Tuesday February 04th, 2025
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8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.
10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said.
13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.”
14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
15 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.
16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.
20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
In our Bible reading for today, we see how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah rejected the king’s food so as not to defile themselves.
Though they were slaves in a strange land, these boys were determined to maintain their consecration to God.
Unfortunately, there are many Christians who begin to behave like the people of the world the moment they get to a land where nobody knows them.
We see several examples of such in the Bible.
Let us consider Lot.
He was Abraham’s nephew and must have been trained according to the instructions of God, but
when the Angels got to Sodom and Gomorrah,
who did they find at the gate of the city.
Lot.
He had blended so much with them that he was amongst those who sat at gate of the city Genesis 19:1.
He ended up losing all that he had amassed, including his wife.
Wherever you find yourself, you must live by the standard of the Most High God.
Some Christian students resume in the University and dump all the consecration they maintained while at home.
They start mixing with ungodly friends and join them to lead sinful lives.
Some others travel to a different country or state and begin to misbehave.
Be warned!
When Daniel got to a strange land, he ensured he kept the company with fellow believers.
When you get to a strange land, locate other believers – people who are on fire for God – and befriend them.
Join a Bible-believing church where you can continue to serve God as you used to back at home.
When you refuse the king’s meat and wine in that strange land so as to stay pure, God will defend you at all times.
When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (now renamed Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego by their captors) were thrown into the fiery furnace, the fire could not burn them because they took a stand for God Daniel 3.
When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, the lions could not eat him because he had not defiled himself by indulging in the sinful lifestyle of the inhabitants of the land Daniel 6.
Stand out for Christ anywhere you find yourself and Christ will stand up for you too.
Application – Maintain your consecration unto God everywhere you find yourself.
Author – Bishop Enoch Adejare Adeboye; General Overseer of the RCCG
Soul-restoring, mind-recalibrating Praise and Worship sessions – Evangelist Jemps Benoit ; Minister Paola Médi
Life changing Christian stories : Supernatural Stories
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