Daily Devotional for Sunday September 9, 2012
Obeying God Brings Blessings, Disobeying God Brings Consequences
(John 10:10)
***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!
"Hi . . . i'm a 16 male from florida and i totally ruined my whole entire life and dreams for one night of lust... i have no clue what to do... i had intercourse with my best friend and she might be pregnant now.... and i have no clue what to do... i've been trying to get rid of the confusion by taking lots of pills and slicing myself ... its helping but... you know how it is... your parents find out... they take you to a shrink... the shrink puts you on pills... then you take all the pills and they put in the hospital and now i'm back home slicing myself some more...any ways...pray that i will kill myself or be killed fairly soon... thanks a lot!!"
Sadly, I get emails like this every day. Eight out of the 10 are from men and women under 18 years old. Young men and women with their entire lives ahead of them. However, they made the choice to rebel against God and were faced with the very real-life consequences of their rebellion. Most mature adults do not handle the consequences of their sinful actions very well, so it is not surprising that a young man or woman would feel hopeless when faced with the reality of their rebellion.
Sadly, people of all ages underestimate satan's goals even though Jesus clearly told us what they are in John 10:10. He is out to steal,kill, and destroy. Satan's desire is to steal your hope, steal your joy, steal your peace, steal the abundance that this life can be. Satan wants to kill you. He wants you dead in your sin so that you will be forever separated from God, your Creator, and destined to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire that will be his eternal home. Satan wants to destroy you. If you are already a Christian, he wants to destroy your testimony, to destroy your ability to serve God, to destroy the plan and purpose God has for your life. My friend, satan is NOT playing games, he is deadly serious!!!
That is why I am so passionate each day in what I share with you in regard to sin. Each day, I receive over 40,000 prayer requests from all over the world. Literally 7 days a week I am dealing with the very real lives, of very real people, that due to sin have had their lives turned upside down. I get to see daily the destruction of sin in people's lives. Satan is an equal opportunity destroyer. He doesn't care if you are young or old, if you are male or female, if you are white or black. Satan doesn't care if you are rich or poor, where you live, how intelligent you may or may not be. SIN IS A UNIVERSAL ISSUE THAT ALL MEN AND WOMEN DEAL WITH EVERY DAY!
I realize that I can't force you to follow God, or to obey Him. I understand that you have to make your own choices. What God has called me to do is simply share the TRUTH of His Word with you each day. It really boils down to this. When you obey God, you will be blessed. When you rebel against God, you will face the consequences. Obeying God brings blessings, disobeying God brings consequences. This is true whether you are 10 or 100, and every age in between.
I love you and care about you so much. Satan is NOT some cartoon character created by Walt Disney. Satan is a very REAL force in the world for this short season. He is not to be feared, but understood. We must never forget that for this brief season, he is very much on the loose, with the clearly defined goal to steal, kill, and destroy the lives of real people. However, there is no reason to fear satan because 2000 years ago Jesus Christ rose out of His tomb and sealed the enemy's eternal fate. He is a defeated foe! The Bible proclaims that, "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world."
I will be praying for you today. I pray that you will not take sin lightly, or the potential consequences of sin in your life. The email I shared at the top said, "i totally ruined my whole entire life and dreams for one night of lust." The fact is that is not true. Satan is a LIAR. John 8:44 tells us that he is the "father of lies!" God gives us a great promise in 1 John 1:9 that if we will confess our sins, He will forgive us, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. It does NOT say that we will escape the consequences of our sins, but that God will forgive us and give us the grace and strength to deal with whatever they may be.
The good news is that this young man's life is NOT over, and that God still has a plan and purpose for him if he will surrender it to the Lord. The good news is that YOUR life is not over, simply because you have sinned. The key is to go to God, confess your sins, receive His forgiveness, and move forward with your life. God is a God of grace, mercy, and restoration. Satan will lie to you and tell you that you are worthless because of your sin and that you have no hope. The truth is that God never stops loving you and that your hope is in Him. Satan wants to destroy you, God wants to bless you. Satan wants you to die, God wants you to live. May you choose the God of hope, blessing, and life!!!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller