Showing posts with label controversy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label controversy. Show all posts

Monday, September 2, 2019

“Controversy. Let the Battle Rage. Part 2 ” - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Controversy continues to rage around us, as people of all walks, cultures, nationalities and spiritual beliefs just can’t get along. Disputes happen.
You can read the rest of it here: Controversy. Let the Battle Rage. Part 1.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Controversy. Let the Battle Rage. Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Controversy. Let the Battle Rage. Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Controversy. Let the Battle Rage.

“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-26, NKJV

Controversy is nothing new. Neither are the battles that have raged within the population of mankind. From the beginning of recorded history, as we know it, brother has been against brother. The first two, Cain and Abel, certainly proved that.
One thing is certain as we consider controversy. It happens. Because sin continues to work in the hearts of men (and women, ladies!) we will always be surrounded by contentions, judging of one another, and battles within and without our families, friends, and nations. That’s just the way it is. Or as a pastor friend of mine said decades ago, “It is what it is.” (True, Geoff.)
I for one don’t avoid contentions, communications that bring about change, implementing new policies, or the “cleansing of the house.” Even within the many ministries I have been blessed and honored to work in (8 at last count over 32 years as of this writing on Aug. 31, 2019) I did not run from speaking out. If there was a need, the Lord would many times use me to bring  about a change. It wasn’t always “fun” or highly reputable, but looking back, He proved it was the right thing to do.
Was I labeled a troublemaker? Not really. People knew my heart was to see individuals, and employees, especially those on staff within those ministries, treated with full respect and the honor that was due, through the Lord, and because of Him and His Name’s sake.
I wasn’t concerned about my reputation, loss of job, or retaliation from those in higher leadership positions. I had learned early on in life, during my high school years (1969-1973, to be fully transparent) that what man thinks of me, or you, holds nothing compared to what our Lord, the Ultimate Judge, knows and sees. For He alone has the final say in all things. Before Him we do, and will, stand.
So, when controversies within the Church flare up, the Body of Christ that He is creating out of feeble, fully human vessels, it does not bother me. I will take a stand, be shot at, and give my input as requested and sought. Foremost, and above all the fray, in order to see the Lord’s plans and purposes take hold, as He builds His Kingdom. In His ultimate finality, He has chosen to use you and I, together, in being part of that final building.
I tend to run to the battles of controversary, rather than go hide away in order to protect my interests and self-preservation. Past situations have already proven that.
The Lord is seeking to establish the creation of a pure and holy One New Man. From the start, He has known what it will take to make a people for Himself, called by His Name, to bring glory and honor to Him alone. Surprisingly, it has taken all these centuries to do it, but He will see that it gets done, for His sake, and His glory in heaven and earth. He seems to be in no hurry to accomplish His will. Nor will He stop from doing it, and use whatever means He chooses.
As it has been written, “He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (Hebrew 12:29)
Let it be done, Lord.
“No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s — a homicide that cried out for vengeance — became a proclamation of grace.
So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time — he’s told us this quite plainly — he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.
Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (emphasis mine)  Hebrews 12:22-29, THE MESSAGE
As the shaking continues, first in the House of God, and then beyond the self-imposed walls of our churches and synagogues, my eyes are fixed on Yeshua, Jesus, the One Who sits on the heavenly throne.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV
If your eyes are fixed on Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, you are standing on good, solid ground. As the shaking continues, and even as it heats up even further, don’t be unaware that He is on the move, as His Holy Spirit brings the needed cleansing and purity that is so needed in our midst.
Controversy will continue. Battles will rage. Be sure you know the One Who has the final say, and let His Spirit go about building the temple, through the cementing of all of us together, using pure and holy cement at that.
Now think on this and see what good things the Lord has in store for you and those around you.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.
Thank you for reading!
Please sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter: Now Think On ThisThe sign-up form is on our ministry website: https://loveforhispeople.com
You are welcome to help support the families in Israel that we do. Give now. Givelify.

Love For His People ministry
P.O. Box 414
Pineville, NC 28134
Please share Now Think On This with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.  Others will be thankful you did.
Now Think On This #454 – in the year of our Lord 08.31.19 – “Let the Battle Rage” – Saturday, 5:30 am

Thursday, April 5, 2018

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Brown Speaks Out on 'Christ at the Checkpoint' Controversy - David Lazarus ISRAEL TODAY

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Brown Speaks Out on 'Christ at the Checkpoint' Controversy

Thursday, April 05, 2018 |  David Lazarus  ISRAEL TODAY
Dr. Michael Brown is one of the most recognized Messianic Jewish voices today. For that reason, there was some concern about his appearance at the upcoming anti-Israel "Christ at the Checkpoint" conference.
Dr. Brown spoke to Israel Today regarding these concerns, and how he plans to hold Christ at the Checkpoint accountable for its wayward theology.
The full interview is a MUST-READ for anyone concerned by this Evangelical Palestinian Christian effort to delegitimize Israel.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates

Friday, October 4, 2013

Martial Law - Rick Joyner (Prophetic Bulletin) Oct. 2013

Martial Law


MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #81 - October 3, 2013

          A recent MorningStar TV Prophetic Perspectives program that I did on how martial law is coming to America has created quite a stir. Some were outraged and some glad that the obvious had been stated. Both of these responses are understandable. The stir that was created by this is encouraging. I obviously touched a nerve, as even the national news picked it up. At least for a moment, a lot of people are alert and listening.
          In the New Testament, it is recorded over twenty times that Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”He also said, “Be careful how you hear” (see Mark 4:24). More often than most of us realize, what we hear passes through a mental filter that changes the message from what was actually said to what we think was said. In some of the responses I received about this program, it is obvious that this happened with many viewers, and that is understandable. 
I’m just thankful that they care enough to get mad about this. Even so, as some on the national news edited the video to make it seem what I was not saying, I am putting this in writing so that what I am saying is clear. It will be necessarily shocking to many anyway, and many who clearly understand what I’m saying will still disagree with it. That is understandable.
          What I did say, and am saying, is that democracy in America is failing, and we are headed for martial law.
          I make no apologies for this statement, and I will stand by it. I did not plan for that program to be aired just as a government shutdown began. That is actually a gross overstatement for what is happening, and is one of many symptoms of the breakdown we are witnessing in our Republic.
          In 1987, I began warning about what is now happening. When I was first shown this in the prophetic experience I wrote about in The Harvest, I was as disconcerted and grieving as much as some were when they saw the Prophetic Perspectives program in which I boldly stated these things. For this reason, I fully understand and empathize with their outrage. However, everything I was shown in that vision has either come true or is unfolding now.
          I have the benefit of seeing many things unfold the way I was shown, and I surely understand the outrage of those who do not have this benefit. Some infer that this is something I actually want to happen in America, but that could not be further from the truth. I don’t prophesy what I want to see happen, but what I am shown. In fact, I know it is something that the Lord did not want to happen, which I will explain below.
          At best, even with the best martial possible, martial law is a very dangerous thing. America is now sailing deeper and deeper into these most treacherous seas. If there was any prophecy that I have made that I hope does not come to pass, this would be one of the highest on that list. However, like it or not, see it or not, this is where we are headed.
          Can this be avoided? Until it happens, I do think it can be avoided. However, unless you change your direction you will end up where you are headed, and martial law is where we are headed. In 1987, this was very hard for me to see. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, it was even harder to see, but since then all of the changes in our nation have been more in the direction of this.
          When I began to see that this is now almost certainly unavoidable, I did receive encouragement that even if our present government collapsed, if we, as a nation, returned to the Lord, it would be used for good and not evil. It could be a reset, a jubilee, and our Republic could be restored on a solid foundation, one that would not be so easily shaken again. I still hold to that promise. Not only will our Republic be restored, but even more importantly, America will turn back to the Lord and fulfill our destiny and purpose.
          That being said, without a soon and very radical turn back to what we were called to be as a nation, we are going to pass through a time of martial law in America. The crucial issue is who the martial is going to be. This could be a very difficult time, much darker than we can probably imagine, or it could be a time when peace and stability is restored, and the Republic is restored to its Constitutional moorings. That choice is up to Americans.
     What is happening in America, and what will happen, is not God’s choice, but the choice of Americans. As we are told in Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” This is why the Lord will not do things on the earth until we pray—He delegated the rule over the earth to men, and here we receive what we decide.
          In Revelation 3:20, we see that in this age Jesus will not even enter His own church unless we open the door for Him. America was once the place on earth where He was the most welcome and the most sought after. However, for nearly half a century now we have been telling Him to leave. We do not even want the mention of Him in our public places or in our history books. Therefore, He has left. Now what is coming upon us is not His doing, it is the choice our country made when we began turning from Him.
          In this I count myself as guilty as any. Even if it was not my desire, it has happened on my watch. I am not pointing the finger at others without accepting responsibility myself. Though the friends of the Lord still outnumber the enemies of the Lord in America, His enemies are growing in number. They are seizing the reins of our country because few of His friends have cared enough, or had the courage, to do anything about it. If we do not change our direction, we will end up where we are headed, and we are headed there with increasing speed every day.
          Again, martial law will be an extreme danger. Martial law can quickly morph into a permanent dictatorship. With the technology available today, and almost daily in the news, a totalitarian police state is now possible which could be far worse than any previous police state in history. That is where we are headed. Will we change our direction?
          The most thorough way to kill a plant is to cut it off from its roots. The most effective way to destroy a nation is to cut it off from its history. Revisionist historians have been doing this to America. Americans hardly know who we are anymore or what our purpose is. We are being severed from the foundations of what once made us a great nation. The destruction of America is imminent if we do not change our direction. If we start turning back to the Lord, we can have a reset, a jubilee, and a return to the trajectory that He has planned for us—unprecedented peace, prosperity, and strength, because of the favor of the only One who can make this possible.

Prophetic Perspectives
          I am very glad for this controversy, even the outrage I have created in some by the Prophetic Perspectives program. To quote King David, “I will yet be more vile” (see II Samuel 6:22 KJV). I don’t enjoy controversy, but I do appreciate it for what it can accomplish. It is not likely that anyone will be able to speak the truth in these times without it. I intend to use the controversy started by that program to delve into more depth on these issues. Therefore, future Prophetic Perspectivesprograms will likely be even more controversial. If you do not get these programs through your network or cable provider, you may go to www.morningstartv.com and view them online at your convenience.
          For those of you who have expressed concern about me personally, I appreciate this concern. However, my job is not one that wins the favor or understanding of many people. If you speak the truth in these times, many will be enraged. I knew this when I took the job. My ambition is to know that I was not a watchman that slept on my watch, but that I did the best I could to sound the alarm when there was danger. 
Alarms have to be irritating to wake people up. So my reward is seeing people wake up, even if they are angry with me at first for being so irritating. At least I know that some of those who wake up irritated are finally awake now. Those who are now enraged at me at least care enough to be enraged, and I’m thankful for that. They can be the ones who rise up and do the most to protect us from what is now threatening us.
          Even so, it is not the time for fear, but faith. Please read and take courage in the following Psalm that I was given for this time. Keep in mind that mountains often speak of governments in biblical prophetic symbolism:
Psalm 46
A psalm of the sons of Korah

To the Chief Musician
God will prevail
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will we not fear even though the earth changes, and though the mountains shake and fall into the seas.
3 Though the waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling of them. (Selah)
4 There is a river whose waters make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she will not be moved. God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken. He uttered His voice, and the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah)
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He has made in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah)
          In times of great tribulation and upheaval among the nations, we have a Rock in our God. He will never be moved, and the nations are like dust in His hand. When the shaking comes, and it will come to even the most powerful and seemingly stable nations, the righteous will be at peace, and they will not be moved, because they have built their lives upon the Rock.
         So what can we do? There is a lot. We must mobilize and get engaged. We must resolve that we value truth, righteousness, and justice more than our comfort, or we will soon be the most uncomfortable of all people. If you love God, if you love His truth, it is time to stand up.
Rick Joyner at Harvest Fest conference 
Oct. 2013 at MorningStar 
(Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC)