Daily Devotional for Friday May 9, 2014
Satan Fights to Win, Why Don't We
(1 Corinthians 15:57)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, I just wanted to tell how your ministry and the Daily Devotionals has greatly blessed me and strengthened my faith in God! It's not just the topics that you write about, but how you share the financials needs of your ministry in such a simple, straightforward way without playing the games so many do in raising their funding. I know that it is because of your honesty and integrity, God never fails to meet them! Each month after reading about the money you need I say to myself, there is no way God is going to get you out of this one. But sure enough, He comes through every time as He moves on the hearts of people and the money comes in! Thank you for your steadfastness, faithfulness, and being an example! It is inspiring to see in this day where compromise, usually over money, in the church is rampant!
ANSWER: I appreciate it. God knows that the funds we ask people to help us with aren't for personal gain or pleasure, but to reach the lost and hurting the church and most ministries have abandoned, minister to the needs of the hurting, and bring the love of Christ and Gospel to the lost. For 22 years now, I get on my knees the first of the month and simply ask God to supply our operational needs for that month, not a penny more, share those needs with the Liveprayer family, and pray daily in faith for the Lord to use His people to insure the funds come in. It is a testament to the obedience and faithfulness of God's people, and the Lord's favor on His work at Liveprayer!
Satan fights to win, why don't we??? Let me say right up front that I realize satan is only loose for a season and his eternal destination, the Lake of Fire, has already been prepared for him. I also realize that those who know Jesus have the promise of eternity in Heaven. So for all eternity satan is a loser and those who come to know Jesus by faith are winners.
That is what frustrates me even more. Why do those who follow satan, who will be losers for all eternity, stop at nothing to achieve victory during this life, while those who follow Jesus, who have the assurance of eternity in Heaven with God their Creator, sit back and accept defeat during this life?
As Liveprayer is getting ready to celebrate its 15 year anniversary in August, I have been doing some deep soul searching. One part of me is very thankful and blessed to have been part of this move of God that has touched tens of millions of lives around the world these past 15 years, having responded to over 100 million emails for prayer, an archive of over 8 million praise reports that testify to the greatness, power, and glory of Almighty God, and most important of all, the 800,000 people we know of who have accepted the Lord as their Savior by faith.
On top of that we have pioneered using the Internet as an interactive ministry tool, helped pave the road for live broadcasting on the Internet, and have had a presence on secular television and in the mainstream media like few others ever have!!!
Whatever satisfaction there may be has been greatly tempered by the reality that also in these past 15 years of Liveprayer, the world around us, our culture, has continued to deteriorate. We have made virtually ZERO IMPACT in the spiritual deterioration of our society. Slowed it down a little at best. While we have done a decent job in battling satan for the souls of men, satan and his minions have continued to win victories in forcing his agenda on this world.
I have to be honest and admit that while Liveprayer has made an impact in tens of millions of lives, we have been totally ineffective at stemming the tide of the spiritual decline of our culture. On that front satan has kicked our butt and I don't' like it!!!
Where does it say that satan is supposed to be victorious, even for whatever brief time he is loose in this world? We know from reading the end of the Book that God will eventually judge this world for its sin and rebellion and end it all. However, only God knows when that will be and I refuse to sit back and accept, even though these are clearly the last days, that we have to watch satan doing a victory dance it the end zone time after time after time after time.
Once again, I know when the game is over satan loses, but there is no reason he has to keep scoring points while he is loose! The reality is, he is more committed to winning the daily battles of life than we are!!!
This is going to get brutal, the truth always is, so please don't get upset. I am not minimizing what anyone has done for the Lord and am the first in line to accept full responsibility for my part in our failure to impact our culture for Christ. The biggest problem is how many churches, ministries, works of God, have an end game, a plan for complete and total victory?
Sadly, most churches, ministries, and works of God have as their goal to do the work of God in the lives of the people they reach, and that is fine. But for most, their vision of victory is making it from one year to the next. That is not victory, that is simply self preservation and perpetuation. Why don't they have as their goal victory over the issues of our day? Not just talking about them, but a plan and strategy to get VICTORY!
The fact is churches, ministries, and works of God have NO PLAN for victory over the social ills of our day. While satans troops set out to legalize the slaughtering of babies in this nation and keep it legal, 35 years worth of victories for them, how many pro life groups have there been over the years, how many hundreds of millions have they raised, and NOTHING HAS CHANGED!
The fact is, I assure you some of these organizations would be upset if abortion was made illegal since they would be out of business and their key people out of a job and a big salary! The same is true on family issues, homosexual issues, gambling, pornography, and other social issues that plague our culture. Why don't any of these churches, ministries, or numerous organizations who raise hundreds of millions annually for their causes, have a plan to achieve victory???
I'll be honest with you. I am not going to sit back and watch another 15 years go by should the Lord tarry and not make an impact on this culture. The fact is we can impact millions of lives for Christ AND impact the culture. That is the whole purpose of the Jonah Project. The Jonah Project is a call to this nation to repent of its sins and turn back to God and Biblical values or face God's judgment. It is a similar call to the nations of the world. In the process, we will help lead millions of souls to faith in Jesus Christ. A major piece of the Jonah Project is finally bringing together true followers of Jesus Christ as ONE. With ONE VOICE.
While we call this nation and the nations of the world back to God, people to faith in Jesus Christ, we will also mobilize for the first time a true army of millions who will not compromise the Truth of the Bible or bow their knee to Baal and take a stand in our culture for righteousness. If the reprobates can take a stand for their beliefs, invoke their will on society, why can't the righteous take a stand for our beliefs and invoke our will on society?
I hear all the time the ungodly whine and scream about Christians and their beliefs, yet they think it is perfectly acceptable to force society to accept their ungodly beliefs and actions. This is a war for the soul of our nation and the fact is satan is winning because he won't stop until he achieves victory and we don't even have victory as our goal!
I love you and care about you so much. Like the servants of satan work and work until they get victory, we will work and work until we get victory. I AM NO LONGER INTERESTED IN JUST IMPACTING LIVES AND THE ETERNAL SOULS OF MEN FOR CHRIST, BUT IN ALSO IMPACTING OUR CULTURE. WE HAVE MORE CHURCHES, MORE MINISTRIES, MORE WORKS OF GOD THAN EVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTENDOM, YET OUR CULTURE IS IN SPIRITUAL FREEFALL. WHY? VICTORY IS NOT OUR GOAL. WELL THAT IS CHANGING. WE HAVE VICTORY OVER THE SOCIAL ILLS OF OUR DAY AS OUR GOAL AND THE PLAN AND ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THAT VICTORY!!!
What I need now are some bold and fearless men and women of God who will stand with me and help me lead this nation back to God and see these victories won. I know everyone is busy with their own lives. This is not another event to be part of. This is not another program to plug into. This is the first time anyone has seriously tried to mobilize a true army of the faithful for the sheer purpose of leading the nation back to God and Biblical values, people to faith in Christ, while attacking the social ills of our day.
I need men and women with vision, with leadership skills, and with a heart for Christ that will enable them to fight with me to see victory. I need some sold out men and women of God whose only goal is VICTORY! I can't do this alone, will you join me?
To become a member of the Jonah Project, go to: http://liveprayer.com/jonah/signup.cfm
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller