Most of the prophets in the Old Testament wrote about a remnant in Israel who would return to the Lord after turning their backs on Him. Micah is one of them. "The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations in the midst of many peoples..." (Micah 5:7-8)
 
On Wednesday, February 1, there was a remnant of congress people (16) who met before dawn in the Museum of the Bible. Their unique gathering was called "The National Gathering of Prayer and Repentance." Almost 60 individuals from different nations, organization, and political districts met to humble themselves and seek God's face. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader, Steve Scalise led those who came from Congress. The event, co-hosted by president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, and Pastor Jim Garlow, included Anne Graham Lotz, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, former congresswoman Michele Backman, and 19-year-old Jacob Kersey, the young man who resigned from the Georgia police department after coming under fire for posting a Bible verse about marriage.
 
As they prayed, many confessed our sins and asked God for wisdom. Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL) humbly asked God to intervene and deliver us from going our own way and thinking our own thoughts. She cried out, "Help us to acknowledge our need of You, our need to weep and mourn over our pride, our immorality, child abuse, and idolatry. Draw us back to You and to Your Word." Representative Daniel Bishop (NC) prayed, "We repent for acquiescing in the status quo. Forgive us for our lack of courage, our resignation, our cynicism, our hopelessness, our narrow self-interest, and ambitions. Forgive us for making our government an idol and then for turning a blind eye as its instrumentalities have accumulated power and turned it against the humanity, the dignity, and the rights with which You endowed the people."
 
Leader Steve Scalise read from Psalm 33. In this psalm we are told to sing a new song to the Lord. It continues:  "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love...Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people revere Him...Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance...But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in You."  
 
Truly, the Lord is the only hope for our nation. I am sure He heard the prayers of the remnant who met at the Bible Museum. We must join in their prayers of confessions and repentance to our God. We must pray for the fear of the Lord to fall upon the people of the United States of America and that all of us would revere Him. 

Harvests are linked with God's feasts. In ancient Israel, before the yearly summer wheat harvest began, the people of God would gather in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks). It marks the beginning of the great wheat harvest. Before the harvest actually took place, the Jews would go out into their fields and pick the best of the crop to bring as an offering to the Lord at the Temple. They used their initial harvest to make two loaves of bread that would be used as a first fruits offering or Bikoreem. Obviously, these loaves contained leaven, signifying sin. It is thought that two loaves could represent the two houses of God (Judah and Ephraim) who both fall short of the glory of the Lord. They could also stand for Jew and Gentile or the Old and New Testament. Either way, they were used as a wave offering at the Temple.
 
Shavuot also became a celebration of the giving of Torah. It was during this period that the children of Israel would have been at Mt. Sinai where Moses received the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments and other laws. God had commanded the Jews to count seven full weeks from the second day of Passover to determine the exact day when they would bring Him an offering of first fruits (the new grain). (Leviticus 23:15-21) After celebrating, all the people would go out to the fields and reap their great summer harvest.
 
Is it any wonder that God chose this festival as the time when he would pour out His Spirit on the disciples and those gathered with them in the Upper Room? The church calls this day Pentecost (meaning 50 days). At the Pentecost celebration 2,000 years ago, God was offering the first fruits of the harvest to come. He was giving a demonstration of the spiritual empowerment for those who became part of the Kingdom of God. Three thousand souls were added to the ranks of Christianity that day. It was a mighty beginning! In some circles, this day is designated as the day that the Church became the Bride of Christ. Hebrew tradition encourages the groom to bring a gift to the bride. On this day, our bridegroom, Jesus, gave to His bride, the Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is only the Spirit-filled Believer that is able to go out and fulfill the commission they are given to bring life to the lost.
 
Here are some interesting facts to consider that make this year's celebration of Pentecost particularly exciting. In Song of Solomon 8:4 the bride says, "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you..." I learned from Rabbi Jonathan Cahn that the word "charge" in Hebrew is "shaba." Shavuot comes from the root word shaba. Therefore, Pentecost could be called "the day of charging." We are charged to live a life of commitment to God by His Spirit. He gave us the power and authority to live an anointed life of joy, praise, and victory that impacts everyone around us.
 
I believe that the glory of God is magnified during times of the feasts when communities gather to glorify Him and remember what He has done. There are seasonal portals opened to the heavens where the supernatural activity of God is increased. We are called to recognize God's special seasons by setting ourselves apart to worship Him and to advance His Kingdom. I am anticipating a breakthrough. Every seven years God commands His people to rest and watch Him pour out provision and revelation in abundance. This is called the Shmita year, and we are currently in that year. In addition, both Shavuot and Pentecost fall on the same day. This rarely happens—usually only every ten years. Also, look at the year we are in. It is 2022! Two is the number of agreement, one accord, and union (as in marriage). This is a year of the double portion. Let us not miss our appointment to meet with the Lord. These "kairos" or opportune moments are opportunities to bring heaven to earth. This is our time to advance the harvest as we welcome revival to the earth.

King David set up his son Solomon with every benefit possible so that he could succeed in building the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. The favor of the Lord was upon Solomon in that God gave him wisdom, riches, and fame. Yet, Solomon did not use the wisdom given to him. Footnotes from the Chronological Life Application Study Bible explain: "Wisdom is only effective when it is put into action. Early in his life, Solomon had the sense to recognize his need for wisdom. But by the time Solomon asked for wisdom to rule his kingdom, he had already started a habit that would make wisdom ineffective for his own life—he sealed a pact with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. She was the first of hundreds of wives married for political reasons. In doing this, Solomon went against not only his father's last words but also against God's direct commands." (Page 607)
 
There are so many problems with Solomon's chosen lifestyle. I believe the major one is his failure to follow the Ten Commandments, especially the first one, as it lays the foundation for all the others: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3) It is difficult to understand how Solomon could have gone so far astray. It was he who penned Proverbs 1:7. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." The fear of the Lord is such a deep reverence and respect for God that we have no higher priority than honoring Him and His laws.
 
Imagine this king making an alliance with the nation of Egypt after Israel's history of being in slavery to the Egyptian rulers for 430 years! When Solomon made this and other pacts with foreign nations, he would marry a daughter of their king and bring her to Jerusalem. She would bring her idols to her new home. Solomon would build his new wife a temple for her idols. This foolish pattern brought him into worship of many foreign gods and the disrespect of the first commandment—the foundation of a life that honors the One True God.
 
Over 500 years later, Nehemiah, the one who led the Jewish remnant to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, noticed that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Their wives led them astray, and Nehemiah had to lay down the law for them. "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon, king of Israel, sinned?" (Nehemiah 13:25-26)
 
Idols take many forms. Anything that takes on more value than God is an idol. As I pointed out before, if the Lord is first in our lives, all ten of the Commandments should be followed. Moses told the Israelites that if they obeyed what the Lord had taught them it would go well with them and they would "increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors promised you." (Deuteronomy 6:3) Moses went on to sum up all God's commandments in two sentences: "Hear, O Israel:  The Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This Jewish prayer is known as the "Shema," meaning "Hear." It is the centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayers.
 
I grieve for myself and those in our nation because we have embraced so many idols. The nation of the United States was established on godly principles. In fact, numerous government buildings have the Ten Commandments etched in stone or hanging on the walls of their entrances. How have we gone so far astray? Can we find our way back? There is such a need for the fear of the Lord and a spirit of repentance to fall on our nation. Many are asking God to revive us. We are in desperate need of revival so that we remember who God is and what He has done for us. Will you join me in prayer for the transformation of the people of America?

​"One of the greatest lies of Satan is that we don't have enough time to pray.  However, all of us have enough time to sleep, eat, and breathe.  As soon as we realize that praying is as important as sleeping, eating, and breathing, we will be amazed at how much time will be available to us for prayer." (p. xix)  This is a quote from David Yonggi Cho's book, Prayer That Brings Revival.  I could not let the passing of this man of prayer go by without looking at his life and extracting some of the gems he left to guide us in our walk with the Lord.  Cho died on September 14, 2021, at the age of 85, after spending since July 2020, in the hospital because he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.
 
Raised a Buddhist in South Korea in a poverty-stricken family, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 19 and given four months to live.  It seems God had other plans and sent a high school girl to visit him daily while he was sick so that she could tell him about Jesus.  Cho watched as she prayed for him and saw tears streaming down her cheeks.  Her act of compassion touched him so much that he agreed to read the Bible.  Jesus met him during his sickness, and he rose from his deathbed within six months. Convinced that Jesus is the only true God, Cho attended the Assemblies of God Bible School and graduated in 1958.  
 
It was Pastor Cho's desire to build the largest church in Korea.  He started small with just a few people.  With no building, he obtained an old American service tent, pitched it next to a dump, and began to pray.  As he specifically verbalized his needs to God, what he described began to come to him.  By 1980 there was a physical building, 150,000 church members, and 10,000 home groups.  His church eventually became the largest church in the world.  On page 113 of his book he writes, "Everyone who is willing to wait upon the Lord can be qualified to carry out the great task before them because the source of their strength is not natural but spiritual."  Indeed, prayer was the foundation of his ministry.  He devoted hours of each day in prayer to the Lord.
 
Since the foundation of his church was prayer, Pastor Cho felt the need to develop a place near the church strictly for prayer and fasting.  Established in 1973, it became known as Prayer Mountain and can accommodate up to 10,000 people.  The site is close to the border of North Korea.  Each year about 100,000 Christians visit Prayer Mountain to pray and fast.  There are 214 individual prayer grottos carved out of the mountainside.  Each grotto is meant for one person and contains only bare essentials—a light and fan.  In addition to the grottos, there are outdoor spaces on the hilltops and chapels where groups of people can pray inside. The constant sound of prayer can be heard all around Prayer Mountain.  Pastor Cho, when asked about the secret to the success of his church exclaimed, "I pray, and I obey.”  Amen! My husband is one of the thousands of Christians who spent time in prayer in one of the grottos.  Not only this, but he also had a personal visit with Pastor Cho who prayed for him.  This humble man has inspired millions of people to devote themselves to prayer.
 
As I read Pastor Cho's story about starting his church in a tent, I thought about Moses, who used to pitch a tent outside the Israelite camp.  (Exodus 33:7)  It was called "The Tent of Meeting" because the Lord met Moses there "face-to-face."  Then, I remembered how Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray and meet with Father God at the end of the day or before ministering. (Matthew 14:23)  Perhaps Pastor Cho was inspired by these stories in the Bible.  He certainly has drawn the multitudes to Jesus.  Another quote from his book, Prayer That Brings Revival, gives Cho's perspective on prayer.  "Prayer creates a personal change in your life.  Nothing you can do will benefit you more than prayer.  Through prayer you create an account balance in your favor in God's spiritual bank.  Through prayer, you will benefit spiritually,  mentally, and physically." (p. 34)  Pastor Cho wrote from experience!
 
We should take heed of Pastor Cho's words of wisdom.  He says, "As air is the breath of life, so prayer is the breath of faith."  We must build our faith through our dedication to prayer.  It is life changing!

​The Olympics originated in Olympia, Greece about 3,000 years ago.  They started as a religious festival honoring Zeus in the 8th century BC and continued until the 4th century AD.  In 393 AD, Christian Emperor Theodosius The First banned "pagan" festivals, which ended the Olympics for almost 12 centuries.  The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens with 12 participating nations.  Fire became part of the ceremony during the 1928 Summer Olympics.  Inspired by the ancient Greek drawings and writings of Plutarch, Dr. Carl Diem of Germany introduced the Torch Relay.  It was not until 1938 that the flame also became part of the Winter Olympics.
 
The flame was meant to emphasize the link between the ancient and modern games.  In the ancient ceremonies, the flame was kindled using a type of crucible positioned to face the sun so that its rays concentrated on one spot and set fire to dry grass.  Today there is a ceremony in Olympia, Greece where a parabolic mirror catches the sun's rays to ignite a flame.  Several months before the games a flame is lit, and a torch relay begins where runners move from region to region until the torch reaches its destination of the host country.  This Torch Relay is meant to express the handing down of the fire from generation to generation.
 
In the Body of Christ there is a remnant of Believers in Jesus who understand the importance of keeping the flame of the Lord burning.  The first covenant made by God with man came through the Father of our Faith, Abraham, or Abram.  In this unilateral covenant, God gave Abram a dream where a smoking pot and flaming torch passed between animals cut in half as a sacrifice.  A smoking pot was a small clay container shaped like a beehive, 2' to 3' in diameter, and called a "tannur" in Hebrew.  The flaming torch signified the holy presence of the Lord moving among HIs people.  "Lapped" is the Hebrew word for the flashing light.
 
It is thought that the passing of these two objects between the two halves of a sacrifice represent the manifestation of God and confirm the covenant that He was making with Abram and all of Israel.  God showed Abram that his descendants would go through suffering before He would give them an inheritance of the Promised Land.  Here is how Genesis 15:17-18 describes what took place:  "When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between pieces.  On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates—'"  
 
After the Israelites spent 400 years in slavery to the Egyptians, God prepared a deliverer to lead them out of bondage.  The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses "in flames of fire from within a bush." (Exodus 3:2) While traveling through the wilderness, the children of Israel constructed a tabernacle that became the center of their lives.  "So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels." (Exodus 40:38) God made it clear to Aaron the priest that burnt sacrifices were to be offered to Him daily.  He was told, "The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out...The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out." (Leviticus 6:12-13)
 
Believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have been handed the mandate to keep the flame of God burning.  Today that flame represents our unabandoned worship of the Lord—a lifestyle of sacrificial love of God and those around us.  Just as the flame of the Olympics symbolizes the link between the ancient and modern games, the flame of God has been a consistent symbol of our priestly duty to keep the flame of worship alive.  In addition, just as the flaming torch is handed down from one person to another until it reaches its destination, we must keep the flame shining brightly and pass it from one generation to the next.  Let us think back on the introduction of the flaming torch to Abraham, remember how fire has been used by God to refine and define His people, and recommit and choose to select a lifestyle of sacrificial worship that pleases God and draws Him closer to us.

​Water seeks the lowest level and the path of least resistance.  Those who drill wells know this as they evaluate an area to drill a hole for the extraction of water.  Those who drill artesian wells (one where water flows up like a fountain from internal pressure) place a bit on a long shaft.  They select their bit according to the type of ground formation to be drilled into.  The driller will be looking for the underground aquifer that will supply the greatest amount of water.  The well must be cased from the surface down to the place where the hole becomes smaller to protect the water from contamination.  A cap is placed on top of the well to prevent insects and small animals from accessing the well.  Water is brought up from the aquifer to ground level by a pump.
 
In Biblical days wells had to be dug by hand.  Genesis 26 tells us about the land of Gerar where Abraham dug wells.  Afterward, his son Isaac sowed into the land that was his father's.  God blessed Isaac so abundantly that the Philistines were jealous of him and stopped up the wells dug by Abraham.  Isaac had his herdsmen dig new wells in the valley so there was sufficient water for everyone.
 
Well water gushing from the ground below has been used to represent the Holy Spirit bubbling up and drenching us with God's blessing of revival.  Currently, many are praying that God will uncap the wells of revival in our country and around the world.  Since the Church is to be the Bride of Christ, what better place to reopen the wells where revival once flowed?  The forward of a book called Revival Fire by Wesley Duewel reminds us that God has not forgotten His covenant with the Church.  "When the tide of evil threatens to overwhelm the church, 'The Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against the enemy.' (Isaiah 59:19-KJV) and spiritual recovery and revival ensue."  I believe prayers for revival are being collected in the bowls of heaven. (Revelation 5:8)  We must continue to pray for the uncapping of the wells of revival for the saving of our churches and nation.
 
1994 was a special year for my church, The Crossing in Washington Crossing, PA.  A well of revival was opened as we had an encounter with Holy Spirit.  For several years, the sweet presence of the Lord came upon us and stayed with us.  In a physical confirmation of the presence of His Spirit, a dove came and nested on a ledge at the back of the church.  It stayed for months!  That time was such a blessing for us!
 
In an interesting post on "Give Him 15" by Dutch Sheets, he tells how his friend Gina Gholston had a dream that a well-drilling rig was parked at the Red River Meeting House where revival took place in 1800.  As it began to drill, it hit a gusher and water moved upward in massive quantities.  This dream was interpreted to mean that God has plans to initiate another move of His Spirit that will be even more magnificent than the first one.  This dream has a special significance for my church, The Crossing.  I worked for the builder who drilled the well for our property.  To get an adequate flow of water, the bit had to go below 800 feet.  Even though that well would have passed inspection, our builder felt that the water would not be sufficient for the number of people who would come to be part of our  congregation.  So, he drilled a second well!  Again, the driller had to go very deep, but, Praise God, the bit hit an aquifer that runs under the property, and the water gushed forth like "Old Faithful."  It is my opinion that The Crossing is in store for another revival, more powerful than the first one, and that the wells on our property represent the size of the outpourings.
 
We cannot allow ourselves to be weary in praying.  Our prayers are opening a way for the Spirit of God to re-open the wells of revival.  We must bow low and remove from our lives anything that might interfere with the Lord's plans.  The enemy of our souls would like to stop up our wells, just like the Philistines did for Isaac. We, as warriors of prayer, can defeat the enemy.  I believe that the Lord is not only opening old wells, but also drilling new ones.  Together these wells of revival will blanket our nation and the world.  We used to sing a song called "Take us to the River," by Robin Mark.  It portrays my heart for this season.  The chorus declares, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us.  This is the year of the Lord."  As our prayers open the wells of revival, they will converge to make a river of revival that touches the world.  Hallelujah!

​There is no question that America's origins are rooted in a passion to recover and live out the Christianity of the New Testament."  So writes Eddie Hyatt in his book, America's Revival Heritage.  He continues: "The first generation of immigrants to America were normally vibrant in their faith and passionate in their vision for a revival of New Testament Christianity.  Their children and grandchildren, however, while retaining many of the outward forms of worship and doctrine, tended to lose the vitality and vision of their parents and grandparents.  As former generations passed from the scene, the original passion for Christian reform and renewal passed away with them, and succeeding generations were left "having a form of godliness but denying its power.'" (2 Timothy 3:5)
 
As we celebrate the 245th anniversary of the birth of our nation, we can see that the concerns raised by Eddie Hyatt about the vitality of our faith continue.  The activity of many of our churches confirms Hyatt's assertion that passion for the Lord and His ways is waning.  A segment of our society is attacking anything that interferes with their liberal point of view.  Their agenda includes erasing the truth of how our nation was founded.  They find faith in Jesus and His Word offensive.  They seem to know that if they rewrite history, they can control the future.
 
Here is the truth:  America was founded for the glory of God.  Public education was instituted to teach our children the fear of the Lord and the ways of the Word of God.  Our mandate from the Lord is to grow in our relationship with Him and our understanding of His ways so that we can spread the Gospel around the world and bring light to the darkness.  Those who wrote the Declaration of Independence got their words and ideas from the Bible.  This document has impacted human rights around the world according to Mr. Hyatt.  We should note that 27 of the 56 founding fathers were trained as ministers.  And, the motto of the American Revolution—"No King but King Jesus"—had an obvious spiritual emphasis.
 
John Adams, one of our founding fathers, left no doubt where the ideas for our Declaration of Independence came from.  He said, "The general principles on which the founding fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."  We, as the people of God, must be at the forefront of the movement to protect our history and to acknowledge that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was active in intervening on our behalf.  He used Bible-believing people to fight for the independence of our nation and established a godly way of life that would spread the Good News of His love and care for us.
 
I grew up in the 1960s and remember when prayer and Bible reading were outlawed in public schools. The Church let it happen, and it continued unchallenged.  Those who initiated the fight against Christian practice in schools through the Supreme Court were not satisfied with their judicial win.  Hyatt writes, "...These radical secularists now seek to remove any vestige of Christian influence from the public square.  An undeniable part of their strategy is to rewrite and reinterpret America's past and to disseminate their revisions through a government-run educational system."
 
Psalm 33:12 tells us this:  "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose as His inheritance."  We must do what we can to be sure that our history is not rewritten and that our future in America is secured through prayers and living godly lives.  Here is how Eddie Hyatt summarizes this:  "A government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people, can only be sustained by a people who are continually revitalized in their faith and in their commitment to moral principles.  This means that a nation that was birthed out of Spiritual awakening can only be sustained by a people who are continually awakened and revitalized in their faith...We will either have revival or we will have revolution; we will either have Spiritual awakening or we will have societal chaos.  Both history and Scripture teach us that the future of America rests squarely on the shoulders of the professing Christians of this nation."  There is no doubt that we are in a battle for the soul of our nation.  We must renew our passion for the Lord and cry out for a Spiritual awakening that will transform America back to its intended purpose!

First known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated three years after the end of the Civil War.  It became an official federal holiday in 1971.  An organization of veterans established the day as a time for our nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers and flags.  Gradually the holiday evolved into a day of remember and honoring military individuals who died in all the wars.  Throughout the United States, parades are held, red poppies are worn in remembrance of fallen soldiers (started during WWI), gatherings with picnics are organized, and trips are taken because of the long weekend.
 
I read that at times Memorial Day has been used as a day to remember fallen heroes who did not die on a traditional battlefield.  So, I would like to use this letter to remember and honor a man who I consider a hero of America.  The Reverend Robert Hunt, a clergyman of the Church of England, was appointed as chaplain for 105 men and boys who sailed from England to Cape Henry, Virginia.  After 144 days at sea, the crew landed on the southern edge of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  The landing spot was named Cape Henry in honor of the Prince of Wales, Henry Frederick.
 
After landing on April 26, 1607, Rev. Hunt gathered the band of men together to give God glory for their successful trip and to pray to Him as they established a settlement in the New World.  Bob Long, of Rally Call Ministries, researched Rev. Hunt's prayer which was an offering of covenant to God.  He says of the prayer, "It was heartfelt, deliberate, and offered with appropriate spiritual protocol. The embryonic nation was now in true covenant with God.  The wooden cross, planted in the sand beside their kneeling prayer, witnessed their dedication of the land to God and the covenant oath with which they did it."
 
Here is Rev. Hunt's prayer of Covenant with God:  "We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth.  May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains, and may this Land, along with England, be Evangelists to the World.  May all who see this Cross remember what we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit, join us in this Covenant and in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled."
 
What a prayer!  What a legacy for us to remember!  The Church must make known the foundation upon which our nation was established.  We must not allow the agenda of those who want to take hold of our nation for their own agenda to expand any further.  It is time for the Church to take a stand to agree with God and the covenant that we made with Him.  Bob Long reminds us that God is a covenant-keeping God, He remembers how and why America was established.  "The foundational prophetic prayer is actually not well known, but its significance cannot be overstated.  God has not forgotten this original covenant entered into with Him!  Is He heartbroken with America? Yes.  Angry?  Perhaps.  Is it too late for America to be saved?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  Will there be an awakening in the hearts of the American people and a return to our original Covenant with God?  YES!"
 
While prophesizing at a leadership meeting, Bob declared this statement from the Lord:  "I have not turned away from the covenant this nation made with Me, but this nation has turned away from it.  The cry of a remnant in this generation has been heard, and I am raising up a new wave of prophets to call this nation back to America's original covenant...I am shaking all things.  I am raising up more who will join the remnant.  I am raising up more who will increase the volume of My call to your nation to return to Covenant.  I am raising up more of those who will reveal My Son to the multitudes, that hearts may turn to Me.  A remnant shall be strengthened, and a nation shall be shaken, that it may be awakened!"
 
The Psalmist reminds us that God "remembers His covenant forever, the promise He made, for a thousand generations." (Psalm 105:8)  This should give us comfort.  Yet, we must also remember our roots and the covenant our nation made with God in 1607.  It is time for us to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in our nation.  Revival is beginning and will grow.  God wants American to return to our roots and to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth.  From the beginning, our nation was to be a place for people to worship the one true God, to teach our children and generations to come of the worthiness of the Lord, and to  spread the gospel through the world.  Let us embrace this worthy call!

Mother's Day is upon us.  In honor of it, I want to highlight a woman who decided to mother a nation.  She gave up a privileged life to serve the Lord in a country that is considered the poorest one in the world. Together with her husband, Rolland Baker, Heidi embarked on a mission that looked impossible in its scope.  However, the Baker's moved forward and began to change the face of a nation in a ramshackle orphanage in Africa. Heidi became known by her children as Mama Heidi.  Today, all who know her around the world also affectionately refer to her as Mama Heidi.
 
The Baker’s web site, Irisglobal.org., describes their call:  “The primary mission of Iris Global is to seek the face of God with all our hearts, that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.  We proclaim Jesus.  He is our salvation, our prize, our reward, our inheritance, our destination, our motivation, our joy, wisdom, and sanctification—and absolutely everything else we need, now and forever."
 
As a young woman, Mama Heidi heard an audible call from God to go to the mission field with areas in India, England, and Africa being highlighted.  Their belief that revival would occur amongst the poorest people on earth brought the Bakers to Mozambique where the government offered them an unsupported orphanage that had been completely neglected.  They report that "80 miserable, demon-afflicted orphans in rags" lived there.  Heidi and Rolland agreed to take over the orphanage as long as they were permitted to bring the Gospel to the children.  The power of God was manifested, and "within months the children were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, weeping while still in rags with gratitude for their salvation.” These young ones were taught how to pray.  As they cried out to God night and day, their food was miraculously provided by Jesus.  The orphanage grew to 320 children and put Mozambique on the radar screen of many churches who began to support the ministry.
 
Challenge after challenge faced the Bakers:  They were evicted from their original building and had to construct a new orphanage, hit by cyclones and floods that resulted in great famines, and overrun with scared, hungry people rushing from terrorists.  The Bakers have written several books about their situation and their experiences with Jesus.  Their titles tell the whole story about the miraculous provisions from heaven:  There is Always Enough, Expecting Miracles, Compelled by Love, Birthing the Miraculous, and Living from the Presence.
 
A Scripture that has inspired the Bakers from the beginning of their ministry comes from Romans 5:3-5.  "...We also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  The situations that looked hopeless gave them hope as they lived in the power of God.  The Bakers story traveled throughout the world, and all who heard it had their hearts touched.  Support began to pour into their ministry, and they were able to build dorms for children, schools for the bush pastors, and purchase a bush airplane to spread the Gospel and provide needed supplies for out-lying communities.  What started as a small orphanage in Pemba, Mozambique has expanded to churches and schools throughout Africa and around the world.  Mission training for those who want to join the ranks of missionaries is available to those who want to make an impact around the world for Jesus.
 
I have had the privilege of hearing Mama Heidi speak on several occasions.  When we look at the Baker's expansive ministry today, it is easy to forget how it all started.  Mama Heidi shares her ministry philosophy with everyone she speaks to:  "Stop for the One" or "Love the One in Front of You."  One by one she and Rolland built a ministry that spans the world.  One by one the Bakers changed the world for Jesus.  Mama Heidi's love for Jesus and mother heart for the lost and hurting is one we all need to adopt.  On this Mother's Day I want to honor Mama Heidi for her love and courage to mother a nation and the world.  When we look at what is happening in Africa right now, it seems the challenges that are faced by the Bakers continue to grow. The people of Mozambique are encountering terrorist groups who are destroying their lives.  Thousands are pouring into Cabo Delgado where Iris ministries has set up a place to help care for their needs.  The stories of their loses are heartbreaking.  You can look on their web site to read more about this ministry that has truly captured the heart of God.  Perhaps our prayers and gifts can make a difference for one and help this mother, Mama Heidi, to continue spreading the love of the Lord.

Ruth Heflin's book, Glory, is written to help us understand not only what it is but also how to experience it.  Her vast service to the Lord took her to the nations where she shared the revelation that God gave to her.  She was a song writer and pastor and was known for her ability to lead people into spontaneous worship.  She explains that glory is the realm of eternity, the atmosphere of Heaven, and the revelation of the presence of God because He is Glory.  Her ministry of praise on Mt. Zion was birthed after God spoke to her in the middle of the night.  He said, "You sow to the heavens, and I will sow to the earth."  After hearing this word from the Lord, Ruth realized that there is a progression that must take place for us to operate in the glory of God.  She says, "Praise until the spirit of worship comes, worship until the glory comes.  Then, stand in the glory!"
 
What does praise look like and what are its benefits?  According to Ruth, praise is an instrument of harvest, celebration, warfare, and ascent.  Praise to voice thanksgivings to God (Psalm 26:7), to declare triumph (Psalm 47:1), to sing a new song to Him (Psalm 98:1), and to shout with joy for His might (Psalm 118:15).  We "enter His gates with thanksgiving and the courts with praise..." (Psalm 100:4)  Psalm 45:1 declares that our "...tongue is the pen of a skillful writer."  Just as God created the world with His breath, we must use our mouths to release the sound that sows to the heavens so that God sows back to the earth.  Hosea talks about God's response to what we sow:  "And the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel." (Hosea 2:22 - KJ)  Jezreel means "God sows."  These three symbols are of revival that leads to harvest.  Ruth says, "You can stand in one place and minister to the Lord and affect revival to the ends of the earth." 
 
Praise is a form of celebration.  Doesn't the frequent number of festivals on the Jewish calendar indicate God's love for celebration?  In addition, our praises change the atmosphere, and they invite the presence of heaven to come down and make it uncomfortable for the enemy.  Look at Psalm 8:2. "Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."  Praise is the best warfare strategy!  And then, our praise leads us up.  The temple in Jerusalem was built at the highest elevation.  The Psalms of ascent were meant to be used as the people of God climbed the hill of the Lord.  We must always look up as we praise.
 
The transition from praise to worship starts when we begin to lose our sense of the surroundings.  In this place we only have eyes for the King.  We bow to His majesty.  Ruth believes that it is the simplicity of the songs we sing that allows us to move into worship.  We must focus on who He is, as the King of kings, the King of Majesty, and the One worthy to receive "glory and honor and power." (Revelation 4:11) According to Ruth our worship must begin at His feet and bring His majesty.  Our worship experience is for us to know the Lord and to fall in love with Him.  The final stage of worship is intimacy where we begin to know Jesus as our Bridegroom.  He longs to hear our unique expressions of love.  We should get to know Song of Solomon in the Bible as it teaches us how to confess our affections for the Lord.
 
As we come into the secret place, the glory realm manifests.  "If we have vibrant praise, then we'll have deep worship, and we'll have the fullness of the glory of God manifested," according to Ruth.  She also says, "In the glory realm we are more conscious of His holiness.  This is why the angels cry, 'Holy! Holy!'"  All aspects of ministry become easier in the glory realm:  prayer, healing, revelation.  Once the glory has arrived, we must linger with the Lord, because He wants to fill us with the riches of His Kingdom.
 
Just writing about the glory gives me a deeper desire to pursue it.  We are meant for the glory realm. Let's not give up until we experience the glory that He promised as a result of our praise and worship! "Praise until the spirit of worship comes, worship until the glory comes.  Then, stand in the glory!"