Daily Devotional for Thursday September 26, 2013
The Judgment of God is Coming Upon This Nation Sooner than Anyone Can Believe
(Deuteronomy 8:19, 20)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, in 1 Corinthians 15, 3-4 Paul tells us the Good News in specific terms. I never hear a Pastor use these specific terms exactly as Paul says in this book. Isn't The Gospel ... "Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again three days later", the only way according to Paul to be saved? I hear people say a lot of other things like ask Jesus into your heart and he died for your sins but never the Gospel? According to Paul those words are the only way to be saved and in fact are "The Gospel" is that correct?
ANSWER: The "Gospel" message is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It is also the message that we are ALL sinners, in need of a Savior, and that Jesus was the one-time perfect sacrifce from God for the sins of all mankind. Romans Chapter 10 is a great resource for leading a person to faith in Jesus. It is important to take all of God's Word regarding any theological issue. Salvation is simple enough for an average 3rd grade mentality, since it simply requires the understanding of our sinfulness and that faith in Jesus is the only answer for our sins and the only way to regain our eternal relationship with God our Creator It is critical to understand, again why the ENTIRE context of the Bible is to be considered, that words alone (a sinners prayer) don't save you, but are simply a verbal guide to what you are doing in your heart by faith. Ephesians 2:8,9 is the key verses: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."
-A sad and confused male high school student who has been told "he" is really a "she," is the homecoming queen!
-Christians in many countries, especially today in Egypt and Syria, are being persecuted and slaughtered for their faith in Christ!
-At least 3 people who perpetrated the massacre in a Kenyan shopping mall were from the US!
-A tabloid "journalist" on FOX News, Bill O'Reilly, has written a book that is a theological joke (full Daily Devotional coming tomorrow) which will help to lead a generation of unchurched, Biblically illiterate people to eternal damnation!
-The leader of the world's 1.2 million Catholics, Pope Francis, has said in the past 30 days that those who deny the very existence of God will be in Heaven, that we should no longer talk about the sins of homosexuality and abortion destroying lives daily, and that we should simply ignore immigration laws and embrace those who broke the law to come to the US illegally!
What does all of this mean to you? Only that the ultimate judgment of God is coming upon this nation sooner than anyone can believe. It also means that everyone reading these words today need to be in prayer for this nation to turn back to the Lord and His Truth before that ultimate judgment is unleashed. IT IS OUR ONLY HOPE AND OUR ONLY ANSWER!!!
God's judgment is being poured out on this nation. For you World War 2 history buffs, you may remember this classic meeting between German dictator Adolph Hitler and England's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. "Chamberlain took from his pocket a paper headed "Anglo-German Agreement," which contained three paragraphs, including a statement that the two nations considered the Munich Agreement "symbolic of the desire of our two people never to go to war again." According to Chamberlain, Hitler interjected "Ja! Ja!" ("Yes! Yes!") as the Prime Minister read it. The two men signed the paper then and there. When, later that day, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop remonstrated with Hitler for signing it, the Fuhrer replied, "Oh, don't take it so seriously. That piece of paper is of no further significance whatever." Chamberlain, on the other hand, when he returned to his hotel for lunch, patted his breast pocket and said, "I've got it!"
Perhaps no nation that has ever existed in the history of the world other than Israel, has known the incredible blessings of God like the United States. In just 237 years, this nation has become the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of the world. It is the hand of God that allows nations to rise, and to fall. God allowed this nation to rise up from nothing. He poured out His richest blessings on our country. Sadly, we have squandered those blessings, misappropriated them, and now must face God's judgment.
I DO NOT say this lightly, and fully realize the magnitude of what I am sharing with you today. This nation began to decline in the mid 60's. That decline continued throughout the 70's. It intensified in the "me years" of the 80's. The decline began to occur at warp speed during the 90's, when even the President became a symbol of our decline. As we are now 10 years into the new millennium, we are in free-fall and I am sorry to say, things are never going to get better, only worse.
There are 7 key factors that has brought our nation to this time of God's judgment. First, is the Federal Government legalizing the killing of innocent babies. In the 40 years since abortion was legalized, there have been over 58 million babies killed, app. 1.3 million each year, around 4,000 every single day.
Second, is the bold, unrepentant, unashamed, gross sexual perversion that exists in our nation today. From those who choose homosexuality, to the epidemic of sexual activity outside of marriage starting as young as 12, to the ever increasing numbers of men and women who commit adultery, to the unrestricted pornography industry, to those who proudly engage in every type of sexual perversion that man has ever dreamed of.
The third factor is the millions who have rejected the God of the Bible to follow the false gods of the world. The fastest growing religions in our country are the cults like the Muslims, the Mormons, the Scientologists, and the various New Age movements. They have preyed on the 2 plus generations in our nation that have for the most part never been to church, and during those difficult times in their life are seeking answers. Sadly, they have believed the lie from satan instead of the Truth of God's Word.
Fourth, is the abandonment of Israel. Genesis 12:3 is still in effect today! Even though the U.S. gives billions in aid each year to Israel, the current "roadmap" is helping to give away the land that God promised to the children of Israel to their enemies.
Fifth, is the destruction of the family. A Godly family consisting of a man and a woman that both love the Lord and have only been married to each other, with children that love and honor God, is the exception today, rather than the norm that it once was. Marriage is no longer God's holy institution, but little more than a legal date. Divorce damages the lives of both spouses and the children involved. A large percentage of children now grow up in unstable homes where God is never mentioned, and go on to have unhealthy relationships and children of their own, that also grow up in unstable homes void of God.
The sixth factor is the media. Satan has full control over 99% of the media (the 1% being the Christian media), and there are no longer ANY constraints on what can be produced. Between television, films, music, the Internet, video games, and publications, you can access an unlimited amount of whatever type of filth, garbage, perversion, and disgusting deviant behavior that you want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, right from the comfort of your home.
The seventh and final factor is the apostate church. The church today is more interested in programs than people, in building great structures instead of great men and women of God, in entertaining people rather than encouraging them. The church has compromised the absolute truth of God's word in order to be politically correct, and is more concerned with people's money than their souls.
The spiritual leaders of this nation are NOT supposed to be a politician, NOT supposed to be Hollywood stars or musicians, NOT supposed to be Oprah and other TV stars, and NOT supposed to be sports heroes, They are supposed to be the men and women of God that He has raised up and called to be a BOLD, LOUD, CLEAR voice for His TRUTH, not just from the pulpit of a local church, or in a great convention of Christians, BUT IN THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN!!!
I love you and care about you so much. My heart is broken over having to share such a word like this. If we think that any of these 7 factors are going to change, we are simply being naive. Things are NOT ever going to go back to the way they used to be. To not expect God's judgment on such blatant and gross rebellion is also very naive.
God will not be mocked. You cannot live in rebellion to God and not pay the price in your personal life, and we cannot live in rebellion to God and not pay the price as a nation. But here is the good news. GOD ALWAYS HAS A REMNANT! GOD ALWAYS HAS A PEOPLE! Despite whatever judgment He pours out on our nation, there will always be a group of people that will never bow their knee to Baal!
I will be praying for you today. I pray that you will be part of God's remnant in these last days. I pray that you will embrace the opportunity that we will have as the people of God to share the hope and love of Christ with the hurting and the lost. We are going to have incredible opportunities to see great numbers of souls won for the Kingdom. I want to encourage you today.
God has raised up Liveprayer for this moment in human history. God gave me the vision to sound the trump of warning and to lead this nation back to God and His Truth! We are adding people daily to the Liveprayer family, and now it is your opportunity to take a real stand for Christ. God is calling you today! He wants to use you today to help bring revival to this nation just like Nineveh did when they repented and turned to Almighty God!
Over 120,000 souls were saved in Nineveh because they turned to God! I believe that we can see millions repent and turn to God in the wake of this revival here in the US. You can keep living your life, taking care of yourself, or you can sacrifice your life and allow God to use you for His glory. When you come to the end of your life, it is not what you did for yourself that will matter, but what you did for God. Read that again. When you come to the end of your life, it is not what you did for yourself that will matter, but what you did for God.
Let me leave you with the incredible words from Hebrews 11:13-16, and pray that one day men will say this about you and I. "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. THEREFORE GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD, FOR HE HAS PREPARED A CITY FOR THEM."
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller