Christians should establish a strong devotional life to become spiritually mature. A daily devotional practice should be normal for Christians (Daniel still prayed three times a day despite being in danger in Babylon). If you practice the presence of God day and night, then your relationship with God will not waver as each day you walk with God.
Recently, in the live broadcast named "Morning Prayer" on WeChat, Pastor Zhang Zhongqiu gave the third lecture in a series entitled "Victory in the Workplace." He shared that Daniel was falsely accused, but he still insisted on maintaining a regular prayer life. Because of his faithfulness God saved him from the mouth of the lions. The salvation illustrates the importance of a regular devotional life.
Pastor Zhang shared three points.
1. Put God and your relationship with him first, and your priority on what God would have you do.
Daniel maintained good spiritual practices, so he was able to be victorious while in the workplace. In both the Babylonian Empire and the Persian Empire, he was the prime minister. This was a very high position. Why was his work so successful? Because he was spiritually committed to God and was faithful in keeping in his devotional disciplines.
To be spiritually mature one needs to depend on a relationship with God and practice daily devotions. Without meaningful daily devotionals, the relationship with God will not be what it could be.
Daniel honored God and worked hard at the job he was given. So when his opponents, the administrators, and the satraps, wanted to accuse him of misconduct, they were unable to do so. They had to find a way to challenge his faith. So after some discussion, they proposed to the king, "The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” (Daniel 6:7)
Daniel was persecuted because he focused on seeking God. Daniel knew that the decree had been put in writing, and if he continued to bow down to God, he would be thrown into the lion's den, but he still prayed towards Jerusalem. Daniel prayed three times a day for the exiles and his own country. For Judah, he fasted and prayed. Pastor Zhang asked, "Why did Daniel violate the decree and continue to pray? Because he put God's things first, he valued his relationship with God above all else.”
He continued, "when we value our relationship with God and our concerned about our spiritual welfare, we can put down our work and concentrate on listening to the sermon during the Sunday service."
2. Daniel prayed three times a day, kneeling in front of his God, praying, and giving thanks, just as he always did. In the face of the king’s decree and taking a large risk, he continued with his prayers and devotions the same as always.
The busier and more tired we are, the more we need to pray, take time to rest, and regain strength. It is precisely because you don’t pray that your spirit becomes weak and your heart is filled with complaints and hate when you face difficulties. Look at our Lord's three prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane when he faced the cross. He was completely human with physical weakness, but by praying he was able to claim victory over his flesh. The 12 disciples fell asleep, were weak and failed to rise up to pray. So they had no spiritual power and chose to run away, denying the Lord.
"For us today, the habit of looking at our mobile phones is a part of life. We habitually look at our mobile phones, but that not how we pray. So we have to repent before God," said Pastor Zhang.
What we lack is to practice the disciplines of our spiritual life in a normal pattern; we haven’t established stable spiritual disciplines in our lives. If we have normal devotions then we can live a victorious Christian life. Without devoting ourselves to having our devotions on a daily basis, then we will only experience occasional victories in our life, most of the time it will be weakness and failure that we experience. Pastor Zhang warned, "People need stable devotions and good spiritual habits, so we can get heavenly wisdom and have the ability to finish the work. We are often spiritually underfed but need to do a lot of work.
3. Experience God's rescue
Daniel continued to pray, and he experienced God's salvation. God sent his angel and shut the mouths of the lions. He also won the respect of the king. The king was worried about Daniel and regretted having put him into the lion’s den. He knew he had been deceived and shouldn’t have made the decree that everyone should only pray to him. Having put a very talented and important official into the lion’s den, he was anxious and not able to sleep.
Many bosses today are pleased to hire employees like Daniel, who are dedicated Christians. They will bring blessings wherever they go. So it is particularly important to establish to develop strong spiritual habits that will ensure a close relationship with God.
Evangelist Zhang mentioned that Pat Kissinger, the author of the book "Balanced Wisdom," is the chief technology executive of Intel Corporation. His work is very difficult. Because his company needs to constantly develop new high-end technology, he has a stressful job. But he not only succeeded in his work but also was a good husband and father to his four children. He was also an elder in the church at the time.
A reporter asked him: How can you balance family, church, and work? Kissinger said that God must come first. He said that the most important thing every day is his relationship with God and following Him is the top priority in life. With his priorities established, he is able to be a good father, husband, elder, and employee in the company. In all things, we must put God first and finish our work by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, there are times when we may be angry and tired, but relying on God will bring victory.
In conclusion Pastor Zhang said, "Only when we have a strong devotional life can we be successful in our daily work. If we are dedicated spiritually, we can be successful in the marketplace. We are human and we do fail and may be contaminated with the pollution of the world. The Holy Spirit illuminates us and cleanses our souls of trash and filth through the Word of God. When we are cleaned up and fed by the Word of God, we are able to be successful in our work."
-Translated by Abigail Wu
