As a journalist, I understand the media game. So when I saw how Inside Edition did an ambush interview with evangelist Kenneth Copeland several months ago—and how the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Fox News online picked up the story—I felt I needed to share my opinion. In my view, it was the “same old, same old” journalistic treatment of successful media ministers. At the same time, I believe other Christian leaders should stand with Copeland and let him know we believe he handled the situation well.

Copeland could have closed the door and driven off, and some ministry leaders would have done that. Instead, he answered the reporter’s questions and talked about spiritual warfare, the Abrahamic covenant, the number of people who have accepted Christ through his ministry and the millions of dollars they give to the poor. He showed respect and love to the reporter, even praying for her by name. Of course, the media that picked up the story reported none of that and instead only focused on his use of a private airplane.

Copeland can speak for himself. He doesn’t need me to speak for him, and no one from his ministry asked me to defend him or give my insight on how the secular media covers ministries. In my opinion, this type of journalism is so predictable I could write the story and leave the names blank. I saw this same thing four decades ago when I worked in secular journalism.

On my podcast in June, I share my unscripted thoughts about the integrity I’ve seen in Copeland and his ministry going back 40 years to when I first interviewed him in 1979. (Visit to listen to my podcast.)

Since that interview 40 years ago, I have watched Copeland conduct his life and ministry with integrity. He has consistently preached the gospel, winning as many as 122 million people to Christ, according to what he said in the interview. His ministry has also given millions of dollars to help the poor—something they couldn’t have done if they weren’t as big as they are.

Every person I’ve ever known who works in Copeland’s ministry is of high caliber, ethical and honest. I feel at peace with the way the ministry conducts its affairs—to the extent that I support them financially each month out of my own pocket.

But the reporter didn’t focus on those good qualities. She focused on one quote from several years ago in which Copeland said he bought his own private plane so that he didn’t have to fly “in a long tube with a bunch of demons.” Those who know Copeland immediately realized his comment was purposefully a little tongue-in-cheek. And Copeland made it clear he wasn’t referring to people when he was talking about demons. On the contrary, he emphasized how much he cared about people. Instead, he was talking about the spiritual atmosphere of a public place.

To put it into perspective, he could have said the same thing about Greyhound buses. How many people choose to buy their own cars instead of riding a public form of transportation, despite the lower cost of a bus ticket? We don’t question the motives of people who buy their own cars, yet we question the motives of an evangelist who would prefer to fly in his private plane to minister around the world instead of using a public airline.

Although the Inside Edition reporter had no business asking Copeland some of the questions she did, I believe Copeland was still very gracious with her. When she told him that both her grandfathers were poor preachers who would’ve been appalled at Copeland’s lavish lifestyle, he responded with a smile and thanked God for faithful preachers like them.

The bottom line is that this kind of skepticism and criticism is rooted in jealousy. Unfortunately, there are many people who are jealous of successful ministries. I’ve witnessed the same kind of jealousy in the publishing business and in the media. I’ve even come to expect this kind of criticism from the secular media, but it’s disheartening when it comes from other Christians.

It’s also discouraging to see how few believers came to his defense after the interview came out. Thankfully, James Robison spoke up in his defense. But whenever this happens, we must speak up if the criticism is unjustified. If believers don’t defend their own ministers, the secular world will continue to misconstrue and even demonize our words.

I encourage you to speak up in defense of Christian leaders when the secular media berates and accuses them. Be the one who is willing to say that biased ambush journalism is wrong. If you don’t, who will? {eoa}

Stephen Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. He is author of the best-selling book Trump Aftershock (FrontLine/Charisma House). Follow him on Twitter (@sstrang), Facebook (stephenestrang) or Instagram (stephenestrang).

CHARISMA is the only magazine dedicated to reporting on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of believers around the world. If you are thirsty for more of God’s presence and His Holy Spirit, subscribe to CHARISMA and join a family of believers that choose to live life in the Spirit. CLICK HERE for a special offer.

Several years ago, a young man came back to life after being dead for an hour—all because his mother cried out to God in desperate faith. John Smith had been underwater for about 15 minutes, and doctors couldn’t get a pulse for another 45 minutes. But as soon as his mother, Joyce, prayed over him, his heart started beating again. Many call it a modern-day resurrection.

That miracle went viral on the news, and John’s story was recently made into a major motion picture called Breakthrough, which at one point held the No. 2 spot at the box office, right after Avengers: Endgame.

There’s an untold story here that should inspire every Spirit-filled believer. It’s a miracle at many levels—a mom calls out in prayer, and her lifeless son comes back to life. The young teenager says he wasn’t right with God, so God gave him a second chance. The story at the time was covered respectfully by the news media. And a prophetic word to Sam Rodriguez led him to become the executive producer of a movie about it. It’s an affirming portrayal of charismatic Christianity. Plus, not only is it a good story, but it’s had success at the box office.

Joyce and her husband, Brian Smith, are longtime Assemblies of God members in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. They believe what most Spirit-filled Christians believe—that God is a God of miracles, and He answers prayers. Sadly, we see too little of that in this country. It’s well-known these things happen often overseas but rarely in America. And when we testify to it happening, it’s ridiculed both by nonbelievers and sometimes even by Christians who say miracles ended with the apostles.

Charisma covered the story at the time. But even before that, Sam had seen the newspaper reports and talked about it in sermons and on interviews for TBN. The Smith family heard about it and contacted Sam on Facebook to tell him even more of the story. Later, Sam invited them to tell the story on TBN, where they met Devon Franklin, the producer of Heaven Is for Real and Miracles From Heaven, who said he wanted to turn their story into a major motion picture.

A few years before, Cindy Jacobs had preached at Sam’s church in Sacramento and gave him a word. Because they badly needed new facilities, Sam told me he was hoping the word was about much-needed finances. Instead, Cindy prophesied this: “Hollywood.” Sam was stunned. He had no connection with Hollywood and doesn’t approve of most of its movies. Yet the prophetic word came true.

I tracked down young John Smith and interviewed him on my “Strang Report” podcast, and it was one of the biggest episodes on the Charisma Podcast Network this year. Then I contacted his mother for my other show, “In Depth With Stephen Strang.” Listen to it to hear details about how the dramatic prayer happened, and how close the movie was to what really happened. (You can hear both by going to and .)

Joyce described the events leading up to the moment she saw John lying dead on the hospital bed. She says she had a strange sense of peace as she approached her lifeless son.

“I thought I was being very quiet and demure,” Joyce told me. “But according to (others), everyone in the ER could hear me when I prayed. And I did walk up to the end of my son’s bed, and they said I very boldly and very loudly called out to God and the Holy Spirit that He would come and please bring me back my son.

Joyce told me that after John’s heart started beating, she sat down, stunned, and thought, This is surreal. I just watched God bring my son back to life.

And it certainly was a miracle. After all, John was underwater for 15 to 16 minutes, according to official reports. And then he had no discernible heartbeat for the next 45 minutes.

“We have 310 pages of medical records and police reports to back up everything that we have put in and told in our story in the book, Breakthrough,” Joyce says. “We wanted to make sure that people knew this was the truth. God did such an awesome job. It doesn’t need to be embellished.”

I highly recommend reading the book or watching the movie. I believe it will inspire your faith.

And remember, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is no respecter of persons. You may be next to see a supernatural miracle when you need it most if only, like Joyce Smith, you have faith to believe. {eoa}

Stephen Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. He is author of the best-selling book Trump Aftershock (FrontLine/Charisma House). Follow him on Twitter (@sstrang), Facebook (stephenestrang) or Instagram (stephenestrang).

CHARISMA is the only magazine dedicated to reporting on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of believers around the world. If you are thirsty for more of God’s presence and His Holy Spirit, subscribe to CHARISMA and join a family of believers that choose to live life in the Spirit. CLICK HERE for a special offer.

What if you could restore your gut health with one simple fix?

According to one doctor in California there may be a way.

In fact, he believes it’s so powerful that it could be like a “power wash” for your insides.

Dr. Gundry, who is a world-renowned heart surgeon, reveals the root cause of weight gain, food cravings, and low energy in a short video he released to the public.

P.S. This video also reveals how you can transform your gut with this one simple thing.

Click here to watch the video now.

The earth is groaning. Can you hear it? Addiction, murder and suicide. Depression, anger and bitterness. Epidemics of the heart, mind, soul and body threaten the fabric of God’s creation. Who will lead the next move of God?

The Lord has been speaking to me about a company of women arising with answers in their belly. God has given me an outpouring of revelation about the unique and irreplaceable impact of women who know their purpose and destiny; know how to discern the times and seasons; and are activated, unified and supported in their missions.

I am confident of this: God made no mistake in creating women with the ability to give birth to the answers our world is hungering and thirsting for. He made it so not only would we give birth, but we would also do it in due season, in the fullness of time. God is an on-time God, and He delivers on His promises at the right time—not too early and not too late.

No Limits

God’s promises to deliver, heal, increase, and bring peace and salvation are fulfilled through us in two ways. The first is through natural, physical birth. You could be raising the next generation of world changers. Your children and your children’s children could be the answers. The second way is through the birth of your dream/purpose/destiny. The thing that God has put on your heart to do could be the thing that changes the world: books, businesses, ideas, cures and other innovations.

Some of us are so used to being limited by man that I bet you looked at those two items and began to think of which way God wants to deliver His promised seed through you. But you don’t have to choose which way you will be fruitful. Both are part of the essence of who you are, and women are created to do both with style and grace. The tricky part comes in managing them effectively by discerning and responding to God’s plan within God’s perfect time and being confident in who you are.

If you are insecure in the areas you are called to reproduce, people inside and outside the kingdom of God will cause you to think that you have to choose one or the other, that you cannot have all that God has promised. People are quick to offer their opinions and impose their convictions on what they think your call should look like. It is important for Hannahs to remain focused and confident in God and His promises to them so they are not distracted by the multitude of voices that could lead to doubt. They must be willing to think outside the box of culture and know that in God, there are no limits.

Look at the women who went before you. Some of them gave birth to natural children, spiritual children and culture-shifting movements simultaneously. Some did one or the other. Some you know well. Others are everyday women whose names are not mentioned in history.

Generation after generation, women have been giving birth to people and movements that shake the world. It’s the enemy’s strategy to put limits on women and the value we bring to spaces we occupy. He’s skewed the playing field, made the opposition seem greater than it is and played us against our flesh. But there is a high calling that dwells within women alone. Men were not created to do what women do. But it is not only our biological predisposition to give birth to natural children that enables us to initiate new life. Our biology points to a deep spiritual significance women hold in the earth, the kingdom and eternity.

From babies to businesses, we are carriers of new and glorious things God desires to release in the earth. We carry within us the promise of the next president, pastor or CEO, or of a God-given solution to the problems, issues and tragedies we see in our world every day. There is a deficit in the land, and modern-day Hannahs are the carriers and deliverers of the promise that will fill the gaps and release the power and glory of God in our lives and communities.

Hannah Anointing

One aspect of the Hannah anointing is the ability to harness the essence of what it means to be a woman and break through the enemy’s attempts to shut up the womb. In the beginning, God created woman to be home to generations of people who would fill the earth with the holiness, beauty and glory of God. With man, woman was charged to be fruitful, multiply and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28).

Another aspect of the Hannah anointing is the spirit of endurance. The Bible says the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:13) and will receive what is promised (Heb. 10:36). Modern-day Hannahs will stand on the promises of God and will not be swayed by the criticism of others. They will be relentless in the face of doubt. They will not settle for anything less than the will of God for their lives. The Hannah anointing is the ability to tolerate and hold up under pressure and persecution, never yielding the posture of faith in the promises of God. It is the ability to never lose courage under the pressures of unfulfilled promises.

Hannahs know who they are. They are confident. They are God-assured rather than self-assured. They are persevering, persistent, resilient, humble, prayerful, prophetic and nurturing.

The name “Hannah” means “grace” or “mercy,” though it didn’t seem as if either one was active in Hannah’s life, since we find her in 1 Samuel suffering through a season of barrenness. Hannah’s name was descriptive of the position she took before the Lord while petitioning for His promises to manifest in her life. She bent low in God’s presence in prayer, crying out to Him to give her a son. She sought His favor and implored Him to show mercy.

Hannah prayed, she persistently and relentlessly pursued the promise of God in her life, and she would not let go until the Lord blessed her. She stood in the face of torment, mocking and being misunderstood for the way she prayed. She withstood the temptation to compromise, settle for what she had and give up on her dream of having a son.

Hannah’s story is the prophetic archetype for women everywhere to pray and never lose heart until they see a release of the promises of God, until they see the enemy’s hand lifted off of them, and until they see the spirit of barrenness broken and fruitfulness returned.

Modern-day Hannahs carry within them the answers people are crying out for. In Hannah’s time, the people of Israel were in a spiritual drought and had not heard from God for a long time. Little did Hannah know that while she was praying for a son, God was preparing her to birth the man who would start a prophetic movement that would change the world and who would be the connecting force that would bring God’s people back into fellowship with Him.

Woman of God, the answer to your prayers is coming. Do not relent. Resist discouragement and distraction, and be resilient in the face of setbacks and failure. Do not be afraid to try and try again. The season of barrenness you are experiencing is not what it may appear to be on the surface. God will answer and give you the desires of your heart. You will see the fruit of your labor.

I declare to you today that your season of barrenness is temporary and coming to an end. You will not suffer long. You will not be put to shame. The Lord your God will fight for you. You need only to stand still and see His salvation. Your promised seed is on the way.

Pray this prayer to activate the Hannah anointing over your life:

“Father, thank You for empowering me with the spirit of endurance. I decree that I am strengthened with all power, according to Your glorious might, for all endurance and patience. I take authority over all the spirits of mind control and mind-blinding spirits. I release Your power over my life and my situation. Let this be a day of breakthrough. Let this be a day of Your glory.

“I command every spirit of limitation, spirit of barrenness and lack, and spirit of python to be bound now and to loose my mind, will and emotions in the name of Jesus. I stand against any attempts to sabotage and squeeze the life out of the promise of God over my life. Father, I pray for Your glory and Your grace to be released to me. Heal me and return my hope in the future and the destiny You have outlined for my life. Bring me to a place of breakthrough, for You are the breaker. You have gone before me. I bless You and put You first. I remember Your name, O God. Your name is great and greatly to be praised.

“I decree that every muzzle that’s been on my praise is broken today. I decree that the high praises of God will be in my mouth and the two-edged sword in my hand. I take authority over the spirit of slumber and apathy. God, I pray that You would send Your consuming fire into my life and ignite my heart to praise You and to prophesy of Your power, protection and deliverance, just as Hannah did. Let there be fire in My praise where the devil has tried to take the hallelujah out of my mouth. I will bless the Lord at all times. I shout hallelujah!”

Michelle McClain-Walters is an international speaker, director of prayer ministry at Crusaders Church and an apostolic team leader for the Impact Network.

CHARISMA is the only magazine dedicated to reporting on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of believers around the world. If you are thirsty for more of God’s presence and His Holy Spirit, subscribe to CHARISMA and join a family of believers that choose to live life in the Spirit. CLICK HERE for a special offer.

Five and a half years ago, I heard the diagnosis that strikes fear in so many men: I had prostate cancer. It was stage 1 and moving to stage 2. It’s not really dangerous until stage 3, but by the time it metastasizes at stage 4, it’s too late. Prostate cancer is slow-growing and one of the easiest cancers to treat, but there can be serious complications. Through a series of what I saw as miracles, I decided to try a fairly new treatment out of the country called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment. On Jan. 24, 2014, I was treated. Since then, I’ve been cancer-free with no bad symptoms.

Through research, I concluded that I could have gone about three years before the cancer would have metastasized, then about two years until it would have killed me. That is my own speculation, but this much is certain: the cancer would have killed me eventually unless I died of something else first. I likely would have died by now. But we serve a God of miracles, and today I’m not only still alive, but healthier than ever.

If you’ve experienced a cancer diagnosis (either for yourself or a loved one), I hope my story will help give you hope for a bright future ahead. My advice: Believe God for the best path to cure, take control of your own health rather than passively doing whatever medical personnel or insurance companies tell you, and believe God will work all things together for good.

I first discovered I had prostate cancer because I have regular medical checkups. At those checkups, I get the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test. The test helps determine whether you may have prostate cancer, and every man should have it done. My PSA test numbers showed there might be a problem. I had a biopsy, and 7 of 12 samples had cancer. I learned that 22 percent of all men will hear this diagnosis. Many more who have this disease die of something else and never know they had cancer because they never had it checked.

This was an emotional shock for me: I walked into the doctor’s office thinking I’d be fine, and I walked out a cancer patient. At first, I couldn’t believe it. After all, I was in good shape. I felt healthy. I did not feel sick at all.

I found out there are actually seven different things you can do to treat prostate cancer—and none of them involve chemotherapy. After researching my options, I ended up not choosing radiation or surgery, two of the most popular choices. In my experience, a lot of people just do whatever their insurance company or doctor recommends. At the risk of sounding cynical, every doctor I met when I was weighing options pushed the procedure that made them money and criticized the other methods. I felt it was important to take charge of my own health.

I had to move from fear to faith. For me, it was about believing God that I would find the right treatment, meet the right doctor and experience the right outcome. I know God heals through medical science as well as faith. I also know people who believed they would be healed, and they weren’t—with no clear reason why. But I chose to put all my faith in God and believe He would guide me to the right treatment option. Eventually, He led me to HIFU.

Today my ordeal with cancer feels almost like an unpleasant dream. It happened, but somehow it doesn’t seem real. Yet God used this surreal, difficult season to teach me three important lessons.

First, I learned that life is not forever. Being diagnosed with any kind of cancer or terminal disease will forever affect how you look at life. I had to grapple with the fact that I might die, and I needed to have things in order. I became more sober about my mortality. You need to be ready to meet your Creator at any time. Because of that, I leaned into the Lord more, asking Him for guidance about my decisions. Which treatment should I get? Which doctor should I trust? Through that process, I believe God deepened my faith and matured my character.

Second, I became more compassionate to other people struggling with cancer or chronic illnesses. If I learn that a friend or an employee at my company is dealing with cancer, I take the opportunity to share my story and pray with them.

Third, my brush with death here made me more thankful for Christ’s gift of eternal life. My wife and I have already chosen the Scripture we want on our tombstone: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23b). I want anyone who walks by my grave one day to encounter the gospel.

Stephen Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. He is author of the best-selling book God and Donald Trump (FrontLine/Charisma House). Follow him on Twitter (@sstrang) or Facebook (stephenestrang).

CHARISMA is the only magazine dedicated to reporting on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of believers around the world. If you are thirsty for more of God’s presence and His Holy Spirit, subscribe to CHARISMA and join a family of believers that choose to live life in the Spirit. CLICK HERE for a special offer.

My family moved to the segregated South from the Midwest in 1962. As a child, I was shocked by the racism I saw. My pediatrician had separate waiting rooms for blacks and whites. Gas stations had bathrooms labeled “men,” “women” and “colored.” Two years later, the Civil Rights Act was passed, and schools were integrated in stages. In my case, black students began attending my high school in Lakeland, Florida, when I was in 10th grade.

Florida had horrible racism in that era. My friend Harry Jackson’s father, who lived in Tallahassee, saw a man who had been lynched hanging from a tree. Our state was a dangerous place for outspoken black men. In my senior year, I wrote editorials for the school newspaper to help with the integration process. I wanted the students to accept each other and went out of my way to make friends with black students.

I remember one editorial on racism I wrote on Feb. 13, 1969—50 years ago this month. I recently pulled it out and was struck with how much has changed and how much hasn’t. That was only five years after the Civil Rights bill, and the South was not yet fully integrated. Race relations were improving, and yet now, while we’ve seen many more improvements, racial tension is as high as ever.

As a teen, I’m not sure I understood how many atrocities were committed against blacks. Of course, less than a year before, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and, a year later, so was his brother A.D. King, father of my good friend Alveda King. I believe had Dr. King lived, racial relations would be better today, and he perhaps would have become president.

In the segregated South with its Jim Crow laws, white people clearly promoted racism. Until we understand this, we will fail to understand both the progress that has been made and the depth of forgiveness and love needed to heal our nation.

As a teenager, I saw that when it came to attitudes, both sides harbored racism. Today, that’s still true, especially when so much in politics and the news seems to be racially motivated. Even though blacks have all the same rights and a higher standard of living than in the past, they complain about white privilege. And there are some, especially on the left, who call anyone they don’t agree with “racist.” A few leftists have called me racist merely because I voted for the white candidates who ran against Barack Obama. Though I would have liked to have voted for a black president, I couldn’t support one who affirmed abortion on demand.

Since 1969, I’ve embraced what my mentor Pastor Jack Hayford taught: There’s only one race—the human race. As Alveda King teaches in her new book, We’re Not Color Blind, we’re one blood created by God. Still, though, the reality of one human race has yet to sink in. When we reconcile the issue of race with God’s Word, repentance, forgiveness and transformation will prevail.

With that disclaimer, here’s some of my article (you can read the full editorial at ). If what I wrote still applies, then we who follow Jesus—both blacks and whites—must lead in making this change or face 50 more years of the same, or worse, tensions. I wrote:

“Since integration has been forced upon us the past several years, most blacks and whites have quietly accepted integration as inevitable and mix congenially with each other. … Most are more liberal now in their attitudes toward the other race than they were five or 10 years ago. It would appear prejudice and bigotry are slowly disappearing. Overt actions of racism are less frequent now than they were at one time.

“But what about attitudes regarding racism? Are they changing too? Are blacks and whites willing to accept each other on a personal level? … Are whites willing to accept blacks? … Are whites willing to look on their black classmates like they look upon other whites? Are they willing to put away all prejudice and racism? Are blacks, too, willing to disregard racism toward whites? Are they willing to put aside their resentment toward the evils suffered by their people in the past caused by whites? Are they willing to realize the whites living today are not the ones responsible for the slavery of their ancestors? Are blacks willing to quit trying to prove their equality and understand whites are usually ready to accept them if they just prove themselves? Are blacks willing to accept whites too?

“Racism is racism no matter what color or who is prejudiced toward whom. Only when members of both races are willing to accept each other as equals will real racism truly be absolved.”

Stephen Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. He is author of the best-selling book God and Donald Trump (FrontLine/Charisma House). Follow him on Twitter (@sstrang) or Facebook (stephenestrang).

CHARISMA is the only magazine dedicated to reporting on what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of believers around the world. If you are thirsty for more of God’s presence and His Holy Spirit, subscribe to CHARISMA and join a family of believers that choose to live life in the Spirit. CLICK HERE for a special offer.

It seems the whole world is drawn to celebrations of some sort at this season of the year.

As I wrote recently, our Jewish friends have just celebrated the eight days of Hanukkah; some even featured Hanukkah trees and distinctive blue and white decorations.

Although Christmas is a Christian celebration, merchants of all religious backgrounds market their merchandise with great zeal and even discounted sales. Often the results become the majority of their cash flow for the whole year!

The reason?

My wife and I have an outdoor banner, which I hang each Christmas season. It simply says: “JESUS—Celebrate the Reason!

The reason for celebrating Christmas is because Father God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, in order that whoever believes in and fully relies on Him to meet the righteous and just requirements of Father God may have both forgiveness and the promise of eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus is the reason for the season! We celebrate because He has made a way of righteous reconciliation with us and the one true God of heaven and earth. All we need to do is wholeheartedly believe and receive.

The media seem politically motivated.

The secular media continue their preoccupation with wars and terrorism, gender identity and gun-control, along with global warming and a predicted financial meltdown. The media also seem hypercritically-consumed with political issues centered on President Trump and his family.

Jesus promises victory and blessing!

By faith, believers declare that Jesus will provide all our needs so we can perform His kingdom’s purposes. We are saved to serve and be His hands extended.

Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples by proclaiming the Good News of His kingdom and teaching believers to observe all that He had commanded. He promised the constant presence and enabling power of the Holy Spirit as they went on their divinely commanded mission.

This end-of-year-celebration season is also an opportunity for generous giving to others and to effective kingdom-fulfilling ministries. Appeals come in daily from worthy contacts we may have had in years past. Biblical stewardship requires us to faithfully review and discerningly evaluate these current appeals and then make as generous of a contribution as we are able and directed by the Holy Spirit.

Christmas is a time for giving. It is a time for generosity and reciprocity. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Blessed to be a blessing!

I’m asking God to direct my charitable giving during these days, especially to those ministries and servants where He has given my wife and me unique relationships and/or spiritual burden. As I give to them, I ask God to protect and provide for their families, ministries and for additional financial partners, so these ministries may excel and expand.

I also pray for God to give them a great sense of holy joy in this special season. I pray they will receive great wisdom and insight, which will make 2019 a great year for kingdom advancement! Twelve months from now, we can review and rejoice over these victories.

As we unwrap and celebrate this Christmas season, let us remember that “Jesus is the reason” and seek to glorify Him in all we say and do.

Merry Christmas!

The year-end 2018 edition of The Economist magazine contains an article entitled “Losing Faith,” which reveals a major and growing rejection of religious faith in the United States. The report also claims most believers are not aware of the trend.

Based on studies by the Pew Research Center, so-called Millennials (those born in the last 30 years or so) have drifted away from traditional, God-centered belief systems into atheist, agnostic and “no religion” convictions. This latter grouping is lumped for statistical research purposes into a category called the “Nones.”

In Pew reports, polling results are broken into four primary categories: Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant and Nones. The greatest drops have occurred among Catholics and Mainline Protestants (an incredible loss of up to 20 percentage points since 1972). The ranks of evangelicals have remained relatively stable, but still suffered a drop-off rate of about 9 percent since peaking in the 1990-92 time frame. Statistics are always fungible, and there is little point in debating the numbers because, bottom-line, the hard fact remains that “religion” is not fashionable among Millennials, whatever the numbers.

More significantly, The “Nones” have grown from 5 percent of the total population to an astounding 22-23 percent of all Americans. Before moving on with these calculations, we should restate the obvious: Everyone has a religion. The Nones all have worldviews, predominantly a firm belief in sensual materialism, and/or in evolution and science as their gospel, with scientists and high academia serving as priests. All humans of all cultures continually seek meaning, beginnings, purpose, objectives and bases for behavioral norms in trying to rationalize the mystery of sentient, self-aware life. Thus, we’re all religious, though of varying intensity and spirituality.

My knee-jerk reaction to this rise of spiritual apostasy is a feeling of sad disbelief. But as I ponder it, I see a pattern. Given that we evangelicals generally believe we are drawing close to the midnight clanging of God’s great mantle clock … all but a tiny number of end-times prophecies having been fulfilled … the prophetically-declared and cancerous growth of apostasy is now evidenced.

An earlier bastion of Christian evangelism, Europe, long ago abandoned the faith. As The Economist notes in its article, “America remains unusual among rich democracies in being highly religious. Europeans will remain bemused at how often American leaders pray in public and invoke God in their decisions.”

Though the American decline is severe, God solidly retains His foothold on our country via faithful evangelicals, taking very seriously the dedication to Him of these “new” lands, in His name, as far back as 1492.

We’re all aware that the Holy Bible was and is a mid-Eastern product, written primarily to Middle-East audiences some 2,000 years ago (though some of us continue clumsy attempts to “Americanize” it). But that does not change the fact that we are near to the greatest revival in world history, and Millennials will likely be a primary recipient of this divine largesse.

Revelation 7:9-13 explains it this way: “(I saw) a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation… standing before the throne! … He [an elder] said to me, “These are those who came out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

American revivalists will be but a small portion in that uncountable sea of souls, overwhelmed by the numbers of Chinese and Indians. Nonetheless, I am confident our troublesome and misguided Millennials will also be in that heavenly crowd, at least the majority willing to give up godless lives and repent of their fornications and magic arts (which also translates to illicit drug addiction as well as practicing various forms of witchcraft, wildly popular at this point in American time) (Rev. 9:21 and more).

So I encourage all parents and grandparents to take comfort in knowing there is a great hope for our Millennial offspring in the soon-coming days of great turmoil. Remember the promise: “I will not lose one of those the Father has given to me” (paraphrased from John 6:39).

Ronald D. Mallett of Milliken, Colorado, studied journalism, economics and mass communications at Colorado and Stanford Universities as a Ford Fellow. A retired corporate executive, he was director of jail, prison, nursing home and Mexico outreach ministries for 19 years. At age 81, he is active with a men’s intercessory group that visits struggling businesses and troubled family homes.

The four Sundays before Christmas are known in the Christian tradition as Advent. The word itself means “coming” or “arrival,” as in “for a visit.” During the Christmastime season of Advent, we prepare to again observe God’s “coming” or “visit” to earth and to our lives and circumstances as the light of the world and the Christ of Christmas.

Advent Reminders

Purposeful preparation for Advent observances in homes and churches includes four significant candles, arranged on a wreath of evergreen, in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. In the center of the circle is placed a larger white candle, known as the “Christ Candle.” It alone is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Each candle has a different meaning, based on the Bible’s teachings about the incarnation of Christ. Each week’s candle can help us focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brought us: hope, love, joy and peace. Individually and collectively, the symbolic candles can help us prepare our hearts to appreciate the “advent” or “coming visit” of the babe of Bethlehem.

The light of God’s love for us can help us become lights in the lives of those around us. The Advent season and activities can prepare our hearts with the joy and gladness of an increasing awareness of God’s presence among us. His name is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

Advent Revelations

The Advent season reminds us of Lord’s first coming and also of our hope for the Second Coming of Jesus. In His first advent, the Son of God came as a baby, grew in wisdom and stature, and taught with authority as a prophet. He willingly gave up his sinless life to save us from our sins. He is our only hope of eternal salvation and deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.

Best of all, He is coming again to reward or judge the living and the dead and to establish His everlasting kingdom of light over all the earth,

Let us rejoice and be glad, as we celebrate anew Christ’s birth and redeeming visit. And let us eagerly look forward to His promised second visit! It is sooner now than when we first believed!

In this way, each Advent Sunday can become a teachable moment for believers of all ages to review the history and meaning of Christ’s first visit and give renewed understanding to the promise and hope of Christ’s second visit.

The prophet Isaiah projected the advent’s truth when He said:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined” (Isa. 9:2).

Our Advent preparations help us welcome the light, which has come into our world, and witness to that light, as we share these truths and celebrate with others. By lighting one special candle each Sunday of Advent, we prepare to meaningfully magnify the birth of Jesus, the holy visitor.

Prophet Ryan Johnson shares with Jennifer LeClaire a disturbing prophetic dream about President Donald Trump and China.