Live Free with Josh Howerton - Draw a Line of Resolve | Ep. 443 | Wednesday , October 16, 2024

Episode Date: October 16, 2024

How do you react when you end up in a place you never thought you would be or should ever be in? Are you passive or prepared to stand tall? “Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8 HCSB). Humbly and boldly live for God, just like Daniel. Daniel shifted the narrative and took control of his life while in Babylonian captivity. Resolved in his heart, he was going to walk in The Truth. Therefore, today, hold deeply held convictions before you are placed in tempting, high-pressure environments. Don't let the line of integrity be crossed in your heart. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. Church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive. I'm Mike Bro, and we have been walking through the story of a young guy named Daniel, this guy who ended up in a place he never dreamed he would be.

He was forced out of his home by a conquering king, then he gets thrown into his leadership academy that tries to mold him into the image of his new culture. They try to change his diet. They change his name. They try to change his allegiance to other so-called little G gods. But Daniel, he stays true to the one true God. He stays humble.

He stays kind, courageous, and consistently authentic. I mean, this guy was the real deal. And he ends up making a huge difference with his life right in the middle of Babylon. You know, when I look at his life, what's written about him anyway, there's a couple of things that jump out to me.

The first thing is this. Those who are committed to being God's best version of themselves, people who are unmistakily the real deal, they resolve in their heart to consistently honor God. They just make a decision ahead of time to honor their deepest values and convictions. They refuse to live as passive victims of their circumstances.

They refuse to get caught up in all kinds of stuff that would cause them to walk away from their deepest core values. They resolve to draw lines in their heart and consistently honor their values and God. Now, in many ways, verse 8 in the first chapter, it's kind of the hinge of the entire book of Daniel. Everything swings there. Because up until verse 8, it's the Babylonians who have determined everything.

New names, new identities, new menu. They're going to be taught to worship a new god or gods. And the easiest thing in the world would have been for Daniel to feel like he's just a passive victim of circumstances that are out of his control. But from verse 8 on, the initiative in this story shifts. Daniel, guided by his deep convictions, he takes control. Let me read it again.

But Daniel made up his mind, not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. I love that. He made up his mind. He fixed his thoughts on God. He said, I may no longer be home. They may be calling me by a different name, but I know who I am. I'm a treasure child of the Most High God, and I'm a treasure child of the most high God,

and I have made up my mind a humbly yet boldly lived for him. I'm not going to get sucked into the values of Babylon and chase things that will pull me far away from my God. And he steps out with courage and faith, that God will work in and through him, and guess what? God does. And Daniel goes to the head of the class, and over his career in Babylon,

becomes one of the most respected advisors for four different kings. You need to know that this only happens. Because when everything looked bleak, and he was up against some powerful forces, Daniel resolved in his heart. He resolved in his heart that even in the small things, he was going to walk true. He resolved in his heart that he would not get tangled up with anything

that would cause him to betray his deepest values. He drew a line in his heart ahead of time, before he got to Babylon, and resolved that he was just going to honor God with his life. And, gang, this is sure. huge. To make sure you draw a line in your heart ahead of time. To make sure you have deeply held convictions

based on the truth from a loving God. I'm telling you, it's huge when you're sitting at a party. And all of a sudden a bunch of people start getting high in the hand you adjoint. It's important in that moment that you have already drawn a line in your heart. Where you say, you know, no, I just don't do that. Or maybe more importantly to draw a line

ahead of time that says, you know, I just don't hang at those kind of parties. My son Drew was a senior in high school. Every Friday night, there were four, five, six or seven high school guys at my house all night long. And they were all guys like Daniel and his buddies. They were young, they were strong, they were cool, they were handsome, athletic, likable, intelligent guys. All of them had a lot going for them. And they chose all year long to party this way.

They would simply get pizza or Chinese food and a 12-back of Mountain Dew. And they'd play ping-pong and video games. And they would laugh and have fun together all night long. You see in their high school culture, Friday night, and alcohol and lots of other stuff that follows that flows freely, and they just simply decide it, without an obnoxious, holier-than-now kind of attitude, that instead of putting themselves in a situation that might take them down a destructive path or hinder their walk with God, they would just go ahead and draw that line in their heart ahead of time and consistently honor God. before you find yourself alone with a date on a dark lane in a park car or a lonely basement or a dorm room,

it's important that you have already drawn a line in your heart ahead of time. It's important that you already have deep values, a deep conviction that you're going to honor God. Before that lucrative business deal that requires just a tiny falsification before it crosses your desk, it's important that that line of integrity has already been drawn in your heart. You have resolved a long time ago to always deal honestly with people and consistently honor God on your job. Before you're putting a crowd where people are talking behind somebody else's back and taking shots at their reputation, or you want to jump in the comment section of a post and tell people how stupid they are and how right you are, before it's vital, that you've already drawn a line in your heart, that you just don't go there because it doesn't honor God.

before that caring, listening, understanding, good-looking fantasy guy at work comes on to you, you better have drawn a line of commitment in your heart to your husband at home. Before you start texting back and forth with a secret friend that your wife doesn't know about, you draw a line in your heart that there will be no secret friends, no secrets between the two of you. Daniel just decided, before he ever got to Babylon, I'm going to live a God honoring life. I'm going to do life his way.

And God is calling you and me to be like Daniel. And I don't know what decisions you're facing or what kind of situation you're finding yourself in these days, but I do know that this is your life. And you must resolve in your heart to do the right thing and honor God, even in the small things. And you can do this. If you're going to survive and thrive in Babylon,

you've got to do it. Even today, the Holy Spirit will remind you, with the boundaries. He will remind you where the line is drawn. And when you're tempted to cross that line, he will also provide a way of escape. He promises to do that. So choose to listen well and just walk with him today. And I can't wait to unpack the rest of this story with y'all. So come on back tomorrow. Have a great day walking with God. See you then. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our Church Online live weekend services on Saturdays and Sundays.

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