It's Just the S.O.P.!!!!!

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Today's Passage: Daniel chapter 3
Memory Verse> Dan. 3: 17-18

News stories just like this one have been the subject of discussion and debate for the past two weeks or so. A Baptist minister, who has prayed at the flagpole of a school in Green Cove Springs for more than ten years, suddenly was told he could not continue to do so by the principal. In another incident, a prayer that ended "in Jesus' Name" was challenged by a young atheist who opposed the right to call on God at a school game. More and more frequently, those who are set apart as believers have to make a stand against the antiChrist spirit that is in operation in this world.

But for those believers who just might be wrestling with a bit of uncertainty concerning whether or not it's really that serious, and whether or not to believe that we have to go to that extent just to show that we have faith in God, it's necessary to go back to the Word for a lesson in just how the world reacts to us. In Daniel chapter 3, you'll find an example of opposition to righteous people. It is a testament to the fact that the antiChrist spirit has been in operation as long as faith has. It's amazing to me how, with all the different beliefs in Babylon, only the children of Israel were pinpointed as the ones that were disobedient to Nebuchadnezzar's ruling about the worshipping of the golden image.

Fast-forward to today. With all the varying beliefs that exist in the great United States, why is stopping Christian believers from exercising their faith so important to certain people? Don't you find it a tad bit odd that the only nation on the surface of this earth that has made itself a place of refuge to so many cultures and creeds is giving up its original Christian foundation in favor of those who stand for other things besides the One True God? Well, this should not come as a surprise. At the root of all of this upheaval is the basic test from the kingdom of darkness to see whether those who believe REALLY believe as they profess to. The enemy wants to know if the church will give up its faith by just rolling over and playing dead, allowing all kinds of laws to be put in place that oppress and prevent us from being able to express our devotion to Jehovah God.

And that is why we must regard this opposition as merely the enemy's "S.O.P." --standard operating procedure -- not to be ignored by any means, but also not to be feared. All God is requiring from us is that we stand and resist him, and he will ultimately flee. Every knee has been ordained to bow to no-one other than the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. But if WE are more afraid of the opposition than God, and offer no resistance, we will be renounced at the day of judgment. Stand firm, men, women,and young people of God. Read the way Daniel and his boys handled "the test". They declared that they would stand for God even if it cost them their lives. We all must search our hearts and ask ourselves the tough question. Is this faith we proclaim worth standing for even to the death? Because if it isn't, we certainly won't live it out effectively. We will be able to convince no-one -- least of all ourselves -- that God is truly Who He says He is. But oh, how powerful the witness is when we pass the test! It's not us who go to bed at night wondering whether it's really worth it to say there's no God. And eventually, when we all stand before Him, there will be none who WILL be able to say they never heard of the good news. So stand tall, even if it means a fiery furnace. God knows how to deliver His totally devoted and create converts out of even the most hard-hearted people. Just ask Nebuchadnezzar...

Prayer: Father, You are so awesome! It's a privilege and an honor to live for You. Your Presence in my life has made such a difference. I offer myself now as a sacrifice to show those who dare oppose You that You're worth living and dying for. You've made such a precious sacrifice for me that I dare to declare I will live and die for You. To live is Christ, and to die is gain. May those who read this today be filled with a passion to allow You to make their lives mean something for the rest of their days. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.