Face To Face With Lions

Daniel 6:10-16

10 Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.

11 The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God.

12 Then they approached the king and said concerning the interdict, “O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions?” The king answered, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.”

13 Then they responded to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a day.”

14 When the king heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue him.

15 Then the conspirators came to the king and said to him, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!”

Last week we heard about 3 men in a fiery furnace delivered by God. Today we are going to continue in the theme of faith by a powerful story in the book of Daniel. Tonight’s message is entitled “Face to Face with Lions”. Daniel today is known as a prophet of God. He is now an elderly man serving in Babylon for 70 years he had witnessed his friends face adversity and come out FIREPROOF. The bible states that Daniel had a spirit of excellence in Daniel 5:12 which kept him on the cabinet of leadership there in Babylon.

There’s something to be said about a spirit of excellence. It’s from a Hebrew word yattir which means extraordinary. I LIKE TO SAY GOD WILL PUT EXTRA ON YOUR ORDINARY. Extra in a good way, who likes extra? I recently went to get an upgrade on my phone because my smart phone wasn’t acting very smart, and they begin to tell me all the extra features I will enjoy with the upgrade. I BELIEVE GOD IS SAYING I WILL UPGRADE YOU, I WILL BLESS YOU WITH EXTRA. EXTRA GRACE, EXTRA ANOINTING, EXTRA FAVOR, EXTRA OIL, EXTRA POWER, EXTRA He wants to make us excellent in our field, trade, life, company, among our people, if we trust God, follow His word, His decrees, He will take away the spirit of the world and give us an excellent spirit if we learn to obey Him in all our ways!

Because again it was an excellent spirit, not only was it his character, not only was it his integrity, not only was it his wisdom, more importantly it was the spirit of God on Daniel, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Excellence.

Usually new kings want their own cabinet, usually kings want their own leaders around them, usually kings clean house when it is time for them to take the reins of leadership, usually leaders will bring around them their sons as their successors. But each king in the 70 years kept Daniel on their team.

Daniel operated in a spirit of excellence…

The kings loved Daniel despite their differences in worship. The pagan worshippers and false prophets were constantly unable to interpret dreams, so they turned to Daniel. Who got his information from the correct God, from the right spirit, the one and true Lord.

The bible speaks of Daniel coming face to face with Lions!

Let’s look at the story…The bible states

Daniel 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions.

This king had people around him whom wanted to glorify Him, one thing that I learned is never glorify a man no matter how talented, no matter how gifted, no matter how pure in our eyes, no matter how righteous, if we do we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed. Every man has its flaws, every man has their hang ups, every man has a bad day. The bible says that we all fall short glory and that our righteousness is like filthy rags…