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.
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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. |
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January 2019
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