Men who would not Bow II

Friday 8 May
READ: Dan. 6:1-10 MORE LESSON: Dan. 13:15

There come times when it becomes difficult to profess faith in God, and it is at such times that men are differentiated from boys in the things of God. When the going gets tough, it is only the tough that get going. There was a time in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians when the rulers conspired against Daniel to make King Darius sign a decree that outlawed the worship of Jehovah God. They knew that they would never find any basis for charges against Daniel unless it had something to do with the law of his God (Dan 6:5 NIV). So they manipulated the king to make a law that nobody should worship any god except the king for one month.

Daniel didn't bow to the ungodly legislation but when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks to his God, as was his custom (Dan 6:10). How many of us would not bow to the ungodly system in the same situation? If a law is made in your working place that prohibits identifying with Jesus, will you refuse to bow to that law? If you are threatened to be fired from work unless you compromise your faith, what would you do? We should not love our job more than the God who gave the job. God is looking for men that will stand for Him and defy ungodly laws. I want you to know that it is God who gave you that job and He can give you a better one. Moreover, if the Lord says that job is yours, nobody can move you an inch. Those who rise against you will rather fall for your sake (Deut 28:7). This is what happened in Daniel's case; those that conspired against him finally fell for his sake.

Peter and John also preached and healed in Jesus’ name, and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious ruling class, summoned them and after beating them, prohibited them from preaching or speaking in that name anymore (Acts 4: 18). But Peter and John stood their ground and told the council members, Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard: Acts 4:19-20 (NIV). They refused to bow to the ungodly injunction that they were given. The result of their stand for God was that the gospel spread abroad and we benefit from it today. If they had bowed, generations would have been doomed to hell. Your refusal to bow to ungodliness is not just for yourself but also for the destinies of generations to come. Make up your mind and receive grace from God not to bow.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that God will help you to be a perfect example for other believers to see at home, work and in your neighbourhood.
* Pray that no conspiracy of the enemy will overcome your faith.
* Ask God for grace to stand firm in the face of any challenge.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, every strongman of bad luck attached to my life, be roasted by Holy Ghost fire right now, in Jesus’ name.