Food (Recipes) 1:31 pm
Bill Keller and Columnizer and Ritten 1:30 pm
***COMING TOMORROW, why Amma the “hugging saint” is destined for hell. This
is a hard message that will upset many people, but God’s Truth doesn’t
change and isn’t negotiable. Also, this Friday, football starts in a few
weeks and people will lose billions gambling. This message Friday could
save you or someone you know thousands of dollars and possibly even your
life! Don’t miss it!
***THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! Last week was a wild week in every
sense. I look forward next Monday to sharing with you all of the exciting
doors God is opening here at Liveprayer. I have learned over the years to
quit being surprised at what He does!!! We are pressing on as hard as we
can since the time is very short and Jesus is coming at any moment!!!
Back to school. It is that time when another school year is about to start.
Most who read this Devotional are ready to start another year of High School
or College or have children getting ready for another academic year. Some
of you are teachers or critical support personnel. It is a busy time.
Students are juggling schoolwork, outside activities, church, and in some
cases work as well. Parents are busy with work, taking care of the home, as
well as being involved in their children’s lives. It is hectic, it is
stressful, and just getting from one day to the next can be a challenge.
Today, I have a very special word for all of the young adults heading back
to school, for the teachers and support personnel, as well as for the
parents.
THE KEY TO EACH DAY IS YOUR DAILY TIME WITH THE LORD. I suggest that you
start the day, even if it means getting up 30 minutes early, and spending
time in prayer and the Bible. It strengthens your personal relationship
with Christ. It is the best way possible to start a new day. It gives you
strength and focus throughout the day. It is also a spiritual insurance
policy. During your busy day, you will face many challenges. You will be
making many decisions. Having that daily time with the Lord first thing
will help you meet the challenges of life in His strength, not yours, and
help you make wise, Godly decisions.
*There is nothing more important that you can do each day than start it in
prayer and the Word!
One of the big problems in day-to-day life is we often live it in our own
strength, apart from the Lord. The Bible tells us to “pray without
ceasing.” There are many ways to interpret this verse of Scripture. One
very real and practical meaning is literally, to pray without ceasing. Once
I talk to the Lord in the morning, I never sign off until that night before
I go to sleep. I am “online” ALL DAY. I talk to the Lord throughout the
day about all of the issues I face. I realize without Him, I can do
nothing. When I am weak, He is strong.
This not only keeps me focused on Him, what He wants, how He wants me to
act, the choices He wants me to make, but it keeps me from letting the
problems of normal day-to-day life get me down.
I love you and care about you so much. I know this is a busy time for most
of you. A time of challenges for those still in school at any level. A
time of challenges for you moms and dads out there. A challenging time for
the teachers. In spite of the hustle and bustle of your daily lives, never,
never lose sight of two things. First and most important is our purpose in
this life. To serve and glorify Him.
It is no accident that you are going to school where you are, involved in
the activities you are. God has opened these doors so that you can be a
light to those still in darkness. Never forget, your loudest witness to
nonbelievers is not what you say, but how you live your life. Second, is
your daily focus on Christ. This is the key to staying balanced and on
track in the midst of all the many things you do each day. It is what keeps
you on track, so that God can use you to be a blessing to others.
I will be praying for you. Some of you are in new schools. Some of you are
facing big challenges this year. Many of you parents are challenged by the
finances and other aspects of your children’s educational experience. Many
of you teachers are dealing with complicated issues. For most it can be a
very difficult time. However, it can also be a very rewarding time. Never
forget that each day God gives us is a gift from Him, and is to be used
wisely. Make the most of it.
It is no accident that you are where you are at right now. God ordained it.
So work hard and accomplish all that you can. Don’t settle for anything
less than your best. God gave His very best, and expects us to do the same.
We only get one life, one opportunity so make the most of it. While we
enjoy the abundance this life can offer, we must also never forget that we
are here to serve Him. Make the Lord proud of you as you live each day for
Him and let your light shine bright for all around you to see. Enjoy this
wonderful season of your life.
***JULY FINANCIAL UPDATE: With just 1 day left this month, we have right at
$17,000 left to cover the balance of July’s financial obligations. I have
no doubt there are several people reading this right now who can step up and
help to clear up this balance. All I ask is that you pray, seek the Lord
what He is calling you to do to help me today so that we can move into
August with no shortfall. It is truly God’s hand that is guiding Liveprayer
each day, opening doors only He can to allow us to bring His Truth to this
dark world and the hope of Christ to the lost. He uses human instruments
like yourself who obediently and faithfully follow Him to make it all
possible. Thank you for praying, for those who are able, thank you for
helping me! WE PRESS ON!!!
You can put your gift on your major credit card on a secure server by going
to my website, www.liveprayer.com under the “Donation” button, you can give
via PayPal using my email address, bkeller@liveprayer.com , or you can mail
a gift to: Liveprayer 6660 46th Avenue North St. Petersburg, Florida 33709.
Of course, all gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible.
Together, we are making a difference for the Kingdom of God. The exciting
thing is that we are just scratching the surface of those we can reach. The
time is now, the hour has come, and we are here to be a bold and visible
voice to this lost and hurting world that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords,
and King of Kings!!! Will you stand with me??? Make your sacrifice today
to help further God’s work here at Liveprayer!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:
bkeller@liveprayer.com
***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm
***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now
available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling,
1-845-510-2722
Food (Recipes) 1:59 pm
Bill Keller and Columnizer and Ritten 6:19 pm
***PLEASE BE PRAYING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS! The level of warfare right
now is INCREDIBLE! We are in the process of making many critical decisions
regarding the future of Liveprayer that will give us the ability to bring
God’s Truth to millions more people around the world each day. The battles
in the heavenlies are INTENSE! I have many important meetings and decisions
to make over the next 3 days. Please pray for God’s wisdom, guidance, and
discernment as He opens the doors that need to open and closes the doors
that need to close. It is a very challenging but exciting time and I can’t
wait to share everything with you next week! Thank you for praying!
***FOLLOW UP THOUGHT TO THE MICHAEL VICK/DOG FIGHTING DEVOTIONAL: Why are
people who are so outraged over the barbaric sport of dog fighting, not
equally as outraged over the fact FOUR THOUSAND INNOCENT BABIES ARE
SLAUGHTERED IN THIS NATION EVERY DAY?? Memo to Senator Byrd: Your tearful
speech about the dogs inhumanely treated by Vick and others in the world of
dog fighting was on the money. However, why don’t you don’t shed those same
tears over the innocent babies you vote to legally slaughter?
If you accept the Bible for what it is, God’s inspired, inerrant word
representing Absolute Truth and our final authority in all matters, then
Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. Over the years, I have carefully
studied his life, the things he said, trying to tap into his wisdom. As a
man, like all men, Solomon made many mistakes in his life and gave into the
temptations of this sinful world on many occasions. It doesn’t make me feel
any better, but it does help when I make mistakes to know that even the
wisest man who ever lived also made many mistakes during his life.
I have torn apart the Book of Ecclesiastes many times and have spent
countless hours reading Solomon’s summation of this life. In looking back
over his life, having had all that anyone who lives in this world could ever
want, the word that Solomon used over and over was “meaningless.” As he
looked back, he realized that in the end all of the temporal things of this
world were exactly that, meaningless. It is actually a pretty negative book
until you get to the next to last verse. As only the wisest man who ever
lived could, in 6 words Solomon summed up what this life is all about, “FEAR
GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS”.
This may sound like an oversimplification, but it really isn’t. The Hebrew
word for fear is not the type of fear you have when you are afraid, but
literally means to be in awe, in reverence. That should always be our
attitude towards God, awe and reverence.
Keeping His commandments refers to obeying the Word of God. My friend, if we
can do this throughout our life, fear God and keep His commandments, we have
found the key to what this life is really all about since this is the whole
duty of man.
You see, this world honors those who lead great armies into war, rule
empires and nations, those who have amassed tremendous wealth, people who
are responsible for accomplishing incredible feats during their life. But
all of these great accomplishments are only temporary. The truly great
accomplishments in this life are the things we do that will stand for
eternity.
Sharing with people the truth of God’s Word, leading the lost to an
everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ, helping those who know Christ
become all God wants them to be. These are things the world will never see,
but God will remember. Solomon at the end of his long, successful, and
distinguished life on this earth summed it all up by saying that the whole
duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.
I love you and care about you so much. I tell you often to stay focused on
the things above as opposed to the things of this life. I pray today that
you will take a long hard look at your goals and priorities, and make
fearing God and keeping His commandments number one. Our purpose in this
life is to serve and glorify God. If fearing Him and keeping His
commandments is how to fulfill His purpose for our life, then that must be
our top priority each day.
I pray today that you will listen to the wisdom of Solomon and that each day
the most important thing in your life will be to “fear God and keep His
commandments.” That my friend is the whole duty of man and the bottom line
to what this life is all about!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:
bkeller@liveprayer.com
***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm
***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now
available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling,
1-845-510-2722
Bill Keller and Columnizer and Ritten 9:15 pm
Is Las Vegas a miracle in the desert or a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah?
Let me say right up front I am well aware that Las Vegas in 2007 has become
a much more diverse place, with new non-gaming businesses opening up every
day and a large percentage of the population that has no contact with the
“strip.” Many in the Liveprayer family, some who have made great financial
sacrifices to support God’s work here, live in and around Las Vegas. Vegas
is also the home of many great churches and ministries. However, the fact
remains the foundation of Las Vegas and the reason it even exists is because
of gambling despite the recent diversification.
The city of Las Vegas has recently put out a multi-million dollar national
ad campaign designed to go back to its adults-only roots. For many years
known as “sin city,” Las Vegas spent the ’90s trying to market itself as a
family-friendly-vacation paradise. As we moved into the new millennium, they
decided to go back to their adults-only roots. The slogan of their new ad
campaign, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” is a deceptive lie
straight from the pits of hell itself!
Las Vegas in the year 2007 is a far different place than what mobster
“Bugsy” Siegel envisioned in the mid ’40s when he built the Flamingo. By
the late ’80s, the organized crime influence over Las Vegas was replaced by
the corporate gaming giants that now control the billions of dollars flowing
into Las Vegas each year. The Las Vegas of 2007 is no longer run by
organized crime bosses, but by CEOs of publicly traded corporations. To
support the ever growing gaming industry, Las Vegas has actually become one
of the fastest growing areas of the nation. Outside of the strip you have a
vibrant, active community made up of people no different than in any other
town you might visit.
However, the only reason Las Vegas exists is simple – sin. What drives the
Las Vegas economy and the only reason it exists is gambling. I have done entire
Devotionals in the past on why gambling is a sin. It is a horrible use of
the resources God entrusts to us, it is putting your faith in “luck” or
“chance” instead of in God, it promotes greed, and it is a horrible witness
to the lost in the world who we are supposed to be witnessing to. While
there is no verse in the Bible that says, “Thou shalt not gamble,” it is
clearly a sin for the above reasons and is not something a follower of
Christ should be involved in.
The problem with sin is once you open the door and allow it into your life,
you end up becoming involved in many different types of sins. Gambling is
not the only sin associated with Las Vegas. You also have drunkenness, every
type of sexual sin imaginable, they have made a mockery of God’s Holy
Institution of Marriage, in addition to a plethora of other sins that truly
earn Las Vegas the moniker, “sin city.”
Let me explain why their new marketing slogan is a lie from the pits of hell
itself. The message it is sending to adults is that you can come to Las
Vegas, do whatever you want, and nobody will ever know about it. For people
already predisposed to sin, this is like a special invitation to come and
sin and nobody will ever know about it. Here is why this is a lie straight
from the lips of satan, the father of lies himself – (John 8:44) – GOD WILL
KNOW!!!
My friend, there is NOTHING you do that God does not see. You may be able to
do things in secret that no other man will ever know about, but God knows.
If you think that you can go to Las Vegas or down the street and do things
in secret that nobody will ever know about, you have bought satan’s lie
hook, line, and sinker. Never forget, you don’t sin in a vacuum. There are
ALWAYS consequences for sin. Satan conveniently forgot to tell you that
there was a price for your sin. SIN IS NEVER FREE AND ALWAYS ENDS UP COSTING
MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO PAY!!!
I love you and care about you so much. I will be praying for you today to
recognize that satan will always try to entice you to sin. He is the great
justifier. He will always help you come up with excuses to sin and make
sinning as convenient as possible. He is great at opening the door to sin,
making it look so wonderful if you will only come inside. If you need a
little push, he will even give you a great lie like “don’t worry, nobody
will ever know.” Sadly, once you walk through the door and into sin, that
door slams shut. You can’t go back and act like you were never there. On top
of that, there will be consequences from your sin.
That is why you must stay connected to the Lord each day through prayer and
the Word. You need to be an active member of a local church where you can be
fed spiritually and find fellowship with other believers. You need to find
ways to serve the Lord with your life. All of these are ways to stay in that
daily, intimate fellowship with Christ that gives us the strength to not
fall into satan’s traps, helps us to flee from sin instead of running to it,
and keeps us focused on the Lord. He loves you so much and has a wonderful
plan and purpose for your life if you will only faithfully serve and follow
Him each day.
The lie says, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The truth says,
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will
not be made known.” – (Luke 12:2)
A VISION FROM GOD! Let me take a moment to share a vision God has given me
concerning Las Vegas. I flew out there last January to do a memorial
service for a family. I was only in Las Vegas for about 10 hours, but God
spoke to my heart during my time there. That short time in Vegas motivated
me more than ever to press forward in the work of Liveprayer. It literally
made me cry looking at billions and billions of dollars that were spent on
grand palaces to attract people to a place where they could squander what
God has entrusted to them on gambling, sex, alcohol, unGodly shows, and
buying anything you could ever imagine from the unlimited amount of upscale
stores. The billions that flow through the Vegas casinos alone on a daily
basis is staggering!
LAS VEGAS IS PROOF THAT THE WORLD CAN FIND A SEEMINGLY UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF RESOURCES TO “ENTERTAIN” PEOPLE AND FEED THEIR CARNAL LUSTS. THAT MEANS THE MONEY IS OUT THERE FOR THE WORK OF GOD, WE SIMPLY HAVE TO GO GET IT!!!
God showed me that there were over 30 million from all over the world that
come to Las Vegas each year. THIRTY MILLION! All I could think of was 30
million souls, many who need Jesus. In the coming years as the TV program
becomes firmly established in the national marketplace, I plan to put
together some of the most talented, gifted, and creative Believers in the
world and create a world-class production that will rival any of the shows
that exist on the Vegas strip. It will be entertaining, geared to the
millions of nonChristians who flock to Vegas each year, but of course, have
a clear presentation of the Gospel built within. The same God who has given
us favor with the secular television world, is the very same God who will
open the doors of Las Vegas to be able to reach millions of souls with His
Truth and love. Please start praying for this now, even though it will be
many years before this vision becomes a reality.
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:
bkeller@liveprayer.com
***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm
***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now
available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling,
1-845-510-2722
Bill Keller and Columnizer and Ritten 11:36 am
***FOLLOW UP THOUGHT TO THE MICHAEL VICK/DOG FIGHTING DEVOTIONAL: Why are people who are so outraged over the barbaric sport of dog fighting, not equally as outraged over the fact FOUR THOUSAND INNOCENT BABIES ARE SLAUGHTERED IN THIS NATION EVERY DAY?? Memo to Senator Byrd: Your tearful speech about the dogs inhumanely treated by Vick and others in the world of dog fighting was on the money. However, why don’t you don’t shed those same tears over the innocent babies you vote to legally slaughter?
Feeding the sheep, not fleecing the sheep. For many years, in addition to
preaching in churches around the country, I was heavily involved in the
Christian television world. I produced programming, consulted with most of
the networks and stations, as well as many of the top TV ministries in the
area of fundraising. What I saw during those years were huge
infrastructures of buildings and people that had to be fed, and heads of
networks and TV ministries that lived extravagant and opulent lifestyles.
Of course, the money for all this came from the people they were there to
minister to. The focus of the planning meetings I sat in on were not about
how to minister to people, but how to get them to give! It was not about
feeding the sheep, but fleecing the sheep!!!
Listen, nobody understands the need to raise money to spread the Gospel like
I do. That is why I don’t have a building, but still operate out of the
back of the same used car lot owned by one of my board members we started in
almost 8 years ago. That is why I don’t have a huge staff of people, but
have managed to use technology to streamline the operations and depend on
several key people to perform multiple jobs. That is why I don’t live in a
million dollar home and drive brand new luxury cars or fly around in private
jets. I have done everything humanly possible to bring God’s Word to this
lost world and share the hope and love of Christ with the lost masses in the
most efficient and inexpensive way possible!
THE MONEY PEOPLE GIVE TO LIVEPRAYER DOESN’T GO TO SUPPORT THE TEMPORAL THINGS OF THIS WORLD BUT DIRECTLY INTO THE ETERNAL SOULS OF MEN!
Many people have asked why we struggle so much just to meet our budget each
month. Simple! Despite knowing every trick there is to raise money, I
refuse to prostitute the people we minister to by selling their information
to marketing companies or trying to get them to buy every kind of product
and service known to man. Everything we do at Liveprayer is FREE! I am not
here to sell people anything, but to GIVE them the Word of God and the hope
we have in Jesus! I am not trying to reach people to generate money from
them, but to bring God’s truth into their lives. People know if you really
care about them, or if you only care about how much money they can give you!
I refuse to look at people as “giving units,” but as souls to challenge and
encourage, to help along life’s journey. The day I begin to look at the
people we minister to as nothing but a group of people to generate money
from, I’ll leave the ministry.
From day one, God told me to share our need and let Him move on the hearts
of people to give. For 94 months now I have watched Him do just that. We
literally operate month to month and I only ask people to give what we need
to get through that month. Each month is a testimony in and of itself of
how God provides. People ask me how I sleep when we need $40,000 in a few
days to pay the bills. I tell them one advantage to only sleeping 4 hours
a day is you sleep real good for those 4 hours! But seriously, I know I
have to do my part and share the need, contact people who I know who have
the ability to help, and then trust God to move on hearts. God has honored
our faith and commitment to trust Him, and as we start each month, I know
His Spirit is guiding us since He is the one who sustains what we do each
month.
I am excited since we are close to finalizing some incredible situations
that will allow us to reach even more souls each day for the Lord, to bring
His Truth to an ever larger audience, and in the process, generate some
revenues to help take the pressure off of those who support God’s work here
each month. I see a day very soon when we will have advertising dollars and
other sponsorship revenues that will support all of our ministry efforts,
and we can focus on special projects a few times a year to ask people to
donate to so that we can be a blessing to those who are hurting and need a
helping hand.
My first personal encounter with big time Christian fund-raising came 15
years ago. I was backstage with a friend at a Telethon being put on by one
of the larger Christian television stations. They were only moments from
going on the air when all of a sudden a rather large man with an Irish
accent came up to me and asked me what 1000 divided by 12 was. It seemed
like a very odd question, but I thought for a moment and told him it was 83
and about a third. He thanked me, and just moments later he was on the set
to the host of the Telethon on “live” television. After exchanging a few
pleasantries, the host asked this man if he had anything special to share
with the viewers that evening.
The man with the Irish accent then began to share how he had been in prayer
in his hotel room all afternoon, seeking a special word from God for the
viewers that night. He stated that after many hours on his knees, God spoke
into his Spirit to share Psalms 83 Verse 18. I opened my Bible and read the
verse and was a little confused what was so special about that verse, but
the preacher began to share that through Christian television people all
over would know the name of Jesus.
I was still a bit confused, until he began to challenge the people that God
wanted them to make a pledge of $83.18 over the next 12 months to that
Christian television station. It finally sunk in that the only reason he
chose that verse was not from some great revelation God had given to him,
but it was to try and generate $1,000 pledges from the viewers. I have to be
honest when I tell you that it took every ounce of self control that I had,
not to run onto the set and call this man a liar. It literally made me ill.
Let me tell you right now that major crusades don’t take the offering AFTER
an hour of powerful praise and worship by accident. The largest Christian
television network CANNOT get you out of debt by you giving them $2,000.
There is NOTHING Biblical about “burning your debt!” NEVER make a pledge
with money that you DON’T HAVE! NEVER EVER, let any church or ministry
intimidate you, or “guilt you” into giving!!! THAT IS NOT OF GOD!!!
So much of the fund-raising and financial pleas I see take God’s Word
totally out of context. Giving to a ministry does NOT guarantee that you
will get back that money plus so many times more. God blesses our obedience
in MANY ways, not just financially. Our health is a GREAT blessing. The
health and safety of our family and friends is a GREAT blessing. Our old car
starting and getting us from place to place each day is a GREAT blessing.
God moving in a situation at work or school is a GREAT blessing. The point
is that God DOES bless us for our obedience and faithfulness, God DOES bless
us when we are faithful and obedient in our giving. But His blessings come
in many forms, NOT just financial.
From day one in my ministry, I have done my best to follow the Biblical
formula for giving. First, giving is an act of worship. It is a way to honor
God for His provision in our life. Second, ALL that we have belongs to Him.
When we give, we are simply giving back to God a portion of what He has
entrusted to us. Third, the Bible says to “give according to your ability to
give.” You can’t give what you don’t have, nor does God expect you to pledge
money you don’t have!
And yes, we are told to give God a portion of what He gives us right off the
top, but God also expects you to take care of your day to day living needs
as well. It makes no sense to give God $30 when you have no more money and
you have an electric bill for $30. PAY YOUR ELECTRIC BILL. DON’T EVER SEND
TO LIVEPRAYER THE MONEY YOU NEED TO PAY YOUR BILLS OR TO FEED YOUR FAMILY!
TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEEDS FIRST! When you are faithful in tithing to God each
week, you will be amazed how God will bless your finances. God WILL bless
you for your obedience in this area. Giving IS important, but giving for the
right reasons is just as important.
I love you and care about you so much. I am sure that I probably greatly
upset some people in the ministry today. But God never intended people to
give out of guilt, or give because they have been manipulated or tricked. We
are to give because of our love for God. We give because God has entrusted
each of us with a certain amount of provision during our life, and it is an
act of obedience when we give a portion of that to Him. The Bible teaches
that we give our tithe to the place where we are fed, which in most cases is
our home church. Our gifts are what we give to those additional works of God
outside of the church that the Lord uses to feed us spiritually and gives us
a burden for.
When God directed Moses to build the Tabernacle, when God directed David to
build the Temple, He told them both the same thing. Share the exact need
with the people and challenge them to give. THAT my friend is the Biblical
example of how to fund God’s work. Go to God’s people, share the exact need,
and challenge them to pray and give as God leads them to give. We are to
give out of our love for God, we are to give because all that we have
belongs to God, we are to give with a joyful heart . . . NOT out of guilt!!!
I count it a great honor to come into your life each day and share God’s
Truth and Christ’s love with you. I am not here to fleece you but to FEED
you!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:
bkeller@liveprayer.com
***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm
***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now
available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling,
1-845-510-2722
Columnizer and Ritten and The Revelation 11:30 am
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Columnizer and Ritten and The Revelation 5:18 pm
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Columnizer and Ritten and The Revelation 12:46 pm
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Bill Keller and Columnizer and Ritten 11:50 am
Michael Vick and dog fighting. Atlanta Falcon quarterback and one of the
NFL’s most visible and marketed players, Michael Vick, was indicted in
Federal Court last week for operating and participating in a large dog
fighting operation. Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states. Because the
dogs were transported across state lines it is a Federal matter, and if
convicted Vick is looking at up to 6 years in Federal prison plus $250,000
in fines. It is very likely that Vick will never play football in the NFL
again, and based on my personal knowledge of how the Federal Government
operates, it is almost a guarantee that he will end up spending time in
prison. The Feds will not indict someone unless they have a very solid case
which is why they have a 95%+ conviction rate.
Dog fighting is nothing new and certainly this is not something isolated and
unique to Vick and his group. Fighting dogs for sport is traced back to 43
A.D. and is an underground world that exists not only all across this
country, but is very prevalent and popular in many Latin American, European,
and Asian countries as well. Once again, we are confronted with the
reality that people derive entertainment and enjoyment out of seeing blood
and death. Man seems to have this insatiable appetite for violence, for
brutality. We have this carnal urge to see pain. It really does say much
about the condition of our heart when we find pleasure in watching animals
fighting to their death.
As outraged as people are over the barbaric and inhumane treatment of these
dogs by Vick and others who are part of the world of dog fighting, I wonder
if those same people are as outraged over the brutal sports theater known as
professional wrestling, or the sport of boxing, or the fast growing and
highly popular ultimate fighting events that aren’t any different from what
people used to pack the Roman Coliseum to watch except for the “death shot”
at the end. There is absolutely no justification for the way these animals
were treated, but I wonder why people are not equally as incensed over the
brutal forms of “sport” involving humans that we entertain ourselves with.
You see, when people are living without Christ in their heart and life, they
have the mind of the world. They lust after the carnal pleasures of this
life. They are guided by their flesh. When a person gets saved, they take
on the mind of Christ. They desire heavenly things. They are being guided
by the Holy Spirit that resides in each Believer. It is the carnal mind
that delights in brutality and death. The regenerated mind seeks peace and
life. You have to have a hard heart, a seared conscience, to enjoy pain and
torture and watching someone, even an animal, suffer. A heart of flesh
cries out when someone is in pain, is being tortured, is suffering.
This ultimately comes back to the fact we have the better percentage of 2
full generations who are lost, without Christ in their life, and are being
guided by the spirit of this world and not the Spirit of the living God!
Look at the brutality we see daily in the news. One story after another of
man’s inhumanity to man. Children being abused and murdered. People
preying on other people and purposely destroying their lives. Popular TV
programs like “Jackass” that revel in people getting hurt. A whole new
genre of Internet videos showing young men and young women fighting. A
popular video series called, “Bum Fights” where homeless people, people who
are struggling just to get through the day, are exploited and forced to
fight each other. There is little that shocks us any longer since we have
become desensitized to how cruel people are. It is a sad commentary of who
we are as a people.
I love you and care about you so much. It is in this darkness that we are
living in that the light of Christ can coming shining through. In the midst
of our utter depravity, as we are forced to see how barbaric we really are,
now more than ever we need to turn to the only true hope there is, faith in
Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus is the only answer, since it is only Jesus who
can take our hearts of stone and turn them into hearts of flesh. It is only
Jesus who can help us to be transformed from people who take pleasure in
watching other people in pain, to people who reach out to help and comfort
other people in pain. Only the Lord can give you a heart that cares about
others more than you care about yourself.
Be praying for Michael Vick. Here is a young man who was being paid over
$120 million to play football. He had everything the world could possible
offer to a person. However, he clearly lacked the most important things you
need to live a victorious life. You can’t be involved in such a brutal
world like the world of dog fighting unless you have no heart. Forgetting
for a moment that dog fighting is illegal, even if they are just animals,
someone who has the Lord in their life simply can’t take any pleasure or
enjoyment in seeing God’s creatures forced to brutally fight each other to
the death. So pray that through this experience, Vick will really open his
heart to the Lord and make a true commitment of his life to Christ.
While this story gained so much national attention because of the
involvement of a high profile NFL superstar, the reality is there is an
underground world that exists where fighting animals is big business. Just
like sports where men fight other men is a big business. These businesses
exist because there is a demand out there. It is a demand for blood, guts,
and death. We are no different than those who packed the Roman Coliseum to
watch the gladiator fights, to watch humans being fed to lions. We lambaste
those people for their barbaric tastes, but in reality we are no different.
Now more than ever we need to turn back to God and faith in Jesus Christ.
I will be praying for you today. Do you watch things like boxing,
wrestling, ultimate fighting? If you do, why? Do you watch other programs
that involve people being humiliated, hurt, ridiculed, minimized? Do you
find it entertaining to see people abused? TV once again has played a big
role in shaping our culture. Today’s programming doesn’t lift people up, it
puts them down. It is not about encouraging people, it is about debasing
them. Oprah and her puppet Dr. Phil, Springer, Montel, Tyra, the plethora
of judge shows, all share the element of abusing people to generate ratings.
Why? They know it works. They know people love to watch other people’s
pain.
Very few reading this today would ever go to or be part of a dog fight.
However, most reading this today will watch TV programs where people are
humiliated, shamed, and abused in the name of entertainment. I submit to
you today that both are equally as wrong. We have become a very cold and
heartless people. That is why now more than ever we need to change the
course, change the direction, and that can only be done as people are
transformed by the power of God from having hearts of stone to hearts of
flesh. What Michael Vick is alleged to have done to dogs is disgusting and
indefensible. I submit to you today that most people do things just as
disgusting and indefensible to other people. Our lust for violence,
brutality, blood and death, our hearts that have been hardened to the pain
of others, that is the real story.
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Thank You for standing with me!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at:
bkeller@liveprayer.com
***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
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be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
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