refuse to shift with God’s new directives, they become “old wineskins,” and God must find more flexible vessels that are willing to implement change.
8. A religious spirit persecutes those who disagree with his self-righteous views and becomes angry whenever the message of grace threatens to undermine his religiosity. An angry religious person will use gossip and slander to assassinate other peoples’ character and may even use violence to prove his point. Jesus, in fact, warned His disciples: “There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he’s doing God a favor” (John 16:2b, MSG).

If the poison of religion has contaminated your walk with God, ask Him to pour a fresh understanding of His grace into your barren spirit—and then expect His new life to flow through you.

Five exceptionally rare ancient coins from among the very first ever minted by Jews were discovered on the Temple Mount, evidence of Jewish activity at the disputed site.

The small coins—three in pristine condition and two showing signs of wear—were discovered as part of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an archaeological initiative started in order to sift thousands of tons of dirt illegally excavated and dumped in the Kidron Valley by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. The Waqf excavations compromised the archaeological integrity of the Temple Mount and sparked outrage in Israel, leading many to suggest that the Waqf was intentionally attempting to eradicate evidence of two Jewish temples that stood on the Mount for over 800 years.

The spiritual realm must react when you speak out!

Your words have destroying power. God’s Word says, “Though an army should encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident, (Ps. 27:3). Are you confident that when you speak out the spiritual realm must obey? Jesus had destroying power. He had the power to destroy the works of Satan, to tell a fig tree to die and to tell disease to leave.

Jesus transferred that power to us. Similar to when a person on earth gives their legal rights over to another person and creates a power of attorney document, Jesus gave you His power of attorney when He conquered the grave. Your words now have destroying power.

You carry the same power Jesus did. Your words speak life or death (Prov. 18:21). What are you going to release with your words? We are in a consistent spiritual war, a war that is won by prayer, declaring and the words we speak out into the spiritual atmosphere. The battle cannot be won in our minds. We must learn to get up, get active and speak and decree out against the attacks of the enemy. We have binding and loosing power through the words we speak.

You have the power within you, the Holy Spirit, to annihilate and abolish the powers of darkness coming against you. Your words are powerful, but you have to know the power they carry. One way you can know the power of your words is by being in the Word of God daily. When we are fighting a battle, one of the greatest things we can speak out into the spiritual atmosphere to combat attacks is the Word of God. The Word of God is sharper than a two- edged sword (see Heb. 4:12). The two-edged sword is powerful, but what you need to know is one side of that blade is the Word you take in, and the other side is the Word you speak out. You need both parts of that sword, your intake and output, to conquer spiritual attacks.

In order to combat spiritual attacks, you must believe you have the authority to release something out of your mouth to break up the atmosphere. You have enough power in your words to change and charge the spiritual realm. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.” I like how the Complete Jewish Bible also states this verse. Instead, of the word “self-control,” it says “discipline.” This verse is often quoted for people who need to overcome fear. Instead of focusing on the word “fear,” let’s focus on what God has given us. He has given us a spirit of power and love. He has given us discipline and self-control. He has empowered us! Therefore, if God has given us power, love, discipline and self-control we should use it to take hold of our circumstances instead of allowing our circumstances to take hold of us.

He has given us the power, but we need to come to a realization that our words are prophetic and when we speak out we are targeting the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm must act with a positive or negative response. We have authority. We have received the infilling of the Holy Spirit when we ask. Now let’s use something we asked for and speak out, declare out and decree out and watch our situations change.

Declare out today: When I speak the spiritual realm will activate. I prophesy over myself that when I speak and release the power and love of God the spiritual realm activates and responds to my words. {eoa}

Learn more about the power of declaring prayer through Kathy’s book Speak Out.

Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic healing and deliverance minister and the founder of DeGraw Ministries. She is passionate about releasing the love and power of God to empower and activate people. She is the author of several books, including Speak Out, Warfare Declarations, Who is Speaking? and Powerful Prophetic Proclamations. Connect with Kathy on Facebook or visit .

Police in Panama City, Florida, said on Tuesday they were responding to a suspected active shooter in an apartment complex.

Local media reported a large police presence at the complex. Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Panama City Police Department responded to the scene, sheriff’s spokeswoman Ruth Corley said in a phone interview.

Local media footage showed several officers with weapons drawn taking cover behind cars. What sounded like gunshots could be heard as a local television reporter conducted a live interview with a witness who said he had heard gunfire.

Panama City is located on Florida’s panhandle about 80 miles (129 km) west of Tallahassee. {eoa}

© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

Sam Blackledge was told just 10 minutes before graduation that he would not be permitted to deliver his valedictory address because it was too religious.

“They said they didn’t want to make it a religious ceremony,” Sam said on “The Todd Starnes Radio Show.” “They told me that if I took out Christ I could say everything else.”

Sam, who had been preparing for months to deliver his speech, was devastated.

“I never felt that feeling before,” he said. “It was terrible. I felt like I wanted to cry. I had basically—for months—I knew I wanted to talk about Christ in my graduation speech. For that to be taken away …”

The school district has refused to comment on the matter. They invited Sam and his parents to a meeting this week, but when they told school leaders they would be accompanied by legal counsel, the meeting was canceled.

“School officials should remember that students retain their constitutional rights to freedom of expression from the schoolhouse gates, all the way through the graduation ceremony,” First Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys told me.

The nationally-renowned law firm is representing Sam, and they are considering taking legal action.

“These school officials ruined the only high school graduation Sam will ever know,” Dys told me. “How many more graduations have to be ruined before school officials will learn that the First Amendment protects student remarks at graduation?”

In the meantime, we have acquired a copy of the speech the school deemed inappropriate for the graduation ceremony. I hope you take a moment to read his beautiful remarks.

Sam wanted to share his heart with his fellow graduates—but now he will have the opportunity to share his message with an entire nation.

By Sam Blackledge

Sherlock Holmes and his partner Watson were out camping and after a long night they quickly fell asleep. Awakening in the middle of the night, Holmes asked, Watson what do you see?

He responded by saying, “I see millions of stars.”

And Holmes proceeded, “Well, what does that tell you?”

Watson then pondered the question and said, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, it seems we’ll have a beautiful day tomorrow, and theologically I see that this is a vast universe and we are just a minute
part of the great whole. Why, Holmes what do you see?” Holmes was silent fort a moment and then speaks, “Watson you idiot, somebody has stolen our tent.” We as humans are really good at focusing on useless details all while missing the essentials.

Class of 2018, we are all branching out into our own paths, each in different directions, yet todos estamos buscando para las mismas cuatro cosas. I am convinced that each of us are in pursuit of the same four things. A life devoid of evil, full of justice, full of love and full of forgiveness. Evil, justice, love and forgiveness.

First, a life devoid of evil. Parents, I know that you greatly desire that your graduate’s life would be devoid of evil and full of good. No one wants life to consist of unfair circumstances. What do we see in the news almost every day, we see mistreatment, murder, evil. And why do these things receive so much coverage? I believe that it is because people are obsessed with this longing for goodness.

Second, justice. If we stay on the topic of news for a second, we realize another reoccurring theme, and that is equality or justice. Race, gender, equal pay, sexual orientation, the list goes on and on. Every person wants to be treated fairly. And graduates, I know that when we leave from here we want a fair shot at life.

And thirdly, love. I imagine that the next time I see some of you, you will be married, and maybe even have kids. And I know that the driving force of that is love. We all look for love, from our parents, our friendships, and maybe in the future, our spouses. Finally, I hope that you guys are successful in all that you do, but I’d be mistaken not to notice that we are bound to make mistakes. I find it significant that even the word “human” has become the definition of messing up and being imperfect.

With that in mind, we all need forgiveness. So, we all want lives devoid of evil; we are looking for justice; we’ll miss our families and make new ones because of love, and some of us are going to blow it big-time and hope the rest of our peers are willing to forgive us. Evil, justice, love and forgiveness.

I want you to think for a moment, is there any event in history where these four converged in one place? Where did evil, justice, love and forgiveness converge at a moment in history? Can I take you to a hill called Calvary and show you the person of Jesus Christ?

The cross of Christ shows us our own evil hearts, that we would put an innocent man there to die. Christ came to show us God’s justice in dealing with the unfairness of the world. The cross demonstrates to us the very love of God who died in our place and how we find, at the end of the day, that without His forgiveness, we would never make it.

Graduates, I hope your life is devoid of evil, full of justice, full of love and full of forgiveness. I think our parents however, could attest that trying to manage this on our own is more than difficult. The most important thing in your life is to find that intimacy with God. He will guide you, He will hold you, and He will take you through safely in your journey. As you search for goodness, justice, love and forgiveness, know that only God is big enough to provide that for you.

Thank you, Class of 2018, it’s been real; it’s been good; it’s been real good.

An anonymous intercessor at The Turnaround Event shared the following word:

I dreamed I was with a couple of friends and family members in Washington, DC. Exiting the Trump hotel, where The Turnaround event was held, was a courier, which I discerned to be an angel. He was carrying a scroll. His face was set toward the U. S. Capitol building.

When He got to the Capitol, he went inside, and we followed him in. We followed him to the House Chamber where President Trump had recently given his State of the Union Address. All of the lawmakers were in their seats and there were many people in the gallery. It was a packed house. The courier carrying the scroll went and stood at the double doors to the Chambers.

The angel announced loudly and with authority, ‘All rise!’ Just as had happened at the recent State of the Union Address, some people stood, while others disrespectfully stayed seated. The angel then opened the scroll and said very loudly and adamantly, “The verdict has been determined. America shall be saved!”

Some of the Congressmen stayed adamantly in their seats, but some fell on their faces in worship and the glory filled the room.

“Yet the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

Give Him 15 Minutes in Prayer

• Declare, “America shall be saved!” Keep declaring it. Declare it by faith to the north, south, east and west. Declare it over your city and state and across the nation.
• Determine to tell others about Jesus. It starts with one soul saved at a time.
• However, it doesn’t stop there. Nations are “saved” when believers in positions of governmental authority introduce righteous laws into the culture. Ask God to stir your Congressmen to boldly write laws that would please the Lord. Intercede for them.
• Contact your representative here and your senators here. Write and encourage them to act righteously, even if you don’t feel they currently are. Who knows, together with prayer, you may change their minds!

A Prayer You Can Pray

America shall be saved! America shall be saved! You said it, Lord, in a dream given to a saint, so You must mean to do it. America shall be saved. I take hold of this prophetic word by faith and declare it over this nation—to the north, to the south, to the east and to the west. I declare that my city shall be saved, my state shall be saved and the . shall be saved!

I will do my part to share Your love with the lost souls around me. Help my congressmen and senators do the same in their realm of authority, if they know You. Make them bold and determined to offer before the House and Senate legislation that pleases You. I will write them and tell them how I am praying for them, and I’ll ask them to consider righteous legislation to helps all of their constituents. In Jesus’ glorious name, amen.

Today’s decree:

America shall be saved! {eoa}

Dutch Sheets is an internationally recognized author, teacher and conference speaker. He travels extensively, empowering believers for passionate prayer and societal transformation. Dutch has pastored, taught in several colleges and seminaries and served on the board of directors for numerous organizations. Dutch’s greatest passion is to see America experience a sweeping revival and return to its godly heritage. He burns to see people find God’s “dream” for them and tap into their destiny. Dutch is a messenger of hope for America, encouraging believers to contend for awakening in our day and reformation in our lifetime. Dutch has written over 20 books, many of which have been translated into over 30 languages. His international best-seller, Intercessory Prayer, has sold nearly 1 million copies worldwide.

This article originally appeared at .

Is there a Christian alternative to Facebook? social network is “the answer to Facebook censorship of Christians” and it “doesn’t collect and sell your personal information,” said Steven Andrew. He is the founder and a respected, Christian and technology leader.

Andrew started to “fix the social media bias against Christians and Christian news stations.”

With , people and churches “share photos, updates, the gospel, news, videos and messages” and “connect with those who are important to them,” Andrew said.

is working to be “the premiere social network” of the nation and hopes to “replace Facebook and Twitter in popularity,” he said.

