Do We Actually Trust God?

The prophet Daniel does not seem very relevant to most Christians I know. Within this group that does not seem to care for the prophet are people who study the Bible regularly and those who barely touch it. The Christian response to a pagan world is expertly demonstrated by Daniel, but most Christians today are not willing to sacrifice their comfort for Jesus. Their witness suffers and I have no doubt they will answer for it before the throne of God. I am amazed as I look around me and see all the people ignoring God and trusting government.

What makes Daniel so great for faithful living amongst demanding pagans? Let us look at three examples:

1. In Daniel 1: 8, Daniel and a bunch of other youths are being prepared to study the Babylonian ways for three years so they can stand in the court of the Babylonian king with full pagan knowledge. At the end of their three years of study, the youths would stand before the king and demonstrate their pagan knowledge and skills. We read this, "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." Daniel was making a stand and maintaining a diet of vegetables and water so as not to risk eating defiled food. This was a major risk on Daniel's part, but his dietary restrictions were worth the risk of punishment or even death. God blessed Daniel and his three friends, but none were blessed as much as Daniel for his faithfulness.
2. In Daniel 3, the king sets up a golden statue and commands all people to worship the image when the music is played and anyone that did not fall down and worship the image would be cast into a burning and fiery furnace. This seems pretty much inevitable, everyone has to do it or die. Daniel and his friends are between a rock and death. They must either fall down and worship the idol, clearly violating a commandment of God, or face a terrible death in the furnace. They would have to comply, because what good would their death accomplish? The popular youths were even challenged by the king to worship the statue or face death. There was no doubt in their minds the king was serious as he would lose a lot of face to not follow through. Daniels three friends refused to bow and worship and the king had the furnace made even hotter. It was so hot the guards who threw them in died from the flames and the heat, but they were not harmed and walked in the fire without a problem because of their faith in God. This got Nebuchadnezzar's attention and he declared no one could speak ill of the one truth God from that point forward and even promoted them to work in Babylon instead of the provinces. Being faithful is risky, but it yields great rewards for the kingdom of God.
3. In Daniel 6 we see the third opportunity for these youths to cave and give in to external pressure for their own safety. The new king issued a decree no one could petition or pray to any god or man for 30 days except Darius at the threat of being thrown into a den of hungry lions. Daniel was smart enough not to openly violate the new rule and went to his own room to pray, but the king's men broke in and caught him praying to God and challenged Darius to follow through with his proclamation. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions and when the stone was removed the next day, Daniel was alive and proclaimed God shut the lions mouths and he lived and was elevated even further in the kings and the peoples eyes.

Daniel and his friends faced real threats of punishment and death for not following the crowd and doing what was expected of them. In the face of this pressure they did not cave. They did not soil themselves, worship an idol, or pray to a human king instead of God, even when told it was the law of the land. They maintained their witness and each time they did, God blessed them with even more recognition and honor. God was glorified with their faithfulness in the face of severe hardship and death. This was a witness worth keeping a record of in the Bible in perpetuity. We should pay attention.

Unfortunately, the modern Christian has found themselves elevating the State higher than that of God. If the State says do something, most Christians willingly do it so as not to violate "the law." What they fail to realize is they are trespassing on God's law when they do this and show their true allegiance and colors is not to God, but to the nation they live in.

For example:

1. How many churches closed their doors in 2020 when the government said we needed to shutter houses of worship two weeks to flatten the curve? Almost all of them did! Can you believe it is 2022 and some churches are just now opening their doors! They have stayed closed because the CDC said they should. I have to seriously question any church and its leadership doing this. There is no law of man that can shut a church door, but we Christians showed our absence of grit in the face of the weakest of pressure. We should have held strong and worshiped even more!
2. How many Christians have taken the Trumpian injection because they were told they could not travel, they could not visit, or they were endangering someones grandma if they didn't? Way to many have shown they will submit to the State before they will submit to the Holy Righteous God. When Paul's way was closed he chose to serve where God wanted him instead.

I am ashamed of my fellow Christians. Instead of being bulwarks against the pagan world, they have eaten everything they were offered and gotten fat in the process. Some even asked for money from the government! Christians have bowed and turned when the music was played and they have submitted and asked Faucci and his minions for guidance instead of God. There is a reckoning coming for the church. I am watching people die all around me for "unexplained" reasons and I am reminded of the Corinthian church getting sick for violating the fellowship standards of God when they observed communion. You stuck that poison in your arm, now it is time to pay the reaper.

I suspect the sheep and the goats are being separated as we live and breathe right now. What can you do if you have violated God's law to follow pagan law? You can turn right back to God right now and ask for forgiveness. You can seek God's face and acknowledge your missteps and your need for mercy. God is good. He will forgive, but woe to the "Christian" who worship the State, Trump, or Faucci.