The Rolling Glove

The wind was blowing as I stepped out of the house
with Jake. Soon I was juggling dog, sucking mud,
and the last bites of a snack before climbing up to the
road. We were on our way back home before I
discovered the missing glove, to a favorite pair of
gloves. We backtracked the whole walk, and then
backtracked again. Suddenly I noticed a bit of brown
something rolling towards me in the ditch. It was
tumbling fast and I watched fascinated as the object
drew near. It was my glove!  Wow! God blew that
glove to my feet. Yes He did! But if I wasn't paying
attention to the possibility that God wants to bless me,
I would have missed His part all together. That glove
will now become a reminder that God is crazy about
me and that He loves to show off!

Thankfulness Corner:
Melting snow; sucking mud

stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

Compassionate God

Well, the king of Babylon gave Daniel some slack
by giving him a little time before taking his head.
Daniel went to his house to gather his friends for a
night of prayer. They wanted God to show His
compassion by revealing the mystery to them that
they might live. Compassion? I would have asked
for deliverance, wisdom, power, understanding,
revelation, but compassion? What a wonderful
faithfilled request to the One they knew intimately as
the God of compassion. God heard the cry of their
hearts and gave both the dream and the interpretation
to Daniel. God and the heavenly host rejoiced that
day as these four men trusted in a good God.

Ah, dear reader, that is where I get stuck. When
things go badly I am running scared and I forget
that God is both compassionate and good.

Thankfulness Corner:
Snow sprinkled tops of mountains

Stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

The King's Dream

Yesterday's blog ends with Daniel riding high!

He and his friends had the favor of the king,

had responsibilities and things were going well.

Today: "Knock, Knock." The door bursts open

and four stunned man look up from breakfast in

amazement. Arioch, the captain of the king's

bodyguard, stands before them with his armed

men and announces that he has come on the king's 

orders to kill them immediately. Daniel recovers and 

"replies with discretion and with discernment,"

"'Why is the king's decree so urgent?'" Arioch, 

his face glistening with sweat and fear, tells

Daniel how the king was terrified in the night by 

a dream he could not now remember, how his 

fury had grown to epic proportions because not

one of his magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, or 

Chaldeans could tell the king his dream or the 

interpretation. Daniel calmly asks to be taken to

the king. 

One minute Daniel is firmly planted in the palace

and the next minute he is facing immediate death.

No time to call a prayer meeting or to e-mail his 

friends! The Holy Spirit came to the rescue! My 

sense is that the peace of God swept over Daniel

and he was as calm as a poached egg!

Dear reader, life is uncertain. It appears that we 

are safe, and will continue to dwell in safety but
there are undercurrents indicating all is not well.
A certain Chinese man woke up everyday with a 

question on his lips, "Lord is this the day I die?"

Moses prays out of Psalm 90 verse 12:

"Teach us to number our days that we may get

a heart of wisdom." Yes, time is so short…

Thankfulness corner:
Visible snow covered peaks in the distance

Read the stories:

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

The Results are In!

This is what happened after the men no longer
ate the king's food:

"And as for these four youths, God gave them
knowledge and intelligence in every branch of
literature and wisdom. Daniel understood all
kinds of visions and dreams...and the king talked
to them, and out of all of them (all the nobility 
captured), not one was found like Daniel, 
Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered
into the king's personal service...the king found 
them ten times better than all the magicians and 
conjurers who were in all his realm." 
(Daniel 1:17-20)

What a testimony to the power of God! So, why
did Daniel and his friends far excel in all they
undertook? Because they decided to take a stand
against the defilement of Babylon. The pleasure
of the food served at the king's table was the
doorway into much compromise. The other Jewish
lads never lost their position as Jews, but they lost
their vision. They had a slave mentality. Daniel
and his friends ended up as leaders in the whole
realm.

Dear reader, what is God saying to you? Is there
an area that weakens your relationship to God
and compromises your service in His kingdom?
This section speaks to me! I will never lose my
salvation, but what is my mentality in any given
moment--that of one who is enslaved by lies, or
that of one who knows she is a King's daughter
with all the privileges of His realm?

Stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

A Line in the Sand

Yesterday we left Daniel and his three friends
wondering how they could safely draw a line in the
sand. The four of them had an idea and sent Daniel
to the chief eunuch, Ashpenaz, so he could request
a change of food, so they would not be defiled.
Boy, that sounds pretty bold! God, the One true
God, who loves Daniel, gave Ashpenaz favor
and  compassion toward the request. The eunuch
only expressed concern that such a change might
endanger his own head if Daniel and his friends
showed signs of weakness. Daniel was given
wisdom on the spot: "Test your servants for ten
days on vegetables to eat and water to drink, and
then see how we compare to the youths who are
eating the king's food."
Wonder of wonders, Ashpenaz agreed!

So what was that all about? It was a standoff
between the God of Israel and the gods of
Babylon, who wanted the Jews to be defiled
before their God. The enemy knows how to sully
us, bring us down and make us ineffective. Daniel
stood firm in this test. He did not blink. So early
on these four men experienced sweet victory which
would hold them steady when the going would
really get tough!

What was the outcome? Well, dear reader, you
can either read the first chapter of Daniel or
check out the next blog!

Thankfulness corner:
New friendships forming. How I love my girl friends!

Read the stories:

http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

Identity Switch

In Daniel 1:3, King Nebuchadnezzar commanded his Chief
eunuch, Ashpenaz, to bring him all the people from the
royal family who were of nobility. What was the plan? The
king wanted them to become Babylonians. He ordered
that they be immersed in the language and the literature
which probably included a good dose of astrology and the
occult. At some point in the process at least four of the group
were given new names. They went from a name connection
with the one true God, to a name connection with the
Babylonian gods, Bel, Aku, and Nego. New name, new
culture, a sex change. How could they maintain their real
identity in such a sea of slime? You know I read about
individuals, especially in the Old Testament, and I forget
that they were just as human as I am. Daniel was not
Superman!

Dear reader, it is easy for us to become immersed into the
surrounding culture. Everyday we are bombarded by
messages of what we need in order to be happy--as if that
is the end all, be all--and what we should do to stay young
and beautiful. Our real worth, that we are the image bearers
of the living God, is never mentioned. The world out there
renames us and gives us a new identity. Frances Schaeffer
once asked the question, "How shall we then live?"
Perhaps we shall find answers to this question as we dig
into the book of Daniel.

Thankfulness Corner:
A beloved dog curled up at my feet

Not Law Keepers

Yesterday we looked at Daniel and his friends and
touched upon their resolve to live a life pleasing to
God whom they loved passionately. How do I know
they were passionate? Because as the story unfolds
it is obvious that their resolve alone is not enough to
carry them through. God was real to them; He held
them when things got tough. These men were not
just "law keepers," they were "love finders." They
were connected to the heart of God; they knew that
He loved them.

Have you, dear reader, ever resolved not to do
"that thing" again? What about a resolve to do
something like reading the Bible daily? I remember
standing at a large meeting to indicate a "yes" to
a vow to read the Bible for fifteen minutes every
day. I did not want to stand, but everyone around
us stood and the pressure to conform was too much.
It felt like a straight jacket was binding me to a
promise I knew I could never keep. Freedom has
come with the revelation that God loves Jane--me--
and He has promised to keep me in Him forever!

A song from my youth:

"I know whom I have believed and am persuaded
that He is able to keep that which I have committed
unto Him against that day!"  2 Timothy 1:12

Thankfulness Corner:
Chocolate melting on my tongue

Stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html