When The Lion Roars...

 When The Lion Roars...

Daniel 6

When the lion roars, he can be heard from 5 miles away.  He struts like a king who dominates the area.  His roar is to claim territory and strike fear into all.  Size is not a deterrent. His prowl is calculated.  He is wise and selective. He is fierce and fearless. He can jump over 35 feet high and he's extremely strong. He has a posse, and he's out for blood. He's known as the king of the jungle.  He hunts everything.  No one dares to silence him, except God!

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

In the lion's den, Daniel was not afraid because he understood man's limit.  He had seen God do too much for him, to doubt God's ability to do even more.  He feared God more than man. He was innocent. He knew too well that obedience to God was better than sacrifice.

• He had been captured as a teenager and brought to a foreign land. Yet promoted.
• His gang remained healthy on just a leafy diet.
• His friends escaped the fiery furnace uncinched.
• He had seen a most powerful king eat grass.
• He ruled foreigners in their country, in their government.
• He was right when he interpreted the king's dream.
• He was right when he interpreted the writing on the wall.
• He walked in favor with God and with man.
• He had a real relationship with his God.

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Like David, he'd seen Goliath. But he'd also seen God.  He knew that God was able to do far more than any man on this earth could.  After all, God created man.

Isaiah 55:9 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

If you are walking in the will of God for your life, you will have enemies.  Ask Jesus, or Paul.  The men decided to go without food until Paul was dead.  Acts 23 The Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus because HE was too popular. John 11 Herod's wife asked for John's head on a charger. Matthew 14 Jesus told HIS disciples to take up their cross. It's a decision we all have to make.  We have to be prepared for earthly "unfair" judgement when we decide to stand for God's laws.  We make ourselves unpopular when we chose to declare our faith in the face of adversity.  But faith can only come from a place of a true relationship with God.  There's no way around it. Faith is about jumping in and knowing your Father God will catch you.  You have to become like a child when it comes to The Almighty God. You have to step out of your boat into the water and walk towards Jesus like Peter. You have to keep your eyes on Jesus all the way, or you will sink. Are you innocent in God's eyes? Are your eyes focused on Jesus?  Are you committed to God? You have to have your own story of what you've seen God do in your own life.  David saw God rescue him from bears and other wild animals when he was with his sheep. He wasn't afraid of Goliath.  Goliath was just another beast. Goliath was just a pea brain in comparison to God. David understood that God made Goliath as well. He understood that God was in charge. God is always in charge! What have you seen God do? What have you trusted HIM to do? Only God is all powerful!

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God is supreme!  There is no situation that you can ever encounter that is not subject to God's authority. It doesn't matter where you are.  It doesn't matter who or what you are facing. God is always in control of everything. As long as you focus on God, HE will work it out.  Just remember that your most powerful weapon is prayer.  The disciples didn't ask God to show them how to do miracles.  They asked HIM to teach them how to pray. They observed the source of HIS strength. Prayer is the work. Jesus always resorted to prayer. Queen Esther told her people to pray. Esther 4. Daniel prayed three times daily. He went into his house, turned to the window facing Jerusalem and prayed when he realized that they had plotted for his death.  You have to believe that God will work it out.  HE is your help.  Like a shower, you need prayer every day.  It is what it is. When you're not sure what to do - remind HIM of HIS word.  Psalm 121.  The great news is - because of Jesus' finished work on the cross; every power in the earth is now subject to us as believers.  Like a lion, we should be fierce and fearless in our communities knowing that God has given us power to overpower any and every adversary. Know that when we feel weak, that's when we are most strong, because then HE fights for us.  God is our posse. HE is our pride. Greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world.  The same spirit that rose Jesus from the dead is alive in us today.

Luke 10:19

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Faith in God's ability is the ingredient to overcome all fears.  Just imagine the growls of the lions before Daniel was thrown into the den.  Just imagine spending an entire night with multiple lions walking around you.  Just imagine the sight of all the dead bones in the den from prior people. Imagine the awful smells.  Plus, they shut him in with a stone. Yet he survived.  What den have you been thrown into?  Do you have others scheming and plotting, even lying or spreading rumors about you?  Are you surrounded by lions, situations and or systems and people that seem more powerful than you? Remind HIM of HIS word. Psalm 91. Remember, it is always about HIS Glory.  God works it out to draw men unto himself.  In the end, not just Daniel, but a whole nation that needed 120 satraps to lead them, now bowed to the Almighty God.  Daniel did not complain. Instead, he gave thanks. His relationship with God was more important than what others thought of him. We do not always understand God's agenda, but we ought always to give thanks. When you don't know what to do PRAISE GOD.  Like Paul and Silas in prison, praise God.  Your faith, your commitment and obedience to HIM is what matters. HE will open your oppressive gates and give HIMSELF the glory.

Daniel is the only prophet who lived through four different regimes (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus). God did that! HE is sovereign over all. Daniel's enemies and their families were crushed in the lions den.  God caused that. All wisdom and power come from God. Daniel was a 'big deal' in a foreign government. He had seen man's power in comparison to God's.  Proverbs 21.  Inspite of his position, he remained humble and faithful to God. He understood that God could handle any terrorizing situation, by HIMSELF anytime. He understood that God could shut the mouths of any and every enemy power. He understood that all the glory belongs to God. Therefore, God revealed many things to him in dreams and visions.  Ask. Talk to God. Pray continually. Jeremiah 33. If you seek revelation, stay humble.  If you seek justice, turn to God. Draw near to God and HE will draw near to you. At exactly the right time, God will work it out.  God is forever sovereign.  HE will ALWAYS be the last one standing. Nothing and no one is as powerful!  Do not compromise your faith. Never trade obedience to God! It's not worth it!

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TESTIMONY: They Stabbed Me for My Faith but Yeshua Healed My Heart – Pod for Israel

WORSHIP: God Will Work It Out (feat. Naomi Raine & Israel Houghton) | Maverick City Music | TRIBL

When you don't know what to do ROAR GOD'S PRAISE!

The Kingdom of God(pt.2)...It is the Gospel, not the Cross!

The Kingdom(pt.2)...It is the Gospel, NOT the Cross!

Man was created in God's image to have dominion over the earth.  In the garden of Eden man sinned by transferring that authority to the devil when he disobeyed God.  God's way of restoring man's dominion was to send HIS son Jesus Christ - 'The Messiah' to take back rulership from the devil by HIS death on the cross.   

 

Matthew 25: 34 

 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.   

 

Kingdom governance of man on the earth was God's plan all along. That's what God commanded Adam to do when HE created him. The laws of God's Kingdom state that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin.

  

Hebrews 9:22

22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

The significance of the cross

The cross was the means, but the end was the restoration of a relationship and the rulership of the Kingdom of God to man on earth.  A sacrifice was needed, but the blood of animals nor humans wasn't sufficient to redeem man's position, i.e. dominion.  The only sacrifice good enough to appease God the Father, was the blood of  Jesus Christ.  That's why Jesus died.  Jesus died to restore a right relationship between God and man, and to grant us re-access to a right representation of God's dominion on earth.  God loves mankind. John 3 Separate and a part from the fact that HE created man to 'be occupied' with governing the earth, HE wanted to be in a personal relationship with man.  

 

Before Adam and Eve were banished from the garden it was God's custom to 'walk and talk' with them daily. Genesis 3 God cares about man's ideas and well-being.  As a result of God's love towards man HE gave man HIS best, and that's what HE expects of/ from man.  God expects man's best. The Almighty God is firstly interested in man's attitude towards HIM.  HIS possessions are a bonus, not the prize.  The real prize is HIM. Dominion is a possession.  The earth is The Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.  Psalm 24 When Jesus died HE recovered man's dominion from the devil by taking back the keys that our forefathers had given to the devil.  God did not give the devil dominion, man did.  Man did not fall from heaven, he fell from dominion over the earth. 

Matthew 16:19

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Luke 4: 43

43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Mark 1: 14-15

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The reason for our shortfall....

 

Jesus while HE was on earth spoke mostly about the Kingdom of God.  HE only ever spoke once about being born again to an old priest who was trying to understand HIS explanation about the Kingdom.  Understanding and accepting the fact of the Kingdom was of utmost importance.  For, why would you want access if you don't understand it's culture and precepts? And why would I grant it to you if you couldn't/ wouldn't maintain its privileges?  God doesn't want subjects.  HE wants children. We've been misled.  Repentance was/ is primary.  It challenges us to reject our concept of God and heaven and to change our attitudes towards both.  The Almighty God is interested in 'right relationship' with man.  The Jews wanted God and 'The Messiah' for the wrong reasons.  The objective of the Kingdom of God therefore was to attract a 'people with a different motivation and mindset'.  Romans 12 

 

God's motive is love.  HE expects our to be the same. Appreciation for the King and The Kingdom is priority. We are heirs and co-heirs to HIS throne.  Romans 8 If we don't value its privileges we will 'do what Adam did and give it away again'.  God cannot afford for 'that to happen again' i.e. our ungratefulness and nonchalance.  Hence there's a qualification process. Adam and Eve got if for free.  Jesus paid the price for our repossession. But there is a clause. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Hebrews 11 Access to the King and Kingdom of God is via The Holy Spirit.  Jesus introduced mankind to the gateway for our shortfall.  But we needed to understand 'the reason' first.  Nicodemus visited Jesus privately by night and Jesus told him that he must be born again in order to access the Kingdom of heaven.  Jesus focused on faith. Access to God is based on faith in the counsel of The Holy Spirit.  HE didn't preach on deliverance or healing, nor religion, church membership nor condemnation.  HE went about instead proclaiming the gospel of faith in the Kingdom of heaven on earth.  HIS parables continuously alluded to it.  That was HIS mandate.  When HIS disciples asked HIM to teach them how to pray HE said: ...THY Kingdom come, THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6: 9-13

Why is it good news?

In order for man to be reconciled to God and his position, a better way/ system had to be put in place.  Man wasn't understanding his purpose, nor how to maintain it.  Even after the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, and had experienced God's multiple miracles and grace, they constantly reverted to their old way of thinking and doing things as if they were still in bondage in Egypt.  They didn't make it to the promise land; only the children born in the wilderness did.  Yet it was all theirs.  But their mindset was incorrect.  They didn't understand the ways of God's government. They didn't understand god's original intent. They didn't understand God's heart. They didn't understand the value of their relationship with the Almighty God. They complained a lot rather than take charge over their situations.  Constantly they were ungratefully misled. They just didn't get it.  Over and over, men continuously subjected themselves to being ruled, rather than ruling.  God's chosen people didn't understand what God had in mind when HE created them.  They didn't understand 'dominion over the earth, nor the value of their relationship with God.'  

Adam and Eve gave up their 'birthright' before they ever began to really enjoy it.   The devil tricked them, just like in the story of Esau and Jacob.  They didn't understand the significance/value of what they had. That's why Jesus kept alluding to the Kingdom of God, and preached so much about it's value. For instance: the parable of the treasure

Matthew 13: 44-47

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.

The benefits of the Kingdom....

The Kingdom of God gives us personal access to God as our Father, not just King.  God wants our actions to be driven by our relationship and not just our fear. As a result we won't abuse HIS grace, but rather use it to improve our attitudes towards our responsibilities, HIMSELF and HIS Kingdom. We are not to abuse them. The Kingdom also gives us power for change.  It changes our wealth and capabilities.  It is supposed to change our entire lifestyle.  It puts us in a better position, we gain more, we control more, and our outlook is transformed.  We fear less, command more, and give God the glory. For instance: if your bank account is $1 million dollars you are rich until it finishes.  But if you father owns the bank you have unlimited access to money.  Jesus came to change our mindset.  

 

In a Kingdom the King owns everything.  As children of God we are 'stewards' i.e. managers.  Our role is to share and maintain, not hoard.  God's resources are unlimited.  Two fishes and five loaves of bread fed over five thousand people. We are a part of a 'body'.  1 Corinthians 12 God has many children and no grand children.  We all have the same access because of the cross. The Cross is extremely significant.  God doesn't entertain sin.  There's no way we could have access to the Kingdom without the cross.  The Cross is like crossing the Red Sea - the pathway from slavery to freedom; and the Jordan River is our mindset which we have to get over too.  But the Kingdom is Canaan - the Promise Land with all its milk and honey.  Don't get stuck in the wilderness.  It's time to cross over the Jordan.  Claim what God has already ordained for you.  You are entitled to it.  Stop stumbling, complaining, and being distracted; and instead, focus and take charge!

Picture this:  The Cross is the socket.  Jesus Christ is the plug.  The Holy Spirit is the cord. The Good News is the lamp.  The only way to see and experience what's going on in the room (Kingdom) is to use the light from the lamp.  The reason why most Christians live defeated, enslaved lives is because they wander around in the darkness 'feeling for stuff' rather than using the light to enjoy it. Isaiah 9: 1-8

TESTIMONY: God's Kingdom Business "My Journey" Kris Vallotton

WORSHIP: Kingdom Come

Focus on the gospel!

A Week Like This...from celebrating to suffering!

A Week Like This...from celebrating to suffering!

 

What do you do when the picture changes so fast?  How could it have been so great not so long ago and now so drastically different?  Where are you God in all of this?  You said I was blessed, we were blessed.  I had a....job/ husband/ good children/ a home/ money/ my parents, etc... What changed? Things changed! Now it's all just horrific, pain and suffering and so much agony.  God do YOU understand what I'm talking about?  Where are YOU now?  You suddenly find yourself in the middle of a crisis. I want to encourage you to believe that Jesus understands because HE'S been there too.

  

Luke 19: 29 - 38

29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,

“Blessed is the King
    who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
    and glory in the highest heaven!” 

 

Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was greeted with a fanfare, a great pageantry of Hosannas. Yet at the very end of that week the very same crowd shouted crucify HIM! Instead of spreading robes on the ground they have stripped HIM of HIS very own garments, beaten HIM, spat on HIM, and given HIM a cross to carry. At the beginning HE was surrounded by all of HIS disciples and the crowd, yet in the end HE is on the cross alone between two strangers and forsaken by God HIS Father.  Luke 23

It comes with the territory....

 

Know that if you get to live long enough, life is all about opposites.  There will be good and bad days.  Bad days are inevitable. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they were excommunicated from access to God and HIS Kingdom resources in heaven.  God gave Adam dominion over the earth and Adam gave/ lost that dominion to the devil when he sinned.  The devil and his demons have been ruling the earth ever since. Originally the devil and his demons were angels in heaven who rebelled against God.  Since then God excommunicated them from heaven.  They tried to replicate God's Kingdom government in the earth.  They have power and they use it to do evil.  

 

When Jesus came HE brought the original government of heaven which is more powerful than the kingdom which the devil ruled on earth. Isaiah 9 Jesus Christ was sent by The Almighty God as the Messiah to earth to overthrow the devils dominion and give it back to men.  HE  did that through HIS death and resurrection.  The devil only continues to rule territories which men allow him to.  Most men are not used to kingdom government, and definitely not God's government.  Hence, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to teach us how to dominate the earth effectively.  St. John 14 The Holy Spirit is familiar with the nature of God and the culture of heaven. Power of authority to overthrow and control our original domain - the earth is based on our relationship with The Holy Spirit.   Jesus only grants power to those who follow HIS guidelines and leadership representative of the Holy Spirit.  

 

^{St. John 1: 12-13}

¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

 1 Peter 5: 8

 

 ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 

 St. John 10:10

 

 ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

Just as you prepare for a wedding or an examination, so too you should prepare for the bad days, for they will come.  Bad experiences can be so overwhelming and in order to get through them you will need some kind of support; some kind of hope; some kind of 'advanced' plan to overcome. Often times the bigger the situation the bigger the resolution required.  Today I'm proposing God as your resolution.  There is no situation that HE is not equipped to deal with.  

 

The Almighty God is Supreme.  HIS WORD is true.  When the bad days come, God NEVER leaves. God is never in a crisis.  HE created the heavens and the earth. Fear not! Trust God to get you through your bad times.  People will forsake you, but God never will.  HE always has a way of escape. God has no plan B.  HIS plan A always works!  When Jesus was on the cross and HE called out to HIS Father HE knew that HIS Father had a bigger plan and this was all a part of it.  HE knew that HE was in the middle of God's plan, God's purpose. Know that you were created for HIS purpose.  Let HIM direct you.  

 

Psalms 23:4  

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

TESTIMONY: FROM MODEL TO MISSIONARY || My Christian Testimony

WORSHIP:  The Blessing

                       

                      

 

Don't panic - nothing takes God by surpise, absolutely nothing!