GAME CHANGER:
HOW TO IMPACT YOUR WORLD
You can make an impact. Get in the game.
Because we are followers of Christ, we are to live by a different standard. To use a sports analogy, we play the game differently. Our lives point to Christ and that's a "Game Changer" not everyone is willing to accept. When we step into the culture with our prayers, stand against sin and for righteousness, and live a faithful life committed to Christ, we impact the world and the way "The Game" is played.
How To Impact Your World
- Develop Conviction - Live your life with uncompromising conviction.
- Pray Fervently - Our prayers connect us with God's plan.
- Stand Courageously - Be ready and willing to stand for God.
- Live Humbly - Pride leads to downfall, but God honors humility.
- Confront Sin - Call sin what it is and point to what God says about it.
- Act Faithfully - God is greater than those who oppose you.
For the
next six weeks, we'll see how God used four Hebrews to witness,
speak to, and impact a pagan culture. If
God used Daniel and his friends in such a tremendous way, He will use
us the same way to impact and change our world today. As we study the
Book of Daniel, I pray that God will speak to us and encourage us to
"Get in the Game" and to be "Game Changers."
Pray Fervently
The Bible Meets Life
How do you manage your to-do list? All of us make priorities based on the urgency and importance of the tasks in front of us. For example:
- Getting to the church on time for your wedding is both urgent and important.
- Some things, like your annual physical, are important but not
- necessarily urgent.
- Other things, like answering a ringing phone, call for urgent attention but may not necessarily be important.
- Those internet videos of kittens? Sorry, but they’re neither urgent nor important.
I wonder where prayer would rank on such a list. It should be an urgent priority, yet it often falls to a last resort. In Daniel 2, we’ll see that effective, fervent prayer connects us with the One who can provide for every need and can solve every problem.
What Does The Bible Say?
Daniel 2:13-21,26-28a (ESV)
13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. 17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”
26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28a but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.”
Wise men (v. 13)—A general term referring to the king’s counselors.
Enchanters (v. 27)— Individuals who used spells and incantations to connect with the spirit world.
Magicians (v. 27)—The root word means “engraver” or “writer” and refers to persons who recorded sacred writings.
Astrologers (v. 27)—Persons who attempted to determine the fate of others.
Have you ever had a dream that woke you up—and kept you up? King Nebuchadnezzar had just such a dream, and it troubled him greatly. Although the king didn’t know it at the time, his dream had come from God.
What Nebuchadnezzar did know was that his dream meant something. He called in the intellectuals of the day—those members of his court who claimed to have all the answers. If the wise men really did have all the answers, the king reasoned, they should be able to not only interpret his dream, but also explain what happened in the dream without his help. That’s what he demanded from them.
Not surprisingly, the wise men and diviners couldn’t tell him anything at all. They were relying on their own intellects, reasoning, occultic practices, and false gods; therefore, none of them could deliver. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar deemed all of them useless—and ordered their death!
We saw in our previous study that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among Nebuchadnezzar’s counselors, which means the king’s decree also called for them to be executed. When the commander of the king’s guard came for Daniel, he “replied with prudence and discretion” (v. 14). He didn’t argue, fight, or run; he simply asked the commander for information. And then Daniel boldly went before the king and asked for one thing: time.
Daniel didn’t know the king’s dream, but he did know who was the Source of the dream. All he needed was time to pray. That’s an important lesson: when you’re looking for spiritual answers, you don’t go to politicians, educators, or scientists. You go to God.
Daniel 2:17-21
Daniel didn’t pray alone. He urged his friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—to pray with him. Of course, their lives depended on God’s answer, but they had faith He would respond. And they continued praying until He did respond.
We can follow the example set by Daniel and his friends. To start, we must pray correctly. The young Hebrews came to God seeking mercy. They didn’t demand their rights. They didn’t complain. Instead, they approached God with pure and humble hearts.
Here are two more elements for praying correctly:
Have the right relationship. True prayer depends on having a spiritual relationship with God that enables us to call Him “Father.” This can come only through faith in Jesus Christ. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6).
Make the right requests. The apostle John wrote: “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Correct prayer remains in line with God’s will.
A second way to follow Daniel’s example is to pray persistently. Jesus gave this crucial advice about prayer: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).
Third, we must pray expectantly. Verse 16 says: “Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.” He was confident God would give him the interpretation! Daniel knew who was in charge and who “gives wisdom to the wise” (v. 21).
Daniel 2:26-28a
When Daniel stood before Nebuchadnezzar to reveal both the
dream and its interpretation, he made a statement that must have shocked the king: “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” Daniel wasn’t referring to any of the false gods of the Babylonians. He spoke of Jehovah, the God of Israel.
Daniel could have taken credit for successfully revealing the dream and its interpretation, but he knew better. He understood that everything—including his own abilities and wisdom—is rooted in God. The glory belonged to God alone.
It’s been my experience that people often turn to disciples of Jesus during moments of crisis. When that happens to you, use the following lessons from Daniel:
- Take the initiative with discretion and discernment (v. 14).
- Show them the love of Christ.
- Solicit support from God’s people (vv. 17-18).
- Pray fervently for them and relay God’s answer—an answer grounded in Scripture.
- Give the glory and praise to God (v. 28).
Daniel could never have been God’s instrument without fervent prayer. May God help us to see the need in our own lives to pray fervently for His grace, insight, power, and revival.
LIVE IT OUT
How will your study of Daniel’s life influence your experiences with prayer this week? Consider the following suggestions:
- Talk with God every day. If you are not a pray-er, start now. Prayer isn’t just what we do in a crisis; prayer is spending consistent time with God in personal conversation. Set aside 15 minutes every day for uninterrupted conversation with God. Share what’s on your heart and listen for His response.
- Maintain a prayer journal. Keep track of your prayer requests each day. Just as importantly, record how God answers your prayers.
- Pray with others. Start or join a group specifically for the purpose of prayer. Gather for an hour or so once a week to pray for your families, your pastor, your church, missionaries, civic leaders, and special needs in your community.
In all its different facets, prayer isn’t about seeking what we want; it’s about seeking God’s plan and seeing that He is honored and glorified through our lives. As God Himself promised us: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jer. 33:3).
Prayer Commitment
Lord, thank You for being present and able when I need You most. Amen
Hope you can come on Sunday. Charlie Saylors will be teaching this Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
