Becoming "That Guy"

December 01, 2023

“Are you THAT DANIEL who is one of the exiles from Judah ... Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.” (Daniel 5:13)

The world has never known how to handle authentic followers of God. They usually ignore at first or even violently react to godly leaders because the lives and words of those men and women are often disturbing. They challenge the status quo.

THAT GUY

Daniel stood like a mighty, unwavering oak in the midst of changing political administrations and godless cultures. He was ignored and seen as irrelevant when not needed. But there was something about this man that was recognizably different and disconcerting. He was also strangely intriguing to the world and compelling to those seeking God.

GODLY LEADERS HAVE THE TRUTH

This has happened thousands of times. When the King (Belshazzar) in Daniel, Chapter 5, encountered a message of judgment from God, he didn't know how to interpret it. And all of his counselors were clueless. The Queen reminded him that there was a man named Daniel in whom was an “extraordinary spirit” who could solve complex problems, as he had in the past for Belshazzar’s father.

Every other godless guru had failed Belshazzar, but there was one man who stood as truthful and accurate. When it got so scary that they were desperate, guess who they called?

Daniel was not known because of his human abilities. Even those who ignored God recognized that it was a “spirit of the holy gods” and “wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him.” What Daniel had was so different that it seemed Divine even to an unbeliever. They didn’t know quite how to describe it, but the difference they were seeing was the Spirit of God in Daniel.

GODLY LEADERS SPEAK THE TRUTH

Daniel helped the King understand God's judgment about him ... and it came true that very night. This is why Daniel was known as “that guy.” He was always accurate because God was using him to show the world who He was. Daniel was oriented to the Divine, and when he spoke, he spoke God’s truth to a confused world.

Want to stun the world and shape history? Become that guy with the extraordinary spirit. Walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit each day, and you will confound the unbelieving world, lead genuine seekers to Christ, and affect history in the process.

 

 

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