MEMORISE:
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
READ: Daniel 3:20-30
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
MESSAGE
Our memory verse reminds us of God’s promise to be with His children whenever they pass through the storms, rivers and fires of life. We see this promise literarily fulfilled in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were confronted with Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. For your own good, you need to understand that these words proclaimed by God in Isaiah 43:2 are not empty promises. To the three Hebrew boys, the Lord who helped the Israelites walk through the waters during their exodus from Egypt was also able to deliver them from the fire of Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace in accordance to His promise. In contrast to these young men, many people today would not want to take this promise of God literarily. However, the experience of the three Hebrew boys shows that none of God’s promise will go unfulfilled in our lives if we hold unto them.
Let us consider what the young Hebrew men did to draw the presence of the Fourth Man into the furnace and see how it applies to each one of us. Essentially, they decided to be different and lived a separated life in the land of unbelievers. They took a collective decision with Daniel not to defile themselves with pagan lifestyles and delicacies (Daniel 1:8-17). A proverb in my native tongue says, “There is a tendency for a child to change his good name in a foreign land”. This was not the case with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. For this reason, the Lord of Host Himself came to join them when they were thrown into the burning furnace. The forth man in the furnace was no other person than the Son of the Living God (Daniel 13:25).
Beloved, if God could fulfill His promise in Isaiah 43:2 in the lives of these men, He will also fulfill this promise to us. However, you need to ask yourself if you are living a separated life. Is there any difference between you and everyone else who does not know your God? Do you behave one way in church and another way outside church? If someone spends time with you, can they indeed say that you have been with Jesus? You need to live a life that gives a positive answer to these questions. I decree into your life today that the grace to live a separated life will come upon you in Jesus’ Name. the waters of life will not drown you, and the fire of the enemy will not burn you in Jesus’ Name.
PRAYER POINT:
Sweet Holy spirit, I ask that You convict my heart to live a separated life daily.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 10-14
John 12:9-26
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 5: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
2. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
3. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though- none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
4. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
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