THE DAY THAT LIONS FASTED FOR DANIEL

INTRODUCTION

Daniel was a servant of God and the Bible doesn´t only tell us about it, but it also shows that he was a faithful man who risked his own life for God and understood that there was a cause for which he had to fight, but above all, he understood there was a God   to adore, respect and obey and that He should be the first in his life.

Daniel was part of a group of slaves in the Empire of the Medes and the Persians, which was ruled by King Darius. Daniel was given a very important position within this empire.  Even being a Jewish, he was chosen to work on topics related to the government.  King Darius had divided the territory in 120 satrapies or provinces which were governed by satraps, that is to say, officials of the Empire of the Medes and the Persians, and on top of them he appointed three governors to whom they should account for their actions. Daniel was among that group of governors. The Bible says in Daniel 6:3 “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” This means that the spirit that was in Him was the Holy Spirit.”

When a person has an excellent spirit it´s easy to notice it because the person is enterprising, self-confident and full of faith, when he starts something he finishes it, when he starts a business he´s successful, he goes ahead and in spite of the difficulties that he may come across, he doesn´t stop, that´s why one can declare that that person has an excellent spirit. Although there might be an excellent spirit of some other kind, the one that Daniel had was God´s Spirit, the best of all! He enjoyed the communion with God and respected the relation he had with Him, so he wasn´t going to let an idolatrous empire like the  one of the Medes and  the Persians interfere in his relation with his God. And that´s what I want to talk to you about today: God wants to put in you the same fire there was in Daniel, He wants to change your heart so that you are not afraid of dying or of being captured by the lions claws, but that the only thing that you really want is to honour Him and put Him in the first place, and when you take that decision He will honour you as He did with Daniel.

THE FIRST OF DANIEL´S PRIORITIES

As Daniel was excellent, King Darius thought about putting him over the other governors, and when he did so, the others got jealous and envious. What had Daniel done wrong? Nothing. He simply was brilliant.

In order for bad things to happen to you, you don´t have to do bad things: if you do good things, bad things can also happen to you. Some people say:” what´s happening to me is not fair” “why is this happening to me if I´m a good person?” or “Why do good things happen to the bad ones and  bad things happen to me?” So we can hear some silly things like:” This happens to me because I´m good, it´s better to be bad.” And you´d better not say anything because you´ll make things get worse!

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:4: “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Do you want to have many problems? Be excellent then. Then you´ll do things the right way and others around you will want to make you fall. Unfortunately, we live in a world that behaves like that! So you can have really big problems, either because of the sin that reigns in the world or because you did the things wrong, but the other possibility is that you are good and excellent in all what you do. The last one was Daniel´s case and the satraps didn´t want to let him grow, so they plotted against him. But they couldn´t find anything to blame him because he didn´t lie, he didn´t cheat, he didn´t betray, but they noticed that his only weakness was that he loved God too much and that he had a strong commitment with Him, so they found this was a perfect excuse to accuse him.

Therefore, the satraps went to see King Darius, who governed over the Median- Persian Empire…He was vainer than a peacock. They suggested that he wrote a decree and signed it. That decree said that nobody would be able to ask any kind of petition of any god or man but only of the king for a period of 30 days. Darius agreed and gave his consent so that it was written; then he signed it. They reminded the king that, according to the law of Media and Persia, once the decree was signed, it couldn´t be revoked.

The Bible says in Daniel 6:10 :”Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime”.

But Daniel didn´t care about the decree because his relationship with God was more important than the Median-Persian Empire, king Darius and even his own life. His relationship with God was more important than his own life! The decree said that anybody who did anything against what had been promulgated, would be thrown into the lions´ den. Daniel was aware of this, but his relationship with God was more important than anything else.

Of course, they had found the way to accuse him. Daniel behaved so well with God, but he was innocent about what they had planned, and even so, he didn´t care. They told the king what Daniel was doing and he realized that they had planned everything to kill Daniel. The king loved Daniel! And the Bible says that he did everything he could to release him, but the satraps reminded him that if a decree was signed, it couldn´t be revoked by himself. So he gave up. We read in Daniel 6:16:” Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”

Darius had little faith that this could happen. Daniel 6:17”And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.”

They threw him into the den of lions and one lion told the other:” do you know I have something stuck in my throat and I can´t swallow anything? I don´t feel like eating” And the other lion answered:” What a good guy this is! Let´s pray for him! And the lions were hungry..! Don´t think that they were going to throw him in a den where the lions felt full and sleepy. So they looked at Daniel and thought that some other time they would eat him. No, they were hungry lions. In those times they used to have hungry lions, in case a situation like this arose. And as we will see later, the lions were really hungry. That night the king couldn´t sleep, he didn´t want to eat, he didn´t want to listen to music. Marcos Witt and Danilo Montero sang for him but he didn´t want to listen! The Bible says that the king couldn´t sleep and that he fasted for Daniel.

LET GOD FIND YOU INNOCENT

We continue reading in Daniel 6:19-22   :” Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.”

God found him innocent! No matter who thinks you are guilty. What matters is that God finds you innocent!

A terrible persecution has started against a nephew of mine who´s a pastor in Córdoba, Argentina. He spent some time in our home and then he returned full of the fire of the Holy Spirit, he embraced the vision of our church and opened homes to rescue drug addicts, prostitutes and young people who live in the streets. Once there was an argument with one of girl´s (who lives in one of those homes) ex couple because he wanted to take her daughter from her. My nephew defended the girl but the husband bribed the police and started to defame him in the newspapers. So he called me and said: “Uncle I´m considered the worst person in Córdoba. They say we are a sect, they have broken into our church, broken down the door and entered my house, they also did the same in the home we have for men”. He was a pastor in the city of Río Tercero but he had to leave for Córdoba because they are looking for him to take him to prison. He´s suffering persecution because he´s helping young people to get out of the drugs.

Among other things, they say that he has the boys, he has rescued from the streets, like slaves.  In his house, where he lives with his wife, they have given lodging to 12 girls, and now they accuse him of procuring and  having orgies with those girls.

Believe me, I have stopped trusting men´s justice, I have stopped believing in men´s justice. I only believe in God´s justice. And I know God will work in my favour!

There are some spiritual powers which are threatening the church and the first ones they attack are the pastors. They have recently installed a telephone booth in Plaza Independencia in Montevideo so that people “pray directly to God without any intermediaries”. The message is that you don´t need intermediaries to get close to God. I understood they don´t like Jorge Márquez. They are waiting for the day when they can blame those they call intermediaries. But we are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, five ministries that God established over  the church! And there won´t be any human or demoniac power able to destroy the spiritual structure that God put in the church! They couldn´t succeed in Russia, in China, in the Muslim countries or in North Korea! They simply couldn´t stop the church! Nobody can stop God´s Spirit   and He enters where He wants!

Whoever wants to serve God will suffer persecution! Those who love God will see the onslaught from hell on his/her life and family. But if you aren´t devoted  and if to know you are a Christian in your job they have to hire the FBI´s services to investigate, this message isn´t for you. They won´t do anything to you because you   will go unnoticed! But if you devote your life to Him, you must know that strong things will happen!

I must add that Daniel loved God above everything, he honoured   and served Him. He   wasn´t afraid of   risking his   life to show that   God was the first one for him. Do you think that God demands less from you? No!  If God is not the first one in your life, there are no deals with Him. God has to be the only one, the first one and you must honour Him above all.

The lions didn´t eat Daniel, but that isn´t the most significant thing; the most astonishing was that the most arrogant king on earth was absolutely moved by what he saw and lived. The extreme circumstance against Daniel turned into a favourable event for God´s Kingdom. God was exalted and Daniel was honoured!

King Darius got angry with those that had plotted against Daniel´s life and he sent them, their wives and children to the den of lions and the Bible says:” And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. “(Daniel 6:24) The lions were hungry!

When Daniel was thrown into the same place, the animals suffered from a momentary sickness, but when the governors and the satraps fell into the den, the lions caught them. The most glorious thing happened when the king gave another order. We read in Daniel 6:26-27” 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

The most marvellous was that those who didn´t believe , then believed! The whole kingdom was moved! King Darius was touched in such a way that he ordered that everybody had to tremble and fear before Daniel´s God. Your devotion and faithfulness bear fruit. Daniel was honoured by God in such a way   that he is still considered among the greatest prophets of the Bible. Daniel honoured God and God honoured Daniel!

Obviously, one has to go through the den of lions! What a problem!  The thing is that if you don´t go through that place, nobody will know what you are made of, nobody will know the God you have, nobody will know His glory, therefore you have to love God above everything and tell Him:” With you in any circumstance. Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you will be with me.” It´s in the den of lions when one realizes that God is with us.  It´s in there and not outside! You can´t see Him, but there He is!

Do you want to have the honour Daniel had? If it´s like that, you are asking for   the burning fiery furnace or the den of lions. What do you want? The same God will put you in   such a tight spot! People will say that it´s the end for you, they will think that you won´t be able to go on, but God will show His glory in you.

This message is not for everybody, but for those who love God and devote their lives to Him. If you have a superficial relationship with God, if you always give Him excuses, don´t worry because you won´t live any of these things. But a generation of christians is rising and they will put God in the first place over any   little kingdom, they will love Him as He wants, with  all their mind, with all their soul and with all their strength, and it´s with these people that God will do what He wants to do.

The Scriptures say that Daniel hadn´t been hurt in the den because he had trusted  his God. There were some of Daniel´s friends that had his same faith and trusted like him. King Nebuchadnezzar had made a golden statue and ordered everybody, all nations from all languages to kneel down and adore it, but Daniel´s friends refused to do so. We read in Daniel 3:13-18:” 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” They heated the burning fiery furnace seven times more and they threw them into it! But there was the Lord´s angel! So there were four and not three in the burning fiery furnace. And today God tells those who have devoted their lives to Him and those who have put Him in  the first place: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”(Isaiah 43:2)

This is the promise that God gives those who want to lead a life that is worth it. What kind of life do you want to have? Leave a mark in this world, please! Let the others know you have been here. Let the following generations be amazed by the way you have marked them.

Once I prayed and asked God to give me the chance to throw a bomb at the enemy´s barracks. In the middle of my affliction I asked God:” Let me take revenge on my enemy!” And God has given me what I asked Him. My heart is filled with happiness when I see the faces of those whose souls have been snatched from hell. Many of them have already died, but they were rescued before spending the eternity in hell and today they are in heaven. This is not only for me, but for all of   those who believe in God. God needs a generation of believers who risk their lives for Him. I´m not saying that I have already done everything but I declare like the apostle Paul:” 12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians3:12). I´ll do my best to make   the devil bite its tail. He might make many plans against me but the Lord is with me as  a mighty terrible one!

CONCLUSION

God´s plans are not that your body is buried in a cemetery together with all His plans for your life. If that happened you would be a woman or man who dishonoured God with her or his existence. Your passion should be that you do God´s will and that you don´t go through this world unnoticed. Don´t live as if you were just one more Jones! Ask God to take you in His hands and tell Him “Do with me as you did with Daniel, no matter what comes next. I just want to know that you find me   innocent and I don´t mind what happens later. I don´t mind because I know that your name will be exalted! I know that the people will know there is a powerful God!” When they see me in the valley of the shadow of death, or in the den of the lions or walking in the burning fiery furnace, they will realize that none of these things will defeat me because I have a God who´s   great and powerful.

Have you really given your life to Christ? I hope it doesn´t happen to you as it did to that woman who was going through a very sad situation and she started to listen to our messages on our radio programme in the early morning,  with which she started to receive courage, faith and hope. So she said that one day she would come to church and she would meet me, but she didn´t dare. She decided to ask a colleague to accompany her to a place, but she didn´t dare to tell her which place it was. Her colleague accepted although she insisted that she wanted to know where they were going. Then she dared and she told her. Her colleague said: “why didn´t you tell me before? I´m a member of that church and I always go there” The woman opened her eyes wide open. The woman started to go to church, she went to a meeting, she baptized and then she told the people in the church that she was so happy with Christ who had forgiven her and blessed her and that she thanked God for the day she could arrive at the church and that the only thing she was sorry about was that she had worked so many years with her colleague and she hadn´t told her she was christian.

Do you think you have come to this world to remain unnoticed and not let the people in your job know you are Christian? Have you seen the students confused with Darwin and his theory of evolution? But you think you can´t disagree with the teachers because they are scientists, and that if you disagree with them they ´ll give you a lower mark and won´t let you sit for your exams. Are you afraid of confessing you believe in the Bible? Some people say they believe but only on Sundays when they go to church. They remain silent so as to avoid problems. Do you think Daniel would have done the same? He would have laughed at Darwin, the monkeys and the bananas!

God has to provoke a change in the life of many people. And this is a special day! You have to ask God to forgive you because you haven´t even told your relatives about the God you have. Your neighbours don´t know it either. Nobody around you knows there´s a powerful God doing things in you. You will have to give God the priority, and when you do, you will have several problems but you will see God´s glory in the middle of those problems.

Tell God you want to give Him your life and that you really want to do it. Tell Him:” Today I want to open my heart to you, not just with words, but honestly. I want to leave my shame, shyness and fears behind. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, Lord! I want to know the fire Daniel had and have a heart like his, because he wasn´t afraid of dying, or being eaten by the lions. He only wished he could honour you, Lord! And you released him because he trusted you and he believed in you. Although he was in a foreign empire, he had a heart for you. I want to be free from any feeling or thought that is against your Word which I received.” Oh, God raise brave people because the cowards won´t get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Touch their lives, I beg you in the name of Jesus. I hope that when I die, they can read in my epitaph:” Here lies a man who risked  his life for Jesus” I hope they say about you:” Here there´s a woman who gave all her life for God´s Kingdom.”

MENSAJES