Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Top Trending Ministry Articles Selected for You - Ministry Today

Charisma's Weekly Recap
Top Trending stories from
Ministry Today
Research Reveals Why New Churches and Campuses Grow So Quickly
"This news, which we call the '52-percent factor,' offers a compelling reason for churches to do the work necessary to launch a new church or campus—because the spiritual payoff is so strong."
 
Why God Loves to Lead You Through Uncomfortable Life Changes
We serve a God who is infinitely kind, inexhaustibly good and eternally creative.
 
Pastor, Stop Trying to Be Joel Osteen
It will never work.
 
How to Help Your Youth Find Their Identity in Christ
Here is why it's so important for help your church's youth to grasp that they are made in God's image.
 
Expand Influence with
Dr. Steve Greene
Publisher of Ministry Today
Does Your Ministry Deliver Competitive Advantage?
There is little space for a "me too" ministry.
 
Broaden Your Platform
Platform Tip No. 64 

New platform options do not replace older platforms.

Radio was not replaced by television. Twitter did not replace Facebook. Podcasts did not replace blogs.

The good news is we have many more platform tools available to help us connect with our audience.

The bad news is we have many more platform tools available ...

I think the question I get asked most often is "what is the best platform for my message?"

The answer to message improvement is not about the platform, it is about the message.

A great message will "work" on any platform that reaches people who need to hear your message—as long as you show up every day.
 
 
Experience More Growth In Your Ministry
Choose Your Offer!
Ministry Leadership Bundle
JENNIFER LECLAIRE SPIRITUAL WARFARE BUNDLE
DEFEAT THE ENEMY, EXPOSE HIS AGENDA, AND INCREASE YOUR HARVEST!
 
ENEMY ACCESS DENIED: SLAM THE DEVIL'S DOOR WITH ONE SIMPLE DECISION
SHUT THE DOOR AND THROW AWAY THE KEY
 
Ministry Today Subscription + Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual: A Comprehensive Guide to Living Free
MINISTRY TODAY SUBSCRIPTION + DELIVERANCE AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE MANUAL: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO LIVING FREE
Subscribe to Ministry Today and receive John Eckhardt's book Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual: A Comprehensive Guide to Living Free.
 
 


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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

How the Nine Traits of the Messianic Generation are Coming Alive in the Modern World By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

A page from the ‘Gemara’, which when combined with the Mishnah constitutes the Talmud, the Oral law of Judaism. (Photo: Mendy Hechtman/FLASH90)

How the Nine Traits of the Messianic Generation are Coming Alive in the Modern World

“There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence.” 
Daniel 12:1-2 (The Israel Bible™)
In the search for signs of the onset of the Messianic era, many look to the Bible and Prophets. The rabbinic sages who wrote the Talmud, a collection of Jewish biblical commentaries, were also granted a modicum of prescience. One section of the Talmud describes, in detail, the characteristics of society preceding the Messiah. In many ways, it is a disturbingly accurate description of our culture today and its unique traits, never seen  before in history.
This description, found in the tractate of Sotah, folio 49b, lists nine traits of the days preceding the Messiah.
1) Insolence will increase and honor dwindle
The internet has drastically changed the dynamics of modern society, making fame a more a matter of shock value than merit. The web has given rise to a culture of shamelessness and permissiveness in which freedom of expression manifests in internet trolling and bizarre viral videos. The phenomenon even received the presidential seal of approval when President Barack Obama met with Glozell Green, a woman whose claim to fame was eating cereal from a bathtub.
2) The vine will bear its fruit but wine will be dear
Today’s global economy has led to a situation in which a fertile country could go into debt and be unable to feed its population. This is precisely what Venezuela is experiencing today. Hoarding food and prepping became illegal in 2013. Last year, the government instituted rationing of electricity and forced farmers and food manufacturers to sell 30-100 percent of their goods to the state at set prices. Today, there are long lines for basic commodities and serious concerns that Venezuela may be on the verge of a catastrophic economic collapse, leading to an economically-induced famine. Given the state of the global economy, this is dangerously close to becoming a common phenomenon.
3) The government will turn to heresy and there will be none to offer them reproof
Without touching on US President Barack Obama’s ambiguous religious life, he has often been criticized for political heresy in his harsh treatment of the Bible of the United States: the Constitution. Discussions about gun control make no reference to the second amendment, and his executive order granting amnesty to illegal immigrants is in litigation for its questionable legality. Obamacare has several points which are criticized for violating basic constitutional points. Yet Obama has placed himself above reproof by issuing executive orders with impunity.
At the same time, the ongoing Republican campaign for the presidential nomination has taken on a religious dimension, with nearly all of the candidates emphasizing a strong religious aspect to their platforms. It seems that many Americans have decided they would like to see less heresy and more religion in the White House.
3) The meeting place of scholars will be used for immorality
American universities were created to transform students into successful, educated contributors to society, yet morality on today’s campuses has taken a sharp and disturbing downturn. Studies have shown that as many as 40 percent of college students can be defined as alcoholics, and more than half of all university students will use illicit drugs. Even more disturbingly, sexual assault is rampant in today’s universities. Some studies estimate that 19-27 percent of college women and 6-8 percent of college men are sexually assaulted during their time in college.
4) The dwellers on the frontier will go about begging from place to place without anyone to take pity on them
Today’s refugee issue has become a modern epidemic. 14 million Syrians have fled their homes, and six million of these were forced to leave their country – four million in the last year alone. At least 340 children have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea since September and officials claim the actual figure may be much higher with many bodies lost at sea. Despite international efforts, the situation has grown beyond any ability to cope with it, and taken on social dimensions that have become the focus of debate.
5) Youths will put old men to shame, the old will stand up in the presence of the young
In today’s culture of youth, achievement at a young age is idolized and lauded, and older generations, despite having built the foundation of the modern world, are pushed aside as they age out of technological advancement and relevance. In 2014, Forbes wrote in its annual ‘Under 30 list’ highlighting the achievements of young entrepreneurs, “This is the time to be young and ambitious. Never before has youth been such an advantage.” It seems that lifetime achievement awards have gone out of fashion.
6) A son will revile his father, a daughter will rise up against her mother….and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household
Last month, a 20-year-old Syrian man personified this disturbing forecast when he  killed his mother in the city of Raqqa because she urged him to leave ISIS. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that there have been several cases of sons killing their father for similar reasons, but this was the first documented case of matricide.
7) The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog
Sometimes the simple reading is the most poignant. Hillary Clinton shocked many at a recent campaign speech in Reno when, while making a point, she began barking like a dog.
8) A son will not be ashamed before his father
The rabbinic commentary describes this as a condition in which the young take over the roles of authority traditionally held by society’s elders. This is certainly true in today’s marketplace in which uber-rich youngsters rule over men and women with decades of education and experience. Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, reset the biological business meter when he founded Microsoft at the age of 20, making Steve Jobs (born the same year as Gates) seem over the hill when he waited until the age of 21 to found Apple. At 23, an age when most people are coping with the very beginnings of their career, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, was a self-made billionaire. David Karp, a high-school dropout, founded Tumblr when he was 20 and now, at the ripe old age of 26, has a personal worth of more than $200 million.
9) The wisdom of the learned will degenerate, fearers of sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking
Nowhere is the fulfillment of this prediction more evident than in the blatantly unfair treatment of the State of Israel on today’s world stage. The dialogue surrounding the conflict in Israel is dominated by outright lies, including claims – now widely accepted – that deny facts previously undisputed. Despite the absolute absence of any historical Palestinian nation, opponents of Israel claim that the Palestinians have been a nation in the land of Israel for thousands of years, with historical and religious ties to the Temple Mount. This view was even propagated by one of the world’s premiere journalistic sources, the New York Times, which stated that proof of the Jewish Temples “proved elusive”.
The Israel debate is mired in absurdity. The world’s top thinkers, politicians and religious world leaders who should know better, blindly vilify the Jewish State and support its enemies. The attempts of Israeli security forces to protect Jews and citizens from Palestinian terrorists have been called “extrajudicial executions”. The United Nations has censured Israel, the only democratic nation in the Middle East, more times than any other country in the world. Pope Francis has crowned PA President Mahmoud Abbas an “Angel of Mercy”, despite Abbas’s blatant incitement of violence against Israelis.
One must look no further than the worldwide rejection and condemnation of the Jewish State, a beacon of democracy, faith, and light, to see the truth of this forecast.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Longing For Israel With the Ongoing Spiritual Crisis - a personal letter from a European friend


Dear Love For His People readers,

In January we received an email in reply from a friend in Europe that we pray for often. They shared the following, which we post after receiving their approval to do so.

We share these words with you in order to let others know what some are experiencing, as the spiritual climate continues to change. We do not disclose their name or country for obvious reasons.

I hope you pray for European believers in those countries. They need us now.

In Jesus' Name,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People


"Your greeting means much! It has been very difficult here and it is very difficult to live in (this city) in spiritual crisis. I  have not found a church and my friends do not live close.

I have agony and sorry have not have strength to read your book (Arms of Love and End of Days which we sent in two mailings after publications, at no charge. Two copies each.) Will see if I can read any today.

I am painting paintings and am doing poems for a book. I went outside and God gave me comfort because I met some youth as I could share about Yeshua/Jesus with. They were open.

I gave them like a very little book with Bible Scriptures and where you can ask for more on a New Testament at an (website) address. I told them Jesus loves you. It was sweet when I went because then one of the youth was whispering after me, "God bless you!" 
It was nice.

There are some Christian leaders who do not say it exactly here of the serious spiritual crisis. There are few mature Christian leaders in (this country) but it can be changed. Your  website is important! You write many interesting things!

There was a Nazistic demonstration here in (city). It was not nice. I think I am Jewish but have no papers and am longing to Israel as you know. I trust the Lord to open doors.

I pray for you and family!

Shalom and blessings!


P.S. I send you these thoughts as I wrote on stars. I like to think deep and about symbolic things in the Bible.



THOUGHTS ABOUT STARS

Abraham looked at the stars in Gen 15:5.

People are like stars, symbolic Ps 147:4 as I see as with a double meaning also symbolic about people." He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by name.

Jesus is the Morningstar Rev 22: 16.

Morningstar maybe can mean also sunrise, a star in the morning.

Jesus is like a a sunrise.

God is wonderful like all stars.

God is like the sun in the day and  the moon in the night.

Isaiah 9:2  "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."

This Scripture talk about hope and light. Jesus is light and hope.

A star gives light in the darkness, a special Star, Jesus, giving light.

He is the Hope.

Jesus is the Word, John 1. Every Bible Scripture is like a star giving light.

I think about all Scriptures and all the stars Abraham looked at at heaven, like the Scriptures are like the stars at heaven. The Bible I also think can be seen like a special Star, giving light.

Jesus is also then the Word and a Star.


I look at the U.S flag and think about Abraham looking at heaven when I see the stars on it.
A symbol on the flag for each state is a star. I think stars can be a symbol, for instance, for this too.

I am also thinking of Israel like a precious star in Gods hand.

Blessings!


Saturday, January 23, 2016

March for Life Protesters Brave Blizzard to Speak for the Unborn - Paul Strand CBN News


March for Life Protesters Brave Blizzard to Speak for the Unborn
01-22-2016

CBN News
WASHINGTON -- Despite threats Washington officials might yank the March for Life's permit because of a dire storm threat, the march went on Friday. 
Its participants refused to let a record-breaking blizzard bearing down on the nation's capitol stop them from their mission. Like in the 42 years before, they came determined to bear witness that multitudes of Americans hate abortion.
Starting on the National Mall, they've been marching on the Supreme Court to protest ever since it legalized abortion January 22, 1973. This year's theme: "Pro-Life and Pro-Woman Go Hand-in-Hand."
"I'm so thrilled with the theme of this year's march," Maureen Ferguson, senior policy advisor for The Catholic Association, told CBN News.
"It's so wild-timed because the pro-abortion side, of course, loves to use this as a political football and bandy around terms like 'the war on women.' But we know there's a war on women in the womb," she said. "Half of those babies aborted are little girls."
Catholic Association Senior Fellow Ashley Maguire explained the earliest American feminists were pro-life.
"Starting with the suffragettes who were fighting against slavery and then fought for their own rights to vote - they were very pro-life," Maguire said. "And so the idea that women are by nature pro-choice is completely false."
"And we know that abortion sadly leaves a woman wounded, sometimes physically; emotionally scarred with a hole in her heart for the rest of her life," Ferguson added.
"A woman's capacity to be a mother is empowering and it's a beautiful gift  that's a part of who she is as a person," Jeanne Mancini, who leads the March for Life, said.
Subverted author Sue Ellen Browder was once a pro-choice feminist working at Cosmopolitan. That is no longer the case.
"To be pro-woman is to be pro-life, and of course that's true," she told CBN News before speaking at the March for Life rally. "You know, women want to have babies. Babies bring us joy, happiness, wonder."
Lauren Handy, with the group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, counsels women heading into abortion clinics. She gets angry at those who accuse her of waging a war on those women.
"I think they use inflammatory language and scare tactics when we try to meet the needs of both the child and the mother, because we know abortion hurts the mother, the father and the child," she said.
Monica Miller, with Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, rejects that the right to this procedure is a key component of women's liberation.
"The sadness and the tragedy of that skewed, perverted point of view - that we actually would have to kill someone, end the life of someone else in order to be free - that's not a freedom," she explained.
"It looks easier and more fun not to have babies sometimes," Browder added. "But in the long run, especially when you get to be my age, and you see the women that did have children and how happy they are and how blessed they are with grandchildren and all that - whereas the old ladies in the nursing home, because they thought they were all free and alone, they're still alone."
"Abortion impacts women negatively, both psychologically and physiologically," Mancini insisted. "In fact we're hearing this week from a new Marist poll that the large majority of Americans believe that abortion hurts women, that it's not good for women, by a 35 percent margin."
Kristan Hawkins told CBN News how her group Students for Life of America constantly looks for ways to minister to young women considering this life-altering decision.
"We're always making sure that we're appealing to her and talking to her about how she's a victim, too," Hawkins shared. "And how the abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood, is directly targeting her."
Planned Parenthood has become a major target of the marchers since it is by far the largest abortion-provider in the country. It ends the lives of more than 300,000 unborn babies every year. 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

"Prophetic Children: To See a Prophecy Come to Pass it Must Be Believed and Acted Upon" by David Walters THE ELIJAH LIST


"Another Prophecy? Well, We Will Just See What Happens..."
The Lord recently revealed to me what is happening in the Charismatic kingdom today regarding the interest and a desire for prophecy and prophets. He said that prophecy and prophets are very popular and people wait patiently for the next prophetic utterance. He showed me the prophetic conferences and websites which are popular with many people. He also reminded me that of the many prophetic declarations brought forth, some have been fulfilled, yet others haven't.
He then showed me that an unfulfilled prophecy often devolves into a delayed prophecy, and finally ends up as a discarded prophecy. As I meditated on this, I saw that most of us have short memories, so many discarded prophecies have now gone out of sight. 
The Lord told me He knows and remembers everything, except confessed sin which is cast into the sea of His forgetfulness and remembered no more.
He told me that to see a prophecy come to pass, it must be believed and acted upon. 
Just to nod and say, "Another prophecy! Well! We will see what happens," is not helping to bring it to pass. He reminded me that, "Without faith it's impossible to please Him." 
(Photo via Tawny Nelson)
"Does this mean we accept every prophecy that is uttered?" I asked, "No!" He replied.
"What about the certified and recognized prophets? Are those the only ones we trust?" He said, "Even those can make mistakes. Remember, no one is infallible."
Then He reminded me of the Scripture, "For we know in part and prophesy in part."
Prophecy: Children Do Not Have a Baby or Junior Holy Spirit
Many years ago, I prophesied that God would use children in the last days to bring about a great revival, which was considered to be rather radical at the time. Most leaders feel that if revival comes it should come down from the leaders to the congregations. In other words, it comes through the front door and, more likely, in the large, prestigious front doors of the mega churches.
Personally, I have found in over 50 years of ministry that revival has mostly come through the back door and, in many times, by the children."Children...are for signs and wonders" (Isaiah 8:18).
I have personally seen God use children and youth for signs and wonders over the years.
In my book "Children Aflame with the Spirit" on the 17th Century Wesleyan Revival, there are numerous accounts of amazing supernatural events with children which confirms the amazing events that I have seen in my meetings. This book was one of the most popular books sold during the "Brownsville Pensacola Revival." I also had the privilege of ministering there twice during that revival.
In my meetings many miracles have happened when children have prayed for the sick during the "miracle service." When I have children praying for the sick, we have had as high as 100% healed; usually an average of 70%-85% are healings. 
Last year I was in a church in North Carolina; I had the children pray for a man who was born deaf. After a couple of attempts by the children, the man began to hear. He was so excited that he signaled his wife, who was also born deaf, to come and be prayed for. When the children first prayed for her, she seemed confused; but as I whispered in her ear, she began to speak what I was saying to her. The people were amazed. 
(Photo via James Goll)
Many children have been to Heaven, seen Hell, and have had angels visit them. In Ireland one time, as the anointing fell on the children and youth, they were transformed in Heaven; their faces were bright red and they were miming with their hands as to what was happening. Many were trying to draw pictures in the air.
In a meeting I was teaching at, one little boy was struck dumb, because he was talking and fooling around. When I found out, I told the boy to repent, so he did. While he was repenting he still couldn't talk, but as soon as he finished repenting he got his voice back. In amazement, he cried out, "I can talk, I can talk!"
ElijahList Prophetic Resources
In another conference I was speaking at, a young boy told me the Lord had said to him that he was sending him back to his hometown to preach to his friends, the children in his neighborhood, the children at his school, and then when he was older He would send him to be a missionary. Two years later, he came back to the same yearly conference and his parents told me he had led over 100 children to the Lord. He was then 12 years old.
Often, children have been "glued" to the floor and couldn't move until the Holy Spirit had finished with them.
Much of what I prophesied and believed has come to pass. Twenty-five years ago I proclaimed that children did not have a baby or junior Holy Spirit. Today, many leaders are quoting that, so children are being used far more than they ever have been.
"My Time is Always Now! So Do Not Hinder the Children"
Part of being a prophet is to go farther than anyone else has been in order to bring others into the next phase of God's divine purpose. Prophets also need patience. I have been marking time waiting for others to come to the complete vision of what the Lord showed me years ago, but many have settled for a measure rather than fullness. 
The Lord told me now was the time to reaffirm what He had showed me years ago. So now is the time for us to prepare. Prepare is better than repair. (Photo via Pixabay)
One of the biggest obstacles of hindering the coming to pass of the fulfillment of this prophecy is to keep children locked up in the "children's church." Tradition, or the common ways that things are executed, hinders that "paradigm shift" that God's desires to accomplish. Having children marching or running around the church during worship waving flags and banners before they go off to the children's church is not revival, especially if that is all they have to add to the spiritual welfare of the Church.
It's great for children to have "Holy Ghost Children's Meetings" where the youngsters are encouraged to pray for each other and move in the gifts and taught to become soul winners, as numbers of churches are doing – but how about if and when a child brings the "word of the Lord" forth in a main meeting? That has happened in numbers of churches. 
How about having some of the children join the prayer team to minister alongside the adults to those that have needs? How about having some talented and anointed children part of the worship team? I've seen a young boy, an anointed drummer, give out visions that were right on.
It's great to hold "Holy Spirit Workshops" for children and youth. This is where the youngsters learn how to prophesy, have visions and words of knowledge for each other.
Just recently I was ministering in a church in California where the children were under the anointing, dancing, prophesying, praying for the sick, and having a fire tunnel to bless the whole congregation.
My prophecy still stands and will come to pass, but we must let go of our old traditions and mindsets and realize there is no age in the Spirit to be able to enter in and to be part of this prophecy fulfillment. 
Don't lock up children in children's church. The children and youth have assets and can become a great benefit to the spiritual welfare of our churches. 
(Photo by Donna Smallenberg "Out of the Darkness" via elijahshopper.com)
"My time is always now!" says the Lord "For now is the day of salvation – not tomorrow or yesterday, for I dwell in the continuous present, outside of time. I already see all things fulfilled. My people are still waiting on Me to fulfill their spiritual goals and ambitions, yet I am still waiting on them to enter in and receive them, so wait no longer and do not hinder the children."
If we are waiting on God and He is waiting on us, who will wait the longest?
David Walters
Good News Ministries

Email: Davidmwalters@mindspring.com
Website: davidwaltersministry.com
David Walters currently ministers both nationally and internationally to families, pastors, youth pastors, children's pastors, parents, children, and teens. God uses David to impart a vision to pastors, elders, parents, and teachers in a way that brings the younger saints into a place where they become effective, viable members of the Body of Christ. David has witnessed the Holy Spirit move on whole churches, including children and teenagers, who were touched by God's power. 
In his special "Family Revelation & Ministry" workshops, he not only unfolds the keys to parents and teachers, but also empowers them to become successful in raising families, including the youngsters, to become godly, powerful, and anointed. David has been featured in "Charisma" magazine and has written articles for "Ministries Today." He was also interviewed on TBN By Dr. Mark Chironna. David is the author of seventeen books.
David's daughters, Faith and Lisa Joy, traveled with him when they were children. From time to time he now brings his grandsons to assist him at his meetings. David believes that it is time for whole families to become part of God's mighty Kingdom.
To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Onething 2015: Live without Distractions. Experience God. - CHARISMA NEWS DAILY


Onething 2015: Live without Distractions. Experience God.
Worship at Onething
Today, a great confrontation is mounting up in the earth, as the powers of darkness rage against even the truth itself. In this hour of crisis, many are content to live in passivity and compromise, spiritually bored and disengaged. Yet at the very same time, the Holy Spirit is raising up those who will set their hearts to fully love Jesus and partner with Him to make known His love and power and to see justice go forth in the nations. 


It can be easy in the midst of this chaos to feel like we're squandering time in our relationship with God, as we experience the pull of opportunities and obligations from all sides. Important and necessary things can become distractions from the one thing that is most important to us; the thing Jesus called the "one thing needed" (Lk. 10:42)—to sit at His feet.

The Onething conference is a gathering of young adults who have set their hearts to live with abandonment and devotion to Jesus. We invite you to join us in Kansas City this December with 20,000 others gathered in extended times of worship, teaching of the Word, and ministry in the power of the Spirit—all to live in pursuit of this one thing: experiencing God.

We believe that as we encounter Him and pray to see His power and glory released, our hearts will be transformed, many will be healed in their bodies, and His presence will bring strength, comfort, and reassurance—a time of encounter that provokes us to pursue Him throughout the year. Join us in Kansas City this December for Onething 2015!
Learn more
Super Early Bird Registration until Sept 30!
© Copyright 2015 Charisma Media, All Rights Reserved

Friday, October 9, 2015

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.
 

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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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
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Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
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Full website: Love For His People

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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