Dare to be a Daniel

By the time the events in Daniel 4 are recorded, Daniel had served in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar’s side for many, many years—without compromising his convictions. There’s a lesson for us in that. 

It’s so important to determine in your heart ahead of time should you stand before an authority you will disobey in a godly way (like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in Daniel 3). It’s equally important to decide ahead of time to communicate this with gentleness and respect.

We mistakenly think that there are only two options: we can either cave and compromise or rudely rage against authority. But God cares about the heart of the human you stand before as much as He cares about your heart. When you communicate with disrespect, you burn the bridge of the opportunity for a lifetime of ministry. 

Daniel shows us there is a way to take a stand and communicate without compromising convictions. It’s entirely possible to respectfully communicate, willing to accept the consequences, within the boundaries of love as the Lord defines it—patient, kind, not easily angered, not rude, and does not seek it’s own. 

Dare to be a Daniel. Dare to have a lifetime of ministry in proximity to people who don't love God, who wrestle with God, and who rage against His word WITHOUT burning any bridges or compromising your convictions, faithful to what the word of God says and willing to live with the consequences—knowing that God is able to rescue you.