Daily Devotional for Thursday February 19, 2015
The Soul of Our Nation Hangs in the Balance
(Amos 3:2-3)
***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, help me to do whatever part you are asking me to play in helping to turn this nation back to You and Your Truth! I know that your judgment is upon our nation, and that our time is very short. Leading our nation back to You oh God can bring a "stay" of your hand of judgment for a season and we can see a mighty harvest of souls for the Kingdom here and around the world. In the fact of such blatant evil that exists, show yourself strong oh Lord, rise up, use me and those who will not bow our knee to baal for your glory. May this world see the power, might, and majesty of Almighty God, a God who will not be mocked! USE ME OH GOD...USE MY LIFE! In the name of Jesus I pray...AMEN!
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" Amos 3:2-3
The soul of a nation hangs in the balance, the stakes could not be higher! Sadly, most people can't see what is happening right in front of them in the natural, so to expect them to see what is happening spiritually is a huge task. As we look back on the great prophets of the Old Testament, over and over this was their lament as they tried to warn the people of God's pending judgment but the people chose not to listen!
In today's anchor Scripture, we have one such example as the prophet Amos condemned Israel for breaking God's laws. He prophesied at Bethel which became the center of idol worship and the residence of King Jeroboam II that the Israelites would be taken captive by the Assyrians. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
Over the 16 years of Liveprayer.com in the Daily Devotional I have faithfully written each morning and the nearly 12 years of the Liveprayer TV program only airing on secular stations and networks, I have tried my best in the midst of dealing with the issues of the day and in people's lives from a Biblical worldview to warn you of the spiritual peril this nation was in. With each passing year, the intensity has increased as I have clearly seen God's blessings and protection being removed, and his judgment clearly being poured out on our land for our sins, wickedness, and rebellion!
These warnings began in earnest in November of 2007 with a prophetic warning about God clearly showing us His judgment on our nation beginning in 2008. Later that year I unveiled the Jonah Project (http://www.liveprayer.com/jonah/) as a prayerful and deliberate plan to lead this nation back to God and His Truth. In November of last year I shared a prophetic word of HOPE regarding 2014 being the year we would see the sparks of a true revival and the start of the nation turning back to God and Biblical Truth, just like Nineveh heeded the warnings of the prophet Jonah and repented, turned to God, and a great revival broke out as His hand of judgment on that people was stayed for a season!
As we came down to the final 100 days of this past year, once again God spoke through me words of satan's plans to insure that this nation would be in so much turmoil, under such a barrage of pain and evil from every direction, that revival and a turning back to God would be the last thing the people were thinking of. However, as God had me share with you, it will be in this year of VICTORY that the sparks of a true national revival would be seen and a turning back to God and His Truth would begin as people wake up to the only hope and answer we have!
I am going to share with you some emails I have received and will respond to them in this Devotional They are being used to try and wake up those who are slumbering, those who still have not opened your spiritual eyes and ears. Just like the priests in the days of the prophets in the Old Testament were too busy building their own kingdom to even notice God's pending judgment, so are the "priests" of today.
Of all the major national Christian leaders with tens of millions annually at their disposal, NOT ONE is warning the people of God's pending judgment! They are too busy playing on people's greed and desires for the things of this temporal world, tickling the ears of the masses telling them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear, as they have been blinded by their own ambitions and desires to even see God's pending wrath and judgment just ahead!
I am not surprised in the least that never before in these past 16 years has Liveprayer been under such an attack on our finances. Despite requiring pennies compared to the massive amounts of money local churches reaching a small local congregation raise, we are in a struggle to simply keep this incredible and proven platform God has created for us to share His Truth and hope to the lost and hurting masses around the world each day. In this greatest hour of our work for the Lord, we are reduced to begging daily for simple scraps simply to do that work!
THAT IS BECAUSE SATAN KNOWS AFTER OVER TWO DECADES OF SERVICE, BILL KELLER CAN'T BE BOUGHT AND WON'T COMPROMISE GOD'S TRUTH UNDER ANY CONDITION! THE ONLY WAY SATAN CAN SILENCE ME OR RESTRICT THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WE CAN REACH IS BY CUTTING OFF OUR FINANCES! AS YOU READ THE REST OF THIS POWERFUL MESSAGE THAT I BEG YOU TO READ OVER AND OVER AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW IN ORDER TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE PERILOUS MOMENT OF HUMAN HISTORY WE ARE LIVING AND THE IMPORT OF THE MOMENT, PRAY ABOUT TAKING YOUR STAND AND MAKING WHATEVER SACRIFCE YOU MUST MAKE TO HELP ME TODAY!!!
