Family by Steve Martin

 

The Martin Family - from Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina

Family

"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You." Psalm 22:27, NAS

Sitting on the back porch of my brother Tom Martin’s house in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the sun rises in the east, brings back memories of our days growing up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, just north up the road on Hwy. 218 an hour or so

Tom and I, along with our little brother Rob, had five sisters between us. Sue, Mary, Colleen, Janet, and Lynn completed the sibling count of eight. Dad and Mom raised a good Catholic family during the 1950s and 1960s.

Family and the memories they bring can be a solid foundation for each of us. Though some are happy to get on with life, leaving their childhood years behind with all the trauma and conflict that went with it, the Lord desires His children to be raised in a good family, with a loving Dad and Mom in the home, and children that honor, respect, and cherish their parents, brothers and sisters.

"Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.” Ephesians 6:2-3, The Message

I could speak on the problems destroying family life today, as there are many, but I choose to consider the blessings that do come when men and women have families, seeking to follow the Lord and His ways.

There are good families in our society these days. There are those who have committed themselves to know the Lord Jesus (Yeshua) and walk in His ways, as He intended.

The man and woman who come together, in godly marriage as set by the Creator, will in turn give themselves, in sacrifice, to have children, with the full intent of raising them to know and fear the Lord.

They will seek to forgo worldly pleasures, to lay down their needs and wants for the sake of the ones the Lord has given into their care.

These men and women believe that children are a blessing from God. They “go without”, as my parents did, to give more to the boys and girls they have in their care, so they too learn the purpose of family and the love it expresses from the Father’s heart.

A society with strong families has the strength to resist ungodly principles, withstand attacks from unruly individuals, and the fortitude to stand firm when forces rise against them from all sides.

I am always encouraged when I see young Israeli families walking the streets of Jerusalem, carriages being pushed by fathers, mothers walking alongside in their place of dignity, honor, and love for all.

This is the intent of our heavenly Father, who looks down with pleasure and enjoyment Himself on those who choose to walk in His plans and purposes.

For those of us in our later years, we can encourage the younger generations to have families, as the Lord purposed. To live for others whom He would place in their care. To reveal His heart to the nations, through the prime example of godly families.

I also want to thank you, who are now grandparents, for the tremendous sacrifices you made years ago, giving of yourselves for your children, and who now enjoy the fruit of your labor as your grandchildren rise up among you.

“Well done, good and faithful servants!”

Ahava and Shalom,

 

Steve Martin

We welcome your prayers and support as we together bless Israel and His people in their Land.

In addition, we are indeed grateful for your support, as it costs this ministry to send these messages each week. We also have no paid staff to prepare them, but it does cost. To continue sending these weekly messages, I need your help. Thank you.

Contributions are welcome online by clicking here on our webpage. When you look for the little DONATE button on each side column, Love For His People, please use it. DONATE HERE.

 Are you new to these messages, or has another shared them with you? Sign up here to receive it directly in your email InBox. Click on the nice, full-bodied coffee mug with the Love For His People logo on it, found on each side column of the webpage. You will be glad you did! Sign Up for Steve Martin's Messages

Love For His People Ministry 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, North Carolina, USA

Message #9 in my new series (2025): "Family" July 27, 2025

#Family #SteveMartin #newmessage #parents #children #generations

"Family" - Steve Martin, Love For His People

 

Family

 

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You." Psalm 22:27, NAS

Sitting on the back porch of my brother Tom Martin’s house in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the sun rises in the east, brings back memories of our days growing up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, just north up the road on Hwy. 218 an hour or so. 

Tom and I, along with our little brother Rob, had five sisters between us. Sue, Mary, Colleen, Janet, and Lynn completed the sibling count of eight. Dad and Mom raised a good Catholic family during the 1950s and 1960s.

Family and the memories they bring can be a solid foundation for each of us. Though some are happy to get on with life, leaving their childhood years behind with all the trauma and conflict that went with it, the Lord desires His children to be raised in a good family, with a loving Dad and Mom in the home, and children that honor, respect, and cherish their parents, brothers and sisters.

"Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.” Ephesians 6:2-3, The Message

I could speak on the problems destroying family life today, as there are many, but I choose to consider the blessings that do come when men and women have families, seeking to follow the Lord and His ways.

There are good families in our society these days. There are those who have committed themselves to know the Lord Jesus (Yeshua) and walk in His ways, as He intended.

The man and woman who come together, in godly marriage as set by the Creator, will in turn give themselves, in sacrifice, to have children, with the full intent of raising them to know and fear the Lord.

They will seek to forgo worldly pleasures, to lay down their needs and wants for the sake of the ones the Lord has given into their care.

These men and women believe that children are a blessing from God. They “go without”, as my parents did, to give more to the boys and girls they have in their care, so they too learn the purpose of family and the love it expresses from the Father’s heart.

A society with strong families has the strength to resist ungodly principles, withstand attacks from unruly individuals, and the fortitude to stand firm when forces rise against them from all sides.

I am always encouraged when I see young Israeli families walking the streets of Jerusalem, carriages being pushed by fathers, mothers walking alongside in their place of dignity, honor, and love for all.

This is the intent of our heavenly Father, who looks down with pleasure and enjoyment Himself on those who choose to walk in His plans and purposes.

For those of us in our later years, we can encourage the younger generations to give themselves to having families, as the Lord purposed. To live for others whom He would place in their care. To reveal His heart to the nations, through the prime example of godly families.

I also want to thank you, who are now grandparents, for the tremendous sacrifices you made years ago, giving of yourselves for your children, and who now enjoy the fruit of your labor as your grandchildren rise up among you.

“Well done, good and faithful servants!”

Ahava and Shalom,

Steve Martin

P.S. Laurie and I are volunteering in Jerusalem, Israel, with Christian Friends of Israel for three months, Oct. 15, 2025 – Jan. 12, 2026. Read all about it! Steve & Laurie - Time Coming for Jerusalem Volunteers.

We welcome your prayers and support as we together bless Israel and His people in their Land.

In addition, we are indeed grateful for your support, as it costs this ministry to send these messages each week. For example, Love For His People’s Constant Contact subscription is $45/month alone. We also have no paid staff to prepare them, but it does cost. To continue sending these weekly messages, I need your help. Thank you.

Contributions are welcome online by clicking on our webpage, when you look for the little DONATE button on each side column, Love For His People uses.

 Are you new to these messages, or has another shared them with you? Sign up here to receive it directly in your email InBox. Click on the nice, full of brew coffee mug with the Love For His People logo on it, found on each side column of the webpage. You will be glad you did! Sign Up for Steve Martin's Messages

Love For His People Ministry 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, North Carolina, USA

Message #9 in my new series (2025): "Family" July 27, 2025

#Family #SteveMartin #LoveForHisPeople #Jesus #God #love #parents #grandparents #father #mother #servants

A New Warning for Parents When It Comes to How TV and Movies Influence Children - CBN News

A New Warning for Parents When It Comes to How TV and Movies Influence Children

CBN News 03-09-2017

The debate, protests and controversy surrounding Disney's "big gay moment" in its new Beauty and the Beast film warrant one big reminder for parents. Children are influenced by what they see.

The Parents Television Council sites recent studies that show the harm TV can have on children, including: sex, violence and profanity.

The organization's program director Melissa Henson told CBN News the research dates back 60 years. 

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Henson said, "Kids are impacted in the real world by the entertainment that they are consuming." 

She added, "The largest body of research shows that violent entertainment, for example, can lead to violent behavior in children or aggressive tendencies, but there is a more recent body of research that is linking sexual content on television to sexual behavior in children. And what they are finding is there is a direct relationship between a child's exposure to sexual content on TV and the likelihood that they are going to be engaging in sexual activity at a younger age." 

University College researchers in London surveyed 1,600 children. They compared the mental health of children in 2009 with those in 2014. That study found schoolgirls with emotional problems rose from 13% in 2009 to 20% in 2014.

The author of the study found the increasing stress on girls could be the result of a few things, including: academic pressure, and "increasing sexualization and objectification, amplified by social media."

This research raises questions for parents to consider as The Disney Channel recently aired its first gay kiss.

The "Star vs. the Forces of Evil" episode featured a concert scene where several people, including same sex couples, kiss on cue with the music.

Henson noted, "At the PTC, we are concerned about all manners of sexual content being exposed to children at a young age."

"And what I hear from talking to a lot of parents and a lot of my friends who have previously allowed their kids to watch the Disney Channel is the extent to which Disney promotes relationships of any kind to such a young viewership."

Henson added it is often simply "too much too soon for kids."

Henson encourages parents to be good role models for their children when it comes to what media they consume. It is also important to keep devices in a central location, to better monitor what children are watching.

5 Ways to Grow Closer to Your 'Daddy' God - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

We need to accept the forgiveness that we've already been given. (Yelizaveta Semerik)

5 Ways to Grow Closer to Your 'Daddy' God

 1/6/2016 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

This morning as I was walking to my car in my driveway, I sensed that familiar voice speaking to me—the voice of my heavenly Father. The words triggered a big smile on my face. God said to me: "Lee, I get a big kick out of you!" For the next 10 minutes in my car, I praised Him for showing me, yet again, His overwhelming love.

I can already hear some people gnashing their religious teeth over this comment. "You just made that up!" "God does not talk like that!" "You're delusional." But I really don't care what people say about it. I know my Father's love, and His acceptance has transformed me. And I'm eager to grow more intimate with Him.

Many Christians struggle to truly know God as an affectionate, approachable and even playful Daddy. They read the Bible, listen to sermons and attend church, and they can quote Scriptures about God's love. But for them, God's love is a cold, clinical doctrine—not a warm experience. If you'd like to go deeper in intimacy with your Father in this new year, consider taking these steps:

1. Discover your identity as a child of God. Everybody's talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens these days. It's interesting that the central plot of all Star Warsfilms is the mystery of paternity. In one of the original films we learned during a certain dramatic light saber duel that Darth Vader was the father of Luke Skywalker. In the new movie, we discover (spoiler alert!) that Han Solo is Kylo Ren's dad—and we are left with a bigger question: Is Luke Rey's father?

I've met a few people who don't know who their father is. But I meet Christians all the time who doubt God loves them as a father. The Bible tells us that when we are born again, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts to solve our own paternity mystery. Romans 8:15 says, "... You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" The Holy Spirit helps us understand who we belong to. And His name is "Abba"—the Hebrew word for "Daddy" or "Papa."

2. Throw out old religious mindsets. Are you uncomfortable calling God your "Daddy"? If you are, you really don't believe Romans 8:15. He is Abba! The problem is that many Christians have been conditioned by harsh sermons, rote prayers and somber organ music to believe God is (1) very distant, (2) always angry and (3) too busy managing heaven to take notice of us. That's how the legalistic Pharisees viewed God, but Jesus challenged their warped ideas. Throughout His life on earth, He showed us that God is approachable, accepting of all people, friendly toward sinners, forgiving, protective and affectionate. He even let the disciple John lay his head on His chest (John 13:29)—something a proper Pharisee would never do! Yet Jesus isn't the slightest bit religious. If you let Him, He will pull you close to His chest and let you hear the beating of His heart. He really wants you to be close!

3. Get healed from your own issues with your parents. When some people hear the word "father," the word conjures up painful memories of domestic abuse, abandonment, alcoholism or frightening punishments. Others associate "father" with a numb detachment—because they never connected emotionally with their dads. These are called "father wounds"—and there is a maternal version too. Don't let the mistakes of your imperfect parents keep you from enjoying God's perfect love. Talk to a pastor, mentor or counselor about your pain. Then let the Holy Spirit show you that your heavenly Daddy is strong, compassionate, accepting, gentle, kind and faithful.

4. Accept the forgiveness you've already been given. Some Christians can quote every Bible verse about God's forgiveness, yet what they believe in their heads has never shifted to their hearts. Deep down they think God simply tolerates them. They know the blood of Jesus paid for their sins, but this seems more like a legal transaction ratified by a benevolent judge. They still believe God is silently mad at them, even though He canceled their guilty sentence. That is not the gospel!

God did not halfheartedly or reluctantly forgive you—He forgave you from His gushing heart of love. Yes it was a legal transaction, but it was enacted out of a wondrous compassion that will take all of eternity to comprehend. The Bible says God directed all His righteous anger toward Jesus and laid our punishment on Him—so that He could remove the barrier that separated us. All because of love! He is not angry at you now—He loves you so much He actually threw a party to welcome you into His presence! He doesn't just tolerate you; He delights in you!

5. Bring your hidden shame out of the closet. You can receive Christ's forgiveness the moment you confess your sins (1 John 1:9). But James 5:16 says you can go further: You can also confess your secret sins to another person "so that you may be healed." Many Christians have never taken this bold step because it's too embarrassing. But the more transparent you are with others, the freer you will be from your past. If the devil is constantly reminding you of your past sins, grab another Christian and pray together about these accusations. I guarantee your accuser will flee.

When you truly know you are accepted and embraced by the Father without reservation, you will sense His presence, feel His embrace and hear your Daddy's voice.

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.

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!

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Our high school kids: tired, stressed and bored - USA TODAY

Our high school kids: tired, stressed and bored

 Greg Toppo, USATODAYOctober 23, 2015

(Photo: AP/Erik Hill, Anchorage Daily News)

When they're at school, the kids are decidedly not all right.

New survey findings suggest that when asked how they feel during the school day, USA high school students consistently invoke three key feelings: "tired," "stressed" and "bored."

The researcher who led the study warns that such negative feelings can influence young people's attention, memory, decision making, school performance and social lives.

"It's hard to concentrate and it's hard to do well in school if your brain is constantly having to respond to stress," said Marc Brackett, a researcher in the Yale University Department of Psychology and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

The new findings, out Friday, are from a survey conducted in collaboration with theBorn This Way Foundation, the charitable organization founded by the singer Lady Gaga. The survey was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The student sample is huge: 22,000 high school students from across the USA.

The message is clear: our high schoolers are none too happy, at least when they're in school.

Researchers distributed a brief online questionnaire that featured the question: "How do you currently feel in school?" Three blank spaces followed, with room for any answers they felt were appropriate.

Eight of the top 10 responses were negative.

"Tired" was most often invoked — 39% of students wrote that.

"Stressed" came in second, at 29%. "Bored" was third, at 26%.

By contrast, the two most frequently invoked positive emotions were "happy" (22%) and "excited (4.7%).

Parents and educators should be alarmed by the findings, Brackett said.

"I think they point to the fact that we need to be attending to the feelings of our nation's youth," he said. "Unless what they're learning is engaging and interesting, they're going to be bored — the boredom is related to the quality of instruction."

In the sample, female respondents outnumbered males about two-to-one — 65% identified themselves as female and 32% as male; 3% indicated "other."

But Brackett said the happiness findings were "pretty much identical" across genders.

"It's a shame that much of our nation's education system is not focused on helping kids figure out their own goals, but rather (on) a standardized curriculum," he said.

Love For His People Editor's Note: Removing any and all spiritual life from school leaves them as such. My opinion.

Steve Martin, Love For His People

We Need To Hear God - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

We Need To Hear God

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.”

(Proverbs 4:20 Complete Jewish Bible)

How often do you need direction? Ever take a wrong turn because the GPS or Google maps app led you to a dead end road? It has done it to me.

Do you ever need wisdom to know what is the right thing to do, when to do it and how to do it? Probably everyday if we admit it.

As it happens often, I personally have to choose to give the Lord the opportunity to speak to me, so who and what I hear is coming from Him. Yes, He is speaking – through His Word, by way of other people sharing a thought with me, or having His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew) drop a word in my brain at any given moment. If I am spiritually open, I will know it is Him.

Choosing to hear the Lord is up to each individual. Being raised a Roman Catholic, I thought it was the priest’s job to hear God. If God wanted to say something to me, of course He’d tell the priest and I’d hear it during his little sermonette given once a week at Sunday Mass. I could just sit back and let the man of the cloth do it. He was closer to God, right? (While at the University of Northern Iowa in the fall of 1973, my one and only year of college at the age of 18, the Lord revealed Himself to me big time. I then divinely understood what He meant when He told Peter Who the Rock was. It was Jesus Himself.)

For the “Protestants”, those having a pastor or teacher of the Bible can easily expect him to just tell you what to do during your weekly meeting. So why read your Bible or pray daily during a daily quiet time with the Lord? Let someone else do it for you. Or so many mistakenly think.

We can allow the constant onslaught of noise to so occupy our thoughts that even when He does speak we may not know it. That is our loss. It will cost us now and later.

The Almighty God, Creator of the universe, wants to communicate with His children. He desires to give us direction and wisdom, but we must give Him a quiet break in our lives to be able to hear Him.

It takes time to learn to hear the Lord’s voice. It is a discipline we must have. Being able to discern when He speaks is an ongoing process, even as we learned to listen in our youth. As a young child growing up, given time over the months and years, each child becomes accustomed to the sound of their parents’ voices. I heard once that even the unborn baby begins to recognize the voice of their mother. They respond accordingly when she talks. (Yet another reason to protect the unborn in their mother’s womb at any stage of their living growth.) So it is with the Lord. It takes time, but we can learn to hear His voice.

I often find myself during the day asking the Lord for help in my office accounting work for three businesses. It becomes especially necessary as the years have gone by and my memory banks do not seem to be as easily able to access the info needed. I like the joke I heard once of the aged one who said, “It takes a little longer to get the answer to a question nowadays. With all the information I have packed in my mind, those memory banks have more to process through.”

We need to hear God for our own personal lives. We need to hear God for our families. We need to be a part of the “working” Body of Christ, that rises up in our culture and declares His truth, opposing the deception rampantly spreading throughout the world. Only by hearing His voice will we be able to do it.

For the congregation we are connected to, we need to hear God. For the nation we abide in, we desperately need to know what the Lord is saying, so we can hear, obey and move forward with His directives.

Hearing God is especially more true today as His written Word has been replaced in all areas of society, including our government and the arts. Knowing what is now going on in the educational system, which presses upon our children’s minds a godless, humanistic, crumbling foundation; and Islamic and other false religions subtlety and blatantly showing up in text books and teachers’ lessons - we have got to hear the Lord, so we can act properly, and be sure our kids know the truth, and are raised right!

I encourage you to do whatever it takes for you to hear God. My practice is to give Him the first hour of the day. In order to do that I personally have to cut back the time I stay up at night watching TV. It is worth it, as He shares His heart with me in the morning hours.

How about you? Do you want to hear the Lord speak to you? Then give Him that time to do so. Believe me, He is waiting and willing to speak to you.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

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.

 

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Now Think On This #185 “We Need To Hear God” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (10.09.15) Friday at 6:30 pm in Charlotte, NC

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

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Billy Graham's 1955 Message Was More Prophetic Than We Knew

11/13/2014 BILLY GRAHAM   CHARISMANEWS

In this message from August 1955, Billy Graham describes problems that seem hauntingly similar to those of today. And the answer to every one of those problems is still the same—Jesus Christ. (BillyGraham.org)

In this message from August 1955, Billy Graham describes problems that seem hauntingly similar to those of today. And the answer to every one of those problems is still the same—Jesus Christ.

Many Christian parents are becoming fearful that they cannot properly train their children in this lawless and wicked age. We have received scores of letters in our office asking, "What is the answer? What can I do with my son? My daughter?"

We are beginning to reap what has been sown for the past generation. We have taught the philosophy of the devil, who says, "Do as you please." Behaviorism has been the moral philosophy of much of our education in the past few years. Psychiatrists have told parents to let their children do as they please, lest in restraining them they may warp the children's personalities.

We have taken God out of our educational systems and thought we could get away with it. We have sown the wind, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. We have laughed at God, religion and the Bible.

Many of our educational leaders sneer at the old-fashioned idea of God and a moral code. Movies feature sex, sin, crime and alcohol. Teenagers see these things portrayed alluringly on the screen and decide to go and try them. Newspapers have played up crime and sex until they seem glamorous to our young people.

Instead of publicizing the good and constructive things that teenagers do, we have played up the sensational lawbreaker. We have taught our young people that morals are relative and not absolute.

At the heart of the problem is the failure of parents in the home. Evangelist Billy Sunday once said, "If you want to lick the devil, hit him over the head with a cradle." Parents today are not interested, apparently, in defeating the devil in the home. There seems to be little parental responsibility for discipline. Children are allowed to go wild.

One parent said, "I pay for my boy's clothes, I feed him. I give him an allowance; what more do you expect of me?" Many parents do not realize that they are responsible for their children's mental and spiritual growth and character building, as well as for feeding and clothing them. If parents fail, God is going to hold them responsible.

I want to give a few suggestions to Christian parents. First, take time with your children. Your children not only require a great deal of your time, but they long and hunger for it. Perhaps they do not express it, but the hunger and longing are there just the same. Love them; spend hours with them. Cut out some of your so-called "important social engagements" and make your home the center of your social life. God will honor you, and your children will grow up to call you blessed (see Proverbs 31:28).

Second, give your children ideals for living. Teach them moral and spiritual principles of life. Show them that only the morally and spiritually right attain genuine satisfaction in life.

Third, set your children a good example. A well-known story illustrates this point. It was the usual custom for a lawyer who walked to his office every morning to stop at the corner tavern for a drink. One morning when the snow had fallen, he heard a sound behind him. Turning, he saw his 7-year-old son stepping as far as he could in his father's tracks in the new-fallen snow.

The father turned around and said, "Son, what are you doing?" The son replied, "I'm stepping in your tracks." The father sent his son back home, but that morning he couldn't go to the tavern; all he could think of was a boy stepping in his father's tracks.

When he was studying for his law case that day the boy's words kept returning, "I'm stepping in your tracks." About noon the father got down on his knees and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and said, "From now on I want my son to step in the tracks of a Christian father."

Fourth, plan activities for your children. Plan things together as a family. Make the home so interesting and delightful that your children will want to stay home; then they will never miss the things that so many young people are engaged in for thrills.

Fifth, discipline your children. The devil's philosophy is: "Do as you please." Children are going to be in society what they are in the home. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, teaches that parents ought to lovingly discipline their children.

Ephesians 6:4 says, "You, fathers ... bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." In Proverbs 13:24 the Bible says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." And in Proverbs 19:18, "Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction."

If you fail to discipline your children, you are breaking the laws, commandments and statutes of God. You are guilty not only of injuring the moral, spiritual and physical lives of your children, but of sinning against God. The Bible says that if you fail to discipline your children, you actually hate them.

The best way to influence your children is to set an example before them. Remember, the majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Now, some parents carry discipline too far, continually harassing their children. The Bible also says, "Do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). Parents should never give unreasonable commands. Nor should they ever give a command that they do not mean to be carried out.

Sixth, teach your children to know God, and bring them up in the church. Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place daily. Most trouble with teenagers comes from children reared in homes where prayer is neglected, the Bible is never opened and church attendance is spasmodic. Christ gives the moral stability, understanding, wisdom and patience needed to rear children.

Many parents are not Christians. They have never received Christ as their Lord and Savior. Church attendance, if any, has been no more than a duty and a ritual. Their children have seen the insincerity in the lives of their parents. They have watched their parents go to church on a Sunday and live like the devil during the week. So the children have rebelled against religion as a whole; they have turned away from moral restraint. Many parents are only reaping what they have sown.

Christ is the answer to teenage delinquency. Christ in the home, in the lives of the parents, is the only permanent solution to the menacing teenage social problems in America.

If you are a parent, Christ can help you to rear your children in the fear and nurture and admonition of the Lord. If I were not a Christian, I would despair of my children in the moral climate in which we have to rear them.

Get the Scripture and its principles ingrained into their souls—"precept upon precept; line upon line;" teach them "here a little, and there a little" from the Word of God (Isaiah 28:13). Get them into the habit of going to church every Sunday, of praying daily and of saying grace at the table.

That will solve 90 percent of the problems you have with your children.

If you are a young person seeking thrills, happiness and joy in some of these questionable avenues of pleasure, I beg you to come to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ can give you the greatest happiness, the greatest adventure and the greatest thrills that you have ever known.

If you will take Jesus Christ into your heart, He will put a spring in your step, joy in your soul and a thrill in your heart. Come to Christ! Jesus Christ is the one who can be joy and happiness and peace to all of you young people. I beg of you to surrender your life to Christ.

But there are many of you who will say, "I would like to give my life to Christ, but I cannot live the Christian life. I have tried before but have failed." Ah, yes, but when you receive Christ, He comes into your heart. He gives you supernatural power to live the Christian life.

You do not struggle alone, by yourself. He lives in your heart to give you power and strength to live the Christian life. You, today, can give your heart to Christ. In Romans 10:13 we read, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
©1955 BGEA

All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.

Blessing or Curse - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Blessing or Curse

- Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.” Deut. 11:26-29 NKJV

The words you speak impact people more than we often realize. An encouraging word sown at the right time to a person wanting and needing some more hope, for their troubling heart or worrisome mind, can change a direction a person is going in, and effect their life beyond the immediate vision. Spoken with a prophetic impact that the Holy Spirit generates, a spoken word at the right time can even mean life or death for that person. It can be as a lifeline thrown out to one needing a pull out of the engulfing water.

A believing life “spoken” to a generation, one that is lived out of obedience to the voice of the Lord and following after Him, will have even more impact on many people; even a generation or more that follows behind. The lives of countless men and women, who heard the call of the Lord, and responded with, “Here I am Lord, Your servant is listening. Do unto me according to Your word,” have been so instrumental in changing nations by their simple obedience, day after decades of days.

In offering themselves in entrustment to His plans and purposes, their families, their communities, their nations were given the opportunity to be in the overflow of the Lord God’s blessing and provision that fell on them, and then flowed from and through them. Hearing and obeying the Father does that.

In our day, leaders in religion, business, media, entertainment, government, arts and education have a tremendous impact on their cultures – the communities, families and all the ones their waves of influence touch, for good or bad. Understanding that our actions will bring either blessing or curse upon those who look to us for guidance, knowingly or unknowingly, will have long lasting, even eternal, effects as a result of our actions. For those who hear and obey the Creator of all - blessings will flow downward. 

Ones who disregard and even despise the natural and spiritual laws put in place to guide and protect, those set forth by God Himself, the resulting just judgment will come forth, now or for sure later. What we sow we will reap. It is a natural and spiritual law that cannot be broken, except to result in bearing bad fruit.

You break the natural and spiritual laws in the universe and they will ultimately break you. (Any argument on that? Just have a reality check look in the nation you abide in.)

This truth has been proven out again and again in history, both in the written Scriptural documentation of the people of Israel, and in every nation which either followed the Lord’s way or opposed His purposes. Blessing or curse is our choice.

Having been a parent myself for over 35 years now, at the time of this writing, and also having served in several top leadership roles in ministry and secular business for over 40 years, I have seen that the actions leadership take will have even more of a lasting effect in a child’s life, or a company’s future, than just words spoken. The ripple of those actions taken at each point show up years later down the road.

It is true that actions do speak louder than words, for what is really in your heart will truly come out, especially in those times when a decisive response is needed in a critical situation. Then it really shows what you have, or don’t have, in your character. Blessing will follow, or a response as a curse will result.

To say it again - how you respond and deal with situations that come your way will be shown, as that which you really are will come out from that which is within. You can’t give out what you don’t have within you. From a pure spring flows pure water. From a cesspool flows accumulated filth.

“The good person produces good things from the store of good in his heart, while the evil person produces evil things from the store of evil in his heart. For his mouth speaks what overflows from his heart.” Luke 6:45 Complete Jewish Bible

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23 NKJV

Speaking to my generation, we have the responsibility, the daily choice to walk in the righteous path we know is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It is black and white. It is already firmly stated in the Lord’s Word. By choosing to follow Him daily, we are impacting the life the next generation will see and then also have the choice to walk in or not. We must do our part if we expect them to do theirs.

We have the option to daily live a righteous and holy life, set apart for the Lord’s purposes. We can choose to “do our own thing, in seeking our own pleasure”, which ultimately will bring a curse on us and the generation that follows, or we can heed the Lord’s word and follow Him.

“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

"As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ' Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?' "And they will say, 'Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.'" 
2 Chronicles 7:19-22 NASB

As it was for Israel, so choices taken will bring the same results in any nation. We must choose the blessing, and not allow the curse to come upon our land. Today, we must choose the Lord.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

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Now Think On This #146 “Blessing or Curse” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (04.24.14) Thursday at 5:00 am 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