Discovering Destiny (Part 79): It's Not Too Late To Turn Around
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, three men walked out of the fire promoted. Today, the same king has a dream that troubles him.
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 4:4-5 NLT
"I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. But one night I had a dream that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed."
Daniel 4:19 NLT
"Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, 'Belteshazzar, don't be alarmed by the dream and what it means.' Belteshazzar replied, 'I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!'"
Daniel 4:20-22 NLT
"The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth."
Daniel 4:26 ERV
"The command to leave the stump of the tree and its roots in the ground means this: Your kingdom will be given back to you. This will happen when you learn that Most High God rules your kingdom."
Daniel 4:27 NLT
"King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper."
Supporting scriptures:
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NLT
"He did all this so you would never say to yourself, 'I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.' Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath."
Ephesians 4:15 NLT
"Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church."
Proverbs 27:6 TPT
"You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty, but your enemy's pretended flattery comes from insincerity."
Job 14:7 ERV
"There is always hope for a tree. If it is cut down, it can grow again. It will keep sending out new branches."
Romans 2:4 TPT
"Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven't you experienced how kind and understanding he has been to you? Don't mistake his tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?"
Setting the Stage:
Daniel chapter 4 is different from every other chapter in the book. It was written by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The most powerful man on earth sent a letter to every nation in his empire, and he opened it by praising the Most High God for the signs and wonders God had done for him. Then he told the whole world the story of the dream that changed his life.
The king was home, resting in his palace, enjoying everything he had built, when a dream terrified him. He called in the magicians, the enchanters, the astrologers, and the fortune-tellers, and once again, nobody could tell him what it meant. Then Daniel walked in. The king turned to him because he knew the Spirit of God was in him.
So the king described the dream. He saw a tree in the middle of the earth, so tall it touched the sky. Its leaves were beautiful, its branches were loaded with fruit, the animals rested in its shade, and the birds nested in its branches. Then a messenger from heaven came down and shouted for the tree to be cut down, the branches stripped, and the fruit scattered. But he gave one more command: leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze.
Daniel sat there in silence, because he knew. The tree was the king. Daniel had to decide whether he would tell the king what he wanted to hear or tell him what God said. Here is what I love about Daniel. He told the truth, and he told it with love. Then he did something only grace would do. He showed the king a way out.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. You Will Never Be So Successful That You Do Need God.
Look at how the king described his life when the dream came: "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity." The wars were over, the building projects were done, and Babylon ruled the known world. Right there, at the top of his success, God sent a dream that "frightened" him. Daniel told him what it meant: "That tree, Your Majesty, is you." The tree was not the problem. The problem was that the king forgot who planted it. Moses told Israel, "Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful."
How this applies to you:
-- Success is not the problem, forgetting the Source of your success is the problem.
-- The king was at rest and prospering, and that is exactly when God spoke. Some of God's most important warnings come when everything looks fine.
-- You can have a great title, a nice house, and a full bank account and still need God every single day. We were not designed to live without God. That is clear to those who are struggling, but many times, that is not so clear to those who are prospering.
-- Never allow success to make you blind to the God who gave it to you.
-- The tree fed everybody, sheltered the animals, and gave the birds a home. Nebuchadnezzar's success was meant to bless people, but he started to believe it was all about him.
-- God blesses you, He expects you to use the Blessing TO BE a blessing to others. The purpose of prosperity is to reach people. If you ever forget God and make your life all about you, you are positioning yourself for a great fall!
2. Real Love Will Tell You The Truth.
When Daniel heard the dream, he knew what it meant, and it hit him hard. The Bible says Daniel "was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream." Think about that. If anybody had a reason to enjoy bad news about Nebuchadnezzar, it was Daniel. But Daniel said, "I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!" Daniel did not water down the truth, and he he was not disrespectful either. He told the truth with a heart that cared about the king.
How this applies to you:
-- Daniel cared more about the king's future than the king's past.
-- Some people tell you the truth because they want to hurt you. Real love tells you the truth because it wants to help you.
-- Paul said, "we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ." Truth without love is cruel, and love without truth is a lie. You need both.
-- The proverb says, "You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty." Thank God for the people who love you enough to tell you the truth.
-- Keep your heart pure because it will be hard for you to help people you secretly want to see fall.
3. God Always Leaves Room For You To Come Back.
Look closely at the dream. The tree was cut down, the branches were stripped, and the fruit was scattered. But heaven gave the order to leave the stump and the roots in the ground. Daniel explained it: "Your kingdom will be given back to you. This will happen when you learn that Most High God rules your kingdom." In the same dream where God announced the judgment, He announced the restoration.
How this applies to you:
-- God never gave the warning without also giving the hope.
-- A stump looks like the end to everybody else. To God, it is where the next season begins.
-- The roots stayed in the ground. Whatever God planted in you is still alive, even in a season when you cannot see it.
-- Nebuchadnezzar could have his kingdom back once he realized it was never his in the first place. Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking that you are a self-made man/woman.
-- Your failure is not final when your roots are in God! Everything God destined for you is still waiting on the other side of your mistake.
4. God Will Always Give You A Way Out.
Then Daniel did something beautiful. He did not deliver the bad news and walk out of the room. He gave the king a way out: "King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper." God did not send that dream to destroy the king. He sent it to turn him around before it was too late.
How this applies to you:
-- God's warning is not His rejection, it is His invitation!
-- Paul said God's kindness "is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance." That is the heart of God. He warns you because He loves you.
-- Repentance is not just walking away from something, it is turning toward God.
-- Look at the way out Daniel gave him: "be merciful to the poor." The fastest way out of pride is to start blessing somebody else. Make your life about others.
-- If God is dealing with you about something, do not wait for the dream to come true.
-- God would rather turn you around than tear you down!
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that I will never be too successful to need You!
Everything I have comes from You, and I will never forget my Source!
I am blessed to be a blessing to others!
I speak the truth, and I speak it in love!
I thank You for the people who love me enough to tell me the truth!
Your mercies are new for me every morning!
My roots are in You, and my failure is not final!
When You warn me, I know it is because You love me!
You always give me a way out, and I will take it!
What You wrote about my destiny is still waiting for me!
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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