Daily Devotional for Monday March 16, 2020

FAITH OVER FEAR...COVID-19!!!

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Father, bless me this day to have the courage to stand up for YOUR TRUTH in my daily life. Give me boldness to proclaim YOUR TRUTH when I am with those who mock and demean our faith in Christ and for following the teachings of the Bible. No matter what they may say, let me be not afraid to stand for YOU. In Jesus name...AMEN!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: In the aftermath of 9/11, people desperately turned to God for answers. Churches were overflowing, prayer was everywhere, there was a spiritual awakening as people realized just how fragile this life really is, and countless lives were committed to Christ. However, just eight short months later, church attendance is back to where it was pre-9/11, prayer was not as important any longer, and people focused once again on the things of this world without much concern for God and their spiritual lives. That was our last major national disaster. Fast forward to today. Of course we are dealing with a totally different crisis, but the fact is over the last 18 years fewer people than ever are going to church. Yesterday, a day when churches all across the nation and the world should have been full of people looking to God for HIS help, the vast majority were closed. CLOSED! I get the caution in further spreading the coronavirus. I also get the potential legal liability. BUT AS SOME POINT THE PEOPLE OF GOD NEED TO STAND ON OUR FAITH AND LEAD! NEVER IS THAT BOLD LEADERSHIP NEEDED MORE THAN AT THIS MOMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY, YET MOST OF OUR CHURCHES ARE CLOSED AND MOST PASTORS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!! JESUS RAN TO THE SICK AND INFIRMED, NOT FROM THEM!!! FAITH OVER FEAR!!!

*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

“He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Faith over fear! Please understand that my purpose is NOT to minimize the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, but to help put it into a context that makes sense. Sadly, we have a globalist group, the World Health Organization, and a media in the US that has a political agenda it seeks to achieve even if it damages tens of millions of people and the US economy along the way.

The CDC has put out extensive information on their website that everyone should read and follow. Here is the link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html People who don’t feel well should stay home and limit your contact with others, and if you aren’t feeling better in a few days seek out medical attention. The main demographic at risk are people over 60, especially with other medical issues such as diabetes, cancer, respiratory problems, and autoimmune issues to name a few. Younger people are not as “at risk” unless they have some of these underlying existing medical conditions.

Now, let me share some FACTS for you to consider to help put this whole health crisis in some context and perspective. Again, this is NOT to minimize the risk to some people or the danger COVID-19 can present, but hopefully to tamp down some of the hysteria that has overtaken this issue, much of it created by a totally irresponsible media who has become so blinded by their own political agenda that they no longer bring and legitimate perspective to ANY issue, sadly even a national emergency.

COVID-19 began in China, in the Wuhan Province. Located in the Wuhan Province of China is the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory that responds to biological wars and terrorist attacks and ensure biosafety of China. It is also the lab that creates China’s bio-weapons. Some have proffered the COVID-19 accidentally “escaped” from this lab which seems logical.

Others believe it may have been developed as a weapon to quell the Hong Kong protesters. Still others wonder if it might have been released as an offensive weapon to ultimately cripple the US economy. Due to how China operates we will probably never know the full truth surrounding the genesis of COVID-19.

China has refused to take responsibility for this global outbreak that started in their country. They have now resorted to stating on the record that it was the US Army who planted the coronavirus in China. This is ludicrous of course, but this is now their official state position on how the coronavirus outbreak began!

Most people have no clue that in a slow flu season, apx. 9 million people become infected and apx. 26 million people die. I am fully aware that COVID-19 is a bit different than the flu since it spreads more vigilantly and could have a higher mortality rate. The medical community is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst which is wise. We need to pray for those in the medical community leading our national response, to receive wisdom from God to end this health crisis as quickly as possible.

My point is that every year during the flu season, despite the millions of people who are infected, those hospitalized, and the tens of thousands who actually lose their life, the world around us goes on without all of the disruptions we are seeing today.

Other than the Sunday following the assassination of President Kennedy, a few games right after 9/11, we have never cancelled sporting events. Again, I understand the need for people not to be gathering in large crowds and the very real legal liabilities involved. In 2009 during the swine flu outbreak that saw apx. 60 million people in the US infected, 300,000 hospitalized, and over 12,000 people lose their life. Schools remained open, sporting events went on as usual, the financial markets weren’t disrupted, churches didn’t close, and our national life wasn’t interrupted to any degree.

What also wasn’t happening during the swine flu outbreak was the vast majority of the media using that health event for political purposes. There was very little criticism of the Obama administration and how they handled the crisis despite the fact over 1,000 people had died before they even declared a national emergency. Most of the media today is engaged in fear mongering during this health crisis and actually rooting for more people to become infected and literally die in order to advance their political agenda! That is a harsh statement but it is 100% true!

That is why the media is so focused on the number of people infected. That is also why they are so focused on testing since of course as more people are tested the number of people infected will go up. Despite the fact less than1% will die from COVID-19, the media keeps pushing the number of people infected even knowing virtually everyone will recover!

I submit to you today that if we had never said the world coronavirus, nothing would have changed in our daily life. Like the swine flu and other health outbreaks recently like SARS, MERS and Zika, some people would be infected, over 99% would recover, and sadly there would be some people who end up dying. Schools would still be open, restaurants and bars would be open, the financial markets would not be melting down, March Madness would be starting later this week, and the NBA and NHL would be gearing up for their playoffs.

Again, I am NOT minimizing COVID-19, the people who have been infected or those who have lost their life. I am saying that it has been overblown at this point and being fueled by a discredited media which sees this health tragedy as an opportunity to advance a political agenda. From the night in November of 2016 when Donald Trump won the Presidency, the media has used their platform to get President Trump out of office by any means possible. MANY IN THE MEDIA AREN’T EVEN TRYING TO HIDE IT ANY LONGER!!!

I believe in my heart that by the first week of April we will be on the other side of this health crisis. I also believe in my heart by the end of May the financial markets will have recovered virtually all of their losses since sliding from record heights. Unless the Lord calls me home, I will be around so you can tell me “I was right” or “I really got that one wrong!”

I love you and care about you so much. IT IS TIME FOR FAITH OVER FEAR!!! In the aftermath of 9/11, people desperately turned to God for answers. Churches were overflowing, prayer was everywhere, there was a spiritual awakening as people realized just how fragile this life really is, and countless lives were committed to Christ. However, just eight short months later, church attendance is back to where it was pre-9/11, prayer was not as important any longer, and people focused once again on the things of this world without much concern for God and their spiritual lives. That was our last major national disaster.

Fast forward to today. Of course we are dealing with a totally different crisis, but the fact is over the last 18 years fewer people than ever are going to church. Yesterday, a day when churches all across the nation and the world should have been full of people looking to God for HIS help, the vast majority were closed. CLOSED! I get the caution in further spreading the coronavirus. I also get the potential legal liability. BUT AT SOME POINT THE PEOPLE OF GOD NEED TO STAND ON OUR FAITH AND LEAD!

NEVER IS THAT BOLD LEADERSHIP NEEDED MORE THAN AT THIS MOMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY, YET MOST OF OUR CHURCHES ARE CLOSED AND MOST PASTORS ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!! JESUS RAN TO THE SICK AND INFIRMED, NOT FROM THEM!!!

FAITH OVER FEAR!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller