Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.     Daniel 1:8 HCSB

Are you determined to follow Jesus? One of my favorite hymns is, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”. The chorus says, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. There are three stanzas which say I have decided to follow Jesus, though none go with me still I will follow, and the world behind me the cross before me. This hymn speaks to the determination it takes to follow Jesus.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This takes a great deal of determination. We must persevere. First, we have to decide to follow Jesus. Secondly, we must make up our mind to do so even if no one else does. Last but not least, we must put the world behind us and focus on Jesus and the cross.

Our Scripture passage comes from Daniel. Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah also known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were determined to stay true to the one true God. They were young men, probably in their teens. They had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Part of their training was to be brainwashed to assimilate into the Babylonian culture. They were to be trained for three years and then be placed in the service of the king. Changing their names from their proper Christian names to those who related to the false gods of Babylon was a big step in the brainwashing process. Teaching them the Chaldean language and culture was another. They were also to eat the food and drink the drink of the king. But Daniel refused to defile himself.

This young teen who was taken captive had made a decision that he would not be disobedient to God. He would honor God through this captivity. If you read the book of Daniel, then you will know that God honored him by giving him favor of the ruling officials. God even protected him when he was forced to spend the night in the lion’s den.

When we decide to follow Jesus, we must make up our minds that no matter what happens we will remain true to Him. We must decide to give up our intentional sin. We must determine to obey Him and trust in Him.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are excellent examples of how God honors and protects those who honor Him.

I spent years knowing I needed to give up some things in order to truly honor God. Those things became stumbling blocks and hindrances. When I finally resolved to give up the intentional sin in my life, it was hard. I was scared, I thought I needed some of this to be whole to have a good life. God quickly showed me that all I needed was Him. He showed me what he meant in Matthew 6:33 when Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

Are you determined to follow God, no matter the cost? Have you decided to follow Jesus even if you do so alone? Have you decided to let go of the things of this world to focus on Jesus and the cross?

I often say Christianity is not for sissies. Only the strong survive. Maybe you aren’t feeling so strong, and you think you can’t do it. The beautiful thing, however, is that God provides all the strength we need to do what He calls us to do. We are clearly told in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. You don’t have to be strong; you just have to surrender to Him and rely on His strength.

If you will just commit and be determined to follow Him, He will give you all you need to do so. He won’t let you down.

Have a great day!