Two Leaders and Their Strategies to Conquer Humanity

Two Leaders and their Strategies to Conquer Humanity[1]
An enormous war is raging for all of humanity. On one side is Lucifer, the lord of darkness, whose name ironically means angel of light. On the other side is Jesus Christ, calling his troops to overcome evil with good.[2] Let us examine the strategies of these two generals and their armies.
Lucifer
Use you imagination and visualize the throne of the evil one with smoke coming out and a huge company of demons with their hooks, chains and weapons of torture listening to their leader at his capital in Babylon. Hear the demons squeal and squeak in delight as they hear their leader describe their strategy for the domination of humanity.
“My dear military, we will continue to  go forth to conquer all of humankind. Our enemies can never win against our strategy. I am assigning each and every one of you to different nations, cities, families and individuals where you may all create havoc, disorder and destruction. We will infiltrate every arena of society from the media, to education, to churches and political systems and men’s powers will be defenceless against our onslaught.
We will convince people that they do not need anyone, but themselves, and in this they will become isolated and chained where we can wreak havoc in their lives. They will fall into our deception and our strategy which will lead them to be bound and blind because they can not say no to what we have to offer. You will all continue to spin the lives of humanity in generational downward spirals which will lead to the destruction of billions and ultimately to their own self-destruction.
The first step in our strategy is to get people to live for riches. If we can get them to live for material wealth and possessions then we will begin the process of owning their hearts. Once this has taken place, then we will overwhelm them with a desire for vain honor. They will live for vanity and believe that if they can be honored, respected and loved by men, then they will be truly happy. Yet, my sweet infantry, you can continue to tear their lives, families, and cities apart as they believe the illusion that being glorified by others will bring authentic satisfaction. Then we will have them in our throes and lead them to living a life led by pride.
Pride is the ultimate stronghold from which all other evils come from. When they are only living for themselves, yes, then every power of lust, jealousy, greed, hatred and destruction will be their lord and master.  They may think that they are truly living for their own happiness and power, but we will be their masters and there will be no need for them to believe in us or in our enemies. We will be their lords and they will bow down to our altars while thinking that they are their own masters. I send you out to wreak havoc and destruction and bait humanity  first with riches, second with vain glory, and finally with pride. When they give in to our strategy, then they will be our peons and possessions. They will belong to us and we can do with them whatever we want to do. Let us ride out to steal, kill and destroy every semblance of their creator and let them believe that their lives are in their own hands.
Can you hear the chains, hooks and weapons of the evil ones rattling and their voices squealing? Can you hear them chant the names of the nations, cities, and individuals they have been assigned to destroy? Are they mentioning your country, your city, your church or even your name? Could they have a plan to seed your live with the illusion of living for riches, vanity and pride?
Jesus Christ
On the other side we find a humble yet very attractive Jesus Christ who is calling us all to be his apostles (sent ones) to bring his kingdom into every corner and crack of the world. Full of compassion, tenderness and love he begins to describe his strategy.

“Thank you for hearing the call and heart beat of my father which is reaching a hurting and dying world. We want to reach this world with my love and power. Know that our strategy is very different to the ways of this world. I am calling you out to be salt and light and build communities of radical love and service. I am calling you to wash the feet of the ones around you and love them the way that I love and serve you.
First, I am calling you to live lives of spiritual poverty. This means that you will live as I live in complete dependence on my Father. Through the help of my Spirit, you will do what I am doing and say what I am saying together with me to the people of your world.[3] Your identity will not be found in what you do or what you have or even in what people think of you, but in the voice of my father continually saying, ‘You are my beloved child and I am proud and pleased with you.’[4]
This will give you the strength and stability to follow me in suffering. In order to follow me, you must daily deny yourself, pick up you cross and come after me.[5] People will ridicule you, spit on you and hate you. But I am calling you not to live a life led by a desire for revenge or even to be respected, but by a desire to be obedient and to love. Will you  fill up your flesh with what is still lacking in regard to my afflictions, for the sake of my body, which is the church? [6]Do you realize if you lose your life for me and my kingdom, you will gain it?[7]  Are you willing to suffer and give up everything for me? If so, then you are prepared to live a live of Humility.
True Humility leads to a life of real satisfaction, contentment, security, learning and love. Your entire reality and value is grounded in being created and redeemed by me. I was called both a lion and a lamb and so you to must learn when to be like a lion and when to be like a lamb.[8] True humility is power under the control of my love. 
When the world sees a radical army following me in spiritual poverty, suffering and true humility, then there will be no demon in hell that can stop us. Will you join me in loving the poor, the rejected, the unclean, and the undesirable with my love? Will you pray and bless your enemies and forgive those who despise you the way that I forgave the ones who crucified me? Will you conquer evil with good? Will you forget your rights to be offended and be an ambassador of reconciliation? Will you say, ‘Jesus Christ my life and all that I have is not my own. It all belongs to you. My life, my money, my family, my future, my education, EVERYTHING belongs to you. It is no longer mine, but yours.”
Out of this kind of true humility comes my love, power, peace, holiness and every other godly virtue. I am calling you to establish communities of my followers who will show the world that my kingdom is not about rules, but about righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.[9] It is not simply about talk, but about power.[10] You all  will exemplify radical generosity, love and service in a way that the world is longing to see. Instead of taking, you will give; instead of hating you will love; and you will demonstrate that the way to authentic freedom and life is dying to yourselves in order to live for me and my kingdom. How will you answer my call to come and follow me in spiritual poverty, suffering and humility?




[1] Based on Meditation on Two Standards from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
[2] Romans 12:21
[3] John 5:19
[4] Mark 1:11
[5] Matthew 16:24
[6] Colossians 1:24
[7] Matthew 16:25
[8] Revelation 5:5, 6
[9] Romans 14:17
[10] I Cor. 4:20

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thankyou! I needed to read this. Will take time to read it more concentrated. Love, Jeannette

Popular posts from this blog

Ten more weeks...

T. L. Osborn - A Man Who Made God's Message His Own