We thank God that His kindness and help are new every morning. We see that He is always faithful, even at night. So, wherever you are, there is new kindness and there is faithfulness.I am very thankful for this platform and this chance to share. The words that have been shared here have been very helpful at times, showing me the way when things were hard or I felt unsure. They have also helped when times were good and I had plenty.
I am very thankful for this platform. So, I’m thankful that you have joined. I’m thankful that more people are joining. We thank God. Thank you for joining and taking time to be part of this.
In the Bible book of Genesis, chapter 26, there was a time when there was not enough food (famine) in the land. And God told Isaac exactly what to do and told him, “Don’t go down to Egypt.” But He said, “I will show you the land where you should go.” So he went to a place where the king Abimelech was. He planted seeds in that land during the time of famine, and he harvested 100 times what he planted.
The message we are hearing today is from the Bible book of Daniel, chapter 3. It talks about a golden statue, see the young Hebrew men in that story. I just want to paint a picture for you to show you that it looks like the time we are living through now.
King Nebuchadnezzar has set up a golden statue. It was very tall, 90 feet high, and 9 feet wide. 90 feet, everyone, is about 30 meters. That is huge, and it is made of gold, and it is 9 feet wide. 9 feet wide is about 3 meters. So you can imagine a statue made of gold like that; that thing could buy a whole large piece of land (a continent). Just the statue alone could buy a continent. And this was back in that time long ago. So he set it up in a flat area so people could probably see it from very, very far away. And he said it was special (dedicated it).
Then there was a rule to worship it or else be thrown into a fire. Children of God, the leader of this world (the prince of this world) has set up his statues, and it’s interesting that many of them are very hidden (subtle). The leader of this world has set up his fake gods (idols), and he has supported them with money.The Bible says you cannot serve both God and money (Mammon). The enemy (the devil) has set up a certain way of doing things, a statue, or a fake god (idol). There are things in this time that will try to make us go and look at them. But also, there will be a statement or command to bow down.
“Bow to the idol!” said the rule when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. Daniel 3:4 says people from all different races, nations, and languages listened to the king’s command. When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, pipes, and other musical instruments, you must bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will be thrown right away into a blazing furnace (very hot oven).
So when the music played, all the people, no matter their race, nation, or language, bowed down to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. In this situation, they were bowing to a symbol of extreme wealth and power. King Nebuchadnezzar was truly the king of the known world at least back then. And he made a rule that everyone should obey and bow to the statue. And then we see in verse 8 that some of the wise men (astrologers) went to the king and told on the Jewish men.
They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king!” “You made a rule asking all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the music (horn, flute, zither, etc.).” “That rule also says that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.” “But there are some Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom you put in charge of the area of Babylon.” “They don’t listen to you, king.” “They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the statue you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar got very, very angry and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought to him. [
When they were brought to him, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?” “I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of musical instruments.” “But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the burning furnace.” “And then what God will be able to save you from my power?” .
Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego answered. They replied, “Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves to you about this.” “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.” “He can still rescue us from your power, king.” “But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, king, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gods that you have set up.”
Their message was clear. They said: one, we are not going to bow. Two, God is going to save us. And so we know how the story continues. Verse 25 says they made the oven seven times hotter.
The fire killed the soldiers who threw them in. And these men who were securely tied up fell into the roaring flames. But the king suddenly jumped up because he was so surprised and called out to his helpers, “Didn’t we throw three men into the oven?” “Yes, king, we surely did,” they answered. They don’t even count the soldiers who died.
King Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire. They are not tied up, and they are not hurt.” “And the fourth one looks like a god.” Then Nebuchadnezzar got as close as he could to the opening of the flaming oven and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most powerful God, come out! Come out! Come here!”
They stepped out of the fire. The high officers and helpers gathered around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not one hair on their heads was burned. Their clothes were not burned. They didn’t even smell like smoke. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!” “He sent his angel to save his servants who trusted in Him.”
They went against the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Nebuchadnezzar the made a new ruling Because of this, I make this new rule. “ If any people, no matter their race or nation or language, speak a bad word against their God, they will be cut limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into piles of rubble (broken pieces)”. The king said, “There is no other god who can save people like this.” Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego even promoted them in the area of Babylon.
Children of God, better things (promotion) are coming. This is a year of growing and becoming more (fruitfulness and multiplication). Promotion is coming. But are you willing? Are you willing to take the promotion? Because the time that is coming will affect those who are willing to bow (give in). And those who are willing to bow, they are the people who just follow the usual way (the status quo).
They are the ones who are like nails that are hammered into the ground. Those that are sticking out, The nail that sticks out is the one that will be hammered. Some of us are already going through this time that has been talked about, like the times of not having enough food (famines), the hard times, and people being against us (opposition). The Bible tells us to consider it all joy when we go through different kinds of hard tests (temptations). And maybe that is something important we need to learn. The lesson of learning to be happy even when things are hard.
We do rejoice and celebrate when good things have happened. But many times, we don’t have celebrations when things are hard. We run to the prayer meeting. Yes, and that is the right thing to do. But we should run to the prayer meeting to learn to find joy in the hard times. When your faith is tested, it helps you learn to wait patiently. And patience helps you gain experience, and experience helps you have hope.
We might think that King Nebuchadnezzar was in charge, and God was surprised by his plan. God was not surprised. God knew. You know, the Bible says God knows what we are thinking even before we do. He saw the golden statue. He saw it, but He also saw the chance for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to get a promotion. But it came by going through the fire. It came because they had to hold tightly to God’s message (the word) even though they were going to die. These words that are being shared now are so that our hearts may be brave and sure (confident).
The word comes so that our hearts may be confident. The Bible says if our heart tells us we are wrong, “God is greater than our heart.” If our heart does not tell us we are wrong, then we know we are sure when we are before Him. And we know that whatever we ask, He gives it to us.
Child of God, these times (seasons) come to show what is in our hearts so that we can make them right. When God’s message (the word) comes and says “be fruitful and multiply”, it means death is going to happen. The seeds are going to fall into the ground and die. And as they fall into the ground and die, they are going to grow into many (multiply). God wants us to grow (fruitfulness). Now, child of God, do not let your heart be troubled. Do not let it be afraid. Trust in the Lord. Let us depend on Him.
Now see the example of these three young men. They were kind (courteous). They were polite. They were clear and direct (matter of fact) about the situation. They were like, “We are not going to serve your god.” “We are not going to bow before the statue.” “That is how it is.” “You’ve given us a chance.” “We don’t need to defend ourselves in this matter.”
They had already decided what they would do. They were like, “Lord, you are the one who protects us (our defense).” And so these times happen so that we can see where our help comes from and where our hearts truly are. So, child of God, the message coming today is that the fire or the hard time (furnace) comes before promotion. But the fire and the hard time come to test your heart. I can imagine what was happening in that hot oven when these men fell into the fire. And they were suddenly walking around. [15] And I, you know, with the fourth man in the fire, who is the Lord. Is the fourth man in your fire (hard time)?
While they were tied up and being thrown into the flames, the people hurting them died from the extreme heat. And yet the tied-up men were not hurt, even before they landed in the oven. The fourth man was with them. So, child of God, the hard time is coming, but the fourth man is already here. The message (word) already went out. And those of us who have chosen to hold tightly to this message, to hold onto the Lord, and to show Him what is in our hearts. Yes, the Lord knows we are not perfect. That’s why these messages come.
Hold tightly to the message. You are holding onto something that is purer than that statue of King Nebuchadnezzar. God’s rules (statutes) and commands are better than much fine gold. They are sweeter also than honey from the honeycomb.
The Bible says until the word of the Lord happened, the message of the Lord tested Joseph. All those things God let Joseph go through, the message was testing his heart. Joseph became powerful in Egypt. And they gave him all their money; he gave them food (bread). They eventually ran out of food and sold themselves to him. literally, he bought all of Egypt for the king (Pharaoh). His being ready for this job happened all the way from being thrown into an empty hole, being a slave, and a prisoner in Egypt. The message (word) comes to test us. So the most important thing for us is to ask: where is our heart, and does it agree with God’s message?
These men didn’t even waste their time. They were like, “King, we will not waste your time.” “We are not going to serve your God, so let’s not waste your time talking about this.” “Our stand is clear.”
But how do you think they got to be so strong in their stand?. First of all, they were taken away as prisoners. Then they were made into special helpers (Eunuchs) who were watched all the time. Whatever they did, there were people who disliked them sending reports to the king. The young men kept looking at God, and they were not worried.
So, child of God, keep your heart in line (aligned) to show where it is. The hard time (season) only comes to test the heart. But being saved is sure for those who are standing with God’s message. So this message for you today is: where is your heart? Where is your heart?
As for the situation you are in, whether it is about money, relationships, or whatever it is where you don’t know what to do (at crossroads), the message is here saying where is your heart in relation to God’s message. Once your heart is in line with the message rest . Why?, Because that message is your fourth man in the fire. He’s there even before you get to the fire.
The Bible says, “When you pass through the fire, I will be with you.” “When you pass through the waters, they will not cover you.” “When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned.” “The flames will not set you on fire.” “For I am the Lord your God, the special Holy One of Israel.” That message that comes is the Lord knocking at your door, the door of your heart, and saying, “I am here.” As we open our hearts to the message of the Lord, that thing He has spoken to us. Child of God, you are the one opening the door. He comes in, He spends time with you (eats with you), you spend time with Him (eat with him). No matter what happens, even a storm can come through that place. But you have the fourth man sitting and spending time with you in there.
So, child of God, the reason why this hard time will not hurt us is because we have the fourth man and the fourth man will save us.
Remember what God has said to you: that He will never leave you.Remember the things He has said to you about making sure your heart is in line with Him. Because once your heart is in line with God, child of God. The rest is just history.
this message was preached by Dr Arinaitwe moses at breakthrough miracle life ministries daily morning devotions. Click the link below to download the audio version of the message.https://t.me/BreakthruML/1515