Day 12: Don't Bow
Reading for Today
Daniel 3:16-18 NLT Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Now that you’re on the other side of the halfway point of the fast, you have probably learned a remarkable truth: Everyone offers free food when you’re fasting! Free donuts at work, free nuggets in your app, parties and events all seem to conspire against you.
Hopefully you can laugh about it now, but it is a reflection of a deeper spiritual principle.
“When you stand for God, the enemy will constantly pester you to bow.”
Ultimately, the enemy wants you to move your allegiance from God to him. Since the beginning Satan has always been jealous of the glory God receives and he wants it for himself. We have the responsibility to stand for God even in the presence of those who bow to the enemy.
The three Hebrew boys had to live this out. In a culture that was willing to conform they were determined to stand for God. Even when faced with life-threatening consequences they stood firm believing that God would never leave them. Likewise, we must believe in God’s desire and ability to be with us in challenging times.
Your task is to fight the temptation to bow. That means doing the small things like walking pass the free donuts at work. It means enjoying a salad on date night while others seem to happily eat whatever they want. It also means standing up to the test of preparing food for your kids that you can’t eat.
Not bowing also about standing up to the bigger challenges you may face. Like keeping your integrity when surrounded by others who do anything to get ahead. It means fighting for your marriage when it would be easy to walk away. Not bowing means staying the course when things are hard.
Remember that fasting reminds us that our strength doesn’t come from the food we eat but from the faith we develop. It’s more than saying no to food. Its about saying yes to focusing on the power of God in us.