Dare To Be A Daniel

“Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone...dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known.” Do you remember singing that song as a kid? Daniel lived in a time in history when following God wasn’t considered cool, popular or even legal in some instances. He was constantly bombarded with the temptation to compromise his faith & obedience to God. Sound familiar?  

You don’t have to look very far in today’s world and culture to see the similarities between some of the pressures that Daniel faced and the pressures that we face as Christ followers. There are countless ways that we could compromise what we know to be right. The world is constantly telling us that we need to accept & condone things that directly oppose what we read in God’s word. 

It took courage for Daniel to stand up to those who tried to get him to abandon his commitment to God, and it takes courage for us to stand firm in our commitment to Him, too. Sometimes we’ll be mocked and made fun of for choosing God’s way over the world’s way (Matthew 5:10-12) Stay strong! It’s a powerful witness for Christ when we don’t waver. Daniel was determined not to give in, even when he was faced with being thrown into a den of lions! Like Daniel, we can stand firm in obedience to God’s way, and refuse to compromise or turn away.  

Daniel’s steadfast commitment to the Lord had a pretty incredible impact on everyone he met – even King Darius himself. In fact, when Daniel was willing to face death in a lion’s den rather than worship anyone else besides the Living God, King Darius ended up proclaiming the greatness of God and issued a decree for EVERYONE to worship the one true God who had saved Daniel! (Daniel 6:26-27)  

As followers of Christ, we’re going to be bombarded with the world’s opinions, and the temptation to turn away from the truth of His word. But, when we choose faithful obedience to the Lord, the opinions of the world seem a lot less important compared to standing up for what’s right in God’s eyes. Charles Stanley says, “Conviction about God’s truth is like an anchor.” We know that God’s word IS truth (John 17:17) and gives us light & understanding (Psalm 119:130.) We know thateverything in this world will pass away, but God’s word will last forever. (Isaiah 40:8)  It won’t always be easy or popular to be a Daniel in today’s world. But God has promised to equip and strengthen us! (Hebrews 13:21, Isaiah 40:29)