Daniel 3:27: "And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."
We all have probably heard the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but to refresh your memory: King Nebuchadnezzar was a king that at one time built a massive monument out of gold to ensure that his kingdom would always rule. He forced his people to bow and worship this monument of gold. Nebuchadnezzar was focusing on himself and not God, and he wanted everyone else to do the same. When the three men of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said that they would not bow down, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be lit, and made 7 times hotter! The three men were bound by soldiers and in their clothes, forced into the fire. Surely you would think that they would die immediately, or you'd smell the burning of flesh, or even hear the screams of pain....there was none of the sort! Three men went into the furnace, yet when Nebuchadnezzar looked, he saw there were four men! He even said that the fourth man looked like the Son of God. The king instructed the men to come out and in complete disbelief, the men were not touched by the fire! God had protected them! King Nebuchadnezzar immediately had an internal shift when he saw this miracle and made a decree that anyone who spoke against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be cut up into pieces!
What kind of fire are you walking into right now? What is in front of you or around you that scares you? Whenever I am placed in a position of doubt, anxiousness, or fear, I have always found it best to look back at God's promises and how He delivered on those promises! God protected these three men because of their belief and obedience to the will of God.
We must hold onto the strength of knowing that with God, we will not be harmed! Ever. We already know the ending because of Jesus. Because Jesus died for us, we are fully sheltered from any fire that might engulf us. We are fully accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. Often times people who are scared to dive into a relationship with God are scared because they might not feel worthy. Hear this: God gave His only son even when He knew your worst sins and your worst sins to come! He did this knowing our worst! I take amazing confidence and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father because I know that I can walk into anything and know that God is on my side no matter my past, present, or future.
Now this doesn't mean we all get a pass and can go do whatever we want. What this means is that our God loves us and wants the best for us. He wants us to follow Him and be in relationship with him through prayer and steadfast obedience. By doing this, we are then able to be disciples and even though a fire might be burning around you, the fire in your heart could start a flame in someone else's heart for Jesus. If you respond to a worldly situation in a way that is in true obedience to God, then others will see the light of Jesus in your heart and will be drawn in much like Nebuchadnezzar when he saw that they were not burned. Show others that your flesh isn't burned by occurrence or circumstances. Show others the joy you find in Jesus during all times because we know the ending.
My ask of you this week is that you identify the fire around you and you place it into a box and give it to God through prayer. Have the confidence and knowledge that God is going to do what is best for you. Walk into your fire with God, for you are not alone and you will not get burned.
Have a great week!
Song of the week: The Cross Has The Final Word
We all have probably heard the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but to refresh your memory: King Nebuchadnezzar was a king that at one time built a massive monument out of gold to ensure that his kingdom would always rule. He forced his people to bow and worship this monument of gold. Nebuchadnezzar was focusing on himself and not God, and he wanted everyone else to do the same. When the three men of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said that they would not bow down, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be lit, and made 7 times hotter! The three men were bound by soldiers and in their clothes, forced into the fire. Surely you would think that they would die immediately, or you'd smell the burning of flesh, or even hear the screams of pain....there was none of the sort! Three men went into the furnace, yet when Nebuchadnezzar looked, he saw there were four men! He even said that the fourth man looked like the Son of God. The king instructed the men to come out and in complete disbelief, the men were not touched by the fire! God had protected them! King Nebuchadnezzar immediately had an internal shift when he saw this miracle and made a decree that anyone who spoke against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be cut up into pieces!
What kind of fire are you walking into right now? What is in front of you or around you that scares you? Whenever I am placed in a position of doubt, anxiousness, or fear, I have always found it best to look back at God's promises and how He delivered on those promises! God protected these three men because of their belief and obedience to the will of God.
We must hold onto the strength of knowing that with God, we will not be harmed! Ever. We already know the ending because of Jesus. Because Jesus died for us, we are fully sheltered from any fire that might engulf us. We are fully accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. Often times people who are scared to dive into a relationship with God are scared because they might not feel worthy. Hear this: God gave His only son even when He knew your worst sins and your worst sins to come! He did this knowing our worst! I take amazing confidence and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father because I know that I can walk into anything and know that God is on my side no matter my past, present, or future.
Now this doesn't mean we all get a pass and can go do whatever we want. What this means is that our God loves us and wants the best for us. He wants us to follow Him and be in relationship with him through prayer and steadfast obedience. By doing this, we are then able to be disciples and even though a fire might be burning around you, the fire in your heart could start a flame in someone else's heart for Jesus. If you respond to a worldly situation in a way that is in true obedience to God, then others will see the light of Jesus in your heart and will be drawn in much like Nebuchadnezzar when he saw that they were not burned. Show others that your flesh isn't burned by occurrence or circumstances. Show others the joy you find in Jesus during all times because we know the ending.
My ask of you this week is that you identify the fire around you and you place it into a box and give it to God through prayer. Have the confidence and knowledge that God is going to do what is best for you. Walk into your fire with God, for you are not alone and you will not get burned.
Have a great week!
Song of the week: The Cross Has The Final Word
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