Time to press on. - Love For His People newsletter, Steve Martin

May 3, 2020 Greetings Love For His People family and friends. The nations are beginning to open back up. Finally. But I hope it isn't to just go back to doing the same as before. If that happens, these past months will have been truly a waste for millions. It can't be - back to "normal".. It must not be. What the Lord allowed to happen, to wake His Body of believers up, to save those who came to Him at this time, and to give us a "test" if we would press on or not...I really, really hope people woke up. It is time to press on. It is time to be aware of what the Lord Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, is doing in the nations, and for believers to get on the same page as He is. He so desires to bring unity in His Body. How are you involved with that? He is returning the Jews to Israel from all the nations. Are you informed? What role would you have in this? It must not be "back to the norm" as we knew it. Home church groups must expand, or even get started for many. Sharing the love of the Lord to the searching and lost must be ongoing and bring in the harvest. For my good wife Laurie and I we re-booked our canceled flight to Israel. Now it is June 1-22, 2020. Time to press on, for time is speeding up, not letting up. One of my latest messages follows. Please read it. Be encouraged. And...my 29th book was published this week. See below. Bless the ministry of Love For His People by buying a hard copy. And heh, the e-book is free through May 5. How about you? Pressing on? Pressing in? I truly hope so. It is time, more than ever. Ahava and shalom, Steve Martin Founder/President Love For His People ministry in Charlotte, NC USA P.S. Thank you to those who give to help support families in Israel, India, and Pakistan. The Lord's work continues daily.You too can use the online giving tools below, or send a check today. I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 1);38-39, NASU Remember these lyrics back in the day? “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine there’s gotta be a little rain some time.” So sang Lynn Anderson in 1970 on the country-western radio stations as they were known way back then. The songwriter must have used a very loose interpretation of Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) own words to His disciples, “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” Matthew 10:38-39, THE MESSAGE The modern, syrupy gospel some would dish out to the gathered on Sundays and on social media platforms would make it seem that the sole purpose of Jesus saving us would be to give us happiness, to make this life rosy before we die and go to the next one. We constantly hear with misguided words that if we are not happy then something is terribly wrong. If life is not going the way we were told it would be when we came to Christ, then all of our self-love, self-indulgence actions can’t be worth the effort to be a Christian. If the songs we sing, even the “Christian praise and worship songs” that populate the radio, YouTube, and love stations aren’t focused on “me, me, me” then something must be totally out of order. It is to be all about “me”, right? Jesus came to make “me” happy, yes? A generation which is brought up hearing that the love of God is all about me and my happiness, then we, as the ones who were/are to be teaching them, have really, really missed the mark in showing them the right way. Yeshua did not call the 12 main followers, and the seeking crowds, to get on the road of “It’s All About Me Way”. What did He really say when He called the disciples? Take up His cross and follow Him. “And He was saying to them all, ” If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” Luke 9:23-26, NASU Living a self-love life is far from the one Yeshua called us to live. Going after that which we are told is necessary to make us happy is not the Gospel that Jesus preached. It is not the life we are to be living as disciples of the Life-Giver. Followers of Yeshua lay down their lives for others as He did. Those who have been called to be His disciples are not to be seeking what we think is “best for us, what makes us happy.” We are to be seeking and doing what makes HIM pleased with our lives. That is a life of self-giving, sacrificing, living for others, caring for the ones who have not, preaching the real Gospel, the one that Jesus and the early apostles took to the nations, as they laid their lives down. And yes, even got martyred in the end for doing just that. One concern I have for the generations living now is that many have bought into the false gospel that it is all about us. Jesus never taught that. His true disciples never heard that. The true followers of Jesus who have lived and died through the centuries that have followed never prescribed to anything of a self-love gospel, but to the one that they too were saved to give themselves to the plans and purposes of the Father, in His love to save others. Never were we promised a rose garden. We were promised the opportunity to follow Jesus, to take up His cross and follow Him. “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'”  And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.” Mark 10:17-22, NASU Paul preached the correct Gospel. So must we be doing the same. “…strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22-23, NKJV Trials and tribulations are what we are promised. Accepting that, let us thus get on with doing what He wants us to do. By His grace others will come to know the saving knowledge of accepting His salvation and live. As the shaking continues in the nations, which is the Lord’s doing as He had prophesied through His prophets prior to these end times, our purpose in living is to have His purpose in living. When you know that, and do it, then whatever He brings your way will be the best. We have been called to live, and die, for others, even as Jesus Himself laid down His life for us. “By Faith. No Fear. Prepared For His Purposes.” Steve Martin by Steve Martin “By Faith. No Fear. Prepared For His Purposes.” Steve Martin, Paperback now available. FREE E-BOOK May 1-5, 2020. Paperback $8.95 Paperback ($7.95) and Kindle ($1.95): By Faith. No Fear. Love For His People, Inc. P.O. Box 414 Pineville, NC 28134 USA loveforhispeople@gmail.com Love For His People  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌ Visit our website Donate using PayPal Givelify - Safe, Online Giving Now

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Keep Pressing On - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Keep Pressing On

 by Steve Martin

“Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, THE MESSAGE

As I began keeping a close watch on my iPhone 8 Health app, especially after the third day, I saw that the walking steps had been amassing in great numbers for each day. Noticing the foot mileage the four of us were accumulating, on this first annual Love For His People ministry men’s Ahava Adventure (ahava is love in Hebrew) to Israel this October 2019, I was astonished. Truly I was. Two miles. Four miles. Over 12 miles on one day by the end of the fantastic journey.

