Faith Under Fire
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
-Daniel 1:8-9 (NKJV)
The book of Daniel teaches us how to live a life of integrity in a culture that does not honor God. Daniel was among the exiled Israelites in Babylon, which had a culture of excess. He lived a life dedicated to the Lord by setting a standard that he would not defile himself with the ways of the Babylonian culture that violated his convictions.
Living a life of conviction is about being obedient with the little things. God is asking us to hold onto our convictions to follow Him with our lives so that we will not drift when difficult trials come. The enemy may tempt us to think we only need to be faithful in the big things, or that a little compromise will not hurt us. However, obedience in the small, everyday tasks that God has given us builds up faith to face the bigger challenges and obstacles that we experience in our lives.
Here are three lessons from the book of Daniel that enable us to have faith under fire:
Daniel was obedient through the small things
Daniel demonstrates a life committed to prayer and praise
Daniel shows us how to love others the way God loves us
Daniel remained steadfast in his faith through small acts of obedience. While he couldn’t control his circumstances, he stood firm in his convictions to live for God. He also demonstrated respect for authority and found favor with the king and king’s officials. Out of Daniel’s obedience, God gave him places of influence, which brought glory to God.
God gives each of us unique spaces of influence and places to make a difference. When we obey Him, He gets the glory through your testimony of faith. What are you going to do with the influence God gives you?
