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So if you have your bibles, please turn with me to the book of Daniel and Chapter 6.  And before I go into the sermon itself, I like you to hear a jingle, very, very well known jingle. Have a listen and we will go from there.

Audio plays.

Any guesses for what it is? Everybody knows it is about survival.

Alright, the survivor is a reality game show on TV and the idea is to outwit, outplay, outlast.  The game concept is very simple, a bunch of strangers are thrown into a deserted island. No fire, no water, no food, no shelter provided for you and you're supposed to compete with one another so that the last man or woman standing will be the survivor. And he or she stands to win a million dollars.

Now, Survivor is very popular. It is now in its 14th year. This is its 28th season and everybody is familiar with this series. But let me share with you, the original survivor is not started in year 2000, the original survivor was in AD or BC539, some 2500 years ago because Daniel is the true survivor. The difference is that Daniel Chapter 6 is not a game show - it is reality.

It is real that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den and number 2; it is in a sense, not something that he volunteered for.  It is not a game for him. He was framed, he was set up.  He was forced to be in the lion's den.  Now, why was he in the lion's den?  Is it because he committed some crime or some sin?  No! On the contrary, the Bible tells us, Daniel 6 is about a very godly man, a wonderful man, one of the few characters in the Bible where no flaw is recorded of and yet this godly man is thrown into the pit where he may very well lose his life.  So today, we're going to look at Daniel. He is a portrait of godliness. He's a man who walks with God, who has faith in God and we are going to learn lessons of godliness from Daniel in the lion's den.

1]  Godliness is Consistent in Practice

The 1st thing I like to share with you from Daniel 6 is that godliness is consistent in practice. Very simple point.  Godliness is consistent in practice.

Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.  (Daniel 6:3 ESV)

It doesn't have double standards. You see the Bible tells us this is what describes this wonderful man - Daniel. Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, which is Princes, because an excellent spirit was in him. There is something unique about Daniel. His attitude is different. The Bible says his spirit or attitude is excellent. This is a word that means surpassing, that means exceeding, that means excellent. It's high, it's above others. And so, Daniel is someone who stood head and shoulders above everyone else, because of his spirit, his attitude. He probably has a very diligent spirit. He has a very conscientious spirit, he is responsible, he is not negligent, he is generous, he is not quarrelsome.  He is selfless, there is something about him in a world that is corrupt, he stands with integrity.

In fact, he is so head and shoulders above everyone else that the King now plans to make him ruler over the whole region.  Now, this is very extraordinary. Why? Because Daniel is a foreign talent. He's not a Med or Persian. He is a Jew who was a captive in Babylon and now this Jew who is a captive in Babylon who is now conquered by Medo-Persia is now poised to be the top dog, the top man in Babylon. I mean, if you imagine Singapore having a foreigner, an American as a Prime Minister, that is unthinkable but that is exactly what Daniel will become. And you say why, because he has such a spirit about him. His ethic is different. His character is different. His integrity is on a whole new level. And because he was so good and everybody could see that he was head and shoulders everyone else, he was set to be a ruler over the whole region and people became jealous.


Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. (Daniel 6:4 ESV)

The Bible tells us the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regards to the kingdom. So they wanted to dig out some dirt from this man. They wanted to find fault, so as to stumble him, so as to cause him to be dragged down, so that they don't have to be under his ruler-ship, but try as they might, they couldn't find anything, any complaint or any fault because Daniel was faithful, no error or fault was found in him.

Now, mind you, these are the top officials in the Medo-Persia Empire. These are the brains. These are the most powerful men. They probably got all their spies in place. If they had, they would probably put the cameras, spy cams, paparazzi, CNN and BBC surround and follow Daniel every single day, just to find out some fault.  Check his accounts, check his purchases, see how he speaks with other ladies, see how he speaks to other people. They will probably go to his office and look for gold taps, but they will find none. Because Daniel, he behaved and he served in such a way that is honorable, everything is 'swee swee' [excellent, in order].  No skeletons in the closet, whatsoever. He is consistent in the office, in the palace, at home. He is consistent every day, everywhere.  He is just a man that is full of godliness.

And I suggest to you, godliness is consistent in practice and hypocrite is not consistent in practice. A hypocrite is a man who lives a double standard. He's one thing on Sunday, but another thing on Monday; he looks like an angel on Sunday. He welcomes people, he is full of joy, he quotes the Bible. He may even preach, but on Monday when he gets into his office, he's a devil.  When he gets home on Tuesday, he terrorizes his family. He is not consistent. He lives in double standard. Why does a hypocrite live a double standard?

Very simple, a hypocrite, the Bible tells us, is someone who lives for the glory of men. He wants to be seen of men. So in order to be glorified before people. He puts on a mask - a spiritual mask.  He looks godly on Sunday. He spews bible verses on Sunday, but when there is no need to receive the glory of men, may be back home, in the office, his mask is off, his true colors show. That's why he has a double standard.  His life is motivated by pride, to be seen of men. But Daniel is a  godly man. He is not motivated by pride. Godliness is not motivated by pride; it is motivated by passion for God. It's because of a love for God, it is because of a genuine desire to please him in our lives.

So therefore, whether it is in big things or small things, seen things or unseen things, Sunday or Monday, he is consistent. This godly man would have an excellent spirit about him when he goes to work on Monday.  His colleagues would see that he is responsible,  even when boss is not around, he performs well. He does his best, he is not negligent with his job, he is careful in all his ways.  He is not quarrelsome, he is not demanding, but he is generous, he is selfless. They see a difference in him, he is like what the Bible would say - the salt of the earth, the light of the world.

This man would have a consistent private life in that the way he speaks to his helper, his mate, his family, his friends, would display Christ-like character.  And if you try to dig up his fault, you can't find any, maybe not much. Not many of us are as good as Daniel, but by and large, he is consistent.  Check his Facebook account, his tweets, his phone calls, his dealings with members of the opposite gender - can't find anything.  Because godliness is consistent in practice.

Many of us live with skeletons in the closet, isn't it?   In fact, I would dare say, I myself, I've skeletons in my closets, I've put on a mask and that's what I am not proud of.  And maybe for you today. When you see a life like Daniel, you said, 'wow, what a man!', 2 verses, 'wow, what a guy!' and you long to be like that because you long to love God.  You long to have a life that is consistent that glorifies him - both in the public and in private.  But I say to you, I thank God for the desire that you have, you see, we all must be willing to put off our masks, put away the pretenses and have a genuine pursuit and desire to be truly godly from the inside out.

And if you really want to be godly, if you really want to be someone who loves God, then it begins right here. It begins with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is in the Gospel that we realize that we are more sinful than we dare to believe and at the very same time, it is in the Gospel that we are more loved than we can imagine. So the Gospel allows me to be humble and broken before God, and say, 'Lord, I do not want to live with a mask over my face. I don't want to live with pretense', but at the very same time you are able to come to God because you are deeply loved. You know that he will not forsake you. You know that in Jesus Christ, you are, you have this position or standing of acceptance with Him.

So, if you truly want to be godly, you've got to come to the Gospel. Drink it in and realize that you are sinful and broken, but at the very same time deeply loved by God. Therefore, we come with transparency, with honesty and say to God, 'Lord, help me to be like a Daniel. Not just look good on Sunday mornings, not just look good when I am before “Christians”, but even in my private thoughts, my speech, where I look at, where I go to, I will be consistently loving you.' And that's why, by the way, friends, we need the church.  We need one another because the reality is, we often won't admit our brokenness.  We hide from others, we pretend all is well. We live a hypocrite's life and we don't avail to the resource that God has given to us within the church and when I say church is the brothers and sisters, to provoke one another to love and good works.  Godliness is not a hypocrite. Godliness is not hypocrisy. Godliness is number 1 - consistent in practice.

But this is where the story moves because he is so faultless and they couldn't find any problem with him. They now design a ploy. They set up a trap and a trap is a very simple one.  They got to know that Daniel is a man of prayer. Every day he will pray and so they said if we can't catch Daniel on these financial irregularities or dealings, he has performed well, let's catch him because of his faith, let's catch him because he praised to the God of Israel. So they came to Darius, the King and said, 'King Darius, let's set up a rule, a law in our land that if any man praise to any other god, except yourself, within this 30 days, let him be cast into the lion's den.'   Now, King Darius a little bit blur, probably just woke up, I don't know why, but he listened to this hundred and twenty of his officials and said  “alright, let's sign the deal”, and the law is passed and now the Princes would camp outside Daniel's house and wait for Daniel to pray as he had always done so. And the moment they saw him pray, they reported him to King Darius and Daniel is now ready to face or has to face the lion's den.

2. Godliness is Composed under Pressure

But the 2nd thing about godliness is that it is also very compose under pressure.

Imagine facing the lion's den. Now, I think all of us naturally will be fearful if we were to face a single lion. I mean, that's, unless you see the ones in Singapore's Zoo lah(particle suffixed to the emphatic word in a sentence]. The Singapore's Zoo's lions are all very tame, I think.  They just  'sian'[boring] already.  They know that they would never get to eat you and so they can't be bothered with you.  But those lions maybe in the wild, or maybe lions kept in the den for a long time, designed to execute, designed to kill criminals, they will be kept hungry.  They will be kept fierce and I think it is a very scary thing to face a single lion to say the least.

About 2 months ago, I was with my son. We went to Phuket just for that 1 day, so we were there for that one day, and we decided to visit this place called Tiger Kingdom. It is a very interesting place whereby there are tigers kept in captivity.  They were bred since young; they were fed all kinds of meat so that they are not hungry at all.  And when you go there and into it, is not seeing them like from the distance like as in our Singapore Zoo but you can really go and touch the Tigers, you can really even sleep on the tigers.  The tigers come in different sizes. like McDonalds, you know.  You have small, medium, large and extra-large. The small ones are tiger cubs, small ones.  Maybe a few months old, just small size things. The extra large ones are maybe 2 times my size. I mean there are huge tigers and you are allowed to sleep on them, sayang[to love] them and so we went for it. So guess which one I go for? [silence] Huh? Wah Lau[expression of astonishment], of course I go for the XL one! But because I have to take care of my son, I went to the small one.  So they don't allow me to go to the XL, because you bring a son, they said can only go to the small one. So we went to the small one and now, intellectually, I know that the tigers are fine in a sense, I see so many tourists there, they visit they touch, no issue. I tell my son it's fine. But emotionally, instinctively, it's still not easy.

Let me show you a video clip of Shawn at TigerLand.

[video]

It's not easy, right?  If you see Shawn, really want to 'siam'[to avoid]. I tell you, the whole time he was there, he was agonizing. Don't know whether to smile or don't know whether to run, he was so divided because he wants to be near them but he is also instinctively fearful of a tiger cub.  Imagine if it is a huge one and when there is a den of them, and when they are all ferocious and hungry.

Daniel faced the lion's den, you can imagine as he slipped downhill, “Oh, what's going to end? What's going to happen to me?” I mean the lions, he knew about the lions. I mean he's an official that he knew about these. These lions are, I can imagine as he slipped down, its quiet and you can just hear after you slipped down, that the growl, “grrrrrr”, multiplied by many times.  And you know those cartoons, when the whole thing is pitch black and dark and you just see the light of their eyes blinking blinking and blinking and circling you.  You could smell them; you could feel the warmth of their breath. Daniel is right in their midst!  He knew he would face all that.

Some people say of course Daniel is fine because the Bible never tells you, but the Bible says, Bible never reveals to us actually that the lions are all old ones, all 'bo gei one' [being toothless]. All the toothless ones and some of them, cross-eyed, 'can't see you' type. So, Daniel could probably slip into the den and find a corner, hide there, camouflage and the lions won't get him. I suggest to you that is absolutely not what happened.

In fact, artists have drawn Daniel in the lion's den with ferocious lions and with skeletons, just a picture of how these lions could have eaten many, many other criminals before Daniel. But more than just believing artists and what they draw or they think.  We need to go to the Bible and the Bible tells you after Daniel is saved. So I spoil the ending for you, it's a spoiler. But after Daniel is saved, King Darius sent all these bad people who conspired against Daniel in and look at what happened to them.

And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.  (Daniel 6:24 ESV)

These men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions, their children and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, these lions are so hungry and so waiting for food to come, that before they touched the bottom, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

No!  These lions were not old and toothless.  These lions were not cross-eyed, they were expert hunters. They were a ferocious pride of man-eating animals. Daniel knew that, yet Daniel prayed.

