Review:

• Daniel had resolved to serve God verses being the victim.
• Daniel did not get disillusioned with evil’s success. 

Daniel- the making of leader.

• Resolving to serve the divine king over the human king. Daniel 1:8-16
  • At risk was his reputation and first impressions in a new place.
  • Could cost him his life.
  • Could reveal a misplaced faith.
  • Result was strengthened confidence in God’s ways being supreme.

• Desperate prayer to reveal and interpret a dream. Daniel 2:12-47
  • At risk was his life, the life of his friends, and the others in the council of wise men.
  • No personal experience to draw from in their lifetime other than Joseph’s story.
  • Result was God showing his power to reveal himself and hidden things.

• Revealing and confronting the pride of a king. Daniel 4:19-27
  • At risk was his life and losing favor with the king.
  • Saying the hard things but still with hopeful affirmation.
  • Result: God humbling the heart of the king as spoken through Daniel.

• Refusing to be bribed with the appeal of power and position. Daniel 5:16-17
  • At risk was his character in leveraging his favor with God to gain for himself.
  • He could have become just like his grandfather Hezekiah in this moment.
  • Result: he gained power and position with his integrity, character, and relationship with God in a healthy and humble place.

• Refusing to pray to and rely on another power. Daniel 6:16-23
  • At risk was death by lions.
  • At risk was his overt reliance on God…take it to the shadows?
  • Result: God was once again proclaimed by a king to be the Living God and Daniel being esteemed by the king and kingdom.

God uses hard things to strengthen you.  Hebrews 12:7-11

• Charged to consider hardship as discipline. (7)
  • Discipline that is not punitive. [pics of a spoon, belt, or corner chair]
  • Discipline that shapes and strengthens.
  • Discipline that forms character and perspective. 

• To not discipline is to not care or love. (8)
• God’s shaping of us is superior to our earthly parents shaping of us. (9-10) [pic of parents from newcomers breakfast]
  • We respect more as we age the correction of our parents during our formative years. (9a)
  • They parented us the best they could. (10a)
  • God does so with being the designer of us and with knowledge of our future.

• God’s motives in shaping us is for us to share in his holiness. (10b)
• The process of going through hard things never feels good. (11a)
• Our benefit is a life that produces good things and benefits others. (11b)

Take aways.

1. Keep your eyes set on Jesus in the hard times and endure with hope.
2. Ask for God to build in you strong character and faith through hardship.
3. Pray for the hard stuff to produce through you good things and peace for others.