BE A VICTOR NOT A VICTIM

TEXT: DANIEL 1: 1-6

1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Daniel 1:1

2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
Daniel 1:2

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.
Daniel 1:3

4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”
Daniel 1:4

5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.
Daniel 1:5

6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.
Daniel 1:6

The bible says the Lord allowed the king of Judah to be captured by the king of Babylon. Babylon means the gates of the gods. So God was involve in it, even though an unpalatable situation.

So the Hebrews lost to the enemies at the gates. They were held captive. As if that was not enough, another decree came to indoctrinate them into the Babylonian life. Their identity was to be changed and they were to be placed on demonic diet.

But Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the kings meal.
Your victory start from your heart. Are you ready to give in to the enemies or take a No for an answer.

They may not be able to control their captivity into the land of Babylon because it was a territorial battle and they couldn’t win the battle. Though they weren’t strong enough to win their territorial battle, they were determined to win the battle against their soul and their identity.

Territorially they have been held captive, but they were determined to fight and maintain their identity.
You have the capacity to outgrow and overcome any battle in as much that you can maintain your identity.

What have you purposed in your heart. As long as you are not ready to give in to the pressure of the enemies, you still have a chance to win this battle. You can still come out victorious and not a victim in the strange land you have found yourself.

Daniel and his friends never saw themselves as victims. They believe they can still win this battle. Though in a strange land, they made up their minds to remain victorious no matter what. They fought it till they came out victorious.

Being held captive by the Babylonians is not the end of the battle. If you can stand your ground and follow the law of the Lord no matter what, you will come out victorious.

What helped them was their determination to stay pure and not be defiled no matter what.

In Daniel 1:15-20 ,

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.
Daniel 1:15

16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
Daniel 1:16

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
Daniel 1:17

18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 1:18

19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.
Daniel 1:19

20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Daniel 1:20

They stood out victorious and not as victims like others who were also taken to captivity along side with them.

And Daniel 2:46-47

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him .
47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret .”

No matter what we are passing through, don’t give up on God. Live your life for the master, Dare to be a Daniel, Stand out. Make sure that God is glorified in all you do and you will come out victorious even in your wilderness season.

Even Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, he never allowed his appetite to deprive him of his victory, he came out victorious.

When we focus on glorifying the master, even in our wilderness season we will come out victorious and God will also be honoured.

Written by thevictorial