Devotionals

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I am sure we have all read, or at least heard of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These are three ol’ boys that knew how to trust God, end of story, right? I believe we over look some important lessons that tie in with the rest of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:11 (KJV)

See, at this point, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego was not the same god that Nebuchadnezzar knew anything about. He failed to see the full glory and power of the one true God. Deceived by satan, he thought the way OUT of the fire was not following the only God. How many times do we find ourselves in the same situation? We try every way known to mankind to make our own way. We think that brand new tax arrangement promised by a political candidate will fatten our pocket books and make life easier. For some reason though, we can’t get into our heads that the promise of fattened pocketbooks is only masking the money that very same candidate will pump into Planned Infanticide, or Planned Parenthood, and into taking God out of everything in our country. In the end, we are making our way of life much more difficult than it has to be, through our lack of reliance on God. We are afraid of the fiery furnace, because we think God can’t provide for us, or can’t deliver us from our present situation.
The ONLY thing we need to do is put God first in ALL things, and He will provide. When we can’t see the end, when we have no hope in the road ahead, God already can see us shouting down the streets of gold in victory. When we think we are at our end, He can see that next soul that will be affected by His light shining through us. He does not even see the fiery furnace that is such a huge deal to us, because He has already took us from the flames. It is us that cannot see the forest for the trees. God is there each step of the way.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:17-18 (KJV)

These guys knew about faith. They refused to bow down to a false god, even if it meant being thrown into the fiery furnace. They trusted that God would deliver them in the end, even if through death once, with a victory in Heaven. They had the faith in knowing that the God they served was real to say to the king “But if not…we will not serve thy gods”. They KNEW that victory was theirs. How would they know this? Because the true God, my God, talks to His people. His Holy Spirit dwells in us, even back in the Old Testament days, letting us know that all is well if we trust in Him. The Holy Spirit did not just come along in the New Testament.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.Genesis 1:2 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

God was here before “here was here” and will be here after it is gone. He is from everlasting to everlasting. As He is, so is the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had to know this to have such great faith in the face of such a terrible adversity. How far would your faith carry you if you were threatened with death by fire? Would you still refuse to bow down to a false god? I am willing to say that the majority of America would not refuse. After all we have not refused for more than a century. That is why we have a country in the shape it is in today. We have bowed to others to provide for us instead of God. The only one that can provide EVERY NEED is the very one we shun when times get tough or we think someone might ridicule us.

Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:22-23 (KJV)

The fiery furnace; hot enough to kill the men that were carrying out the death sentence. So fearful a king that not only would he kill those that refused to worship his god, he was willing to kill others just have them killed. This sounds a lot like modern day Islam, doesn’t it? Willing to kill themselves so that they may kill an American or an infidel? The world never changes much because God is in control and the devil fights His followers every step of the way. It has been this way since Adam, and will be this way until the one called Faithful and True returns on His white horse to reign triumphant. The Alpha and Omega will end all of this when He splits the sky to call us home. Until that day, we have to have the faith to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Delivery is ours if we take it, if we accept it. If we deny it, we will indeed end up in a fiery furnace, but the split moment of pain from a fire as hot as the one in Daniel is nothing compared to the endless torment we will experience in the lake of fire, hell, should we not have faith to go through the fire here on earth.

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Daniel 3:25 (KJV)

Somewhere around 500-600 years before Jesus would walk on the earth, He was walking in the fiery furnace with three men of faith. Delivering His flock long before His birth, showing He was, and is, and always will be the Deliverer. Not only did He deliver them, they had no hurt! No pain from a fire hot enough to kill the ones that threw them in to start. Delivered because of their faith, and unwillingness to comprise just to improve the outlook of their situation. They knew the outcome before they went in, they would either live as a testimony to God, or die as one, but either way, they win. Either way, they would have victory, for if they lived, the power of God would be made manifest through them, and they would change lives. If they died, they would live forever in Paradise, in the bosom of Abraham. If we could just understand that we are in a win-win situation EVERY second of every day when we follow Christ, we would be so much better off.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Daniel 3:28 (KJV)

A few verses before this, they said that God would deliver them from the furnace, AND the kings hand. Both happened. The king finally understood the power of the one true God. He finally had seen that NOTHING can harm a child of God. No weapon can prosper, none, when we follow God. We are in a win-win situation all the time.

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Psalm 34:7 (KJV)

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 (KJV)

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