Dare to be a Daniel: Counting the Cost

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  

(Daniel 1:8 KJV)

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  (Daniel 6:10 KJV)

**This post is the fourth post in the Dare to be a Daniel series. [1]

  For the first three posts, please see:  Abiding: Some Thoughts on Daniel, Dare to be a Daniel: Introduction, and Dare to be a Daniel:  Purposeful Determination.**

Today we are embarking on the fourth week of finding hope and encouragement in the life of the godly prophet Daniel.  When the Lord brought to mind this sermon that He gave me to share with at least one church in 2014, I had no idea how it would be edited for blog posts, nor how long it would take to share it.  Moreover, I had no idea regarding all the recent terror acts.  God knew all of this, thus the timeliness of the posts is not an accident.

When we have Jesus as our Savior and place our trust and faith in Him (as did Daniel), we can face the sheer ugly forces of evil with confidence—confidence that the Lord will see us through come what may.  Truly knowing the whole of Word should cause us to see current events as prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes.

As I have shared before on this blog, there is a definite cost to following Jesus; the cost can be steep.  Believers in many parts of the world, in such places as North Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Middle East; for example, lose everything in following Jesus—EVERYTHING—including their very lives.  Persecution is real today!  As believers, we—no matter where we reside—need to be prepared to face that very same type of persecution for following Jesus.

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In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of counting the cost of following Him (see Luke 14:25-35 and John 16).  There is a cost—sometimes a high one.  The costs depend on the person.  Friendships change, relationship with family members change, one’s job may have to change too.  I believe that Daniel counted the cost of remaining true to God (in the pagan Babylonian society) and found the benefits of staying true to God to outweigh the temporary pleasures of worldly riches.  In doing so, Daniel was blessed and used mightily by God. 

History is full of men, women, and children who treasured Jesus more than the riches of this world and more than their own life.  They counted the cost and paid the price.  Today, they are among “the great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)—cheering us on as we run our race for the Lord.

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Here are some examples of men who died rather than deny Jesus:  John Hus, Bishop Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley.  These men bravely faced the flames; just as Daniel faced the lions and his friends the fiery furnace.  They remained loyal to God—He remained loyal to them.  Countless people suffered greatly, all because they believed all should have access to God’s Word and because they believed salvation was through Christ alone.  These are just a few of many examples.

In many parts of the world today (and one day here in America we will face this too), that to have Jesus as Savior and Lord is to suffer greatly—even to the point of losing EVERYTHING, including our very life.  The testimony of modern day martyrs is moving and heart wrenching.  Yet like the members of the early church (see Acts 5:40-48)—there is rejoicing in suffering for Jesus.

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

Somewhere along the way, the prosperous Western Church has gotten off course and gotten things horribly wrong.  Being a Christian—having Jesus as Savior and Lord of our life is not a ticket to worldly abundance, affluence, and riches.  Being a Christian is a call to dying to self and self-sacrifice; focusing on storing up riches in heaven.  And yes, perhaps losing worldly things we hold dear—jobs, family, friends, and hobbies.  In the end, we will find that staying true to the Lord outweighs anything the world has to offer us!

The time to decide where we stand and what we will do is now; not when to call on the Name of Jesus is to lose one’s life.  Where do you stand?  What will you do?  Will you deny Jesus or will you count the cost, determining (or purposing) to not deny Jesus (when we deny Jesus, He denies us before the Father)?  These are questions only you can answer.  As for me:  I say Jesus is worth it!

I ask you the question Beth Moore asked in her study:  “Have you predetermined your loyalty to Christ (italics in original)?[2]

Dare to be a Daniel this week!

To be continued…

Please join with me in prayer:

Loving Lord, we look to You to find the desire, the strength to stay true to You no matter the cost.  Teach us to trust You, particularly when nothing makes sense all seems lost.  We find hope and encouragement in those who paid the ultimate price—their lives—all in staying true to You.  Free us from fear of man, as we place our complete trust in You.  We desire to remain loyal to You, however, we need Your strength to not falter or give in when the going gets really tough.  Thank You for Your presence in our lives and for the testimony of countless martyrs who have gone before us.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim        

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[1] Beth Moore’s Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy (2006, LifeWay Press) was the inspiration for many ideas in this sermon/blog post.

[2] Beth Moore’s Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy (2006, LifeWay Press), page 61.

Dare to be a Daniel: Purposeful Determination

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  

(Daniel 1:8 KJV)

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  (Daniel 6:10 KJV)

**This post is the third post in the Dare to be a Daniel series. [1]

  For the first two posts, please see: Abiding: Some Thoughts on Daniel and Dare to be a Daniel: Introduction.**

Returning to our study of  Daniel, today we are going to look at the decision Daniel made and how he determined to live his life, even if that meant going a different direction than those around him.  Keep in mind, when the book of Daniel opens, Daniel is a youth who grew up in Judah (south) during the days when Israel (north) was divided.  In Judah, many had strayed from the Lord and living as He desired they live, instead they lived like their pagan neighbors.

In Daniel 1:8 we read that:  “…Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (emphasis mine) (KJV).

Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 defines purposed like this:  “Intended; designed; applied to things. …Resolved; having formed a design or resolution; applied to persons. I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”[2]  As we will see, Daniel followed through on his convictions and did not defile himself with the king’s food and wine. 

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

By respectfully approaching those in charge of training the young men, Daniel was able to propose a test for his friends and himself (eating only vegetables and drinking only water).  The foods of Babylon were likely defiled (offered to idols), still had blood in them—in other words, not kosher.  Moreover, the meat may have been from one of the unclean animals that God told Israel they were not to eat (see Leviticus 11).  In this way, Daniel (and his friends) passed the test regarding food with flying colors.  On the other hand, Adam and Eve, while still in the garden failed the test in the area of food.[3]

In reading the first chapter of  Daniel, we know these young men pass the “food test” with “flying colors”—clearly God was at work here—God blessed them physically, intellectually, spiritually, and in many other ways.  They were used mightily by God and those around them took notice.

The faithfulness of Daniel’s friends—Shadrack, Meschach, and Abendego earned them a trip to the fiery furnace, due to their determination to bow to God alone and not an idol.  As we know, God brought them through it, showing His power and might to King Nebuchadnezzar and all of Babylon.  To read this experience in its entirety, please see Daniel 3.    

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

Daniel’s faith was a life-long faith, of dedication to the Lord and His commands.  Even on his own, separated from his family and religious nurture he stayed true to what he was taught as a youth (see Proverbs 22:6).  What about our faith—could it withstand separation from family and church?

What about the young people in our lives—how deeply rooted in the faith are they?  How can we best prepare them for the inevitable attacks they will experience throughout the rest of their lives?  How can we prepare to be attacked due to our beliefs?

We see in Daniel a portrait of how to live a life that is God-centered and God directed while in a less than godly culture.  Babylon of Daniel’s time is not so unlike our own time.  living for the day, acquiring one more “thing”, a thirst for “power”, the desire to be their own “god” drove the Babylonian culture, as well as our Western, First World culture.  Sadly, even the church has compromised and bought into the worldly mentality, at least at times.  However, there is a different way.

Compromise—compromise is something Daniel and his friends did not do.  Compromise is easy, go with the flow type thinking, yet it is deadly in a spiritual sense.  The moment a person decides to compromise makes it that much easier to do it in the future.  When others see us compromise our witness is weakened. 

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When have you been tempted to compromise your beliefs just to not face harsh treatment?

I encourage you to take time to examine your heart, to discover where you may have compromised your beliefs.  God is gracious to forgive us when we come to Him repenting of our sins.  It is not too late (or early!), no matter what your age to turn (or return) to God.  He is ready and waiting with arms open wide to receive you.

Dare to be a  Daniel this week!

To be continued…

Please join with me in prayer:

Everlasting God, thank You for the truths in Your Word—through Your Holy Spirit illuminate Your Word in such a way that it does exactly what You desire.  Direct our examination of our hearts, increase our sensitivity to sin in our lives, and lead us to repentance.  Increase our faith, so we have the strength to not compromise our beliefs.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

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[1] Beth Moore’s Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy (2006, LifeWay Press) was the inspiration for many ideas in this sermon/blog post.

[2] From http://webstersdictionary1828.com/ 

[3] See http://www.danielbibleprophecy.org/daniel1.html

Dare to be a Daniel: Introduction

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  

(Daniel 1:8 KJV)

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  (Daniel 6:10 KJV)

In last week’s post I shared a few thoughts on Daniel and how he abided in the Lord.  How he lived his life was deeply impacted by his relationship with the Lord.  We can learn much from Daniel’s example.  This week I am launching a series of posts Dare to be a Daniel, which is an edited sermon I developed and delivered in 2014.  Much of the sermon was inspired by Beth Moore’s Daniel:  Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy study.[1] 

Starting this week, we are going to consider the life of one biblical hero, Daniel.  What a mighty, godly man of faith he was!  Daniel counted the cost of what it meant to live for God in his society (Judah), as well as the Babylonian society when he was carried off into exile.  He was willing to pay the price—even if that meant losing his life.  That is commitment—a level of commitment I desire to demonstrate.

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Due to Daniel's faithful commitment to God—he was used and mightily blessed by God.  He found favor, not only with God, but also with those above him, making an impact on them—an impact that was long-term (his influence on the wise men caused them to be looking for the coming Jewish Messiah hundreds of years later).  His integrity also “won” him some enemies!  Daniel spent the majority of his life, from his teens on in Babylonia (and at the end of his life, the Persian Empire), working at the highest levels of government—he found favor with those who did not know the Lord; showing them respect.  He interpreted dreams and proclaimed many prophecies—some of which are yet to unfold.

Daniel experienced Isaiah’s prophecy to King Hezekiah: 

"Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."     (Isaiah 39:5-7 KJV)

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What can we learn from Daniel and his life of integrity?  What decisions have we made or still need to make about what we will do when push comes to shove in following the Lord?  These are decisions that we need to make before hand—before we find ourselves in a situation where we need to make a decision in a hurry.  The time to decide is now.  Waiting until a knife is at our throat or a gun pointed to our head is too late.

We cannot live a life of integrity and commitment to the Lord without determining to do so in advance.  The world will see a difference.  As Christians our lives should look different from the world—we are to be in the world but not of the world (John15:19, for example)—in other words, we are not to assimilate to the world’s standards.  And yes, this may mean ridicule at times.  The world does not understand us and our behavior.  (Consider how often Jesus was misunderstood.)

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What changes can we make in our daily lives to predetermine how we will walk with the Lord?  What is holding us back from being like Daniel, from being “all in” when it comes to the Lord?  Fear of (fill-in-the-blank)?  Not seeing the need?  Loving the world too much?

As we continue to consider Daniel and his example, may we seek ways to grow deeper in our knowledge of the Lord and experiencing Him deep within our hearts.  We really do not need to fear those who can only kill our bodies; our fear should be reserved for the One who can kill our bodies and souls (Matthew 10:28).    

To be continued…

Join with me in prayer:

Mighty God, woo us to You, causing us to experience You more powerfully than ever before—seeking Your face more than Your hand.  Direct our attention to faithful witnesses, like Daniel, who demonstrate how to live in a sinful society.  Guide our preparations in predetermining what choices we will make when deciding for You is more costly than we could ever imagine.  Do Your work in our hearts as we learn more about following You when hostility abounds.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

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[1] Beth Moore’s Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy (2006, LifeWay Press) was the inspiration for many ideas in this sermon/blog post.

Abiding: Some Thoughts on Daniel

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  

(Daniel 1:8 KJV)

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  (Daniel 6:10 KJV)

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

Over the last several months I have been pondering the word “abide”—what it means to abide in Christ on the vine and abide in the Word of God.  History provides us with many examples of individuals who abided with the Lord, doing amazing exploits in the power of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes they paid the ultimate price—their lives.  They knew the Word—hiding it in their hearts.

In preparing to post a series on the Old Testament prophet, Daniel, (Dare to Be a Daniel [forthcoming]), it suddenly occurred to me:  Daniel abided in the Lord!  He knew the Scriptures.  He was deeply committed to living differently than others, even as a youth.  Others made note of this, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad.  No matter what, Daniel remained faithful to his God in a pagan nation, Babylon.

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

God honored Daniel’s faithfulness—Daniel was “all in” when it came to the Lord—and caused the Babylonians and Persians (his captors) to show him favor.  Daniel was so highly favored that he was promoted to high levels of leadership in the government!  A pagan government!  

Daniel, as we will learn, made a decision at a young age to remain loyal to the Lord, risking all (he surrounded himself with peers who had similar goals).  God honored His servant with supernatural protection (Daniel from lions and Daniel’s friends from the fiery furnace) and supernatural ability in dream interpretation (see Daniel 2).  

While we may not find ourselves uprooted and taken to a foreign land, we still need to immerse ourselves in the Word—allowing it to abide in us—staying close to the Lord, being ready to stand our ground come what may.  Like Daniel we will discover how beneficial it is to determine beforehand what we will do when we find ourselves in a situation that may be deadly.

If we remain faithful to the Lord (not denying Him); He will remain faithful to us, not denying us before the Father.  He will use us for His kingdom work wherever we find ourselves. 

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Since “abide” is my word for the year, it is an interesting exercise to consider how Daniel was faithful to remaining in the Lord.  The fruit produced in his life was amazing!

How are you abiding in Christ this summer?  Which biblical character comes to your mind who abided in the Lord?

Cluster of wild berries. Photo Credit P. Whitlach

Please join with me in prayer:

Awesome God, thank You for the example of your faithful servants who abided in You—prior to the time of Christ—and for all who came after following their example.  Place within us a desire for nothing more than seeking Your face and abiding in You and Your Word.  Empower us to stay true to You even in the face of a hostile world—a world that prefers darkness over light—may our witness, like Daniel’s make a lasting impact on our society.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim 

Freedom in Christ

*Note: This post first appeared last year, July 3, 2015*

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath set us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”  (Galatians 5:1 KJV)

From http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Inspirational-Images/large/Galatians_5-1.jpg 

On Monday we (those of us in the United States of America) will be celebrating our freedom, won at a great cost from Great Britain.  On July 4, 1776, many brave men (and women) in an act of defiance stood up against the world power of that day, declaring their independence.  This was an act of war.  Many individuals and families paid a very steep price; because of this, we have the freedoms and independence we now enjoy.  May we never take our freedoms and independence for granted!  

For those of us who are Christians, we are in a war too; a spiritual war, fighting against a spiritual enemy—Satan—who wants our soul.  We do not fight alone.  We fight along side our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, our best and most important help comes from our Savior, Jesus and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever considered that our freedom—freedom from sin and death—eternal separation from a holy God was also won at a great cost?  By dying and arising from the dead, Jesus set us free from bondage to sin—we are liberated!  This freedom is fully paid for by Christ Jesus—He asks for our heart. 

Being set free by Christ sends us on an amazing journey—a journey that is unique to each person.  This journey takes us places we never thought we would go; we will likely do things we never thought we could or would do (for me that is preaching in the form of filling in for pastors who are away).  We will meet many people who will teach us, bless us, and challenge us.  And yes, our hearts will break at times for many reasons.     

To read more about freedom in Christ please read my previous posts: Salvation, A New Creation, and Counting the Cost.

Much like the colonists, who were subjects of Great Britain, we are in bondage to sin, until we see our sin for what it is and that we cannot save or free ourselves from the chains of sin.  It is when we acknowledge the work of Jesus Christ and invite Him into our heart that we are set free.

We are free in Christ—this freedom is not freedom to do as we please; it is freedom from the burden of sin and the burden of the Old Testament laws, rules, and regulations (but not the Ten Commandments).  It is freedom to love (agape) others and to serve others. 

Spend some time in the coming days, reflecting on your freedom in Christ.   

What does it mean to you, personally, to be free in Christ?

What has Jesus set you free from?

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear God of Love, thank You for setting us free.  We recognize all that You have done for us.  Thank You for the gift of living in America and for those who have stood up for what is right, so that we can live in freedom.  It is in Jesus and Jesus alone that we are saved and set free; thank You Jesus for Your amazing gift of salvation.  Teach us to walk and live in the freedom that we have in Jesus, the One who set us free from Satan’s grasp.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen. 

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

Happy 4^th of July to my readers in the United States of America!