Genesis 12:3

 For Individuals and Nations

The promise God made to Abraham so long ago in Genesis 12:3 is still in full effect.  It is eternal and unchanging.  It is just as true now as it was then.  The Word declares, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).  Many Believers have written to me because they are worried about living in a world that has been shaken.  I have good news for you!  The Lord is your refuge.  It doesn’t matter how great the storms, God will protect His people.

The power of God is not dependent on who wins an election or who controls a government.  All human power is subject to His control.  The blessing of God, both for individuals and for nations, comes to those who obey His Word…and the decision to bless or curse Israel is the pivot point of life.

When we bless what God wants to have blessed, we are positioned to see Him work in great and mighty ways.  Deuteronomy 28:8 says: “The Lord shall command a blessing upon you….”  The passage goes on to describe the amazing blessing that God has for you.  This blessing rains down on every part of your life — your health, your family, your finances, and so much more.  God wants to bless everything you touch!

 We see in the life of Abraham the impact of that kind of blessing.  God told Abraham that blessings would overflow him…and they did!  Abraham was living in a fruitful place, and Lot complained.  Abraham gave Lot that fruitful spot and went to a dry, barren land.  Even in that place, God blessed him and turned it into an oasis so great that his crops and herds multiplied.  Abraham became the wealthiest man in the East.

There is a commanded blessing for those who bless God’s Chosen People.  That is true for individuals, for families, for churches and even for nations.  And there is a judgment for all those who harm the Jewish people.  The Hebrew word in Genesis 12:3 for cursing literally means to visit with heavy blows.

I don’t want to live in a country under God’s curse.  I don’t want my children and grandchildren to suffer in a land receiving heavy blows.  I want God’s blessing instead.  And to do that, we must bless Israel and the Jewish people.

I have experienced God’s blessing time and time again…not because I’m something special, but because I have dedicated my life to blessing and defending the Jewish people.  The Genesis 12:3 blessing is not just for a few, but for any individual or nation that meets God’s condition.

What Is Our Nation’s Future?

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

For more than four decades, I have watched Islamic terrorism heading, like a whirlwind, toward our shores. America is plunging headfirst into a lake of fire, and many are not fully aware of it. The hour is too late to tiptoe through the tulips. After 9/11, there was a brief period of introspection and evaluation, but that largely vanished without any major national changes taking place.  Now more than 23 years later, as we see prophetic events unfolding in the Middle East and around the world, it has become time to shout this message from the housetops: If America is to be saved, saintly, moral, God-fearing Americans must wake up, and wake up now!

According to the ancient prophet Ezekiel: The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood’” (Ezekiel 33:1–6).

The sad news is that preachers in America are, by and large, not crying out. I hear hardened, secular commentators, ungodly politicians, and abrasive talk show hosts crying out in support of the Liberal Left agenda, but Christians too often remain complacent, their voices silent. I fear that America is receiving perhaps its final call to repentance. God is now judging this nation in the same way He has judged every nation that has rejected His call and challenged His prophetic plan.

Jesus warned: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building” (Luke 17:26–28).

The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah enjoyed the same prosperity as Noah’s society. Ezekiel wrote:

“This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness” (Ezekiel 16:49).  They had no idea that the good times were God’s final mercy call before destruction. God judged Sodom, yet Sodom had no Bible. America is the Bible capital of the world, with an abundance of churches. If anyone should know what is going on, we should.

I am no prophet, but I challenge you to search the ancient Scriptures, and to look up the words judgment, nations, and curses. You will surely see that God is not a respecter of nations; that mighty America is in big trouble. King Josiah was only 18 years old when God stirred his heart over something the king had read in the Scriptures. Suddenly, the young ruler saw that his nation had offended Almighty God and was heading toward destruction. He cried out, “God’s wrath is being stored up against us” (see 2 Kings 22:11–13). Josiah truly repented and led his nation back to God.

For those who say, “America is immune; it will not happen here. There are too many godly people in America,” I say, “Remember Israel!” Down through the ages, God allowed Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed again and again. There is a prophetic line drawn over which a nation may not cross; when it does, God says, “Enough!”

