Daily Devotional for Monday August 11, 2008

Losing the Battle for the Soul of this Nation

(Jeremiah 11:9-17)

Then the LORD said to me, "There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.' "Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. "What is my beloved doing in my temple as she works out her evil schemes with many? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment ? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice." The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken. The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal. Jeremiah 11:9-17

Losing the battle for the soul of this nation. Unbeknownst to most, there has been a major battle, a spiritual battle, raging in the heavenlies for the soul of this nation. It is a battle that sadly is being lost since like the children of Israel, this nation has forsaken the God of the Bible and turned to the false gods and idols of the world. God will not be mocked and the mercy and grace He has extended to this nation will soon turn to anger and wrath. Oh, how I have yearned to see this nation turn back to God and to His Truth, but I have had to accept that this nation wants nothing to do with God and will soon pay the price for its' wickedness and rebellion.

I told you many times during 2007 that our next President would not be a friend of God. With only two people left who can realistically win that office, it is now clear that will be true. None of the two left have any desire or goal to turn this nation back to God or to champion the spiritual issues of the day that have blackened this nation's soul. They both claim to be people of "faith," but neither of them advocate or have a track record of taking a stand for Biblical Truth. Most alarming is the meteoric political rise of a man who has positioned himself to be the messiah of hope for this nation and all of the people. Since the hope he advocates is NOT in Jesus Christ and the Truth of God's Word, it is a false hope that will lead us down a road of destruction.

I have been saddened at the venom and anger unleashed on me for simply telling the turth about Senator Barack Hussein Obama. So many have missed the point that it has NOTHING to do with politics or the color of his skin, and everything to do with how hungry people are for someone to rise up and lead them. Sadly, as Jesus predicted, there would be many false prophets, many who claim to be "Christ," who will lead the people astray. You only need to watch the emotional response of so many to the charisma of Obama, the fainting and swooning at the empty rhetoric, to see how desperate the people are for someone to rise up and lead them....anywhere!

Jesus said that the people were like sheep, looking for a shepherd. Sadly, most of those who were called to be shepherds of God's people, have like many of the priests in the Old Testament, only led the people in one way... to give them money. This is true from major national ministers down to the local church. I have sat back in amazement watching Jim Bakker raising $100 million to build his next Christian utopia, Morningside, in Missouri. Televising on a handful of Christian stations so he can reach and fleece the choir again, the only thing that has changed is his wife and the fact he is 20 years older.

I guess his book, "I Was Wrong," written when he got out of prison, was simply a way to get sell books, take offerings from churches who let him preach to their people, and to make people believe he had changed. Just as amazing are many of the top TV preachers who have the audacity to routinely ask people to send them $100 for their new private jet while they drive home each night to their million dollar mansion in a new luxury car.

However, this "lead the people only in how to give us their money" mentality is also alive and well on the local level as well, as churches spend hundreds of thousands of their donations on "consultants" to help them learn how to raise millions from their people for their next building project. It is too bad those who God has called to be shepherds aren't as proficient in winning souls to Christ or leading the people in ways of holiness and righteousness as they are in raising money to build monuments of bricks and mortar that one day will pass away. If you took every dollar that is invested in buying private jets and building buildings, and put those dollars into winning souls, a real revival would break out overnight!!!

I have to be honest with you. People have no problem emptying their bank account when it comes to building a building, but can't even find $1 when it comes to saving souls. During the rise of PTL in the mid 80's, Bakker stated that he always had to have some building project going on since people love to give to bricks and mortar. That is why over the past 40 years, ministries have left the marketplace and gravitated to the Christian trough where they can reach other Christians. Most churches have lost their zeal for evangelism and church growth is either preaching a watered down message that won't offend anyone or clever ideas how to steal people from the church down the street. The sad realty is with all of the resources going to buildings and everything BUT ministering to people, the lost are not being reached like they should and even many who know Christ are not being ministered to in their time of need.

So the end result is year after year most simply self perpetuate their "ministry" or "church" to keep it all going. They do the same conferences and conventions, attended by most of the same people, put on the same functions each year, since their goals aren't spiritual as much they are earthly (money). Those who could rise up and lead the lost and hurting masses to God's Truth and righteousness, have instead decided to find a following amongst the faithful to build their own little kingdom here on earth. Because of this, the lost and hurting have been left to the wolves, the cults and false religions, to feast on.

Killing babies without conscience, porn on demand that has turned sex into a sport, gambling at every street corner, deviant sex like homosexually now acceptable and mainstream, living together without marriage, divorce rampant, children being raised in every kind of environment by any number of people as they grow up, alcohol and drug use commonplace, is where we are at in August of 2008 because of the failure to lead the people by those God called to be shepherds. Why do you think there are more churches, ministries, and Christian media today, yet at the same time our nation is in spiritual freefall and on the verge of feeling the wrath of God's judgment.

After nearly 2 decades of ministry, I know the easy road. Go on Christian TV and radio, write books geared to Christians, develop relationships with other Christian leaders and work together to tap into each others support base, don't offend people, generate millions annually, build glass buildings, buy a private jet, have a huge staff, and live like the ruler of a small nation. I know how to do all those things but I am not here to raise money, but save souls and minister to people in their time of need.

That is why for 107 months now I have kept the ministry the focus of what we do, asking people to help me with exactly what we need to operate from one month to the next, making my annual audited financials available to people interested in donating to the ministry. I refuse to turn Liveprayer into a marketing organization that uses the people we minister to sell products to, call people at home to try and solicit donations, or fill your mail box full of direct mail letters. Less than 1/4 of 1% of the people we minister to ever give to Liveprayer since I don't look at people as "giving units," but as souls who go through the same trials of life we all go through and from time to time and need someone to encourage them, stand with them in prayer, and minister to their needs.

Let me share some insight with you from this years Florida State Fair last February. People are really hungry! They really are searching and looking for something. We have that something they are searching for. All people really want is peace in their life and hope. We know true peace and true hope only comes from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Don't kid yourself. There are millions out there who have never really heard about Christ's love and that they can know Him in a personal way.

That is hard for most who know the Lord to understand or realize but it is true. I see them every day here at Liveprayer. Hearing about Jesus and how He can change their life is not something so many people have ever really heard before because they have never been to church, don't ever watch, listen, or read anything the Christian media puts out each day that is really geared to other Christians.

A dear friend called me the other morning and shared Jeremiah 11:18 with me, "Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing." It is God revealing to Jeremiah the plot against him by those who wanted to silence his voice. I can't even begin to tell you all that I have gone through personally from both those in and outside the church for speaking out without compromise all these years. Especially this past year it has been as intense as ever, since I know in my heart God is going to use Liveprayer in a major way as this year unfolds to bring millions to Christ.

I love you and care about you so much. My friend, this is exactly why God has led me to start the Jonah Project. This isn't about building a physical kingdom led by men that will one day be gone, but advancing God's Kingdom that will stand for eternity!!! This is not the typical one day special event that comes and goes and 3 hours after it is over, it is all but forgotten. This is an ongoing effort, a viable plan to not only lead this nation back to God and Biblical values, but to save souls, and for the first time mobilize the true remnant of Christ to come together as one and fight the sins that are ripping out the soul of this nation.

Let me be blunt with you. We never had to fight for our faith before. Because of that, we don't know how to fight. While we have not yet had to fight for our faith physically, we have been in a fight for the past 40 years spiritually, and have been getting our rear ends kicked from pillar to post. Our solution has been to run and hide in our churches and the conformable Christian subculture we have created. It is like those in the inner cities who didn't want to deal with the crime and seedier element that moved into the inner cities years ago. They simply left the inner city and ran to set up their own little utopia in the suburbs.

Well, you can't run from sin. You either stand and fight sin and defeat it, or you allow it to eat you up! For nearly 20 years now I have rolled up my sleeves each day and gone to the front lines to fight for the faith. Through the power of Almighty God, for the last 9 years, He has used my sacrifice and the prayers and sacrifices of thousands in the Liveprayer family to impact tens of millions of lives around the world.

God is now calling us to a higher level of committment and sacrifice. I am only one man. I can't lead this nation back to God or wipe out the social ills of our day alone. I need you and millions of committed followers of Christ to help me. This is a call to battle stations before we lose this nation to satan once and for all. I realize most have never had to really fight for their faith before. I will teach you how.

Get on board the Jonah Project. Go to the website, watch the vision video, sign up, and get as many people as you can to sign on. I will lead you and guide you as the Spirit of the living God leads and guides me! Our nation, our faith, our Lord, is worth fighting for!!!

Jonah Project website: www.liveprayer.com/jonah

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller