Real Conspiracies Are Ultimately Revealed . . . as Is the Truth!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

Read on.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL    FRIDAY DECEMBER 30, 2005
(1 Corinthians 15)

Why the exposure of Watergate's "deepthroat" is
important to a Christian. For political and history
buffs, the identity of the infamous "deepthroat,"
that mysterious high level anonymous source of
inside information about the early '70s scandal that
ultimately led to the resignation of President
Richard Nixon, has been one of the best kept secrets
ever.  Over the past 3 decades, there has been
tremendous speculation who "deepthroat" was, with
only a handful of people knowing the answer to that
great mystery.  Last June, Mark Felt, the former
number two man at the FBI during the early '70s
admitted to being "deepthroat."  As I watched the
news coverage unfold over the weeks, I couldn't help
but to think how this one isolated event in
American history strengthened the case for the
Christian faith.

Every person comes to faith in Christ in a different
way, for different reasons.  Once you are saved, as
you grow and mature in your faith there is usually
some point in that maturation process that you can
look back on and say, "that is the moment that I knew,
that I knew, that I knew it was all true.  Jesus is
who He says He is and God's Word is the Truth."  Again,
that happens in different ways, at different times for
each person.  For me, it actually happened as I was
going through my seminary education during a course on
the resurrection.  It hit me like a ton of bricks that
if the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened,
it was all true.

The reason the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest
historical event is because it is the absolute key to
our faith.  Paul said in his first letter to the
church at Corinth in the 15th chapter, that if Christ
did not rise from the dead, then we are still dead in
our sin and most vain of all. However, if He did rise
from the dead, then we have the assurance that our
sins are forgiven and of everlasting life.  You see,
Jesus is either the biggest fraud in the history of
mankind or He is exactly who He claims to be...the
Son of God.  The resurrection is the key event.

The historical evidence of Christ's resurrection is
irrefutable.  The fact that He died on a Roman cross,
the claims of His followers seeing the risen Lord,
evidence of the empty tomb, the inability of the
Jewish leaders to disprove the resurrection claims
in the very city Jesus died and was buried, and the
radical transformation in the lives of His disciples
are all well documented.  You also have Jesus' own
predictions of His resurrection as well as the fact
that soon after was the birth of the Christian church
that started meeting on Sunday.  That is significant
since these were monotheistic Jews who were used to
worshipping on Saturday.

I want to use the story of Watergate's "deepthroat"
to zero in on one of the arguments people make to
try and prove the resurrection never really
happened. One explanation given by those who reject
the reality of Christ's resurrection is that His
disciples stole His body and disposed of it
somehow.  That sounds like a reasonable theory to
explain the FACT that Christ's body was no longer
in the tomb where He was buried.

Just out of curiosity, how many times have you ever
been to a cemetery and seen guards at someone's
gravesite?  The reason there were guards at the
tomb of Jesus was because the Jewish leaders were
afraid that His disciples or followers would steal
His body and then claim that He had been resurrected.
Don't forget, they knew that Christ had prophesied
His resurrection and they wanted to make sure nobody
would come to steal His body so His prophecy would
appear to come true.

For the sake of argument, let's say that those
sympathetic to Jesus did somehow manage to steal His
body.  This means there would have been a certain
number of people who knew that He did not rise from
the dead as He had said He would, and that for them
to claim He did was an outright lie. It would have
meant those who really knew the truth would have had
to keep their mouths shut and never tell anyone what
really happened.  My friend, conspiracies like this
never work.  At some point they unravel, the truth
always comes out.

There is no way those who would have been part of
this conspiracy, those who knew the truth would have
been able to keep this secret for very long,
especially due to the fact people were dying because
of their belief that Christ had indeed risen from
the dead.  PEOPLE WILL LIVE FOR A KNOWN LIE, BUT
PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE FOR A KNOWN LIE!  These
very people who would have been part of this
conspiracy would be literally giving their very
life for what they knew to be a lie.  Again, people
will live for a known lie, but they aren't going to
die for a known lie!

Lastly, look at the lives of the men who followed
Jesus.  These men were transformed from meek followers
of our Lord who when it really counted, ran out of
fear for their lives, to some of the most bold and
powerful leaders of the faith the world has ever seen.
Each one of these men came to a place where they were
martyred for their faith in Christ.  These men who
abandoned the Lord in the Garden to save their own
life, would not have later died for His sake had the
resurrection simply been a great hoax.  I submit to
you today that these men could never have been so
transformed by a lie, but were transformed by the
truth and reality of the risen Savior.

I love you and care about you so very much.  My
friend, the Christian faith has never meant to be
a blind leap in the dark.  God never asked His
children to just believe without any evidence of
what we believe in.  He has given us plenty of
tangible historical evidence to help us know without
a doubt that what is in His inspired, inerrant Word
is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Absolute truth that you can
stake your very life on.

Of course, once we get to the point we accept the
resurrection as a fact, and we accept His Word as
TRUTH, it then demands that we totally and
unconditionally surrender our very life to Him.
That becomes the logical conclusion of this spiritual
journey.  Because you see, it is not our life any
longer, it belongs to Him.  Our purpose is to simply
serve and glorify Him with our lives.

I pray that today you will recommit your life to
Jesus.  We can all do better.  None of us have given
it ALL to Him...we can give Him more.  Make this day
the day that you realize that Jesus rose from the
dead, to insure that you will live for eternity with
Him if you have accepted Him into your heart and life
by faith.  May you be richly blessed as we stand
together to proclaim to this hurting and dying world
that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and the King
of Kings. HE IS RISEN INDEED!

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.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.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
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Be Faithful to Your Spouse in Speech, Body, Mind, Soul and Heart

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

Read on.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL   THURSDAY DECEMBER 29, 2005
(Hebrews 13:4, Matthew 5:28, Ephesians 5:22, 25)

***I BELIEVE GOD IS GOING TO USE THIS WORD TODAY TO
SAVE MARRIAGES FROM ENDING IN DIVORCE.  A MARRIAGE
DOESN'T END IN DIVORCE COURT OVERNIGHT, BUT OVER
TIME.  THE ENEMY ATTACKS A MARRIAGE IN MANY DIFFERENT
WAYS.  TODAY, I WANT TO EXPOSE ONE OF THE CHIEF WAYS
A MARRIAGE BEGINS TO UNWIND GIVING SATAN THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DESTROY IT.  PLEASE OPEN YOUR HEART
AND READ EACH WORD CAREFULLY.  IF GOD IS SPEAKING
TO YOU TODAY, LISTEN TO HIM.  ALSO, PLEASE FORWARD
THIS TO EVERYONE THAT YOU KNOW, IT MAY BE THE VERY
WORD TO SAVE THEIR MARRIAGE FROM ENDING IN DIVORCE.

Would you be concerned if your husband or wife read
your emails or Instant Messages?  What about listened
to your phone calls?  What about if they knew every
place you go each day?  How about the places you go
when you are out of town?  Would you worry if your
husband or wife heard a tape of all the conversations
you had each day with people of the opposite sex? 
For those who are still reading, you either have no
problem being this open with your spouse or you are
now under great conviction and God is speaking to you
today.

For those who have no problem being this open with
your spouse, praise God! A marriage centered in
Christ should include this type of openness and
transparency.  With Christ at the head of your life
and loving and honoring your spouse as the Word calls
for, there is no reason you should be afraid to allow
your spouse to read your emails or Instant Messages, 
listen to your phone calls, know exactly where you are
at, or hear any of your conversations with people of
the opposite sex.  I pray that you will continue to
love and honor your spouse so that you can always be
this open and transparent.

For those who are under conviction by these words
today, this could be the very tap on the shoulder
from God that will keep your marriage from ending
in divorce.  Satan is very subtle in how he destroys
marriages.  No marriage ends in divorce overnight,
but over time.  One of the chief ways people open
the door for satan to come in and destroy their
marriage is in their relationships with people of
the opposite sex.  If your heart began racing as
you read those questions, if you know deep down you
would never want your spouse to read your emails or
Instant Messages, hear your phone calls, know
exactly where you are at all times, or hear a tape
of the conversations you have with people of the
opposite sex, please hear what God is saying to
you today.  It may very well save your marriage!

Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become
an alcoholic.  They have a few drinks, it becomes
part of their life, and over time they get into
bondage to alcohol.  Nobody wakes up one morning
and decides to become a drug addict.  They
experiment with drugs occasionally, begin to use
them more frequently, and over time they get into
bondage to drugs.  It is the same thing with someone
who is in bondage to food, shopping, gambling,
making money, sex, or any other type of bondage you
can name.  A person doesn't get into bondage to
anything overnight, but over time.

This is also how relationships outside of your
marriage develop, over time. You get friendly with
someone of the opposite sex at work, you see them
every day, you make sure you spend some time with
them every day, talk to them every day, you start
to develop that elementary school crush and
fantasize about them, pretty soon you create
opportunities to have lunch with them or see them
after work, and during this process the
conversation turns from work to your personal lives
and often to sex.  One thing leads to another and
one day you and your co-worker are in bed together.

Even if this relationship never culminates in having
sex together, never forget that Jesus said if you
lust in your heart you have committed adultery.  You
are giving someone else the emotions, feelings, and
attention that should ONLY be given to your spouse. 
When you got married, that is the person God gave you
for the rest of your life to pour all of your
emotions, feelings, love and attention into. NOBODY
ELSE!  That is the person who God gave you to enjoy
sex with.  NOBODY ELSE!

Over the past decade, another road to destroy
marriages satan has turned into a 12-lane super
freeway is the Internet.  I have warned you over
the years about Internet dating services, the danger
of chatrooms, and the other ways you can meet people
over the Internet.  Every time I see one of those
commercials with the elderly gentleman for a popular
Internet matchmaking site I cringe.  They make
millions selling people the "dream of a soulmate,"
but never tell you the horror stories of all of the
marriages that have been destroyed because of their
service.  I am very aware that people can and do
use these services successfully.  I am also very
aware of how dangerous these sites are from dealing
DAILY with men and women who have learned to use
Internet dating sites and chatrooms to carry on secret
lives their spouses never knew existed.

Satan has lied to people that there is really
nothing wrong with carrying on a relationship with
someone "online."  The reality is, you begin to
pour your heart, emotions, and feelings into this
person you are having the online relationship with
just like if you were with them in real time.
Ultimately, in most cases it actually does evolve
into meeting in real time and ends up being no
different than any other extra-marital affair.  It
all started so harmlessly.  A few innocent emails
and Instant Messages that became more frequent,
more personal, more sexual in nature.  The next
thing you know you are actually sitting side by
side with this person.

Again, even if this relationship never culminates
in having sex together, never forget that Jesus said
if you lust in your heart you have committed
adultery.  You are giving someone else the emotions,
feelings, and attention that should ONLY be given to
your spouse.  When you got married, that is the
person God gave you for the rest of your life to
pour all of your emotions, feelings, love and
attention into. NOBODY ELSE!  That is the person who
God gave you to enjoy sex with.  NOBODY ELSE!

I love you and care about you so much.  Today's
message is a warning that you must guard yourself
from opening the door to satan, allowing him to
enter into your marriage and destroy it through your
relationships with people of the opposite sex.  If
you are married, you simply cannot allow yourself to
get too close to someone who is not your spouse. 
You have got to be aware this is an avenue the enemy
will use to try and destroy your marriage.  The way
you judge if you are getting too close to someone of
the opposite sex is by answering the original
questions I posed.  If the answer to any of them is
"yes," you need to back off because you are too close
to that person.

I will be praying for those of you today who God
brought under conviction because you know that you
would NOT want your spouse to read your emails or
Instant Messages, hear your phone calls, know all
the places you go, or hear the conversations you are
having with people of the opposite sex.  Be like
Joseph and RUN from this relationship NOW before it
destroys your marriage. God is speaking to you today
and God is trying to help you save your marriage.  I
will be praying for you to listen to Him and cut off
ALL communication with this other person.

I already know many of you will email me and tell me
that your spouse doesn't understand you, that you
have "grown apart," and a whole plethora of reasons
to try and justify your involvement with someone who
is not your spouse.  SAVE IT!  Let me encourage you
that if you put the same time, effort, emotions,
feelings, and energy into your spouse as you do this
other person, you would be amazed at how different
your relationship with your spouse would be. 
Whatever the problems in your marriage may be, being
involved with someone else is NOT the answer.  I will
pray today for God to bring healing and restoration
to your marriage.  The first step, however, is to cut
off all communication with this other person you are
involved with.

I will also be praying today for those of you who
are dealing with a spouse who has become involved
with someone else.  Never forget, you are not
responsible for the actions of your spouse.  God
gave us each free will and only He can change your
spouse's heart.  Now is the time to make your
faith real and learn to trust God during this
difficult time.  Find your peace and strength in Him
each day and know that He is still in the restoration
business!  I will be praying for you and for your
spouse to turn their heart and life back to the Lord
and bring healing to your marriage.

Would you be concerned if your husband or wife read
your emails or Instant Messages?  What about listened
to your phone calls?  What about if they knew every
place you go each day?  How about the places you go
when you are out of town?  Would you worry if your
husband or wife heard a tape of all the conversations
you had each day with people of the opposite sex?  If
the answer to any of these questions is "yes," God is
speaking to you today.  Please, listen since your
marriage is at stake.

In His love and service,

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.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.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
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Read the Whole Bible in 2006 . . . or Listen to It!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

I have read the Bible from cover to cover and
agree that this is an exceptionally good use
of your time.  Read on!

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL   WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 28, 2005
(Matthew 24:35)

***One of the most encouraging things for me
personally each year, is to read the incredible
testimonies from people who take my annual
challenge to read the Bible cover to cover.  It is
a joy for the 6th year now, to be able to challenge
you to make this YOUR New Year's resolution.  I can
promise you that it will transform your life.

To help you, I am excited to announce that I am
offering you a special phone number that you can
call every day  and listen to a portion of the
Bible.  Starting at Genesis 1:1 and going through
Revelation 22:21, each day's message is app. 15
minutes long and will take you through the entire
Bible in one year!  The number to call STARTING
JANUARY 1st is:  1-954-827-1544

This year, I am adding a challenge to everyone who
has accepted Christ as their Savior.  The greatest
need in the Body of Christ is discipleship.
Getting the truth of God's Word into people's lives
and seeing people accept the Lord is tremendous.
But what happens to that person AFTER they come to
Christ is critical.  I want to challenge you today
that during the year 2006, you find one person and
make them your Timothy.  Find one person that is
new to the faith and disciple them.

The reason there is such a void of discipleship is
because it takes time, commitment, and effort.  You
have to literally GIVE YOURSELF to that person.
Sadly, it is a commitment most followers of Christ
are not willing to make, despite the fact we have
been called to do so.  I pray today that if you
know Christ as your Savior, you will pray today
about being a Paul to a Timothy during the coming
year.  Never forget, the greatest legacy you will
ever leave is in the lives of those you touch
along your journey.

Your New Year's resolution.  Having preached to
several hundred thousand people in evangelistic
meetings in churches of all denominations
throughout the country, having ministered to
millions via television and radio through the
years, and having prayed for and intimately
counseled thousands and thousands of people over
my 15 years of ministry...I would have to say the
biggest problem I have encountered with Believers
is the vast majority have never read the instruction
manual!!!

Statistical research shows that less than 10% of
professing Christians have ever read the entire
Bible.  The church as a whole is Biblically
illiterate!  From time to time in my Devotional I
will give my opinion on an issue and I am very
careful to always let you know when it is Bill
Keller's opinion.  Most of the time I just let God's
words speak for themselves.  There is not one issue,
one thing we deal with in everyday life that is not
covered in the Bible.

How many people are in terrible marriages where one
spouse is a nonbeliever.  Do you think God
admonished us to "not be unequally yoked" for
nothing?  How about those dealing with horrible
illnesses because they abused themselves over the
years with alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, and food.
Does God not tell us our body is the Temple of the
Holy Spirit?  How many families are ripped apart by
bitterness and hatred when the Bible commands us to
"have love one for another," to "forgive as Christ
has forgiven you," and to "love your enemies."  I
have to be honest.  In many cases it is not as much
rebellion towards God as it is complete ignorance of
God's Word.

Like many men, I get a new electronic toy and the
first thing I do is open the box, toss the
instructions to the side, and start "putting it
together."  Usually after a period of time when it
is not working or I have broken something, I grab
the instructions and put it together correctly.
How much easier would it have been it I had done
that first.  It is the same in our walk with God.
Many people claim they can't hear God.  God may be
talking to you and you can't hear Him because you
don't know what to be listening for.  The Bible is
one way that God speaks to us.  If you want to hear
God, just read the Book.

I know that those who get this Devotional each day
are of above average intelligence which is why I
am very direct and to the point.  I share things
knowing that you are smart enough to understand
what God expects you to do, I don't have to paint a
picture.  So if you ever listened to me at all,
listen to what I am going to say to you now.  This
applies to everyone, even those that may have read
the Bible cover to cover 100 times.

***It takes an individual of average reading ability
90 hours to read the entire Bible.  That is one hour
a day for 3 months, or one half hour a day for 6
months, or 15 minutes a day for 12 months.  Most
people make New Year's resolutions.  Here is one for
you with eternal rewards and will be more valuable
than losing 10 pounds that you will just put back on.
Carve out one hour, 30 minutes, or 15 minutes every
day starting January 1st and start reading at Genesis
1:1.  One hour, 30 minutes, or 15 minutes, you
choose.  I suggest that for those 90 days, or 6 months,
or the next 12 months, you get up that amount of time
earlier than normal and do it the very first thing.
Trust me, God will give you the strength you need
during the day.  Losing a little sleep will not kill
you.  Quite the opposite.  It will save you 100 times
that in loss sleep over the years from problems
caused because you didn't take time to read the
instruction book.

Now listen, I understand that some of the Old
Testament can be dry.  The Jewish laws, the
genealogy of kings, some of the prophetic books can
be very confusing and at times boring.  Plug on.
Don't get discouraged because you don't understand
everything you are reading.  Having read the Bible
cover to cover many, many, many times, each time is
a new experience for me.  WARNING:  I am not the
Bible answer man so don't start flooding me with
questions.  I'll pray for you anytime, but I cannot
handle thousands of Bible questions.  I do suggest
though you keep a notepad of questions and talk
them over with your pastor.

Trust me when I tell you, reading the Bible cover
to cover will change your life.  You will see things
you never thought were in the Bible.  You will see
God's warnings and promises to help you through
tough times.  Most of all, you will start to
understand how God thinks.  How can you please
God if you don't understand how He thinks?  He
knows you are not a mind reader. That is one reason
He gave you the Bible so you could begin to
understand what God expects from your life.

I promise you the time you spend reading the Bible
cover to cover will be the most important time of
your life.  I cannot emphasize enough the
importance of what I am challenging you to do.
Start at the very beginning. That way you can see
God from the creation of our world, to the very
end. It is better than any book or movie you have
ever read or seen.

The Bible is our final authority for all matters
concerning this life.  In this day of being
politically correct, accepting everyone's beliefs
and ideas, we are in the mess we are morally and
spiritually because we have gotten away from the
black and white truth of God's Word.  We have no
one to blame but ourselves.  In this day of instant
gratification, drive thru food, cell phones, fax
machines, email, Federal Express, jet travel, we
want what we want now and refuse to wait.

We have become lazy which is why we don't take the
time to read the Bible. I guarantee you that you
will spend 90 hours plus in front of the television,
the computer, with the newspaper, or doing something
else that you enjoy.  I am not saying quit living
and enjoying your life.  What I am saying is that
you have the time, it is only a matter of whether
this is a big enough priority for you to take the
time.

I love you, care about you, and my heart breaks
every day as I read the thousands of prayer requests
I receive.  How much heartache and pain could have
been avoided if people would have only read the Book
and followed the instructions.  You cannot believe
how much sense this life makes when you are living
under the direction of God's Word.  As I say often,
our way does not work, God's way does!

I will be praying that the Lord really opens your
heart and conviction floods you right now as you
read these words.  I can't force you to do it,
you have to want to do it.  I will be praying and
trusting the Holy Spirit to move on your heart to
take this challenge, even now as you read these
words.  This will be the best New Year's resolution
you will ever make.

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.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.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
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

The True Meaning of Christmas

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

*********************************************

CHRISTMAS DAY
DAILY DEVOTIONAL   SUNDAY DECEMBER 25, 2005
(John 3:16)

***The greatest gift you can give anyone this
Christmas are the words of everlasting life. 
Forward this to someone that you know who is lost,
and pray that God will open their hearts to
receive HIS gift to the world ... JESUS CHRIST!

For God so loved the word, HE GAVE.  Today is the
day we celebrate the greatest gift ever given. 
We celebrate today the birth of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. 
Today is truly a day of rejoicing.  Because of
this gift from God, we can be forgiven of our
sins and reunited with our Creator for eternity.

So much of what I deal with each day in this
Devotional is to help you walk through this short
journey here on earth victoriously and productively. 
But we must never forget that our time here is very
brief and there is an eternity waiting for us when
this journey is complete.  I want to focus for just
a minute on this most blessed day, to that split
second when our life on this earth is finished and
we are launched into eternity.  Do you this day
have the assurance that when your life is complete,
your eternity is going to be spent in Heaven?

If the answer to that question is anything but a
resounding YES, then let me just share this simple
truth with you.  You see, our God, our Creator so
loved this world, so loved His creation, that He
sent His son, His only Son to be part of this world. 
Jesus had one mission in this life.  It wasn't to
be a great teacher, though He was a great teacher. 
It wasn't to be a great prophet, though He was a
great prophet.  It wasn't to be a great miracle
worker, though He did work many great miracles. 
No my friend, Jesus came to this world with only
one job ... to die.

You see, the reason it was vital for Jesus to be
immaculately conceived by God and born of a virgin
was so that He was not infected with the same
problem you and I were born into this life with ....
sin.  Otherwise, the best He could have done was die
for His own sins.  Jesus lived on this earth for
some 33 years before it was time to complete His
work.  That work was finished on a cross on the hill
called Calvary where He hung and then died as the
perfect sacrifice for the sins of this world.

That is why, whosoever believes in Jesus, shall not
perish for eternity, but have everlasting life! 
Believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved
because it was Jesus who died and was sacrificed
for our sins.  There are no other ways to be saved,
no other roads back to God, there are no other
plans of salvation.  This is God's one and only
plan to reconcile his fallen creation back to
Himself.  This is the only way you can escape
eternity apart from the God who created you in His
own image.  It is through His grace and by faith
in Jesus Christ!

There are many incredible mysteries in the Bible. 
There are many doctrinal issues that will never be
fully understood until we are in Heaven.  But God
made the most important decision of this life very
easy and simple to understand.  He gave every one
the opportunity to have their sins washed away and
be assured of an eternity in Heaven.

That is why we celebrate Christmas today!  That is
why we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 
The most important decision you will make in this
life is not who you will marry, where you will
live, what kind of job you will have.  The most
important decision you will make in this life is
to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and
Savior.

If you have not done that yet, the Bible says that
today is the day of salvation.  I would invite you
to go to my website, www.liveprayer.com and click
on the button that says PLAN OF SALVATION (direct
link: www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html ). 
Read those words, pray that prayer, and accept
today God's gift to you this Christmas, the gift
of His son Jesus.

I love you and care about you deeply.  For those of
you who already know Christ as your Savior, I would
encourage you to forward this email to someone you
know who is lost and without hope this Christmas. 
What better present to give someone than the
opportunity to know Jesus as their Savior.

I pray today that you will take time out of the busy
day of travel, visiting friends and family, to focus
on the gift God has given to us in His son Jesus. 
He gave His very best gift to us, which is why I
will continue to encourage you to give your very best
everyday to Him.

May you and your family have a most blessed
celebration of our Lord's birth!

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.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.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
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Merry Christmas!!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Create Spiritual New Year's Resolutions

Merry Christmas, Happy Souls!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Near New Year's Day, millions of people will look ahead into 2006 and decide that they want to do more, be better and have more. Before their new resolutions begin to disappear as bubbly champagne is imbibed, people feel better for having looked to improve themselves.

What are some typical New Year's resolutions for this upcoming?

I suspect a few people will want to eat, drink, spend and gamble less.

I'm inclined to think that some people will want to smile, exercise and love more.

Isn't it interesting that the things that are free are what we don't do enough of and the things that cost money are the things we do too much of?

Few people, however, will probably be making spiritual resolutions.

I can think of no better kinds of resolutions to make than spiritual ones . . . and no better day to begin formulating those resolutions than on Christmas!

Here are some resolutions for you to consider:

1. Pray more often. If you rarely pray now, try praying once a day. You can just say grace over a meal or recite the Lord's Prayer. If you pray at least once a day, remember to pray on the spur of the moment as well.

2. Increase your faith. We all tend to rely too much on our own resources and on "luck". Turn more things over to God. He will gladly bear the load and will do a better job than you will.

3. Forgive more often and more readily. Forgive someone for something every day. Then, increase that forgiveness!

4. Become more grateful. Count your blessings more often and thank God for them.

5. Ask for guidance daily to avoid temptation. You know what's hard for you to resist. Pray and ask to be led away from those temptations. This will take care of those overindulgences that normally clog up your resolution list.

6. Be more loving to others and yourself. Some people abuse themselves more than any torturer would. Since God loves you, you should do the same. By practicing on loving yourself, you'll soon be better at loving others.

7. Seek out more opportunities to help the poor and the oppressed. It is blessed to give. Enjoy that blessing more often.

8. Take time daily to think about the wonder of God's creation. You'll find your ego fitting back into its proper size while you glory in all that we are given.

9. Learn to listen for guidance from the Holy Spirit. It's that wee voice in your head that quietly suggests something different before you make an enormous mistake. The quieter the voice, the more you should pay attention. Otherwise, you'll miss learning what you need to learn.

10. Stand up for God. Share your beliefs with others. Be a good example of those beliefs.

11. Read God's Word every day. The Bible is a great source of grounding into being in touch with spiritual goodness.

Could a billionaire do better? Not a chance!

Those billions are but millstones of distractions drawing the soul away from the true and lasting beauty and benefits of the spiritual life.

************************************

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many tens of thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it. E-mailing your favorite post to them is a great idea.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

Remember to also visit

Be More Successful than a Billionaire at http://bemoresuccessfulthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Create Your Own 2,000 Percent Solutions at
http://2000percentsolutions.blogspot.com/,

Create a Billion Dollar Business at http://billiondollarbusiness.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

May God bless you. Merry Christmas!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell