Will I have character in crisis?

Daniel 6:1-7

¹ It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; ² And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. ³ Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. ⁴ Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

⁶ Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. ⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. (if he kept his conviction he'd be killed.We can't make him fail with  a Prostitute or drugs-but let's see if his faith is strong enough >so that we can make him fail with his convictions! If we can allow prayer to be a capital offence we can then trap him.

Understand that the enemy knows how to switch his plan of attack on you-if you are not going to fall with the spirit of the world, you are then going to have to find out how strong your convictions are. Because that's what the enemy is going to tempt you with. He wants to see what you will do when prayer and walking in obedience cost's you something. Would you continue walking in righteousness or Would you fall by the wayside)

.Daniel 6:8

⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

( It can not be changed once he makes this decree> there's no way out. when you sign a contract in NYC you have three business days to take everything into consideration, and if you change your mind you can cancel any contract .You have The time to investigate, ask around, and do your due diligence. In the ten commandments movie Yule Brenner's favorite line was it is written so let it be done and that's the situation we see here once the decree is signed.)

Daniel 6:9-10

⁹ Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. ¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Now as soon as the decree was done immediately Daniel want up into his room and did what he has always done and go before the God of the universe in prayer-He sought the face of God! There's not an edict or law that can change what God has done in my life.

Daniel 6:10

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

There's something about a man that is attacked and beset on every side in apparently overwhelming odds and everything is against you but he maintains this quiet dignity, this persistence in faith, and goes on with God. That no matter what situation you put him in he maintains his walk with God.I know people that before they go to bed they have to check everything three times because there is a fear that something will happen while they are asleep.why are we so afraid- Daniel wasn't afraid! He was committing a capital offense. But it didn't alter his routine. It was business as usual with Daniel- he was unmoved. It didn't matter what was happening around him, he didn't change or alter his life.

(ex. Same sex marriage coming) with everything that is coming down the pipe-our integrity and perseverance and obedience will be put to the test>on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand! Everything that is coming up in the future is going to go against your biblical and moral values, take my word for it you will be called a bigot if you stand against Gay marriage. You are probably called narrow minded already if you say that Christ is the only way. Right now we are faced with the potential to have sharia law passed in the U.S.! What sharia law is-is if you go against or say anything about Islam or Mohammad you can go to Jail- it would give a Muslim the right to have his wife killed if she has committed adultery! This is the amazing double standard that is going on today. What are we to do What are we to be? I suggest to you that we are going to be the people that we actually are today.

How do you know that pastor Chris? Look at verse 10 with me> Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
He didn't change when tribulations came, the word aforetime makes all the difference in the world. The new american standard bible uses the word Previously. When crisis hits the person you are right now is the person that you’ll be when everything seems to go out of control.

If you want to be a Godly person the time to do that is now. Not in the midst of the fire!

Not when the fight is about to happen! A boxer doesn't go into the ring with a jump rope!

 The ring isn’t a place for preparation- it's a place that reveals. It's a place that shows that you've cheated on your diet,t's a place that shows that you've that you've ran your laps, It's a place that shows that you've  run your miles, its a place that shows that you’ve done your reps, it's a place that shows that you've if you’ve done your bag,  It's a place that shows that you've stuck to your regimen. The ring reveals it doesn't begin to give you a place for preparation. If you are waiting for the ring to come before  you are going to be Godly then you are going to miss the boat. You will not pray if you are not praying now. In Daniel the food issue was resolved before it even came to pass. They knew what they could eat and couldn't eat. So it wasn't even an issue when the king has approached them with his delicacies. The decision was already made that we will not bow down to any graven image. In Daniel 3 they weren't deciding whether they should stand or kneel. They knew before the Idol was erected that these legs shall stand firm, I'll not bow -it's our 1^st commandment. Daniel knew that not an edict could be signed that would stop him from serving the Lord. I'll be a man of prayer regardless. It's been established from aforetime. Nothing changed him. You can't pray in school- Who's to stop you? How do they know that you are praying? You can walk and pray in tongues and they'll just think that you are foreign person talking on the cell phone.

• Unbelievers can go what we go through, but can't go through it like we go through it.
  Unbelievers can go through what we go through , but can't go through it how we go through it. There's something that happens when God puts his hand upon his children in the midst of battles. Unbelievers can go through the same things we go through, but they can't go through it how we go through it. This issue of suffering/persecution-folks always have the question-How can God exist if there are suffering and evil in the
  world? And the whole premise is this: If God is good and God is all powerful; How can God exist if He has the power to stop it. If He loves the world, how can He exist? The true question behind the smoke screen is; either He doesn't love or He's not all powerful.
  (ex. Charles Templeton) This doesn't challenge God's existence, because there is human evil. It's a misdirected argument- they are attacking God because there is evil/suffering-they are stating that God must not exist. The existence of Evil and suffering proves the depravity of man. The lie that men are getting better as the years go on. The existence of Evil and suffering is not a product of God but of the fall of man. You ever see how aggressive and progressive sin is. The main issue is how different classes of people go through the situations at hand. How someone goes out of the fire proves that there is a God. The unbeliever comes out deformed, but the believer comes out formed- It rains on the just and the unjust(the bible says). The unbeliever comes out deformed with anger and bitterness towards the world and God, but the believer comes out conformed into the image of Christ.

There's just something that happens when God puts his hand upon his children

in the midst of battles. We recognize that we wouldn't get through if it weren't for the hand of God that's there.

Remember the fiery furnace? The Bible says that there wasn't anything that was upon them that has been singed, there's no smoke upon them nor anything out of place. But the men that threw them into the fire the unbelievers were consumed! The men that serve the Lord are more protected than the people that are not.

• Habits are created before crisis and not during crisis. Your commitment to sexual purity has to start before the steamy back seat. It doesn't mean that you will not be tempted, but you ll be victorious.
• If you don't pray in your home you ll not pray in school/work/situation.
• Daniel turned from critic to intercessor. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he keeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. He was looking at a people that were so backslid den and fallen. But he didn't become a judge but he became an intercessor. We can always find something wrong with the church. We are fallen people. It's easy to criticize, but it's a different story when we lift up out hands and pray. One day your people ll be like you. Believing that God's able to do great things. When you are righteous the hope that we have in Jesus is that we will be changed into His image. We are one day closer to perfection/righteousness being fulfilled. I believe it was GK Chesterton who preached in the book of Psalms.
  Psalm 98:4-9

⁴ Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. ⁵ Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. ⁶ With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. ⁷ Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. ⁸ Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together ⁹ Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

• Psalm 96:7-13

⁷ Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. ⁸ Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. ⁹ O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

¹⁰ Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. ¹² Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice ¹³ Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Judgment is not just the payment of the wicked, but it's when God comes and puts all things right.

He knew that God was able to put all things right. Even when you are wronged. Hallelujah
There takes no gifting in criticizing, but it takes faith to trust in God. Judgment is bad for the unbeliever, but it is good for the believer.