Daniel Called and God Answered

                                       

Where is your heart’s disposition?  

What is your heart fixed on?

While studying the book of Daniel, I realized something profound: Most prophets and priests were first called by God—they heard His voice, received His instruction, and responded. But Daniel’s story was different. He was taken into captivity, bound and constrained physically and culturally. He had every liberty to follow other gods in a foreign land, yet he chose to honour the God of his fathers. Daniel called on God—and God answered.

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies…" (Daniel 1:8)

As a result, "God gave Daniel Favour
in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs…"  

And "Daniel and his companions were found ten times better…"

Daniel encountered God personally. He placed a demand on God—not just for himself, but for his generation—because he chose a life of consecration. He didn’t only restrain from the king’s meal; he also restrained his heart, fixing it solely on God.

His consecration opened him as a gate of wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual insight—not just in divine matters but in all areas of understanding during his time.

Daniel’s love for God wasn’t based on witnessing miraculous victories. It was rooted in knowing God’s ways. And because of that, God revealed Himself to him.

Are you on the Lord’s side?

Life-changing encounters may not come in the place of comfort, but at the moment we make bold, God-honoring decisions—and run with them.

Daniel may have been a captive, but he experienced true freedom because he fixed his eyes on God. He lived free because he discovered his true identity in God.

Even if your physical circumstances suggest otherwise, you can take a different posture in God. Only He can bring true liberty.

Though Daniel was bound, his life became a sweet melody even to his captors, who called him “the one who has the spirit of the Holy God.” Yahweh wasn’t just an inherited deity—He became Daniel’s personal God.

Daniel called—and God answered.

You may feel bound, but Yahweh is your liberty.

Stay Revived!

My place of rich fulfilment.

A week ago, during a prayer meeting and Bible discussion, a question came up: “Does God forget?” I knew the answer was no—God doesn’t forget. But in that moment, it didn’t feel so simple. My mind wrestled with the question, and it triggered a flood of memories—both the high points and the painful moments I’ve walked through in life.

The next day, I found myself stuck on this scripture:

Psalm 66:11-12 (NKJV):

“You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.”

In that moment, I realized the question wasn’t just theological—it was deeply personal. It was a reflection of life’s journey with God: from pain to promise, from fire and water to fulfilment.

God is always with us. His hand is in every season—even the painful ones—drawing us through, not to leave us broken, but to bring us into rich fulfilment.

No matter where we find ourselves in life, God is saying, “There is provision for rich fulfilment.” The enemy may think we’ve reached our end, but God declares otherwise. Even when men have trampled us or the fire has tested us, God has brought us out. The past tense in Scripture is intentional—it speaks of a finished, perfect work.

Christ has promised that whether or not we feel His hand in the moment, He has already led us to a place of rich fulfilment.

What ever it is your rich Fulfilment is or you would desire it to be, God's plan for you is rich Fulfilment.

Stay Revived!

Seeing Beyond the Walls

Yesterday, on my way back from work, I began to ponder and ask the Holy Spirit what I could share with you today. As I reflected, a simple yet profound phrase settled in my heart: “Casting down strongholds.”

Strongholds are not merely physical obstacles. In the spiritual realm, they are invisible walls, fences, and barricades that the enemy establishes to keep God’s children from walking fully in what the Lord has prepared for them. In Hebrew, the word for stronghold is batsaron, meaning a walled fortress. Stronghold is much more than a physical defense—it represents deeply entrenched spiritual and mental blockages that hinder our progress and access to God’s promises.

The Apostle Paul acknowledges the reality of the existence of these strongholds in:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…”

A stronghold is essentially a lie that exalts itself above the truth of God. It often comes with circumstantial "evidence" that seems convincing, so convincing that even believers begin to accept it as truth. These are the moments when, no matter how hard you try, you feel like you’ve hit an invisible ceiling, you just can't break through. Despite your efforts, it feels like nothing is moving forward. Your thoughts begin to feel crowded with smallness, inadequacy, or a sense of hopelessness. That’s the strategy of the enemy: to make the lie feel more real than God’s truth and it is the truth that delivers, it is the truth that sets free.

John 8:32

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The danger of strongholds lies in their subtlety. They are often formed through mental patterns and emotional responses, reinforced by past experiences, pain, fear, and at times, demonic influence. These strongholds operate beneath the surface, shaping our behavior and choices—even when they contradict truth.

I once observed a recurring response among a group of people—reactions not grounded in truth, but driven by fear, limitation, and spiritual manipulation. Upon closer reflection, it became clear that they were operating from a stronghold: a deeply embedded belief that, though seemingly supported by logic or experience, was ultimately a lie opposing the truth of God's Word.

Many people today are bound by long-standing ways of thinking—habits and patterns that have taken deep root in their minds. Even when they become aware that these ways are not in alignment with reality or Scripture, change feels almost impossible. The mind has been conditioned by the stronghold, and so they continue in the same pattern.

This is why Scripture urges us:

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

How then do we confront these strongholds?

The answer is found in pursuing truth, truth revealed through Scripture and affirmed by the Holy Spirit. When we locate God’s Word concerning a specific area of struggle and commit to meditating on it, the stronghold begins to lose its grip. The more we resist the lie and embrace the truth, the more the enemy’s strategy crumbles.  Only through the continual renewing of our thoughts with God’s Word can we tear down these walls.

Think of the walls of Jericho. God instructed the Israelites to march around the wall, not with weapons, but with obedience and praise. And on the seventh day, the wall fell.

Joshua 6:20

“When the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.”

In the same way, we must surround our strongholds with God’s Word, prayer, obedience to instructions, and praise. It’s time to shift our focus from the barrier to the breakthrough, because truth always leads to freedom.

Friends, if you’re struggling in a specific area, search the Scriptures for what God has said about it. It may not fall overnight, but as you stay consistent in truth and prayer, you will see change.

And here’s the beautiful part: what once appeared to be an unbreakable wall will be revealed as small in light of God’s power. You’ll come to realize that even the stronghold had a purpose—it drew you deeper into God's Word, strengthened your faith, and brought you closer to Him.

In the end, the battle was not just to break the wall—it was to build you up in truth.

Stay Revived!

Spiritual Strategy: How to Stay One Step Ahead of Satan

 

It is in Satan’s strategy to always try. He knows he will ultimately fail, but he keeps testing us—watching for our reactions. When we respond the way he hopes, he uses that as an entry point to gain a foothold in our lives.

Scripture tells us, “Surely they shall gather…” (Isaiah 54:15). That means Satan and his agents will surely come against us. But the verse doesn’t end there—it continues, “…but not by Me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.” So even though he tries, every gathering that is not from the Lord will be scattered.

The devil is not omnipresent. What he does is set up structures and strategies that carry out his plans in his absence. That’s why he can seem to be in Mr. A’s house and Mr. B’s house at the same time—because of the systems he has in place.

But we serve a God who is the greatest strategist of all time. Just look at the lives of David and Joshua. Their God-given strategies always led them to victory in times of war.

So, what should we do when faced with repeated circles of demonic occurrences?

We must also build Godly strategies. We must be intentional—because as we grow spiritually, the enemy shifts his tactics to try to match our growth. He may come through familiar spirits, which often feel stronger than new ones, but they are not greater than our God, so the end point is same Failure.

The key is consistency:

• Be consistent in your prayer life.

• Walk and work in holiness.

• Renounce every ungodly altar and reject spiritual “toys” that seem harmless but are not of God.

• Continually pursue the Word of God. To live triumphantly, you must make God's word your favorite book.

Make it a habit to fan the flames of God’s presence in our lives. Read scripture daily. Pray. Obey every prompt from the Holy Spirit, because He never misleads. He doesn’t lie—not because He chooses not to, but because He is the Truth. There is no falsehood in Him.

Trust Him, and He will lead you into total deliverance.

Amen.

Stay revived!