by Pastor Cecil | Oct 22, 2019 | Daniel
Daniel 3:17
“- – our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”
How do we respond when faced with the “fiery furnaces“ of life? Seldom do we find ourselves standing before a blast furnace being ordered to worship a false god or be burned to a human potato chip. We do, however, face our own kind of furnaces and must choose whether to bow to the demands of the godless or trust in the Lord.
I know very little about the process of generating steel, but I do know that raw ore must be heated beyond the melting point in order for it to be molded and hardened into a usable form. If the ore could speak it might beg to be left alone because the heat of the fire would cause pain and agony.
As we face the furnaces that appear before us, we also must make a choice of trusting in the Lord to be with us or yield to the peer pressure around us. I am here to tell you that yielding never produces strength. It only leads to further yielding and becoming a useless pile of dirt.
When we choose to become steadfast in our faith we will certainly face the heat like never before. The fact is that we will also encounter the strength and presence of the Lord beside us in the furnace. I choose to remain steadfast in the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2019 | Daniel
Daniel 6:13
“So they answered and said before the king, ‘That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.’”
I am not sure how many times I have read and studied the book of Daniel, but it is many times. Each time I read it I am struck dumb by this passage that I have chosen for today’s Scripture. There were over 100 administrators who were so jealous of Daniel that they poked and pried into every area of his life. They were trying to find some fault so the king would not appoint him to head the whole kingdom.
How do you imagine you and I would survive such an intense examination? It makes us squirm a little doesn’t it? I once read of a man in a position of spiritual leadership who spoke with great conviction from the pulpit, but with his family he was bitter and critical. The man’s hypocritical behavior was witnessed by his son’s friend who rejected the gospel because of it.
Daniel was a man who lived his faith at all times. He was willing to die rather than turn his back on his Heavenly Father. The night he spent at the Lion’s Inn was easier for him than it was for the king.
As we examine our own lives we need to see a constancy that is not wishy-washy, but true and faithful at all times. Our actions must always match our words!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 8, 2019 | Daniel
Daniel 3:17-18
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
I am awed by the courage and faith of three Hebrew slaves named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. These three stood bravely before a furnace that had intentionally been super-heated to incinerate anyone who failed to bow and worship King Nebuchadnezzar. What would you or I do? Most of us are allergic to pain and discomfort so we might well have bowed just a little.
It is so easy to compromise our walk with the Lord by making bargains with Him. There has been far too much emphasis placed upon healing and if a prayer for healing is not answered, the one who has prayed feels as if God is not in control.
As I read the statement of these three young slaves, I believe they had the kind of faith the Lord wants each of us to possess. Yes, they knew that the Lord could save them from the horrendous heat of this furnace, but even if He did not do so, they would still obey only Him and not this earthly king.
The Lord saved them that day, but there have been millions of times across the ages of time when the Lord chose to take the faithful servant home to be with Him. It is not our choice, but His choice. Not my will, but may His will be done!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 2018 | Daniel
Daniel 9:25
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
I must confess that I am not a mathematician. I have often wished I could return to my early grades and grasp the fundamentals in order to be able to comprehend the beauty of mathematics. I can’t do that, so I will allow others to ply their skill.
In 1895, Sir Robert Anderson, a gifted biblical scholar and mathematician, was head of Scotland Yard. He wrote an article in which he calculated the amount of days necessary to fulfill this prophecy in Daniel 9. It came to 173,880 days.
Here is where we need to fasten our spiritual seat belts and observe the fantastic beauty of God’s intricate timing. Starting with 3/14/445 B.C. and going 173,880 days we come to April 6, 32 A.D. Do you know what day that was? The first “Palm Sunday” when Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praises of His followers.
Throughout this week I would like to examine the deeper meaning of what this week of weeks means to the true believer of Jesus Christ. Let us begin by meditating on the fantastic fulfillment of prophecy given to Daniel over ninety years before the decree was issued on March 14, 445 B.C. WOW!!!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 24, 2018 | Daniel
Daniel 1:8
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
You can view photographs of crowds from past eras and notice that everyone appears to be dressed pretty much the same. They conform themselves to the styles of those they spend time with. No big deal — right?!
While conforming to the clothing styles of the time (within the limits of propriety) may be acceptable, conforming to the sinful practices is not. There comes a time of personal decision making where our walk with the Lord and conforming to His righteousness overrules being like everyone else.
This does not mean we will be popular with those around us. In fact we may be forced to spend time alone. I have experienced this many times in my own life. The thing I have discovered is that it is during these forced alone times that the Lord has seemed the closest to me.
I think it is past time for the people of God to draw a line in the sands of popular opinion and do the right thing. Stop conforming to the world and be transformed into the spiritual servant God wants you to become (Romans 12:2).
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 21, 2016 | Daniel
Daniel 2:22
“He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.”
There are so many things that I know little or nothing about. When I read about the study of micro-biology, I am stunned by the unseen world that comes alive under powerful electron microscopes. To be able to view the photos taken by giant telescopes of the deepest reaches of the heavens astounds me even more.
Even the most brilliant scientists are continually surprised by the newest discoveries. The most enlightening thing is that God not only knows all of these things, He is the One who created everything!
To my way of thinking, it is far better to know the God who created all things than to try to know something of the things that He made with the word of His mouth. Godless scientists have established a theory of how things were created. They ridicule those of us who hold to the theory of God’s creation. Man’s theory is based upon rejection of God. God’s Word gives us a positive theory that has been confirmed over and over again with each new discovery.
God knows all things. As we trust in Him we will have the answers that matter for time and eternity. Just remember this — GOD KNOWS!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