We had walked the Land of Israel a grand total of over 51 miles by the completion of the 8^th day we had been there. With three of us being over 64 years of age (one 74), and the other one a mere 41, I certainly was impressed with the strength the Lord had given us. In fact, on most of those days, the mileage didn’t seem that great. I mean, compared to sometimes walking a mile or two at home, in the early morning hour at the encouragement of my good wife Laurie, just that shorter distance seems way too far for me.

But our Lord had given us a purpose, and He gave us the will and strength to accomplish it.

As I read Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians this morning, as part of my normal “chapters a day” Bible reading during my time strictly with our Lord Jesus (Yeshua), Paul was writing to the followers of the Messiah, giving instruction, provoking, challenging and uplifting them with the Scripture, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NASU

Keep pressing on, in simple terms, is what we need to keep doing. Being alert, standing firm, acting like men (and women of God), being strong - while doing it all in love.

When we have a clear vision, a known purpose, a plan to accomplish, it does enable us to keep pressing on, even as the daily challenges faced often try to get us to stop, or even slow down.

Our enemy is always at work, trying to discourage us, distract us, wear us out until we just want to quit at times. But by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus, actively working in our spirit through His Holy Spirit, He causes us to be overcomers, and to keep pressing on for that goal-line set before us.

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10, NKJV

The four of us men had a purpose of course, which included spending as much time as we could to encourage and uplift the friends Love For His People ministry supports monthly in Israel. While the rented Hyundai SUV enabled us to travel the road mileage between the cities they lived in, the busy, hilly sidewalks and grassy parks of Jerusalem provided the foot trekking paths, getting us to the other appointed destinations as we met with our other Messianic Jewish friends.

After you get “recharged” by spending the time with the Lord each day – receiving His word, listening to His Holy Spirit, and acting upon the instructing life He freely gives us daily, be encouraged in your pressing on for the goals He has given you individually, and collectively with others, to complete.

You are on a mission for God. Don’t just let the Blues Brothers get all the credit.

“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

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.

*Much more will be written about this in my next book.

Thank you for reading!

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Now Think On This #460 - in the year of our Lord 10.10.19 – “Keep Pressing On – Thursday, 5:12 am

Open Hands, Open Heart - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Open Hands, Open Heart

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, NKJV)

One would think that when a certain age is reached in this human life, the need to press on in faith is not as great, or as needful as when one is just starting out in a younger age. I for one am finding that that is not necessarily so. The call to walk in faith, on a daily scale, seems to be just as needed as when I was young and raring to go, full of energy and vigor - to conquer the world for God.

It isn’t done until it is done.

It seems to be true that in this life we are not meant to reach that point where we can sit back and say, “I am finished. I did it all. No need to press on any further. There is no more for me, so I can relax and watch the remaining days go by, with ease and full pleasure.”

For me, it isn’t so. I find myself just as often these days, my “golden years”, visualizing my hands raised, open to the heavens, saying to the Lord, “I need You today. I need You to guide my steps. I need my heart to be open to your plans and purposes in my life for this hour, as they were in my past years, to accomplish what You want.”

Did not the Lord Himself advise the one who thought he had accomplished it all, by speaking these words of truth to him? “'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'  "But God said to him, ' You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'  "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:19-21, NASU)

Looks like we must never come to the point when we sit back and basically say to ourselves that we no longer need to seek, ask, or find what the Lord has yet in store for us. He is always calling us to Himself, to expect more from Him, to rest not in our accomplished laurels but in finishing strong to the end the full package He has in mind for each.

My heart is open to going further in the ways of the Lord, to have Him even more so perform the works of the Holy Spirit through me, bringing light and glory to the ones around me, and in the nations. Though I am content with what has come, what has been completed, grateful for what has been achieved in these past years, I will yet desire to press on to full completion.

Retirement in the Kingdom of God doesn’t seem to be found written in the Word of God.

You yourself may be one, like myself, who has reached the late 50’s, 60’s, or beyond. At times we have grown very weary in the pursuit and the fulfillment of it all, but with the strength of the Almighty One we serve, we have yet more to do. In His might we will accomplish it.

Keep your hands open and your heart also. Be encouraged in your pressing on. The reward is great. There is much yet to be won. And then we can sit back and enjoy the mansion in heaven that even now is being built for us.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

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Now Think On This #344 - in the year of our Lord 03.14.18 – “Open Hands, Open Heart”, Wednesday, 11:45 am