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Below is the text of the Bible study lesson that Ernest shared with us. Ernest Amankwah is an Elder at the Calgary Full Gospel Church, a faithful and prayerul man of God.

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In this study I will be sharing about how God blesses those who determine in their hearts to walk with Him. I will use two main characters from the Old Testament, Joseph and Daniel, as examples and then share a few points on the things we need to do if we want to walk with God.

The first person I want to talk about is Joseph. We all know the story about Joseph: how he was sold by his brothers and ended up in Egypt.

·                    Joseph was a godly young man who feared God and because of that the blessing of God followed him wherever he went. Genesis 39:2-6,9;20-23.

·                    When Joseph was in prison, the butler and baker of the King were also sent to prison because they offended the King. While in prison the butler and baker had dream and Joseph makes a bold statement that God is the one who gives interpretation to dreams so they should tell him their dreams. Genesis 40:8

·                    Joseph  also made a similar statement to Pharoah when Pharoah had a dream, Genesis 41:16

·                    Pharoah was so amazed by the wisdom of Joseph that he put him in charge of the whole of Egypt. Genesis 41:37-42

The next person I want to talk about is Daniel. Daniel was also a young man who was taken into captivity in Babylon. Daniel and his friends were chosen to be trained to work in the King’s service and were offered meals from the King’s table.

·                    Daniel and his friends resolved not to defy themselves with meals from the King’s table and requested that they should be given vegetables instead. Daniel 1:8 &9

·                    At the end of the training period Daniel and his friend excelled more than the others who decided to defile themselves with meals from the King’s table. They were ten times better than the astrologers and magicians who were in the King’s realm. Daniel 1:18-20

·                    When Nebuchadnezzer, the King, had a dream that no one could tell him or interpret, Daniel prayed to God and God revealed the dream to him. Daniel confidently told Nebuchadnezzer that there is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries, similar to the statement Joseph made to Pharaoh. Daniel 2:27-30

·                    The King placed Daniel in a high position after the interpretation. Daniel 2:48.

·                    Daniel continued to walk with God and after the death of Nebuchadnezzer, Darius wanted to place Daniel over the whole of Babylon, but the other leaders were not happy about it. So they tried to find something against Daniel, but they could not. Daniel 6:4 &5.

·                    The leaders persuaded Darius to pass a decree that no one should pray to any other God because they knew that was the only way they could find a fault against Daniel. Daniel kept praying after the decree (Daniel 6:10) and was thrown in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:21&22), but God rescued him and Daniel prospered in Babylon (Daniel 6:28)

Daniel and Joseph were living in an environment where they could have compromised easily and lived like all the others around them. Their situation was similar to what we face now. Some of us were strong Christians back in our home countries and when we move to Canada we are separated from our circle of believers. Sometimes it becomes a big challenge, because we usually lose the support of other believers that we used to enjoy back in our home countries.

Despite the challenges, we can still determine in our hearts, just like Joseph and Daniel, to walk with God. Joseph and Daniel did not have rosy lives because they were walking with God. Joseph ended up in prison and Daniel ended up in the lion’s den for walking with God, but God prospered them at the end of the day.  If we want to follow the example of Daniel and Joseph then we need to:

1.                  Set ourselves apart from the world. That means staying away from ungodly lifestyles – do not think, talk and behave like the world because that is what you see all around you. But as a member of a prestigious family (God’s family) behave in a manner that reflects the glory of your Father. Leviticus 11:45.

2.                  Determine in our hearts to serve and obey God, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be. It is not always easy, but God will help us.

3.                  Study the word of God and practice it to grow spiritually. It is easy to read the word of God everyday and to come to church every Sunday to listen to sermons and not practice what we read or listen to. If you want to grow spiritually, you have to put the word of God into practice.

4.                  Yield ourselves to God. God will not impose His will on us; He wants us to surrender freely to Him. We have to learn to do what God says and allow Him to have every part of our lives, including our finances.

I want to conclude by saying that if you have been convicted by the word of God today, please do not feel condemned. Pray and ask for forgiveness and move in the direction God wants you to go. As you leave this place today, I want you to remember the scripture in 1 Timothy 4: 7 & 8.

Thank you and God bless you.