Isaiah 2; verse 6; “the lord has rejected you because you welcome foreigners from the EAST who practice magic and communicate with evil spirits, as the Philistines do.”

Read it again and think about who we are welcoming in from the east. What does Islam profess this false religion who claim they are a religion of peace; AND THEY ARE FROM THE EAST.

Who else is from the east, did you ever hear the term “FAR EAST”, who was described, I’ll tell you. Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. Far East was the term put to describe the orient; STOP poeple from the Orient, Asia, from entering this country.

It’s in the Bible, NO IMMIGRATION. Send the bastards home. Thank god Trump is still reading the Bible.

Case vs Montana

You may not commit suicide - that's only allowed if the government helps you with that...

Barrett v. U.S.
"Prosecutors sought to charge Barrett with two separate convictions: unlawful possession of a gun during a crime of violence and causing death while committing an offense.

In the court's majority opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said Congress does not allow an individual to be dually punished for the separate crimes when it stems from a single action."

Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections
You must show a personal interest ... I believe that is all Americans...
"Chief Justice John Roberts, in a majority opinion for the court, said individuals who sue must display a personal stake in a case to have standing. As a candidate for office, Roberts said, Bost had that standing.

"Candidates are not common competitors in the economic marketplace. They seek to represent the people," Roberts wrote. "And their interest in that prize cannot be severed from their interest in the electoral process."

In their dissent, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson took issue with Roberts' claim that candidates have a special interest in the fair elections process that gives special standing to sue.

"In a democratic society like ours, the interest in a fair electoral process is common to all members of the voting public," Jackson wrote. "The Court thus ignores a core constitutional requirement while unnecessarily thrusting the Judiciary into the political arena.""

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/scotus-rules-warrantless-searches-double-convictions-and-election-suits

Is this how life on the planet will become extinct?
Killed by our own waste ...
Where is the EPA?

"While hospitals and farms face scrutiny for antibiotic overuse, a hidden pollution source is fueling the superbug crisis right at its origin. The factories that manufacture the world’s antibiotics are discharging wastewater packed with concentrated resistance genes directly into the environment, creating ideal breeding grounds for untreatable bacteria.

Research published in the journal Biocontaminant reveals that waste from these pharmaceutical plants contains resistance genes at levels up to 100 times higher than those found in municipal sewage. This isn't just chemical waste; it's living pollution. The genes are often attached to mobile genetic elements, which act like biological USB drives, allowing bacteria to easily copy and share instructions for defeating antibiotics.

This industrial effluent flows into rivers and seeps into soils. A study of a sulfonamide drug plant showed downstream soils and river sediments were heavily contaminated, with resistance levels exceeding global averages. This is more than a localized spill; the pollution embeds itself, turning agricultural areas and waterways into reservoirs for resistance. "

https://newstarget.com/2026-01-13-antibiotic-factories-superbug-genes-rivers.html

Video Sermon #kjv #kingjamesbible #bible #biblestudy #scriptures #scripture Pastor Richard Jordan - Believing The Word of #God Rightly Divided - #RightDivision #Dispensation - https://www.youtube.com/live/n3SmN7PBm0I?si=Es2VM7CwmD5B6C5I

Polls Show Populist #MikeLindell Is In The Lead To Win The #Minnesota Governorship In 2026! https://www.infowars.com/posts/breaking-polls-show-populist-mike-lindell-is-in-the-lead-to-win-the-minnesota-governorship-in-2026

Jeremiah
Chapter 7
VS 1-19

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

A well known Christian leader has asked people of Faith to pray for our nation today, all together at 12 noon, in whatever time is 12 noon wherever you are, as reported on Fox News. Psalm 35 is a good way to pray for our countries leader’s. In our own words we can say, complain - we know every human being has been given a free will to decide to do or not to do, but we know the Eternal Almighty has put in checks and balances as His Holy Spirit is at work.

In ancient Israel G-d told the people to assign sheriffs and law protectors- a police force as they began to reside in the promised Land. Many nations have followed that Biblical example including the US. That tell’s us people who cannot control that free will they have been given to always choose the good, the lawfulness of NOT doing to another what you would HATE being done to yourself. Plus the Laws put in place that protect everyone from violations of a nation’s sovereignty, with protections for citizens from every crime under the Sun. Israel had to fight many enemies within and without.

What we are seeing in the US is a common human plight; there is always someone who will disagree with what is being done to uphold the Law and in the process fight against those who’s main purpose is to protect them. It makes no sense and we don’t understand it. How do we pray for G-d’s will to be done on earth over the will of the lawless?

