“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8
I’ve been reading the book of Daniel this week, and I must say that the parallels between the events occurring over two-and-a-half millennia ago compared to the events going on today in America are strikingly similar.
Reading Daniel gives me hope, however. It reminds me that no matter how chaotic and out of control the times might seem, our God is sovereign and is still in complete control.
One of the themes of Daniel is that rulers come and rulers go, both evil and good. And the same can be said of nations. God uses all things, good and evil, for His purposes. And many times He will use a nation that has turned its back on Him as a sobering reminder of His sovereignty. Many of us in America feel this is happening currently.
So what are we to do?
Excerpt from Alistair Begg, Brave By Faith
“We are in Babylon. God is sovereign, even here. Nothing is actually out of control, and nothing is about to get out of control. But given the pushback of 21st Century secularism, you and I are going to face challenges. The crises will come, the moments will arrive when we’re called to go with the flow of our culture rather than obedience to our God; in the workplace, or the sports club, or in how we raise our children, or what we say in our pulpits, and so on. These crises will reveal what is inside us. But don’t assume you’ll stand firm in those moments. Equally, don’t assume you will have to give in. Resolve now! Think through where to draw the lines you will not cross.
“We will not necessarily all draw all of our lines in the same places. Take, for example, the promotion of the transgender agenda in our schools. One Christian teacher will resign before having anything to do with it. Another may stay and seek to teach Christian ethics to those who otherwise may not hear that there is a different view, resigning only if forced herself to promote transgenderism. One may be willing to wear a rainbow lanyard with his ID badge; another, not. One set of Christian parents will not send their children to public school at all; another will do so, at the same time ensuring that they’re positively teaching God’s design for men and women in the home. And some will homeschool their children as necessary.
“The lines may be drawn in different places. But drawn they should be, and crossed they mustn’t be. That is just one terrain in which lines have to be carefully, and thoughtfully, and prayerfully drawn. There are many others. So know your lines! And know that God will give you all you need in the situation he has put you in, to enable you to stand firm for him and say, “No! I am not going to give in!”
Do we know our lines?
Former Blackout Artist 