Daily Devotional for Tuesday December 30, 2014

Are You at that Place of Desperation Where You don't See Any Solutions

(Proverbs 12:15)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, Where in the Bible does it say you are to give 10% of your income for tithes?

ANSWER: The tithe, or the tenth, is what was paid to the Old Testament Priests. The fact is, 100% of everything we have belongs to God. When we give, we are simply giving back a portion of what God has entrusted to us in an act of obedience, sacrifice and worship. My advice on giving is this. Sit down with God, work out your budget, and pray about what you can give to God each week. God will NEVER tell you to give what you can't give, but in accordance with your ability to give. Come to a peace about that figure in prayer and than faithfully and cheerfully give your offering each week. Also, at times God may move on your heart to make special gifts. Simply be obedient and give as the Holy Spirit directs you remembering God is not impressed by the amount we give, but by our obedience and faithfulness.

Are you at that place of desperation where you don't see any solutions to the challenges you are facing? Are you in the 11th hour and losing hope? I get so many emails each day from people all over the world who are in the midst of major battles in their life. They are desperate, looking for something magical to happen to make their circumstances different overnight. I pray that by now you know how much I love you and care about you. I try to give myself each day to standing with you and helping you through the trials of everyday life.

This is one of those days that I need to use some tough love on you. So many of you have absolutely unrealistic expectations about resolving your problems that you need someone to tell you the truth. I hear over and over each day people say, "God has abandoned me...He doesn't love me or how could He make me go through this." The fact is God has never left you, God loves you unconditionally, and you go through most of the battles in your life because you do not have a workable plan to get victory.

It is also unrealistic to think that God is some genie in the bottle that you call on when you are in trouble and He will snap His fingers and make all of your problems go away. The fact is, most of your problems didn't just happen overnight; they developed over a period of time. Victory will probably not happen overnight either; it will take place over a period of time. Let me interject that God can do anything, and if He, in His sovereign will, chooses to eliminate your problems overnight He CAN do that.

The logical question becomes where do I get this plan? God gives us His plan for victory in many ways. This is again why it becomes critical to have that intimate daily relationship with Him. It is in that close daily contact through prayer and the Word that He speaks to us. In our circumstances, He speaks to us. Through the counsel of others He speaks to us. It is a combination of all the above that helps us formulate a game plan, His plan, to be victorious.

One important element I just mentioned was the counsel of others. God has placed mature, Godly people in our life strategically to help us get victory over our battles. Drop your pride and reach out for the wise counsel of others. Let them know about your struggles and ask them to help you formulate a viable plan to see victory. Once armed with the plan God gives you, it requires you to be like Joshua as you faithfully and obediently follow the plan. Trust God, put your faith in Him, He won't let you down. HE WILL LEAD YOU TO VICTORY OVER YOUR BATTLES!

For many of you today, you are so entrenched in the battles, you need a fresh set of eyes, someone from the "outside" who can give you a different perspective on your problems. If you are at the place of desperation, it is clear what you are doing is not working and you may need to totally restructure everything, This is where you need to humble yourself, swallow your pride, and find 2-3 people you trust to give you Godly counsel.

If it is a business problem, find people who are successful in your business. If it is some other type of problem, seek out those who have expertise in the area you are having problems. Sit down with these people, tell them what your problems are, what challenges you are facing, and ask them to give you a plan they would use if they were in your shoes. You need fresh ideas, fresh inspiration. I know that many of the problems I have had in my life were a result of not seeking wise counsel. I have become a firm believer in the Biblical teaching to get wise counsel in those important decisions we make along our journey .

I realize that I am hitting very close to home for many of you today. For those of you that are dealing with some deep issues in your life, let me encourage you today. God loves you, He cares about you, and He has placed Godly men and women in the Body of Christ to help you overcome whatever your problems may be. Take this opportunity right now to ask God to give you the strength to admit there are problems that you just can't overcome on your own, and that He will open up the doors for you and bring the right people into your life to help you overcome those problems and live the victorious life He intends you to enjoy!

I love you, I care about you deeply, and this is God talking to you today to lay your pride aside and seek out the help you need to overcome the problems in your life that are keeping you from enjoying the peace and joy that God intends for you to have. As I mentioned, God has placed many gifted and wonderful men and women in the Body of Christ to help you. Take advantage of them.

I will be in prayer for those of you who needed to hear these words of encouragement today. I realize that these can be deeply personal and difficult issues to deal with. My only desire is to see you become all that God has raised you up to be and know the incredible abundance this life can offer. I know you may be facing major issues in your life that are keeping that from happening, and I want you to know that there are answers, there are solutions, there is hope!

You don't have to go through the rest of your life with that dark cloud hanging over you. You don't have to go through another day without the joy God intends for you to have. God loves you and has placed people in your life to help you overcome those problems you are facing. There really is victory in Jesus. He has won the victory over whatever battle you are facing 2000 years ago on Calvary. May your number one priority today be getting a plan from God to win the battles you are facing in your life, execute the plan faithfully, and as my personal signature scripture from 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ."

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller