Daily Devotional for Wednesday October 7, 2020

Live your life!!!....and....Using your gifts and talents for the Lord!!!

(2 Timothy 1:6)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, please guide my steps this day. Help me to walk in Your light and strength and not in my own ways. Thank You for your many blessings, most that I take for granted. Help me this day to acknowledge Your love, grace, and goodness as I live my life for You and do my best to glorify You in all of my thoughts, words, and deeds. This I ask in the name of Jesus. AMEN!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: President Trump echo’s what I have been saying since April. WE MUST NOT LET THE CHINESE FLU DOMINATE OUR LIVES! WE MUST KEEP LIVING OUR LIVES SINCE EVERY DAY IS A GIFT FROM GOD! It is now becoming clear that the lockdowns did not work and their harm far outweighed their benefit. This is being supported by many world-class doctors. At the time in March with the world on fire and taking the counsel of his top medical advisors, I understand why the President had to shut down the bulk of the economy. Sadly, the only states still enforcing archaic lockdown measures are run by Democrat governors and they are purposely destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands in their states for pure political reasons! School-age children, teens, and young adults need to be in school...live in person! We are the only nation amongst our peers who have not opened all of our schools, and once again governors are doing great damage to hundreds of thousands of students for purely political reasons. A large percentage of our nation is back to work, back to school, and living their lives. After 6 months we know our medical infrastructure is in place for those who become infected. We understand that the Chinese flu is highly contagious, but we also know that only a minute percentage of people will die from it. The numbers I share with you early on still hold true. Over 95% of those who have died are over 65 and over 98% had other pre-existing medical issues. Once again, life is short under the best circumstances. The Bible tells us tomorrow is promised to none of us. So every day is a gift from God and we need to treat it as such as we honor HIM!!!

*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

***Action steps: 1) Pray for the nation to turn back to the Lord every morning for at least 5 min. 2) Share the Gospel every day with at least 1 person you know is no saved. 3) Every day share something Biblical with everyone you know via email. 4) Every day encourage at least ONE PERSON you know about the responsibility we have to VOTE in November. 5) GET ONE PERSON YOU KNOW TO DO ACTION STEPS 1-4!!!

One of the great things about God is how HE has given gifts and talents to His children. Each one of us is unique. To one He may give the gift of music, yet to another the gift of helps. To one He may give the gift of science, yet to another the gift of athleticism. To one He may give the gift of compassion, yet to another the gift of evangelism. ALL good and perfect gifts come from God! YOUR special gifts and talents come from God.

The purpose of your gifts, of your talents, is to better serve and glorify God with your life. God does not give us gifts and talents to hide them, to hoard them, but to USE THEM for HIS GLORY! Sadly, many of those God has gifted have sold their gifts to "the world" for fame and fortune. This is a trap that many of God's most gifted people fall into. In the end, they sadly realize that they sold their soul to the devil himself for a little adulation and a few dollars which have little meaning in the big picture of life.

We all have choices in this life. We all come to a crossroad at times when we can choose the Lord or this world. I almost cry when I see today's most popular entertainers thanking God for an award they won singing about things 100% opposed to God, wearing clothes that they would be embarrassed to meet God in!

They are torn. Many were in church as kids, know in their heart that they are "selling out," and trying to fit God into "their world" as opposed to surrendering themselves to fit into "HIS world!" They have SOLD their gift on the open market and try to appease God with their "praise God" when their lives (which is what HE is interested in) are anything BUT a praise to God!

In 2002, I was honored that Liveprayer sponsored a nationwide search for the most talented Christian music artists that are in our local churches today. It honored and featured the most gifted Christian music artists that have NOT sold their talent to the world, but honored the Lord Jesus through their music!

We had over 1,000 people enter this contest, and after our judges who had many years in the Christian music world narrowed it down to the final 20, we allowed our subscribers to vote for the eventual winner. Kayla Powell, a dynamic young woman who was only 16 at the time was the eventual winner. She continues to this day using the incredible gift God has given her to bless many with her music.

I love you and care about you so much. I pray today that YOU allow the gifts and talents that God has given to you to be used each day for HIS glory. EVERY child of God has some gift. It may take counsel from those you are closest with to help you to identify your gift. Listen, there is NOTHING WRONG with earning a living using the gifts God has given to you.

Please, don't get me wrong. It is our gifts that allow most of us to earn the money that we need in this life. What I am talking of is not simply using your gifts to make money, but to never forget that God gave it to you to touch the lives of people for HIM!

If a person has been given the gift of music, there is nothing wrong with using that gift to generate income to live on. To NOT use that gift to glorify God is when a person has sold out to the world. Singing of sex and romance to make money and not the greatness of God is an absolute SELL OUT! If you have the talent to make $1 million singing for "the world," then you have the talent to make $100,000 singing for God. The choice becomes singing to the world for $1,000,000 or singing for God for $100,000. To use your gift for God or money.

God loves you so much. Even though you may never be famous by the world's standards, the ONLY one that it is important to impress is HIM. HE is impressed when you take the gifts and talents that He has given to you and use them to bring honor and glory to HIS name. I pray today that you not only identify your gifts and talents, but use them to honor and glorify God. In the end, HE is the ONLY ONE that you must please!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller