I bet you've been asked before,
If you could have any Super Power
what would it be?

And I've gotta say, for me
that is a really tough question.
And I hear so many people
who seem to have thought it out.
But I'm never the one with a quick answer.

Like... I'd never want
the ability to read minds.
I just don't want to know
what other people are thinking.
Some of them are just too twisted.

Now of course, it would be great
to be able to fly, but think
of all the favors people would
constantly ask of you.
Mostly, I'd guess by the friend
who was always showing up late,

And then there's that one about
being invisible...
but that's sort of like
reading people minds.
Because you would have
the ability to be present
without them knowing
you were around.

But of course, I've already
experienced plenty of times
when I felt invisible,
You know, you've been there too...
unnoticed, or less than important
in social situations or maybe
when you felt over-looked
for an opportunity you had
your heart set upon achieving.

Those are the kind of days
that will send you straight to the freezer.
​
I mean, I can down
a pint of ice cream
in one sitting...
after I've tasted everything
esle in the pantry, trying
to satisfy the cavern
of invisibility deep inside.

But I guess that's a pretty negative
outlook on invisibility.

When It can actually be considered
a quiet and more passive type
of personality that may
benefit you if you know how to handle
yourself in difficult situations.

I actually am a HUGE fan of someone
who is often overlooked as a Bible Hero
for his powers of invisibility.

Most people think of Bible Heroes
like David, Joshua and Sampson,
because they fought with might.

But sometimes keeping your head down
and minding your own business...
letting others spin their web of deceit,
while you try to remain invisible,
can actually make you a hero in my eyes.

It sure worked out well for Daniel.
Yes, he is the one who came to fame
for surviving the Lion's den.
But getting thrown in there
was actually the result
of quite a bit of invisibility.

You see, Daniel had been taken captive
many years before by the Babylonians
under King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC.
And only when once it was noted
that he was educated, wise and
able to interpret dreams,
he had been given a place of power.

The king only wanted the best
and brightest
for his personal use.
But Daniel was certain
to only give glory to God
for all that was done through him.

And for the years that followed,
roghly 67 until the Lions Den,
Daniel kept his head down
and his knees bent in prayer...
invisible power.

Now many years and leaders later,
King Darius the Mede took over Babylon.

And without even trying...
Daniel distinguished himself
above the governors and satraps,
because an excellent spirit was in him;
and the king gave thought to
setting him over the whole realm.
Daniel 6:3

Which only stirred Daniel's co-workers,
(men of stature) to jealousy...
So the governors and satraps
sought to find some charge against Daniel
concerning the kingdom;
but they could find no charge or fault,
because he was faithful;
nor was there any error
or fault found in him.

Then these men said,
“We shall not find any charge
against this Daniel unless we find it
against him concerning the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:4-5 NKJV

And since they couldn't find
any dirt on Daniel, they made up
the most ridiculous law
that would trap Daniel;
dragging him under, lifting them up...
whoever petitions any god or man
for thirty days, except you, O king,
shall be cast into the den of lions.

And they tricked King Darius
in to signing it, by praising him,
and rushing him, making certain
he could not rescind the law,
even for that Daniel,
which found favor with the king.

And Daniel remained invisible...
Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he went home.
Daniel 6:10

That verse,
of the entire chapter,
has to be my favorite.

Because you know...
that Daniel understood
the intentions of these other men.
I mean he worked with them everyday.

Just like the people that we
work with everyday.

Not that we all work with bad people.
But we have all had one or two...
our share of them.
We have all known
a governor or satrap
sometime in our life.

So let's read it again.
It didn't say...
Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he went home and griped
to everyone in his family,
telling them what a bunch
of jerks those guys were.

It didn't say...
Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he marched into the King
and defended himself.

It didn't say...
Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he went home and worried,
couldn't sleep and started
looking for a new job.

It didn't say...
a lot of things that may have
played out in my life
had I been in Daniel's situation.

But Daniel had the Super Power
of invisibility...
because an excellent spirit was in him,
because he was faithful;
not perfect,
but waiting rather than
reacting.

So how did he have that restraint?
How did he make it look so easy?

Because right after that verse
stating he went home,
we see him praying,
and those men assembling
to catch him breaking that
ridiculous law.

But remember,
Daniel is not new to this.
Daniel has been around awhile.
And while leaders have come and gone
over his many years of captivity,
he has been going home everyday
and following his faithful routine
to pray to God and draw near to Him.

Daniel does not bow to,
nor does he trust, in these men,
nor the leadership that sits on
the earthly throne in Babylon.

Daniel bows to, and believes in
the God he cannot see,
whom many consider invisible.
But that is the POWER inside of him...
that is the SPIRIT that gives him STRENGTH,
that DISTINGUISHES him from the rest.

And when these men have
found him guilty and thrown into
the Lion's den...
the Super Power of invisibility
will be so great, it will lead
King Darius to faith in God.

And that is a platform
that can reach many more people..
Then King Darius wrote:
To all peoples, nations,
and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
I make a decree that in every
dominion of my kingdom
men must tremble and
fear before the God of Daniel.

For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one
which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.
He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel
from the power of the lions.

So this Daniel prospered
in the reign of Darius and
in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
And needless to say...
those other governors,
and their families
ended up as lion chow.

So...
long answer, INVISIBILITY!
Yes, for sure, that's the one.
That's the Super Power I want.

That is, if I can be more like Daniel.

Word of God
train me today...
To have an excellent spirt
that gives You glory in everything.
To be faithful, always trusting
​in Your deliverance
especially in the invisible times.

Have you read that new series...
I hear they are making it into a movie.
It's about a
dark and powerful king
who amasses great wealth and riches
as he sweeps across many foreign lands
destroying everything in his path.

But he is plagued by nightmares
that threaten his sanity.
He summons every magician
and sorcerer possible to make them cease.
Until finally, he hears of one of his captives
who is considered wise enough
to interpret his dreams
rather than make them stop.

This intrigues the king.
So in a private audience
he tells this young man his vision.
But what the captive now knows
causes fear.

And the king, sensing this trouble
must not rush the interpretation,
for now it is imperative to hear.

A great tree, strong, and bearing fruit...
able to feed the entire world,
will be cut down to a stump.
It will be banded by bronze
and left to feed on grass
like a beast for seven years.

How strange this vision.
How odd this dream.
What could it mean?

The wise young captive stands brave
and tells the king...
it is him, the dreamer himself
as the tree, to be severed from power,
bound and destined to be humbled.

Nothing more is said of this dream.
But within a year, as the king parades
about his palace surveying
all he has conquered,
accounting for all he has amassed,
he boasts of his own magnificence.

And in that very moment,
a heavy voice from the sky falls upon him.
And the king drops to his knees...
his mind is gone.
He wanders on all fours
to the fields and soon
is feeding off the grass of the field
like oxen out to pasture.

For seven years he stays there,
his kingdom not even a passing thought
through the mind of this beast.

And he morphs physically...
his hair as long as eagle feathers,
his nails like claws of a bird.
A wild man on all fours.

Once a king,
now a beast, wandering the wild,
no longer feasting on pride,

But of course this is not
a movie planned for the theatre.
Nor was it a book written in a series.
Sorry... I misled.

This to be sure is in the book of Daniel...
and the king, is honestly
a real person of history.

But it is such a fantastical story
that it almost seems like it should be
written in a series
or make for a movie...
right?

And Daniel was the wise captive
whom God used to interpret the dream.
His head must have been spinning
as it's almost like fiction.

In fact, it gets more unbelievable.

For the king was Nebuchadnezzar.
And here in this fourth chapter of Daniel,
the king seems to be doing the writing,
or speaking of his own story.

And he's almost bragging
about the whole crazy affair,
as if it's an event of the past.
And he's only doing so
as a testimony to others...
about the miraculous power and praise
of the Most High God.

And he concludes...
“After this time had passed,
I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven.
My sanity returned, and
I praised and worshiped the Most High
and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting,
and His kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth
are nothing compared to Him.
He does as He pleases
among the angels of heaven
and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop Him or say to Him,
‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

When my sanity returned to me,
so did my honor and glory and kingdom.
My advisers and nobles sought me out,
and I was restored as head of my kingdom,
with even greater honor than before.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and glorify and
honor the King of heaven.
All His acts are just and true, and
He is able to humble the proud.”
Daniel 4:34-37

God actually restored
all that was originally the king's
Even those things he had
in his days of boasting and pride.
But now, King Nebuchadnezzar
gave all glory to God.

I guess that's what seven years
of wild and crazy thinking will do
when you eat grass in the field like an ox.
#humbling

But that's not really what God wants
to do to us.
It's not really how God wants any of us
to end up.

He'd really rather
we never have to go through
anything that awful.
But He does want the same
end result.
A heart that lifts Him high
and gives Him glory...
for all of it,
for everything.

There is a phrase in the Old Testament
that is repeated, over, and over, and over.

Then they shall know that I am the Lord...
Just that verbiage alone,
searced in a concordance
will register
a count of 110 times.

Thats 110 places that God spoke
those words through someone to us.

In the book of Ezekiel alone
are 66 of them.

Now if we change the phrase a bit,
we can find the same sentiment in
the book of Exodus, as God
led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt
and into the Promise Land.

The point?
God want us to know He is the Lord.

And you may say,
Yeah... I get it, He's God.

But that's not it.
He wants us to KNOW He is God.

That word KNOW in Hebrew
is yada, or to learn from experience.
​(pronounced yaw-daw')

Like when you spend so much time
with a friend that you really KNOW them.
You can predict what they will say next.
You start dressing like them.
You laugh at the same things.
You want to hang out with them most.
You are in the middle of something and
they come to mind, like
it would be great
to share that moment with them.

That's KNOWing them.
You understand their character
because you spend time with them
and they have proven themselves to you
in more intimate ways.

THAT is what God means by...
Then they shall know that I am the Lord...
When He has shown us His character
and proven Himself to us.

For He often follows it with,
a personalized ending...
Then they shall know
that I am the Lord their God.
A
nd I just love that.

For He truly is MY GOD.
And I love to spend time with Him.
And He shows me more of His amazing
character everyday.

The more you get to KNOW Him,
the more you will want to KNOW Him.

There truly is nothing scary
or intimidating
about the God I love!

King Nebuchadnezzar
wrote of His great signs
and wonders because
that's how God revealed Himself
in the fantastical transition
needed to change that prideful king.

I too have seen
great signs and wonders
from God in my life,
but they have been more
personalized.
Because that's how God shows me
​that He truly wants to know ME.

He has become more than my God,
​He is my friend.
​
Word of God
train me today...
To know that You are the Lord, MY GOD!
To KNOW that You are the Lord, my God.

Compromise...
to make a concession,
to come up short,
to be just shy of honest,
to give just a little less than all.

Everyone does it.
And it's not often noticed.
​If no one get's hurt,
and it gets you out of a jam...
maybe it's justified.

But Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king’s delicacies...
Daniel 1:8 NKJV

So why didn't Daniel compromise?
He and his three buddies
were taken into captivity.
by the king of Babylon.

They were estimated to be
around fifteen years old...
young men in whom
there was no blemish,
but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom,
possessing knowledge and
quick to understand, who had ability
to serve in the king’s palace, and
whom they might teach the
language and literature
of the Chaldeans.
Daniel 1:4

Captors like these would wisely cater to
great comforts of these young men
in order to raise up leaders who could
influence, and help govern their own people;
Yet the goal was to have them
detached enough from former culture
with new names, and
higher standards of living,
that they would remain loyal
to the new king's philosophy.

But Daniel was a different sort.
While his intelligence would
often group him among these idealists,
his heart separated him frm the pack.

The way Daniel saw it,
to purpose in his heart...
was to set his mind, his will, his way
no matter the circumstance,
no matter the pressure,
no matter the cost.

For he chose to not defile himself
regarding the delicate foods of the king.
And that had a great deal more to do
with worship to false gods
than what he "liked" to eat.

For during this time in history
idolatry was rampant.
And at most every meal,
food was offered up to beg favor from
whatever gods they most needed help.
Then feasted upon.it.

These people were poly-theists,
trying to please many gods
Each one representing different powers...
fertility, wealth, protection, abundance,
and the list goes on.

Daniel was keenly aware of this
in the culture of Babylon.
Because he had grown up in Judah
where prophets proclaimed
this coming captivity
for any and all, because many
of his people no longer feared God.

And Daniel believed so strongly
in his worship of Yahweh,
the one true God of Israel,
that he refused to deny Him.
Daniel was dedicated in his faith
to put God first...
above all else.

And that required he consider
all choices, large and small...
Even the food he ate.
He did not want to defile himself
or compromise his loyalty to God
by eating any food that had been
offered up to an idol.

According to the Law of Moses,
it was considered unclean.
It was a sin to eat of it.

So he stuck with vegetables and water.
These were not items offered to the gods.
And the servant of the king
who brought meals to these young men
was the only one who knew what they ate.
So Daniel made a deal with him.

And since God knew Daniel's heart
the deal to eat this vegan diet went well...
Now God had brought Daniel
into the favor and goodwill
of the chief of the eunuchs.
Daniel 1:9

No doubt because of this faithfulness
and dedicated heart.
No doubt because
he did not compromise

And since Daniel was a leader to his friends,
it was much easier for these three
to stay purposed also.
For there is strength in unity.

As for these four young men,
God gave them knowledge and skill
in all literature and wisdom;
and Daniel had understanding
in all visions and dreams.
Daniel 1:17

And God blessed them
for their faithfulness.
He increased their capacity to learn.
Even on this limited diet.

All good and perfect things
are from above!
Even our persistence to study,
the wisdom we attain during it,
our knowledge and thoughts.

Why do we as humans believe
we are so smart on our own...
it's ALL from God!

And the dominos continued to fall
in Daniel's favor...
And in all matters of wisdom
and understanding
about which the king examined them,
he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and astrologers
​who were in all his realm.
Daniel 1:20

Ten times better than all others!
Favor and more favor.
And a long career of employment
in the king's palace.

All of which began
because Daniel was not willing
to compromise.
Even about that which he ate.

Now I'm not trying to change anyone's diet.
I'm not vegan, nor promoting such.
Even though it is a healthy alternative.

However, I am promoting
a life that is steadfast to God.
One in which we purpose our hearts to Him.

As we decide beforehand...
not to compromise.
Let us set our mind, our will, our way
on being honest and giving our all
no matter the circumstance,
no matter the pressure,
no matter the cost.

Because any compromise...
even a little bit less than
our best unto God,
is not a heart purposed,
is not true worship
​is not faith in Him alone.

And as our reward,
God will grant us favor
like we have never seen before!
​
Word of God
train me, today...
To purpose my heart, first to You.
To not defile myself before You
​by compromising to this world's ways.