Daily Devotional for Tuesday July 31, 2012

One of the Great Gifts God Gives Us in this Lifetime is Friends

(Ecclesiastes 4:9,10)

***ASK BILL: I am saved, and I know that I know I am going to Heaven when God says it is time. However, what is this intimate walk with God, and what is this relationship concept?

ANSWER: The intimate walk with God is our daily relationship with the Lord. That happens through reading the Word, praying, and simply fellowshipping with the Lord throughout the day. Our relationship with the Lord is like any other. The more time we invest in that relationship, the stronger it gets, the more special it becomes. If we truly love the Lord, we desire to simply be with Him like we desire to be with anyone else we love in this life.

One of the great gifts God gives us in this life is friends, those who we share this journey with. God never intended for us to walk alone. He will always bring people into our life to stand with us, be there for us in our time of need, and give us the opportunity to serve Him by being there for them as well.

I never consider it an accident that for this season of our lives, God has brought us together, and as my friend, let me do something a little different today and share with you some thoughts I have jotted down. As my friend, you can stand with me in prayer over these issues. There is no real order to these thoughts, they are just random, and something I wanted to share with you since you are my friend.

. . . in 32 days Liveprayer will be 13 years old. I have to admit it has been the most challenging 13 years of my life. As you may know from my testimony, I have been through much in my life, but this has by far been the most challenging to my faith in every way possible . . . bringing God's Truth to a world that for the most part rejects that Truth and is hostile towards anyone who dares share what the Bible teaches...

. . . I fight daily to stay focused on the Lord, and the personal relationship I have with Him. I never forget that whatever else I do in my life flows from that relationship . . . what I share with you each day is a result of my daily walk with the Lord . . .

. . . I have been tempted many times in the past 13 years to give up on Liveprayer.com. This thought was straight from the pits of hell itself. The Holy Spirit constantly reminds me that it is not my choice. This is what God has called me to do and my life belongs to Him . . . I serve Him to the best of my ability each day with great joy!!!

. . . My heart breaks each day as I read the mail coming into this ministry. The pain, the heartache, the incredible challenges so many face. It makes me more determined than ever to expand the outreach of Liveprayer.com to be that beacon of light in the darkness of this world, to help those who are hurting and without hope . . .

. . . While the challenges from month to month have been incredible, the rewards have been equally incredible! The salvation reports from 600,000 we know of who have accepted the Lord since we began, the 6 million praise reports archived are so encouraging and a testimony to the awesome power and love of God for His children . . .

. . . I never forget that "without Him I can do nothing" . . .

. . . I look forward to waking up each morning. While the challenges and pressures are great, my daily interaction with you, my friends, make my life so complete. I never take for granted the wonderful opportunity God has given me to minister to you and try to stand with you during those difficult times in your life . . .

Even though it is hard to express at times, never forget that I really do LOVE YOU, and CARE FOR YOU very much! YOU make possible all that I am able to do each day for over one million people worldwide. It is YOUR prayers, YOUR love, YOUR support that makes it all possible.

I pray for you daily, and am always here any time that you need me. NEVER hesitate to email me at bkeller@liveprayer.com anytime that I can help you, or simply stand in prayer for you. You are a friend, and a friend is a special gift from God.

***JULY FINANCIAL UPDATE: As we head into the final day of the month, we are still $32,000 short of covering our basic operations budget. Each month for 155 months now, God has used the faithfulness of those in the Liveprayer family to help us cover what we need to operate for one more month. Each sacrificing what they are led and able to give to help us meet our needs. Please take a moment today and pray about what God is asking you to do to help me insure we end this month with all of our operations taken care of as we head into our 13th anniversary month. Thank you for your love, prayers, and sacrifice as we take HIS Truth into the marketplace and the hope and love of Jesus to the lost and hurting! TO GIVE A GIFT TO LIVEPRAYER, you can use your major credit card on our secure server at: www.liveprayer.com under the "Donation" link, you can give using your PayPal account using my email address: bkeller@liveprayer.com,or you can mail your gift to: Liveprayer, 6660 46th Ave. North, St.Petersburg, FL 33709. All gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible.

God bless you!!!

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

Bill Keller