Text: Daniel 3:1-30 

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits:  he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.   2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.   3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up;  and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.   4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:  6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.   7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.   9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.   10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:  11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego;  these men, O king, have not regarded thee:  they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.   14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?  15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made;  well:  but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace;  and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?  16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.   17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.   18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:  therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.   20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.   21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.   22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.   23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.   24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?  They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.   25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;  and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.   26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.   Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.   27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.  28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.   29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill:  because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.   30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.  

Wednesday, 31^st January 2024 Midnight Encounter

GOD’s SHELTER FOR THE REDEEMED

Text: Daniel 3:1-30 

Memory verse: Daniel 3: 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

When you are caught up by the evil altars and you begin to experience all the manifestations of their projections; you have become their victim. There is a way of escape. The only way out is to take cover in the blood offered on the Altar of God, the superior Altar. It is a shelter for the Redeemed of the LORD. Once you can pray your way out of their hook and destroy the evil altars you need a place of cover so that they don’t regroup against you.

I was driving to work on one Monday morning when my car suddenly develops a fault along Sanusi Fafunwa street close to my office in Victoria Island. The fault was caused by the heavy down pour from Sunday night to Monday morning that flooded the entire Victoria Island. In that flood I had to come out of the car, try to push the car out of the road and walk through the flood and rain to my office. It was a terrible experience. The wind, lightning, and rain were high.  I was wet, cold, and discouraged as I struggled to walk through it to the office. I finally got to the office wet and soaked with water, my suit and shoes were heavy on me. For those already in the office without any challenge in getting into the office with their healthier cars, their story was different. They were dry, neat, warm, and peaceful. Everyone busy doing their job appearing not to notice the rain and flood that had defeated me.

You may be going through a lot in your life and faith because someone somewhere is manipulating your life in an evil altar. I will advice you run to take shelter in Christ. God has made provisions for our escape from the traps of the enemies. If you’re like most people in the world right now, you’re going through a time that tests your faith and tempts you to give up for fear of the unknown. Hard times are not unique to our present times, but we must not think that every tough time you experience is normal, no not at all. Majority of them are manipulations from an evil altar. You need to run for safety, and that safety is in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 42:5 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” Maybe depression, downcast, being afraid, and disturbance of soul are the result of not putting our hope in God, of not praising Him, and not living with the pressing reality that He is our Saviour that He is our God; therefore, we are His redeemed. we are His people.

Maybe being in Christ is like being in that house.  As we live lives increasingly rooted in Him and not ourselves, slowly the warmth and protection of His wings cause the worries of this life to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.  This means Jesus was probably tempted to fear life’s storms too! Yet, He didn’t. He claimed the shelter of His Father’s arms and trusted God’s plan for His life that is what silenced the storms. Jesus offers the reality of the life He lived to each of His followers. He offers His life to us!  We can live in that same peace, power, and quiet confidence in the provision of our good heavenly Father.

Let’s put our hope in God, lavishing our praise on Him and focusing on the reality that He saved us, because He loves us. We are His people, and He is our God.  If we cling to this truth, we can shelter any storm that comes our way.

CGDS Hymn 11; SS & S 811:

FEAR NOT GOD IS THY SHIELD

1. Fear not! God is thy shield,
And He thy great reward;
His might has won the field:
Thy strength is in the Lord!

            Refrain:
            Fear not! ‘tis God’s own voice
            That speaks to thee this word;
            Lift up your head: rejoice
            In Jesus Christ thy Lord.

2. Fear not! for God has heard
The cry of thy distress;
The water of His word
Thy fainting soul shall bless.

3. Fear not! be not dismayed!
He evermore will be
With thee, to give His aid,
And He will strengthen thee.

4. Fear not! ye little flock;
Your Shepherd soon will come,
Give water from the rock,
And bring you to His home!

 Prayers  

Isaiah 31:5 5 As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.I, the LORD All-Powerful, will protect Jerusalem like a mother bird circling over her nest.

1.  Oh God, I run to you for cover, the forces around me are too strong for me. Oh Lord, I come to you, cove me like a mother bird circling over the nest in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2.  Deliver me oh God from the arrows projected against me, my family and destiny from every evil altar in Jesus’s name. Amen.

3.  My blood and the blood of any member of my family will not appease any evil altar in Jesus’ name. Amen.

4.  Protect me and every member of my family from every satanic attack in Jesus’ name. Amen.

5.  Defend me oh Lord from the powers of darkness in Jesus’ name. Amen.

6.  Almighty God, let every evil altar raised by the strongman of my family against me and to stop my moving forward in life and destiny be pulled down by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 37: 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. Daniel 3: 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

7.  My trust and hope are in you Lord, deliver me Oh Lord from the hands of the wicked in Jesus’s name. Amen.

8.  I cannot help myself, help me Lord, support me Lord, defend me Lord, preserve me Lord in Jesus’ name. Amen.

9.  Every conspiracy against me, Oh LORD frustrate them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

10.  Direct my feet out of danger for the remaining part of this year and beyond in Jesus’ name. Amen.

11.  Every evil counsel orchestrated from an evil alter be turned to counsel of foolishness in Jesus’ name. Amen.

12.  Deliver me from depression in Jesus’ name. Amen.

13.  Oh God, protect my source in Jesus’ name. Amen.

14.  My Lord and my Saviour, you paid the price for me, protect me, and save me from every evil altar, and I will serve you forever in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Declarations

Receive shelter against every storm of life, against every evil projection from any altar against your comfort in life in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Every evil counsel projected against you shall fall in the name. of Jesus’ Christ. Amen. Depression and high blood pressure are not for you in Jesus’ name. Amen. The Lord delivers you from every power of darkness in the name of Jesus Christ. Your blood and that of any member of your family cannot be shared on any altar, any man or woman representing you with an image on any altar for sacrifice receive fire in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Every strong man standing against your progress shall fail in Jesus’ name Amen.