Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing … Find us Faithful … poignantly singing of the faithfulness of Christians, many of whom died for their faith, can inspire others to see the One True God.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Daniel 6:26-27 [NLT} … USE THIS LINK …
… Because of Daniel’s faith in the lion’s den, King Darius, came to see and believe the power of the one true God.
============== Highlight Passage [context]: Daniel 6:19-28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Daniel’s faithful stand inspired the Persian King, Darius, to believe in God.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 16:33 [NLT] …
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
… Satan’s world will come against Christians; but we must believe that Christ has overcome the world.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 6:10-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to stand in faith against the wiles of our spiritual enemies.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Hebrews 11:1-2 [NLT] …
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
… Real faith - on display - shows the power of God to overcome the world.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, observed an historical display which helped her illustrate the faithfulness of Daniel as an example of standing for God in the face of life-threatening danger. The ODB author wrote: When I visited a museum in Chicago, I saw one of the original Striding Lions of Babylon [see attached photo]. It was a large mural-type image of a winged lion with a ferocious expression. Symbolizing Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war, the lion was an example of 120 similar lions that would have lined a Babylonian pathway during the years of 604–562 bc.
Historians say that after the Babylonians defeated Jerusalem, the Hebrew captives would have seen these lions during their time in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. Historians also say it’s likely that some of the Israelites would have believed Ishtar had defeated the God of Israel.
I'm confident that my Christian readers are familiar with the highlight passage [i.e., from Daniel 6], describing Daniel's courage and faithfulness to God in the face of being thrown in the lion's den because he would not bow before idols and renounce His God. And because of his strong faith, God not only saved this man of faith from the lions; but his faith influenced King Darius to believe in the one, true God.
In today's world, the oppression of Christians is on the rise, ... even with many being martyred by descendants of those who oppressed Daniel. And even here in the USA, the so-called “land of the free,” those who are faithful to Christ are experiencing threats to our religious rights of expression. In essence, we are being threatened by a type of "lion's den," aren't we?
SO, ... what are we to do? Do we have the faith sung about by Steve Green in today's linked song? Will we be able to stand faithfully in the battles of faith which lie ahead? I certainly pray that we will confidently face any “lion's den” in our day and show the world that our God is THE ONLY GOD!!
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Bolster my faith to be able to stand for Your Name when I am challenged by Satan's world … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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