Don't Break Faith With God: The Fire Walk - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 11, 2023

We've been talking about not breaking faith with God and learning that it can be a tricky thing. Moses and Aaron fell short, but Ezra didn't and was well rewarded. Today, we consider the Fire Walk Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced. It is another example of how to speak boldly about God and stick to that knowledge of Him, despite what appears to be disastrous consequences.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were young Jewish men who'd been captured and taken to the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They, like their peer and friend, Daniel, had walked with God even in the foreign land and the Lord made sure they'd been exalted, receiving great respect, responsibility and titles.

Yet, one day, the Babylonian king asked them - along with others - to bow down and worship a golden idol. The three men refused, as to do such would be an insult to God and His instructions to worship no idols or other gods. They didn't mince words with the king, according to Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

These men put their lives in God's hands and were willing to endure a blaze to make sure they did not dishonor God by breaking faith with Him. Imagine if they'd complied with the king? Keep in mind that prior to this situation, the king had learned of God's greatness through Daniel, who relied upon God for wisdom to interpret the king's dream. Thus, if they'd bowed, they'd have made God look less than He was in front of king Nebuchadnezzar and his entire court. After all, how could people who believed in the powerful God of Daniel, disobey Him? They may have also cheapened God's glory and fame if they'd tried to negotiate to do something that fell short of bowing so as to preserve their lives. Instead, they stood resolutely in their knowledge of God and even acknowledged that He had the right to save or not save them. They feared Jehovah more than they feared a man, albeit that man who was the most powerful monarch in the world at that time.

Could you or I do the same in similar circumstances? Would we staunchly refuse to do what we know would bring disrepute to our God and sully His name? You may think you have the answer and that's fine. If you don't yet have an answer, that's okay too. The key thing to take away is that when you get to a fork in the road, be mindful that you may have to choose to do the fire walk in order to preserve the glory of the God you claim to serve. Ask the Lord to give you the capacity, strength, and zeal to do so in order to not break faith with the Lord where necessary.

May the Lord help each of us to stand in our faith, in our knowledge of God Almighty, even when everything and everyone around us wants us to choose to break faith with Him. May we experience the glorious miracle these three men experienced of being visited by the fourth man in the fire and coming out of the fiery pit without any evidence of the test they'd been through. And as was the case in Nebuchadnezzar's court, may our fire walk bring great glory and praise to God, IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you.

Don't Break Faith With God: Ezra - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 8, 2023

Last Friday we began our series on not breaking faith with God by looking at Moses and Aaron. Today, we look at Ezra. He was a priest and a teacher of God's laws to the remaining Israelites when they were a conquered group scattered within the Persian Kingdom. His experience teaches us that when we speak about the goodness and power of God, we will need to back it up with our actions and words.

As a leader of his people, Ezra had the task of bringing some of them back to Jerusalem. Although he was respected by the Persian King and could have requested soldiers to accompany him and his people during the four month journey, he didn't. This, despite the fact that they would be traveling with precious gold, silver, and other items that had been carted off from the Temple when Jerusalem fell decades before. Ezra explained why he couldn't request an armed escort in Ezra 8:22 - I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” What did he do instead? He called for the people to fast and ask the Lord for a safe journey. We are told that God answered the petition, keeping the group of travelers and their possessions safe from marauding bandits (Ezra 8:23).

Ezra had spoken highly of God to the king and when the time came, he had to prove that he believed all that he'd said. He couldn't speak about how powerful his God was only to then ask a man, albeit a king, for soldiers to provide protection. No, he had to put his mouth where his money was - as the saying goes - and show through his choices and not just his lofty words that he trusted in this God he'd spoken so highly of.

God expects those who believe in Him to do the same. Remember, the scripture taught us that breaking faith with God means to dishonor Him in what we say and do in the presence of others. Therefore, we must honor the Lord by standing in our faith and even when everything looks wrong. We can't forget that the choices we make can influence how others see our God. This is why Paul said of believers in 2 Corinthians 5:20 - We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. Additionally, the Lord has said of His people in Isaiah 43:12 - First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD. (NKJV).

We are to attest to His might and power. We do this by sharing our testimonies, fellowshipping with believers and by sharing the Gospel with non-believers. And when in the midst of unbelievers, we are to speak about the Lord with the reverence He deserves - no matter how others bash Him. Even when we have some gripes of our own, we are to respectfully carry them to the Lord, laying them at His feet because He has instructed each of us in 1 Peter 5:7 - "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

It's not easy to share our worries with Him without becoming disrespectful. People have been conditioned by the world to talk recklessly about people and God is no exception, unfortunately. Yet, we must allow the Lord to build us up in Him where we learn how to honor Him in good times and bad. That's exactly what Ezra did. A potential challenge arose - the need for safe journey to Jerusalem over a span of months. He stood in his faith in God, understanding it would be a shameful thing to make God look small before the king. He understood that doing so would constitute relying on man instead of the Lord Almighty.

Let us learn from Ezra to make the choice that honors God and His personality. The Lord will help each of us to do so more and more so that we shall never break faith with Him in any way, IJMN, Amen.

Don't Break Faith With God: Moses & Aaron - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 4, 2023

As believers, if there is one thing we need to remember, it is to not break faith with God. That may be a term you're unfamiliar with but over the next few weeks, we'll learn more about it and how not to commit this sin that God considers a great offense.

Today, we examine the story of Moses & his brother Aaron. Both were chosen to wield God's power for others to see. Neither man was perfect and yet, God continued to use them starting with making them leaders of the Israelites when it was time for them to leave Egypt. They maintained their positions for 40 years. Yet, neither entered the Promised Land with the people they had shepherded for that period.

The reason was because they broke faith with God. Moses and Aaron had been given a specific set of instructions on how to produce water when the people complained because there was none. Unfortunately, he failed to carry out that directive and even took some of the glory that belonged to God for Aaron and himself, saying, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10).

Here was God's assessment of Moses and his brother in Deuteronomy 32:51 - For both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in their presence (CSB). The CEV puts it as such - Both of you were unfaithful to me at Meribah Spring near Kadesh in the Zin Desert. I am God, but there in front of the Israelites, you did not treat me with the honor and respect I deserve. Further understanding can be found in Numbers 20:12 - But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” (CSB).

These verses clarify what it means to break faith with God. It means to dishonor Him in what we say and do in the presence of others. It's about what your mouth says about God and who He is. It is about what your actions and choices say about God's power and might. This is particularly the case for those who have seen God do things in their lives. Those who are to be witnesses to His abilities. For them to publicly fumble in times of uncertainty is to break faith with God.

This does not mean that there will not be times where your faith is shaken. After all, Prophet Elijah with all His experiences with God fled from Jezebel in fear. He, however, never spoke or displayed that fear to others whereby they would see God as less than the I Am that I Am. He did not publicly diminish God. Other great men and women of God struggled to believe He'd come through but they had a responsibility to carefully walk through that struggle without blemishing God's name. This is why Apostle Paul warns in 2 Peter 2:21 - For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. He also tells those who believe in Christ to not crucify Jesus again by returning to the world and thereby subjecting Him to public disgrace (Hebrews 6:4-6).

In the moments when we struggle with our faith, we need to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to pour out our fears to God as well - tell Him (as respectfully as possible) exactly how you feel, none of it is a surprise to Him anyway. We need to turn to the word and use it to build ourselves up. We have to look to our Jericho Moments and remember what God has done for us in the past. We must be careful to not blaspheme or slander the Lord in speech. We should also be cautious to remember that others of even weaker faith could be negatively influenced by our reactions and keep them in mind because of the love we have for them.

None of this is easy to do. It requires God's children to be intentional about how they react to situations when things don't go the way they desire. They can't leave this to chance. It is possible to be in a tough situation and not break faith. In fact, I believe that God builds up our 'reaction muscle' over time so we eventually become the children who manage their emotional response and don't break faith with God the way Moses and Aaron did.

Today's message isn't to castigate anyone or make someone feel sad. It is to enlighten us all on how to react when things go wrong especially since we all have such experiences. Everyone who believes in God and His Son must remember that God will put them through things to build us up in Him. It won't always be pretty. He is also very merciful to keep teaching us so we get a passing grade and the devil won't be able to use the same old tricks to trip us up. God wants us to honor Him even in the tough moments. He will give us people to help us through those times and He Himself will be right by our side. We just have to hold on to His hand, mindful to not publicly disparage or dishonor Him.

In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray that none of us will break faith with God. That in our challenges, we will find strength in Him to keep going, anticipating His word in Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Amen.

God bless you richly and I hope to see you at Noon EST when we'll gather to worship the Lord and pray for His people everywhere. During the last 10 minutes of fellowship, we'll collectively pray to be those who don't break faith and don't give the devil room to gloat against our God. See you then.