Give God the Credit, and Point People to Him
By Rick Warren
“There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed” (Daniel 2:27-28 NLT).
Over the last few days in these devotionals, I’ve shown you what Daniel did when facing an impossible situation in Daniel 2. The king had asked him to interpret a tough dream. It almost got the king’s wise men killed because they couldn’t explain what the dream meant.
The stakes were high! But Daniel followed a terrific process that can help us, too.
1. Don’t panic, and then ask why.
2. Ask for more time.
3. Gather prayer partners.
4. Pray to God for help.
5. Ask God for supernatural help.
6. Worship God.
7. Use what you’ve learned to save others.
And God showed up. Then Daniel used the opportunity to point others to God.
The Bible says Daniel told the king: “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed” (Daniel 2:27-28 NLT).
Daniel didn’t take credit for the amazing answer to the king’s dream. He knew God had given him the answer. So he was honest about that.
I don’t know about you, but if I were a 17-year-old boy and I did something to make the king happy, I’d be tempted to take a bit of the credit. Daniel did the praying. He did the listening. He did the obeying.
Couldn’t he take a bit of the credit?
He didn’t. Instead he pointed people to God.
Do that and God will bless you. God will do great things through a person who doesn’t care who gets the credit.
It’s a bold witness for Jesus. It’s what evangelism is all about.
God wants you to do that in every situation of your life — whether you’re in a coffee shop, in a meeting, or at home parenting a 3-year-old.
God wants you to point others to him.
Read a bit further in Daniel 2 and you can see how this story turned out.
The Bible says the pagan king told Daniel: “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret” (Daniel 2:47 NLT).
How about that? A pagan leader acknowledged the true Creator of the universe.
When you spend your life pointing people to God, miracles happen.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
Describe what you’ve learned from someone who consistently points others to God when good things happen to them.
What can keep you from pointing people to God when he works in your life?
How has your life been impacted by the humble response of others to the Lord’s work in their lives?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Unshakeable! Study Kit
You Can Thrive In Every Circumstance
Do you want to thrive in every circumstance? In the Bible, Daniel and his friends rose to top positions of leadership because they were unshakeable in their faith even though they were surrounded by a corrupt culture. Today, the world’s value system increasingly drifts further from God. To thrive, no matter what, you need to dive into scripture and learn how to be unshakeable in your faith.
In the 9-part DVD study kit, Unshakable: Thriving No Matter What Hits You, Pastor Rick helps you walk through scripture and learn how to …
• Stand strong when your world is shaken
• Stay firm when your pressured to conform
• Be bold when your beliefs are belittled
• Be confident when you’re asked to do the impossible
• Stay cool when the heat is on
The Unshakable study kit is our way to thank you for your gift below to help take Daily Hope to more people – so request yours when you give. And thanks for your partnership!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
