Love or War? Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Love or War?

“A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. (Proverbs 24:5-6, NASU)

A well-known and highly respected prophetic teacher, Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries, said a few years ago something to the effect that we will be people of war. At the time I didn’t want to hear that. We are called to be people of love, right? Love is all you need, yes?

It had long been a conflict within me as to what is the correct Christian’s response to the evil that continually rises up around us, whether it be on social media, the national news broadcasts, the “higher learning” of our educational system, and even within the entertainment sectors of our society that preach, yes preach, their ideology of secularism, anti-family, and anti-Semitism on the big screen and the little ones most people carry in their pockets. It even shows up in the so-called “Disney-style” family movies, which more and more are just the outreach tool used by proponents of witchcraft and “other lifestyle” propaganda.

So, do we just let these self-expansions of the “we will love you the way you are” attitude continue, and let all things around and abound as “whatever will be will be”? Or do we stand on biblical principles and fight back? And if so, how do we fight back?

Do we love and not make war? Or do we love, and yet at the same time make war.

Throughout Scripture our God shows His hand in how He deals with those who embrace evil and reject His rule and principles.

He clearly speaks His Word, even to His own chosen people, when they failed to follow His commands. It reads in Psalm 106:34-39, “They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them.

They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons (i.e. abortion and infanticide – added), and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood.

Thus, they became unclean in their practices, and played the harlot in their deeds.” (NASU)

Often, when a people or nation turn from the ways of the Living God, He removes them. Usually, that is accomplished by war or natural destruction. (And it isn’t “Mother Nature” at work, but the God of all creation.)

Jesus, the God of Love, Himself said this, as recorded in Luke 12:49-53, "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (NASU)

If the God of Love Himself came as the Son of Man to bring division, to divide the right from the wrong, should we just sit idly by and let the wrong become as the “new right”?

I don’t think so.

In my theology, which comes from the Word of God, on which I will continually stand, I will constantly believe both the Old and New Testaments (as Christians call these Scriptures.) I will do as Joshua proclaimed he would do.

"Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15, NASU)

I am not going to keep silent and let anyone else tell me what gender my kids are, nor my grandkids; nor will I shut my mouth, and keep from writing these messages and stop sharing the Gospel truth because they just might offend or step on another’s toes; or out of threatened retaliation, fear or false love.

Powerful prayer will protect our homes, while at the same time tear down strongholds that have been allowed to build up around us, due to our own laziness, self-interest and lackadaisical attitudes adapted in decades gone by. Action in the prayer closet while taking action on the front lines - we must be doing both.

After putting on the full armor of God, both to defend the onslaught against us, and to go on the offensive to be overcomers as we are called to be, we must battle and take back the land stolen from us.

Don’t allow the enemy of our spirit, soul, and body continue to steal, destroy and kill that which we have held dear to our lives. We must stand strong, fight the good fight, and be on the offensive. We must speak the Truth louder, write the messages stronger, and live our lives with His God-given gifts and inspiration to proclaim His principles and reclaim this land, our cities, and this nation.

The enemy isn’t quitting or just lie down. The one who hates us is not going to play fair, nor give up. If we continue to sit back and do nothing, we will lose that which others have lived and died for.

Jesus died for us. Others have followed in His footsteps, because of their faith and commitment to Him and His purposes. We very well may be called upon to do the same.

I have already made the decision that I will do just that. I will love, but I will also make war.

Now think of this,

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. On May 10 I returned from my 20^th trip to Israel. And guess what? I brought back for you my last 58 short videos I entitle “Walk With Me in Israel”. Watch them here on our YouTube channel: Walk With Me - Israel May 2019

Also, my previous ones are here on YouTube: Walk With Me

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 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 #421 - in the year of our Lord 05.12.19 – “Love or War? Or Both?” – Sunday, 3:30 pm

Is America on the Brink of a Second Civil War? - Rick Joyner Charisma News

Is America on the Brink of a Second Civil War?

04/25/2019 Rick Joyner Charisma News


Rick Joyner dreamed about America's history—past, present and future.

"It was so dramatic and so important, the content and message of the dream," Joyner tells Sid Roth. "I felt in some ways that my whole life had been a preparation for receiving this dream, for understanding it and for being able to convey it."

In the dream, Joyner says he was able to see U.S. history from heaven's perspective.

"And it was very different, radically different," Joyner says. "We say there's fake news, but there's fake history out there to that's been, I think, colored by prejudices, by political opinions and things like that."

Joyner says it was also a revelation for God's purpose for our country.

Watch the video for his explanation. Here: Rick Joyner on Sid Roth's It's Supernatural Show

Watch the video for his explanation. Here: Rick Joyner on Sid Roth's It's Supernatural Show

Updates from the Prophetic Roundtable (Day 1) - Jim & Lori Bakker on The Jim Bakker Show

Watch here: Updates from the Prophetic Roundtable (Day 1)

Jim Bakker Show 2018 | Show# 3654 | Aired on March 7th 2019
A Morningside Studios Production

Pastor Jim and Lori return from the annual Prophetic Roundtable and share important prophetic updates about the times we are living in now, as well as a brand new product from Frank Davis of Lion Energy.

MorningStar/Heritage Ministries International 

hosted by Rick Joyner

Fort Mill, SC

Heritage International at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC

(Formerly Heritage USA)

Quotes

Revelation chapter 12 is being fulfilled and is fulfilled right now. -Rick Joyner

It’s time for us to turn to God. -Pastor Jim Bakker

Scriptures

Matthew 18:19 MEV “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”

Genesis 11:7 MEV “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Revelation 3:20 MEV Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 12:10 KJV And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:12 KJV Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Proverbs 22:3 NCV The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.

Headlines

'Bomb cyclone' strikes: 550

000 still powerless from fierce winds-USA Today

Worse Than New York: Radical Abortion Law Will Make Illinois the 'Abortion Capital of America'-CBN

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War-MorningStar

Some Yellowstone geysers are getting more active—but why?-National Geographic

Are we on the road to civilization collapse? -BBC

Rick Joyner's Word for the Week: The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 8 - MorningStar Ministries

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The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War Part 8        Over the last 30+ years, I’ve been given dreams that I now understand relate to the reason for the Second American Revolutionary/Civil War. I did not see them as such when I received them, but since my dream on December 14, 2018 they have all come into remarkable focus. I will share these in this study where they fit to help us relate to what is now unfolding. Read More

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Rick Joyner's Word for the Week: The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 7 - MorningStar Ministries

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 7

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Week 7, 2019

Rick Joyner  MorningStar Ministries

The ultimate issue of both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars can be summed up in one word—LIBERTY. True freedom requires liberty and justice for all. We are still fighting for these, and this war will not be over until they are realized as fully as they can be on this earth. To pursue this is the calling and destiny of the American Republic.

The Divine wisdom given to our American Founding Fathers that became our Constitution and Bill of Rights was for a government structure that contained built in relief valves—ones that enabled the peaceful settling of injustices and infringement on our freedoms. Departure from the wisdom in these founding documents is the reason for virtually every conflict and crisis we are now facing as a nation. These will not be resolved without reconnecting to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. For this reason, the ultimately successful strategy in the Second American Revolutionary/Civil War will be to fight for their restoration as “the supreme law of the land.”

Both major American political parties, the left and the right, are guilty of failing to keep their vows to defend the Constitution. Neither party is now capable of recovering what has been lost in our “constitutional republic.” A new movement is coming that will restore the Constitution to its rightful place so that we can become the nation we are called to be. The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War will be to complete what was begun by the first ones.

As stated previously, the First and Second Great Awakenings preceded the Revolutionary and Civil Wars respectively. The messages that came out of those Awakenings caused those wars. They also presented an even higher way for those wars to be avoided. If the political leaders of the time had truly embraced the truths of those Awakenings and had the courage to obey them, both of those wars could have been avoided and the trajectory of our nation toward our calling and destiny would have been much easier and cleaner. As we see from the beginning of history until now, men rarely choose the easy way.  

Great Britain, which lost the American colonies to a large degree because of the hardliners in Parliament, learned their lesson. While led by some of the same people whose hardline response to the grievances of the colonies caused the Revolutionary War, they softened to the message raise by Wilberforce about the evils of slavery and eradicated it in the Empire without a great war.

That which can be accomplished without war is always preferable. However, when the political leadership is not capable of this, then war is preferable to allowing evil to prevail. We must come to grips with this truth once again.

We can expect the voices that arise calling for the New American Revolution to be blamed for the rising discord, just as Elijah was called the one who troubled Israel. Yet, sin and corruption are the true cause of the trouble, not what exposes them. Unity is a wonderful thing, but not when it comes at the cost of tolerating or allowing evil to subjugate the people. There is a point when it is no longer possible to avoid conflict. When that line has been crossed, our strategy must change from keeping the peace to winning the war. That line has now been crossed in “The American Republic.” It may take a while for others to see this, but it will soon be obvious.

When it is settled that the “Second American Revolutionary/Civil War isinevitable, right, and will be successful,” the next step in our preparation is to determine what is “right” about it, and what “successful” looks like from heaven’s perspective.  

According to I Corinthians 13 we see in part, we know in part, and we prophesy in part. All I have is part of the picture. I will present all that I have in this series, but I understand that this is just part of the whole picture. When I inquired of The Lord about His vision and purpose for our nation, His response was that He gave it to our leaders in the beginning.  It was articulated in our founding documents, and it is in them that we must see them.

About two decades ago I began a study to see if I could find a special covenant or mandate that God had given to our country. My prayer for this was Psalm 90:16-17: “Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” I asked to see His hand and guidance in the founding of our nation, and by this understand His purpose so that our work and prayers for the country would be toward the fulfillment of His purpose, not just certain political goals.

In my study, I was surprised by how obvious His handiwork could be seen in our nation’s founding. It was also easy to see the serious trouble we suffered as we deviated from His purpose for us. We are now entering the worst crises in our history when it will be determined if we will live or die as the Republic we have been called to be. If there is anything worth fighting for in our life, it is God’s purpose. If there is anything worth fighting for in our nation, it is God’s purpose for our nation.

Rick Joyner's Word for the Week: The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 6 - MorningStar Ministries

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 6

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Week 6, 2019

Rick Joyner

Even a cursory study of history reveals that many of the issues over which the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars were fought are not settled. These issues have continued to be points of conflict in our country. Many of the issues have evolved and are not in the exact same form, but basically, our present struggle continues to be about independence, liberty, freedom from the bondage of oppressive government, and equal justice under the law—for all.

How does this fit with the next Great Awakening that so many have prophesied, including myself? The First Great Awakening preceded the Revolutionary War. The Second Great Awakening preceded the Civil War. It is easy to see a direct link between the messages of these Great Awakenings and how they ignited these wars. Their light exposed darkness to the degree that it could no longer be tolerated. Likewise, the light already being revealed from the emerging Awakening in this time is causing great agitation in our land. The issues have morphed in a lot of ways, but they are basically the same ones that were fought over in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Some historians concluded that the American Revolution began when George Whitefield was forbidden to preach in the Church of England and began preaching in open fields to the common people. This was in the 1730s, almost half a century before the Revolutionary War, but sometimes seeds take a while to germinate, sprout, and bear fruit. So how did the light that Whitefield brought sow the seeds of American independence?

Whitefield began preaching to the common people in a town of coal miners that were considered lowly. They considered themselves too unworthy to even have a church in their town. To the shock of all who heard Whitefield, especially these miners, he began to declare that they were the true royalty in the earth—“the royal priesthood” if they gave their lives to Christ and followed Him. In the class sensitive England of the time, this was shockingly revolutionary.

These lowly miners could not fathom being allowed to get within sight of the royal family, yet Whitefield was telling them that if they were in Christ, they were of even higher royal stature than the British royal family. This seed became the doctrine that “all men are created equal,” and that who we are in spirit, in relation to Christ, are more important than any earthly, human lineage. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we should therefore no longer judge people after the flesh—after externals—but after the Spirit. As Martin Luther King, Jr. later paraphrased this, he had a dream that we would not judge each other by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. That we would be a nation where this is true, the real “American dream” and one that heaven has given to us.

So Whitefield’s messages implied that the poorest miner who followed Christ was of a higher stature than earthly royalty. These miners gave their lives to Him by the thousands. Soon Whitefield, who had filled many churches with the hundreds who sought to hear him, now had trouble finding fields big enough to hold the thousands who sought to hear this message. It was not just Whitefield’s remarkable ability as an orator that drew the crowds, but also a foundational aspect of the Gospel that for centuries had not been so articulated. Once again “the poor had the Gospel preached to them.” There is nothing on earth as revolutionary as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When it is preached, revolution is inevitable—even where it is claimed to already be Christian.

When Whitefield brought to the colonies this message that so elevated “the common man,” the crowds swelled to tens of thousands. Many of his crowds were larger than the population of the cities in which he preached. People would travel for days or even weeks to hear him. They drove their buggies, rode their mules and horses, and even walked to hear the great evangelist when it was published that he would be in a certain city on a certain date.

Whitefield also preached in humble, small churches. He did not seem to be a respecter of people or crowd size. Some of these small meetings may have had as much impact on the destiny of the nation as the larger ones. When he spoke at the Polegreen Church just north of Richmond, Virginia, the little church of less than a hundred people later became known as “the womb of the Revolution.”

Sitting in that small audience were some destined to be called the fathers of the nation. Patrick Henry was one of those. He  lived only a few hundred yards from the Polegreen Church, but the passion for liberty born in him that day would soon fire the nation.

Again, the main seed that sprouted and became a revolution was the Gospel that elevated the common man to being sons and daughters of The King of kings. This was the seed that became the message that “all men are created equal.” This led to the previously unimagined concept that government existed for the people and not the other way around.

In the world at that time, there was no other place and no other government that considered this concept. This was the basis for what is called “American exceptionalism.” To be exceptional does not necessarily mean better, but rather just different. In this case, it was better. The American Republic became the exception to every other government in the world.

This is why many historians believe that the First Great Awakening was the beginning of the Revolutionary War. However, the Revolutionary War did not win this freedom for all and did not result in all men being treated equally. A whole class of people were still treated worse than the coal miners that Whitefield had first preached this message to. This made an even more devastating war necessary, and the revolution continues to this day.

A Personal Note from Rick

Finding and fulfilling your purpose in Christ is the greatest adventure you can have in this life. MorningStar University exists for the purpose of helping His disciples find and prepare for that purpose. Having been called a movement of "thinking prophets," MSU is designed to equip high-impact Christians in every major sphere of influence.  

MorningStar University is accredited through AICCS and offers a Certificate, Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, and a Master’s Degree in Leadership. MSU is based at our headquarters near Charlotte, North Carolina. Tuition is affordable and housing is available. Click Here for more information about MSU or call 803-547-8494.

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 5 - Rick Joyner MorningStar Ministries

The Second American Revolutionary/Civil War, Part 5

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Week 5, 2019

Rick Joyner  MorningStar Ministries

In the dream that I was given about the “Second American Revolutionary/Civil War,” the first part was about the strategy for this war. The symbolism may seem odd, but if you stick with me for a little bit, it gives important insights into what we must do now.

The dream began with a long line of people waiting to tee off at a golf course. After each one teed off, they were told about the enemy they were to look for to destroy. This enemy was in the trees along the fairway. I was waiting in line for my turn when an angel came up to me and said I had a different assignment. That’s when I was taken to the device that revealed the history of the American Republic from heaven’s perspective.

Golf, like many games, can mirror an aspect of life. The goal is to get the ball in a hole that has a flag, or standard, over it. Each hole on the course is different from the others. No two shots will be the same, so you must judge several conditions on each shot, such as distance to the hole, wind, and elevation. You may know exactly what you should do, but actually doing it the way you want is another matter. To be successful, you need to stay in the fairway, or let’s say “the way.” If you go too far to either the right or left, you will go out of bounds and that brings a serious penalty.

I don’t want to bore you with a golf lesson here, but having played golf for many years, this part of the dream made perfect sense to me as a strategy for winning the Revolutionary/Civil War. To some degree, if we are going to understand prophetic symbolism, we must learn that The Lord likes to use puns. We are told in Psalm 2:4 that He “sits in the heavens and laughs.” This may be because He thinks they are funny, but they can also powerfully convey understanding.

In this dream, those who were teeing off were going to find the enemy they were assigned to destroy. This is insight about what “tees us off” will be what we are called to fight. For example, those who are the most disturbed and agitated by human trafficking should take that as a sign that they are called to fight this enemy. For others, it could be things like racism, or the sowing of immorality in school curriculum. These are not random provocations intended to irritate us; they are calls to action. We must all consider how we can be a part of fighting what provokes us the most and what Scripture defines as evil.

 Again, for Christians the Scriptures are clear that our battle is never against people, but rather against the demonic forces that are manifested through ideologies and deceptions that bind, and ultimately, destroy them. Our victory is not to kill and wound, but to heal and lead people to the path of life. We are not fighting to conquer people or to just win the argument, but we fight to establish the truth that sets people free.

How does that work when a spiritual or philosophical war breaks out into violence? These are the kinds of issues we need to settle in our hearts now, because the confused are almost certain to be casualties in what is unfolding.

We may also think that if God hates war then His people should stay out of the conflict. God does hate war, but as we touched on before, He is declared to be a warrior in a number of Scriptures. No doubt that if we followed Him more fully, our disputes would not come to war. However, as we are told in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for war. There are times when war is inevitable, and times when it is right to fight. What I was shown in the dream is that this Second American Revolutionary/Civil War is inevitable, it is right, and it will be successful.

At this writing, I do not know now what or how it happened, but in this dream I knew that somehow we had just crossed a line that made this second Revolutionary/Civil War inevitable. There will not be a peaceful solution to the conflicts that have arisen in our country. Even so, I will continually pray that this be won decisively and with the fewest possible casualties and the least damage as possible.

Why this is called a Revolutionary and Civil War is important. Much of what we need to understand the great battles of our times lies in understanding these conflicts because so many of them were fought over in these wars, but not settled.

Also, wars come in many forms. The Cold War brought about the greatest geopolitical change in history, but it was not fought with traditional weapons, but rather with banks and currencies. It was an economic war more than a political or military one. Just as in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, many of the issues that the Cold War was fought over were not decisively defeated, and now they have risen to face us again.

We must not forget that the most powerful weapons of all are the “divinely powerful weapons” that we have been entrusted with. Truth articulated under the anointing is more powerful than any bomb. Though there will be physical conflict in what is now unfolding, the most important issues will be the spiritual and moral ones, especially our devotion to liberty for all—that everyone be treated equally and fairly under the law and with opportunity.

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