Text: Daniel 10
Title: Spiritual Warfare
INTRODUCTION
Last week in Daniel chapter 9 we looked at HOW TO RECEIVE A BLESSING FROM GOD
1.JEREMIAH 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
2.DANIEL 9:3
“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”
CONCLUSION: WE DON’T RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD BY SITTING BACK AND DOING NOTHING.
WE RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD BY CHASING AFTER THEM!
Today we want to look at Daniel chapter 10
The lesson we learn from Daniel chapter 10 is this
WHENEVER YOU CHASE AFTER THE BLESSINGS OF GOD YOU ARE GOING TO EXPERIENCE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
1.DANIEL 10:12-13
(v12) “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God your words were heard and I have come in response to them.”
If we stopped here at verse 12 it would seem that
•Chasing after the blessings of God is really easy
•V12 even looks like God promises us Same day delivery
But look at verse 13
(V13) But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”
Explanation
I could have delivered the blessing of God that very first day but I was prevented from doing so for 21 days.
Meaning
1.The enemy fights to prevent us from receiving the blessings of God
2.The greater the blessing the greater and longer the fight!
(Today if you find yourself in a great fight with the enemy; hang in there; there must be a great blessing that God wants you to have)
Daniel chapter 10 has a lot to say about spiritual warfare so let’s look at some more verses in the chapter.
Let’s start with the very first verse.
…”a revelation was given to Daniel. It’s message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.”
Here is the message I get from verse 1
Every believer is fighting in a great war!
This Great War that every believer is fighting in is really a spiritual war.
We know this is true because Ephesians 6 12 tells us so.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
This means that the prince of Persia spoken of in Daniel 10:13 was not an actually person but was really some kind of demon.
Daniel 10:13 might also imply that different demons carry out the work of the enemy in different geographical areas.
When you realize the truth that every believer is fighting in a spiritual war you then understand why there is so much evil done in the world.
There is so much evil done in the world because we are in a war
So whenever you hear about something evil happening in the world it is meant to be a reminder to us that we are in a spiritual war.
Until something bad happens we tend to forget that we are at war!
Every believer is fighting in a great war!
Daniel 10:2
“At that time I Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food, no meat or wine touched my lips, and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”
I believe that the message we can take from verse 2 is this;
Every believer must personally participate in this great war.
For notice how many times the word “I” is used in verse 2
“At that time I Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food, no meat or wine touched my lips, and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”
How do you personally participate in this Great War?
One of the ways we personally get to participate in this Great War is by actively hungering and thirsting for more of God.
In verse 2 Daniel is literally hungering and thirsting for more of God. I tend to do the very opposite to what Daniel does here in verse 2! In a great war I would try to eat all the choice food and meat that I could get my hands on. In a great war I would try to use as much lotion as I could get my hands on.
Learn the lesson of Daniel
The best way to fight in the Great War is to fight it hungry and thirsty.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the Devil do you remember how he prepares himself for the temptation?
He fasts 40 days!
No choice foods, no meat, no fancy lotions!
Jesus wants to be hungry when the Devil comes to him!
Jesus wants us to be hungry when the devil comes to us.
Jesus wants us to be hungry for righteousness, hungry for more of God!
The devil cannot defeat any man or woman who is hungry for more of God!
In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.”
Do you know what type of person the devil is looking for in order to devour?
The person who no longer hungers for more of God!
It’s your hunger for more of God that keeps you out of trouble!
If anything takes away that hunger for more of God you are in big trouble!
What did the devil suggest Jesus do first when he came to tempt him?
Turn these stones into bread!
He didn’t want to face a hungry Jesus.
Jesus replied “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
We need to be hungry for more of God all the time!
Application: We may need to give some things up in order to stay hungry for more of God?
We may need to give up some relationships; we may need to give up our dreams; we may need to give up certain possessions…
21 day Challenge
If there is anything preventing us from having a greater hunger for more of God; let’s identify it and then give it up for the next 21 days and let’s see how much better our lives will be.
