I want to share with you a night vision that I've received from the Lord recently, and here it goes:
I saw a building with different floors or levels. It is situated beside a hill, leaning against it. Inside the building, there were people who are welcoming and friendly. But there were also people who are not as friendly. And then, somehow interestingly, at each level of the building, there was a door to exit to a flat open ground outside.
And the Lord wants you to know this:
He has given you the way to freedom and safety in every stage of your life! Whether you need deliverance from problems, or wisdom to handle difficult people or situations, He is the 'HILL' that you can definitely look up to and you can always lean on.
Now, let's look into the life of Daniel in every stage of his life. It's so amazing that he had served four kings throughout his lifetime. Let's see how he walked closely with God, despite all the difficult situations he faced in the different stages of his life.
When Daniel was still a teenager, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon conquered Jerusalem. They took away not just some sacred things from the temple of God, but also some talented and good-looking people from Jerusalem. And Daniel was one of the captives that were brought to Babylon.
Daniel 1:5-6
And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
It must be great that the captives were given food as good as what the king ate. But the king gave them meats and drinks that were against the law of Moses. The meats given might be from animals that were deemed abominable to the Jews, or the meats were not properly drained of blood, or they might have been offered as sacrifice to the pagan gods before serving to them. So, Daniel and the friends decided to settle for vegetables and fruits as their staple food. And the Lord caused the chief eunuch to have favor on them and give them ten days to check on their progress.
Daniel 1:15-16
And at the end of ten days, their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
It must be tough, you know, as growing teenagers, to eat only vegetables and fruits while surrounded by others who feasted on different kinds of meat on the same table every day. But God honoured their determination to obey God's law, and they were found fitter than other youngsters of their age.
Daniel 1:19-20
Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all of the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
I believe the young people did not just choose the right food for themselves, but they chose the right mindset, their spiritual mindset. Let's look at what the Word of God say about having the worldly or carnal mindset against the spiritual mindset in the New Covenant, in this present time.
Romans 8:6-9
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it's not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Have you ever been asked to do things in the way that is against your values or beliefs, and the people around you would tell you that it's only politically-correct to give in? You see, from my years of observation and experiencing the guidance of the Lord in my life, God's way is very different from how the ways of the world work. The worldly mentality of what is the best way to do things may not work at all if you want to follow God's way. If you are determined to follow God's ways alone, but somehow you're surrounded by opposing voice, pray that God will give you the way out and the wisdom to handle every situation. You see, God knows your heart. He will guide you and teach you what to do whenever you turn to Him. Amen?!
Daniel 2:1-2
Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
But the king was not willing to disclose any detail of his dreams to them. He wanted them to find out the dreams themselves and interpret the dreams for him. I guess any wise man would tell him off if he was not the king!
Daniel 2:10-13
The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, "There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with the flesh."
For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
When Daniel heard that the king wanted to kill them, he asked for time and told his friends to seek God for the interpretations of the king's dreams. And true enough, God answered his prayer through a night vision.
So, Daniel was brought to face the king. Without missing a point, Daniel told the king exactly what he had dreamed and also the interpretation to his dreams. The king was truly impressed by Daniel's God.
Daniel 2:46-48
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret." Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and the chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
You know, God's Spirit can reveal secrets to you. You can find in:
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
When things seem to be impossible in this world, there will never be 'dead-end road' for those who put their trust on the Lord. Never give up too soon when you're surrounded by challenges. Seek the Lord, and He will teach you His knowledge and wisdom to counter your challenges. Amen?!
Daniel 5:1-2
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
You know, by drinking wine from the vessels from the temple of God, Belshazzar and his people were celebrating and praising the supremacy of their gods over the God of Israel.
Daniel 5:5-7
In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him... The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
Soon, Daniel was called to face Belshazzar when others could not interpret the writing on the wall.
Daniel 5:17
Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation."
Daniel told Belshazzar that this kingdom is going to be taken over by the Medes and the Persians soon.
Daniel 5:29
Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
You see, Belshazzar still gave Daniel the rewards he promised even though what Daniel spoke caused humiliation to him. Probably it's because he did not know the kingdom will be overthrown so soon. And also, he thought that by rewarding Daniel, he could appease the wrath of Daniel's God.
Daniel 5:30-31
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Daniel 6:1-3
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one... Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.
So, you see here, when you're faced with difficult situation and you're requested to speak, always ask the Holy Spirit first what to speak.
Just like what Jesus told His disciples in the book of Mark 13:11, "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in the hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."
Daniel sought God before he spoke. You too can always check with the Holy Spirit what to speak when you face difficult people or situation. As long as you speak what the Spirit of God tells you to speak and do what the Spirit of God tells you to do, He will surely protect you and pave the way to a better future for you. You will not regret following and obeying His words and instructions.
Daniel 6:4-5
So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
Well, the favour and trust King Darius gave to Daniel caused the other officers of the king to be envious of Daniel. They plotted to get rid of Daniel.
Daniel 6:6-9
So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: "King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions... Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Daniel gave priority for the time of worshiping his God in all circumstances. May it be the same for you too.
As it was recorded in Daniel 6:11-15, the king was trapped by his own decree when the governors and satraps accused Daniel of not respecting the decree. He had no choice but to let the people cast Daniel into the den of lions.
So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you."
Daniel 6:19-21
Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also O king, I have done no wrong before you."
And as it is recorded in Daniel 6:25-28, King Darius praised Daniel's God for His greatness and power. The king also made a decree that everyone in his kingdom must revere the God of Daniel. And Daniel prospered in the reign of King Darius and in the reign of King Cyrus the Persian.
As you can see, with God's protection and guidance, Daniel went through the changes of kingdoms safely, even when there were wars and violence. Not just that, God promoted him to be the right-hand man of the kings in each of the kingdom he was in. Though Daniel was in a foreign land, but with God's protection and guidance, he was never a captive or a slave. In fact, Daniel was a free man who gained the right to worship his God freely, and contributed the godly wisdom he received to the kingdoms he was in.
Know this, you can always have safety and freedom in the Lord, just as it is said in:
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
So, spend time with the Holy Spirit, pray in the spirit, pray in tongue, whenever you can. Follow every instruction that He gives you. And you will find yourself living in safety and freedom in every stage of your life. Amen!
Sometimes, it takes you to just simply believe and agree with God's Word, to simply obey and follow the guidance of God's Spirit to survive well and thrive in your life, no matter where you are, or what you experience in this world.
It's a matter of choosing God over situation, and not being bothered by how people judge you.
Let us pray:
"O Lord God, I pray that in every stage of our lives, we will learn to walk closer with You. We want to involve You in every stage and season of our lives. We want our spirits to be sensitive to hear and to follow Your instructions closely. Teach us, Lord, in every circumstance. We look to You, Lord. We thank You for Your love for us, and we want to love You back by listening and following every instruction You give us. Because only You know who, where, and what is the best for us. In the name of Jesus. Amen."