Letter to Chinese Christian Leader in Prison - Karen Hardin

May 28, 2025

Today, read a letter to a Christian prisoner in China from a Christian brother in his church. It is contemplative, encouraging, and personally challenging.

Our second article is revisiting how some believers in China used masks and the pandemic to share the Gospel in Wuhan, where the virus first broke out. Praise God for bold, creative witnesses!

In Christ,

Kevin & Karen

 PS - IMPORTANT PRAYER REQUEST!Karen felt led by the Lord to run for a state officer position within the Oklahoma GOP party. This position would give her considerable influence in the GOP party across our state AND nationwide as she would be one of two representatives of the Oklahoma GOP to the national GOP party. The election by the State Committee of the Oklahoma Republican Party for this position is this Saturday, May 31. Pray with us for God's will to be done. Thank you. 

May 27 - Week 21 - The Book of Revelation, Part 31 - Rick Joyner

      We are preparing to examine some very challenging facts about church history. If we do not see them through the Lord’s eyes, they can lead to cynicism and critical judgments of the church—and of people—which can darken our hearts. Let us keep in mind that not every church that has claimed to be the church of Jesus Christ was built by Him. His church has always been “a little flock,” a remnant that has resisted trying to build for this age. Rather, it seeks the city God is building, a heavenly city.

      The church the Lord is building is “not of this world” and is in contrast to the spirit of the world and the church man is building, which is of this world and, in many ways, is contrary to the Spirit of God. Distinguishing between these is one of the primary messages of the entire book of Revelation. The distinction between what man is building and what God is building addresses some of the most fundamental differences between walking with God and just adhering to religious practices. These are two different paths, and they are coming to an ultimate clash at the end of the age. This is a basic message of Revelation, and it is critical for us to understand now.

      These two ways are as different as the attempt by men to build a tower to heaven and Abraham’s pursuit of the city God is building. The men of Shinar sought to build a city for themselves and to make a name for themselves—not God—so they would not be scattered over the earth (see Genesis 11:4). In contrast, in the next chapter, God gave Abraham everything the men of Shinar had vainly sought. Abraham was shown the city that God was building, and he was given a name and a family that will last forever.   READ MORE

God Breaks The Man He Wants To Use - New

Comparison Is the Thief of the New - Sara Whitten, Kerrville, TX - May 25, 2025

Don't Let the Old Frame the New

As we enter a season, new things begin. The initial foundation is laid. The seed is given. However, sometimes new beginnings, at the outset, look a whole lot like old beginnings that didn't end as we had hoped.

The beginning of Peter's net-bursting catch in John 21:6 began with a call to go fish... again, in the same place, with the same nets, and in the same boat where he had been fruitless before.

But a shift had occurred. This time there was a mingling of the Lord's timing and the learned obedience of a Peter whose heart had grown and been shaped over time by his walk with the Lord. The Lord is inviting us now to a "new" beyond comparison.

Comparison, at its root, isn't always bad. Comparison notices similarities and differences. It can become a slippery slope, however, when our comparison is tainted by judgment. It sounds like "this is better," or "this is worse," or "this is the same," etc.   READ MORE

May 20 - Week 20 2025 - The Book of Revelation, Part 30 - Rick Joyner

      The seven churches addressed in Revelation are named in the sequence of the ages, or time periods, they represent. These periods can vary in length a great deal, from a couple of centuries to over a thousand years, so they are not defined by the amount of time but by the main spiritual conditions of each period.

      The meaning of each name is also prophetic of that period. So, it may seem logical that all of the other “sevens” named in Revelation would fall into the same sequence and relate to these same church ages, but that is not always the case.

      Again, if prophecy followed a mathematical formula or pattern that is easy to figure out and follow, it may be easier for us to find scientifically-minded people who could figure out prophecy for us. But making things easy does not seem to be a priority for the Lord. In fact, He seems intent on making it harder to separate out those who do not value His truth enough to persevere through the difficulties. He would rather have us become dependent on His Spirit to lead us into all truth. The many attempts to figure out Revelation in place of seeking the Holy Spirit to understand it is a reason for much of the confusion taught about it. READ MORE

God Breaks The Man He Wants To Use Napoleon Hill

God Took You Seriously - Francis Frangipane, Cedar Rapids, IA - May 18, 2025

Attaining the Likeness of Christ

People give their lives to Jesus Christ for many reasons. Some need physical or emotional healing; others are in search of peace and forgiveness. Whatever our condition, God meets us in the valley of our need. Indeed, the Lord reveals Himself to man as Heaven's answer for our needs. He is a "father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows." He even makes "a home for the lonely" and leads "out the prisoners into prosperity" (Psalm 68:5–6 NASB).

God uses our need to draw us to Christ. Yet, the consciousness of our need narrows our revelation of God, limiting His activity in our lives to the boundaries of our struggles. Thus, many Christians have never awakened spiritually to the deeper call of God, which is to attain the likeness of Christ. We are forgiven, healed and blessed, but we experience a ceiling on our spiritual growth.

Compelled to Christ-Likeness

Regardless, the Spirit of God remains committed to our personal transformation. If we should awaken spiritually to the vision of Christlikeness, the attention of God will approach us in a unique and powerful way. Indeed, two things will occur: one, we will read the Scriptures with revelation; God's Word will speak to us in a much deeper way as we discover the reason why we exist.   READ MORE

The Last Pope Leo Had Some Great Takes on Socialism - By Dominic Pino - May 9, 2025 6:42 AM
pope leo xiii

The new pope is taking the regnal name Leo XIV. The last Pope Leo was in office from 1878 to 1903. Perhaps his most famous written work is Rerum novarum, an 1891 encyclical “on capital and labor” that is often described as charting a third way between capitalism and socialism for Catholic teaching. This description is incomplete, if not entirely wrong, as Rerum novarum is very clear that socialism is evil, and markets and private property are essential to human flourishing. And Leo XIII composed some of the strongest denunciations of socialism ever written. It was a major theme of his papacy from beginning to end.
 
Rerum novarum
 
Let’s start, though, with Rerum novarum, since it has been so much more influential than his other works. Writing in 1891, Leo XIII said:
 
The socialists, working on the poor man’s envy of the rich, are striving to do away with private property, and contend that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State or by municipal bodies. They hold that by thus transferring property from private individuals to the community, the present mischievous state of things will be set to rights, inasmuch as each citizen will then get his fair share of whatever there is to enjoy. But their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.
 
“Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in life,” the encyclical says. “Every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own.”
 
“The socialists, therefore, in setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home,” Leo XIII wrote. He goes on:
 
And in addition to injustice, it is only too evident what an upset and disturbance there would be in all classes, and to how intolerable and hateful a slavery citizens would be subjected. The door would be thrown open to envy, to mutual invective, and to discord; the sources of wealth themselves would run dry, for no one would have any interest in exerting his talents or his industry; and that ideal equality about which they entertain pleasant dreams would be in reality the levelling down of all to a like condition of misery and degradation. Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal. The first and most fundamental principle, therefore, if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.
 
No wiggle room there. Private property is God-ordained and fundamental to human life. Leo XIII’s criticism of capitalism is much more nuanced and restrained. He saw a greater role for organized labor than the U.S. has typically had, and the working classes in Europe were genuinely in worse shape in the late 1800s than they are today. Part of the solution, he believed, was not greater government control but rather more private ownership, and he wrote that government policy “should be to induce as many as possible of the people to become owners.”

Unlocking Destiny: The 4 Purposes of Men (Man) with Rick Joyner

I Am in the Waiting! - Jeff and Angie Stolba, Washington, IL May 10, 2025

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3 ESV)

Hold On to Hope

Today, I hear the Lord saying, "Hold on to hope, and do not come into agreement with the lies of the enemy! I am with you in the waiting! Surely, you have felt the intensity of the battle increase, but be of good cheer; this intensity truly proves that mountains are being moved and ground is being taken for the advancement of My Kingdom! Choose to magnify Me instead of the circumstances that you are currently in, for surely they are subject to change. I change not! As for Me, I am the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Promises Fulfilled!    READ MORE

This Is Not the End, It's the Beginning! - Lorilei Cooley, Scottsdale, AZ - May 9, 2025

Many have been in the biggest transition of their lives. Things from the past have been resurfacing; the agony and pain of what you have walked through has been coming to your remembrance—things that were lost and stolen, and the years it has taken to get to this moment in your life where you are finally at the cusp of stepping into the fullness of your destiny. It seems that many things have come to end, leaving you feeling displaced and asking what's next. What now, Lord?

Holy Spirit Is Preparing You for What God Is About to Bring Forth

The Lord is restoring your strength, birthing a greater boldness and confidence in you that can only be birthed through Him. There is deep work of the Holy Spirit happening that is making room for what He is about to bring forth. Not only is He bringing forth what He has promised, but there is increase, provision, favor, and promotion coming upon you.   READ MORE

Demonic Roots of Lawfare - Karen Hardin - May 7, 2025

Lawfare is a modern term to an ancient tool that was used in biblical days. Its roots are demonic tied to spiritual darkness, jealousy, pride and manipulation.

Lawfare is defined as: “the use of legal proceedings to achieve a goal, such as the use of legal systems to wage war to damage or destroy someone’s reputation. This approach transforms the battlefield from physical combat to the courtroom, where legal maneuvers become the weapons of choice.” (https://wayneaston.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-lawfare/)

Especially over the last ten years, lawfare has increased exponentially where legal avenues are weaponized to hinder or destroy political opponents or righteous actions.

When laws are manipulated to achieve an unrighteous end, it is demonic lawfare. It can be enabled with both unknowing or corrupt judges/leaders, who allow unjust actions to be legalized and promoted.

Ecclesiastes reminds us there is nothing new under the sun. The same spirit of wickedness in our world now has been prevalent throughout time. Let’s take a look:

“If you want to move people to a much lower economic footprint, having complete control is obviously very convenient.” ~ Catherine Austin Fitts on the Tucker Carlson Show

Fitts on Tucker Carlson

April 30, 2025 -  Stay Over the Target! - Karen Hardin

(NOTE: The message that Karen posted for our www.CityByCityPrayer.org email on Monday, was so powerful, we felt to share it with our Destiny Builders Ministries contacts as well. For those that are on both lists, we apologize for this repeated content.)

DON'T  BACK DOWN
The Bible instructs us not to grow weary in doing what He has called us to do. It is followed by the encouragement that in due season we will reap if we faint not. Many have felt like fainting as the battles you are facing seem unrelenting. If that is you, I encourage you, don’t back down!

If we look back through the Bible, we can see a pattern that the more intense the battle/spiritual warfare, it is an indicator that not only are you right over the target, but breakthrough is near—if you don’t quit.
 
The Old Testament accounts give us a great first hand view of that principle how God can and does intervene in our lives. Over and over in those accounts, we see that people who put their trust in God, came out on top—against all odds. And it was always because of the God factor.

  • Elijah vs Jezebel
  • Nehemiah vs Sanballot
  • Mordecai vs Hamon
  • David vs Goliath
  • David vs King Saul

What did all of those scenarios have in common? The Enemy wanted to destroy them! They weren’t small battles, but intense life and death battles.

Week 17 - The Book of Revelation, Part 27 - Rick Joyner

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (Revelation 1:10-11 NKJV).

      For John to be “in the Spirit” was for him to be in the spiritual realm. This is also sometimes referred to as the “kingdom of heaven.” This is where spiritual beings and landscapes become more real to us than those in the natural realm. When we start to see angels and other spiritual beings, it is usually because we are entering their realm, rather than them entering ours.

      It is possible for all who have been born again by the Spirit to begin to experience this realm, become more comfortable in it, and begin to grow up into their new creation nature. As we do this, we become more spiritual than natural and more at home in the Spirit than we are in the natural.

      It was in this realm where I experienced the things I wrote about in The Final Quest Trilogy. When I had these experiences, it was like living in two different worlds. I was caught up in the Spirit for several hours a day, often for several days in a row. Altogether, these took place over years. Then, I would go through a period when I would not have these experiences for several years.   READ MORE

A Second Wind: Revive, Restore & Recharge - Elaine Tavolacci, Staten Island, NY - Apr 28, 2025

A Second Wind

One day I saw an elderly woman at the supermarket who was struggling to stay on her feet, as she was overcome with exhaustion and about to pass out. A manager quickly came to her aid and brought her a chair. She may have been experiencing heat stroke or was just physically drained because she was up in years. He offered her a glass of juice, and she gladly received it. Moments later she made a remarkable recovery, regaining her strength and composure within minutes. I thought to myself, "That's amazing how she suddenly got her second wind."

While driving home I heard the Holy Spirit say, "I am about to release a second wind to those in the body of Christ who are spiritually lethargic, and have lost their zeal." There are those who had a passion for the Word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they got worn down by the relentless pressures of life. They will run again and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Their strength will be restored, and their youth will be renewed. This second wind will bring revival and restoration.   READ MORE

Will North Korea's Dictator Lose Power? - Karen Hardin

Today's first article is about North Korea's second in command, Choe Ryong Hae. Since 2017, Choe has been trusted by Kim and has been gaining more and more power across much of the government and military, whose power network seems to be surpassing that of Kim himself.

I wonder if this "ally" will eventually turn against the Kim family and stage a coup. This certainly seems to be the possibility that is being laid out in this article. If he would overthrow Dictator Kim and then open up N. Korea to the outside world and would be a more benevolent leader than the Kims have been then of course that would be great for the people and hopefully for the spread of the Gospel. 

If Choe stages a coup and also acts as a cruel dictator similar to Kim, then who knows, but it could even get worse for the N. Korean people. 

Pray over the leadership of N. Korea to change for the good of the people.