Or how we can align our character with God's, and respond to the hostile ones who don't understand our loyalty to Yahweh | Staying Strong in a Hostile World 2024 | Book of Daniel
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT
'Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 NKJ
"Be alert and stand in the faith; be valiant; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 AB
A prayer to be "on guard, watchful and alert."
Oh, Father in Heaven, we need You. We need You to take over every area of our lives. We surrender everything, and if we don't, cause us to do so, make us change, and give us a new commitment to cast all our cares on You, letting You take control and enabling us to follow.
Forgive us of our sins and make us watchful, standing firm in Your strength and power. Give us increased attention to the details, the things normally overlooked that would lead us and others astray. Make us brave in the face of danger, on guard and watching, with endurance, standing in the gap.
"Meanwhile, the Lord said to me,
"Put a watchman on the city wall.
Let him shout out what he sees.
He should look for chariots
drawn by pairs of horses,
and for riders on donkeys and camels.
Let the watchman be fully alert."
Then the watchman called out,
"Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my Lord.
Night after night I have remained at my post." Isaiah 21:6-8 NLT
LORD, help us remain determined to warn all of the impending dangers, always staying vigilant, consistently standing guard, being watchful and alert, and purposely faithful to Your call.
Thank You, LORD, for hearing this simple prayer of faith. Thank You for Your tender mercies, Love, and great Kindness.
What a beautiful prayer, thank you, and I always look forward to the worship song you add at the end of your comments.
I feel urged to pray for your health; am praying for you, James. Lord, wherever my brother may need healing, in Your grace and mercy, heal Him as You see fit, Abba. Amen.
This is truly wonderful and I thank you. I love looking at Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as such amazing examples in how they responded and spoke to their captors in Babylon, and refused to bow down to the image erected by the then beast government. To the outside it looked like they were bound but they were free. Many still decide whether they are going to spiritually feed themselves from what the world offers or from our Heavenly father. Sometimes what comes from God seems like vegetables and water; but the word says that man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!
God's word is sometimes symbolized as "water" and other times as "green pastures" (vegetables). Daniel and his friends chose to receive only what God provides, and they did better than those who received a banquet with the best of the kingdom of Babylon.
Daniel 1:17 And unto these four young men, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in all letters and science; furthermore Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
In the middle of a course meant to teach them the knowledge and the letters of the Chaldeans and Spiritualists, the king's food was suspended by Daniel's initiative. They nourished themselves with what came from God. Instead of receiving the secrets of the Chaldeans and learning to act like the astrologers and magicians, these four boys received knowledge and intelligence in all letters and science from God. Furthermore, Daniel gained understanding in all visions and dreams. In the middle of this, God gave them an even greater course - one which came from the very nature of God.
When Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, they had decided not to contaminate themselves. This led to many tests during their time there. Because of God's goodness and the fact that they did not contaminate themselves, the king found them ten times greater in wisdom and intelligence.
This chapter is like a summary of Daniel's life because at the end it implies that he outlived all these magicians and astrologers and even several pagan kings. When Babylon ended, Daniel continued.
God did not place Daniel and his three friends in Baby- lon to claim it for Himself. God was not interested capturing Babylon; He was not interested in what these pagan magicians, Chaldeans or kings were doing. He was not trying to control the world. That was not His plan. His plan was to show that He could take undefiled people and keep them undefiled in the midst of the very worst system of Babylon.
Furthermore, the authority of God was always going to be higher than the authority of the pagans. This was true even when God allowed the ultimate consequences of each person's will to be fulfilled. God is still doing this today.
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified and made white and purged, but the wicked shall get worse; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
Daniel received his understanding and wisdom from God, but he was also understood by God. When Daniel asked for an explanation, God responded immediately and sent Gabriel to explain it to him. Michael, one of the main princes, had to spend twenty-one days fighting along-side Gabriel, so that Daniel could receive the response. Likewise, Gabriel said that from the moment that Daniel opened his heart to understand, the response came.
When Daniel spoke with God, God understood him. Sadly, there are many who spend much time in prayer and little or nothing is understood about them in heaven; it is all confusion and repetition of vain words. These people do not receive and cannot receive the response that the prayers of Daniel received.
Daniel is an example and a shadow of Jesus who also came as a slave, respecting God's judgment and saying that He did not come to judge but that if He did judge, his judgments would be just. (John 5:30) Jesus said He did not come to do His own will or to say His own words. Any judgment that came out of His mouth would be His Father's judgment flowing through Him.
Daniel 2:21 says God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those that know understanding. This word "understanding" appears frequently throughout the word of God. Who are the ones that know understanding? It is one thing when God enlightens us and opens our minds and hearts so we can understand something. But there are those who pass beyond that realm and "know understanding," because God understands them and knows them.
When they say something or when they ask Him something, it makes sense to God. Many people ask and ask and keep on repeating prayers, but to God it sounds like the confusion of Babylon. Nevertheless, God speaks of a clean remnant who is purged of all contamination and who, like Daniel, has decided to do everything possible to not contaminate itself.
Daniel remained undefiled by eating vegetables and drinking water. We can remain undefiled by rejecting the river of humanism with all its "production" and "agriculture." We can decide to receive everything that comes from God, our clean source of unpolluted cisterns.
Thank you for commenting! Yes, so much spiritual richness in the book of Daniel! 🥰
This study, and it’s only week 2 of 8, humbles me. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to grow deeper in my walk with God.
Blessings!
GOD Bless you, Jenise, and your family!
