what is in the darkness

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230606

Photo by Mstudio on Pexels.com

what is in the darkness

Daniel 2:17-23 (JDV)

Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter,
Daniel 2:18 urging them to ask the God of the sky for compassion concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.
Daniel 2:19 The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the sky
Daniel 2:20 and declared: May the name of God be praised perpetually, because wisdom and power belong to him.
Daniel 2:21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise men and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:22 He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light is released from him.
Daniel 2:23 I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my ancestors, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, because you have let us know the king’s mystery.

what is in the darkness

Daniel declared that God is wise and powerful because he knows what is in the darkness. He had faith that God had revealed the mystery even before he went to the king with his answer. The four believers had prayed for compassion concerning the mystery, and God answered that prayer.

James wrote “if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8 NET).

All of us are deficient in wisdom regarding one thing or another. We have only so much light. The rest is darkness. But we need not fear, because God knows what is in the darkness. Through prayer, he can reveal it to us.

Posted in prayer, revelation, wisdom | Tagged | Leave a comment

when the impossible confronts

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230605

Photo by u0410u043du043du0430 u0420u044bu0436u043au043eu0432u0430 on Pexels.com

when the impossible confronts

Daniel 2:12-16 (JDV)

Daniel 2:12 Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy1 all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:13 The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.
Daniel 2:14 Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:15 He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.
Daniel 2:16 So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time so that he could give the king the interpretation.

What if Daniel had not chosen to intercede? He and his friends were in danger, together with all the wise men, because the king had asked them to do the impossible. Faith turns to God when the time of testing comes. Faith sees the impossible as an opportunity to seek help from the immortal. It is a gamble, but when crisis comes, God is all we have.

God may want to do something amazing with your life. You may be one impossible demand away from that destiny. Trust him, and pray.

LORD, keep us close to you so that we are ready to turn to you when the impossible confronts us.

Posted in faith | Tagged | Leave a comment

a dream from God

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230604

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

a dream from God

Daniel 2:1-11 (JDV)

Daniel 2:1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his breath, and sleep turned against him.
Daniel 2:2 So the king gave orders to summon the soothsayer-priests, conjurers, sorcerers, and Magi to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,
Daniel 2:3 he said to them, “I have had a dream and my breath is anxious to understand it.”
Daniel 2:4 The Magi spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live permanently. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:5 The king replied to the Magi, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump.
Daniel 2:6 But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”
Daniel 2:7 They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:8 The king replied, “I know for certain you are buying time because you see that my word is final.
Daniel 2:9 If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until time changes things. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”
Daniel 2:10 The Magi answered the king, “No mortal human in the land can make known what the king is asking for. Consequently, no great and powerful king has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or member of the Magi.
Daniel 2:11 What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”

a dream from God

The Magi who answered the king that day were Babylonians. The assumption of the Babylonian culture is that all of the gods are immortal. But the Hebrews had been taught something different. Daniel referred to his God as “the living God” who “endures forever” (6:20,26). He drew a distinction between his God and all the other gods.

The Hebrew poets spoke of their God standing in the god assembly and rendering judgment upon the other gods (psalm 82:1). Asaph discovered something about them:

“I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’ Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.” Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth! For you own all the nations” (Psalm 82:6-8).

The Hebrews and Babylonians understood that all human beings are mortal, like animals. The Hebrews learned that even all the gods are mortal — except one.

The apostle Paul wrote that “He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see” (1 Timothy 6:16). Since immortality is the exclusive attribute of the God of the Bible, eternal life is not an innate attribute for us, but by God’s grace, we can put on immortality at our resurrection when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).

The dream that Nebuchadnezzar had was not given to him by the gods. It was from the one God, who had a plan to show that he rules the heavens, not the spirits pretending to be gods.

Posted in mortality | Tagged | Leave a comment

people of a greater standard

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230603

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

people of a greater standard

Daniel 1:17-21 (JDV)

Daniel 1:17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every class of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind.
Daniel 1:18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 1:19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend to the king.
Daniel 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times smarter than all the soothsayer-priests and conjurers in his entire kingdom.
Daniel 1:21 Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

These fantastic four exiles provide a lesson for believers today. They have been taken out of their world and the world they live in is trying to conform them to it. It is ironic that Judah had been put into exile because its people wanted to be like the nations around them. But now these four heroes take a stand. They will live among the Babylonians, even taking on Babylonian names, but they will be distinctive. They will be different. Their standards will be higher than their world.

LORD, make us people of a higher grade, a greater standard.

Posted in integrity | Tagged | Leave a comment

when commitment is challenged

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230602

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

when commitment is challenged

Daniel 1:8-16 (JDV)

Daniel 1:8 Daniel set his heart on not defiling himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he sought permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.
Daniel 1:9 God had granted Daniel loyalty and compassion from the chief eunuch,
Daniel 1:10 yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would forfeit my head with the king.”
Daniel 1:11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
Daniel 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Daniel 1:13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and treat your servants based on what you see.”
Daniel 1:14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days.
Daniel 1:15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.
Daniel 1:16 So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

when commitment is challenged

Daniel had made a commitment, and his three fellow Israelites agreed to that commitment. But the chief eunuch challenged that commitment because he feared the consequences. Often when we dare to make a commitment, it will be challenged for the same reason. We should do as Daniel did — try to find a way to keep our commitment without condemning those who challenge it. The real war is not with flesh and blood. There is a contest going on in the unseen realm.

Posted in commitment, spiritual warfare | Tagged | Leave a comment

the new reality

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230601

Photo by Katie Godowski on Pexels.com

the new reality

Daniel 1:1-7 (JDV)

Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took control of it.
Daniel 1:2 Yahveh gave into his hand King Jehoiakim of Judah, along with some of the equipment from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the equipment in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility –
Daniel 1:4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the Chaldean literature and language.
Daniel 1:5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years and at the end of that time, they were to take their stand in the presence of the king.
Daniel 1:6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel 1:7 The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

These four young men had seen the horrors of invasion and occupation. They knew about all the atrocities performed by this evil king and those who obeyed his wishes. After all they knew, I cannot imagine them not saying to themselves “Why would God allow this?”

Around the world today, there are people with the same thoughts. If you read history, you know how cruel and evil people can be toward those they envy, hate, or fear. If you are honest with yourself, you sometimes wonder what it would take for you to be one of those holding the gun or the noose.

These four men could have defined themselves as victims. They did not. They decided to be part of the new reality. They would yield to the tyrant’s wishes — even allowing themselves to be renamed. But they would not become what the tyrant wanted.

Every day we face similar choices. We need to decide who our God is, and who we are.

Posted in commitment, providence, war | Tagged | Leave a comment

pray for a reunion

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230531

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Pexels.com

pray for a reunion

Philemon 1:21-25 (JDV)

Philemon 1:21 Since I am confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Philemon 1:22 Meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, since I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, and so do
Philemon 1:24 Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-laborers.
Philemon 1:25 The favor of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your breath.

David Jeremiah writes, “Paul and the other apostles knew that God might well withhold certain of His blessings from them if they and their fellow believers neglected to pray. Therefore they prayed, and they recruited others to pray, never wanting to curb what God might be pleased to do” (46).

Who knows the blessings we could experience if we simply made a habit of praying for them. Paul was praying that God would remove the obstacles keeping him from visiting his friend. Do you have friends or relatives you have not seen for a long time? Why not pray for a reunion?

Jeremiah David. The Prayer Matrix. Multnomah 2004.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

your welcoming spirit

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230530

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

your welcoming spirit

Philemon 1:17-20 (JDV)

Philemon 1:17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Philemon 1:18 And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
Philemon 1:19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it — not to mention to you that you owe me even your very self.
Philemon 1:20 Yes, brother, may I benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

The word partner in verse 17 is κοινωνoς, a word designating close association and shared mission. Paul was just the right person to appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus.

Graves and Addington write, “Partners generally work together to make decisions, set policies, deflect problems, and celebrate their successes. They welcome each other equally, knowing they’re in it together for the long haul. … Do you welcome all brothers and sisters in Christ equally? It’s easy to get into your own clique or social group and forget about others in the church. But we’re all equally important in God’s eyes, and that’s what matters. How you treat fellow believers shows God how you feel about Him. When you slight a newcomer in your church or turn your back on a long-time member, you’ve slighted God and turned your back on Him. But if you make a newcomer feel welcome and show affection for all of His children, He will feel your welcoming spirit” (185-186).

Graves Stephen R and Thomas G Addington. Deep Focus: Devotions for Living the Word. 1st ed. Jossey-Bass 2003.

Posted in church | Tagged | Leave a comment

trusting after treachery

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230529

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

trusting after treachery

Philemon 1:8-16 (JDV)

Philemon 1:8 For this reason,1 although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right,
Philemon 1:9 I appeal to you, instead, on the basis of care. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
Philemon 1:10 appeal to you for my son, Onesimus. I became his father while I was in chains.
Philemon 1:11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
Philemon 1:12 I am sending him back to you – I am sending my very own heart.
Philemon 1:13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place.
Philemon 1:14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will
Philemon 1:15 because perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time so that you might get him back permanently,
Philemon 1:16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave – like a cared-for brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Onesimus had not been kidnapped and sold as a slave to Philemon. He was a bondservant. He had found himself in a poor state financially, probably having incurred a debt he could not repay. He needed the help of Philemon to get out of that debt. So he had appealed to Philemon to take him on as a bondservant. If I read verse 16 correctly, there was some familial relationship between the two men. They were brothers “in the flesh” – perhaps distant relations. So, Philemon did the right thing. He took Onesimus into his household as a servant.

The reward Philemon got for his benevolence was treachery. Onesimus stole money and ran away. While living as a fugitive, he met Paul and came to faith in Christ. Paul could have told Onesimus to just forget about his past, but he envisioned a different solution. He wanted to return Onesimus to reconcile with Philemon and thought that Philemon could then use Onesimus as a partner in his ministry to Paul. His appeal was a gamble because Philemon could have had Onesimus arrested as well. Then he would have gone to prison as well.

The challenge that Philemon faced is a difficult one. Once you have been betrayed, how can you trust again? Paul is asking Philemon to take the prodigal back and make him a trusted partner in ministry. For Philemon to do this, he had to have faith in the transforming power of the gospel. He had to believe that the Holy Spirit is the God of the second chance.

LORD, heal our hurts. Help us to trust people again because we trust in your power to make a difference in their lives.

Posted in faith, trust | Tagged | Leave a comment

be stretched, be changed

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

20230528

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

be stretched, be changed

Philemon 1:4-7 (JDV)

Philemon 1:4 I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers,
Philemon 1:5 because I hear of your care for all the devotees and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.
Philemon 1:6 I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.
Philemon 1:7 For I have great joy and encouragement from your care because the hearts of the devotees have been refreshed through you, brother.

The Holy Spirit’s counsel through the scriptures reaches down and touches us, encouraging growth in every facet of our lives, not just our weaknesses. Philemon was well-known for two things:

He had great faith in the LORD and was constantly sharing that faith with others.
He had great love (care) for others and was constantly refreshing the hearts of the saints.
Now, it was time for the Holy Spirit to go to work, stretching and strengthening Philemon in precisely those areas of spiritual health that he was known for. His faith in Christ, the Reconciler, was the foundation for his existence. Now Paul was going to ask him to apply that faith in an area of his life that he had not imagined it would apply: his relationship with Onesimus.

Also, Philemon had always been ready to meet the needs of any brother as soon as he discovered that need. Now Paul was going to introduce him to a new brother: Onesimus, whom he knew in the past only as a useless runaway slave who could not be trusted.

God’s righteousness is infinite. When the light of his glory and grace shines on our lives, even those rooms of our house that we keep tidy and set apart for only visitors to see are revealed to be less than adequate. Paul’s letter to his friend was a challenge to let the Holy Spirit have access to transform him — again.

LORD, our lives are yours. We present to you our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Stretch us and change us as you see fit.

Posted in discipleship | Tagged | Leave a comment