Growing up into the full measure of Christ (Including preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and setting the captives free) & Embracing our New Identity in Him
Wednesday April 1, 2020 Daily Bible Goodness and Faithfulness of God
47 thoughts on “Wednesday April 1, 2020 Daily Bible Goodness and Faithfulness of God”
Goodmorning Saints! I was thinking of God’s faithfulness in the midst of fiery trials today. Specifically of Daniel 3 today and the story of the fiery furnace. If you can take a few minutes to read through all of Daniel 3 to get the context… I will post a specific verse shortly.
My window of time here today may be being interrupted at some point so i may have to leave the discussion early. just a heads up in case I’m not commenting.
KC
Daniel 3 “16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
“we have no need to answer you in this matter”.. jumps out to me. Right now, the government has forbidden the gathering of the saints. I am wrestling with this. On some matters, it would seem that we are accountible to God and not to the governing body. I get the feeling that if they had bowed the knee to this king that they would have actually lost some far more valuable with God.
“He will deliver us out of your hand”. They were fully convinced God would but still submitted if He didn’t. Reminds me of Abraham walking up that mountain prepared to sacrfice Isaac believing that God would resurrect him. The post I added today is all about clinging to living in the flesh. Perhaps this is an example where clinging to being physically alive was the wrong answer. And of course the influence that these men gain after this experience is monumental.. more importantly the glory given to God immense
This is an example of the government mandating something for everyone to abide by.. These three had decided well beforehand and were bold to express what they would serve and not serve! I feel in serving my Lord I must have the same set of spirit as we go into the days ahead.
KC
So either way whether God saves them from the fiery furnace or not,they would not bow down to the image. I love the first verse where they tell the King that they don’t have to answer to him. I love their confidence in that, I can only pray that I would have that courage and confidence if in a similar situation.
Exactly.Right now I don’t feel in isolating myself temporarily is ‘bowing down ‘ in any way because the saints still have the means to ‘Gather’ together to worship , encourage each other and speak and listen and be in the Word together albeit virtually. I can foresee the time though 9and I was just talking with my husband this morning about this where if the gov’t mandated that everyone had to b vaccinated or take something into their body in order to go to a grocery store ,to buy and sell …I would be loath to do that. So in talking to the Lord about this I’m wanting to be very clear about what bowing down to things other than Him looks like specifically.
KC
next verses WEB “19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, “Didn’t we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
Matthew 10:18-23 King James Version (KJV) “18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
So interesting that from God’s perspective, being imprisoned and brought before the authorities is really an opportunity to share the good news. He has promised to be with us and provide us even with which words to speak. I cannot imagine facing what they faced and yet scripture says that in the last days, the persecutions etc will come with such force that even the elect couldn’t stand it if it lasted too long. There are no guarantees that we will not have to face similar testings
For me it strikes me again that these men had a pre-established relationsihp and understanding of God that their hearts were settled and they were pre-prepared to face these things. Truly God is faithful and I believe even now is preparing each one of us for the things to come.
Reminds me of Psalm 65:5 NLT “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
O God our savior.” and Psalm 91. When we put our trust in God, truly nothing can harm us. See also Luke 10:19
It’s interesting that the King was so angry and that he even had them heat the furnace 7 times hotter, killing the men who threw them in. I wonder if this was by God’s design to show that nothing that man can do is strong enough to overcome His might and power. Different than with Pharaoh, King Nebuchanezzar’s heart did not harden.
..and the furnace was so hot those throwing them in were affected which implies that even before the three were thrown in they were immune to the heat and flames?
KC
In musing about ‘ could I face the threat of torture or being burned alive etc if faced with denying the Lord…these passages are a real comfort and answer because Yeshua showed up and they were spared pain and destruction. I have often wondered if this sort of thing happened for Stephen as well as he was being stoned to death.In this case though Nebuchadnezzar changed the laws to reflect his belief in the God they were serving.
KC
I think that maybe one of the keys is the pre-decision, so that it is already decided that I will not deny Christ no matter what the consequences of that might be.
Wendy
Amen! I think so too. In Jeremiah it talks about setting our face like flint. What an incredible opportunity we have right now to set our faces on God and determine in our own hearts to not be swayed regardless of what comes
I cannot begin to imagine the shock of every witness to see those men walking around in that furnace. Can you imagine the fear of the Lord that must fall in a circumstance like this. And yet it took God’s people walking in obedience and potentially to their deaths to bring this revelation to the King. Everything changes because of their willingness to believe regardless of potential harm to themselves. WOW!!!
Yes! A HUGE WOW! I believe God is pouring out His grace even during these present circumstances to settle us in our faith and bring about that willingness as you’ve said to believe regardless of the potential harm to ourselves…yet in the news this morning a church pastor has been charged who allowed His congregation of more than 50 to gather together, disregarding that in gathering they were potentially harming others ….I question whether he was being lead of the Spirit and so it makes me all the more intense about really hearing from God when the scenarios get specific like this.
KC
next passage Daniel 3 WEB”Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire. 27 The local governors, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies. The hair of their head wasn’t singed. Their pants weren’t changed, the smell of fire wasn’t even on them.28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Seriously… total reversal. Thing reminds me so much of Daniel and the lions den. Men plot against God’s people. They stay the course and refuse to bow and submit to anything other than God and then the Lord gets magnified in a huge way, the king is brought into revelation of the Lord’s Majesty and Sovereignty and the whole nation is impacted in a radical way. God’s faithful ones are promoted to positions of immense authority and influence. This is a repeating theme
He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
In the midst of fiery testing Gods Presence was with them.
Rob
Yes that comforts me to think that God’s presence was with them in the furnace. I doesn’t seem like they knew He would be with them before it happened. The story of Stephen, even though it ended differently, was quite clear that His presence was with him in that time of him being stoned to death.
Wendy
VS 29 is amazing. Because of the faithfulness of these godly men, the king makes this amazing decree and now this whole pagan nation is brought into a forced reverencing of God. The things we do can truly impact whole nations and the course of history as we walk with God.
Amen! Yet it took them facing situations where they literally had to lay down their lives and …take no thought for their lives in order to bring about these immense reversals. I doubt that this pattern will change and therefore it’s so important to be seeking Him to prepare us . Bring forth your remnant Lord!
KC
Romans 6:12-14 King James Version (KJV) “12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
This reminds me that clinging to life can actually lead into disobedience and rebellion against God. Hard truth for us to relate to but better to be out of the body and with the Lord than living, in the body in rebellion against God.
2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. 3 For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, [a]appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Rob
Healing and Discipleship 
Goodmorning Saints! I was thinking of God’s faithfulness in the midst of fiery trials today. Specifically of Daniel 3 today and the story of the fiery furnace. If you can take a few minutes to read through all of Daniel 3 to get the context… I will post a specific verse shortly.
Good Morning everyone!KC
Give me a moment technical issue
Good morning everyone. A beautiful sunny day. Wendy
My window of time here today may be being interrupted at some point so i may have to leave the discussion early. just a heads up in case I’m not commenting.
KC
Morning Wendy. Yes ,very thankful for the sun! KC
Daniel 3 “16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
I am part way through watching this video by Audrey Mack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wflJqUnJnD8&t=972s . The answer of these men is something else? Thoughts?
“we have no need to answer you in this matter”.. jumps out to me. Right now, the government has forbidden the gathering of the saints. I am wrestling with this. On some matters, it would seem that we are accountible to God and not to the governing body. I get the feeling that if they had bowed the knee to this king that they would have actually lost some far more valuable with God.
“Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
I Love that. Our actions will speak.
Rob
“He will deliver us out of your hand”. They were fully convinced God would but still submitted if He didn’t. Reminds me of Abraham walking up that mountain prepared to sacrfice Isaac believing that God would resurrect him. The post I added today is all about clinging to living in the flesh. Perhaps this is an example where clinging to being physically alive was the wrong answer. And of course the influence that these men gain after this experience is monumental.. more importantly the glory given to God immense
This is an example of the government mandating something for everyone to abide by.. These three had decided well beforehand and were bold to express what they would serve and not serve! I feel in serving my Lord I must have the same set of spirit as we go into the days ahead.
KC
So either way whether God saves them from the fiery furnace or not,they would not bow down to the image. I love the first verse where they tell the King that they don’t have to answer to him. I love their confidence in that, I can only pray that I would have that courage and confidence if in a similar situation.
Wendy
Exactly.Right now I don’t feel in isolating myself temporarily is ‘bowing down ‘ in any way because the saints still have the means to ‘Gather’ together to worship , encourage each other and speak and listen and be in the Word together albeit virtually. I can foresee the time though 9and I was just talking with my husband this morning about this where if the gov’t mandated that everyone had to b vaccinated or take something into their body in order to go to a grocery store ,to buy and sell …I would be loath to do that. So in talking to the Lord about this I’m wanting to be very clear about what bowing down to things other than Him looks like specifically.
KC
next verses WEB “19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, “Didn’t we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
Matthew 10:18-23 King James Version (KJV) “18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
So interesting that from God’s perspective, being imprisoned and brought before the authorities is really an opportunity to share the good news. He has promised to be with us and provide us even with which words to speak. I cannot imagine facing what they faced and yet scripture says that in the last days, the persecutions etc will come with such force that even the elect couldn’t stand it if it lasted too long. There are no guarantees that we will not have to face similar testings
For me it strikes me again that these men had a pre-established relationsihp and understanding of God that their hearts were settled and they were pre-prepared to face these things. Truly God is faithful and I believe even now is preparing each one of us for the things to come.
Reminds me of Psalm 65:5 NLT “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
O God our savior.” and Psalm 91. When we put our trust in God, truly nothing can harm us. See also Luke 10:19
It’s interesting that the King was so angry and that he even had them heat the furnace 7 times hotter, killing the men who threw them in. I wonder if this was by God’s design to show that nothing that man can do is strong enough to overcome His might and power. Different than with Pharaoh, King Nebuchanezzar’s heart did not harden.
Wendy
Oh my yes… it really doesn’t matter how “hot” the wrath of man or anything else burns against the one God protects.
..and the furnace was so hot those throwing them in were affected which implies that even before the three were thrown in they were immune to the heat and flames?
KC
In musing about ‘ could I face the threat of torture or being burned alive etc if faced with denying the Lord…these passages are a real comfort and answer because Yeshua showed up and they were spared pain and destruction. I have often wondered if this sort of thing happened for Stephen as well as he was being stoned to death.In this case though Nebuchadnezzar changed the laws to reflect his belief in the God they were serving.
KC
I think that maybe one of the keys is the pre-decision, so that it is already decided that I will not deny Christ no matter what the consequences of that might be.
Wendy
Amen! I think so too. In Jeremiah it talks about setting our face like flint. What an incredible opportunity we have right now to set our faces on God and determine in our own hearts to not be swayed regardless of what comes
I cannot begin to imagine the shock of every witness to see those men walking around in that furnace. Can you imagine the fear of the Lord that must fall in a circumstance like this. And yet it took God’s people walking in obedience and potentially to their deaths to bring this revelation to the King. Everything changes because of their willingness to believe regardless of potential harm to themselves. WOW!!!
Yes! A HUGE WOW! I believe God is pouring out His grace even during these present circumstances to settle us in our faith and bring about that willingness as you’ve said to believe regardless of the potential harm to ourselves…yet in the news this morning a church pastor has been charged who allowed His congregation of more than 50 to gather together, disregarding that in gathering they were potentially harming others ….I question whether he was being lead of the Spirit and so it makes me all the more intense about really hearing from God when the scenarios get specific like this.
KC
next passage Daniel 3 WEB”Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire. 27 The local governors, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies. The hair of their head wasn’t singed. Their pants weren’t changed, the smell of fire wasn’t even on them.28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Seriously… total reversal. Thing reminds me so much of Daniel and the lions den. Men plot against God’s people. They stay the course and refuse to bow and submit to anything other than God and then the Lord gets magnified in a huge way, the king is brought into revelation of the Lord’s Majesty and Sovereignty and the whole nation is impacted in a radical way. God’s faithful ones are promoted to positions of immense authority and influence. This is a repeating theme
The parable of the talents echoes this in the NT as well from Matthew 25
He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
In the midst of fiery testing Gods Presence was with them.
Rob
AWESOME!!!!
Yes that comforts me to think that God’s presence was with them in the furnace. I doesn’t seem like they knew He would be with them before it happened. The story of Stephen, even though it ended differently, was quite clear that His presence was with him in that time of him being stoned to death.
Wendy
Excellent point and powerful example that live or die being obedient is the thing and trusting God utterly.
VS 29 is amazing. Because of the faithfulness of these godly men, the king makes this amazing decree and now this whole pagan nation is brought into a forced reverencing of God. The things we do can truly impact whole nations and the course of history as we walk with God.
So much happens in our walk with God. Lineage and heredity sins are ended and new avenues are created by God through us.
Rob
Truly a rabbit hole to be explored and understood in greater measure
Amen! Yet it took them facing situations where they literally had to lay down their lives and …take no thought for their lives in order to bring about these immense reversals. I doubt that this pattern will change and therefore it’s so important to be seeking Him to prepare us . Bring forth your remnant Lord!
KC
vs 28… also very interesting.. they yielded their bodies (even unto death)..
Romans 6:12-14 King James Version (KJV) “12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
This reminds me that clinging to life can actually lead into disobedience and rebellion against God. Hard truth for us to relate to but better to be out of the body and with the Lord than living, in the body in rebellion against God.
2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. 3 For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, [a]appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Rob
Colossians 3
Rob
Yes the kind seemed quite impacted by that fact, that they were not afraid to die for what they believed.
Wendy
Blessings friends, Lots to think about.
Thank You Lisa!
KC