Daniel 11:32

New International Version

With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

For meditation

As deception and falsehood surge all around us, how does a child of God endure? How do we withstand the relentless assault of evil aimed at silencing God’s word and weakening its power in our lives?

There is a tide rising in our churches. It is the surge of pop culture and worldly compromise sweeping into our worship. Anything to bring them in, some argue, but at what cost? How much can the church take in before our faith is so diluted that we blend in with the world?

It is alarming how much sweet, but compromising talk we are hearing from pulpits these days. “Anything to soothe them after a hard week,” some insist. Yet, there is nothing spiritual about it; just spiritual sedatives. Not surprisingly, so many who crave the spectacle of worship leave spiritually hungry for actual substance.

Daniel warned against this trend. Increasing corruption and the Israelite’s tendency to live contrary to the covenant would allow the enemy, acting through Antiochus and his invading army, to use flattery to gain support, pollute the temple with profanity, and stop the temple worship (Dan. 11:31-32a). What a depth of spiritual decline in Israel!

As the Apostle John said, many antichrists have come (1 Jn. 2:18) and are using flattery to gain large followings. Their craft is seductive, and their goal is to pollute the true worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

However, we can take comfort in knowing that even amid these spiritual challenges, Those who know their God will firmly resist him (Dan. 11:32). The power of God, through the Holy Spirit, enables us to withstand corruption. Adorned in the full armor of God, we take our position in these evil days to resist the enemy as he comes in many forms (Eph. 6:13).

The battle is real and fierce. So, we do not fight in the flesh. We fight with weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds and to destroy every human argument and philosophy that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

As each of us takes our place among those who know God, we must stand firm against the wave of flattery and corruption that is inundating Christ’s church. Our goal should be to capture every thought and bring it into obedience to Christ.

May you grow ever deeper in your knowledge of God through His Word and prayer, so that your understanding of Christ becomes a shield for our conscience, protecting it from being traded for fleeting popularity or worldly approval. May this knowledge strengthen you to endure every hardship for the sake of Christ’s name! 

Our strength against the evil one is in the intimate knowledge of the Christ we profess.

Let Us Pray

Commander of the Lord’s army, come and lead us in this war of attrition against your church. We have no strength against this tide but the power of the Holy Spirit and the explosion of your pure word in our hearts. We ask this in the matchless name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and King. Amen! 

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