30 Days

Life house - Everything

Daniel 6

Darius was King at this time and he appointed 120 government officials "satraps" and over them were three presidents, of whom Daniel was one. 

Because the hand of the Lord was with Daniel he succeeded in all that he did and the King saw this and planned to set him over the entire kingdom.

Quickly all the others became jealous and were looking to find something wrong with this guy, but they couldn't. The only thing they could find was his devotion to the LORD.

• Can you imagine having everyone scrutinizing your life and all they could see to find complaint with was your love for the LORD? What a powerful statement about Daniel's life.

So they began scheming.  

They ran to King Darius and began boosting his already King sized ego saying,

"Oh King Live Forever!  You know you are just the coolest. Nah' man really, you rock! Yeah, we just think you're the greatest. Hey you know what? We have an idea-"because we think so highly of you we think all the others should too. We think that you should require all other gods to be set aside for an entire month. We think all of everyone's praise should go to you. For an entire month if anyone is caught praying or making mention of their god's they should be thrown into a pit of lions."

(That quote is not quite verbatim but you get the gist.) 

I can firmly say he had a king sized ego because he fell for it! Yikes!?!?!  And he signed the documents making this treaty so.

• What would you buy into or sacrifice for fame or glory?

After knowing that the documents had been signed Daniel returned to his window to pray.  What?!?! ....HE continued doing just as he had done before. Yup, he continued praying in his upper chamber window facing Jerusalem, just as he had done previously.  Again...What?!?!

• If your life was on the line. If you knew that your fate was signed to be thrown into a pit of lions if you were caught acknowledging your Lord for 30days what would you do?

Please don't look down on me for my honesty here but when I read this passage this month I was SLAPPED! Not a gentle one. No! The gut wrenching, "oh my mercy how deeply I have failed and have not even considered it" Slap of Truth!

30 Days!  30 Days guys!

That was it! I can hear the thousands of tiny voices of compromise I would be making. "Oh well, God we'll pick this back up where we left off 30days ago...YOU understand, right?!?!  I mean my life's at stake and all."

Or I'll keep praying but I'll do it with my eyes open unless I'm by myself...YOU understand right. I mean come on...it's only 30days!

I would have probably even called my girlfriends to see if they would help me to justify my compromise!  I wouldn't have even seen it as a compromise to tell you the truth, I would have just seen it as common sense. The wise choice, I mean- God's desire is not for me to die, right?  So of course this is what He would want for me.

That's not what Daniel did. He didn't bat an eye. He went back and prayed just like he always did because God's view of him mattered Way more to him than a couple of lions or the opinions of others.  I mean He was pretty close to King Darius and- He was going against his own friends wishes!

• Friends, I can't help but be ridiculously convicted here! Daniel didn't compromise when his life was on the line. Not only on the line but written in a treaty that his time was up!
• How many times a day am I so weak in my faith that I make tiny compromises?  Tiny like I feel the Lord is wanting to stand up (in a Christ like way-privately, humbly) to my Christian friend who is making un-Christ-like decisions.
• How many times has my faith been too weak to witness to someone who I felt God was placing right in front of me?
• How many times have I tried to help justify a friends sin.
• STOP! Think about it what are tiny, daily compromises you've made? Even today?
• How many times have I accidentally gone 30 days without spending time with the LORD!!!

As you guessed these guys were watching for Daniel (what a man of character that they knew that even with this treaty, he wouldn't budge on his resolve)
 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, "O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing stands fast ... it cannot be revoked." Then they answered and said before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." -Daniel 6:11-13

2 things-

• These men were still trying to win this Kings affections by giving compliments and treating him like he's worthy of this praise and "Your buddy Daniel just doesn't see how great you are."
•  - Lord make our hearts sensitive that we do not allow ourselves to fall prey to Satan's evil schemes. Guard our hearts and our affections in YOU alone. May you help us to smell a trap of Satan before we're in it.
•  Have you ever made a deal like this?  One that right after you did it you knew you allowed your ego to sign on that dotted line?

The king worked until the sun went down trying to find a way to undo his actions. He worked until there was nothing left he could do, so at night they went and cast Daniel into the den of lions. 

All that he saw was left he could do was to fast and pray to Daniel's GOD. :)

• Do you think he even had a clue who he was talking to? Did he realize he was talking to the maker of the lions?  Do we?

Because Daniel did not compromise we find King Darius broken and pleading with the One True God all night long!


Because Daniel did not compromise he was able to witness first hand one of the greatest miracles of the bible! God sent his angel and shut the lions mouths!

After finding Daniel unharmed he sent and had all those men, their wives and children cast into the lions den and they were all crushed and devoured before they hit the ground. 

"The Lord rewards the righteous and crushes their enemies, of whom shall we fear!" 

 
 

And Because of Daniel's lack of Compromise Check out the next Treaty Signed by the King:



 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: "Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

   for He is the living God,
   enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion shall be to the end.
He delivers and rescues;
   he works signs and wonders
   in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
   from the power of the lions." -Daniel 6:25-27

Lord,
Make my faith deeper than my wisdom! Show me how to trust YOU when faced with walking through the fire. Make me aware of the tiny compromises! May my life be molded and characteristic of a Daniel!

YOUR Clay,