01 September 2019
Two-Minute Features | 08 September 2019

Satan Tried to Interfere with the Answer (TMF:1210)

Friday, September 06, 2019
Peace to Live By: Satan Tried to Interfere with the Answer (TMF:1210) - Daniel Litton
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       Notice the twenty-one days mentioned here. So, God had dispatched the angel on Daniel’s first day of praying. But, as we see in the passage, the angel ran into a problem where he was held up. And what is this about the angel being prevented from coming to Daniel? Well, it certainly wasn’t that Daniel was doing anything wrong. He continued to fast and pray. But the angel mentions the prince of Persia. I think this is best understood as a demonic angel, a fallen angel, that withstood this angel on his way to see Daniel. And he withstood him twenty-one days. It is often the case that Satan and his demons will try to hinder God’s work, as I’m sure we are all aware of that on a personal level. Remember, the Apostle Paul talked about this in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. There, he said, “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us” (2:17-18, ESV).

God Wanted to Help Daniel (TMF:1209)

Thursday, September 05, 2019
Peace to Live By: God Wanted to Help Daniel (TMF:1209) - Daniel Litton
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       It wasn’t that Daniel had to talk God into doing for him what he wanted him to do. God wanted to help him. And notice how the angel said, “I have come because of your words.” Our words that we speak with our mouths are very important. And they do allow God to use his angels to benefit us and help us. And I certainly think this is true for us, as Christians. I think God often does answer our prayers from the very first time we ask him something. Now, of course, this is not always the case, as the Lord Jesus Christ told us to keep praying and never give up (see Luke 18:1). But I do believe that often times this is the case. We know that God sent the angel immediately after Daniel prayed his prayer on the first day. How do we know that? If we continue reading in Daniel, the angel tells him, “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia.” Notice the twenty-one days mentioned here. So, God had dispatched the angel on Daniel’s first day of praying.

God Answered Daniel's Prayer Right Away (TMF:1208)

Wednesday, September 04, 2019
Peace to Live By: God Answered Daniel's Prayer Right Away (TMF:1208) - Daniel Litton
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       Continuing in verse 11, we read, “And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words” (ESV). It would only be natural for a person to be afraid when seeing an angel, a supernatural being to us, since this is something of an extraordinary occurrence. And the angel tries to comfort him again by telling him not to be afraid of him. And then comes the message from the angel, his primary purpose in coming to see Daniel. He tells him that from the very first day that Daniel started to pray that God had answered his prayer. Now, Daniel had been praying for some three weeks by the time this angel had come to him, but God had answered his prayer on day one. That’s pretty encouraging. It wasn’t that Daniel had to talk God into doing for him what he wanted him to do. God wanted to help him. And notice how the angel said, “I have come because of your words.”

The Angel Relays a Special Message (TMF:1207)

Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Peace to Live By: The Angel Relays a Special Message (TMF:1207) - Daniel Litton
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       Consider first that the angel relays to Daniel that what he’s about to tell him is important— for he said, “understand the words that I speak to you.” And surely that was the case, as is any special message from God. When God gives us a personal word in our lives, we want to be sure we are paying careful attention to what he is saying because this is to our advantage. God is helping us personally. The angel of the Lord also tells Daniel to stand up, another sign of the message’s importance for him. But I think part of this also is because we are not to worship angels as God’s servants. Though angels are holy, coming from Heaven, they are not to be worshipped because only God is to be worshipped. I’m sure coming to our minds is the passage from Revelation 19 where the Apostle John tried to worship the angel he was with. It would only be natural for a person to be afraid when seeing an angel, a supernatural being to us, since this is something of an extraordinary occurrence.

Angels Comfort & Serve Us, Part 2 (TMF:1206)

Monday, September 02, 2019
Peace to Live By: Angels Comfort & Serve Us, Part 2 (TMF:1206) - Daniel Litton
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       Over in 2 Kings 6:14-17, we can see that God opened the eyes of one of his servants to see his great army of angels which had been sent to protect the Israelites from the Syrians. So, we can realize that our very ability to see angels on occasion can, in and of itself, be for our comfort. It’s comforting because it assures us that God is on our side. In Daniel’s case, it was that God was with him personally, and of course the same was true with the Israelites in getting ready for battle with the Syrians. When God allows us to see his angels then, it provides extra encouragement to our spirits, as does even learning about them. Back in Daniel chapter 10, let’s pick up back in the passage with the angel’s statement. He says, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you” (ESV). So, there are a couple things I want us to notice here. Consider first that the angel relays to Daniel that what he’s about to tell him is important— for he said, “understand the words that I speak to you.”