Daniel testified; "So, a hand touched me, she made me sit up trembling on my knees and on the palms of my hands" (Daniel 10:10). The word for "touch" here means "to violently seize". Daniel is actually saying; "When God placed his hand on me, it put me face against the ground. His touch set me an urgency to pray, to get him with all my being. "
This happens whenever God touches someone's life. That person falls to his knees and becomes a man or woman of prayer, driven to seek the Lord. I have often wondered why it affected only certain people with this urgency. Touched by God's servants have an intimate relationship with the Lord, receiving revelations from Heaven and enjoying a walk with Christ that few others have. Why do some people become hungry researchers while others simply continue on their way?
I think Daniel. This devoted servant was touched by God in a supernatural way. There were many other good people, pious, serving the Lord in the days of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, as well as Baruch, a scribe from Jerusalem. Many Israelites kept their faith while they were prisoners in Babylon.
So why God he put his hand on Daniel and he touched as he did? The prophet says; "I, Daniel, was alone in seeing this apparition, the people who were with me saw not" (Daniel 10: 7).
Here is the incredible vision that saw Daniel: "The twenty-fourth day of the first month, I found myself on the shore of the great river ... I looked up and I saw a man dressed in linen garments which wore a gold belt around his waist Ouphaz. Her body gleamed like topaz, his face glowed like lightning, his eyes were like burning flames, her arms and feet had the gleam of burnished bronze ... "(10: 4-6).
It was a vision of Christ himself, clear and vivid. In fact it is the same vision as that given to John on the Isle of Patmos (see Apocalypse 1: 13-15). God speaks to Daniel manifestly; "As the noise of a great crowd" (10: 6). It was not a chirp or a whisper, but the growling voice of a great rushing.
The Lord has revealed and to Daniel for a specific reason: he wanted to end the long famine of his Word. He decided it was time to give a message to lost humanity and he wanted his servants to know what he would do and why: "I came to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future "(10:14).
But God needed a voice to speak his message. He wanted a praying servant, someone who would respond faithfully to his call. Daniel was that man. He prayed devoutly three times a day. Now, as he walked along the river, Christ revealed himself to him - and Daniel was shattered by the experience. He said ; "They were suddenly seized with great fear and ran to hide. So I was left alone to contemplate this grand appearance. I lost my strength ... I heard the person say things "(10: 7-9).
Scripture does not identify the men who were with Daniel. It may be Babylonians guards or government officials. After all, Daniel occupied a high office in the kingdom. In my opinion, these men were Israelites, specifically Daniel's pious friends and associates. Yet if that is the case, why did they flee? Daniel says they have not heard anything, why did they have to hide?
This is why: God was to seize Daniel. He was preparing his servant, body and soul, reviewing a Word from Heaven. And it's still an impressive sight. Whenever God touches one of his praying servants, he manifests himself in that human envelope. First he strips him of himself and then seizes him.
The sight of this process can frighten the Christians trapped in the flesh. Either it melts their hidden sins, or that makes them flee. I recall such an episode in my life, a few years ago, before our ministry parte in New York. My wife Gwen, and I were on our patio in Texas with other Christian couples. All of a sudden, God's Spirit took hold of me and I fell face against the ground.
The Lord began to speak to my heart for lost souls. I quickly started to cry and to prophesy. I felt like I was in the very presence of God, removed from this world. His spirit was in me, he called me and gave me a vision for ministry. I do not know how long I was in this state, but what I know is that during this time our visitors excused themselves and left. Something about the scene had frightened and chased them.
I am often asked: is this God that such contact is simply a matter of predestination? Will those who receive it are chosen and elected for it before they were born? Is it that it is nothing less than their destiny to be dedicated to prayer, possessed by the Holy Spirit and receive words of the throne of God?
I ask these questions because of an unexplainable God-given hunger in my soul. My inner being longs for a revelation of Christ. Something in me simply not satisfied revelations from another person. Why? I am convinced that God has a special message he wants to give this generation. And now he is looking for servants on earth he could seize. He wants men and women who serve as oracles for this lost world. Only his powerful, anointed Word can combat the rising spirit of Islam and false gospels. And only his truth can give a mortal blow to the selfishness, materialism and lust in his own Church.
A pure word is about to come from Heaven once again. A truth capable of convincing will be preached from the lips of a generation of people who seek God, who tied their heart completely to Christ. Even now the Lord is raising up men and women who are touched by God and possessed by his Spirit. He will set fire to these servants with his truth. And his touch in their lives will cause the whole world will notice.
1. God made Daniel an oracle because he never stopped praying.
The Lord touches every servant who is faithful in prayer. He seeks those who are willing to discipline themselves in order to hear his voice. The Bible calls this attitude "apply his heart. "Daniel writes," I turned to the Lord God to pray and send him supplications, with fasting and wearing a sackcloth dress and covering me with ashes "(Daniel 9: 3).
Daniel then said, "I kept talking in prayer, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and begging the Lord my God for his holy hill. I was still trying to pronounce my prayer, when Gabriel, this mysterious character that I saw in an earlier vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice "(9:20 -21). In short, Daniel said, "God touched me while I was looking for in an intense prayer. "
Daniel says clearly: He did not receive the understanding of the Word of God by studying with learned men. He did not find his knowledge about upcoming events in the institutions of Babylon. Nobody could teach him how to interpret dreams supernaturally given. Daniel says, "I kept speaking in prayer ... He spoke to me and gave me an explanation, saying: --Daniel, I am now come to enlighten you" (9: 21-22).
Simply put, Daniel's prayers have given birth to a Word from God's throne. "He continued --Sois without fear, Daniel; because from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy prayer is heard; and I have come to you in response to your words ... I came to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future, because it is still a vision concerning that time "(10: 12,14).
What kind of prayer Daniel was he doing to cause such a visitation? Scripture tells us he'd spent three weeks in mourning: "In those days, I, Daniel, was plunged into mourning for three whole weeks. I touched any delicacy; I took no meat or wine, and I rubbed my no scented oil during those three weeks "(10: 2-3).
Daniel had spent twenty-one days humbling himself, lamenting his knees, disciplining his flesh, applying his heart to receive divine understanding. It does not minutait its moments of prayer. It was a declaration of war: "Lord, I will not leave your presence until you have understood what you are doing. I do not care the price that it cost me. "
Something else happened to Daniel while he prayed. He was taken at the end of its human capacity orders. The Lord is now affecting Daniel's lips so he could speak as his oracle. He said to have servant; "I have sanctified your tongue, now I will speak through you. "
He who speaks for God must have his tongue purged and purified. It happened to Isaiah and Jeremiah. And now Daniel testifies; "And this is a character who looked like a man touched my lips, then again I could open my mouth and talk ... Then he that had the appearance of a man touched me and me fortified "(10: 16,18).
The experiences of these men are examples to us all: God seeks those who will take time to lock up with him. You may say ; "I can not spend hours a day praying, I have obligations like anyone else. "Daniel himself was a busy man. As an important government official, he had incredible demands on his time. Yet Daniel set his heart to seek the Lord. And he took a quality time daily - three times a day in fact - to pray. God responded in a surprising vision: "Thereupon, I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. After that, I got up and went back to take care of the king's affairs. I remained stunned by this vision that I could not understand "(8:27). Even in sickness, or during his daily business, Daniel sought the Lord.
2. Daniel wept over the spiritual decline in society and the Church.
There is an inclination of the heart in the most joyful believers who lament the fact the warmth of the church and the moral decline in our nation. We see this in Daniel's life.
At that time, Daniel was receiving visions in the middle of the night. He was miraculously delivered from the lion's den. God bless and prosper this man was extraordinary way. But in all that time, Daniel never out of his mind the sad things God was showing him about Israel: "I, Daniel, was deeply anguished inside of me and my visions filled me with dread "(7:15). Daniel testifies again and again; "These divine words, these visions of the future trouble me. They stir my soul and make me lament and cry. "
Now God reveals to Daniel that he is about to pull up all the bad things and shoot them. He will trample the wicked nations and destroy them. Judgment Day was at hand, and the times were coming to their end - and yet an incredible way, the people of God was not paying attention. Then Daniel began to lament the death and depravity of the house of God.
I see the same thing in God's house today. Ministers and churches have closed their ears to prophetic put in custody. He refused to hear or say anything negative. In their mind, it's just time to enjoy life. Yet many of these same people have experienced miracles. They brought their families in the Kingdom with their prayers. They lamented the moral collapse of society, and waited impatiently for the return of Christ. But now they have their own plans, they do not devote any energy to weep with God over a dying nation and a lukewarm church. As the Scripture says; "The destruction that threatens the whole kingdom of Joseph does not affect you" (Amos 6: 6).
I tell you, Daniel was touched by God because he was ready to cry with the Lord. He prayed fervently, "Lord, what's going on? I want to understand these times. Show me, so I can warn your people. "He did not care to be laughed at him, he was consumed with zeal to know the heart of God and share his burden.
3. God reveals his Word to those who refuse to hide or maintain sin
"I sent my request to the LORD my God, and I made a confession in these words: --Ah! Lord, great and awesome God, you who mansions faithful to the covenant and preserves your love towards those who love you and obey your commands, we have done wrong, we are guilty and we have rebelled against you in turning away from your commandments and your laws "(9: 4-5).
This is another characteristic of someone according to the heart of God: He is identified with the sin of the Church. The servant called holiness, as much for himself as for the people of God. A church can call regular prayer meetings, but without purity, prayer has absolutely no power. The message that God wants to give to his people must be said by lips that have been purged.
I challenge every pastor, every teacher, every lay person: Looking at all costs a contact of God. Stay in communion with him and let the Holy Spirit to examine your heart. It will highlight any bad thing, rebellious, sinful hidden in you. And it will take care of all disobedience.
Soon you will no longer tolerate the slightest hypocrisy or compromise in yourself. Your prayers will turn into pleas for holiness. And then, every time you see sin in God's house, you exclaim; "Oh Lord, we have sinned against you. "This is how you'll know God has touched you, he began the divine work of changing you, anointing you again and prepare for a larger work.
Let me share with you a prophetic word God has given me.
While I was in prayer, the Holy Spirit gave me an extraordinary vision: God was at work in the heavenly places for a covert operation. It is raising up an army within the army, seeking to form his company in an elite volunteer unit. This special force is made up of warriors he can touch and wake up to the battle against the enemy. We see a picture of this in Scripture, with the special militia Saul. The Bible tells us; "Saul ... (was) with a group of valiant men that God had encouraged to follow him" (1 Samuel 10:26).
In the special forces of God youth are included today, those middle-aged and the elderly. They trained in their secret chamber of prayer. Many have suffered pain and suffering almost beyond human limits, and they came out purged and cleansed. Their intimacy with Jesus through it all has taught them how to fight. Now you know how to conduct battle to any spiritual level, whether in the mountains or in valleys.
These special forces have won many victory in prayer - and now they're feared in hell. One of the members of this unit, obeying and praying can put to flight a thousand enemy soldiers. As God promised Joshua's small army; "To date, nobody has been able to resist you. One of you will put to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God fights for you, as he had promised you "(Joshua 23: 9-10).
I heard the preaching of many soldiers of this special force. They are lions of prayer, yet lambs in their humility - and they are fearless when it comes to highlight all that is of the flesh. The word they preach is profound in truth, purity and integrity. Some are young, they learned Christ quickly, they preach the Word boldly, both in the Church than from those who are not saved. Other soldiers are middle-aged ministers who have had enough of the lukewarm church, now they are ready to show a new generation how to fight.
For years now, Satan has terrorized God's people. But during all this time, God led its special forces and is about to release them in his Church. His army in the army is in place in every nation. Its business may be secret for now, but soon we will see achievements in making the power of Christ. Because behind the doors of the secret room, his touch is on his servants who pray, just as he was about Daniel. The Word of God will come of this contact, and the famine will end. Jehovah God will triumph, his word will conquer all!