Daily Devotional for Saturday August 18, 2012

People Struggling with Doubt

(Mark 9:24)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, I heard on Moody radio that there is a great number of Muslims turning to Christ. Is this a sign we are closer to end of times?

ANSWER: I don't know if it any sign of the end times, however, it is a great testimony to those ministries focused on evangelizing Muslims. We praise God for those who not only will listen to the Gospel, but often put their life and the lives of their family on the line to convert to Christianity since Islam calls for such people to beput to death!

One of the consistent prayer requests that I get daily here at Liveprayer, is for people struggling with doubt. Doubt that God exists. Doubt that the Bible is really the Truth. Doubt that there is everlasting life through faith in Jesus. These are very common and normal thoughts that ALL Christians deal with from time to time, since doubt has always been one of satan's most effective weapons.

Since the element of faith is involved, doubt becomes a natural instrument the enemy uses to try and paralyze believers from effectively serving the Lord. The most common time doubt creeps in is when we don't see our prayers being answered, or when something happens that we just can't believe God would allow to occur.

I have done many Devotionals in the past on prayer. Many focusing on the fact that God answers some prayers yes, some prayers no, and some prayers are on hold for a while. It is those no answers, those prayers on hold that allow doubt to creep into our thoughts. The fact is, God is not our personal servant, we are His. He is not there for our pleasure, we are here for His.

We must always remember that when we pray, like Jesus, our prayers should ultimately be "Not my will, but thy will be done." We pray because God instructs us to pray. While He may already know the eventual outcome and answer, we don't. Subsequently, we must exercise our faith, demonstrate our dependence upon God and pray.

A while back, I did a Devotional on why bad things happen to good people. This has long been a stumbling block for many and has helped to cause doubt to overtake them. We often can't understand why tragedies befall good people, often totally innocent people. Again, it is times like these that our faith must become real, we must trust that God is still on the throne. And while we don't always understand why, we know ultimately His will, His plan and purpose will play out.

The fact is, no matter what happens in this life, it is a very brief journey. It is a blip on the radar screen of time. In comparison to the eternity that we all face, it is literally as quick as the blink of an eye. Subsequently, however long we are part of this world is not the real issue. What we do in this brief time is, since it will determine our eternal destination.

The answer to doubt of course is faith. Faith in a God that created the heavens and earth. Faith in a God that created each one of us in His own image. Faith in a God that loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled back into fellowship with Him. Faith in a God that has given us His Word to guide and direct our journey here on earth. While we all have doubts at different times in our life, the answer to those doubts is our faith in God.

I love you and care about you so much. I will pray for you today as you deal with the doubts that creep into your life from time to time. Never forget these words today that doubt is simply a trick of the enemy to keep you from the things of God. For the unsaved, doubt can cause them to spend eternity separated from the God that created them. For the believer, doubt can cause you to miss out on much of the joy, peace, and abundance of this life.

I am praying today that the next time doubt creeps into your heart, you recognize it for what it is. It is an attempt by the enemy to neutralize your effectiveness for the Kingdom of God. Remember that doubt is from the pits of hell itself. Realize that and allow your faith to overcome any doubts that you have as you put your trust in the Lord. We stand firm in our faith because of all that God has done in our life. The same God who has saved you, the same God who has helped you overcome so much in the past, is the same God, the very REAL God, who will help you overcome any doubts that you might have today.

It is our faith that conquers our doubts, a faith in the God who when Thomas doubted that Christ had indeed rose from the dead said, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side." Stop doubting and believe!!!"

***As we are two weeks from the end of August, let me ask you to please pray about making that gift to Liveprayer this month. I know many are facing difficult times, but I also know God has protected and blessed most through this economic storm. What better way to show your gratitude than by using some of those resources to bring His hope to so many lost and hurting souls. We still need to cover the last $9,000 of our July shortfall, and our entire $40,000 monthly operations budget for August.

I AM ASKING THREE PEOPLE WHO GOD IS SPEAKING TO, TO MAKE A ONE-TIME SACRIFCE OF $3,000 TO GET THIS JULY SHORTFALL COVERED! WILL YOU PRAY ABOUT BEING ONE OF THE THREE I NEED TO HELP ME TODAY???

It has been the faithfulness of many friends these past 155 months that has allowed us to be a blessing to millions. Now you can be a blessing to someone who needs Christ by sending the most generous gift you can today. The Bible teaches to give as you are able. For some that may be a gift of $20 or $50. For others it may be a gift of $100 or $200. Still others can give $500, $1,000, or even more. It is not the amount God sees, but your heart. Simply be obedient and give as the Holy Spirit guides you to give.

PLEASE PRAY ABOUT SOWING A SPECIAL GIFT TO LIVEPRAYER DURING OUR ANNIVERSARY MONTH. MANY HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY GOD'S WORK HERE, BUT HAVE NEVER GIVEN TO HELP US. ACTUALLY, LESS THAN 1/4 OF 1% OF THOSE WE REACH EVERY GIVE A DIME TO SUPPORT GOD'S WORK HERE. ALL WE HAVE DONE OVER THESE 13 YRS, IMPACTING LITERALLY TENS OF MILLIONS OF LIVES WORLDWIDE, HAS ONLY BEEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE FRIENDS LIKE YOU PRAYED AND MADE THE SACRIFICE TO HELP US BE HERE EACH DAY FOR THE HURTING AND LOST.

MOST EVERYONE CAN SEND SOMETHING. LET ME CHALLENGE YOU TO GIVE A GIFT OF $13, $130, $1300, OR FOR SOME, $13,000. THAT IS $1, $10, $100, OR $1,000 FOR EACH YEAR OF SERVICE. GOD WILL MULTIPLY YOUR GIFT EXPONENTIALLY IN THE LIVES AND SOULS OF THOSE WE REACH WITH HIS TRUTH AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!

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.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, YOUR PRAYERS, AND YOUR SACRIFCE. THESE 13 YEARS HAVE ONLY BEEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU, AND I THANK GOD FOR YOU EACH DAY. KNOW YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE IN MY PRAYERS. WE PRESS ON TOWARDS THE PRIZE!

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

Bill Keller