Author: regenerated

Exodus 20:4-6 NIV

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

In the book of Daniel 3:1–2, Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold that is very tall and wide; then he invited all the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the judges, and all the officials of the provinces to the dedication of the image. I believe the image was a very big project before the king, and he must have spent huge material resources and time to build that image. In fact, it must have been seen as one of his achievements as the king of Babylon.

He invited all the important officials and leaders to come for the dedication of the project, but he did not inform them that they would be compelled to bow to the image. In such a situation, your decision as to whether to bow or not must be spontaneous because there won’t be time to go and think about it, and the condition does not allow you to have a second chance if you fail to comply. However, despite the death threat attached to the command, it was reported that the three Hebrew men rejected the idea publicly and also refused to bow to the image, daring whatever the consequences would be. They knew it would be wrong for them to bow to other gods except for Jehovah, and so they obeyed God rather than deny Him in public, not minding what people would say.

There are so many things that represent the golden image in our lives today, and the painful thing is that many Christians are bowing to these images on a daily basis.

A golden image is anything that is set up by you or by someone you highly respect but that is against your Christian values. A golden image (for students) is examination malpractice, especially if it is condoned by the school management or the invigilators. It will take deep love and the fear of God for you to see others cheating and refuse to join them.

A golden image (for politicians) can be the sharing of embezzled money or public funds, especially if your refusal can lead to impeachment or a loss of political office. The golden image can appear in any form depending on what you do and what you are exposed to daily, but it’s your responsibility to stand firm in God even if it takes away your means of livelihood. You must not be afraid to let men know where you stand because it is when you take a risk for God that He will show up to glorify himself in your life, and even if he does not show up immediately, your dedication and doggedness towards obeying him will yield positive seed that will later save many and draw them to Christ.

If you stand with God, He will restore whatever you might have lost because of your obedience and lift you above your enemies.

Have you noticed any golden images around you that you would like to share? Kindly send to gsany03@gmail.com or through the comment session below.

The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”  Daniel 2:47

Religion is a practice that is common to most men who have lived on earth and are still living on its surface. Almost every human being believes in the existence of a certain higher spiritual being called God. The only challenge is that there are so many gods. Some were carved out of wood; some were animals that some tribes chose to worship; and some were spirit beings that some ancestors had earlier accepted to be their gods and thereby transferred to their next generation.

When Nebuchadnezzar (the king) had a terrible dream but forgot, he sent for all magicians, astrologers, soothsayers, etc. to come and interpret the dream for him, but none of them could, despite the fact that they all have different gods that they usually consult for difficult matters. The reason is because their gods have limited powers (if at all they had any). However, Daniel was able to tell the king about the dream and its interpretation because he was serving an All-sufficient and limitless God.

Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t pretend that Daniel’s God was like the usual gods he knew; see what he said below:

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”  Daniel 2:46-47

As powerful as Nebuchadnezzar was, he prostrated before Daniel. Isn’t that amazing?

Two things are very important to note in that story: (1). How much you know about God determines how much of His mercy and goodness your life will display. If you know Him as the God of gods, you will never seek other gods for any challenge you are facing, and you will never doubt his existence either.

Secondly, Daniel did not reveal the secrets to the king because of his qualifications, nor because of his family background or his connections (the people he knows), but because of the God he knew, believed, and was serving.

What do you think about the God of Daniel, the revealer of secrets? Don’t you think you need to dedicate your time to getting to know Him more?

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.  So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.  
…Daniel 2:1-3

The world is filled with problems, and your ability to generate solutions to any of them determines how relevant you will be on earth. There are levels of problems, but the ones that can attract a greater reward to those who will solve them are those that bring confusion to kings or the entire world—problems that are bigger than the age and understanding of a natural man.

Naaman was a very powerful man in his day, but he was leprous. He was so relevant to his king and the entire kingdom that even though he had leprosy, the king couldn’t confine him to the outskirts of the city. Who on earth could have believed that mere bathing in the Jordan River for seven days would solve his nightmare? It’s amazing, isn’t it? …2 Kings 5

In the above scripture (Daniel 2), king Nebuchadnezzar had a very scary dream but totally forgot the dream immediately he woke up from sleep, so he called upon the astrologers, magicians, and Chaldeans of Babylon (the wise men he had been feeding and giving luxuries of life to for situations like this) to tell him the dream and also interpret it.

Nebuchadnezzar was highly disappointed when no one could tell him the dream, not to mention interpret it. In fact, the magicians told him that no man physically on the surface of the earth can remember the dream for him except the gods, whose addresses cannot be found on earth. Little did they know that there are some men who are still physically present on earth but are also connected to the source of revelation, that is, God.

Daniel was able to reveal the same dream that had brought confusion and a death threat to the entire Babylon within a few hours, not because he actually knew the dream but because he knew the Revealer of deep and secret things, the God Almighty.

   “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise
 and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. Daniel 2:20=22

God gave Daniel the solution to the problem that had shaken the entire kingdom and could have cost many people their lives. He was not only respected after telling the dream to the king, but he was also given gifts and promotions bigger than his qualifications.

If you have a solution to men’s problems, you will not only become relevant in this generation, but you will also attract financial rewards to yourself because people will pay you for your service.

Don’t become consumed with hatred or envy for other people who are genuinely rising to stardom; rather, be concerned about the problems you are meant to solve. It’s very interesting that you don’t really need to have a ready-made solution to the problem; all you need is to know Him and have a good relationship with Him that reveals secrets in dark places. He will open your eyes to solutions to problems, and you will become relevant in life to the glory of his name.

Would you not rather find Him now that He can be found?

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.  Isaiah 55:6

Daniel 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego), received rewards from God that no other candidate was able to match, just because they chose to partner with God. They denied themselves from what others considered as “opportunity” in order to please God. Daniel 1:8,17,19-20.

It is not very easy to partner with God because of some of its demands, but if one is able to do so, the rewards are bountiful and sustainable. Genesis 17:3-8

What does it means to partner with God? 

It means that you have decided to drop some pleasures in order to serve God. Luke 14:27

It indicates that God comes first in your life before anything else, and so whatever does not please God must automatically be rejected by you. Matthew 6:33

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4

To partner with God means that you cannot do without having a personal relationship with Him daily. You must grow in the inner man by eating spiritual food (God’s word) daily and consistently having communication with God through prayers. See Psalm chapter 1:2–3 below:

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

Entering into partnership with God means that you must be stupid enough to obey whatever He asks you to do, and you must be wise enough not to follow what your mind tells you to do except if it conforms with God’s pattern and will for you. John 2:5

You must be a very disciplined person to be able to play your roles effectively and also fulfill your destiny when you are in partnership with God.. Romans 12:11

While the Israelites were seeing the Red Sea ahead of them, God was seeing a well-constructed and wide road that no man has ever trod upon. He asked them to move forward and then gave them the codes (instructions) that would activate the manifestation of that dry land, and they obeyed them. The rest is history.

Many Christians who desire to be in partnership with God are too busy to receive the codes needed to activate God’s plans for them. Although they had forsaken what God told them to leave behind, because of fear and anxiety, they couldn’t hear the next instructions needed to enter into their rest. They later arrived at the conclusion that God made life difficult for them. Some eventually returned to Egypt (the old ways), while others invited strange gods and mediums to journey with them in fulfilling their destiny. What a disaster!  Proverbs 16:25

Make up your mind that you will follow God and follow Him wholeheartedly with your eyes and ears widely open to read and hear the codes needed to activate your dominion and inheritance in Christ.

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Stay on the Lord’s side

Daniel 1:8 “ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself”.

As simple as the above scripture sounds, it is a very hard decision to make, especially in this age. In fact, I can almost say categorically that many Christians cannot take such a bold step and adhere to it. Now let’s examine the scripture passage a little:

Daniel was the one who decided on his own that those foods would corrupt him. Do you always view things from God’s perspective or from men’s acceptance?

The food being given to them did not come from a fraudulent or dubious practice; it was the portion assigned to them by the king; it was their entitlement, even though it would corrupt them. Can you, as a student, reject cheating in an examination even when others are doing it and invigilators are not complaining?

Daniel (going by the king’s daily provision) did not have options other than to eat the food apportioned to them by the king, and his decision (if later discovered by the king) can cost ‘the Eunuch in charge of feeding’ his job or his life. However, Daniel used his influence to demand what he considered the appropriate meal without feeling cheated or bad that other people were eating expensive and assorted food. He was very disciplined with his ideology. Can you reject embezzlement where it has become common practice?

You will agree with me that some Christians were not corrupt until they were tested with power. Some became corrupt when they got promoted to a higher grade in their place of work, while some politicians became corrupt when they were given power over public funds. They became corrupt when they were exposed to “real money”, when they got to the position where public funds (the national cake) were at their disposal. Read John 12:6

In Nigeria today, Peter Obi seems to stand out (among many politicians) because of his ideology about public funds: he believes public funds belong to the public and should be spent on the public, not for personal gratification. He believes he was a rich man before coming into politics and so cannot depend on “the national cake” to survive or to allocate public funds to his family members under whatever name. However, while many politicians also believed they’d been rich before coming to office, they also believed (by practice) that their family members must greatly benefit from public funds even though they were not elected by the masses. They cannot take sides with Daniel. Can you take sides with God where corruption has become the norm and is generally accepted by your class or community?