Daily Devotional for Wednesday April 9, 2014
Is the Internet Causing People to Lose their Religion
(James 4:4)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, we are taught we must be led by the Holy Spirit; but how do you know when it is Gods' will vs. our own human brain speaking to us?
ANSWER: That is why the Bible is so critical. God will NEVER contradict His Word. The Bible must always be our filter to discern if it is really God, ourselves, or satan lying to us! This is why reading the studying the Bible is so critical, to be able to discern the voice of God!
The Internet is causing people to lose their religion, so says a new US study that was released recently by a researcher and computer scientist. The study indicated that aside from other factors, such as parental affiliation and college attendance contributing to a decrease in religious beliefs, the internet has been attributed as one of the biggest factors. While it may be a logical conclusion someone outside of Christendom could arrive at, it is 100% WRONG!!!
The case is made that because of the Internet, people now have access to more information, information that allows them to "think for themselves." This access to information via the Internet also refutes the existence of God, proves the Bible is little more than a book of myths and fantasies, and following Jesus is a waste of time since there is no such place as heaven or hell!
There is no doubt that the Internet has become a place for those who reject God's existence, who Jesus really was, and the Truth of the Bible, to openly express their beliefs. There are literally thousands and thousands of websites that those who are looking to reinforce their rejection of Christianity can go to in order to find information to support that rejection.
The reason the conclusion of this study is 100% wrong is that the decline of Christianity in this nation is not because of the information available on the Internet, but what I have been sharing in the Daily Devotional these past 15 years. It is the fact the better percentage of the past two generations have never been to church, the breakdown of God's plan for the family which forms the foundation of our society, that are huge contributors to the decline of Christianity. Add to those two factors a nation that operates in open rebellion to God and His Truth found in the Bible, and a culture that openly promotes and glorifies the things God's Word defines as sin.
Lastly, a weak, apathetic, gutless, money-motivated, compromised church that is more focused on building its' kingdom than God's, has to bear a huge portion of the blame for the decline in Christianity in this nation. The church would rather entertain people than train people in the work of the Lord. It would rather build buildings than men and women of God. It equips itself with every modern technological marvel instead of equipping the saints. Raising money has become the prime motivation instead of saving souls!!!
I love you and care about you so much. The truth is, the Internet, while being used to destroy lives and provide people with the lies they need to justify their unbelief, has been an instrument God has used in a POWERFUL way! Just look at Liveprayer! Over the last 15 years, Liveprayer has become by far the world's largest interactive Christian website. We've sent out over 5,300 Daily Devotionals that began going out to a handful of people and are now are received by over 2.5 million people worldwide every single day, impacting tens of millions of lives worldwide since we began!
We have received and responded to over 100 million email prayer requests. We have accumulated a Praise Report archive with over 8 million testimonies of God's faithfulness.Most important of all, over 800,000 souls we know of who have come to faith in Jesus Christ through Liveprayer!!! While many have used the Internet to lead people away from God's Truth found in the Bible and faith in Christ, Liveprayer has proved it can be a mighty instrument in the hands of God to minister to people in their hour of need, bring His Truth into the marketplace, and save souls.
AS I SHARED WITH YOU LAST NOVEMBER, IT WILL BE LIVEPRAYER LEADING THE WAY BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, USING THIS PRECIOUS RESOURCE ON THE INTERNET ALONG WITH OUR TV PROGRAM. GOD IS GOING TO USE LIVEPRAYER TO BRING A TRUE REVIVAL TO OUR NATION AND BEGIN TO TURN THIS ONCE GREAT LAND BACK TO HIMSELF AND THE TRUTH OF HIS WORD!!!
While it would be nice to blame the Internet for the decline in Christianity in this nation, it simply isn't the case. This is a nation that has forsaken its' relationship with God, and exchanged that relationship for one with the world. The Bible proclaims that a friend of this world is an enemy of God. Our nation has sadly become God's enemy, living in blatant unrepentant sin, and that rebellion against the Almighty is the reason for the decline in Christianity!!!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller