Daniel 3:19-30 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”
It was not that long after Daniel miraculously told Nebuchadnezzar his dream and interpreted it that this same king, after acknowledging Daniel’s God as the One True God, built an idol to himself and demanded that everyone bow down and worship it. How quickly he turned from acknowledging Me to self-worship. Eyes off of Me and on to self. You see that everywhere around you. You live in a culture of self-worship, self-elevation, self-promotion, self-involvement. How many invest their lives in promoting themselves on social media? How many seek fame and fortune at the cost of their souls? How many are incapable of real relationship with others as they are incapable of separating anything from the filter of self? Look at parents who push their children into the lies about gender identity, who dress them in the opposite gender’s clothing, who allow them to “transition”. This is not about the child, but all about the parents’ identity as “accepting” and “loving” and woke. They sacrifice their children on the altar of self, all while convincing themselves that they are helping the children. The cult of self is a cult of massive delusion and deception. Nebuchadnezzar believed himself to be equal to Me, until My power was demonstrated to him before his very eyes. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were not deluded, were not deceived and stood on their belief in and knowledge of Me as the One True God, capable of saving them. Yet do not miss that they stated that even if I did not save them from the fire, they were willing to burn to their death before they would betray Me and bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. So into the fire they went. But they were not in there alone. I sent reinforcement, protection, a guardian. And not only were they not burned up in that fire that killed the men who threw them in, but they were completely unaffected by the fire, down to not smelling of smoke. You are facing fiery trials. You are going to be facing decisions – to betray your faith and renounce Me and what I have commanded My children, or to stand firm and suffer whatever consequences may await. Know that, whatever the trial, whatever the storm, whatever the circumstances I am with you. What is important will not be lost nor damaged. I will protect you from irreparable harm. I will honor your faith. You must decide – whom will you serve when these trials come up? Me or yourself? As you have seen in the past and in My Word, I will honor whatever decision you make.
Amanuensis 