As a person of Jewish heritage—and the founder of Curt Landry Ministries—Curt Landry recommends that the home of every believer should include a shofar, especially with the arrival of the Fall Feasts for 2020. It all begins with Rosh Hashanah on Friday evening, Sept. 18.

Believers, he says, should sound the shofar as a “wake-up call” to the good things God has given us and as a reminder to forgive and receive the forgiveness Yeshua died to bless us with.

“This is an exciting time of the year,” Landry told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It’s the head of the year, the time of the awakening blast. It’s an appointed time, and I’m really expecting some major spiritual shifts. Look at what has happened in Washington, D.C., with the Abrahamic Accord, this peace treaty, which was just incredible.

“God is so on the move in the midst of riots and in the midst of COVID, in the midst of all of these protests. God seems to be shining a bright light, and I want to encourage people to join us Friday night [Sept. 18] at 7 o’clock Central and go to and join us for an experience that will change their life.

“This is a time where, in Deuteronomy Chapter 8, you say, ‘Remember, it’s the Lord thy God who gives you the ability to create wealth with your hands.’ So Rosh Hashanah is a time of awakening,” Landry said. “It’s an awakening blast for you to be thankful. But it’s also preparing for the next 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It’s to awaken you to the good and awaken you to the things you need to forgive, things you need to be forgiven for, and it’s a way to readjust your thinking. It’s a time where you sound the trumpets, where it gives you victory, according to Numbers 10, over your enemy.

“For us in Western culture, if you watch western movies and the cavalry is coming, they’re blowing their trumps, and the horses are running and that creates hope. … That’s what Rosh Hashanah is. It’s a trumpet blast, a shofar blast, and it basically awakens the heavenly host and brings them to a higher level.”

For more of Curt Landry’s take on the upcoming Fall Feasts, listen to the entire podcast.

The actor who plays Hagrid in the Harry Potter series has come to novelist J.K. Rowling’s defense, telling anyone outraged by her comments on transgenderism to “get over yourself.”

During a recent interview with Radio Times, actor Robbie Coltrane bemoaned the oversensitivity of the “Twitter generation,” admitting he can’t understand why so many people have been offended by Rowling’s comments on sex and gender.

“I don’t think what she said was offensive, really,” he said. “I don’t know why, but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended. They wouldn’t have won the war, would they? That’s me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just think, ‘Oh, get over yourself. Wise up, stand up straight, and carry on.'”

“I don’t know why but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended”: #HarryPotter star Robbie Coltrane defends JK Rowling in trans row

— HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) September 15, 2020

“I don’t want to get involved in all of that because of all the hate mail and all that [expletive], which I don’t need at my time of life,” added Coltrane.

Over the summer, Rowling drew the ire of many a social justice warrior when she argued, quite logically, the radicalized transgender movement could lead to the erasure of womanhood Scientifically, there are only two sexes.

Click here to read the rest of this story from our content partners at Faithwire. {eoa}

Having saved almost 25,000 babies from the atrocity of abortion, Pre-Born! and its founder and president, Dan Steiner, have lent their support to “The Return: National and Global Day of Prayer and Repentance“—a movement calling on America to live according to God’s biblical plan for the sanctity of human life and redemption of the soul through faith in Jesus.

Steiner leads Pre-Born! in partnering with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. Like the leaders of “The Return,” Steiner believes in the power of prayer to impact America. Pre-Born! even has a prayer room dedicated to staff members’ intercessory prayer. In addition to supporting young mothers, Pre-Born! supplies counseling services, ultrasounds, maternity and baby clothes, diapers, formula and a clear presentation of the gospel.

Steiner possesses the same God-centered heartbeat as the “The Return”—a grassroots movement that will bring together thousands of individuals and churches at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26. The landmark gathering will amplify “The Return” movement’s call for all pastors, churches and families from every denomination and background to lead the United States in turning from sin back to God.

Who: Co-chaired by Pastor Kevin Jessip and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Cahn.

What: “The Return” is a movement that calls on parachurch organizations, congregations and individuals to humble themselves in repentance and anticipate God’s redemption and restoration.

Where: Washington Mall, between the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill (coordinated events throughout America’s cities, towns, houses of worship and homes).

When: Main Event: Sept. 26, 9 p.m.; Celebration Event: 6-9 p.m.; Friday Night Event: Sept. 25, 6-9 p.m.

Why: The window of opportunity is open for the American church to consecrate herself through personal repentance and to position herself to be used as God purifies the bride of Christ.

How: Connect with “The Return” at or call **PRAY (**7729) to register and learn more. Follow “The Return” on social media at Facebook: @ReturnEvent2020; Twitter: @2020_Return; and Instagram: @The_Return2020.

“The Return” is set for 40 days before the presidential election and on the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower, in the days of America’s founding and dedication to God. Surrounding the “The Day of Return” on Sept. 26 at the Washington Mall will be 10 days, known from ancient times as the Days of Awe, to be set as a special time of prayer and repentance from Sept. 18-28.

An exciting worship and prayer service, for youth and all ages, called “The Return: Next Generation” is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25 from 6-9 p.m. EDT, leading up to “The Return” on Saturday. The special service will honor military and law enforcement, and Mike Lindell will be launching his new national addiction Lindell Recovery Network. National music artist Danny Gokey will be leading worship, and a moving key note message will be given by Nicky Cruz.

America’s faltering commitment to abortion—topping 61 million deaths since Roe v. Wade—could serve to awaken Christians to the need for repentance, co-chair of “The Return” Pastor Kevin Jessip believes.

“Without revival, America and its future will be lost,” Jessip said. “Therefore, we have a window of time we may never have again.”

Christian leaders from across the country support of “The Return” include Pastor Kevin Jessip and bestselling author Jonathan Cahn (co-chairs), Mike Lindell, Michele Bachmann, Pat Boone, Dr. James Dobson, Mark Gonzales, Robert Morris, Marcus Lamb, John Kilpatrick, Pierre Bynum, Gen. William Boykin, Carter Conlon, Bishop Harry Jackson, Alveda King, Anne Graham Lotz, Pat and Gordon Robertson, Kevin and Sam Sorbo, Stephen E. Strang, E. W. Jackson, Dan Steiner and many more supporters listed at .

The following Christian organizations are partners of “The Return”: EpicPay, Every Home for Christ, Family Research Council, Family Talk, Gateway Church, Hispanic Prayer Network, House of David Ministries, Inciite Events, Intercessors for America, Jensine Bard Ministries, John Kilpatrick Ministries, 10 Days, All Pro Pastors International, America’s National Prayer Committee, Anne Graham Lotz & Angel Ministries, Assemblies of God, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Bless Every Home, Calvary Chapel and Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, CBN, Charisma magazine, Church of God, Collide, CTN, Daystar Television Network, Engage Media Partners, National Day of Prayer, Museum of the Bible, MyPillow, National Christian Foundation, Outreach, Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, World Evangelical Alliance, Pre-Born! and Triple Horse Studios. {eoa}

Mary Colbert, wife of bestselling author Dr. Don Colbert, is not only an author in her own right but a powerful prayer warrior and leader in the area of interceding for America. I believe Donald Trump achieved his miraculous 2016 victory in part because of the supernatural impact of the daily prayer calls she hosted. But Mary has now issued an even more critical call for prayer. I invited her onto my God, Trump and the 2020 Election podcast to discuss the urgency of this call, how God is using the prayers of the saints and what you can do to get involved.

“Donald Trump cannot do this by himself,” Mary told me. “It’s been proven from this last midterm [election], where everybody became very relaxed and sat back and thought, OK, great. We got Donald Trump in; that’s all we needed to do. And surprise, surprise.” As you know, that election saw conservatives lose significant races and allowed Democrats to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Instead of stepping back, Christians must get engaged in local and state governments, supporting the conservatives who will back the Constitution, Mary said. “We know that the next president is going to appoint a couple of judges. And this is going to set and shape the country for generations to come. And so the stakes are high, folks. They’re very, very high,” she said.

Her prayer calls have such a huge reach that Mary had to recruit more intercessors to assist her. To get involved, go to , where you’ll find a listing of hosts and times, including many state prayer calls. “There are some people hosting prayers 24 hours a day, seven days a week right now,” she said. “And they have people who have signed up and volunteered to go in and to be praying literally every single hour for this country,” she said.

Mary says she always prays before going live with her morning prayer calls so she is ready for the battle. And one day, as she did before a midterm prayer call in 2018, the Lord gave her a crucial message: “Tell the people that 2020 will be known as the year that all eyes shall see. He said, ‘Mary, I’m going to clearly reveal evil versus good. And it’s going to shake people to their core. But this is necessary, that they see this.'”

Mary told me, “It’s shaken me to my core day after day because I don’t think I was even prepared for some of what we have witnessed and what we have walked through as a nation. But it was necessary,” she said.

Mary assisted in the writing of the outstanding book, The Trump Prophecies, which shares the story of retired fireman Mark Taylor, who prophesied Trump’s election when few people thought it would occur. The book became a movie, and Mary shared that Fathom Events now plans to re-release The Trump Prophecy in major markets nationwide on Oct. 8. “And they have said if people want to gather at the end of the movie and pray, that’s going to be permitted,” Mary said. “So we’re encouraging people to show up at the theater on that day. This is going to be promoted as the largest prayer gathering in the history of this country.”

To hear more from prayer warrior Mary Colbert about why we must redouble our intercession over this year’s election and even why we must not stop praying for the Democratic Party, listen to the entire podcast episode here. And, as always, be sure to like and share this podcast and this article with friends, family and anyone else who needs to understand why Christians must get behind this president and platform that have stood for biblical values time and again. {eoa}

“[May you be] strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Col. 1:11, ESV)

Recently I was feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and discouraged. I felt off but didn’t know why. Life was good! Still, I didn’t feel like myself.

That’s when I realized my time with the Lord had been pushed to the side. Instead of investing real time with God, I was speed-dating Him. A quick hello and then off to the next thing on my list. No wonder I felt off!

I wasn’t putting in the time. I started getting up early to get my heart and mind fixed on Jesus. Instant peace! I’m not kidding. God never fails to meet us where we are and move us deeper into knowledge of Him and power in Him. You and I need great strength to have patience with others, with ourselves and with our lives.

The good news is that God doesn’t expect us to find this strength on our own. If we are intentional about progressing in the knowledge of God’s patience, His Spirit will empower us as we go.

In this life, we’ll never stop waiting. We’re constantly waiting on something: that new job, that new version of ourselves, that new relationship. For years, I waited to become the best athlete I could become because I assumed I’d be good enough to make the NFL. From there, all my needs would be met.

How foolish of me. I didn’t make it anywhere close to the NFL. Now I’m able to acknowledge it wouldn’t have solved my problems. We all do this. We wait on that next thing we’re sure will make us happy, and while we do, we miss the joys of being present.

And before we know it, time has passed and we’ve missed so much. The Bible says our lives are nothing but a vapor. The worst thing we could do is take a day for granted. Waiting, waiting, waiting—a person who lives as if tomorrow is promised will procrastinate today. But the person who lives as if tomorrow isn’t promised will be productive today.

Waiting is an opportunity to embrace the present, not a reason to wish we were somewhere else. Can you recognize the difference?

Waiting on the Promise

As I stared out the window of my hotel room overlooking the Chicago skyline, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the city lights. Their shimmer seemed to me as bright as the stars above. It was late, and I should have been tired and hungry and ready for some sleep.

But after a long rap show at a nightclub on the north side of Chicago, I didn’t want any of that. All I wanted was some peace. I had thought the stages and spotlights would make me happy. But staring at those city lights made it clear how dark I felt on the inside. I looked beyond them to the retreating moon.

Moments later it was swallowed by dark clouds, its light extinguished. My light, I thought, has also been extinguished.

I loved making music, but in the process of making it big, I lost sight of God’s dream for my life. I’d pushed my agenda ahead of God’s timeline for my life, and I had to suffer the consequences of living a life of no peace.

This happens when we don’t patiently wait on the Lord to guide our lives. Peace would evade me for years until I finally decided to stop pursuing my own dreams and instead chose to wait for the Lord to unravel His plan for my life.

We have to be patient and trust God to reveal His plans to us in His time. That said, waiting on God can be hard. So, what does it look like to wait on God well? Glad you asked! We often see waiting as passive. If you’re anything like me, doing nothing is torturous. Not many of us know how to wait well. Part of our problem is that we misunderstand what it means to wait on God. It’s not a time of inaction but one of sacred privileges.

As always, the Bible points us toward a right understanding of how to do this. If you look at the word “wait” in the Hebrew, you’ll see its connotations have a lot to do with being spiritually active.

Although God asks us to be still and know that He is God (Ps. 46:10), He also asks that we have the proper attitude, one of expectancy, which is something that cannot be done passively. God wants us to overcome our anxiety and impatience. Instead of us fretting about what will happen, He wants us to trust that He will do His good work. His plan will be brought forth into reality.

Our job is to not only trust that He’s working but to be excited about what He will do. This attitude allows us to go from impatient to hopeful and hungry for whatever the Lord will do next. Having hope in God’s plan is all about confident expectation that the marvelous work He began will be brought to completion (Phil. 1:6).

When we hold on to God’s Word with hope in the waiting room of life, He will strengthen our hearts to endure even the most restless times. The waiting room will sometimes call us out of our career or even our calling, and it will bring us back to the heart of the one who called us.

Do you hear His voice?

He’s calling you back into your simple purpose of just knowing Him and loving Him. {eoa}

This article is excerpted from Rashawn Copeland’s book, Start Where You Are (Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, copyright 2020 and used with permission).

Intercessors are on God’s heart. Although apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church, in this season God is intent on raising up the next generation of intercessors.

Mike Bickle taught me to discover what God is doing in any generation and get on board. That’s probably why God told me to make prayer my life’s work in 2012. I’ve been working fervently since, by the grace of God, to press into prayer initiatives, including raising up intercessory prayer leaders.

While in a prayer meeting with my Awakening Prayer Hubs leaders, the Lord began to speak a very clear word of encouragement to the prayer warriors in the movement, which is endorsed by Mike Bickle, Lou Engle, Cindy Jacobs, Bill Hamon, Patricia King and many others.

I heard the Lord say:

“When you see who I am and when you engage with Me in prayer at the level to which I am taking you, you are going to understand the work that you are doing is important to My kingdom.

“That realization—that revelation, that understanding—is going to thrill your heart in a way that nothing else could. Knowing and seeing the impact of what I have called you to do is going to bring to you a joy. It’s going to fill you with a desire to go deeper into My Spirit and further into My heart.

“So stand fast, hold fast and walk strong. For I am pouring out My grace upon you. I am putting my mantle of prayer on you. It is from Me. It’s My mantle. It’s the mantle of Christ to pray without ceasing. This is how I have equipped you. Not by your own might, not by your own power, but it’s by My Spirit that you will do what I have called you to do.

“And when you begin to see the fruit of it in this next season—when you see what I am doing, when you see that I hear and answer prayer—you are going to begin to enter into the fullness of joy.

“Even your prayer times are going to change. You are going to enter into My presence a little faster in this season. You are going to enter into the peace of God a little stronger in this season.

“So look to Me and wait for Me, and I will take you places in prayer that will make your jaw drop. I will take you places in prayer that will cause you to understand the authority that I have put upon you.

“You are not second-class. You are over not under—you are over the attack. You are above and not beneath. So stand firm, stand strong and stand ready, and I will make you able, and nothing shall by any means harm you.”

What a word, right? I believe this prophecy is true for every laid-down intercessor who loves the Lord enough to sacrifice their time to watch and pray. God is doing something unique in the Awakening Prayer Hubs movement.

God is knitting together the hearts of intercessors in a family of prayer warriors that will contend to the end for the promises of God in our generation. We will not stop praying. {eoa}

As I continue to drink from the well of understanding of what it means to embrace union with the crucified Christ, I have begun to experience new revelations. Presently being formed in hidden places of darkness, is a people who resemble and carry certain qualities of the Jesus People Movement. But what I am seeing is the emphasis is on a “People Moving and Acting Like Jesus.”

The book of Acts came from a “people who moved in ways of Jesus:”

“And requested letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any there of the Way, either men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2).

