Seasons, Numbers & Time - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Seasons, Numbers & Time

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (Genesis 29:18-20 NKJV)

In an earlier message I wrote on numbers, and shared how the Lord pays close attention to numbers. He is exact in His attempt to teach us His ways. He uses numbers in every aspect of our life, beginning with the date we are born, the length of years we live; even with the sunrise and sunset, as the heavens daily declare His glory and presence all around us.

He is the God of all, who delights in order and organized systems. As is quite the opposite of our enemy, our God has set plans, purposes and alignments. He is not chaotic, disorderly, or confused. He knows Who He is, what He is, and how He reveals Himself to us. I AM is His Name, high above all.

So how do seasons and numbers come into play? All throughout Scripture, from Genesis 1:1 to the end of the Book at the Revelation of Jesus 22:21, we can see how orderly the Living God of Israel operates. That is the way He is. The seasons He gives to us on this earth, and the times which are numbered and also laid out for us, can draw us closer to Him, when we realize just how interested and concerned He is, with seasons, numbers and time.

When I looked up just the number seven in the concordance, I was amazed at the quantity of Scriptures which that number alone is found in. One such verse, which I included in the beginning of this message, as stated in the Torah, is written, “Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (Genesis 29:20 NKJV – and then Jacob had to work yet another seven years after that – Gen. 29:30!)

Do you think the Lord knew that one set of seven years, and then another, were in store for Jacob?  Do you think God the Father just let it happen to His servant, one of the three main Patriarchs of the Jews, while He attended to other concerns in the vast universe? I don’t think so. As in my life, I believe the Lord knows exactly our times and seasons, and wants us to seek Him to know them too. He wants to further reveal Himself to us, day in and day out.

“…and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist…” (Acts 17:26-28 NASU)

Speaking of the number seven, I know it is an important one in the Lord’s counting system. Seven represents completeness and perfection. If you do a Bible study on that specific number, you will see what, where and how the Lord has used it.

In my own life, I have looked back at the increments of seven years in my life, and how those years have brought a completion of one season and the start of another. Often a major family move occurred. I can definitely see the hand of the Lord in it all.

Just going back to 1973 – my high school graduation year – was a clear end of one segment of my life, and the start of another. Then in August of 1980, our family moved from Illinois to Michigan, to begin a new life with a church in East Lansing (Shiloh Fellowship, later New Covenant Christian Church). It also meant a new job, new house, and new friends.

In 1987, seven years later to the exact month (August) we moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as I started my new position with Derek Prince Ministries, assisting Mahesh Chavda Ministries in my extra time.

Seven years later, in 1994, again in the summer, we moved with Mahesh Chavda Ministries to Charlotte, NC. See how cleverly I planned all this out???!! No. It was the Lord Who did it!

In 2001, yet another seven year segment later, I was back at Derek Prince Ministries, who had also moved to Charlotte from Florida, in the mid 1990’s.

So what happened in 2008? I was in the exact middle of five years of service as the USA Director of Vision For Israel (Barry & Batya Segal). Little did I know, I was in preparation for our own ministry, that of Love For His People, which wasn’t even in my mind at that time. But it was in the heart of my Father. And He had been preparing me for it all those 24 years serving other ministries.

For me, 2017 will complete yet another seven years - from the time Love For His People was founded in April of 2010. I am believing another major marker in my life history will be laid down, and the start of a new season in the Lord.

What about you? Have you ever gone back and looked at your life, noting certain years and what natural and spiritual events occurred, as the Lord was directing your steps? Take time and do it. I think you will be amazed, and give glory to God for His hand on your head, as He directed your feet, whether you realized it or not.

We serve a great God, the Maker of the Universe. The heavenlies, immense star systems, thousands of galaxies and beyond, all speak of Him and His divine order. And yet, with all that, He has ordained our specific times and seasons.

Let Him show you just how He has also done so in your life. I think you will be very grateful, and give thanks for His love.

Now think on this, in the love of Jesus,

Steve Martin

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 01.07.15 - #230 –“Season, Numbers & Time” – Thursday at 6:00 pm

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

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE FEATURED BOOK

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Buy here: The Promise - by Steve Martin

Throughout our lives, God keeps His hand on our shoulders and nudges us on to more than what we could ever realize. I am excited to share how He did it this with me, and am confident mine will be a story you’ll be able to relate to. 

As I unveil my story, think back to those times when you knew there was some¬thing more but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. You knew deep down that life wasn’t what the TV sitcoms portrayed it to be. In our souls there is the hope, the cry for more, that someday questions will be answered and promises fulfilled if we just kept plugging away at what we know to do. 

In The Promise I share my 40 year journey with you, and show you that dreams do come true. Though Peter Pan isn’t real, the Lord, the One Who created us, certainly is, and He has a plan in place for each one of us. When you are done reading this story, my prayer is that you too will know more of that good plan and His purpose for you.

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People

Paperback $5.95  Kindle $1.99

Buy here: The Promise - by Steve Martin

THE TIMES AND STRATEGIES (c) Morris E. Ruddick

THE TIMES AND STRATEGIES (c) Morris E. Ruddick "That which has been is what will be, for there is nothing new under the sun." Eccl 1:9 Despite Solomon's prescient grasp of the cycles of the times, he lost his focus. His priorities became muddled. Under his reign, the seeds were sown that undermined Israel's season of unity, peace and prosperity engineered by his father. From the beginning, the age-old struggle of evil's intent against good rears its head at unexpected and subtle junctures. The foundations shift as the times change with new generations. While God has provided the wisdom to build from one generation to another, new generations cannot simply ride the momentum. Again and again over the centuries, during times of spiritual slippage, evil has enveloped God's people, seeking to destroy them. On the other hand, the Lord has always had His Davids, His champions, who would risk everything to stand against evil and prevail. "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will." Acts 13:22 NKJV During this last generation, there has been an incredible dismantling of the assaults of evil against God's people; ranging from the fall of Nazism, to a standoff of the onslaughts against God's people in Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia. Many champions have stood and resisted, some at the cost of their lives. "A Song in Siberia," by Anita and Peter Deyneka (1977, out-of-print) is one of the most gripping accounts of the severe persecution against believers in Russia during the 1960s. Many excellent accounts have described the plight of the church in China during the Cultural Revolution. The spiritual struggle of God's people, as cultures within cultures, has again and again reemerged in this recurring struggle between good and evil. Alongside those resisting the onslaughts of persecution, God has raised up outsiders, even King Cyruses, championing the cause of those directly impacted. In this last generation, these champions have wielded God's mantle and strategy and undertaken the risks and the burdens of the brethren walking through the fire. They are ones who have heeded the heart of God to walk into the heart of darkness and destabilize and thwart the intents of evil. They have wielded God-strategies to pierce the darkness resulting in many miraculous shifts in the spiritual climates. The Simple Things In God's way of doing things, it has always been the simple things that confound the "wise." In the early 1970s, a gospel singing group and band known as the Living Sound accepted an invitation to conduct a concert in Poland. What they and their founders, Terry Law and Larry Dalton, didn't realize was that the invitation had come from the Communist Youth Party and that their performance was at the organization's headquarters. When they arrived, their hosts realized the group's spiritual foundations. Serious flashpoints followed, which included its leaders being interrogated and threats given to try to prevent their "witness." Still, with an overflow crowd already seated, the concert took place. The anointing and God's presence pierced the atmosphere. Hearts were deeply touched. Members of the audience lingered long beyond the concert, until after 3 a.m., as the team prayed for and led great numbers to the Lord. What followed from that concert was a chance meeting with a Catholic Cardinal (Karol Yozef Wojtyla) who subsequently opened the doors to Living Sound for another concert in Eastern Europe, this one with over 100,000 in attendance. This Cardinal went on to become Pope John Paul II. Strategy in the Face of Darkness These events were strategic. They were a part of the change of seasons underway at that time. They were a part of God's strategy to break the stranglehold of the brutal persecution against His people. The spiritual climate change that resulted became a part of the spiritual reverberations and strategies that has since changed nations. Subsequently, within another time-frame, as the iron curtain was falling, a similar and parallel strategy emerged. This strategy targeted the "lost sheep of the House of Israel." Jonathan Bernis, along with the Messianic Jewish praise group, Kol Simcha (Joyful Noise), began identifying key strongholds in Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union and other lands, in which to hold stadium-sized festivals to attract the persecuted Jews of these areas. Our first God's economy workshop was for a vibrant Messianic Jewish congregation that was birthed following one of these festivals in Eastern Europe. What began with our first God's economy workshop has been a part of God's strategies. These efforts taken to targeted groups of the persecuted and oppressed have exceeded chance expectations in the way they have taken root. That's because they have been a part of these initiatives, birthed by God, to restore His people in lands of persecution. Diverse but Parallel Streams A wide range of brethren from diverse segments of the Body responded to God's heart during those days with effective and parallel strategies to assist the persecuted. I spent many years on the board of a ministry, in which one of its founders, during the days of the Iron and Bamboo Curtains, made many dangerous, yet timely, undercover trips into "closed-access" nations to impart words of wisdom, to pray with, and to encourage the leaders among the persecuted brethren. In instance after instance, I recall how within months, that reports of changes came, that exceeded human capabilities, which only could have been the result of the Hand of God. These divinely ordained connections with those who many had forgottten, like the efforts of Living Sound and Kol Simcha, were matters very close to God's heart and as such, an important part of His strategies being released. These initiatives were birthed during as well as following, days of revival. The Shift Change results when God's people, as a whole, fervently seek Him. When that fervency wanes, darkness finds subtle inroads. Historically, the seedbed for revival is either a time of deep moral darkness, national depression or severe persecution. While evil's seeds of destruction provoke these factors, when amassed and combined with God's people truly seeking Him, they trigger God's judgment. "While following the way of your judgments, we have eagerly waited for You. At night my soul longs for You. Indeed my spirit seeks you diligently. For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness."   Isaiah 26:8-9 So, at the change of a generation, which has so incredibly rolled back the tentacles of persecution in lands defying religious freedom, has come a creeping evil. Its target is the foundations of religious freedom in these free societies. The right response of God's people in times of both persecution and creeping evil is a fervent focus on God's ancient standards of seeking Him. When that takes place with broad consistency, God releases strategies for change. God's strategies spark miracles. God's strategies penetrate darkness with tangible spiritual climate change. However, with the waning, has come a shift in the spiritual tempo of our times. With that shift in the spiritual tempo, has come a shift in strategies. The message for "free societies" now comes from brethren in lands of persecution, who have paid high costs for their religious freedoms. The message taps the shift in strategy for lands of "freedom," where evil subtly, but systematically has been eroding religious freedoms. Responding to the Shift Responding strategically to the tempo of the times requires a war-time mind-set. It demands the courage of Elijah to confront evil and a willingness to risk all. It calls for repentant, forgiving hearts with an acceptance of the diversity represented in the various streams comprising the Body. These factors carry the need for a maturity that reflects the discipline to diligently seek God and His priorities, with a revelation of our identity in God, that we are who God says we are, and as such, a light shining on a hill that cannot be hidden. A War-Time Mind-Set. Far too many within the Western Church have become complacent to the systematic erosion of both righteous standards and the freedoms at the foundation of our society. It is time to draw a line in the sand. There is a war underway that is both spiritual and cultural. There is a critical need to embrace a way of thinking, a war-time mind-set that responds in a manner parallel to the days of WWII, when our freedom was seriously brought into question. Elijah-Level of Courage to Confront Evil. Elijah put his life on the line in confronting the prophets of baal and asherah. Yet, it wasn't done arbitrarily. It was God's strategy and Elijah was God's champion to draw the line in the sand. Elijah not only brought judgment upon the perpetrators of the spiritual erosion evident among God's people, but he demonstrated the reality of God to bring restoration to those who were being subjected to the seductions. Sacrificial Hearts Poised to Quickly Repent and Forgive. During war-time, the expectation is for everyone to be sacrificially operating with and moving toward the same objectives. That requires hearts to be right before God and those we live and work with. We cannot afford the luxury of being offended. We need one another. One of the primary indicators of this type of heart is the readiness to repent when wrong, along with a heart that quickly forgives. Maturity to Grasp the Essentials of Common Ground. Maturity and being of one accord go hand-in-hand. We work on doing that with those we consider kindred spirits, those with whom we choose to worship. However, there are many streams within the Body with many significant, yet diverse functions. None have the full picture. Yet, we need to understand the essentials, the primary things, representing the common ground of our faith and to embrace a respectful acceptance of the functional and even doctrinal diversity that is comprised within the Body. Discipline to Diligently Seek God and His Heart Priorities. War-time requires great discipline and sacrifice on the part of all. That begins with giving our first priority to our time spent with the Lord. Seeking God should always be our first priority, but the reality is that there is a tendency toward slippage that comes during the comforts of peace-time settings. The discipline required to diligently seek God's heart and align ourselves with it is critical for this change in seasons. Unequivocal Identity in God. It takes an unequivocal revelation of one's identity in God to survive the brutalities of persecution. That means understanding what God's word says about who we are and what our role is in this world. That viewpoint should define our priorities. The root of our standing strong in the fire of adversity begins with our identity in Him. That requires a proactive renewing of our minds with His truth and an interactive prayer life that has a foundation in Psalm 15, of speaking truth within our own hearts. The story unveiled in "A Song in Siberia" gives evidence of how congregation after congregation, at great personal cost, embraced the essentials of Kingdom priorities with one accord. Leaders were jailed. Some were martyred. Despite that, new leaders came to the plate. Against all odds, they prevailed. The fire of persecution not only melded them together, but became a demonstration, a witness, of the reality of God that shouted at their neighbors. Great numbers came to the Lord because of the faithful response of the believers, to God and to each other, despite the harshness of the persecution. Strategies for the Times Jesus gave a strong admonition to be alert to the signs of the times and the change in seasons (Luke 12:54-56). The US is divided. Russia is advancing its territories. Rogue states are thumbing their noses at the West. Terrorism and lawlessness abound. Alliances of totalitarians and Muslims threaten advances in Africa. In the face of these developments, those now emerging from years of severe religious persecution are a model for us, in lands where freedom and culture are at-risk. Jesus came to refocus things, to restore the true foundations for those whose identities are in God. He came to raise the bar. So it is today, that the bar needs to be raised. Jesus came to give us the tactical means to pierce the veil and establish God's domain, His Kingdom, in what the Apostle Paul referred to as "the bondage of corruption" and what Pope John Paul II famously referred to as "the culture of death." So it is today, that there is nothing new under the sun. Centuries ago, God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave his family and his nation. What he left was the land of the Chaldeans, the heart of sorcery and the occult. Today, we need to draw the same line in the sand. We need to call the culture of death for what it is: the occult seedbed for activities of Satan. We need to recognize that our lives have been bought with a price and that our citizenship is first, as God's people. The core message from those emerging from the fire is one of stewardship: to prepare and make the decisions of life, as if our freedom might be lost, but to pray fervently to preserve those freedoms, and to live our lives with a faithfulness to God and to the brethren, so that those around us will recognize the difference. "The servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." Luke 12:47 ___________________________________________________ Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders where God's light is dim in both the Western and non-Western world.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" and "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders called to impact their communities with God's blessings. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com and other popular outlets.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize the persecuted church to be the head and not the tail. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or email us atsign@strategicintercession.org for access information on our secure web-site. Likewise, email us to schedule a briefing for your congregation on the current state of the persecuted church and the strategies gleaned to counteract the challenge to and erosion of religious freedom manifesting across the globe.   2014 Copyright Morris Ruddick - sign@strategicintercession.org Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check: http://www.strategicintercession.org

Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org

Ahava Love Letter - “A Time Like No Other”

      Ahava Love Letter

“A Time Like No Other”                “My times are in Your hand…” (Ps 31:15 NAS)

Dear family of friends,

On the grand day of 12/12/12, I sat with my laptop computer, updating my Love For His People blogspot. In reviewing the stats page, that only I can see, I noticed that in the overview numbers of posts since day one, three of the top five pages read were from my Ahava Love Letters archives. I was both pleased and thankful.

When I started writing these letters, in the fall of 2010 at the urging of the Lord, I wasn’t sure how many I would actually do. What began as one a week, slowed to one a month, and lately it has been one about every three months. But over this long, mostly quiet period since that beginning, it has been a time of reflection. A time like no other.

Having left my fulltime job as the director of a Christian/Jewish/Israeli non-profit ministry, here in the USA, after five years, it was my great determination to have a ministry supporting Israel. My faith in the Lord, and in His certain leading, also had me planning on having financial funds come in. That did happen, but certainly not at my anticipated, expected level.

With monies limited, and as head of our home, I cut expenditures as close to the bone as I could. It was a struggle paying the monthly mortgage, car payment, utilities, and more. You know, all the basic bills that just kept coming. And yet, two and a half years later, though our credit card bills are higher than they were then, we are current on all balances. The Lord had provided in ways I still ponder on.

Many days were spent praying for the Lord’s daily bread, direction and His full purposes. And I still do, as I am not quite yet sure what may always be the next step. And even in this season, while working a part time job at a business I would not have expected, through a temp job agency, this isn’t quite what I had in mind. But I will always remember that His ways are not our ways, and our times are always in His hands.

As I continue to consider His purposes for my current place in this life, I would expect that you also have had, or will have, those times in life where you wonder what He is up to. Not knowing what lies ahead, we will hope that the road each of us is on right now is the right one. I am trusting that it is for both you and me.

Ahava to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)

©2012 Steve  Martin      Love For His People, Inc.  12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134      

E-mail: ahavaloveletters@gmail.com
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Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.  Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.

Ahava Love Letter #46   Date: Dec. 12 in the year of our Lord 2012 (12/12/12!)