If You Remain Silent - blog

 

Proverbs 11:11 AMPC
By the blessing of the influence of the upright and God’s favor [because of them] the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

For almost a week now the Lord has been speaking to me about influence. As I sat down with my family and watched the Sight & Sound Theaters' new addition 'Daniel' a flood of things came into my spirit, and I knew God wanted me to share so I started making notes, and I began meditating and praying on several characters in the Bible who had an incredible influence on those around them. Actually, not only those around them but those above them.

First let's take a look at what influence means...

The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself:

As I watched this beautifully done story of Daniel, I thought of what is happening even now in our day. I asked myself this question. What influence if any am I having right now in a time when things are getting so dark just like in the days of Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, or even Joseph and what about Hadassah who became Esther after she was taken from her home and placed in a palace and a competition that she never asked for.

Did you know that your Godly influence can turn a nation? Your intercession can bring angelic Hosts to help and to battle. Your boldness even in the face of death can save your family yes, but why stop there? Take your authority and move that hedge of protection out even further to your city and your state and your country. I do this every single day over and over especially with trains. If I hear a train, I am mindful immediately of all the train derailments and that there will be none near my home or in my city and I even go further and speak to the enemy who wants to kill, steal and destroy and tell him that I am covering my entire state of Arkansas in the blood, and he cannot penetrate the blood.

Now you may say but wait a minute. Influence and authority are not really the same thing. Well, I disagree. My point of using the authority that God has given me to stop train derailments is that once I use my authority even if it is in the spirit realm I am influencing what can or cannot happen in my city or state. However, getting back to influencing people and nations let's look at three stories that the Lord quickly brought to my spirit all at once. Three faithful people whose love for their God and commitment to their faith allowed God's light to enter into very dark places and times in history. Far too many Believers think they have no say so, they have no influence, they can't help, they can't do anything, their vote doesn't count etc... They do not know who they are in Christ, nor do they realize the authority they are supposed to walk in or the influence that our Godly character can have to influence those around us even if they are Pharaoh's or Kings.

It was not Joseph who was Pharaoh. It was not Esther who was King, and it was not Daniel who was King either but these three Godly people in their time influenced those in the highest seats in the land and changed history through their faithfulness to God.

JOSEPH...

First, let's talk about Joseph. The one many call Joseph, King of Dreams. The story of Joseph is found in the book of Genesis beginning in chapter 30. He is a young man who is learning from his father Jacob the things of the Lord. His father lifts him above his other sons and chooses to teach him spiritual things daily instead of having him go out and watch or herd flocks of sheep. The Bible tells us that Joseph was special to Jacob because he was born of the wife he truly wanted and loved. Rachel the one that he literally worked countless years to marry. Because of this special treatment Josephs brothers allow hatred into their hearts, and they decide to kill him. One of the brothers says, no, let's not kill him. Let's just sell him into slavery and so the hardships of Josephs life begin. Of course, the brothers go home and tell their father Jacob that Joseph is dead, and he never recovers but Joseph is sold to Potiphar, works well for Potiphar until Potiphar's wife lies about him and he is thrown into prison for something that he did not do. Joseph prospered everywhere they put him and even in the prison was well respected. Enter the story of the Butler and the Baker who are thrown into prison, and both have had very troubling dreams. God has placed them in there for such a time as this and Joseph is able to interpret their dreams but when the Butler is leaving, he reminds him to let Pharaoh know about him. Although I do not have all the answers to why the Butler waits 2 years to say anything to Pharaoh when he is struggling with dreams that he doesn't understand even though he feels they are very important. Finally, Joseph is cleaned up and taken to the Palace to meet Pharaoh and he is able to interpret the dreams so well that Pharaoh says...

Genesis 41:38-44

38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find this man’s equal, a man in whom is the spirit of God?

39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch as [your] God has shown you all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding and wise as you are.

40 You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word [with reverence, submission, and obedience]. Only in matters of the throne will I be greater than you are.

41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh took off his [signet] ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in [official] vestments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck;

43 He made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and [officials] cried before him, Bow the knee! And he set him over all the land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

God did not remove Pharaoh but what He did do was put Godly influence near him so that the people would not only be saved and fed but so that Joseph's family and lineage as well as others could come and live a blessed life in Goshen. A city that becomes well known in Moses day as well. Joseph's father Jacob finally got his son back and died a happy man with two new grandsons and the son who he had raised up in the things of the Lord had been lifted up just as his own dreams had shown him and he was now using his biblical teachings to be a Godly influence in the lives of those around him. Joseph was sold by his own brothers and yet he still used his life to make a difference but now let's look at two others who had a similar situation and yet the Lord used them mightily in a very dark culture that literally worshiped idols and not Him.

DANIEL...

The story of Daniel is a little different in that it wasn't his brothers who sold him, but Daniel 1 tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city that Daniel lived in, and he and others were taken to Babylon to serve there. The story of Daniel is quite amazing. His relationship with the Lord was like no other. In the midst of being abducted and taken from everyone and everything he loved he was forced to live and work in an evil society that worshiped other gods. His scrolls were taken from him (for us that would be like taking our bibles or study guides). He very quickly (like Joseph) became favored and lifted to right under the King because of his wisdom and intelligence and of course the favor of God was upon him. Daniel also had several angelic visits and was a man of prayer. Every day he kneeled down 3 times a day to pray and he did it in front of his window so many people saw him as they walked by. In a recent blog, I shared that those who hated him for the position Nebuchadnezzar put him in cooked up a plot to have him killed by deceiving Nebuchadnezzar into signing a decree that anyone caught praying to any other god than him (meaning Nebuchadnezzar) would be thrown into the lion's den. Just like Joseph however, Daniel was highly respected and loved and even Nebuchadnezzar couldn't believe what he had done when he realized Daniel would not bow to him and would only bow and pray to the God of Heaven & Earth. It was Nebuchadnezzar who couldn't sleep all night and ran down in the morning to the lion's den calling out and asking Daniel if his God had saved him and yes, He had. 

Daniel, like Joseph was an interpreter of dreams and the King did not make it easy on him. Nebuchadnezzar didn't just want the interpretation of his dream. He wanted someone to tell him what the dream was as well which we all know is impossible. He decided to have all of his counselors killed if they could not do what he asked and Daniel stepped up and said, Oh, King Nebuchadnezzar give me a few days. That very night the Lord gave Daniel the exact same dream he gave to Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel was not only able to tell the King the dream, but he was also able to interpret it for the King. Sadly, things went a little downhill from there as the King got even more puffed up and prideful and still didn't take Daniels' God seriously enough but after his 7 years of eating grass like an animal in the field and finally coming to realize who was in control the King truly loved Daniel and changed dramatically finally knowing there was a true God and it was not him. In fact, in the book of Jeremiah we find something very interesting that the Lord says.

Jeremiah 25:9

Behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, says the Lord, and I will send for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant [or agent to fulfill My designs], and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will devote them [to God]

I would venture to say that yet again God put one of His own people in the midst of a very dark time in history and under the leadership of someone that no one else wanted to be under but Daniel was used mightily in his time because of his faithfulness to God and his faith. He was able (like Joseph) to flourish no matter where he was. He too was highly favored and influenced a King and a nation because of his Godly character and willingness to speak the truth and stand on his convictions no matter what the cost.

ESTHER...

And finally, we have the story of Hadassah who became Esther. Just like Daniel, Hadassah was abducted by the King's men. Once King Ahasuerus or King XerXes as I like to call him decided to divorce Queen Vashti his own counselors came up with the idea of going around the cities and finding beautiful virgins who would compete to be the next Queen. An interesting side note here about Mordecai which I guess I hadn't realized before is that he too had been carried away to Babylon just like Daniel had been and just as was happening to Hadassah now. While doing a bit of reading for this blog I found this in Esther 2...

Esther 2:5-6

5 There was a certain Jew in the capital in Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,

6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile.

Mordecai knew what was happening but there was nothing he could do about it except watch and pray. And watch and pray he did. Mordecai is at the gates of the Palace daily and always aware of what is happening. He overhears two men talking about a plot to kill King XerXes and makes sure it is known. The men are arrested, and his kindness is added to a book of remembrance that the King keeps and often reads which comes into the picture later on. For an entire year and with the other young ladies Esther is being prepared to be Queen if chosen by the King. The Lord gives her great favor with the eunuch who was watching over the ladies, and he decides to help her to become Queen by giving her advice. While all the other ladies are looking for money, jewels and the same things that his first wife Queen Vashti looked for the eunuch knew that XerXes was looking for something very different this time. The bible does tell us that Esther was beautiful, but she was also very kind, loving and humble and XerXes saw this in her. In other words, unlike the other women that were competing against each other, Esther truly shined with beauty from within. Esther is chosen and becomes Queen but enter Haman who is somehow exalted pretty quickly. Probably through great deception and lies just as we are witnessing today. In Esther 3 we find...

Esther 3:1

King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 

This in itself is interesting because if you know your Bible you realize where Haman came from. Going back in time to when Saul was King the Lord told Saul to kill all of the Agagites and to bring nothing back. Now why would God do this? It is hard for our minds to wrap around this type of thing, but Haman is exactly why. God knows the end from the beginning. God knew that if Saul wiped out the Agagites His people would be safe in the future, but Saul chose to disobey and brought the King back. I won't go into the whole story here but Samuel the prophet actually has to kill the king that was brought back. However, somehow in Saul's disobedience in not killing them all as he was told we ended up with many years later in Esther and Mordecai's time Haman the Agagite who hated the Jews and wanted them all dead. It was Mordecai's unwillingness to bow to him that started making him so angry that he built the gallows to kill Mordecai but let's not stop there. Haman does the same thing that happened in Daniel and deceives XerXes into signing a decree that all the Jews would be killed. However, XerXes didn't know that the wife that he loved dearly out of all the other women was a Jew and under his own decree would be killed as well. What a story right? I mean, you literally can't make this stuff up.

Esther 2:17

17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

It appears for a time (just like how things appear today) that Haman's plot and plan are working. With the signet ring of the King, he will get what his family line deserves which in his mind is death to all the Jews because they killed his family, but God has other plans (and He always does beloved). While Haman is having the gallows built right in front of his home so that his family and friends can come and watch Mordecai the Jew hang, Mordecai is getting a message to Esther in the Palace which says,

Esther 4:14

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Esther is of course worried and afraid. In the custom of that day even if you were married to the King, you were not allowed to go and visit him without him asking for you to come. The penalty was literally death so you can imagine the difficulty she faced. Esther and her servants begin praying and fasting and truly seeking God on what she should do. This is where we get the famous line above 'Perhaps you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.' Meaning although she was abducted God had a plan just like He did for Joseph in Egypt and just like He did for Daniel in Babylon. Now the entire Jewish race was being marked for extinction and Esther might literally be their only chance for survival.

I want to say something right here because so many Christians miss this. We have people who believe in God and think God is going to come down Himself and do this or that, but in each story, we see that God uses people or a person to influence those around them. Just as Haman influenced XerXes to sign off on the death of the Jews they hadn't seen God's influence step into the picture yet. God USES PEOPLE and although some appear perfect to us there were those even in the Bible that weren't perfect like King Cyrus who didn't know the Lord, but God used him. Like Nebuchadnezzar, but God eventually called him His servant. Like Jehu who actually worked for Jezebel and Ahab and yet turned on them and is the one credited with having Jezebel thrown down. Like Saul who became the Apostle Paul but without Christ was a religious man who hated Christians and actually murdered them. I could go on and on, but my point is if you can't see that God can use ANYONE He chooses to use saved, unsaved or whatever you aren't reading your Bible.

We all know the story. Esther finally invited Haman & her husband King XerXes to a banquet and the first time she is not ready to say anything but by the 2nd banquet she finally stands up and tells her husband what Haman has done and who she is as she pleads for her own life and the life of her people. He is stunned of course and in an angry rage walks out and goes to the garden leaving Haman with Esther. At first it seems Haman is going to get away with it because XerXes has left.

Esther 7:7-8

7 And the king arose from the feast in his wrath and went into the palace garden; and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Queen Esther, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

8 When the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the drinking of wine, Haman was falling upon the couch where Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even forcibly assault the queen in my presence, in my own palace?

But no. You cannot win over on God or His people. Haman is then hung on the gallows that he built for Mordecai and his sons died with him. Why? Please tell me you understand by now. The very reason that we have many of the problems that we have today is because God hating people are used over and over to bring harm to God's people and to try to turn them away from Him. This is what we are living through yet again. Like in the days of Noah in order to bring us back out of the chaos that the world is in today we will see countless deaths and some we won't understand but we must understand that God knows all, and He looks upon the heart not on the outward appearance so some that you believe are good or Godly He knows the truth and who or what they will become just as He did for the Agagites in Saul's day.

If you are a Believer, I think it is important right now to tell you something that you may not realize. To those who say they believe in God or even in the word of God who refuse to vote. To those who believe Christians shouldn't be in politics or in government. To those who live their lives selfishly thinking they should take no part and just keep silent I pray you will remember that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Each one of these people Daniel, Joseph & Esther stood for the things of the Lord even in the face of death. They were put in very trying situations and yet trusted God and allowed Him to use them to influence Pharaoh's and King's. If you don't see that, Pharaoh's and King's were the government of their day and God was very much involved I don't know if anyone can help you, but I do want to leave you with a quote from Esther 4:14. It starts out with 'For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish.' If after knowing all of this you still choose to remain silent, not get involved and refuse to vote God sees. It is put into His book of remembrance. He knows whether you sided with abortion, drugs and child sex trafficking, transgenderism, cutting up our children and throwing the Bible out of every place of influence in our country. This scripture says that relief and deliverance shall arise, but YOU AND YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE WILL PERISH. Beloved take time to really read the stories of these 3 people who influenced not only people and leaders but nations. God has called us all for such a time as this. 

And I will finally leave you with this last scripture. Without influence, you wouldn't have turned to Christ yourself. Are you using the influence that God has given you in your relationship with Him to do the right thing or simply sitting back letting the fear of man overwhelm you in silence? 

2 Corinthians 6:1 AMPC
It is a reason for pride and exultation to which our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world [generally] and especially toward you, with devout and pure motives and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God (the unmerited favor and merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, and keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian virtues).

Still Slaying Giants,

Sheryl York