THE CHALLENGE OF TEMPTATION
APRIL 21 & 28, 2024
Proverbs 17: 3 – Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
Before every blessing there’s always a testing.
I Thess. 2:4 – We speak God’s message because God tested us and trusted us to do it. When we speak, we are not trying to please people, but God who tests our hearts.
God tests us with stress before he trusts us with success.
Daniel 1:5, 8 – The king ordered that the young men should eat the same food and wine served at the king’s table while they were being trained. After that they were to become servants of the king of Babylon. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself by eating the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
DEFILE: To pollute, contaminate, or corrupt. A loss of purity.
Daniel’s first test shows: 4 QUALITIES GOD LOOKS FOR IN YOUR LIFE
1. Integrity -he never forgot who he was.
Daniel 1:8a – Daniel resolved not to defile himself.
Romans 12:2 – Don’t conform yourself to the values of this world. Instead, let God transform you by a complete change of how you think. Then you will be able to know the will of God.
2. Discipline – he controlled his ego and his appetite.
Daniel 1:8a – Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the king.
Romans 6:13 – Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness used for sinning; instead give yourself completely to God, because you want to be a tool in the hands of God used for his good purposes.
3. Courage – he was willing to stand alone.
Exodus 23:2 – Never follow the crowd in doing wrong, and don’t be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority.
I Cor. 16:13- Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous.
4. Humility – he was tactful with authority.
Daniel 1:8b-16, 18-19 – Then Daniel asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead. Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel. But he said, I’m afraid of my lord, the king, who ordered that you eat his food and wine, and if you aren’t as healthy as the others, I fear the king will have me beheaded! So next Daniel talked it over with the guard appointed to look after Daniel and his three friends. Daniel offered a suggestion, just test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water, then see how healthy we look compared to the young men eating the king’s food, then you can decide whether to let us continue eating our diet. So, the attendant agreed to try Daniel’s suggestion. At the end of ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than any of the others in the king’s training program, so after that, the guard let them eat their own food. When the 3-year training program was completed, all the young men were brought to King Nebuchadnezzar, who talked with each one individually. None impressed the king as much as Daniel and his 3 friends. So, they were each promoted to positions in the king’s service.
HOW TO MAKE A CASE TO AN AUTHORITY
1. Develop a reputation for responsibility.
2. Be humble and not belligerent.
3. Don’t be deceptive or manipulative.
4. Appeal to their goals and their interests.
5. Choose the right place, time and words.
6. Trust God if they reject your appeal.
WHAT GAVE DANIEL THE COURAGE TO STAND ALONE?
II Corinthians 6:14-7:1