Daily Devotional for Tuesday July 4, 2017

Happy 241st Birthday United States of America

(Proverbs 14:34)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, this nation is under your judgment for our sin, wickedness, and rebellion. Help me to be courageous as I stand for you in these perilous times. Use me as a beacon of your light in the darkness of our world today. Though our enemies surround us, the world around me curses you, help me to stand for your Truth that will ultimately defeat the lies of satan. May the evil of this world become so apparent, people will begin to bow their knee to you in repentance knowing YOU are their only hope and only answer! In the name of Jesus…AMEN!!!

Happy 240 years United States!!!

God makes it clear in His Word that it is no accident who our rulers are, that it is God who puts those rulers in office and God who takes them out of office. We are to honor, respect, and pray for those God has placed in authority over us. Some may find this hard. Praying for our enemies is hard too, but that is what the Bible tells us to do. It was the example our Lord gave us on the cross as He forgave those who nailed him to that tree.

Do you realize that it was God who allowed Adolph Hitler to rise to power? It was God who allowed the Emperors of Rome to hold office. Never forget, the New Testament was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit during the time Rome was in power and there was mass persecution of Christians. Yet God clearly calls us to pray for our leaders.

We have many problems in the United States today. Most of those problems like health care, immigration, employment, and taxes are all in the news and will be debated at length in the coming weeks, months, and years. However, these are logistical, practical problems. The real problems we face in this country are SPIRITUAL!!!

The practical application for your life today is this: Whatever problems you are facing in your life are NOT the real problems. Your finances may be a major issue today. Addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or sex may be a major battle you are fighting. Your marriage may be in trouble. There may be health issues you are being confronted with. All of these issues, my friend, are surface problems, practical day-to-day real life issues we have to deal with. But the real problems in your life, just like the real problems in this country, are SPIRITUAL!!!

Anyone with common sense can look back on the brief history of the United States and see the Biblical principles upon which it was founded and set up to operate under. There can be no doubt that the greatness of this country, in spite of its very young age compared to countries in the rest of the world, are because of this personal relationship with God and His Word.

The problems we face today are because we have forgotten God, tossed His Word to the side, and decided to do it "our way". No more prayer in school. The legalized killing of millions of babies every year. God's plan for the family perverted. Bold and shameless marketing. Easy access to every kind of sin imaginable. Our great country, founded on Biblical principles, has misappropriated the freedoms God gave us. We have used our free will to consciously ignore God and to turn our back on Him. God gave us the ability to make that choice. But never forget there are consequences for our choices.

There are consequences for rebelling against God!!!

This country has lived off of the obedience to God of our forefathers. We have enjoyed the blessings of their faithfulness. Unfortunately, the legacy we will leave to our children and grandchildren, should Jesus tarry, will be the consequences of our rebellion to God and His Word. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Deuteronomy 8:19 says, "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed."

It is not too late. However, we need spiritual leaders, who under the power of the Holy Spirit, will call the people of this great land to repentance. IT IS NOT THE JOB OF THE POLITICIANS TO DO THIS. It is the job of the spiritual leaders and only a spiritual revival will solve the real problems of this country.

God is saying to those leaders today, to you pastors, to you who have been given a position of leadership, to those who have been blessed with a national and international platform..."quit building a kingdom to yourself and focus on building My kingdom...My people are perishing for lack of knowledge...give them the knowledge and lead them out of the darkness and into the light...come down from your self-built ivory tower that has been lavishly made with the blessings I have bestowed upon you...and feed my sheep...then LEAD my sheep...thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel...."

My friend, I love you and care about you. The relevance this word has to your life today is that the same problem this country has is your problem. You are focused on the external problems in your life, when the real problems are spiritual. Focus on that side of your life. Get back to the basics. Pray daily. Read the Word daily. Get in church. Find ways to serve God. Set your spiritual base, since everything in your life and who you are flows from there. As you solidify your spiritual base, you will find the day-to-day problems easier to handle.

I am praying for you. I am praying that just as this country needs a spiritual revival, you have a spiritual revival in your own life. That is the answer to building the foundation on which your life is built. The answer to the problems of this nation is the spiritual foundation we are on. Liveprayer is God's answer to leading this nation back to God and His Truth!!!

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