July 13, 2003

Choices of the Heart
4 Choices that Can Change Your Destiny
Soul of A Man Series
Speaker: Dave Gibbons

Daniel 1:8; Daniel 6:3-5; 10-23
1:8But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel. . . ¹⁴So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

6:3Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they ere unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. ⁵Finally, they said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

¹⁰Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ¹¹Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. ¹²So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repeated.” ¹³Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” ¹⁴When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.”
¹⁹At the first light of dawn, the king go up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁹When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you form the lions?” ²¹Daniel answered, O king, live forever! ²²My God has sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.” ²³The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Our Destiny is Determined by God and by the Choices of Our Hearts (mostly in private).

1 Choices of Integrity

2 Choices of Faith

3 Choices of Confession

4 Choices of Obedience

Our Choices of Obedience Incites Dungeons and Dragons, Death and Resurrection

Our Choices of Obedience Leads Us to Intimately Know Christ

2003 Message Archives