Undefiled

Daniel 1:8-17

Throughout life, we often feel as though God doesn’t notice our suffering, and we wonder whether or not He actually hears our prayers. As believers, we face continual persecution for our faith, men slander and defile our good reputations, and the world mocks us for what we believe. Some even go so far as to inflict physical pain on those who claim the name of Christ. But, in those moments when we feel as though God has forgotten about us, we should stop and read about the struggles men of God dealt with in Scripture.

One example of men who suffered for righteousness sake, can be found in our text. Because of their continual disobedience, God allowed Israel to be taken into captivity by Babylon. While being held captive, the king of Babylon called for children from Israel, who were without blemish, well favored, skilled in all wisdom, cunning in knowledge and understanding, and were able to learn their language. Those who were selected included Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The king even decided to change the names of the young men, as a sign of placing them under subjection. It’s one thing to be abducted against your will, and it’s even worse when you are given another name, then forced to learn pagan customs.

To make a long story short, Daniel and his brethren went against the kings commands, in order to obey the commands of God, and his three friends were forced to face the death penalty. God delivered the young men from the fiery furnace, and proved that no matter what comes against the children of God, if they remain faithful, He will deliver them with a mighty hand.

It matters not what you’re going through in life, because if you stay true to God, and obey His words over man’s, He’ll always come through for you, and your haters will have front row seats to witness it.

“Trust God through the good, the bad, and the in-between.” – Ell

Trust The Process

Psalm 130

Pray – Wait – Receive. This is the typical process the children of God experience when seeking answers from the Father. Before coming to God with any request, we must first determine if what we desire is aligned with God’s will for us. Children ask their parents for everything, and most of what they whine for, are things they don’t need. A good parent knows how to ignore futile requests, for the ones that are actually relevant. Although God may hear all our prayers, He will only answer the ones that will make our lives better, but for His purposes. Selfish prayers are never answered, and God is too wise to give us things that would draw us away from Himself. When we pray, let’s be certain that what we ask for, will not only benefit ourselves, but also have an impact on the kingdom of God.

The “waiting game” is the second part of the prayer process. In my most honest opinion, I HATE WAITING! I don’t consider myself a millennial, nor do I openly confess to be amongst the microwave generation, but, I do not enjoy waiting. Waiting for God to answer our prayers is very important, because during these moments, God monitors how we behave, until He decides to respond. I have failed many tests of waiting, and found myself complaining that God was taking too long to assist me, on multiple occasions. Little did I know, God had my answer, before I even prayed, but waited to see if I would wait patiently for His response. Well, I’m grateful for second chances, because from those experiences, I learned to wait on God, no matter what.

The rewards that come from waiting on God are absolutely amazing (ask Joseph, Job, and Daniel, if you don’t believe me)! God knows what we need before we even ask, but He demands constant communication between He and His children, so that healthy rapport can be established, and we will always know His voice, from the enemy’s. God doesn’t need blessings, but we do. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24 KJV).

After we pray to God, we are to live as if those prayers are already answered. We should continue living and loving, as God commanded, rather than put our lives on hold, waiting to see if God will answer us. Prayer does work, and although the devil attacks us spiritually, trying to hinder our blessings, God will always answer the prayers of the righteous. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b KJV).

Walk in love,

Ell

Haters Gonna Hate

Daniel 6:6-13

Life can be interesting in so many ways. Some people work hard, earn a good living, and treat others with kindness. They live according to the “Golden Rule”, and give respect to those deserving of it. These persons typically mind their own business, and seek only to make the lives of others better. On the other hand, there are those who seem to have their lives in order, and lack no good thing, yet they make it their business to find fault in those who consistently do good, and not evil. One thing I have learned in this life is, it matters not how good you are, nor how many good deeds you perform for others, there will ALWAYS be someone waiting, and hating on you. They’ll even go to great lengths, just to find the most minute flaw in your life, in an effort to expose it, in hopes that it’ll damage your image, and reputation. Whether through lies, deceit, or manipulation, these lame and wicked individuals will do all they can to mess up your life, when they need to focus on enjoying their own.

In our text, the prophet Daniel had a first-hand experience with haters. Daniel was blessed by God, and promoted from his captivity, to be preferred above all the presidents and princes of the land, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king set him over the whole nation. Daniel’s exaltation pricked the hearts of the presidents and princes, who developed extreme jealousy toward him, and eventually plotted to find any occasion, or fault against him. Following extensive research, the jealous men found nothing negative against Daniel. One would assume the men would drop their act, and let Daniel live in peace, but their jealousy had converted to envy and hatred, thus causing them to go way out of bounds, and attack Daniel on a spiritual level.

Nearly everyone knew, Daniel prayed with his windows open, to His God, three times a day, so the evil leaders enticed the king to sign a decree stating, “that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions”. Seriously?! These men were so jealous of Daniel, until they made a decree for an entire nation, simply to target one man? People do the same today, as they go to the extremes, just to make the lives of others, hell on earth. I often wonder, what is it about a good man, that others intentionally hate on them, for no good reason? Well, the king signed the decree, and the evil plan was set in motion. Later on in the story, Daniel was found praying according to his usual time, and with his windows open, by the peeping little minions, who hurried back to the king to give their report.

Many know how this story eventually played out, but if not, feel free to read the entirety of chapter six. I admonish all Christians to continue doing good, despite being hated on by others, because as believers, our main goal is to first please God, and not man. So, all our works should be done with good intentions, and motivated by God’s love. Hopefully, through our continued kindness and generosity, we can eventually win the hearts of our haters to the Lord.

Walk in love,

Ell