Discover the Power of One, Part 4

Up next, a challenging teaching from Daniel, Chapter 6, on this episode of Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yussa.

Listen to me very carefully, please. The more you say no to sin, the more power of God works in you. And the more you say no to sin, the more power God will give you. The more you say no to sin and disobedience, the more power you receive from the hand of God.

And the opposite is true. The more you say yes to sin and disobedience, the more your spiritual immune system becomes weak. No one wants to arrive at the end of life with regrets, especially when it comes to God. Coming up next on Leading the Way, Dr. Michael Yussa offers steps to finishing well. See how prayer, sacrifice, and obedience lead to a life well lived. And do remember that Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yussa is listener supported. Learn about the Open Door Campaign, a powerful new way to stand with Dr. Yussa in sparking a spiritual awakening in the West, sharing Christ with Muslims around the world, and reaching the unreached with the Gospel.

Details at ltw.org or when you call 866-626-4356. Now listen with me as Dr. Michael Yussa begins today's message. Daniel chapter 6 without a doubt is probably the most familiar chapter in the whole of the Bible. Without a doubt, not Christians and Christians alike know that chapter. In fact, Daniel in the Den of Lion has inspired many a painting, many a book, and many an inspirational stories. But what most people miss in this chapter, including Bible commentaries and commentators and preachers, they miss something that is of uttermost importance and of incredible value in this chapter.

And that is Daniel finishing well. That's probably the most important part of this chapter for me. You say, isn't the miracle the most important thing? No, because I believe in the God who continuously perform miracles. Miracles are not new things for my God. He is forever performing miracles. He is the God of miracles. He is the God of the supernatural.

And that is why I want you to focus on the importance of finishing well. You see, at the age of 14, Daniel told the King of Babylon, the most powerful man on the face of the earth at that time, that he would not eat food that is offered to idols. And 65 years later, at the age of 81, he tells the King of Persia that he will not worship any other God but the true God. At the age of 14, he firmly took his stand for God. And here at the age of 81, he firmly takes his stand for God. What a life. What a legacy.

What an incredible role model for all of us, whether you're 8 or 80. And now I want you to turn with me to the Bible, please, to Daniel chapter 6. With this in mind, I want you to follow with me three things here that we're going to find are required to finishing well. Three things are required to finishing well. First, in verses 1 to 9, is being continuously alert to the temptations of the devil. Secondly, verses 10 to 17, is being anchored in the past testimony. And thirdly, is being assured of the promised triumph, verses 18 to 28.

To finish well is to be always on the alert. To be always conscious of the fact that temptations surround us. That temptations are all around us. That temptation may vary from age to age, but everybody from the youngest to the oldest will continuously face temptation. In Daniel's case, he is now so powerful, he is on top of the world, even the king is thinking of making him to be a deputy king.

That is the highest you can get over all the other districts. And he could have easily said, you know, I survived the Babylonian empire. I survived King Nebuchadnezzar. I have survived King Belshazzar. I have survived so many trials and temptations in life. I have survived 60 years of pressure and temptation.

I am in a high position with the new king. I am now safe from temptation. Big mistake.

Big mistake. He could have said to himself, like David did, after all his victories and after all his successes, he said, now I can take it easy. And you know, David failed and sinned, not as a young man, but as an older man. He could have said to himself, now, subconsciously at least, let me place my confidence in who I am and where I stand with this new king. Daniel would not stumble over his blessing. David did.

Why? Because he knew that Satan is forever scheming. He knew that Satan is forever plotting. He knew that Satan is forever tempting all of us. And so Daniel's colleagues and those who reported to him, his staff, became the instruments of Satan to trick him. And they came to the king with words of flattery.

And they set the trap. Beloved, I want to tell you, flattery is dangerous. That's why the Bible calls it a sin. Because you know what flattery does? Flattery has a marvelous effect on people. Flattery actually appeals to the person's pride.

Flattery often blinds us to the facts. And so these plotting politicians came to the king with words of flattery and asked him to make a rule, to make a law that is never to be broken. What is that law that the king was enacting? Is that for 30 days, now I want you to underline 30 days in your Bible. If you don't write it down, if you're taking notes, write it. 30 days. It's very important. 30 days.

Underline it. No one worships any other god except the king. And once that law is signed by the king, it can never be changed. Now this of course placed Daniel in a terrible predicament. Should he miss church? It's only for 30 days. Should he miss intimacy with God? It's only for 30 days. Should he miss daily worship of God? It's only for 30 days.

Should he miss fellowshipping with God? But it's only for 30 days. It's not forever. See that's where the cunning and the clever conniving of these people comes in. It's devilish. It's incredible temptation.

30 days is not long time. Believers, I want to tell you something. I believe seldom will the devil comes to you and says abandon your faith. I personally doubt that. I doubt whether the devil will come to any believer, any faithful man or woman of God and say walk out on your faith.

I just doubt that very much. But you know what he would do? He would come to you and say well it's only for 30 minutes. 30 days. 30 weeks. It's only for a short period of time.

Why? Because the devil knows that the first step toward unfaithfulness is the hardest for him and the easiest for us. And he knows that. That's why it was 30 days. It wasn't forever. It wasn't for a year.

It was only for a short period of time. And so finishing well requires being alert to the constant temptation of the devil. Secondly, to finish well needs you to be anchored in the past testimony.

Look at verses 10 all the way to 17. What would I have done if I were Daniel? And here's the word that hey I'm going to be thrown in the den of lions.

I'm going to be honest with you. I most likely would have panicked, number one. I would have panicked. And then I would have gone to the king. As soon as I heard the news I would have gone to the king.

I would pound on his door. Listen king, you know these guys tricked you to get to me. I'm the object.

That's who they're after. But king, you know I'm faithful. You know I've been faithful to you and your predecessors. You know my reputation. I've kept my nose clean.

I'm the only official who have never received a bribe. King, you got to understand. You got to know and you know and you know king and I would have declared all my qualifications before the king. But not Daniel. That's why he's a challenge to me.

About to be a challenge to you. He didn't do this. He did not stumble over his blessing.

Now look at verse 10. Verse 10 says that he carried on his usual schedule. Just as he did every single day. He was unshakable. He was immovable. He was not changed. And he was unaffected.

But you know why? Because he was anchored in his past testimony. He was affirmed by the past intervention of God in his life and in history. He was trusting in his past experience with God. You know what the problem with most Christians today is? I'm going to tell you something.

Whenever we face a crisis, whenever we face a problem, whenever we face a challenge, most of us panic. Instead of doing what Daniel did back yonder, I stood for God. I took my stand on the power of God and God delivered me and he will do it again.

He'll do it again. We now say, yeah, yeah, yeah, well God did something in my life in the past. Yeah, he saved me. Yes, he intervened in my life. Yes, I remember this incident when God really was supernaturally evident in my life. Yes, yes, yes, but will he do it again?

Not that he will do it again, but will he do it again? Daniel's strength was that he had learned to trust in God's past intervention as evidence of God's intervening in the future and in the present. Daniel's strength was that he had developed confidence in the power of God. Daniel's strength that he had 65 years of experiencing God working in his life and that counted for something. Nothing was going to change that. Daniel's strength was that for 65 years he was able to say no to sin.

Listen to me very carefully please. The more you say no to sin, the more power of God works in you and the more you say no to sin, the more power God will give you. The more you say no to sin and disobedience, the more power you receive from the hand of God and the opposite is true.

The more you say yes to sin and disobedience, the more of your spiritual immune system becomes weak and your resistance becomes weak and the power of God cannot work in your life until you become dry bone. Now I am convinced that the real den of lions was not where Daniel was thrown. Some of you are saying, hey Michael, you're changing the Bible.

No, no, no, I want to explain to you. The real den of lions was not where Daniel was thrown in. The real den of lions was Daniel's prayer closet.

That's the real den of lions. For it was in his prayer closet that Daniel had learned that he would rather lose his life than lose his testimony. And if you had said to Daniel, Danny boy, it's only for 30 days, he would have said to you, not even 30 seconds. Daniel, when you were young and you had nothing to lose and you were poor and you were powerless, that was alright to stand for God and not worried about losing anything. But now, now it's different Daniel. Now you are affluent, now you are rich, now you are privileged, now you are at the height of your career, now you are at the zenith of your glory.

How can you do that just for 30 days of compromise? I'm convinced that Daniel's prayer closet was a war room and every faithful believer understand this fact, that you win or lose a spiritual battle in your prayer closet before you ever get into the battlefield. It's like the man who started praying and he said, Lord I thank you that I have not sinned at all today. Lord I thank you that I've never lied or cheated today, thank you Lord.

I've never done anything wrong, nothing to defend you, I've never broke any of your laws today. Oh but Lord, I'm about to get out of bed right now. When Daniel prayed, he prayed toward Jerusalem. Some of you are probably asking what does that mean? You see Jerusalem was a city of promise. It was a city of promise and those in exiles prayed toward Jerusalem. You see Daniel believed the word of God that came to God's people through the prophet Jeremiah. As a young boy he heard the prophet Jeremiah speaking and the prophet Jeremiah was saying to God's people that because of your idolatry, because of your disobedience, because of your stiff necks, because of your constant running after other God, God is ticked off and he is going to send the Babylonians and they're going to take you into exile and they're going to take you for 70 years at 7-0 and after 70 years, supernaturally, God is going to bring you back.

And Daniel prays toward Jerusalem because it's a city of promise. He literally was, what he was doing, he was kneeling on the promises of God. He was kneeling on the promises of God, he looked at his time and he said, God, Jeremiah said it will be 70 years and the time is drawing near for you to fulfill your promise. I am kneeling on your promise. I wonder how many of us would kneel on the promise of God no matter who says what to you. Even if they tell you it can't work, even if they tell you it's impossible, even if they tell you, you say I am kneeling on the promises of God, like Daniel. And that's exactly what he was doing here. He was kneeling on the promises of God. Most Christians pray on the run and they ever take hold of God and would not let go.

That's what Daniel was doing. Finishing well means alert to the temptation, constant temptation. Secondly, anchored in the past testimony and thirdly, assured of the triumphant promise. Look at verses 18 to 28. In fact, I really don't want you to miss verse 18.

It is absolutely hilarious. Any of you a sense of humor, you would have laughed when you read that verse. Who is having the sleepless night here? Who's having the sleepless night? Did you get it? Say amen.

Yeah, I'm glad you did. Not Daniel. The king is the one who is having the sleepless night.

Poor guy. Because you see as soon as Daniel was lowered down in the den of lions, those lions went into a special formation where they formed a very nice bed for Daniel to sleep on. And he lied on those cuddly things. And he slept like a baby. But the king who is living in the lap of luxury could not sleep.

He was tossing and turning. I want you to hear me right please. God promised victory and triumph to his faithful children and God ain't gonna change his mind. You notice I said his faithful children? Because listen to me, we live in an age where so many evangelical Christians are running around claiming the promises of God. They think that God gives victory and triumph to everybody. To the indiscipline, to the person who doesn't spend time with God, to the person who's not faithful with God. But I cannot find that anywhere in the scripture. We often think that God will give victory and triumph to everybody. We want to succeed without faithfulness. We want to receive the blessings without meeting the conditions of the blessings. And that is why you see how God delivers his faithful servant and he delivers him not out of trouble but in trouble. I want to tell you this as I'm coming close to the end now. I honestly and truly would rather be a child of faith in a den of lions than in the palace of the king without faith. And so the king could not wait till daylight. And it's very hard to know.

It's probably 50-50. Probably part of the king saying, gosh, those lions must have absolutely devoured Daniel. Another part of him he said, but I know the God of Daniel. I heard of the God of Daniel.

I know he's a powerful God. I saw that confidence in Daniel's eyes. So he probably was tossing and turning and going one way or the other. Well Daniel is dead, probably not. Daniel is dead, probably not.

He's going, you know, go back and forth all night until he gets up at daylight and he runs to where the den of lion is. And half expecting as he opens that and breaks his own seal, half expecting that the den of lion has become Daniel's tomb. He did not realize that it was Daniel's tabernacle. The power of God that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that kept these hungry lions from devouring Daniel. The power of God that ensured that not a single bone of the Lord Jesus Christ's body be broken kept Daniel's bones from being broken. The God who gave Jesus Christ power over death has given Daniel power over the angels of death. And I want to tell you something else. The book of Ephesians tells us the Apostle Paul said that that same power of the resurrection is working in everyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you know that? It's the problem is it goes unclaimed. It goes unclaimed because we cease to be faithful. And so I end where I began. Finishing well. Finishing well. Maybe the desire of your heart as it is the desire of mine. Finishing with greater power.

Finishing with greater strength. It all requires one thing. It requires faithfulness. And being constantly alert to the temptations of the devil by being anchored to your past testimony and to being assured of God's promise of victory as faithful children. Encouragement to finish well on this episode of Leading the Way from Dr. Michael Youssef. It's never too early or too late to start. While many of you have asked about ways to partner with Dr. Youssef, making it possible for others to grow through the teaching and the ministry of Leading the Way. Well, here's one way.

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