Do you ever feel like a failure? ~ Kay Arthur

Has Hope Become a Stranger?

Has hope become a stranger in your life? Do you look about you...within you...and hurt?

Do you hurt because what you wanted in life has become an impossible dream? Is your hope gone because it's too late to make your dream come true? The mold is cast, you'’re poured into it, and the clay is hardened.

...Maybe hope is gone because a phase of your life is over; never to be relived-only replayed. And every time it's replayed, your hopelessness increases.

...Maybe hope is gone because you're an adult now. You'll never be a child again, but you want to be, to have another chance, another start. You feel robbed. You look about you, and envy consumes you.

...Maybe your hope is gone because you've discovered children pack up and leave home but never move out of your heart. And sometimes you wish they would. Your pain is enormous. Your hopes and your dreams for them are seemingly shattered. Your relationship is cracked and fragile. You wish they were little again so you could do it differently, but there's no hope; the die has been cast. They'll never be children again.

...Maybe your hope is gone because the doctor has given his diagnosis, and it spells death. You're not ready to face death emotionally, and even financially you wonder how you will be able to afford to die.

...Maybe your hope is gone because the one you loved is gone. The sun still shines; the flowers still come up; the trees still come to life; the stars still sparkle; people still laugh-but when you reach over to take their hand to share it with the one who would understand, they aren't there. You hurt; but you have to go on, and all the hoping in the world won't bring them back.

...Maybe your hope is gone because all you worked for, all you attained, all you saved for, planned for, and found joy in is gone. And you feel ashamed. If only you had known, if only you hadn't done what you did, maybe things would have been different. Hope is replaced by "if onlys"-frustrating, heart-wrenching, self-accusing "if onlys."

...Maybe you've lost hope because you're trapped in a vicious cycle of earning a living, caring for your family, trying to survive and wondering if this is all there is to life. You're busy-maybe even seemingly successful in the eyes of others-but they don't know what's going on inside. They don't know the pain, the hopelessness. You're caught in a whirlpool of life and responsibilities you can't escape, and you know you're going to drown wondering how life would have been different if you'd made different choices.

WITHOUT HOPE? YES...AND NO. Let me explain. Life will never be without pain. When the Bible talks about hope, it never has to do with the "threescore and ten" years we may or may not live. It never has to do with life being the way we want it to be. It never contains a promise of bliss to those who believe. "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." (I Corinthians 15:19). Jesus is not just for this life.

When we live as if He is, we will be most miserable. Miserable and unable to find the deep abiding peace we so desperately long for-peace that can weather any storm, peace that brings hope.

And where does one find this peace? At the cross-His cross and yours.

First they are found at His cross where you have received absolute and total forgiveness for all your sins-past, present, and future. If you have no peace because of your sins, no hope because of what you did yesterday and beyond, if you think you cannot go on-there is only one place you can change all that, and it's at the cross of Jesus Christ. Start reading the New Testament and don't stop until you finish. As you read, mark every reference to the cross of Jesus Christ and write down what you learn from God's Word. As you write, ask yourself if you are going to believe God or not? Are you going to walk by what your heart feels, your mind thinks, your body craves, others say? Or are you going to believe God?

It is that simple—and that hard. Simple in that believing is all you have to do; hard in that you have to make a choice to believe and not let go no matter what. Simple. Hard. But not impossible!

Either you believe what God did at Calvary and what He said and promised to those who would believe and receive His Son, or you don't. If you believe, you will have hope-hope that has to do with the end result of these "threescore and ten" years, realizing that life doesn't end at death: It begins!

Seventy years is nothing in light of eternity, yet we live as if it's everything. All this brings me then to the second cross I mentioned-yours (and mine). When Jesus calls us to Himself for salvation, He calls us to a cross-ours. He calls us to "death"-death to self in any and every shape and form. He says, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me."

If you will purposely deny self and take up your cross and keep on following Him, then no matter what life may bring, there is hope, because at the cross you and I look beyond the pain and disappointment to the end result-the joy that is set before us, the promise that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom God foreknew, He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son...." (Romans 8:28:30). Only the cross-first His, then ours—can conform us into His image.

Oh, Beloved, embrace the cross, for then your hope in Christ will move beyond this present life, and you will be of all men most envied; for your hope will not be in this life, but in His life-His life in you, His life through you, and your life with Him forever. Then you will walk as more than a conqueror, and you will know a peace which passes all understanding. There is hope, at the cross. Weeping endures for a night-weep, but know joy does come in the morning. Spring follows winter. He promised.

More thoughts on suffering ~ Greg Laurie (Blog)

More thoughts on suffering

Tomorrow night, I am speaking in Orange County on the topic of suffering. This will be the second part of my message on the topic.

Here are a few more thoughts from my message from last week.

I pointed out that suffering is inevitable. No one gets a free pass. The fact of the matter is that you are either coming out of a storm or headed into another. It’s just a matter of time.
In this life, the only way to avoid suffering is to die.
What you want to do is get ready now, so you will have a proper biblical foundation and can properly process and react as these challenges come into your life.

Prepare ahead of time

As Randy Alcorn says in his book If God is Good, “Most of us don’t give focused thought to evil and suffering until we experience them. This forces us to formulate perspective on the fly, at a time when our thinking is muddled and we’re exhausted and consumed by pressing issues. People who have ‘been there’ will attest that it’s far better to think through suffering in advance.”
In other words, be prepared ahead of time!

Avoiding storms

Paul reminds us that we are to “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts, and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other” (Colossians 3:16).
But we would rather not do that, because the topic of suffering is difficult and uncomfortable.
Suffering is one of those things we all want to avoid if at all possible. If you are flying and you see a storm, you try to fly around it, not into it.

But here’s the reality—sometimes you simply cannot do that. Your life can be going reasonably well one moment, and then it changes in a flash.

That certainly happened for our family.

Good things out of suffering?

Here is one of the “good things” that come out of crisis and suffering. You turn to God with a dependence like you have never had before, like a child running to their mom or dad and burying their face in their shoulder.
And you know what? God is there waiting for you with the strength, peace, and love you need. Not necessarily with all the answers you may want, but He is there.
One of the things you “treasure” in suffering is knowing God’s presence as you do. Your faith begins to grow stronger.

Use it or lose it!

Faith does not grow through ease and comfort. It grows through challenge, conflict, and difficulty.
Faith is like a muscle in that it gets stronger through use, not neglect. If you do not use your muscle, it can atrophy.

We have a choice in life—use it or lose it!

The Bible reminds us, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4 THE MESSAGE).

Sacrificing Our Children-Then and Now

Do you realize that when you choose to take a life in abortion, that when you choose to, to offer that baby, so to speak, that’s in your womb as a sacrifice to your own desires and have the baby put to death that you are inviting death, that you are bringing judgment upon the land? Beloved, you can’t do that and get away with it. It’s a lie. It’s a deception if you think you can.

O Precious One, did my words just literally stab you? Did they stab you because you’ve had an abortion, because you’ve murdered a child? And we can’t say that abortion is anything else than having a child put to death. That’s all it is.

It is murder. And if it stabs your heart, I just want you to know that before I go on, there is forgiveness with God. You can hear truth. For me to lie to you, and tell you that it is something else would be to deceive you. It would lead to your shame. It would lead to your judgment.

If we recognize our sin, if we confess our sin, if we return to God then His arms are open wide to heal us, and He will do that. But I cannot keep silent about abortion when it is going against what God has ordained, when it is taking a life.

Now I’m not going to be teaching on abortion today, but I’m going to show you, in a sense, how the children of Israel were sacrificing their children to false gods, and what the consequences of that was. We are looking at Jeremiah chapter 7, 8 and 9.

We’re looking at his message to the people. And the message is this, do not be deceived. Don’t be deceived. You’ve got to understand that God is a God of lovingkindness. He is a God of justice. He is a God of righteousness, and He has to act according to who He is.

Don’t trust in deceptive words and think, “„[Oh] …the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD..” (Jeremiah 7:4) And that you can get away with it. You cannot get away with it. And if you name yourself “Christian,” and you are living in continual overt sin, when you are disobeying God, you need to examine yourself to see if you’re really a child of God. Don’t be deceived. Don’t be deceived. Now you say, “But my friends are telling me.” Do you know what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15? [Don’t be deceived, evil companions corrupt good morals.] (PARAPHRSE 1 Corinthians 15:33) Don’t be deceived. You go to the Word of God, and you see what the Word of God has to say.

Well in Jeremiah chapter 7, I stopped at verse 32. He’s talking about how He’s going to have to judge them, how He’s going to put His wrath on them. And then He says, in verse 31, He says “„[You] have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn [your] sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it [didn’t] come into My mind..” (Jeremiah 7:31)

It didn’t come into My mind. It would never come into My mind that man, that I have created, as Genesis 9 says, in My image (See Genesis 9:6) should ever be put to death, should ever be murdered. I didn’t come into My mind. It says “„Therefore, behold, days are coming,. declares the LORD, „when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of…Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place..” (Jeremiah 7:32)

Now what’s going on? Let’s just stop and think about it. I wrote a novel, a historical novel. It’s really a true story in novel form. And in that novel, I bring out this child sacrifice that Israel got involved in. They were worshiping these false gods. And the false gods said, “Okay, if you want a fertile land then you give me the son of the child of your womb. You want more children, you give me the firstborn.” The firstborn belonged to the Lord. But what they were doing is they were taking their firstborn, and they were sacrificing it. And what you see is ancient drawings of what this is like. And you see a ramp going up, and at the end of that ramp was the god. And the god sometimes is just an open mouth, and there’s a fire inside. And the person comes and, and brings their child by the hand as a sacrifice to this god. A god that is no god, a god that can’t do anything, a god that had to be constructed with their hands, a god that is a figment of their imagination, a god that can’t do anything about their fertility or infertility because he’s a creation of man.

So they take that child by the hand. They put the hand of the child in the priests’ hand, the priest of Baal. He takes the child by the hand, leads the child up the ramp, and throws the child into the fire. This is Topheth. This is the valley of Hinnom. It means “a place of fire, a place of burning” where they are offering their children.

And my contention is this, that when you and I turn from a true knowledge of God, a true understanding of His Word, and we’re going to see that they had the law, but they didn’t pay attention to it. But when we turn from that, we turn into deception. We turn to idols. We deny the reality of one God, one absolute sovereign, One who is righteous, One who is just, One who is lovingkindness. We deny that.

And so we turn from the knowledge of God, and we exchange truth for a lie as Romans 1 says. (See Romans 1:25) We serve the creature more than the Creator. We bow down to statues, and false ideas, and that, and we worship them. We give obedience to them. And when we do that’s idolatry. And idolatry leads to immorality, and immorality leads to perversion, homosexuality, lesbianism, the man leaving the natural use of the woman, men with men and women with women. And that leads to a reprobate, a depraved mind that there’s no right, there’s no wrong, there’s no absolutes. You can read about it in Romans chapter 1. (See Romans 1:24-28)

And so when they do this, see it is logical that you’d get rid of this thing that’s in your abdomen, that’s an inconvenience to you, or an inconvenience to your partner, or an inconvenience to your husband. So you just go and offer your child. So He says, “okay, I’m gonna turn it even from a valley of burning, that’s where Gehenna comes from. It was where the trash and the refuse were cast out, and where the fire was going all the time. I’m gonna turn it to a valley of Slaughter. It’s not gonna be just burning. It is going to be blood, blood all over the place.”

Listen to what He says. Verse 33 of chapter 7 of Jeremiah. “The dead bodies of [these] people will be food for the birds of the sky and…the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away..” (Jeremiah 7:33) Their bodies are gonna be strewn all over this valley of Hinnom, this valley now of Slaughter. And the animals will come in and tear and eat the flesh. The hyenas will sit there and eat the flesh. The birds of the air will come down and be on their bodies. And you will see the vultures having their pick and filling their beaks. He says this is what’s going to happen. And who’s going to do it? God is going to do it. God is. He says, “„Then I will make to cease from the cities of Judah…from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom…the voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin..” (Jeremiah 7:34)

Now listen to me very carefully.

When we go after deception what happens is it ruins a land. It ruins a people. It ruins lives. You can just see what’s happening in the United States of America. Families are ruined. I mean the traditional family, the model of the wife taking care of the home, and the children, and the husband. She’s out now having a career. The kids are being raised by someone that’s not their mother. And you say, “Their grandmother can do it.” You know what? God didn’t ordain for grandmothers to raise the children of their children. The parents are supposed to raise the children. We’re all askew. And because we’re askew we have a lot of people that are suffering.

The voice of joy is going to be gone. The voice of laughter is going to be gone. It says in chapter 8, verse 1, “„At that time,. declares the LORD [God], „they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah…the bones of [the] princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves..” They’ll go, and they’ll dig out the bones and, “„They will spread them [in the valley]…..” (Jeremiah 8:1-2) Now listen, to a Jew a bone, a piece of that person’s body is very very precious. The enemy will lay them out. They worship the sun. They worship the moon. They worship the host of heaven. The Jews have worshiped the same thing. They’ve been deceived. They haven’t believed that God is God, and they’ve followed the gods of the cultures around them. And it says, these gods “„…which they have served…which they have gone after…which they have sought…which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered…,.” the bones, “„…or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground. And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains…..” (Jeremiah 8:2-3)

Isn’t that awful! They would choose death instead of life. Why? Because they were deceived. Don’t be deceived. Listen to this message and come right back.

Welcome back, Beloved. You know this is not easy to listen to, is it? I know it’s not easy, but I want you to know it is so essential. It is so absolutely vital. We’ve got to deal with reality. We’ve got to deal with sin. We’ve got to call sin sin. It’s not an issue. It’s not your little problem. And we all have little problems. It is a sin. And sins can be forgiven. And you can be set free from sin. And that’s what’s so great about it. That’s what God is all about. Well all those bones are laid out, but there’s gonna be a remnant. Everybody’s not gonna be killed. And in verse 3 of Jeremiah 8 it says, “„And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in…the places [in] which I have driven them,. declares the LORD….”And so what are you gonna say to those people that did not die? “„You shall say to them, “Thus says the LORD, „Do men fall and not get up again…?.”.” They don’t lay there unless they’re dead. They try to get up. It says, “„“…Does one turn away [from God] and not repent?..”

You see the message of Jeremiah is, you have forsaken Me. Return to Me. I will heal you. I will forgive you. I will restore you. I will restrain My hand of judgment. He says, “„Why then has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in continual apostasy…?.” (Jeremiah 8:3-5) I keep tapping you on the shoulder. I keep speaking to you. I keep shouting to you. You should return. But why do you walk in continual apostasy? Apostasy means that you once held something true, and now you’re turning away from it and acting like it’s not true. Well, you may hold something as true, then you turn away from it and you act like it’s not true. But all of a sudden you come to your senses, duh! It is true, and so you return. But they’re not returning. Now why are they not returning?

Remember our subject this week is deception. What is it like? Where does it lead? Why the deception? And so then He says, “„Why then has this people, Jerusalem, turned away…,.” and you want to mark it. Remember we’re marking “return,” “turn away”. “„…In continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse…..” (Jeremiah 8:5) They dig in their heels. I’m not going to do it. I am not going to do it. And enfolding their arms, and digging in their heels, and holding on, they’re going to destroy themselves. He says, “„I have listened and [I have] heard…..” And you know what? “„…They have spoken what is not right; no man repented of his wickedness, saying “What have I done…?”.” He says, “„…Everyone turned to his [horse, to his] course, like a horse charging to battle..” (Jeremiah 8:6) They just got on the horse and they just ran this horrible, horrible course. He says, look, “„[Even the stork]…..” Have you ever seen a stork? They’re very interesting. They don’t have babies in their mouths, by the way, no little
and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration…..” They know hey, it’s time to go. He says, “„…But My people do not know the ordinance of the LORD..” (Jeremiah 8:7) These people are holding fast to deceit. You go back to chapter 7, in verse 3 and verse 8, they are trusting in deceptive words. Now they don’t know God. They don’t know the ordinance of God.

And listen to me, the ordinance of God is the Word of God. It’s the way of God. It’s the law of God. It’s the commandments of God. And if you don’t know the ordinance of God, and you don’t understand who God is then you think, “Okay, I’ve done it. I’ve made my bed. I’ve got to lie in it. I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life because I had an abortion I will always think of myself as a murderer. My life is ruined. I can never get over it. I will remember the baby I killed all the days of my life.”

You can get over it. And I don’t mean that to sound cruel, but I’m saying that this is what Christianity is all about. This is what God is all about. It’s about forgiveness of sins. It’s about a new life, a new start. It’s about [forgetting those things that are behind and pressing forward to the things that are ahead.] (PARAPHRASE, Philippians 3:13)

But you don’t know it because you don’t know the ordinance of God. You’re running by what your heart feels. You’re running by what your mind thinks; and you’re mind isn’t thinking straight. It’s not thinking according to the Word, the ordinance of God. All the way through the Scriptures God is presented as the Redeemer, as the Forgiver, as the Restorer, as the One who is “hesed,” who is lovingkindness. He says “„How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us…?”.” (Jeremiah 8:8) They think they’ve got it made ’cause they’ve got the temple of the Lord, and hey, they’ve got the law of the Lord. They’ve got the scroll. They’ve got the inside stuff. They’ve got the record of God speaking to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all these men. They’ve got it. So they think, “Hey, I’m wise. I own the Bible. I’ve read it once or twice. Well, maybe not all the way through, but you know, don’t talk to me about reading it daily. I’ve read it, you know. It’s okay.” He says “„How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us.? …behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie..” (Jeremiah 8:8) The scribes were the ones that copied the law. The scribes were the ones that were like the lawyers that would debate the situation according to what they knew of the Word of God ’cause people didn’t have their own copy of the Word of God. So it says, “„….Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD…..” He says, “„…[so] what kind of wisdom do they have?.” (Jeremiah 8:9) See, when you’re deceived, you think you’re wise, and you don’t know how stupid you are. You don’t know how deceived you are. It says, so this is what I’m gonna do. “„…[I’m gonna] give [your] wives to others, [I’m gonna give] their fields to new owners; because [even] from the least [of them in Jerusalem, in Judah] to the greatest [of them] everyone is greedy for gain…..” (Jeremiah 8:10)

It’s all about me. It’s all about having more. It’s just give me, give me, give me. And when you look at the United States of America no nation could have more than America. And even the poorest of the poor aren’t poor like the people in other countries. It says, “„…[Everyone practices deceit] everyone is greedy for gain; from the prophet…,.” the one that’s supposed to be the spokesman from God, “„…even to the priest…,.” the one that’s supposed to serve in the temple, “„…[they] practices deceit. They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, saying, “Peace, peace” [when] there is no peace..” (Jeremiah 8:10-11)

False prophets are going around saying, “Hey, God’s not gonna judge us.” What is he doing? He’s deceiving them. And in his deceit here are people that are broken. Broken and they can’t be healed because he’s saying “Peace, peace” and there can’t be peace without righteousness.

Last Words at the Last Supper: Part Two ~ WOW 7 minute Bible

Last Words at the Last Supper: Part Two

John 15:12-16:33; Psalm 109:30-31; Proverbs 20:5

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.'

If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

"And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

"But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."

Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying."

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?

Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God."

Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.

And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

John 15:12-16:33

WORSHIP

I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.
Psalm 109:30-31

WISDOM

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 20:5

Able to laugh at yourself yet?~Chuck Swindoll

1 Samuel 15

When it comes to mistakes, we need a great deal of tolerance. And a sense of humor doesn't hurt, either.

I ran across an embarrassing mistake recently in the sports section of the newspaper. A volleyball coach was being featured, and the article went on and on about her background, superb ability, win-loss record, and style of coaching. The next day, tucked away in a much less obvious place, was a one-sentence apology, which said that the coach was, in fact, a man, not a woman. Ouch!

Who hasn't happened upon one every once in a while in a church bulletin? One of my all-time favorites was the announcement letting people know about a "sing-in" following an evening service. Unfortunately, this is the way it appeared: "There will be a sin-in at the Johnson home immediately following the pastor's evening message on 'Intimate Fellowship.'"

There are even a few human-error scenes in Scripture that strike me as nothing short of hilarious.

Among my favorites is the one tucked away in 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul was commanded by Samuel, very clearly, that he should not only destroy the Amalekites, but also every living creature in the region of the Amalekites. He went, he saw, he slew . . . but instead of total annihilation, he captured the king and also spared a lot of the animals.

When Samuel heard of the king's disobedience, the prophet showed up and asked why. Saul lied. "I have carried out the command of the Lord," he said.

Samuel's line is classic: "(You obeyed, huh?) What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

Can't you just picture it? All the time old Saul's mouth was moving, there was this strange mixture of animal sounds in the distance. No, his sin wasn't funny . . . but the way he got caught red-handed was. The animals told on him!

So long as there is humanity on this old earth, there will be mistakes and failures. If you can't tolerate those who make them, I'd suggest you stop making them yourself!

General John Sedgwick did. In fact, his last words were spoken while looking over the parapet at the enemy line during the Battle of Spotsylvania in 1864. With great gusto he sneered, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist---"

Remember, when it comes to mistakes, we need a great deal of tolerance. And a sense of humor doesn't hurt either.

God's timing ~ Mark Balmer

Based on “Under HIS Influence - Yes, Lord” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 10/3-4/09,

Message #MB391; Daily Devotional #2 - “God's Timing”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction): God's timing. So often we wonder, what is God's timing? Many times God's timing is more dependent upon us than we think. The moment God speaks to us is God's timing. When He speaks, He expects us to respond, “Yes, Lord.” The results of our “Yes, Lord,” may take some time. However, there is always a purpose. (Acts 8:26-40) When God spoke to Philip, he had to travel quite a distance before he saw why God spoke when He did. God knew when Philip needed to leave to be at the exact spot to meet the eunuch while he was reading the exact spot in Isaiah where it talks of the suffering servant. When God spoke to Philip, well, that was God's timing. That is when he needed to respond, “Yes, Lord.” Through his obedience many came to know the Lord.

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): When God spoke to Abraham, and God said he had to leave his country and God would make his descendants into a great nation (Genesis 12:1-4), Abraham did not yet have any children. God spoke, and it was another 25 years before Isaac was born. Abraham obeyed right away, and he left. Yet, he did not do it in full obedience. He took his nephew Lot with him. He was supposed to leave his family behind. This caused him many problems down the road, like giving up the choicest land and having to save Lot out of Sodom. Later Lot's descendants would cause the Israelites many hardships. You see, God wants to hear, “Yes, Lord,” not “Yes, Lord, but I think...” Abraham could have saved himself and his descendants much grief by obeying fully what God had spoken to him. The story did not end there for Abraham. God used the successes and failures of Abraham to grow him into the man he needed to be, so he could be the father of the nation of Israel. That is why God waited 25 years to bring Isaac. There were many things Abraham needed to learn and experience before he was ready to say, “Yes, Lord, I trust you, and I will obey you fully and do it your way.”

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): In the past you may have been just like Abraham, hearing God, yet not following through the way God had directed. There is still hope. The failures are not a complete waste. They show you God's plans, along with His timing, are always right. How you respond reveals your own character and your relationship with God. The more you trust and obey God, the more He will prove Himself faithful. The more you realize He is always faithful, the easier it becomes to trust Him. It was that way with Abraham. The longer he obeyed the Lord, the more he came to trust Him. It took 25 years for Abraham to get to the point where he truly trusted God in all things. If you do not obey, you will never get to the point where you really trust Him. This shows you trust yourself more than you trust the Creator of all things. Has God spoken anything to you through Pastor Mark's sermon series “Under His Influence”? How have you responded, “Yes, Lord, or Yes, Lord, but..., or no?” The only correct answer is the first answer, “Yes, Lord.” If not then, now is the time to change your answer and start trusting Him. If your answer has been, “Yes, Lord,” get ready for the awesome things you will experience when you see Him work through you. However, in any case be ready to put your faith, trust, and hope in Him and say, “Yes, Lord,” as He continues to speak to you today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life.

Cultivating (Additional Reading): Genesis 12:11-20; Genesis 13:1-11; Genesis 22:1-18

Have you prepared for your departure?~Barry Werner

October 7th, 2009 in 2 Samuel, Change/Innovation, Communication Skills, Decision Making, Long-Range Planning, Old Testament | leave a response

Leaders who fail to plan for their departure invite trouble on their team. Read 2 Samuel 2:4-11.

Saul could have been a hero if he had cooperated with God in preparing David to succeed him. Instead, Saul’s death led to all kinds of turmoil over who would be the next king. Despite Saul’s knowledge that God, through the prophet Samuel, had anointed David to be the next king, he viewed David as someone attempting to seize power. Saul’s decision not to aid his nation in finding their next leader after his departure caused the people of Israel several years of confusion after Saul’s death.

Transitions often bring difficult times for unprepared teams. Truly wise leaders prepare a succession plan that protects their team should something accidental or intentional i.e. retirement happen to change the makeup of team leadership. The following truths about your team will help you plan for transitional change:

• Change makes people feel insecure. Leaders must look ahead and prepare their team for transitional changes that do not have a specific date on them.

• A team can live without certainty but they cannot succeed without clarity regarding future direction.

• Wise choices today give a team confidence concerning a leader’s choices and recommendations for the future.

• Teams that have participation in the transition process have confidence in the process.

• Effective communication keeps a team from believing every rumor from other sources.

• Keeping your word today earns a leader trust and credibility concerning the future.

If you were not available to lead your team tomorrow and in the days to come for any reason, would your team continue to perform at a high level or would there be conflict at the top?

Jesus is our example of faith ~ Bob Hoekstra

Jesus is the ultimate example of faith.

Numerous times throughout these hundreds of meditations, we have examined the relationship of "humility and faith" to "growing in grace." Such repeated opportunities assist us in apprehending the means of living day by day by grace. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble…we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (James 4:6 and Romans 5:2). For a number of days, we have been considering humility and grace. In a recent meditation, we saw that Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. Now, we begin to give considerable attention to faith and grace. Concerning faith, we begin where we left off with humility—with Jesus as our example. Again, we will see that Jesus is the ultimate example of faith.

Our present verses are a prophecy involving the Father and His Son, the Servant Messiah, who would go forth to provide God's gift of salvation. "And now the LORD says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant." An angel would eventually announce this prophecy as coming to fulfillment. "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). The confession of the Messiah is also given here prophetically. "My God shall be My strength." When the Son would leave heaven for His incarnation, He would function by faith in the Father. The Father's reassuring words affirm this trust in Him. "Thus says the LORD: 'In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You.'"

The fact that Jesus lived by faith in His Father was a part of His own teaching ministry. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19). Herein, Jesus (who had laid aside the independent exercise of His deity) was exemplifying how man should live in humble dependence upon the faithfulness of God.

Dear Savior, I humble myself before You, expressing my desire to grow in grace. I know that faith accesses grace. Lord, please teach me to place my faith in You, just as You fully relied upon the Father, Amen.

Becoming a child again ~ Mike MacIntosh

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God."
Mark 10:13-14

The great thing about being a Christian is that even if you were the meanest, raunchiest person, when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you, He makes you a whole new person with a brand new disposition; like a child. You see, He makes you gentle and tender towards the things of the Lord -- things that cause you to build up those around you, not tear them down. He gives you the kind of faith and patience that is so far beyond your understanding, but that you can feel every day. Instead of tromping on people and chewing people up, or spitting people out and hurting them, you are looking for every opportunity to bless another person. That's the kind of faith and trust that a child has.

God's plan for you wasn't to be an alcoholic, a drug addict, or a lustful person. His design was that you would be like Him. God's love is so powerful and full of healing. Religion wants to nail you down and say, "Okay now, you're going to live with the guilt of this forever." But the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you allows you to simply live by faith as a child. Yes, we will make mistakes, just like a child does. But like a child, we come to our heavenly Father, confess to Him that we sinned, and repent; then He forgives us. We don't have to carry the guilt around. We can live happy, full of joy and enthusiasm--just like a child!

God says when it is over ~ Raul Ries

It’s Never Over Until it's...

“And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.” Daniel 11:45

The Battle of Armageddon will take place in Israel, where the armies of the world will converge on the plain of Esdraelon, around the hill of Megiddo (the valley of Megiddo). The area is located in northern Israel about twenty miles south-southeast of Haifa.

The Antichrist’s desire is to destroy the people of Israel. However, he finds that he has to fight some of the nations of the world who have risen against him. Since the beginning of time, Satan has been trying to destroy God’s people. Though he has inflicted damage, he has never totally destroyed God’s chosen and he never will. God protects His own- and that includes you and me! Maybe your enemies are trying to harm you right now? Take heart- God is your defense and He will see to it that you are not destroyed!

Thought for the Day:

“And when we think that the battle is almost decided against us, we shall hear the trumpet of the archangel and the voice of God.”

–Charles Spurgeon

Are you moving? ~ David McGee

Acts 13:14

"But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down."
NKJV

Life Lesson

The church should always be on the move.

In this verse, we see that Paul is being active in his faith. Remember the name of the book is the book of Acts. The church should be the most creative and most powerful force outside of God Himself. It is the vehicle through which God is moving. I do not believe that God is interested in maintaining the status quo while so many slip off to an eternity without Him. What about you? Are you moving? Are you moving in the right direction of loving, serving and worshipping God? I pray that we are never content with 'church as usual'.

Dear Lord,
It is an exciting thing to see You moving in people throughout the book of Acts. It is more exciting to realize that the God moving in the book of Acts is the same God who is moving in His church today. Lord, it is You. Help me to be on the move with Your church. Thank you Lord that I can play a part. Help me to find my part. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Twitter proverbs from Rick Warren

• Paul's last request:Bring my books! 2Tim4:13 In Dec-begin a wkly webcast on essential books.Began mylibrary@16. 20,000volsabout 7 hours ago from web

• Show me ur library& I'll predict ur future in ministry.Cant build without tools! I buy used hardback instead of new pb.about 7 hours ago from web

• WorshipWars arent new.Benjamin Keach wrote "A Breach Repaired" in1691 His controversial innovation? Congregational sInging!about 12 hours ago from web

• @Ann Dunagan- AMEN Rick! God isn't Republican, Democrat- or even American! His heart is for the WHOLE WORLD & HIS KINGDOM!about 19 hours ago from web

• Joshua:"Are you for us or for our enemies?" Angel:"NEITHER! I'm commander of God's army"Josh5:14 Pastors cant be partisans!about 19 hours ago from web

• Balance ur preaching:“Edification,Exhortation & Comfort”1Cor.14:3 BUILD UP(doctrinal)FIRE UP(motivational)HOLD UP(pastoral)12:29 AM Oct 6th from web

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• If u look at the world,u'll be depressed.If u look within, u'll be distressed.If u look at Christ,u'll be at rest.-CTenBoom5:02 PM Oct 4th from web

• People tend to believe the parts of the Bible they like & ignore/deny what doesnt fit their system.U cant box in God!2:17 PM Oct 4th from web

• Sex is far more than a physical connection.You give yourself.Tell teens they don't make a condom to protect your heart.10:06 AM Oct 4th from web

• http://twitpic.com/k388k - How'd you like to have this usher greeting at your services?7:35 AM Oct 3rd from TwitPic

• Seminary teaches u to THINK & learn essential tools u dont know u need yet. Just beware "Knowledge puffs up"1Cor.8:1 I7:25 AM Oct 3rd from web

• Kingdom-minded leaders give children's & student ministry PRIORITY "...They ARE the kingdom of God!"-Jesus. Love Next Gen!7:14 AM Oct 3rd from web

• it takes about 10yrs of local church pastoring to lose the arrogance u pick up in seminary,otherwise u likely wont lose it.9:55 PM Oct 2nd from web

• "The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns.Enemies flee!This one thing I know:God is for me!" Psalm 56:9 LB3:58 PM Oct 2nd from web

• It's HOW u live,not HOW LONG that matters; the donation of ur life,not the duration. U choose 2waste, spend,or invest time3:53 PM Oct 2nd from web

• Your creation cost nothing. Your salvation cost God’s son. Your sanctification costs your ego.2:26 PM Oct 2nd from web

• http://twitpic.com/k00p6 - Hell fears the cross. Godloves it.We ignore it.The Cross is I crossed out.All over Saddleback!2:23 PM Oct 2nd from TwitPic

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A season for Whine or Wine ~ Jon Courson

Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-12

There come points in my walk when I say, ‘You know, I’m doing pretty good.’ I get comfortable as apathy begins to creep into my heart. And the Spirit, speaking through Paul, would give this exhortation to me: ‘Jon, the Lord make you to increase. I rejoice in what’s happening in your life, but may your love for Me grow to an ever-deepening measure.’

‘Moab hath been at ease and settled in his lees. Therefore I will pour him out from vessel to vessel,’ saith the Lord (Jeremiah 48:11).

The reference is to the way wine was made in Jeremiah’s day whereby the winemaker would pick grapes, put them in a vat, stomp on them to get the juice flowing, and then pour the juice into a vessel, wherein the wine sat until the lees, or dregs, settled to the bottom.

The winemaker would then pour the wine into another vessel, leaving the dregs behind, where it would sit while more dregs settled. This process was repeated up to six times, until the end result was wine without any dregs — wine which was pure and sparkling.

"I was just getting comfy," we cry, "when my:
Boss said, ‘You’re through,’
Girlfriend said, ‘Goodbye,’
Coach said, ‘On the bench.’"

‘Great!’ the Lord says. ‘I want to refine and use you as the wine of My Spirit flows through you. But for that to happen, there will be regular seasons where you are poured. Otherwise you’ll become cloudy and dull, as you settle in your lees — and I love you too much for that.’

Jesus, the First and Last promise~Bob Coy

So the LORD God said to the serpent: " . . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."-Genesis 3:14-15 (NKJV)

This is the very first prophecy recorded in Scripture. It was personally given by God, it followed mankind's fall in the garden of Eden, it was addressed to the serpent (or Satan), and it forecasted the coming of a unique person. Notice three important features about this promised person.

First, He is identified as the woman's seed. In order for a woman to conceive, a man's seed must be planted within her womb. By mentioning the woman's seed, God declared that this person wouldn't come into the world through the normal course of human conception.

We also see that this figure will bruise Satan's head, which is a metaphor for completely conquering or destroying someone. Consequently, the person in this prophecy will eventually conquer Satan and destroy his dominion of power over mankind. The last portion of this prophecy tells us that Satan will strike back and bruise the heel of his conqueror. The difference between a head wound and a heel wound is significant. The heel wound is a smaller injury, but it is an injury nonetheless.

When we put it all together, we see that this prophecy can only refer to one person-Jesus. His birth was totally unique because He was conceived in His mother's womb by the Holy Spirit, not by a natural man (Luke 1:35). He conquered Satan and destroyed the dominion he held over humanity by paying for the forgiveness of our sin s on the cross (Colossians 2:15). And He was bruised, but not destroyed, in serving as our sin sacrifice: But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV).

Jesus is the main character in all Scripture, including prophecy. So it's only fitting that He has been given the honor of fulfilling the first prophecy.


Discuss with your group the place of preeminence Jesus holds in prophecy. How does the fulfillment of the prophecies mentioned above help you to better understand who Jesus is?

Dig into Genesis 3:14–16. What do these verses disclose about events to come? What do you learn here about the enemy and his future? How do these Scriptures deepen your love and appreciation for our Savior?

Decide with your group to celebrate Christ’s redemption. Challenge each group member to encourage someone this week with his or her salvation story. (To hear more redemption stories, listen to “CR2nite” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ReachFM.org.)

Speaking through failure ~ Charles Stanley

Proverbs 21:4

Probably the most painful and least desired ways that God gets our attention is through failure. After all, nobody likes to fail. However, this is often the best way for God to get through to us.

Pride is something that can absolutely block your communication with God. It is one of the few things that Scripture clearly says the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16-17; 8:13; 16:5). So, if there is pride in your life, God knows exactly what you need: a good dose of failure.

And that is what happened to Israel in Joshua 7. The new nation had just won a mighty victory in Jericho and, as a result, had become rather prideful. Considering themselves invulnerable after taking such a powerful city, they allowed faithlessness and disobedience to creep into their attitudes.

In arrogance, Israel ignored God's battle plan for the little city of Ai?the soldiers were certain that they could take the small town on their own. But they were wrong. God denied them this victory, and the few men of Ai drove them back in a humiliating defeat.

God had blessed Israel with a shocking victory over Jericho, but He now needed to get their attention in another way. And you can be sure that God still speaks to us through failure when it becomes necessary.

If failure today can lead to great success tomorrow, isn't the setback worth it? When unexpected failure occurs, be sure to check your response. Don't just say, "Well, I blew it." Instead, agree with God that "I messed up pretty badly." But then ask, "Lord, what are You trying to tell me in this?"

Seizing opportunity ~ Greg Laurie

None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

— Acts 6:10

Stephen was a young man with a lot of promise. Chosen to be a deacon in the church, he soon was preaching the gospel, and people were coming to faith. That is what got him into trouble when he was brought before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was like Israel's Supreme Court in the first century and could decide whether a person lived or died. If Stephen had been a bit more diplomatic, he might have made it home for dinner that night. But he saw an opportunity—an opportunity to preach the gospel.

It is my belief that Stephen may have even directed some of his remarks to one of them who was known as Saul of Tarsus. But we know the rest of the story: they screamed and ran at Stephen and stoned him to death, making him the first martyr of the Christian church. Stephen's life was short, but he played a key role in the conversion of Saul, whom we know as Paul.

When a young life is cut short, when a life hasn't reached its full potential, we tend to think of how tragic it is, because we all assume we will live long lives. But who is to say how long you or I will live? We don't have any control over two dates in our lives: the date of our birth and the date of our death. There is a little dash in between those dates that we have a lot to say about. But the rest of it, well, that is up to God.

You may live much longer, or you may not. Only God knows. You don't decide when your life starts or ends, but you decide what to do with that little dash in the middle. What are you doing with yours?

From pain to gain ~Joyce Meyer

As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day.
— Genesis 50:20

After Joseph had risen to be second in command of all Egypt under Pharaoh, his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, came to Egypt to buy grain during the famine Joseph had predicted would come. Later, Joseph arranged for his father, Jacob, his brothers, and all of their families to move to Egypt to live out the rest of the famine in peace and prosperity. When their father, Jacob, died, Joseph's brothers were afraid that Joseph would try to take vengeance on them for what they had done to him in his youth. Here in this verse we see Joseph's assurance to them of his forgiveness of their wrongdoing toward him. Actually, we see his good attitude being displayed. Notice what he tells them: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to save many people from starvation."

It is amazing how many times Satan will set a trap for us, meaning it for our harm and destruction. But when God gets involved, He takes that thing that Satan meant to use to destroy us and turns it so that it actually works for our good instead.

My own situation bears this out. I was sexually, mentally, and emotionally abused for many years in my childhood. This was certainly a terrible thing to happen to a child and definitely a work of Satan, but God has worked it out for good.

Prayers's great privilege and Power~Bob Caldwell

Prayer's Great Privilege and Power

9:3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

9:13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.

In these two chapters, we get a behind-the-scenes look into why Daniel found himself at the center of what God was doing in the world in which he lived. He was a man of prayer and a man who lived as a result of being greatly loved by God.

That he was a man so thoroughly given to prayer is all the more amazing when you consider the times in which he lived and the extreme demands placed upon his personal life and time. Daniel lived in a pagan nation that generally showed great reproach for the Jewish people, their God, and their nation (v. 16).

The pagan world had seen the Jewish nation completely destroyed and their people dispersed throughout the entire empire of Babylon. Both the people and their God seemed powerless. Added to this was the continued spiritual unfaithfulness of the Jewish people toward their God.

Yet, none of these things moved Daniel from his passionate and fixed purpose to know God and to be a vessel used by God. This became evident in his complete confidence in God's delight in answering the prayers of His servants. From Daniel's training days as a young man to his transition to power under Persian rule, he stood boldly for God in prayer, living a life in the Spirit of God (Dan. 1:9, 2:17-18, 2:28-30, 5:11-12, 6:5-10). The more Daniel prayed, the more he became convinced that God was much greater than the backslidden Israelites or pagan idol worshippers around him believed Him to be.

Daniel's life is a bold statement of faith in a world of unbelief. Not only that, but his life has thoroughly destroyed the common excuse that we all are just too busy to pray. Few of us could ever claim to have more demands upon our lives than Daniel. He served under the direct command of rulers of two successive world empires. Yet in spite of these demands, he stopped and prayed three times every day, as well as made time for extensive times of prayer and fasting (6:10, 9:1-3, 10:1-3).

Daniel's life of prayer clearly linked the events on Earth to the power of God. Even events prophesied in the scriptures were bathed in prayer and fasting (9:1-2). Even though God had promised the prophet Jeremiah that the Jews would be restored to their homeland after 70 years of Babylonian captivity, Daniel still believed prayer was vital to the process of realizing God's promises. Daniel also clearly realized prayer's power in winning spiritual warfare (10:12-20).

Daniel lived under the same accountability to a life of prayer, as did the prophet Samuel. Samuel believed it was a grave sin against God and His people if he did not pray (1 Sam. 12:23).

When we see Daniel's personal communion with God and commitment to what God seeks to do, it becomes clear why Daniel was described as greatly loved by God (9:23, 10:19). It also becomes clear why Daniel was given such amazing revelation into the foreordained prophetic future of both the world in general and God's people specifically (9:23-27, 10:21).

Tragically, Satan has blinded too many of us to the strategic role of prayer. Make it your prayer to have your eyes and your heart set on fire with the amazing privilege and power of prayer.

Daniel's Prayer for the People

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

8 "O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

13 "As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

16 "O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

8 "O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

13 "As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

16 "O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

8 "O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

13 "As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

16 "O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

24 "Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.

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.

Daniel 10

Vision of the Glorious Man

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come."

15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me."

18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!"

So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."

20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.

Daniel 9:1-10:21

v. 1 First year ? As previously stated, these chapters are not in sequential order.

v. 2 Jeremiah ? Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be conquered by the Babylonians and spend 70 years in captivity (Jer. 29:10) This verse tells us that, as Daniel was studying the book of Jeremiah, he realized that the 70 years of captivity had almost been completed and that the Jews would soon be allowed to return to their homeland.

Desolations ? This is referring to Judah's time in captivity.

v. 3 Set my face ? This is an idiom meaning that Daniel determined to persistently seek the Lord in prayer.

Request ? Daniel is asking the Lord to be faithful to keep His promise to set the Jews free from captivity and allow them to return to their homeland. This teaches us much about prayer as it shows a man that has learned how to pray according to God's will (1 John 5:15).

Supplication ? a request

Fasting ? to abstain from food or drink

Sackcloth ? a coarse material made of camel's hide that caused abrasion and discomfort to the one wearing it; often worn during times of intense prayer

Ashes ? These were often used in conjunction with sackcloth and fasting, during prayer to better enable a person to seek the Lord without distractions.

v. 4. Covenant ? promise or agreement

v. 5 We ? Daniel, recognizing that the judgment of God came because of the sins of the nation, identifies himself with the nation and its sins. He then confesses those sins before making his request for setting the captives free.

v. 7 Countries you have driven them ? The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered in 722 BC by the Assyrian empire. They were uprooted from their country and dispersed throughout the Middle East. The same thing happened to the people of Judah in 586 BC, when the Babylonians conquered them.

v. 11 Curse and oath?Law of Moses ? Daniel confesses that Israel is to blame for what has happened to her, because God warned her in His Law that, if the nation rebelled against His commandments, it would come under a curse, be removed from the land, and forced to live in captivity (Lev. 26:14-46, Deut. 28:15-68).

v. 12 Confirmed ? Everything God said would happen had indeed come to pass. Daniel here is pointing out the fulfilled prophecy has confirmed the Lord's faithfulness to his word and has demonstrated Israel's wickedness.

Such has never been done ? Israel's offenses were all the greater because not only had they done the kinds of wicked things the surrounding nations had but they did them in spite of all the grace and gifts that God had given them.

v. 13 The Law of Moses ? Torah. This refers to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

v. 14 Kept the disaster in mind ? Although He was patient and merciful to Israel, God always remembered the curse He'd promised to bring upon them if they failed to repent. When the time was right, He did bring it upon them.

Righteous ? The Lord is right in what he does, and he was right to judge the nation.

v. 15 Brought you people out of Egypt ? Here Daniel remembers how the Lord saved Israel from slavery in Egypt and brought them out by performing many miracles and fighting on their behalf (Ex. 1-15). He is stating this as a reminder that God has saved His people in the past and can save them again.

v. 16 Turned away ? After confessing the sins of the nation, Daniel now turns to make his request to the Lord.

Holy Mountain ? Jerusalem

Reproach ? Disgrace. In this case, Daniel is saying that the nation has been so disgraceful that they have become a mockery to the nations surrounding them.

v. 17 Face to shine ? This is a Hebrew expression meaning "to look favorably upon" or "to treat well and provide blessing for."

Your sanctuary ? The term sanctuary means Holy Place and is used to refer to the Temple of God in Jerusalem.

Desolate ? The Temple had been destroyed in 586 BC by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and, at this point, lay in ruins.

v. 18 Incline your ear?open your eyes ? Here Daniel is using anthropomorphism, a figure of speech ascribing human characteristics to non-human beings.

Not?because of our righteous deeds, but your great mercies ? Daniel asks God to save Israel not because they have done anything to deserve it, and not because He owes it to them, but because God loves Israel and wants to save them.

v. 19 Your own sake ? In saving the nation, God would show Himself merciful towards His people and mighty to save. This would teach people of the greatness of God.

v. 21 Evening offering ? Although the altar in Jerusalem had been destroyed and no sacrifices were being offered in Israel at this time, the Jews organized their prayer time around the same schedule. The evening sacrifice was done at 3 pm.

v. 23 Command ? As soon as Daniel started praying, God commanded Gabriel to go and deliver a message to him. This shows God's willingness to respond to prayer.

I have come to tell you ? Interestingly, God responds to Daniel's request by giving him a vision of what is to come later. Daniel asked for the Jews to be saved from the captivity and God shows how He will save them from their sins.

v. 24 Seventy Weeks ? The term "week" in Hebrew is shabua and denotes any ordering of seven. The Jews used the word much like we use the English word dozen. It does not necessarily refer to a period of seven days, but could refer to any period of seven. Most commentators believe that this is referring to 70 periods of seven years, which would equate to about 490 years total.

Determined ? Just as God determined to have Israel in captivity for 70 years, He now has a new plan determined for the people of Israel that will take about 490 years in all. In what follows in this verse, Gabriel is delineating what all is to be accomplished during this 490-year period.

Your people ? specifically the nation of Israel

Your holy city ? Jerusalem

To finish transgression, to make an end of sins ? God will forgive Israel of their sins and will sanctify them and turn them into the holy people He intended them to be.

Reconciliation ? To reconcile is to take two things that have been separated or divided and bring them back together again. Israel had been separated from its God and at the culmination of this 490-year period they would be reunited.

Everlasting righteousness ? God's plan will result in Israel being made completely righteous forever. It would never again fall into sin as it had in the past.

Seal up vision and prophecy ? This, in essence, is saying that after this 490 years there will be no more need for visions and prophecies. This statement carries with it the idea that all visions and prophecies ultimately have their culmination in this 490-year period.

Anoint ? Mashach means to pour oil upon one's head as a sign of setting him apart for something. This was typically done to a man that was appointed to the office of king or high priest in Israel.

Most Holy ? Interestingly, this is a term typically used only of God, but is here used in reference to the coming king, indicating that that king would be God Himself.

v. 25 Command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem ? In 445 BC, about a hundred years after this prophecy, the Persian king Artaxerxes Longimanus issued a decree that the walls of the city of Jerusalem be rebuilt.

Until ? This purpose of this prophecy is to give Daniel a timeframe within which to expect the final salvation of his people. Just as Jeremiah had prophesied that they would return to the land in 70 years, Daniel would prophesy that Israel's ultimate salvation would take place over this 490-year period.

Messiah ? A Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one." This word is derived from the Hebrew word Mashach, mentioned above, and is used of both kings and high priests, as those were the two traditional offices in which the officeholder was anointed.

The Prince ? Nagiyd. This term speaks of one that holds authority or command in any of various ways. It can be translated as chief, commander, or king, as well as Prince. Combined with the previous word, this phrase is clearly meant to refer to a descendant of David that would inherit the throne of Israel. The Jews expected that this Messiah would be a king that would set them free from foreign oppression and give this final salvation to their nation.

Seven weeks and sixty two weeks ? This verse is saying that from the time that the decree is given to rebuild the city of Jerusalem (which came in 445 BC), till the coming of the Messiah the King, there would be 471 years. These 471 years are reckoned rather than the 483 years, because the Jews used a lunar calendar that only had 360 days in it rather than the 365¼ of the solar calendar. Counting down from 445 this brings us to the year 27 AD. Most modern scholars believe that Jesus was born sometime in either 6 or 5 BC, which would make him 33 years of age in about 27 AD. This astonishing prophecy predicts the time of the death of Jesus Christ from the vantage point of Daniel, who died 530 years before Jesus was even born.

v. 26 The sixty two weeks ? It seems that since, in the previous verse, it counted the period of time as 62 and seven, it here uses the definite article "the" to let the reader know that the period of time he is talking about is the same mentioned in the previous verse. He does not mention the additional seven years, because he assumes his reader knows what he is talking about.

Cut off but not for himself ? This tells us that the Messiah will die and that His death will not be a result of any wrongdoing on His part. It also implies that His death will benefit others. All of this was perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ around the year 27 AD.

People of the prince who is to come ? The prince mentioned here refers to the future Antichrist, but the people being mentioned are the Romans that would destroy the Temple in 70 AD. They are referred to as the people of the prince who is to come, because they are inspired by Satan and his minions, just as the Antichrist would be.

Destroy the city and the sanctuary ? This must refer to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.

Flood ? This is a metaphor explaining that the destruction will be swift and total, much as when a flood comes sweeping down.

Desolations ? A term often used by Daniel in speaking of the desecration of the Temple of God.

v. 27 He ? Presumably this is referring to the "Prince who is to come" from the previous verse and is most commonly identified with the coming Antichrist.

Confirm a covenant ? It is thought that the Antichrist will make a pact with the Jewish nation during the period of the 70th week. It is generally assumed that the Jews will consider him to be their Messiah.

One week ? This refers to an indefinite period of time that passes between the 69th and the 70th week of Daniel. As this period of 490 years deals with the ultimate salvation of the nation of Israel, the concept is that the 70th week of Daniel will not take place until after the church is raptured from the earth and the nation of Israel again becomes God's chosen representatives on earth. This 70th week is generally regarded as the last seven-year period, which is referred to as "The Great Tribulation." It is common in Bible prophecy for gaps to exist between events being prophesied in the same passage. Isaiah 11:1-11, for example, is another passage that speaks both of the first and the second coming of Christ in one prophetic passage.

Middle of the Week ? During the first 3½ years of this period, there will be relative peace and prosperity in the Antichrist's kingdom, but then he will change his attitude toward the nation of Israel and begin blaspheming God and desecrating his Temple, which will have been rebuilt at this time.

Abominations?desolate ? Several times in the book of Daniel the idea of abominations and desolations are identified with the desecration of the Temple of God. It is sometimes used in reference to Antiochus Epiphanies, once in reference to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, and again here in reference to the fact that the Antichrist will desecrate the Temple of God that will have been rebuilt before the end of time (Matt. 24:15).

Consummation ? An end. This is saying that this prince and his evil deeds will reach a point of culmination at which he will not be able to work his desolations any longer.

Determined ? God has determined beforehand the role that this prince will play and how far He will allow him to go. At His ordained time, God will judge him.

Poured out ? A metaphor describing the judgment God is going to bring on this prince and his worldly system.

Desolate ? This is referring again to the prince.

Daniel 10

v. 1 Cyrus ? Cyrus the Great was the first of the Persian line of kings and was renowned among the Jews for releasing many of them and allowing them to return to their homeland. The books of 2 Chronicles (36:23) and Ezra (1:2-4) tell us that Cyrus also issued a decree to the Jews that they should rebuild the Temple of Yahweh that had been lying in ruins for 70 years. Isaiah prophesied about these events in his own book (44:28 ? 45:7), some 200 years before Cyrus was even born.

Appointed time was long ? This prophecy was concerning events in the distant future.

v. 2 Mourning ? We do not know why Daniel was in mourning at this time.

v. 3 No pleasant food ? Daniel ate only vegetables during this time, avoiding meat and wine and other delicacies, so that he might give himself to prayer and remain free from distractions.

Anoint ? People often used oil in their hair for cosmetic purposes and would refrain from doing so during periods of fasting and mourning.

v. 4 Tigris ? One of the two great rivers of the Middle East, the other being the Euphrates, both of which empty into the Persian Gulf.

v. 5 Linen ? Heavenly beings are commonly clothed in white linen, indicating purity.

Uphaz ? Not much is known of this place, but it is apparently well known for its yield of gold.

v. 6 Beryl ? a hard gem of a greenish blue color

Voice of a multitude ? All of these physical descriptions are meant to inspire awe and mystery.

v. 9 Deep sleep ? The vision of this being put Daniel out of his conscious mind. This was the same effect Gabriel had had on him in chapter 8.

v. 11 He ? The speaker does not identify himself by name, but is typically assumed to be Gabriel, as he was sent as a messenger to Daniel twice before. This physical description fits that given of Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:13-16. These similarities exist because the descriptions given are merely general terms used to describe glories that cannot be adequately described in human language. As such, the physical appearances between Christ and Gabriel may not seem all that different to a human being.

v. 12 First day ? Daniel had been seeking the Lord in prayer for three weeks, and the Lord responded immediately by dispatching one of his lieutenants to come and help Daniel in some way.

Because of your words ? This shows that prayer does indeed change things. This angel was sent because Daniel began to pray.

v. 13 Prince of the Kingdom of Persian ? As in 9:26, this is not a reference to the physical king of Persia, who was Cyrus at this time, but to the demonic force that controlled and influenced him. This demonic being worked to hinder the movements of God's messenger.

Twenty one days ? God's messenger was held up for 21 days. This shows us that there is much more going on in the spiritual realm that affects our physical reality than we are aware of.

Michael ? The only other angelic being mentioned by name in the Scriptures besides Gabriel.

Chief Princes ? It is not entirely clear what role Michael plays amongst the heavenly host, but he is one of the foremost authorities over the angels of God, and certainly a very powerful being, as he was able to help this messenger break free and get to Daniel.

v. 14 The Latter days ? days far into the future

v. 15 Speechless ? Daniel could not speak on account of the shock he had received by this encounter.

v. 16 Likeness of the sons of men ? This is simply stating that the being in question looked like a human being.

v. 17 How can this servant?talk? ? The vision of the being had made him keenly aware of his own sinfulness and unworthiness to stand in the presence of a holy God.

v. 20 Prince of Greece ? As with the Prince of Persia, this is referring to the demonic power behind Alexander's kingdom that would shortly come to exert itself against the Persians.

v. 21 Scripture of truth ? This is referring to the prophecies of this vision, which is God's word and would be included in the Scriptures.

Michael your prince ? Traditionally, Michael, the chief of the angelic armies, has been thought to have the specific responsibility of protecting the Israelite nation, and, as such, would fight against the Prince of Persia and Greece to protect God's people.

Prayer Focus

"Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." –Daniel 9:3

"As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth." –Daniel 9:13

Many things get in the way of spending time in prayer with You, Lord. And that is not only sin against You, but it is failing to receive the blessings that only come from prayer. Convict us with Your Holy Spirit, God, and make us men and women with the desire and diligence to pray as Daniel did.