The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. — Daniel 4:20-27

This interpretation is interesting. While this was a historical event, it's also a parable of how most men live life. We start by trying to do it our way, with us in the leader's seat. Then we encounter that our way doesn't work or isn't going to work forever. Then we come to a moment of decision: either we're the leader of our life, or God is. Because there cannot be two leaders. He's the King of my life, or I am. He's the Lord of my life, or I am. He's the Savior of my life, or I am.

And then, right at the end, Daniel offers him some free advice. It's wisdom he adds in based on what he just interpreted. And the advice is this — Repent. He essentially says:

"Man, brother, I have walked with you for about 30 years. And you have gained it all. The world is at your command. But you will die one day. Becuase you are not a god. But you can know one. He is the one true God, the Highest God. He gave you this dream to warn you to stop sinning and start living righteously. So why not live this last part of your life even better than the first?"

Here are two actionables:

First, if you are a man who wants to live the last part of your life better than the first, I want you to know you can declare that right now. That you can surrender your life to God today and proclaim him the Leader of your life, I will pray you through it. Just click this link https://beresolute.org/need-prayer/. God is a God of second chances, and he is ready and willing to extend that to you today.

Second, if you are a follower of Christ, you need to know that what Daniel does here is the kind of work we need to do with those around us. That we need to be faithful in unfaithful times. And when God gives us the opportunity, we need to speak up and share the bad news in hopes that those we love will come to know the good news. Sometimes they will turn to him. Other times they won't. But for 30 years under Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was faithful to doing what he believed was right and spoke up to share the truth when the opportunity presented itself. So fellas, let's get out there today and do the same.

ASK THIS: Do you need prayer, or is there someone you want to pray for?

DO THIS: Share their first name only below.

PRAY THIS: God, I need you. Give me direction on how to be a better man in this next part of my life.

PLAY THIS: I Need You.

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