Daily Devotional for Wednesday July 18, 2012
Going After the Hearts and Souls of the Children
(Psalms 127:3; Matthew 19:14; Psalms 34:11)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, I have prayed over and over again for God to help me with self esteem around people. I don't feel comfortable talking with most people and especially in large groups, therefore I don't like social events and always feel embarrassed about myself. I always feel like I'm not as important as any else.
ANSWER: Remember this, you were made in the image of God. He created you and gave you unique qualities. Your are special to Him. He loves you. As a child of God, you are not defined by this world, but by your relationship with Christ. Your worth and value is infinite because of who you are in Christ!
Back in the mid '60s when I was in elementary school, I distinctly remember that only a very few kids in my class didn't go to church on Sunday. Well over 90% of my class went to church. Sadly, just 50 years later it is completely the opposite, with well over 90% of children in public school NOT going to church and growing up in homes void of God. We now have the better percentage of two full generations that do not go to church and that live their lives void of God. One of the ways to see that change is by reaching the children with the Truth of God's Word and the hope and love of Jesus Christ.
The reality is satan has infiltrated the schools with his lies. Lies that your child is gay. Lies that we evolved from pond scum. Lies that there is no God. Lies that there is no absolute right and wrong. Satan is a liar, the father of lies (John 8:44), and he has done a masterful job at telling his lies to YOUR CHILDREN from the moment they step into school, and reinforcing those lies 24/7 through every vehicle possible. Due to the fact most kids are growing up in homes void of God, they are RARELY being exposed to the Truth at all.
Liveprayer is an instrument of God to bring His Truth to the masses. We have been doing that for 13 years here on the Internet, now reaching well over 2 1/2 million people worldwide every day. The fact is that over these past 50 years, satan has erected huge walls around the public schools of this nation. Prayer has been removed and so has Bible teaching. Now the existence of God is mocked, tortured, and impossible theories of how we came to exist are being taught as fact, right and wrong are what you decide they are, and perverted lifestyles are being presented as normal and acceptable. Like the walls of Jericho, these are huge, solid walls that look impossible to tear down. Like the walls of Jericho, God is able to bring them down!
This is critical, since reaching the children for Christ is a major component to seeing this nation turn back to God and Biblical principles. Satan is not shy about going after the children, so why are the people of God? Satan goes after YOUR CHILDREN through those promoting the homosexual lifestyle. Satan goes after YOUR CHILDREN through the cults that openly proselytize in schools. Satan goes after YOUR CHILDREN through the curriculum that is in direct opposition to God and the Truth. Satan goes after YOUR CHILDREN through exposing them to every type of evil and perversion known to man. If satan is so bold in going after the souls of YOUR CHILDREN, why should the people of God be any less bold?
My friend, now is the time to go to war for the hearts, minds, and souls of our children. We have sat back long enough. There is no more time for playing games. While we have been busy building buildings, preaching to ourselves, and enjoying the peace and prosperity of living in this great country, the enemy has been busy these past 50 years insuring that he could control the hearts and minds of the children. Most children are not being raised in homes that honor God or His Son Jesus, and we have simply left them to the enemy. NO MORE! It is time to go fight for the souls of these children!
I love you and care about you so much. God's way is for the children to learn the Scriptures and to be nurtured in the faith at home. With so many parents who have rejected Christ and His Truth, that of course is not happening. So Liveprayer is going on the offensive the first of the year to insure these kids in public schools hear about Jesus, hear the Truth of God's Word, and at least are being exposed to the fact Jesus loves them. Please be in prayer as we spend what is left in this year getting everything ready to go. I refuse to sit back and be silent while generation after generation of children go through the public schools of this nation and come out brainwashed against the Christian faith due to the lies that have been drilled into them over the course of their years in school.
I will continue to pray for you moms and dads our there. Over and over I have spoken directly to you how critical your job is in raising their children in the admonition of the Lord. Nothing you do in this life will be as important. I want you to know that I am praying for you today as God gives you wisdom, direction, and strength in the raising of your children and helping to lay that foundation of faith in their lives. There is no more evil in the world today than in the past, it is just more visible and much more accessible. Today more than ever, you need to be diligent in what your children are being exposed to, so that you can insure they know what is right and what is wrong, what is from God and what is designed to harm or even destroy them.
I am committed more than ever to using the increasing reach of Liveprayer to bring His Truth and love to even more people each day. Perhaps no group in this nation is more isolated and blocked from receiving that truth than the kids who go to public schools. But come January that is going to change. I realize that there is nothing anyone can do to stop the lies from being told in the schools, just like there is nothing that can be done to stop the lies being told in the marketplace every day. But just like we aggressively and boldly bring the Truth of God into the marketplace every day, we are determined to take the Truth of God into the public schools so that the children are a least being exposed to the hope and love of Jesus Christ.
For this season, satan is loose. During this brief time, he is out to drag as many souls as he can into the place God created for him to suffer for all eternity. In the end, each person is responsible for their choice to accept or reject Jesus Christ as their Savior. Our job, as followers of Christ, is to bring the Gospel to each person so they clearly understand the eternal consequences of that choice. For too long, children and young adults in public schools have not had the benefit of hearing both sides. Starting this January, we are committed to taking Jesus to the children and young adults in the public schools and making sure they do!!!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller