God Alone is Worthy of All Glory (Part 2)

As we continue to look at Daniel chapter 5 and king Belshazzar's prideful attitude toward Jehovah God, I want to share a little more on one of the points I made last time that contribute significantly to man's stress and worry levels, and that point is "living life by our own set of rules".  Daniel represents the man who honors God through obedience and faith.  Belshazzar represents the man who thinks he knows better than God, and that he can make his own rules to live by.  The mindset represented by the second man may be received better by our sinful and selfish ears; and it might work some what for a while, but you can rest assured that every time man has decided to play and run his life by his own rules, the end result for that man is trouble and great distress.

Notice three key rules that men are tempted by Satan to make for themselves.  These three rules were offered by Satan to Jesus during Jesus' temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).  First, that money and power will buy happiness (7:16-17).  How much more stress is brought into one's life the more money, power, and influence they have?  The second rule/lie is that God's discipline and judgment does not apply to me (7:20-23).  When we live our life as if we don't have to live by God's Word, then we are setting ourselves for a great collapse.  And the third rule/lie spurred on by Satan is to get us to believe that we are number one (7:23), and that no one else matters.  We live in a culture that glorifies the lifting high into the air the first finger beside our thumbs.  Our sinful nature is bent toward self-exaltation.  If you and I buy into any one of these three lies, then we then set ourselves against God's will for our lives, and rob Him of the glory He deserves.  And usually a thief has more stress in their life than peace.  Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.        

God Alone is Worthy of All Glory

When Daniel chapter 6 opens, the great king Nebuchadnezzar has been dead for over twenty years and the kingdom of Babylon is on a downward spiral.  The king on the throne is Belshazzar, who cares more about drinking, eating, and immorality than helping his own people.  Even while his city is surrounded by the Meade and Persian army, king Belshazzar decides to continue his feasting and to live his life as if God never existed.  The Bible calls that state of mind as foolish (Psalms 14:1).  Ancient records detailing the overthrow of Babylon, state the following about the king, "The Persians killed the Babylonian king, a riotous, indulgent, cruel, and godless young man."  He is so prideful that he even defies his own grandfather's decree (3:29), and defiles the holy vessels from the temple of Jerusalem; an act of putting oneself above the God who those vessel's represents.  

As Belshazzar partied like a fool, he was living out five of the greatest lies Satan is sows among his people.  First, live as if you have no enemy.  Second, live as if there are many gods.  Third, live as if you have all the answers.  Fourth, live by your own set of rules.  Fifth, live as if you will live forever.  All five lies glorify and stroke our egos, while robbing God of His glory, the glory He has created each person to give Him (Rev. 4:11).  All humans live with the responsibility that no matter the experiences of life, we are to point people to the one and only true God.  If we are not pointing people to God, then it is safe to say we are pointing people to ourselves.  When we live our lives without the overwhelming desire to do all for God's glory, then we will find ourselves living foolishly.  Then by living foolishly, we can assure ourselves of a life filled with much needless stress.  Until next time, in all you do, keep pointing people to God.  

God Alone is the Ruler of This World

I believe the musical group Tears for Fears sung a song that boldly stated, "Everybody wants to rule the world".  In the heart of every human lies a desire to be the best, to rule over something or someone.  We see this desire manifest itself when Satan rebelled in heaven, wanting to be above God.  When Satan failed at his revolt, he planted the same idea in the mind of Eve, suggesting to her that she could be like God if she would make her own choices.  Someone has said that when we chooses to deny God's complete sovereignty in this world, then we are making ourselves sovereign.  It is no different for king Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel 4.  This chapter opens up during Nebuchadnezzar's golden years of ruling over most of the world.  Even though there has been clear events in his life, proving that there is only one true and living God, Nebuchadnezzar cannot but help stroke his ego again, by giving himself all the praise for his kingdom rather than praising Jehovah God.  The wages of his god-complex is a reduction in mental capacity.  He becomes like a beast in the field.

Some time passes, and God has mercy on Nebuchadnezzar, and allows this animal-like king to regain his mind, and when he does, he breaks out into worship (4:34-37).  Just like the prodigal son who came to his senses, so too does Nebuchadnezzar, and rightly confesses his position before God.  He declares his weakness.  He declares God's sovereignty.  He acknowledges man's lowly position before God; and he confesses that God is both true and righteous.  Even after seeing what God did in the fierily furnace, Nebuchadnezzar was still guilty of placing himself above God.  If you and I are not careful, we may witness many of God's great miracles and His acts of mercy throughout our lives, and yet this does not immune us from being tempted to think we are our own boss, and give little thought to God's role in our lives.  When we keep a humble heart before God, and let Him rule completely in our lives, we can rest knowing that our lives will be less stressful than those who seek to be their own god.  Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.      

God Is Able To Deliver At All Times

Isaiah 26:3 states That God will keep His children in perfect peace when we fix our minds to trust only in Him.  Real peace of mind is a gift from God to those who keep their trust in Him alone.  This verse is lived out in Daniel 3 when we meet three of Daniel's friends, confronted with a great obstacle to their faith.  These young men are commanded to worship an idol (compromise their faith), follow the crowd, and go in the opposite direction of their moral beliefs.  It would have been very easy for these men to go along with the crowd, or even bow down, not to worship but rather to "tie their sandals", and then go on with their life as if nothing happened.  The truth of the matter is, it takes great strength and courage for believers to live out God's Word in a corrupt and sinful culture.   

The three Hebrew children have been commanded to worship an idol, or face death.  To say the least, this would have been a very stressful command...well, stressful to those who believed that Jehovah was the only God worthy of praise, honor, and worship.  Deep inside each man, a struggle begins between wrong and right, compromise or courage, indifference or integrity.  Well, I believe it did not take long, before these three men chose to side with their faith in Jehovah, God.  They chose to stand openly when everyone else bowed down (3:1-7).  They spoke boldly their convictions when everyone else chose to compromise (3:8-18).  And they walked boldly in faith where everyone else feared (3:19-27).  The end result was that God honored these men for their faith with His personal presence of protection.  We too have been given a hostile environment to live out our faith.  We must live out a faith that believes that God will always honor those who are faithful to Him, and that He is able to deliver us from any impossible circumstance the enemy throws our way.  It is when we live out these truths that we as Christians are able to live a less stressed life.  Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.    

God Completely Knows Your Future

One of the greatest factors of stress is the unknown.  There is a show on TV called Doomsday Preppers where individuals are planning at great lengths for various "end-of-the-world" scenarios.  Many of those portrayed have spent thousands of dollars preparing their families for a future doomsday event.  They are so stressed out about the end time that they spend more time living/fearing the future than enjoying their present life.  In Daniel 2, God is going to show King Nebuchadnezzar, that although he thinks himself to be the "king of all kings", that there is one King who has the final say over all history, both past, present and future.  Nebuchadnezzar has been given a dream that has stressed him to the breaking point.  He has done everything in his power to create a dominate, world-wide kingdom, and yet his dream leaves him uncertain about his own future.  He commands that all the brilliant minds in his kingdom interpret every detail of his dream or face death.  The only reaction his scholars and wise men have is to say, "Your request is impossible!  Only a god who talks to men could give such information." (2:10-11).

Well, there is one man in his kingdom, Daniel, who has a personal connection with the only true God, Jehovah.  While the wise men ran around crying "the sky is falling", Daniel, a secure believer in God, was  unflappable, confident, and secure.  His future did not rest in his own power and wisdom, but rather in the arms of the One who holds the whole world in His hands.  After spending all night in prayer, Daniel approached the king and boldly declared how God has predetermined history to unfold.  Three kingdoms will follow the Babylonian Kingdom (Persia, Greek, and Roman), and then the great Rock of Ages (Jesus Christ) will be ushered in, crush all kingdoms, never to be moved.  In a world of great uncertainly from one moment to the next, there is great assurance knowing that even though the most brilliant minds don't know tomorrow's events, there is a God who is sovereign over all creation, and He knows every step we will take, even into our future.   It is a personal relationship with this God, Christ Jesus, that creates a less stressed life about tomorrow's events.  Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.          

God Honors Righteous Living (Part 3)

To be successful in life one must have confidence in what they are trying to accomplish.  Success is not found in cowards.  To be considered a "success", begins with the birth of an inward confidence that is made visible through hard work and passion.  The same formula can be applied with living out a Christian life in a hostile world.  God has given each believer His Holy Spirit, whose mission is to help each one grow in confidence, courage, and commitment, to live out loud what God is doing within each heart.  This young man Daniel, reflects this truth, as he displayed his determination to live a righteous, God honoring life, in a hostile world.  This determination and commitment first began from within his heart and then flowed from his words and his actions (Daniel 1:9-13). 

How confident was Daniel in God's righteous path?  Notice Daniel's actions.  First, he was confident to go respectfully to the officials in charge.  He did not protest, have a sit in, or start an occupy moment.  His life and testimony was being lived out for others to see, and when he came in respect, they listened to what he had to offer.    Second, Daniel had a plan B.  When the first person turned him down, he went to the next person, and asked them to test out his substitute menu for a few days.  If the results did not meet their standards, then Daniel would do it their way (humility).  Third, Daniel was confident (bold) that God would use their menu to bring the needed results.  Why?  Because God always honors righteous living.  And as a result, God blessed these young men physically (14-16), mentally and spiritually (17-20), and blessed them continually in the palace (1:21).  When the goal to honor God in all we do grips our heart, then it will be reflected in our walk and talk.  And it is this confidence that allows us to trust in God and to have a less stressed life.  Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.   

God Honors Righteous Living (Part 2)

Daniel 1:8 is one of the powerful verses in this book.  This verse gives us a glimpse into the heart of the young man named Daniel, a heart convinced that God would at all times and in any location honor those who chose to live righteously.  This verse states, "But Daniel purposed in his mind that he would not defile himself...."  This commitment on Daniel's part was not a spur-of-the-moment decision or a popularity decision.  Daniel was clearly in the minority, seeing the reaction of the king's court (10).  Daniel had made up his mind that even in a foreign land, with no one watching his back, and in an environment to live however he chose, he would still live his life pursuing God's heart.  This decision came out of a heart already firmly committed long before he was brought into this pagan land.  He had the freedom to live as he chose, but deep inside his heart he knew that even in Babylon he would represent the God of his people in this distant land.  The God of the Bible does not water down His standards when it comes to righteous living, even if man's outward circumstances change. 

It is no different for you and I today.  Paul instructs all Christians in 1 Corinthians 8 & 9 that even though we have freedom to chose how we are going to live, and what habits we are going to continue or stop, our freedom is depended on what God's Word says about a matter and how our fellow man will be helped or hindered by those actions.  Is the food we are eating, the places we are going, the clothes we are wearing,  showing our love for God and our neighbor, or are they being used to make our own lives more comfortable and pleasurable?  Even as Christians, we have a responsibility to make inward choices from the heart that will guide our decision making in the future.  There are many who are watching our lives.  And the only life that truly pleases God is a life that chooses to walk after God's righteous standard.  Any other standard will weaken our testimony.  If you purpose to walk closely with Christ and live by His standards, I can guarantee you will have a less stressed life.  Until next time, keep seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness.