Serve God Even Under Hard Circumstances

Verses: Daniel 1 : 1 - 21

My thoughts about the verses:

We have times in our life that we are confronted with hard situations.  People who want us to do things that we disagree with.  Our spirit tells us that we should not do what they want us to do.  We have a major choice to face.  Do we do what they want us to do or do we do what we know we should do?

We need to be wise when we make decisions.  We need to ask God for guidance.  When we ask for that guidance we need to be prepared for what God tells us to do.  We have to understand that God will lead us to the right way to do things.

You can think back to that moment when your spirit told you not to do something.  I can remember that moment like it was yesterday.  I was in college and had a few friends that were not filled with the Holy Spirit.  One day I was at one of their homes off campus.  They were smoking marijuana.  They wanted me to join them.  I refused because I knew at the time that it was illegal and it wasn’t the right thing to do.

You can imagine the peer pressure I was in.  People were calling me all kinds of names.  Yet, I prayed to God that I would have the strength to do the right thing.  God was able to keep me calm under the pressure.  The next time I was with my friends they had a much different attitude.  They realized that I was not putting them down by making my choice.  I was just doing what  felt was the right thing to do.

You have to imagine what was happening with Daniel and his friends at this moment.  They were already captive people.  Yet, they felt that they should not eat food that had been offered up to other gods before being eaten.  They took their stand and trusted God would be there.  They asked for just vegetables and waters.  The person in charge of them was scared of the king.  Yet, they felt as if God would see fit with the decision they were making.  Sure enough God came through and they were healthier than the others who had eaten of the King’s food.

God will protect you when you make the right decision.  You have nothing to fear.  In fact, people will be shocked about the outcome of your life.  God will give you more than the thing that you avoided. 

So the next times you are tempted to do something that you feel is wrong take a stand and say no.  Pray to God to help you through the situation.  Be prepared for what will happen because of the choice you made.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for your love.  We thank you for being with us.  Help us when we are tempted.  Help us ask you for guidance.  Be with us each day.  In the name of the Guide of Life we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you being tempted?  Do you need to turn over the situation to God?  Are you willing to walk away from temptation?