I am going to share a few secrets from the Book of Daniel on how to maintain your faith in any circumstance. We’ll be right back
I am pastor Tim and this is Ubumuntu – Biblical Devotions for humanity. Our devotions are for those who want to grow Spiritually in faith. I am here in the beautiful city of Kigali in the heart of Rwanda, the land of 1000 hills, working with our Global Missions Organization, Foundations for Christ. Our mission save lives and save souls. This week we will be teaching nearly 50 pastors and evangelists in the fundamentals of expository preaching and interpretation of biblical prophecy.
Today’s devotion is “How to maintain faith” and comes from the Book of Daniel. Most often we hear how to maintain faith in troubled times, but today we are not only going to talk about how to maintain faith in trouble, but also when presented with opportunities that might require compromising your values and beliefs. It is a sad reality that Christian faith is not always compatible with the ways of the world.
Its true, God tests our faith not only through challenges but also with opportunities. We do not always see the test in good times though. I once asked a friend from Rotterdam in the Netherlands about his spiritual beliefs, and he said he wasn’t really a church goer. He said people usually look to faith in times of trouble, but it becomes less important when things are going well. Sadly, I think his observation was correct, but the premise is so wrong.
Faith is needed in challenging times, no doubt about it, and we can struggle in those times, but God rewards our faith when we stay true to Him in the face of opportunity. Have you noticed that to get ahead in the world, it often requires compromising your values? Maybe not as overtly as it happened to Daniel, but it happens. Have you moved away from obedience when things are going well? Have you thought less about God when things are going your way? If you have, you are missing opportunities to receive God’s blessing.
Take Daniel, for instance. In the third year of the reign of Judah’s king Jehoiakim, the Bible tells us that Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And we read that the Lord delivered Jehoiakim into his hands along with some of the articles of the Temple of God. It was during this time that Daniel and his friends were taken captive. Now, on the surface, this looks like a time of trouble. Daniel’s city was conquered and he was taken captive. But Nebuchadnezzar had a much different strategy than the Assyrians did, he used a strategy of re-education rather than destruction and disbursement.
Nebuchadnezzar took the smartest, the most powerful, those of royal blood, captive first and then educated them in the ways of the Babylonians so that many years later they would go back to their nation and bring with them the culture they had learned. Daniel was a nobleman and most likely of royal blood, He was handsome and without blemish, he showed aptitude and so he was placed in the Kings court and he was offered the king’s food and the king’s wine with the promise of power and prestige. He would be educated in the language and literature of Babylon for three years and then he would enter into the king’s service. This was an opportunity to prosper instead of living in bondage during the captivity. The only trouble was that the food and wine of the king were against the Jewish dietary restrictions.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with royal food and wine and even though it might have jeopardized his opportunity to prosper, he made a deal with the chief official to stick to his Jewish diet. The result was that Daniel, and his friends, were stronger, healthier and better nourished than those who ate the royal food. God blessed Daniel with knowledge and understanding and all kinds of learning so much so that after the 3 years of education Nebuchadnezzar found NONE equal to Daniel and his friends.
The lesson is that God is the one who gives. In order to maintain faith in all circumstances, we must remember that God is the one who gives. He gave Jerusalem into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. And he gave Daniel and his friends knowledge and understanding so they stood out above the rest. When presented with opportunities to get ahead, we might think it is the one providing the opportunity who gives but compromising our faith for any reason never works out in the end. It is God who gives.
We must decide ahead of time to stay true to our faith no matter what. Daniel resolved not to defile himself. He didn’t decide when he was presented with the opportunity to serve in the king’s court. He decided beforehand that no matter what, he would stay true to his God.
Daniel was tested with challenges; he was taken captive. And he was tested with opportunities; to be part of the king’s court. And he stayed faithful to God in every situation. We don’t always know why we are going through the circumstances we are going through, but we can be certain that God is faithful and if we stay true to Him in good times and in bad times. If we stay true to him no matter what the world threatens or what the world promises, He will bless us above and beyond anything we could have imagined.
How do we maintain our faith – 1. Realize that God is the one who gives, 2. Resolve ahead of time to follow Him no matter what circumstances present themselves. 3. Trust in God’s promises. And you know what? If we resolve ahead of time to never compromise our Christian values, all other decisions become less difficult.
I hope this was helpful to you today. I am Pastor Tim and this is Ubumuntu – Biblical devotions for humanity. Be sure to subscribe and click the bell so you don’t miss it when we post new videos.
