This is that special time when we are supposed to take that extra moment to think about the past year and reflect on how blessed we are as Americans to have freedom! The major underlying freedom our American forefathers died for was freedom of religion. In light of the recent world events with the September 11^th attack and today’s newspaper headline proclaiming 1,200 marine troops in combat having just landed in Kandahar Afghanistan. One cannot help but have the realization of what we are fighting for and how things are so different this year. Do you realize that God is all about freedom? God is Love and He so loved us that He not only gave us the choice to love or reject Him knowing in advance that we would. The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians that He then humbled Himself as the Christ, died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, so that we all have the choice to saved by grace through faith in Christ! He loved us so much that He gave us a second chance to know love, that perfect kind of love that can deal with every person and every situation.

I am so thankful to have you as a part of the ministry of Saints Alive.

This is the Season

The absolutely most important thing we can do right now is begin to prepare for our upcoming holiday opportunities to share the love of Christ to our friends and family. The most effective way for us to prepare is with intercession. This is the one time of year that we have opportunity that we often do not have on a daily basis to spend time with family and friends.

I have two older brothers who are not saved. The reason I mention this is because the Lord has laid it upon my heart this year to do things differently this year. I don’t want to end up in the same old arguments or dead end conversation that are all too familiar. If you all ways do the same thing as you’ve done before, then expect what you’ve always gotten. This year I am willing to do whatever it takes to see my brothers breakthrough with the Lord. I ask and pray that you would consider your commitment to breakthrough with your loved one.

The issue of forgiveness is another important issue the Lord put on my heart. Read Matt 18:21-35 for yourself. This chapter lays out several important points that may hinder you in your witness. Many of us have issues of past situations and experiences with our loved ones that have brought division and unforgiveness between us.

You need to pray and release that person before you can expect a break through. You also need to pursue reconciliation and restore anything the enemy has taken from between you and them. If you have not completely forgiven them, you have essentially put yourself in prison spiritually and limited the borders of your spiritual domain that God has given you.

We need to pray with FAITH - Faith is not just believing in something. It is much more powerful that belief. Faith is standing on the Word of God – both in Scripture and "Rhema" spoken words the Holy Spirit speaks to you.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "Without Faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Romans 10:17 says that Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. When we are "hearing" – this is active, not something we’ve heard in the past. I am going to list several "Things to Pray" and during your prayer times this holiday, recite these scriptures and speak them over your loved one. Use the Word as a position from which to attack the enemy. Jesus gave us this example during His temptation in the wilderness. His victory came when He said, "It is written…." Read Luke 4

Acts 26:17b-18: "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."(NIV)

2 Tim 2:25-26: "Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."(NIV)

Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— His good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)

John 5:14-15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us— whatever we ask— we know that we have what we asked of Him."

Col 4:3-6: "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (NIV)

"Prayer is not just folding your hands and shooting a one-liner up to God."

Pray the way Jesus said to: Matt 6:9-15 "This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

The Lord’s Prayer is not a 15 second prayer or Mantra you recite.

1. Pray with someone: Mark 6:7, Deut. 32:30, Jn. 8:17, Heb.11:37

* If you can, pray with another family member and/or with your spouse.

Also, you can do this over the phone if you need to.

2. Pray with Scriptures: 1Thes 2:13 "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." (NIV)

3. Pray on the Armor of God

Eph.6:10-12,18 * Do this before you engage in spiritual warfare.

4. Pray Consistently and "Fervently" (James 5:16).

* Don’t get too busy and become distracted during the holiday rush and back off. The enemy will try to do this especially if you are just about to breaking through.

5. Set aside a daily special time and place that minimizes distraction. *Jesus often went off alone to pray - Matt:26:36

6. Use a prayer list, prayer journal or plan to make good use of time, being detailed and thorough for everyone you pray for. Pray for special needs they have. What is the one need they have, that if God met it – they would see the reality of His love and not be able to deny it? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things to you prophetically. Hab.2:2, Jer.30:2

Call or Write Saints Alive and your local Church and put your loved one on a Prayer Chain/List. Fill out the card enclosed with this newsletter and send it to us.

Whether or not your friend or loved one is a Christian believer, they have evidently been blinded by Satan. You need to pray in a specific way, doing spiritual warfare against the demonic blindness which has taken him.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says "if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."(KJV)

This illustrates the problem that those in both Mormonism and Masonry have—it is difficult to discuss reasonably the faith with them because of the spiritual darkness, which blinds them. This is what makes them so difficult to witness to, and why prayer is the key.

We must wrestle spiritually with the Masonic principalities and powers (Eph.6:12). "Baal," "Hiram Abiff" and "Tubalcain" are key demonic principalities which blind the Freemason. Likewise, "Mormo," the Satanic god of the dead and "Moroni," the false messenger, and Mechizedek, (priestcraft) are key demonic principalities of Mormonism. These can also be strongholds in their lifestyle such as fornication, premarital sex or drug use.

You must take authority over them as a believer in Christ and bind their influence away from that friend or loved one, at least for a season (Matt. 16:19, 18:18,20). As I said earlier, if you can find others in a prayer group or your church to agree in prayer with you, so much the better!

Use your authority as a believer to literally cast out the demons which may be oppressing him/her/them at least for a short time—long enough for you to share the truth! You need to pray against these deceitful spirits in advance, perhaps for weeks. Read Mark.16:17

As Paul writes in 2 Cor.10:4-5: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (KJV) Pray like this, and "soften the soil" upon which you are going to scatter your seeds before you approach the battle.

Finally, the last thing I want to bring up is this: It is NOT your job to convict or convince your loved one of their sin. This is the job of the Holy Spirit. This is good news because you are not alone in this battle. You have the greatest tag team partners in the ring with you – Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Let God do what He does, and just be willing to do whatever it takes. If you feel your heart beating hard and a strong leading to say or do something – JUST DO IT! Don’t wait until next time. You never know when and if that will ever be.

* This is an excerpt from my new booklet on Islam.

It is Islamic ideology that the world is divided into two: The Islamic "Dar e-Salaam" or House of Islam or House of Peace. Opposing this "Dar e-Salaam" is the "Dar e-Harb" or House of War into which all infidels fall. There can be no peace for Islam until the entire "Dar e-Harb" falls to the "Dar e-Salaam". So this is a fight to the finish. Islam must be victorious or be vanquished. There can be no effective defense against Islam or any effective Christian outreach to its people until we understand this volatile religious challenger of our faith and our way of life.

We must understand that the large majority of Muslims living in the United Sates have come here to live lives of peace and prosperity. Many have said that life here is wonderful, marvelous and contribute much to our society. Many fathers and husbands are able to release their daughters and wives to live life freely, openly, without degradation or sexual mutilation in the name of Allah. They can go to school, be educated, have careers, drive cars, go to the movies…marry whom they love.

After speaking to many who study these things, I would guess that over 90% of the Muslims in America live such lives in peace, having Americanized their faith without compromising their beliefs.

However, that leaves 10% who maintain the fundamentalism of radical Islam. The percentage is small, but the actual number of such Muslims in America alone is about 600,000.

If we took just ten percent of that number, we would have 60,000 Muslims here who maintain that we are the great Satan and must either bow to Allah or be slain in his holy name. A tenth of that small minority leaves us with a pool of about 6,000 extremist Muslim terrorists, such as those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, living here among us, as an Islamic Fifth Column. For those too young to remember the Second World War, a Fifth Column is a group of people, although residing, even as citizens of the United States, act traitorously and subversively on behalf of an enemy.

On a global basis, with over a billion Muslims and dealing with just 20% falling into this fundamentalist group, we have 200 million fundamentalists and over 20 million Muslims who have a Jihad world view. Following my one tenth of one percent formula, we are left with a pool of over 2 million "terrorists for Allah" out there.

My estimates in this area were confirmed when I recently watched an MSNBC special report during which an expert calculated that she [a Dr. Hunter] estimated the number of extreme radicals in countries where Islam is in the majority, to be double my figures.

This is going to be a long and difficult war against the likes of Osama bin Laden and we must know what we are dealing with. Through all this, we must never let fear and anger against that one tenth of one percent jade our hearts and actions against the ones who live among us as friends and neighbors. We must let them see the love of Christ in us, remembering that we are all made in His image, and His Son died for us all. Anything less would be to deny the call of Christ in our lives.

President Bush commented recently that while we need to be in a state of high alert and we should not fall into a state of fear or revenge. As Christians, we need to be in intercession for this people group and prepare ourselves to be His hand extended, His ambassadors, girded up and prepared according to Chapter 6th of the book of Ephesians, with our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace so we may open our mouths to boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

The E-mail Box

Dear Ed;

I was recently asked to be a table leader at Men's Discovery Weekend. I gladly accepted. Then I was told that there was one more thing. I was a mason. I asked, so what? Then they told me and gave me a brochure by you, Ed Decker. I immediately submitted this resignation letter and asked God to forgive me for my ignorance for these last twenty years.

God Bless You Ed Decker In His Service> Tony B

June 24, 2001

I am submitting this as a letter of resignation, effective immediately, for any and all affiliations with this or any other Masonic organization, including but not limited to blue lodge, Scottish rites and Joppa temple shrine.

I have been involved in this organization for about twenty years. I joined in good faith and thought I knew what I was joining. Most all of the men I knew who were "masons" were honorable people. This is still true today. My father, my father’s father, and a number of my family were in this organization during their lives.

However; I did not know until recently that the organization was in such conflict with the Holy Bible and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began my walk with Jesus much later in life. Nevertheless, I now know the true meaning of life. After reviewing the principles of freemasonry and the Bible, I see the contradictions. I could reference many scriptures, but that could go on for a long while. Those who are truly familiar with the Holy Bible know the ones to which I refer. However, for the benefit of those who may not, I reference:

• Freemasonry teaches that members must swear oaths on the Bible that involve mutilation and murder of human beings. But, the New Testament forbids the taking of oaths (Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12) The Bible also forbids taking God’s name in vain and committing murder (Exodus 20:7,13).

• Freemasonry teaches members should address their leaders with titles like "Worshipful Master" and kneel before them. But, the Bible commands us to call no one master save Jesus (Matthew 6:24; 23:8-10) and to worship none except God (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8,9).

I renounce, reject, and repent of every word that has ever proceeded out of my mouth against My Lord or His Holy Word. I cancel its power and dedicate my mouth to speak right things. My mouth shall utter truth. I break any and all bonds or oaths that were taken by me while a member of this organization, during the three-degree periods of study or any other time whatsoever. I break the power of any curses or oaths that any member of my family may have spoken in the Masonic lodge, whether in this generation or in generations past. I release any and all promises of allegiance to freemasonry in its entirety and in any form whatsoever.

It is not my intention to offend anyone affiliated with freemasonry. Each man must choose his own direction. I have lived for many years on my own. I now choose to walk with the Lord and none other. My desire is no longer to please man, but to please God.

In Christ Anthony B.

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Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 12:54 PM

DEAR ED,

I just wanted to write and give you some good news. Several years ago i contacted you and asked prayer for my wife who was a Mormon. In may of this year she finally accepted Christ as lord and savior. I have witnessed a great change in her life {2 Corinthians 5:17} i praise god for answering prayers. I would like to thank you for the prayers and for the ministry in which you serve. May god bless you greatly and your ministry.

Love in Christ, Marlon V.

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To: ed@saintsalive.com
I live in Provo, Utah and am not LDS. I have noticed over the past week that none of the 4 churches in my neighborhood were flying the American flag. (Yesterday we did find one). I called my sister who lives in Spanish Fork and brought this up to her as well, She checked her local ward and they did not have their flag flying either. Any idea why? Second, I heard that the President asked the LDS people to not spend money yesterday? Can you validate that? In light of concern for our economic security this seems to go against everything our Government has asked of us.          Thank You and God Bless

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From: Ed Decker To: Dawn

Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 9:48 PM

Subject: RE: Mormons Told not to hang Flags from Church Buildings

Very Strange.... Our church encouraged everyone to hang a flag...mine's out there in front of my house and also suggested that we who can invest in the Stock Market today (we Did) to be an encouragement.

We also took an offering during our Wednesday night church service to send to a church right in the NYC area where the towers are. Just our church alone sent an offering of $51,000 to this church working around the clock with the rescue teams.

Teddy told them to take the American flag that was flying from it and remove it. If the President of the USA wasn't good enough to go into that building, it wasn't a place that deserved to fly the flag... It came down and never went back up on the building.. I pray that every Person in Utah fly a flag from his/her home, car, place of business and let's all be Americans first.  And Mormons should take the encouragement of the US President and get back into the economy and In Christ, your brother  Ed

Mr. Decker,

I just wanted to thank you for the timely reply. I have 5 sisters 3 of us are "Ex-Mormons for Jesus" . 4 of us live in Utah. In order to effectively witness for Christ you have to stay educated in the " Ever changing world of Mormonism". Most of the time that load is very heavy. But nothing surpasses the moment of seeing a soul come to Christ, I do not think there is a greater reward on this earth. You have in a very direct way been responsible for my finding the Lord and my husband as well. This has been more than 15 years ago.

    I do not know why the No Flag issue was bearing heavy on my heart but it was, I never knew about President Roosevelt and his visit to SLC. As I said I do not know why that was/is heavy on my heart but I am sure the Lord has put it there for a reason. Again Thank you for your reply and most of all THANK YOU for helping us sever our church ties and find JESUS CHRIST! God Bless.
Dawnya

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Dear Saints Alive:

You must be kidding, right?  Harry Potter?  He's not a wiccan, pagan, or any ther modern day equivalent.  There is nothing in any of the books or the movie that suggests a belief or practice that is actually involved in modern day witch craft.  I have been a serious student of all religions, finally settling on the one true faith, Christianity.  I do not believe in observing Halloween, Christmas, or any other pagan-related Holiday.  I know what paganism and witchcraft entail, and Harry Potter isn't it.  The only thing I can see that the author, J.K. Rowling is guilty of is imagination.  The things that go on in the books and the movie are pure fantasy.  Any serious student of Christianity knows that none of those things are possible without the help of G*D.  Paganism and Wicca are empty religions that don't get results.  That is why so many Pagans and Wiccans turn from the "craft" and become born again Christians.  If you are a genuine seeker of Truth, you will only realize that there is one true path, and it is holding the hand of G*D.  There is nothing to fear from the likes of Harry Potter; if you accuse people of saying you and your organization are "intolerant" it is because you are flying off the handle in a most uneducated and ridiculous manner.  Allowing your fear that something "might" happen is blinding you to the good qualities in the movies and books: parents are spending time with their children, children are learning about bravery and friendship (I'm certain these qualities were very important to Jesus Christ), and people are finding a commonality that allows them to love themselves and each other.  These are all very special and important for people who are learning how to be good Christians. 

With due Concern,
Helene in Oklahoma

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And The Word Became Flesh>>>>>

Thank you so much for all the work you did in putting together Scripture in one place and making it easy to read by "dividing" it into parts so it makes it easier to understand.

We know it must have taken a lot of time, and just wanted to let you know that the time and work is greatly appreciated!!

In Christ,
Roxanne

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Dear Ed, I know that you have received a lot of rap, for leaving the Mormon Church. I think everyone who has left receives it now and then. I am an Ex-Mormon and a RM (retuned missionary). I am the last of five siblings to finally leave the teachings of Joseph Smith. I met a dear friend of mine on the Mormon Trail Wagon Train. He was not LDS. We have become very close and talk about religion all the time. In one of our many conversations, we were talking about a book he was reading. "No Man Knows My History."

He wanted to see if I disagreed with what the author was saying. As he was reading I found no fault, but wanted to read it for myself. So he sent me a copy. I was in shock and felt sick. As I got further into the book I became scared and wanted to know if God was going to condemn me for what I had done in while I was a Missionary. I led others astray and felt very guilty for it. He said "No, God is not going to punish you for that, you are innocent". I threw away my LDS scriptures and burned my temple garments.

I know have done the right thing. I know, because my testimony is based on Jesus Christ and not on Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ is my best friend and I gained that relationship while I was a Missionary. God works in mysterious ways :) As I would share my testimony I would talk about my relationship with Jesus Christ and I would get these looks from the members like, she didn't mention Joseph Smith like it was a bad thing. Go figure? Then as I read the book more I became spiritually hungry, does that make sense? I wanted to know the truth and I was seeking it. I read books on the Christian belief, and wanted more.

I feel like the LDS Church cheated me and feel disappointed. All this time (28 years) I felt I was doing what Heavenly Father wanted me to do and felt I was worshipping Him. My eyes have now been opened to know I was not worshipping Him, but I was worshipping the God of this world. That scares me to know that. It makes me sick. I am now looking into the Orthodox Church and I can say I am very happy.

Thank You, Amy,

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Dear Ed: I am very glad that I sent off a letter today to Gordon B. Hinckley. Since late last year, I have known in my mind and heart that the Mormonism that I once would have died for is a false religion. But, in order to keep peace with my zealot wife, I went ahead and put on an act pretending to be a devout elder in the church. Well, I had a long talk with my bishop and home teacher about Brigham Young’s and Joseph Smith’s views on Adam as the Mormon heavenly father. It seemed as though I was talking to an automaton. He essentially said, "Well, so what if they did? We don’t do it any more." He asked me what I was looking for in life. I told him I was looking for truth and that I’ve made a covenant to support a lie. Then he began with an accusation that I have strayed far from Jesus Christ and his doctrines. I replied that I’ve never been closer to the Lord.

Ed, I've never doubted the Bible. My mother on her death bed told me that Mormonism was wrong. But I didn't listen to her, and accepted the Mormon interpretation of Biblical scriptures. But I do know that Mormonism

is a deceitful religion that has distorted the very essence of Christianity. Like I told you, I have, over twenty-five years, brought 65 people into the Mormon Church. I know that I was blinded by my own desire for Mormonism to be true, but I lied to those people. Some came into the church because I swore in

the name of Jesus Christ that Brigham Young never taught the Adam-God doctrine. Now that I know that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were false prophets, I

feel much better, but am very sad that I deceived those people who were looking for the truth.

The letter I wrote and mailed tonight expressed my heartfelt desire to do what is right and let the consequence follow. I felt very good when I mailed it, and hope that my name will not be defamed by the hierarchy of the Mormon Church.

Your friend, Rusty N.

copyright 2001, Ed Decker/Saints Alive in Jesus