BEND THE KNEE

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace… But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Daniel: 3:17-18

REFERENCE
Daniel 3:1-25

Amongst the multitude of people who bent their knees when king Nebuchadnezzar made his infamous decree for everyone in his kingdom to bow down and worship the graven image he had set up were Jews who had been taken as prisoners from Judah. Amongst them must have been priests, rabbis and devotees of the Jewish faith. As they bowed, they would have remembered God’s command not to love, bow, or worship any other god besides Him (Exodus 20:3-5). However, they had bent their knees to another god because they couldn’t face the consequences of disobeying the king.

Nevertheless, while everyone bowed, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bend their knees. It was a resolve they made from the first time they were introduced into the king’s palace – into the corridors of power. From the outset, they established themselves as God-lovers and principled men when they refused to eat the king’s delicacy, which was sacrificed to idols. (See Daniel 1:3-13).

Today, Christendom desperately needs men and women whose love for God is way hotter than their love for silver and gold. One of Satan’s oldest tricks against Christians is to make them bow in the face of compromise; he tried it with Jesus in the wilderness – promised to give Him the glories of the world if He would bow to him. Presently, there is no serious Christian who is not confronted with the temptation to bow or compromise, sometimes, on a regular basis.

Satan comes with promises like, “I will give you a job, contracts, promotion, land, husband/wife, that political appointment you have so desired, only if you bend your knees to my wishes.” And to my utmost dismay, some Christians usually conclude; “Perhaps, this is God using ‘spectacular avenues’ to answer my prayers and bless me.” Let me tell you upfront, “You can never use Satan’s methods to achieve God’s will for your life; you can’t get to God’s destination by traveling on Satan’s lane.” Take a stand for God like these 3 Hebrew men, and God will stand for you and with you like He did for them through a fiery trial.

SCRIPTURE PHOTO

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Psalm 119:1-3 (NLT) , Matthew 4:8-11, & Romans 8:31

PRAYER POINTS
+ Ask for mercy, and repent in areas where you have bent your knees to the compromising pressures of life and Satan’s lies

+ Pray for strength to daily take a stand for God despite life’s challenges