This passage from Daniel gives us a popular idiom, “the writing on the wall”, which means there is doom or misfortune ahead. Something bad is about to happen. In this case because Belshazzar mocked God and his power.
Daniel 4:1-9,24-27,34-37, Acts 26:12-17, Matt. 28:19, Acts 1:8, 1 Peter 3:15
Skeptics may debate the validity of Scripture or argue the existence of God, but no one can deny your personal experiences with him, When you tell your story of how God has worked a miracle in your life, or how he has blessed you, transformed you, lifted and encouraged you, perhaps even broken and healed you, no one can argue or debate it. You go beyond the realm of knowledge into the realm of relationship with God.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pressured to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to him no matter what happened. They trusted God to deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. If God always rescued those who were true to him, Christians would not need faith. We should be faithful to serve God whether he intervenes on our behalf or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first.
Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord's side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and his armor surrounding us.
Paul wants us to understand that we are in a battle. To ignore this is to bring harm and defeat. We are to fight a spiritual war in the strength of God. We are to flee temptation, but to stand and fight against the methods of Satan. Satan hates you because God loves you.
Perfect faith is faith that moves to trust God when He doesn’t seem to be moving. Luke 1:26-38, Ephesians 1:11
Elder Greg Newman reading "The Candymaker's Gift: The Legend of the Candy Cane" by Helen & David Haidle.
Jeff Joyner & Worship Team sing "Silent Night"
Our celebration of Christmas in our culture is a mix of Christian truth, traditions and secular traditions. What should our response to this situation be? Should we protest the secular elements and way our culture celebrates, or somehow try to point people to Jesus in the middle of the chaos.
If our faith in Christ is real it will usually prove itself at home, in our relationships with those who know us best. Children and parents have a responsibility to each other. Children are to obey while under their parents care, but the responsibility to honor parents is for life.
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