Discovering Destiny (Part 83): God's Grace Will Make You Excellent
Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future. On Friday, Daniel turned down the king's gifts, read the writing on the wall, and was promoted on the very night Babylon fell. Today, a new king sits on the throne, and Daniel rises to the top again. Daniel shows us that an excellent spirit will set you apart in every season.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Peter 3:18 GNT
"But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."
Luke 10:20 Mirror
"It's time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven's perspective."
1 John 3:10 Mirror
"There is a very visible and vast difference between living one's life from your God identity or from a fallen man's mindset."
Proverbs 25:2 NKJV
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter."
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Daniel 6:1-2 NLT
"Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king's interests."
Daniel 6:3 AMPC
"Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."
Daniel 6:4-5 NLT
"Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, 'Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.'"
Supporting scriptures:
Luke 16:10 TPT
"The one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more."
1 Corinthians 15:10 AMPC
"But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me."
Colossians 3:23 TPT
"Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others."
Proverbs 22:29 TPT
"If you are uniquely gifted in your work, you will rise and be promoted. You won't be held back, you'll stand before kings!"
Proverbs 27:4 NLT
"Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous."
Philippians 2:15 NLT
"So that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."
1 Peter 2:12 NLT
"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world."
Matthew 5:16 AMPC
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven."
Setting the Stage:
On Friday, we saw Daniel dressed in purple with a gold chain around his neck, and that very night Belshazzar was killed. By morning, Babylon belonged to the Medes and the Persians.
Think about where that left Daniel. He had just been promoted by the king who lost the kingdom. When a new regime takes over, the old officials are usually the first ones out the door. Darius had no history with Daniel. He did not know about Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, and he was not in the room when the hand wrote on the wall. Daniel was now in his 80s, a Jewish exile, and a leftover from the old administration.
But look at what happened. Darius reorganized the whole empire. He appointed 120 high officers over the provinces, and over them he chose three administrators, and Daniel was one of the three. Then the Bible says, "Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." In other words, the new king took one look at Daniel's work and decided to put him in charge of everything.
That did not sit well with the other officials. They went looking for dirt on Daniel. They searched his records, his decisions, and the way he handled the king's business, and they came up empty. The Bible says, "He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy." So they concluded that the only way to get to Daniel was through his relationship with God.
Here is what I want you to see today: when you walk in an excellent spirit, the only "fault" anyone can find in you is your faithfulness to God.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God Has Given You The Grace To Produce In Every Season.
Darius did not inherit Daniel's résumé; he inherited Daniel's results. The kingdom changed hands overnight, and in a short time Daniel was back at the top. Daniel did not have to campaign, lobby, or start over. More than 60 years of faithful service in Babylon spoke for him, and then, in addition to his reputation, Daniel’s work spoke for itself.
How this applies to you:
-- The way you work today is building the reputation that will speak for you tomorrow.
-- Daniel served Nebuchadnezzar, then Belshazzar, and now Darius. Three kings, two empires, one excellent spirit.
-- Jesus said, "The one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities." Faithfulness in the small things is how God qualifies you for the big things.
-- A new boss, a new company, or a new administration cannot erase what God has built in you. You don't start over when the season changes; you carry God’s grace (a grace for excellence) into the next one.
-- Solomon said, "If you are uniquely gifted in your work, you will rise and be promoted. You won't be held back, you'll stand before kings!" Daniel served in the courts of four kings in his lifetime.12
-- Excellence is not something you turn on only when the right person is watching. If you are truly excellent, you do things with excellence, even when no one is watching. Because you are doing it for God, and He is always watching.
-- People may forget your name, but they will not forget the quality of your work.
2. Grace Produces Excellence, Not Laziness.
The Bible does not say Daniel was promoted because of his connections, his age, or his seniority. It says he was distinguished "because an excellent spirit was in him." Daniel's excellence was not just a skill set; it was a spirit. It came from the inside out. That excellent spirit was the grace of God on Daniel's life, showing up in the way he did his job.
How this applies to you:
-- I've told you many times that grace is not a license for laziness; it is an empowerment to prosper and to glorify God.
-- Paul said, "I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me." Grace did not make Paul lazy. Grace made Paul productive.
-- Excellence is not perfectionism. Perfectionism is driven by the fear of failure, but excellence is driven by the grace of God and a desire to honor Him.
-- When God's grace is on your life, you will find yourself producing at a level that surprises even you.
-- Paul said, "Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others." You don't work for the paycheck or for the boss; you work as unto the Lord.
-- Daniel studied the language and literature of Babylon for three years before he ever served the king. God's grace multiplies your preparation; it does not excuse you from it.
-- Excellence attracts favor, because God loves to open doors for people who are ready to walk through them. But just don’t be surprised when that same favor attracts opposition.
3. Promotion Will Always Attract Opposition.
As soon as the king planned to set Daniel over the whole realm, the other officials started digging. They were not upset because Daniel did something wrong. They were upset because Daniel did everything right, and the king noticed. Daniel's promotion exposed their mediocrity, and their jealousy turned into a plot.
How this applies to you:
-- There will be people who DO NOT celebrate your promotion. Some of the people who smile at you in the meeting will be searching for your faults after the meeting.
-- Solomon said, "Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous." Jealousy does not want what you have; it wants you not to have it.
-- Don't be surprised when the attack comes right after the promotion.
-- Daniel's opposition did not come from the king. It came from his peers. Sometimes the greatest resistance to your destiny comes from the people standing right next to you. But never dim your light to make insecure people feel better about themselves.
-- You don't have to fight your critics. Keep doing what God graced you to do, and let your work answer for you.
-- The enemy only fights what threatens him, so opposition may be a sign that you are closer to your destiny than you realize.
-- Get up every morning focused on God’s assignment, not your critics, because their poison cannot stop God’s purpose.
4. Live So Clean That Your Faith Is The Only Charge Against You.
This is one of the greatest compliments in the entire Bible, and it came from Daniel's enemies. They watched him, investigated him, and went through his work with a fine-tooth comb, and they could not find "anything to criticize or condemn." No corruption. No negligence. No shortcuts. So they said, "Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion." The only thing they could hold against Daniel was his relationship with God.
How this applies to you:
-- Live your life in such a way that if someone wants to accuse you, they have to make something up.
-- The Bible says Daniel "was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy." That is a description every believer should want written over their life.
-- Paul said, "Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." You don't have to be loud to shine. You just have to be different.
-- Integrity is not only what you do when people are watching; integrity is what they find when they go looking.
-- Daniel's excellence became his protection. His enemies could not attack his work, so they had to attack his God, and as we will see this week, when they attack your God, they pick a fight they cannot win.
-- Peter said, "Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God." Your excellence may be the only Bible some people ever read.
-- If they are going to accuse you of something, let it be that you trust God too much!
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that an excellent spirit is in me, by Your grace!
God's grace makes me productive in every season!
I am faithful in the little things, and You are promoting me to greater things!
Your grace does not make me lazy; Your grace makes me excellent!
I work with my heart and soul, as unto the Lord!
I will not be surprised by opposition, and I will not dim my light!
I am faithful, responsible, and completely trustworthy!
I live clean, and I shine like a bright light in this world!
If they accuse me of anything, let it be my faithfulness to You!
In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!
This is Today's Word. Apply it and prosper!
Comments