Reliance on the Word of God Daniel walked the corridors of a crumbling culture that is much like ours, but he did not give in. He remained resistant. How? It wasn't because others were protesting or picketing or trying to elect new leaders. He remained resistant because early on, back in Jerusalem, he had been "trained in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). He was well grounded in truth, and that truth had been rooted in him by his parents. In our modern world we like to think it "takes a village" to raise our children. No, it takes a strong mom and dad to raise these precious young minds in the way in which they should go. When they are left to "the village," it will pull our kids down every time. Daniel may not have been able to control the cultural influences of Babylon swirling around him, but he still held the remote control when it came to how he would react to them. The Bible says he "purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies" (Daniel 1:8). Even though he was learning a new language and an accompanying new literature, Daniel drew the line when it came to eating the king's meat, an act contrary to his Hebrew faith. Daniel would not compromise when it came to the Word of God and His commands. Thus, the Bible simply says, Daniel "purposed in his heart" not to turn from his God. It is of utmost importance to note that Daniel made no attempt to separate himself from the culture around him. He was no isolationist as some would advise we become today. Daniel was fully capable of interacting with the pagan culture around him but not be contaminated by it. An isolationist mentality leaves no place for believers to be salt and light as our Lord calls us to be (Matthew 5:13–16). We need what Daniel had: a knowledge of what is biblical and what is not as well as a commitment to the biblical. Part of our problem today is that, for too long, we have been in retreat. Some of us have given in to the world's ways while others have given up on even engaging the pagan culture around us. As we look around our own world today, so much is the same. It is as though the remote control has been ripped from our own hands, and we, too, are tempted just to give in. Consider for a minute what criteria, if any, you use to determine which activities in our own culture to engage in or not. Daniel relied on the Word of God for guidance. Daniel had set his mind, he had "purposed in his heart," and he had predetermined which way he was going to turn long before he got to the intersection. Life is filled with intersections, and compromise is key to getting along with our culture today. Sadly, compromise has too often become the American Christian's way. Daniel is shouting to us across the centuries, "Don't give in! Be resistant." Content drawn from The Daniel Code: Living Out Truth in a Culture That Is Losing Its Way. |
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