Canadian Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who made headlines last year for holding in-person worship services despite government edicts restricting such gatherings, spoke out in support of the Freedom Convoy Sunday, calling the demonstration—led by truckers—”God-ordained” and comparing it to the biblical story of Jericho.

Preaching from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Hildebrandt said, “I say Jericho did not know who had come to Jericho, and there was quite a bit of honking there as well,” referring to the Old Testament story in Joshua 6, which chronicles the army of Israelites who, at God’s command, marched around the walls of Jericho six times. On the seventh day, God told Joshua to lead his troops around the city seven times as the priests blew their rams’ horns and, at the end of the seventh time, the Israelites shouted and the walls of Jericho collapsed.

“I have heard the trumpet blowing this week,” the pastor continued. “This week has been ordained of God. This happening is God-ordained, and it is not just for Canada; it is global. It is prophetic. God is in it. Long before man plans a reset, God is resetting. Never underestimate God’s mighty power.”

Hildebrandt went on to tell the protesters of “two answers to prayer,” presumably referring to pandemic-related restrictions that had been rolled back in the wake of the start of the convoy.

“If the pastors can’t do it, and if they don’t want to do it, the truckers will show us how to do it,” the preacher said to much fanfare from the crowd. “That’s why I’m in Ottawa and it seems like I can’t leave because I thank God for the truckers that God used.”

Hildebrant has preached in Ottawa twice. He delivered a sermon last Sunday in Parliament Hill and did so again this week.

He told the truckers they have been able to continue their demonstration “by God’s grace.”

The pastor accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has tested positive for COVID-19, of “hiding.”

“He hasn’t been able to come up with one single lie that has stood the test—not one—because we are standing for truth,” Hildebrandt said. “Lies have never been able to stand against truth. We are standing for Canada and the rest of the world.”

As CBN News reported over the weekend, the protest, which began in late January, has continued to garner widespread support in Canada and around the world. Some people who survived communism and fled to Canada spoke out in defense of the Freedom Convoy, which was started in response to restrictive COVID-19 vaccination mandates put in place earlier this year by Trudeau’s government.

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When you are ready to jump into your Mediterranean-keto lifestyle, there are a few steps that you need to take first. If you have been on a healthy keto diet, this will probably be second nature for you.

Also, if you are coming to the Mediterranean-keto lifestyle after being on a healthy keto diet, then adding more carbs (in the form of beans, peas, lentils, hummus, sweet potatoes, low-sugar fruits, and other healthy carbs) will most likely be a welcome change.

Any journey starts by first knowing where you are and where you are going. With the Mediterranean-keto lifestyle, that means knowing what types of foods and how much of these healthy foods you should be eating every day. That is simple enough.

Here are the three steps that everyone starting the Mediterranean-keto lifestyle needs to take:

Step 1: Estimate Your Calories

Begin by calculating your calories based on the Mediterranean-keto lifestyle macro levels: 50-55 percent fats, 20-25 percent proteins, and 20-25 percent carbs.

How that looks will vary between men and women, but it can also vary from person to person. Each of our bodies is different, so the following breakdown is an average fits-most-people set of numbers. If your body requires more or less of something, you will probably know as you grow more accustomed to your body’s needs and your ever-improving health.

Step 2: Estimate Your Grams

Once you know your calories per macronutrient level, you can convert that to grams. According to the USDA, the calories-to-grams ratio for fats is 9 calories per 1 gram of fat, 4 calories per 1 gram of protein, and 4 calories per 1 gram of carbs.

For women at 1,600 calories per day, that would be about:

• 89 grams fats (6.6 tablespoons fats per day)
• 100 grams proteins (14.3 ounces proteins per day)
• 100 grams of carbs

For men at 2,400 calories per day, that would be about:

• 133 grams fats (10 tablespoons fats per day)
• 150 grams proteins (21.4 ounces proteins per day)
• 150 grams carbs.

For both men and women who are trying to lose weight or want to hold their weight where it is, they will probably want to lower the carbs a little. I suggest 75 grams for women and 100 grams for men. That is usually sufficient for gradual weight loss for most people.

Also, the lower the carb level is, the longer your body will stay in ketosis, and that is where fat burning takes place.

If you are jumping into the Mediterranean-keto lifestyle directly, you will want to track your daily caloric intake as you get started so you know you are right on target while you are getting used to eating a set number of calories/grams per day. It also helps as you plan, consider recipes, and choose your meals, and that is probably going to feel like the most important part of your journey.

Step 3: Estimate Your Grams Per Meal

For women at 1,600 calories over three meals per day, the macronutrient breakdown is approximately:

• 30 grams fats per meal (2.2 tablespoons per meal)
• 33 grams proteins per meal (4.8 ounces per meal)
• 33 grams carbs per meal (I recommend 25 grams per meal initially to lose weight and then slightly more carbs to maintain weight.)

For men at 2,400 calories over three meals per day, the macronutrient breakdown is approximately:

• 44 grams fats per meal (3.3 tablespoons per meal)
• 50 grams proteins per meal (7.1 ounces per meal)
• 50 grams carbs per meal (I recommend 33 grams or less per meal initially to lose weight and then slightly more carbs to maintain weight.)

Now that you know the macronutrient amounts required for the necessary fats, proteins, and carbs of your Mediterranean-keto lifestyle, you are ready to begin. {eoa}

Don Colbert, MD, has been a board-certified family practice doctor for over twenty-five years in Orlando, Florida, and most recently in Dallas, Texas. He is also board certified in antiaging medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and has received extensive training in nutritional and preventive medicine. He is the author of three New York Times best-selling books: Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet, The Seven Pillars of Health, and Dr. Colbert’s “I Can Do This” Diet, along with best-sellers Toxic Relief, the Bible Cure series, Living in Divine Health, and Stress Less. He has sold more than ten million books and treated over fifty thousand patients in his years of practicing medicine.

The preceding is an excerpt from Dr. Don Colbert’s book, Beyond Keto (Charisma House, 2022). To order the book and for more information, please visit .

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Note: This is the first of a two-part series.

Scanning the headlines these days, one quickly finds military buildups on key borders of sovereign states in eastern Europe to be escalating and of extreme concern to many. Add to these security concerns in Europe the alarming military posturing toward Taiwan by China in the South China Sea, along with Korea’s renewed missile testing and Iran’s nuclear developments, and we have multiple reasons to think about the Bible’s warnings concerning “the end of the age.”

Russia is said to have over 100,000 troops and offensive weapons on the Ukraine border and more arriving in neighboring Belarus for “military drills.” In response, member states of NATO (including the United States) are relocating thousands of military forces and equipment to Germany, Poland and Romania—on a “temporary” basis.

This war-like posturing is not limited to Europe and Vladimir Putin’s desire to reestablish the Soviet Union. China’s Xi Jinping is elevating his threats toward the island nation of Taiwan, in his desire to force this democratic, post-WWII reality back into China’s historic empire. This is hampered by America’s “friendship alliance” with the independent Republic of China’s government in Taipei.

And then there is the madman of North Korea, who is again testing missiles with the potential threats of electro-magnetic-pulse (EMP) warfare to destroy the vulnerable electrical grids of North America and beyond. And, don’t forget Iran’s imminent breakthrough in nuclear testing.

Jesus Taught about the End of the Age

In the last week of Jesus’ human life on earth, He sat on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem’s beautiful temple, and shockingly predicted its destruction. The surprised disciples asked him to tell them when this would occur, what would be the signs preceding His Second Coming and “the end of the age” (Matt. 24:3).

His response, as with much of eschatological (“the study of the final events in the history of the world or of humankind”) understanding, can have both a near and future fulfillment. The then-near destruction of Jerusalem and the sacred Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70 is also a picture of conditions preceding His own future return and prophetic fulfillments.

His following remarks relate the similar conditions from their present age forward to the very end of the age (Matt. 24:4-14). The Lord’s followers were to persevere and “endure to the end,” while proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations (ethnicities) “and then the end will come.”

Jesus warned that there will be religious deception, social and political upheavals, natural calamities, familial disloyalties and increasing persecution during the final Great Tribulation period. There will be a spiritual decline, due to the deception of counterfeit “Christs,” while lawlessness and civil disorder “will abound.”

Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled. For all these things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Matt. 24:6, MEV).

Wars and Rumors of War

Are you ready for war? Are you ready to see members of your family and friends fighting to defend the “sovereign integrity” of the borders of a country that many of us could not locate on a map? In the middle of winter??

This blog has previously studied biblical prophecy about end-time wars. We saw how at least three of these wars will be centered around the tiny nation of Israel:

1. Israel and their neighbors
2. Israel and their cousins
3. Israel and the nations of the world

The End is Not Yet

Obviously, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to meet Him at the “end of the age” has not yet happened. That sequence will likely just precede the prophesied Day of the Lord and His wrathful vengeance upon those who have no intimate relationship with Him by faith or have willfully ignored or refused to obey His righteous ways.

There are specific, end-times events yet to happen. More on that next time in Part 2. {eoa}

Gary Curtis served in full-time ministry for 50 years, the last 27 years of which he was part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the Van Nuys’ California Foursquare church. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly blog at and frequent articles for digital and print platforms.

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One of the most powerfully moving moments shared in the Bible is when Yeshua (Jesus) spoke words of forgiveness from the cross.

We find His words in Luke 23:34 (TLV): “But Yeshua was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Just imagine the level of compassion it would take to utter those words while enduring the nearly unimaginable level of pain and humiliation that Yeshua was experiencing at that moment. He was being crucified by the very people He came to deliver and as He hung there, they literally added insult to injury.

Yes, I know that He was able to demonstrate such a high level of compassion and love because, after all, He was G-D robed in flesh. However, I believe that regardless of our humanity and our lack of deity, we as believers not only can but should, or rather must, demonstrate that same level of compassion, love and mercy. For those who would question that statement, please consider the testimony of Ananias that we read about in Acts chapter 9.

The chapter begins with these words: “Now Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples, went to the kohen gadol. He requested letters of introduction from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (9:1-2).

While Saul was traveling to Damascus, G-D was having a conversation with Ananias. Many times in the Bible, we read only what G-D says to people or what people are saying to G-D. However, this conversation was so important that both sides are provided within the sacred text of our Bibles. In the same way, we read conversations between Abraham and G-D before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the conversation between Moses and G-D before the Exodus from Egypt.

In Acts 9:10-12, we read what G-D says to Ananias:

“Now there was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him, ‘Ananias.’ He said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street named Straight, and ask in the house of Judah for someone from Tarsus named Saul. For look, he is praying; and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.'”

Then what follows is Ananias’ response: “But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man—how much harm he has done to your kedoshim in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the ruling kohanim to tie up all who call on Your name'” (Acts 9:13-14).

The conversation ends with G-D’s reply: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a choice instrument to carry My name before nations and kings and Bnei-Yisrael. For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake'” (Acts. 9:15-16).

In this conversation, we see G-D speaking to a mere mortal, someone just like you and I; someone who was being persecuted because of his faith by both the religious and political people of his day. G-D spoke to Ananias and he was called by G-D to go and pray for his chief persecutor. Ananias knew that Saul carried with him an arrest warrant for Ananias and all other believers in Yeshua. Yet, Ananias obeyed G-D’s voice and went to pray for Saul.

You will notice that when Ananias responded to G-D’s calling by saying how dangerous Saul was, G-D didn’t correct Ananias. He simply said to Ananias that Saul had a calling on his life. You will also notice that when Ananias found out Saul was blind, he didn’t rejoice in Saul’s suffering.

No, Ananias showed the same type of forgiveness to Saul that Yeshua demonstrated on the cross. We see this in the words Ananias spoke in Acts 9:17-18:

“So Ananias left and entered into the house. Laying hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Yeshua, the One who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—has sent me, so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was immersed.”

Notice when he prayed for Saul, he referred to him as his brother. Think about that for a moment. Then take a moment to think about the “Saul” or “Sauls” in your life; those who persecute you because of your faith.

Now that you are thinking about them, realize the reason they are persecuting you is because they are blind—spiritually blind. Then realize that as Ananias was called to pray for Saul so that he might receive his sight, you and I are called to pray for those who are our “Sauls.”

But in order to do that, we have to follow the example of Yeshua and Ananias because in order to effectively pray for someone who is a “Saul,” we must forgive them, understanding that they are “blind” and know not what they are doing. We must forgive them so fully that we see them as part of the family of G-D. When we do, the scales will fall from their eyes, and they will become born anew and join us and Saul in proclaiming that “Yeshua is Ben-Elohim.”

We should view every “Saul” in our lives as if they have been called by G-D to be choice instruments in His kingdom. Forgiveness of a persecutor can be hard, but it is important and is part of our calling as followers of Yeshua. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

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International House of Prayer Kansas City’s Mike Bickle is convinced that the five chapters in the Bible between John 13 and John 17 are extremely critical for believers to digest during these chaotic and uncertain times in human history. He’s so convinced of the power of Jesus’ words in these chapters that he has devoted more than half a year of study of these Scriptures, 20 to 30 hours a week, he says.

They are important to the body, yet Bickle says many believers who study them don’t take them to heart or put them into action. John chapters 13 through 17 gives an account of the upper room gathering between Jesus and His disciples on the night before He was crucified.

“John 13 through 17 is the greatest teaching by the greatest teacher for the greatest time in history,” Bickle says. “The Lord really struck me with this—intensely. There is nothing in all of the Bible that equals those five chapters. Jesus is unpacking His heart at the deepest level right before He dies. Many people agree that John 13 through 17 are their favorite chapters in the Bible. But almost nobody studies them intensely or does anything with them.

“In that process, I determined I was going to take 100 Friday nights and devote myself to teaching this line by line. I want to be taken through this with my heart open. Even if I only had four people in the room, I would do this because I know I need to do this for me. But I also know that everyone needs this. I’ve been teaching on this since last March, almost one year now. I’m blown away to how little is actually said about this. But, the Holy Spirit has prompted me to put this in the center of conversation in my church. It’s not that people are ignoring it. It’s just that they haven’t gotten it.”

Bickle says there is a strong connection between John 13 through 17 and Matthew 24 and 25 that believers must take to heart as well. With John 13 through 17, Bickle says Jesus says, “here’s how I’m going to get you through” what He previously taught in Matthew 24 and 25.

“I call it the heart of the overcoming bride,” Bickle says.

Watch the video above to see why John 13 through 17 is so important in this hour of history. {eoa}

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Jordan Peterson recently said, during a podcast with Joe Rogan, “It isn’t that the Bible is true. It’s that the Bible is the precondition for the manifestation of truth, which makes it way more true than just true. It’s a whole different kind of truth. And I think this is not only literally the case. Factually, I think it can’t be any other way. It’s the only way we can solve the problem of perception.”

This comes on the heels of the news that famous Christian rap artist/apologist Brady “Phanatik” Goodwin renounced his faith because he said that he no longer believed the Scriptures.

In my opinion, the greatest proof of the Bible is the impossibility of the contrary. Without the truths that Scripture puts forth, there is no rational understanding for meaning in the world today. Without the framework of the Bible, the perceived reality of this world collapses down to irrationality. For instance, there’s no explanation for intelligent design of the cosmos, categories, grammar, mathematics, language, names, natural law, physics or gravity.

The following are 10 reasons why the Bible is the precondition for all truth:

1. The Bible explains the beginning of all things. There is still no scientific explanation for the beginning of the cosmos that excludes the supernatural or intelligent design. Even the so-called “Big Bang” needed a catalytic source to generate the energy required to eventuate the universe. Genesis 1:1 is still the most logical explanation for the beginning and existence of all things.

2. The Bible explains what went wrong in the world. Everybody knows that there is something wrong in the past that interferes with our hope for an ideal world. Whether it be natural catastrophes caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions or the evil exhibited by humanity against one another, as seen in wars and violent crime, or the brutality of the animal kingdom as seen in predatory species, we all know there is something wrong. The so-called Darwinian “survival of the fittest” cannot comprehensively account for evil and environmental volatility. The account of the fall of humanity in Genesis 3 gives us the most precise and reasonable explanation of how evil entered the world and negatively impacted every aspect of existence (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:23).

3. The Bible explains the solution for our fallen world. The Bible teaches us that since through man sin entered the world, and death through sin, it would take a sinless man to take humanity’s place to remove sin and heal our brokenness (Rom. 5:12-19; Rom. 6:23; Heb. 2:14-18).

4. The Bible explains the consummation of human history. The Bible teaches us that, although humanity started in a garden, the redeemed will end up in a city (Gen. 2; Rev. 21-22). Furthermore, the consummation of the cosmos will end up with everything being identified with and aligned with Jesus the Messiah (Eph. 1:9-11).

5. The Bible attests to things that are experienced by billions of believers. Can the consistent testimony of over a billion Christ-followers living today, all independent of one another, be wrong? Can the multiple billions of Christians who have lived the past two millennia all be wrong? They all speak of the reality of God’s work and operation in and through them in their everyday life (Heb. 12:1-2).

6. The Bible attests to the resurrection of Christ. To this day, Jesus’ body has never been found by the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers who desperately searched for it. Who moved the stone in front of the empty tomb? What gave the cowardly disciples boldness to preach and start a global movement that is still sustained today? Furthermore, how can billions of Christians bear witness to the reality of the sacred text and His resurrection for over two thousand years? Many atheists, agnostics and skeptics have tried to disprove the resurrection of Christ. Nobody has succeeded.

7. The Bible attests to the reality of the Holy Spirit, answers to prayer and miracles. The Bible speaks about the ability of true believers to receive supernatural answers to prayer, miracles, healings and prophetic words (John 14:12-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11). The testimony of billions of Christians, including myself, of supernatural answers to prayers is common among the faithful. This vast consensus flies in the face of natural phenomenological law. It has no explanation except to conclude that there is a supernatural, transcendent God who is personally involved in the affairs of believers (Heb. 11:6).

8. The Bible attests to being born again from above. Christianity is the only so-called religion you cannot convert to unless you have a supernatural encounter with God. All other major religions have to observe forms, rituals, laws and more. However, Jesus said that unless one is born from above, He cannot see His kingdom (John 3:1-8).

9. The Bible attests to the moral law of God. As found in Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments is the only moral code that enables nations and individuals to be blessed if they follow it. For example, imagine a world in which everybody put God first, set aside one day in seven to be with their family and worship God, did not commit murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal or covet their neighbor’s goods. If every person consistently attempted to obey this divine moral code, the world would become a utopia. However, imagine a world in which everybody intentionally (outwardly, not just in their hearts) disobeyed these commandments. The world as we know it would soon collapse in its foolishness and sin!

10. The Bible is one cohesive unit with the metanarrative pointing to Jesus. The Bible was written by about 40 authors over 1600 years from people living in various geographic regions with diverse economic backgrounds. Despite all this diversity, the Scriptures cohere with each other, with a meta-narrative that points to Jesus the Messiah. The comprehensive, coherence and consistency of the Scriptures all point to the fact that it is a divinely inspired book. {eoa}

For the original article, visit .

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally-known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church and leads several organizations, including The U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. Dr. Mattera is the author of 13 bestselling books, including his latest, The Purpose, Power, and Process of Prophetic Ministry, and is renown for applying Scripture to contemporary culture. To order his books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his newsletter, go to .

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Prayer and confession of the Word of God are two of the most powerful weapons believers have. Together they can help to bring victory over any demonic opposition. You will see a great release of God’s power when these two are combined.

I began writing Scripture-based prayers as I studied the Word of God. The Holy Spirit illuminated many scriptures to me that needed to be released through prayer. I began to see clearly the plan of God for believers and how the enemy wanted to stop that plan. The Lord taught me the importance of praying the Word to overcome spiritual resistance to the plan of God for my life.

The prayers were forged over a period of many years and were birthed out of warfare and deliverance. They came from years of experience in ministering to individuals and nations. As I was gaining this experience, the Holy Spirit helped me understand many scriptures and how to use them in prayer. You can find the prayers I wrote, which are based on the Word of God, in my book Prayers That Rout Demons.

Prayer is one of the ways we release the will of God upon the earth. We must study the Word of God in order to know the will of God. This is why prayer and the Word must be combined. Daniel was able to pray effectively because he knew the Word of God concerning God’s people (Dan. 9:2–3).

We should pray with understanding (1 Cor. 14:15). Understanding the will of God will help us pray correctly. The Word of God is the will of God. We are not to be unwise but understanding of what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17). Prayer also helps us walk perfectly and completely in all the will of God (Col. 4:12).

Praying and Confessing the Word

Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). Right words are forcible (Job 6:25). The words we speak are spirit and life (John 6:63). We can be snared by the words of our mouths. We need to articulate the thoughts of God by praying and confessing His Word (Isa. 55:8). God’s Word released through our tongues will cause His power to manifest in our lives.

Words are used to convey our thoughts. The words of God are the thoughts of God. We are releasing the mind of God when we pray and confess His Word. The thoughts of God are peace and prosperity (Jer. 29:11). They are designed to bring us to an expected end.

Jesus taught us that our faith is released through our words (Mark 11:23). Our faith-filled words can move mountains. There is nothing impossible to those who believe. Our faith is a key to seeing miracles and breakthrough on a consistent basis. Whatever we ask in prayer, believing, we will receive (Matt. 21:22).

The Word is near us (Rom. 10:8). The Word is in our mouths and hearts. This is the Word of faith. The mouth and the heart are connected. We speak from the abundance of the heart. The Word of God in our hearts will come through our mouths. Faith in the heart will be released through our mouths. God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12).

God Hears and Answers Our Prayers

We are encouraged to call upon the Lord. He has promised to show us great and mighty things (Jer. 33:3). The Lord delights in our prayers. He delights in answering our prayers. Before we call, He will answer (Isa. 65:24). The Lord’s ears are open unto the prayers of the righteous (1 Pet. 3:12). The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). We are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).

Our God hears prayer. All flesh should come to Him in prayer (Ps. 65:2). All believers have similar challenges and must overcome them. God is no respecter of persons. He is near to all who call upon Him (Ps. 145:18). The Lord will hear your supplication and will receive your prayer (Ps. 6:9).

Calling upon the Lord will bring salvation and deliverance from your enemies (Ps. 18:3). This has always been a key to deliverance. You can pray yourself out of any adverse situation. The Lord is your helper. God will not turn away your prayer (Ps. 66:20). God will not despise your prayer (Ps. 102:17). The prayer of the upright is God’s delight (Prov. 15:8).

Prayers Bring Victory Over the Enemy

We have been given the keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:19). This gives us the authority to bind and loose. To bind means to restrict, stop, hinder, fetter, check, hold back, arrest, or put a stop to. To loose means to untie, unbind, unlock, liberate, release, forgive, or free. Keys represent the authority to lock (bind) or unlock (loose). Prayer and confession are two of the ways we use this authority. We can bind the works of darkness, which include sickness, disease, hurt, witchcraft, poverty, death, destruction, confusion, defeat and discouragement. We can loosen ourselves and others from the works of darkness. This will result in greater liberty and prosperity.

Binding and loosing will help us in the area of deliverance. We can loosen ourselves from many things by using our authority. We can loosen others by praying these prayers. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. He came that we might have life in abundance.

Believers must know and operate in authority. Jesus gave His disciples power and authority over all devils (Matt. 10:1). We are seated with Christ in heavenly places far above all principalities and powers (Eph. 1:20, 2:6). Believers can use this authority through prayer and confession. We have authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). Jesus promised that nothing would hurt us. Many believers suffer unnecessarily because they fail to exercise their authority.

Scripture-based prayers are for believers who have a hatred for the works of darkness (Ps. 139:21). Do you hate every false way (Ps. 119:104)? Do you want to see changes in your city, region and nation? You are a king, and you have the power to change geographic regions (Eccl. 8:4). The fear of the Lord is to hate evil (Prov. 8:13).

Prayers based on the Word are designed to demolish strongholds. God’s Word is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces (Jer. 23:29). We need powerful prayers to demolish these strongholds. These prayers are for those who want to see breakthroughs in their personal lives as well as in their cities, regions and nations.

Satan has been defeated through the cross. Principalities and powers have been spoiled (Col. 2:15). We are enforcing this victory through our prayers. We are executing the judgments written. This honor is given to all His saints. The saints have possessed the kingdom (Dan. 7:18). This means we have authority with the King to advance the reign of Christ over the nations.

David was a king who understood the place of prayer in victory. He had many victories over his enemies. He saw mighty deliverance through prayer. He prayed for the defeat of his enemies and God answered him. We will have the same results over our spiritual enemies. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood. We must overcome principalities and powers with the armor of God. We must take the sword of the Spirit and pray with all prayer (Eph. 6:12–18).

The prayers of David ended with Psalm 72:20. In the previous verse of this psalm, he prayed that the whole earth would be filled with God’s glory (v. 19). This is the end of prayer. We believe that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). This is our goal. We will continue to pray toward the fulfillment of this promise. We will see the growth of God’s kingdom and the destruction of the powers of darkness through our prayers.

Revival and glory are increasing, and our prayers are adding fuel to the revival fire. {eoa}

The preceding was excerpted from the introduction to Prayers That Rout Demons by John Eckhardt (Charisma House, 2007). For more information or to order the book, please visit .

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Do you feel stuck on your healthy living journey? Maybe you’re just getting started or you have lost weight and have gotten to a place where you just feel stuck, and you want to give up.

Maybe it seems impossible for you to go forward, and you just want to find out what is holding you back.

In 2020, I wrote my sixth book, Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds. That resulted in me also putting together a course called Breaking Strongholds, which is available in Overcomers Academy. Now it’s 2022, and I want to share some of that information with you. It will still be helpful for you to read my book that includes action steps and take the course by joining Overcomers. The course goes even deeper.

What Needs to Change?

The devil has us bound up in strongholds and that’s why you don’t think you can go forward on your healthy living journey. You know what you want to do but you just can’t get over something that is in your way, and yet you really aren’t sure what that is.

On the surface, you know you need to lose weight and move more, and you want to do that. You are even aware that you have some bad habits, but you can’t seem to start on the process to change them.

You feel like your relationship with God is good. Still, you can’t figure out why you can’t do what you want to do, which is lose weight so you can look and feel better. I get it. I was there for way too many years.

Icebergs and Me

One day I was jogging in the water at my favorite community indoor pool. From out of the blue, God said to me, “Most people are like icebergs. They see only what is on the surface of their lives. They are afraid to look at everything below the surface that they think is keeping them afloat.”

I did a little research when I got home and found out that only one-tenth of an iceberg shows above the water. That means nine-tenths is hidden below the surface. It can be hidden 600 to 700 feet below the water level. When melted, it can fill 462 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.

That’s a whole lot of junk below the surface that ship captains can’t see. When they hit it, they sink like the Titanic. That hidden part of the iceberg is the deadly part. God said it relates to people so let’s apply this to ourselves. If we are an iceberg, only 10% of us is visible to ourselves and any others, even casual acquaintances or people we meet on the street. That means the deadly 90 percent of us is hidden. This is the part we and others can’t see.

Parts of the Iceberg

As an iceberg, we might be able to peer down in front of us and see some of what is below the surface that others who are behind us can’t see, and we don’t want them to see. It’s covered by our shadow. We keep it a secret. It’s the part we keep to ourselves and don’t let anyone else see. For me, this used to be my secret stash of candy I kept in my desk drawer and under the bed and in my closet and under the car seat. I’m glad those days are behind me.

The folks behind us, like our family and close friends, can see what we can’t see. They see the part just below the surface. That’s our blind spot. The blind spot might be like the note someone secretly slaps on our back that says “Kick Me.” It’s also the things that you don’t even acknowledge or recognize about yourself.

It’s how others perceive you. This can be good or bad. Having people who will be honest with us and tell us what are in our blind spots that we can’t see about ourselves are gifts from God. However, we have to be willing to hear their honesty.

Danger Ahead

Taking all of this into consideration, there is still 70% that is so deep, it is hidden that no other person can see it. This is the dangerous part of you. This is the part of you that keeps you being an iceberg. The tons of ice below the surface are what support the visible part of the iceberg.

When an iceberg dissolves, it dies. It may dissolve slowly when it comes in contact with warmer water that laps over on the sides. Or it may break apart quickly when it crashes into a rock or landmass. Eventually, though, an iceberg will die, unless it stays in cold temperatures forever.

If we liken ourselves to the iceberg, we have to begin addressing the roots of what has been keeping us afloat as what we are right now. This is scary for a number of reasons. We think we’ve got everything in place to live a somewhat normal life. Every part of the iceberg has been developed to keep us afloat.

God to the Rescue

Icebergs are dangerous, so dangerous we don’t even want to know what is keeping us afloat. We must address that and step over onto God’s lifeboat that can help us get where we want to go instead of aimlessly floating along, dragging tons of stuff we don’t need with us.

This is how I felt when I was super, morbidly obese. I knew I had tons of mental and emotional baggage I was dragging around with me, but I didn’t know how to get rid of it. I know now this was not just mental and emotional; it was also spiritual.

The hidden part of me contained lies I had begun to believe when I was a child. They started out as small things, half-truths maybe, but as I fed them with other misperceptions, they began to grow into strongholds, which really are just lies that keep us from fully believing the truths of God.

Finding Truth

Jesus was pretty clear when He said, “All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love Me will not obey Me. And remember, My words are not My own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent Me,” (John 14:23-24, NLT).

What Jesus saying here is what Grandma used to say to me, and probably what your mom or Grandma said a time or two. “Actions speak louder than words.” In other words, we are saying one thing and doing another. We have internalized lies that have grown into strongholds. These keep us from some of God’s greatest treasures—His truth.

It’s always God’s revealed truth that breaks the stronghold and sets us free. When we experience His truth in any area, we will be set free in that area.

I love John 8:31-32 (MSG). “Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. ‘If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.'” {eoa}

Teresa Shields Parker is the author of six books and two study guides, including her No. 1 bestseller, Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds. Her sixth book, Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds, is live on Amazon. She blogs at . She is also a Christian weight-loss coach (check out her coaching group at Overcomers Academy) and speaker. Don’t miss her podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, available on CPN.

Photo credit: Will Francis

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What comes to your mind when I use the phrase “quiet time”? Many people are intimidated by this simple, two-word phrase and therefore put it off until tomorrow. I believe that choosing to have a daily “quiet time” will change your life in numerous and meaningful ways.

My daily quiet time lasts for about 30-40 minutes, and it is worth every second of the discipline and devotion. You might think that you don’t have an extra 30-40 minutes in your day but let me assure you that you do! Perhaps you could put down your phone, stop scrolling on Facebook or forfeit a 30-minute show that adds absolutely nothing of eternal value to your life. Even if you only have “quiet time” three or four times a week, it will change the trajectory of your year! I guarantee it!

This is what I mean when I refer to the joy and delight of incorporating a daily quiet time into your schedule.

Every morning, I fix myself a cup of steaming hot coffee with just a dash of almond milk in it, and then I walk in the darkness of the early day up the carpeted stairs to my office. I silently turn on the lamp beside my comfortable chair that envelopes me.

I take a moment to pray that the Holy Spirit will teach me more about the Father as I pick up my Bible from the table beside my chair. And then comes the very best part of my day as I open the Word of God.

This year, I am reading the Bible in chronological order, which I have never done before. But on the advice of Bible teacher, Tara-Leigh Coble, I am doing just that.

I hear God’s voice as I read His Word. I underline meaningful sentences and circle words that add wealth to my life. I also have a journal in which I write a scripture verse or a thought that I have while reading the miraculous Word of God. After I read the Bible for 20 minutes or so, I sit and meditate. I think about what I have read and how it spoke to me.

The next part of my daily quiet time consists of listening to worship music. Often, I choose instrumental hymns or piano arrangements.

“Great is Thy faithfulness… Oh God, my Father!”

“Oh! For a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise!”

While the music is creating a rich, background melody for me, I open my prayer journal and begin to pray. The lyrics of the well-loved hymns become the theology that fills my heart with purpose.

“What a friend we have in Jesus!”

I also write down three things for which I am thankful, so that I begin my prayer time with gratitude and worship.

My home.

My grandchildren.

My friend Diane.

Then it is my joy to tell the Father how much I love Him and how much He means to me.

“You are holy and faithful!”

“You are good and kind!”

“Your mercies are new every morning!”

“You are wise and share Your wisdom with me!”

I then pray for the names on my prayer list, which always include my children and grandchildren, my husband, my mom, friends who are in need and for situations that need a touch from God.

And finally, I have a stack of devotional books beside my chair and I will spend time reading a daily devotion from several of them. Daily devotionals have added such a wealth and vivid texture to my life over the years. I hope you will incorporate a devotional or two into your daily quiet time as well.

Among my favorites are:

“My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

“Keep a Quiet Heart” by Elisabeth Elliot

“New Morning Mercies” by Ted Tripp

“Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman

“Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee” by Christine Christopher

As we partake of the Bible and also glean from devotionals each day, we must not foolishly believe that we can cast a quick glance at the Word of God and instantly know what it takes to build an exceptional life. We must seriously, quietly and daily study the Bible.

I hope you will realize that by daily dedicating your life to reading the Word and spending time in His presence, you can experience rich joy and dynamic strength. You will discover with millions of believers from every generation what a delight it is to dig for gold in the unmatched, powerful and restorative Word of God! {eoa}

Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books, including No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, was released last August. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol’s “A Jolt of Joy” program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol at .

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I want you to get a picture of something. As I was standing on the front row, as we were singing, I saw like a quick flash of a picture (which I feel the Lord put in my heart) of two big hands and they were around me. But God was saying, “This isn’t about just you. I’m showing what I’m doing, using you as an example. I’m doing this with My people.” I saw His hands come around me, but then I saw them come underneath me and lift me up.

I want you to understand that this is a tremendous year of God lifting us; God being upon our right and upon our left, and putting us in His hands. Now that is a very powerful place to be because it also represents His protecting and lifting, but I believe, also, His blessing. And somehow God has literally taken us and scooped us up in His hands to position us for an amazing time and season of tremendous blessing.

Just see that—God just lifting you up and putting His hands around you—and realize He’s saying to you, “What do you want Me to do for you? What can I do to show My love for you, My honor to you, My people?”

The Year of Remembrance: God Is Poised for Action

Prophetic word given through Pastor Hank Kunneman on January 2, 2022 (at Lord of Hosts Church). God has declared that 2022 is the Year of Remembrance and He is poised to take action on behalf of His people! It’s time to come into agreement with the sound of heaven.

Prophetic word from Hank Kunneman:

Begin to move your feet, those of you at home and wherever you are watching from; begin to move your feet. You ask why you would move your feet? Because as the body of Christ, you are adding your agreement with what is happening right now to the sound of the instruments. They are prophesying to reveal to you, and to the earth and to all of hell, that God has remembered this year. And when God remembers, it’s not because He forgets but because He is now poised for action.

So, the instruments testify, prophesy, witness to the movement of God and down—all across the earth—for His action, His justice, His righteousness, His to do. In other words, He will do what He said and He’s come to finish business.

I believe that this sound that is happening right now in the spirit realm, the enemy has desired for war this year and for there to be nations (where there would be the sound upon the beating of the drums) getting anxious for battle. And, yet, God is reminding us of the time when there was a noise that was so great in the spirit, through the instruments when Israel played, that the enemy began to run in terror. And as the people began to shout, the enemy began to turn on one another and there was great confusion as an ambush came. God is saying, “This is what is happening, also, that will bring a manifestation to the earth of turning on one another of those who’ve conspired together.”

“Father, we pray and speak confusion into the enemy’s camp. We speak an absolute unveiling and exposing of all the injustice, thievery, bribes and corruption; God, bring it to light and let them turn on one another. And may the hosts of heaven, the royal guard, be released in great numbers to bring it to light and bring them to light, and to bring an absolute confusion and an ambush in the camp of the enemy. Let it also be a sound that restrains the hands of the enemy from bringing nations into conflict.

“Thy kingdom come, Lord. Your will be done.”

We’re going to hear the sound of the Lord speak much this year. You will think that He has refrained Himself. God is not just operating from the place of the throne room: He has set His feet, literally, upon the earth.

God Is Tearing Down Walls of Viruses, Vaccinations and Agendas … as in the Days of Jericho

Prophecy by Pastor Hank Kunneman given during the Prophetic Pulse Conference Call on January 12, 2022 (at Lord of Hosts Church). The Spirit of the Lord has declared that He is tearing down the walls of viruses, vaccinations, mandates and agendas, as in the days when He tore down the walls of Jericho! And we will say, “This will never happen again in America this way.”

Prophetic word from Hank Kunneman:

The Spirit of the Lord says, “This is the time that I have chosen in the earth not to allow the enemy to think for a moment that he, and those who have cooperated with him, shall get by with their demonic agenda, their acts of evil, their corruption. This is not the time.

“Therefore, this is the hour that I have chosen to bring forth My hand [with] a great intensity that shall shake the earth, cause the mountains to blow their tops—to cause even the weather to seem backwards and out of normal—because I am the God of the times, the am the Lord of the earth.

“Therefore, I say to those who are in fear: Pay attention! Why is it that you look to the things that are happening and think that this is the way that it shall be, or shall be the future? For did David stand before Goliath and did he consider how big the giant was that paralyzed a nation with fear? No, he knew the power of his God and the power of covenant, and he said, ‘Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?’ and he took him out with My power and cut off his head. And so, this is what shall begin to take place concerning the things that look impossible. Those who have said it will never change and it is as big in their minds, as Goliath that stood that day… But yet, there is supernatural intervention of My hand that is about to take place, and a striking forth that shall cut off the head of those that thought they could get by with what they have done.”

And God says, “The day that they came to the walls of Jericho, I had them be silent, because the walls were speaking loud and I did not want them to come into agreement, like some who have come into agreement with the agenda of hell that is blatant upon the media and upon the screens.

“There was a shout that brought the walls down. Who could raise the walls back up again? Were the walls raised back up again?” says the Lord. “No. The walls were taken down by the power of My hand. And so it will take place with the things that look intimidating, look impenetrable, impossible—like no breakthrough [will] happen, like the walls of Jericho. Yet, I brought the walls of Jericho down and I will do this again.

“And I speak concerning viruses, vaccinations, mandates, agendas—I will bring these walls down.” And God says, “Were the walls ever rebuilt? No, because the hour and the time that you’ve come into shall be the season that you will say in America, ‘Great things are coming. Great things shall unfold.’ And you will say, ‘This will never happen again in America this way,'” says the Living God. “The walls of Jericho are your evidence; the Lion is your evidence. I will act and it shall never be again, for what I will do in this coming season,” says the Spirit of the Living God. {eoa}

For the rest of this prophetic word, please visit .

Hank Kunneman is the senior pastor of Lord of Hosts Church, a thriving church in Omaha, Nebraska, and founder of One Voice Ministries. As an uncompromising voice that God is using to stir up the body of Christ, he is known for a strong prophetic anointing as he preaches. He travels and ministers extensively as he and his wife, Brenda, preach together at conferences, churches and national television programs throughout the United States and overseas. Together, the Kunnemans also host their own nationally and internationally televised weekly program, New Level with Hank and Brenda, airing on Daystar Television Network, Victory Television Network and Faith Broadcasting Network. Pastor Hank is a published author with both Destiny Image and Charisma House, with his most recent books being The Lord Himself Is Stepping In, Prophesy with the Wind in Your Mouth, My Heart Cries Abba Father, The Revealer of Secrets, Barrier Breakers and Don’t Leave God Alone. He has also written and created several children’s books. Visit the Kunnemans’ website at .

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