A look at God’s grace.

Pay attention to your dreams.

 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)

In this study, we are going to take a look at God’s grace and patience. We are going to take a look at a letter in the Bible, which is located in the Old Testament. Many of us know about the letters that the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament, but this one was written in the Old Testament and was none other than a Gentile.

Our spotlight will be on King Nebuchadnezzar, who wrote a letter of testimony of his encounter with God. In Daniel 4, the King had a dream that disturbed him. He called his astrologers, fortune tellers, magicians, and wizards to help him interpret his dream. They were not successful, so Daniel came to the scene to help. The interpretation was so impressive and fearful that he had difficulty revealing it to the King. (Daniel 4:19)

Beloved, be careful how you live because your dreams will reveal your secret sins. The King pressed on Daniel to reveal the dream, which he did. The meaning of the dream was that the King would lose his mind and live like an animal eating grass for seven years. At the end of the interpretation, Daniel urged the King to repent, but to no avail. (Daniel 4:27)

God’s grace.

Now, let’s look at a beautiful picture of God’s grace. God had given the King twelve months to repent. Did he repent? No, instead, he got lifted up in pride, and God spoke his judgment over him. He lost his mind and lived seven years with the animals of the field. It was not a pretty sight, but that was enough to break him out of his pride.

In his letter, he gives praise and glory to God, and his sanity returns back to him. God, in return, restored his kingdom. He added more blessings by giving him favor with his royal subjects and proceeded to have greater honor than before. God is a good God! (Daniel 4: 29-37)

Personal application

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Rev 3:19)

It may not be popular to say this, but the body of Christ needs to stop celebrating Halloween. I pray that those in the body will wake up and see the consequences before it is too late. This kind of carelessness will open portals of darkness and will cause harm to you and your loved ones. Repent and be determined not to partake in this event ever again.

Take advantage of God’s grace before it is too late. Beloved, let’s make it a point to draw close to God. When he shows us something that we need to change, repent, and eliminate anything offensive to God. The Lord is willing to work with us. He gave King Nebuchadnezzar twelve months to get it right. There is a saying–Rome was not built in a day!

God knows that it takes time to change. He is willing to work with us through the Holy Spirit. Remember what the word says? Perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. (2 Cor 7:1) Practice makes perfect. If you stumble, dust yourself off, confess your sins, and put your hands on the plow. As you do, you will grow stronger, and soon, you will have a testimony to help others like you. God bless.