Why Christians Fail When Tested Daniel 3: 16-18.

Sometimes when we are going through testing of faith it helps to look at those who have gone through the fires of testing ahead of us and have come out victorious.

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king. "O Nebuchadnezzar we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it. And he will rescue us from your hand, O King, but even if he does not, we want you to know, O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 NIV..

THE IDOL
The king had set up an idolatrous image and required all to bow down to it.  Any refusal was punished by being thrown into the blazing furnace, but the three faithful Hebrews refused to violate the first commandment.  What they responded to the king has been instruction to all generations since.

THEIR FAITH

"We will not worship the image..."

They had unwavering faith in the power of God.  They said, "The God we serve is able to save us."  No matter what we face God is able to save us from disaster.  To them, God is bigger than any problem, bigger than the furnace the idol, and the king.  We often think our problem is bigger than our God.

They were confident that God would save them; they said, "He will rescue us."  The three had no doubts about God's love and purpose for them.  We fail in trials because we feel we are not loved by God or that we have forfeited His love somehow but that is an error.  God loved us so much he gave His son, everything else is a minor footnote compared to that.

THEIR OBEDIENCE
They were willing to accept whatever God did.  Bowing to the sovereign will of God they said, "But even if he does not..." We today want God our way and we want victory our way.  We want to define the victory- often in terms of pride and physical gratification.  To be over-comers in trials we need to accept God's terms and not make the mistake of dictating to God.

THEIR RESOLVE
They were not willing to compromise. "We will not serve your Gods..." The king did not ask them to do much- only to bow, the king could have asked for a lot more like some elaborate ceremony.  These three, (like Christians centuries later who chose death rather than to offer a pinch of incense to the idol of the emperor), refused to make even the slightest compromise in their obedience to God.  Today we live in a generation of compromise.  We must learn the uncompromising faith of the three Faithful Hebrews.  To them, death was preferable to even the slightest concession.  To compromise does not get us victory in the trial, but a greater defeat.

To find out how you can personally know the God of Victory follow this link: click here.

(c) Adron 4/17/12

One Man’s Hope in the Darkest Night Lights the Way for us All. Daniel 6:23 NIV

We all have dark times and wonder where we can find hope. The Bible tells of a man who lived in dark times but knew where to look for hope.

HIS HOPE CAN BE OURS
We can learn hope from the man who kept faith when everyone was against him. His jealous enemies fabricated a law that no righteous man could obey, forbidding prayer to any god but the king. In spite of a possible death sentence, he continued to practice a thrice-daily prayer at his window. He was cast in the lion's den, where a stone was rolled over the entrance and sealed until the following morning. In the morning, he was still alive and…

"The King was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den and when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found in him because he trusted in his God." Daniel 6:23. NIV.

FAITH
Faith does not guarantee we will be spared testing; rather, the faithful are proved in the test. Daniel faithfully served God, but he still went through that night in the lion's den. He trusted God not only in the darkness of the night but in the darkness of not knowing; he did not know if he would be delivered or slain like other martyred prophets. Daniel trusted God before he went into the lion's den, and he trusted God while in the lion's den. We may experience our own lion’s den, one of despair, or illness or loss, but like Daniel, we must trust God. God loves us and has a plan for deliverance; we may not understand it, but we must resolve to be like Daniel and trust.

TRUST
Daniel trusted God, and God moved the king to favor Daniel. In the morning, the king came and gave orders; he didn’t just send a secretary. Our God, the King of Heaven, is also watching vigil over our dark night. At the right time, God will give orders to bring us out of the depths of despair.

LIFTED
Daniel was lifted out of the den. The king didn’t tell Daniel to climb out; instead, he commanded others to lift Daniel out. Daniel didn’t need to climb; he just needed to let himself be lifted. Like Daniel, we need to have faith in God and allow God to lift us.

No wound was found on him because he trusted in his God. Daniel came out alive, and not just alive; he was untouched by the lions. God honored Daniel for his trust in Him, which gives us hope.

THE GOD OF DANIEL
Daniel is an exception in the lives of the saints. There is no guarantee that we will have the same deliverance as Daniel or be spared of wounds. But the Bible guarantees this—you may have his God. The God of Daniel is waiting to be your God. He rewards those who look to Him in faith. Daniel’s faith was expressed in his prayers, and we may call on God for our personal deliverance in prayer.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/10/10