Sleeping With The Lions

Thank you, Jesus.

Alright, you have your Bible?

Did we do our Bible confession already?

Yeah.

Had a senior moment.

This morning, this morning I was looking for my cell phone.

It was in my hand.

Where's my cell phone?

Where am I cell phone?

You were there, weren't you?

I'm not lying, am I?

What happened?

I don't know what goes on with that, but anyway.

Daniel chapter number six, if you have your Bible, verse number eighteen.

The Bible says, Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no musicians were brought before him.

Also his sleep went from him.

Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.

And when he came to the den he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel, the king spoke, saying to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions.

Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever.

My God sent his angels and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before him.

And also, O King, I have done no wrong before you.

Today we are obviously beginning a new series called Lions and Giants and Bears.

But God, and I want to talk to you from the subject, sleeping with the lions.

Not sleeping with the fishes, y'all.

Some of y'all know that.

My man over there, you know sleeping with the fishes, right?

That means it's over.

That means you're dead, right?

But but sleeping with the lions is what God can do when the attacks of life come your way.

He can cause not you just to sleep, but the lions to sleep.

Because how many of you know, no matter what your circumstance looks like, there's always a butt God in your future.

Can you say amen?

Let's pray.

Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, speak to every heart.

We pray.

We give you all the praise.

And everybody said, Amen and amen.

You know, uh Dorothy and the Tin Men and Scarecrow, and somebody asked, Well, where was the lion?

Well, he was the one who jumped out on the yellow brick road.

He was one of the lions and tigers and bears that kind of jumped out, right?

But while they were on that yellow brick road and they were walking through the forest, they kept saying that over and over again.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

And the more they said it, the more fearful that they became because that's what fear does in our lives.

It it magnifies when you focus on it.

And anything you're facing becomes bigger and bigger and bigger.

And this sermon is not about fear, but it's rather a prophetic declaration over your life.

That no matter how ferocious the lions that you face are, how tall the giants that encounter your, that come into your life are, and how unexpected the attacks of the bears that come into your life are, there is always about God in your future because the scripture declares to us in 1 John chapter 4, verse number 4 greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

Now notice it doesn't say greater is your strategy, doesn't say greater is is your plans, doesn't say greater are your assets, doesn't say greater is your money, doesn't say greater is your connections, it says greater is he.

How many of you know you have the greater one that is on your side?

You have the greater one that is standing with you.

And the scripture says, if he is for you, who can be against you?

And so today we're gonna look at a man who didn't just face the lions, he was actually sleeping in a lion's den.

Of course, I'm talking about Daniel, and Daniel, the name means God is my judge.

And the reason for that is because Daniel is basically his life says, God has the final say.

No matter what happens, no matter how big the lions, tigers, and bears are, no matter how big the problems are, the circumstances are, the schemes of the enemy are, none of that has the final say.

Jehovah has the final say in my life.

There's always a but God.

And one of the famous scriptures that really captures the essence of but God is 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse number 7.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

And it says this we are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed.

We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed.

See what the Bible teaches us is no matter what is going on in our life, God is always greater than those situations.

There is a butt God in your future.

Matter of fact, say this out loud with me.

There is a butt God in my future.

Say it again, there is a butt God in my future.

Now look at your neighbor and say, There is a butt God in your future.

How many of you believe that?

Amen.

God is a good God.

If you are going to sleep with the lions, there's four things I want to share with you today.

Number one, you must be consistent before crisis.

You must be consistent before crisis.

Crisis mode Christianity is usually not victorious Christianity.

A lot of people, you know, they they forget about God, they don't serve God, they don't worship God, God's not important to them.

Crisis hits, and all of a sudden they're praying hard, they're reading their Bible, all of a sudden you see them in church, you're like, what's going on?

How you doing?

I haven't seen you in a long way.

Well, Pastor, you don't know what I'm going through right now.

You know, and that's fine.

Thank God for his grace, thank God for his mercy, all that.

But we need to, if we're gonna sleep with the lions, if we're gonna have peace in the lion's den, if we're gonna have to make it through the storms of life, we have to be consistent before crisis.

Daniel chapter 6, verse number 3 says, Then Daniel, then this Daniel, distinguished himself above all the governors and satraps.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

Now, a satrap, I never heard of that before.

Anybody ever hear of a satrap?

A satrap is basically a mayor, right?

Little local leaders, governors, larger leaders.

All the governors and the mayors, because an excellent spirit was in Daniel, um, they see he distinguished himself above all the governors and mayors, because an excellent spirit was in him.

And the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.

So the governors and the mayors sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or fault.

Daniel is rising, he's standing out, there's something different about him.

His character is described as somebody who has an excellent spirit, but his integrity and his character didn't start right here.

It dates all the way back to a life of God-like consistency.

Daniel's story was built before the lion's den.

Many times we see the triumphs and the victories that people experience in life, and we think they just kind of mustered that up at the last moment.

Life's victories are built before life's battles.

Can I say it?

Can you say it again?

Life's victories are built before life's battles.

And if we go all the way back to Daniel chapter 1, he's a young man, he is taken into captivity.

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

Nebuchadnezzar conquers his land, takes him and a bunch of other people, all these young people, to his land, and he's going to indoctrinate them.

He's going to strip them of their identity.

He's going to give them a new culture.

He's going to assimilate them into that culture.

And one of the things he does as he's training them is he he sets aside a portion of the king's food and drink for these young people.

And the only problem with that portion of the king's food and drink is it was sacrificed to pagan gods.

It was it was sacrificed to idols.

And so everybody else is drinking the uh the the food, uh drinking the wine and eating the food.

You don't drink food unless, you know, you need to drink food because you know you have an issue and you put it in the blood.

Anyway, um he they're they're eating the food, they're drinking the wine, and Daniel and his three friends said, We're not gonna drink that.

We're not gonna eat that.

And the reason why is because we will not defile ourselves in that way.

Now, here's the thing nobody is watching.

This this is not something where there's a reward at the end of it.

Daniel's not doing this because he knows if he does this, God is gonna do this.

That's not why he's doing this, because he wants to please God more than anything else.

When nobody is watching, God is.

And what started in Daniel eventually spilled over to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They were there, and they're like, well, if Daniel's not eating that stuff, we're not eating it either.

You know, how many of you know your life can influence other people for the glory of God?

You don't always have to be the one that is being influenced.

You need to be the influencer, and so God and you ought to spill over on other people, and it spilled over on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And you remember their story, the king Nebuchadnezzar, he was a power-hungry, power maniac king.

He he built this big golden statue, uh, this giant statue of himself, and he said, When you hear the music playing, I need everybody in the kingdom to stop what they're doing and bow down and worship me.

And so everybody in the kingdom does that except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Why?

Because Daniel had influenced their life.

Now they're living for the Lord.

And you know, the king says, if you don't bow down, you're gonna be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

You know how the story ends?

Because they don't bow, they don't burn.

God shows up.

And you remember what Nebuchadnezzar said?

He looked into the fiery furnace.

He said, I thought we only we threw three men bound into the fiery furnace, but I see four men loose, and the fourth man is like unto the Son of God.

Here's what you and I need to understand that we have a fourth man on our side.

You know, and in sports terms, they talk about the twelfth man.

They play football, you know, with the home crowd as the twelfth man spurs the team on to the victory, you know, gets them to really, you know, push over the hurdles.

And we don't always have a twelfth man because sometimes we have to stand on enemy turf.

But we always have a fourth man.

We always have a God that is with us, walks with us through every trial, every tribulation, every valley in life, every bad circumstance, every lion, every bear, every giant.

God walks with us.

And remember what the three Hebrew children said.

They said to the king, our God is able.

He's able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.

And I like this, and he will.

How many of you know not just God is able, but God will?

That's what faith is, by the way.

Faith is a confident expectation that the God who promised it will perform and do what he said.

They said, Not only is he able, but God will.

I want you to remember you have a God that is able.

He's not just able, but the Bible says he's more than able.

He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask, think, or imagine.

And so never compromise.

Compromise is an admission that you and I don't believe God is able.

When we try to fix it on our own by fudging something, by cutting a corner, by swallowing our integrity, by compromising our character, it is a living declaration of a spiritual truth that we don't believe God can do it, that we believe God needs help in order to do what God has promised.

How many of you know God don't need your help?

God don't need my help, God is God all by Himself.

He's powerful, He's mighty, He's stronger than any lion, any giant, any bear.

In your life, there is a butt God in your future.

And then Nebuchadnezzar has a team has a dream, and you remember that, and nobody can can can uh uh interpret it in the kingdom.

And so Daniel steps up, not because he wants to be seen, but because he wants to use the gift that God has given him.

And he steps up and he says, King, I'll interpret the dream.

And he interprets the dream, and uh, when he interprets the dream, this is dangerous ground because you know, if you interpret the dream in a way the king don't like, sleeping with the fishes.

And so he gets before him and he tells him the dream, and instead of him getting the wrath of the king, he finds the favor of the king.

How many of you know you don't have to try to create favor for yourself?

This is where most people, matter of fact, people who create try to create favor for themselves always lose favor.

Because isn't it annoying when you know somebody is doing something because they want to create favor?

Isn't it annoying when you know it's not coming out of the right place?

The people that get favor in their lives are the people that just do it and they just do it because they're doing it, because they know God has given them a gift, God has given them an ability, and what happens is God's favor finds you when you do it for that reason.

And then you move forward past Nebuchadnezzar to Beltejar.

Beltejar is now the son of Nebuchadnezzar, and he's even more wicked than his father, and he has this dream, this vision, a hand appears on the wall, writing on the wall, mini, mini, mini, mini, mini, miny, mini.

Remember that?

Read that part in the Bible.

Nobody understands it, and Daniel steps forward again, but this time he's really got to be careful because he knows the interpretation, and it's not a good one.

He's about to tell the king his kingdom is about to end.

You're finished, you're done, you're gonna be sleeping with the fishes.

And he goes before Bel Tajar.

What does he say?

He says, You know, this is the message that God has given me.

He's given it, he does it in a respectful way because he decided that he was not gonna look out for serving men, but he was gonna serve God.

Over and over again, God shows up in Daniel's life in small moments, in unseen moments, and in risky moments.

And what he learns is this here's the principle what we do in private prepares us for what we experience in public.

Small wins get us ready for big battles.

The private life is the proving ground.

When it feels like nothing is on the line, it's all on the line.

Because Jesus said, if you're faithful in little, I'll make you ruler over much.

Remember the children of Israel, they went around the same mountain for 40 years.

It was an 11-day trip from Egypt to the promised land.

They went around it for 40 years.

And can I tell you why some of you, and I don't mean this in a in a in a condescending way, but just in a reality check way, the reason why some of you are stuck in life is because there's too much compromise in your life.

You keep going around the same mountain over and over and over and over again.

You're like, I don't know why God won't advance me.

I don't know why God won't advance me.

I don't know why God won't, because compromise will get you stuck.

You need to live a consistent life with Christ before crisis.

And so think about what happens is is God gives us these opportunities to show this in our life, right?

Showing up when you don't feel like it.

Do you do you not think there's not mornings when I wake up on Sunday and I'm like, I don't feel like going to church today?

Imagine if I just like just came up on the screen, sorry y'all, we're not in church today, uh, didn't feel like getting up out of bed this morning.

My life was too busy.

Sunday is my only day.

You know, Sunday is my only day when I got things to do.

I gotta I gotta get stuff to do on Sunday, I gotta cut the lawn on Sunday.

Sorry, I just couldn't come to church today.

See, these are the times when when you're building your consistency in Christ, praying when nobody sees it, staying late even when your boss doesn't notice, choosing integrity when compromise would be easier.

Those are the moments because proven faith is powerful faith.

Faith that has seen God move before knows God will do it again.

Prove it on the small things so you can see God move on the big things.

Consistency in your relationship with a God affects every other area of your life.

Because when your relationship with God is your why, everything else becomes worship.

Here's what the Bible tells us it says, whatever you do, do it as onto the Lord and not onto men.

You shouldn't ever do what you do because you're doing it for a person.

Because people may say thank you, maybe they won't.

People may notice you, maybe they won't, but it doesn't matter.

You know why?

Because you're not doing it for people.

So somebody doesn't say thank you, and I'm not saying we shouldn't say thank you because I believe in all that stuff.

Matter of fact, Jesus even told the leper, how come only one came back and said thank you?

But the reason why we do what we do is we do it for the glory of God.

And so when you do it, when God is your why, you lead, you don't just lead, you lead with integrity.

When God is your why, you don't just work, you work with excellence.

When God is your why, you don't just show up, you show up with purpose because you're not doing it for people, you're doing it for God.

I remember when I was a bus boy, and I I if you've been here long enough, you've heard every story I got.

Okay, so maybe some of you have heard this.

I was a bus boy first day on the job, you know, and uh the the boss comes out, they used to call him Spat.

He was a really, really nice old man.

His nickname was Spat.

I don't know why his nickname was Spat.

I was like, who spit at you?

I don't know.

And anyway, um, and he comes, he gathers all the bus boys, and he says, he says, somebody just just uh pooped all over the bathroom floor.

How do you miss a toilet, y'all?

Come on, right?

Now, this is because the the restaurant had a bar.

How many of you know if you're drunk enough, you can miss the toilet?

And there was there was poop all over the floor.

And he came to the bus boys and he says, I need somebody to help me come clean it up.

And all the bus boys was like this.

My first day on the job, I said, I'll help you.

Now, did I did I want to do it?

No.

Did I put on a mask?

Yeah.

Did I did I put on some gloves?

Yeah.

But I went in there and I did it.

You know why?

Because I'm doing it onto the Lord.

This is the boss.

The boss said he needs help.

And as a servant of Almighty God, as a 14-year-old servant of Almighty God, I'm gonna do, I know I'm not doing it for this man I never met before in my life.

There's no way I'm cleaning poop for the man I never met before, but I'm doing it.

How about if you know when you serve God, sometimes you gotta clean up some poop?

And I cleaned that poop up, and I didn't just clean it up, make sure there was, you know, most of it was up.

I cleaned it up with the next person in the bathroom.

Never knew there was any poop on the floor.

Why?

Because I'm doing it for God.

I'm not just doing it to get the job done, I'm doing it to leave a mark of excellence on that thing.

I got done cleaning up that poop.

He walked out, he called all the bus boys.

My first day on the job, we called them all together.

He said, I just want to introduce you all to the new head bus boy.

In an instant, my salary doubled.

In an instant.

See, favor will find you.

Do it as all to the Lord.

And Daniel, he has distinguished himself above all the governors, all the mayors, because there was an excellent spirit on him.

He had consistency in Christ before the crisis.

And the king gave thought.

Here's what the scripture says, verse number three, Daniel 6, gave thought to sending him over the whole region.

He said, I'm gonna promote this man because he was excellent.

How many of you know promotion finds you when you're excellent?

Promotion finds you.

I have never in my life asked for a position.

Never.

You know why?

Because promotion finds you when you're excellent.

The Bible says this.

It says, Your gift will make room for you and bring you before kings.

How many of you are confident in the gift that God has given you?

Not confident in yourself, confident in the gift that God has given you.

And so the king sought to promote him.

And what happened?

The people got jealous.

How many of y'all remember that song from back in the day?

Why do the people get jealous?

Why do rumors get started?

Started by the jealous people.

What's the next line, Keisha?

You don't know that song?

You a DJ, man.

All these kids, they don't know none of the songs.

Back in the day.

Some of y'all know some serious songs from back in the day.

Anyway, they were jealous.

Can I just encourage you for a moment?

Jealous can't stop Jesus.

Jealous can never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever stop Jesus.

Some of y'all pay too much mind to people who are jealous.

I couldn't care less what people think about anything.

As long as I'm pleasing the Lord, you can either get mad, you can get jealous, you can get whatever you're gonna get.

Some people are they have only one color in their eye, the green eye of envy.

You know, they look, they're jealous, they're envious.

But can I help you for a moment?

God is El Shaddai.

That means He is the God of more than enough.

What does that mean?

It means if God blesses somebody else, it doesn't lessen my chances of being blessed because God's supply never runs dry.

God's supply never runs low.

God is a God of more than enough.

Matter of fact, if I see you get blessed, I get happy about it.

I'm like, look at God, look at God, look at God.

Why?

Because I know something about God.

God is no respective persons.

And so if God did it for you, especially if you're nasty.

Especially if I think there's some warts.

I'm like, God did it for them.

I'm like, yeah, Jesus.

God's gonna do something for me.

Why?

Because he is El Shaddai.

Don't you worry about what people think or say or jealousy because it cannot stop.

Jesus, stay consistent even before crisis comes, because crisis will come into your life.

And when crisis comes, you have to know who God is for you.

But listen to this He's getting ready to be promoted, and so they're talking about a trap.

They want to get them thrown into the lions, Dan, because listen, behind every lion is a ladder.

Let me say it again.

Behind every lion is a ladder.

Every obstacle that comes your way is the thing that's standing between you and God and where God wants to take you next.

And so you could either let the lions roar win, or you could trust God through the situation, get on the other side of that thing, and up the ladder you go.

You're not going, you're not doing it because you want to get up the ladder.

You're doing it because you love the Lord.

But whenever you love the Lord, there is always a ladder behind your lion.

Somebody say amen.

The Bible says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added on to you.

Consistency before crisis.

Past performance, listen to me, is a strong predictor of future success.

Past performance is a strong predictor of future success.

In athletics, how do they get contracts?

Based on how they performed.

So we give you money based on what we think you're gonna do, based on how you've already performed.

Develop a consistency in Christ, and when the crisis comes, you'll see God take you through.

But number two, if you're gonna sleep with the lions, you must choose Christ over comfort.

There's a big one.

This is where most people miss it.

This is where most people never see God move.

Daniel's consistency has caught the attention of the king, and the king is getting ready to promote him.

Daniel knows about the promotion.

He can see what is happening, he can feel the favor, he can tell the king is preparing to elevate him over the governors and the mayors.

But here's what makes Daniel Daniel.

Daniel is not living for the promotion.

Daniel's not living for the next level.

Daniel's not living for the applause of men.

He's not living for a title.

He's not living for influence.

He's not living for comfort.

He's not living for security.

He's not living for money.

He's not living for influence.

He's not living for followers.

He's not living for clips, clicks.

Daniel is living for God.

And because he is living for God, he will not protect his promotion at all cost.

Let's take it down to where we live.

Most people who claim they're living for God protect their promotion at all cost.

God, this is a really good opportunity.

So what if I have to?

God, you know what?

I might not have to, I might, maybe I'm not gonna, but you know, God, I'll catch you later.

Because anything, God will always be, it's called sloppy grace.

Sloppy grace is when you're gonna circle back with God after you get what you want, but you did it your way instead of following God's path for your life.

That is not what the Bible says.

Can I tell you?

Here's write this down.

Never protect your dream at all cost, protect your relationship with Jesus at all cost.

Let me say it again.

Look, I got like four amens on that.

Don't protect your dream at all cost, protect your relationship with Jesus at all cost.

And can I tell you, sometimes in life, your relationship with Jesus may cost you the dream.

In the moment.

God's always got something better.

Can I tell you?

God's always got something better.

God's always got something better.

Listen to what the scripture says.

It says, For what will it profit the man, a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?

Oh, what will a man give in exchange for his own soul?

In other words, don't sell out your soul for a dream.

Don't sell out your soul for promotion.

Don't sell out your soul for money.

Don't sell out your soul for comfort.

Don't sell out your soul for an opportunity because Christ is the real price.

You already got the prize.

The apostle Paul said this.

He said, I count all things but loss.

I like the King James on this.

It says, I count all things but dung poop.

When I was cleaning up that bathroom, I was like, I count all things but poop, but poop.

That I might win Christ.

And the word win here is literally hit the jackpot.

Can I tell you something?

Can I preach to you for a moment?

Jesus is the jackpot.

Not your dream, not the size of your bank account, not how many vacations you could go on, not how big your house is, not what kind of influence.

That's not the jackpot.

You haven't made it when you got all that.

When you gave me Jesus, the Lord of your life, you hit the jackpot.

You got Jesus.

Everything else is downhill.

And the Apostle Paul, he kind of expresses what Daniel is living later on.

He says this in 2 Timothy chapter 4.

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

How do we choose?

How do we choose this?

How do we choose Christ over comfort?

2 Timothy chapter 4, verse number 6.

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

He says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.

I have kept the faith.

There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day.

Now, what makes these words powerful, choosing, choosing Christ over comfort, is when Paul wrote them.

He wrote them when Nero was the ruler of the Roman Empire.

And Nero was a wicked man, a lot of wicked kings in past history.

He's a wicked man, and uh he he was one of those guys who was having maybe a midlife crisis.

He he thought he he was an athlete.

You ever meet those guys?

54, 55, 55 pounds overweight.

I could have gone pro.

Back in high school, man, I could have gone pro.

How you could have gone pro, you never even got a college scholarship.

But you could have gone pro.

Nero was going, I could have gone pro.

I could have gone pro, could have gone pro.

And he decides he's gonna enter the Olympic Games in Rome.

He thinks he's an athlete.

He's so fat and out of shape he can't fit in the chariot.

But he enters chariot racing and they prop him up in the chariot.

And as he's in the chariot race, he keeps falling out and they have to keep putting him back in.

He keeps falling out and they have to keep putting him back in.

And so, of course, he doesn't win the race because he kept falling out and had to put him back in.

But because he's the emperor, because he's in charge, they make him crown, he makes them crown him the champion.

And all of Rome cheers for this sham king, except one group of people, Christians.

They don't.

And Nero gets so aggravated that he starts killing a bunch of Christians as a result of this.

And Paul writes these words right at that moment.

I have fought the good fight.

I have finished my race.

I have kept the faith.

And there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day.

What is he saying?

He said, I'm choosing Christ over comfort.

I'm living not for an audience of people, but I'm living for an audience of one.

When I cross over, I want to stand before Jesus and hear him say those words.

Well done, good and faithful servants.

But you know what?

They were counting on Daniel being a comfortable Christian.

They were counting on Daniel, protecting his dream over his faith, counting on Daniel to protect his position over prayer, to choose comfort over conviction.

They're betting he'll preserve his future by compromising his faith.

But Daniel has an excellent spirit.

He is committed to God.

So they manipulate the king into signing a decree.

And the decree was if you pray to anybody but me, you get thrown into the lions then.

So what's gonna happen now?

There's a king's decree that says this, if you do this, it's gonna be wrong.

How many of you know sometimes culture will issue decrees?

How many of you know?

Just a few years back, cancel culture was issuing all sorts of decrees.

If you say you believe this, if you stand up for that, if you do this, we write you off, we say this, we say it.

How many of you know that when culture issues a decree that is opposed to the word of God, that might be the king's decree, but there's a higher king.

He's called the king of kings and the lord of lords, and that decree is a decree that stands over our life.

He said, So shall my word be, that goes forth out of my mouth.

It shall accomplish the thing that I please, prosper in the thing that I send it to.

There's a higher decree over your life.

Some of you need to realize that God's word is the final authority.

So Darius signs a decree, and Daniel knew he was signing it.

But God had already spoken from heaven.

The decree comes from the king, do not pray.

But the decree from the king of kings says, seek me with your whole heart.

The kid decree came from the king, protect yourself.

The decree from the king of kings says, trust me in all things.

The decree threatened to throw him into the lion's den, but the higher decree said, Daniel, I'll walk with you through every fiery furnace, I'll be with you through every lion's den.

Which decree do you believe over your life?

What's Daniel gonna do?

Verse number 10.

Now, when Daniel knew the writing was signed, it's not like Daniel did this blindly.

Daniel knew, here's what it says.

Here's the consequence.

Are you willing to put your faith on the line when you know there's a consequence?

What would Daniel do?

Daniel chapter 6, verse number 10.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

He went home, he prayed, he gave thanks before God, as was his custom since the early days.

The pattern was already perfected, so the problem couldn't stop it.

The pattern was already perfected, so the problem couldn't stop it.

Some of you are trying to develop spiritual fat battles in strong crisis moments in your life.

If you can't, if you can't develop a spiritual pattern when everything is right, what makes you think that a crisis is going to cause you to be consistent?

That's why I told you before, get consistent before the crisis because when the pattern is already established, the problem can't break the pattern.

And so Daniel stays faithful.

And that's a word for somebody.

Stay faithful.

When they say don't pray, pray anyway.

When they say you can't, do it anyway.

If it contradicts the word of God, you obey God and not man.

Stay faithful to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

We need to realize that God is more powerful than anything.

Don't let your, listen to me, let me say it this way.

Don't let your butt get in the way of your butt God.

I don't mean that funny.

I don't mean it like y'all think I mean it.

Because y'all is giggling like, he's a butt, he's a butt in church, he's a butt.

It's like a three-year-old kid.

But okay, that's not how I mean it.

Here's what happens to us.

Well, I was gonna pray, but I'm just so busy.

I was gonna start to tithe, but you know, the bills are really tight.

I I was gonna start coming to church on a regular basis, but you know, Sunday's my only day.

I got a lot to do on Sunday.

When else am I gonna do the laundry?

Listen, it'd be better that you stink in the natural than you smell spiritually.

And you could stink spiritually too, because God sometimes, even in the Bible, said that's a nasty smell.

That smell rose up before me.

How many of you know that it can be a sweet smell coming from your life or a nasty smell coming from your life?

I don't care.

Let your clothes stay dirty.

If it's between your clothes and God or your clothes in Christ, let it be Christ.

Thank God we hope it's both.

But I was gonna start coming to church, but I was gonna start practicing this, but, but, but do you have more faith in your butt than you have in God's butt God in your life?

Which one do you have more faith in?

Do you believe that your situation is more powerful than the God you serve?

If you do, then you'll collapse.

If you don't, then you'll stay faithful in every situation.

Choose Christ over comfort.

But number three, if you're going to sleep in the lion's den, you must trust that God is able.

Daniel is arrested, he's taken, he's thrown into the lion's den.

And if we're honest, it looked like his faithfulness failed, didn't it?

Reminds me of Paul and Silas preached the word.

How many of you know if you're preaching the word, you think God's got me, God has got me, God has got me.

Paul and Silas preached the word, they get whipped, beaten, and thrown in prison.

How many of you ever experienced moments in your life when you thought you were being faithful and it didn't turn out the way you thought it was?

You know what those are?

Those are but God moments.

Those are moments for you to trust that God is able, those are moments for you to trust that God can still turn your situation around.

Somebody asked me recently, well, what do you tell somebody when the situation is final?

They got fired from the job.

They lost a loved one.

What do you tell somebody?

I tell somebody to still believe for a butt God.

You say, Well, what are they supposed to believe for?

They're supposed to believe that God can take a bad situation and still bring something good out of that situation in your life.

John chapter 9, the disciples came to Jesus and they asked this question.

John 9 · chapter mention

They said, Who said this man or his parents that he was born blind?

The message says this.

Jesus responds, you're asking the wrong question.

Look instead to what God can do.

Here's my question for you.

Some of you who feel like your faithfulness has failed.

What can God do now?

You may not always get the answer to every why in your life, but you know what you could do?

You can lift up your head to where to the hills from whence your hill help comes from, and you can say, But God still, but God still has a future for me, but God still has a promise for me, but God still has brighter days for me ahead.

God is still gonna do something.

He's still the God who works all things together for the good for those that love him and are called according to his purpose.

And so, Daniel chapter 6, verse 17, what happens?

Daniel 6:17

The king said when he heard these words, he was greatly displeased, and he said to himself, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him.

He was greatly displeased, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him.

Remember that.

Then these men approached the king.

King, O king, this is the law, no decree or statue which the king establishes may be changed.

So the king gave the commandment, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the lion's den.

But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, Your God, whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.

Then a stone was brought and laid at the mouth of the den, then and a king, the king sealed it with his own signet ring.

I want you to notice several things.

The law of the Medes demanded death.

The king set his heart to deliver Daniel.

A stone was rolled over the mouth of the den and sealed, and everybody assumed it was over.

Did you catch what I just said?

Let me say it again.

The law demanded death.

The king set his heart to deliver Daniel.

A stone was rolled over the mouth of the den and sealed, and everybody thought it was over.

Does that story sound familiar to you?

It is a precursor, it is a parallel to the three days that changed the history of the world.

What happened with Jesus?

Death was what was demanded for your sin and mine.

But the Father set his heart to deliver us.

A stone was rolled in front of the tomb, it was sealed.

Everybody thought it was over.

But God, how many of you know there is always a but God in your future?

You have to believe that God is still able.

Remember the story I told you?

Checkmate.

Remember that story?

Showed you a picture in the Louvre, painting, devil on one side, chess player, human being on the other side, chessboard in between.

The painting is called Checkmate, and it looks like the king is cornered by the devil.

And the world champion chess player comes by and he starts staring at them.

Oh, why are you staring so hard?

He said, Listen, there's something wrong with this painting.

Either you're gonna have to change the name or you're gonna have to change the painting.

They said, Why?

He said, Because the king is not trapped, the king still has one more move.

How many of you know the king had one more move when it came to Jesus?

One more move.

When it came to Daniel, one more move in your life.

You gotta believe that God is able.

You gotta believe that you can trust God.

But lastly, this morning, lastly, this morning, number four, if you are going to sleep with the lions, you must be willing to be a miracle.

Not you must be willing to receive a miracle.

You must be willing to be a miracle.

See, we could look at this story, and you know the king, he rushes out there.

He says, Daniel, Daniel, servant of the most high God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the mouth of the lions?

And Daniel shouts back.

I bet you they didn't hear, they didn't expect to see a voice.

I don't know if you know that could be off with it.

What Daniel, you there, oh king, live forever.

What?

Oh king, my God, he sent his angel to shut the mouths of lions.

They did not do any hurt to me because I was found innocent before you.

By the way, when you're steadfast, supernatural help shows up.

Do you know why some people have no confidence in God?

Because they have too much compromise in their life.

And when you have compromise in your life, you don't have faith that God is going to come through.

Because the devil starts playing tricks on you and saying, Well, God doesn't want us to do it for you because look at what you just did.

Look what you did this yesterday, look what you just did the day before.

And you start believing that God doesn't want to, your confidence is still.

He said, I was steadfast, I was innocent before you.

Confidence is born from godliness.

Now we could stop there and we could say that's the miracle.

We can say the miracle is Daniel came out unharmed.

How many of you know if all your miracle ever does is bless you, you haven't gone far enough.

Some of us we have to move beyond just receiving a miracle to being a miracle.

How many of you know what Daniel did was he let his lion become a light to an entire kingdom?

How many of you are willing to say, God, you know what?

Yes, I'm believing you from my miracle.

Yes, God, I want you to deliver me.

Yes, God, I want you to keep me safe.

But even more than all of that, God, I want my lion to be a light to a lost world, that you are the only true God.

And what happened?

This wicked king all of a sudden sees that Daniel was unheard, uh unhurt.

And Daniel chapter 6, verse 26, he said, I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear between before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and steadfast forever.

Daniel 6:26

His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed.

His dominion shall endure to the end.

He delivers and he rescues, he works signs and wonders in the heaven on earth who has delivered Daniel from the power of lions.

This is a pagan king that becomes a preacher.

What happened?

Daniel's lion became a light.

Daniel's moment of adversity became a miracle in somebody else's life.

God did what nobody thought could happen.

God turned a king who didn't serve God, who didn't have laws in his land.

How many of you know God can use anybody?

See, we have this thing.

We say, God, you can only use this type of person.

And God, if they don't say what I want them to say or think like I want them to think, or behave like I want them, God, you can God used an ass in the Bible.

Anyone ever see God use a talking ass before?

See, there y'all go again.

See, there y'all go again.

God can use an animal, God can use a donkey, God can use a wicked king, God can use whoever he wants to use.

Matter of fact, can I tell you who God is after?

God is after the donkeys and God is after the wicked kings.

See, we think God is after only the righteous people.

God wants your moment to be a miracle for those that need Jesus.

He wants your lion to be a lie to somebody else.

And what really is a miracle moment in our life is when God shows up that way.

And we finally say, God, I don't just want a miracle.

God, I want to be a miracle to somebody else.

Would you stand to your feet?

Jesus.

Hallelujah.

Part of the reason why we stumble is because we don't really know how able God is.

We start believing God for how God is going to do things instead of believing God for who He is.

Here's what God told me a couple years ago.

He said, Never believe me for how, only believe me for who I am.

He said, You don't get to design your miracle.

He said, You just get to believe for your miracle.

I'll design it.

I'll get to choose how I'm gonna do it.

I'll get to choose what means and what measure I'm gonna use.

I get to choose who and what and how I'm going to supply.

See, some of us we think, God, you need to supply this way.

And if God doesn't supply that way, all of a sudden we lose faith in God because it didn't happen how we wanted it to happen.

Our faith is never in how.

Because when our faith is in how, it becomes limited to what we can see and understand.

But when our faith is in who, all of a sudden we realize it doesn't matter if it didn't come the way that we thought it.

Was gonna come because God is not limited by time and space.

God is not limited by the natural dimension.

God can do things supernaturally.

God can go and do things that we never thought he was gonna do.

He could use a talking donkey, he could rescue us with a whale, he could use a wicked king.

God can do whatever we want him to do, however, he wants to do it.

We don't get to choose the miracle.

He's the designer.

Would you let God design your miracle his way?

Would you just believe that not how, but who?

God, you're an able God.

God, you're not just able, but you are more than able.

God, you can keep me from the den, but you can cause me to sleep in the den.

God, you can keep me from the fire.

Oh, God, you can walk with me through the fire.

I don't know how you're gonna do it, God.

But one thing I know you are more than able, God.

You're gonna do it.

I don't know how you're gonna do it.

I don't know when you're gonna do it, but I know you're gonna do it.

God, you're more than able.

Can we just sing this song to God and worship Him for just a moment and declare this over our lives?