Restoration of Relationships (Part 1 of 2) - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Restoration of Relationships (Part 1 of 2)

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and sat me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them — a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain — dry bones, bleached by the sun. He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Master God, only you know that." He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'"

God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!" (Ezekiel 37:1-6, THE MESSAGE)

Yeshiva students in Hurve Synagogue

First of all, students of the Bible, including the men who attend yeshiva (Torah school) in Israel and beyond, know that these prophetic words, declared by the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel around the 9^th century B.C. (Before Christ) were telling of the return of the scattered Jews long before the first return from Babylon and the second return beginning in 1948. They had been scattered from Judea and Samaria back then during the time of the kings of Israel, would return once, and then be scattered again, but all over the world this second time.

Dry bones - Gustave Dore' painting

In 70 A.D. (Anno Domini – “In the year of our Lord”) the Almighty God of Israel again had the Jews dispersed (known as the Diaspora), using the vicious, destructive hand of the Romans. Of course, He foreknew of His Chosen Ones return. This second time of return is what we are seeing right before our eyes, in our lifetime, as Ezekiel’s prophecy is being fulfilled. The Jews, from all the nations, are being brought back. This is amazing, prophetically demonstrating the God of Israel’s glory and power, and bringing fulfillment of His promise made to the Jews.

In that 20^th century year of Israel’s rebirth as a nation (though having actually begun 3000 years ago with King David establishing the Jewish capital of Jerusalem), David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s Independence for the state/nation of Israel on May 14, 1948.

It had long been a dream of the European Jew Theodore Herzl, to see the restoration of a Jewish homeland. Decades after his death in Europe, he is now honored in the Land, with his bones resting on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. For he pressed long and hard for the Jews to have a land once again for their homeland. We all know now that that dream was fulfilled in the Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael (Hebrew). This is long regarded as historical truth - Israel is for the Jews as their Promised Land.  

The bleached, completely dried bones so prophesied are coming back together. The Jews are making aliyah (the immigration of Jews from the Diaspora to the Land) by returning to Israel by the thousands, and soon to be millions.

Which brings me to this next major inspiration. As it is with Israel, being first in the natural, with dry bones coming back together, so it is being for the Body of Christ (believing Jews and Gentiles together, the olive tree and grafted-in branches, the One New Man), now seeing restoration in the spiritual.

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:46,

NASU)

The Jews have returned to their homeland.

As we watch the ongoing, unfolding prophetic fulfillment of the Jewish dry bones coming back together in Israel, at the same time are seeing the restoration of Christians in bonding fellowship and unity, as our formerly “dry bones of the scattered Church of Jesus Christ” are starting to come back together, as it was in the days of the early church.

My good wife Laurie and I can give a practical life testimony of this coming back together ourselves. Four years ago as of this writing in 2018, we left a good body of believers, Antioch International Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA, under the leadership of Dr. Peter Wyns and Pastors Jesse and Elizabeth Enns. We were “dispersed” (of our own making), wandering around as if Jews ourselves, going from church to church. (As for “Jewishness” - maybe we are and don’t know it, as truly many are finding out of their Jewish ancestry and DNA in these days!)

Fort Mill, SC. Pastors Peter Wyns, Jesse & Liz Enns

After both Laurie and I, independently of each other, heard the Holy Spirit speak to us of the “return” to Antioch, we once again are back in full relationship, joint to joint, walking arm and arm, being planted in committed bonds of love with these, our friends and co-workers in the Lord’s Body. (And as of October 1, 2018, I was joined to the church staff team!)

Maybe you or some of your family members have been “out there”, just wandering around, or even quitting altogether, from being in life-giving joints. Your dry bones have become pretty dry.

If I was a betting man (thank God I am not), I would give all I have to see you and the so many others come back, get joined once again, and experience the joy of His restoration of relationships. He will breathe life back into your bones!

The Good Lord knows we all need Him and each other in these end times!  

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

  

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

You can read Part 2 here:
Restoration of Relationships (Part 2 of 2)

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Now Think On This #361 - in the year of our Lord 10.31.18 – “Restoration of Relationships (Part I)”, Wednesday, 9:00 am

Every tear. Every heartache. Every wrong committed against you. He was there. He still is.

Every tear. Every heartache. 

Every wrong committed against you. 

He was there. He still is.

The times when you felt alone, and no one was there to comfort you. Please remember that Jesus was there for you.

Remember when it was dark in your bedroom at night, as you lay trying to be really quiet, but hearing sounds kept you awake, making you a bit frightened. Jesus was there.

If you experienced sexual abuse as a child, at the hands of a "loved one" - someone in your home that was supposed to be the one caring for you, nurturing you, raising you the right way. But hurt you badly. You were not alone. Jesus was there.

Lost in the woods. Lost in the parking lot. Left alone in the huge store, scared that your parents had left you. You know what? Jesus was there.

You didn't know it then. You may not believe it now. But it is true, and He wants to reveal Himself to you. 

Jesus is the One you really long for. Jesus is the One who can really comfort you, wrap His big arms around you. Let you know that He will always be with you and never forsake you.

Many times we don't sense His presence, or hear His voice, but you can be certain, deep in your troubled heart, that you are really, sincerely, absolutely, certainly loved.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Jesus loves you. Ask Him now to show you that He is real. He will.

Steve Martin

Love For His People
Charlotte, NC. USA

Nov. 18, 2018  Sunday, 5:15 am

Favor Verses Entitlement by Paulette Reed

Favor Verses Entitlement 

by Paulette Reed

Identity Network

 

Living Epistles

 

One thing I love about growing older is how the Word of God becomes more alive to me with each and every passing day. As a living epistle, I've had the honor of experiencing the Scriptures in deeper and more unique ways. One verse that jumped off the page as I was reading my Bible recently was Psalm 37:25: "I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

 

As I pondered this word in my heart, I reflected on the fact that I have never had to beg God for the necessities of life. Strong's Concordance defines begging as "to seek, require, demand, or request." Does that mean if someone seems to be consistently asking for money, goods, or reduced prices, they are lacking in righteousness? Does it mean they are not righteous in the way God defined it? It is something to certainly think about.

 

Confusion in the Camp

 

I am deeply concerned when I see Christians living a life that does not line up with the plumb line of God - Psalm 37:25 included. When people beg, living as entitled Christians, they are giving the devil a foothold as deception leads them into believing that a demonic spirit of entitlement is really the favor of God. But they are not the same at all! In fact, they are the complete opposite of each other.

 

If indeed the righteous do not beg, then why do we hear so many believers asking or begging for special treatment and favor? Why do we constantly hear the innuendoes that are in opposition to Psalm 37:25? For example, when someone is standing with a group of believers and says, "Oh dear, my back is stiff and I need a massage so badly but I just can't afford one," knowing that a massage therapist is in the group, is that person exuding favor or entitlement? Did that really have to be announced to the group? Would that person have said the same thing had not a massage therapist been part of the group?

 

Psalm 33:13 reminds us, "When the Lord looks down from heaven, He observes every human being." God knows every sparrow that falls to the ground, He knows every hair that is upon our head, so certainly no one has to share their plight with a group of people in order to manipulate others to have mercy on them and give them something for free. It is God who supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory.

 

Or what about when people who use the calling on their life as their business card to achieve their needs? Someone may say, "We're missionaries, so we're hoping you would serve us for free." How in the world does that glorify God? Should Christians have to "beg" a dentist to provide services for free to fix their teeth? Our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so certainly He can sell a couple of those cattle to meet our needs.

 

Being a Christian does not give anyone the right to pull too hard on someone's mercy gift or compassion, demanding or manipulating them to give us something for free. In fact, pulling too hard is a sign of entitlement, not a sign of God's favor upon our lives. These are just two of many examples I'm witnessing frequently in the Church today. Begging grieves the Holy Spirit.

 

There is a Season for Everything

 

I understand that to everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3). So I don't have a problem with people using government assistance or church food banks or an offering to supplement health insurance needs for a season when it is truly needed. Ultimately, however, insurance is truly our responsibility for us and our children, as we are taught in the Word to obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:1). I'm speaking from experience here knowing that he Lord truly is my Maker, my Husband, and my Provider.

 

I know there are reasons the government is looking at limiting some assistance programs to one year. I agree with some of those reasons while disagreeing with others. Perhaps this is a good place to say, "Alleluia!" because, sometimes - and I mean sometimes - assistance can give the enemy legal rights to release a spirit of entitlement on a person. And no one wants those evil hitchhikers attached to them.

 

Since 1 Corinthians 15:46 teaches us that things in the natural realm often take place before things in the spiritual realm, could it be that the Lord is showing us something in allowing the government to cut back assistance? Is God trying to set people free and empower them to rise up and believe what they believe - that the government truly does rest on His shoulders?  Perhaps God wants to show Himself mighty as His Kingdom has everything we need and we need everything His Kingdom has.

 

People who are deceived as to what's truly the favor of God and what's an entitlement spirit might say, "I'm living by faith." Well, that may be true, but it's not their faith they are living by - it is often someone else's faith. Every time a person gets something for free, or at a reduced price, someone somewhere is paying for it. The products and services and food weren't really free, rather someone who is paying Caesar what belongs to Caesar (Mark 12:17) just paid for those "free" services.

 

And where in the world does any believer get the idea that living by faith means not working? Even God works, for Genesis 2:2 tells us, "By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." And He expects hard work from us as well. One of several Scriptures teaching us to have a good work ethic is Colossians 3:23, where Paul says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."

 

Work is not a result of the fall, a curse that we are to endure while on this side of heaven. God established work before the fall of humanity. Before Adam and Eve ever sinned, before they ever ate of the fruit they were told not to eat from, God had given them the mandate to work and keep the Garden. It is true that after the fall work became much harder - it was by the sweat of his brow that Adam was now to till the ground. We might ask ourselves, "How am I doing in maintaining my portion of God's garden?"

 

Since God created work before the fall, and since God Himself worked in creating the heavens and the earth, we have a mandate to work and contribute to society. This is one of the ways we fight the spirit of entitlement in our lives. Paul admonished the Ephesians, "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). 

Personally, I love working heartily for the Lord and sharing thousands of dollars with the poor every year. But what really defines those who are poor? Again, Paul tells the Thessalonians, "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either" (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

 

Exposing the Lie

 

Entitlement, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something; the feeling or belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges); a type of financial help provided by the government for members of a particular group." Having a spirit of entitlement goes against the gospel itself, the fact that Jesus saved us when we were dead in our sins.

 

Beloved, we have no rights when it comes to entitlement. We gave up our rights the moment we were born from above and stepped into the Kingdom of God, thus letting God rule and reign in our lives. We were not saved to be entitled people, but people who are called to walk in the favor of God.

 

Favor, on the other hand, is the Greek word charis, which means grace, favor, or kindness. The favor of God is a gift or blessing brought to us by Jesus Christ. It's both unmerited and undeserved. The fact that we have been born again is a result of the kindness of God - we didn't do anything to deserve it or be entitled to it. We weren't good enough, righteous enough, or holy enough to deserve salvation. Rather, it was a gift freely given by God when we were dead in our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…" That doesn't sound like a gift given because someone was entitled to it.

 

Please know that my heart in writing about this subject is to glorify God and train, protect, and set the captive free for those who may be confusing God's favor with a spirit of entitlement. As I have said for many years, "People who are deceived don't know they are deceived because they are deceived."  Let's learn to quickly recognize when the enemy is trying to deceive us regarding a spirit of entitlement and when we are really walking in God's favor.

 

God's grace is freely given to us, so we should always seek to be a blessing to others. We should seek to be the greatest givers, the greatest tippers, the greatest employers, and the greatest employees, contributing to the betterment of humanity. Let us be people who never demand that someone else is required to take care of us. Rather, let us be people who rest in God's favor on our lives.

 

Paulette Reed

www.propheticarrow.org   

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