Speaker 1: 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.
Speaker 2: Vibrant lives.
Speaker 1: Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It is Thursday, the
twenty sixth day of June and twenty twenty five. Hello.
My name is El 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 with just a couple of days left
in our lesson study series how to study Bible Prophecy,
and today we are covering Cyrus the Anointed, Oh, Cyrus
the Anointed. We'll get into that in just a moment,
but first I like to say welcome to everyone joining us,
especially those joining us for the very first time. Please
go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join
our online community. Please pick up the Your Daily Portion
Life Application Guide. You'll want to pick up the one
for this quarter, even though it's done. The quarter is done,
but it's something you can use when you're studying the
same concepts over the next few years, if you choose.
And also the new one that's coming out in a
couple of days is right there, right there 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,
We thank you for giving us the privilege of being
a called and that you've decided that we should be saved.
Please help us to cooperate with you. Please help us
to be a foreshadowing of Christ in our spheres of influence.
In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. Now
somebody might be wondering, why would you say be a
foreshadow of Christ? You know, or you could use reflection
if that makes you more, you know, if you feel
better about that. But the fact is, when people see me,
when people see you, I think the Bible text says,
let your light so shine before humans that when they
see your good works, they glorify your Father, which is
in heaven. And so God's intent for our lives is
that we so model the life of Jesus Christ that
when people see us, they see God. When they see us,
they see how the character of God is manifest in
the world through our lives. And there are times that
people God uses people in ways that we don't even
really know that He's using us. So what better way
to be connected to God than to allow him actively
and intentionally to use us. And so the lesson writer says,
when Cyrus sacked the city of Babylon, the years of
captivity for God's people were over, and the Persians permitted
them to return to the Promised Land and rebuild the temple.
Under Cyrus, the Persian Empire became the largest in history,
with what historian Tom Holland calls the largest agglomeration of
territories that the world had ever seen. And that comes
from Dominion Basic Books, and that comes from the Kindle Edition,
page twenty five. And so, continuing as was the custom
among the Persians, Cyrus was even called the Great King
in air quotes, or the King of kings. Isn't it
interesting that the one who was called God's anointed really
did a lot of the work that Jesus was to
come and do in the future. In Isaiah chapter forty
five and verse one, God refers to Cyrus as his anointed. Now,
before we get too far afield, I want to see
if we can make application, and then I'll come back
with some lessons for us. Okay, we're going to use
our Relationships application from the Life Application Guide on Let's
see what page is this two hundred and thirty four.
What is important now? We are using the acronym win win.
What is in important? Important? Now? God placed Cyrus in
history not only for God's people. I need you to listen.
If you're one of God's people, understand it wasn't only
for the people of God in that time, but for
the world to know who really is in control. You
see Babylon under under Nebuchadnezzar and then subsequently under Belshazzar. Yeah,
they thought that they would always be in control. I
am that head of gold. Well, God said of Nebuchadnezzer,
you are that head of gold. God humbled Nebuchadnezzar. Eventually Belshazzar,
he just thought that he would be in power forever until,
of course God gave the blueprint. Really, God gave the
blueprint to the enemies of Babylon and how to lay
siege and to take over Babylon. And so God is
the one that's in control. Whatever country you're in, whatever
kingdom you are now in, understand that God literally is
the one under control. Even when things seem to be
really completely creepy and crazy. There were some of you
that could raise your hands right now and say that
the way your countries are being led you're confused about
and you're wondering, God, how could you be in control
of this? Well, just know, based on this experience that
God really is the one that is in control. I
wish I had the time to deal with the details.
But your influence could be someone else's turning point. Your
influence could become someone else's turning point. Cyrus's influence was
the turning point of history as we know it. It
was the turning point of God's people. It was the
turning point of history as we know it. And then
for the eye, internalize the insight. You don't have to
be perfect, and I need you to hold on. Do
not shut this broadcast off here because you'll get the
wrong idea if you do. You do not have to
be perfect to be used by God. Now, don't turn
it off. Neither did Cyrus. Availability is more important than ability.
I said availability is more important than ability. Now, the
Bible does very clearly say that we should be perfect
for the Lord. Our God is perfect. But God didn't
say that we needed to tidy our own lives up
so that we could come into His presence as tidy
people that need no more work from God. And then
he would use us. No, we come to God as
we are. He uses us and sanctifies and purifies us.
But along the process, God is really about availability more
than he is about ability. He will equipped equip the called.
And then, and what is the next best move? Encourage
someone with doubts about whether they're worthy or not, whether
they're worthy to be used by God or not. I
need you to encourage them. That might be you. You
may need to encourage yourself. Remind them of Cyrus and
how God always writes better stories than we can expect.
And so there were some more lessons that we we
needed to glean from this story. And the first one
would be God can use anyone willing or not to
fulfill his will. I didn't say that we needed to
be unwilling or stubborn and then God would just use anything.
That's not what I just said. But God has a
way of using people. Cyrus didn't know what God was doing.
He didn't know personally that God was going to use
him as a symbol of Christ as in Isaiah chapter
forty four. He didn't know all the way to forty five.
He didn't know his decree. Through though political fulfilled this
divine prophecy, he had no idea how God was using him.
And so right now we need to choose not to
underestimate who God might use in my story in your story,
do not underestimate whom God might use in our story.
Pray for discernment to recognize the unlikely life the instruments
of God's deliverance. Let's see if we can get a
couple more lessons in here. Liberation always begins with a
word from the Lord. You see the decree in Second Chronicles,
chapter thirty six and verse twenty two is that the
Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. The word opened
the path for God's people to go home and to
rebuild and So liberation always begins with the word from
the Lord. So meditate on one promise from the scriptures
this week, as if it were your personal liberation decree.
Now write it out and post it where you can
see it daily. Make it a great day. Peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening.
Speaker 2: Friends.
Speaker 1: 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.