A message for 2013

Well this is it. 2012 is ending and I found an article from Franklin Graham that says pretty much what I wanted to say, so I give you this article via a wonderfuly God gifted messenger.  There are some real points to think about.
Franklin: "Amid the "most wonderful season of all" comes the tragic news of a deranged young man entering an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., killing 27, including 20 children. Tragically, Christmas for these families will likely be the darkest of many dark hours to come.  The days when parents could send their children off to school with confidence that they would be cared for and protected seem long gone.
Just this summer we watched a senseless shooting spree in a Colorado movie theatre take the lives of 12 people and injure another 59. The national premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" had Americans clamoring for tickets, to be entertained by violent behavior.  When tragedies like these occur, why do we respond with such shock and awe?  Psychiatrist Keith Ablow said, "This kind of shock registers with people-because it seems like the unthinkable keeps moving into the sphere of our reality."
The "unthinkable" first surfaced in mankind thousands of years ago when Cain killed his brother Abel out of mere jealousy and rivalry. God had warned Cain, "Sin is crouching at your door, "but Cain ignored God's word and committed murder.  God punished Cain for taking innocent life but the violent shedding of blood has continued for centuries. Why?
The Bible answers this question with certainty, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). In fact, the Bible gives clear testimony to just how evil the human race became.  "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord "was grieved in His heart"(Gen. 6:5-6).
Where do we go from here? We might start by looking at what we watch and listen to.  For example, South Korean rapper sensation, Psy, who has gained worldwide acclaim by singing that Americans should be killed "slowly and painfully," including, daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers" was featured last weekend at "Christmas in Washington," a charity concert attended by President Obama.  Parents and children are feeding on entertainment that portrays violence whether through lewd television programs, violent movies, offensive music, vulgar video games and anything goes internet gaming sites.
Society craves violence as long as it comes in the form of entertainment. Our outlook changes when we become its victims. This is precisely why God did not stand by unconcerned.  His love for mankind is so overwhelmingly powerful that His wrath against evil is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18). The Bible says that people suppress the truth through unrighteous behavior that begins in the mind.
During this Christmas season (P.Baer added, the year 2013), we should turn our minds and hearts from wickedness and remember what God has done for the world He loves.  He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Christmas Child to point us to the way of truth. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life"(John 3:16). His innocent blood was shed to cover our sinful hearts, and to those who will seek Him, He offers His abiding peace. He is the peace that surpasses all understanding.
The same God who gave the world His greatest gift, will also comfort the hearts of the grieving - in Newtown, Conn., or anywhere else - for He understands grief.  He became a curse for us so that His promise would be fulfilled through faith in Him (Galatians 3:13).  This is the shocking awe, that God would send so great a message in the form of a child.  Indeed, this is the message of Christmas.(added P. Baer...for 2013).

Mighty Years

As the 2012 year comes to a close it is dreadfully obvious that the world and people in general are regrettably closer to wicked anarchy than ever before.

As many of us watch the world moral structures collapsing right in front of our eyes, it is apparent that there will be no cessation anytime soon.  There are very few voices crying out against a sinful over-indulgent population and the voice of Christ is purposely censored.........but that is the world, isn’t it?  Christ’s strong influence has never overwhelmed the world.

Then there’s the world of the church, which should be glorious, but in that world, we see Christians in bondage, unable, unaware or not wanting to get free; we see materialistic Christians with no regrets about their wants and selfish pleasures. False teachers are rampant in the church. We see little lambs (new believers) leaving their sins from years past, only to turn around and go back to them as though it is now ok to indulge in vulgarity, visual nudity, sensual pleasures, and worldly activities...and some actually try justifying it.
There is not so much a misunderstanding about salvation in the church as there is a badly represented teaching about sanctification, holiness, grace, virtue and Christian living.

I can hardly express my sincerest concerns for the church right now.  My thoughts at their highest pinnacle of oration fall so short of my heart’s deepest troublings and despairs for my flock, my country and my God and Savior whom this world ignores at great peril and the church disobeys with terrible consistency. 

This year – 2013 - I am dedicating as the ‘Year to Hear the Lord.’

There are many ways to hear God’s voice; one of them is through His Word!  We can also hear Him in our hearts, if we will just listen. Then, we can hear him in the Spirit if we pray attention! (neat play on words, huh?) Other times, we out and out seek Him by prayer & fasting.

This brings me to the point of my blog.  I am extending to you an invitation to join all of us at the "SUB" from January 6^th to the 27^th, as a time to set aside for fasting & prayer. I am asking you, no I’m pleading with you to join me and my entire congregation in seeking God’s will during these consecrated 21 days of fasting and prayer. Twenty-one life-changing, neighborhood-changing, heart-changing, bondage-breaking, stronghold-tearing-down days. Many are already sharing with me their excitement for this fast and what the effects will be in their lives throughout the year.

I believe fasting in January will set the pace for hearing God the rest of the year and allow us to see great things take place individually and within the Body of Christ for days and months and hopefully years after it is over, making 2013 the most powerful of the upcoming ‘Mighty Years’ that we will experience in our lives.’Yes, I did say, ‘Mighty Years!’ because when the people of the world turn to wickedness, the people of God turn to the Lord. When they do this, the Lord blesses those who seek and follow Him.  The scripture says in Romans 5:20 ‘where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ (KJV)

When we choose to serve God willingly, purposefully and faithfully in the midst of evil and wickedness, the Lord will reward openly. And I certainly see great wickedness out there, how about you? 

We want a fresh wind (fresh vision) blowing through  our lives.. We want to be able to say to God.......  “I want the blessings, Lord, and I’m willing to obey Your Word to see them come to pass.”

No great revival, leader, preacher or evangelist has ever seen great events take place within their ministry without the power of a holy fast.  Let’s join together in solidarity, and fast to hear the will of our Father. On Sunday, January 6^th we will proclaim a churchwide fast and ordain and consecrate that day for such.

God bless you dear one.  I will be using my blog for messages on fasting, to stir powerful points and reflections of the fast during these next twenty-one days to help keep you informed of the events during our fast and then we will see the season of the “Mighty Years’ begin!

Pastor Paul  

Plucking Thistles

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who know me best that I have always plucked a thistle and planted a rose when I thought a rose would grow." He said this after a brief visit from Laura Sue Jones on Christmas Day, 1864.  Miss Jones was a 23 year old woman from the South trapped in Washington D.C. since the beginning of the war.  She desired a pass to cross Union lines and travel to Richmond, where she planned to marry a Confederate soldier.
Moved by the emotional plea of this overlooked girl, President Lincoln nodded his head, picked up a pen, and wrote a special travel pass.  Miss Jones was speechless.  Falling to her knees before Lincoln, she grasped his hand in gratitude. He insisted she get up and thank God, not him.  Rising, Miss Jones replied, "Good-bye, Mr. President, and may God bless you. I doubt that I will ever see you again until one day we meet in heaven. Lincoln answered, "That you wish me to get there is, I believe, the best wish you could possibly make for me.  Good-bye Miss Jones."
Mr. Lincoln honored this outcast thistle by re-planting her where she could bloom as a rose.
Pastoring often includes dealing with those who feel overlooked, outcast, and unappreciated.  These may be people such as the elderly, homeless, or challenged in some way.  God chose to honor some very overlooked people one night by sending to shepherds the first birth announcement of his Son. Think of this, when a baby is born, the first to be called are usually the immediate family and the closest friends-not some total strangers.
I am sure the shepherds felt honored and surely asked, "Why us? Who are we? Shouldn't the religious leaders know first?"
Today I am asking you, as you read this to connect with someone disadvantaged.  Ask the Lord to show you in what way you can pluck a thistle and plant a rose. There are so many thistles out there that feel overlooked and dishonored. 
Lord, show us how to honor a thistle we know or meet along the way, and make him or her bloom like a rose.

Reaching out to make Christlike Connections

I want to extend to all of you here in the United States special Thanksgiving blessings. For those of you not in the states, who from time to time follow my blog but really don't understand what Thanksgiving is, well, I don't have enough space to explain.  But I can tell you Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, (I know that does little to help you understand the history and destiny of the Pilgrims and their great effort, huh).
This week at 'the SUB' is our last week before our church celebrates the 2012 Advent season.
Advent is a period of preparation, extending over four Sundays, before Christmas.
The word Advent comes from the Latin advenio, "to come to," and refers to what I call the three comings of Christ. The first coming is when we celebrate His birth at Bethlehem on Christmas Day. The second coming that is important to me is when Christ comes into your life through grace. And finally, there is His Second Coming at the end of time.
Our theme this Advent season is "Making Christlike Connections." All the sermons will be meaningful & relevant to our times and focused on the dynamics of our faith and the season of history that we live in. Some of the topics we will talk about are:

• At Christmas, God touched us by sending Jesus. We can continue that by making an intentional effort to reach out to touch others this season.
• At the Bethlehem Inn there was no room for our birthing couple but still the people found time in their extreme business to take notice and finally get them to a manger. This holiday season go out of your way for someone in your neighborhood or vicinity.
• Seeing how God honored the shepherds and included them in His glorious arrival, connect with someone you who is overlooked. 
• Joseph had to personally respond to God's leading and reach out to Mary....for some of you it may be time to intentionally extend Christ's love to some of your family members 
• Lastly, Zechariah experienced a fresh touch from God. Isn't it time you got some new oil too? Couldn't a fresh touch be yours as well?
• I have one more for you.  Simeon had a vision for the salvation of the whole world.  He didn't just see Judea or Nazareth, he saw the Savior of all mankind.  Ask God to give you a Simeon-like vision of salvation for all the world. 

If your heart is drawn by any of these thoughts, join us for the conclusion of 2012 and beginning of 2013 with a purpose and a theme.  It is an amazing difference what a year of generalities and unclear vision can be from  a year of purpose and Godly direction.  Here at 'the SUB' we can help you with the latter.





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Against all odds

There's a character in the Bible that I've been studying heavily the last couple months. A man who stood up against all odds.  Now I am not talking about standing up against the odds; I am talking about standing up against ALL odds! No wiggle room, no space to breathe, no turn around area, no secret passage to get away, and no bail out!  This character is Noah! Noah was a man against all odds. There was woven into Noah some characteristics that helped him to succeed in spite of a stacked deck against him. I want to go over just one of these characteristics because it can help us when we are engaged in a situation where the odds are or seem to be very much against us.
  One of the most important lessons you will have to learn in life is to see something through that is tough. To stay where God has called you.  Noah had a vision and it was against everything he knew, everything he could imagine or think about.  Noah had a huge amout of persecution and mocking because he was given a vision that was way outside of the box. How many times do you think Noah wanted to quit?
   And that's what I want to get across to you today.   I know that many of you are up against it or you want to throw in the towel, but I want to encourage you....if you are where God wants you to be - - !STAY PUT! 
One of the most important lessons to learn in that type of situation is to stay where God has called you, especially when everything inside you wants to quit. God will help you when you're where He wants you to be and when you're doing what He's called you to do.
In the good book when a person was where God told them to be, they were blessed.

• God called Moses to go get his people and take them out of the land....He anointed him to do that job.
• God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith. And at that particular brook God provided for him during a time of famine.
• Jehoshaphat had a warring army coming to attack his land yet when God told him what to do and where to go, he succeeded.  If he had done his own thing he would have failed.
• God told the apostle Paul to go here or go there and he was a mighty witness for the Lord through his obedience.
• Naaman was told to wash in the river Jordan....any other river and he would not have been healed.  Wash seven times, the prophet directed him, do three and there will be no clean skin.

When we are in the place God has for us, we position ourselves for a blessing.  So you might ask, what do we do, when we believe we are where God wants us, but it seems as if all hell has broken loose all around us? 1st Corinthinans gives us the Godly wisdom we need for that situation. It says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm, let nothing move you."  ?What does it say...Stand firm.  How do we stand?  We, 'Stand firm'.....and it says.......'let nothing move you,' .....Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

  It can seem easy to quit when your mind is doubting you, your friends are suspecting you, when everything seems to be pointing to your demise and every thing is against you...but if you are where God wants you to be then 'stand firm,' refuse to budge, don't move and you will see the victory.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, it might feel like you are drowning. Don't stand on your own strength, stand on God's.  He says He will raise up a standard against our enemy!

Somebody shout, 'Praise the Lord!'

Be holy? Seriously?

One of the greatest thrusts of influence of an anti-Christ spirit is the minimization of holiness. In order to achieve that means, the devil will use the tools that are handy to the church for his advantage because, after all,  he has to talk the church's language (sarcasm intended). A foreign language will not do, the church would see through it. But, being subtle is something the devil has been doing for years, so he is good at it. So,  the devil talks our language and poisons the teachings and doctrines we are to believe and in this fashion he can succeed so well that it would almost be possible to fool even the sharpest saints. I believe we are seeing the various stages of a new demonic offensive against the body of Christ and that strategy is twisting, perverting and slanting the truth of the gospel. Those susceptible to this poison and false teaching will be the young believers, those who do not know the Word, and believers who come to church all the time but fail to grow spiritually, thus they are not able to taste the poison in the teachings.  The stronger believers will have to battle the half-truths and the division and confusion that comes with such attacks. 
One of those areas is God's holiness. Instead of teaching people to remove their sins and be holy & that you have to pray to God for help to overcome & conquer those weak areas, today's teachers just avoid those "difficult teachings" altogether. Many just push the simple teaching that God is good and kind and loves us no matter what (which gets interpreted into, "I can do what I want") - and while those characteristics are true in their context - it is not when dealing with sin.
Sometimes in a futile attempt to escape the inescapable, namely God's judgment, we take refuge in theological arguments. Theology like anything can be turned to bad uses as well as good. Many people appeal to God's character, especially to the "riches of his kindness, and tolerance and patience, Ro 2:4a)  maintaining that God is much too kind and longsuffering to punish anybody, so therefore we can sin without impunity. Pastors, and teachers even misapply Scripture to their advantage and quote such statements as "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."  But this kind of manipulative theologizing is to show contempt for God, not honour.  It is not faith; it is presumption.  For God's kindness leads us always towards repentance (Ro. 2:4b) That is always God's goal. It is intended to give us space in which to repent, not to give us an excuse for continuing in sin.  Repentance is turning away from vice.  Holiness.

1 Pet 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.(KJV)
2 Pet 3:11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,  (NKJ)
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (KJV)
Eph 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.  (KJV)
Don't give him an inch!!

It's not a Post-Christian Era, it's a.....

PRE-RAPTURE ERA!
Hey, I believe in positive thinking! We're not just in a post-Christian era, think about it and be really excited...we're in a Pre-Rapture posture. All of you Christain families out there that haven't had a getaway vacation should be really excited.  You and yours will soon be flying out of here for a new destination. Yes, we are heaven bound!  All the kids travel free and you don't have to worry about whether you are getting peanuts or crackers for your mid-flight snack.  You will be wisked away to the sunny and always rainless streets of heaven, and you won't have to worry about sand in the kids underwear, like you get at the beach.  Did I hear you say you might miss this place? Well be encouraged. There is a return flight back with Jesus when He returns to take His summer home back. Only this time, for good, at the second coming, which won't be long after we take up residence in the Kingdom.

  Son-ny heaven is a perfect climate with tons to do for the family. Just think, never a rain delay for Little League, and no washouts if the clothes are on the line.  Down here, if you take an umbrella with you on a heavy overcast day, it doesn't rain and if you wash the car, it pours for sure even if there are no clouds in the sky.  We live totally under the influence of Murphy's law. What about Murphy's law up there? ...not to worry, it will be gone.  And you know what that means?...Yep.. You got it!....That famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich that always falls messy part down will finally land jelly side up.  Is that awesome or what?  And when your Aunt Sarah, who you haven't seen for 20 years, shows up unexpectedly at your house, instead of you wondering what to cook for the whole crew, Aunt Sarah is going to take the whole house to dinner. And miracles of miracles the neighbors dog isn't going to go on a barking rampage for 6 million hours starting just before you go to bed the night before you have the most important meeting of your life and you want a good nights' rest. Can anyone out there say "amen" to that?  Hey, toilet paper will finally tear on the perforated lines, grass won't grow out of control, the dog won't have fleas and kitty won't get stuck up a tree.  There won't be any political signs on every corner, we won't have a trillion organizations selling fish on Fridays and the space button on your cell phone will finally work. Oh, and gas prices won't be high - you will be air-powered....talk about Green!!! 

You know church, the world wants to throw Jesus out of everything. Well, I don't think Jesus will be that upset about the whole matter. And come to think about it, I am not so sure any of us should be that upset about it either, especially if we really start to think about how wonderful our new destination will be. Post Christain Era - phooie, I say "Pre-Rapture"! Have a Jesus day!
John 7:7

The 'new normal'

I was listening to a woman tell me she felt frustrated within herself pertaining to her own spiritual growth.  She said she felt stalled out & had run out of gas.  I listened intently for her explanation as to why she had stalled and she gave no answer, just those rolled up eyes and that frustrated deep breath people take when they are stuck.  I want to lay out an explanation that I believe fits that feeling. (Of course there are other reasons for that. No spiritual issue is generally limited to any one solution.)
Recently we are, yet again, being "force-fed" culture's idea of a "new normal". In actuality, it is really just the same old sin the devil has deceived people with down through the course of history....with disastrous results. But I want to talk about a new normal for the child of God....one of power and knowledge of how to live a solid life in Christ.
Lets start by looking at the Apostle's. Their life is a great model.  Note that the apostle's were saved while enjoying very powerful personal times with Jesus, but it's important to realize that they showed very little power while with Him. It wasn't until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit juiced them up, that their lives took on a power they hadn't had previously.
 This was the beginning of a great heavenly deposit of power into the Apostles life and it was just the start.  When the Holy Spirit began to move in these men of God it was a time when what they had known as a Jew, or a carpenter, a tax collector, or fisherman was shattered by what was now going to be their 'Christ life', their 'new normal'.  In order for what was going to be the 'Christ life' to become the 'new normal' the Apostle's had to crucify their flesh and accept these new moves of God. There was going to be a 'new normal' for these men as they would now walk in not just a knowledge or intuition but a very real, demonstratable...... 'POWER' of God.
I would like to make this next statement the thrust of my thoughts today. You must have a relevant 'cross life,'  before you can have a sustainable 'resurrection life,' or life in the 'Spirit,' which is a Christians 'new normal.' In order for the apostle to enjoy the power of their 'new normal,' they had to continually lay their carnal life down at the cross.  They had to subdue their flesh, they had to continually be crucified.  They had to maintain an active yielding of the things and desires of the flesh so as to enjoy the 'POWER' of the resurrection life.
You know, one of the perils for those of us who live in the Spirit is to forget the necessity to continuously put to nought the flesh and the desires of the flesh.  We always have a carnal nature that will try to subdue that 'new normal.' For a 'new normal' to flourish and get stronger there must be a death of the flesh "stuff". You can't have a resurrection life without a death. The problem today is that to many Christians get saved and they crucify their flesh and put the 'self life' on the cross, nailed down tight at first but then as their walk progresses they forsake the position of death and try to live a resurrection life based simply on that first visit to the cross. (That is the danger of becoming "lukewarm" which Christ warns us against.) In order for your resurrection life, your 'new normal,' to thrive there must be a continuously maintained death of the flesh. It is ongoing, constantly needing kept in check! That is why a Christains life sometimes stalls out. We have to be aware that the 'Spirit' life is the strongest when the carnal life is the closest to death. (Gal 5:24-25 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (KJV)
Continually review your wants and desires and always keep your ear to the Lord (read the Book He wrote for you) so He can show you how to live a POWERFUL 'new normal.'

Praise a Weapon of Spiritual Warfare Part 3

It doesn't seem long ago when Karen and I and the boys were on the farm.  Farm life was good and I loved it.  But farm life is different from regular life in that a farm community's life is so often based on the future, on an uncertain tomorrow.  But that life, while based on uncertainty, has to be lived out in a positive hope-filled today.
Let me explain this because it represents what I want to teach but I'm sure it isn't clear yet. A farmer goes and spends a small fortune on seed. [This summer we met a farmer in Kansas who spent $40,000.00 on seed for just one field.] That farmer takes that seed and he plants it into the ground.  From that time on he has to hope that rain, or sun, devastating hail or plagues of insects do not destroy that field. What a huge gamble it is! But if you talk to the farmer and his humble family they will talk about the crop that they will harvest as though it were already totally grown and at the market. They base their family income on the hope, not the certainty, that that seed will bring an acceptable harvest. They plan on the future even though it is not in. The new computer, the mortgage, the new truck, or barn repairs are all coming out of that crop and they are living in the hope that that harvest comes in. "But it isn't even half grown yet", you might say. They are living now while the crop is still just coming up and spending the money hoping the harvest is good tomorrow.
That is risky business but it's an example of a biblical truth about 'praise.' That farmer is grateful even before the crop is in.  He is talking about what he will do before the crop has even gone to market.  His hope and future is being talked out even before the reapers have hit the field.  It is his 'faith talk'. He is grateful that it is coming, it is going to fill the trucks, it is going to prosper them and bring securty.
What person announces gratefulness before the thing to be greateful for has even come?  Who gives thanks for something before it has even arrived? What army goes to battle singing the victory song before the battle has been won, or what soldier says to his wife we will do this and that with the spoils from our coming victory!
It seems to me that the farmers big hopes and gratefullness or the army singing the victory song before the battle are all out of order. But they aren't, it is their 'faith talk.' Shouldn't you win the battle before the band plays on? Shouldn't you have the harvest money before you begin to think of spending the money?  But the farmer, or soldier or the army gave thanks for what they were about to receive.  They are wearing their 'faith talk.' Their gratitude springs forth before the blessing had arrive, in an expression of trust that it was certainly on its way. Their 'faith talk'  is the exact opposite of the groans of wavering faith and the complaints of discouraged hearts. The 'faith talk'  goes before the miracle!
Praising is actually the most vital thing you can do if you are trusting for a miracle! You need to sing God's praise even before the miracle. You need to be grateful even before the thing has arrived.
So many things God does comes out of our 'faith talk.' If you need a miracle today begin to put on your 'faith talk,' and praise God and trust God and live knowing and believing your harvest, victory or spoils are on their way. Even though you see nothing that resembles an answer, praise Him because God responds to your ''faith talk' called praise!

Praise: A Weapon of Spiritual Warfare Pt #2

Prov 11:25b,

"he that watereth shall be watered also himself'. (KJV)

When we talk about praise we don't always have to talk about it only in the context of us using it to worship. We can also talk about praise as a weapon of warfare.

In our last article I talked about Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah defeating their enemy, the Moabites, when they sang and praised the Lord. It was then that the Holy Spirit moved against the enemy warriors, causing them to turn on each other and eventually destroying themselves. Such a story found in 2 Chronicles 20!  But the long and the short of it is the people began to bless God. 

What I am trying to get you to see is that when the people blessed God, then God turned around and blessed the people back.  Then, they didn't just win the battle, but on top of that they were given the spoils, an over abundance, so much that it took 3 days to gather up all the blessing. They didn't just win the battle, that was their prayer, but they got an over payment. More! Exceeding expectations! Is that kool or what?

Our scripture says, 'He that watereth shall be watered also himself." What that scripture means is when you bless another, there will come blessings for you. When we bless the Lord with the proper heart condition......then.....He can and will bless you.

Let's model this thought with Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. The people blessed God, honestly to bless Him, and He blessed them in a much bigger way than expected...'He that watereth shall be watered also himself.''  That is how praise becomes a weapon. When you begin to praise God; 'you are watering,' then He begins to bless you; 'those that watereth shall be watered himself,' and when He begins to bless you, the enemy is defeated, troubles begin to get resolved, encouragement begins to flow into your life, the Holy Spirit begins to work on you and your sanctification (goodness & growing to be like Christ) gets to be rich and thick. 
Then get ready for an abundance!

Praise: A Weapon for Spiritual Warfare, Pt#1 of 3

The New Testament unquestionably tells us that a Christian is involved in a battle, a struggle, a veritable war. We are told that we fight, not human forces, but spiritual principalities and powers that inhabit the atmosphere around us.  Furthermore, we are encouraged or more emphatically, exhorted to clothe ourselves with the armour of God, in order that we might be able to effectively withstand the attacks of the evil one(Ephesians 6:8-10).
Spiritual victories are won through a variety of methods such as intercessory prayer or the confession of God's Word.  But there is another form of spiritual warfare most believers fail to consider and that is praise and worship!
This theme of praise as a form of warfare can be traced throughout the scriptures, beginning back in the book of Exodus.  Imagine the scene after the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea.  Egypt's army had just drowned in the rushing waters, and the people were safe on the other side.  Miriam grabs a tambourine and leads the women in singing, "I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumped gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea"(Exodus 15:1, KJV).  On one occasion Moses and all Israel sang a tremendous song of triumph unto the Lord, and within that song is contained an exciting revelation: "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name" (Ex 15:2 KVJ). The NIV says, "the Lord is a warrior."
After seeing how God dealt with Pharaoh and his armies, the Israelites knew they had witnessed a great battle strategist in action. 
Joshua was given a similar revelation of God's character. As he was about to lead Israel into Canaan to conquer Jericho, a man appeared to him with a drawn sword.  "Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you for us or for our enemies?" 'neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come' (Joshua 5:13:14).
The Lord was, and still is, a warrior, and Commander-in-Chief of heaven's armies.  Someone might tell us that that was an "early" picture of God, and he has progressively revealed Himself throughout history so that now we know him as a kind, gracious, loving heavenly Father. Yes, during the church age He has been seen as a God of grace, peace and love, but when we see Him after this time, which we all believe is coming to an end, we see Him again as a God of war.  And also remember this, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He hates sin and goes to war against it. So long as His enemy is loose in the earth, God will be known as a warrior.
The next article will be on the power of Praise in our spiritual warfare.  But I wanted to show you God's relationship in warfare first.
Come join us this Sunday, here at 'The SUB,' @ 10 o'clock for a three-week special on, 'Praise: A Weapon of Spiritual Warfare', or you can catch my blog or hear it from the web page.

Git'er done

Larry the Cable Guy always sayz,  'git'er done.' That's his way of saying he wants to accomplish what he set out to do and he wants to complete that job right.  Many Christians want to be used of God.  For them it is not enough just to know they are on the Christain pathway, they want to be faithful and effective. The question for them is How? Where do we start? What is involved to 'git'er done'? The first answer can be found by looking at the life of Philip, who introduced the Ethiopian official to Jesus Christ in Acts 8:26-38.
There are five easy "to see keys" as to how he did it. Lets look and see:

First, He trusted God. God SOVEREIGNLY worked out all the details involved in Philip's effective witness to the Ethiopian. He will do the same for you.
Second, Philip's LIFE witnesssed to Jesus Christ.  He was chosen as a worker in the early church because of his character (Acts 6:3-5).  A good life not only glorifies God but is a powerful witness to the world.  Our lives should demonstrate that we know Him.
Third, we find the HOLY SPIRIT vitally involved in Philip's life and ministry.  "The Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it'" (Acts 8:29). The Holy Spirit is the One who makes our lives attractive (Galatians 5:22-23). He is our Teacher and Guide.  He gives us boldness and courage to witness.  Our responsibility is to be yielded fully to all the wonderful resources of the Holy Spirit.  Philip was led to someone already prepared.
Fourth, look at the important part the SCRIPTURES play in telling another person about Jesus Christ. The Ethiopian was reading Isaiah 53 and asked Philip to explain the passage.  Philip took the same passage, which deals prophetically with the crucifixion, and "told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35). Philip knew the Scriptures and was prepared to explain the good news of the Gospel.  If we are going to be effective Christians, we too must gain a working knowledge of the Scriptures to help others.
Fifth, the Bible is a record of God working mightily in and through the lives of ordinary people.  Our responsibility is to step out in FAITH and trust God to use us.
So there you have it.  This might help you to go out there and , 'git'er done'.

Lifestyle Warfare

Gen 2:17
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (KJV)

Living in the Tree of Life

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (KJV)

In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had a choice between the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Day in and day out they lived in the life of God and with God, until the serpent came to Eve and tempted her.  God had expressely warned Adam and his lovely wife Eve that they could eat of every tree but not of the tree of good and evil.  While they were in the garden they enjoyed the tree of life. But God had warned them not to eat of the tree of good and evil because it would expose them to something they were totally unable to comprehend...Evil!

Well, along came the Serpant to Eve and began to work on her concerning the tree of good and evil. She probably resisted many attacks but in his persistance she finally gave in.  She made that choice to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil even though God told her expressly not to do so. That decision brought about events that tore their lives and the lives of other people apart.

Every day "WE" also have choices between tree of life decisions and tree of good and evil decisions. Living in the tree of good and evil means making choices that causes you to filter everything through a value system of evaluating what is good and what is evil.  This is a very dangerous road to travel because we don't always see things clearly or objectively. As you know, some things look great on the outside but behind it is a disaster waiting to happen.

If you're an "expert" on what is good, you will judge yourself and others from a pride and arrogance point of view, or maybe self-righteously, and then you become so harsh that it brings death to you.  If you're an expert on evil, corruption will creep into your heart and cause you considerable harm. You can't win! Knowledge of good and evil always has the same result - your death. Why? Because every single person who makes a decision thinks it's a good decision!

 Making tree of life decisions, brings life, peace and spiritual health to us.  
Why do we praise God? Because it stimulates life in our lives.  Why do we treat people with kindness? Why do we forgive?  Why do we turn the other cheek, etc.? Because it stimulates His life in us and others. In the tree of life we always do things that brings life to people, including us. The enemy hates when we make tree of life decisions.

Channel 4 for Chick?

I went to our favorite Chick-Fil-a today and I had to wait 40 minutes to get served.  The parking lot was full, the line went around the block and people were waiting outside to get in.  The place was jammed! I was so excited about it. I am looking on Facebook and I see restaraunts and people who had to wait an hour or two to get in. If that would have happened to me on any other day whether it was Chic-Fil-a or anywhere else, I swear, I would never go back there. Ever!  But here I am sitting in a line for 40 minutes to get my lunch and I am happy about it. On top of that I am thinking about going there for dinner as well.  I might even get to eat 2 hours after I get in line- if they have any food left. WOW! How perspective changes things. 

I want to talk about perspective for a minute as referring to our freedoms.  Do you notice how this great land of freedom of experession and freedom of choice has suddenly become a land of treacherous discrimmination and LACK of freedom? The Mayor of Boston jumps on a podium and admits, and insanely tells everyone he's discrimminated against Chick by not allowing restaraunts there in Boston. From his perspective it was ok to abandon all the rights he and we enjoy about freeedom but he would not extend those same rights that he enjoys to Chick-Fil-A.

The Hitlerite councilwoman from New York admits she is bullying Chic-Fil-A (on official letterhead) and she is standing arrogantly at a mic in the Big Apple telling all the world that she is discrimmating against Chick. Even the mayor of Pgh. comes out against them. They think that it is politically correct to trounce on Chick's  freedom.  Who is next on their blackball list? I always heard it was illegal to black ball someone.  I guess it has changed in New York, Boston and Pittsburgh! Is this a free country? Has the perspective of this great nation changed?

I do know this....the only reason I was not upset about the 40 minute wait was that I was in line not so much for food, I was in line for a purpose.  That purpose made time irrelevant.  The purpose was a non-violent protest and it changed my perspective on the time it took to get my food.

Others are mobbing Chick, planning protests and bulliing them, because they believe differently.  I wander if Channel 4 which has plastered the air waves with the bullying theme for the past year, has at any time acknowledged that this restaraunt chain has been bullied. Have they given any air time to tell Pittsburghers that an injustice is being done; a company which is upstanding is being bullyied.  I challenge that great news network, to stand up for Chick-Fil-A and publically denouce the bullying and proclaim a Chic-Fil-A day to thank that wonderful company for the jobs, integrity and commerce they bring to Pittsburgh.

Chick-fil-A

All of a sudden, biting into a fried chicken sandwich has
become a political statement.

Most Americans know that the war with Chick-fil-A is because they, as a company, have voiced their belief that marriage is between a man and a women, not any other way.  Thereby endorsing God's description of what marriage is meant to be.

The issue of Chick-fil-A is not an issue of homosexuality as purely pertaining to that issue, it is about marriage and how it is defined. Chick-fil-A does not descriminate against homosexuality in the work place. They have no policy that I am aware of that includes sexual preference or descriminating against those individuals who choose that lifestyle.  Chick has simply endorsed heterosexual marriage as defined by God.

They have a right to do that and to say that.  We have a country of presumably free speech. And that free speech is allowed to be excercised even if it is against what someone else believes. If anti-heterosexual groups, homosexuals or anyone else that differs, it is their right to do so and to even do it with passion for their cause and visa-versa. But in demanding Chick their right to declare their beliefs it is depriving Chick of their right to free speech.  If they also choose to hinder Chick in building restaraunts, they are discriminating against that restaraunt, and that is a very dangerous situation that the courts should look into.  When the Henson company took the muppet toys from Chick to give support to GLAAD (an openly pro-homosexual organization) Chick didn't scream of an outrageous injustice, they handled that issue with total class and moved on.  But you can't teach class. Upstanding organizations that exist for the cause of values have upstanding well-bred and well-formed values. There is a certain good professionalism that comes with righteous conduct and belief.  You can never expect that from organizations that exist from a cause rooted in rebellion. Their core is wrong and every thing built on that core reflects rebellious and underhanded practices.

On Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 people all over the country are going to Chick-Fil-A to buy lunch, dinner or whatever, to show support for their business and their Godly stand for traditional marriage.  I want to urge you to take part in that event.  There is a Chick in the Westmoreland Mall, one is located at Rt 30 Greengate by JoAnn Fabric and there is one  in Greensburg also on Rt 30 across from Olive Garden. This is one of the few times in life where you can make a statement just by buying lunch.....and don't forget the milkshakes!! (yummm)

Fishy Hearts

Jesus often used fish or fishing-type analogies to help Him make a point in His stories.   We see Him using bread and fish when He is feeding 5,000 hungry listeners.  Jesus picked many of His disciples from the fishing profession.  And one of His most notable quotations is that He will make His personally recruited evangelists ‘fishers of men.’  With that in mind I want to use another fishing analogy as I relate to a man’s heart.

I suppose that most of us have some experience with a heart in one way or another.  We have all probably seen someone with a broken heart, and I don’t think we would have to look very long to experience someone with a heart that was hard, and most of us have experienced the joy of a loving heart. There are compassionate hearts, open hearts, wounded hearts, happy hearts, etc. Pastors mend hearts, mentors shape hearts, doctors put stints in hearts, moms tug at hearts and on Valentines Day we pass around hearts. But when you think of a heart in relation to Jesus and what His purpose on Calvary was, it was for hearts; the hearts of men.

In terms of salvation, a heart can be a very difficult thing. When Jesus told His disciples that they would be fishers of men, He meant that those disciples were going to become spiritual heart surgeons. They would preach and teach and change men’s hearts - from sinner to a saint.

Did you ever try to change a heart?  It is not an easy thing. A heart can be very slippery like a fish. Just when you think you are about to pull it out of the water, it slips through your fingers and right back into the stream. It is a very hard thing to win a heart.  You could take a kid in Sunday school and spend many hours of study and never win his heart for Christ.  You could take one child and then another and another and then another and many more on top of that and maybe once in a while you could win a child’s heart to the Lord. It is a very difficult thing to win a heart to Christ. ?You know who is good at winning hearts?.....The world! Yes, they are excellent at winning hearts……Just do something and allow their applause to fill your ears and watch how quickly a heart is won….

Take a man to a gambling table and give him a couple bucks to get him started and watch how easy gambling wins his heart.

Just flatter a person with some good old fashioned sweet talk and see how quickly a good old boy will have you eating out of his hands. If that guy sat down beside you in the park you would get up and move or call the cops but out of his mouth comes some good old fashioned candy-coated compliments and all of a sudden, he‘s not a bad guy at all he’s got you buying a beachfront property in Arizona. I am telling ya, the world knows how to win a heart.

But let’s be serious for a minute. When it comes to Jesus’ kingdom, hearts are a slippery subject - only God can win a heart for His Kingdom.  That is why we need to pray.

The Promise, the Problem, the Provision

Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: (KJV)

I was meditating on the Word one morning and this is the verse that God brought to me. Sometimes when God brings things He wants me to see He does it like a waitress, who after you sit down at your table as a guest of the restaurant, comes over and places your napkin down and a glass of water with the menu. It is just gently placed there to minister to you and it is a welcomed hospitality.  That is how this word came to me.

Here God speaks so fatherly-like to Israel.  He tells them the condition of His provision for them and how that provision is to be provided.  Remember, what was a means for provision for Israel is also a means for us today many centuries later. 

He gives Israel The Promise, “if you are willing,”...notice our father does not make the condition ‘if you are perfect.’ God’s condition for us to access His loving care is not how we walk that straight line in perfection.  His provision is not accessed by how we stay inside these perfect tolerances, not “if you be perfectly obedient.” No, it implies graciousness and hospitality “if you are willing.” Do you have “a willing mind,” and will you become voluntary in your obedience to my ways and my directions for your life. It takes the sense away from us that God is out there with all these resources and He is willing to dispose of those resources to us but only if we obey him to the letter. “You know, I would have given it to you but you were a termite today so go without.” That is not how it is. God’s provision is there for us all the time and all we have to be is willing to obey Him not be perfect in our walk or human life.

In conclusion of that verse He says, “you shall eat of the good of the land.”  In other words it will yield its abundance to you. 

The Problem, remember, church, satan is the god of this world and it is he that withholds, not our God (2 Cor 4:4).  For you and me as believers sometimes we need to remember to command those devils to take their hands off of our goods. 

The Provision, Hebrews 1:14 reminds us that while the devil has an army on this earth God does too and we can ask those ministering spirits to, “Go!” Yes “GO!!! Go now! Go on my behalf, Go according to your mission........ ‘Ministering spirits’ cause the good of the land to come to me according to Gods promise.

If You are willing

Isa 1:19
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: (KJV)

What a tremendous verse to get a hold of. In Isa he says that

An Imitator

Acts 8:9-10; "A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, claiming to be someone great. The Samaritan people, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as "the Great One-- the Power of God." (NLT)
This scripture really gets under my skin. This guy is a magician, he probably was a very good one, but have you ever thought of how good you would have to be to be considered a God or "the Great One"?  Did you ever wonder why a magician would be considered like a God? I mean what trick could a magician do that would compare you to God?
Can a magician do a trick that creates a sun or a moon, or turn water into wine?  Did he ever open up the earth and swallow a horde of rebels like God did with Dathan for Moses?  Did this sorcerer do a trick that split the Red Sea and had millions of people go across on dry ground and get it all done before rush hour traffic in the morning? God created almost everything there is out of nothing, nothing that existed already. The scientific and theological term is ex nilo, 'out of nothing.' Did this wizard make anything out of nothing? Did he just speak it and it became....?
Well that is what our God did.  He didn't take lessons to pull a quarter from behind some little kids ear...He created things out of nothing.  Did this sorcerer do that?
Church I have thought of this many times and it is a major reason why we need to evangelize and be a witness to the world.  These people thought that Simon was a god b/c they didn't know God. They knew idols and idols only. They had no living God. They had no loving God, no speaking God, no manifesting power of God...They simply had magicians or people standing in for their god. They had dead gods. There might have been a demon but there is only one God and Simon didn't know Him. There was no life or love in their idol gods and since they were dead and lifeless, the only life a god had was shown through the magician or priest that represented him.
These people were easily deceived because they were in darkness.  People in darkness have their minds captured by deception & evil. People who serve idols usually find themselves in a quick downward spiral of intelligence.  Darkness overwhelms them and they become captive to ignorance.  That is why you see so much difference when missionaries go into tribes. When the gospel comes and salvation begins to work, the heathen's mind begins to be set free because he is no longer in darkness, no longer captured by ignorance and immorality. That is why a ghetto takes on new life when an evangelist begins to teach in it.  The reason is that the gospel breaks the power of darkness, of ignorance from satanic stupors.
As more of America and the western world turns to heathen practices, you can see already that many people are being hindered  intellectually, morally and spiritually as their sin begins to control them and they go into bondage/darkness. Things that were evil and unseemly become normal practices to them. Then they start living in bondage and they are the last to find out that they are being intellectually, spiritually, and morally squelched.
When God moves and uses His power, let me tell you....it won't be confused with some man's work that can pull a fast one over your eyes.
So, go bring light to darkness and truth to those deceived. Tell them about the real Great One, the all-powerful G-O-D!

That's Encouraging

We live in a world where encouragement can be hard to find.  We know the feeling of no encouraging words...and yet,also the sometimes startling results of an uplifting word given.  I have found that there are three sources of encouragement. One can come internally, from our own selves. You know the kinda "picking ourselves up and thinking positive" kind of thing.  The second type is from external influences. Some one blows you a kiss or blesses you with a nice word. Both of these, generally speaking, can be a fleeting thing.  But the third source is just divine. It is a God thing. He provides it as we need it with an unexhaustable flow from His heavenly fountain. God has it set up so that we can overcome discouragement through an unending source of care and provision from the Holy Spirit. When we get baptized in the Holy Spirit and use our prayer language we actually have the resources to overcome most any emotional trouble that ails us. We just have to use it!
In Jude 20 the scripture says, 'But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,'....you're praying in the Holy Ghost 'builds you up.' What you put out in prayer comes back to you in the form of spirit-enhancing energy.  You are 'built up' and made stronger.  Why or How?  When you pray in tongues, or in the spirit, it is done through God and He knows just what you need and what your requirements are at every point of your life. When you pray in the spirit you are connecting directly to God's spirit and He outsources what you need to keep you on track in His work.
Isaiah prophesied not only about the coming Messiah and the great plan of redemption which Jesus would consummate, but also about the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues.  In Isa 28:11-12 it says,  'for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 to whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear, (KJV)
There is a very real spiritual rest and refreshing from the Holy Ghost.  Being refreshed and getting rest or quieting down are two powerful tools you can use to destroy disappointment, discouragement and other things that ail you.  The Holy Ghost has everything we need to stay emotionally and spiritually fit to walk a powerful, God-led journey and to fulfill the life He has purposed us to do.  You can't get your assignments done and fight the mind games, and attacks that come with that purpose if you don't have the right tools. So today be encouraged, trust in God, work your prayer language and let the Holy Spirit build you up, rest and refresh you.  Now 'That's Encouraging'.

The Heart God Revives

Ps 51:17;  The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. (NLT)

In this writing I would like to focus a little attention on those within the Body of Christ that have a humble heart or as Ps 51:17 says, “a broken spirit.”  Now the broken spirit means your spirit is broken like a toy gets broken.  Actually that word for broken used twice in this scripture is ‘shabar’ and it means, to break, to break in pieces, to break down, to rend violently, to wreck, to crush, to quench ....gosh that is ugly! God wants people who are not in their flesh, they are willing to be broken, crushed, wrecked, quenched, and rent violently.... to remove sin. In other words when they see themselves in their sin, it matters to them.  They are so truly hungry for God that they want that stuff out of them to make room for greater holiness and the power that comes with it. So what would I look like if I had a broken spirit? Let’s look:

·       You are grieved over the cause, the root, of your sin.

·       Once broken, you don’t give a hoot who knows or who finds out, ‘they’ve found the pearl of great price’.

·       Are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin.....Hmmmmmm, they what?  Forsake that sin!

·       They realize that they need to have a continual heart attitude of repentance and they ask for the grace of God to give them the repentant power. They want the sin away, removed and done with....not pretending God’s goodness doesn’t mind them having it.

·       Don’t play sincere by making some general ‘I’ am sorry for my sin statement,’...These people  are specific and want that specific sin gone...they know it’s name and they abandon it b/c they know it is taking the place of something better, some greater gift, some greater anointing, some greater Holy Ghost virtue, etc...they want that power, that gift, that walk...God’s all over them and they want to wear Him till they get their new glory robe in heaven.

·       They continually sense the need for a fresh encounter w/ God and the Holy Ghost.

·       They yield their rights and have a meek spirit.

·       Have a sense of their own unworthiness; and are thrilled that God would use them to begin with.

·       Are totally wiped out by how much they know they need to learn.

·       Not big on self or self seekers.

·       They desire to promote others. They understand one is an eye the other a toe and another is an ear and they make room for them.

·       Are self denying.

Wow is that awesome!  On Friday I will give you some proud people stuff and you can compare them together and see where you stand.

For some more great scripture hopping on this subject read Mt 23:12; Ps 25:9; Ps 51:10; Ps 119:11; Obadiah 3; Jer 17:9; John 17:4;

The Great Event

How many people do you know who search the planets for new life.  What scientific club have you seen or read in the paper who is searching the heavenlies for extra-terristrials, also know as aliens. They are continually watched by the millions-but there is one great event in the worlds history that commands far more spectators than watching the moon, searching the planets or observing the heavenlies.  There is one great event, which every day attracts more admiration than do the sun, moon, stars or the planets that faithfully keep their course. That event is the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To that event the eyes of every saint is directed and commands their fullest attention.  Upon Christ the angels in heaven perpetually gaze.  Upon Christ, if we look backwards through the centuries every saint that has ever lived have their eyes fixed upon Christ. The resurrection commands that much attention.  It is upon that singular event that God himself was so pleased  that he could receive his created  but separated worshippers. Millions of the redeemed pilgrims, whose tear path we can only imagine have no higher object for their faith, and no better desire for their vision, than to see Jesus as He is in heaven sitting at the right hand of God.
Reader you are not a solitary spectator of that horrible Calvary and its bloody crucifixtion.  All the universe turns its eyes to that place which is the focus of heaven's joy and delight, the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This Easter week take some time to visit Calvary.  Let's hope to have the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit while we look upon Him who died upon that tree. Think, today of the cause of Christ's death.  Reflect for a time this week on the reason for Christ's death. Lastly, think of the wonderful benefits of our redeemer's death. Happy Easter!  He is Risen....He is risen indeed!

Otherness

It is, I'll grant you, an odd title.  But that being said, if you will read this little work you will find out (odd or not) that it has extensive potential. In the first chapter of the book of the great Apostle John you will find that he describes within that initial writing, three things that failed to recognize Jesus Christ our Savior, what His purpose was and who He was.
 Those three things are 1) darkness which to me represents Satans' powers and plans, 2) the world, where he actively employes those powers and plans, and 3) the Jewish nation, in which everything he does, he works to destroy.  That Jewish nation includes the Hebrew's themselves, the big brother of the Gentile church, which is now grafted into Gods family tree.
Why did so many not see Christ?  I believe those three systems saw Christ the same way as the disciples did (but didn't recognize it).  Let me explain.
When Jesus brought the disciples into His "school of the Holy Spirit", one of the first things they had to learn was how 'other' Jesus was from themselves. I'm sure it didn't come to them at first, and that is why darkness, the world and the Jewish nation didn't get it either. But as the Lord's disciples continued on with Him, they found themselves again and again clashing with His thoughts, His mind, His ways. They would urge Him to take a certain course of action, to do certain things, to go to certain places; they would seek to bring upon Him "their own" judgements, feelings and ideas.  But He would have none of it. All the time He was putting them back on their heels as He would show them how altogether "other" His ways were from their own.
  I believe the disciples probably got really frustrated and Jesus Himself would have gotten frustrated as well but He knew exactly what He was trying to accomplish in them. It's a lesson we will have to learn as well.  That "otherness" which was in Christ, that the disciples had to learn, is also what we have to study and learn ourselves in this school of the Spirit. When we have throughly learned that lesson - the lesson of  "altogether other" or 'otherness' then we can begin constructive work. But at present it is necessary for you to come to the place where you recognize you are 'altogether other' than Christ.  The difference is that we, you and me, move in two, totally altogether opposite worlds than our ordinary mind. This will of man, at its best, is another will. We cannot produce from this nature anything acceptable to God. All that can ever come to God is through Christ alone - it's not in us.
 What I am trying to get into you is this - we need to know that we are one thing and the "otherness of Christ" is another. We must pray that our way of thinking would be transformed and become "other" than what the natural man thinks.

.

Fullness of God

Someone asked T.Austin Sparks what it would take to get the fullness of God in his/her life.  Austin pretty much thought about it and wrote a book on it.  I like what he said and I will pass it on to you.
There are three things essential to a full Christian life he said. First, the realization that God is concerned with the accomplishment of something worthy of Himself.  He said, "we will not get very far toward a full Christian life, or a life with God, until it breaks upon us and takes hold of us that God is really concerned with the accomplishment of something worthy of Himself. What a grand statement, Austin...bravo! 
The second thing is that people shall become aware of what that great something in the heart of God is, what it is that God is so concerned with, and then, and then, and then, that they shall be moved to co-operate with Him in it.  That is an essential to a life of fullness with God, that we His people shall come to see what it is that He is really is set upon, what it is that will really be worthy of Himself, and, more than that, that we shall become so deeply moved about this matter as to co-operate with Him in it.
The third thing that we are to recognize is that this object in the heart of God and this co-operation with Him by His people involves very real conflict and cost, and that His people must face that and be ready to accept it.
Austin is writing this article using the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the last historic book of the Old Testament, and Nehemiah was the last great man of the Old Testament, who finds himself contemporary with terrible spiritual decline. He also found that God is willing and wanting to act in that nation according to His will and desire to bring restoration and revival to the Jewish people who are deep in idolatry.
I think many people in contemporary America, or Britain or wherever feel that the time has gone and conditions are too bad, and we can hope for nothing very much in view of the our situation here and around the world; but this book and this man, administer a very sound rebuke to any such pessimism.  As a matter of fact, Nehemiah rebukes some men who want to talk to him by explaining to them that he can't stop or be side tracked because God has him on assignment.  Put your ear to the window of history and listen to what Nehemiah said to them, I quote it from Neh. 6:3...."I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"  Is that awesome....Call us to your purpose Lord and then we can say to temptation, why should I stop to talk to you I am to busy doing God's stuff.

"Do I really have to get rid of my sin??"

This blog concludes my remarks about secret sins.
The very reason we have so much unbelief today is because we have so many people who love their sins and desire to stay in them. Many people have no god or they will fashion a belief about God so that it comforts them or allows them to live their life without the conviction of sin. Many people will have no god because God interferes with their lusts. They would not be able to go on with their evil pleasures if they allowed themselves to believe in a god over and above them. It is for this reason that people hate God and hate His servants - because the truth is too hot to handle.
If you would send along a preacher who would not tell them of their sins they would hear him gladly; but when the truth of the gospel comes with power then men can't bear it (or they sure don't want to hear it!) When the gospel message tramps upon a rascals' vice, sin or iniquity, it is then that they become obstinate, and refuse to believe.
We could probably triple our church attendance and have people standing in the overflow section of the sanctuary and have tons of folks believing the gospel even more, if they were allowed to live in their sins as well. Think about it! How many drunken reprobates would be a "christian" if they could live peaceably with their sin.  How many thieves, how many philanderers, liars, schemers or arsonists would come to church if they could believe and yet retain their sins.
There is just one huge problem. Faith and sin can never stand side by side; or righteous together with unrighteousness. The gospel would cry, "down with it," "down with it," and the man of guilt would say "not so, down with the gospel."  For the sinner, it is too hot to handle so it's easier to turn aside from it.
No one in his right mind wouldn't say there is a "pleasure" to sin. Hebrews 11:25 says that Moses chose to suffer affliction with the children of Israel, rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. You got that last word, right? "Season", like summer, winter, etc. Seasons don't stay forever, they soon turn into something else. Just like the "pleasure of sin" for a season.  Before long the pleasure turns into pain, hurt, then destruction, ugliness, anhilation, etc.
The scripture reads this way, "Except you be converted and become as little children, you can in nowise enter into the kingdom of heaven." The sinner says, "I will not be converted then; I am not going to be a child, I am a man, and a man I will be. I would rather be a lost man than a saved child.  What? Am I to surrender my judgement, and sit down tacitly to believe in God's Word?"
And so in his arrogance and pride, he says, "I will not".  Like Satan, he declares it would be better to go to hell and "be with his friends" than to serve in heaven. Thus he goes away an unbeliever, because it is just too humbling a thing to give in to God; too humbling to say, "I surrender myself".
 Our church has started, "In Just 40 Days",  a time of humbling, seeking and allowing God to work deeper things in our lives.  How about if in the next 40 days church, we pray some of these rascals in.

Hidden source of visible Damage - Pt 3

  There is a misery that goes with secret sin.  It is a master with unequaled cruelty and never-lessening demands.  Its name is "misery".
Think about it reader, the sinner who makes a profession of religion, and yet lives in iniquity, is the most miserable. A person who is a drunkard in the world is not ashamed of his sin. He doesn't even call it a sin. He will be forever miserable when he is called before God, but here in this world, he feels that he has his "happy hour". 
A foul-mouthed rebel who cusses and swears up a storm, says, "thats the way I am". He's not ashamed of it and doesn't even try to hide what he is. He's not really miserable he is just downright ignorant, crude and base.
But the professing Christian, the one who God has called out from his darkness, the man who claims to walk with God, who is united to a church, who hangs out with God's people and fellowships with them, but then lives in sin, what a miserable existence he must have! 
It reminds me of the voles in our garden. They stay hid most of the time, eating up our fruits and veggies, but every once in a while they have to come out from their cover, only to quickly run back into hidding. Men (or women) who have hidden sin are like that as well. They run out now and then, hard pressed by their desire; but then, concern and great fear of being discovered, pulls them back. It is a miserable situation for them.  They are never sure they have not been seen. One day driven like the slave they have become, they wonder out with cunning and secrecy and manage to conceal and hide their problem; but the next day something else comes, and they live in constant fear, telling lie after lie, to make the last lie appear truthful, adding deception to deception, in order that they may not be discovered.
It is a terrible thing for the church when we have men who accompish things in the "Big house". You want to celebrate their work with a great big, 'that a boy', then you recognize (or find out about) their secret works and recoil with pain. It adds great hurt and causes great stress for the sheep and the church when we have to live life constantly on guard for the person who requires two faces in order to get by.
If you get to a point in your life where you are serving God with less than "all your heart",  then don't pretend to serve him with all your heart. 'No man can serve two masters". Don't do it. Don't even try to do it, because life will be forever miserable.
Above all, beware of commitments, actions, conversations, places, people or things that you do that you will find it necessary to conceal.
There is a great poem written by Thomas Hood called 'The Dream of Eugene Aram,' you gotta read this poem it is an amazing work on the topic we have been discussing.

Hidden Source of Visible Damage Pt 2

Before I continue, I have to admit that I know nothing of identifing a pretender.  In all my years of ministry, I can recognize damage and hurt a whole lot better than I can identify a pretender.  My experience is that by the time you learn someone is "living life out in the open in a Christian way", yet they are involved in "secret sins while the doors are closed", usually you've already been stung.

Pretenders are generally pretty normal people who conduct outwardly upright lives. I have found them to be congenial, generous, easy to have trust in and socially well-adjusted.  But they indulge in some sin which the eye of man has not yet detected. It would definetely change our opinion, our acceptance, our confidence and trust in them (the Penn State Jerry Sandusky type comes to mind). On the outside you think they have their 'A' game on but behind closed doors they're dealing with some lust or vice that has totally seduced them. 

So, pretender, whatever it is, I want to say this to you. You are a fool for this one reason: your sin is not a secret, it is known, and it will one day be revealed; maybe very soon. But be aware that it probably won't be revealed till Satan is sure that it will cause the most irreparable damage possible to you and anyone around you, especially those you love.

Please know that your sin is not a secret for three very powerful reasons: 1) because Satan and his cohorts know and see it, they are the ones who have seduced you and drawn you deeper into a pleasureable dellusion; 2) you know it and feel its power over you 3) The eye of God, whose face you are sinning before, has seen it.

There is no secret chamber where you can hide. There is no dark cellar where you can conceal the damage done to your body,soul and spirit. If you were to dig a hole as deep as hell, there is not enough earth on this globe to cover your sin. If you were to lay it on the gound and cover it with a mountain, those mountains would tell the tale of what is buried underneath it. Cast that sin into the sea and a thousand babbling waves would tell the secret out. There is no hiding it from God.

This world that we live in is like the glass beehive we see when we go to Trax Farms; the bees and all they are doing is visible and revealed to those watching.  You can look right in and see the bees doing their wonderful honey making process the same way our lives are transparent to God who sees our good and our evils.

It is a for-certain-fact that our eyes are weak. We cannot, as human beings, see into the darkness. We cannot see things that are unknown to us, but God's eyes can penetrate the blackness and read the thoughts of man. He sees those acts when we think ourself most concealed.

You may be saying within yourself, "Nobody knows". Well I am here to tell you that God's eyes are now looking through those concealing clouds and is even now starring right at you. Neither our visible acts or our secret innermost thoughts hidden from God. He knows them as well.

Pretender, get that hidden sin removed.  The blood of Jesus Christ was shed to set you free from all sins, overt and covert.

Part 3 of 5 next week..."The Misery of Secret Sin"