Wisdom For The Day Devotional 25 April 2023 By Bishop Mike Okonkwo: Implicit Faith And Confidence In God
TOPIC: Implicit Faith And Confidence In God (TREM Devotional 25 April 2023)
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 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.” Daniel 3:16-17 (KJV)
MESSAGE:
According to the scriptures, the three Hebrew boys said to king Nebuchadnezzar, we are not going to bow to your idol. We love and respect you king, but we are so committed to the God of Israel that we can’t bow to your idol. Now, notice that verse 12 of the chapter says “certain Jews…” This means it was not all the Jews that bowed to the idol. Most of the Jews had bowed, but these refused. They had a fire in their eyes! Their shoulders were broad, and their chests were out. They had implicit faith and confidence in God.
Even when the threat was real and the furnace had been heated seven times more, they still stood their ground. Not because they had seen anyone come out of the fire before, but because they were too committed to God to bow to the idol. They preferred to die standing for God than to live bowing to the idol. So, they said to the king: O king, live forever, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. Our God is able to deliver us. But we are not done yet, we want to show you the stuff we are made of. Even if He does not deliver us, we will not bow to your idol. What a commitment!
Your faith will be tried. But when you stay focused and refuse to give up, you will come out victorious. God has said that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). The Hebrew rendition of the word “never” is a double negative, which means it can never happen. Therefore, you must go out every morning with the confidence that you are not alone.
God showed up for the three Hebrew boys. He will also show up for you.
FURTHER READING:
Daniel 3:1-19; Hebrews 13:5
DAILY BIBLE READING:
Morning – 2 Samuel 21-22
Evening – Luke 18:24-43
Wisdom For The Day Devotional was Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.
