by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2015 | Daniel
Daniel 3:16-18
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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.”
How does God work? Many times He does not answer in the way we desire or at the time we want Him to act. Many times God does answer the prayers of His children, but at other times He allows His grace to be sufficient through the trial.
The brother of one of my high school classmates shared a wonderful testimony. He and his wife wanted to move across the state to a larger city to be closer to her parents, but they realized that they did not have enough income for the move. After much prayer he decided to start paying a tithe on the salary he felt they would need to make the move. He expected any day to have his employer increase his salary. Instead, he was terminated. What a blow!
A few days later another company called and offered him a position in the very city where they wanted to live. The salary was exactly what he had been tithing for. As the three Hebrew children told King Nebuchadnezzar, God is able to perform miracles — but even if He does not answer the way we would like, He knows what is best!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2013 | Daniel
Daniel 3:17-18
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 need to constantly remind myself of 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. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 23, 2010 | Daniel
Daniel 3:17-18
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Walt was hunched as low as possible behind a stone wall. There were enemy shells falling all around him and several of the men in his unit had been killed or wounded. It was at this moment Walt fired off an emergency prayer — “Lord, if You let me live through this ordeal, I will give my life to You.”
Basically the same type of “fiery furnace” prayer can be uttered in reference to any number of ordeals: “If You save my marriage.” “If You heal my loved one.” “If You bless me financially.” “If You …” You get the picture, don’t you?
The fact of the matter is that most of these “fiery furnace” prayers are not the kind of prayers that lead to salvation. Sadly, most of those who pray this type of prayer end up living more for the devil than the Lord to whom they were praying.
What kind of prayers should we be praying? Not those that include some type of condition, but like these three Hebrew men in today’s Scripture demonstrated. They knew the Lord could save them, but even if He didn’t, they were committed to remain faithful to Him. Wow! How is your fiery furnace faith?
Be blessed dear heart and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 21, 2009 | Daniel
Daniel 6:4b-5
“They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’ ”
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? Recently I heard of a man in s position of spiritual leadership who spoke with great spiritual conviction from the pulpit. Later with his family he was bitter and critical.
The unfortunate thing is that a young man who had been suspicious of believers had been persuaded to attend church. He was seated in front of this man and his family. The leader’s actions so grieved him that he now wants nothing to do with hearing about God.
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. The King knew the evil intent of Daniel’s accusers and they, along with their families met an untimely death.
As we examine our own life 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!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 11, 2009 | Daniel
Daniel 10:10-12
“A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.'”
Have you ever experienced times of uncertainty in your life? I recall a major juncture in my life that required much prayer and fasting. I had a very successful career as a criminal justice planner. In fact, I was Deputy Director of our agency. But God seemed to be calling me into active ministry.
The problem was that I did not receive an immediate answer. What did I do? I kept right on inquiring of the Lord. In a way it was frustrating, yet at the same time it drew me closer to the Lord than ever before.
It was weeks of soul searching and waiting for God to lead the way. When the answer came it was a little scary because it was something that had not been done before. It was during the lunch hour and I had been praying and studying the Bible at my desk. I felt the Lord leading me to write something down on a card:
1. Your Senior Pastor will ask you to become a part of the pastoral staff.
2. He will ask that you begin on a part-time basis. (There were only full-time associates at our church).
3. You will be asked to serve as Pastor of Discipleship.
I felt a strange feeling of peace sweep over me. I knew that I was simply to rest in the Lord and allow Him to work out the details. I had no idea how He would do it. It was a few weeks later following the evening service that the Senior Pastor asked me over to the parsonage for a snack. At that exact instant the Holy Spirit spoke in a clear way: “Be sure to take the card!”
We had a bite to eat and it seemed like the Pastor was acting a little uncomfortable. He finally blurted out, “I would like to talk with you about something.” I knew it was time to step out in faith so I slipped the card from my pocket and placed it upside down on the table.
He proceeded to ask, “Will you consider becoming a part of the pastoral staff on a part-time basis and to serve as Pastor of Discipleship?” I asked him to turn the card over and notice the order that I had been directed to list them. We both wept with joy that the Lord was in control.
When we pray, the Lord hears, but it may be weeks, months or perhaps even years before we hear His voice. His timing is always perfect and His plans for our life are for our good and His glory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 7, 2009 | Daniel
Daniel 9:25-26a
“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. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.”
The portion of today’s Scripture that I have underlined (Messiah shall be cut off) is worthy of careful consideration. It is easy to read through a passage of God’s Word without pausing to understand what is meant. This was the day in the Passover when the lamb for the sacrifice was to be “cut off” from the rest of the flock.
I can recall attending rodeos where there was an event that featured sheep dogs. Upon a command the dog was to “cut off” a specific sheep from a flock of sheep and herd it into a pen.
Jesus knew His time had come in accordance with prophecy. Just as the people “cut off” the Passover Lamb to be examined before the Seder Dinner (His Last Supper), so Jesus was cut off to be examined and found faultless. He was the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.
After a week of vicious attacks by the religious rulers, they brought their false charges to Pilate. He listened to their charges and knew they were bogus. In spite of the lack of justification to condemn Jesus, Pilate gave in to them, but washed his hands condemning a “just” man. In other words, Jesus was found to be the faultless and perfect Lamb of God.
How does this affect us? It is glowing evidence of the sinless nature of Jesus. Every other man, woman and child was tainted by the sin-stained blood of Adam. Jesus was sinless in every way. He was the only One who could pay the price to set us free from Satan’s control. By His blood we can be set free from the death sentence of sin. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
