Sociologists estimate that the shyest people in the world influence 10,000 people during their lifetime. The question isn’t, “How much influence do you have, but rather, what are you doing with your influence to make a difference?” Answering that question in a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile is an even bigger challenge. Simply put:
- How do followers of Christ positively exert influence in a culture filled with so much political divisiveness?
- How do followers of Christ positively exert influence in a culture where corruption is rampant and civility no longer sets the tone for the day?
- How do followers of Christ positively exert influence when the hottest issues of the day—issues like immigration, abortion, and racism—create a polarizing effect that leads to more hatred and hostility?
Many would argue, “It’s not even possible for followers of Jesus to thrive in such a culture.” In fact, many would argue that we shouldn’t even try—that instead, we should retreat from culture and hide, safely tucked away in our Christian bubble.
But I believe Scripture teaches the opposite…that it is possible to thrive in a hostile culture. I’m not naïve, uninformed, or overly optimistic, but when you read the story of Daniel, it’s clear that it’s happened before. In fact, the culture Daniel lived in over 2,500 years ago makes our culture today look like a picnic.
Daniel was a teenager—probably about 16 years old—when he was captured around 605 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, captured all the young men of Jerusalem, and carted them off to Babylon. Imagine being 16 years old and being taken as a prisoner of war. Imagine being 16 years old and being separated from your family, friends, and homeland while being thrust into a culture that was hostile toward your faith in God.
And yet, despite the hostility, God raised Daniel up to influence four different administrations of government over more than 65 years. What role did Daniel play in these government administrations?
- Under King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was elevated as the ruler over the entire province of Babylon (Daniel 6:46-49).
- Under King Belshazzar, Daniel was promoted to the third highest ruler in the kingdom (Daniel 5:29).
- Under King Darius, Daniel was an administrator who helped provide oversight to 120 satraps (Daniel 6:1-2).
- Under King Cyrus, Scripture simply tells us that Daniel prospered during his reign (Daniel 6:28).
How is all of that possible? How did Daniel go from a nobody to a somebody, from so little influence to so much influence, from a captive to a leader in Babylon?
Two words: God’s favor.
Daniel’s story is laced with God’s favor from start to end. The chief official agreed to Daniel’s request for a diet of vegetables and water. God enabled Daniel to interpret dreams for two different kings. God rescued Daniel from a den of lions. And God elevated Daniel to positions of influence under four different kings.
Here’s the thing about God’s favor—you can’t demand it; you can only position yourself for it. And that’s exactly what Daniel did. While Daniel was serving under King Darius, he…
“so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (Daniel 6:3).
That verse raises an obvious question: Exactly how did Daniel distinguish himself? A closer look at his life reveals five “distinguishing characteristics.” In this article, I want to address his first quality: Tested Commitment. Daniel was deeply committed to God, but what made his commitment to God so great was that it had been tested.
When you test something, it reveals its quality. For example, when you test drive a car, it reveals the quality of the car’s ride. When you taste test your mom’s fresh baked apple pie, it reveals the quality of the pie. When a student goes to school to become a doctor, or a lawyer, they take tests—usually lots of tests—to make sure they know their craft. You don’t really want a doctor to operate on you who hasn’t been tested. You don’t really want a lawyer to represent you whose knowledge of the law hasn’t been tested. It’s not until something has been tested that you know its true quality.
The same is true in our commitment to God. It’s not until our commitment to God is tested that we discover how committed to God we really are. Why is that important? Because, the only commitment to God that makes a real difference in a hostile culture is one that has passed the test. In fact, an untested faith is probably not much of a faith at all. So, how was Daniel’s commitment to God tested?
1. The Authenticity Test: Daniel was Committed to God Personally
When you hold a dollar bill up to the light, you can see watermarks on the bill, verifying its authenticity. When you draw a line with an iodine pen on the bill, the color of the ink will reveal whether the paper used to print the currency is authentic. Similarly, the authenticity of our commitment to God is revealed when our commitment is tested.
Daniel discovered this firsthand. After King Darius decided to elevate Daniel over his entire kingdom, Daniel’s fellow administrators and satraps got jealous of him and tried to find grounds to discredit him. The problem was, they couldn’t find accusation to bring against him. Daniel 6:5 says, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Daniel had a reputation for serving the God of Israel. In fact, Daniel had a reputation for praying three times per day. His commitment to God was not a secret…it was the real deal.
Here’s the point: Authenticity gave credibility to Daniel’s commitment to God. You cannot fake your relationship with God, and you cannot delegate your relationship with God. You have to personally own it. In fact, if anything repulsed Jesus, it was pride and pretense. He said, “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding” (Matthew 6:1, MSG). Authenticity attracts the attention of God, and authenticity puts credibility in your commitment to God.
2. The Intimacy Test: Daniel was Committed to God in Prayer
Daniel’s greatest priority was not to grow in influence with people; his greatest priority was to grow in intimacy with God. We see this play out when Daniel’s accusers convinced King Darius to pass a law that made it illegal to pray to any god, or any human, other than King Darius himself. If anyone broke this law, they would be thrown into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:6-9). That’s a pretty blatant sign of hostile, narcissistic leadership. But look how Daniel responds.
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10).
The reason Daniel’s commitment to God didn’t waiver in public is because his commitment to prayer didn’t waiver in private. His commitment to God passed the intimacy test, and intimacy with God is only formed in a personal habit of prayer.
Hugh Cairns, lord chancellor of the United Kingdom in the late 1800s, attributed any accomplishments during his lifetime and leadership to his habit of prayer. He started each day with two hours of communion with God through the discipline of prayer and study of God’s Word. He once said, “Do you suppose I come to a Cabinet meeting without first having talked it over with God?” Cairns, too, passed the intimacy test. His habit of prayer in private impacted his discipline of leadership in public.
3. The Loyalty Test: Daniel was Committed to God Under Pressure
Daniel didn’t stop following God when it became extraordinarily inconvenient. After the edict was issued not to pray to anyone other than King Darius, Daniel continued to pray three times per day…“just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10-11). He remained loyal to God when the pressure was on. He remained loyal to God despite the hostile threat of the lion’s den.
Then, verses 13 and 16 tell us what happened next: “Then they told the king, ‘That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.’…So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, ‘May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.’”
And that’s exactly what God did. He sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions, and He delivered Daniel. The lesson is clear: you don’t really know if somebody is committed until their commitment is tested under pressure. The pressure reveals the quality of what’s inside of a person. Daniel remained loyal to God under the pressure of a hostile culture.
Charles Thomas Studd (or C. T. as he was commonly known) was a wealthy Englishman who sold everything after coming to Christ, and he became a missionary to China and then India. But C. T. struggled with continued health issues. In fact, after returning from England, his friends described him as a “museum of diseases.”
Despite his physical struggles, C. T.’s commitment to missions wasn’t over. He sensed God calling him to the heart of Africa when he was 50 years old. After sharing his vision with a group of business leaders, they agreed to support him under the condition that his doctor would give him the go ahead. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
Eventually these business leaders withdrew their offer of support when Studd declined their stipulations to restrict his efforts in Africa. But C. T. still obeyed God’s call, and he started what today is known as WEC International before he died in Africa.
C.T. Studd could have easily succumbed to the pressure to retreat to a life of safety. Instead, his commitment to God passed the loyalty test, and he remained single-mindedly focused on what God called him to do.
Building godly influence in a hostile culture is not easy. It starts with a commitment to God that has been tested. Everybody wants God’s favor, but it’s most often found on the other side of tested commitment. The question you have to answer is, “How do I respond when my commitment to God is tested?”
