The Daniel Discipline iii

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. (Daniel 3:19)

God wants to put your faith on display for others to see how much you fear Him and love Him. Fire in the bible often is indicative of one’s faith being judged. Did you study the word, pray, fast, attend church and take advantage of opportunity to strengthen your faith by using it while you had a chance? God never sends us any challenges, which He did not first send us opportunity to prepare for.

Paul states that we move from faith to faith (Romans 1:17) and glory to glory (2Co 3:18). Each faith level is only completed after having stood a testing of your faith and passing it by trusting God in matters that opposed your faith. In other words, no one can see faith in your heart; it can only be seen by what you do in test and trial.

Here, these three young Hebrew boys (around the age of 14 years old) had resist eating the king’s meat in chapter 1, overcame the king’s madness in chapter 2, and now would not bow to the king's music in chapter 3. Here, they are not only met with a fiery challenge to their faith, but the furnace is heated seven times hotter than normal. Their faith is tested to the 7^th power. The number “7” is the number of perfection, maturity, or completion, indicating that their faith was tested to its fullest extent. And what further extent is there when you are faced with death because you live for Jesus? How did these children stand? They determined that the outcome was ASSURED by God’s promises, regardless of the king's determination. God would either deliver them from the fire or through the fire to heaven. The ultimate goal was only AGREEMENT with God's word, will, way, and work. Thus their course was ABSOLUTE: "We will never serve thy gods!"

Yet as Christians, we could never have known the fullness of Christ without the cross. Jesus had His own fiery furnace experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. He says, “Father, I know you are able to make this bitter cup pass from me, but if not, not my will but thy will be done.” And God did not deliver Him. He went on to the cross so that humanity could see all the vigor, vitality, and virtue that adorned His love for God the Father. The cross squeezed out of Him every drop of the saving beauty that calls us to worship Him, like a wine press squeezes the juice out of the grape. John says, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

A young lady told me “Pastor I really want God to use me!” I said to her “You must be talking about use on your terms rather than His; because, every time the enemy’s music plays, you dance; every time the enemy voices a threat, you’re bending and bowing. Sweetheart, just don’t bow at standing time and God will be using you.” The old hymnologist wrote,

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus
Ye soldiers of the cross
Lift high His royal banner
It must not suffer loss
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed

Faith is not easy. Obedience rarely feels good in the moment. Your friends may not like it. Your family may not understand it. But if your faith in God never takes you out of your comfort zone, you don’t have any faith. Crosses always come before crowns, and crowns always come after crosses.

The Daniel Disipline

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)

The popular catch-phrase, "What would Jesus do?" could very well be recast "What would Daniel do?" and you would finish well! The book of Daniel is the youth manual of the bible. The practical book of Daniel is married to the principle book of Proverbs. Daniel puts flesh on the bones of Proverbs.

The Daniel narrative chronicles the entry of the Children of Israel, particularly Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, into Babylonian captivity. The ways of Babylon were quite contrary to the divine Jewish teachings under which Daniel was raised. Daniel simply refused to negotiate any of his godly principles.

The great failure of many Christians is that we have not mastered the Daniel discipline; that is, we have not learned to give up what feels good for what is good. Truth be told, many of us would have more money, more time, more talents, more skills, more degrees, a better marriage, better children and an all together better experience with life and God. If we do the hard work God will reward us with the good feelings later. The wisdom of genuine success is delayed gratification.

The king took the best and brightest of the youth. He commanded that they be fed the Kings meat and the King's wine that they may be broad before the King; that is, that they would experience the provision and the pleasure of serving in the King's court, so that they may embrace Babylonian philosophy. Daniel was determined that he would not compromise to gain the favor of the world. Daniel was determined not to be comforted by worldly pleasures, provisions and philosophy. Discipline is "the strength and wisdom to stay on the course regardless of distraction or temptation. Daniel was determined to consist with what he had been taught in his godly upbringing. Many people die young. The cause of death is stupidity, not the stupidity of not knowing, but the stupidity of not listening. As God told Joshua, "Only be strong and very courageous, to observe and do according to all the law turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go."

Like Babylon, no culture tests all that we've taught our children as does college life. The provision that it promises in the long run, the pleasure it tempts them with daily, and the philosophy it sets them up to buy into are but bate, lined with the trap of compromise. Yet the emphasis throughout the book of Daniel seems to be that even young people can stand for the Lord under political, peer and practical pressure, and they will be the better for it. In fact, it guarantees that they will be use mightily of the Lord.

The king's meat and wine has no place to hook in Daniel, because he is already hooked on God.