But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 (NLT)
From the life of Daniel, we begin to understand the principles by which we can be used of God ourselves. Here was a young man who gave himself entirely to the Lord in a purposeful way paving the way for his being instrument of God. There are those who argued that those people used by God are special. They are called, and they are empowered to do so and speak on behalf of God. The story of Daniel didn’t give us that impression. Daniel might be regarded as a prophet, but he didn’t belong to a prophetic school. We don’t have any evidence of the time he was called by God.
The first few information we had about him was just a young man who deliberately purposed in his heart that he would not eat of the polluted meal of the king. That introduction gives us a very clear impression that you can purpose in your heart to put yourself in a position where you can be used of God. In the prophetic school, we see how God called prophet Micah in (Micah 1:1) and prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1:1) from whatever works they were doing, and none of them incidentally even had more prophecies, more than Daniel.
Prophet Isaiah will be a higher prophet because he spoke about the coming of the Lord long before Daniel. Daniel was given a special revelation about the beginning and the end of the world. Daniel had a revelation about the future Antichrist (Daniel 7:3-11). He had a revelation about the great image (Daniel 2:31, 35). Daniel had the vision of the tree (Daniel 4:8-33). He had the vision of the four beasts (Daniel 7:1-28). Daniel also had the vision of the little horn, the vision of the ram and the he-goat (Daniel 8). He had the vision of war (Daniel 10:2-12)
Why was God able to use Daniel to have such revelation of unbelievable, unthinkable, unimaginable prophecies? Why did God use him more than other people? Why is it that a young man, who didn’t have any prophetic experience, could be used by the Almighty God? The answer, I believe, is that Daniel put himself in a position that could be used of God. You don’t have to be a pastor, minister, teacher, or an elder to be used of God. You just have to have a willing and obedient heart. God will use you if you have faith and confidence in the God that calls or sends you on a mission. Daniel was very confident. He knew that if he spoke the word of God, sooner or later, God would back up the word. Daniel had the confidence and boldness, which is a prerequisite for being used of God. Because God may sometimes send you to people who are going to be very disobedient, you must have the confidence to deliver the message.
Another attribute of Daniel was his knowledge of the scriptures. He knew that according to the scriptures, God is able to close the mouth of the lions when locked in the den with them. He believed that God has the power to do all things. Daniel was also a person of faith. You can develop all of these by giving attention to the Word of God and prayer. The early church was able to succeed in serving the Lord because the apostles gave themselves to prayers and the Word of God. Are you willing to pay the price to be used of God?
Suit_ Joseph Abboud
Shirt_ Brooks Brothers
Tie_ Tommy Hilfiger necktie turned into a bow
Shoe_ Aldo
