Ten Days

How do we find some certainty in our lives?

Tell the story of Daniel’s capture and overall life.

Daniel 1:5 NASB95

5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service.

Being offered comfort and choice options to entice or tempt you.

We go to comforts to distract ourselves from living in our true identity.

Daniel 1:6–7 NASB95

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.

Daniel = “God is my judge”.

Hananiah = “God has favoured”.

Mishael = “who is what God is”

Azariah = “Jehovah has helped”.

Belteshazzar = “lord of the straitened’s treasure”

Shadrach = “royal” or “the great scribe”.

Meshach = “guest of a king”.

Abed-nego = “servant of Nebo”.

Daniel 1:8 NASB95

8 But Daniel 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.

Daniel 1:8 ESV

8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

Daniel 1:8 NKJV

8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

This is what we came to talk about.

Daniel made up his mind, resolved, and purposed in his heart.

He wanted permission to eat what he knew God had said was good to eat.

Is there something God has challenged you to make up your mind, resolve, and purpose in your heart to do?

Is there something He wants you to say yes to and in turn no to something else?

What is Holy Spirit telling you to eat instead?

Maybe you are already doing this.

Maybe God told you to not do something and start doing something else already and you have been walking in that direction.

The next challenge is have you tested and purposefully looked at the results of your obedience?

He then challenged those in charge of his life to test after ten days to see who was better.

Daniel 1:12–14 NASB95

12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 “Then let our appearance be observed 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 tested them for ten days.

How do we find some certainty in our lives?

Matthew 7:24–27 NASB95

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

If we really want something certain and sure in your lives, we need to hear His voice and act on that.

Certainty comes from hearing God and acting on what you heard.

We need to make up our minds, resolve, and purpose in our heart to walk that direction.

We need to test and look at the fruit and results of those choices.

Look and see in ten days to see the results of what God is doing because of your obedience.

The fruits of the Spirit comes from looking at the fruit of following the voice of God.

Activation:

What is Holy Spirit telling you to eat?

This could be:

Praying daily, Praying over strangers, praying in tongs, instead of your phone, instead of

eating healthy, stop drinking and drinking water instead,

stopping a bad habit and adding something good in its place,

Holy Spirit could tell you what He wanting for you.

Confidence, peace, trust, loved, brave...

Test and see the fruit of your obedience.

Look in ten days of being consistent to see the benefits of what God is doing because of your obedience.

After being consistent for ten days look to see the fruit.

If you know the objective look at that area specifically to see the fruit.

Confidence, peace, trust, loved, brave...

Other Resources:

Isaiah 57:15 ESV

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

made up his mind

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3820 לֵב, לֵב קָמָי

3820 לֵב, לֵב קָמָי [leb /labe/] n m. A form of 3824; TWOT 1071a; GK 4213 and 4214; 592 occurrences; AV translates as “heart” 508 times, “mind” 12 times, “midst” 11 times, “understanding” 10 times, “hearted” seven times, “wisdom” six times, “comfortably” four times, “well” four times, “considered” twice, “friendly” twice, “kindly” twice, “stouthearted + 47” twice, “care + 7760” twice, and translated miscellaneously 20 times. 1 inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding. 1A inner part, midst. 1A1 midst (of things). 1A2 heart (of man). 1A3 soul, heart (of man). 1A4 mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory. 1A5 inclination, resolution, determination (of will). 1A6 conscience. 1A7 heart (of moral character). 1A8 as seat of appetites. 1A9 as seat of emotions and passions. 1A10 as seat of courage.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3823 לָבַב, לָבַב

3823 לָבַב, לָבַב [labab /law·bab/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1071, 1071d; GK 4220 and 4221; Five occurrences; AV translates as “ravished my heart” twice, “make” once, “made cakes” once, and “be wise” once. 1 to ravish, become intelligent, get a mind. 1A (Niphal) to take heart, become enheartened, become intelligent. 1B (Piel) to ravish the heart, encourage, make heart beat faster. 2 (Piel) to make cakes, bake cakes, cook bread.