On another Tuesday night prior to this one, we talked about Daniel. And we said, “Dare to be Daniel.” But tonight we’re coming from another standpoint in Daniel. And we’re saying, “Be mature like Daniel.” Be mature like Daniel.

In Daniel chapter six it said,

1. It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

2. And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

3. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

4. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for this time together here in Your Name. Hide your son behind the cross, Father, that Your people would see You and not me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Now Satan, we put you on notice that you are bound. And you are forbidden to operate in this house tonight.

Father, we’ll be careful to give You all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise. In Jesus’ holy and blessed name.

And the church said amen.

In verse four it said,

4. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

When we look at the word “fault” it means a weakness in character, a flaw or an imperfection.

The Word of God was saying that there was no character flaws that were found in Daniel. It was saying that there were no imperfections that were found in Daniel. It was saying there were no weaknesses that were found in Daniel. Because Daniel had came to a place of maturity in the things of God.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise in this house tonight.

They could find nothing wrong with Daniel, because Daniel was mature. They tried to mar his character. They tried to mar his reputation.

Let me tell you something tonight. It doesn’t matter what anybody tries to do, Brother John Michael. You don’t hear me tonight. It doesn’t matter what anybody tries to do, Sister Leah. It doesn’t matter when you’re mature in the things of God and you got a solid spiritual foundation. Glory to God. You will be blessed in the Kingdom of God.

Give God a handclap of praise tonight.

He had a sound spiritual foundation. Many times we try to rush God. We try to step out before him (glory to God) into something that we have no business in. Let me tell you something. If I step out into it and it’s not my season to step out into it, I’m going to mess it up. I’m going to mess me up. And I’m going to mess somebody else up. He had a sound spiritual foundation.

If I am going to be who God has ordained for me to be, I’ve got to have a solid base about me. I have got to have a solid base with no cracks. Because when you have a house, and you have a foundation that has cracks in it, the house will begin to shift.

There’s a difference in shifting and settling. When the house settles, it means it rests there. It means it stays there. But when the house shifts, the Bible means that it begins to move. And God hasn’t intended for it to move. And if there’s enough pressure applied to it, the house is going to fall down.

In the body of Christ today we have so many spiritual houses that are being built. Oh, you don’t hear me in this house tonight. You didn’t come to hear the Word. Oh, hallelujah.

We got spiritual houses that are being built in the house of God. And there’s got to be a certain foundation that’s laid. It’s got to be laid a certain way. You got to put the level on top of the foundation, which is the Word of God, to make sure it’s sound, somebody.

Daniel was a mature saint of God. There was no shifting found in him. He had settled himself into what God had called him to. Many of us are not in the position or even in the process of settling where God has us right now. We’re trying to move too fast. Oh, I feel the Glory in this house tonight.

The Bible says in Daniel chapter one that when Daniel and the three Hebrew boys had come to Babylon, the king had given them three years. Let me tell you what Daniel did in those three years. He began to establish a prayer life. The Bible said that he prayed to his God three times a day.

Let me tell you something. If I’m going to build that foundation right, I’ve got to establish a prayer life with my God. I got to... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. I have got to get to a place where He knows where I’m going to be, and I know where... Oh, glory to God. I’m so excited about this word in this house.

He went to the window and prayed three times a day. He was settling himself into what God had for his life. If I am not able to settle myself into what God has for me, I’m going to find myself constantly making mistakes, over and over and over again. He settled himself there.

Look at verse six and verse seven in chapter six of Daniel. It said,

6. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

Let me tell you. Daniel was so blessed. Daniel had spent such time with God that even those that were without gave him favor. When I get to a place in God that God is satisfied with my walk (you don’t hear me), even those that are my enemies are going to raise me up.

It doesn’t matter about the warfare that’s going on on your job. Let me tell you something. He’ll give you favor with those within and favor with those without.

He was mature about what God had called him to. They understood this. All of those folks that were under him knew that they could find no fault. The Bible said it. They could find no flaw in him.

So what they said in verse five was, “We know that we can’t find nothing against Daniel. We know that we can’t find any flaws against his God. So let’s find a flaw in the word of the law of his God.”

So they tried to set Daniel up. But see, when you reach a certain place of maturity... You need to hear this word tonight. When you reach a certain place of maturity in God, it doesn’t matter about the set up that they... Oh, you don’t hear me. It doesn’t matter what they say. It doesn’t matter what they do. I’m still going to be who I am. I’m going to still do what I do. It’s not going to affect my position in God.

He was mature. Look at your neighbor and say, “He was mature.” Tell your neighbor, “I’m not my way, in the Name...” Come on, give God a handclap of praise in this house.

He was mature. He had a stable foundation. The position that Daniel was placed in, it required tremendous responsibility.

When we look at the church today, it would have not been a place for a novice. The Bible says do not place a novice in position, because they will fall under the condemnation of the devil. They will fall into a place... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. They will fall into a place of pride. They’ll lift themselves up. They’ll exalt themselves. And little do they know they’re headed for a fall.

A novice is a new convert, a person who has no previous experience at something. Listen. Listen. We all want to do things for the Lord. But we have got to get time getting experience.

You remember we talked about how you can take an ax when it’s dull and try to chop down a tree. But if I got more skill, if I spent more time trying to get more skill instead of trying to work harder, harder... I need to start trying to work smarter, smarter.

Experience and time is two of our best teachers that we have. But we don’t want to spend time trying to get experience. Now, Lord, now. I want it now.

