Thursday, February 4, 2016

Media Watchman Challenges Christians Not to Ignore This Demonic Movement - CICELY GOSIER/BGEA CHARISMA NEWS

We are called to be watchmen.
We are called to be watchmen. (Courtesy/BGEA)

Media Watchman Challenges Christians Not to Ignore This Demonic Movement

Join us on the new C-Pop podcast where Taylor and Jessilyn discuss, debate and sometimes deride pop culture with a strong sense of humor and a focus on Christ. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

When terrorism analyst Erick Stakelbeck first got his start, he soon realized sharing his expertise without a scare would be no easy task.

"I would lay out all these facts and say, 'OK, have a nice day,' and people are hiding under their chairs," he joked, referring to the heavy but necessary message of the threat of terrorism.
"But as I've grown, and God has continued to refine me, I know there's a blessed hope, and I try and impress that on people."
Stakelbeck, who reports for the Christian Broadcasting Network, is widely known for his knowledge on the Middle East and national security issues.
Through his show The Watchman and latest book ISIS Exposed, his call now is to uncover threats like ISIS while staying true to the charge of evangelism that all believers have.
"Billy Graham is one of my heroes and Franklin is too," Stakelbeck said. "I never cease to be amazed by Billy's boldness and Franklin's boldness to preach the gospel."
And with similar boldness, Stakelbeck is challenging Christians everywhere to get educated about threats in the Middle East and at home, as well as the message behind recent terrorist attacks that are dominating headlines.
"Here in the West, we have so many distractions. People think the Middle East is thousands and thousands of miles away and could never affect us here," he said.
"But ISIS has declared war against Christians. The leader of ISIS has said, 'We must destroy the defender of the cross.' ... Christians are in the crosshairs."
And that's why believers should be paying attention.
"I think ISIS is a sign of the times. We live in dark times. Perilous times. ISIS is clearly a demonic movement," Stakelbeck added. "We as Christians have a responsibility to be salt and light; to stand against this with the truth of the gospel."

ISIS Explained

The group we now know as ISIS first got its start more than a decade ago.
When the United States went into Iraq in 2003, Islamic terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led the insurgency against the U.S.—soon starting the group he called al-Qaida in Iraq.
They were eventually crushed and Zarqawi was killed.
But after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq, the group started to regain momentum.
"It got stronger in Iraq, spread to Syria, and grew into what we see today: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)," Stakelbeck said.
Now, ISIS is working to establish harsh Islamic Sharia law everywhere.
"There's genocide underway right now in the Middle East ... our brothers and sisters in Christ are being slaughtered," Stakelbeck said. "As a Christian, the body of Christ is being persecuted by this movement."

Fighting Darkness With Light

Stakelbeck often notes the growing threat of homegrown jihad—Americans joining the ranks of terrorists in the Middle East to carry out attacks on U.S. soil.
"ISIS has called for folks to rise up. They call them 'city wolves,' and they're calling on all their city wolves in Europe and the United States to rise up and carry out attacks," he explained.
Yet, even with that reality, Stakelbeck says now is not the time for Christians to be afraid or shrink back.
"I talk to secular people in America all the time who instinctively in their gut feel things are going in a bad direction. But they don't know the Lord, and they don't know what to do about it," he said. "As believers, we have a special responsibility to be that voice and to educate people."
As Christians share God's Word and His promises in these dark times, doors can be opened for others to find security in Christ.
"If we are watchmen and watchwomen on the wall, we are on God's front lines as believers in this day and age," Stakelbeck said. "If we don't speak up about it, who's going to do it?
"No one else is going to do it. We were born in these times for a reason."
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

Burn Within - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Burn Within

Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32, NKJV)


Sometimes I feel like the apostle Paul did when he spoke about still doing that which he didn’t want to do. I can’t find the Scripture, but at some point he gave a sigh, or even more so wrote of his ongoing frustration, in seemingly doing the same thing over and over. And he wasn’t talking about that thing being a good thing.

