Countercultural Faithfulness | Daniel 1:3-16

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1. Intro

2. Pressures to conform to culture’s ways

1. The Babylonians strategically tried to conform Daniel and his friends to their ways, including their theology

2. We, too, live in a culture that enforces its own ideals, and if we’re not careful we’ll get swept up in it

3. Our response to cultural pressures

1. We need to both know and stand firm in our convictions

2. God is at work behind the scenes and will always help us remain faithful to him

3. We need to be determined and not give up when we’re faced with obstacles

4. We need to hold our convictions with courtesy and respect

4. The outcome of the response

1. When we’re faithful, God shows up and often does more than we could imagine

2. We should invite people to observe our life as Christians, because life with God is always better

5. Big Idea

1. Countercultural faithfulness requires my God’s grace, my own determination, and my friends’ support.

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Prayer Guide

Adoration - Come before God with a heart overflowing in praise for who He is and all He has done:

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things. You call Your own by name. (Pause to adore God)

25 O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

 Isaiah 25:1

3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:3

Confession - Bring before God your sins, admitting the ways you have resisted His will and disobeyed His Word:

Father, I have sinned against You. I have exchanged Your truth for lies. I have turned to my own ways. Forgive me for seeking the approval of man and for not fearing You as I should. (Pause to confess to God any ways you have sought the approval of man, feared your reputation being tainted because of your faith, or any other specific sins that come to mind)

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

 Luke 15:18

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:25

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant[a] of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

Thanksgiving - Give praise and thanks to God for His steadfast mercy and grace shown to you:

Lord, thank You for the great love You have lavished on me, that I should be called a child of God. I praise You for being rich in mercy. Even when I was dead in trespasses, You made me alive with Christ; by Your grace I have been saved. (Pause to give thanks to God for specific ways He has shown His intimate concern for you)

3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1

4 But[a] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:4–8

Supplication - Seek the Lord earnestly for the daily mercies and provisions that flow from His gracious hand:

Lord, help me to seek You with all my heart and not wander from Your commandments. Enable me to be steadfast and immovable, always diligent and tireless in the work of the Lord. May I not be afraid but live in the Spirit of love and self-control. (Pause to ask God for specific areas in your life where you need determination and/or the support of friends)

10 With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!

Psalm 119:10

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:7

(Reflection):

 We live in a modern-day Babylon. Reflect on where you have allowed culture to shape your mind.

 Whatever you most fear will most form your behavior. What do you fear most?

Weekly Prayer Spotlight:

Protection and Strength for Our Elders:

• Pray for protection from temptations and spiritual attacks, for stamina to endure the work of ministry, and for emotional stability. 

Spiritual Growth for GBC Families:

• Pray for a deeper relationship with God, for spiritual wisdom, and for the ability to live according to God's Word.