A Time To #20

Keep

Last week, we looked at the season of getting and how we are to pursue the things of God if we want to attain them.  Today, we look at the other side of getting.  Once we've attained what God has for us, what can we do to keep hold of it?  What else in our lives is worth keeping? Find out below.

What is keeping?

The terms most closely associated with the phrase to keep are observe, guard and give heed. All of these terms are related to paying attention.  So, we can say that to keep something is to give it our attention.  How much attention should we be giving things in our lives though? To answer that, we need to look at our priorities.

Prioritizing in Palaces

The things we keep most will be those things we prioritize.  Daniel prioritized his commitment to God from his first days in captivity.  He refused to eat the king's meat, rather choosing to separate himself out unto God (Daniel 1:8).  He didn't break his commitment to pray to God even thought it meant he would be thrown to the Lions (Daniel 6:10).  Looking back at these two examples, Daniel wasn't in a place of persecution or desperation at the outset of his trial.  He was in good favor in the king's palace and had a comfortable lifestyle compared to most people.  However, he didn't let the comforts and affluence afforded him keep him from his commitment to God.  Daniel regularly fasted when everyone else around him were eating fancy meals.  He didn't join in the big and immoral parties with the upper class even though he was respected by them. Daniel stuck to his covenant with God and the calling God put on his life.  This led Daniel to stand up to kings, pray prayers that brought demons into submission and prophesy over Israel that they would return to Jerusalem.  All of this was accomplished because Daniel prioritized God before the world.  He kept his covenant, his calling and his purpose. 

Daniel's story is one that many of us need to ascribe to.  Especially for most of us living in the West, we are surrounded by opulence.  The opportunity and temptation to blend into secular society and adapt to our culture rather than stand firm in our covenant, calling and purpose in Christ is great.  However, if we are to be like Daniel-to be used by God to fulfill His will in our lives and the lives of others-we must prioritize God's ways and gifts first in our lives.

How to Prioritize God in a godless society

Secularism, anti-christian movements, and apathy towards God are as prevalent today as they were at any other tough time recorded in the Bible, even Daniel's day.  The enemy is trying to put a stranglehold on this world and to isolate and idle God's people to the point of ineffectiveness.  In order to break the yoke of isolation and idleness around us and to release others from the enemies stranglehold, we are going to have to become active in our attention towards God and His ways.  Below is a way to be active in God like Daniel so that your focus and attention will remain on God:

1. Find multiple opportunities to focus pray to God daily.  Daniel chose three times and he turned himself towards Jerusalem when he prayed because that was where God's presence dwelt in the temple when He was a child.  We don't have to turn a physical direction to face God.  We only need to call on His name and He will be right there with us.  When we do pray, we need to make sure that everything else is blocked out and our focus is totally on God.  Having multiple set times to pray allows for regular communication with God so you don't lose sight of His purpose for you that day.
2. Fast regularly and for extended periods.  Daniel was surrounded by overabundance in the palaces of Babylon and Persia.  It wasn't necessarily that the food was bad for him to eat, but the amounts of it were gluttonously in proportion and immersion in overeating led to other things that were immoral.  To counter this exposure to overabundance and to save himself from the potential pitfalls associated with it, Daniel invented fasts that would allow him to go for extended times removed from the thing most readily tempting him.  What is most tempting us on a regular basis?  What can we do to abstain from it so that we don't fall into the trap of carnal indulgence?
3. Get others to stand firm with us.  Daniel had the three Hebrew boys to fast with him.  These young men were so committed to God they would rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than assimilate into the Babylonian culture and bow before the king.  When we decide to separate ourselves from the temptations and allure of this world, it's good to find like-minded people that will back us up and go with us along the journey.  We'll strengthen each other and allow for accountability when we choose to do something to draw near to God or further our calling. 

Daniel never isolated himself from society or ran away from the community in which he lived.  He lived separately among them.  This separate lifestyle led Daniel to be favored by leaders, have respect from his covenant peers and to lead people to relationship with God.  We can be effective witnesses in our community while remaining separate saints of God.  We just have to make sure we keep our commitments to God by maintaining our attention on Him and His ways.

• Map out a time to pray multiple times each day and focus on your calling and purpose in God
• Identify areas of your life where fasting is needed and call yourself to regular fasts so as to draw near to God
• Look for at least three individuals to join you in this journey.  Make yourself accountable to them and offer yourself as an accountable person for them.