Isaac Mwaniki

21st December 2008

Delievered in Royal Tabernacle Church (Youth service)- Kilifi

Introduction

What happens when people come to positions of power? What gets into their heads? Some people begin very well but as they become powerful, something begins happening. They cease manifesting the same faith they very violently fought for before.

Sometimes we justify ourselves by thinking that if we are the ones we would be different. However the current crop of leaders does not inspire a lot of confidence. Most of us will not be any different if we were in their position. Most of us are very influenced by the gospel of wealth and prosperity, name it and claim it and blessings and material prosperity. There are those of us who are very faithful to God in currently waiting for the moment they will be blessed. When this time comes, there are those of us who will not be found in the kingdom.

I wonder what will make us be different from the current crop of leaders. I suggest we pick lessons from one young person who was taken into captivity but was able to move up to positions of leadership. He was exposed to many great things but remained unchanged. There are three areas that most people are tested on, money / fame, power and sex. Of course by being eunuchs they were saved from the last one but they squarely faced the first two. His faith sets a very good example for all of us to learn from.
This man is Daniel. Our reading is from Daniel 1: 1 – 21

Some background
Being in a new culture is very confusing. Many things are very new. Right from the language to the thinking patterns everything is very different. There is a temptation to misbehave in a new culture because chances are high that no one recognises. This is even more complicated if one is in a strange culture by force.

Daniel and his friend were captives. They were new in the land of Babylon. They were people who tasted God’s wrath. Some were mad with God for not saving them when attacked by the Babylon. It would therefore be understandable if the people who went to captivity revolted against God because it would seem that God had rejected them.

Daniel however stands out as a person who was able to stand true to his convictions. He was put through the tests that most men fall to but remained strong and true to his convictions. I am convinced that the only way for us to be people of a difference in our society is to pick some lessons from his life.
Why was Daniel able to stand up even in the strange culture?

1. Daniel was a man of convictions
The story begins with young men in a strange culture. They were captives. They were a part of a complex class. It appears that magicians and sorcerers were their classmates. The king had made provisions for them. This would be the ultimate thing that the young people would be looking for.

There was a problem however. The foods were first sacrificed to idols before they were served to the people. This was detestable in the eyes of God. Daniel resolved not to eat the royal food. This was a very bold move. Daring to defy the king was an automatic execution.
In life it is important to stand up for something. This is what one might call the basic non-negotiables in life. Most successful people in life have some very clear passions that drive them in life.

What are convictions? They are firmly held beliefs: a belief or opinion that is held firmly. This is what influences how we act when exposed to new challenges. Most influencial people in history had something they stood for. Martin Luther King Jn, Nelson Mandera, Wangari
Maathati, and the list goes on. My friends, if we have nothing you stand for, we are not worth living.

Daniel’s areas of conviction
Prayers – Daniel was a man who had clear convictions when it came to prayers. He developed some very clear routines when it came to his prayer time. He had regular times of prayers. This became one of his defining habits. While I am convinced that Daniel did not have a habit of showing off, this is something that he could not hide. We are told later in the book that he prayed three times facing Jerusalem.

Work – Daniel’s convictions extended to his work place. Daniel service extended to 4 kings. He so distinguished himself in the service that the kings he worked under had nothing but to promote him. Daniel never believed in mediocrity. When his enemies looked for a reason to accuse him, they found none. The Bible tells us that, “They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Daniel 6:5 – 6

Now it is difficult to survive the scrutiny of friends. Most of us have loose ends that even friends point out. It is no mean feat to stand the scrutiny of friends. Daniel was inspected by his enemies. They could find nothing on him. They realised that not unless they cooked up something, they could not catch him. This, am convinced was the secret behind Daniel’s success.

Some quick lessons
Our spirituality should affect all our other relations – Daniel was an all round person. As earlier mentioned, his work ethics was such that there was nothing that could be found against him. I need to declare that mediocrity at work by a Christian is a contradiction in terms.

Having principles can be risky – This reminds me of a friend of mine who had an issue with his colleagues for putting the right time he arrived at work. People would come at 9:00 and record that they came at 8:00. When he started recording the correct time people got offended.

Principles are a matter of choice – sometimes when we hear such stories, we think that the people who take such actions are made of different materials. We feel that we cannot measure up. Some of us say that their setting is too bad.

Some of us need to be very sure of our safety and security before undertaking any venture. The Christian faith is a walk of faith. Moses, when he was being sent to go to Egypt wanted to confirm all things would work out. In Exodus 3: 12, after God shared his intention of sending him to Egypt, Moses asks God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? He might have been expecting a direct answer. However, “God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [a] will worship God on this mountain." God is in essence saying that the only way of Moses being sure that his mission would be successful was though doing it.

This asks for courage to forge ahead in such a walk. However friends, I need to say that courage is not the absence of fear, it is a matter of choice, an act of faith. Faith is choosing to believe in a mighty God even in the face of fear. It is not because we are not afraid that we are courageous.


2. Daniel was given to accountability
Daniel never walked it alone. He never wanted to go as a lone ranger. He surrounded himself with good friends, right from the onset. In verse 8, it appears as if it was only Daniel who made the resolution not to take the food offered to idols. However what immediately follows shows that the decision was a joint one with his three friends.

Daniel was surrounded by like minded friends who walked the entire life with him. These were people who when Daniel got promoted later, he also asked for them to be promoted. This should not be viewed as nepotism, but rather in the context that Daniel and his friends had so distinguished themselves above their contemporaries.

These were people who when their time of their faith being tested came, they also proved that they were as courageous and as committed to their faith just as Daniel was. They were willing to be burnt alive.
Qualities of friends that Daniel surrounded himself with friends who were:
• Devoted to God – Daniel surrounded himself with friends who feared the Lord
• Of the same convictions – they were people who were tested just like he was but able to stand the test. This was also in respect to good work ethics as well the devotion to God.
• Progressive minded – these were people who had career progression in mind.

Conclusion

Daniel and His friends showed that it is possible to set standards of excellence even in a unfriendly context.
What drives you? Where is the source of strength when things go wrong? What kind of friends have you surrounded yourself with? God wants people who are willing to stand for him regardless the risk involved. Are you willing to be counted?
Can welive a Holy life in this generation? YES WE CAN