Ill intents, gossiping, backstabbing, jealousy, scheming. Imagine you work at a place like that. Everywhere you turn, you find someone gossiping about someone else, trying to sabotage someone else, or being openly hostile to someone else.
That is what our friend Daniel went through every day of his life.
He was different, whether he wanted to or not, he stood apart from the others. His food choices didn’t align with the rest of the group. He had an accent and fluently spoke more languages than his peers. He worshiped a God that his coworkers had heard little about and observed a day of the week that seemed strange to others. But what infuriated his peers more than anything, was that Daniel refused to be a part of the toxic culture at his workplace.
It was a stressful environment for Daniel, but he was not alone, God was by his side.
One day, tired of being unable to find some fault in his behavior, his coworkers decided to conspire against Daniel using his faith against him, the only thing they could think of.
They went to the king and convinced him to sign an edict that banned praying to anyone other than the king for 30 days. When Daniel heard about this proclamation, he changed nothing about his daily routine and continued praying to the Lord with open windows.
His peers ran to the king, to accuse Daniel of disobeying the law. The King was afraid for Daniel’s integrity. He felt remorseful for signing a law and forgetting about his friend. However, he had no choice but to go ahead and comply with the law he signed.
But Daniel experienced a miracle, after enduring a night in the lions’ den, he came out the next morning unharmed. The King rejoiced and praised the Lord with Daniel. The whole kingdom heard about this God of wonders, and many believed in Him too.
If you ever feel in a position like Daniel’s, surrounded by ill intents keep this in mind:
1. When you are sticking to your principles, you won’t always be the most popular.
2. Your fight is not against evildoers, but against evil.
3. Everything works for good for those who love Jesus.
God won’t always spare you from the lions’ den, but He’s powerful enough to spare you from the lions’ mouths if necessary.
*This devotional is based in Daniel chapter 6
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