Dare to be different. Not just for the gymnastics of it but for the sake of taking a stand for God and your faith in him. The Bible reading of today is very popular about defying the odds to the glory of God. God had laid it out ahead of time that we should have no other God besides him. Hence, asking  the three Hebrew boys to worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar has made was a fundamental challenge to their identity. So they took a stand. Recall that ahead of that time, they had not seen the miracle of someone saved from a fiery furnace so they did not have a point of reference.  However, they were so confident in the fact that they were doing the right thing by God that they were willing to perish. The hope of eternal life in that instance was enough for them. But we know that the king of glory always steps in to show to the world that there is none besides him so that even more people can trust in him. We know that the story ends with the boys coming out unharmed by the fire. The question though is why did they dare? I would say that they recognized their spiritual identity through a journey of learning and growth and through constant fellowship.  They were not willing to trade the king’s endorsement for their eternal identity. Interestingly, the king’s endorsement came miraculously as a perk due to their ally stepping into the fire with them. In your sphere of influence, are you taking a stand or are you making costly trade-offs? Recognize your identity and live up to heaven’s expectations of you.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for consistently showing to the world that you are the Almighty God. Please Lord grant me the confidence to take a stand for you always in Jesus name 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.