Daily Devotional for Friday March 22, 2019

YOU CAN'T SIN AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!!!

(John 10:10; Mark 8:36)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, I ask you today to open my heart and my Spirit to receive what You have for me today. Let me hear Your voice clearly and obediently follow You. Use me oh Lord, for Your glory and to advance Your Kingdom! In the name of Jesus...AMEN!!!

***I HAVE A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU TODAY! JUST A LITTLE OVER 12 YEARS AGO I SHARED AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL DAILY DEVOTIONAL ABOUT 2 WOMEN WHO WERE IN THE NEWS AT THAT TIME. THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING GODLY DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE, SINCE IF YOU DON’T, SATAN CAN USED YOUR REBELLION TO DO EXACTLY WHAT JESUS TOLD US WAS HIS ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE...TO KILL, STEAL, AND DESTROY...LIVES INCLUDING YOURS!!!

(Daily Devotional from Wednesday February 14, 2007)

The death of Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith and the fall of NASA Astronaut Lisa Nowak. I highly doubt that you will ever hear these two women spoken of in the same story, but 6 months ago they were both very much in the news and their lives examples of what happens when we live apart from the Lord and in rebellion to God and His Word. Jesus tells us in John 10 that satan's goal is to "Kill, steal, and destroy." I remind you of that fact often, since it is YOUR LIFE he is out to destroy and kill. Nobody is immune from satan's attacks, whether you are a Playboy Playmate or one of the elite few who become a NASA Astronaut. SATAN IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DESTROYER OF LIVES!!!

Last February came the news that former stripper, Playboy Playmate, and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith had died at the age of 39. There has been no official cause of death given, yet Smith has had a long history of alcohol and drug abuse. The Texas-born Smith was a topless dancer at a strip club before she entered her photos in a search contest and made the cover of Playboy magazine in 1992. She became Playboy's Playmate of the year in 1993. She was also signed to a contract with Guess jeans, appearing in TV commercials, billboards and magazine ads. In 1994, she married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, owner of Great Northern Oil Co.

Despite worldwide fame, Smith had a tragic life. Just 11 months ago, her 20-year-old son Daniel died in her Bahamian hospital room just after Smith had given birth to a baby girl. It was determined Smith's son died from a lethal mixture of several different drugs. Smith only gained more fame in death as the legal battles heated up to determine who the father of her 5- month-old daughter was, in addition to the ongoing court battles over her claim on hundreds of millions of dollars from her deceased husband's estate that has been in litigation for years now.

You don't need to be a theologian to break down Smith's life and see how satan destroyed this woman and literally killed her at such a young age. Anna Nicole Smith made the sad decision early in her life to sell her body to make money. Her "fame" came from her willingness to sell her body for money. As I tell you often, sin always carries a high price. I deal every day with women and men who have made the choice to sell their bodies in exchange for money. Even if you make it big like Smith did, reap tremendous financial benefits, your life is in ruins. Very few people I deal with in the adult entertainment world aren't involved in alcohol and drugs. Very few. Smith was no different and it will no doubt be her addiction to drugs that ended her life at such a young age.

YOU CAN'T SIN AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!!!

Of course, you can look at the rest of her tragic life and clearly see what a lifetime of rebellion to God does to a person. In addition to selling her body for money, she entered into a sham of a marriage that is still being litigated even after her death. Last year she gave birth to a baby and there were as many as 5 men who claim to be the father. Her deceased son was born into her sin-filled world and it is clear that he never even had a chance at a normal life. Smith was a perfect example of a life that was lived in rebellion to God and His Word and the total destruction it caused her as well as those around her. You don't sin in a vacuum and the ripple effects of sin are far reaching into many lives.

YOU CAN'T SIN AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!!!

Also, last February, you had the sad and bizarre story of NASA Astronaut Lisa Nowak who was arrested on charges of attempted murder. Nowak, a married mother of 3, drove 9 hours to confront a woman who was involved with a male astronaut Nowak had become obsessed with. Based on what was found in Nowak's car after being arrested for assaulting the woman, police determined that she had every intention of killing the woman she saw as the rival for the affections of this other astronaut. Even though this may sound like a scene out of a Jerry Springer program, Nowak is a NASA Astronaut who was part of the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery's 13-day flight in July of 2006.

Lisa Nowak is a Captain in the U.S. Navy. She has advanced degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. She has been part of NASA since 1996. She is one of the elite few who are chosen to be part of our space program. This is an incredibly intelligent and accomplished woman who had every aspect of her life vetted thoroughly over the years. The logical and natural question is how does a NASA Astronaut, a married woman and mother of 3 children, end up driving 9 hours across country in diapers so she wouldn't have to stop, confront and, as police allege, plot to kill a woman who she saw as her rival for the affections of another astronaut?

While Nowak's destruction is not as classic Smith's, it is no different. When you live your life in rebellion to God and His Word, destruction will follow. It is simply the byproduct of sin. At some point Nowak developed this unhealthy fantasy for this male astronaut. She allowed her fantasy to turn into an obsession. At some point, she crossed the line in allowing her obsession to overtake her life to the point she acted on that obsession. I deal every day with men and women who start a fantasy relationship with someone on the Internet and pretty soon that fantasy turns into an obsession, and the next thing you know they are leaving their spouse and children to travel thousands of miles to run off with a person they don't even know. As bizarre and out of character as her actions were, Lisa Nowak simply allowed satan to overtake her mind and by following those evil thoughts, she has destroyed her life and career, as well as the lives of her husband and children and many others!

YOU CAN'T SIN AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!!!

I love you and care about you so much. Sadly, Smith and Nowak aren't unique, they are simply two people whose rebellion to God was prominent enough to make the news. They became classic case studies of how living in rebellion to God and His Word will destroy lives, even kill. We shouldn't be surprised since Jesus clearly told us what satan's plans are. You can never forget for a moment that you have a very real enemy who is out to "Kill, steal, and destroy" YOU! Don't ever get lulled into sleep, thinking that you are immune from his desires to see you destroyed and dead!

The quickest way for that to happen is to choose to live your life in rebellion to God and to the Truth of His Word. Jesus said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" Only God knew the heart of Anna Nicole Smith at the moment she died, but if she did die without Christ and is forever in hell, what good were those few minutes of fame and fortune? The moment you die you have no more fame, you have no more fortune, and you are standing before God as all men will, either clothed in the white robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ or in your sins for which you will be eternally punished.

My word to you today is simply this. Stay close to the Lord each day through prayer and the Word. Jesus loves you and wants you to enjoy a life of peace, joy, and abundance. Satan wants to kill, steal, and destroy you, while God wants to give you His peace, joy, and abundance. The choice is yours. You are free to live your life in rebellion to God, ignore His Truth, and allow satan to destroy you, or you can follow the Lord and live in accordance with His Word and enjoy God's blessings. That is what our life boils down to, consequences or blessings. I will be praying for you today to choose to follow the Lord and enjoy His blessings!!!

YOU CAN'T SIN AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend, brother, and co-laborer in Christ,

Bill Keller