Use the Bible as a Prayer Guide for Responding to the News

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.

Some terrible event occurs in the news.  What should
be our response in prayers? 

Please read on for some examples from current events.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL   FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2006
( 1 Corinthians 10:11, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 2:2,
Psalms 119:105 )

Applying God's Word to the real world we live in.  We read
the Bible, we hear our pastor preach from the Word of God,
we study the Scriptures to know how to live and what God
expects from us, yet every day we see things happening in
the world around us and need to understand them in the
context of God's Word.  God's Word is applicable to
everything that happens in life.  As a Christian, it is
imperative that we look at the events that happen in our
world as well as in our life through the filter of the
Bible.  After all, the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant
Word, representing Absolute Truth and our final authority
in ALL matters.

In today's headlines, some of the top stories are the war
in Iraq, oil over $70 a barrel and gas prices at $3 and
rising, and the 2 Duke lacrosse players who have been
charged with raping a stripper at a party.  You may look
at these simply as financial, energy, legal, political,
and national security stories, but each one is also
relevant from a Biblical standpoint.  While we watch the
events in our world unfold, we should always look at what
is happening around us in the context of the Bible. 
Again, God's Word is our final authority in ALL matters.

The ongoing war in Iraq is about our national security,
even though many do their best to politicize it.  I have
dealt in previous Devotionals on the Biblical case for
war, and the Word of God clearly supports our nation's
right to defend itself from those who would seek to
destroy it.  In the context of God's Word, we have brave
men and women sacrificing their lives, even unto death,
defending this nation by confronting head on those whose
agenda is the destruction of the United States and the
death of each one who lives here while bringing freedom
and democracy to the oppressed people of Iraq.

We need to pray for President Bush, Secretary of Defense
Rumsfeld, and all of those in leadership who have to make
the difficult decisions each day regarding the war in
Iraq.  We need to pray for our brave men and women who are
serving our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as
those serving throughout the world and here at home.  We
pray for their protection, for God to watch over them, and
to bring them back to their family and loved ones quickly. 
We also pray for the families of our service men and
women since they are making a great sacrifice as well.  May
God bring peace to Iraq and allow those who seek the
destruction of our nation to be defeated.

Oil being at record highs and gas prices are over $3 a
gallon, possibly on their way to $4 a gallon, is a
financial and energy story.  Where does the Bible fit into
this one?  It can come into play in many areas of this
issue, but primarily it is about God's provision.  God
knows you need gas for your cars, and that energy prices
have an impact on every area of the economy that
ultimately is paid for by the consumer.  It is in these
times of financial pressure that we must rely on the Lord
to provide for our needs.

We need to pray for those who are in control of the
world's oil supply to recognize the responsibility they
have to market their product at a fair price.  We need to
also pray for Got to give men and women wisdom from on
High to develop new energy sources that will help meet
the world's growing demand at reasonable prices.  While we
feel the pressure of rising gas prices here in the United
States, in some countries those prices are 3-4x as high,
and in other nations, there is simply not enough energy at
any price to meet the needs of the people.  May God help
us all to be good stewards of the resources He has
provided.

The sad story out of Durham, North Carolina involving the
allegations that a stripper was raped by members of the
Duke University lacrosse team is a legal and moral issue
that also has the elements of race, politics, and
economic status.  From a legal standpoint, the DA has
indicted two of the Duke players for the rape and
kidnapping of this young woman.  You have both sides
putting our their version of what happened and
eventually this case will go before a jury where the
evidence will be presented, cross examined, and the truth
of what happened or didn't happen that night will come
out.  Until that time, nobody can know for certain what
really transpired on that fateful night.

What we do know, however, is that if all involved were
following God's Word, this sad event that will scar their
lives regardless the legal outcome would have never
happened.  First, there is absolutely no legitimate
reason for a woman to ever sell her body for money.  I
deal every day with single moms who go to school, work,
and make great sacrifices without prostituting themselves. 
Second, the mentality that it is OK for young men to hire
a stripper to entertain them is straight from the pits of
hell itself.  Lusting after a woman you are not married to
is called a sin in the Bible, and sin always costs.  The
argument that these are just college boys having some fun
is as weak as the argument that it is OK for a women to
strip to earn extra money.

On top of these clear moral issues, we also have the
element of politics, race and economic status that are in
play.  The DA involved is up for re-election in a month,
the accuser in this case is black while the young men are
white, and you have the affluence of Duke University versus
the lack of resources in the area surrounding the campus. 
Satan's tried and true tactics of personal gain and
division are alive and well in this sad story. The Bible
calls for men and women in public service to be above
reproach.  The Bible says that ALL men are created in the
image of God.  The Bible tells us that God is no
respecter of persons and we all have immeasurable worth
to God regardless of the balance in our bank account.

Let's pray for this woman who has made these charges to
find the Lord's strength through all of this, that God
will help her to value herself enough to never go back to
selling her body for money, and that He will open doors
to provide for her and her children.  Let's pray for
these students who have been charged that they will seek
the Lord through this ordeal and this will cause them to
fully surrender there lives to Him.  We need to pray that
through the legal process the truth will be told and that
those who have committed a crime will be punished for what
they have done and those who are innocent will be
exonerated.  Let us also pray for the DA to put his
service to the community above his personal goals, and for
the Durham community to not allow satan to use this
incident to cause any more division between those of
different races and socio-economic backgrounds.  Let God
bring UNITY in a situation satan wants to use to bring
division!

I love you and care about you so much.  I hope these
examples help you see how the Word of God is not
irrelevant to our lives each day, but very RELEVANT!  The
fact is, God's Word doesn't just apply to all of the
events that happen in our world each day, it also applies
to all the events that happen in YOUR LIFE each day! 
Everything that happens in your life can be looked at
through the filter of God's Word.  Everything that
happens in your life each day MUST be looked at through
the filter of God's Word!

That is my word for you today.  You have got to start
putting your life in the context of God's Word.  You see,
it is the Bible that is our guide through life.  The Bible
is the only Truth there is.  That is why it is imperative
to look at everything going on in your life each day
through the lens of God's Word.  It is His Word that
guides us in the decisions that we have to make throughout
our journey through this life.  It is His Word that helps
us to know the mind of God on any of the issues that we
face.  That is why it is co critical to be in the Word of
God each day, reading and studying what God says so we
know how respond and act no matter what life throws our
way.

I will be praying for you today.  Praying that God will
open your heart today to hear this important word for your
life.  Start applying God's Word to the events you see
unfolding each day throughout our world, and most
important, start applying God's Word to the events you see
each day in your very life.

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

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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