If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17-18, KJV)

I have been troubled for a few weeks now and need to bare my heart.

We are in a fight for our souls today! We have heard for years about the armor of the Lord. How it affects us spiritually and physically as we walk with God determines when, why, where, and how we put on the armor. We must take on the whole armor. The thought occurred to me that we can take on the armor, shield, sword, breastplate, belt, and shoes – but until we begin to use them for their intended purpose, they will just be armor.

We have no promise of tomorrow, yet we act like we can wait for a better service, a different type of the move of the Spirit, or wait until someone else ignites the fire of the Holy Ghost before we are moved.

No one else is responsible for your fire. This is a walk between you and the Lord. For years, I have tried to encourage young and old alike to just give your praise to the Lord. Step out in faith, believing and God will meet you and bless you. You can be the fire that ignites the youth group or entire church! Never allow fear or self-concern to hinder the move of God on you.

Who cares what the person next to you is doing? If they don’t want to praise God, that is to their detriment. Perhaps, you can be the encouragement they need to worship! When we meet Jesus face to face, no one else will testify for us. We will individually give an account of our worship, praise, and deeds we have done for the Lord.

What happens if there is an accident and you do not have time to praise or worship the Lord?

What happens if the government comes in like a flood and forces you to decide what you will bow down to?

The Hebrew young men in Nebuchadnezzar’s time had to make that choice. Israel was taken into captivity by Babylon. The Lord handed them over to Syria because of their sin and unbelief. The three Hebrew boys, along with Daniel, were not the only Hebrews that had been taken captive. They took the finest, the smartest, the best of the crop of young people. There had to be hundreds of other young Hebrew men and women who bowed because of fear.

The fire that the three Hebrews were thrown into can be likened to a storm or temptation that comes our way. We can choose to allow it to take control, or we can believe God is in control.

They had no church board or counsel to look to for wisdom. They trusted in the Lord of Hosts! They stated in Daniel 3:17, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King.” What a testimony for us about determination and a focused mind to live for the Lord, no matter what comes our way.

Whether we live or whether we die, as Job stated, God is still in control (Job 13:15).

Read Matthew 24, we will see tribulation to a certain degree. What will we do then? Give up, not trust in the Lord because my friend is not worshipping? We don’t have time to play games with our future or our souls. We will live forever somewhere when it’s all said and done. We need to make a choice now about where we will spend eternity. Jesus is worthy of our praise, we must remain focused with our eyes straight forward on the prize.

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Philippians 3:11-16 states, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

God has already done enough for us to put everything else behind us and live wholeheartedly for Him.

What consumes your mind controls your life. Don’t focus on your adversaries. Focus on God’s promises.

Maybe you’re thinking, I don’t want to make a scene. I don’t want people to think I’m “trying” to be super spiritual. That is not what we are trying to do. We are trying to make Heaven our home, and by giving our whole hearts to the Lord, we’ve made a good start in the right direction.

Our minds and hearts have so much going on, and we may feel that we need “free time,” so we become a recluse on our phones and spend hours playing or reading, and yet our soul is crying out for a touch from the living God.

Everything in life is a choice – make the best choice to live for the Lord.

1 Comment

  1. Tina Suarez

    Ohhh MYYY GOODNESS! Ty, ty, ty! Your devotional for today’s contribution, my SISTER in the LORD, was AWESOME! On time, perfect timing, ON TARGET, for so many for ME to SHARE with, at this time. You, thru God, are awesome! 🙌❤️😊 Thanks!