Christians often act as if they, too, are the walking dead. The question is not whether or not there is a God, the question is whether or not we can trust God enough to allow Him to heal all our situations, by His power and might. We must rely on God, just as Daniel did while he was in the lion's den, and just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did, as they were tossed into the roaring, white hot furnace. They were miraculously helped and they did not try to save their lives, but gave them up for Him (who subsequently saved their lives). Not only were their lives saved, but a wonderful witness was made that drew many people to the Lord and changed the course of history, as rulers embraced the one, real God.

We must be willing to give up our lives (our towers of self-sufficiency) and get down on our knees as we "pray through" the things that concern us. It may take hours for the necessary faith to build up in us, until we know our prayers have been answered. These are the best hours we will ever spend, for if we choose to just drop the prayers and handle everything by our own strength, we will miss the wonderful opportunity to know God. And we will be teaching ourselves that everything must be done of our own strength. We must give God a chance to work in our lives. This same God who fed the 5,000 on just a few loaves and fishes, will supply all of our needs. But a much higher trust is needed, and a belief of far greater depth is needed in order to shake the gates of heaven, assuring a response from our mighty God. Storm the gates of heaven with your prayers and prove your God is able and trustworthy to handle your needs! Storm the gates with your faith. Then trust and watch God open doors to walk through, and open the windows of heaven, allowing the richness of His Spirit to come down and bless all concerned, in your prayer request. Mountains will move with prayers of this depth.

Christians, be a mighty witness to the atheists and secular humanists of today. They, too, need to know the truth and be set free. Above all, don't show them a mundane life, with a weak and confused Lord Jesus at the helm of your ship. Don't try to sneak as much carnality into your life as you can, between the church services you attend. Don't think you can hide yourself from God, and disobey Him, and not get in hot water. That has been tried already in the Garden of Eden and it got Adam and Eve expelled from that lovely and blissful place. Christians who are reading this, I have an urgent request: The Lord needs you to be fully committed to your faith.

There are too many in this world, floundering in self-sufficiency and worldly rationalism, for you to rest on your laurels, (even as you grab the remote control device to channel surf). Can't you hear the cries of your fellow men on this dark planet? Is your heart so calloused and hard, that you don't see the results all around us, of our attempt to take care of ourselves, without God? Ask yourself honestly, is secular humanism working to save our world, to save our souls? Has God even been able to communicate His will to you? Praying to know God's will, during the few minutes between TV shows, is simply not enough. Are there neighbors and friends and personal enemies that you aren't praying for? Then let me ask you, how much do you REALLY love Jesus? He says, in the Word, that if you don't love me, then don't follow My commands. Are you willing to turn off the TV, the DVDs, and get down on your knees and pray, as if your life in Him meant something?

Right now it looks as if most everyone, the Christian included, has the mindset of the atheist. Many Christians give only lip service to the Lord, but live their lives as if He doesn't even exist. Doesn't this make them Christian atheists? Richard Dawkins claims to admire Jesus, even owning an "Atheists for Jesus" T-shirt. It seems ridiculous, yet many Christians are right there with him, walking in the same ludicrous hypocrisy. If Christians would flourish by their full commitment to Christ, there would be mighty revival on this earth and the power of God would be manifested for all to see. Right now, all we appear to have is ourselves to rely on. Philippians 4:13 says, in effect, that we can do all things ONLY through Christ who strengthens us. Can we not understand this?

If the lions had gone ahead and eaten Daniel, he would have been happy until the end, because he could not forsake the God he knew loved him. If the three who were tossed in the furnace had burned up in the flames, they would have died happy, because they could not deny their one true God. We have to ask ourselves, do we love our God that much? Or are we merely trying to save our tiny lives, as we try to keep our fragile and pain-filled bodies as comfortable as possible, before the grim reaper shows up at our door? Is this all we can do with our lives is save them so that, perhaps, we can watch the next day's television programming? Be willing to die to self, and be willing to venture into pain, for others, so that you can call on God with all your heart and receive His help as you give of yourself. Do you think you belong only to yourself? You are not your own. You've been bought with a great price. You do not belong to yourself, but you belong to God. If you keep yourself for yourself, you will not be happy. When dying to self for others, however, you honor Jesus and the blood He shed for us. This leads to a satisfying "real" life on earth as opposed to an unreal life that is lived through fictional characters on the TV, as you sit on your couch.

The Book of Daniel, in the Bible, was written during a time when God's chosen people were in captivity. Daniel and his friends were surrounded by people who did not know God and who were worshipping an idol of the king. Anyone who did not worship this idol was considered an infidel and killed. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, despite their captivity, were very strong in the Lord, their God. God knew their hearts and their willingness to give up everything for Him. But, God did not rescue any of these devotees until they had experienced what should have killed them. Daniel had to spend the night with hungry lions and his three friends had to be tossed into the furnace and its roaring, white hot fire. Miracles cannot happen until we are willing to give our all to God. There must not be one reservation, not one doubt, not one diversion or excuse.

Today we are surrounded by people who mock the Christian Bible declaring it laughable, and who find the Christian's belief in God, something they can barely tolerate. One thing they have made clear: Christians are never to interfere with their way of life, even if their way of life is leading them straight into the pits of hell. Welcome to the age of rationalism, where everything must be understood by the intellect. Christians are now in captivity by this group. They must pray for those who swim in waters so cold, they are numb to the miracles of God. Unfortunately, Christians are leaving their principles and joining the other side by the droves. The Bible is no longer believed as fact, but is accepted only as myth. Mostly, though, it is left on the bookshelf, gathering dust, not being read at all.

I'm not advocating that we do anything more than what Daniel and his friends did, long ago. We need to pray to our one, true God, no matter what people around us are doing. We need to pray humbly and sincerely--and powerfully shake the gates of heaven, for those whom God has placed in our lives (including the atheists). We must never dilute and dull our trust in the most high God. Be careful, if participating in worldly activities, to always be in prayer and helpful to others, who are with you. This is the only reason for a Christian's participation in worldly activities.

With our eyes focused only on our Lord, invariably, we will be tossed into the fires of disapproval by our peers. We want to be able to witness to them that God is real. When we are thrown into the lion's den and about to be made into a meal by a haughty, high minded atheist, who places himself above God, we need to be able to show him the truth by our unwavering stance and our sincere humility, knowing it is not ourselves doing the work, but God. We need to show him that God is real. We need to be in the world, but not of it. We need to go to our God so strongly and with all of our hearts, that the atheist will be dumbfounded, and will soon find himself crying out to his Lord and God for mercy, as he wonders how he could have ever been so blind. How can we be this strong? Again I quote from God's Word: All things are possible through Christ, who strengthens me.

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