Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 603 | Standing Your Ground

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603 | Standing Your Ground · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast.
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With Kimberly Miller, where we believe that every man, woman,
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boy, and girl must come to Jesus just like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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Our highest priority is helping you experience the reality of God in your everyday life.
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Whether you're listening in our app, on your favorite podcast platform,
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are on our website at watwm.org.
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We invite you to sit down with us as we open the scriptures to learn more about
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who God is and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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We are given a charge in Joshua 24 15 to choose whom we will serve.
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Joshua boldly claims that he and his house will serve the Lord.
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This is a bold statement that is much easier spoken than lived out.
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Join Kim Miller as she takes us on a journey of the scriptures,
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examining what it means to choose to live for Jesus and to serve him earnestly.
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Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Women at the Wow Ministries
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and what an absolute pleasure it is to know that Jesus loves us.
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And he loves us on our best days and he loves us on our worst days.
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But I think even more comforting to me is that when I am just right or left of the mark,
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it's the Holy Spirit who is continually working in me to move me into the center
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of God's will and where God would have me to be.
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And when I think about the awesome love that that represents and the amazing
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forgiveness and the amazing forgiveness.
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Faith that God has in us. We often think about our faith in God,
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but God has a lot of faith in us to believe that when we hear and listen,
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we will turn towards him.
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And I am so grateful that at a young age, the Holy Spirit convicted my heart and I knew who God was.
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He was the Savior of the world, and he received me, who could do nothing for
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him, who was unable to even repay him the slightest.
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But I've come to know as I've grown in age that even though I'm older and perhaps
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have access to many things, I still cannot repay him, even in the slightest,
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for what he's done for me.
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And so it brings me to this point that we're talking about today in the scriptures
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of standing your ground.
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We'll stand our ground for sports teams.
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We'll stand our ground for loved ones. We'll stand our ground sometimes for politics.
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We'll just sometimes stand our ground to get our way, and we forget all about
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doing right instead of being right. But when it comes to standing for God,
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for many of us, that's a difficult decision to make.
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And on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, many of us are found in the house
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of God and all of us should be.
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But on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I wonder if our lives
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are showing others our dedication and love for Jesus.
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And the answer to that is yes.
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You're either showing them you love him with everything you have,
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that you believe every word of the Bible is true, that you've embraced his commandments,
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that you have sold out your life to Jesus, and that the world has no hold on
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you, or you're showing the world that you do a lot of lip service about how you love Jesus,
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but your works and your actions show an allegiance to the things of the world.
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Now, before we go any further, it's important that you realize that we don't
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work our way into salvation.
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Ephesians 2.89 says, For by grace are you saved through grace,
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and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works,
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lest any man should boast.
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But James tells us that we will show our face by showing our works.
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And our love for Jesus is going to be seen in our actions, our words,
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our delights, our focus, our efforts.
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And so when Joshua in Joshua 24, 15 says, choose you this day whom you will
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serve, we need to think about that right now, this moment, this day.
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See, Joshua 24, 15 goes like this. And if it seemed evil unto you to serve the
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Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father
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served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.
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But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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Have you made that declaration?
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Have you put that line in the sand that says, I am going to serve the Lord no
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matter what the circumstances are?
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I am going to believe him in the good times.
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I'm going to believe him in the bad times. I am simply going to believe who God is.
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And I've read from Genesis the Revelations, and I've memorized in my heart that
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I might not sin against him, and I am going to embrace his promises.
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I am going to live by his statutes. I am going to be all in,
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and that the world will have no allure to me, because I have seen and tasted that he is good.
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That's what we're talking about tonight. That's what we're thinking as we begin
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to ask ourselves, whom do you choose to serve?
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Because how you answer that question is critical.
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It's critical to your eternity. If you choose not to serve the mighty God,
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and accept the free gift of salvation offered
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through the sacrifice of jesus god's
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son that you might have your sins washed white as snow that you might be forgiven
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as the things of the world might get on you if you've not come to the saving
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knowledge of jesus christ and you are serving the world you're going to spend
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eternity in hell as for me.
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I'm choosing the non-smoking section. I want to spend my eternity in heaven.
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And I'm not waiting to see what happens at the end. I know because I've read the book.
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And I win by the grace and glory of Jesus Christ.
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And when we begin to think about this world and we know that the devil is the
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prince of the power of the air, how is it that me, a mere mortal with frailties and a sinful nature,
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could possibly stand against the prince of the power of the air, the devil.
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Well, here's the good truth.
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Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.
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And in Ephesians chapter 6, we're given a beautiful account of what it is that
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we need to do in order to prepare ourselves to war against the devil.
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Because as the psalmist David says, the battle's not mine, it belongs to the Lord.
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And so I need to prepare in his presence and accept his instructions for how
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I need to navigate day by day.
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And so in Ephesians 6, 11, he says to us, put on the whole armor of God that
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you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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We are told he's a formidable opponent.
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But he's not greater than Jesus. And he doesn't have power over the Holy Spirit that is in you.
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So from the get-go, you have the victory. But we have an opportunity to throw
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in the flag. We have an opportunity to not take on the armor of God and put
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ourselves vulnerable and weak in front of the devil.
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Those are choices we make. But Joshua said, choose you this day whom you will serve.
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And part of choosing who you're going to serve is choosing to put on the armor
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of God, choosing to allow God to cover you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
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That's going to require a conscious effort to be in the center of God's will.
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That's going to require an acknowledgement
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that you need God in order to successfully maneuver this world.
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That's going to require relinquishing control of your life to the one who truly
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can control it and that is God.
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Choose you this day whom you will serve is a daily choice for many of us moment by moment.
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But it's a choice we can make because he will enable us.
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Because in Ephesians 6.13, he says, Wherefore take you unto you the whole armor
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of God, that you may be able to withstand the evil day and having done all to stand.
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Now what that verse tells me is that it's not within my power.
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It is within the power of God that is within me.
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So I can stand. I can draw the line in the sand.
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I can be victorious at the end of the day because the battle's not mine. It belongs to the Lord.
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He is going to equip me. He is going to guide me. He is going to protect me.
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He's going to supply all of my needs. But I, Kim Miller, must choose to live
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in his presence and to follow his ways.
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What are you doing today? Because that same choice belongs to you as well.
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See, we are told in Psalms 46.10 to be still and know that I am God.
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And so as the day breaks and your eyes fly open,
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i encourage you to open your
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day in prayer and observance that
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god is supreme to submit
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to him in a way that he will teach
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you and guide you that you can hear his plans for you today so that you can
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walk in his ways so that you're going to be in the place under the spout where
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the glory comes out where you're going to have his blessings his protection his peace and his joy.
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So you've got to choose you this day whom you will serve.
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You've got to get ready for the day because we're told that the devil walketh
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about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
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But we are told when we have the armor of God, the victory is ours because the
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victory belongs to the Lord, and we are covered in him, and he's never lost
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a battle, and he's not going to lose it now.
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So what does it look like to stand your ground once you have realized you've made the choice,
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once you fully understand that you need his instructions, and you've got to fight the fight,
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allowing him to control the battle?
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So you've equipped yourself with the armor of God.
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What then? Well, I encourage you to look at Daniel chapter 6.
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Daniel is an amazing example of what it means to stand your ground.
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In Daniel chapter 6, we see that Daniel is preferred above all the presidents
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and the princes because of an excellent spirit that was within him.
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The favor of God is upon those who follow the will of God. let's try that again
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the favor of god is upon those who follow the will of god.
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And Daniel had the favor of God. He was preferred above all the other people in the land.
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And it says it was because he had an excellent spirit.
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Well, I want to tell you guys, this attitude that you're portraying,
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this attitude that you're demonstrating,
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if it's not reflecting the Holy Spirit that is within you, there needs to be
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a change because there's an excellent spirit within every believer.
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The Holy Spirit dwells inside of you. He leads you. He guides you.
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He teaches you. He instructs you.
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He comforts you. He protects you.
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And that's the spirit that people should see.
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And when we're sold out to God, when we submit to his will, people will love
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you and find favor in you.
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And oh, yes, there's going to be people who don't like you, but God's favor
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will be upon you and he will send those to help you and to protect you and to
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give you the things that you need.
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You'll have opportunities that God opens that man cannot shut.
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They may not make a bit of sense to you, but God has created a way where there is no way.
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Don't ever forget that the favor of God follows those who follow him.
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And Daniel had the favor of God. But this favor of God upset the other people
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in the land, the other presidents and princes that were in the land,
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because they wanted what he had.
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And this favor of God caused them to have an evil spirit.
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I want you to know there's going to be people in your life, though,
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that you have favor with God, that are not going to like the God that is in you.
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And the God that is in you is going to convict the whammy out of them and they're
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not going to want to be around you. They're going to cause you trouble.
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They're going to devise evil against you. They're going to say things that aren't true.
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Just make sure, as Peter said, that there's no truth to the lies they spread about you.
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God will sort it out. God is on your side.
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The battle is his and it's not yours walk peacefully
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with all men as is possible walk humbly
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with your god let him exalt you in
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due time follow his precepts and
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his instructions no one ever said
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it was going to be easy but the victory is already won so all you
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got to do is buckle up with the holy spirit and follow
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jesus so daniel is now
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in a situation where these princes
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and presidents they're not liking what was
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going on in daniel chapter 6 and verse 4 it says then the presidents and the
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princes sought to find occasion against daniel concerning the kingdom but they
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could find none occasion nor fault for as much as he was faithful neither was
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there any error or fault found in him You get this?
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These people are going through his life with a fine-tooth comb.
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These people are sitting in wake, gunning after him to find something wrong.
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But they couldn't find anything. See, because Daniel's sights were not set on
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pleasing the other presidents and princes.
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In fact, his sights, we're going to see in just a few moments,
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wasn't even set on pleasing the king.
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His sights were set on a determination he had made a long time before this occasion had happened.
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He had already drawn the line in the sand. He had already chosen that he was going to serve the Lord.
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He had already submitted his life completely to him.
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He was all in and nothing else mattered to him.
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And so in this instance, in Daniel 6, chapter 5, what we see is these men then say,
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we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against
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him concerning the law of God.
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See, what the princes saw was that his life was such that the only way they
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were going to trip him up was if they found something that would be against his God.
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And so these men began to devise something that was going to make him choose yet again.
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And in Daniel chapter 6 and verse 5, when we see that they could find no occasion
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in Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of God,
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they began to talk about what they could do.
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And in Daniel chapter 6 and verse 7, we see that the presidents of the kingdom
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and the governors and the princes and the counselors and the captains,
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they all got together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree
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that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for 30 days, save of the old king,
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he shall be cast into the den of lions.
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See, Daniel had a witness. They knew that Daniel prayed three times a day.
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They knew that for a long time,
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Daniel had been in communication with the god and so
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now they wanted to do something because they
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knew that daniel's witness was such now
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catch this i don't think they wondered if
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this was going to get daniel thrown into the lion's den i think they believed
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this is how we rid ourselves of this good do-gooder he will stand for god and
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he'll do what he's always done because he believes,
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and that's who he is.
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And so when we give him this challenge that you either stop praying to your
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God or you pray to your God and end up into the lion's den, he surely is going to pray to his God.
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Now, I want to stop you for a moment right here.
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This wasn't the first prayer Daniel ever prayed.
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Daniel was prepped and ready for the challenge because he had committed a long time ago to serve God.
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He had chosen a long time ago to make God, God of his life.
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And Daniel was in constant contact with God.
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It was custom for him. It was habitual for him.
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It was ordinary for him. It was vital to him.
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It was a solid routine he
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prayed to the lord three times a day
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we pick up the account in
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daniel chapter 6 in verse 10 and he says now when daniel knew that the writing
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was signed and what that say when he knew there was a decree that if he prayed
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to god he was going to be thrown into the lion's den he went into his house
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and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem,
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he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before
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his God as he had done aforetime.
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The windows were open. He didn't even go in and shut the windows and pull the curtains.
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No, he was bold in his faith. He was bold because he had a relationship with God.
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He knew the characteristics of God. He knew the promises of God.
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He knew his God would take care of him.
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And what you're going to see that is amazing is the people around him knew the same thing.
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They knew his God was able to deliver him. At least the king knew it.
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The presidents and princes were probably so duped by the devil that they couldn't
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believe that God had any power, but they did know one thing.
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They knew Daniel loved the Lord and he wasn't going to back down and he would choose God at any cost.
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So Daniel chooses to stand his ground and to serve God, regardless of what happens.
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As we begin to look a little bit further and we see it says,
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then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
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See, he was so predictable in his walk with God that those trying to trap him
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up knew, if I'm going to trap him, it's going to be in his service of God.
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So no doubt they thought they had won this one. No doubt they thought this was
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amazing. But you know what?
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Here's what happened. What man meant for evil, God is going to turn to good.
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So Daniel's thrown into the lion's den. And we're going to see that Daniel's
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life is a testimony that others knew of his dedication to God.
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We're starting to hit home now. Do you have on the armor of God?
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Are you prepared with what God has given you and commanded you to be able to
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stand in the presence of your enemies and allow God to fight the battle?
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Have you done the preparation so that you have a relationship with Jesus,
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so that you have full access to God through Jesus the Son, so that all the power
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of heaven is at your disposal?
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Do you know him so that you know his character? have
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you studied his word have you put it in your heart that you wouldn't sin against
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him have you committed to stand no matter what for jesus have you learned that
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he said be holy for i'm holy and so you have set your affections on things above
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and not on things of the earth.
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This is the key to Daniel in his life. This is why Daniel was such a witness to those around him.
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That's our job, folks, is to point others to Jesus.
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Where does your life point others to? Following you, what are they going to come away with?
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So Daniel chapter 6 and verse 16 reads like this.
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Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions.
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Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
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Who can say that about you? Thou God, which thou service continually.
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And a lost man who didn't understand who God was could say, he will deliver thee.
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And that was based fully and solely upon the life that Daniel had lived in front of him.
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The people that you work with, they're watching you, folks. The people in your
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neighborhood, they're watching you, folks.
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The people in your life, If they're listening to you, you have influence and
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you're either using that influence for Jesus or you're using that influence
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for the devil. But you are influencing those around you.
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People are making decisions about who God is based on your life because in your
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lips, you've said you loved him, but in your life you haven't.
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Or others are just clamoring to find out why is it that you have peace in the midst of the storm?
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Here's daniel and i'm telling you
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what the king is distressed because he loved him he had
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sort of been tricked but he had his pride was not going
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to allow him to to back down and his pride
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was ultimately what was causing him to hurt his person because these people
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knew that the the king was so proud of himself and so filled with self-pride
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that if they brought this statute to him that he would say yes pride goes before
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a fall folks pride causes us a lot of problems.
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Pride causes us relationships.
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Pride causes us to lose success.
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Pride destroys us.
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Pride and self-reliance will always take you away from dependence on God.
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And it's only through the dependence on the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
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that we can live the abundant life that God has promised those who believe and follow.
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So the king is in a bad way, but he's believing that God will deliver him.
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We look in 618 and following, and we see this.
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Then the king went to his palace, and he passed the night fasting.
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Neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from
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him. He knew he had done something wrong.
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His pride had caused a problem. But he's banking on the fact that Daniel's God will deliver him.
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And he said, well, it doesn't sound like that. Oh, he feels bad that he put
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Daniel in that place. See, Daniel is going to be delivered and protected by
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God. But Daniel's human like me and you.
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It was an experience I'm sure he wouldn't have chosen to have.
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But he chose to serve God regardless of his circumstances.
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You see in verse 20, And when he came to the den, this is King Darius,
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he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel.
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And the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God,
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Is thy God whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lion's den?
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See, it was a consistent thought that the king had about Daniel serving God continually.
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It wasn't hit or miss. You see it in 16, and you see it again in 20.
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You also see in verse
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20 that he realizes that
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god is a living god and that is based solely and
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wholly upon the life of daniel because god was alive and well in daniel's life
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god was held up so that other people could see him the results of having a personal
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relationship with god was something that showed others that God was real.
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What is your life showing others? Is God real to those people around you?
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It needs to be. And if you're standing your ground, you will be.
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You see, as we continue in verse 22, Daniel over here, he's speaking.
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Clearly, he's okay.
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My God has sent his angel and has shut the lion's mouth, and they have not hurt me.
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For as much as before him in innacy was found in me, and also before thee,
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O king, have I done no hurt.
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It was well with Daniel's soul. And when the challenge came,
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he could stand and choose God because all was well between him and God.
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And there was a confidence and
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a trust and a relationship that gave him a peace that only God can give.
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If your life is chaotic and you can't find any peace,
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you need to search what has happened
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to your relationship with god because in
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his presence there is perfect peace regardless
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of the circumstances and then
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the king was exceedingly glad for
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him and commanded that they should take daniel up out of the den and he was
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taken up and no manner of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his
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god mark 9 23 says if thou can't believe all things are possible to him that
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believeth you can't just talk about jesus,
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you can't even just read about jesus you have to experience jesus through a
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relationship that he is begging you to have he's knocking on your heart's door
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asking you to know him personally.
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Draw close to him and he will draw close to you. Daniel wasn't hurt because
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he believed in God and he was in the center of God's will.
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What do you really believe in tonight? What is really important to you? Who do you really trust?
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And then I want you to see as we close this message, the results of this event
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that man meant for harm, but God used for good.
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Daniel 6 verses 26 and
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27 he says this and this is the king speaking I
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make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men
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tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God and steadfast
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forever in his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and his dominion shall
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be even unto the end he delivereth and rescueth and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth,
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who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
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What man meant for bad changed the king's life, which no doubt changed many
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of the lives of the people throughout that king's kingdom.
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I want you to know that how you live your life can change the kingdom of God.
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It can be a living testimony of the grace and the glory and the truth and the realness of who he is.
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You can live a life that makes others want to see Jesus.
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And the scripture says, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me.
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Buckle down in your life, people. Put on the whole armor of God.
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Exhibit the true spirit of the Holy Spirit within you.
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Let people see an attitude that is filled with grace. and God's love.
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A living testimony, and continually serve your God.
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Choose you this day who you will serve. As for me and my house, I.
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Thank you for joining us for today's podcast. You can find quotes and scripture
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references from this episode in the show notes.
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We pray today's message has been a blessing. If it has, please consider leaving
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