Tag: Promise

The Lessons We Can Learn From Daniel And The Lion’s Den

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” – Daniel 6:4-5.

The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is one of the most familiar lessons in the entire Bible. It is a story that has direct application to our lives today.

Daniel wakes up and a new day is streaming in through the open windows. Daniel kneels humbly at the window and sends an earnest prayer up to his only Lord. He does this three times a day, and today is no exception. But now he is bending his knees at an entirely different risk than before. It is actually life-threatening to kneel before anyone other than the king today. Like everyone else in the land of Babylon, Daniel had read the latest decree sent out from the king. Those who worship anyone other than the king during the next thirty days shall be cast into the lions’ den. It is truly an awful fate.

Daniel could have avoided this entire situation. Just a little adjustment in his commitment, and you could have avoided this entire thing. He could have set aside his daily routine for a month or so. Or he could have gone someplace where nobody would see him praying. But he will not bend or postpone his commitment to God. Very simply, Daniel’s commitment to God was not altered by his circumstances… whether good or bad. Daniel’s unwavering stance for God caused the trip to the lion’s den. God shut the mouths of the lions and Daniel was not harmed.

One of the chief lessons we learn from this story is gleaned from the confession of King Darius himself: “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.” (Daniel 6:26). Hebrews 11:33 says, “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,”   

There’s no doubt: prayer does not come naturally. It is something that we all need to strive for. If we are not careful, we might slowly come to a point where our conscience does not bother us anymore when we fail to pray

The life of Daniel offers us the clearest example of how to cultivate a life of praying. Daniel went through just about every situation we could imagine. He was captured in war and was subjected to great danger as he was abducted and sent off as a prize to the winning side. In these trials and through the next decades there was one common denominator in his life: the habit of prayer.   

Discussion Questions:

  1. Most believers believe it is difficult to pray if you don’t spend time in the word. Agree or disagree and why?
  2. What keeps you from the habit (routine) of praying? What can you do this week to overcome those obstacles?

Depending On The Dependable God

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:1-2.

Isaiah 43: 1-2 is a scripture that seems relevant for the first few weeks of 2023. In this passage, we read about a promise from God. This promise is there for each one of us as individuals.

God knows me so intimately because He created me.  He knew me before anyone else did and literally no one knows me better than anyone will know me. Then, He reminds me that He “redeemed” me. The one who knows me most intimately, knows my faults, my downfalls, my secret thoughts and fears, and all of the other stuff in my life, and still found me worth redeeming. He calls me by name and calls me His own.

During 2023 we most likely will face difficult situations in life. Regardless of what those circumstances are, God is dependable. You can trust Him with your life and know that it is absolutely safe and secure. You can follow God with your two eyes closed and know that you will not miss the way or fall into a ditch. Think of it in this way: Most of us have held a baby in our arms at one time or another. And we just have likely passed that baby to a child, a brother or sister, to hold for a photo. The baby doesn’t panic but continues to rest or sleep in the brother’s or sister’s arms. The baby trusts whoever was carrying him or she was dependable and up to the task.

It is such childlike faith that is required in depending on God. You should rest in His arms, knowing that He is dependable and up to the task of carrying you. When we depend on God, we get what God can do. Depending on God means we rely on Him and depend on His reliability. Depending on God means that God is bigger, greater, and better than me and you can depend on God to meet all your needs; He has all the resources of the earth. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” When you know that God owns all things, you will not struggle to depend on Him for whatever you need. He said, For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.” (Psalm 50:10-12) You can depend on God because He holds and rules the entire world.

God is dependable because of His track record of faithfulness and success; God has no record of failure. There is nothing He has ever said that failed; that have either happened or are about to happen. He has all it takes to keep His promises, so you can trust and depend on Him for your today and tomorrow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How have seen God’s dependability in 2022?
  2. How should God’s dependability impact our lives in 2023? 

The Water, River, and Fires Of 2023

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says,“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:1-2.

In Isaiah 43, God talks to His people, the Israelites, as they begin a journey. After years in captivity, they rejoiced at the freedom to return to their homeland. But to get there, they would have to travel a long distance. Their travel would look quite different from ours — no plane to catch and no trailer to haul their stuff. So you can imagine the challenge this nation would face when they found themselves standing in front of deep waters or difficult rivers. Men, women, children, livestock, and all their belongings would have to find a way through these physical obstacles.

Though we may not come upon an actual river or fire, we will likely encounter obstacles in 2023. Notice how Isaiah says, “When you go through deep waters … When you go through rivers of difficulty … When you walk through the fire of oppression.” The water, river, and fire represent the afflictions, trials, and difficulties we face. The Bible makes it clear that it is a question of when not if.  The nation of Israel encountered these difficulties on its journey, and I think we can count on it too.

Thankfully, God is with us in our most troubling times. He is constantly working all things out for His will. And He has compassion for us. When everything else is uncertain, there is one thing that you can depend on — the promises of God.

The Bible is filled with the promises of God. From Genesis to Revelation we read of normal people that received the promises of God. When God makes a promise to His people, it will come to pass. What is a promise? A promise is a covenant or declaration that one will do exactly what one says or something will happen just as pledged.

As we get ready for 2023,  spend some time simply meditating on the promises of God. You might try focusing on one each week. Take a deeper look at God’s character and what He promises to those who believe in Him. Because no matter how prepared we feel, we’ll never be able to conquer our troubles alone. God didn’t just warn of potential problems ahead, He included promises to stand on in the midst of them.

As we head into a new year, let’s start 2023 prepared, so that when we face the trials of life we will stand. Undaunted by deep waters. Ready for rivers of difficulty. Fearless in the face of the fire.

Discussion Questions:

  1. God wants believers to know they are loved so much that they need not live in fear. Yet, this love relationship does not eliminate all fearful things in our lives. What are the things you fear in 2023?
  2. How does God eliminate these fears?

Why Jesus Came To Earth

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

 “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19-20.

Imagine waking up on Christmas morning to the most beautiful gift under your tree. Wrapped in stunning Christmas paper and tied with a gorgeous bow. While you marvel at the beauty of the wrapping your eyes dart around looking for a tag that tells the name of the lucky recipient. Somebody taps you on the shoulder and tells you that it is your gift. You spend a few moments admiring the beauty of the wrapping before opening the package. There is something in the package that is intangible and real at the same time. The package contains hope.

The hope of Christmas is the most precious and beautiful gift ever given. The hope of Christmas is Jesus. The moment Jesus was born, the hope that had been lost when Adam betrayed God in the Garden of Eden entered the world once again. It is this powerful hope that caused the wise men to travel hundreds of miles to bring the newborn King gifts on the very first Christmas.

Christmas is a renewal of hope even when hope has grown dim. It was settled long ago, so we don’t have to doubt anymore. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope, our deepest longings come true. When we as believers speak of hope, we don’t mean a desire that may or may not be fulfilled. No, our hope is certain. Our hope for forgiveness, for reconciliation with God, and a perfect, holy, eternal life, rests on the finished work of Jesus.

Our hope in Him is solid and it is real. God wants us to live with hope and assurance that all His promises will come true for us and that our future is firmly and safely secure in His hands for our good.

We have hope for the future that we will be redeemed. We have hope for the present because we are not alone, but are loved and have a purpose. And we have hope over the past because our failures are not greater than God’s power to transform.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV) tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. We think hope is only about the future. We can hope in Jesus today, we don’t have to wait until tomorrow. What is one thing you’re hoping for right now?

Promises, Promises

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 13:1-3.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep was one of the common maxims in business. It is wide advice as it was accepted that it is better to turn business away rather than disappoint. Promises are hard to keep, and we will experience unfulfilled promises. It is a pretty common struggle in life.

The Bible confirms that fact. Adam and Eve invite sin and death into our world. Cain kills Abel, even after God warns him about the evil lurking in his heart. And there’s nearly everyone else: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5). It would be easy to imagine God having enough. But in Genesis 12, God does something tremendously gracious: He chooses to befriend an elderly man and bless him beyond all imagination.

The promises God made to Abraham in Genesis 13, seem too big for reality: descendants enough to replace the stars in the sky and a name known far and wide to name two. These promises seem so removed from our everyday lives that we tend to leave them in the past, there among the tents and flocks of Abraham and Sarah. But the New Testament tells us that these promises are actually ours in Christ.

When we read God’s Word, we find God’s promises. Though it can be difficult to know how to apply them to our lives—or even if we should—the Bible makes an amazing claim that is itself a promise: All of God’s promises are “Yes” in Jesus: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

What are God’s promises? There are too many to list here, but when you hold your Bible you are holding God’s promises to you.  Some of the spiritual promises are the continued forgiveness of sins, our sanctification, supplying us with strength and peace in trials, and preserving us to the end.

It’s easy to become disappointed when we lump God in with humans who can’t keep their every promise, no matter how good their intentions are.  But God wants to, can, and will fulfill His promises to us. No matter how long we may have to wait, they will ultimately come to pass. He never fails in His promises. We need to pray daily for God to fulfill His promises in our lives and we must ask Him to give us the patience we need to wait and trust.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you tend to trust promises or react with skepticism? Why?
  2. How do you think the promises that people have broken in your life have affected your ability to trust God’s promises?
  3. If you completely accepted God’s promises, how would your life be different?   

How Spiritually Resilient Are You And Your Children?

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” – Proverbs 24:16.

One of the reasons for the popularity of comic book superheroes on the movie screen is that they constantly demonstrate resiliency in the face of challenges. A spouse leaves us. A client sues. Unemployment strikes us. Our dreams fail to come true. How can we live a resilient life—a life that can weather these storms, and even grow stronger after them? 

The believer in Jesus Christ is upheld by God’s power and so is naturally resilient. “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). The key to resiliency is faith in the Lord: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”  (Psalm 37:23–24).

Paul showed great resilience after his life-altering encounter with Jesus (Acts 9). When he was transformed from religious Pharisee to radical Christian, many were not happy with his message. He was beaten, stoned, criticized, jailed, and nearly killed many times (2 Corinthians 11:24–27). One incident especially shows Paul’s exceptional resilience. In Lystra, he was stoned, dragged out of town, and left for dead, but, when his enemies left, Paul simply got up and went back into the city (Acts 14:19–20). His missionary endeavors continued unabated. Godly resilience enables us to be undeterred from our mission, regardless of the opposition. But what about our children?

The definition for resiliency is the same for a child as it is for each one of us: resiliency is having a faith foundation that is so strong it can withstand anything the world throws at it.  Spiritual resilience isn’t automatic. There are building blocks to create a strong foundation upon which spiritual resiliency can be built. Your kids will need your help if they are to become spiritually resilient. First, they need Bible knowledge and understanding. In order for your kids to bounce back easily when encountering trials, they need to know what God wants them to know about life and how He wants them to live it. They need to understand God’s commands and principles. They need to know God’s character and His promises. No matter how great your church is, your kids will not learn everything they need to know at church. You have to also teach them at home. Don’t forget to help them develop independent Bible reading habits. They will need to read scripture for the rest of their lives to stay spiritually resilient.

They need to pray. To be spiritually resilient, your kids need to be in constant communication with God. They need a thorough understanding of prayer. Your children need to understand that prayer isn’t merely submitting an order to God for the things they want, but sharing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns with God. While praying as a family is wonderful, your kids need to also have personal prayer lives – even when you aren’t there to remind them to pray.

Raising children to be spiritually resilient takes time and effort. Without spiritual resiliency, however, your children will find it difficult to be who God created them to be for their entire lives. It is worth taking the extra time and effort to help them develop it.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. What does being spiritually resilient mean in everyday life? 
  2. What can we do this week to become more spiritually resilient? What can we do to help our kids be more spiritually resilient?

Under New Ownership

Posted on by Wes M. Ward

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19

Looking for a fresh start, Benjamin Mees goes house hunting. Unfortunately, the only place he likes also happens to be part of Rosemoor Animal Park, a working but dilapidated zoo. He buys it hoping the zoo will bring his broken family closer. The zoo is under new management.

How often do you see a business put up a new sign that says, “under new management” or “new ownership”? There are various reasons for putting up a sign new management, but the inference is that the service will be better because the new management team is better. The new owners want you to know things are different so your experience will be different. The bottom line is that being under new management does not guarantee a better experience.

Unlike Benjamin Mees, however, it is rare to get a do-over, a reboot, a get out of jail free card and thus a chance to rewind and have a fresh start.  Often it seems that our original course and direction in life seems to be the long-term course and we are stuck under the old management. The beauty of the message of Jesus Christ, however, is that you can stick up a under new management sign on your heart and it will make a huge difference in your life. 

And when we are under God’s management, He wants to do new things in our lives.  He wants us to forget about our past failures and disappointments and look to the future with anticipation of what He is going to do. God desires to work in our lives as never before, but we must surrender to Him. There are great benefits to be derived from being where God wants you to be and doing what He wants you to do. 

God not only wants to do a new thing in our lives. He wants to clarify our focus so that we can discover what God wants for us. The question is do we see the possibilities or the problems in change? In Isaiah 43:19 God says, “I am making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” God is able to transform the wilderness and desert areas of our lives.

God has already set into motion a new direction and a new purpose for your life — will you follow Him? When God says that He is going to do a new thing, you can be sure that He will follow through with His promise. God does have a plan for your life, but it’s not your job to sneak into his back office and try to find your file that lets you in on all the “secrets”. God’s not hiding something from you. We have the God-given abilities to think through options, assess the cost and dangers, pray for wisdom and direction … and then use 20 seconds of insane courage to prove that we are indeed under new management. 

 Discussion Questions:

  1. Are we more concerned about God’s mission and less concerned about our mission?
  2. If you had the ability, which part of your life would you like to put under new management?
  3. What’s one thing has God asked you to do that you are too scared to try?
  4. What can God do that I can’t concerning a new direction?
  5. Whom can I lean on to support my purpose? How can I reach out to support a friend’s new direction in life?