Break Away - Steve Martin

 

Break Away

 

“Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd…” Mark 7:17, NLT

 

Even Jesus needed to get away at times, to break away from the cares and concerns of the world around Him. Not to just “escape from the world” but to take a break, to get some rest, to be with the Father and inquire of Him.

Have you done this lately? To get up earlier than normal; to turn off the news on the TV or radio; to get out of your routine and spend some time with the Lord Who created you and knows what you need?

We all need that time. We need to break away.

I think back to the days growing up, with eight kids in the family. For sure it was a house full, but for the most part, we all got along, and still do to the day. Five girls and three boys, with Dad and Mom working hard every day to keep a roof on our heads and food on the table. It surprises me today when couples struggle to raise one or two kids. Yes, I know it is a different time, but still, I wonder at times where the priorities are with people. They certainly have changed.

Dad had his two weeks of vacation the same time every year, the first two weeks in August, when the foundry shut down (they made water pumps in Cedar Falls, Iowa) and every worker was off. Saving up for the entire year prior, and working two jobs to do it, Dad had enough money for us to go on camping trips, with a big tent, and hauling all in the homemade trailer he had made to pull behind the 1960 Ford station wagon. He even painted it the same color – baby blue. Later when we could afford a camping trailer that slept eight it was much better. Two had to always sleep in the station wagon when we all went.

It was a fun time. It was family time. It was time to get away and live for two weeks in God’s creation outdoors. Campfires. S’mores. Even having a bear snatch our food in the middle of the night happened on a Colorado family adventure.

But one thing else I remember, the other 50 weeks of the year. My Mom would spend time reading her Bible and praying almost every morning of the week before the rest of us occupied her day. She would take time to be with the Lord, seek His face, and get strength and assurance for the rest of the day. Often Christian music on records would be playing in the phonograph (a record player, for the younger generation who only know of MP3 technology.)

She would wisely take time to break away.

Maybe you can’t always get that annual vacation trip or the weekend away very often. But we all have 24 hours in the day, and we need to spend more time with the Lord. Just as Jesus did, our God Who became man, and yet took time to get away and spend with His Father.

And as you give Him time to refresh you, to encourage you, to let you know of His continuing love and ongoing care, you just may be passing it on to others who will be watching and later follow your example.

Be blessed as you seek Him.

Steve Martin

Love For His People Founder

Man of War and Mighty Men - Steve Martin

          

Man of War and Mighty Men

 

"Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.” 1 Chronicles 11:10-11, NASU

 

Anyone and everyone who knows Bible history are very familiar with King David. From the time he was taken from the shepherd’s field in Israel and anointed king by the prophet Samuel, through his gallant leading of his mighty men to remove the ungodly from the land, and onto reigning as king over the tribes of Israel, David bears witness as a large living example in the walk of faith.

The Lord raised up David and put him in positions to first take on the lions and bears attacking the sheep; then the giant Goliath; and further beyond to the people of Canaan who did not know the Living God of Israel but instead served false and evil gods.

During his mighty battles and wars, the men who fought under David’s experienced leadership fought through the rigors of war. Many received wounds and sufferings as they took the Land that was to be theirs, given first to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the generations following them.

How ironic that believers today often fail to understand the natural and spiritual battles that we go through, believing that once saved all becomes a rose garden. But we must realize that that is part of the promise yet to come. The beautiful rose garden.

So, here on this earth it is a battle for us in both the natural and the spiritual, fought on our knees, but at times calling for us to take up arms to destroy the wicked who threaten us and our families.

The Lord Himself, the Anointed One, the One with the armies of heaven on His side, clearly states of things yet to come.

"In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:8-9, NASU

Is this just a spiritual battle that is coming, which I believe is sooner than many would want to realize, in our day? If I read it correctly, there is some major physical conflict going on “in that day.” The Lord Himself will destroy the nations that come against Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and the Jewish inhabitants. No doubt about that.

