A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                      FAR FROM HOME PART XVII

"I, Daniel, have experienced God's faithfulness once again in a special way... King Darius had made a decree that all the people in his kingdom were to pray to him only for the next thirty days... I serve king Darius as one of his administrators... I respect him greatly.... I understand the importance of obeying him.... However, I knew too that I could not obey him in this respect.... I can only pray to my God, the God of Israel.... I have served Him all my life....I intend to do so until I die.... My God has been good to me all my life.... I have no doubt that He will continue to be good to me.... So I prayed to my God knowing my disobedience may well be reported to the king... In fact, I was expecting this to happen... I was, therefore, not surprised when the king came to see me..... I could see in his face that he was very distraught.... The reason he was distraught was because he had to tell me he would have to give the order to have me thrown into the lions' den... That is what happened..... But I knew that my God would be with me even in the lions' den. And He was.... And His angel protected me from any attacks of the lions... Likewise, if any of you, who may live after I, Daniel, am gone, are going through challenges then I would like to encourage you to be obedient to God just as I was."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn about a spiritual being that acts like a lion....


            ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                           FAR FROM HOME PART XVII

So we know from this account that Daniel obeyed his God throughout his life. Likewise, God wants you to live a life of obedience regardless of the challenges you may face. As a believer, you will face a being that acts like a lion as Peter writes in I Peter 5:8

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

This "lion" is obviously not a physical lion as Daniel had to deal with but is the devil who is a fallen angel. Moreover, this fallen angel makes himself look like an angel of light as you can read
in II Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Therefore, the devils' ways are very deceptive and that means you are to have a close walk with the Lord in order to be able to withstand him as James writes in James 4:7

Submit yourselves then to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.