Champions BYTES for 2/11/09: "The SMELL of Victory!"

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [saw and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king. He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods! Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the deputies, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered around together and saw these men - that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched or changed in color or condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! And they set aside the king's command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." -The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

You must set aside what people have thrown on (or spoken over) your life.

When you yield your life, leadership and loyalty to God, you can go through hell and still land on the other side unchanged, unhurt, with no smell of smoke, bitterness or resentment, but rather with the smell of victory.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were leaders set over the affairs of the province of Babylon when malicious accusation came against them from jealous co-workers. A decree had been set by the king, that anyone that did not bow to the image the king set up would be fired (Literally fired up in a burning fiery furnace.)

The account in Daniel 3:15-18 records how furiously the king responded when it was reported that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow:

"Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer or bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast at once into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point. If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!"

As champions, you must refuse to bow to what is trying to kill (and destroy) you.

These young men worked for a Babylonian king, but refused to bow to a system that compromised the integrity of their faith and values, even if the result was termination.

They had faith no matter what the result. Do you? Do you have faith regardless of the economic failure people are forecasting? You cannot bow to the fears that are gripping the economy and paralyzing dreams. Even if it seems like you have no options and you are headed for imminent destruction, Christ has not lost sight of what He has promised you.

When people fail us, He won't. Christ walks with us amid economic failure and oppression to summon divine protection and favor to our side.

He can keep your dream alive even when people try to destroy it.

Over the past few years, I have discovered that you can be thrown in the most fiery furnace, test or trial and still not smell or look like what you went through. You can march (run) through what men throw you in.

You may have been thrown in bound, but you can come out loose; unhurt, unraveled by the fire that consumes others. Stop using the economy or people as an excuse for where you are.

What if you asked God for a new job or promotion; a new client or team and He replied, "I can't in this economy?" You'd be shocked. The unemployment rate is irrelevant. You are still designed (and commanded) to prosper (and to work.)

God does not bless our complaining, accusations, excuses or opinions; He blesses the work of our hands. In the Kingdom of God, you have inalienable rights to have the finest of things, to be more than a conqueror, to flourish (while serving in the house of God) and create the life you want, the job you want-even if it is a dream role within your own startup company.

All creativity is released in the presence of a problem.

The problems that people or your team has should increase your competitiveness to meet the need.

Today, see yourself on the other side of your problem:

How do you look?
What have you learned or gained?
Are you stronger, wiser, better, an authority in what to do now?

One of my leaders said this week, "My mom in Taiwan has been worried about me and the economy in the U.S. I replied to her if you want to help me, IMAGINE me passing my LSAT. IMAGINE me being accepted into law school. IMAGINE me being the Chief Counsel at my company. IMAGINE me being rich and able to help others."

What will YOU imagine?

I DECLARE that what men see you come through will astound them. This can yet be your greatest hour.

RIGHT NOW, there is Someone else in that boardroom, seminar, presentation, contract negotiation, trade talk, surgery room, hearing and marriage. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. He is a living Word that is not bound; that is active, loose and more powerful than any opposition you can encounter.

Trust Him and amaze the authorities and people with influence that are watching.

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