Daring to be a Daniel

Brrr.... it is has been so cold the last couple of days! This morning I decided it was the perfect soup weather and so I began digging around in the fridge for the left over chicken, green beans, and corn. As I was peeling potatoes, browning hamburger, and cutting carrots and onions I was thinking how these ordinary veggies and meat were going to become an extraordinary dinner... once they simmered in the crock pot for several hours!

Just like the variety of veggies strewn across my counter, God used a variety of ordinary people to do extraordinary things... and a lot of times, they had to go through the heat to get there. Some made mistakes, some tried to run away, but in the end they all accomplished exactly what God had intended.

What was the defining factor in these people's lives, the common denominator? For Daniel it was commitment to his faith and his God, our God. Our first hint of Daniel’s greatness comes in his quiet refusal to give up his convictions. He had applied God’s will to his own life, and he resisted changing the good habits he had formed. Daniel Chapter 1

Both his physical and spiritual diets were an important part of his relationship with God. He ate carefully and lived prayerfully. One of the benefits of being in training for royal service was eating food from the kings table. Daniel tactfully chose a simpler menu and proved it was a healthy choice. No matter the consequences of his decision to stay true to God and his laws, Daniel stayed the course... and God not only protected him... he blessed him!

While Daniel limited his food intake, he indulged in prayer. He was able to communicate with God because he made it a habit. How often do we pray? Is it a ritual or is it habitual? How often do we actually talk to Him... or are we just talking at Him?

Do you hold so strongly to your faith in God that whatever happens you will do what God says? Such conviction keeps us a step ahead of temptation; such conviction gives us wisdom and stability in changing circumstances.

This year, I am daring to be a Daniel and I am going to start by indulging in prayer! Let's prayerfully live out our convictions in everyday life and trust God for the results! I am excited to further explore the book of Daniel and see just what other characteristics and actions turned him from an ordinary boy to an extraordinary man of God! Will you join me?

Refrain: DARE TO BE A DANIEL by Phillip P. Bliss
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.