V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 18

THE POWER OF PERSUASION

“Wherefore He say’s, awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light. See then that you walk circumspectly (cautiously), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is”. (Ephesians 4:14-17)

In this age of instant information it is difficult to escape the flood of politics along with the discouragement of being constantly disappointed in our leaders, but we must always remember – there are reasons why things are the way they are and much of it has to do with the failure of Christians – to be Christians. Since leaders are “selected” by a majority, our political mess reveals the ugly fact that ungodly leadership is a reflection of a high percentage of ungodly people. Allow me to say that it is a blessing to live in a free democratic system but when the fear of God is thrown out and His Word becomes insignificant in the matters of earthly importance – that society is going down a dead-end street! The default system has always been corrupt (and always will be) which is the very reason to not support it or become absorbed in it. We cannot “convert” the system without the people being born again because everyone is blind until Jesus opens their eyes. Even when Christians are elected and public religious presentations are attempted, they can very quickly become politically motivated and carnally contaminated from the “system”. What are we to do? Stay focused on your relationship with Jesus and follow His instructions with everyone you come in contact with.

Yes I vote, but how far should I get caught up in the chaos of a presidential race that will result in another puppet face which is actually controlled by the powers of the satanically controlled default system? I’m not trying to paint a picture of negativity but rather exposing the destiny of a fallen world. We must believe God’s Word is true and that it reveals the continuing deterioration of the human conscience. The growing rejection and absence of God’s presence will result in the “Day of the Lord” apocalypse that has been prophesied and is waiting on the horizon. Now, brother what are you saying; that I should become like the Amish and live an isolated life away from the airwaves? Are you saying to block out the world and only be filled with God’s Word and learning how to know Him more intimately? I will let you answer that. I am saying that as I talk to friends at work or even strangers while pumping gas, my conversation sounds like the worry and anxiety of a non-believer. I am absorbing so much pessimistic garbage from the media that I am starting to talk like this world is my home. If I am truly a spiritual visitor from the Divine Reality, I need to share the good news about how to be delivered from the entanglements of this evil deception. I need to believe the gospel is the cure to heal the disease of hopelessness. I need to share how we all can live happy and be filled with God’s joy even as the world grows cold and more distant to His truth. So if I believe that I can make a difference – why don’t I do it?

People are not lacking passion – they are lacking Jesus! Humans have always been stubborn and violent when it comes to fighting for what they believe. How many people have been killed over theological doctrine? The Crusades, the Catholic Church, the Middle Eastern wars and even Jesus Himself was killed over Biblical disagreement. But violence is driven by emotions not necessarily truth, which is why without Jesus – all people are dangerous! This brings us to the heart of the problem and that is; the majority of all people are uninformed about most subjects! The old nature is filled with “opinions” about everything yet understands very little about anything. The natural mind constructs worldviews on the foundations of personal preference the way a child chooses which crayon to color with. We are convinced about what we believe but most of the time we do not have a clue to how we came to our conviction. We daily wade in the mire of information that is too much for us to process as we sit in the seat of judgment about issues we do not comprehend and do not have time to research. (We can now see more clearly why there are thousands of different churches that believe differently and why pride prevents them from respecting each other). The daily avalanche of knowledge is more than we need to process because – we simply need to spend more time with Jesus.

The natural mind protects its convictions by building a fortified castle around conclusions and automatically provides the pride of false security with being armed and ready to attack or defend. But those who have given themselves completely to the Divine Reality are too busy bowing before the King who rules the seat of their soul with red-hot enthusiasm as they worship The Lord who rules on their hearts throne. God’s children are letting go of the entanglements and cutting ties with this worlds system because they can feel it dragging them down with the heaviness of sin. They are removing it from their eyes and ears because the confusion is bombarding their mind and preventing them from focusing clearly on the voice of Christ. They are armed and ready not with political or religious arguments but with the “Word power” of freedom! God’s Word releases us from the chaos and misery of worry and anxiety by giving us a new way of thinking, a new Kingdom to concentrate on and a loving Savior to adore forever. We are not representatives of a cursed world – we represent The Kingdom of God and Jesus as its King of all Kings! We walk in God’s truth and are used as vessels to manifest His anointing and super-natural signs, wonders and miracles! We stand and obey His will, no matter what the default system does and we will not be moved or persuaded to follow the voice of a stranger!

Human nature was described by Jesus Himself as being like a sheep. It is a fact that sheep are dumb, need to be led and are scared of their own shadow. (In the natural realm which is more wise and the deeper thinker; a sheep or a fox?) This is why God wants to fill us with His Holy Spirit so we can walk in His “dynamite” power and wisdom. We cannot afford to function in the old man mentality because that nature cannot see or understand spiritual reality. The bible is filled with God pleading to His people to pull away from the distractions of this world and “learn” His spiritual knowledge and wisdom so they might rise above the crippling disease of ignorance. Our enemy laughs at how easy it is to “persuade” humans and has designed this entire default system around deceiving them and destroying their lives. Instead of walking around in a carnal stupor we need to see the true “reality” of who we are, where we are and what we are doing so we might know where we need to change and how to break free from the negative influences that keep us in bondage. Once we have heard the truth about change and know it is from God, we are held accountable to be His good and faithful servant.

Now, brother Billy let’s not get fanatical about the dangers of being saturated in the default system, we know how tempting its persuasion can be. Well, that is one of the problems my friend, we know about it but do not seem to have the revelation that will cause us to stop indulging in it. The power of persuasion does not always happen instantly but is very effective by using repetition. This is the golden rule of the advertisement and marketing industry and is the most productive forms of temptation by the media. Have you ever thought about the raging daily battle for our attention? Living and walking in the Spirit of God (the Divine Reality) is the awareness of His presence and “thinking” about Our Heavenly Father constantly. The devil knows what the Divine Reality is and uses anything he can to “push out” our thoughts of God and replace them with thoughts that concern our success and pleasure. Our mind can become so crowded with “busy thinking” that we lose the purpose and urgency of our mission. The fallen world system knows that whatever has priority in our brain is what we will focus on because whatever sits on the throne of our heart is what we will obey. Whatever is in the well will come up in the bucket which means the thoughts in our conscience will rule our words and actions. If the enemy can rule everyone’s mind – he can rule the world! I watch television sometimes but I know there is something wrong with intentionally exposing myself to a system that has designed this distraction as a weapon of war. I must be convincing myself that my mental resistance is stronger than the power of the devil’s persuasion! I must be arrogant to believe I can handle going back and forth from His presence to the default like a ping pong ball! Why do I torture myself with guilt after allowing myself to be mesmerized with a world of illusion and emptiness? Why would I choose anything like entertainment, materialism or the cares of this world over being in the glory of The Almighty? Because I have not become desperate for His presence! I have been lulled into an existence of trying to live with one foot in the Divine and the other in the default.

I enjoy the fruit of the abundant Covenant life but when I become fat and lazy with all of my blessings, I have crossed over into a self-absorbed carnality that God never intended! Living only for my flesh is a trait of the old man because that is how the ungodly live but “investing” our life into God’s Kingdom is multiplying God’s Word! Walking in His Spirit means we desire to please Him in all of our decisions – all the time. Every time you have a thought or speak a word, ask yourself – who am I honoring, God or the devil? If you are not honoring God, you are by “default” honoring the devil! Becoming desperate for Jesus will require us to let go of the weights of sin that drags and prevents us from winning the race. Today, who has the “power of persuasion” in your life?