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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

By divine transposition, a Christian traveler on the Road to heaven met two great saints, Daniel and Joseph, in Paradise and sat down for a chat. Below is the second part of their conversation.

Traveler: (With a smile} Don’t you think this leaning on the Holy Spirit has become just a cliché? But seriously, how does one lean on an unseen Being?

Daniel: You are a believer, right?

Traveler: Without a doubt, yes!

Daniel: Great. Two things: Live by faith and trust the Lord completely. I will just give you two references to juggle your mind.

2 Corinthians 5:17: “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Maybe Joseph can help you here.

Joseph: Let me step back a bit, if I may. The circumstances of my removal from my home to Egypt is very different from that of Daniel, as you may know very well. Dan was hand picked for royal detail in Babylon, while I was cruelly sold into slavery in Egypt. You can imagine how I felt throughout my ordeal. I lost my special status in my father’s house, but there was something I didn’t lose – the teaching of my father about God and our special relationship with Him. I learned from my father’s rogue life and his perspective after his Peniel experience (Gen. 32:22-30). By them, I grew to hate sin with a passion. That’s why I told the truth about my brothers to my father that got me into trouble (37:2). But, what does Paul to tell? “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Never forget that.

In Egypt, I determined to live above sin and not to allow my brother’s treachery to derail my relationship and trust in God. I didn’t want to live like them. So, when my master’s wife offered me fleshly pleasure, I ran like no other. I am sure Daniel took a page from my book.

Did I overcome in my own strength? Not at all. I needed all of God’s sustaining power to uphold me in Egypt. I leaned on Him and His promises. And guess what. None of them failed me, though I moved from one trouble to another. The real question then is whether you are willing to live for God’s honor and holiness of not. It’s a choice you must make.

Traveler: Boy! Am I so glad I met the two of you together! What more can I do to stay on course and no fail?

Joseph: One of the things I know defeats most Christians is ignorance and presumption – ignorance about the conditions of the road and false notions about some common practices.

Traveler: Can you elaborate?

Joseph: Sure. Ignorance comes from not recognizing your weaknesses and acknowledging your struggles and presuming to be so spiritual beyond defeat is anybody’s folly. You don’t hang around the pizza parlor when cholesterol is your greatest enemy.

Daniel: If I may, Joseph. Remember David, brother, the man after God’s heart? His greatest mistake was not running away from the beauty of Bathsheba. I learned from that too well to know when to run.

Traveler: One last question, Uncle Dan. Not eating the king’s food is one thing. But maintaining your integrity in a corrupt environment is another. How did you do it>

Daniel: Four things: Emptying of myself, sacrificing every opportunity to enrich myself, and keeping the holiness of God view all the time, and stocking up on His word, my spiritual food. Do this, and you will be fine, my friend.

Joseph: I will add this to Dan’s prescription. Forgive! Forgive! Forgive! It clears the fog so you can see well to avoid the traps along the way, and it cleans your heart to receive directions from God when you forgive.

Daniel: And don’t forget to fast much and pray!

Traveler:  Thank you Uncle Joseph brother Dan. Please pray for me.

With that, our friend, the Traveler, woke up.