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Daniel 1:1-8 NIV
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. 6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. 8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
REFERENCES: James 1:5-8, Daniel 1:8 BSB, Daniel 1:4-5
Have you ever been in a situation where you are undecided and don't know where to eat, or what clothes you should wear? Oftentimes we find ourselves in the need to make a decision and if we stay without making one for long, we actually start getting restless and end up being unstable. That's why we need to renew our mindset every day and ask God for wisdom and guidance so we can make the best decisions; after all, indecision is also a decision. In order to make up our minds, we must identify the enemy's tactics against our lives and hold on to the way God is calling us to live, just as Daniel did when he decided to live according to the Kingdom's mindset instead of the Babylonian's.
Indecision robs you of progress.
The enemy uses isolation, indoctrination, and identification to steal, kill, and destroy. As believers, if we don’t make a firm decision to renew our minds using God’s truth, the enemy’s mindset can become our mindset by default.
God is calling us to make up our minds so that we can cooperate without compromise. Just like Daniel could live in Babylon without becoming Babylonian, we can live in today’s world without adopting the world’s ways. We maintain our stability as citizens of the Kingdom of God through the principles of Community, Conviction, and Character.
Daniel made up his mind that regardless of where he found himself, it would not change who he was. Daniel resolved to honor God and not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. Like the king who tried to influence Daniel, the enemy tries to make us doubt who God is and his intentions towards us so that we may live an indecisive life when it comes to following his commands. But, we too can make a decision to believe God at his word and not allow the enemy’s tactics to rob us of the kingdom mindset God intended we live by. We can ask our Heavenly Father for wisdom so that we may discern when the enemy is trying to isolate us from community, indoctrinate us into believing what the world believes, or rob us of our identity in Christ. Don’t allow indecision to paralyze you or stunt your progress. Although we live in this world we don’t belong to it. We can stand firm in what God has already told us, remove doubt, and make up our minds to trust him completely.
Take the next 12 days to read the book of Daniel (a chapter a day). Create your own playbook on how to navigate the world today through what God speaks to you in every chapter.
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When: Saturday, September 13
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