He had an excellent spirit. He was mature in the things of God.

See, you may be mature in something that you did out there. Hello, somebody. You know how it went out there. But it goes in here a totally different way.

Remember the Bible said the government shall be upon His shoulders. He set His government up in the house of God. It goes a different way than it goes out there.

He was mature. He was mature. And that responsibility that was placed on him required a certain level of maturity.

Zeal is a powerful thing, but zeal is not anointing. Hello, somebody. I can be zealous, and I can be overzealous.

Look at your neighbor and say, “It’s tight, but it’s right.”

The maturity of Daniel, not only allowed him to get in the position where he...

Now somebody’s trying to take this the wrong way. I already see it. You don’t really want to learn. You want your way. Because you already know how it goes. Hello, somebody.

There was nothing that could be found wrong with his character. Why? Because his character had been through the fire. Character is that group of qualities that make a person. What made him had been through the fire. He had been tested. His character (listen) had been tested by the fire.

You never know how you will react in a situation except you go through that situation. You can think you worried up all you want to. You can think somebody crying all you want to. But except you’ve been in their shoes...

His character was tested by fire. We have to allow that time and that experience to teach us and stop trying to rush God. Maturity is one of the keys to spiritual success. I’ve got to become mature in the things of God.

You know how it is. Hormones, they be all out of wack. When a child reaches puberty, their hormones are all out of wack. It’s just like that. When you’re trying to reach that place of maturity, sometimes you’re all out of wack. And you don’t know exactly what to do. And you don’t know exactly what’s going on. All you know is that there’s a change that’s going on on the inside of you.

And without the proper knowledge, and without the proper information and education, they step out into things that they have no business being in, because it feels good. You don’t hear me in this house tonight. You better open up your spiritual ear. Get out of the flesh. We done passed the flesh a long time ago.

He was mature. He was fully grown. He was developed. He was ripe. When a person is mature, they have a mature outlook about things. They don’t look at things as, you know, obstacles all the time. They look at them as opportunities for God to get more glory.

Oh, I feel good up in here tonight. Hallelujah. God is good, isn’t He? Can’t be nobody but the Holy Ghost.

He was mature. He was always open to learn and to grow. What fault do you have? What is it that people find fault with you about? They said they could find nothing on Daniel. Nothing. They couldn’t find anything.

Why couldn’t they find anything? Because all of the character flaws were burned out of him. They took him from a place where they served God and put him in a place where they didn’t serve God. They made them stay in the king’s house for that time, at about the age of sixteen. Taken away from his parents at that age, to become something else, that was not of God.

But in the midst of them trying to make him become something that was not of God, God raised him up in the things of God. He didn’t conform.

The life of conformity is over. Stop conforming, because you want to be in the in crowd. Be in the out crowd for a little while. The in crowd is going straight to hell. Jesus was an outcast, wasn’t He? His own received Him not. You don’t hear me.

There was nothing that they could find fault in him about.

A powerful preacher said this. Maturity is the ability and quality one possess to accept differences in others opinions, views, and personalities and characters, positions, and status, without being threatened in their own security.

Maturity is a product of security. Let me say that again. Maturity is a product of security. When I am secure, I don’t have to worry about what anybody else thinks. I can let them have their own opinion. I don’t have to try to... You don’t hear me. I don’t have to debate with them. I don’t have to... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. I’m secure in who I am, because of who He is.

In Luke twenty-three and four, when Jesus was coming to Pilate, Pilate said about Jesus, he said, “I find no fault in this man.” With all those accusers around Him...

You see, God is looking for a people that are willing to go on to perfection. Hello. They are sick and tired of the mediocrity of religion. They are ready to go through the fire, to get what God has for them.

Maturity. Be like Daniel. Be mature like Daniel. And if you know you’re not mature, ask God to help you with your maturity. If you know that you will cry every time the pastor say something; he can’t say nothing, then you’re immature. It’s not about age. Hello, somebody.

We need this. We need this. We need somebody to tell us the truth. Stop wanting to hear a lie. I don’t want to hear a lie. Sometime the truth hurts. But at least I got the truth.

We don’t want to hear the truth about us. But we want to hear something about somebody else. Hey. I feel the Holy Ghost. And that’s a place of immaturity. That’s a place of immaturity.

If you want more responsibility, show more maturity. Don’t try to take on something that you can’t handle. Now I’m fixing to go there. If you can’t do the simple things around the church, then you don’t want no more. Hello, somebody. It’s real. Come on. Can we be real?

If we can’t take the responsibility, the little responsibilities that we get, little... Because all we do is come to church on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, and barely anything in between... Hello.

Don’t be a lot of talk. Put something behind that talk. Put a little elbow grease behind that talk.

He was mature. He was mature. Daniel was mature. He spent time getting in that place of maturity.

Spend time getting in that place of maturity. If that fire on that crucible that you’re in has been turned up, so be it. He’ll never put more on you than you can bear. You belong to Him. And He knows your breaking point. He knows. He knows my breaking point. He knows when the damage will be irreversible.

He was mature. Saints of God, it’s time to go to the next level. Maturity is a process. There are different levels of maturity. Allow Him to take you to every level that He has for you.

If He got to cut some things off along the way, so be it. If He got to burn it out, so be it. Do you really mean it? Because He’ll burn it out of you, and He’ll cut it off of you. Don’t say nothing that you don’t mean.

Maturity in the house of God.

Give God a handclap of praise.