Daniel 1
Make up your Mind!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 29.
How are you responding to your circumstances? So often I have witnessed people make their situations worse by how they responded to what’s happening. When under stress, people take matters into their own hands, seeking control over their situation rather than taking the time to wait upon the Lord, entrusting the right next step to God.
The prophet Daniel is a wonderful example to all believers of how we should respond to our stressful circumstances. He was an exceptional young man, so much so that he was handpicked from the Hebrew exiles, alongside of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, to go through three years of intensive training to become a part of King Nebuchadnezzar’s royal court in Babylon (Daniel 1:1-7). This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would rescue them from the refugee camps and put them inside the palace, but when they were asked to compromise themselves in their training, we watch the prophet in Daniel 1:8-9 respond faithfully to His God, “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.” God was faithful to Daniel as the prophet made the decision not to compromise himself in the face of temptation (Daniel 1:11-21).
Seize the moment and make up your mind not to be conformed to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that God can grant you favor and show you His will for your life, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:1). This is how you can live the victorious life of Jesus Christ, by choosing to be faithful to God in how you respond to your circumstances today.
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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