Dear Global Christian Warriors,
My brother in Christ, Ian, in California, has a key insight --based on the Book of Daniel---on living according to God's will. Clearly, if you and I are not living according to God's will, today is the day to repent. Here's his article:
The story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego affords us an opportunity to consider our behavior in light of the recent election outcomes here in the US.
In the story, all the nation is worshipping a statue created by King Nebuchadnezzar, except for these three men. Presumably there are others who are not, but these three men have positions of importance so are singled out. The king, made angry by their disobedience, offers them a choice – worship the statue when the music starts or be thrown into the furnace.
The three men refuse to worship the statue so are thrown into a furnace. God intervenes and saves the three men. This story has been widely studied (see Spurgeon and others). The current view, most often seen on tv, is that God rewards those who seek Him. The emphasis is on the goodness of God. There is no doubt that God is good. The issue with reward is the presumption that we know God’s will.
From my perspective, this is a model for our current day. The recent election is a good example. With so much talk of a ‘red’ wave that would see republican politicians replace socialist democrats, the outcome was not as expected. While some democrats were replaced by republicans, the status quo ante was largely preserved, especially at the state level. Many prayed for a different outcome yet it was not provided.
The leaders of our nation continue to do great wrong in the face of God. Take the jab, worship the governor/government, do as you are told (like everyone else) – so many abominations that there are too many to list! Just go along and everything will be ok.
Who will stand up to do what is right? Who will stand for God? So many people see God’s rewarding the 3 men as the outcome we need to understand. The focus, instead, is the example provided for us by the behavior of the three men. Imagine how difficult it was for them to stand up for their beliefs when all they had to do was kneel to a lifeless statue – just go along. Everyone is doing it. You should do it too. We’ll even give you some money. The miracle is not that God saved the three men. God has the power. God can do anything. Stopping fire from burning the three men? No problem for God.
So what is the miracle? The miracle is that the three men chose to stand up for God. They made the difficult choice when everyone around them said to take the easy way out. Trust what you see in the world and just go along. God won’t care. Instead, they chose God and held to His rules, whether or not He chose to save them. (Daniel 3:16-18). Such courage is remarkable and the real miracle of this chapter.
Today, we are assaulted from every angle – internet, tv, church and more – to pursue worldly things rather than acting according to God’s word.
God wants you to choose Him. This is the first and most important step. Then you have to live in accordance with God’s word. This is expressed in the simplest terms (Matthew 22:37), Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
If you are not living according to God’s will, repent. It does not matter what everyone else is doing. When I was little and complained to my mother that a friend got to do something fun when I had to do chores, she would ask me "If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?” That lesson stuck with me, but did not prevent me from pursuing worldly things.
I am working on my personal repentance one day at a time. I feel like I ask forgiveness for the same things over and over. Though I have heard the story many times, I understand the example they provide us now in a way I did not see before. If faced with the choice the three men had to make, I pray that God gives me the courage to choose Him no matter what the worldly consequence.
It is a choice you make. For the three men, it started with the priority they placed on their belief in God. They didn’t eat the king’s food (Daniel 1:11-16). They didn’t worship the statue. They sang in the furnace in God’s presence. Their behavior is the example we should follow in light of what is occurring in the world today. Do not have expectations of God’s will so you don’t get disappointed when you don’t get the outcome you expect. Instead, repent. Now. Seek God and ask his forgiveness, whether you presumed he would answer your prayer today or because you have not lived according to His word. It is not too late for you to choose God. You do have to choose Him. Open your heart to God. Do it now. Though my worldly circumstances have not changed (I didn’t win the lottery), my life is better for making that choice. Yours can be too.
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Do you see repentance as vital for our times? To our knowledge National Day of Repentance is the only Christian ministry focusing solely on personal and national repentance in every nation and applying it in our lives.
No church, no denomination supports us, only YOU! Though we work as volunteers, costs and requests for food pour in each day far beyond our capacity to fulfill these requests.
In Luke 8:3 we see three women who understood the mighty move of God in front of them and wished to provide "from their substance." The Lord Jesus tells us in John 14:12 that he who believes in Him will do greater works for the Kingdom because He is now with the Father. We believe this move of repentance, starting in Africa, is such a work.
Would you please pray for us? And then give from a cheerful heart as the Lord leads? THANK YOU!--whatever amount you give, we pray that you'll receive a blessing--- 2 Corinthians 8: 2-4 and Luke 8:3--- and Fruit that will abound to your spiritual account, Philippians 4:17.
God bless you.
Pastor Jeff Daly
National Day of Repentance
pastorjeff@repentday.com
you tube channel: national day of repentance
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