Time and Assurance – Steve Martin, Love For His People ministry

Jan. 10, 2020 Charlotte, NC

Time and Assurance – Steve Martin

“For everything there is a season, a right time for every intention under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

The older you get the faster time seems to pass. As a young kid it was just the opposite as the clock clicked too slow past the hour every day. Remember the years when your birthday took forever to get here? Now they come too fast.

Solomon in all his wisdom understood time, and the seasons it brings. As earthly creatures not as yet fully experiencing eternity (though for each of us it started at our conception) how time passes can be fast or slow depending upon how we are looking at the times we are living in.

As Solomon wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, “For everything there is a season, a right time for every intention under heaven —  a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to discard, a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Complete Jewish Bible

Knowing our times are in His hands (Psalm 66:9), we can be assured that the time we were born was of His doing, and it was the perfect time for us. Some would question that as they have faced difficulties and trials in this life, but ultimately, we will understand. That period of our timeline was set by Him, and will not be changed.

And we can be assured that our appointed time to die will happen when He has decided it is time. Nothing can take us before our time. No Covid. No enemy. No devil from hell.

Believing it or not, the Word of God again says, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Eccl 3:1, NASU

When events arise that would try to bring doubt, unbelief, discouragement, and fear (and they do come for each of us), our bedrock faith in His Word, trusting in His wisdom and timing, will see us through even the most difficult of challenges.

When a loved one passes on, we must trust in His timing.

When an appointment comes unfulfilled, we must trust in His timing.

When a prophetic word seems to never come to pass, we must trust in His timing.

Above all, we must trust in His timing, which is, in reality, trusting in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It amazes me how so often an expectation I longed for and was certain of did not come to pass in the time slot I had planned. What happened, Lord? But then when enough time had gone by, sometimes taking years to come about, and I looked back and then saw His hand in it, I agreed with His wisdom and purpose in “the wait.” Often, He kept us from that which we would rather not have wanted to experience, but at the right time did give us that which was best for us and those others who were affected in His plan and purpose.

Be assured that His timing for you is always best. It is a true statement – Our Father knows best.

Rest assured that as we long for Him and His will, the timing of all things will make sense, give us understanding, and enable us to always say, “Our God is faithful and true.”

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.” Revelation 19:11-12, NASU

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin, Love For His People founder

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Message #60 – in the year of our Lord 01.10.2022 – “Time and Again”” – Monday, 3:30 pm in Charlotte, NC USA

What Hillary Is Learning About GenXers—and What Your Church Must Know - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

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What Hillary Is Learning About GenXers—and What Your Church Must Know

1/27/2016 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine 

Hillary Clinton thought she had the full support of young American voters last year. She got high-profile endorsements from singers Pharrell Williams and Christina Aguilera. She appeared in a goofy skit on Saturday Night Live in which she praised herself for having a "young, cool vibe." She even brought in pop star Katie Perry (sporting Hillary Clinton campaign fingernails) to sing her signature anthem "Roar" at a campaign event in Iowa.

But now, just a few months later, 68-year-old Clinton is scrambling to convince Millennials and GenXers that she is their candidate. She even opened a Snapchat account and put her 35-year-old daughter, Chelsea, on the platform. But the latest polls show that, among Democrats, a majority of young voters are choosing Bernie Sanders, the ultra-liberal, "democratic socialist" senator from Vermont—who is six years older than Clinton.

The reason? Young voters have told CNN and other news outlets that they don't trust Hillary. They think she's dishonest. And they believe she is too tied to the Wall Street/Inside-the-Washington-Beltway establishment. They detect something fake.

We'll see how all this plays out in Iowa and New Hampshire in a few days. Meanwhile, I hope the church can learn a few lessons from politics. The truth is that Millennials and GenXers don't have much trust in the Christian "establishment" either. Here are a few things the church must learn fast if we want to win the trust of the younger generation:

1. Quit being phony. Young people today want authenticity. They can't stand anything fake or pretentious. We are way past the time when preachers can afford to be cocky and unapproachable. Ministers who arrive at church in limousines or who view ministry as a business venture might as well forget about attracting the younger crowd. Youth today cannot stomach the swagger of a slick televangelist who has been stuck in a 1980s time warp. If you genuinely care about taking the gospel to the younger generation, get rid of anything that comes across as fake. (And that includes pushing people to the floor when you pray for them.)

2. Stop preaching a money-focused gospel. Today's young people will go to the ends of the earth with you if you preach a message of humility and sacrifice. They want to heal the sick, stop child slavery and crush injustice. They despise corporations that oppress foreign workers and governments that exploit people. So if you spend all your time taking offerings for a private jet or manipulating people to give in your "first fruits offering," young people will yawn, roll their eyes and find a better cause to support. They can spot a religious con artist quicker than many adults who have been in church for years!

3. Cultivate real relationships. Today's young people don't place a high value on church attendance or religious routines. Part of the reason they stay away from programmed events is that they genuinely want to connect; they are not interested in keeping a chair warm just so you can fill your new sanctuary. They are relational. And some are starved for love because their own families split apart. They don't want to just listen to a preacher; they want to hear what you have to say and then have a coffee with you afterward. Churches that are successfully reaching young people create a true family environment of love and connection.

4. Offer assurance and encouragement—and follow through. Some of the young men I mentor were horribly disappointed by parents or spiritual leaders. Some were abandoned by their dads; others were verbally abused by pastors. For that reason, they expect older adults to fail them again—yet they thrive when a true mentor steps in to offer affirming words and caring hugs. But remember: If you tell a young person you will help them, keep your promise. Make the phone calls, send the texts and take them to lunch when possible. You are making a priceless investment.

5. Stop being religious and judgmental. Many of the young Christians I meet today are more passionate about their faith than their parents. They spend their summers on the mission field, get involved in 24/7 prayer efforts and forfeit cars and careers to serve the Lord. But when they walk into some churches they are instantly judged because they have scruffy beards, metal piercings in their noses or tattoos on their forearms. Then they listen to self-righteous Christians who bash sinners rather than model compassion. Is it any wonder that so many Millennials and GenXers have checked out of church?

It is possible to close the generation gap in the church, but this won't happen until older Christians start caring less about maintaining the status quo and more about loving and empowering younger believers. Let's make the necessary changes by slaughtering our sacred cows, embracing new music, learning new technology and welcoming a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit's power.

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, atthemordecaiproject.org.

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Satan, Keep Away from My Bloodline! by Perry Stone

Satan, Keep Away from My Bloodline! 

by Perry Stone

Identity Network

 

Have you ever wondered why, after raising your children in the ways of God, they choose to walk away from Him and go their own way?

 

The heaviest burden for a parent to carry is for his or her own bloodline - his or her children and grandchildren and their eternal destiny. Children are a heritage from the Lord and the greatest weight on a parent's heart.

 

I have met thousands of parents whose children were raised in a local church but today are spiritually AWOL. Why?

 

Root Causes

 

Here are three often-undetected root causes why your family members may avoid church. There are social reasons. Some feel uncomfortable meeting new people, are not sure how to dress and feel awkward when asked to hold the hand of the stranger next to them. There are also neurological reasons. People suffer from a variety of disorders that may cause them to feel uncomfortable in a service. Some neurological disorders like Autism cause difficulty in sitting and are disturbed by loud music or noise. Some have economic reasons for not attending because they believe the church is always asking for money.

 

But the ultimate reason for many avoiding a Christian gathering is spiritual. First, according to John 12:40, the adversary has blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts of some, preventing them from receiving knowledge and being converted. Another reason is simply unbelief. It is impossible to receive any spiritual or, for that matter, physical and financial blessing or breakthrough if a person abides in unbelief. Their wrong thinking prevents it.

 

Wrong thinking creates what we call strongholds. The word stronghold was used by the Greeks when speaking of a castle or a military fortification that was built to prevent access. In Paul's writings strongholds are mental blocks of thinking that prevented spiritual breakthroughs.

 

The adversary will use a person's wrong thinking to build up a mental stronghold, hindering them from going to the very place where their mental and spiritual chains can be broken. Believers must also deal with wrong thinking and never allow human reasoning to exalt itself above the knowledge of God, but to pull down mental strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

 

Praying

 

When parents have asked me how they should pray for their prodigal son, daughter, or at times grandparents are concerned about their wayward grandchildren, I share how I pray for my own children. The first thing I do is thank God for giving me two wonderful children - a boy and a girl. I then declare that anyone who carries my DNA or my name (Stone) that is linked to my family will all be in the kingdom of God and not one will be missing. I ask God to protect them from harm, danger, and any disabling accident, and I assign a generational angel to be with them. 

At times when I have seen someone in my bloodline struggle and knew a demonic spirit was attacking them, my prayer became aggressive and a rebuking anointing began flowing through me as I rebuked the powers of the adversary, demanding them to "get their hands off" that person and for God to bring relief and restoration. It is also important to discover if there is a "root source" to their resistance to God such as a hurt, an offense, a misunderstanding that should be dealt with.

 

Parents should also pray in advance for the friends their children have, beginning at an early age, as many of their choices as teenagers will emerge out of peer pressure from those surrounding them.

 

At times it takes very intense and consistent intercession to initiate a life-changing breakthrough in family members. Often when a parent or any believer engages in intense intercessory prayer coupled with a prayer burden, the seeker will receive an assurance before they see the actual breakthrough. The Greek word for assurance in the New Testament means a complete and peaceful confidence in a matter (1 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 6:11, 10:22). Once this inner assurance is received, it releases a calming effect that settles your mind or spirit, as God's still, small voice prompts your perception that everything will be all right and you can move from asking God to thanking Him in advance (see Isaiah 32:17).                 

 

When Faith and Assurance Collide

 

When I was a teenage minister, I canned this feeling of assurance, "I know in my knower!" For example, there have been times I have prayed for individuals whose situations were so bleak that it required a supernatural intervention, or what we term a miracle to bring them back from the brink of death or destruction. However, when prayer was offered under the anointing of the Spirit, a peaceful calm erased the doubts and confusion. We left the hospital knowing that everything will be well.

 

Never cease to pray for your lost family members and begin thanking God when you sense an assurance. Remember, the peace of assurance will precede the actual breakthrough, often by days, weeks, and months. The best way to disrobe the assurance is in the words of Paul, when he wrote, "For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Hebrews 4:3, KJV). When faith and assurance collide, you will be at rest, even in the midst of the most severe storm ... for even Christ could sleep through a storm knowing He was going over to the other side (Luke 8:22-25). God's assurance that He is and will be moving on your behalf will bring a mental, physical, and spiritual rest to you.

 

Perry Stone

www.voe.org

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