[Faith-talk] bill keller devotional august 11

[Andrew]

"Games" your child may be playing that can kill them! Jesus told us
that satan's goal is to "kill, steal, and destroy." His latest tools
to literally KILL your child are "games" on Facebook and other social
media sites like the "fire challenge" and "chokeout!"

The "fire challenge" is where your child finds lighter fluid,
gasoline, or any other type of flammable agent, pours it on parts of
their body and lights themselves on fire. The key of course is to film
the entire process and post it on their Facebook or other social media
sites. "Chokeout" is where your child gets a belt or other item and
literally chokes themselves with the goal to stop just short of
passing out to illicit a euphoric feeling. Again, all of this is
filmed and posted on social media for their friends and others to see
and comment on.

To date, there have not been any reports of anyone dying, but that is
only a matter of time. These two popular "games" at best will lead to
serious injuries, and ultimately, there will be young adults who will
die from engaging in these actions. Just out of curiosity, how many
parents with children 10-18 are even aware of these new social media
"games," and even more critical, how many parents know if YOUR child
is participating in these potentially lethal stunts???

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 hangout 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 Intent 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. Social networking sites
like Facebook and Twitter where kids can create their own websites and
content.

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
Facebook and Twitter 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 15 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 800,000 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