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Word UP with Webb
Daily Devotion for Teens and Students
Word UP with Webb
Kneeling When Others Want You Falling: Lessons from Daniel
We explore Daniel chapter 6, examining how Daniel's unwavering faith in the face of the lion's den demonstrates a powerful model for maintaining spiritual disciplines despite deadly consequences.
• Daniel's extraordinary character led to his promotion but also attracted enemies seeking to destroy him
• Officials could only trap Daniel through his commitment to prayer, revealing his impeccable character
• When threatened with death, Daniel maintained his regular prayer routine without hiding or changing anything
• Daniel's consistent faith influenced King Darius to acknowledge the power of God
• Even facing lions, Daniel's trust in God resulted in divine protection and rescue
• Our biggest struggles often become our greatest testimonies to others who don't know God
• A student's detailed notebook of scripture reflections and personal applications provides an inspiring model for effective quiet time
I challenge you to dig deeply into God's Word today - don't just read scripture and check it off your list, but listen to what God is showing you, write it down, and be willing to respond in faith to His challenges.
Good morning guys. Welcome to Word Up on this Tuesday morning. We are in Daniel, chapter 6, a very familiar passage for most people who grew up going to vacation, bible schools and all the things we've got Daniel and the lion's den. What a powerful testimony of a man who followed the Lord at all costs and trusted him with every challenge that he might face. So if you have not taken the time to read Daniel chapter 6 yet, pause right here. Go get in God's Word, allow God to speak to you today and then come back and let's dig into what God is showing us. Real quick. I just want to share.
Speaker 1:I had a student of mine come up this past Sunday and kind of dealing with just some conviction of I could do more, I could reach more people, and I couldn't really put my finger on where the conviction was coming from, and so I just immediately went to the first place you know how have your quiet times been going, how is your personal time with God? And he opened up a notebook completely full from his quiet times, what God was revealing, what God was showing. Honestly, it really challenged me. Not only was he reading the Scripture and the perfect model of what I challenge our students to use, which is here H-E-A-R. Highlight the Scripture that stands out the most. Explain it in your own words, apply it. How does God want you to apply that Scripture to your life? And then respond to him in prayer and each one of his quiet times he had a full explanation of what God had said in his word, putting it in his own words, but then had four or five points at the bottom, with a star next to it, of where God had challenged him, of where he saw that he could improve his walk with Christ, and it was just really a special moment. And so, as you're digging into Daniel, chapter 6, as you're spending time in God's word, don't just read it, don't just open up the book, read the scripture, check that off your list, close the Bible and go on about your day. Get in the Word, listen, listen to what God is trying to show you, respond to those challenges, write down where it is that God wants you to apply the Scripture in your life and be willing to step out on faith and do what he has called you to do.
Speaker 1:So right here in Daniel chapter 6, we see that Daniel's extraordinary spirit led him to be placed in a position of authority by King Darius. The other men were looking for a way to bring him down. The other men were looking for a way to bring him down. How many of you have ever been in a place where you've been elevated to a position of authority and it seems like the more that God blesses and the more that he gives you, the more people hate it and the more people want to tear you down and they will go at all costs to ruin your name, to ruin your character and to try to eliminate you from the position that God's called you to or from the good things that God is doing in your life. So this is what we see here with Daniel.
Speaker 1:What a testimony it was, to where they had to go to find him guilty. You know I think about. They're trying to find some way to place blame, and what do they ultimately have to do? They ultimately go to the king and convince him to sign into law, a law that says you can seek no other God other than the king. They knew the only way to get to Daniel was to put a law in place that he could not seek God. They felt like that was the only thing that he could not do at that time was stop seeking the Lord.
Speaker 1:What a testimony that is to who Daniel was. And what did Daniel do when he found out that it was signed? It says as soon as he heard that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in the upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, he prayed and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. When I first started reading this and you get to this line and it says he went upstairs, you think he's hiding, maybe no, it says this is the exact same thing that he had done before. It was not a secret. Everybody knew it, obviously. They knew where he went, where he was praying. And he learns that a a document has been signed that would throw him into the lion's den for praying to any god other than the king. And it says that he went to his house and three times a day he dropped on his knees, just like he always had. Guys, when the fire is there, when the trials are coming, when you know that Satan is trying to destroy you, are we still willing to run to the Father At all costs? Nothing else matters. We're going to seek him. That was just a powerful, powerful testimony of Daniel's faith and what he believed.
Speaker 1:As you continue on here, what do we see happens? How about when the king throws Daniel into the den? The king throws Daniel into the lion's den and said to Daniel May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you. We've spent a lot of time talking about our circles of influence. We've spent a lot of time talking about the way that we walk, the way that we respond to things. Yesterday, about what? Is it joy on your face or is it sadness? Do people see the love of Christ in you? Right, here is the prime example of a king who did not have a relationship with the Lord, but because of the way that Daniel was living his life. When he throws Daniel into the lion's den, completely against what he would have wanted to do, because he obviously respected Daniel and saw something in him. But when he throws him in there, what does he do? He acknowledges an almighty God. He acknowledged a God and he was now to the place that he knew there was nothing else he could do to stop what had been done. He had to throw Daniel into the lion's den. But now he is acknowledging an almighty God whom he knew from the way that Daniel lived his life, and he is acknowledging that he is the only one that can rescue him from the lion's den. How powerful is that? Guys?
Speaker 1:Sometimes it is the biggest struggles in your life that God uses for you to be able to show his sovereignty to others, for you to be able to show your true faith in what he can do in your life, no matter how big the challenge is that you're facing today. Remember this story. Remember what Daniel's response was straight to God, straight to his knees, where he had always been, no matter the consequences. And remember, because of his faithfulness, because of the way he lived his life, because his focus was on Jesus, people who did not know God began acknowledging God based on the faith that Daniel showed. And if you know how the story ends, you know God sent an angel, sealed the mouths of the lions and rescued him from that den. God is with you. God will rescue you, no matter what. Use the opportunity, use the struggle that you're in today in order to make him known to those around you. I love you guys. Have a great day.