#037
POLITICAL POWER
IN
THE LIONS DEN
This morning I felt Holy Spirit direct me to read about Daniel in the Lions Den. Oh, my, I saw more than I can possibly share here…, but as my dear friend (xaver) Melvyn taught me to say: “I shall try.”
 HOW DO WE SHUT THEIR MOUTHS, LORD?
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8).
POLITICS IN THE NEWS
It appears that today the political scene is attracting our attention more than anything else we use to watch on television. Could it be because so many of us are seeing it’s parallel to prophesies in our Bibles?
POLITICAL ARENA
Who Are You Voting For?
If you think the story of Daniel 6 was only about God working Signs and Wonders (verse 27) in Heaven and Earth…as HE delivered Daniel from the POWER of natural lions…you’ve missed many important issues in this story that show us our part in shutting the mouths of the lions as they roar.
THE LIONS ROAR
How do we shut their Mouths?
Daniel was a political president, politically placed over 3 other presidents. Darius was the king who favored Daniel but was deceived by a conspiracy made up of all the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, princes, counselors, and captains. (Chapter 6, verse 7).
THEY MADE UP A NEW LAW
Does this sound familiar? This new law sounded okay to the king…as Darius must have seen it as only being loyal to him. There were many gods in those days…but Darius had not yet been convinced of our One True God. All he knew was that he liked and favored Daniel.
He was duped! Not thinking. And he signed a bill…bringing a new law into his government which he would be sorry about later. He was:
DECEIVED
By
THE ROARING LIONS
  
PROPHETIC WORDS OF DARIUS
Daniel is not the only prophet in this story. If you look closely, you will see prophetic TRUTHS in some of the words Darius spoke. In verse 16b…Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
In verse 20, Darius calls Daniel “Servant of the Living God.”
In verse 26, Darius prophesied (spoke out) that God is the Living God, steadfast forever, and that His kingdom will not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.
In verse 27, Darius proclaims: HE (God) delivers and rescues, and HE works SIGNS and WONDERS in Heaven and in Earth.
TRAPPED
POOR DARIUS – WHAT WAS HE TO DO?
Read the fine print…Darius. The deceivers continually reminded Darius about the New Law (which was of the Medes and Persians…not God’s Law). This new law said that anything the earthly king had signed into law…could not be changed.
WHAT DID DARIUS DO?
Darius now found himself in his own Political Lions Den. Daniel was his friend. Darius never meant to see Daniel harmed. Darius was locked in now by his own words and failure to think about the fine print (which today is available to us in the Bible). He didn’t think about the long range effects of listening to the wrong people. His discernment was certainly limited. He was a good king but chose to listen to others instead of thinking for himself.
He just “didn’t think”!
DARIUS GETS OUT
How did poor Darius get out of his own lion’s den?
FIRST: Darius repented…verse 18
SECOND: He arose early in the morning and went to his friend in the
Den of Lions (Public Arena). Verse 19.
THIRD: He spoke the TRUTH….verse 20.
FOURTH STEP: Taken by Daniel.
DANIEL
Daniel forgave and released the king from guilt. He comforted the king with TRUTH. Daniel proclaimed in verse 22 that:
GOD
HAD SHUT
THE LIONS MOUTHS
Because
Daniel had believed in His God.
And
GOD RECEIVED GLORY
Right There
In
THE LIONS DEN
OUR PERSONAL LIONS DEN
I don’t know where you are today in your personal lions den…but God surely does. You may feel you are alone…but Daniel knew he was not, and we can know the same.
I’m just amazed by the real SIGN and WONDER God performed while Daniel was in the Lions Den. His loyalty to God…changed a king and a kingdom.
HOW?
Darius went back and changed the laws of the land for better.
WHEN YOU SEE THE WRONG LIONS COMING
HIT THEM IN THE MOUTH
WITH A ROCK!
Now, I have avoided saying what I am hearing because I know what it means but it sounds a little strange. I have not been able to wrap my words around it so I will just SAY IT: I felt our Lord said to “Hit them in the Mouth with a Rock.” There now…I said it.
To me, that means that every time I hear a lie coming from the Political Lions Den…that I have a ready answer and look for a door to SPEAK out the TRUTH. Not just anywhere and everywhere…but where the TRUTH needs to be heard over the many lies that are going forth from out television sets at this time. We are not to simply sit like little ole women and men…absorbing everything we hear, soaking in what we WANT TO HEAR. Rather, that we have our senses sharpened to not only hear Truth as it lines up with God’s Word…but be prepared to Hit the lie in the mouth with a Rock of TRUTH.
In other words…have God’s Word in a sling…as David did…and put it to use as directed by our Lord. Aiming toward the right people. You may notice that Darius, after he repented, changed his direction. He released Daniel from the Lions Den and put the liars, deceivers, and manipulators into the den to be destroyed by the very “lions” [lies] they had created to destroy Darius and Daniel…who stood for TRUTH. (Lies are only for a season… TRUTH endures forever.)
  
One man…Daniel…already knew God.
The other man…Darius
Found God
In
THE LIONS DEN
BE PREPARED…OUR TRUE LION
IS
ON THE WAY!
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Xala Bread 2008
