The Daniel Discipline iii

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. (Daniel 3:19)

God wants to put your faith on display for others to see how much you fear Him and love Him. Fire in the bible often is indicative of one’s faith being judged. Did you study the word, pray, fast, attend church and take advantage of opportunity to strengthen your faith by using it while you had a chance? God never sends us any challenges, which He did not first send us opportunity to prepare for.

Paul states that we move from faith to faith (Romans 1:17) and glory to glory (2Co 3:18). Each faith level is only completed after having stood a testing of your faith and passing it by trusting God in matters that opposed your faith. In other words, no one can see faith in your heart; it can only be seen by what you do in test and trial.

Here, these three young Hebrew boys (around the age of 14 years old) had resist eating the king’s meat in chapter 1, overcame the king’s madness in chapter 2, and now would not bow to the king's music in chapter 3. Here, they are not only met with a fiery challenge to their faith, but the furnace is heated seven times hotter than normal. Their faith is tested to the 7^th power. The number “7” is the number of perfection, maturity, or completion, indicating that their faith was tested to its fullest extent. And what further extent is there when you are faced with death because you live for Jesus? How did these children stand? They determined that the outcome was ASSURED by God’s promises, regardless of the king's determination. God would either deliver them from the fire or through the fire to heaven. The ultimate goal was only AGREEMENT with God's word, will, way, and work. Thus their course was ABSOLUTE: "We will never serve thy gods!"

Yet as Christians, we could never have known the fullness of Christ without the cross. Jesus had His own fiery furnace experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. He says, “Father, I know you are able to make this bitter cup pass from me, but if not, not my will but thy will be done.” And God did not deliver Him. He went on to the cross so that humanity could see all the vigor, vitality, and virtue that adorned His love for God the Father. The cross squeezed out of Him every drop of the saving beauty that calls us to worship Him, like a wine press squeezes the juice out of the grape. John says, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

A young lady told me “Pastor I really want God to use me!” I said to her “You must be talking about use on your terms rather than His; because, every time the enemy’s music plays, you dance; every time the enemy voices a threat, you’re bending and bowing. Sweetheart, just don’t bow at standing time and God will be using you.” The old hymnologist wrote,

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus
Ye soldiers of the cross
Lift high His royal banner
It must not suffer loss
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed

Faith is not easy. Obedience rarely feels good in the moment. Your friends may not like it. Your family may not understand it. But if your faith in God never takes you out of your comfort zone, you don’t have any faith. Crosses always come before crowns, and crowns always come after crosses.

The Daniel Disipline

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)

The popular catch-phrase, "What would Jesus do?" could very well be recast "What would Daniel do?" and you would finish well! The book of Daniel is the youth manual of the bible. The practical book of Daniel is married to the principle book of Proverbs. Daniel puts flesh on the bones of Proverbs.

The Daniel narrative chronicles the entry of the Children of Israel, particularly Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, into Babylonian captivity. The ways of Babylon were quite contrary to the divine Jewish teachings under which Daniel was raised. Daniel simply refused to negotiate any of his godly principles.

The great failure of many Christians is that we have not mastered the Daniel discipline; that is, we have not learned to give up what feels good for what is good. Truth be told, many of us would have more money, more time, more talents, more skills, more degrees, a better marriage, better children and an all together better experience with life and God. If we do the hard work God will reward us with the good feelings later. The wisdom of genuine success is delayed gratification.

The king took the best and brightest of the youth. He commanded that they be fed the Kings meat and the King's wine that they may be broad before the King; that is, that they would experience the provision and the pleasure of serving in the King's court, so that they may embrace Babylonian philosophy. Daniel was determined that he would not compromise to gain the favor of the world. Daniel was determined not to be comforted by worldly pleasures, provisions and philosophy. Discipline is "the strength and wisdom to stay on the course regardless of distraction or temptation. Daniel was determined to consist with what he had been taught in his godly upbringing. Many people die young. The cause of death is stupidity, not the stupidity of not knowing, but the stupidity of not listening. As God told Joshua, "Only be strong and very courageous, to observe and do according to all the law turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go."

Like Babylon, no culture tests all that we've taught our children as does college life. The provision that it promises in the long run, the pleasure it tempts them with daily, and the philosophy it sets them up to buy into are but bate, lined with the trap of compromise. Yet the emphasis throughout the book of Daniel seems to be that even young people can stand for the Lord under political, peer and practical pressure, and they will be the better for it. In fact, it guarantees that they will be use mightily of the Lord.

The king's meat and wine has no place to hook in Daniel, because he is already hooked on God.

Effects of a Close Encounter with God

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, (Luke 1:46)

She was a young girl, born in an insignificant tribe, living in a detested village, betrothed to a poor husband, yet Mary is given a boast by God, “All generations shall call me blessed.”

Mary’s song is known as the “magnificat.” She comes to know the summation of her life as the mother of Jesus Christ. She needs nothing beyond that to be a satisfied woman and a fulfilled person. Her divine utility brings the greatest glory to God and God grants the greatest name and place among women to her. In her place, her soul became a magnifier of God.

The soul is the most primary aspect of a person: one's very existence, his reality. The place where only divine will and purpose can bring joy, peace, and contentment. It is in the soul that the deep roots of purpose feed on the nurture of the divine river. A tree must grow in three directions: first down, then out, only after that can it sustain the upward weight. Many people live in religious ritual but not relational reality. They talk big rhetoric at church but fold under minimal trouble because their soul is disconnected from divine purpose. Moreover, men hate the man's role and women detest their divine assignment of womanhood.

Yet when the soul has found its God-given purpose, one's life becomes a magnifier of God, and the soul is satisfied from all hunger and thirst.

Charles Kingsley says of purpose, “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about [at the core of our being]”

As one songwriter penned, “Use me Lord, in thy service. Draw me nearer everyday. If I falter while I’m trying, don’t be angry, just let me stand. Lord I’m willing to run on all the way.”

Mary encountered God through His holy Angel and discovered deep purpose, a full life, and a high place for time and eternity.

Who is This Baby

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

I read somewhere of a little boy and girl who were singing their favorite Christmas carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans." "No," his sister corrected, "not beans, peas."

The fact of the matter is that many do not know the true meaning of Christmas. We do not understand its import, its impact, or its infinity. The import of Christmas is Jesus Christ, the sinless babe born in the manger, which grew up as a perfect man for the single mission of paying sin’s price of death. The impact was that through him believers are saved. Any man snatch from hell and bound for heaven is because of Christmas. Finally, its infinity: Christ is forever. The kingdom of God is populated with those who believe Jesus was born the savior of the world. And of that Kingdom, Isaiah says, shall be no end.

It is ironic that the word Christmas, literally means a “Worship Service for Christ” and it was the original tradition of Christians to go to Church every Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Yet today it seems that this is in large part a thing of the past. Christmas is celebrated without Christ. The import has become family and friends, the impact has been indebted shoppers and retailers’ bottom lines, and infinite treasure has been traded for temporal trash.

Why not become an agent of change in your own family? Before you open one gift, take a few seconds and share with your family the real meaning of Christmas in a very easy and simple way, by reading those Classical verses from Luke 2:7-14,

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Merry Christmas

Supplication in Prayer

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1Jn 5:14-15)

There are four aspects to devotional prayer. Someone created an acrostic that is very helpful in remembering all four aspects: A.C.T.S. "A" stands for "adoration"; "C" stands for "confession"; "T" stands for "thanksgiving," and "S" stands for "supplication."

When considering prayer "supplication" is what usually come to mind. Supplication is to humbly entreat or petition God. The paradox of partition in prayer is that He already knows what you will ask for, what you need, what He will and will not give you before you ask. Simply put, prayer is not about informing God about anything. As Jesus said, “your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask him.” So the question this raises is obvious: Why pray? Why go through this ritual? Beyond simple OBEDIENCE to God, beyond the PRIVILEGE of speaking to your heavenly Father and creator God of the universe, and beyond the fact that our prayers are a UTILITY in God’s plan and program, the ironic thing about supplication is that it is not about God being informed about you but about you being informed about God. In partitioning God the believer experiences the mind of God.

Prayer is not designed to change God’s mind; prayer is designed to bring the believer in line with God’s mind. John is clear on what we can be confident of God doing. Every believer has the right and privilege to finish his partition in confidence of what God’s immediate and present will is; because, he or she is experiencing it. The idea here is that having made one’s request known to God, the believer is to be satisfied in having done so, signified by his or her acceptance of what God has allowed in that moment. The answer may indeed be a yes, no, or not yet; however, the believer’s present position is God’s present prescription.

Should one continue to ask in repetition? The answer is yes without a doubt. Jesus said keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. In the first recorded prayer in the bible Abraham prayed again and again until his heart was satisfied. Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh be removed until God’s “no” soothed his heart as sufficient grace. Even Jesus, our greatest example of how to pray, prayed repeatedly in the Garden of Gethsemane until his human will to live was subdued by God’s will for him to die. That is the very point: fervent, effectual prayer brings us into concert with God’s will and yet quenches our desires with the satisfaction of His pleasure. It does not matter whether God grants one’s request or quenches one’s desire; both results in personal edification and His glory, which is the only proper goal of prayer.

Certainly this raises questions concerning verses that assert ideas such as, “He will give you the desires of your heart” or “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” or “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them,” just to note a few. However, one only needs to observe such verses a bit closer to see the circular reasoning built into the statements. For instance, the “desires of your heart” is granted based on your delighting yourself in Him. The word “delight” is a term of passion or of the “heart”. Thus your heart’s desire is Him, and He promises to give you Him, which is in fact everything one needs. Or again, Jesus prefaces “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” with “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you.” So what words are you using to ask? HIS WORDS! – Because those are the words that are in you and you are in Him or bound in and by parameters as Christ: doing nothing of your self but only what pleases the Father. Even, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” is prefaced with “Have faith in God.” Obviously, this means “confidence” in God’s word, will, way, and work as the only proper context for our partition.

So these very statements, which are frequently hi-jacked as liberties to pursue our own will and pleasure, are really severe limitations on what God will and will not grant us. This is more wonderful than we can perceive. Paradoxically, this really is an infinite and eternal freedom. One might ask illustratively, is a train freer off its track or on its track. Free from its track, a train is both destructive and it self destroyed. However, on its track, it is free to function at its optimum. So it is with the believer praying in God’s will. As Paul put it, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man makes much available to the believer.” Much should not be understood as quantity but quality, which may or may not include quantity. God knows our heart and Jesus said one of the most merciful and gracious things I’ve ever heard about prayer, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” That is to say God will NEVER EVER give His children that which is useless (a stone) or harmful (a serpent). This idea here is literally, that God protects us from ourselves; because, we often ask for stones and serpents unknowingly. That is asking for things we don’t need or will be detrimental to us. Paul put it this way in another text, “We know not what we should pray for as we ought.” Isn’t it wonderful to know that prayer is safe, contrary to the false notions that God may give you something you should not have asked for. God not only gives us the privilege of prayer but the power of His protection in spite of our own propensities to make poor request.

Jesus does warn “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7.) We should look carefully at the warning; it is not about repetitious prayers, but repetitious words in a prayer. These words are vain and meaningless. WHY? They are vain and meaningless because the heathen thinks such will cause God to hear him. So the problem is not even the repetitious words themselves, but the false assumption about what the repetitious words will achieve. The bible, itself, is not void of repetitious prayers or repetitious words in prayer. The error is the assumption that one can manipulate God into doing what you want Him to do.

Our prayer requests never moves God, it just moves us to knowledge of God's will for us.

Confession in Prayer

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9.)

There are four aspects to devotional prayer. Someone created an acrostic that is very helpful in remembering all four aspects: A.C.T.S. "A" stands for "adoration"; "C" stands for "confession"; "T" stands for "thanksgiving," and "S" stands for "supplication."

Intimacy is not only marked by the togetherness of fellowship but by the openness of fellowship, and therein forgiveness is dealt out and cleansing is carried out by God. Through confession in prayer the believer realizes the cleansing of God. It is made obvious by confession of sins that a person's heart is contrite, his or her intents are pure, and that he or she is working to put off all manner of bitterness, anger and malice; it would be dishonorable to do anything other than to forgive and restore one who is broken and shamed at his own failings. And what a word of guarantee found in John’s characterization of God: “He is faithful and just.”

Honesty about one's self, sins, struggles and solicitations is the very spindle of the prayer wheel. Jesus says, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret." He wants us to be all the way in secret from men, so we can be all the way open with God.

An old preacher was teaching a child to pray. After the child silently prayed for himself, the preacher asked him "Did you tell God everything?" He responded "Yes! I told God everything I wanted to tell him." The first surprise of secret prayer is the difficulty of specific and honest confession to God. The Second surprise of secret prayer is the stuff in your life that you are somewhat reluctant to ask God to take. Yes, you will find that there are some things that are even hard to tell God about you and some places in your life that you still wish to hold onto and keep God out of. The fact is pride even accompanies us into our secret prayer closet.

It is interesting that in Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well; he does not let her know what he knows until she confesses it. Our carnality makes it difficult to perceive the reality of God's omniscience. Obeying Him through confession allows us to experience His omniscience through divine confirmation. We must learn to be honest with the one we can never be dishonest with anyway, to own up to what He already knows about us, quit hiding among the trees, cease running from his presence, stop fearing his voice, take off the fig leaves, take off the front, take off the fraud, remove the mask, kill the cover up, and live naked and unashamed before Him.

John indicates that the admission of our sins always results in the righteous forgiveness and cleansing of all unrighteousness in accordance with the promise and character of God as his goal for the Christian is not destruction but deliverance, not condemnation but compassion, not to forsake us but to forgive us.

The old maxim says "Open confession is good for the soul." The sentiment of this verse is that fellowship is fostered through honest and open confession of sins as sin. Such confessional honesty is found resident in specifics, not generalities. You did not sin generally but specifically. One must walk the stairs of confession of his or her realized sins to the purifying presence and cleansing power of almighty God. Through confessional prayer God does all of the heavy lifting for you.

It is My Meditation All the Day

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97

What's on your mind the most? If it's not God's word, whatever it may be, it is in the way and place of God's word.

I, myself, have been deficient in my understanding of the concept of "meditation," not wrong, but not comprehensive. I've said in the past that meditation is constantly pondering the application of the word of God, and it is certainly that too! That was far, but not far enough. I have since come to understand that "meditation" is the totality of one's contemplation of the word of God including: study, prayer, confession, fasting, fellowship, & ministry. Meditation on the word of God is Christianity. Every one of the other 6 fore mentioned major concepts fall under or within the context of meditation. In other words, meditation is the capital enterprise in the devotional life of the Christian in concept and in practice.

Meditation in eastern mysticism is to empty one's mind to become one with his experience of all things, but meditation in Christianity is to fill your mind with the word of God to interpret all things you experience. Meditation is to never let the word of God leave your mind. Psalm 1 states it, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psa 1:2). His word does not leave me, in calmness, in confusion, in calamity, or in controversy. Meditation means no matter the circumstances I abide/dwell/keep His precepts in my words, thoughts and deeds; the outward results are that I keep His peace, possess His power, speak His praise.

When God's peace, power, and praise leave your character or continence, it is a result of failing to meditate on His word. When your mouth can't help cursing, when your mind can't find contentment, when your madness won't let you control yourself, when you are so messed up that you can't be consoled and calm, it is a result of failing to meditate on His word.

Meditation means to keep God's word on your mind. The CONTENT of "meditation" is to EXPRESS INEXPRESSIBLE (O how), EMOTION FOR GOD'S WORD (love I thy law) which ENGULFS ONE'S WHOLE LIFE (it is my meditation all the day).

You cannot maintain what you are not passionate about. You can fail to be excited about something that is benefiting you because you don't perceive its benefit. However, you cannot be excited about something you don't perceive is benefiting you. This passion comes from God's word at work in your life perpetuating an ever-increasing love for His word. Spurgeon put it this way, "The psalmist meditated in God's word because he loved it, and then loved it the more because he meditated in it." I will state it again in the most succinct way that I believe it can be stated: Meditation on the word of God is Christianity.