Oh, to be a Daniel!

Daniel 6:4
.. but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

Oh, to be a Daniel! A man standing strong in what he believed. Living a life without error according to the laws of God and His commandments. We can only admire the integrity and character of this man. The pressure was on for Daniel to let down his convictions and give in to the temptation of human preservation. I don’t believe that Daniel was super human, he no doubt made mistakes of human nature, but when it came to the principles of God’s word, he remained faithful. He knew whom he believed in, and was willing to keep that which he committed unto the end of his days. Oh, to be a Daniel! Determine to stand true, come face to face with pending death and trust God to carry him through. We live in a culture where the word of God has been put aside for perverted thinking and liberal progressive ideology. We are the only Bible that others may see. ”Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men” (2 Corinth 3:2) Oh to be a Daniel! A man living holy and blameless in this present world. Such a life is possible living in these vessels of clay. Submitting daily to God’s will is to daily take up the cross of Jesus and live a blameless life before others, that it may be said of us. “No occasion, nor fault is found, they are true and faithful to the God they serve.” Oh, to be a Daniel! Oh, to be like Jesus!

The Power of His Might

 Eph 6:10
 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

We are no match for the devil. He is deceiving and cunning. He is a powerful foe that seeks to destroy our lives and our souls. He is not all-knowing, but he knows our vulnerabilities and our constitution. In the human, we don’t stand a chance. We dare not think that human resolution and determination is enough to stand against him. Such efforts are important, but fall short when standing up against the evil of this day. When the evil days come, and we are faced with a situation bigger than us, we are not alone. We serve a mighty God who knows exactly what we need. In the power of His might, we can stand and be strong. For, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Ps 46:1). We do our part and God does the rest. Our part is to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. It is to stand for what is right and good. It is to allow the Holy Spirit to take control and have His way in our lives. When we allow the Holy Spirit to abide in our hearts, Jesus said, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). His power will enable us to be strong in the face of evil. His power will give us the ability to be a witness to others, and let our light shine in the darkness of this day. His power will give us the determination to live a life that is holy and blameless. Let us submit ourselves to the power of His might, and be strong in the Lord.

Power of God in Us

 Eph. 3:20
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

We recently lost power to our house during a windstorm. The energy transformed into electricity gave light in our house when darkness came. It provided power to the fans that blew warm air through our home, and kept the refrigerator compressor running to keep our food from spoiling.  Without the power, we were left in the dark to make the best of it. Power is defined and demonstrated in various ways. It can also be seen as the ability to overcome or command a situation. Jesus said, “You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” What was this power? Why would Christians need to have this power? The work that God has given each one of us is not done with human ingenuity or power. We offer God ourselves as an empty vessel to be used by Him. He fills us with the power given to us by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of the Kingdom. God is able to exceed abundantly all that is needed when we allow HIm to work in us. Without His power, we are like a house without any lights, we wander in darkness trying to figure things out through our human means. God gives us power to live a life of holiness. There is power in the blood of Jesus. He gives us power to be witnesses to a world lost in darkness. Power to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict men and women of sin. For the Christian, the power to overcome trials, tribulation, and hardship. The power works in us as we open our heart to God believing that He is able to do all things according to His purpose. 

Sins Not

 1 John 3:6

Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither known him.

This is a Bible standard that many people have problems with. How is it possible for us humans to live everyday without committing sin. We were born sinners and it appears to be a part of our nature. John must have been living in a different culture where it was more conducive to live a holy life. There is no doubt that our nature is deprived and humanity has been scarred by the fall of Adam and Eve. ( Genesis 3). It is not possible for us to live a life without sinning. All have sinned, and come short of God’s expectations. But God, through Christ the spotless lamb of God, the sinless God-Man came to us to give His life so that this sin nature could be removed. It does not make us impermeable to sin, because we still have a free will, but it provides us access to God. We were alienated from God and now abide in Christ, the sinless one. As long as we remain in Him, He provides the grace and power to overcome sin. We no longer are transgressors of the law, but we are made a new vessel of honor. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit, through sanctification that we live each day without committing willful transgression. We are still human and prone to error in the human, but our hearts can be made perfect through the blood of Christ, purifying our hearts by faith.

Fervent Love

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

We all fall short from perfection. God is able to keep us blameless from willful transgressions, but we are still human with shortcomings in our personality, judgements and habits. In this respect we will never be perfect. Satan seeks to divide the people of God by causing friction and discord among the believers. Peter had his share of conflicts. His own prejudices caused Paul to confront his misjudgment. We will face situations in our lives where we will not understand the actions of others. We can become frustrated and resentful. In times like these, it is imperative that we asked the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His perfect love. Fervent love that will cover the wrong doings of others. Let love reign, casting away all forms of bitterness and hatred.