Daily Devotional for Friday September 29, 2006
Dedication
(1 Kings 18:17-18)
I want to dedicate today's Devotional to a special family in Alabama who God has used to further His work here at Liveprayer. Wednesday afternoon, their $900,000 gift to put the Liveprayer TV program back on television all over this nation was received as a testimony of God's faithfulness in our effort to bring His Truth and the love of Christ to the lost and hurting masses throughout this nation. God is not impressed with the amount we give, God is impressed with the heart we give it with. While it is a significant amount of money, it is nothing compared to the heart of this family to see the lost won for Christ.
They understand that all we have is simply on loan from God, and that they can make no greater investment than in reaching lost souls for Christ. Like many, this family has witnessed God moving in millions of lives every day through Liveprayer for many years now, and they have seen the vision of doing what nobody else is doing in reaching the lost and hurting masses throughout the nation "live" for an hour 5 nights a week on a major secular television network.
I love the fact that the same NBC who is going to air Madonna mocking the crucifixion, the same NBC who recently bought the rights to air Veggie Tales and immediately cut out all references to God, Jesus, and the Bible, is the very same NBC who is the majority owner of the "i" Network where we will be each night boldly proclaiming God's Truth and the hope of Christ to the nation starting November 6!
"When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals." (1 Kings 18:17-18 NIV)
A "troubler" in these last days. A few months ago, a man who had been watching the Liveprayer TV program emailed me a very hateful letter, outraged I would dare bring my "narrow-minded Biblical view of life" on his television and told me to keep my "Jesus garbage" over on the Christian station. Without knowing it, he then paid me one of the greatest compliments I have ever received in over 16 years of ministry, when he called me nothing but a "troublemaker."
It immediately reminded me of King Ahab when he approached Elijah, calling him the "troubler of Israel." Ahab was upset because Elijah was not part of the established religious community of his day. He refused to fall into line and become part of the priesthood that was more interested in having people serve them, than in serving the people. Elijah separated himself from the religious leaders of his day who were more interested in pleasing men than in pleasing God. He wanted no part of the religious establishment whose goals were building their treasury rather than building the Kingdom of God.
No, Elijah had been called forth by God to sound the trumpet of warning and call the people of his day to repentance and a holy lifestyle. Elijah heard from God and declared His Truth to the people of his day regardless how unpopular that truth was. Elijah had little interest in the things of this temporal world, focusing instead on being faithful to his calling to challenge the people to follow God and honor Him with their lives. He had no time for political correctness or playing games. Elijah had been called forth by God for that moment in human history and obediently fulfilled his calling.
This exchange with King Ahab preceded what to me is one of the most powerful passages in all of God's Word, Elijah versus the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah not only had the guts to call out the false prophets of his day and challenge them head on, but he had the bedrock faith that God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would answer by fire. I have told you many times over the years that the only way God loses is if we don't put Him in the game. When we walk by faith and put God in the game, He is UNDEFEATED!!!
MY FRIEND, DAY AFTER DAY I CALL OUT THE MODERN-DAY PROPHETS OF BAAL AND WATCH THEM DEFEATED AS OUR GOD ANSWERS BY FIRE!!!
Liveprayer has been an 84-month walk of faith. I have literally given my life to the work of God, surrendering my time, talent, and treasure to obediently follow Him. It has been the financial sacrifices of thousands and the prayers of millions over these last 7 years that has sustained me and this work to boldly and without compromise declare to millions worldwide each day the Truth of God's Word and the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
This journey has not been easy. We have had to fight for every inch of territory, as God has led me to use the very same vehicles satan uses to broadcast his lies to the masses 24/7, the Internet and secular television. Not just that, but use them in a way nobody else has ever done, as we have effectively married these two great broadcasting vehicles to not only reach millions of people worldwide each day with Biblical Truth and the love of Jesus, but provide each person we reach with a personal experience and the ability to interact with us one on one, so that we can minister to their individual needs.
Today, we are at a major crossroads in this journey of faith. 7 years ago people said I was crazy to minister to people over the Internet. Four years ago people said I was crazy to do a "live" TV program on secular television to reach unbelievers. Last year people said I was crazy to expand our television program to other major secular network affiliates to reach the lost across the entire state of Florida. Trust me, more people than you can imagine have said I have really lost it now in trying to take this program to the entire nation!
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT YET, I AM CRAZY! CRAZY ENOUGH TO TRUST GOD AND BELIEVE HIS WORD! I AM CRAZY ENOUGH TO BELIEVE GOD WHEN HE SAYS THAT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH HIM! I AM CRAZY ENOUGH TO WAKE UP EACH MORNING, WALK IN FAITH AND TRUST HIM TO PROVIDE!!!
As my friend and part of the Liveprayer family, let me explain to you exactly where we are at. I have successfully negotiated and contractually own the Midnight-1 a.m. time slot every Monday-Friday starting Monday November 6 on the entire PAX Network (now called Ion). This includes all of their broadcast stations, cable outlets, national satellite feeds, and their feeds to DirecTV and the Dish Network. This will give us the ability to reach over 83% of the people in the United States "live" for an hour, 5 nights a week, on a major secular network with Biblical Truth and the hope and love of Jesus Christ!
This will allow us to do what we have done in Tampa the past 4 years and in the whole state of Florida for a year, and that is to boldly and without shame or compromise bring the Truth of God's Word to this entire nation. Like Elijah, calling sin sin, while challenging people to repent and turn their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ. It is a nationwide vehicle to not just bring the Truth of God's Word into the marketplace, but also bring hope to the hurting and salvation to the lost.
The exciting thing is that within the first year we will be reaching well over 1 million each night. That is as many who watch Larry King! The number of people who subscribe to the Daily Devotional will go from the 2.3 million who get it now, to well over 5 million within the first year. *We expect to see over 10,000 people a month come to faith in Jesus Christ!!! God has raised up Liveprayer these past 84 months on the Internet and 43 months on secular television to take this bold step to bring His Truth and Christ's love to this lost and hurting nation.
I am asking everyone in the Liveprayer family to commit a few moments each day in October to pray for the Liveprayer television program as we go back on nationwide Monday, November 6. Also, for those who are led, set aside at least one day to fast and pray for the program, especially for the hundreds of thousands across the country who will watch each night to open their hearts to God's Truth and the love of Christ. Thank You!
I love you and care about you so much. Like Elijah, God has set me apart and called me forth into this lost and dying world to declare His Truth and the hope we have in His Son Jesus Christ. I have done my best for nearly 17 years now to be faithful to that calling on my life. For those who have been part of the Liveprayer family over these past 84 months, you have seen and heard my heart each day. I have always been open, honest, transparent, and up front with you about our work here, and you know by now that I have no earthly goals, only heavenly ones.
The Bible says "where there is no vision the people perish." Just a few years ago, there was no FOX News and now it has the largest audience of any cable news station. I believe in the coming months and years, Liveprayer will be one of the leading programs on ALL of television because it is real, and even non-Christians can see the power of a God they reject at work in people's lives on each program.
My job is to be faithful. I will continue to do my job as I have for nearly 17 years now. I have given all of my talents and energy to create the best vehicles to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ. No matter what happens, this is what I will be doing for the rest of my life until the Lord calls me home. God has shown me the power and impact Liveprayer has had in millions of lives worldwide these past 84 months.
God has also shown me the incredible power and impact Liveprayer can have in the coming months and years in hundreds of millions of lives worldwide should our Lord tarry, by making this bold and aggressive move to use a major secular television network to reach the hurting and lost masses who don't go to church and will never turn on a Christian program. I need your prayers and support so that I can continue to be a "troublemaker" for Jesus!!!