8. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

9. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

10. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: (where are my intercessors at tonight?) for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

11. Then said Daniel to Melzar whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12. Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

Look at verse fifteen.

15. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

How would you like to be Daniel? Approximately the age of sixteen he was taken captive and sent off to live in Babylon, according to verse four. A place that was foreign to work, to the work of God, and to be amongst a people that were anti-God in their living.

The world we live in is tuned to the likes of Babylon. A place that grows foreign to the work of God, and where the people grow increasingly anti-God or anti-Christian.

And yet it was in Babylon where we see Daniel giving up his portion of the king’s meat. His testimony of who God was greater than his appetite.

You see, we’ve all been given an appetite. But as we allow our appetite (glory to God) to be more than our testimony of who Jesus is, there becomes a problem. When I allow my appetite (glory to God) to be more to me than my appetite for God, it causes and imbalance in my nutrition system. You don’t hear me tonight.

My spiritual nutrition is so important. It’s worth more than what the world has to offer. It’s worth more than what Babylon has to give me. I’m just passing through Babylon. But Babylon ain’t my home.

Oh, do you dare to be Daniel? On your knees do you stand that tall? Is your conversation faithful? Do you pray when your back’s against the wall? Oh, do you dare to be Daniel tonight, and stand up for the Lord your God?

Daniel stands in God’s Word, as what we’ll call a dare officer. Giving like testimony of what it is to stand true to God and to His Word. Daniel’s moto might have been, “Always do what is right, no matter how much it may cost you.”

You see we put a price on (glory to God) telling the truth. Do you hear what I’m saying? We’ll tell the truth if it does not cost us too much. We’ll do the right thing if it won’t cost us everything. But dare to be Daniel, and do the right thing, regardless of how much it might cost you.

In Daniel chapter one, verse eighty and nine, the Bible said that he purposed in his heart not to eat the king’s meat. In other words, he was determined. In other words, he was committed. In other words (glory to God), it didn’t matter what the king’s reward was. Because he had a greater reward waiting for him in heaven.

It doesn’t matter what the world tries to reward you with. You got a greater reward in heaven. Glory to God.

He was looking and searching into a sanctified life, a life (glory to God) that was full of the purpose of the Lord our God, a life that was set apart and meet for the Master’s use. He had the understanding that if I place in me that thing that’s defiled, it’s going to defile me.

We’ve got to get the revelation that if we place in us that thing that defiles, it’s going to defile us. Those things that we see, those things that we hear, that enter into these canals.

He purposed in his heart that he would not soil himself. He purposed that he would not stain himself. He purposed that he would not pollute himself. I couldn’t be talking to nobody here today.

I’ve got a purpose in my heart that no matter what it looks like, tastes like, smells like... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. Let me get to that feeler. Let me say that again. No matter what it feels like, I’m not going to defile myself with the king’s meat.

The Bible says in James one and twenty-seven, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one’s self unspotted from the world.”

Unspotted, untainted, un-tampered with, not being molested by those things in the world that would dare to touch a child of God.

He understood his position in God. We’ve got to get the revelation that we are here, but we’re not from here. My conversation is up there. My living is up there.

He said, “Give us pulse to eat.” He said, “Don’t worry about what the king has to offer.” He said, “Give me ten days.” The number ten is a number of fulness. It’s a number of completeness. He said, “Give me ten days. And after ten days I’ll show you who I serve.”

He purposed in his heart. He was steadfast in what and who he believed in. He had the terminology or the understanding, “If I perish, let me perish. I’m not worried about seeing your king. I’m going to see my King.” Glory to God.

His prayer life, the life he lived, it wasn’t according to man’s wisdom.

You see, we’ve been trying to live according to man’s wisdom. And that’s why it won’t work out. We’ve been trying to live according to standards that man has placed in the earth. We’ve been trying to gain the knowledge that man can give.

The Bible says for three years they were to partake of the king’s meat. Can you imagine eating beans for three years? Can you imagine what kind of discipline and determination he must have had about his God? Discipline and determination. Discipline and determination.

We in the body of Christ lack discipline. When we look at the army, they discipline their soldiers. And they take no excuses. Because they’re all stink. And in the body of Christ we are called to be soldiers in the army of the Lord. But we have an excuse for this and an excuse for that and excuse for the other thing.

And when the drill sergeant called the pastor gets ready to discipline us, we become a-w-o-l.

He had discipline. He was disciplined to who he served. He didn’t allow the conditions around him, Brother John Michael, to determine or dictate who he was. They even changed his name. His name (glory to God) is called Belteshazzar here. But his real name is Daniel.

The world wants to change your name. But don’t let the world change who you are in Christ Jesus.

Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. That is not their names. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and Daniel.

Listen. We’ve been allowing the world to dictate who we are. We allow the situations to dictate our conversation. When the bill collector gets on the phone, we change into somebody else. Hello, somebody. And we want to act like they really owe us something, when we owe them something. Who am I talking to?

His integrity with God, it meant something. He was willing to do whatever it took. Are you willing to do whatever... Don’t say yeah, because I doubt it. Get to that point where you can be honest with God. And say, “Lord, this is where I am. But I desire to be like Daniel, to do whatever it takes, that my God will be honored and glorified.”

Daniel. Do you dare to be like him? Do you dare to be like this Old Testament prophet? Do you dare to walk in the faith that he walked in?

Dear Daniel, we thank you for what you have said, and for what you did.

In Proverbs twenty-three and verse seven it says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

That’s beginning of it. As he thinks in his heart, so is he. As you think you are in your heart... If you think you’ll never be nothing or nobody, so are you. If you think you can’t make it, you won’t make it.

But I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. I don’t have to have confidence in me. But this is a confidence that I have in Him, that anything I ask according to His will, He hears me.

Dare tonight to be a Daniel. Dare to change how you’re doing it right now. Dare to do it. You know where you are. I know where I am in Christ. But dare to step up a little bit higher. Dare to step into a place where you know the flame is going to be ten times greater than it should have been. Do you hear what I’m saying?

The fire that they stepped into was up ten times greater than what it should have been. In other words, they stepped out of where they were and stepped right into the fire. They were already in the fire, but they went a little deeper into the fire. You’re already in the fire where you are. But how about going a little bit deeper into the fire?

They said, “Our God is able to deliver us. But in the event that He doesn’t, we still won’t bow our knee. Allow Him to put you inside of the crucible and turn the flame up that much higher. I guarantee it’ll burn everything out of you that shouldn’t be there.

If you’ll only dare to be lonelier... Oh, you don’t hear me. If you’re hungry, dare to be hungrier. Step a little bit deeper into the fire. It’s going to cause the devil to look into the fire and see that you’re not in there by yourself.

Daniel. It didn’t matter when they tried to trap him. He prayed anyway. It didn’t matter what they tried to do to him. He was loyal to his God. He was loyal to his cause.

Sometimes we get to a place where we memorize the Scripture so much that it don’t mean nothing to us no more. And when the preacher preach, we can’t hear it no more, because we already know that Scripture, because we done read it a lot. It’s become like a ritual to us. We can quote it backwards and forwards, but it doesn’t mean anything any more.

But if you read it over and over again, He’ll give you more and more revelation about it. Because you may be in the fire right now. But stop trying to get out. Let Him turn it up a little bit more. And trust God. Because you’re going to come out of it. You’re going to come out of it.

Come on. Give God a handclap of praise.