Lisa Great

Every year during this time of the year I read the book of Esther, because it is the time of Purim, the Feast of Lots. Purim is celebrated on the 14th and 15th of Adar which was yesterday and today on the Hebrew calendar. As I sat and read the whole book of Esther yesterday I saw so many parallels to our current reality.

I have always wanted to go to Israel to walk where Jesus walked, see what Jesus saw, smell what Jesus smelled and hear what Jesus heard, but yesterday I felt like I was living in the book of Esther in real time. There is so much we miss as Christians if we do not read our Bible, for our God is alive, He speaks, He is active in now time.

In Esther 4-5, Esther invites the king and his top official, Haman, to two banquets of wine. “The king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request?” Did not the US administration invite Iran to the table for a banquet to discuss how to resolve the conflict? Not just once but multiple times, just like Esther did with the king and Haman?

What was the request. It was the liberation of a nation. Sounds just like Esthers request in chapter 7, “Let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish.” The story of Esther is in Persia, the people she is wanting released are Jews, to be freed from a Perisan wicked ruler. Not personal, national.

When talking doesn’t work, action must be taken, but not just any action, killing of the leader, Haman and his 10 sons (Esther 9) was the action taken. The Jews defeated their enemies, but took none of the spoil. And it did not end with the removal of leadership, Jesus said you can clean the house, but you must fill it or worst comes back. Install Mordecai (Esther 10). Sound familiar?

Friends, let it not miss us that we are living right now in the celebration of Purim, the enemy is being defeated, the stock markets are falling for Babylonian money must be transferred to the righteous to distribute and new leadership is rising among the people. Nations are being saved. This is a time to celebrate for God is winning nations right now in a biblical, historical way. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Can you hear the sound of birds singing; trees clapping; rivers roaring; and wind blowing; grass growing; and children playing? Oh yes, it is the first sounds of spring all around us. The weather has shifted from ice to nice and people are walking dogs, heading to the park, drinking their coffee outside; and the BBQ grills are even being fired up. The first signs of a new season.

Even with the sights and sounds of a new season upon us, there are the sights and sounds of an old season leaving us. Missles flying; Presidents and their wife testifying; executive orders being signed; blood moons shining; oh the sounds of Babylon falling. Can you hear it, can you see it? The old is passing away, the new is here.

Add to all of that today, yes today, Purim, a feast of the Jews. Today they remember Hamaan being hung on gallows he prepared for Mordecai; today they remember the decree that reversed the curse or the annihilation of a covenant nation, the Jewish people; today they remember the courage of Hadassah (Esther) who boldly went before the king of Persia on behalf of her people, the Jews; today they rejoice and we rejoice with them that if God is for you, who can be against you.

In the midst of Lent and Ramadan, the season of Chinese New Year and Passover, oh the many places to look, the many things to see and hear, but in the midst of it all, there is One who sits on a throne. One who is worthy of all praise, honor and glory, there is One Jesus the Christ. And as we praise above the noise of all the people and activity of earth, we will find the presence of the One who really matters.

Can we pause today in the midst of it all and rise above the noise on earth to fix our eyes on Him who sees all, hears all and knows all. Revelation 1 says, “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ!!!!” When all is fallen, He will be sitting with fire in His eyes, a sword in His mouth and a name above every other name. Pause in the midst of it all. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Is it possible we have been told a lie and yet because it was never questioned we believed it to be the truth? The answer is yes in more places than we ever realize or recognize. No one likes to be lied to, but if we do not ask questions, we will never learn the truth that will set us free. 

When I first got saved in January 1989, the Lord spoke to me two phrases the day I gave my life to Him. I was sitting in the back row of a Lutheran Church youth group in Plymouth, MN. I had bleach blond hair, a black leather jacket on, ripped jeans, and cigarettes in my inside coat pocket. I sat there and watched and listened to people my age singing songs I had never heard before. 

My youth pastor at the time was Grant Hill, he spoke about a relationship with Jesus Christ and then offered us the opportunity to enter into a relationship with this man. He spoke of how to do this and as I sat there, I heard a voice inside of me say two things: 1) I love you; 2) I will never lie to you. This was huge for me, for I had been lied to a lot in my life. 

Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent. I can tell you, walking with God for 37 years, He has never lied to me. So, when I read His word I believe what He says, and it makes me question what people are telling me. 

We have been taught things are getting darker, worst and one day we will be raptured out of here. But what does the Bible say, Matthew 24 says, the one left behind is the same one who was left behind in the days of Noah. Noah, a righteous man was left behind and the wicked were swept away, taken away. 

This theme is throughout the bible, the righteous are left on earth, the wicked are removed. Proverbs 2 says it this way, “For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.” 

I say this today, because we are seeing great rejoicing from people who have been left behind and who have seen this weekend the wicked removed from the earth. When people of the nation where the wicked have been removed from are rejoicing, there is reason to rejoice. The Lord is removing wickedness from earth and establishing righteousness. It is a time to rejoice with those who rejoice. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

The fog of war is upon us. Missles are flying, countries are being attacked, leaders are dying, people are celebrating in the streets, flags are flying. When the fog of war is dense our sight is limited. Recognizing we are not seeing clearly it is wise to remain quiet and let those who know more than us speak.

Amir Tsafarti is boots on the ground in Israel, he is a great resource for coverage from the Jezreel Valley and the Sea of Galilee; Robby Dawkins has boots on the ground knowledge from inside Iran; the President of the United States truth social or recorded videos are a good source of information. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is another one to listen to.

When the fog of war is thick misinformation is rampant and we do not want to be echoe’s of things we do not know anything about. It is best for most of us to keep our mouth shut, rather than jump on a political pundits bandwagon and speak about things we are not privy to. I call it staying in your lane.

Now my lane is the word of God and it has not gone past my notice that this fog of war is happening in the week of Purim, a Jewish holiday found in the book of Esther and it is happening in the week much of the world will see a blood moon.

When many things are happening at once, I listen more and speak less. I read by Bible more and let Him speak to me about what He wants me to know and I listen to others that know things I don’t. This morning reading Proverbs 1, it says, “Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

I do not think we have anything to fear, but I do think we will experience some shaking, significant shaking, but it is not surprising for we have been saying, Babylon is falling. When an empire falls, the earth shakes, but there is nothing to fear if we hearken unto the Lord and His word. Shalom my friends. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

On February 19, 2026 I woke up at 3am hearing the words, “Beat your plowshares and your pruning hooks!” (Isaiah 21:4 – Joel 3:10 – Micah 4:3) I go back to sleep and am awakened at 4:56am to the words, “The horse is made ready for battle…” (Proverbs 21:31 – Proverbs 20:7). I wrote a blog about it that day on my social media, but now this morning waking up to hearing about the strike on Iran, I am thinking the Lord was speaking about this day we are in.

What struck me on the 19th when I heard these words, I did not know if they were going to beat their plowshares into spears, so prepare for war, or they were going to capitulate and beat their swords into pruning hooks, because the word of God goes both directions depending on what prophet is using this verse.

Now as I go back to that word the Lord spoke to me on the 19th of February I heard beat your plowshares and pruning hooks, then I heard the horse is made ready for battle. Those were words speaking of going to war. This is where we are right now today. Iran has chosen to go to war rather than enter into the terms of peace, so here we go.

The peace I have is the Lord told us ahead of time on February 19, 2026, so this is not a surprise the Lord. Number two, He said, the horse is made ready for battle, but the rest of the verse says, but victory belongs to the Lord. I have absolute confidence in the victory God is going to win for the advancing of His kingdom.

Main stream media is going to seek to create fear, but the kingdom of God has already declared victory. We are seeing smoke rise, people running to bomb shelters and missles being launched, but God has declared victory belongs to the Lord. Shalom my friends, God has already spoken victory, nine days before a missle was launched. Www.apostollicresourcecenter.org

Living in a culture that is easily offended and wants everything served soft like oatmeal, it is hard to even speak the Bible to them. The reason being, the word of God does not mince words, does not lower the standard to match our cultural preferences and does not back down when challenged.

When people don’t read their Bible, don’t submit to what it says, they take verses out of context to match their view on any given subject. The word of God is powerful, it sets boundaries for our safety, it speaks truth for our freedom, and it provokes us to move from immature to mature.

1 John 4:1 speaks directly to us today in the 21st Century, saying, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” A false prophet is not someone who gets a prophetic word wrong, a false prophet is one who gets a narrative wrong.

A prophet is someone who speaks for God or speaks about God. If you are a Christian, you are a prophet, for 1 Corinthians 14 says, “One who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.” And Moses said in Numbers 11:29 “If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” When the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost (Acts 2), we all were invited to be filled with the spirit and to prophesy, speak the words of God to one another.

Now with that said, we must test the spirits or narratives that people of God and people in general are speaking to us. The spirit is a narrative that is being shared and it is either building up the body of Christ or tearing it down. It is either maturing us or keeping us immature. It is either raising the standard or dumbing it down to fit our own or someone we loves lifestyle.

Friends, please hear the words of John, the apostle who walked with Jesus on earth. We must test the spirits, the narratives we are hearing. But you cannot test them if you have already believed them for then you will find verses in your Bible to support them. Read your Bible to have your mind renewed (Romans 12) to God’s standard, God’s truth, not what culture and people have taught you. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Peace is a gift from God that we all long for but many are afraid of. I am not sure if we fear peace because we have heard so many prophets speak words of war over us or if it is because we have been taught wrongly the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 that say, “When people are saying, “All is well; everything is quiet and peaceful”—then, all of a sudden, disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman’s birth pains begin when her child is born. And these people will not be able to get away anywhere—there will be no place to hide.”

Jesus, the Word of God, the final authority, the author of truth, is called “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and is said by Paul in Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you.” If Jesus is Peace, which is not passive or a doormat, but is a force that evil cannot control, why are we so afraid of peace?

Peace is a gift from a good God. Our nervous system longs for peace; our soul is crying out for peace; our minds need peace; our relationships only work in peace; our nations want to live peacefully with each other; peace is not some protest we do with signs; peace is safety; peace is power; peace is the presence of God.

We will sow into others what is inside of us. If we are at war internally, if we are disappointed, disillusioned, divided, bitter, angry, lonely, wounded, we will sow that into others. If we are living in peace with God, we will live in peace with others. “Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.” (James 3:18)

God has so much good for us, but we must allow the harvest of peace He has planted in us take root and grow, then we must release the harvest of peace from us, so goodness can be seen, heard and felt around us. Peace is the culture of the kingdom of God. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

What you see is what you say, it is called a testimony. You cannot testify to what you have not seen, or at least you can’t testify with authority. You can echo what others have seen, but it is like second hand smoke, it does not carry the same authority.

What we see we say. What we hear we repeat. When I was a youth pastor my students could not believe how much I knew about them or understood about where they were coming from. They were amazed many times as I actually listened when they spoke so heard what was going on in their heart.

We as people speak what we are hearing, thinking, questioning, believing, wondering, pondering. Our mouths cannot help but share what is on our hearts. If you read through Facebook, listen to YouTube videos, listen to the news, pay attention to your spouse when they speak, listen to friends at church, you can know where someone is and what they are thinking. Listening is powerful.

To be a great communicator, you need to be a prolific listener. Most people don’t listen well that is why so many people can say things that are not biblical and we believe them, echo them, like, share and subscribe to them, without really listening to them. If you listen you will hear.

John was an eye and ear witness to Jesus Christ on earth. If we listen to what he says, we will hear who Jesus was and when we know who Jesus is, we can hear who is speaking for God and who is echoing the news.

Listen to what John says, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1 John 1)

Why are we so afraid of the dark, so curious about what people do in the dark, so eager to share the latest dark news, when God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all? We speak what we see, we echo what we hear. Can you see the light that is God? Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Restoration can take longer than we originally thought. Restoration is a process of uprooting some things, tearing down some things, destroying some things, planting some things, building some things, reviving some things, and even removing some things.

Flipping houses has become a known concept that was made popular by Chip and Joanna Gaines. Taking what is delapitated and making it beautiful is the process of restoration. Restoration is the ability to return to original design.

People restore furniture, they restore cars, and God Himself restores lives. Restoration takes time, we think it will be done in a week, a month or even a year, but some restorations can take years. If you believe in restoration you cannot retreat when the restoration does not happen in your desired timeline.

When the Lord says He is restoring something, who are we to want to see it removed from our lives; removed from the agenda; removed from the situation.

Restoration takes place under cover. We restore cars in garages; we restore marriages in private spaces; we restore houses on the inside; much of restoration is done out of sight, but as the restoration happens we get glimpses into something is being restored.

Psalm 80:3 says, “Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.”

While restoration may be private, the reveal of what has been restored is public, visible, for God shines His face on what He restores. God has been restoring nations secretly but they are about to be seen publicly as restored.

I do not know what God has been restoring in your life in secret, but when the restoration is revealed it will be a public display for His glory. For the story of restoration is a story of salvation and God is going to go public with all He has been restoring. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Do you realize the presence of God is in you, but it feels like it is in the room, because people in the room are opening up their hearts, to release what is in them in the room? When you get a group of people who are willing to release the spirit that is in them, the room is filled with the presence of God.

This happens all the time, when someone is angry you can feel the tension in the room. When someone is mourning you can feel the grief or heaviness in the room. When someone is scared or anxious you can feel the fear in the room. The spirit we are agreeing with fills the room, that is why we say this or that spirit is in the room.

Have you ever thought about why one of the marks of revival is longer services? Have you ever considered the reason people do not want to leave an atmosphere or environment is not because people are such great musicians or preachers, but because of the presence of God coming out of the people in the room?

Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed man from thedust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.”

Sunday morning services do not experience revival, because the clock determines the end time not the spirit in the room. College campuses can experience revival for they are not clock driven. Revival means to live again or to restore breath. Breath is spirit, spirit is presence. Presence is the only thing that will restore our breath.

When the presence of God is coming out of the people of God in the room, you don’t want to leave. It is not about longer services, it is about breathing again. What if the clock is hindering us from living again? Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org