A simple good morning prayer of faith 4/14/24
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT
'Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 NKJ
"Be alert and stand in the faith; be valiant; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13 AB
A prayer to be "on guard, watchful and alert."
Oh, Father in Heaven, we need You. We need You to take over every area of our lives. We surrender everything, and if we don't, cause us to do so, make us change, and give us a new commitment to cast all our cares on You, letting You take control and enabling us to follow.
Forgive us of our sins and make us watchful, standing firm in Your strength and power. Give us increased attention to the details, the things normally overlooked that would lead us and others astray. Make us brave in the face of danger, on guard and watching, with endurance, standing in the gap.
"Meanwhile, the Lord said to me,
"Put a watchman on the city wall.
Let him shout out what he sees.
He should look for chariots
drawn by pairs of horses,
and for riders on donkeys and camels.
Let the watchman be fully alert."
Then the watchman called out,
"Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my Lord.
Night after night I have remained at my post." Isaiah 21:6-8 NLT
LORD, help us remain determined to warn all of the impending dangers, always staying vigilant, consistently standing guard, being watchful and alert, and purposely faithful to Your call.
Thank You, LORD, for hearing this simple prayer of faith. Thank You for Your tender mercies, Love, and great Kindness.
In JESUS Holy Name, we pray. Amen
Let Me Not Wander https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfMoQFkupww&list=RDfzFfZl0C7sk&index=3
Good morning, brother James!
What a beautiful prayer, thank you, and I always look forward to the worship song you add at the end of your comments.
I feel urged to pray for your health; am praying for you, James. Lord, wherever my brother may need healing, in Your grace and mercy, heal Him as You see fit, Abba. Amen.
May our LORD bless you and keep you, James!
Thank you for your prayers, Jenise. GOD bless you!
Take Everything/ Rivers & Robots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzFfZl0C7sk&list=RDfzFfZl0C7sk&index=1
This is truly wonderful and I thank you. I love looking at Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as such amazing examples in how they responded and spoke to their captors in Babylon, and refused to bow down to the image erected by the then beast government. To the outside it looked like they were bound but they were free. Many still decide whether they are going to spiritually feed themselves from what the world offers or from our Heavenly father. Sometimes what comes from God seems like vegetables and water; but the word says that man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!
God's word is sometimes symbolized as "water" and other times as "green pastures" (vegetables). Daniel and his friends chose to receive only what God provides, and they did better than those who received a banquet with the best of the kingdom of Babylon.
Daniel 1:17 And unto these four young men, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in all letters and science; furthermore Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
In the middle of a course meant to teach them the knowledge and the letters of the Chaldeans and Spiritualists, the king's food was suspended by Daniel's initiative. They nourished themselves with what came from God. Instead of receiving the secrets of the Chaldeans and learning to act like the astrologers and magicians, these four boys received knowledge and intelligence in all letters and science from God. Furthermore, Daniel gained understanding in all visions and dreams. In the middle of this, God gave them an even greater course - one which came from the very nature of God.
When Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, they had decided not to contaminate themselves. This led to many tests during their time there. Because of God's goodness and the fact that they did not contaminate themselves, the king found them ten times greater in wisdom and intelligence.
This chapter is like a summary of Daniel's life because at the end it implies that he outlived all these magicians and astrologers and even several pagan kings. When Babylon ended, Daniel continued.
God did not place Daniel and his three friends in Baby- lon to claim it for Himself. God was not interested capturing Babylon; He was not interested in what these pagan magicians, Chaldeans or kings were doing. He was not trying to control the world. That was not His plan. His plan was to show that He could take undefiled people and keep them undefiled in the midst of the very worst system of Babylon.
Furthermore, the authority of God was always going to be higher than the authority of the pagans. This was true even when God allowed the ultimate consequences of each person's will to be fulfilled. God is still doing this today.
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified and made white and purged, but the wicked shall get worse; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
Daniel received his understanding and wisdom from God, but he was also understood by God. When Daniel asked for an explanation, God responded immediately and sent Gabriel to explain it to him. Michael, one of the main princes, had to spend twenty-one days fighting along-side Gabriel, so that Daniel could receive the response. Likewise, Gabriel said that from the moment that Daniel opened his heart to understand, the response came.
When Daniel spoke with God, God understood him. Sadly, there are many who spend much time in prayer and little or nothing is understood about them in heaven; it is all confusion and repetition of vain words. These people do not receive and cannot receive the response that the prayers of Daniel received.
Daniel is an example and a shadow of Jesus who also came as a slave, respecting God's judgment and saying that He did not come to judge but that if He did judge, his judgments would be just. (John 5:30) Jesus said He did not come to do His own will or to say His own words. Any judgment that came out of His mouth would be His Father's judgment flowing through Him.
Daniel 2:21 says God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those that know understanding. This word "understanding" appears frequently throughout the word of God. Who are the ones that know understanding? It is one thing when God enlightens us and opens our minds and hearts so we can understand something. But there are those who pass beyond that realm and "know understanding," because God understands them and knows them.
When they say something or when they ask Him something, it makes sense to God. Many people ask and ask and keep on repeating prayers, but to God it sounds like the confusion of Babylon. Nevertheless, God speaks of a clean remnant who is purged of all contamination and who, like Daniel, has decided to do everything possible to not contaminate itself.
Daniel remained undefiled by eating vegetables and drinking water. We can remain undefiled by rejecting the river of humanism with all its "production" and "agriculture." We can decide to receive everything that comes from God, our clean source of unpolluted cisterns.