Starting
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Daniel 6:1–5
These verses are the setting for the well known story of Daniel and the Lions Den.
When people hear the name Daniel, many immediately think of Daniel in the lions’ den.
Even people with very little church background have often heard that story.
But many do not know the whole picture behind it.
Daniel was a young Jewish man who had been taken captive from Judah into Babylon.
He had been carried away from his homeland and placed in a pagan empire.
And yet Daniel kept walking with God.
By the time we come to Daniel 6, Daniel is no longer a young man.
He is now an older servant of God who has lived through multiple kings, multiple transitions, and many years in a foreign land.
He has already faced temptation, pressure, and danger.
He has already made hard choices to remain faithful.
And now, after all those years, the Bible says he stood out above the other leaders because “an excellent spirit was in him.”
That is important because Daniel did not become that man overnight.
He did not wake up one morning and suddenly have courage, wisdom, and strength.
God had been shaping him for years.
His public testimony had been built through private faithfulness.
That is exactly why Daniel is such a fitting example for a sermon on habits.
Most people do not become the person they hope to be in one dramatic moment.
They become that person one repeated choice at a time.
They get there by repeating what seems small.
It is lived in the repeated choices we make when nobody is clapping, nobody is watching, and nothing seems especially important in that moment.
But those moments matter.
Those choices matter.
Those habits matter.
If we want to become who God wants us to become, then we cannot merely admire godliness from a distance.
We must begin building it through daily, deliberate faithfulness.
Today, my hope is for all of us to learn one main truth: God often builds a life of unusual strength through small habits of ordinary faithfulness.
I. Great Lives Are Usually Built In Small Moments
I. Great Lives Are Usually Built In Small Moments
3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
That is a remarkable statement.
Out of all the leaders in the kingdom, Daniel stood out.
A. His Distinction Was Visible
A. His Distinction Was Visible
There was something about Daniel that could be seen.
The text says he was preferred above the others.
He rose above them in the eyes of the king.
It means the quality of his life could not be hidden.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
A godly life will eventually become visible.
When Christ is shaping a life, that work will begin to show.
Daniel’s visible strength was the result of years of invisible faithfulness.
B. His Distinction Was Spiritual
B. His Distinction Was Spiritual
The text does not only say Daniel was skilled.
It says there was “an excellent spirit” in him.
That means his greatest strength was not merely intelligence, personality, or leadership ability.
There was something deeper.
There was something inward.
There was something spiritual.
That matters because we live in a world that often values image over character.
But, God is always working deeper than appearance.
In 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to look for the new King.
When he saw the first born, strong, handsome and the look of a leader.
Samuel said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is her standing before me.
But in I Samuel 16:7 we see the Lord speak.
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
God is not merely interested in what we can do.
He is interested in who we are becoming.
Daniel stood out because God had been doing a work on the inside.
That inward life began to shape his outward life.
Godly habits are not merely about becoming more efficient.
They are about making room for God to shape the inward life.
C. His Distinction Was Developed
C. His Distinction Was Developed
An excellent spirit did not appear in Daniel overnight.
This had been forming in him for years.
Back in Daniel 1, he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
That was one decision.
In Daniel 2, he sought God when others panicked.
That was another decision.
Again and again, in one moment after another, Daniel kept choosing faithfulness.
Each of those moments was part of the shaping process.
That is how godly habits work.
No single act may seem impressive by itself.
But over time, repeated obedience becomes character.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
The harvest of godly character usually comes through patient faithfulness.
II. Strong Testimony Is Formed By Consistent Faithfulness
II. Strong Testimony Is Formed By Consistent Faithfulness
Verses 4 and 5 tell us that Daniel’s enemies began looking for fault in him.
Success brought scrutiny.
Attention brought pressure.
But when they examined his life, they found something rare.
A. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Work
A. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Work
Verse 4 says they “could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful.”
What a statement.
Daniel was faithful.
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
That means our daily responsibilities are not small in the eyes of God.
The way we work matters.
The way we carry out tasks matters.
The way we respond to ordinary duty matters.
Sometimes people act as though only “spiritual” activities matter.
But the Bible does not divide life that way.
Daniel’s faithfulness in government affairs was part of his testimony before God.
He worked in such a way that even hostile men could not find corruption in him.
A Christian should not be the laziest worker in the building.
A Christian should not be known for cutting corners.
A Christian should not be careless with responsibility.
Faithfulness in ordinary work is one of the places where godliness becomes visible.
B. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Character
B. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Character
The text says there was no corruption in him.
That is more than competence.
That is integrity.
It is possible for a person to be gifted without being godly.
It is possible to be impressive without being honest.
It is possible to be successful in the eyes of men and crooked in the eyes of God.
9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: But he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
Integrity gives stability to a life.
A believer with godly character has a foundation that can hold under pressure.
Daniel’s enemies wanted to bring him down.
They searched for weakness.
They looked for a crack in the wall.
But the strength of his private life had become the stability of his public testimony.
Daniel did not have two lives.
He did not have a public life and a hidden life moving in opposite directions.
He was the same man in the open that he was in secret.
That is why his enemies could not find corruption in him.
C. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Consistency
C. Faithfulness Showed Up In His Consistency
The reason Daniel’s enemies eventually targeted his worship was because they knew his devotion to God was settled.
It was not occasional.
Later in the chapter, Daniel prays “as he did aforetime.”
That phrase is so important.
He did not suddenly become spiritual because he was in danger.
He already had a pattern of seeking God.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: And he shall hear my voice.
That kind of regular dependence on God does not make a man weak.
It makes him strong.
The consistency of Daniel’s devotional life became the backbone of his testimony.
He did not stand in the lions’ den because he found courage in one moment.
He stood there because he had already learned to kneel before God many times before.
That is where the lesson becomes very personal.
We often think the dramatic moment is the most important moment.
But the dramatic moments are often shaped by many ordinary moments that came first.
He had already built habits of faithfulness.
He had already made room for God in daily life.
III. If You Want A Different Future, You Must Start Somewhere
III. If You Want A Different Future, You Must Start Somewhere
This is where the message turns from Daniel’s example to our own lives.
Daniel’s story is not in the Bible for admiration only.
It is there for instruction.
A. You Do Not Drift Into Godliness
A. You Do Not Drift Into Godliness
No one accidentally becomes a strong Christian.
No one stumbles into a disciplined prayer life.
No one floats into wisdom, holiness, and spiritual usefulness.
7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
Godliness is not earned by works, but it is pursued through spiritual discipline.
There must be intention.
There must be surrender.
There must be repeated choices.
That is why many believers stay discouraged.
They want change, but they have never really started.
You cannot keep feeding the same patterns and expect a different destination.
You cannot keep living by impulse and become a person of discipline.
You cannot keep neglecting the Word and become strong in truth.
You cannot keep skipping prayer and become deeply dependent on God.
If the future is going to be different, something has to begin now.
B. Small Beginnings Matter More Than We Think
B. Small Beginnings Matter More Than We Think
Sometimes people hear a sermon on habits and feel defeated before they begin.
They think, “I need to change everything.”
And because that feels overwhelming, they change nothing.
But Scripture repeatedly teaches us not to despise what is small.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? …
God does not mock small beginnings.
God rejoices in them when they are steps of faithfulness.
A short prayer may seem small.
Reading one passage may seem small.
Turning off a distraction may seem small.
Writing one note of encouragement may seem small.
Getting up when the alarm rings may seem small.
But those choices matter because they are shaping direction.
Never underestimate what God may do through one small, repeated act of obedience.
A seed is small, but life is in it.
A spark is small, but fire can spread from it.
A habit may feel small, but it can begin to change the course of a life.
Some of the greatest changes in life do not begin with a giant leap.
They begin with one small step taken again and again.
C. Starting Must Connect To Who You Want To Become
C. Starting Must Connect To Who You Want To Become
This is where we must remember the truth from sermon 1.
Who Before Do.
We do not start habits merely to become more efficient people.
We start habits so that our daily life begins to reflect who God calls us to be.
If I want to be a man of God, then I need habits that feed that identity.
If I want to be a godly husband, then I need habits that support that calling.
If I want to be a faithful parent, then I need habits that serve that responsibility.
If I want to be spiritually useful, then I need habits that align my life with God.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Because of who we are in Christ, we begin to order life accordingly.
So the question is not just, “What would improve my life?”
The question is, “Who does God want me to become, and what small habit would help me walk in that direction?”
That changes everything.
IV. One God-Honoring Habit Can Begin To Reshape A Life
IV. One God-Honoring Habit Can Begin To Reshape A Life
What should you start.
The answer will not be the same for everyone.
But the principle is the same.
A. Choose One Habit, Not Twenty
A. Choose One Habit, Not Twenty
If you try to start everything at once, you will probably keep none of it going.
But one clear step can become a faithful beginning.
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
The author there challenges us to run wiht patience the race that is set before us.
That means there is a race for you.
There is a next step for you.
And wisdom says, start there.
Maybe your one habit is Bible before phone.
Maybe it is prayer before sleep.
Maybe it is reading Scripture with your children.
Maybe it is attending church faithfully.
The point is not to impress anyone.
The point is to begin.
A man who tries to lift the whole load at once may not move anything.
But a man who starts with one faithful step can begin real progress.
In the same way, one wise habit can become the beginning of real spiritual change.
B. Make Your Habit Obvious And Attainable
B. Make Your Habit Obvious And Attainable
Wisdom helps obedience.
If we know we are weak, we ought to build in helps.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:
God honors wise structure.
The ant does not wait for inspiration.
It operates with pattern and order.
If you want to read the Bible in the morning, put it where you will see it.
If you want to pray with your children, connect it to bedtime.
If you want to journal gratitude, leave the notebook open where you sit.
If you want to stop rushing in the morning, prepare the night before.
This is not fleshly self-help.
This is simply recognizing that discipline often grows best when obedience is made plain and practical.
Sometimes spiritual failure is not only a matter of desire.
Sometimes it is also a matter of lack of planning.
Daniel had patterns.
Daniel had settled practices.
Daniel had rhythms that made faithfulness easier to continue.
C. Let The Habit Reinforce Your Identity
C. Let The Habit Reinforce Your Identity
Each time Daniel prayed, he was not merely completing a routine.
He was reinforcing who he was.
He belonged to God.
He depended on God.
He sought God.
In the same way, each godly habit can become a reminder of identity.
When you pray, you are saying, “I am dependent on God.”
When you open the Bible, you are saying, “I am a person who needs truth.”
When you gather with God’s people, you are saying, “I belong to Christ and His body.”
When you lead your family spiritually, you are saying, “This is who God has called me to be.”
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Obedience reinforces identity.
It is not how we earn Christ.
It is how we begin to live out life in Christ.
This is why starting matters.
One step may seem small.
But repeated over time, it begins to shape what kind of man, what kind of woman, what kind of child, what kind of Christian you are becoming.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Daniel did not become distinguished in a day.
He did not become faithful in a crisis without first being faithful in daily life.
He did not suddenly become a man of courage when danger came.
He had been becoming that man over time.
And that is the message for us.
Do not wait for a dramatic breakthrough before you obey God.
Do not sit around wishing for a different future while repeating the same patterns.
Do not despise the power of small beginnings.
God often starts something big through something small.
A prayer.
A verse.
A choice.
A routine.
A repeated act of obedience.
So ask yourself honestly:
Who does God want me to become?
And based on that answer, what one habit do I need to start?
Not twenty.
Not everything.
One.
One habit that moves you in the right direction.
And then start.
Start small.
Start sincerely.
Start today.
Because great lives of faith are usually not built in one dramatic moment.
They are built when ordinary believers keep taking the next faithful step with God.
