Introduction to Biblical Influencer Daniel

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Hello and welcome to Walk the Walk . Well , this is our second in the series of Biblical Influencers , and last week we talked about Queen Esther and Mordecai , and we talked about the words of Queen Esther that saved the Jewish people from death . This week , we're going to talk about Daniel the Jewish people from death . This week , we're going to talk about Daniel . Now , daniel was a man who was exiled to Babylon . It just seems like Esther was also in the exile as well as Daniel . Now , daniel was a man that was fervent prayer . He was dedicated to God , no matter what . Now , keep in mind , when he was exiled , he did also find favor with King Darius , and the king loved him , and Daniel was able to even feast with the king , although Daniel was not a man that would take advantage of things such as that , because he was so dedicated to God , he said I'm not eating that kind of good food that you want to offer me , and he ended up eating vegetables and water and whatever , and that I don't know if you remember when the Daniel diet was so popular that I think Jeff and I even did that with a group of people in our church , and so

Daniel's Test and the Lion's Den

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if you're interested in checking that out . You can still get the Daniel diet as well . It's a biblical diet and I think maybe , if you are looking for some way to make yourself a little healthier , maybe you want to check that out . Well , here's what happened , and it generally always doesn't happen by the king , it's always the king's secondhand man or whatever . Remember , in Queen Esther , it was Haman who did a decree that all the people would worship him , and it ended up being that he was going to kill Mordecai , and Haman ended up getting the same kind of treatment , meaning that he was impaled what he was planning on doing to Mordecai . So Daniel is a very famous man who came under the test of King Darius .

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Now , jealous leaders tried to trick the king . They're always trying to trick these kings , and I don't . Maybe they're easy . They were easy to trick because they were so busy with all of their riches or whatever , I don't know into signing a law that banned prayer to anyone except the king for 30 days . And then the reason why they did this ? Because they knew that Daniel was a prayer who prayed three times a day to to his God , and so they knew this would hit right , right home . And so , of course , the king signed the law and not realizing that it was Daniel that he was signing the law against which really the king was , was unhappy about this , but there was nothing he could do . I don't know , you may know , but when a king signed something into law like that , they can't turn on their word , which is always so crazy . To me . It's like well , you were tricked . Why couldn't you just say no , no , no , no , but apparently not , they still had to go through with it .

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Well , ended up being Daniel's like I'm not , I'm not doing that . Put me to death , do whatever you have to do , but my God is greater , and that I am not going to back down from prayer , thus being that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den , into a den of hungry lions . Bad enough to be thrown into a lion's den , but to be thrown into a den of hungry lions would probably be even worse . Well , king Darius hated it , but he had to do it . And the next day he ran down to see if Daniel had survived , and Daniel suggests God sent an angel and saved him . King Darius was thrilled that he was still alive . He even made a decree that everybody would pray to Daniel's God , which is so amazing to me that , even though King Darius was not a , he didn't accept God as his Lord and Savior , but he had . He sent this decree out that everybody else would pray to Daniel's God . So , or and you know , excuse me and maybe not necessarily even pray , but honor , um , the god of daniel . Now

God's Different Ways of Deliverance

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this miracle makes us happy .

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We were thinking , you know , gosh , the , it would be horribly scary , um , I think , to be thrown into a , a den of lions , and we think God saved him , saved him from this awful thing . But God , what about the others that you never did save ? Why ? Why would you save Daniel ? And there were others who honored you equally , but they weren't saved in that way .

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Well , think about Stephen . He was the first Christian martyr and he was stoned to death . God allowed that stoning to happen , even the apostles , who were all followers of Jesus , who went around and talked about Jesus , who Paul , think of Paul , who was once for Saul , who , by the way , was at the stoning of Stephen . And so think about these guys that went around , risked their life , they were imprisoned , they were beaten , they were stoned and then they were killed in brutal ways . And I think the only one that was not was John , and I think the only one that was not was John .

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But what about those who suffer for you , christ , but they're not saved in the way that we would want them to be saved ? Does that mean God protects some over the others ? No , what it means is that God works in different ways . Sometimes he delivers us from danger , sometimes he delivers us through the danger , but you know what ? Sometimes he saves us by bringing us home to him . Now I know what you're thinking . Well , I don't want to go home to him just yet . I want to stay on the earth . I don't want to lose my husband or wife , and I don't want them to lose me .

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Doing the work for Christ . Well , being a spokesperson for God or speaking on the word of God is not an easy task . I want you to think about Jesus himself . He even said they hated me , they're going to hate you , and then that's the very thing that we will see you will be hated by some , not all . But I just want you to hear that the bigger picture is that our ultimate goal isn't just survival on the earth , it's eternal life with Christ . Paul said , for to me , to live is Christ and to die is gain . That's the perspective Daniel lived with and it's the hope that we should carry as well . Daniel's

Your Influence May Outlive You

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night in the den shows us that God is powerful and faithful . But even if the story had ended differently , daniel's hope would have been the same . That's what made his influence so enduring he trusted God .

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With the outcome I just I know , and I know , you know , man to think , you know , and I don't hesitate to bring up Charlie Kirk because I don't want these all to be about him , but he has set an example to all of us and actually probably has influenced me to talk about the influencers . But think about this and you may not like what I'm about to say as an influencer , you may never know how your work has impacted people . Until you're gone , you may never know . I'm going to say that very thing for Charlie Kirk . He has no idea what work he has done and has left behind . Today I watched the memorial service for him and nearly 100,000 people and millions watching People are ready to carry on his name , to carry on his work , not like they were doing this before , but now there's this lighting under the people saying I want to carry on that work that he has done .

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So let me ask you this what's your lion's den right now ? You may feel pressure or compromise in your values , fear of criticism , or walking through a season of loss . You may be the only person at your job that believes in Jesus Christ and you may be encountering people who absolutely despise you . Listen , I know what that feels like . I've walked through that lion's den before . I've walked through that lion's den before and knowing that I had to stand firm against people who absolutely hated Jesus Christ and because they hated him , they hated me . Daniel should show you how to respond , how to stay faithful , how to keep praying and trust God with the results .

Standing Firm in Your Lion's Den

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People are watching us . They're watching how we are handling the roar of the lions . Your steady faith might be the influence that points them to God . Listen , you do not know what your actions or words are saying right now . Maybe people are just like . They're watching you , they're listening to you , but they may never tell you the impact the positive impact you have on your life .

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I personally probably don't have a whole lot of followers on my podcast and I've been doing this for years and I say why am I doing this ? Why am I doing this ? I don't get a lot of feedback , but I still do it because I feel like this is what God wants me to do . And maybe after I'm dead and gone , people will hear my podcast and go , wow , she had a message for Jesus Christ . She wasn't afraid to share . That's my hope , and maybe not today , but tomorrow or in generations to come they will look back and say , yeah , yeah , she's right , jesus is the Lord and Savior and I want to accept him and I want to carry on that torch .

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Daniel's story should remind you that the lions may roar , but the victory belongs to Jesus Christ . Our influence doesn't come from being loud or flashy . It comes from living faithfully day by day , even when the world pushes against us . And I know what you're thinking . I have a hard time living faithfully day by day . I know me too . I do too , but the core of my being believes in Jesus Christ and I do try to live like him . And I do try to depend upon him Not necessarily live like him , but just depend upon him in times of grief and struggle and worry .

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So this week , I'm asking you to stand firm , like Daniel , trust that God is with you every day and in every den and remember , no matter what happens here , your ultimate prize is not on this earth , but it is with Jesus in your eternal

Closing Prayer for Courage

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life . Lord , thank you for Daniel's faith and courage , and I thank you for my faith and my courage , and I thank you for the faith and courage of those who are listening . When we face our own lions and fears , oppositions , hardships , hatred . Help us to remain steady in prayer and trust . Remind us that your presence is in our protection and that heaven is our ultimate home . We should not feel comfortable where we are right now if we are still on this earth . Strengthen us , god , to influence others by living faithfully every day . In Jesus' name , we pray Amen .