The Mountain Audio

Our Verse: Daniel 1:8 (Daniel) “asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat unacceptable foods.”

Welcome back to the Daniel adventures, one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. A young man serves God in an amazing one of a kind adventure..

This time- An ethics test for our four young men...

“Eat this Babylonian food and we dishonor God!” It was a hushed conversation in the room of the four hostage boys. They knew the food from the king's table had been sacrificed to a Babylonian idol.

This might be a little hard for us modern folks to understand.
Think about someone giving you some money you knew was made selling drugs. You would know it was dirty. Most likely your conscience would say, “Nah, I don't want it, it's dirty.” (More about Conscience here http://bit.ly/HotcoalSoul)

This is similar to the situation of Daniel and his friends. They wanted very much to fit in in their new society, but realized they couldn't do what their Babylonian instructor asked. Eating food sacrificed to a Babylonian god violated their ethics- what they knew to be right. Daniel met with the head of the king's food service and offered a deal. “Feed us vegetables and water for ten days and check us out after that.” The food manager liked Daniel and his friends, but said, “If you guys start looking skinny and pale, the king will cut my head off!”

The manager thought it over and said, “Okay, let's give it a try.” Amazingly, after ten days, Daniel and his friends looked great. Actually, they looked better than the other hostages! They were allowed to eat non-idol food and continue their education. Together, these young men committed to do what was right and God covered them! They passed the test! And... this test was preparation for Really Big tests ahead!

Don't worry about “fitting in” with modern day culture. Do what you know is right, and you'll prosper, just like Daniel!

Next, Crazy Dream Part 1, Executioner at the door!

Our Verse: Dan 1:3 “...young men of Judah’s royal family and noble families...were brought to Babylon as captives.”

Welcome back to the Daniel adventures! It's one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. A young man's one of a kind adventure serving God. Now, Part 3...Slaves!

It was a grim day. Destruction all around, merciless executions. Surrender into the brutal hands of Babylonian troops. A deal was cut. “Give us the hostages. Give us your gold. We'll let you live.” A puppet government was established, the hostages collected and it was over, but not for the hostages. They were transported 600 miles over land to Babylon; there to be brainwashed, reprogrammed to Babylonian standards. Remove the brain trust from conquered enemies and they became pliable, controllable and taxable!

One of these hostages was Daniel. From noble, maybe royal heritage, he was an intelligent boy about 20 years old. Ripped from everything familiar, he had no idea what lay ahead. But... God had big plans for him!

Once in the enemy capital, the hostages were processed. New names, new food, new language, it was a blur of the unfamiliar. Only the quick learners survived, those who couldn't cut it, were out. Daniel and his friends crammed high speed courses of Babylonian language, history and culture. After 3 years, final oral exams before the king himself! High tension test, pass or fail.

Here's what happened on exam day:
“The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”

All four passed with flying colors! They would serve the greatest empire in world history and perform 10 times better than anyone else.

Next episode- No evil food for us!
Backgrounder info:
It's nearly 600 miles from Israel to Babylon through arid, terrible country. Our political hostages were probably stunned by the industry and development as they neared the capital city.
Finally, they arrived before Babylon's massive gates. (some suggest 2 chariots could race along the top of the city walls.) It's king, Nebuchadnezzar, had conquered much of the Middle East, what we call the Fertile Crescent, modern day Mosul and Baghdad, Iraq. The King selected the best and brightest from conquered nations to be trained as advisors. These young prisoners could be formed (read brain-washed) to the Babylonian philosophy. They could also return to their homelands as puppet leaders for the King. They were enrolled in a massive cram course, three years long, learning the Babylonian language, literature and science. Only fast learners- Mensa level types, survived the course load! The language was completely different for the hostages. Grasping the academics was massive, and while they learned it, they had to learn all the culture and manners as well. Only with God's help could they thrive and excel. Tune in soon for more on The Daniel Adventures.

Note: Daniel's 3 friends are referred to in this episode by their Hebrew names. Find their Babylonian names in Daniel 1:7

Our Verse Again: Matt 24:15- Jesus said, “spoken by the prophet Daniel..”

Welcome back to the Daniel Adventures, one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. It involves a young man serving God in an amazing one of a kind adventure.. Now... Prequel 2 of The Daniel Adventures!

Let's meet a young man who was exile, slave, hostage, dream interpreter, prisoner on death row, and finally, prime minister of not one, but 4 world governments. He is one of the wisest and most amazing men who ever lived. Maybe, you will be a Daniel of the future.

This episode explains Daniel's adventures at the human level.
He lived somewhere in or around Jerusalem. He came from a wealthy family and attended the best schools. Suddenly, his days living the good life ended when an enemy army surrounded his city. Terror struck the people as their enemies glared and laughed! Negotiations took place and the city surrendered. Part of the surrender deal was high value hostages that would go back to the conquering army's capital, Babylon. Because of his youth and position in society, Daniel was selected. He was likely between 17 and 20 because he is called a “young man”. These hostages were not a “chain gang” like we might imagine, but still it was a fearful moment as Daniel and the others left Jerusalem for the last time. Daniel would never return.

Daniel and his companions were destined to affect nations during their lifetimes. Daniel would see multiple kings and their kingdoms rise and fall before his eyes. He would even foretell one king's death on the very night he was executed. God would give Daniel a supernatural overview of all world history.

Finally as an old man Daniel would die and his prophetic writings be closed until the last days of world history.

Our Lord Jesus validates Daniel's life and writings by referring to him in his lessons to his disciples. Read it in Matthew- first book of the New Testament.

Next...Slaves of Babylon, on the Daniel Adventures!

Our verse: Matt 24:15- Jesus said, “spoken by the prophet Daniel..”

Welcome to the Daniel adventures! This is one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. It involves a young man serving God in an amazing one of a kind adventure.. This prequel is God's view of Daniel and the world. Prequel 2 explains Daniel's ground level view of his world and future events. These two viewpoints, the heavenly and the earthly, will help us grasp this earth-shaking message.

Here's the story from God's viewpoint-
God chose Daniel to explain the history of mankind. He wanted every person to know what would happen if man chose to rule the planet on his own. Through Daniel's dreams, visions, and interactions with world leaders, God explained what would happen both in Daniel's time and throughout history...even to our 21st Century and beyond.

God allows us to see all the kingdoms of man. He even includes two kingdoms yet future at the writing of the book-The Roman Empire and the final kingdom of man led by one human individual.

God has recorded these things so men will know that He truly IS.. the ruler of all men for all time. (Listen to the “King to Animal” http://bit.ly/kingcow and “True Matrix” http://bit.ly/Goddmatrixx episodes for more details)

For a time, men will prevail, but ultimately God himself will rule all men. This is described in Daniel 2:35- a mountain grows up and covers the whole earth. The mountain is a symbol of God's Kingdom. Further explanation came in 90 AD in Revelation 11:15 “...there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.”

The book of Daniel is part of God's notice that the day is coming when He will rule the earth, and Jesus will be King of all Kings.

Our verse- Acts 17:6 This was said about Paul and Silas, 1st Century God followers “These men are turning the world upside down!”

The Roman world of the 1st Century was revolutionized by the gospel- the story of Jesus. The entire civilized world was flipped, but not upside down, rather Right Side UP!

Today, God's followers are flipping the world, right side up, just like Paul and Silas did 2000 years ago! That's our job in 2017! The Mountain Team is you the listeners and our production team. While our production team is a awesome bunch- Linda, Sam, Michael and all those cool Beta group testers...we are NOTHING without you the Mountain listeners! You give us bits of your busy day to listen in! Thank you! Together we have launched and shared over 100 Mountain audio episodes and sent them around the world. That includes almost 6000 hits!

So what's coming up on the Mountain?

We are about to release a multi-part series- “The Daniel Adventures”- one of the greatest adventure stories of all time.
Daniel and his friends were true World Flippers! Don't miss a single episode!

Wanna flip your world? Live a righteous life, love and help every person God brings your way. Make your neighborhood, town, state and nation a better place.

Got suggestions for the Mountain? Here's how:
Go to the "Ask Us” button on the home screen, or ask when you click the “More" button on our website- themountain.info. Tell us what you think.

Now may God pour His blessings on every part of your life! Remember, the world thinks you want to turn it upside down, but, the fact is, your life, well lived, will actually turn it right side up! World flippers make the world a better place!

Click the episode link below to hear about the new features on the Mountain- especially you new Mountain listeners! Help us grow by clicking “Share” every time you listen!

Our Verse: 2 Tim 2:25 That God will grant them repentance.

Last time we talked about God's mechanism called repentance. We discovered that repentance is a gift from God and not from ourselves.
Let's meet one Bible person who learned the hard way. A mighty king, Nebuchadnezzar, ruled the Empire of Babylon with brutal force. One day, as he strolled the roof of his palace, He ballooned with pride over his achievements. God had warned him earlier, “Break from your wicked past and be merciful.”

Instead, he bragged, “‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this city,” Dan 4:30 He refused God's warning so God banished him to the wilderness. For months, maybe years, Nebb lived like an animal- “He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.” Dan 4:33 One day he looked up to heaven and his mental faculties returned. Here is what he said, “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High God. Dan. 4:34

His insane pride was broken. He finally recognized that God rules over the kingdoms of men, He had repented- Changed his mind.

God is stronger than any man or kingdom. He is able to humble those lifted up in pride and bring them low. He did it to Nebuchadnezzer and He did it to me. If we are wise, if we listen to God's advice, we will yield and change our way before God has to humble us. It will save us a lotta pain and benefit our loved ones and everyone else! Humble hearts make a better world!

Our verse: Heb 7:16 “but by the power of an Indestructible Life.”

We talk about the Fountain of youth. We support research seeking genetic fixes so that we can live long beyond a normal age. All of mankind seeks an Indestructible Life. It is often said there are two things that are absolutely certain- death and taxes. You might escape taxes, but you cannot escape the day of your death. Everyone wants to escape that day, everyone wants to live forever. There is one who escaped, and with his escape, He showed us the escape hatch. Jesus said “though a man die, yet shall he live. I am the resurrection and the life.”

Check this in Col 1:6- This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives.

The escape hatch to an Indestructible Life is Jesus' amazing story- He came to earth, He lived a perfect sinless life, then He died. While dying is the end for us, it wasn't for Him. He laid cold in the grave for three days, but then warmth coursed thru his body and He “picked up his life” again.

Let's consider His words: “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.”

Jesus proved He had an Indestructible Life. He now offers an escape hatch from death by believing Him and following Him.
You can have an Indestructible Life if you become a follower of Jesus.
(If you are already a follower- please click n share these words with a friend.) Press on!

Our Verse: Acts 20:22 “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem.”

Conviction is a strange word. It can mean on lot of different things. We are going to focus on what the Bible says about conviction. It has two different functions. But before we get to that, let's define the word.

Conviction is a strong sensation in heart and mind of what to do or not do.

In the negative sense, conviction is correction from God, a nudge great or small, to stop a certain behavior or thought pattern. We might say, “I am convicted, I can't go in that place.” or “Every time I say or think that, I'm convicted.” God is guiding us into the right path. This is what we call conscience, a part of our human makeup from God.

In the positive sense, conviction means God directing our mind to what He wants us to do.This is what we see in the verse above. God wanted Paul to go to Jerusalem. Inside his mind, in his thoughts, God spoke to him, “Go to Jerusalem”. Paul told his friends and they were not happy. They knew it meant trouble and maybe death. Nevertheless, Paul followed his conviction and went.There were terrible troubles awaiting for him in Jerusalem, but with God's help, he survived!

So how does this work for us?

We make decisions every day, about where we live, who we hang out with and what we do. God chooses to be a part of those decisions. He designed us with a conscience, the place inside us where we are “convicted.” It's God's installed guidance systems for humans, part of your human software. Sometimes you just know, “that's not right, I can't do that.” One friend of The Mountain calls this the "moral wall”. It's something he mentally bumps up against when making a decision.

Summary:
There's a mechanism inside each one of us that helps us decide what's right and wrong.That's our conscience. Conviction is God's action on our conscience to do what's right. It sometimes feels like a hot coal in our soul, and we are wise to obey. Do what's right when God convicts your conscience, and you will feel great. And again, You will make the world a better place.

Our Verse: Phil 2:13 “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Ever feel frustrated with God? It seems like He gives us rules that we can't keep. We know He wants us to live a righteous life, but we just don't seem to have the will power to do it. Deep inside us, we know what's right. So how do we obey Him??

Here it is. When God tells us to do certain things and how to live, He also promises to help us do it! That's what our verse above is all about. God tells us to avoid doing wrong things, but avoiding wrong doesn't depend on us. He works inside us, in our heart and mind, so we can obey Him.

Let's see how this actually works.

Because you have a daily friendship, a personal connection, with God, He places a desire inside you to do the right thing- He “wills it”. As we follow Him each day and read His instructions, the Bible, we get a desire to do right. This desire moves from our heart to our mind. We begin to think the right thing in our mind. This finally translates into actions (doing right) with our body.

From God to our heart, into our mind and then done in our body. You will find yourself doing the right thing and the results are sweet. Bear in mind this is a lifelong process. We are daily being “holified,” made holy by God. All this comes directly from your Father in Heaven and everyone, your whole world, benefits!

You will be frustrated in life. But you don't have to be frustrated with God's commands. You can say, “Lord, I will trust You to help me do what You want.”

Philippians 2:13 is a promise you can depend on. God will give you the ability to obey His commands. He is your Father in Heaven and He wants you to succeed. God (really) is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”

Our Verse: Psa 37:4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Some things are just plain impossible! Here is an example of God giving a woman her childhood wish- something that could not happen... Without Him!

A small girl sits in a darkened theater. She watches an amazing movie. At the climax of the film the orchestra in silhouette plays a powerful classical piece. That little girl imagines being in that orchestra. But, even then, she knows it is impossible for her to be in that orchestra.

That was our friend Jeanette just a short time after she learned to play the violin. She was watching Fantasia by Walt Disney. As she grew up she understood she could never be in that movie's orchestra.
But God had seen the desire in that little girl's heart. Right then he made a plan that would shock her many years later.

That little girl grew up to become a concert violinist. She became a follower of Jesus. Eventually she married and moved away from her home country . Through an amazing series of events, Jeanette moved to the western United States. There she became a teacher of the violin. One day she received a phone call. She was asked to join a movie sound track orchestra, a honor granted to few. She would join an exclusive group of musicians to provide the soundtrack for an upcoming movie. Finally, the name of the movie was announced. Fantasia 2!

God remembered the little girl's dream and granted her wish. Many years later, she was in the Fantasia orchestra!

What's your dream? Maybe you have thought, It's impossible, No Way! Ask God in faith and hold on! Nothing is impossible for Him! (Luke 18:27 “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”)