But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.

Daniel 1:8

Your Encouragement

The primacy of holiness must be the vision of every child of God. The goal is the holiness of God. They should go to every extent to keep themselves from corruption. That is the example of Daniel.

A young exile from Judah to Babylon, Daniel, and his three friends were put in a three-year program to prepare them for the Babylonian king’s service (Dan. 1:5). But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food that was daily assigned to them (8). We all make resolutions every day, but how many of us determine to follow through with them? We fail because we do not take the necessary proactive steps to secure our resolution. But not so with Daniel. With the same determination, he suggested to the supervisor of the preparation program to permit him to abstain from the royal delicacies. His priority was God and His holiness, and Daniel took that bold step to ensure that.

The truth is that when our heart is truly after God to honor and glorify Him, we will take the necessary steps to do so, regardless of any perceived obstacle. As obedient children of God, our motivation must be the glory of God, with faith as our source of energy. Nothing should, therefore, stop us until the Father is glorified with our obedience. That is the Daniel example worth emulating.

The world is presenting too much pleasure and conveniences that appeal to the flesh. They sparkle and seem innocent. However, those attractively packaged offers seek to take us away from any serious commitment to holiness. That is why we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to avoid falling for them. Sometimes we rationalize or dismiss them as irrelevant. It is a favorite tactic of the enemy to weaken our resolve. The church is weak because of this. But we do not have to fall for his schemes. With a sharp focus on the holiness of God, we can avoid defilement and glorify Him in Christ Jesus.

May the grace of God be with us.