Hope In God - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Hope In God

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 42:11, NASU)

Imagine what it would be like driving around your city, or on the highway, and seeing billboards that say in big, bold letters, “HOPE IN GOD”. What kind of stir would that cause to rise up in your soul and spirit? My thinking is that it would be great, and of much encouragement.

Instead of the seeing the multitude of signs saying, “Buy this; come here; do that”, we would see daily reminders to look up and know that the One seated on the throne is in full control of life on this planet, apart from what the local and national media would convey.

HOPE IN GOD! How these words bring comfort to us.

Often my daily prayers for family, friends, co-workers, the President of the USA, and the nation of Israel (their national anthem "Hatikvah" actually means hope in Hebrew) is to keep their hope founded on the provision, protection and peace which comes from the hand of our Almighty God. If ever there was a day in which we need to keep focused on Him, it certainly is now.

When I am given prayer concerns regarding the need for direction, the request for financial means, or the ability to overcome stress, the only solid foundation I have to stand on is knowing that the Lord Jesus Himself always first looked to the Father for the answer, believing that all good things come from Him. His hope was in His written Word, the promises given that are so true, already proven over and over again.

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24, NKJV)

“For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5, NKJV)

Pressing forward each day to do the right thing, to stand for the truth, to keep believing and abiding on solid ground takes faith and trust. It takes hope in the Living God, that His promises to us personally and to His people have been fulfilled, and will yet be fulfilled. We can move in the knowledge that we are not alone, that He has our back, and that come what may our times will always be in His hands. He is our hope, our strong tower.

“For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:3-4, NKJV)

Call upon the Name of the Lord today. Seek His face, rest in His peace, and know that the hope He has placed within your heart is everlasting. You will see Him come through in your hour of need and answer to your prayer.

Hope in God! He is our help at all times.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

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Now Think On This #348 - in the year of our Lord 05.03.18 – “Hope In God”, Thursday, 7:45 am

The Legacy of Israel ✡ "Hashem Has Granted Us Ample Space" - Israel365

Now at last Hashem has granted us ample space to increase in the land Genesis 26:22 (The Israel Bible™) כִּי־עַתָּה הִרְחִיב יְהוָה לָנוּ וּפָרִינוּ בָאָרֶץ׃ Hear the verse in Hebrew kee a-TAH hir-KHEEV a-do-NAI LA-nu u-fa-REE-nu va-A-retz   The Legacy of the Children of Israel The Torah (Bible) is much more than a book of laws; it is the legacy of the Jewish People. It tells of the creation of a nation, chosen by Hashem (God) to be His emissaries of kindness, justice, goodness and recognition of the one true Creator. It starts with the creation of the world so that there would be no questions that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews. From the very beginning of the world, Hashem intended for the People of Israel to be holy, to be fruitful, and to do His holy work in the Land of Israel, and from there, for their light to emanate to the entire world. Join Israel's legacy

Israel365 Store Customers Say About the Sterling Silver Hebrew Name Heart NecklaceCheryl R. says, "Beautiful gift for my friend."   SHOP OUR STORE Our Latest Olive Tree Donors Todah Rabbah (thank you) to Ann Webb from the USA, Gloria Roush from the USA, Earlese Bruno-Moser from the USA   PLANT OLIVE TREES Recent Holocaust Campaign Donors Todah Rabbah (thank you) to Eva Kopřivová from the Czech Republic, Olga Vorobieva from the USA, Theresa Smith from the USA   DONATE NOW

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Franklin Graham on the Loss of His Father: Feels Like 'the Armor Is Missing' - CBN News John Jessup

Franklin Graham on the Loss of His Father: Feels Like 'the Armor Is Missing'

05-02-2018

CBN News John Jessup

NEW YORK – As his father's namesake and ministry successor, Franklin Graham carries the legacy 

of the late Rev. Billy Graham perhaps more than anyone else.

He also benefited from a bird's eye view of how his father conducted himself as a husband and family 

man, an evangelist, and in his personal relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Franklin writes about all of that and more in his new book, Through My Father's Eyes, released 

Tuesday. In an interview with CBN News at the New York headquarters of publisher HarperCollins, 

he described the 12-year project as a labor of love.

"I want this book to be about not Billy Graham," he explained. "I want people to see that it wasn't 

Billy Graham that made the place in history. It was God behind Billy Graham that put him there, 

and it's because Billy Graham believed God. Billy Graham believed the Word of God."

Franklin Graham's explanation mirrors his father's own words, which reflected a deep yet sincere 

humility he maintained even into death. Two months after the evangelist died, some still ponder 

who will be the next Billy Graham? Franklin shared his take with CBN News.

"You know, I don't know? I'm not an evangelical leader," he said. "I'm just going to continue 

preaching the Gospel; keep giving an invitation to lost people to put their faith and trust in 

Jesus Christ."

"I guess the question some people ask is, 'Who is the next celebrity evangelist?'" he continued. 

"I have no clue. My father never wanted to be a celebrity. Maybe that's why God used him."

Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, believes 

Christians should be singularly focused on winning souls for Christ.

Yet, he also sees the need for confrontation, especially in what he describes as today's anti-Christian 

culture. Graham recently targeted GQ Magazine for dismissing the Bible as a book not worth reading 

and comedienne Michelle Wolf for her crass jokes at the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

"I want Christians not to be seduced by this culture in which we are living and not to be led astray,"

 he explained. "And I think there needs to be a voice that speaks out because there aren't many people

who speak out."

Graham told CBN News he speaks out because others are too afraid: "I think when you speak up, 

God is going to honor that."

From the dysfunction in politics to the division across America, which has even seeped into Christian 

churches, he believes the only key to turning things around is prayer.

"If churches pray — and I mean real prayer — God will hear those prayers, and I think God will 

answer those prayers," he said. "Prayer can mean change. Prayer can move mountains. It can 

drain swamps."

Graham described the hole the loss of his mother, Ruth, caused in his life — spiritually and emotionally.

"I felt there was a covering with the prayers of my mother, and I don't have that covering anymore. 

I don't feel that protection," Graham explained.

He told CBN News the loss of his father – who prayed fervently for the family in the final years as 

his health declined — has created another chasm.

"And now that my father is gone, I feel like there is an exposure. It's not a mantle, but it's like an 

armor. A little bit of the armor is missing, so it makes me pray even harder – not only for myself 

but for my family, for my children and my grandchildren," he said.

"The prayer burden has shifted to me as it relates to my family, and I think for the last 10 years, 

he was the prayer warrior in the family," Graham said.

READ: Why Billy Graham Was a Modern Moses: Anne Graham Lotz Points to Powerful Prophetic 
Significance of His Death

Watch interview: Franklin Graham

Five Chinese-Jewish Women Return to People and Land of Israel - Breaking Israel News

Ancient Hidden Church Discovered in Syria After ISIS Flees In Manjib, Syria, ISIS left behind an underground complex revealing aspects of early Christianity Five Chinese-Jewish Women Return to People and Land of Israel 'My father always told me that one day we would come back,' said Yue Ting WATCH: 7 Israeli Firms Win Medals Following in Thomas Edison’s Footsteps 4 firms won gold medals and 3 received bronze medals at Edison Awards ceremony ICYMI: Morning 'Thanksgiving' Prayer Proven to be Healthful Jewish actor Joshua Malina thanks God 'first thing every morning; that way every day is Thanksgiving' Olmert’s Outdated Rhetoric at the 2018 JPost Conference By Harry Moskoff Who is he to tell Israeli’s that we can’t tackle Iran? All of a sudden after getting out of jail, he is privy to all of Israel’s new military capabilities?  His whole interview smacks of self-preservation, and his statements are designed to cause political rift, which in the end, sows mistrust and simply empower our enemies. Europe Wants Unity on Iran but Undermines Trump on Jerusalem By Caroline Glick Trump’s ‘Madness’ May be Doing the Trick By Ben-Dror Yemini

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North Korea Will Open Its Doors to Christianity - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA NEWS

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands at a historic summit. (YouTube/BBC News)

North Korea Will Open Its Doors to Christianity

 5/2/2018 J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA NEWS

A few months ago, North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong-un, was firing missiles over Japan and threatening to send nuclear bombs in our direction.

But last week, the young leader dropped a different kind of surprise on the world: He met with South Korean president Moon Jae-in on April 27 and announced that the 67-year-old Korean conflict is over. "I came here to put an end to the history of confrontation," Kim Jung-un told Moon in a meeting on the border town of Panmunjom.

"There will be no more war on the Korean peninsula, and a new age of peace has begun," the two leaders said in a joint statement. Kim Jong-un, who has built the fourth largest army in the world—with 1.19 million soldiers—says he will now focus on rebuilding his country's shattered economy.

Boom. Just like that, swords were converted into plowshares. The two leaders, all smiles for the cameras, agreed they will denuclearize the Korean peninsula within a year. They also agreed to set up reunions with families that have been divided since the Korean War started in 1950.

It feels like we should declare a global holiday and dance in the streets. But most Americans were too distracted by the opening of the new Avengers movie to pay attention to the headlines.

What was behind the Korean surprise? Most media outlets didn't notice that Christians in South Korea had been fasting and praying for the peace summit. Pastors held an all-night vigil in the city of Paju, south of the North Korean border. And a group of Christian politicians held a fasting and prayer event in the National Assembly buildings in Seoul, according to Yonhap News.

North Korea's persecuted Christians have also been praying for this moment—for years. They have been horribly persecuted. They have been forced to meet secretly. They have been routinely rounded up and sent to labor camps—or just shot on sight—because they did not worship Kim Jong-un as their god.

Defectors say something began to change when Kim Jong-un became dictator in 2011. His cruel regime, along with the misery of famine and economic ruin, caused people to become disillusioned with the phony utopia Kim claimed to rule over.

"In the past, the people were told to worship the Kim family as their god," one defector told The Telegraph. "That means they are looking for something else to sustain their faith."

Related Articles

• Are We Witnessing a Miracle in North Korea?
• From Nuclear Weapons to Peace: Inside the Korean Summit Declaration

Life in North Korea has been unbearable under Kim Jong-un. About six million citizens are starving and a third of North Korean children suffer from chronic malnutrition. (It is said that North Koreans are, on average, two inches shorter than South Koreans because of starvation.) Most people in North Korea don't have electricity. They certainly don't have the internet or access to news from the outside world.

North Korean "democracy" is a farce; people "vote" in "elections" where only one name is on the ballot—and those who cross out Kim's name are rounded up and jailed. Even certain hairstyles are restricted! Meanwhile, if someone is convicted a crime, he does not go to jail alone—his children and grandchildren are also imprisoned.

The U.S. State Department has learned that between 10 to 45 percent of all people imprisoned in North Korea are Christians who are in jail because of their faith. Yet in the midst of this oppression God has been working. Some defectors have reported that North Korean officials are worried that Christianity will defeat "Juche," the state-sponsored worship of Kim and his ancestors.

That fear is based on statistics. One report released by the U.S. State Department says the Christian population in North Korea multiplied five times from 2012 to 2017. There may be more than 400,000 Christians there now.

When I heard the news last week about the Korean miracle—after I pinched myself to see it was a dream—I turned to Psalm 46. It says: "Come, see the works of the Lord ... He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts off the spear; He burns the chariot in the fire" (vv. 8-9).

God has worked this miracle. It is not the work of any politician. He has heard the prayers of his people on both sides of this conflict—and the prayers of the faithful around the world who felt North Korea's pain. He will engineer a lasting peace in this part of the world, and open the doors wide for the gospel to flourish in a thirsty land.

Before long, the churches of South Korea will freely send teams into the North with food, medicine and the message of Christ. Like a patient who has been in a coma, North Korea will awaken. The world will watch a national transformation. We are witnessing the greatest display of God's sovereign power over nations since the Berlin Wall fell.

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.