Showing posts with label don't give up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label don't give up. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Don't Give Up; Prayer Spot. Got One? - Now Think On This messages by Steve Martin

October 31, 2018

Greetings family and friends.

Stressed out? Overloaded with all this overwhelming news? Wanting to quit and go live on an island?

We all have been there, done that. (Not so much as live on an island, but wanting to. Or at least a small mountain cabin.) But that may not happen. So I wrote: Don't Give Up .

My 2nd message Prayer Spot. Got One? encourages you, it really does, to simply find a spot in your home, and give the Lord time to refresh and encourage you, so you don't give up, as I said above. You can do this. Trust me.

I notice several of you are not buying my books. Why not? Cheap enough. And thus for what you will pay you have no excuse. So go ahead and spend the $5.99 and get Arms of Love (see below.) I sincerely hope you will support the ministry of Love For His People, Inc. by purchasing a copy (or two!) I would most appreciate that. (Only $5.99.)

Be blessed with ahava (love) and shalom (peace),

Steve Martin
Founder/President

P.S. We support Messianic Jews and congregations in Jerusalem and vicinity. Please consider a contribution today for this ongoing, monthly support.

Click here for easy, online donations or address for checks: Love For His People contribution. Todah rabah (thank you very much.)

Now Think On This
Steve Martin
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12-13, NKJV)


Cross country runners face it, approaching, at last, the long, steep hill climb to complete the race. Boxers in the 7th round feel it when exhaustion burns in their tightening arm muscles. Wrestlers going into the third period of a fierce competition, against a ruthless opponent, know it, and must call up the strength within them to get to the final bell and not get pinned, but get the win.

They can’t quit. They must not give up, even moments before when that prized victory shout is about to happen, while slightly, even so slightly, they consider that it might not come.

A young mother, carrying the ever growing new life within, holds on to make it to the end of the nine long months, hoping, but yet a bit uncertain, if all will come out right, with their child having the ten fingers and the ten toes that will be just perfect.

Even the pastor of 12 years, having given as much as he thought he had to give out, must not stop and give up, nor give in. He must still call upon the name of the Lord, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. He must keep looking to the One who started him on this journey, and not let discouragement and lack of results end the still young man’s initial dream.

We all will face the temptation to call it quits, to end what was started, having begun with so many large expectations, only to look back and think it will never, ever happen. Those big plans and deep desires, instilled years before, seem to be fading away, with the sun setting once again, ending the day the way it began.

Be sure to read the rest: Don't Give Up

Steve Martin

“However, He (Yeshua/Jesus) made a practice of withdrawing to remote places in order to pray.” (Luke 5:16, Complete Jewish Bible)


Do you have a prayer spot, a prayer place, and space where you can go to be alone with the Lord? Yeshua (Jesus) made it a habit to withdraw to “remote places in order to pray.” To me, that says a lot. It also demonstrates a real example to each of us, that if Yeshua, the Son of God, felt it was important enough to find a quiet place, in order to talk with His Father, alone, on a regular basis, then we ought to do the same.


But do we? Or do we get the One-Minute Bible, say a one-minute prayer, and do a one-minute devotional each day as we rush to the daily job, take the kids to the next event, or plop down for a two-hour movie to “relax” and let nothing else come our way until bedtime?

Do we then expect and trust that all will be just great (hunky dory for you old-timers like me) being we have dutifully given Him a one-minute time slot out of the 24 hours we each have, every single day, and then call this “living the Christian life?”

Ever try not talking to your spouse for over a day or two while being in the same house? Or have you tried ignoring your kids when they get home from school for more than a few hours, and then send them to bed, and expect that this will suffice in showing them that you care, and love them?


(Be sure to read the rest: Prayer Spot. Got One?)
Book

by Steve Martin

When it has all been said and done, there is an eternal love that will stand the test of fire. Because the biblical expression of love, laying down one’s life for his friends, has eternal value, this love from God the Father to His creation is the type that I most seek after and try to share.

In these short chapters of Arms of Love, which is also the title of a song Laurie and I sang while leading various church worship meetings, and as the lead singers in our Ahava Love Band, I share some aspects of how I believe the Bible speaks of love.

For you who are about to read this, my prayer is that your heart will be enlarged with His, and you too will become one, even more, to give love for His people, both Jew and Gentile, both saved and unsaved.

I hope that as you read these chapters, you will become more inspired to spend time with the Lord, experience His heart of love, and share it with our fellow man. The world needs to know the love of God.

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.

You can get it in paperback or Kindle.

Love For His People, Inc.
P.O. Box 414
Pineville, NC 28134 USA

Love For His People
Love For His People, Inc | P.O. Box 414Pineville, NC 28134

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A Big Promise Takes Time—Don't Give Up - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

God rewards big faith.

God rewards big faith. (YouTube)

A Big Promise Takes Time—Don't Give Up





Fire in My Bones, by J. Lee Grady
Most Christmas pageants focus on the principal characters of the nativity story—an innocent Mary, a bewildered Joseph, awestruck shepherds, mysterious magi and a sleeping baby Jesus. Then we throw in nonbiblical extras such as the Little Drummer Boy to spice things up. But I've yet to see a play or a movie of the Christmas story that includes Simeon and Anna, the two Jewish intercessors who prophesied over Jesus a few days after His birth.
This Christmas, I'm thinking more about Simeon and Anna—not because I've reached their age bracket yet (we know Anna was 84), but because I have more appreciation these days for people who wait patiently for God's promises.
While most of Israel was clueless about God's plan of salvation, and angry about Roman occupation, Simeon knew Jesus was coming—and the Holy Spirit told him he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, Simeon took the boy in his arms and declared that He was the "light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).
Simeon finally got his prayers answered after decades of waiting. Then Anna walked into the scene. She had been praying and fasting continually in the temple, asking God to send the Savior. She looked beyond the bleak circumstances and dared to ask God for a miracle.
Like Simeon, she immediately recognized Jesus as the answer to her prayers and began telling everyone that their long wait was over. 
At that point she probably thought: "I can die and go to heaven. God has heard my cries." She reminds us that God openly rewards those who pray in secret.
I imagine both Simeon and Anna held their hands in the air—and perhaps even shouted—as they welcomed the fulfillment of ancient Messianic prophecies. But what we don't see in this happy occasion are the decades of painful groaning that these old saints endured. The joyful moment of Jesus' birth did not come without a price.
God's promises, like the birth of a child, requires a gestation period—an agonizing season of waiting. Most people in the Bible who claimed big promises did not get instantly downloadable answers. Like the childless Hannah, or the heirless Abraham or the imprisoned apostle Paul, they travailed. And groaned. And waited. And travailed some more.
Waiting is often the key to faith. And groaning is an aspect of prayer that we rarely teach about today. Yet Romans 8:26 reminds us that Spirit-directed prayer involves "groanings too deep for words."
Are you praying for something that seems totally beyond your grasp? Are you holding onto a promise from God, yet it is painful to pray because you see no evidence of His hand at work?
Take courage and keep groaning.
In the animal kingdom, big creatures often have the longest gestation periods. A baby whale is in his mother's womb for 18 months, and a baby giraffe waits 15 months. And some species of elephants are pregnant for two years. The rule, it seems, is clear:
The bigger the baby, the longer the wait. 
If you are carrying a big promise, you should be prepared for painful delays. 
I watched my wife give birth to all four of our children. Yet how quickly I forget that prayer is often compared with childbirth in the Bible. In this painful process we must press through the darkness of doubt and lay hold of God's sure promise, especially when we feel like giving up.
Many of us today are at the most intense stage of the birth process—the transition phase—in which a pregnant woman feels confused, irritable and restless. We endure similar feelings of desperation in our walk of faith. We ask ourselves, "Did God really promise me that? Did I hear Him wrong?" Everything inside us wants to quit believing.
I'm sure Simeon and Anna considered quitting during their years of prayer. The headlines in Jerusalem were depressing. The economy was awful. The political situation was demoralizing. Why pray when everything looks so depressing?
Yet these two faithful prayer warriors didn't go into retirement. They found the grace to press on. Though their hands grew feeble, their faith grew strong. They felt barren, but they shouted anyway.
And finally their groaning paid off—until they truly had something to shout about. They not only witnessed the Christmas miracle; they also got to hold the baby Jesus in their arms. As you enjoy Christmas with your family and friends, I pray the faith of Simeon and Anna will inspire you to hold tightly to all God has promised you.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here
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Love For His People: 
For further encouragement 
read Steve Martin's autobiography.


Paperback only $5.95


Throughout our lives, God keeps His hand on our shoulders and nudges us on to more than what we could ever realize. I am excited to share how He did it this with me, and am confident mine will be a story you’ll be able to relate to. 

As I unveil my story, think back to those times when you knew there was some¬thing more but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. You knew deep down that life wasn’t what the TV sitcoms portrayed it to be. In our souls there is the hope, the cry for more, that someday questions will be answered and promises fulfilled if we just kept plugging away at what we know to do. 

In The Promise I share my 40 year journey with you, and show you that dreams do come true. Though Peter Pan isn’t real, the Lord, the One Who created us, certainly is, and He has a plan in place for each one of us. When you are done reading this story, my prayer is that you too will know more of that good plan and His purpose for you. 

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People