Memorise: When thou passet 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
And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was [a]urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his [b]counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the[c] Son of God.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the [d]mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel[e] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king [f]promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
Bible in one year: Hosea 10 – 14, John 12:9-26
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
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 literary 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 literally. However, the experience of the three Hebrew boys shows that none of God’s promises 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 Hosts Himself came to join them when they were thrown into the burning furnace. The Fourth Man in the furnace was no other person than the Son of the Living God (Daniel 3:25).
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.
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
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Prayer Point:
Sweet Holy Spirit, I and the You convict my heart to live a separated life daily.
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Joesphine Ehigie
TJ