"Pastor Bill, you are right! Everything that you have been saying is coming true! It is a shame no one is listing except save a few. I have been saying the same thing for quite sometime now, but just like you no one pays any attention or thinks you are crazy. Well I for one along with my wife have our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on our side, we know where we will be when the end comes, and I believe sooner then later. It is only going to get worse instead of better. This country as a whole has forsaken the Heavenly Father that has protected us all of these years and we have thrown it all away. I am just glad that at my age I am on the way out. It is a shame that all those that have served this country in time of war and peace and some gave their all, it has all been for nothing. Anyway God bless you for standing up for the God of The Bible and telling it like it is. The only consolation that you and I have is knowing where we will be in the end, in the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
I hear this brother's frustration, I know it well. I will say that those who have served our nation to keep it safe and free these many years, as well as those who have faithfully served the Lord, have not done so in vain. The lives they helped impact and souls of those who will be in Glory will be their eternal inheritance!
"Dear Bill, I know you're busy so I'll make this quick. Christians who focus upon apocalyptic tend to be mired in more in fatalism, that this world is already over, and even that the rapture's main point and purpose is to "beam us up "Scotty." Christians who are interested in kingdom-building (are often mired in a social gospel that is more social than gospel- taking on the world's priorities, as opposed to God's priorities. I notice that you: a) maintain a belief in the value of the socio-prophetic ministry, and yet b) still believe in a Christian voice in the marketplace. It's a powerful combination. Question: how have you managed to navigate the narrow way between a debilitating fatalism (and apocalyptic escapism) on one side, and a mere anthropocentric kingdom-building social justice on the other?"
We have but one life. For those who live in the United States, we have been blessed with an incredible opportunity to live in a nation where we have the freedom to share the hope and love of Christ with the world. Sadly, this nation once under the blessings and protection of God, like Israel, has turned from God to the gods of this world. God will not be mocked and at some point His grace and mercy run out.
People don't like to remember that God is also a God of judgment. Each person as well as each nation can't escape His judgment. So, while this nation has chosen to turn our back on God and His Truth, while we can expect nothing less than His wrath and judgment for our sin and rebellion, we also have the opportunity until that moment to see souls saved and a nation possibly saved by turning back to God and His Truth like Nineveh was saved for a season!
"Pastor Bill, the Session of our Presbyterian church voted not to support the action of the General Assembly to change the definition of marriage as being "between a man and a woman," to "between two people." More recently the Session voted not to permit same-sex marriages anywhere on our church property. The GA cannot impose its will on our conscience!"
Is it any wonder why this nation is under God's judgment when a "church" is even discussing such an abomination?
"Pastor Bill, I recently read about a Christian 'swingers' ministry. They make the case using the Bible that this is a way for them to reach people the church is not reaching. I know you think "out of the box" to reach the lost, what are your thoughts on this?"
Jesus told the woman taken in adultery to "go and sin no more." He didn't tell her to get back to work! Sadly, many "churches" think that in order to reach people, they have to support acts the Bible clearly calls sin, or even worse, purposely not speak out against sin since that will offend people. Memo, SIN OFFENDS GOD!
This is the byproduct of the man-made marketing schemes like seeker/purpose driven/emerging church/prosperity gospel to fill "campuses," no longer called churches bearing the cross of Christ, full of warm bodies! This is the result of the "Osteenization" of the church that never talks about sin, or hell, since that won't make people feel good because people who feel good buy books and send money!
I love you and care about you so much! Now more than every I need your love, prayers, and sacrificial support. I am praying that by the end of Friday we can cover the $9,000 we are still short from our January operations, along with the first $15,000 already due for our basic internet and TV operations this month that is putting our daily ministry operations in serious jeopardy. My knees are bloodied from spending these past days asking God to simply send a few of our friends to take that immediate burden from me!!!
I know satan is fighting us for every dime people are sacrificing to help God's work here, since there is NO REASON we should have to worry about these amounts to simply operate. Local churches are spending millions on buildings that will one day be rubble, and national ministries take the millions they are donated to buy vast amounts of real estate they can own tax free, private jets, luxury automobiles, and multiple mansions.
Covering the last $9,000 of January's shortfall, and the first $15,000 of our February internet and TV operations, would leave us requiring the last $30,000 of our monthly internet operations and $20,000 of our monthly TV operations over the final 10 days of this short month. If EVERYONE will pray, give as you are able to give, I know that covering the $24,000 we require IMMEDIATELY, we can get the bulk if not all of the final $50,000 taken care of by the end of the month.
Our monthly internet and TV budget breaks down to just $2,200 a day! If just 30 people would make the commitment to send a monthly gift to LP of $2,200, 100% of our basic internet and TV operations would be covered! So please, pray today about stepping up and make this commitment for the balance of this year of VICTORY so Liveprayer can focus 100% on the ministry work God has called us to!
Thank you for your love, for your prayers, and for your sacrificial gifts. Together over these many years we have impacted tens of millions of lives around the world, prayed for over 100 million people who came to us in their hour of need, and seen over 900,000 souls we know of come to faith in Jesus Christ. Our work here is not quite finished, as God has called us to help lead this nation back to Him and His Truth! Please pray for me to know His wisdom and strenght each day, and for those who have been blessed and able to help me financially as our nation has that "Nineveh moment" in this year of VICTORY!!!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller