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Substantial majorities of evangelicals in the United States say they want an immigration solution that both secures the border and values those already in the country.

In a study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table and World Relief, Lifeway Research surveyed both self-identified evangelicals, and those who qualify as evangelicals by belief, to determine their attitudes toward immigrants and refugees as well as their opinions on potential legislative actions addressing the issues surrounding immigration.

“Evangelical Christians should be looking to the Bible—not any political party’s platform, media personalities or even a survey of fellow evangelicals—to determine how they respond to the arrival of immigrants to their communities,” said Matthew Soerens, national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table. “But as evangelical leaders seek both to disciple those under their care and to advocate for public policies consistent with biblical principles, this study allows leaders to verify the extent their positions are in line with the views of evangelicals ‘in the pews’ and to know how to better serve them.”

More than four in five evangelicals describe legal immigration as helpful to the U.S., and around two in three believe the country should at least maintain the current number of legal immigrants approved in a year. Specifically, 25% say legal immigration is helpful and we should increase the number allowed each year, 40% see it as helpful and say we should maintain the current number approved and 19% believe it is helpful but favor decreasing the legal immigrants approved each year. Fewer (17%) believe legal immigration is harmful to the U.S., with 10% saying we should decrease the number approved and 6% believing we should completely stop approving legal immigrants.

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, says he offered a solution to the immigration crisis to both former President Donald Trump and to President Joe Biden that he believes would alleviate much of the problem.

“It’s definitely doable. It’s politically sustainable,” Rodriguez says. “I did my due diligence with Democrats and Republicans, including the Freedom Caucus, including the most conservative Republicans in the House. It stops illegal immigration immediately. It does away with catch and release. It creates a system where we continue to welcome immigrants because immigrants are a beautiful blessing to our nation, without a doubt.

“We want them to come here legally. Then we look at those currently here undocumented and we provide a pathway for legalization, but not citizenship. We only grant citizenship to the ‘Dreamers,’ whose parents brought them here as children and they had no choice. They shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of their parents. We should grant those individuals who are not engaged in nefarious activities and do not have a criminal record immediate citizenship.

“They’ll never be deported, as long as they’re not living off the government. They’re not going to get government entitlements. … That’s a solution I offered to the last couple presidents and leaders on both sides of the aisle.”

Evangelicals are most likely to see the number of recent immigrants to the U.S. as an opportunity, but significant numbers also view them as a threat. More than two in five say the arrival of immigrants is an opportunity to show them love (46%) and an opportunity to introduce them to Jesus (41%). One-third (33%) say they are an improvement to America’s cultural diversity, and 19% say they provide a boost to entrepreneurial activity.

On the negative side, 33% of evangelicals say the recent number of immigrants is a threat to the safety of citizens, 32% say they’re a drain on economic resources, 31% see immigrants as a threat to law and order, and 26% view them as a threat to traditional American customs and culture.

“While fear of the volume of immigrants is not absent among evangelicals, the larger response is one of love for these individuals,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “More than four times as many evangelicals find legal immigration helpful to the United States than those who find it harmful.”

National and Personal Responsibility

American evangelicals believe the U.S. has a moral responsibility to accept refugees and immigrants in a variety of circumstances and that Christians should be caring for them.

More than three in five evangelicals (70%) agree the U.S. has a moral obligation to accept refugees, which are legally defined as someone fleeing persecution due to specific factors such as their race, religion or political opinion. Additionally, around three in four agree that a national moral obligation exists to accept refugees fleeing religious persecution (74%) and people fleeing natural disasters (73%). Smaller majorities of evangelicals agree there is a moral obligation for the U.S. to accept people from other countries seeking to be reunited with family members already in the U.S. legally (67%) and people from other countries fleeing poverty (60%).

Additionally, 69% say Christians have a responsibility to care sacrificially for refugees or other foreigners, and 58% say Christians should assist immigrants even if they are here illegally.

“World Relief alone has partnered with thousands of churches and tens of thousands of volunteers to resettle refugees and serve other immigrants in the past decade, and of course, many churches have their own ministries to immigrants as well,” said Soerens, who also serves as the U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy at World Relief. “Over the past year, the arrival of large numbers of Afghans and Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homelands has reminded many Christians of their biblical calling to love these uniquely vulnerable neighbors.”

In each area of national and personal responsibility, evangelicals by belief are more likely than self-identified evangelicals to strongly agree that a moral obligation exists.

Legislative Solutions

Seven in 10 evangelicals (71%) say it is important that Congress pass new immigration legislation in 2022. When asked about specific types of emphases they would prefer in immigration policy, evangelicals want laws that provide citizenship opportunities for those who are here illegally and that also protect the U.S. border.

More than three in four evangelicals say they support potential legislation that ensures fairness to the taxpayer (94%), protects the unity of the immediate family (92%), respects the rule of law (92%), respects the God-given dignity of every person (90%), guarantees secure national borders (90%) and establishes a path toward citizenship for those who are here illegally, are interested and meet certain qualifications (78%).

For the rest of this article, visit . {eoa}

Note: The online survey of 1,007 Americans was conducted Aug. 8-19, 2022, using a national pre-recruited panel. Quotas and slight weights were used to balance gender, age, region, ethnicity and education to more accurately reflect the population. The survey was completed by people who self-identified as evangelical or qualified as evangelical by belief. The complete sample is 1,007 surveys: 512 were completed by those with evangelical beliefs; 911 were completed by self-identified evangelicals.

Attention. Several hundred leaders are registered for our special brunch on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. Seats are filling up and we must give our host a final number of meals to prepare.

Please do not wait. Make your reservation now for this free brunch.

I have a very special message of encouragement and direction for you. Hold on! Do not quit! A harvest is coming.

John 4:35 reads, “Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields of human souls are ripening all around us, and are ready now for reaping.”

How do human souls ripen? They ripen in misery. The woke movement’s biggest mistake was that they made everyone miserable.

Wokeness drained the color, vitality and enjoyment out of American life. It was the God haters themselves that tilled the soil and added the ingredients that ripen vast fields of souls.

I have no doubt that this harvest is coming. I have never seen so many Californians open to Christ—not even during the Jesus Movement. But there are specific things we must do to be able to gather this great harvest.

Next, I want to talk to you about how divine direction is a weapon. We live in complex times that require guidance from on high. By the power of the Holy Spirit we need to understand what is going on and what we should do about it.

California government continues to increase its war on our faith and freedom. The pressure on Bible-based Christian leaders is at an all-time high. To make matters worse, that pressure is now a crossfire. It is not just coming from the Left, but also from woke ministers who have lost their way.

First Chronicles 12 is a chapter that lists the firepower of Israel’s armies. Each tribe is described by virtue of their skill and weapons. The strangest weapon listed is not a sword or a spear. Verse 32 speaks “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”

What should we be doing in this hostile and volatile situation? To be leaders in California today, we will need the wisdom of God. That is how we can exploit the weakness of the enemy and walk through doors that cause breakthrough.

Let me share the full message with you in person. I know this is going to be a life changing brunch. Remember that the brunch is free, but you must register so we know how much food to prepare. Use this link to register now! {eoa}

Mario Murillo rose from poverty in the Mission District of San Francisco. After being revolutionized by Christ, he felt a call to the University of California at Berkeley. His international ministry was launched after a four-day conference in San Jose, California, extended for six months with a total attendance of nearly 250,000 people. Since then, Mario’s voice has been heard by millions around the world, bringing a message that zeroes in on the hurts of society. He presents Christ clearly and intelligently, and openly declares the power of Jesus to totally transform a life. His simple declaration: Come and see. Christ has the power to end addiction, racism, violence and disease.

For the original article, visit our content partner at .

Michigan police are investigating after an elderly pro-life volunteer was shot in the back shoulder while handing out pamphlets encouraging people to vote against a state measure to codify abortion.

The Sept. 20 incident outside a home in Lake Odessa, Michigan, left the 84-year-old injured, though she is reportedly recovering and in good spirits, WZZM-TV reported.

The woman, whom some outlets report is 83 years old, was going door-to-door, urging people to vote “No” on Proposal 3 when the shooting unfolded. If enacted, Proposal 3 would codify abortion into the Michigan state constitution. Voters are set to make a decision on the matter during the Nov. 8 election.

A representative with Right to Life of Michigan, a pro-life group, told WZZM-TV a woman at a local home reportedly became upset and started yelling at the victim—and that’s when chaos unfolded.

“One of the ladies that lived at the house got upset and started screaming at her,” Anna Visser, Director of Communication and Education at Right to Life of Michigan, said. “This volunteer walked away, was walking back to her car, and a man from the house came out and shot her in the back.”

The victim reportedly drove to a local police station to report what happened and was taken to a hospital before being released.

It’s unclear why the shooting unfolded or if abortion views were the catalyst. Audio from a call to dispatch claims a woman wouldn’t leave the property and drove on the grass, though these details have not been confirmed.

Michigan State Police told Fox News the incident unfolded after a “verbal altercation while she was passing out pamphlets,” though it’s unclear who started the purported argument or what it was over. {eoa}

For the rest of this story, visit our content partners at .

The man known to Christians around the world as Brother Andrew, who was responsible for smuggling Bibles into communist countries, died Tuesday. He was 94.

His Dutch name was Andrew van der Bijl, an evangelical who became the founder of Open Doors . But on its website, the ministry described him this way:

“We often describe Brother Andrew as the founder of Open Doors. But referring to him as ‘the founder’ could lead people to picture him as a suit-wearing executive who delivers presentations in a boardroom. That image, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. In actuality, Brother Andrew is our chief adventurer and lead risk taker. He’s best known, in fact, for courageously putting his life on the line to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War.”

The news of van der Bijl’s death was first reported by Netherlands Dagblad. A spokesman for Open Doors confirmed his death to the newspaper.

Van der Bijl first garnered the world’s attention in 1967 with the publishing of the book “God’s Smuggler.”

In the book, Brother Andrew gave his account of how he smuggled Bibles into countries right under the noses of unsuspecting border guards hidden in his Volkswagen Beetle.

Written by evangelical journalists John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published under the missionary’s code name “Brother Andrew,” the book sold more than 10 million copies and was translated into 35 languages.

Throughout his life, van der Bijl had many stories of smuggling Bibles into communist countries. But one of his most loved stories can be found on the Open Doors website.

In this incident, Brother Andrew was approaching the Romanian border in his car which was packed with illegal Bibles. While waiting in line at the border, he noticed how much time the border guards were taking with each car and how they thoroughly searched each one.

“Dear Lord,” Brother Andrew remembered praying, “What am I going to do?”

Then as he prayed, he had a bold idea.

“I know that no amount of cleverness on my part can get me through this border search. Dare I ask for a miracle? Let me take some of the Bibles out and leave them in the open where they will be seen,” he later recalled.

So, he put the Bibles out in open so the guards could see them.

He pulled up to the guard post and the guard looked at his passport and then waved him on.

“I coasted forward, my foot poised above the brake. Nothing happened. I looked out the rear mirror. The guard was waving the next car to a stop, indicating to the driver that he had to get out,” Brother Andrew said. His prayer had been answered. {eoa}

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at .

The key to being positioned to receive the Issachar anointing has to do with timing and seasons. Those who carry the Issachar anointing understand the times and seasons we are in. They have discernment and knowledge, enabling them to lead well. They seek the wisdom of God through the Word to know what needs to be done. Then they activate the words.

• “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take”  (1 Chr. 12:32, NLT) (emphasis added)

Receiving the Issachar anointing means you not only seek to understand the signs and the times, but you have the heart to know the best course of action to take and know you have a connection to God’s chosen nation, Israel.

Signs, Times and Seasons

God, in His infinite wisdom, gives a calendar of prophetic events to reveal to us signs, times and seasons so that we know the best course of action to take!

There is a pattern of rebirth, reflection, rejuvenation, new beginnings, cleansing and renewal of the covenant throughout the year. It is revealed in the Hebraic calendar. There are appointed times on the calendar when God moves in mighty ways.

These appointed times are the Feasts of the Lord…

• Passover
• Sukkot
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Sukkot

In between these feasts, there are times and seasons of reflection and remembering. For example, between Passover and Shavuot is the 49-day period called Counting Down of the Omer. This period of time is to reflect on how God brought you out of an “Egyptian” mindset at Passover, remembering and believing for the fresh fire of revelation from the Holy Spirit that will be released at Shavuot.

During the summer months, we can feel spiritually dry. It’s as if we are wandering through the desert as the ancient Israelites did before entering the Promised Land.

The Holy Spirit brings instruction and revelation during these appointed times so you can…

• Have a deeper understanding of the habits and patterns that caused you to adopt an “Egyptian” mindset
• Know the best course of action to take moving forward
• Help you establish godly goals to grow by awakening you to what He is doing and how He is moving
• Release forgiveness to self and others, being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb
• Remember and renew your covenant relationship with Him, growing in intimacy with your Lord and Savior.

When we understand the signs and God’s timing and seasons, we aren’t only positioned to receive the Issachar anointing, we are prepared and empowered to walk in it!

The key to being positioned to receive the Issachar anointing is to start studying, observing, and honoring the Feasts of the Lord!

Then, to walk in this anointing means to receive instruction from the Lord and adopt God’s course of action. The verse above says the best course. Who has the best course of action? The Lord.

• “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isa. 55:8-9).

Activate the Anointing

God anoints His children for certain purposes during certain seasons. The Issachar’s of today are given this anointing to…

• Communicate what is happening in the spiritual realm beyond what is seen in the physical

Jesus said, “blessed are your eyes for the see, and your ears for they hear…” (Matt. 13:16). It is a blessing to see and hear what is happening in the spirit regarding the times and seasons we live in. But God doesn’t bless us so that we do nothing with that blessing. He wants us to use it. He will multiply what we sow. One way Issachar’s sow is to take what the Spirit gave them—an understanding of times and seasons—and communicate this to others.

• Leverage the anointing to lead well

When you get into the flow of God’s timing, things start to fall into place and, through His strength and power, you can influence and lead well—according to His design. Does this mean there won’t be resistance or challenges? No. But it means that you will have peace because the discernment and wisdom you use to lead is from God, not from man.

Issachar’s are…

• Intercessory prayer warriors: They pray powerful prayers in the courts of heaven for the nations, communities, families and the church.
• Spiritually awake and alert: They do not run and hide when times and seasons are tough. Rather they arise and shine.
• Act when wickedness is released: They don’t sit back but are doers of the Word.
• Radically devoted to the things of God: They carry out great exploits for God.

The Lord is pouring out a fresh anointing so that His people will know and understand the times and seasons—and even the hour—we are in.

While God is pouring out a fresh anointing, the enemy is pouring out confusion. To sift through the confusion and misinformation, you need godly discernment and wisdom.

James 3:13-18 says:

• “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Observing and honoring the feasts of the Lord is a way to align your mind, body and spirit with God’s so that you can move into the next season empowered, equipped and whole, having peace even when “every evil thing” is causing bitterness and confusion to run wild.

God is calling for Issachar’s in this hour. Are you positioned to receive?

Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave Kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.

Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way’s global ministry are excited to announce their upcoming Evangelistic Celebrations as an additional method to achieve their mission to see one million lives changed by the gospel. Leading The Way’s Evangelistic Celebrations are part of the ministry’s Vision 2025 initiative to expand every area of ministry.

For the Evangelistic Celebrations, the Leading The Way team will partner with local pastors and church leaders across ethnic and denominational lines to seek God’s vision for a certain region, reach out to their local community and train their congregations in evangelism and discipleship for several months. After six to eight months of training the local community, Youssef will hold a proclamation event to share the gospel and offer an invitation to salvation.

Those who come to know the Lord at the event will be connected with local churches for ongoing discipleship, strengthening the local church and setting new believers up for long-term spiritual growth.

“Over the last 30-plus years of ministry, thousands have surrendered their lives to Christ through Leading The Way’s global ministry,” Youssef says. “In 2018, we launched a strategic endeavor called Vision 2025. Within Vision 2025, God has led us to conduct strategic Evangelistic Celebrations, both domestically and internationally. Following an invitation from the local Christian community, our team will come and train churches to bring the lost to hear the gospel of Jesus.

“I am privileged to be a pastor and therefore I love the church. I am a servant of the local pastor and when I come to a city, I do not take people away from the church but add to the church. After the Celebration, we will leave church members trained to do follow-up and discipleship. As we expand this vital area of ministry, may the Lord be glorified as we press on to fulfill His Great Commission.”

Planning is now underway for 2023 Celebrations in Australia, Egypt, Ireland and the U.S. The first Leading The Way Evangelistic Celebration will take place in Macon, Georgia, on March 24-25, 2023.

The Evangelistic Celebration is a fresh new way to lead more people to Christ before He returns. Dr. Youssef’s upcoming book, “Is The End Near?,” launching on October 4, similarly inspires readers to share the Gospel with others in the last days. In the book, Youssef calls for believers to watch for the signs of the end times… and be prepared. Instead of being fearful of the events to come, Youssef challenges readers to remain faithful to the uncompromising truth of the Gospel as many are falling away.

“I spend every waking moment praying for God’s guidance and strategizing how to get the gospel to the ends of the earth,” Youssef said. “I’m urging people, getting on my knees and pleading for people to come to Christ—because when the time comes and the door is shut, the time of mercy will be gone forever. But for now, the time of mercy still remains. God has given us an incredible opportunity. Never have we had such an open door to bring His powerful Word to a lost world.”

Dr. Michael Youssef, who has traveled around the world 67 times, was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and Fuller Theological Seminary in California, with a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Emory University. Youssef has authored more than 50 books, including popular titles like “Jesus, Jihad and Peace,” “Hope for This Present Crisis,” and “Saving Christianity?” 

For more information on Dr. Youssef’s newest book release, “Is The End Near?,” visit . The book is available for preorder now.

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams turned heads last week in Atlanta when she defiantly announced during a political event that an unborn baby doesn’t have a heartbeat at six weeks gestation.

“There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks,” said Abrams, who is running on the Democratic ticket. “It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”

Abrams made the claim to emphasize her opposition to Georgia’s “Heartbeat Bill,” which bans abortion after the first six-weeks of pregnancy. Lawmakers passed the bill in 2019 citing medical evidence that a fetus’ heart begins to flutter at that stage of development. The law was paused by a state appeals court in 2020, but it was reinstated in June of this year when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Abrams, who supports abortion up to full-term, seemed to imply that the sound of a heartbeat is faked to manipulate women into keeping their babies. Abrams is running on a pro-abortion platform, and she promises to reverse Georgia’s law if she is elected.

Abrams’ claim that unborn babies don’t have heartbeats is false, of course, and I think she knows that. What are the facts?

• For years, doctors have stated clearly that at six weeks the heart muscle is beginning to form while a baby is in the womb. While the actual heart valves form later, the heart muscles begin contracting and fluttering at the six-week point, according to Dr. Pradheep J. Shanker.
• The Washington Examiner noted that many other medical experts say an unborn baby’s heartbeat begins even earlier than six weeks. For example, Johns Hopkins Medicine maintains that the fetus’ heart beats by the end of four weeks.
• Even Planned Parenthood at one time admitted that an unborn baby had a beating heart at six weeks. But after the comments by Abrams, the pro-abortion organization changed the wording of a statement on its website. It now reads: “A part of the embryo starts to show cardiac activity. It sounds like a heartbeat on an ultrasound, but it’s not a fully-formed heart—it’s the earliest stage of the heart developing.”

It’s sad enough that people support the killing of an unborn life, especially in the third trimester when every organ is formed and the baby is kicking and stretching and responding to sounds. It is even more despicable that pro-abortion activists—who constantly tell people to “believe the science”—would twist and manipulate medical facts to claim that a fetus is just a “mass of cells” that don’t have a beating heart.

I don’t expect that my Christian convictions on this topic will convince the most militant abortion activists to change their opinions. They will keep marching with signs that say, “Get Your Laws Off My Uterus.” But I will always maintain that an unborn life also has rights.

The Bible is clear that an unborn life has unique value. David wrote: “You brought my inner parts into being; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder” (Ps. 139:13-14a). The psalmist understood that God’s hand is involved in the miracle of gestation—and that this alone makes an unborn life sacred.

God also told Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). An unborn life is so much more than a glob of cells; a baby in the womb carries a God-given destiny.

America has a history of defending the rights of women, slaves, child workers, oppressed laborers, marginalized races, poor immigrants and gay people—not to mention whales, sea turtles and other endangered species. Yet today we are passing laws that allow mothers to kill full-term infants—and we pat ourselves on the back for being “progressive.”

The abortion debate today has been framed in the context of “reproductive rights,” and women have been told they must defend abortion at all costs to prove they have power over their bodies. But what about the rights of the child? Do unborn children have any say in this debate?

Unborn babies can’t carry protest signs, organize rallies or shout questions during congressional hearings. But if we could hear their muffled cries, I believe they would be saying, “Please let us live.”

Think about it. While leaders in our nation are arguing about whether unborn babies have a heartbeat, the real question is whether we as a nation have any compassion left. From the sound of our hateful rhetoric, we are the ones who have no evidence of a beating heart.

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years and now serves as contributing editor. He directs the Mordecai Project (), an international ministry that protects women and girls from gender-based violence. His latest book is Set My Heart on Fire (Charisma House).

We are kingdom citizens, and not of this world. We don’t abide by this world’s economy and the natural things that happen.

Repeatedly, over the last four weeks, I’ve been hearing not to look at the circumstances of this world. We are not of this world. Get your eyes off the natural. It is so strong in my heart and spirit.

I can’t remember a time a word kept stirring inside me like this word. I’ve been hearing Him say there are multiple blessings in this season. They are already in the works and don’t look at your natural surroundings. He is a God that is not bound by this world. Live by faith, not by sight.

I’ve been in worship and prayer, and while I’ve been preaching to my online church, I have been hearing and releasing prophetically that we are in a season of blessings. Yes, I said a season of blessings. God is releasing blessings, upon blessings, upon blessings.

He continually says, “Don’t look at what is happening in the world.” He is so much greater than the world, and His plans are not as the world operates. God makes a way where there seems to be no way. He wants us to trust.

It is a season of blessing. It doesn’t make sense in the natural, but we are spirit, and we are to live by the Spirit. I am hesitant to release prosperity words, and I never do it unless I know. I think they are words that can be loosely released, but I have witnessed the manifestation of this word over the last four weeks by many of our church members and people in ministry receiving the blessings I have been prophesying.

I have been amazed at the testimony of jobs coming forth from unemployed people for years who were looking for the right opportunity to go back into the workplace. I have seen ministry television opportunities manifesting for Christian speakers. It truly is a season of blessing.

I don’t believe this is just a prosperity blessing, but a blessing for ministry expansion. He is increasing your sphere of influence, giving you visibility. He will expand and open wide ministries so we can reach more people with the gospel message.

As we enter the end times, it makes sense in the natural that He would give us expansion and increase so we can reach His harvest. It isn’t simply about blessing us. It is about providing us blessings so we can be of assistance to others.

God wants to give you hope when the world says otherwise, God always has a plan. He wants us to get our eyes off the world’s economy and onto His.

God wants to establish us with kingdom-mindedness, not worldly thinking. He wants to show us He is above all things and beyond natural circumstances. He is a God who blesses. It is time we align our faith with His Word. He is an abundant God who desires to give good gifts to His children.

As He releases these blessings, be in prayer. Guard and protect your prophecies and blessings, so the enemy doesn’t steal, kill and destroy them.

I was recently reminded as our prophetic words go forth in the spiritual and natural realm, so does warfare from the enemy. Pray, declare and call them forth to manifestation!

Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic deliverance minister. She is the founder of Kathy DeGraw Ministries and K Advancement LLC. Kathy hosts a podcast show called Prophetic Spiritual Warfare. She is the author of several books; Prophetic Spiritual Warfare, Speak Out, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan, and Unshackled. You can connect with Kathy on Facebook at or visit .

We tend to think of gratitude as an obligation as opposed to a weapon of warfare. A nicety, not a ferocious force for transformation. We are wrong. From our earliest days we are trained that polite people say “thank you.” Certainly, this is true and proper.

Those of us who were raised correctly instinctively say “thanks” when the barista hands us our three-dollar cup of coffee or a stranger hands us something we unknowingly dropped. But a heart of gratitude toward God is far more than a requirement of polite social interaction. It wields enormous benefits to its beneficiary.

There is a large and growing mountain of secular research revealing the power of gratitude in the human soul. Study after study reveals that thankful people—individuals who focus on the many blessings they have been afforded rather than what they don’t currently possess—are healthier, happier and more successful. None of this is surprising to the faithful student of Scripture. Our Bibles overflow with exhortations and promises concerning a grateful heart and positive attitude.

And with good reason. Being mindful of and focused upon how good and gracious, how merciful and faithful our great God has been to you resets your posture, raises your expectancy and opens your heart to approach God’s holy presence and receive His abundant blessings—spirit, soul and body—and all that pertains to life and godliness. The psalms repeatedly suggest both our deep need for and the benefits of our coming to God with our hearts abounding generously with thanksgiving. Oh, that we might—with happy heads, hearts and hands uplifted—join with the psalmist in the 100th division and:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. —Psalm 100:4–5, emphasis added

The final half of that stirring lyric contains words that are repeated many times throughout Scripture. Again and again, we discover some variation of the ancient hymn of thanksgiving: “O, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.”

We see the first recorded appearance of these Holy Ghost–inspired words in a song penned by King David to celebrate the return of the ark of the covenant (and therefore the holy presence of God) to the epicenter of the Israelites’ life. The incomparable warrior-poet placed them as the crescendo of a lengthy, exuberant hymn of praise. (See 1 Chronicles 16, particularly verse 34.)

In 2 Chronicles chapter 5 these awe-inspiring lines rise in effervescence from the combined harmonic voices of thousands singing aloud in resounding gratitude, resulting in the very glory of the living God of heaven and earth filling the room. So intense was His presence, so thick was the cloud, that those present could not remain upright upon their feet. In the twentieth chapter of that same book, the Israelites were called to go to battle to face an overwhelmingly superior enemy. The tiny army of Israel was preceded by the unmistakable sound of worshippers singing David’s Holy Ghost–anointed lyrics of thanksgiving. Without warning, the mighty armies of their adversary fell into a deep delusion of confusion and disarray, turning upon and slaughtering each other. The attackers were destroyed and the victory won without a single Israelite sword being unsheathed. Such is the weapon of thankful praise!

This same unparalleled song appears repeatedly in the psalms of David and in one of the weeping Jeremiah’s prophecies. Little wonder that they may very well be the most frequently repeated phrases in all God’s Word. Why are they so obviously important and so clearly powerful?

Surely it is because thankfulness is without exception the most appropriate posture when approaching the Most High God. Not fear. Not greed or selfish desire. Not even hopelessness. The humility of gratitude. David’s anointed declaration then offers us two decisive reasons why this is without rebuttal.

First, we have access with a grateful heart “for He is good.” A faith rooted in God’s fundamental goodness is the foundation upon which all sound theology must rest. It is the presupposition, the underlying premise from which all accurate logic and reasoning concerning God is anchored. There is simply no more important revelation available to you than the absolute understanding that God is unceasingly and unwaveringly good. And it is the ultimate impetus for us to be thankful—to God, and for God.

Second, gratitude is of supreme importance because God’s “mercy endures forever.” When you contemplate the truth that God loves you with a love that is relentless, tenacious, and impervious to your frailty, flaws and wavering faithfulness, the heart has only one rational response: to cry out from every part and portion of your triune being, “thank You.”

And when we shout that grateful cry together, it rends the very veil separating heaven from earth, allowing a deluge of glory like lightning flashing from a dark-throated storm cloud that causes the thunder to roll and releases an outpouring of refreshing rain upon our waiting hearts and parched souls.

The preceding is an excerpt from Rod Parsley’s book, Revival If (Charisma House, 2022). For more information, or to the order the book, please visit .

ROD PARSLEY is the author of more than seventy books, including his New York Times best seller, Culturally Incorrect, and his most recent, The Finale: One World, One Ruler, One Reign. He is an international speaker, a frequent guest on numerous media outlets, and the host of the daily television broadcast Breakthrough With Rod Parsley, viewed by millions worldwide. He is the founder and senior pastor of World Harvest Church, a thriving multi-campus church headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

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Maverick City Music Cuts Ties with Singer Dante Bowe

In a shocking statement, Maverick City Music announces to fans they are cutting ties with popular Christian and gospel singer Dante Bowe. In their statement they say “Due to behavior that is inconsistent with our core values and beliefs, we have decided to put a pause on our professional relationship with Dante Bowe.”

Monday night Bowe took to his Instagram stories to announce he was going to “take time off social media to rest mentally and physically.”

In Bowe’s statement he says, “In light of recent events and opinions, I’ve talked to some of the wisest leaders and brothers around me.” He continued to say, “Years ago, when I dreamt of all I would accomplish one day, I didn’t account for the pressures and opinions that would come with it.”

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“Do not seek to speak to the fallen dust from which man has come. Do not argue with the dark carnality and corruption of sinful man. Do not entangle yourself in the war of the flesh in Washington DC.

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In theaters across America for two nights only on May 12 and May 19, 2022, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Cahn—author of “The Harbinger,” “The Harbinger II—The Return,” “The Oracle,” “The Book of Mysteries” and other critically acclaimed books—partnered with Fathom Events to bring “The Harbingers of Things to Come”to movie theaters nationwide. The film topped charts as one of the top five films viewed across the nation and the third highest per screen average. The explosive motion picture welcomed almost 100,000 viewers in just two nights and grossed more than $1 million, making this motion picture an outstanding box office success.

This riveting feature film based on Jonathan Cahn’s bestselling and brilliant successes with “The Harbinger” series reveals the ancient mysteries that lie behind what is happening in America and the world today—and in the future. The film is now available via streaming or DVD. {eoa}