Prepare For Crunch Time. Part [7] 06/07/2026 (Evening thought)

Daniel 1:5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

In the book of Daniel, we have examples of what we are speaking of, in the experiences of the 3 Hebrew worthies, who found themselves in some awkward situations even among their own fellow countrymen for there were many others, from their hometown who decided to bow under pressure. The first test came with food, as is so often the case, for as was stated before, it began with food in Eden, and it will end with food during the coming crunch time.

Nebuchadnezzar thought he was doing them a great favor by offering them the very best food from his own personal table. Monarchs back then and monarchs in our day don’t usually eat what you and I do. They typically go for the specialties, and delicacies that only the wealthy can afford, and thus, eating from the king’s personal table, should have been considered a high privilege, as far as the strictly logical thinking mind goes.

But lo and behold, Daniel and his companions beg to differ, and with the prospect of a free education and paid tuition at the best Ivy league university in Babylon, many persons, friends and family, might’ve encouraged them to just eat the food, and shut up, especially with free tuition and boarding, and with promotions on the line. Some would certainly argue, what’s the big deal, if you have to suck it up for a while, but not Daniel or his friends.

Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

Prepare For Crunch Time. Part [6] 06/06/2026 (Morning thought)

John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Peter was eager to follow Jesus when mighty works were being done by Christ, and there was a desire in all of the disciples to be first in the kingdom, when things were going smoothly. But when crunch time came around, and they saw the cost of Christianity taking a toll on Christ, as He was headed to Calvary, no one wanted to be first in the kingdom anymore, and they found themselves having to regroup, to consider carefully, whether or not they would stay the course with Jesus.

The reason for this is that being first in the kingdom meant that you were on the menu, and rather than suffer insult and injury for Christ’s sake they found themselves huddling together in the upper room, as they awaited their own fate, or so they thought. Thus, they could not adequately explain to folk who were not disciples, why following Christ, at the cost of life itself made sense.

Similarly, when our crunch time comes around, we may not be able to explain why we will prefer to starve, if it came to that rather than accept the mark of the beast. It makes no sense to the secular mind and Christians who are living at that time, might not always be able to fully explain to others why this is the best and the only route to take. Strict logic often turns out to be the diabolical enemy of faith, and therefore, the you and me would have to confirm our initial decisions to follow Christ.

Revelation 13:16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!