The King had already passed the law; anyone who disobeys it will be thrown, he still prays as he had always done. He did not complain. He did not panic. He did not start a revolt, he didn't even spin for himself excuses. You know, if I was Daniel, I will probably say, 'okay God, you know I'm going to the lion's den, and so you know.  It's the heart that matters, I will still pray standing, but not going to be the same old way as I used to.  You know God, you should understand that I can still honor you and submit to the government.'

You know, he could have spun all these excuses for himself and when he is caught, He could even have said,' no! How you know that I pray to the God of Israel? I pray to Darius (what) in my heart, you never hear.' No such thing!  He knew exactly what he was facing, he was still composed, he was still in faith and was willing to be thrown into the lion's den.

Now, some of us are very shocked that something like this can happen to godly people. Eh! I thought Daniel is a godly man, I thought Daniel is a man who believes God, walks with God, how come these bad things can happen to good people? How come God didn't protect his child? Why can bad things happen to good people? That's the question and that's why we are often shocked. However, according to the Bible, at least, here in Daniel's life, we realize that godliness is not an immunity from pains and persecutions.

In fact, if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted.  It's not just Daniel actually. Look at Paul, the Apostle. When Paul was doing the work of Christ, he was going preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. (2 Timothy 4:14-17 ESV)

He was saying, 'I was rescued from the lion's mouth.' He said, 'I was, I was right in the midst of the lion's den, as it were.  My life could easily have been lost. Why? because I was preaching the Gospel.' He didn't say, 'aiyah[an expression of dismay], I'm shocked.' No! He says, 'I know, when I am living godly for God, when I am doing his work. I must expect lions.'

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,  (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)

He said it in chapter 3, 'all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.'

Before you want to live godly for Jesus Christ, the devil had nothing to do for you.  I mean, he is not bothered with you! But the moment you want to live godly in Christ Jesus, be sure the Princes and the satraps will now be setting up ploys to get your life.

..because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ….. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  (John 15:19-20 ESV)

Jesus himself says, this is what it means to follow me. 'The world hated me, the world will hate you.'

Christianity is not a life about health and wealth and prosperity that God has promised. No, I tell you something God promised you - pain and persecution. Following Jesus Christ is a call to deny ourselves, take up the cross and lose our lives for Jesus' sake. That's what it means.  Daniel is just illustrating to us, once again, the price for godliness. Therefore, what we should expect is what Jesus Himself had said, it is not a curse to be persecuted, it is a blessing. Why?

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Matthew 5:11-12 ESV)

Because 'for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.' The Daniels, the Pauls, even Jesus Himself was persecuted because of their faith, because of godliness. Are you often surprised that your parents will oppose you getting baptize? Are you shocked that when you told your mom you want to be a Christian, she fights you vehemently?  Do you face persecution in your workplace where your colleagues laugh at your faith in Christ; they ridiculed you for your stand you make? They say you are intolerant of views about sexuality about God.  How can you be such a stick in the mud? Maybe you have been passed over for promotion but maybe because of your faith, you have suffered loss in the office. You've been ostracized by friends.  Don't be surprised.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV)
Peter says, 'beloved, do not be surprised, don't!'  It is what authentic Christianity godliness entails.  Do not be surprised of the fiery trials when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you also may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

The mark of a man of God is not prosperity, health and wealth all the time. It may be this and it will be this, that you share in your master's footsteps in enduring sufferings for His sake.

So here we are, Daniel is thrown into the lion's den, what happens to him? What happens when the lions encircled him, and now are about to devour him, you think! The Bible tells us that when Darius came the next day. And said, ' Daniel, are you fine?' He was absolutely fine!

..and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. (Daniel 6:23 ESV)

No kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God. What an amazing statement! No kind of harm was found on him. You know, the Bible doesn't say very much what happened during those few hours he was in the lion's den but can I suggest to you that maybe this is what happened.

He realized that the lions, their mouths are stopped by God and he said, 'hello hello, kitty kitty.' And he gathers the lions and at night he wants to sleep, he finds a bed.  How does he find a bed? He gathers all the lions and sleep on the tummy, it's like a waterbed and it will move around.  And when he is cold in the night, he gets some of the lion's mane to cover him.  What a nice bed! What a comfortable sleep! And if there is any source of light, he takes out his Old Testament, and he starts to read between the lines. You know, read between the lions, read between the lines, okay, you don't get it.  [laughing].

But he starts to read, he enjoys himself at night, what a contrast to Darius. King Darius, the Bible tells us he can't sleep, he had insomnia. He felt absolutely guilty to have signed and passed the law. He wanted to save his friend, Daniel, but he couldn't. But here Daniel, absolutely at peace. Why?

..who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions  (Hebrews 11:33 ESV)

Because he had trusted in his God. Daniel was in the den, not counting lions but counted on the Lord himself. So the book of Hebrews tells us 'he through faith, stopped the mouths of lions.'

Amazing! Here is a man, who has absolute faith in God and so, on the very next day when Darius came and found Daniel still alive. This is what Darius wrote to all the people, nations, languages that dwell in all the earth.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,  for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. (Daniel 6:25-27 ESV)

'Peace be multiplied to you, I make a decree, I pass a law, that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever.' And so he writes almost like a psalmist, he says, 'I'm amazed! It's incredible! I thought Daniel would die, these lions are fierce but the God of Daniel, he delivered his servant.'  Daniel has been serving God continually every day. And now God, his God, the real God has shown himself strong.

Sometimes we ask, why do the righteous suffer? Reason is here, so that God will be glorified through you. You see, Daniel was facing an impossible situation and by the way, when my son saw the drawing of Daniel, he said, 'huh, so old ah?'  You see, many people have been teaching Daniel in the lion's den as if he is a spring chicken.  You know, wow, very young, like Samson, handsome and full of muscle. No! At this time at 539 BC, Daniel is 80 over years old, 'lao ah pei lah!'[an old man]. He is skinny, scrawny, he is weak. He is old and he is frail.

The lesson is clear, isn't it?  When we are weak and when we face impossible situations, that's why you need to have faith to stop the mouths of lions and when the mouths of lions are truly stopped, people around us are amazed. The Dariuses in our lives will be shocked, 'wow!', and that's why the righteous suffer. Why did Jesus go to the cross? That through the cross, the glory of God will be known throughout the ends of the world, unto the ends of the world. So here we have Daniel going through the lion's den, bringing tremendous glory to the name of God. It's got God's stamp all over these. Nothing to be credited to Daniel, nothing credited to Darius. He was helpless. He was fretful, he was worried. So this whole thing is God chopped all over.

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.  (Daniel 6:28 ESV)

We have a happy ending in verse 28 when the Bible says, 'Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.' I just want to clarify, in this story, it was a happy ending, but it doesn't mean that every time we go through trials, it will always be a happy ending, because there are examples in the Bible where people are sawn into 2 - Isaiah the Prophet. History tells us that Peter, who followed Jesus, was crucified upside down. In fact, history tells us, or church history tells us: all the apostles died tragic deaths. So it is not always true that if I trust God and follow Jesus, I will always end up prospering at the latter part of my life.  But this is what we hold to, that even if I were to die in tragedy, my soul is saved in God's hand. I would still be seeing him face to face and the glory that should come far surpasses the momentary light afflictions we suffer for a season.

My friends, that will tell you whether you are a true believer or not a true believer. Because the Bible tells us, they who believe endures unto the end. If there is a trial in your life today and you say, 'I want to quit, I don't want to believe in this God, I don't believe in Jesus anymore.' My friends, I urge you, real faith endures unto the end. So here, we have a man who is absolutely godly, not only was he consistent in practice, but when the heat comes, when the pressure arise, pressure arrives, he is composed under pressure. In Hokkien, we say,  'wow, le jing zai" [expression of a person being stable and steady]. You are very steady, you don't fret, you don't fear, you don't worry, you don't compromise, you don't spin for yourself excuses. You are facing the lions and it is a scary thing, but you still count on God, you have faith in him, you are strong in Him.

My friends, do you crack under pressure today? The ability to withstand the pressures outside is when there is strength on the inside, when you are truly walking with God.  While the story has ended. I've told you, in essence, the story in Daniel 6, but there remains a question, isn't it? The question is this, how come Daniel could be so compose? How come he is so consistent? How come he's so godly? What is his secret?

I also want to be godly, you say, how can I be like a Daniel? What is the formula if I may ask? Well, have you watched Batman? Batman is a very emo[short form for emotional] character. You know what is emo, right? Wow, very easy, 'woo, aiyah[expression of despair/dismay/exasperation], why do I have to save the world? I don't want to save the world anymore, I want to leave Gotham!"  He is very emo. So when he gets emo and when he wants to quit his superhero status, what does he do? I tell you what he does.  I think, I don't watch a lot, I remembered lah,  when Batman is depressed, he goes to his cave and then he rediscovers his life. He rediscovers why he was Batman in the first place. He, in a sense is motivated, re-energized when he goes to the cave.

Okay, if you don't know Batman never mind, I ask you a second one.  When Superman becomes emo, Superman, where does he go?  Yep, Batman goes to the fortress of solitude. He goes there and he meets with his, is it the real father or the fake father? A real father, yes, he goes and meet his real father, and the real father in a sense speaks with him or communicates and somehow he reinvigorates.  'Now, I know why I'm on this earth, oh now I know why I need to be Superman.'

I suggest to you, Daniel also goes to a cave, or a fortress of solitude, of course not so classy and spectacular. But he goes, according to artist, to his upper chamber. He goes to a very simple, humble place. And this is where he meets with his God. This is where he is energized, this is where he draws strength for life in an idolatrous and wicked nation.


3. Godliness is Cultivated in Private

You see, I believe, thirdly, that godliness is cultivated in private. It is not a magical zap, it is a process of growth and that is best seen and cultivated in our time alone with our God.

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.  (Daniel 6:10 ESV)

Notice, in verse 10, when Daniel knew that a document had been signed, his fate in a sense is sealed. This is what he did. He went back to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees 3 times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. This is not something that he did, because there's a crisis.

Some of us, we go to God like this, 'aiyah, got problem!' And now then I begin to pray. Not for Daniel, this is his consistent way of life. This is where he meets with his God. This is his regular appointment and time alone with his master, come rain or shine, lions or no lions, this is where he goes. This is where he draws strength.   This is how he could live in an idolatrous land where there is wickedness, corruption and immorality. This is where he stays loyal to God. This is where he becomes excellent in spirit, composed under pressure because this is where he has a wonderful communion with God, the Father. This is where he spends time hearing God's Word, praying to him. This is when he arises with joy and strength for tomorrow.

And so the reality, of the godliness of Daniel is not that it is a zap or mysterious magical process. It is a long drawn cultivated experience and journey with God. My friends, that's how life is all about, isn't it?  If you want to lose weight. How do you lose weight? How do you lose weight? Some of us go for the magical way lah - plastic surgery.  Zoop[sound], Cut off, suck up, okay lor (expression to emphasize a point). But, it will come back by the way la.  What is the way to lose weight? Train! Train what? Train the way you eat and train the way you exercise. Everyday a little bit, every day a little bit.

How do you win a marathon? Can you win a marathon when you have never trained? You probably can't even last half a marathon. I don't think I can even last a tenth of the marathon.  But if you want to win a marathon, it takes a process of effort and training, diligence and discipline.

If I were to have a weight here of a hundred and 50 kilograms, those, what do you called that? Dumbbells or is it called dumbbells?  I don't know, but it's those kinds of weights.  Can anyone lift this weight without training? No! It takes a long process of training, of building up your strength before you can do that.

Why is Daniel able to go to the lion's den? Because this is what he has been training all along.  For 70 years, 3 times a day, he meets with his God. That's why the Bible tells us, you don't slip into godliness, you train yourself to godliness, you put in effort, discipline, time. And then that's where the problem is. If you want to be godly, you got to put in time, and that's where you say, 'but Pastor, I want to be godly by I have no time. I got homework assignment to do. I got my kids to take care of.  I've got my work and you know I'm so busy, I've no time.'

Let me ask you when Daniel was the Prime Minister of Babylon, do you think he has a lot of time? Prime Minister lei! (used in when no doubt is expressed), no time! He could have easily excused himself, but I suggest to you that the issue is never about no time.   Because all of us have 24 hours a day. Daniel also has 24 hours a day, He had lots of responsibility, but he was able to do this.

Jesus was a very busy man. He's very hardworking, he goes all around. He preaches everywhere. He heals the people, serves them. And yet the Bible tells us, he will go alone into the mountain to pray. So, the issue here is not time, but I tell you the issue is choice. Our Lord gave us a beautiful story - Mary and Martha. Both of them in the same house, but one of them chose to do everything else but sit at the feet of Jesus.  'Martha, Martha you are too distracted. And only Mary has chosen that which is good that will not be taken from her.'  How's your choice?  Do you see the need to grow and to train yourself in godliness?

In this passage, I give you 3 simple tips for having this time alone with God.

Number 1. Be sure you have a definite place.

Daniel had a place, when he is in trial, when he is in crisis; he goes to this place, every single day he goes to this same place - his upper chamber. And I think a place is very important because if you have no place, you would always say, 'don't know where to go, my house so crowded, kids here, mother is there, father is there, husband still in the room. I have no place.' Place is important. The Bible tells us of Jesus finding a place to pray. He goes up into a desolate place, an isolated place to pray. He looked for a place.

We hear about Susanna Wesley, John Wesley's mom and Susanna Wesley had 19 children in a family, I mean she is super productive. I mean, Singapore would love mothers like her but she had 19 kids, where to go for quiet time?  Where to go to have time alone with God? You know what she did? She would sit on the chair and she would pull her apron over her head and when the kids see that the apron is over mummy's head, they won't disturb her, because they know this is mummy having a time with God. You need a place.

The 2nd thing you may need and you will need is the right posture.

And Daniel here, knelt before God.  Now I am not saying that your devotions need to be done on your knees. I'm talking about a posture of the heart. I also don't think there's anything magical about postures, it doesn't mean that when you kneel or lie, or so on, there is extra “spiritual points”, but the kneeling of your knees could help you with the kneeling of your heart. And if you want to meet with God, this is a posture of reverence because it is the fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom.

I suggest to you, think about the place you go to, and the posture of the heart and even the posture of your physical self as you meet with Him.  Because some of us, we have time alone with God, like that.... we wake up early in the morning, still can't wake up.  'Dear God, thank God for this morning.  Ah, ah, dear god, thank you for this morning.' And you call this your quiet, your very quiet, but it is not going to help you cultivate a strong relationship with God. Have a good posture in your heart.

And lastly, you need a period and that I think refers to the time.

Daniel here seeks the Lord 3 times a day. The Psalmist says in Psalm 55 that he seeks the Lord 3 times a day. We're not here prescribing frequency, prescribing duration, no, but the principle that you need to observe and keep and have an appointment is important.  Most of us, we don't have time alone with God because we don't keep an appointment. You know when you want to meet your friends,  you got to make an appointment, in today's context, especially, because if you don't make an appointment everything else will crowd out that appointment. You may oversleep, you may have something else to do, you may wild away your time and it ends up year after year after year, you don't get to meet your friends.  So keep an appointment, if you want to meet your friends and same, if you want to meet with God, then keep an appointment.

Have a definite period, you say, pastor, 'I have a definite appointment. Got 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner.' No!  That's not the kind of appointment we are looking at.  It's a definite time when you are open; you are reverential in your attitude and heart to meet with God in order for you to grow, comes with training.  And so here we have Daniel, for probably 70 years or more. I do not know. 365 days, 3 times a day that calculates up to be 76,000 times of formal meetings with God. No wonder he has such big spiritual muscles. It was not a zap, it was developed and trained and cultivated in private.

I know after sharing with this, the application is very simple. We should all have a regular time with our God, because that is what we need to live strong in Babylon today. But many of you will say, 'Pastor, but really lah, I don't think this works, because I'm too busy.' I agree with you, when you are faced with a busy day, save precious time by skipping your devotions, sign, Satan.  This is the lie we have all believed, you say to yourself, I know intellectually, theoretically and from the preaching is important, but you know I'm too busy, so let me save precious time. But it's all a lie.

Spurgeon tells us if we are weak in communion with God, we are weak everywhere. You start to have holes in your life, in your ministry, in your private life, in your public service, as you intend to live out the Gospel, you start to weaken everywhere.

EM Bounds tells us ‘Much with God alone is the secret of knowing him and of influence with him.’ Are you much with him?  I am thankful that you come to church on Sunday mornings and you hear the preaching of God's Word. But there is so much more, because it's a daily intimate relationship with God we could have.

I end with this quote from Ravi Zacharias 'The biggest battle you will face in life is your daily appointment with God. Keep it, or every other battle will become bigger.' If you today find that you are unforgiving in your heart, the problem is not the other person. The problem is your appointment with God. If you find that yourself, you have been slipping back into pornography. The problem is not really pornography; the problem is your time with God. Because you may seek to deal with pornography, but because you have no inner strength, you're not walking with Him, it is not sustained.

If you find yourself impatient, a short fuse, the problem, the battle, is appointment with God. If you find that ministry is dry, you are losing the joy of the Lord. The issue is again, your appointment with God. Wherein is the secret of Daniel's godliness? The secret was not when he was in the den, the secret is every day in his chamber.

My friends, how's your time?  Do you have a place? Do you have a place? Do you have a time? Have you trained yourself to godliness?

Application is a straightforward one, may God help you today to be like Daniels. If we today want to be survivors in the lion's den, than it has to be built up with a consistent, diligent, determined due process of meeting and growing in Him. You know one day all of us will be, we will be in our own lion's den. May God help you to be strong ready and compose for it.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Father, we thank you this morning, we pray that you will bless these words to all our hearts.  It's a simple message, but I pray, we would be diligently applying what we have heard.  Make us doers, not just hearers. I pray for a church that would truly grow deep in God, not just coming for services, but to truly have communion and intimacy with you, consistently in our lives.  So help us dear God, as we desire to be trained to meet God. May you be glorified through our lives. We pray all this now in Jesus Name, Amen!

 

[video]

It's not easy, right?  If you see Shawn, really want to 'siam'[to avoid]. I tell you, the whole time he was there, he was agonizing. I don't know whether to smile or don't know whether to run, he was so divided because he wants to be near them but he is also instinctively fearful of a tiger cub.  Imagine if it is a huge one and when there is a den of them, and when they are all ferocious and hungry.

Daniel faced the lion's den, you can imagine as he slipped downhill, oh, what's going to end, what's going to happen to me, I mean the lions, he knew about the lions. I mean he's an official that he knew about these. These lions are, I can imagine as he slipped down, is quiet and you can just hear after you slipped down, that the growl, grrrrrr, multiplied by many times.  And you know those cartoons, when the whole thing is pitch black and dark and you just see the light of their eyes blinking and blinking and circling you.  You could smell them; you could feel the warmth of their breath. Daniel is right in their midst!  He knew he would face all that.

Some people say of course Daniel is fine because the Bible never tells you, but the Bible says, Bible never reveals to us actually that the lions are all old ones, all 'bo gei one' [being toothless]. All the toothless ones and some of them, cross-eyed, 'can't see you' type. So, Daniel could probably slip into the den and find a corner, hide there, camouflage and the lions won't get him. I suggest to you that is absolutely not what happened.

In fact, artists have drawn Daniel in the lion's den with ferocious lions and with skeletons, just a picture of how these lions could have eaten many, many other criminals before Daniel. But more than just believing artists and what they draw or they think.  We need to go to the Bible and the Bible tells you after Daniel is saved. So I spoil the ending for you, it's a spoiler. But after Daniel is saved, King Darius sent all these bad people who conspired against Daniel in and look at what happened to them. These men were maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of the lion's den, the children and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, these lions are so hungry and so waiting for food to come, that before they touched the bottom, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

No!  These lions were not old and toothless.  These lions were not cross-eyed, they were expert hunters. They were a ferocious pride of man-eating animals. Daniel knew that, yet Daniel prayed.

The King had already passed the law; anyone who disobeys it will be thrown, he still prays as he had always done. He did not complain. He did not panic. He did not start a revolt, he didn't even spin for himself excuses. You know, if I was Daniel, I will probably say, 'okay God, you know I'm going to the lion's den, and so you know.  Is the heart that matters, I will still pray standing, but not going to be the same old way as I used to.  You know God, you should understand that I can still honour you and submit to the government.'

You know, he could have spun all these excuses for himself and when he is caught, He could even have said,' no! How you know that I pray to the God of Israel? I pray to Darius in my heart, you never hear.' No such thing!  He knew exactly what he was facing, he was still composed, he was still in faith and was willing to be thrown into the lion's den.

Now, some of us are very shocked that something like this can happen to godly people. I thought Daniel is a godly man, I thought Daniel is a man who believes God, walks with God, how come these bad things can happen to good people? How come God didn't protect his child? Why can bad things happen to good people? That's the question and that's why we are often shocked. However, according to the Bible, at least, here in Daniel's life, we realize that godliness is not an immunity from pains and persecutions.

In fact, if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted.  Is not just Daniel actually? Look at Paul, the Apostle. When Paul was doing the work of Christ, he was going preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was saying, 'I was rescued from the lion's mouth.' He said, 'I was, I was right in the midst of the lion's den, as it were.  My life could easily have been lost. Why? because I was preaching the Gospel.' He didn't say, 'aiyah[an expression of dismay], I'm shocked.' No! He says, 'I know, when I am living godly for God, when I am doing his work. I must expect lions.' He said it in chapter 3, 'all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.'

Before you want to live godly for Jesus Christ, the devil had nothing to do for you.  He is not bothered with you, but the moment you want to live godly in Christ Jesus, be sure the Princes and the satraps will now be setting up ploys to get your life. Jesus himself says, this is what it means to follow me. 'The world hated me, the world will hate you.'

Christianity is not a life about health and wealth and prosperity that God has promised. No, I tell you something, God promised you - pain and persecution. Following Jesus Christ is a call to deny ourselves, take up the cross and lose our lives for Jesus' sake. That's what it means.  Daniel is just illustrating to us, once again, the price for godliness.

Therefore, what we should expect is what Jesus Himself had said, it is not a curse to be persecuted, it is a blessing. Why? Because 'for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.' The Daniels, the Pauls, even Jesus Himself was persecuted because of their faith, because of godliness. Are you often surprised that your parents will oppose you getting baptize? Are you shocked that when you told your mom you want to be a Christian, She fights you vehemently?  Do you face persecution in your workplace where your colleagues laugh at you faith in Christ; they ridiculed you for your stand you make? They say you are intolerant of views about sexuality about God.  How can you be such a stick in the mud? Maybe you have been passed over for promotion but maybe because of your faith, you have suffered loss in the office. You've been ostracized by friends.  Don't be surprised.

Peter says, 'beloved, do not be surprised, don't!'  It is what authentic Christianity godliness entails.  Do not be surprised of the fiery trials when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you also may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

The mark of a man of God is not prosperity, health and wealth all the time. It maybe this and it will be this, that you share in your master's footsteps in enduring sufferings for His sake.

So here we are, Daniel is thrown into the lion's den, what happens to him? What happens when the lions encircled him, and now are about to devour him, you think! The Bible tells us that when Darius came the next day. And said, ' Daniel, are you fine?' He was absolutely fine! No kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted in his God. What an amazing statement! No kind of harm was found on him. You know, the Bible doesn't say very much what happened during those few hours he was in the lion's den but can I suggest to you that maybe this is what happened.

He realized that the lions, their mouths are stopped by God and he said, 'hello hello, kitty kitty.' And he gathers the lions and at night he wants to sleep, he finds a bed.  How does he find a bed? He gathers all the lions and sleep on the tummy, it's like a waterbed and it will move around.  And when he is cold at night, he gets some of the lion's mane to cover him.  What a nice bed! What a comfortable sleep! And if there is any source of light, he takes out his Old Testament, and he starts to read between the lines. You know, read between the lions, read between the lines, okay, you don't get it.  [laughing].

And he starts to read, he enjoys himself at night, what a contrast to Darius. King Darius, the Bible tells us he can't sleep, he had insomnia. He felt absolutely guilty to have signed and passed the law. He wanted to save his friend, Daniel, but he couldn't. But here Daniel, absolutely at peace. Why? Because he had trusted in his God. Daniel was in the den, not counting lions but counted on the Lord himself and so the book of Hebrews tells us 'he through faith, stopped the mouths of lions.'

Amazing! Here is a man, who has absolute faith in God and so, on the very next day when Darius came and found Daniel still alive. This is what Darius wrote to all the people, nations, languages that dwell in all the earth. 'Peace be multiplied to you, I make a decree, I pass a law, that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever.' And so he writes almost like a psalmist, he says, 'I'm amazed! It's incredible! I thought Daniel would die, these lions are fierce but the God of Daniel, he delivered his servant.'  Daniel has been serving God continually every day. And now God, his God, the real God has shown himself strong.

Sometimes we ask, why do the righteous suffer? Reason is here, so that God will be glorified through you. You see, Daniel was facing an impossible situation and by the way, when my son saw the drawing of Daniel, he said, 'hah, so old ah!'  You see, many people have been teaching Daniel in the lion's den as if he is a spring chicken.  You know, wow, very young, like Samson, handsome and full of muscle. No! At this time at 539 BC, Daniel is 80 over years old, 'lao ah pei lah!'[an old man]. He is skinny, scrawny, he is weak. He is old and he is frail.

The lesson is clear, isn't it?  When we are weak and when we face impossible situations, that's why you need to have faith to stop the mouths of lions and when the mouths of lions are truly stopped, people around us are amazed. The Dariuses in our lives will be shocked and 'wow' that's why the righteous suffer, why did Jesus go to the cross? That through the cross, the glory of God will be known throughout the ends of the world, unto the ends of the world. So here we have Daniel going through the lions den, bringing tremendous glory to the name of God. It's got God's stamp all over these. Nothing to be credited to Daniel, nothing credited to Darius. He was helpless. He was fretful, he was worried. So this whole thing is, God's chop all over.

We have a happy ending in verse 28 when the Bible says, 'Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.' I just want to clarify, in this story, it was a happy ending, but it doesn't mean that every time we go through trials, it will always be a happy ending, because there are examples in the Bible where people are sawn into 2 - Isaiah the Prophet. History tells us that Peter, who followed Jesus, was crucified upside down. In fact, history tells us all, church history tells us all the apostles died tragic deaths. So it is not always true that if I trust God and follow Jesus, I will always end up prospering at the latter part of my life.  But this is what we hold to, that even if I were to die in tragedy, my soul is saved in God's hand. I would still be seeing him face to face and the glory that should come far surpasses the momentary light afflictions we suffer for a season.

My friends, that will tell you whether you are a true believer or not a true believer. Because the Bible tells us, they who believe endures unto the end, if there is a trial in your life today and you say, 'I want to quit, I don't want to believe in this God, I don't believe in Jesus anymore.' My friends, I urge you, real faith endures unto the end. So here, we have a man who is absolutely godly, not only was he consistent in practice, but when the heat comes, when the pressure arise, pressure arrives, he is composed under pressure. In Hokkien, we say,  'wow, le jing zai" [expression of a person being stable and steady]. You are very steady, you don't fret, you don't fear, you don't worry, you don't compromise, you don't spin for yourself excuses. You are facing the lions and it is a scary thing, but you still count on your God, you have faith in him, you are strong in Him.

My friends, do you crack under pressure today? The ability to withstand the pressures outside is when there is strength on the inside, when you are truly walking with God.  While the story has ended. I've told you, in essence, the story in Daniel 6, but there remains a question, isn't it? The question is this, how come Daniel could be so compose? How come he is so consistent? How come he's so godly? What is his secret?

I also want to be godly, you say, how can I be like a Daniel? What is the formula if I may ask? Well, have you watched Batman? Batman is a very emo[short form for emotional] character. You know what is emo, right? Wow, very easy, 'woo, aiyah[expression of despair/dismay/exasperation], why do I have to save the world? I don't want to save the world anymore, I want to leave Gotham!"  He is very emo. So when he gets emo and when he wants to quit his superhero status, what does he do? I tell you what he does.  I think, I don't watch a lot, I remembered lah,  when Batman is depressed, he goes to his cave and then he rediscovers his life. He rediscovers why he was Batman in the first place. He, in a sense is motivated, re-energized when he goes to the cave.

Okay, if you don't know Batman never mind, I ask you a second one.  When Superman becomes emo, Superman, where does he go?  Yep, Batman goes to the fortress of solitude. He goes there and he meets with his, is it the real father or the fake father? A real father, yes, he goes and meet his real father, and the real father in a sense speaks with him or communicates and somehow he reinvigorates.  'Now, I know why I'm on this earth, o now I know why I need to be Superman.'

I suggest to you, Daniel also goes to a cave, or a fortress of solitude, of course not so classy and spectacular. But he goes, according to artist, to his upper chamber. He goes to a very simple, humble place and this is where he meets with his God. This is where he is energized, this is where he draws strength for life in an idolatrous and wicked nation.

You see, I believe, thirdly, that godliness is cultivated in private. It is not a magical zap, it is a process of growth and that is best seen and cultivated in our time alone with our God.

Notice, in verse 10, when Daniel knew that a document had been signed, his fate in a sense is sealed. This is what he did. He went back to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees 3 times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. This is not something that he did, because there's a crisis.

Some of us, we go to God like this, 'aiyah, got problem!' And now then I begin to pray. Not for Daniel, this is his consistent way of life. This is where he meets with his God. This is his regular appointment and time alone with his master, come rain or shine, lions or no lions, this is where he goes. This is where he draws strength.   This is how he could live in an idolatrous land where there is wickedness, corruption and immorality. This is where he stays loyal to God. This is where he becomes excellent in spirit, composed under pressure because this is where he has a wonderful communion with God, the Father. This is where he spends time hearing God's Word, praying to him. This is when he arises with joy and strength for tomorrow.

And so the reality, of the godliness of Daniel is not that it is a zap or mysterious magical process. It is a long drawn cultivated experience and journey with God. My friends, that's how life is all about, isn't it?  If you want to lose weight. How do you lose weight? How do you lose weight? Some of us go for the magical way lah - plastic surgery.  Zoop[sound], Cut off, suck up, okay lor (expression to emphasize a point). But, it will come back by the way.  What is the way to lose weight? Train! Train what? Train the way you eat and train the way you exercise. Everyday a little bit, every day a little bit.

How do you win a marathon? Can you win a marathon when you have never trained? You probably can't even last half a marathon. I don't think I can even last a tenth of the marathon.  But if you want to win a marathon, it takes a process of effort and training, diligence and discipline.

If I would to have a weight here of a hundred and 50 kilograms, those, what do you called that? Dumbbells or is it called dumbbells?  I don't know, but it's those kinds of weights.  Can anyone lift this weight without training? No! It takes a long process of training on building up your strength before you can do that.

Why is Daniel able to go to the lion's den? Because this is what he has been training all along.  For 70 years, 3 times a day, he meets with his God. That's why the Bible tells us, you don't slip into godliness, you train yourself to godliness, you put in effort, discipline, time. And that's where the problem is. If you want to be godly, you got to put in time, and that's where you say, 'but Pastor, I want to be godly by I have no time. I got homework assignment to do. I got my kids to take care of.  I've got my work and you know I'm so busy, I've no time.'

Let me ask you when Daniel was the Prime Minister of Babylon, do you think he has a lot of time? Prime Minister lei! (used in when no doubt is expressed), no time! He could have easily excused himself, but I suggest to you that the issue is never about no time.   Because all of us have 24 hours a day. Daniel also has 24 hours a day, He has a lot of responsibility, but he was able to do this.

Jesus was a very busy man. He's very hardworking, he goes all around. He preaches everywhere. He heals the people, serves them. And yet the Bible tells us, he will go alone into the mountain to pray. So, the issue here is not time, but I tell you the issue is choice. Our Lord gave us a beautiful story - Mary and Martha. Both of them in the same house, but one of them chose to do everything else but sit at the feet of Jesus.  'Martha, Martha you are too distracted. And only Mary has chosen that which is good that will not be taken from her.'  How's your choice?  Do you see the need to grow and to train yourself in godliness?

In this passage, I give you 3 simple tips for having this time alone with God.

Number 1. Be sure you have a definite place.

Daniel had a place, when he is in trial, when he is in crisis; he goes to this place, every single day he goes to this same place - his upper chamber. And I think a place is very important because if you have no place, you would always say, 'don't know where to go, my house so crowded, kids here, mother is there, father is there, husband still in the room. I have no place.' Place is important. The Bible tells us of Jesus finding a place to pray. He goes up into a desolate place, an isolated place to pray. He looked for a place.

We hear about Susanna Wesley, John Wesley's mom and Susanna Wesley had 19 children in a family, I mean she is super productive. I mean, Singapore would love mothers like her but she had 19 kids, where to go for quiet time?  Where to go to have time alone with God? You know what she did? She would sit on the chair and she would pull her apron over her head and when the kids see that the apron is over mummy's head, they won't disturb her, because they know, this is mummy having a time with God. You need a place.

The 2nd thing you may need and you will need is the right posture.

And Daniel here, knelt before God.  Now I am not saying that your devotions need to be done on your knees. I'm talking about a posture of the heart. I also don't think there's anything magical about postures, it doesn't mean that when you kneel or lie, or so on, there is extra spiritual points, but the kneeling of your knees could help you with the kneeling of your heart. And if you want to meet with God, this is a posture of reverence because it is the fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom.

I suggest to you, think about the place you go to, and the posture of the heart and even the posture of your physical self as you meet with Him.  Because some of us, we have time alone with God, like that.... we wake up early in the morning, still can't wake up.  'Dear God, thank God for this morning.  Ah, ah, dear god, thank you for this morning.' And you call this your quiet, your very quiet, but it is not going to help you cultivate a strong relationship with God. Have a good posture in your heart.

And lastly, you need a period and that I think refers to the time.

Daniel here seeks the Lord 3 times a day. The Psalmist says in Psalm 55 that he seeks the Lord 3 times a day. We're not here prescribing frequency, prescribing duration, no, but the principle that you need to observe and keep and have an appointment is important.  Most of us, we don't have time alone with God because we don't keep an appointment. You know when you want to meet your friends,  you got to make an appointment, in today's context, especially, because if you don't make an appointment. Everything else will crowd out that appointment. You may oversleep, you may have something else to do, you may wild away your time and it ends up year after year after year, you don't get to meet your friends.  So keep an appointment, if you want to meet your friends and same, if you want to meet with your God then keep an appointment.

Have a definite period, you say, pastor, 'I have a definite appointment. Got 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner.' No!  That's not the kind of appointment we are looking at.  It's a definite time when you are open; you are reverential in your attitude and heart to meet with God in order for you to grow, comes with training.  And so here we have Daniel, for probably 70 years or more. I do not know. 365 days, 3 times a day that calculates up to be 76,000 times of formal meetings with God. No wonder he has such big spiritual muscles. It was not a zap, it was developed and trained and cultivated in private.

I know after sharing with this, the application is very simple. We should all have a regular time with our God, because that is what we need to live strong in Babylon today. But many of you will say, 'Pastor, but really lah, I don't think this works, because I'm too busy.' I agree with you, when you are faced with a busy day, save precious time by skipping your devotions, sign, Satan.  This is the lie we have all, you know, you say to yourself, I know intellectually, theoretically and from the preaching is important, but you know I'm too busy, so let me save precious time. But it's all a lie.

Spurgeon tells us if we are weak in communion with God, we are weak everywhere. You start to have holes in your life, in your ministry, in your private life, in your public service, as you intend to live out the Gospel, you start to weaken everywhere.

EM Bounds tells us much with God alone is the secret of knowing him and of influence with him. Are you much with him?  I am thankful that you come to church on Sunday mornings and you hear the preaching of God's Word. But there is so much more, because it's a daily intimate relationship with God we could have.

I end with this quote from Ravi Zacharias – 'the biggest battle you will face in life is your daily appointment with God. Keep it, or every other battle will become bigger.' If you today find that you are unforgiving in your heart, the problem is not the other person. The problem is your appointment with God. If you find that yourself, you have been slipping back into pornography. The problem is not really pornography; the problem is your time with God. Because you may seek to deal with pornography, but because you have no inner strength, you're not walking with Him, it is not sustained.

If you find yourself impatient, a short fuse, the problem, the battle is appointment with God. If you find that ministry is dry, you are losing the joy of the Lord. The issue is, again, you appointment with God. Wherein is the secret of Daniel's godliness? The secret was not when he was in the den, the secret is every day in his chamber.

My friends, how's your time?  Do you have a place? Do you have a place? Do you have a time? Have you trained yourself to godliness?

Application is a straightforward one, may God help you today to be like Daniel. If we today want to be survivors in the lion's den, than it has to be built up with a consistent, diligent, determined due process of meeting and growing in Him. You know one day all of us will be, we will be in our own lion's den., may God help you to be strong ready and compose for it.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Father, we thank you this morning, we pray that you will bless these words to all our hearts.  It's a simple message, but I pray, we would be diligently applying what we have heard.  Make us doers, not just hearers. I pray for a church that would truly grow deep in God, not just coming for services, but to truly have communion and intimacy with you, consistently in our lives.  So help us dear God, as we desire to be trained to meet God.  May you be glorified through our lives. We pray all this now in Jesus Name, Amen!

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