GRACE FOR EXPLOITS!
OCTOBER
“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” (Dan 11:32 AKJV)
In Daniel 11, history reveals Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid Greek tyrant. He ruled from 175 to 164 BC and was a vicious enemy of the Jews.
Before launching his anti-Jewish campaign, Antiochus heard there was unrest in Egypt, so he returned south to instigate rebellion. But Egypt solicited the help of a foreign navy, and Antiochus was forced to flee back to Palestine. When he returned to Jerusalem, he found that fighting had broken out between rival Jewish groups.
Antiochus hated the Jews and their God. He was cruel to the people who loved God but listened to those people who were not loyal to God. He did not allow the people to worship the true God. He outlawed Judaism and polluted the Jewish temple. Thousands of Jews were slaughtered and several others made slaves. Worse than this, he set up a Greek idol and a Greek altar in the Jewish temple, then sacrificed animals that the Jews considered unclean. During all these horrific experiences, the above verse of Scripture was stated. Some Jews joined Antiochus to save their lives, though, others stood firm, discountenancing the cost.
Antiochus perpetrated his evil acts for about six years. But after more than three years of fighting back by the faithful ones, they regained their religious independence and rededicated their temple as evident in verses 34 & 35. These are those who knew their God. They did exploits by His grace!
Beloved, doing exploits is not bread and butter; it calls for resilience, based on the spiritual knowledge of who your God, the Almighty is. He is sovereign, and you can do ALL things by His strength. May we not be swept away by satanic flatteries. May we be rightly positioned to receive the GRACE FOR EXPLOITS in His Name. At this season and beyond, may our personalities epitomize Exploits beyond our wildest imagination in Jesus’ Name. AMEN!
Experiencing the TRUE GOD.
