“Emotions” – Now Think On This by Steve Martin

June 15, 2020 Love For His People in Charlotte, North Carolina USA

“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.” Hosea 1:2, NKJV

Have you ever read the Biblical book Hosea, considered a “small” prophet before? You know, the one short book in the Old Testament that is between the major prophets Daniel and Joel.

A quick storyline of his from Hosea the Prophet reads, “Hosea (active 750-722 B.C.) was a prophet of the kingdom of Israel. He called on Israel to repent its sins of apostasy and warned of the judgment to come from God. His writings form the first of the Old Testament books of the Minor Prophets.

Hosea was the son of Beeri and apparently belonged to the upper classes. Judging from his elegant style, he was highly cultured. Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, who bore him two sons, the older of whom he called Yezreel, meaning “God sows.” This name may have been intended to signify the replanting of Israel back on its own soil after it had been dispersed in exile. The second son was called Lo Ami, meaning “not my people, ” to indicate God’s rejection of Israel as His people because of its faithlessness. Hosea’s daughter by Gomer was metaphorically named Lo-ruhamah, meaning “the unpitied one.” Since Gomer after her marriage became an unfaithful “wife of harlotry, ” it is possible that Lo-ruhamah and perhaps her brothers were illegitimate children. Scholars have speculated whether the prophet’s tragic marital experience was real or merely an allegory to stress the infidelity of Israel.”

In these modern days of our enlightenment and superiority of knowledge, Hosea doesn’t get a lot of acclamation or even comment in church or congregational circles. After all, he “only” spoke to the kings and the people of ancient Israel around 700 B.C., and what does that have to do with us today?

A lot.

Though I don’t consider or proclaim myself to be a biblical scholar, I have made it a consistent habit and disciple to read the Bible almost every day, believing that what it says, as the Creator of the Universe Himself told us, “Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-23, NKJV

And where does wisdom come, that we need so much today? Lord knows we do.

“For Adonai (the Lord) gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

He stores up common sense for the upright, is a shield to those whose conduct is blameless,

in order to guard the courses of justice and preserve the way of those faithful to him. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, fairness and every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be enjoyable for you, discretion will watch over you, and discernment will guard you.” Proverbs 2:6-11, Complete Jewish Bible

As I began to read the first chapters of Hosea, I could sense the emotions of God the Father, trying to get His people’s attention through the practical picture he gave Hosea to publicly demonstrate.

Take a wife, a harlot. Yes, take one who has given herself to any and all. Have children. Call them the names which shows what I have called My people at this time in their ways apart from Me. Demonstrate how I feel, Hosea, about the condition of My people, My country, My heart.

Continuing to read, I could sense the passion of the Lord for His people, His emotional anger expressed as they had departed from His ways, which would be the only way to have life, if only they would seek and follow after Him. You can feel His heart cry for their return to Him.

America and the nations of the world are in this same condition today. We have turned from God. We have sought our own ways. We have lifted up our knowledge, our understanding, our attempts to remove God from any and all parts of our lives so as to not be accountable to Him Who sits on the throne.

If we do not cry out in our hearts, our souls, our minds and emotions for the Living God of Israel, the One Who alone can save, we are among those who are to be most pitied.

And yet if we repent, He will heal our land, which is a verse most used these days but which we must know and do.

“God appeared to Solomon that very night and said, “I accept your prayer; yes, I have chosen this place as a temple for sacrifice, a house of worship. If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.” 2 Chronicles 7:12-15, THE MESSAGE

Only God, the One Who created us, Who alone has the answers, can save America and all nations who would turn to Him. As my good friend Mordechai continually tells me, we must repent. We must turn from our wicked ways, which we as a nation have followed, obvious to any who have eyes to see. We must acknowledge and know that Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, must be lifted up in our individual lives, our homes, our places of worship, our cities, our country.

Lord help us to do just that.

Now think on this.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin, Founder/President  Love For His People, Inc.

UPCOMING ALIYAH FOR HIS PEOPLE EVENT IN THE CHARLOTTE, NC/ROCK HILL, SC REGION – Register now.

https://loveforhispeople.com/2020/01/26/aliyah-for-his-people-a-new-ministry-of-love-for-his-people-in-charlotte-north-carolina/
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Now Think On This #518 – in the year of our Lord 06.15.2020 – “Emotions” Monday 7:45 am in Charlotte, NC USA

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Pastor Oyewale Abel of Abba Father International, Nigeria, West Africa - "The Sinners"

Pastor Oyewale Abel and wife Margaret

The Sinners

Pastor Oyewale Abel 

THE SINNERS (MATTHEW 11:20-30; LUKE 19:1-10; JOHN 3:1-21 )

Sinner means someone who has done something wrong according to the religious or moral law; one involved in immorality. Sin is any form of non-conformity unto or transgression against the law. All have sinned, so also are all expected to return to the Lord to avoid everlasting punishment. The sinner is the one who remains so until the moment.

A. THE READY TO REPENT

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." (The Gospel of Luke) 

As usual, Jesus was on His itinerary, affecting every life He come across. Then He met the rich chief tax collector who was very eager to meet the Saviour. Jesus saw his eagerness, despite his limitations. He would not allow anything (his sins, stature, or status) to come between them. Though someone had just disappointed Jesus on account of wealth, He would not give up on this ready-to-repent publican. How do you see sinners around you?

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house." Abiding in that sinner's house was in tandem with His purpose. Against the people's wish, He offered salvation to Zacchaeus. There was no discrimination on Jesus' part.

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named  Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher who has come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." (John:3:1-2 )

Here is another sinner who come to Jesus by night when He was humanly expected to be resting. He is ready to attend to anyone at any time, no matter when and how he or she comes. He was not moved by unnecessary encomiums but was concerned with the genuine questions from the ready mind. 

He is always ready to attend to your case when you sincerely present your questions and requests. Be willing and obedient. Jesus knew Nicodemus's real need, and would not allow anything, including his encomium, to distract His attention from the ultimate. 

What should our attitude be to sinners that we come across, especially the well-to-do? All sinners must come to Jesus Christ, like newborn babies, regardless of their status. It is the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ to make the sinners the righteousness of God, for that was why He became sin, even though He knew no sin. He is the high priest and advocate for all who would surrender to Him.

My brothers and sisters - run away from sin and not from sinners.

B.THE RECALCITRANT (MATHEW 11:20-30)

"And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." (The Gospel of Matthew)

Was Jesus cursing? No! They had already cursed themselves by rejecting the Gospel.The magnitude of the miracles done in the city meant nothing to those children of disobedience. Imagine Bethsaida, the home of great people, and where Jesus personally visited, ignoring  His gospel. What a disappointment! They wasted His labours. 

Brothers and sisters, all you lovers of Israel, I hope you are not wasting God's grace. Jesus did not only condemn these stubborn people but also gave the way out by coming to Him, in whom there is immediate and ultimate rest.

As you are reading this message, HAVE YOU FOUND JESUS?

In every race and time, God has not taken lightly to the issue of haughtiness. No one who genuinely seeks the Lord will be cast away. The only place for the finally impenitent is hell. Preachers will not be held guilty if they have done their part in warning the recalcitrant.

May the good God of Israel bless you all, in Jesus' Name.

Shalom,

Pastor Abel Oyewale
Abba Father Fellowship International
Nigeria, West Africa

souls4christ2005@yahoo.com

+2348115306866

Nigerian orphans who have lost both parents. Praying with thanksgiving for their Bibles.

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Some of the contents sent to Nigeria in October 2017

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CBS Is Releasing A Show That's All About 'Living Biblically’ - HELLO CHRISTIAN

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I have something to repent of... Lance Wallnau

It is not often that I publicly repent for something... but I feel that I need to. The gift of an entrepreneur is the ability to create wealth. It's the ability to create resources, tools and materials that fill a gap and meet a need that other people are willing to pay for. When the Apostle Paul needed to, he made tents. Likewise, it is this entrepreneurial "tent making" gift that has funded and sustained my ministry for 20 years. Working in the marketplace as a consultant, trainer or executive coach has kept me sharp, relevant and able to produce real-world solutions to real problems faced by my audience. Whenever I've faced the challenge of cash flow I would try to solve it by creating some new product, or pick up a secular organization to self-fund the ministry. This season it's different. The 7 Mountain (7m) message has gone global and this year it took me headfirst into the cross hairs of the Media and Government Mountain's. It's one thing to talk about the Promised Land, but another to cross over and face the giants. In the end, we made history. It was Christians who made the decisive difference in this last election as 84% showed up and stood strong. What happens next? America has been given a gift of mercy - an extension of time - in the face of judgment. It should bother you that there is no cohesive strategy to keep those 84% of Christians engaged in the battle of ideas. While USA Today quotes me as one of the few evangelicals who predicted the future accurately, few are quoting me now as I urge believers to heed the warning - we only have a window of time! This moment is not just an American "reset" - it is a global reset. I am getting calls from believers in other countries that see this as the moment to shift their nation. The truth is, I need to self fund these global 7m missionary events. Doors have opened into China and Africa but we don't have a big enough budget to send the team that is needed. LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE For the last couple of years Annabelle would say: "You do not have the resources to do what you need to do because you don't ask. You need to humble yourself and create an opportunity for those who believe in the ministry to participate with us. They know this work is legitimate. Tell them what you need. This is 100 fold soil to sow into - God will bless them! Just ask." Repentance isn't always a sin of commission (something we did) sometimes it's a sin of omission (something we failed to do.) I think I've made it harder on myself by not teaching on the benefits and power of partnership. It's something I teach and practice but never share with my own audience. This is a sin of omission - and maybe a sin of pride. For some reason I was reluctant to share the burden of what we are attempting to do. I believe the Lord gave me a Word for this season.

Watch this video - America and the world is in a moment of "reset!" YOUR partnership in this season is needed more than ever before. WATCH HERE As One, Lance Dec. 16, 2016

BECOME A PARTNER TODAY

Lance Learning PO Box 2688 Keller, Texas 76244 United States (817) 431-4828

The Spirit Is Saying 'Forward'! - Dr. Michael Brown

Michael Brown

The Spirit Is Saying 'Forward'!

3/11/2014 MICHAEL BROWN  CHARISMA NEWS

While reflecting on a powerful quote from the lips of Catherine Booth, I was struck by the fact that the latest strategies of the American church, strategies to avoid conflict with the world, are not only wrongheaded. They are actually diametrically opposed to the strategies we should be following.

Let me explain what I mean.

Catherine Booth was the co-founder of the Salvation Army, along with her husband, William Booth, and for decades the Salvationists were known for their fearless, uncompromising preaching of the gospel, their sacrificial living and their compassionate care for the hurting and the poor.

Catherine was the more fiery preacher of the two, and in her sermon “Aggressive Christianity,” she exclaimed, “Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is thechurch that has altered, not the world.”

I had quoted these words almost 25 years ago in my book How Saved Are We?—not to mention many times since—but last week, when I posted them on my Facebook page, something hit me between the eyes.

On the one hand, Catherine's words are more relevant now than when she uttered them in England in the 1800s, since in so many ways the church of America and the world do “jog along together comfortably” today.

As I wrote in 1993 in The End of the American Gospel Enterprise, “Like Sardis, we have become the ‘perfect model of inoffensive Christianity’ (G. B. Caird), ‘having a reputation of being alive, yet being dead’ (Rev. 3:1). Like Sardis, we have so come to terms with our pagan environment that we provoke almost no opposition and make virtually no impact. And like Sardis, situated high on a mountain rock, we have felt safe and secure in this world.”

And that was written back in 1993. Just think of how much more compromised and inoffensive we have become since then!

But as I reflected on Catherine Booth’s piercing words, I said to myself, “Yet in many other ways, the church of America and the world are absolutely not jogging along together comfortably. We find ourselves in conflict, and there is often hostility, anger, legal persecution and, occasionally, even violence directed against us.”

Yes, the truth be told, on some important fronts, we are experiencing real opposition from the world, and some of it is vicious and angry.

Where exactly are we experiencing fierce opposition? And what are these important fronts?

I can answer those questions in two words: abortion and homosexuality.

Yet these are the very fronts from which many Christian leaders are urging us to retreat, telling us that we need to stop provoking so much controversy and that we need to quit standing up for these vital social issues if we want to win to Jesus those on the other side.

Now, I totally agree that we must be full of compassion and grace when we stand for righteousness and that we must overcome evil with good and hatred with love. And to the extent we get in the flesh and become mean-spirited and nasty, we are already defeated and we have brought reproach to the Lord, not to mention driven away those He died for.

And I absolutely affirm that the first and greatest priority is winning the lost and making disciples.

But didn’t Jesus say that those who were “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” were truly happy and blessed (Matt. 5:10, ESV)? And didn’t He say that this is how the prophets before us were persecuted (vv. 11-12)? And weren’t the prophets persecuted for calling their nation to repentance and for rebuking social evils?

Why should it be different with us?

When Paul spoke to Felix about “faith in Christ Jesus,” didn’t he also speak to him “about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment,” and isn’t this why Felix became alarmed (Acts 24:24-25)? (Felix was basically living in adultery with his wife, based on the laws and customs of the day.)

But today, when it is clear that we have hit a nerve when we stand up for the life of the unborn, to the point that peaceful pro-life activists have been attacked by police, some are telling us that we need to adopt a softer, more gentle tone.

Isn’t this simply a matter of compromise and appeasement?

And today, when it is clear that we have hit another major nerve when we oppose homosexual activism—while welcoming every lost person into our churches to hear the gospel and receive God’s love—we are told that if we will only drop this divisive issue, then we will see many more gays and lesbians saved and helped.

Again, I do agree that we have become too politicized on these issues—they are really gospel issues first and foremost and political issues second—but in reality, unless we affirm homosexuality as God-blessed and God-given, we will still be viewed as Bible-bashing homophobes. And we will soon learn the truth of Winston Churchill’s remark that “an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.”

Pastors, leaders, parents and all concerned believers, hear me clearly today: When and if same-sex marriage is codified as law throughout America, gay activists will not simply say, “We have finally achieved our goal!” To the contrary, all of us who do not affirm and endorse homosexuality (and bisexuality and transgenderism) will be singled out as intolerant bigots, and our freedoms of conscience, speech and religion will be the next things to go.

In fact, they are already on their way out, unless we take a stand for righteousness today.

What then do we do?

First, we repent of all known sin in our own lives, purging ourselves of hypocrisy, with God’s supernatural help.

Second, we ask God for a broken heart of compassion for those who oppose His standards.

And third, we ask the Lord for courage to stand, refusing to compromise or back down regardless of cost or consequence, prepared to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake and counting that persecution a true joy, always lifting up the name of Jesus in spirit and word and deed.

Where are we experiencing opposition today? That is where we need to take our stand.

As Martin Luther said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

I hear the Spirit of God saying, “Forward!” I do not hear Him saying, “Retreat!”

Michael Brown is author of Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message and host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or at @drmichaellbrown on Twitter.

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