Be a Godly Influence, Part 2

“Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den The king spoke and said to Daniel, ‘Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.’ A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?’ Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.’” Daniel 6:16-22

“Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land:
‘May your peace abound! I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;
For He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.
He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’
So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Daniel 6:25-28

Daniel exerted a tremendous influence over others because:

- Third, he had the courage to face life’s crises. His was not a wishy-washy faith in God but a faith based on the remembrance of what God had promised and had done all through Israel’s history. His three friends reflect this in Daniel 3:16-18.

- Fourth, he expressed confidence in God. Nowhere in the narrative do you ever see Daniel experiencing great anxiety. If he were anxious, his anxiety fell away as three times a day he spent time alone with God in prayer.

- Fifth, amid his trials, Daniel had a calm spirit. He was undergirded by a deep faith in God.

- Sixth, when under fire, he had a Christlike spirit. Few other Old Testament people so beautifully reflect the coming Christ.

- Seventh, Daniel influenced others by the consistency of his walk. In other words, he lived what he talked.

It is plain to see that Daniel’s life has one underlying theme: obey God and leave the consequences of obedience to Him. Your character is what God knows you to be. Your reputation is what men think you are.