It’s hard to believe that anyone could deny that the events of September 11 were a curse. I can assure you, every family that experienced the pain of that devastating day felt wretched as they lost loved ones. That day of infamy was certainly not a blessing! The fanatics who carried out that attack were religious to the extreme, but I can assure you, there is nothing peaceful about their brand of religion.  Where are those who weep for America, who grieve for her sins of arrogance? Millions of Christians have closed their eyes to what is happening in the land of the Bible. Even some preachers are telling jokes in the pulpit, and mocking those who are weeping over the attempt by some of America’s leaders to stick their fingers in the apple of God’s eye. 

Read the words of Zechariah concerning the nations that touch Israel.  “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . .Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’ On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. . . .On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zechariah 12:3, 5–6, 9–10).

What happens when a nation is cursed? God’s hand of protection is lifted, the powers of hell given free reign. God forgive anyone who does not see the warning signs! Even today’s weather patterns seem to bear out these forewarnings. There is not a person living who can recall such days of hurricanes with disastrous floods and at the same time tinder-dry forests that have caused the ignition of countless fires of devastating proportions.  At the same time, our winters have grown colder than any seen in modern times, while the wicked heat of the summer takes a rising toll each year. The warnings of this country’s falling away from God’s protection and guidance seem to be everywhere we look.

Many of us have long loved the wonderful promise found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. It is an extremely hope-giving scripture, but its context is in the midst of a warning for Solomon. Look for a moment at the entire passage: “Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.  Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. . . .‘But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.  And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord  God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them” (2 Chronicles 7: 11–14, 19–22).

Solomon was being warned. And given our condition today, this is valuable advice. America has idols worse than any manmade stone edifice Solomon could have erected: idols of relativism and greed.

With them we have made the laws and compassion of God seem meaningless. We have turned our backs on Him by accepting as normal such abominations. God said if we did that, we would be given over to the reprobate minds that perform such acts. (See Romans 1:21–32.) If that is the case, how can anyone be surprised that we are reaping the harvest of consequences that grow from the seeds of the rebellion we have sown?  

For many decades now, I’ve traveled the world as an ambassador for Christ and a herald of His life-changing favor.  In every continent and nation, I’ve met people in search of new beginnings, and they yearn to live in the Favor of God (F.O.G.).  They see the marvelous promises the Lord has given them in the Scriptures, but often they’re frustrated because they don’t know how to activate those promises.

When I talk with people in my travels, they tell me of their desire for breakthroughs in their life.  Some need God’s healing touch in their body or their emotions.  Others are desperate for a financial turnaround.  Many are seeking a breakthrough in their marriage or their children.

It grieves my heart that many of these precious people can quote Bible verses about the promises of God, yet, they often are missing some crucial ingredient of implementation and activation.  They lack the necessary tools to bridge the gap between the doctrine of God’s favor and the actual experience of that favor.

I want to help YOU experience more of God’s favor
so you can receive the breakthroughs you need.  As you learn how to implement these truths, your life will never be the same!

If you’ve spent any time reading God’s Word, you’ve surely seen that your Heavenly Father loves you and wants to bless you with the good things of life.  Jesus makes this absolutely clear in Matthew 7:11: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

As much as your earthly father may love you, your Heavenly Father loves you more…so much more.  Your Father in heaven longs to show you His kindness, approval, and favor.  However, it breaks God’s heart—and breaks my heart as well—to see so many of His children missing out
on the abundant life He wants them to have (John 10:10).  Often they are trying hard to do the right things, but something is missing.

My friend, if you are frustrated today in some area of your life—such as your finances, your relationships, your emotions, or your health—I have good news for you: The Favor of God (F.O.G.) can reverse your losses and turn things around for you!  Living in the F.O.G. will help you turn the head of God, touch the heart of God, and move the hand of God.  It’s a place where you can gain affirmation from the Father and His Word rather than from those around you—at home, at work, or wherever else you may be.  As God’s favor releases emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial success into your life, you will no longer have to allow people or problems to define you.

When you’re living in God’s favor, you will attract His blessings like a magnet.  He will also activate the gifts and tools you need to BE a blessing to others, and you’ll be equipped to fulfill your calling and perform His work on earth.  However, I’ve discovered that while many people have heard about God’s favor, they still don’t understand how to activate His favor in the practical areas of their life.

The Favor of God (F.O.G.) is released in your life when you learn how to activate the promises in His Word.  Peter writes that you’ve been given “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).  This means you must study the promises of His Word and wait for Him to speak to you by His Spirit.  And when God has promised you something, you can’t let anyone talk you out of receiving it!

The Bible describes specific attitudes and actions that touch God’s heart and release His favor.  In order to unlock the amazing treasures He has given you in Christ, you must learn to practice Radical Obedience, Forgiveness, Humility, and Generosity.  The Bible is filled with stories of people who changed their entire destiny through one step of faith, obedience, forgiveness, humility, or generosity.

The story of a blind man named Bartimaeus is a beautiful illustration of how to unleash more of God’s favor in your life—even when your situation appears hopeless.  One minute this man was begging along the roadside, just as he had done for much of his life.  But in a moment’s time, everything changed for him.

Suddenly he could see! He had received a new beginning beyond his wildest dreams.

Bartimaeus had stumbled upon the secret to unleashing God’s miracle-working power, and his life would never be the same.  When he went to sleep that night, his life was completely different than it was when he had awakened that morning. So, what can we learn from this amazing story, told in Mark 10:46-52? Let’s take a look…

When Bartimaeus encountered Jesus, he “sat by the road begging” (v. 46). This man had learned to depend on the favor of PEOPLE to give him his daily sustenance.  However, even though God wants to give you favor with other people (Luke 2:52), you must look to HIM as the main source of your favor and provision.  That’s why King David wrote, “those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:10).

You see, the Favor of God (F.O.G.) is all you really need. Everything else will follow when you seek Him and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Bartimaeus started his day seeking favor from anyone passing by on the road, but then he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming by.  Faith began to rise in the heart of this blind man, for he knew that Jesus was no ordinary man.  “‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (v. 47) Bartimaeus cried out.  At that point, people in the crowd told him to be quiet, but he “cried out all the more” (vs. 48).

If you need some kind of breakthrough in your life today, it begins when you recognize that Jesus is nearby and you begin to call out to Him by faith.  And a crucial principle here is to not let anyone talk you out of your plea to the Savior!  There will always be naysayers, trying to discourage you and undermine your faith, but you need to keep crying out to Jesus for your miracle.

Something stunning happens at this point in the story: “So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called” (v. 49).  If not for the impassioned cries of Bartimaeus, Jesus would have passed right on by.  But sensing faith in the voice of this blind beggar, Jesus “stood still.”  If you’ve been crying out to Jesus for some kind of turnaround in your life, I encourage you to take a moment to picture Him stopping…pausing…standing right in front of you.  Yes, the Lord of all creation is taking time to stop and hear your petition, ready to meet your need!

Those near Jesus told Bartimaeus, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you” (v. 49).  Some other translations say, “Cheer up!”  In other words, your negative words or attitude can block God’s favor.  Bartimaeus had an attitude of expectancy, and that was a vital factor in the miracle he would soon receive.  He was also told to “rise” and hear Jesus’ voice.  Without a hint of hesitation, this desperate man sprang into action: “Throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus” (v. 50).

Notice that if you want to activate the Favor of God (F.O.G.) in your life, you often must take action of some kind.  It’s likely that Bartimaeus never would have received his healing if he had remained seated on the side of the road.  OBEDIENCE is one of the most important ways to unleash God’s favor, and we see that principle here in the story of the beggar who needed a breakthrough.

Another thing Bartimaeus did was throw aside his old garment.  If you are going to start a new life, you need a fresh set of clothes!  We see this in passages such as Isaiah 61:3, where God promises to give us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”  In order to enter into a new dimension of God’s favor, you will need to cast off any old garments of fear, depression, unbelief, or unforgiveness.  It’s a new day!

Jesus next asks Bartimaeus one of the most important questions in the entire Bible—and it’s the same question He is asking YOU today: “What do you want Me to do for you?” (v. 51).

Let that sink in for a moment.  Jesus is right there with you, and He wants you to tell Him what your greatest need is.  What, exactly, do you want Him to do for you?  This is a critical component of what it takes to unleash the F.O.G. in your life:

You must be able to define the miracle you are seeking from God.  To no one’s surprise, Bartimaeus told Jesus that he wanted to receive his sight.  I’m sure Jesus already knew this, just as He already knows the desire of your heart today.  However, He wants you to pray it and say it, letting your specific request be known before His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6).

When Bartimaeus’ breakthrough came, it was sudden and amazing: “immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (v. 52).  Of course, Jesus could have told the blind man that his healing would come gradually, over a long period of time, but that was not the case with Bartimaeus. Jesus had unleashed the miraculous, and the results were instantaneous.

How did this happen?  What secret had the blind beggar discovered? Jesus told him plainly: “your faith has made you well” (v. 52).  Through faith and obedience, Bartimaeus had activated God’s supernatural favor and healing power.

You must understand that God created you in His image for a purpose.  Jehovah God wanted to have an intimate relationship—friendship—with you.  There is a DNA component of God that is within us.  When He is magnified, this mysterious “X” factor activates His Word.  The Bible says in Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Are you increasing in favor, or are you decreasing?  The revelation of Living in the F.O.G. will help you to focus on His image and not yours.  Once you know how to activate God’s Words, you will find yourself starving your fear and feeding your faith.  You will see the Enemy’s attacks from a king’s perspective—as an opportunity for a heavenly promotion.

Fasten your seat belt.  You are about to begin a wild heavenly ride that will change your life forever, as it did mine.  I wear a bracelet inscribed with the words Living in the F.O.G.  I’ve been asked repeatedly what that means.  F.O.G. is an acronym for Favor of God.

What is God’s favor and how can you live in it?  Favor is “unmerited grace; regard shown by another, especially a superior; an act of kindness; a token of love; effort on one’s behalf.”  Because you are His child, God, in an act of kindness and as a token of His love, extends unmerited grace, and works tirelessly on your behalf.  Not only does He bestow favor on you, He blesses you with favor and affirmation from those around you.  God acknowledged His Son when He said: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Living in the F.O.G. will help you reach the place in life where you can turn the head of God, touch the heart of God, and move the hand of God, a place where you can gain affirmation from the Father and His Word rather than from those around you—at home, at work, wherever you may be.  You can learn to refuse to allow people and problems to define you.  The one thing that has the power to release emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial success in your life is “F.O.G.”

To have the Favor of God in your life, you must focus on the image of God and not your own.  Any image that comes before His is a graven image.  When Moses delivered the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, the second one was: “Thou shalt not make thyself any graven image, or any form of what is in the heavens above, or what is in the earth beneath, or what is in the waters under the earth” (Exodus 20:4).

The Bible says we were created in God’s image.  What does that mean?  God emotes; He hears; He sees; He feels; He has personality.  He created you for friendship, relationship.  Knowing that, how can you live in His image?  First, surrender your life to Him.  Then, you magnify His image in four ways that represent His DNA. 

The Favor of God means that He will give you the resources you need to develop His image in your life, to do what He has called you to do—whether it is to be a missionary or an evangelist, a pastor or teacher, a salesman or chief executive officer, a doctor or a stay-at-home parent ministering to your family. 

Whatever you need, He will supply, and all because of the Favor of God.

In Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Since my encounter with Jesus at the age of eleven, He has spoken to me again and again—through His Word.  I’ve heard His still, small voice through prayer, and I’ve applied the four principles that define God’s very DNA in my life. 

This is what Jesus did; He was Radically Obedient, He forgave, He humbled himself to the Father’s will, and He lived a life of Radical Generosity.  Those four traits are in His DNA—the same DNA as the Father.

When you magnify the image of God, you are manifesting the DNA of God in your own life.  Then, and only then, can you live in the Favor of God and activate the Word of God. 

What is DNA?  I could give you a long, scientific explanation about deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that contains your genetic code, but I like to use the definition, “Divine Nature Acquired.”  Paul wrote that “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I know this is true because it happened to me.  And I know that once you experience God’s favor, your life will never be the same. 

For most of us, the name Bethlehem immediately summons images of a manger and shepherds and a star shining brightly in the night sky, guiding visitors from far-away eastern lands.  Many hear the words that Phillips Brooks, rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, penned in 1868, following his return from a visit to the Holy Land:

              O little town of Bethlehem

              How still we see thee lie

              Above thy deep and dreamless streets

              The silent stars go by

              Yet in thy dark streets shineth

              The Everlasting Light

              The hopes and fears of all the years

              Are met in thee tonight.

Few places in all of Israel better illustrate the lengths to which the enemies of the Jewish people will go to deny the truth of their heritage in the land for thousands of years than the fate of Bethlehem.  This obscure village in Old Testament days became famous because it was the home of King David.  In fulfillment of prophecy, Bethlehem is where Jesus was born about 1,000 years later.

The name Bethlehem means “house of bread” in Hebrew, and it is located not far from Jerusalem.  It is fitting that the Bread of Life would be born there to a young virgin named Mary who had made the lengthy and difficult trip from Nazareth with her espoused husband, Joseph, because they were both descendants of David.  The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem marks the spot where, according to tradition, Jesus was born.

But today most visitors to Israel, who go desiring to see the places where the important events of Scripture happened, do not visit Bethlehem.  The city is in territory controlled by the Palestinians, and the danger of attack is so high that many tours of the Bible lands no longer include a visit to the birthplace of Jesus.  Many of the Christians who once lived there and in other areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority have been forced to move because of the threat of violence.

In fact, the number of Christians of various denominations living in Palestinian areas is estimated to have declined approximately 90% in the last century, with most of the change happening in the recent past.  Today the letter “N” painted on the outside of a house (symbolizing the residents are followers of Jesus of Nazareth) is often the precursor to vandalism or even a violent attack.

Yet because Bethlehem is currently under Palestinian control, the claim is often made that Jesus Himself is a Palestinian rather than a Jew.  This outrageous falsehood is declared publicly without shame (and too often without rebuttal from those who know better) by Palestinian leaders.  At the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference—a gathering of liberal religious groups that harshly criticize and oppose Israel—earlier this year, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that Jesus would not have been allowed to attend “simply because he was a Palestinian.”

Those who deny historical Jewish links to this land that God promised to Abraham thousands of years ago are either ignorant or deliberately deceitful.  This land is essential for Israel’s security and self-defense.  It is not part of a historic Palestinian state, for there has never been one.  Israel did not conquer Palestine—it defeated the forces of Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967, after Jordan had illegally seized the land during the War of Independence that was started by Israel’s Arab neighbors in 1948.    

In the Bible, the number five is often associated with God’s grace and favor and blessing.  Fifty-five is the number of the double portion.  This month, Carolyn and I are celebrating our 55th wedding anniversary, and 55 years of ministry together.  Truly we have seen God do so many amazing things through the years. 

God’s favor and blessing is not just for a select few.  It is available to everyone who reaches out to Him in faith.  In His Word God promises those who are thirsty that they can find their longing satisfied in Him.  His grace rests on those who humbly seek His favor.

God’s Plan for You

God has a plan for your life, and it is far more than you can even imagine.  His thoughts are beyond ours, and provide much more than we could ask.  Looking back now I see how God worked to bring the great global prayer movement of the Jerusalem Prayer Team to life.  God knows your name.  He knows who you are.  He knows where you are.  And He knows what you need.

Our Father shows unconditional love. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:8–10)

He is integrity personified. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)

He is compassionate. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” (Psalm 103:8)

God has tremendous wisdom. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)

Seed for the Sower

God is more than able to meet every need that we have.  When we trust in Him, He provides for us.  It is a wonderful cycle.  When we obey His instruction to give generously, He gives to us so that we can give even more.  He blesses the generous with His bounty—our gifts turn His head and move His arm to action in our lives.

Through the years I have seen God richly bless those who have given generously to His work.  When we give we are not meeting a need God has.  Everything already belongs to Him.  When we give we are expressing our faith.  When we cling to everything we have, it really says that we do not trust God to meet our needs. A hoarding heart robs the owner of the opportunity to see God’s power displayed.  It is only when we open our wallets and our hearts…both are vital…that we put ourselves in position to see God do things that are impossible to explain apart from His power.

When Carolyn and I started out in our ministry, we had almost nothing.  But we believed in what God wanted us to do.  We were working with Jewish young people who were struggling with addiction and other issues.  Many of them came from New York, and God began to burden my heart to work with them there rather than waiting for them to come to Texas.  I went home one day and told Carolyn, “God has told me to buy a training center in New York City to assist Jewish kids coming off of drugs.  I believe it will cost a million dollars, and I don’t know where we will get the money.”

Our total income the year before was $4,500.  When I said I had no idea where the money would come from, I meant it.  I didn’t have any resources.  We were barely surviving.  But we were happy in serving the Lord!

Our oldest daughter Michelle was five years old.  She heard this conversation and she said, “Daddy, I’ve got a million dollars in my piggy bank.”  She went to her room and came back with her little bank.  “I will give you the money.  It’s here in my piggy bank!”  I had tears in my eyes as we broke that bank open and counted out what was inside.  It was $3.26.

Faith rose up in my heart.  I took that money to the bank and opened an account to buy the training center.  The teller asked me if I were crazy.  He thought I had mental problems.  I told him what God was going to do, and he laughed.  He assured me the money would not be coming in.  “You can’t pray money in Reverend.  You need to see a counselor!”

Every day I went to our center in Texas and prayed and fasted for a miracle.  Sixteen weeks later, we deposited the final funds in the bank to reach the total of one million dollars so we could buy the building we needed.  The banker apologized to me, but I knew the real secret.  Michelle’s holy offering—her childish act of faith and Radical Generosity—had touched the heart of God and moved His hand to action.  

I’ll never forget the first time I met Corrie ten Boom.  Over a cup of soup, she shared her love for the Jewish people with me. I told her a little of my own family’s story of suffering at the hands of people who claimed to be Christians and she said, “You can’t love God without loving the Jewish people.”

You and I know the story of the Hiding Place—how the ten Boom family risked so much to save the lives of hundreds of Jews from the Holocaust…and the incredible price they paid for their faith.  But it’s a story at risk of being forgotten. So many people today are shocked when I share the ten Boom’s amazing story with them—they’ve simply never heard it before. And right now that story is needed more than ever before.

The ten Boom’s story starts with a prayer meeting Willem ten Boom began in the family clock shop in the 1840s…and continues through decades of faithfulness…culminating with a family risking everything to save Jews from the Nazi death camps. Hundreds of Jews passed through the family’s home, staying for days or weeks as they fled certain death at the hands of the Gestapo.

Then came the fateful day when the entire family was arrested. The elderly Casper ten Boom, 84 years of age, was offered his freedom if he would promise to stop helping the Jews. Despite the dire warnings, he refused. He said, “I am too old for prison life, but if that should happen, then it would be for me an honor to give my life for God’s ancient people the Jews.”

Ten days later, he entered the presence of God, receiving the honor due to a faithful servant. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to the dreaded Ravensbruck prison camp where Betsie died. But Corrie survived until she was released due to a “clerical error” just days before everyone her age in the camp was executed.

Corrie devoted the rest of her life to telling her story and sharing the Good News with the world. She lived to the ripe old age of 91, and it was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with her on several occasions.  Her love and courage are an inspiration and example to all of us still today. 

As I was praying for you this morning, my beloved partner, the Lord spoke to me from Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

That’s the word God gave Jeremiah. I’m sure Jeremiah didn’t feel that way when he was beaten and put in stocks and sunk in mud and his scrolls were burned because of the word of the Lord.

Jerusalem’s Mayor Teddy Kollek knew I liked Jeremiah.  Years ago, he told me he wanted to show me Jeremiah’s grotto, his cave. We went to it together. I was totally astonished because the name of that spot is now called Golgotha, the place where heaven and earth met.

Since the age of 11, I’ve learned to put all my faith in God. I’ve also learned to celebrate suffering and sacrifice and that nothing comes without a price. The Apostle Paul says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

The price of admission to change the world is high.  Jesus Himself faced unspeakable evil and betrayal.  The Lord told me that when trouble comes, don’t play the victim. He asked me two questions. First, are the things you’re living for worth Christ dying for?  Second, are you living your life in the light of eternity?

I have come to realize that it was in the quiet crucible of my personal suffering that my noblest dreams were born. God’s greatest gifts are given in compensation for what I’ve been through. That goes for you, too.  God has a plan and purpose for your life that is more wonderful and bigger than you can imagine.

I’m sharing this with you today to encourage you because as part of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, you’re doing something truly great for God. You are part of a 100-year plan. Yes, that’s what God told me. Friends of Zion would be a 100-year plan. It is your legacy. It will shine and impact the nation of Israel decades after you’ve gone to heaven.

Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” That is your promise. You are one of those stars that will shine in Jerusalem.  The echo of what you are doing will shine over the holy city of Jerusalem and throughout eternity.

Truly, you are living your life in the light of eternity, and the things you’re living for are worth Christ dying for. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous Holy Spirit-led offering today. Jesus brought His offerings up to Jerusalem. Just like Jesus, you are bringing yours.

The vital work of the Jerusalem Prayer Team is only possible because of friends like you.  The needs are enormous. People are suffering because of the wars in Israel and Ukraine, and we are literally saving lives because of you. Please be as generous as you can. God bless you.