Have you ever been to Roswell, New Mexico? Ask someone about it and they will most likely speak of aliens, Area 51, and UFO encounters. In Roswell, the local McDonald’s looks like a flying saucer, and the light posts have alien heads. It’s a unique place for certain.
Should you ever land there during the month of July, you might think the aliens have finally landed. Galacticon is an annual convention that celebrates all things alien. A steampunk ball, costume contests, cosplay, art booths, workshops, and the Roswell Sci-Fi Film Fest are just a few things to enjoy.
I’m starting to get an alien type feeling about America. It’s like overnight, aliens have landed and taken control. Maybe I’ll ask Santa for an Alien Laser Blaster for Christmas.
Searching scripture for answers, I find something remarkable about Joseph and Daniel. Both of them were able to live in a world that was alien to them.
Joseph lived in Egypt and Daniel lived in Babylon. In their day, these cities were centers of worldly power, much like America is today. Although separated from God’s people, they were still able to live victoriously in the midst of idolatry and paganism. One of the reasons for their triumph was that they came to grips with a truth that many people struggle to accept. That is, life includes many factors outside of our immediate control. Yet, in their case, they maintained purity while surrounded by paganism.
Sometimes we are responsible for the mess we find ourselves in, but sometimes, the world simply caves in on us regardless of our actions. It is often those moments where we find ourselves in the test of a lifetime. This is where Joseph and Daniel excelled. This is where we must excel. Because God was their center, they both became world changers.
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, put in chains, taken to Egypt, and sold into slavery. Then because of his purity and integrity, he was unjustly thrown into prison and forgotten. A pretty good test of your faith is what you do when you are rewarded with evil, stuffed away in a prison, and then forgotten. Joseph later explained it to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid” (Gen. 50:20–21).
Daniel was taken captive to a foreign land and put under the control of a King who did not believe in Daniel’s God. Scripture records Daniel’s conviction of faith, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way” (Daniel 1:8).
Because of Daniel’s faith, the people around the King’s court set a trap for Daniel and attempted to make him suffer for his faith in God and the favor he had built with the King. They made Daniel the main course for the lions that day, but God placed those hungry lions on a Daniel fast, and his life was spared.
Both Joseph and Daniel knew what it meant to live in circumstances they did not control. They were able to remain victorious, even when life was out of their control. They trusted the One God who remains forever in control.
The key to their victory is discovered in the fact that God was the center of their lives. He was the one non-negotiable from which everything else in their life flowed. They maintained purity and they lived holy because they refused to compromise their center. Their belief in God was the one thing that they would never alter or adjust, even while under alien occupancy. For them, it was God first and God only.
Do you have the kind of steadfastness, serenity and trust that allows you to live in circumstances that are forced upon you? I sense that both you and I are going to need it. It is only possible if you really believe that God is in control and will use it all for His ultimate good. Paul said it this way, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
I don’t have an Alien Laser Blaster, but I do have something that is very quick, extremely powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword. So, with sword in hand, my game plan for alien invasion is this.
1. Keep God as my center without compromise.
2. Maintain a biblical standard of holiness in my daily life.
3. Use my voice to speak truth against alien tactics.
4. Hide behind the Cross and lift Christ up so mankind can be drawn to Him. 5. Bear His light because light will forever be undefeated against darkness.
I’m looking for some people who will join the fight. Meet me at the altar every day and let us “fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).