Did not Israel have to take the promised land in Joshua and David’s time, and then fight to keep it in the 1948 War of Independence, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and today yet battling the ongoing rocket attacks from Hamas in Gaza, and threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon? With Syria’s threats on the east and others further north? And as always, Iran trying to carry out their promises of completely destroying Israel with nuclear bombs while many shut their blind eyes?

Am I also saying that there is war coming in these days in America? Did not the first Americans fight a Revolutionary War, while generations later the Civil War, followed by two world wars and so many after that?

Maybe so. And Christians will be called upon to defend truth, righteousness, and the godly principles the Righteous God has set forth in His Eternal Word. His will being done won’t come by just letting the enemy run amuck in our land, with rampant lawlessness and violence carried out under the guise of “peaceful marches” and “my right to protest any way I want.” His will certainly will be done as it has been done in history gone by.

David’s men fought and won for the King.

American men and women fought for freedom to be maintained in our land and the freedom of others needing our help to defend theirs.

The Lord is raising up godly men and women, brave and courageous, not afraid to give their lives for the lives of the unborn, children, young and old, among all families, and to take a stand and fight for that which is right and true.

I am not a man of war. But our God is a Man of War, and He does and will do whatever it takes to give His people, Jew and Gentile together, that which His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, died, buried, and rose again for - a Bride and people unto Himself.

“The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.” Isaiah 42:13, NASU

Prepare yourself. Our God reigns, and He will have the last word.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin, Love For His People founder

Heart of Compassion - Steve Martin, Love For His People Ministry

 

Heart of Compassion

"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36-37, NASU

Many of us still remember our years in high school. For some, it was a good time, experiencing those growing and transforming years when we thought we knew everything there was to know and were ready to conquer the world. (Maybe this year I will be able to go to my 50^th graduation anniversary.)

For others, we may have wanted to just get those days over so we could get out of there. There may have been too many times that the other students did as is so commonly done in every generation – teasing, belittling, rejection, and more.

There were two boys in my senior class who always seemed to get the brunt of the jokes, the ones others picked on. Neither Gene nor Bernie had the handsome looks, wore the latest in clothes in fashion, or received good grades in any of the classes that I knew of. In fact, there were some who were just plain mean to them.

Gene’s face was covered with pimples, as acne was an obvious problem. Most days he needed a good shampoo too, as his jet-black hair was slick, and not with the stuff intended to be used. As he walked the halls to each class, he would slump down, not looking up except to confirm his whereabouts. When he did talk his words were quiet and his speech slurred. It was believed that Gene’s dad was a lawyer, but that status didn’t do Gene any good.

Bernie was sadly called the “Hunchback of Notre Dame”. He had a large body with a deformed hump on his back. Generally, his clothes were from a second-hand store, obviously costly little to purchase. He was ridiculed and scorned for something he could not change on his own.

It didn’t matter that he was enrolled in this Catholic high school, Columbus High in Waterloo, Iowa. Every kid in that school needed to be saved and know salvation through Jesus. Just because you could call yourself a Catholic didn’t make you a Christian. There were not many students attending there that I knew were born again, sad to say.

It was the Lord who gave me a heart of compassion for Gene and Bernie.

As much as I could be their friend, I was. I stood with them. I communicated with them. I walked the halls with them. Because of the Lord’s heart that He had for each, He had allowed me to befriend them as no one else would.

The Chosen TV series does a great portrayal of the Savior’s heart for His creation. As Yeshua walked this earth as God in the flesh, He showed the love of His Father and taught the disciples to do the same. Often as more than words can say, His actions spoke forth what He continues to long for each of us to communicate to those He places around us.

As St. Francis is known for saying, “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.”

In reading again the verse I started out with above, understand the one verse that follows it, with Yeshua speaking of the harvest. Many people and nations experience suffering and the need for the Lord’s love. It is His Body that is able and must share it.

“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, " The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:36-38, NASU

Each of us knew, or know, a Gene or a Bernie. Or maybe you were that one in high school who got the brunt of the jokes and the ridicule. Know that Jesus was there and felt your hurt and pain, and above all, it is His compassion that can and will heal you, and those others who know the same.

May His heart of compassion be growing in your heart, as you too express love to those who know so little of it and need what you have to share. Let us each have a heart of compassion.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Founder, Love For His People

Confidence by Steve Martin, Love For His People Ministry

 

Confidence

 

“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist…” Acts 17:26-28, NASU

 

Our times are in His hands. Or as it is written, “Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling.” Psalm 66:9, New Living Translation

When you believe that Word, that indeed our times are in His hands, and He does keep us from fumbling and stumbling around, you will do awesome deeds for the Lord and His people. You will have built confidence in His Name, and in His actions in your life. You trust that what He says He is going to do, He will do it. Enough said.

When Laurie and I were part of a small group in LaSalle/Peru, Illinois back in the day (1976-1980 to be exact) called Victory Church, and then the name was changed for identifiable purposes to Victory Community, we had to trust the Lord when we were placed in one of the common purse community homes, with four other couples. And we were newlyweds! O Lord!

When He called us to leave the town of her birth, childhood, and teen years included, with her parents and two sister families being left behind, we ventured out, with our two young sons Josh and Ben. We relocated to East Lansing, Michigan in 1980, along with several other church families, to become part of Shiloh Fellowship (later changed to New Covenant Christian Church in the early 1980s). We were wanting to be a part of the Shepherding Movement happening in that decade.

We had to have confidence in Him.

Then when He set another divine appointment time for seven years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which we honestly called, “Our time in hell” due to not only the heat but the spiritual battles we fought, our trust level in Him had to be raised higher. Again, we needed to know He still loved us, had called us there and hoped He would soon deliver us back to the rest of the USA. On staff at both Derek Prince Ministries and Mahesh Chavda Ministries for those seven years was a challenge, but with His grace, we were overcomers in that appointed time also.

In 1994 both ministries, not necessarily in conjunction with each other, moved families, staff, and offices to the beautiful land of North Carolina. Charlotte to be exact. Cutting 13 hours from the length of time it now took to travel back home to Iowa and Illinois once or twice a year was truly a blessing. The Lord does have mercy, especially when the four kids, now having added Hannah and Christen to the tribe, had to sit on suitcases in the back seat of the four-door Ford while enduring those Chevy Chase “National Lampoon Vacation” adventures on the interstates. In our case, it was Martin’s Traveling Show.

I think you are getting the point. As we daily put our lives in His hands, we learn to trust Him increasingly, believe more firmly that He has our utmost at heart, knows what He is doing, and will complete that which He started in us.

We often quote the verse about Him knowing His plans for us, and sometimes it can just get too “familiar” and we dismiss it. But think about it a bit longer.

The One Who dispersed the Jews out of Israel in the 70s A.D. is bringing them back home in our day, just as He promised. Given that mighty, daily, awesome miracle taking place right before our eyes, we can have complete confidence that again, what He says He will do, He will do.

“For I know what plans I have in mind for you,’ says Adonai, ‘plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future. When you call to me and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you seek me, you will find me, provided you seek for me wholeheartedly; and I will let you find me,’ says Adonai. ‘Then I will reverse your exile. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you,’ says Adonai, ‘and bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’ Jeremiah 29:11-14, Complete Jewish Bible

We serve an awesome God. (Sing it, Rich Mullins! Our God is an Awesome God)

If we continually walk in faith, we can have the assurance that our God, our Father, knows best. I want to encourage you to not let up, not to give in, press on in faith, hope, and love, and know that the confidence He gives you will carry you through.

You will do mighty deeds. You will accomplish mighty acts. You will be as the Lord God of Israel created you to be and do!

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin, Love For His People founder