🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ How to Sleep With Lions — Pt. 2 “With Your Shield of Faith & Consistent Prayer!”
Scripture: Daniel 6:10 (NIV)
Daniel learned that the decree had been published, but he still went home to his upstairs room, where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had always done.
(Scripture paraphrased from the NIV. )
Devotion
Have you ever believed in something SO MUCH that nobody could change your mind about it?
For example, somebody could tell me that Michael Jackson wasn’t the greatest entertainer of all time.
And I’d say, “WELL, THAT’S YOUR OPINION!” 😂
You could show me another entertainer’s record sales, performances, awards, and accomplishments.
And I’d still say, “BUT DID YOU SEE MICHAEL JACKSON DO THE MOONWALK?” 😂😂
Because when we wholeheartedly believe something, it doesn’t matter what somebody else thinks!
WE BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE!
And it’s funny how we often have more faith in EVERYTHING ELSE than we do in GOD!
Whewwwww! 😮💨
We’ll believe something we read on the worldwide web without even checking to see if it’s true!
We’ll believe a complete stranger on social media!
We’ll believe somebody’s prediction about what’s going to happen tomorrow!
We’ll believe all kinds of things people tell us!
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO BELIEVING GOD AND HIS WORD, SUDDENLY WE HAVE DOUBTS!
WOWWWW! 👀
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!
We will put more confidence in what somebody posted online than in what God has already spoken in His Word!
WE ARE DISCREDITING AND DISREGARDING THE WRONG THING, AND THAT’S GOD AND HIS WORD! 🙌🏽😮💨
My, my, my!
And here’s something else.
We’ll take time to do EVERYTHING BUT PRAY!
We’ll take time to read EVERYTHING BUT A SCRIPTURE!
We’ll read any book except the Bible!
We’ll scroll through social media for an hour without realizing how much time has passed.
But spending fifteen minutes in prayer suddenly seems like a long time!
AND I’M NOT GON’ EVEN LIST ALL THE THINGS WE PUT BEFORE GOD!
Whewwwww! 😮💨🙌🏽
YET HERE YOU ARE, SLEEPING WITH LIONS!
You’re surrounded by problems.
You’re dealing with people who don’t mean you any good.
You’re facing situations you cannot control.
You’re trying to figure out how to overcome the enemy and make it through some of the biggest tests of your life!
AND YOU’RE NEGLECTING THE VERY ONE YOU NEED THE MOST!
YOU NEED GOD!
WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥
Come on, let’s verbally acknowledge this right now!
“LORD, I NEED YOU!” 🙏🏽🙌🏽
Say it again!
“LORD, I NEED YOU!”
GLORY HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
Because in order to pass the biggest tests of life, overcome the enemy, and trust God to show up for us, IT TAKES FAITH!
And that faith must be strengthened through a consistent relationship with God!
Now, let’s get back to our brother Daniel!
We’re continuing our PRAY HERE devotion series, “HOW TO SLEEP WITH LIONS!” 🦁
In Part 1, we learned that Daniel was chosen because of his exceptional character, integrity, and excellence.
King Darius planned to place him over the kingdom.
But the other officials were not happy about it!
They searched for something they could use against Daniel, but they couldn’t find any corruption or negligence in his work.
DANIEL WAS TRUSTWORTHY!
And because they couldn’t find anything wrong with his character, they decided to use his faith against him!
MY, MY, MY! 😮💨
The officials persuaded the king to issue a decree that, for thirty days, nobody could pray to any god or human being except the king.
Anyone who disobeyed would be thrown into the lions’ den!
NOW THEY HAD SET THE TRAP!
And they knew exactly who they wanted to catch in it!
DANIEL!
But let’s read today’s Scripture together.
Daniel 6:10 tells us that when Daniel learned the decree had been published, he went home and continued praying three times a day, giving thanks to God.
JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
THE DECREE DID NOT CHANGE DANIEL’S ROUTINE!
The threat did not stop him!
The pressure did not stop him!
And the possibility of being thrown into a den of lions did not stop him!
DANIEL KEPT PRAYING!
My, my, my!
And here’s what I love about this Scripture.
Daniel didn’t suddenly decide to become a praying man because he was in trouble.
HE ALREADY HAD A CONSISTENT PRAYER LIFE!
Prayer wasn’t something Daniel did only when he needed something.
Prayer was part of his everyday life!
He had already developed the habit of going before God.
AND WHEN TROUBLE CAME, HE DIDN’T ABANDON THE VERY THING THAT HAD BEEN STRENGTHENING HIM!
Whewwwww! 🙌🏽
Now, let me ask you something.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PRAYER LIFE WHEN TROUBLE SHOWS UP?
Do you pray more?
Or do you become so overwhelmed that you stop praying altogether?
Because sometimes that’s exactly what happens!
We get discouraged.
We get frustrated.
We become angry about what somebody has done to us.
We start worrying about what’s going to happen next.
And before we know it, we’re spending more time thinking about our enemies than talking to God!
DON’T LET THE ENEMY DISTRACT YOU FROM THE VERY THING THAT HELPS YOU STAND STRONG AGAINST HIM!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🔥
The enemy wants you to stop!
Stop praying!
Stop reading your Bible!
Stop coming together with other believers!
Stop going to church!
Stop trusting God!
Stop believing His promises!
DON’T FALL FOR IT!
Because when you stop feeding your faith, your fears can begin taking over!
And that’s why we need our SHIELD OF FAITH!
Ephesians 6:16 tells us to take up the shield of faith, which enables us to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
FAITH IS PART OF OUR SPIRITUAL ARMOR!
And when the enemy starts throwing discouragement, fear, intimidation, and doubt in your direction, you need to be spiritually prepared!
YOU CANNOT ALLOW EVERY ATTACK TO KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET!
My, my, my! 🙌🏽
Now, look at Daniel again.
He knew about the decree!
He knew the consequences!
He knew the people around him were looking for a way to accuse him!
BUT HE DID NOT ALLOW THE FEAR OF MAN TO BECOME GREATER THAN HIS FAITH IN GOD!
Whewwwww! 😮💨
And notice something else.
DANIEL WAS STILL GIVING THANKS TO GOD!
WAIT A MINUTE! 👀
There’s a decree threatening his life, and Daniel is STILL THANKING GOD?
NOW THAT’S FAITH!
He didn’t know how everything would turn out.
But he continued doing what he had always done.
He prayed!
He gave thanks!
And he remained faithful!
DANIEL’S CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGED, BUT HIS COMMITMENT TO GOD DID NOT!
HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, let’s bring this home.
Maybe you’re working around people who constantly watch everything you do.
They’re waiting for you to make a mistake.
They’re looking for something they can report.
They question your decisions, criticize your work, and seem determined to make your life difficult.
DON’T LET THEM CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR FAITH!
Keep praying!
Keep doing what’s right!
Keep your integrity!
And trust God to help you navigate the situation with wisdom!
Or maybe you’re dealing with people who don’t respect your faith.
They make jokes because you pray.
They criticize you for going to church.
They question why you believe the Bible.
They try to make you feel foolish for trusting God.
DON’T ALLOW SOMEBODY ELSE’S UNBELIEF TO BECOME YOUR UNBELIEF!
Whewwwww! 🙌🏽
And here’s another one.
Maybe you’re facing a situation where somebody has the authority to make decisions that affect your life.
A supervisor.
An employer.
A person in leadership.
Someone who has the power to make things difficult for you.
And because you’re afraid of what they might do, you’re tempted to compromise your values or stop doing what you know is right.
REMEMBER DANIEL!
The king had authority over the kingdom, and his decree carried serious consequences.
But Daniel understood something.
NO EARTHLY AUTHORITY WAS GREATER THAN THE GOD HE SERVED!
That doesn’t mean we should be disrespectful, reckless, or unwilling to follow legitimate rules.
But when obedience to people requires disobedience to God, our faith must remain firm!
DON’T LET INTIMIDATION PUSH YOU AWAY FROM GOD!
My, my, my!
And here’s what I want you to understand about the people who were watching Daniel.
THEY WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO HIS CONSISTENCY!
They knew he prayed!
They knew he was faithful!
They knew his relationship with God was important to him!
AND THEY USED WHAT THEY KNEW ABOUT HIS FAITH TO SET A TRAP!
Whewwwww! 😮💨
Isn’t it something when people know your good character so well that they begin looking for a way to use it against you?
But don’t let that frighten you!
THE FACT THAT SOMEBODY IS WATCHING YOU DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO STOP BEING FAITHFUL!
And just because somebody is plotting against you doesn’t mean you need to start plotting against them!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT EVERYBODY WHO IS FIGHTING AGAINST YOU!
Pray!
Use wisdom!
Protect yourself appropriately!
And keep your faith in God!
Because sometimes we spend so much energy trying to figure out what people are doing that we neglect what GOD has instructed us to do!
STOP GIVING YOUR ENEMIES MORE ATTENTION THAN YOU GIVE GOD!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, here’s the part I really want you to take with you today.
DANIEL DIDN’T WAIT UNTIL HE WAS SURROUNDED BY LIONS TO START BUILDING HIS FAITH!
He had already established a relationship with God through consistent prayer!
And that’s what we need to do!
Don’t wait until you’re in trouble to start seeking God.
Don’t wait until you’re afraid to start reading His Word.
Don’t wait until everything is falling apart to make prayer a priority.
BUILD YOUR FAITH BEFORE THE TEST COMES!
And when the test comes, KEEP PRAYING!
Even when you’re tired.
Even when you’re disappointed.
Even when people are against you.
Even when you don’t understand what God is doing.
KEEP PRAYING AND KEEP TRUSTING GOD!
Now, prayer and faith do not mean that we’ll never face hardship.
Daniel’s faithfulness didn’t make the decree disappear.
But he refused to let the decree determine whether he would remain faithful to God.
THAT’S THE KIND OF FAITH WE NEED!
Faith that doesn’t disappear when things get difficult.
Faith that doesn’t depend on everybody liking us.
Faith that doesn’t crumble because somebody threatens us.
FAITH THAT REMAINS STEADY BECAUSE WE KNOW WHO OUR GOD IS!
WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥
And I want to leave you with this.
YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO NEGLECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WHILE YOU’RE SURROUNDED BY LIONS!
You need His wisdom!
You need His strength!
You need His peace!
You need His guidance!
YOU NEED GOD!
So don’t let the enemy convince you to stop doing the very things that strengthen your faith.
PICK UP YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH!
GET BACK TO CONSISTENT PRAYER!
And when trouble comes, let your response be like Daniel’s.
KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’VE ALWAYS DONE TO HONOR GOD!
Because the lions may be around you, but they don’t have to control your faith!
DON’T LET THE THREAT CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
KEEP YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH UP AND YOUR PRAYER LIFE STRONG! 🦁🙌🏽🙏🏽💙
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Today, I want you to examine your faith and your consistency in prayer.
Am I giving more time and attention to everything else in my life than I am giving to prayer and God’s Word?
When I face opposition, intimidation, or difficult circumstances, do I remain consistent in my relationship with God, or do I allow those things to distract me?
Am I strengthening my faith daily, or am I waiting until trouble comes to start seeking God?
And here’s the question I really want you to sit with:
IF THE ENEMY TRIED TO USE MY FAITH AGAINST ME, WOULD I REMAIN AS CONSISTENT AS DANIEL?
Today, make prayer a priority.
Set aside time to talk to God.
Read His Word.
And when something comes against you, don’t allow fear, anger, or discouragement to pull you away from Him.
DON’T FALL FOR THE TRAP!
KEEP PRAYING. KEEP BELIEVING. KEEP TRUSTING GOD!
🙏🏽 Prayer
Heavenly Father, Lord, I need You! Please strengthen my faith and help me become more consistent in prayer and reading Your Word. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed distractions, fear, and difficult circumstances to take my attention away from You. Help me keep my shield of faith lifted when the enemy comes against me. Give me the courage to remain faithful like Daniel, even when people oppose me or try to intimidate me. Lord, help me trust You more, pray more, and never allow trouble to weaken my relationship with You. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
🙏🏽 Need Prayer Today?
CLICK HERE, IF YOU NEED TO SUBMIT A PRAYER REQUEST TODAY. LET US SUPPORT YOU IN PRAYER.
💙 PRAY HERE 30-Day Prayer Journals
LET GOD — 30-Day Women’s Prayer & Surrender Journal
What I Can’t Say Out Loud — 30-Day Men’s Prayer Journal
Comments