Getting to the root!

In the King James Version, one of the names for Satan is Beelzebub (Mt. 12:24; Luke 11:18) – It means “Lord of the Flies” or “Lord of the Dung.” 

   A disgusting reference to waste and ultimately, a spiritual reference to moral degeneracy.

In other words, Satan, you are Lord of Manure!  That’s what you are king over! You are ’Lord of the Flies'.  Flies do not breed on waste - they are in the waste.......

When an animal is grazing, it eats the eggs on the grass or bushes, which then go through its system and don't get digested. Thus when the animal defecates, the eggs are right there.....in a perfectly controlled,

 temperature-friendly environment made naturally for hatching. Manure begins to work as soon as it is on the ground - and the temperature is warm  -  - great for hatching eggs.  It is a cycle that science fights to stop, but can’t. Therefore you get generation after generation of pests and infestation.

Defecate means, ‘to get rid of solid waste from your body’. That is what the devil is lord over, lord of manure, of flies.................pure evil, pure wrong, absent of any righteous....

In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus fought satan, ‘the lord of manure,’ or ‘the lord of flies,’ and for forty days the 'lord of flies' could not defile Jesus...he couldn’t dirty our Savior. After the conclusion of that battle when Jesus was hungry, worn out, and undefiled, satan continued to attack him through 3 final tests of which Jesus succeeded to stay pure, unsoiled and undefiled.

But what is significant about Jesus' battle with Satan, is the 40 days. That 40 days is important, because in agriculture when you have an infestation of flies...which carry loads of disease and sickness...in order to kill the flies when you spray, you have to do it for 40 consecutive days. All flies have a life cycle that is under or  equal to the 40 days, so if you spray one day you will only kill the hatched flies of that particular day. The unhatched eggs buried in the manure are going to hatch at a later date, and you better spray again if you want to kill them, or else you will have more flies...and more eggs. So, you have to spray and spray and spray for 40 consecutive days in order to totally stop the infestation..........

Jesus fasted and was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Each day that He didn’t sin, He destroyed a root (egg) of sin until He completely and thoroughly destroyed the sin infestation of satan........

Before Jesus went out into His ministry, He had to be sure that there was nothing behind Him.  He had to know that the devil had already been defeated because Christ had all power and authority over him. There could be no doubt. His position as Son of God, with all authourity over everything He had created in heaven and on earth, had to be confirmed. Satan could have no doubt when in a conflict with Jesus that he would not succeed in any wrestling matches that would surely arise.  Jesus destroyed Satan's unchallenged power right there in the wilderness - He took all authority right there. There were no more eggs, or roots of a sin from this point, on that Jesus hadn't destroyed......

Not only was Satan defeated out there in the wilderness during those 40 days, but Jesus showed satan that there were no more eggs or any roots to come up later when our Savior was preaching and teaching. When you get the root out, it is over, it is done. Jesus was saying, basically, that there was nothing behind Him... no root to sprout an unwelcomed influence, nothing of Satan  rising up and causing Him a problem to come back and haunt Him, or distract Him later when He was ministering to hurting people.

Using that, remember, during your 40 days of Lent, don't just ask God to help you stay off of chocolate, or give up TV, or stop cussing for 40 days. Instead, go for something deeper and more meaningful. Ask Jesus to remove a deep root to the cause of your stumbling.  Make Lent a season of spiritual victory. God love ya.

The Road to Calvary

For many of us Christians, Easter Sunday is the most significant day of the year!  Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, but Resurrection Sunday is about His victory.  Think about it, dear ones, of all the billions in the world, only one man, Jesus Christ of Nazereth, came back to life after His horrible death -  - and still lives. For me, my soul stirs as I remember Jesus' victory over sin, satan, hell and death.
For centuries, Christians have observed a forty-day period of preparation that ends just before Easter - called Lent. They use these very solemn days to focus on what our Lord Jesus taught and went through during His last days on earth.
This Sunday I will be teaching on what Jesus did and how it shapes Lent. We will also be passing out a beautifully printed booklet to be used for the next 40 days called: 'Journey to the Cross - 40 days of discovery'.  You will enjoy a short reading, reflection and a space for meaningful comments for every day of the Lenten period. It's a great way to add meaning to these days & a great time to worship the Lord.
The first day of this special period is called Ash Wednesday.  During Ash Wednesday services, worshipers come forward, and the pastor makes a mark in the shape of a cross on each person's forehead or wrist. Is that kool or what?  The dastardly devil has the no. 666 but we have so much more, we have the cross!
This cross that is placed on the forehead or wrist is made of ashes, usually from palm branches from the previous year.
It might seem gloomy to today's world, but I think it creates a powerful impression on us that reminds us that trouble, sickness, and death came into God's perfect creation because two human beings rebelled and wanted to do it their way. God could have abandoned us, but He didn't.  Instead, He came even closer to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, who became a human being to rescue us.
Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe, because we owed a debt we could never pay. Now, we are free from the debt of sin! Sin has no more hold on us!  Because of Christ death, and resurrection we receive eternal life in heaven.  Those who don't know Jesus as Savior, have a destiny of hell and suffering eternally with Satan.
So Wednesday, Feburary 13th at 7pm come and receive the mark of a Christian - the mark of the cross! Bear it gladly-whether quietly on your wrist or boldly and visibly on your forehead, and if anyone asks about it, tell them: Jesus died and rose again for us!

Victory Celebration

This Sunday at, ‘T SUB’ we’re going to have a special Victory and Celebration service.  Many of us have been fasting for 21 days and are believing that there’s going to be a special anointing from God for this service.

 I know that many of you set apart some time in these twenty one days and you are asking God to do something in your life as well.
 

If you are fasting I want to encourage you today to continue your fast no matter how hard it has been. See it through and remember that ‘some things come only by prayer and fasting’. We are believing that when God’s holy servants lay hands on you Sunday, we will see some promised lands open up that never would have happened without this fast.

If you’re fasting, do not let your flesh, or the devil talk you out of what God has talked you into when you started your holy sacrifice. If you didn’t fast, that’s okay, God wants to move in your life just as much.

God allowed the children of Israel to see the Promised Land ahead of them days before they crossed over the Jordan River and I want to tell you that you are within days of your promised land and if you will stretch your faith you will see your victory coming to you. I believe for many of you, that this Sunday is going to be your day to cross over!

Hold the course, continue to pray with me and I’ll see you Sunday morning for the beginning of your breakthrough blessing.

Fasting for Repentance

We are now six days into our holy 21-day fast.  Those of us at "The SUB" have been denying ourselves many of the pleasures of life and abstaining from food for the purpose of having a deeper walk with God for twenty one days. When we fast, we are fasting because we are seeking a deeper experience with the Lord.  A nice definition of a fast is "to deny yourself food for a spiritual purpose".
 I am writing this article for some people who want to fast but who have major issues in their lives that will hinder the results of their fast. We cannot have a deeper experience with our Father if we are in deliberate sin or practice consistant lifestyle sins. I am not talking about doing wrong once in a while and I am not talking about an "oops" accidental sin. I am talking about walking the sin life everyday, living the sin everyday. An example of this would be adultery, homosexuality, womenizing, prostitution, larseny, murder, living together, thievery, a lying lifestyle, Galatians 5:19 stuff.....it is a sin that you are knowingly committing and are a willing participant in.  If you are in that type of sin then your fast will be a struggle to you because you truly want to have a deeper relationship with God, BUT sin separates you from that sweeter hug. Unfortunately, your perspective in your fast is that you have God's favor, but......you won't have it! You desperately need to fast alright, but you need it to break that strongman. That oppressing sin in your lifestyle will keep His favor from you. You must first have a deeper experience with God by getting Him to help you remove your offense and so remove the barriers that restrict His favor. And that is worth fasting for! I want to commend you for taking on your fast.
     I pray that in your fast God would give you the wisdom, courage and discernment to see that you are being harmed, that He would bring liberty to you, that the devil's hold on you would be broken, that He would give you the deliverance necessary to walk away from that sin and that He would restore you to a totally healthy Christian life as a free person with all of the LORD's blessings.
 It is never easy to change a lifestyle, especially if other people are involved in it with you, because they may have something to say or may lose benefits to themselves when you break away. Prostitution, adultery, drugs, immoral behavior, witchcraft, fortune telling, lying, are all good examples of that type of  bondage. Remember the girl in Ephesians (Acts16:16) who Paul set free from demons? The men who profitted from her were mad at him because they were going to lose the money they made off of her.
    In all of these types of situations you are fasting as a 'fast of repentance'. You want God to break the spell that has bewitched you and tormented you all these years. If you want out of it, a fast-with prayer- and the power of Jesus Christ will get you out of that bondage.
 One example of this 'lifestyle of sin' is the many deceived people who share their living quarters and their bodies with each other outside of marriage because they have "a better financial situation together" than living alone. This is still fornication or adultery and it is wrong according to God's Word. So for them to fast for a blessing would be a waste of time. You're not going to get God's blessing while you walk opposite of what He has already said in His Word.  What is worse is that you have become an enemy because you know it is wrong and forbidden, you are a hypocrite, or as the Bible describes a person like that, a 'wolf'', which makes you worse than an unbeliever doing it outside of God's covenant. You need to 'fast for repentance'  however. That process must take place so you can get God's favor.
Lets look at another situation. You may be in ka-hootz with someone who is stealing money from someone through some clever loophole in life and this easy money is filling your wallet on a regular basis.  Examples of this can be conspiracy to defraud through unemployment, social security checks for elderly parents, or welfare checks, food stamp fraud. Messing with the time clock at work is also in this category that we are using for an example. (Proverbs 11:1 says, "The LORD hates cheating, but He delights in honesty." (NLT) There are many others ways but they are all sins and you can't fast for God's blessing while these things are a part of your life...you won't get the blessing.  You may be deceived to think that you have gotten away with this and it is not hurting you and that life is good........but you need to know it is not God but satan that is making your life comfortable and you will definitely be caught. The Bible warns us of this with these powerful words 'be sure your sin will find you out, Num.32:23.'
   So to conclude: in your desire to get free, know that your fast, along with your troubled conscious, is God's plans to help free you, along with your prayers. Now go to a leader who has the Spirit of God in them, male or female, who can agree with you and has the visible, anointed power of God and get that person to anoint you and bring Jesus' peace into your life.... maybe for the first time in your life!

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.