Becky Austin

God's Faithful Deliverance ( Daniel 6 )

2:26 AM




The book of Daniel tells of an amazing story of God’s faithfulness and omnipotent intervention. In chapter 6, we have the well known story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. What an amazing faith was shown by Daniel to trust in God enough to risk such a grueling death. How, you may wonder, could Daniel have such courage and trust? Daniel could trust such circumstances to God because he had seen and relied on the faithfulness of God many times before.

In the early chapters of Daniel we see that he was chosen out of the Israelites for a privileged position to be taught the language and knowledge of the Chaldeans and to be suitable to stand before the king. Daniel showed incredible determination from the beginning to honor God even in the midst of a people who did not serve God.  He convinced the eunuch in charge of his care to let him eat a diet approved by God even though the eunuch faced harsh punishment or even death if Daniel’s health suffered because of it. . “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” (1:9). Already we see God at work to take care of Daniel. “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (1:17) God equipped Daniel with the resources he needed to do well in his unique position of influence.

Daniel’s life was threatened when King Nebuchadnezzar decided to have all of his scholars killed when his advisors couldn’t tell him about a dream he had. Daniel sought God for knowledge and God revealed not only what the king had dreamed but also the interpretation. And Daniel knew that God had been faithful and saved his life and the lives of all the scholars. 
“He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.” (2:22-23)

Daniel then got to see God save his fellow Israelites. This is another well known story. “Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.” (2:49) When these 3 men refused to worship the king’s idol they were thrown into a fiery furnace that was so hot it killed the men attending it. But, miraculously these 3 men were not consumed by the fire. 

Daniel continued to interpret other dreams and even the mysterious “writing on the wall” that appeared when King Belshazzar disrespected God by drinking from the Holy vessels taken out of God’s temple. Belshazzar died and his kingdom was divided by the Medes and Persians. God gave Daniel great favor with King Darius of the Medes but it also caused Daniel to become a target of scandal and manipulation. “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” (6:3). 

To get rid of Daniel the princes talked Darius into signing a decree to have any person who petitioned a god or anyone other than the king for 30 days to be thrown into a den of hungry lions. Daniel, knowing whom his complete trust was in, did not comply with the decree. He boldly, and in plain sight continued in his prayers to God. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (6:10)

Of course, the King who cared about Daniel tried all he could to reverse the decree but legally could not. Interestingly, he also gives bold declaration about the power and faithfulness  of Daniel’s God. “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”(6:16). Wow! God’s faithfulness to Daniel made a believer out of Darius even before he saw with his own eyes the following morning that Daniel was untouched by the ravenous lions. 

As God shows his faithfulness to us, our trust becomes increasingly strengthened.  The same God that performed all of these amazing feats in the book of Daniel wants to empower your life too. Sometimes, it may seem that we find ourselves in difficult circumstances where we have to choose if we will honor God or cower to the demands and pressures of others. It helps to be reminded of how faithful God was throughout the Bible to those who put their trust in him. I challenge you to look for God’s faithfulness in the midst of your own circumstances as well. 

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”(Hebrews 10:23 )

Daniel

Daniel's Prayer {Daniel 7-12}

11:02 PM


The first approach I had with Daniel chapter 9, was some 13 years ago: I was depressed; my heart was weary for I had seen no apparent change in my family’s spiritual life and we were going through many tough moments! For many years we would go from one Church to another not finding the “perfect place”. I was so tired of only being a “church goer”… I knew our family needed help!! 
A very close friend of mine called to ask why we were not attending Church anymore. As soon as she found out she suggested I’d fast and pray “Daniel’s Prayer” (Dan. 9:4-19). I was so desperate I immediately began this fascinating journey! As I began reading the first verses I noticed something amazing: 
“I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets,” (9:4-5ª)
-Daniel began his prayer where we all should: by recognizing the greatness and goodness of God. Confessing our total dependence in Him.
- As Daniel confesses Israel's sin he prays as if he is as bad as the rest of Israel! He humbly identifies himself as sinner. It is very clear to him that: “None is righteous, no, not one;” (Ro. 3:10, Ps.14:1-3). I was so used to pray like this: “Please Lord, change my husband… my situation, etc.”  This really hit me!! Instead of confessing I’d usually complain!! 
“and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws” (9:10)
-Daniel does not make the slightest excuse for Israel's sin. The fault belongs to Israel and Israel alone. We tend to use excuses for our sin as we make our "confessions" to God!
“All this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God”(9:13b)
 -As Daniel confesses his sin and the sin of Israel, he comes to the sin of prayerlessness. Even when they faced great trial and calamity, Israel still did not take their prayer before the Lord! This had been happening to me, instead of seeking God in earnest prayer in the midst of difficulties, I’d make a pity-party and invite depression into the scenario!
 “Now therefore, our God, listen to (heed) the prayer of Your servant (Daniel) and his supplications, and for Your own sake let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and look at our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You because of our own merits and righteousness, but because of Your great mercy and compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God” (9:17-19)
- Daniel humbly and repeatedly pleads to God, exulting His righteousness and goodness! Just like Jesus’s advice in Luke: “For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.” (11:10)
His focus was on God and His character.
His prayer was one of sincerity, confession, unselfishness, and dependence on the Word of God.
 Such a prayer has great power. In Daniels's case, God sent the angel Gabriel with His answer even before Daniel finished praying! We need to be more like Daniel. When going through hard times our prayers should model after his. As he said in Daniel 11:31, "The people who know their God will display strength and take action." How wonderful it is that we have a living God who loves us, who we can go to with all of our hurts, and who will answer our prayers in ways we can hardly imagine! He is waiting to hear from you!

As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. 
 "Follow up your advantage; build another prayer or the answer that you have. If you have received a great blessing, say, 'Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him; because he has heard me once, therefore will I call again." (Spurgeon)
I praise our Father for those difficulties which led me to seek Him in a very different way! He remained Faithful, and in the following months we all went to a family retreat and He worked great things in each and every one of us!! Yes, He is Faithful, indeed!! 
 I’d like to close with M. Henry’s comment:
“Here is an earnest request to God to restore the poor captive Jews to their former enjoyments. O Lord, hearken and do. Not hearken and speak only, but hearken and do; do that for us which none else can do; and defer not. Here are several pleas and arguments to enforce the petitions. Do it for the Lord Christ’s sake; Christ is the Lord of all. And for his sake God causes his face to shine upon sinners when they repent, and turn to him. In all our prayers this must be our plea, we must make mention of his righteousness, even of his only. The humble, fervent, believing earnestness of this prayer should ever be followed by us.”
Blessings, 
Mari





Becky Austin

It’s Time to Testify (Daniel 4-6)

11:40 PM



Several weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending a church service where the pastor felt prompted by God to forego the planned message and have people share testimonies instead. It was one of the most heartwarming services I have ever attended.  Each story shared was unique and amazing.  It was so emotionally touching to hear how God had worked in each person’s life to get their attention and showcase how awesome He was and how desperately they needed to surrender their hearts to Him. As I read through Daniel 4-6 I felt like there were some amazing testimonies on display as well.

Nebuchadnezzar's Testimony:  Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylon when Babylon was a vast and flourishing empire.  He was a proud and powerful ruler who had a very important lesson to learn: Nebuchadnezzar had to learn that only God is all powerful. At the beginning of chapter 4 we have Nebuchadnezzar's testimony written by him, from his point of view. It is a story of a man who needed God to shake him up to get his attention.
“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid.  As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.” (4:4-5)
God warned Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel pleaded with him to change his ways but Nebuchadnezzar didn’t heed the warning. God stripped him of his ability to rule and be powerful by taking away the faculties of his mind as well as his dignity. “He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagle’s feathers and his nails were like bird’s claws.” (4:33)
Sounds drastic and cruel, perhaps, but God was actually showing great love and mercy to Nebuchadnezzar. As Charles Swindoll writes: God will go to extremes to show us that He’s Lord. Sometimes, like a surgeon, God has to hurt us to heal us. He uses afflictions like a scalpel, cutting deep into the cancerous core of our sin. We cry as if the world will end, but out of our pain comes new life. Eventually, we are glad that God cared enough to discipline us and through the doorway of sorrow, give us a second chance.”
Nebuchadnezzar is humbled and changed forever as He surrenders his heart to God. “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever.” (4:34)
Daniel’s Testimony:
Throughout Daniel’s life, he shows consistent dedication to honoring God and having a relationship with God. Daniel exhibits many valued traits and skills that help him find favor with the pagan rulers he must serve under. When Darius (ruler of the Medes and Persians) sets up leadership roles, he gives Daniel a high office. Jealous, less ranking officials set up a trap to use Daniel’s devotion to God as a death sentence.  Daniel testifies of his trust in God by his continued devotion:
“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (6:10)  We all know the story of how Daniel was thrown into the den of lions and an angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the hungry lions and kept Daniel unharmed.  That is an amazing testimony that has been declared for thousands of years. But, what is even more amazing is how this testimony produced another testimony.

Darius” Testimony: Darius, the ruler of the Medes and Persians, is not committed to serving God. Just like with Nebuchadnezzar, however, God does drastic things to get his attention.  God uses the suffering of Daniel to humble Darius.  Darius cares for Daniel but he can not go against the letter of the law and make exceptions for Daniel to be spared the fate of the lion’s den. Darius realizes that the only one who can save Daniel is the God that Daniel trusts in.  Darius pulls an all-nighter, petitioning to God to save Daniel. The next morning, he returns to the den and is in awe of God’s intervention.  He humbles himself and gives his heart to God  He makes a decree…” that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever..” (6:26)


We each have our own unique story.  We each have had to come to terms with our own sin and pride. We each have had to humble ourselves and surrender our hearts to God. Perhaps it is our story that God will use to touch the heart of another and help them see their need. May I encourage you to take the opportunity to share your stories with others.  It’s time to testify of all the wonders that He has done. 

Battles

We're at War! {Daniel 1-3}

8:00 PM


Those of us who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ know we are at war. Like it, or not we face spiritual warfare everyday (Ephesians 6:12) and are being relentlessly attacked by an enemy that makes itself known in three forms:

  • The World
  • The Flesh
  • And the Devil. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Have you ever wondered what we possess that the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy? (John 10:10) According to the first chapter of Daniel it's:

  • Our identity/ witness
  • Our places of worship and their articles
  • Our manhood, or womanhood - gender identity
  • Our intellect
  • Our purpose
  • Our diet, the very sustenance of our existence. (Mark 4:4)

And we can see the body of believers still coming under attack today.

How can we defend ourselves against this constant spiritual onslaught? The answer is found in the first few chapters of the Book of Daniel.

1.) We must prepare ourselves for battle by dressing properly! (Ephesians 6:10-18) If you’ve never put these verses to memory, I can highly encourage you to do it, for they are that powerful!


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints”

Daniel believed the Word of God and in the God of the Word!

2.) Enlist the help of other godly friends! In Daniel, chapter 2, we see Daniel did not taking his ability to interpret dreams lightly, but enlisted his friends' help in praying for him, Daniel went home and made the matter known to Hananyah, Misha’el, and Azaryah, his companions; so that they could ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this secret; and thus save Daniel and his companions from dying along with the other sages of Babel. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven…” Daniel 2:17–19

Daniel wouldn’t simply rely on his abilities, or “giftedness”; he understood the importance of a strong spiritual community and the power of prayer. Daniel knew the problem needed a level of discernment that could only be reached by the counsel of other godly men. (Eccl 4:12)

3.) Trust God! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego prove to us that God won’t always keep us protected from the “fiery furnaces” we will have to walk through, but He will be there to walk through them with us!  

With all this in mind, how are you doing? Do you “armor-up” each morning as you prepare for your day ahead? Are you facing life’s trials alone, perhaps, too worried what others might think if they knew your struggles? Or do you trust in the community of believers that the Lord has given you to help you win?

Because Daniel and his friends were willing to trust their situation to God and one another, the Lord gave each of them victories that couldn’t be explained apart from Him, and therefore God received the glory in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. 

Proving once more that He can be trusted! And we can be victorious over our enemy if we follow Him and His ways in our battles!

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Do you yearn to experience more of the love of Jesus in your life this fall? Come join our New Testament study with an eclectic group of women from around the world!

Together we'll read through the entire New Testament and grow to love our Lord & Savior even more! Trust in Him, and begin an adventure that will transform your life and maybe others as well!
Begins August 31st! on Women in the Word.

Daniel

Scripture Saturday~Seasons

12:00 AM

Saturday, August 4, 2018


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Daniel 2:21...

 It is He who changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and greater knowledge to those who have understanding! (Amp)

 Have a blessed and precious day and week everyone!
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 Do you yearn to experience more of the love of Jesus in your life this fall? Come join our New Testament study with an eclectic group of women from around the world!

Together we'll read through the entire New Testament and grow to love our Lord & Savior even more! Trust in Him, and begin an adventure that will transform your life and maybe others as well!
Begins August 31st! on Women in the Word.