Encouragement

 In case you haven't noticed by the tone of words being written here, the Lord God wants His Church encouraged, not demoralized.  We are going to have to start turning the media of all kinds off.  Even the so called "good guys" are posting nothing but a wall of worry 24/7.  They are great at problem identification.  We dont need to be told again for the one thousandth time all the problems facing us.  We need solutions...Jesus Christ is the solution.  The Word of God which is the Lord Jesus Christ is the solution.  Faith, hope love, joy and peace that transcends all understanding, are solutions.  Think about these things: whatever is good, of good report, beautiful, excellent, praiseworthy, etc think on these things-that is a solution.  Unplug from the media of all kinds, that is another powerful solution.

You want to make the enemy really squirm?  Stop consuming their garbage.  Turn it off, unplug.  Read a book, pray, fast, go exercise, do anything but plug into the bad news.

You are part of the solution this world needs.  There are ZERO "lay people" in the Body of Christ.  You, are a royal priesthood, kings and priests of the house of God, not some do nothing, let the corrupted "experts" handle all the heavy lifting "lay person."  The Lord Jesus Christ says He HATES the doctrine of the nicolaitans which is again the disempowering doctrine of demons spawned in the pits of hell.  You are called to do greater things than our Lord Jesus Christ did on earth by His own design and desire:

John 14:12

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

The Word of God here ^^^ says "whoever" that means you me and every other believer.

The Lord God would have you encouraged today to rise up.  Rise up in your talents, skills and abilities.  Rise up in your prophetic sight and understanding of what is to come for the purposes of lifting up the people of God.  Rise up above the wall of never ending worry, demoralization, disempowerment and despair this world throws at you.  Rise up!

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Please unite with brother David and each other to pray for America today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

 

Look Higher

 In a world full of bad news it is easy to feel the weight of the headlines. Discouragement rises like a wall. Demoralization settles in and the view gets smaller. The church needs eyes that can look higher. We need to see what our God sees.

The gift of prophecy is for that purpose. Scripture says the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding, their encouragement, and their consolation. It is given so the church is strengthened. It is not a private display. It is not reserved for the platform. This gift is not only for your pastor or your priest or your rabbi. It is for you. Every believer is invited to desire it and to pray for it right now.

The Lord told us to pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that we may prophesy. He said I want you all to prophesy. Because He told us to ask, we know it is His will that we have it. And we know that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the requests we have asked of Him. So we give thanks right now. We rejoice over the gift we have received. We believe we have already received what we asked for in prayer.

This is how we look higher than the wall of worry. The prophetic word brings the truth as God sees it into the moment. It builds up what the news tries to tear down. It exhorts the heart to keep returning to Christ. It comforts the weary so hope does not fade. When we speak what edifies, the church is lifted. When the church is lifted, the light grows. The darkness does not get the last word because the one who sits on the throne has already spoken.

So pray for the gift of prophecy today. Ask for it for the edification of the church. Ask for it so you can see what He sees. Ask for it so the people around you are strengthened rather than weighed down. Then thank Him as one who has already received it. Walk in that confidence. Keep returning your attention to Him. Keep looking higher.

Let us pray:

Father, we come to You now and we thank You. You told us to desire this gift and to pray that we may prophesy, so we know it is Your will. We ask for the gift of prophecy for every believer, that the church may be built up, encouraged, and comforted. Fill us with more faith, hope, love, joy and peace today. May we be found in the center of Your will for us today. Help us to become the best version of ourselves in Your service, for Your glory. Open our eyes to see what You see. Lift us above the wall of bad news so we walk in the light of Your presence. We receive it by faith and we give You thanks. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Not Too Late for Europe

 Europe was the very center of the Reformation. In the year 1517, as the long centuries of the Middle Ages were coming to an end, a light broke forth from Wittenberg. Martin Luther posted his theses on the church door, and the pure gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ began to spread across the continent. What many have called the Dark Ages was the earlier stretch of those medieval years. Yet at the close of that long night the Word of God shone brightly again. A light shined in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it.

Today Europe faces another night. Leftist ideologies that deny the God who made us and the Lord who redeemed us. Waves of people whose ways and beliefs clash with the Christian foundations of these ancient lands. Cities marked by unrest and the smoke of conflict. The darkness feels heavy and the future uncertain. Yet the same hope that lit the Reformation still burns. That hope is not found in any political plan or demographic shift. That hope is a person. Jesus Christ, the light of the world, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It begins with individual believers. One person who decides again to trust the Lord. One heart that returns to first love. One life that chooses faith over fear, hope over despair, and love over bitterness. Then the collective Church stands together in agreement. We lift our voices in prayer. We live as salt and light in our neighborhoods. We refuse to let the lampstand be taken from its place. We remember that every believer is called, gifted, and empowered to shine.

We pray for our brothers and sisters across Europe. Lord, drive the enemies of Christ and of humanity back to the gates of hell from which they came. Push back every force that seeks to extinguish the gospel. Let the good news of Jesus run freely once more through these lands. Let Christianity, freedom, and peace take deep root again in the hearts of men and women.

It is not too late for the one who has drifted. The backslidden can still turn and be saved. The call of the Spirit is still going out. The door of mercy is still open. It is not too late for Europe if the Church will only repent and return to Him. The same God who kindled the Reformation fire is able to kindle it again. The same Lord who makes a way where there seems to be no way is still on the throne.

Let us pray:

Father, we come before You for our brothers and sisters in Europe and for the Church around the world. Drive back every enemy of Christ and of humanity to the gates of hell. Restore the light of the gospel across these lands. Let Christianity, freedom, and peace reign once more. Fill us with more faith, hope, love, joy and peace today. May we be found in the center of Your will for us today. Help us to become the best version of ourselves in Your service, for Your glory. In Jesus name, amen.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Please unite with brother David and each other to pray for America today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

He Makes a Way

Open the Scriptures and you will see a pattern that runs from the beginning. Again and again everything looked finished for Israel. The numbers were against them. The sea was in front of them. The walls stood high. The lions waited. The fire burned. By every human measure there was no way through. Yet each time the Lord stepped in and made a way where there was no way.

Think of David standing before Goliath. A shepherd boy with a sling and five stones faced a giant trained for war. If someone had set odds on that contest the way people set odds today, the number against David would have been so high it looked like certain death. No one would have taken that bet. But David did not come in his own strength. He came in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. One stone, guided by the hand of God, brought the giant down. The odds never mattered. The living God did.

Or stand with Israel at the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s chariots were bearing down. The water stretched out before them with no bridge and no boats. They were trapped between the enemy and the sea. Feelings must have screamed that this was the end. Yet Moses stretched out his hand and the Lord drove the waters back. Dry ground appeared. The people walked through. The same sea that looked like their grave became the place of their deliverance. God made a path when none existed.

Then there were the walls of Jericho. The city was shut up tight, fortified against any army. Israel had no siege engines and no battering rams. They simply marched as the Lord commanded, and on the seventh day the walls fell. Not by human force, but by the word and presence of God. What looked impossible crumbled when He stepped in.

Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den because he would not stop praying. The stone was sealed. The lions were hungry. Morning came and Daniel was unharmed. The Lord had shut the mouths of the lions. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound and thrown into the fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. The men who cast them in were consumed by the heat. Yet when the king looked in, he saw four men walking unbound in the fire, and the fourth looked like a son of the gods. They came out without even the smell of smoke on them. God was with them in the fire.

You can add Gideon and his three hundred men against the Midianite hosts. You can add the crossing of the Jordan when the waters stood in a heap. Time after time the situation was impossible for them and ordinary for the God who keeps His covenant. His faithfulness does not rise and fall with the odds. He does not change. The same God who parted the sea, who brought down the giant, who closed the lions’ mouths, and who walked in the fire is the God who holds you today.

Today the threats against humanity and the church are everywhere. Forces that have long opposed the people of God press in from many sides. The Lord has promised to deliver Israel from the tribulation. Will He not also deliver the church from the threats of Islam and global communism that seek to swallow up the West? The same God who has never failed His people is still on the throne. What looks overwhelming to human eyes is not beyond His reach.

Your feelings may tell you the situation is finished. The numbers may look terrible. The way may appear completely closed. Trust is not the absence of those feelings. Trust is the decision to place your weight on Him anyway. He has already proven, over and over, that He is able to make a way where there is no way. Return your heart to that truth. He is faithful. He will step in.

Our hope is not in princes, or in human governments.  Our faith, hope and trust are in the Lord our God.  We keep our eyes on Him, and He will deal with global communism and Islam.  The answer to darkness advancing is always more and brighter light.  We do not hide our lights under a bowl, we set them up on a hill, we set our lights upon the table so they give light to the entire room.

The media of all kinds is about 99% bad news these days.  All we see, everywhere we look is demoralization, and problem identification.  Where are the solutions?  Where is the faith, the hope, the love?  In a time of hopelessness and demoralization this world is hungrier for light than ever before.  The fields are ripe for harvest, let us pray our Lord will send more workers out into the field.

A note on Europe before we wrap up, the Lord can still turn around what looks lost to the human eye.  The leftist, communist, socialist governments of Europe can still be thrown out, along with their disastrous anti-Christian, anti-human ideologies.  The answer is a return to Jesus Christ.

Let us pray

Father, You are the God who makes a way where there is no way. You have shown Your faithfulness again and again in the face of what looked impossible. I ask that You would strengthen us to trust You today, even when feelings and circumstances shout otherwise. Fill us with more faith, hope, love, joy and peace today. May we be found in the center of Your will for us today. Help us to become the best version of ourselves in Your service, for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Islamic Caliphate

 The Islamic socialists of America have set their sights on Texas.  Their plan is to turn Texas, then every other state in the Union into a third world nation.  Our friends on the left are called useful idiots both by the global communists, as well as the Islamic caliphate.  The "useful idiots" of the left will be the first ones to go once either communism or the Muslims take over.  The leftists politicians in Texas have already issued 20 odd pieces of legislation to begin disarming the state.  Taking away weapons is the very first thing every tyrannical regime does, every single time.  So yes, the mask has come off.  They are telling the world what they want to do.  

The question is, what are we going to do?  Global communism and the Islamic caliphate are both anti-Christian, anti-human ideologies.  They are telling us, they are coming for everything.  Again, what are we going to do about it?  This servant would recommend getting down on two knees and praying to God, our God, that communism will be wiped off the face of the earth and the Islamic caliphate is pushed back to where they came from.  It appears that Europe has already fallen.  If America goes next, Israel will then be completely exposed to the forces of the left and Islam which is the end time Revelation scenario.

The one big problem with the left and Islam rolling up the west then attacking Israel is called the Restrainer.  The Church remains on the earth.  The Lord God is not finished with the age of grace yet and if global communism and Islam were to take over the west there would be no more preaching, teaching or exporting the Gospel except in the underground Church.

The threat against America is real and we need to take it seriously.  The fact that we are being made aware of how serious the threat is, with time to do something about it (right now) suggests the Lord's mercy is still in play.  The overthrow of the west (fortress America) is not yet guaranteed but it does hang in the balance.  This is all supposed to get our attention.  This is supposed to awake those who are still sleeping.  There is still time to turn the tables on the plots, plans and agendas of the left.  But the time to do something about it is right now, not two years from now.

We need to pray now.  We need to fast now.  We need to stand in agreement and alignment, now.  We need to level up into the best version of ourselves-now.  We need to do what we were put here on earth to do, our Divine mission-now.  The mid-terms were a wake up call, not just about politics but about the prophetic pathways before us.  We play a direct, substantial part in deciding what happens next because the Lord God is looking directly at us before He pulls the Restraint back further and further.  Restraint has to be pulled back in order for evil to advance.  Darkness does not get to advance against light, light has to retreat in order for darkness to advance.  We are the light of the world.  It is time to fill our lamps with oil, then pour oil all over every piece of firewood we can find and torch the whole pile until the light is blinding.

We have not been ordered to retreat, that is something we decide.  Just know that the darkness will greedily scoop up every last inch of conceeded territory.  Its time to plant our flag in the earth and say, no further, not another inch...then start to push back.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Please unite with brother David and each other to pray for America today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

An Ordinary Stone

 In the valley of Elah a giant stood and defied the armies of the living God. Day after day he shouted his challenge across the field. The soldiers of Israel looked at his height, his armor, and his spear, and their hearts failed them. No one stepped forward.

Then a shepherd boy arrived with food for his brothers. He heard the taunt. He saw the fear. And he said something the rest of them had forgotten. The battle is the Lord’s.

David was not a trained soldier. He was ordinary. He kept sheep. He had faced a lion and a bear in the field, and the Lord had delivered him. That was enough. He refused the armor of a king because it had not been tested in his hands. He walked down to the brook and chose five smooth stones. One of them would be enough.

He ran toward the giant, not away. He declared that he came in the name of the Lord of hosts. The stone left the sling, struck the forehead, and the champion of the Philistines fell on his face. When Goliath fell, the entire army that stood behind him turned and fled. One ordinary stone in the hand of one ordinary believer ended the defiance and routed the host.

Today the giants still shout. They wear different names. The communist who pretends to be a socialist of America. The Islamist socialist who seeks to reshape this land. Global communism that never sleeps. The globalists who move nations like pieces on a board. The billionaire cultists who worship the devil in secret rooms and call it progress. They stand tall. They look unbeatable. They mock the name of the living God and expect the people of God to stay quiet on their side of the valley.

But the story has not changed. All it still takes is one believer and an ordinary stone. The stone is not a new weapon or a clever strategy. It is the simple trust that the battle belongs to the Lord. It is the name of Jesus spoken without apology. It is the decision to step forward when everyone else is measuring the size of the threat. It is faith that does not wait for permission from the fearful. It is the ordinary obedience of keeping your eyes on the throne instead of the giant.

You do not need to be famous. You do not need an army. You do not need the armor the world offers. The Lord has already proven Himself in the small fields of your life, in the lions and bears you have already faced by His help. What you carry is enough when it is placed in His hands. The smooth stone from the brook is still available. It is the faith that says the Lord does not save by sword or spear. He saves by the one who trusts Him.

When that stone flies, the giant falls. And when the giant falls, the army that trusted in him loses its courage. One believer who will not bow, who will not stay silent, who will run toward the line in the name of the Lord, is still enough to turn the field. The same God who guided the stone into the forehead of Goliath is the same God who sits on the throne today. He has not changed. His name is still greater than every ideology that defies Him.

So lift your eyes. You are that ordinary believer. Your faith is that ordinary stone. The valley may look intimidating, but the outcome has already been written by the One who goes before you. The battle is still the Lord’s. And He still delights to use what the world calls small.

Let me pray for you.

Father, we thank You that the battle is Yours. We thank You that You still use ordinary believers and ordinary faith to topple what looks impossible. Fill them with more faith, hope, love, joy and peace today. May they be found in the center of Your will for them today. Help them to become the best version of themselves in Your service, for Your glory. Give them courage to step forward with the stone of trust in their hand, knowing that You will guide it true. In the name of Jesus, amen.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Please unite with brother David and each other to pray for America today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

The Enemy's Playbook

 America and the West are under a sustained campaign of spiritual and cultural pressure. The Bible is clear that we do not wrestle primarily against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). One of the clearest pictures Scripture gives us of this kind of system is Babylon—human pride, the confusion of language and meaning, centralized control, and the attempt to build an order that does not need God. From the tower of Babel to the prophetic warnings of Revelation, the same patterns reappear. Today I want to name several of the main tactics being used against ordinary people, families, and churches so we can see them clearly and answer them with truth.

The first tactic is division. Genuine diversity of gifts, peoples, and callings is part of God’s design. The body of Christ is many members, and every nation, tribe, and tongue will one day stand before the throne. The enemy’s version takes natural differences and weaponizes them into permanent fracture. Identity categories are elevated until they become the primary thing that defines a person, and unity itself is treated as suspect. This is Babel logic in reverse. At the tower, pride tried to stay together in rebellion; God scattered them. Today the pressure is to remain fractured under new labels so that no coherent, God-honoring common life can form. When difference is made ultimate, neighbors become permanent adversaries and the body of Christ is weakened from within. The New Testament answer is not the denial of difference and not endless ranking of identities. It is a new humanity in Christ in which the dividing wall is broken down (Ephesians 2:14–16).

The second tactic is demoralization. This is the deliberate foregrounding of problems while solutions are mocked, minimized, or reserved for an expert class. A former KGB defector described this stage clearly: a long process of education, media, and culture that changes the way people perceive reality so thoroughly that facts themselves stop mattering. A demoralized person can be shown evidence and still reject it. Constant crisis framing, selective outrage, and the message that the past is only guilt and the future is only decline produce resignation and cynicism. Ordinary effort is portrayed as pointless. Scripture answers this with a different focus: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable—think on these things (Philippians 4:8). Demoralization thrives in the absence of hope; the gospel restores it.

The third tactic is disempowerment. In Revelation, Jesus says He hates the works of the Nicolaitans. The name carries the sense of “conquerors of the people.” It points to the elevation of a privileged class that lords it over others while the rest of the body is treated as passive consumers. This contradicts the clear New Testament teaching that every believer is part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and that leaders exist to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11–12). When ordinary Christians are told they are merely “lay people” who should mostly sit, fund, and listen, the body is weakened and the enemy gains ground. The kingdom advances through equipped believers, not through a professional class that keeps the rest dependent.

Beyond these three, other tactics operate at the same time.

Deception and the manipulation of language run through all of them. Words such as love, justice, truth, freedom, and equity are quietly redefined until ordinary speech no longer maps to reality. Once shared meaning collapses, coordinated resistance becomes nearly impossible. Jesus called the devil the father of lies for a reason (John 8:44). Semantic confusion is one of his oldest tools.

Destabilization of foundational institutions follows. The family is undermined, education is used to form new loyalties, local churches are pressured into silence or compromise, and economic competence and national defense are weakened. When people cannot rely on stable households, competent schools, or trustworthy local leadership, they become more dependent on distant systems.

Distraction and hedonism keep attention and energy elsewhere. Endless entertainment, consumption, and the constant novelty of sexual and personal reinvention drain the time and focus that would otherwise go to prayer, family formation, skill-building, and service. A distracted people is a controllable people.

Dependency and centralization complete the pattern. Responsibility for provision, safety, meaning, and moral direction is shifted onto the state or large institutions rather than onto God, family, church, and local community. This recreates a Babel-like concentration of power in which ordinary people are managed rather than mature.

Inversion of values is the moral engine of the campaign. What was once recognized as destructive is reframed as liberating; restraint is reframed as oppression. Isaiah warned of those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). When the moral compass is reversed, people lose the ability to name sin or pursue holiness.

Isolation cuts people off from Scripture, from historical memory, and from face-to-face communities so that the only remaining narrative is the one supplied by media and institutions. An isolated believer is an easy target.

Finally, once demoralization and destabilization have advanced, smaller crises can be exploited to justify further concentration of power and the suspension of normal norms. The goal is not merely chaos; it is a new “normal” in which the old foundations no longer hold.

These tactics are real. They are old methods applied to modern conditions. But they do not have the final word.

The final word belongs to the Lord. He has not called His people to despair or to passivity. He has called us to faith, hope, and love.

Faith is the confident trust that God is who He says He is and that His word is true even when the culture around us is confused. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). The facts of the moment do not cancel the promises of God.

Hope is the settled expectation that the kingdom of God is advancing and that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church Jesus is building. We do not hope in political systems or in our own strength. We hope in the One who rose from the dead and who will return. That hope is an anchor for the soul.

Love is the active commitment to seek the good of others—beginning with our own households and churches—without regard to the identity categories the culture demands we prioritize. Love covers a multitude of sins, builds up, and refuses to treat image-bearers as permanent enemies. Perfect love casts out fear.

Because we are a royal priesthood, every believer has both the privilege and the responsibility to know the word, to speak the truth in love, to equip others, and to live as salt and light. The answer to division is the unity of the Spirit. The answer to demoralization is the hope of the gospel. The answer to disempowerment is the priesthood of all believers. The answer to deception is the truth of Scripture. The answer to every tactic of the enemy is faith working through love and a quiet, stubborn trust in the Lord who is faithful.

So do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Speak the truth. Love your neighbor. Build what can be built in the sphere God has given you. And rest in the assurance that the One who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. He is trustworthy. He is able. And He is Lord.

Amen.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Please unite with brother David and each other to pray for America today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

A Prayer For America

 A couple things before we pray together.  First, The Lord is not done with America.  The Spirit of the Lord has impressed upon this servant that we are to go all in over the next two years praying for America and walking in His ways.  Two, pray for the gift of prophesy.  That gift is not just for "pastors" or priests, it is for every believer and the Lord God told every one of us to pray for that gift above all others.  Why?

The New Testament gift of prophecy is primarily for the building up of the church (edification, encouragement, consolation), not for establishing new doctrine or replacing Scripture. It is to be weighed and judged carefully (1 Cor. 14:29).

We are told to “earnestly desire” the spiritual gifts, and especially prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1, 39), while recognizing that love is the greatest way (1 Cor. 13).

Prophecy in the New Testament is distinct from the Old Testament office of the prophet; it is one of the gifts distributed by the Spirit as He wills (1 Cor. 12:7–11).

The Lord is now doing a new thing:  

Isaiah 43:19.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

The force of the verse is in the present tense. Not “I will eventually do something new someday.” The Hebrew is closer to “Look—I am already doing it. It is already springing up. Are you seeing it?” God is speaking to a people still in Babylonian exile. The wilderness and desert are not metaphors in the abstract; they describe their actual condition. No obvious path home, no visible water in a dry place. And into that reality He says the new thing is already underway.

Two things stand out in the surrounding context (Isaiah 43:16–21):

• He deliberately tells them not to fixate on the former things—the Exodus, the Red Sea, the old acts of deliverance. Those were real, but He is not limited to repeating the past. The new thing will be different in kind: not a path through water, but water in the wilderness.
• The new thing is not merely for their comfort. It is so that even the jackals and ostriches will honor Him, and so His people will declare His praise. The wilderness becomes a stage for His glory.

This is the pattern Scripture keeps returning to. The new thing rarely looks like the old thing scaled up. It often looks, at first, like more wilderness. The way and the rivers appear where there was none, not where we already expected them. Perception itself becomes the issue: “do you not perceive it?” The same reality that looks like desolation to natural eyes is already the place where the new thing is springing forth.

For anyone in a season that feels like wilderness—health limitations, career transitions, delayed promises, the slow work of claims and waiting, the gap between what has been and what is coming—the verse does not first ask for better strategy or more effort. It asks for perception. Eyes that can recognize the new thing while it is still in the springing-forth stage, before it is obvious.

In Christ this becomes even more concrete. The ultimate “new thing” is not merely a better set of circumstances but a new creation: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The wilderness is no longer only a place of waiting for external deliverance; it is a place where the new life is already present and active, even when the external landscape has not yet changed.

The practical question the verse leaves is simple and searching: What would it look like, right now, to perceive the new thing God is already doing—rather than only measuring the remaining wilderness?

The Lord is turning a corner here and we are to follow Him.  We spend the next two years focused on solutions, not problems.  The solution to our problems exists in bodily form in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Seek first His Kingdom, everything else will take care of itself.

Now let us pray for America:

Father in heaven, we come before You today on behalf of the United States of America. You are the God who rules over all nations, and every throne is subject to Yours. We thank You for the freedom and blessing You have given this land, for the sacrifices of those who came before us, and for the opportunity to still call upon Your name.

We ask for Your mercy over America. Forgive us where we have turned away from You as a people. Cleanse us from pride, from division, from the shedding of innocent blood, and from every form of injustice. Raise up a standard of righteousness in our cities and in our homes. Let the church in this nation wake up and return to first love, walking in faith, hope, and love that is pure and true.

We pray for those who lead. Grant wisdom, courage, and integrity to every official at every level of government. Surround them with counselors who fear You. Protect them from deception and from the schemes of those who oppose Your ways. Raise up leaders who will honor You, defend the weak, and seek justice that is true.

We pray for the people of this land. Comfort those who are anxious or afraid. Strengthen families. Heal what is broken. Pour out Your Spirit in a fresh way so that many will come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Let light push back the darkness. Let truth be spoken clearly. Let love be shown in actions that honor You.

Guard our borders. Protect those who serve in the military and in law enforcement. Keep our children safe. Give us peace within our borders and wisdom in our dealings with other nations. May we be a people who acknowledge You in all our ways.

We stand in agreement with each other over all these things we ask. We stand in the gap for this land, that it will not be destroyed and plundered but instead it will be built up and prospered. We believe we have already received what we have asked for in prayer. We give thanks for it now, we rejoice over it now.

Above all, we ask that Your kingdom come and Your will be done in America as it is in heaven. Use this nation for Your glory. Let Your people be salt and light. Fill us with faith, hope, love, joy, and peace. Help us to seek first Your kingdom and to walk in the center of Your will. May America turn to You again, and may Your name be exalted from coast to coast.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.

Process Based Christianity

 Coach Nick Saban built a dynasty by teaching his players something simple and hard. He called it the process. Do not look at the scoreboard. Do not worry about the championship. Focus on this play. This drill. This moment. Do the right thing right now, then do it again on the next play. The outcomes take care of themselves when the process is right.

Today many of us who love the Lord look at the outcomes around us and feel the weight. Headlines. Culture. Elections. The state of the church. Personal trials that do not seem to turn. It is easy to grow discouraged when the results do not match what we hoped or prayed. The temptation is to fix our eyes on those outcomes, to measure our faith by what we can see, to grow weary when the scoreboard does not move the way we wanted.

The call is to return to the process. Our process is not a game plan for winning the culture or fixing every problem. Our process is the life we were given in Christ. It is living in faith. Living in hope. Living in love. Living in joy. Living in peace. Living in trust. These are not distant goals. They are the native way of walking when we remain in Him.

We do all of this in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ. He is the source. He is the strength. He is the one who holds us when our feelings lag behind the decision to trust. Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction of what we do not yet see. Hope is the confident expectation rooted in who God is and what He has promised. Love is the greatest of these, the command that orders every other thing. Joy and peace are the fruit of the Spirit that grow as we stay connected to the vine. Trust is the repeated decision to lean on Him rather than our own understanding.

Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. That is the process. Put our God first. Put His kingdom first. Put His glory first. Everything else comes after. Not because we ignore the needs of the day, but because the order is clear. When He is first, the rest finds its place. When we reverse the order and chase outcomes, we lose the very life He gave us.

The process looks ordinary. It is the next return of attention when worry pulls you away. It is the decision to love when irritation rises. It is the choice to hope when the news is dark. It is speaking the truth of who God is over the feelings of the moment. It is remaining in His word, remaining in prayer, remaining in fellowship, remaining in love. One small return after another. The next play. The next conversation. The next hour. Over and over, in Christ, with Christ, through Christ.

Outcomes belong to the Lord. He is sovereign. He sees what we cannot see. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our job is the process He gave us. His job is the result. When we stay in the process, we can live with whatever the scoreboard says, because we already know who holds the throne.

So when disappointment rises, do not camp there. Return to the process. Live in faith. Live in hope. Live in love. Live in joy. Live in peace. Live in trust. Seek first His kingdom and His glory. Put God first, and let everything else follow. The rest will be added. He has promised it.

Let me pray for you.

Father, thank You that You are greater than every outcome we can see. Thank You that the process You gave us is life itself in Christ. Fill them with more faith, hope, love, joy and peace today. May they be found in the center of Your will for them today. Help them to become the best version of themselves in Your service, for Your glory. Keep their eyes on You. Keep their hearts in the process. In Jesus name, amen.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

You Are the Light of the World

 You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. That is not a metaphor meant for someone else. That is who you are if you belong to Christ. Jesus looked at ordinary people and called them salt and light. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and cover it with a basket. They set it where it can give light to the whole house. In the same way your light is meant to shine so others can see and give glory to the Father.

The work of driving out darkness begins with you. It does not begin with a professional class. It does not wait for a better season or a clearer call. Open the Scriptures and search. You will not find the term lay person anywhere in the Body of Christ. That language came from men. It did not come from God. Every believer is a necessary part of the Kingdom. Every one of us has been gifted and empowered for a mission. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and has given you something to contribute. No one is extra. No one is meant to sit on the sidelines.

If you do not yet know what your mission is, begin with what is already in your hands. Consider your talents. Consider the skills you use at work or at home. Consider the abilities that come naturally to you. Then talk to God about them. Keep bringing them to Him. Keep asking until He makes the next step clear. He is not far away. He is near to those who seek Him. He delights to show His children what to do with what He has given.

Light drives out darkness. That is simply how light works. A single candle changes a dark room. More light drives out more darkness. The world around us needs more light right now. The noise is loud. The confusion is thick. The headlines weigh on the heart. But the light has not been extinguished. It starts with you and with me and with every other believer on the face of the earth. We do not wait for perfect conditions. We shine in the place where we already stand.

You do not need a large platform. You do not need to feel especially qualified. You do not need to wait until everything in your life looks orderly. The salt is already in you. The light is already burning. Your ordinary Tuesday is the stage where the Kingdom becomes visible. When you choose integrity when it costs you something you push the darkness back. When you speak what is true with gentleness you push the darkness back. When you serve without needing applause you push the darkness back. When you return your attention to Jesus after it has wandered you keep the flame steady.

This is not a demand to add more tasks to an already full life. It is an invitation to live as who you already are. You are a son or a daughter of the King. You carry His presence into the places you go. You are a member of the Body and every member matters. The foot cannot say to the hand I have no need of you. Neither can any of us claim we have nothing to offer. Your place is real. Your contribution is real. Your light is needed by someone near you.

So begin where you are. Take what you already have and offer it back to Him. Ask Him to show you the next small step. Then take that step. Then take the one that follows. The walk is made of many small returns. Decide again to trust Him. Decide again to love the people in front of you. Decide again to let the light He placed in you shine through. He will meet you in that choice. He will use what you bring. And step by step the darkness loses ground.

You were never called to be a spectator. You were never meant to watch from the side while others carry the load. You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. The work of driving out darkness starts with you. It starts in the place where you live and work and worship. And it starts today.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

Decision and Will

  In Scripture, faith, hope, love, and trust are primarily decision- and will-based commitments rooted in God’s revealed truth, not fluctuating emotions.

They can (and often do) involve or produce feelings, but they are not dependent on them. The biblical pattern is: know the truth → decide to act on it → emotions often follow or are reordered. This is the opposite of modern sentiment that treats these as primarily emotional states you “feel your way into.”

Faith

Faith is a deliberate reliance on what God has said, even when circumstances or feelings contradict it.
Hebrews 11:1 defines it as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” — not a feeling of certainty, but a settled conviction that acts. Abraham “believed God” (Romans 4:3) and obeyed while still waiting; the feeling of certainty came later or not at all in the moment.
Faith “comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It is a response of the will to revealed truth, not an emotional surge. You can choose to believe and act on God’s promises when you feel nothing, or even when you feel the opposite.

Hope

Biblical hope is confident expectation grounded in God’s character and promises, not optimism or a good mood.
It is an “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) that holds precisely when feelings are unstable. Romans 5:3–5 shows hope produced through suffering, not despite the absence of good feelings.
Hope looks forward to what God has guaranteed (resurrection, final justice, the kingdom). You decide to set your mind on those realities (Colossians 3:1–2) rather than waiting to feel hopeful first.

Love

Agape love is commanded and is therefore a decision of the will.
Jesus commands “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). 1 Corinthians 13 describes love in terms of actions and choices (patient, kind, does not envy, does not insist on its own way, etc.), not warm feelings.
You can choose to seek another’s good, speak truth, or refuse bitterness even when you do not feel affectionate. Feelings may grow as a result of repeated loving choices, but they are not the foundation. Love is the greatest of the three precisely because it is this costly, volitional orientation toward God and others.

Trust

Trust (especially the Hebrew batach and related ideas in the Psalms) is the active decision to lean your full weight on God as refuge rather than on visible supports.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) is an instruction to the will. Psalm 56:3–4 says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you” — the decision is made in the presence of fear, not after the fear disappears.
Trust is choosing God as your rock, shield, and high tower (Psalm 18, 62, 91) instead of chariots, princes, or circumstances. It is not the feeling of safety; it is the act of resting on the One who is trustworthy.

How they work together

These four are interdependent decisions oriented toward God:

• Faith decides that God is who He says He is.
• Hope decides that His future is certain.
• Love decides to treat others (including opponents) according to God’s character.
• Trust decides to place the weight of security and peace on Him rather than on political outcomes, personal feelings, or human systems.

Because they are decision-based, they remain available in the middle of the political “storm.” You do not wait until you feel faithful, hopeful, loving, or trusting. You choose them because of who God is and what He has said, then walk them out. Over time the decisions shape the emotions; the emotions do not control the decisions.

This posture also fits the “restrainer” passage (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7). The mystery of lawlessness is already at work and will intensify, yet the restrainer continues until God’s appointed time. Your response is not to manage the intensity of the lawlessness by feelings, but to keep deciding for faith, hope, love, and trust — eyes fixed on God — while the restraint holds and after it is removed.

In short: Scripture treats these as choices of allegiance and reliance grounded in truth. Feelings are real and can be transformed, but they are not the starting point or the foundation. The path is to decide, on the basis of God’s word, and keep deciding.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Glory to God

grace and peace

Faith, Hope, Love and Trust

 Faith, hope, love, and trust form a biblical posture for Christians navigating political turbulence while keeping their eyes fixed on God rather than on human systems.

These four are deeply interconnected in Scripture. Faith, hope, and love are the classic triad of 1 Corinthians 13:13 (“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”). Trust (especially the Hebrew batach and related ideas of taking refuge) is the practical, relational outworking of faith, particularly emphasized in the Psalms. Together they orient the heart toward God as sovereign, eternal, and trustworthy amid temporary storms.

Faith

Faith is confident reliance on God’s character, promises, and sovereignty—even when political outcomes are unclear, disappointing, or hostile. It is not primarily faith in a party, leader, policy, or election result, but faith in the God who “rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28; 47:8) and works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

In a polarized environment, faith anchors the believer so that headlines, court decisions, or cultural shifts do not become the measure of God’s faithfulness. It says, with the psalmist, that God is a rock and fortress regardless of surrounding chaos (Psalm 18, 46, 62). Practically, this means evaluating political realities through the lens of Scripture rather than through partisan media or anxiety-driven narratives. Faith also frees Christians from the idolatry of believing any human system can fully establish the kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10).

Hope

Hope is forward-looking confidence grounded in God’s future, not in electoral cycles. Biblical hope is certain because it rests on the finished work of Christ, the indwelling Spirit, and the promised return of Jesus to set all things right (Romans 5:1–5; Titus 2:13; Revelation 21–22).

Political storms are real and can bring genuine hardship, but they are temporary. Hope keeps the horizon clear: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1–2). It prevents both despair when “our side” loses and triumphalism when it wins. The early church lived under Roman occupation and persecution yet overflowed with hope because their citizenship was in heaven (Philippians 3:20). That same hope enables patient endurance, prayerful engagement, and a refusal to treat any election as the final word.

Love

Love is the greatest of the three and the most countercultural in political seasons. Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40) includes loving enemies and praying for those who persecute (Matthew 5:43–48). Paul places love above all spiritual gifts and as the fulfillment of the law (1 Corinthians 13; Romans 13:8–10).

In practice, this means refusing to demonize fellow image-bearers who hold different political views, seeking justice and mercy rather than mere victory, and speaking truth in a way that builds up rather than tears down. Love does not require agreement or silence on moral issues; it does require that engagement be marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) rather than by contempt, mockery, or tribal hatred. Many Christians have noted that political identity can quietly become a greater loyalty than Christian identity; love for God and neighbor reorders those priorities. It also motivates constructive participation—voting, advocacy, service—precisely because we care about our neighbors’ flourishing under God’s moral order.

Trust

Trust is the concrete act of leaning the full weight of one’s security, future, and peace onto God rather than onto chariots, horses, princes, or wealth (Psalm 20:7; 118:8–9; 146:3). The Psalms repeatedly contrast trusting God with trusting human power, military strength, or political alliances. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) applies directly when political analysis, polling, or strategy feel all-consuming.

Trust says: God is my refuge and fortress (Psalm 91:2); my times are in His hand (Psalm 31:15); He will not forsake those who seek Him (Psalm 9:10). It produces the practical fruit of not being shaken by the day’s news, of praying rather than panicking, and of doing good while waiting (Psalm 37:3–5). Because the previous conversation surveyed the many uses of “trust” language in the Psalms, those texts supply a rich vocabulary for this posture—God as rock, shield, high tower, and the one under whose wings we find shelter.

Holding Them Together While Weathering the Storm

These four work in concert. Faith believes God is who He says He is and is sovereign over history. Hope looks ahead to the certain consummation of His kingdom. Love governs how we treat people on every side of the political divide. Trust transfers the weight of our security and peace onto God rather than onto outcomes.

The practical result is a life that can engage responsibly (as salt and light, Matthew 5:13–16; as citizens who seek the welfare of the place where God has placed them, Jeremiah 29:7) without being consumed by the storm. Eyes stay fixed on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2), rather than on any candidate, party platform, or cultural trend. Both over-engagement that makes politics ultimate and under-engagement that withdraws into isolation miss the biblical balance. The early church, the prophets in exile, and Jesus Himself under Roman rule all model a faithful presence that is neither naïve nor despairing.

In short: faith steadies the heart in God’s character, hope lifts the eyes to His future, love shapes the way we treat others in the present, and trust actively rests the whole of life—including political circumstances—on Him as refuge. That is the path the Scriptures commend for weathering any storm while remaining oriented toward God.

It is also important to note that none of these (faith, hope, love or trust) are feelings based. They are all decision based. "I will" have faith, "I will" hope, "I will" love and trust. Start with Psalm 9 and Psalm 34, see all the "I will" statements there. "I will" is an act of willpower. Willpower is used to make decisions. We decide, not once, not twice but over and over and over again to lean on faith, we decide to hope, love and trust. Just like the hundreds or thousands of inputs you make to the steering wheel of your car or bike or whatever else you want to drive from point A to point B it takes lots of mini and sometimes macro corrections to stay on course.

Now and moving down the road into the future we are going to have to do things God's way instead of our way. At the tip of the spear for getting things done God's way is love. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets are summed up in this. That statement should make your jaw drop. The entire Bible, every book of it, every chapter and sentence summed up in love the Lord and love your neighbor. Also, we are not handwringing over the election results. The Word says be anxious for nothing but with supplication and thanksgiving present your requests to God.

Why do we have to do things God's way now? This is a spiritual war requiring spiritual weapons and tactics. We keep our eyes on our God and He will keep His Eyes on us. We do what He told us to do and He will take care of delivering on His Promises.

There is a very real chance the demon-crats are out over their skis with this latest victory. They just turned Houston Texas into a sanctuary city and they are moving quickly to turn as much of the US as possible into a third world backwater. We can take lessons from the Joey Diapers regime where it looked like they would sink the United States in four years but they could not quite get it done. We also have to remember that the left is anti-Semitic, anti-Christian and anti-human. Their alliance with Islam is linked to a hatred for Israel. Because the Lord has used the United States to protect and or watch over Israel on this earth, the United States itself has become a primary target of the left. The big problem the left has is that God Almighty Himself watches over both Israel and America (as an extension of Israel's security). Or another way of putting it, He uses America as a tool to watch over Israel. So, again it comes back to spiritual war. Israel vs Islam, right vs left, God vs the devil.

Our part in this great drama is to keep our eyes on Christ. We pay attention daily to His marching orders and we will be fine. Anxiety and despair need to go out the window, instead we lean on faith, hope, love and trust. the left, and the enemy will continue trying to establish their one world demonic order, however it is our God alone that greenlights it. The Restrainer, the Spirit filled Church, salt and light remain on the earth with a job to do. The "blue tsunami" while impressive, failed to dislodge the Restrainer from the earth which is a huge problem for them. Until the Restrainer is removed, the anti-Christ will not be revealed:

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.

“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.”

And without their satanic superman, there will be no one world demonic order.

Also, we remain in the age of Grace, God's Grace extended to mankind. That too has not ended with the "blue tsunami." The spirit of the Lord is emphasizing faith, hope, love and a big new addition of trust:

These are the instances of trust just in the book of Psalms. We have noted in the past the Lord is not wordy. He uses an economy of words because He is God. He knows exactly how to express what He wants to express in as few Words as possible. So, when we do see repetitive, recurring Words-we need to take note. One of the Words we need to put up there at the top of our watch list is Trust:

“Trust” / “put their (or my/your) trust”

• Psalm 2:12 — “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
• Psalm 4:5 — “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”
• Psalm 5:11 — “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice…”
• Psalm 7:1 — “O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust…”
• Psalm 9:10 — “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee…”
• Psalm 11:1 — “In the LORD put I my trust…”
• Psalm 16:1 — “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”
• Psalm 17:7 — “…them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.”
• Psalm 18:2 — “…my God, my strength, in whom I will trust…”
• Psalm 18:30 — “…he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”
• Psalm 20:7 — “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
• Psalm 25:2 — “O my God, I trust in thee…”
• Psalm 25:20 — “…for I put my trust in thee.”
• Psalm 31:1 — “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust…”
• Psalm 31:6 — “…but I trust in the LORD.”
• Psalm 31:19 — “…which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee…”
• Psalm 34:22 — “…and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”
• Psalm 36:7 — “…therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.”
• Psalm 37:3 — “Trust in the LORD, and do good…”
• Psalm 37:5 — “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him…”
• Psalm 37:40 — “…because they trust in him.”
• Psalm 40:3 — “…and shall trust in the LORD.”
• Psalm 40:4 — “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust…”
• Psalm 44:6 — “For I will not trust in my bow…”
• Psalm 49:6 — “They that trust in their wealth…”
• Psalm 52:8 — “…I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”
• Psalm 55:23 — “…but I will trust in thee.”
• Psalm 56:3 — “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
• Psalm 56:4 — “…in God I have put my trust…”
• Psalm 56:11 — “In God have I put my trust…”
• Psalm 61:4 — “…I will trust in the covert of thy wings.”
• Psalm 62:8 — “Trust in him at all times…”
• Psalm 62:10 — “Trust not in oppression…”
• Psalm 64:10 — “…and shall trust in him…”
• Psalm 71:1 — “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust…”
• Psalm 71:5 — “…thou art my trust from my youth.”
• Psalm 73:28 — “…I have put my trust in the Lord GOD…”
• Psalm 91:2 — “…my God; in him will I trust.”
• Psalm 91:4 — “…under his wings shalt thou trust…”
• Psalm 115:9–11 — “O Israel, trust thou in the LORD… O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD… Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD…”
• Psalm 118:8–9 — “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man… [or] in princes.”
• Psalm 119:42 — “…for I trust in thy word.”
• Psalm 125:1 — “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion…”
• Psalm 141:8 — “…in thee is my trust…”
• Psalm 143:8 — “…for in thee do I trust…”
• Psalm 144:2 — “…and he in whom I trust…”
• Psalm 146:3 — “Put not your trust in princes…”

“Trusted”

• Psalm 13:5 — “But I have trusted in thy mercy…”
• Psalm 22:4–5 — “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They… trusted in thee, and were not confounded.”
• Psalm 22:8 — “He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him…”
• Psalm 26:1 — “…I have trusted also in the LORD…”
• Psalm 28:7 — “…my heart trusted in him, and I am helped…”
• Psalm 31:14 — “But I trusted in thee, O LORD…”
• Psalm 33:21 — “…because we have trusted in his holy name.”
• Psalm 41:9 — “…mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted…”
• Psalm 52:7 — “…but trusted in the abundance of his riches…”
• Psalm 78:22 — “…and trusted not in his salvation.”

“Trusteth”

• Psalm 21:7 — “For the king trusteth in the LORD…”
• Psalm 32:10 — “…but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.”
• Psalm 34:8 — “…blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
• Psalm 57:1 — “…for my soul trusteth in thee…”
• Psalm 84:12 — “…blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.”
• Psalm 86:2 — “…save thy servant that trusteth in thee.”
• Psalm 115:8 — “…so is every one that trusteth in them.”
• Psalm 135:18 — “…so is every one that trusteth in them.”

In addition to living in faith, hope and love, we are also going to trust. We will trust the Lord not as a feeling we have but as a decision we make over and over and over again. "I will" trust the Lord because I have made a decision to do so. When we catch ourselves slipping and sliding all over the place, we make another decision and another and another, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day etc. That is the process. This is the road forward. We remain on the road called Love with Faith, Hope and Trust as guard rails along the way.

 Please join with your brother in praying over the prayer targets today.

Glory to God

grace and peace