Persevere in Prayer

Welcome to living in the light with Bible teacher and grandma's. When God calls you and you know what cognitive you have a passion for your devoted About welcome to today's living in the light are Bible teacher and Graham lots has a message today from Daniel chapter 10 and encouragement to serve beer in prayer and reminder of who is our real problem you ever wonder why prayer so hard for me to come easily to me and some present their help, but the kind of prayer we talk about reverse thunder.

It's hard. Also chamber said that prayer is not preparation for the battle.

Prayer is the battle in the dictionary definition bottle is that it's a struggle to achieve something and we wrestle when we struggle and we want to achieve something. On December 7. On this date 1945, you know, 353 Japanese fighters bombed Pearl Harbor and it was called bar presidents a day of infamy. It was a day of great victory for the Imperial Army.

But the next day, December 8, America declared war against Japan and just about three and half years later on September 2, 1945. We want so the point is that we can be attacked but we don't take it lying down and we battle and we battle and we battle and we may not have victory immediately, but we keep on back.

The victory is assured.

Were going to win, but the battle can be intense. Stephen offered who are familiar with them is now in heaven. One of my mentors and not very precious to me and he said I am one of the most dangerous places. You can be as on your knees, is the front line of the battle.

That's why prayer is so hard and you know what the enemy convinces us in the thinking will you know you're just not a prayer warrior. You know other people can do that. That's just you just not cut out cut out for that kind of prayer. And that's a deception that's a lie. So, six years after Daniel chapter 9. In contrast, Daniel chapter 9, when Daniel prayed and reversed the thunder and his prayer was confirmed immediately and ultimately and specifically six years later, he prayed and had totally different experience and he went to an agonizing delay to his prayer somewhat to redo Daniel. Chapter 10 is not that long and it's a very interesting chapter. Okay I'll try to explain some of things as I go through in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia has three years after all those people went back a revelation was given to Daniel, who was called Delta Shatzer's message was true and it concerned a great war, the understanding of the message came to him in a vision. At that time Daniel mourned for three weeks. I know choice food normally. No meter wind touched my lips and I use no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the 24th day of the first month as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen with a belt of finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face was like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze in his voice was like the sound of a multitude, and Daniel was the only one who saw the vision the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelm them that they fled and they hid themselves. So I was left alone gazing at this great vision I had no strength left. My face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep my face to the ground. I don't want you to get this because now the hand that touched him is not the man in the vision.

Okay you can tell that from the context, the man in the vision was a pre-incarnate son of God.

This hand that touched him is coming from one of God's messengers you sent me trembling on my hands and knees and he said Daniel you are highly esteemed. Consider carefully the words I'm about to speak to and stand out from now been sent to you. And when he said this to me. I stood up trembling.

Then he continued, don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and a humble yourself before your God, your words were heard in outcome in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days 90 talking about in the invisible world. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, who is the prince of Israel came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persian others is getting like a Steven Spielberg movie is not now. I've come to explain you what will happen to your people in the future for the vision concerns a time at the calm while he was saying this to me about my face toward the ground and I was speechless and one who look like a man touched my lips not open my mouth and I began to speak, and I said to the one standing before me overcome with anguish because of the vision, my Lord, I'm helpless in your servant.

Talk with you, my Lord, my strength is gone and I can hardly breathe again. The one who looked like a man touched me, gave me strength. Don't be afraid old man, highly esteemed piece, be strong now be strong when he spoke to me.

I was strength and I said speak my Lord. Since you've given me strength so he said do you know why I've come to you soon. I will return to fight against the Prince of Persia when I go the prince of Greece will come.

But first, I will tell you what is written in the book of true now that is an incredible passage of Scripture and I can't tell you what a battle.

It's been to try to break it open and make sense of it, but in this passage I see several characteristics of the battle, one that the battle is personal and through that the battle is emotional and three that the battle is invisible and for the battle is winnable so that your outline first start out with the fact that the battle is personal and Daniel as you know, is devoted as a prophet of God, and that's been disputed by theologians.

Even today, and they say his prophecies are so specific and so exact nobody could've known those things in advance. It has to be written by somebody who's later in you. Looking back on history but Jesus said in Matthew 24. He said Daniel is a property referred to Daniel the prophet, and Daniel was a prophet of God. That was his calling.

That was his life's work and Daniel was absolutely dedicated to finishing completing the work that God is given them to do so.

He was devoted to serving God in the capacity that God had placed in which was to be a prophet, and she tells you he identifies himself in the first verse on Delta Shatzer and in chapter 1. If you read chapter 1 of Daniel when he's taken in the first deportation is brought from Jerusalem as a 15-year-old kid and he's stripped of his masculinity stripped of his identity and is given the name Delta Shatzer to write their Daniel is saying I'm not a different person on the same little kid that was brought from Jerusalem and at first deportation. I am the Daniel of the book of Daniel, so there's no question he's gonna find himself is the author of this passage even though they will dispute that what he saying this is what you seen this is what he's experienced so he is now 73 years after he was taken into captivity. Three years after the remnant is gone back most of his friends are either dead or their now distant gone back in and he was too old to go.

You know, I'm assuming he's nine years of age when this takes place just about and so he's too old to go back to his blog. Jerusalem will never see the temple again. He still in captivity still serving the pagan king and absolutely dedicated and devoted to completing the work that God gave them to do and I love it and he still in a sense makes it a revelation is given to still reading is and that a lesson I remember Ms. Weatherall Johnson, who found the Bible study Fellowship and was the one that taught me to teach and she ended up dying of cancer and I called her a few weeks before she died in the just want to hear your voice one more time. I said the most ridiculous thing to us at Miss Johnson how are you and so she told me every day.

She spent just trying to overcome the pain she was thanking God for medication and then she said, but I was just reading about when I learn something new and I was so astounded that you still reading about. I cannot remember what she said you was learning something about Jacob. I remember that, but I did not ask her to repeat it because I just you know I was sort of overwhelm to speak with her, but I thought, God, thank you for the example of this old woman who's been through so much and she's done so much importance how much fruit and cheese in so much pain and she still reading her Bible and learning new thing. What an example to hear is Daniel almost 90 years of age. Still reading his Bible, still trying to understand and a revelation was given him of events that were future to him.

He was given revelation, not just and still future out some of his. His prophecies are phenomenal and they tell us when the Messiah will come in when the tribulation begins and when the Messiah will come at the end of that what happens in the middle of tribulation. All that you use the apostle John of the Old Testament. The apostle John gives us the book of Revelation. Daniel has prophecies are equal in power and insight to what the apostle John gave us in the book of Revelation and so he was just given a revelation about the time period between the old and new Testaments, and he prophesied exactly about Alexander the great. That's when the Prince of Greece rose up Alexander the great rule the world and that he turned it over to his four generals and then Antiochus epiphanies took over to memory sacrifice that pig on the altar in Jerusalem.

The abomination of desolation, and Jesus said in Matthew 24 that's going to happen again.

When the Antichrist does it, and when that happened you run for the amount and and so that all of that prophecy is been given a Daniel any struggling to understand okay.

He wants to understand we can impart what God is given to so he's absolutely devoted to his ministry as a prophet of God.

And when you discover your life's work when you pray, and you ask God to give you your next assignment and he begins sending you out and maybe you're gifted as an evangelist and share the gospel with just one on one and you lead people to Christ.

Or maybe you're good at discipleship and disciple here. Maybe a good little children and teach children the Scriptures are, maybe you're just like a marketplace evangelist in an sharing your faith, or maybe your parents can be a senior care living and you go in and you're there and you're ministering to those older people. Or maybe you come out of an alcoholic background in God sending you to alcoholics and maybe you have a heart for the homeless, or whatever your life's work is when God calls you to it and you know it's what is called you to. You have a passion for your devoted to nothing that makes the battle almost more intense because you care so much, Daniel was absent devoted to being a prophet of God in completing and finishing the work that God gave them to do and that was one reason he was deeply discouraged by the people because after the people gone home so you know the 70th year Cyrus that all the people to go back to Jerusalem and I don't how many people there were then living in Persia, who had come from Jerusalem and Judea but I'm I'm guessing that there were hundreds of thousands in there only 42,000 that went back to is a small fraction of the number of people living in Babylon, which is now Persia, so he's very discouraged by the complacency of the people, his people still would rather live in Persia, then go home and then he is deeply discouraged by the people that went home 42,000 and they were to go home to rebuild the temple and restore Jerusalem and he started rebuilding the temple and the came under attack and they quit so the temple was being rebuilt and the city wasn't being restored. So he's very discretion because he cares so much and he so devoted this discouragement is varied. The you discouraged by the complacency of God's people and their cowards and the political correctness of just clams them up because of the compromise or even deny Jesus or deny the truth of the gospel and they can be deeply discouraging.

If you really care. Not only was he discouraged by the people he was disappointed in the promise of God. None reading into this a little bit in giving some background God a promise after 70 years. I'm going to take you back from captivity. The captives can go home but Daniel he had been praying and chapter 9 verse 16 he prayed Lord turn away your wrath from Jerusalem turn away your wrath from your city from your holy hill which would be the temple area are sins and iniquities about problems. It may Jerusalem an object of scorn now hear our prayers go Lord, for your sake look with favor on your desolate sanctuary, O Lord, open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your name and the last phrase is is oh my God, do not delay because your city and your people back. He's praying for the city of Jerusalem. His prayer wasn't just deliver your people, let them go home but God rebuild the temple and restore the city and he believed God had promised him that he would do that and they had gone home after 70 years, and equipped rebuilding the temple and the city was still in running and so Daniel disappointed in God's promise. He was in a very tough place so Daniel has just received two missile attacks, discouragement and disappointment in the enemy is after him and he's 90 years of age and is still in the battle of his life. You and I cannot post in on the foundation of our service.

Prior to today and the enemy will go after you and he's no gentleman and is no respecter of age or gender, or whether you're feeling good or bad or you know all the other problems in your life becomes after Daniel. Daniel doesn't take it lying down. He so determined I just love them just as old man who decides that he's going to fight back and he was determined not to rollover not to pull back not to give up.

So when God gives you a promise. And he hasn't fulfilled it the way you thought he would then go back and re-examine as and if it is something that comes from him and it is something that you feel that he would fulfill been then you may need to keep pressing through and you persevere in prayer. The enemy will try to distract you and pull you away from the good you just persevere in verse two. At that time Daniel Moran for three weeks and I thought about that morning. It is because he cared so much. He was so passionate about what he was to do to receive a word from God and to write it down. To understand and the part that understanding to others, and so we couldn't get it. He mourned it was distressing to him and only somebody who cares that deeply understands that kind of morning for three weeks. I ate no choice food, no meat or wind touched my lips. I don't think it meant he went.

He didn't starve himself.

He was on a hunger strike, he just wasn't eating anything just just survival food crackers and cheese and bread and water, whatever, and I use no lotions at all until three weeks were over. And that basically is. He wasn't taking baths. I think it just means for me. I would put on my makeup. I would do my hair would just put on the fleece mold closing just you know just doing nothing that takes extra time whether eating or dressing or whatever it is stuck in to give God my full attention when if you cared that much. I don't know that I've ever spent three weeks in prayer and fasting. So when we care is just no limit to what the. Time will give God the effort will put into it. What you look at verse 12 and will come back to it. But the angel tells Daniel since the first day you set your mind to gain understanding. That's when the battle began.

And the first day of those three weeks. Went when he was disappointed and is trying to get an answer and he wants to understand from the first moment he began to set his mind to understand that when the battle began.

And when you get on your knees and you're desperate for an answer and your deeply disturbed in your morning and you're crying in your praying, you've just got to watch out because it's going to be a battle. Maybe I think many times I've experienced that just say ends trying to teach us something about the battle. Is that so you have eyes to see what's going on now understand what's happening to you, but from the moment he set his mind to understand and actually that word understanding as I understand it. I don't know Hebrew but in the Hebrew. It basically means from the time he surrendered and I was thinking what did he surrender his life was already surrendered someone if he just surrendered his expectation surrendering what he was trying to force God to do you know God, you said this and I you keep your word.

I don't see that you did that none disappoint and just let it go got.

I know you gave me a promise made. I just don't understand what you said would you just give me understanding, I let go my expectations. I trust you, but please help me in this, and from the moment he started let go of what he was demanding and insisting on and getting what he wanted and just let it go and sit God please help me. That's when the battle began.

That's when the Prince of Persia rose up and that's when the angel came to give them the answer but that's when there was this big battle in the heavenly is fighting the battle requires your full attention.

If I were the enemy at the structure I'd interrupt you, and you can put this on a small scale. How many times we go into prayer. When I going to prayer me know and I'm setting aside some time to pray and fast and maybe goes over several days, as when the dog throws up on the rug. That's when the doorbell rings. The phone seems to rate every five minutes.

UPS comes in FedEx comes in the ministry makes demands in a just and we have to have your answers now in the got deadline after deadline and if it's really you start paying attention and you see how the enemy is packing distract you and interrupt you and keep you from centering down and focusing on what God would say to you, the battle is very personal. Secondly, the battle is emotional.

The battle is not just an intellectual exercise in trying to understand God's word understand God's promise. It's emotional because you're involved in that you care and you really want and it's like a roller coaster.

It can be awesome and thrilling and it can be awful, and terrible okay so we say Daniel on this roller coaster and it was awesome. In verses 46 when he saw this was a pre-incarnate son of God. I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen.

That's the picture of a high priest with the belt. The finest gold around his waist. The king's body like chrysolite is beautiful, his face like a lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his holiness, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze as strong and if the judge in trampling judgment. His voice like the sound of a multitude because no voice can be raised against as he has the last word is the same vision of Jesus that John had on Patmos is amazing, almost word for word the same and then you would've had no knowledge of John's vision and John was describing exactly what he saw on Patmos that would be throwing that would be the high point of his life.

Everything except two other times he's appeared in Daniel lecture me check Shabbat and Abednego in the fiery furnace bring in chapter 7 verse nine Daniel has a vision of Jesus is the ancient of days, seated on the throne head and hair white like wool opening all the books, people standing before getting ready. Just as a great white throne and he is that vision, this one is just more personal and so he has this awesome thrilling vision of Jesus, and I thought of Ezekiel sitting on a garbage dump in a refugee camp beside a dirty irrigation canal and suddenly see the windstorm coming out of the north and on the wings of the windstorm.

Is this sapphire thrown in on the throne was somewhat similar like the Son of Man, and then I think of Isaiah when is iodide's whole life was tripped and fell apart, and that's when he saw the Lord.

Nothing of John on the out of Patmos in exile and that's when he turned around he saw the Lord and all these men had something in common.

It was when they were stripped of distraction and and were given God their full attention. Then that's when they had a fresh vision of Jesus. Daniel had this thrilling vision of Jesus and he's just had that he falls on his face perform as interesting as he was speaking, he fell on his face and his deep sleep and then a hand touches him and draws them up but now we see the awfulness in verses seven and eight. He says I Daniel was the only one who saw the vision I was left alone and there is a deep loneliness never feel lonely in the battle and then there's weakness in verse eight I had no strength left.

I was helpless you ever feel you just can't do anything. The boundless to great is too hard for awfulness verse eight. My face turned deathly pale. That was a panic attack ever had a panic verse 13 just jump ahead for minute.

He says the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days in Michael one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia, Daniel, there's something going on in invisible world that you know nothing about your praying and you're tapping into it, but this is a much better situation than you can ever even imagine. So Ephesians 612 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm are real problem is the devil in all of his demons. Now here's a man with this final word.

Make no mistake when we pray the devil will work feverishly to make sure heaven remains unmoved and nations remain under his grip.

But while he is more powerful than we will ever be the one in us is greater than he is. We have the authority over him in Jesus name, which is one reason when I pray I always pray in Jesus name. He is the one who gives me access into the presence of God and he is the one who gives me authority over the devil and all of his demons listen to me know who your adversary is what is strategy is and how your to protect yourself defensively then pick up your sword.

The word of God and hit your knees in prayer.

Victory is assured. You been listening to living in the light and when you go to Engram lots.org there are free resources to help you in your study of God's word and his desire is that you embrace God filled life step-by-step choice by choice living in the light