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Inspirational nuggets
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INTRODUCTION:
The story of Daniel has sparked many a sermon some good some perhaps not so
good. The thought that comes to me first when I think about this precious man
of God is his unconquerable, unequivocal prayer life. It is my hope that this
brief lesson will teach you what it so wonderfully has taught me. When you know
you’re heard everything else gets behind that. Oh what blessedness, oh what joy
divine leaning on he everlasting arm. To know God hears you when you
pray…………well it doesn’t get any better than that.
TEXT: Daniel
6:1-23
1It
pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2
with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were
made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.
3
Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by
his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole
kingdom.
4
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges
against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do
so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither
corrupt nor negligent.
5
Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this
man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." 6
So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O
King Darius, live forever!
7 The
royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed
that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays
to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be
thrown into the lions' den.
8 Now, O
king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in
accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."
9
So King Darius put the decree in writing.
10
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his
upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he
got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done
before.
11
Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
12
So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not
publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or
man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?" The king
answered, "The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and
Persians, which cannot be repealed." 13
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays
no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays
three times a day."
14
When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue
Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. 15
Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, "Remember, O king,
that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the
king issues can be changed." 16
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the
lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually,
rescue you!" 17
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it
with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's
situation might not be changed.
18
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and
without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
19
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den.
20
When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel,
servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able
to rescue you from the lions?" 21
Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!
22
My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt
me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong
before you, O king." 23
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when
Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had
trusted in his God.
I: It is impossible to stop praying when you know
God actually listens to you
A.
Daniel knew he was fellowshipping with God. He knew that God was hearing
him when he prayed. He also knew that his relationship with God was more
important than his own life
B.
Daniel heard the threat, knew it was real and soon as he heard it he went
and prayed
C.
Daniel was not trusting in his friendship with the king, nor in the fact
that he was a good man, his confidence was in the God he prayed to every day
II: It will take your breath away when the reality
hits that God actually listens to you when you pray
A.
The first time I knew God heard me, when it was absolutely unquestionable
that God actually listened to me when I prayed it changed everything. All day
long I just kept thinking, man, God responded to me, the God who created
everything actually listen to me, He did what I prayed and asked for Him to
do………WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B.
With all the people in the world, and all those who are calling on Him,
to know of a certainty that He is listening to you is almost debilitating.
C.
Although God is aware of everything going on in the universe, even when a
sparrow falls to the ground, and although He is Omnipresent, and Omniscient, and
All powerful yet He still will hear your whisper, and your cry. I will never,
ever get over that!
III: Nothing is more important than living so God
will hear you when you pray!
A.
What ever the conditions, what ever I must do, I want more than anything,
all the time to be in contact and fellowship with my heavenly Father so that He
will hear me when I pray!
B.
Beloved the reason why people don’t go to prayer is one reason only, they
don’t think God is listening to them.
C.
Oh how we need to realize that we can be open to the Spirit of God and
live in the Spirit so that when we call on God we can know in our hearts that He
hears us and will answer us.
D.
I
John 5:13-15
13I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you
may know that you have eternal life.
14This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according
to his will, he hears us.
15And
if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked
of him.
CONCLUSION:
We are constantly looking for ways and means, to feel better, to manage our
affairs, we sit in rooms and think, and think, and think some more, we hope and
wish upon a star, and even some our so called praying is just hopeful thinking.
Why not meet God’s requirement live in the Spirit, live out the Word of God in
your daily life, then when you pray you will be certain God hears you. When you
know He hears you, so also will you know you will receive what you have asked
Him for. Wow what a life He offers, what could be better that living so that
God hears you even eagerly anticipates hearing from you when you pray.
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