Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Daniel 1: 1-21 July 28, 2024

Message: “Being who God wants you to be!” 

by Pastor George Gnade

Matt 6:31

Intro.: 1. Today we are starting a new series of messages from the Book of Daniel.  Most of you probably know that Daniel was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, in 605 BC.

a. The nation of Judah was under his control; and when they rebelled, he quickly squashed the rebellion and then chose to take back to Babylon the wisest and best men of Israel. 

b. Suddenly Daniel’s whole life was changed. 

2. This happens to us in different ways all the time. It can happen because of a war. It can also happen due to a natural disaster. It can happen because your parents gave you up for adoption. What do you do when your world is turned upside down? 

A. Daniel’s world was turned upside down.

1. They changed his name into a Babylonian name. And their goal was to change him, to change what he believed, to force him to become like them.

a. That is happening all around our country. Our elementary schools are being infiltrated with people who do not believe what we believe and their goal is to indoctrinate our children to become like them. 

b. Our colleges are doing this too.

2. In the days of the O.T., countries did this all the time.  They would raid each other and take slaves to work for them.  One of their primary goals was to change the beliefs of those who were taken and try to make them like themselves.

a. When your life is turned upside down, assuming you are a Christian, don’t assume God has forgotten you. Assume He is still in control of your life.

b. In prayer, ask God to help you make the best of a difficult situation. That is what Daniel did.

B. Daniel had to consider the pros and cons of his new situation.

1. On the positive side, he was not alone. His three best friends were taken into captivity along with him. They sought to encourage each other. Since they all believed in the Lord, they encouraged each other in the Lord.

a. Secondly, they were treated well as long as they cooperated.  That meant they would be given good food and good accommodations.

b. Thirdly, the Lord caused the chief official to be willing to work with them. That was a miracle from God.

2. On the negative side, their names in Hebrew all honored the Lord. Now they were given heathen names that honored other gods. They could not control what names they were called. Therefore, they had to keep reminding themselves who they were.

a. Secondly, the food they were required to eat did not agree with the laws God had given Israel. Some were un-clean foods; probably most of it was sacrificed to idols.

b. But in vs. 8, it says: “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s royal food and wine.”

3. The pros and cons that affect our new life situations will be different.  But if we keep reminding ourselves that we belong to Jesus, then Jesus will show us what to do.

C.  Consider what happened when Daniel and his friends took a stand for the Lord.

1.  To begin with, they prayed about it. Daniel prayed about everything he did (Dan. 6:10). If we pray believing, God will guide us. God guided Daniel and his friends.

2. Secondly, they acted tactfully. They asked permission to eat different food.

a. The chief official at first said “no.” He was afraid he would get into trouble by disobeying the king’s orders.

b. So Daniel asked permission to let them just try it.

“Ten days” probably means a short period of time.  If the official at any time saw that they were doing more poorly than the others, he could reverse course. 

c. In answer to prayer,  God caused the official in charge to like Daniel. Since his request seemed reasonable, he gave them permission to do it their way. 

3. Because this was all part of God’s plan, Daniel and his friends proved to be wiser than all the others.  By the time their training was over, they advanced in rank and were placed in high positions in the government. 

a. Was any of this easy? No, it was not. It took commitment. It required self-sacrifice.  It required hard work. 

b. The king’s food was probably more tasty than the vegetables they chose to eat instead. The wine was probably misused for the pleasures of the flesh. So it took courage and a high commitment to stick to God’s ways over the world’s ways.

4. But God blessed them for being different in a good way. God used them where He planted them. 

In Conclusion:

1. God can and does do the same thing in our lives. If we pray and stay close to the Lord and do what God wants us to do, God will use us in ways we never dreamed possible.

2.  If we are honest, sometimes we fall and get messed up before we come to our senses. In fact, many other Jews went into captivity and allowed themselves to be pulled into the world. Daniel and his friends were the exception.

3. But the Bible is full of stories where people who have fallen got their lives turned around. Others may go up and down like a yoyo before finally seeking and following the Lord more consistently. 

4. But the sooner we learn our lessons, the sooner we will see God’s hand in it all. He is always there, hearing every prayer.  As Jesus put it: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else that you need will be added unto you” (Matt. 6:31).  

5. Daniel and his friends are a good example of how that works. I highly recommend that we all take a stand for Jesus like they did. We will be surprised at the results.

6. But it all starts with knowing who you are and committing yourself to be what God wants you to be. That way, no matter where God puts you or how difficult the changes may be, Jesus will shine through your life. Instead of the world changing you, you will be used of God to change the world.  Amen!