Beyond Sunday
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the Podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week, with your Hosts Pastors' Lee and Jim.
It's Time to Inspire, Uplift, and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now!
Beyond Sunday
Enter The Lions Den
What would make you compromise your spiritual practices? A threat to your reputation? Your career? Your life? In this compelling episode of Beyond Sunday, Pastors Lee and Jim dive deep into Daniel chapter 6 - the famous lion's den narrative that continues to challenge believers today.
Daniel's unwavering commitment to prayer despite knowing the deadly consequences serves as both inspiration and challenge. When officials plotted against him by making prayer illegal, Daniel didn't protest or hide - he simply continued his thrice-daily prayer routine with windows wide open. This faithful response ultimately transformed not just his own circumstances but an entire kingdom.
The pastors explore the fascinating contrast between Daniel's supernatural peace while surrounded by hungry lions and King Darius's sleepless anxiety in his palace. This paradox reveals a profound truth: true security comes not from external safety but from internal alignment with God. As Pastor Jim notes, "Daniel's faith didn't just save Daniel. It pointed everybody - including the king and the kingdom - to God."
Throughout the discussion, practical applications emerge for modern believers facing their own metaphorical lion's dens. Prayer becomes highlighted not merely as religious routine but as spiritual lifeline and practical protection. The pastors challenge listeners to examine their prayer habits: "How many opportunities are we losing when we don't remain faithful in our daily spiritual disciplines?"
Whether you're facing opposition for your faith or simply seeking to deepen your prayer life, this episode offers both theological depth and practical wisdom. The parallels between Daniel's experience and Christ's journey provide a powerful framework for understanding how faithfulness during trials ultimately leads to vindication and Kingdom impact.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week with your hosts, pastors Lee and Jim. It's time to inspire, uplift and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now.
Speaker 2:Hey, what's going on everybody? This is Pastor Lee and, as always, across the table in the studio with me is Pastor Jim, and we are pastors of Christ Family Outreach Church, located here in Virginia, and if you have not made your way out to visit us on a Thursday night service or Sunday morning service, we would love for you to come out and say hello, pastor Jim. How you doing today, brother, doing good.
Speaker 1:Really excited to be back in the studio. I'm excited to be reading the Word of God, talking about the Word of God, because here's the truth the Word of God strengthens, encourages and helps us to persevere. So I'm ready to get started.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Daniel, chapter 6, beginning with the 16th verse. We're not going to read the entirety of the sixth chapter of Daniel, but we are going to discuss pretty much all of it today, pastor Jim. But we're going to begin reading again Daniel, chapter six, verse 16 through 23. And it is the story of Daniel being faced with the lions in their den. So let's get started.
Speaker 2:Then the king commanded, and Daniel was bought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel may your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you. And the stone was bought and laid on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with a signet of his Lord's, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him and sleep fled from him.
Speaker 2:Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king O king live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him and also before you, o king. I have done no harm. Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted his God.
Speaker 1:Now, if you're hearing this story for the very first time, it may be just a little bit confusing why the king would put Daniel in the lion's den to begin with. You see, king Darius is getting ready to put 120 officials over his kingdom, and Daniel is one of those guys who he had seen an excellent spirit in, and he's thinking about putting him in charge of everything. And what that does is it makes other officials super jealous. They're like who is this dude that's going to get all of the spotlight? See, daniel was one of three people in charge of those 120, and the king was getting ready to make Daniel in charge of all of it. And so these other satraps were trying to find something to nail Daniel with. And in verse 4, it says that they can't find any dirt on Daniel because Daniel's faithful Daniel doesn't make any mistakes, he doesn't have any scandals. So they have to look at Daniel and figure out how do we get this guy. And they found his weak spot and Daniel's weak spot, which really is a point of strength. They thought his weak spot was his faith in God. So they tried to convince Darius to sign this decree that said for 30 days that only people could pray to the king through the king. Praise the king, and if not, you're going to get thrown into a den of lions. That's shady. So Daniel says after he hears about this decree yeah, no, I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 1:Because in verse 10, he says Daniel knew what the document had been signed, but that he's going to go to his house. He went to that had windows in it in this upper room, and he faced Jerusalem and he got down on his knees and he said I know what the decree said, but I am going to pray Three times a day. The Bible says he prayed and he gave thanks before God, just like he had always done, and to know that the king had put out this decree. I think it's bold of him to do, but it shows his faith. He's not hiding, he's not backing down. He's like this is who I am. I'm praying to God, period, just like Shadrach, meshach and Abednego did back in chapter 3 when they told the king our God can save us and even if he doesn't, we're still not going to bow down to your idols. Daniel's got that same kind of faith. God's worth it, no matter what.
Speaker 1:So how did he get thrown into the den Because the officials caught him doing this, which is what they wanted the whole time. They set up this whole thing to catch Daniel doing exactly what the king said that he couldn't do, and that's why you find out that the king is just bummed out over this because he likes Daniel right? He set this law and it was set in stone. It can't be changed, even by the king. So in verse 14, he says he was greatly distressed. He spends all day trying to figure out a way to save Daniel, but there's just not a loophole, so he's forced to throw Daniel into the lion's den Before they seal it up. I love what he says in verse 16, may your God, whom you serve, continually deliver you. It's really like the king is hoping that Daniel's God is as real as Daniel believes his God is. And when we do zoom into the lion's den because that's really where it gets real and this is what we're going to really be diving into today Imagine Daniel being lowered into this dark, smelly pit.
Speaker 1:The lions are there. They're probably pacing back and forth, growling they're ready to pounce. This is Daniel's death sentence and most probably pacing back and forth, growling, they're ready to pounce. This is Daniel's death sentence and most people would be freaking out. But what does Daniel do? He prays prayers straight to the Lord. He's calm, probably kneeling, and he's talking to God like he always did. And I think that because in verse 22, he says that my God sent his angels and he shut the lion's mouth, and they haven't harmed me. You see, god sends angels to keep those lions in check. They're still there, they're still dangerous, but their mouths are locked up. The Lord teaches us in Psalms the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and the angels will deliver them. God's got Daniel covered right there in the danger, and that's how we got there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, when I read the text I think how can I take this and apply it into my life right now? How can our listeners hear what we're talking about from Daniel, chapter six, and put it into their lives right now, with whatever they're going through? Daniel, just like so many other people we read about in both the Old and the New Testament, he has been persecuted simply because he lives a life of obedience and has a desire to honor God no matter what. And today the same thing happens. Right, christians are targeted with hate all over this world simply for standing out, simply for shining a light, simply for being ambassadors of God. Some people just don't want to be better and they cannot stand the light and love that comes from Christians.
Speaker 2:Remember, daniel was not liked because he got a promotion. Right, he gets a promotion because, as the third verse tells us, as you mentioned, that daniel was distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps. And also the third verse says he got this promotion because daniel had an excellent spirit within him, so he was walking in obedience. He was recognized for it. You know that word spirit is not a capital S talking about the Holy Spirit of God in him. It's talking about his spirit, right? Daniel had an excellent spirit. So here he is. He's walking in obedience. He's being recognized for it. He's doing the right things, pastor Jim, even when no one else is looking, you know, not just when people are looking, but even when no one else is looking, he's doing the right stuff. So this is why he has this excellence about him. So he's been recognized for being excellent, and now some people have begun getting jealous and they begin hating him for it, so much so that they want to take the life from the man take the life from the man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and this whole scene makes me think about how God doesn't always take our problems away, but he's right there with us in and through all of it, the entire time. You know, isaiah says that when you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you. Daniel, I think while in the lion's den, you can say that he's in the deep end of those waters, but I love how God is right there. God is keeping him safe, and I bet that he's praying not just for rescue, but I bet he's thanking God like he always did because it's his habit. First, thessalonians says pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, and Daniel lives that out when we hear the scriptures, when he says that he went up to his room in the upper room and he prayed like he always had done. That was his habit. I'm going to prayer and I'm thanking the Lord like I always have.
Speaker 1:Now, an interesting thing that I find, though, is while Daniel's down there in the lion's den, he's at complete peace. Now King Darius, on the other end of the spectrum, is up in the castle, or in his kingdom, no fear of being eaten by any lions, but it's King Darius who's a hot mess. Yeah, he got no peace In verse 18, he can't eat, he can't sleep, he's pacing all night, he's worried. It's such a contrast to what Daniel is currently in, when he's got peace inside the den, but the king's got no rest in his palace. And you know, john 16 says and this is Jesus speaking in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Daniel's got that kind of peace because he trusts in God. Darius is stressing right without that anchor.
Speaker 1:And so at dawn, darius runs to the den and he's shouting Daniel, daniel, servant of the living God, your God, who you've served continually, has he been able to deliver you? And then all you hear is Daniel's voice coming back, steady as ever. O King, live forever. My God has sent his angels shut the lion's mouth, and they haven't harmed me, because I was found blameless before him and also before you, o King. I've done no wrong. So not a single scratch was found on Daniel. No kind of harm was found on him, and I love that.
Speaker 1:The key in this all is because he trusted God. Right, he trusted God and he was found blameless. The Bible talks about how we shouldn't look to anybody to judge us. No one should judge us. Let God sort it out. And so when I'm being put through the fire or someone's accusing me or anything, there is no accuser because, at the end of the day, god is the one who's going to judge me. And Daniel lives in that. You know, hebrews teaches us through faith stopped the mouth of the lions. Daniel's faith is what carried him through in all of this.
Speaker 2:You know the officials, as you mentioned earlier, they made a rule where, for 30 days, no one could petition any God, false God or the one living, true God who Daniel served. No one could petition any of them for 30 days, except if they had a petition. They had to come towards the king, right. So they figured they got him. They knew, they knew and this is what I want to touch on here they knew Daniel would not stop talking to God. What a reputation to have, bro Like. What a reputation to have that the only way we're going to get this guy is when it comes to his faithfulness. Because they knew, remember, this guy had a reputation of having an excellent spirit. So they knew that he wasn't going to back down, especially when it came to his faith. So they set this thing up to where he's not allowed to have conversation with God Almighty. And yet they go and they find him doing exactly that. It's how they set it up. They knew it was going to take place, but the 10th verse tells us that Daniel goes straight home when he finds out that this ordinance has been passed and when it's been signed, scripture says in the 10th verse that Daniel goes straight home where his windows open towards Jerusalem, and then he gets down on his knees. He's not going to stress out about it, right? He gets down on his knees and prays three times a day. So he's not even living in secret. He's like, hey, this is who I am, everybody knows who I am. Y'all just gonna have to deal with it, because God is God and I'm his ambassador. I'm a child of God. So take notes right.
Speaker 2:Daniel's circumstance did not change his walk with God. He didn't waver, he praised God, he thanked God, and scripture says that he actually got down on his knees and thanked God, you know. So I want you to consider that that even when things were not going his way, or when things are not going your way, daniel knew God was still worthy of praise. And we've got to remember, pastor Jim, that God is still worthy of praise, no matter what our day looks like. So I want to encourage your listeners right now. No matter where you are, no matter what you've got going on in life, no matter how bad or how discouraging your situation, your circumstance may be, god is still worthy of having you praise him, whether you're in a fiery furnace or whether you're in the bottom of a pit with some lions, god is still worthy of being praised, and the reason is because our circumstance does not dictate whether or not God should receive praise from us, yeah, and the tables absolutely turn towards the end of this thing.
Speaker 1:Speaking to just that, darius throws the schemers and all of their family members into the den, and the lions don't hold back. This time right, it's harsh, but it's justice, for the Lord loves justice. He will not forsake his saints. So Daniel's safe and the bad guys face consequences. That's how this story wraps up. But to your point, pastor Lee, check this out. The chapter ends with Darius sending out the decree to the whole empire, praising God. Yeah, king Darius says he is the living God, speaking of the one true God enduring forever. See, he delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders, he who saved Daniel from the power of the lions. Daniel's faith didn't just save Daniel. It pointed everybody to include the king and the kingdom to God. Right? So, daniel, let his light shine before others so that all could see the good works and give glory to the Father who was in heaven, so who received all of the glory through all of this God did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd like to take a trip back, just back up a little bit, hit reverse for a moment and let's find ourselves back in the master bedroom of the palace right. The 18th verse tells us that the king went to his palace, spent the night fasting and he did not sleep. The king goes the next morning looking to see if God saved Daniel or not. Daniel gives a report in the 22nd verse and this is what Daniel says. I want to focus on this piece. My God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths, and they've not harmed me because I was found blameless before him, because it was the angels that shut the mouths of the lion. God used the angel to do that. How many times in life, I wonder, has God sent an angel to shut the mouth of the enemy that we're facing? How many times in life has God diverted a plan that we were walking our own footsteps into, and yet he saved us and spared us from going into the direction of evil that maybe we were walking our own footsteps into, and yet he saved us and spared us from going into the direction of evil that maybe we were heading, whether that was on our own accord or whether that was an enemy coming at us, but I truly believe that the same God in Daniel 6, verse 22, is the same God that we serve today, amen. And so he shut the mouths of the lion with his angel. And I'm just pointing that out, that there are angels out there even today that are fighting on our behalf. Something else that I wanted to point out is that the same people who meant to harm Daniel in the lion's den, they end up getting thrown in the den, not just them, but it was also their wives and their children.
Speaker 2:You know, and you had mentioned this decree, you had mentioned this decree that King Darius puts out in Daniel, chapter 6, 25 through 28,. That ends the chapter, and this is what it says. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian, of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. And how beautiful it is that Daniel allowed his life to be used.
Speaker 2:And because of it, Pastor Jim, not only was the king's life changed, but other people's lives are going to be changed as well. Man, think about it. Have you guys ever considered this, friends? What if Daniel would have said okay, for 30 days I'm going to take a break. For 30 days I'm not going to pray to God. For 30 days I'm not going to be faithful in doing what I've normally done in my walk with my creator. If Daniel had remained silent, then this decree that King Darius makes over all of his royal dominion for people to tremble and fear God never takes place. If Daniel remains silent, then King Darius probably doesn't turn to God in the way that he does here. Right to make this decree. So there's a lot happening.
Speaker 2:So how can we apply that to our lives right now?
Speaker 2:How many times have we woke up late, pastor Jim?
Speaker 2:As a people, how many times have we been tired?
Speaker 2:How many times have we had to jump up and had something early scheduled and we'll leave the house and we don't get into the Word or we don't spend as much time in the Word as normally we would.
Speaker 2:How many times do we not spend as much time praying as often as we should? And as Christians, we're all guilty of that at some point or another. And I just like to say that anytime we take off and we do not invest, what are we losing? What type of opportunities are we losing within the Word to be able to take out into the community and the public square that we would have gained throughout that time if we had just done what we normally do sat down with the Word of God in our hands, opened our ear, both our physical and our inner spiritual ear, and taken time to listen to the voice of God. So what do we miss if we do not remain faithful throughout our day? Yeah, that's a really good point. Well, let me ask you this, pastor Jim Do you remember a time, can you go back to a time in your life where you say you know what? It was hard to pray, but prayer is what got me through it.
Speaker 1:Well, to be honest with you, there's times when I've been in my own flesh, angry or frustrated, and don't feel like praying, Not even about being hard to pray, just like not even feeling right to pray, you know. But in those moments and I've failed at that, you know where I've just not prayed. But there have been other times where, even in my anger, I force myself to go into a quiet place, I force myself to get before the Lord and just talk to God, and it doesn't have to look like a cookie cutter prayer, Just simply Lord, show me, Lord, help me, Father, talk to me. And then, as you start to calm down and you've put yourself, you've postured yourself before the Lord, man, this peace comes over you and then you can begin to think clearly and in the clarity is when the thankfulness and the gratitude and all of those things start to come around and come out of you. And then you can really get to a place where okay, I'm seeing more clearly, because a lot of times, even in arguments, we'll get into an argument and we're so caught up in the argument we can't even think clearly.
Speaker 1:Honestly, the best time to have a conversation with somebody who you're in the middle of having an argument with is to walk away. Right, and really you should go pray, get some clarity, seek the Lord and then go back to the situation and readdress it. But I say all that to say this there are times when I'm so frustrated I don't even want to pray. But the benefit when I do go and pray surely always outweighs how I feel when I don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, like. Prayer not only brings peace and opportunities for peace, but May, this is a new t-shirt for us. Prayer keeps me out of trouble. Just think about if, every time when someone is lured to fall to temptation and commit sin, if we would literally, at that point, hit the brakes, slam the brakes, pause and instead of follow flesh, we walk with the Spirit and we pray.
Speaker 2:I'm a firm believer that prayer keeps us out of trouble, which is what I really see Daniel doing up in the upper level of that home. You know he goes up, the windows are open. Can I just say the windows are open. He ain't ashamed to pray. He's not in there hiding while praying. You know he's up in there praying in such a place that he can get caught praying. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like man how awesome is that, pastor Jim? Like I want my enemy to know I pray. You know what I'm saying. Like I want the devil to know I pray. I want the demons to know I pray. I want them to know I pray in the name of Jesus, you know, because it's at the name of Jesus that all those enemies have to flee. Amen. So, like man, prayer, prayer is our lifeline. It's our lifeline and we as Christians should have such a desire to want to be doing it even more. It should not just be a routine thing that we're doing in the morning and in the evening. It should be like this phone call that we never hang up. You know that we're never hanging up, that all throughout the day we're not just referencing Scripture or thinking about Scripture, but all throughout the day we're also just talking here and there, little pieces of conversation at a time with our Heavenly Father.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you notice, when Daniel heard the news in verse 10 that this decree had been signed? He didn't complain, he didn't whine, he didn't cry, he didn't fight it. It just says he went home and he prayed yeah, I'm gonna go home. And then, when he was accused, not once did he say defend himself, not once. He just said okay, put me in the den, yeah. And then he prayed.
Speaker 2:How many times do we get something that comes against us that we want to verbally put our 10 cents in or defend? Yeah, yeah, like well, this is why you know what I mean. No, I'm not going to get down with that. Or why are y'all doing this? You know what I'm saying? Like the brother just went home and prayed, took it to God, yeah, right. Like I'm taking this to my father's hands. Like who, who else would we want to put that stuff in, the hands, of Right? So he's like I'm just going to go home and I'm going to do what I do, I'm going to pray, and three times a day.
Speaker 1:This is what he's found doing Falsely accused, found guilty, put into the den, came out of the den alive and found blameless. Who's that remind you of? Oh man, come on. Jesus lived a perfect life, was accused falsely, was blamed right Haunted, crossed, died, put into a tomb and guess what Come up out of?
Speaker 2:there, blameless, yeah, so what you're pointing out is the fact that so many times in the Old Testament we can see examples, parallels of Christ in the Old Testament, and it really is a great example, you know, of the life of Daniel Right, and it's just a beautiful, beautiful thing. And can I just say, pastor Jim, that that's what we're supposed to look like today as ambassadors. That that's what we're supposed to look like today as ambassadors. People should be able to look at your life, at my life and the listeners' lives, and they should be able to say, wow, there's Jesus in there. There's a light shining from them that's not of themselves, and that's really what it all comes down to is being able to be connected to God in prayer through this lifeline, so that we literally resemble Christ because we have such a connection with God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, the lion's den couldn't hold Daniel, the tomb couldn't hold Christ, and this world can't hold us all because of the hope that we have in the blood of Christ.
Speaker 2:Amen. Well, we've been talking about prayer, let's just get into it. Yeah, let's pray, father. We pray in the name and the blood of Jesus, your only begotten son who's risen, who, in the blood of Jesus, your only begotten son who's risen, who defeated death, he's alive and he's well and he works even today in our lives, as we have relationship with him.
Speaker 2:Father, I pray that what we've studied, what we've talked about, what we've heard and learned from Daniel, chapter 6, would be an encouragement to all of us. That it wouldn't just be a word that just falls on a deaf ear, but it would be a word that we hold dear to us and even as we go throughout the remainder of this day or this night, depending on when our listeners are listening, father, that it would just marinate on the inside, that they would consider the things that they've heard, father, and that we would honor you. We would honor you by living out this word Father, teach us, teach us to you. We would honor you by living out this word Father, teach us, teach us to pray. We are thankful for your Holy Spirit that lives in us, that your scripture says even prays for us when we don't even know what to pray.
Speaker 2:So prayer is so important, and so, father, I pray that we would cherish it and hold it as this weapon that we have in our arsenal, in our tool bag. It is a tool that we could use in every moment, whether we're in a high or whether we're in a low, whether we're in great times or whether we find ourselves in rough waters. So, father, we love you, we praise you and we honor you in Jesus' name. Everybody, friends, said together Amen, Amen.
Speaker 1:Thanks for hanging out with us and we'll catch you next week on Beyond Sunday.
