Heavenly Citizenship (Part 1)

Often, we wonder how am I doing?   We are always looking for approval.  Lot of talk about Green card, Citizenship etc.,

Social Media & Approval:

• Over 70% of social media users say they post for validation, attention, or approval (Statista, 2023).
• "Likes" activate the brain’s reward center in the same way as food and money (Harvard University, 2018).
• Over 60% of Gen Z feel anxious if their post doesn’t get enough attention within the first hour (American Psychological Association, 2021).

 

Peer Influence & Conformity:

• Solomon Asch's classic conformity experiment showed that 75% of participants conformed to a wrong answer at least once to fit in with a group.
• Teens and young adults are especially susceptible, with up to 80% changing their behavior or opinion based on peer approval (Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2017).

---  In order to have a healthy walk with the Lord – we need God’s approval and not Man’s approval… 

How do we get God’s approval?   Let’s look at Daniel’s life…

#1: Faithfulness Under Pressure

Insight:
True faith doesn't bend under pressure. Daniel didn’t compromise his commitment to God, even when his life was on the line.

Verse:

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room… Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."
— Daniel 6:10

Deeper Insight:
Daniel didn’t start praying because he was in trouble — he prayed because it was his lifestyle. His faith wasn’t reactive, it was consistent. Faith that lasts must be practiced before the crisis arrives.

Example:
🔥 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Like Daniel, they were already walking in devotion before the test. When the furnace came, their faith was ready.

Modern Application:
What you do when no one is watching prepares you for when everyone is watching. Our spiritual habits shape our spiritual resilience.

Reflection:
Faith is not proven in comfort but in conflict. Daniel didn’t change his routine to avoid detection. His loyalty to God was more important than his safety.

🙏 2. Prayer Is Power

Insight:
Daniel’s first response wasn’t panic — it was prayer. Prayer was his lifeline, not his last resort.

Verse:

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
— James 5:16

Deeper Insight:
Daniel wasn’t praying to be delivered — he was praying to stay connected. His posture shows humility, and his consistency shows dependence.

Example:
📖 Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22:41–44) also knelt and prayed before His greatest test — the cross. Prayer didn't remove the trial, but it prepared Him to endure it.

Modern Application:
Real power doesn’t come from position but from prayer. If you’re too busy to pray, you're too busy to stand when the lions come.

 

Reflection:
What you do consistently in private will sustain you in public trials. Daniel’s prayer life prepared him for the lions’ den long before it came.

 

 

👑 3. God Honors Those Who Honor Him

Insight:
Daniel’s integrity and devotion to God didn’t go unnoticed — either by the king or by God.

Verse:

“Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”
— 1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV)

Deeper Insight:
Daniel’s loyalty to God meant he was willing to lose the king’s favor. Ironically, that loyalty earned him more favor than ever before.

Example:
🕊️ Joseph in Genesis 39 honored God by refusing Potiphar’s wife — and ended up in prison. But God elevated him to second-in-command over Egypt because of his integrity.

Modern Application:
You may lose friends, status, or opportunity by standing for truth — but God will give you influence that no man can take away.

 

Reflection:
Even in a foreign land, under a pagan king, God raised Daniel up. Those who walk uprightly will never lack God’s favor.

 

 

👼 4. God Sends Angels in Crisis

Insight:
When Daniel was in the den, God didn’t remove the trial — He entered it with him.

Verse:

“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.”
— Daniel 6:22

Deeper Insight:
God didn’t prevent Daniel from entering the den — but He entered the den with him. God’s presence is better than God’s prevention.

Example:
🔥 In the fiery furnace, the king saw “a fourth man” walking with the three Hebrews — one “like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25).
✝️ Jesus on the cross also experienced abandonment by man, but angels ministered to Him after the resurrection.

Modern Application:
God may not always remove your suffering, but He will never abandon you in it. Expect angels in your adversity.

 

Reflection:
God may not always prevent the storm, but He will protect you in it. His presence is the greatest deliverance.