Resolved

This powerful message takes us into the life of Daniel, a young man who understood the difference between making a decision and being truly resolved. We live in a culture that celebrates decisions - we decide to change, to follow Jesus, to get disciplined - but the evidence around us reveals that decisions alone cannot transform our lives. Daniel teaches us that resolution is deciding who we are before any situation asks us to prove it. When he was exiled to Babylon, stripped of his homeland, given a new name, and offered the comforts of the king's table, Daniel had already resolved in his heart that he would not compromise his covenant with God. The Babylonian strategy was subtle but dangerous: they attacked with comfort, not violence. They offered provision, influence, and success, but each came with strings attached that would cost Daniel his integrity and convictions. This is the same battle we face today - the world offers platforms without character, pleasure without restraint, and spirituality without submission. The profound truth here is that just because something is free does not mean it will not cost us something. Daniel's resolve turned his decision into discipline, and that daily practice of restraint is what kept Babylon out of Daniel, even though he lived in Babylon. We are called to the same commitment: to be in this world but not of it, to remain married to Christ through every circumstance, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.