Dutch Sheets Quotes

I had a mother who left when I was a child. I didn’t miss her. Maeve was there, with her red coat and her black hair, standing at the bottom of the stairs, the white marble floor with the little black squares, the snow coming down in glittering sheets in the windows behind her, the windows as wide as a movie screen, the ship in the waves of the grandfather clock rocking the minutes away.

Life is a series of changes—a process of going from the old to the new—from chronos to kairos. Growth, change, revival—all are processes. Life is connected. Not understanding this, we tend to despise the chronos times of preparing, sowing, believing and persevering. Our preference is to always live in the kairos times of fresh and strategic opportunities.

The original American dream wasn’t about wealth, but freedom—freedom to worship and freedom from tyranny. It was also about partnering with God to release the light of His word to all nations, and exporting His glorious gospel to the ends of the earth.

Dreams are powerful. It is possible to so attach our emotions to them that a dream can become a taskmaster we serve, rather than an assignment or goal we steward.

History can never be changed, but it can be healed.

Don’t embrace any theology or creed that allows God to lose!

The Lord can accomplish much more through prayer than any teacher can through teaching, and many times He will also bring great insight within that context.

God’s plan is always for the present generation to build on the strengths of the previous. This is the synergy of the ages—multiplied power through generational agreement and honor.

Our actions and attitudes in the chronos times of preparing, sowing, believing and persevering are what determine whether God can shift us into the kairos times of fresh and strategic opportunities.

We must pray intently, in agreement with the appeals of our forefathers and predecessors, in order to see a continuation of what they birthed. And we must actively repent of our wrongs and theirs, allowing God to reach back in time, healing our history so that blessings can flow into our present.

Her dissertation on Dutch women painters of the Golden Age sits unfinished in her apartment, a half-typed sheet of paper mildewing in the mouth of a Remington. It's been months since she worked on it and she sometimes finds herself staring at the machine's bullnose profile or the chrome-plated carriage return, thinking: Remington also makes rifles.

When we are properly prepared and the time is right, God can shift seasons very quickly. Overnight, it seems, He transforms dry times into rivers, barrenness into fruitfulness and makes a way where there is no way. Timing is a factor; but when it’s right, God causes the shift, and the chronos changes into kairos. Allow this truth to bring faith and encouragement into your situation.

The pilgrims absolutely believed America had a God-given destiny, and our founding fathers did, as well. Throughout our history, America’s presidents and leaders have reiterated this belief. John F. Kennedy referenced Matthew 5:14 and Winthrop’s famous speech, as did Ronald Reagan and numerous other U.S. Presidents.4 Though modern day revision-ists try to rewrite and remove our history, the truth will always trump their lies.

You Are What You Eat Take food for example. We all assume that our craving or disgust is due to something about the food itself - as opposed to being an often arbitrary response preprogrammed by our culture. We understand that Australians prefer cricket to baseball, or that the French somehow find Gerard Depardieu sexy, but how hungry would you have to be before you would consider plucking a moth from the night air and popping it, frantic and dusty, into your mouth? Flap, crunch, ooze. You could wash it down with some saliva beer.How does a plate of sheep brain's sound? Broiled puppy with gravy? May we interest you in pig ears or shrimp heads? Perhaps a deep-fried songbird that you chew up, bones, beak, and all? A game of cricket on a field of grass is one thing, but pan-fried crickets over lemongrass? That's revolting. Or is it? If lamb chops are fine, what makes lamb brains horrible? A pig's shoulder, haunch, and belly are damn fine eatin', but the ears, snout, and feet are gross? How is lobster so different from grasshopper? Who distinguishes delectable from disgusting, and what's their rationale? And what about all the expectations? Grind up those leftover pig parts, stuff 'em in an intestine, and you've got yourself respectable sausage or hot dogs. You may think bacon and eggs just go together, like French fries and ketchup or salt and pepper. But the combination of bacon and eggs for breakfast was dreamed up about a hundred years aqo by an advertising hired to sell more bacon, and the Dutch eat their fries with mayonnaise, not ketchup. Think it's rational to be grossed out by eating bugs? Think again. A hundred grams of dehydrated cricket contains 1,550 milligrams of iron, 340 milligrams of calcium, and 25 milligrams of zinc - three minerals often missing in the diets of the chronic poor. Insects are richer in minerals and healthy fats than beef or pork. Freaked out by the exoskeleton, antennae, and the way too many legs? Then stick to the Turf and forget the Surf because shrimps, crabs, and lobsters are all anthropods, just like grasshoppers. And they eat the nastiest of what sinks to the bottom of the ocean, so don't talk about bugs' disgusting diets. Anyway, you may have bug parts stuck between your teeth right now. The Food and Drug Administration tells its inspectors to ignore insect parts in black pepper unless they find more than 475 of them per 50 grams, on average. A fact sheet from Ohio State University estimates that Americans unknowingly eat an average of between one and two pounds of insects per year. An Italian professor recently published Ecological Implications of Mini-livestock: Potential of Insects, Rodents, Frogs and Snails. (Minicowpokes sold separately.) Writing in Slate.com, William Saletan tells us about a company by the name of Sunrise Land Shrimp. The company's logo: "Mmm. That's good Land Shrimp!" Three guesses what Land Shrimp is. (20-21)

No dumping allowed. Trespassers will be violated.” I used to laugh every time I drove by the sign. This wasn’t a homemade sign. It was a professionally made metal sign posted by a city in Oklahoma (I won’t tell you which one). It was even the fancy kind with fluorescent letters that could be easily seen at night. But those

Sometimes the only difference between those who attain and those who don’t is perseverance.

Betrand Piccard, another balloonist, sees a similarity between balloon flight and daily life: “In the balloon you are prisoners of the wind and go only in its direction. But you can change altitude, and when you change altitude, you change direction. You are not a prisoner of the wind, anymore. Likewise, in life people think they are prisoners of the winds of adversity that blow against them. But they are not. They can change altitude by changing attitude, and the new attitude will carry them in a new direction.6

Faith isn’t denying the reality of your circumstances; faith is denying these circumstances the right to remain in control of your life.

medium spaghetti squash (about 2½ pounds) 4 tablespoons butter, ghee, or coconut oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium carrot, diced 2 stalks celery, diced ½ medium yellow onion, minced 1 small red bell pepper, diced 1 pound ground chicken 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup hot sauce (I prefer Tessemae’s or Frank’s RedHot) ¼ cup Super Simple Mayonnaise (see here) or store-bought mayo (I use Sir Kensington’s or Primal Kitchen Foods) 3 large eggs, whisked chopped scallions, for garnish sliced avocado, for garnish Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the skin gives when you press your finger to it. Remove the squash from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Grease a Dutch oven or an 8-inch square glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Let the squash cool for 5 minutes, remove the seeds, and then use a fork to remove the threads and place them in the greased baking dish. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cook, using a wooden spatula to break up the chicken into small pieces, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the hot sauce and mayo and mix well to combine. Add the chicken mixture to the baking dish and mix well with the spaghetti squash threads. Add the whisked eggs and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs. Bake for 1 hour or until the top forms a slight crust that doesn’t give when you press it in the middle. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped scallion and avocado slices.

In the room where the signing [of the surrender] was to take place the sole decorations were three flags upon the end wall: the Red Flag, the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes. The French colours were nowhere to be seen. De Tassigny declared that France could not be represented at the ceremony without her flag alongside those of her Allies. But where could a French flag to be found? The Russians decided to make one, with a piece of red stuff taken from a former Hitlerite banner, a white sheet and a piece of blue serge cut out of an engineer's overalls. Alas! Our tricolor was less familiar to the young Russian girls than the red flag to many French girls, for when a jeep brought along the flag that had been run op in this way we found a magnificient Dutch flag: the blue, white and red had been sewn not one beside the other but one above the other!

Refuse to become a hopeless victim. God wants to heal your heart, fill you with the power of hope, and cause you to be bold in Him. Hope-killing giants look small when measured against Him. Be

Winds of adversity may have blown through your life. Your world may be falling apart. But if you will look closely enough, you’ll see the light of God’s faithfulness shining through the debris.

Like Abraham you will believe, like Sarah you will conceive, and like Moses you will rise from your isolation and exile. You will live again. God is determined to reverse your tragedy into transformation and crown your tomb with the testimony of a glorious resurrection. From

PRAY the Power of Hope Father, I am so grateful for the treasury of tools purposely placed in Your Word for overcoming hope deferred. Your mercy, love, and power are so great that the moment I reposition my heart toward You, You meet me at my point of pain with Your healing presence. Today I choose to draw close to You, and I choose to come into agreement with Your words of life and truth. Come and enthrone Yourself in my heart. No longer will I allow painful circumstances to control my life. I position my heart to heal. SCRIPTURES

Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.” The Scriptures tell us that death and life are in the power of our words (Prov. 18:21). Think about that—death and life are released by what we say. Make sure the words you speak are life-producing words. S

God doesn’t want to overwhelm us with a lot of theology in order to receive our healing. He keeps it simple. Nonetheless, there is great power to be found in these simple and easily implemented truths. The first of them is to “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

It is possible to acknowledge weaknesses while walking in genuine faith.

Fideos secos, also known as sopa seca or Mexican “dry soup,” is typically made with thin spaghetti cooked in a guajillo pepper and tomato sauce, topped with avocado, queso fresco, and sometimes chicharrón (fried pork rinds). This grain-free version replaces the pasta with carrots—and I have to say, they just might be the tastiest carrots I’ve ever eaten (and this is coming from a girl who doesn’t really like carrots). Spiralized carrots are great as a pasta swap in dishes like this where you want a noodle with a good bite. Zucchini tends to get watery if cooked too long, but the carrots stay firm, creating a very pasta-like experience. 1 large (13-ounce) carrot (at least 2 inches thick) 2 dried guajillo chiles,* stemmed, split open, and seeded 4 teaspoons olive oil ⅓ cup chopped onion 3 garlic cloves 2 medium tomatoes, quartered 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce) ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 4 ounces thinly sliced avocado (from 1 small Hass) 2 ounces (scant ½ cup) crumbled queso fresco 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro *Read the label to be sure this product is gluten-free. Using the widest noodle blade of your spiralizer, spiralize the carrot, then cut the “noodles” into 6-inch lengths. Set aside on a plate. Soak the guajillo chiles in a bowl of ½ cup hot water until softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chiles and soaking liquid to a blender. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil, the onion, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the blender. Add the tomatoes, adobo sauce, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt to the blender and blend well. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 3 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrot noodles and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce from the blender over the carrots, increase the heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. To serve, divide the carrot noodles between 2 bowls. Top each with half the avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro.

2 ounces pancetta, chopped 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped ⅔ cup chopped celery ⅔ cup chopped carrot 1 garlic clove, minced 1 pound 93% lean ground beef ¾ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio ½ cup fat-free milk 1 pound dried potato gnocchi (I like DeLallo) ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg 2½ cups canned crushed tomatoes (I like Tuttorosso) 1 bay leaf 6 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I like Locatelli), for serving (optional) Press the sauté button on an electric pressure cooker. When hot, add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until the fat is rendered, about 1½ minutes. Add the butter, onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ground beef, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and pepper to taste. Brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it reduces, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, gnocchi, and nutmeg. Add the crushed tomatoes, ½ cup water, the bay leaf, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Seal and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, until the gnocchi are tender. Quick or natural release, then open when the pressure subsides. If the gnocchi are not done, press the sauté button and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Serve topped with the ricotta, parsley, and pecorino (if using).

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each) 2 cups low-fat (1%) buttermilk 1½ teaspoons plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced 1¾ cups thinly sliced green cabbage 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 1 cup panko bread crumbs, regular or gluten-free ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper Olive oil spray (I like my Misto or Bertolli) 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise 4 potato rolls, whole wheat (I like Martin’s) or gluten-free Pound out the thicker end of the chicken breasts so that they are evenly thick (about ½ inch). Cut each breast in half so you have 4 thick pieces. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When ready to cook, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, ⅛ teaspoon of the salt, and pepper to taste. Add the onion, cabbage, jalapeño, and parsley and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the sandwiches. Preheat an air fryer to 375°F. In a shallow bowl, combine the panko, cayenne, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Dredge the chicken in the panko mixture, shaking off any excess. Place 2 pieces of the coated chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer and spray the tops with oil. Cook the chicken for 14 to 16 minutes (depending on the thickness), turning halfway. Spray the other side with oil and cook until golden and cooked through (a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast should read 165°F). Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of chicken. To assemble the sandwiches, spread the mayo on the bottoms of the rolls. Top with the chicken, then pile ½ cup of the slaw on the chicken. Put the tops of the rolls on the slaw and serve.

Third, intimacy with God—living at Hebron—will cause your intercession to defeat the giants in your life and others’ lives.

Last, this great “mountain of friendship” will also become for you a place of refuge.

God wants to crown us, like David, with the authority to rule in ungodly situations. Intercessors rule from Hebron.

Fourth, a Hebron lifestyle will give you the ability to walk in great authority.

summarized as follows: Sunday: Favor with God (spiritual revelation, anointing, holiness). Monday: Favor with others (congregations, ministry staff, unsaved). Tuesday: Increased vision (wisdom and enlightenment, motives, guidance). Wednesday: Spirit, Soul, Body (health, appearance, attitudes,

In seasons of harvest, there is a more urgent need for watchmen, as the “thief” is going to do all he can to steal it, keeping the greater portion. It is little wonder that God has preceded the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever known— which is now happening— with the greatest prayer awakening in history. The Lord of the harvest is wise. I can assure you He has 24- hour sentries “watching” the harvest.

Father, I bring my daughter to You.” That is creating a “meeting” (paga) with God. “I ask You to protect her from any trap Satan has set for her. You said You would deliver us from the snare of the trapper” (see Ps. 91:3). That is building “boundaries” (paga) of protection. “Thank You for laying this prayer burden on me that I might lift off and carry away from her (nasa) this assignment of death.” That’s having someone else’s burden or weakness “laid on” (paga) us. “Satan, I bind this plan of yours and break any hold you may have gained in this situation. Your weapons against her won’t prosper and you’re not going to take her life.” That is “meeting” (paga) the enemy to break. “I do this in the name of Jesus!” That’s basing all our prayers on the work Christ has already done. It’s representing Him . . . administering what He has already accomplished . . . enforcing His victory.

When God wrestled with Jacob, He wasn’t fighting only for the heart of a man; He was warring for His dream!

I believe our prayers do more than just petition the Father. I’ve become convinced that in some situations they actually release cumulative amounts of God’s power until enough has been released to accomplish His will.

Remember, life's phases are connected---yesterday feeds today.....Today's lessons are preparing us for tomorrow's assignments.

The next morning, walking about the charred embers of so many of his hopes and dreams, the sixty-seven-year-old Edison said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”4

A lack of endurance is one of the greatest causes of defeat, especially in prayer. We don’t wait well. We’re into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating.

anything we accomplish of eternal value is brought about by the ability and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Dutch evangelist Corrie ten Boom said, “It’s a poor soldier indeed who does not recognize the enemy.” The key to victory in both natural and spiritual warfare is to clearly identify the enemy, and to understand his character and methods.

a good soldier is a well-informed soldier concerning his enemy. Be infatuated with and in awe of Jesus. Be aware of the enemy. Love worship, not warfare; but when necessary, go to war. And post the sentries!

Don’t be without understanding of the way your enemy thinks and operates—of his plans, plots, schemes and devices.” Is there not also a subtle promise here? If God suggests we are not to be ignorant of Satan’s schemes, He must be willing to reveal them to us.

To the degree we are ignorant of the way our adversary thinks and operates—of his plans, plots, schemes and devices—to that degree he will gain on us, prey on us, defraud us of what is ours and have or hold the greater portion.

He created the laws and principles—sowing and reaping, cause and effect and the free will of humans—that govern the earth. We, however, implement these principles and determine much of what we reap and experience.

The first responsibility of watchmen is to keep the serpent out of their God-given gardens.

God is never so preoccupied that He is not really listening to you.

God is eavesdropping on us, waiting for us to speak a few words to Him.

Our attentiveness to the Father is equally as important as the Father’s attentiveness to us.

We must boldly release the power of the Most High into situations, allowing the victory of Christ access. He has given us His light, He has given us His sword, He has given us His name. Use them!

Prep time: 8 hours. Cook time: 3 minutes a batch. Makes 18 raised donuts. Hint: Make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Ingredients: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of whole milk, warmed to 105 degrees ¼ cup sugar One package active dry yeast (2½ teaspoons) 10 tablespoons butter (1¼ sticks), melted 2 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt Oil for frying (using a neutral flavored oil will get better results, like corn, safflower, peanut, or canola) Directions: Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches 105 degrees, or is warm to the touch. Stir in sugar. Next, add the yeast and stir until dissolved. Let yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until the yeast starts to bubble on the surface. Pour into the bowl of mixer. Add melted butter and beaten eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat ingredients together. With mixer on slow, add the flour and salt, stirring until the dough comes together. Mix for five more minutes to activate the yeast. Turn sticky dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Remove dough from the fridge and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out until it is ½-inch thick. Using a 3-inch donut cutter, cut out the donuts. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper with oil to keep donuts from sticking. Place donuts and holes on parchment paper, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour. Donuts will be very light and delicate. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. This is where the fried donuts will go immediately after the fryer to absorb the excess grease. Keep plenty of paper towels on hand for replacements! To fry the donuts: Using a deep pot, Dutch oven, or home fryer, heat two to three inches of oil to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer to hit the right temperature. Carefully add the donuts to the hot oil in small batches, usually three at a time. Once donuts reach a nice golden brown (about 1½ minutes), turn over and cook the other side. I use chopsticks for this part, but you can use a slotted spoon. When donuts are a beautiful light brown, remove from fryer and place on paper towels. Cool slightly, then dip in your favorite donut glaze. *See Donut Glazes below.

Beth Alves, in her outstanding prayer guide, Becoming a Prayer Warrior, gives

Prayer How lovely is Your dwelling place, Father. It is there that My heart longs to be; learning of Your heart and Your ways, beholding Your majestic beauty. I repent for letting the busyness of life keep me from the most important thing—time spent in devotion to Christ, in purity and simplicity. Jesus, I don’t want to be a casual listener; I want to sit at Your feet and listen intently as You lovingly speak. Be it a loud trumpet call or a gentle whisper, I want to follow every leading of Your heart. Father, I ask for wisdom and revelation, that I may truly come to know Your Son. Holy Spirit, help me to apply my heart to understand the messages the Father conveys, such that they’ll penetrate and transform every part of me. Let my life be founded upon the wisdom of Your Word that would lead me to walk in the fear of the Lord, lay all else aside in yieldedness, and abide with You, my King. Jesus, I choose to slow down today and invite You in for a time to connect heart to heart. Once again, let me enjoy the pleasure of Your company. ————— (Prayer taken from: Psalm 27:4; Luke 10:38–42; 1 Kings 19:12–13; Proverbs 2; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Hebrews 12:1; John 15:1–11)

This did not happen in spite of the chronos season; it happened because of what was taking place in and through the chronos season.

We, the Church, hold the keys. We are His body—His hands, feet, voice—and what He does, He will do through us. We are Plan A, and there is no Plan B.

If you are willing to obey God fully, walk in faith and never give up, you can have anything God wants you to have. And that absolutely includes revival in your local community.

It will be a broad work, with strategies coming from many different sources. I will give one part of a plan to one person, another to others. This will take place simultaneously, and often one ministry or person will not even realize they are a part of a larger scheme. But I will be cutting off Satan’s strength from every direction, as through the watchman anointing My people discern from Me.

Oftentimes, we become so focused on completing a specific task that we forget what is really important: to prioritize our relationship with God, first of all, and then with those we love.

God wants us to be on such intimate terms with Him that it produces bold, confident and effective intercession.

Prayer and intercession should be all about friendship, relationship and partnering with our wonderful Father. Every one of us would rather be a partner than a hired hand.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Prov. 3:6) could be translated, “In all your courting, seek intimacy with Him first.

Relationship with Jesus must be kept pure and simple. Introducing you to any facet of prayer without making this clear would set you up for frustration and eventual failure. Our motivation for prayer must be relationship—communing with God.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Thy works

As you spend time with God, you’ll begin to think like Him, which will allow you to pray according to His heart and will.

Keeping the serpent out of our gardens is the primary assignment of watchmen.

The Lord has given gifts to us as well, which, like Israel’s of old, are also assignments: children, ministries, churches, cities, nations and many other things.

What God asks us to do, He equips us to do.

gaining understanding is an important first step in effective prayer. An inner prompting will alert you to something your mind does not quite comprehend. At these times just ask the Lord to help you know how He wants you to pray.

Sometimes we must be very aggressive in our dealings with the enemy. Gordon Lindsay used to say every Christian should pray at least one violent prayer every day.

True humility is the willingness to allow others to help judge our leanings, leadings and revelations.

Prophetic intercessors . . . get up early every morning and “check in” with the Lord to find out what their prayer assignment is for the day. . . . Although I have things for which I pray daily, God sometimes preempts these requests for those on His heart. I have found that God’s daily prayer alerts may or may not be the same as those on my prayer list. Being an intercessor [watchman] requires quite a bit of discipline in the emotional realm because often I would rather pray my own concerns than the ones that God will give me. This is when I “seek first the Kingdom of God” instead of my personal burdens.

divine-human partnership in which God provides the wisdom, direction and power, and we supply the body and voice. His is the Kingdom, power and glory. Ours is the asking.

We cannot do it without Him. He will not do it without us.

The devil is after our “gardens,” too—our families, homes, marriages, churches, cities, etc. Our responsibility as watchmen is to keep the devil out,

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (emphasis added).

Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going or it will become a snare in your midst

God helps watchmen by pointing out what needs to be seen and heard to aid the growth and health of a church.

Where there is no communication from God, the people perish.

We often speak of “prayer coverings,” or “covering” a person, event or organization in prayer. To be without this covering can create a vulnerability; people are exposed to attacks of the enemy. In order to provide this covering with the utmost effectiveness, we must have warnings and promptings (chazown) from the Holy Spirit. In other words, “without communication from the Holy Spirit, the people are uncovered.

if we are walking in the anointing of the watchman, if we are paying attention, the Holy Spirit will make us aware of Satan’s schemes and attacks. We will see them and can take action.

Shiitake Mushroom Frittata with Pecorino Romano

Get ready for the new things God has in store Pastor Dutch Sheets told a story about a forty-year-old lady having open-heart surgery. She had blockage in one of her arteries and had to have bypass surgery. Although this is a delicate procedure, it’s considered a routine surgery and performed successfully more than 230,000 times every year. During the operation, the surgeon clamps off the main vein flowing to the heart and hooks it to machine that pumps the blood and keeps the lungs working. The heart actually stops beating while the vein is being bypassed. When the procedure is over and the machine is removed, the warmth from the body’s blood normally causes the heart to wake back up and start beating again. If that doesn’t work, they have drugs that will wake up the heart. This lady was on the operating table and the bypass was finished, so they let her blood start flowing, but for some reason her heart did not start beating. They gave her the usual drugs with no success. She had no heartbeat. The surgeon massaged her heart with his hand to stimulate that muscle and get it beating again, but even that did not work. The surgeon was so frustrated, so troubled. It looked as if his patient was finished. After doing everything he could medically, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Mary, I’ve done everything I can do. Now I need you to tell your heart to beat again.” He stepped back and heard bump, bump, bump, bump. Her heart kicked in and started beating. Do you need to tell your heart to beat again? Maybe you’ve been through disappointments and life didn’t turn out like you had hoped. Now you’re just sitting on the sideline. You’ve got to get your passion back. Get your fire back. Tell your heart to dream again. Tell your heart to love again. Tell your heart to laugh again. Tell your heart to believe again.

You were made to dream and you must dream—both for yourself and for God. God is the Author of your dreams, but you’re an outlet for His.

Satan, I bind this plan of yours and break any hold you may have gained in this situation. Your weapons against her won’t prosper and you’re not going to take her life.” That is “meeting” (paga) the enemy to break.

Forgive Us, Father Father, why is the thing we need the most, the thing we do the least? Why are most of us so busy we don’t have time? You must have many frustrated days when Your eyes roam to and fro throughout the earth in search of someone whose heart is completely Yours. You must weep often when You seek for a man or woman to stand in the gap to fill the breech and find no one. Your heart must ache at times for us, Your people, to rise up and be what You’ve called us to be. We humble ourselves before Your throne and ask You to forgive us for our lack of prayer. And forgive us as leaders, Lord, who have not told Your people the truth. Forgive us as a church—the Body of Christ—for allowing evil to rule in this land when You have more than enough power in our wombs to change it. Forgive us, for it is not Your fault that we have a generation marked X. It is not Your will that we kill the next generation before it takes its first breath. It is not Your plan that we still have not overcome the principality of hatred that divides this land. Forgive us, Lord. Cleanse us now and break the curses we have allowed to rule over us. Forgive us and cleanse us from the sin of apathy, complacency, ignorance and unbelief. Wash us with the water of Your Word. Break off of us this lethargic prayerlessness, which we justify a thousand different ways. It really boils down to disobedience, unbelief and sin. Father, please forgive us and deliver us. Set us free from being hearers of the Word only, and not doers. Give us homes and churches that are founded on the rock of obedience to Your Word. Rise up in Your people with the stubborn tenacity that Jesus had, that the Early Church walked in. Cause us to cast off everything that would oppose Your Spirit, and move us into a realm that pays a price and lays hold of the kingdom of God. Fill us with Your Spirit. Baptize us in fire. Let there be an impartation of the Spirit of grace and supplication. Let there be an anointing that comes from Your throne to hungry people who are tired of status quo, of mediocrity, of death and destruction. We are tired of it, God. We are tired of being defeated by a defeated enemy. We are tired of being held back from our destiny, both individually and as a nation. We are tired of lack and disease. We are tired of sin. We are hungry for something—the God of the Bible!

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Pet. 5:8

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Cor. 16:13

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Eph. 6:18

But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned.

All that was in the Ark of the Covenant is in us: the Bread of Life, the rod of priestly authority and the law of God. And the glory that was upon it now shines through us. Act like it! Strike with the sword—speak the Word! “Let God arise” through your intercession “and His enemies be scattered.

Dutch evangelist Corrie ten Boom said, “It’s a poor soldier indeed who does not recognize the enemy.” The key to victory in both natural and spiritual warfare is to clearly identify the enemy, and to understand his character and methods.6

I’ve discovered that the right answer begins with the right question. I’ve also discovered that God is not offended by a sincere question. He won’t satisfy the skeptic and He is not pleased with unbelief, but He loves an honest seeker. Those who lack and ask for wisdom He does not rebuke (see Jas. 1:5). He is a good Dad.

We are to declare the words of God into the heavens and the earth, mankind, nations, government, congregations, and people everywhere to set in place foundations for stable government and society.