Daily Devotional for Friday February 7, 2020

Making our faith in Jesus real in our day-to-day lives!!!

(Galatians 2:20)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your protection. We realize there is so much evil in this world, an enemy lurking, seeking whom he may devour. That is why we need Your protection each day as we move through our life. You and You alone are our protector, our strong tower. Please continue to watch over me and my family and keep us safe. We ask and pray this in the name of Jesus Christ...AMEN!!!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: The obscure law Utah is trying to pass that is driving the baby-killing industry crazy! This may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but pay attention. Utah is trying to pass a law that REQUIRES an aborted baby to be either buried or cremated. Again, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal one way or another, so why are the pro-abortion forces so upset. Think about it. In our culture, there are two main ways we decide to dispose of a dead human body. We either bury the body or we cremate it. In forcing aborted babies to be buried or cremated, it is an acknowledgement that this is a HUMAN BEING...A PERSON! It is a very real reinforcement that abortion is murder. Period! You don’t bury or cremate a clump of cells! This is a masterful move to once again reinforce that abortion isn’t women’ healthcare, or women’s reproductive rights, or just a choice between a “woman and her doctor.” No my friend, abortion is premeditated MURDER OF A LIVING HUMAN BEING! Pray that this Utah law passes and that other states enact this same legislation!!!

*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

One of the most difficult things to do is to take that unseen faith in Christ and make it real in our day-to-day lives. Probably the one area the church has failed greater than any other, a huge reason for people not going to church regularly, is its lack of relevance in people's daily lives. A pastor can stand in the pulpit on Sunday and preach the most theologically-sound sermon ever delivered, but unless he is able to connect with the "person in the pew" it has little impact. The reality is, the "person in the pew" is looking for something to apply to their daily life. They are looking for something to help them through the real-life struggles they are facing.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE THEIR FAITH REAL IN THEIR VERY REAL LIVES EACH DAY!!!

A message on some great theological truth has little meaning to the man who just a few hours before coming to church was having sex with a woman he is not married to. A message dealing with the different views on end-time events has little meaning to a woman who is afraid they will come repo her car while she is in church. A message on church administration has little meaning to a young person who is experimenting with drugs. Please don't get me wrong, we need messages on the great theological truths in the Bible, we need messages on end-time events, we need messages on church administration.

HOWEVER, THOSE MESSAGES NEED TO SOMEHOW TIE BACK TO THE DAILY LIVES OF THE PEOPLE HEARING THEM, AND HOW THEY CAN MAKE THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST REAL IN THEIR LIVES EACH DAY!!!

Another issue that comes into play are people, saved and lost, who "have heard it all a million times." This goes back into making the Gospel relevant to the person who hears it, making the Truth of God's Word applicable to a person's daily life. I am afraid some who know the Lord, who have gone to church faithfully Sunday after Sunday, have still never made the connection in taking their faith in Christ and making it applicable to their daily lives. Most people who are lost and have rejected the Gospel, in many cases have rejected it because they could never understand how it could make their life different NOW.

My friend, our faith in Christ is not just an eternal insurance policy, it is how we are to live our lives every second of every day...RIGHT NOW! That is where so many Believers fall short in their walk with the Lord, making that unseen faith in Christ real in their day-to-day lives, finding that connection between their faith in the Lord and all of the real-life struggles and battles they face during this journey through life. Too many of God's children live defeated lives because they have never learned how to tap into the power that resides within them.

It is like the end of that classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz." If you remember, after the Wizard's balloon left without her, Glenda the good witch told Dorothy that she had the power to go home all along in her ruby slippers, she simply didn't know how to tap into that power. That is the same as a Believer who has the Holy Spirit of the living God residing within them from the moment they accepted Christ as their Savior. Unless you purposely tap into that great power, it will simply sit there unused.

Another reason people fail to make their faith real in their daily lives is by not accepting God's Word for what it is. It is our final authority in all matters. God has given us so many wonderful and precious promises in His Word for us to hold onto and stand on in our hour of need. Far too often we read the words, we understand the words, but we fail to apply those words to our life. This is not just another book, it is the LIVING WORD OF GOD! There is great power in God's Word.

APPLYING GOD’S WORD TO YOUR DAILY LIFE IS THE GUIDE TO HOW WE MAKE OUR FAITH IN HIM REAL IN OUR DAILY LIVES!!!

I want to share with you today that if you know the Lord as your Savior, you have the power of the Holy Spirit residing within you and the promises of God's Word to guide you. The only thing you now lack is...TRUST. You either don't, or won't trust God with your life. You have failed to make your faith real in your daily life because you don't or won't trust God with it. You aren't willing to fully surrender your life to Him and are trying to hold onto what you have already given to Him when you accepted Christ as your Savior, your life. The fact is, if you really believe it, you will live it. The rubber meets the road regarding our faith not in what we say but in how we life each moment of each day.

WE MAKE OUR FAITH REAL IN HOW WE LIVE OUR LIFE EACH DAY!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I realize the struggle most people have in trying to make their faith real in their daily lives. The key is to follow God's Word, to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, and to trust the Lord enough to live a surrendered life for HIM each day. Your faith is applicable to every situation, every decision, every moment of your life. You should never live even one second outside of your faith. Live it every second of every day. The amazing thing is, as you do this day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, it will become natural and instinctive to live your faith 24/7.

IT REALLY WORKS! OUR FAITH IS REAL!!!

For those who have never made the choice to follow Christ, have heard the "story" many times but never responded, let me challenge you. Faith in Christ is not just about where you will spend eternity, but also about your life NOW! You will never know the true peace, the true joy, the true abundance of this life, you will never fulfill your God-given purpose during this life unless you come to know Jesus as your personal Savior. All of the answers, all of the hope there is in this life come from that relationship with Christ and no other way. Faith in Christ is NOT just some unseen, mysterious, blind leap in the dark hope, but something tangible that we can experience every moment of this life and for all eternity.

If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, put you faith in Him, I would encourage you to ask God to open your heart and then listen to the words on this link: https://liveprayer.com/salvation.cfm

I will be praying for you today. Praying that you will realize your faith in Christ is not just something you pull out for an hour on Sunday morning, but something that you live literally 24/7. I pray that you will come to a place where like Paul, you will say, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller