Daniel 3:17-18
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

They have the coolest names in the Bible. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” They won’t worship King Nebuchadnezzar, no matter what. They have something else besides cool names. Trust and confidence. They are faithful in the midst of temptation to follow another god and save their skin. They succeed. When the devil doesn’t have anywhere to hold on, you don’t get dragged down. You soar.

Spend time today thinking of the power God has available to you as you grow in trust and confidence.

Jeremiah 45:5
5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it! I will bring great disaster upon all these people; but I will give you your life as a reward wherever you go. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

When you are serving others for the sake of your own glory, you have your reward. Affirmation from people and a sense of power. When you are serving others for their sake, you have God’s affirmation and a sense of empowerment. These are two completely different scenarios. Which one do you want to be part of?

Pray for focus outside of yourself.

Jeremiah 29:7
7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

God’s people are forced into exile in the city of Babylon. They want to live outside of town and would rather have nothing to do with the city, but God tells them to move right into the heart of the city and be a blessing. As the city prospers they prosper. As they prosper, the city prospers. In media, economics, politics, just about any arena you can think of, as goes the cities, so goes the world. God has a strategy. Living in Los Angeles, of course I totally agree.

Pray for urban Christians to be a blessing to their communities.

Isaiah 58:3
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.

We can try to look good to God but that is just plain silly. God judges our hearts and the actions that come out of our hearts. Fasting and other spiritual practices can be helpful to keep our focus on God, but as a means to measure personal worthiness they are anti-spiritual.

Pray for God to keep you genuine in your faith practices.

Isaiah 49:6
6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

We are called to join the Messiah, Jesus, and bring restoration to all peoples of the world. The good news is for everyone. The Gospel speaks to all cultures in a way that no other worldview has even come close.

Pray for Christians from other cultures that are coming to the United States to spread the Gospel.

Proverbs 31:15
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her employees.

The ideal wife from Proverbs 31 is actually quite a progressive picture. She is the emotional hub of her household, and is also heavily involved in real estate, manufacturing, and investment. Read Proverbs 31 to see how the biblical woman has key economic influence, as well as in the home. What does this say to us today?

One thing that is clear is general ignorance of the radical empowerment of women in scripture. The view of women in the New Testament, for example, is light years ahead of other ancient cultures. Taken contextually, it is astounding. If your view of women in the Bible is barefoot and pregnant, think again (though being barefoot can be very comfortable and pregnancy leads to the amazing gift of children).

If you are a guy and married, make breakfast for the family tomorrow. If you’re not, pray for the significant women in your life.

Proverbs 3:27
27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.

Who needs help? This is an honest question when you look at all the needs in the world. “Whose life could I personally influence in a positive way?” is another way of asking this question. Perhaps it is a matter of how open someone is to my influence.

Pray for God to place the needs of someone in your radar today.

Psalm 134:1
1 Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.

Even night watchmen in the temple of Israel worship and praise God. It is interesting to think of the faith response of those who receive wages for ministry. Working with a church community in this way can be most satisfying. It can also be frustrating because of the deep connection between work and soul that is part of it.

Pray for staff at your local church community that they might have the joy of the Lord.

Friends-

Our church is featured in today’s Los Angeles Daily News on page 4 with a picture. Here is the online article.

Psalm 113:1
1 Praise the Lord!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!

There are three praises here. Do you think our service is a sign of praise? Of course it is. When we serve God through serving others and funding his mission in the world, it is the strongest way we have of putting our time and money to the best use possible. God takes what we give of our resources and expands it tremendously. He is the loaves and fish guy after all.

Pray for God to increase your generosity of service and financial giving to his Kingdom Work.