But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Dan 1:8)
Daniel was a stranger in a strange land. He was a devoted follower of the God of Israel in the midst of pagan Babylon. He was in the “system” but had no desire to be absorbed in the fabric of the godless society of his time. So he purposed in his heart not to defile himself. In other words, he was a rebel!
How about you? Are you resolving in your heart to be “in” the world but not “of” the world? Do you have a passion to be “transformed” instead of “conformed”? (Rom 12:2)
Daniel ended up being incredibly used by God because he kept himself a clean vessel for the Master’s use (2 Tim 2:20-21). Go against the grain of the world and prove yourself a man or woman of God who can stand up and say “I will follow Jesus!”
Louie