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In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

The visions of the final victory of Christ are given to us for our encouragement, and we are redirected in our thoughts, values, priorities, and hopes when we meditate on them. The world that we see today, overrun with advertisers, will one day pass away. Every earthly political system will one day be destroyed. Every business will eventually go under. Every power that opposes God or that seeks to compete with Him – no matter how subtly and cleverly – will one day be no more.

But the dominion and reign and kingdom of our God will stand forever.

Daniel wrote these words after the vision of four beasts representing four world powers: a lion with wings like an eagle, representing Babylon that had quickly descended upon weaker powers; a bear, representing the Persian Empire that overpowered its opponents; the leopard with four wings, representing Greece, swifter and quicker than Babylon, conquering nation after nation under Alexander; and then the fourth beast with iron teeth, representing Rome with its military and legislative power. These were the powers of that era of world history, stretching from 600 BC to 100 AD, yet they each fell, and it has been the same since on this earth.

We, as God’s children, as followers of Christ, are to do as the Israel captives were told while they lived in Babylon: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile” (Jer. 29:7). We are to seek the good of this world and serve as God’s messengers and servants to be blessings to others. But our hearts can never truly rest here. This world is not our home; we are only passing through. We are citizens of another kingdom, and our hopes and investments are laid up in eternity. We work ultimately not for the benefit of this temporal world, but for the good of God’s eternal kingdom.

If this hope is in us, our priorities are changed. Our hopes are eternal. Our ultimate direction will determine how we live today. Have you caught this vision of God’s eternal kingdom in your heart? Let it settle there and meditate on the meaning for you. Not only shall He defeat all who oppose Him, but He will also cure every disease, mend every heart, and establish every believing person in Christ for eternity.

Evening Devotionals eternity, kingdom of God, second coming

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.

Psalm 86:11

Our human hearts are very fickle things. Our emotions and desires, if left unchecked, will take us down any number of ways regardless of whether good or evil. The psalmist David knew that he needed to be taught the way of God, that he could not know it any other way. And that God must give him a united heart, that he could not gain this through any other hand.

But these gifts come through our faith, and once we request that which is according to God’s will we should act on it in full confidence that God has heard and we have the thing we have requested (1 John 5:14-15). David’s next verse states, “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,” so he did not wait in quandary or in doubt that perhaps or perhaps not God would give him this united heart. He assumed through faith that God had heard his prayer and he prayed accordingly.

Only the united heart is truly free. We can experience this right now. Pray with me, “Lord give me a united heart.” Pray it sincerely, and deeply, as deeply as the thought can go into our heart and mind. Then begin to praise God as David did, assuming that God has heard and has answered our prayer. Praise Him with all your heart for His greatness. Thank Him for His protection and for His endless love for you. Then throughout the evening or the day, repeat these prayers often, each time in faith assuming that God has heard and has answered.

By the way, faith does not call attention to itself. It is of very limited value to question the quality of your faith. Christ said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can remove mountains (Matt. 17:20). Tozer wrote,

Faith is the least self regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves – blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ the very things he had so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.[1]

We live in a fallen world and retain our sinful natures until we die, yet the new nature that is given us in Christ Jesus longs to know the ways of God and to know and to praise and to serve Him with a united heart. Let the word of God encourage you today, believe in Him, and He will set you truly free you. “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free … if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36).

Evening Devotionals dedication, faith