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I Dare You: Step Up! - Daniel 2:1-23

Taught on | Topic: Courage | Keywords: faith, prayer, God, Daniel, Chaldeans, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon, dream

Any crisis we face is a test. How will we respond? What actions will we take? What will our faith in God mean to us and to others in that moment of crisis? Daniel and his friends faced their moment of crisis when the King of Babylon’s insomnia became their worst nightmare. As they faced the possibility of their own death, they used the situation to display their life-giving faith. Let’s consider how we can step up to life’s difficulties and use them as spiritual opportunities.

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1/13/2013
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I Dare You: Step Up!
Daniel 2:1-23
Skip Heitzig
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Any crisis we face is a test. How will we respond? What actions will we take? What will our faith in God mean to us and to others in that moment of crisis? Daniel and his friends faced their moment of crisis when the King of Babylon’s insomnia became their worst nightmare. As they faced the possibility of their own death, they used the situation to display their life-giving faith. Let’s consider how we can step up to life’s difficulties and use them as spiritual opportunities.
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27 Daniel - I Dare You - 2013

27 Daniel - I Dare You - 2013

Skip Heitzig unfolds the book of Daniel verse by verse in the series I Dare You. We'll learn how Daniel lived differently and made a huge impact on his society, and we'll be challenged to do the same.

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Outline

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  1. The King Can’t Sleep Well (vv. 1-3)

  2. The Chaldeans Can’t See Well (vv. 4-13)

  3. The Captives Can’t Sit Well (vv. 14-23)

    1. They Stepped Up by Putting Their Faith on the Line

    2. They Stepped Up by Placing Their Faith in the Lord

Take the Dare:

  • Step up to the daily opportunities to display your faith by the way you answer people’s questions, musings, opinions, and difficulties.

  • Step up to the pressures of life by developing a vibrant prayer life.

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. As a child, learned how to swim; encouraged to take one step—step out
    2. Passive versus active faith
      1. Daniel has to make a choice
      2. Puts his faith on the line by placing his faith on the Lord
      3. Not a "blind leap into the dark" -- as Søren Kierkegaard wrote of
      4. A calculated commitment based on truths known about God
      5. Real faith
    3. Step Up
      1. Integrate spiritual faith (inside) with actual world (outside)
      2. Insert yourself into situations to bring change because of your faith in the Lord
        1. Trust people vs. trust God
        2. Taking a prescription
    4. Our story has three scenes
      1. Nebuchadnezzar's bedroom where he can't sleep
      2. Nebuchadnezzar's court where his advisors fail
      3. Daniel's prayer room with his buddies to figure out what to do
  2. The king's bedroom—Nebuchadnezzar can't sleep
    1. "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"
      1. He's made it to the top, but now he is anxious
      2. Young boy scared at night
      3. Nebuchadnezzar takes his problems to bed
    2. Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
      1. Oldest son of Nabopolassar
      2. Nabopolassar founded the Babylonian Empire
      3. For two years he was the co-regent with his father
      4. Nebuchadnezzar means "Oh Nabu, protect my son"
        1. Nabu was one of their gods—god of wisdom
        2. Nabu doesn't have much wisdom and is not able to protect him
      5. Known for his cruelty
        1. Kills King Zedekiah's son and gouges out his eyes (see 2 Kings 25)
        2. Built fiery furnace (see Daniel 3)
        3. Temperamental—90% temper, 10% mental
      6. Troubled, disturbed
    3. Dreams
      1. Everybody dreams; not everyone remembers their dreams
      2. Dream research says we average five dreams a night
      3. Brain's trying to figure it out
      4. In this case, God is directing and speaking to him through a dream
        1. This is not uncommon
        2. Lord speaks through dreams
          1. Jacob (see Genesis 28:10-17)
          2. Pharaoh (see Genesis 41)
          3. Joseph (see Genesis 37)
          4. Solomon (see 1 Kings 3)
          5. Joseph and Mary (see Matthew 1:18-25 and Matthew 2:19-23)
        3. God is getting Nebuchadnezzar's attention
  3. The king's courtroom—Nebuchadnezzar's advisors called
    1. Tell the dream and its interpretation or die
    2. Chaldeans, magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers—cream of the occult crop and they've got nothing
    3. Pastor Skip (before Christ) dabbled in the occult because of the sense of empowerment
    4. A recent Harris Poll found that
      1. 51% say they believe in ghosts
      2. 31% believe in astrology
      3. 27% believe in reincarnation
      4. 125 million people believe in astrology and 70% of those read their daily horoscope, 12 million people change their daily decisions based on their horoscope
    5. According to a Gallup poll, at least 10% of evangelical Christians believe in astrology to some degree
    6. The failure of the Chaldeans serves a purpose
      1. Rattles the faith of the king
        1. King believed in his gods and his advisors
        2. He starts thinking about the future
          1. A lot of people don't think about the future
          2. Old scorn "so heavenly minded you're no earthly good"
          3. Jesus told of a very wealthy man who only thought about the now (see Luke 12:13-21)
          4. Story of George Pruitt a Baptist Preacher had dinner with an oil tycoon "How much do you own in that direction?" (pointing up)      
      2. Reveals the fraud of the Chaldeans
        1. Dreams and omens are supposed to be their forte
        2. They were going to make something up
        3. Generic fortune cookie, generic slop
        4. "If there is this much power on the wrong side, how much power is there on the right side?"
      3. Rallies the fervor of the captives
        1. This is a setup so that Daniel can show them up
        2. Daniel will show that there is only one God
  4. The prayer room of Daniel
    1. A dream happens when you are asleep, a vision happens when you are awake
    2. Daniel doesn't panic
      1. Answers with wisdom and poise
      2. Most people would try to run
      3. Story of pilot, he puts on a parachute, "Don't worry, I'm going for help"
      4. "A soft answer turns away wrath." Proverbs 15:1
      5. Contrast between the king and the captives
      6. "Said the robin to the sparrow 'I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so;" said the sparrow to the robin 'friend I think that it must be they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.'"
      7. There's a big difference when you know the One who gave you life—when you walk with the Creator
    3. Steps up and makes a difference
      1. Put their faith on the line v. 16
        1. Wait, let me tell the king his dream
        2. Daniel could die
        3. Story of four lepers in Samaria (see 2 Kings 7)
        4. Abandoned life to God, activate faith in God
          1. God can do it, God will do
          2. James Calvert trip to Fiji Islands, "We died before we came here"
          3. "Faith is putting all of your eggs in God's basket and counting all of your blessings before they hatch"
      2. Put their faith in the Lord v. 17
        1. Pray now!
        2. Great picture: four young men praying in pagan Babylon
        3. Prayer is their first resort, not their last
        4. Your prayer life is directly proportional to three things
          1. Your perception of prayer
            1. A lot of people see prayer as gibberish
            2. Just talking your confusion out loud to yourself
            3. Childish "now I lay me down to sleep"
            4. For preachers and kids
            5. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16
          2. Your perception of God
            1. People often approach God wondering if He is in a good mood or a bad mood
            2. Daniel and his buddies prayed according to what they knew of God
              1. God is in total control
              2. He's interested in guiding people
              3. He's in tune with everything
          3. Your perception of the problem
            1. Determines what you pray, if you pray, and how often you pray
            2. You pray fervently when life is harder
  5. Conclusion
    1. I dare you to step up
    2. Talk to men about God—evangelism
    3. Talk to God about men—intercession
    4. If you can bow before God, you can stand before men—this is the secret
      1. You may be fearful
      2. Derive your strength on your knees
      3. Story: Creative way that high school class invoked God's blessing despite recent court ruling
    5. Ask God for creative ways to talk to men about God
    6. Then go to your knees and talk to God about men
    7. Insert yourself into situations believing that God will use you as a change agent
    8. Chalk board: I dare to be BOLD!


Publications referenced: Harris Poll, Gallup poll

Figures referenced: Søren Kierkegaard, George Pruitt, James Calvert

Cross references: Genesis 28:10-17, Genesis 37, 41, 1 Kings 3, 2 Kings 7, 2 Kings 25, Proverbs 15:1, Daniel 3, Matthew 1:18-25, 2:19-23, Luke 12:13-21, James 5:16

Transcript

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Welcome to I Dare You, a series through the book of Daniel with Skip Heitzig.

Well, first of all, let me just talk to our campuses because we're doing something a little bit different. I happen to be in two places at one time. Actually, physically as you're seeing this I'm in Montana, at the same time, I'm here at the Lobo Theater. And we want to express a greeting to all of our six services that have we have at the Albuquerque campus; Lobo Theater, this campus, Nob Hill; and in Santa Fe. So I'm going to ask Renovate to give a shout out to all of the other campuses and services and welcome everyone. Very good.

Well, turn in your Bibles today to the book of Daniel, chapter two. We started a series in Daniel last week and we continue this week. Daniel, chapter 2, let's go ahead and pray.

Father, how thankful we are that we can use such things, such technologies, to get truth out to people who are already in tune to such technologies in our city, around the state, around the country, and even around the world. It's humbling, and we're honored to be able to do it for your glory. And we pray, Father, that you would speak to us, that your Spirit would prompt within us—as we've already prayed last week—a whole new level, a higher level of spiritual commitment to you as you, through your Word, by your Spirit, challenge us, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

I was thinking back to being a little kid when I learned how to swim. And I was so excited about the idea of learning how to swim, until I got to the actual swimming pool itself. And I remember having to step up onto the diving board and walk out, and then I was encouraged to take a step, one step, step out.

And my dad was in the pool. My brother was in the pool. And they just said, "Just take one step. We're here to catch you." But what I remember is the vastness of the swimming pool was more in focus to me than the love and strength of my father and my older brother. But you know, there's a difference between having passive faith and having active faith. You can believe that God can do something, but do you believe that God will do something?

Daniel the prophet is on the "diving board" of a crisis, and there he is standing there, encouraged by God to step out because of the circumstances. He's facing his own death and he has to make a choice. And he decides, this prophet decides, to step up, and step out, and fall into the everlasting arms of God for such a time as this. He puts his faith on the line by placing his faith in the Lord at a very, very strategic time.

Now, when we talk about jumping or taking a step, we're not referring to what one philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard talked about, the "blind leap into the dark." No, no, this is a very calculated commitment that Daniel and his friends make based upon truths they know about God. And based upon those truths, they make that step. This is real faith.

Real faith is betting your life on Jesus Christ, you might say, betting your eternal life, as well as betting your temporal life. And so today's challenge is to "Step Up!", to make a step of integrating your spiritual faith inside, your spiritual world inside, with your actual world going on, on the outside, and to insert yourself into situations that will hopefully bring change because of your faith in the Lord.

Faith. Now, some people hear that word and they go, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, faith. I'm not really a person of much faith, you know. I'm not into this whole idea there's a God up there, and I'm just going to trust in him, and live by faith in this unseen God." What's funny about that is we're so apt to trust people, and so unapt to trust the Lord. We all live by faith in other people. My encouragement is to live by faith in the Lord, the greatest of all persons.

You know, it's interesting, you go to a doctor whose name you can't pronounce. He has degrees that you don't verify. He gives you a prescription you can't read. You take it to a pharmacist you've never met. He gives you a chemical compound you don't understand, and yet, you don't hesitate to go home and actually take the pill. All the while God is saying, "Step up, step out, jump, and let me catch you." And we're going, "Oh, no. I can't trust the Lord. I think I'm gonna drown."

Now the story before us unfolds into three scenes. The first scene, scene number 1 is in Nebuchadnezzar's bedroom. This king can't sleep; he has insomnia. The second scene moves into Nebuchadnezzar's courtroom. He's with his advisors trying to figure out what this dream means and what to do about it. And then scene number 3 is in Daniel's prayer room as he gets his buddies together at home and they, they pray for what they ought to do in light of this crisis.

So, we're going to look at the king's insomnia; we're going to look at the Chaldean's incompetence; and we're going to look at Daniel and his three friends, the captives' intercession. Or as the outline that I've made says: the king can't sleep well, the Chaldeans can't see well, and the captives can't sit well. We're going to look at just part of chapter 2 in the book of Daniel.

The first is Daniel 2 verse 1, and notice as we're in, now, the king's bedroom how the story unfolds: "Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them, 'I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.' "

You know, power has its price tag: "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." Nebuchadnezzar had made it to the top, but he's in a state of anxiety. The cares of the day become the fears of the night. You know, once you're on the top of the hill, once you're king of the hill like this guy is, there comes a time when you start wondering how long are you going to be there before somebody else tries to make a power grab, come in and take over, and get you off the hill and make themselves the king. So he's worried; it's nighttime.

There was a minister who asked a young boy, "Young man, do you say your prayers at night?" He says, "Yes, sir, I do." The minister said, "Do you say your prayers in the morning?" He said, "No, sir, I don't. I ain't scared during the daytime."

But Nebuchadnezzar, worried during the day, but petrified here at night, he takes his problems to bed. He's in that dream state where the wild things are. You know what it's like when you're trying to fall asleep, and all those things you have put away and put at bay come to haunt you during the night. What should have been a place of rest for the king becomes a place of torment.

Now, who was this Nebuchadnezzar? We've talked about him last week, mentioned a little bit about him, but here's a few more details. Nebuchadnezzar was the oldest son of Nabopolassar. You're thinking, "That doesn't help me out very much." Well, Nabopolassar was the guy who founded the Babylonian Empire, and he passed it on to his son Nebuchadnezzar who was out fighting battles. And he fought a very strategic one that brought captives, including Daniel, to Babylon.

For two years he was the coregent with his dad, Nebuchadnezzar and Nabopolassar, but then dad died. Nebuchadnezzar is now in charge. His dad, Nabopolassar, gave him the name Nebuchadnezzar, which means, interestingly, "O Nabu (Nebo), protect my son." Nabu was one of the chief gods of Babylon. He was called "the god of wisdom." "O Nabu, god of wisdom, protect my son."

What's interesting about that name, in light of this chapter, is Nebuchadnezzar is going to find out that his god doesn't have much wisdom, and he is unable to protect him as he brings in all of these astrologers to help him unlock the meaning of this dream.

Now, Nebuchadnezzar was known in history for his cruelty. He killed a lot of people. In fact, he did it very slowly. He was the guy who would roast people over fires and watch them burn as they were flayed to death. This is the guy who in 2 Kings, chapter 25, in taking Judah captive takes King Zedekiah, kills Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, puts him in chains, and takes him to Babylon so that the last memory he has as a slave is seeing his sons die. Oh, and then Nebuchadnezzar gouged out King Zedekiah's eyes so he would be blind after seeing the death of his sons; he would be blind the rest of his life.

This is the king who built that fiery furnace we're going to get to in chapter 3, and threatened to throw people in if they didn't bow to the image that he produced. Some people look at this and go, "Oh, well, you know, this is what kings do. Kings are so temperamental." Yeah, temperamental, and in Nebuchadnezzar's case it's 90 percent temper, 10 percent mental. He's just a reactionary and he's a violent guy.

So the text says he had dreams and his spirit was troubled. The word troubled means "to press" or "to beat upon." This guy was disturbed. I believe that God has ways of getting people's attention. If he can't get your attention during the day, he might just sneak in at night. And here he speaks to him through a dream. The dream we won't get to until next time.

But did you know that everybody dreams. Every night you have dreams. Well, I've had people say, "Well, no, I don't dream." No, you don't remember your dreams, but according to dream research the average adult dreams five times a night. That once you fall asleep, ninety minutes in, you start your first dream, and they recur about ninety minutes apart with increasing longevity, increasing length.

Now, the recall is another story, but you are dreaming, as you are dealing with things during the day. So what is going on in your brain is the large brain cells in the brain stem are spontaneously firing, sending their stimuli to the brain's cortex, and your brain is trying to figure out what it all is, and sees those images. In this case, God is directing that cortical stimulation, and speaking to him through it.

Now, if you read the Bible you know that this is not uncommon, that the Lord in certain cases used dreams to speak a message or to direct people's lives. As in the case of Jacob when he runs away from home and he sees in a dream a ladder that goes up to heaven, the angels of God descending and ascending on it. Or Pharaoh who sees a dream in ancient Egypt, and Joseph who sees dreams and is able to interpret dreams. Or Solomon who saw a dream of God, and God said to him, "Ask, whatever it is, I'll give it to you." That would be a nice dream to have, wouldn't it? Especially if it actually, actually turned out to be true.

And then one of the most famous dreams is that of Joseph and Mary as they in a dream at night an angel appeared to them, and spoke to them, and said to Joseph, "Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For this Holy One that is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." So God speaks through dreams. And here he's getting the king's attention. The king can't sleep well. Now this is a setup.

Now the camera turns from scene 1, the king's bedroom, into the king's courtroom. This is now the advisors being called in, verse 4, "Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, 'O King, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give you the interpretation.' The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, 'My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made an ash heap.' "Do you think he meant it? Yeah, I do. Great, great boss to have, you know. If you fail at the job you'll be dismembered and we'll burn your house down.

"'However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.' They answered again and said, 'Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.' The king answered and said, 'I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, there's only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.'

"The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, 'There's not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It's a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.' "Interesting insight into their theology." For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave a command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them." So the king can't sleep well, and now the Chaldeans can't see well.

You need to understand that ancient prophets or prognosticators—people who could tell the future were called seers, because they could see into the future, and then seeing into the future they would tell you what those details are. But obviously, in this case, the Chaldeans can't see very well.

Now, there's a list of people that are mentioned. First of all, Chaldeans. Chaldeans was an ethnic designation for people who lived in Babylon or who were of Babylonian origin. Nebuchadnezzar was Chaldean. But here as it's in the mix with the other people with their job descriptions, the Chaldeans here seems to refer to those who were in charge of this royal court.

Also on the list, magicians are mentioned. Magicians are sacred scholars. Astrologers are mentioned next. Astrologers were a class of priests called magoi, or as in the New Testament, the Magi. And then we have the sorcerers that are also mentioned on this list. Now sorcerers were people who used herbs, and charms, and potions to foretell the future.

So you have the cream of the occult crop standing before Nebuchadnezzar and they got nothing. This sounds like a New Age bookstore as you look at the, the people who were right in front of him, but they can't tell him the future. They even have to admit failure: "There's not a man on earth who can do what the king commands."

Many years ago, before I gave my life to Christ, I used to dabble in the occult, more in spirit writing and astral projection, the paranormal. And I did so because of the sense of empowerment that I got from those activities. It really was a powerful thing. Certain things happened, whether it was auto hypnotic or, or whatever, I felt empowered, and that was one of the big draws for me getting into it.

But though it's always been fascinating, these kinds of things to people, a recent Harris Poll™ tells us that though the majority of Americans say they believe in the basic concepts of the Bible, there's a growing interest in other spiritual ideologies. For example, 51 percent say they believe in ghosts, 31 percent believe in astrology, 27 percent believe in reincarnation. In fact, believe that they are reincarnated from some other previous life-form.

In the United States that means that twelve, accuse me, 125 million people believe in astrology, and that 70 percent of those read their horoscopes every single day for direction. In fact, 7 percent have said they have altered their decisions, made different choices that they were going to do based upon an astrological reading they read. You go, "Well, 7 percent, what's that?" Twelve million people. Twelve million people so buying into it that they'll change their decisions based upon what the stars are supposedly saying.

What's most alarming is what a recent Gallup poll has said: that at least 10 percent of evangelical Christians also believe in astrology to some degree. I can tell you this just by looking at those stats: there's a spiritual hunger in our country. We've been looking for the American dream, and for a lot of people the American dream has failed, and people are saying, "Now what? All that we wanted and looked to has failed. Now what?"

There's a deep spiritual hunger within every person, and as in this court, there's failure. The Chaldeans have failed. Okay, this little incident of the failure of the Chaldeans, who can't see into the future very well, serves a few different purposes. It does a number of things.

First of all, it rattles the faith of the king. The king has believed in his pantheon of deities, and his worldview of the Chaldeans, and the magicians, and the astrologers, up to this point. I think that his faith in all of that is being rattled, because they can't do anything for him. And it gets him thinking about the future, because as we'll see next time we're together, next week; the dream is about future world kingdoms. And Nebuchadnezzar now starts thinking about the future of his kingdom, and the future of the world after his kingdom, which a good thing.

Because a lot of people don't think much about the future, they only think about the present. In fact, for most people it's all about immediate gratification: "What's in it for me right now?" Now, there's an old scorn that is often directed to Christians saying, "Oh, you're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good." Well, it's also possible to be so earthly minded, you're really not much good either for heavenly or earthly purposes. You need to be thinking about what happens after you die. You need to be thinking about the future, because the future comes whether you like it or not.

Jesus in the New Testament told of a very wealthy man who had a lot of goods, and he stored them up, and he didn't know what to do with it all. And one night he died. And the Lord said to him, "You fool! This night your soul shall be required of you." Yeah, it's foolish to only think about the now, and not think about the future. Nebuchadnezzar is now—his attention has been gotten by the Lord. His faith is being rattled, and that's a good thing.

Many years ago in Texas there was preacher by the name of George Truett. Now, George Truett is known in Baptist circles; he was the pastor of First Baptist in Dallas up until the 1940s. And he knew many wealthy oil men when the oil business was just really kicking off down in Texas. He was invited over for dinner one night into this wealthy oil baron's home. And he went up on the upper level of the house which was a big balcony overlooking fields that he owned.

And the oil tycoon, taking him outside, said to Pastor Truett, "I came to this country without a penny. Now, everything you see in that direction, that direction, that direction, and that direction, I own. I own everything you see in all of these directions." George Truett put his hand on the man's shoulder and says [pointing upward], "How much do you own in that direction? You've only thought of the temporary. You've been very successful, but you haven't planned very well. Have you thought about your future?"

So this whole incident of failure for the Chaldeans rattles the faith of the king. Second thing it serves to do is it reveals the fraud of the Chaldeans. They can't really produce here. Dreams and omens were supposed to be their forte; they can't deliver the goods. So they're saying, "Oh, look, King, tell us what the dream is and then we'll make something up." That's really what they meant. "We, we can figure this out."

Nebuchadnezzar goes, "No. I want you to actually tell me what I dreamt, because then I know that you'll be able to tell me the interpretation. If you're in touch with the gods, cough it up." They couldn't produce anything. The best they could do is some, like, generic fortune cookie thing: "It will rain somewhere today. You will attain wisdom." Just generic slop.

I remember back to the days when I was experimenting with occult practices, a thought that occurred to me as I was getting involved in some of these practices, I thought, "I know I'm dabbling in in things I shouldn't be dealing with, but there's power here." And then I thought, "If there's this much power on the wrong side, what kind of power is there on the right side?" If I could get in touch with that, with him, with truth—that could be life changing.

So, it rattles the faith of the king; it reveals the fraud of the Chaldeans; and even more than that, it rallies the fervor of these captives, Daniel and his buddies. This is a setup so Daniel can show them up, to show them: No, there's not many gods. No, it's not, like, pick your beliefs, because we all get to the same place, because all roads lead to God. He's going to show them: There's only one God and that God—the God—has revealed these things to me, and, King, I'm here to reveal them to you.

So the king can't sleep well, the Chaldeans can't see well, and now the camera shifts to the prayer room of Daniel and his buddies. Here the theme is: the captives can't sit well. They're not, they're not the kind to just sit back and watch this happen. No, they get involved, they insert themselves.

Verse 14, Daniel 2, "Then" watch this, "with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, 'Why is the decree from the king so urgent?'

"Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven." A dream happens when you're asleep; a vision happens when you're awake. Daniel had been praying, or was at this moment praying, and it was revealed in a night vision.

"So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. And he changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and raises up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers; you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's demand.' "

What's immediately striking, first of all, is that Daniel doesn't panic. Okay, a decree has been signed to take the life of everyone who fits the job description that Daniel and his buddies are in. Because, remember, he had been trained for three years with all that wisdom of Babylon. So there's a death threat out: "Hi, I'm Arioch. I've come to kill you." Daniel doesn't panic, but he answers with wisdom and poise, and says, "Okay, now tell me again. What's the big deal here?" Most people in hearing this would try to figure out a way to run and get out the back door.

You may have heard the story about the pilot who was in the air in mid-flight, and three of his four engines conked out. And suddenly the cockpit door opens, and there stands the pilot with a parachute, saying to everybody on board, "Don't worry, I'm going for help." In other words, "I'm bailing out. See you later."

You would think when your neck is on the line that you would be tempted to do that, but, but not so. Daniel answers with wisdom and with poise, takes a different tact. Proverbs 15 says, "A soft answer turns way wrath." Now, just push the pause button. What a contrast between the king and the captives. Here's the king, a sleepless, concerned king; here's a serene, calm captive, trusting in the Lord—what a contrast.

There's a great old poem that was written probably a hundred years ago, and I've always loved it. It goes like this: "Said the robin to the sparrow, 'I should really like to know, why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.' Said the sparrow to the robin, 'Friend, I think that it must be, they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.' "

Boy, life makes a big difference when you know the One who gave you life, when you walk with the Creator. You can step into a situation like this and step up—as Daniel does here, steps up—and make a difference. Now, how do these four individuals, Daniel and his three buddies, how do they step up? Well, first of all, they step up by putting their faith on the line.

Verse 16 says, "Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation." So this is how it works: Arioch comes and says, "Okay, you're a dead man. I'm going to kill you and everybody else." Daniel says, "Ho, ho, ho, wait, wait, wait. Let me have a private audience with the king that I might tell him what his dream is and the interpretation."

Now, knowing the temperament of this king, that could mean Daniel's neck. He could die because of it. But you know what? That's the whole point. If Daniel does nothing, he'll what? He'll die anyway. So what does he have to lose? "I'm going to die if I say nothing, and if I fail I'm going to die; either way I'm going to die. But the Lord may give me, may give me, the dream and the interpretation. I'm going to go for it. I'm going to step up and talk to this guy." And so he goes in and he promises the king to do what no man has been able to do in his court up to this point, and that is tell him the dream and the interpretation. If he's wrong he'll die, if he does nothing, he'll die either way.

Reminds me of a great story in your Bibles, 2 Kings, chapter 7, it says there's a famine in the whole area of Samaria, the Samaria area. And that was not only a county, but it was a city, the city of Samaria. There's a famine, people were starving to death, and there's a story of four lepers who were at the gate of Samaria.

And these four lepers are just kind of looking at each other one day, and one of them says, "Why do we sit here until we die? If we go into the city we'll die. If we stay here we'll die. But if we surrender to the Syrians, they may kill us, we may die, but they may not. We could live. If we do nothing we'll die. So let's risk our lives, because it could be that we won't die." And that's exactly what happened, they were spared, but they took that dare, they took that risk.

So here's Daniel, he activated his faith in God, because he had already abandoned his life to God. What does he have to lose? He's in God's everlasting arms. Here's God, saying, "Daniel, step up, step out, jump." He goes, "Done! I've abandoned my life to God; I will now activate my faith in God." See, its one thing to say, "God can do it," it's another thing to say, "God will do it, and if he doesn't do it I'm dead." Boy, that's quite a step.

You know that that actually happened not only here, but in more recent history, back in the 1800s, there was a missionary to the islands of Fiji named James Calvert. He was from Britain. And he got on a vessel, a ship, with his family, and he was taken to the Fiji Islands which at that time were filled with cannibals. And as they came to the shores, the captain warned James Calvert, "Don't go aboard. Don't do this. Spare the lives of your family, and those with you, and yourself. These are savages. You're going to die," said the captain.

James Calvert in exhibiting his commitment to Christ said, "You don't understand, we died before we got here. We've died. We died before we came here. We've already surrendered our life to the point of death to our Lord. What do we have to lose?"

One person said it this way, "Faith is putting all of your eggs in God's basket, and then counting your blessings before they hatch." That's what I see Daniel doing. He steps up, puts his faith on the line: "Go tell the king I'll tell him the dream and the interpretation."

Second way he steps up is they stepped up by putting their faith in the Lord. Yeah, they, they put their faith on the line, they made the commitment before man, but now they place their faith in the Lord in this prayer meeting. In verse 17, "Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions."

I'm sure it was a very lively discussion: "You said what to the king?" "Yeah, I told him that we're going to come up with the dream and the interpretation. Let's pray now!" I'm sure they wanted all of the details because their necks are on the line as well. So they had one incredible prayer meeting. What a great picture: four young men around twenty years of age praying in pagan Babylon.

And what I love is that prayer is their first resort, not their last resort. It's not like, "Oh, quick, let's find some of the Magi, maybe they have some books on dreams and stuff." Their first resort was prayer. So often that's our last resort. We say things like, "Well, I've tried everything else, and there's nothing left to do except pray." Wow, that's quite a statement. You should start there: "That's my first resort. Let's take this before the Lord and see what he's going to say. Let's spend some time together, let's step up our prayer lives and talk to the Lord about this."

Now, your prayer life is directly proportional to three things. Number one, your perception of prayer; number two, your perception of God; and number three, your perception of problem. Let me explain: Your prayer life is directly proportional to those three things. Number one, your perception of prayer. A lot of people see prayer as gibberish. You're just talking out loud, that's all you're doing. You're just talking into the air. You're, you're really just talking your confusion out loud to yourself. That's all prayer is to a lot of people. It's not real; it's just people talking into the air.

Or, "Yeah, prayer, that's, that's the stuff you say when you're a kid. You memorize, 'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep . . .' or 'Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, amen.' You memorize that stuff and you say them at certain times. So, yeah, prayer, it's for preachers and for kids."

That's not what the Bible says. James says, "The fervent," that means red hot, "The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much," or gets the job done. So your prayer life is directly proportional to your view, your perception of prayer, what it is.

Second, it's directly proportional to your perception of God. A lot of people are reticent to pray. There, they hesitate because they think, "Well, is God in a good mood or a bad mood? Does God really love me like some people say? Or maybe he just sort of tolerates me, and I've ticked him off lately, so he's not going to answer this prayer." You know we approach God sort of like we used to approach our dad: "Is he in a good mood or a bad mood tonight? Did he win at the golf game, or did he lose? Was it a good day at the office, or a bad day at the office?" So their perception of who God is will alter how they approach that God.

What I want you to notice is that they, Daniel and his buddies, prayed according to what they knew God to be. Their perception of God is given to us in the text. For example, in verse 21 they recognize God is in total control, absolute control, for they say he's the one that changes times and seasons, removes kings and sets up kings. That's their perception of God; he's in total control.

Also it reveals that they believe, their perception is, that God is interested in guiding people, for in verse 21, the second half: "God gives wisdom to the wise and understanding to those who have knowledge." And then at the end of their little praise session, "Thank you, Lord, that you've given me wisdom. You've answered our prayer." So God's in total control, God's interested in guiding.

The third thing they know about God: he's in tune with everything; verse 22, "He reveals the deep and secret things; he knows what is in the dark, and light is with him." Your perception of prayer, your perception of God, and third, your perception of the problem, will determine what you pray, if you pray, and how often you pray; your perception of the problem. Have you noticed that when you have a problem, when you have a trial, when your life is hurting, when things are bad, that you pray differently? You pray fervently. "The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much." People pray more and more intensely, when life is harder than when life is easier. No wonder, then, God allows a sufficient number of heartaches and trials to come our way, because he knows we need him—we don't, until life gets really hard.

So I dare you. I dare you to step up, I dare you to put your faith on the line, and I dare you to place your faith in the Lord. I dare you to step up and to talk to men about God, and to talk to God about men. That's the dare.

Talk to men about God, that's evangelism; talk to God about men that's intercession—that's, that's the challenge here, step up to that. You can say, "Yeah, but I'm so afraid of people. I don't know what they're going to think about me, and I just don't like to engage in these kinds of conversations; they make me feel uncomfortable."

That's why you begin with getting alone with God. Because here's the secret, never forget this: if you can bow before God, you can stand before men. Make sure that you're bowing before him that you're on your knees before him. And from the strength you derive from that, like Daniel and his buddies, you step up to that diving board of crisis, and you step out. "Here goes God. Might get fired because of it; might lose this relationship because of it. Bad things might happen. But I've knelt before you, now I'm going to stand before people."

Let me tell you about a creative way that a high school class decided to do something like this. There were ninety-three in this graduating class. And before the graduation ceremony the principal, vice principals, and heads of the school got the class together and prepped them on the protocol for the graduation ceremony. There had been a recent court ruling, and the principal, vice principal, wanted them to know what that ruling was: "Absolutely no blessings can be said. Absolutely no prayers can be said. This is a public school setting; this class can't have any prayers. Do you understand?" "Yes, we understand."

So the ceremony goes on, speech after speech, predictable speech, you know: "Have a good life. Work hard. Tie your shoes. Brush your teeth," all the stuff you hear at high school graduations. But the last speech was the most impressive, the shortest, the most impressive, and one that that brought the standing ovation.

This student goes up to the microphone, stands there after a strategic pause, gives his speech, which was one loud, amazing sneeze. And when he sneezed, the ninety-two other students stood to their feet and shouted out in unison, "God bless you!" And all the parents and all people in the audience gave a standing ovation that these students found a way to invoke God's blessing on their future, (with or without a court's approval) "God bless you," in this graduation.

Ask God for creative ways to talk to men about God, and then go to your knees and talk to God about men. Insert yourself into these situations believing that the Lord will use you as a change agent to make your world different. Be bold.

We have chalkboards at all of the campuses where people will write in "I DARE TO _____." Not, "I DARE YOU," but "I DARE TO"—that's this week or this series—"to do this." And one person wrote, as I walked by, on one of the chalkboards in big, bold printing, "I DARE TO BE BOLD!" And it was big printing, boldface, exclamation point, and I thought, "I love it, and I bet God does too." Let's pray.

Father, how thankful we are for the example of a man isolated from his home country with only three others around him in a very powerful pagan environment, one that did not sympathize with his belief system. One, in fact, that tried to completely change that belief system. But we find a young man who as a teenager purposed in his heart not to defile himself.

He dared to be distinct, and now we discover he dared to step up—to step up by putting his faith on the line, to step up by placing his faith in the Lord, to talk to men about God, and to talk to God about men—what a winning combination that is. I pray, Father, that our perception of prayer would be a biblical perception, that you've given it to us as a tool, a means, to change our world.

But not to stop with just praying about situations, but to then go in with divine appointments, and open our mouths, and speak your truth, and see the world around us changed. It might not be immediate, or it might be, but I pray, Lord that you'd give us those platforms as we are dared to step up in our witness before men and women and our prayer life about men and women.

If you've gathered here today and you don't know the Lord personally, the Lord would want you to step up and receive him, to take a step of faith, a step of receiving him, of turning from the past, from the old, and turning to him, and letting him renew you, save you—if you don't know the Lord personally, but you want to.

If you need to make a recommitment because you haven't really been walking with the Lord, certainly you haven't been stepping it up. But you just have sort of a meandering in your Christian walk to even put it generously, and the Lord has been speaking to you as of late, and maybe more today about a surrender, an abandonment, one that is calculated based upon the truths of who God is. It's not a blind leap; it's a jump with your eyes wide open into the everlasting arms.

If you desire to do that, right where you are, right where you're seated, at any of the campuses, right now you can say in your heart, you can say it out loud if you'd like, but you can pray this: Lord, I know that I'm a sinner, and I ask you to forgive me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross, that he shed his blood for my sin, and that he rose from the dead and conquered death. I turn from my sin, I leave my past behind, and I turn to you as my Savior. I want to live for you as my Lord and my Master. Help me, Lord, also to step it up in putting my faith in you, and then, if need be, this week putting my faith on the line, in Jesus' name I pray, amen.

For more teachings from Calvary Albuquerque and Skip Heitzig, visit calvaryabq.org.

Additional Messages in this Series

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1/6/2013
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I Dare You: Be Distinct!
Daniel 1
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Men and women of character will rise to meet a challenge. Our challenge over the next few months will be modeled in the life of Daniel, a man of God who stood out above the rest, honored God, and influenced his world. Each week, our service will be formed around a new challenge—a dare—to rise up, be counted, be different, and above all, be pleasing to God.
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1/20/2013
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I Dare You: Speak Out!
Daniel 2:24-49
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Words can become jumbled when we feel intimidated by the one we’re speaking to, especially if the one we’re speaking to intends to kill us! That’s why this story is so inspiring: Daniel speaks out clearly, boldly, accurately, and yet humbly to Babylon’s monarch and thereby gives us a model of speaking God’s truth to our world.
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1/27/2013
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I Dare You: Stand Up!
Daniel 3
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Fitting in, blending in, and conforming to the values of the world around you is what is expected. If you dare go against the flow of popular worldly ideologies, you will be a marked person, regarded as a fanatic and relegated to the category of "dangerous individuals." Three of Daniel's friends decided it was better to stand up for God than to bow down to the wishes of the crowd. Their conviction of heart was to refuse to be "conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2).
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2/3/2013
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I Dare You: Submit!
Daniel 4:1-18
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Before us is a remarkable section of Scripture with a remarkable story about a king who makes a remarkable statement. It is the personal journal of an earthly political monarch who recognizes God’s authoritative rule in the human realm. As amazing as the story is, it carries with it implications for us to submit to God by submitting to man’s government.
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2/10/2013
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I Dare You: Be Humble!
Daniel 4:19-37
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A pundit once quipped, "Humility is like underwear—essential, but indecent if it shows!" The opposite of humility is pride, and Daniel 4 reveals it in spades. Nebuchadnezzar will learn (and then tell) about the greatest lesson God showed him in his long career—that He is able to humble those who walk in pride. So why not learn it the easy way? Listen carefully and apply these truths diligently. I dare you!
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2/17/2013
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I Dare You: Wake Up!
Daniel 5
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As a teacher was lecturing his class, he noticed a student sleeping in the back row, so he said to the sleeping student’s neighbor, "Hey, wake that guy up!" The neighbor answered back, "You put him to sleep, you wake him up!" Falling asleep on the job may be harmless in some situations, but not as the ruler of a nation, and certainly not when God’s judgment is impending. This week’s dare is directed to anyone who is not heeding divine warning signals and needs to wake up.
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2/24/2013
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I Dare You: Be Faithful!
Daniel 6:1-15
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Daniel was consistently faithful, both publicly and privately. His diligence and attitude set him apart from his peers and his reputation withstood harsh scrutiny. When his life was on the line, Daniel refused to compromise—he dared to be faithful!
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3/3/2013
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I Dare You: Be Steadfast!
Daniel 6:10-28
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Calvin Miller once wrote, “Security is never the friend of faith. It is peril that produces steadfastness.” Daniel knew this to be true and was willing to sacrifice the security of life and limb because his heart was steadfast and immovable toward his God. Even though he had been faithful to king and country, this aged prophet faced the trial of a lifetime.
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3/10/2013
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I Dare You: Defend!
Daniel 7:1-8
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Daniel did fine when he was thrown into the lions’ den, but how does he fare when thrust into the critics’ den? Daniel is an amazing book of prophecy as well as history, yet it has not escaped the bright white light of antagonistic critics through the ages. Today I dare you to move beyond a shallow faith that depends on personal feelings and subjective experiences and learn to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).
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3/24/2013
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I Dare You: Decide! - Part 1
Daniel 7:8-28
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The world as we know it won’t last forever. Time will not march on without interruption. Daniel saw a vision of four future kingdoms which can be documented historically. But one final worldwide antagonistic thrust against God is coming. It will be waged by a ruler typically referred to as the Antichrist (but actually there are many more names for him). A fourfold description of this coming dictator’s reign is highlighted before us. Even more basic is the choice we must all make about which kingdom we will be part of.
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4/14/2013
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I Dare You: Decide! - Part 2
Daniel 7
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The time is coming when the world will have to decide between a false messiah and the true Christ. Sadly, some already have. Today, we'll consider the world's fastest growing religion and how it might possibly interact with the Bible's predictions of the end times.
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4/21/2013
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I Dare You: Look Ahead!
Daniel 7:9-14;7:26-27
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Economists, meteorologists, visionaries, and psychics all share one thing in common: They all try to predict the future to announce what's coming. God's prophets never had to; God revealed it to them and they simply wrote it down or spoke it out. The central highlight of Daniel's vision in chapter 7 isn't the coming kingdoms of earthly men nor of the coming Antichrist but rather the coming of Jesus Christ. Let's look ahead and see what's coming.
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4/28/2013
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I Dare You: Be Great!
Daniel 8:1-8;8:20-22
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The New York Life Review posted this: "Great men have but a few hours to be 'great.' Like the rest of us, they must dress, bathe, and eat. And, being human, they must make visits to the dentist, doctor, and barber and have conferences with their wives about domestic matters. What makes men great is their ability to decide what is important, and then focus their attention on that." (I think that goes for great women too!) Let's compare three men who some consider to be great, and then see how we measure up.
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5/19/2013
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I Dare You: Be Shocked!
Daniel 8:8-27
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When was the last time you heard someone respond to an incident or piece of information by saying, “That’s shocking!”? Shock (emotional disgust, offense, and aversion) has been diminished due to a widespread exposure to facts and images. Things get too easily relegated to a file in our brains marked, “I’ve already heard this before.” It’s a sad day (and dangerous) when we become spiritually desensitized to God’s truth and the world’s pain.
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5/26/2013
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I Dare You: Pray!
Daniel 9:1-5
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I have never met a person who's regretted praying too much. I've met plenty who've regretted praying too little. Prayer is the one activity that everybody knows they need, but few actually do. It's preached often, but practiced seldom. Forgive me if I'm dispensing guilt—that's not my intention. I'd rather take a peek into the busy life of an ancient executive (Daniel), and see the role prayer played for him and, in so doing, get fired up about this most powerful of activities!
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6/2/2013
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I Dare You: Pray! - Part 2
Daniel 9:4-19
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Just as a square has four sides and is incomplete without all four sides, so too does effective prayer. Daniel leaves us with a great example (and a simple one at that). Though we can pray anywhere and anytime, these four elements form a great baseline for us to emulate. When you talk to God, make certain the signal is clear, your heart is pure, and your confidence is sure.
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6/9/2013
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I Dare You: Understand!
Daniel 9:20-27
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God wants us to understand! He wants us to understand the truth about life. He wants us to understand the way of salvation. He wants us to understand His plans for the future. Today we come to the scriptural key that unlocks the door to the prophetic future of God’s plan. If you have never known it before, choose to understand it now. I dare you!
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6/30/2013
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I Dare You: Fight!
Daniel 10
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Fighting is never fun, but it's sometimes necessary. Certainly that's the case with the Christian life: It's not a playground but a battleground. Spiritual warfare (the cosmic battle between forces of good and evil) is a reality that none can escape but few really understand. For Daniel, the curtain is pulled back and he is allowed to see past the natural world into the supernatural world. Let's get a firsthand briefing on a heavenly battle that has earthly repercussions.
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7/7/2013
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I Dare You: Remember!
Daniel 11:1-35
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Daniel 11 is packed with prophecies about the history of Israel and the world. In just the first 35 verses of the chapter, we find that 135 of those prophecies have already been fulfilled. As we look at the historical details Daniel received in his visions, God's sovereignty comes to the forefront and prompts us to remember that He will carry out the prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
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7/14/2013
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I Dare You: Rest!
Daniel 11:36-45
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It's hard to be at rest when everything around you is chaos and conflict. But today that is our dare. Peace isn't the absence of a storm but being at rest in the midst of the storm. Daniel is informed about a stormy future in store for his own people and for the whole world. As we look ahead to consider a leader who will come during the most tumultuous time in human history, I dare you to rest in four distinct ways:
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8/4/2013
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I Dare You: Hope!
Daniel 12:1-3
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There is nothing needed more in the world today than hope. Every generation faces the tendency toward despair and hopelessness. Daniel especially did since he was learning of his own people's future suffering that would last for multiplied generations. But at last, God gives him a precious ray of hope: The worst of times will usher in the best of times. Four words describe that future time and become four rungs on the ladder of hope.
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8/11/2013
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I Dare You: Respond!
Daniel 12:4-13
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The Christian life is essentially a response to God: God is the Master and we are His servants; He's the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep; He is the Head and we are members of His body. Even our love for God is a response: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). In this final section of the book of Daniel, let's consider three things that God does and what our response should be in each case.
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8/18/2013
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I Dare You: Be Balanced!
Daniel 1-12
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One dictionary defines balance this way: "A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions." That's a fitting word to describe the whole of Daniel's life. In today's final study of the book of Daniel, we consider the man himself and how his life was so outwardly powerful and yet so inwardly stable. Daniel was supremely balanced in at least four areas.
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There are 23 additional messages in this series.
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