Andrew gives details of the Christian Facebook alternative, a video overview and answers questions on a crowdfunding page he started to fund the project. “ began in 2017 and can launch as soon as this summer, if we get the required funding now,” he said.

He hears many positive comments. “Christians choose , because of our pro-America algorithm,” so they are not “censored by the anti-God algorithm of Facebook and Twitter,” he said.

This Christian alternative to Facebook community is “growing quickly,” because “people feel betrayed by other social media.” Andrew understands, because he had over 70 million people blocked by Facebook. Those signing up now “get preferred usernames,” he said. A person does not need to be in the country to join, which “helps families, friends and churches feel comfortable switching to .”

Andrew “loves America.” What makes him unique is “he passionately believes, like our Founding Fathers, that God gives us liberty.” He has extensive experience, including for Cisco, Stanford, Sega and Better Homes and Gardens, having led strategy or large-scale initiatives.

Some wonder, are Facebook and Twitter really against Christians? “Yes, because they restrict Christians sharing the truth and block God’s Word and love,” he said. Facebook and Twitter “often promote sin, communist censorship and other ways against the gospel.”

To unite the nation, “ advances American values, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” he said.

“Sharing the gospel freely could be lost forever without . However, we can have a Christian internet if people, churches and businesses chip in $10, $100 or $1,000 toward the crowdfunding today. If people want to speak freely about Christianity, it is at ,” Andrew said.

With the rise of community colleges and a new emphasis on vocational skills, the nature of secondary education is changing. CBN News recently interviewed a lawmaker who’s offering an education reform bill to meet the needs of prospective students.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is no stranger to how student loans can burden college graduates. As a young student with no money, she didn’t think she’d make it past high school. But now as a house chairwoman, she’s fighting to make things easier for generations to come.

In high school, Foxx worked as a janitor to make money. Ranked No. 3 in her class but without financial means, she had no plans to further her education until a teacher recommended junior college.

She decided to attend the junior college and against all odds, Foxx went on to earn both a master’s degree and a doctorate, eventually becoming the president of a local community college.

“I tell young people. if some people like me can do what I’ve done, then they have no limits,” she tells CBN News.

Foxx wanted to pursue education, but God had other plans. Her personal hardships prepared her to lead efforts in education reform in Washington. She currently serves as chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

She is sponsoring a new education reform bill. The bill, known as the Prosper Act, focuses on helping people obtain any post-secondary education from trade certificate to bachelor’s degree and getting them into the workforce.

“Post-secondary education should be focused on students and what are the needs of the students. We believe that’s what the Prosper Act does,” Foxx said.

In a break with the past, this bill would make financial aid available for programs as short as 10 weeks and push schools to be more upfront about costs and benefits.

“We want program level information,” Foxx explained. “What it’s going to cost; what are their chances of getting a job; [and] what are they likely to make.”

She said the proposed measure will not just benefit the young.

“Seventy-five percent of the people are what have been called ‘non-traditional students.’ We’re calling them contemporary students,” the congresswoman said.

Another goal is to make it much easier to get financial aid.

“The federal government is the largest source of financial aid for students, and what we’re doing is making it much simpler for students to qualify for financial aid and to apply for financial aid,” she said.

And Foxx also feels it’s important to protect freedom of speech and religious liberty on all campuses.

While both parties agree reform is needed, Democrats are unlikely to support the bill as it stands. Some are unhappy with the grants and loans it eliminates, plus the boost, they say, it provides career colleges.

“Unfortunately, the bill cannot be considered bipartisan because it chooses clear winners and losers. Under this bill, corporate interests are put first and students are put last,” said U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.

Reforming higher education is clearly a challenge. Congress hasn’t passed anything regarding higher education since 1965. Chairwoman Foxx says with millions of unfilled jobs and a trillion dollars in student debt, we can no longer afford to just kick the can down the road.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, all rights reserved. {eoa}

Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, says the enemy knows your most vulnerable places and will use that strategically. He says that characteristic is on full display in the story of the demons “Legion,” who possessed a man and then a herd of pigs. Watch to find out what that story tells us about our spiritual opponent.