He too wanted it to stop so he could move on with other challenges. He wanted to pass this test so he could graduate to the next class, or as we so often hear these days, “go to the next level”. (We must be riding an elevator?)

Maybe you think the same at times? You do something, say something, or think something about another, and then find yourself having to repent all over again for doing the same thing all over again. It gets frustrating. “When will I ever learn?” as we continually battle the same temptation, or even yet, the same sin, over and over again.

Contending for perfection is part of the ongoing battle we are in. Not only are there battles without and about us but we continually face the battles within ourselves. Because we are fighting in the spiritual realm, it works its way down into our natural being.

But we have hope! As this war within rages on, we can experience a burn within, which I believe is the Holy Spirit’s refining fire, to cleanse us of all that dirt, filth, and such. We are being conformed more to the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and it is an ongoing process.

The apostle Peter (or as more accurately the Jewish versions of the Bible say, the “emissary” Peter) also wrote of this ongoing burn within us. He too was inspired by the Holy Spirit to remind his followers of this very same thing.

“Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you; but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evil-doers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming.” (1 Peter 2:11-13, Complete Jewish Bible)

It is a fact. The old nature, the one we had before coming to repentance, and finding salvation which is only found in the Lord Yeshua (Jesus), still tries to come back at us - those old (and new) desires and temptations to give in and give up. We will still battle in the ongoing war within, always trying to wear us down and take us out of the war raging around us.

“Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Stand against him, firm in your trust, knowing that your brothers throughout the world are going through the same kinds of suffering. You will have to suffer only a little while; after that, God, who is full of grace, the one who called you to his eternal glory in union with the Messiah, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you and make you firm. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:8-11 CJB)

Thank God, that even as Jesus did while here on earth, conversing with those disciples after His resurrection, He has now given us His Holy Spirit to walk and talk “with us on the road”, while still opening the Scriptures to us, revealing while always teaching, in order to refine us and mold us into His holy image.

Next time, probably today, when the temptation comes my way, to think ill will of another, or when I am fighting the temptations that so often come, and will happen, I must effectively make the choice to stop the thought before it prolongs in my mind, and resist.

By the Lord’s grace burning through us, those things which can so easily drag you and I down can end, in order that we can carry on with the bigger challenge, that of proclaiming His gospel in word and deed, to a world that is burning up in so many other ways.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
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

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to bless the families that we do in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

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.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. 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. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 02.04.16 - #240 –“Burn Within” – Thursday at 3:30 am

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

Remembering Ilan Ramon and the Challenger Space Shuttle ✡ "Heavens Recite the Glory of God" - ISRAEL365

The heavens recite the glory of God, and the sky tells of the work of His hands.

PSALMS (19:2)

הַשָּׁמַיִם מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד אֵ-ל וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו מַגִּיד הָרָקִיעַ

תהילים יט:ב


ha-sha-ma-yeem m'-sap-reem k'-vod ayl u-ma-a-se ya-dav ma-geed ha-ra-kee-a

Jerusalem Inspiration

There is no greater testament to the wonders of the Almighty than the beauty and magnificence of the world itself! The heavens and what lies beyond have fascinated man from the beginning of time.  Along with modern space travel, the science of outer space continues to intrigue and shed light on God's remarkable ways. This past week Israel commemorated the 30th anniversary of the catastrophic end to the Challenger space shuttle.  'Journey of Hope' is a riveting account of the life of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, and his journey towards his career of exploring the beyond in God's fantastic universe.

A Tribute to Israel's First Astronaut

In this heartfelt tribute to astronaut Ilan Ramon, experience the hopes of the Jewish nation as they sent the first of their own into outer space.

Animal Free Meat as Redemption Draws Near

Meat made in a lab? In one more step towards redemption, a leading Rabbi declares "This is here for us to see the greatness of God and the incredible universe that Hashem created. We can see how great the universe is that meat can be made without an animal."

Rimon Necklace Made With Roman Glass

The Rimon Necklace is a blue and green Roman Glass ensconced in a beautiful Sterling Silver pomegranate. Roman Glass was discovered during archaeological digs in Israel and date back to the Roman era, nearly 2,000 years ago. Thanks to the perfect balance of geological and climatic conditions, Israel is one of the few places in the world that was able to form and preserve the amazing colorful glass.

Jerusalem Daily Photo

The fantastic Jerusalem heavens, by Igor Farberov.  The Psalmist declares the glorious heavens as a testament to the greatness of God Himself.

Yesterday's Photo Trivia

Yesterday's photo featured a beautiful cluster of olive trees.  Olive trees can be identified by their leaves which have a thick and leathery texture, as well as their trunk which has a twisted, gnarled look.

Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Grace Foo of Singapore. Todah rabah!

“Thank You For Your eMails

It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send mean email and let me know how you are enjoying Jerusalem365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!).

Thank you for your emails from Jerusalem. I am a Christian, I live in Queensland Australia. My husband and I love Israel. We know you are God’s chosen people.
God Bless You. Maree & Arthur
Blessing from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
Copyright © 2016 Jerusalem365, All rights reserved.
Thank You for Signing Up for the Jerusalem365 emails.

Our mailing address is:
Jerusalem365
34 Nahal Ein Gedi Apt #17
Beit Shemesh 9909875
Israel

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Fire and Favor on Families by Lana Vawser - Identity Network

Fire and Favor on Families 


Lana Vawser

Identity Network   Feb. 3, 2016
I have been feeling the Lord saying "fire and favor" on families. The Lord is doing a DEEP work right now in the family unit. His Spirit is moving powerfully and bringing healing, restoration and freedom to families.

Last year, I had an encounter with the Lord where I saw the fire of God falling on houses and restoring family unit's and Jesus walking through houses bringing healing. When I felt the Lord begin to speak again on "fire and favor" on families, I asked Him for greater clarity.

I then heard the words "Now is the time for the DOUBLE PORTION."  There have been breakthroughs that have begun in family units that began last year for many, but suddenly now there is a momentum in the Spirit that is happening in an acceleratory way. Where ground has begun to break, double portions are going to begin to manifest. Where there has been shame and dishonor in families, as the people of God have not given up and remained positioned, the Lord is doing a sudden work in families.

Time for a Double Portion

Many have felt like they were at the end of their rope with contending, praying and believing for breakthrough, healing and restoration of family, but I want to encourage you, not only is there breakthrough and healing in the atmosphere but it's time for a double portion of fire and favor of the Lord in family units. Don't stop crying out to the Lord. His heart is for family. His heart is for restoration and healing. Keep your heart in check before the Lord in the area of forgiveness and love. He is bringing healing to your heart!!

The fire of God is falling in exponential ways to bring a cleansing, a purifying, a strengthening, a refining and a sharpening. Passion is being reignited. As the people of God are crying out for their family units, where hurt, pain and issues have become so overwhelming and the focus of Jesus has been lost, He is taking His place again. He is taking His place again as the center. Revival is breaking out in families. It's time for a mass revival of the family unit on a corporate scale.

Marriages are being and are going to be restored suddenly. I saw "honeymoon" periods being restored in marriages. Do not give up seeking the Lord for your marriage. The Lord is bringing increase and strengthening to many good, strong marriages, and He is bringing healing, refreshing restoration and freedom to the marriages that have been struggling and broken as His people cry out.

I also saw many children holding keys. Many children are about to have encounters with the Lord that are going to be given keys to release healing, restoration, healing and impartations into families. Listen to what your children are hearing from the Lord, listen to the encounters that they are having, allow them to pray for you, for the Lord is using the children to bring significant impartations, atmospheric shifts and 'game changers."

Fresh Air and Refreshing

Favor is being released on family units that is going to release financial pressures, releasing heavy burdens and crippling circumstances. I saw the favor the Lord is releasing on family units bringing a "breath of fresh air and refreshing" over those family units that are being stressed, stretched and pressed on every side. The Lord is releasing surprise moves of His favor that is going to bring an "ease" upon many family units.

Don't give up contending for your family unit, for your marriages etc. The Lord is doing a deep, sudden work in the family unit and revival is and will increasingly break out in the family unit.

The Lord is doing this accelerated work in the family unit not only to bring breakthrough and healing to His people, but to move His people further forward and out into society as an example of how to do marriage and family well. The testimonies that come out of this season of seeing the Lord bring healing, refreshing, revival, strengthening and increase is going to see MANY broken families in society come into the Kingdom BECAUSE of your testimony.

Fire and favor is falling on the family unit! Keep crying out.  He not only hears, He is moving on your behalf.

Lana Vawser


E-Book Download
By Rhoda Banks
Price: $10.00
Sale! $5.00
Click HERE to order.




Obama Picks Mosque With Radical Islamic Ties for First US Visit - Abra Forman BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

President Obama gives an address at a naturalization ceremony for 31 immigrants on Dec. 15, 2015. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

President Obama gives an address at a naturalization ceremony for 31 immigrants on Dec. 15, 2015. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

Obama Picks Mosque With Radical Islamic Ties for First US Visit

“When the righteous are increased, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people sigh.” (Proverbs 29:2)
In his first official visit to a US mosque on Wednesday, President Barack Obama is set to appear at an institution whose leaders have a record of support for radical Islamic causes, reports The Investigative Project on Terrorism. The Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB), Obama’s mosque of choice, has a history of imams and scholars who have endorsed jihad, suicide bombings, and terror financing.
Among the causes which past leaders have championed publically are the Chechen jihad and Palestinian terror attacks, including suicide bombings. ISB’s former imam was active in a charity which was later revealed to be involved in financing terror organizations such as Hamas, the Taliban, and Osama bin Laden’s radical Islamic network.
The Obama administration’s selection of ISB as the site of the president’s visit despite its radical ties should come as a surprise to few. Obama has been notoriously sympathetic to Muslim and Islamic causes, courting Muslim Brotherhood officials in Egypt during 2012’s Arab Spring while ignoring secular democracy advocacy groups. Indeed, many Coptic Christians and secular activists viewed Obama’s role as helping the Muslim Brotherhood ascend to power.
The brief tenure of openly pro-Hamas Mohammed Morsi as Egyptian president was endorsed by the Obama administration. Morsi has publically called for jihad against Israel, and the chairman of his political party called Egypt “a strategic treasury for our brothers in Palestine” against the “Zionist enemy.”
Obama’s administration praised Morsi’s rise to power, calling him a peacemaker even as widespread protests against Morsi led to riots and Morsi passed laws ensuring himself the unchecked power to run the country without a constitution.
"The Prime Ministers" - Yehuda Avner's Epic Recounting of Israel's Leaders
More recently, Obama invited representatives of Islamic groups to the White House in December in order to discuss religious discrimination in a move that was criticized even within the Muslim community. Attendees at the gathering were associated with organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has spoken out against counter-terror investigations and even run workshops advising potential terrorists on how to avoid FBI “entrapment.”
ISB officials have worked closely with CAIR in the past, joining together to criticize 2014’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. ISB and CAIR condemned Israeli military actions while neglecting to mention the fact that Hamas militants in Gaza purposely fired from areas densely populated with civilians in order to draw retaliatory Israeli fire which would kill non-combatants.
Abid Husain, ISB’s general secretary, accused Israel of “indiscriminate assault” and “unrestrained aerial bombardments of civilian populations” during the operation.
The moderate Muslim community in America has condemned Obama’s choice of mosque. In a Monday appearance on Fox News, American-Islamic Forum for Democracy president Dr. Zuhdi Jasser said, “As an American Muslim I’m just insulted. It’s disgraceful that this is one of the mosques – or the mosque – that he’s picked to be the first visit.”
Jasser described the actions of Muhammed al-Sheikh, a past ISB imam, who he said came “directly” from the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan and has held online sermons excusing Palestinian suicide bombers.
“This is just a political stunt,” Jasser added. “He’s using our Muslim community as a backdrop, partisan politics, to basically check the box that he’s with the Muslim community” against anti-Muslim bigotry. However, Jasser points out, “The countries that he cozies up to – be it Iran or Saudia Arabia – mosques in America that are in bed with Iran and Saudi Arabia . . . are actually against diversity in our faith, so he insults our community by cozying up to radicals who have extreme views incompatible with America.”


The United States Is Not the Center of the Universe - J. LEE GRADY

If you are a Christian, you are a global citizen.
If you are a Christian, you are a global citizen. (iStock photo)

My friend Kelechi is a brave Nigerian evangelist who has gotten himself kidnapped several times so he could share Christ with armed militants. More recently he has been involved in dangerous evangelism efforts in northern Nigeria, where Islamic jihadists have killed 17,000 people in the past five years.
A few days ago, Kelechi sent me a disturbing email, asking for prayer. He had just learned that a young man he was discipling, Boulous, was killed by militants while trying to get some Christians out of a village that had been targeted for a surprise attack.
Kelechi wrote: "Please would you pray for me and ask your friends to lift us before the Lord? It is a very trying time. We are the only people doing evangelistic work there, so we cannot stop. Also pray for me as I go to the area next week when I think it will be safer."
I feel helpless trying to raise awareness of Kelechi's cause. One of the worst waves of terrorism on planet earth has hit Nigeria, yet the world's media gives it scant attention. The Islamic group operating there, Boko Haram, killed more people in 2014 than ISIS terrorists in Syria. Last week in the Nigerian village of Dalori, Islamic militants bombed homes and burned children alive.
The death toll in Dalori was 86. But did you hear anything about the attack? It wasn't on any news channel I listen to. All the major networks were talking nonstop about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Iowa presidential caucus—along with the controversy stirred by Beyoncé's new music video.
In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Christian schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok—and for a few weeks people on this side of the Atlantic Ocean paid attention, especially after First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her support for the girls.
Almost two years have now passed, and the girls are still missing. They are most likely living as slaves in a Boko Haram camp on the Chadian border. Most likely they have been forced to marry their abductors. And most people have forgotten about them.
All these foreign problems are just too stressful to think about. And too far away. Besides, we have a Super Bowl to watch.
I'm not trying to put anybody under a guilt trip. I am blessed to live in the United States, and there isn't much I can do to stop Boko Haram from torching African villages. But it concerns me that so many of us are completely oblivious to the needs of the rest of the world.
Just a few days ago, Islamic terrorists linked to the group Al Shabaab killed four Christian in Kenya. One of the believers was beheaded. I have to rely on a relatively obscure Christian news service for this information because mainstream media outlets rarely report on Christian persecution.
Wars are going on today in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Ukraine, Israel, Iraq, Nigeria and South Sudan—which is also dealing with a famine. But when I checked the latest headlines in USA Today, the focus of the news was on the New Hampshire presidential primary and pro football star Peyton Manning's legacy.
And this just in! Beyoncé will perform during the Super Bowl halftime show!
That's a shame. Especially when you do the math and realize that the United States has a population of 319.4 million while the global population is about 7.2 billion. That works out to a 4.4 percent share of the world's population. Who do we think we are?
We are not the center of the universe.
I'm not going to hold my breath until mainstream media improves its reporting. People are always going to be more interested in Kim Kardashian's latest reality show than in how we can stop global sex trafficking, how we can help abused women in Somalia or how we can protect Syrian refugees while they flee the terror in their country.
But Christians should care. We may live in the United States, but we are citizens of God's kingdom and we are called to pray—and care—for the whole world. Paul told Timothy: "Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim. 2:1-2, MEV).
Please be a global Christian. Look at the big picture. Stay informed of world events so you can pray with understanding. Make friends with people from other cultures and see the world through their eyes. Pray for the nations.
You can start by praying for Nigeria—and for my friend Kelechi, who will be risking his life to share the gospel this weekend while millions of Americans watch a 17-minute halftime show that will cost $12 million.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.