Topic: Daniel’s Dose: Adventure 2- Do you defile God & yourself?
Bible Reading: Daniel 1
Memory Verse: Daniel 1: 8 (NKJV)
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing? I hope you are enjoying your morning! I pray that your day is filled with joy! Today, we continue our journey through the book of Daniel! We are looking at a topic that looks at Christians defiling themselves. An important question that you and I must answer is, “Do you defile God and yourself?”
As Christians, we have to be very sensitive about our surroundings. This is because the enemy is always looking for an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy. By virtue of being a Christian, you become the target of the enemy; you become his enemy. We must be careful of everything around us! In everything we do, every place we visit, every meal we eat, every person we encounter; we must seek God’s face! This is not something that we must take lightly.
A lot of people believe that once you give your life to Christ; that’s the end! They get to enjoy God’s blessings and live a normal life! Well, once you become a child of God, your life is no longer normal! You have the Spirit of God living within you! You start to live an extraordinary life. Just like everything that is beautiful and pure, people’s eyes glare at it and plan to steal it. Let us for at a real-life example; take the most expensive jewel in the world. The owner of this piece of precious stone puts a lot of security around the jewel. This is because s/he knows that the price tag calls for negative attention.
We are beautiful and pure (spiritually), the enemy would like to taint that image; we must protect ourselves. We are just like the most expensive jewel, we must make sure that we have the (necessary) “tight” security. We must be in-charge of this! God is there to guide us; however, we must act! God is not going to act for you! You must show that you appreciate God’s presence in your life! This is very important. That is why you must dedicate your life to God and meditate on His Word day and night; so that your body and its worldly ways would due and give God the full attention. When this happens, your spirit is alert; you would easily know what to do and what not to do.
Let us look at one of the ways that the enemy uses to attract us- food! Food is one of the things people do not think must about! People buy food wherever and whenever. Their excuse is that it tastes nice. Look at Daniel in Daniel 1:4, he declined to eat from the King’s table. The King’s food was probably the nicest food. There would have been variety of food to choose from! Imagine if the Queen of England invited you for dinner! And you were in Daniel’s shoes, would you eat the food? A very important question here!
Like Daniel, we must be very alert to our surroundings! We must have control over body to forfeit “the good things of life.” We must focus on God and what He has called us to do, here on earth! We must be bold to stand up for God and for what we believe in. Daniel was able to tell the chief eunuch (the person in charge) that he will not eat from the King’s table. I am sure many people would have accepted the food but then thrown it away. What we forget is that accepting the food is equal to eating the food! Yes!
Sometimes, we know that what we are doing or the things we are involved in, does not please God. We tend to soothe ourselves by telling ourselves that we are not fully indulged in that activity. Being partially involved in something is the same as being fully indulged in it! As Christians, this is one of the fundamental things we must understand.
Today, I ask that you begin to be sensitive about your environment. If you feel, in your spirit, that something should not be done! Please do not do it! Do not succumb to your body. If you continue to follow what the flesh tells you; you will fall into sin many times- drawing away from God!
Here are some Prayer points:
Pray for strength.
Pray for discernment that you would be able to make the right decisions.
Pray for God’s help to subdue your body.
Pray to always stay close to God and not depart from Him.
End by just worshipping and praising Him.
Today’s prayer:
Dear Lord,
I thank you for my life. I thank you for taking me through the night. I am glad that I am your child. I ask that you guide me and protect me in my every endeavor. I pray for strength in my all the activities I plan on taking today. I pray that I will choose you in every situation that I face. And that my life will be a testimony and an example to many that I have Christ living in me. Thank you, Lord, for sending your son to die on the cross and wipe my sins away. I lift your name high for you are Alpha and Omega. Amen!
What is your answer to the question, “Do you defile God and yourself?” It is not too late to stop! The God we serve is a very merciful and understanding God! Open yourself up to Him and He will help you at your point of need! As you go about your day, remember to keep safe. I urge you to keep following the health guidelines provided by the health agencies. God bless you!
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
The prayer below is for anyone who does not know God or maybe has been apart from God for a while. God is here to pour His favor over your life. All you have to do is call out to Him. Make that decision today!
Dear Lord,
I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
If you repeated this prayer with all the sincerity of your heart, congratulations!! You are now a part of God’s family. Welcome to the greatest family ever. Heaven is jubilating on your arrival. Your fellow brothers and sisters are also excited to have you on board.
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out!