Encouragement

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He Had pomp, power, pageantry
And pride had eaten him up
Wanted everything, including worship-
The best you can give to God.

So came the image of gold
Mammoth, colossal, imposing
And the decree that must be obeyed:
‘Bow or you will burn, incinerated.’

Everyone bowed except the three,
Sold out to God, consecrated
Uncompromising, separated
They knew Whom they served.
They knew Whom they had believed.

Jealousy rose to try to compromise them,
But they had made up their minds:
‘As for we and our household,
We would serve the Lord.’
Like Peter and the disciples,
They questioned:
Should we obey man or God?
We would rather obey our God.’

The King was informed
And he threw the gauntlets
‘I give you the opportunity
To do the right thing and save your lives.
Bow and you will not burn.’
Rebel and you will burn
and who is that god
who will deliver you?

The Hebrew three stood firm
‘We would not bow or serve your god.’
Our God will deliver us from your hand;
But if not, be it known to you, O king
That we will not bow to your image.’

The king was mad with rage
‘Heat that furnace seven times hotter!’

They were thrown in bound
the fire licked up the men
Who threw them in
But the fire set the three free.
They walked in the fire.
Like Peter walked on water.

The king came back to look.
What he saw was astounding:
Four men walking in the fire
And the fourth man like the Son of God!
God sent His Son into the fire of affliction.

They were called to come out
And they came out unharmed.
The flames had no power over them.
Their hair was not singed
their clothes did not smell of the fire

the king was so overwhelmed
that he began to praise and worship God
they frustrated the King’s word
reversed, overturned the king’s decree
turned their predicament into
and evangelistic tool used by the Most High
to draw others to Himself
like Paul and Silas in jail in Philippi
when the jailor and his household
came to know the Lord.

So what is the evil arraigned against you?
Who is threatening you because of your stance?
Who is lusting after your worship?

Refuse to yield to your adversary
Let your momentary affliction work for you.
Let God work everything together for your good.
Stand still to see your salvation.
You opposition will bring promotion.
Your fire will free you to fulfil vision.
If God be for you, who can be against you?
The weapons of our warfare are not physical
But they mighty through God to the pulling down
of strongholds, casting down every imagination
and every high thing against the revealed will of the Lord.
The battle is not yours but the Lord’s.
He is your victorious banner.
When the enemy comes like a flood
The Spirit of the Lord will
raise a standard against him.
No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper.
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Fear not. Have I not commanded you?
Be of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
When you go though the fire it will not burn you.
When you go through the water, you will not drown.
When you go through the valley of the shadow of death,
fear no evil because God is with you.
He said I will never leave you nor forsake you
until the end of the age.

Dan3

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