Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #182. Daniel 10–12: How to Raise Kids Who Stand Firm No Matter What

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#182. Daniel 10–12: How to Raise Kids Who Stand Firm No Matter What · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  I'm Stephanie Hickox, and today as we study Daniel's final vision in chapters 10 through 12, we'll understand with Daniel that it's going to get very bad.
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  As moms, this could cause us to be anxious and fearful for the future, But I find encouragement from the angel's acknowledgement the people who know their God will stand firm and take action."
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  One of the greatest actions we can take is to point our children toward the only kingdom that will last and the only king worthy of their worship.
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  So far in the Book of Daniel, we've seen his influence over multiple kings and kingdoms.
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  If you've ever wondered, should Christians be involved in politics?
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  You've seen an abundance of examples from the Old Testament.
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  God used Daniel mightily in multiple kingdoms.
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  As believers, when we walk in winsomeness, we can make an impact with the wisdom we've received from the Lord But today's message isn't for a particular king, but to encourage all believers At this point, Daniel is about eighty-four
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  years old, which makes me chuckle Because in 10:8, he mentions his radiant appearance.
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  Chapter 10 will be our main reading for today.
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  As I read, I want you to listen for what's occurring in the spiritual realm In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was delivered to Daniel, Who was named Belteshazzar.
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  And the word was true, and it was a great conflict.
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  And he understood the word, and had understanding of the vision.
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  In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
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  I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all for the full three weeks.
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  On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from
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  Uphaz around his waist.
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  His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, And the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
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  And I, Daniel alone, saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
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  So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me.
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  my radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength.
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  Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
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  And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.
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  And he said to me, O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you."
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  And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
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  Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
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  The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is
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  to happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision is for days yet to come."
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  When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute.
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  and behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips.
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  Then I opened my mouth and spoke.
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  I said to him who stood before me, O my Lord, by reason of the vision, pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength."
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  How can my lord's servant talk with my lord?
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  For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.
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  Again, one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me.
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  And he said, O man greatly loved, fear not.
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  Peace be with you.
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  Be strong and of good courage.
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  And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.
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  Then he said, do you know why I have come?
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  But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia.
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  And when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
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  But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth.
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  there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.
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  It stood out to me that verse one told us the vision is true and that Daniel understood it.
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  it sets it apart from the other visions Perhaps it means this vision was presented more literally than symbolically.
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  Who is this figure described at the beginning?
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  The description matches the description of Jesus in Revelation one, thirteen, and fourteen.
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  However, a few verses later, a voice speaks to him saying he was unable to be victorious against a demonic power in the spiritual realm, the prince of the king of Persia.
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  He needed help from Michael the Archangel, and this tells us that if Jesus is the figure that Daniel saw initially, then a different figure is speaking to him at this point.
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  Because surely Jesus is victorious over the spiritual realm.
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  Daniel's addressed, Man greatly loved," and that title is reiterated in verse nineteen.
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  Have you seen the parallels between Daniel's life and the life of the Apostle John?
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  Both were blessed to live very long lives on this earth.
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  Both were referred to as greatly loved or the disciple Jesus loved, and both saw and recorded visions that would equip the Jewish people and all believers to stay firm and steadfast in their faith This figure explains that from
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  the moment Daniel began to fast and pray, he was sent, and that he came because of Daniel's words.
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  But he was withstood by a demonic power in the spiritual realm, which was working on behalf of Persia.
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  This chapter gives us a rare insight into the spiritual realm There are certainly demonic powers working on behalf of and in conjunction with worldly kingdoms This makes me think of Ephesians 6, where we're called to put on the
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  full armor of God because we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities that are at work in the spiritual realm This vision and experience is so intense that Daniel is losing his strength
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  despite the terror of the revelation, Daniel is still told, "Peace be with you.
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  Be strong and of good courage."
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  And let's not miss verse 14 where the purpose for this vision is given, To make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days."
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  Make no mistake, the Bible doesn't sugarcoat it.
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  It's going to get bad, and God has allowed it to get bad throughout history here this is a time where the Jews are returning home from captivity, and you would think it would be a time of rejoicing and
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  delighting in that peace and prosperity God had promised them.
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  But some speculate that the reason Daniel was grieving and fasting was due to hearing reports of how poor the conditions were for the exiles as they were returning home.
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  They were discovering what had happened during their seventy years of captivity.
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  The promised land had fallen from its former glory.
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  The peace and hope to make the people prosper seems far from a reality.
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  And instead of giving Daniel a little pep talk saying, "It's okay, you'll get through it," God reveals to him just how bad circumstances will get before Jesus is established As the final authority and kingdom on both heaven and
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  earth this is precisely why I struggle whenever I encounter children's resources that highlight all of the blessings of being a believer and wrap up the stories of scripture with a bow, but it's not the pattern I see in
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  God's Word.
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  Most often, God's people are purified by suffering we'll encounter that more in chapter 11.
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  This chapter has some of the most precise predictions in all of the Bible.
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  Again, prophecy often has a near fulfillment and a distant fulfillment.
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  much of this chapter occurred in the intertestamental period before Jesus came And it focuses on two lines that came down from Alexander the Great, the Ptolemaic line, which is the kingdom of the South ruling over Egypt, and the
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  Seleucids who reigned north of Israel in Syria.
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  These were the two lines that most directly impacted Israel.
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  Let me briefly share a few examples that display How accurate these prophecies are.
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  11:6 reads, After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement.
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  But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure.
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  But she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her and he who supported her in those times."
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  this was fulfilled by Bernice, the daughter of Ptolemy II.
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  The Ptolemies, though they were not Egyptians, were reigning over Egypt.
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  For political reasons, Ptolemy II's daughter, Bernice, was given in marriage to King Antiochus II.
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  He was the Seleucid king reigning in Syria.
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  That's the king of the north.
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  But unfortunately, Antiochus got a divorce to follow this political union.
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  And of course, his ex-wife was not thrilled with this, so she killed Bernice, Bernice's child, and her ex-husband, Antiochus.
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  and then she set up her own son as the ruler.
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  Did you know that the Bible mentions Cleopatra?
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  In 17B, And he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them.
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  He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage."
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  This refers to Antiochus III, whose daughter was Cleopatra In another effort to make a political alliance, she was given Ptolemy V in marriage.
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  But she decided to not advance her father's purposes, but rather to seek Egypt's benefit.
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  So her father's plans failed drastically as well But on a broad scope of devastation and destruction, much of the chapter deals with Antiochus also known as Antiochus Epiphanes.
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  He ruled from 175 to 163 BC.
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  That's about 150 years after Alexander the Great, but still about 150 years before Jesus took on flesh.
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  Epiphanes means manifest one or illustrious one, but he was so awful that people at the time called him Antiochus Epimanes, which translates to madman.
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  On Antiochus' third time attacking Egypt, Roman ships came to their aid and he lost the battle.
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  He was furious, and returning home, he punished the Jewish people for his defeat.
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  He banned worship of Yahweh, and his soldiers blocked access to the temple.
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  They cut off all sacrifices, killing 80,000 Jewish men, women, and children.
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  He brought a statue of Zeus into the temple and offered a swine on the altar as an absolute slap in the face to the Jewish faith This is known as the abomination of desolation and Jesus referred to it
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  in Matthew.
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  Thankfully, as often occurs, this persecution led some Jews to rise up.
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  There was a godly priest who refused to submit to Antiochus's evil plans.
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  He fled for his life, and after his death, his son, Judas Maccabeus continued his father's efforts and fought to win back the temple Antiochus's persecution of the Jews began in one seventy-one AD, but on December twenty-fifth of one
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  sixty-five or one sixty-four BC, wrathful reign was ended.
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  The Jews joyously began restoring the temple to its former glory.
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  They wanted to set it up according to God's instructions, but they only had one day of oil to offer to the Lord.
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  God blessed their courage and their faithfulness and supernaturally sustained the oil to last for eight days.
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  This is known as the Feast of Dedication, the Feast of Lights, or Hanukkah, and Jesus celebrated this festival in John 10 this historical event is referenced in verse thirty-two.
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  But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action, and the wise among the people shall make many understand, though if for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder."
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  and in verse 35, And some of the wise shall stumble so that they may be refined, purified, and made white until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time."
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  At this point, the focus of chapter eleven shifts to the end of days.
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  Antiochus, with all of his wickedness and evil, is just a picture of the Antichrist to come.
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  Antichrist will have greater power His destruction will be more devastating.
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  He will persecute, he will deceive, blaspheme, and he will be empowered by Satan.
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  Here are just a few verses about him: And the king shall do as he wills.
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  He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and he shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods.
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  He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished, for what is decreed shall be done.
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  He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers or to the one beloved by women.
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  He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all."
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  The Antichrist will worship power.
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  He will make a peace agreement with Israel, but he will deceive and break it.
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  And eventually, the nations will gather for a battle at Armageddon, and finally, Israel will call upon Christ, and Jesus will quickly extinguish the power of the Antichrist, and no one will come to his aid.
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  We know who wins the battle, and regardless of the persecution or difficulties we face on this earth, we can trust that Jesus will be victorious There is much to hope for in his earthly reign But in 12:2, we
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  find one of the clearest descriptions of the resurrection that occurs in the Old Testament.
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  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
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  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."
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  There is hope Even while we wage war against wickedness I haven't mentioned this yet, but something I've wrestled with is did God allow Daniel to become a eunuch?
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  We can't be sure, but there are certainly verses that would point us to the possibility.
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  I bring this up because Daniel endured a lot and we're provided with his faithful example you and I could give ourselves over to fear as we read about some of these terrifying prophecies We have no guarantee that we
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  or our children will be protected from persecution on this earth.
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  whatever your view is on eschatology, the reality That believers may face persecution and tribulation is unavoidable We live in a world that celebrates evil, calling good evil and evil good.
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  The news headlines probably grieve your heart just as much as they grieve mine.
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  Yet these passages remind me that my most important role in motherhood is to point my children to the unshakable permanent reign of Jesus Christ, encouraging them to submit their lives to Him, to make sure that they have an
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  eternal perspective in the midst of any hardships, and to steward their character so they can endure well for the Lord in whatever He calls them to.
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  I'm so thankful for the physical and spiritual ways that the angels strengthened Daniel, and for the ways that the Lord sustains us for what He calls us to.
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  As we battle these hopes and fears for our kids, I think the perfect place for us to turn is Ephesians 6 for our prayer today Heavenly Father, we ask that you would help us to be strong in you
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  and in the strength of your might.
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  We put on your whole armor that we would be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
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  We acknowledge that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
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  Therefore, we take up the whole armor of God that we would be able to withstand in the evil day, to stand firm We fasten on the belt of truth.
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  we put on the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes fitted with the readiness given by the gospel of peace We take up the shield of faith so we can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one.
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  We put on the helmet of salvation and lift up the sword of the Spirit, which is your word Help us to pray at all times in the Spirit.
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  Make us alert, Lord, and faithful to pray for our brothers and sisters both here and across the globe.
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  May the reality of your reign be permanently elevated in the hearts of our children, and we pray that they would be able to stand whatever you call them to And Jesus, we can say with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
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  our God is able to deliver us.
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  But if not, we will not bow to any other king.
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  it's in the name of the eternal King Jesus that we rejoice and hope and pray.
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  Amen