Favor in a Time of Exile

I am reading through the book of Daniel right now. I find this book so fascinating. Daniel 1-6, Daniel interprets the King's dreams and what not. In Daniel 7-12, Daniel is given his own visions, and these visions are about the end times.

Daniel and his buddies, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are perfect examples of believers living in a secular world. They are captives in Babylon, exiled from Jerusalem, and they continue to live their lives in accordance to the law, even in the midst of much outside pressure. Daniel is constantly standing up for what he believes in, and then is rewarded for it. He does this in Daniel 1:8, which the reward is in Daniel 1:17-20. Daniel sought after the Lord to help him interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2. The Lord reveals the dream to Daniel, and Daniel does not take the credit, he acknowledged that God is the one who revealed it to him. When Daniel hits the dream right on the head, Nebuchadnezzar falls prostrate and says "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and revealer of great mysteries"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do not worship the image of gold Nebuchadnezzar builds in Daniel 3, so he decides to throw them in the fire. Daniel 3:17-18, this is their response "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" And the men were saved from the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar sees how they trusted the Lord and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any other god 3:28-29

Again and again this takes place. At the end of Daniel 5, the Medes and Persians took over the Babylonians and the Israelites. In Daniel 6, a decree is published that any man who prays to any god or man besides King Darius must be put to death. Daniel's response....6:10 "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before" Nothing stopped Daniel from following God with all his being. He knew that God would save him, and He saved him again and again, this time from the mouths of lions.

As Daniel loved the Lord with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength, as he followed God, the Lord gave Daniel favor in the site of all of the kings. In Daniel 6:28 it says "So Daniel prospered..." He was always in high favor of the ruling king and held a high place in the king's court.

Blake and I have had numerous talks about the way these men lived their lives. It is easy for me to sit here and say that I would do the same things the men did, that I would not succumb to the pressure or threat...but I don't know. My life isn't in life threatening situations on a semi-consistent basis....currently, it has never been. I know that martyrdom is very real in the middle east and other countries....

Since I live in a place where I can practice religious freedom....
What are the little ways in my life that I am giving into secularism? What ways am I denying Christ, whether by word or deed? What ways am I choosing to follow the "rules" set before me, not by a king, but by this culture we live in?

What are some of the ways you fall into secularism?

All My Junk

As a human being, and more importantly as a follower of Christ, I am on this journey where I am continually growing. Growing in all areas of life, but most importantly in my relationship with Christ and desiring to become more like him every day.

I am fully aware that there is a spiritual battle that goes on daily in my life. There are "lies" that I have bought into that the enemy has told me, and at some point or another in my life I have accepted it as truth. The Bible tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came so that we would have life to the fullest (John 10:10) and Christ came to destroy the devils work (1 John 3:8)

Every person has issues to deal with. Now, some people choose not to work through these issues. I believe that as you work through your issues, you come into a deeper relationship with God. Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy. I very much dislike doing this. But when I do, the blessings that come from it are amazing. In these issues, I am held in bondage, and am not experiencing freedom in Christ to the fullest. I know that as I begin dealing with my junk, I will become more free in this particular area in my life.

I am in a place right now where the Lord is revealing some stuff to me. I am in this battle right now. A part of me wants to deal with this, and the other part doesn't want to. There is a fear of digging deep into myself, reflecting, and asking God to show me the deepest parts of my being...but not only to show me, but to help me heal and work through it.

I know that I need to do this. I know that to continue in my relationship with Christ, this is one of the next big steps. But to be completeley honest, I am scared of being honest with myself.

A time of reflection

Every December, I have a birthday...it is inevitable. And every December, I like to reflect on what has happened in my life in the past year. The highs and lows, the great and the horrible, all of these things have shaped me and define who I am to this day. I do not want to be like the Israelites who did not remember all that the Lord did for them. My life is drastically different than I thought it would be a year ago looking ahead. Here are some of the lessons/experiences that I have been through in my 23rd year here on earth...

-At this exact time last year, I had accepted a full time job at one of the premier lobbying firms in Washington DC after completing an internship there. My life today is vastly different than I thought it would be.

-I think I have the Jonah complex. Not because I am trying to avoid what God is asking me to do, but everytime that I try to move away, and move away permanently, God brings me back to Fresno through one circumstance or another. I have never purposefully disobeyed God in this, but have felt that He was giving me the choice...

-As a woman, I need to be grounded in theology. Theology is one of those words that usually scares people off, but theology is about a relationship with God...really knowing God. When hard times hit, and we are not sure why God is allowing certain things to happen, if we are not grounded in who Christ is, our whole belief system can be rocked.

-It is essential to ask God the tough questions...it draws us out of ourselves, beyond our circumstances and into serious dialogue with God.

-I am running the race that God has marked out for me.

-I once asked a friend if there can be two paths set out before me, and if she thought that I would end up in the same place no matter which one I chose. She didn't have an answer for me. But I now believe that no matter which path I choose, as I seek Him, He will keep on track. It may seem like I zigged when I should have zagged, but since God is sovereign, there is no missed opportunity. I have never missed an opportunity. I am in God's plan A for my life. There is no plan B if God is sovereign.

-I like to be in control, which means I very much dislike not being in control of certain situations...which happens often.

-I am constantly learning how to shed my own expectations.

-When you choose to enter into a relationship with somebody, you give up the right to not be hurt, as does the other person.

-I have an amazing family who loves me more than I realize sometimes. The older I get, the more I appreciate them. We constantly laugh when we are together. It is great when the four of us are able to be together, which doesn't happen a lot these days.

-My sister is becoming one of my best friends.

-Ending a relationship with somebody you really care about is extremely hard, even if it is for the right reasons.

-I still haven't figured out how my heart can be in three places at once...

-People in the United States are extremely ignorant to the injustice that occurs in the world.

-People enter into your life for only a season sometimes, and only God knows the reasons why.

-I eat vegetables now! For those of you that know me, I hated anything green until about April of 2007.

- I still feel so small when I sit out and look at the vastness of the ocean. I am reminded of how big the God I serve is.

-God is faithful.

The list could continue on, but I think this is good enough for now. It brings me joy and excitement to think off all that happened this past year and to look forward in anticipation of what God will allow me to be a part of and the circumstances I may encounter in the year to come. I think I need to take more time to reflect on the things that God has done in my life. It is good to remember.