Daily Devotional for Friday December 6, 2019

Are you on the field or on the bench?

(Matthew 5:16)

***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!!!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: The law against criticizing Islam! In many places in our world today, simply criticizing the false religion of Islam is against the law. Most people reading these words today immediately conclude that is only in other countries, not in the United States since we have freedom of speech. Really? Did you know that in their “terms of service,” Twitter can close down an account for criticizing Islam? Even though Twitter is a US-based company, they have adopted the “Pakistani Islamic blasphemy laws” into their terms of service. Let that sink in, the PAKISTANI ISALMIC BLASPHEMY LAWS! Now, Twitter is a private company and they can make-up whatever rules they want. The fact is in MANY public forums criticizing Islam is not acceptable. I told people wayyyyy back in 2005 when I was in different battles with the Islamic self-appointed advocacy group CAIR for simply telling the truth about Islam, it would one day sooner than later, be a crime to say anything negative about Islam. That day is closer than most think. By the way, last year the name Mohammed was in the top 10 names for baby boys.....IN THE UNITED STATES! There are apx. 3.4 million Muslims in the United States, apx. 1%, yet Mohammed is one of the top 10 names for baby boys in this nation. As I have also warned, we are not that far away from promoting Biblical Truth being a crime in our country!!!

*Don’t miss the Liveprayer TV program, airing “LIVE” every Monday thru Friday from 11pm EDT to Midnight! For details on viewing options for the Liveprayer TV program, “LIVE” or “On Demand,” go to: https://liveprayer.com/liveprayer-show-about.cfm

Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 1 Corinthians 12:15

As the football season is preparing to enter into the time where teams will be playing in big games to determine who the champions are, one thing for certain is each player on these teams will “leave it all on the field!” For those who play sports or enjoy watching sports, you will recognize this phrase. It is something coaches often tell their players before a big game, “leave it all on the field.”

The phrase basically means to give everything you have. Don’t hold anything back. A sporting event has a predetermined amount of time in which it is played. The goal is to give your very best effort in that amount of time, since when the event is over, it is too late to change the outcome. In that specified amount of time during the game, you have to give everything you have to help your team be victorious.

THERE IS NO REASON TO HOLD BACK, SINCE WHEN THE GAME IS OVER IT WON’T MATTER!!!

How much our Christian can be like a sporting event, YET OF INCREDIBLY GREATER SIGNIFICANCE SINCE IT IS ABOUT THE ETERNAL SOULS OF MEN!!! We have a predetermined amount of time only God knows that is our life. When God says it is over, it is over. The only difference in this analogy between a sporting event and our life is that God is the official clock-keeper, and we rarely have the advantage of knowing how much time is left on the clock.

THIS IS ALL THE MORE REASON WHY WE MUST GIVE 100% MAXIMUM EFFORT EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!

Can you imagine a football team playing a game when they did not know how much time was left on the clock. The game could end at any time. A strategy designed for a 60-minute contest would dramatically change, and coaches would be looking to score on every play, since they never would know if it will be their last play.

At this point, some may be a little confused about what point I am trying to get across to you today. It is simply this. While so many things in the world are distracting us and taking our focus off the Lord, the reality is that we are here to serve and glorify our Lord with our lives. That purpose must never be lost in the course of our daily lives. Achieving that goal to serve Him must never be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of this world we live in.

We are very much like an athletic team in the sense we are here to win, win for Jesus! By accepting Him into your heart and life, you have already won your battle for the eternal destination of your soul. That is like making the team, being part of the team. That isn’t the end, it is the beginning! You are now part of a team, God’s team! The goal of the team is to share the message of hope and love of Jesus Christ with the lost and hurting and the Truth of His Word with the world!

GOD DOES NOT EXPECT YOU TO BE WHO HE HAS NOT CREATED YOU TO BE, GOD DOES NOT EXPECT YOU TO GIVE WHAT HE HAS NOT GIVEN YOU, AND GOD DOES NOT EXPECT YOU TO DO THINGS HE HAS NOT GIVEN YOU THE ABILITY TO DO.

Every year in January we have the playoffs in the NFL. 12 teams start out. Each player on each team has his role to play, accepts that role, and plays to the best of their ability. As part of God’s team, we too have a role to play. God has given us gifts and talents to play the role He calls us to play. Throughout our lives He will often change that role, but will always equip us and make us adequate to perform the job He has assigned us to. It is our responsibility to do our very best!

I love you and care about you very much. God has made each one of us special. Not only are we created in His image, but we are part of team Jesus! The great thing about the Lord’s team is NOBODY sits on the bench. We are ALL in the game, ALL the time! My word for you today is, “leave it all on the field.” You see my friend, when the game is over for each of us, it is over.

We don’t know how much time we have to compete, to serve Him. So every morning we must wake up, get out on the field, and give the Lord everything we have. For far too long, many on God’s team has dogged it. That is an athletic term for not giving their best effort. Too many of God’s players are resting on the sidelines. Too many of God’s players are back in the locker room watching TV, having a cold drink, and taking it easy.

There is nothing wrong with taking some time out from time to time to rest, but the battle rages on, the game continues, Now more than ever God needs His players on the field competing with everything they have! Some may say, “We already know that our team wins at the end, why should we try so hard?”

That is a fair question. The answer is we are battling for the souls of men! Not only do we know God wins, but we know what happens to those who never join His team! THAT is our motivation for fighting with all we have every day, to help as many as we can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and know His peace for all eternity!!!

I will be praying for you today. Let this word today be a wake-up call, a call to action. Get out on the field and give God 100% of your effort each and every day. We don’t know how long we have to play, so don’t hold anything back. LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller