The Bible says, ‘Daniel decided not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would make him unclean.’ This particular food and wine was offered to pagan gods as an act of worship, and for Daniel that was unacceptable. He was being asked to compromise his character, and he wouldn’t do it. There were many reasons why Daniel could have said yes to eating the king’s food and drinking his wine. He was far from home and could do what he wanted. He had been taken to Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar after Jerusalem had been taken and the Israelites were in exile. Nobody back home would ever know he had done it. Plus, if he didn’t eat it, he would be insulting the king, which probably wouldn’t be a good idea for his career. Daniel knew God’s Word was clear when it came to idol worship, and God blessed him for it. He ended up being protected, preserved, promoted, and prospered in incredible ways. He had established his principles and convictions before he got to Babylon. He already knew what he would and wouldn’t do, before the situations arose. Have we taken the time to decide what our core convictions are? Have we spent the good times determining what we will and won’t do during the hard times? If not, we need to. It doesn’t matter what other people will think of us, it matters that we do the right thing in God’s eyes. Even if no one else would notice us do something, God sees everything we do. Our thoughts and ideas must always be open to change and improvement, but our core convictions must be non-negotiable. We need to stick to our principles, even when we’re tempted. 

What Now?

Next time you feel tempted to do something you know is wrong, imagine Jesus is physically standing next to you. Do you still want to do it?