AN EXCELLENT SPIRIT
In the Book of Daniel, there are a couple of references to the prophet in which it is said that he possessed "an excellent spirit."
Daniel, together with some of his friends were amongst those who had been taken captive by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar as Jerusalem was besieged in the year 605 BC. Daniel was only a teenager at the time of his exile, around sixteen years of age.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader of the book of Daniel, that Daniel was fully devoted to serving the One true God, and he refused to compromise his worship and allegiance to the Lord.
My wife, Tessa, and I receive the free monthly magazine "Believer's Voice Of Victory" published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries. In the May 2019 issue, the first article speaks to this very topic which is the title of this blog: "An Excellent Spirit." After reading the article, over several days, I kept being impressed in my spirit of the desire to be known, like Daniel as one who has an excellent spirit.
Two references in Daniel speak to this description of the prophet. The first is in Daniel 5:12 "Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams, solving riddles and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel.....", and in Daniel 6:3 "Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm."
Because Daniel had an excellent spirit, he found favor both with God and with man. His three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also refused to compromise their devotion to the Lord God, and were saved in the fiery furnace. Daniel later was delivered from the mouths of the lions in the famous Lions Den incident - again because he found favor with God, and experienced divine protection.
In the article by Kenneth Copeland, he says that every Christian can release the excellence of God in any area and see His glory go to work in their life. All it takes is a quality decision to do these five things:
1. Decide to live always only by God's Word. Make it your absolute final authority.
2. Decide to live the life of love. To believe the love God has for you, and to love others the way He loves you.
3. Decide to live by uncompromising faith that makes no room for the flesh.
4. Live a life of honour before God. Be totally honest with Him always. Treat people with honor and tell them the truth.
5. Determine to excel in every area of your life. Commit to increase in excellence spiritually, to improve the quality of your soul (which includes your mind, will, emotions) and the condition of your body.
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to strive for excellence, by setting a personal example for us to follow: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Philippians 3:8
He continues by saying: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14.
British evangelist and preacher, G. Campbell Morgan in an article based on Daniel 6:3, says of Daniel that, as a man of excellent spirit, he was:
1) a man of purpose;
2) a man of prayer;
3). a man of perception; and
4). a man of power.
Don't you love the alliteration.
At the core of Daniel's being was an unflinching devotion to the Lord God, which enabled him to refuse to compromise his convictions.
In another online Christian Forum Site, an unnamed writer, in an article titled: "Characteristics of An Excellent Spirit" writes "Daniel acted with integrity in all that he did and we are to do the same. He was honorable in all his ways and had admirable qualities in character. Those who have developed in character will excel in Godly values. They excel above the average Christians who seem to be more concerned about the things of this world than pleasing our Father.
Back to the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
God is calling each one of us today who name the name of Christ as Savior and Lord to walk in a spirit of excellence in all that we do for His glory.
Daniel, together with some of his friends were amongst those who had been taken captive by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar as Jerusalem was besieged in the year 605 BC. Daniel was only a teenager at the time of his exile, around sixteen years of age.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader of the book of Daniel, that Daniel was fully devoted to serving the One true God, and he refused to compromise his worship and allegiance to the Lord.
My wife, Tessa, and I receive the free monthly magazine "Believer's Voice Of Victory" published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries. In the May 2019 issue, the first article speaks to this very topic which is the title of this blog: "An Excellent Spirit." After reading the article, over several days, I kept being impressed in my spirit of the desire to be known, like Daniel as one who has an excellent spirit.
Two references in Daniel speak to this description of the prophet. The first is in Daniel 5:12 "Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams, solving riddles and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel.....", and in Daniel 6:3 "Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm."
Because Daniel had an excellent spirit, he found favor both with God and with man. His three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also refused to compromise their devotion to the Lord God, and were saved in the fiery furnace. Daniel later was delivered from the mouths of the lions in the famous Lions Den incident - again because he found favor with God, and experienced divine protection.
In the article by Kenneth Copeland, he says that every Christian can release the excellence of God in any area and see His glory go to work in their life. All it takes is a quality decision to do these five things:
1. Decide to live always only by God's Word. Make it your absolute final authority.
2. Decide to live the life of love. To believe the love God has for you, and to love others the way He loves you.
3. Decide to live by uncompromising faith that makes no room for the flesh.
4. Live a life of honour before God. Be totally honest with Him always. Treat people with honor and tell them the truth.
5. Determine to excel in every area of your life. Commit to increase in excellence spiritually, to improve the quality of your soul (which includes your mind, will, emotions) and the condition of your body.
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to strive for excellence, by setting a personal example for us to follow: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Philippians 3:8
He continues by saying: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14.
British evangelist and preacher, G. Campbell Morgan in an article based on Daniel 6:3, says of Daniel that, as a man of excellent spirit, he was:
1) a man of purpose;
2) a man of prayer;
3). a man of perception; and
4). a man of power.
Don't you love the alliteration.
At the core of Daniel's being was an unflinching devotion to the Lord God, which enabled him to refuse to compromise his convictions.
In another online Christian Forum Site, an unnamed writer, in an article titled: "Characteristics of An Excellent Spirit" writes "Daniel acted with integrity in all that he did and we are to do the same. He was honorable in all his ways and had admirable qualities in character. Those who have developed in character will excel in Godly values. They excel above the average Christians who seem to be more concerned about the things of this world than pleasing our Father.
Back to the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
God is calling each one of us today who name the name of Christ as Savior and Lord to walk in a spirit of excellence in all that we do for His glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment