For the first time in American history, we have more blended families than core families. Divorce or separation, remarriage (or no marriage), half and stepsiblings. Whatever your family situation, the family itself is being attacked, and it takes a godly battle plan to make it one day at a time.

In addition to the attack on families, most people have some sense of guilt, shame or regret about their past; they are stuck there. Jesus never cares about your past. Give it to God, and let it go. Quit thinking about it. God’s mercy is new every morning, and He wants you to be quick to repent and quick to forgive yourself.

In this episode you will discover how:

— To be like a storm trooper.

— To get back up if you fall down.

— The Bible doesn’t have a second volume.

— Hell hates the home.

— God gives you what you don’t have.

Listen to this episode of Hope & Health on Charisma Podcast Network now to hear more from Joe McGee on the attack against American families and what God has to say on the matter. {eoa}

For over 35 years, Joe McGee Ministries has been dedicated to helping restore hope in the lives of families through the knowledge of God’s Word. If people don’t have the hope that is found through the knowledge of God’s Word, they won’t know how to build a family. But when you get the foundation right in a marriage (based on God’s Word), then the family grows stronger as a whole.

Walking through life has its hurdles, but doing so alone can really make things difficult. Our purpose is to help people find guidance in life while restoring relationships and families through the hope of the gospel. Connect with Joe at .

In the middle of the 19th century, Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Christendom has done away with Christianity without quite being aware of it.” He avidly opposed the prevailing philosophy of his day, which attempted to create a synthesis between logic and faith. He contended that faith was absurd; it could never make rational sense to the finite mind, and that any attempt to make this radical way of life palatable to the mainstream would compromise the true essence of our faith.

Kierkegaard was right. Not surprisingly, he was eschewed by his religious elite contemporaries, and although his writings would go on to influence many and be regarded as ahead of their time, he died penniless and alone, an outcast of the systematized religious tradition of his day.

As I observe the cultural Christianity of our day, I wonder if I would put it any differently than Kierkegaard. Indeed, it seems that true faith—faith-working-through-love faith—is hard to come by. Looking at many sectors of the organized church that are apostate, one can see no power, no authority, no effectiveness. In fact, they don’t claim to have those things or profess to even want to. Sadly, Kierkegaard’s words seem to be as accurate today as they were two centuries ago.

The truth is God was—in the early church and now more than ever—looking for the manifestation of His overcoming church to expand the kingdom and usher in the coming reign of our Lord. But the only way He’s going to do it is through a people of faith.

Religion is neat. It is based on what we can see and, therefore, is easy to trust. Faith, on the other hand, is messy. It is based on what we can’t see (e.g. God). It is for those who know they’re not ok and have no intention of ever trying to be. If you think your victory lies in having it all together and coming out on top, allow me to give you some advice I learned from my own journey …

To continue reading the full article, click here. {eoa}

Want to learn more? The Bishop and The Rabbi is a dynamic and informative weekly podcast, hosted by Bishop Robert Stearns and featuring different guest rabbis from the Jewish community. It presents discussions on topics like the content of this article, the Hebrew Scriptures from Jewish and Christian viewpoints, current events in America and the Middle East and the future of Jewish-Christian cooperation. Tune in now to the latest episodes on the Charisma Podcast Network!

In Matthew 24, Jesus gives a list of signs of the last days. One of these signs is found in verse 7 (NLT), “Nation will go to war against nation,” and I always thought that meant one country against another. But the Greek word for “nation” refers to “racial group.” That gives this list and this issue a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t Christians lead the way for racial unity?

We have been putting Scripture about racial unity on stickers that can go anywhere, yet we have been putting them on the side of many Scripture stakes used to claim the land for God. Let’s review and pray these verses together. You can make your own, but we have stickers in our online store titled “Racial Unity” with the following verses on them:

“For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13, AMP).

Baptism unites all races of Christians into one family.

Lord, help me to support and promote the unity of the body of Christ—of all believers everywhere. Forgive me for anything I’ve done in the past to damage it. Thank You for how baptism helps us to be unified in this process under the banner of Christ’s church. In Jesus’ name.

“But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness” (1 John 2:11, NLT).

Christians who hate other Christians for any reason including race or skin color are living in darkness and have been blinded by darkness; remember, God is light!

Lord, deliver me from hatred, prejudice and pride. Unify all believers at the foot of the cross. Tear down the walls that separate us. Fill us with Your love and surround us with Your presence. Help us to show kindness and acceptance just as Jesus did for us in spite of our faults and flaws. In Jesus’ name.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'” (1 Sam. 16:7, NLT).

Do not judge by appearance (like race or skin color). God looks at the heart, so please give others the benefit of the doubt.

Lord, forgive me for judging by outward appearances. I know You judge the heart. Help me to recognize and have discernment about the heart of others rather than their outward appearance. Grant me discernment of the spirit of others instead of physical features and characteristics. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“I solemnly call on you in the sight of God, Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels to be impartial when you follow what I’ve told you. Never play favorites” (1 Tim. 5:21, GWT).

God, Jesus and angels are watching to see if you are acting impartial.

Lord, I know You, Jesus and Your mighty angels are watching. Please help me to be fair and impartial. Forgive me for showing favoritism in the past, Lord, and help me not to do that anymore. In Jesus’ name.

“From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries” (Acts 17:26, NLT).

We are all in the same family; we are all descended from Adam and Eve, so treat each other as family.

Lord, when I try to look down on someone else, remind me that we are all in the same family; we all came from Adam, and we all are the same race: the human race. Help me to show unending kindness and patience in light of that fact. In Jesus’ name.

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Col. 3:13, NASB).

Since we are all family, we should be very patient with each other, and we should forgive each other like God forgave us: totally and completely. Keep in mind that unforgiveness will eventually turn into bitterness, and bitterness will ultimately eat you up from the inside out. It’s sort of like cutting your own wrist and expecting the other person to bleed to death.

Lord, forgive me for my lack of patience with others in the past. Help me to be kind and patient with my brothers and sisters from now on, even forgiving them totally and completely, just like You have forgiven me. In Jesus’ name.

“But remember that anyone who does wrong will be punished for that wrong, and the Lord treats everyone the same” (Col. 3:25, NCV).

God treats everyone the same, so shouldn’t we?

Lord, more than anything I want to please You and avoid wrongdoing. Help me to be more like Jesus. Help me treat everyone the same, just as You do. May I always be fair and impartial. In Jesus’ name.

“Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt” (Ex. 22:21, GWT).

We are never to mistreat or oppress—not immigrants and not locals.

Lord, help me to always show kindness. Forgive me for ever mistreating anyone in the past, and help me to always be fair and kind and encouraging to all others in the future. In Jesus’ name.

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28, NLT).

There is unity in Jesus for all people, tribes, colors, races and nations.

Lord, thank You for the unity we have as Christians. Help us to use that unity as an example to the world, reminding all others that through Jesus Christ we can have peace and harmony and happiness. In Jesus’ name.

“Stop judging by the way things look, but judge by what is really right” (John 7:24, NCV).

Don’t judge by looks.

Lord, forgive me for thinking right and wrong is opinion. Remind me that there are absolute truths, which all originate in Your Holy Word. Forgive me also for judging by outward appearance in the past, and help me from now on to judge by the standard of Your Word instead. In Jesus’ name.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34, NASB).

Love each other just as Jesus loves us. That means all “one anothers”—every color and every race.

Lord, thank You for Your great love; enough love to suffer and die in my place. Remind me that You died for everyone: every nation, every race and every color, and help me to love all others just as You demonstrated throughout Your ministry. In Jesus’ name.

“Here are some more sayings that make good sense: When you judge, you must be fair” (Prov. 24:23, CEV).

We are to judge, but we are to judge everyone and everything with complete fairness instead of any other human quality such as race or color or nationality.

Lord, forgive me for judging things in the past by my own standard instead of the standard of Holy Truth in Your Word. Help me to see all things from now on in light of Your commands and truths and examples. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“After these things I saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands” (Rev. 7:9, GWT).

Remember that heaven will be a place of unity for all races, so why not start now?

Lord, I look forward to the day I join You in eternity; not only because I will be with You forever, but also because it will mean total and complete unity and harmony for all the races on the earth. May that day come soon, Lord, and help me to set an example for others in today’s world! In Jesus’ name.

“And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people” (Rev. 14:6, NLT).

God’s good news is eternal and intended for every nationality, tribe, people, language and skin color, so how can we act differently in the here and now?

Lord, I praise You for creating angels who serve You and have delivered messages to all mankind throughout the generations of people of many different colors, races and backgrounds. I look forward to the day when I will stand in Your presence along with people from every race and nationality to praise You in eternity. In Jesus’ name.

“For God judges all people in the same way” (Rom. 2:11, NCV).

God judges everyone, and God judges everyone equally. He is totally without favoritism.

Lord, You are the one I serve, and You are the impartial judge. Forgive me for trying to please the world in the past. Now I focus on pleasing You instead. In Jesus’ name.

“That Scripture says ‘anyone’ because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives many blessings to all who trust in him” (Rom. 10:12, NCV).

All Jews and gentiles are equal. God blesses all people of all colors who trust Him. He is Lord of all races.

Lord, thank You for adopting Jews and gentiles into Your family through Jesus Christ. Thank You for the unity and equality we can have together in Jesus; for bringing all races together in one place: the church. In Jesus’ name.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19, NLT).

When Jesus says “go,” He means to go to all people of all races all over the earth. Could it be any clearer? All Christians are to go, and they are to go to all colors of peoples.

Lord, forgive me for the lack of focus I’ve had for most of my life on Your Great Commission and on enlarging Your kingdom instead of focusing on my own. And forgive me too, Lord, for only focusing on people with my ethnic background or for thinking baptism is only available to the “elite.” Bring us all together In Jesus’ name.

“Peter began to speak: ‘I really understand now that to God every person is the same. In every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34-35, NCV).

To God, every single person is the same in every country and every race of every color, and He accepts all who worship Him and do what is right.

Lord, thank You for looking at every race equally, for Your impartial and just judgment of men based on character and deeds and not on skin color. Thank you for your servant Martin Luther King Jr. and for his life lived promoting such a world. Thank You, also, for accepting any and all who fear and obey You, no matter their nation or race. In Jesus’ name.

In light of these Scriptures, let me suggest that part of your personal, spiritual warfare battle plan might be to ask God how He wants you to join the movement for racial unity with grace and truth that comes from God.

Keep praying because prayer works.

Listen to this episode of Battle Plan on Charisma Podcast Network here. {eoa}

Steve Hemphill is an author, speaker, teacher and host of Battle Plan on Charisma Podcast Network. His books include My Search for the Real Heaven, My Search for Prayers Satan Hates, What Are the Stakes and God’s Power for Our Daily Battles. Learn more at .

I believe children sometimes see unseen beings that adults can’t see. Do you believe that? You might after you hear this fantastic story of what a 3-year-old saw after his grandmother surrounded her house with tent stakes covered in Bible verses!

I host Battle Plan on the Charisma Podcast Network now. It’s one of the few podcasts focused primarily on spiritual warfare. I think spiritual warfare should be a required topic for all churches to cover. When we are unaware of the enemy’s schemes and plans, then we are really just a punching bag for Satan—and we don’t even know it! We might even think the Holy Spirit is correcting us when it’s really the enemy!

On Episode 33 of my show this month, I share a terrific story about what a little boy saw after his grandmother put Scripture-covered tent stakes in the ground on the four corners of her property, but first, I should explain how this got started.

About a decade ago I was writing my first book on the topic of spiritual warfare, My Search for Prayers Satan Hates, where I intended to just share a great list of prayer success stories. But I prayed that God would give me “something special to put in the book that truly helps people,” and that is exactly what He did.

Soon after that prayer, a Christian friend called and asked me to meet with a friend of his who had never become a Christian. This non-Christian guy had a “serious spiritual warfare problem.”

He looked at me in the eye and said, “I have demons on my property, and I’m getting ready to commit suicide. I just wanted to talk to you first.”

I covered this story in its entirety in Episode 15, Bill Was Planning His Suicide, but to sum it up, he begins to tell me all the reasons he believes he has demons there, while I am frantically praying, “Lord, please tell me what to say to help this man before it’s too late. How do I help?”

As soon as I prayed a strange, Old Testament passage popped into my head from Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NCV) says, “Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you, and write them on your doors and gates” (author’s emphasis).

Note that the Jews didn’t say, “Oh, that’s just symbolic. We don’t literally put God’s commands on our doors and gates.” They actually did put it on their door and gates. In fact, they still do. They put them in a small box as a reminder of their connection to God and their commitment to Him. They touch it or kiss it every time they pass it. I even saw Jesus do this in one of the recent episodes of The Chosen.

When this verse entered my mind it was only a split second before I knew what we should do.

“Bill,” I began, “don’t kill yourself. Let’s try something bizarre—the Bible is filled with bizarre stories, right? Walking on water, talking snakes, a virgin birth and resurrections. Let’s put Bible verses on tent stakes and put them all the way in the ground on the four corners of your property. Then let’s read the verses out loud and pray for God to make this weird stuff stop, OK?”

He said, “OK, I’ll try anything.”

We did, and everything changed. He became a Christian and was baptized the next week. Others had been trying to convert him for 25 years.

I don’t have time to tell you all the stories this led to over the next few months and years, so let me just say that I was talked into selling stakes with Bible verses on them. My buddies who talked me into this said, “If it’s from God, you can’t stop it, and if it’s not from God, they won’t sell.”

A plastics manufacturer called and offered to spend $10, to build a mold so that the stakes would have all 16 verses embedded in the plastic instead of just putting them on a sticker. So far, I have ordered 83,500, and we have shipped them all over the world. Most people make their own stakes, but I do have the coolest ones. It’s obviously not the stake; it’s the act of faith and the true power of the Word of God in today’s world. Tune in to Battle Plan for more information.

I got an email from a lady I don’t know. She had heard about these stakes, liked the idea, and shared it with her sister, who lived in Wisconsin. Her sister also liked it and bought some stakes at her local Home Depot. She then downloaded my free PDF, “How to Stake Your Property,” which includes some suggestions and the list of all 16 verses that are on the stakes. She added a few more verses of her own and put them in the ground on the four corners of her home and lot.

About three weeks later, her 3-year-old grandson came over to spend a Saturday. As they were walking down the steps of her front porch to plan in her front yard, the little man stopped suddenly, looking all around with wide eyes.

“Grandma,” he said, “There are big men out there, and they are mad! They are stomping their feet because they are so mad! They are mad because they can’t come in here!”

The grandmother just smiled sweetly and said, “That’s right, honey. God’s Word is powerful, and it keeps us safe here at my house.”

He replied, “OK, let’s play,” and was immediately off and running.

Keep praying because prayer works. {eoa}

Steve Hemphill is an author, speaker, teacher and host of Battle Plan on Charisma Podcast Network. His books include My Search for the Real Heaven, My Search for Prayers Satan Hates, What Are the Stakes and God’s Power for Our Daily Battles. Learn more at .

The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended; and it may for several years. Variants continue to emerge and change through mutation.

Like branches on active plants, each mutation differs from other variations. Each variant may cause severe illness but can readily succumb to an effective vaccine.

Public health authorities recommend that all eligible individuals be vaccinated; each person who is vaccinated receives a small COVID-19 vaccination record card or similar document. The card includes limited information, including the name and date of birth of the person vaccinated, the name of the vaccine, the date or dates of the vaccinations and the name of the healthcare professional who gave the shot(s), and/or the name of the site where the shots were administered. The card meets the requirements of a certificate.

A certificate states an official fact or shows completion of a program; a vaccine certificate theoretically attests to the truth of a vaccination or series of vaccinations. The limited information included on the COVID-19 vaccination record card and similar documents, however, may themselves require verification of their legitimacy. The verification process can become complicated and lengthy; the creation of alternatives to the certificate concept seems worthwhile. One alternative commonly mentioned is the “Vaccine passport.”

A particular government issues a passport to a citizen of that country, identifying the holder of the document. The passport enables the citizen to travel to and from foreign countries under the protection of his/her country of citizenship. No vaccine passport can function independent of a government passport. It can only verify that an individual entering a foreign country with a valid passport will not, or at least should not, become a public charge for health reasons.

Several countries are issuing or are planning to issue documents they label “COVID-19 passports.” The partial list includes these countries: Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, China, El Salvador and France. As of July 1, the European Union (EU) offers its citizens and residents as well as certain categories of travelers from non-EU countries COVID-19 passports.

But the United States has decided against the development of a similar passport. The White House has said that citizens’ privacy and rights supersede government issuance of such documents. Private companies are designing appropriate programs.

