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Posted: 16 Aug 2013 07:40 PM PDT
 The Lord spoke to me personally. "Son, you have been faithful in hating religious spirits, but you have fallen short in loving religious people. I love them. I want to deliver them. Not loving them invites a religious spirit into your life." Four years of college or one word of knowledge. Don't limit God with your education. Where the devil wants to kill you is often the place where God wants to use you. Pray again. Even Jesus prayed a second time to heal a blind man's eyes. Mark 8:22-26 Blessings, Bill Yount            |
Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
"Musings Of The Heart" - Bill Yount
Ahava Love Letter - "I Like Mike." Me too!
"I Like Mike"
“Therefore
God raised Him to the highest place and gave Him
the name above every name; that
in honor of the name given Yeshua,
every knee will bow in heaven, on earth
and under the earth,
and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah
is Adonai, - to the
glory of God the Father.”
Phil. 2:9-11, Complete Jewish Bible
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Dear family of friends,
There is
a local Christian radio station that daily gives a person’s name out, and if
you have a child with that name, you are to call in and share a good word or
two. Seems like they never run out of names, for it has been going on for some
time now.
Early one morning I awoke up with the words, “I like Mike” in my head. Usually when that
happens I know it is the Lord wanting to say something to me, or share
something through me. My learned heart’s response is to listen further and obey
His next words. Sometimes they don’t come right away, and so I just pray (usually in tongues.)
After a
brief wait upon Him, I looked up online the origin and meaning of the name Mike, or the full
name Michael. In its original Hebrew the meaning of the
name Mike is: “Who is
like God?” and “Gift from God.” In the Bible, St. Michael was the conqueror
of Satan and patron saint of soldiers.
There are many Mikes that I
know. On one office staff of 22 that I worked with, there were three Michaels,
and so we had to specify each time which Mike or Michael we were referring to in our
conversation. Something like “Market Mike” who headed up the retail incubator business,
“Michael the CEO”, and “Mike the Graphic Man.”
In further prayer in seeking His purpose for the word received, the Lord began to expand on His early awakening of me with "I like Mike." The next impression was to write about two that are extra special, and have been spiritually influential in my family's lives. They must have been even more so on the Lord's heart that morning.
Therefore, I will share words of blessing on these two Michaels that have impacted lives in a very positive way. For them I give thanks to the Lord, for His creation is always good, and He did an especially grand work with these two. They are truly a gift from God.
Therefore, I will share words of blessing on these two Michaels that have impacted lives in a very positive way. For them I give thanks to the Lord, for His creation is always good, and He did an especially grand work with these two. They are truly a gift from God.
The first one, whom I met in
Michigan after he came to East Lansing as a single man from Maine in 1980, is now also a grandfather of my
fourth grandson (his delightful first.) We both went to New Covenant Christian Church,
learning how to be godly men and servants to those around us. When my family moved
from East Lansing, Michigan to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where I had my first financial staff position with Derek Prince Ministries, he drove the 24’ UHaul truck. It was somewhat
of a payback for the eleven times I helped move his family. Nice!
Now, not only is he also the
father-in-law of our daughter Christen, and a board member of our ministry Love For His
People, but along with his cake-making good wife Mary Ann, they are some of our closets and most treasured friends.
The Blade family - Mother's Day May 2013
I like Mike. I also love him
dearly. Thank you Michael Blade for your shared life.
The second Mike has been a friend
since the day my wife Laurie and I met him and his family in 1987 when we moved south of the Midwest. He was a
member of Good News Church in Fort Lauderdale, the local Publix grocery store
manager, and head of the Mahesh Chavda Ministries prayer group. Along with his good wife Leslie, they were steadfast in their walk with the Lord, faithfully laying
their lives down for family, community and His purposes as they knew it. They
still are.
When I left a ministerial administration
position, Mike was the one who took over the baton for at least the next 12 years or more. Keeping in
touch wasn’t always easy with our individual schedules, but on occasion we were able
to catch up at a conference. He is an admirable man, and blessed those whom he served with honor and
diligence. He is one that both young men and women can pattern their lives after. His wife Leslie is special too! (I got to hire her in the late 1990's, and she did a great job in the Contributions Department.)
Mike & Leslie Adams
I like Mike. I also love him
dearly. Thank you both Mike and Leslie Adams.
Well, it looks like the Lord
wanted to bless the Mikes today. I know the Lord likes, and loves, each Mike too. After all , He created them. I
like that about Him. He knows each of us by name, and often lets others know when
to pray, when to bless, and when to speak highly of His anointed servants.
I like that about Jesus, and I
especially like HIS Hebrew name, Yeshua.
If you know a Mike, a Susan, a
Mary, a Josh, or any other name under the sun, bless them today!
Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of
friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed.
ID#27-1633858.
Please consider sending a
charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless Israel
with our humanitarian ministry.
Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each
donation.
Go here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: www.loveforhispeople.org/support
If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where
available).
Contribution checks can be sent to:
Love For His People, Inc.
P.O. Box 414 Pineville, NC 28134
Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
Please share this Ahava Love Letter with your
friends.
E-mail: loveforhispeople@gmail.com martinlighthouse@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter
Full website: www.loveforhispeople.org
YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)
Ahava Love Letter #68
“I Like Mike” ©2013 Steve Martin
Date: In the year of our Lord
2013 (08/17/13 Saturday at 5:05 am in Charlotte, NC)
All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter
can be found on this Blog:
Here are the last few:
Disappointed with Small
Beginnings? (#67)
Rise Again (#66)
The Cities (#65)
How can You Mend A Broken Heart
(#64)
Anxious (#63)
Hidden (#62)
Get Back in the Boat (#61)
Need
Money? (#60)
Rejected?
(#59)
In
Your Building – Guard Against Distractions (#58)
Connections (#57)
Your Name (#56)
Lost, But Not Forgotten Friends
(#55)
Friday, August 16, 2013
Morris Ruddick - "Heart of the King - True Leadership"
Morris Ruddick
Those bearing this mantle have been prepared by God. They are unwilling to acquiesce to the safe places that fall short; or be seduced by the rule of power or the rule of profit that lures those called by His Name into the intrigues and games played by the world.
They are a remnant whose calling is directly from God; not presumption, ambition or any other quest emerging from the heart of man. It is a calling that excludes the pretenders, wannabes, interlopers and tyrants. The heart and identity defining this remnant is inexorably tied to God.
These are the ones with the leadership mantle of Joseph and Daniel, who are facing the realities, paying the cost and faithfully stewarding their callings of bringing forth God's kingdom. These are the ones who will themselves receive the keys to release His Kingdom in their domains. These are the ones with the heart of a King. These are the ones for whom this book has been written."
Morris Ruddick
Heart of a King
Xulon Press, 2010
Worship the Lord!
Christian Friends of Israel tour - 2004
Jerry Ginn on guitar, with Steve Martin on tambourine
Overlooking Kidron Valley in Jerusalem
Steve Martin (tambourine) and Jerry Ginn (guitar)
Leading worship in Gethsemene, Jerusalem, Israel 2004
Steve & Laurie Martin - Charleston, SC 2004
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention
Israel Ministry of Tourism breakfast
2004 - Charlotte, NC
- leading a time of praise
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Steve & Laurie Martin
2011 - Antioch International Church Fort Mill, Sc
Beit Tikvah Friday night meeting
Tom Fahey (guitar) & Steve Martin (tambourine)
- leading worship
All Nations Church in Charlotte, NC
"Watch of the Lord" in 1998
Ahava Love Band - 2012
Charlotte, NC
Ahava Love Band - 2012
Charlotte, NC
Phil Keaggy & Steve Martin
- after the Derek Prince Memorial Service
Charlotte, NC 2004
Jerusalem & The Western Wall
Art by Alex Levin of Tel Aviv, Israel
Mideast Christians: an Endangered Species in their Ancestral Land
Mideast Christians: an Endangered Species in their Ancestral Land
Thursday, August 15, 2013 | Noah Beck Israel Today
Egypt’s Christians are being targeted and scapegoated for the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood. An Egyptian human rights activist tweeted that the Virgin Mary in Minya, one of the oldest churches in Egypt, built in the 4th century, was destroyed by fire yesterday. There have also been media reports about attacks on churches in the city of Suez and other villages. Jason Isaacson, Director of Government and International Affairs for the American Jewish Committee condemned these acts: "Organized violence against Egypt's Copts, the murder of innocents and destruction of churches, is outrageous and unforgivable."
As defenseless and abandoned as Mideast Christians seem today, it is worth remembering their historical roots, and recognizing just how much the plight of Middle East Christians has deteriorated. Over 2,000 years ago, Christianity was born as a religion and spread from Jerusalem to other parts of the Levant, including territories in modern Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. The Christian faith flourished as one of the major religions in the Middle East until the Muslim conquests of the 7th century.
Despite Muslim domination of the region, Christians comprised an estimated 20% of the Middle East population until the early 20th century. Today, however, Christians make up a mere 2-5% of the Middle East and their numbers are fast dwindling. Writing in the Winter 2001 issue of Middle East Quarterly, scholar Daniel Pipes estimated that Middle East Christians would "likely drop to" half of their numbers "by the year 2020" because of declining birth rates, and a pattern of "exclusion and persecution" leading to emigration.
The "Arab Spring" has only worsened conditions for the indigenous Christians of the Middle East. Like the Kurds, Middle East Christians are a stateless minority, struggling to survive in the world's toughest neighborhood. But the Kurds at least have enjoyed partial autonomy in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991 and most of them are Sunni Muslim, making it easier for them to survive in the Muslim-dominated Middle East. Christians, on the other hand, are a religious minority that controls no territory and is entirely subject to the whims of their hosts. These host countries – with the exception of Israel – offer a grim future to Middle East Christians.
Home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, Egypt also has the largest Christian population in the Middle East, totaling 8-12 million people. But because Christian Copts make up only about 10-15% of Egypt's estimated 80 million people, they have for decades lived in fear as second-class citizens, subjected to attacks on churches, villages, homes, and shops; mob killings; and the abduction and forced Islamic conversion of Christian women compelled to marry Muslim men. Such abuse took place under the staunchly secular regime of Hosni Mubarak, but grew much worse under the rule of Mohammed Morsi, the jailed Muslim Brotherhood activist who succeeded Mubarak, and they are now being blamed for Morsi's ouster.
In Lebanon, Christians represent a bigger portion of the population, so their fate is for now less precarious than that of their Egyptian coreligionists, but their long-term prospects are worrisome. The Christian population is estimated to have dropped from over 50% (according to a 1932 census) to about 40%. Over the last few years, the de facto governing power in Lebanon has become Hezbollah, the radical and heavily-armed Shiite movement sponsored by Iran. With all of the spillover violence and instability produced by the Syrian civil war and Hezbollah's open involvement in it, and/or the next war that Hezbollah decides to start with Israel, the emigration of Christians out of Lebanon will probably only increase in the coming years, leaving those who stay increasingly vulnerable.
In Syria, 2.5 million Christians comprised about 10% of the population and enjoyed some protection under the secular and often brutal regimes of the Assad dynasty. But as jihadi groups fighting Assad extend their territorial control, the past protection of Christians is often the cause of their current persecution by resentful Sunnis who revile the Assad regime and seek to impose Sharia law wherever they can. Christians have been regularly targeted and killed by rebels, and the sectarian chaos and violence that will likely prevail in Assad's wake will only increase the number of Christians fleeing Syria.
In Iraq, the bloody aftermath of the 2003 invasion demonstrated how dangerous life can become for a Christian minority when a multicultural society in the Middle East explodes into sectarian violence. By 2008, half of the 800,000 Iraqi Christians were estimated to have left, rendering those remaining even more insecure. In 2010, Salafist extremists attacked a Baghdad church during Sunday Mass, killing or wounding nearly the whole congregation. Such incidents turn any communal gathering into a potential massacre, forcing Christians across the Middle East to ask the ultimate question of faith: "Am I prepared to die for Christian worship?"
The so-called "Arab Spring" threatens to exacerbate matters in much of the Middle East, as Islamists now either control the government or influence it enough to persecute Christians with impunity. As new Islamist regimes in the Middle East condone religious intolerance and introduce Sharia and blasphemy laws, the long-term trend for Christians in their ancestral lands will only grow bleaker.
The one bright spot is the state of Israel – "the only place in the Middle East [where] Christians are really safe," according to the Vicar of St George's Church in Baghdad, Canon Andrew White. Home to Christianity's holiest sites and to a colorful array of Christian denominations, Israel has the only growing Christian community in the Middle East.
Because Israel is the only non-Muslim state in all of the Middle East and North Africa, it represents a small victory for religious minorities in the region, and serves as the last protector of freedom and security for Jews, Christians, Bahai, Druze, and others. Without Israel, how much more vulnerable would Christians in the Middle East become?
Noah Beck is the author of The Last Israelis, an apocalyptic novel about Iranian nukes and an Israeli submarine with a diverse crew, including a Christian Israeli.
ICEJ - CHRISTIAN CHURCHES UNDER ATTACK IN EGYPT
CHRISTIAN CHURCHES UNDER ATTACK IN EGYPT
An overview of recent events from a biblical perspective
Coptic Christians pray at a church in Cairo (Beliefnet.org)
EGYPT MY PEOPLE
Scriptural references regarding Egypt can seem a bit contradictory as most refer to Egypt in negative terms, alluding to bondage and idolatry, while others foretell a national revival and times of restoration. Egypt is also mentioned more times in scripture than any other nation, second only to Israel who also was warned of impending judgment while promised national restoration.
In fact, in Isaiah 19 God refers to Egypt as “My people” and Israel “My inheritance.” Therefore, we need to consider current events in Egypt in light of these scriptures and be moved to a place of prayer for those whom God called His people.
THE LARGEST DEMONSTRATIONS IN HISTORY
In 2011, when the so called “Arab Spring” began, we followed closely as Egypt’s young people began a peaceful, non-violent protest resulting in the fall of the Mubarak regime. The demonstrators were seeking progress, jobs, and opportunity as found in western countries.
Unfortunately, the opposition was not politically organized and, when it came time for elections, the only party that could step into the void and win the elections was the Muslim Brotherhood. One year later, the people of Egypt realized that President Morsi was a far worse dictator than Mubarak had been. Islamist ideology was guiding the country and the government was going bankrupt with no way to import bread and food. A country of 80 million was about to descend into chaos.
They were able to collect the signatures of an astounding 20 million people calling for the removal of President Morsi and then organized a public demonstration of upwards to 30 million people. The military, led by General Sisi who had been appointed by President Morsi himself, responded to the people’s demands by removing President Morsi from power.
While clueless western leaders, including some U.S. officials, denounced it as a military coup, General Sisi appointed civilian Adly Mansour, a Supreme Constitutional Court Justice, as Interim President and respected economist, Dr. Hazem Beblawi as Prime Minister. He then asked the people to come back onto the streets to show America and the West their support for a military crackdown on the terror and crime that was plaguing Egypt at the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and various jihadist factions.
It is estimated that as many as 40 million people, the largest demonstration in history, may have come onto the streets this time to show their support for the military’s actions.
And yet, some US officials are threatening to cut off aid to Egypt if they do not release the Muslim Brotherhood from jail and bring them back into the government. President Obama suspended shipment of four F-16s last month and Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have threatened to cut-off financial aid as well.
THE CRY OF THE PEOPLE
One cannot begin to describe the disappointment and confusion felt by the people of Egypt. Egypt is a key American ally now turning to Russia and China for help when another ally, Israel, desperately needs a stable, pro-American Egypt for her own security.
Moreover, Egypt has already been experiencing revival, so the people’s heartfelt cry for help could be the beginning of a revival so huge it could sweep across the entire Arab world. Egypt needs our prayers at this critical time!
Roughly ten percent of Egyptians are Christian. They are now being used as scape goats and are accused of conspiring with the “Zionists” to bring about the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood. As a result, their churches are being burned - there are reports that over 20 have been burned this week - and the black flag of Al-Qaeda has victoriously been flown over several of them. The Christians are too afraid to leave their homes in some areas.
Until the US stops pressuring the government, and allows them to crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers who are creating lawlessness and chaos in the streets, the Christians will continue to suffer and greatly need our immediate prayers.
INFORMED PRAYERS
The situation in Egypt has exposed the decline in western journalism in general and US media in particular. Due to budget cuts many news outlets no longer have many journalists in the field. Therefore, they rely on one of a handful of news wires. In the case of Egypt, Al-Jazeera became a trusted source due to their 24/7 coverage of the 2011 protests and the fall of Mubarak.
The difference this time around is that the pro-Muslim Brotherhood news channel was covering the fall of a Muslim Brotherhood government. Video footage and reports were skewed in favor of the ousted President and this misinformation was repeated by western outlets as fact on several occasions. However, Al-Jazeera’s coverage was so biased that some 20 journalists have now quit in protest.
The ICEJ is one of the few organizations that has a pulse on what is happening in Egypt and the region, not only politically but also spiritually. Our Isaiah 62 prayer initiative has encouraged prayer for Egypt for over two years now. And while a lot of the media has been silent, even misleading, about these unfolding events, the ICEJ has been covering them in our publications.
The Middle East is very complicated and the Christian world cannot afford to be at the mercy of ill-informed media monopolies when our informed prayers and activism are so desperately needed Your monthly financial support helps us – your Embassy in Jerusalem – be a resource for you.
Thank you for partnering with us in your financial support and please join us in prayer for both Egypt, His people, and Israel, His inheritance.
For Zion’s Sake,
Susan M. Michael
US Director
P.S Your donation of $30 or more this month will help us continue to provide the in-depth analysis and teaching you rely on, and will make sure that you continue receiving our expanded, 24 page Word from Jerusalem magazine for the next twelve months.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
"Ahava Love Letters" Book - 1st print order placed
We ordered our first 500 book print of the "Ahava Love Letters" book today, through our publisher Xulon Press. I'll let you know when we have a shipment date, once the full production process has been completed.
The formatting and layout is next, now that the manuscript has gone through the editing process. We have included 30 photos with the 52 letters that make up the book. Both front and back cover designs will be done, and then I can show you what that will look like.
We know this book will be of great encouragement to you.
Ahava (love in Hebrew),
Steve
Ark of the Covenant - Lost or Hidden?
If the ark did exist, where is it now? A group of rabbis claim they found it in a 1981 excavation. But when will they ease open the lid and what waits inside?
If anyone out there has converted the book (written by William Stanley Moss entitled "Gold is where you hide it: What happened to the Reichsbank treasure" and published by Andre Deutsch, London, 1956) into an e-book, please post it to me.
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Possible location under the Temple Mount?
Hear, O Israel
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013
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