"Jerusalem & Friends -The Western Wall" - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Jerusalem & Friends

-The Western Wall

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7, NKJV)

Jerusalem is filled with ancient history, spiritual experiences and people from all the nations who are continually seeking the Living God of Israel. One of the most revered, and most contested place in all the world, is here in the Old City. It is the Temple Mount. This sits on top of Mount Moriah, where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac, in obedience to the testing of the Lord. (Genesis 22:2)

In April of 2000, my heart had become very troubled in regards to a ministry position I held in Charlotte, North Carolina. I needed to desperately hear the Lord’s heart concerning this. When attending a Ruth Heflin Men’s Conference that month at her ministry campgrounds in Virginia, I heard through a prophetic word, ‘Go, loose yourself from things over you.” In further prayer later, I believed the Lord spoke for me to go to Israel, and specifically to the Western Wall.

On Tuesday, May 16, 2000, at 9:15 pm I stood at the Wall (The Kotel in Hebrew). My good friend Martin Berger, a Brit from Brighton, England, who was also GOD TV’s representative for TV placement time in North America, had often flown to Israel. After first contacting him in April as to his time trip to Israel, I met him in London, and together we flew British Airways for a short three days in the Holy City, arriving a day earlier before I made it to this revered place.

I walked up to the Wall and put written prayers into one of the cracks - prayers my friends back home had given me. Then I quietly stood there, wanting to place my hands on the massive stone block, but uncertain if Gentiles were permitted to do this. I looked around. Mostly it was Orthodox Jews praying against the Wall in their full black garb, from head to toe. When it seemed OK for me to touch the Wall also, I did.

Then I put my head against the cold stone, and the anointing of the Lord fell. I wept and wept, while my legs trembled. I said to the Lord, “I have come as You said for me to come.”

With tears streaming down my face, my nose filling up, I stayed leaned against the Wall with my head for 20 minutes. With the anointed presence of Adonai, I spoke out quietly every person’s name I could remember - those of my family, the church worship team (which Laurie and I often led), relatives and dear friends. After five and a half years of being part of the Watch of the Lord, an all-night Friday praise, worship and prayer time our church held in Charlotte, I more fully understood what it meant being a watchman on the Wall. Literally.

I then wrote down on 2” x 2” cards I carried in my pocket the names of all these spoken out loud, plus many more I thought of. By the time I had finished, I counted 70 names.

During this life-changing prayer time, I sensed the Lord Yeshua tell me that my 13 years with the ministry had not been in vain. This was but a firm foundation for the future. He had done a solid work on which He would build upon in the times to come.

Once I returned to the States I gave my seven-month notice that I was leaving this ministry, in order to pursue other opportunities. I was confident the Lord would open doors for me to walk through, after obeying Him by having gone to Israel. Again, it was there at the Western Wall when I clearly heard His voice for my future.

At times the Lord will require you to go to a specific place in order to discern His direction for your life. It may be another city, another state, another country. Or just maybe your prayer chair. Wherever and whenever, it is a good time to obey. Once there, He will speak the Word to you that you need to hear. He did this for Abraham. He did it for King David. He still does it for you and I today.

Jerusalem is an awesome city. The Western Wall is even more so, as a holy place of prayer. And it will be at this location, where the Messiah will return to sit upon His Holy mountain in His glorious temple.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

  

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. You can read further on this special occasion in my book The Promise available in paperback and Kindle.

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If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$50 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

  

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Now Think On This #331 - in the year of our Lord 11.15.17 – “Jerusalem & Friends – The Western Wall”, Wednesday, 5:55 pm  

My Times Are In Your Hands (Confidence in the Lord) - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

My Times Are In Your Hands

Confidence in the Lord

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“My times are in Your hand…” (Psalms 31:15, NKJV)

Confidence is a big deal. If you are confident in something, or someone, you will go beyond the expected norm to get something done, to go somewhere (where no man has gone before!), or say what is really on your heart. You know you have the backing of another.

In the case of the believer, the Lord Jesus (Yeshua) has your back. For your times are in His hands.

I can only imagine (love these music lyrics!) what it will be like in our heavenly realm. I certainly look forward to that day. But in the here and now, we need to have the confidence in our hearts, in our heads, to work through our bodies; that what we are called to do here, what is our specific mission in this life, we can and must accomplish. 

The world, the nations of earth, knowingly or unknowingly, is depending on it. Being saved into God the Father’s family is more than getting a free ride to heaven. It is to do what He has given us to do here. Now. More than ever in our lifetime.

What have you been called to do? Do you know? Do you want to know?

Steve Martin saying

When we have the assurance that the living God of Israel is standing up, cheering us on, and giving us the energy and gifts of the Holy Spirit, along with the Comforter Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) Himself to walk with us…whatever the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) gives us to do, we can and must do it.

Faith to me is having the trust, the confidence in my God, Who He says He is, that what He says He will do, and what He has promised to me, to bring about its fulfillment in the exact time it needs to happen, gives me the boldness to step out in faith and do what I am supposed to do.

Do that “something” that we can know what we have been given the assignment to do.

At some point in our lives we need to just “do it.” That is an overworked advertisement and cliché, but none the less you know what I mean. You get my point.

And as the late, beloved musician, artist and missions-minded man Keith Green sang so much, “Jesus commands us to go!”

Hanging in our garage. Photo by Steve Martin

 There have been several key times in my life when a major decision had to be made. Each of the four times it involved my immediate family (numbering up to six, depending upon what year it was, and how many kids had arrived by then), our local church and my current job. Those times called for a move from one USA state to another. Major moves to be sure.

Was I hearing the Lord properly? Would my good wife Laurie walk in agreement? What about the financial concerns, the kids in school, the family and friends we had strong connections with? All these factors were needed to be considered.

Prayer? Yes indeed? Fasting? You bet! Council from others? Always wisdom in the abundance of counselors.

Proverbs 24:6 rightly says, “For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (NASU)

After we have sought the Lord, confirmed His word to us, and made the decision to walk in faith, our trust that we are in His hands, He has our back, and we can move out, standing on the firm conviction we have, on the strong foundation He has given us, we did what we had to do.

We can do what He has called us to do. You can do what He has called you to do. We must. For His sake, our sake, and for the lives of those we will have an effect on by our obedience.

Others have walked in faith and have seen the fruit of their obedience. I love reading the biographies of the patriarchs, matriarch and other saints who have gone on before us, from Abraham, Moses, King David, Paul the Apostle, to Eric Liddell, Oskar Schindler, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and so many more.

 Eric Liddell, The Flying Scotsman

 

   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a dream."

Seeing Jews make aliyah blesses me, as they leave behind the comforts of one home to return to their real homeland, that of the Promised Israel (Yisrael). I am encouraged in my walk of faith, seeing people like our good friend Hadassah and her family, living near Jerusalem, hearing the Lord speak specifically to them, and responding accordingly.

She wrote for the Love For His People blog her message "Just Say Yes", “While I was watching the sun come up from the crater and worshipping, I was overcome with gratitude. I cried out to God, “Why have we been allowed to live here?” And just as at times before when we have asked this question, the answer was the same - because you said “Yes!”

Hadassah's family in Israel

This is part of the basics of life, to have that foundational trust in God our Father. Those who do have and maintain this confidence can hear Him speak personally, walk then in obedience, and do that which they have been created, before the beginning of time.

Our times are in His hands enabling us to do this. We must.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

 P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily for those living in Israel, Pakistan, Northern Ireland and India, and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

DONATE TO BLESS FAMILIES IN ISRAEL, PAKISTAN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.

 
Love For His People, Inc. is a 501(c)3 ministry in the USA.

"Pressing On With Encouragement for the Long Haul” - Ahava Love Letter (Steve Martin)

                 

               "Pressing On – Encouragement for the Long Haul”

“My times are in Your hands…” (Psalm 31:15 NAS)

Dear family of friends,

As I sat in my prayer chair that Saturday morn, having already read the Lord’s Word which I keep beside me on the lamp stand, and now accompanied with a fresh cup of java my good wife had brought me, I pondered on what the new year would bring. Weariness had taken a bit of a toll on my body, my mind and even my spirit. I looked forward to the road ahead, but as many of us do, we wonder what is on that road. Is it good? Will we make it? Will our faith be strong enough? And so I asked Him for more strength and hope.

In a brief message I had written to one of my five sisters that week, who was anxious about an upcoming job situation, I encouraged her to daily pray His words, one of many given to us in His Book of Promises. He simply says for us to believe, “My times are in Your hands.” 

I found myself praying that same prayer again – for her, others on my prayer list, and for myself. As Derek Prince once said about receiving Scripture, it is like taking daily medicine. Here is an excerpt from a devotional he wrote.

Daily Devotional by Derek Prince.

God’s Medicine Bottle

Proverbs 4:20–22
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” KJV

For many years I have known those three verses from the fourth chapter of Proverbs as “God’s medicine bottle.” God declares that if we will rightly receive His words and His sayings, they will be life to us and health to all our flesh. The marginal translation for the word that is translated “health” is “medicine.” That’s why I say it’s “God’s medicine bottle.”

And God says His medicine will provide us with health in all our flesh. In every area of our physical body it will provide health, but remember, the directions are on the bottle. The medicine only works if you take it according to the directions. There are four directions.

First, attend to God’s word.
Second, incline or bow down your ear and listen to His sayings.
Third, let them not depart from your eyes, keep them before your eyes continually.
And fourth, let them settle and abide in the midst of your heart.

If you take the Word of God according to those fourfold directions, you will find, as I did many years ago, that God’s medicine bottle produces just the results that He claims. It brings life and health to all our flesh. I found that after a year on end in a hospital when doctors couldn’t heal me, God’s medicine did the job.

Whitaker House Publishers, 1996

Personally I can’t comprehend how people who do not know the Lord God of Israel, Yeshua (Jesus), make it through their day to day life. It astounds me how many keep trusting in their own abilities or someone else’s, which will ultimately fail, when they too could be having an ongoing faith in their Creator, and Knower of the road ahead for them. I am so thankful we can know His will, walk in His ways, and gain daily encouragement through His Holy Spirit.

For the long haul, for the marathon we run, we must keep pressing on in our faith and hope in Him. Our Good Lord will see us through. He will provide daily strength for the journey, to the end of time. His reward will be great.

Keep your eyes fixed on Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Keep pressing on to the mark He has set before us. His promises are sure. We can count on Him. Thank you Lord.

Ahava to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder, Love For His People

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.

Please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless the known families in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. 

Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.

Go here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH  OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People

If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

I hope you read my first two books The Promise (CreateSpace/Amazon 2013) and Ahava Love Letters (Xulon Press, 2013). Both available through Amazon.com Xulon Press.com, plus other website book stores.

You can also order both books, The Promise (on Amazon.com for $7.19 plus $3.95 S/H) and Ahava Love Letters Xulon Press for$14.90, plus $3.80) or you can get both from our office for $29. Send check to the address above. I will autograph all copies ordered through our office. (Hey, and please include a contribution for Israel too!)

Please share this Ahava Love Letter with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  

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Ahava Love Letter #96   “Pressing On”   Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (12.28.13 Saturday at 8:00 am in Charlotte, NC).

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on this Blog, and our newest website: Ahava Love Letters