Marching Forth!

Daniel was a man of prayer.  Not many people have faced death by lions for their praying, but Daniel did!  Under the rule of Darius King of Persia, Daniel was promoted to be the first of three presidents over 120 princes.  The other leaders were not keen to have this foreign man ruling among them, so they tried to "dig up dirt" on Daniel.  But try as they might, they could not find anything of which to accuse him before the king.  There was nothing Daniel said or did to reproach his God or king.  Daniel was a man of such outstanding integrity of character the only way they could find fault with him at all was to create legislation which prohibited prayer to his God. After God delivered Daniel from the teeth of lions and the schemes of murderous men, he continued to pray.   Chapter 9 of the book of Daniel contains one of Daniel's prayers offered to his God, and what a prayer it is!  He explained the divine power connected with a prayer of faith...

" Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence ." 1 Timothy 1:18-2:2 Paul charged Timothy to fight the good fight, " having faith and a good conscience " ( 1 Tim. 1:19 ).  To this end Paul exhorted Timothy to offer requests to God, intercede on behalf of, and give thanks for all men, especially for those who were in authority.  What may surprise you about this exhortation is how positive it is in light of the depraved spiritual and moral condition of those he was to pray for.  One might assume it would be more in line with God's will to pray against Caesar, wicked Herod, and dishonest tax collectors.  But God's will is that we would pray for the good of others - even of wicked and foolish tyrants. Timothy was to pray for kings and those in authority so peop...

Being a Christian goes far beyond biblical morality or a belief system:  it is a spiritual transformation brought about by the living God inhabiting a person who trusts in Him.  Exposure to the Word of God, partnership with other believers in the church, and walking in obedience to God lead to spiritual maturity and growth.  This relationship with God ought to have an impact on every aspect of our lives, how we view the world, and influence our interactions with others.  After being born again through faith in Jesus we continue living in a corruptible and mortal body of flesh, yet we can become more like Jesus in how we think and live.  Our new King, future heavenly country, and growing relationship with God forever alters our perspective for good. As God opens our eyes to the truth of His Word and we grow in faith with obedience, the reality of our identity in Christ begins to slowly take hold in our lives.  Daily interactions, physical pain, conflict, ...

" Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith ." 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 The Word of God is critical in the salvation and growth of Christians.  The Bible helps us to place our faith in the God Who can actually save us:  faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  People perish for a lack of knowledge of the WORD who became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus warned against false prophets who posed as genuine, and Paul warned against ravenous wolves which would not spare the flock.  The idea is one of infiltration, not of attack from outsiders.  Paul desired prayer so the " word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified ."  There were people outside the church who resisted and flatly denied the truth of scripture.  Lack of faith in professing Christi...