Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning.
It is Friday. It's preparation day, June fourteenth, twenty twenty four.
Hello, my name is Elle David Harris. I am your host,
and this is your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day,
and today is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series
the Great Controversy. Our caption for today is Stand Firm. I want you
to stand firm. Yes, we'll get into that in just a moment,
but first I'd like to say welcome to you and ask you to please go
over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community, pick
up the Your Daily Portion book and let us know where you are in the
world at your Daily Portion dot com. This is one of the ways that
we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray and then
we will get underway. Father in heaven, thank you for giving us this
day. Please teach us to stand for truth, stand firm according to your
word. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. Okay,
So we if you were reading through the lesson study manual, the booklet
or quarterly then you would have gotten them some heavy stuff this week concerning history
and Bible prophecy, and it's like, wow, what do we do now?
It seems so heavy. The prognosis seems grim, right, But the
reality is that every single trial and tribulation that you've ever been through means that
God actually brought you through him because you went through them. He's like,
what what did you just say? Yes, everything that you've been through God
brought you through. And so God is going to do it again, and
for the big one, He's going to do it again, and that will
be it. That will be his final answer. No more trials, tribulations,
no more death, dying, crying or pain. For the former things
will have been passed away finally, we're looking forward to that day. But
in the meantime, I want you to do what Paul said when he was
teaching us about the whole armor of God, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and then and then not making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust
thereof He said stand. He said, stand firm. That's what he said.
He taught us to stand firm through the power the Holy goes God is
saying for you in twenty twenty four and beyond stand firm, stand firm,
three young men, did that? Let me talk about it in just a
moment. Let's read from the Book of Daniel, chapter one, in verse
eight, a few basic words. It says, but Daniel, that's a
conjunction, so it negates whatever came before. The people wanted Daniel to do
something that would have been defiling to his character. But Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not defile himself. He purposed in his heart that he
would not defile himself. The details we don't need to get into today,
but the fact is that they wanted Daniel to defile himself and to prepare himself
for service to the king. And he was like Nah, I'm good on
that. Let me do something that is in service to the King of the
universe, and then it'll benefit the king on planet Earth. And thank God
Daniel stood. In fact, in another instance, the Bible teaches us that
his three friends Ah Hannanayah, Michael, and Azariah, those three friends stood
up for Jesus. They stood up for Jesus when King nebicud Nezar decided that
he was going to be a pope to the people and that he was going
to be the one that they venerated and somehow they were to worship and erected
an idol to himself in the plane of Dura. He said, at which
time you hear the music, and then he gives the how the music will
play. He said, I need you to bow bow to the image of
nebuicud Nezer. And the Bible says that they did not bow. Everybody else
who was there bowed. Thank God, Daniel wasn't there bowing. Whoever else
was there, they bowed, even the people who were supposed to lead the
people of God. Oh, I think there's an echo in here. For
the last three days, we scratch the surface. But there will be people
who claim to be God's people who will bow in the same way to the
same image. Principally that leads people away from God. The Bible says that
the people there said, wait a minute, King, you have some people
that you've brought close to you. These are captives from Israel, Hebrew captives,
let me put it that way. And they have not bowed to your
image. And so the Bible says that Nebuchadnezzar sent for them. He sent
for them and said, wait a minute, now, what is this that
I'm hearing. Ah, I heard that you did not bow to my image.
What's going on? And they said, oh, King, live forever.
HM. We are not careful to answer you in this matter, but
we know this. Our God can deliver us, because he gave them an
opportunity to bow, or else they would die. He said, our God
is able to deliver us, but if he doesn't choose to deliver us,
we still will not bow. We're gonna stand firm. King. The Bible
says that the king, when they did not bow, he caused his men
to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it already was. Those men actually
died, who did the king's bidding to heat up the furnace, and then
they threw those young men down into the furnace, the Bible says bound.
The Bible says that they went in s three and then God made himself visible
through the person of Christ before he was born to Mary. The Bible says
the king, looking into those flames, he said, wait a minute,
did we not throw in three? But now how do I see four loose
and walking in the midst of the flames? And so the Bible teaches us
that that fourth one who caused these young men to stand firm was Jesus Christ
himself. He was one like the son of God. This is what the
king saw even back then then he said, what I'm seeing here is the
fourth looking like the son of God, or a son of the Gods in
his way of saying it. And so I'm thankful that God has not left
us, even in the trials that we will experience here in the near future.
I don't know when it's gonna happen, but it's going to come,
and it's going to come suddenly. When this same kind of scenario is presented
to us, we must stand and not bow down, Stand firm and not
bow down. In fact, the Bible says in Matthew chapter four and verse
ten, quoting Jesus, as he was given an opportunity to bow to the
enemy, he said, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve. When people give you an opportunity to bow to the
enemy by gossiping, do not bow. Stand firm on God's word. When
people give you an opportunity to bow to the enemy by backbiting and being envious
and jealous and pola tricking inside and outside of the church, when they give
you an opportunity to bow to that image of self reliance, I need you
to stand firm, everybody, and worship the Lord. And him only shalt
thou serve. You're tempted to bow to your intellect, bow to your religious
training, bow to those who employ you. I need you to stand firm
on God's word when you're tempted to bow by being angry toward people who disrespect
you. Remember remember this is the way that they treated the prophets who were
before you. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great as your reward in heaven,
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. So worship the
Lord God, and worship him only now. The Bible says in Romans chapter
twelve and verse two. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Do not let the world squeeze you into
its mold, but stand firm. Conform to not the world, but be
transformed by God. Be transformed by God in order to endure the trial that
is before them. I'm reading a quote from the book Great Controversy, page
five hundred and ninety three. They must understand the will of God, that's
me, that's you, brothers and sisters, as revealed in his word.
They can honor him only as they have a right conception of his character,
his government, his purposes, and act in accordance to them. None but
those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through
the last great conflict. Fortify your life and mind in a relationship with God
through his word. Stand firm. Have a wonderful day. Peace. Thanks
for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has
been your daily portion with el David Harris, make it a great day. Yeah,