Brian's Blog

Making a Stand

// May 28th, 2009 // Youth Discussions

The story I am referencing here is found in Daniel 1:1-20.

Daniel Made a stand for personal purity. He knew the standards that God had set for the people of Israel and he was not willing to live beneath those standards no matter what the cost would be to him.

Daniel 1:8  But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead.

Daniel decided, he made up his mind that no matter the cost, he would not compromise the standards that God had set for him.  Remember he was a prisoner, he wasn’t supposed to be able to chose, there were great risks in making this stand.

Somewhere in Daniel’s willingness to make this stand his friends joined him.  Sometimes others need someone that is willing to make the first move.  In his willingness to stand up for what he believed in his three friends decided to stand beside him.  I’m sure when they made this stand that they were not thinking that God was going to use them to influence the nation, they were just standing for what they believed in.

So our first step in following God has to be one of personal purity, “I chose not to defile myself.”  What things are there in our lives that defile us?  You know what they are, they are those things that, when you chose to do them, a voice inside is telling you that it’s wrong.

When you make a stand for personal Purity, God steps in to support you.

Daniel 1:9-16 Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel. So the attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the rich foods and wines.

When Daniel made the commitment and stuck to it, God began to make the situation work in His favor. God will always take what we give him and make it more than is should naturally be.

It’s not just a stand in church… it’s a public stand. It’s easy to make a stand in church where everyone supports you, these 4 guys made their stand in a place where no one supported what they were doing.  What do you suppose the other young men were saying to them? There was probably a lot of pressure on them to give in and do what everyone else was doing.

When we make such a stand it gives God a foundation to build on.

What does this type of stand look like?

Psalms 15:1-5 (NLT)
Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.
Those who despise persistent sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

This is a public stand, these are all things that take place outside of the comfort of the church.

1. Blameless…

This means living with integrity, living your life in such a way that others can’t say, “You are no different than the rest of the world.”  Integrity is doing what’s right because it’s right, no matter who is or isn’t watching, even when it isn’t the easiest or most comfortable thing. This would be the person that removes himself from situations that don’t feel right.

2. Always do what is right.

Ask yourself, “How would God see what I am about to do?”  Again, It’s not always the easiest path, but it’s the path that is right.

3. Refusing to gossip or slander others.

We all know what gossip is, slander is saying things to ruin someone’s reputation, to change the way they look to others.  This could be saying things about someone to make yourself look better.

4. Staying away from people that draw us into sinful situations and honor people that draw us into Godly lifestyle.

This doesn’t mean never coming into contact with the world, it does mean not putting ourselves in situations that cause us stumble, not allowing others to cause us to compromise our moral standards.

5. Keeping our promises even when we don’t want to. (even when it hurts.)

The NKJV says, “swears to his own hurt.”  This means that we keep our word even when we don’t want to, not just to people, but to God.  What promises have we made to God that we are breaking in our lives?

6. Not allowing ourselves to use people for personal gain.

When we apply these standards to our lives it gives God a good foundation to begin to build on, when we give Him a good foundation we will be amazed at what He can build.

God will take you further than you dreamed of Going.

Daniel 1:17-20 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for learning the literature and science of the time. And God gave Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of visions and dreams.  When the three-year training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief official brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.  The king talked with each of them, and none of them impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were appointed to his regular staff of advisers.  In all matters requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

Remember, this all started with Daniel’s stand for purity,  these four guys ended up in roles of leadership and prominence. The Babylonians thought they had captured Israel, God used these four guys to capture Babylon.  If you read on through chapter six you will see how these four young men came to be leaders and influencers, even through difficulties like the fiery furnace and the lion’s den.  Through them, God turned the hearts of the kings and the nation.

God will make everything work for His Glory.  What could he do with your life if you let Him?