Last week our topic was how Christianity is so much more than just a religion, but rather an all-encompassing worldview. This week, let’s look into the question, “How do we live out a Christian worldview in a culture that for the most part doesn’t recognize Truth?”
Excellent question! The best answer I have found so far is to see how the Old Testament prophet Daniel lived out his faith in a culture that was about as opposite as one could find from his Hebrew background. How did Daniel keep his faith when he lost his family, his manhood, his name, his home, and his language? They also took away his religion and put him in a new religion, basically gave him a whole new lifestyle. How did Daniel deal with this? Chapter one verse eight tells us, “Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself.” (bold mine) Daniel made a decision that he would not lose his faith no matter what the culture around him did. We need to do the same! Chuck Swindoll said of Daniel and it rings true for us, “Inner conviction can overcome outer pressures. God-honoring convictions yield God-honoring rewards.” We need to be men and women of intergrity because people are watching to see how we react as Christians when things don’t go our way. Swindoll gives us four lessons from Daniel on becoming people of integrity in our culture today:
1. We need an excellent attitude (an extraordinary spirit)
2. We need to be faithful in our work
3. We need to have personal purity
4. We need to have a consistent walk with God
That is your challenge for this week. Pick one of those to pray about and work on this week. If you want, let me know which one you picked and how you are doing! I will do the same as we hold each other accountable!
Next week….
Additional lessons from Daniel on how to live out our faith in today’s culture.
More to come…
Jeremy
Awaken Ministries 
I’m going to pick number 4. As a matter of fact, I believe it is important that we do not put our own desire for holiness above our desire to know God. The truth of the Gospel is that I cannot redeem myself. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character.
I have been reading these blogs but haven’t slow down enough to respond yet. It’s hard to pick from the list above because I need them all. But I think I will pick number 1 because an excellent attitude and an extraordinary spirit will help obtain the last three. I read thru the whole Bible last year so it hasn’t too long since read the Daniel story and how he was so victorious in Babylon. Most of the Israelites in Babylon were not so victorious. I recall the song
By the Rivers of Babylon where we sat down
and there we wept when we remember Zion
For the wicked carried us away to captivity
and required of us a song
How can we sing the Lord’s Song in a strange Land