These “Jesus People” are being awakened to the revelation of the cross-shaped life and Jesus in His last breath has “exhaled” from the cross, and they have “inhaled” the power of His life (this is in visionary language). They have come into a realization that the power of His Resurrection is to embrace the fellowship of His suffering (Phil. 3:10-11).

They are awakening to the reality that Christ’s death has made His church sacred space holy and set apart—in the world but not of this world—just as Jesus was, because they are learning to move like Him (John 17:14). They are catching the truth that His church is meant to be the embodiment and answer to “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-13).

They have come to manifest the power of the lion through union with the suffering of the lamb. It is a “people” who have been empowered to move like Christ as a suffering servant (Isa. 53) so “death works in them, so life can work in others” through the revelation of His body always carrying the death of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 4:10-12).

The mark of a Jesus People is the foundation of a crucified life that releases the government of heaven. God’s people are being formed as former foundations are being uprooted, torn down and replanted, as well as rebuilt. Over this people, I keep seeing and hearing these words from Revelation 5:5-6:

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’ I saw a Lamb in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, standing as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.”

In this episode of Keys to Walking in Kingdom Culture on the Charisma Podcast Network, the “breath” exhaled by Jesus on the cross and these Jesus people “inhaling” His life, magnifies this part of Revelation: “having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” In the midst of darkness, there is a Jesus People being formed to move as Jesus moved. They are embracing a humility and submission to the Father that will manifest a level of glory corporately that cannot be contained in anything built by man’s hands. {eoa}

Purchase Wayland Henderson’s latest book on discipleship: Walking with God; Repairing the Breach and Restoring the Ancient Path of Discipleship.

In the Bible, Jesus is called the true light, the true bread, the true vine, the true witness and the true God. This episode of Revealing the True Light on the Charisma Podcast Network will touch on all five names.

True Light/Spiritual Illumination

That was the “true Light” which gives light to every person who comes “into the world” (John 1:9).

What Does Darkness Represent?

—Sin: “unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11b).

—Satan: “rulers of the darkness” (Eph. 6:12b).

—Self: “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—” (Eph. 5:8).

Then Jesus spoke: “”I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“Take heed therefore lest the light which is in you be darkness” (Luke 11:35).

True Bread/Spiritual Nourishment

Then Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33).

The True Vine/Spiritual Infilling

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).

In that same chapter Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5a).

The “life-sap” that flows from Jesus (the Holy Spirit) is pure and invigorating and brings us into true union with God.

The True Witness

“To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says these things” (Rev. 3:14).

He is also called “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead” (Rev. 1:5b).

The True God

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true—His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

Listen to the full episode titled, “Why Is Jesus Called the ‘True Light?'” here. {eoa}

Many helpful articles and personal transformation stories can be found on our comparative religion website: .
All Revealing the True Light podcasts are based on, or related to, Mike Shreve‘s classic book, titled In Search of the True Light, an in-depth comparison of over 20 religions. Also, it provides answers to 30 important questions concerning truth and spirituality. Obtain your copy today! Available as an e-book on Amazon and other online sources.

Mike Shreve also explains his stance on the practice of yoga in his mini-book: Seven Reasons I No Longer Practice Yoga. Available on our websites and on Amazon (both paperback and e-book formats). Discounts are offered for bulk orders: just call 423-478-2843 for information.

Free e-book of Mike Shreve’s Transformation Story: In 1970, Mike Shreve was a teacher of Kundalini Yoga at four universities with several hundred students following his teachings. Read how God opened his eyes to the uniqueness and exclusivity of Jesus in this free e-book The Highest Adventure: Encountering God.

Subscribe to Mike Shreve’s other CPN podcast on comparative religion called Discover Your Spiritual Identity.

Mike Shreve books by Charisma House: 65 Powerful Promises from God for Your Child, Powerful Prayers for Supernatural Results, 25 Powerful Promises from God, Who Am I: Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in Christ.

Other Books by Mike Shreve: Truth Seekers, Seven Reasons I No Longer Practice Yoga, The Highest Adventure: Encountering God, Our Glorious Inheritance, The Revelation of the Names and Titles of the Children of God, Volume 3.

