Discovering Destiny (Part 86): What Was Meant to Finish You Will Lift You

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. Yesterday, God shut the lions' mouths, and Daniel came out of the den without a scratch. Today, we see what happened next. Daniel's accusers fall into the very trap they set; a pagan king writes a letter to the whole world about Daniel's God; and the Bible closes the chapter with five powerful words: "So Daniel prospered." Daniel shows us that the den was never the end of the story. What was meant to finish him, God used to lift him.

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 6:24 NLT"Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den."

Daniel 6:25-27 NLT"Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: 'Peace and prosperity to you! I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.'"

Daniel 6:28 NLT"So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian."

Supporting scriptures:

Romans 12:19 NLT"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back,' says the LORD."

Psalm 7:15-16 NLT"They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads."

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.

Matthew 5:16 NLT"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Revelation 12:11 NKJV"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Genesis 50:20 NLT"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people."

Psalm 75:6-7 NKJV"For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another."

1 Peter 5:6 NLT"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor."

Psalm 92:12-14 NLT"But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the LORD's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green."

Galatians 6:9 NLT"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."

Setting the Stage:

Yesterday, we left Daniel standing outside the den with not a scratch on him. The king who could not sleep was now overjoyed. But the story does not stop at the mouth of the den. God was not finished.

The same men who had plotted against Daniel were about to discover that the trap they built had their names on it. The king ordered them arrested, and they were thrown into the very den they had prepared for Daniel. The lions had not lost their appetite. The Bible says the lions "tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den." That tells you something. The lions were never the problem. God was simply not going to let them touch His man.

Then Darius did something no one expected. He sat down and wrote a letter "to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world." The most powerful man in the empire told the whole world to "tremble with fear before the God of Daniel." Just days earlier, his own law said no one could pray to anyone but the king. Now the king was preaching! He said, "He rescues and saves his people... He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

And then the Bible closes the chapter with a line that sums up Daniel's whole life: "So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian." Daniel did not just survive the den. He came out of it promoted and prospering.

Here is what I want you to see today: what was meant to finish you, God will use to lift you.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. You Don't Have To Get Even. God Will Protect Your Destiny.

Daniel never asked the king to punish his accusers. He did not write a complaint, start a campaign, or plan his revenge. He just walked out of the den and let God handle the rest. The men who dug the pit for Daniel ended up in it themselves. That is not luck. That is a spiritual law. David said, "They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves." What they planned for Daniel landed on them. Revenge will pull you off the road to your destiny. Keep your eyes on God, and He will keep you on the right path.

How this applies to you:

-- Daniel's enemies schemed and plotted to set a trap. God took one night to turn it around.

-- Paul said, "Never take revenge... 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back,' says the LORD." Revenge is God's job, so you don't have to get involved.

-- David said, "The trouble they make for others backfires on them." The pit they dug for you is not your problem. God can deliver you and take care of them at the same time.

-- Isaiah said, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." It never said weapons would not be formed. It said they will not prosper.

-- Daniel kept his mouth shut and his heart clean, and God protected his destiny and dealt with those who came against him. Keep your eyes fixed on your purpose, and God will deal with those who come against you.

-- Bitterness will keep you in the den. Forgiveness will walk you out of it and into your destiny.

-- Your job is not to defend your name. Your job is to trust God and keep walking in your destiny. God defends what He destines.

-- Your destiny is God's plan. That means He is committed to what He started in your life, and He is more than capable of finishing it. No trap, no accuser, and no den can cancel what God has destined for you.

-- I am convinced that far too many believers underestimate how committed God is to us and the destiny He planned for us before the world began. We must learn to develop our trust in God and rest in Him. A key aspect of living the grace life is entering into God's rest.

2. Your Deliverance Will Become Someone Else's Testimony.

Look at what God did through one man in one den. A king who signed a law against prayer ended up writing a letter that told the whole world about the living God. Daniel did not preach that sermon. His deliverance did. Darius had watched Daniel's life up close, and he had heard Daniel talk about his God. But it was the morning Daniel walked out of that den that the king finally said, "He rescues and saves his people." 

How this applies to you:

-- Daniel's den became a pulpit to the whole world.

-- Your life is a message, and people are reading it. Your destiny was never only about you. God puts people on the other side of your lion’s den who need to see what God can do.

-- Jesus said, "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." People will praise God because of what they see God do in you.

-- The same king who signed the law against prayer ended up telling the world to honor Daniel's God. God can turn any situation around for your good!

-- John said, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." What God brings you through becomes the word of your testimony.

-- Some people will never read the Bible, but they will watch as God fulfills your destiny through real-life events.

-- Do not waste your den. Somebody is watching how you come through it, and your story will give them hope.

-- The trial you are in right now has someone else's breakthrough attached to it. Your destiny is bigger than you.

-- Remember this: your mess can become your message, and your test can become your testimony.

-- You can't know God from a book alone. When you experience God in real life, it changes your life, and your experiences with God become stories that others get to watch from the front row.

3. God Will Turn Your Lion’s Den Into A Pathway For Your Promotion.

"So Daniel prospered." Those are the words the Holy Spirit chose to close this chapter. Not "So Daniel survived." Not "So Daniel got by." Daniel prospered. The den did not set him back. It set him up. Joseph said it best to the brothers who sold him: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position." The den was the road God used to get Daniel to the next level.

How this applies to you:

-- Daniel's enemies meant to put him under the ground. God used what they meant for evil to put him over the kingdom.

-- Joseph went from the pit to the palace. Daniel went from the den to promotion. So when you are going through opposition, you don’t just have to survive. God can take the opposition and use it to promote you.

-- David said, "Exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west... He puts down one, and exalts another." Your promotion does not come from people. It comes from God.

-- Peter said, "At the right time he will lift you up in honor." God has a right time to lift you up. You just have to hold on long enough for that time to come.

-- The den was not a detour from Daniel's destiny. It was part of the road to it.

-- What looks like a setback is often God's setup for your comeback.

-- Being destined does not mean you will never face a lion’s den. It just means the den will not be the end of you.

-- Sometimes our greatest promotions come after our greatest difficulties. That means that God's greatest breakthroughs come wrapped up in what looks like challenges.

4. Stay Faithful. Your Commitment To Your Destiny Will Outlast Your Enemies And All Challenges Along The Way.

Look at the last line again: "So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian." Daniel was taken captive as a teenager. He served under Nebuchadnezzar, under Belshazzar, under Darius, and now under Cyrus. Kings came and went. Empires rose and fell. Daniel was still standing. 

How this applies to you:

-- The men who plotted against him are not even named in the Bible. But Daniel's name has been read around the world for more than 2,500 years.

-- His accusers are nameless in history. Daniel's name is still preached today.

-- Faithfulness always outlasts opposition. Daniel outlasted four kings, two empires, and every enemy who came against him.

-- The psalmist said, "Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green." Your destiny does not expire with age.

-- Paul said, "At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." The harvest is coming, so don't you dare quit.

-- Destiny is not won by the loudest. It is fulfilled by the most faithful.

-- Seasons will change, leaders will change, and circumstances will change, but God's plan for your life will not change.

-- Opposition is temporary. Your destiny is permanent. Which is why consistency is so important. The only way you can lose is if you quit.

-- Keep praying, keep serving, and keep trusting. Your faithfulness and consistency will speak long after your critics go quiet.

That's enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that You are my Defender!

I will not take revenge, because You will make it right!

The trap my enemies set for me will not prosper!

No weapon formed against me shall prosper!

My deliverance will become someone else's testimony!

People will see what You do in me, and they will praise You!

My den will become my promotion!

What was meant to finish me, You will use to lift me!

My faithfulness will outlast every opposition!

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!