Scripture to Read: Daniel 10:7–12
If the heavenly messenger from God was the archangel Gabriel, we read from Daniel 10:11 to Daniel 11:1 several things the angel communicated with Daniel. He told Daniel in Daniel 10:12, “Do not be afraid....” As Christians, we need to take these words to heart. Too many people live on the basis of fear, and we know that when we fear, our minds get filled with anxious thoughts and worries. That is why God tells us in Philippians 4:6 that we’re not to be anxious about anything, but instead, we’re to pray and lay everything before His throne of grace. When we allow fear and anxiety to overtake us, we must remind ourselves that those thoughts are coming from our fleshly nature or from the spiritual forces of wickedness/darkness and that we must crucify those thoughts and think on the Truth of God’s Word and stay focused on Him (Colossians 3:1–2, Philippians 4:8). Note what God had the angel say to Daniel in Daniel 10:12, Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.” Prayer changes things. Satan and the demons want us to think that our prayers don’t matter and that we’re wasting our time with prayer. But God’s Word says in James 5:16, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Prayer is powerful and effective!
Challenge & Application
• The angel told Daniel not to fear, but God tells us not only not to fear but not to be anxious; so, how do we obey God when we’re bombarded by all the junk of the world?
• How do we stay consistent in our prayer lives and not lose sight of the power of our prayers before our Holy God?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!