Touching Hearts Ministries

Integrity always takes root as a mental attitude that says “ nothing will move me from my faith. I am determined to stand firm. I am not worried if no one else stands with me. I have made up my mind and no amount of pressure will change my decision”. It is much better to maintain one’s integrity than to compromise and act against one’s faith.

Let us look at the temptation that faced some young exiles in the day of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He had ordered his chief court official “ to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- young men without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that, they were to enter the king’s service”. Daniel 1:3-5.

You can see that there was a lot of temptation for these young Israelites. They were promised that they would enter the king’s service if they obeyed and did all the king had instructed his chief court official. Among these Israelites were some from Judah: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.- Daniel 1:6. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel “ I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you”. – Daniel 1:8-10.

Now, the food and drink offered by the king to these young exiles was not just any food or wine; this was “royal food” from the kitchens of the king. They were ordered to eat the same food the king ate and I believe it was tasty and posh food. Yet, it was contaminated food in the eyes of the young Jews, for the first portion of the food would have been offered to idols. Furthermore, ceremonially unclean animals were used, and therefore, the food was not suitable for the Jews to eat.

The pressure was there and Daniel and his friends were undoubtedly tempted to eat the food as the court official was hovering around. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. He asked the guard to “please test your servants for ten days: give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see” Daniel 1:11-13.

It is very important to take a stand and do the right thing in accordance with your faith. Daniel did just that; and “ at the end of the ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men, who ate the royal food”. – Daniel 1:15

Child of God, when you do the right thing and you do not compromise, God will always stand by you and prove your critics wrong. Wisdom comes privately from God, as a by-product of right decisions and godly reactions to situations around us.

PRAYER OF SALVATION

If you have not already committed your life to Jesus and you would like to do so now, please pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. Thank you for dying for me on the cross, to set me free from my sins. I ask you to come into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Congratulations, if you have prayed this prayer. Please look for a Bible-believing church, to fellowship with the brethren. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of any assistance to you. God bless you. Remain blessed and enjoy the presence of the Lord.

Ronke Immanuel

THM(UK)