Sunday, November 25, 2018

Kill It So It Can Live. Again. (Part 1 of 2) - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Kill It So It Can Live. Again. (Part 1 of 2)
Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…” (Romans 6:5, NKJV)


Life. Death. Burial. Resurrection.

As I read Don Moen’s new autobiography, “God Will Make A Way” (Thomas Nelson, 2018), I was struck by a paragraph in which he explains how typically the Lord works, when He gives us a vision for our life.


“There seems to be a pattern that the Lord often uses in our lives. He will birth a vision in us. Then there will be a point where we feel led to lay it down, even to the point of letting it die. Once we believe the vision is dead and gone, He will revive and restore it in us, often making our passion stronger than ever.” Don Moen

He reveals the vision. We start to see it happen. He asks us to kill it. (Or He does.) And then months, years or decades later He resurrects it.

It happened with Moses. So too with Joseph. Many of the prophets. And of course Jesus. Life. Death. Burial. Resurrection. Ever happen with you? If not yet, it will. If it is God from the beginning.

Personally, I can relate. Yes, indeed. I got it.

Music has always been a joy in my heart. Beginning with the period of time that I took basic chord guitar lessons on my cheap, Gibson starter guitar (rented, if I remember right) in 6th grade, going to the YMCA building in Waterloo, Iowa (thanks Dad and Mom for always driving me the 15 miles, waiting the half hour during the group lessons, and then taking me home every week!) Mrs. Fullilove, a rather robust, jolly black lady in her mid-40’s I think, taught me the G, C, D, and minor chords. I learned how to play “Red River Valley” and a few more during those months with her small group.

Then it was onto 7th grade, carrying my guitar, that I had bought with my Waterloo Courier paper route money, the one and half miles (yes, even in the snow at times in Cedar Falls, Iowa!) to the single man who taught me even more, with picking, songwriting and such. At $15/half hour, that was a stretch for me way back in 1962. Again, thank you Lord for my paper route!

A song I played at the 8th-grade talent show encouraged me to continue, singing Song of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. Somewhat in high school and a small bit in college, I led worship at small Christian home groups. I regret I never learned bar chords though. I could never wrap my wrist far enough around the neck it seemed to master that essential part of playing more songs than I ever did.


After Laurie and I got married in 1977, we sang together in choirs and led worship many times in churches, with me strumming the guitar along with both of us singing lead vocals. By 2002 we also formed the “Steve Martin & the Raiders” band, wanting to hit the “secular” scene with Gospel praise and worship. My thought was to “Be as David did, and go out into the highways and the byways, “raiding” the lost souls for Jesus.” With Steve Martin being my actual name, I felt that would be a name catch too and get people’s attention to come to check us out. That lasted two years.

Finally, around 2011, we brought together Jew, black, white, Indian, male and female, to form the “Ahava Love Band” (“ahava” being love in Hebrew, so we had the real One New Man band – both Jew and Gentile!) Through 2013 we enjoyed the joys, struggles, and commitment it took to keep the band team together.

Steve & Laurie's music...over the years.
Then we quit it all. 

Right before a Saturday night Messianic Jew-led gathering, in August of 2013, in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Lord told me that this was it for the worship band. End of the road. Time to lay it all down. Bury the band.

And He was right. Right before the meeting started, the keyboard player/singer told me she was leaving because the band was “under our non-profit” Love For His People, Inc. ministry, a 501©3 tax-exempt organization, and thus essentially “controlled by the US government”. Because of that, she said she could no longer be a part of us. I said, “OK”, but even before then the Holy Spirit had told me that this was the end. So it didn’t crush me as I would normally have experienced.

And so for the next five years, neither Laurie or I sang again. My Takamine guitar had long before been laid down, but now even my tambourine, orange shaker, and “lead vocal” instrument was laid to rest. Laurie’s beautiful alto voice no longer sang publicly, except as part of the full church congregation worship during Sunday morning services. We had no plans to ever sing again – as a duet, band vocals, or as a worship team backup or lead singers.

But…never say never if you walk with the Lord Jesus!!!


And so, this week of November 26, 2018, I shall continue this real, right now story in my next Now Think On This message. I am thrilled to share it with you!

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.




P.S. Want an adventure walking the streets of Jerusalem? Come with me sometime! And in the meantime, watch my short videos that I recorded in October 2018 as I did that just that. Jerusalem October 2018 playlist

P.S.S. I hope you get my latest book, Adventures in Courage, just out this November. Paperback or Kindle versions. My 19th authored publication. (Yes, this is an advertisement!)
  
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Now Think On This #371 - in the year of our Lord 11.25.18 –Kill It So It Can Live. Again. – Part 1 of 2)”  Sunday, 4:10 pm

We're on a mission from God. - The Blues Brothers


We're on a mission from God. 
- The Blues Brothers

Who else is?

Love For His People ministry



 



...maybe the Ahava Love Band too??!!
Published on Oct 7, 2010

Promo for Sequoia Church discussion series.



Alane Haynes: "Open Doors Are Manifesting Before You" - The Elijah List

Alane Haynes: "Open Doors Are Manifesting Before You"

The Elijah List
Nov 25, 2018

Steve ShultzFrom the desk of Steve Shultz:
Many prophetic voices have said that God is up to some BIG things in this time..including fulfilling His promises in a grand way and opening great and effectual doors before us.
With that has come a time of standing and believing...just as Alane Haynes shares here:
We are all standing on and believing to see the manifestation of the promises of God we have heard by His Spirit within us. The waiting is hard, and discouragement is ever at the door tempting us to return to the land of "comfortable but not fulfilling." I personally have had to battle negative thoughts of doubt and unbelief—the lies that it was better before with the temptation to settle (or quit altogether).
I know this speaks to many of you...take heart that His open doors are manifesting before you in this season. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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HR


Over the passing months I have been hearing, "Get your house in order." The necessity of this has been increasing and I have been responding, personally, as Holy Spirit leads. The other day He took me to Hebrews 11:14-15 (I did not realize until afterwards that the date was November 14).
"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." (Hebrews 11:14-15 KJV)
The Battle of Doubt and Unbelief
"Doors are being manifested so that we will see what is in our hearts and turn to complete separation unto the Lord."
We are all standing on and believing to see the manifestation of the promises of God we have heard by His Spirit within us. The waiting is hard, and discouragement is ever at the door tempting us to return to the land of "comfortable but not fulfilling." I personally have had to battle negative thoughts of doubt and unbelief—the lies that it was better before with the temptation to settle (or quit altogether).
Genesis 3:1 tells us that the enemy is very subtle in his temptations. The word subtle, according to Strong's Concordance, means "shrewd, sly and crafty."
Manifesting Open Doors
Holy Spirit then gave me a vision of a vast array of doors and showed me that doors are manifested before us by the desires of our hearts and thoughts of our minds. He had me re-read the beginning of Hebrews 11, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:1-3 KJV). 
There is a framing of our houses and an opening of doors to our future by the words of our mouths that come out of our hearts and minds. 
Mindful, according to Strong's Concordance, means "to exercise memory, recollect; to rehearse; to make mention." What are we rehearsing in our minds and out of our mouths?
In ancient Greek, the word for opportunity is kairos, which (according to Strong's Concordance) means: "a measure of time, set time, due measure, the right time, opportune or seasonable time." (Photo via Unsplash)
The Israelites did not enter the promised land because of unbelief. They didn't stay mindful of what God had told them. If you are hearing this, there is a measure of faith being added to those seemingly dormant promises. Declare, "Dry promises live!" Declare the Word of the Lord. It is time to come forth. Even as the bones grow new and muscle upon them, words of faith spoken are adding layers of substance to form open doors before you!
Can't You Talk Louder, God?
A Disconnect in Our Faith-Activating Process
Hebrews 11:13 gives us a process to activate our faith. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (KJV).
We "see" a promise from the Lord—a rhema word, a vision, a dream, an impression upon our spirit that bears witness that it is for us. What do we do with it to become persuaded of it? We meditate on it, search out the Scriptures showing that God did it for others (He's not a respecter of persons), and receive confirmations. Then we are persuaded of them. Yet, I am hearing the Lord saying that they aren't being fully embraced, and there has been a disconnection to the confession of faith because of that. There are other things that we are embracing in our hearts and minds which are displacing the fullness that must be in place to confess in full faith.
Fully Persuaded
"What are we rehearsing in our minds and out of our mouths?"
Romans 4:16-22 tells us that when Abraham received the word of promise for a son, even while in the natural, it was impossible because of age, but was "fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised." "FULLY persuaded" and his "faith" was imputed to him as righteousness. He embraced the promise and received the reward.
As I was pondering the connection between, "Get your house in order," and the, "Doors of opportunity," I heard the Lord say, "I have set before you an open door (Revelation 3:8), and you hold the key. The key is seeing it and walk through by MY faith. I AM the Author and Finisher of your faith...real faith; faith that comes by hearing, and hearing by MY words.
"I AM the Word made manifest before you. Your words are manifesting doors before your eyes. I am extending supernatural grace to you right now to be able to discern between good and evil, to see the doors that are from the enemy, those that are from your own heart, and My doors. Receive My grace and be aligned fully. I am enabling you to get your house in order."
We are HIS house IF "...we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." (Hebrews 3:6 KJV)
I am hearing so clearly that there are doors manifesting before us and it is critical that we keep our faith high, keeping the visions fresh in our mind's eye, and persuading ourselves by the reality of God's goodness and faithfulness. We embrace this fully by seeing ourselves as separated unto God and aligning spirit, soul and body to Him and confessing the same. Our tongues are the rudders of the ship, or in this case, the framing of our house.
A Time of Birthing
We are entering a time of birthing. There is a great pressing, and even at the last moments before the birth there may be a turning for proper positioning. Doors are being manifested so that we will see what is in our hearts and turn to complete separation unto the Lord. (Photo via Unsplash)
I am hearing that many are frustrated and tired of the waiting, but the Lord is saying, "Trust Me in this time of waiting. I hear your groaning...tired of anticipating. Do not grow weary, but trust and rest. I am working in this and will bring forth the best. I am preparing a place for you and others. Many are not yet fitted as sisters and brothers. Feel the urgency of the time; I am jealous for what is Mine. You know that I am a faithful rewarder. Receive fresh grace to put your house in order." (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Alane Haynes
Eternal Truth Now Ministry
Email: eternaltruthnowministry@gmail.com
Website: www.alanehaynes.com
Alane Haynes was radically saved in 1981, when the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her and she immediately received salvation, deliverance and a supernatural healing of her body and mind. She is an apostolic and prophetic teacher and speaker, and has authored four books. Alane and her husband Kerry founded and minister together through "Golden Vessels" and "Eternal Truth Now Ministry." Her passion is to see people restored to the eternal plan and purpose of God in the earth. When they are not ministering, Alane and Kerry enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren, and outdoors enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

How Your View of Eternity Affects the Way You Live Today - JANET PEREZ ECKLES CHARISMA NEWS


(Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash)

How Your View of Eternity Affects the Way You Live Today

JANET PEREZ ECKLES  CHARISMA NEWS
"I think I'm about to lose my job," a friend told me, "The writing is on the wall."

God Has a Plan for Your Life

"Goodness, I'm so sorry," I said. "If that happens, just remember that God has a plan for your life."
After a long pause he said, "I don't believe in God. I think man invented a god to use as a crutch."
He continued with his perception of evolution that in his mind erased any notion of God's creation.
I got a little bold and asked if evolution was indeed true, and if we "evolved" and eventually became a greater and greater "being," why is it we're not physically getting better and better every day? And why are we all aging and, without exception, we all ultimately die?
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No answer.
So, I asked, "What happens when you die?"
"Nothing, that's it," he said.
Yikes! How's that for hope and for reassurance?
To live your life only until you physically die is like preparing and packing for a vacation only to spend it at the airport.
No one would do such a crazy thing.
But living with the notion that physical death is the end can only end up sinking in subtle hopelessness—no life after the last breath. No expectation of heaven where the best awaits. No joy anticipating all suffering to end.
How can we believe this life has meaning if we don't find meaning in God's promise when He says: "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24)?

My Friend Lost His Job

He stuck to his beliefs and found solace in his beer.
No judging here, because in my college days, I was just like him. When taking Insecurity 101, I deserved an A. Those insecure thoughts led me to find comfort in relationships, boyfriends and attention from the opposite sex.
No wonder God says we're lost until we find Him. Until we let go of our pride and welcome His passionate love.
Filled with that love, we face this world. Life doesn't turn perfect, in fact, it can turn ugly. It did for me. But glorious comfort came when I started hanging out with Jesus, relishing in His Word that sang to my heart and His genuine love that kept me company at night.
Then I could embrace the truth that no matter what happens or doesn't happen in this life, eternity is ours.
My friend believes there's only death after life. God says there's life after death. And to welcome us to that unending glory, He prepared a mansion in heaven. With the pen of Jesus' love, our name is written on the door.

Let's Pray

Father, thank You for the freedom to believe in You, for the security found in the promise of life eternal and for each moment's reassurance that we're drawing closer to the best. In Jesus' name, amen.
What truth dominates your heart these days? 
Janet Perez Eckles is an international speaker and the author of four books. She has helped thousands conquer fear and bring back joy.
This article originally appeared at janetperezeckles.com.
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Forging Relationships ✡ "Hashem Alone Is God; There Is None Beside Him" - Israel365

It has been clearly demonstrated to you that Hashem alone is God; there is none beside Him.
Deuteronomy 4:35 (The Israel Bible™)

אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּוֹ
Hear the verse in Hebrew

a-TAH ha-r’-ay-TA la-DA-at KEE a-do-NAI HU ha-e-lo-HEEM AYN OD mi-l’-va-DO
 

Forging Relationships

Our greatest ability as humans is our capacity to think and ponder. In this verse, we are told that we must recognize, or know about, the existence of the one true God. The Hebrew phrase in this verse for ‘clearly demonstrated’ is har’eita lada’at (הראת לדעת). However, in Biblical Hebrew, da’at also refers to a deep, intimate connection, as in, “Now the man knew his wife Chava” (Genesis 4:1). It therefore follows that the verse actually means that as humans, we are required not just to know about Hashem, but also to forge a deep connection with Him, the Almighty Creator. Turn to The Israel Bible Daily Inspirationsdevotional for more inspirational lessons just like this!

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