Daniel 1:4, Romans 12:2, Proverbs 3:5-6

Carl Belcher

In my last Life File you may remember that we looked at Daniel - the 'above and beyond' character of whom it was said that there was none equal. In every matter of wisdom and understanding he was head and shoulders above the rest.

We looked at the first of four enemy efforts to strategically subvert his destiny - to isolate. Today we unpack the second enemy strategy - to indoctrinate.

The dictionary definition of indoctrinate is, 'to teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically' or, 'to brainwash'.

It says in Daniel 1:4 that the chief of his court officials was to, 'teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians'. Hardly sounds like brainwashing does it? Most, if not all of us have been taught foreign languages while at school and it didn't turn us into some sort of dark sorcerer, (although I do still shiver when I hear children singing Frère Jacques!).

If you look a bit deeper into the translation of this verse, you'll find that they weren't just taught how to speak, read and write the Babylonian language, but they were taught the Babylonia practices; Astronomy, Astrology and Magic. These things were completely forbidden by God and God's people. Rather than seeking God and His Spirit, the Babylonians sought to summon evil spirits to interpret goings on and predict the future.

Again, the enemy's strategy is to try and turn Daniel away from God by methodically & systematically teaching them an alternative to God's way. This wasn't just a little dabbling in things they shouldn't, but the whole environment and culture was absolutely steeped in evil practices. You couldn't imagine a more dark, spiritually corrupt and oppressive place to live in, it was toxic.

Yet Daniel and his mates still managed to thrive and stay close to God in all this. How? Because they understood that just because God allowed them to be in a challenging environment, didn't mean they had to conform.

I love Romans 12:2, 'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.' The message version put's it like this:

'Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you'.

Are you in a toxic environment right now where the language, jokes and things going on are far from Godly? Maybe it's your place of work, school or even home? Sometimes it's really hard to do and say the right thing in these places. We fear being laughed at or side-lined, afraid that if we don't conform even though we know it's wrong, we'll not be accepted or liked.

It doesn't say much about how Daniel specifically handled these difficult moments (other than the food and wine bit, which we'll get onto next time!), but my guess is that he didn't necessarily jump up and down screaming his head off at them all, calling them evil scum of the earth, (I don't think he would have stayed in class very long, or alive!) He just refused to take part in the things that he knew were not God's best for his life. He refused to conform.

Just because he was forced to learn about the practices that were ungodly didn't mean he had to engage in them. He chose to just live as God wanted him to and still he found favour with those around him. That's the secret, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If you are in this sort of situation, I encourage you to do just that. Don't try to work out what could or might happen if you refuse to conform, just trust God with all your heart as you do the right thing and let Him make the way ahead straight for you.

If that's you, my prayer for you is may God give you strength to trust Him, may your mind be renewed and your life transformed and may you not just survive, but thrive where He's allowed you be right now.

Go for it!