September 17, 2024 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)
The Daniel in All of Us
Guest Author Otis Davis
Daniel 10:17-19 NIV How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe." Again, the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."
Once again, the angel restored Daniel’s strength so he could hear the prophetic message from the messenger and record for our learning. Twice the angels told him, "Fear not". (Dan 10:12,19). The angel also said, "Peace! Be strong now; be strong" (v. 19, NIV). Daniel needed strength to be able to hear the long message the angel brought to him. Finally, the angel made it clear that the battle wasn’t yet over. As soon as he finished instructing Daniel, Gabriel would return to assist Michael in battling the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece, two satanic evil angels who were opposing the plans of the Lord for these nations. The ruler of Persia had shown great kindness and mercy to the Jews in allowing them to return home, and Satan was against this decision. God also had plans for Greece (11:2-4) and Satan wanted to interfere there. One reason why God commands His people to pray for those in authority is so that God’s will, not Satan’s plans, might be fulfilled in their lives. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior 1 Tim 2:1-3 niv. The destiny of more than one nation has been changed because God’s people have fervently prayed.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:4-5, NKJV). (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament by Warren W. Wiersbe)
Luke 21:36 nlt Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape… and stand before the Son of Man." Jesus instructed us to pray asking for strength and he prayed it himself. The Greek word used here is katischuo’ and it means to prevail against. This is a valiant strength. It implies a fight, an enemy we can and will prevail over. Our English translation “Lord Almighty” is correctly translated as “Lord of heaven’s armies.” Our God is the God of war, “mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8). We need him to strengthen our hearts, so we are as protected as if by steel, as immovable as steel. Matt 16:18 nkjv And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
This is no coincidence that katischuo’ is used only in these two verses (Luke 21.36; Matthew 16.18). Jesus wants us the understand that it is the powers of hell that are trying to overpower us, to crush the human heart, especially the hearts of his followers. The strength God urges us to ask for is a combative strength, a strength to win the fight, to overcome. We need strength of heart, strength of mind, strength of spirit. A strength that prevails. Because there are forces urging us to quit. The temptation is to give up. How do we find the strength to prevail when we don’t even want to ask for it?
The era we just lived through, what I would call the Comfort Culture, weakened us for the trials we are facing. When you live in a world where everything is done with a few clicks on your phone, it doesn’t exactly develop resilience. Anyone living in the developed world has experienced a level of ease unimaginable to previous generations. This is the overnight delivery age. Let me be quick to say, I have fully enjoyed all the conveniences of our modern moment. But I’m also aware that they’ve made me soft. By way of contrast, the World War II generation emerged from the Great Depression with a sense of reality, grit, and resilience. So, we come into this tough moment in a compromised state. We have been set up for this loss of heart, set up to be overcome, set up to give in. Jesus knew all this, and lovingly told us to ask for the strength that prevails and there’s an urgency to his voice. Giving up has always been a struggle for frail humanity. But when Jesus urges us to ask for strength to escape, he has something particular in mind, something he sees coming; “At that time many will turn away from the faith. Matthew 24:10. I do not think we’re going to see millions of people tattooing “I hate God; I love Satan” on their chests, or marches in every major city blaspheming Jesus Christ. Satan is much cleverer than all that. I believe what we will see, what we see happening now, is simply people giving up on God in large numbers. Which is why I think the New Life version has it right: “For the Lord will not come again until many people turn away from God” 2 Thessalonians 2.3.
I bring this up because the enemy is wickedly skilled at pouncing on our vulnerabilities. He is using these trying times to cloud our hearts with unbelief. If in fact the Falling Away is sweeping the earth, we want to have advance warning. It gets in the air like poison, and we do not want to slowly succumb to it ourselves. It gains a social momentum, and since we are social creatures, we can get swept up in it without a conscious decision on our part. The pandemic put us all in a heightened state of longing for life to be good again. We rushed out to make that happen in some way, shape, or form. But every such effort disappoints, even the most fabulous vacation is not going to heal your soul from trauma. We return to a world still filled with tension and fear. Disillusionment sets us up for a serious loss of heart. We give up on God because we feel he has not come through. This is exactly what the enemy has planned all along. But this is our moment, and Jesus offers us strength, so let us seize it now with both hands while we still can. A feeling of “I don’t want to fight this” is called ennui, a weariness of spirit, a malaise, that sense of I just don’t want to fight anymore, an intensified doubt, super-doubt, mega-doubt. And this feeling is not your true heart. This is so helpful to understand; that weariness you’re feeling, that Not now, maybe later, that sense of being overwhelmed, that Why bother? Who cares? —this is the enemy not you. When you know that, you are much better prepared against it. You can more clearly choose to resist. Reject this feeling of Why bother? Who cares? and I don’t even want to fight. I choose the strength that prevails! I want to fight! I don’t want to be one of those folks who gets taken out at the end. It begins with a choice, my choice. Some people seem born with a greater measure of resilience The Comfort Culture doesn’t exactly foster that kind of physical and mental toughness. But resilience is also something that is bestowed, something imparted by God into our frail humanity. That’s truly good news. Dan 10:17-19 niv My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe." (Daniel said) Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened.
The first fruit of katischuo’ is the ability not to give up. Never surrender, never give up! The strength that prevails; this mighty, combative warrior-strength not to quit. Because when you’re tired, when you’re beat up, you just want relief. Jesus urges us to be on our guard, “so that your hearts will not be weighed down…praying that you will have the strength to escape all these things. Luke 21.34,36 nasb. Jesus says there is a means of escape. Wouldn’t you love an escape from all the madnesses? Okay then, let’s make the choice right now to receive it. How do we tap into katischuo’, the strength that prevails? It starts with being single-hearted. We are single-hearted when we cherish God above all things. Scripture promises that God will come to the help of those who are single-hearted: “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” 2 Chronicles 16.9 nlt. God gives the strength that prevails to those whose hearts are fully given over to him. This is why it’s so important to stay single-hearted. Notice that before offering the strength that prevails, Jesus urged us to turn from the things that seem to offer life but instead wear us down: “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap” Luke 21.34-35 nlt. As we turn our hearts toward Jesus or our Father (they are one), we practice loving him. I love you, God. I love you, God. This is not feeling love; the warfare and the weariness will often make you feel rather blank. We choose to love God anyways. This is the strength that prevails, giving you the first step of courage to stand and be single-hearted. We ask him for katischuo’—his overcoming, prevailing, conquering strength. God offers it, so ask, ask, ask! By praying like this: “Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, God of all creation, I need your strength that prevails. I don’t want to fall away. I don’t want to lose heart. I choose you above all things. I give you my allegiance and my undivided love. I choose single heartedness toward you, Lord Jesus, body, soul, and spirit, heart, mind and will. I pray for a supernatural resilience, God. Fill me with your overcoming strength, a victorious strength of will. I pray for the strength that allows me to escape all that is coming against the saints in this hour. Fill me with resilience. By faith I receive it and thank you for it. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” Matthew 6.33. In Jesus’ name, amen. Eldredge, John. Resilient (pp. 41-42). (By Otis Davis, a good friend, author & businessman)
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Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com
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