Being in the world but not of it is perhaps the Christian’s greatest challenge. But that is our calling, and the Holy Spirit indwells us for the precise reason of giving us the wisdom and power to live as God’s distinct people—redemptively different. And when we resolve to stand out for God, God will stand up for us!

A Simple Prayer for a Distinct Life:

God, make me different from the world. You have called me to come out from the unbelievers and be separate from them. You have also said that while I am in the world, I am not to be of it. That gets fuzzy for me sometimes, and because of the strong pull of this present age, it is always a hard thing. Please give me the boldness and resolve to be distinctly yours, and the wisdom to know when and how I should do that. Through the way I live my life, cause me to attract attention to you.

Are you broken over the violence, disgusted by the wickedness, fed up with the corruption and hopeless over the divisiveness in America these days? Are you demoralized by the moral decay in our nation? Does your heart break that “men have forgotten God.” Does the condition of our culture turn your stomach? It should! But it shouldn’t stop there. Let the turning of your stomach turn your heart to God in intercession for a spiritual awakening once again in our land. Never get used to sin. Rather, let it provoke an urgency that leads you to humble yourself before the Lord to acknowledge sin—yours and ours—that we might repent and turn to the Great Healer for the healing of our land.

A Simple Prayer for National Repentance:

God, hear our cry, forgive our sin, and heal our nation! Cause us to lament our sinfulness, not the least of which is turning from you. Forgive our waywardness and our wickedness. Cleanse of from evil and impurity. Put an irresistible passion in our hearts to humble ourselves and fully return to you. Restore us, O Merciful God.

Reflect:
Daniel 6:1-28

“‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” ~Daniel 6:21-23

Robert Freeman wrote, “Character is not made in a crisis—it is only exhibited.” That is so true, and the great Old Testament character Daniel is Exhibit A of that truth. Daniel faced an imminent crisis of epic proportions—he was thrown into a den full of hungry lions—simply because of the daily practice of his faith in God. And you know the rest of the story: God yet again miraculously delivered this faithful old saint from his dilemma, exposed and deposed the enemies who put him there, and solidified Daniel’s reputation for integrity and place of influence in the government of the Medes and the Persians.

One of the salient points of this story is one that desperately needs to be considered in our day—by politicians, pastors, parents and simple salt-of-the-earth people like you and me. It is simply but profoundly this:

Daniel did not gain his famous integrity because of the lions’ den, the lions’ den was simply the stage on which his integrity was displayed.

Daniel’s courage under fire, his resolute response in the face of death, and uncompromising commitment to godliness under the pressure of accusation was based on a lifetime of living out in real life what he believed in his heart. As you read this story, you will notice four unimpeachable character qualities in Daniel:

Daniel was flawless in his work. Verses 3-4 tells us, “Now Daniel so distinguished himself…by his exceptional qualities. [They] tried to find grounds for charges against him in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.” Daniel’s enemies looked for a crack, but couldn’t find one in his conduct.

Daniel was faultless in his integrity. Verse 4 says, “They could find no corruption in him. ‘We’ll never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’” His integrity was without question.

Daniel was fervent in his prayers. Verse 10 reveals, “three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God…”

Daniel was faithful to his God. In verses 21-23, Daniel answered, “‘My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and he gave orders for Daniel to be lifted out of the den. And when he was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted his God.”

Daniel’s courageous response to the lion’s den was rooted in his rock-solid character. But not only that, his response was also calculated. It was deliberate and thought out. It was a conscious, premeditated act of faith. When he heard the king’s edict banning prayer to God, verse 10 says, “Daniel went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to the God of heaven.” Daniel clearly understood that the practice of his faith would land him in trouble.

And you will also notice that Daniel’s courageous and calculated faith was also consistent. The end of verse 10 reveals a very significant truth about the exercise of Daniel’s faith: “He prayed…just as he had before.” Daniel wasn’t doing something that he hadn’t done all along. He didn’t wait until the crisis arrived to pull a response of faith out of the hat; he just did what was consistent with his walk with God. Daniel demonstrated what had been growing within all along—courageous, calculated, consistent character!

What was the result of Daniel’s courageous integrity? God displayed his incredible glory, a nation witnessed an undeniable miracle, and Daniel came away with a testimony for the ages.

By definition, maintaining your integrity will be difficult, but at the end of the day, it will be worth every ounce of pain and every personal sacrifice that it requires—even standing before a den full of lions licking their chops at the thought of you being their dinner. And when you face your lions’ den—and you will, whatever your lion’s den may be—with courage and conviction, God gets the glory and you will come away with an incredible testimony!

“If you have run with the footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with the horses? If you fall down in the land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” ~Jeremiah 12:5

Reflect and Apply: Make sure you work on your integrity before you get to your lions’ den. How? It is not easy; it will take a lifetime of effort. But a good place to start is by going to God and asking for his help—to purify your character, to infuse you with courage, and to strengthen you to consistently display pure and courageous integrity.