G-d wants us to pray! Why? Is it lifting up our hearts in a way we honor and praise Him for the righteousness He has decreed in His Word to be the reigning principals on earth? It becomes important we follow our prayers with appropriate actions. We see a majority of our leaders doing that - action is in place.
It’s necessary to pray for the anointed “good guys” success while not neglecting prayers for their haters, our heaters, deceived hearts to be changed. Will we see that happen? We just don’t know, but we continue to pray anyway.

Truth cannot be done away with or ignored. Psalm 52 where King David lamented his suffering at the hands of an evil person can be very encouraging.

In Ps. 75 we are reminded concerning our Beloved G-d and Redeemer “You (G-d) are Illumination, mightier than the mountains of prey.” So please G-d get illuminating, your fighters believe You do not see or hear them so they think there will be no retribution. You will not save us as they believe they are successful, and there will be no accountability.
We need to do what ever is necessary in prayer and in action to tear down the strongholds of the evil Deceiver in the hearts of people and in our nation, so we can see Numbers 10:35 fulfilled:
“Arise Adonai! May your enemies be scattered! Let those who hate You flee before You!” (From The Complete Jewish study Bible - Isights for Jews and Christians.)
All Psalm versus come from “Tehillim - (meaning, prayers - book) , by O.Yosef Yitzchak with English translation of the Hebrew.

Rather like the Democrat Party ...

It's been a part of their culture so long that it has become an ingrained feature of their people ...

"A Somali lawmaker has accused his country’s government of serving as a “fraud pipeline”—a charge that comes as the Trump administration moves to end temporary protected status for thousands of Somalis living in the United States.

Dr. Abdillahi Hashi Abib, a sitting member of Somalia’s Parliament and its Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Daily Caller that the corruption now under federal investigation in Minnesota and across the United States is merely the “downstream result” of a system of graft deeply rooted in Somalia’s political culture.

“This corruption did not arise overnight,” Abib said. “It is an extension of the same criminal networks that have looted foreign aid in Somalia for decades — and now operate freely in the United States under the guise of charity and community development.”

Abib said his conclusions are based on both firsthand experience inside Somalia’s government and extensive data that he has attempted to share with U.S. agencies. In a 2023 letter titled A Sample of Somalia Government Fraud, Abib’s parliamentary committee detailed more than 400 gigabytes of data outlining itemized expenditures between July 2022 and June 2023. The report accused Somalia’s government of widespread illegal spending, including cash withdrawals without receipts, inflated travel expenses, and rigged contracts routed through family-owned businesses.

The report further alleged that the Central Bank of Somalia’s general manager engaged in tax evasion by reclassifying a quarter of his salary as “bonuses” to avoid paying income tax."

https://conservativebrief.com/somali-lawmaker-fraud-98118/

#Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall applauds U.S. #SCOTUS affirmation of #religious #liberties in rural #Amish communities https://1819news.com/news/item/ag-marshall-applauds-u.s.-supreme-courts-affirmation-of-religious-liberties-in-rural-amish-communities

Believer, consider your salvation. It is not accomplished by human power, but by God Himself, and He is mighty, “mighty to save” (Isa. 63:1).

We could not earn our salvation. Just as Israel, though they pledged to obey God, turned away over and again throughout the Old Testament, so we once lived in sin and ourselves were estranged from Him, by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).

Yet even while we were enemies, He reconciled us to Himself (Rom. 5:10). How mighty is our God, who, by the blood of His son, could turn sinners from their wicked ways and make them His children, and when He appears, we will be like Christ (1 Jn. 3:2).

No amount of work, no might of man nor human ingenuity could perform such a mighty deed.

Of course, God exhibits his might in saving physically as well. For how many times did He deliver a small contingent of His people from great armies (ex. Judges 7:7)? Or to save Daniel from the lions (Dan. 6:16-23), or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego from the flames of the furnace (Dan. 3:19-27)?

Martin Luther penned in his hymn that “a mighty fortress is our God,” and mighty He is indeed.

Praise God that He is not only merciful to save us (Tit. 3:5), but mighty to do so as well (Isa. 63:1)!


——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 14

"Mighty to save." Isaiah 63:1

By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but He is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but He is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of His name to bend the knee before Him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep His people holy after He has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but He who begins the good work carries it on; He who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for His strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that He has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found Him mighty to destroy!

Dr. Jerome Corsi - The #SCOTUS Confronts #Gender Madness - on now at my #InternetRadio Website, Radio America USA / Philly and Jersey #Radio - Click Dr. Corsi's Image to open a new browser for the show https://radioamericausa.com - Dr. Jerome Corsi delivers a sweeping analysis of #cultural upheaval, institutional breakdown, and #geopolitical realignment as the United States and the world enter what he describes as a decisive historical moment.

Jeremiah
Chapter 6

1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.

4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

6 For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.

8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.

10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.

13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

22 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.

23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.

24 We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.

26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

27 I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.

28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.

29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

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Jeremiah
Chapter 5

1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

2 And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.

9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD'S.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.

12 They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

26 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.

28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

The Science Behind the New Dietary Guidelines
Beyond the noise, the core of the new guidelines is to go back to real food and common-sense healthy eating, an expert says.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/the-science-behind-the-major-changes-in-dietary-guidelines-5968365?utm_source=Health&src_src=Health&utm_campaign=health-2026-01-09&src_cmp=health-2026-01-09&utm_medium=email&est=VPsKm8vY5SaOWrGLFT5SkcPeXus4gnY7w58OYEnTKJG2VyeEs%2BuK6nuW9yhlYb2%2Fjg%3D%3D

#Pharmaceutical Pollution Is Fueling A #Superbug Crisis https://studyfinds.org/pharmaceutical-pollution-fueling-superbug-crisis/

When God, through Moses, led Israel out of their captivity and slavery in Egypt, He took them out into the wilderness. Despite all they had seen from God leading to their release and the destruction of Pharaoh, the Israelites still grumbled. They were not trusting God.

One of their complaints was lack of food. “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exo. 16:2-3).

Thus, God decided to test them. He would send quail every evening for meat and manna every morning for bread, but each was to gather only what he needed for that particular day. Anything left until morning would breed worms and rot. Except, on the day before the sabbath, they were to gather two days worth, and what was left until the sabbath did not rot.

All this was God’s way of determining whether the Israelites would place their trust in Him and rely on Him daily.

Which, dear brethren, brings us to…us. Are you trusting in God daily to provide for you, rather than grumbling or doing your own thing? Or do you look to a different “god,” money, or something or someone else? Are you depending upon God continually, or do you trust in the strength of your own arm?

Believer, God wants us to depend on Him. This is why Jesus said not to worry for food, drink, clothing, but seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and these needs would be met (Mt. 6:31-33).

Trust in Him. Humble yourself before Him. Cast all your anxiety before Him, because He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:6-7). Do this, and God will provide, and will exalt you at the proper time.

Brethren, “you belong to Christ” (1 Cor. 3:23). What a marvelous message. This is not true of everyone.

When Christ walked with His disciples, He told them that He knew His sheep, and that they would know Him and hear His voice and follow Him, and that He would give them eternal life (Jn. 10:27). He also told others present that they could not believe Him because they were not His sheep (Jn. 10:25-26).

How blessed are we then to be His among His fold? He died for us that we might never perish (Jn. 10:28). And in dying for us, He purchased us, we were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20). We belong to Him!

What kind of lives then should we live, knowing God purchased us with His own blood (Acts 20:28)?

Let us glorify God in our bodies (1 Cor. 6:20). Let us honor Him with our lives. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).


——————-
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 12

"Ye are Christ's." 1 Corinthians 3:23

Ye are Christ's." You are His by donation, for the Father gave you to the Son; His by His bloody purchase, for He counted down the price for your redemption; His by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to Him; His by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of His brethren and joint-heirs. Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant, the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, "I cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ's." Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ's, and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ's. Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, "No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's. If I were not purchased by blood, I might be like Issachar, crouching between two burdens; but I am Christ's, and cannot loiter." When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you from the path of right, reply, "Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ's." When the cause of God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art Christ's. Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and conversation are so redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you are the Saviour's, recognizing in you His features of love and His countenance of holiness. "I am a Roman!" was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then, let it be your argument for holiness, "I am Christ's!"

At the outset of Daniel, we read of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invading the land of Israel, taking the Israelites captive back to Babylon (Dan. 1:1-2). Once in Babylon, he sought to imbue the Israelites, at least the young, fit, intelligent men, with the language and culture of Babylon. All that Nebuchadnezzar did was to turn these men from their God.

Among them, Daniel (which means “God is my judge”), to whom he gave the new name Belteshazzar, meaning “Bel protects the king”, Bel being the name of a Babylonian god (Dan. 1:7).

We see similar today in our own culture. Those around us seek to imbue us with their beliefs. They wish us to accept and even encourage their sin, their idolatry as it were. They change the language, overriding the meanings and underpinnings of words used for centuries (marriage, gender, etc.) and attempt to induce Christians to acquiesce.

Yet like Daniel, who “made up his mind that he would not defile himself” (Dan. 1:8), and his companions, Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abed-nego), who chose to honor God rather than please the king, we must stand firm on our faith and reject the culture’s attempts at coercion.

We must be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). We must not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).

Let not threats from or fear of those who belong to the world deter you from your devotion to God. For God knows your troubles. Consider Him who endured hostility by sinners against Himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:3). Do not fear; for He is our God - He will strengthen us, help us, uphold us (Isa. 41:10). There is nothing man can do to us that compares to what God can do to all (Mt. 10:28).

If we endure, we will one day reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12). Refuse to bow to the gods of this world, and He will be with us just as He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:8-27).