Having Resolve

Daniel 1: ⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.

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“No” was my answer when the fella’s decided to go out “drinking and clubbing plus, plus.” My resolute statement made them look at me strangely. They did not say much to me from that point on. I could not read their mind but the looks on their face seemed to mark me as a betrayer to their confidence. I was no longer in the “club.” “Maybe I should have gone with them” I thought to myself

• Sometimes I questioned standing up for GOD.
• Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if I folded to my resolve.
• Sometimes I wanted to quit following GOD because it seemed like everyone else was having more “fun.”

Blinded by “success” I questioned GOD. I mean these people seemed to be doing extremely “well” while I seemed to be getting kicked out of inner circles. GOD had to speak to me about my question.

• GOD said to me “I AM the way the truth and the life. Do not be afraid of humans and their lack of resolve.”
• GOD said to me “There is no other GOD but ME. Follow ME with all your heart, mind and soul.”
• GOD said to me “I WILL bless you abundantly for following ME.

Despite my flawed thinking, I continued. I mean who was I to go against GOD? After a while those people who asked me to hang out with them, vanished one by one and soon I was put in their place. GOD took his time but it was better to wait on HIM.

• Are you afraid of taking a public stance for following JESUS?
• Are you ashamed of declaring you follow GOD because the people around you will ostracize you?
• Can you agree to have add some resolve to follow GOD’s ways to your daily walk little by little?