Topic: Daniel’s Dose: Adventure 17- Have you replaced God?
Bible Reading: Daniel 5
Memory Verse: Daniel 5:3&4 (NKJV)
Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing? How was your weekend? I hope you had the chance to meet and hang-out with friends and family. All in all, I hope you had a wonderful weekend; full of rest, peace and laughter. This week is the last week in the month of May! Wow! Another month has gone by so quickly. We are almost half-way through the year, 2020. We thank God for seeing us this far!
Today, we would be exploring an interesting topic- gods. As Christians, we believe that once God is at the center of our lives; nothing or no one can replace Him. Though this is true; it is not always the case! Well, let us get right into the message to know more!
When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing you do? When you are in trouble; who do you cry on first? Who or what do you spend a majority of your time with/ doing; instead of spending time with God? These are a few important questions that you and I have to answer to ourselves.
A lot of the times, Christians complain that they do not have the time to spend either meditating on the Word or prayer. However, we have created many gods in our lives that are replacing the time we spend with God. These distractions can include social media, clothes, food, your job, your spouse, your children, your parents, etc. it could be the littlest of things.
We tend to have these gods because of the physical satisfaction we get; coupled with the physical evidence of it. For example, some people spend a lot of their time eating chocolate. For breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, any time of the day, s/he is eating chocolate. The pump so much into buying chocolates and turn the blind eye on the health impacts of high consumption of chocolate. Chocolate can become a god because of the pleasure the person derives from eating it- the physical satisfaction. Also, the person can touch (and hold) a bar of chocolate. It makes sense in the human mind to depend on something you can see and have control over.
Well, there are also a large number of Christians that make their service to God or in church, a god. They are focused on the role the perform in a particular committee or the number of people in the congregation that know of them and their impact on the church. This is very wrong. Many people are concentrating and are been consumed by works. That should not be the case, our focus must be God. We should dedicate all we have to Him.
The time has come for us to stop replacing God with things that we have control over; so that we would be satisfied and pleased with ourselves. Our satisfaction must come from God and Him alone. This is because all glory, honor, power belong to GOD. All the satisfaction and pleasure we gain or enjoy from our distractions are temporary. To enjoy permanent pleasure, we must set our eyes on God. He is the author and finisher of our lives. He knows the end from the beginning. Put your trust in Him and He will show up for you in your every point of need.
In Daniel 5, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, became king. As king, he ordered that all the gold vessels in God’s temple; to be presented to him. Belshazzar, his lords, wives and concubines drank from these vessels and worshipped the gods of gold, silver and bronze. Belshazzar had successfully thrown God to the back and started worshiping idols. He was proud to show his people that he had the power to do that. However, by doing what he did; he had disrespected God.
Once you replace God (knowingly or unknowingly), you are like Belshazzar. You have disrespected God. You have put Him aside and acknowledged that something else or someone else has more power and authority than God. I will like to urge each and every one of you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to reflect on your lives and identify all the god(s) present. Then tackle them one by one! The holy Spirit has revealed this so that we can work on them; to build a stronger relationship with God.
This morning; take a few minutes to reflect on your life. Throughout the day, be in a reflective mode. Let the Holy Spirit direct you and lead you to identify all these unnecessary things in your life. Hallelujah! List all these distractions done and ask the Holy Spirit to help you tackle each one of them. He will help you through it. It may not be easy; but I know that you all have what it takes to come through successfully.
I believe that this is the first step to dedicating yourself to God! Hallelujah!
Prayer Points:
Ask for the in-filling of the Holy Spirit
Ask that the Holy Spirit strengthens you and equips you
Pray asking for wisdom and understanding
Pray asking the Holy Spirit to help you
Pray asking the Holy Spirit to direct you
Pray for an open and receptive heart
Ask for the desire to learn more about God.
End with a time of praise and worship!
Today’s prayer:
Dear Lord,
I thank you for my life. I thank you for giving me another beautiful day. I ask that you guide me and protect me. I pray that I will choose you in every situation that I face. And that my life will be a testimony and an example to many that I have Christ living in me. Thank you, Lord, for sending your son to die on the cross and wipe my sins away. I lift your name high for you are Alpha and Omega. Amen!
As you start out your day, I would like you to ask yourself, “Have you replaced God in certain areas of your life?” Think about this question. Reflect upon it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and direct your thoughts. It is well! God bless you all!
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
The prayer below is for anyone who does not know God or maybe has been apart from God for a while. God is here to pour His favor over your life. All you have to do is call out to Him. Make that decision today!
Dear Lord,
I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
If you repeated this prayer with all the sincerity of your heart, congratulations!! You are now a part of God’s family. Welcome to the greatest family ever. Heaven is jubilating on your arrival. Your fellow brothers and sisters are also excited to have you on board.
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out!