In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed  me to build  a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. ~Ezra 1-2

The Bible Says the Spirit stirred the heart of Cyrus King of Persia to call the Jews to go to Jerusalem and build a temple for Him. This is amazing! Why would a pagan king in Babylon even know or care about a temple to a God that was not his own? The Jews were disbursed throughout his Kingdom, a small sect among many.

The answer is that God can stir the heart of anyone. He will see that His will is done and He uses the rulers of the Kingdoms of this world to accomplish His purpose.

It is also a fact that for many years Babylon was influenced by a Godly leader by the name of Daniel. Kings had come and gone yet Daniel prospered under them all. When Cyrus became king, he most likely sought out the council of Daniel who by now would have been an old man with incredible social capital. He was in a position to instruct Cyrus on what God wanted him to do. Daniel was going about doing the Lord’s will while Cyrus was running his kingdom; and all the while, God was bringing them together to accomplish His purpose.

So today, God is building leaders through C3 who will influence Kings and shape kingdoms. Become excellent in your calling and you will someday be surprised how God will use you. God still stirs the hearts of leaders!

~Ralph

rponlakedr@aol.com