Daily Devotional for Wednesday July 25, 2012
The Real Cause of the Colorado Theater Massacre
(John 10:10)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, what exactly is required to surrender 100% to Christ and live by faith?
ANSWER: Die to self daily. That is done by waking up praying, getting in the Word first thing, and staying "plugged in" to God throughout the day. During the day, make decisions pleasing and acceptable to God. Don't forget for one minute you are HIS ambassador. Find ways to serve Him. Trust Him with the problems you encounter throughout the day. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, you learn to die to self daily and live for Him instinctively.
The real cause of the Colorado theater massacre. After listening to the tortured explanations the last few days for the horrific and senseless killings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado last week, let me share with you the REAL answer to the question people are asking, why? That answer is simple. We are literally living in an environment that nurtures acts of violence like this, and I am shocked we don't see them occur more often. For the past two generation, we have cultivated a culture of death. Couple that with the purposeful removal of God from every aspect of public life, is it any wonder why people commit these types of horrific acts of violence?
The media, Hollywood, TV, the internet, have for several decades now mocked and demean people of faith, and fought to exclude a Biblcial worldview of daily life. In its place, they have proffered every type of Godless act. God's Holy Institution of Marriage and the family has been perverted and decimated. We have the better part of two generations who have never been to church and thus have no faith background. Those people have grown up from birth being exposed to every kind of evil in this world, and indoctrinated to believe everything God's Word stands against. It is in this evil and sinful environment that diminishes the value of human life we are now living.
Do you want an example? It is terrible that 12 people went to a place as innocent as a movie theater and lost their life. However, did you even consider for a moment, that in the past 24 hours another 4,000 innocent babies were slaughtered in this nation? NO? Don't feel too bad, 99%+ didn't either. We mourn during these horrible incidents where people lose their life, but never once consider we are killing 4,000 innocent babies in this nation alone every 24 hours. We live in a culture of death!!!
That culture of death hanging over this nation like a black cloud! God created man never to die. Physical and spiritual death were never part of God's plan for man. However, it was man, exercising his God-given free will that introduced both forms of death into the human experience. Death is from the pits of hell itself, while life is from God. Satan comes to KILL, steal, and destroy and is synonymous with death. It is through faith in Jesus Christ that man is promised everlasting life and conquers death. Christ came to give life and life abundantly and He is synonymous with life.
Sadly, this has become a nation that has embraced, even glorifies death. Because we have separated ourselves so far from God, we no longer value life. Life is no longer viewed as special or treated as sacred. Many people ask me why I talk about abortion so often. It is because people have become numb and desensitized to death! We have simply come to live with the fact that we practice legalized infanticide and we don't even give it a second thought.
We read in the Bible how Herod, after the birth of Jesus, sent his men to kill every baby under the age of two years. They literally ripped babies out of the arms of the mothers and killed them on the spot. Even though I have read that passage of Scripture 1,000 times, each time I read it in horror. What kind of monster would do such a thing to innocent babies? Yet, we are no better than Herod. Our President, the figurehead of our nation, is another "Herod." He is the embodiment of this culture of death as he supports and advocates the killing of innocent babies. He will insure during his time in office that the practice of infanticide continues in this nation without any restrictions.
Children are born into this culture of death and brainwashed from birth that life has no meaning. Through the media that bombards them with images of violence and death, to the games they play, they are desensitized to death from birth. Just 20 minutes from the Liveprayer offices, a 9-year-old boy hung himself in his closet with a couple of belts after dinner. In Arizona, an 8-year-old shot and killed his father and his father's friend. This was not an accidental shooting, but a deliberate act of murder. Teen and child suicide, teens involved in premeditated murder, are both on the rise in this nation.
I love you and care about you so much. Please wake up!!! We not only live in, but we accept this culture of death that hangs over our nation. Jesus came to deliver us from death. Jesus won the victory over death. We do not have to accept this black cloud of death that hangs over our land. It is time Christians took our stand and loudly, boldly, visibly proclaimed LIFE! Children are growing up without any understanding of where life came from and how precious it is. So it is no wonder why they have embraced death to the extent they have.
I have answered the call to lead this charge to bring our nation back to God and Biblical values. We have the infrastructure and resources to do it through Liveprayer. I am asking you to say NO to this culture of death we are living in and say YES to life!!! Don't underestimate how critical 15 minutes a day can be as you help me by following one, two, or all 3 of these action steps. People are saved daily, lives are impacted daily, because someone made the effort to share Liveprayer with that person. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND TAKE A REAL STAND FOR CHRIST EACH DAY!
1. Distribute Liveprayer Daily Devotional - I need people to take each day's Daily Devotional and forward it to everyone that you know. This is a great way to help spread God's Word on the Internet. Also, post it to various blogs and message boards that you frequent.
2. Jonah Project - Tell everyone that you know to check out the Jonah Project. This is the vehicle God has given us to bring together true followers of Jesus Christ in these last days in one group that can make an incredible impact on the spiritual course of this nation and in millions of people's lives. There is a vision video on the Jonah Project homepage that clearly lays out how God can use this group in these last days. You can access the Jonah Project website by going to Liveprayer.com and clicking on the Jonah Project link
3. Fundraising - Unlike other ministries, Liveprayer has ZERO paid fundraisers or development people. Again, I just never went the route all major ministries go of having a staff of people who do nothing but contact donors and go out to raise funds. All we do each day, all that we provide is made available for FREE to take God's Word into the marketplace and impact lives for Christ. Obviously it takes money to operate. I've simply shared our needs and walked by faith that God would provide each month. Raising money is a special gift. I am praying that those who have that special gift and want to serve God will help me in this area.
The fact is, there are lots of people who God has blessed and are giving to many different causes. Liveprayer is a highly visible ministry, a track record of over 13 years, and the fruit of literality millions of changed lives as a testimony that this is fertile soil for people to give into. Obama had literally thousands of regular people collecting money for his campaign. Normal people with no special skills or gifts in raising money. They simple believed in his work and got people to give towards it.
I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE LIVEPRAYER FAMILY WHO BELIEVE IN GOD'S WORK HERE WHO COULD SUCCESSFULLY GET PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO GIVE TO HELP US DO ALL THAT WE DO EACH DAY FOR SO MANY AROUND THE WORLD.
Are you ready to take your stand for Christ??? Liveprayer is a life-changing vehicle God has been using for nearly 13 years now to impact literally tens of millions of lives all over the world. We have tapped into the great technology of our day to reach the world and individual lives with the Truth of God's Word and the hope and love of Jesus Christ. I can't do this alone. Now more than ever it is critical for each person who knows the Lord to step up and allow Him to use your life. I have given you 3 action steps. You can choose one, two, or all three depending on how the Lord is leading you.
I refuse to accept this culture of death we live in. I am asking you to take your stand for Christ and help me change this nation into a culture of LIFE, abundant now and everlasting through faith in Jesus Christ!!!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller