Habits That Work | Pastor Phil Kniesel

What do you do when life throws you a curveball? This week Pastor Phil Kniesel unpacks one of the most well-known stories in Scripture, Daniel in the lion’s den.  We look at how discipline, consistency, and trust in God prepare us for life’s hardest moments.

Daniel didn’t wait for a crisis to decide how he would respond, he built habits that grounded his faith long before the trial came. This message reminds us that spiritual habits like prayer and trust aren’t about perfection, but about choosing consistency over time.

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Transcript

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- Hey, this is Phil Kal, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Have you ever had one of those nights where you just couldn't sleep? Sure you have. You lay there, you're tossing and turning until finally you do what a lot of us do. You get up and you scroll through your phone or you turn on the TV and suddenly you're watching or you come across the weirdest infomercials thinking, you know what? I really do need some spray on hair . You know, I'm convinced these things are amped up late at night because they prey on the unsuspecting, overly tired, not thinking clearly. Consumers, on a normal day you would laugh at Snuggies, you'd question why sauna pants exist and you would never buy a product called SL Stopper. But at two 13 in the morning, everything makes sense. That was me, early thirties up at night and suddenly I'm watching a P 90 X infomercial thinking 90 days to a shredded body. Nice. I will become Iron Man three days into it. True story. I thought I was having a heart attack. And so I did what any responsible adult would do. I checked myself into the hospital, not my proudest moment, but I learned something. Wanting to change is easy. Staying disciplined is the hard part. Daniel teaches us that disciplined is formed habits in action. Now we're into our fourth week of our series entitled Uncomfortable, a series where we've been asking what it means to follow Jesus faithfully in a world that isn't exactly faithful to him. And we've been looking at the Old Testament book of Daniel, which tells us the life story of Daniel. He, along with his entire nation, we're taken from their hometown Jerusalem and forced to live in exile in a place called Babylon, which is modern day Iraq. Babylon was this godless culture with a different set of rules and a place where nothing felt familiar. And at the time, Daniel was 16 years old. And because of his skills and his potential, he was taken into the king's palace and trained to work for him. And he's so good that decade after decade he's promoted, he's trusted, he's favored. Daniel knew how to live in a culture that was antigo and yet have influence and impact something that all of us should strive for. And Aki to his favor was discipline. He built habits that became foundational no matter what he faced. Daniel illustrates that even in the hardest moments of life, our habits determine how we get through. And so friend, I just wanna ask you, what happens when life throws you a curve ball? How about those Js by the way, too soon too. Okay, I get it. All right. But seriously, what happens when life throws you a curve ball? Maybe you're in a situation like that today. Do you have habits that work when life tosses you or do you fly off the handle? Do you start to panic? Do you worry? Do you stress? I wanna take you to one of the most well-known stories of the Bible, probably next to David and Goliath. It's the occurrence of Daniel in the lion's den. If you're new to church, you might hear this for the first time. If you've been in church for a while, maybe you saw this on a felt board sometime in your life. It's founded Daniel chapter six. And at this time, Daniel is around 80 years old. And I might say still at the top of his game, just for a moment, I wanna speak to the seniors in the house. Listen, your influential days do not need to be behind you. God doesn't retire calling and purpose. If you're not dead, God's not done. It's that simple. You still matter and you still have purpose. See, at this point, Daniel's 80 years old and he's serving under a king called Darius. This is actually the third king that he served under. And Daniel was the guy every king wanted to keep. No one got rid of him because he was that good. So what keeps someone at the top of their game at 80 years old, consistency over a lifetime or said differently? Discipline. Discipline is defined as the practice of training for a code of action or behavior. It's the way to create habits. It's choosing what you know you should do. It's kind of synonymous with self-control. And discipline is not quick results. Rather it's the results we all want over the long haul. So friend, let me ask you, how disciplined are you? Best way to answer that is to look at your habits. You know, maybe, maybe you want to exercise more. Maybe you want to eat healthier. Maybe you wanna read more or engage with less screen time. Maybe you want better financial stewardship or you just want a more deep, intimate walk with Jesus. Wanting to change is easy. Disciplining yourself to get there is the more challenging part. So how disciplined are you? And when it comes to our walk with Jesus, small habits done consistently. Build big faith that stands when the lions roar. This leans into the mission of our church to love God and build passionate, stable followers of Jesus. And being stable means you've built those consistent habits over time.'cause we all need to be ready when life throws us a curve ball. We all need to be ready when we find ourselves in the lion's dead. And Daniel gives us the perfect example. And so I'm gonna read from Daniel chapter six. If you got a Bible, pull it up or pull it out. I'm gonna read a lot of chapter six today. This is how it begins. It please Darius to appoint 120 sat traps to rule throughout the kingdom with three chief ministers over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer for loss. And so satraps were kingdom protectors. Daniel was one of three of these guys who would oversee 120 individuals and then they would oversee all of Babylon. It goes on. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the chief ministers and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. So the plan was to put Daniel in charge of everything. Age didn't compromise his skill or his ability. He distinguished himself. And you don't just land there by default. This happens with a disciplined life. And so Daniel's about to get promoted. He's about to become the king's right hand man. And what looks like a promotion from the outside introduces a lot of trouble from the inside.'cause the other two administrators and the satraps, they get jealous. They didn't want this. And in fact, when you think about it, Daniel was still the outsider, the foreigner. He was the one who didn't belong. And so they hatched a plan to bring them down. This is what we read at this. The chief ministers and the sat traps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs. But they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. So they went after his work. They thought, okay, this guy has to mess up somewhere. He's got to drop the ball in some way. So they started checking his emails, his receipts, his browser history, and they found nothing. And listen again to how the Bible describes him. Trustworthy, not corrupt, not negligent. Other versions say he was faithful, always responsible, totally exemplary. He was the employee you could count on. He would show up on time. He would do more than what was asked. He he never took any money on the side. He never took office supplies home. Daniel stood out, he was trustworthy, not corrupt, not negligent. And I could preach a whole sermon on that alone of how to be great Christian workers. But in a nutshell, I'm just gonna say this, three baseline things that will always make you stand out. Number one, do what you say you will do. Number two, don't take shortcuts. And number three, work like God is watching because he is. See, these guys couldn't find anything wrong with Daniel's work ethic. So check out what they say next. They say, we will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel, unless it has something to do with the law of his God. We've exhausted all options. This guy's doing amazing at his job. We can't mess with him unless we hit him where it hurts in his commitment to his God. Here's an important insight. Opposition isn't proof. God has abandoned you. Opposition can be proof that you are a threat to darkness. I was just talking to a group of our young adults last week who were at our house after the project service. And by the way, I was at the project service last Sunday night. Man, I gotta tell you, there is a hunger for God. There was over 1300 young adults pressing in, seeking God. It was incredible. God is doing something in our young adult community. So grateful for that. Yeah, give it up. I mean that is awesome. And when they were hanging out at our place and someone said, pastor Phil, you know, the closer I get to God and the bolder I become for him, the more it seems like things go wrong in my life. And I'm like, it's because you're a threat to the God of this age. That's because now you're getting serious in your faith. I have consistently seen and experienced this truth in my own life. The more you do for God, the bigger target you have on your back. In fact, I've heard it said, the moment you make the decision to follow Jesus is the moment you get a target on your back. Paul, a writer, a writer in the New Testament says it this way, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, it's not against people, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And Daniel, he lived this. He wasn't targeted because he was weak, but because he was consistent, the enemy doesn't go after people doing nothing. He goes after those making an impact. And so remember sometimes when things go wrong, it's opposition. And opposition says you're doing something right. And I told the young adults, you know, actually guys, I'd be more concerned in my faith journey with Jesus if there wasn't any opposition. And so these guys, they go after Daniel's beliefs which tells us his beliefs were known, they weren't hidden. People knew that he followed God and check out what they did. So these chief ministers and satraps went as a group to the the king and said, may King Darius live forever. The royal ministers prefects sat traps. Advisors and governors have all agreed, which is not true because Daniel's part of that. He did not agree that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any God or human being during the next 30 days except to you, your majesty shall be thrown into the lion's den. Now your majesty issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance with the law of the medias and Persians which cannot be repealed. So King Darius put the decree in writing. So the law's passed, no one's allowed to pray to anyone except the king. And at this point Daniel, he had three options. Option number one, he could have stopped praying. I mean it was only for 30 days. He could have reasoned, well what's the big deal if I take a month off? Plus he could have prayed in his head and no one would know. Number two, he could have freaked out and went to the king. And maybe with his pull, his influence and position petitioned the law. Or number three, he could have kept on doing what he's always done. So what did he choose? Let's read on, I love this verse, Daniel six 10. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room and he freaked out. No to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. That's his hometown. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. I love those words, those last six words. Just as he had done before for Daniel, nothing changed with God. When everything around him changed, he kept on doing what he always did. He kept on praying. Why? Because he had predecided long ago that prayer was a discipline that three times a day, morning, afternoon, and night, I'm gonna seek God. He had a pattern, a habit, a spiritual muscle memory. And in crisis he didn't hesitate. He just did as he had done before Hope City. Often a crisis doesn't create your faith. A crisis reveals the faith you've built. So many times in our trial, our first response is fear. It's panic, it's frustration. It could be sadness, anger, stress, it can be whatever. But for Daniel, he didn't do any of that. He built a habit. And because of this, when faced with a scenario that could have easily ended his life, he did what he had always done. He prayed. Prayer was his first response, not his last resort. And friends, my desire for you is that this would be set of your life as well. That in the trial, in the thick of things, instead of trying to manipulate the situation, prayer is your first response. Folks, prayer is a privilege. We get to come to the throne room of God, we get access to the creator and sustainer of the universe. We have an audience with God who cares about the intimate details of our life. And when he, when we call out to him, he hears us. When we pray, we're saying, okay, God, I trust you. Here's my life. In fact, prayer is the ultimate sign of trust. And at some point in Daniel's life, he disciplined himself to pray three times a day He had preci his lifeline to God. And here's the truth, if you haven't predecided your plan to get to know God, chances are you aren't going to get to know God. And I'm sure you've heard this before, if you have no plan, you're planning to fail. You need to pre decide habits that build consistency in your faith so that when the storms come, you aren't inconsistent. So that when the lions roar you aren't shaken. So that when the hard news hits you do what you have always done. Pre decide today on the habits that you need tomorrow, friends on the things that build your spiritual muscle. And it's gonna look different for each of us. But I wanna tell you what I do. I started this many, many years ago and each night before we go to bed, I read one chapter in the Bible and I spent some time in prayer. And then each morning I spend extended time in prayer. And this has been a discipline that I've been doing for decades and and it's just become habit in my life. No matter what, life throws my way, your pre decisions determine how deeply you know God and your pre decisions determine your response in the trial. And I want you to notice something else that was said about Daniel here. It says, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God. He was able to stand before people because he had knelt before God. When life gives you something that can knock you down, when life gives you more than you can take friends, you kneel before God and you say, I'm nothing before you God, I need you. You give me the strength, you give me the portion, you are my everything. And when you kneel before him, he gives you the strength to stand. And here's, here's what's arresting. He also gave thanks. And I'm like, for what? For? Thank you God. I get to go to the lions who says that no one, Daniel once again shows us that nothing changed in his relationship with God when everything around him changed. Giving thanks is what he always did. It shows he trusted God before the trial and he's still gonna trust God in the trial. So trust says, here's my life, Lord, everything I am, I'm gonna place it into your hands. Trust doesn't waiver, it doesn't back down, it doesn't fear trust says, I'm gonna do what I have always done. And listen, Daniel didn't know the end of the story when he was in the middle of the story. He didn't know he would be a kid's church lesson and make a cameo on veggie tails. He had no idea of the outcome. He was in the trial and he was gonna respond like he always did. And so if you read on it says these royal officials found Daniel praying to God so disobeying the new law and they go and report him to the king. And this upsets the king because he really liked Daniel and he did everything in his power to try and save him. But the law was the law and it couldn't be retracted. And so let's read what happens next. So the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, may your God whom you serve continually, I love that line, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles. So that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him and he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguish voice. Daniel servant of the living God has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions. Daniel answered, may the king live forever. My God sent his angel and he shut the mouse 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. Your majesty. 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. What a miraculous moment. Daniel trusted God with the outcome. He did what he always did. And then God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions. And that means the whole night in the lion's den, Daniel was at peace. And friends, I wanna speak something to you today. If you're in the lion's den, if you're in a situation that seems unbearable, remember when God holds you, the world can't take your peace. See, God didn't remove the lions from Daniel. He removed their ability to harm him. And God may not remove your situation, but he's gonna protect you. He's gonna fight for you. He will go before you. He is your refuge and strength. He gives peace in the middle of it all. So whatever you are facing, coming up against reeling about God is working, he's protecting, he's moving and he's present. Often crisis doesn't create your faith crisis reveals the faith you've built. And what we see with Daniel is that he did his part and he trusted God with the rest. And this is a scriptural premise. Noah was disciplined to build an arc and he trusted God for the rain. Abraham was disciplined with packing up and moving and he trusted God with the location. Peter was disciplined to speak about the hope found in Jesus and he trusted God that people would accept and believe predecide to live a disciplined life and trust God with the results. Because if it's not a habit before the lions, it won't be a habit inside the lions. And so let me ask you, is there any area where you need to trust God more? Like notice the words of that last verse I read again. It says that when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God, he had trusted in His God has something got you rattled friend. Trust says, I'm gonna pray, I'm gonna take this to God. I'm gonna release it into God's hands. Trust says I have predetermined to believe that God is with me. Trust says I'm not gonna do this on my own. I'm gonna surrender it all to him. And it could be your future, it could be your marriage, it could be your desire for marriage, it could be your finances, it could be your fears, it could be your anxiety, it could be your anger, it could be your hopelessness. It could be a difficult situation. Is there an area where you need to trust God more? Trust in God is the outcome of stable spiritual habits. Trust in God is what keeps you strong in the trial. And you know what's, you know what's so cool about this event in Daniel's life is that it foreshadows Jesus. Check this out. An innocent man condemned just like Jesus. A stone sealed the entrance to the den just like a stone sealed the entrance to the tomb where Jesus was laid. The king checks the den. Early in the morning just as woman ran to the tomb early in the morning, Daniel emerges alive against all odds. Just like Jesus was raised from the dead against all odds, Daniel points to a greater deliverer. His rescue foreshadows, Jesus's resurrection, the defeat of sin, the defeat of death and hope unstoppable. See, the story isn't just about Daniel's surviving lions or us learning how to live the faith like Daniel, although that's amazing and that's awesome. But the story is also about God showing the world who truly rules the world, who is truly in control. And some of you, you're stressed right now. You're panicking, you're thinking the world is outta control. And in a way it is. But let me remind you, whole city, when the lions seem big, when they're hungry and insurmountable, our God is still in control. He was in control way back then when Daniel faced the lions and he's in control today when our world is spinning outta control. So church do not fear. Listen, if you're in the lions den, God is still in control. If you can't see the outcome, God is still in control. If the world seems so unstable, God is still in control. And so may you like Daniel, build habits before the crisis hits. May you like Daniel, make prayer your first priority and not your last resort. May you like Daniel, be able to trust God in and through all things. And may you like Daniel become a passionate, stable follower of Jesus.'cause here's what you need to remember. God's still in control at all times in all things. God is still in control. And that situation that kept you up last night, God's still in control. And that thing you're dreading tomorrow morning, God is still in control with the newsfeed that got you worried. God is still in control. I'm gonna ask you to stand if you are able to. I wanna close in praying for you today and as I close this morning, I'm actually gonna ask you to do me a favor and just bow your heads and close your eyes please.'cause I want to ask you three questions, just helps you focus a little bit better. And I just asking you to get honest with yourself and God. And the first question is this, what's one habit that's slipping in your life right now? I know you know the answer to that. It came to your mind immediately as soon as I asked. What's one habit that's slipping in your life right now? Begin to ask God for the discipline to rebuild it right now. Just say, God help me. I wanna make this habit real. Question number two, is there something you keep worrying about because you're afraid God won't come through? You know what that is right now? Surrender it to him. Say, God, I give you and just tell 'em what it is. I give you my kids, I give you my future. I give you my health. I surrender it to you. Question number three, what fear is stealing your peace? I want you to speak this truth over your mind and your heart right now. God, you are still in control. God, you are still- In control- For that fear. God,- You are still- In control.- Let me pray.- Lord, I thank you for The life of Daniel. I thank you for just the example He shows us of how to just live our lives, how to build habits that draw us closer to you. And so I pray for my friends here today. God, I pray that they may build strong spiritual habits in their life, that they may get to know you greater and more. That these habits are baseline things so that when the trial hits, they are things that they can depend upon and continue to do. And so may they make the decision to know you more and greater on a regular basis, help 'em in that. God, I ask that you help us to build our trust in you no matter the circumstance. If someone's worried here today, if someone's anxious here today, if someone's fearful here today, may they release it to you. And God, I pray against those things. And I pray just for your peace. I pray for your presence. I pray for your comfort and I ask that you come alongside of them. And may they know God that they can depend upon you, may faith increase inside of them and they can trust you. God, remind my friends, you are in control no matter what tomorrow looks like God is in control. And some of you, you need to own that in your circumstance today, God is still in control. You know, maybe, maybe you're with us online at a campus in the house and you've never made the decision to follow Jesus. Friend. Jesus went to the cross to die for your sins. He rose to offer you life both now and forever. And to begin a journey with him. It's just putting yourself into the posture of saying, yes, I'm gonna make that decision. I want to follow Jesus. And if you want to do that, I'm gonna pray a prayer that helps you put into words the beginning of that journey. Why don't you pray along with me? Jesus today I see my need for you. And I thank you for going to the cross, for dying, for my sins, for rising. I thank you that I'm no longer separated from God because of what you did. And so today I put my faith in you. I put my trust in you. I make you Lord and leader of my life. I say that I believe in you and help me to follow you all my days. Help me to understand what it means to have a relationship with you and God, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family. I ask as they go into this week that you surround them, that you carry them. I pray Holy Spirit, that you speak to them and through them. And God, may they be men and women who know you greater and more may they practice discipline in their life so that they understand what it means to stand strong in the trial. And I pray that as they walk out these doors, they remember God, you are still in control. So build that truth inside their hearts and minds for your glory and for your honor. And I pray this in the powerful and incredible name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. You know, if you prayed that prayer of surrendering your life to Jesus today, way to go. I'm super proud of you for doing that. And can I ask you to scan the QR code that's coming up on the screen? We'd love to get a digital booklet in your hands that talks a little bit more about knowing and following Jesus. And it's also our way to big church of trying to get to know you personally. If you're in the house and you want prayer over everything, anything or everything, we have a team that's gonna be up here at your front, left after the service and they would love to pray over and for you, hope City know this. I pray for you guys lots, love you, cheering you on as you walk out these doors today. Remember this, God is still in control. Thanks for being in church today. God bless you guys.