March 3, 2020 CAC Liiving Water Devotional :- DEALING WITH HARD TIMES (I)
Read previous CAC Living Water Devotionals here
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
THE LIVING WATER {Jan ~ June, 2020}
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
– World Wildlife Day
TOPIC: DEALING WITH HARD TIMES (I)
Read Daniel 3:12-18
12. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15. Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
MEMORISE: Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident (Psalms 27:3)
EXPOSITION
Strong or great Christian life is not measured by our attitudes when things go well, but the way we react when times are difficult. Unlike Job, many of us usually fail God, during hard times. Since we are in this body, hard times are inevitable (Jn. 16:33; Phil. 1:29; 1 Pet. 5:10). They are part of our existence, and manifest in various forms. Majorly, the devil and the host of darkness, take advantage of difficult or hard times to press the believer to quit his faith.
We are going to examine today, some of the things we need to do to cope with difficult times. Let us take a cue from David. He faced so many heart-breaking and faith-shaking challenges. As a child, he was left alone with sheep in the wilderness. He had to face deadly wild animals, as a shepherd boy. Providentially, today happens to be the World Wildlife Day. At 17, he defended his nation as he conquered an uncircumcised giant and lots more. David said, ‘Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident,’ because of the situation he found himself, then. David was so determined, that was why he won all the battles and threats against him. David’s determination made him prevail against all his foes, and that gave him victory over all his difficulties.
The three Hebrew boys, who saw death face to face, were likewise strong and determined in the face of affliction. The wicked king did all he could to convince them to change their mind and bow down to his image but with strong determination, they decided to face his fearful judgment than to sin against God. At last, they won the battle and saw the end of the hard times. Hard times will surely come. But let your determination be stronger than your hard times.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, make me so determined to stand for You, in the face of even heart-rendering adversities masterminded by the devil, to pitch me against You.
2. Give believers, O Lord, victory over those threats and challenges they are facing in life.
3. Pray for communities that are being threatened by the invasion of wild animals, that God should ensure their safety, henceforth.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Numbers 9 – 10 & Luke 20
Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE
Remain blessed!