05.03. Being Ready for God to Use- Daniel
Being Ready for God to Use- Daniel
We have looked at Joseph and David in our Heroes of the Faith series. Today we are faced with a man who certainly is well known in the Bible. I think the lesson God would have us to learn from this hero today will be how to be ready for God to use us to accomplish His will. We will see with our hero today that he could have had a multitude of excuses for not being of any value to the kingdom but he left us with an example of how to be ready for God to use us regardless of background or circumstances.
I- Start Right Daniel was in the will of God before he went into captivity
Daniel 1:3-6 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
Before you can arrive at the right destination you have to go the right way not the wrong way. We must begin our relationship with God at the cross. We must keep our relationship with God through Christ grace. Daniel had a strong faith when the events of Daniel begin the narrative of his life. He started right.
II- Be Determined to Follow God’s Word Daniel was in the will of God before he asked for special favor Daniel 1:12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
C. S. Johnson shares this family lesson:
"My son, Michael, was four years old the night I found him sobbing uncontrollably in the hallway. Concerned, I knelt next to him and drew him close.
"’What’s the matter, sweetheart? Are you hurt?’He shook his head and turned to me, but I was unprepared for his response.
"’Daddy said a bad word to me!’he sobbed. I almost laughed out loud. I had known my husband 12 years and had rarely heard him raise his voice. But Michael had heard him say something, and I was curious enough to want to know what it was.
"’Honey, what bad word did Daddy say?’And seeing a chance for sympathy, my sensitive four-year-old stopped crying and blurted out-’Obey!’
"I never think of that incident now without asking my Heavenly Father to keep me from believing, as my son did, that ’obey’is a bad word."
Daniel had a strong commitment to follow the teachings of God’s Word. He ask a special favor in order to not compromise the teaching of God. He was not afraid to take God’s Word as being the best possible guideline for living. We need to also accept this as fact in a world today that cries for us to embrace all sorts of philosophies and teachings that lay claim to be better than the teaching of the Bible.
III- Seek for God to Get the Glory Daniel was in the will of God interpreted the King’s dream Daniel 2:1
Who do I want to get all the glory that my life might bring. Who do you want to get the glory from your life. Daniel started with the premise that God should be that one. It is all about a dream of a king.
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Prayed all night
Daniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Gave God the Glory Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Daniel 2:27-28 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
To be a man or woman greatly used for the glory of God may I say we must not attempt to hone in on the glory of God. To Him alone goes the glory. "To God be the Glory."
IV- Know True Riches are not on Earth Daniel was in the will of God before he spoke of Babylon’s Demise Daniel 5:1
Time passes and another kingdom come to rule and God still places Daniel in leadership. Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
The king sees a frightful thing. A hand writes on the wall, but he cannot read the words. Daniel is called. Notice that Daniel told the king, keep your gold.
Daniel 5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
We are told by Jesus in Matthew 6:19-20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Daniel knew that the wealth that the king wanted to give him would last only a night. May I say that if we sell our time to riches it may last longer than a day but not many days. There are no safes built into caskets.
V- Trust God with Life and Death Daniel was in the will of God before he spend the night with the lions. Decree Daniel 6:7
Would you trust me with you life? No I am not talking about doing something life William Tell when he shot the apple off the girls head. You trust you life to anyone you get into a car with. But ultimately we know we can trust God greater than any man. There is a plot that is devised to get Daniel in trouble.
Daniel 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Prayer Daniel 6:10-11 Just as he had done before, Daniel prayed. Many times people will change their habits to protest something. Daniel had started right so he just kept on course.
Daniel 6:10-11 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Lion’s Den Daniel 6:16 We know this story well of Daniel in the Lion’s den.
Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Delivered Daniel 6:20 The next morning the king went to the lions den. He probably expected Daniel to be dead.
Daniel 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
VI- A God Used Man Daniel was in the will of God before he was given the greatest prophecy in the Bible. Daniel 9:3; Daniel 9:24-25
Most of us will never be used by God in this grand of a scale, but we should be prepared just in case God would want to do so.
Daniel 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel 9:24-25 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Are you ready for God to use? Did you start right, are you determined to follow God’s Word? Are you seeking to bring glory to God and not self? So you know that true riches are not on earth? Are you trusting God with everything you have including your life? Can you be a God used man or woman, right now?