Posts Tagged ‘Daniel’

Even if You Don’t

Posted: September 6, 2026 in Kingdom Living
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Recently, I found myself in one of those tough life experiences where I was faced with a difficult situation and of course, on my knees praying for an answer and clinging to the hope that one would come. Now guys, to reassure you, this is NOT a post where I break down the options God has to answer your prayers. And I won’t bore you with the same message of Yes, No, or Maybe. That is not what this post is about. 

To be honest, guys, this post might be tough to hear. Only because there may come a moment in your own walk where you have to stare your circumstances in the face and ask: what happens if the answer I’m asking God for isn’t what I think is the best for me? If you’ve been walking with the Lord for any length of time, you realize that He often responds in ways we never anticipated. I’ve seen folks interpret this as God making a mistake, and they actually start to hold a grudge against Him.

But today, I am really speaking to those of you who have made an intentional choice in your Christian walk and can say, “God, even if you don’t answer my prayer in the way I ask” nothing is going to change between you and me. My hope is still in You. I was reminded of a similar circumstance when reading in the book of Daniel chapter 3 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo were confronted with the Babylon King Nebuchadnezzar who told them if they did not bow down to his golden statue, they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. To help set the stage, at this time in history, Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king of the most powerful kingdom.

The important point from this confrontation is how these young men answered the King: 

“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 sent you.” Daniel 3:16-18 NIV

Even if He doesn’t…

How many of us could stand in that situation; in front of one of the most powerful people on the planet, faced with certain death, and still able to trust God no matter what the outcome? 

Another author, Geoff Thomas, also writing about these same men in his book about Daniel give us this quote to consider, 

“indeed, every Christian has to face up to the alternative possibility, that “even if he does not deliver us“ we will still do his will – serving Christ for loss, serving Christ for loneliness, serving Christ for death. We don’t have to be rich; we don’t have to marry; we don’t have to become parents; we don’t have to live; but we have to obey.”

To be honest, guys, this might be a major turning point for some of you. It’s a tough reality to face, but this level of surrender is exactly what the Lord desires from us. He is looking for a heart that offers Him complete devotion without any assurance of the results we hope for. At the end of the day, our lives are meant to reflect the purpose He has designed. Are you prepared to accept that? This is intentional strong talk about a mature Christian walk; where one recognizes that things won’t always go exactly as we planned.

Another point to consider about our story is this: God did NOT intervene and keep these young men from having to go into the flames. They still got thrown into that furnace which killed the guards that did the throwing. They were not held back from having to go through the fear of this experience but yet still trusted Him to be there too. And as we know, God did show up and even sent a physical representative to join them.

To wrap things up, guys, Scripture never promised any of us a free pass or say we are exempt from the trials of this life. Whether it’s facing a devastating medical diagnosis or dealing with the stress of your kid wrecking the family car, we aren’t spared. And in those moments, that is when you and I have to stand tall much like those young men being cast into the furnace. The important distinction is that He has given His word to never leave us or forget us. In the very center of your struggle, He is right there with you.

I understand this is stronger talk than what you are used to hearing on this blog but walking with God takes men who have resolved themselves to serve Him. No matter what. Sometimes, I just look up to the sky and say, “God, no matter what happens, You are stuck with me” and I hope you feel the same way.

Until next time Guys, 

The IMS Team – Iron-man-Strength

References:

Thomas, Geoff., Daniel: Servant of God under Four Kings (Bridgend:Bryntirion, 1998).

You can also enjoy one of my favorite Christian bands, Mercy Me, with their song, Even If.

It takes Real guts to say No

Posted: May 26, 2025 in Strength for Today
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Have you ever heard the expression “if you give them an inch they will take a mile”? I am sure you have and it happens to be the phrase that illustrates what I wanted to talk about today. 

You see, the very expression “give an inch” implies from the outset that you gave in or you gave up something. But, in actuality, what you did was compromise. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Compromise in a relationship is critical for it to last but remember, we don’t agree with our spouse or even our friends all the time. I am sure you have even “agreed to disagree” and maintained the relationship from there. I think that good debate is healthy and promotes independent thinking which is one of the keys to long lasting friendships. 

However, its that compromise in important areas of our lives that I am focusing on today.

I remember reading a book a few years ago by Dr. David Jeremiah called, The Handwriting on the Wall which talked about Daniel, who, while being held captive in Babylon for 70 years, never compromised his faith in God no matter what his circumstances ended up to being and this included facing sure death in the lions den.

His consistency was astounding and a model for all of us to follow. However, Dr. Jeremiah made a point that I wanted to illustrate to you which was simply that it takes guts…real guts, to say no to a terrible situation, even with God on your side. 

Daniel was resolute in his faith while in Babylon. For you and I, no matter where we are in life, we do not “have to bend the rules to be blessed of God. Our success is NOT dependent upon our compromise”. Our job is to trust and believe that He will take care of us because he has told us so.

From the very beginning in the Bible, we see compromises with very poor results:

Adam: he fell right in line with Eve’s sin by compromising and eating the forbidden fruit. 

Sarah :(Abrahams wife) her lack of faith in God caused her to compromise and send her husband Abraham to Hagar, her servant, who then gave birth to Ishmael. Life in the Middle East will never be the same.

Do you remember Esau who compromised his birthright because he was hungry?

King David: he was the man after Gods own heart, BUT, he compromised Gods morality by sleeping with Bathsheba and then killing her husband Uriah. 

The list goes on and on with Solomon, Judas and Ahaz who all compromised something significant in their lives and it cost them. 

Guys, think about this…all they would have had to do was to say NO…and then take a stand on faith and on what God promised them. After that, God is in charge of the situation.

I want to finish this post with a story Dr. Jeremiah shared in his book about a verbal exchange in a high school class between some students and a professor who was an athiest.

The professor stood at the lectern and began his lecture by saying, “will all of you who believe the myths of the Bible please stand.” Several stood.

Then he added, “now this semester I am going to free you from this religious Bible nonsense. I have read the Bible, and it is certainly written by a bunch of mixed up men.”

One young Daniel stood up and said, “Sir, the Bible is God’s letter to Christians, and if you are confused it’s because you are reading someone else’s mail.”

Guys, I pray that all of us can stand firm in our faith and NOT compromise in the face any adversity against you. You already know this, but adversity will continue to come. That is the way life goes.

I can also tell you with certainty that you are going to be in circumstances where you will be asked to “give an inch”. And after this blog, now you know why an inch matters. As Christians, it’s the difference between a life spent with God in Eternity or the alternative…

It is that simple and you get to make the choice…

My advice to you, be like Daniel…don’t compromise…

Until next time Guys… 

Jeremiah, David. 2020. The Handwriting on the Wall: Secrets from the Prohecies of Daniel. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Another One in the Fire

Posted: March 30, 2024 in Strength for Today
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How has your week been? If you’re like me, you are in the middle of the storm and working hard just to keep the ship going straight. Does that sound familiar? I was reminded of something earlier that I think may be of some strength to you if you are in that storm I mentioned. I also feel compelled to write this directly to those of you who need to hear this today. You know who you are.

Do you remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? This is the great story in the Bible in the Book of  Daniel chapter 3 about these young men who were a part of the conquering of Israel by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. They came to Babylon as slaves but with higher positions due to their intelligence and previous standing in Israel. The problem for them was that Nebuchadnezzar issued a command that everyone in his kingdom was required to worship an image made of gold when they blew the trumpets and these 3 young men refused to do so.

So the king had these young men brought before him and threatened them with death by the fiery furnace if they did not comply. Their response was incredible. With great faith, they told him that “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand oh King”. As you can imagine, this upset the King so much that he had the furnace heated 7 times hotter than normal to ensure they were destroyed. In fact, the furnace was so hot that the guards who threw them in were killed.

But here is the key to the story and what I wanted to share with you today which is the title to this post. First, they did not die when they went in but rather just stood there marveling at what was happening. More importantly, however, King Nebuchadnezzar noticed there was another one in the fire with them. Instead of 3 men, there were now 4. Jesus himself came and stood with these boys in the midst of what should have been sure death but instead…they were saved.

Guys, that is the single point I wanted to convey to you today. They were saved JUST like you can be. No matter what you are in the middle of, there is another one in the fire with you today. And I can say with absolute confidence that you are NOT alone on your journey. I encourage you to hold on today to these words today that He is with you in your fire, standing at your side.

I understand though…when you don’t see Him physically and sometimes you don’t feel Him it is easy to think you’re alone…and those feelings are real and they can cause your faith to weaken to where you become vulnerable to the enemy’s lies.

My words to you are hold on. Keep pounding on heaven’s doors because there is another one in the fire with you…right in the middle of the storm and chaos that is around you. Don’t give in to the enemy…resist and hang on to the words of Christ.

Remember this…no matter what happens in this world, all of the bad things and the struggles of this life…we are told to take heart because He has OVERCOME the world. He has already won the battle for you…you just have to believe that.

Until next time Guys-