Voice of Awakening Podcast

Larry Shankle | StrongFaith.co
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Voice of Awakening is a devotional for the remnant—God’s people who refuse to bow to fear or compromise. Each episode brings clarity from God’s Word, courage for the battles ahead, and a bold reminder that revival begins with an awakened heart. This devotional podcast helps you find your roar, stand for truth, and carry God’s fire into your home, church, and community. www.strongfaith.co

Episodes

  1. 12/08/2025

    When God’s Promise Comes After You Like a Roaring Lion

    There is a tension to divine expectation that we encounter as we realize the Lord is stirring a dream in our hearts. This tension arises because we feel the dream so close now, in the present. It’s as if it were already accomplished, yet as we look at our lives, nothing seems different. The circumstances have not changed, the healing hasn’t yet occurred, the miracle is still in process, yet in your heart, it feels like today could be the day, and if not today, surely tomorrow. Forced waiting produces a tension between what we know God is doing and what we see being done. But friend, never forget that the miracle is growing. Dreams from God are like a pregnancy. From the moment you find out a baby is on the way, there is much joy and celebration. Everyone is happy and expectant about the future life that will be birthed—then the waiting begins. Month after month of expectation, often toward the end of the pregnancy, there will be hospital trips because it feels like today is the day—only to be sent back home again. This is the divine dream of God and the pathway of purpose He so often leads us down: waiting, hoping, expecting, tension. Friend, be assured the birth of your dream is coming! Just as a baby refuses to stay in the womb, your dream will also refuse to remain there. There comes a time for birthing. Although a mother may not have given birth yet, there are clear signs that the miracle is on the way. In the same way, the Bible says that God speaks of the future, yet unborn, and calls it into existence. Romans 4:16-18 TPT—The promise depends on faith so that it can be experienced as a grace-gift, and now it extends to all the descendants of Abraham. This promise is not only meant for those who obey the law, but also to those who enter into the faith of Abraham, the father of us all. [17] That’s what the Scripture means when it says: “I have made you the father of many nations.” He is our example and father, for in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. [18] Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at His word, and as a result, he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: “Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!” Tension arises because what God dreams for your life is already released in the heavenly realm, but in our life they are still in the spiritual womb. In the spirit, the dreams of God are already active. They are moving at full force toward His desire for your life. The divine tension expresses itself in longings for what we do not yet see and an extreme desire for more. His active dream for your life, released from the recesses of His heart, runs up against the seen reality in your life. If viewed through the lens of emotion, our most valuable God dreams could lead us to discouragement because we do not yet see them becoming reality, but the dreams of God’s heart for you were never designed to be seen through human emotion. Clarity and hope come when we see our lives through the lenses of faith. Romans 4:19 TPT—In spite of being nearly one hundred years old when the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child. Abraham is the best example. God called him to go out into a place he did not know or recognize. It would be years before any hint of the promise from God began to unfold in his life, yet every step on the journey was one ordained by the Lord Himself. Abraham had an incredible encounter with the living God that left him marked for a lifetime. But what God uses to mark us, seen through the lens of the present, will always lead to an Ishmael instead of an Isaac. In moments of discouragement, when the promises of God or the prophetic words of God seem so distant from what is happening in your life, you may be tempted to do or say something to produce the promise on your own. Friend, be aware that your attempts will lead to nothing but heartache. Ishmaels are the product of our own effort to accomplish a work that only the Lord can produce. Isaac is the son of promise. He is the one that comes through the inability of our lives and the weakness of our own circumstances, but born from the strength of God. The promise of Isaac, your purpose and dream from God, often produces laughter as it did in Sarah because the magnitude of His word seems completely unattainable. Still, Abraham is the greatest example because he never stopped believing what God promised, even though it took much longer than he thought it would. Romans 4:20-21 TPT—He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill His promises, Abraham glorified God! We have to be like Abraham. We must believe that God will do what He promised and that the waiting time is producing in us a valuable determination. God’s promise for you is running toward you and growing every minute. It will come to pass. It’s as if the Lion of Judah Himself is pursuing you with a determination to overtake you—and He will at just the right moment. I remember as a teenager who had just given his life to Jesus, receiving a word from Scripture that altered everything about my life. The Lord used a passage I had never read before to mark me and begin a process of shaping me. Habakkuk 2:1-3 TLB—I will climb my watchtower now and wait to see what answer God will give to my complaint. [2] And the Lord said to me, “Write my answer on a billboard, large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell the others. [3] But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! I will never forget the emotion and happiness I felt when the Lord spoke this passage into my heart and ignited a purpose I had never had before. It was like water to my soul and fire in my heart. Like many, I thought surely this would happen very quickly and the plan of God for my life would begin to plainly unfold. Somehow I bypassed what the passage actually said, “slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.” Over the years, this passage has molded and shaped my passions and desires. It has walked with me through dark moments and steadied me in storms. Other times, this same passage has brought the pain of unfinished promises that seemed like they would never actually happen. But something about the word of God, released in your heart, exposes a willingness to trust when everything looks bleak and lifeless. I could never escape the last sentence, “they will not be overdue a single day!” If I have repeated that sentence once, I’ve said it 1,000 times. Promises are not measured in months. They are measured in years. Sometimes decades. Many in Scripture faced the promise process: a word given—a promise spoken. Excitement. Waiting—often coupled with difficult situations designed to build a foundation of character that will undergird and support the magnitude of what God is going to bring about through the promise. For Elisha, it meant serving Elijah. For Joseph, it meant being sold into slavery, wrongly accused, and serving time in prison. For Jesus, it would cost His entire life. Each of these and more went through times of pain, loss, and discouragement on the way to the promise—but the promise did come. Elisha found the God of Elijah. Joseph was promoted to second in command over the same nation that imprisoned him, and Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. The birth of your promise will happen. Let the process do its job. Friend, one thing is for sure: if the Lord spoke it, the promise is running toward you. Right now, it is speeding toward you like a hungry lion, roaring with potential and destiny. Do not lose heart in the tension of the wait. If this episode has encouraged or inspired you, please help us reach other people with it! This is our mission: To raise, build, and encourage Strong Faith in the Remnant and see them rise up with boldness and pursue the mission of God for their lives. Help us in this mission by SHARING this episode on your social media. Follow on Apple Podcasts ➡️ Strong Faith Podcast Follow on Spotify ➡️ Spotify Also follow Remnant Rising Podcast Voice of Awakening Podcast Thanks for reading StrongFaith.co! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co

    14 min
  2. Echoes of Heaven

    11/27/2025

    Echoes of Heaven

    Welcome back, friends. Today’s episode, Echoes of Heaven, comes from a deep place in my spirit. As I recorded it, I felt such a strong urgency from the Lord: this is the hour for God’s people to wake up. I truly believe we are living in one of the most critical moments of spiritual history. And I’m thankful you’re walking this journey with me—choosing to follow the Lord, choosing to arise, choosing to say, “I will wake up and follow what God is doing in my life.” This episode is a call to awakening, alignment, and boldness. It is a call to live as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, echoing the very heart and voice of heaven into the world around us. Awakening as Ambassadors of the Kingdom I begin by sharing a simple but urgent truth: The people of God cannot afford to sleep. We are surrounded by voices—from culture, from our flesh, and from the enemy—trying to dull our spiritual senses. But Jesus is calling us higher. He’s calling us to stand in our assignment as ambassadors for His kingdom, living and speaking in a way that reflects heaven on earth. Just as Jesus only spoke what He heard from the Father, I talk about how we are meant to become echoes of heaven—not repeating our own opinions or desires, but declaring the heart of God with clarity and courage. Hearing and Speaking What Heaven Is Saying One of the foundational Scriptures I highlight is: Matthew 10:27—“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” This is the pattern: * We hear Him in the secret place. * We carry His words into the public places. * We release the kingdom everywhere we go. That means your “housetop” moments may not look like a stage or a microphone. They could happen: * Around your family dinner table * At your workplace * In conversations with friends * In a grocery store aisle * Or through a simple Scripture shared on social media Anywhere you carry His voice becomes a place where heaven touches earth. Moral Clarity in a Confused Culture In this episode, I also address the moral convictions we must be unafraid to echo. Not because they’re political. Not because they’re controversial. But because they are biblical—and heaven’s truth has not changed. I speak plainly: ➡️ Abortion is wrong. Innocent life matters to God. ➡️ Marriage is still between one man and one woman. This is God’s design. ➡️ Homosexuality is not God’s plan. Scripture is clear, and love calls us to truth. And I also talk about the personal holiness that shapes our witness: * Guarding our speech * Avoiding curse words * Refusing drunkenness or any substance that clouds our mind * Pursuing purity in conduct, attitude, and lifestyle We cannot echo heaven if our lives contradict heaven’s message. Maintaining a Living Connection to God To walk in this kind of clarity and boldness, our hearts must stay connected. That means living a lifestyle of: * Prayer * The Word of God * Repentance * Listening for the Holy Spirit * Yielding to Jesus daily Our effectiveness as ambassadors flows directly from our secret place with God. Everything Jesus spoke publicly, He heard privately. The same must be true of us. Releasing the Kingdom Everywhere We Go One of the core themes of this episode is the phrase: “On earth as it is in heaven.” We weren’t saved just to escape earth—we were saved to transform it. I talk about what it looks like to release the kingdom of God into: * Our families * Our marriages * Our children * Our workplaces * Our communities * Our platforms * Our digital spaces Whenever you bring the truth of God into a situation, heaven invades that place. Boldness Like the Early Church This message carries a call to courage. Just as the early church prayed, “Lord, grant to your servants boldness,” I pray that over you in the episode. Boldness is not a personality trait—it is a work of the Holy Spirit inside of us. God is raising up a remnant that will not back down from truth, that will not compromise, and that will not stay silent when heaven is speaking. Practical Ways to Echo Heaven I give several real-world ways we can live out this calling: * Speak what God shows you in prayer * Share Scripture boldly on social media * Declare truth in conversations at work or home * Refuse to align with cultural trends that contradict Scripture * Stand for righteousness with grace and conviction * Live holy in speech and conduct * Let your everyday interactions become your “housetop moments” You don’t need a microphone. You need a mouth yielded to heaven. A Call to Alignment and Awakening At the heart of this episode is a simple message: Align with heaven. Not with culture. Not with feelings. Not with the flesh. Everything changes when we choose His voice above all others. I close the episode with: * A prayer for boldness * A call to stand firm in truth * A reminder that your voice matters in God’s plan * An invitation to share this message to awaken others * And gratitude for every listener who is co-laboring with me to reach this generation for Jesus My prayer is that this message stirs deep within you. That it awakens you. That it clarifies your assignment. That it pushes you to rise as an ambassador for the kingdom. This generation desperately needs to hear the voice of heaven—and God has chosen us to echo it. Thank you for listening, sharing, supporting, and standing with me. Let’s continue to echo heaven together. ➡️Subscribe to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. If this podcast has encouraged you and stirred your heart to seek the Lord, would you help me reach more people with this message? Subscribe to the podcast and share this episode on your social media or email the link to a friend. Together we can help people be raised up, built up, and encouraged to pursue God’s presence more than ever before. Thanks for reading StrongFaith.co! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co

    13 min

  3. 11/12/2025

    The Host of Heaven Goes Before You

    2 Samuel 5:17-24 NKJV—Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. [18] The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. [19] So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.” [20] So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. [21] And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away. [22] Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. [23] Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. [24] And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” What I hear in my spirit is that it is time for the church, the remnant people of God, to begin positioning ourselves through prayer to seek the face of the Lord and to inquire of Him in times of battle. When the enemy comes against the people of God, we must not stand back in fear or pull back because we feel we will be defeated. There is a great God in heaven who stands ready to fight for us! God will fight for His people. Jesus will fight for His bride! As long as you position yourself in humility before the Lord, you can expect that the Lord will position Himself in front of you to face the enemy on your behalf. It has never been true that we fight the enemies of our souls all by ourselves. NO. We place ourselves in the mighty hands of the Lord, and with humility, we seek Him. Then the Lord, mighty in battle, turns His face toward the enemy and fights for us. Let me be bold enough to say that there is a new anointing coming upon the church in this hour. God is raising up people who are unashamed and bold to take their stand for the cause of Jesus. A remnant is rising that will turn the tide and defend and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This anointing is an end-time anointing from the Holy Spirit, preparing and equipping us to be part of the harvest of the ages. Yes, Jesus is coming! Yes, He is about to split open the skies! But there is a harvest of lost people the church is anointed to reach before that moment. Friend, let’s step into the anointing and position ourselves under the mighty hands of God through prayer. Let us return to a full-fledged seeking of His face and pour out our souls and hearts upon the altar of His grace. The Lord wants to deliver, heal, and set free those who are bound, hurting, and afflicted. He is still the great God of miracles who will be mighty on your behalf. I find it interesting to note that the Philistines heard David had been anointed. The enemy always hears it when the Holy Spirit places an anointing on your life. The enemy hates what God does through His people, and the devil fights the anointing on you. But listen, friend, understand what the battle means—if you are in the fight of your life, it means God has placed something of value upon you that is a threat to the enemy forces. This is why you’re fighting right now—because God has a plan for you, and the devil seeks to stop it. Do not let the enemy take the ground God gave you! You are anointed to win. You are anointed to overcome. You are anointed for breakthrough. So press in and receive what the Lord is doing in this moment. What did David do when he learned the enemy was after him? He went to the stronghold! A stronghold in this context is a mountainous place that is very inaccessible and inhospitable to enter, but in it are provisions for battle. It is a decisive, strategic high point where you have the advantage over the enemy. Strongholds would contain weapons where you could renew your supply and provisions for your hunger and thirst. Let me remind you of a Psalm David Himself wrote about the stronghold. We find it in Psalm 61. Psalm 61:1-8 NKJV—Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. [2] From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. [3] For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. [4] I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah [5] For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. [6] You will prolong the king’s life, His years as many generations. [7] He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him! [8] So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows. The analogy could not be clearer. For the people of God, the Lord is our stronghold. He is our strategic place of decisive victory. As we position ourselves in Him through prayer, seeking His face, and through His word, we gain the necessary provisions that we need to renew and replenish our lives. We are restored in His presence. Why do you think the enemy fights so hard to keep you from prayer and the Word? Because in this place of prayer, you are restored. In the place of prayer, your supply is renewed and replenished, and God fills your life with His goodness and joy. The Joy of the Lord IS our strength. In Second Samuel 5:22, we find that the enemy always tries to return for the kill. He does not give up easily. In this moment, what does David do? He goes before the Lord a second time. He inquires of the Lord. Why? Because David didn’t want to go to war unless the Lord was with him. He understood that no enemy was a match for the power and presence of God. In multiple scriptures we find the evidence of God’s prevailing power through His people. In Deuteronomy, the Lord reminded Israel of His victory through them. Deuteronomy 7:22-24 NKJV—And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. [23] But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed. [24] And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. To Joshua, God declared He would be with Him and cause Him to overcome. Joshua 1:5 NKJV—No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. In the book of Psalms, we find the song of victory. Psalm 44:5 NKJV—Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. We live in a moment in history when the people of God need to learn to wait for the sound. As in the book of Acts, there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, so today there is about to be a sound from heaven. Just like with David, there was a sound he waited on to know that the Lord was moving, so too, there is a sound of rustling leaves. The Lord is about to move and shift the heavens. He is rising up as a mighty man of war on behalf of the saints, and we need to position ourselves strategically to hear His movement. We know that He is moving for us when we hear the sound of the Spirit’s wind blowing through the situations and circumstances surrounding our lives. Those mulberry trees were also called balsam trees, and they carried aromatic sap that would be smelled when the wind blew. To me, it paints a picture, not only of the sound of the Lord rising up in battle to defeat the enemies of His bride but also of the smell of victory. It is an overwhelming and overpowering aroma of victory that we sense in the air when we position ourselves strategically in obedience to the Lord. For David and his men, this strategic and tactical position should have been a place they could launch from at will and gain mastery over the Philistines, but God said wait. Even when it looks like the time to attack, obedience to the Lord still overrules what we see with our eyes and feel through our senses. Wait in obedience for the Lord to move. Wait in stillness until you hear His sound from heaven rustling the leaves around you. What was this sound? Many scholars believe that it was the sound of horses’ hooves like the running of a great army. This was the army of the Lord—the very host of heaven! Friend, let me remind you that there are more with you than there are against you! Whether you are up against an insurmountable problem or a situation in which there is no possible solution, the host of heaven is rising in this moment to come to your defense IF you will obediently and humbly position yourself and wait on the sound of heaven fighting for you. The Lord told David, when you hear the sound, advance quickly. People of God, we wait until the waiting time is over, but once the Lord moves, we must move quickly. Being ready is more than waiting. It is making ourselves available to DO what the Lord planned. When God moves, He always moves through His church. We are the body of Jesus on the earth. Literally the hands and feet of the Master Himself, and we carry out His plans and His will as His ambassadors. So be ready to obey the slightest command and be prepared to move with God when He shifts the tide of battle, for in this moment, there will be great victory. Hear a word of the Lord I heard in my spirit concerning this: The Lord says, “Listen for the sound.” “The Lord is stirring Himself and rousing Him

    14 min

  4. 11/05/2025

    Let The Prayer Warriors Arise

    Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV—Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This is the great invitation to a life of prayer and a life in the Spirit. We are invited to seek the face of God and approach the very throne of His majesty with confidence. He will open up heaven for us and allow us to enter a place reserved for kings and priests. As His children, we have this privilege. He desires to walk with us in prayer, and as we pour out our hearts before His throne, the Spirit and presence of the Lord enter our lives powerfully, and things begin to shift. If you need a change in your life, the key is prayer: seeking the face of God, boldly coming before His throne, and faithfully pursuing His presence as a lifestyle. It is more than just a prayer life; it is an all-consuming “life of prayer” that makes the difference in us. As we surrender everything to the Lord and pursue Him in this way, bondages break, chains fall away, freedom comes, His presence fills us, life flourishes, glory shines, and strength and wisdom enrich our lives, enabling us to discern the things of God for our lives. ➡️Subscribe to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Prayer is the communication lifeline of heaven. As believers, we must understand that nothing truly works until we commit ourselves to wholeheartedly seeking the Lord. I would also say that as we grow in our understanding of the Word of God and mature in our faith, our life of prayer also undergoes a maturing process. Jesus mentions many times that we can ask the Father for anything in His name, and certainly, this is true. Our needs are met through our prayers. However, there is a relational aspect to prayer that moves beyond “things” and into presence with God. What the Lord desires, I believe, more than anything else, is fellowship and communion with His children. He simply wants to be with you and for you to desire to be with Him. The greatest feeling a dad can have is when his children just want to be with him, not necessarily needing or asking for anything. This is a type of prayer that we must grow into and mature in. It does not happen overnight, but as we press into the kingdom and toward the King, a hunger to simply know Him must be birthed. Some people shy away from this type of prayer because it is not instant. It takes time. Sometimes it will take much more time than you realize. You will have to sacrifice to make it happen. But the Lord is reaching out in this hour for those who will sacrifice to make time with Him possible. Others distance themselves from this sort of prayer because they don’t know what to pray or how to pray effectively. Scripture gives us clear insight about this: Be filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s baptism is the key to unlocking a life of prayer that shakes heaven and earth. His guidance in our prayers and His voice make all the difference. It isn’t that a person cannot pray in an earthly language and move forward with the Lord, because we can. I remember as a young believer who was only fourteen years old, spending many days in my room for hours at a time seeking the face of the Lord. I would pace the floor, kneel at the foot of my bed, worship, and read the Word for three, four, or even five hours at a time. During this time I was not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of praying in a heavenly language. Nevertheless, as I look back, I can see where the Holy Spirit directed every word and every cry from my heart. My relationship with Jesus moved forward in that season by leaps and bounds. School kids would come to me with prayer needs, and I vividly remember the feeling of knowing deep down how to pray and seek the Lord. Prayer was my life. It still is. However, as we pray in the Spirit through our heavenly prayer language, something unlocks inside of us, and there is a connection to heaven that does not occur in any other manner. Romans 8:26 TPT—And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words. Friend, no matter how you look at it, prayer is the work of the Spirit. It is the way things operate and function in the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit, whether you are baptized with the evidence of speaking in a heavenly language or not, is the originator of all desire to pray and is the One who helps us pray. He can and will fill your mind with words and thoughts to help you connect to the Father. But this takes time and cannot be rushed because it is a relationship. The greater your desire and hunger for the Lord, the more quickly your life of prayer will grow and the deeper you will dive into the things of the Spirit. Leonard Ravenhill, noted preacher and revivalist, once said, “No man is greater than his prayer life.” Please hear me: the defining marker of God’s hand upon your life is not the miracles you perform, the acts of service you do, or the number of scriptures you can quote—God’s mark on you is found in the strength of your prayer life. As people of the Kingdom, we must pursue a life of prayer above every other pursuit. Being with Jesus is the prize. When you pray, the Spirit of the Lord works in your life, shaping you and developing in you the character and quality of Jesus. Without realizing it, as you seek the face of God, things begin to change in your life. You are recreated, renewed, reformed, replenished, and reborn. Something happens in our lives when we sacrifice time and make the effort to go before the Lord in humility and seek His face for long periods. There is something about a sacrifice of praise and faithfulness that pleases the Lord. The following scriptures give witness to the importance of our faithfulness to praise and pray. Psalm 50:23 AMP—He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him], I shall show the salvation of God.” Psalm 116:17 TPT—Now I’ll worship you passionately and bring to you my sacrifice of praise, drenched with thanksgiving! Jeremiah 33:11 NKJV—the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever”- and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD. Hosea 14:2 TLB—Bring your petition. Come to the Lord and say, “O Lord, take away our sins; be gracious to us and receive us, and we will offer you the sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 NKJV—Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Certainly, what I’m not saying is that the more you pray and the harder you work, that your work produces all the results. Jesus did the work of salvation for us. However, His work for us ought to produce a hunger and thirst in us to know Him. The way you come to know the Lord is through His Word and through time spent in prayer. It is this spending of ourselves—this giving away of our most valuable possession, our time—that moves us closer to the heart of God. I do not claim to know exactly how it all works, but what I do understand is that prayer is the relationship between God and man. * Prayer is not the relationship builder. * It is not the great activity of heaven. * It is not the work we do that pleases the Lord. * No, prayer itself is the connection between God and man. To have a relationship with the Lord means I must sacrifice my time and invest effort to seek Him out. It’s not that the Lord hides from us, but He desires us to seek Him. Seeking Him takes time. In any relationship, you must invest time to know and care about the other person. Relationships are a two-way street. God does countless things for us and answers many requests, but I must also care about the Lord enough to seek Him, know Him, and love Him. Prayer is work. It is never easy to sacrifice large amounts of time. But for our lives to come under the Lordship of Christ in greater measure, there is but one thing we can do—pray. * Prayer works into us what is well-pleasing to Jesus. * Prayer brings us closer to the heart of the Lord. * Prayer is the place where the Holy Spirit speaks to us. * Prayer is where we receive courage, boldness, and strength. * Prayer is the place where we experience the presence of God and the infilling of His Spirit. * Without significant sacrifice to spend time in prayer, we will never really move forward, and our enemy will take advantage of this by telling us how good we are apart from prayer. Satan’s device is to lull the church to sleep and make us feel okay with ourselves. As long as we are just as “good” as someone else, or possibly even consider ourselves a little “better” than the rest, we think we must be okay. Friend, do not fall for the devil’s lie! There is no one who is good enough on their own. You and I cannot produce enough good things from our lives to make the Lord happy with us. We cannot grow fruit on our own. And Scripture declares that our righteousness apart from the Lord is like a filthy rag. Pride seeks to tell you that you are good enough. Humility, on the other hand, reminds us that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. The world is filled with

    18 min

  5. 10/28/2025

    Pray Until Something Breaks

    The Call to Breakthrough Prayer There is a breakthrough aspect to prayer that the Lord is calling us to. We are meant to be overcomers—those who, through persistence and tenacity, see the stronghold walls start to fall. If you have been a person who is constantly beset by the fear of failure, the power of lack, or the continual drip of worry and doubt, you need to learn the secret of breakthrough prayer. There is a fervency of heart that must lead us to pray longer, with more intensity and passion than we have ever prayed before. I understand that often it is not about the length of our prayer or surface-level praying, but for breakthrough to happen in your life, you must challenge yourself to pray differently than you have before. Allow me to suggest that breakthrough prayer is something more fervent and urgent than standard relational praying. When you need God to break through the barriers holding you back in certain areas of life, you need to let your heart sacrifice to spend time with God, knocking on the doors of heaven until they open. Breakthrough prayer is a mode that refuses to be satisfied with anything less than a sense of victory and success. Breakthrough prayer occurs when you know deep in your spirit that the Lord has heard you. It is about pressing into the Lord Himself and asking Him for an answer that you can never produce through self-effort or trying harder. Can I say something to you? Your Heavenly Father desires breakthrough in your life more than you do! He knows what you need in advance and has established this system of prayer so that you can reach the destiny He has for you in this season. Elijah shows us an example of breakthrough prayer. The New Testament declares that Elijah was a man like us. There was nothing special about him that gave him a greater propensity for the Lord to hear his prayers more than He will hear yours. James 5:16 NKJV—[16] Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. There are moments in our lives when the prayers we pray must take on a higher level of fervency and tenacity. It is simply the truth. If you need something from the Lord, bombard heaven for it. Let your prayer time become effective and fervent. Scripture is clear on this subject. These kinds of prayers prevail. This is what I call breakthrough prayer. Yes, there are multiple types of prayer, and yes, there are various ways that breakthrough comes. My goal is not to lead you to believe that the breakthrough is dependent on what you say or how you say it. All I am suggesting is that there are moments in our lives when, according to Scripture, we must pray with an effectiveness and fervency that God promises will prevail. The word “avail” means in Greek: to have and exercise force. It also means to exert, wield power, and have the strength to overcome. I am suggesting that there is a place in prayer where our approach shifts into another mode: breakthrough mode. It is the place where we begin to partner and cooperate with God in the Spirit by coming into alignment with His will and desire. This co-laboring produces massive results in a short amount of time as it breaks down the resistance of the enemy to the things of God in our lives. Subscribe to VOICE OF AWAKENING on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe to THE REMNANT RISING podcast on Apple Podcasts. The Fervency That Prevails Breakthrough prayer sounds easy—spend a few extra minutes, say a few extra words—but for breakthrough to come means much more than just these things alone. There is a point in our prayer where our heart begins to bend toward what God desires, not only in the situation but in us as individuals. This bending produces pain in a good way as it leads us toward something that is not selfish in its pursuit of the Lord. Breakthrough prayer is anything but selfish; it is self-sacrificing. This sort of prayer cries out from the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but yours,” and truly means it. James 5:17-18 NKJV—[17] Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Here is the point: Breakthrough prayer produces fruit. Fruit manifests in our situations, in our lives, and in the areas where the Lord directs us to intercede as our prayer shifts into breakthrough mode. Elijah, a man like us, modeled this effectively. 1 Kings 18:41 NKJV—[41] Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” This verse is astounding because it reveals a secret about breakthrough prayer. Here’s the secret: there is often a prophetic unction that comes into our hearts and minds, leading us to know that if we pray, the Lord has already created breakthrough and victory. There is always a cooperation between God and man in prayer to bring about breakthrough that can happen in no other way. If you are believing God for something in your life but are not praying, it is time to start seeking Him with determination. To exert force in prayer simply means that we choose to believe and exercise the authority we have been given through the name of Jesus and His blood. There is a place of intercession we can enter before the Lord that presents our case and moves heaven in our favor. God is your Abba. He is your Father, and it is His good pleasure to give you the kingdom. But often, the kingdom answer only comes in response to sacrificial kingdom-type prayer. 1 Kings 18:42 NKJV—[42] So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees. In this verse, we see Elijah humble himself. The servant of Elijah is not the one bowing; Elijah is. In fact, Elijah has placed himself in a very vulnerable position. Warfare is not often fought with our faces to the ground, but in the Spirit, this is how warfare is fought and spiritual battles are won. Breakthrough does not come from the number of scriptures you read and memorize. It will not come from simply skipping a few meals and claiming you have fasted. Breakthrough happens when a man or woman humbles themselves to the ground and prays with a fervency that makes them sweat, and with a humility that makes them vulnerable to God. Until you can set your pride aside, don’t expect a river of blessings. Until you can live in a place of thankfulness, don’t expect a great breakthrough. Until you can sacrifice time and effort in prayer, don’t expect principalities to fall. Again, do not misunderstand. There is a mystery that occurs in breakthrough prayer as we co-labor with the Lord to bring His will to pass. On one hand, the answer is completely up to God and is not dependent on anything we can do. Yet on the other hand, the answer is entirely dependent upon whether or not we pray. God created it this way. This is the tension of breakthrough prayer. It is His orchestration that leads us to breakthrough. The Power of Persistent Faith 1 Kings 18:43 NKJV—[43] and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” We see one of the most effective qualities of breakthrough prayer in this verse: breakthrough prayer is profoundly persistent. There is a tenacity of spirit that is required to keep praying when you are seeing nothing. In fact, it is the “nothing” that makes breakthrough prayer even more travailing and vigilant. When you pray and pray, yet nothing is moving, you are left with a choice. You can either give up, or you can press in harder. Breakthrough prayer occurs in a man or woman of God when their spirit becomes intensely, even violently drawn to pray harder because they are seeing nothing change. Please understand, this sort of prayer is not about us trying to move God. If we are not careful, we will adopt the mentality that we are trying to move God’s hand. Instead, breakthrough prayer is when we do everything possible to come into alignment and agreement with God by seeking to co-labor with Him in producing the impossible. Breakthrough happens most quickly when we enter this place of heavenly agreement and lay aside all of our pride and entitlement. My goal is to encourage you to pray harder when you see nothing changing. I want to see you seeking the face of God and worshipping Him for an answer that is yet to be revealed. If you can receive your answer by faith, you will hold your answer in the natural. The Cloud of Breakthrough Is Rising 1 Kings 18:44 NKJV—[44] Then it came to pass the seventh time that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” When breakthrough prayer occurs and you see movement, faith declares that even the smallest activity is about to bring about the biggest outcomes. Elijah knew by faith that the little cloud was about to become a storm so great it would shake the enemy. You must stop discounting the little things you see God doing, and instead be thankful for them, declaring and speaking life into them. You and I must affirm that the slightest move of God’s hand will grow into world-shattering action. Elijah’s response was, “Prepare before the rain stops you.” The servant may have given Elijah a strange look, but Elijah understood the implication by faith of what the Lord was about to do. Drought was about to end! A new season was about to dawn! 1 Kings 18:45-46 NKJV—[45] Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. [46] Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up

    17 min

  6. 10/21/2025

    Heaven’s Imminent Release

    As I spent time in the presence of the Lord today, He began to release a word into my heart that stirred me to my core. It concerns an outpouring of His Spirit upon the earth that is soon to come. The Lord is pouring out His Spirit not only upon the earth but also on those who have been seeking His face and longing for the revival that is to come. The encouraging part is that you can begin to seek Him NOW! It is not too late to pour out your life in prayer and seek the face of God. He stands ready and waiting to welcome you into a deeper relationship with Him than you’ve ever experienced before. Friend, as you hear this word, let it sink into your spirit and receive it as encouragement, but also as a charge to get ready and prepare your life. Having a heart on fire for Christ is essential in this hour, as is having a vital and ongoing fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If deeply seeking the Lord is new to you, don’t be discouraged! Begin today to take some valuable extra time in His presence. Embrace the challenge of starting a new quest to find God in a deeper, more tangible way. I can promise you from experience that the Lord will meet you where you are, and He will not disappoint. As you press into His presence, you will begin to find new life, fresh life, and empowered life, equipping you for your assignment. The word we are about to hear speaks about what happens at the beginning of the harvest of the ages. Souls are going to be won. People are going to be healed. Revival will sweep through places that you thought could never be brought back to life. It is the release of the Lord, and it is imminent. Heaven is stirring with the sound of outpouring. I feel the Lord saying— There is a rumble in the heavens as I am about to release the power of my Spirit, being poured out as the prophet has declared would be in the last days. Rivers of mercy are coming. Rivers of grace. Rivers of my Spirit. Where once there was dry ground, the rain is coming, and it will saturate the core of those people and those things that position themselves to receive. Yes, Heaven is rumbling. The activity is increasing as I prepare to send the deluge of my Spirit upon the earth. Are you ready? For in a moment, it will happen. Things that have long been locked will be released because of the quick nature of my work. For the work I do will happen quickly and will accomplish vast amounts of purpose. You will be taken back by the enormity of the magnitude of what I can do in such a short amount of time. My Spirit will fall again and permeate the people and the earth. Heaven rumbles with expectation for the release of the ages. In this moment, there is a dual release taking place. Heaven is about to open and pour out, while at the same time, the seeking ones are about to release the things for which I have prepared them. They have sought me, and I will not fail them. They are after me, and so I also pursue them. Like an eruption of power, I will begin to move in areas that you have thought were dead and dormant. My Spirit will split the ground of your destiny, and I will release in you. So prepare. Do not stop getting ready. There is no place to quit. If you are seeking my face, press in harder and allow my presence to saturate the ground of your life. I will fill you up to overflowing. To an explosive level, will I come into your life until you erupt on earth with the purposes of Heaven. At the same time, I release from Heaven the outpouring of my Spirit, you will begin to see the eruption of my plan, purpose, and grace in your life. Those things for which you have long sought will seem to be as nothing when they come to pass so easily. What you have thought was nearly impossible will simply break open before your eyes. You will not know what to do for the joy of spirit that quickly overwhelms and expands your soul. You have sought and prayed and thought that I did not hear, but I did hear! I heard every prayer and every cry. I saw every tear. I even saw when, in anger and frustration, you wanted to quit—but you didn’t. So now I am coming to set things right. I am renewing, restoring, revitalizing, and replenishing. What was lost will be found. What was used will be refilled. What was not enough will overflow. I ask, is anything too hard for me? No! There is nothing I cannot do. Now is the time. Quickly it comes to pass. To the seeking ones, again I say, press in. Keep pursuing my presence and the outpouring of my Holy Spirit. As you pursue, you will become deeply embedded into my heart more than you have ever experienced before. This time in my presence will begin to become your life. It will be like water to you and food. My child, you will need this time with me, for we are about to run. We are running. The tide is turning. The moment is arriving. If ever you have sought me, seek me now. Do not relent, but pursue with all your might. This outpouring is coming to those who are ready to receive it. This eruption of heart and soul into the purposes of my heart is coming to those who continually pour themselves out in my presence. Heaven is rumbling. Listen for the sound. Let me take a moment to encourage you again to spend some extra time with the Lord. To be honest, I feel the Lord calling the church back to much more than just extra time with Him. He is calling us to pour out our very lives in His presence and set ourselves on the pursuit of a lifetime. Maybe you’ve never spent long periods of time in prayer. The best way to begin is to simply start. Find a private space, or create one. Turn on worship music that uplifts the Holy Spirit and resonates in your heart. Then close your eyes and begin to worship the Lord. For those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit—pray in the Spirit. Pray more in the Spirit than you ever have before and open your mind to the voice of God. If you’ve never prayed in tongues or come from a background that pushes back against this gift, I encourage you to ask the Lord to fill you. Open your heart to receive. The Holy Spirit’s prayer language is a gift to the body of Christ from the Lord. Friend, something big is coming! Let’s get ready for it. If this podcast has encouraged you and stirred your heart to seek the Lord, would you help me reach more people with this message? Subscribe to the podcast and share this episode on your social media or email the link to a friend. Together we can help people be raised up, built up, and encouraged to pursue God’s presence more than ever before. Use this link — Subscribe to the Voice of Awakening Podcast on Apple. Thanks for reading StrongFaith.co! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co

    8 min

  7. 10/20/2025

    The Alarm Is Sounding: It’s Time to Awaken

    A Strategic Hour in History Friend, it’s time for an awakening. It’s time for the Church to rise and become the men and women of God we were created to be. Romans 13:11 (TPT) says: “To live like this is all the more urgent, for time is running out and you know it is a strategic hour in human history. It is time for us to wake up, for our full salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” This truly is a strategic hour. If we are going to be the Church that Jesus intended—full of His Spirit and power—we must wake up from spiritual slumber. We can’t let culture define or confine us. The Spirit of God is calling us to rise, to be filled again, and to live boldly for His Kingdom. How Do We Wake Up? We wake up by seeking first the Kingdom of God—above every other pursuit, above every other love. We wake up by making prayer and worship our highest priorities. We wake up by inviting the Holy Spirit not just to live in us but to move through us—bringing Heaven to Earth as Jesus taught. Time is short. Whether we consider the soon return of Christ or simply the urgency of this moment, we must recognize that we don’t have forever to waste. A clear line is being drawn between light and darkness, and the Lord is calling His people to rise on the side of truth while there’s still time. A New Day of Destiny Romans 13:12 (TPT) declares: “Night’s darkness is dissolving away as a new day of destiny dawns. So we must once and for all strip away what is done in the shadows of darkness… and once and for all clothe ourselves with the radiance of light as our weapon.” Now is the time to repent—to cast off sin and compromise like filthy clothes and to put on the light of Christ as our covering. The light of God always drives away darkness. When we walk in His radiance, His presence becomes our greatest weapon. Living in the Light Paul continues in verses 13–14: “We must live honorably, surrounded by the light of this new day… Instead, fully immerse yourselves into the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, and don’t waste even a moment’s thought on your former identity to awaken its selfish desires.” We will either wake up to the light or to the darkness—there is no middle ground. The choice is ours. Will we let the Holy Spirit fill our lives and lead us into purpose? Or will we let the past and sin hold us down? Friend, it’s time to wake up. It’s time for the men and women of God to seek His face again—fervently, passionately, and persistently. The Call to Awaken It’s not always easy to wake up spiritually. Sometimes we feel weary, distracted, or numb. But the Holy Spirit stands ready to strengthen and guide us as we rise into our destiny. Purpose is waiting for every believer who will seek the Lord wholeheartedly. Your prayers matter. Your pursuit matters. Spend time in the presence of God until His presence begins to change you—because that’s where awakening begins. A Personal Challenge I’m on a personal quest to experience more of God’s presence and power than ever before. I want to be fully immersed—completely surrendered—to the Lord Jesus Christ. What would happen if you did the same? If you gave yourself wholly to prayer, the Word, obedience, and the presence of God—everything would change. You would wake up. Your influence would grow. And the Spirit of God would shine through your life for His glory. Thanks for reading StrongFaith.co! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co

    9 min

  8. 10/17/2025

    When Everything Battles You: Declare God Is For You

    I declare that God is for me. No one can be against me and win. Romans 8:31 NKJV—What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Friend, you may be facing hurdles that seem too high for you to overcome. There may be obstacles that make the pathway you’re on look completely blocked. So what do we do when everything is battling us and the warfare gets so heavy that we do not know what to do? You remember your foundation. You recall to mind who the Lord is within you. There is One who remains on your side and will never leave you—no, not for a moment. We will never be forsaken or left alone. God is there in the middle of your battle. In fact, He is the One who called you to be the warrior you are. If the Lord is on your side, what enemy can ever face off against you and win? I declare to you today that no enemy has the power to overcome you. It isn’t that the enemy will never try to overcome us; he will always try. But we must boldly plant our feet on the ground and be willing to speak the truth even when it is hard to say. The truth is that no one can stand against you and win. People are never the enemy. Nevertheless, there are moments when they hurl their word stones at us or seek to undermine what the Lord is doing in us. Whether they do this on purpose or inadvertently, we have the opportunity to respond in a manner that is pleasing to Christ. People are not the enemy. The devil and his demons are the enemy. So, put on your armor and be ready to declare the truth. God is for you. This means He stands over you and on your behalf for your protection. His protective covering always surrounds your life. When the floods of trouble come your way, the Lord lifts you above them. If accusing words are pounding your mind, the Lord speaks truth. As the enemy seeks to wage war against your family, your job, your emotions, and your walk with Jesus, the Lord Himself stands guard over you, refusing to allow the enemy entry. What it means for God to be for you can be understood this way: whenever the enemy sees you, he also sees the God who is with you. Remember what Satan said to the Lord about Job? He told God, in essence, “I can’t get ahold of him because You are always there surrounding him.” Friend, the Lord has not changed! He still surrounds us like a shield. He watches over us with joy in His heart, waiting to defend us. How to fight the enemy using this declaration: I must understand who I truly am in Christ. When a person knows that the God of heaven really does live in them, a holy confidence rises. The early disciples and Apostles prayed for boldness to be the witnesses in their culture that made a difference. You and I are no less in need of this boldness. Yes, pray for boldness, but also remember that the Lord is for you. This declaration reminds us that God stands watch. There is a passage in scripture that displays God’s heart about watching over us. We find it in the book of Psalms, chapter 121. Psalm 121:1-8 NKJV—I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? [2] My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. [3] He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. [4] Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. [5] The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. [6] The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. [7] The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. [8] The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Friend, be bold and declare to the enemy that you are covered by God’s watchful eye. The Lord stands with you at all times, ready to come to your defense. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to trust in Your ability to defend me from all forms of attack. I refuse to be swayed into doubt by what I see or feel. By faith, I stand in Your love and truth, and You will completely overwhelm the forces of the enemy that try to harm me. I declare God is for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Thank you for reading. Would you mind to share this devotion on your social media. Every share is an opportunity to reach someone with God’s love and His purpose. Please help me reach someone for Christ today! Thanks for reading StrongFaith.co! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co

    6 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

Voice of Awakening is a devotional for the remnant—God’s people who refuse to bow to fear or compromise. Each episode brings clarity from God’s Word, courage for the battles ahead, and a bold reminder that revival begins with an awakened heart. This devotional podcast helps you find your roar, stand for truth, and carry God’s fire into your home, church, and community. www.strongfaith.co

Information

  • Creator
    Larry Shankle | StrongFaith.co
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Larry Shankle
  • Show Website
    Voice of Awakening Podcast