Daily Devotional for Friday September 12, 2014
President Keller's Address to the Nation and A Look at the Day after 9/11
(Psalms 18)
**ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, I am reading the ask Bill question today and my problem is I don't love myself! So evidently I cannot love others correctly. How does one learn to love theirself?
ANSWER: Here is a good starting place. God loves you, UNCONDITIONALLY! Jesus loved you enough to die for your sins. If they love you THAT much, shouldn't you love yourself also? No matter how others view us, even those closest to us like our spouse, our family, doesn't change God's love for us nor should it affect how we view ourselves. We all have parts of our life we need to do better, but we always will. Here is the key, we love ourselves because the Lord first loved us, and it is from there, that we in turn love others...even when they aren't very lovely!
"My fellow Americans, one hour ago with the support of Congress, the United States launched several massive bombing raids on key ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. We also invaded ISIS controlled areas of Iraq and Syria with a total of 20,000 US troops. Our top military leaders believe that within the next week we can severely damage the operational infrastructure of ISIS while killing a large percentage of their army, and through our special ops many of their top leaders.
Islam has declared war on the United States. We at war with Islam! This is NOT a "holy war" of Christians versus Muslims as their false propaganda purports. This is a war between a sovereign nation, the United States of America, and Islam. ISIS, A-lQueda, Boko Haram, Hamas, and other terror organizations are ALL part of Islam and have declared war on our nation. For 1400 years Islam has taught, advocated, and condoned the killing of innocent people in their ultimate desire to create a global caliphate, or Islamic state where all non-Muslims (infidels) will either convert to Islam or be killed!
Because our nation is at war with Islam, all mosques in the nation will be immediately closed and controlled by the Department of Homeland Security so they can't be used as a national network of Islamic command and control centers. Likewise, all Muslims will have 72 hours to leave this nation. Special camps have been erected in Utah and Idaho that will house all Muslims who refuse to leave the country until this war with Islam is over. All local police departments in the United States are receiving special credentials by the Department of Justice in order to detain and arrest anyone who is a Muslim so they can be deported to the special camps.
Additionally, members of our armed forces are being sent to both the Northern and Southern borders to insure they are closed from ALL traffic that does not have the proper documentation to be in the country. Homeland Security and ICE will also begin to immediately deport all people who are in this country without legal documentation, with special transportation systems being put in place to insure this effort is completed over the next 90 days.
Sadly, we have squandered the blessings of Almighty God and have chosen to live in total rebellion to our Creator and His Truth. 9/11 was a moment when God took His hand of protection from this nation to warn us, wake us up. While that happened for a few months out of fear, the warning was forgotten and the past 13 years has seen this nation totally reject God and His Truth while embracing the lies and agenda of satan. We can no longer ask for or expect God to protect us. It is a frightful reality that we are on our own and must do all we can do to protect our nation and its' citizens.
I am calling for the next 24 hours to be a day of prayer and fasting. We deserve whatever God allows to happen, and can only pray that His grace and mercy will see our nation through the challenging days ahead. I can't ask God to bless us, we don't deserve His blessings. So I will simply close and pray for God's mercy to be upon our land and people!"
AS WE SPEND TODAY STILL REMEMBERING THE HORRIBLE EVENTS OF 9/11, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO PUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE UNITED STATES THAT DAY IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. I WAS NEVER SO THANKFUL TO GOD FOR THIS MINISTRY AS I WAS ON 9/11. WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF THE PLANES HITTING THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, WITHOUT EVEN UNDERSTANDING FULLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING, WE HAD MOBILIZED A WORLDWIDE PRAYER EFFORT INVOLVING OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE.
WAS IT AN ACCIDENT THE OTHER PLANES THAT WERE TO BE FLOWN INTO BUILDINGS ON THAT DAY WERE GROUNDED? NO!!! IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS, OVER 2,000 THAT WE KNOW OF, ACCEPTED CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR. EVEN IN GREAT TRAGEDY, GOD IS WORKING! PLEASE PRAY AND READ THE WORDS GOD WROTE THROUGH ME BACK IN 2001 . . . SINCE THEY HAVE AS MUCH RELEVANCE NOW AS THEY DID ON THE DAY THAT THEY WERE ORIGINALLY WRITTEN.
TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL IS DEDICATED TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIFE IN THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON OUR GREAT NATION SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. MAY THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS FIND COMFORT IN ALMIGHTY GOD DURING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THIS TRAGIC EVENT!
(Originally sent on September 13, 2001, the day after) This has been a very sad day for me, yet at the same time very rewarding. The sadness comes from the loss yesterday of at least 20 people who subscribed to this Daily Devotional and were part of the Liveprayer family. The emails started coming in late last night. 17 were killed in the World Trade Center, 2 in the Pentagon, and one was on board the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. I have a great amount of compassion for their families today. We have also received emails from over a hundred people who lost friends in yesterday's events. My prayers today are with those families and friends who lost loved ones yesterday, and hope that they will look to God, our Comforter, during this difficult time in their lives.
However, I am very happy to report that as this Devotional was being written, we have received requests from over 1,000 people who have emailed us that they have prayed to ask Christ into their hearts as their personal savior, and requested our follow-up material. So I praise God for those lives that have been committed to the Lord.
I want to say a very special thanks, and send prayers out to all of the courageous police personnel, EMTs, fire and rescue workers, as well as the health care professionals involved in yesterday's horrible events. These people are all real American heroes that have given of themselves to help others who were in great need. Of course, these efforts will go on for many, many days as the aftermath of this tragedy is playing out. Also, praise God for all of the selfless people that donated blood in New York and other places to make it possible for care to be given to those who were injured. In the worst of times, the American people will always rise up and give their best. May God's richest blessings be on each one who has been a Good Samaritan these past several days.
On this day after, I also want to pray for our military personnel worldwide. I am confident that within a short period of time, the United States military will be involved in a response to yesterday's terrorist attacks on our country. I want to lift up each and every man and woman in uniform that God will protect them and allow them to accomplish their mission, and return home to their families safe and sound. Thousands who read this Devotional daily are on military bases and ships around the world. Please know that on behalf of the Liveprayer family, you will be covered in prayer as you go forth in service to your nation. May God bless you for your courage and bravery.
As the reality of what happened yesterday starts to sink in, I want to reemphasize the point I shared with you yesterday. This is a golden opportunity for God's children to share His hope and love with a nation and world that for the most part is fearful of what tomorrow may bring and looking for answers. This is our chance to share with them that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. It is ONLY in a personal relationship with Jesus, that we can even hope to understand or make sense of what happened on September 11th, 2001. The reality that one day this world as we know it will no longer exist, the reality that life can end most unexpectedly, the fear of what that means to each person, gives us an incredible opportunity to lead them to the throne of grace and share with them God's gift of everlasting life.
I love you and care about you so much. You mean so much to me. Today of all days, I don't say those words lightly. Over the past 3 years, I have lost some very dear people who have been part of Liveprayer. Today has been difficult as I have learned of many in this special group of friends who have gone on to their reward. Heaven is richer for our loss. Their work here is over. But for me, and for you, God still has work for us to do.
While we take time to pray for those I have listed above, let us also pray and ask God for the courage and resolve to stand up and proudly carry the banner of Christ to this nation. The time has never been more ripe for Christians to boldly proclaim the cause of Christ. Let the tragedy of yesterday, be the spark that leads this great nation into revival. Never forget, revival happens one heart at a time. Today is the day, now is the time, and we are the ones that God has called for such a time as this.
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller