September 19 & 20, 2008
Dear
Fellow Aliens in a Hostile World,
Our gracious Father desperately wants all people to
receive His love. All are loved by Him. He has paid the enormous price
for the healing of the breach between Himself and each individual in
this physical world. God so loved the world, i.e. the people.
The “world system” that surrounds us, however, is not
people. It is a system steeped in religion and tradition that tries to
choke out the seeds of faith and love God has planted. This system is
our enemy. It is evil. The system is controlled by the old defeated
snake spirit whose only remaining power is now what we give him. The
“world” defined by John is, “- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of
his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does.”
The present governments of the earth are doomed. No
matter how much the wanna be leaders promise to care for us as if they
were God, they can only attempt to steer a huge sinking ship that has
taken on too much water. I believe that in Daniel’s picture of
governments, the rock has struck the feet of iron mixed with clay, and
the massive statue is beginning to fall.
This present age is transitioning into the millennial
reign of King Jesus over the entire earth. We who are His Body, His
Ambassadors, are His agents through whom He will rule, and under whose
feet He will soon crush Satan. We are to be as wise as serpents and
harmless as doves. We need to see clearly our enemies and know how we
are to fight. Most Christians have been taught our three enemies are
the devil, our flesh, and the world. This is true.
The devil is defeated and only has power in our lives
when we give it to him by fear or disobedience.
Our flesh was crucified with Jesus on the cross in the
waters of our baptism. Yet, this anti-Christ entity keeps coming back
to life and invading our temples, saying, “I am God. Serve me.”
Religious sin-management systems tend to keep this dead thing alive.
Like the devil, our old nature exists only when we allow it.
The world, however, is still a ravaging, unchecked,
ravenous evil that has trapped many of our comrades in its seductive
clutches. Jesus has overcome the world, and now we are to join Him in
the victory. The battle rages on.
In his classic The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, “If
you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of
a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every
victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the
enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every
battle.”
Selah!
Who are you? What is your authority? What are the
weapons of your warfare? Do you know how to use them? Are you well
practiced and disciplined? Are you receiving your orders clearly and
responding quickly? Do you know where you fit in His army of light?
Are you looking up as your redemption draws near? Are you living as a
new creation, or have you resurrected the old dead sinner? Are you
thinking with the mind of Christ? Are you about setting creation free
from its bondage? Are your assets securely invested in the eternal
Kingdom, or are your savings evaporating under the growing appetite of
the beast?
Great questions for us! Here is how I would begin to
answer the first one: “I am a son/daughter of God. I am the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am holy and set apart as His
vessel. I am the Frank Smith expression of Christ, a form of the
living God. I am the light of the world. I am washed in love. I am
equipped with a towel and a mandate to love others.”
Work your way through all of these questions, and not
just as a religious exercise. Wash your brain in the truth of your
answers. Use the truth as a way to obliterate the religious lies with
which we have all been indoctrinated, contaminated, and emasculated.
God bless us! Father, help us all come to the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness
of Christ..
Fasten your seat belt securely for this present
shaking. Rejoice in all things. Thank God that He is shaking the stuff
out of us that does not belong in His Kingdom. Be courageous in this
awesome time. Fear no man. Fear no devil from hell. Fear only the
possibility of offending our dear heavenly Father, or missing the
assignment of our Lord Jesus, or grieving the Holy Spirit.
My trip went well and, as usual, I met some of my
closest relatives and friends whom I had never met before. What a
wonderful and incredible family we belong to. Betty’s cataract surgery
went well. The “miracle car” died, but I am driving Sarah’s old Honda
for now.
With
love and blessing in the mighty name of Jesus, the rightful ruler of
heaven and earth, whose Kingdom will be obvious soon,
Love,
Frank
