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.
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Sunday, December 28, 2025
Wrestling With God by Steve Martin from Jerusalem
Wrestling With God
“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:24-28 NASB)
To put these verses in context, one needs to know what exactly Jacob was wrestling with - first in his mind, and in his spirit, which was troubling him greatly. He was wrestling with God over it, trying to get an answer.
It wasn’t just a minor incident that could be decided quickly. It was a major decision, and he just couldn’t find the Lord’s peace in it. He was facing a situation that really bothered him, made him afraid to move on, tremendously fearing the results ahead if he decided the wrong way.
What if he missed it? What if the decision he made turned out wrong? His family would be hurt. Others would be impacted. Results not expected could occur. It was troubling him greatly.
The Lord had to actually come and help him do the right thing. Jacob would never forget it afterwards. His body would be a daily reminder of that, as from above “…the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.” Got anything left over from a previous wrestling match?
He and his brother Esau had parted ways years earlier and it was not a pretty sight. Now was the moment of confrontation. What was he to do? Who else would be involved? How could this situation turn out in anyway for the good?
Jacob knew what the Lord had promised him. He knew what he thought and believed was the way to move forward, and yet a major obstacle, his brother, seemed to stand in his way.
“Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.
Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’” (Genesis 32:9-12, NASB)
God had promised to Jacob to prosper him, to increase his life exponentially. And yet his brother now seemed to be standing in the way, preventing it from being fulfilled.
Whether a relationship, a financial situation, some work obstacle that seems to be stopping you from walking the path you fully believe the Lord has been directing you to…there comes those times when we will wrestle with God to know the answer.
One thing we each can be assured of. Our Father has, and will always be, faithful to guide, to direct, to get us to where we need to be, if we stay focused on Him and trust Him as much as we fully can, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, or have been called and ordained to do.
It is not an easy road to walk in faith, to try and hear the Lord, and obey what He has been putting on your heart. I sometimes refer to that old song, “I never promised you a rose garden.” (Singer Lynn Anderson. 1967).
As the Bible stories would have it, following Yeshua (Jesus) will most likely cost you your life as His disciple. And where He leads will always be our choice if we want to continue to follow. Narrow is the way, and few are the ones, who go it.
As I too often need to know His way, I am comforted by the fact that He is my Lord and my God, and His promises for me, and for you, will be fulfilled as we steadfastly pursue Him.
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” Psalm 37:3-5
Many times we will wrestle with God as we desperately need an answer. But we will then rest in Him when He finally brings it.
Happy seeking. Happy obeying. Happy following.
Saturday, December 27, 2025
“Holy Holy Holy Are You Lord” - Men’s group sings at Christ Church in Jerusalem, Israel Old City on Christmas Eve
Men’s group sing at Christ Church in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025. Led by Roger Hoagland from Kentucky, the group included Steve Martin (Charlotte, North Carolina USA and Andy Ure (Scotland) both whom are volunteers at Christian Friends of Israel Jersualem.
“Holy Holy Holy are You Lord”
Friday, December 26, 2025
The red heifers in Israel. And the Amish/Mennonite man who takes care of them. Exclusive interview.
Dec. 26, 2025. Shiloh, Samaria (not the “West Bank”) Israel
As we started our walking tour, in ancient Shiloh, we were met by a man who seemed to be just leaving. Larry Borntrager, Amish-Mennonite man from Indiana, USA, looked like a farmhand who had just walked out of a barn. At first I paid little attention, having come to see the first tabernacle of the Israelites here in Israel. And having grown up in Iowa, with a few uncles having cattle on their farms, it was no big deal.
Then he started talking about the red heifers…and the excitement rose up within me!
A child of Gittel (Gibeonites) in Shiloh, he said his name was Larry, and the Jews were making provision for him to stay here three months at a time and care for the red heifers brought from the USA.
He spoke of the first time he saw them. “They were caked in manure, being no care had really been given them.” His daily checking of the hay, removing manure from the pens, and general grooming kept him busy.
He had recently showed the cattle to USA Ambassador Mike Huckabee a few weeks ago. The “1000 Pastors Tour” from the USA, also a few weeks ago, saw the video and then through a large window were shown them.
Larry’s said his last name, Borntrager, means “water carrier” in German.
He spoke to us two of his favorite sayings.
“Don’t miss God’s move because He didn’t move it right.” (Meaning, His ways are not our ways.)
“Don’t end up at the bus station when you should have been at the train.”
Lord, thank You for Larry and his care for these special beasts.
Oh yes. The cows names : Guela, Tikva, Tikah, and Nehama.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin, Love For His People Ministry
Steve Martin, Larry, Laurie Martin, Olga
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Come back to Israel quickly Lord Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach
Come again soon Yeshua! Back to Jerusalem to reign for ALL of eternity!
Yeshua HaMashiach our Lord!
Steve & Laurie Martin
Love For His People Ministry in Jerusalem, Israel
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Walk With Me on the Mediterranean Sea Shoreline south of Tel Aviv - Steve Martin
Walk With Me on the Mediterranean Sea shoreline. And many more short videos from our time here in Iarael these last three months.
Steve and Laurie Martin
Love For His People Ministry
“Prairie dogs, Lord?” New message by Steve Martin
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Sunday, December 21, 2025
Jerusalem celebrates the last night of Hanukkah in the Old City Jewish Quarter. Walk with me, Steve Martin
The last night of Hanukkah in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Steve Martin, Love For His People, Dec. 21, 2025
Watch here also as Joshua Aaron sings, “O Come Emmanuel”
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CkMTzjo8N/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Christian Friends of Israel celebrates 40 years of prayer, service and ministry – looking ahead with hope
As Christian Friends of Israel (CFI) marks 40 years of ministry, Executive Director Tristan Hall reflected on the organization’s origins, growth, and spiritual calling during an interview with Christian journalist Paul Calvert.
CFI was founded in Jerusalem in December 1985 by an international group of believers who felt God was initiating a new season in Israel during an especially productive spiritual period. Hall explained that CFI’s roots were shaped by both prayer and action.
“For CFI, the overriding impetus was to do something. To pray. Yes, to pray, because nothing here happens without prayer.” Alongside intercession, CFI's founders are dedicated to real-world expressions of love and to supporting Israel and Israelis via practical aid – a central tenet of the mission that continues today.
For more than four decades, Hall has witnessed a notable transformation in relationships between Jews and Christians. Mistrust in the early years eventually softened and gave way to reconciling friendships.
“The difference between then and now is stark,” Hall noted, pointing to what he describes as Naomi–Ruth–type relationships – bonds marked by loyalty, humility, and faithfulness, built through consistent service rather than power.
Since leading CFI through war times, Hall told Calvert about the challenges facing the primarily volunteer-based team, saying, “They leaned into the Lord, they leaned into their faith, and He gave them the strength that they needed.”
Despite shaky footing, the wartime conflict tends to draw believers from nations who feel called to stand with Israel in practical ways, he explained.
Recent CFI 40th anniversary celebrations brought together international representatives in Jerusalem for events focused on thanksgiving, fellowship, and firsthand encounters with communities impacted by the war.
Hall emphasized that the organization's long success marks “a time to thank God for what He has done and what He will do.”
In the interview, Hall emphasized the importance of volunteerism, noting a significant rise in the number of people willing to serve through the ministry. He explained that volunteers arrive from around the world, bringing practical skills and a shared desire to support Israel in tangible ways.
According to Hall, this volunteer-based model is central to CFI’s work, as it not only allows individuals to participate personally in what God is doing but also enables the organization to direct the majority of its donated resources toward aid projects.
Looking ahead, Hall expressed a hopeful vision for the next 40 years and stressed the importance of being attentive to God’s leading.
“We really want to be looking up and to seek the Lord for His counsel,” he said, likening this moment in Israel’s history to the time when Joshua led the nation across the Jordan into a new season.
For Hall, the comparison underscores CFI's call to move forward with courage rooted in faith. His prayer, he said, is that Christian Friends of Israel will remain bold, obedient, and faithful as its mission continues to unfold, serving Israel with humility, prayer and steadfast commitment in the years ahead.
Click below to listen to Paul Calvert's full interview with Tristan Hall, executive director of Christian Friends of Israel.