Seeking First The Kingdom

Marching Into Your Divine Destiny

Journey Into The Promised Land

Daniel 1:1–21 (CSB)

DANIEL’S CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar^, of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ²The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,^, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

³The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility—⁴young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. ⁵The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.^, ⁶Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

FAITHFULNESS IN BABYLON

⁸Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself. ⁹God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch, ¹⁰yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would endanger my life with the king.”

¹¹So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” ¹⁴He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. ¹⁶So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

FAITHFULNESS REWARDED

¹⁷God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. ¹⁸At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend the king. ²⁰In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times^, better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom. ²¹Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The Prophet Daniel was also a man of vision. He not only received visions and interpreted visions, but he was a man of purpose who knew how to order his life and set objectives to fulfill his destiny.

As a young man, Daniel rose to preeminence among the children of Israel (Daniel 1:3-6) and then gained preeminence among the wise of men of Babylon (Daniel 1:17-20). He was eventually given power over all of Babylon (Daniel 2:48-49; 5:29) and received similar power over the Medo-Persian empire (Daniel 6:1-3,28).

What was the key that enabled Daniel to achieve positions of power and influence in the midst of an ungodly society? It was because he was a man of purpose. That is one of the first things we learn about Daniel as a young man:

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)

As a young boy in a strange land, Daniel was faced with an opportunity to violate God’s law by eating the king’s food. Despite his youth and the tremendous pressure to conform, Daniel “purposed in his heart” to uphold the law of God, no matter the cost. It was this strength of purpose that gave him the power to remain faithful when his allegiance to God was challenged by a law forbidding prayer (Daniel 6) and when he was elevated to a position of leadership (Daniel chapters 2 and 6). Because Daniel was a man of purpose, he was granted favor with key leaders who were used by God to enable him to fulfill his destiny (Daniel 1:9).

Every child of God needs to be a person of purpose and direction. A strong sense of purpose not only fosters the respect and admiration of others, it is essential to fulfilling your ministry. Jesus made it clear what our purpose should be:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

If you seek God’s will first — His Kingdom and purposes — then all other things will be supernaturally provided. You will have the strength you need to accomplish God’s plan. You will have the abilities required and the necessary finances. You will have the supernatural power equal to the vision God gives you.

Make this declaration:

I will seek God’s Kingdom and purposes first and all other things will be supernaturally provided. I will have the strength and finances I need to accomplish God’s plan. I will have the supernatural power equal to the vision God gives me.

*Adapted from MCWE email – Journey Into The Promised Land by Morris Cerullo

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Marching Into Your Divine Destiny

Journey Into The Promised Land