Listen to other CPN podcasts with Mike Shreve:

—The Power of the Supernatural With Mike Shreve

—”Who Am I” With Mike Shreve

—Two Commandments of the New Covenant with Mike Shreve

Mike Shreve articles on Charisma: Is This a Fresh Biblical Idea or Pantheistic Heresy?; Stretching the Truth About Yoga; Discovering Your Authority as a New Covenant Priest

Connect With Mike Shreve: On Facebook (comparative religion), on Facebook (ministry), on Twitter, on Instagram

As a person of Jewish heritage—and the founder of Curt Landry Ministries—Curt Landry recommends that the home of every believer should include a shofar, especially with the arrival of the Fall Feasts for 2020. It all begins with Rosh Hashanah on Friday evening, Sept. 18.

Believers, he says, should sound the shofar as a “wake-up call” to the good things God has given us and as a reminder to forgive and receive the forgiveness Yeshua died to bless us with.

“This is an exciting time of the year,” Landry told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It’s the head of the year, the time of the awakening blast. It’s an appointed time, and I’m really expecting some major spiritual shifts. Look at what has happened in Washington, D.C., with the Abrahamic Accord, this peace treaty, which was just incredible.

“God is so on the move in the midst of riots and in the midst of COVID, in the midst of all of these protests. God seems to be shining a bright light, and I want to encourage people to join us Friday night [Sept. 18] at 7 o’clock Central and go to and join us for an experience that will change their life.

“This is a time where, in Deuteronomy Chapter 8, you say, ‘Remember, it’s the Lord thy God who gives you the ability to create wealth with your hands.’ So Rosh Hashanah is a time of awakening,” Landry said. “It’s an awakening blast for you to be thankful. But it’s also preparing for the next 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It’s to awaken you to the good and awaken you to the things you need to forgive, things you need to be forgiven for, and it’s a way to readjust your thinking. It’s a time where you sound the trumpets, where it gives you victory, according to Numbers 10, over your enemy.

“For us in Western culture, if you watch western movies and the cavalry is coming, they’re blowing their trumps, and the horses are running and that creates hope. … That’s what Rosh Hashanah is. It’s a trumpet blast, a shofar blast, and it basically awakens the heavenly host and brings them to a higher level.”

For more of Curt Landry’s take on the upcoming Fall Feasts, listen to the entire podcast.

Have you ever had one of those seasons when you are in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing and finding your praise stolen? The demonic powers have an ongoing assignment to steal or redirect our praise. They go to great lengths to undermine our testimony. If you are anything like me, you need “but God” moments in your life.

In the Bible, King David intrigues me. Travel with me as we do “Ruth’s CliffsNotes version” of 2 Samuel 11-12.

King David was only human. He had opportunities to make the right decisions and the wrong decisions, just as we do. As we journey with David, we learn that it was during the spring that kings went off to war. For whatever reason, David chooses not to join this military campaign and sends his men off to fight the battle without their leader.

David’s First Mistake:

—David was not in the right place for the season.

Lesson No. 1:

—We must be increasingly sensitive to the times and seasons of God. The only safe place is being where God has called us to be.

Since David’s schedule has been cleared for war, we can assume he has too much time on his hands. David takes a nice little nap and then goes to wander on the roof. However, his eyes do too much wandering, his mind gets tempted and he comes into agreement with that temptation. Remember, at that moment, he sees something he should have looked away from: Bathsheba, a beautiful woman, bathing. He should have averted his eyes, but instead, he begins to ask questions, sends for her and sleeps with her. Now, who is going to say no to the king? By culture, you cannot say no to the king; it could result in death. Scripture does not tell us what Bathsheba’s response was.

David’s Second Mistake:

—David followed through on the temptation.

Lesson No. 2:

—God always provides a way out. We need to be determined to take it.

Of course, Bathsheba finds herself pregnant. Imagine David’s dilemma. As the king, he can do whatever he wants. However, he is not just a king, but he is God’s chosen king. David cannot afford to do what the other kings are doing; his kingdom is different. However, David does exactly what most of us would do and begins scheming. He starts to position more people in difficult situations.

—Joab, the army commander, is instructed to send Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, home. David’s logic is that Uriah will sleep with Bathsheba, and everyone will assume the child is his.

