Discovering Destiny (Part 75): God Will Promote You And The People Around You
Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future. Yesterday, Daniel stood before the king and pointed to the God in heaven who reveals secrets. Today, we see what God did after Daniel gave Him the glory.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Peter 3:18 GNT
"But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."
Luke 10:20 Mirror
"It's time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven's perspective."
1 John 3:10 Mirror
"There is a very visible and vast difference between living one's life from your God identity or from a fallen man's mindset."
Proverbs 25:2 NKJV
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter."
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Daniel 2:34-35 NLT
"As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth."
Daniel 2:44-45 NLT
"During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain."
Daniel 2:46-47 AMPC
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel [as a great prophet of the highest God] and ordered that an offering and incense should be offered up to him [in honor of his God]. The king answered Daniel, Of a truth your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secret mysteries, seeing that you could reveal this secret mystery!"
Daniel 2:48-49 TPT
"Then the king promoted Daniel and made him great in the kingdom and gave him many wonderful gifts. He also made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the chief of all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel's request, the king delegated the affairs of the province of Babylon to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel remained in the king's palace."
Supporting scriptures:
Psalm 127:1 TPT
"If God's grace doesn't help the builders, they will labor in vain to build a house. If God's mercy doesn't protect the city, all the sentries will circle it in vain."
Hebrews 12:28 NLT
"Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe."
Zechariah 4:10 NLT
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."
Job 8:7 AMPC
"And though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase."
Psalm 23:5 AMPC
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over."
Proverbs 11:25 TPT
"Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor."
Philippians 2:4 ERV
"Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too."
Setting the Stage:
Daniel walked into the throne room with nothing in his hands but the answer God gave him in the night. The most powerful man on earth sat on the throne. The king's guard stood by the door. Somewhere in Babylon, the wise men who had failed were still waiting to find out if they would live or die. And Daniel did what nobody in the kingdom could do. He told the king his own dream. A huge statue. A head of fine gold. A chest and arms of silver. A belly and thighs of bronze. Legs of iron. And feet of iron mixed with clay.
Then Daniel got to the part the king could not forget. A rock was cut from a mountain, "but not by human hands." It hit the statue at its feet, and the whole thing came crashing down. The gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, and the clay were crushed so fine that the wind blew them away without a trace. "But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth." Then Daniel explained it. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar himself. Other kingdoms would come after him. And in the days of those kings, "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered." Daniel looked the most powerful king on earth in the eye and told him that even the head of gold would not last forever. Only God's kingdom would.
And watch what the king did. Not long before, this same man was so angry that he ordered every wise man in Babylon killed, and Daniel's name was on the list. Now the king "fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel." He said, "Of a truth your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secret mysteries." Then he promoted Daniel, gave him many wonderful gifts, made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and put him in charge of all the wise men. The same wise men Daniel saved yesterday now reported to him.
But Daniel did not walk out of that throne room alone. His first request was not for a bigger office or more gifts. He asked for his friends. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the same three who prayed with him the night the decree came down, were promoted right along with him. Here is what I want you to see today. What God builds, no human hand can tear down. When God is in it, a small beginning can fill the whole earth. God can turn the person who was against you into the person who honors you. And when God promotes you, He has the people around you in mind too.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. No Human Hand Can Tear Down What God Builds Up.
The statue looked impressive. Gold, silver, bronze, and iron, each one a kingdom built by human hands and human strength. And one rock brought the whole thing down. Notice the phrase Daniel repeated twice: "not by human hands." Human hands built the statue. God cut the rock. That is the difference between what people build and what God builds. Man's kingdoms rise and fall, but God's kingdom "will never be destroyed or conquered."
How this applies to you:
-- Everything built by human hands has a shelf life.
-- When God builds it, it lasts. The psalmist said, "If God's grace doesn't help the builders, they will labor in vain to build a house."
-- Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, and he still could not stop the rock. Your boss, your critics, and your circumstances do not get the final say over what God is building in you and through you.
-- You respect authority, but you know that ultimately God is your supreme authority. This is why Daniel could look at King Nebuchadnezzar and explain to him that he had a part in the dream and that his kingdom would be amazing, but ultimately it would fall. Daniel had the courage to say this to the king's face because God was with him. And not only that, God ensured that the king even wound up promoting Daniel.
-- What God started in you was not built by human hands, so human hands cannot tear it down.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He did not build it on anything that can crumble. Your destiny is not made of clay.
-- Performance-based religion tells you to build it yourself and hold it together with your own strength. You have to do this, and you have to do that. Grace tells you to let God build it, and it will stand.
-- Here's the final nugget from this first point, and it is the key to entering into God's rest. Stop trying to hold up (with your effort) what God already promised to hold together (by His grace).
2. When God Is In It, A Small Beginning Can Fill The Whole Earth.
Look at the rock again. It did not start as a mountain. It started as a rock cut out of a mountain. But Daniel said, "the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth." It started small, and it ended up filling everything. Daniel knew something about small beginnings. He came to Babylon as a young captive in a foreign school, with a new name and no say over his future. On paper, he was just another captive. And look where he is now. Ruler over the whole province. Small beginnings are not small to God. Zechariah said, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin."
How this applies to you:
-- A rock in God's hands will outgrow a statue in man's hands.
-- Daniel came to Babylon with nothing in his hands, and he became the ruler over the whole province.
-- Do not measure your future by the size of your start. We all have to start somewhere. While it is true that some people start with an advantage you may not have had, it doesn't matter. With God, small beginnings can end with global expansion.
-- The Bible says, "And though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase." Some of you are in a small season right now. Small is not the end of your story; it is the start of it.
-- When I think about where Isabella and I started as a couple, it was most certainly a small beginning. Thankfully, God has grown us over the years in our love for each other, in our relationship, in our calling, in our assignment, and in our influence. Today we get to serve Him together in ministry, in business, and in a church and school in the Dominican Republic, and none of it was built by human hands. Every season of growth has been His grace, not our effort. And we know He is not finished with us yet, because our latter end will be greater than our beginning.
-- This is why comparison is so dangerous. People compare their marriage, their finances, their career status, and their titles to someone else's, and they walk away either proud or discouraged. But God is not comparing you to anyone. He is committed to your purpose, and your purpose has to start somewhere. God is a God of increase, a God of progression and not regression, and He is going to take you all the way to your latter end.
-- God does not need you to start big. He needs you to start with what He placed in your hands.
-- Keep being faithful in the small season, because God is growing something that will fill your whole world.
3. God Can Turn The Person Who Was Against You Into The Person Who Honors You.
Think about where Nebuchadnezzar was just before this. He was so angry that he ordered every wise man in Babylon killed, and Daniel's name was on that list. Now the same king "fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel." The man who signed Daniel's death warrant signed his promotion. Daniel did not fight the king, manipulate him, or flatter him. He stayed faithful and let God move. And God turned the king around. David said it this way: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."
How this applies to you:
-- The same hand that signed the decree against Daniel signed his promotion.
-- Daniel did not have to get even with anybody. God settled it for him.
-- God does not always remove the people who were against you. Sometimes He seats you at the head of the table right in front of them.
-- The king made Daniel "the chief of all the wise men of Babylon." The same men who said no man on earth could do it now reported to the man God used to do it. God has a way of turning things around.
-- You do not need to win people over; you need to stay faithful and let God move them.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and no one's opinion of you can cancel it. People can change their minds about you, but God never changed His. His commitment to you will empower you to outlast every attack against you.
-- Some of the people who doubted you will one day come to you for help. When they do, answer them with grace. Your vindication is God's job, and He is very good at His job. It's not your job to get anyone back. Let God be God.
4. Your Promotion Is Not Just For You.
Daniel had just been made ruler over the whole province of Babylon. He had the gifts, the honor, and the king's ear. And what did he do with his first request? He asked for his friends. "At Daniel's request, the king delegated the affairs of the province of Babylon to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." These were the three who were in the house with him the night the decree came down. They prayed with him in the pressure, so Daniel brought them with him into the promotion. That is what grace does.
How this applies to you:
-- The first thing Daniel did with his new influence was use it for somebody else.
-- Grace never goes up alone. Solomon wrote, "Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them."
-- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood with Daniel when everything was on the line. When the promotion came, Daniel did not forget them.
-- The people who pray with you in the pressure should rise with you in the promotion.
-- Paul said, "Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too." Some people get promoted and forget where they came from. Grace people get promoted and open the door for others.
-- God planned your destiny before you were born, and He planned it with other people in mind. Your promotion has a purpose bigger than your title.
-- When God opens a door for you, hold it open for the next person. That is how God's influence spreads through your family, your church, and your workplace.
-- On Monday, this same king builds a golden image, and these three friends are going to show Babylon what kind of men Daniel brought with him.
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, what You build in my life, no human hand can tear down!
I belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken!
I will not despise my small beginnings, because You are growing something great!
What looks small to me looks finished to You!
You can turn the people who were against me into people who honor me!
I do not have to get even, because You settle it for me!
My promotion comes from You, and it is not just for me!
When You lift me up, I will bring others with me!
I will hold the door open for the people You send my way!
In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!
This is Today's Word. Apply it and prosper!
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