(Read Daniel 2:1-11)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)” as we study the life of Daniel. In our last message in this series I told you that God can give you the grace to outshine and outperform your peers, which is exactly what He did for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We pick up their story today in Daniel chapter 2.
During Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king, he had dreams. They bothered him to the point where he could not sleep. So the king called for his wise men, who were accustomed to using magic and watching the stars to interpret dreams and learn what would happen in the future. Nebuchadnezzar asked them to interpret the dream on the spot, right in front of him. The wise men said, “King, live forever! Please tell your dream to us, your servants, and then we will tell you what it means.” But king Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “No, you must tell me the dream, and then you must tell me what it means. If you don’t, I will give an order for you to be cut into pieces. And I will order your houses to be destroyed until they are nothing but piles of dust and ashes. But if you tell me my dream and explain its meaning, I will give you gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me about my dream and what it means.” This was a bad situation for the wise men, because they were accustomed to hearing the dream first, and then giving an interpretation.
The wise men asked the king a second time, “Please, Sir, tell us about the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” The king answered, “You are stalling. You are trying to get more time. You know that I meant what I said. You know you will be punished if you don’t tell me about my dream… Now tell me the dream. If you can tell me the dream, I will know that you can tell me what it really means.” The wise men answered and said, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking! No king has ever asked the wise men, the men who do magic, or the Chaldeans to do something like this. Not even the greatest and most powerful king has ever asked his wise men to do such a thing. The king is asking something that is too hard to do. Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don’t live with people.”
We will stop here for today, but I am sure you know this is a setup for Daniel to do what the wise men could not do. This sounds just like Joseph’s story.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- The power of this world is limited, but the power of God is limitless. When you remove every artificial limit you have placed on your limitless God, you gain access to the supernatural.
- There are no impossibilities in God, but you must expand your capacity to believe to the point where the impossible becomes possible for you.
- When the power and systems of this world fail it creates an open door for the power of God to be manifested.
- Where human ability ends the grace of God can kick in and enable you to do the supernatural.
- God’s wants to work through you to do what you can’t do without Him. He has the power. Your work is only to believe.
- The reason you can perform the supernatural is because you won’t be the one doing the work. All you have to do is believe and submit, and God will manifest and perform.
- Once you are Born-Again, the supernatural should become natural for you.
a) Yesterday in church my Pastor asked me to pray for a man who had lower back pain. I laid hands on his back, he felt a ‘heat’ surge through his back and his body, and all the pain left. I did nothing but believe. I had no power to heal his back. My part was to believe and to lay hands, God’s part was to do what I could not do with human ability.
b) A couple of weeks ago I prayed for a man in jail whose hand was visibly twisted and he was in severe arthritis pain. The Father had me to touch his hand, curse the arthritis, and release the power of God. When I opened my eyes, after just a few seconds, his hand looked normal and the pain was gone. Once again, this was God and not me. God can use anyone to perform the supernatural, He is just looking for His children to believe.
c) I could give you countless examples and testimonies of God’s supernatural power flowing through humans in the earth today. The point is that our perfect God uses imperfect people in supernatural ways, by His grace, for His glory. All you must do is believe and allow Him to use you. Will you?
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You are holy and I am, on my own, far from holy. You are perfect and I am, in and of myself, flawed. You are limitless and I am, in my power and ability, clearly limited. But Father, You have taken up residence inside of me and You freely give me access to supernatural power. As a Born-Again, Spirit-filled believer, You expect the supernatural to become natural to me. Not by my power, but by Your grace. So my part is to believe and attempt whatever You tell me to do, in faith. Your part is to do what I cannot do. Together, we will make a supernatural difference and leave a mark in this world that will never be erased. I am a believer and supernatural signs will follow me. And when they do, it will not be because I did it. It will be because I died to self to the point where Your power was able to freely flow through me. So as I enter this day and this week I say, “Here I am Father, use me for Your glory. None of me and all of You. Speak through my vocal chords, think through my mind, and operate through my limbs. That Your very power, Your supernatural power, would be manifested in the earth through me, Your child, a willing vessel.” I believe this shall come to pass. I believe You will use me for Your glory. I believe the supernatural is now natural for me. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
