Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of gold and placed it in the centre of Babylon. He made a decree that when music was played, that everyone in the kingdom needed to bow down and worship the image. The challenge was that there were some Jewish men in captivity, who would not bow to any other God, but the Lord. When the king learnt of their defiance, he was furious and summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king threatened to throw them into a furnace of fire, if they refused to bow to his image. They did not bow and the king had them thrown in. In his rage, the King had the furnace heated up seven times hotter than normal. The men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire were actually consumed because of the heat. As for the Jewish men, not only were they not burnt, but the king saw them walking around in the furnace.

In addition, the king saw a fourth man whose countenance was like God. To everyone’s amazement, the three men came out of the fire unharmed. Not one hair on their head or body was even slightly burnt and the men did not smell like smoke. The king was so amazed that he praised their God and decreed the Lord is the true and living God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were promoted as a reward for their faithfulness and boldness in serving God. You will not look like what you have gone through and God will not allow you to look like where you have come from. God’s grace is sufficient and he is able to keep us from falling and to keep us faultless before his glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24).

God is able to keep you through fire and tribulations and people will not be able to tell that you have been through a storm. They that trust in the Lord shall be like mount Zion that cannot be removed but abides forever (Psalm 125:1). Persecution can cause us to feel ashamed and the enemy wants us to experience disgrace. The intention is to try to assassinate our characters and steal our reputation and credibility. It cannot work when we put our trust and confidence in Jesus.

Though you go through the fire it will not consume you and through the flood, it will not overcome you (Isaiah 43:2). God will keep your mind in perfect peace and preserve your body from the effects of stress and sickness. “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more” (Isaiah 54:4).

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Do you have a need that seems impossible to meet. Give it to God because that is his speciality. The Isrealites were trapped between the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. They had no other way out but to lift their faith and wait for God to respond. God made a way through that red Sea for his children to travel to safety and then closed the sea on Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14).

Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus who had died. Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21). This was Martha’s expression to Jesus when he arrived. What Martha did not know was that Jesus had been there all the time. God’s ways are higher than our ways and time is not a concept to him. He is never too late and never too early. He defies time and exists in the realms of infinity. Not even death signaled a boundary for him. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to signify his strength, wisdom, power and might.

“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him” (Matthew 8:27)? Even Jesus disciples did not have him figured out and marveled at his miracles. These men spent every day with Jesus and still were confounded by his resurrection from the dead.

It is not over until God says it’s over and God has the final say. He is our Physician and defies what medicine and science concludes. There is no end to his understanding and his power. I know what that report says and I know that it seems impossible for things to have any other outcome than what man predicts, but the Bible is full of examples of how God transcends the impossible. Expect God to work beyond what looks impossible.

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When the Ammonites and the Moabites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. And all the people of Judah gathered together with Jehoshaphat to seek God in fasting and prayer. Jehoshaphat prayed in the midst of the people and cried out to God for help (2 Chronicles 20:3-4).

And as they were gathered, the word of the Lord was spoken through the Levite. God’s answer was, ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ The Prophet gave further instructions concerning what the Lord had commanded the people to do in preparation for the battle.

The people rejoiced and gave glory to God because he had heard their prayers and had sent an answer to their request (2 Chronicles 20:18-19). Such was their confidence in God that although they had not seen the physical manifestations of victory, that a word from his Prophet was enough to calm their fears. They worshipped and praised God in advance because they knew that God would do what he had said.

God has heard your request and he has heard the cry of your heart. When you set yourself to seek God in prayer and fasting he is ready to give an answer. His answer is that the battle belongs to him and he has given us the victory. We lift our hands in praise and worship to our God because we have confidence in what he has said. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you (2 Chronicles 20:17). Now we lift our hands in worship and offer to God our praise.

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There are angles assigned to assist us in our assignment on Earth. Many times in scripture we see them acting as messengers, agents of protection and the executors of justice and vengeance. The angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

We see one angel in (2 Kings 19) defeating an entire Assyrian army, which came up against Judah and attacked the city. “And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies” (2 Kings 19:35).

There are also angels assigned to protect regions and territories and who contend with demonic forces in the heavens. During Daniel’s fast, an angel was sent to deliver a message to him. This angel was held up by a demonic Prince until Michael came to his defence. “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13).

We saw an army of angels in chariots of fire surrounding Elisha, when the King sent his own army to capture him (2 Kings 6:16-17). God wants us to be conscious of the daily presence of angels around us, who can also take on human form. No matter what is happening around you, be mindful of the fact that you are never alone. Heaven’s army stands ready to protect and defend you and there are angels assigned to daily assist you. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).

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Nothing can stand between us and God. No person, no system, no law, no protocol or etiquette, dictates our ability to approach God in times of need. We can be happy that we have free access to God. We do not need to make an appointment with his personal assistant, or check his diary and see when his schedule is free. We have often tried in vain to have audience with people in positions of power. It can be frustrating when we have something important to say and have to go through layers of checks before we can have access to someone.

Jesus died on the cross so that we can approach the throne of God, with boldness and confidence, knowing that, we shall receive grace and mercy to help us in the times of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Our time in prayer brings us in direct communication and access to God. When we pray God also responds. It’s funny that people think it strange when we talk about hearing from God. Who sits and talks to someone everyday without getting any responses from them? Speaking to God is not like speaking into an empty vacuum. God has a lot to say in response to our prayers and requests to him. When we pray we also need to make time to listen, so that the Holy Spirit can train our ears to hear.

God created us for relationship and he does not want any distance between us. We do not need a religious leader to grant us access to God. Yes they are important for leadership and direction, but God desires a direct relationship with us. Prayer connects us to God and draws us closer to him. Let us maintain our connection through prayer and reading of the word and cherish the fact that nothing can separate us from God.

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Isaiah had a vision of the Lord seated on his throne and the angels spoke in resounding praise and glory unto God. John in Revelation had a similar vision, being caught up to heaven and the angels did not cease day and night to cry: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

David understood that God dwells where there is praise and worship. “But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). There is a tangible manifestation of the presence of God, when we bow in praise and worship to Him. And where his spirit is there is freedom and liberty. Burdens are lifted, yokes are destroyed and people are healed and set free.

When we humble ourselves and bow in adoration and glory to God, then he will show up to transform lives. In 2 Chronicles 5, Solomon built a temple for the ark of the covenant, which carried the presence of God. Only the Levitical Priests who were worshippers and musicians were allowed to carry the ark with the presence of God. The ark rested on their shoulders, because the Priests consecrated themselves before God.

And it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

Our praise confuses the enemy and wins battles. “And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:22). God dwells in our praise and we fight our battles with hands lifted in adoration to God. When we humble ourselves and lift our praise to God, we elevate him high above our cares and worries. When we offer praise and worship God is sure to come in our midst and when he shows up, lives will change. His presence no longer dwells in an ark, but he lives in us and the weight of his glory comes when we worship.

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In 2 Chronicles, a great army gathered against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah and he called a fast and commanded his people to seek God (2 Chronicles 20).

During their time of fasting and prayer the Lord spoke through a Levite and encouraged the people not to be afraid of the great army……for the battle is not yours but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem”( :17).

Once Jehoshaphat and the people heard from the Lord, they fell before the Lord in worship. On the day of battle Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go before the army and declare, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

Just as the Lord had promised the people did not even need to lift a sword, but their praise and worship was enough to destroy their enemies. And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed (2 Chronicles 20:22).

There are some situations that you will feel powerless to fight and the enemy may come against you when you lack strength. Seek the Lord, listen for his word and once he has confirmed his word to you, take your position in worship and let God fight your battles. This battle belongs to God so thank him in advance for your victory.

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Boldness is the willingness to take risks and to act innovatively while demonstrating confidence and courage. It takes courage to be a Christian and to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of cynicism and a culture of doubt and disbelief. It takes courage to speak out against injustice and to demand recompense and restitution when a wrong has been committed.

Jesus demonstrated this boldness even unto the point of death and his life was unconventional, at a time when religious dogma was pervasive. Jesus was not afraid of controversy and spoke boldly in the temple, streets and synagogues, although his message unsettled religious leaders. A den of thieves is what Jesus called the vendors and money changers who sold and traded in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13).

God is a good father, but he is also a God of justice and he hates robbery (Isaiah 61:8). It grieves God when people are treated unfairly. He is a God of vengeance and will recompense when wrongs are committed against the innocent. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly”
‭‭(Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:35‬).

“Do not be afraid of their faces,” is what God told Jeremiah, “for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:8). So what if your opinion is unpopular and people take offence? Is your aim to please God or to please men? We speak the truth in love and we try our best to be at peace with everyone. There are situations that require us to boldly stand up and declare righteous judgement. The disciples were labelled as, “these who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

The disciples message was not one of conformity or a passive resignation to things as they were. They were revolutionary in their thinking and approach and they did not care if it cost their lives. Take a stand of righteousness, speak up when you notice injustice and work to establish a world which promotes the truth, that we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

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