DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY OCTOBER 20, 2003

( Matthew 15:9, 1 Timothy 1:7, 4:1-2, 6:3, 2 Timothy 4:3, Colossians 2:8 )

***ANNOUNCEMENT..PLEASE READ: TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL IS LATE DUE TO AN

INCREDIBLE ATTACK ON LIVEPRAYER. PLEASE PRAY FOR US, AND NEVER

FORGET....GOD WINS!!!

***Cults have been an issue the Christian church has had to deal with since

the very first church in the Book of Acts, and continues to be a big problem

today. The fastest growing cult in the United States today is the Mormons.

DO NOT BE DECEIVED INTO THINKING THIS IS SIMPLY ANOTHER CHRISTIAN

DENOMINATION!!! A Mormon is no more a Christian than a Muslim is because

they deny the Jesus of the Bible. Their jesus is NOT the Jesus of the

Bible!!!

This Devotional today is NOT meant in any way to minimize or trivialize the

9 month ordeal of Elizabeth Smart, or in any way minimize or trivialize the

criminal acts of Brian David Mitchell that he will be held accountable for.

However, it will help you understand what really happened to Elizabeth

Smart. This is the REAL STORY about the Smart case that the media doesn't

have the guts to tell you.

The nation and the world rejoiced last March over the news that Elizabeth

Smart, who was taken from her home in June of 2002, was rescued alive and

well. However, in the midst of the elation over her safe return to her

parents, questions are now being asked. Why didn't she run away when there

were many opportunities to do so? Why did she lie to the police about her

identity when they were trying to rescue her? When the police positively

identified her, why was she so concerned about what would happen to her

captors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Eileen Barzee? The answer to these

questions my friend, lie in the MORMON CHURCH!

The fact that Mormonism is a cult is not even a debatable issue. MORMONS

ARE NOT CHRISTIANS! The Mormon Church is NOT a Christian denomination!

Mormonism and Christianity are two entirely different faiths. The

foundation of Christianity is based on the inspired, inerrant Word of God,

the Bible, written by God Himself. It represents Absolute Truth and is the

FINAL AUTHORITY in ALL matters. The foundation of Mormonism is based on the

Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, written by a delusional

lunatic, a self professed "prophet of god" named Joseph Smith. Mormon

theology is also based on their Doctrine and Covenants and the words of a

LIVING PROPHET!

The "god" of the Mormons is NOT the God of the Bible. In Mormon theology

there can be many "gods". The Mormon god was once a man. In Mormonism,

MAN CAN BECOME GOD! The "jesus" of Mormonism is NOT the Jesus of the

Bible. In Mormon theology, jesus was the brother of satan, he was married,

he was NOT deity. Salvation in Mormon theology is based solely on good

works and baptism. Despite the fact that the Mormons use the same words as

Christians use such as God, Jesus, and salvation, the MEANING of these words

are NOT the same as in Christian theology.

When the Elizabeth Smart case broke in June of 2002, your heart had to break

for this family whose beautiful 14 year old daughter was taken right from

her bedroom in the middle of the night. This had to be one of a parent's

worst

nightmares. Your heart broke for this mom and dad as they pleaded for their

daughter to be safely returned to them. However, in the midst of the

coverage of this event on all of the 24-hour cable news networks, I had a

real check in my spirit over two issues.

I read in some of the early reports and later confirmed it, that the Smart

family

were devout Mormons and her father is a bishop in the Mormon church. So

every time I heard them use the name of "god" or "jesus" in their news

conferences, I understood that their god, their jesus, was not the God or

Jesus of the Bible. Also, this obscure family became incredibly media savvy

overnight.

The Mormon church spends tens of millions of dollars every year in promoting

their cult, not to mention the fact that they own dozens of radio and

television

stations nationwide. I am sure that you have seen the wonderfully produced,

family appealing ads that make you feel so warm and fuzzy, with the tag at

the end that tells you it was brought to you by the Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons. No doubt the Mormon church advised the

Smart family in how to use the media to help them find their daughter. Of

course, I realized that if my daughter had been taken, I would be praying to

whatever god I believed in, and would use every available means at my

disposal to do what I could to get her back.

Now that Elizabeth has been found and safely returned to her family, the

questions of what exactly happened to her over those 9 months are being

asked. Legitimate questions that seem to have no logical answer, unless you

understand the MORMON CHURCH! Elizabeth Smart was raised from birth in a

devout Mormon home. She was taught from birth Mormon theology. As a

Mormon, she understood the concept of "man becoming god." She understood

that a "living prophet" was to be revered. This was the faith that

Elizabeth Smart was raised in, and taught to believe in, her entire life.

Now let's look at Brian David Mitchell. His first interaction with the

Smart family

seems to have been with Elizabeth's mother who gave him some money after

seeing him begging on the street, and offered him some work at their home.

It may seem odd to invite a beggar to come and do work at your house unless

you realize that Brian David Mitchell was also...a MORMON!

The media of course has labeled him as a "religious fanatic" who claims to

be a "prophet of god." The fact is, Brian David Mitchell is 100% sane! He

simply a Mormon that is espousing Mormon theology and feels that he is

called by his god to be a living prophet. Of course the Mormon Church has

quickly denounced him since in their cult, there can only be one "living

prophet."

So maybe now you can understand that the mystery of the Elizabeth Smart

case, the questions that are now being raised about these past 9 months, lie

within the Mormon Church. It seems obvious that Mitchell did abduct her.

However, once he did, it is also clear to me what happened. He told

Elizabeth that god had chosen her to be his wife. She would be one of the

wives of a "prophet of god."

While polygamy is illegal and socially unacceptable, it is STILL a doctrine

and practice in the Mormon Church despite their claims to the contrary. I

imagine that for a 14 year old Mormon girl, instead of being in fear for her

life, she bought into what Mitchell told her 100% and felt "special." While

the media is lost in their "brainwash" and "Patty Hearst syndrome" theories

to explain this, the fact is Elizabeth Smart simply went from one Mormon

home to another!

I CHALLENGE THOSE WHO INTERVIEW THE SMART FAMILY, THOSE WHO

WILL ONE DAY INTERVIEW ELIZABETH SMART, BRIAN DAVID MITCHELL,

AND WANDA EILEEN BARZEE TO QUESTION THEM ABOUT THEIR MORMON FAITH AND THE

ROLE THAT IT PLAYED IN THESE EVENTS. I CHALLENGE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THOSE

IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY THAT HANDLE THIS CASE TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE THAT

MORMONISM PLAYED. WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE MORMON CULT, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

THE ELIZABETH SMART CASE!

I love you and care about you so much. My goal today is to not only expose

the "lie" of Mormonism, but to encourage you in your daily walk with the God

of the Bible, with the Jesus of the Bible. Mormonism and other cults are

growing fast as Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter 3 said would happen in the

days before Christ returns. On the surface, these cults sound wonderful.

They espouse family values, they promote good works, they promote loving

each other. But their foundation is NOT based on the God of the Bible, but

a false god. Their faith is in in vain since there is "no other name under

heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

I pray today that you will not be deceived, but hold firm to the TRUTH which

is found only in the Bible. Each day I get thousands of prayer requests for

family members and friends that have bought into the lie of cults like

Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, Christian Science, Scientology, and many

others. I pray today for those that you know who may be in a cult. I pray

that their eyes will be opened and find the real TRUTH that is only the

Bible, and not the false teachings of some man.

I also pray today for Elizabeth Smart. I pray that one day when she gets

older, she will open her heart and God will send someone into her life to

with her that the Jesus in the Bible loves her, died for her sins, and wants

have a personal relationship with her. The perfect relationship that she

thought

she found in this false prophet, Brian David Mitchell, is ONLY FOUND IN

JESUS CHRIST...THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller

Founder, www.liveprayer.com