The Three Hebrew Boys (Part III)

(Dan 3:19 CEV) Nebuchadnezzar's face twisted with anger at the three men. And he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual.

This morning we continuing with the story of the Three Hebrew Boys. Yesterday we saw how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego responded to Nebuchadnezzar's ultimatum. Instead of buckling under the pressure of the situation and the threat of the death penalty, they simply said: "Your Majesty, we don't need to defend ourselves. The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. But even if he doesn't, we still won't worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up."

You know this infuriated the king to no end. Our text tells us that the king's face literally twisted with anger towards the Hebrew boys. The enemy hates it when we resist the fear of his attacks; especially when our resistance is rooted in the faith that we have in our God.

The next thing king Nebuchadnezzar did is what I want to focus in on this morning. The king ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Just so we are clear, the furnace would have killed any human on the first setting. The fire was already raging. But the king took the fire from level one to level eight for two reasons:

1. Because he lost his cool: King Nebuchadnezzar really liked these guys. If he did not have a personal relationship with them I don't believe he would have ever given them a second chance to bow before the statue. I am convinced that he did not want to have the boys killed and he wanted to give them every opportunity to do the right thing (in his eyes) and bow. However, when they defied him to his face he lost his temper and got reckless. He turned the fire up so high that one of his soldiers was killed while attempting to put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. The enemy has a short fuse and he hates it when we are not moved by his threats. If you really want to get the enemy stirred up, just continue to operate in Joy and Peace, even if the face of his best attacks. If he hits you with his best shot and you continue to face very day with a spring in your step, a song in your heart, and a smile on your face, he won't know what to do!

2. . To put additional pressure on the boys: One of the common tactics of the enemy is to turn up the pressure on us to see if we are going to succumb to it. I really believe that if the boys had succumb to the fear of the fire, especially after it was cranked up to level eight, that the king would have never had them thrown in. When you are standing in faith for something and you are waiting on God for it to come to pass, the enemy will do all he can to get you to relax the hold of your faith, even if it means cranking up the pressure. Too many believers expect life to be a cake-walk and when things get hard they simply give up on their faith, they lower their expectations, and they say things like: "Well, I guess that was not God's will for me." No, just because it is hard it does not automatically mean it is not God's will. There are many examples in scripture and in life where God did great things through men, but only because the men (and women) were willing to endure all sorts of opposition.

So what does this mean to you? Let's seek to glean a few golden nuggets:

1. Even if the enemy turns up the pressure on you, you must refuse to succumb and cave in!

2. Facing challenges does not an automatic indication that you are outside of God's will.

3. To do great thing for God you will have to face strong opposition.

4. If you remain in faith, fear will have no power over you.

5. You drive the enemy crazy when you remain calm in the midst of a storm!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for developing a Warrior Spirit in me. I know I face a real enemy who will come at me with real attacks, but I also serve a real God that can show up in my life in real ways! My confidence is in You Father and I will remain confident, even when up against tremendous pressure to cave in. I won't allow my external to dictate my internal. I will maintain Joy and Peace in believing, no matter what the enemy sends my way! Like Jesus, I can sleep in the midst of a storm, because I refuse to allow fear to overcome me! In Jesus' name. Amen.