Have you ever felt like your prayers are hitting a celestial ceiling? Join Dr. Robert Jackson as he guides you through the profound lessons of Daniel chapter 10, revealing the complex dynamics of spiritual warfare and the influence they can exert over our prayer lives. He'll share how Daniel's 21-day fast and his steadfast prayers shed light on the unseen battles that may cause delays in the responses we seek from above. Understand how the biblical depiction of demonic forces over nations could mirror the spiritual resistance we face today, and how faith and patience are essential in navigating these divine delays, as highlighted by the message from Isaiah 59:2 about sin's impact on our connection with God.
Now, let's talk perseverance. It's essential, especially when your prayers seem to vanish into the ether. This episode delves into the power of aligning our prayers with God's will, as he discuss' the critical role of perseverance in prayer and fasting, and how these spiritual disciplines can impact the heavenly realm. Drawing from 1 John 5:14-15, Dr. Jackson explores how persistent prayer and fasting can help us break through demonic opposition like the 'prince of Persia', and he'll emphasize the vital practice of relying on the Lord rather than confronting these spiritual adversaries on our own. Learn from the intimate relationships biblical figures had with the divine, and be encouraged to maintain your faith journey, knowing that God's authority prevails in all spiritual conflicts.
Have you ever felt like your prayers are hitting a celestial ceiling? Join Dr. Robert Jackson as he guides you through the profound lessons of Daniel chapter 10, revealing the complex dynamics of spiritual warfare and the influence they can exert over our prayer lives. He'll share how Daniel's 21-day fast and his steadfast prayers shed light on the unseen battles that may cause delays in the responses we seek from above. Understand how the biblical depiction of demonic forces over nations could mirror the spiritual resistance we face today, and how faith and patience are essential in navigating these divine delays, as highlighted by the message from Isaiah 59:2 about sin's impact on our connection with God.
Now, let's talk perseverance. It's essential, especially when your prayers seem to vanish into the ether. This episode delves into the power of aligning our prayers with God's will, as he discuss' the critical role of perseverance in prayer and fasting, and how these spiritual disciplines can impact the heavenly realm. Drawing from 1 John 5:14-15, Dr. Jackson explores how persistent prayer and fasting can help us break through demonic opposition like the 'prince of Persia', and he'll emphasize the vital practice of relying on the Lord rather than confronting these spiritual adversaries on our own. Learn from the intimate relationships biblical figures had with the divine, and be encouraged to maintain your faith journey, knowing that God's authority prevails in all spiritual conflicts.
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr Robert Jackson.
Speaker 2:
Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Grab your Bible, gather around and let's look into the written Word, which reveals to us the living Word, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we're in Daniel, chapter 10, and in Daniel, chapter 10, daniel has another vision and in this vision an angel comes to him and reveals to him the meaning of the vision. But the angel has been detained for 21 days before he is able to come to Daniel to give him an explanation of the vision. So let's read what's happening in Daniel, chapter 10.
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In those days, I, daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all, until the entire three weeks were completed. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with the belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like beryl His face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. Now drop down to verse 10. Then, behold, a hand touched me and set me, trembling, on my hands and knees. He said to me O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up, trembling. Then he said to me Do not be afraid, daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for 21 days. Then, behold, michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future. Well, what in the world is happening in the scripture? Or should I say what in the spiritual world is happening in this scripture? Well, let's back up and talk a little bit about fasting. For you see, in the beginning of this passage, daniel has been fasting and mourning and beseeching an answer to his prayer for 21 days Now.
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In the Bible and in my personal experience, people fast because of illness. Sometimes their illness keeps them from eating food. Sometimes people fast because of poverty. Their lack of resources causes them to fast from food. Sometimes my patients fast because of grief. The grief in their heart because of the loss of a loved one or because of the sin in the life of a loved one keeps them from being able to tolerate food. And then sometimes people fast because of priorities. They're seeking after God, just like Daniel is in this passage. When we have no one to turn to but God, when we need answers to the issues of our life, when we are concerned for the heart or the life of a loved one and we just have no answers, or even we're concerned for the spiritual life of our nation, then sometimes these priorities cause us to turn away from food and to seek God and we fast. You have to grow into it. Though Let me say that Fasting is not something that you just jump into. You have to grow into it. You have to start small and you practice, you practice fasting, and fasting is like weight lifting you have to start small. With weight lifting, it's like long distance running you have to start slow and you build up to become a long-distance runner. And fasting is the same way. You have to start with a few hours or part of a day before you become someone who can fast for many hours or many days.
Speaker 2:
In verse 3 of this passage, we learn that Daniel was very limited in his dietary intake, and he was limited for three weeks. He was spiritually mourning, and why? Well, it's because of a vision that he'd had and he needed an explanation. He was seeking understanding. Then, in verse 12 through 13, an angel was dispatched on day one. An angel was dispatched on day one. We learned that the angel was sent on day one, but he was hindered by the kings or the princes of Persia, until an archangel named Michael came to his aid. Does this really happen behind the scenes? Is this make-believe? No, in Revelations, chapter 20, verses 7 through 8, we can recall that Satan said, is a fallen angel and that he is sent out to deceive the nations. And in this passage we understand that there is a prince of Persia. There's also a prince of Greece, as we see in verse 20 of this passage. There are demonic angels that deceive the nations and they rule over the nations of the world. And they are dispatched by Satan to rule over the affairs of the world Because, you see, satan is the God of this world. He is the evil one that rules over this world.
Speaker 2:
So let me ask you another question why are your prayers not answered immediately? Why are the answer to your prayers delayed? God always hears. Be assured of that, dear brother and sister. God always hears your prayers. He may delay, but he's never late. In Isaiah, chapter 59 and verse 2, the Bible tells us but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Sometimes unconfessed sin, sin in your life and my life that we are not dealing with causes God not to answer our prayers or to delay in answering our prayers. So when you and I pray, we must always make sure that there's no unconfessed sin in our lives.
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Number two 1 Peter, chapter 3 and verse 7 tells us very plainly that sometimes, when husbands and wives are not living together in an understanding way, that that can be a hindrance to answer prayer. Let me read that scripture to you First, peter, chapter three, in verse seven. It says you, husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way as with someone weaker, since she is a woman, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. You see, if you and I, brothers, don't live with our wives in an understanding way, if we don't show them honor and respect, the Bible says that our prayers may be hindered, they may go unanswered. And the vice versa is true. If wives do not live with their husbands in a respectful way, in an understanding way, their prayers may be hindered and may go unanswered. This is especially true in the third world cultures, where women are viewed as chattel, as property, and women are not treated with respect and honored as a part of the culture. And this verse is very critical to the understanding of men, especially in third world cultures. And if they do not treat Christian men do not treat their wives with honor and respect and try to live with them in an understanding way, trying to understand the heart and minds of their wives, then their prayers will be hindered. That also can be true of Christian men in our culture who can fall into that same mindset and not live with their wives in an understanding way, not trying to understand the minds of their Christian wives, and that can lead to prayers not being answered.
Speaker 2:
Number three not praying according to the will of God. The Bible makes it very plain that if we don't pray according to the will of God, our prayers may not be answered. For example, in 1 John 5, verse 14 and 15, the Bible says this is the confidence which we have before Him that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked from Him. If we don't pray according to God's will, then why would we expect that he would answer our prayer? But when we do pray according to his will, we know that he hears us and we know that he will answer us.
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And then, number four demonic opposition. The prince of Persia opposed the angel sent to answer Daniel's prayer for 21 days until Michael arrived. So it's very obvious that when we pray, there's something happening in the cosmos, there's something happening in the spirit world that you and I don't always perceive, and so there's often demonic opposition to our prayers, and it's imperative that you and I persevere in prayer. What if Daniel had quit praying on day 20? Would Michael have been able to overcome the prince of Persia? Well, you and I don't know the answer to that prayer. The prince of Persia Well, you and I don't know the answer to that prayer. But it's imperative that you and I persevere in prayer to obtain the answer to our prayer to aid the angels that are involved in spiritual conflict.
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Ephesians 6, 12 tells us that there's a spiritual warfare that goes on. Listen to this from the King James Version, which is one of my favorite versions, when it talks about spiritual warfare. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. I remember when I memorized that very verse as a freshman in college and it captured my mind because I realized that I was involved in a spiritual battle, spiritual warfare, and you know Satan is well organized. You know Satan is well organized and he has a hierarchy of demonic forces that followed him out of heaven and the world lies in the hands of the evil one. 1 John 5, verse 19 tells us that, specifically, the world lies in the hands of the clutches of the evil one, in the hands of the clutches of the evil one. And then verse 20 in Daniel, chapter 10, tells us that the next world power that would emerge and that would appear on the world scene was Greece and that it would have its own demonic influence that was appointed over it by Satan.
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So now let me ask you another question what do we learn about this cosmic conflict that you and I cannot see, that we cannot perceive, but the Bible tells us plainly is going on behind the curtain? Number one prayer can be delayed by demonic opposition. That's the first thing that we learn. Number two that our prayers can aid in the deployment of angelic forces to overcome demonic opposition. How does that happen? I don't know. I can't fully explain that, but it's obvious from scripture that Daniel's prayer aided in Michael arriving on the scene to overcome the princes of Persia, in the answer to his prayer for the explanation of the vision. The next thing we understand is that perseverance prevails. What if Daniel had quit fasting and praying on day 20? Would Michael have shown up? Would Michael have overcome? I don't know the answer to that for certain, but the implication is that by persevering in prayer, michael was able to arrive, he was able to overcome, and that Daniel's prayer and fasting was instrumental in that happening. That is why Jesus taught us to persevere in prayer. He said watch and pray. He said when you fast not if you fast, but when you fast.
Speaker 2:
When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, his disciples were struggling to cast a demon out of a little boy and they were failing miserably. And Jesus came down and very easily cast the demon out of that little boy. And later his disciples said why could we not do this, lord? And Jesus said this kind comes out, but by fasting and prayer. And you see, there are some spiritual battles that can only be won by fasting and prayer. And you see, there are some spiritual battles that can only be won by fasting and prayer.
Speaker 2:
And I'm telling you, look at this Do you have family or friends that are in bondage to sin? They're in bondage to drugs or alcohol, they're in bondage to gambling or pornography. And if you ever looked at them and said to yourself, they've got the devil in them, I know you have. I've looked at some of my acquaintances or even some of my patients and in my heart I've said, oh my goodness, they've got the devil in them. And you may be more right than you realize when you say that in your heart there may be demonic influence in their life and demonic opposition to your prayers on their behalf. That kind of influence will only by prayer, by fasting in prayer over a long period of time I mean by perseverance in prayer over a long period of time by grabbing a hold of the horns of the altar and saying, oh Lord, I'm not going to let go until you give me what I request.
Speaker 2:
Child of God. There may be satanic forces that you and I cannot see arrayed against us, but there are sent forth to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation. We are never commanded to pray to them. Let me caution you about that. You and I are the heirs of salvation. There are angels that are sent to minister to you and me, but we are never commanded to pray to the angels. Nor are we permitted to personally rebuke Satan or his demons, but rather we call on the Lord to rebuke Satan, just as Michael did when he was contending with Satan for the body of Moses. He said the Lord rebuke you. Now watch this.
Speaker 2:
The Bible tells us that Enoch walked with God. The Bible tells us that Abraham was called the friend of God and David was a man after God's own heart. But in this passage of scripture, in verse 19, the Bible says that Daniel was highly esteemed. It says O man highly esteemed of God. Now watch this. In Isaiah 62, 66, in verse 2, the Bible says this is the one I will esteem, he who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at my word. Oh, my goodness, that's Daniel. Daniel exhibits humility because, you remember, he never touched God's glory and he always attributed the interpretation of dreams to God. And he never told Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar that he personally could interpret the dreams, but he always said it was God who gave the interpretation of dreams. He is often found trembling, yes, overcome by God's revelation to himself.
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Here's the question how about you and me? Are we full of pride and arrogance like Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, or are we full of humility, like Daniel, whom God highly esteemed, do we value and tremble at his word, or do we spurn it like Belshazzar? My challenge to you and me is that we invest our lives in the word of God, which is forever established in the heavenly places. Like Daniel, you're listening to Devotion with Dr Papa. I hope you like it, I hope you enjoy it and I hope you'll share it with your friends and neighbors. Like, follow and share. Hope you'll download it. Listen to it. I'd also like to remind you that I have four books that you can find on Amazon or Barnes, noble or at the Baptist Courier Publishing. I'd like to encourage you to check out the books. My books are the Truth About Life. The Family Doctor Speaks. The Truth About Seed Planting, equipping Believers for Evangelism Turkey Tales and Bible Truths and my latest book On Laughter's Silvered Wings, which is a biography about my father, who was a family physician a.
Speaker 2:
Vietnam-era war hero and a social activist. I think you'll enjoy all of these books and again, you can find them at Amazon, the Baptist Courier Publishing, or you can contact us at Jackson Family Ministry and we will mail you a copy. Thank you very kindly and we'll see you again next week. The Lord bless you real good.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Production at bobsloancom.
