By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: CONFIDENCE THROUGH HIS PROMISE
SCRIPTURE: Daniel 3:17
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”
REFLECTIONS
If you believe and apply God’s word, you will never be intimidated by fear, not from any quarters on this planet. God’s word and promises are weapons for victory, boldness, and perseverance. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17) that conquers error and falsehood. You cannot extricate the power of God from the power that emanates from His word and promises. You need to experience the power of God’s promises.
Naturally, your confidence will soar if you know the caliber of the person giving you a promise. Experience in life teaches us that we must live by a particular conviction daily. It would be best to be motivated by a conviction of God’s omnipotence. Though trusting someone’s honesty and genuineness is easier if you have positively encountered the person, believing in God’s promises is still far safer, ennobling, and restorative.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Hebrew young men whom King Nebuchadnezzar found ten times better than their colleagues (Daniel 1:17,20), were confronted with a test of their faith. The test bordered on worship (Daniel 3:8-30). They refused to bow to or worship the image. Clear in their minds, it was against the word of God and loyalty to Him. To bow was a direct denial of who God is. They were persuaded that only God deserved worship. Amidst the threats of being burned in a fiery furnace, they held on and trusted the God who had promised in Isaiah 43:2 – “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Indeed, God saved them.
To walk through the fire and not burn is possible only in God. Obedience and loyalty to Him will allow God to accomplish far more significant things in your life than you can imagine.
In these challenging times, your faith is constantly being tested to establish where your allegiance lies. Remembering God’s promises is the surest way to absolve yourself from fear, anxiety, worry, apprehension, and despair. Jeremiah shares his experience of building hope and confidence when he remembered the works of God. He says in Lamentations 3:21-24, “[21]This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. [22]Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. [23]They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. [24]“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Forever, God is faithful.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 100 – “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His mercies over the week-end; thank God for His steadfast promises; pray for grace to be loyal to God in every situation;
– Pray for individuals and families who are confronted with making decisions that border on loyalty to God; pray for workers to remain truthful and uncorrupted; pray for the spreading of the gospel;
– Pray for victims of war and disaster; pray for the end of the Israeli-Hamas war, Russia-Ukraine war, and all other wars; pray for blessings and safety of humanitarian aid organizations and their workers;
– Pray for children caught up in wars, starvation, and neglect; pray for national leaders to seek the good of the people they serve, remembering that the citizens are God’s children.
