Daniel
Dan_1:8
Daniel was born and reared in Israel, where it was easy to serve the Lord. Now he was in a heathen land, and his faith would be put to the test. Sometimes missionaries find it hard when they get to a foreign country, because they do not have the support they once had of Bible conferences, revivals, Christian friends, etc. But if we do what Daniel did, we will be able to stand and not compromise what we believe. How did Daniel stand in a heathen land?
1. He didn't worry about popularity. (v.3-5)
· Daniel knew he was going to stand before the king and could gain promotion if he would eat of the king's meat.
· Daniel cared more about pleasing God than pleasing man.
· Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
2. He had the right kind of friends. (v.6)
· Daniel's friends were dedicated Christians as well, because in Daniel 3 we find them not bowing to an idol even when it meant being cast into a fiery furnace.
· Standing for what is right mean you won’t have a lot of friends, but at least you will have friends that will stand with you.
· On the mission field, you must guard who influences you. Sometimes other missionaries can be very, very discouraging, and if you listen them enough, their pessimism and lack of faith will affect you too.
3. He was a leader. (v.7)
· When Daniel got to Babylon, they changed his name to Belteshazzar, which means "the king’s leader." There must have been certain characteristics about Danile that made him stick out as leader.
· It is easy to be a follower, but it is hard to be a leader.
· Leaders don’t worry about what everyone else is doing; they lead the way.
· You will be surprised at those around you who may be looking for someone else to lead; instead of follow. Even missionaries who are discouraged may get encouragement as they see you doing a work for God.
4. He purposed in his heart to do right. (v.8)
· No matter who was eating the king's meat, no matter what the consequences were, Daniel was not going to defile himself.
· Daniel's reasons for not eating:
o Didn’t want to violate the law of meats.
o Didn’t want to partake of something sacrificed to idols.
o Didn’t want to start loving the world.
§ Pr 23:3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
o Wanted to stay away from all temptation to be a glutton and to drink.
When Daniel and this friends stood for the Lord in a heathen land where it wasn't popular, God blessed them, exalted them, and made them 10 times better than everyone else. (v.17-20) Anyone can give into peer pressure; it takes a man, a leader to stand up to it, to lead the way, to do what is right.
TRS
Dan_2:11
“the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” When a missionary, pastor, discipler, youth worker does not spend time and “dwell” with the people he is working with, then he has the characteristics of the false gods not the true and living God. John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The true and living God does not keep Himself aloof from men, but rather He wants to have a personal relationship with us. He proved this when He sent His only Son to live among us. As God drew nigh to man and lived among sinful man, so let us spend time with our people, instead of descending from the heavenlies on Sundays and Wednesday, hovering between heaven and earth, and returning back again. People need a living example of a person who is tempted in all points like as they are tempted. TRS
Dan_2:17-23 Daniel and his three friends knew how to get a hold of God in prayer. An essential for world evangelism is a personal, powerful prayer life.
Robert Speer said: "The evangelization of the world in this generation depends first of all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men; deeper, far, than the need for money; deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing prayer."
Someone else said: "The two greatest Revivals of the Twentieth Century, the Welsh and Azusa Street Revivals, both began in small prayer meetings, and were led by the most humble, untrained, untaught, and un-ordained, poor people who had nothing but a passion for God."
We are so busy that we have no time to pray, but Martin Luther said: "I have so much work to do that I cannot get along without giving three hours daily of my best time to prayer." TRS
Dan_2:28
“But there is a God in heaven…” Oh that we had such a prayer life that the answers of God to our prayers would prove to the world that there is a God in heaven. When Daniel prayed, God answered. The wise men of this world, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers could not interpret the king’s dream, but God could. And God has a servant who could pray and find out what that dream. When you do not know the answer, you do not need the wisdom of this world, you just need God, and you need to pray. TRS
Dan_2:47
Daniel made sure that God got the glory for any accomplishments. He could have taken the glory for himself, but that would have dishonored God. When Daniel interpreted the dream, the king said, “…your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” The king praised Daniel’s God not Daniel. When God uses you to do something, do people praise you or do they praise your God? How much glory are you giving to God? TRS
Dan_2:49
Daniel remembered his friends. Instead of forsaking them in his popularity with the king, he remembered them and asked the king to exalt them, because they had been his friends (Daniel 1:6), stood with him (Daniel 1:12-13), and prayed with him (Daniel 2:17). Let us missionaries and Christian workers remember all of those who have invested in us and helped us along the way – the parents who have reared us, the people who have prayed for us, the churches that have supported us, the individuals who have wrote to us and encouraged us. Also, let us bring others along with us. Our success ought to be others success. Instead of putting others down so we can go up, let us put ourselves down, so others can go up. The way up is down. The way to live is to die. The way to save your live is to lose it. TRS
Dan_3:1
Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold for his god (himself) that was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He compelled all to bow before his god. His god was a false god. We serve the true and living God that delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. What have you done for our God? How many people have you declared His name to? TRS
Dan_3:18
Whether God delivers us out of or through the fiery furnace of trials, temptations, and affliction, we should not doubt or be unfaithful in our worship of God. Sometimes God delivers us out of the trials, like He did the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and sometimes He delivers us through the trials like Job. But all of them are for out good and His glory. He wants us to come forth as gold. (Job_23:10) Don’t be disappointed when God does do what you want Him to do. Just trust the Lord and know that whatever the outcome of your situation, God is doing what is best. TRS
Dan_3:20
Nebuchadnezzar commanded the most mighty men in his army to bind the three Hebrews and throw them in the fiery furnace that was heated seven times hotter than it normally was. But their physical might was nothing compared to spiritual might of the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These mighty soldier died just from being close to the fire, while the Hebrew men were not fazed by actually being in the fire. Psa_147:10-11 says, “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” Let us focus on the strengthening our faith in God rather in our confidence in the flesh. When the fires of persecution come, the might soldiers of this world may flee, but the warrior of God will defeat the foe, just as David defeated Goliath. TRS
Dan_3:25
Just as Jesus was with them in the furnace, protecting them, helping them, walking with them, so too will Jesus be with you in whatever you go through. He will not leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you, and He will go with through the good times and the bad times. Let us be thankful for the hard times, because it is in those times we must trust Him and find that He is truly there. Our ability to come through trials is a testimony to the lost world of the reality of our relationship with God, as it was to King Nebuchadnezzar. TRS
Dan_3:28-29
When we yield our bodies as a living sacrifice, when we will not serve or worship any God but the True God, when we are willing to step out by faith and trust the Lord for deliverance, the world will know about and bless our God. God used King Nebuchanezzar to proclaim the glory of God because three men had the courage to die for Christ. If we are not willing to die for Christ, how can we live for Christ? If we are not willing to die for what we believe, how can we expect others to believe what we believe? TRS
Dan_3:30
The king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because of their courage, faith, and willingness to sacrifice. Most of us want promotion without sacrifice. We want a position without having to pay the price to be exalted. Psa_75:6 tells us, “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.” Promotion comes from God. Jesus told us in Joh_12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Everybody want the position, the praise, and the promotion, but no one wants to pay the price. Unless you are willing to die to self, die to your ambition, your desires, your pride, your popularity, and your possessions, there will be no fruit, no promotion. The only promotion you will get is shame as the Bible says in Pro_3:35, “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” 1Pe_5:6 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” If we will obey this verse, God will exalt us in due time. He will promote us a when we can handle the promotion without becoming prideful. TRS
Dan_4:1
One of the mightiest empires there has ever been was under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar ruled over most of the known world during his lifetime. He is represented as a "king of kings," ruling over a vast kingdom of many provinces, with a long list of officers and rulers under him (Dan_4:1). Nebuchadnezzar, however, had a pride problem. He was so prideful that he constructed a ninety-foot high golden image before which he required all of his subjects to bow (Dan_3:1-7). God humbled Nebuchadnezzar by causing his to become insane for seven years. He ate grass. His nails became long and his hair like eagles’ feathers (Dan_4:33). When Nebuchadnezzar recovered his sanity, he became a vibrant testimony to God. In Dan_4:17, Nebuchadnezzar said this all happened for the intent that the living will know that they mot High ruleth in the kingdoms of men. God used even a heathen king to declare to the world that He is the True God. TRS
Dan_4:19
"...Daniel...was astonied (astonished, stunned) for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him..." Sometime we as Christians have times of confusion and uncertainty about God's will, but if we will pray and wait on the Lord, He will give us the answer. Even the greatest of Christians, like Daniel, go through these moments, so do not get discouraged if you are unsure of God's will. Don't allow others to pressure you into making a hasty decision, if you are not completely sure of the direction God is leading. Follow the command of Psa_27:14 "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait I say, on the LORD." TRS
Dan_4:30
Pro_16:18, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." When Nebuchadnezzar was lifted up in pride, God humbled him. Never let us forget all that God has done for us, and never let us imagine that we have accomplished anything by our own power. Jesus said, "without me, ye can do nothing." God is the one who sets up kings and dethrones them. God is the one that is in control. TRS
Dan_4:37
True humility is evidenced by praise for God. The person that is humble is consumed with praising, extolling (lifting up), and honoring (magnifying) God and has no time to praise himself. The humble person realizes that God is the King of heaven, that all his works are truth, that all his ways are just, and that all who walk in pride God is able to abase. Pride was the first sin and is the source from which many others sins spring. Pride is the opposite of praise. Pride says, "Look at me." Praise says, "Look at God." Our life ought to deflect others' eyes off of us and onto God. TRS
Dan_5:23
The chief sin of Belshazzar was not his pride or selfishness; it was his failure to glorify God. When we are proud and live for self, we do not glorify God, and we do not fulfill the purpose for which God created us. God holds our very breath in His hand. He controls all of our ways. We ought to glorify Him. This is the chief duty of man. TRS
Dan_6:3
It is amazing the impact the Spirit of God will make on a life. Even the world can see that there is something excellent about a person who is controlled and filled by the Holy Spirit. Because Daniel was not concerned with pleasing men, but only with pleasing God, the king preferred him and set him over all of the rulers of his kingdom. Have you submitted your life to the Holy Spirit, so that it could be said “there is an excellent spirit in you?” TRS
Dan_6:14
God can do what the greatest king cannot. Darius labored all day until the going down of the sun to try to deliver Daniel from the lion’s den, but he failed to contrive a way to deliver him from the law of the Medes and the Persians, which could not be changed. God, however, was able to deliver Daniel. The king asked in v. 20, “is they God…able to deliver thee…” Daniel answered back, “O king live for ever.” What are you worried about? Is it fear of the unknown or of possible death? Is it money that is holding you back from going to the mission field? Is it the health problem of a loved one? Is it the rugged conditions of a foreign land? Is it civil war? Is it terrorism? God can deliver you, protect you, and provide for you, if you will just believe in Him. (v.23) TRS
Dan_9:16
God’s people are become a reproach (a shame or disgrace). God’s people are to be salt and light. They are to preserve and illuminate, but because of sin they are become a reproach. Most people have very low opinions of people who call themselves “Christians,” especially in western countries. Could this be because they say one thing and do another? In our new culture, according to Josh McDowell, there is almost zero correlation between belief and behavior. When Josh McDowell asked 209 teenagers, "If there’s a situation, in which, if you lied and you’d get out from underneath the negative circumstances of that situation, would you lie?” 98% said they would lie. But when asked if they believed lying was wrong, of those same 209 teenagers, 98.5% said they believed lying was wrong. This is why the word “Christian” is almost an insult instead of a compliment. We have become a reproach instead of a blessing. We must confess our sin, and ask God to help us practice what we preach. TRS
Dan_9:21
“Whiles I was speaking in prayer…” God many times will show us His will and His vision for our lives during times of prayer. You may not know God’s will because you have failed to pray, or you have failed to spend sufficient time in prayer to God, so that He can reveal Himself and His will to you. Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Without a doubt, Daniels faithful, consistent prayer time was one reason why God gave him so many visions. If you want to know God’s will, then pray. TRS
Dan_9:23
When we pray, God commands and angels fly. The Bible says that Gabriel said to Daniel, “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth…” As soon as Daniel began to pray, God was waiting and reading to command. It was if God was looking forward to Daniel bowing in prayer as he did as a set time three times a day, so that He could answer His prayer. Does God know you will be in specific prayer at certain times every day? Can God look forward to hearing from you, His child, that He gave His Son to save?
The angel Gabriel also told Daniel, “…thou are greatly beloved…” One reason why God wanted to hear and answer Daniel’s prayer was because He loved him so much. Daniel was one of God’s children. Not only is Daniel greatly beloved, but the Bible tells us we are beloved as well. (Eph_1:6, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”) As our Heavenly Father, God loves us and wants to answer our prayers, because we are His beloved children.
Our prayers cause God to help our understanding and vision. Gabriel said, “…I am come to shew thee…therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” When we pray, God opens our understanding and gives us vision for what He wants us to do.
God is waiting to hear and answer your prayers. Heaven moves, and Hell trembles when a child of God kneels to pray! Have you prayed today? TRS |
