Exploits for success

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. Daniel 11: 32 (KJV)

Reading: Daniel 11: 24 - 33; Psalm 121: 1-8

Exploits is taken from the book of Daniel 11: 32. the book of Daniel is a very strong detailed classic book. There are 7 books that talks about the end and era of Israel and their freedom. Everybody knows about the story of Israel which started from the founding father Abraham. Today Christianity and Islam came out of the man called Abraham. The bible tells us the children of Isaac were the chosen ones who God called the Israelites.

It came to pass at a certain time that the book of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah Ezra, Daniel, Jeremiah talks about the captivity of Israel by neighboring nations as a result of their disobedience and Idolatry. Daniel talking about the captivity of Israel and their eventual release said in Daniel 11:32 that anyone who does evil against the people of God shall be corrupted but the people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

The greatest challenge of Christianity today is that a lot of us that go by the name of Christ do not really Know God. One of the challenges that Moses had in Exodus 3 was who he would tell the children of Israel that sent him to them. David knew God and so was able to overcome the giant Goliath. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 1 Sam 17: 45 (KJV). David confronted the giant because in knew that there is a God in Israel.

1 Chronicles 28:9 David said to his son Solomon “and thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever” (KJV) . His words to his son was a call to know God so that his son shall be strong and do exploits. Solomon knew God and he was counted as the wisest man in his time.

The word strong means bold, confident, determined, courageous, valiant, resolute and capable of doing. It is the Hebrew word Chazak. The word exploits means things hitherto thought unimaginable. Therefore through out the biblical history a few people did exploits

1. Adam gave name to all the animals a thing never being done before because he knew God. The bible tells us that whatever name Adam called them it became their name from that day on. Adam conjured things into existence by the word of his mouth. Genesis 2
2. Noah built an ark because he knew his God. Hebrew 11: 7. 
3. Abraham’s life changes because he knew God
4. Isaac made money in the time of famine because he knew his God Genesis 26:1. He wanted to leave to another land but God told him not to because He would make him to prosper in that land. Isaac obeyed and he was fruitful in a land of famine
5. Jacob became very wealthy against the run of play
6. Joseph became wealthy in a foreign land. 
7. Gideon and all the prophets

Some people are not doing well because of a word or words spoken into their life. That is why we must be mindful of the words we speak into our life and the lives of the people in our life.

The story was told some time ago of a certain young boy who was very proficient in music and at a certain time in life lost his sight. The young boy went into slight depression and was thinking of giving it up. His name was Ray Charles. His mother looked at him one day and told him “Ray they may have taken your sight but they have not taken your eyes”. He got up and made history as a great musician in spite of his blindness. The circumstances of your life is not who you are.

I want to ask us this question, “what are you going to leave behind at the end of life?”

Do you want to be strong? Do you want to do exploits in your life? Then it is time for you to know God. In the knowing is where you can have the strength to do exploits.

Exploits in time of distress

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) Acts 12: 1-3 (KJV)

Herod was not interested in certain people. Herod in the Acts represented the pits of hell and the enemy that fights against the saints. The pits of darkness cannot fight against itself; it fights against the light and the people in the light of God. There are certain people that Herod came down to fight. Some of us might look at our brothers and sisters going through rough times and judge them. We say it is because they have sinned or some judge because they are jealous or envious. The irony of life is that this acts are not new. The bible said that Herod stretched out his hand and took James and killed him; the people were happy.

When there is persecution against all it is against all of us. We were talking about exploits, we must know that there are negative exploits. Paul at the beginning of his ministry did negative exploits; persecuting the church and all it stood for. Same with Herod, doing exploits against the church.

During the festival of the unleavened bread Herod apprehended Peter. The enemy represented by people around us exploits others. Anytime the enemy exploits people we must come to their aid as we do not know who will be next. We must consistently pray for one another, especially those in leadership position and are shepherds over us. When we know those who have been held captive for one reason or the other, whatever it may be and wherever they may be held captive, do not withhold your hand of help.

Characteristic of people who do negative exploits

1. They rejoice when evil befalls brethren
2. They are quick to judge people
3. They act from a position of envy and pride

If you have the capacity in anyway to help those being exploited take up your role to do that which you can do to get them out of the plight they are in. Let us be faithful with the little one we have.

James was taken by Herod and he killed him; Peter Herod also took. What must have been going on in the mind of Peter at that time. The scripture says that while imprisoned “he was sleeping”.

Could it had been that Peter remembered Psalm 46: 10? He must have been firm in recognizing who God is. In all of the distress we need to learn to trust in God and to focus on His assignment. Everyday we have an assignment and an opportunity to do exploits.

God expects you to be the angel that person needs to get out of the prison. God expects you to do that little thing; say a kind word, take the person to the hospital, give food to the hungry, help to pay school fees, give a listening ear, say a word of encouragement, or even say good morning.

It is important that we are always sensitive to the spirit of God. Sometimes to lift someone up is just that little thing that we may take for granted. The exploit over our life, many of the times it comes suddenly. Many times God doesn’t give us warnings when he wants to use us to do exploits. Be ready someone’s prayers will lead us to do exploits in the life of people. Someone’s prayer will cause your sudden visitation.

Exploits are made possible when:

1. We make ourselves available for God to use
2. Angelic visitation
3. By the Holy Spirit

Many of the times we forget the place of the Holy Spirit and His position the carrying out exploits. The truth about it is that no exploits can come without the Holy Spirit. The things we are going to do by exploits is by the Holy Spirit. The bible says as the Angel asked Peter to arise, he didn’t ask how but stood up in obedience and arose, as he did the chains broke off. We need to obey God and stop negotiating with Him. The Angel said to Peter arise and he obeyed, the Angel pulled him up.

Let us remember that obedience to God comes first if we want to do exploits. Some of us are not prepared for exploits. No matter how much we shout and expect exploits; our dressing does not connote someone who is expecting to do exploits. We are completely unprepared. There is a dressing that is expected for exploits. There is a new dimension God expects us to go to. Many of us are not dressed for the work ahead. The Angel asked Peter to get dressed. Ephesians 6:14

For some of us the enemy is no longer interested in us because we have compromised so much we have become one of them. The bible said today I present to you good and evil but I urge you to choose good.  Fulfilling the conditions of dressing to be positioned to do exploits is important to each of us. The angel said to him get dressed, put on your sandals. On your feat wear the good news of faith so that you may find it easy to run the race of life. You cannot exploit the glory and the benefits of the exploits of heaven when we have not positioned ourselves to do the will of God.

If you know you do not have the helmet of salvation that Christ gives to all, this is an opportunity to have it. Paul was speaking to Timothy and he said to him, “study to show yourself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth”. One of the deficiencies we have in the church today is that we don’t study. We don’t study and we don’t pray.

By the time different levels of exploits begin to happen in our lives we will be like those that dream. Peter followed the Angel and some of us refuse and do not follow anybody. When instructions are given we feel we are above them. If we become to big to be led then we are too small to lead. At the door of the house, the bible says Peter came to Himself; this means that while the exploit was happening he was not in himself.

The iron gate opened to them by itself. After this gate the Angel suddenly left. When the Lord re-positions us and we get to the place where he wants us to be, we find out that all resistance begins to fall always from our path. For as many as chosen to believe and trust God for what He says, we will see the works of God made easy through the power and guide of the Holy Spirit.

Exploiting from the little things

And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 

1 Samuel 17: 49 -52 (KJV)

It is not easy to do exploits. There are many achievers to encourage us to do exploits. These achievers include; Micheal Faraday, the Wright brothers, Graham Bell. There are other inventors and others that did exploits of their own. Some have done exploits in their youths while others had done it at a much older age.

Some have had to go through downfalls but then they had risen above it. The great men who did exploits in their own little and great ways have all done it by running after and focusing on their passion.

There are many records of exploits in the bible. The exploits done at the red sea Exodus 15: 1&2. So many people have done exploits, from the little to the great. Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Noah, Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, Peter, Daniel, Esther, Ruth, Deborah, Gideon, just to mention a few. The men and women were ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they knew their God.

Our text is about a young man who did great exploit in the land of Israel. David knew his God and won over Goliath. When David wanted to confront Goliath a lot of people have a lot of things to say. This are the things that happen when we are about to do exploits. When we are about to do exploits people say a lot of things to discourage us, they tell us every reason why it cant be done.

David went after his goal and focused only on that one thing. He placed his faith in God and in this confidence he went after that thing that stood in the way of his people. He was successful because he did not listen to the negative distractions that people posed but only on the words of God.

Are you ready to do exploits for God? If you are ready, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zones. David stepped out not because he is confronting Goliath but because in his own way many times he had stepped out when there was no one there to see him. Starting to do exploit is what we do when people are not seeing you.
The power of God is what we should desire and covet, without the power of God it impossible to do exploits. There is nothing we can do outside of this.

You cannot do exploits without expanding your mind without thinking big. In Daniel  11: 32 it says that “ they that know their God will do exploits”. It is very difficult to know someone without been intimate with them, without being friend with the person. Therefore if you want to do exploit you need to be friend with God.

To do exploit we need to understand that it is for God to bring glory to his name and not for man.
The Lord wants us to step out our comfort zone. Let us start our exploit with doing the little things that will be of great benefit to the people around us.

Do you know God?

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

We need to take God seriously. This is where Christians fail; not taken God seriously enough. We seem to take him a bit for granted. Daniel 11:32 says that those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

The problem is that a lot of us want to be strong, we want to be able to do exploits but we fail to know God. There is a precursor to being able to do exploits which is “knowing God”. Do you know God?

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says “and it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

This means to receive the blessings of God there is a pre-condition; to observe and to do according to what is written in the Word (bible).

My question to us today is this - what does it mean to know God? What does it mean to be intimate with God?
In the first chapter of Proverbs, we read that the fear God is the beginning of wisdom. To know God is to fear Him, to revere Him, to always obey Him and we will have the wisdom and knowledge to to exploits as His word will strengthen us.

How many of us make an effort to read their bible at least once a month?  We must spend time in reading the bible. When we do this we have that special connection. We must a conscious effort to know Him really well so that we can do exploits.

Who is God?

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. Daniel 11: 32 KJV

The background to this passage was the story of a young man called Daniel who was taken away in captivity into Babylon along with other children of Israel. Daniel lived through 4 kings (Nebuchadnezer, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus) and he was preferred above all the wise men by these same kings. Towards the end of his life Daniel saw the vision of the restoration of Israel to their land. He also saw the war between the king of the south and the king of the north. Daniel was encouraging the people not be anxious concerning that problems they see around the world but that a people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits. The word "to know" is “Yada” in Hebrew. It means to have deep intimacy with the subject matter. To to perceive and see, find out and discern, ro know by experience, to understand, to acquire knowledge intimately of God. 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6  KJV

Daniel was saying a people that know their God intimately can actually be strong and do exploit. The challenge of life is that most people don’t take enough time to know the subject and object they are pursuing after. A while back a young man came to me and said he wanted to pursue a musical career. I asked him a couple of questions

1.How will you succeed

2.Who are you modelling your career after?

He seem not to have an intimate knowledge of the career to know exactly what he was pursuing after and the environment. This also happens a lot in marriages and between married couples. Husband and wife fail to know themselves intimately, they do not have an indepth knowledge of each other. These causes friction and misunderstanding. 

Some couples spend years in marriage and fail to be able to discern the character of their partner because they fail to take enough time of the other person. I tell you people that in courtship people behave well in courtship but in marriage they settle down. If you know your spouse or life partner very well then you can be strong together and do exploits. A lot of Christians fail to take time to know God. They rely solely on what the pastor says; hence they treat their pastor like God and will act only on what the pastor says.  People fail to know God for themselves. 

Things about knowing God. Who or what is God?  

1. God created all things; there is nothing that was created that was not created by him. Man does not create anything; what man does is to add value or reshape what God has already created. God created Gold and man reshapes gold to make things from it. Chemistry and technology are revelational knowledge of God given to man proven over time e.g 2 parts of Hydrogen and 1 part of oxygen will give you water. This is a revelation of how God made water. Science is the revelation of knowledge from God to man. 
2. God is the owner of the universe. Nothing that we have belongs to God. Not even the clothes, shoes, house or cars we have belong to us. We are just hiring it for the period of time it is with us. When we die or lose them it will go into someone else’s keeping. Life goes round the circles. Everything that you own is not your own. 
3. God is who He was, who He is and who He will be forever more. The only thing you can do this wonderful day is to give your life to God. The “I am that I am”.