🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ How to Sleep With Lions Series Part 1: “Mad Because You Are Chosen!”
Scripture: Daniel 6:3–4 (NIV)
Daniel 6:3: Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps because of his exceptional qualities, and the king planned to place him over the entire kingdom.
Daniel 6:4: The other administrators and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his government work, but they could find no corruption, negligence, or fault in him because he was trustworthy.
(Scripture passage paraphrased from the NIV.)
Devotion :
Have you ever had people dislike you and plot against you for no reason at all?
You haven’t done anything wrong to them or anyone else, but THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU!
The first time this happened to me, it was the most puzzling thing ever!
Because I was super sweet to everyone. It’s my natural nature to be.
I couldn’t understand why somebody would have a problem with me when I hadn’t done anything to them!
That’s when I learned something.
IT’S NOT ALWAYS THAT YOU’VE DONE ANYTHING WRONG. SOMETIMES IT’S WHO YOU ARE AND HOW IT MAKES SOME PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THEMSELVES!
Whewww! 😮💨
BEING CHOSEN IS NOT FOR THE WEAK!
Your integrity, your faith, your relationship with God, and your gifts can cause you to end up in a lion’s den!
And today, I’m beginning a new PRAY HERE devotion series called:
“HOW TO SLEEP WITH LIONS!” 🦁🙌🏽
In this series, we’re going to learn how to remain victorious when we’re singled out, mistreated, and even punished for being chosen!
Because here’s what I want you to understand.
YOU CAN BE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT AND STILL FIND YOURSELF SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEE YOU FALL!
My, my, my!
Now, let’s talk about our brother Daniel!
Let’s read today’s Scripture together.
Daniel chapter 6 tells us that Daniel had distinguished himself among the other administrators and officials because of his exceptional qualities.
His character and integrity were unmatched among those around him!
He was trustworthy.
He was dependable.
He was excellent in his work.
And King Darius recognized it!
In fact, the king was so impressed with Daniel that he planned to place him over the entire kingdom!
NOW WAIT A MINUTE! 👀
DID DANIEL ASK TO BE CHOSEN?
NO!
Did he campaign against the other officials?
NO!
Did he have to tear somebody else down to make himself look good?
NO!
DANIEL WAS JUST BEING WHO GOD MADE HIM TO BE!
And the king recognized that Daniel was the best choice!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
SOMETIMES YOU DON’T HAVE TO ASK FOR THE POSITION. YOUR CHARACTER AND THE EXCELLENCE OF YOUR WORK WILL SPEAK FOR YOU!
But unfortunately, jealousy can sometimes come with being chosen!
And that’s exactly what happened to Daniel.
The other administrators and officials saw that Daniel was being considered for a position above them.
And instead of celebrating his excellence or learning from his example, they decided to come together and find something wrong with him!
MY, MY, MY! WHAT A SHAME!
Look at the lengths people will go to when they allow jealousy to influence their behavior!
THEY WEREN’T LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO DESTROY DANIEL!
Whewww! 😮💨
And isn’t that something?
Daniel’s promotion hadn’t even happened yet!
THE KING WAS STILL PLANNING IT!
But the possibility of Daniel being placed above them was already enough to make them turn against him!
SOME PEOPLE CAN’T EVEN STAND THE THOUGHT OF YOU BEING CHOSEN!
They don’t want the opportunity you’re receiving.
They don’t want you to be recognized.
And they certainly don’t want to see you succeed in a place where they wanted to be!
Now, we don’t always know what’s in another person’s heart, and every disagreement is not jealousy.
But in Daniel’s case, Scripture shows us that these men deliberately searched for a way to accuse him because of his position and responsibilities.
THEY WANTED SOMETHING THEY COULD USE AGAINST HIM!
And this is where today’s devotion gets really good!
Look at what verse 4 tells us.
THEY COULDN’T FIND ANYTHING!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
They searched his work!
They looked for corruption!
They looked for negligence!
They looked for misconduct!
BUT DANIEL WAS TRUSTWORTHY!
He wasn’t careless.
He wasn’t dishonest.
He wasn’t using his position to take advantage of people.
HE WAS A MAN OF INTEGRITY!
And that made their assignment even harder!
My, my, my!
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEBODY IS TRYING TO FIND FAULT IN YOU, BUT YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN THEM ANYTHING TO FIND?
Some people will stop looking.
BUT OTHERS WILL START LOOKING FOR A WAY TO CREATE A PROBLEM!
And that’s exactly where this story is headed.
Now, let me bring this home!
Have you ever been the employee who came to work, did your job, treated people respectfully, and minded your own business?
You weren’t trying to compete with anybody.
You weren’t trying to take anybody’s position.
You were simply doing your job to the best of your ability!
But the moment your supervisor recognized your work, somebody started treating you differently!
Suddenly, people who used to speak to you stopped speaking.
Your name started coming up in conversations you weren’t part of.
Every little thing you did was questioned.
And somebody seemed determined to find something wrong with you!
ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE RECOGNIZED FOR DOING WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO!
Whewww!
Or maybe you’ve experienced this in ministry.
You love God.
You serve faithfully.
You use the gifts God has given you.
You’re not trying to compete with anybody!
YOU JUST WANT TO BE USED BY GOD!
But somebody begins questioning your calling.
Somebody starts criticizing your ministry.
Somebody has something negative to say every time God opens a door for you.
AND YOU’RE WONDERING, “WHAT DID I DO TO THIS PERSON?”
My, my, my!
Sometimes the answer is:
YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO THEM!
They simply have a problem with what God is doing in your life!
But I want to caution us here.
DON’T ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY WHO DISAGREES WITH YOU IS JEALOUS OF YOU!
Sometimes correction is necessary.
Sometimes people see something we need to improve.
And sometimes we really are wrong!
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE EXAMINED YOURSELF, WALKED IN INTEGRITY, AND KNOW THAT YOU HAVE NOT MISTREATED SOMEBODY, DON’T ALLOW THEIR HOSTILITY TO MAKE YOU QUESTION YOUR WORTH!
Hallelujah! 🙌🏽
And here’s something else.
DON’T LET THE WAY PEOPLE TREAT YOU CHANGE WHO GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE!
If you were kind before they started mistreating you, don’t let them turn you into a hateful person.
If you were honest before they started accusing you, don’t start compromising your integrity to get even.
If you were faithful before they started criticizing you, don’t abandon your relationship with God because somebody has a problem with you!
DON’T LET SOMEBODY ELSE’S BAD CHARACTER CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR GOOD CHARACTER!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨🔥
Because here’s where some of us get in trouble.
The moment we realize somebody is against us, we want to fight back!
We want to confront everybody!
We want to expose them!
We want to make sure they know that we know what they’re doing!
And sometimes we become so consumed with defending ourselves that we start acting just like the people who are mistreating us!
BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BECOME LIKE YOUR ENEMIES TO SURVIVE YOUR ENEMIES!
My, my, my! 🙌🏽
Now, that doesn’t mean you should ignore wrongdoing, tolerate abuse, or refuse to protect yourself.
You can speak the truth.
You can establish boundaries.
You can document mistreatment.
You can seek help when necessary.
BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO RETALIATE OR ALLOW FEAR TO CONTROL YOU!
And that brings us to another Scripture I want us to remember.
Proverbs 29:25 says:
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (NIV)
WHEWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥
FEAR OF MAN WILL PROVE TO BE A SNARE!
Do you know what a snare is?
It’s a trap!
And sometimes the fear of what people might do to us becomes a trap all by itself!
We become afraid to speak.
Afraid to move forward.
Afraid to accept opportunities.
Afraid to use our gifts.
Afraid to do what God has called us to do!
ALL BECAUSE WE’RE WORRIED ABOUT HOW SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING TO REACT!
But the Scripture tells us that whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe!
OUR TRUST MUST BE IN GOD, NOT IN THE APPROVAL OF PEOPLE!
And when I say trust God, I’m not saying that faithful people will never experience harm or hardship.
Daniel himself was eventually thrown into the lions’ den!
But his enemies did not have the final word over his life.
GOD DID!
Hallelujah! 🙌🏽🔥
And I want somebody to understand this today.
BEING CHOSEN DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL NEVER BE CHALLENGED!
Sometimes your faith will be tested.
Sometimes your integrity will be questioned.
Sometimes people will oppose you.
And sometimes doing the right thing will put you in a very uncomfortable position.
BUT DON’T LET THE FEAR OF PEOPLE CAUSE YOU TO STOP TRUSTING GOD!
Daniel didn’t become dishonest because dishonest people were against him.
He didn’t abandon his faith because others wanted to destroy him.
HE REMAINED DANIEL!
And that’s what I want to encourage you to do!
REMAIN WHO GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE!
Keep your integrity!
Keep your faith!
Keep your character!
Keep doing what’s right!
And don’t waste your life trying to convince everybody to like you!
SOMEBODY ELSE’S DISLIKE OF YOU DOES NOT CANCEL WHAT GOD HAS PLACED INSIDE OF YOU!
My, my, my! 🙌🏽
And one more thing.
STOP BEING SO AFRAID OF THE LIONS THAT YOU FORGET WHO YOUR GOD IS!
We’re going to learn more about Daniel’s lions’ den experience as this series continues.
But today, I want us to understand how he got there.
HE WASN’T TARGETED BECAUSE HE WAS CORRUPT!
HE WAS TARGETED EVEN THOUGH HE WAS TRUSTWORTHY!
He was a man of integrity who had been recognized for his excellence.
And the people who opposed him were determined to find a way to bring him down.
BUT THEIR PLOT DID NOT CHANGE WHO DANIEL WAS!
And neither should the opposition you face change who you are!
So when people misunderstand you, criticize you, or try to stand in your way, remember this:
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET MAD!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO RETALIATE!
AND YOU CERTAINLY DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR!
TRUST GOD!
Keep your hands clean.
Keep your heart right.
Keep your faith strong.
And let God help you navigate whatever opposition comes your way!
BECAUSE THE SAME GOD WHO WAS WITH DANIEL BEFORE THE LIONS’ DEN WAS STILL WITH HIM INSIDE IT!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
THAT’S HOW WE’RE GOING TO LEARN TO SLEEP WITH LIONS!
Not by pretending the lions aren’t there.
Not by becoming lions ourselves.
BUT BY TRUSTING THE GOD WHO IS GREATER THAN WHAT WE FEAR!
BEING CHOSEN IS NOT FOR THE WEAK, BUT GOD WILL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO REMAIN FAITHFUL! 🙌🏽🙏🏽💙
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Today, I want you to think about how you respond when people oppose you, criticize you, or treat you unfairly.
Have I ever allowed somebody’s dislike of me to make me question my gifts, my character, or the calling God has placed on my life?
When people mistreat me, do I remain faithful to my values, or do I allow anger and the desire to retaliate to change my behavior?
Am I allowing fear of what people might say or do to keep me from walking confidently in obedience to God?
And here’s the question I really want you to sit with:
CAN I REMAIN FAITHFUL TO GOD AND KEEP MY INTEGRITY EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE DETERMINED TO FIND FAULT IN ME?
Today, ask God to examine your heart.
Make sure you’re not giving people legitimate reasons to question your character.
And when you know you’re doing what’s right, don’t allow opposition to intimidate you.
DON’T GET MAD. DON’T RETALIATE. DON’T BE AFRAID.
KEEP YOUR INTEGRITY AND TRUST GOD!
🙏🏽 Prayer :
Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me and giving me gifts and purpose according to Your will. Lord, help me remain faithful to You even when people misunderstand me, dislike me, or try to stand in my way. Please keep my heart pure and my integrity intact. Don’t allow jealousy, hatred, or mistreatment from others to make me bitter or cause me to retaliate. Father, remove every fear of man from my heart and help me trust You completely. Give me wisdom to recognize when I need correction and courage to stand firm when I know I’m doing what’s right. Help me remain kind, honest, faithful, and obedient no matter how others treat me. Lord, when I find myself surrounded by lions, remind me that You are still with me. I will not live in fear. I will put my faith and trust in You! In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
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