Purpose of Heart
Purpose of Heart
"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..." (Dan. 1:8)
To purpose something in our hearts is to firmly set a priority inside of us as the goal that guides our behavior and our direction in life. Our purpose allows us to know WHY we do what we do.
God is always purposeful and we should align our lives with His purpose "now" if we desire to please Him and bring glory to His Name later. If we wait too long to decide whether we will do the right thing, we can easily be overcome with emotion and aimlessly go with the flow. Our hearts are prone to wander unless we firmly resolve in our hearts ahead of time that we are not going to let anything get in the way of our love and service to God.
Let us CHOOSE each day to serve the Lord that we might fulfill all His purpose.
When Judah was taken captive in Babylon, they were reaping what they had sown. They neglected to let their land rest every seventh year as God commanded them in the Law (Lev. 25:2-7) and they turned to other idols. As a result, God raised up Babylon as an instrument of judgment to take them captive for seventy years.
The idea of "exile" goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden where the first man and woman were kicked out because they had listened and submitted to the wrong voice leading to both immediate and long-term consequences. As the hearts grew more evil, God judged the earth with a worldwide flood. Later, the world arose and united together to build a tower in Babel that would reach the heavens "to make a name for themselves" (Gen. 11:4). This resembles Satan's rebellion in heaven.
The Tower of Babel resulted in "confusion" (as its name means) and the nations were scattered. Babel would later become a kingdom of Babylon, characterized by false worship, self exaltation, and sensuality. Behind it all, we see a satanic agenda that always seeks to dethrone and replace God wherever He is worshipped.
Since Satan could not have his way in heaven, he works hard to accomplish his evil purpose and intentions on earth. In Psalm 2, we see a prophetic picture of this, "The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”
Thus, "Babylon" is the thematic name of Satan's underling desire to rule on this earth and to corrupt the hearts and minds of God's image bearing people. From Satan's fall to the Tower of Babel, Babylon is a spiritual mystery that culminates in a beast known as the Antichrist who will lead a world wide alliance and forced adherence to the devil's expansive evil agenda.
This is why the book of Daniel is such a compelling and challenging book for our present time. Corruption is everywhere and many voices are trying to tell us who we are. The spirit of antichrist is growing in the world...but so is God's kingdom!
Like Daniel, we too must live like strangers in a culture that is progressing toward humanism, relativism, and secularism. We are called to go against the grain and to say "No" to the enticing influences around us.
So what can we do to ensure that Babylon does not influence us?
We can resolve in our hearts to remain true to God no matter the cost. We can be among “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12:3)
If we are going to shine as lights in the darkness, we must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Daniel seemed to grasp the new covenant revelation that, "the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:18), but we have the victory in this world through faith (1 John 5:4).
Are you living like Daniel did in today's generation?
If so, we will "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life..." (Phil. 2:14-16).
Daniel was intentional not to let Babylon get inside of him. He stood his ground and showed that he feared God more than other men, which included the king of Babylon. May the same truth and the words of this old hymn be said of us:
“Dare to be a Daniel; Dare to stand alone,
Dare to have a PURPOSE firm, Dare to make it known.”
DANIEL CHALLENGE: Purpose now in your heart to love and serve GOD alone and not this world!
HOME GROUP QUESTIONS:
1. Share what Babylon represents and how it connects to Satan's overall agenda. See: Genesis 11:1-4 and Revelation 17:5; 18:2 In what ways do we see how Babylon is still active and advancing in our culture?
2. In what ways, are you personally feeling the influence of the world's corruption and have you personally ever felt the world trying to stamp a false identity on you?
3. Have your purposed in your heart to fully please God? If so, explain how making up your mind ahead of time has made a difference in your life and in others as you remain faithful to God in these trying times.
Share any further encouragement and pray for one another to be firmly decided to live for Christ against the current compromise and corruption in our present age.
"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..." (Dan. 1:8)
To purpose something in our hearts is to firmly set a priority inside of us as the goal that guides our behavior and our direction in life. Our purpose allows us to know WHY we do what we do.
God is always purposeful and we should align our lives with His purpose "now" if we desire to please Him and bring glory to His Name later. If we wait too long to decide whether we will do the right thing, we can easily be overcome with emotion and aimlessly go with the flow. Our hearts are prone to wander unless we firmly resolve in our hearts ahead of time that we are not going to let anything get in the way of our love and service to God.
Let us CHOOSE each day to serve the Lord that we might fulfill all His purpose.
When Judah was taken captive in Babylon, they were reaping what they had sown. They neglected to let their land rest every seventh year as God commanded them in the Law (Lev. 25:2-7) and they turned to other idols. As a result, God raised up Babylon as an instrument of judgment to take them captive for seventy years.
The idea of "exile" goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden where the first man and woman were kicked out because they had listened and submitted to the wrong voice leading to both immediate and long-term consequences. As the hearts grew more evil, God judged the earth with a worldwide flood. Later, the world arose and united together to build a tower in Babel that would reach the heavens "to make a name for themselves" (Gen. 11:4). This resembles Satan's rebellion in heaven.
The Tower of Babel resulted in "confusion" (as its name means) and the nations were scattered. Babel would later become a kingdom of Babylon, characterized by false worship, self exaltation, and sensuality. Behind it all, we see a satanic agenda that always seeks to dethrone and replace God wherever He is worshipped.
Since Satan could not have his way in heaven, he works hard to accomplish his evil purpose and intentions on earth. In Psalm 2, we see a prophetic picture of this, "The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”
Thus, "Babylon" is the thematic name of Satan's underling desire to rule on this earth and to corrupt the hearts and minds of God's image bearing people. From Satan's fall to the Tower of Babel, Babylon is a spiritual mystery that culminates in a beast known as the Antichrist who will lead a world wide alliance and forced adherence to the devil's expansive evil agenda.
This is why the book of Daniel is such a compelling and challenging book for our present time. Corruption is everywhere and many voices are trying to tell us who we are. The spirit of antichrist is growing in the world...but so is God's kingdom!
Like Daniel, we too must live like strangers in a culture that is progressing toward humanism, relativism, and secularism. We are called to go against the grain and to say "No" to the enticing influences around us.
So what can we do to ensure that Babylon does not influence us?
We can resolve in our hearts to remain true to God no matter the cost. We can be among “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12:3)
If we are going to shine as lights in the darkness, we must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Daniel seemed to grasp the new covenant revelation that, "the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:18), but we have the victory in this world through faith (1 John 5:4).
Are you living like Daniel did in today's generation?
If so, we will "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life..." (Phil. 2:14-16).
Daniel was intentional not to let Babylon get inside of him. He stood his ground and showed that he feared God more than other men, which included the king of Babylon. May the same truth and the words of this old hymn be said of us:
“Dare to be a Daniel; Dare to stand alone,
Dare to have a PURPOSE firm, Dare to make it known.”
DANIEL CHALLENGE: Purpose now in your heart to love and serve GOD alone and not this world!
HOME GROUP QUESTIONS:
1. Share what Babylon represents and how it connects to Satan's overall agenda. See: Genesis 11:1-4 and Revelation 17:5; 18:2 In what ways do we see how Babylon is still active and advancing in our culture?
2. In what ways, are you personally feeling the influence of the world's corruption and have you personally ever felt the world trying to stamp a false identity on you?
3. Have your purposed in your heart to fully please God? If so, explain how making up your mind ahead of time has made a difference in your life and in others as you remain faithful to God in these trying times.
Share any further encouragement and pray for one another to be firmly decided to live for Christ against the current compromise and corruption in our present age.
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