THE Spirit of Excellence

We have looked at two different aspects of Daniel. One is found in Daniel 6:3, "Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm." Do you desire that the Lord would find an excellent spirit in you, give you more authority in the things of God, and trust you with greater things? Daniel was so different from everyone else that the whole country, even the government, looked at him and said this man has an excellent spirit.

The other aspect is Daniel's influence on his generation. We are called to have influence on our generation. You can influence your generation by living the walk of God at home. I was reading a book the other day where it talked about how Jesus did not despise the small things. Jesus took only 12 disciples and turned the world upside down. The author made a statement "Dinosaurs are extinct but rabbits are still around" - the small things are still around. We shouldn't despise small things. It's the small things we do that make the big difference. The small things that Daniel did in his life literally separated him from everyone else in his generation because he was a man who had an excellent spirit.

The word "excellent" means to exceed, to excel, to abound, preeminence, superior, notable above others, outstanding. They said there was something outstanding about Daniel. I believe God wants to do the same thing in our lives where people will look at us and say, "There is something outstanding - there's something notable about that person - that person has something alive on the inside." So many people are living with no hope. But God wants to do such a work in our lives that we have an excellent spirit - that we are ignited for Him.

Daniel was a man of character. He was full of wisdom and understanding, more than anyone else in the entire kingdom. (see Daniel 1:17, 20) He didn't allow his environment to influence his character. Daniel was taken from Judah into captivity in Babylon. He was brought as one of the chosen young men for indoctrination in Babylonian ways in order to be sent out to influence the Jews with the Babylonian mentality. Daniel was literally pulled out of his comfort zone and compelled to learn those things.

Daniel functioned in that society even though under such a strong influence, he was the one influencing them. Just because we live in this world, doesn't mean this world has to influence us. We can live in this world but not be of this world. We can walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) We can learn to walk in such a way that things other people think they need, we find empty - there is nothing of value in them - we don't want those things to infect our lives.

Daniel was a man of character. Our society puts less emphasis on character and more emphasis on performance, if you're performing well, character doesn't matter. I'm sorry - character does matter. I believe ultimately your performance is short-lived if your character doesn't line up. It is like the bottle rocket syndrome - you make a lot of noise and you go up, but if you explode, you have a big fall. In other words, you're all lit up just to explode because there is no substance in you.

Character is what you are when no one is looking. Character governs your life. If there is no character, no foundation, you will go with the flow - whatever goes - and the result is you become a product of society's direction. Daniel, even though he was put in that type of society, rose up with an excellent spirit - he rose up different. Daniel proved to us that you could live in Babylon and not have Babylon live in you. You can live in this world and not allow the world to live in you. Daniel proved this. He was a man of an excellent spirit. He was outstanding. God has called us to be outstanding.

Daniel purposed not to defile himself - he was purposed in heart. (Daniel 1:8) When you are not purposed in heart, then anything goes. Have you ever made up your mind to do something and you were not going to take "No" for an answer?

If you're not purposed in heart, you are given to distractions. Have you found you meant to do something but you became distracted and rather easily? That's a sign your heart is not as purposed as it should be. Daniel was so purposed that when they told him he was going to eat a certain diet of food, he said, "No, let me eat these foods instead and at the end of a test period see if I'm not healthier than everyone else." (Daniel 1:8-15) Daniel put his life on the mark saying, "I will be healthier. I will be stronger. I will be even more than you expect if I live by the principles of the Word of God." We need to believe in the very things we profess - that if we live by the Word of God, it will make a big difference in the effectiveness of our lives. This is a living Word. This Word is sharp and powerful.

God has called us to purpose in our heart not to defile ourselves but to keep ourselves pure. Aren't you thankful that when you didn't, He made a way for cleansing? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) I love His cleansing power. However, once He cleanses you if you neglect to purpose your heart, you will begin to repeat those things. God wants us to be purposed in heart. Daniel was a man of purpose.

Daniel was a man of principle. He lived by the principles of the Word of God. He would not allow himself to live a different lifestyle than God's Word. What you see is what you get with Daniel. Daniel wasn't one thing in front of you and another thing somewhere else. God is dealing with hypocrisy in the church - the masks - being one thing and then another. God wants us to be the same wherever we are. God said, "I'd rather you be hot or cold but lukewarm is not good." (Revelation 3:15-16)

God is dealing with His church because He wants us to be people of principle. The very things we say that we believe must be worked out in our own home. I believe the church should have the strongest homes and the strongest families. If you're going through struggles today, that's okay, but are you living by principles? We know that if we will live by God's principles, He will work everything out. If we will believe His Word, God will complete it in His time.

Daniel was a man of principles and a "what you see is what you get" type of man. The satraps and governors tried to find something in their natural law that he was breaking but they could find nothing. You may say, "Man, he was too squeaky and clean. I can't do that." Daniel was human, a man just like us. He went through the same temptations as we do. But something in him caused him to see the difference - he looked at things through the internal perspective.

If we saw things for their real worth, we wouldn't mess with them. If you could look at the thing you're going to do, follow it out until the end before acting on it, you wouldn't even start. How many know that if a deal looks really good, you sign on the dotted line but wind up paying 60 times the interest, you wouldn't be so quick to sign? Sin will cost you. You may think it won't but it will. The enemy makes you think it doesn't cost, but life outside the Word of God and obedience will cost you. "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. (Isaiah 1:19) God wants us to have the good. He wants us to be full of life, hope, strength and peace. He wants us to be more than conquerors. But we choose the level we will walk in. The level you believe is the level you're going to walk in.

Daniel was a man who was purposed in his heart. He was a man who lived by principles. They looked at his life and could find nothing wrong. In fact, they decided, "The only way to get Daniel is that we change the laws. Daniel 6:5, "Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God. So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: "King Darius, live forever! "All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statue and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you O king, shall be cast into the den of lions."

They were stroking Darius' ego. Let me put it in my own language. They said, "King Darius there's none like you. You are the king. In fact, we love you so much that we want to pass a decree that anybody who prays to anyone but you - who petitions to any man or god for thirty days - will be killed."

"Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter. Therefore the king signed the written decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since the early days." (Daniel 6:8-10) That's passion for God.

They changed the laws for thirty days - only thirty days - just a month. But Daniel was so hungry and thirsty for God, he couldn't live a day without communication with Him. Daniel wasn't willing to live a day without praise. Three times a day he would open the window towards Jerusalem and pray for the restoration of his people and give thanks to God. He knew the consequences. Daniel knew that the writing was signed and what was going to happen. He also knew that those lions were not stuffed animals. To be dropped into a den of lions where the second you hit the floor, those starved creatures would rip you apart, would be the most horrible of deaths.

This wasn't some little event. But Daniel loved God so much and had such passion for God that he had greater fear to be out of God's fellowship than to be in the den with the lions. He valued one more time with God greater than what man could do to him. Daniel's actions showed that he was willing to face the lions if he had to choose between God and not responding to God.

The Bible doesn't say that he hid himself or went into a closet to pray when the decree was made. Daniel wasn't a "closet Christian" - someone who gets free on Sunday and then gets stiff on Monday or in other words, all "Hallelujah Praise the Lord" one day and totally changed the next day. Daniel was the same day in day out - he didn't go hide out. He opened the windows, prayed and gave thanks to God as he had always done. Daniel did not stop his normal routine. He said, "I am not going to stop no matter what decree they passed, my passion for God is so much greater than anything man can do."

Daniel was a man of prayer. He was a man of purpose. He was a man of principal. Daniel prayed and gave thanks. "Prayer" means to bow down. Daniel postured himself in submission and humility. There's a time to posture yourself to prayer. You may say, "Well, I pray at dinner." That's good but there's a time to seek the Lord - to posture yourself to pray. You're going to have to get off your couch and turn the television off. You're going to have to shut things down, get focused, posture yourself and put your attention on God.

We need to be focused and to posture ourselves in prayer because there are many distractions when you begin to pray. It seems the telephone rings right when you begin. I can guarantee if I go in my office to pray, I can count to 5 and there will be a knock on the door. The enemy doesn't want us to pray or be in communion with God. For when we pray, and listen to what God is saying, there is an empowering to our spirit and we begin to get vision and understanding.

Daniel postured himself in submission and humility. He began to kneel before God and pray for the restoration of his people. I don't think this was a quick prayer because he knelt long enough for them to see and hear him pray to God although no one was permitted by law to pray to anyone but Darius for thirty days.

Daniel also gave thanks. "Thanks" means to praise, to hold out the hand, to revere or worship with extended hands intensively. Daniel got down on his knees, lifted his hands to God and began to praise and worship Him. Is this passion or what? This is why he had such an excellent spirit - because he purposed in his heart, he lived by those principles and he had a lifestyle of prayer and of worship.

We cannot sacrifice our time with God. We cannot sacrifice our prayer time. Prayer time is powerful. During worship as we lift up our hands and cry out to God something happens in our spirit. How many love to worship the Lord? Haven't you found there is a release in your soul when you begin to praise? When Daniel began to give thanks and pray, something began to take place in him - all fear was gone. Have you had something facing you and as you began to worship God, suddenly that fear left - "Perfect love casts out all fear." (1 John 4:18) Daniel was experiencing the intimate perfect love of God knowing that the lion's den was coming - but he had no fear. That is powerful.

Think about this - thirty days without prayer and without praise. What's thirty days? Some of you may say, "I've missed thirty days." How many have missed two weeks of postured prayer - where you seek God's face? Sometimes we have missed a week, two weeks. Thirty days doesn't sound like a lot and you may say, "We can get through 30 days without prayer." No, Daniel lived with such passion for God, that he was not willing to go 30 days without prayer. He said, "No way. I am going to pray to my King." Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's words to Nebuchadnezzar - "We're not going to bow down. Our God can deliver us but if He chooses not to, we'd rather die in obedience." (Daniel 3:17-18) That's passion!

God is bringing us to this kind of passion - that we will trust His power and His ability to deliver even to the point where we lay our life upon the Word and say, "I'm going to believe it." Although it cost me everything I'm going to believe and praise. That was Daniel. It was going to cost him everything because Daniel wasn't about to stop; he wasn't about to give in.

Daniel was a man who affected not only his neighborhood, but the whole country. He affected governments. Historians tell us that the wise men who came to worship Jesus could have been a direct result of Daniel's ministry at that time, for Daniel was prophetic. I hope you are hearing me today - we must be a people of prayer - a people of worship.

Daniel impacted his generation. He had a hunger and thirst for God. There is a statement, from a television commercial that says - "Image is nothing, thirst is everything." I think that is what Daniel was saying - "I don't care about the image at this point. I'm hungry and thirsty for God. I'm willing to pay the price." I know that sounds extreme and you may ask if God is putting you in that position. I don't know where God is putting you but you cannot afford a day without communication with Him. Your spirit will begin to reflect your denial and your lack of hunger for God. There is a change in our spirit because we lose that sense of joy, of peace and that sense of longsuffering.

If you want to be longsuffering, you better get a whole lot of prayer. We have a short fuse and it goes off quick. We don't want to suffer long or put up with things very long. But when you allow God to work in you, your spirit begins to reflect His spirit. When you get out of fellowship with Him, your spirit begins to reflect the negative - bitterness, anger, jealousy, resentment. Suddenly you become filled with all of these things because you ceased to have that communion with God. Your life becomes consumed and eaten up with the things we were never called to live with.

We were not called to live in bitterness. When bitterness comes in your spirit, it will eat you up. You might be breathing but something is wrong on the inside. Resentment, bitterness, anger, jealousy - God never called our spirits to contain these things. God called us to be delivered and free. God is saying to us today, "I want you to have an excellent spirit. I want you to purpose in your heart, that you are going to live by these principles - take the masks off and be real."

One thing we desire for our men and women's ministries is open and honest communication. When we meet together, we don't just act like everything is peachy keen, when it isn't. But if there's a problem, we talk about it together. We don't talk about someone else's problem amongst ourselves but we pray for each other, build each other up and be honest where we are.

There's nothing wrong with saying, "I'm in a bad place. I'm having a bad attitude today and I want to be changed." Come on, how many have had a bad day and someone asked you if everything was all right and you answered, "Oh, wonderful." You liar - you have that mask of "everything is fine" on. God wants us to be able to come together and share and not talk about each other's problems. But instead say, "I'm here to pray with you. I'm here to see deliverance come in your life because you were never called to live that way. God wants to deliver you." That's the power of the body of Christ.

Thirty days - Daniel was willing to give up his life because he wasn't willing for even one day to get out of sync with God. Have you noticed that when you kind of lose your hunger for God, your loyalties shift? What I mean is, everything else suddenly takes precedent. God is teaching us that if we lose our hunger and thirst, our loyalty begins to shift. We begin to be loyal to things that are not going to be truly loyal to us. Is world is going to be loyal to you? The only One who is going to be loyal to us is a God who has made up His mind before the foundation of the world, who choose you and said, "Though you are faithless, I remain faithful." (2 Timothy 2:13) He will not deny Himself. God is saying, "I'll never stop loving you. I'll never stop reaching out to you."

God will be loyal to us to the very end. "He that has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6) Isn't that wonderful! But that demands that we get a hunger and thirst for Him. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we are not hungry for what God has.

I know this message is heavy. Listen, we better take some strong pills once in awhile because I think we're pretty sick in some areas. We better get hold of the Gos-pill and swallow it because our lives, our effectiveness and our families depend upon it. Do you want to see revival in your family - get revival in you. Fire is contagious. We have groups going out in the streets door-to-door. They're on fire. And guess what happens? Other people get on fire for the things of God. As a result, if you'll just be open God will take care of the effectiveness.

Daniel was a man of prayer, dedication and worship. Worship is incredible. When you've seen and tasted that intimacy with Him, worship is powerful. There were some people in the Bible who had this kind of hunger. Moses was one of them. In Exodus 33 the children of Israel had come to the land of promise but the Lord was angry with them. God said to go ahead into the promise land - that he would send an angel to go before them but He was not going. And Moses said, "If your presence doesn't go, I don't want to go." (Exodus 33:2-3, 15)

After all that Moses had heard of the Promised Land, even seeing the fruit from it, he said, "Look, all that means nothing to me. What means everything to me is Your presence. If Your presence doesn't go, then I don't want to go. I don't even want an angel. I want your presence." Moses was saying, "I value Your presence more than Your promises because all these promises are empty without Your presence."

Another person who hungered after God was David. (Psalms 63: 1-2) "O God, You are my God: early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water, so I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You." David was consumed with hunger and thirst for God; he also was very effective in the Kingdom.

God is showing us that we can be a people of an excellent spirit when we allow God to work in our lives - if we allow Him to show us what's going to be infectious that will destroy us. He has shown us the principles we have confessed but in which we're not walking. God is dealing with things that we say we believe yet our walk isn't lining up with. We need to be a people of prayer and a people of worship.

Thirty days without communication with God. Daniel feared being out of God's presence more than he did those lions. I heard something worth repeating - lions are flesh eaters and when Daniel showed up there was nothing to eat because his flesh was crucified. The enemy doesn't have much to chew on if you're obedient. People say, "Oh, the enemy tore me up!" Well, why did he tear you up? The enemy is defeated - the enemy has broken teeth - the enemy has been beaten up. Can you imagine someone that helpless tearing you up? If so, it is a sign that you haven't purposed in your heart, you haven't walked out the things you know the scriptures say - you're not a person of prayer and haven't been worshiping God as you should.

When you truly worship God and a difficult situation comes along, you will begin to pray. I think Daniel was praying all the way down into the lion's den but he did get a good night's sleep! This is a true story; it's not a fable. This is about a man who purposed in his heart, and made an impact on his generation. This man had to face the most severe and fierce situation but was not afraid because he was in right standing with God.

You do not have to fear the enemy, he's defeated. Fear God. Reverence God. He is the One we should fear. We should be more interested in where we are in God than where we are in the social status of things. You may be in either the highest or lowest position but if you're not right with God, it doesn't matter what status you are in, you are not effective. God is saying to us as a church we must be a people of an excellent spirit. This demands that we begin to purpose in our heart not to defile ourselves.

Some of you have called me lately and mentioned that God was dealing with you in areas of your life that are not good. Before His dealing, you really didn't care but now have begun to realize the effects they are having on you. That's the Holy Spirit working. He's beginning to show you things that are ineffective and empty. And He's beginning to show you those things that are important.

My father told me as a kid, "I want you to balance everything out." I was trying to listen to worldly music. He said, "To the degree that you listen to this, I want you to listen to Christian music." But the problem was, when I listened to Christian music, I didn't like it. Then all of a sudden I realized there is a lot of good Christian music. My father believed the light would dispel the darkness and it did. I grew up loving worshipping the Lord and was a part of Christian bands. Music of the Kingdom of God has changed my life.

We must be people who purpose in our heart that we will not defile ourselves. We have to be people of principle - we don't wear masks - we don't play games - we are for real - what you see is what you get. I don't want to get political but many people today are saying they don't know what or who to believe. It shouldn't be this way with God's people. We should not have to ask if they are wearing a Sunday morning church face or something else. We should be a people who are real, and a people who "what you see is what you get." I pray, "God let me be the same person here that I am in the grocery store." And if you find that you're not, then you know what that is - conviction. Pray, "Oh, Lord I didn't see that crack in my life. God I want to change."

How many know that when you get a leak in your tire you can keep doing the quick fill but sooner or later you're going to forget or it will get worse. Then right in the middle of traffic you're going to be stuck with a flat tire and everyone else will be zooming by because you didn't take the time. I've seen people have blowouts. They didn't start out like that. It started with a little area in their life they didn't deal with. But they figured they'd do a little quick fix saying, "I'm in a hurry I don't have time for this." Then all of a sudden - boom - blowout. "Pastor, my life is falling apart. Everything has exploded. What am I going to do?" Well, "The things you should have done to begin with. Let's fix the problem so we can go on." God is into repairing us, restoring us, and bringing life back into us.

The lions had nothing to eat when Daniel was put in the lion's den. I don't want to give the enemy anything to chew on just because I wasn't willing to do what I knew to do. Daniel was a man of prayer. He was a man of worship. He gave thanks. When was the last time you said, "Thank you, Lord? You've been so good to me" and went through a list of things He has done for you?

I was at a golf course with a few people the recently. One of the brothers who had been a professional football player began to share some struggles he had gone through in his life. He told me that he had made two and a half million dollars. I'm thinking to myself, "Wow! You've made more money than I've ever dreamed of." Yet you can have all the money in the world and be just as miserable as the next person. What matters is what's going on in the inside - whether there is life going forth - whether you are yielding yourself.

This person said, "You know, I've lived a certain way then my wife told me about Jesus. And I accepted Christ and now everything else doesn't mean anything to me. All this doesn't mean anything." Isn't it true when Christ comes in, your perspective begins to change? That blessed my soul. He said, "All this is great but when I looked at my wife and saw her happiness, I wondered how can she take things in stride so well? Then I figured it out. It was about Jesus and I accepted Christ myself."

What an awesome experience. "Oh God, that we could realize what we have in Christ - we can be a people who shake ourselves and say, "No, I'm not going to be afraid of what the enemy can do. I'm going to be more interested where I am in God." We're all looking around at what the enemy is doing. But what is God doing? Quit worrying about the enemy and saying, "Well, the devil's going to get me." He can't get you. "No weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) Yes, he's there seeking whom he may devour but if you're walking in Christ and being real, the devil doesn't have much to chew on.

We've must be willing to praise the Lord, to seek the Lord, to pray and be a people who are real. Begin today to proclaim, "I want to be real - no masks. I want to purpose in my heart not to defile myself. I'm going to be a person of principle. I'm going to walk it out. I'm going to begin to seek new ways to posture myself to pray, to worship and to praise God."