Daniel 11: 32 “…..but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits”.
Do you know your God, or do you just know about Him? The disciples walked with Jesus in every day life for three years, listening to His teaching, learning from His correction, aware of a compulsion to follow this miracle worker who carried the presence of almighty God. They were learning about Him and His ways, but they did not really know Him until after the Holy Spirit filled them at Pentecost.
When we enter into salvation the Holy Spirit becomes our Guide. The new nature we receive from the life of Christ replaces our old fleshly corrupt one. As we walk in truth and humility, the life of Christ flows freely giving us a new life, new godly ways to walk in. Challenges will come when the old self nature wants to take control, but as we surrender to the Lord in our daily choices, Christ’s life in us becomes our testimony to His glory and old habits fall away.
Consider the birds when their new feathers grow from within, they push out the old ones. The process is called moulting. The birds do not have to rip out their old feathers, it happens naturally. As we refuse to walk in our old selfish ways, choose to surrender to the Lord and please Him, His life will flow unhindered through us supernaturally manifesting the new, and moulting the old. It is in our daily choices that we learn to really know the Lord Jesus as we allow Him to fully reign in our hearts. His new life breaks the power of conquered sin in our lives as we learn a new way of living and thinking. Our minds are renewed in Christ and He enables us, by His Holy Spirit, to embrace this new lifestyle, as incrementally, we are being filled with a daily measure of the fullness of Christ. New habits replace the old. As we get to know the Lord Jesus more, our relationship and fellowship deepens together as our divine Potter moulds and shapes a vessel for His glory……. “..and the people that do KNOW their God shall be strong and do exploits”
The book of Daniel records how Daniel and his countrymen were captured and taken into captivity to Babylon. He was in a foreign land, in a heathen culture, selected as a slave servant for a project by the king. Even in captivity, Daniel remained faithful to God and God gave him favour and position with his captors. As is so often the case, the favour of God on a person’s life can incur jealousy in others. So it was with Daniel, as the king had bestowed great honour and position for him, noting Daniel’s “excellent spirit”, (Daniel 6:3). A plot was formed by jealous men to bring Daniel down, but Daniel triumphed over them through God.
Daniel’s godly habits and lifestyle had been formed over the years growing up into manhood back in his homeland. Daniel KNEW his God. He did not just know about Him. He was in a deep, committed relationship with Him, and when put to the test remained faithful and God honoured him in his choices. Daniel knew that making a stand for serving his God, and refusing to bow to heathenism could cost him his life, but he remained faithful to his commitment and God delivered him. Daniel stood by the discipline he had learnt in his early years.
What about you and me? Where do we stand when the shaking comes? At this present time the rumbling of wars across the world are flashed daily before our eyes on television screens. Does the sabre rattling and the media reports strike fear in our hearts? Let us remember to listen to God’s voice and depend on His Holy Spirit to keep us in peace amid these storms. Jesus taught us to lift up our heads when these things prophesied shall surely come, and keep our eyes on Him. 2 Timothy 1:7 declares “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind”. God has not fallen off His throne. He is in full control whatever men may say, or do.
Psalm 103:19 “…..His kingdom rules over ALL”. Let us press on to know Jesus more and more. Only as we surrender our will for His, dying daily in every day situations and relationships, preferring others before ourselves, pleasing God before pleasing people, will this supernatural event flow more and more…..Christ’s life replacing mine, all for His glory!
In this position it will be said of us as Daniel discovered: “…the people that do KNOW their God, shall be strong and do exploits”