Prayer Tested By The Lions Den

Praise God. Let's turn to chapter six of the book of Daniel for our sixth message in this series on the heavens do rule. We're dealing with something vital here and already we've seen in the previous five messages that when you get to the end of this chapter what you find is the heavens do rule. That is not accidental that we have six chapters at the beginning of Daniel and then another six but these six they end each time with a testimony that the heavens do rule. Let's read together from Daniel chapter six and in Daniel chapter six I'm going to jump to the most important portion of it or the most well-known portion but then I'm going to come back and preach what is in around it. Reading from Daniel chapter six starting with verse 16 and saints here tonight and I believe it's vital for the hour that we live in. I believe tonight's message is vital for what we are just about to face and embark on. I believe this is what the church worldwide is about to face. My message tonight is prayer tested by the day by the lion's den. Prayer tested by the lion's den and if you miss this issue of prayer in this chapter then you've missed the entire chapter. Reading from Daniel chapter six and verse 16 says there then the king commanded and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lands. Now the king speak and said unto Daniel thy God whom thou service continually he will deliver thee and a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords and that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his place and passed the night fasting neither were instruments of music brought unto him and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the den of lands and when he came to the den he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel and the king speak and said to Daniel oh Daniel servant of the living God is thy God whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the lands. Then said Daniel unto the king oh king live forever my God has sent his angel and has shut the mouth the lion's mouth that they have not hurt me for as much as before him innocency was found in me and also before thee oh king have I done no hurt. Then was king exceeding glad for him and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den a new manner of hurt was found on him because he believed in God. Let's pray here together as we come to Daniel chapter six here and we've been following through the book of Daniel chapter by chapter. I am fully persuaded I was in the first message but I am fully convinced that these messages are so likely for this hour and for this time and what is happening in our world and I believe tonight's message is just the same. When we look at chapter three we see that worship was tested by the fiery furnace but here in Daniel chapter six we're going to see that prayer is tested by the den of lions. Two different things worship and prayer and worship always gets tested by fire but prayer gets tested by the lion. If we only learn these two principles we are going to gain great victories in our own Christian life. I can assure you the lion comes roaring to attack your prayer life but when you're faced with the fiery furnace it's to test your act of worship before the Lord. In this message here tonight prayer tested by the lion's den we're going to see throughout this chapter that prayer is tested by the lion's den. A den filled with lions being put into the den of lions isolated and surrounded not just by one lion but many lions. Do you know what's being tested? Do you know what's under attack? Do you know what's being proved by God? It's your prayer life when the lion roars against you. It's your prayer life that's being attacked and we're going to find out will the Lord deliver you in the midst of the trial. Here tonight in this message on Daniel chapter six we are actually preaching on prayer tested by the lion's den. All I've just done is give you a bit of the background but I want you to note that the great ruler over the city of Babylon while Cyrus was away was called Darius the Mede. I've got several points here for you tonight. Now my first point a position supported by prayer. A position supported by prayer. Read them from verse one and it says there it pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes which should be over the whole kingdom and over these three presidents of whom Daniel was first. Now notice here that Darius the Great the king of Babylon was going to order and reconstruct the entire kingdom. There was a need for efficient organization for structure and to stop corruption so he raises up 120 princes over the kingdom and over these 120 princes he places three presidents and one of those three presidents was actually Daniel the man of God. Daniel at this time is at least 86 years old as we said last week. We read that chapter nine and chapter 11 of Daniel actually happened to Daniel during this first year of the reign of Darius. Daniel was an old man 86 years old. The world around him was changing. Kings are being removed and new kings are rising to power. New regime, new laws, new structures of authority are coming in. But you know what? This man Daniel was a man of prayer and this is what I want you to see in this first point that you've got a man put in a political position, put in a position of influence in this new hour, in this new era and this man his position in politics, in secular society was supported by prayer. Daniel was chosen by Darius the Maid to be put in a position of great authority. He was chosen for his integrity. Look at Daniel at 86 years old. He is still going. He's still got his integrity. He has still got a testimony of the world. Oh it looked like at times God had set him aside but here he is. He has seen kings come and he has seen kings go but he is qualified for the position. His body is in good tact. His mind is in good tact. His emotions are ready to serve since kings and kingdoms come and go but there are men of prayer who remain in positions of influence. You see Daniel was in this position and he was supported by prayer. He didn't manipulate his way in. He didn't connive. He didn't buy his way in. He is a man of utter integrity and you know what it says about Darius as he looked at this man Daniel that he actually preferred him. His eyes fell upon him and the word preferred there means that Daniel shone or stood out. He was imminent. Why was he imminent? The bible says here because he had an excellent spirit within him. Darius in looking at this prophet Daniel this man of prayer could see that he had an excellent spirit. Since I'm talking about a man who lived through the entire Babylonian kingdom for a period of 70 years then he moves into another secular ungodly kingdom but you know what he's doing? He is shining. I challenge you here tonight. Will you shine for God? I know our world is changing. I know politics is changing. I know the workplace is changing. I know the economy is going to change in 2021. Everything is in the process of change but like Daniel if you're a man or a woman of prayer if you get on your knees and pray three times a day shut yourself in with God. Seek God. Turn your heart towards God. I assure you you are going to shine. I'm not telling you that you won't be thrown in a den of lands. I'm not telling you that you won't be lied about. I'm not telling you that you're not going to suffer in this hour or suffer losing a great position because of your convictions. I'm not telling you any of that. What am I telling you? It is time to shine. This is a year for real Christians to shine but you know what? You're not going to shine unless your position is supported in prayer as a father, as a mother, as a husband, as a wife, in the workplace, in your family, in secular society. That position that God has given us. I'm asking you tonight. You can support your position in this hour, in this year since you need to be praying now. You can't imagine what's coming down the road that's going to hit us like a tornado. I assure you there's a regime change that we're going to have to live through. I believe we're living in an hour of one of the greatest political coups in world history and I'm telling you God is not taken by surprise. This is the first point. A position supported by prayer. Daniel was in a position supported by prayer. 120 princes but there were three presidents and he was one of those three presidents. Why did Darius set all this system up? So that he wouldn't suffer loss. He didn't want corruption in the kingdom. He wanted integrity. He wanted honesty and he put Daniel as one of the three presidents in a prime position. He can see a man of truth and integrity. This Daniel shone as a man of 86. Daniel wasn't worn out. He was youthful in spirit and in his walk with God and in fact it said Darius preferred him above all of the presidents and the princes and in fact the king began to consider the thought was in Darius's mind to set him over the entire thing. Over the other two presidents and over all 120 princes. He was thinking, considering, he was thinking these thoughts of raising up and giving Daniel even greater power. I want to tell you this is an hour for us to shine as the body of Christ. Why should we shine? We're men and women of honesty, of integrity but you know what? You're not going to have integrity in this hour. You're not going to shine in this hour unless you pray. If you lose your prayer life you're going to lose your integrity. You're going to lose your morality. You're going to lose your convictions. You're going to lose your stickability. You're going to lose the ability to stand when everyone else is bending with the system. I want you to note that Daniel was a man of prayer. He is one of the great men of prayer in the Bible and in fact the book of Daniel. If you miss prayer in the book of Daniel then you don't understand the book of Daniel. The prayer life of Daniel is as important as the prophecies of God in the book of Daniel. Prayer brings God's will upon the earth. Why do you think the heavens rule? Do you realize the heavens only rule through a praying remnant or a praying man or woman? If God gets a man or an individual or a church that prays, oh church hear me tonight. If we as a church pray, if we humble ourself and pray, if we daily pray, I assure you this church is going to be caught up in the heavens ruling in the kingdoms of God. I don't know how that happens. I don't know what is going to happen but I assure you if we pray like we have prayed in the past seven years then the heavens are going to rule. We're going to experience it. We're going to see it. We're going to enjoy a manifestation of heaven on the earth. Daniel was a man of prayer. In Daniel chapter 2 he prayed in a life-threatening situation for God to speak to him. Remember all of them are going to die and Daniel says give me a night and he stayed up and prayed. Oh what a man of prayer. It was a life-threatening situation. That night he either had to touch God in prayer or he was a dead man or what about later in Daniel chapter 9. We read about those three weeks of fervent prayer where the angel of the Lord is sent to him and he's given the message about how Israel or how the Jews are going back to their homeland again. Over in the book of Ezekiel Daniel is mentioned alongside Noah and Job as a righteous man. As a man who God was going to listen to. If he's going to listen to three men in the Old Testament he'll listen to Noah, he'll listen to Job or he'll listen to Daniel. I assure you this this is fundamental to Daniel chapter 6 here tonight. A position supported by prayer. A position undergirded by prayer. I don't care whether you're a pauper on the streets or a prince in a palace. Is your position and place supported by prayer? Is it your prayer life that is making you the person who you ought to be and who you are? Second of all in this chapter a conspiracy against prayer. I told you it's going to be applicable to this year. To the year that we have ahead of us and to the decade of the 2020s if the Lord should tarry. Number two a conspiracy against prayer. In verse 4 here we read then the presidents and the princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom. You see they're looking at him and they're getting jealous of him and they're getting envious of him. You see he's an old man of at least 86 years old and we read at first here that they were seeking to catch something against him. They were envious of him. They saw him rising up with power. You see there's certain reasons why I think they were looking to catch him out. Look at his age. He's a man of 86. Many of them are in their 40s. They've got their entire future ahead of them. They think he should be retired. Put on the shelf. Move out of the way. They're a young generation. A new breed of politician coming up through. They would rather he move aside. Also he is a foreigner. He is a Jew. He is from that city of Jerusalem. He was a captive. That's another reason why they wanted him moved out of the way. But listen this is the real reason why they began to plan and strategize the downfall of this man of prayer. Do you know why this conspiracy against prayer was actually birthed? It's because of Daniel's honesty. He is in a political position. He is in there in the palace with Darius the maid. He was a hindrance to corruption. He could not lie. He would not lie. He wouldn't do it in the workplace. You couldn't buy him. You couldn't intimidate him. You couldn't bribe him. You couldn't buy things through your power or anything that you could give to him. You couldn't charm him. You couldn't praise him to a point where he would get lifted up with pride. You see Daniel was a great hindrance to corruption in that hour, in that generation. He had a character of honesty, of uprightness, of integrity. But you know what? That character, that man, the secret of his life was his prayer life. His daily prayer life. Since if we're going to survive this hour, if we're going to walk through this hour, we need to secure ourselves in a life of prayer. You're only going to face this hour on your knees. You're only going to overcome on your knees. You're only going to face the trials of this hour if you remain on your knees. You see these other princes and presidents began to plan his downfall. They began to seek or to look after or to search after some occasion against this man Daniel. They looked and they searched but they could find none occasion of fault in him. Can you imagine this? Two presidents and 120 princes and I'm sure they bribed many people and they're looking for just one thing. Something in his past. Something in how he handles money or how he's dealt with people. They began to look at his morality and all the positions that for 70 years he'd fulfilled within the city of Babylon. They began to look for someone who'd seen something or some bit of evidence and they couldn't find one single thing. They searched, they looked, they turned everything over in order to find something and yet there wasn't one act of error with Daniel. There wasn't one thing of integrity that they could point to. They actually had no further way of finding anything but listen they went further. I'm talking about a conspiracy against prayer. You say do you believe in conspiracies? Oh I do. Oh I do. You see I believe this last year and this year a conspiracy is being put into place. Don't think a conspiracy is a made-up thing or a story. It's not. The word conspiracy merely means a well-organized plan or an agenda. That's what they're actually doing here. So finally these princes and presidents you know what they came to the conclusion that they were going to have to find something against Daniel that involved the law of his God, the written scriptures. He was a man of integrity and honest and maybe they sent someone to bribe him waiting for him to take it and he refused it. Maybe they set up different traps and he walked through it as a holy man of God. Do you know why? He's a man of prayer. He's a man of prayer and God is protecting him but he is under attack. You see they knew that it had to be an issue with his religion, with his belief in God and if they're going to catch him out it has to do with the Bible, the Old Testament, with his belief in the commands of God. That's the only place. In other words they're going to have to conspire and create a conspiracy that if he remains as a faithful follower of the written scriptures as a man of God who obeys God and not man, if he remains as a true follower of God then he's going to get caught out. So they began to create a conspiracy or a plan, an agenda. They actually say there in verse 6 then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king. They assembled together. You know what? There was unity amongst them. They all gathered. They had talked together. In fact it says that they had consulted together already. In other words they talked, they planned, they plotted, they framed Daniel, they agreed together and just watch this. They actually lie. They assemble together. Oh what unity in this hour when men come together to make conspiracies against a man who is honest and upright. God help the legislators of this hour who are conspiring against honest Christians. God help them. They may think that they're planning our downfall but I want to assure you they're going to destroy themselves on their own anvil. I promise you that. I don't know all that's going to happen in these days ahead but those that plan the downfall of the church of Jesus Christ in this hour, they're in great trouble. Not only eternally in their soul but they'll fall upon their own sword. I can assure you since we're told that all of these these men, these presidents gathered and they spoke to the king and they said oh king all the presidents, that's a lie, Daniel wasn't involved. So they're lying. They've contrived a plan and they're speaking to King Darius. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, the princes, the councillors and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute. That's a lie and if Daniel wasn't there I'm sure others of the princes weren't there. There was a conspiracy and they're trying to tell the king everybody is on board with this. Everyone is agreeing from the lowest to the highest in authority. We all have a plan and we've agreed and we want you the king to make it, establish it as a royal statute and to make a firm decree. Listen to what the conspiracy is that they suggest to Darius. That whosoever shall ask a petition a petition or a prayer of any god or man for 30 days, save thee oh king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. This is the conspiracy that they had. It's a conspiracy against prayer but it's aimed at one man. It'll affect every person in the kingdom and in fact all of these leaders and rulers, they're willing to be a part of this or to suffer under it because they're after one man. Do you know why the devil has been working last year and this year and is bringing this conspiracy across the world? Do you know why? He's not interested in governments. He's not interested in nations. He's not interested in money. Do you know why this radical coup of the economy and of politics and of social society is happening? There is one reason and it's the church of Jesus Christ. That is the target. It is a praying church that the devil is after. That is why COVID-19 has come. Men have their agenda but I assure you the devil has a plan. He is after that real church. He is after that man of integrity. He is after that praying mother. That's what all of this is about and if only we began to realize what 2021 is going to be about. It is about a controversy over prayer. It's about a conspiracy against prayer. It's about the devil challenging the life of prayer in every single individual person. Darius actually accepted this. He thought it was a vote of support for him, an act of respect, of honoring him, of loyalty unto him, a unity amongst all of these leaders and he willingly went with it. He immediately signed the declaration that was going to affect every single person in the kingdom. It was a legal document. It was legislation and it would affect every individual from youngest to the oldest right across all of these cities and kingdoms. Since we have come to an hour when God's laws are beginning to clash with national laws, I believe this is going to be a great trial of this year and of the 2020s that legislation by wicked men. There is a conspiracy in the land but it's a praying remnant that the devil is aimed at. You see, when evil men use the law against the righteous, you know there's something wrong. Whenever laws are framed into legislation, when laws are being changed that are going to harm those who are prayerful, who are honest, who have integrity, who live right, who don't harm others, when we see the legal system changing, of new laws coming in, of legislation that is going to harm the righteous, you know that we're in a dark hour. We're in an evil hour. You better be a man and a woman of prayer. Notice this legal system that here Darius is being bound by the law of the meats and the persons. These two presidents and the other princes knew that once Darius binds himself, makes him a law, signs on the document, he can never be free of that. He's going to be bound by his own law. This is the difference between the gold of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and the silver of Cyrus and Darius's kingdom. There is a change in governmental structure. The Medo-Persian empire bound its rulers by law. Three times the Medo-Persian law is mentioned in this chapter. We read about the same legal system in the book of Esther in chapter 1 and again in chapter 8. In other words, when kings like Darius and Cyrus made a law, they themselves were bound by it. I can't imagine Nebuchadnezzar being bound by any law of the land. You see, he was the head of gold. He was that old Babylonian system, all made of gold, a form of government. You know what Nebuchadnezzar done? He said, my word is law. If he wanted to change the law, he would change the law. He wasn't going to be bound by Babylonian law. He made it. He changed it. He could revoke it. He could do whatever with that. But here's Darius making a law as the greatest leader in the city of Babylon, yet he's going to be bound by his own law. Do you know the UN talks much about Cyrus the Great and they talk about international law and human rights and they look back to Cyrus. They want to bring in legislation in our world that's going to bind and this is what they've done for many years. They want to bind every individual, every woman, every child of every nation under a legal system. In other words, they're not copying Nebuchadnezzar's system. They're copying Cyrus's legal system. It's the change from gold to silver where the legislation, everybody is bound by the law. Do you realize that's going to bring a snare upon this generation? You see when law and legislation, international law is actually framed in a way that it can make a Daniel suffer. You know there's a terrible hour coming. You know we're on the verge of having an international law, a legal system brought in like the Medo-Persians where everybody is going to be bound. It doesn't matter whether you're innocent or you're honest or you're moral. If you have broken that law, you're going to suffer in this hour. This brings me to my third point. The consequence of continued prayer. The consequence of continued prayer. Notice with me first of all, how did Daniel respond to this new legislation and how ought we to walk through the hour that we're living in? The consequence of continued prayer. First of all, Daniel in verse 10. It says, now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house. I'm talking about a man. What's the first thing he does? He goes to prayer. Do you hear me tonight? When the laws of the land change, when the laws go against us, when you see a legal system coming in that's going to righteous suffer, that's going to affect our life, that could lead us to imprisonment. Do you know where you need to go? You need to go back to your house. You need to go into that house and find a place of prayer. It says that as soon as Daniel knew this, he went into his house. You know what Jesus said? Jesus said, go into your closet, close the door behind you. Daniel was not doing this publicly. He'd done it privately in his own private home, in his own personal closet. He went home. As soon as he heard that law, he didn't fight. He didn't go to the courts. He didn't begin to demonstrate. He went home to find a place of prayer and the presence of God. Listen to what it actually says here about the prayer life of Daniel. You see, I'm talking about the consequence of continued prayer. If you continue praying through these 30 days, if you keep doing what you always done before, you're going to suffer. You're going to be faced with the threat of the den of lions. Since this is what Daniel was facing, he knew if he went back to prayer like he'd always prayed, if he continued being the man he was, if he lived right before God, if he obeyed the word of God, he was going to suffer. You know what he'd done? He went home and he began to pray. He didn't start praying. He'd just done what he'd done every other single day. Listen, it says he went into his house. In other words, he continued to do what he'd always done. It was private. It was personal. He wasn't trying to make a public spectacle. He wasn't trying to make some sort of point. He just carried on being the man of God he'd always been. Second of all, it says that his windows were open towards Jerusalem. Do you know why he perpetually had his windows open? In that upper floor of his house, the windows were always open towards Jerusalem. That's where he prayed. It was Solomon who wrote in 2nd Chronicles 6 that if you are ever carried into captivity away from Jerusalem and your own promised land and in a foreign land, he actually gave the instruction to open your windows towards this city and this land and begin to pray and God is going to hear you. You know what Daniel was doing? For 70 years he prayed like this. For 70 years he opened his windows. His windows were always open towards Jerusalem. Do you know what? All through this time, Jerusalem, the walls have been burnt out. The temple was destroyed. The city was in ruins. The people were scattered. They're all in Babylon. They're all in captivity. But do you know what? There's a man of prayer who's keeping perspective. This is his normal prayer life. He has that window perpetually open towards Jerusalem. You know what? There's hope in his prayer. He's remembered. There's going to be a time of restoration. We're going back. Those walls are going to be built. There's coming a revival. There's coming a great work of evangelism in this hour since it's not over. It's not over. The legislation is changing. Your life is under threat and yet here's a man of God in the place of prayer who's praying, Lord, restore again your city Jerusalem. Lord, I'm praying towards Jerusalem since you need to have your focus right. Not only the privacy of prayer, but have the focus right. Be praying with hope. It also says he kneeled upon his knees. Since that's our religious act, that is an act of submission to kneel on your knees before the Lord. You'll remember just a year ago, we got a phone call from our good friend, Sister Una. She was 98 years old and she phoned me up with a prayer request. She said, Brother Keith, would you and Candice pray for me? I said, sure, Sister. What do you want prayer for? She said, well, it's always been my custom to get on my knees and pray and I'm struggling in recent weeks and months. I'm finding it hard to get down on my knees and then to get back up from my knees when I pray. 98 years old. There's lots of young people don't have that problem because they neither pray nor bend their knee in prayer. There's an old saint who all through the years, she bent her knee to pray. When she gets to 98 and her knees are sore, she can't help but get down on those old knees again. It's the habit of a lifetime. Oh, that we had a habit of a lifetime. It also says he prayed three times a day. I believe he took this from Psalm 55 from King David about praying in the evening, the morning and the noon. Notice in Israeli teaching or the Old Testament, the day always begins in the evening. How you end the day, you begin the day. It's the evening, the morning and then the noontime. Three times a day. Notice how Daniel's prayer life is saturated by the word of God. It's molded by the word of God. It's instructed by the word of God. He has a disciplined prayer life. He has a custom. He has normal habits. This isn't religion. This isn't religion. This is a man of God. We're talking about the consequences of continued prayer. A man who's just going to keep praying. He's going to keep praying. He's going to keep praying. Do you know what he prays when he got down on his knees? Do you know the first thing that it says here in these verses? He didn't say, Oh God, help me. That wasn't his prayer. Do you know what it actually says? And he gave thanks to God. He's just heard the decree. The legislation has changed. His life is under threat. There is a law in the land that he says he must not pray for 30 days or he'll be thrown in a den of land. You know what he does? He goes home, prays. He lifts his hands to heaven. He says, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Can you thank God? Can you praise him in the crisis hour? That's what Daniel done. What did the conspirators do? In verse 11, it said, these men assembled and they found Daniel praying and making supplication for his God. These men assembled. It was a prearranged plan. You see, I believe these men knew he was going to pray. They had confidence. He would break the law. They had confidence. He would go straight home and pray. So they made a prearranged plan. They assembled together. Can you imagine them? Daniel's there doing what he's always done. And you've got these group of conspirators. They want evidence. They want to see it for themselves. They want to hear those prayers. And they may be rent a house opposite or next door, or they bribe one of the neighbors and they're up there on the roof and they're peering over into Daniel's prayer room. And they're there saying, I told you, I knew he's a man of prayer. I knew he would rather pray than obey the law of the land. He's a man of integrity. Since those conspirators knew who they were dealing with. And I believe the conspirators of this are, they know who the real church is. They know who the real Christians are. And they know the laws coming in. They know a real Christian will never bow to it. A real Christian will never bow the knee. That's why there's a collision coming. That's why we're in this crisis. Don't think that it's some secular thing out there. They're after one group of people. There's only one group of people in this world that is stopping the agendas of this hour. And they must extinguish the fire of a Daniel generation. These men assemble to gaze upon and look at him. And as they expected, he was praying. Then it says immediately, they went to the king to gossip. And verse 12, they said to the king, did you not sign? And verse 13, they said, you have signed. And verse 15, they said, the king has established a royal decree. Notice before they set up and betrayed Daniel, they're making sure they're confirming, they're reminding Darius about the legislation and the law. And they're saying the middle person law can never be broken. It can never be changed. Not even the king can change it. Since we're at an hour where there's a legal system coming in, that's going to make the righteous suffer. And we're going to find out if you're a praying saint, if you have integrity, if you really believe the word of God, if you love God more than government, or your freedom, or your rights, or your liberties, or all of your blessings, we are going to find it in this hour. They then hatched their plan to say King Daniel, that man Daniel, who was a captive of Judah, does not regard you. What a lie. What a lie. Here they're lying, trying to destroy a man's character. Daniel was a man of integrity, but they're saying he doesn't regard you because he doesn't regard your decree. And he's praying three times a day. I wonder if they hung around. I wonder if they went back those three times. They knew what time he would be praying. They knew where he would be praying. They knew how he would be praying. Three times they said he's breaking the law of the land. These men are out to get Daniel. You see, the law, when the law is placed above morality, honesty, and decency, we are in a dark hour. We're their saints. So we see what Daniel does. We see what the conspirators do. What does Darius, this great king, do? And verse 14 says, then the king, when he heard these words, was so displeased with himself, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him. He suddenly realized that he'd been trapped. He'd been bound. He'd been tricked by these conspirators. You see, he thought highly of Daniel. He knew Daniel's a man of integrity. But in passing this legislation, he didn't know what it was for. He couldn't see the motives of these men. He didn't see the agenda. He didn't see the conspiracy that was being laid. And even Darius, the maid, got caught by the legislation. I believe many kings, presidents, prime ministers, leaders, politicians are going to be caught in this hour. I believe there's some good upright men and women out there, but they're going to walk into this trap and suddenly go, what have we done? What have we allowed to come to pass in this hour? Darius was such a man. He was angry with himself for allowing this to happen, and yet he couldn't change it. We're told here that he went on to labor till the going down of the sun to try and deliver Daniel. Can you imagine Nebuchadnezzar doing that? No chance. But this is the silver kingdom of the Medo-Persian empire. Here's Darius. He is broken. He works right into the late hours of the night. He's looking for every loophole. He's got the lawyers working on it. He's got the solicitors out. He said, I've got to get this man free. But you know what? By the end of the night, he realizes there's no escape. The law of the land is imposed. Daniel must go to the lion's den. There's no way out of this. You can't change the law of the land. That's why they're working on the law of this hour. They're building a legal system that's going to punish good businessmen, mothers, husbands, wives, who are just living a right life. You see, we are living in such an hour. When I was 18 years old, I went out as a young soldier to the first Gulf War when Saddam Hussein was there in a position of leadership in the nation of Iraq. I was part of a mass army, one of the most remarkable armies in modern history. Maybe a million soldiers, a joint army from many different nations, embarked upon Saudi Arabia and Iraq. For three months, I was out there. I served in Saudi Arabia. Then in Iraq, we were given a command to go towards Baghdad city. We were driving across the desert. That was going to be our next destination. When the politicians stepped in and stopped the war, I never got there. I was longing to get to Baghdad, not far from Babylon. Then we drove on to the little state of Kuwait. When we reached Kuwait, we were given rest time. We'd been in war for three months. Now, we could relax every morning. We woke up. They took our names. Then we could go and sunbathe all day long. We could do anything all day long. Well, some of my friends, they got those old Russian tanks, made a racetrack, and we raced Russian tanks in a round. Others began parasailing off stolen Iraqi Land Rovers. We'd be doing all of these things. This is all we'd done every day, every day for weeks as we prepared to go home. We'd had three months of intensive warfare. Now, it was a time to relax. Well, I, as usual, I was studying my Bible, reading my Christian books. I found one guy somewhere on that base. He'd smuggled in a whole bag of Bibles. We began holding meetings in a tent in the evening time. We'd get young guys in. That's where I learned to