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For many people, 2013 was one of the most difficult and challenging years that they've ever experienced. In 2013 there were all sorts of tests, trials, and tragedies that left many of us wondering if we would be able to make it another day. All sorts of adversity came to our doorways to convince us that we would not come out of what we were facing; yet through it all, somehow, some way, we endured! With tears in our eyes, with pain in our hearts, through sickness, through depression, through poverty, through calamity we kept pressing and kept pressing until this very day!

Through the strength of God, we rose up to meet our challenges and we prevailed! Like Paul, we were hard pressed on every side, yet we were not crushed! We were perplexed, but not in despair! Many of us were persecuted and even cast down, but never forsaken by our Father. We were not destroyed, because we believed to see the goodness God promised us in the land of the living! Our faith kept us standing! Our faith kept us pressing every day, and it is that faith that's about to bring us into some of the greatest breakthroughs that we have ever seen!

Stand in Faith

Though faith in God has been the force that's emboldened and empowered us to keep standing, it is also the very thing that the enemy hates and seeks to destroy. It is because our faith and our position with God is something he can never get back, so he doesn't want anyone else to have it either! That's why you must keep worshipping, you must keep praising and serving God passionately! It torments the enemy because it reminds him of what he lost and can never get back again!

God Will Not Forsake You

In Daniel 6, a story unfolds about a powerful Believer named Daniel who was targeted and attacked just because of his faith. The Bible records that King Darius named 120 princes to rule over the land, and three presidents to rule over them, one of which was Daniel. Darius favored Daniel because he had an excellent spirit and was faithful over everything with which he was entrusted. Both God and King Darius knew that whatever they trusted Daniel with that he would keep it faithfully and wouldn't lose anything. Daniel's favor caused the other presidents, princes, captains, counselors, and other government officials to set a trap to kill Daniel, and they knew that the only flaw that Daniel had was that he served his God so passionately!

The presidents and princes that conspired this trap weren't ignorant about who Daniel was. Scholars believe that during this time, Daniel was between 80-90 years old. That's more than enough time for Daniel's reputation of how he prayed and got results to spread throughout the land. People knew about how, as a teenager, Daniel fasted and prayed and obtained favor from his captors. They knew about his friends who defied Nebuchadnezzar's orders and came out unsinged from the fiery furnace. They knew about the power of prayer that Daniel wielded to interpret mysteries and rule over nations.

Never Forsaken

Even though Daniel knew that if he continued to love his God and serve him through prayer it would be a sure death, he refused to stop! When Daniel learned about the decree that was set in motion, he went straight to his house, opened his windows, and let his actions declare that nothing would separate him from the God he served! When the other officials saw what Daniel was doing, they went to the king and made him have Daniel thrown into the lion's den.

Once Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, the king stayed up all that night and couldn't eat a thing because of his concern for Daniel. The king didn't realize the true purpose of the decree he set in motion, and on the outside, Daniel could have easily felt betrayed and hurt by the king that had favored him; but Daniel understood a very powerful principle: Even though the weapon may form against you, it's not always responsible for the assignment! Sometimes the very people you trust may turn on you or disappoint you, but you've always got to be prepared to forgive them!  Forgiveness is what keeps you out of bondage and allows you to live in freedom while others are in spiritual and emotional chains.

The next morning, the king hurried to the lion's den and wondered if Daniel made it through the night. Daniel greeted the king and proclaimed "Oh king, live forever!" Daniel knew he had prevailed because God was with him, so he didn't come out of the dark place bitter and angry. Daniel came out full of joy because he knew that he would ultimately see victory because God would not forsake him!

ALL Your Prayers Are Being Heard

Many people are discouraged because they feel like their prayers are not being answered; they feel like God has forsaken them! Prophecies have not come to pass like they thought, things that were promised have not yet manifested, and you feel alone in the battle you are having to fight! You say, "Maybe I didn't pray enough," or, "Maybe I did something wrong that's keeping God from hearing me!" God wants you to understand today that you didn't pray wrong and He's not refusing you! It's not your prayer that's being blocked, it's your answers! Look at what Daniel 10:12-13 says:

"Then he continued, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God,your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But theprince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael,one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia'" (Daniel 10:12-13, NIV).

The minute you started praying, God heard you! He had already answered, but your answer has been delayed because of the princes of resistance that are assigned to stop the manifestation of what God spoke! Because of the weight of what was about to be revealed, the enemy sent a prince to resist the answer God released!

The Hebrew word for prince means "ruler, chief, captain, principal, commander, leader, governor, and taskmaster." In other words, the enemy sent one of his most powerful agents, because only power can take out power! God's response was to send one of the chief princes, one of the strongest angelic beings, Michael the archangel, to release what the enemy tried to hold back!

Jesus, the Prince of Peace

There is another Prince that's about to step on the scene, and His name is Jesus Christ, the PRINCE OF PEACE!  The Prince of Peace is about to step into your situation! Supernatural help is coming in your time of trouble!

God is about to bring you out of the lion's den, out of the darkness of your calamity, and He's going to bring forth His PEACE in your trouble! As you moved out of 2013 and into 2014, I declare that the Prince of Peace, the Lord who made Heaven and Earth, will invade your situation and bring you perfect peace!

·         I declare that the power of God is being released in your life to make your enemies be at peace with you!

·         I declare that voice of the Lord is being released into your life to speak peace to every storm that is raging against you!

·         I declare that Jesus Christ is your peace! I declare every form of separation and division formed between you and your promise is being destroyed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding!

·         I declare that the God of peace will crush the enemy under your feet, and that you will walk into the grace of God that will release you into a new season, in Jesus' name!

I speak the blessing of the Lord upon your life and declare that supernatural help has come!

Yours in releasing the fullness of your God-given destiny,

Dr. Mario Maxwell

www.mmim.org