Hello Family!
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! My apologies for the late message! My family is preparing for a wedding that’s tomorrow and we’re in crunch time. God is still faithful though, so I’m extremely excited for the motivation, even if you don't get to read it on Friday.
Today I want you to think:
ASK
ACT
ACT AGAIN
PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR ANSWER
In Daniel 2 God had given King Nebuchadnezzar a prophetic dream warning him of what was to come. The king called in his ‘enchanters, sorcerers, magicians, and astrologers’ to decode (interpret) the dream he had. SPOILER ALERT: They couldn't tell him what he dreamt neither could they interpret the dream. The king got so angry with the ‘enchanters, sorcerers, magicians, and astrologers’ inability to interpret the dream that he ordered that all the ‘wise men of Babylon’ be killed. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were apart of the group of men ordered to be killed. When the king’s guard went to kill Daniel and his friends the scripture says,
“14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. 15 He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. 16 Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.” (Daniel 2:14-16 NLT)
ASK: Remember, the right questions can change your situation, the situation of those around you, connected to you & coming after you.
ACT: In verse 14 Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discernment. So, we can learn from Daniel in this moment. In a situation where Daniel could’ve panicked, or become anxious and worried, he chose to use the gifts of wisdom and discernment.
Have you asked God for these gifts (Matthew 7:7-8 | James 1:5)? What situations in your life require wisdom and discernment to be applied? How can leaning on God in scary situations strengthen your trust and reliance on Him?
In verses 17 and 18 the scriptures read, “17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.” (NLT)
ACT AGAIN: Daniel understood the power of having friends who trusted and relied on the same God as he did. He urged his friends to ask God for mercy. Can you ask the current people you're close to, or those in your inner community, to pray with or for you? Do those around you encourage you to ask God for clarity, answers, mercy, peace, freedom from battling with certain sins? Are the people around you pushing you closer to or farther away from the love of Jesus? ACTING AGAIN is significant because we see here that even though our faith is enough, having people we can lean on spiritually is helpful and encouraging when trying to achieve a breakthrough, clarity, or even a deeper closeness to God.
As we continue reading through the story we learn that God answered their prayers, and set them up to hold a higher rank in the king's leadership. Something that was set out to kill them, ended up being the situation to propel them into a prosperous future in God.
Daniel 2:19-20 NLT reads, “19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power.”
PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR ANSWER: Daniel praised God from verse 20 to 23. When God answers our prayers, we should take time out to give Him the proper praise. Yea, saying, “Thank you Jesus! Thank you LORD for blessing me!” is good, but we serve a BIG GOD SO GIVE HIM A BIG PRAISE! Take time to worship, sit in the presence of the LORD, or even delve deeper into scripture when God answers your prayers. Praise and worship has POWER! Give God the time He deserves. (Psalm 100:4, 5)
I love you! Jesus loves you MOST! Try to remember that Jesus desires a deep and intimate relationship with you. He doesn’t want to condemn or shame you for the situations you’re wrestling with. Jesus wants to sit in your situations with you.
Practice (1)ASK, (2)ACT, (3)ACT AGAIN, (4)PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR ANSWER this week and share some testimonies on how you applied it, how it transformed your perspective, and what God did or is doing. Stay Fruitful! Stay Encouraged! Keep fighting the good fight! YOU GOT THIS! I’M ROOTING FOR YOU! #FruitfulFriday #TheFruitfulPlace #ShareTheFruit
________________________
CITATION:
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Comments