A Holy War

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***THIS DEVOTIONAL IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED SERVICES, AND THEIR FAMILIES. AS OUR NATION IS IN A TIME OF WAR, MAY THE HAND OF GOD BE WITH YOU, PROTECT YOU, LEAD YOU TO VICTORY, AND BRING YOU HOME SAFE. OUR NATION SALUTES YOU AS YOU SERVE SO THAT WE MAY BE FREE. IT IS NO ACCIDENT GOD HAS RAISED YOU UP, AND CALLED YOU TO THIS IMPORTANT MISSION. KNOW THAT "HE" IS WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. MAY GOD BLESS YOU!

***This Devotional was written shortly after 9/11. How appropriate these words have become in the light of the world events we are currently watching play out. As true as these words when I originally wrote them, they are even MORE TRUE today.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL SATURDAY APRIL 6, 2002
(Matthew 24:4-8)

Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone fool you. For many will come claiming to be the Messiah, and will lead many astray. When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come."

A HOLY WAR. After a little over 2 years, this is by far the most difficult Devotional I have ever had to write. My purpose each day is to encourage you, and challenge you in your daily walk with Christ. I do my best to deal with the real day to day issues we all face in this life, many issues you never hear spoken of, and putting them in the context of our faith. I have never gotten deeply involved in prophetic events in these Devotionals, since being something still to happen, the study of end times events is very subjective and there are many interpretations that could be correct. Please understand though that the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Days are NOT the same thing.

The Second Coming of Christ is an event NO MAN knows the date or time of. Only God. However, Christ clearly talks of what will generally happen in the Last Days in Matthew chapter 24, and Paul speaks of the general events to mark the Last Days in Second Timothy 3, and Second Peter 3. These passages help us to at least see what to look for as we enter into the final chapters of this world. God was clearly speaking through me as I shared a Devotional on September 6th, 5 days before this horrific tragedy in our nation, talking about the Last Days. This was not done to make you afraid, but to challenge you in regard to the role God is asking us, His children, to play. That is the purpose of today's special message to you.

I have always been very honest, and very frank with you each day in this Devotional. I refuse to candy-coat the Truth of God's Word. What I share on each subject has always been very Biblically sound. My job is simply to tell you what God says, the rest is up to you since He gave you freewill to accept or reject Him and His truth. I have prayed much over these past days about what is coming. I am NOT a prophet. I didn't have a vision or a dream. I am simply a man, yielded to God, striving to stay as connected as I can every minute of every day, serving Him with everything I have to give, and studying diligently His Word. We often hear of the anointing. It is many things, but one thing it clearly is, is a special touch from God given to someone who is actively seeking after Him. It is given to perform a service for God. It is something you simply know in your gut when it is there, and when it is not. It is under a rich anointing from God that I share these words with you today. Take a moment and pray now, asking God to open your heart to receive these words.

Many have emailed me about whether as Christians we should be engaging in war, which will involve killing innocent people. The fact is, there is very strong Biblical support for war, when it is the defense of you nation, your faith. Make no mistake about it, our nation was attacked last Tuesday and there are people that would love to destroy us. We have every right, and the responsibly to defend ourselves! God often called His children to war to defeat the enemies of God throughout the Bible. We enjoy the freedom we have today, because of the sacrifices made by our forefathers. If we are to insure those same freedoms for our children, that we must respond and defend our nation against those who would destroy it. Yes, there will be innocent people killed. Innocent people were already killed last Tuesday.

That is why you must always keep the big picture in focus at all times. Death is part of the human experience. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us; one day we will all die. Everyone will die by some means. Some by disease, some by accidents, some by murder, some by wars. That is why nobody should miss their opportunity to accept Christ by faith, you may never have another chance since death can come at any time, and is final. We live this life in service to God. That is our purpose. When we have fulfilled God's plan for our life, we are called home to live for eternity with Him.

Here is what God has showed me about the upcoming events that will be unfolding in the coming days, weeks, months, years, and even decades. From my Devotional on Wednesday September 12th, the day after the attack, I wrote these words, "In my spiritual gut, I believe today was a VERY big day in the overall end times events." Things will never be the same again in our country. As we embark on our military campaign, our initial goal is very clear, makes much sense, and has major support worldwide. That is to wipe out terrorism. No doubt we will send troops into Afghanistan and we will capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. The resolve is there, it will happen. It is after this phase that the picture will get very cloudy. You see, most everyone in the world condemns what happened in the US. They condemn terrorism. Once we accomplish the goal of getting Bin Laden, the next phase is than to start rooting out other terrorists and terrorist cells around the world.

It is in this second phase, that this will cease being seen as a mission of defeating terrorism, and slowly turn into what the world will perceive as a war on Islam. As this second phase moves forward, the battle lines will soon become drawn on lines of faith. The US, which is seen worldwide as representing Christianity, along with Israel, against Islam. As you can see, this is where many allies in the Middle East who supported our initial efforts to get Bin Laden, will now have a change of heart. Islamic people worldwide will see this simply as Holy War on Islam by the west and Israel. Ultimately, this will change from being a war on terrorism to a Holy War.

Of course, the ramifications as things escalate into this phase are beyond comprehension. However, one key element to never forget will be the world's oil supply that comes from that region. Nuclear weapons are readily available on the world market. Germ and chemical warfare is very advanced and available worldwide. Many will have access to these incredible deadly elements and will have no conscience in using them. What happened last Tuesday, our required response, and the years to follow will unleash events over out planet that I believe strongly fits in with the general references Jesus and Paul made about the Last Days. I am not even getting into the specific events spoken of in Revelation. God will decide when Christ returns. There will be all of the judgments and destruction talked of in the last book of the Bible. Only God knows for sure how all of that will play out. I am simply sharing that what has happened, and will start to unfold, is setting the stage for all of those events. All of this could take many decades to play out, but as they do, the world will be looking for answers, looking for hope, and that is where our opportunity comes in.

Please hear my heart today. Just as I have tried to put much of what has happened recently in context for you, I want you to understand that what I have shared today is not meant to frighten you, or cause you to lose hope. Quite the opposite. The fact is, God has chosen us to part of the most exciting time of human history. We will have opportunities to share His love and hope like never before. Already, we have seen a glimmer of how hungry people have become for answers, for God. Churches all over our nation were packed last weekend. Any preacher who didn't give an alter call last Sunday, in my humble opinion, missed what God has called him to do. I am excited each day to serve Him.

Just the thought God allows me, Bill Keller with all my faults and weaknesses to be part of His team, to play a small part in His plan, is awe inspiring. He has given you that chance too. The fact that He has raised us up in this day and time in human history, to share His love and hope with a world that will be in turmoil, is an incredible responsibility. It is our turn to do great things for God!!! Just like a football player trains hard, practices hard for the big game, now is the BIGGEST GAME OF ALL. God doesn't expect us to be on the bench, but on the field, working hard. Unlike the football player who plays hard, but doesn't know if his team will win, we have extreme confidence, because we already know the final score!!! God wins!!!

I love you, and care about you very much. It is my responsibly to be honest and open with you. I have done that each and every day these past 24 plus months now. I can't stop now. As the events of the coming weeks, months, and even years unfold, I will be here as long as God allows me, to share each day from my heart, to help you see His will for your life in all that is happening. It is no accident God raised this ministry up when He did, that you are getting these Devotionals every day. Now is time to get very serious about being a Christian. We have been blessed to be living in an exciting time, and part of the winning team. All we have to do is get up each day, and be faithful and obedient in the work He has for each of us to accomplish. Never forget, no matter what, God is in control, and the end of the book says, GOD WINS!!!!!

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.

***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/DailyDevotionalAudio.html. Click on "Search by Category", then locate DAILY DEVOTIONAL. I want to thank Ed Morando for making this service available for FREE to Liveprayer.com.

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