teach and preach prophecy. Well, I'd be in there talking about all the prophecies of the Bible. These young guys, under conviction of sin, were sharing and praying and telling them the gospel. This night, as I walked back across the desert, going to my vehicle to sleep that night, there was a fire burning. My officer was there, my staff sergeant, and there were two other recce sergeants. They said, Malcolmson, pull up a barrel, sit down. And they banned me that night, said, from this night on, you're banned. You're not allowed to read your Bible. I read the Bible every day, my machines, notes out there in the Kuwaiti desert. I was reading the Bible, just reading through that schedule. Well, they sat down and they said, you're being intimidating to this troop. This was a troop of 60 men. I was the youngest of the bunch. All of them are hard fighting, drinking, womanizing, cursing, blaspheming. And they're saying I was being highly oppressive to the troop. I laughed at them. I said, come on, gentlemen. I don't think a young guy like me is being oppressive. They said, your gospel is disturbing the men. I said, I only speak to those who speak to me. They start the conversations and I just tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ. One of those recce sergeants, he said, I challenge you. I want you to come into my vehicle for the next week. And at the end of that week, you won't, you'll throw out your religion. You won't be a Christian any longer. I said, sure, Sergeant, I'll come be in your vehicle for a week. As long as at the end of that week, when I still believe in Christ and I'm still burning for God, that you will become a Christian. His face dropped and he said, oh no, I won't do that. I said, well, where's the challenge? Where's the challenge? So they all sat there and said, one of these days, your faith is going to let you down. And they said, listen, Malcolmson, go to bed now. But we don't want to see you reading the Bible. The next morning, as usual, we are there. I got up. We all stood to attention. They took all of our names, dismissed us and said, go do whatever you're going to do. Well, I sat down right in the middle of the mall, midst all this desert. I picked up my Bible as I'd done every day. I wasn't being provoking, saying, don't think that. I'm not playing games. I'm just using the wisdom of God. I sat down and began to read my Bible. And the Sergeant said, Malcolmson, grab a shovel. You're going to dig holes all day long. Well, for two hours, I dug holes in that sand, sand everywhere. At the end of that time, one of the other sergeants called me, said, Malcolmson, come with me. Get in my vehicle. I didn't know what was coming. When we shut the door, he said, I respect you. And I wish I had your courage. I wish I could believe in Jesus like you, but I'm scared of the guys. That was one of my sergeants. Well, I told him, I'm praying for you, Sergeant, that you can be born again. What am I telling you? The consequence of continued prayer. Since this year, there's going to be consequence for being a Christian. And in the years to come, if you just keep doing what you always done, not telling you to be stupid or to pick a fight, just be a Christian. I assure you, there is a fight coming. There are consequence. Let me finish here tonight with my fourth and final point, the victory of a life of prayer. The victory of a life of prayer. Verse 16, then the King commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lambs. Now the King speak and said unto Daniel, thy God, whom thou service continually, he will deliver thee. You know, Darius knew that he had no power to save Daniel. No power. The command, the legislation had to be outworked. But this was his word to Daniel. Thy God, whom thou service continually, he will deliver thee. What a mighty statement for a King to Daniel. This old 86 year old man being put in the den of lambs because of the law, the new legislation of the lamb, they put a stone upon it, upon the mouth of the den, and he put a seal upon it. He put a signet of his Lord's upon it. And now we're going to have to see what God does. It says in verse 18, then the King went to his palace and he passed the night fasting. Neither were instruments of music brought to him and went in haste to the den of lambs early the next morning. He didn't sleep that night. He didn't eat that night. He was worried about the man of God. He says, I know your God who you serve can deliver you. I know that there was more faith in Darius, the King of Babylon. There was more faith in him than many Christians in this hour. He said, I know your God can save you. Do you realize what the consequence of being a man of prayer or a praying church in this hour? Do you realize what the consequence is? Our prayer life is going to be tested by the den of lambs. We are going to be put in the den of lambs. We are going to be put in the midst of roaring lambs. I'm not looking for a fight. I'm not asking for a fight. I'm not searching for a fight. But I assure you, because my convictions are in the word of God, that life of prayer, that spirit of prayer makes me, I can't compromise the gospel. I can't become a liar. I can't become an idolater. I can't stop praying. I can't stop evangelizing. I can't stop preaching. I can't do it since it'll put you in the den of lambs. Do you realize there's a consequence for being a Christian? All through these years, Christians have got off scot-free. I assure you worldwide, and especially in this Western world, you are going to pay a price for your convictions. Don't cry about it. Don't moan about it. It is the natural consequence of a life of prayer. If you're a man or woman who loves God, there's the consequence. The next morning, King Darius rushed down to the den and he cried out in a lamentable or a sad voice. Listen to what he says, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest, continually able to deliver thee from the lions? He didn't know the answer. And Daniel cried out in response and he said, O King, for as much as before him the Lord, innocency was found in me, and also before thee, O King, I have no hurt. No hurt was done. You know what it says in Hebrews 11, 33, who through faith subdued the mouse of lions, who through faith, it actually says there, because Daniel believed in his God. He actually tells the King that the Lord sent his angel and stopped the mouse of the lions. Those lions could not touch Daniel. He could not. This is a victory of prayer. He's a man of prayer. Where did he get such faith? In the place of prayer. He just prays daily, three times a day in simplicity, without any flash of lightning. Every day, he finds a place of prayer. Do you know what? When you have such a prayer life, you're going to find that when you're faced with the den of lions, that you're going to have a faith like Daniel, because of your faith, God's going to send an angel and shut the mouse of those lions. It's very real. It's very real. Do you know what this great King done? He said, get Daniel out of there. Second of all, he said, put those cowardly accusers of Daniel, these conspirators, put them in the den with their children, with their wives, with their families. As they're dropped down in there, it says the lions devoured them, had mastery over them and broke their bones to pieces. There is righteous judgment. I want to warn anyone, if you ever allow anything into your heart to lift your hand against the children of God, I assure you, you're in trouble. What a serious thing. But a third and final thing here, you know what King Darius done? He said, then King Darius wrote onto all peoples, nations, languages that dwell in all the earth. And he said, I make a decree. Those conspirators wanted him to make a decree against prayer. Now, after all this, he makes another decree. He never would have done this otherwise, but for that evil conspiratorial decree that he was tricked into, he never would have made this decree. But now he makes a new decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, men must tremble on fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God and steadfast forever or continues forever. And his kingdom is that which shall not be destroyed. And his dominion shall be even unto the end. He deliver us and rest to us. He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and on earth who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. Praise God tonight. The Lord turned over the whole thing. It's a prayer life being tried and proved and tested by the den of lions. It's a fiery furnace for your worship, but it's a den of lions for your prayer life. I believe the church worldwide, and especially in the Western world, your prayer life is just about to be tested. You're going to have to face the roaring lions and there's only one way through a life of prayer, a life of prayer. King Darius sent a decree into all his empire. Some people think it's mythical, only stories in a book. I want to tell you it's true. Every story in this book, six chapters we've gone through, every word of it is true. Absolutely accurate. And here's Daniel raised up again and vindicated the heavens do rule. It was in the year 635 AD after Christ that a Persian Christian led a missionary team out of Persia, the descendants of these men that we have read about, but Christians who have received the gospel in Persia, there was a great revival there. And this missionary team in 635 arrived in China. They actually arrived at the palace of the emperor over the entire Chinese imperial emperor. In fact, China in those days was bigger than it is today. They came to the palace and they spoke to the great king, emperor Taizong, who is actually considered today the greatest emperor that China ever had in all of its history. These were the golden days of China. Its greatest days with its greatest ruler. This great Chinese emperor in this year 635 listened to these missionaries very, very carefully. He commanded that the Bible be translated into the Chinese language. They spent three years studying the Bible. These missionaries were with the king. He listened carefully and he called them the way. That was the name that he called the church that was coming into China. At the end of three years, he gave a command that the gospel and the written scriptures were to go into every single province of his kingdom. Listen to the decree he wrote in the year 638 AD. This teaching is helpful to all creatures and beneficial to all men. So let it have free course throughout my entire empire. Praise God, saints. It's happened before. It can happen again. We live in an hour of the dead of lands and our prayer life is just about to be tested. May the grace of God help you to stand in this hour. I pray for you as a church. I pray for all those that listen here that you're going to have courage in this hour ahead because you are going to be tested. You are going to be tried. We are going to be thrown in to the midst of lands because of the legislation of this hour. But I'm telling you what the answer is. It's a life of prayer. It's going to a place of prayer. It's seeking the Lord your God and keeping your eyes upon him. Let's pray here. Father, I pray for all my friends listening this message tonight, in the days ahead, in the weeks ahead. Lord God, we pray that you give your church again courage to pray. That you make the church a house of prayer again. She's lost it because of the games of religion, because of the false teachings, the name it and claim it gospel. But my God, I thank you that we are being brought back to being a people of prayer. Lord God, we are going to be proved in our prayer life. And Lord God, we are going to be strengthened in the place of prayer. And we are going to be able to walk through this because we're a praying people. And we're going to have a faith because we're a praying people. And I pray for your church in 2021. We pray. We agree right now. We agree together in Jesus name. Prepare us so God. Prepare your church out across the nations. Make her ready for this onslaught in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.