Daily Devotional for Monday January 16, 2012

You are Nothing but a Typical Money Grubber

(John 3:16) "...you are nothing but a typical money-grubber...why don't you go out and get a real job?"

This is an excerpt from an email we got yesterday, in addition to the 40,000 we receive daily for prayer and counsel. To be fair, we have received emails like these for the nearly 13 yrs we have been online. They amuse me as I wonder if these same people think all that we in reaching millions worldwide 24/7/365 all happens by magic. I wonder if they are upset when politicians "beg" people to give them $50,000 for a chicken dinner to pursue their political ideology, or those commercials with one-eyes animals and the creepy music designed to induce you to give to some animal group, or the local zoo, performing arts council, or any number of non-profit organizations that depend upon donations to fund their work.

The fact is, if I was a "typical moneygrubber," I would have done what Hinn, TBN, and the rest of the Christian ministries do and simply preach to the choir, use Scripture our of context to tell you why giving me money will make you rich, or other deception they use in order to guilt you into giving them money. If that was my goal, I would just be another "ear tickling" motivational preacher like Osteen and never mention sin, hell, or anything else that would offend people in order to amass a great following (and money!). I guess I was an idiot for not asking people to give money for private planes, buildings, mansions, cars, and million dollar salaries like the rest of these guys have done, and still do today!

Recently, the ultra-liberal blog that has hammered me for years, the Huffington Post founded by Arianna Huffington who was already rich after marrying and divorcing Michael Huffington, was bought by AOL for $315 million. What a world we live in when a left-wing anti-Christian blog is bought by a major entity like AOL, whose stock price has already lost over half a billion dollars in value since the purchase! I remember over the years many offers by different groups and ministries to buy Liveprayer.com. One offer 5 years ago was for just under $6 million. I guess a true "money grubber" would have sold the ministry, or used the website like most to sell books, tapes, resources, and fill the site with advertising that would make it look like a NASCAR while pocketing millions, instead of providing all of the incredible unique content we produce each day for FREE.

Since 2008, we have seen a 65% drop in donations like most churches, ministries, and non-profits have. In difficult financial times, I had a wonderful group of 30 people I could call on to help with a gift of $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000. The last 2 people out of a group of 30 from just 3 years ago that I could always count on for financial help in a time of need, contributed 20% of the Liveprayer.com operations last year. That was after I cut everything to the bare bones so we could simply operate. Doing a TV program 5 days a week on secular TV, sending the Devotional daily to nearly 3 million people worldwide, sending personal responses to over 40,000 emails a day for prayer...all for FREE...has costs associated with it! Sadly, both of their businesses have had a downturn in the last few months, and they are no longer able to give as they did in past years.

To do my part, over these past 3 years I have not taken a dime of salary, only what I needed to survive like electric, water, and food, despite putting in 16 hour days, 7 days a week as I have since day one 12 years ago. Even when I did take a paycheck, my compensation was never more than $40,000 a year. For those who wonder, I used to have a "real job." Prior to the ministry, I was always blessed at whatever job I did, always made 6, some years 7, figures, and never knowing what financial pressures were. Since starting Liveprayer nearly 13 yrs ago, I have mortgaged my modest home 8 times to help fund the minsitry, and like many people, it is currently $50,000 under water. I highly doubt very few people could keep up with my current work schedule for a day, let alone a week. The reality is, I would be much better personally and financially having a "real job," instead of serving the Lord.

However, God has always had a "ram in the bush." He has used hundreds of key people over these 12 years, who at critical times, were in a position to step up and play a critical role in His work. It has been interesting to watch as one of our key people who could send a gift of $5,000-$50,000, be replaced by someone else who would step up and "save the day." I am praying today for a few "day savers" to help me as we face the daily challenges of continuing our work for the Lord online and in the marketplace!

I know in my heart, like the Old Testament prophets knew in their hearts when God called them be faithful and serve Him no matter the personal costs. God has called me and this ministry to not only to save souls, but use this platform to lead our nation back to God and His Truth. The fact is, Liveprayer is not just at the crossroads, but a day of reckoning. We are on the verge of seeing 12+ yrs of ministry used to turn the nation back to God and His Truth.

As a man of flesh and blood, I can empathize with other men of flesh and blood like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and so many others we read about in the pages of the Bible. You see, they all had a deep and abiding relationship with God. They knew when God was speaking to them. They all took great steps of faith to accomplish what God had called them to do.

Nearly 13 yrs ago, God told me to start an internet site when less than a million people even had the internet, that would bring hope to the hurting, salvation to the lost, and God's Truth to this dark world we live in. I didn't even own a computer, the ministry had no money, yet BY FAITH, just like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul, men of flesh and blood, I BELIEVED GOD AND TOOK MY WOK OF FAITH!

Here we are, in January of 2012. Tens of millions of lives worldwide have been impacted by Liveprayer over nearly 13 years. Over 2.4 million souls worldwide are fed daily through the Daily Devotional. Every 24 hours we receive 40,000 emails for prayer and counsel. Most important, over 600,000 souls we know of will be in Heaven due to our efforts and faith.

During these past 12+ yrs, I have had many opportunities to slip into the "Christian trough" that consists of the Christian media, the churches, and the vast majority of ministries. It would have been easy to live in the applause, comfort, and profitability of that subculture. However, I did not give my life to Christ for applause, for comfort, to make money. I gave my life to Christ to give hope to the hopeless, salvation through faith in Jesus to the lost, and to help lead a nation in spiritual freefall back to God and His Truth.

With just 2 weeks left in January, we still need to make up the final $10,000 of our December operations in addition to the $40,000 we need for our basic January operations. We desperately need to clear up the December balance and I am asking 2 people who are able to pray about sending a special gift of $5,000 by Friday to help me with this balance. Please take a moment today and pray about sending a gift to support God's work here at Liveprayer so that we can start this year with all of our basic operations current.

--->You can make a gift to Liveprayer on your major credit card at our website www.liveprayer.com under the "Donation" button, or you can give from your PayPal account by using my email address, bkeller@liveprayer.com , or you can mail a gift to: Liveprayer 6660 46th Avenue North St. Petersburg, Florida 33709. All gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible.

I love you and care about you so much. Over the years, it has been millions of friends like you praying, thousands of friends like you making sacrifices, sometimes great sacrifices, to help Liveprayer accomplish all it has. Back in 2007, I told you in a Devotional that the world as we know it was going to change greatly in the coming year. God was no longer going to sit back and watch a nation slaughter 4,000 innocent babies every day, make a mockery of His holy institution of marriage, see every type of perverted sexual act promoted and glorified, have His plan for the family altered...while men worshipped and bowed down to every false god and idol they had created in their evil minds!

I could never ask you for a dime for myself, however if every kind of organization under the sun believes in what they are doing to ask people to support them, I certainly have no shame to ask for your help! The fact is, we do more with less than any non-profit, church or Christian minsitry I know of. That is because I don't use your money for buildings, huge staffs, private jets, multi-million dollar salaries for me and family members, to buy 10 million dollar beachfront mansions, or new Bentleys. Listen, if you want to give for those things that is up to you.

NINETY THREE CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR WE RAISE GOES TO WHAT WE DO! THAT IS SAVING SOULS, BRINGING HOPE TO THE HURTING, AND TO CHANGE THE SPRITUAL COURSE OF THIS NATION BEFORE WE SEE THE WRATH AND PUNISHMENT OF ALMIGHTY GOD UNLEASHED ON OUR LAND!!!

I need everyone today to pray! Pray for God to move on hearts who are able to help me at this critical time. I also need you to forward this Devotional to everyone you know who loves the Lord and wants to see God put back on the throne of this nation and His Truth proclaimed across the land. Lastly, even if you have to dig our a quarter from the couch, I need everyone reading this make a sacrifce to help me.

The Bible teaches to give according to our ability to give. For some, it may be just a quarter you find in the couch. For others, it may be $1, or $5. Still others, especially those who are working can give $20, $50, $100. Still others who God has blessed can send a gift of $200, $500, $1,000, even $10,000, $20,000, $100,000, or $1 million. People give $1 million every day to causes they care about. Is the eternal soul of a nation, the souls of millions of people worth $1 million if you have the ability to send such a gift?????

I have been on the front lines, taking the bullets, for nearly 20 years now. I refuse to retreat to the safety and profitability of the "Christian trough" while this nation is destroyed by satan and his minions and souls needlessly end up in hell. I have but one life, and when it was over, I want to be able to stand before God and know that I gave everything I had for the Kingdom. I want to take my last breath knowing my life's work is complete and I held nothing back in my service for the Lord.

I have only been able to fight this fight these past 2 decades because of dear friends like you. Now more than ever I need you to stand with me. Pray, give as you are able in accordance with what the Bible teaches, and take your stand with me. The time is short, the spiritual state of this nation hangs in the balance, the souls of hundreds of millions of people are at stake. It is time to act and lead this nation back to God and His Truth while leading the lost to faith in Jesus Christ!

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