Monitor and Protect Your Children from Internet Crime and Sin

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a devotional today that I
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.

Many parents feel like the Internet is only used for
homework and games ... and that filters work.  But
youngsters are smart and can get around filters.  Here's
a better solution.

Please read on.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL   TUESDAY APRIL 25, 2006
( Proverbs 22:6,  Deuteronomy 6:7, 1 Timothy 3:4,
2 Chronicles 17:3 )

***THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERY PARENT!  THE POTENTIALLY
MOST DESTRUCTIVE AND HARMFUL THING TO YOUR CHILD IS IN
YOUR HOME RIGHT NOW...THE COMPUTER.  PLEASE STOP WHAT YOU
ARE DOING AND PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS MESSAGE
THAT COULD LITERALLY SAVE YOUR CHILD'S LIFE!!!

How the Internet can destroy your child.  A hammer is a
tool designed to perform a certain job.  There is nothing
evil about a hammer.  However, some may choose to use a
hammer in a perverted way.  This does not mean that
hammers are bad, or you should never own a hammer, it
simply means that you should be aware of how this tool can
be misused.  The same is true about the Internet.  It is a
tool designed to perform a specific job.  There is nothing
evil about the Internet, though some have chosen to use it
in an evil way.  This does not mean you should not have
the Internet, only that you need to be aware of its
dangers, especially when it comes to your children.

The Internet is NOT a cyber babysitter and any parent who
treats it as such might as well drop their children off
at the local adult bookstore, the hang-out of a local
street gang, in the middle of a busy freeway at rush hour,
a casino in Vegas, or the child sex offender unit at some
prison.  I am always amused at parents who will spend
thousands to have the best locks and security systems in
their homes to protect their children from the dangers of
the world, yet through high-speed modems give their child
access to the world with a few keystrokes, and worst of
all, give ANYONE IN THE WORLD ON A COMPUTER access to
their children!

For you moms and dads out there, it is IMPERATIVE that you
not only monitor, but KNOW what your child is doing online. 
Forget filters, a 7-year-old can get around most filters. 
You need to invest $50-$60 in the monitoring software that
currently exists which literally tracks every website,
every email, every instant message, and every keystroke
your child makes while online.  You need to sit down with
them and let them know that you have this software
installed and why.  This is about their protection and
insuring they don't fall into the many traps and pitfalls
of the Internet.

As a side, I wonder how many adults would be willing to
have this software on their computer for their spouse to
monitor?  Not trying to start trouble, just asking a
question.  I have dealt in the past about the dangers of
the Internet for adults and will continue to sound that
trumpet of warning in the future.

Every single day, I get several thousand emails from
parents about their children and the Internet.  Teenage
boys and girls and even children as young as 12 who are
in bondage to Internet porn.  Kids who steal their
parents' credit cards to gamble online.  Children from
14 and up who meet adults in chatrooms or message boards
and end up meeting them for real.  Kids who are lured to
websites that explore the darkest and most evil things
you can imagine.  Personals' sites like MySpace where
kids can create their own websites and blogs.

THE DAMAGED AND DESTROYED LIVES OF CHILDREN BY THE
INTERNET IS NOT JUST A FEW ISOLATED CASES BUT AN
EPIDEMIC THAT SOCIETY HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR
ADDRESS!  IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILD!!!

Listen, at some point you do have to trust your child. 
When they leave home, at that point you need to trust
that spiritual foundation you have laid in their life,
pray for them, and commit them into the Lord's hands.
However, as long as they live under your roof you have
every right and responsibility to watch over them and
protect them, and that includes monitoring their Internet
use.  By the way, if you have a 22-year-old son who
doesn't like his mom and dad knowing everything he does
on the Internet, maybe he should start thinking about
growing up and getting out on his own.

*As a parent, you MUST not only protect your children as
long as they are under your care, but insure your home is
not being defiled with the filth and garbage that is
available 24/7 on the Internet.

So what do you do?  First, pray.  Pray for God to protect
your child from the dangers that exist on the Internet. 
Second, do some homework and purchase and install
monitoring software that will allow you to monitor all
of your child's activity on the computer.  Third, sit
down with your child and not only explain to them about
the monitoring software you have installed, but why. 
This is the time to have a real, open and honest
discussion with your child about the Internet and all of
the dangers that exist.

THIS IS NOT PARANOIA!  The dangers that exist are very
real.  Porn, gambling, and other destructive websites DO
NOT CARE that it is your child they are trying to lure to
their site.  Internet predators are very sophisticated in
how to gain your child's trust and confidence so they can
exploit them for their own personal satisfaction.  There
are literally hundreds of thousands of websites that can
be accessed with simple search commands which deal with
every perversion the human mind has imagined. Chatrooms,
message boards, and personals' sites like MySpace give
your children access to other children and adults who can
introduce your child to every evil and darkness that
exists in this world.

THIS IS NOT PARANOIA!  THE DANGERS THAT EXIST ON THE
INTERNET ARE VERY REAL AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT AND THE
GOD-GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD!!!

I love you and care about you so much.  The Internet is
part of our world and is here to stay.  It is a tool for
children and adults to use to get information and used
correctly can be a great resource.  Every day for nearly
7 years now, Liveprayer has used the Internet to reach
millions of people all over the world with the Truth and
God's Word and the hope and love of Jesus Christ.  Because
of the Internet, we have seen over 120,000 souls we know
of come to faith in the Lord.  So it has many great and
wonderful applications.

Like everything, it can also be used in a negative and
destructive way.  Parents simply need to be aware of the
incredible dangers that exist on the Internet so they can
take the steps necessary to insure their children are
safe.  The Internet is another opportunity for parents to
talk to their children openly and honestly about many of
the issues they will face in life.  It is these
opportunities a parent needs to take advantage of to
teach their children what God says about these issues and
why God's way works.  This is all part of that building
process so that when your child eventually does leave home
and is making choices without you, they can make wise and
Godly choices, not based on the momentary desires of their
flesh, but on what God's Word says.

I will be praying for you today as God speaks to you about
this issue.  This is not something to put off for a few
months, but an issue that needs to be addressed TODAY! 
Even as you read these words, you have no idea who your
child is speaking to over the Internet, what types of
personals' sites your child may have, or what websites
your child frequents.  I believe in my heart that this
message is going to literally save the lives of many
children.  I tell you often that your children are the
greatest ministry you will ever have.

I am praying for every mother and father as they take
control over this potential danger in their home and
child's life.  May God give you wisdom and guide you in
protecting your children from the dangers of the Internet.
I also pray for those children who have already been
damaged by the Internet.  May the Lord bring healing to
their lives.  The Internet is a wonderful tool that can
be a blessing or a curse.  I pray today that for you
and your family it is a blessing!

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

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(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell