Get Back On The Boat - Steve Martin

 

“Get Back On The Boat”   “ Then, without warning, a furious storm arose on the lake, so that waves were sweeping over the boat. But Yeshua was sleeping.  So they came and roused him, saying, “Sir! Help! We’re about to die!”  He said to them, “Why are you afraid? So little trust you have!” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and there was a dead calm.” (Matt 8:24-26 CJB Complete Jewish Bible)

There has been a lot of rain in our state of North Carolina this summer. The local weatherman reported that the 12” above normal level has been the highest in the 75 years of their records. Cutting my grass between the falling bullets just hasn’t been working right, and I can attest to that fact.

 

As I drove in the pouring rain to my former boss’ house during the latest downfall to hear his wise counsel about book publishing, I was speaking to another on the cell phone. Flooding was occurring in her home. She conveyed that she felt she had been under spiritual attack lately, and the excess water was the latest incident, indicating that.

 

After listening for about 15 minutes, my response wasn’t just a quip to “come up with a quick solution,” as they say men do, so we can get on to being the answer to the next problem.

 

“Seems like you are in a lifeboat, connected by only a lifeline to the big boat. So get back on the boat.”

 

It wasn’t meant at all to be a pun, as the rain outside my speeding car might suggest, or as her house foundation continued to seep water through it. I believe I was moved by Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh (Hebrew). She really seemed to be hanging on, connected in her little raft on the mighty ocean, by a single lifeline. She needed to get into the boat, get on the ship, where the rest of the people were safely being cared for. I am speaking about the local body of believers.

 

Some of you may say, “I am connected,” as her response was.

 

What? You no longer belong anywhere as a member, due to some incident? But now you do watch your favorite TV teacher/preacher on TV? Or you have a long distance phone conversation with an older saint in your former congregation, and you call that “being connected?”

 

Explain that logic to me from the Scriptures, which basically commands we are to be “joined and fitted together” in His Body. As one would say, “How is that working out for you?”

 

Sometimes being direct, in your face, sharing tough love as James Dobson wrote decades ago, needs to be just that – a realistic look at where you are at, now and where He actually wants you to be, in experiencing His purposeful life.

 

We all have excuses why we can or cannot do something. If your spiritual, and possibly natural life depended on it, what is your excuse to just stay in your little raft? Does that hold water with Him?

 

If you are one floating in a raft, hanging onto to the Father Ship by a lifeline, I highly suggest you really ask the Father where you are supposed to be connected, and start pulling on the line in that direction.

 

The TV man or woman, or the cell phone person, won’t quite make it in the days ahead for you, when the real spiritual floods come. That hand extended through the airwaves can’t be the one you will need right at hand.

 

It is best to be connected, within a ship, with those the Lord intends for you to be connected with. He said so. It can happen.

 

Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder, Love For His People Ministry

(Originally published on Aug. 3, 2013 as an Ahava Love Letter.)

South Carolina, the Flooding Is a Sign of Things to Come - Tammie Southerland

Greg Rodermond (r) and Mandy Barnhill, use a canoe to evacuate Mandy's home on Long Avenue in Conway, South Carolina on October 5, 2015. Torrential rainfall that South Carolina's governor called a once-in-a-millennium downpour triggered flooding there, causing at least eight deaths in the Carolinas. (Randall Hill/Reuters)

South Carolina, the Flooding Is a Sign of Things to Come

10/20/2015 TAMMIE SOUTHERLAND  charisma magazine

After almost weeks of rain and historical flooding, the sun is shining in South Carolina! However, they tell us that the dams are continuing to break and that the flooding is not over. Water from the mountains is still trickling down, and more barriers are expected to break.

But I hear the Lord saying, "Barriers have been broken, and they are correct in saying more barriers will break! This flood was only the beginning! Barriers made by man's hands will no longer stand against what I am doing in my South Carolina! From the mountains to the sea, they will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Out of the wilderness places, I am flushing out my beloved ones; they are coming with fire! Even as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be with you. The flood brought cleansing and was a promise fulfilled. ... Many have been crying out for My reign!

"Noah warned the people and for 100 years he prepared a place of refuge. The rain came, but after the rain the sun came, and with it the rainbow, the sign of the covenant! The rain fell, and the flood came, but I tell you this: a company of Ark Builders is yet arising! They are my sons and daughters who are proclaiming and preparing for My return!" "So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door" (read Matt. 24:33).

The Water Is a Sign

"This water was a sign of things to come! Now I am making a covenant with you, South Carolina and with North Carolina! I am making a covenant with you! I am making a covenant with this generation, and it comes with a promise!  It's a promise of My return!" the Lord says.

"Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift up, you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter" (Ps. 24:9)

"My Bride will arise without spot or blemish, and every knee will bow and every tongue proclaim the Name above all Names, Jesus!  

"Carolina will be a voice to the nations! She will not be satisfied with lukewarm Christianity. She will be pure and will passionately pursue my heart! She is washed with water, but soon she will be baptized with Holy Spirit and Holy fire! (read Matt. 3:11).

"You have seen the promised rain, but I am about to release Holy Fire!   

"My promise is true! As She unites, She will no longer be called 'A State of Division,' but She will be called 'A State of Intercession.'  She will no longer be known as the state that pioneered oppression and division, but one who will pioneer freedom!

"She will be a state flooded with my glory and who burns with desire for Me! As hearts become unified with each other and with Mine, My glory will fill her dry ravines. Just as the 'bow ... in the clouds' was a sign of a covenant promise, the time will come when I will fulfill my promise to return in my glory in the clouds (Gen. 9:13, Mark 13:26). My weighty glory and mantle of this promise is upon you, South Carolina!

"Watch and wait, for you, my beloved Carolina, will be a voice to the Nation! I will release my fire after the rain! This rain was just a sign of my coming. The fire of My passion and My glory will burn hotter in my Bride; for I will blow on her with the winds of My Spirit!"

Convergence is Coming

"A convergence is coming from east to west! You will be called a 'House of Prayer,' an 'Altar of Fire' and you will be a home to many of my people from different regions," says the Lord.

"As the world grows cold, my people in the Carolinas will burn. As the world rages around you in the coming days, you will host my presence and my peace. You will not be known for the flood, but for the fire!  

"Therefore, be alert! My messengers are emerging like a flood in this hour! They are bold as lions but meek as lambs. They are full of compassion and love but execute my justice, for they know they are mine! They will speak the truth with the very tone of My voice! Do not reject them, for if you do you, will again become a reproach. They will break the man-made religious and political barriers, smash the idols of impurity, and restore My Heart into this land! He who has an ear let him hear! I am mantling you:

"In doing these things, you will no longer be a reproach or a barren land. Break forth in song oh Carolina. SING, for the barriers are breaking! The night is over, the SON is shining! Let the fire fall and sing! I make a holy covenant with you!"

"Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords And strengthen your pegs. ... " (read Is. 51:1-2). 

Tammie Southerland is a wife, mother of three, revival forerunner, prophetic messenger, and apostolic builder. Tammie is the heart of Frontline Ministries. She is a passionate lover of Jesus and a fighter for the true Bride of Christ to arise in these last days! Tammie and her husband Daymon have pioneered The Carolina's First mobile 24 hour prayer, worship, and revival prayer movement called Fire on the Altar. They have taken this amazing, fiery, prophetic prayer, worship, and revival movement to over 18 cities on the east coast and beyond in the last two years.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.

Christians Denied Aid During Natural Disaster

8/27/2015 AMIE COTTON/CHRISTIAN AID MISSION  charisma news

Some of the flooding damage. (Courtesy/Christian Aid Mission)

Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

---

Many villagers in Burma are still afloat in boats ferrying vital supplies for survival amid floodwaters, while others are returning to homes and fields sealed in mud.

The recent flooding has caused damage across a wider area than 2008's Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 140,000 people and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in Burma's recorded history.

"Despite Cyclone Nargis being the worse disaster ever in the nation, it was a localized event in that it only affected the Irrawaddy Delta," said David, the native director of a ministry based in Burma. His surname is withheld for security reasons. "There is a different face to this flood in that it is spread out almost across the entire western half of the nation. It covers three of the four regions known as the 'rice bowl' of Myanmar."

Unlike Nargis, the flood from rains beginning in July has been gradual, giving residents time to escape, he said. At least 103 people have died.

"There are surprisingly (few) casualties, but huge damage to farmland and animals and properties," he said.

More monsoon rains are expected, and landslides continue to cut transportation routes and crush homes. Familiar with the submerged terrain and its inhabitants, indigenous missionaries sharing in their pain are in prime position to help.

"Many of the worst-affected regions are where we have worked for the past nine years," David said. "I know the region well, and several of the churches planted are in those areas. In one of our sister congregations, we have 28 families who lost their home either in part or whole."

Heavy monsoon downpours began swelling rivers and creeks in Burma on July 16. A storm system in the Indian Ocean on July 30 was upgraded to a cyclone—a hurricane in the northern Indian Ocean—and dubbed Komen. Cyclone Komen tore into Burma the first week of August. Some 1.2 million acres of rice fields were destroyed as flooding hit all but two of Burma's 14 states and reportedly destroyed at least 17,000 homes. So far flooding has "critically affected" more than 1 million people, according to the United Nations, which in 2008 said Cyclone Nargis had "severely affected" 1.5 million people.

International aid is trickling in, with local organizations doing most of the distribution. Indigenous ministries Christian Aid Mission assists are bringing food, clothing and purified water to people stranded in Rakhine, Chin and other states, said the native director of one group, George (surname withheld for security reasons).

"They got a little help from churches and other organizations, but that aid is very small for them because their need is so big," he said. "Pray also for rebuilding of their families, houses and for their children's education as well."

As farmers have lost rice paddies, livestock, homes and family members, the needs are overwhelming, he said.

"Every day, there is need to give out rice and other food for 822 people affected by the flood at Kanan village, Tamu township, Sagaing Region," he said. "Likewise, in other villages there are a lot of people who are still helpless. In areas of Kalay there are a lot of things to do; also Rakhine state, Matupi township in Chin state and other places really need help."

A non-stop downpour struck Kanan village from July 26 to Aug. 1, causing the Kanan River to overflow and destroy 313 houses. George said floodwaters carried away 103 of those houses and left another 210 ruined in the mud.

"During those days and nights," one of the victims told George, "we were very busy struggling to carry and move our properties and belongings, and some of them were crying, afraid—they could not say anything."

Among the indigenous missionaries in Burma eager to provide flood relief to their predominantly Buddhist countrymen are some who have lost their own property.

"Our missionaries also have problems from the flood in their areas, along with their people," George said. "They often call us by telephone for help."

Besides providing food and clothes, the ministry plans to help families rebuild their homes. Flooding destroyed all houses in Laibung village—40 houses from rising waters, with another six going down in landslides, he said. The deluge also destroyed a church building. Residents fled to Chin state near Tedim, George said, where they are in dire need.

"We are doing what we can do to help the victims," he said. "We also want to help people in Hakha, Chin state, who are still suffering from a big earthquake [three weeks prior]. Many houses collapsed, and many people need to move to other places. They need food, water, clothes and blankets."

David said his group visited victims in the Magway area on the banks of the flooded Irrawaddy River in central Burma, where his ministry has planted churches and drilled more than 300 wells. With the aid of a local house church, the ministry was able to buy bags of rice and other supplies and deliver them without problem, he said. In addition, a nurse from its ministry center in Yangon accompanied the ministry team and treated about 150 people with medicines that were locally donated or purchased.

Declaring Chin state and three other areas disaster zones, the government has appealed for international aid.

There were reports of Christians being denied aid, David said, when local hard-line Buddhist leaders took charge of aid donations from large cities. A ministry worker identified as Naw said that every time he went to a donations center to gather relief items, village leaders told him they had run out.

"But then I soon found out people who came after me were walking home with large bags full of relief items," Naw said. "I thought I was alone until I shared this at the prayer meeting, and almost all of us had a similar experience. We saw why we were often turned away with empty hands or half our share. We also know our local leader is against us worshipping Jesus. He has been trying to give us trouble, so this does not come as a surprise to us."

The Christian ministries, by contrast, see an opportunity to serve their Buddhist countrymen with aid and the saving message of Christ. David said the disaster is allowing relationship bridges to be built in the 80-percent Buddhist country.

"In one village, I was able to meet with the villagers and discuss how we could come alongside them in their fight for survival," David said. "This was a Buddhist village, with no single Christian in their midst."

George asked for help to meet both physical and spiritual needs.

"Please pray with us to be able to help them know the true God and the gospel through our good deeds, and to show them the love of God as well," he said. "As Jesus said, 'You are the light of the world.' Yes, we have to show the light from Jesus to the victims."

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

The Charisma Podcast Network is now live. Subscribe now for free!