The IBM Digital Health Pass and IATA Travel Pass Initiative represent private programs created to issue digital health or travel passes. The Digital Health Pass affords a secured, digital substitute for paper vaccination cards or test results. The digital wallet the pass offers allows individuals to keep control of their personal health information and determine with whom and what information they might wish to share.

The IATA Pass is a mobile app. It informs travelers about what tests, vaccines and information they need before they begin their journeys and allows them to store and manage their verified certifications for COVID-19 in a private, safe environment. A passenger can download the Pass app on the Apple Store and Google Play if the airline on which she/he plans to travel is participating in one of the program trials now under way.

Slowly, terms like “certificate” and “pass” are replacing the word “passport” in reference to COVID-19 documents. A passport certifies the personal identity and nationality of the holder. It also shows the full name, place and date of birth and a photograph of the possessor of the document. Today, many countries are issuing biometric passports with imbedded microchips. Machines readily read such passports, which discourage efforts at counterfeit.

A certificate states an official fact or indicates the completion of a program. It is quite specific and may include a microchip. Like a passport, it can be readily digitized, but its purpose differs from that of a passport.

Use of the phrase “COVID-19 passport” does both the term “passport” and the term “certificate” an injustice. The word “pass” seems more appropriate, simply because it allows a vaccinated individual to proceed beyond many of the pandemic restrictions.

A COVID-19 pass represents one smart way to return to society and social interaction. It can help reduce the personal barriers related to the global pandemic, but it cannot abate the national and international politics inherent in its possession and use.

Certain groups in the United States refuse or are reluctant to submit to the required vaccinations, contending the vaccinations impinge on their privacy. Several states have banned vaccination requirements. The U.S. government has decided against issuing vaccine passports.

Beyond the borders of the United States, the issue over the document known as the “COVID-19 passport/certificate/pass” has evoked concerns and political debate. Some authorities contend that the document provides greater freedom for those individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and might encourage a noncarrier to make an attempt to catch the virus.

Certain people might be incentivized to falsify papers or buy fake reports for presentation to authorities. Politicians in some countries will prove to be more slow-footed than politicians in other countries about developing an acceptable certificate or pass. The prevalence of a pass could easily threaten individual privacy. Relations between and among nations could affect the effectiveness of a certificate or pass.

Vaccine certificates/passes should be available to all eligible individuals who want and need them. They should not permit or encourage discrimination against the poor or minorities and should reflect personal and government honesty. {eoa}

Franklin T. Burroughs was awarded a Nishan-e-Homayoun by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for his work in the Iranian Ministry of Court and has received certificates of recognition from the California Senate and State Assembly. He is a member of the adjunct faculty of John F. Kennedy University and has served as president of Armstrong University and interim dean of the School of Business at Notre Dame de Namur University. He has taught at the University of California at Berkeley. He has been the managing director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Iran and has served as consultant to the Ford Foundation, UNESCO, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the government of Iran. He has also been visiting scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy. He serves as an English language officer (contractor) with the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Burroughs serves as an international consultant in education, Middle East affairs and cultural diplomacy.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

A total of 11 Republican governors have joined together in support of a brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster asking for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, a law that has allowed abortion in America since 1973, many media outlets are reporting.

The amicus brief filed by McMaster concerns an upcoming case concerning Mississippi’s abortion ban that argues states should be left to decide themselves whether or not abortion is legally permissible, reported. The Supreme Court will soon hear the Mississippi case on abortion that take places after 15 weeks, and the governors are hoping that their action will either weaken or potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, which has seen, according to statistics in January, more than 62 million abortions in America in the past 58 years.

Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas E. Dobbs, M.D., filed a lawsuit against the Jackson Women’s Health organization and its patients earlier this year. The Jackson Women’s Health Health Organization is name as responded in the suit filed to void Roe v. Wade, in Tampa, Florida reported.

The amicus brief suggests that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does not “provide a framework to protect the right to abort a pregnancy.” The brief was also written to support the legality of South Carolina’s own Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act.

Many abortion laws were signed into law by state governors in 2021, with varying levels of severity, restriction or success in their state legislatures.

The governors who joined in support of McMaster’s brief include:

— Kay Ivey of Alabama.

— Douglas A. Ducey of Arizona,

— Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas.

— Ron DeSantis of Florida.

— Brian Kemp of Georgia.

— Brad Little of Idaho.

— Kim Reynolds of Iowa.

— Michael Parson of Missouri.