Daniel 7

Daniel had a crazy dream. Four beasts. The last one crazier and more terrible than the rest. He interprets the dream as three kings and a kingdom.
"But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rules will worship and obey him." Is this a prophecy of Jesus?

I really don't know what to take away from this....
Lord, keep me diligent in spending time in your Word.

Daniel 6. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Well, I would say this is one story of Daniel that most people are familiar with, including me. I was struck by the qualities of Daniel that were described in this chapter.
When people tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel they couldn't because of his "exceptional qualities."
When a law was put in place to forbid anyone from praying for anyone besides the king Daniel didn't pray in secret, he didn't pray by himself or in hiding. He immediately went home and prayed, "giving thanks to his God...and asking God for help."
Even the king was trying to save Daniel against the law he put in place. "The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you."
And that's exactly what God did; shut the mouths of the lion, keeping Daniel safe, and turning the king into a believer...
The decree from the king:

For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.

He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.

How cool is Daniel? That is the second king that has seen Daniel live and become a believer of the one true God.

I pray my life can stand as such a testimony. That I will serve continually, trust, and obey my God without fail and in doing so shine the light of Christ for all to see.

Daniel 5

There is a new king, Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar. He is having a party, praising the gods of gold, silver, iron, wood, stone etc. In the midst of this party a "hand" comes and writes on the wall... Ok, seriously strange... No one knows what it says, none of the magicians can figure it out so the king eventually calls David in again. David tells the king the story of his fathers rise, fall, and new life in the Most High God. He says, "But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this... You did not honor the God who holds in his hands your life and all your ways..." Nevertheless, David interprets the writing on the wall and honestly, I'm a little confused about where the story goes from there...
The writing says "Mene (mina, money) : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel (shekel) : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres (divided or half mina) : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

What does it mean he was weighed and found wanting?
Why didn't God give him another chance, like he had with his father? I think because he knew all that had happened with his father and never "humbled himself..." But still pretty harsh because after he promoted Daniel the king was slain and a new ruler took over. Sucks for him.

And what can I learn? How can I apply this in my life?
Well, I think I better learn from the mistakes of my parents... What does that mean?
A little confused on this one...

Daniel 4

The king has another dream. Daniel interprets. The dream is fulfilled. God takes away the authority of the king: he loses his kingdom, his people, is forced into the wilderness to live like a wild animal, and after seven "times" he eventually "acknowledges that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes."verse32

It takes a lot, eating grass, his hair growing like feathers and nails growing like the claws of a bird and a very long time before the king recognizes the greatness of the Lord, before he know that my God can do what as he pleases, before he fears the Lord....

The king had gotten too powerful or thought he was at least...

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Proverbs 9:10

I pray that for a greater fear of my all-knowing, all-powerful God.

***Also, for church this week I will be reading through Philippians everyday.

This Sunday we learned Philippians is about CHRIST as my life, example, goal, and strength.

Daniel 2: 24-49 & 3

The story of Daniel interpretting the dream of the King. & of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the firely furnance and coming out unharmed.

Because these three men were willing to "Trust in [God] and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God" God protected them in the fire. He even sent someone to protect them and be with them inside the fire.
There are times in my life when I know I am being refined by fire. I must trust God and deny the ways of the world and he will be there. Seriously be there right next to me...
Thank you God for refining us by fire and standing next to us through it all.

Daniel 1 & 2:1-23

I decided to take it back and read Daniel.
So the land in which Daniel lives is over taken by a bad guy. Daniel and three others are summoned by the king to learn, study, train, and serve. They are the best of the best, the smartest, the youngest, the strongest, etc. And they are supposed to live and serve this king in training for three years and then enter the kings service. I find it so interesting that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah "resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine." Instead he ate nothing but vegetables and drank only water. And in the end they were healthier and better nourished than any other of the men.
I wonder what could be considered "royal food and wine" in my life. What can I cut out, {eat only the vegetables}, and totally trust God in...? Hmmmm I'll be thinking/praying on that one today.

And in Daniel's words:
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he desposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deap and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors...

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever!

For the past many months the awesome, amazing, wonderful, Godly women I have the pleasure of being in a bible study with have been going through Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Although we have not agreed with everything she has said we have been challenged to not except the lies of this world and of Satan and to combat them with the undeniable Truth of God's Word. The study has been interesting and has made me question many of the things I do and say each day. Is going to school selfish and going against the will and leadership of my husband? How am I trusting God? Or do I just say it and not believe it one bit? What would happen if I lost Manny, would God really be enough for me? Why am I not more aware of my sin? Why do I allow certain circumstances to control me so much? Am I choosing to believe that God will meet all my needs or am I depending on myself and Manny? and so many more. As we come to the end of the book I realize that even if I didn't agree with some of the Ms. Nancy's points/examples/etc. this book has challenged me to the core and shaken the way I live. I know without the Truth of God's Word written on my heart I know nothing. Sure, I can "lie" my way through church, Christian-talk, etc but when it the dust settles if I do know know the Truth that is o-so-evident in every stinkin' page of my Bible I am nothing, I know nothing, and I am so easily deceived.

"We cannot assume a particular viewpoint is true just because everyone else thinks that way- or because it is what we have always believed, or because a well-known Christian author promotes that position, or because a well-meaning friend or counselor says its right. Everything we believe and everything we do must be evaluated in the light of God's Word. That is our only absolute authority."

"We must learn the Truth, believe it, surrender to it, and live it out- even when it flies in the face of our culture. Then we must proclaim the Truth with boldness, conviction, and compassion, seeking to turn sinners from the error of their way and to restore those who have wandered from the Truth."

More than any other time in my entire life, I desire to know God's Word, to have it written on my heart, fresh on my mind, and following from my tongue. I desire to change the way I live, talk, and even pray so that it more truly reflects who God is and what He wants in my life. The power of His Word is radically changing my life. I pray that never changes. I pray that I remember this book, remember my desperation for the Word of God, and remember that it is only through reading and know His Word that I will conquer the lies of the Enemy.

"The Word of God is alive and powerful; it is medicine for troubled hearts and peace for plagued minds. It is a lamp for our feet and a light for out path. Whatever our need, whatever our circumstances, the Word of God is sufficient to meet that need. And it is sufficient to meet the needs of those we love."

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:31-32, 36