DAY 3: SAFETY IN CHRIST

Day 3: Zoom Recording

DAY 3: SAFETY IN CHRIST
Scripture: Daniel 3:1–30

READ
Daniel 3:1–30

KEY TRUTH
Being a Christian doesn't exempt you from hardship, but it does guarantee His presence in it. There is safety in Christ, spiritually and physically.

OBSERVE

  • The three Hebrew boys refused to bow to the golden image, choosing personal conviction over national law (Daniel 3:1–12).

  • They were thrown into a furnace so hot it killed the men who threw them in (Daniel 3:19–22).

  • A fourth man, one who looked like the Son of God, was with them in the fire (Daniel 3:24–25).

REFLECT
Yesterday was about wisdom. Today is about what happens when the world around you doesn't share your convictions.

Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean there won't be seasons of hardship. In the story of the three Hebrew boys, we see a group of friends standing for Christ in a land that did not honor the Lord. The rules, regulations, and standards of their environment went against their personal convictions. When push came to shove, they had to choose their convictions over the instructions of the nation they were in. When they refused to bow down to the golden image, they were immediately punished and thrown into a fiery furnace, a furnace so hot it burned the very men who threw them in. But once they were inside, they were met by a fourth man, one who looked to have the shape of the Son of God. Their conviction didn't keep them out of the fire. It brought them face to face with God in the middle of it.

On campus, your convictions are going to be tested. You might feel alone. You may even lose some friendships. But I want to remind you: there is safety in Christ. There is safety in honoring God with your life, your resources, your time, your dressing, your academics, and your relationships.

That safety doesn't mean the fire never comes. It means you're not in it alone, and it means the enemy's plans for your life don't get the final word. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus Christ has come to give you life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). That life isn't just long life, it's a quality of life. It's a life filled with peace instead of anxiety, joy instead of despair, hope instead of hopelessness. It's a life where you can rest knowing God is in control. This is the life God offers to those who are in Christ.

You don't have to be afraid. You can stand tall. You can stand strong. There is safety in Christ spiritually, and there is safety in Christ physically. Spiritually, He keeps your peace and your identity intact even when everything around you is on fire. Physically, He watches over your body, your health, and your everyday comings and goings on campus. And in the place of prayer, you have the ability to command safety over your environment, over your going out and your coming in, on your campus.

APPLY
This week, take time to pray Psalm 91 over your semester, your dorm or apartment, your relationships, and your body. Don't just read it, pray it out loud over your life on campus.

JOURNAL PROMPT
When your convictions get tested this semester, who or what do you tend to turn to first, and how would it look different to turn to Christ first instead?

PRAY

  1. God, I pray against any arrow of the enemy that wants to bring illness, random violence, or attack against me this semester (Psalm 91:5–7).

  2. I decree that Your angels are keeping watch over me, so that I will not even strike my foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11–12).

  3. If God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)

  4. I stand on Your promise that You go before me and make every crooked place straight (Isaiah 45:2).

  5. I believe You for strength in my health, strength in my body, strength in my stamina, in the mighty name of Jesus (3 John 1:2).and insight (Ephesians 1:17).