In a powerful interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show,” Leigh Bortins—founder of the classical education movement Classical Conversations—shared a stunning account of a supernatural encounter with Jesus that radically changed her life.

“The Holy Spirit in the form of Jesus came into my kitchen in a blinding light, knocked me down,” Bortins revealed. “The book fell. My husband looks over and said, ‘What happened?’ and I said, ‘Did you see that?’ and he said, ‘No, but there was obviously something just happened to you.’”

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The moment was deeply spiritual and deeply unsettling. “It was the most terrifying thing in my life that that happened. And if you read through Scripture, whenever an angel comes down, it’s ‘fear not.’ It is scary,” she explained. “I didn’t go to church for a year. I didn’t read anything about the Scriptures. Nothing. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t want that.’”

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At the time, Bortins and her husband were not Christians. A trained aerospace engineer, she had made the unconventional choice to leave her career and homeschool her children. “We weren’t Christians at the time, but we wanted better academics, and we saw the destruction of the family occurring… and we’re like, ‘This is destroying the family. We’re not going to let that happen to ours.’”

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Despite not knowing Christ, the Lord was already pursuing her. She explored a wide range of religious beliefs—Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Protestants. But it was her neighbor who persistently invited her to church, handed her Christian books and even paid for her to attend a creationism conference. “We left kind of mad that even though we didn’t believe any of it, that we’d never heard any of it.”

Eventually, Bortins was confronted with a truth she could no longer deny. “I was reading a book from Josh McDowell… and he brings up C.S. Lewis’s logical option—that either He is the Lord, He’s a lunatic or He’s a liar. And we have to pick.”

After a nature walk with her husband one day, Bortins describes how she finally knew that God was the One worth living for.

“At that moment, I knew that I was His forever… That He put me on this Earth with a purpose, and it was to serve Him.”

From a blinding light in her kitchen to the foundation of a national homeschool movement, Leigh Bortins’ testimony is a striking reminder of God’s power to pursue, reveal and redeem.

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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.

In a recent episode of CodeBreakers Live, hosted by Donné Clement Petruska, prophetic speaker Amanda Grace shares insights from her new book, which delves into biblical prophecy and its relevance in the world today. With her deep spiritual understanding, Amanda is a recognized voice in the prophetic community, and her book promises to explore the intense battle between light and darkness—what she refers to as the “Revelationary War.”

Grace explained the origins of this spiritual war, which traces back to the very beginning of mankind. “The first shot against man was at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” she says. “It became a revelationary war where God spoke a revelation that man was supposed to adhere to, and the enemy came in with his own counter-revelation.”

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She emphasized that this conflict has been ongoing for generations and is intensifying in the modern era. “We are those warriors,” Grace states, calling forth the spiritual warriors of the new millennium. This battle, she believes, is not merely physical, but spiritual in nature, affecting both nations and individuals.

Grace’s new book provides a deeper exploration of this revelationary war and offers readers guidance on how to engage in the spiritual battles of today. She underscores the importance of believers using the tools God has given them—primarily the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit—to navigate this ongoing struggle.

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Additionally, Petruska and Grace touch on the prophetic importance of Joseph in biblical history, drawing parallels to the current state of the world. “The spirit of Joseph is once again entering into the courts of Egypt,” Grace declares, offering a message of divine intervention and hope for today’s believers.

Wrapping up the conversation, Grace notes the timeless relevance of prophetic insight for Christians today. “This book is not just about the past,” she concludes, “but about how we can navigate the prophetic landscape of today and prepare for what lies ahead.”

As we see the battle of good and evil happening all around us, we must be fully equipped for what comes our way, putting on the full armor of God at all times.

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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.

As is the case in this age of grace, the Tribulation Period will reveal two distinct classes of people—those who will turn to Jesus Christ in faith and those who will turn away from Him, seeking another method of salvation.

Take Revelation 9:21, for instance. Even though God still reaches out to people by His mercy and grace during the Tribulation Period, many will reject Him. That verse reads: “And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

The word “sorcery” is, in the Greek, a term well known by prophecy scholars: pharmakeia. It refers to the employment of drugs for any purpose: sorcery, magic, enchantment and even goes so far as to refer to poisons, amulets, charms, magic spells, witchcraft, or any other object or practice that makes someone susceptible to sin.

Drugs are used in association with sorcery because they place the practitioner into an altered state of consciousness whereby he or she becomes more open to contact with the spiritual realm.

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But why would the use of sorcery be so prevalent during the Tribulation Period? Drugs in the ancient world were used to dull the senses and induce a state suitable for religious experiences such as séances, witchcraft, incantations, and cavorting with mediums. It is on this point we now turn to history to give a possible explanation as to why sorcery will be so widespread in the future.

The consequences of the First World War are well documented. Although estimates vary, my own Australian War Memorial states: “It is generally accepted that the First World War killed some 16 million people worldwide, of which military deaths constituted about 9.5 million. It is also estimated that around 20 million were wounded, including eight million left permanently disabled in some way. This was indeed a shocking toll for just four years. As if this were not enough, disease would then step in to claim an even greater toll in the form of the 1918–20 influenza pandemic, the Spanish flu.”

Confronted with the enormity of the death toll and the sudden loss of loved ones, the living sought hope among the dead. Enter: Spiritualism. Spiritualism, in hindsight, had a rather bizarre introduction to the world. It was sparked by the Fox sisters—Margaretta “Maggie” Fox (14) and Kate Fox (11) in the bedroom of their home in Hydesville, New York. Intercepting a neighbour on a late March day in 1848, the sisters claimed that every night around bedtime, they heard a series of raps on the walls and furniture—raps that seemed to manifest with a peculiar, otherworldly intelligence.

Upon relocating to Rochester to live with their sister Leah, the sisters eventually embarked on a professional tour to spread word of their contact with the spirits. An editorial in the Scientific American scoffed at their newfound fame, calling the girls the “Spiritual Knockers from Rochester.”

Kate pursued Spiritualism with an intensity that her sisters did not share. Her business boomed during and after the American Civil War, as increasing numbers of the bereaved found solace in Spiritualism. Prominent Spiritualist Emma Hardinge wrote that the war added two million new believers to the movement, and by the 1880s there were an estimated eight million Spiritualists in the United States and Europe.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Spiritualism had become not only a source of solace, but also of entertainment. Large gatherings in theaters soon featured séances where mediums claimed to connect with the dead. These mediums, often women thought to possess innate abilities, used various methods to facilitate contact with spirits using, for example, possession, letter arrangement, and Ouija boards. In fact, this practice had become so widespread, the front page of The San Francisco Examiner on May 26, 1918, ran the headline, “Can the Dead Talk to Us?”

Returning to World War I, the global conflict had a profound impact on the popularity of Spiritualism. The war’s unprecedented loss of life left many soldiers and their families seeking solace and answers. On the battlefield, in addition to relying on morphine and cocaine to dull physical and emotional pain, soldiers turned to Spiritualism for comfort and hope. Some soldiers even reported feeling the presence of fallen comrades or visions of the dead, which bolstered their belief in an afterlife.

Families of fallen soldiers went through a similar process.

To them, Spiritualism had a dual purpose: to seek evidence through the spirits that their loved ones were in a better place and to reassure themselves that their own afterlife was secure. Of course, the rise of Spiritualism allowed unscrupulous mediums to prey upon desperate people. For families desperate for news of their loved ones, living daily with the risk of death and losing faith in their leaders, the prospect of some supernatural power or otherworldly influence, was somewhat reassuring. In the chaos of war and amid the frailty of humanity, to feel that the outcome was no longer in mortal hands brought them a sense of peace. But it was a false peace.

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In hindsight, the boom in Spiritualism and the occult during and after World War I was a multifaceted phenomenon fueled by unparalleled violence, social upheaval, the influence of celebrities and the declining influence of Christianity. As people turned away from God, they still wanted to be given hope for an afterlife, which Spiritualism and the occult sought to fulfill. Looking ahead to the Tribulation Period, it is not hard to foresee that people will once again search for answers apart from God, particularly as they will be under the influence of widespread drug use and the forces of darkness in the demonic realm.

After the rapture of the church, the world’s descent into spiritual darkness will be hastened. Once again, forces of darkness will rush to fill the void, finding sympathetic hearts because wicked mankind loves darkness (John 3:19).

It may appear too disparaging to the supposedly enlightened people of this age to entertain the possibility of a return to sorcery, but even in Western cultures the enemy is preparing the minds of mankind for a worldwide return to these abominable practices. Evidence of this may be found in the plethora of music, movies, television shows and books with demonic and occultic themes, particularly coupling drug use and contact with the unseen realm.

Sadly, as we witnessed in the World War I era, often times worldwide disaster causes mankind to seek refuge in darkness rather than light. But there is hope: it is found in Jesus Christ. He said of Himself in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

This article originally appeared on Harbinger’s Daily, and is reposted with permission.

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It’s the season no one prays for, no one expects, and most of us try to avoid—what John and Lisa Bevere call the “wilderness season.”

In a recent episode of their Conversations podcast, the couple leaned into the topic of spiritual seasons, with a focus on the most difficult one believers often endure. “What’s the least favorite season that we as Believers experience?” John asked. “Without a doubt I would say it’s a wilderness season.”

Referencing Scripture and personal stories, the Beveres unpack how God doesn’t waste our winter seasons. “The Bible says that Jesus was led by the spirit of God into the wilderness for 40 days,” John said. It wasn’t punishment—it was preparation.

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Lisa echoed this truth with a personal account of a time when God asked her to separate from new friendships. “I was like, no, no, no, no, no, you don’t mean that,” she said. But God challenged her thinking. “You can make a choice whether this is a season of lonely or a season of alone.”

That choice—how we respond in a difficult season—is central to the Bevere message. “You can fight against the season or you can cooperate with the season,” John said. When believers resist what God is doing, the results can be devastating. “They got offended,” he said of the Israelites, “and so when you get offended your behavior is going to always be counterproductive.”

Instead, believers are encouraged to lean in, to let God do the hard work of pruning, even when it feels like loss. “The branches that bear fruit, he’ll prune,” John reminded listeners. “They didn’t do anything wrong. But they’re cut off because it’s going to produce more fruit.”

Lisa emphasized that “God is doing a new thing,” and warned that it’s always easier to do the old thing. But that’s not the path of growth. “You don’t discover the new thing by looking at what people are saying,” she said. “You discover the new thing by getting into Scripture and seeing what God is saying.”

For anyone walking through spiritual winter, feeling isolated or stuck, their message is simple: Don’t miss the purpose of the season.

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Before closing the episode, the Beveres offered a heartfelt prayer, asking God for three specific things for their listeners:

1. That they recognize the season they are in.
2. That they recognize the season the body of Christ is in.
3. That they would know what to do in that season.

They prayed that “their behavior would line up with the will of God so that they can flourish as that springtime comes back in.”

In a time when many feel like they’re in a holding pattern, or maybe walking through spiritual frost, this podcast offers a timely reminder: God is faithful—even in the wilderness.

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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.

The kingdom of God is more than an attempt to change a lost world; it is about reclaiming and functioning within what God has always sovereignly owned and managed. Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” God framed creation and entrusted it to humanity for stewardship (Gen. 1:26-28). To make God our dwelling place is to understand His sovereignty, His presence, and our role in the cosmos He created. Moses even said, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Ps. 90:1).

This perspective reframes reality. Time and space, as Hebrews 11:3 reminds us, exist within God’s creative matrix. Acts 17:28 declares, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Coming into this revelation transforms our understanding of worship, life, and purpose. It shifts us from “going to church” to seeing the cosmos as God’s sacred dwelling place. Hence, Christ is not only “in” believers—but we are truly “in Him” and exist within His reality! 

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Furthermore, as His family, the church represents His Lordship on earth as it is in heaven. 

Here are ten traits of those who make God their dwelling place.

1. Gratitude for Everything

Profound gratitude is the first mark of someone who makes God their dwelling place. James 1:17 reminds us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” Recognizing that every blessing, resource, and opportunity comes from God fosters a heart of thankfulness.

When we acknowledge that the earth and everything belong to God, we shift from entitlement to appreciation. Gratitude becomes a daily act of worship, recognizing God’s provision in all areas of life.

2. A Life Centered on Worship

Those who dwell in God find worship woven into every aspect of their existence—prayer, work, family, rest. Worship is not limited to Sunday services but permeates every moment, reflecting the rhythm of creation (1 Cor. 10:31).

In Genesis, the six days of creation culminated in the seventh Day, a Sabbath of rest and worship, demonstrating that all activity ultimately leads back to glorifying God. Even the natural world testifies to His greatness: “The trees of the field clap their hands, and the rocks cry out in praise,” (Isa. 55:12; Luke 19:40).

For such individuals, worship becomes not an event but a lifestyle.

3. Submission to Christ’s Lordship

To make God your dwelling place is to recognize His absolute Lordship. Psalm 90:1 and 91:9 speak of God as the eternal refuge. This means submitting to His authority in every area of life.

Every decision, action, and goal becomes an opportunity to honor Him. Those who dwell in God’s presence are constantly aware that Christ is not just Savior but Lord. His will becomes the standard for all they do, and obedience is their ultimate act of love (John 14:15).

4. No Separation Between Secular and Sacred

People who make God their dwelling place understand that all life is sacred. There is no division between what is “secular” and what is “spiritual” because “The earth is the Lord’s,” (Ps. 24:1).

Work, family life, recreation, and even mundane tasks are opportunities to glorify God. This understanding dissolves artificial boundaries, allowing them to see every moment as a chance to reflect God’s kingdom.

5. Integration of Church and Workplace

In the same way that they do not separate the secular from the sacred, these individuals refuse to divide the “church place” from the “workplace.” They see their work, whether in an office, a field, or a factory, as a ministry and an extension of God’s mission.

Colossians 3:23-24 encourages, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” The workplace becomes a platform for reflecting Christ’s values and principles.

6. Stewardship of Creation

Making God your dwelling place instills a deep sense of responsibility for creation. Genesis 1:26-28 calls humanity to steward the earth as caretakers under God. This involves honoring and studying the natural world, using resources wisely, and protecting the environment as an act of worship (Ps. 111:2).

In recognizing creation as God’s possession, these individuals see stewardship as optional and a divine mandate.

7. A Call to Restore the Breach

Isaiah 61:3-4 speaks of those who will “rebuild the ancient ruins” and “restore the places long devastated.” Those who dwell in God feel compelled to be restorers—healing broken relationships, rebuilding communities, and bringing God’s justice to areas of destruction.

This trait reflects God’s heart for communities, cities, and nations. He has called His people to stand in the gap and see every “pain point” in their community as an opportunity to manifest God’s creative solutions that elevate the quality of life for all as a witness of the gospel.

8. Using Finances to Advance God’s Kingdom

Those who see God as their dwelling place view their finances as a tool for kingdom work. They understand that their wealth is not their own but entrusted to them by God for His purposes (Deut. 8:18).

This perspective drives them to give generously to support the gospel, help the needy, and invest in causes that reflect God’s heart. They live with the mindset that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matt. 6:21).

9. Appreciation of Nature as a Reflection of God’s Glory

Creation is seen as a useful resource and a reflection of God’s glory and creativity. Psalm 19:1 declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Those who dwell in God cultivate an acute appreciation for nature, seeing it as a testimony to His power and wisdom. Whether marveling at a sunrise or tending a garden, they are reminded of God’s beauty and majesty.

10. An Acute Sense of God’s Nearness

Finally, those who make God their dwelling place experience an unparalleled awareness of His presence. Acts 17:28 declares, “In him we live and move and have our being.” This sense of nearness transforms their view of reality, enabling them to see God’s hand every moment.

Psalm 91:9 promises, “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you.” This intimate relationship with God provides peace, security, and confidence, even in trials.

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Making God your dwelling place transforms every aspect of life. It shifts your perspective from merely “attending church” to living as part of God’s sacred cosmos. Those who embody these 10 traits demonstrate what it means to reclaim their role as stewards of creation, ambassadors of the kingdom, and worshippers of the Most High.

Understanding that the earth is the Lord’s and living in the light of this revelation calls us to gratitude, worship, submission, and stewardship. It reminds us that in every moment and every place, God is near—inviting us to dwell in Him and reflect His glory to the world.

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A lot of attention has been focused on St Francis of Assisi after Cardinal Bergoglio took the name of Francis upon his election as Pope. As well we should, because St. Francis taught his followers to share the Gospel more by what they do than what they say.

Next week, on April 8, we mark the life of another Francis who, it is believed, is also a role model for the new Pope. On that date in 1541 Francis Xavier began his extraordinary missionary journey to the East. Over the next 10 years he traveled through 50 kingdoms and baptized more than 1,000,000 people. He founded churches from India to Japan, earning the title “Apostle to the Indies.”

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Beyond his importance as an Asian missionary, Francis Xavier pioneered a return of Christian missions to its Gospel roots. The Medieval model of missions called for conquest and forced conversion, as exemplified by the Spanish conquests and failed conversions in the New World. Francis Xavier showed that heartfelt conversion won by the love of God was not only more scriptural, it was more effective. In that sense he is the father of all modern Christian missions.  

Francis Xavier lived in an age of upheaval, when Europeans had begun challenging the pagan kingdoms of the East for commerce and, later, military supremacy. The European traders were interested in gold, not God, but they undermined the power of the Pagan Kings and the Pagan Gods they claimed to represent. The traders also curtailed the power of the Islamic merchants and stopped the Islamic expansion into the Far East. As a result, societies which had been closed to Christianity became more open, and Christian missionaries were able to present the Gospel. For Francis Xavier, a million baptisms followed.

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These European powers eventually spread their empires throughout the world, replacing Pagan kingdoms in the Americas, Africa and Asia. While these nations were seldom, if ever, interested in spreading Christianity, many missionaries followed in the footsteps of Francis Xavier and brought God’s love to the colonized peoples. Today there are thriving Christian communities in the Americas, Africa and Asia because of these missionary efforts.

Also, today, we find that it is Europe which has abandoned its Christian roots and fallen into darkness. So, it seems somehow to be fitting that a Pope taking the name Francis would come from a place which was Christianized by missionaries like Francis Xavier, and would now return to Europe to preach a new evangelism to the lost Europeans.

We pray for Pope Francis, a man of the Spirit and a uniter of Christians, that he will help lead the whole church to challenge the European societies and open them to the Gospel like the Europeans did to the Pagan world 500 years ago.

We pray also for the unity of the church and a spiritual awakening of the church to enable it to be faithful in our generation as Francis Xavier was in his.

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There’s no doubt that a spiritual movement is taking place across college campuses. In almost every region of the country, young people are having their lives impacted by the love of Jesus Christ. This week, thousands of students at Baylor University gathered for 72 hours of continuous prayer to ask God for revival on their campus in Waco, Texas.  

Since 2019, students have gathered for FM72, or Fountain Mall 72, under a white tent for three days to pursue “the heart of God.” 

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Each year, the tent has gotten bigger, the crowds have gotten larger, but the heart has remained the same. 

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“It’s a week given to prayer,” Charles Ramsey, Ph.D., associate chaplain and director for Chapel and Campus Ministries at Baylor, shared on a social media post. “Prayer is powerful. Things happen when we pray.” 

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This year’s event kicked off Mar. 30, and concluded Apr. 2. Organizers estimate that nearly 3,000 students gathered on the initial night event to worship, pray and hear an encouraging message from Lisa Koons, the mission and justice director of the 24-7 Prayer Movement USA.

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Students stood shoulder to shoulder under a nearly 10,000-square-foot canopy each night to also celebrate their fellow students who made decisions for Jesus Christ. 

By the end of the three-day event, 35 students gave their lives to God and many of those students took part in water baptisms.

“He transformed my life and I want to live everyday for Him,” one young woman remarked before being publicly baptized.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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In a powerful prophetic moment, Mike Thompson delivers a stirring message that resonated with the spiritual urgency of the times. Filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Thompson declares, “Rise up, rise up, lion’s army, rise up for the victory at hand.”

One of the key reasons we must declare victory right now is what Thompson says is a “Philistine spirit” trying rise up against our nation.

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“The battle is the Lord’s, and the victory is yours, but keep your eyes upon the victory,” Thompson says.

He urges Christians not to be distracted by the enemies rising against them, but to stand firm in their faith, knowing that they will emerge victorious. This Philistine spirit is a symbol of opposition to God’s purposes, but Thompson reassures believers, “You shall defeat the enemy in every turn, for the enemy is not God; he is a wicked spirit, a usurper.”

Just because the enemy is real, we need still to remember and realize that our God is much greater and more powerful than anything that the darkness tries to throw at us.

“The true spirit of God is moving not only through you and doing spiritual warfare but He is moving with victory and reward upon the face of the earth,” Thompson says.

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He encourages believers to embrace the Holy Spirit’s anointing, which brings both personal and spiritual breakthroughs, declaring, “It will come at times in a soft way that softens your heart and brings loving embraces with your family… but it also comes in the area of strength as you fight the enemy.”

This divine empowerment, according to Thompson, is the key to cultivating the kingdom of God on earth.

“The kingdom of God is as a seed that is planted and it grows up and it yields the fruit that is necessary to promote the covenant of God,” he says.

He also stressed the importance of discerning between the true voice of prophecy and the false voices of the enemy. “You’ll operate not in the false voice of prophecy but in the true voice of prophecy, which is from Him, your Lord and your Savior,” Thompson says.

In these tumultuous times, Mike Thompson’s prophetic word is a powerful call to rise up in faith and authority. The Philistine spirit may be at work, but the victory already is ours through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we stand firm, focusing not on the battle but on the promised triumph, we will witness the kingdom of God advancing mightily in our lives, our nation and the world. Now is the time to embrace the victory—your destiny is unfolding in the glory of God.

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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.

There’s a battle raging in America today, but it’s not just political—it’s spiritual. And if the church doesn’t open its eyes soon, we may find ourselves complicit in affirming lies that come straight from the pit of Hell.

As reported by The Christian Post, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and several of her colleagues called out what many believers already sense in their spirits: the transgender movement isn’t just a cultural shift, it’s a spiritual deception.

“I think it’s a direct attack on God’s creation,” Greene said on the “Right to the Point” podcast. “God created us male and female just like the bill is stating, male and female in His image, and that’s why the Left is attacking it.”

That’s not just political rhetoric—it’s biblical truth. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” No middle ground. No confusion.

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Greene and other congressional leaders are backing H.R. 1399, the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” a bill that would make it a felony to perform sex-change procedures on minors. It also gives harmed children the right to sue those responsible. That’s more than policy—it’s an act of compassion to protect kids from irreversible damage.

Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) didn’t mince words: “It’s a lie from the pits of hell that you can change your sex; you can’t change your DNA.” She’s right. We’re not just dealing with bad science—we’re dealing with demonic lies that twist God’s design.

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What’s even more alarming is when these deceptions creep into the church. Greene took aim at North Point Community Church, led by pastor Andy Stanley, after a leaked video allegedly showed staff being trained to affirm trans pronouns and names for minors. “That should never happen in church, because that is… confirming Satan’s lie to these vulnerable children,” she said.

This isn’t just a political battle, folks. As Rep. Harshbarger pointed out, “What the Bible says is … what is construed as right in the end days will be looked at as wrong, and what is wrong will be looked at as right.” We are there. Isaiah 5:20 warned us: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”

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Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) tied it all back to the Garden of Eden. “It’s a great lie that Satan had from the very beginning… he is a liar and deceiver,” he said. And that same lie—that we can redefine ourselves outside of God’s image—is being sold to our children today. Tragically, even some churches are buying in.

Let’s be clear: Christians aren’t called to hate. We’re called to love with truth. Telling someone the truth about who they are in Christ is the most loving thing we can do. Affirming confusion is not compassion—it’s spiritual compromise.

This is more than a bill. It’s a line in the sand. As believers, we must choose whether we will stand on the unchanging Word of God or bow to the pressures of culture and deception.

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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.

They say convenience is king—but what if that convenience comes at the cost of your freedom?

Right now, while most of the world is distracted, a new financial system is quietly moving into place: Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs. The European Union is already planning to roll out the next phase of its “digital euro” in November 2025, and few people are paying attention to what that really means.

At first glance, it sounds innovative. A digital euro? Easy to use, modern, secure. But look deeper, and you’ll start to see the dangerous framework of what could become a system of total control.

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CBDCs are different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They’re not decentralized or anonymous. They’re issued and operated by central banks, meaning the government—or whoever holds power—can track, program, and even shut off your money with a click.

Catherine Austin Fitts, a former government official and current president of Solari Inc., didn’t hold back in her recent talk with Hillsdale College. She warned that CBDCs would allow governments to enforce real-time financial mandates. Think about that: they could limit what you buy, where you buy it, and even if you’re allowed to buy at all.

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If that sounds far-fetched, just remember what happened in Canada. During the peaceful trucker protests, the government froze the bank accounts of not only the organizers—but also everyday citizens who donated to support them. No trial. No warning. Just cold, hard digital power.

Now imagine a world where there’s no cash backup, no privacy, and no way out. That’s the foundation of what many believe is the “beast system” prophesied in Revelation.

Total Control Through Technology

It’s not just about money. It’s about building a digital control grid. Your phone, your car, your home, your health records—they’re all going digital. And once they’re tied to a centralized digital ID and currency, your entire life can be tracked and manipulated.

The Bible warned us about a time when “no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark” (Rev. 13:17). That’s not speculation. That’s prophecy. And we’re watching the groundwork being laid right now.

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The Church Must Wake Up

This isn’t just a political or economic issue. It’s spiritual. The enemy has always tried to silence the Church, and digital control offers a powerful weapon to do it. Ministries that refuse to bow to the culture will be labeled “dangerous.” Their bank accounts could be frozen. Their status revoked. Their lights turned off—all with the press of a button.

If we, the body of Christ, stay silent, we risk being swept into this system without resistance. But we’re not called to be passive. We’re called to stand.

As Paul urged in 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.