—Unlike David, Uriah understands that this is the season for war; he is dedicated and focused on successfully navigating the season. He does not go home to sleep with his wife, but instead sleeps at the palace entrance.

—Joab receives an order to place Uriah on the front lines, where he will surely be killed in battle. Little does Uriah know that by indirect means, King David is murdering him. Uriah indeed becomes a causality of war and by all accounts, it appears the coverup by the king has been successful. We could say that Uriah’s fight has really taken place on the home front.

I do not believe that Bathsheba is foolish or unaware that something is going on. She has a front-row seat to the manipulation and deception happening around her.

David is moving deeper and deeper into sin. He moves from adultery to deception to murder. The darkness in his life is taking a stronger hold.

David’s Third Mistake:

—Covering up the sin.

Lesson No. 3:

—Our sins will be revealed, so we may as well admit it and repent sooner rather than later.

—Uriah was so devoted to King David that he kept his focus and slept at the palace rather than in the comfort of his home. We need to be dedicated to Jesus and willing to keep ourselves pure.

David does marry Bathsheba as soon as her time of mourning is over. Was David trying to be the hero? By our standards, we may say, “He was trying to do the right thing.”

I must wonder how I would feel if I had to marry the man who had my husband killed. Would I be able to extend forgiveness and choose to love this person?

David and Bathsheba had a son. David may have thought he had gotten away with his sin. But in the quiet moments, did he wonder what God thought? Was there any regret? We don’t know, but we do learn that God was not going to ignore what had happened.

God is so creative! He sends a prophet named Nathan to tell David a story. David does not even catch that this story is about him. He is clueless! David gives out a verdict and declares the death penalty. At this point, Nathan tells David that this story is about him.

We immediately see David come face to face with his heart. He does not try to hide anymore. David also does not try to blame anyone else. David explicitly states that he has sinned. What is so profound is that even though God sent Nathan, God had already forgiven David (2 Sam. 12:13). There is such a difference between Adam, Eve and David. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. But David took responsibility. All of them paid a consequence for their sin, but David immediately “owned” his sin.

Lesson No. 4:

—We need to own our sins.

Consequences? Yes, David’s precious baby died. David begs God to save the child; he goes without food and lies on the bare ground. However, when the baby dies and David is told about the little guy’s death, he “arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his garments. Then he entered the house of the Lord and worshipped” (2 Sam. 12:20).

At this moment, I suspect David worshipped with tears streaming down his face.

In His wisdom, when God takes away something or someone dear to us, how do we respond? Do we get angry with God? Do we pout, complain and throw a temper tantrum? Or do we get up and wash, eat and worship?

Lesson No. 5:

—We must choose to praise God in every season of life, which means even when walking out the pain of life and the consequences of our sin. It is OK to worship with tears of pain and grief running down our faces. We still worship because of who He is.

As we read on, we find that David comforted his wife, and eventually, she became pregnant again and gave birth to Solomon. Solomon was the one who would later build the temple for the Lord.

God took an ugly situation and walked David through it. David had a teachable spirit, and he was honest before God. His repentance was from the heart, and God healed that heart. It was from that place that David worshipped.

Satan’s plan would have been to keep David buried in his shame and deception. God had chosen David to be king because He had sought a man after His own heart. God’s heart is for openness and honesty. God’s heart is for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. It is from this place of intimacy that we can truly worship God no matter what our circumstances.

Quick Questions to Ask:

—Can I worship God just because of who He is?

—Can I worship God because I love Him so much?

—Can I worship God because He is worthy of all praise, no matter what my circumstances are?

Absolutely! We can choose to worship God just because of who He is, because we love Him so much and because He is worthy of all praise. As we make that choice, it will eventually become a habit as we fall in love with Him and learn to trust Him more. Do not allow the demonic to steal your praise, because you are created to worship the one true God!

Listen to the latest episode of Real Truth with Ruth on the Charisma Podcast Network here. {eoa}

Ruth Hendrickson is a conference speaker, ministry trainer, board certified counselor, pastor and above all, a follower of Jesus Christ. She is passionate about training, equipping and releasing individuals to walk in wholeness and freedom. Visit her website here.