“¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, IS IT TRUE, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?” Daniel 3:13-14 

How often have the religious and politically correct (which is a religion in and of itself) persecuted those who are determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified? How often does the Child of God hear “is it true” you believe drinking of alcohol is a sin?  Is it true you believe homosexuality is a sin? What about abortion, is it true you believe that abortion is a sin?  Is it true you will not partake in the Jewish feasts? Is it true you did not attend the “new members” class? Is it true you do not listen to Kenneth Copeland or Bill Johnson?  Is it true you believe we are living in the days of the laodicean church age and the majority of the modern churches are apostate?  With a church on every corner, is it true you cannot find a church to attend?  Is it true you will not compromise your beliefs for the sake of fellowship with others, even though the Scripture says come out from among them and be ye separate (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)?

When Nebuchadnezzar discovered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow to his gods or worship his golden image, he ordered them thrown in the fiery furnace.  Has the devil ever condemned you to the fiery furnace for refusing his commandments?

Satan’s commandments are always given for three purposes; to kill, steal and destroy your faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.  Once satan gets us out of God’s perfect Will for our lives, he will continue in his commands where the only choices we believe we have are perform satan’s commands or die.  For the lost, the fear is physical death and for the religious the fear is spiritual death.  In other words, someone who is addicted to drugs believes if they don’t get their next fix they are literally going to physically die.  On the other hand, a religious person who misses their religious ceremony will feel as if they are spiritually dying if they do not attend.  Just to be sure, nothing could be further from the truth.  It is these religious ceremonies, some of them may even be Scriptural ordinances, that lead to death when our faith is placed in those ceremonies for our righteousness.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.” Daniel 3:16

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not careful to answer King Nebuchadnezzar.  These three Hebrew slaves knew in Whom they had believed and retained their testimony of believing in God to deliver them.  Regrettably there are too many professing Believers that quickly lose their testimony as soon as the devil says “is it true”?  They are bound by fear of that fiery furnace they may have to endure for Christ’s sake.

“²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

²⁵ He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3:24-25

If you’re facing the fiery furnace, be not careful to answer.  Yes, it IS true – I know in Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

It is true.

-Donna Clark Warren