(Philippians 3:20) For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” “Our citizenship is in heaven” is a declarative statement to believers of all generations that our strength, hope, security, validation, recognition, etc. is not rooted in the humanistic systems of this present world which are bombarded with wickedness that operates in the high places of these systems! These systems were originally designed by the Lord to be a Theocracy where He as King would rule over us as His people for our health and well being! These systems over the course of human and world history have become distorted through humanistic and satanic influences leaving a wake of deathly manifestations that were never intended by their Original Creator! Believers have lived with these distorted systems and their deathly manifestations for many generations and that is why it is paramount that every believer must understand that we are in this present world but not of its distorted systems! We must also realize that we are to walk by faith and not by sight, which means, that we must deal with the situations, circumstances, and vicissitudes of life based on the internal reality of our conviction of the principles of our Father’s Word and not on the external distortion of reality that occurs before us existentially! We must recognize that when unfavorable situations arise before us through humanistic/satanic influences we have our Father’s Spirit present within us to “lift up a standard” against the prevailing order! Notice the words, “a standard” meaning the Holy Spirit guides us through His principled wisdom which supercedes all other forms of wisdom which are contradistinctive and antithetical to what our Father originally designed for our health and well being! The Holy Spirit guides our hearts and minds to a contrary disposition of what is the prevailing order no matter how popular or decadent it may be in order to protect us from the deathly manifestations that will undoubtedly occur when evil has run its course! No one can answer to our Heavenly Father for us no matter how much they love us or how close they may be with us, therefore the principles of His word must be our determining factor when making decisions concerning our lives and nothing and no one else! This brings to past my favorite verse in all of scripture: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15 (Another oil point from Theology Nation)
-Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox