During 8 days in "Quiet Time":
Living with God using the example of Daniel
An insignificant preface
This word is dangerous!
For you, if you want to profit as little as possible from quiet time.
The book of Daniel is fascinating and it is interesting to read in it. I hope you become aware of various connections for the message of God's word. I rejoice when you get joy in the most important written text - the Word of God - and when you find that this Word is relevant today But I am not satisfied with these hopes. If it remains only with increased knowledge, the joy of discovery, and an uplifted spirits, the Word has missed its mark!
The Word of God is like dynamite. Divine power is revealed to us in it. The Word is like a hammer that shatters rocks! (Isa. 23, 29) It is like a two-edged sword that divides light and darkness! (Heb. 4, 12) It is like a searchlight that illuminates the way and reveals dangers (Psalm 119, 105) It sets you free from bondages and gives you full life (John 8, 32/14, 6/Psalm 16, 11) The living Word of the Creator wants to transform you. God's word wants to create change. The question is whether you will respond to the spark of dynamite and whether the seed of the Word can fall on a good soil of your heart. Will you allow yourself to be challenged by this eternal Word? Will your new realizations have any effect in your way of life, in practice?
If you will not, set aside this article and the Bible. Be honest and get comfortable. God will never trust you with "great things" then either and you are deceiving yourself in the sleep of the "righteous"!
Should his word change you? - open your heart to him and be honest with yourself and with God. Confess to him your inability, your unbelief, your unfaithfulness, and your weakness, and let new knowledge become not just head knowledge. Move God's Word in prayer and in your heart - and God will make you a Daniel - a faithful, humble and obedient ambassador of Jesus Christ!
Much profit to you in your work in God's Kingdom wishes Peter Blaser
Worth knowing about Daniel
- Who is Daniel?
- His character traits?
- What is a prophet?
- Spiritual highlights from the life of Daniel
- Historical background
- Gods of the time
- Babylonia in Bible prophecy
8 Days in Silent Time
Text: Daniel 1:1 - 1 - 21
Main message: the blessing of God as a result of obedience and confession
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Text: Daniel 2:1 - 2:49
Main message: pagan magic must capitulate to divine wisdom!
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Text: Daniel 3:1 - 3:30
Main message: conflict between idolatry and faithfulness to God
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Text: Daniel 3:31 - 4:34
Main message: conflict between pride and God's omnipotence
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Text: Daniel 5:1 - 5:30
Main message: he who blasphemes God has no future
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Text: Daniel 6:1 - 6:29
Main message: despite evil intrigues, God provides for His own!
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Text: Daniel 7:1 - 7:28 (and 8:1 - 9:27)
Main message: before God the worldly cannot stand!
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Text. Daniel 10:1 - 12:13
Priority of Prayer - Hope Perspective
Closing Thoughts
Closing Thoughts and Meaningful Epilogue
Closing Thoughts
I have been very intrigued by the drafting of this book and it has given me new insights. Many of the questions and texts formulated have challenged me myself to examine my life. However, many questions remain unanswered and many things I could not understand. I felt like Daniel: "And I heard, but did not understand!" (12, 8). In prophecy, questions will always remain unanswered because it is not the purpose of prophecy to be a reference book for all future events.
Prophecy will:
- Point out God's greatness and omnipotence as ruler of the world
- To reveal the seriousness of God's judgments
- Promising comfort to believers because God is Lord
- Pointing out that God will not be mocked
- To make us wise, and pattern our lives after God
- That everything must ultimately serve God's plans
Kroeker says:
May the darkest times ever and ever be brought about through the influence of the powers of darkness upon the world of nations, God in His sovereignty and in His world government uses even such a no-no of history to bring the coming of His kingly rule toward a final consummation.
A significant epilogue
For eight days now you have hopefully studied the Word of God. Quite a few questions have been answered, others have been broken open. In the sharing in the group you were able to hear other aspects and also experience help yourself through your own thinking. I hope that you have received many practical suggestions.
Sure, the situation in a Jungschar course is different than at home. In the course, the times for quiet time and sharing are fixed. In addition, there is a certain pressure from the other participants to also get up in the morning and not just turn to the other side. In everyday life other factors come into play. The pressure is off, after all, no one sees when you lie down, you can easily save face.
But don't think that your participation in the youth group will not be affected! If you lack silence with God, your whole life will gradually become colourless, bland and ineffective. You are no longer salt! Salt that loses its effect becomes bitter and you throw it away because the food becomes inedible. The same thing happens to you when you neglect your walk with God. Instead of being salt in the youth group, team, job or school, you become bitter, inedible, a complainer who cannot be relied upon.
If you are struggling in this relationship, look for a way to cultivate a bipartisanship, for example. With a good colleague (for boys) or a good colleague (for girls) you meet every morning or every other morning for Bible reading, sharing and prayer. You could plan about half an hour for this. Such a partnership is a blessing for each other and the contact with God becomes binding. Great revivals have come about through such fellowships, because people began to live concretely with God. I, too, have been richly blessed by the fellowship in a partnership over a long period of time.
I encourage you to take this path. What you have heard and practiced in this course will then not simply peter out in everyday life, but will have concrete blessed consequences in your life. Much strength and rich blessings to you Peter Blaser
Source reference:
Content: Peter Blaser, BESJ-Verlag, Fällanden, March 13, 1987
copyright:www.besj.ch
Literature references
- Lexicon on the Bible, Brockhaus-Verlag
- Chronological Tables on the Old Testament, Walton, Verlag Francke
- Names and Terms of the Bible, Tenney, Verlag Hermann Schulte
- The World of the Bible, Bibellesebund-Verlag
- Handbook on the Bible, Brockhaus-Verlag
- Daniel, Kroeker, Brunnen-Verlag
- Biblical Figures, Hauss, Hänssler-Verlag
- Staff training Glaubensbote 6/86, Haag, Chrischona-Verlag
- Babylonia, Schweikert, from Contacts, Christian Youth Work, Balsdahl
- Study Bible, Thompson, Hänssler-Verlag
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