Bold Prayer

This past February, my friend Raegan was volunteering with a missions company called IRIS Global. She and the team were evangelizing in a remote desert village in the state of Piauí, Brazil. On the third day there, she got to go into a desert village from house to house, praying and sharing the gospel. The team spoke different languages, so an interpreter was used to translate what the missionaries were saying.

       In the village, there was a household that had four generations of a family living inside. Raegan and the team she was with asked if it was okay to take a seat in the family’s yard and visit. The team asked who the villagers were, their stories, and their beliefs. The believers in this house were generationally catholic. But, had never experienced the presence of Jesus or heard of the Holy Spirit. 

      The team there prompted Raegan to share the gospel (which was something that was already stirring in her spirit to do). She got to share the gospel message and who the Holy Spirit is. The family explained that they had never seen or heard of the works of the Holy Spirit; they were very interested to hear of who Jesus and the Holy Spirit were to them. 

      The Holy Spirit prompted Raegan’s attention to the second-generation woman. This woman’s name was Mary. Her spirit was timid and nervous, but the people around her could tell she had a desire to encounter the Holy Spirit. Raegan asked Mary what she needed prayer for, and the woman needed healing in her hands. Raegan got to step out in Faith and bravery and speak about the healing that took place in her own body. Raeagn asked if Mary believed in the gospel message that was preached. If she believed in the Holy Spirit, the woman could receive healing.

      So, Raegan knelt and began praying for this woman. She shared John 13, where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. How Jesus became a servant, not only for the atonement of humanity, but he healing and restoration of all people. Raegan prayed over just healing in her hands, but also her feet. And the woman was fully healed in her hands, and all pain in her feet as well. 

      This is the first time Raegan had ever witnessed healing in others. Her faith in Jesus allowed her to step out in bravery and boldness to pray over this lady for healing, but also to fully receive the Holy Spirit, and she did!

American Heros

“Ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation. And right now, our nation is more ambitious than any other. There's no nation like our nation. Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.”-President Donald J. Trump.  

What makes a great American? What, for that matter, are the qualifications for being hailed a hero? We, as Americans, love to take notice of exceptionalism. I lived in China for several years, and the Chinese have their heroes the same as Americans do and, for that matter, all other nations. However, there is something different about American heroes that transcends all others. American heroism is largely based on our values and ideas. American heroism is rooted in individualism vs collectivism. Collectivism is when we will all work together and contribute so that the team as a whole is successful. Collectivism is largely based on Marxism, and the inherent result is that the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the government gets more powerful. Collectivism has heroes, but the heroes reflect the society as a whole, which seems altruistic at first but, upon closer inspection, starts to crumble.

Individualism states that though I might need some help, I can pull myself up by my bootstraps and be successful, and I can be successful in multiple areas and not just one specialized area. This brand of heroism straps on and adheres to qualities of courage, independence, know-how, confidence, and the expectation that, though times might be bad, we expect tomorrow to be better than today.

However, more than these qualities, American exceptionalism is grounded in the even deeper, more ardent truths of the Christian faith, freedom, and value of our families. These are the three braided cords that make the American hero so beloved and admired. The American hero often stands tall, though alone against tremendous adversity, and says to the mountain, “No, you move.”   

Americans love our heroes. American heroes are larger than life. Sports heroes like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr, Tom Brady, Emmitt Smith, and many more make us stand up and cheer as they triumphed in so many clutch plays and big games. We love to admire them. Everyone wished they could play like them. We love music and entertainment heroes such as Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Elvis Presley, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carrey, and so many more. We love heroes such as Neil Armstrong, who first stood on the Lunar surface and declared, “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.” We love Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who had a dream of equality for all. We love the inventors and industry leaders who built America, such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, John Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. Our list includes Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington as great leaders who forged and saved the Union. Let us not forget heroes in the ministry who have shown us and taught us about the power and the Word of God. How many have had their lives changed because they listened to a sermon and came to an altar at a crusade by Billy Graham? How many gained an expectation that God is good because Oral Roberts told them? How many were healed and filled with the Spirit because of Kathryn Kuhlman?

Here in lies a simple truth bedded in the groundwork of America and just as real as the red of the stripes. Few nations of the world are founded on the principles of the Word of God. The Honor of God and obedience to His Word will set you apart from all nations of the world just as surely as two plus two will always equal four. The Word of God inspires certain characteristic traits in its observers ( not all; some will be the proverbial bad apple ), such as love, honesty, loyalty, bravery, hard work, patriotism, generosity, family, community, prosperity, and peace. Americans expect that we will be ok and that everything will turn out alright. We believe in our dreams and even more in our children.   

When it comes down to it, the real American heroes are our fathers who worked long and hard and loved just the same. It’s the mothers who cared for and held the family together and inspired us to work hard and be kind. It’s the siblings who we laughed, joked, fought, and played with. It was the grandparents who toed the line, set the standards, and forged a legacy. Our heroes are the American soldiers who gave their last full measure of devotion. It’s the police officers and firefighters who have protected and saved our lives. True heroism belongs to the small-town pastors who have taught us the Word, have been there for us in tough times, and married us in good times. American exceptionalism belongs to the immigrants who traveled, suffered, and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. It’s the first-time college students and the self-made millionaires that inspire us. It’s the farmers who work like no one else in the dead of the freezing winter to feed us. American heroes are the truck drivers who deliver our food and goods and the retail workers who deal with the rotten apples, bad attitudes, and obscene behavior. It’s the ironworkers, the mechanics, the oil driller, the salesman, the chefs, the news reporter, the waitress, and the barista, all who work hard and keep going strong, who make up the American hero.

The Price of Redemption: When Demand Exceeds Supply

In economics, there’s a basic principle: when supply exceeds demand, the price drops. But when demand exceeds supply, the price skyrockets. The greater the need and the scarcer the supply, the higher the cost.

Now think about sin. The demand created by humanity’s sin was overwhelming. Every lie, every act of hatred, jealousy, pride, rebellion, and selfishness—it all piled up into an unpayable debt. The demand for redemption was at an all-time high, and nothing on earth could meet it. No good deed, no sacrifice of animals, no human effort could cover the cost.

So God sent the only thing valuable enough to meet that demand: the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19 says: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed… but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

The good news? While the demand was great, the supply of Christ’s blood will never run out. His sacrifice was once and for all, fully sufficient to cover every sin for every person who will believe.

Hebrews 9:12 reminds us: “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

What once seemed like an impossible debt has been paid in full. The price was high—but Jesus paid it. And now the supply of grace, mercy, and forgiveness is limitless for all who come to Him.

The Roar of the King

In the wild, the male lion doesn’t just sleep under the sun—he roars. His roar is not random or for show. It can be heard up to five miles away, a thunderous warning to all enemies: stay away. When lionesses make a kill, the roar of the male lets hyenas, leopards, and other threats know that the pride is protected. His presence secures the ground and brings confidence to the pride.

This powerful image mirrors the strength of Jesus, the Lion of Judah. He stands guard over His people, and when He speaks, the enemy flees. Just as the lion’s roar wards off invaders, the authority of Jesus’ name drives back the powers of darkness.

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” – Proverbs 28:1

As believers, we carry the authority of Christ. When we declare His name in faith, it’s not our own strength—but His roar—that causes the enemy to scatter. Jesus doesn’t just give us comfort—He gives us power.

“Behold, I give you authority… over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

So when fear, temptation, or opposition draws near, don’t stay silent. Speak His name. Declare His promises. Let the roar of the King echo through your life, and watch the enemy retreat in defeat. The Lion of Judah fights for you—and His roar still reigns.