Holy Habits

Holy Habits

Daniel 1:1-21; 6:10,23; 12:2-3

Welcome:

Honor & Privilege

1 Year Ago Today I was sitting at Coffee w/ Ryan and Kim

Hook: 

In 3 days…

Every December we chase the same promise — “New year, new me.”

Top 10 Resolutions 

Exercise more

Lose weight

Get organized

Learn a new skill or hobby 

Live life to the fullest

Save more money / spend less money

Quit smoking

Spend more time with family and friends

Travel more

Read more

After 1 week: ~ 77 % of people report still following their resolution.  

After 1 month: ~ 55 % remain committed.  

After 1 year: Only ~ 9 % of people who made a resolution keep it for the full year. 

But what if the goal isn’t to become a newer version of ourselves… it’s to become more surrendered to Christ?

The title of today’s message is Holy Habits. 

What holds your habits, holds your heart. 

We don’t need habits that make us good people, we need habits that make us a godlier people. 

We don’t need greater self-ambition we need greater kingdom allegiance. 

Main Idea:

We don’t need more resolutions, we need a new resolve. A resolve not built on our willpower, but one grounded in the reality that Christ is King.

Context: 

Moving from the South to the Midwest, new culture, new rhythms, new environment. Everyone thinks they’ve figured out “how to do life right.”

The South is driven by religion, tradition, appearance, and morality.

The Midwest is driven by independence, comfort, money, and productivity.

Both of these climates hold tightly to an ideology that revolves around self. My morals, my rights, my freedoms. My truth, my convenience, my life my choice.

My story. Politics. Bank account. Comfort we can touch. 

The most dangerous concept for the modern church is to have a Jesus that lets us feel good about ourselves or become entitled to comfort and convenience without surrendering to His lordship. This battle is not new.

From Eden to modern America, the temptation has never changed: You can be like God. The world can revolve around you.

This battle of self, sin, and satan vs Christ has an ending. Revelation shows us the serpent crushed, the nations confronted, and Christ reigning over all. 

We do not serve a baby in a manger we serve the King of the universe.

If God reigns then why does it feel so hard to get out of bed? Why is their temptation at work? Why is raising kids challenging? We still live in a fallen world that expresses the tension of satan being defeated at the cross and his rebellion on earth until Christ comes back. If Jesus is king, what do I do with that? How am I supposed to build a heavenly kingdom while living in an earthly one? 

How do we live for the king of kings in the presence of earthly kings? 

God’s Word gives us context. We see the people of God wrestling with this same tension in the Old Testament. They were calls to live lives of devotion and surrender. To be set apart in the ancient world and to point their neighbors to a coming messiah. Instead of living as a faithful witness many of them settled to just live for themselves. When we see God foretell of the coming judgement of babylon through the prophets we know that it wasn’t just a distant empire—it was a picture of judgment against Israel for their idolatry of comfort and convenience. God allowed Babylon to challenge His people, to call them back to total surrender.

Jeremiah reminds us of God’s plans:

“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12 CSB)

God didn’t leave the exiles helpless. He gave them commands—to seek the welfare of the city, to pray for it, to live faithfully where they were planted—even in captivity. Obedience in tension is not passive; it’s active trust in God’s plan.

Babylon was meant to strip them of self-sufficiency, comfort, and convenience. It confronted them with the reality that their lives and their allegiance belonged to God alone. It was a place where foreign gods ruled, rebellion surrounded them, and everything familiar—their home, job, friends, and culture—was stripped away.

This is exactly where Daniel enters the story. He shows how to live faithfully under the reign of earthly powers while remaining loyal to the King of the universe.

Daniel didn’t get a Top 10 list or start a revolution in Babylon—he brought a new resolve.

Daniel’s story begins in crisis. Judah is conquered, the temple treasures are taken, and Israel’s brightest are carried off to Babylon. Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are stripped of home, language, and heritage.

Daniel lived under foreign gods, in a land ruled by spiritual rebellion. Everything familiar—his home, job, friends, and culture—was stripped away. He didn’t wait for pressure to decide who he was; he decided before it came.

And centuries later, Jesus called His followers to that same daily resolve:

“If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” — Luke 9:23

This isn’t a once-a-year resolution; it’s an everyday surrender.

Text:

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his [a]god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his [b]god. 3 Then the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his [c]officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the [d]royal family and of the nobles, 4 youths in whom there was no impairment, who were good-looking, suitable for instruction in every kind of expertise, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to [e]serve in the king’s [f]court; and he ordered Ashpenaz to teach them the [g]literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king also allotted for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and ordered that they be educated for three years, at the end of which they were to [h]enter the king’s personal service. 6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abed-nego. 8 But Daniel [i]made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials. 10 The commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has allotted your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking gaunt in comparison to the youths who are your own age? Then you would [j]make me forfeit my head to the king.”11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please put your servants to the test for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be [k]examined in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and put them to the test for ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed better, and [l]they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to [m]withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables. 17 And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every kind of [n]literature and expertise; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. 18 Then at the end of the days which the king had [o]specified [p]for presenting them, the commander of the officials [q]presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they [r]entered the king’s personal service. 20 As for every matter of expertise [s]and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the soothsayer priests and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel [t]continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. - Daniel 1:1-21

Pray

How do we live for the King of kings under the rule of earthly kings? Babylon’s purpose gives us some clear answers. 

1) Babylon exposes a misplaced identity 

 (Who you are, what you believe) 

“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 eunuch not to defile himself.” -- Daniel 1:8 (CSB)

New place. New names. New culture. New identity. Everything around them says, “You belong to us now.”

 Babylon’s strategy is clear: re-form the exile into a Babylonian.

A. New Education (v. 4)

“Teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.”

This is cultural formation — shaping how they think.

B. New Diet (v. 5)

Provide “the king’s food.”

This is dependency formation — shaping what they desire.

C. New Names (v. 6–7)

Daniel (God is my judge) Hananiah (Yahweh is gracious) Mishael (Who is like God?) Azariah (Yahweh helps)

→ Becomes: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego Names that reference Babylonian gods.

This is identity formation — reshaping who they belong to.

D. New Destiny

Three years of training before “they could stand before the king.”

This is loyalty formation — shaping whom they serve.

Daniel’s resistance is simple. 

He can live in Babylon. work in Babylon, serve the king, study Babylonian literature, learn Babylonian language…but he will not let Babylon:

define his holiness

set his identity

claim his loyalty

form his conscience

He resolved that he would not defile himself (v. 8).

This is the heart of the text.

Daniel isn’t rejecting Babylon — he’s rejecting Babylon inside him.

You cold bring Daniel into Babylon but you would not bring Babylon into Daniel. 

Daniel’s quiet act of resistance—refusing the king’s food, declares, “No, I still belong to God.”

Babylon’s gods weren’t imaginary symbols. They were real rebellious powers vying for human allegiance. Daniel’s decision not to defile himself was a statement of lordship, not legalism.

Babylon told him, “You can eat what we give you, live how we tell you, serve who we serve.”

Daniel’s quiet “no” declared that God alone defines what is good.

So Daniel’s choice wasn’t just personal discipline; it was cosmic allegiance.

Our choices still carry that same weight.

Every day we choose whose rule we’ll live under, Christ’s or our own.

You can’t defeat a culture of self by trying harder, only by surrendering sooner.

Every “no” to self is a “yes” to the Savior.

Every time you say “not my will,” you’re declaring “Christ is King.”

Which leads us to our second point:

2) Babylon Test our Allegiance 

(How you behave, belief lived out)

12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. 16 So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. -- Daniel 1:12-16 (CSB)

Daniel’s request for a ten-day test is dscipleship in action. His daily discipline flows from devotion. He’s not rejecting nutrition; he’s resisting assimilation. He refuses to let Babylon feed his body in a way that would dull his spirit.

God honors faithfulness, not separation from culture.

Notice what the text actually says:

God gave them favor (v. 9)

God gave them learning (v. 17)

They were ten times wiser than the rest (v. 20)

The key? They engaged culture deeply, but belonged to God entirely. That is the Daniel 1 model.

Daniel’s daily disciplines flowed out of his devotion.

Discipline is choosing what you want most over what you want now

He refused to let Babylon determine his diet — physically or spiritually.

What you feed on, you eventually reflect.

We live in a world that doesn’t feed us steak and potatoes but screens, culture, and comfort.

We scroll through content that shapes our thinking more than Scripture ever does.

But if Christ is King, then His Word must become your diet, not your dessert.

Most modern Christians don’t reject God—they add Him to a life still ruled by self.

Daniel’s choice became his habit, and his habit became his witness.

When the nations turned from God, they began worshiping demons “that were not God.”

That’s still the danger — we form habits that revolved around self. When we worship self we long for success and comfort.

If you worship success, your habits will reflect anxiety.

If you worship comfort, your habits will reflect apathy.

If you worship Jesus, your habits will reflect holiness.

God wants more for us and from us. 

Some of us have re-committed to stepping up but we haven’t re-engaged our hearts. RPM isn’t movement if the engine’s not connected to the wheel. Re-Engage with God and His people. 

Not about how fast we can run after him into the year but how quickly we will choose to bow the knee before him:

Scripture reading isn’t just intake; it’s identity formation.

Prayer isn’t just communication; it’s consecration.

Sabbath isn’t about rest; it’s about remembering who’s in control.

Serving isn’t about tasks; it’s training your heart to love like Jesus. 

And that’s exactly what you see in Daniel’s life.

Long before the pressure came, his habits had shaped him.

Long before the crisis hit, his resolve had formed him.

After being taken from Judah to Babylon, Daniel and his friends remain faithful to God while serving in a pagan empire. They refuse the king’s food, interpret dreams, survive fiery trials, and rise to positions of influence under multiple kings. Through every change in power—from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar to Darius—Daniel’s integrity in choices and devotion through habit stand out. 

By chapter 6, envy is driving government officials to trap Daniel to remove him from power. They sought to dethrone Christ in his life. They wanted to outlaw the means with which he worshipped Jesus. 

What was Daniel supposed to do? He remained faithful. Which leads us to our third point:

3) Babylon shows us who the real enemy is

 (Who you’re becoming, long obedience in the same direction)

Daniel’s enemies cannot find fault in him professionally.

“They could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful.”

He is competent consistent honorable excellent. The only way to attack him is through his faith.

The political leaders weaponize law to target the faithful.

They persuade the king to sign a decree:

“Anyone who prays to any god or man except the king shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” (v. 7) This is the state elevating itself to divine status.

A political act becomes a religious demand.

The state becomes:

giver of life

object of worship

source of protection

definer of loyalty

This is not just politics. It is idolatry.

Daniel’s response is absolutely unchanged.

10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  -- Daniel 6:10 (CSB)

He does not:

hide

panic

rage

protest

plot

negotiate

He simply remains faithful.

The decree does not change his rhythm of devotion.

The issue is not civil disobedience — it is cosmic allegiance.

Daniel does not rebel. Daniel does not fight Babylon. Daniel simply refuses to let Babylon replace God.

The decree said:

“Only the king may receive prayer.” Daniel said:

“I will pray to the living God.”

He resists not because he hates Babylon, but because he loves the Lord.

The miracle is not that Daniel is saved from lions — but that a faithful life exposes false gods.

The king himself confesses:

“Your God… is the living God.” (v. 26)

Faithfulness under pressure reveals God’s glory. A faith that is not tested cannot be trusted. 

Daniel didn’t pray three times a day to prove a point he did it to stay faithful to God

Decades passed, kings came and went, Babylon fell and Persia rose, but Daniel’s habits stayed the same.

In a world chasing quick fixes, Daniel’s life proves that faithfulness is the long game.

Microwave vs crockpot

Consistency doesn’t always feel spiritual, but it is.

The power isn’t just in the moment you decide; it’s in the rhythm you keep.

Rhythms are simply an overflow from one thing, the only thing that changes everything, the gospel. Which leads us to our fourth point: 

4) Babylon leaves us with only one King

 (Jesus gives us the power to change)

Daniel points forward to Christ, who secured our victory.

Daniel is a remarkable example—but Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment.

Daniel resisted the pull of Babylon, but Jesus defeated the power behind Babylon.

Daniel survived a lions’ den, but Jesus walked out of a tomb.

Daniel stood blameless before earthly kings, but Jesus reigns as the King of Kings.

The gospel is not just the way we begin the Christian life—it’s the power we live by every single day.

When life presses you, when culture pulls you, when pressure rises, when temptation whispers— your strength isn’t found in trying harder, but in looking to Christ.

The gospel does several things Daniel couldn’t do:

The gospel secures our identity

You are not who Babylon says you are. You are not who culture pressures you to be. You are who Christ declares you to be— forgiven, redeemed, adopted, and sealed.

The gospel strengthens our allegiance

Your resolve flows out of what God has already done, not what you promise to do. You stand firm because Christ stood for you.

The gospel sustains our faithfulness

Faithfulness is hard. Consistency is costly. But the Spirit inside you empowers what the flesh cannot do.

The gospel fixes our eyes on eternity

Daniel’s book ends not with Babylon, not with Persia, not with political cycles— but with resurrection.

When your eyes are on the resurrection and God’s kingdom:

Pressure loses its power.

Fear loses its voice.

Temptation loses its pull.

Comfort loses its grip.

Culture loses its influence.

Babylon loses its shine.

And Christ becomes your treasure.

SCENE OF THE ALTAR

Jesus entered a greater Babylon—the fallen world—and remained perfectly undefiled. He lived His life to die for us, so that we could die to ourselves and live fully for Him.”

Daniel 12:2–3

“Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake…and those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky above.”

Daniel lived in Babylon, but he didn’t live for Babylon. He lived for the Kingdom to come.

The gospel—Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and reign—is your greatest weapon in a world fighting for your allegiance.

This battle isn’t built on highlights but on habits. 

Your daily rhythm will outlast your biggest resolution.

Resolutions depend on your effort to make change. Resolve depends on the power of God to transform.

Daniel resolved because he believed God was in control. We resolve because Christ has conquered and sits on the throne.

It’s not about behavior modification it’s heart transformation.

Goals can be anchored in good things but not always God things. Anchor your goals and growth in 2026 in knowing God and making Him known.

When you belong to Him, your habits stop being self-help routines and start becoming spiritual formation.

Holy Habits for 2026 

As your family enters 2026, build habits that keep you near the King:

1 Memorize Scripture — Daniel 1:8

2 Do hard things that stretch your faith — Daniel 1:12–13

3 Serve faithfully where God places you — inside His Church and out in His world — Daniel 1:19

4 Seek godly counsel in major decisions — Daniel 2:17–18

5 Work with integrity — Daniel 6:4

6 Meet with Jesus early and often — Daniel 6:10

7 Pray about people more than you talk about them — Daniel 9:4–5

8 Live with eternity in view — Daniel 12:2–3

Response: 

Some of you have made resolutions for what you want to do this year. 

What if today was the day we made a resolve about who we’ll become? 

What would Reach Church and our community look like?

Homes would heal. Marriages would strengthen.

Schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods would start to feel the peace of a kingdom not built by human hands.

We need Holy Habits. Not ‘new year, new me’—but ‘new resolve, same King.’”

Will you resolve to surrender everything to Jesus? 

We are going to transition into a time of response. Let’s Pray.