The Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiah, has already come. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to redeem us to the Father. He suffered, died, and rose, fulfilling the Jewish prophecies for the coming Messiah's redemption.
Carry
My Bags
Totally devastated. After 14 years of service in the ministry, in which I was called “part of the family”, in April 1999, I asked a very personal question to the founder of the ministry, “Can I go with you on your next international trip?” His answer came back without hesitation, “What would you do, carry my bags?” My heart sank.
I knew
then that I was leaving this work. The Lord had another place for me. And He
did, showing His faithfulness as He always does throughout this whole time.
Looking
back on that time, when my heart’s desire was to travel, not just for the sake
of traveling, but to do more than sit behind an administration and accounting
desk, while taking the leaders to the airport and back 400 times over those
years, I knew the Lord had more plans for me to accomplish. My heart was
burning for something more.
In the
summer of 2026, a trio of friends from Jerusalem, the co-founder of Christian
Friends of Israel, Sharon Sanders, and two staff members, will be flying to the
USA to hold meetings in Texas, California, Colorado, Montana, and more. I have
been asked to accompany them on that journey, as a driver, the worship leader,
and the book table manager. I am looking forward to it.
And I will
be glad to carry their bags, as they are all older than my 71 years. Thank You,
Lord.
And oh
yes, speaking of international travel. Since that moment in 1999, when I left
the ministry after giving my six-month notice, I have been to Israel 30 times,
China, England, Ireland, Trinidad-Tobago, and more.
The Lord
gives us the desires of our hearts. After all, He is the One who puts them there.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; And
He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4,
NASB
Carry on!
Ahava and
Shalom,
Steve
Martin, Love For His People
“Carry My
Bags”, Message #19, 04.03.26
#carrymybags #SteveMartin #travel #luggagebags #faithful #desiresofyourheart
I Will Be Here
It is special to a father’s heart when his oldest daughter sends him the song by Steven Curtis Chapman, “I Will Be Here.” Special in the fact that she knows the Heavenly Father, the One Who her earthly father so loves her to know, deep in her heart. Thanks Hannah.
God the Father so loved the world, memorized by many growing up, but yet sometimes we are not realizing what He did to show His love. Because He wanted to restore fellowship with us, to “talk one on one”, He knew our sin prevented us from being with Him. We needed a Savior. His Son Yeshua, Jesus, could be the only one to come and give us the means of restoration, of redemption.
I was amazed when I was in Israel in January 2026, and a rabbi from the Golan, having come to central Israel for a meeting, actually said he was “jealous” of us Christians, because we said we had a direct connection to the Father through the Messiah Yeshua. He said he didn’t have that, and had to do so much continually to connect to God.
The Messiah has come. He has been sacrificed. He was killed by cruxifixction, and as He prophesied and promised, He rose on the third day just to prove it. And because of this, we have direct access to God the Father.
The Lord promises, “I will be here.” Never to forsake us. Never to lead us astray. Always there to protect and provide as we call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus.
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the [a]result of their way of life, imitate their faith.8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:5-8
Ahava and Shalom,
Steve Martin, Love For His People
#Iwillbehere #daughter #neverforsakeus #JesusChrist
Dependence
Waking up this morning was almost as if I was in a fog. You have had that before after a night where dreams are somewhat weird. It must have been the ups and downs of the weekend, with many things going on and you try to wrap your head around it all.
With the world seemingly out of joint with the many hotspots, wars and rumors of more, and then on the other hand the sports world’s unexpected twists and turns, if you watch those games on TV.
Governments not getting things in order as they should; people demonstrating against “kings” as they are clearly showing ignorance to the facts after being paid off by anti-Americans.
You can be a bit out-of-joint trying to take it all in.
If I didn’t have my quiet time with the Lord, to start each day reading His word, a devotional, and then prayer, all these activities trying to wear me out would have its long term goal - the inability to see the world from His perspective.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 it reads, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Take the time needed each day to rest in the Lord, seek His face for His guidance, and know that He knows all that is going on. We look forward to His soon return as we depend on Him to fulfill His promises.
Ahava and Shalom,
Steve Martin
#dependence #SteveMartin #morninplacetobe #peace #Jesus #Yeshua #guidance #Bible #prayer
Birth Day
When new life comes into the world parents, grandparents, possibly siblings who may have come before…celebrate.
The Lord has given birth through a mother with another of His creations. Unique. Never before. Special addition to the family and beyond. Birth days, annually and the commemorations following, are a time of rejoicing and showing appreciation for life.
Our calendars, whether on the mobile or still hanging in a noted place, help keep track of these annual events so we can again give thanks for the one who blesses us with their life.
When I see a birthday notice pop up from good friends elsewhere, blessing another friend, it reminds me of how special each of us really are. Even as no two snowflakes are the same, nor are each of us, having separate DNA from the others.
Our God is an amazing God. Continually creating with new life and new additions to families.
“God’s Message, the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies, laid out the earth and all that grows from it, Who breathes life into earth’s people, makes them alive with his own life: “I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, to make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons. I am God. That’s my name…” Isaiah 42:5-8, The Message
When family or friends have birthdays, be sure to celebrate their life and treat them special. Because we each are.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin
Message #17, in the year of our Lord March 28, 2026
#birth #birthday #prolife #celebratio # newlife #specialoccasion
A bit of canvas artwork in my home ministry office.
Steve Martin
#canvasphotos #SteveMartin #homeoffice #Israel #Jesus
Day of Rest
The Jewish word “Shabbat” (Sabbath in English) has been around for centuries, since the day the One and True God rested on the seventh day of creation, and called it “Shabbat.”
“For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.” Exodus 20:11, Complete Jewish Bible
In America and all the Gentile (non-Jew) nations, Christianity did away with the Shabbat being honored on the last day of the week, calling it Saturday after the Roman god Saturn. Then the Roman Caesar Constantine and the “early church fathers” moved the “day of rest” to Sunday, to spite the Jews.
Sunday is a direct linguistic descendant of ancient pagan traditions honoring the sun, preserved through Latin and Germanic languages, even as Christianity later gave the day religious significance as the "Lord's Day" or day of resurrection. (Google Ai)
Being raised a Christian, not understanding our true Jewish roots in the Bible, I did as all others around me did. Sunday was the day.
I need to reconsider whom I am following. Man-made religious laws and traditions, or the One Who gave us the Bible through the Jews, who still adhere to it?
Ahava and Shalom,
Steve Martin, Love For His People
P.S. Charlie Kirk’s last book, STOP, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life, is a good read.
Message #16,”Day of Rest” in the year of our Lord March 27, 2026.
#dayofres #Shabbah #Shabbat #Bible #Sunday