Daily Devotional for Tuesday May 19, 2020

A message to those graduating!!!

(James 4:14; Matthew 7:24-27)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, please help me to be a person of truth. I know that lies are from satan and the truth comes from God Himself. In this world that has accepted lying or not being totally honest, let me stand on the foundation of your Word and be a person of the Truth for the glory of God. In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: Schools MUST re-open for the mental health of the students. For many years now I have been talking about the lack of a mental health infrastructure in this nation and that due to the breakdown of marriage and the family, a greater number of people than ever are dealing with mental health issues of varying degrees. While this worldwide pandemic and the shutdown of daily life has been difficult for so many adults, lost is the mental health challenges this is visiting upon children and teenagers. Many mental health professionals are saying that this once in a generation crisis we are living through will be a lifetime problem for those who are living through this. The sooner we can get back to some semblance of normality, the better it will be for the mental health of all people...especially the children! That is a huge reason why it is imperative for our schools to be open this fall and allow kids from kindergarten to college to get back into somewhat of a normal flow of life. Not just for their academic health, but most important for their mental health!!!

*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

A MUST READ FOR YOUNG ADULTS! We are coming up on the time of year when most schools will be holding their graduations. No doubt, due to the Chinese Flu this will be a very different graduation experience unlike any other. However, the lack of the normal formal events and parties DO NOT negate the years of work you have invested to get to this place in your life!

I actually was able to enter Ohio State in 1975 after my junior year of high school in a new “Early Admissions” program at OSU for high school juniors who after their junior year were only one or two classes short of being able to graduate and scored a certain number on their SAT and ACT. So I never had a senior year of high school or a high school graduation.

MY FRIEND, WHILE A GRADUATION CEREMONY IS NICE TO RECOGNIZE THAT GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, IT IS YOUR INVESTMENT OF TIME OVER MANY YEARS THAT ALLOWED YOU TO ACCOMPLISH THIS MILESTONE!

This is a wonderful time in the life of a young adult. Sadly, every year I receive emails about young men and women who lost their lives or had them dramatically altered because of poor decisions they made on what should have been a special night in their life. Please read this powerful Devotional today and forward it to every young man and woman you know who will be graduating in the coming weeks!!!

Let me give you young adults a word of wise counsel. Have a GREAT time at your graduation. Enjoy this special event in your life. However, never forget that you are a son or daughter of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are the "light of this world," the "salt of the earth." As a child of God, you are the HEAD, not the tail! We are called to live UP to the standards of God, not DOWN to the standards of this world. SET AN EXAMPLE at your graduation!

You can have a great time at graduation parties without drinking, without doing drugs, without engaging in sex. You have your entire life ahead of you, don't listen to the lies of satan. Never forget, Jesus told us his goal in John chapter 10, and that is to KILL, STEAL, and DESTROY...YOU! I will be praying for you on this special occasion in your life. Make Jesus proud of you, He is watching!

Your life can change in a split second. One of the things that I dread most are the emails I receive daily of tragedy striking people's lives. Never a day goes by that I don't get many emails from people who have recently experienced life-changing events. Situations that took the life that they were living, and turned it upside down.

People write me daily how they came home and their husband or wife decided they wanted a divorce. I get many from people who have been involved in automobile accidents where they, or a loved one, was injured in some way. Some tell me how a spouse, child, or family member died without any warning.

There have been numerous emails of people losing all of their money in the stock market or some business venture. Never a day goes by that I don't get people emailing me for prayer because they have lost their job. There are always some emails that tell of a visit to the doctor and a report of a serious illness. For all these people and those like them, they were just living their life, and in a spilt second, their world was turned upside down.

The key lesson that I want you to take away today is that we should NEVER take for granted what we have. All that we have is a gift from God. We must realize that anything we have in this life is temporary. The people that are in our lives, the places that we live, the jobs that we do, the resources that we have....are all temporary. They can change in a moment's notice.

In one day, one minute, one second, our life can be dramatically changed. The uncertainty of life is all the more reason why we need to cling to our daily walk with Christ. Our time with Him in prayer, in the Word, just fellowshipping, helps us to keep our focus on the big picture so that no matter how the winds of life may blow, we are anchored to the Rock.

I do not mean to scare you today, or try to intimidate you in any way into getting more serious about your walk with Jesus. I am simply trying to point out that so often we get comfortable in our life. We begin to take the blessings of God for granted.

We get apathetic about the things that go on around us. In that process, we let our guard down and forget how dependent upon the Lord that we really are. We forget that without Him, "we can do nothing!!!" We lose sight of the fact that He, not we, are in control of the things that go on around us.

The storms of life can come at any moment and without warning. It is imperative that we always be prepared. Not in a paranoid sense of waiting for bad things to happen, but prepared spiritually knowing that no matter what happens, God is still on the throne. He is always in total control. He allows the things that happen to us to happen.

The logical question is why? The only legitimate answer is nobody knows but God. It is in those times that our faith must become real. We must trust Him that no matter what. He has His plan and purpose at work, and it is our job to exercise our faith and trust in Him at all times.

For those of you today who have had major, life-changing experiences recently, let me encourage you. The same God who has walked with you in the past, is the same God who will walk with you today. The same God who has delivered you from trouble before, is the same God who will deliver you from trouble today.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Now is the time to press into Him. Get closer to the Lord than ever before. He is our only refuge in times of trouble. His promises are true, and He will not leave you nor forsake you. His love is real and unconditional. I will be praying today for you to open your heart and receive all He has for you this day as you walk through the valley and up onto the mountaintop.

I love you and care about you very much. Your graduation marks a milestone in your life. Make it a positive time! It hurts me so much to read of the pain and heartache in so many lives each day. But Jesus warned His disciples just hours before going to the cross that in this world they would have tribulation. He then encouraged them by telling them to "be of good cheer, for I have overcome this world." Amen! What a promise!

That means no matter what you are facing in your life today, Christ has overcome that circumstance or situation. He has already won the victory. You can't lose no matter what it may look like if you are with Jesus. He will ALWAYS have the final word in every situation. Our lives can change in a split second, but our God NEVER CHANGES!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller