Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home1/heartof6/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/responsive-mobile/includes/functions-extentions.php on line 35
Home › Posts tagged small thoughts

small thoughts

Five Actions To Keep Your Relationships Alive

Posted on by

God has been dealing with me as to how we as human beings must continue to fight for those whom we hold dear. For without the efforts to keep love stirred between others the relationship begins to dwindle to a state of weakness, therefore leaving room for the enemy to intervene with the most foolish of dramatic events/rumors/jealousies/envyings/etc.

Here are five actions we must all learn to perform towards others (that’s right, towards others):

1) To sharpen mental integrity by sound counsel 

Proverbs 27:17 – Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

If you want to be a true friend to another person you must learn to share things in honesty spoken with love. God wants us to continually reveal the truth to each other, even when we find that it hurts. If you know of others that benefit from your counsel then take the time to share the things God has given you to speak. Holding the knowledge within hurts all parties; for it was given to be given and by that obedience to give it you are blessed and favored amongst many. The more of a sound spiritual counsel can be spoken the less the devil overcomes in peoples weakness. So if people around you are important, remember to speak what you know and have learned through Christ!

2) To learn how to agree and disagree 

Amos 3:3 – Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Should you hope to have an honest friendship you must both be willing to accept the fact that you may never agree on specific details (doctrine, scripture, teaching, opinions, etc.). If you can learn to reason in a peaceful manner then I believe that an open and honest discussion of things helps both parties to grow in not only communicating to each other but to also learn more about how they can be a stronger brother/sister in God.

3) To be willing to sacrifice things for the benefit of another

John 15:13 – Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

If you are the kind of person that only helps others when it benefits you then you need to strongly reconsider your outlook. God does not bless us with anything just for us to keep it and reap it. God uses his children in the principle of reciprocity (what do you give for what you get). When you begin to become the kind of person that will spend more time to help others than yourself (when it calls for it) then you will begin to reap the blessings of God. Do not always expect an exact return for exact obedience. What you may do to bless someone may never be done exactly to you but this does not mean that you do not get an equal or exceeding blessing either. Sometimes God blesses your need and the want (as it falls in His will). Learn to give up time, money and resources for the greater good of others. It is of far greater benefit to sow more to others; for you will reap more as a friend to them and as an obedient vessel to Christ.

4) To encourage action in others that will bring good thinking and love

Hebrews 10:24-25 – And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Sometimes words are simply not enough to help someone. You may have to show up in person to get your message across. Having someone call you and tell you that you need to get up and go run is not as significant as having them knock on your door! Texting someone and telling them that you are praying for them (while worthwhile) is not as powerful as calling and praying on the phone or praying with the individual in person. To provoke is an active action to bring forth an action. Take that action for someone else and just see how blessed that you can truly be.

5) To be compassionate to the tribulations of another

Ruth 1:17 – Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, [if ought] but death part thee and me.

At last…this is the one I feel like is most lacking in friendships. Take the time to say “I’m sorry” when someone unloads on you. Offer to pray and be an ear to hear and shoulder to cry upon. When people do not exhibit compassion towards others than they are not a very presentable place for someone to lay their trust in. As ambassadors of God we must be God-like to the capacity of helping others to openly communicate their struggles. As we listen and gain understanding of their struggle we then should exhibit equal or greater compassion. Compassion is the greatest weapon to tear down the walls of fear and doubt, yet is one of the least used weapons of God’s people. Jesus walked, breathed and obeyed out of compassion. We have salvation because Jesus paid the price. Compassion is everything for a Christian and for those whom they encounter in a struggle. Learn to use this virtue in a greater way and see how God can begin to bloom out of others the blessings that will begin to bless you.

Sometimes People Just Won’t Get You

Posted on by

John 15:18-25

[18] If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
[19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
[20] Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
[21] But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
[22] If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
[23] He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
[24] If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
[25] But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

One of the toughest truths to accept when considering the social aspect of being a Christian is that sometimes people just won’t get you.

Let’s read from II Corinthians 12: 20:

[20] For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults

Through the few years of ministry that I have made it through I have found all of the different types of negative behaviors attempt to attack me on a public as well as a personal level. There has been times that even when you are doing all of the right things that someone still finds a way to point something negative out to you. Some people will even tell others about something that is not wrong whatsoever just to attempt to create drama to elevate their status in self-righteousness. Drama happens whether or not you are in presence of others. The part that I have noticed about the enemies tactics through using willing people that will behave negatively is that they are nice to you in person and only feel the authority and power over you to work division while not in your presence. You will also find this behaviour as you read of the demons in the bible whom scared others from even walking by but began to change their tune when Jesus was in the midst!

Matthew 8:28-34

[28] And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
[29] And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
[30] And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
[31] So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
[32] And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
[33] And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
[34] And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

When the enemy is in the presence of the anointed he cannot exercise the same authority he could while working it in the shadows of what you cannot see or hear. Each of these kinds of feelings that people will bring on you are not things that you should take lightly or not prepare yourself against. One of the best nuggets of wisdom God has taught me is that you must not worry about what people will try to do to work against you. We as Christians must learn to work together and to see persecution as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. For when we can endure the present sufferings of peoples’ persecution then we can be blessed by walking in the virtues that God has given and called us to use.

Continue in your calling and be not moved by the words and attempts to bring division. Stay steadfast in the love you have for all people and bless those that will despitefully use you for their own gain. Turn away from the petty attempts the devil uses behind your back to try and ensnare your favor and patience that God builds in us daily. Be strong and keep your mind focused on the one who loves you and forget the things that those who despise you will do. What your enemies will try to do only hinders what God tries to prosper. Jesus even recognized that mankind in its weakened state of sin doesn’t even know at times what we do; for in the greatest moment of suffering on the cross Jesus chose to love us and to prevail against all the things that would have kept us from the eternal fellowship and relationship we remain in with God today!

Blessed Beyond More Than What We Have

Posted on by

Luke 15:11-18          

[11] And he said, A certain man had two sons:
[12] And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
[13] And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
[14] And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
[15] And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
[16] And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
[17] And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
[18] I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

In order for the devil to try and gain victory he must do something to try to get you out of the house. He had to send a restless spirit. Being blessed and favored of the Lord has no bearing on what you have in possessions. We are always restless, trying to find a way to move in the direction that is opposite of what we are because we think that we are not blessed based on the persecution we are facing. Young trying to act old, old trying to act young, people jobs trying to leave it, people with no jobs trying to get jobs.

The prodigal son only got hindered was because he left the house, thus giving the devil a place where he could work. He had lived his whole life with riches, so we know living with riches wasn’t the season the young man wanted to leave. It was his lust to want to be in control of it that drew him away. What a world we live in. It tempts us to believe that if we move out from God that we can be in more control of our lives. But it is a deception!

We serve God but are always second-guessing how blessed we are even though we are blessed regardless of possession. You need to begin to realize that you are blessed! An indicator that you are is when you are facing hard times and not when you have a lot.

Acts 3:1-7

[1] Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
[2] And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
[3] Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
[4] And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
[5] And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
[6] Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
[7] And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.

People were not blessed with miracles because of the possessions. It was a faith, a substance, a perspective. The young man at Luke 15:13 spent his substance. Do you see the citizen of the country?!?

If we do not keep our substance we fall when we lose our possessions or what we value. You are blessed even when you do not have!

Sometimes You Have To Lose To Win The Bigger Prize

Posted on by

When I think about all of the times that I have ever felt defeated in my life there was something within me that I could not realize at the time. Day by day after the bad times I felt so awful, longing to go back and change what had happened, making the statements like “I should have never went to begin with” or “Why do I even bother”.

Ultimately when we get stuck on the whys and whats of a problem we tend to lose the confidence that we possess within ourselves to succeed. In his walk on earth Jesus opened up something that totally went against the grain of our discouragement from not seeing or getting what we expect. Jesus began to teach with references to moving mountains speaking to peoples lack of faith from discouragement of not seeing it and boldly stated that through faith renewed in hope that you could ask and receive.

Matthew 17:20

[20] And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 21:21-22

[21] Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
[22] And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

The bigger picture is even when you lose through hope you can still have the bigger prize. Even when I do not see the blessing with hope within I still have strength to believe in faith regardless of the conditions of the situation. This can be seen in its simplest form when you see amazing people fighting cancer within their body yet they still have the mind power of a perfectly healthy human being. The power of hope renews the hope of faith. And with faith comes the renewing of the mind. And with a renewed mind comes the sanctification of the body through temperance (self-control) to not only keep you at peace but to be disciplined to continue and believe based on what you have knew of God to have done for you in the past!

So you know what? I will gladly take a loss in this life to hope and realize the strength of the spirit and long for Heaven’s gain! As I have said many times in the past, I strive for the mark, the prize of the high calling of God. Do we know what that prize really is? It is faith through hope and belief in Jesus Christ! When you reach the prize you win the race!

 

 

 

The Things We Take For Granted Are Things We Miss When They Are Gone

Posted on by

As I am learning day by day to be an ambassador of God’s love there is one fact that stands very clear to me: the things that we take for granted are things we miss when they are gone. I apologize if this sounds like a golden-age’ish trip to the past, but I assure you there is a revelation for you.

Starting out in my childhood I never really realized (and we typically do not as kids) how good life really was. Having  little responsibility and having the only worries of what that note said that was passed at school was definitely a care-free time in my life. Sports were great…well…playing sports with an energy that did not run out was great! Christmas was a different experience as a child than an adult; for I can honestly say that the look on my face when I got presents I wanted let me know what pure glee felt like. I never knew that the experiences I would have with my family that we would seemingly be rushing through would be moments that I would give anything to have had more time in. There were people that I got to be around that were such a joy to my life that have passed away as I have gotten older. What I would not give for that chance to thank them with the same love they have shown me.

Moving on into my teenage years I plainly see my attitude was always objective with rebellious actions and always wanting more. I got what I wanted and thought I was entitled to it, as if being totally irresponsible and ungrateful were not enough in my opinion to deserve it. And even though my teenage years had a lot of bad decisions involved I am happy to say that there were some people that still attempted to invest in me. I had 3 teachers I specifically remember that took the time to make sure they knew I cared. I still remember their names and faces and now know what it was they were trying to do for me. I remember beginning to pay attention in church and seeing people do things that went completely against my outlooks and perspectives of things I thought were true as I was discovering life for myself. Yet there were those who still loved me even when who I thought I was changed all the time. Those people have never left my heart and I am so grateful that I was taught by example about what it means to love through God’s love.

I guess it would be safe to say that I am about in the mid-point in my adult life now. I’m not sure how much more time God will give me to live. Since I have been saved and delivered from my addictions life has totally changed. Something else changed: the numerous amount of people that were as a support around me began to let up little by little. I began to wonder if it was something that I had done to have people start only calling when they were in need of something. I thought I must have surely done something wrong to get in a situation where I always gave and never received a return. I went my entire life knowing one way and now was lost in this part of the journey. The one thing I had to learn in what seemed like the hard way at first was that God was there all along! I then began to learn about how much help I could have through God, that it was so much more than just knowing you had salvation. There was a relationship with God that began to bloom in my life that began to feel just like the people that were around me in my past. And now more than ever I now understand that this stage was a transition to God’s full purpose for my life. There are people now, as I have stepped into the faith, that are in great need of that person that will love through God’s love. Sure I could be sad about losing all of the loved ones and experiences I have had, but I now know why I ever got to feel the good times to begin with. It is now my time to pay it forward.

This ministry and the calling God has on my life was built by every good memory, good experience, and good person that invested in all of our lives. We were being built by people who had the love of God that wanted the best for us. When I really think about that my heart goes out for so many. I could never repay them all, just as much as I could ever fathom of repaying God’s free pardon of sin and love that has been shown to me. God’s love for all of us is shown to us so that we not only know God but show that same love in kind to others. It is so important to not stay selfish and always looking to find more for you. As you grow up and mature in your life God can teach you how to change from being selfish to selfless. In closing this thought I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the things I always took for granted are things that I wish I could get back. And though I cannot get back what I had I can still give out of what I had received. That is where the bible all of a sudden opened up to me like a flood and these verses hit me like I had just read it for the very first time.

1 John 4-7-11

[7] Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

[8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

[9] In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

[10] Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Who Am I?

Posted on by

To begin to know who we are we must first recognize who God is:

Genesis 1:1

[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:14

[14] I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Psalms 148:5

[5] Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

Psalms 119:90

[90] Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

1 Samuel 2:2

[2] There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Revelation 19:6

[6] And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Isaiah 44:6

[6] Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Jeremiah 32:27

[27] Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

God wants us to recognize Him as the one true God and worship Him only.

1 Samuel 7:3

[3] And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

So who am I?

Our nature is human ( or Flesh) – made from the dust, born into sin, born to die, a sinner, full of faults and mistakes, righteousness is as filthy rags.

There is none Good in this world except God through us! It overcomes our human nature and brings us into a new standard of righteous living and leads us unto life eternal through Christ!

Ezekiel 16:1-6

[1] Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[2] Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
[3] And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
[4] And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
[5] None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
[6] And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

An outcast – father was an Amorite and mother a Hittite

Alone and helpless – thy navel was not cut; was not washed, was not swaddled-none eye pietied me; polluted in my own blood; course of life was headed for destruction-could not help myself and no one else could help

Like the man that went down from Jerusalem to Jehrico and fell among thieves and was beaten and left for dead – Needed someone to come for me as I was and where I was

He came looking for me – As He passed by he saw me for what I was but didn’t turn me aside and leave me to die in my sins. God through Christ had compassion and said live! He did not leave any of us the way that he found us.

If someone comes by and asks me who I am, I can say I am a sinner saved by God’s grace which came by Jesus Christ!

I am:

Blessed because my transgressions are covered, my rough places made smooth, my crooked paths made straight. His blessings overtake me as I go down life’s road

Washed though my sins were as scarlet they are now made white as snow

Forgiven because my sins are cast out into the sea of forgetfulness

Psalms 103:1-5

[1] Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
[2] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
[3] Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
[4] Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
[5] Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

When I think of who I am now, some words definitely come to mind: Covered, Redeemed, Pardoned, Justified, Free, Delivered, Kept, Whole, Watched, Adopted, a Joint-Heir, Loved, Clothed and in my right mind, Glad, On my way home, more than a conqueror! I am also precious in His sight, standing on a Solid Rock, Anointed, and the list goes on and on. I will always be able to claim each of these, for they are eternal.

The journey of life sometimes brings us hardships, toil and trouble. We get weary, tired, discouraged, worn, lonely, homesick, perplexed, afraid, sick etc. But remember God’s grace and his salvation is greater than, goes further, and is stronger than the trials of life. These are but temporary and will soon be left behind. When life gets hard, encourage yourself with God’s word and His promises. Remind yourself of who you are and who your Father is.

So who are you?

God Is The Equalizer In Present Difficulty

Posted on by

Sounds like a boring title, right? Even the concept when thought upon is the kind of thought that we already know yet when understood in real application becomes fully realized.

There have been many situations as of late in my life that I thought that would have been super easy to overcome. You know, little things, small issues, minor confrontations, etc. In my mind before such things came about I honestly felt like I was ready for as we say “anything”. When a person is in the preparation phase you tend to have a great lot of faith and confidence that seems to flee when trouble decides to come around! As we read this passage:

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. (Romans 2:9-11)

I know and am thankful for the balance that God created for all of us. When people act as though they are better than you, please know and remember that this is behavior that is out of balance of the word of God. I encourage you to use the great love of God to overcome any situations where you feel this kind of act coming against you.

Knowing that God had no respect of person humbles me to know that when God delivered me from my addictions that I found God the same as one who may have failed less than I. I am also thankful that even when people choose not to embrace the power of worship that this does not prohibit the ability for others to enjoy it also.

Here is the revelation that God gave me: there is no situation where God does not provide the balance for us. None!

As we pray and seek God greater there is a comfort in times of trouble, peace in times when we lack understanding, and joy as our strength when we are in a state of weakness:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

So in closing I would strongly urge you to never forget that you always have God and even when it seems the situation is lopsided that God is there watching over all with no respect of person. In fact, that same love he shares for all will bring us together as we learn to live in his love!

Preparation And Prayer Will Bring Conviction

Posted on by

One of the toughest things for Christians to be able to do successfully is to persevere in their continual seeking on behalf of those around them. What I am writing to you today are some awesome nuggets that you can read from the spirit of the text we will begin with below:

Daniel 6: 7-24

[7] All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
[8] Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
[9] Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
[10] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
[11] Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
[12] Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
[13] Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
[14] Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
[15] Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
[16] Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
[17] And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
[18] Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
[19] Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
[20] And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
[21] Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
[22] My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
[23] Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
[24] And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

In verse seven the enemy decided to take advantage of the Kings weakness and leverage him, using the only plot that would convict Daniel. Take notice here that Daniel’s enemies were not those who we would have expected here (someone acting in a sinful nature for their own gain). You see the enemy that Daniel was dealing with was worse than that; this kind of enemy was sitting in high places and had no control or favor with God. And as we should be very keen to, we cannot ever find ourselves comfortable in a crowd of those we are close to. It is nice to have those we can trust, but God must be above all others! Verse ten opens up the preparation for consequences and totally defiled the enemies intent and creed. If there is nothing else you read, read this part: The first thing we should do in any matter of major/minor significance is to seek the face of God! And yes, seeking God can be done even when knowing that the enemy is intentionally coming against you!

The king’s weakness to peer pressure (and losing his throne) is revealed in verse 15, and as we read it should become clear to us today that sin is revealed in our own lives when God deals with our hearts to commit to Christ. Through the passages of verses 17-23 you can begin to see the represented conviction and restlessness that the king began to face. Conviction will come when we come against God or resist the drawing of our heart for an encounter with Him. Even after the victory and protection that Daniel received God dealt with the enemy for the ill-willed intentions that tried to bring down one walking in God’s will. The enemy cannot run when God is proven, sin cannot stay where the spirit delivers!