Warriors Arise: February 11, 2021
Daniel 5:2-4 (NKJV) ...Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
Daniel 5:23 (NKJV) And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
I don't know that we ever think about praising things. We honor people who have been committed to making significant accomplishments. We respect those who have put in the time to develop their talents. In the moment of victory there is time of adoration and gifts to be given. We want to acknowledge all that has been done through sacrifice, determination, and teamwork for the achievement. But when the event is over where is your praise? This is quite the topic. I am having a difficult time writing this. Because there is such a fine line between who and what we praise. When you look at that trophy or medal or corner office with a window are you praising the item or God who gave you the ability to win the medal, the teammates who worked together to achieve the trophy, or the education and recommendations you received?
God gave you the talent and you had to agree to develop.
God gave you a coach and teammates with a focused desire.
God led you to where you got your education.
God gave you opportunities to prove your character and ability and the recommendations came.
Therefore, by applying yourself to develop your talents, repent for your coach, honoring teammates, working diligently for your grades, and giving a solid work ethic, the trophy, medal and corner office with a window was achieved with one more factor. God! Therefore, we praise God for setting us up to achieve. There is no god of the trophy, god of the medal, god of the corner office with a window. There is only God. God gives you talents and you develop them. God gives you coaches and teammates and you honor them and work together for a common goal. God gives you the opportunity to be educated and work so you are positioned to get the corner office. We achieve these things because of the opportunities God puts into our lives. We do not praise the things. They didn't do anything for us. There is no god attached to them. They are a trophy we give to God in gratitude of our talent. They are all medals in a box we give in praise to God.
Belshazzar in his arrogance praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone instead of the God who made them. There are no legitimate gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. Yes, we can treat things as gods, through our praise.
God created every natural substance in our world. The people of God had made these articles to honor God and adorn His temple. The act of worship was the people giving their gold to be crafted for God's temple, crafting the articles to be used in worship and to adorn the Lord's temple.
How is this different want what Belshazzar did? The Israelites did not worship the items, they gave the items as an act of worship to God.
Belshazzar praised things not God. They are not concerned for your well being; they do not have ears to hear you; they do not have eyes to see what you need; and they do not know what is best for you. They are a substance not a god, to be worshiped, praised or made into an idol.
Exodus 20:3-5 (NKJV) ...“You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.
Are there things you have been given that you praise without blessing God who gave them to you? Are there things you have accomplished that you soak up the adoration instead of honoring God who positioned you with the people you needed to achieve the accomplishment? It is not that God doesn't want us to celebrate what has been accomplished, but don't think that it is all about you. Understand God likes to celebrate. Throughout Scripture we see God celebrating and wanting to celebrate (i.e. "My son has returned, go get the fattened calf"). However, God is to be celebrated for everything we accomplish. This is where we see God positioning us for the success we achieved. God desires for His people to celebrate with Him when we achieve. Thanks is not enough. Do you praise God when you achieve?
Father, I ask for You to open my eyes. I have major successes in my life. I am not sure that I have given You praise. As I go around my house and think of all that You have done in my life. I release praise from my innermost being to worship You. I could not have done these things without Your involvement in my life. You have given me talents that I continue to use to achieve. You give me mentors and friends who encourage me to stay focused and put forth my very best. You gave me parents who bring wisdom and courage to accomplish the tasks You have placed in my life. You have positioned me for success. You are worthy of my praise. You are worthy of my adoration and honor. I position myself before You knowing You have done these things and so many more. Forgive me for not giving You the glory when things work in my favor. I ask for You to continue throughout my day to remind me of the things I have achieved because of all You have done in my life. I bless the name of the Lord God who was and is and is to come in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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