Determined to Honor

The confidence and pride we hold as believers should give us a distinct
internal strength. The prayer of Jesus, before he was arrested and
crucified, contained a request that God would keep us “from the evil
one” because, like Him, we are not of this world (John 17:14-16). A
Kingdom vision gives us focus and determination to live differently
from the world around us.
This focus and determination can be found in the life of Daniel. In the
first chapter, a clear and present culture shock is explained as Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azeriah were taken from their land as youths
and placed in a new land, and everything from food to even their
names was changed overnight. We may be willing to go to another
country to work for the gospel, but to be hastily uprooted, with no
return date, and to be given new and unknown customs would not be
a soothing environment. “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile
himself” (Daniel 1:8). We must decide for ourselves to resist defiling
ourselves with the culture of the world around us and honor God.  
In the challenge of combating the culture, we need to remember the
promises of the Lord: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his
Mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is
your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). To combat an outside world,
honoring God needs to be a healthy and prominent priority in our lives.