The Ripple Effect of Consecration
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” Daniel 1:8
Daniel stood out as a man who was consecrated or set apart for God. The Bible says, “But Daniel purposed within his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s meat and wine.” Now, what was the king’s meat and wine? It was meat that had been offered in worship on altars to false gods like Baal. The king wanted Daniel to eat and drink this meat and wine.
To most people, this would have seemed like a small thing. But something in Daniel said, “My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I’m not putting anything in my body that has been offered to false gods.” And the Bible said, “he purposed” not to defile himself. There is a ripple effect of consecration. And this ripple effect then also hit Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They refused to eat the meat or bow down to the false God. These four people standing firm in their convictions affected an entire nation. God honored their convictions and dedication. They were given extraordinary knowledge and skill in learning. Daniel was given the ability to interpret visions and dreams. The king respected and valued them so much that he said, “Let them stand before me in all matters” for he found them ten times better than all the others standing by.
Years later after King Nebuchadnezzar had passed off the scene, his grandson, Belshazzar was having a party. He blasphemed God and out of the darkness, a finger and a hand of fire started writing on the side of the wall. The Bible said the king was so shaken by what he was experiencing that he started trembling. And on the side of the wall, God wrote, “mene, mene, tekel, parsin.” The king was frantic and asked his advisors, “What does this mean?” And they said, “There’s an old man that your grandfather used to use in his administration. Bring him up.” So they brought Daniel up and he said, “God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” And within 24 hours, the kingdom was taken.
Before you can have a public victory, you must have private consecration. Your personal convictions matter. Your alone time with God matters. There is power and a ripple effect of consecration. All it takes is for one person to stand up in their workplace or community to spark a change. Dare to be different.
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