some notes from the sermon

Are you in a storm?

(short story I heard that related to the msg as paraphrased by me) I really love to drink coffee. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry though, I will pour the coffee and sugar and head out (not always making sure the lid is on tight). When I hit the first bump, I am reminded quite quickly of the importance to have the lid on tight. Coffee spills everywhere and I am left with a mess. There is no question as to how full my cup was.

Here in Luke 8, we are examining the disciples in a storm and we find that their attitudes during a storm directly reflect how much faith is in their cup. So it is with us also that when a storm, trial, or tribulation hit us, our reactions to that storm will display the level of faith in our cup. Are we filled to the brim? If so, will not faith overflow and be seen for all by our actions? Also a key to think about here is what we look to during our storms. Do we look to Jesus, knowing that He has power over the storm? Or do we forget the Master we serve and become filled with fear, doubt, and hopelessness?

Luke 8:22-25 NKJV

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

Luke 8:26-27 NKJV

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The contrast of what Satan’s aim is vs. why Jesus came. This demon possessed man can still be seen today in the culture of society. We see him nude and self mutilated from his state of possession by demons. We look in the world and see nudity/porn/self mutilation among teens and persons of all ages. Satan was using this guy as a messenger of darkness whilest Jesus is the message of light. Notice how much brighter a light seems when shone into a dark place? This isn’t anything new. The battle has been waging since the beginning. Are you in the darkness and of the darkness of this world or are you the taking the light of Jesus to shine into the darkest places the love of God?

Luke 8:28 NKJV

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

So this is a conversation between demons and God. Notice that the demons (as with those indulged in the darkness of this world today) want nothing to do with Jesus; nothing to do with salvation. Instead the demons show their selfish nature in that their first concern is their own well being. They don’t want the torture that they know they not only deserve but that Jesus is capable of delivering.

Luke 8:29 NKJV

For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

So this shows societies thought of how to deal with a demon. They shackle the one affected, and under guard keep him hidden. This is a blatant show of ignorance. Why didn’t the people know what to do with this man? Because only Jesus can heal a person from spiritual warfare and bring out demons. When we attempt something such as this, we must use the power of the name of Jesus Christ for we cannot alone attempt of our own authority to call out that which is under our master’s authority without the word of the Master.

Luke 8:30-31 NKJV

Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

Legion is 6000. So here we have 6000 demons possessing one man.

Abyss is “bottomless pit”. No wonder the demons weren’t for that idea.

Luke 8:32 NKJV

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

Why did Jesus allow that? Have you ever wondered? Think about it for a second. Your goal is to bring a message to a people whose hearts need to be prepared for the message. You aren’t valued by the people yet. You must get their attention. And the message that you have prepared for them is one that will require the loss of every earthly thing you would place as a priority before God. What do you do to both get their attention and begin sharing this message? Well, during this time, the pigs would have been a source of income for the locals. Jesus knows their attention will be quickly gained and their priority quickly laid plain for all to see if He loudly messes with the income of the community. There is something far greater and more important than their current lifestyles. There is an urgent reliance on the Lord that is required of all who would realize their sin and the price to bridge them to the Father.

Luke 8:33 NKJV

Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

The Bible is clear about Satan and demons and that we are not to be ignorant to their powr and how real they are but also not to give them too much credit. The book of revelation says it was just one angel that stopped satan in the end. Michael said, “the Lord rebuke u”. And when we bring God into it, we have victory. Just as Jesus was victorious here and is always victorious over demons and Satan.

Luke 8:34-37 NKJV

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

Youd think theyd be rejoicing when they encountered the power of God working in someone’s life. We see this so often today also in our walks with God. When we take a step forward and make positive change or a sacrifice for the sake of our walk with the Lord, often we find that others (associates, colleagues, friends, and even family sometimes) want nothing to do with us as a result of it.

We also must see that the unbelievers here made the request for Jesus to leave just as so often today they by their actions deny Jesus. Notice that Jesus grants this request to the unbelievers. God can make the world believe in Him and follow after him. But that’s not the goal. The world has free will. They have a choice to make. You have a choice to make. If you request the Lord depart from you, He will. Careful what you request in life. You may get it. But also notice that He doesn’t leave without leaving a missionary. In other words, he didn’t just give up on the people because they didn’t want the Lord yet, He instead left a witness to testify that the Lord may continue working in the hearts of those not yet ready to receive salvation. He does this still today. Look around your life and you will either find a man or woman of God that was strategically placed (often unbeknownst to them) to be a witness to you, or you will find that you have shut out all the witnesses in your life with one excuse or another (often influenced by the demons that redirect your thinking).

Luke 8:38-39 NKJV

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Oddly you may say this man had no training, no college, no degree, no pastoral experience, etc. and so then how was he left to be the missionary for the Lord? So unqualified are the many examples chosen in the Word of God. Think about almost every author in the Bible. Can you say that any of them before their engagement for the Lord were qualified for the duty He completed through them? These are exactly the type of people we all as Christians are when we come to Jesus. We are unqualified. One of my favorite sayings is, “God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” We don’t get hung up on what we can’t do when we come to salvation. We instead can immediately begin sharing with others what God has done in our lives. This testimony is a powerful witness and lives can be changed when we share what God does in us. I once was __________, but now, by the power of God’s saving grace I’m ________. Go tell the world.

Luke 8:40-43 NKJV

So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue and thus was risking everything to come to Jesus Christ. He was desperate for help and this type of desperation is often the type of desperation that brings us to Christ. He had a daughter in need and nothing would stop him from seeking help. Those with children I’m sure understand this desperation. Do u realize how desperately u need Jesus in your life?

We also see a contrast here of these two females. The 12 year old girl in need has likely had a life of great advantage and wealth having every desire met, and the woman who for twelve years bled likely had the opposite. Consider her condition. Bleeding for a Jewish woman meant uncleanliness. This meant that for 12 years of her life, she was outcast by those around her. She could not even be touched for she was considered unclean. Un holy. Her life had for 12 years been devastating. Here, she in desperation seeks the one that she knows can heal her, just as Jairus in desperation seeks the one that he knows can save his daughter.

Luke 8:44 NKJV

came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

Picture this in the crowd that pushed every which way. A man whose daughter is dying fights through the crowd to reach the one that can save her. A woman presses onward until she is able to reach only the border of His garment knowing that this alone was enough to heal her. What faith is shown here! How amazing to have an all powerful merciful God that can heal us when we call.

Luke 8:45 NKJV

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

Jesus isnt worried about the multitude pushing this was and that (throng). He is concerned with the singular person of faith. He already knows this person’s story needs to be told so that Jairus can hear her testimony and receive hope. Can you picture the crowd here? Jairus is going to need this stoy to have his faith boosted as his daughter is fixing to die. We never know when God has this set up that someone needs to hear what we have been saved from; what the Lord has brought us through and thus we need to continuously share. We must live in constant testimony of what the Lord has done for us. I know some that say it’s not their responsibility, but they are wrong. It is all Christians’ responsibility to share their faith. God only knows whose ears are needing to hear.

Luke 8:46-49 NKJV

But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”

Try to picture the situation. Put your self mentally there. All the pushing and shouting and shuving to get close to Jesus (picture it like when you are in line in a crowd of people that seem to think that pushing you harder into the person in front of you is going to move the live forward). Now picture your desperation to get to the front of the crowd because this is the only way to save your daughter. You are anxious, impatient, perhaps angry, but desperately trying to get through the crowd. Just then, your cell phone rings and you get the message that your daughter is dead… you were too late. Don’t even bother anymore. Just come back. How down hearted Jairus must have been until he heard through the crowd how Jesus had just healed a woman simply from her touching His cloak. What faith is needed as Jesus tells Jairus to just have faith? Has this man been prepared for this moment in just a few moments in the crowd?

Luke 8:50-54 NKJV

But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.”

Sometimes we need to just put all the mockers and all of those that ridicule us and all the scoffers outside of our relationship with Jesus and spend some intimate time with our Lord. Here we see a great picture of Jesus' power and also of his gentleness as he held her hand. What a gentle powerful God we serve. Who has power over storms, demons, and death? My God! Who holds my hand or gently embraces me when I am in need? My God! We must reorganize our desperate need for Him today and every day. Remember when you first came to Christ? Remember when you first realized you were a sinner before a holy God and that you needed salvation? Remember that moment? Remember that you called upon the name of the Lord and you were saved upon surrendering your life to Him?

If u haven’t done this yet; if you don’t yet know Jesus; if you are in storms and wanting to become stronger, then cry out and fall to your knees desperately before the risen Lord Jesus Christ and confess today. If this is you, know that God has power over the demons that are gnawing at you. He has power over the impurities in your life. He has power over the storms that toss you about. He can pick you up and set you on the solid foundation that doesn’t move. He can clense you, stop the storm and build you up. If you want help, send me a private message and I will pray with you, speak with you, try to answer your questions today. Be blessed.

some notes taken from a recent sermon

Luke 8 - today’s notes are on “hearing”
So a man goes to the doctor and tells him that his wife is starting to have issues with her hearing and he wants to know what they can do. The doctor says he’d be happy to help the man’s wife but he wants the man to go home and run a test for him. He says, “go home and stand very far away from your wife and in a normal voice ask her a question and then take a few steps forward and ask her again. Continue doing this until she responds and then let me know how close you were when she responded.” The man agrees and decides to perform the test while his wife is cooking. Standing 20 feet behind her the man ask, “what’s for supper hun?”. Hearing no response the man moves several feet closer and repeats, “what’s for supper hun?”. He does this a few more times until he’s just behind her and repeats one more time, “what’s for supper hun?”. At this the wife turns around a bit angry and says, “FOR THE 5TH TIME, BEANS AND STEAK!”
The whole time the husband thought the wife had issues hearing when really he was the one becoming hard of hearing.
The Importance of “Hearing”
Luke 8:1 NKJV
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

This is indeed great news. Don’t miss out on the glad tidings of the kingdom today or any day of your life as we get overwhelmed by the activities in this world. Forget not that you are in the world... not of it. Receive glad tidings and share it with others.

Luke 8:2 NKJV
and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,

Notice the emphasis on this healing being in the past. How many people wrote her off? Jesus didnt. He healed her and she imediately considered the old her to be past. Never write someone off... Jesus can heal.

Luke 8:4 NKJV
And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

This is a great multitude is a huge amount of people, but it doesn’t mean that they were all paying attention or getting it. Just like in our lives there are so few whose hearts are ready for the seed of truth that God gives which is the Gospel salvation. Jesus gives a fairly difficult parable here (which means " to come along side") knowing that only a few will get it. He is passionate in this message that those that who will pay attention should receive and share..

Luke 8:5-8 NKJV
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

We need to apply this to our lives. We need to not only be present at sermons and also read our bibles, but we need to pay attention to what we are hearing and reading and act on it. This determines the state of our heart. Does the message from the word take root and grow in your life? How is the soil of your heart?

Luke 8:9-10 NKJV
Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’

Here Jesus quoted from Isaiah 6:9 which says, “ 9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Jesus also names two types of people.. Those that are seeking after the Word and apply it to their lives are searching for the spiritual lesson in the story so they can apply it to their life. The other people are pretty much just here for the free lunch or for the look of being spiritual or religious.

Luke 8:11-12 NKJV
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

So here we see that the birds were the representation of satan and he comes and takes away the seed so that u don’t receive it. He has and is doing this in so many people’s lives right now. He is stopping them from attending church bringing up in their mind excuse after excuse to not attend church and he is also doing the same thing for when they should receive the word outside of church; distracting their thoughts so they don’t receive.

Luke 8:13 NKJV
But the ones on the rock are those who (when they hear) receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. “
We can now look at this and see that belief has a by-product. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as you Lord, you won’t abandon all hope when there are troubles in your life. If you are saved by faith, then it is by faith you live… even when the living gets tough.
Dont give up on your relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe someone told you it would be easier than this, but that’s not the case and now you are losing interest. Or maybe satan has distracted you now that you have this seed and so you are forgetting the seed and the purpose of the seed. Its going to be rough but it is worth it. Don’t make a shallow commitment that gives up when times get rough.

Luke 8:14 NKJV
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

The cares of this life - rent, laundry, bills, work, arguements, and all the other business as people spent their entire life wondering how comfortable they are going to be when they die instead of being eternal minded. Bear fruit while we are here. Don’t let the cares of this life become more important than the word of God in your life. Matthew talks about this as he quotes jesus talking about the love of money becoming the root of all evil. You can’t serve two masters. Songs of solomon also hits on this note talking about the meaningless of the seasons of placing your trust in money and living for pleasure and self instead of for God. Now this doesn’t mean that there is no pleasure in a Christians life. There is joy and there are pleasures and vacations and such, but make sure those pleasures are in Jesus and that he goes with you on vacation. Make sure your focus is on God. Go through you daily life now and start pulling weeds. Be sure nothing is hindering you from the closeness that is intended in your relationship with Christ.

Luke 8:15 NKJV
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Galations 5:22 & 23 tell us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Can you take a step back and look at your life and describe it with the fruit of the spirit listed in galations 5? If you can’t then that is a big deal. You must examine why and correct the heart of the issue. Are you hearing the word of God in such a way that it brings forth fruit in your life and to those around you? Make adjustments accordingly so that it does.

Luke 8:16 NKJV
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.

This is part of that fruit and planted growing seed issue. God is not a God of secrets.. share Him with the world. It is not hidden, its made known. We want to hear the word, apply the word, share the word.

Luke 8:17-18 NKJV
For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Here we see the concept, "use it or loose it". This has been used in arguments about loosing salvation. But if you read carefully and put into practice what you read and learn then you have given evidence of being saved. If you don’t display this evidence to start with, odds are u were never truly saved to begin with and thus you don’t loose salvation, you loose the illusion of being a saved person. I see so many people that fall into this catagory. They appear to have salvation but they have no fruit. They do not live a Godly life. They live just like the rest of the world but they attend church. So sad. They have no light and they are fully transparent to the saved.

Luke 8:19-21 NKJV
Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

1John 1:6 says, ”If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
So we know that we are saved and we are family with jesus when we do what the Word says and have fellowship with Him. If God’s word has impressed upon you to do something then do it. We must put God’s word into practice or we will fail. It’s easy to say you are a Christian... but being a Christian is not easy at all. It is hard, but not regretable. Don’t say you are a Christan and then live in and of the very same darkness the rest of this world does. You are not of God if u are also of the darkness of satan’s kingdom. Don’t be fake. Make a change. Stand out from the rest of the world. Repent of your sins (turn away) and confess Jesus as Lord in your life. Let him begin working in and through you today and don’t hide it. Let that work show. Spend time in the word and apply it to your life. Begin bearing good fruit by him working mightily in you. Shine Christian shine. Make no tolorance for sin in your life.

just felt like writing this one down.. it's on Daniel 1. needs some critiquing i'm sure.

A study of Daniel chapter 1
Israel was recently split into north (Ephraim) and south (Judah). The book Daniel takes place chronologically as Jeremiah comes to an end and at the same time as Ezekiel. Daniel is written just after the Lord followed through on the warnings Jeremiah gave and destroyed the north hill country of Ephraim. My memory is a little hazy so don’t quote me. But I think this is about the right general idea of where we start out in Daniel.

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b]
In verse 3 and 4 the kink that has now besieged Jerusalem describes the type of men from nobility of the Israelites that he will take into his kingdom and basically turn into Babylonian servants to the king. The description included Daniel.
5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
And then the king immediately attempts to show what he considers generosity as to turn these Israelite men of God to serve the king’s idols and gods.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Let’s take a look at the meanings of these names real quick to get a better idea of what’s going on here. Why would the king rename these men? Well, the name Daniel means “God is my judge”, but Belteshazzar means, “Bel’s prince”. The name Hannaniah means, “Beloved by the Lord”, but Shadrach means, “Illumined by sun-god”. The name Mishael means, “Who is as God”, but the name Meshach means, “who is like venus”. And, finally the name Azariah means, “the Lord is my help”, but the name Abednego means, “servant of nego”. So you can see by the meaning of the names that it is clear that the king intended this change to get these men away from serving the Lord our God and get them to begin accepting the things of Babylon. It is so similar with our lives as Christians when we live in a secular world that daily attempts to convince us that we are being too strict, or too legalistic and that it is ok to do this or that (even though we know the Lord is against these things). The world attempts daily to change our identity in Christ that we would follow after their ways, but we are strictly warned of the end result of following after the ways of this world.

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Wow! What amazing nerve it must have taken, what faith to stand in the face of a man who was just involved in destroying everything and almost everyone you knew and as his prisoner make such a statement. “I won’t defile myself in such a way”, and he “resolved” or decided in his heart strongly that he wouldn’t do this thing. Daniel stood firm on his faith in the Lord and on what the Lord asked of him even in this stressful and dangerous time. So it us with us in the world daily when we are begged to go astray from our teachings and take part in the feast of sin that is available to us, that we must stand solid on the Word. Do not be move Christian.

11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

So We read that Daniel did not take part in the evil things that were offered to him and here we have just read the out come… He was blessed because of it. Not only was he healthier for following what the Lord had taught him, but he (along with those that were with him) gained understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. He also received the gift of interpreting visions and dreams. And so it is with us. Though often we will receive persecution from the world for taking a stand on the Word of God, we will also be blessed by our Lord for doing so. He will multiply our efforts. He will set us apart.

18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.