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So often we desire to increase in a particular manifestation, but the heart to truly and selflessly serve God’s people must be in us. Those who are fluid in mighty workings and have seen many miracles can attest that God will meet us with demonstrations of His miraculous power when we’re actively engaged in serving others. Daniel, one of David’s sons, was blessed to have prophetic dreams and visions that would help God’s people. This is a tremendous lesson about service as it relates to the nine manifestations of the gift of Holy Spirit. Daniel wanted to help God’s people. This is why he was pressed to understand his vision and prayed to God for help. It arrived in the form of an angel, and he told Daniel something that will comfort all our hearts when we’re ambushed under demonic attack.
An ambush is a surprise attack, and it can come from all angles. It’s a time when everything goes wrong. Friends begin to act strange towards us, kids get out of control, the special person in our lives is annoyed for seemingly no reason at all, problems at work get out of hand, and our expenses are more than we can manage. Your nerves are shot, and on top of all this, you’re not feeling great physically. It’s surreal when problems in every aspect of your existence hit you all at once.
It can feel as though God isn’t hearing us, but this is never the case. The angel said to Daniel in Daniel 10:12(NLT), “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.” The angel reassured Daniel that from the very moment he began to pray, the answer to his prayer was on its way to him. If it was true for Daniel, it is most certainly true for us.
Prayer was a pattern in Daniel’s life. During the three weeks after his initial request for help, Daniel never stopped praying because he knew that God would answer him. Our problem is that many of us don’t do this. If we don’t receive results on the double, we become impatient, lose faith, and allow the enemy to steal our blessing. Understand that the battle heats up when you’re close to victory. Often, this is the time we’re ambushed with multiple attacks.
1Peter 5:6-9(NLT) instructs, “6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
You have a destiny in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our destinies contain the storehouse of blessings that God has for us, and it also contains our assignment, the work that we’re to do for God’s Kingdom. As we progress through life, both the blessings and our assignments are revealed, and God’s Kingdom on earth is expanded through our obedience to Him; the enemy wants to stop this. When we’re close, particularly when a new season of spiritual growth and blessings is upon us, we are attacked, and sometimes severely so.
God tells us exactly what we need to know about being attacked. He tells us to resist the tactics of the enemy. Don’t give in to them. Yes, the devil is a roaring lion, and Daniel can tell us a thing or two about lions. The king in his day had him placed in a den of ravenous lions, and God sent the angels to his rescue. They bound their mouths, and Daniel was unharmed. To be placed in a den of lions was a form of punishment and torture in earlier biblical periods. It was indeed a horrific death. A lion’s teeth were sharp and could cut through flesh and crush bones. This offers the background to why the devil is referred to as a roaring lion. It depicts the ruthlessness and eagerness with which he seeks to devour us, but Jesus Christ is our defense and rescue.
Our first instinct is to run as fast and far away from danger as possible, but in 1Peter 5:9, God instructs us straightforwardly to stand firm against the devil. We are not to allow our emotions to sink and to let ourselves be overcome with fear, doubt, and worry. God reminds us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” God tells us to resist and not run. You’ve been in tight places before. You know what it feels like to think you wouldn’t make it another day, but the hand of God was on your life then, and the hand of God is on your life now.
In Isaiah 41:10, He tells us not to be afraid and don’t be discouraged, because He’s our God. He will strengthen and help us. He promises to hold us up with His victorious right hand. It may feel as though you’re on the edge, but you’re actually on the verge of God’s mighty rescue. Stand firm! God is with you, and He will never leave you alone. He knows all the details of what we’re facing, and He sees the things you can’t see. He has already worked out a plan for your greatest good, so claim the victory, because its already yours.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Don’t Let Your Emotions Sink” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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