Shalom Today Ministry - informative video

Moses Julius said: "Shalom Sir Steve Martin. Here is a Shalom Today Ministry video showing projects we have started and continue to perform, helping orphans, children, and women in faith, education and biblical lessons. View file Enjoy!

Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become - Michael Synder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become Posted: 29 Mar 2016  Michael Synder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG Ten years ago, a major Hollywood film entitled “Idiocracy” was released, and it was an excellent metaphor for what would happen to America over the course of the next decade.  In the movie, an “average American” wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that he suddenly finds himself in.  Sadly, I truly believe that if people of average intellect from the 1950s and 1960s were transported to 2016, they would likely be considered mental giants compared to the rest of us.   We have a country where criminals are being paid $1000 a month not to shoot people, and the highest paid public employee in more than half the states is a football coach.  Hardly anyone takes time to read a book anymore, and yet the average American spends 302 minutes a day watching television.  75 percent of our young adults cannot find Israel on a map of the Middle East, but they sure know how to find smut on the Internet.   It may be hard to believe, but there are more than 4 million adult websites on the Internet today, and they get more traffic than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined. What in the world has happened to us?  How is it possible that we have become so stupid?  According to a brand new report that was recently released, almost 10 percent of our college graduates believe that Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court… The American Council of Trustees and Alumni publishes occasional reports on what college students know. Nearly 10 percent of the college graduates surveyed thought Judith Sheindlin, TV’s “Judge Judy,” is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Less than 20 percent of the college graduates knew the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a quarter of the college graduates did not know Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during World War II; one-third did not know he was the president who spearheaded the New Deal. It can be tempting to laugh at numbers like these until you realize that survey after survey has come up with similar results. Just consider what Newsweek found a few years ago… When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar. Even worse were the extremely depressing results of a study conducted a few years ago by Common Core… *Only 43 percent of all U.S. high school students knew that the Civil War was fought some time between 1850 and 1900. *More than a quarter of all U.S. high school students thought that Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean after the year 1750. *Approximately a third of all U.S. high school students did not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of religion. *Only 60 percent of all U.S. students knew that World War I was fought some time between 1900 and 1950. Of course survey results can be skewed, and much hinges on how the questions are asked. However, even studies that are scientifically conducted confirm how stupid America has become.  In fact, a report from the Educational Testing Service found that Americans are falling way behind much of the rest of the industrialized world.  The following comes from CBS News… Americans born after 1980 are lagging their peers in countries ranging from Australia to Estonia, according to a new report from researchers at the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The study looked at scores for literacy and numeracy from a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which tested the abilities of people in 22 countries. The results are sobering, with dire implications for America. It hints that students may be falling behind not only in their early educational years but at the college level. Even though more Americans between the ages of 20 to 34 are achieving higher levels of education, they’re still falling behind their cohorts in other countries. In Japan, Finland and the Netherlands, young adults with only a high school degree scored on par with American Millennials holding four-year college degrees, the report said. Out of 22 countries that were part of the study, the Educational Testing Service found that Americans were dead last in tech proficiency, dead last in numeracy and only two countries performed worse than us when it came to literacy proficiency… Half of American Millennials score below the minimum standard of literacy proficiency. Only two countries scored worse by that measure: Italy (60 percent) and Spain (59 percent). The results were even worse for numeracy, with almost two-thirds of American Millennials failing to meet the minimum standard for understanding and working with numbers. That placed U.S. Millennials dead last for numeracy among the study’s 22 developed countries. So why has this happened? Why have we become such an extremely stupid nation? Well, at least a portion of the blame must be directed at our system of education.  The following is an excerpt from an article written by reporter Mark Morford.  In this article, he shared how one of his friends which had served for a very long time as a high school teacher in Oakland, California was considering moving out of the country when he retired due to the relentless “dumb-ification of the American brain”… It’s gotten so bad that, as my friend nears retirement, he says he is very seriously considering moving out of the country so as to escape what he sees will be the surefire collapse of functioning American society in the next handful of years due to the absolutely irrefutable destruction, the shocking — and nearly hopeless — dumb-ification of the American brain. It is just that bad. Now, you may think he’s merely a curmudgeon, a tired old teacher who stopped caring long ago. Not true. Teaching is his life. He says he loves his students, loves education and learning and watching young minds awaken. Problem is, he is seeing much less of it. And of course things don’t get much better when it comes to our college students.  In a previous article, I shared some statistics from USA Today about the rapidly declining state of college education in the United States… -“After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.” -“Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago” -“35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone.” -“50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages” -“32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.” I spent eight years studying at some of the finest public universities in the country, and I can tell you from personal experience that even our most challenging college courses have been pathetically dumbed down. And at our “less than finest” public universities, the level of education can be something of a bad joke.  In another previous article, I shared some examples of actual courses that have been taught at U.S. universities in recent years… -“What If Harry Potter Is Real?” -“Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame” -“Philosophy And Star Trek” -“Learning From YouTube” -“How To Watch Television” Could you imagine getting actual college credit for a course entitled “What If Harry Potter Is Real?” This is why many of our college graduates can barely put two sentences together.  They aren’t being challenged, and the quality of the education most of them are receiving is incredibly poor. But even though they aren’t being challenged, students are taking longer to get through college than ever.  Federal statistics reveal that only 36 percent of all full-time students receive a bachelor’s degree within four years, and only 77 percent of all full-time students have earned a bachelor’s degree by the end of six years. Of course our system of education is not entirely to blame.  The truth is that young Americans spend far more time consuming media than they do hitting the books, and what passes for “entertainment” these days is rapidly turning their brains to mush. According to a report put out by Nielsen, this is how much time the average American spends consuming media on various devices each day… Watching live television: 4 hours, 32 minutes Watching time-shifted television: 30 minutes Listening to the radio: 2 hours, 44 minutes Using a smartphone: 1 hour, 33 minutes Using Internet on a computer: 1 hour, 6 minutes When you add it all up, the average American spends more than 10 hours a day plugged into some form of media. And if you allow anyone to pump “programming” into your mind for 10 hours a day, it is going to have a dramatic impact. In the end, I truly believe that we all greatly underestimate the influence that the mainstream media has on all of us.  We willingly plug into “the Matrix” for endless hours, but then somehow we still expect “to think for ourselves”. There are very few of us that can say that we have not been exposed to thousands upon thousands of hours of conditioning.  And all of that garbage can make it very, very difficult to think clearly. It is not because of a lack of input that we have become so stupid as a society.  The big problem is what we are putting into our minds. If we continue to put garbage in, we are going to continue to get garbage out, and that is the cold, hard reality of the matter.

Well Done - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Well Done

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'” Matthew 25:21 NASB


I like my steak medium well done, the way they do it at the Longhorn restaurants in Charlotte, NC (and elsewhere I am sure.) Not too dry, not too bloody, but just right. At least for my taste buds.

But that is not what this message is about. I thought I’d get your attention, for many of you like steak! Especially the beef from Iowa, where I grew up, for the cattle there are corn fed to get them real juicy.


This message is about being faithful, walking the walk we are called to as believers, and finishing the tasks the Lord has assigned for each one of us. He purposely created you and I for a specific work here on this planet – one in which the nations will know that He is the Lord, and the Lover of their souls. He always has, and continues to, look for a people who will believe in His ways, walk on His paths, and fulfill the Great Commission to take the Gospel, the Good News, to the lost and dying around us. That is His heart, and it has become mine. I hope yours too.

When my time has been completed here, give it 60, 70 or more years, I want to hear the words of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, say to me when I stand before His heavenly throne, “Excellent! You are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master’s happiness!” Matt. 25:21, CJB (Complete Jewish Bible).

Without a vision, or where there is no revelation or prophetic purpose, Scripture says the people perish (Prov. 29:18). Being faithful in what we do requires the impartation of the Lord’s desires in our hearts, whereby His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) gives us the goal and the objective in our living. If serving ourselves and our own pleasures has become our sought after achievement, our souls will become unfilled, having not what we have been created to do.

But knowing the purpose of our placement in the Body of Christ, and accomplishing the work the Lord has entrusted and gifted us with - be it service in the realm of business, education, media, government, family, religion or arts and entertainment - does bring the joy and happiness that is sought by everyone. It is not without much difficulty, temptation and trials, but it will bring the satisfaction that we have done that which we have been apprehended to do.

As Paul himself says, as our example and for our inspiration, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

We all like appreciation, rewards, and being given the prize at the end of the contest or achievement accomplished. Being faithful to complete it to the finish line, the end of the road, is worth the fighting for and pressing on to that goal. To hear our Master say to us, once our lives here have completed their given days, will be worth the effort it has taken.

Keep pressing on to the end. Know your calling, do what it takes to be faithful in the daily walk, and look with hearts full of hope and longing for that day when He will say to you, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Love For His People. Inc.

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 $5-$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.

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). 

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

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

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Now Think On This #153 “Well Done” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (05.28.14) Wednesday at 6:10 pm in Charlotte, NC.

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on our newest website: Now Think On This

God is Positioning Us - Dave Yarnes - MorningStar Ministries Video - Prophetic Perspective on Current Events

Dave Yarnes - VP MorningStar Ministries

God is Positioning Us

Dave Yarnes

Friday, April 11, 2014

Dave Yarnes talks about the Seven Mountains of influence in society. It is time to know your true calling and take your sphere of influence. 

Transitions are coming to an end as God is positioning us to get to the right location and sphere of influence.

The Lord has given us passion and vision for our purpose and place we are to be rightly placed in.

Watch here: God is Positioning Us - Dave Yarnes  

MorningStar Ministries 

Video 

- Prophetic Perspective on Current Events

Seven Mountains of Influence

For many - transition is coming to an end.

Convergence code - passion, gifting & training

Three Circles - Spirit, Character & Skill

Dave Yarnes

Morris Ruddick - shares believers' stories "from the field" of SE Asia - courage, endurance, perseverance and the Lord's expansion

Morris Ruddick

On March 7, 2014 at the Inspiration's City of Light, Morris Ruddick shared believers' stories "from the field" of SE Asia - courage, endurance, perseverance and the Lord's expansion. 

As he and his wife Carol have now made several trips to Vietnam, he tells of the Lord's move in that country, for spiritual and economic provision, based on Biblical, centuries old Jewish methods.

 

 

Click here for more: Morris Ruddick website

You may contact Morris at:

GLOBAL INITIATIVES FOUNDATION
3838 South Wabash - Suite 201
Denver, CO 80237-0291 USA

Email: info@strategic-initiatives.org
Phone: (303) 741-9000
Fax: (303) 741-9100

We invite you to partner with us in our labors 

to expand the Kingdom of God.

Please visit Morris' website and click here: Partnership page.

Your Gifts Will Open Doors: A Promise From God - Paulette Reed

Paulette Reed:

Your Gifts Will Open Doors: 

A Promise From God

(The Elijah List)

God-Given Gifts

The Bible assures us that every single person on earth has at least one – and probably several – God-given gifts placed inside of them to be used for God's glory. When we entered this world, God already had a plan for us and gave us the gifts we needed to fulfill our destinies.

When God called Jeremiah, He reassured him by saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5). 

God knew what Jeremiah was called to do and gave him the necessary gifts to fulfill that call even before he was born. God formed you in the womb too! 

He knows what you are called to do and has placed the perfect gifts inside of you to fulfill your destiny.

The apostle Paul assures us that each of us within the Body of Christ have different gifts that are a response to God's grace: "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly..." (Romans 12:6).

And Peter reminded his readers that they were on earth to glorify God through the use of their gifts: "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Keys To Open Doors

It's a great idea to ask yourself at the beginning of each year, "What is my vision? What is my destiny, and how am I to reach it?" 

Asking these questions will help us focus on God's plan and purpose for our lives. In response to each of these questions, it is important for us to set reachable goals that we can achieve with the Lord's help. Remember, if we don't have a target, we're not aiming at anything. And if we're not aiming at anything, we won't even know if we hit the mark because we don't know what we're aiming at.

As we step into 2014, which is the Year of the Open Door, let's return to the basics of the Gospel. Each of us should ponder these questions: 

What are our gifts from Heaven? Do we know what God has placed in us to fulfill His plan? Do we know what our part in that plan is? It's important for us to identify our gifts because they are the keys that open doors and bring us into our divine destiny. 

Proverbs 18:16 promises us, "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men."

We can be sure that our gifts will play an integral part to fulfilling our God-given dreams. It's sad to watch people when they don't understand this connection. They begin to look for things in the world to fulfill their desires rather than looking to God. 

Unfortunately, most end up frustrated at best, and discouraged at worst. However, when we learn to walk in our God-given gifts, we are not only content with our vocations, but we become passionate about them as well.

The Rhythm of Heaven

It's true that education is good and beneficial for the fulfillment of many of our dreams. But the Word of God does not tell us that education will make room for us. Don't get me wrong here: Education is important and sometimes we can only walk through certain open doors because of our education. But the Bible is very clear that it is our gifts that make room for us. After all, we could earn multiple Master's degrees, but they may not help a bit if we don't know our true Master.

I like how 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT) helps keep us humble:

"Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. 

And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God."

Beloved, our gifts from God bring us joy, peace, and success. It's when we learn to operate in them like a well-oiled machine, and are led by the Holy Spirit, that we can flow with the rhythm of Heaven.

Kingdom Finances

Here's another exciting aspect about our gifts. Not only will they open doors for us, but they can also bring us the finances we need to fulfill our destinies. When we use our gifts wisely for the Lord, He will give us favor so finances will be freely given to us, so that we can keep advancing the Kingdom of God. 

In other words, once the gift of God within us is activated, it can become a usable commodity that ushers in promotion. Daniel is the perfect example of this godly concept when he used his gifts to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream:

"Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. The king answered Daniel and said, 'Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.' Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon" (Daniel 2:46-48).

Practicing Our Gifts

After discovering our God-given gifts, it then becomes our responsibility to continually practice using them. 

God has called each of us to exercise our gifts so they become strong. 

Just like we will never reach our health goals without exercising regularly, so we may never reach our life goals if we don't exercise our gifts regularly. When we practice our gifts, we'll become more confident in our identity in Christ, thus fulfilling His plan and purpose for us.

And might I suggest here that we stay focused on "our" gifts and let the Lord bring other gifts around us. For example, I remember years ago when I was serving a brilliant author. I was helping take his writings and organize them into sequenced trainings. 

One day I looked at the leader and said, "We need to pray that the Lord gives you the gift of administration!" He looked directly at me, smiled, and said, "He did...she's sitting right there." It was a prophetic moment in my life that I didn't forget. 

God will bring other people (they are gifts themselves, and they also have various gifts) around us to connect the dots on the road to destiny.

Often times people get stalled in the pursuit of dreams because they're waiting for some man or woman to open doors for them. But listen! God has a better plan for you. He has given you the keys to open doors to your future – those keys are your gifts. And the gifts inside of you are perfect because they are what God determined for you to have even before you were born.

When we wisely use our God-given gifts, they bring God glory and bring us before kings. Let's take the time to do a spiritual inventory, asking God to strengthen and use our gifts for His glory. After all, it's not just about the gifts; it's about worshiping and honoring the Gift-Giver – His name is Jesus. He gave us the greatest gift ever...the gift of eternal life to all who will receive it.

Paulette Reed
Prophetic Arrow Ministries

Email: info@propheticarrow.org
Website: propheticarrow.org

Paulette Reed is a powerful preacher, prophetic minister, encourager, and author. She is a full-time revivalist/evangelist. Her passion is to share the love of Christ and unite people to the inexplicable love of our Heavenly Father, exhorting them to arise and shine! 

She is an extremely accurate prophetess who has been raised up to bring hope and healing to the Body of Christ. Without a vision the people perish, so the Lord is using this handmaiden as His mouthpiece to speak forth individual and corporate vision, catapulting people into their destinies. Paulette loves to see God's people awakened and proclaim the active extension of the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. She ministers in the revival anointing accompanied by revelatory ministry, healing, miracles, signs and wonders.

Pathway to Liberty: The Forefathers Monument - Kirk Cameron movie "Monumental - In Search of America's National Treasure"

The Forefathers Monument in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Liberty requires Faith, Morality, the Rule of Law, Mercy, and Education and can only be obtained and sustained through the Gospel; resulting in self-government under the headship of Jesus Christ. 

An excerpt from the Kirk Cameron movie 'Monumental', showcasing The Forefathers Monument with Marshall Foster. An inscription upon the monument states,

"National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty."

The monument was built over 130 years ago. It is made of 180 tons of solid granite.

Kirk Cameron & Marshall Foster

Faith is pointing upward to God

Righteous Laws

Education and The Word of God

Pathway to Liberty - The Liberty Man

Forefathers Monument

This is Kirk Cameron's partial description on the film's website:

"I’m retracing the footsteps of our Founders from England to America in the hope of discovering our true “national treasure.” I want to listen to them, to learn from them. Because I suspect Forefathers knew we were a forgetful people, that someday we would lose our way as a nation. So they left us a map that would guide us back to the source of America’s success.

I've already completed the first part of my trip, and I’m happy to say, my hunch was right! What I've discovered already is amazing! The key to transforming our nation and securing our children's future is not complicated. Best of all, it’s not hidden away like something out of the Da Vinci Code. It's been right in front of us all along, and I can’t wait to show it to you in this film."

Cameron asserts that such a key is manifest in the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is a large statue commemorating the Mayflower Pilgrims. Co-writer Marshall Foster ascribes to this statue the contextual validity of Monumental's message, based on the statue's symbolism and engraved dedication. According to Foster, "The monument depicts Faith, and Faith is pointing to God and has an open Geneva Bible in the right hand and a star of wisdom".