December 4: HOW FAR WILL YOUR INFLUENCE GO?

“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” Daniel 1:12-13

When Daniel was speaking here, he and his three friends were only teenagers. Their entire world had been abruptly overturned. Because of the collective disobedience of the Jews, God allowed them to suffer defeat and go into captivity. This was the beginning of a seventy-year period (see Jeremiah 25:11, 2 Chronicles 36:21) under the heavy hand of the most pagan king of their day, the king of Babylon. These young boys, after seeing the destruction of their home and many loved ones, were made eunuchs and placed under tremendous pressure to conform to the Babylonian way of life.

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

Daniel didn’t know it at the time, but he was to become a prophetic mouthpiece to the entire world, both Jew and Gentile. One stunning piece of evidence of the effectiveness of his influence is that over 600 years later an entourage of Gentile kings, wise men from the east (Matthew 2:1) came to worship the baby Jesus.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus pointed His followers back to the book of Daniel in preparation for the end-times (Matthew 24:15). The subject of worship is the key focus. The second advent of Jesus will be preceded by ample opportunity for everyone to make an informed decision regarding whom they will worship and obey. Those who obey God will, for a time, be severely punished by those who accept the mark of the beast. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:22, see also Daniel 12:1).

Our subtle and crafty enemy is waging a coercive battle of deception for the minds of men, to gain worship for himself. Your mind is the most holy place of God’s dwelling place on earth, for you are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Satan wants to occupy that place*; his plan is to gain control through influencing our minds and, thus, our decision making. We need the discernment that is borne of wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5). Our God stands ready to strengthen and bless all who desire to honor Him with their choices!

Many today scoff at the Biblical guidelines for a healthy diet. But modern science is confirming the correlation: mental and physical health are intertwined and both are impacted by our diets.

Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Daniel 1:19-20

*Isaiah 14:13-14, Luke 4:7, 2 Thessalonians 2:4