Author: America's Keswick

The purpose of America's Keswick is to model and teach Biblical victorious living in Christ Jesus, to provide an environment in which Biblical life transformation takes place and to foster active personal involvement in the local church.

The Morning Watch

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The Morning Watch

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalm 5:3

Funny how we look for shortcuts. I have a friend that wanted to do the Weight Watchers program, but their goal was not just to lose weight, but too see how little of the diet he could do, and how many points he could “steal” to beat the system.

Unfortunately when it comes to living the “grace” life, we can easily take disciplines that are good for us and turn them into “legalistic practices.” The danger is that we view necessary things from the lens of legalism, which then leads to saying, “I don’t have to do this or that because I already have all the love of Christ that I will ever get.

While that is true, some of the disciplines of the Christian life are necessary for MY benefit because it strengthens MY relationship with HIM. Every great man (or woman) that I know who has had a deep, abiding relationship with Christ, took time each day to spend time with God.

Listen to the words of devotional writer and preacher, the late Andrew Murray:

The morning watch is the key to unceasingly and fully maintaining our surrender to Christ … The goal is to secure the presence of Christ for the whole day. Personal devotion to Jesus means that we do not allow anything to separate us from Him for a moment.

When we are convinced that our success for the day depends on our seeking and finding and holding HIM in our morning watch, we will allow NOTHING to interfere with it. It will be the means to this great end. Meditation, prayer, and reading the Word will be subordinate to laying hold of the presence of Christ. The morning watch is the link for the day between Christ and me, which must be renewed and firmly fastened in the morning watch.

At first, we may be afraid that the cares and pleasures and temptations of the whole day may crush the benefit we have enjoyed in our quiet time. Don’t be disturbed about that. Christ is forming HIS character in us, and gradually, in our most common place actions, He will show Himself through us. It takes time.

Whether we are relaxing or involved in the business life, it will eventually become second to us to act according to HIS Spirit and will of Christ. All this can be because of Christ Himself, as the Living One, lives in us and is never separated from us. If we recognize this, we will never be able to speak of walking outside of His presence as we leave the morning watch.

When your purpose is to have a definite, conscious meeting with Christ upon each occasion, and secure His presence for the day, you will fix your determination. Whatever effort or self-denial it may cost you will be worth it to win that prize … It will strengthen your character and fortify you to say NO when you face the temptation of self-indulgence. You will come to your quiet time with your whole heart and be at once ready to communicate with Christ. It will establish the keynote of your daily life.” from THE INNER CHAMBER — A Call to Daily Communion with Christ (published by our friends at CLC)

Brothers, I encourage you — make your MORNING WATCH a non-negotiable each day. We need it! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 22; Psalm 110-112; 1 Corinthians 5

Great Quote: We’ve become too polite. We don’t laugh and cry with God. We’ve forgotten the excitement of the Good News. What greater sign of the extraordinary, lavish marvellous love of God than the incarnation! God so loved the world and all of us in it that God himself came to live with us as one of us! Is it so good that we’re afraid to believe it? — Madeleine L’Engle

God Took Me At My Word

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God Took Me At My Word

“I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me …” Acts 17:25

Earlier in the week I shared a devotional from STREAMS IN THE DESERT regarding George Mueller and his faith in a God who answers prayer. I wrote that I wanted to have that kind of faith, and God literally took me seriously in teaching me a lesson about HIS ability to answer prayer.

On Tuesday night I was handed a check for the ministry of America’s KESWICK. I was blown away that the amount was $6000! About the time that the man handed me the check, a big storm hit our area and we scrambled to our vehicles. He went to his car and I went to my golf cart. The winds were really blowing, lightning was flashing and it was pouring. I was desperately trying to pull the sides of my golf cart down to keep from getting wet.

I didn’t know it, but at that point the check blew out of my pocket. Jan, Zach and I were sitting in the living room talking and something Zach said triggered my memory about the check. I stood up to check my pocket — no check. I checked my work that I had brought home — no check. I was frantic.

Zach and I went back out on the golf cart with a flashlight, and in the pouring rain, began to retrace my steps. I was really upset and Zach (13) turned and said, “Dad, relax. God knows where the check is. It will be alright.” I didn’t listen. I dropped Zach off at home and went out again to look again.

We crawled into bed and Jan prayed and asked the Lord to take care of the check, thanking Him that HE knew where it was. She slept! I fretted. I got up early to have my quiet time, and finally was able to thank the Lord that HE knew where the check was. Was I willing to take Him at HIS Word?

After my quiet time I went for one more search. Nothing! About a half hour later, a guest discovered the check on the parking lot, sopping wet, but still very much in tack with no running of the ink. And by the way … the lady who found the check has vision problems!!!

God was so gracious in protecting that check! And guess what — when I got home for lunch — I knew it was coming — Zach said, “Dad, I told you so! God took care of it!” Don’t you love when that happens? Thanks, Lord, for showing me once again, that I can trust YOU for EVERYTHING! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 21; Psalm 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4

Great Quote: A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer. — Oswald Chambers

Oneness with Him

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Oneness with Him

“Come to Me …” Matthew 11:28

I never ceased to be amazed at how God knows exactly what I need to hear from Him! Today was one of those days were all five of the tools I use for my quiet time all lined up to speak to my heart. Today’s reading from Oswald Chamber’s, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST really spoke to MY heart:

God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives.

Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.

Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one— “Come to Me . . . .” The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.

Brothers, what is it in your life that is keeping you from Oneness with Him? Take some time as you begin your day to talk to Him about it. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 19; Psalms 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

Great Quote: Although we have no claim on God’s mercies, and although they are altogether undeserved, nonetheless they never cease. We have done much to provoke God and give Him cause to cut off His mercy in our behalf. We have abused His mercy, ignored His mercy, even at times ungratefully accepted His mercy. Still, while God’s mercies may not always be visible, they are always present. The mercies of God may change their form, as the morning light varies from the evening light, but the mercies of God will never cease to give their light. Even chastisement is mercy in disguise; and frequently, under the circumstances which make chastisement necessary, it proves to be more merciful than if God had not chastised us at all.
Woodrow Kroll

Check out this week’s STEWARDSHIP INSIGHT from George. It’s a good one. http://keswickgeorge.blogspot.com/

What Has He Told Me to Do?

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What Has He Told Me to Do?

“When he heard this, he became sorrowful, for he was very rich …” Luke 18:23

Have you been there? God has spoken SO plainly that you knew it was Him speaking. His direction and counsel came in that still small voice … and you KNEW in your heart of hearts it was Him speaking. Did you obey? Surrender? Or did you simply go on about your business without paying attention?

Listen to these striking words from the pen of devotional author, Oswald Chambers, from the book, My Utmost for His Highest:

The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him?



Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”



“Sell all that you have . . .” (Luke 18:22). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God.



Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.



I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.



Lord, I want to be sensitive to YOUR voice, but even more, I want to listen and obey. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 19; Psalm 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

Great Quote: For such is the weakness of human nature, alas, that evil is often more readily believed and spoken of another than good. But perfect men do not easily believe every tale that is told them, for they know that man’s nature is prone to evil, and his words to deception. Thomas a Kempis

I Want This Kind of Faith

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I Want This Kind of Faith

“I have faith in God that IT WILL happen just as he told me.” (Acts 27:25)

Yesterday’s reading from Streams in the Desert touched my heart. This is the kind of faith I want in my life …

A number of years ago I went to America with a steamship captain who was a very devoted Christian. When we were off the coast of Newfoundland, he said to me, “The last time I sailed here, which was five weeks ago, something happened that revolutionized my entire Christian life. I had been on the bridge for twenty-four straight hours when George Mueller of Bristol, England, who was a passenger on board, came to me and said, ‘Captain, I need to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.’ ‘That is impossible,’ I replied. ‘Very well,’ Mueller responded, ‘if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way, for I have never missed an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let’s go do to the chartroom to pray.’

“I looked at this man of God and thought to myself, ‘What lunatic asylum did he escape from?’ I had never encountered someone like this. ‘Mr. Mueller,’ I said, ‘do you realize how dense the fog is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘MY EYE IS NOT ON THE DENSE FOG BUT ON THE LIVING GOD, WHO CONTROLS EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE IN MY LIFE.’

“He then knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers I’ve ever heard. When he had finished,m I started to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me NOT to pray. He said, ‘FIRST, you do not believe God will answer, and SECOND, I BELIEVE HE HAS. Consequently, there is no need whatsoever for you to pray about it.’

“As I looked at him, he said, ‘Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been even a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door, and you will see that the fog is gone.’ I got up, and indeed the fog was gone! And on Saturday afternoon, George Mueller was in Quebec for his meeting.

Brothers, that is that kind of faith in God that I want. How about you? Will you join me in taking Him at His Word? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 18; Psalm 100-102; 1 Corinthians 1

Great Quote: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Christians is a God of love and comfort, a God who fills the soul and heart of those whom he possesses, a God who makes them conscious of their inward wretchedness, and his infinite mercy; who unites himself to their inmost soul, who fills it with humility and joy, with confidence and love, who renders them incapable of any other end than himself. Blaise Pascal

How Can I Keep From Singing?

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How Can I Keep From Singing?

I heard this amazing old hymn today at our Sunday afternoon concert with Diane Susek. The words are powerful and I know they will be a blessing to you …

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strifeI
hear the music ringing;It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav’n and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

Good words to ponder as you begin this new week. Don’t let the song go out of your heart! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 17; Psalm 97-99; Romans 16

Great Quote: Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome. Samuel Johnson

Rivers of Living Water

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RIVERS OF LIVING WATER

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

This passage and this promise thrill me beyond description. With all my heart I want to be a Christian from whom flows rivers of living water. I believe you have the same desire.
Have you noticed that all the promises in the Bible are conditional. Before there can be mighty flowing rivers of living water there first has to be desire…and insatiable desire for Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink.” (v.37)
At a Keswick Christian Life Convention many years ago I heard Stuart Briscoe make a statement that I have never forgotten. He said, “We have as much of God as we want. God meets man on the level of his desire.” That thought continues to echo in my mind. Think about it, “We can have as much of God as we want. God meets man on the level of his desire.” I believe this was what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone thirsts…”
Lack of thirst will eventually reveal itself. A Christian who does not thirst for God will be dry, barren, lifeless, and defeated.
Thirst for Christ will manifest itself. To use the words of Jesus, “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
We cultivate our thirst for God by spending time with Him and His word. Once we have tasted Him nothing else will satisfy.
Many people thirsts for things, for money, for power and for position. Such pursuits only lead to the brackish water of the world which can never satisfy. When Saint Augustine said, “My soul finds no peace until it finds its peace in thee O God,” he spoke from experience. He had attempted to satisfy his thirsts with worldly substitutes. It was not until he came to Christ and believed in Him that his soul was truly satisfied. The same will be true for you and me.
How much of God do you want today? –Dr. Roger D. Willmore is a Pastor and Friend of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 16; Psalms 94-96; Romans 15:14-33

Great Quote: You may as soon find a living man without breath as living saint without prayer. Matthew Henry

Encouragement 101

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ENCOURAGEMENT 101

“Encourage one another; and all the more, as you see the day draw nearing.” (Hebrews 10:25)

“The great thing about encouragement is that anyone can do it,” so writes Ken Sutterfield in his book THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT. “You don’t even have to be a certain age to reach out and come alongside someone and elevate them to greater heights. What you do need is a willingness to put yourself aside and put someone else’s value above your own to give them hope and encouragement.

Words are powerful seeds. Once planted, your words will bring forth flowers or weeds, health or disease, healing or poison. You carry a great responsibility for their use. And the words you write will be remembered.”

Praise is the polish that helps keep self-image bright and sparkling. Encouragement helps rub off the sharp edges of daily contact. Words of encouragement are the most effective method of getting people to do their best. The encouragement of others helps us move from fear to belief to action.

William Barclay writes, ‘One of the highest human duties is the duty of encouragement … It is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm. It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time, a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has a man on his feet.”The question for you today? Are you an encourager or a discourager? Good words to ponder on Saturday, August 15th. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 15; Psalm 91-93; Romans 15:1-13

Great Quote: As a man, looking steadfastly on a dial, cannot perceive the shadow move at all, yet viewing it after a while, he shall perceive that it hath moved; so, in the hearing of the Word, but especially in the receiving of the Lord’s supper, a man may judge even his own faith, and other graces of God, to be little or nothing increased, neither can he perceive the motion of God’s Spirit in him at that time; yet by the fruits and effects thereof, he shall afterward perceive that God’s Spirit hath little by little wrought greater faith and other graces in him. William Gurnall

Run Over By Good Intentions

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RUN OVER BY GOOD INTENTIONS

“Rush through breakfast . . . hurry out the door . . . speed to work .. . punch the clock. Deadlines and demands, busyness and bustle. More productivity needed, higher efficiency demanded. Ratchet up another notch, ricochet off the walls. Finally, saved by the bell. Run to the car. Tear through traffic. Dash in the door. Lunge for the sofa. Collapse in exhaustion.

Speed. Too much speed. We are wheezing and worn out. Our relationships have been starved to death by velocity. Our children lie wounded on the ground, run over by our high-speed good intentions. Our nanosecond culture is toxic to relationships, as nearly every family knows. Surveys and studies reveal time pressures to be at the top of our relational complaints. No one has the time to listen, let alone love.

Fast-lane families are headed for head-on collisions. They don’t have the opportunity to eat together. Shared, unstructured leisure time disappears. Communication suffers, problems multiply, tempers flare. But it takes time to make up. Stress flows downstream. When parents are hurried, children are hurried.We MUST have some room to breathe.

In a slower era, every day and any place, people had time for each other. At the store, the gas station, or the church there was time to visit. At the breakfast table and the dinner table, there was time to visit. Marginlessness, however, finds everyone overcommitted, self-protective, late, and in a hurry. It is time for a change. For the sake of our families, it is time, perhaps, for a slowdown crusade, or a campaign of mellowness. It is time to rediscover the fine art of relational dawdling.” from A MINUTE OF MARGIN by Dr. Mark Swenson

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 14; Psalm 89-90; Romans 14

Great Quote: We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that he ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us. Billy Graham

PLEASE WATCH FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE KESWICK THINK VICTORY ONLINE BOOKSTORE THIS WEEKEND — www.americaskeswick.org

Why Repent?

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WHY REPENT?

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

How do you interpret scriptures in Revelation 2:5, Revelation 3:16, and James 2:14 that sound like repenting is a condition to salvation?

The renowned C. I. Scofield said, “Repentance is not an act separate from faith, but saving faith implies that change of mind which is called repentance.”

John the Baptist paved the road to Jesus by preaching only one message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2) Jesus’ forerunner taught repentance as paving the road to salvation, by faith.

As Jesus launched His earthly ministry, God says, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” (Matthew 4:17). You might say that Jesus preached repentance as the “front porch” to salvation by faith.

Jesus commissioned Peter as the “apostle to the Jews.” Peter subsequently preached, “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). Peter called for the Jews to repent.

Jesus commissioned Paul as the “apostle to the Gentiles.” Paul subsequently preached, “God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). Paul preached repentance to Gentiles.

The four great teachers of the New Testament, Jesus, John, Peter and Paul insisted that man must repent. Repent means to do a 180o. The person who refuses to repent implies that he is firmly seated on the throne of his life. He is his own god (controller, ruler, source).

I believe that much of today’s evangelism, although well-meant, presents heaven, an eternal retirement villa, as the goal of salvation rather than a living, agape relationship with the God of the Universe. We hear many “believers” talking about heaven, heaven, rapture, rapture, but rarely if ever mentioning being in an intimate, One-on-one relationship with Father. It’s like Jesus is a Celestial Environmentalist whose purpose on the cross was to save us from a bad environment called hell and usher us into a good one called heaven where we’ll live it up eternally. It’s all about a self-indulgent environment instead of about a Father/child relationship with our wonderful God.

My goal is not to wound or plant doubt about anyone’s salvation. But, when the Lord first showed the above to me, I had to ask myself if I had repented because this had not been emphasized when I came to Christ that I recalled. I had simply been told to believe (Acts 16:31) which I had done. But the Holy Spirit assured me that everything was OK between God and me because over the years I had clearly demonstrated a repentant attitude even dating back to my salvation. Although I did not use the R word, I remembered telling God in my salvation prayer time that I wanted to change.

So, what are you to do if you’ve never repented? Repent. — Bill Gillham is the founder of Lifetime Guarentee, and author of the book by the same title.

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 13; Psalm 87-88; Romans 13

Great Quote: Dr. Chalmers went to see a Scots woman in her time of trouble about her sin. She was trying to “get faith”. On his way to her house, he had to cross a stream over which was a thin plank. Looking out of her window, she saw he was afraid to venture across it, and, coming out, she called to him. “Just lippen to it”. That was her way of advising him just to trust himself to the plank. Then he spoke to her about the way of salvation and used the ilustration and her own words to explain to her how to trust the Saviour. Thomas Chalmers