Daily Devotional for Thursday May 28, 2015

The Lessons to Learn from Josh Duggar

(Hebrews 12:2)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, thank you for another day. Please let me never take a moment of this precious gift of life for granted. Grant me your peace, your joy, and enjoy the abundance this life can offer. Let me live this day for your glory. In the name of Jesus I pray...AMEN!!!

The lessons to learn from Josh Duggar. Where do I begin? Prayer would be a good starting place, and I ask you to pray for the victims Duggar molested years ago, since that is a scar each one will carry in some form for the rest of their lives. Pray these girls get good, solid, Christian counseling to help them heal. Dealing pretty much every day with victims of sexual abuse, many as children, it is not a wound that heals itself and ignoring it will not make it magically go away. Please pray for the healing of these victims of Duggar's sinful and CRIMINAL actions.

*This is a link to a Daily Devotional that specifically deals with this issue: http://www.liveprayer.com/ddarchive3.cfm?id=5879

As for Josh Duggar, pray for him as well. Pray that he gets the PROFESSIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNSELING to help in his healing. I don't care he was in his early teens, molesting children is not just "innocent experimentation" as some of his defenders have stated. This is a pattern of deviant sexual behavior, and the fact it happened at such an early age is a HUGE warning sign. Much of our sexual life as adults is heavily influenced by our initial sexual experiences. Those first experiences often set a pattern of what we view as "normal" sexual behavior.

I understand his family covered up his deviant acts and had him talk to a "mature Christian" about what had happened in their desire to deal with such a horrific issue and get their son some sort of "help." That is common since families rarely understand what had happened and do their best to minimize such acts as simply a part of "growing up."

MOLESTING YOUNGER CHILDREN WHEN YOU ARE AT THE AGE OF 14, IF NOTHING ELSE, IS A CLEAR ACT OF POWER AND CONTROL. IT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED PROFESSIONALLY! I HAVE ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR PROFESSIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNSELING, BUT A LAYPERSON IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN SUCH A CASE AS DUGGAR'S.

Having laid that foundation, let's talk about the lessons we can learn from this sad and tragic episode. When Christians put themselves into the secular media, WITHOUT the control over the content of what they are producing, they become nothing but "dancing bears." Very few have the ability to navigate those waters, satisfying their secular masters who pay them and are thus in control 100% of the content, and at the same time bringing forth a solid message representing the Christian faith and Biblical Truth.

I am as qualified as anyone today to address this aspect, having for the past 12 years aired the Liveprayer TV program ONLY on non-Christian stations and networks. I have had dozens of opportunities from various production and syndication companies over the years to generate millions of dollars from the program by giving up control of the content, instead of having to pay the stations and networks to carry Liveprayer in order to maintain that control.

The reason I have NEVER entered into any of those agreements is because by taking their money, I would give up all control over the content. While there is an entrainment factor to the program as with anything on TV, the power of the Liveprayer TV program has been my ability to boldly deal with the issues of the day and the problems the viewers calling in were dealing with from a Biblical perspective WITHOUT COMPROMISE AND WITHOUT BEING CENSORED IN ANY WAY!

*As I shared earlier in the month, Liveprayer has secured a national syndication deal for the TV program starting this January. We will not only be paid for the program, but I retain 100% control of all content!!! Please take a moment and read this exciting news I shared a few weeks ago at: http://www.liveprayer.com/ddarchive3.cfm?id=5940

The Duggar's sadly sold out to the secular media and the problem you now have is that the same media who made them stars, will now destroy them in the end! Of course the cable news networks like CNN and MSNBC, along with left-leaning news sites like the Huffington Post are having a field day with this story. They LOVE when Christians publicly fall so they can in their self-righteousness, justify the fact they have chosen to live their lives in complete rebellion to God and His Word. They justify supporting sins like homosexuality, the perversion of God's Holy Institution of Marriage and the Family, killing babies, and in the end feel vindicated that at least they aren't a "fake Christian pedophile!"

The media will use stories like this to claim in the end, all of the "holier-than-thou" Christians who are so busy telling other people how to live, are nothing but hypocrites!!! It only re-enforces the narrative in the minds of those who have rejected the Bible and faith in Jesus that they made the correct choice in their rejection of the Gospel since Christian are no better than they are, and in many cases...worse!

Another lesson is that this will ALWAYS be the end result when you put mere men on a pedestal and make them "stars." That is why I have fought so hard over these past 16 yrs of Liveprayer.com, the 12 years of the Liveprayer TV program, to over and over and over reiterate that I am nobody special, just a mere man trying my best to serve the Lord like all who follow Him, frail and prone to sin like everyone else, and while God can use me to bring His Truth to the people and minister to the needs in the lives of those we reach out to each day, that you should never put your hope and trust on me, but on Jesus!

Sadly, most in the world of the church, who watch Christian TV and entertainment, have a tendency to put the pastors or personalities on a pedestal. It is sadly not much different than people who idolize famous actors and musicians. Unfortunately, most high profile Christians do nothing to dissuade this adoration, some even foster it, since that is a big reason they are able to raise the tens of millions of dollars they do. I have seen sick examples of high profile Christians virtually equating themselves with the Lord in order to gain a following, which of course is about nothing but raising money.

WHY DO YOU THINK 99% OF THE BIG TIME CHRISTIANS NEVER VENTURE INTO THE MARKETPLACE (AND IF THEY DO IT IS WITH A COMPROMISED MESSAGE DESIGNED NOT TO OFFEND ANYONE), BUT SIMPLY SPEND THEIR ENTIRE MINSITRY CAREERS PREACHING TO THE CHOIR??? MONEY!!!

I love you and care about you so much. Again, pray for the healing of the victims of Josh Duggar. Pray for Josh Duggar to get the professional help he needs so he can live his life free from any sexual bondages and without hurting anyone else, and for his family. I could care less what the TLC Network or the Duggar's do about their TV program. It was nothing but a watered down platform at best. I would think God has closed that door to allow the family to use their "fame" bringing people to faith in Christ. Josh Duggar, after getting the proper help, could be used in a mighty way to minister to people who have molested children as well as victims of child molestation, a HUGE problem in the church as it is in the world.

The greatest takeaway from this tragic story is for Christians to quit selling out to the world that is rarely going to give them a dime to deliver the pure message of Christ that needs to be delivered, and for people to STOP putting Christian pastors and high profile leaders on pedestals. How many more have to fall before people realize that like the great men in the Bible, God can use their lives to minister to the people, but they are still nothing more than frail human beings of flesh and blood. That is why I always tell you to always keep your eyes on THE MAN, and never A MAN!!!

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

Bill Keller